It's been a few months since the last update and I'm sorry to say it'll probably be a few months for the next. I've been neglecting my other works too much recently and I want to get the next chapter of Halcyon Days up before I continue this one.
On a more positive note, I'd like to personally thank my 100th reviewer: thsunami. My thanks extend to everyone who reviewed... and even those who didn't. This would've never been possible without all your support, be it verbal or silent(imagined).
I hope you'll like this chapter. It's quite special as it leads into one of my favorite plot twists.
By the way, UzumakiYondaime... could you send your list of requirements again? I kind of lost it...sorry.
After they left Naruto with his opponent, Sasuke and Sakura ran about three hundred meters before equipping their sneaking suits. While Sakura stored Naruto's sword in a scroll, Sasuke set up his built in radio so that it amplified Sakura's signal. With that setup, any ally within 2.26 kilometres would be notified of their presence. Once all their preparations were complete, they engaged their camouflage and took off at a brisk pace.
The duo travelled in silence, ignoring the sounds of Naruto's battle and avoiding all contact with other teams and wild animals. They rarely stopped to rest, fear of pursuit feeding their urgency. After nearly two hours of frantic cross country travel, they finally received a response via radio.
It was Kiba's team. They had secured a location relatively near the tower and were waiting for the other teams before they tried to approach it.
The blond boy stopped dead in his tracks and gave his companion an incredulous glance, stunned as he was by the woman's previous declaration.
"Don't give me that look. I said I was his student. He pretty much forfeited his teacher license when he betrayed the village and cursed me." The boy broke his stare and resumed his trek. It took no time for him to catch up with Anko and both resumed their walk towards the tower.
To make a long story short, Teishi issued Naruto a babysitter until the end of the exam. The two spent the last half an hour engaging in idle conversation. Against their own expectations, the two of them got along fine.
Naruto shook his head and forcefully declared his opinion on the subject. "That asshole should seek therapy. I'd like him better if he was heavily medicated. Who the hell goes around biting people?"
"Humph… no one told you how the curse was administered… you lied." Anko's voice was as light and playful as always since she wasn't surprised in the least.
"Of course I did. If I had told the truth, Teishi's little examination would've taken all day! As long as I'm here my team mates are perfect targets. It's bad enough that I had to waste two whole hours…" Naruto's complaint degenerated into a barely audible grumble, but Anko had more than enough practice deciphering such noises and understood perfectly.
"If you're such in a hurry, then why are we walking so slowly?"
"Oh, about that… I already left. I'm just a clone I left here to keep you company." Naruto's confession was made with so little care that it would've enraged her…
"I know. What? Don't tell me you thought I wouldn't notice?"
…if she wasn't trailing some 30 feet behind him.
"…Huh? Hey! That is you! Good thing you told me, I was about to attack." yelled the real Naruto (3.86 kilometres from the clone's location) as the Anko clone burst out of existence.
The last remaining clone dispelled while the two companions reunited and starting travelling full speed towards the tower.
Once Naruto's absence was explained, the five moved on to the next step: securing a location as close to the tower as possible. Prompting from Kiba led Hinata to activate her byakugan and use its long range to examine the tower.
"Owl? Can you see the tower?" asked Sasuke via radio.
"…" The lack of response was worrying. Hinata was never preoccupied to the point where she ignored others.
"Snow? What's wrong?" Kiba's query went unanswered.
"…"
"Wolf, Mantis, is Snow Owl okay? I can't see her from here." The boys' answer to Sakura's question was interrupted and rendered void when the girl in question spoke.
"…I spy with my little eye… a monster. A red haired waif with terrible amber eyes is spreading death around him, releasing his sorrow the only way he can… wearing sand as a second skin." Hinata's detached whisper came abruptly and forced the others to increase the radio's volume. The words they managed to capture weren't reassuring in the least. In fact, her voice sent a vicious shiver down everyone's spines.
"Hinata? What are you trying to say?" asked Shino as he slowly, nearly imperceptibly, released a slight amount of bugs in an attempt to tag his female team-mate. If she noticed, she paid him no heed. Sakura silently agreed with Shino's decision to use her real name, the young heir might not respond to anything else.
"The sand… it reveals the boy's hidden shape…"
"Hinata-chan…what…" Although all tried, none of them could find anything suitable to say. Their dread only increased when the black haired girl started singing.
Spontaneous singing has never been so eerie.
"Half – his – face – is – that – of – a – man – the – o-ther – that – of – a – fiend.
The - bad-ger – king – will – ma-ni-fest – when – the – war-den – falls - a-sleep.
As – soon – as – his – stare – meets – the – soon – to – die – have – signed – their – crime – on – the – dotted – line."
Melancholic, ominous and mysterious are words that come to mind when describing Hinata's musical performance. All things that girl usually avoided like the plague.
"Hinata. That was creepy." Kiba's remark succeeded in lightening the mood Hinata's spine-chilling song had set. It was then that the four noticed that none of them could actually see the girl.
"…I'm sorry Kiba-kun, but I couldn't help it. Naruto-kun always did love nursery rhymes." If anything, Hinata's statement about Naruto's likes only served to confuse them more. The fact that the Hyuuga heir's voice became as permeated with bliss as any of them had ever heard it was also cause for worry.
"Naruto? What the hell does he have to do with any of this? … and that barely even rhymed!"
"Naruto-kun has everything to do with this, Kiba-kun. Unfortunately, no one ever taught Naruto-kun any nursery rhymes, so he had to make his own. His version doesn't have to include rhymes as that was too hard for him to do at the time."
Kiba really had no idea how to respond to that. "Uh… okay."
On the other hand, Sakura found that she had questions she wanted answered. As far as she knew, Naruto never talked about his past to anyone. "Hinata-chan… how do you know that?"
