Foreword:
A long time has passed since my last update. In the course of typing and re-typing this chapter, I have been mobilized to active duty and am currently on break from work-ups for said mobilization. I've also let my writing quality slip considerably between the first chapter and the ninth. That trend will reverse – but it will be slow going until we are done at Camp Pendleton. 12-on/12-off schedules with hour long briefs and debriefs combined with desperate dashes for open food establishments do not leave much time for typing away on a fanfic in a Quonset hut that was used in the filming of Heartbreak Ridge.
I would like to thank you all for the reads and reviews. I hope this chapter does the justice I want it to. Strap yourselves in; it's going to be a hell of a ride.
Chapter 10: Sundered Sky
[/Naruto Shippuuden OST: Track 23; "Confrontation" – Naruto Shippuuden OST 2: Track 19; "Himoji"]
Hanabi forced her consciousness into the space around her. Seeing 359-by-359 degrees was overwhelming in and of itself, adding the x-ray-like abilities of the Byakugan made it mentally crippling. Members of her family trained for years to simply access the basic functions of the blood line. Part of this had to do with the restrictions of the Caged Bird Seal on the branch members, but most of it was due to members waiting far too long to train in controlling the Byakugan. The best in her clan always started training very early in life, while the brain was still developing the primary senses. People who waited until later could simply never develop the enhanced visual cortex and spatial awareness centers of the brain to handle the Byakugan.
Hanabi shuddered as she pushed out further and had to back off to bring everything back into focus. The young Hyuuga's head spun as she recalled her sister's ability to focus beyond ten kilometers. No wonder she was so quiet; her brain had to be nothing but a giant visual cortex. "Two of Kabuto's resurrected ninja are moving in from the south-west."
"What? We have to stop them!" Naruto exclaimed, nearly rushing off.
Shikamaru frowned while pondering the news. "No, our mission is to unite what is left of the alliance forces. And we have to do it before the Akatsuki capitalize on this and attack."
Hanabi bit her lip. "There's a small camp of Stone ninja that these two will run into."
Naruto was the first to speak. "Konohamaru, Hanabi… You two go alert the ninja at the camp and give them a hand dealing with Kabuto's zombies. I've got to go knock some sense into our allies."
"Understood!" Hanabi nodded, zipping off into the tree-line.
Temari didn't even get a chance to protest before Konohamaru shouted; "We'll get 'em, Boss! I am going to be the Hokage, too!" and dashed off after Hanabi.
"What the hell was that!" Temari burst with livid and vivid emotion. "Those are children you just sent, alone, into the middle of a war!"
"Good point. I'm sure they could use the advice and oversight of an experienced Jonin, such as you." Shikamaru ribbed.
"What!" The blonde female recoiled. "Fine! If you want to get rid of me so badly, I'll go babysit. But don't expect me to show up and save you like last time!" She relinquished before leaping after the youngest members.
"Well, it looks like it's up to you and me, Naru…to?" The Nara turned to face the space once occupied by the Uzumaki heir. He sighed. "This whole day has been troublesome…"
[/End Track(s)]
[/Naruto Shippuuden OST – Track 01 "Hurricane Legend"; Naruto Shippuuden OST – Track 05 "Lightning Speed"; Bleach OST 04 – Track 05 "Power to Strive"; Fairy Tail OST 02 – Track 28 "Tokinanatareshi Chikara"; Disturbed, 'Indestructible' – "The Curse" … mildly related: Disturbed, 'Indestructible' – "Inside the Fire"]
The ground roared in protest under the Violet Vixen as she shot from behind a bush and thrust into a zig before zagging. She liked to think Naruto would approve of the brazen tactic she'd come up with: charge straight in, jutsu flaring. The Uchiha had already summoned a full Susano'o to counter as she slammed straight into the beast's sweeping hand. A lion roared from around her fist as her chakra burst through the beast's flesh of chakra, causing Sasuke to wince in pain and retract the hand.
Hinata pressed her assault, meeting an open-palmed thrust from the beast's other arm with another angry lion. The force would have sent her skidding across the ground; instead she let the angle of her strike carry her up and over the offending appendage, landing on the beasts forearm. She clung with chakra using one leg while spitefully delivering a 'gentle' kick to the monster's wrist with the opposite.
This was rapidly followed by the return of the first arm in the form of a slapping gesture, as if the Hyuuga were a pestilent mosquito. Hinata sprung to the beast's bicep to rebound onto the forearm still crossed in front of its chest. A gust of wind sent a bang of hair to thinly veil the smirk on her face as she delivered two Vacuum Palm strikes to the beast's face.
Sasuke threw the Hyuuga to the ground with a snap of the beast's elbow. His Sharingan did not miss a single detail as the girl bounced and rolled to a rustling halt in the grass. She snapped back to her feet, resolve still dressing the corners of her mouth and the furl of her brow. The light tremble in her hands and her concentrated breathing meant she didn't have many more assaults like that last one in her. She'd even abandoned the use of the Byakugan, not being active during her last attack. He'd had to tap deeper into his chakra than he felt worthy of the Hyuuga – but using Susano'o and his immense chakra supply was looking to be a sound strategy to wrapping this up.
It took him a moment, however, to realize the importance of one of the Hyuuga's hands held palm-up. He barely had time to recall the last time he encountered Naruto's Rasengan before it flared to life in the Hyuuga Heiress's hand, with some apparent tweaking to it that he wagered only a Hyuuga could accomplish. He had no doubt it would cut right through his chakra-based Susano'o like a hot knife through butter. Taking a play from Naruto's handbook, Sasuke leapt to slam Susano'o's hand down on the new threat.
Hinata countered by simply raising the Rasengan to meet the oncoming hand and assuming a braced kneel. The twisting mass of chakra met the dark dementia with a wet, shrill grinding noise as chakra flesh showered around her and evaporated into a purple miasma. She held the pose as the beast attempted to repair its arm with a continual flood of chakra-spawned flesh, wincing as the light singed hair and threatened to char her skin.
Sasuke allowed himself a demented laugh. This was coming down to a battle of raw chakra, and that, he was certain to win, even if the Hyuuga wasn't about to burst into flames from the intense heat of the chakra blender … a hot knife, indeed. The Uchiha regained a bit of composure. This girl was, after all, Naruto's first student (unbeknownst to the fool), and he hadn't expected the Gentle-fist tweaked Rasengan that was currently turning Susano'o's arm into putty. He was, however, satisfied with his response.
He furled his brow once more at the smirk that crossed the girl's face. The only blemish came from several strands of hair stuck to a small trickle of blood. It was that same defiant look the fool would use just before pulling some off-the-wall stunt. Sasuke didn't have time to kick himself before a savage set of strikes hammered Susano'o's left kidneys and shattered a couple ribs. He swung around inside the beast to the sight of one Hinata leaping back from Susano'o to clear the way for a second Hinata who was charging what could only be perceived as a "Rasen-disk."
