Longest. Chapter. EVAR!!1!
Mother of Bob, this took a while to write. Hope ya'll enjoy it!
The days rolled by slowly in the village hidden in the Leaves, bringing with them sullen and dull times to those seeking excitement of any kind. Obviously, the biggest news ushering through the streets was the arrival of the newest Hokage, Tsunade. The slug mistress was put to work the moment she set foot in the city, tending to the lone Uchiha boy as well as the student who was nearly killed by Gaara, Rock Lee.
While all seemed well on the surface, the winds blew with unease and tension. Despite the passing storm known as the recent invasion of Konoha, more turbulent times were on the way, and the local ninjas could feel it in their bones.
Kakashi was one such shinobi; his worries laid with his male students, Sasuke and Naruto. Apparently, the young Sharingan user suffered an utter defeat at the hands of his elder brother Itachi, and the experienced Hatake could sense the growing tumult within the vengeful boy. "He's becoming more and more reckless," he mused, deciding that his favored novel would have to wait, "If Sasuke hadn't run into Itachi, he might actually be stable. Guess that was just wishful thinking…"
The one-eyed jonin hoped that he could connect with his troubled charge, but the boy was frightfully unpredictable; he had no idea what the kid was thinking. Couple that with the growing animosity between the Uchiha and a budding Uzumaki, and internal conflict wouldn't be far off…
He felt a spark of chakra and recognized it instantly. "That's the chidori! Damn it!" he cursed, knowing that his prediction had come true far too soon for his tastes. He leapt onto the rooftops and charged hell bent for the hospital- the scene of a battle between two frustrated genin. "Why are you doing this, Sasuke?!"
Elsewhere, Kurenai had her own worries. "Anko got involved in this," she analyzed, "But how? I told her everything I saw from Hinata but she didn't tell me anything." This was true; the Mitarashi seemed rather distant and danced around the Yuhi's questions while pretending nothing was wrong, but the red-eyed woman knew her friend too well. She could read between the lines but they were too blurry to make out anything definite. "She seemed… afraid? That couldn't be; Anko Mitarashi fears nothing…" Her head shook as she abridged that mental statement. "Except for Orochimaru, she's still scared of him a little. Wait," an epiphany struck, "She fears him because he's strong and intimidating like no one else, so that would mean whatever she's up against now is the same way. But Hinata? There's no way… it has to be someone else. Could they be related somehow?"
The resident jonins of Konoha that were somewhat privy to the secrets beneath their feet wracked their brains for an answer that was too convoluted to understand as of yet. The unspoken mystery before them presented little more than assumptions and theories; solid proof would be needed for anything definite to be determined. Little did they know that the events to come would provide such evidence. If only they looked a little harder…
--
"Ah, man," Naruto yawned and stretched out on the warm floorboards within the renovated prison next to his private chamber. It might have been crudely constructed, but he found the small room to be rather comfortable. Almost made him jealous of its inhabitant.
"S-something t-the matter, C-curse?" Shia asked, glancing up from the book in her lap.
"Nothin'" the masked blonde returned, sitting back up to chase the sleep from his concealed eyes. "Just a long day."
"O-oh…" She reluctantly returned to the manuscript before her.
The Uzumaki smiled to himself; ever since he returned to Konoha with Tsunade in tow he had been spending almost all of his spare time with the disturbed girl. He would have preferred to locate Silence and do something with her, but his initial excursions to the Hub yielded nothing. "She must be busy," he mused, glancing at the young brown-eyed girl across the room, "But this was a good idea, too."
His frequent and lengthy visits with Shia seemed to be helping; she was becoming more responsive, although her shy stutter hadn't made much progress. The undercover genius also discovered an unexpected benefit- he enjoyed spending time with her. As the days rolled on, he often found himself looking forward to dropping by and handing her some books he had 'checked out' from the Konoha library. "It's like having a family, I think…" he surmised, not really knowing since he never had any relatives himself.
Shia herself anticipated Curse's arrivals with nervous joy. She immensely enjoyed all the stuff he brought her- mainly the books. Her old base contained no reading material outside of mission statements. Outside of that, she always reported in orally, never actually writing anything herself. It was quicker but induced a major downside in the form of fledgling illiteracy. The auburn-haired girl was very happy indeed that someone was actually taking time out of their day to teach her this invaluable skill. This certain person was so kind…
Naruto suddenly stiffened in place, glancing upwards a bit into the ceiling with a perceptible stare that pierced the many layers of dirt and concrete. "What's that?" the blonde wondered, "A strong presence… no… one, two… four of them?"
"W-what is it?" Shia inquired, startled by the boy's swift movements.
The Uzumaki glanced back down at her and smiled to downplay his suspicion. "It's nothing," he assured, "How's the reading coming?"
"He's hiding something," Aiya whispered in the back of her counterpart's mind, "Find out what it is."
Shia smiled back meekly and nodded. "I-I don't understand th-this one…" she tapped a long word within the thick book in her lap.
"Alright," he grunted as he stood, strode over to her, and then took a seat next to her. As he began correcting her when she read aloud, his mind was abuzz with what he felt a moment ago. "It's like some kind of tainted chakra, but it feels familiar. Why does it ring a bell?" He struggled to recall the similar sensation, his azure eyes widening when he finally realized it. "It feels like Sasuke's chakra after he got that curse seal!"
