Role Reversal
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 14
Hinata decides it was probably in her best interest to walk between her overprotective lover and the Prodigy in the Art of Murder. It looked like the Uchiha might have a go at Suigetsu's title, if she didn't. As she needed Suigetsu alive to kill Neji, the Hyuga Heiress wasn't going to let that happen.
"It's pretty bad when your girlfriend has to keep you from going homicidal. You know that's my job, right? You're just the Goodie Two Shoes who followed her to the Sound Village and wanted to play the hero." Suigetsu says tauntingly as he casually wraps his arms behind his head.
Sasuke twitches and Hinata sighs. Oh boy. Well at least after a few hours of traveling, they had made it to the prison. The Hyuga woman had never been so relieved to see a prison before, but she most certainly was now.
"Will you two please stop fighting?" She half growls and half begs.
"I will, if he does!" Both men say in unison.
This was going to be one very long journey, Hinata thinks to herself. She wasn't sure how, but she was going to have to keep them from killing each other somehow. Fortunately, the bluenette knew what kept her lover happy. Suigetsu was another story though. Other than swords, she had nothing.
"You two should deal with Jugo. I'll talk to Karin." Hinata says.
It would be good for them to work together. If they had to face a potential threat, maybe they would stop bickering. Well at least that was her hope.
Hinata didn't give them any time to protest. The Hyuga Heiress quickly bounds off, leaving two very annoyed ninjas in her wake. Two annoyed ninjas that were now forced to work together.
"Is she always that bossy?" Suigetsu asks.
"Depends if you mean before she went to your psychotic village or afterwards. She's right though. It's better that we deal with Jugo than her. That man isn't always in control of himself. He's too dangerous." Sasuke says as he drags a failing Suigetsu off.
Hinata was more bossy now as Suigetsu called it. That didn't really matter to Sasuke most of the time though. Most of the time, it was kinda hot in a strange way. Though he really wished that she hadn't saddled him with this idiot.
She so owed him for this. He couldn't believe that he had to deal with Sugietsu. Hopefully, Jugo would be less annoying.
"You're Jugo, I take it?" Sasuke says a few minutes later when they arrive at one of the cells as the two men quickly dispel their disguises.
Jugo turned out to be a giant. Sasuke didn't consider himself a small person, but Jugo was probably a foot taller. Hell, maybe two wouldn't have been exaggerating. What the Hell did they feed people at this prison anyway?
"Yes, I'm Jugo. Who are you two?" He asks.
Sasuke sighs. This was going to be annoying. Though he couldn't blame the man for asking the logical question.
"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. This is Suigetsu. We're the ones who are going to be breaking you out of this place. We need your help to kill Neji Hyuga. He's a Clan Slayer. In exchange for your assistance, we're more than willing to let you do whatever you want. After he's dead." The raven haired ninja explains as concisely as possible.
"Hey! How come you ask him all nicely and you were such a jerk to me?!"
The violet eyed man demands.
"Because you were being an idiot and threatening to shoot the woman that I love!" Sasuke retorts as he rolls his eyes in exasperation.
He wasn't sure if Suigetsu was really that stupid or if he was just suffering from short-term memory loss. Anything was possible. God only knows, what Orochimaru had done to the other man. It might not be the other man's fault that he was so annoying.
"Oh that was just for show. I wasn't actually going to blow the princess's brains out. I mean that would be a waste of a really nice ra-" Suigetsu begins to answer Sasuke, but he never got to finish his sentence.
Sasuke slams his fist into the other man's stomach and sends him flying against the wall. He smirks at the indent that forms from the action. That should get the message across.
"Good because if you had been serious, I would have killed you. Keep your eyes and especially your hands to yourself. She's taken and you should have more respect for women." Sasuke growls at him.
"OWE! You're such a jerk! I was COMPLIMENTEING her!" The sword lover protests.
"Well yes. You were complimenting her, but it was in a lecherous way. That and it seems like Sasuke is in love with her. So you had to know that was going to provoke him." Jugo reasons innocently.
Oh thank God. At least the giant wasn't as stupid as Waterboy. That was something, at least.
"Hey! Whose side are you on?!" Suigetsu demands.
"Hinata's. Kimimaro was going to be Lord Orochimaru's next Vessel, but he died. Hinata was going to take his place. So she is the living embodiment of his will and thus I will be her Shield." Jugo says.
Sasuke feels himself twitch. Alright. So much for Jugo not being annoying. Though it sounded like he meant it in a platonic way. It had BETTER be in a platonic way!
"She has me for that, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to have a backup." Sasuke says with a sigh.
It was probably a good thing that Jugo was so protective of her. His logic made absolutely no sense to Sasuke, but that was often the case when you were dealing with Sound Ninjas. Orochimaru had a habit of brainwashing them and twisting them until they were either insane or completely mindless followers.