The Violet Vixen gave a small, warm smile. Naruto always used shadow clones. He'd also developed a form of the Rasengan to use at range… one weakness of the Hyuuga fighting style she'd decided to overcome in a somewhat unorthodox way. This attack did look much like the Rasengan, but its mechanics were altogether different.
"Gentle Fist: Quasar Palm!" In an instant, the disc collapsed into a single point before becoming an intense ray of white-hot chakra that lanced toward a bewildered Uchiha. In reality, the attack was closer to the Vacuum Palm than the Rasengan, though it contained the power of both concentrated into a ray no larger than a pencil. It also dumped energy into the target over a much shorter time, about a third of a second.
Instinctively, Sasuke put a Chidori spear up to deflect the attack as it tore effortlessly through the wall of chakra surrounding him before it slammed into his Chidori spear with a splash of glowing blue particles. He could only watch in slow motion as his body failed to move quickly enough to prevent the searing ray from slamming into his left shoulder. His chakra network flew into complete chaos as he was violently pitched into the ground, twisting and tumbling as Susano'o evaporated around him.
The Hyuuga panted heavily, observing her love's lifetime rival carefully as he struggled to stand. The Quazar Palm had blasted a considerable amount of clothing from the young man, remarkably leaving his skin relatively unharmed considering the power involved. She'd been resolved to dealing with Naruto's grief over a one-armed Sasuke; so she couldn't say she was at all displeased with the result, other than the brat was still conscious.
Sasuke quaked. And he thought Susano'o felt like bringing Hell to Earth…. Whatever the hell that was the Hyuuga did certainly took the prize for the most painful experience ever. The only part that didn't hurt was the left arm he was certain had been reduced to a charred nub until a visual inspection indicated otherwise.
"It's time for you to come home, Sasuke." The young woman before him spoke softly, as if she were speaking to a stubborn child. As she slowly approached the young man, an old sensation rose to the surface; fear. She wore a look not unlike Itachi just before he died… he feared that look of forgiveness, the idea of going back to the village, and the end of the vengeance that had become his identity. Who was he without revenge?
As if to answer him, Hinata's two shadow clones evaporated into nothing. In that seemingly hollow answer came another, more practical answer. For a moment, the Hyuuga's chakra network stabilized with the absorption of her shadow clones, and the Uchiha seized his opportunity; employing the most potent Tsukuyomi he could muster. It was erratic and lackluster due to the damage to his network, but it was enough.
With the loudest sound to befall any man's ears, the Hyuuga Heiress collapsed with a soft whimper.
[/End Track(s)]
[/Naruto Shippuuden OST – Track 20 "Dark Clouds"]
Hanabi paused atop a tree branch, shifting her concentration to the Byakugan. She peered through what could only be described as a completely empty camp site, and her gut told her something was off.
"Hey, what do you see?" Konohamaru nudged next to her, staring intently at her head as if it could somehow allow him to see through her eyes.
"Hang on. I am trying to concentrate. Go find your own branch." She pushed him an arm's length away to illustrate. So far, her accomplice had been arrogant, pushy, and somewhat annoying. Not that there was a shortage of people who irritated her - Hanabi Hyuuga was used to working alone. She and people had a mutual understanding; they left her alone, and she left them alone.
The Sarutobi swung under the branch, choosing to cling to it with chakra instead of finding a new one as instructed. "Who made you our leader?"
Hanabi let the question linger for a moment. "I wasn't trying to be the leader. I was just doing what needed to be done, and you keep pestering me."
Konohamaru bent upward to look at her, and awkward expression adorning his face. "This whole 'team' thing is new to you, isn't it?" He thought it odd, though… she had no problem doing what Naruto said… usually.
"Father has been training me since I was very young." She explained with surprising ease. "I haven't had much time at the academy to work with others. They tend to get in my way, either way." It was a harsh truth. The academy was largely a formality for her rather than an instructional session. She was no Neji, but she was a hungry mind.
"Sheesh. If you are going to act like that, they aren't missing out on much." Konohamaru observed, sagely.
Pain flashed across the girl's face momentarily before a steely glare met the young Sarutobi. "Just don't get the two of us killed. Things are clear, for now, but I don't like the way this looks. She leapt to another branch before Konohamaru had a chance to respond.
A grieved sigh escaped the genin's lips. The look in her eyes let him know she was damaged and bleeding inside. The confidence was genuine… the coldness was a façade.
Temari frowned, a speckle of shadows danced across her face from the bush she used as cover near the two. She could identify with Hanabi, some. People like her had to accept some degree of isolation… you can't be in the top 1% of intelligence among the human population and expect to interact smoothly with people who are, by all metrics of intellectual performance, more distant from you than a clinical retard is from the average person.
Hanabi, no doubt, felt much like a caged bird; the ominous seal her family used on the branch family. Her father, the old oak that he was, didn't help matters by keeping her even more isolated in training. In either case, she'd better figure out the meaning of teamwork, and quick. If these kids were going to survive long in this war, they needed to work together. A lot of lessons were going to be learned from this war; that was for certain…. The only question was how many lives would be tolled for those lessons.
Temari sighed. Shikamaru would call this troublesome… and she would agree.
[/End Track]
[/Nightwish – Imaginaerum: "Ghost River"]
Orange streaked across the placid surface of a lazy river, occasionally bounding off the occasional low-leaning tree. Naruto could hardly believe he'd had difficulty running on water just six years ago. He marveled at the feeling; using chakra to force the water into tight knots that pushed up into his feet. A tight bend to the right lay just ahead, and he exaggerated his movements to cut at a right angle; practically creating a geyser of water to send him away without losing an ounce of speed.
He turned just in time to see another tight bend to the left hedged by a steep rock bluff just ahead. He angled slightly off his left foot with his next thrust, intending to spring off of the bluff. A small movement in the rock face caught his attention just after he'd jumped clear of the water's surface; a Zetsu clone rocketing out of the bluff.
Naruto relaxed in his ballistic arc until he suddenly struck the clone with a derivative of his Uzumaki Barage, flipping slightly to the side to land on the water's surface. His toad-like eyes watched the clone pull itself back out of the rock with a smirk on its face.
"My! I didn't know you had such mastery over Sage mode." The clone said, cheerfully as it flexed its shoulder in recovery.
The yellow haired young man spun to kick another Zetsu that had come from his Seven and leapt to avoid a third approaching from below the water. Twisting to glare at the first Zetsu, his fingertips tingled with wind chakra as it trickled into the shuriken spaced between his fingers. Mud projectiles lanced from above the first Zetsu's shoulder as Naruto unleashed his backhand of shuriken; splitting the mud balls before impacting the Zetsu clone with an explosion of wood splinters.
