Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Slight AU warning.
Don't forget to review when you're finished reading!
Summary: What if Konoha was a destitute, paltry city that bred nothing of worth within its walls? The people of this miserable community barely keep going every day. The shinobi are no different. However, the dreams of two ninja trigger a feeling of rebirth within their hearts and now they strive to reach their own dreams. Will they find themselves on the right road...or lost forever?
Note: Italicized lines often mean thoughts of a character or in some cases dreams. Bolded lines often mean Inner Sakura's dialogue. Bolded italicized linesoften mean flashbacks.
The Author Speaks: There will be multiple couplings, but romance is not what is this fic is completely centered around. Despite this, you won't be disappointed come romance time. Look for the teenage ninja angst however! I will warn you, there will be heavy amounts of violence, swearing, blood, substance abuse, molestation, you name it! I don't like flames, but I do like constructive criticism. Also note; money! I have no idea what the equivalent to a dollar is when it comes to ryo, so I'm just doing it simple. 100 ryo equals 1 dollar. I'll trust you're intelligent enough to be able to perform equivalents with that piece of information given.There will be limes/possible lemons in this fic, mentioned rape and explicit scenes.
Timeline: Being as how it's slightly AU, the time period is the same except all the characters are two years older than before the time-skip in the series (13 is 15, 26 is 28, etc). Also, Otogakure is the main village of the Land of Fire, the biggest city with the most powerful army. It's located where it is in the series, except the Land of Rice Fields is no more; it's part of the Land of Fire.
Definitions:
None
Songs:
"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield (for Sasuke)
"They All Fall Down" by SR-71
"Letter – From the Lost Days" as heard in Silent Hill 3 and Silent Hill the movie
Show Me a Hero
Chapter 14 – Struggle
The sky held traces of orange from the sunrise illuminating the drowsy world. It was a pleasant morning. The wind was a little cold for the season, but the dew on the grass contained certain warmth that made the earth smile. In turn, the people smiled. Mornings like this were to be taken full advantage of, before it went back to the routine of coffee-drenched air and bad moods.
Sasuke played with a shuriken from his belt absentmindedly, waiting for the boarding to begin. Shino was leaning against a tree, looking as mysterious as ever with his sunglasses and a cigarette smoking in his fingers. Kiba and Hinata were sitting on the wet grass, talking. Kurenai was noticeably absent. A man who looked elegantly-dressed with his goldenrod robes was eyeing his guardians with some skepticism.
After another half-hour of waiting, the boat appeared. It floated slowly towards the docks. It looked a little big to be safely traveling a river, but it was the only dock Konoha had. The next closest place would be to go to Mirai and pay an extra thirteen-thousand ryo.
The gruff boatman hooked up the fine wooden ship and his crew put down the walkway so there would be no fear of hitting the water. Sasuke went over it, recalling the last time he had gone on a boat. It was about ten years ago, when his parents took Itachi to Kirigakure for his birthday. He didn't remember much about it, except that he had accidentally slipped off the walkway and into the water. He had thought he was going to drown, until his father pointed out that he had fallen on a shelf of land that he could stand on.
The raven-haired boy immediately explored. It was quite a nice ship, made of polished light wood with a large hull and a cabin area that could fit plenty of guests. It could take about thirty people easily. Currently there were twelve rooms occupied, most being businessmen, though there was one family from Suna.
Sasuke left the cabins in time to feel the boat pulling away cautiously in the narrow river. As he expected, there was no pink-haired girl waiting to see him off. He sighed.
A few people were a little annoyed about the detour, but they quieted when they saw the reason why.
The lord was talking to Team 8 in a cordial manner towards the front of the ship. "I will be retiring to my room for this trip. I have business to sort through. If I need you, I will have you called on."
"As you say, Michiru-sama," Hinata replied respectfully, bowing.
"Do you know how long this trip will take?" he asked her.
"I think around fourteen hours. We'll arrive very early next morning."
He nodded and left for the cabins. Kiba playfully punched Shino. "Hey, do you know if they sell food on this hunk? I didn't eat breakfast, and I'm starving…"
Shino shrugged, so Sasuke approached. "They have a food bar down in the cabins. It's not too expensive."
Kiba looked at Hinata. "Alright, thanks. Come on, accompany me while I get some sausages."
She blushed a little, looking at Sasuke shyly. "A-Ahh...okay…"
Sasuke's eyebrows rose from her strange reaction to his statement. He turned and looked out at the trees. He could see Konoha's frame just barely rising above the foliage. It looked like a peaceful backwoods town from this angle.
Shino was standing by him, shaking cigarette ashes into the water. Sasuke wished he could see past the boy's sunglasses, to see if he was appreciating the sights or if he was just finding something to look at.
"Shino, how's your father doing in his new job?" The silence was boring. He felt like talking.
"…" The boy looked at him slowly, as if contemplating whether to answer him or not. He threw the cigarette off the side of the ship. "…fine. He doesn't make nearly as much as he used to, but I suppose that's my loss more than anything…"
Sasuke knew what he meant. Shino's drugs. He wasn't sure whether Shibi gave his son money for drugs or if it was just a normal allowance. "Pretty lucky that your team was chosen for this mission. Scared?"
Shino chuckled. "Why should I be? The assassins are locked up. It seems that the higher ups in the Kage Bureau have taken notice of Konoha's increasing mission success due to your team, but they still don't trust us enough."
"At least you get a free boat trip. It's really nice, you know. Watching the ocean and seeing random fish and stuff…plus the sea breeze is nice once you get used to it." He leaned against the rails, headband shining from the sun's rays.
Shino had his headband on as well; it was the first time Sasuke had seen it on him. The boy sat down against the rails. "When we will be able to smell it?"
"Once we get out to sea, moron," he said playfully. Then he paused. "Sorry. I didn't mean that."
"I know you didn't," Shino chuckled. "It's a term males often say to their friends, because males are more aggressive with their language. Though I've heard Ino call Sakura some very vulgar terms before, all said with total compassion."
