Chapter 12: The Akatsuki?
-With Goku-
The Saiyan smirked, walking out of the office with his two friends next to him. He tried to ignore all of the looks he had garnered from just striding along the streets on the way, but they still irked him. He didn't really know where he was going, but his friends chose to tag with him anyways, not knowing anything else to do.
Having had enough of the silence, the Saiyan broke it with the ceasing of walking. He turned towards with his friends with a normal expression on his face, ready to speak to them both. "Why are you guys following me?"
"Well, there's nothing else to do...if we're bothering you we can lea-" Hinata started saying until the Saiyan cut her off with the wave of his hand. He looked towards his male teammate and he nodded at the girls words.
"No, I didn't ask y'all to leave, I just wanted to know," he clarified, before feeling his stomach growl. "Are either of you up for some delicious food?"
"Troublesome," Shikamaru lazily responded. "Sure, I've got nothing else to do anyways. Where do you wanna go?"
"Erm, let's have Hinata choose this time." Goku resonated, shifting the attention towards his pale-eyed friend.
"Um, how about the newly opened 'Kunai Shrine' buffet?" The Hyuga suggested, her choice being made to compensate for Goku's noted insane eating habits. "It holds enough food to support even you, Goku."
"Heh, well we're about to find out, cause' I'm starving!" The Saiyan exclaimed, causing both of his teammates to chuckle a bit.
"Of course you are Goku, when are you not," the Nara joked, grinning along with his teammates while walking.
"Good point, Lazy Ass."
-With The Unknown-
Ten silhouettes stood atop large rocks situated in front of a large statue inside a large cave just outside the Red Ribbon Army base. Seven of the silhouettes seemed blurry and almost see-through, as if they were not truly present.
"Zetsu, the alien is leaving his village soon, correct?" One of the figures asked in an authoritative voice.
"Yes." Another figure, Zetsu, responded. Unlike the other nine, this figure took the shape of a Venus-fly trap. It then changed its voice before speaking again. "Their mission begins tomorrow. He and his team will be heading near Taki no Kuni towards the Tenchi Bridge, where they'll escort the infamous client Bulma Briefs back to Mirai Toshi."
"Good." The first figure spoke. He then the turned his attention towards two more figures, standing next to each other. "Kakuzu, Oroka, I have a mission for you both. As you two are the closest to the area, you will engage the extraterrestrial and his team during their travels. Fight him to test his abilities and see where the boy stands. If possible, try to capture him alive for subjection and the extraction of his blood. If you can, try and pin his 'disappearance' on the Taki shinobi to create tensions between the two villages. Also, kill all of his companions while you're at it."
"Understood." One of the figures replied in a bored, uncaring tone of voice. "Anyhow, if that's all the orders you have for thy, then I'm out."
With those words, the figure disappeared from view on his rock.
"Didn't even wait for any more orders...that imprudent, stupid little..." The figure that was standing next to him hissed under his breath before he turned to face the leader. "My partner is getting on my last nerves, and has been doing so for the past few days. Expect me to need a new partner, as I will kill his ass very soon and turn him in for the bounty Iwa has on his head if he keeps pissing me off."
"That'll be the fourth one, Kakuzu." Zetsu replied nonchalantly.
"We can look into that for you Kakuzu, but for now, just work with him and complete your mission. There are no further orders for you." The leader stated. He then turned his attention to Zetsu. "Zetsu, keep track on the Jinchuriki's as well. Find out everything you can about them and their current positions."
"Understood!" The plant-figure replied, his voice back to the way it originally was.
"Konan and I will work on recruiting a new member into the organization, a man who claims to be an immortal. Perhaps this would be the best suited partner for you Kakuzu?" The leader asked in monotone.
"If he pisses me off, I'll just dig and find some way to murder him too." Kakuzu responded simply.
The leader seemed to ignore the man's response and turned to the entire group. "As for the rest of you, you all know and have your individual assignments. This meeting is thereby dismissed until Kakuzu and Oroka complete their mission."
With those words, all silhouettes disappeared without a trace, leaving the leader to glance at a small rice-cooker floating onto the shore of the riverbank with an encryption on it. It read 'Makai Pikkoro', which meant Piccolo Daimao, or Demon-King Piccolo. It also had a seal on it, that translated to 'Mafuba' or Evil Containment Wave. Glancing at it with circular irises, the leader thought back to what he had learned from his former sensei Jiraiya, and realized it was from something of the legends. He was a Demon King of some sort, ruling the world for decades over three-centuries ago, nearly wiping out the world's population. Intriguing, he could provide useful to the Akatsuki's purposes soon, if he was truly required...
-With Team Eight-
Goku, Hinata, and Shikamaru stood in front of the gates of Konoha. The three members of Team Eight were sporting backpacks and extra weaponry for their first C-Rank mission, and first time out of the village, barring Goku of course. They were all anxiously awaiting for their first 'true' mission to begin.
'My first time out of the village for a real mission...hopefully it's good so I can see how much better I've gotten and how much more I need to improve,' The boy stated inwardly, shifting and twitching in excitement. This excitement soon changed to irritation after a few minutes passed. There sensei and client were nowhere to be found.
"...Yugao-Sensei should be here by now, right?" Goku asked his friends, a frown apparent on his face. "I mean she came to my house and told me 'Be here at 7:00 in the morning.' So where the hell is she right now?"
"I dunno, maybe she's waiting for the client to get ready?" Hinata said with an obvious sigh.
"Troublesome...I actually woke up early today for this and she doesn't even show up on time..." Shikamaru complained. "That's a few more minutes of sleep wasted, damnit."
Minutes soon turn into an hour. It was at this point of irritation that Yugao finally showed her face. She was accompanied by a slender teenager who looked to be in her late teens. She was wearing beige knee length shorts, and a large, simple looking red shirt that had the logo CC on the back as well as the word "Bulma" on the front of the shirt. The woman also had a red-band on her turquoise hair, which was slicked down somewhat past her shoulders unlike Hinata's, whom was a bit on the unkempt, spiky side and above her shoulders.
Yugao didn't get the chance to speak before Goku started to state the obvious.
"Where the heck have you been sensei?" He asked.
"She was still packing when I arrived, and I was busy buying food to last me for the mission." She stated rather bluntly, before pointing towards the woman next to her. "Anyway, this is our client: Bulma. In case you've all forgotten, she is the heiress from Capsule Corporation which is located in Mirai Toshi, and it's our job to escort her back to her home within the city, understood?"
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Bulma spoke up, after seeing the team nod. "I wasn't ready when your sensei showed up, but now I'm here, let's go."
"She's right, we've wasted enough daylight as it is, so let's hurry up and get moving."