A quick survey of his surroundings revealed the second Zetsu standing on a tree branch, having recovered from Naurto's reflexive kick, and two Zetsu awaiting his gravity-assured return to Earth below. He prepared to enter his Nine Tails form when a kunai trailing several paper bombs caught his eye. He popped a Shadow Clone next to him and threw himself clear as the kunai passed between the two Zetsu. The paper bombs shook the river to its bed, a thin spray of water dancing up from the whole river to celebrate the concussive event while a confetti of water and wood-like splinters pelted Uzumaki and kissed the bluff.
"Hey, now! Two on three isn't fair." The remaining Zetsu commented in a nonsensical manner. It never spoke another word as two dark pillars appeared from the ground below it. It did manage to glance up as a third pillar materialized to bridge the two, the entire assembly slamming to the ground; rending the branch from the trunk like a twig and crushing the existence out of the abominable creature.
"'The hell!" Shikamaru's voice shouted from where the paper bombs originated.
Naruto turned to see his lazy friend being slowly entangled in a variety of plant overgrowth. He started to rush to his friend's aid, but was interrupted by the tantric fox within him long enough to catch sight of a new figure. Red hair pulled into buns atop either side of her head; she walked to the edge of the bluff, stopping to stare down at him. Naruto regarded this woman carefully. Her face was ashen; an unfortunate and likely unwilling slave to Kabuto… and more than likely a very skilled ninja in her time.
"Naruto!" Shikamaru said in immediate recognition. "That's..!" He was cut off by a honeysuckle vine that proceeded to gag him, flowering immediately afterward as if in spite. Shikamaru furled his brow. Sending her to confront Naruto? Surely, Kabuto means to use this for something else.
"I don't know who you are, and I don't care." Naruto sated loudly to the newcomer. "I'm going to beat you back into the grave, Grandma! Dattebayo!"
"I see." The red-haired woman said softly to herself. "How cruel, Kabuto - sending me to face Kushina's son."
"Stop mumbling to yourself!" Naruto chastised, slamming a Rasengan into the ground where the woman once stood.
The woman regarded the young man up-close as the dust from his technique settled. There could be no mistake. He even had Minato's hair; the two were sweethearts before she'd passed. "Tell me, young man, of your mother, Kushina."
Naruto froze; an angry glare crawled onto his face. "She died when I was born. If you know she's my mother, you know more than I do." He nearly spat.
A solemn look crossed her face. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that. And of Minato, your father?"
"He died, too." Naruto gave a distant reply. A slight pause later, he spoke. "Look, I know you don't really have much choice in whether or not we fight… but I'd rather not talk about my parents. I just recently found out who they were, and went through hell just to do that."
The woman closed her eyes with a painful sigh. Apparently, this boy's birth was marked with a pretty tragic event, and that implied one thing. "Was it the Nine Tailed Fox?" She deadpanned.
Naruto couldn't conceal his shock even if he wanted to. "How did you know about that?"
"I am Mito Uzumaki, the first Jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox spirit and wife of the First Hokage." Mito proclaimed.
Naruto, for his part, was completely and totally speechless.
[/Pause Track]
[/Naruto Shippuuden OST: Track 21 "Stalemate"; Disturbed, The Lost Children – "Hell"]
Konohamaru kicked at the buried remains of a camp fire. "I don't get it. Where did they all go?"
Hanabi, Byakugan flaring, pulled him inside a tent. "Don't stand out in the open, like that."
"Oh, come on, not everything is an ambush, you know?" He criticized just before a kunai with a paper bomb embedded itself in the ground at the mouth of the tent.
The Hyuuga threw herself clear through the back of the tent before the tent disappeared in a spray of grass, every cell drumming in chorus. She sprung nimbly into a wide defensive stance, a bang of hair swinging to rest in front of her flaring eyes; pupils now pronounced with her bulging veins. Konohamaru was found behind a small earthen barrier he'd managed to erect with a justu, his scarf whipping wildly in protest. Senbon needles lanced like sluggish lasers from the forest to the North, her honed fingers brushing the barrage aside with relative ease as she caught sight of Konohamaru returning the favor with a hasty volley of shuriken.
"Hand over the Hyuuga, little boy." A voice called into the clearing from the trees. "This does not involve you."
Hanabi's cheeks burned with anger. The Stone was after her family's accursed eyes, as well? Were they involved with Kabuto's summons? They were sent here to sound the alarm, not fight a whole camp of ninja along with S-rank Jonin zombies. A sudden movement from Konohamaru caught her attention.
The boy practically lurched forward with his words, as if to give them more power: "Like Hell!" He screamed. "I, Konohamaru Sarutobi, will be Hokage… And I will not allow anyone from our village to be taken against their will."
The winds, as though inspired by his proclamation, roared before slamming with intense overpressure into a fifteen degree arc of forest. Dust danced up to celebrate the shattered leaves in a cell-rupturing symphony of destruction. Three Genin and a Chunin collapsed to the ground in the aftermath, blood flowing freely from their ears and nose as they drifted into the inevitable, eternal slumber.
"What the brat said." Temari said flatly from behind the dumbfounded Leaf Genin before recovering to a defensive stance with her fan. She added sternly; "Hidden Stone Ninja, you are in direct violation of the Tsuchikage and the Allied Village Status of Forces Agreement as well as Article Five, Section Bravo of the Covenant of Shadows Treaty regarding Blood Line Traits. The penalty starts at death if you continue in spite of this warning."
It was a ploy. Criminals didn't give a shit about whether or not they were breaking the law. However, people pressured or coerced into participating would be seriously weighing the option of facing the wrath of disobeying their 'comrades' or the wrath of a disciplinary council… if they survived the battle to come. Her entry clearly stated the odds of that. Powerful opponents were always easier to deal with when they didn't have a mob running interference.
"The Hyuuga, and you get to leave with your lives." The voice retorted, chillingly steady.
Ice crawled through Hanabi's nerves. Four ninja dropped dead in the blink of an eye, and this character still believed the odds to be in his favor? She hoped he was a very strong opponent, and not a bat-shit crazy one. Crazy had a way of rendering certainty disturbingly uncertain. Her Byakugan chased phantasms at random through the trees as she pushed to see their enemy, further justifying her suspicion that this was an unusually well planned encounter.
Temari ground her feet into the dirt as she unleashed a torrent of wind with a swing of her fan. The wave slammed into another barrage of kunai, sending them harmlessly spiraling off into the distance, carrying with it a ten degree arc of forest. What little of the foliage did not take flight remained twisted and broken to the ground like a field of oversized toothpicks cast to the dirt.
Hanabi forced more chakra to her eyes in order to follow two figures fleeing the destruction. If she could get a solid track on these guys… stone cold hands wrapped around her ankles, startling her from her task. Before she could collect herself, a third hand clasped her mouth and a kunai nipped at her throat.
"Hanabi!" Konohamaru wheeled angrily toward his endangered team mate. A figure appeared from the ground behind the boy, placing a hasty hold on the writhing youth.
"Damnit! Put her under!" The taller Jonin holding Hanabi yelped. The girl's teeth were currently sunk into the bone of both his finger and hand in a knuckle-devouring hunger for life. Senbon acknowledged the request, streaking toward the girl from another unseen assailant before the trees proceeded to be erased by the 'limited' support options of the Sand Jonin's fan.