"Girls make no sense, do they? They're supposed to be dainty, and then all of a sudden they're bitching at you." Sasuke never thought he'd see the day where he'd be talking to Shino about girls.
"It's because of the freedoms they're given. With more freedom come more expansive personalities." He pulled out a silver case he kept in his shirt pocket and opened it, examining something inside. Nodding, he snapped it shut and stored it in his pocket.
"Yeah, I guess." Talking to Shino like this suddenly made Sasuke miss Naruto and Sakura a lot more. He hardly ever got to train with Naruto. Sakura wasn't even trained by Kakashi anymore. She was always with Tsunade or at work. Naruto, even though he no longer had to take any more of those stupid seal-strengthening classes, occupied himself with training Lord Sarutobi's grandson. He came to training, but it was hard to find him free any other time.
He had been so lost in sentimental thoughts had he hadn't noticed Shino's dark gaze on him the whole time. "What?"
"When did you become so sociable?" Shino was audibly confused.
Sasuke smirked. "I dunno. When did you ever talk so much? Nah, I shouldn't say that. I guess after hanging out with Team 7 for the first couple of months, I lightened up. I had no exposure to different opinions when I was growing up. It was always the Uchiha nindo I followed. Even after the massacre, I refused to take any other point of view…until Sakura and Naruto beat some sense into me. It was the Chuunin exams that really opened up my eyes to a new life. One where I'd stop following just one path, and go down every road I came across."
Though he was watching the water, Sasuke knew Shino was listening. "…You're a risk-taker, then. That's something I tend not to do. I'm always looking for the perfect amount of something, so I know I don't have to change it."
Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever you want to think, think it. I'm not gonna argue."
"…You didn't tell anyone of my using when you caught me in Otogakure. That was generous of you."
Now that was a strange subject change. Sasuke knew it was too late to act like he didn't know what the guy was talking about, so he shrugged it off. He still wanted to tell Kurenai, but if Shino was confiding in him that he was aware of Sasuke's inspection, then perhaps there was a trust that had been built. Sasuke valued trust, because he used to not trust anyone but himself.
A realization dawned on him. "Where is Kurenai-sensei? I didn't see her get on the boat."
Shino chuckled in a low, amused note. "Kurenai-sensei is not here. She said she didn't want to go. Apparently, she gets sea sickness."
The Uchiha stared at him, appalled. "She's a goddamn teacher! She can't do something like that! It's against the Shinobi Code. Her license will get suspended if she's caught…"
The other boy shrugged. "I'm not saying what she did was right. However, if her irresponsibility leads her to losing her job, then it is what should happen. How will she learn her lesson if she's saved all the time?"
Shino was an insightful person. He was another example of a person that was hard to pass judgment on. Sure, he did drugs. A lot more shinobi probably did as well. Hell, even Naruto used to smoke pot with his former friends in his rebellious days. Even with the habit, Shino held an air of intelligence and virtue.
This got Sasuke to wonder. "Why did you start with drugs in the first place? You seem like a guy who understands life and all of that deeper meaning stuff…"
He shrugged again. "It's not important as to why I started. My father taught me well. I never went to regular school until the ninja academy."
Another surprise. Sasuke stared, wide-eyed. "So you grew up like me. Then why did we turn out different?"
"Think carefully before you speak," Shino said. "I may have been home schooled like you, but we did not grow up similarly at all. I grew up with the ability to go to every part of Konoha. I visited the parks, read whatever books I wanted to, snuck into movie theatres…you lived a sheltered life within the Uchiha district, surrounded by your family. You were exposed only to Uchiha values, to a clean, crime-free world where you and Itachi were treated like special boys because your father headed the police force. We were nothing alike. We aren't alike now, either."
"…Would you say that's a bad thing?"
He shook his head. "If a person is too much like another, their friendship turns into a competition."
That raised a question up to Sasuke's lips. It took a moment to shove it out. "Do you have friends?"
He looked taken aback. "I have acquaintances. I'm not fickle with friends. A friend is someone I can trust my life with. I'm not a socialite. But there are people who are making a path to becoming my friend."
"Hinata and Kiba? It seemed like you and him were palling around before." Sasuke's stomach growled lightly. It looked like his breakfast had been too light.
"Kiba is an acquaintance, more than Hinata. He talks to me more. I can tell he's a troubled person, because his actions towards her are too rough to be normal. I don't know if there's a reason for it, but I don't care enough about him to pry." Shino watched the dark-eyed boy pull a white packet of something from his pocket.
Sasuke knew what was going through his mind. "It's not drugs. And that's kinda harsh, don't you think? That you don't care enough about him…what if he died?" He ripped open the packet of ketchup and stuck it in between his lips, sucking.
"I'd be sad, because I knew him and spent time with him. I wouldn't cry. You might think that's strange, but I honestly don't know my team well. They're like the people you had to be in a group with in the academy, for all those exercises. The official status of our team doesn't make us close." He watched Sasuke, interested.
"You have a point. It's just depressing, I think, especially since you've had so much time together," Sasuke said after sucking the packet dry and licking the inside of his mouth clean.
"Kurenai let us do what we wanted. I don't have a lot of energy, because of my constant using. Hinata is very weak and doesn't like fighting, and Kiba is too horny to want to do anything other than show Hinata off and fuck her." Shino took in a breath. "I would like to be a ninja…but I fear it's too late for me to be a good one."
There was no way he could give up so easily. Sasuke wouldn't allow it. "Don't say things like that. You've got time. Stop using drugs. I mean, I know it's not easy, but if you get it through your head you don't need it, then…"
"You misunderstand what it means to be addicted. It's not only psychological. It's physical as well. You can't change your body merely by thinking. That's what an illusion is called. You might be in paradise while your body rots away." Shino stepped away from the rails and started walking away. "You know, Sasuke," he began, "you might have a little addiction of your own."
Sasuke looked at the crumpled-up ketchup packet in his hand. "No way, that's on a much lower level than yours." He looked up at Shino, and gasped in surprise.
The boy was smiling at him. It was a small one, but it was genuine. He waved once. "I'm going to my cabin."
