AN: So, it's been a while. Here is the next chapter though. And for anyone who wanted to know...
Chaos is going to be updated soon.
Chapter 8: Damn Dam
"What… what are they?"
Shino had led Naruto and Hinata out a secret exit that led under his house to a storage shed next door. When he got there they had been surprised to see that the shed was filled with weapons of all kinds, and many other tools. Shino immediately went to the back of the large shed where a large tarp covered three objects. He removed it to reveal something Hinata had never seen before. Naruto had, however.
"They're imperial. Small personnel carriers that were deemed too little armored for actual use. The fools never saw that these things made up for the lack of protection with actual speed. Imperials are like that, though. They would rather sit in armored box that can go a single kilometer an hour then be out in the open and capable of actual movement."
"I take it that you disagree with imperial ideals in that regard."
"I disagree with more than their ideals, Aburame."
"Hinata-san, these are imperial hover-sleds. They were the first objects developed with imperial flight technology, but, as Naruto said, they were abandoned because a flight unit of this size couldn't protect the rider. Imperials are all about surviving…"
"To lord over you another day."
"And because the controls are slightly… erratic. They actually needed to bring their wings out to control the things correctly. A person with good reflexes wouldn't need them, though. Lazy imperials."
"So?"
"The whole concept of imperial ideals is that they are higher then their biology. Most Imperials never use their wings."
"Never?"
"Never. They developed artificial ways to fly. After all, why strain yourself when you could strain others?"
Hinata walked over to one. It appeared to be just a black metal plank a little longer then a person would be tall. There was a glass shield where the controls were on the front. It didn't even look capable of flight. It didn't even have wings!
"They don't look like much."
Shino reached down and flipped a few switches on the control panels of each. A high pitched whine filled the air.
"I assume you can fly, Naruto?"
"One of these? Won't know till I try."
"Fine. Hinata-san, hop on and try."
Naruto jumped onto the sled, laying on his stomach before gripping the controls with his hands. The plank jumped up to nearly Hinata's eye level. Hinata lay on her own sled before doing the same as Naruto had. Her own sled shot a few feet into the air. She was very confused for a moment, but gradually was able to feel what the sled was doing. It was weird, pulling her two handles to the left to turn in a circle.
"If you want to go accelerate then grip the handles tight, loosen the grip to go slower. Push forwards to dive, back to climb, but remember that the max height is determined by the weight…"
"Got it."
"Naruto, I don't. What was that, Shino?"
"OPEN UP! I know there's someone in there! Open up in the name of the imperial guard!"
Shino jumped on his sled. Hinata gingerly tried to do some of the things Shino had told her.
"Hinata, go after Shino. I'll take the rear."
"We're going to break out of here fast, so get ready."
"Hey, open up or we're breaking through. Get that ram ready…"
Shino grabbed a small ball from the wall next to him. He pressed a small button on it before tossing it to the door.
"Close your eyes and get ready."
Hinata slammed her eyes closed.
A few seconds later an explosion rocked the sled.
"GO!"
"What the hell do you bastards think you're doing? This town is under my jurisdiction by order of the emperor himself! You have no right to be searching…"
"Shut the hell up, Uchiha. Why don't you file a complaint against my superior officer?"
Uchiha Itachi glared at the man in front of him. The young officer of the imperial guard was the chosen imperial diplomat to this area of the land of lightning. It was an incredibly low ranking station, but Itachi took his job seriously. And what these guards were doing was blatantly against the law.
His eyes flashed red for a moment, but instantly went back to the angry black.
"That's right, Uchiha. You know just as well as I that one more mess up on your part is going to get you court-martialed like the traitor…"
"Before you finish that sentence, remember exactly how I got stationed here in the first place."
The man went silent for a moment, a brief flash a fear passing over his eyes. It was gone in a moment though.
"Just stay out of our way and I won't mention this altercation in my report, Uchiha scum."
Itachi was just about ready to knock the man across the square when they turned to see a large explosion blow the front of a shed down. Itachi was about to go over there and arrest the men responsible on the spot, but almost immediately an old hover sled flew out of the shed at breakneck speed. It was closely followed by two more. But all this wasn't what surprised Itachi. No.
What surprised Itachi was the blond haired man flying the last sled.
He purposefully ran two of the imperials over, breaking ribs and possibly killing one of them as he was hit in the head, before throwing a familiar style of knife with a note attached to it in his direction.
