I don't own Naruto...
Chapter Five: Hyuuga Burning
"Get outta my way! Move! I said MOVE!" Naruto, fed up with people not listening to his panicked shouts, shoved a villager forcefully out of his path. Ignoring the angry shouts that followed him, Naruto pounded down the street, his heart racing as his mind was reeling.
Gotta go faster. Gotta get to Neji and Hinata. Go faster
As he rounded a corner, Naruto looked skyward. The blue summer sky was slowly being blocked out by the copious amounts of smoke billowing up from the Hyuuga complex. This sight only made the blond ninja run all the faster. But it seemed that more people were noticing the smoke. People pointed to the sky, shouting, and started to run in the same direction as Naruto. His patience almost gone, Naruto gave a loud growl and leapt into the air, landing on a rooftop.
Finally having a clear path, Naruto took off with all the speed he could muster, leaping from building to building, drawing ever closer to the source of the smoke.
Father, where are you?! Hinata could not open her mouth because of the smoke. Her eyes were stinging, she could not see, as she stumbled blindly down the smoke-filled hall to her father's rooms, praying that he would be there.
An enormous heat pressed her from all sides and the air was hazy from the flames. Smoke was steadily filling the halls of the building.
She turned and continued down the hall, bent double to keep her head from the heavy layer of black. Then, without warning, she ran into something that was not a wall. Stumbling back, she was caught by a pair of pale hands. Squinting through the smoke, she recognized her cousin.
"Neji!" She gasped, but before the boy could respond, a huge gout of flame erupted from a nearby room, blasting the door clean off. Hinata screamed as splinters and sparks hit her face and skin. Neji grabbed his cousin's wrist and pulled her back the way she had come. Hinata stopped him and sputtered, "W-wait! We c-can't leave father!"
The roar of the fire now consuming their home was so loud that they had to yell to communicate.
Hinata started to run back, but Neji stopped her and yelled, coughing, "He's not there!"
A piece of burning timber landed a few feet from them. Neji glanced away from Hinata towards the ceiling, looking for more possible fallers, his eyes straining. I should be able to see right through this, Neji thought. Smoke has never been a problem for the Byakugan.
Hinata rubbed her own pale eyes, yelling, "Why is the smoke affecting us so much?!"
They dodged another piece of the ceiling and crouched lower, both coughing.
"That's because it's not normal smoke!" Neji yelled. He now used his superior strength to half-drag Hinata back the way she had come. "It's some sort of justu! I can't figure it out!"
Above them, the ceiling moaned, and Neji looked up just in time to yell a hasty warning and push Hinata away. A burning log the size of Hinata herself snapped and landed with a crash between the cousins in an explosion of flame and timber.
"Ahhh!"
Finally! Naruto skidded to a halt on the last rooftop and hastily straightened, his blue eyes instantly analyzing the scene before him. One glance and the boy blanched, mouth falling open.
The sky behind the numerous white buildings of the Hyuuga was a bright orange and red, smoke still bellowing skywards while sparks and bits of ash were flying everywhere. A hot wind was not helping in subduing the fire, and it hit Naruto with a fierce blast as he came to a stop. Below him, people were hurrying from all directions, screaming and pointing at the enormous blaze coming from behind the large, white wall surrounding the entire Hyuuga estate. Or at least, what used to be a large white wall. It was now only a pile of rubble. Swarms of Chaita guards were surrounding the building, keeping villagers out, while many more could be seen inside, darting between the buildings and the fleeing Hyuugas.
When Naruto saw only Chaitas and Hyuugas in and immediately around the burning buildings, he thought angrily, Why isn't anyone else helping put out the fire?! They're all just watching!
About to leap off his rooftop perch, he froze. His blue eyes widened even more and his mouth fell open yet again, as confusion and then more anger boiled up inside him. On the far side of the mob, close to the gates, he saw a familiar green-clad ninja struggling with a Chaita.
"What are you doing?! Why do you stop us from going to our friend's aid?!" Rock Lee struggled against the Chaita guard who was holding him back and preventing him from rushing towards the burning building.
I must get in there and help Neji! I must!