"I saw him, Sakura-chan." Hinata's answer was simple and to the point. More proof that she wasn't acting normally.
"You… saw? When?"
"I don't remember. It was a long time ago…"
Sakura was the first and only one to understand. The fact that Hinata couldn't even estimate a date meant that the incident wasn't unique and the chances of it being accidental are slim.
"I've been watching Naruto-kun for a very long time Sakura-chan. I can barely even remember a time when I didn't. But I don't have time to chat anymore, Sakura-chan. There is something I must to do."
"What do you have to do Hinata-chan ?"
"Why, I must go help Neji-niisan or the monster will feast on his flesh." If there was ever a doubt that Hinata's behaviour was odd, it was gone now. Her words simply didn't match with the emotions she was emitting.
Sasuke had heard enough. He moved from his position on a thick tree branch and leaped down to the ground floor. He pulled down his facemask and spoke directly to the others after they emerged around him.
"We'll go after her. We don't want her to run into…"
Sasuke's instructions were interrupted when a breeze picked up. Normally, it wouldn't have warranted such a reaction, but adrenaline and severe uneasiness had increased the group's general awareness. Under normal circumstances, they probably wouldn't have noticed the fact that the gentle breeze was strewn with screams.
However, the stench of fresh blood that the wind carried wouldn't have escaped an Inuzuka's attention, no matter how distracted they were.
Sakura… "Those screams… they're coming from the tower."
Shino… "My insects tell me that this breeze is unnatural. They can taste the chakra in the air."
Kiba… "Blood and lots of it…I can smell 10 different aromas all coming from the tower." He opened a portion of his suit's chest and revealed his canine partner. After taking a few whiffs, the puppy barked some information before returning to the safety and warmth of the suit. "Akamaru says he can smell at least 8 more."
And finally… "Naruto warned me that one of the genin was a jinchuuriki and according to Hinata-san, a male genin from the Hidden Sand is our primary enemy. We can catch up to Hinata and take him out now or we can wait until backup arrives and take him out then."
In spite of the situation, Kiba didn't stop a grin from twisting his features into something decidedly savage. "I'm glad you don't consider waiting until the end as an alternative."
Sasuke nodded to his ally and motioned to the others that they should continue this conversation on the move. A second later, they were moving at a decent pace, prioritizing stealth over speed. With that in mind, they pulled up their facemasks and continued their conversation over the radio. Hinata would be able to hear them and if they were lucky, it would convince her to at least wait for them to arrive.
"Well, I'm getting a little tired of waiting. I'm not sure if you've figured this out yet, but the boss normally makes sure that none of us get to fight. Phoenix once told me that the boss felt like none of us could handle a real combat situation and that he also felt like we couldn't handle real training and that pushing us to that degree would only make us leave the unit. I think that he's looking for a sign, a sign that we're ready and that we're here because we want to be and not because of any misguided sense of duty. For some reason, he seems to think that we're valuable to the point where he won't take any risks concerning us. I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little tired of staying in the compound all the damned time."
"That's certainly explains some things… although I do have a question. What makes you so sure Hinata speaks the truth?" asked Shino doubtfully. While he wasn't one to doubt his team-mates, he felt he had more than enough reason to suspect her information.
"I don't know. It's just a feeling."
"Sasuke-kun… you're sounding like Naruto." She had to remember to tell Naruto to stop bothering Sasuke on the weekends. They were obviously spending too much time together. A quick look inside revealed that her inner-self was still missing, which probably meant Naruto couldn't be too far away. It also meant he wasn't dead. That revelation shouldn't have been so relieving considering she was basing it on a feeling… but it seems that even though she hadn't really spent any time with the boy in weeks, she was starting to sound like him as well.
Sasuke spared her a short glance before he sighed and continued with his explanation. "I know. Remember what Hinata-san told Kiba? If there's any truth to her statement, then her condition's probably brought on by something he did… and considering what happened to the other Hyuuga…"
A previously unheard voice filtered through the tiny speakers into the ears of the group. "What are you saying Sasuke?"
"What I'm saying is that it is likely that Hinata has been influenced, voluntarily or otherwise, by Naruto's power. I doubt you didn't think of the possibility, Shikamaru."
Shikamaru let go of a grunt that signified acknowledgment and continued. "Chouji, Ino and I have been monitoring the situation from the beginning. We're about ten meters behind Hinata and we'll defend her if necessary. I don't like going in without a plan but we can't formulate one without even having a rudimentary idea of the opponent's abilities. The only one of us who's actually seen the opponents is Hinata and I don't think she'd be willing to share that information."
Hinata immediately let her disagreement be known to the boy. "What makes you say that Shikamaru-kun?"
It was with much dismay that they noted the lack of change in the normally shy girl. If they were to trust the variations in pitch expressed by her voice, she was still in an abnormally cheerful mood. Despite his increasing irritation, Shikamaru didn't miss a beat and responded immediately. "I'd say it was the fact that you haven't participated in the conversation until now. What can you tell us about our opponents and their abilities?"
"Don't be silly Shikamaru-kun because even if I didn't want to, I would help you all anyway. Naruto-kun wouldn't like it if I didn't help my friends.
"The only ones left standing are Neji-nissan, his team-mates and the three Hidden Sand ninja: two shinobi and a kunoichi. The badger king is by far the most dangerous of the three. He possesses extreme control over sand. He is able to control it without actual physical movement and the large gourd he carries on his back is filled with it. Even worse is the fact that he's protected by an automated sand shield. The shield always places itself between the badger king and any incoming physical attack. This happens regardless of any sensible will and cannot be turned off. Kunai and shuriken are completely ineffective. If one isn't fast enough to go past it, and I assure you that none of us are, then the only other choice is to go through it. If Naruto-kun were here it would be easy, but as he's not…
"The black clothed shinobi with the face paint is a puppet user, and the blonde kunoichi can generate powerful winds with her fan. In spite of their skill and power, they don't really matter at all."
