Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, or its characters.
I'm sorry for the recent delay, I've been lately quite busy with the paperwork to enter the college… but I'm back with a little more of this story.
Chapter 13: The Uzumaki House.
Two days have passed, and the group finally reached their destiny. They entered a busy town in the Whirlpool Country, a country that fell from its grace thanks to the Third Great Wars; even when their cities are still attractive for tourists and merchants, they have no Ninja forces that support, or protect, their population.
Kiba noticed the villagers were mostly fishermen, and that the town was quite active. The town people received fishing ships constantly, and, as the whole group could comprehend, the interaction that tourists and merchants had with the villagers was quite continuous, either by seas or by land. There were butcheries, fish markets, imported-products sellers, lots of gambling posts, some adult places, bars, restaurants, some fruit and vegetable gardens outside the town, and even there was a theater and attractions for children. Naruto recognized this town during his trips with Jiraiya, and smiled, as he saw nothing had changed.
They walked until they reached the building of the city hall. Once there, Naruto entered to meet the town's mayor. He was a bald man, with a bushy, brown moustache that covered his mouth, big and almost popping-out eyes hidden behind some glasses, he was fat and he dressed quite well. The man saw Naruto and, after checking that his group was behind, asked:
- Hmmm, ninja kids… You come to report to me of your arrival?
Naruto drew a scroll out of his pouch and said, showing it to the mayor:
- My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I've come to claim property of the Uzumaki House. My deceased mother left me the property title, and now I come to ask permission from you sir to live in this town, in the Uzumaki house.
The mayor checked the scroll, cleansing his glasses, and said:
- Hmmm, okay. It's all in order in here. Welcome to the small Fish Village. – Naruto's happy face vanished when the old man said: - But… - Naruto noticed how the mayor frowned, and continued: - Since a while ago, that house has been used by a bunch of ninjas as a headquarters… I've known nothing else about them, but now I know they have no right to stay there, as you have the property papers.
Naruto frowned too, and saw the old man call for two guards. They wore light armors, and had spears in their hands. The mayor said:
- Escort mister Uzumaki to his family's house, and dump whoever can be there.
Naruto and the two guards got out of the building, meeting the rest of the group, and the six followed the two guards. They reached a very small and quite broken house, and the guards smiled, in a mocking mood, leaving them on their own. Sakura frowned and Kiba smelled, like Akamaru. Naruto heard Kyuubi:
- That's an A-class Genjutsu, kid. Watch out.
In that moment, he heard Hinata activate her Byakugan silently, and say:
- N-Naruto-kun… it's a very p-powerful Genjutsu…
Shino, after checking on Naruto's nodding, said:
- Guess we all detected this Genjutsu, now we must undo it. Kiba, Hinata, can you recognize how many people are in this place?
Kiba started smelling, focused, and Hinata focused chakra on her eyes. After a few seconds, Kiba was a bit confused, but Hinata said:
- Twelve persons outside the house, in some tree branches, and four inside… the ones outside are keeping the Genjutsu active… it's collaborative…
Maki stuck her ear on the ground, and said, while taking her shoes off:
- The ones inside are coming out; and I think they're armed.
Naruto and Hinata glanced to each other and nodded. Both made the same hand sign, and twelve pairs of shadow clones appeared. Hinata spoke to her clones:
- You'll go in couples. You will be the eyes and the support, and you'll direct the Naruto-kun's clones so they can attack. If you get into trouble, attack too, but don't let yourselves be dispelled.
Hinata's voice was quite commanding, and the clones met in couples, disappearing in the Genjutsu. Naruto contacted Kyuubi:
- I still need to work a lot on my chakra control to sense chakra as you do, so I ask you to give me a little of your strength to help me detect them while the Genjutsu gets dispelled.
- Your actual chakra control could help you, Naruto, but even so, you're right. I shall help you a bit this time.
Both Naruto and Hinata, in the front of the group, felt how they were attacked from nowhere, as if the air was trying to hit them, and they could barely evade them. In that moment, Sakura and Shino fainted on the ground with some other ghost attacks. Kiba blocked attacks with a kunai, sensing the scent of steel close to him, and Akamaru started avoiding barely as well. Maki moved also, avoiding the attacks from her invisible enemy. All of a sudden, Hinata felt something, and saw the ground:
- Naruto-kun! Guys! The floor!
Naruto, Kiba and Maki noticed that their enemies' shadows could be seen on the floor. Now we can see where they are, at least. Kiba and Akamaru fought with their Beast-Man Clone Taijutsu Style; now with a second lead about their enemy, their fight would be less complicated… even when they knew it still wasn't enough. The four standing guys kept evading their invisible attacks, until, all of a sudden, Naruto noticed how the house changed its shape, acquiring the form described in the property scroll:
- The house!
The combat continued on that way: the phantoms attacking and the young Chuunin defending from them. Maki was able to sense her enemy's presence and movements on the ground thanks to her Earth chakra control, sensing the vibrations on the ground like a snake or a lizard while focusing on a close radius from her. She said:
- It seems they fight with short weapons, watch out.
