Venatori
Summary: Kankuro was a few minutes too late, and Kiba died. Now, Shino and Hinata work to ensure that no more traitors get away alive. Divergence from chapter 212.
The Laughing Phoenix does not own Naruto and makes no profit from this work, other than her sense of accomplishment.
WARNING: Massive spoilers in future chapters. Character death. Blood, gore, and questionable use of medical knowledge and techniques. Some OOC-ness.
Laying the Foundation
Armed with a box of dango, Kurenai approached a training ground usually reserved for upper-level shinobi, hunting for one Mitarashi Anko. She'd planned this meeting out in advance, finding out when and where Anko was training (or reducing trainees to gibbering messes, take your pick) that week, and picking up a little something to facilitate the conversation. She wanted to help her two remaining students reach their new goal, but, having only just made jounin and only ever acting as a general shinobi or sensei, she didn't really know what steps they would have to take to get there.
Hence, Anko. Thanks in part to Anko's traitorous bastard of a sensei, she'd been involved in one capacity or another with most of the branches that made up Konoha's special ops. If anyone knew what Shino and Hinata could do to start working toward their goal, it would be her.
"Nai-chan!" despite all her training, Kurenai very nearly dropped the box of dango as arms wrapped around her from behind. "So nice of you to come visit! Tell me, is that what I think it is?"
Kurenai couldn't help but laugh softly. Typical Anko. "Hello to you too, Anko," she passed the box over her shoulder. "Here, help yourself."
Not needing any further encouragement, Anko tore open the box and cheerfully pulled out a stick of dango. Shoving it in her mouth, she devoured the entire skewer at top speed. "So," she said around the stick, reaching into the box for a second helping, "What can I do for ya, Nai-chan?"
Kurenai sighed, letting her shoulders drop. "It's about my team," she said softly. "I trust you heard about Kiba?"
The grin melted off of Anko's face. "I did."
"Well, Hinata and Shino talked it over, and they decided that they wanted to simultaneously improve their strength and put themselves in a position to take revenge." Kurenai watched as Anko's face became guarded. As a trusted member of Torture and Interrogation, Anko was used to looking for warning flags, little signs that suggested a shinobi's loyalties were about to shift. "They want to join the hunter-nin."
Anko whistled. "Aim high, don't they?"
Kurenai nodded. "They asked me what to do to improve their chances. Given that I really don't know all that much about the hunter-nin, I came to you."
"Mmmm…" Anko chewed on a wooden skewer, considering. "Well, there's the obvious. Up their stealth and speed training, and make 'em good enough to track anything. Broaden their skill set too. The hunter-nin know more about the human body than anyone outside the med-nin. That should be enough to start."
"Thank you, Anko. I owe you one."
"Eh, just bring me another one of these," she waved the now-empty box of dango, "and we'll call it even." Anko paused, dropping her joking smile, to look Kurenai in the eyes. "Nai-chan, do you really think they're cut out for it?"
Kurenai shrugged. "Honestly, I think it'll do them some good. Shino would probably have gone the hunter-nin route anyway, and as for Hinata," her face darkened. "The farther she can get from under her father's thumb, the better."
"How d'ya mean?"
"The first time I met Hinata was when I was hired to escort her to and from the Academy," Kurenai said frankly. "Hiashi essentially told me that she was a failure as a clan heir and that he was sending her to the Academy 'in hope that the village might get some use out of her'." She imitated the Hyuuga's stuffy tone. "Hinata was right outside the door, she could hear everything, and he didn't care. Since I've worked with Hinata, and seen how well she responds to a little praise, I'm half convinced that she's been put down and belittled for most of her life."
Anko grimaced. "I knew I didn't like the puffed-up jerk."
"It hurts to admit it, but Kiba's death has been like a catalyst. They're pushing themselves to exhaustion developing what skills they already have, and if they can maintain their work ethic, I can see them making full jounin by seventeen. They want to join the hunter-nin, I'm willing to help them get there."
"Hmmmm…" Anko hummed under her breath. "Hey, Nai-chan, do you mind if I sit in on one of your trainings? I'd like to see what your brats are made of."
Surprised, Kurenai agreed almost instantly.
