First Impressions
Chapter 9: To plan
Koomahana
To Plan
Mamorigami—guardian spirit
Ubume-A mother ghost who died in childbirth or died leaving young children behind, this Yūrei (Demon) returns to care for her children, often bringing them sweets
Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine; you want the real stuff get off this site
Thoughts
Paragraphs are flashbacks
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Ino whimpered softly, the blood transfusion seemed to be working though she couldn't tell the difference. It felt as if the aching feeling of despair become over run with the feeling of fire slowly crawling through her veins. Sakura was kneeling beside her, both hands hovering over her skin, guiding the miasma out of her body through the cuts on her body. It seemed too slow and painful for someone to live through both processes but Ino guessed that was why Sakura was still with her, silently protecting her from the strange deformation in her DNA and carefully guiding the poison out while her blood got used to its new host. Mamorigami hovered over them, watching the process closely, whispering soft advice as if she were instructing her daughter on how to sow.
"Sh~hika…" Ino whimpered, barely even awake enough to realize she was awake. Sakura took in a deep breath and instead of pulling out the last of the miasma, she purified it and let her blood that was now circulating through Ino's body metabolize it and turn it into nutrients.
"You gave her your adaption?" Mamorigami questioned softly, Sakura shook her head and held up one hand, putting a little space between her pointer finger and thumb. "Ah, you gave her just enough to survive the small amount of miasma still in her system," Sakura nodded and the hologram smirked at her, "that is a good start to adjusting to your DNA sequence." Sakura smiled shyly at the hologram and carefully untucked her feet from beneath her and stretched them out beside herself, wincing slightly at the feeling of needles piercing her skin. She breathed slowly and rubbed at her calves, smiling as she felt the ticklish sensation of grass and flower petals rub teasingly against her bare legs. Ino whimpered again, her eyes tearing up as she murmured another name. Sakura took a deep breath and sighed it out slowly, looking up at Mamorigami silently; she tilted her head to the side carefully.
"It is not wise for you to leave," Mamorigami told her, "the foxes will save the boys and take them back to their parents safely." Sakura pouted at her, ducking her head slightly and batting her big green eyes. "I am a computer not a human," Mamorigami drawled unimpressed, "Your puppy-dog look doesn't work on me." Sakura sighed and flopped on the ground beside Ino, turning a moment later to curl beside her and quickly fell asleep. Mamorigami watched them for a moment before she looked at the high ceiling and smiled as the centered light slowly tickled down the walls, darkening the room til the ceiling looked like the night sky. Several large flowers tilted towards the moonless sky, their petals steadily opened ever so slowly and started glowing like moonlight. Seeing that the girls wouldn't wake for at least half a day, Mamorigami let her image flicker out from beside them and appeared on the other side of the room, hovering over the boy Sakura brought back. Only those who had a heart, the desire to die for something precious, could pass the training halls unharmed; she didn't know how he passed the test but he did.
Mamorigami would have to follow the young girl's judgment on this, she did not trust the boy
…
She knew that the only way to save her friend's boys was to leave the safety of the compound, however if she did that there was the possibility that she would never return home. Ino and that boy would be left alone and neither one of them would survive long in the tunnels. So once Mamorigami left to check the boy, she asked the flowers to create an image of her and then left through their roots, swimming through the earth like a fish in water. She always knew that the plants loved her but she never quite understood why, however, she was going to use their endless affection for her to the fullest. In the middle of her compound, Sakura slipped out of a tree like sap seeping through cracks, her bare feet touching the rubble strewn ground like feathers. In front of her was a group of people in green flank jackets mixed with others in navy blue their group was dotted with hundreds of familiar animals. Together they were facing the Shadow Animals, but the animals weren't alone, creatures of the likes she's never seen before were beside them. It was a war between the people like Shikaku and the Shadow animals, and every single one of them were turned towards her, watching her with wide surprised eyes.
"I am Sakura Hattori," She said walking forward calmly, straight in the middle of the two fractions, "I am the only child of Mebuki Hattori and Kizashi Haruno." She's never said so much before, not in the human language; it was strange feeling herself speak so softly and yet knowing her voice was echoing in this dim light of twilight. She turned towards the shadow animals, their focus was on her, and each one of them crouched low, ready to charge her. "I am here to banish you from these lands. Never return again. If you disobey me, your corpses will stain these walls like paint."