"Yes, finally!" Goku remarked with a grin on his face as they strolled out of the gates. "Wait, what path are we going on?"
"...Just follow me." The purple haired woman informed everyone present as she started off on the path towards Taki no Kuni. "Heads up, this trip is bound to be very long."
The three genin and the heiress nodded in response and followed behind. Team Eight's first C-Rank mission had now officially begun, little did they know what was to come!
-Two Hours Later-
An hour had passed since Team Eight had left the gates of Konoha, and they were currently on the road to reach Taki no Kuni. According to Anko's map and memory, they should reach the area Taki no Kuni on their second, third or fourth day, depending on their speed, and reach the actual city one day later.
The Anbu converted Jonin was currently conversing with Bulma. The women were discussing trivial things such as endeavors, Bulma's reason for coming to Hi no Kuni, the technology in Capsule Corp and etc. The two ladies then reached a conclusion on their conversation. Hinata had decided to take this time to get to know her client.
"So Bulma-san, did you enjoy Hi no Kuni while you were here?" She asked the older adolescent.
"I did indeed, Hinata-san. The country was really beautiful and tranquil," Bulma complimented with a smile, "A stark contrast to how Mirai Toshi is."
Hinata was about to respond, further questioning about her time here, but was cut off by the voice of her spiky-haired teammate.
"Why would you leave the urban life to come here? It's not as safe and secure out here," Goku questioned, just a normal thought. He knew there had to be some ulterior motive behind this, but what could it be? And plus, he was bored out of his mind, which was why he tossed his Dragonball up then caught it repeatedly when it fell down due to said boredom nonchalantly.
"Oh, I was around here for a Dragonball, it's an orange sphere looking thing that has stars on it. I even have a radar to find th-" She paused, her eye catching the orange orb that the thirteen year-old she was talking too possessed. She already had two of them, two of them were collected in a concentrated area near the RR, two were yet to be found and this genin had one too? It was with him all this time?!
"Can I get that orb you have in your possession?" Bulma asked, a bit pleadingly. "I need to make a wish that's personal to me, and it's important!"
"What?!" Goku started, not ready to give up his Dragonball for a personal reason this woman had, even if she was the CC heiress. "I can't! I made a promise to this kid that I would get his family back with em', and I can't back out now. I'm sorry, but I intend to keep the promises I made."
"Damnit," The genius muttered to herself, her plea not having any affect on the Saiyan. Then, she looked at the boy walking next to her still tossing the Dragonball, and noticed how chiseled he was for his age. Not trying to be a pedophile or anything of those sorts, she figured out the perfect bargain for him. "Wait, what if I made you something to help you train much faster at home?"
That one was very tempting to Goku, because he wanted to grow as strong as possible as soon as possible. However, if it meant reviving Upa's family then he'd have to refuse. Although, what if the boy wasn't alive right now? Or what if he wasn't powerful enough to gain all of the Dragonballs from the RR yet? Or what if the Dragon couldn't even grant that wish? There's too many what-ifs and not enough answers to those what-ifs. The point was that he needed to get much stronger, and fast. That would be the only way to successfully get the Dragonballs, and if he had to track down the Dragonballs for a second time then so be it. He would accept this deal and gain power so that he could collect them all easily when he did depart.
"Fine," Goku relented with a sigh. "But this training machine thingy has to be great, or else I'm coming back for those Dragonballs. How soon can you make it for me?"
"I should have it mailed to the gates of Konoha in a Capsule package after the annual Chunin Exams, that should be enough time to make it," The genius stated, smiling gleefully at receiving the Dragonball that Goku had tossed. She was one-step closer to her perfect boyfriend after all this time!
"Hmph, I'll hold you to it then!" Goku stated with a smirk. "I'll nag the hell outta you every time I see you until it get's done just to make sure."
Comfortable silence filled the air after his words, and they continued to walk until Bulma threw out a two-seated mo-pad that came from a Dynocap. This astonished the entire team except for Goku due to seeing the sheer technology she had at her disposal. All capsules had seals on them written in 'Kanji' format, showing a way to emulate technology into fuinjutsu to create them. Seeing that it had two seats, Shikamaru took the offer to ride behind Bulma, and go to sleep.
The remaining three shinobi were excited at the prospect of picking up the pace, and then the group moved on at a much quicker pace than before, Hinata and Goku taking it as a training exercise to keep up with the speed of the mo-pad for as long as they could.
They pressed onward until the group stopped traveling for the day to get some sleep for the night. The genin members were all grateful that Yugao was taking first watch, as they wanted to sleep and get some time to relax after the long and arduous training session had ended, with only Goku not thoroughly exhausted.
-The Next Day-
Day two of traveling began shortly after everyone got up. After a small breakfast that Yugao had prepared from the supplies she brought, Team Eight and their client were off again towards Capsule Corp.
After just an hour of cruising, the group noticed that a young man was walking down the path going straight towards them. He gave a wave to the group walking, but seemed to pay special attention to Bulma. His eyes were focused on the heiress, which Yugao took notice of and immediately readied a kunai.
When the group finally passed the man, he made a signal with his hands. At that moment, twenty-five more men jumped out of the forest, each holding axes, torched pick-forks, or spiky baseball bats. And then, all of the pathetic men charged at the traveling group.
"Ah!" Bulma gasped in surprise, almost falling off the mo-pad in shock. As if on cue, the woman was surrounded on all sides by the members of Team Eight.
"Stay calm: we'll handle this. They're just the everyday, common bandits." Yugao informed him as she tossed one of her kunai knives. It landed directly in the temple of one of the bandits, killing him instantly. "Goku, Hinata, Shikamaru, defend our client by any means necessary whilst taking care of these bandits at the same time."
The three genin nodded and immediately went to work. Goku charged at ten of the incoming bandits, the men not even seeing a blur, but rather a few afterimages. Before they could even see anything else, black overcame all of them in seconds of flawless succession. The Saiyan had snapped all of their necks with ten well-aimed strikes to the jaw, effectively killing them in a few seconds.
Hinata activated her Byakugan and attacked the chakra network of five incoming bandits. Considering the little amount of chakra they possessed, the five men passed out from chakra exhaustion immediately. Shikamaru activated his Kagemane Jutsu, freezing four incoming bandits. He dropped the hold just before Hinata attacked their chakra networks, unknowingly killing them. The remaining bandits were handled by Yugao, whom hit them directly into their heads and killed them all instantly. The young man who signaled for the attack was the only one not unconscious or dead.
"I always find it incredibly incomprehensible when bandits like you think you can just kill any shinobi just because you outnumber them." Yugao told him with a frown as she walked towards him, a kunai raised.