"Get outta here! No one's allowed in! This is official business of the Hokage and the Hokage in Second!" The Chaita shoved the boy hard, pushing Lee back into the crowd.
"What business are you talking about!?" Tenten shrieked, struggling against her own guard. Her hair was coming out of its buns and her voice was cracking as she fought ferociously against the man holding her back. "The whole thing is on fire! People could be stuck in there!"
"We have orders!" Barked the Chaita standing in front of the two struggling pairs, balling his fists. "Now shut up! Or I'll have you arrested for obstruction of government orders and treason against the Hokage!"
"Are you all insane!?" A few feet away from the struggling members of Team Gai were Kiba and Akamaru, Shino and Hanabi standing behind him. The dog boy was also struggling against a Chaita, his face dark with anger and looking more animal-like than usual.
All around, people were trying to get past the Chaitas and somehow help the Hyuugas, but no one was getting through. More and more Chaita were appearing out of nowhere and they were slowly pushing the gathering crowd back. Civilians and ninja alike were gathered at the gates to the Hyuuga complex, numbering so many that they filled up the entire street and trickled onto several other roads. Many civilian's angry screams and yells were drowned out by the continuous roar of the fire. The scorching air from the fire washed down upon the crowd, as did sparks and hot pieces of wood, which burned the watchers and nearby buildings.
Hanabi Hyuuga watched in horror as her home burned before her very eyes. No…this can't be happening!
Yet another white building succumbed to the fire raging within it and crumbled. The roar of the hungry flames devoured the screams from those trapped inside, but they still managed to reach the young girl's ears.
No…No! NO!
Recovering from the shock that had paralyzed her body, Hanabi rushed forward; the only thought in her mind was saving her family. But a hand grabbed her arm from behind, stopping her. Whipping around furiously, she glowered at Shino and yelled desperately,
"Let go! I have to go and help!" The raven-haired girl struggled against the bug ninja's grip, but Shino held firm.
"Hanabi," he said in his quiet and reasonable voice, "Listen to me-."
"Stop it! I have to help them!" Hanabi's voice cracked and she struggled harder then ever.
What if father or Neji or Hinata are stuck somewhere? What if they're suffocating? Or burning? Or what if they're already dead
"The Chaita-."
"LET GO OF ME!" Hanabi at last wrenched her arm free of Shino's grip. She stepped away, but then felt a small pressure at the back of her neck and the next thing she knew, the world went black.
Kiba saw Hanabi crumple out of the corner of his eye and, thanks to his lightning quick reflexes, caught her limp form before she hit the ground. He turned an incredulous eye to Shino.
"What'd you do that for?!" He yelled, distracted from his forward struggle towards the fire.
"She was going to try and find Hinata and the others," came the almost inaudible reply from behind Shino's collar.
"But that's a good thing!" Kiba yelled. "That's what we're trying to do!" Kiba didn't get why Shino had knocked Hanabi out. If the girl wanted to try and help her family, Kiba was all for it!
"Think about it," Shino said. "The Chaitas wouldn't be attacking the Hyuugas without a reason."
"Attacking?!" Kiba started. "They're not-."
"The Hyuugas are in trouble, and if Hanabi went and joined her family, she would be caught up in whatever's going on. It's better if she stays hidden."
Kiba looked at his friend curiously, not quite sure that he believed (or understood) what Shino was saying. But has he ever been wrong about something like this?
The dog boy thought.
No.
"Fine." The Inuzuka shifted the unconscious girl in his arms and gave her to Shino. "Go find someplace safe for her."
Tenten stumbled backwards as the Chaitas gave her a particularly hard shove. Falling back on a pair of civilians, she quickly apologized and righted herself.
What on earth is wrong with these jerks?! All we want to do is help, and they're stopping us?! She didn't know exactly why the silver ninjas were being so forceful about keeping people away from the blaze, but it seemed a bit over the top. That is, if they were trying to protect the watchers. But Tenten did know that she and Lee were not getting any closer to helping Neji and the other Hyuugas, despite their continuous efforts. More and more of the Byakugan bearers, including Lord Hiashi himself, had emerged from the burning buildings, coughing and scorched, but none of the two that Tenten really cared about. Neji, Hinata, you better be all right!