The hapless Hyuuga traced the path of the approaching Senbon in slow motion, lamenting every moment that drew her closer to defenseless sleep. Spurts of emotions, concepts that would later be built into language, sold her soul to anyone – anything with the power to escape what she could only see as inevitable. The ground happily obliged, a ragged pillar jutting forth just Hell's half-meter away.
Konohamaru collapsed within his assailant's hold, more earthen pillars shearing free of their entombed existence. A brief, but profound chaos ensued. The two Jonin holding Hanabi separated with the smaller leaving the girl to the more built as they weaved through a full-out assault by the Earth, itself. A flash of blue trailed behind an indistinct blur as it swept to the Hanabi-less Jonin before both were obscured by a cloud of ash.
Hanabi shut her eyes reflexively as the cloud of ash erupted into a ball of flame. Rather than an intense shock, the explosion sent a brief puff of air past her; hot ash and dirt splashing off her face. Her captor landed on a tree branch at the edge of the clearing, jerking her head awkwardly to expose the ivory of her neck. The kunai once again nipped at the skin, and the girl dared not even swallow; lest it sever the vital spring of life housed just below.
The Jonin never got a word out. Konohamaru sprang from the earthen hedgehog he'd created, the blade of a kunai punctuating the intent in his inhuman leap. Hanabi's assailant shifted his mass to counter, his blade contacting a cloud of smoke. No one but Konohamaru had time to register what had happened before a bright flash of light emanated from behind the Jonin.
The Rasengan was still twisting the man's innards when the Hyuuga sprang into action; Gentle Fist strikes shattered a knee and elbow to what may as well have been dust while bursting several arteries internally. She swung her stance to address a volley of kunai to let Konohamaru land where the husk of her assailant dropped lifelessly to the ground. Temari could be seen breaking the source of the kunai backward across her folded fan, the grinding crack of his spine signaling the end of the conflict.
"Pretty awesome teamwork, wouldn't you say?" Konohamaru cheered. "High five, Hanabi!" The boy gestured intently.
The Hyuuga couldn't help but smile and humor his request, if a little weak. She wasn't sulking so much as struggling. She missed Konohamaru ever making shadow clones, and had completely misjudged his capability. Most perplexing, though, was how he had complemented her even though she'd become a liability. He unquestionably and enthusiastically gave praise even though he'd clearly been the reason she was still conscious.
"Thank-you, Master Sarutobi." She managed from some autonomous function of her mind.
"Eh?" The boy glanced back, incredulously. "Don't start that high-class robot stuff." He sighed. "We're a team, and you can think of me as a fiend; and you can't hold a debt between friends."
The girl smiled, shaking her head. "No, you can't. But I still can't thank you enou-…" Her words were cut short when the boy lunged into her, slamming her into the tree trunk. He fell from the branch as her mind reeled from shock to anger, from anger to confusion, and confusion to horror. The scene below her was visible no matter where she looked or how hard she closed her eyes. Konohamaru lay sprawled atop the Hidden Stone Jonin, magenta and brown coils of flesh quivered awkwardly in the light they were never meant to see.
[/End track]
Sasuke pushed himself to stand. He wasn't quite sure how much time had passed since his battle with the Hyuuga, and a gathering storm had obscured the sun. Amaterasu's flames still churned violently against the tense peace that had since befallen the region. Not quite according to plan… He looked about in mild amusement. The Hyuuga girl lay just a few meters away, blades of grass swaying in rhythm to the silent echoes of life.
Sasuke could barely believe such a creature could be responsible for his current condition. His pride didn't want to accept what his mind could clearly deduce; in the end of it all, she would be the true victor. Memories of his encounter with Itachi sprang to mind, and the cold Uchiha gave, perhaps, the first warm smile of his life. Perhaps she'd earned it. With that thought, he resolved the deposition of Hyuuga Hinata with a concentrated effort of his eyes, a small field of black engulfing her existence.
Behind him, movement caught his attention. "My, a fated battle between the Sharingan and the Byakugan, and I missed it." Kabuto spoke, disappointment slouching his voice from within his resurrected summon. "So, which is more powerful, Sasuke?" Deidara's body spoke again in Kabuto's voice.
The Uchiha gave a skeptical look. "This does not concern you."
"Oh? And what of the Hyuuga?" Kabuto persisted.
Sasuke shot a glance to the flames of Amaterasu roiling just meters away in response.
"I see. Clever. Deidara has been causing quite the fuss over your status among the living." Kabuto taunted.
"I don't have time for this." Sasuke said dismissively as he raised his hand to the air and brought it down with mild force. As if beckoned, a dragon of lightning roared from the clouds and descended onto the resurrected Deidara. The demolitions expert regained control in time to swear loudly as terajoules of electrical power surged through his decrepit body with explosive force.
As the neon burst subsided, the ashen figure of Deidara stood frozen. Veins of glass trickled like frozen rivers across its graven expression. Sasuke cursed under his breath. His inability to seal the petulant 'artist' all but guaranteed Kabuto would be able to send him forth like the plague he was. Perhaps he would have to deal with 'Orochibuto' before he handled the outstanding issue of the Leaf. No doubt, the snake-fetishist would go to great lengths to acquire his Sharingan. It would be most unwise to allow Kabuto to run freely at his flanks… particularly since he seemed to be able to summon a whole damned army of past S-class ninja from centuries past. The Uchiha mustered his strength; departing the area, having settled on his next course of action.
In the minutes that passed, a light drizzle began to hiss at Amaterasu's border; a gentle melody playing harmony to the slowly returning chorus of insects and birds. Life recovered from the brief interruption, oblivious to the magnitude of what just transpired, before a harsh tone interrupted the process once more. "Damnit Sai! I thought you said this was your waterproof ink!"
"Water resistant, Kiba. It got us over the flames like you wanted." A soft voice retorted as a strange bird, consisting of thick outlines and white fill screamed in through the clouds. Its form blurred and flowed into a mist behind the disintegrating creature.
"Well, yeah… but I thought landing on the other side was a given." Kiba groaned, mildly distressed.
"Don't worry. We won't miss the ground." Sai assured his passengers with content evident in his brow.
"Perhaps it would be best for us to slow our descent." Lee recommended, formally. "Before we hit the ground, that is." He added, realizing the ground would be up to the task of slowing them down.
"I agree." Shino observed.
Sai obliged, a flood of ink surged into existence, repairing his bird enough to bring the group safely to the ground. "A book I read said that practical humor helped to strengthen the bonds of friendship."
The comment went largely unheard as Kiba was already grinding his face through dirt and grass In desperation. Shino's insects burst forth to search the broader forest. Lee appeared to be attempting a Neji impersonation, holding a hand up as if to activate a Byakugan of his own. While not effective, it demonstrated the young man's enthusiasm.