"Y-You shinobi are so cocky!" The man blurted out in a mix of anger and fear. "J-Just you wait, my r-remaining men will f-find you. They're waiting out in the forest later on and t-they'll kill you all with explosives!"
"Oh really? I sincerely doubt they'll be a genuine threat to us, but thanks for warning us about what's to come," The purple-haired Jonin said, still emanating killer intent. "It doesn't matter though, you're still going to die here."
The sensei of Team Eight immediately launched her kunai at the man's head, connecting and killing the poor idiot instantly.
"...I-is it safe?" Bulma mumbled nervously, still in shock from the attack.
"Yes, for the moment. Unfortunately, the guy said there were more bandits lurking around." Yugao noted with a sigh, and then she turned to Hinata. "Do you think you can spot them from here?"
Hinata focused her vision further along the path they were heading. As she looked further, she saw three bandits hiding in trees a little less than a kilometer away.
"If you can see them, I want you to kill them for me," The woman said, ordering her pupil to carry it out for a specific reason.
The Hyuga heiress nodded as she pointed her crossbow in their direction. She then readied her longer-than-normal Kunai, lacing it with Chakra, and then firing it off. The kunai hit one of the bandits straight in the neck, ending his life. The other man, who was sitting in a tree, gasped and fell off of it in shock. His head hit the ground hard, killing him with his neck cracking. The other bandit looked at the sight in shock and immediately fled, in fear of dying as well. At least he tried, before another launched kunai impacted the back of his skull, ending his life as well.
"There were three bandits. I killed two and then another one died of shock, cracking his neck upon impact on the ground," Hinata reported to her sensei.
"Thank you all so much, I was worried for a moment back there!" Bulma informed them gratefully.
Hinata was about to smile back when the reality of what just happened occurred to her. The girl had just fired two kunai's and killed two men, then indirectly killed another. She had just killed two people, and realized she also almost-certainly killed the foot bandits as well.
Yugao, Shikamaru, and Goku accepted the praise and smiled in response. Hinata, however, started to shake in response. She remained quiet as she started to stare at the ground, not paranoid but completely devoid of any emotion.
"...Hinata? Hinata? Are you okay?" Goku asked. Hinata didn't say anything. She just continued to stare downward to the ground in silence.
"Hinata?!" The adolescent asked, his concern escalating little by little.
"Okay, squad Eight, let's get back on track, time's wasting," Yugao informed everyone, interrupting the boy's constant questioning.
Hinata was the first to start walking forward, then sprinting, with Bulma and Shikamaru hopping onto the mo-pad, following closely behind. Goku and Yugao carried up the rear, as Yugao decided she needed to talk to the boy.
"Goku, I know you care for her and want to aid her, but you should give Hinata some alone time for a little bit." She told him.
"Huh? Why? She's not feeling good at all!" Goku informed her, irritated that his sensei didn't want him to help his friend.
"Goku...I know what's wrong with her. She just made her first kills, and realization dawned on her." Yugao explained with a somber, understanding look on her face. "For most people, taking lives for the first time is never easy. She's likely beginning to have mental and emotional trauma."
"Well, is there anything we can do to help?" Goku asked, feeling even more concern for Hinata.
"Nothing for now." The Jonin stated sharply, giving no room for debate. "Don't force the issue on her and make her talk when she's not ready for it. It'll just hurt her more. Let her try and come to grips on her own. The most effective thing you can do is give her the space she needs for now and, when she decides she wants to talk, you should be her friend and talk to her about it."
Goku stood in silence for awhile, thinking about the situation. He had already made his first kill with Mizuki, but he still didn't fully understand what exactly Hinata was feeling. He had experienced cold-blooded murder in front of his face and couldn't hope to stop it, and he had felt vast amounts of animosity and rage from it. He wanted to help his friend out badly, but he couldn't think of an exact way to do it.
"...Fine. I'll wait for her to talk about it." The boy sighed, crossing his arms in contempt. "In the mean time, I'll try and think of something to say."
The purple haired woman gave a sincere smile at her student's words. "She'll probably talk to you soon, knowing how tough and resilient she is."
With those words, the conversation was dropped. Goku and Yugao hurried up to the group traveling with them. Silence filled the group, and everyone remained in their own thoughts. Goku, especially, spent his time pondering/thinking.
After a few more hours, the group set up camp again. Yugao had the first watch as her students slept until their turn...or tried to sleep. Hinata stayed up all night until her turn, just staring blankly into space, her head clouded with numerous thoughts.
-Later On With Hinata-
"Um...G-Goku?"
Goku woke up from his sleep with a loud yawn. He brushed off his tiredness as quickly as he could and turned to look at the source of his 'wake up call', Hinata.
"I-It's your turn to do watch..." The girl informed him quietly. Goku noticed Hinata revert back to her soft and stuttering persona and frowned. He wanted to do something to help her, but he remembered his sensei's words from earlier.
"Okay, thanks Hinata!" He told her politely as he got up from his sleeping bag and started to look around for any possible threats.
The Saiyan genin continued his watch for a few minutes until he noticed that Hinata had never went back to sleep. She remained sitting, just staring at him, as if she was conflicted within her mind.
Goku realized something then and there. '...Does she want to talk? To hell with it, I'm gonna talk to her rather Sensei likes it or not!'
The boy channeled his Ki inside his mind to feel out for any energy in the area, and found none. Finding out that the coast was clear, he walked over to his female friend.
"Hinata?" He asked quietly.
"G-Goku?" She responded back, hesitantly.
"You okay Hinata? What are you still doing up?" He asked. Goku felt he needed to make sure she really did want to talk. He didn't want to hurt her or make her feel worse than she already did, even though he wasn't the consolation type person.
"Ah...um...I'm having trouble sleeping..." She stated. "Um, and...I can't...stop thinking...about killing those...people!"
Hinata couldn't continue with whatever she wanted to say. Her tears were starting to come, and try as she might she couldn't stop all of them. She immediately grabbed onto the nearby Goku and pulled him closer to her as she let some of her pent-up emotions fall. She then started to cry softly into his navy blue T-shirt, burrowing her head against his chest.
As if by instinct, Goku hugged the girl tight against him. He started to pat his hand on Hinata's back repeatedly in an attempt to calm her down. He didn't say anything. He knew this much, she simply had to release her fluctuating emotions right now.
The two stayed in that position, with no sounds made except for Hinata's sniffing. After about one to two minutes, Hinata started to calm down and stopped crying, instead having a blank facial expression.
"Sorry about that..." Hinata apologized.
"You don't hafta apologize for anything Hinata. You can talk to me, you know that," Goku informed her, now rubbing her back to try to soothe her. "If anyone should be sorry, then it's me. I'm sorry about what happened..."
