*AN: Sorry for the late update...I couldn't find my computer cord yesterday and the computer itself is dead. Anyways, the story is slow right now, but I promise it'll pick back up soon. Just have to avoid writing myself into a corner is all. Enjoy!*
"This is…" Fu trailed off.
"Yea, the room I told Sepi to stay the hell out of." I said, closing the doors behind us as the chakra in the candles reacted to my presence, lighting seemingly of their own accord. #ChakraHax.
I closed my eyes as my memories assaulted me, taking several deep breaths to calm my nerves before I began speaking.
"Toru was a retired Anbu." I started. "He and Shena were married, but Shena couldn't have a kid. Meanwhile, Kakashi and Aiko Uchiha had an affair. They were too young to have a child, not to mention the Uchiha weren't exactly happy with Kakashi at that present moment, so they gave me to Shena and Toru, since Toru had been one of Kakashi's mentors in the Anbu."
I took a breath, refusing to let my emotions spill out. Not this time.
"Itachi is Sasuke's older brother. Shisui was my uncle, and Itachi's best friend. Obito was Aiko's and Shisui's older brother, and he died on a mission, giving Kakashi his Sharingan before he was completely crushed." Or so the story goes.
"What happened?" Fu asked quietly.
"What do you think happened?" I snapped. "They're dead. Every last one of them except me, Sasuke, and Itachi."
She backed away a couple steps. "No, I mean, how? What happened?"
I didn't trust myself to answer, so I turned and walked out the door. I paused just before I shut it behind me.
"You're welcome to stay in my compound as long as need be." I said quietly. "It needs to be used, anyways."
With that, I was gone.
... ... ...
"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?!" Tenten roared at me. "We were supposed to meet an hour ago!"
I waved it off. "Sorry. I saw this black cat, so I had to take the long way around."
She hung her head. "I'm sorry I asked." She said gloomily.
"What is the point of that lie, since everyone knows it's a lie?" Sai asked.
"Believe me buddy, you don't wanna ask." Kiba said sincerely, with Akamaru nodding along.
"Why not?"
"Aaanndddd we're done here!" Tenten yelled out. "Kiba, you're in the lead. You and Akamaru keep your noses out. Sai, you're behind him, watching his back. I'll be behind you, carrying the treaty. Ibukai, you bring up the rear. Any questions?"
At the sight of us shaking our heads, she nodded in satisfaction. "Alright, good. It should only take us a day to get to the Land of Hot Springs, so let's get a move on. I want to be holding onto this thing for as little time as possible."
"I hear ya." I said.
"Alright, follow me!" Kiba said, charging out of the gate, the team following him. I sighed and waved to Izumo and Kotetsu before following them, my Sharingan whirling to life. Tsunade may have or may have not decided to have Anbu trail after us, but I wasn't taking any chances. My Sharingan hardly took any chakra to keep active, and with a mission as important as this, I was going to use every weapon in my arsenal to complete it.
... ... ...
As it was, we were forced to take a rest six hours in.
"Sonofabitch." Tenten said. "I was hoping we could just push through."
I smiled. "Don't worry. We'll be there in another five hours."
"I don't exactly want to run in the dark."
I nodded. "Fair point. We go fast enough, that shouldn't be a problem."
She nodded. "Alright, take an hour, guys. Let's see, watch order will be-"
"Summoning jutsu!" I yelled, slamming my hand into the ground. In an explosion of smoke, four identical wolves with grey fur and onyx eyes appeared. With one nod to me, they moved out in four different directions.
I smirked and turned to Tenten. "My vote is we all get some rest." I said. "The Watchers will keep an eye out for us."
Sai tilted his head. "You didn't provide us with the information that you had summons before."
"You're right, I didn't." I said. "That's because I don't use them in a fight very often. Even though the pack can fight, they have other specializations."
"Haha! I knew you were a dog person!" Kiba said with a fist pump of victory.
"Don't let them hear you call them dogs." I replied, amused. "They may just decide to rip your throat out."
"...Er…"
I simply smirked, settled back, pulled my forehead protector across my eyes, and went to sleep.
... ... ...
"Pup. The period of vigilance that you requested of us has ended."
I yawned, set my forehead protector back into its usual place, and blinked sleepily at the wolf that had spoken. The Watchers were normally silent, at least until the end of their watch, so hearing one of them speak was always a treat.
I smiled. "Thank you."
With a nod, they disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and I stood and stretched as everyone else stirred awake.