Sasuke was paralyzed from that sight. A moment passed before he could respond. "Y-Yeah…okay…"
Shino left the deck, leaving Sasuke there to think about what he had just seen. Perhaps it was because he had never witnessed it before, but Shino smiling seemed endearing. It was like that cold teacher who awarded their student with a piece of candy. It was rare, but comforting.
Alright, Sasuke. Stop being gay and go get some food. He laughed as he walked into the cabin.
XxXxXx
Temari had woken up late accidentally. Kankuro and Gaara had already gone. To do what, she didn't know. At least it left her with some free time. She got herself ready with a tradition Suna summer robe and strapped her fan to her back. She left her hair down; it was a little late to do anything with it anyway.
She left the hotel and walked around the streets just to look. It was actually quite nice not to have Kankuro nag about the sorry state of the village so she could make her own judgments.
Konoha really was a miserable place. The buildings were dilapidated, the streets were cluttered with people and carts selling low-quality items, there were skeletons of trees the color of ash lining the road. Still, the air was nice and the sun was high, so Konoha had a sort of glow to it, even if it was a crappy place.
It was the people Temari were most interested in. The adults always looked tired, the teenagers looked pissed off, and the little kids looked wild. To see how living in a hovel could affect the minds and goals of those around her…it was fascinating.
There was that boy. Shikamaru, his name was, and he was lounging in the hotel she was staying in. He wasn't homeless, but he chose to remain away from home. He wasn't bad-looking, but he chose to remain away from women. He wasn't stupid, but he chose to remain away from conversation.
He was just another boy in the town that intrigued her, more so than others because she had witnessed him with his friends. She wondered when his problems would fix themselves, or if they would at all.
There was a grocery store nearby. It was a nice time to take a look at what Konoha offered. After all, if Sunagakure was going to be taking the town over, they'd have to have provisions available.
The store was small, but it held quite a variety of things. She was surprised that the store was in good condition; then again, the owners probably were some of the richest people in the town. She walked through the aisles, looking for meats that Gaara would approve of. She passed by the vegetable aisle, and noticed that the container where they throw hundreds of ketchup packets was nearly empty.
A boy was looking at the dismally low container forlornly. "Looks like Sasuke got to it before me," he said.
Temari recognized him as the fat boy that had confronted Shikamaru. She smiled at him when he turned to move down the aisle. He looked at her shyly, like a deer caught in the headlights. He didn't know what to do. As most people did, he opted out of talking to her and walked past her.
"Hey, you're kinda rude," she said.
"Speak to the people. See what they have to say about the condition of Konoha." Their father paced up and down the room, looking at them. "See what they have to say about Sunagakure."
Kankuro was sitting on a stool that used to hold a vase, smirking. "Come on, I bet those worms don't even know where the hell Suna is."
"Their growing friendship with Otogakure is worrying me. Learn anything you can about their thoughts on Oto. As we all know, it was Otogakure that captured Suna's glory for its own. The Otokage will be quite surprised to find that its new friend is under our command." He laughed, and waved his hand. "My children, go. Become sleeper agents for the Kazekage. When the time comes, Gaara will prove to be useful."
Temari looked at her little brother, staring at the floor with a bestial gleam in his grass-colored eyes. "You shouldn't say that he's useless, Father."
"Well, what does he do? Ever since he was infused with Shukaku, he is no more than a dog. You can't deny that."
Kankuro frowned. "Well yeah, and it's been a bitch taking care of him, but it's still kinda mean to say that, Dad."
The man glared at them. "Don't challenge my thoughts. Go to Konoha. We will send messengers periodically so you can give your reports."
His face flushed. She felt sort of bad for putting him in such an awkward position. "S-Sorry…um…"
"No, it's fine," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "Hey, I'm not from these parts, if you couldn't tell. I was just wondering what you think about Konoha."
Chouji looked at her strangely, as if he was wondering why a strange lady was asking him questions. "Sure, uh…" he didn't really know what to say. If she was wearing a headband, that meant she might be there on official business, and Chouji wanted to be helpful. "Konoha's a pretty bad place to live if you don't have a lot of money. Once you're here, it's usually for life. We don't have a lot of big-time brand names around here, so the most successful people are people who own their own stores. Lord Sarutobi does what he can, but we don't have a lot of funds to work with. Luckily, Tsunade-san has been helping him and she seems to be doing a good job with renovations and money distribution."
"Tsunade-san? Do you mean the traveling healer Tsunade, of the three Sannin?" Temari asked, interested.
"Oh, you know of the Sannin? Good, then you know of her fame. It's also nice that she's friends with the Otokage, because he's trying to help Konoha as much as he can. He's a really good man," Chouji beamed. "And a product of our village too! Isn't that weird?"
When he got the confidence to do it, the fatso sure liked talking. Temari nodded. "Mm, very weird. So Konoha-Oto relations are good?"
"Well, there are those Oto ninja who think we're trash, and I guess a lot of us are," he admitted sadly. "It seems Konoha-nin don't really know how to be good ninja, or even good people. My friend for example…"
He was mentioning Shikamaru? How amusing, that she came to the conclusion that she'd leave him alone and suddenly his presence was dropped into a conversation.
"I do believe I saw him. He's lounging at the inn I'm staying at; brown hair and skinny?"
Chouji looked at her with a grimace. "Yeah, that's him. I know he's probably been real rude to you, but…I don't know. Part of me really hates what he is now…he used to know how to smile."
Temari's blood turned to ice. Though it seemed unlikely, she saw herself reflected in this boy's eyes. What this boy was saying about Shikamaru was so similar to things she had once said. She realized where her interest in Shikamaru came from.
"R-Really?"
Chouji nodded. "Yeah."
Chouji watched jealously as the boys and girls all played tag around him. He was sitting by the swing set, wishing that someone had included him in the game. A few others were watching, laughing and yelling at their friends, but they were only waiting to be included because they knew they would be. Chouji was never included.
What else was he supposed to do during recess? He wasn't allowed to stay in the classroom, and the last time he brought his book outside to read, Kiba Inuzuka stole it and threw it in the garbage.