"...Don't be." The girl sniffed. "...I shouldn't be either. We're ninja. This is what we do and live for. It's just..."
"Hinata, although we're ninja, we also have emotions. It's only natural to feel this way about killing someone, or rather anyone," Goku replied.
"It's just...that man had a family. He had a life. And I ended it with a launched kunai. I..." Hinata continued to sniffle, though she resolved not to start crying again. She was stronger than this, and she knew it, having left her soft side behind for years.
"Hinata, that man would have tried to kill Bulma. She has a family too and an extremely valuable life. You helped keep our client alive," The boy stated. He moved his hand away from her back and placed some stray bangs coming from her short hair away from her eyes. "You helped save a life in return."
Hinata's sniffling died down; however, the girl still looked troubled though. Goku gave it a little more thought before he spoke again.
"We're ninja. This is what we gotta do, but we do so to protect others. It could be clients, civilians, our teammates...even each other. I don't like it either, but it's what we signed up for and it's the hellified world we live in," He stated sincerely, giving off a smile. "Hinata, you're stronger than this. You're a true shinobi regardless and someone I'm glad to call my comrade and friend. Believe that."
The Hyuga heiress's troubled look seemed to completely vanish. She looked over at her friend in complete awe at everything he had just told her.
'Amazing...Goku...you really are a one-of-a-kind.' She thought to herself, a faint blush starting to form on her face again. A smile soon joined that blush as she rid herself of any remaining stray tears.
"Goku...thank you, for everything. I don't know what I would do without you right now.." The girl told him. Her tone of voice was much more relaxed, confident and much more of the normal Hinata.
"No problem, I'd like to hope you'd do the same for me too," Goku replied back with a grin, and then he heard the Hyuga yawn under her breath.
"Heh, looks like you're tired." Goku pointed out with a more playful smile.
"Yeah...I am. Sleep would be great..." Hinata thought tiredly.
"Rest up, Hinata. I'll see ya tomorrow, okay?" The boy told her.
"Kay." Hinata replied. She then, pushed to action by instinct, walked over to her friend and gave him a small hug. "Goodnight Goku. Thanks so much for everything, you really helped me feel better."
The girl then went back to her sleeping bag, leaving a slightly blushing boy behind. Goku eventually shook off the blush, and gained a normal sized grin on his face, and went back to his watch duties with his energy sensing. He was relieved that his friend was feeling better and back to normal again. Hinata, herself, laid down within her sleeping bag. For the first time in the past few hours, she was smiling, and she found it rather easy to sleep now.
-The Next Three Days-
Three more days passed by. They had finally reached the area of Taki no Kuni, but they were not done with their mission. The group continued to travel on the road. Their journey didn't end until they reached a giant metal gate that was inside a mountain that went straight through the back of it into the large technological city known as Mirai Toshi. And the problem was that it required them going around numerous large mountains just to get to that point.
"We're finally in Taki no Kuni," Yugao told the group with an undertone of excitement.
"Yes, we're almost there!" Goku said, exasperated by how boring the trip was while they were running with the mo-pad. "It felt like it took forever to finally get here!"
"Wait, we have some company!" Hinata exclaimed, her Byakugan picking up a very strong chakra signature in the area. "And it's very powerful."
"She's right," Goku stated, his instincts picking up on the strong energy presence nearby. He grinned, thrilled to see a potential fight come towards him so he could test out his abilities against the some of the best competition possible, even if said competition was trying to kill them. "He's powerful enough to be a real threat to us."
Hiding in the shrubbery and masking their energy, ready to ambush their opposition. When the person in a dark robe with crimson clouds appeared, they pounced, or at least they tried to. The missing-nin, too good to be caught in a simple trap, leaped away quickly.
"Hmph, looks like Konoha trash is here too. I didn't plan on this." Oroka grumbled. "I'm looking for another Konoha team with the alien child, but they haven't shown up. But it doesn't matter; you'll perish all the same!"
He then took a hard look at the new Konoha shinobi. His eyes seemed to focus on Hinata and Goku in particular, however. 'Hmm...those eyes. She's a Hyuga. And no seal? Unsealed Byakugan huh, new eyes just waiting for me! And that brat must be the alien kid everyone's talking about...I'll capture him after I beat him to within an inch of life!'
"Goku, stand back." Yugao ordered her student as she stood in front of her team. She didn't want her student to be the first one this man attacked when the fighting started. "We're here to escort the client Bulma Briefs back to her home. Now, who are you? Why do I feel the hostile vibe emanating from you? Tell us this and leave, and we'll leave you alone in return."
'This man was last recorded as an A-ranked missing-nin from Iwa six years ago, so he must be really tough. I'll need to take this serious.' Yugao noted as she studied the man in front of her. 'He could very well be an S-ranked missing-nin now, so I might need my team to assist me.'
"Hmph, such arrogance. Think you can order me around Uzuki Yugao?" Oroka noted in amusement. Yugao's eyes narrowed at having her name called out. "If you are going to interfere, then I guess I'll just have to kill you too. I recognize you from the bingo book, and you have a bounty worth quite a bit of Ryo."
The Konoha genin got into position, ready to fight at any moment. Yugao got into her own personal stance while she continued to study the men in front of her, trying to identify them.
"Shut the hell up, if you want to kill our Sensei you'll have to deal with us first," Goku retorted, glaring at his new adversary. He honestly didn't give a damn whom he was or what his reputation stated, he wasn't going to let what happened months ago happen again as long as he could still draw breath, EVER. He gathered his Ki on the inside, building it up to unleash it and attack this guy.
"Easier done then said, dumbass. You're dealing with me!" Oroka informed the Konoha shinobi as he continued to study them. The Konoha team then realized that they were going to have to fight Oroka, presumably to the death. Each member of Team Eight got into position again, ready to fight for their very lives.
"Before we begin though, are you the current Hyuga heiress?" The former Kumo ninja asked as he focused on Hinata.
The members of Team Eight turned to Hinata, wondering why the man wanted to know about her. Hinata was equally confused. "I was, but not anymore. What about it?"
"I was right then. You're the Hyuga Kumo tried to kidnap many years ago, weren't you?" Oroka questioned. Goku and Shikamaru's eyes widened at the information while Hinata was starting to get a bit unnerved. "You're a lucky girl that your daddy saved you. But your mom died afterwards, hehehehe! However, my mom couldn't be saved from being a sex slave unlike yours!"
Hinata's eyes widened in surprise. It was at this moment that Yugao realized something about the man in front of them.
"Ah, now I really remember who you are!" The Jonin stated. "Oroka, the distant cousin to Kirabi, the current Raikage's "younger brother" and Eight Tails Jinchuriki. You've got a very high bounty on your head from both Kumo and Iwa, as well as a kill on sight from Kumo."