All except Sai. He opened his eyes immediately upon hearing the wolf speak, and he was on his feet at the same time I was.
"Don't trust my summons, huh?" I asked with a smirk, and he gave his fake smile in return.
"I was unsure whether or not they would be good guards." He replied.
I outright laughed at that. "Be really, realllllyyyy glad they aren't here anymore. The Watchers are the best sensors that you'll find anywhere. Not only to they have the sharpest smell and hearing out of the pack, save the tracking specialist, they use nature chakra. The four of them create an overlapping net, using each of the other Watcher's senses to strengthen their own."
Tenten's eyes widened, and even Kiba looked impressed. Sai simply nodded, keeping his smile in place.
"How's that even possible?" Tenten blurted out.
I glanced at Sai. I wasn't ready to give out the pack's secrets, not to these guys, at least.
"I don't know." I lied easily. "We should get a move-on though. We still have a mission."
As we packed up, I looked over my shoulder. Something felt off. Something felt very off.
"EVERYBODY DOWN!" I roared, diving at the ground with the team following me. It was a good thing, too, because in a matter of seconds, the space we had been occupying was filled with kunai.
"What the hell?!" Kiba yelled. "I didn't smell anything! Neither did Akamaru!"
"Shut the hell up." I hissed. My katana was still sheathed, but I did draw a kunai. My Sharingan whirled to life, frantically searching for whoever had just attacked us. It had been instinct to yell a warning, and I had learned to trust my instincts. My instincts, however, weren't telling me who attacked us or where they currently were. Stupid no-hacks-available-unable-to-exploit situation
Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out.
"Tenten." I whispered, and she looked at me, eyes wide.
"Get ready."
She nodded.
"Kiba, you and Sai take the treaty and get the fuck outta here. I'll draw these guys out and Tenten will make them wish they had never been born."
"Hey, why-?!"
"Dammit, just do it, Mutt!"
He flipped me off.
"...NOW!"
I leapt to the tree branches, forming a shadow clone. It split off from me as Tenten leapt high into the trees, her weapon scrolls out and ready, waiting for whoever attacked us to show their faces.
We didn't have to wait long.
"FUCK ME!" I yelled in surprise as I ducked under a blade and narrowly dodged a barrage of shuriken.
Three shinobi were attacking us. One seemed to rely on Taijutsu, the second was using a cleaver, and the third appeared to be a long-range specialist, like Tenten.
She was engaging him in an all-out weapons battle royale, and I was seriously regretting not unsealing my katana. I had two kunai out, but they sure as hell weren't helping stop a massive fucking blade.
These guys are good.
I ducked under a punch and kicked the ham-fisted ninja's legs out from under him, his crossed-out Hidden Stone forehead protector going flying as I lashed out at his head with a kunai, slicing the strap and cutting into him in the process.
He disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
Shadow Clone.
I rolled away from the cleaver as Tenten took the opportunity to throw a barrage of ninja tools at the cleaver-wielder's back before leaping behind a tree to avoid the barrage of shuriken from the long-range specialist.
"Tenten, cover me!" I yelled, beelining for the last remaining enemy nin, who, if I was right, was also a shadow clone.
"Not gonna happen, kid!" He yelled, sending shuriken whirling towards me.
I leapt backwards to avoid them. "Kid? KID?! Motherfucker, I will end you- SHIT!"
He threw kunai at me, and I got a good enough glimpse to see that he was pulling them from several storage scrolls surrounding him. The reason for my concern, however, was the fact that the kunai had trailing paper bombs.
"FUCK! SHIT! FUCK!"
I leapt to another branch as the one I had been standing on blew to smithereens. Tenten wasn't able to help, either, as she was also dodging the explosive tags of doom.
"Tenten, get to the others!" I yelled.
"What?!"
I retreated to her position. "I had a shadow clone following them. They got attacked as well. I can get this guy, but I need time to do it and they need help ASAP. Like, five minutes ago."
She nodded unhappily, rerolling her scrolls and leaping away, glancing over her shoulder as I charged at the enemy nin, drawing his fire.
... ... ...
I had a plan.
It wasn't a very good plan, but it was still a plan. It's the thought that counts, right?
I formed two shadow clones, my body screaming at me as my chakra pools ran low.
"You know what to do." I said as I leapt into the now-smoldering wreckage of the forest. Jeez, how many explosive tags does this bastard have?
He was about four hundred feet away from me, barely visible through the smoke, and I crouched, my plan forming beautifully. Ish.