Konoha's weapons' mistress took a breath, drawing two kunai and preparing to force her way through to Neji, be it violent or not, when a huge crash from the opposite side of the semi-circle of onlookers drew her attention.
"Get out of my way, Chaita scum!" Her teacher, Maito Gai, sent a Chaita guard soaring through the air with one touch of his fist. The man landed in a heap thirty feet away, out-cold. Gai sent two more guards flying, then raced toward the fire. Behind him ran Kurenai, Kakashi, and Asuma, each knocking Chaita out of their way as they went.
"Tenten!" Lee moved to her side and he smiled in a determined and awestruck way as he said, "It would seem that our splendid ninja teachers have finally tired of listening to these intruders, and have at last decided to act!"
Tenten felt a warm glow fill her terrified stomach at the sight of the jonin completely bulldozing the Chaita guards. Now, we'll be okay.
Asuma slashed down two guards with his glowing trench knives, his expression fierce, before slamming both fists back and catching a pair of guards in the face. Tenten didn't even see what Kakashi did, but four motionless Chaita lay by his feet as he moved on to the next group. As those two held back the Chaita that were trying to stop them, Kurenai and Gai ran towards the fire, a determination as fierce as the fire itself burning on both faces.
Neji and Hinata blundered through hallway after hallway, room after room, searching in vain for a door, a window, anything that could get them out of this smoke and into the fresh air. The smoke seemed blacker than any Neji had ever seen, and heavier too. It clogged the lungs and burned the eyes, impairing both the pair's breathing and visibility.
Why can't we find a way out? Neji thought furiously, as they turned yet another corner and found another long stretch of hall. We've lived here our whole lives, and yet everything looks different when it's on fire!
Behind him, Hinata stopped running and bent over, coughing. Neji, realizing his cousin's sudden halt, froze and turned around. Coughs racked Hinata's thin frame as her smoke-strained eyes closed in pain.
"Come on! We have to get out of here now!" Neji did not mean to be impatient with Hinata. It was quite the opposite. He knew Hinata's lungs had never been strong, which was all the more reason for haste. He hoped Hinata knew that.
Hinata nodded and, still coughing, took a few steps forward.
Neji paused a second, thinking, then said, "Get on my back. You'll be closer to the smoke, but we'll go faster."
Hinata shook her head fiercely and straightened. "I'm-cough-fine-cough!" She pushed Neji forward to prove her point.
Neji hesitated again, but nodded and said, "Fine." He grabbed her wrist, however, and they took off again, running faster than before.
Having jumped down into the crowd, Naruto now pushed his way through, aiming towards the entrance. He reached the front of the crowd just in time to see the sensei charge, Asuma and Kakashi holding back the Chaita while Kurenai and Gai (sensei of the two missing cousins) raced towards the gate. Naruto felt a swell of pride in his teachers when he saw them and was in turn inspired to act as well. But once again, he froze mid leap, eyes wide.
Out of nowhere, two silver and blue blurs appeared, right in front of the two charging teachers.
"Gah!" Kurenai gasped and skidded to a halt, stopping several inches from the cold, sneering face of Raikou, granddaughter of the Hokage in Second. As the young woman's sneer widened, she jabbed Kurenai in the stomach, sending the older woman flying backwards into Asuma. The man turned just in time to be knocked over backwards, his wife on top of him.
Gai did not plan on stopping for the young man who appeared in front of him, but it turned out he did not have a choice. With a display of strength that did not match his slender form, Denkou first stopped the spandex-clad man and then, without so much as a grunt of exertion, sent Gai flying towards the other jonin.
"Gai!" Kakashi turned and cushioned his rival's fall, barely containing his shock in the man's easy succumbence to the young Chaita's blow.
"Whoa, mama! That's a strong lad!" Gai straightened, clutching his head. Kurenai, too, was back on her feet and the four stood back-to-back, ready to kick some serious Chaita ass.
