A/N: So I was thinking, for those who are up to date with the manga/anime, I'm well aware that Tsunade would have stepped down from her position by now, since this is set four years after the fourth great ninja war), but for the sake of plot (and because I completely forgot when I started writing this) she's still Hokage.
Maybe I'll make a thing of it at some point in this fic, or maybe not.
Still a disclaimer: Nope, don't own Naruto or any of its characters.
The Free and the Constrained
By the time Kiba had finished relaying his findings to his mother and the clan council, the entire Inuzuka compound were in an uproar. There was a clear divide between the estate, with half in favour of protecting Luna – who they had decided was the assailant's main target – and the other half wanting her head. Tsume, thankfully, was on the side that favoured the she-wolf, and for now that's all that really mattered. At the end of the day, she was the clan alpha, and her word was the law.
Still, to say it bothered Kiba that almost half of his family would immediately jump on the opposing bandwagon would be an understatement. Their narrow-minded and opinionated views equally irritated and disappointed him, which he had been sure to convey in his hateful scowls at each and every one of them. They'd soon piped down – it was practically suicide to continue to piss off both the current and future alpha in one go.
Tsume slammed both palms onto an already abused-looking desk to shut the crowd up, only speaking when the council room had finally fallen into a tense silence. 'Now, listen here, you insolent pack of mongrels…'
Kiba held back a snicker at her insult, figuring Luna would appreciate that more than the others.
'Luna Hangetsu is under the protection not only of the Inuzuka clan, but also the Hokage herself. We are Leaf ninja, and we are strong, fierce, independent and loyal. Whoever this intruder is, he clearly wants her blood, and we will not sink to his level, no matter the circumstances!' They had taken to referring to the stranger as a 'he', since in the Legend Luna had told them of, the Hihanta was a male. Despite not actually having confirmed the trespasser's identity, it seemed fitting for the time being.
'But Lady Tsume! She's dangerous, whether it is her will or otherwise, she can no longer be trusted.' One lower ranked ninja pointed out, voice remaining calm and steady despite appearing absolutely terrified by her leader.
'Which is exactly why we have called such a meeting. I'm open to suggestions.' Kiba's mother dropped heavily into the seat behind the desk, folding her arms and leaning forward with her feral-looking eyes sharp, as though daring anyone to actually speak. She smirked smugly when no one did. 'The Hokage herself will be attending shortly. She has been informed of the situation, and I'm sure the Leaf village elders will have some wonderful ideas on how to handle the circumstances.'
The clan began to murmur in distaste at the mention of the elder's attendance. It was a well-known fact that the pair of old bats, who sat all high and mighty in the shadow of the Hokage, were utterly old-fashioned and completely intolerable in their manner. Kiba noticed the subtle eye-roll from Tsume as she stressed the adjective for their ideas, and had to hold back a grimace. While their motives never ventured far from the ultimate good of the Leaf village, their personal opinions often managed to cloud their judgement.
The Inuzuka heir held back the urge to pace. The whole situation unnerved him more than he cared to admit, and although his canine companion was waiting patiently right outside, he was uncomfortable being here without Akamaru. The dogs had been fine, and his mother had barely had the chance to scold him when he had charged into the Inu compound gasping for breath and covered in dirt. Tsume had called the council meeting mere minutes later, with the help of Hana and the Haimaru brothers.
Kiba shuffled closer to his sister, who had been suspiciously silent so far throughout the clan meeting. He was eager to hear her opinion on the matter. 'Hana?'
'Hm?' Though her eyes remained on the crowd, the veterinarian tilted her head toward him in acknowledgement.
'What're you thinking?'
Round ebony irises flashed briefly, before she let out a sigh. 'I'm not sure yet.'
Kiba blinked. 'What do you mean, you're not sure yet?'
Hana opened her mouth to reply, but her words fell on deaf ears as his attention was suddenly drawn to the elephant that had just entered the room. Or rather, three elephants.
'Ah, Lady Tsunade.' His mother greeted somewhat pleasantly, before turning a colder eye on the two behind her. 'Homura. Koharu.'