"Shit! The rain is screwing with the scents." Kiba tore across the ground faster.
"Several different and powerful chakra signatures battled here. I can hardly believe one of them was Hinata's." Shino commented as insects slowly fed him updates on the surrounding area.
Sai and Lee both walked curiously around the ashen statue of Deidara. "This is… one of the Akatsuki members Kabuto brought back, correct?" Lee asked.
"Yes. And it would seem this was the work of a very powerful lightning element attack." Sai added.
"Why is Sasuke attacking Kabuto's summons?" Lee asked, perplexed.
"Because he's a fucking prick who needs to die." Kiba cursed, angrily.
"Did not we already have this conversation with Naruto, Kiba?" Lee challenged.
"If he won't kill that bastard after what happened, today, then I sure as hell will!" Kiba screamed, fixated in front of the dying flames of Amaterasu in the center of the battle-torn landscape.
"Kiba… Is that?" Shino asked hesitantly.
"Her scent is everwhere, she was using several shadow clones… but this is where it all seems to have come to… an end." The Inuzuka choked from behind a tear-stricken face.
The drizzle shifted to a downpour; the Sky's tears staunchly challenged the hold Hell's flames had upon the Sun's very own temple.
[/Resume "Ghost River"]
Naruto vaguely recalled his mother's condensed history lesson about the Uzumaki. They were so good at sealing jutsu that they were wiped out in fear of their abilities. How would someone fight with sealing jutsu? Obviously, the Tori that had just crushed the Zetsu into oblivion was a practical application of sealing to battle… and the vines that were wrapping around Shikamaru.
Naruto decided it was best to get this over with quickly, and to not let her know he was now the Jinchuriki of the Nine Tails. Maybe Kabuto hadn't let her know, and she wouldn't get any crazy ideas of undoing the seal. "I still have to defeat you. Distant family, or not."
"I warn you, young one. That will not be easy to do. Have you ever gone against the arts of your own clan?" The older woman challenged.
"I manage." He added after opening his eyes to reveal they had turned to resemble a toad's. Shadow clones appeared to either side as he spun up a Rasenshuriken. "Sorry to cut this short." He flung the twisting mass of chakra at the ghost of the past.
Mito sighed, gesturing a few unfamiliar hand-signs before outstretching her hand. "We Uzumaki," She started as a symbol danced to life in her palm, "excel at harnessing large sources of power." This point was further illustrated by the symbol absorbing the entirety of Naruto's Rasenshuriken. "Then, we unleash that power at an opportune time." She concluded as the symbol glowed in response, the emanating chakra twisting and churning back into its earlier form of the Rasenshuriken. It burst from Mito's palm, screaming straight for the shocked blonde.
The screeching mass of energy suddenly expanded, engulfing Naruto while tearing a considerable crater into the ground. As the wind subsided, Mito sighed sadly. "To think that Kushina and Minato's son would unleash such a powerful and complicated attack. The complex nature and form of the attack were quite a sturdy challenge to my sealing abilities, let alone the power. Forgive me, Kushina."
A palpable burst of chakra rang across the river as countless clones of Naruto came into being. The surrounding trees and field appeared to embrace autumn as the orange ninja's outfit swarmed the landscape. Mito stilled, momentarily awed by the sheer magnitude of the forbidden technique. This young man… has an inhuman amount of chakra. Suspicion tickled at her curiosity in the back of her mind. Perhaps…
Naruto's clones didn't spare much time before storming the lone woman with zeal. Mito countered the mass of clones with an impressive display of taijutsu and small weapons. Still, she'd barely placed a dent in the number of clones. With clones leaping in from every angle, she took a single knee while forming another alien hand-sign. The shadow clones in the clearing above the bluff instantly dispersed, their chakra failing to return to their source.
The surrounding Narutos looked on in amazement, fear, and shock. Several challenged the clearing, only to be dispersed upon passing no more than a meter the grasses. The real Naruto looked around for a moment. Shikamaru liked to throw weapons around and make traps. Maybe this was something similar… only with sealing jutsu, instead. He dispersed his clones. They weren't doing any good, right now, and he didn't like how he was getting no chakra or experiences back from his clones.
He stepped cautiously into the clearing. "What is it you… or Kabuto… wants with me?"
"That, I do not know. I only know it is commanded that I challenge your abilities." Mito answered. "To that point, perhaps you could show me how well you've mastered controlling the Nine Tails' chakra."
Well, there went keeping that a secret. "It's kind of a hateful critter. It only gets more pissed when I take its chakra for my own use. I'd rather not treat it like a chakra battery on top of keeping it locked away." Naruto explained. He really did feel sorry for the Fox. Who wouldn't be extremely bitter after being locked away for three generations and treated as a source of power for use by nations of squabbling people? He really wanted better for the creature.
Mito smiled. "Understandably so. Tell me, again, your name."
Naruto didn't recall telling her his name to begin with, but whatever. "Naruto Uzumaki."
Mito gave another sad sigh. The name, itself, told a story. The Namikaze name, hidden from both boy and village; the hasty sealing of the Nine Tails into a newborn; all told that Kushina and Minato died combating the Fox. And Naruto… Naruto would be forced to be an orphan amidst a superstitious, bitter village recovering from an attack by the very creature sealed inside him.
How the boy had not been consumed by the Nine Tails' malevolence was a vexing puzzle. "Tell me, Naruto, have you ever lost control?"
Naruto's disposition darkened, slightly, remembering the look on Hinata's face as she was slammed into the ground and skewered. "Yeah. A shy friend of mine confessed her love for me just before fighting an unwinnable battle to save me. I lost it when I thought she'd died."
Interesting… "I should hope you haven't been rude."
"What do you mean?" Naruto wasn't following.
"The girl was obviously willing to die for you. Surely, you didn't just pretend like none of it ever happened. That would be quite a phallic maneuver." The elder Uzumaki keenly observed.
"Phallic maneuver?" Naruto muttered to himself. "Of course we've talked. I… was actually surprised. Hinata's a lot of fun to be around!" He cheered.
Mito gave pause. The Hyuuga had been quite fond of sun-themed names. "Hinata… she wouldn't happen to be a Hyuuga, would she?"
"Yeah! She's got those cool eyes and everything!" Naruto exclaimed. A brief moment passed when Naruto added, thoughtfully; "She's had it pretty rough, too. Her cousin even tried to kill her, once, during the Chuunin exams…"
For once, Mito was glad Kabuto left her with some amount of free will. She was enjoying this conversation with the orphaned Uzumaki, and not in a rush to continue the fight. She wagered it was her competitive desire to challenge his skills that allowed her to choose to not fight him right this moment. "And why would he do that?"
"Something about her being the heiress to their head family… but he thought he was destined to be the best in his clan… I didn't quite understand all of it, but he was being a jerk." He gave a soft, reflective smile for a moment. "I made a promise on her blood to beat him when we fought… and I did."