Oroka laughed maniacally in response. "Bingo! You're looking at the man that will bring Kumogakure to its knees, then chop them off agonizingly. In just a few years, the clouds will be turned into a bloody mist of screams and agony, what a glamorous sight that will behold!"
"What did you mean about your mother?" Hinata asked quietly.
Oroka's laughter stopped and his eyes hardened as he glared at the Hyuga. "My mother possessed a rare bloodline limit that Kumo wanted genetically made, the Ranton. And unlike you, she had no one to save her from being kidnapped."
"What?" The former heiress pondered. "That's despicable-"
"Disgusting? Immoral? Fucked up? Complete bullshit? Hell yeah it was!" The Akatsuki member nearly screamed. "That damn village put her in a fucking breeding program. It simply got too much for her and she ended up killing herself shortly after my younger brothers were born. They were too young to really understand what the hell was happening, but I knew. I saw it. I saw her body hanging from the ceiling in our own damn apartment, hung!" Oroka's voice continued to get louder with each sentence as his rage increased. "It's all Kumo's fault, and they will pay with their lives! First with their Jinchuriki and Kage, and then with their village itself! The Akatsuki will ensure that it will come to fruition!"
All of the Konoha genin were surprised at the venom in the man's voice. Hinata, in particular, was miffed and disturbed by the news. 'His mother…could that have been me? If father didn't save me…would I have been raped for the Byakugan?'
"The Akatsuki?!" Yugao questioned.
"Anyway, none of that matters. I'm getting way off topic here!" Oroka stated, calming himself down a bit. The former Kumo shinobi undid his robe as he continued to speak. "We have a fight to do, and I need to murder you all."
Underneath the Akatsuki robe, Oroka wore a dark, burgundy gi and pants that clung tightly to his slim body. Over his gi was a grey bag with more white lightning rods sticking out of it. Oroka took out two lightning rods and held both of his rods up to the sky.
"Ranton: Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Thunder could be heard from the sky above. Lightning flashes were also visible. What once was a clear, sunny sky was replaced with black clouds with visible lightning traveling between the clouds. The thunder continued to get louder each second, and the lightning stung their eyes.
"Goku, Hinata, Shikamaru: stay back, protect Bulma at all costs and keep your guard up! This guy is way out of your league." Yugao informed them as she made a hand sign. "Leave the heavy fighting to me for now."
Satisfied with the storm above him, Oroka lowered his lightning rods. He pointed one towards Yugao and released a bolt of lightning at her. The Anbu/Jonin jumped out of the way as her students backed up to avoid the blast. The purple-haired Kunoichi then faced Oroka and took in a deep breath before releasing a giant fireball from her mouth to go straight at him.
"Katon Jutsu? Seriously? What the fuck do you take me for?" Oroka scoffed as he jumped backwards to avoid the flame. "I'll show you a true jutsu!"
Oroka unleashed another bolt of lightning from his white lightning rod towards Yugao. Said person only retaliated with more fireballs, waiting for the opportunity to attempt to kill her opponent with her Anbu sword. The two shinobi continued to dodge the others' attacks while remaining on the offensive.
Yugao's genin students stayed at the edge of the battlefield, watching their sensei fight her opponent in a state of awe and surprise. At the same time, though, they were looking for an opening.
'If Yugao-Sensei can get an opening for us, we can take it. We can help kill this guy quickly and swiftly.' Shikamaru noted as his eyes remained glued to the fight. His other teammates were thinking along the same lines. 'Still…I'm curious about that thunderstorm. What is that Kumo guy going to do with it?" He questioned, trying to work out what was going on.
"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!"
Yugao unleashed multiple fireballs flying directly at Oroka. The former Kumo shinobi responded by holding up his lightning rods to the sky.
"Ranton: Kaminari no Tate!" He shouted as his lightning rods started to light up.
Blue, natural lightning fell down from the sky and struck the lightning rods. The lightning then burst from the rods and formed a protective shield around the storm user. Yugao's fireballs made contact with the lightning shield and faded away immediately after contact.
"You're starting to kind of bore me, ya know? I actually wanted enjoy a good fight before I ended your life, so try and entertain me!" Oroka taunted as he lowered one of his lightning rods and pointed it at Yugao.
The blue lightning surrounding him was immediately channeled into the lightning rod and shot towards the Konoha Jonin. Yugao barely jumped out of the way in time as the lightning caused a massive explosion on the ground, causing debris to scatter and hit her. The woman grunted in pain before she got out of the way of the debris and held her hands in the cross seal. 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!'
Two clones appeared from within the cloud of smoke and shot forwards at Oroka. They moved at a speed faster than her fireballs and made contact with the Akatsuki member, swords drawn. Both of them swung for the man's arms, but only sliced the lightning rods, knocking them away. The two clones then attempted to finish off the rogue shinobi, but only managed a few nicks here and there as the man was just that damn skilled.
Oroka glared at Yugao as he stood his ground. He then closed his eyes before he channeled his chakra into his hands. The sheer voltage of his storm chakra caused the clones attacking him to be dispelled, setting him free from assault. The man then reached into his bag to take out two more rods when he noticed kunai were fired at him. He immediately jumped out of the way before he turned to face Anko's genin, whom were all poised ready to strike at him. Hinata, in particular, had her crossbow ready and projectiles lit with blue chakra on the weapon.
"Eager to die aren't you? I was gonna kill you three after your Sensei was dead, but I'll be happy to kill you all now if you want!" He hissed menacingly.
"I'd like to see if you can!" Goku replied without fear as he unleashed his light-blue fiery aura, making the winds pick up the pace. "I'm coming for ya. HAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The three genin were surrounded by a larger aura, showcasing Goku's full unruly power. The Saiyan didn't waste a second before charging directly at the Akatsuki, and Shikamaru followed closely behind.
"Huh, what kinda energy is this? Interesting. Maybe you'll be fun after all." Kyoi smirked as he made a few hand signs. He then pointed his lightning rods at the genin. "Ranton: Rezasakasu!"
Multiple beams of blue lightning were released from the lightning rods and went towards the approaching group. The Saiyan noticed this, and took his team out of harms way at the last second, leaving many afterimages to fade away into the lightning.
Hinata shot many projectiles powered by chakra from her sword at the man while Shikamaru threw kunai that had explosive tags attached to them. When Oroka noticed them, he stopped his jutsu to get out of the way from the incoming attacks. This gave Goku the opportunity to get in close to the man, intent on testing his Taijutsu. The Saiyan raised his fists and prepared to beat him down into submission.