From then on, he just decided to sit and watch everyone have fun. Usually he would lapse into thought about what he'd do when he got home, or try to memorize something that would be on a test later.
He closed his eyes and tilted his head towards the sky. Mom would probably be making a really nice dinner for him. A plump roast chicken with herbs and fresh lemon squeezed over it, and to the side a mound of brown rice and mashed potatoes with cinnamon apples. Yeah, that sounded like a good dinner.
He was rudely interrupted from his daydream when something slammed into him. Eyes shooting open in pain, he saw a bully standing over him, hand outstretched. "You're it, fatass."
"What? But I'm not playing," Chouji told him.
"Get up, meatbag! Stop ruining the game!"
Everyone giggled when he slowly got up, a little dizzy after being thrust from his daydream. He started running after the bully, only to find out that he—and everyone else—was a lot faster than him.
Chouji was never good with sports. He would have no energy after the warm-up jog and would be and the receiving end of many jokes for it. After all, what good was a future ninja if he couldn't even run for more than five minutes?
Now he realized he would have rather stayed away from participating in these games. Every time he trudged after a girl she'd scream and easily outrun him, calling him a loser for going after a girl and being too slow to catch up to her. Either way, he was a fatass moron.
He stopped in the middle of chasing a smaller boy. Tears were threatening to spill over his eyelids, but he couldn't cry in front of all his classmates. It would just make him much more of a whining pork-face.
"Hey, come on! Recess ends in ten minutes, we're tired of waiting for you!" someone yelled.
"Man, you guys are a real drag," said Shikamaru Nara. He had not been in the tag game. Instead, he was sitting on the top of the playground set and doing sudoku puzzles.
If there was one guy Chouji had always wanted to be, it was that guy. Shikamaru was lazy, yes, and he always failed tests because he didn't feel like picking up a pencil for something so boring, but he was always doing puzzles and speeding through difficult questions the teacher would ask him. Rumors had floated in the teacher's lounge that he should have finished regular school by now and entered the academy, but his laziness held him down. Chouji wished he could be lazy like Shikamaru and still be so skinny, because the guy was a twig. He was tall, brown-haired, and cool, even if he didn't care about being cool. Plus, he had an earring! No one his age had an earring.
"The hell asked you, Nara," Kiba sneered, sitting down on the jungle gym. "Chow-ji is just taking such a long time I'm getting gray hairs."
"You can't possibly be getting gray hairs at your age," Shikamaru muttered, sounding bored as he always did. "Leave the kid alone, your taunting is keeping me from finishing this puzzle."
Everyone shrugged and started playing around Chouji, who plodded away, looking dismal but grateful. He sat underneath Shikamaru. "Thanks," he whispered.
"Whatever. They're all drags. Morons, every one of them."
He usually waited until lunchtime to pull it out, but he fished through his coat and took out a bag of barbeque potato chips. He held the bag up to Shikamaru's level. "Want one?"
There was a pause, and a rustling of the bag. "Don't mind if I do."
"He was a really nice guy." Chouji hovered around the market, Temari following. He picked up a frozen dinner and then looked up at her. "Sorry I spilled that memory on you, but I like talking to people. I'll probably never see you again so you can just throw that in the back of your mind and continue on your way."
Casting his words of dismissal aside, Temari stayed rooted to her spot. This boy, this Shikamaru Nara, his little boy self was so interesting to her. There was everything that made up him: the arrogance, the kindness…and suddenly, it was gone. She couldn't let his story be finished now.
"Tell…tell me more. About your friend." She couldn't hide her desperation.
The boy smiled, for he secretly wanted to tell her more. She could be the bear at his bedside, taking all the curses and gossip he spilled. Yet, there was another side that he couldn't tell her. It wasn't his right to talk about the earth-shattering moment he had just recently learn himself. It should be entrusted to the one who ripped his happiness in half.
"If you want to know more, you'd have to ask my friend Ino. She works at the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Tell her Chouji told you were to go, and she should be okay."
Temari crossed her arms. "Well, I'll check it out then. T-Thanks." She waved and left the shop, stomach tied up in knots. All this time she'd thought there was no one in the world like Gaara. There was no other savage, unfeeling beast. Perhaps she had found one. Perhaps Shikamaru was just like Gaara. And if he was, she could use him to cure Gaara.
Konoha isn't a total trash heap after all.
XxXxXx
The boat was far out to sea now. There weren't any landmasses to be seen anywhere, and the fog rising up from the indigo water obscured the blue scenery, making the whole scene a little ominous. The sliver of a moon gave no adequate light for the people on the ship's deck, so they had to make do with the lanterns set al around the perimeter.
Sasuke was sitting at the food bar, eating a cheese and tomato sandwich. He wasn't tired at all, but he had brought nothing to do. He hadn't raveled in such a long time, he forgot to bring the necessary amusement. Looked like he'd have to go up to the deck and train while feeling the sea breeze against his skin. How was he supposed to practice Chidori surrounded by people?
He chewed thoughtfully, thinking about Kiri. It was a nice, bright place, a contrast of the dry and ugly Konoha. People were friendly and stores were big. There were rivers everywhere. Sasuke didn't like swimming, much, so he had never fancied living there. Not to mention, it was pretty crowded because of its nice weather. What was wrong with winter? It gave him stuff to do, like shovel snow. He loved shoveling snow, because it not only was exercise but it was an amusing pastime, especially with Sakura around. He would 'accidentally' dump snow on her leg and cause her to fall over into the white ground and then a snowball fight would ensue…afterwards they'd have hot chocolate.
Of course, that was all a dream because they weren't very close in the winter. Sure, she was living with him, but that was all. He had been too busy training her to build a relationship.
In a cabin down the hall from the food bar, Shino was sitting on his bed with the silver case. He popped it open, and it contained two thin needles and vials of a greenish liquid. He took out a needle and a vial, squirting the cleaning fluid out of the needle and sticking it through the soft top of the vial. His hands were shaking, but he forced them to calm down. Shino had managed to last until night, when he suddenly started to experience the symptoms. Sweating a little, he rocked back and forth as he placed the needle against his skin.