Mito gave an incredulous chuckle. He was as romantic as he was oblivious; an amusing pair of traits. Even more captivating was the fact that this kid was not only involved with a Hyuuga… but their Heiress. What she wouldn't give to see the look on the elders of the stoic clan when Naruto's budding relationship reached fruition. The sunny blonde would be a bit much for them to handle. "Perhaps you are destined for more than you realize. Even so, the key to managing the Nine Tails is love, and you seem to have that in Spades."
The blonde looked slightly flustered. "Well… I don't know about that whole destiny stuff… and…" His stomach growled to cut him off.
"I see. Let us finish this battle, then, Naruto." She finished formally while assuming a defensive stance.
For a moment, Naruto wondered if his ancestor would appreciate Ichiraku Ramen – before cursing his stomach for usurping his brain. Once again, he was left without insight into fighting a sealing jutsu specialist. To make things worse; shadow clones, great for such expeditionary exploits, were out of the question.
Meh; fuck it. Naruto charged his ancestor, deciding it best not to entertain reasoning to the contrary.
Simultaneously, Kabuto over-rode the consciousness of Mito; his voice eerily echoing in place of her own. "Do you still quest for the Uchiha, Naruto?"
Flesh slammed into flesh; the young man's fist caught by the Mito/Kabuto monstrosity. "You're one sick bastard, you know that?" Naruto returned in synch with a sweep of his leg.
The hybrid leapt back just out of arm's length. "A matter of perspective." Kabuto replied flatly. "You want to see him give up on revenge. I want to give him the power to fulfill his desires." A volley of kunai followed his verbal point.
Naruto didn't bother blocking; side-stepping the half-hearted throw. "Don't give me that crap." He withdrew a large 'Fuma' Shuriken, fanning its retractable blades. "You're using him." He hurled the shuriken at the hybrid.
The hybrid perked an eyebrow before, similarly, side-stepping the display; the shuriken continuing harmlessly into the obscuring woods. "What makes you think…" the hybrid flashed through hand-seals "that your sunny disposition will be enough?"
Two dark, wood planks shot from the ground on either side of Naruto. The young man froze, relaxing as he recalled the fate of the Zetsu. Toad eyes flashed as the completed Tori crashed down, splintering upon an invisible force.
"I see." Kabuto mused. "So, you have a natural kumite technique, as well." His tone implied a lengthy, slithering tongue. "And your mastery of sage mode is simply incredible."
Naruto narrowed his brow. "I'm not one of your test subjects."
Kabuto laughed behind the veil of Mito. "Oh, but you are! For example… I'm curious to see if you'll react to the news of your little girlfriend's death the way I predicted."
Physics was forced to yield to will as Naruto wrenched on the hybrid's arm. "'The hell was that about Hinata?"
Kabuto barely managed to suppress shock at the development. The hybrid's solid knee to Naruto's groin gave it the opportunity to free itself; but only just. Deeply torn flesh remained upon Mito's wrist as a mark of gravity. "Your beloved Sasuke killed her, I'm afraid."
The young man growled in response; partly to squelch the burn crawling from his groin to his stomach, and mostly as a response to Kabuto's news. "You're making that up." The cloak of the nine-tails burst into radiance, a palm sized wind-shuriken thrown into the ground below the hybrid's feet.
The hybrid danced away as a rain of wind-shuriken erupted from the jinchuriki. The shuriken were, obviously, not as powerful as the full sized version but were still enough to blast a meter wide crater in the ground. "She put up a hell of a fight, though. Such a shame that Sasuke decided to incinerate her with that pesky Amaterasu, though. I really wanted a chance to analyze her Byakugan."
The blonde charged, the cloak forming an outstretched, clawed hand. "That's enough!"
The hybrid flashed more hand seals; roots erupting from the ground in synchronous to ensnare the massive source of yang chakra. "The real question, Naruto, is when will you accept the reality that Sasuke is lost? It was easy to hold on to hope when you saw him as the one person you connected with. But now that he's killed the girl who loved you before you were even at the Academy…?"
Naruto dismissed the cloak, pausing just long enough to pull in nature chakra. As if planned, he vaulted through the overgrown roots. Shuriken traced along behind him as he dipped and arced along the newly formed maw. He slammed, an orange blitz, into the ground supporting the offending presence. Deep fissures spread across the ground, splitting the face of the bluff a hundred meters away. He recovered from the miss, slamming his fists into the figure before him.
The hybrid stared back into the hard gaze of Naruto's now-normal blue eyes from behind caught fists. "You can't save Sasuke. When this war is over, let me deal with the Uchiha."
Naruto didn't respond, his answer having already arrived. The 'Fuma' shuriken burried itself into the hybrid's back with a grotesque mix of splashing and grinding noises. A shadow clone cheered in the distance, having been one of several left to hide outside the clearing.
Mito asserted control over her body in a flurry of hand signs. "Forgive me, Naruto." An ethereal hand slammed into the young man's chest; his chakra network writhing violently under the intrusion. In a flash of light, life left the Uzumaki ancestor; a crumbling husk fading to dust with the shuriken clattering to the ground.
Naruto coughed, shivering heavily for a moment as he looked around in shock. "What ….?"
Mito's voice echoed softly into his mind. "Never lose your heart, Naruto. Through it all… Never lose your heart."
[/End Track]
[/Naruto Shippuuden OST2: Track 08 "Kouen"; Naruto Shippuuden OST1: Track 05 "Lightning Speed"]
Hanabi landed next to Konohamaru with a thud. "Kono-ough-maru!" she choked on dust.
The boy's panic-stricken eyes were locked upon the mass protruding from the gash in his clothing and underlying flesh. "Oh God!" He wimpered.
Hanabi worked fast, chisling the chakra in her hand into a blade; cutting the boy's shirt in one motion. Her activated Byakugan was already analyzing the damage in spite of the obscuring skin. A twelve centimeter gash ran along the boy's side, allowing half a meter of his intestinal track to pass through the muscle wall and into the open. "Konohamaru, listen." She said softly.
The boy was still wimpering wildly "… Mom… Oh God…"
She turned back to the wound. There were two prevailing theories regarding the proper first aid for disembowelment. Disembowelment, while one of the scariest things one could experience, was not as life threatening as one would think. The affectionately termed "Taco" method would have Hanabi fold the intestines into a damp linen and secure it to the boy's side. However, modern physicians contended the body was the best protector of the organs, and any clean-up would be done at rearward medical facilities before any contaminates could do the body serious harm.
Hanabi processed the options for a moment. She liked the simple 'put it back in' solution. She quickly gathered the soft, vulnerable masses; inspecting them to ensure she wouldn't be stuffing gravel, twigs, or leaves back in along with them. She guided her hand to Konohamaru's, giving it a firm, reassuring squeeze.
"Konohamaru, look at me." She squeezed again.
His panicked eyes eased slightly as they basked in her pale orbs. He didn't have time to protest when a swift action slid up his side. A bizarre, dull pain accompanied the wet, slithering sensation of his bowels resuming their interior status. He found his hand shakily clinging to Hanabi's while his hips and shoulders tremmored with adrenaline.
