Shadowfox
Chapter 1
Sakura Hanamoto
"So, let me get this straight, a girl with white hair fell from the sky with a spear, and speared everyone in the carriage, and even cut the horses free with spears of ice." The investigator questioned the distraught man. With each point he illustrated, the man nodded.
"Yes, that's right, and her eyes, her eyes were of the coldest, iciest blue you could imagine. It was like staring an enormous glacier in the face!" The man grabbed the investigator's jacket. The investigator forced the man to release him.
"Look, we've been getting reports like these for the past month; we've found absolutely no evidence whatsoever to find the culprit. The spears of ice have no fingerprints, and they don't melt or anything. We've got nothing, there's nothing we can do anyway. So just put it behind you."
"But-but-," The man reached out for the investigator, but he stopped when he felt something pass through his body, he stared in horror at the sight of a spear of ice sticking out of his body. The investigator looked about to see a silhouette of a girl, maybe only fourteen standing on the roof of a nearby building. The investigator reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol. But before he could fire a shot, the girl leapt into the air and called out something in a foreign language.
"Hyouton: Kaori no Kyouja no Jutsu!" She thrust her spear forward and a spear of ice was fired at him from the wooden spear, it pierced through his chest and stuck into the ground behind him, his feet held up a few inches off the ground. The girl landed on the ground and sighed.
"Did you have to kill him?" A voice spoke behind her. She turned to see a boy behind her.
"Of course I did 'nii-chan!" She said. "He was a witness, they can't live." She answered.
"I told you not to."
"But I had to!"
"I'm older by two years; you're supposed to listen to me when Shishou isn't around." He retorted. The girl just stuck her tongue out at him. She reached for the spearhead and unscrewed it and stuffed it into a large pouch strapped to her belt. Then, she disassembled the shaft and shoved each foot long section into small loops attached to a strap at her left thigh. Giving her brother a look of contempt she walked away. "Hey, Yukina! Wait up!" He ran to catch up to her.
XxXxXxX
She sat at the bar, occasionally glancing at the man beside her. He was rather drunk, mostly thanks to her.
"You sure you're eighteen?" The man asked her.
"Of course I am." She reassured him with a smile. 'Pedo, but your demise will be fun.' Flicking her thick ponytail of auburn hair over her shoulder, she discreetly slipped her hand into her pocket and drew out a small packet. Opening it, she lifted the bottle of rum. "More?" She asked him.
"Sure!" He laughed and turned to the man on his other side. This gave her the chance she needed. She slipped some finely ground powder into the bottle and gave it a quick swirl and poured the rum for him.
"Oi! Silent Strike, hurry it up!" A male voice spoke through the small earpiece she wore.
"Shut up, I'm almost done." The man lifted the mug of rum and drank it. He put the mug down and stopped moving. He twitched several time before falling from the bar stool. The girl opened her mouth and screamed, feigning her innocence like a well trained actor.
'He-he's dead!" She cried. Everyone in the bar rushed forward to see. She slipped back and ran out of the bar before anyone noticed. She pressed a finger to her earpiece.
"Silent Strike to Shishou, do you copy?"
"I copy Silent Strike. Report?"
"Mission accomplished. I'm heading back. Over." With that, the fifteen year old girl slipped into the dark of night.
XxXxXxX
"Shishou, when are we going back East?" The boy asked.
"Soon Hyourinmaru, don't worry." His teacher responded.
"Yeah, why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Yukina asked.
"Because I don't like this place!" He answered. "We were better off on our continent. Everything here is too loud, and half the carriages here don't have horses. It freaks me out."
"Shishou, when we do leave, where will we go?" The auburn-haired girl asked.
"We're headed for Fire Country." Their teacher answered. "We'll take a few more jobs on our way there so that we don't go broke, but once we reach Konoha, the mercenary life is our past." She said. The three students nodded.
"Shishou, you're from Konoha right? Do you think we'll run into anyone you know there?" The red-head asked.
"Without a doubt Natsuhime, without a doubt."