'Tsume. I trust you have been well.' Koharu croaked as the trio joined her behind the desk.
'Let's skip the pleasantries, shall we? This is a serious matter at hand.'
'Indeed. We are aware of the facts.' Homura's voice was haggard and horase, much like his appearance. 'I assume you have managed to contain the knowledge of the matter among your clan only.'
'You assume correct. This is not the business of anyone outside the Inuzuka family.' The insinuation of their meddling did not go unnoticed by the elders, but Tsunade chose this moment to interject.
'Perhaps we should move this elsewhere?' The Hokage gestured vaguely to the room full of keenly prying eyes, preferring to discuss possible solutions without the input of the crowd.
Tsume bared her fangs in a grin of agreement, dismissing the rest of the Inuzuka's. 'Hana. Kiba. You will stay.'
The siblings exchanged glances, but obeyed without further question.
'Is that wise, Tsume?' Homaru raised an eyebrow and looked Tsume's pups up and down in a way that had the Inuzuka alpha's hackles rising.
'It won't be long before this clan's politics become a large part of my son's life, and with his sister as his advisor I believe it is completely wise, you damn, tenacious Neanderthal.'
The growl that followed was nothing short of feral, but Tsunade once again shifted into peace-keeper. 'Shall we get down to the actual issue here? There is a serious threat to the well-being of the Leaf. Tsume, where is Luna at this moment?'
For a split-second, Kiba could have sworn his mother's expression turned almost sheepish. 'We're not sure, she disappeared immediately after the… incident.' A quick glance in her son's direction confirmed his relief at her choice of wording.
'Excuse me?' Homaru scoffed in exaggerated disbelief. 'You don't even know where the problem is, and yet you throw insults at us like some insolent children? How irresponsible.'
It took everything in Kiba not to snarl at the unfriendly term in which the old fossil was referring to his friend, but a quick kick to the shin from his sister had him biting his lip instead.
'Perhaps…' This time, it was Koharu who saved her fellow council member from Tsume's wrath. '…Perhaps it would be best to conduct a plan of action, before we locate the girl?'
Tsunade nodded, thankful that at least one of them was trying to be cooperative. 'I agree. We have to consider the possibility that Luna is unreachable while being controlled by the assailant–'
'That's not true!' The words slipped from Kiba's mouth before he could stop them. He resisted the urge to shudder as five sets of eyes turned to glare at him. 'I just mean, Luna's not completely unreachable. She managed to snap out of it twice when things turned ugly.'
'Regardless, we have to prepare for the worst case scenario.' The Hokage's voice held a soft manner to it, almost in understanding.
'If I might make a suggestion?' Homaru's voice, on the other hand, was a harsh contrast to Tsunade's.
'If you must…' Tsume muttered disinterestedly.
'I believe I may have just the solution, but first things first. Tsunade!' He barked gruffly, ignoring the glare he received for his disrespectful tone. 'Send a messenger to the gate keepers immediately. The village must go into lockdown, no one leaves, no one enters. If this criminal is already inside the village walls, he will not be allowed to escape. It is of utmost importance that we have Kotetsu and Izumo examine the records of all newcomers since Luna Hangetsu's arrival.'
'Very well.' It was obvious that it pained the Hokage to obey Homaru's blatant command, but it could not be denied that he made a good point. For once.
'And your solution to the wolf girl?' It was obvious that Koharu would instantly agree with whatever it was her teammate suggested, but she asked all the same.
'The Hozuki Castle.'
'Are you serious?!' Kiba outright snarled, shrugging out of Hana's sudden grip on his shoulder.
'That's a little extreme, don't you think?' Tsume frowned deeply, her extreme distaste for the idea evident on her features.
'The blood prison is only for the most dangerous and wanted criminals in the world. That is definitely going too far, even by your standards, Homaru.' Tsunade folded her arms, tapping a finger on her elbow as she spoke.
Located in the land of grass, the Hozuki Castle was a far cry from majestic, housing some of the worst offenders in the five great nations. Luna would crumble in a place like that, and there was no way in hell that Kiba was letting that happen.