"Because of the red haired kid?" asked Shikamaru after taking a few seconds to formulate a basic plan. It was harder than he'd hoped. If he trusted the information he had available, his scenario only left him with three possible attackers: Chouji, Ino and Shino. Chouji had the most brute force out of all of them, Ino's attacks weren't physical and Shikamaru hoped Shino's kikai bugs would be able to dig through the sand.
"Yes. His team-mates don't matter because they have wisely chosen not to interfere with his battles. As such, as long as the badger king is able to fight and we don't direct any of our attacks towards them, they won't attack us."
"What makes you so sure?"
A melodious giggle filtered through the miniature speakers and into the ears of the group. Hinata giggled like a child when faced with a prospect it found ridiculous. Truthfully, the fact that the laughter was directed at him annoyed the young genius more than anything he could remember. He may not show it very often, but Shikamaru took pride in his intelligence. Having his favourite trait belittled so carelessly rubbed him entirely the wrong way.
"Silly Shikamaru-kun… no one wishes for the monster to stir from its cage, least of all those who actually care about the prison's well-being. What kind of siblings would they be if they just let their younger brother be consumed from the inside?"
The latest revelation cleared up part of his displeasure and allowed him to confirm one of his suspicions. Had her bloodline really been altered? "They're siblings? How do you know?"
"I know, because I can see, Shikamaru-kun. It's hard… the badger king… Gaara. Gaara is so hard to look at… but I can still… see."
Fear. She thought she had gotten used to it after spending so many years with Gaara. She believed… hoped that she wouldn't ever feel anything beyond that slight unease that was a constant whenever she was near her youngest brother.
She hadn't counted on the second exam being a blatant invitation to kill as many opponents as possible.
Although technically, his actions during on that afternoon didn't change the way she perceived her life expectancy. She had never held any illusions about that… one wrong move and she would just be another name on Gaara's long list of kills. The anxiety she now felt around her brother wasn't born of the danger she was in. She had come to terms with that.
No, what Sabaku no Temari felt as she stood outside practice area #44's central tower was not terror. She was not terrified… she was horrified.
Truthfully, she could not understand why this sight disturbed her so. It was not as if this came as a surprise, she knew that death was all that awaited whoever had the misfortune to stand in Gaara's way… so why?
Why did this vision make her want to close her eyes and draw away, to hide deep within herself and deny this evening's very existence? It was not as if this was the first time she saw her brother kill and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
After their arrival, Gaara had done nothing but wait for opponents. The first team arrived an hour and a half after they did. They foolishly stepped out of cover and made their intentions known. Gaara killed all three in 7 seconds. He didn't even give them enough time to launch an attack. Usually Gaara liked to let his opponents realize the futility of their situation before he ended them.
What Temari couldn't possibly know is that Gaara had felt the energies released during Naruto's fight and Shukaku had been perturbing him ever since. It was causing him to perform acts of striking ruthlessness, in an attempt to appease the creature. Soon he would realize that spilling the blood of the weak would no longer satisfy. His ruthlessness would increase to legendary levels after that.
The fights themselves weren't anything spectacular. They were exactly like every other time someone fought against Gaara. The enemy attacks, fails and get condensed under the force of the jinchuuriki's desert funeral.
The next three teams arrived separately but were similarly and impartially crushed.
By this time, some of the more careful teams had seen Gaara dismantle the opposition and decided that they would have a better chance of victory if they worked together. On the next attack, 9 genin worked together in order to defeat the kazekage's youngest and become chuunin. Two minutes later, the 4 remaining genin displayed their intelligence by activating the emergency scrolls and managed to escape with their lives.
The next attack was also the largest as it consisted of 18 genin. It took 6 minutes for one of them to slip and the kunoichi's team immediately gathered her body, mindful of her shattered leg, and retreated. Gaara watched them go. This battle was pointless, his tenant had set her mark and no matter how much inferior blood he spilled, he knew it would not be enough. This blood would never be able to silence him. If he wasn't careful, he'd be taken in by Shukaku's illusions. He dreaded what would happen if he heard his mother's voice while the beast was so worked up.
With the loss of three genin, the attacker's pressure was greatly diminished and Gaara took that opportunity to continue to chip away at their resources. Sometimes, Gaara had to kill two of the genin for the last one to escape, other times all it took was a severe injury for the entire team to retreat.
In the end, the attack ended with 7 dead, 5 injured and 6 escapes. It took just under an hour for Gaara to kill 24 fully trained genin. When the next team left the safety of the forest to confront her brother, Temari shut her eyes and retreated inside her mind… something she hadn't done in years and something she thought she would never have to do again.
Ignoring her surroundings was always a bad idea, even back in her own village and like many other things, Gaara was to blame. Although the chances of him actually harming her were significantly lower than anyone else's, there was always the chance of getting caught in between him and some foolish assassin.
Trying to escape reality while in hostile territory was the stupidest thing she'd ever done… but she couldn't help but feel like this was necessary. This situation just felt wrong and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Teishi, Anko and Naruto were sitting in a tree next to the clearing, using their skills to dwell unnoticed by the genin involved in the skirmish. So far, neither side managed to land a blow, although Lee was fingering his orange leg warmers and Sasuke was beginning to give side-glances to Sakura. Gaara was actually being pressured and had started making more sand. The stalemate wasn't going to last much longer.
"Now?" whispered the young boy impatiently.