Crimson Style: Triple Fireball Jutsu!
I had worked on doing synced attacks with my shadow clones, and we lit that motherfucker up like the fucking sun.
See, there is upsides and downsides to my kekkei genkai. The downsides are A: My lightning-based jutsus are less effective against water style jutsus. B: My fire-based jutsus are less effective against wind style jutsus. Also, I highly doubted that my lightning-based jutsus would neutralize Diedara's explosive clay artwork. More than likely they'd just set them off. However, my chakra binds together, and even more so when it's, say, three fireballs coming from opposite directions. Not only that, but the lightning chakra basically acted as batteries for my fireball jutsu, making it so the suckers went wayyyy farther and faster than usual. Usually, the Fireball Jutsu reaches out to like, 100 feet at MAXIMUM. Mine covered the 400 foot gap, and although its potency was heavily diminished by that time, there were two others to help alleviate that disadvantage.
The enemy nin leapt away from the fireball coming from in front of him and right into the path of another. The resulting explosion of my chakra sucked the other two fireballs right into the impact point, resulting in…
KABOOM!
Diedara would have been proud...
Oh, hey, that was an earth clone that time.
My two shadow clones, having used up all the chakra I had given them, dispersed, leaving behind a cloud of smoke, and I stood, drained.
Alright. Now to get to the rest of the team…
WHACK!
... ... ...
"Could you guys, I don't know, fuck off or something?"
Whack!
"OW! I'll take that as a no?"
"This guy needs to shut up." Someone growled.
"Fat chance, buddy boy. Take this bag off my head and I might be quiet."
"Pfft. Right, and look into your Sharingan? You must think we're idiots."
"No, just dumb."
Whack!
"Enough, moron." A slightly feminine voice said.
"...Trap? I'm calling trap. Are you a trap?" I asked.
"...What?"
I chuckled. "Definite trap."
I had awoke about a half hour ago, tied to...a tree, I was guessing. There were three separate footsteps around. One of them was the not-so-sharp shinobi that I kept baiting. The second was the kunoichi I just heard. I had no clue who the third was, but I had a feeling I would find out soon. Until then, I was having great fun messing with these guys. Thanks to a particularly sadistic training regime set forth by one Might Guy, the punches from these guys didn't even hurt that much.
I felt a kunai prod at my throat. "You either shut up or I'll kill you." The shinobi growled.
I outright laughed.
"Oh, that's rich. Lemme take a wild guess at something, will ya? You guys didn't succeed in taking down the rest of my team, did you?"
"So what?" He growled.
"You MORON!" The kunoichi fairly screeched. "You mind not giving him info for free?!"
"Yea, at least pay me to deal with your stupidity." I said cheerfully.
WHACK!
Cough "Worth-" cough "it."
"Go and keep an eye out, numbskull." She snapped.
"I would, but I'm currently indisposed."
"Not you!" She yelled at me.
"So, you're planning to trade me for…?"
"Riches and fame beyond all measure." She said sarcastically.
I laughed. "I like you! I think I'll kill you last."
She snorted in disbelief. "Riiiiight."
"You aren't gonna get the treaty." I said seriously.
"We'll see about that, kid."
"Ah, so you are after the treaty."
"What? ...DAMMIT!"
WHACK!
I chuckled for a bit. However, I stopped and sat up a bit straighter.
"Teamwork is one of the Leaf's core values. It's taught throughout the Academy, and it is tested when we become Genin. It's something that is pounded into our heads again and again. As my father likes to say, 'those who break the rules are scum, but those who would abandon even one of their comrades are worse than scum.' However, my comrades will not compromise the mission. They won't give up the treaty, and you've realized brute force won't work, otherwise I'd be dead by now. They will come for me, but it will be after the treaty renewal is safely signed, sealed, and delivered."
"What, you trying to convince us to let you go?" She snarled. "If we don't get the treaty, you're dead."
I shrugged. "Probably. However, I know you guys won't make it out of this alive. There is no trophy, no successful return to wherever the hell you came from. There is no version of this fight where you come out on top. Because, if my friends can't save me, they'll be damned sure to avenge me."
I could hear her hesitating, before the third figure spoke up.
"Enough." It was a deep growl, one that made me unconsciously want to curl up and hide. "We didn't come all this way to play games."
"Neither did I." I promised.
"RASENGAN!"
I let out a sigh of relief when I heard the familiar voice, followed by a curse and explosion.
"YOSH! I SHALL SHOW YOU THE FLAMES OF MY YOUTH!"