The shadows charged her with weapons drawn
The animals screamed in their own unique way, warning her away from the battal she cannot win
The creatures roared as they targeted the men like Shikaku, who panicked with indecision; save her or abandon her
She widened her stance and spread her hands out wide to either side of her, A swarm of poisonous mist gathered around her, protecting her from her enemies. The shadows never screamed as they entered the orange mist, then the creatures screamed as trees bloomed around the people like Shikaku. The creatures turned towards her, their eyes glowing in bloodlust and fury. Sakura stood alone, surrounded in a countless number of corpses, their bodies slowly melting like plastic in fire. The dozens of creatures readied themselves against her, spreading out to form a lose crescent shape around her. Sakura's head was bowed, her eyes hidden behind the shadow of her wild cherry locks, her hands open and lose at her sides. Hundreds of roots sprang from the ground, wrapping around the creatures like steal restraints. They screamed, several fleeing just before the roots could get them, but they didn't get far. The roots rose high into the air, slamming the creatures together, tangling them up and then dangling them on the edge of the compound, giving them a perfect view of the Hokage mountain. Not a moment later did their screams sound through the air, echoing through the village like the wails of banshees. Sakura stared at her feet, never before had she been forced to fight, forced to kill, but to do what she needed then this is the best way. Feeling a shift in the miasma behind her, Sakura put her plan into action. Wobbling on her feet unsteadily, Sakura let her knees give out before collapsing face first into black cloth of a once shadow. The shadow behind her hesitated but a shout from one of the people she spared pushed him into action. He scooped her up and ran for everything he was worth, evading weapons and fireballs alike, disappearing into the too silent forest. Sakura heard a loud and angry howl, she cracked one eye open and placed a finger to her lips. The young fox running in the shadows below her snarled one last time before disappearing himself, calling off his kin with a short angry yip.
In order to save the boys, she would have to infiltrate the Shadow Animals base. The best way to find them would be her getting caught by one of the Shadow Animals.
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Naruto heard a scream and turned around in time to see blinding white consume his vision before his world turned black. Sasuke watched dumbly as Hinata screamed before being ripped out of his hold first, quickly followed by Naruto disappearing in a swirl of shadows. Then he saw Kiba and then Shino stolen by more shadows, then a few other kids from his year and suddenly he was crushed between Ami, five other kids, two chunin, and his cousin Shisui who flitted around them like a hornet on the war path. There was screaming and he watched as a shadow slashed down one chunin only to be blocked by his cousin, but then the other chunin was dead. Ami screamed as she was pulled away from him, leaving bloody nail tracks on his arm as she was forced away. The other kids scrambled together, three thought running would be a good idea but they were soon taken too. The other two kids left behind with him were soon clinging fearfully together, little Kasumi was crying and clinging to her older twin brother but that seemed to do little when a shadow swooped in and took them together.
Then he was alone
Alone in this battle stricken world of shadow verses officer and to his horror he found that his clan did not appear to be winning. To his frightened mind, he saw his cousins falling, his uncles collapsing, his aunts screaming, his father disappeared in a swarm of black, his mother…
Sasuke screamed, shrill and loud, his mother was just swallowed whole by the earth itself
He never noticed the number of shadows steadily growing around him, never saw the panic in Shisui's eyes, and never heard the order to run. He just stared at the large bolder sitting where his mother once stood, tall and foreboding like a stone reaper ready to steal away another of his family. Sasuke collapsed to his knees, black eyes wide and tear stained, face pale, body trembling, his world ceased existing. Then he heard a shout, too close for comfort, a yell of panic, and he turned towards it, fear filling him as he watched a shadow with the face of a serpent move towards him terrifyingly slow. He watched, unable to move, as the shadow reached out with black clawed fingers, threatening to steal the life he still held. At the last possible moment, without his permission, Sasuke leaned back nearly collapsing against the surface of the earth. The Shadow's hand ghosted through his bangs, the cloth of his sleeve brushed against Sasuke's nose, stinging it. He tried to rise and turn at the same time, watching the Shadow turn just as slowly as Sasuke felt he was moving, there didn't appear to be anything more he could do. The Shadow was going to take him away just like his classmates; he wouldn't even be able to put up a fight. As the Shadow reached for him again, the mask contorted into a snarl, its black serpent body expanded around him, isolating him in a blackened world of pure terror, deafening him with the screams of others.
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His mother sobbed uncontrollably holding him so tightly he swore his ribs were cracking crushing hug. He felt his father wrap both of them in a tight hug, burying his face into his mother's hair. Fugaku broke his lag trying to get to Sasuke in time, his mother was nearly crushed trying to reach him and he (Itachi) arrived only in time to see his parents landing in a heap between two dead Chunin. It took him walking towards them and hearing his mother's distorted wailing to understand what his mind refused to believe.