Oroka quickly held his lightning rods up and used his Ranton: Kaminari no Tate. The blue lightning surrounded him before Goku landed a successful blow at him. By the time he was about to strike again, he was attacked by the lightning around him. Goku was sent flying backwards in pain, electricity moving all throughout his body. Shikamaru caught him before he could be launched any further back.
Oroka dropped his lightning shield and channeled his lightning into his lightning rods. He pointed them at the Konoha genin, ready to kill them for their troubles. Before he could release the lightning, however, Yugao got in close and delivered a swift kick to his face. Oroka fell to the ground and accidentally released all of the charged lightning in a random direction, hitting none of his targets. Yugao immediately jumped on top of the Akatsuki member, a slight smirk on her face tugging on her lips.
"Careless, weren't you?" Yugao taunted as she swiftly unsheathed her sword. "It's over!"
Yugao plunged her sword downwards with great force, making direct contact with the man on the ground. Oroka's body was impaled and he appeared dead, before it faded away, leaving nothing but a small lightning rod and blue lightning in its place. The blue lightning then charged angrily at Yugao, making the Jonin pick up her sword and jump out of the way as quick as she could.
"Damnit, it was simple Bunshin!" She cursed before her eyes wandered the battlefield. "Okay, where are you now?"
Oroka responded by jumping out of a tree near the edge of the forest and released his Ranton: Rezasakasu. All of the beams of natural lightning were aimed specifically at the Anbu converted jonin.
"Yugao-Sensei, look out!" Goku said as he got up from his position in Shikamaru's arms and charged up his most powerful attack as quickly as possible. "KamehameHA!"
Goku let out a powerful, cerulean wave of Ki that collided with the multiple beams of lightning, causing the vast majority of them to fade away in an ensuing explosion. That tactic gave Yugao all the time she needed to avoid the remaining lightning beams with a quick Shunshin and join up with her students.
"Nice work, that attack would've ended badly for me if it wasn't for the stunt you pulled Goku," Yugao praised her student, an appreciative smile on her face.
Goku nodded in acceptance whilst consuming air at a rapid pace before focusing back on the Akatsuki member.
"He seems impossible to hit at close range because he always uses that shield technique to block any close-range attacks. I'm also too far away to actually use my Kagemane Jutsu's on him. Guess we have to keep up the long range, or make an opening so that one of us can get in and strike him down hard." Shikamaru informed his squad, thinking of another plan just in case.
Hinata nodded in agreement. "Shikamaru and I can keep attacking from a distance for now. Goku and Yugao-Sensei may be able to take advantage of any opening we can create and hopefully stop him for good."
"I don't care, I'm goin' in like a savage," Goku joked a bit, though he was seriously going to attack at close-range regardless of the signs obviously saying not to. "In all seriousness, I'm gonna fight him using Taijutsu and try to create an opening. If you see any openings, feel free to use em' and help me."
"That's how we have to handle him, good plan." Yugao noted, gripping onto her sword tightly. "We're doing good thus far, we just have to keep it up!"
The Konoha shinobi stopped discussing among themselves and prepared to strike again. Hinata prepared her crossbow while Shikamaru reached for more kunai. Yugao and Goku were ready to get in close and dominate him with a onslaught of physical attacks.
'Damn them! Every time I'm about to kill one of them, another one intervenes. This is pissing me off! Why does every Konoha shinobi have to act like a fuckin hero all the fuckin time?!' Oroka grumbled in his head. 'I've wasted plenty of chakra already in this fight. If I actually want to win, I'm gonna have to kill them real soon, like right now! No more playing around: let's finish this once and for all.'
The Saiyan however, had different plans. He blazed on towards the opposition, avoiding the few blasts shot from the lightning rods and pressing the missing-nin. He evaded two consecutive strings of Raiton, but they were just distractions for the much bigger Ranton blast underneath. Seeing this, Goku unleashed a full strength Kiai Wave at the potent lightning before charging full speed ahead. When the much larger wave of Ranton impacted Goku, instead of launching him backwards in intense pain, the Saiyan kept charging forward with the help of his Kiai, heavily deterred. Though it messed up his shirt and would ultimately leave him smoking with burns and agony, he bit back the obvious pain and continued trudging through to get to his powerful enemy.
Suddenly, Oroka felt a string of explosions occur around his vicinity, shooting him straight into the sky in pain from the impact. He cursed himself, obviously forgetting about the boy's Sensei and letting himself be hit by a surprise Fuinjutsu attack.
Too surprised at what had just occurred, he received a powerful fist that packed an intense wallop. It appeared that Goku jumped from his spot on the ground dozens of meters away, and shellacked his opponent hard enough to create a shock-wave that rolled throughout the air, sounding literally like a miniature thunderclap. This sent Oroka flying into the air, the force of the blow causing blood to cascade from his nose and lips, his vision getting blurry. Those were the obvious symptoms of a concussion, apparent to anyone else watching.
The Akatsuki member rolled on the ground, clutching his face and swearing like a madman. The Saiyan crashed into the ground right below where he had leaped and rose to one knee, panting at his exertion and extra-extra effort. What he had just did was very reckless, and he was lucky to have a body as durable as his. It was as if he was made for the slugged, drown out, hard-fought battles like these. If he was anyone else, he most likely would've experienced serious injury or even risked death, but he wasn't everyone else. However, that didn't stop him from being in some intense pain from the intensity of the blast.
"Alright, let's finish this." Yugao informed her team. "Shikamaru, Hinata: you guys get us one more opening in case he get's back up. Goku, I know it's very hard, but try to keep doing what you're doing for just a little longer."
The three genin nodded at their sensei's words before they went with their plan. Hinata and Shikamaru attacked from a distance with their weapons while Yugao and Goku proceeded to get closer, mostly the former than the latter.
Oroka dodged all of the attacks coming his way, not going to underestimate them, especially the gaki known as Goku, any longer. After a few seconds, the man jumped backwards and raised his lightning rods upward. Goku and Yugao stopped their movement, waiting to see what the man was going to do before getting any closer.
"Ranton: Raiu Boko!" He screamed. The lightning rods lit up once again, and he expended nearly all of his chakra on this attack, intent on killing them all. The sound of thunder started to get louder, causing all of the Konoha shinobi to feel pain in their ears. Soon after, numerous bolts of natural lightning rained down from the sky and fell down throughout the battlefield, striking in several areas.
"Damnit!" Yugao cursed as she immediately made a hand sign for the Shunshin. "Everyone, get out of here right now!"
Yugao's words and her jutsu came too late. The blue lightning struck down before they could react, hitting all of the Konoha shinobi with the force of an actual thunderbolt. All four ninjas screamed in pain before they fell to the ground. Storm created electricity found itself visible all around the squad of shinobi. And then another, and another one. And one more after that, making four consecutive blasts of Ranton sent to smitten them.