"I-is that how you s-say t-this?" the girl's voice broke him from his revelation.
He leaned in closer to get a better look and nodded. "Yeah, keep going." Noticing that she was trembling a little, he put an arm around her and started rubbing to warm her up. Unfortunately for him, he completely mistook the girl's reason for quivering.
Shia's body shook every so slightly out of nervousness. "He's so close…" she thought, flinching a little when physical contact was made. Upon being all but cradled in Curse's arms, her racing mind continued. "He's so warm…"
"Hey retard!" Aiya shouted, "You gonna find out what he's hidin'?!"
The disturbed girl was about to respond when she reconsidered it. "No," she attempted to establish her resolve, "Don't listen to her…"
"Don't listen to me?!" the alternate personality shrieked, "You have a death wish?! Do as I say!"
The girl's dominant shy mindset faltered in the face of its counterpart's growing frustration. "I-I don't w-want to…"
"Don't want to what?! Live?! 'Cause you won't be doin' any of that if you don't listen to me!"
"P-p-please d-don't y-yell…"
The secondary self then went on a rage against the withdrawn girl's mind; she was furious, angrier than usual. She taunted and downplayed Shia's entire existence, crediting the shy girl's survival to herself and herself alone. Said disturbed preteen's eye's started to well up with tears; maybe Aiya was right? She had certainly never been wrong before…
"What's wrong?" a confused voice interrupted the mental skirmish.
"Eh?" she jumped, moisture building in her dull brown eyes. "I-i-it's A-Aiya…" She trailed off, voice blubbering as she started to cry. Suddenly, she was pulled to the side and buried in something warm. The tears halted out of shock and their owner blinked as she glanced up.
Naruto had put his other arm around her in a light hug. "C'mon," he said softly, "It'll be fine. You're still here, you're still you." He frowned behind his crimson mask. "'You're still you'? What the hell am I saying?" Shrugging internally, he decided that it was plausible given how much he knew about split personalities- that is to say, squat. "Still," his internal voice took on a morose tone, "I wish there was more I could do for her. I hate seeing her like this…" He expected the small girl to bawl her eyes out for a while then probably fall asleep, but he was surprised at what transpired in place of this assumption.
Shia was smiling at him, salty tears staining her cheeks. "Th-thank y-you, Curse."
"I'll be damned. This is the most progress I've ever seen in one go…" He shot her his trademark foxy grin and replied, "No problem. You okay now?" When he received a satisfactory nod, he continued his unassigned task of literary teaching.
In the back of the disturbed girl's mind sat an unusually quiet aggressive personality. "I can't believe it," Aiya muttered, her 'voice' hidden from the dominant self. "She's ignoring me. She's making her own choices..." If she was in control of her host's body, her face would be twisted in emotions she was not prone to displaying: shock with trace amounts of fear. "What do I do now?"
Endless seconds passed as the alternate self processed her situation. The very reason for her existence was being challenged and there was nothing she could do about it… until she recalled the root of the problem. "It's Curse," she would have grit her teeth if she had any, "He's the reason! Shia's ignoring me because he's taking my place! I have to do something about this…"
--
The next morning, Hinata awoke to the sun shining through her window. "Geez, I get a good night's sleep and I'm still tired," she whined internally, "I guess I'll be taking a break today." She rose and prepared for her unofficial day off, mildly relieved to be resting from her strenuous self-training. Her lips curled into a smirk when she reviewed how close she was to possessing her own water-based techniques; a few more days of practice and she'd have it down pat.
She all but skipped to her hideout with joy, taking care to avoid the main streets and evading the extra pair of eyes watching her. "Is that who I think it is?" she wondered, catching a glimpse of a suspicious jonin before easing her bloodline on for a moment to confirm an identity. "Anko Mitarashi, eh? I guess Curse really did visit her…"
The genius girl easily ditched the snake woman and arrived at her prized lab with excitement to spare. "Shiori, Ichirou! Morning!"
The reassembled Hyuugas eyed her oddly; their mistress was rarely in this good a mood. They instantly regretted having to ruin it for her.
"Ah, Mistress?" Shiori began, "Last night the forward sensors detected some intruders…"
"Oh shit," the undercover prodigy's shoulders slumped. "Of course something had to happen on my day off…"
"Four people entered Konoha illegally," the female assistant produced a slim folder containing darkened photos, "But five exited. I thought you might want to know."
"Thanks," she sighed while accepting the cream-colored document, still pissed about having to deal with potential intruders. She flipped through the grainy pictures, thinking, "I need to install night vision on these damn things…" An image of five retreating figures caught her eye and she thought the shortest silhouette looked familiar. "Any leads on who this one is?"
"That's Sasuke Uchiha!" Ichirou yelled from his station, his perpetual twitch ever present. "The new Hokage sent out a team this morning to bring him back!"
The intelligent girl's face lifted in surprise. She never figured the spoiled Uchiha to abandon the village; he had everything he could ever want here. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she continued with her standard questioning. "Which team did the Hokage send?"
"Ah, she didn't," Shiori answered with a cheerful smile. Immediately realizing her error, she clarified, "She assigned Shikamaru Nara to assemble a genin team of his choice." The partially alive Hyuuga then rattled off the impromptu squad's members, their unusual coalition causing Hinata to furrow her brow in concerned amusement.
"What to do, what to do…" She sighed, wondering if this incident was worth the trouble of investigating firsthand. "Any idea why Sasuke left?"
