Naruto
-327-
By Geor-sama
There are certain problems when fighting an opponent as a group.
Communication for one, since it would allow for coordination, hand signals were good for ambushes but for actual combat you needed some thing else. Radios were a nice idea, especially for the more tactical inclined to direct the combat for the team, but sometimes you simply didn't have time to put them in and once the fighting started you couldn't waste time putting them in. That's where knowing your team mates, being able to predict their actions and techniques they would use, became a priority.
Sai and Naruto did not have years of experience working together, but they had some, so they could make reasonable assessments and judgments of what the other would do. Together, the two young men should have been able to handle any enemy that foolishly got in their path, especially with the kind of power Naruto was throwing around.
Unfortunately the enemy this time happened to be immortal.
Naruto and Sai had been hammering away at this seemingly immortal man for the better part of an hour with little to show for it outside of Sai's slowing reaction time and Naruto's labored breathing. Neji observed the battle with a sort of detached interest, but there was no doubting that merely observing would gain them nothing. Unfortunately just charging into the fray could cause complications, communication and coordination would not be on their side but delaying could cost Sai his life.
Weaving his way through the various Kage Bunshin, the Hyūga set his mind toward catching the enemy from behind. Sai and Naruto were keeping the man's attention focused on them and while direct physical attacks seemed useless, perhaps attacking the inner coils could be of some help. Of course, there was also the fact that the man's chakra seemed like something found within a dead body so it was doubtful, but it was worth a try.
Coming within range, Neji adopted his stance and attacked the man's unprotected back with a Hakke Rokujuuyonshou. The rapid fire of his chakra charged fingers striking each tenketsu was impressive: two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two, sixty-four! Pausing he watched as the Akatsuki agent stumbled forward from the impact, half-turning to face him, while taking his eyes off Sai and Naruto.
"Sneaky little rodent!" the man shouted, scythe whipping around before a kunai caught him in the ribs followed by an explosion. Thankfully Neji had enough time to use a Kaiten to deflect the scythe and the debris from the explosion. Coming out of the spin a moment later, he stared through the lingering smoke and debris and felt his mouth go dry.
The man had been thrown into a tree by the explosion, unsurprising, but it hadn't killed him. The Akatsuki agent used scythe and tree to regain his footing, while grinning. That wasn't what made Neji's mouth go dry though, it was the exposed ribs (what remained of them at least) from where the explosion had went off.
"Prepare for judgment fucknut!" Hidan shouted, charging forward, the twisted and disjointed arm holding the pike plunging forward.
Neji recovered from his surprise and extending the chakra from his body, drove his own palm forward, slamming it into the man's almost non-existent chest with enough force to drive him back into another tree. His relief turned to worry as he caught the scythe coming at him in a looping swing that he'd been too focused to notice, thankfully though a Naruto Kage Bunshin got in the way and Neji was spared the effort of a desperate Kaiten
Sai jumped in, picking up the slack and Neji shook his head. This should have been impossible, nobody should still be alive after all of that and especially in the sort of condition that body had been in. What disturbed him most was the fact that despite his body's state, Hidan could apparently still fight as well as he ever could.
Spotting Naruto, who seemed to be catching his breath, Neji checked on Sai. The ink user seemed to be handling the fight for the moment, well enough that he wasn't about to end up dead if Neji and Naruto took a moment to come up with some sort of plan. Satisfied, he caught Naruto's attention and made a motion that they should fall back, the young man hesitated with a glance at Sai and then nodded in agreement.
"We can't keep this up," Neji said once they were both hidden from immediate view. "Sai is getting slower, My attacks are not making a difference and eventually you will get too tired to keep fighting."
"Then what do you suggest?" Naruto asked harshly, breathing heavy. That was when Neji noticed the influence of the Kyūbi: darker whisker marks, the canines and the bushier hair. Naruto was on the edge of exhaustion, which Neji should have realized sooner, considering the amount of power and length of time the boy had been fighting.