Zuro had happily provided the concoction of his own making as a customer reward for Shino. It was a reward for over a year of loyal purchases, he had said. Zuro said the needles were a little long, so they shouldn't be filled completely. When Shino questioned what was in the vials, Zuro didn't give him a straight answer, but he allowed Shino to try it out right there and it made him feel wonderful. He hoped that Zuro would provide him with more later.
The needle slid into his skin easily, and he began to press the plunger down, injecting the fluid into his flesh. He moaned just a little as the warm liquid rushed into him, the feeling was always intoxicating.
Just then, when he was savoring the moment of peace, something hit the boat extremely hard.
The entire front of the boat flew up into the air while the back nearly slipped under the sea. Screams filled the space above Shino as the cabins seemed higher then they should have been.
He fell backwards and hit the wall. He started to shake again, from the impact he thought, until he looked down at the needle. It was still stuck in his arm, and the plunger was completely down. The entire liquid had been pushed into his body. He pulled the needle out when it dawned on him what was happening. His vision started to blur and his body started burning, as if his blood had been turned to fire. He fell over, trying to regain his composure. His heart had sunk. I-I'm dying and I can't do anything about it…oh god, someone, help me, PLEASE!
Shino couldn't make a sound. Tears ran down his face as his glasses cracked under the pressure of his face, and he collapsed.
Kiba was thrown off of Hinata. His claws sunk into the sheets instinctively and he fell off the bed, taking the sheet with him. Hinata covered up her naked body, looking distressed. "W-What happened?" she murmured.
"I have no fucking clue," Kiba snarled, throwing the sheets back on her and getting on a pair of boxers to go see what was wrong.
Sasuke fell off his stool, his head getting smashed by another one. Cursing wildly he scrambled up, using the wall for support while his head spun. He ran up to the deck and was thrown aside by a person heading in his direction.
Once again, his head spun, so he sat there for a moment, recollecting his mind. He looked up at the deck to see fumes pouring from the side of the ship. Two people were standing in the midst of the fumes. They were wearing tight black clothing and various sharp weapons were attached to them; both looked amused and professional.
It dawned on him who they were. He immediately pulled out a shuriken and ducked behind a crate, looking at their cheeks. Two tattoos from prison, and virulent looks.
Shit.
"Alright, stop running around like rabid dogs!" one of them yelled, stomping the ground and sending a powerful shockwave across the ship. The mother on board hugged her baby daughter tightly as she crumpled to the ground, shielding her baby.
"Where is Michiru Kobashi? Don't tell me you've never heard of him because we all know he's here. We spent hours in the fog waiting for that bastard and trust me, no one's going to arrive alive and well if we don't find our target." The assassin played with his scraggly beard while he spoke. He crazed dark eyes burned a hole through the sobbing woman. "Hmm, do you know? Do ya?!"
He aimed a kick at her; the baby started screaming.
Sasuke flicked the shuriken; it embedded itself in the guy's leg. He yelled and pulled it out, spraying blood on the woman.
"Run, run NOW!" Sasuke screamed, jumping from his hiding place while making sure every weapon he had was in reach.
The woman nodded and made her way to another part of the ship as Sasuke stood where she had been, twirling another shuriken around his finger and looking virulent.
"Good job, kid," the second assassin murmured, chewing tobacco. "Now we know he's onboard, if a stinking ninja is here." His eyes flashed to his headband, and he nearly choked on his tobacco laughing. "Konoha? Of all the people that idiot could hire, he chose a bunch of kids from Konoha?!"
Sasuke frowned, hoping to heaven that the other three would be helpful. The arena was too small for any mistakes. He had to stall the two on the top, and come to think of it, why were there two assassins when they just had to kill one man?
He heard a piercing scream from the cabins. Expletives filled his head. Fuck, fuck, fuck there's more than two, shit...please help me, you guys.
Hinata held the blanket close to her, staring at the black-clad man ogling her with one eye, and the headband on the floor with the other. Kiba was snarling, wearing only boxers so his muscles could be seen bulging from his anger.
"Who the fuck are you!" Kiba circled the bed. Though he was on his feet, he wasn't unlike a wolf protecting his territory.
The assassin noticed his feral persona and chuckled. "What, planning on biting me little doggie? Who the hell moves like that?"
The difference in Kiba was noticeable. His snarling wasn't that of an angry boy; it was of a vicious beast unwilling to have anyone encroach on his space. Hinata shook partly because of him. She reached for her clothes, heart beating loudly. She tried to hush it in her mind out of fear that Kiba would hear it and grow nastier.
"Since I interrupted you," the assassin didn't seem to care that they were ninja. He was holding no weapon and wore an amused expression. "I'll give this moment to you. Get dressed and tell me where Michiru is."
The three stared at one another for what seemed like hours before his harsh tone made Hinata jump. "In front of me, bitch, get fucking dressed!"
Kiba lost all composure. His blood boiled with the man's comments. They popped all along his skin and made him uncontrollable. Claws dug into the man's face and started ripping his flesh off. It didn't matter that his victim and his girlfriend were screaming in unison; just the feel of his enemy being crushed under the weight of his viciousness satisfied him.
The man tore away from him, his face a bloody mess. He produced a sword from his back and stabbed it straight into Kiba, but the steel was only a painful annoyance to the beast-boy. An inhuman laugh rang through the cabin as he jumped against the walls, avoiding the bed where Hinata lay trembling. The assassin couldn't keep up with his movements. The style of his fighting was nothing he had come against. There was no calculation; no evidence of thought. It was pure, animalistic rage. How could he figure out the strategy of an unthinking monster?
Hinata nearly succumbed to the thick stench of blood coating the wall. She threw the blanket over her, unwilling to see Kiba commit another atrocity to his attacker. A sliver of her was grateful to be protected, but the rest wanted to jump off the boat and swim far away.
Kiba knew now why his mother hurt him so easily. When one was consumed by instinct, one couldn't be reasoned with. He didn't care that Hinata was afraid. He relished the thought. Everyone would fear him, and if they thought otherwise then it was their funeral.
