"Speaking current tense"
"Speaking past tense"
'Thinking current tense'
This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief – Part 2
The sounds of battle were closer now as Sasuke lead Hinata, Naruto and Mantis down the corridor towards the main hallway. Less than a minute ago Hinata had radioed Team Hydra on the encrypted short wave radios each member had and she didn't like the response. Her first message had been met with no answer, which she knew meant one of two things. Either the members of team Hydra were currently engaged in battle, or, they were dead.
Both options filled her with dread. If team Hydra was currently engaged in battle and couldn't respond that meant there were still enough enemies to pose a threat, making escape hard. If team Hydra was dead then escape would be even harder with only the four of them, three combat ready and the other needing protection, to take on any number of enemy ninja still alive plus Uchiha Madara.
Thinking of the psychotic Uchiha filled Hinata with a fear that caused her stomach to tighten. With all the action inside and outside the base not once had Hinata and her team come upon any signs of the Uchiha. Their actions were in direct contrast with the Uchiha's own, and yet the man was nowhere to be seen as if he didn't care that they rescued Naruto. The only conclusion Hinata could come to was that that man was planning something, and it was this thought that caused the seeds of fear and doubt to fester in her mind.
Hinata tried contacting team Hydra again and was glad when someone responded. The news though was less than encouraging. Frog was dead and the three remaining members of team Hydra were currently defending the cave entrance. The situation sounded bad especially since it was Joker who responded, not Owl.
Rounding the final corner to the main hallway, Hinata could hear the light sound of footsteps and breathing. All four of them, Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke and Mantis, were tiring, especially Naruto whose breathing was more laboured.
Up ahead Hinata could see the entrance to the underground base. Three bodies contrasted against the harsh midday sun, two standing while one was bent over on hands and knees. Activating her Byakugan Hinata noticed the body in the middle start to move as her team made its way down the hallway. It was Owl. Now Hinata knew the situation was bad.
Hinata watched Owl slowly stand up, his body shaking from effort, then cough harshly as he spoke to Joker and Rose. The words were indecipherable for Hinata, with distance, position and fatigue hindering her all-seeing eyes. She didn't need her famous eyes though to tell what was happening. Owl was saying goodbye.
The explosion that followed threw rocks and body parts around the area as a light screen of smoke obscured the buildings within the fortress grounds. Still watching the area with her Byakugan Hinata noted the remaining enemy ninja fall back from the open area of the base entrance to the safety of several buildings still mostly intact. They would be safe from attack for a minute or two.
Sasuke was the first to the base entrance, the Uchiha taking up a defensive position next to Joker, while Hinata and Naruto stood behind the two remaining members of team Hydra. Once Mantis was in position to cover Rose, Joker turned to the Hyuuga heiress and her fiancé. Hinata found herself suddenly thinking of the loss of Owl and Frog as she looked at the two remaining members of team Hydra. The emotions were quickly silenced. 'Save the pity and grief for later,' the Hyuuga heiress chided herself.
"The retrieval of the target is complete." As Hinata spoke to Joker she couldn't help but notice Naruto flinch at her tone of voice and what was said.
"Good. Team Hydra has eliminated most of the defending ninja's and by the looks of it the rest are retreating to a safe distance to plan something." Joker's voice was gruff, his mask covered face turning to Naruto to give him the once over. "Will the target be needing assistance to move?"
Though the question was asked with a neutral voice, the intonation was clear to Hinata. Will we be needing to sacrifice more to rescue Naruto? Hinata moved between Joker and Naruto before anything happened, her eyes meeting Joker's through the holes in the mask. "Since a lot has happened I will let that go Joker, for now. As for Naruto needing assistance to escape, no he does not, but if he needs a piggy-back ride I'll be sure to keep you in mind."
The next few seconds were tense as Hinata and Joker stared at each other. Hinata was already regretting her words and was about to speak when Rose interrupted. "Now's not the time for that crap Joker. Suck it up and let's get out of here."
Joker deflated slightly. "Right. Sorry about..."
"Forget it," Hinata interrupted him, "Let's just get out of here."
"I'm glad you two finally decided to come back to reality, cause it looks like the enemy's decided to leave us to our own devices." The remark brought all attention to Mantis who was kneeling down beside a standing Sasuke, both men using the left side of the base entrance for cover as they kept watch.
Hinata moved over to the left-hand side of the entrance, Naruto following her as Joker and Rose moved over to the right, taking up position behind Sasuke and Mantis. The smoke from the explosion had now cleared revealing numerous signs of battle. The ground was littered with weapons and bodies, some more intact than others, while several buildings showed signs of structural damage, one collapsing from the destruction caused to two of its outer walls.