The four shinobi tried to stand up after the lightning assault, but each one found out that they couldn't. No matter how much energy they put into it, they couldn't get up.
"What's going on?" Hinata asked in a voice mixed with unimaginable pain and agony, struggling to even move her mouth. Her black jacket was jacked, and it burnt right off of her body, leaving her silver skin-tight sleeveless shirt with mesh-armor underneath on her. And her hair really looked unruly and unkempt now, more than ever. Goku didn't receive any changes to his clothing, only that he gained much more pain to put on top of his pain from the first blast, making him nigh paralyzed. He swore he couldn't move in the slightest. The other two, Yugao and Shikamaru, weren't necessary as bad but their clothes were charred a fair bit as well.
"I…I can't move!" Shikamaru gasped. "Damnit!"
"N-No…no..." Goku urged to himself, despite how battered he was. "Errgh...eh...uggh, come on… get up...k-keep...going..."
"Give up. It's useless." Oroka replied nonchalantly as he approached the Konoha shinobi. The man was breathing in and out harshly, as if the jutsu he used took a lot out of him, but he was smirking. "That technique of mine paralyzes anything it hits. Granted it's only for a limited time, but you will all will be history before it fades. Besides, I went a little extra on the jutsu, striking you multiple times than it's usual one strike!"
'History?! No, I can't die right now! It's too soon!' Goku shouted in his mind as he fought to rise up. 'I can't let him kill my friends!' It's not gonna end this way!'
'DAMNIT!' Yugao cursed as she struggled in her paralysis. 'This isn't how it's going to end, I won't let him kill any of my students! It's my job to protect them and I'll do my fucking job until I can't. So come on Yugao, you've go to MOVE!'
Oroka chuckled. "And despite my words, you all still try to move. Just stop. Relax and try to enjoy your last moments while you can." He said as he walked towards Hinata. "Anyway, I'll start with you Hyuga. Oh, and don't fret, at least you'll join your mother before I do."
Hinata gasped in fear as her attempts to move increased. She still couldn't move. The girl started to panic slightly, not going to give in to the pandemonium threatening to consume her, although realization started creeping over her. 'I'm sorry everyone…I can't do anything damnit…and I guess...this is the end...'
"If it's any consolation, when I kill you, I'm going to take your eyes. That way any other village won't be able to take your bloodline for their own, as I'll destroy those eyes if I somehow can't destroy Kumo or Iwa." Oroka informed Hinata as he grabbed her by her jacket. He placed the tip of a lightning styled kunai he possessed by her throat.
'He's…he's gonna kill Hinata. HE'S GONNA FUCKING KILL HER!' Goku screamed in his head as he continued to struggle against his paralysis, his pain going strong on him.
'Are you going to let him do that? Are you just going to watch him kill her?' A voice in Goku's head asked. He looked up and saw someone in the distance with the same haircut as him, and older than he was as well. He had black and green armor, a brown furry tail just like his was years ago, black and green boots with red socks, and a blood red headband wrapped around his cranium. He had a scar on his cheek, and if Goku said so himself they looked exactly alike.
'No, NO…NO!' He roared in reply, angry at the predicament.
'Then stop fueling your mind with thoughts on the pain and the doubt within yourself. It's only holding you back, so use your rage at the moment and let it all out. Use it to stop him and save her.' The voice spoke, starting to get louder. An image of the man appeared right in front of his face, and he saw the striking familiarity. It was as if he saw the man before at one point in his life, it was feeling that he couldn't shake off.
'Use your rage…'
'TO KILL HIM!' Goku and the man spoke in unison.
Sky-blue wisps of Ki immediately formed around Goku, and he managed to push himself back up to his feet despite the adversity, veins apparent on his body. His eyes turned blank with rage and his brows narrowed at Oroka, his muscles bulged a little and his aura became unstable.
Yugao, despite her semi-paralyzed state, noticed Goku's Ki developing. 'What the hell is this?! How can he still move after all of those attacks? Come on body, just MOVE!'
Oroka was about to slit Hinata's throat when he noticed a new, unstable energy developing around him. "What the fuck is that?" He mumbled as he turned his head to face its source.
Goku was slowly loosening up, breaking out of his paralysis little by little. The more he turned around, the more his new appearance developed. An aura of unrelenting sky-colored ki flowed out of him and into the air, with his eyes completely blank and his muscles bulged, making him look intimidating. Not to mention the bestial growls, grunts and the glare that went straight at Oroka. Speaking of the Akatsuki member, at that point he knew it was going to be one helluva fight to survive now.
'That…there's absolutely no fucking way! He shouldn't be able to break out of that paralysis! No human can!' Oroka's eyes widened in shock. 'Just what the hell is he? No…it can't be. It's that unknown brat from the stars that bastard Zetsu informed us about! FUCK!'
Finally free from the paralysis, Goku wasted no time in charging at Oroka with even faster speed than before, appearing as a blur to the disorientated rogue. Oroka had no time to react properly: Goku was already in front of him in a few seconds. The Saiyan delivered a powerful, rage-fueled fist that rocketed into the face of the former village shinobi. He was catapulted backwards, dropping his lightning rods, the kunai and Hinata in the process. The girl hit the ground with a pronounced thump.
"G-Goku?" She mumbled in shock, both from Goku saving her and from the teens current physical state. "It's okay...I'm okay now..."
The words from the Hyuga actually registered into Goku's mind, and his blank eyes reverted back to normal, his unstable aura relenting. "Thank Kami...now all I have to do is hold him off long enough for help, or defeat him once and for all..."
Oroka landed on the ground near the forest by the bridge, rising up as quickly as he could to attempt to gather himself midst the physical punishment he dealt with the whole fight. Goku may have reverted back to normal, but he was still glaring at him angrily through his ebony pupils and was poised to attack him.
'No, no! Alien or not, he must die! I will not let him kill me! It won't end like this! It's time for those damn pests to die, all or nothing!' The Akatsuki member declared as he pulled out two lightning rods from his pocket. Goku noticed the man's lightning rods, and grabbed Hinata just in case they had to evade the attack.
"Ranton: Kaminari no jikkō!"
The storm in the sky rained down blue natural lightning that went straight for Goku and Hinata. Knowing that he was too exhausted to maneuver out of the way of incoming blast of lightning, he gently laid the female on the ground and cupped his hands to his sides, cerulean Ki manifesting itself within his palms. "KamehameHAAAAAAAAAA!"
The 'Turtle Destruction Wave' collided head-on with the intense lightning, the attack made from the last little bit of chakra he had left. The two techniques held each other in a standstill, one competing to overwhelm the other in the clash of willpower.