'Do you have a better idea, Princess Tsunade?' Koharu murmured quietly, by way of disputing the flow of raised voices.
The Hokage thought for a moment, before letting out a sigh. 'It's not a great alternative, but there are the containment cells below the Kage tower? They were originally built to withstand the blows of a Jinchuuriki, so it's highly unlikely she could escape from such a cage.'
The Inuzuka's all battled the shiver that threatened them at the word 'cage'. It wasn't a fate they'd wish upon anyone. However, they didn't seem to have many other options right now.
'Alright then. But this is only a temporary solution, until we find the true culprit.' Tsume warned, her angry gaze bypassing Tsunade to fall accusingly upon the village elders.
'What? You can't seriously be agreeing to this?' Kiba was shocked that his mother would even consider such a fate. Yes, she could be strict and ruthless at times, but he had never known her to be cruel.
'Quiet, pup. It is decided.'
His fists clenched as he debated arguing further, but the Leaf village leaders were already leaving.
'Come, Tsume. We must make the necessary preparations.' Koharu ordered, not bothering to look back at the Inuzuka alpha as she addressed her.
After the four had gone, Kiba rounded on his sister. 'What the hell, Hana? Are you okay with this?'
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. 'Of course not, but I don't see much point in fighting when they've already made up their minds.'
'You barely spoke a word the whole time they were here. What're you really thinking?' He glowered angrily, squaring his shoulders in a silent challenge, which his sister didn't bother to meet.
'I just want what's best for the village. If keeping Luna contained for now is what's going to protect the people then–'
'Geez, Hana. You sound like them.' He scrunched his nose as though the word left a bad taste in his mouth. 'Whatever. I'm heading out.'
Turning on his heel, he began to march towards the door. He was fully intending to give it a good hard slam for added effect as he left, but his sister's words gave him pause.
'…You know where she is.' It wasn't a question.
He considered the possible threat in her words as he kept his back to her. In the end though, he decided she was merely voicing her own realisation, and continued in his exit.
Luna was exactly where he thought she'd be. Kiba stood downwind from her atop the Hokage mountain, in the very same place he'd shown her the view for the first time. He wondered absently if she came here often, but dismissed the thought in favour of concentration. She didn't seem to have noticed his presence yet, but he didn't want to sneak up on her or surprise her in case she ran again. In hindsight, approaching from behind probably wasn't his best plan of action, but here they were.
He'd left Akamaru at the gates of the Inuzuka compound, whimpering sadly as his master took off on his own, once again. He'd made a mental note to make it up to him later.
Onyx eyes scanned the hybrid girl before him. He silvery hair was billowing gently in the breeze, along with a few scraps of material that had come loose on her bandage. As he watched the cloth sway, understanding dawned as he realised it must have stretched and torn when her forearm expanded into a paw. Makes sense.
'What will they do to me?' She asked suddenly, her voice impossibly small. He wondered how long she'd known he was there, but didn't dwell on it.
Kiba sighed, one hand on his hip as he considered his response. Guess there's no point sugar coating it. 'There's an erm, a set of holding cells built to restrain a tailed beast below the Hokage tower. The elders want you contained for the time being, just until they can catch the bastard behind all this. But don't worry, there's no way I'll let those conservative old windbags lock you away like that!'
She smiled sadly at his fierceness, but shot him down. 'Don't waste your energy. It's probably for the best.'
'Not you too…' He muttered. 'Look, it wasn't your fault okay? Besides, you snapped out of it. I'm fine!'
'You're fine?' Something about her tone told him this wasn't an actual question. 'You're fine, you say?' She crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat. Pressing her palms to his shoulders in the same way her paws had previously pinned him down, she pushed him back hard, tutting when he winced. 'You're not fine.'
'I'm a ninja, Luna. I've had worse, trust me.'
'How can you say that? How can you pretend like everything's fine when it's far from it! I want them to lock me up, I never want to do anything like that again. I could have killed you!'
Despite the dire mood, his mouth twisted into a smirk. 'It'll take a lot more than that to kill me–'
'More than what? Ripping your throat out?' She hissed, this time shoving him in the chest, making him stumble back another step. 'You aren't invincible, Kiba, and I'm not some precious little ninken pup. I could have… No, I would have killed you!'