Kiba said, smelling:
- I can detect their scents, and not only their blades' ones!
Kiba and Maki had already some more advantage, but they still had the odds against them. Naruto and Hinata realized that there were silhouettes over the shadows, and started to fight with some more confidence, even when they tried to maintain their distances, because those were only blurred stains of chakra, with no defined shape. Maki received a couple of hits and fell on the ground, not perceiving her enemy on the ground anymore. That bastard jumped! Dammit! All of a sudden, she saw herself surrounded by an insect cloud that protected her from three shuriken thrown at her. The insects gave her the three throwing stars, and she noticed they were poisoned. Shino appeared right beside her, inside the insect dome. He said:
- We must search for the blurry attacker. You search for ground, I'll search for air.
- Got it, Shino.
Sino released some insects in all directions, not compromising the full defense.
Kiba and Akamaru didn't stop surrounding Sakura, who couldn't move on the ground. She tried to do her Medical Ninjutsu on herself, but she felt how her chakra circulatory system got contaminated, and she screamed in pain. Damn! I cannot use my chakra! And surely this poison will enter my organs! The Dog Ninja and his ninja dog were capable of defending themselves more proficiently, as they could detect their enemy's intentions through his scent and location.
Hinata noticed defined silhouettes, finally, and then noticed that her enemy, and Naruto's one, both were using short Kodachi swords. She warned the rest and Naruto replied:
- Well! Let's see what they've got!
The combat was leveled, finally. They could already defend themselves and attack more freely. Maki and Shino, after finding their enemy, they focused on capturing him and finishing him. Maki solidified the land around her and turned it into rock spikes, that she threw to the enemy as if the rocks were kunai, while Shino threw his insects to try and get his back. The enemy was quite agile, and evaded the attacks, but they noticed how that constant evasion took its toll on him.
Kiba and Akamaru had started to attack, and even they started to evade with more easiness than before. Then, surprising everyone, he found the way to bite his finger and arm some hand seals, hitting the ground with his hand and summoning a group of five war wolves, more or less sized as Akamaru… or bigger. The leader between them said:
- Hmmm, enemy with advantage, am I right?
- Be sure of that, lord Kairou, friends! – Kiba grinned evilly: - We need the Fighting Style of the Pack here!
The gray wolf called as Kairou replied, gritting its teeth:
- Very well. Form up!
The five wolves, Kiba and Akamaru joined an attack formation, surrounding the enemy's silhouette and growling at him as hungry wolves. The enemy, obviously startled, aimed his sword to the ninja teenager.
Hinata hit her enemy with her Gentle Fist, cutting his chakra with each landed hit, and Naruto, having a better guidance, started fighting with his Air Fighting Style. Hinata gave a final hit on her enemy, paralyzing all of the organs in his torso, and he fell down. Naruto, with his slashing kicks, chopped his enemy's forearms up, and then sliced his neck open, with quick, circular movements that didn't need to impact fully to do great damage.
In the end, the Genjutsu disappeared completely. Kiba, Akamaru and the Five Wolves had attacked their enemy with their new Taijutsu style, attacking as a wolf pack, with claws, fangs and tackles, and the enemy had fallen. Shino's bugs had imprisoned his enemy, and Maki killed her with her kunai-like rock spikes, piercing her enemy's aorta and femoral arteries. As the Genjutsu dispelled, they all got surprised. Both the four dead shinobi in front of them and the twelve that lied dead on the ground around the house had their headbands with the symbol of the Hidden Leaf. Shino said:
- Hidden Leaf ninjas… quite far from the village, and the Fire Country's frontiers…
- This smells bad. – Kiba's reply was serious: - Is this the house, Naruto?
Naruto saw it was some sort of big, two-storied house, having lots of rooms in it. Naruto remembered the scroll said that there lived five families in that house, not including her own one. He said, looking at the surviving clones:
- This is the place. We still need to check out if there's any kind of traps, and deactivate it. We don't want the house to be demolished now.
Both Naruto's and Hinata's clones started to search, as Kiba noticed how Sakura's skin paled. Scared, he started checking her vital signs, her pupils, and then he smelled her sweat. Terrified to the scent he caught, he said to Shino, worried:
- Shino! Sakura was poisoned!
- I know. I'm working on it. I just hope it's not too late.
Shino covered Sakura in an insect swarm, and meanwhile, a clone Hinata shouted:
- Ready! You can come in!
The shadow clones vanished, so as Kiba's summoned wolves, and Naruto got close, trying the floor in the entry and trying the door. He opened it, and nothing happened after that. Hinata, still with her Byakugan active, got close to him and checked the inside. She said:
- T-there are no traps anymore! B-bring Sakura in!
Kiba, Shino and Maki carried the insect-covered Sakura inside the house. Naruto and Hinata had no chance to see the house in detail, as they started putting all their attention on Sakura's treatment. Once Shino talked to his insects, and realized that the poison was removed from her body, he drew his insects back into his jacket. Sakura had lost much of her color, and Kiba was very worried, holding her hand with strength, and seeing that she couldn't even squeeze it. Shino said:
- All of her peripheric nervous system was affected. She has lost much of her mobility and strength.