Ichirou leaned back in his seat again and shouted, "Some guy named Orochimaru…!"
"Orochimaru?!"
"Er… yes, Mistress." The man appeared somewhat bewildered by his creator's shocked outburst.
"I'm going after them!" Hinata stated loudly, flinging on her alter ego's gear as quickly as she could. She wavered as her new generator-laden footwear and shin guards caught her eye. "Their primary purpose is to keep me from being dissolved by that energized liquid," she rationalized, "But the charge in them is powerful nonetheless. It's real heavy, but I'll have to get used to it at some point." After two seconds of contemplation, she nabbed the hunks of metal and secured them to her legs. Sure enough, they carried serious weight, but nothing to which she couldn't adapt.
"Watch the lab for me!" she commanded her assistants while rushing out the underground door. Silence made her way to the opening that led to the surface nearest the front gate that she knew of and activated her Byakugan. A few moments of intense searching and she spotted a handful of chakra signatures. They were a considerable distance away, but she could catch up without considerable difficulty.
The intelligent Hyuuga carefully snuck out of the village and began her swift trek through the heavy forest in pursuit of Sasuke's rookie retrieval team.
--
Naruto was a mixture of surprised, alleviated, and pissed. "Sasuke, you ungrateful fuck…" he cursed the Uchiha boy, "You had everything going for you and you threw it away." A thought struck him and he knew that this cloud did have a silver lining. "Well, at least he'll be outta my hair. Who knows, if I can catch him with no one else watching I might be able to kill him and take his eyes! That would rock! It would be totally justified too…" he struck that thought from his mind, "No, no, the villagers would hate me for killing that asshole, even if he's a traitor."
When the Uzumaki first laid eyes on the enemies transporting the Uchiha, he was taken aback by the red-haired girl. No introductions were necessary; he recognized her instantly. "Tayuya, right? Damn! She's the spitting image of Takaimi. Wish I could talk to her…" his brain's logical side flatly denied that notion, "… But she's the offspring of Takaimi. I'd probably have to kill her first. Hope Shikamaru survives…"
His impromptu team had completely fallen apart as each member detached to square off with the Sound shinobi one at a time. The blonde was the only one left pursuing his treacherous teammate. "Guh, should have killed that Kaguya and drained his blood…" he complained openly, regretting having to give up one freak for another, "I thought that bloodline died off. Who knew?"
As the blonde came within sight of the target and burst from the forest into a waterlogged valley with two massive stone statues, a feisty smirk adorned his face. "Valley of the End? This is where the first Hokage fought Madara Uchiha, isn't it?" His grin grew to reveal ivory teeth and he muttered, "It's just us, Sasuke… just you and me…"
--
Silence did her best to steer clear of the numerous battlefields, stopping only to administer enough aid to keep Chouji Akamichi and her cousin Neji alive. "Hope no one notices my handiwork," she thought, "Nah, I only did the bare minimum. No one'll know."
As she passed through the trees she felt her leg muscles acclimating to the heavy footwear. "Man, my legs are gonna be sore tomorrow…" she grimaced as she stepped off another branch, leaving behind yet more imprints of her steel boots in the wood. Suddenly, she noticed two beings heading her way. She masked her presence and darted away into a particularly thick brush in a rushed attempt to hide. It worked, since the duo passed by without giving a second glance. "Was that who I think it is?" her brow furrowed behind her dull azure mask, "What was her name? Temari? Eh, whatever. Gotta catch up- hello…"
Hinata halted the moment she found a sea of devastated forestry, trees cleanly sliced up and toppled every which way. She leapt from perch to perch, careful to keep out of sight until her bloodline caught a figure partially buried under the wooden rubble. She approached the body and stifled a gasp.
"Holy crap," she proclaimed under her breath, "It's Takaimi's daughter." The prodigy knelt by the older girl and whistled. "Geez, spitting image of her. Alright," she cracked her fingers, "Let's see what we got here…"
The Hyuuga analyzed the defeated enemy with bloodline eyes, noting all her injuries with deliberating care. "She pretty much just got crushed, but she's not dead yet," she concluded, "No way to revive her permanently. But I think something temporary might work." Silence placed her healing hands over the adversary and began working her magic. Slowly, the essential internal organs were revived and consciousness was guaranteed, but it wouldn't last long. Tayuya's injuries were too severe to survive beyond Hinata's miraculous technique.
"Huh? Wha…?" the crimson-haired girl blubbered as awareness crept back into her brain. A few seconds passed and her amber eyes shot open as she remembered what happened to her. "Shit… ow! Fuck!"
"Calm down," Silence placed a hand on the doomed female's chest to keep her from attempting to rise.
"Where the fuck are you touching, bitch?!"
"Yep, that's Takaimi's daughter all right," she thought with a bemused smile. "Calm down," she repeated, "And listen up."
"Shut up," her breathing was beginning to waver and become heavy. She had expended most of her revitalized energy and was already slipping. "Damn it… can't move…"
"I got a message from your mother."
A tint of startled anger flashed in Tayuya's eyes. "The fuck? Mom? Didn't know the bitch was still alive."
"She was; I knew her. Do you know what her final words were?"
"Pfft, fuck if I care," she replied harshly, "She ran away a long time ago."
"She didn't. She got sent to Konoha as punishment for trying to kill Orochimaru."
