A/N: as promised! :D enjoy the chapter, guys!
this chapter is partly canon, but some of it is from a filler episode in Shippuden. (dont kill me!)
anyway, enjoy!
also, i was wondering if you ever wanted me to do other PoV's... Neji's, Tsuki's... etc. idk. just wondering.
xoxo, Lala
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"Ugh… my head…" I propped up my torso with my arm, using my other one to rub my eyes. "Who was that?" I noticed suddenly that the arena was silent. No one was cheering anymore, and I could hear faint, even breathing around me.
My vision focused enough to see the entire attendance of the exams to be asleep.
"What the Hell?" I was instantly on my feet. I swayed, falling asleep again. I recognized the genjutsu and pulled my hands together, releasing it. "Kai!"
Loud clangs reached my ears.
Gai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, several other jounin and a few chuunin were fighting in the stands of the arena. I recognized their headbands as Hidden Sound ninja, and I glared. I knew I should've watched them more closely. I knew something was wrong! I cursed myself for being so ignorant. I started toward the group to join the fighting.
"Sora!" someone said. "Stay there, Aiji!" my Okaa-san appeared, holding a kunai and pressing back an enemy. "Find others! Neji, look for Neji!" she disappeared with the ninja. I felt my eyebrows crease, worried for her and thinking about Neji. Come to think of it, where would he be?
The hospital wing?
As I thought about it, footsteps came from behind me.
"Sora? Are you aware of what's going on?"
I turned to see Neji and Tenten running up behind me.
"I'm not entirely sure. Everyone's been put under a genjutsu, and the ninja who weren't are fighting a bunch of Sound guys. I woke up and everyone was like this!" I stared around at my surroundings.
"Fighting broke out in every corner of the village," he explained. I assumed he'd seen it all through his Byakugan. "It's Konoha against Suna and Oto."
"Is it a war?" I asked almost silently. I looked around some more. "Oh Kami-sama… Neji. Look." I pointed at two people sprawled out on the ground.
"Is that…?" he gasped. The three of us ran over to where Kiba and a Hyuga Elder were incapacitated.
I knelt and held the man up. He wasn't severely injured, just winded.
"What happened to me?" Kiba woke up.
"I don't know about you, but I got knocked out," I told him. "I think it was that ANBU from earlier. Wait…" something dawned on me. "Where's Hinata?" I searched frantically.
"We were attacked. Hinata has been stolen," the elder spoke from my arms. We all made surprised noises.
"Nani?" my voice shook.
"Two Kumogakure ninja, who were spectators here, took her. No doubt they took advantage of the commotion and took the Byakugan out of the village. I tried to stop them but…" He sat up from my arms and gripped Neji's shoulders. "Neji, the Byakugan is a top-secret jutsu, which your father protected with his life." I gritted my teeth. "It must not be stolen! Go after them! Bring it back, whatever it takes!"
I paused, taking in what the Elder had commanded. Well that was a switch… ad yet they still refer to Hinata as 'the Byakugan' like the eyes have nothing to do with the person. I sighed, knowing I couldn't change it.
Neji stood. "I understand."
"Wait, Neji!" Tenten and I said at the same time.
"We're going with you," I finished for both of us, a silent agreement between us.
"This is a Hyuga matter. Even Sora is a stretch," he didn't turn around.
"But this is too much for you to handle alone," Tenten urged.
"That's right. What the heck are you going to accomplish if you're on your own, Neji? Comrades are essential in times like these," I explained reasonably.
"Fine."
"I'm coming too. Hinata is my teammate. Besides," Kiba added, pointing at Neji, "you don't think highly of Hinata. There's no way you'd get serious about saving her," he accused.
"Oi, Kiba!" I glared at dog-boy.
Neji finally turned around and looked at the three of us thoughtfully. "Come along, then. You'll all be useful."
Soon we were changed into our ninja clothes and ready to head out. We were prepared for anything as we set off into the forest, following Kiba and Akamaru's noses toward Hinata's kidnappers.
"It's two ninja, like the Elder said. They're heading straight through the woods," Kiba informed us with a light sniff.
"The border we share with the Land of Rice Paddies is in this direction," I recalled. "They're trying to get to Kumogakure fast."
"We're familiar with the terrain in the Land of Fire, but beyond that border is completely foreign. We need to settle this before the get there," Kiba concluded. Akamaru whimpered. I knew that meant the enemy was stocked up in chakra reserves.
"The enemy will be formidable. We need to be on our toes," I warned.
"Hai," everyone replied.
"Stop," Kiba ordered suddenly.
"Wait is it?" I asked him.
"This place reeks of the enemy."
I looked around, only to find huge lumps forming in the mud. "Um, guys…" I squeaked.
They turned to see what I was talking about. Wolves were molded from the earth.
"What are they?" Tenten muttered. "How gross."