"Retreat. Unless you have a technique that you have not used yet, one that you believe could end this."
"There might be one." Naruto muttered, voice a low growl.
"Then why have you not used it?" Neji asked, voice sharpening to the command tone he used on missions.
"Because it takes five minutes to form, I can only maintain it for twenty seconds and after what I've hit him with I'm not sure it'll work!" Naruto snapped, glaring at him. "That's not counting that its extremely hard to find a damn opening to hit him with it."
"I see." Neji said, briefly activating his bloodline to check on the battle, just as the scythe came within inches of hitting Sai "I could act as distraction, along with Sai to give you the opening."
"That's not a-"
"I can read his movements, I can avoid his attacks easily." Neji said interrupting him "We must cross this dangerous bridge, the longer we linger, the more danger this mission is in."
Naruto was silent, his hands clenching and unclenching, jaw muscles tightening. The boy was arguing with himself, but Neji didn't see why, this was the only plan they could risk in this situation. He opened his mouth to explain this, because with each moment Sai came closer to death, when Naruto beat him to it.
"I developed this technique to stand on my own, and for others." Naruto paused, setting his jaw "more than that, if this fails then you and Sai need to be in a position to retreat immediately, since I'll have to unleash the fur ball. I'll cross this bridge alone."
"Naruto you can't-"
"Leave this to me," Naruto said, turning to met his gaze "I've made everyone wait and protect me for too long since I returned."
Neji stared back steadily, meeting that gaze, reading the intentions within his friend. Naruto wanted to stand on his own, he wanted to show that he could protect others and he would cross this bridge alone. It was then that Neji realized that this was Uzumaki Naruto the future Hokage and he knew that he had a job to do.
"As you wish," Neji said, then as the boy moved back into the fray, shouting for Sai to get out of his way, Neji stared at his back adding "Hokage-sama."
Ame, one of two private bedrooms in the Tallest Tower...
Pain sighed ever so softly, waking from his slumber as he noticed the subtle chakra of Zetsu. Sitting up, he reached to touch the sleeping form of Konan, but paused as the woman stirred before speaking softly "I'm awake."
"I'll see what it is." Pain offered, getting up and throwing his red and black cloak on. Privately he was thankful for the chance to depart with an excuse, normally after a night together things were strained upon waking up. If only she had not become attached to this body, Pain mused before stepping into the seemingly empty hallway and setting aside personal concerns. "What is it Zetsu?
"Like you asked, we checked up on the 'Zombie Twins' at the Base in Tea Country," the man answered in his normal voice, as he seemingly sprouted from the wall before Pain. "We FoUnD tHe SaNbI RaMpAgInG bUt ThEy WeRe NoT aRoUnD."
"As I warned him," Pain said, keeping his tone flat and even. He had told Madara that those two would not let it go, Hidan would view it as a challenge and Kakuzu simply as a chance to make more money. "Have you contacted Tobi and Deidara to tell them those two are on their way?"
"No," Zetsu said, golden eyes seeming to glint "We'Re AtTeMpTiNg To SuBdUe The BiJuU."
"I see." Pain said, before narrowing his eyes "Return to your efforts, I will send another team to see to it. Then I wish for you to find Kakuzu and Hidan."
"Of CoUrSe." Zetsu said before melting back into the wall, his chakra dissipating seconds before Konan stepped out of her room wearing her own cloak.
"I can go to help, if you wish." Konan offered, her voice dispassionately melodious.
"No," Pain said, shaking his head as he started for a nearby room "It was his mistake, we'll let him and Deidara clean it up."
"He will not like taking orders," Konan intoned following after him "you know his history."
"I am not Senjuu," Pain responded, entering the private room with the stone basin in the middle "he created this problem, he will clean it up or he will suffer the judgment of god."
Pausing he concentrated his chakra, forming the hand seal and uttered a single word "Assemble."