'Okay, but you didn't. You stopped.'
'Only because he let me go at the last second!'
The Inu nin's eyebrows pulled together. 'What?'
'I stopped the first time by myself, when you put your palm out to me. But the second time, it was too strong. I only stopped because he relinquished his hold on me at the last second! That wasn't me…' I was too weak.
'If he let you go himself, how do you know you couldn't have stopped on your own?' It was unbelievable to the she-wolf that Kiba still held his faith in her self-control. But he was wrong! I am too weak.
'I just know, okay?' She lifted her arms to shove him for the third time, but his hands reached out and gripped her wrists before they could make contact with his front.
'Will you quit that? I'm not going anywhere, so stop already.' She struggled to pull her arms back to her own chest, but he held tight. 'Whether he let you go or not, I know you would have stopped.'
'How? How do you know that?' Luna's voice threatened to break as the tears welled in her eyes. Her treacherous bottom lip had begun to quiver, and the hybrid could already taste copper as she bit down on the offending body part.
'I just know, okay?' He smiled as he used her own words in response, tugging her toward him softly until her head hit his chest. Releasing her wrists, Kiba's arms snaked around her waist to pull her closer, inhaling slightly as he nuzzled her neck. For several moments, Luna remained tense, and Kiba was convinced she was going to push him away. But she surprised them both when her hands fisted in his jacket and her shoulders slumped against him.
'How can you have so much faith in me after what happened?' Her voice wobbled as she whispered the words into his chest.
She felt his shoulders rise and fall in a casual shrug. 'I trust you.'
The breath that caught in her throat didn't go amiss by the Inu nin, causing his arms to tighten around her waist until finally, she murmured quite pathetically, '…You shouldn't.'
He only chuckled at that, figuring he'd won the battle for now.
Their momentary peace was broken however, when Kiba's keen nose began to pick up the faint scent of approaching Leaf ninja on the breeze. "Oh, great…"
Luna's head lifted. "What now?" She almost didn't want to know.
"We've got company."
No sooner than the words had left his mouth, the pair found themselves surrounded. Luna broke away from his embrace and tensed again automatically, flicking into fight or flight mode.
"What, they sent Anbu?!" The Inu nin bared his teeth as he faced them, expression twisting in disdain. "That's a bit much, isn't it?"
They ignored his jibe, masked faces hiding all visible emotion. "Luna Hangetsu. We are under strict orders from the Hokage to escort you to the holding cells below the Kage tower, immediately. If you try resist, we have permission to use whatever means necessary."
A low growl rumbled in Kiba's throat as he prepared to jump to her defence, but Luna quickly shook her head. "It's alright. I'll go with you."
"What? No way, this is crazy! They can't just cage you up like some kind of…"
"Some kind of animal?" She smiled sadly at him, knowing exactly why he'd trailed off. She was an animal. Well, half, but it still counted. Kiba might have put his trust in her, but it was unreasonable to expect these strangers to do so too.
"It's just not right." He muttered, unable to argue the point further.
"It's okay. Besides, it's just temporary, right?" She placed a hand on his arm briefly in a rare display of affection, before letting it drop back to her side.
Finally appearing resigned to the idea, Kiba nodded and attempted a smile, but it ended up more of a grimace than anything positive.
"This way, please." The Anbu gathered in a small group with one on either side of the she-wolf, two in front and two behind. They allowed her no further time for goodbyes, simply whipped her away in a flurry.
The holding cells were cold, damp and dismal. It didn't surprise her. Tsunade had greeted her and the Anbu escorts at the entrance to the tower, dismissing them and leading her down personally. She had been nothing but apologetic, but Luna understood.
But it wasn't so bad. Before the Hokage left, the blonde woman had made sure Luna was well catered for. Beside her now lay several bottles of water, a thick blanket and a small ninja pack filled with things to nibble on. If anything, she was just bored.