Itachi's eyes suddenly went wide before he instinctively grabbed the imperial captain next to him and threw the man at the knife. They collided in midair.
And exploded.
Itachi was glad for the chaos around them then, glad that no one saw him block the explosive note with the imperial captain, and most importantly…
Itachi smirked as he watched the sleds vanish upriver.
Finally he had seen the man he had been waiting for five years to meet again.
Shino led the trio at full speed, about 60 km/h, up the muddy river valley. Behind him was Hinata, who was now flying directly next to Naruto. She had soon found out that flying straight was her best bet, after making a fast turn that had set her into a spin that had nearly crashed her into a tree on the bank of the river. Naruto had carefully attached a wire to her sled to stop it right before that had happened. Now Hinata was trying her best to not turn at all.
She would have much rather walked if speed hadn't been necessary.
It was hard to yell over the wind, but thankfully Naruto was close.
"About how much longer till we reach the head of the river?"
They had been flying for about ten minutes and if what Hinata knew about the nation of lightning was correct, they had to be approaching the end of the island. That, and the river bed had been getting continuously less wide and more deep, as if the river was coming to a head soon.
Naruto, instead of just answering, spun his sled in a barrel roll over her and as his face passed hers she heard him calmly speak.
"Soon."
Hinata almost laughed. Naruto was really enjoying his ride… which she couldn't really hold against him. It was probably the only flight he ever really got without wings.
She stopped thinking about that, though, as they came around a small turn to see an enormous wall right in front of them. A wall they were approaching at 60km/h.
Shino immediately broke off to the left, shooting up the river's empty bank before he deftly shut the sled off and landed in the trees unseen.
Hinata wasn't sure she could do that.
"Use your wings."
Hinata immediately summoned her wings. The added drag nearly ripped her from the sled, but she had already slowed just enough so it did not. She carefully turned and went up the bank just barely missing the massive wall. When she reached the top she let the sled go and slide off the back, prepared to make a rolling stop, when she noticed that a tree was directly in her way. Hitting it at 30km/h was not going to be good at all. She was just about to panic when she was grabbed around the waist from behind.
"Good job."
Naruto had been following Hinata very closely to make sure she didn't fall when she turned. He was impressed again by her effortless control of her wings. While he had the reaction speed to easily control his sled, she had such absolute control of her chakra that she didn't need the split second reaction time he did. She skimmed the wall perfectly, and ditched the sled at just the right time to avoid the worst fall.
But he didn't want her to get hurt at all.
As she jumped from her own sled he jumped from his, grabbing her around her waist and putting himself between her and the tree she had not seen was in her way.
"Good job."
His back slammed into the tree, stopping him cold. The pain that racked his body as instantaneous and that was that. They fell to the ground to have Shino run up.
"Naruto, Hinata-san! Are you alright?"
"I'm… fine. But Naruto."
Naruto groaned before Hinata jumped out of his lap where she had fallen. Naruto merely stood up while leaning against the tree and cracked his back.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Resilient, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are. Now would you please explain, Aburame, why there is a massive dam in the middle of the river?"
They all turned, now that they were on top of the river, to see that there was, indeed, a massive dam blocking a huge amount of water. The massive wall was holding back what appeared to be an absolutely gigantic quantity of water. Naruto could barely see across the massive lake it created.
"Is that an ocean?"
"No, that's a preplanned attempt to destroy the Land of Lightning."
Naruto spun to see a very pissed off Aburame. Shino was literally buzzing with anger as his insects shared his emotions. Hinata stepped back a few steps.
"I must remove it."
Shino took a step forwards only to find Naruto in his way. Instantly the buzz intensified.
"Move."
"Aburame, think. If you attack right out in the open all three of us are going to end up dead and that dam isn't going to go anywhere."
"What then? Give up?"
Both Hinata and Shino were shocked when a moment later Naruto punched Shino so hard he flew back into a tree. Shino was stunned but in a second he was back on his feet with insects flying around him.
"Aburame… Shino. I would never just give up. We need a plan."
Shino stopped for a moment. His insects still angrily buzzed. Hinata was watching, afraid that a fight was about to break out. Suddenly, Shino's insects calmed and entered his body again. Shino himself hadn't changed his expression at all from the complete stoic one he always had held.
"Fine. What is the plan."