"Hold this." She instructed, motioning to his hastily folded shirt draped across the gash. The boy complied. He wasn't sure when she'd pulled his medical kit from his belt, but she was quickly stretching out enough tape to secure the cloth to his skin.
A shadow bore down from above. Hanabi caught sight of another puppet with her Byakugan and turned to address the new threat. A sharp crack resonated through the surrounding trees, Temari twirling her fan victoriously after batting the puppet away. "I'll keep them busy. You two get the hell out of here!"
A cacophony of metallic screeching and wooden clattering filled the surrounding woods. Hanabi saw, through her Byakugan, what Temari and Konohamaru could only guess at. "Oh… shit." Her tone was that of detached awe.
[Mech Assault OST: "Mech Battle (Snow) 3"; Disturbed: The Lost Children "Old Friend"]
A hundred puppets swarmed through the trees in vindication of Hanabi's statement, stripping leaves and chipping bark in their blitz. Temari tore loose from above with another blast of wind; Hanabi, hair flailing, did her best to shield Konohamaru from the storm of dust and rocks. A muffled grunt shifted to a groan from the boy before the wind subsided.
The Hyuuga snapped into a defensive stance amidst the deafening roar of the puppet army. Temari zinged from branch to branch, barely managing to parry puppets in their lethal passes in the process. Puppets swirled like angry hornets through the forest about her as she processed the scenario. Two puppets in white robes lashed out from the storm on a vector for her.
Hanabi took a little inspiration from the Fifth Hokage, experimentally bolstering her stance and strength with chakra before countering with dismissive circular passes of her hands. The effect was not to her desired caliber, but it served its purpose – the two puppets were forcibly deflected back into the storm with a shower of molten metal. The metallic tang of vaporized steel bit within Hanabi's nose as she tracked damage inflicted on the two assailants. It was as she suspected – the Gentle Fist would be next to useless against their wood and metal construction.
She counted seven total white shrouded puppets in the mix of the roughly one hundred other puppets. The users were, no doubt, skilled in their time; and the previous attack had been careful to leave her no angles on the puppet's chakra strings. Puppet users were, certainly, a very wise choice if one expected to encounter a Hyuuga. She took four pills from her pack; quickly storing each one, a different shape and texture, under her tongue. She forced reality from her mind – one of them, a Cyanide tablet infused with a special stimulant to drive the chakra network into destruction post-mortem – was not worth fixating on. There was one way out of this alive, and she would make it happen.
Konohamaru gazed up at his new team mate weakly. He knew what the tablets were… the 'suicide' tablet was one; the others a tier of standard antitoxins, atropine, and raw adrenal stimulants designed to squeeze the most operational capacity out of a dying body. How could he have understood the gravity of their use in the classroom? He couldn't help but be mildly awed at her cold, calculating stance. Hand signs flashed; recognizing the pattern, he took hold of his team mate's ankle.
"H-Hanabi…" The dry voice accompanied a soft grasp of her ankle. She tilted her ear to him; strict discipline keeping her eyes deceptively forward. "Trust me… you need a lot more chakra for that." He heaved.
"No other options." She countered.
The boy shook his head. "Together. I'll push, you steer." He implied.
Hanabi caught on. It wouldn't be the most efficient way of doing things, but extra power none the less – and Konohamaru wouldn't need any soon. She nodded, loosening the chakra points in her leg. None of this was ideal – she'd never performed the technique and only observed the networks closely of those who performed it. A sharp Hyuuga could give an Uchiha a good run for their money in the art of copying ninjutsu. The practice, however, was considered shameful – A sharp Hyuuga should never have to stray outside of Hyuuga techniques.
Yeah, well, that flew out the window with these puppets. She formed the seals as she felt Konohamaru's chakra network merge with her own. She abandoned the seals only once. She had to constrict her chakra points; the boy, apparently, was the Konoha Strategic Chakra Reserve; and it threatened to drown the unprepared girl. Regaining control over her energies, she weaved the seals smoothly while carefully observing her network to ensure the desired outcome.
Ten copies of Hanabi burst into existence. Interestingly enough, each had more chakra than the original Hanabi – most of their supply originating from Konohamaru. Each already understood the plan; the puppet masters lay three hundred and fifty meters bearing 063 true. Ten fully active Byakugan shot in echelon formation toward the maw of puppets.
The seven white puppets broke for the original Hyuuga. Hanabi steeled as they closed, pulling into a Palm Revolving Heaven at the last moment. Four puppets clashed hard against the barrier, ricocheting out a few dozen meters before lazily arcing back. The other three, however, formed a small pyramid just as the Hyuuga dismissed her technique; a small vacuum vortex competing against gravity's hold on her body.
Hanabi thanked her genetics when she saw the coming attack. Two blades large enough to make bones irrelevant were the primary weapon of two of the returning puppets; one fired a barrage of senbon at range while the last sent a stream of kunai. Avoiding both would tip her into the killing vortex or blades.
Making her decision, she tongued a capsule and bit down. Antitoxins flowed down her throat as she took the barrage of senbon needles openly. Ignoring the pain, she slid to the side, slamming a firm palm into the pyramid of puppets with a massive surge of chakra. A bright flash accompanied the discharge, and the tang of vaporized metal, once again, filled the air. The puppets dispersed, one with a fused leg joint due to Hanabi's improvised welding.
The world suddenly spun around the girl as she stumbled. Too fast… She tongued the atropine tablet and bit down. She wondered, briefly, if the nightshades she'd tended to in the Hyuuga's garden with Hinata had contributed to this particular batch. She steadied slightly as the tropane alkaloids took hold. Still, she didn't like the last two tablets in her arsenal – the last one was merely choosing failure over negligence.
A new nausea slammed into her a moment later; memories of another merged into her own – all 359 degrees squared of vision. She shivered violently, pushing the flood to the back of her mind. Now I know why Hyuuga don't use shadow clones… Holy Hell.
Her shadow clones were pinned in a literal flood of puppets. The clones, while effective at cutting the chakra threads, could do little actual damage to the constructs. There were just so many puppets that the master had time to re-thread the puppets before the clones could make a break. The white puppets seemed to have given up on her and Konohamaru for the time being; Temari, apparently, was a higher priority target.
Hanabi took the break to analyze again. Temari was the only real firepower they had; Konohamaru was immobile, and her clones were unable to punch through unaided. Her mind came up with one unacceptable answer – that she leave Konohamaru to aid Temari to open a breach for her clones.
A fast shadow caught her attention; she turned her head just in time to catch a puppet gunning for her blind spot. A second flash of cherry replaced the puppet with the likeness of Sakura Haruno; understudy to the Fifth Hokage; and a trail of broken puppets behind her.
