Foreword:
Continuing straight through from the end of my previous chapter. I'm in a binge-writing mood. Writer's block cleared and active for the next thirty minutes – six month cool-down on that ability. Got to make the best of it.
Chapter 9: TaiYin
Air sucked in above her stomach, clenched for an upright bolt. Her body swayed beneath her in the suspended hammock, the gentle motion clashing with the hammering of the Hyuuga's heart. A bell was ringing from above.
"Eight bells and all is well!" A voice called from beyond the berthing space.
A ship. Memory floated back to her. She was Hinata Hyuuga, currently aboard a ship bound for the ruins of Uzushiogakure – the Village Hidden in the Swirling Tides. The porthole offered no light, it had to be early in the pre-dawn, she reasoned.
"Another dream?" Naruto's voice came from the floor a few paces away.
She felt her face heat. "You noticed?"
"Yeah..." She could practically see him rub the back of his head just from the tone in his voice. "I wanted to do something … but … I didn't really know what to do..." It suddenly occurred to Hinata that this was one of the rare moments where Naruto was speaking just above a whisper as opposed to blasting at full volume.
"I'm sorry..." The timidness of her response did not escape her own ears. The thought that she was disturbing him, or the others in the same berthing, sank in her stomach.
"I've just been meditating." He seemed to shrug in the darkness. "It's kind of different with all the rocking." Her brow clenched in a bit of a squint. Her blonde was almost always up before her. Even after returning from his training with Lord Jiraiya, Sakura would complain of his penchant for sleeping in.
"Would you be okay with some company?" Somehow, sleep didn't seem a reasonable expectation any longer.
"I guess..." Her heart sunk a little with his tone. "just don't wake up Sakura."
A pained bit of confusion tugged from within her mind as she rolled out of her hammock to place bare feet upon the sandalwood floor – or 'deck' as she was instructed to call it. It wasn't until she sat against his back that she identified the emotion held within his posture. Embarrassment. Oh, he thought I was asking if someone else should join the conversation... She moved her chakra in a way to try and comfort his.
His response was both appreciative and genuine, but tense and exhausted. Where there were gentle breezes across the beach or swift storms across the plains, clouds now billowed tall upon thick air as cyclones tore fruitlessly against the Earth. She brushed her own chakra gently against his, beckoning for him to move – for his storms to sweep and dance rain upon parched fields.
A slight breeze lifted her hair in response. It was sincere, but his attention was obviously elsewhere. As if to answer her question, she felt a pair of eyes – a tinge of an ominous, familiar chakra glare from a tree line to her left. A fox stood just at the edge of the field, its head tilted at a curious angle. It was no larger than an average fox, in her estimation. Distance, size – even space were abstract things, puppets of shadow against a windswept screen.
It was a far cry from the beast she'd felt in her faded state. The fox straightened its head, never breaking eye contact. The gaze was probing, an aura of genuine curiosity surrounding it. If she didn't know better, she would have guessed this was the first time the beast had ever laid eyes upon a girl and had no idea what to make of her existence.
The air suddenly changed. What was once thick and heavy was pulled into a thin wisp. Her breath was nearly drawn from her as a massive cyclone tore across the field between her and the fox. She caught the flash of fur as the fox darted back into the trees before the cyclone began uprooting the forest in its pursuit.
She withdrew herself back into reality, turned to the man she wished to become her companion, and wrapped her arms around him. Something had to be done to bring Naruto and the Fox out of conflict. She was no expert, but the trees were as much a part of him as his winds were. The boy was quite literally petrified of the Fox gaining control, again.
Tendons popped taut across bone as muscle fibers strained under the stretch. It had been somewhat unusual for his rival to approach him for a personal request. Sure, the two had served together on many missions and each knew they could trust each other with their lives; but Might Gai was blatantly more interested in Kakashi's attention than the white haired ninja was interested in the bowl cut jonin. So, it came as a surprise when Kakashi personally requested Gai accompany him for a mission straight from the interim Hokage.
He shifted his body to hold another stretch, this time on his leg. It didn't take the genius of a Nara to figure out why, either. Walking to meet as a liaison with one of the very people responsible for attacking the Leaf only months prior did not sit well with either Jonin. Naruto's Flames of Youth had certainly inspired many people to embrace a common goal in harmony as opposed to conflict... but you didn't live long enough to be a Jonin by always viewing the glass as half full... or assuming it to be for drinking.
Finished with his stretch routine, he looked at the neon glow above the pitch black ground. He liked to think of it that his youthful flame both summoned and inspired the Great Youth in the Sky that was soon to greet the world. How much brighter would the day be if more would join him in welcoming such a wonderful thing into the world? He knelt next to his still-sleeping rival, face contorting in mild surprise as his knees let loose a series of popping noises.
"Good morning, Kakashi!" He cheered, encouraging his rival to rise with strength to meet the day.
"I've been awake, Gai." The lazy voice seemed to sigh from behind the mask. "And by the sound of it, we're running out of youth."
Gai couldn't suppress his smile. "Nonsense, Kakashi!" He rose, knees once again popping. "That's just the flames of my Youth crackling with joy!"