Someone pulled him off of the man and threw him against the wall. Slowly, the room faded back to its original color from red. He remembered what he was doing and where he was, and sat down on the edge of the bed to catch his breath. When he put his hands up to his face to regain himself, blood smeared against his cheeks and nose.
Sasuke tried to avoid the pool of blood that was once the assassin. His mind whirled. Kiba surprised him with the ferocity. For that brief amount of time, he was stronger than a fully-trained assassin. He could challenge a Jounin. But it was power that humans could outsmart with practice. It wasn't seasoned; it was power in its raw form.
"Well, we have one down."
Kiba looked up at him. "One down?"
"There are two above deck. I honestly don't know how many assassins are on the boat. I'm combing the cabins for them, and I need your help."
Kiba nodded, feeling strangely tired. Had his outburst cost him needed energy? He stood up and wiped the blanket Hinata was using on his face to try and get the blood off. It was making him dizzy. "Y-Yeah, sure." This wasn't like him. He was never so submissive.
Sasuke took that moment to illustrate his plan. "I'm gonna look through the cabins and make sure Michiru-sama is okay—"
"T-There is a trapdoor in Michiru-sama's room t-that leads to the power room," Hinata told them, pawing for her clothes.
The Uchiha nodded. "Good. Okay then. I'm going to go look for Shino." He turned and rushed out of the room, down towards the bar across from which Shino stayed.
The door was unlocked; carefully slipping into it he saw Shino on the floor. A sick sensation crawled through him—the assassins couldn't have gotten to him?! He bent down and grabbed him, turning him over.
Sasuke blanched. "Oh my god."
Shino was shivering, beads of sweat dripping down his face as an unidentifiable white liquid frothed from his mouth, little bubbles dribbling down his chin and popping. He was paler than snow, and just as cold.
Sasuke saw the needle in his arm. "Oh, no! No, shit! Shino, what did you do? Holy shit," he said, shaking as he pulled out the needle. There wasn't a reply.
Shino's sunglasses were askew on his face; Sasuke removed them and fell back. His eyes were bloodshot almost to pure red; his eyelids were puffy and barely open. Now Sasuke knew why he always concealed his eyes.
Sasuke grabbed him again, not really sure what to do. He didn't know if it was possible to give him air, with all of that liquid. Dammit! If he has just brought this addiction to someone's attention he wouldn't be overdosing on him right now! And of all the times, why did it have to be on a boat under attack?!
As if the world was against him, the door was blown off its hinges. Two assassins walked in, holding kunai and poison bombs. Their attention immediately went to the boys on the floor.
Fuck!
Sasuke jumped away from them, still holding Shino who fell onto him. With remorse he pushed him off and pulled out a kunai to match them.
"Oh, look, a ninja from Konoha," one laughed, starting to tear holes in the wall looking for any possibly hideaway.
"Let's treat him like everyone else does; ignore him." The other threw the bed out into the hallway and stomped at the ground, blue hair falling in front of his eyes.
Sasuke was burning, but he didn't provoke them. What he needed was to keep Shino from dying. He crawled to him and started to gather him in his arms. Shino suddenly screamed through his mucus and sat up, shaking horribly and lurching himself at the blue-haired ninja, completely oblivious to the situation.
The ninja growled and aimed his kunai at him, slashing him across the cheek. Shino spun and hit the wall, convulsing. He glowed for a second.
An ash-colored bug crawled out of his wound and took flight. It buzzed pathetically towards the ninja and fell moments after flight.
"What the fuck?" the ninja said in disgust. His comrade and Sasuke also stared.
Bugs started to crawl from Shino's skin. It was a shriveled bunch, like flying raisins. They covered Shino's face with a black cloud, greedily slurping up the mucus smeared on his skin. Unexpectedly, they flew at the blue-haired ninja's face as well, most dying on the trip. Dead bugs littered the floor. Those that survived landed on the enemy's face. What they were doing, Sasuke didn't know until the ninja screamed and began punching himself in the face, squishing bugs into his fists and cheeks. At first, the Uchiha thought the bugs were liquidating as they hit the floor, until closer inspection revealed the liquid falling from his face was blood.
When the ninja took his hands away from his face, Sasuke yelled in horror.
The skin on the man's face had been eaten off; in their desperation the bugs went for sustenance. Now fat and satiated, they too died, decorating the white of his skull with goo as he hit the ground. His partner screamed and aimed a kunai straight for Shino; Sasuke recovered from his shock and grabbed him, ducking out of the room and running to find Hinata and Kiba.
They had moved to another room with the other passengers; they gasped when Sasuke kicked open the door and lay Shino down. He was still. Hinata shrieked. "He's dead!"
"He's not dead, he overdosed," Sasuke clarified. "I need someone who's a doctor!"
"He overdosed? He's on drugs? What the fuck man!" Kiba snarled, looking ready to snap the unconscious boy's neck.
"Is anyone here a doctor?!" Sasuke repeated impatiently. "I don't have time for shyness! I need to go kill those assassins, now for the last time is somebody a doctor!"
A woman shakily raised her hand, still holding her child. "I am a nursing assistant at a hospital in Suna, but I'm no medic-nin."
"Good enough. He's overdosing, can you help him?"
She nodded. "I'll try, honestly." She put her child down. "Go with daddy. Don't worry, the big ninjas are going to help us," she assured as the child remained still, sniffling.
Hinata watched the boy smile at her when he saw her headband. Her heart sank. They were like police. People saw them and automatically assumed they would be safe. If there was any trouble, the ninja would come and help them. That's what they were there for, to help. If they didn't help, they weren't living up to their responsibility.
Hinata didn't want that. She became a ninja because of her clan's wish. Every member of the main family had to; otherwise they were spoiling the family name. Neji chose to become a ninja in order to prove his worth as a branch member. Funny, how she would gladly live in servitude when she had the gift of main blood.
"I'm going out there," Sasuke said once he was sure Shino was in good hands. "They're going to sink us if they don't find Michiru-san."