"And as for you," Anko continued, an unholy grin starting to curl across her face, "I'll bet you haven't really unwound since Kiba's death, have you?" At the sudden worry in Kurenai's eyes, the grin broadened. "C'mon, I'm treating you to a girl's night out! Hey, maybe we can grab Yuugao, make an occasion of it!" Cheerfully looping an arm through Kurenai's Anko dragged the other woman out of the training grounds, headed for the village and a bar.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Anko sat in a tree at the edge of the clearing Team Kurenai was training in, evaluating the genin as they sparred. She had to admit, she was fairly impressed. They'd come a long way from the Chuunin exam about two months before. The Aburame boy was relying on his bugs less and taking on a more active role, instead of standing back as he had done in the prelims. The little Hyuuga seemed to have added other taijutsu styles to her Jyuuken, and looked a lot more comfortable in her own body. If they kept improving at this rate, they might make their goal.
Once Kurenai had dismissed the two for the day, Anko dropped from her tree to land at her friend's side. "I'll admit, Nai-chan, I think you're right. Those kids are going to be a force to be reckoned with if they can keep it up."
Kurenai smiled. "I hope so. They keep surprising me at every turn. Hinata had a truly interesting idea today." Mischief shone in her eyes as she glanced at the snake kunoichi. "She suggested using the Tora mission as a measure of their skill."
"Oh?" Anko was intrigued. The infamous Tora mission was the bane of the shinobi forces, and was traditionally left to the rawest genin, as they were the bottom of the pecking order. If the kids had figured out how to get some use out of catching a truly cantankerous cat…
"Yep. She said that they could hunt Tora two or three times a week, and time themselves. The goal would be to reduce the time it takes as much as possible. They're actually going to start today. Shino tagged the cat earlier, and he wants to remove his female so that they have less of an advantage."
Anko considered that a moment. "Not a bad idea," she admitted. "It'll do for a start, anyway. Hey, Nai-chan," she changed the subject quickly. "Would you mind if I helped train them occasionally? Not anything much," she said hurriedly, hoping to get her idea out without offending one of the few female friends she had, "just some techniques every so often, suggestions for what they need to work on, stuff like that?"
Kurenai sighed. "I hoped you would," she said softly. "I'm a genjutsu specialist, but I've only really ever handled things like escorts or straight combat. I'm not a hunter."
Anko grinned. "Sweet! I like your kids. So I was thinking, maybe I could start them off with some basic poisons and antidotes later this week."
The older kunoichi threw an amused glance at the energetic snake mistress bouncing along next to her. "Are you sure you never want to take on a genin team, Anko?"
"Naaaah. And handle snotty little brats? I'd rather get them once they've got a bit of a spine and some real skills."
A few days later, Hinata and Shino showed up at the training ground to find the proctor from the second part of the Chuunin Exam waiting for them with Kurenai-sensei. Adjusting his sunglasses to cover his surprise, Shino mentally listed everything he knew about her.
Mitarashi Anko, Special Jounin, works in Special Ops, perhaps Torture and Interrogation. Proctors the Chuunin exams. Energetic, bloodthirsty, seemingly impetuous and fond of making a scene. Possibly victim of experimentation by Orochimaru, as she has a marking on the back of her neck similar to that of Uchiha Sasuke, who defected to the Snake. Also rather fond of dango.
"Good morning Kurenai-sensei, Mitarashi-san." Hinata greeted the older women, polite as always. Shino bowed his head to the two.
"Good morning Hinata, Shino," Kurenai nodded to them. "You obviously remember Anko from the Chuunin Exam. She's a friend of mine, and she's taken an interest in your goal of joining the hunter-nin. She's offered to teach you some basic poisons and antidotes."
Hinata's face lit up. She had been making ointments and salves for years, and found the process of mixing different plants and herbs together into something functional soothing. It helped that it was something she was naturally good at.
"Thank you, Mitarashi-san," Shino said, bowing formally.
"Eh, Kurenai's said you've got potential, and I don't mind teaching. But stop calling me 'Mitarashi-san', you're making me feel old!"
"Then perhaps Anko-sensei would be more appropriate?"
"Anko-sensei…" Anko turned the thought over in her mind, rubbing at the back of her neck. "Eh, still missing something."
Shino frowned slightly. "Anko-senpai?" he suggested.