"Well, I suppose that is one way to look at it." Gai's rival rose to a slumped position before he made to stand.
"You know, Kakashi," He started "Youth is not what you are, it is something you exert."
A brief silence passed between the two before an ember in the ashen remains of the fire popped. Gai seized the opportunity.
"Our bodies are fuel for the Flames of Youth. Every fuel has its limits, but even the last ember can pass a new, brilliant flame on to someone willing to bear them." He paused, giving another smile. "I don't want to smolder and leave behind chunks of potential. May my final days leave behind only ash to feed the trees!"
The other Jonin seemed to quirk his brow and take a moment to contemplate the sentiment. "Embers, huh?" He dusted off his pants.
"Dim flames leave behind charred and wasted remains, Kakashi." Gai patted his comrade on the back. "Make sure your flame burns bright, and everything will be fine!"
The two mutually began kicking dirt over the fire. Gai couldn't deny the irony. Still, leaving exposed embers to start fires or let any genin with half a brain accurately track them was bad ninja-ing. Making a fire in the first place was not exactly smart ninja-ing, but they were still within Fire territory – because borders on a map were effective means of controlling rival ninjas.
Gai shrugged. They wanted a fire, they made one, and they were alive to tell about it. Just best not to make a habit of it for small teams.
"Alright, then..." Kakashi eye-smiled with the morning sun flashing across his face. "To a bright flame?"
"A bright flame, indeed, Kakashi!" He flashed a tooth-sparkling thumbs-up before the two leaped into the trees.
"Alright!" Kabuto's hood scratched against the new scales atop his head. "That was really good, guys. I'm impressed you have picked it up this fast."
The dark tunnels echoed with a chorus of joy.
"Okay, again, from the top! This needs to be just right!" If there was one thing Kabuto enjoyed, it was coming up with ways to surprise people.
Danzo never thought he would see the day when he would do anything to have Hiashi Hyuuga walk through the door. He wouldn't even berate the man for barging right into his office. Sorano Hyuuga was in his office, and society just wouldn't understand how better off it would be if he simply killed her. Every day he sat in this chair, he found himself filled with more respect for his old rival.
"So, as you can see..." Sorano wrapped up the lecture he thought would never end, "It is essential for the Hyuuga to preserve its line of Head Family succession. It is imperative that Hanabi Hyuuga be returned to the village post-haste in order to restore security to the Hyuuga Clan."
Danzo could respect the various arts that Ninja clans passed down – their abilities and specialties. However... "Did the Hyuuga not agree to yield the named individuals to the service of the Hidden Leaf?" Ninja clans almost always seemed to have questionable allegiance to the villages they called home.
"Indeed, we did. Circumstances, however, have prompted us to propose a re-negotiation of the service contract for Hanabi." Sorano's voice had a dry sound to it.
"The circumstances you mentioned were in play when the decision was made. Hanabi, Hinata, and Neji were all individually assigned to the Leaf for their primary duties; Hanabi little more than a year ago." He allowed his brow to visibly quirk. "A failure to properly assess your hereditary lines then does not give you ground to stand upon, now." This whole thing was giving him eerie reminders of the whole Uchiha fiasco. Many talented ninja were lost and an entire cadre of unique capabilities were forever stricken from the Leaf's assets. It was not an easy decision to make, even when the concept of human lives was eliminated from the equation.
"Surely, though, it would be to the Leaf's disadvantage to have the Hyuuga thrown into disarray." The woman's face didn't falter.
Danzo forced a breath out through his nose. "The fact that it is you here, and not Hiashi, tells me that the Hyuuga are already in disarray." He allowed his brow to narrow at the woman before him. "I will not drag the Leaf into your petty squabbles. The Village is not a tool to be brokered between Clans."
"Just as the Clans are not weapons in the pockets of feudal lords. The Hyuuga are not merely a resource to be exploited. Complete apathy toward our Clan's difficulties leaves us little reason to commit to the Leaf." Sorano's voice remained level.
Danzo let a brow visibly perk. A solid retort, if he did say so, himself. "Lady Sorano, I am sure you are aware that the founding charter of the Hidden Leaf lays out guidelines for the relationship between the Village authority and the structure of the Noble Clans." Knowledge, however, was power. "Article seven deals with the relation between Noble Clans and the Village. Section One establishes the definition of a Noble Clan as the Village accepts. Item Four, specifically, requires that a Noble Clan nominate one individual to serve as the official liaison between any internal Clan governments and the authorities of the Village." Danzo placed his hands on the table.
"Section Two outlines the duties of the Village to the Noble Clans. Item One – the first thing our charter has to say about the duties of the Village to the Clans – is that the duties are only that which is expressed in the charter. That is to say, that if it does not appear in the Charter as a duty, then it is not a duty." Danzo kept a copy in the left hand drawer of his desk for just such conversations. He withdrew it and set it upon the table. "You may review it if you like. Nowhere does the Village Charter list the duty of taking sides in an internal political dispute. Thus, it would be against the charter that founded our village to do such a thing." He allowed himself to feign exasperation; "I could end up in jail. Not only would I be making cavalier agreements with people who are not the designated representatives of the Clan, but I would also be acting in ways exclusively forbidden by our village charter. And why should any Clan be a part of our village if the Charter can be so easily defied?"