Hinata subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hinata, what do you see?"
Hinata calmly closed her eyes and breathed out. Shino watched with slightly raised eyebrows as the veins around Hinata's eyes raised slightly. When here eyes opened they looked much more intense then they had before.
"Kekkei Genkai?"
"I know you won't have a problem, right Aburame?" Naruto was almost threatening Shino. He merely shrugged.
"Why would a man with bugs living in his body have a problem with a blood limit? I should have guessed, though, with the eye color and all…"
"It's solid."
"What?"
Hinata spun as her eyes went back to normal.
"The dam. Most damns filter the water for power or some other reason. This is just a large massive wall of rock. On the other side is a guard house…"
"You can see through the dam? And across it?"
"Hai. There are four guards, but that isn't the problem."
"There's a problem?"
"Hai. Look."
Hinata turned to the lake where they all noticed something that they hadn't a moment before.
"What the…"
The lake, actually the river blocked off, disappeared over the horizon. Truly disappeared. It was the edge of the Land of Lightning, and a massive waterfall was careening off the edge. But near the edge was what was startling. A glow came up from the lake, lighting the water so much it gave off a glow.
"I don't know what it is. But that is where the water is coming from."
"This is the head of the river?"
"Yeah, but that's not what is the problem, really. The problem is more along the lines of what we are to do with all this water. If we just break the dam then a surge of water is likely to destroy the entire town down river."
"True…" Shino looked a little taken aback. If he had just charged ahead and tried to destroy the dam he might have gotten himself killed and even if he had succeeded… he might have killed all the innocent people down river.
"Then what do we do? It isn't like there is some random 'let-the-water-out-slowly' valve, right? If this dam needs breaking then we need to break it."
"But Naruto…"
"I know, I know. The people. Fine. Let's just convince the dam to gradually lower… wait."
Naruto suddenly had a smile on his face. Both Hinata and Shino just stared at him. Did he really think…
"Let's go take care of those guards. Hinata, what are they doing?"
Hinata's eyes once again activated the Byakugan.
"They're… not doing anything. They appear to be on alert though. They appear… almost afraid?"
"Afraid? Well, I don't know what they're afraid of, but they will have reason enough soon." Naruto was about to walk past the tree line towards the dam when Hinata grabbed his arm.
"Wait!"
Hinata pulled him back behind the nearest tree causing Naruto to lose balance. Both tripped backwards and were once again in an awkward situation. Hinata had landed on top of Naruto and their faces were only an inch apart. Both stared into the other's eyes for a moment, not comprehending their situation.
"Do you do this often?"
Both turned their heads to see Shino with his eyebrows raised, the highest extent of emotion he ever allowed to show. Hinata and Naruto both jumped to their feet almost instantly, but instead of blushing like usual Hinata spun towards the lake again.
"Look!"
All three faced the lake where something was definitely going on. A massive wave had appeared and was heading towards the dam. It wasn't natural, that much they could tell. Something was definitely inside the wave.
"What is it?"
They were all surprised when shots seemed to be fired from the opposing shore at the wave. A lot more then four people were firing.
"The rest of the squad came back, I'm assuming."
"Right, twelve total."
They kept watching as the wave turned and headed directly away from them. It was then that they were able to see a little of what had to making the wave. A fin.
"It's the River Guardian! The Lord of the River!" Shino seemed more surprised then he had ever been in his life, as his voice actually showed emotion now. Naruto watched carefully as what he had to assume was a massive fish headed towards the other shore.
"Let's go. Now is the perfect time to strike. They'll be busy with the river thingy and we'll finish them off."
Instantly the three started running out of the trees and across the massive dam. All the while they watched as more shots were fired from the shore towards the wave and the wave continued towards the shore. Hinata had let her eyes go back to normal but she was still staring at the massive wave.
"Naruto, that fish…"
"What? When they kill it, it'll mean we have something to eat for dinner."
"They aren't going to be able to kill it."
"What?"
They were halfway across the dam when they saw the thing emerge from the water in the distance. A massive head the size of a large house exploded from the water. Even from the distance they were at they could see sparks fly across the huge body of the fish. It's head looked armored by heavy scales.