Kiba, on the other hand, was the complete opposite of bored. In the few hours Luna had spent in the Hokage's special prison, the Inu nin had been hard at work arguing for her freedom with his family. When that had failed, he'd practically run the entire length of the village gathering his friends in a last ditch attempt at gaining some allies.
He'd arranged for them all to meet at an old playground where they used to hang out when they were younger. It was quiet, and almost pitch black under the moonless sky, with only a rickety old lamppost in the corner illuminating the climbing frame.
"Alright, we're all–" Shikamaru paused to yawn, mid-sentence. "–here, Kiba. What's so important that it couldn't wait till a decent hour?"
Choji and Ino grumbled something in agreement, the latter combing through several knots in platinum blonde hair. Kiba rolled his eyes at her fussing.
"Look, Luna's in trouble and I really need your help to get her out of it." He paused as Naruto suddenly snored loudly, and Sakura spared a moment to whack Naruto upside the head, promptly waking him up.
"Huh! Sakura-chan?!" The hero of the leaf panicked, startled.
The pinkette scowled at slapped a hand to her hip, shifting her weight. "Pay attention, Naruto. This is important."
"What has happened to Luna, Kiba?" Lee looked completely alert and raring to go, but that was unsurprising.
The Inu's attention shifted back to the group as a whole, and began to explain the situation as best he could. He told them of the strange sounds the ninken had heard, and the legend of the Hihanta. Then he told them as briefly as he could about the incident with Luna earlier, and how she was now locked in a holding cell below the Kage tower.
Naruto instantly snapped awake at this, looking utterly appalled. "Granny Tsunade locked her in a cage?!"
"She didn't have much choice, from the sound of it, Naruto." Sakura said quietly, coming to her mentor's defence.
"No, she didn't," Kiba agreed, "but it's still wrong. And the last time Luna was put in a cage she freaked out and nearly completely destroyed Hana's clinic."
"So what are you saying? You want to break her out and let her loose on the village in her condition?" Neji questioned, sounding harsher than intended.
"She's not dangerous! She broke out of his control once, I know she could do it again." The dog trainer frowned, expression tensing determinedly.
Shikamaru spoke next, who'd been silently listening and considering all options. "I hate to put a downer on the situation, but I actually think the way things are now is best for everyone–"
"You can't be serious!" Kiba started to growl, but the Nara cut him off.
"Let me finish. If we go and break her out, then this enemy manages to get her under his control again, what are his limits? Not only could Luna hurt someone in the village, she'll be a danger to herself too. Suppose this is the work of 'Hihanta', his goal is the obliteration of her clan, correct?"
"…I guess so…" Curse Shikamaru for being so reasonable.
"And then there's the issue of the elders. If Luna is caught running around loose now, how's that going to look to them? Like she broke herself out. She'll be instantly labelled a threat."
"So what are you saying? We sit back and do nothing?" Naruto's fists clenched as he voiced Kiba's own thoughts.
"No. But I don't think breaking Luna out is the best plan in this situation. We need to scope out the village first, see if this intruder has left us any clues."
This apparently wasn't satisfactory though, for Kiba. "Right. And while we're off searching the streets and playing detective, she stays trapped in that dingy place all by herself for who knows how long, when she already has trust issues! Not to mention how boring that must be! Tch."
"Kiba. Do you honestly think breaking her out will do the village any favours?"
"Maybe not, but this isn't about the village. This is about Luna! If someone is targeting her, we should be protecting her not locking her up!"
The pair continued to argue a while longer, voices raising with every sentence until finally Neji interrupted, attempting to calm the situation. "Alright guys, how about we compromise. Kiba, give us a few days to check out the village, then if we find nothing of use, we'll help you get her out of there. How does that sound?"
For a moment, Kiba and Shikamaru only glared at each other stubbornly, but several more murmurs of agreement from the others was all it took for them to drop the stare-off.
"Fine. We break her out in two days."
"Kiba! Two days is no time at all to scan and entire village." Shikamaru scolded. "We need at least a week."
"Three days, and search quickly."
"Five."
"…Four. Final offer." The Inuzuka's eyes narrowed, daring the opposition to push him one more time. He didn't.