Teishi was asked this question four times. His answer had yet to change. "Not yet. I want them to give this everything they have."
"And what if they fail?" asked the previously silent woman accompanying them. Teishi had previously noted her atypical silence but didn't bother to question her about it. He correctly assumed that her stillness was born out of focus rather than any desire for stealth. Her reaction to his presence was expected and completely typical of high level shinobi. Every jounin and special jounin shinobi knew each other, either by acquaintance or reputation. It was a survival instinct. They watched each other for weaknesses in case one of them went missing-nin.
Naruto and Teishi were both extremely powerful and seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Every shinobi they encountered monitored them and by the end of the chuunin exam, many shinobi will begin to actively investigate them. Teishi knew it and highly anticipated it.
Teishi gave his student a worried look. Naruto probably already knew the answer, but he might react violently if he heard it spoken out loud. Teishi felt it would be better if he answered her question light-heartedly… he couldn't afford a fight with Naruto right now. "Anko-san, I thought you would've understood by now. I want them to fail. I want them to feel completely powerless and I want them to fear that feeling."
Being who she was, she understood immediately. She knew very well whose tactics he borrowed. "You… you want them to crave power. What you're doing… it's just like him." Teishi was quick to rectify her opinion… having her as an enemy would offer no benefits.
"Close, but not really. Orochimaru wouldn't interfere, even if it meant their deaths. I want them to yearn for the power to protect themselves and others. That man would want them to need the power to destroy… it's the only thing he can offer. Orochimaru is a genius and his methods aren't bad… his reasons however are completely corrupt…" His explanation trailed off as he noticed Sakura open a scroll and pull out… "Hmm? Naruto you gave her your sword?"
"Naturally!"
'Chipper bastard.' Was what Teishi thought of the boy whose knack for ruining plans was sincerely starting to frustrate him. Instead of voicing his thoughts and inevitably starting a brawl, he resigned himself to ending the second exam. Having Naruto save them would probably serve the same purpose anyway.
"Well shit. You'd better interfere then… I know he won't bother dodging so she might actually kill him if she uses the special feature."
"Why does that matter?" Naruto's curiosity was the only thing that stopped him from immediately entering the fight.
Teishi'7s answer was short and interlaced with instructions. "I need him alive. If you ever get into a fight with him, make sure you don't kill him."
"I don't know if I can do that."
The boy and his mentor made eye contact and both knew the boy was serious. Naruto would need more information to accept that order. "He's a container, but he's also the Kazekage's son. That boy has a lot of influence and we'll need his leverage soon enough."
Naruto nodded in understanding. The command was accepted. "If you say so. I'm ending this."
Before the child could jump off the wide tree branch they were all crouching on, his tutor made a small request. "Do me a favour and try to reassure his siblings. They look a little overwhelmed."
Naruto took a closer look at the two and neither had moved from their last position. The boy was still standing nervously while keeping his brother directly in his line of sight but he could see the girl had retreated further into herself. "I've been wondering… is he using an aura?"
"Kind of… it's not exactly functional and even if it was, it's far weaker than yours. As it is, it'll only work if they're particularly susceptible to his presence. I doubt anyone other than you and his sister can even feel it."
"…Alright then, I'll see what I can do."
As soon as the hanyou left and the adults found themselves alone, whatever kept Anko silent broke and the questions came swiftly and heatedly.
"What are you trying to do? Why is any of this necessary? What…"
"What's going on right?" Teishi let himself fall before performing a quick somersault and landing lightly on his feet. He took a seat with his back to the trunk and motioned to the woman standing before him. After she sat facing him, he started the discussion. "Why don't you stick around? You might learn something… for a fee, of course."
Anko eyed him warily for a second before asking the obvious question. "…What do you want?"
There was only one thing he wanted from her. And that was everything. "I want you to become one of my agents."
"And what does that involve?" From what little he knew of her personality, the fact that she didn't immediately reject the suggestion meant she was interested. The lack of teasing meant that she was looking for a reason to accept.
"Depends… how far are you willing to go for the truth?"
There was a long silence as she thought about the answer. Her next question was unexpected. "Are you against the village?"
"No." Despite the fact that he hadn't expected her to ask that question, the answer wasn't one that required any thought.
"Who do you work for?"
"My loyalty lies with the best interests of one Uzumaki Naruto."
He saw her eyes widen a fraction, as if the increased intake of light would help her see through him.
"Why?"
His response was immediate. "That's a secret."
"How many secrets do you have?"
"Few that Hokage-sama isn't aware of."
"And what are those?" An odd question, but one he could answer.
"He doesn't know what I'm doing, but he knows why I'm doing it and that's enough for him."
He watched as she bit her lip and let her composure slip a little. He recognized the technique; the display was supposed to create a false sense of security and cause him to weaken his own poker face. Instead of remaining steadfast, he deliberately allowed himself to express small signs that he knew she could detect.
"…Why are you answering my questions?"
"I need your trust."
"…Who works for you?" A loaded question, but relatively harmless at this point.
"I have Momochi Zabuza, Haku and Uchiha's Sasuke assistance. I'm also working with Hokage-sama's cooperation and approval." Of course, she understood that this meant that he had the village's support.
"What about Naruto? And your instructors?"
"The instructors aren't related to my extracurricular activities… and Naruto's an ally, not a subordinate."
"…Why?"
Teishi didn't bother to stop a grin from brightening his face. This was his favourite question. "You'll understand better once he becomes Hokage."
She wasn't quite convinced. "What makes you think he'll do what you ask?"
"I'm not asking him. He's wanted to become the supreme leader for a long while. I'm just helping him." How she didn't know that was beyond him…
"What are you getting in return?"
"Nothing. He's already given it to me."
And the million dollar question… "…Who are you?"