XxXxXxX
Haruka sat inside the carriage nervously. The Daimyo's son Hideki had done nothing but stare at her. She really didn't like it. She fingered the sash of the Twelve Guard Ninjas of Fire. She'd joined when one of them retired when she was eighteen. By then she had already become a jounin, and had felt like she needed a change. So, despite her oldest brother's protests, she traveled all the way to the capital to join. She glanced up at Hideki, who gave her a look she didn't much like, and finally, she stuck her head out the window to speak to the man that sat next to the driver.
"Sempai, can we switch yet?" Haruka asked.
"No,"
"But, why not?"
"You called me 'sempai'."
"What does that have to do with it? I'm only showing proper respect." Haruka's partner sighed.
"Haruka, we've been working together since you were eighteen right?" Haruka nodded. "Then, you should be comfortable enough with just calling me Mamoru." Mamoru explained.
"But, Hideki-sama has done nothing but stare at me!" Haruka hissed. Mamoru sighed.
"Fine, we'll switch, but only if you swear to never call me 'sempai' again."
"Deal." Haruka pushed the door to the carriage open and hung out the door until Mamoru clambered inside. Haruka sat down beside the driver. "I like this much better." She said as she took a deep breath. 'Finally, Hideki-sama think he can have any woman he wants just because he's the Daimyo's son.' She thought bitterly.
XxXxXxX
The carriage was stopped at the gate by a chuunin. "I'm sorry but you will have to continue on foot from here." He said. Haruka nodded and jumped down from her seat and opened the door.
"We're hear Mamoru, Hideki-sama." She said. Mamoru stepped out first and waited for Hideki. Hideki wrinkled his nose at the sight of the dirt road he'd have to walk on.
"Come, Hideki-sama, we were told to meet with the Hokage as soon as we arrived." Mamoru said, indicating the way to the Tower.
"Must I walk the whole way?" He asked.
"Yes, unfortunately, we cannot take the carriage the rest of the way." Haruka said.
"Well, if I must." Hideki walked along, obviously, none too happy with the arrangements.
Soon they reached the tower, and that also meant the ridiculous amount of stairs they'd have to climb.
"I never liked these stairs." Mamoru muttered, Haruka was in agreement. "This way Hideki-sama." The three walked up the staircase, stopping several times for Hideki to catch his breath. Once they finally reached the top they walked down the hall to the Hokage's office. Mamoru knocked.
"Come in." Haruka opened the door and Hideki entered first. His two guards flanking him. Haruka closed the door, and both guards took up a post on either side of the door. "Ah, Hideki-sama, welcome to Konoha." Konohamaru began.
"Yes, yes, yes, let's just get this over with." Hideki snapped unhappily. Konohamaru sigh.
"Now then, we have been receiving many reports that Orochimaru is preparing to march on Konoha."
"And?"
"Oh well, if he does, there is a possibility that Konoha cannot survive the attack, and Fire Country will be open to an invasion by any other country."
"Then I trust you won't fail." Konohamaru sighed.
'May his father live for much longer. I fear that this man will be a terrible daimyo.' He thought sullenly.
"Is that all?" Hideki asked standing up.
"Oh, yes, we will meet once more tomorrow with the clan heads of the village." Konohamaru told him.
"Of course." Hideki gave him a sour smile and walked away with very little consideration. Haruka and Mamoru bowed to Konohamaru and followed Hideki out.
XxXxXxX
Arashi crouched among the bushes and watched the enemy camp carefully. 'So this is the advance army? They look like a bunch of morons.' She thought. 'I shouldn't underestimate them though.' The twenty-seven year old moved from the bush to rejoin the other three members of her team.
"What's the situation Taichou?" Satoko asked.
"There's at least six score of them." Arashi reported to her. "Hitomi, keep an eye out for any unusual movement." Arashi ordered.
"Right." Hitomi moved though the shadows quietly. 'Byakugan.' She activated her Byakugan to its fullest extent and watched the camp below, as well as the surrounding area. After several minutes of nothing, a thick mist settled around the area. Hitomi pumped more chakra to her eyes, but she couldn't see through the mist. She ran back to Arashi and Satoko. "Taichou, someone's used the Kirigakure no Jutsu." She reported.
