Chapter Nine
It had been five days since Naruto's fight with Enji and he was still getting used to only being able to see out of one eye, his right eye to be precise. That didn't stop Hitomi from constantly training him with the use of the Byakugan though; she knew that every moment that Naruto could adjust to its use was valuable.
The difficulties of adjusting to one eye paled in comparison to learning how to use the Byakugan however. The first time Naruto activated his new eye powers, he had been unable to comprehend the sheer amount of information being fed to his brain by the three hundred and sixty degree view. Not only could he see his entire surroundings but the eye could see through solid objects. It had taken two days before he had been able to use it with any kind of proficiency, although Hitomi was quick to state that he had a long way to go before mastering it.
Naruto ran his fingers over his new facial scars. A vertical scar ran down over each of his eyes, just like a scarecrow. He knew that they were ugly but Naruto would not consider getting them healed, even if Mikoto got a sad look in her eyes every time she saw his face. The cost was too high.
He got to his feet and started going over the basic forms of Gentle Fist that Hitomi had showed him. Kaito was happy that Naruto had the Byakugan and Gentle Fist, it was the premier taijutsu style of the Leaf but he did warn Naruto over some of the styles weaknesses. Although being able to strike at a target's chakra system was undoubtedly advantageous, the style was too grounded. A user did not really move around with their feet and made circular movements with their arms. Kaito had suggested that Naruto incorporate the footwork from the Academy style as a way to allow Naruto greater mobility to dodge the strong attacks that Gentle Fist couldn't guard against.
'Considering that Gentle Fist focuses on chakra infused palm strikes, it gives opponents a good idea how to defend themselves. By fusing it with the Strong Fist style that Kaito has started to teach me opponents, in theory, wouldn't know if an attack was Gentle Fist or not even if it was a kick.' Naruto thought.
Following that line of thought, Naruto began moving around more freely with his footwork and practised kicking while expelling chakra from his toes and heels. The sound of the door opening got everyone's attention. Apprehension gripped him as Naruto realised that he hadn't had enough time to truly get used to the Byakugan and that he wasn't ready for another fight so soon. This worry turned out to be for naught since Muta was called up to fight instead, along with a man who stood with the group belonging to the Hidden Cloud. Naruto suddenly felt bad, he had felt glad that it wasn't him but Muta was at risk. 'What am I becoming?'
Realising that he would be too wound up with concern for his friend to get any physical training done, Naruto sat next to Hitomi to wait, activating his new vision in an attempt to get something productive done with his time. As he quickly adjusted to the new field of vision, he turned it off. He turned it back on quickly, hoping that he could cut done on the adjustment time until turning it on and seeing with the Byakugan was normal, like Hitomi could do. He practised like this for while until his chakra reserves started running low. 'Oh that's right, Hitomi said that because I don't have the Hyuga genes, using the Byakugan would cost more chakra than a normal Hyuga would. Even with my chakra pool, using it constantly is the fastest way for me to drain myself.'
Naruto had tried using Kurama to power the eye but since it wasn't an original part Naruto's body, Kurama's chakra acted as a poison and began damaging it. Instead, he gave Kurama instructions to flood his eye with his chakra if he ever got defeated to ensure that it wouldn't fall into enemy hands. Hitomi had stressed that it was one of the most valuable Bloodlines found in their village.
Naruto lost track of time with his focus, even somehow managing to take his mind off of the current fight taking place. If using the Byakugan was so costly, Naruto decided to try and use it sparingly. Turning it off and on during fights to preserve chakra but to gain the information his new eye could give him.
He was shaken from his thoughts when the door opened again and the man from Kumo stepped into the cell. Naruto's face fell, 'So Muta's dead? How long before all my friends die and I am alone again? I don't know if I can bear that, finally having someone who cares, only to have them die and be lonely again.'
Kurama could hear Naruto's thoughts but chose to not say anything. It was true, Kurama had no idea how Naruto might cope if he lost them all now, especially Mikoto. 'Unless I'm mistaken, Naruto would rather die than go back to the way things were. I know now that I truly consider him my friend but I don't know if I could bring myself to save him if he tried. He's lost too much. It would hurt but it would be for Naruto's own good.'
Naruto felt arms encircle him and he looked up to see Mikoto giving him a gentle smile. "Muta's gone to a better place Naruto. We all know it might be the last time we see each other but he's at peace now."
He couldn't bring himself to say anything, just leaned against Mikoto's body, trying to ignore the feeling that the cold numbness would come back and haunt him forever.
xXx
Mikoto was panting hard, the fight had gone far longer than normal and she was beginning to tire. She stood back to back with Hitomi, struggling to regain her breath. Casting her gaze over the pit, Mikoto could see that five other fighters remained from the original ten. She mentally cursed Akari who had, before the fight, explained that the audience had been growing a little bored recently and wanted more of a show. This meant that each group had two members chosen to compete as a team.
'My chakra pool is probably just under half full. I can't risk turning my Sharingan off but it's using my chakra. I've got to stop using so many fire jutsus.'