"You would stand before a Hyuuga and claim yourself a vanguard of contract integrity? The Hyuuga know well of your duplicity, Danzo." A slight scowl appeared on the woman's face.
"And you would stand as a Hyuuga while sowing your own duplicity?" Danzo kept his voice level. Nothing pissed off a Hyuuga more than 'out-Hyuuga-ing' them. "I suggest you clear my office, and your head, before continuing with whatever course of action you have planned."
[Music: Smooth McGroove's Acapella Rendition of One Winged Angel; youtube reference – v=0s20588opz4 ]
Unusual would be an understatement... Tobi knew something was off as he entered his compound. No sooner had he manifested at the mouth of the cave had breathy chanting noises echoed forth to greet him. Zetsu was known for his somewhat naive, goofy nature... but the entire cave of Zetsu spontaneously taking it upon themselves to organize an acapella choir was quite unprecedented.
Tobi's footsteps fell synchronous with the breathy beat, a cascade of tweets trilled from alternating locations throughout the cave. A chorus of 'trumpets' rose and fell in within the winding chambers. The quality of this … production … left the masked figure even more convinced that this was far from Zetsu's usual pranks. 'Drums' rolled around corners, 'cymbals' clashed from various corners... the overall effect could be said to be impressive.
Tobi briefly considered using Zetsu as a traveling acapella orchestra should Infinite Tsukuyomi not pan out as anticipated. It was at that moment something completely unexpected occurred. Zetsu began harmoniously chanting in Latin. Tobi was fortunate enough to be an educated man, and his mind translated the words as he heard them:
"Estuans interius
Yearning within
Ira vehementi
For the mortal struggle
Estuans interius
Yearning within
Ira vehementi
for the mortal struggle
Madara!
Madara!"
A series of 'trumpets' blasted triumphantly. Tobi allowed his masked brow to raise. Quite to the point, this rendition was.
"Sors immanis
Fate looms
Et inanis
It's vain!"
The tone of the choir shifted to primarily drum rolls and higher pitched trills. A few immitated trumpets signaled another shift in the tone before it dropped low:
"Veni, Veni, Venias
Come, come, do come!
Ne me mori facias
I shall defeat our death"
Tobi suppressed the urge to summon a Sun-destroying meteor at the moment, as it seemed the only way to appropriately express the tone. If only he had enough power... The lyrics, simple and repetitive as they were, captured Madara's vision almost perfectly...
An echoing chorus of separate voice joined the previous:
"Gloriosa
Glorious!
Generosa
Noble!"
And that, Tobi had to agree, Madara was.
Still... where the hell had this come from? The original chorus was already beginning to repeat as he approached the hideout's main chamber. Somewhere in the depths of these caves Zetsu referred to as bowels, there was an answer to all of this. Tobi's lone exposed eye, however, shot open at the sight as he rounded the corner. Sitting in the all-too-familiar casket of an Edo summon was the subject of the song... Madara Uchiha.
"Ah, welcome, Tobi! I hope you enjoyed the performance." A hooded man of vaguely reptilian features slithered his words. "I do believe we have much to discuss in regards to a mutually beneficial arrangement!"
[Music: Two Steps From Hell; "Atlantis" - youtube reference v=iO9ZOF0st0k ]
A few strands of dark blue hair danced across the blonde's cheeks. Streaks of glistening light danced from his companion's bangs in the morning sun as it rose above the island in the distance. Frankly, he was torn between which was more captivating, the Hyuuga standing beside him, or the scene in front of him, if the two could even be said to be different. Her hair was as shifting as the seas beneath them, her presence as promising as the solid land ahead of them.
There were still so many questions... his heritage, his blood, came from this island. The seal for the Fox came from this island... as did the first people who bore it within them. If there were anywhere for him to learn to keep his friends safe from the raging demon within him, it would be here.
Hinata turned, hair swept in front of her face before her hand tucked it behind her ear. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth before a yawn cast her gaze aside with a blush. "Today is the big day."
"Yeah..." That was another thing. Hinata's fitful dreams. He could feel it while he was meditating in Sage Mode... there was more to those dreams than just the brain doing a data-dump. He wasn't a great analyst and had no idea where to begin to figure out what was going on... but something was certainly off ever since that whole Uchiha compound ordeal where he found her unconscious in that creepy room with the tomb-stone looking thing.
A gentle nudge broke his train of thought. He caught Hinata's pale orbs staring back into his eyes, concern dusted the edges of welcoming depths. A moment later, she leaned some of her weight against him. He'd always been told that women were soft, but... pillows were soft... Hinata was better than any pillow he'd ever encountered. No one, however, had really warned him about what a powerful thing a simple curve was. All she had to do was push a part of that hip of hers against him and it took every ounce of will power to not wrap himself around her in blissful indulgence.