Anko's face lit up with another of her evil grins. "Anko-senpai, I like it!"
The day was spent in comparison of different types of toxins, both plant and animal-derived. Anko expounded on varying toxins, from neurotoxins ("good for paralysis, but they can be tricky. If you're not careful with the dose, you'll stop the heart) to corrosives ("T & I loves these. Lots of pain, little chance of lethality"). Shino proved fairly knowledgeable about sources of poisons, particularly poisonous insects, which surprised nobody. It was Hinata, however, who displayed an almost instinctive knowledge of how toxins worked, what combinations proved more lethal than others, and how to counteract them.
Anko was quickly added to the rhythm of training Team Kurenai was developing. Every week or so, workload permitting, she could be found teaching the pair poisons and antidotes. The lessons quickly moved from the theoretical to the practical, and before long the pair was capable of making and countering a dozen or so basic poisons.
Hinata, who had free access to Clan Hyuuga's stillroom and stores of herbs, quickly put the lessons to use, making jars of mild paralytics and other toxins to dip weapons in. She roped Shino into taking an afternoon to help her rearrange the room, so that the higher shelves were open for her poisons, where they would hopefully be out of the immediate reach of careless clan members.
Hiashi learned about these lessons about five weeks after they began, when one of the shinobi members of the clan reported to the clan medics with an unresponsive leg and hand. The clan members had grown used to availing themselves of Hinata's salves and treatments for injuries, and, in a hurry to meet his team, the chuunin had grabbed what he thought was a jar of ointment, but was actually a paralytic. Rubbing the concoction into a pulled muscle, he was unpleasantly surprised when his lower leg and hand seized and refused to respond. His teammates helped him to a clan medic, who needed only a cursory examination of the supposed salve to realize what had happened.
Unsure exactly what the active agents were, and unwilling to risk a bad reaction, they requested Hinata. When the message reached her, she was sitting at the edge of a courtyard, watching her father and cousin spar.
Supposing the message for him, Hiashi called the spar to a halt, only to be surprised when the messenger, an apprentice of one of the medics, bypassed him for Hinata. "Hinata-sama! Haru-san sends his regards and would be much obliged if you would come to the infirmary."
"Daisuke-san? What happened?" Hinata worriedly stood, and beckoned him to follow her as she crossed the courtyard. "Excuse me Father, Neji-niisan."
"Ko-san was training and pulled a muscle. He used what he thought was one of Hinata-sama's ointments on it, and his leg seized. His hand did the same." Daisuke spoke rapidly, watching the head of the clan out of the corner of his eye. "Haru-san realized that Ko-san unintentionally used a paralytic, but was unsure of the active agent. He wishes for the expertise of the maker in treatment."
"I see," Hinata sped up. "Daisuke-san, do you have the jar it was in?"
"Hai!" Reaching into his pocket, the apprentice pulled out a small wooden jar and passed it to her. She examined it quickly and sighed in relief.
"Daisuke-san, please accompany me to the stillroom. I have an antidote to this stored there." Changing course, Hinata was about to leave the courtyard when her father's voice stopped her.
"Hinata."
"Yes, Father?"
Neji, who had been taking advantage of the interruption to get a drink of water, did a double-take. That could not have been Hinata. Hinata was always quiet and submissive when speaking to her father, as though trying to stay out of the way so she could avoid his displeasure. Hinata's voice now was calm and polite, but you didn't have to be Hyuuga to hear the distraction and mild – was that impatience? – in her tone.
If Hiashi registered the change in attitude, he did not let it show. "Once you are done with this, you will report to me. I expect full details as to why Haru-san believes you to have been making such things."
Hinata bowed her head. "Yes, Father." Turning, she hurried out of the courtyard and to the stillroom. Daisuke, scrambling to keep up, caught a glance at her face. It would have been impossible to see for any non-Hyuuga, but the set of Hinata's jaw spoke of impatience and anger. Gulping slightly, the medic's apprentice looked away.
Hinata easily located the antidote to the toxin Ko had accidentally used, and brought it with her to the infirmary. From there it was a simple matter of cleaning off the affected areas one last time and applying the cure. Hinata sat with Ko as the medics massaged the antidote into the muscles, answering the questions Haru put to her and smiling slightly as motion was successfully restored. Finally, the medic pronounced Ko fit for duty again pending a night's rest, and gave him a lecture on being careful in the stillroom.