"Truthfully? I'm no one. Don't bother looking for any information regarding me… as far as the world is concerned, I don't exist."
"Does anyone here know who you are?"
"Hokage-sama."
She seemed surprised by that answer. "That's all? What about Naruto?"
Teishi lost all good humour as she hit an unexpectedly sore point. He turned away from her gaze and looked in the tower's direction. "…It was never an issue."
"…Alright. I'll cooperate with you. I assume you know the reason behind Orochimaru's presence?"
Teishi's grin made its triumphant return. "Of course… I won't tell you just yet though."
Anko finally lost the serious air that had surrounded her and grinned thoughtfully. "I suspected as much."
He nodded as he enthusiastically jumped to his feet and headed towards the remaining genin. "Let's go then. I'm tired of this forest."
'Alright… tell me again… slowly this time.
Well, after the freak…
No, what happened with Gaara?
Oh. Well, it's not very complicated. I jumped in the clearing before Sakura-chan could run him through and he froze.
He just stopped moving?
Yep. He retreated. He moved next to his team-mates and sat down. Spent the rest of the exam staring at me. Man… that was really disappointing.
…Do you know why?
Why else? My all-powerful aura silenced the voice of his beast and saved the possessed youth.
We'd better watch out.
For what?
He's not the type to give up. He'll come sooner or later… and if he's really Shukaku's container, then you should've killed him then. From what I can remember, the tanuki lacks reason… but he has one hell of a survival instinct. It probably stopped Gaara because it knew that it would never win as long as we had support.
…It's no big deal. I can handle him anyway.
I know, but what if he attacks the compound? We aren't alone anymore Naruto… it's time we acted like it. We're going to have to include them in our plans.
We already do!
Really? What about Tazuna? With their skills those mercs shouldn't have been able to lay a hand on him. As soon as we realized that arrow wasn't going to hit us we instinctively put it out of our minds. We're too focused on ourselves… we never learned to work in a team.
…
Just think about it. What happened after that?
…Teishi and Anko ended the second exam. It wasn't time to open the gate yet, but we were the only 5 teams left alive in the forest and we were just sitting there doing nothing. After that we were brought inside and met up with the Hokage and the respective jounin sensei of the surviving teams. The old man told us some long-winded speech about how our battles will be entertainment for potential clients. Basically, our life and death struggles will serve to showcase our village's skills. We have five weeks to heal, get stronger and research the opponents.
Fifteen genin… I guess someone has an extra match.
Not fifteen… seven.
What?
…Teishi took the others out of the competition. He said the chuunin exam was a test to see if they ready to begin training. They all left. They felt like they weren't ready.
…
You think he was right?
Probably. Being chuunin would interfere with their training. It's better if they just pass on this one to concentrate on it. After all, we had a whole year with no missions. They should have the opportunity to do the same.
I guess you're right…
So, did she do anything weird?
What do you mean weird? … and I don't know who you're talking about.
Don't tell me you think I'm going to buy that.
…Shikamaru and Sasuke told me that she'd behaved abnormally during the exam… but apparently she started acting normally as soon as I got there.
What did I tell you?
Shut up. I never said I believed them.
…Alright. You're going to have to learn the hard way. Watch her carefully.'
It was an impulsive and seemingly completely spontaneous act. The whole group was enjoying a succulent supper prepared to celebrate their satisfactory performance in the chuunin exam. The ten students and Anko sat on a large table while the boss, the Hokage, Ibiki, Zabuza, Gunshou and the three instructors conversed quietly on a another table. (Anko had been invited to dine with the adults, but had declined in favour of spending time with Naruto. Teishi raised an eyebrow in response, but kept any comments to himself.)
Naruto had been in the middle of a loud quarrel that involved Anko, Kiba, Sasuke and an eating contest when he abruptly fell silent. He closed his eyes for a long second before he just as abruptly pushed his chair back, jumped to his feet and headed towards the door.
Of course, Teishi wasn't going to let him just walk out without an explanation. "May I ask where you're going?"
"There's something I need to do." said the boy as he paused in the doorway. Teishi increased the precision of his question.
"Will that something result in the death of a Konoha citizen?"
Naruto tilted his head in a way that usually meant he was trying to elucidate the ambiguous. "I'm not sure… Otu says it's definitely possible, but if it does I assure you he will more than deserve it." In the end, he just shrugged his shoulders and ran out the door.
As soon as Naruto left, his unofficial caretaker turned to the Anbu commander. "Gunshou-san, I'd appreciate it if you could make sure he doesn't get in too much trouble… and I'm afraid normal Anbu won't be able to handle him."
Once the Hokage offered his approval, Gunshou nodded in agreement and left.
Two minutes later, Naruto's table sported four extra empty seats.
The anger was coiling around his body, taking hold of muscles and slowly moving him towards action… in that moment, he was as though violence incarnate. It was intoxicating. He was perfect. Final in his anger, complete in his kindness… he was perfect. She wanted him, more than anything in the world.
Unexpectedly, the anger he displayed disappeared and in its place was an unnatural calm. Hinata knew the signs better than anyone; his anger was only barely held back… Naruto had a plan and anger would only get in his way. The plan's failure would destroy the dam and his fury would become unstoppable.
"Hinata-chan, Sasuke. Come here a second."
Suddenly, it all came back to her. The situation…
She was standing in the living room of an apartment in the bad side of Konoha. She knew this building very well since it was… used to be Naruto's. Apparently, his connection to the small residence made him somewhat receptive to any strong feelings of anyone between its walls. The strong feelings of fear, horror and an undecipherable emotion he received during supper had given him a strong urge to investigate.
She knew he understood what he would see long before he set foot inside the room, but he had refused to accept it before he was forced to. It was foolish, but she knew he didn't care.