"Shit…"
They kept running as the guard across the lake fought semi-valiantly against the leviathan. Their weapons couldn't even scratch the rock hard scales coating its head, and the monster kept taking them down one by one with high powered sprays of water that were laced with electricity. The monster didn't even need flinch as shots bounced off of its body, it just took out the imperial guard like they were children throwing rocks at a great dragon of old.
"I think the dam angers it." Shino glanced at Naruto, who nodded. If the thing had any mind at all it was probably damn angry about the intrusion on its territory. It appeared semi-sentient at least.
"Naruto, Shino. It's coming."
They all stopped running as the monster fish finished off the last of the guard. It seemed to know exactly where they were as it headed towards the dam. All three got into fighting stances. Hinata's wings came out, as did Shino's. Naruto almost laughed at the irony of Shino's wings. Shino himself was a good six feet tall without the hair, and his wings were sized similarly. They were nearly translucent tan with chakra veins running through them. Each was about four feet long and thin. In short, they looked exactly like a dragonfly's wings.
Like pet, like master I guess.
He might have laughed if it wasn't for the large wave heading their way.
"What's the plan?"
Naruto glanced at Shino. Their eyes met for a moment.
"Would it be a sacrilege to kill the Lord of the River, protector of the ocean?"
"Yes. But I value my life a little more then his."
"Good, because if we don't kill that thing before it destroys this damn dam then everyone down river is going to be dead before nightfall."
The wave grew closer. Naruto considered pulling his wires out but knew there would be very little chance of being able to get clean cut. And the electricity… that wouldn't be a smart idea at all. Instead he prepared himself for a jutsu.
"It doesn't seem fair, really. Having to fight the thing we're trying to help…"
"We're not trying to help some fish, Hinata. We're trying to hurt the imperials by getting rid of this dam." Naruto started some hand signs Hinata hadn't seen before. "So pay attention. Or this bastard will kill you."
Naruto ended a long string of hand signs before slamming his hands into the top of the dam. A huge wall of earth shot from in front of him towards the oncoming fish. The column of earth crumbled as the fish collided head on with it. With a roar it broke the surface in front of them, causing a wave to nearly sweep them off the dam. Its front fins came down on the top of the dam with a crash, barely missing Shino and Hinata, who rolled out of the way. But it seemed focused on Naruto. Naruto got a very up close view of the monster fish as it swayed in the water directly in front of him. Its head was covered in gold colored scales and looked as hard as steel. Naruto racked his brain for any idea. Before he came up with one it reared its head back and fired a lightning laced blast of electrified water from it's mouth.
Naruto quickly jumped it, running through desperate hand signs. He saw to his right and left Hinata and Shino, each too overwhelmed by the size of the thing to do anything. It wasn't like they could do anything anyway, though. Both were close range fighters, and Shino's insects couldn't land on an electric fish. It was all up to Naruto no matter how much they wanted to help.
And they knew it.
Naruto lashed out at the fish with his hands, sending a shockwave of air towards it. All three watched as the blade of air barely scratched the head of the beast.
"Shit."
The monster was about to rear its head again for another attack when out of nowhere an old style kunai flew in and hit the eye of the fish. It reared back and roared. The three looked around, trying to find the one who had thrown the kunai, but there wasn't time for a thorough search. Instead, Naruto decided to use some of his more dangerous weapons.
Naruto dodged out of the way as the massive head of the fish came down on the dam to crush him. As he flew to the side he reached into a pouch on his leg and pulled out his own kunai.
This one had a tag on it.
He quickly threw it towards the beast with all his might. His aim was just slightly off, as the kunai bounced off the hard scales near the thing's mouth.
And then exploded violently, blowing the fish to the side. It stunned the creature for a moment.
Naruto grabbed another kunai with attached explosive tag and repositioned himself. He had to hit his target this time or he would be forced to retreat ad make more explosive seals. As it was, he had only had two prepared after the one he had used breaking out of the fishing village, and they were for the most dire of circumstances.
And by the concerned look on Hinata's face next to him, he knew that this was as dire as it could probably get.
Damn. She's like a bad luck charm. Monsters, bandits, Orochimaru, imperials, more monsters… no more peace and quiet. If I had just a speck of intelligence I would ditch this girl and her quest without a second thought.
Hinata glanced at him with her lavender eyes, more concern for his well being in them then anyone he had ever known had ever had.
Good thing for her I lack that speck of intelligence.
The monster fish had shaken off the explosion and was now stared in anger at Naruto. It knew he was caused the explosion, and it was going to kill him for it.
