Here we are, Chapter 12. Can't really say much for you... enjoy /(^_^)
Chapter 12: The News of War.
{Location: Clearing}
Jonetsu looks in horror at the strange skeletal figure surrounding Ushido, the air around him much thicker, almost impossible to breathe. He slowly turns to face Jonetsu, his face completely soaked from the tears that still fall from his eyes. She stares into his crimson eyes for a short while, all time around her begins to slow once their eyes meet.
He approaches her quickly, at least, he was quick in her eyes. He crouches next to Koken's body, extending his hand for her to take it. It seemed so strange, all of a sudden his movements were so quick compared to herself.
After a few moments of silence, the silver aura died down, his crimson eyes shifting back to their original form. The moment they returned to normal she felt everything speed up again. She suddenly hears Ushido's voice muffle out to call her as her hearing returns to her.
"Y-Chan? May-Chan? We need to move. Can you stand?" he asked as she nods and accepts his hand. She raises to her feet as Ushido quickly kneels down to pick Koken up. "We need to get to the summit." he said, his voice a little shaky as he looks at the lifeless body of his Brother in his arms.
"How far is it Ushido-Kun?" she replied, crossing her arms to attempt to keep warm as she shakes frantically. Ushido turns to face her and shakes his head, showing he's unsure himself on how far it is.
"From what I remember, it should be a few miles away from here. A little more to the East I think. c'mon, we need to move." he answered as he turned back and proceeded to leave with Koken in his arms. Jonetsu nods and follows closely.
{Location: Kage Summit}
Ushido and Jonetsu arrive at the burning building of the Summit. Outside are three men in samurai armour, swords at the ready once they spot them. They halt in place as the samurai approach them slowly.
"Judging by your headbands, you must be Hidden Cloud Ninja. We heard from the Raikage that you'd be arriving. please, come in out of this freezing blizzard." said the samurai in the middle as he gestures them to follow. Ushido and Jonetsu share a quick glance at each other then follow.
Arriving inside, they took a look around and shook at the horrid sight that surrounds them. The entire place looked like an absolute mess. Ushido couldn't help but imagine what must've happened here; could it have been Sasuke?
"This place is a complete mess, what the hell happened?" he asked as he quickly pushed Koken back up into his arms to stop his body slipping.
"We were attacked by Sasuke Uchiha. We've managed to capture two of the people that were with him but he managed to escape." replied the Samurai. Ushido simply nodded and continued on, still examining the horror around him. In the centre of the room stood a young man, must've been the same age as them, with a large gourd on his back. Next to him was a young man in black with purple face paint on himself, on the other side was Temari, looking not too different from when he saw her in the Chunin exams. The young man turned to greet them.
"Ah... you must be here with the Raikage, correct?" he asked, Ushido and Jonetsu nod. "Unfortunately he's not here right now. May I ask who that is in your arms?" he asked as he slowly approached.
"It's... my friend, Koken, he... died fighting Sasuke Uchiha." he replied as he quickly looked away to hide his tears. The young Kazekage simply smiles warmly and places his hand on Ushido's shoulder to comfort him.
"Do not hide your tears, my friend, you should never hold your pain to yourself. You have my deepest sympathies for your friend, I wish there were something I could do." he said as Ushido looked back to look him in the eyes and smiles back.
"I hate to interrupt, but we need to get moving, Gaara." said the young man behind him.
"Yes, thank you, Kankuro... I apologise, we must leave now. I shall see you soon." he finished, smiling warmly again as he tapped Ushido's shoulder and passed.
"Thank you, Lord Kazekage." said Ushido as he bowed his head.
"Please," he started as he quickly turned back to face Ushido, "Call me Gaara, I'm sure we'll meet again soon. Farewell for now." he finished as he turned back and headed towards the door. Kankuro passed Ushido and nodded before turning to catch up with Gaara as Temari passes Ushido and winks before catching up herself.
Jonetsu brings herself closer to Ushido and wrapped her arms around his left arm before they turned around and found a clear space to rest. Ushido quickly placed Koken on the ground and sat next to Jonetsu as the Samurai approached them again with something to drink.
"You may rest here for as long as you need. we will be willing to escort you back as far as we can go. maybe you'll run into the Raikage on the way." he said as he bowed in respect.
"Thank you, I think we'll rest here a short while. It's been a long day." replied Ushido as Jonetsu lays down and rests her head on Ushido's lap and attempts to sleep.
{Time Skip: One Hour}
Ushido wakes up on the floor next to Jonetsu and chuckles to the sight of her sleeping soundly. He reaches over and brushes her hair out of her face before pushing himself up to his feet and quickly looked around himself.
"Sleep well?" asked a voice from behind. Ushido jumped at the sound and turned to face the source of the voice.
"Darui-Sensei... what're you doing here?" he mumbled and lowered his head at the sight of his master.