"Alright, four days. We'll search in our academy squad teams. Team seven will check the East side of Konaha, team eight the West, Team Guy the North and we'll take the South. Got it?"
There was a chorus of 'yeah's, and the Nara sighed.
"How troublesome. See you all back here in four days at noon."
As the group began to disperse, Kiba threw his arms in the air and took to pacing as he ranted. "This is ridiculous. I'll be she's not even allowed visitors in there. Four days is too long. Too long…"
"Erm, K-Kiba?"
"What now?" The dog trainer rounded on his pale-eyed teammate a little too harshly, muttering an apology when she flinched. "Sorry. What is it, Hinata?"
"W-well… It's just that, I agree with you! I don't think it's fair that Luna's being punished when she's the one in danger."
"Yeah it totally sucks, right, Hinata?" Naruto grunted, crossing his arms and missing the faint blush that dusted the girl's cheeks. "I still can't believe Granny Tsunade agreed to it."
Kiba spared a moment to scan the people still beside him. Hinata, Shino, Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Lee and Tenten. Neji was hovering beside his teammates until Tenten scolded him for standing around aimlessly and sent him on his way. The remaining ninja had then settled into quiet grumblings of disgust over the situation, forming a circle and somehow managing to exclude Kiba from the heated whisperings. They stayed that were for several minutes as the Inuzuka heir watched in half amusement, half annoyance, until they broke apart, and simultaneously turned to him.
"Let's do this." Naruto grinned.
Kiba blinked. "…Do what?"
"Let's break her out! What else?!"
"We have had all decided," Lee announced, "that it is completely unfair the way things are now. Should the positions be reversed, I know I would be disappointed to be left alone in a cell while my fellow comrades did all the work for me!"
"Exactly, but we'll have to be clever about this. I mean, we're sneaking around behind Neji and Shikamaru's back, which won't be easy." Sakura warned, looking mainly at the loud, blonde haired ninja who was infamously terrible at sneaking.
"Not to mention we're breaking into Lady Hokage's private jail…" Tenten muttered, one hand on her hip.
"You guys… Are you sure about this?" Kiba stared at them each individually, eyes hovering over Sai a moment too long.
Said male's onyx irises slid shut as he tilted his head and smiled oddly, the way Sai often did. "I am not averse to the opportunity for further team bonding."
"Besides, we all like Luna!" Naruto gave Kiba a thumbs up, and Hinata agreed quietly with her life-long crush.
"So, we're doing this…" The dog trainer said, more of a question than a statement. Another series of nods and murmurs of agreement were all it took for the Inuzuka to be convinced, determination sparking in his ebony eyes. "Right. We need a plan. Someone's gotta distract Shikamaru and Neji for starters…"
"What about Ino and Choji?" Asked Lee suspiciously.
The pinkette stepped forward. "Ino-Pig won't be an issue. And it won't take much food bribing for Choji to keep his mouth shut, if they find out."
"Lee and I can meet up with Neji and help him look for clues, to keep him off your tails." Tenten chuckled when she realised her phrasing. "Er, pun unintended!"
"I'll go to Lady Tsunade and make sure her and the elders are occupied. I'll make up some medical distraction, ask for advice or something. Sai, you could do surveillance of Shikamaru's team on one of your ink birds and keep us informed of their positions. Hinata your Byakugan would be helpful in keeping track of their movements too." Sakura suggested.
"Of course!" Hinata smiled. Sai only nodded silently, as though afraid to oppose his female teammate.
"So that leaves you two to break Luna out of the prison." Sakura continued, her plan unravelling further. "Naruto, your use of clones and transformation will be helpful to sneak in there, distract the guards or something."
"You got it." The blonde grinned, pleased with the recognition of his skills.
"When shall we put this into motion?" The green ninja questioned Sakura, since she seemed to have the situation well thought out.
"That's up to Kiba." She tilted her head, giving the control back to her friend.
The Inu heir smirked. "No time like the present."
A/N: Sorry this chapter was a little shorter than the others, I was trying to move the narrative along and fit in some of the more boring parts.
Please review! It motivates me to write like nothing else :)