With a swift glance around them, Kakashi determined that there were eighteen Chaita gathered around the four who were going to fight them. Kakashi blinked, and then did a double take. At least sixty-four silver-clothed ninja were now around the group, all clutching weapons, which were all aimed at the four. And these were not clones. They were completely surrounded. And outnumbered. By completely real ninja.
Damn.
"That's not good." Shikamaru did not sigh as he said this; he felt the situation was too serious. He, Chouji, and Ino, Ino clutching her sensei's baby, Maki, to her side, stood on the rooftop that, a few minutes before, had been occupied by Naruto. They had watched their sensei charge, had watched him take down numerous Chaita, and had watched Kurenai and Gai get completely stopped by a pair of silver and blue ninja. Now, they had only their nerves and wild imaginations to keep them company as they watched as their own sensei, as well as his wife and two of the strongest jonin around, were suddenly surrounded and completely outnumbered.
Come on, Asuma-sensei. Kurenai-sensei. You can do it! Ino held the baby closer her, heart pounding.
Chouji wasn't even eating. His eyes were continuously switching from the still flaming buildings to the fight.
Shikamaru's dark eyes moved from the fight to scan the crowd, a frown on his face. He saw an orange blot that had to be Naruto up near the front, struggling against his own Chaita as he tried to move forward. Lee and Tenten were also trying to get through, as well as Kiba and Akamaru, but none of them seemed to be making any progress. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shino, carrying a limp figure that reminded him of Hanabi Hyuuga on his back, quickly jumping away over another street of roofs. Shika had only a second to wonder what that was about before gasps from Ino and Chouji called his attention back to the main fight.
What on the heck…?
Raikou and Denkou, after watching the four opposing leaf genin struggle with the twins' grunts, acted as one. They didn't even need to look at each other to know exactly what their plan was. Appearing in front of the jonin, standing several feet apart, they started on a complex series of hand signs.
This should give them a bit of a shock, thought the boy.
And finally show them our true power, finished the girl.
They finished as one. Quickly biting their thumbs, they slammed their palms to the ground and yelled, "Silver seal jutsu!"
Drawing their thumbs along the ground they ran past each other and straightened. A line of something thick and silver lay on the ground between them, bubbling and squirming as though alive. The twins thrust their arms towards the Konoha jonin, wearing identical victorious smirks.
A huge sheet of silver erupted from the line shooting eight feet into the air. It surged forward, right over top of the jonin.
"Sensei!" Kakashi turned at Naruto's call and saw the silver mass towering over him. He gasped, but before he could run or warn his companions, the silver wave had caught them and he was lost in an ocean of silver and darkness.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled a warning to his teacher, but too late. The remarkable silver sheet leapt over the jonin and landed, covering them completely. "Sensei!"
Naruto did not know what that thing would do to his teachers, but it obviously wouldn't be good. He expected to see their forms writhing underneath the blanket, but he didn't. The silver wave flattened to the ground. There was nothing underneath it.
What the hell?!
"Gai-sensei! Gai-sensei!" Lee yelled, eyes bulging and heart racing. He watched as the silver retracted back to the line between Denkou and Raikou, not revealing the missing jonin. A sick and confused feeling filled his stomach. "Gai-sensei! What did you do to Gai-sensei!"
Tenten, Kiba, and Naruto reacted in a similar way, aghast and fighting harder than ever. People all around them were giving cries of alarm and anger. Shouts of "What did you do with them?" and "Evil bastards!" were heard from all over.
Raikou and Denkou ignored them completely, smirking as the silver substance quickly retracted back into their hands.
They're so annoying, Denkou thought.
Let's see who else tries to mess with us, thought Raikou.
But the impact of the Chaita's disappearing act was overshadowed as a great rumbling was heard. Everyone looked and saw the greatest of the flaming buildings shudder and, with smoke and flames roaring from the entire inside, collapse. And as the beams and walls and ceiling fell in on itself, two figures fell forward out of the main entrance to lie in the dirt, coughing and smoking.
"Hinata, Neji!" The knot in Tenten's stomach loosened as she saw her best friend and teammate emerge at last. Beside her, Lee's expression was just as happy as her own. Kiba, too, looked relieved and ecstatic.
