"Love is a battlefield."
- by Pat Benatar


"You have to fight for what you believe in," Naruto told Hanabi, just the other day.

Hanabi fights, because she believes. In Kohona. In herself and her blood. In Naruto, and his optimism. In her teacher, her country, her Kage. In uncertain words and terms which need no definition to be real.

Hanabi, who is wearing the uniform of a Kumo nin and crouched at the border of Oto and it's neighboring countries. Watching as Sound's Outpost burns to the ground, the air thick and putrid with black, coiling fog.

Watching as Naruto, dressed the same, face covered just as her, leads the jounin too far away to be of any help to his team. Watches, as the last surviving chuunin this team was relieving runs for help.

The one man they did not kill in his sleep, who woke during the midst of their raid, sitting bolt upright and screaming, and shot their plan all to hell.

She fights with her best, as do the genins. But they do not carry her experience, nor her all-seeing eyes, white like silk. Hidden behind cloth bandages wrapped deceptively about her head, which she sees through as though it be no more than water.

And she wears them down, breaks them. Until, in desperation, toddling from weariness, looking like babes, they use the only attack left.

But they were children. Young, young ones too small to be there, wearing exploding tags and making of themselves living weapons.

Far more so than Haku was ever able to aspire to.

Hanabi had said to Naruto once; "One need not be a soldier to fight."

She still believes.

Even as the war begins, even as their stooge takes his role and runs to Orochimaru to report Cloud's attack. Chances are equal the man will and will not believe this deception. How well does he know his old teammate? To whom will he retaliate? Konoha or Kumo?

For, as Tsunade whispered just before sending them off. "If there must be war, then I want it on my terms."


t i t l e - s u m m a r y

SOLDIER
one who works with dedication for a cause;
an experienced fighter or military strategist;
ant whose role is to defend the colony.