"Let me help. Teach them to fuck with us." Kiba had no weapons with him, but his claws were already growing razor-sharp.
Hinata remained silent. When they both looked at her, a cold sweat appeared on her forehead. "I-I'm scared…"
Her boyfriend frowned. "What do you mean you're scared? The fuck do you think we wear this headband for, fashion? Let's go!"
"I-I can't do it," she whimpered. "Please go without me, I'll stay w-with Shino. I don't want to."
"Do I have to ask you again?!" Kiba roared, hands curling into fists.
"Stop it!" Sasuke cut in between them, not wanting him to go berserk around the civilians. "We don't have time to argue, let's go!"
He stepped out the doorway and looked at Kiba expectantly. He snarled at Hinata before leaving with the Uchiha. He was shaking a little, whether out of fear or out of excitement Sasuke couldn't tell. His own hands remained on his pouch, ready to attack.
They stepped onto the deck. It was unnecessarily foggy. Chunks of wood lay strewn all over the place, some dangerously sharp and concealed. The boat floated its course with the waves splashing against its sides. Sasuke and Kiba stayed close, looking around.
Kiba's ears twitched. He sniffed the air while he examined the exterior. Sasuke hadn't noticed it before, but he was making no noise as he moved.
Kiba pointed at the captain's office and flexed his claws. Sasuke nodded and took out a kunai. It felt like it took two years to get out.
Kiba jumped onto the wood siding and crawled up to the office door. He gathered chakra into his hands, remembering his sister's favorite moves. Two assassins stood with the frightened captain. He was badly beaten and had vomited more twice out of fear.
Chakra sprung around his feet. He readied himself. "Four Legs Technique," he whispered and sprung at the glass. It shattered underneath his weight and speed, surprising the assassins who shielded themselves reflexively. Kiba jumped on one of them, executing a flurry of slashes and bites to the face, grabbing his shirt collar by the jaw and flinging him from the office.
"Sasuke, back me up!" he called, as the other assassin growled and punched him. Kiba slid across the floor but pivoted with his legs and sprang again.
"Acid Floor Jutsu," the assassin snarled. The floor underneath turned a brilliant purple and started oozing. Kiba's foot hit the wood; it started to burn. He yelped and grabbed onto the assassin, who flipped him straight onto the wood. A searing pain crawled up his back. "SASUKE!" he screamed, feeling his clothes burn away underneath him. He jumped backwards onto the broken frames, a piece of glass sticking right into his foot. The assassin laughed as more pain hit him and he fell backwards, hitting the floor and losing his sight.
Sasuke was in no position to help Kiba. The assassin whose partner had been eaten by Shino's bugs was back and had nailed him straight into the wall with a literal giant nail through the shoulder. The assassin Kiba mauled was punching him with bronze knuckles. Sasuke's heart beat loudly in his ears and drowned out his screams of pain when each punch connected. He grabbed the nail and pulled it from the wall, stumbling forward and head butting the knuckled assassin straight in the chin.
He ran to Kiba, pulling the nail out along the way and throwing it like a kunai at his two abusers. "Kiba," he panted, "we need to take them out one at a time."
The dog-boy yelped as he pulled the glass from his foot. He nodded. "First rule of the hunt: take out the slowest." He eyed the one with the bronze knuckles, who was still stumbling around the boat. With a grin, he rushed at the man and jumped into the air, claws grown and deadly.
The assassin barely had time to look before the nails dug into his face, ripping skin and blinding him as his eyes were coated in blood. He swung his hand wildly and connected with Kiba's side; the latter yelped and hit the ground, ducking to avoid another blow.
Sasuke avoided a nail straight through the skull, and with precision performed the hand movements necessary for attack. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" he bellowed as a massive orb of flames spun around in his hands, exerting sweat-provoking heat. He aimed and threw it at the knuckled assassin, who shielded himself with a barrier jutsu. The flames pure heat alone burned through the barrier, causing his knuckles to melt.
"What? N-NO!" the assassin screamed, as the knuckles turned into a gooey mess that molded his fingers together, burning them.
Kiba threw himself onto the assassin and started clawing him with no mercy, as Sasuke turned and aimed more fireballs at the other two who were keeping caution. He felt his chakra drop significantly and he stopped; for that moment, they rushed at the weakened shinobi, going on each side of him.
"Twin Impalement!" they yelled, as two sharp swords protruded from their hands, the two ends seemingly attracted to each other—and Sasuke's heart.
Sasuke held out a shuriken to one side, deflecting a blade so it aimed to the ground. It wasn't convinced, and immediately snapped up to connect with the other sword that he felt pierce his arm. He screamed and jumped; the swords followed. It was then he realized what they were. A seeking jutsu. They're looking to connect, and kill me at the same time!
He took off running, first jumping onto the rail of the boat. The swords followed, not giving up even when they were temporarily diverted by some jutsu. He took a deep breath and jumped to avoid one, twisting and turning around the rails to try and get one stuck. He did manage successfully, but its sheer will broke through the rail and nearly sent him overboard.
Kiba appeared by one of the assassins. He was blood-covered and virulent, ready to slit a throat or two. They both noticed and turned their attention on him, ganging up on each side and attacking without pause.
The swords continued following. Sasuke felt a cut open on his shoulder; suddenly his arm was warm with blood. He jumped again, running to where Kiba was in hope that the swords would go through one of the attackers.
Kiba was grappling with one while another prepared an attack from behind. With a desperate yowl, he tried to pick up the assassin and throw him; it ended up completely opposite. Kiba flew backwards into the other's kunai. He coughed heavily and shook violently from the pain. Sasuke jumped over him to avoid crashing. As soon as he did so, he wanted to move back. But he couldn't.
Oh, no.
The sword caught Kiba straight in the face. Kiba screamed and flew towards Sasuke, becoming disconnected from the blade for just a moment, before the sword completely ran through him, wriggling out the other side to continue its pursuit as if Kiba was just another obstacle.
"NO!" Sasuke yelled, but couldn't remain in one spot. With frustration he jumped on the rail and over the side of the boat. The air was cool, he could have been flying. The water wasn't as far away as it looked, and soon he connected with the salty depths. His bone cracked from the force of contact, and he sunk.