In truth, she didn't either.
Gunshou-san watched over the man responsible for the tragedy though he needn't have bothered. The scoundrel was huddled in a corner in as tight a ball as he could manage, probably hoping to escape Naruto's detection. After what he had done, he would've been better off jumping face first off the balcony.
The man was short, achingly thin and had neglected to shave… and bathe for some time. His black hair, black eyes and unremarkable features only helped increase her doubt. How could such a dreadful man have helped birth such a beautiful little girl?
The girl lying on the apartment's only bed was the poster child for the word endearing. Her waist-level lilac hair framed a cherubic face and her petite body was clothed in white pyjamas adorned with pictures of fuzzy animals. The sight would've brought a contented smile to any observer, if it wasn't for the paleness of her skin, her unnatural stillness and the evidence of great force exposed on her small neck.
When Sakura had asked the man, with great tears falling from her celadon orbs, how he could've done such a thing, he had told her it wasn't his fault. In his opinion, she was to blame. It seems the girl heavily favoured her mother in both looks and character and that single fact was apparently enough to warrant her death.
Once his pathetic reasoning became known, sadness was rapidly shifted into fury. Anko and Sasuke simultaneously moved towards him and would've vented those feelings on his body if Gunshou hadn't stopped them. He wasn't a member of the police force, but as Anbu commander it was also his duty to make sure that the ninja obeyed the laws. As the criminal wasn't a shinobi, he was innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.
The man's mouth opened and more garbage escaped his vocal chords. He was reaffirming his innocence when Naruto used his aura to make sure he would never have to hear him speak again. The man immediately stopped talking, stopped moving, stopped breathing until Naruto decided to reduce the effects of his hatred. Once the boy was otherwise occupied, the insane murderer retreated to the corner and ceased all action.
That chain of events led her to her current situation, standing next to Sasuke with one of Naruto's warm hands resting in the middle of her back.
"I'm going to give you a small amount of chakra each. You'll probably be overwhelmed for a while, but it'll pass. Once it does, I want you to focus the chakra I give you into your eyes and activate your respective bloodlines. You'll see something that doesn't belong and I want you to tell me where it is. We don't have much time, are you ready?"
They'd barely had the time to nod before he used their close physical connection to establish a temporary contract. Immediately, her eyelids retreated to their minimum size and her mouth opened as if to let out a horrifying scream but instead let out a throaty moan as her whole body shivered. Coming from a twelve year old, it was equally if not more disturbing. At her side, Sasuke shut his eyes and struggled to accept the additional energy.
"Are you guys okay?" Hinata's lips split as she attempted to answer Sakura's question but she gave up midway and merely nodded. How could she possibly explain using mere words? She had accidentally siphoned energy from Naruto before, but it was never very much and it had never been like this. Before, she had only been able to feel his presence around her; now she could now feel his very essence through her blood, down to her bones. It was, bar nothing, the best feeling she had ever experienced.
Unlike her, Sasuke seemed to enjoy it far less. It certainly explained why he was capable of speech. "Y-Yeah… it's just… how do you do it Naruto?"
"It's harder for you because you're not relaxed, you're resisting me. Since it's my chakra, it still contains a trace amount of my will. Basically, what that means is that you'll never be able to completely control it and that if I try hard enough, I could theoretically control your body against your will. Theoretically anyways. On the other hand, Hinata-chan's having a much easier time because she's not resisting me at all… which is really, really odd. Even people who trust me implicitly and are entirely used to it should at least offer minute resistance… but I guess that's not important right now. I need you guys to activate your bloodlines."
It was with great reluctance that she formed a handseal and activated her byakugan. She wanted to finish her task quickly so she wouldn't have to waste much of Naruto's chakra. A quick scan of the room revealed nothing other than furniture and the others… until her she started staring at a spot next to the dead child.
It was strange… there seemed to be nothing but empty space in that location but still, something compelled her not to look away. Soon enough, the air became slightly hazy and as soon as she increased her focus, the lucent image became distinct. A giant being clothed in a flowing white robe was kneeling next to the bed. It was a demon with purplish skin, gruesome features, sharp horns the color of blood on top of a great white mane and a dark tongue cradled by sharp teeth. It carried a dark red beaded necklace and a single edged knife in one hand. The other held a bluish luminous humanoid mass that peculiarly resembled the little girl, considering it had no features.
Sasuke was standing rigidly with a cold sweat coating his body. Hinata didn't understand his reaction. Naruto would never allow it to harm them and he never would've asked them to do something truly dangerous.
"Naruto…" The boy in question was obviously expecting Sasuke's question and didn't waste a second answering it.
"If you're seeing what I want you to see, then you're seeing the god of death… or one of its many, many familiars. More importantly, is he holding anything?"
"Yes he is, Naruto-kun. He is still holding the little girl's soul. It looks like he's saying something, but I can't hear him." Naruto nodded to her and politely asked them to indicate its location. Once he got a good idea of where it was and how it was positioned, he picked up his sword and swung through it.
"Um… Naruto-kun…"
"No effect, huh? Alright then, let's try this."
Naruto transformed his nails into sharp claws and a few seconds later, the sword released red vapour. When the entire blade was covered, its owner grabbed its hilt with both hands. The shinigami unexpectedly stopped and quickly turned to face Naruto, but it was too late. Naruto was too fast and the blade separated its torso from its body. For a split second, its injured form became completely solid before it disappeared. From the oppressive silence that followed, she guessed that everyone had seen it.
"Naruto… did you just… kill the god of death?" For someone as frivolous as she usually was, Anko-san was doing a wondrous job keeping her composure.