"You are very lucky that you only picked up a mild paralytic, Ko. Had you taken something more potent you would not be coming out of this unscathed. You would do well to remember that many things are prepared and stored in the stillroom, not just healing salves, and pay better attention to what you select."
Flushing slightly, Ko bowed his head in acknowledgement of the scolding. As Hinata got up to leave, he turned to her and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Hinata-sama," he said softly.
Feeling unusually buoyant, Hinata made her way back across the compound. When asked, one of the branch house members doing chores told her that she would find her father in his study. Hinata knocked gently on the door, and entered on her father's command. As custom dictated, she bowed once at the door, then sat quietly on the cushion in front of her father's table.
Hiashi, meanwhile, took advantage of the papers in front of him to covertly observe his daughter. Hinata looked calmer and more confident than she had in years, but her failure to master her expression was disappointing. After a few minutes, he decided that he had kept her waiting long enough, and pushed the papers to one side.
"Hinata."
"Yes, father."
"You will tell me how Ko ended up in the infirmary with a paralyzed leg and hand, and why Haru-san called you in to assist," he slightly emphasized the word, the Hyuuga equivalent to a disbelieving sneer, "with treatment."
Hinata bowed her head, gathering her thoughts. "I-I have been learning the art of poisons and antidotes," she began. "I was practicing making a paralytic and its antidote yesterday, and put the completed products on the top shelf of the stillroom, with the rest of m-my toxins. Ko mistook the paralytic for healing salve, and had already applied some to his leg before the confusion was discovered." After a brief hesitation, Hinata continued. "Haru-san recognized the mistake, and ch-chose to summon m-me for the antidote. Treatment was successful, and Ko should be b-back to full strength to-tomorrow."
Hiashi gave an internal sigh. The stutter was back. Speech impediments, however, were a lesser concern. "And from whom have you been learning this 'art'? I was not aware that poisons were part of Yuuhi-san's expertise."
Hinata managed not to flinch. "That is c-correct, Father. Kurenai-sensei asked a f-friend of hers to instruct us as a favor."
"This instruction is being given to your entire team?" Hiashi wasn't terribly pleased with this development. Technically speaking, he could not interfere with the lessons his daughter learned from her jounin-sensei. That did not mean he had to like it. Hinata's facility with the Jyuuken was an embarrassment, but for his eldest to study other things was not good for the Clan's reputation. "And who is this 'friend' of Yuuhi-san who was willing to instruct you in poisons?" A slight pause in front of the last word indicated an insult.
"Yes, Father, both Shino and I are learning to make poisons and antidotes," Hinata managed to rally herself. It appeared that the implied reference to her dead teammate had touched a nerve. Interesting. "A-and our t-teacher is Mitarashi Anko-san."
Mitarashi Anko-san. The student of Orochimaru, one of the greatest traitors ever to come from Konoha, second only to Uchiha Madara during the time of the Shodaime, was teaching a member of his clan. That was unacceptable. (Hiashi completely disregarded the fact that Anko had turned on her sensei the moment his treachery became apparent, that she had willingly, eagerly assisted in digging out the traitor's secrets, that her loyalty to the village had never wavered.)
"Hinata, you will cease contact with Mitarashi Anko. You will destroy the poisons you have created, leaving only the antidotes. You will not engage in such foolish, disgraceful behavior again while you remain under this roof. Am I clear?"
For a moment, Hinata looked like he'd slapped her. Then she bowed her head silently, and clawed the Hyuuga mask back into place. Taking her silence as assent, Hiashi dismissed her. "Return to your quarters. Do not leave them again tonight."
In silence, Hinata left.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Two days later, Anko arrived at the training field Team Kurenai usually worked at for their scheduled lesson to find all three of its members waiting for her. Kurenai and Shino looked calm, but they kept casting glances at Hinata, who was visibly troubled.
"Hey, my kohai!" Anko called cheerfully. "What're we doing today, then?"
"Anko-senpai," Hinata began, "There has been a complication."
Anko raised an eyebrow. Complication?