Again, Naruto knew he was no great thinker or philosopher... but it simply boggled his mind how something like the curve of a hip to be so amazing. But it was... without fail. When that jacket of hers came off, his eyes were drawn like magnets to that spot where the Hyuuga's hip curved back into her stomach. It was scary, in a way, since it happened without him even realizing it. Honestly, a Genjustu still made as much sense to the blonde as anything else.
"Okay, you two..." Shizune casped them both on opposite shoulders. "Time to get everyone up and ready to do this."
"Make ready all shore parties, Aye-Aye, Ma'am!" Lee bolted to a salute from nearby.
There was a brief pause. "He spent the past couple days reviewing stuff about naval customs." Tenten's voice echoed from below. "Just let him have his fun."
Naruto couldn't really say he disliked the fact that Lee was enthusiastic. Still, something about the guy seemed... off. The blonde shrugged. Who was he to point fingers? He, Naruto Uzumaki, wore an orange jumpsuit as an aspiring young Ninja.
"Revelie! Revelie!" Lee's voice boomed after he darted below. "All hands heave out and up, up, up!"
Naruto briefly noted that everyone's eyes had found the stoic male Hyuuga known as Neji. "Yep." The tone was the trademarked Hyuuga Classic. "I told her not to buy him that book." He simply stood, his features betraying no change of emotion.
Kakashi recognized the two siblings of the Kazekage immediately as they crested the footpath's hill. Temari and Konkuro were quite distinguished people, perhaps almost more so than himself, at this point. At least if things went to hell in a hurry, he had some strong allies he knew he could depend upon.
"It's an honor." Temari smiled as they neared. "Kakashi of the Sharingan and Might Gai."
"As it is for us, as well!" Gai trumpeted. "To be in the presence of such great youth as the legendary Sand Siblings!" He gripped his palm in a thumbs-up.
Kakashi noted the perk in the brow of both Sand ninja. "You'll get used to Gai's antics."
"Come now, Kakashi! What of our talk of bright flames?" Gai seemed to recoil at the lack of support.
"I'd rather we just get the travel over with." Temari's voice seemed to freeze the mood. "Sweeping for surprises is much easier in the daylight." She pushed herself off the path, in the direction of their objective.
"A sound strategic decision, indeed!" Gai trumpeted.
"Well, he's just the fountain of joy I've heard he is." Kankuro gave a chuckle, making to follow his sister.
"I prefer to think of it as a Fountain of Youth." Gai stopped short of leaping into the trees. "Are you coming, Kakashi?"
For his part, Kakashi finished the final signs for his summoning jutsu. "Just getting us some extra eyes on the path ahead." He slammed his palm into the ground and a pack of dogs sprung from the resulting vapor of chakra. What he wouldn't give to have his blonde student and his opal-eyed girlfriend at the moment. A whole disposable army of trap-triggering knuckleheads combined with what he'd heard was at least ten kilometers of nearly perfect awareness in every direction.
Kakashi realized that the two made a completely sadistic infiltration or assault combination... the only ones to be surprised by traps and defensive positions would be the people who organized them in the first place. Well... and Naruto was able to stand toe to toe with a guy who single-handedly destroyed a whole village and its contingent of ninja. Including Naruto in any analysis was generally unfair to whatever was on the other end of the equation.
"Alright, let's be off." The newly formed team pushed ahead into the forest.
[Music: Final Fantasy VIII; "The Landing" - v=3v6BtJaBQmo ]
"Okay," Shikamaru panned his gaze across the group before him. "the only maps we have are pretty old. We are going to perform this insertion as if there are hostile forces present and just as we practiced a couple times before we left port."
He scanned the faces in front of him for comprehension. "The currents around the island are fairly swift and riptides near the shore are both frequent and unpredictable. Most of you have demonstrated solid ability to walk on water, but keep an eye out for each other. We will be doing our best to keep you all safe, but if you see someone go down, make a lot of noise to get our attention."
Briefings were a drag. Everyone had already heard this and countless other instructions a dozen times, already. "We don't know what is on that island or if someone has beat us to it. Our job is to get everyone to shore quickly and be ready to meet any threat encountered with full force as soon as possible. Are there any questions before we begin?" He scanned for signs of hesitation and found only an air of confidence about the group.
"Alright..." He paused, attempting to develop projection for his next statement; "Let's move!"
The teams rapidly boarded a combination of Sai's ink-work birds and a host of large bird summons from a girl of an obscure family line known for their summons. How Danzo had missed Rydia's talents in his initial assessment was a mystery to be settled later, but the ability to form multiple summoning contracts while performing summons without blood sacrifice was curious. Sai's birds were fairly fragile and were boarded by those who were secure in their ability to run on water.
Once all teams were aboard their flights, the whole company of ninjas took to the air. Salt bit at the Nara's skin through the spray of water as they drove their birds fast and just above the waves. One would normally expect the Nara to be in command, but this part of the operation was under the watchful eye of the Hyuuga Heiress. She and his Yamanaka teammate were hanging to the far southern flank, using the platinum blonde's telepathic abilities to administer updates and commands as needed.