"What?"
"But, I saw absolutely nothing." Hitomi added.
"What are our orders Taichou?" Satoko asked.
"We stay here until it clears, moving out could get us killed." Arashi answered.
'Onii-chan, I hope you don't get killed down there.' Satoko thought nervously.
XxXxXxX
A man of about twenty-four cried out as another one of his fingers was broken.
"Tell me, who has been conducting the investigation on Orochimaru-sama the past twelve years?" A gruff man asked. The younger man smirked.
"Your mother." He answered insolently.
"Why you-!" The man was about to strike him again when a sentry burst into the tent.
"Sir! We're under attack!"
"Konoha?" The man asked.
"No, the Shadowfox Squad!" He answered just as a spear of ice ran through his body. The man knocked the younger one to the ground and ran out of the tent, only to have his head bashed in by a war hammer. Two kids burst through the door. Both had snow white hair and icy blue eyes.
"Shishou, we found a captive, what do you want us to do with him?" The boy spoke through an earpiece and microphone he wore.
"Do you know if he's an enemy to Konoha?"
"He's wearing the Konoha forehead protector."
"Bring him with you." The boy nodded. He saw that the man was conscious.
"We'll be back in a bit." He said and ran out of the tent.
XxXxXxX
Natsuhime moved through the army of Oto-nin, cutting them down quickly with her bladed tonfas. She smiled and ducked under one man's attempt to take her head off with a short sword, she retaliated with a quickly slice to his neck, slitting his throat cleanly.
"You can't catch me! You can't catch me!" She taunted a few other shinobi. She kept on slashing quickly; taking all of them out with a single hit each, aiming for vital spots on their bodies.
XxXxXxX
Hyourinmaru raised his war hammer high above his head and slammed it into the ground. "Take this!" As his hammer made contact with the ground huge pillars of ice rose up to strike anyone who was too slow to get out of the way in time. He swung his hammer around and smashed the head into a man's chest, crushing his chest cavity.
XxXxXxX
Yukina reached for the six sections to her staff and snapped them together quickly. Reaching into her pouch she pulled out the head of a halberd and screwed it onto the top of the staff and swinging the seven and a half foot pole arm around and ran three Oto-nin through with it.
"Heh, this is too much fun!" She cried, tucking her white hair behind her ears. An Oto-nin came in from behind to strike her with a katana, but from her shoulders and back, ice shot out to stab him in the heart. "Feel the cold bite of the Kaori Kanman. The kekkei genkai of the Takeda clan!" She roared as she spun on her heel and hit anyone that got too close.
XxXxXxX
The teacher ran through the camp, surveying the damage that her students had done. Yukina was about to finish an Oto-nin off but her teacher stayed her hand.
"Wait, we can leave her as a messenger to Orochimaru." She said. Yukina nodded and let the frightened woman go. The teacher grabbed the woman by the collar of her shirt. "Tell your master that the Shadowfox Squad is back in Fire Country, and we aren't gonna let him do what he wants to Konoha. If he wants that village, then he's gotta go through me. Tell him; tell him that Uzumaki Hinari lives." She growled into the woman's ear. "Understood?" The woman nodded and Hinari released her. The woman ran off.
"Was it such a good idea to reveal your name Shishou?" Yukina asked.
"It's fine; I've been a thorn in Orochimaru's side since I was twelve. He probably relaxed when he figured out that I was gone, but now he's got a reason to be scared." Hinari told her student. "Now, where is this captive Demolition Drive mentioned?" She asked.
"This way, is the mission still on?" Yukina asked.