The swords hit the surface and exploded, finally finding something they could not overcome. Sasuke kept sinking, trying to recollect his thoughts. Kiba was hurt, was he dead? Were they both going to die? What about Shino and Hinata? What about all of the people on the boat?
I'm not giving up. I'm just taking a breather.
A breather underwater. Now that was amusing. Sasuke sunk as began to lose sight of the boat's underbelly. It was so quiet. Just the sound of the water and rippling coral reef. He could lay here for hours and just be lost in serenity.
However, he felt the need to breathe and that was near impossible where he was hanging out. He put his hands together, stopping in mid-sink. There was something he needed to do. Both of the enemies were tricky, and they couldn't be separated or defeated if they were so skilled at seeking jutsu. Collecting chakra at the bottom of his feet, he kicked up and propelled out of the water, hitting air in seconds. He ran up the side of the boat, hands wrapping around the rail. He flung himself forward and flipped in the air, attaching himself to the roof of the semi-destroyed cabin.
A trail of blood started from where Kiba had been last; he was now panting behind a piece of debris as the assassins cheerfully spoke of the ways he was going to die, readying their weapons.
Sasuke put his hands together and performed the difficult hand movements as he went over their order in his head. His eyes were squeezed shut—not the smartest idea in the midst of battle, but that was the only way he had been able to move onto the next step. When he opened them again, Kiba had moved back into the line of fire and was attacking them feebly. It was a distraction.
Sasuke thanked Kiba quietly and knew that in a few moments, everyone's eyes would be on him. He felt the chakra welling up in his chest and, as slow as molasses, move up into his hand. The process was painful enough for him to repeat a dictionary of swears in his head, but finally he felt the power that was so wonderful it could be addicting.
The chakra appeared around his hand. The air around him was heavy from him sucking up all of the energy; it crackled and started growing louder. It was then that the assassins noticed him. They pointed; one threw Kiba away and started towards him. Defenseless, motionless, him.
It was at this point that he always failed. The chakra burst in seconds, damaging the surroundings but never having the full effect. Sasuke prepared for the surge, hoping that the enemy reached in time to be struck by it. To his amazement, his feet felt so light, as if something had cut the binds keeping him rooted in place.
He stepped forward. The energy shook but didn't waiver. Sasuke gazed at his hand in sheer amazement. His heart began to beat quickly, and he smirked as he stepped forward a few more times before running at the assassins.
They both stopped dead, gazing at the chakra in horror. What sort of sound was coming from it? It was as is a thousand birds had descended upon the boat and were ready to feed. And the boy was moving now. He was moving with that indescribable power.
Sasuke grew closer to them; this was it, everything he had been working for was coming to life in front of him. He actually laughed right before he exerted the final command.
"CHIDORI!"
He punched both assassins, and there was an explosion of white and blue. They screamed as what felt like a mountain had hit them going two hundred miles an hour. One assassin's body collapsed into itself; the other's heart exploded. The chakra reflected electrically in their glassy eyes before they fell, falling on each other in a pathetic slump.
In that same moment, all light disappeared. There was a complete absence of chakra in Sasuke's body, and it felt like his arm had ripped off along with the explosion. He clutched it, gritting his teeth as he slumped to the ground, trying to catch his breath.
He heard footsteps crunching on the debris, and managed to gain enough energy to look up. Kiba was standing there, fur coat blood-soaked, with a look of pure idolization across his cut face. In Kiba's eyes, Sasuke could see him remembering that attack again and again.
"H-Holy shit, man," Kiba breathed, hand against his wound. "You were awesome."
Sasuke smiled, feeling very happy despite his pain. "I blow up two guys and half the boat and all you can say is awesome?"
Kiba chuckled weakly. "Egoist as always."
Kirigakure was now visible, and the deep night was fading into a gentle morning. A cluster of townspeople were waiting at the docks, along with an important-looking group of Kiri stealth shinobi.
They all yelled and gave cries of fear when they saw the condition of the boat; the captain had taken control again and stopped it safely, before passing out. The team rushed onto the boat, all manner of weapons drawn, and surrounded Sasuke and Kiba.
The people who were hiding in the cabins ascended the stairs carefully, the Suna family staying close while the others cautiously approached the broken deck. Michiru Kobashi appeared last, looking dismal but relieved.
"Put your weapons down," he ordered. "And please escort these brave shinobi to a hospital, I will pay."
"What on earth happened here, Michiru-sama?" one asked, not taking their eyes off Sasuke.
"More than enough to tell now. These boys saved my life; I want them to have a little more respect than bleeding to death on a boat." His tone was harsh but paternalistic.
Two shinobi, wearing a special pin with the medic-nin insignia on it, nodded and conjured up stretchers for everyone. Sasuke got into one without help; he noticed Hinata helping one get an unconscious Shino safely onto one. He smiled, glad that Shino had pulled through.
Kiba coughed as they started carrying him off the boat. "Aww jeez, I think I broke a rib," he complained.
Sasuke laughed, right next to him. "You could have broken you heart, Kiba. I think you should consider yourself lucky."
He stared up at the misty sky, taking in the salty air and feeling glad that the boat ride was over. He decided not to think about what would have happened if the Chidori had failed. Instead, he was glad it hadn't and took the time to enjoy the fresh air and the calm, early morning surroundings. There was something he wasn't looking forward to when he went home, though.
Kakashi-sensei's gonna kill me.
XxXxXx
Oh em gee, it's me! I finally updated after who knows how long. I'm sorry I kept you guys waiting. Senior year is not easy, being that I've got two AP classes that take up a lot of time. Not to mention it's marching band season. In fact I've got to be at a practice in a half-hour! And then I need to write an essay for AP Literature. I should have been doing that now, but yeah, I decided on the more fun option!
I'm glad with the way this chapter ended. It was one of those action-heavy chapters where there's heartrending scenes of near-death and people coming back to save the day. It's all good fun.
See you next chapter! (I can't promise it'll be soon though.)