"Bullshit," she wheezed. Her organs were constricting. "You're just makin' shit up…"
"Tayuya," Hinata stated, catching the dying ninja's attention, "I don't know what you think, but I did know her. She loved you a lot…"
"Goddamn it, shut up!" she shouted with renewed, if failing, energy. The foul-mouthed girl attempted to argue but was cut off by the stranger hovering over her with a golden locket in hand.
"She carried this around," the Hyuuga stated as she opened the fancy jewelry and held the contained picture before the prone girl who stared at it with a curious gaze. "Her final request was to see you again."
As soon as the faded photo reached Tayuya's amber eyes she went into a veritable trance. She remembered that day like a ray of sunshine piercing through a sky of darkened clouds. Funny thing, she never remembered her mother so clearly until now…
--(Flashback)--
It was a big day for the young redhead; it was her fifth birthday. Her mom had promised her an awesome gift and Tayuya was practically bouncing off the hovel walls with joy.
"Tayu," a familiar rough voice called, "C'mon! Let's go get you a present!"
"Coming!" the child bounded out the door of the rundown hut she shared with her sole parent. She grabbed her mother's hand and started down the trashy streets of her slum neighborhood, unbothered by the general desolation of her surroundings. She had been around places like this all her life, so it didn't get to her like it would some people.
She walked for what had to be miles with her mom's hand clenched over hers the entire way. Her young eyes gazed in wonder and curiosity as the scenery changed around them from endless ghettos to middle class markets; the new buildings were so bright and cheerful and extremely clean, too.
"Here it is, Tayu," the intimidating form of her mom said, aiming her head at one shop in particular with a gruff smile that only the five-year-old ever seemed to witness. "I know you'll like what's in here."
Tayuya could barely conceal her excitement as she entered the establishment that turned out to be a music store. "Kickass!" she squealed, having picked up the choice word from her single parent. Her hand unlocked from Takaimi's and she started running up and down the messy but organized aisles in search of something she would fancy.
"Hey, kid!" a voice rang out, breaking the young girl's starry gaze at a rack of small instruments. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"What?" She was confused, wasn't this place open to everyone?
"We don't cater to trash like you." The man aimed a finger at her clothes. "Get out."
"Trash?" The bewildered girl held out her shirt to analyze it. It was really nice compared to her neighbors' back in the slums; it only had a few holes and tears, and they were all patched up…
"You deaf?" the man grabbed her by the back of the neck and shoved her toward the exit, "I said get out…"
He never finished that sentence- a steel laced boot slammed into his face and knocked him back a few feet. His head reeled back with total shock adorning his features as well as a few missing teeth and a bloody nose. "The hell?!"
"Hey," the amber-eyed smoker took a swig of whiskey from a flask then returned the container to her worn leather belt. She sported an unpleasant grin that screamed punishment. "What's up?"
The man choked on the blood rushing through his nasal cavity and another man, probably the store owner from the looks of his clothes, rushed over to him. "Riusha!" he addressed the ailing asshole then glanced at Takaimi with accusing eyes, "What the hell's your problem?!"
"I just came in here to get something for my daughter," the crimson-haired woman stated, "That's it."
"You kicked my teeth out!" the injured man sputtered.
"You touched my daughter," she returned without skipping a beat, "I think we're about even."
"Now you listen to me…" the proprietor raised an accusatory finger.
"Tayu," Takaimi ignored the angry man to lean down and face the girl hiding behind her legs with a surprisingly pleasant smile, "Go outside and wait for me."
"But what about what you told me?"
"It'll be fine," she snickered and ran a hand through her daughter's hair, "This is a safe neighborhood. You ain't getting' kidnapped here."
"Um…" she hesitated. She always did when her mom got into these altercations. "Okay."
"I'll be out in a minute!" the harsh woman called before turning to face down the assholes before her with a grin that resembled a snarl. "You're so fucking dead…"
Tayuya did as her mother instructed; she stood outside the door of the music store, bright young eyes scanning the bustling street with wonder. Sure enough, a minute passed and her single parent exited the facility with her usual rough smile. "Are you okay, mom?"
"I'm fine," she laughed as she pulled something long and shiny from a box before handing the object to the girl. "Here's your present!"
"Kickass!" she liked that word; it sounded cool. "What is it?!"
"It's a flute. You can make music with it."
"Like you, mom?"
She smiled a toothy grin. "You bet! Just like your awesome mom! Now," she hefted the five-year-old above her shoulders, "Let's race!"
"Yeah!" the girl cheered as her mother started running for all she was worth, "Go!" She loved this game; she got to play it with her mom every time police showed up. She glanced back and, sure enough, the distinct agents of authority were crowding around the musical establishment while people pointed her way.
Long minutes passed and the police disappeared from view as Tayuya and her mother laughed joyously in the gushing wind. Takaimi eventually slowed and brought her daughter back down to the earth, giggling every bit as much as the girl.
"That was fun!" the young redhead proclaimed with raised hands.
"Yeah, it was!" She shared her offspring's enthusiasm. "Hey, you wanna go visit Nuren?"
"Yeah!" she agreed instantly. She liked Nuren; he was hilarious. He and his parents were always taking this stuff called 'acid' that made then walk and talk funny. She visited them with her mom after playing the race game more often than not. She grasped her mother's hand and the duo began a casual stroll down the street once more.
