Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Request by: Miwa (Captured Hinata. Angry Itachi.)
Captor's POV.
He was going to die.
He knew it as soon as his subordinates brought her in. A woman. Long eyelashes. Elegant eyebrows. Purple hair dark enough to seem black in the sparse light of their hideout. The shade of her skin counted amongst the palest he'd ever seen, and it was unblemished, making it seem even more so. She was obviously well taken care of. The calluses on her hands, however, gave her profession away. They weren't just on the pads of her fingers or certain parts of her palm, but they stretched everywhere, even encompassing her wrist.
Those were taijutsu calluses.
You didn't get those unless you spent hundreds of hours smashing hardwood training dummies. Even then, if you didn't do so regularly, they'd disappear.
She had the distinct features of a Hyuga. He opened her eyes just in case.
He would've left his subordinates, along with the girl alone. He didn't need useless Byakugan. Neither did he need one of Konoha's top clans chasing after him. They could still put the girl back in the forest. Surely, once she returned to Konoha and they realized she wasn't harmed in any way, they'd leave him be. Maybe they'd send a tracking team to investigate. Not like they'd know it was him though. And most wouldn't care about some nameless man holed up in the area anyway. Especially when they saw that he really didn't have anything to hide in his humble, little dwelling.
He bought and sold exotic animals. Yes, some were illegal. But they wouldn't know that. Besides, they weren't there to put a stop to his operation anyway.
Ninjas sent to investigate were much easier to deal with than ninjas out for blood.
But when his hands trailed upwards, brushing her hair away from her forehead to inspect the caged bird seal emblazoned upon all of the Hyuga clan's branch members, he stilled.
"Bitch took out a dozen of our men," his lackey sneered, rubbing his side. From the way he was limping, it was clear that she'd broken something. Likely a rib. "I thought you said she wasn't a ninja."
"That's because she isn't," he whispered, his hands shaking.
"Then that's one hell of a civilian. But she's just like you described. Long black hair. Short. With an exotic bird on her shoulder. Midnight black, boss. Just like you said. The fucking thing got away while I wasn't looking though, but I brought her back just in case. I assume she has some way of calling the thing. I searched her, but she didn't have any kind of whistle on her. Must be something she does herself."
God, he wanted to scream.
How is it that he knew more about the ninja world than an actual ninja? This wasn't some no name civilian. Sure, she was dressed like one and she had no weapon pouches on her—was she on holiday?—but her eyes alone were proof of her status. He wondered for a moment if his lackey had really gone rogue or if his village had just dropped him from their roster out of sheer incompetence. If it was the former, then the only way he could've survived this long was if his village didn't care enough to off him.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" the man went on. "Look, I'm sorry it took a while and that I didn't get the actual bird you wanted, okay? She put up a crazy fight, but she's here now. We just need to wake her."
Oh, they would do nothing of the sort.
"You fucking idiot!" he suddenly roared. "Do you have any idea who this is?"
The man's eyes widened. His mouth was sealed shut at his boss' sudden fury.
"This is a Hyuga! Not just any Hyuga either. A fucking member of the main branch!"
"Wh—which daughter?" he asked, nervous.
As far as either of them knew, there were only two women in the main branch. The head's two daughters. The elder had given up her title as heiress when she married outside of her clan in a wedding that sent the entire world abuzz, because not only did one of the strongest ninjas in the world finally choose a wife, but the whole affair had no political strings attached. Sure, it was the joining of two powerful clans, but the marriage itself wasn't out of obligation.
The younger sister, while still a Chunin, was already considered a fierce warrior in her generation. She could bring a grown man to his knees. Didn't his subordinate say that the woman before him had taken a dozen of his hired ninjas out? So, which daughter was she?
Well, not like it mattered now.
He was fucking screwed.
"You said she had a black bird accompanying her," he said, swallowing, trying to retain some semblance of calm. "Was it a... crow?"