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" The kunoichi screamed.
"I DON'T KNOW! JUST KILL IT!"
"ARE THOSE CATERPILLARS?!"
"I THINK THOSE ARE HIS EYEBROWS! KILL HIM KILL HIM KILL-"
WHACK!
"FUCK! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING, ANYWAYS?!"
"It is extremely impolite to make fun of people." I heard Hinata say in a voice best suited for the killer in a horror movie, causing the kunoichi to curse again. "Eight Trigrams: 32 Palms!"
I felt someone cut the ropes holding me loose, and I sighed in relief when the bag was removed from my head.
"Thanks, Choji." I said gratefully, rubbing my wrists.
He grinned. "No problem!"
"Remind me to buy your team BBQ when we get back to the Leaf." I said absentmindedly, looking around the clearing.
Naruto and his team had thoroughly kicked the asses of the offending trio, and I helped them tie the unconscious nin to the tree that I had just been tied to.
Ironic.
The gravelly-voiced guy was a missing nin from the Hidden Rain. The dumbass was from the Grass and didn't have a slashed-out headband, and the kunoichi was from the Sound.
I sighed worriedly. "This isn't good. Missing nin from the Hidden Stone attacked my team. I think the other three dealt with them, though. However, four villages? Working with the Sound?" I tapped my foot, nervous. "Not good. Not good, at all. Oh, by the way, not that I'm not grateful, but what the hell are you guys doing here?"
"We were assigned to shadow you guys." Naruto said with a sheepish grin. "Sweep in if you guys got in trouble, ya know?"
I shook my head. "In any other circumstance, I would be insulted." I looked down at the three nin. "However, you saved my ass, so I'm willing to let this one slide."
"What do we do with them?" Hinata asked.
I picked up a kunai that had been thrown astray during the brief fight. "I've got an idea."
Naruto stepped in between me and the trio, and I raised an eyebrow.
"Seriously, dude?"
"We should take them back to the Leaf." He said firmly, and my eyes narrowed.
"You do realize they would have killed me if you guys had waited much longer, right? I say we interrogate them here and now and take that information back."
"And what are you gonna do after that? Kill them, ya know?"
"Yes." I said simply.
He shook his head firmly. "Not gonna happen. We beat them, so now they are our prisoners."
The rest of his team looked on, nervous, as Naruto and I had a battle of wills.
"Why don't you just order me?" I snapped. "Technically you outrank me right now."
He shook his head once again. "No. I won't do that to a friend."
After another five-minute staring contest, I growled in annoyance. "FUCK IT! Fine, damn you. I need to catchy up to my team…"
My voice trailed off as I looked at the kunoichi. She...looked familiar.
"Hey? Earth to Ibukai?"
I looked up. "Naruto, doesn't the girl look familiar?"
He turned around. "...Kinda?"
I snapped my fingers. "The Chuunin Exams!"
He looked at me, confused. "Huh?"
"The Chuunin Exams? The Invasion? Any of this a-ringin' a bell?"
"She was on the Sound nin team." Hinata said slowly.
"Kin?" I thought carefully. "Yea. Kin Tsuchi. Huh. Thought she died during the Invasion."
Actually, she was supposed to be used as a sacrifice when Lord First and Second were reanimated. You learn something new every day.
"You sure I can't kill them?" I asked.
"No." Naruto said with a glare.
"Jeez, fine." I knelt down and smacked Kin until she woke up. She blinked awake after three or four smacks, taking one look around the clearing before cursing.
"Shit, now I'm in for it."
"Oh, relax." I said with a sigh. "If it was up to me you'd be dead by now, but it's not. Where is my gear?"
She shrugged. "Fuck if I know."
"Ibukai, she has several storage scrolls on her." Hinata said helpfully.
"Fuckin' Byakugan." Kin muttered.
I smirked and retrieved the scrolls. "I recall saying that a couple times. Still, it helps to have a Hyuuga on your side."
After confirming all my gear was there and re-equipping it, I stood and brushed myself off.
"Thanks for the help." I said. "I need to get back to my team so they can stop worrying. Or start, if I found out they haven't. Go ahead and get those guys back to the Leaf, and watch your backs. If they want the treaty this back, you can figure who they'd send to ensure one of their own doesn't fall into enemy hands."
"Don't worry about us, ya know! I'll send some shadow clones with you, as backup."
I nodded, and we parted, six of his shadow clones following me as we headed towards the rest of my team.