"Yes, it's on until we leave the battlefield." Hinari answered. Hinari followed Yukina to the largest tent in the entire camp. She pushed the flap aside and stepped in. Hinari knelt by the now unconscious man and cut his bonds away. She gave him a quick look over. "Hmm, most of his fingers are broken; he's got cuts and scratches all over, and possibly more injuries. Go find a stretcher; it's the safest way to transport him." Hinari ordered. Yukina nodded and rushed off. She told Hyourinmaru and Natsuhime what Hinari had said, and the two older kids helped her find a stretcher. Once they did, they rushed back to the tent.
"Do you know him Shishou?" Natsuhime asked.
"Not sure yet, but judging by the scars on his face," she pointed to the left side of his face. "This is Uchiha Takuro."
XxXxXxX
As soon as the mist cleared and the sun rose, Arashi, Satoko, and Hitomi ran down to the camp. What they found was something they weren't expecting. Dead bodies everywhere and every one was an Oto-nin. At this sight, they were stunned.
"There isn't a single body here that isn't from Oto." Satoko remarked. "And these cuts, they're so exact. They must have been delivered from an experienced medic."
"What kind of medic rushes into battle?" Arashi asked.
"Check this out!" Hitomi called them over to a body that was hanging several feet from the ground, held up by a spear of ice.
"Who could have done this?" Satoko stared in awe. The fourth member of their team, a useless man, came huffing and puffing.
"Uchiha Takuro is nowhere to be found." He reported to Arashi. Satoko bit her lip.
"Hitomi, get back to the village at full speed and report this!" Arashi ordered.
"Yes Taichou." And with that, Hitomi was off.
"Whoever did this, they must have been good, really good." Arashi murmured.
"Taichou!" Satoko called Arashi over.
"What is it?"
"Look." Satoko pointed to a clearing on the ground where oil had been spilled. Someone had lit the oil so that they burned in the form of a fox. "You know what this means?" She asked.
"Yeah, this is the work of the Shadowfox Squad." Arashi answered.
XxXxXxX
They came to a cabin several miles from the battlefield. "Yukina, get the door open." Hinari ordered. Yukina pushed the door open and moved aside for Hinari and Hyourinmaru to enter with the stretcher. "Natsuhime, Yukina, get him onto the bed, gently now, we don't want to make his injuries worse." Both girls carefully moved him the man from the stretcher to the bed.
"Shishou, he may have internal injuries." Natsuhime said.
"Get his shirt off, I'll take a look at him." Hyourinmaru propped the stretched up against the wall while Natsuhime took a kunai and tore the man's shirt open.
"Whoa, this guy's got muscle." Hyourinmaru remarked. Hinari stuck her index and middle finger into her mouth and whistled. The whistle was soon answered by six howls. Within moments, six large foxes entered the cabin.
"What do you need Hinari?" The largest one asked.
"Where's Umi?" Hinari asked, it had gotten harder for her to tell the foxes apart.
"Right here." Umi stepped forward.
"Natsuhime, tell her what you need." Hinari said. Natsuhime nodded.
"How's his heartbeat?" Natsuhime asked. Hinari leaned over carefully and listened.
"Irregular." Natsuhime reached for a pouch strapped to her belt and pulled it off. She opened it and dug through its content. "Bring me Scopolamine, and Pokeweed. I have enough Foxglove." Umi nodded and ran out.
"Akagane, what's been going on since we've been gone?" Hinari asked. The largest fox with eight long tails stepped forward.
"Not much, Orochimaru's army has been growing, he relaxed when it was reported that you'd momentarily left, but now that you're back, he'll be sweating bullets." Hinari laughed.
"What about Konoha and its allies?"
"The Daimyo's son arrived in Konoha today for a conference, the Daimyo is growing old and can't travel anymore. Unfortunately, the Daimyo's son will make a crappy Daimyo, he cares nothing for the country, and he's more concerned with women than the situation between Konoha and Oto. Suna has agreed to come to Konoha's aid should they need it. Queen Mae has also given us her support." Akagane reported.
"That's good. How is Konoha faring overall?"
"Quite well, the newest graduates have much promise, and luckily, Konoha has had very few casualties in the last year, they've got as many troops as they can get right now." Hinari nodded as she listened.