"Hey, you two," an eager merchant stepped in their path a respectable distance away, "Care for a photo? Capture this moment, guaranteed."
The young girl peered up at her lone parent whose features displayed consideration. Her mom then reached into her pocket and pulled out a necklace with some golden jewelry attached to it. She recognized the locket, remembering the day when several of her mother's friends playfully mocked the woman without mercy regarding the shiny object.
"Can you fit it for this?" Takaimi asked.
"You bet, ma'am."
She grinned. "Let's go for it. Tayu!" she addressed the excited girl with her usual rough smile, "Picture time!"
--(end flashback)--
Hinata didn't know what flashed through the defeated girl's mind, but whatever it was, it must have been as nostalgic as it could get. "She's… crying?"
The dying foul-mouthed shinobi sniffled as she weakly reached for the open pendant and clasped a trembling hand over it. Beads of tears formed in her amber eyes, threatening to spill over at any moment. Her grasp on the jewelry tightened and her eyelids screwed shut, forcing the salty moisture to flow down her cheeks.
"Damn it mom," she muttered, holding the locket to her chest with an iron grip, "Let's race…" she took a taxing breath, "One more time…"
And with that, Tayuya of the Sound Five passed on, the final memento of her mother firmly clutched in a death grip. The Hyuuga stood to her feet, keeping her gaze fixated on to the deceased adversary before nodding and continuing on her way.
As she departed she couldn't help but envy the foul-mouthed ninja in a strange way. "I have no idea if it's heaven or hell that awaits them," she pondered, her masked features sullen at her thoughts, "But at least they're together…"
--
Naruto caught up with Sasuke and stood opposite him on the massive monument of the first Hokage. The undercover prodigy initially figured a little fight would ensue, the Uchiha would bitch and moan a lot, and the blonde would end the day dragging his 'comrade' back to the city without too much damage. However, every word the treacherous boy uttered angered the Uzumaki more and more. It was only a matter of time until Curse would hear no more and beat the self-proclaimed genius into a carpet stain while smiling the whole way.
"…Let me make this clear to you," Sasuke brought his selfish speech to a conclusion, "My childish games with you Leafs are over. Go home."
And that did it. The blonde's projected façade silently cracked and shattered into a thousand glass shards that blew away in the wind with ashes and dust that would soon follow. Naruto's features which had been falsely portrayed as a shocked and angry child melted away and a sick smile arose in their place alongside bemused azure eyes.
"So that's it, eh?" He started lightly tapping his foot against the stone ground as his body shifted into a relaxed position, "We're just playing childish games, huh?"
The Uchiha's brow narrowed; this was a deviation in the idiot he knew. "What's he up to?" he wondered, his dark eyes betraying his minor concern. "Yes. Orochimaru alone can give me more power than the peace-loving Leaf village. Your little games…"
"Peaceful, are we?" he interrupted, his voice laced with sarcastic bemusement. His brilliant eyes angled inwards in a frown and he glared at the newfound adversary with a growing smirk. "You know," he began as if about to impart some sagely wisdom to a child, "There's another city beneath Konoha." His mind tensed with giddy anticipation upon noticing that he had the enemy's full attention. "And if you ever find it, ask anyone there about the curse that dwells in those tunnels." The blonde's right hand started moving casually towards his face while Sasuke's eyes widened.
"A… curse?" he sputtered inwardly, hardly believing his ears.
"They'll all tell you the same thing…" his voice continued as his arm passed the halfway point.
"No, it couldn't be…"
The Uzumaki's sick grin spanned the width of his face as his open palm covered half his face, initiating the desired illusion. "That's right," he congratulated dully as the temporary genjutsu activated and flashed the familiar crimson mask over the blonde's face, encompassing his entire head within the flowing red mane of mock hair. The illusion passed to reveal Naruto's ever-present smile. "And now you know."
"You…" the remaining Uchiha stuttered. His flustered mind raced with a thousand reactions at once; shock, anger, resentment, and… was that fear? "You're Curse?" his quiet voice asked.
"You got it… weak little boy," he added with emphasis.
The Sharingan snapped on as a building rage flowed through Sasuke's veins; he had been upstaged by the dead last in his class in a big way. "No! I refuse to admit it!" he shouted in denial, "You can't be better than me! You're the dead last! The loser!"
Naruto merely smiled calmly at the insult. "And yet you already forgot my first lesson."
"What?" Sasuke said, missing the meaning of the true genius's phrase. When his intelligent counterpart aimed a casual finger at him, he turned around and immediately leapt off his stone perch with all the speed he could muster. "Holy shit!" His legs carried him with amazing swiftness down the side of the monument, a duo of blonde clones pursuing him with familiar chained gauntlets attached to their arms. "He made more clones just like last time!" he realized, recalling how Curse misled him the first time around by creating earthen copies by tapping a foot against the ground. Swearing under his breath, he formed the appropriate seals, reeled back with chakra building in his chest, then lurched forward, spewing forth a ball of flame that engulfed the clones.
"Not so tough," he congratulated himself as he came to rest on craggy solid ground right above the reservoir. "Now where'd he… rain?" He glanced up then dove into the lake, narrowly avoiding being drilled into the dirt by a sudden tornado of water.