"You cut them down and I'll dust them." The pink haired young woman rallied as she flashed hand signs. "Tetraclone." She stated as four clones appeared – each a different elemental affinity. Hanabi marveled for a moment at the young woman's skill in handling chakra. The pink clones rushed to the havoc created by Hanabi's.
Sakura withdrew a small tag from her pouch, placing it on Konohamaru's forehead. She keyed a microphone attached to a speaker in her ear. "Hotel Prime, Arch Angel Two; over." She paused, awaiting response. "Tag Kilo One Fife Niner is for immediate tele-straction as an Urgent Surgical and is not, repeat not ambulatory; over." Another pause. "Negative Hotel," – she brought her fist down into an encroaching puppet. "conventional extraction impossible." Another pause as she crunched part of the puppet beneath the soles of her shoes. "I know you're strained, Hotel – that is what the damned food pills are for! Get this kid out of here!" Her expression twisted slightly to reflect victory. "Roger out." Moments later, symbols projected from the tab in a holographic display before enveloping a fading Konohamaru. It required massive amounts of chakra to teleport things – particularly people – without a blood contract, but it was worth it in these situations.
"How are you holding up?" Sakura asked Hanabi.
"I'm two tablets deep. We need to put the hammer down while we still can." The girl replied calmly, digging out a few senbon needles.
Sakura knew the Hyuuga façade of detached indifference, but seeing this girl figure herself into cold mathematical attrition was... chilling. Sakura had been issued the standard chemical/biological countermeasure tablets, but never once used them. Even when she should have – she'd rejected the reality of her own mortality and dispensability. Or; perhaps, Sakura considered, that was just how far Hanabi was willing to go for others… Sakura couldn't answer whether or not she could do the same, a distracting thought for another time.
"Right. We go for Temari." Sakura rallied, again.
Hanabi shivered as another clone dispersed, having taken a metal spike to the chest… quite an unpleasant memory to have. She was running out of time; a slower acting drug, perhaps, was creeping through her system, and these Byakugan-toting clones weren't making things easier. "Moving." Hanabi responded as she streaked for the nearest white puppet.
Sakura dashed off, catching a glimpse of the maw of her and Hanabi's clones:
It was just when the clones made a break. Two Hanabi clones punched through with a Sakura in tow, the other six Hanabi clones and three Sakura clones pulling rear echelon guard as puppets raced to defend their master.
Sakura bristled as Temari batted a white puppet at her before she caught the Blonde's drift. Lady Chiyo's puppet was no match for Sakura's monstrous chakra-enhanced strength; the puppet shattered beyond use. The remaining puppets swarmed, hot sparks skipping from Hanabi's Gentle Fist deflections.
Temari scored a wind blast against two of the puppets, dispatching them for precious few seconds while Hanabi rounded on the threads of the most vulnerable of Chiyo's puppets. The brief disconnect of its left arm control was all Sakura needed; pummeling the defenseless construct.
Hanabi froze momentarily as two more memories slammed into her consciousness. The two returning puppets broke for her in the moment of delirium. Temari deflected one with a swing of her fan while Sakura slammed the other into the ground with an open palmed strike. The effort was only partially successful as debris from Sakura's kill splashed over the Hyuuga's body; two toxin-laced blades lacerating her skin.
Incredibly powerful anesthetics, Sakura theorized. Hanabi went limp for a moment before jerking to consciousness. She tongued the adrenal stimulants and bit down. Her body burned with energy in an intense high; an indescribable urge to endeavor and strain her body. Sakura's heart sank. Untreated, Hanabi would slip into a coma and likely die; an outcome the child had already prepared for and accepted.
Hanabi was quick to recover, unsealing two sais; palming one in each hand. Three of these interesting cases down. The standard army of puppets, while thinned, was moving to tighten the circle on the Hyuuga and her accomplices. One slammed into Hanabi as she rolled under it, raking a chakra-infused sai across its belly before rabbit-kicking the contraption away, using the inertia to propel herself airborne momentarily. As planned, another puppet passed under her as she kicked down; the puppet forced into the ground for Sakura's raging fist and Hanabi propelled to the strings of a passing white puppet that were quickly severed.
Temari rebuked a stream of puppets with a powerful blast of air before bringing her fan down upon the newly disabled white puppet – twisting the metal frame beyond use. The Jonin rounded to bat a standard puppet into the ground before her, crushing its existence. A quick glance around caught Hanabi staggering incoherently. Temari saw the last of the white puppets, but couldn't stop it as it scooped the girl up and darted through the moderately thinned maw of standard puppets.
"God Damnit!" She cursed in frustration, catching Sakura's attention.
"ArchAngel One; hostage inbound! On you! She's packing cyanide!" Sakura keyed frantically.
Hanabi flinched back into consciousness, the rigid mechanics of her captor pressing uncomfortably against her mass as it zigged and zagged through the trees. Oh God… It's come to this… I'm sorry, Daddy. She tongued the final tablet in her mouth and closed her eyes. Her last four clones had dissipated all at once, and the adrenaline stimulants were rapidly wearing off. She clenched the tablet between her molars. Failure over negligence…
The crunch was the last thing she heard before darkness slipped around her.
[/end tracks]
[Author's Notes]
I admit – I blitzed through the last 4000 words of this. We got pulled from Pendleton to babysitting some minesweepers bound for the Strait of Harmuz with twelve hour shifts before being pulled for an alcohol awareness/life counseling course (all of us under the tender age of 26). The last good section of this was written in the van on the way to Sand Diego and right here in the barracks while I should be sleeping or studying.
I told you all it would be a hell of a ride – and I hope it certainly delivers. A few notes – Yes, for you MDs out there – Atropine is typically an injection with sodium chloride solution. However, tropane alkaloids can also be administered orally (hence why you shouldn't eat chloroplast-rich tissues of the Solanacae family – or Nightshades, such as Potatoes, eggplants, Tomatoes… you all are giving me the "bullshit" stare, right – look it up … the parts we normally eat are fine… the other parts… not so much – and you shouldn't even touch Nightshade).
Further – in the phonetic alphanumerical expression – the term "Fife" is used for "five". "Nine" is Niner – "Oh" is Zero… and there is no such thing as "Over and out." Over implies that you are finished with your statement and awaiting response. Out implies that you are finished with the conversation and have no further need for the line. "over and out" is, thus, an oxy-moron.
I modeled the poison countermeasures after the Chemical and Biological injections we are issued in the military. The first one is a round of broad-spectrum anti-bad. The second, if that doesn't work, is atropine and some other fun things that won't necessarily kill you any faster than what you've already got. The third is adrenaline and adrenal stimulants designed to turn you into a locomotive that will get the most use out of you before you die.
Cheery discussion, I know.
Oh, and let the hate-mail begin. Free Naruto-Universe story (or a universe I am familiar with) to anyone who can correctly guess what Sasuke is up to in this story. Rest assured – there is a clear plan on my part – the trick is just getting the characters to go along with it.
Anyway – Aim Out.
[There's a lot there at the end, but I'll leave it. It's kind of relevant.]