"Very well. I can't go with you though. I have no control over my rages." He warns him.
"And that's why you're here. I think that you could bust out of this place. You're just worried about hurting people. That's actually a good sign. At least you're a better person than Waterboy." Sasuke mutters in disgust.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Suigetsu demands.
Sasuke was pretty sure that Suigetsu knew exactly what he meant. That sword lover had been a pain in the ass ever since he got him out of the tank. It was no wonder why Orochimaru had locked him up, really.
"I think he's just angry with you because you were threatening and looking at Hinata." Jugo supplies helpfully.
"Exactly! That and he's an idiot. Anyway, Jugo, you're coming with us." Sasuke says as he uses his sword to cut open the bars.
"That's really not a very good idea. I can't control my rages. I'm too dangerous!" Jugo says.
Sasuke sighs. He could see that Jugo was going to be difficult about this. Well at least he was being difficult for all the right reasons. He could only hope that Hinata was having better luck with Karin than he was with these two.
Meanwhile the Retrieval Team was doing their best to track down Sasuke and Hinata. Unfortunately, they weren't having much luck. To say the least, Itachi was rather frustrated.
"Can't we just leave him somewhere? He's useless. He doesn't know where they went." Naruto whines.
"It's tempting, but he still has valuable medical skills. Hinata and Sasuke are trying to track down Neji Hyuga. He's an extremely dangerous ninja. If they find him and face him in combat, it's more likely than not that they will sustain serious injuries." Itachi reasons.
Privately, he wanted to just leave Kabuto somewhere as well. Hell, he was tempted just to kill him and get it over with. Itachi was a pacifist, but the he had a pretty good idea about what sort of things that the medic had done while serving Orochimaru. None of them were good.
The world would truly be better off without him. Still he was a highly skilled medic and that was always a skill set that was in demand. For now, logic was winning out over emotion when it came to Kabuto's fate. In all honesty though, Itachi didn't know how long that would last.
"When it comes down to it, none of you are all that different from Orochimaru." Kabuto says conversationally.
Mikoto didn't take too kindly to that. She gags him and Itachi smirks in response. Well that was one way to shut him up.
"We'll take him for his medical abilities, but that doesn't meant that we have to listen to him prattle on." She grumbles.
Itachi couldn't agree with his mother more. Still they had to find Hinata and Sasuke. Unfortunately, they didn't really know where to look.
"What are we going to do? They'll be using disguises and it doesn't look they're heading in any particular direction." Naruto asks.
"We need to find out more about the Akatsuki. Neji is part of the Akatsuki. So it stands to reason that if we can capture or talk to an Akatsuki Member, they might know something about him. If we find Neji, then Hinata and Sasuke are sure to follow." Shisui reasons.
That was one of the things that he most admired about his cousin. The man never lost his composure in any situation. He was always able to think strategically.
Itachi had always tried to follow his example, but sometimes he just couldn't. For the most part, the younger Uchiha was successful. Not always though.
"Alright. It's a good plan. Does anyone know anything about the Akatsuki? Well besides the obvious. We know that they are a criminal organization with nine members and that they wear black cloaks with red clouds on them." The Uchiha Matriarch points out.
That was a good point. Finding out more about the Akatsuki would be extremely valuable. Neji was still a member.
"They're after the Tailed Beasts." Itachi answers automatically.
"Great! I'm a Tailed Beast! Well I have Kurama! So this should be easy. Sooner or later, one of the Akatsuki Members will come right at us. All we have to do is be really obvious about where I am. One of them will definitely come looking for me and that's when we grab him or her!" Naruto says brightly.
Itachi shakes his head in amusement. Naruto was a good man, but sometimes he was more optimistic than realistic. While that was a fine idea in theory, it was still a dangerous one.
The Akatsuki were not a group to be taken lightly. Capturing one or making one of them talk was easier said than done. Still they didn't really have any other choice.
"Very well. For the moment, I cannot think of a wiser course of action." He relents with a sigh.
"It's our best shot." Shisui says sympathetically.
He probably knew what Itachi was thinking. The Uchiha was not eager to put his brother's best friend in danger and that was exactly what he was doing. Using Naruto was bait was extremely dangerous and risky. Foolish even.
"It seems that Sasuke isn't the only foolish one in this family. Very well." Itachi agrees.
Elsewhere Neji continues on his trek with Kisame. They were still so far away from the Sand Village. He wanted to get this over with.
He was a ninja. Neji had long ago come to gripes with the fact that meant that he was going to have to kill. He had just never thought that it would be his own family or a Kage that would fall victim to his sword. (Well technically to Deidara's bombs most likely, but that was a distinction without a difference).