Immediately catching on, the man stumbled back. "I—I didn't know!" he roared, defending himself, as if he was the one that he should dread. Barely a minute after his realization, and already, the fear was making him delirious. "She doesn't even look like a ninja, let alone a Hyuga heiress! Look at her clothes!" he pointed, and his boss immediately did so. Plain black pants and a black shirt. Navy blue sandals. Standard clothes for an off duty ninja. That was all well and good, but it was also... standard Uchiha clothing.
"No clan markers, see?!" His subordinate went on. "Look, maybe we can just put her back! High tail it out of here. No one needs to kno—"
The man stopped mid-sentence. He was about to ask what was wrong, but stilled when he saw how wide the man's eyes were. And before he knew what was happening, he was keeled over, on his knees and dry heaving.
Something black fell from his mouth with each cough.
Upon closer inspection, he realized that they were feathers.
Before he could even register that he needed to run away—far and fast—a deafening squawk emerged from the man's mouth. And then something was coming out. A mass of black arose, beak first. It opened so wide that it stretched the man's lips, tearing them, and painting the ground a bloody red. His screams were drowned mid-way, caught in his throat, and ending in muffled pleas for help. Tears fell down his cheeks. The talons that soon followed left scratches all along his face, further marring it and ensuring his blindness.
Did he... he thought, horrified, did he just cough out a live bird?!
The scent of copper was so strong, he could taste it.
Once the bird fully emerged, it began picking at his body. Tearing into it with a foreign savagery that he'd never before associated with such an elegant creature. If his subordinate was still alive, then that face he carried would surely become a living example of why you didn't mess with—
He stumbled back in a mixture of shock and disgust. The gravity of his situation finally dawning upon him. He reached for purchase against the table to his side. He needed to get away. Run past the bird while it was distracted and run as far as he could go. He didn't want to capture her in the first place. Surely, he'd be shown mercy, seeing as how he never intended to actually harm the woman.
He was an animal dealer! Not a fucking slave trader or enemy ninja. Hell, he even made sure to sell the animals to wealthy homes where he knew they'd be taken care of. Oh, one could argue that he took them out of their environment, but that wasn't enough to warrant—
He didn't fucking deserve to die like this.
His head snapped to the slumbering woman in the corner of the room when he saw a figure dressed head to toe in black. Tall and broad at the shoulders. He looked over her for injuries. Like a medic sent to the frontlines, sent to carefully assess someone with all the gentleness and care a person could. He wore the exact same clothes as the Hyuga. Judging from how fast he'd gotten here, he was probably waiting for her somewhere.
It was then the dealer noticed the Uchiha symbol proudly emblazoned on the back of his shirt, mocking him. As if he needed further proof of who he was. The fan was split in half by a short sword that he just knew had an edge sharp enough to slice through bone.
He twisted away, stumbling over his own two feet, as if pulled down by a spiral of heavier air. He ended up butt first on the floor, his palms on the ground behind him, still reeling back, like the limbs could escape on their own.
The man was that terrifying.
In an instant, the intruder was crouched before him, elbows on his knees. Face devoid of emotion.
His eyes spun red.
For an insane instant, he saw how incredibly beautiful the man was. Long hair tied in a low ponytail. Straight enough to make any woman jealous. He had a chiseled jaw and aristocratic cheeks. Just as regal as his wife in the far corner, now wrapped in a cloak with a murder of crows surrounding her.
He couldn't move.
A trail of blood dribbled down from the man's eye.
"I'm going to burn you alive," the ninja said, low and casual with power. "And you're going to die screaming."
A/N: Where are the rest of the requests at? XD I do read them, guys! I'm combing through, trying to find interesting ones to quickly write out. If you aren't requesting as an Anon, and your request is accepted, I usually send a PM saying I'm doing it.
To Miwa: Fucking hell, woman (I'm assuming you're a woman), this was a good prompt. I went over my 1k word limit for this short when I told myself I'd do no such thing. I love fleshing out emotions like fear. God, I haven't enjoyed writing so much since I finished my second manuscript. And sorry, I know you said mission gone wrong in your request, but this idea was what sprung up instead. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed it.
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Please review.