"Phew," Curse commented sarcastically as he landed easy on the perch that once supported the Uchiha, "Using a fireball right next to a lake? Oh yeah, you're a genius all right…"
"Damn it," he sputtered while channeling chakra through his limbs and stood over the tiny waves. "I've got to end this quick," he surmised before grasping his left wrist and invoking his specialty- the chidori.
"Ooh," Naruto cooed, clearly unimpressed, "I'll bet your electric bill's through the roof…"
"Shut up!" the Sharingan user retorted as he charged for all he was worth, his bloodline slowing time down in his brain.
That smug grin returned to the blonde's lips as he tunneled his natural energy through the rock beneath his feet and into the reservoir. An instant later, dozens of water clones emerged from the cool liquid and drew weapons ranging from standard kunai blades to wired needles. If Sasuke wanted to hit the genius, he had to go through this impromptu army first.
The surviving bloodline member dodged around the crowding copies, all but shoving his way through the sluggish clones as his copied technique chirped in the air like a hundred birds. "I can get him, I can get him…" he repeated internally as he inched closer and closer to the target. "There're no more damn clones in the way; I've got him!"
The Uchiha slammed his crackling palm through the statuesque genius… and Naruto melted into sloppy mud. "What the hell?!" the Sharingan user swore as he tried to withdraw only to find he couldn't- the soil caked over his arm had solidified with the density of iron.
A thunderous laughter sounded off behind him and his head spun to find not dozens of clones, but rather hundreds… everywhere. The lake's edge visibly lowered as aquatic copies of Curse rose from the surface and the cliffs on both sides of the valley were lined with endless rows of orange-clad ninjas, every single pair of eyes focused on him and him alone.
"So," the clone at the forefront of the horde spoke with a chuckle, "Which one were you aiming for?"
Indescribable fury rose in the spoiled boy's chest and another blast of electric chakra coursed through his trapped arm, freeing him from the earth-based technique. Maintaining the cascading lightning in his palm, Sasuke blindly lashed out at the copy that spoke, reducing it to water and receiving a bit of a shock himself as the electrified liquid splattered on his arm. "Oh damn," he thought, fully realizing the implications of what just transpired.
And so it began- the second battle at the Valley of the End that would have impressed its first combatants, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju, had they witnessed the opponents' ages. The Uchiha had never worked so hard in his life; he ran across the cliff walls while spitting every fire technique he had ever mastered and barely made a dent in the wave of Narutos while the orange-clad copies moved as a single organism, laughing and smiling the whole way as if at a Sunday picnic. Curse was obviously toying with the self-proclaimed prodigy, and that only served to further agitate the Sharingan user into pouring more power into his movements and techniques.
The real Uzumaki ran in the relative center of the pack, easily hidden from the legendary bloodline and well protected by layers of water and earth-based clones should anything go awry. Nothing unfortunate transpired, so the blonde prodigy felt it safe to be a little… reckless.
Sasuke leapt off the steep valley wall onto the water below in an area where the opposing copies weren't as concentrated and began running across the gradually rising reservoir, tossing kunai and shuriken at the individual clones that stood in the way until he had no more remaining weapons. He grit his teeth upon realizing this along with the fact that he couldn't scavenge any tools of war from his adversaries, seeing as how those were mere copies as well and would disappear with their corresponding owners. Percieving no further options, he leapt up and attached his feet to the opposite cliffs of the valley and started upwards, intending to take his chances with the earthen Curses above and flee.
He suddenly stopped and changed direction in an instant; dozens of massive ninja stars peppered the rocks ahead of him, all of them lined with sparkling explosive tags. The self-proclaimed genius charged hell-bent along the center of the rock wall searching for a gap in the columns of ever increasing airborne weaponry. Sharingan blazing, he spotted such an opportunity, however tiny it was, and ran for it…
Only to have the blind spot fill with sharp steel that was decorated with smoking tags. In the span of a heartbeat, a handful turned into a dozen, then a dozen transformed into hundreds- each and every weapon adorned with explosive seals whose many timers burned away…
The Uchiha dove from the vertical position into the waters below and a massive explosion that rocked the valley erupted from the cavalcade of various weapons. From beneath the heated waves, the self-appointed prodigy clearly saw the ensuing fireball engulf his entire field of vision; it was massive. Before the conflagration receded, the spoiled boy distinctly felt the lake's level rise as the water clones dispersed and heard thunderous noises impacting the choppy surface as chunks of the valley were loosened and succumbed to gravity. When he was certain that this particular storm had passed, he swam up and broke the surface.
While Sasuke visited the fish, Naruto had to enact a last ditch effort to not get burned by his own attack. His earth based clones, in a heroic act of self-sacrifice, thrust their bodies in the path of the fireball's wake and took the brunt of the blast, reducing all but a few to dust. The blonde's water copies picked up where their muddy brethren left off and smothered their originator as the overwhelming heat came upon him, dispersing into cool, refreshing water as the approaching flames grazed them. In the end, the Uzumaki rose amidst a mere handful of his once mighty imitation army. He smirked to himself; he suffered more damage by his own hand rather than his opponent could inflict.
As that thought passed through the boy's mind, the Uchiha emerged from the choppy waters while coughing up trace amounts of water and gasping for breath; he had never been involved with this much action in his entire life until now. The Sharingan user banished exhaustion from his mind as best he could and brought his arm down for another chidori. "This has to be it," he mused as the crackling light grew in his palm, "Any more of this and I'll have to use the curse seal."