Mikoto knew that Hitomi was in a better position than her, since she limited her chakra usage to the Gentle Fist and her Byakugan; her reserves were a lot higher. Suddenly the last fighter from Kiri began a flurry of hand signs, crying out, "Water Release: Water Wave,"
A large wave formed out of the water from the circular lake and was sent towards the right side of the pit. Mikoto and Hitomi were only just in its path and jumped away. Mikoto saw that the wave would hit the pair from Stone and let out her own attack, "Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Death,"
The lightning attack fused with the water wave and it impacted against the ground and surrounding wall. After the water cleared, Mikoto saw that only one of the intended targets had been killed. If she had to guess, she would say that the second one had burrowed underground.
The fighters from Sand made their presence known by launching a combined Wind jutsu that sliced apart the last Kiri fighter, who had apparently used more chakra than necessary when he fired his wave. 'In the span of probably five or six seconds the numbers have fallen to three, not counting Hitomi or myself. Those two Sand ninja and the Stone guy that buried himself are all that's left.'
"Hitomi, I can't see the last Iwa guy to showing his face at the moment. Don't ignore him but I imagine he is happy for us to weaken as we fight those Sand bastards. Got any ideas?"
Hitomi frowned, "Well if you're right, that's going to be a problem. Those Sand guys are using a lot of Wind jutsus putting me at a disadvantage since I use hand to hand combat. You might have more luck fighting them with fire jutsus but I guess you are running low on chakra?"
Mikoto grit her teeth in frustration. "Yeah, just under half so I can't waste it on massive attacks. How fast is your Body Flicker?"
"Pretty fast, my brother always said my Gentle Fist was a little sloppy so I compensated by trying to out-speed him in our spars."
"Alright, here's the plan. We'll rush the Sand guys and when they fire Wind at us, I'll counter with a good Fire technique. As they should be preoccupied with dealing with the threat in front of them, you will Body Flicker behind them and take them out. I'll cover your back in case the Iwa guy tries to take advantage of the chaos.
If they don't launch Wind but use Earth I'll use a Lightning attack but we will have to back off if they use Water since I don't know any Earth jutsus myself. Okay?"
Hitomi nodded. It was as sound a plan as she could think of and it had a good chance of working. She had worked very hard on her Body Flicker, eventually getting it to a speed that could even give Hiashi a hard time.
"Oh by the way Mikoto, my Byakugan can see the Iwa guy. He's currently in between us and the Sand guys, four meters underground, just thought you ought to know."
The pair of women started running at the Sand ninja, pumping their legs with chakra to make them faster. The leftmost Sand ninja knew that the Leaf had thought of something but didn't know their plan of attack. He had seen the Uchiha use a variety of Fire jutsus already so decided a varied attack would be his best option. Telling his teammate just on his right to stick with Wind, he himself launched an Earth jutsu that took the form of a large cube of rock that got sent flying towards the Leaf fighters. He then sneakily prepared another Wind jutsu behind his Earth one, hidden from their sight. This would not only speed up his Earth attack but be insurance in case their counter attack got through his.
Mikoto saw a burst of Wind erupt and fly towards her before a large cube of rock was sent as well. "Dual attacks of different elements? We didn't think of that but I have to trust in Hitomi, she said she was fast and I just have to keep their attention on me."
Deciding to be a little reckless Mikoto went through the necessary signs, "Fire Release: Phoenix Flower," and several fireballs were sent haphazardly towards the incoming Wind. Going as fast as she could, Mikoto than let off another jutsu, "Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Death,"
The burst of electricity cut through the Earth cube easily, turning it into dust. This dust unfortunately hid the follow-up Wind attack from Mikoto's sight and she suddenly found herself flying backwards feeling small blades of Wind cut up around her body. Though she was in great pain, the worst cut she had received was a deep gash on her stomach, not life threatening but very painful.
Mikoto forced herself back to her feet, Hitomi needed her. She also thanked her lucky stars that she had gotten away with the damage she got. 'It appears that the Sand ninja was in such a rush to get his second attack away in time, to prevent me from seeing it, that he didn't take enough time to aim properly. The worst of the attack went over my head; I guess he instinctively aimed where the average man's head is. Good thing I'm so short.'
xXx
Hitomi saw Mikoto's attacks go through, the fireballs becoming larger and faster which gained both Sand ninja's attention. Thanks to her Byakugan, she also saw Mikoto get blown away by a hidden Wind attack but couldn't spare another thought on her friend as she performed her Body Flicker and appeared behind the Sand ninjas, just as they started trying to deal with the fireballs.
Operating at the speed of thought, Hitomi considered her possible actions. 'Well if I can hit their chakra points located in their heart its fatal but they are just far enough apart that going straight for the kill isn't possible, at least for both of them. This is my best chance to take them by surprise, best go with something that can hit both of them, luckily for me they are in range.'
"Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms!" Moving at a blur, Hitomi managed to alternate her strikes, hitting both men thirty two times each. It wasn't enough to completely cut off their chakra pathways but it was enough that they were in a lot of pain and found themselves moving at a sluggish pace. With both hands, she stepped forward and struck with her Gentle Fist, hitting both men at the chakra point located in the heart, killing them instantly.
At that moment where Hitomi was savouring a brief sense of victory, the ground below her erupted and a spike of chakra enhanced rock was flying up straight at her face. Hitomi didn't have time to react; she could only feel a sense of horror before she felt something push her out of the way. Mikoto had used her own Body Flicker and managed to save Hitomi but felt the rock plunge deep into her right hip.
Growling in irritation, the last remaining fighter also appeared out of the ground. Going through his hand signs he cried out, "Earth Release: Stone Spears!" and four large spears rose up from the ground before flying towards both of them.
Hitomi jumped in front of Mikoto's prone body, slumped oddly due to the rock spike in her hip. Hitomi activated her Heavenly Rotation to protect them both. 'How do I get this guy? If I rush him, he will just go for Mikoto. I also have to consider my Rotation, it costs more chakra than his Earth jutsus and he will outlast me. I have to take him by surprise but how?'
Hitomi fought to keep her face blank as a new idea formed. She had no clue if this would work but it was her best bet. She had to attack him when he didn't think he was going to be attacked which meant just after his attack finished or he thought he had won. However if she used Rotation, she wouldn't have enough time to stop and attack. Hitomi was planning on using a Body Flicker while still using her Rotation to use her chakra as her attack. The only problem was that she didn't know if it was possible and she would only get one shot before he worked it out and she would be forced to think of something else.
The ninja from Iwa prepared another attack, "Earth Release: Gravity Smash." Three very large boulders rose up, high into the air above Hitomi. They then fell at great speed. Realising that she couldn't protect Mikoto from an attack from above, she unceremoniously kicked her away before using her Heavenly Rotation, hoping that the man's focus was on her and that he believed that he could finish Mikoto off when he got rid of the largest threat.
The weight of the boulders was starting to slow down the speed of her rotations, forcing Hitomi to pump more chakra out. With her eyes, Hitomi could see that the boulders had settled but that the boulders were too heavy for her Rotation to fling away, meaning she had to keep spinning to prevent them from crushing her. A large dust cloud had formed obscuring everyone's vision and seeing her chance, she used her Body Flicker while spinning.
The Iwa man was taken completely by surprise when he was struck by a wall of spinning chakra and sent flying back. Before he could gather his wits, Hitomi used another Flicker and struck the man in the chest. Just for good measure she hit him again, just in case he was faking.
xXx
Hitomi hurried over to Mikoto, rolling her over onto her back so that she could see her wound. "Mikoto, can you hear me? It's over now, we're the last ones left. We win."
Mikoto scrunched her face up in a mix of pain and relief. "That's good; I need to see Koba for healing. This hurts like a bitch."
A voice from above them caught their attention. The annoying, rough tones of Akari's voice came from some speakers. "Oh hey guys. Remember when I said you guys could win as a team? Yeah I lied; only one person gets to win here. Have fun."
Horror gripped Mikoto's heart. "Damn it. I'm sorry Hitomi but you have to win. Naruto needs you and I'm already injured." Tears formed in her eyes, "Tell him I'm sorry but its okay. I get to see Muta and Sora again and that I'm proud of him."
Hitomi leaned down to whisper in Mikoto's ear. "I can't do that. Naruto needs you far more than me. He needs his mother. Tell him that he really is the best little brother anyone could have. You have to get the others and escape. We both know it's a matter of time before we all die and he's alone again. A one eyed girl who can only use taijutsu will only slow you down. Good bye."
With a sudden brainwave, Hitomi realised that all this whispering might set off Akari's suspicions and she wanted to try and allay them. Mentally smirking at Mikoto's reaction, Hitomi hoped she would roll with it. Hitomi bent down and gave a loving kiss to Mikoto who stiffened in shock when she felt Hitomi's tongue.
"Don't you dare forget my final confession lover," Hitomi spoke. She said it in a lowered tone but one that was easily overheard. With that she raised her left hand to her remaining eye and her right hand over her heart. She activated both palms with chakra at the same time, destroying her eye and dying in the same breath.
Mikoto was still trying to figure out why Hitomi had kissed her when her body slumped over next to her. Grief wrenched at her heart and she sobbed over the death of her surrogate sister. A sudden burning in her eyes made her raise her hands to her face in an attempt to ward off the pain. Using the pool of blood that had formed from her wounds, Mikoto could barely make out her reflection. Her Sharingan had changed; it now resembled a three spiked pinwheel, with three dots, one in between each spoke.
'Is this my Mangekyo Sharingan? If what I recall about it and its powers are true than escape might actually be possible now. I can't let Hitomi's sacrifice be in vain!'
A/N: Final version done. Not a lot got changed. Minor grammatical changes. ALTHOUGH I FINALLY GOT AROUND TO CHANGING GREIF TO GRIEF! Sorry, I just happened to see it like last week and kept forgetting to change while online. Drove me nuts.
Please review.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