"Well, we couldn't really leave you guys behind. Look at them both, sound asleep. I guess Koken must've gotten real tired from his walk." he laughed, making Ushido tear up and turn away to hide them, but Darui was too quick, he saw them at the mention of Koken. "What happened, Ushido?" He asked as he gave a serious, yet worried, look.
"Well... while me and May-Chan were waiting for him to come back, Koken... fought against Sasuke Uchiha." he replied. Darui felt his heart drop as soon as Sasukes name was said. He could feel his entire body become heavy as he reached for something to lean against.
"He... fought Sasuke? Why?" he asked as he sat himself down. Ushido gulped and took a deep breath before he answers…
"I don't… he didn't say. The wound on his heart… was me." He relied as he wiped the tears from his face.
"You? Why do that?" he asked as he took a step forward.
"May-Chan examined his body… his entire body was slowly shutting down and he was in so much pain. He asked me to end the pain for him and I…" he stopped and covered his face as more tears streamed down. Darui knelt down beside him and grabbed Ushido's shoulders. "It's unfair…" he cried as Darui pulled him in closer. "He said he'd stick by me! He promised he'd always be around to back me up! Why do the good have to suffer while the wicked laugh?" he shouted as he cried into Darui's chest. Jonetsu is awakened by the muffled sobs of Ushido and slowly pushes herself up. She sees Ushido in Darui's arms and shuffles closer and wraps her arms around him to help comfort Ushido.
"Listen to me, Ushido… you are not to blame for this. There was nothing you could do for him." Said Darui as he looks Ushido in the eyes.
"If I'd been there…"
"What could you have done?" he interrupted, "He faced this alone. He had the chance to walk away from them to try find you but decided to face it alone. There was nothing you could do." He finished, getting only a nod as a reply as he let go of Ushido and moved over to Koken. He picked Koken up then turned to the others. "Guess we should go… don't want to keep the Raikage, Cee and Bee waiting." He smiled.
"Killer Bee-Senpai is alive?" jumped Jonetsu.
"Yeah, they're all waiting outside for us. Shall I break the news to him?" replied Darui, giving Ushido a look he just couldn't shake off.
"No... no, I need to do it." answered Ushido as he passed Darui and headed to the doors. He took a deep breath, then opened them, greeted by two smiles and the usual grumpy look from the Raikage. He quickly gulped before slowly shifting his gaze up to meet the Raikage's. "Lord Raikage... I have news for you."
"So do we, unless Darui told you." he interrupted, earning an odd look from Ushido before he turns around to face a guilty Darui in the doorway. The Raikage gives an odd look and caught Ushido's attention again. "What's wrong with Koken?" he asked as Ushido lowered his head.
"That's the news, he..." Ushido stopped. He couldn't finish what he wanted to say. No words were said, none were needed to see the pain and disappointment on the Raikage's face. Ushido could see the same looks on the two Shinobi at either side of the Raikage.
"We should move is we want to get home as soon as we can." said the Raikage as he turned his back to Ushido and proceeded to leave.
"We're headed for war." muttered Cee as he watched the Raikage walk away. Ushido snapped his gaze straight to him. "News like this must've really gotten to him. This war will really bring out everything we have. Our enemies are the Akatsuki. The Five Great Nations versus the Akatsuki, this is something I've kinda dreaded for a long time." he finished, Ushido still giving him a shocked look.
"W... war? How did it turn into this?" he asked, lowering his head.
"Madara Uchiha. He was the one that declared it. He hopes to capture Lord Bee and the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki..."
"Naruto?" he snapped. Cee nodded and turned away.
"If you want to protect your friends, prove it in this war." he said, then continued on. Killer Bee slowly approached Ushido and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You have my sympathies for your brother, friends like him, there can be no other. If you need to talk see me anytime, I'm sure together we'll spit some killer rhymes. Yeeeaaaa." he said as he gave Ushido a thumbs up, making Ushido chuckle a little.
"Thank you, Bee-Sama." he reaches his hand out to offer to shake hands, getting only Killer Bee shaking his head in return.
"Nah, nah... that's not how you do things with the Bee," he paused, extending his fist out to Ushido. "Like this, see?" he finished, Ushido giving him an odd look. He notices what he means, then extends his own fist out to fist bumps him. "Hmm?" Bee gives an odd look, confusing Ushido a little.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head to the side a little.
"This loss was the horrible part, but I can feel he's always in your heart." he replied as he took his hand back and took the other hand from Ushido's shoulder, then proceeded to leave. Darui and Jonetsu approached from behind and stop beside him.
"Guess we'd better get going, It's time we got back, don't you think?" he said as he passes Ushido. Ushido nodded back and followed him.
{Location: Hidden Cloud Village Gate}
Ushido, Jonetsu and Darui arrive at the gate and stop; Ushido turns to Darui and approaches with his arms stretched out. Darui nods and quietly hands Koken over to Ushido without hesitation. Ushido takes Koken and proceeds towards the gates. Jonetsu begins to follow but is stopped by Darui.