All of the destruction caused by the attack on the base could be seen by Hinata courtesy of her Byakugan. What she could not see was the remaining enemy ninja's. 'They were just behind that set of buildings not a moment ago as smoke obscured the area. I kept an eye on them the whole time.' Scanning left and right Hinata tried to see if there were any hidden pathways that she could have missed. 'I took my eyes off of them when I spoke to Joker, and now they're gone. They're definitely not that fast, so where did they go?'
"Did you see any movement?"
None Hinata-san," Mantis shrugged as he turned his body enough to look behind at Hinata from his crouched position, "What about you Uchiha?"
"None, Lady Hyuuga. If they moved I didn't see them."
It was definitely a trap. That's not what worried Hinata though. What worried her was that the remaining enemy ninja had disappeared while not being seen by herself or any of the ninja under her command. If the enemy had a way of disappearing and reappearing then they could be ambushed from anywhere. However, if the enemy possessed this ability why hadn't they used it at the beginning of the battle?
Jumping at the hand grabbing her right hand Hinata turned to face Naruto. "You know we can't stay here forever." The words were so quiet that she could only hear them, while the intensity of his eyes filled her with confidence.
Signalling to Joker and Rose, Hinata waited till the two remaining members of team Hydra crossed the base entrance before she spoke. "We don't know where the enemy has gone, but we can't let this opportunity go now even if it's a trap, which it most likely is."
Taking a breath she looked at each ninja position near her. "Uchiha, you'll lead. Following you will be Mantis, then Naruto with Joker and Rose on either side and I'll bring up the rear." Hinata quickly put up her left-hand to stop both Naruto and Joker from talking. "It's not up for discussion. Now everyone hand over what supplies you have left."
After a minute the ground in front of Hinata was covered with several ninja tools. There wasn't much. 'Twelve kunai, twenty shuriken, four smoke bombs, six explosive tags, four ration bars and some ninja wire. It's not nearly enough.' Hinata knew with the formation they were using that Joker and Rose should have more weapons so she divided the ninja tools in front of her into six groups. Standing up from her crouched position she waited as each ninja grabbed their designated supplies.
"Okay, like I said, this is most likely a trap, so stay alert. We're going to head straight from the base entrance to the wall gate. This will put us on open ground making us easy targets. It also means we'll see any attack easier. Any questions?" Hinata watched as each ninja under her command replied in the negative. "Once we're over the wall the explosives will be detonated and we'll run straight to the retreat point. From there the next course of action will be decided."
As she finished detailing the plan Hinata knew she should say something extra, but couldn't think of anything uplifting or inspiring to say like she had heard from many jounin leaders, and read in many books. Instead she moved into formation and waited.
The mission was almost complete she realised, and if everything went right they would sprint all the way back to Konoha without any trouble. That wasn't going to happen though. Signalling the Uchiha to go, Hinata prepared herself.
Sasuke ran out from the shade of the base entrance at Hinata's signal, the other five ninja falling into formation behind him. The smoke from the explosion caused by Owl was now gone, and because of it everything seemed clearer to the Uchiha.
Burn marks scorched the ground and buildings. Bodies were on the ground in various states of damage; some had kunai and shuriken in them, others were burnt and blackened, and some were missing pieces of their anatomy. However, no matter how many ninja were dead or still lurking around the base ready to attack them, Sasuke thought of only one ninja, one man who had yet to show himself. The fact that he hadn't when his base was being attacked worried Sasuke.
'Why hasn't Madara attacked us yet?' Scanning left and right as he ran past the buildings closest to the base entrance Sasuke strained every sense he had honed over his many years as a ninja, hoping to pick up any indications of an attack before it happened. Sasuke knew though that when it came to Madara it didn't matter how alert you were, the man could come at you from any angle depending on his mood.
The path they had chosen to take to escape the century old fortress was the most direct, and most open to attack. The buildings within the grounds were built so that there was a straight, clear path from the gate in the fortress wall to the underground entrance. It also left the six Konoha ninja wide open to attack while the enemy ninja had plenty of cover on either side.
Pain lanced though Sasuke's right leg as the gate loomed larger over them. He staggered as his leg gave way then righted himself. 'Not now.' He only made it several more steps before the pain cause him to fall to his knees on the ground. Sasuke could feel it now. The effects of the recovery the Hokage put him through before this mission were nearly gone. Now the pain was coming back from his previous injuries, and it was worse.
Pushing aside the pain Sasuke slowly rose and turned at the sound of his name to the ninja behind him. A heavy weariness started to cloud his mind making concentration hard. He was being asked a question yet he couldn't understand a word. "What was that?"