Deidara's distorted image arrived first, his eyes showing an interest. Tobi soon joined him, though he seemed to be crouching. Lowering his hands Pain addressed them calmly, though his eyes lingered on Tobi. "We seem to have a problem, Hidan and Kakuzu have abandoned the Sanbi in the Land of Tea base."
"What are they thinking, yeah?" Deidara asked, before glaring at Tobi "Tobi, you should be paying attention! This is an important meeting-"
"Ah, right, right," Tobi said, though he didn't stand up. Looking at Deidara he began rubbing the back of his head "Hehe, are you sure I can't-"
"No."
"But-"
"No!" Deidara snapped, glaring at the orange masked man.
"But sempai! Tobi's a good boy and I really want a pet!"
"Enough." Pain said curtly, and though the others missed it, Tobi's head had turned sharply a fraction of an inch toward him. "Tobi, do whatever you want with whatever it is you want for a pet. But you'll have to come back for it later, right now you and Deidara are heading for Tea Country to subdue the Sanbi."
"But were supposed to be capturing the Nibi Jinchūriki!" Tobi whined, but Pain saw the way those shoulders were squaring.
"She can wait," Pain said blandly, "Zetsu is doing his best for now, but you need to get there as quickly as you can."
"Don't worry, yeah, we'll subdue it quick." Deidara offered, the now silent Tobi projecting an aura of pouting. Seeming to sense this Deidara sighed, closing his eyes "Don't worry Tobi, we'll come back for your new pet."
"Ok," Tobi muttered like a little child, and then turned addressing something that Pain couldn't see "Just be a good pet and wait ok? Don't worry about a thing."
"Dismissed." Pain said, allowing the jutsu to dissolved and both figures faded away with a flicker. Sighing he shared a look with Konan, both knowing that the other was thinking the same thing.
Tobi with a pet, this could not be a good thing.
Rock Lee didn't have the best memory, Tenten had a better one and Neji at times seemed to have a photographic one, but he could remember things. It just happened, that generally speaking, he didn't bother remembering things until something jogged it. Sometimes, he discovered, that it was funny how the strangest things would trigger a memory, not a 'haha' funny, but still funny.
Take for example when he finally realized that Yugito was like Naruto, with a demon trapped inside her- well, no in hindsight even he could admit falling out of the tree had been pretty funny. Painful too, but funny in its own 'ha' way. Of course after he recovered he had wanted to ask if her demon had been trapped inside her as a last ditch effort to save her own village, but that wasn't exactly something you could ask.
Judging by Naruto, it was a subject best left alone for as long as possible. The blond certainly hadn't enjoyed explaining the details to Lee's team on the way back to Konoha after saving the Kazekage. So Lee had tried to make small talk with the three girls, pleased that Sakura had managed to calm Yugito down, though they were forced into a compromise of staying where they were at.
That was, of course, until Kakashi's dog had turned up and called Sakura back for her medical expertise. Lee, like the other Konoha ninja, had stiffened, a silent fear clutching at his heart and when he heard the answer to Sakura's question he had charged off without a word, heading for the clearing. It was Gai who needed Sakura, Gai who his mentor and friend, the closet thing he had to a father...so Lee ran faster than any other ninja -besides Gai- in Konoha could run.
He came hurtling out of the tree's at top speed, but before he even touched the ground it was all over.
The Akatsuki agent the two Jōnin had been battle was shrouded in an odd distortion of air, Gai was toppling sidewise with a spray of blood as a tentacle tore through is chest and stomach, stretching toward Kakashi...when with an audible 'snap' the Akatsuki agent disappeared, the tentacle fell to the ground lifelessly and Gai hit the earth with a 'thump'.
Lee touched down, stumbled from his momentum and then collapsed to his knees, memory jogged. Four years ago, Lee had asked Gai if he would ever die and Gai had told him 'he would die when he had nothing else to teach Lee' and then flashed him a smile. Sakura arrived a minute later, blowing past a now toppled Kakashi, heading directly for Gai.
Lee though, knew better and he fell forward onto his hands, fingers gouging into the earth, weeping openly.