"No... he needs to do this alone. As his best friend, he needs to do this." said Darui as they watched Ushido walk away. Jonetsu quickly wrapped her arms around Darui and wept into him as he quietly held her to comfort her while they watched Ushido.
Ushido walked silently through the streets, the crowds that fill them open up as he passes. Many people wept at the sight of the young shinobi carrying his team-mate through the streets while others bowed their heads in respect.
All of the memories he had with Koken flood his mind, all of the fights, the challenges, the hearty moments and their training.
"Ok, sound off. Names and ambitions." said Darui, towering over the young shinobi and kunoichi. Jonetsu raised her hand to begin.
"I'm Jonetsu Mai, I hope to become an acceptable kunoichi, to protect those I love with all my might." she said as she blushed from looking over to Ushido and covered her red cheeks.
"Heh... that it? You gotta aim big! I'm Koken Nihin and I will become the Hidden Cloud's most powerful shinobi. I will be the one to succeed the Raikage!" he laughed as Darui sweat dropped from the sight of the overexcited shinobi.
"Ok, and you there?" he asked, bringing the attention to Ushido.
"I'm Ushido Uchiha, sole survivor of the Uchiha clan. I'm going to be the one who revives and rebuilds the Uchiha clan." he replied, extending his fist then punched his chest.
"What's that now? Twenty all? We need harder challenges!" shouted Koken, trying to catch his breath. Ushido threw himself up and pumped his fist to agree.
"Damn right we do! May-Chan, help us out here." he shouted, startling the young kunoichi.
"M... me? Why do I have to think of something, Ushido-Kun?" she asked, making Ushido roll his eyes then turn away.
"Fine... we'll think of something for ourselves." he laughed.
"Honestly, where do you two get this energy?" she retorted, earning a cocky chuckle from Koken.
"Come on Jonetsu-Chan, me an' Ushido are gonna be part of the next generation of powerful shinobi! The Raikage and the Uchiha Clan leader!" he proclaimed. Jonetsu simply rolled her eyes and walked away.
Koken looks up and returns the smile to her. The two fighters began to walk away and join the others in the stands above.
"You never did things by half-measures, do you?" Ushido smirked as he and Kiba approach them with grins on their faces. Kiba takes Shino and walks over to Hinata, who instantly jumps over and hugs them, much to Shino's discontent. Koken and Ushido watch the team laugh together as they look back at each other. Ushido extends his arm to reveal his fist. Koken looks down and smiles as he extends his arm and fist bumps Ushido as they both walk over to Jonetsu.
"You know me! Go big or go home and whatever..." Koken smirked as they joined up with Jonetsu.
"Is there a draft, Ushido?" Chuckled Koken. "'Cuz your cheeks are a little blue." He says, trying so hard to stop himself from laughing loudly. Ushido tilts his head again before realizing what he meant. His face turns totally red as he looks back and finds his rear end completely on show. He then notices the two girls red faces as they try so hard to look away in embarrassment. Ushido leaps for cover and searches for his clothes as Darui presents them to him. "Looking for these, Ushido? I picked them up for you and was just about to say that maybe you should put them on before doing anything. I should've said earlier, apologies…" he scratches the back of his head as Ushido gives an annoyed look, his eyes twitching every so often.
"No matter what, me and Jonetsu will always be around buddy. We always have your back and you always have ours."
" We're Brothers. We've always been Brothers. We always had each other's backs and we always kept each other safe. Not just each other, but Jonetsu-Chan too. But now, I pass that to you. I know you'll be powerful enough to do it. You're an Uchiha, and you have your clan to rebuild. There's not much I can say to you except, thanks for everything, Ushido-Kun."
He marched on through the streets, his best friend in his arms. His eyes tear up as the thoughts run through his head. He soon arrives at Koken's home, the one moment he could never have prepared himself for. He stands just outside the door, frozen by his nerves, hoping that he can get through this in one piece. He reached his arm out to the door...
{Location: Koken's House}
Koken's mother sat comfortably on the couch, a magazine in hand while her husband sat just across reading the newspaper.
"I heard the Raikage returned earlier, so Koken should be home soon. Well, after he goes for a celebratory dinner with his team. I hope that Ushido didn't get him into too much trouble now." she laughed, earning a chuckle back from her husband.
"I doubt that. What could they possibly do that'd put them in too much danger anyway. They were at the Five Kage Summit, the Five Kage themselves was there." he replied, lowering the paper to meet his wife's gaze.
"I know, I just... worry. I am his mother after all." she said, her tone now lowering to a sad one. "It'll be nice if he could spend at lest a month at home without having to go on a mission." she finished. The two are silent for a while, no sound in the room besides the pages flipping and sipping from the glasses.
The silence between them is interrupted by one sound that would bring their worlds crashing down.
*Knock, Knock.
Well there's chapter 12. Apologies it took a little long, I hit a bit of a block with it as I went on. Anyways, thanks for sticking around. Please Rate/ Review and I'll see you guys next chapter. Magnum out /(^_^)
