Chapter Eleven
''Narahashi Yushiro. Nice to finally meet you.''
He had a very soft, low voice. Soothing, almost, but at the moment Hinata found it everything but soothing. Right now, she wanted to close her eyes and hope this was all just a bad dream.
She felt helpless; she couldn't move a single muscle and her byakugan kept faltering, with more and longer intervals of inactivity.
''Well, I have been so courteous by telling you my name and now you won't do me the pleasure of telling me yours? You're not very polite, are you?''
He came closer until he stood just several inches before her. She found that the closer he approached her, the more she was impressed by his height. He frightened her, but he also fascinated her in a weird kind of way.
''But you sure are very pretty" He said as he lifted up her face with his little finger and viewed her eyes with an examining look. "Very pretty indeed."
He removed his little finger from her chin and took a few steps backwards, still observing her closely.
Just what ís he? He caught me in his trap, why won't he attack me? Why is he just standing there, watching me? What is it he wants from me?
Perfect. These are perfect. Finally, my goal is within my reach!
He felt it coming up from his lower abdomen through his chest, up to his throat. It tickled, the euphoria, and now he could let it out; now there was nothing between him en getting what he wanted.
And so he laughed. Loudly.
Naruto heard something. What the heck is that? What's happening? He was quite sure it came from the direction where he thought Hinata was supposed to be right now. She'd better be okay...Hold on Hinata, I'm almost there...
Yushiro saw her startled look and calmed down. "Oh, right, I forgot my technique also paralyzes the tongue and the muscles in the throat." He formed a simple hand sign, and the invisible shackles holding her, or so it seemed to her, released a little. She gasped, finally able to breath normally again.
Now, to be entirely sure. "Tell me your name", he spoke with a friendly tone. "I can't kill people if I don't know their names."
"W-why do you...want....to kill...me?" she panted.
"Can you see me?"
"W-what?"
"You can see me, right?"
"Y-Yes, but-"
"Well, there's your reason." Yushiro said with a smile. "Just what did you say your name was?"
"Shizune, I want you to send another squad to the Land of Water immediately!" Tsunade ordered. "And tell them to remove Naruto and Hinata from there as soon as possible!"
"Hai, Tsunade-sama, but why cancel Naruto-kun's and Hinata-san's mission? Isn't Yushiro the problem?
Tsunade kept silent for a moment, then looked at Shizune. "They're his target, or actually one of them is."
Shizune gasped.
Hinata kept silent. He is going to kill me because I can see him? What does he mean by that?
"I believe I asked you a question. Your name, please?"
"No."
"No? Well that's a weird name."
"No, I won't tell you my name!" Hinata exclaimed. There's more to this than just knowing my name so he can kill me, there's something more...think Hinata, think!
Yushiro sighed. "You are one pigheaded girl. I sure do like that, I sure do." He grinned.
Hinata's mind was racing. Why could my name be so important to him? Think girl, what does a name tell about somebody? It tells who his or her relatives are, from which clan one comes from...
Clan...
Clan!
That must be it! If I tell him my name is Hyuuga Hinata, he will know I'm from the Hyuuga clan in Konoha! But more importantly, he will probably know I'm from the main branch and therefore have no cursed seal to protect the byakugan from being stolen! That's why he said that the reason to kill me was me being able to see him! He wants the ability to see through everything! He...He wants my byakugan! And by killing me, he could examine it because there's no cursed seal to prevent that from being done!
The panic started to raise in her. She was in deep, deep trouble.
"What do you mean, 'they're his target', Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, shocked.
"Don't you find the coincidence a little obvious?"
"Uh?"
"I heard about the Lavender Tear about six days ago, two days after Yushiro escaped, according to the squad's report. And now it seems that Yushiro is hiding in the exact same area where the Lavender Tear supposedly grows, thus where Naruto and Hinata are."
"I still don't understand." Shizune said confused.
"I sent Naruto and Hinata on that mission to find the Lavender Tear, because I had heard it had some special healing abilities, and that potions made from those herbs could cure near fatal injuries in just one day. You know that, right?"
"Yes, I know about that"
"Well, now that I think about it, I'm not sure whom I heard it from, and most importantly, from whom that person heard it from."
"So?"
"This whole Lavender Tear legend might as well be a mere myth. A trap to get me interested. He knew that I would want to investigate the matter, since I'm a medical specialist, and I would probably send a team to search for it.
By adding the part about the Tear being very hard to find, he was making sure I would send a person with a special search ability. He couldn't predict which ability that would be, but there would be a high possibility the byakugan would be joining the search squad. I also recall there were some rumors going around about Yushiro a few years ago..."
"What kind of rumors?"
"He always chose a specific kind of victims; shinobi with special bloodline limits. When those ninja were found, they weren't just sucked out of all energy, their special ability was extracted as well. If we assume these rumours were true, and Yushiro is in fact after bloodline limits, then I have made an incredible mistake by sending a byakugan, Konoha's most special bloodline limit, right into his arms! And not only that, but she is from the main branch of the clan, she's even the heiress of the main branch!"
"T-Then Hinata-san is in incredible danger!" Shizune cried.
"Exactly. Despite the fact she has become very strong lately, she is not strong enough to handle an enemy like this; even Kakashi would have a really hard time dealing with this extremely dangerous guy. As long as she stays together with Naruto, she might have a change though, but if they have split up to search for the Tear, I fear that all is lost."
"But then, what can we do?"
Tsunade kept silent for a moment, then said: "What is Naruto's motto?"
Shizune's shocked expression softened. "Try your best and never give up, even when all hope seems gone."
"Then that's exactly what we're gonna do."
"But it takes two dáys to get to the Land of Water!"
"Which is why I just said I want you to assemble the most suited shinobi available and send them away IMMEDIATELY!" Tsunade commanded.
"Hai!"
Hinata turned pale, even paler than she already was, and her eyes grew bigger as she realized this whole Lavender Tear tale might have been a trap to lure her to him to begin with.
"I see you have figured it out. Smart girl! It's almost a pity I will have to kill you..." Yushiro said as he was approaching her. I figured she wouldn't tell me her name. Doesn't matter. She'll do.
"I have noticed your byakugan is faltering, so you can't see me very clearly." He said. "Well, I'll make myself visible, it would be rude if I'd kill you and you can't even see me, now, wouldn't it?" And with that said, he suddenly appeared, as if someone turned on the switch.
Now that she could see him clearly, his length caught her eye once more. She also noticed he was all in black.
"Now, about the killing, I can do that by slowly sucking out all of you life energy until death, but right now I prefer to do it the shorter way."
There were only five steps between her and him, she saw. I can't undo this technique before he gets to me, let alone recover enough to even escape, and there's no way Naruto would know I'm in danger, he won't be coming to help me. It's over.
Yushiro grabbed a kunai, a smile came upon his face.
Four more steps to go until he got to her.
She heard his footsteps coming closer and closer, the sound of snapping grass under his feet, and wondered if it was the last thing she would ever hear.
Three more steps...
She thought of Naruto, whom's beloved smile and sparkling blue eyes she was never going to see again. Who she was now never going tell that she actually….
Two more steps...
She let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes, awaiting death to come.
One more step...
"Get the hell away from her dattebayou!"
No author notes XD