"No, he's not that easy to kill. All he really has to do is reattach his parts and that shouldn't take too long. At best, it'll teach him to pay attention to his surroundings… I am surprised he actually bothered to show up, though. This girl must have a special soul." Naruto shrugged and paid more attention to the girl on the bed, in the process ignoring his shell-shocked companions.
"Uzumaki-san… if I may ask… what was the shinigami doing? And more importantly, what are you doing?"
Although he didn't look up from his examination of the girl's throat, it didn't stop him from replying. "Gunshou-san, I cannot tell you what the shinigami was doing because I could not see him… but if I had to guess, he was probably judging the girl's soul. If she was a good person, he would've sent her to whatever's after death… and if she was a bad person, he would've eaten her. I assure you, that is quite a horrible fate. You'll understand once I tell you that his stomach is what we know as hell.
"As for what I'm doing… I couldn't say. I'm basically operating on instinct. All I really know is that I'm not actually ready, my chakra control is bad enough that I shouldn't even think about doing this."
"Then why are you doing it?" Personally, Hinata wanted to strike him for being so ignorant and condescending. However, instead of teaching him some respect like she wanted him to, Naruto merely smiled.
"You know, technically we could bring her to the hospital and she could be reanimated, she has her soul and her body's still in working order… but she's been dead for a while now. Even if they wake her up; her brain's been oxygen deprived for over ten minutes, brain damage is inevitable and it can't be healed by normal means. This is the only way. She won't be the way she was before, but she'll be alive. That's all I can do.
"Now, I have to warn you about something. My chakra control is pretty bad… so they'll be a whole lot of chakra wasted around me. Gunshou-san… can you perform containment barrier jutsu?"
"Not alone."
"Then Anko can help you. Take everyone outside and seal this room."
"Why should I do that?"
"Because I'm about to spend my entire supply of chakra in a few minutes. Even if the shinobi are able to handle it, the civilians won't. They'll get swallowed up and some of them won't be able to recover… I'll make things clearer, so you can understand. With my current chakra control, I waste around 91 units of chakra out of a hundred with every technique I use. The wasted chakra units will mix with my aura so there won't be any physical effects, but that won't help now.
"To make this work, I need to use about 15 percent of my total chakra and since I don't have the control to deliver that, I'm going to have to do something and when I do it I won't have control over my aura anymore and the fact that my aura will have absorbed so much chakra means that it'll expand and pretty much affect anything on the continent. What I need you guys to do it completely separate this room from the outside world for five minutes. That's all I ask."
"You're sure this is a good idea?"
Naruto couldn't help but show his habitual expression at that question. The smile he used to disarm and create a sense of security. He began to speak with a cheer that was totally unbefitting of his words. "Of course it isn't. But it's the best one I have… and before you say anything, you should know I'll do it whether you help me or not and…"
"You won't hold back if I get in your way? I don't take kindly to threats… but I don't have much to gain by opposing you, so I guess I'll help you. Don't make a habit of this. It's bad form to threaten comrades."
Naruto's sly smile remained unaffected by the man's interruption and the boy showed no signs of being affected by his obvious discontent. Even Hinata's byakugan failed to detect even a subtle change. "Good. You two have five minutes to set up the barrier and if you can, make sure this asshole," said the boy before pointing to the man still huddling in the corner, "has a session with Ibiki. I want to know everything he knows about her and her lineage."
Before anyone could stop her, Anko dashed to the corner of the room and introduced her thick sandal with the back of the dirty man's head. The unexpected strike knocked the man's face into the wall, broke his nose and rendered him unconscious. She let out a satisfied sigh before she grabbed his foot and started to drag him outside. Gunshou hurriedly followed after her to make sure she didn't drag him down the stairs.
Once they were gone, Naruto fox-smile disappeared as he exhaled a world-weary sigh. He took a seat on the bed's reasonably clean sheets and began to massage his eyeballs, his tail lying limply beside the girl.
He spoke to them… almost as an afterthought, but not really because Naruto would never forget them… his voice low and hoarse and painful. "You three go home. There's nothing more you can do here."
That was unacceptable. He was hurting and there was no way Hinata could let that go on in good conscience. There had to be something she could do. "Um… Naruto-kun…" Unfortunately, focusing Naruto's attention on her wasn't a good idea.
The fingers of his right hand separated to reveal his sparkling blue eye, focused entirely on her. She found herself unable to move as her searched her for some unknown mark. The moment passed and she felt her ability to act return, but didn't bother to do so. There was nothing she wanted to hide from him.
A few heartbeats later, his azure orb was hidden from view. Naruto always had the bad habit of looking away whenever he was about to talk about something he would rather avoid. "So Shikamaru really wasn't kidding…" said the boy as he before he uncovered his eyes and stared ahead, eyes unfocused. "Tell me something Hinata-chan. When did it start? You must've done it when I sparring with Teishi but the timing of our spars was entirely random and they mostly took place late at night… and it must've been more often than that one time I actually detected you. So that means you were watching us. You must've felt it happening… why did you let it change you?"
"I…" She hesitated before she submitted herself to his judgement. For an instant, she hoped that he wouldn't force her to leave. During her stay with the unit, she had seen many things that cultivated her understanding of the unit's rank system. She knew that Naruto had more influence than even the instructors and so she doubted she would stay long if he didn't want her there. She also believed that Sasuke knew more than he let on but never attempted to question him about it. Her interest lied with Naruto and him alone.
The motive sent to the boy was delivered on the steadiest tone she possessed. Above all, he had to know how serious she was. "I wanted to change myself. I wanted to be strong."