They're alive!
Raikou, hearing Tenten's shout, connected names with faces and realized that the two teens on the ground were the two that her grandfather had warned her about, the two that he wanted.
Well, that makes things easier. Now I don't have to go looking through all of that scum. She flashed a glance at those Hyuuga who had escaped the flames and were standing all together, surrounded by Chaita, to her left. They were too busy tending to each other and looking at their smoldering home to actually realize, though, that they were surrounded. No one seemed to realize yet that the Chaita had actually attacked the Hyuugas and started the fire. None of these Leaf Village ninnies had thought that far yet.
What a bunch of idiots. And to think they call themselves a ninja village.
The blue-silver haired girl reached up and touched a talisman around her neck, which was shaped like a silver eye. It glowed for a second, then dimmed. She smirked again and walked forward, right at the stirring teens at the base of the main building.
As soon as the Chaita twins, the ones people had seen flanking Lord Kokuzoku at the evening meetings and walking around the village, reached Neji and Hinata, Naruto and the other watchers knew there was something wrong.
From his place at the front of the crowd, at least two hundred feet from the place where Neji and Hinata had emerged, Naruto could not hear what was being said, but he saw their body language. Neji and Hinata struggled to their feet as the twins approached them, and were standing shakily once they arrived. Denkou began speaking to them, but Hinata did not listen. She looked around immediately for her father, searching desperately, and when she saw him, took several steps in his direction.
Raikou reached out an arm and stopped her.
Neji did not like that.
He stepped forward, anger on his face, and challenged the woman's action. Raikou was about an inch or two taller than Neji, but both had the same sort of slender yet muscular build.
Denkou took a step toward Neji, his voice raised as well as his fist. Neji turned to face him as Hinata angrily knocked Raikou's arm out of the way.
Denkou reached forward and grabbed Hinata's wrist.
Neji stepped between them.
Denkou yelled. Neji yelled. Hinata yelled.
Raikou pulled back and punched Neji in the mouth.
Chaos erupted.
The watchers, lead by Lee, Tenten, Kiba, Akamaru, and Naruto, pressed forward with an even fiercer intensity than before. The Chaita guards were hard pressed to keep them back, but continued to do the job.
On the inside, battle had begun between Denkou, Raikou, Neji, and Hinata. Naruto could see the silver flashes of the twins' attacks and the blue glow of chakra that were Neji and Hinata's. But the details were lost to Naruto as, with a roar, fifty clones erupted from him. The villagers, aided by these clones, pushed forward and managed to gain ground. Just before they passed the gates, however, the air changed.
A feeling of cool washed over everything, followed by a chill. The fighting between Chaita and villager ceased, but Neji, Hinata, and the twins continued. And then a huge gust of wind blew across everyone. Naruto's clones disappeared. Any physical effects of chakra vanished. Even the roaring fire seemed a bit dimmer. And then, with a swirl of silver and blue smoke, two figures appeared in the middle of everything; between the crowd and the intense fight between Chaitas and Hyuugas.
It was Kokuzoku, and Tsunade. The crowd froze. Chaitas and villagers alike bowed low, except the Leaf ninja who flat out refused, the present Konoha Twelve among them. No one moved except the four fighters fighting behind the Hokages. No one made a sound.
Kokuzoku coolly surveyed the crowd. He looked the same as ever; except that he had had a Hokage's headpiece made for himself and was wearing it. The one difference was that his was silver. His eyes of the same color, after looking at the crowd, turned towards his grandchildren and their opponents. They slitted.
"You four, stop." He raised a hand and, pointing it at the four, gave a small wave and a short hand sign.
Raikou, Denkou, Hinata, and Neji all froze. None of them moved a muscle, despite Neji being in the middle of a kaiten and Hinata being in the middle of a spinning high kick.
With two short snaps of his fingers, his grandchildren unfroze. Without even looking at the man in charge, they each moved to a cousin and, moving them to their will, bound Hinata and Neji's wrists. As soon as the cords were tied, they began to glow an eerie blue color. Neji and Hinata unfroze and were pushed over to Kokuzoku, where they were forced to kneel in front of him.