"They're just giant mud balls. With teeth," I added.
"Thanks," Tenten replied sarcastically.
"It looks like they laid a trap that's activated by a pursuer's chakra," I found that Neji had his Byakugan activated.
"They're coming!" I shouted with Kiba.
The wolves pounced. It wasn't difficult to kill one; all you had to do was punch it or kick it, no chakra required. The problem was the number of enemies.
"There's no end to them!" Tenten grunted as she killed another mud ball with teeth, as I'd so aptly described. It dissolved.
Neji blew a wolf away. "This is bad. Setting off the trap may have alerted the enemy."
Kiba killed another, the mud flying everywhere. "Damn it, we're running out of time!"
"Kiba!" I whined, smacking his shoulder for getting mud all over me.
"You're fighting get over it," he grumbled back.
"We only have one choice," Tenten pulled out a large scroll. "Dragon Bomb!" A fire dragon emerged from the scroll and obliterated several wolves. "Ite. I'll handle this." We made a general surprised noise.
"But…" Neji started, trailing off.
"I can stop them for a while. You're going to get her back, right?" Tenten winked at us, mostly Neji. I almost cracked up, but I managed to hold it in. Jeez… More wolves began to form from the mud in massive numbers. "Hurry!"
"All right," Neji led us into the trees after Hinata.
I knew Tenten was a strong weapons mistress, so I decided not to worry about her. She knew what she was doing, and her long-distance attacks fit perfectly for that trap. And that we were running out of time before the enemy crossed the border. We kept going toward them.
"That was a nasty trap," I wiped sweat from my hairline.
"But it must have taken time to set up," Neji replied.
"Yeah. The scent was still fresh," Kiba put in.
"So they're not that far ahead of us. Hey Neji-kun, you should look up ahead," I suggested.
He nodded. We stopped on a thick bough and Neji's Byakugan set in. "They're right up ahead."
"Yush! We'll ambush them and get Hinata back," Kiba growled.
"Stop. That won't work," I tried to hold him back.
"Then what do you guys suggest?" he demanded. I opened my mouth to reply, but closed it again, unable to think of anything. I looked up at Neji, who also didn't say anything. Kiba broke free of me and stood up. "You can't stop me. I'm going." And he jumped off the bough.
"Well shit," I took with my hands on my hips. "That moron…"
"Follow my lead on this," Neji glanced over at me with Byakugan activated. I nodded and we took off after Kiba.
"…Looks like I made it in time," he was saying. I rolled my eyes. Oh, yeah, Kiba. You're such a hero. "C'mon Hinata, we're getting out of here."
I noticed the absence of Neji and quickly followed him. He dropped two smoke bombs and launched himself into the smoke. I stood just outside it and sensed Neji come out the other end of it. When I looked up, though, it was Kiba and Hinata. Oh.
The two enemies went after Neji, so I jumped into the air and kicked one, he wore a bandanna and looked a little chubby, toward the ground. He flew down and when the dust settled, he was lying in a shallow crater in the ground.
"So. You kidnapped Hinata."
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"In the end, your partner chased a decoy and left you to me," I finished my explanation.
"That jerk. Acting all tough," Kiba grumbled where he was still crouched on the ground.
Neji had transformed and taken a log looking like Hinata while Kiba and the real Hinata stayed put. I would take care of this guy, and Neji would take care of the other.
I attacked quickly, stabbing the man in the back with a kunai. I wasn't sure how he was so weak, but I kicked him back down into the ground and he was dead.
"Stay here, guys. I'm going after Neji-kun." I ordered, and launched myself off the ground.
"…I'm here because I chose to be," Neji was saying. "It has nothing to do with the Head family."
"Whatever. The result is the same. You will die here!" the enemy pulled his hands together in an earth style seal. "Mud Needle!"
"NEJI!" I shrieked, pushing off a tree toward him. He was trapped, held in place by mud. I have to help somehow! But there wasn't enough time. Even if I got there in time, the needle would just hit me before him. And now, I had no way to stop in mid-air.
We were going to die.
"Rotation!" someone, evidentially a Hyuga, jumped between the attacker and us, rotating like Neji. The dust cleared and the world came to a standstill.
Hiashi-sama, the bastard head of the family, had saved our lives.
I was so distracted, I didn't break my fall. I landed on my chest face down, mud in my mouth. "Ow… face plant…" I swear Neji snorted quietly.
"Sorry for being late," the head told us seriously and I shut up.
"Hiashi-sama!" Neji and I exclaimed.
The attacker kidnapper guy retreated at the sight of Hiashi-sama, trying to get away by landing on a faraway branch. Hiashi-sama glared and held up a hand.
"Air Palm," he thrust his palm forward and the gentle fist attack hit the attacker dead on, and he fell fatally to the ground. "Pathetic."