The white masked men took his brother
"I told him to run," Fugaku whispered into his hair, his voice thick with unshed tears. Itachi could do nothing but stare numbly into the dark space between his parents, his knees shaking and threatening to collapse beneath him. Itachi's hold on his mother tightened, he's never been one to hug his parents but right then he was returning their desperate, terrified hug, not knowing what else to do.
"What are they going to do to him?" Mikoto tightened her hold on Itachi, tears streaming out of her now dark eyes. Slowly Fugaku released Itachi and carefully pulled her away from Itachi, giving the young boy a look that spoke volumes. Itachi pated his mother's back and nodded at his father numbly, there was only one thing he could do left. Protecting the academy students was his first mission, arriving too late to be any good, he knew his mission was adjusted from protecting them to finding and rescuing them. He walked away from his parents, weaving his way closer and closer towards the medics, wondering if any of his relatives had gotten seriously hurt. The five rows of eight wounded each were only interrupted by groups of wounded teenagers looking like they lost a fight with a needle dispenser. So far they they've lost only two chunin, but their protective squads of Chunin were nearly obliterated in the fight, a sign of someone truly powerful swept through them like a hurricane.
"Itachi," he turned at the unusually soft voice, his too blank dark eyes locked onto his cousin and best friend. "They took all the kids," Shisui murmured his eyes glued to the ground in shame, "I told them they would be safe, that we would protect them..."
"And we have five wounded officers for it," Itachi reminded him coldly, "they may have succeeded with the first kid but they struggled for the rest. Every minuet we held them off was another moment we were able to take out one of their men and a moment more we protected them." That was true, there were at least five dead black cloaked men with the white animal masks, so far he only saw two dead chunin; the two who were supposed to protect his brother.
"But we still lost them Itachi," Shisui frowned at him, "not just one or two, all of them, even your brother." Shisui clutched at his still bleeding arm, red eyes over whelmed with tears and one rolled down his cheek, smearing the dirt along the way.
"You did your best," Itachi replied, "I should've gotten here sooner... Maybe I could've helped..."
"We all could've arrived sooner," They both turned at the low voice, two rumbled Hyuga's stood with a severally wounded Uchiha held up between them.
"We need your help," the younger and less wounded Hyūga started, letting one of the medics take the young Uchiha officer away from them, "they took lady Hinata, our clan heir."
"We also saw them take a couple of your clan kids too," the elder added, "not just the ones here, your genin and almost graduates. The ones helping evacuating the little ones and elders through the forest."
"Did you see who else they took?" Itachi asked, eyes narrowing in thought
"They targeted those with obvious bloodlines first," the younger answered, "and then those from shinobi families. They left behind all the first and second generation Shinobi; a few of the older kids got seriously hurt trying to protect the kids. That might be why they just grabbed any kid they could here but were picky with the other classes," he pointed towards a group of field medics, hurrying and panicking over several twelve and thirteen year old kids covered in blood.
"They also went straight for Uzumaki-san," the elder added with a frown, "I think they were going to take him first but... Hinata-sama must've gotten in their way, forcing the second one to take him instead of your little brother."
"They headed for Sasuke first?" Itachi asked seriously, straightening with the information
"No, I believe Uzumaki-san was first, your brother was second," the elder corrected, "Hinata-sama must've sensed something wrong and got in the way."
"Which means after her scream, nothing went the way they planned," Shisui said, a slow, proud smile stretching across his face. "Well wouldn't you know it Tachi-chan, she was braver than we thought she was." Inwardly, Itachi was happy his cousin was back to normal; outwardly he decked his cousin for the nick-name. The two Hyūga shared bewildered looks but shrugged it off when Itachi smirked and started walking away, looking completely relaxed with the situation.
"Hay man, don't leave me behind," Shisui snickered, hurrying after Itachi with a skip to his step, "I've got a couple of little brats to impress too ya' know." They stopped as a familiar, haggard looking chunin slid to a stop in front of them, carefully handing off a wounded genin to the nearest medic before marching towards them. As he walked towards them, he looked around the field as if searching for something, before frowning and seemingly picking up his pace towards them.
"Where is Naruto Uzumaki?" Iruka asked sounding more demanding an answer then requesting one
"Hmm, many men would want the bloodlines of the village," Itachi hummed, glancing at his cousin, "only one would want all of them and still want the jinchuriki too."