Naruto charged right at it, to the surprise of both Hinata and Shino.
"Naruto!"
Naruto sprinted at top speed directly towards the opening mouth of the creature as it prepared a blast of water he would have no hope of dodging at that distance.
One shot. Gotta make it count.
Naruto pumped most of his chakra into his legs, racing across the dam in an instant and then jumping directly towards the mouth of the leviathan. Shino and Hinata could only watch in horror as the thing began its attack. Neither saw the knife with attached tag fly as fast as Naruto could throw it into the maw of the monster.
They just saw Naruto get hit by an electrical ball of water at point blank range. Naruto was sent flying over the edge of the dam so fast they almost didn't catch it. They did catch the small explosion where he hit the ground a hundred feet down in the river bed. They also got an up close and personal view of the Lord of the River's head exploding in a gory mess that would cause both to think twice the next time they ate fish.
Hinata didn't seem to notice the fish gore covering her as she ran to the edge of the dam and nearly jumped off. She would have, if Shino hadn't stopped her. He grabbed her arm just as she was about to try a controlled decent with her wings.
"Let go!"
"Don't. Not even a trained warrior could take a fall like that and live. You would be just as dead as he is."
Hinata pulled her arm back and shoved him back away from her. She knew he was probably right. Naruto could take a lot, but even seasoned imperial soldiers had died after one of those attacks. He had taken the attack at point blank and then been fire back hundred of feet to a rocky river bed. The chances of his surviving, even compared to the monster back in the forest, was next to nothing. But… after all they went through in the past week… how could he be gone.
It was like she had known him for her whole life. Like he had become an integral part of her life. A part that was feeling very empty…
Hinata fell to her knees. Tears ran down her cheeks. What was there to do now?
"Hinata, we need to move. Naruto accomplished our goal."
Hinata managed to move her head a little towards the carcass of the massive fish. Where it lay the dam had been severely damaged from the fish's tackle and the two explosions. A large crack had appeared, but instead of breaking the whole dam apart it looked like it had miraculously broken just enough to start the draining of the massive lake. Shino could tell that this was exactly what was needed. The river would return slowly, and then he could return with some of the Guard of Lightning to finish its destruction later.
"But… Naruto."
"His body is probably being washed down river. On our way back we will watch the banks."
Hinata silently nodded, still in shock over the loss of her bodyguard. A bodyguard who had also been a dear friend.
Naruto groaned as he woke up. His head hurt like hell, but as he moved to rub it he realized that his entire body didn't feel much better. It was dark wherever he was, thankfully. Naruto opened his eyes and took stock of his situation. He was laying on a pallet in a shack, but he was alive. He ached from what he assumed was the monster fish's last attack. That had been a mistake. He had been trying to judge the perfect time to throw and get it off before the attack, but as he threw he knew he had thrown too late. Then his memory went blank.
"So you woke up?"
Naruto noticed a dark figure sitting in the corner, barely visible at all. Naturally he was suspicious.
"Who're you?"
"A friend."
"Only a fool would believe a stranger was their friend."
"Then I'm just the person who saved your life."
"I would have been fine."
"Not even you, Naruto Uzumaki, could have survived a collision with a boulder at three hundred kilometers per hour and then drowning in the returning Celestial River."
Naruto jumped to his feet and pulled a hidden kunai from his sleeve. Instantly he was at the man's throat, the kunai ready to end the man's life. Strangely, though, he still couldn't make out who the man was in the darkness.
"Who are you?"
"I already told you."
"No, talk. You know about me, obviously. So give me a reason not to kill you."
The man in front of him smirked.
"I threw the kunai. I caught you before you hit the ground after you were nearly electrified to death. I brought you here before you drowned."
"I don't care. Who are you?"
"I'm disappointed. I would have thought comrades would remember each other. Very well then…"
Naruto watched with shock as the man in front of his dissolved into black ravens which flew off in all directions. One remained where the man had been. Naruto watched as it hopped around him and then flew onto the arm of the man who was now standing in the doorway of the shack. The man had jet black hair and eyes that Naruto swore had been red a moment ago but were now as black as his hair. He was tall, taller then Naruto, and thin.
Naruto recognized him as soon as he saw the eyes.
"Ah, I see you remember me, Naruto."
"Uchiha Itachi. I never thought we would meet again."
