Author's notes: heyo good people. This is the start to the sequel of "Out of Sight, Centre of Mind"
I will try to do justice by the standard set by that last piece of work. My poor update speed and hectic life births a possibility of this fic going on uncompleted…I shall however do my best to avoid that event
Be Strong Konoha
Chapter One – Overheard Conversations
Near the border of the Lightning country a small town slept.
The midnight moonlight shone down on a dank back alley bar…it did not see too many visitors nor did it see peace. Fights and disruption were common place. However tonight was calm.
It was going past midnight and the Bar's only occupants were the one-eyed barkeeper, a family of rats, a survivor of a previous bar-room brawl and a man sitting calmly at a table looking through a deck of strange looking cards. He looked terribly out of place. His purple robes and sparkling glasses served a striking contrast to the fly-paper brown walls and numerous, unidentified stains which decorated the floor.
He sat with his back facing the door…an action the bar-keeper thought to be most foolish.
Through the aged door staggered the body of an equally aged woman, wrapped in a travellers cloak and a shawl. She walked up to the bar and quietly ordered a drink. The man at the table watched her through the reflection in his glasses but never once turning his head to betray his true actions. A few minutes later another person walked through the door…this man was equally well-dressed as the one sitting at the table.
He wore a fine-stitched travelling cloak with a single cloud sewn in the centre. His face bore many scars.
He scanned the room briefly before his sharp eyes rested on the man sitting at the table. He gave a crooked smirk before taking up a seat opposite.
"So…he sent you?" The newly arrived man said. The other removed his cards from sight and looked at the man.
"My master wished to assure you of the respect he has for these proceedings. As such he sent his most valued subordinate as your master has sent his" The bespectacled man explained.
"Fair enough…so, what does your master wish from us?" Instead of a verbal answer he withdrew a sealed scroll and passed it to the man.
"We need your co-operation and we need it soon" the scar-adorned man laughed with a hint of spite
"I heard your last attempt on the Leaf didn't go too well…and now you seek help from a force more powerful than your last accomplices. The question my master wants to know is: What's in it for us?"
"We have no desire of conquest, we only want destruction. After the smoke clears, you may have it all. If the Cloud do not wish to aid us then we could always go to the Stone…I'm sure they would make great use of the spoils"
The man stopped laughing
"damn you…the Earth country have no honour. You would sell your souls to them?"
"…"
"we accept…but be fore-warned: the Cloud and our Raikage don't take too kindly to being stabbed in the back. Lest you forget, we did hear about the Sand."
"we have your answer. In the scroll are attack plans, times and weaknesses laid out by my master. This time there will be no doubt about it. Konoha will fall"
The man took out the scroll that was handed to him and looked at it briefly. He looked at one part before looking up in disgust
"Impossible"
"what's the matter?"
"that is not enough time. We need time to gather our forces, explain the plan, equip and mobilise."
"One day is more than ample time for that"
"Do you really expect to be able to move the combined force of two armies across the country without being noticed?"
"That wont be a problem. By the time word reaches Konoha. It will be too late."
"Very well…I must depart if that is to be the case. Time is clearly short."
"The hour is late. I too must return"
"What about her?" the atmosphere in the bar grew suddenly cold, the bar keeper disappeared behind a dirty cloth room divider.
"I can take care of one little rat. Go!"
The Cloud Ninja got up from his table and disappeared out the door. The remaining man stood and walked over to the woman at the bar.
"Now my dear…why pray-tell were you eavesdropping on my private conversation?" The man's smile turned into a smirk.
With speed impossible for her apparent age and bodily disability: She jumped up and smashed the bottle down across the bar and thrust the broken end into the mans gut before turning and running for the door. The man was startled, but did not pay any notice to the broken bottled embedded into his belly.
"Foolish Rabbit" With a grin he picked up the chase. Through the darkness of the night and the shadows in the alley cast by moonlight he followed the silhouette of the women.
She turned a corner into a small deserted street. She stopped before a large closed gate. She was trapped. The man was walking up behind her
"There's no escape madam…now perhaps you would care to explain to me…uck!" The man got closer and closer before in a blinding speed: she turned and thrust a palm directly into his chest. The man coughed some blood and dropped to his knees.
"Who…the hell…are you?" The man coughed. The woman took off her shawl to reveal grey hair and a wrinkled face. With a wink and a smile she formed a hand seal
"Kai" the women puffed into a cloud of smoke that quickly cleared to reveal a teenage girl with long blue hair and pearl eyes.
"H-Hyuuga?" the man spluttered
"Long time no see Kabuto…been two and a half years since our last meeting"
The man stopped coughing blood and took a deep breath before returning to his feet
"Hyuuga heiress Hyuuga Hinata…by my eyes I never thought I'd see you in this situation. A pity: you have to die now" Kabuto brought out a scalpel and made a swing at Hinata. She dodged it with ease and hit a point on his arm making him drop his weapon. Kabuto's face turned serious.
"that was annoying!" Kabuto took a step back and prepared a chakra scalpel. Just as he was about to lunge he felt something on his legs. He looked down and mud was enveloping his legs. He struggled to free them but found his struggling only increased his problem.
"You little bitch…release me" Kabuto hurled a knife at Hinata's heart. He watched as it passed through her robe and chest…and entire body without leaving a mark.