Little did he know that this was exactly what Curse desired. "He's about out of chakra," he analyzed, "I'll evade this shot and force him to use that seal Orochimaru gave him." The blonde didn't merely wish to see said mark in action; he wanted to push his former comrade to his limits then surpass them. He wanted to see the hope in Sasuke's eyes before he rendered it futile, to reveal to the self-appointed genius how weak he was even in his strongest state.
He didn't want to defeat the Uchiha, he wanted to break him.
As predicted, said opponent charged with shrieking electricity in hand, and Naruto's superior reflexes allowed him to easily avoid it.
--
Kakashi had heard the news regarding his pupil's defection and the ensuing retrieval effort shortly after he arrived in the village from a solo mission. Out of a sense of duty, not to mention mild panic, he followed after his warring students, hoping against all odds that he got there in time.
As he passed through the air he heard an explosion and felt the ground beneath his feet tremble with the aftershock. "My God," he proclaimed as he halted in surprise, "That was… I don't know..." Words failed him and his brain kicked in, reminding him to continue his pursuit. "Whatever that was, it wasn't close. But for me to feel it all the way out here… it's incredible!"
Unbeknownst to the Hatake, Silence currently thought the same thing. "Good lord!" she thought, "That was one hell of a bomb! Naruto and Sasuke must really be tearing it up!" Sadly for her, she didn't stop to consider how such a fiery discharge was initiated. She unconsciously knew no normal ninja carried that many exploding tags but failed to make the connection in her concentration to remain unseen as she rapidly traveled through the forest.
--
The Sharingan user had fallen to his opponent's ploy and was forced to induce the powers locked away in his new curse seal. He stood at the base of Madara's monument as the tattoos that resembled flames spread like a visual plague across his body, slowly consuming his flesh and transforming his corporeal form. Soon enough, his features had changed drastically, the most radical of the transformation being the growth of oversized fingers for wings.
Curse watched the unfolding events with a smile that developed with the unholy marks. When the metamorphosis was complete he got a good look at Sasuke's more… effeminate aspects, and then burst out in a fit of laughter that would have done Jiraiya's perverted cackle justice.
"Holy crap!" the blonde wiped tears away from the corners of his azure eyes, "Did you change gender?!" When he received a near lethal glare in response, he continued with more joviality. "Seriously, are your pants a little looser now?! Missing a little somethin'…?!"
"Laugh all you want, Naruto," the tainted teen warned with a foreboding voice as he brought his hand down in display of yet another chidori. This time, however, the technique chirped with an unholy sickly aura. "This will be the end of you."
The blonde's good mood died away. "Fine, have it your way," he returned as he unsealed his favored ninjato from his tattooed seal and aimed it at his enemy in a challenging gesture. "Let's finish this today."
The Uchiha rushed forward and his corrupted technique clashed with the Uzumaki's burning blade. The battling duo then began an uneasy dance that lacked any grace whatsoever with their weapons of choice, the sparkling electricity harmlessly glancing off the seal-encrusted blade that hummed with soft layers of wind that were only strong enough to deflect the tainted chakra. Naruto had only recently initiated attempts at what he found to be an affinity of his, hence his inability to perfectly counteract this freakishly strong force. "Man, Takaimi must've been a badass to use the wind element so well…"
Sasuke started to feel weak against this fellow genius despite every advantage he possessed. His bloodline was said to be superior amongst all others, yet the blonde could evade its sight long enough to continue the battle without betraying his secrets. The curse seal inflicted by the snake Sannin gave him the ability to prolong his chakra stores and strengthen his repertoire of techniques, but the opposing prodigy faced it without batting an eye. "Could I really still be this weak?" he wondered as he maneuvered through the air to obtain a clear shot at his adversary, "Even with all this extra power, can I still not win?"
Likewise, Naruto was having doubts of his own, albeit of another category. "I'm tired of this," he observed his inner emotions, "If I kill Sasuke, the village will hate me more than it already does. Even if I kill him and hide the body it'll come out eventually; Orochimaru will make sure of that." His facial features remained stone cold as he reached a verdict on his internal monologue. "I'll just have to let him go. Give him the opportunity to leave and get him outta my hair entirely. Besides," he thought of an upside, "I'll probably run into him again as Curse and kill him then; no one'll ever know…"
The fight dragged on with neither side faltering in their movements until both sides could feel the drain on their reserves. The blonde, continuously drawing energy from the imprisoned fox, faked his waning strength until he could clearly perceive his enemy's exhaustion. At that moment, he released an excessive load of the demonic power within his system and overwhelmed his tired opponent with an unseen oppression that pulsed in the air.
"He's still got that much left?!" the Uchiha wheezed, "It can't be… he isn't human!"
The Uzumaki noted the enemy's faltering moment and acted on it by dashing forward and promptly slicing a wing off. Sasuke turned at the sharp pain only to witness the remaining twisted appendage forcibly removed by a whisk of the seal-laden blade. Thankfully, there weren't many nerves in the attachments so he didn't falter as he lunged at his enemy with a fading chidori…
But his speed was decreased enough that Naruto grasped his wrist in a steel grip and, without flinching a muscle, pulled the tainted electricity into the Curse's shoulder, searing the flesh away and cauterizing the wound in one motion. With that out of the way, the copied move sputtered and died, leaving behind a truly drained Uchiha with a receding curse mark.