Hinata was now in front of him as the other ninja's quickly got into a defensive formation. Sasuke watched her as she grabbed his right arm, the pain from the contact causing him to wince and Hinata to retract her hand at his reaction. He could see realisation dawn in her eyes.
"I asked why you were stopping Uchiha, but by the looks of it I can see why," The tone of her voice was condescending, "Do you need help or do I have to leave you behind?" The question jabbed a Sasuke's pride causing a rush of relief that pushed aside the pain ebbing throughout his body. He was an Uchiha and he wasn't going to fail, not now when success was close.
"I'm fine." Sasuke turned back towards the gate before anymore was said. He had seen the look in Naruto's eyes as Hinata questioned him and could see that the blonde was curious about what was happening.
"Tut tut tut little Hyuuga-san. Don't you know never to attack an Uchiha's pride?" The sound of a man's voice caused Sasuke to turn around, the Konoha ninja present all adopting a defensive stance in case of attack.
Standing ten metres behind them in the centre of the thoroughfare connecting the gate to the base entrance was Uchiha Madara. The man was clothed in the standard Akatsuki cloak of black with red clouds, the clothes he wore and weapons he carried hidden behind the material, while an orange spiral-shaped mask with a hole in the centre of the spiral for his right eye covered his face.
For a split second everyone was still and then a flurry of movement saw Joker, Rose and Mantis position themselves in front of Hinata and Naruto, their bodies forming a wall between the immortal Uchiha and his prize.
"Now now boys and girls, there's no need for such hostility." Madara raised his arms in front of himself, shaking them to indicate he didn't want to fight. Even with his playful voice and non-threatening movements the Konoha ninja remained tense. "I'm just here to reclaim what's mine, so why don't you just hand over the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and I'll let the rest of you leave. I'll even forget that you've killed most of my ninja and destroyed quite a bit of my property."
Activating his Sharingan, Sasuke moved past Hinata and Naruto to stand beside Mantis as he kept watch on Madara. "Ne, Sasuke, why don't you tell your fellow ninja that I mean what I say. I really will let you all go if you leave behind the Jinchuuriki."
Sasuke smirked as he regarded the former leader of the Uchiha. He had never trusted the man implicitly, and while he couldn't always read what Madara was intending to do he knew what the immortal was saying was a lie. Sasuke could tell no-one else believed the man, however, that wouldn't stop him from enjoying this brief moment as he denied the maniac's request.
"Sorry Madara, but a genin could tell you're full of crap." Though he couldn't see his face Sasuke knew Madara was not pleased with his response. Sasuke then glanced over his right shoulder at Hinata and Naruto. "Get the dobe out of here Lady Hyuuga."
"What was that teme!?"
Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder as he growled at Sasuke's remark, Hinata regarded the Uchiha coolly as he walked between Joker and Rose to stand between Madara and themselves. "Remember your oath Uchiha."
Nodding at her words Sasuke readied himself. The pain of his injuries was weakening his concentration, exhaustion slowing his movements. He knew though that he had to do this, if for no other reason than he was the best suited to hold off Madara while the others escaped. That would be it though as fighting the immortal was pointless in his current state.
Madara sighed. "Oh well, I did give you a chance."
Watching Madara carefully Sasuke heard each ninja behind take off over the fortress wall into the forest beyond. He had promised that he would give his life to ensure Naruto was rescued. Now he would fulfil that oath and in doing so begin to earn back what pride and dignity he had lost in his quest for vengeance. Moving into the basic fighting stance of the Uchiha, Sasuke waited for the last Anbu, Joker, to leave.
"Sorry Uchiha, but I'm not leaving," Sasuke turned to the man beside him to see Joker also in a basic fighting stance, "I figured you might need a hand seeing as how you can barely stand." The insult was not lost on Sasuke, who despite himself smirked at the Anbu's comment. "Now how about we finish this up quickly so I can get back for dinner."
Laughing loudly Madara stared straight and Sasuke and Joker, his voice dripping with venom. "You were right not to hand over Naruto because I would have killed you all. However the result is unchanged. After I kill you two I'll simply hunt down the others and retrieve my prize. All you've accomplished is to delay me a few minutes and ensure you own deaths. How does that sound?"
Sasuke flipped a kunai around in his hand so that the grip was reversed. He couldn't help but agree with his ancestor's comments. Unfortunately he couldn't think of a witty comeback given his current situation. Joker however had no such problem. "Well then, let's make it a few interesting minutes shall we?"
Another chapter done, and as you can no doubt guess things are coming to a close (I'm just hoping it comes sounds right :D) Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.