Stupid little rat, Hidan thought, flicking his wrist to guide his triple-bladed scythe after the black haired prick currently in his sights. Slicing down ink lion after ink lion, while the creator jumped around, Hidan screamed in frustration. This wasn't the fight he had wanted, he wanted the blond Jinchūriki back, that had been a fight worth breaking the goal of reigniting war for!
The Jinchūriki had been different than the last one, not only because he fought on an equal footing but because the voice in his mind was whispering the hosts name. 'Naruto', this would be the one he could fight to his fullest, the one in which Jashin would receive the glory and praise that he deserved- but the boy had pulled back with the other one leaving the ink user as a distraction.
Hurling his body forward, Hidan increased the tempo of his attacks, screaming obscenities and insults. If he could just get the merest drop of blood from this bastard then he could end this travesty and resume the proper battle. Loosening his grip on the hilt of his scythe, he chased after the rat, swinging wildly after him.
A sudden change in directions, obviously as a trap, met with Hidan skidding to a halt and adjusting his grip to hold the rope before swinging it around his head in a circular arc. The just beginning to rise ink shadows were cut down before they were full-formed and the belly-bearing ninja froze in surprise, but not Hidan.
The Jashin worshiper lunged forward, the scythe held across his body at an angle before it slashed out in search of blood and flesh. Instead it received an explosive Kunai to the side that blew it off course, prompting Hidan to jerk his arm to draw it back to his grasp. Holding it once more he turned his attention back to his prey but paused upon finding his earlier target once more on the field.
A different bearing of course; the shoulders were squared and his face set to match the type Hidan had seen on countless other brave shinobi. Resolute, confidence, power. More impressive was the fact that his eyes were midnight blue with elongated pupils.
"Ready for round two fucker?" Hidan asked, resting his scythe on his shoulder, grinning as he realized the others had disappeared. Probably going to try and flank him- "do you think those two cockroaches catching me from behind is going to work? I'm Immortal ya dumbass!"
Naruto, proving his naiveté, lifted his fingers into a seal that Hidan had become familiar with. A second later two dozen Naruto's came charging toward him. They jumped and spun, shuriken and kunai raining down on him, taijutsu attacks coming from every direction, but the result was the same: Hidan swung his scythe, cutting down the Kage Bunshin, using it to block or counter the taijutsu attacks, absorbing the strikes of the weapons without flinching.
Pulling a Kunai from the side of his neck, he tossed it away and resting his scythe across his shoulders "Get it yet? I-mm-ort-al, as in 'I can not die'!"
The Jinchūriki however, just stared as if- as if he was trying to stare him down! Hidan wanted to laugh at the concept, with his bloody past this idiot thought that he could stare him down? A boy that wasn't even out of his first life was going to stare down him, the immortal Hidan no Chigatana, servant of Jashin?!
"Its not about you being immortal," Naruto screamed, charging forward wildly "its about how immortal you are!"
Hidan couldn't help but laugh at that, he laughed even as his triple-bladed scythe lashed out in a slashing arc that forced Naruto to jump. Yet no sooner had Naruto landed on the other side than he continued his forward charge, right hand sweeping back, and Hidan flicked his wrist causing the scythe to whip back to him. The Jinchūriki hit the ground, allowing it to pass harmlessly inches over head before he lunged up and forward once more.
Catching his scythe, Hidan lifted it over head and spun it in his palm before hurling out straight ahead. Naruto of coursed dodged to the left of the weapon and Hidan flicked his wrist changing the direction of the triple-blades effortlessly into a side swipe. Naruto ducked franticly, continuing to charge and Hidan gloated silently, left hand flexing around the black pike he had hidden in the sleeve of his cloak.
The triple-bladed scythe danced and weaved to its sadistic masters every whim, luring the short-sighted Jinchūriki closer while distracting him from the true danger waiting at the end of his plan.