Currently, the teams were fanning out in an apparent bid to claim a four kilometer swath of shoreline. The flanks would, however, converge in the last moments to land inside a much narrower corridor established by the teams landing closer to the center. In a sense, the teams that currently appeared to be the point of an assault would land and become the new flank for the remaining teams to funnel into a push to the interior of the island.
The Nara peeked his head up to snag a glance at the approaching island. There were a few other surprises embedded in the plan. It was almost time for two of those.
He took a few breaths to clear his lungs. Just as the ocean chop gave way to rolling waves, Shikamaru rolled off of the bird to land atop solid water along with several others who would storm the beach. At the same time, the remainder of the point team took their birds into a vaulting climb. The threat they posed suddenly went from low level air insertion to amphibious with combat air support.
He pushed with the point team onto the beach, uncontested thus far. He used a bit of chakra to keep the sand more stable beneath his feet. It was a bit of a lazy tactic, but exhaustion was an equal opportunity saboteur. He had just reached the beach when a few copies of Naruto began raining from the skies – plenty of opportunities to use shadows to freeze anything and everything in place until everyone was ashore.
"We are still showing clear." Ino's voice 'simply was' inside his head. He still couldn't quite describe what the telepathic voice sounded like... or was... He just knew that it was Ino and what she was saying. That was as simple and complicated as it got.
A sudden flare of chakra caught the Nara's attention. A stream of kunai lanced from a scroll on a bird that could only belong to Tenten. The stream slammed into the forest underbrush with a bit more than a hundred paces into the tree line ahead. Steel rained as if it were razor sharp liquid upon the space, a regular beat of exploding kunai tags shook the ground. He could feel the group around him become tense and alert.
"Ah, sorry." Ino broke into his mind, again. "Tenten just got all excited over a bear. Hinata can see clear to the village ruins and hasn't seen anything concerning, yet."
The Nara couldn't figure out if that put him at ease, or made him more suspicious. Perhaps his own training lectures had gone to his head and all of the work-up to this moment was over-estimating the importance. Somehow, though, he expected the abandoned ruins to put up a bit more of a fight. In the world of ninjas, it made sense to expect such things.
"... And we're ashore!" He heard Ino's voice carry from behind him. "Hinata has us all present and accounted for."
Shikamaru broke his stance to pan his view along the beach. His team formed the Southern most flank, now. The birds that had remained airborne were landing gracefully to the North amid the newly arrived aerial flanks from before. "Good work." He caught a curt nod from the Hyuuga. "Let's get regrouped and make for the village ruins. We need to make camp and get a watch rotation set up before the day gets too late." He looked up at the sky. It was still midway through the morning, no later than ten. Still, that only left about eight to ten hours of daylight depending upon what the weather did.
"Lord Hokage," an Anbu member addressed from the door; "a message has been received from the Hidden Cloud."
He'd seen some intel reports that the Raikage's brother had been abducted. This could be interesting. "Enter." The Anbu slid the door aside, closed the distance, and formally presented a carrier pigeon scroll. Danzo retrieved the scroll, leaving the man to stand without further prompt as he read.
He squinted his brow at the Raikage's missive. As Hokage, he had sent requests to begin collaborating with other villages against the Akatsuki. While there was a reason behind the Land of Fire being the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind being the Land of Wind – simply because the two were under different rules with different lifestyles didn't mean the two had to be antagonistic. A friendly neighbor was as much in the interest of the Leaf as it was to the Sand.
He had yet to receive any yea or nay responses... but the Raikage could be said to be aboard, calling for a meeting among the Hokage to make some kind of decision on what to do about the Akatsuki. Most interesting was that the last known Uchiha, Sasuke, was implicated in the abduction of the Raikage's brother. The Raikage was often rather unreasonable to begin with. He was not interested in the other villages so much as he was interested in berating everyone into helping him blow up something that pissed him off – or at least a tacit agreement to not make war against him for his own village blowing up the Akatsuki wherever they happened to be.
Still, if it brought everyone to the table...
"Stand by." He ordered the Anbu. "I will pen my reply for you to send out." As he began his written response to the Raikage, he figured it was best to send a reply to each of the other Kage, as well, announcing his own agreement to attend.
He appealed to the Tsuchikage's tendency to weigh options carefully and to consider different opinions. What better place than a meeting of the squabbling Kage to get varied opinions and to offer forth his own depth of experience?
He didn't need to really say much to the Raikage other than agree to the idea of a meeting. He was, after all, the one who was hot under the collar for it, now.
The Mizukage was from a troubled and conflicted area with a revolving door for many of its leadership positions. Not only would she be valuable for her experience with revolutionary figures, but a civil meeting among people could help to prevent more chaos in the greater part of the Ninja world.
The Kazekage liked meeting with people – he wouldn't need much prodding, but it would be rude to leave him out at this point.
Within all, he suggested allowing the Samurai to serve as a neutral ground and meeting moderator. It would be much easier to bring the Kage together if there was a neutral ground. He would sit on the knowledge that the Hidden Rain had reached out to the Leaf's Jinchuriki, at least for now and until he knew more about what came of the meeting.
Uzumaki wasn't quite sure what he expected... perhaps something more akin to the abandoned Uchiha compound... a haunting and ghastly reminder of what once was, or could have been. He expected the ruins to give off a sense of emptiness, loss, and decay.