"Hyourinmaru give me four splints from Natsuhime's pack." She ordered. The boy stood and dug through the girl's pack. He pulled out the four and handed them to Hinari. Hinari snapped them until they were the right size, and they using bandages, used them on the man's fingers. Only his left index finger and thumbs weren't broken. "Yukina, dig through the book to identify this one."
"Uh, let's see he's from Konoha," she flipped to somewhere in the center of a large book. "Oh, here we go, based on his appearance he's in his early to mid twenties. Does he have a clan symbol anywhere?" Yukina asked. Hyourinmaru picked up the man's discarded shirt.
"Yeah, a red and white fan." He pointed to it on the sleeve. Yukina nodded.
"Let's see, this one must be Uchiha Takuro, twenty-four years old, a member of Konoha's Military Police."
"Akagane, did you know that Takuro had been captured?" Hinari asked.
"No, Tetsujin was supposed to be watching the camp." Akagane glared at his older brother.
"Sorry," Tetsujin apologized by touching his nose to the ground.
"Who are his known relatives?" Hinari questioned.
"On what we have, her mother and father, Uchiha Sasuke and Sakura, Sasuke is head of the Military Police, and Sakura is in charge of all doctors, nurses, and certified Medic-nin. He's got a younger sister, twenty, a member of the ANBU Infiltration and Sabotage Squad, the main squad." Yukina read off.
"Impressive." Hinari murmured. Umi soon returned with the herbs Natsuhime had asked for.
"Shishou, pick him up." Natsuhime ordered. Hinari carefully lifted Takuro up. Natsuhime lifted a bowl to his lips and forced him to swallow a greenish liquid. "There, the Foxglove should get his heartbeat back to normal for now. Shishou, let me know of any internal injuries." Hinari nodded.
'Byakugan.' Hinari's eyes traveled up and down his body. "Two cracked ribs on his right. Those are the most serious; everything else is a scrape, scratch, or cut." Hinari said. Natsuhime nodded.
"I guess we really don't need the Scopolamine then." She tucked the plant and placed it carefully in her pouch and reattached it to her belt. "Hyourinmaru, make yourself useful and hold him up while I bandage him up.
"Wait, we need to set one of the ribs, it looks like its pretty close to puncturing his lung." Hinari said.
"Right." Natsuhime pulled out the Scopolamine again and starting grinding it up with her hand. She dropped the powder into water and stirred it around. "All right, pick him up again." Hinari lifted Takuro again, and Natsuhime got him to swallow the concoction. "Now we let that settle in, it'll take maybe an hour." Natsuhime said.
"Akagane, keep an eye out for us will ya?" Hinari requested. Akagane nodded and he and his siblings stepped out. Hyourinmaru dug through his pack and produced a sack of jerky. He tore of a chunk and tossed it to his sister.
"Thanks." Yukina also tore of a good sized chunk and handed it to Natsuhime. The three ate the jerky in silence while Hinari kept an eye on Takuro.
"So, who had the highest kill count?" Hinari asked.
"I had fifty." Natsuhime said.
"Thirty-one." Yukina announced.
"Thirty-nine." Hyourinmaru said.
"Natsuhime's the winner then." Hinari said.
"So we only killed a hundred twenty?" Yukina asked.
"Yeah, there were a hundred twenty soldiers, plus the commander. Hyourinmaru killed the commander, and we let one soldier live." Hinari summed up for them. "Pass me some jerky Natsuhime." Hinari took the jerky and ripped off a hunk for herself and gave it back to Hyourinmaru. "Get some sleep you three, you guys deserve it, I'll keep an eye on him." She said. The three nodded. They set out their bed rolls and crawled into them.
Soon all three kids were asleep, leaving Hinari alone. She stood up and let Akagane join her.
"Has it really been twelve years already?" Hinari asked.
"Yeah, it's amazing how time flies." Hinari smiled.
"I remember, the day I first met Takuro at the Academy. He said I was pretty and asked to be my friend. I was so scared I ran away." She curled up and watched Takuro sleep. "We were eight, and I had no idea that he'd end up falling in love with me, and I with him, but it's been so long, I don't know if my feelings for him are still the same."