A final sweep of the scythe toward the legs and the blond threw himself forward into a shoulder roll, and Hidan's eyes flashed with glee. The right arm was moving, sweeping from behind the boys back as he rolled into a kneeling position, that sphere of chakra no doubt on its way. Hidan struck at that moment, pike plunging toward the young mans unprotected shoulder, only to have it instead pierce the right hand that had come forward to...grab it!
Surprised, Hidan heard the rush of chakra and belatedly realized that the chakra sphere had been in the left hand. The ball was slammed into his sternum hard, forcing Hidan to double over before the attack sent him corkscrewing into the air. Hidan might have laughed, because he had still struck his enemy, but even as he rose into the air he could see the Naruto that had hit him disappear in a puff of smoke.
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.
A moment later something struck his back; something with a hundred million teeth, twisting and gnawing into his flesh. A thousand million barbs that tore into his muscle and bone. A indescribable burning flood that boiled away blood and chakra, even as his body bulged grotesquely from the surge of power.
He was treated, in his last moments, to a glimpse of the past:
The First Commandment of Jashin: Thou shalt die.
Yugakure had been a Shinobi village for decades, but sometime between wars it had begun to turn toward peace. Eventually the Shinobi, who had bled and died for their village, were told to set aside their weapons and desire for war, to give up their honor. There were many that could not do this, would not, but they were unable to stop foul peace from coming: a peace with its foundations built on their corpses, its crops watered with their blood, homes warmed by their lost honor, and happiness based on their kunoichi whoring themselves while their fellow comrades became prideless merchants.
Hidan had been one of the few, the precious few, that clung to the old ways. Clung to war and strife, refused to surrender to the obscenity called peace, and he had suffered for it. Suffered for it, until he alone remained and saw the village become decadent, wallowing in the sin of peace, and Hidan knew despair.
That was what made Hidan accept the Cult's offer, it was a chance to return to the world of war. Nothing else mattered in comparison to that, his soul yearned for the strife of war, and the Church of Jashin offered to let him bathe in it to his hearts content. So he had agreed to their forbidden technique, uncaring that they had yet to succeed in its use.
The last words he could remember, as he laid on the floor in the center of Jashin's symbol before the priest had driven a pike through his chest, was part of the spell they used: 'Die, before you wake, neither living nor dead shall you be.'
The Second Commandment of Jashin: Thou shalt massacre thy neighbor.
When he awoke the cult had erupted into cheers and jubilation, dancing and tears of joy. They presented him with his triple-bladed scythe and told him to dedicate it to Jashin for it was to be a sacred weapon. He had hefted the weapon, fascinated with its weight and gleaming blades, until he felt something at the back of his mind whispering to him...
The scythe swung of its own accord, cutting the nearest member of the cult down in a spray of blood.
A Sacrament of blood, the first of many to come.
The others froze starring in horrified wonder, and Hidan the true servant of Jashin, wondered if this thought had never occurred to them. Hefting his weapon he set to the task of slaughter, of upholding the commandants of Jashin and as he did so a song from his childhood sprang to his lips:
Higher than a house, higher than a tree.
Oh! whatever can that be?
Spring is coming,
Here in the mountains,
Here in the village,
Cherry Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms, Cherry Blossoms everywhere,
A Mist of blossoms fills the air...
Higher than a house, higher than a tree.
Oh! whatever can that be?
By the time he finished the room was a scene of hell; blood coated everything and spilled guts covered the floor, the stench of death filled the air and he stood alone in the dark room of damnation, a grin on his lips and scythe resting across his shoulder. A devil of bloody retribution unleashed, one that went forth attacking and slaughtering the whored village he had once served.
This was the birth of Hidan no Chigatana.
The Third Commandment of Jashin: Give glory unto Jashin.
Hidan had killed for weeks after that, discovering his immortality and his technique 'Jujutsu: Shijihyouketsu'. But once he had slaughtered every man, woman, and child of his village there had been an emptiness of sorts, mindless murder did not suit him. So he distracted himself briefly by joining other villages during the Second War, drifting from village to village slaughtering all those that he felt the desire to.