'No…my attack should have plowed through that blast upon impact. He should not have the power to be able to fight back damnit!' Oroka noted, fear starting to take over his panicked/alarmed mind. 'I…I've wasted too much chakra in this fight, and my jutsu's strength is based on my chakra. If this keeps up…then-'
Oroka's thoughts were interrupted as the blast overpowered the lightning, bursting straight through it and turning the Ranton attack into a bunch of sparks. However, he was saved by the fact that Goku himself couldn't sustain the attack any longer, and it exploded abruptly, the waves of force that rolled off of it slamming into Oroka. Said shinobi then made direct contact with a tree, knocking all of the breath out of him.
'Shit…Pein-Sama…I failed…please, destroy Kumo for me…' He thought. 'However...I won't go out like a bitch...I will be remembered damnit!'
He sat up even more groggily than before, and threw his last lightning rod near the aliens near-collapsed form, Goku being down on one knee. Oroka made one hand-seal midst laughing, knowing that he wasn't simply going to die alone. He remained complacent on the ground, clinging to life by a few threads and watching the extraterrestrial become electrocuted.
Goku himself felt his blood electrocute, carrying it all throughout his body. He lurched backwards and screamed, his Ki fluxing sporadically and his body literally conducting electricity as if he were copper. The sheer voltage of the electricity disrupted the interval functions of his nerves, stinging them but not completely frying them for one reason only that was unbeknownst to everyone on the planet: Goku was a SAIYAN, not a HUMAN.
Oroka's paralysis started to fade away in his teammates' bodies. Hinata, Shikamaru, and Yugao, whom had been struggling to get up, were finally able to stand freely and get moving. Two of the three Konoha shinobi immediately hurried over to Goku as quickly as they could. The paralysis was still affecting them, however, causing their movements to be slower than usual.
Yugao on the other hand used the Shunshin to reach her still alive enemy, sword drawn. Before he could say a word, the female Anbu/Jonin sliced right through his neck, decapitating him without remorse. That marked the end of Oroka, as further implicated by the summoned storm fading away into nothing but the normal, sky-blue color. She then ran towards her student whom was screaming from some agonizing pain at the moment.
After thirty more seconds, all three of them eventually got over to Goku and were surprised at the sight of the teen in his convulsing form.
"G-Goku?" Shikamaru questioned. "What the hell happened?"
Goku turned his attention to the Konoha shinobi. Relief appeared in his eyes, knowing that all of his friends were okay and still alive despite Oroka's best efforts. However, the instincts he always felt but never knew about were still a frenzy, and the pain made it that much worse.
Hinata took a slow step forward toward her fellow shinobi. Her eyes were filled with plenty of concern now that she saw Goku in the anguish he was in.
"Goku, you don't have to struggle anymore, Yugao killed that man. We're done fighting," Hinata told him as softly as she could. "It's all over, you can rest now."
The words seemed to reach the Saiyan over the pierce electric sound in his ears, and he fell into the awaiting arms of Hinata. He found himself battered and bruised to the core, unable to go on any longer. He glanced up at the person holding him, and he looked at her with both eyes exhausted half closed.
"Eh...sorry Hinata...I'm think I'm...gonna take a long nap," Goku said with exasperation and drowsiness in his voice, closing his eyes and falling unconscious. His appearance was a mess, his Gi all messed up, his hair smoked and unkempt even more, his body littered with scorches and scars, and his muscles unhealthily vibrating. He needed medical treatment, but what he truly required right now was rest. And everyone knew that, seeing the type of battle they had just went through. This was a great wake-up call, they all had much more improving to do if they were going to survive in this world against world-class threats. Even with their Sensei and Goku, they nearly died and sure would have if Oroka hadn't acted like his namesake and 'stupidly' use multiple smites of lightning and instead of just using one. It was luck, and all of them realized that.
-Three Days Later-
The first thing Goku registered was a bright light. The teen winced in pain, the light blinding him. Only after a few seconds when the light started to fade did the boy see or feel anything else. The Saiyan realized he was lying on grass near a campsite located within some forest close to the mountains. To the far left of his peripheral vision, he could see a large river made itself known as the border between Taki no Kuni and the edge of Hi no Kuni, revealing to the boy where he was.
'Guess I'm still in Taki no Kuni.' He noted. The boy then gripped his head for a second, a throbbing headache being apparent. 'Ugh, my head hurts. How long have I been asleep for?'
Goku started to sit up a bit, but he started to feel pain all over his body. The boy was now simply sitting up in the grass a little bit instead of laying down. With his new position, Goku could now see where he was better and was also able to see he wasn't the only one in the area. He also noticed the wrapping of his forehead, a large cast on his left arm, and bandages for his legs, but they weren't wrapped up.
Hinata and Shikamaru were standing by a tree near the boy. The two were engaged in discussion, having not noticed their friend woke up.
"Shikamaru, we need to get better at teamwork," Hinata informed her friend. "If we ever run into someone like that again, we need to be more cohesive."
"Eh, you're right, but what're we gonna work on?" Shikamaru shrugged in response. "It's troublesome, but seeing how close to death we were, I'm feeling motivated."
"Good. Maybe we should work on our elemental affinities when we get back home," She suggested.
"Yeah, it seems like a ton of work." He replied dully. "But if it means we can survive these troublesome missions, then I'm all for it."
"Heh, so Shikamaru's got some motivation for once?" Goku asked out of nowhere, finally making his presence known.
Shikamaru and Hinata immediately stopped conversing with each other and faced Goku. Both of them had a look of shock on their faces before excitement and relief came over them, causing them to rush over to his side.
"Goku, you're finally awake!" Hinata cheered with a loud smile. Goku returned her smile, but couldn't quite stand up, the pain making him hiss.
"Damnit, I can't get up," The Saiyan complained, scowling. "Sorry I'm kinda debilitated."
"Hey, be careful man. Don't stress your body too much," Shikamaru advised as he helped the Saiyan up, placing Goku's left arm around his shoulder so he could hoist him up without wasting too much energy.
"Thanks!" Goku said before a frown crept on his face. "How long have I been knocked out if you guys are this worried for me?"
"Three days," Hinata stated, assuaging her friends questions for now. "For a moment we thought you were in a coma."
"Damn, I guess I missed out on seeing 'Mirai Toshi' didn't I?" Goku said with a sigh, already knowing the answer. "Oh well, at least she's gonna make that training machine for me to use soon. So...tell me all about the city, I wanna know what it was like!"
And with that, the trio sat together around the fire, conversing and talking about events and trivial things as well. The typical team bonding protocol, to reflect upon the mission and what had happened during it.