"Twelve years is a long time Hinari, and you were only kids, it's possible that he's found another by now. Especially since he's to be head of his clan when his father chooses to step down." Hinari nodded.
"I know." Hinari scratched Akagane behind the ears. "I remember when I met you; you were still small enough to sit on my head without my neck hurting from your weight. Now look at you, you've got eight tails now, the others still only have seven. You're the youngest, yet the strongest." Hinari picked up the book and flipped through it.
"Why did you start keeping that book anyway?" Akagane asked. Hinari gave a shrug. "I don't know, a whim I guess. But it's been useful. It holds the names, ages, and ranks of every shinobi clan we've encountered. Including Hyourinmaru and Yukina's. And Natsuhime's."
"Why bother with Hyourinmaru's? It's just the two of them. And they hold no official rank."
"Because I know that when Hyourinmaru becomes a man, the Takeda clan will grow again, the same way the Uchiha clan did."
"Things certainly have changed. All of your friends are grown up and have chosen their paths."
"Yeah, I chose mine early. At fourteen, I was listed in the Bingo book of every Hidden Village. But by then, the Hinari they knew ceased to exist and I fully became Shadowfox."
"But you still answer to Hinari." Hinari nodded.
"I wonder if I'm still in the Bingo book."
"Why wouldn't you be? You're just as dangerous as you were then. Even more so with three highly trained students with you. Plus, your control over Kyuubi-sama is at its greatest right now."
"I can't remember the last time my eyes turned red anymore." She stated. Hinari looked at the scars on Takuro's face. "Or the last time I hurt someone unintentionally with that power."
"That's good thought, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. It means that I'm fully ready to return to Konoha." Then, she groaned. "It also means that I haven't taken the Chuunin Exam in twelve years. I'm still a genin!" Akagane chuckled.
"Yep, even Hitomi-hime has surpassed you." Hinari groaned again. She looked at Takuro again and stretched.
"He's not waking up for a while." She lay down and linked her fingers together under her head. "Wake me up if he does."
"Okay."
"Good night Akagane." Hinari closed her eyes and fell asleep.
"Good night and welcome home."
Hurray! Chapter one finished and nearly nine pages long! Phew, I'm having fun with it already. And like I said in the last chapter of Hinari, there would be new characters. Hope you recognized Hyourinmaru and Yukina's last name. It was mentioned in Hinari as well. But that shall be explained later. As well as the origins of Natsuhime. To tell the truth, I started out with only Hyourinmaru, but that was boring, so I threw in a younger sister for fun, but then I thought, "Let's make it a normal four man team." And thus, Natsuhime was born. Hope you enjoyed! Review please!
"Hokage-sama!" Hitomi burst into the conference room.
"Hitomi! This better be good for you to interrupt." Konohamaru snapped. The clan heads weren't too happy either.
"I'm sorry but, the advance army that was parked ten miles outside the village, it's been wiped out!" She cried as she yanked her mask off.
"WHAT?!"
"Arashi-taichou sent me to report it, and, it was done by the Shadowfox Squad." Hitomi said. "Everyone in the camp was dead, including the commander." At the mention of the Shadowfox, the clan heads burst into frenzied whispering.
"I thought the Shadowfox disappeared?" Hana muttered.
"Not likely, we sent our best after her; they came back without even having scratched her. She probably just stepped out of the light." Shikamaru reasoned.
"Hitomi, take two I & S squads and continue the investigation." Konohamaru ordered. Hitomi saluted.
"Yes sir." She pulled her mask back on and walked out the door.
"What's this Shadowfox?" The clan heads fell into silence and they all turned towards Hideki. Each and every one of them wore the same look. A "Where the hell have you been?" look. Konohamaru sighed. Haruka and Mamoru glanced at each other. Even they knew of the Shadowfox.
"Shikamaru, pass me a cigarette." He said. Shikamaru raised a surprised eyebrow but complied with the request.