Kakuzu had first met him then, were they briefly fought until it became clear that they were each equally immortal. After that war, Hidan spent his time questioning his relationship with Jashin, his purpose in life, and when the Third War came he once more slaughtered mindlessly all those that he felt the call to.
Still he never encountered any of the names that had haunted the edges of his fevered dreams during that time; Yahiko, Minato, Saturobi, Itachi, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Orochimaru, Kakashi...
After the war, Hidan settled on a different task. This time he would bid his time between wars by scouring the land, exterminating those that forgot the meaning of what it meant to be ninja. This was his purpose, slaughtering those that would have eventually corrupted this land of slaughter toward the accursed peace that suffocated the soul.
He had given Jashin glory everlasting!
Eventually a new name had begun to claw at his mind, burning itself into his fevered dreams. But the name never fully formed, but when Kakuzu appeared to draft him into Akatsuki the voice of Jashin commanded him to go. Because he would encounter the owner of that name if he did so, and more than the previous this name must not escape Hidan's scythe. For they were the gravest threat...
Then, just as suddenly as it had came, the glimpse of the past was washed away as the white-blue light of his murderer washed over him...
"Praise Jashin."
Tenten wasn't sure how to feel about being left behind; Lee had shown speed that she personally had never seen. It also went without saying that while she found Gai's antics annoying, he was important to her as well and she wanted to rush to him. But Sakura had grabbed her arm, painfully too, and told her forcefully that she needed to stay with Yugito since that was who the Akatsuki were after.
Then the pink haired medic had hurried after Lee (her Lee!), leaving her and Yugito alone in the forest.
Huffing in annoyance, Tenten glanced at the other woman who had settled onto the branch. If it wasn't for Yugito none of this would be happening, no, if it wasn't for Sakura this wouldn't be happening. Tenten mused about how radically Sakura had gone from useless cannon fodder to the bossy and dangerous young woman that everyone dealt with on a regular basis.
"Is she always like that?" Yugito asked after a moment, before glancing up at her "Sakura I mean?"
"She's a very decisive person." Tenten answered, having no desire to talk with Yugito. After all, even if this mission wasn't entirely her fault, the woman did hail from Kumo and she would not forgive that village for the pain it caused Neji.
"You don't like her do you." Yugito said after a moment, her tone bland "Or me for that matter."
"She makes me mad sometimes," Tenten admitted, feeling a little embarrassed for letting her emotions be so obvious "but I don't know you well enough to like you or hate you."
"Mhm, I think you don't like me cause I'm from Kumo." Yugito said absently "I'd say because I was a Jinchūriki, but you don't seem to mind Naruto being one so that can't be it."
"I never said I didn't like you, I said I don't know you." Tenten protested "I mean, Kumo isn't exactly my favorite place for what its done to Neji but-"
"And I'm a Kumo kunoichi, a Jōnin." Yugito said succinctly "I can read you and almost everyone else like a book. There are some that I can't, but you might as well be made of glass."
"Ok, now I'm starting to dislike you."
"Hmm, really?" Yugito said, giving her a side-long glance "Would you like to go check up on your, uh, teammate?"
Tenten felt her cheeks turning red.
"I mean as much fun as it is sitting around, I'd rather be back there working out some of my frustrations out. Besides, I owe these Akatsuki."
"There the reason youre in Konoha?" Tenten asked, trying to ignore the heat from her blush.
"There responsible for it, yeah." Yugito admitted, before standing up on the branch "So, should we go back there? I'm sure Lee would be happy to see you."
"Why would he?" Tenten asked hotly, forcing herself to met the others gaze.
"Because he has the hots for you as much as you have the hots for him," Yugito answered with a shrug "I might not be 'experienced' in that sort of thing, but I am well trained in knowing it when I see it."