We stood in awe for a split second. "Hiashi-sama, why are you here?" Neji asked in a panicked tone. "What about Hinata-sama?"
Hiashi-sama turned around and eyed the two of us. Did he really save us? Both of us? "The Elder told me the details. Ko should be with Hinata now, with that friend of yours that he picked up along the way." I remembered Ko, Hinata's ex-bodyguard. He was nice to me, usually.
"I see," Neji replied. "But, why did you leave the battlefield to come here of all places?" Excellent question, Neji.
"Hinata is my precious daughter," Hiashi-sama told him. I'm pretty sure that's the first time I've heard him say that. "And you are both the precious mementos of my late brother. Especially you, Neji." I smiled. Neji needed to hear that from his uncle. Wordlessly, we started back to Hinata and Kiba.
When we got there, Tenten ran up to us. "Thanks goodness we're all okay."
"Um, Neji," Kiba averted his eyes. "Sorry about everything."
Neji smirked, and I punched his shoulder. "Neji-kun, say you forgive him or something!" He just stared at me like I was crazy.
"G-gomenasai, Neji-niisan," Hinata stuttered from the back of the group. "All because of me…" her lower lip quivered.
"Please look up, Hinata-sama," Neji said. She did. "Hinata-sama, there's no reason for you to apologize. I thought I knew it all and bore a grudge against the head family, without knowing the truth." My eyes widened. What the heck happened in his battle? "I blamed fate and made myself believe that I was the only one suffering." He closed his eyes. "But during our battle, he told me that you were suffering just as much as I was. That you were trying so hard to change in order to gain acceptance. I had never thought about that. He made me see how selfish and narrow-minded I was."
"Naruto-kun did?" Hinata looked shocked.
"Uzumaki Naruto…" Neji looked up. "He's an interesting guy."
Hinata looked as thought her entire world were made of rainbows and unicorns. "Hai!"
"We should probably go back. There's still fighting going on, after all," I suggested.
"Hai. Let's go," Hiashi-sama led the way back toward the arena. Before we even got there, we noticed a huge purple cube, seemingly filed with a forest, on top of where the Hokage had been sitting.
"My God…" I stared. "That's Hokage-sama…" I pointed for the others to see the shape of an old man fighting a younger one with a giant staff.
"What's going on?" Kiba asked rhetorically.
"Let's get to where the other jounin are," Ko suggested.
"Maybe I'm wrong about this, but shouldn't we help around in the village? They need more help, don't they?" I asked. "I mean, they have jounin where we're going. The villagers are just civilians."
"True enough. You three go around to help. Ko, take Hinata to be treated. I will help the other jounin," Hiashi-sama ordered.
"Hai!" I said and led Kiba and Neji away.
"Why did you want to get away from there so bad?" Kiba asked me.
"The Hokage can take care of whatever is attacking. We need to help where Hokage-sama can't," I explained. "There!" I saw a giant, multi-headed snake in the middle of the village.
We landed near it and found that there were only a few people battling the monster.
"Morino-san!" I called down to the leader. The ex-proctor looked up at us with wide eyes. I waved to my boys and we jumped down, avoiding the snake. "Morino-san, we're here to help!"
"You're just genin. Get out of here," I frowned.
"We're genin, but we're strong. Besides, can you really complain? We're the only reinforcements you have!"
As if countering me, a deep voice yelled out. "Summoning Techinque: Stand Destroyer!" and a giant toad with two katana on its back appeared and smooshed the snake.
Wait… what?
"What's wrong, Ibiki?" that same voice said from somewhere. I found myself looking at the shadow on top of the toad. "Was you body the only thing that grew? I couldn't bear to watch!"
"Huh?" Tenten and Kiba looked utterly lost behind me.
"I don't know," I shrugged. "But it's not an enemy."
"Jiraiya-sama…" Morino said, staring at the now-visible man.
He looked a little older than middle-aged, tall, with a spiky white mane in a ponytail down his back. He had on greenish pants and matching short kimono shirt, and a red vest over it. He also wore traditional geta, which surprised me; wooden sandals were not suitable for fighting. Strapped to his back was a massive scroll, ominous and kind of large.
"Jiraiya? One of the Legendary Sannin?" a subordinate asked behind Morino.
"Listen up, you chicks! Open your beady little eyes and take a good look!" the old man announced. I am liking this guy less and less by the minute… He flipped around and did a dance on his right foot, showing us his face. I kept the opinion that he was in his late forties or early fifties, and noted the headband labeled 'oil' and the red streaks like tears from his eyes down to his chin.
"Behold, the divine ninja Jiraiya's," he struck a dramatic pose, "Far East of Eden's," oh, new pose, "WI-LD DAN-CE!" he smirked. "You damn snakes that are frozen in fear from a toad's presence, get out of here!"
How the Hell do you respond to that?