It was the opposite, if it was anything. Spare for the subtle sounds of ninja footsteps, insects chirped a chorus of nature while water seemed to flow in babbling undertones from everywhere. The breeze gently shifted the trees, into dancing shadows. Sure – there were broken buildings and evidence of a war long forgotten... but instead of the remains being haunting, it was as if the whole region was welcoming guests long in the waiting.
Where the Uchiha Compound seemed to stand for what was lost... the Uzumaki village seemed to stand for what was found. Though, perhaps that was simply a subtle difference in perspective on his own part. Although, judging by the actions of the others around him, they felt the same way.
He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. "Feels like home, doesn't it?" Hinata stood next to him, doing that thing where she watched him through her Byakugan while looking another direction. It was a cool ability and he was glad she had it, and all... but it was hard to get used to, for some reason. You could get away with picking your nose or adjusting your underwear while normal people were looking the other direction. Hours of discomfort had met the blonde for fear that his attempts to contain his renegade manhood would be discovered and Hinata would think he was a closet rapist, or something.
Which, as he thought about it... was just ridiculous. She wasn't always using her Byakugan and if she was – she already knew about any renegade manhood issues he had to begin with, and probably figured it more weird that he didn't do anything about it. … "Wait, Hinata, do I look naked to you, right now?"
A few moments of silence passed. "I... I'm sorry?"
The blonde realized his question had nothing to do with what she'd asked... and counteracted any attempts to not look like a creep. "Uh... well..." His brain now registered both her question and his responding question to begin extrapolating the potential thoughts running through her mind. Since none of the possibilities were good, his brain simply ceased functioning. "I mean..." His brain was still failing to provide answers on what to say. "I … didn't mean that any of the ways it probably sounded." He slumped into a bit of a cringe in preparation for what, his brain didn't really tell him.
"We barely set foot in the place and the guy is already gunning to restore his clan." Ino smirked from afar. "That building over there" she pointed to a building that was primarily masonry but overgrown with vines "looks like it's still fairly intact. We could make it private quarters for you two, if you want."
Naruto wasn't quite sure if the heat in his face was embarrassment, anger, or anger at being embarrassed. The Hyuuga's face was still hidden from his, though it seemed to be tilted down. A new presence stood in front of him.
"It is nothing to be embarrassed about." The morbidly pale face of Sai gave a genuine smile. "I have read that it is natural for memories of home to spur a desire for young men to create a home of their own."
Sai... bless his heart... or curse his cunning genius. The blonde was never sure if Sai just pretended to not understand out of some diabolical plot to mind-fuck everyone, or if he truly just didn't get it. The insults he got away with because he was the epitome of socially awkward and naive... "I didn't mean it that way, would you all just stop, already?"
The ghostly pale ninja seemed to take note of Hinata's down-turned expression and shifted into her apparent field of view. "Do not fret, I am sure Naruto will be willing to impregnate you in time." The blonde's muscles flashed over with anger.
"A-and that's enough counseling from Sai, today." The mindwalker whisked by with a smile as she nudged Sai out of earshot.
"What?" He protested along the way "It is a perfectly normal desire for a young woman to have."
"I'm sorry..." The Hyuuga next to him squeaked. "I never really thought about how weird we are."
Could she read minds with those eyes, too? "I..." He retrieved his hand from the back of his head after he realized it belonged around the Hyuuga's shoulders. "It was just something that hit me, and I was just an idiot about it. I'm sorry for putting you on the spot."
"No," Her hair pulled slightly against his arm with the shake of her head. "I use this so casually without ever thinking about how it must feel for others..."
"Hey" He gave her a squeeze; "It's okay. It doesn't really bother me... and it doesn't seem to bother anyone else, either." They all seemed more interested in the idea of Hyuzumaki children than what Hinata's Byakugan was capable of.
She shifted in his arm, her jacket added a warmth to the natural fluffiness of her presence. "I guess you do deserve an answer, though." He felt her take a breath. "It's like seeing both your clothes and you at the same time."
"That's... neat, I guess." He shrugged. "But I guess it's how you've always seen us, so it's not a big deal." Although Naruto was now suddenly curious what she thought about what she saw. It was a nagging impulse he squelched into the back of his mind. She also deserved a proper answer. "I never thought I could live anywhere else but the Leaf." He cast his gaze across the overgrown remains before him. "I'm not sure if I could live here... but, I do just feel like this place wants to be lived in, again."
"It seems... incomplete, like something has been left undone." The way she said it, the look she gave him; both seemed to suggest there was more she sensed.
[music: Smooth McGroove; Team Rocket Hideout Acapella: v=eI_CkvlHm_Y ]
"Sasuke, what the hell is all this about?" Karin glared from behind her glasses at the rogue.
For his part, Sasuke was wondering the same thing. No sooner had he set foot inside the place he was supposed to meet Madara at did a bunch of Zetsu clones crop out of the walls and begin … whatever this was. Heads bobbed back and forth, chanting in unison to form some kind of musical composition or another. "We are guests in this cave, Karin." Madara didn't seem like the type to enjoy this sort of thing, but who were they to judge? Kabuto spent months working on a way to make 'dancing flames' with the candles in Orochimaru's hideout. No one else cared to change all of the things out when they burned down, so there wasn't much room to protest.