"I don't know what youre talking about!" Tenten protested, looking pointedly away, before chewing her lip absently. Yugito was a Jōnin, and they were facing Akatsuki so wouldn't more backup be a good thing? But that would put the mission at serious risk though and as a ninja she couldn't do that just because she was worried about Lee.
"Look, I'm going back, you can stay here if you want."
"Wait, you can't just-" Tenten said, turning before realizing the other girl had already taken off. Grumbling Tenten followed suit, fighting to catch up with Yugito, more annoyed than ever. Grumbling under her breath, but partially relieved that she would be able to see Lee and make sure that he was fine, Tenten made a half-hearted effort at stopping Yugito.
The blond girl disappeared through the edge of the forest seconds before her, even as Tenten realized that the air was silent and still. A moment later she leaped through the foliage, and her eyes widened as she took in the scene of carnage. Touching down she stumbled, then recovered while her mind struggled to wrap itself around the moment.
Kakashi laying face up on the ground, Sakura bent over the still form of Gai the glow of her medical skills evident even here...and Lee kneeling on the ground, shoulder shaking, sobbing uncontrollably.
It was all too much, too big to deal with...so her mind settled on the one thing she could deal with. It took only three steps but soon enough she was kneeling next to the sobbing form of Lee, arms wrapping around him, pulling him close. He came willingly, his sobs growing heavier as she rocked slightly and whispered soft words to him.
That was the thing about Lee, for all of his physical strength and his indomitable spirit; he still had moments of weakness. They were more pronounced than one would expect from a ninja, such pure emotional outbursts were only 'normal' for Lee and Gai, though rumor had it that Naruto had a tendency to have one on occasion. Tenten understood this, accepted this, treasured it really...because if she could not offer him moral support then she would have very little to offer the young man she had come to respect and care for.
"Lee, I'm sorr-"
"Be quiet." Tenten hissed, glancing up at the startled Sakura "this is your fault. We don't need your sympathy."
"My fault?" Sakura asked hollowly, staring in confusion at the girl.
"Yes! You had to do this for your team, had to make a noble gesture...and you didn't care who got hurt!"
"Tenten that's not-"
"Don't try to rationalize this!" Tenten shouted, startling Lee from his sobs and forcing Sakura to step back from her "Gai's gone because of your selfish desire to-"
"Shut up." A voice said from behind and to the left, cutting the words off without effort.
Tenten's head snapped around to glare at the owner of the voice, to tell him just how much she did not want to hear him and just how little he actually had to do with this. That died on her lips, or more accurately, it died in her throat as she stared at the three ninja entering the clearing.
Neji looked no different than when the fight had first started, maybe a little tired but nothing major. Sai looked to be on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, not that he was using anyone for support; he simply stood there stoically with that grin of his. Naruto though, well he didn't look as if he was about to collapse, but he looked beyond exhausted and more importantly he had splotches of blood covering him.
Even that wasn't why she stopped her words; it was the look on his face. He had a hard look on it, as if he was in no mood and pushing him just now would lead to a very painful, and final, confrontation. It was the sort of look you dared not question, dare not smart off too, because it was the look of a man that demanded, without effort, your respect.
"This isn't the time." Naruto said in an uncharacteristically calm tone while staring at her, before he surveyed the area.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, though nothing came to her.
"Tenten." Neji said softly. "Naruto is correct. We need to find a village and regroup."
"Sakura, you got Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, and when Sakura nodded, moving to scoop up the man he turned back to Tenten "Why don't you help Lee?"
It seemed poised as a question, but there had been a note in that tone. It had been an order. Tenten wanted to rant on Lee's behalf, on her own as well, since it had been their sensei that had died, but Naruto made it clear just from body language that it would be wiser to simply do as he ordered, and with Neji seeming to defer to Naruto now...kneeling she gently urged the boy up, following Sakura silently.
Neji and Sai brought up the rear, carrying Gai's body, draped in an orange jacket.
Tenten cast one last glance over her shoulder, spotting the two Jinchūriki facing off alone in the clearing.
AN:
Chigatana: Bloody Blade