"Yesterday, my father learned of these lessons when one of my clansmen poisoned himself by mistake." At Shino and Kurenai's sudden start, she hastened on. "Ko-san confused a jar of mild paralytic for healing salve, and accidentally paralyzed his leg and hand. The clan medic confirmed that the paralytic was mine, and asked me for the antidote. Unfortunately," she drew a deep breath, "my father was there when the request was made. The antidote was successfully administered, and Ko-san returned to his duties today."
Anko felt oddly proud. Her little kohai had done well, creating both a toxin and fully functional antidote. "There's more, isn't there, Hina-chan."
Hinata bit her lip. "My father was…displeased. I think he believes such things as below the Hyuuga, especially the main branch." Bitterness crept into her words. "He asked me who my teacher was, and when I told him, informed me that I was to cease contact with Anko-senpai, destroy my poisons, and to never again engage in 'such foolish, disgraceful behavior' under his roof."
Anko observed the little Hyuuga for a minute, watching her teammate and teacher out of the corner of her eye. Kurenai's entire body tensed, like she was ready for a fight. The Aburame boy was visibly scowling, and she'd be stunned if his hands weren't clenched into fists in his pockets. Hinata was looking at her hands, shoulders slumped.
"So that's it, is it?" Anko asked softly. "You want to stop learning from me?"
"NO!" Hinata's outburst startled even her. "No," she said again, "I don't want to stop. I like learning from Anko-senpai, and I like making poisons and antidotes. I just," her shoulders drooped. "I just wanted everyone to know what was – what was going on."
"So you're gonna disobey your daddy?" Anko prodded. She was reasonably sure she knew where this was going, but she wanted to be certain.
"My father has been disappointed in me since I was three years old," Hinata said bitterly. "I find what he thinks no longer matters as much. I have hidden or destroyed the poisons I made, so that no more accidents may occur, but I will continue to study under Anko-senpai if she permits it." Anko was tempted to point out that Hinata's speech grew more formal when she was angry, but desisted. "I will need a new place to work, as continuing to use the Hyuuga stillroom would be unwise."
"You are always welcome in the Aburame," Shino cut in. "My father has a lab no one uses. It's too small for clan purposes, but I cannot imagine anyone would object to you using it."
A genuine smile lit up Hinata's features. "Thank you, Shino-kun."
Kurenai turned to her female student. "Hinata, this is only a temporary solution. So long as your father sees you daily, you run the risk of being caught. I can't imagine he'd be happy to hear you disobeyed him."
Hinata nodded. "And that is why I will have to make sure he doesn't. Sensei, when we reach chuunin, our pay goes up. I have been saving my pay, but that will give me a boost. Hopefully, within a few months I should have enough to rent a small apartment. Will you help me find one?"
Anko could feel what Ibiki had termed her 'unholy grin' curling across her face as Kurenai agreed to help. She'd grown to like Hinata in the weeks she'd been teaching her, and the thought of Hinata breaking away from the clan that made her miserable and putting Hiashi's nose out of joint was too tempting to resist. "I'll keep an ear out for good places, Hina-chan. Ones a good distance from the Hyuuga Compound."
"I would be more than happy to assist as well," Shino put in.
There was a small pause, then Anko made an executive decision. "Well, since we're all wound up, let's do something different today. How's the Tora mission been going?"
Shino responded, pushing his sunglasses up his nose. "Over the past few weeks we have taken the Tora mission fifteen times. Our initial time, once my 'tag' was removed, was one hour thirty-six minutes and twenty-three seconds from the moment we left the missions office to the moment we returned. Our most recent time was twenty-five minutes and six seconds. Our best," he added, "was three days ago, when we completed our objective in twenty-one minutes and forty-seven seconds."
Anko's eyebrows went up. That was impressive. "All right, you kids have some skills. Keep it up. Now," she smirked. "For today, you'll track me. Don't worry, I'll go easy on ya."
The rest of the morning and most of the afternoon was spent Anko-hunting. Unsurprisingly, Shino and Hinata had a hard time keeping up with the snake mistress, even after she'd agreed to 'go easy' on them. They refused to give up, though, and once they'd gone home Anko cheerfully told Kurenai that 'her brats' had done 'almost as well as the recruits we get'.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
A week after Hinata's confrontation with her father, Team Kurenai broke a missions office record when they captured Tora in a time of eighteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds. When a sour career genin tried to say that their sensei must have helped, a half-dozen witnesses insisted that Kurenai hadn't so much as stepped outside the missions office during that time.