"Bunshin?" Kabuto whispered almost in amusement. The image of Hinata walked towards Kabuto and stretched her hand out before lunging at him. Being a bunshin Kabuto laughed at the thought that she was trying to fool him. It did not prepare him for the strikes he felt on his chest which was being done by what he believed was a bunshin.
"Multi-layered…Genjutsu" Kabuto gasped as the points were hit that educed unconsciousness.
Kabuto fell to the ground and did not move.
Hinata looked at his fallen form and breathed a sigh of relief before relaxing from her stance.
From seemingly out of thin-air: Kurenai appeared
"Thank you sensei…without your Genjutsu I was sure to be slaughtered by that thing."
"Hinata…you were fine…I merely helped. I must say you handled yourself exceptionally well" Kurenai praised
"thank you sensei" Hinata blushed
"What did you find out about this meeting?" Kurenai's face became serious.
"Repeat of two years ago…Sound are plotting to attack. This time they've enlisted the help of the Cloud" Hinata explained briefly
"damn!" Kurenai cursed. "Any word on when?"
"Next few days"
"You're kidding!"
"Sorry…I used my byakugan to see the scroll that was passed between those two. With the aid of and Ino: we should be able to extract the image from my mind and put it back on paper." Hinata explained.
"okay…we've got to get back to Konoha as soon as possible. Ino should be back shortly…she was told only to tail the contact for a few blocks" Kurenai explained
"What about him? He knows we know, the plan could change because of this." Hinata gestured to Kabuto
"When Ino gets back she can enter his mind and remove the memory"
As if on cue: Ino emerged from the shadows
"My ears are burning" She grinned "…how'd it go Hinata-chan?"
"Tell you later…right now we gotta remove a memory from Kabuto…can you do that?" Hinata asked
"I feel like I should be insulted…of course I can! What do you want removed?"
"The chase, the fight and the suspicion he felt in the bar…be discreet Ino."
"Okay…the memories should be fresh in his long term memory. Should be easy to find. You're gonna have to put him in a less suspicious place though…if he wakes up here with no memory, he'll ask questions" Ino warned
"I'll handle that…when you're done. Head back to Konoha, I'll put him back in the bar and catch you guys up" Kurenai said. With a nod, Ino knelt beside Kabuto.
"Hinata…you better heal up his wounds as well" Hinata nodded.
Ino formed a handseal with her left index finger stright and her right hand making a crescent so a "D" was formed. She lined up Kabuto in her sights
"Mind-Entrance no-jutsu" Hinata looked on as Ino's body slumped.
She has been among the first test-subjects to Ino's new technique. Instead of taking over the body and controlling it. Ino enters the target's mind and can manipulate it in certain ways. It was devised by Ino and Ibiki. She mainly used it for finding out blackmailing info on certain people.
It was a few minutes before Ino came to
"done" She whispered. Hinata quickly healed up Kabuto's wounds and Kurenai picked him up and made for the bar.
"You two…go!" Kurenai said.
Doing as they were told: Hinata and Ino jumped to the rooftops and made south for Konoha.
Before long they were entering the outskirts of the great forest of the fire country. They began branch leaping
"That went well don't you think Hin?" Ino smiled
"I guess…but it's hard to get excited about…they are planning to attack Konoha for goodness sakes" Hinata said, jumping off a branch
"Yeah…I noticed. I tell you: That Kabuto dude has some weird stuff in his head."
"I don't want to know Ino…thanks"
"What's up Hinata-chan? You're all down and mopey" Ino asked concerned
"More so than usual?" Hinata joked
"You know what I mean…it's Naruto aint it?" Ino hit a nerve
"So? You'd be worried if it was Shikamaru away for two years" Hinata snapped
"Hey hey hey" Ino tried to calm.
"sorry…just he was meant to be back by now…I'm terrified something's happened to him" Hinata confessed
"He's overdue by six days…don't worry about it. I mean: you've waited this long…right?" Ino said
"I don't really feel like talking about it Ino-chan…please?" Hinata avoided the topic
"Sure hun…listen…when we get back: I'll treat you to some dango. That always cheers you up" Ino grinned
"It's hard to get excited over that when the combination of two armies will be knocking at our village gates in a few days…but I appreciate the sentiment. Thank you Ino" Hinata smiled.
Ino and Hinata both felt the presence of their mission leader come up behind them.
"Hey girls. Kabuto was sleeping soundly last time I saw him. We're in the clear as far as being found out goes." Kurenai reported "…although that leaves us with the next problem of the next few days."
Hinata and Ino stayed silent.
"Not to worry…we'll be fine, Konoha has seen through worse in the past, this will be no different"
Ino and Hinata were not re-assured.
"Listen…we might draw attention to ourselves. Split up, half kilometre distance from each other, stay quiet. Keep your ear wigs on an open channel. If you get into trouble, signal the other two…okay?" Kurenai advised as she switched on her radio and ear-piece. Hinata and Ino did the same and began moving outward from one another.
Kurenai looked both left and right at the retreating forms of Hinata and Ino.
"God help us"
Author's Notes: Okay people…how's that?
Good opening?
Hope so.
I'm still working on getting into a groove of writing again.
The ice is broken and this sequel is on it's way.
Until next time.
I bid you all a good Morning/Day/Evening