"Yeah... so who is your new buddy who sent us on this fetch request?" Karin leered over her hips.
"We've been over this before, Karin." Sasuke slipped a blade into his tone. This was his revenge, and the more they knew, the more they would want to impart their simplistic views on things.
"Let's just go." Jugo stepped into the cave. "The rest of us will find out once we get there."
As the team walked further into the cave, the chanting grew more disorientating. The melody was a bit chaotic to begin with, but making matters worse was that it was voiced by Zetsu from seemingly random positions... and then it echoed. As improbable as it seemed, Sasuke knew this had to be the work of Kabuto. That creepy, snake-worshiping bastard was still finding ways to fuck with his head.
"You know, this would be so much less stressful if these things were all dead." Suigetsu spun his executioner's blade around.
"Killing them is the most frustrating part." Sasuke recalled from Orochimaru's research into Zetsu. "There are virtually an infinite number of them. Kill one and another one just regrows."
The team rounded another corner. "Still, if we kill a few, the ones left alive should want to remain that way." The swordsman punched a nearby Zetsu after it looked at him and made a sound effect.
"Zetsu was a research project Orochimaru kept coming back to." Karin shifted her eyes across the Zetsu lining the hall. Her voice cracked a bit as she elevated it above the surrounding Zetsu. "He had a lot of notes on them. Apparently, they are a sort of hive consciousness. Each one has the memories and personality of all the others. Each Zetsu is kind of like a disposable shell for the larger mind behind them."
"No wonder they seem so care free." Jugo stopped to look at a nearby Zetsu. "It would be like clipping his nails to kill all of them in this cave."
"No wonder they don't give a shit." Suigetsu grunted as a Zetsu head rolled by the team's feet. Sasuke let his gaze follow Karin and Jugo's to settle on the swordsman. "What? It made me feel better, and it's not like he cares." He motioned to the Zetsu, still chanting their song as if nothing happened.
[music: Two Steps From Hell - "War of Angels" v=AXMOLP3v0Ao ]
Her paper fluttered restlessly in the wind. It had been many years since the Hidden Rain ninja had to rely on her own skills to keep a watch over the world around her. Konan knew it was for the better that Nagato had found release in a sacrificial death... but there was an emptiness at her side that was sorely felt at times like this.
Rusty as she was, though, it did not appear as though the Leaf or Sand were attempting to put her skills to the test. She caught traces of movement at the periphery of the town before she caught sight of two groups of two moving up the main road and a branch road. Neither Naruto or Gaara were present among them, but she didn't honestly expect either village to commit to something so reckless.
Still, Gaara's siblings and Naruto's sensei were substantially more than the nameless mooks she expected. The two younger ninja were not as accomplished or storied as the Copy Ninja and the Blue Beast of Konoha, but they kicked around with a Jinchuriki for the better part of a decade and were still alive to talk about it. Kakashi and Gai had each taken down at least one Akatsuki member with support from ninja of the Sand Siblings' generation.
Konan sighed and scrawled some text across a piece of chakra paper before her power folded it into a small crane. While neither the Sand or Leaf were known for duplicity, the fact of the matter was that she had been a wanted criminal and part of an organization that directly assaulted both villages. She, herself, killed many in the Leaf before Nagato revived them.
Nameless mooks were expected if they believed she was trying to set a trap. While she hadn't exactly mentioned that she would be here for this meeting, the idea that these other ninja were tasked with infiltrating the Rain and assassinating her was not a great stretch. Her presence here would simply expedite the mission, if it were such.
The copy ninja caught her eye, his silver hair matched the cloud-hung sky... and something about the way he was looking around without really seeming to perceive anything stood out. The man was an accomplished assassin, but he was the one closest to Naruto out of the group, and she hoped that would be enough as she sent the crane his way. She shifted the paper shell around her clothes after sliding down the far edge of the rooftop. Madara perverted the image of the Akatsuki Yahiko envisioned, and it pained her to yield the image of the cloak... but it was best to keep her features fleeting for the time.
[music: Two Steps From Hell - "Dragonland" - v=lzU26jUnE7k ]
The sensation had become all too familiar. She was the other girl once again, if she was ever anyone different to begin with. She stood upon the shore of a land where water swirled in the timeless cycle of change, the shadow of a massive tree streaked from the center of the island.
"The shamans have kept the tree for countless generations." A lean member of the warrior caste folded his arms. "They will test you in the means they see appropriate."
"I understand." She spoke softly. "How long will this take?"
"Until you pass." He leaned against a metal … shuttle … a word for something that carried people.
"How long does it usually take?" A slight tinge of inadequacy threatened at the edge of her mind.
"As long as it takes." The man shrugged. "The process is for you and for you alone."
As delightfully cryptic as any of her family's sayings. "Very well." Wind blew dancing strands of hair around her face as she made strides toward the tree line.