"You think it's him?" Shisui frowned thoughtfully, "well guess I shouldn't ask, he's pretty greedy."
"Who are you talking about?" Iruka asked curiously, "do you know where Naruto is?"
"He's properly in the village by now," Shisui answered, nodding at a medic as she quickly stopped the bleeding in his arm, "Along with everyone in your class."
"What?!" Iruka hissed, spinning on his heal and following them, "Mizuki went that far?"
"What do you mean?" Itachi asked, walking beside his cousin calmly
"Mizuki said that he worked out a deal with some weird Anbu," Iruka explained, his hands fisting at his sides and his teeth grinding together, "they were going to seal the Kiyobi away."
"The Kiyobi is sealed away though," Shisui frowned at Iruka, only to realize what he meant and cursed wildly. Itachi said nothing before he was gone, Shisui and Iruka quickly following him, the medic whined at Shisui as she tried to keep up and bandage his arm as she ran with them.
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"You are sure of this?" Hiruzen asked, before him stood Inoichi, Shikaku (Yoshino still clinging to him), a number of police officers and a few Chunin, the latter two groups got swept up in a fight with the foxes and five fully developed battalions with a few dozen mutants mixed in. He had been in a meeting with the respectful fox named Mayu, as well as Kohaku and Homura when Inoichi and Shikaku barged in. Both were panic stricken as they tried to explain what happened only to get interrupted by the captains of the two groups who let curiosity drag them into a war between animals, mutants and shadows.
"We're sure," Inoichi answered, still gasping for breath, "I can show you my memories if you want."
"That won't be necessary," Kohaku replied courtly, "we trust your word." Hiruzen had the nagging feeling that there was something else the old man wanted to say but kept his mouth shut.
"The only person who commands the paint less masks of Anbu is Danzo," Homura said, straightening in her seat, "that branch of Anbu was called Root."
"but that branch was disbanded by Hiruzen years ago," Kohaku replied, "for Danzo to disobey him and even go so far as to kidnap the children of the next generation is to commit treason. Are you saying that is exactly what he has done?"
"Who else would target our children with men who wear porcelain white masks in the shape of animals that children are most commonly afraid of?" She asked, looking at him calmly, "Danzo has always done what he could to make Hiruzen look like a fool."
"Danzo has never put the village in danger before," Kohaku countered
"If he is innocent he will arrive at the emergency bunkers in the west by sundown," Hiruzen said, "in the meantime, break is over, get everyone moving."
"Yes sir!" the chunin and Police officers were gone in blurs
"Hold on a moment," Hiruzen called, stilling the two teammate's "Shi-kun, tell Kakashi and his team to destroy anyone they come across that hinders their mission." The pup whimpered and jumped out of Inoichi's arms before taking off in a blur of movement. "Inoichi, Shikaku," they both turned to look back at Hiruzen, drawing straighter postures at his deadly serious expression, "Send a team to the bunkers and secure it. We must not let anyone else occupy them and if Danzo is truly a traitor then we can't afford his agents to infiltrate it."
"Understood sir," they were gone in matching blurs, names and ranks flying through their minds at impossible speeds.
"May I speak?" Mayu asked, tilting her head at Hiruzen. Kohaku and Homura scowled at her, she had already made it clear that she'll only address Hiruzen and only listen to his words. The two councilors could get stabbed for all she cared.
"You may," Hiruzen smiled at her, "please don't be so formal, if you wish yo speak then please do so."
"Yes sir," Mayu nodded courtly, "there is a village further north of here that the civilians could reside in untill further notice."
"What of our shinobi?" Homura interrupted, making Mayu snap her jaws closed, "surely you don't expect them to reside in the forest unprotected and vernable do you?" Hiruzen sighed, his shoulders slumping as he saw that Mayu completely shut down at the sound of another voice.
"Mayu-chan," he addressed warmly, his councilors scowled at him and the young fox perked her ears, "what of my men? Where can they go?"
"I will need to discuss it with my mother but I believe I can take at least ninety-percent of your forces to our home land," Mayu answered, Hiruzen quickly raised a silencing hand, stilling Homura's scathing remark.
"Will your mother allow that?" Hiruzen asked, straightening in his seat; no one has ever stayed long in a summoning's world, there were rumors of great consequences
"She values all living beings," Mayu answered serenely, "I can only try."
"I suppose that is all I can ask of you," Hiruzen sighed, smiling bitterly at her. Mayu bowed her head and dismissed herself, disappearing into the darkness. His councilors rounded on him like a couple of angry bulls.