And suddenly Morino was up there with him. They exchanged secretive words and took on serious faces.
"Morino-san!" I called up to them, my hands cupped around my mouth. They both looked back down curiously. "If we can't help here, where do you want us to go?"
"Help Iruka with students underground!" he commanded back. "get everyone out and then go from there!"
"Hai, sir!" I called back. I turned around to Tenten, Kiba, and Neji. "Let's go, guys."
We jumped off in different directions, off to find people trapped in the village.
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"Here you go, ma'am. Stay here, they'll look after you, okay?" I removed the young woman's arm from around my shoulder. "Actually, here," I bent down net to her and did my best to heal her broken ankle. "That's all I can do for now. Iruka-sensei?" I called to the cavern. The scarred teacher jogged over to me.
"Hi, Sora-chan. Is she injured?" he saw the woman. She flushed.
"H-hai, sensei. Sora-san was healing me."
"Was she now," Iruka smiled. He turned to me. "Arigato, Sora-chan. Go, find the others." He smiled, and then his eyes flickered to the entrance behind me. I whirled around to find Neji supporting two small children.
One was a little boy and the other was a smaller girl. He was doing his very best to keep hold of her hand across Neji's chest, his eyes worried and nervous.
I went over to them quickly. "Hello, little ones," I smiled. "Come one, we'll get you with the others. They'll protect you, okay?" I carefully tucked the trembling girl in my arms. The little boy scrambled out of Neji's and tugged at my boots and leggings, whimpering.
"Is she your little sister?" I set the girl on the ground and a nostalgic smile flickered across my face as he hugged her tightly, protectively.
"No… but my Kaa-san says that we act like it," the baby girl smiled adorably at me. I couldn't help it; I leaned forward and gave both of them a tiny kiss on the forehead.
"Be careful, you two. Stick together, okay? I'll see you later," I ruffled the boy's hair and motioned for Neji to follow me outside.
"He made a desperate escape from you," I commented.
"Hn."
"You must be very good with children."
"…Silence."
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"Help!" I heard two voices yelling. "Help us, please!"
I looked around, searching for them.
"Over here! We're over here!" a woman's voice answered my thought.
"I found you, don't worry! I'm getting you out!" I ran over to where a stone pillar had somehow managed not to hit a woman and her child, and they were trapped there.
I tried pushing the pillar away, but it failed. I gazed at the pillar.
"Okay, I'm going to blast the pillar away, alright? Just stay exactly where you are, you're far enough away," I assured them.
"No… my husband…" the woman pointed to the pillar. I got on my stomach and peeked under the rock. A man, strong and sturdy, was supporting the pillar with his back, obviously in pain.
"Sir! Um… okay, here's what we'll do. I'll place the explosives, and I want you to jump out of the way right before they explode; on my signal."
It was the only logical plan. Anything else would have them in pieces or crushed.
"Hell no!" the man still said. "I don't trust any ninja! Especially a little girl!"
As much as I hated to admit it, he had a point.
"Sir, I know, but it's the best chance that you have of everyone surviving."
"No way!"
"Sir—"
"Akiteisei!" the woman cried. "Please, Koishii."
He stared at her, then back at me, with a pained look. He sighed roughly. "Fine. Let's do it. Hurry."
"Hai." I removed three explosive tags from my pouch and ran them with chakra. I stuck them to the pillar and nodded toward the man. "On three," I said.
"One, two," I put my hands together and reached out to the tags. "Three!" the man, Akiteisei, jumped out and the pillar began to fall. "HAH!" I yelled and the tags exploded simultaneously. The rock crumbled into harmless pieces, and I hurried over to check on the family.
The man had launched himself on top of his wife and child, and the wife had leaned over the child. They were all fine, but I could see the man's injuries from holding up the pillar.
"Akiteisei-san," I held out my hand. "Let me heal your injuries for you. Then we can get you to safety with your family." He leaned up and studied my face. With a nod, he grasped my hand and I pulled him up.
I began healing the thick, purple bruises on his back. Luckily, his bones were all intact, and he would only be a little sore for a while.
"Sir, if I may, I'd like to tell you something," I wiped my forehead and sat formally in front of him.
"Yeah?" he asked awkwardly.
"There's something special about shinobi from this village," I smiled, lowering my head nostalgically. "They will always fight to protect its people. The Hokage told us that you couldn't obtain true strength in this world until you protect something precious to you," I lifted my face to his with a grin. "That is true power, and that is what makes Konohagakure special."
As I waved goodbye to the family back in one of the evacuation blocks, I remembered when the Hokage had indeed recited a random poem and told us to protect our loved ones.
The Hokage was extraordinary like that: his heart was pure and his soul was whole. I admired him from the bottom of my heart.
And I hoped that he was okay, surviving the battle he was fighting right now.
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A/N: R&R!