Kiba and Akamaru couldn't just believe what they heard, and Sakura shed a tear, depressed. Naruto screamed:
- Hinata-chan and I will search for a medic in town!
- Sure, Naruto-kun!
Naruto and Hinata stepped outside the house, creating twenty shadow clones. They all scattered through town, in search for a medic, while the originals prepared hot water to warm up the cold body of Sakura, which was growing colder steadily.
The race through the village was seen by the villagers as simply weird, and they even thought that it was either funny or troublesome. Finally, a couple of clones arrived to the house of the medic, and knocked the door desperately. The door cracked open, revealing an elderly woman:
- Good morning, kids, what can I help you with?
- We're in a great hurry! Our friend was poisoned and she cannot move her body anymore!
The elder woman frowned and said, opening the door:
- Hmmm, tell me everything about it. Come in.
The clones related the battle to the elder woman, and she replied, worried:
- Ninja poisons… I'm afraid I cannot do much for her. Even when the poison is not in her system anymore, it has already made the main damage… and perhaps it was triggered by something she did after receiving the poison. Take me to the place.
Both clones saw the woman take her stuff and guided her, running. They were surprised to see that she could catch up on their pace. As they arrived to the Uzumaki house, the elder woman understood some things. They stepped inside, and the elder woman checked Sakura thoroughly. As the clones vanished behind her, the elder said:
- She is… Lady Tsunade Senju's disciple…
- What's going on? – Kiba was nervous and upset, not even noticing how his voice tone got loud and aggressive towards the elder medic. She said:
- So, someone else was attacked with this poison?
Shino replied:
- I was, but my bugs could draw it out of my system right after I received it.
The elder replied:
- This same poison was used to kill Tsunade Senju. It's a very powerful poison that attacks the chakra circulatory system, and it's quite effective against the Medic Ninjas. First, it taints the user's heart, his blood and his chakra. Second, it renders the whole torso, arms and legs useless, cutting all mobility from it. Then, it attacks the other internal organs, causing a slow death as it reaches the brain. Paradoxically, it reacts with higher strength when using chakra, even more if you use your chakra as a Medic Ninja, drawing it into your own body as tainted as it becomes.
- My insects extracted all the poison, ma'am.
- I know, she has no traces of the poison in her body at all. She could start getting recovered if any other Medic Ninja can treat her. I don't have that ability, but I can make her recover the mobility and her organs. She will be able to feed and talk for tomorrow, and with true rest, she can move freely in a week. But she will not be able to use her chakra, or force herself into high workout, as her blood and chakra are still tainted, and as her spine is also a little damaged.
The medic drew a flask and made Sakura drink its content slowly. It looked like honey, but its smell made Kiba frown. Sakura recovered her color steadily, and squeezed Kiba's hand. She felt her insides very damaged, and she realized she couldn't use her chakra, feeling the taint on her heart. The elder woman said, caressing her cheek and smiling gently:
- Don't worry, my dear. When a Medic Ninja comes here, I'll come with him, or her, to assist you. For now, get some rest.
Sakura, even when she felt that she could move very slowly, got completely broken, and Kiba hugged her tenderly. I'm the useless in the group again… Can it be? Is this my fate? The elder whispered to her:
- You will be okay… you've got some friends coming your way, and they can assist you…
The elder smiled gently to Sakura, but then glanced at her, realizing that she could tell no more to her. She said, before leaving the house:
- And, by the way, my name is Ichiko. I hope to see you soon, kids.
Ichiko left, not even asking the kids to pay her for her assistance. Sakura burst out in tears, even after feeling the safety on Ichiko's serene and gentle voice, and Kiba didn't let her go from his hug. Maki, watching the scene, got close to Shino:
- Hey… are you all right?
- Yes… thank you… and you?
- I'm fine…
Naruto and Hinata, after a while, checked the house, and saw that there were six large rooms between the two floors, the kitchen, some bathrooms and a large backyard. The whole house was simple but spacious. The furniture wasn't pretty, but was functional and comfortable. Hinata hugged Naruto and said:
- Well… we finally arrived, Naruto-kun…
- Yes, we did, Hinata-chan, we made it…
Naruto sounded relieved, and Hinata became happier when seeing him like that. They kissed each other's lips softly, blushed, and held hands. He said:
- Now we have to find a job and train harder, Hinata-chan.
- S-sure! Let's make plans for our r-restaurant, N-Naruto-kun!
- That's what I like to hear! Let's do this!
Both smiled happily, and recognized their own smiles as genuine. Kyuubi felt in peace, and surrounded the couple with her maternal chakra.
End of Chapter 13.
Notes: the name of the Leader of Kiba's Wolves was "Kairou" (I thought of it as "kai": 灰 = ash (commonly spelled as "hai"), and "rou": 狼 = wolf, (commonly spelled as "ookami"), something like "wolf of ashes"). The name of the elder medic of the village was Ichiko: 市子 = sorceress. Hope you enjoy it, and soon another chapter!