"Are you alright? You're seriously way too quiet. You know, what we need to do?" Kisame inquires merrily.
This prompts the Hyuga man to raise an eyebrow. God only knows what the other man was about to say. Though Neji knew one thing. It was going to be extremely annoying and offensive.
"No. What should we do?" He asks, knowing that he was going to regret doing so.
"We need to get you a girlfriend. Maybe, that will relax you. You have all the warmth of a glacier, but you've got one of those pretty boy faces. The kinda face that most women love. That and your hair. Seriously, your hair is way too silky to be a man. Do you sleep or do you just spend all night washing it?" Kisame inquires.
Neji had been right. Kisame was going to be annoying. Oh well. He had seen it coming and had been mostly braced to deal with it.
"I do not spend all night on my hair and I do not need a girlfriend. Should I ever desire female companionship, I'm perfectly capable of finding it on my own. I do not need your help in that regard. Now, kindly focus on the mission at hand!" The lavender eyed man snaps at his partner.
"I'm just saying, you're way too tense. Are you afraid of the Tailed Beasts? I'm sure that Deidara can handle the brat. It doesn't matter that he has a fancy hat. Kages aren't that tough!" Kisame says with a smirk.
Kages aren't that tough? Clearly, Kisame was a fool. Kages lead entire Ninja Villages. They were the strongest ninjas alive who weren't criminals.
"I'm not afraid of Tailed Beasts. Though knowing Deidara, he'll bite off more than he can chew. That's why we need to get to the Sand Village as soon as possible. If something goes wrong, we need to be there to help him. Sasori might just leave the idiot to die and while that is tempting, we need everyone to perform the extractions." He reasons.
It was true. Sasori didn't seem to care for his partner that much. There was a chance that he might just leave the blonde behind.
He wasn't sure how to feel about that. It was wrong to abandon your comrades, but he had killed his own family. Did he really have room to talk?
"Good. Glad you aren't scared. I don't really want a scaredy cat to be my partner. Bad for my image and completing missions, if you know what I mean." Kisame says as they continue walking along, side by side.
"Oh yes. We wouldn't want to ruin your image. You've worked so hard to present yourself as a sadistic thug for hire. You wouldn't want to risk throwing that away." Neji replies.
"That's right. I'm glad that we're on the same page about the important stuff. Still you should really get a girlfriend. You're such a cold fish." The sword lover continues.
Neji rolls his eyes and mentally groan. This man was completely impossible. He didn't have any idea what he would end up doing about Kisame. He just knew that he wanted to get away from the other man as soon as possible.
"Be that as it may, we have a mission to do. We don't have any time to waste." The lavender eyed man reminds him as he takes off.
He races ahead of Kisame. It was childish, but he really didn't want to engage in such trivial conversations. Trivial conversations that reminded him of things that he would never have.
Neji Hygua would never have a lover. He would never have another family. He would never live to see his next birthday. All of that had been taken from him and he had made his peace with that fact, but he didn't need to be reminded of those things. The things that he would never have.
Back in the prison, Hinata finds Karin. It wasn't hard to identify her. She was the only woman not in a cell. Well besides herself.
"Who are you and what do you want?! You aren't a prisoner!" Karin demands.
That's when Hinata lowers her disguise. She knew that Orochimaru must have briefed Karin about her. If he trusted her enough to have her run the prisoner, that had to mean something. Right?
"I'm Hinata Hyuga. I'm also the one who is going to get you out of here." She says.
"Hyuga? You're the Hyuga Girl? Lord Orochimaru's next Vessel? What are you doing here? Lord Orochimaru is going to need to perform the Transfer soon. I'm shocked that he left you out of his sight and you know that I can't do that. I won't disobey orders from him." She says.
Hinata had expected that. That was okay though. She was simply going to have to explain the truth to the other woman. She didn't mind.
"Orochimaru is dead. Sasuke and I killed him. Now, you have two choices. You can either stay in this prison and rot or you can come with us. I would rather have you on our team. You could serve a purpose. You could help us to defeat a truly evil person and find a home. That or you can stay here. No one will notice, if you slowly rot inside this prison." The Hyuga Heiress explains.
She hated it. Hinata truly hated being that cruel. Facts were facts though. The red head didn't have a lot of options and the woman needed to understand that.
"Lord Orochimaru is dead?!" She gasps in shock.
"Yes, he's dead. You're not though. Don't let your loyalty to him keep you from living." She says.
Hinata could see the woman was wavering. She couldn't blame her. Not really. The woman's entire world had been flipped upside down.
The bluenette could spare the other ninja a few moments. A few moments to absorb all that. It was a lot to take in.