"I see…" said the hanyou as he closed his eyes and searched for an answer. But there was truly little he could do at the moment. Any problem solving would have to take place at a later date. He spoke to her, disappointment tainting his words and striking her to her core. "Hinata-chan, if you let me change you too much then there's a possibility that you'll gain supreme vitality. But listen to me on this point if none other… immortality without power is just eternal suffering. If I had known it was this serious, I wouldn't have let it get this far. You should never allow others to change you Hinata-chan. If you really have to change, you must change yourself.
"If you want to stay with us then you'll have to promise me that you won't allow it to happen…"
"I promise."
"Hinata." Naruto obviously saw her hurried promise as a sign of thoughtlessness.
"I'm serious. I never wanted to make you mad." reaffirmed Hinata.
"…I'm not. Not really. I just wish you hadn't gone behind my back." He was upset. That was a lot worse than if he'd been mad.
Naruto looked away from her dejected countenance and nodded to the others. It was time for them to go. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a loaded look.
We'll talk later.
Sasuke nodded and left the room followed by a disheartened Hinata. He watched them go before turning to face the only other person remaining in the room. Sakura face was strangely grave as she held his attention by her mere presence. He could see the dried up tears staining her cheeks and couldn't help thinking that she had been exposed to far too much death recently. Gaara's massacre had left its mark on her and he knew that it would mark her nightmares for months… Removing them from the exams was a good idea. Not even Sasuke was ready to face a shinobi of Gaara's calibre… and then there was Orochimaru… so many powerful enemies appeared simultaneously. It wasn't likely to be over yet.
"Naruto?" She spoke his name softly, barely above a whisper but it was more than enough to get his attention.
"Hmm?"
"That something you said you would have to do… Is it dangerous?" He had hoped they would have forgotten.
Yes. "Nope."
A word was hissed with utmost conviction. "Liar."
A question was voiced with true curiosity. "How'd you know?"
One look at her face told him that taking this lightly was a mistake. He dropped the smile that had unconsciously appeared and attempted to sweet-talk his way out of it.
"Sakura-chan, it's no problem… really. Even if I fail, I'll just fall into a deep sleep."
Unfortunately for him, Sakura wasn't stupid or blinded by his abilities.
"What happens if you get attacked and you can't wake up? What if the death god comes back?"
Faced with failure, he did the only thing he had yet to try. He pouted and began to complain. "…You're sure not making this easy."
"Naruto!" She was dangerously close to the point where she would usually knock him around and storm off. At this point, he could either drive another wedge between them or he could actually try being honest. Making a decision, he focused on a lamp and answered her question.
"He'll probably try to eat my soul… but I can't emphasize the word try enough. I'll be fine."
There was silence for a while, long enough that he started to believe he had gotten through to her. Of course, he was wrong.
"Do you promise?" His eyes widened and snapped to her. He hadn't expected that.
"Sakura-chan… that's not fair."
She stood straight and unwavering as she responded. "I'm not trying to be."
He couldn't. She didn't understand. If he made that promise and he actually got into some serious trouble, he would lose any hope of victory. His own power would betray him. "I'll do my best… but I can't promise you."
"Why not?"
Naruto didn't understand. Why was she doing this? His composure started to unravel as he began to become emotionally involved. "Why do you have to make this so hard? Why do you care?"
"What do you mean why do I care? You're my friend!" said the girl angrily.
He crossed his arms, unaffected by her anger and questioned her. "If that's true then why aren't we on speaking terms?"
"Because you never say anything and you keep avoiding me… all of us. You've really kept your distance for a while now. Why is that?" In one breath she had managed to shift the blame on him and ask a question that would only increase his responsibility. He knew he wasn't totally to blame for their recent rift in their friendship, but decided to ignore it in favour of continuing said friendship.
He answered her question with the obvious answer. "You weren't ready to accept me."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ever since wave country, you haven't really been comfortable around me. I thought I'd give you all time to sort yourselves out."
She looked at him strangely, almost as if she thought he wasn't telling the truth. Eventually the look disappeared and was replaced by the one that meant she thought he was an idiot. "You're telling me that avoiding us and acting differently is your idea of fixing the problem?"
If she said it like that, of course he'd look like an idiot. "Uh… well, yes… It worked with Kiba and Shikamaru… maybe even Shino."
Sakura could only shake her head in disbelief. "Naruto… you're such an idiot… when you come back, will you let me help you with that?"
He grinned at her, glad beyond measure that she'd dropped their previous topic. "Heh… now that I can promise."
She smiled back and finally began to follow after the other two. He only had to wait a few seconds before he felt Gunshou's barrier surround the room. Once he was sure that the barrier was as strong as it was going to get, he gently raised the girl's pyjama shirt until her stomach was exposed.
'Let's do this.
We'll convert part of our aura into chakra. Our lack of control means that there'll be heavy damage to our tenketsu and if we lack chakra then there'll be no recovery. With our current chakra control, we'll need to recover 70 units of chakra if we're to succeed. If we aren't careful we'll fall into a coma. Needless to say, that'll mean failure.
How should we do this?
We have two options. The first is to convert it as we use it. It'll be less damaging on our body, but if we increase the procedure's length there might have some side-effects on the girl. Probability of success is around 65 percent. The operation will last over three minutes.
The other choice?
We convert it all as soon as we're out of chakra. It'll take 10 seconds but the damage to our body will be extreme. The probability of success will increase to 99 percent. The operation will be over in less than forty seconds.
Second option it is. All I have to do is bond her soul to her body and transfer a constant stream of chakra. The rest will be done automatically.
Right, but don't forget that you can't let up for a second. You have to transfer at least one percent of our total chakra into her body per 2.5 seconds. That means we have to burn through around eleven percent in 2.5 seconds. That's easier said than done.
Just make sure you do your part. I'll handle and regulate it, you mold it.'
He lightly pressed his palm against her frigid skin and let instinct take over.