"How can you even consider that?" Homura seethed at him, "did you forget about the Kiyobi? Do you seriously think anyone in our forces will go willingly into the wolves den?!"
"They're foxes not wolves," Hiruzen replied, "besides the fox race isn't known to be violent. They're more likely to run from conflict then to embrace it, that was why they were contracted to the Hattori clan. How often did a Hattori start a fight? Never. They were our best diplomats before the attack. They're most commonly used insult was the Kitsune Kin, meaning they would run first and ask questions later."
"If foxes are so passive why did the Kiyobi attack us?" Homura asked, her face beginning to red in anger
"I do believe that Danzo is partially right," Hiruzen sighed heavily, "the kiyobi was controlled but that doesn't mean the entirety of a single clan, our most powerful clan, is at fault. I was there in that fight, I saw only one young man atop the Kiyobi."
"Other witnesses depict seeing the Kiyobi with Sharingan eyes," Kohaku spoke up at last, opening his eyes and silencing his sister. "Both Danzo and Hiruzen are right," Homura blinked and straightened her seat, listening to her brother who was rarely wrong. "Danzo is correct that the Kiyobi was controlled by a Sharingan user, he is incorrect in blaming the entire clan for the betrayal of a single individual. We didn't massacre the Hyuga's when Hinashi betrayed us and even gave his eye away to a hidden mist Jonin."
"Hinashi didn't destroy half of our village," Homura replied, much calmer bickering against her brother
"No he just exposed our Anbu's identities, revealed the armory and weapon factory, every clan compound, the training facilities, and what we do in an emergency," Hiruzen jabbed at her, "the recompression of which was the death of over half our Anbu agents, something we're still trying to recover from and the relocation of ev—"
"I'm well aware of what Hinashi did and didn't do, Hiruzen," Homura drawled, "I also remember the relocation of every clan well."
"I also believe that Danzo would stop at nothing to destroy Hiruzen," Kohaku continued, silencing the beginnings of another fight. "and if we get in the way of that we'll die as well," Homura jerked at the declaration, having not thought of that herself. "Our choices are to follow Hiruzen and die with honor or to follow Danzo and die as traitors." Hiruzen sighed and rubbed irritated at his brow, if Homura chose Danzo then Kohaku would follow her at the same time if she chose to follow Hiruzen then again Kohaku would follow. Those two twins were inseparable; they were like perfect reflections of the other, from their appearance, to their personalities, to even their opinion in matters.
Hiruzen could only pray that Homura would chose to fight with him and save herself the heartbreak of betraying her brother
…
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She flew through the air like a leaf in a storm, there was little she couldn't do when she ran so fast, less than a blur even to the Byakugan. The wind whistled in her ears, howling echoed around her and she responded with her own, feeling pride as the scent of her children surrounded her. The forest hummed with life, the air filling with the scent of blood and fire, fury burned in her chest as she ran ever faster. Her perfectly yellow eyes locked onto a group of men ahead, surrounding one of her younger kits, the poor pup had a broken paw and couldn't fight back. She snarled furiously as she leaped at the men with weapons drawn. One paw crushed the ribs the closest one, her jaws snapped around the throat of another, her tail pierced through a third. She threw the one in her mouth and the one on her tail at another two, then slashed at another four. In seconds the group was dead, their bodies ripped open for the world to see.
"Mother," the pup whined to her
"You shouldn't be here little one," she scolded, "return to the ruins at once." The pup whined softly as one of her elder kits lifted it up and disappeared into the forest, returning to the once compound.
"How are the others?" She turned expectantly towards one of her eldest child
"The youngsters are infiltrating the base before extraction," the male answered, his graying fur smoothing as he relaxed before her. "How many more shadows are there?"
"I'm not sure," she answered turning her nose into the wind, "each platoon smells different, like they're not quite human but certainly aren't animal either."
"Could they be some kind of half breed?" He asked, "that snake-demon did dapple in human-animal genetic manipulation just before he left the village."
"I suppose you have a point," she sighed, "that would explain their strange scent..." They fell quiet, listening to the sounds of screams of human and animal a like, explosions and echoes filled the air, the sky was swallowed in the darkness of smoke and rained ash upon them as if cremations were performed high above the black clouds coating the village.
"Something is bothering you," the fox said slowly, tilting his head to the side
"Why has that man decided now of all times to attack?" She asked, staring out at the smoke filled sky, "why now? What has changed?"
They could only make assumptions about the sudden change in tactics
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Thoughts are helpful
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Helpful criticisms lovely! Just don't cripple me okay?
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