Naruto and Kiba growled low in their throats, fierce anger bubbling in both. Lee clenched his fists and Tenten gripped two kunai so hard, her hands were shaking. But none dared to move, unwilling to unleash Kokuzoku's anger on their friends.
"So, here you are. The two Hyuugas who seem to cause so much trouble." Kokuzoku's voice sent shivers up Hinata's spine, but she forced herself to meet his eyes. Raising her gaze from his feet, the blue-haired girl stared him right in the face with her pale eyes. Neji hadn't even hesitated and glared at Kokuzoku with all of his Nejiness.
Kokuzoku gazed coolly down at them while another pair of guards brought Hiashi over to them. His arms were not bound, but the guards kept a tight grip on him. The Hokage in Second, however, did not move his gaze from Neji and Hinata. After a minute, though, he turned away and said, "Blindfold them. I tire of their eyes."
Cloths were produced and two guards came at Neji and Hinata, ready to blindfold.
"What are you doing?!" Hiashi gasped, but one of the soldiers twisted his arm painfully.
Neji and Hinata struggled, twisting in their captors' grips. A big guard came and held Hinata's face still as her fold was secured tightly over her eyes. It took a kick to the chest and two more guards to secure Neji's blindfold, after which one remained with a hand on his shoulder, forcing his face almost to the ground.
After this was done, Kokuzoku turned to the crowd behind him. Everyone quieted. The only sound was the fire behind them. Then Kokuzoku spoke to the crowd in a loud, carrying voice.
"See now, inhabitants of Konoha, what happens when you question the authority of the Hokage and the Hokage in Second. These people," he gestured to Hinata, Hiashi, Neji, and the rest of the Hyuuga, "Questioned the authority of myself and of the Hokage. They did not follow the rules set down by the government for their own good. They did not cooperate, and now look at them!" He nudged Neji's head with his foot. "Despicable!"
Behind him, Raikou and Denkou stood in front of the group of Hyuuga and started the hand signs.
He raised his arms and continued, in a louder voice, "These creatures that you all held in such high esteem, calling them the most powerful clan in the village, are no more than rats! Filthy, white-eyed rats!"
The twins bit their thumbs and ran.
"These rats were attempting to overthrow the establishment that the first Hokage toiled so hard to create! They were nothing but trouble!"
The wave of silver shot upward, rising fifty feet into the air.
"Because we care about you all, Lady Tsunade and myself decided to destroy the rats' nest, and the rats along with it!"
The wave crashed, bringing all of the trapped Hyuugas down into its silvery shadows. Hiashi gasped and shouted, struggling wildly. The crowd erupted in screams and shouts, some horrified, some terrified, some angry. Hinata, desperate to know what was happening, tried to see through her blindfold, but found her Byakugan blocked.
"Know now, inhabitants of Konoha!" Kokuzoku's voice thundered over the crowd. He stood, arms raised, against the backdrop of the flaming Hyuuga complex, with his captives at his feet and his army of ninja all around him. "Know now that this is what happens to those question the power of the Hokage! This is what happens to those who question the power of the Chaita!"
And with a loud roar, he, the twins, and the remaining Hyuuga disappeared in a bang of smoke, leaving the remaining Chaita to deal with the angry mob of villagers.
You all have the right to hate me forever for taking so long to update! I'm so sorry! But I had school (of course) and also, I really wanted this chapter to be good. It was one of the first things I imagined when I pictured this story, so I wanted it to be amazing. I hope you thought it was! So tell me your opinion in a review, per favore! And speaking of reviews…
My eternal gratitude to: Rosepetals and Strife, Katako-chan, The Elven-Spear, DanteHyuuga, kill the flamers, and LittleKittyShaoMao
You guys are completely amazing!!
I'm sorry to say, but my next update will probably be just as long a wait as this one was. I'm really sorry, but the next month, two months, are really hectic. I'm sorry, but please stick with this story!
Until next time! Reading Maid, over and out.
P.S. Guys, this chapter was fifteen pages on Microsoft Word. I think that's a new chapter record for me. Woo-hoo!