It would be another two weeks before the pair broke twenty minutes again, but a little over two months after they began timing the Tora mission, Team Kurenai was regularly bringing the cat back in twenty minutes or less.
It was in part thanks to the Tora mission record that the rest of the jounin-sensei learned exactly what Team Kurenai was planning. The capture had taken place late one afternoon, and, flushed on success, the pair decided to tell their senpai of their new record. As Hinata could not be seen in public with Anko thanks to her father's new rules, Shino was chosen to deliver the message.
Anko was hanging out in a bar with Genma, Raido, and Asuma when Shino and Kurenai found her. Kakashi was sitting nearby, listening but not really engaged, while Gai attempted to draw him into another challenge. She was pulled from listening to Genma's retelling of a mission mishap involving the laundry of a minor lordling's palace when a quiet "Anko-senpai" came from behind her.
The three turned around, Anko recognizing the voice as belonging to one of her two quietest kohai. "Shino, 'sup?" she greeted the genin. On either side, Genma and Raido's jaws dropped. Anko-senpai?
"My teammate and I recently broke the Tora record. We thought you might be interested to hear."
Anko's eyebrow went up. "Oh? Tell me."
"Eighteen minutes, thirty-seven seconds, Anko-senpai."
Anko barely registered Genma and Raido edging away as a grin curled her lips. "Well done, kohai." She complimented Shino. "Tell Sunny that I'll meet the two of you day after tomorrow at the usual time. We'll do somethin' fun to celebrate!"
Shino bowed, then exited the bar quietly, presumably on his way home. Kurenai commandeered a stool next to Asuma, looking smug.
It was Genma who found his voice first. "Anko-senpai? What've you been doing to Kurenai's brats, Anko?"
"Oi, I'll have you know that those brats are some of the best students I've had in a good while." Anko drained her glass. "Take everything I throw at them and ask for more, they do."
Raido whistled, impressed. "They're pretty fresh genin, aren't they?"
"They've only been genin for a few months, but they're hardly raw," Kurenai interceded on her student's behalf. "Hinata's got a growing repertoire of poisons and antidotes, and Shino's been picking up anatomy fast. Not to mention that they're becoming very good trackers."
"You're training them to be hunters." Kakashi's voice was quiet, but it cut through the background chatter like a knife. The jounin turned to look at the ex-ANBU.
Kurenai bit the inside of her cheek. Damn Kakashi's perceptiveness! While it wasn't necessarily a secret, the less the news got around the better, at least until the pair were ready. "And if I am?"
Kakashi's lone visible eye surveyed her for a moment, before returning to the glass clutched in his hand. "Just hope you know what you're doing."
"How un-youthful of you, my eternal rival!" Gai scolded. "Kurenai-san's students are simply exploring another avenue for their youthful energies!"
"Gai's right," Asuma cut in, preventing another of Gai's 'youth' rants. "Relax Kakashi. Kurenai can handle her kids just fine. I just wish mine had half as good a work ethic."
"They've got one hell of a motive force," Anko muttered.
There was a moment of silence, before Kurenai forcibly changed the subject. "So, Raido, you were saying something about Miura-dono's laundry?" Recognizing the change of subject for what it was, and respecting her reluctance to reminisce on her dead student, the jounin moved on to discussing mission mishaps for the rest of the night.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Four months after Kiba's death, Kurenai appeared at team training one day carrying two forms in her hand. "If you two like," she told them, "I am more than willing to nominate you for the Chuunin Exams."
A/N: Cliffhanger time!
As usual, thanks to my beloved pest of a baby sister and beta, Pyrozia. [Shameless plug alert] Lil'sis writes excellent character studies, mostly Bleach, but she has branched out into Naruto recently. If you are interested, you can find her in my Favorite Authors list, or just search her.
*bows* Many thanks to everyone who reviewed, both known and anonymous. I'm afraid it may be a little while before I update again, as I just started classes this week and the next chapter has been being distinctly uncooperative. I will do everything in my power to get it out within the next fortnight, if not by this time next week.
Next chapter: A Chance at Promotion