"And if I help you, what happens to me afterwards? How do I know that you won't just turn on me? After your cousin is dead, you don't really have a reason t keep me around." She asks.
Those were good questions. The red head was right to be suspicious. After all, she had lived in the Sound Village before coming here. Only two kinds of people survived in that village. Smart and psychotic. Sometimes both.
Karin didn't strike Hinata as the latter though. That meant that the red head was smart. She knew enough to look before she leapt and Hinata could respect htat.
"You don't. Not really. Though is us backstabbing you really worse than the alterative? Would you rather stay here and rot?" Hinata asks softly.
"That's a good point. I'll go with you." She says with a sigh.
"Good. We just need to find the guys. Sasuke and Suigetsu went to get Jugo." The Hyuga Heiress asks.
Karin blinks and Hinata raises an eyebrow. The other woman looked truly shocked about something. Though the lavender eyed ninja had a pretty good idea she knew why.
Jugo and Suigetsu were not exactly known as reliable allies. In Jugo's case, it wasn't his fault. Biology was working against him. As for Suigetsu, well Hinata wasn't entirely sure what had made him so wild. It didn't matter though.
"Are you sure that's such a good idea? Suigetsu is a jerk and Jugo isn't always in control of himself." She points out.
"I'm aware that they both have their issues, but they're powerful. We're going to need all the help that we can get. If you don't want to travel with us, that's your choice. Either way, they're coming with Sasuke and I." Hinata explains.
"Sasuke? You meant that Uchiha that Lord Orochiamru was talking about? He's still traveling with you?" Karin asks.
Hinata nods. Yes, Sasuke was still traveling with her. He was also doing a lot more than just that with the Hyuga Heiress, but she wasn't about to tell Karin that. That was private.
"Yes, he is and that's who I mean. It's completely up to you what you want to do. Though I would think killing a murderer would be a better use of your impressive skills than just sitting around here and doing nothing." The bluenette reasons.
Karin pauses, but after a moment she nods. She nods and leads Hinata to Jugo's cell. That's when Hinata blinks and stares in shock at the sight unfolding before her.
Jugo was out of his cell and had flown into a rage. It was probably something that Suigetsu had said. Judging by the fact that Sasuke was now standing between them and had his Sharingan activated.
"STOP! STOP FIGHTING!" Hinata calls out.
As soon as Jugo saw Hinata, a sudden change took place. Hinata didn't understand why, but the bloodthirsty beast suddenly transformed back into a gentle man. It was like magic.
"Oh good. The Princess is here and so is the Harpy. Now, it's a party!" Suigetsu says cheerfully.
Hinata blinks. It was no mystery who the Princess was in this case. Though calling Karin a harpy seemed rather unfair.
"Don't you ever shut up?" Sasuke demands.
"Oh thank goodness. A man with some manners. Well most of the time Jugo has them too, but you never know when he's going to try to kill you!" Karin says happily.
The lavender eyed woman nods in understanding. That was probably a good point. Sasuke was super stubborn, but for the most part he was polite. Well at least to women. Not so much to Suigetsu, but Suigetsu had started it.
She inwardly laughs at that observation. Even inside her own head, that last part had sounded particularly childish. That was an excuse that a child would make about a schoolyard fight.
"Oh don't get too excited, Karin. Loverboy here is totally digging the Princess Chick. He's a possessive jerk about it too. He's smacked me a couple times into the wall over it." Suigetsu grumbles.
It was something that Sasuke and Naruto had said about each other more than once in their Academy Days. Iruka Sensei hadn't been particularly impressed by their excuse either. Most likely because he had heard it at least a thousand times during his teaching career.
"Wait. You two are dating?" Karin asks with a pout and Sasuke nods.
Hinata could see the medical ninja was disappointed and mentally sighs. Well it was only to be expected. Sasuke had always been popular with women. She supposed she was getting a taste of her own medicine.
Suigetsu had hit on her. Though she doubted that it was serious. Not to mention, there had been Kabuto. Her lover was usually the one who got jealous. Not the other way around.
"Yes, we are." The Hyuga woman informs her.
Karin gives a wistful sigh of resignation in response. That was only to be expected though. The way she was looking at Sasuke made Hinata want to hit her, but at least Karin didn't seem to be the home wrecking tight.
That was a very good thing. She would have Gentle Fisted anyone who tried to take Sasuke away from her. Hinata wanted to believe that she wasn't a jealous person, but apparently she was. Well at least for Sasuke.
"Damn. Well now that we got everyone, where are we going next?" The red head asks.
"The Sand Village. One of the Tailed Beasts is the Sand's Kazekage. It's our best lead to the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki are after the Tailed Beasts." Sasuke explains.
"Makes sense." Karin concedes and with that, the new team heads off in search of Neji Hyuga.