A figure with blazing red hair emerged from the tree line. "Star woman?" His heavy brow barely contained the piercing eyes in front of the ancient tongue he used.
"I- I am." Her voice felt lost in the void of the ocean beyond.
"Child of the Stars," he began, her mind distracted by the novelty of his archaic dialect "Daughter of the Divine, place yourself in respect to the Dragon of the Earth!" The choice of words was not random, but she couldn't place the meaning before energy swirled thick and heavy from the very air around them.
"This..." She gasped. Manipulation of the Casimir-Dirak Anomaly was a rare trait even among her people. But the way he was doing it... She opened her eyes to the Tides of the Void, the world shifted into the view she knew her current self to understand as the Byakugan. The man before her pulled the energy from the world around him. It was the same concept as the tree placed upon this planet eons ago.
"If you cannot contend with the power of the Earth, then you cannot match the depth of the Stars." The power he drew swelled further, visibly taking the form of a roaring dragon.
A contest of strength? Not exactly what she had focused on, but she could manipulate the Anomaly, as well. "Very well." If she died, at least it would get this whole thing over with. The martial arts of her people focused on precise applications of the Anomaly's energy to disrupt the flow of things. Powerful as her opponent was, there were certain things that she could control that he could not.
Hiashi sighed against the chatter of crickets in the night. "Elder Hoshi, it pains me to see the Hyuuga in the state we are, now."
"Hmm..." The elder looked up to the moon, the lit sliver concave against the timely shadow. "The moon is a stern reminder of man's place in the world." His gaze remained distant, and Hiashi settled to gaze upon the same moon. "No matter how much the moon tries to be the Sun, even at its peak of illumination, it is merely a reflection of true light. The shadow of reality, of Earth, regularly eclipses the moon's greatest ambitions of becoming the Sun." Hoshi broke to return the gaze to Hiashi.
"Which one is the Moon, and which one is the Earth?" The younger Hyuuga reclined.
"Well, if that were obvious, then there wouldn't be a disagreement, now would there?" Hoshi chuckled in a rare drop of the facade. "However, between you and I... many of the elders are restless in their old age. They see their time as limited and destiny in turmoil. Some of the younger generations are swaying in their favor."
Hiashi allowed himself to down a cup of sake. "What a mess I have created for my daughters and nephew."
"Nonsense." Hoshi laughed. "You can see as well as I can that the Hyuuga were destined for whatever comes of this whole squabble. When you think that you can stop it... well... then you're that full moon up there." He motioned to the entity above, a large bite from a dragon's maw taken out of its light.
Author's Notes:
I believe I've broken moon phases in my story telling. While I'm sure everyone is sitting there with a calendar and marking down all of the mentioned time skips and comparing them to mentions of the lunar phases for factual accuracy... it's a detail that I feel a bit guilty for rendering an arbitrary plot convenience.
A note on my translation of "One Winged Angel" - I differ somewhat from the official translation. The official translation of the Latin uses a few of the most immediately available English words to develop the translation... which has a curious discontinuity in its meaning. I went back to the various meanings of the words in Latin and developed a more appropriate translation that fits the entire concept. Most key is the phrase "Ne me mori facias" - a phrase originally rendered as: "I do not want to die." However, the literal translation is thus: "No I to die we become" - 'Facias' is the plural of Faci- to make/render/build. It makes much more sense to render the phrase as an invitation to immortality, especially given the prior stanza of variations on "come." 'Vehementi' is from the root 'vehem' – which is used to describe living things (vehemous), yet is often within the concept of a sort of life-or-death struggle.
This fits within the general context of Final Fantasy VII, as well, where Sephiroth and Jenova stand as a monstrosity that resists the natural cycle of life and death as embodied by the Cetra and Life Stream. These are concepts that run deep in Japanese cultural perceptions that play off of both Buddhism and Taoism. Interestingly, similar philosophies can be found in the Judeo-Christian teachings – specifically with the goals of 'devils' and 'fallen angels' being concerned with defeating the world system as built by God. Contrary to typical dogma – the Devil is a being who is drunk with a short-sighted compassion. Something like death is perceived as an injustice, despite it being a natural part of the world. To a devil – the ends always justify the means. If a million people who fail to understand the injustice have to be killed to secure self-declared justice... then that's just the cost of justice. They can become a force of deception and injustice simply because they believe they have discovered a flaw in the order of the universe and need to rally all sentient beings to the effort to fix what is broken about God's universe.
The goal of the devil is to build heaven. The overlap with the concept of a "One Winged Angel" and the theme of Final Fantasy VII is quite poetic.
I won't delve into Judeo-Christian philosophies (at least... within the scripture... dogma has skewed us considerably toward an 'antichrist' alignment, I would argue) within the fiction. I just couldn't help myself with the idea of Zetsu performing Smooth McGroove renditions... and he just happened to do the most appropriate song to describe Madara. It just had to be done, because it seemed like something Zetsu would be perfectly cool with doing – just to see the look on Tobi's face.
Anyway – I thank you all for reading, once again, and hope you all enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought in that review button and I apologize for not being much on the shout-outs to reviewers.