The blonde didn't smile smugly or remark sarcastically; he merely stood resolute with iron fingers digging into the shocked boy's limb. "Leave," Curse commanded without hesitation or remorse, "If you want your revenge so badly, leave."
That remark struck the Sharingan user as odd. He was letting him go? Allowing him to survive? Pitying him? He grit his teeth at that last notion. "I don't need your sympathy…!"
"Shut up!" his grip tightened and threatened to snap the tendons in the captured wrist. "Don't think for a second that I feel sorry for you, you worthless shit! I hate you and everything you stand for and would love nothing more than to kill you myself!"
"Then why don't you?!"
Curse said nothing for a moment as he contemplated a response. "I have my reasons. Until then, I'm telling you to leave and never come back." He released his grasp in a shove and stared down the weakened Sasuke with a gaze that oozed with authority and intimidation.
The defeated Uchiha returned the glare with his own spite then started limping away, his body beaten and his pride irreparably damaged. Orochimaru would have his container, although the snake master could never have contemplated the events set in motion by his selfish actions. Future conflict was inevitable, and next time there would be no mercy.
Naruto glanced down and scooped up the gashed village headband that had once belonged to the Sharingan user. "Must have scratched it with the sword," he concluded, reminding himself to reseal his prized blade. That action accentuated the horrific wound in his shoulder and he lied down on the warm ground as the dark clouds overhead started weeping over the battlefield. "Ugh, this stings like hell," he commented, closing his eyes to rest, "Guess I'll sleep it off…" He didn't finish his sentence before unconsciousness forced itself on his weary body, whisking him away to dream of another world and different times.
As the blonde slipped into a near comatose slumber, Silence arrived on the desecrated scenery. Her mouth parted behind her dull azure mask in awe of the altered landscape; deep cuts decorated the valley walls in a tapestry of jagged stone and a massive chunk of rock was missing, leaving behind a respectable charred crater that still glowed with smoking heat. Hinata was about to move to secretly tend to the prone genin's dire injuries when her Byakugan checked the motion; someone else had arrived on the scene.
Kakashi knelt next to his charge, regret washing over him as fluidly as the raindrops falling from the sky. "Naruto," he muttered, "Why like this…?" The shinobi hound, Pakkun, sniffed the nearby metal headband and confirmed it to be the missing ninja's and the Hatake lifted the blonde into his arms. "Was your fate inevitably death?" he wondered aloud. Truth be told, he felt guilty that things turned out this way. Worse yet, his previous suspicions of the Uzumaki being some form of threat while Sasuke turned out to be the issue deepened his sorrow. "Could I ever be forgiven for this?"
As the infamous jonin swiftly exited the warzone, the concealed Hyuuga felt a pang of sadness as well. Naruto, for all his boisterous foolishness, was a good guy; hardworking, dependable, and loyal to a fault. Losing him would be far more devastating than the Uchiha.
Knowing that she now had to return home, she struck those thoughts from her mind to the best of her ability. "What can I do about it now, anyway?"
--
Days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months. Time passed quickly for those involved with Sasuke and everyone who pursued him.
Sakura had coerced the fifth Hokage to take her on as an apprentice and was making excellent headway. Ever since the day Naruto returned beaten and bandaged, she had resolved to not rely on others so heavily without pulling her weight as well. Her drive was inspired by the failures of her past and she was finally on the correct path of a shinobi.
When the pink-haired ninja heard her blonde teammate's reiteration of his promise, she felt something. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was an inkling of an indescribably feeling towards the loud idiot. These days, her mind repeated over and over that her new training was ultimately meant to return Sasuke, but now her loyalty to her squad mate was beginning to morph into something else.
The Uzumaki, naturally, recovered quickly. He was officially discharged from the hospital after a week, although he was known to sneak out more often than the orderlies cared to admit. As soon as he was free from the confines of the clean white sheets he spent his supposedly relaxed days developing a new technique spawned from the lessons required to use the rasengan. It was far from perfect, but once completed it would be unstoppable.
He had also spent more time with Shia and even began to work with her in the ninja arts. It was an odd situation with her; she had no training in basic chakra molding and had difficulties with the simplest of moves, yet she understood and could operate advanced elemental seals. The blonde genius would have considered such a feat impossible, but here it was in the flesh; undeniable truth that miracles really did exist.
At the same time he found that not only did he enjoy the brown-haired girl's company, he also started to feel this strange attachment to her. He had no idea what this unusual feeling was, but it was a warm and fulfilling sensation that had previously been reserved for Silence's presence.
Hinata also continued her work, although she rarely ventured from her lab and concealed training area whenever she was 'occupied'. She was eternally grateful that everyone who ventured against the Sound shinobi returned alive and made full recoveries. While she had not been on the mission herself, she viewed it as an opportunity to learn what it was like to fail a mission. To be sure, things could have gone worse, but a flopped assignment was still a failure.
She met up with Curse a few times in the Hub and they had fascinating conversations regarding their experiments and private lives, although neither revealed their true identities. Friendliness aside, their competitive streak still lived on without indication of dying anytime soon. Still, the Hyuuga enjoyed those pleasant moments. Outside of that, she filled her time perfecting her homegrown water techniques and honing her current skills. It was like a whole new world had been opened up to her pale eyes now that the Sound threat had been expunged from the subterranean caverns.
But as with all things even good times had to come to a close. According to an agreement with Jiraiya, Naruto was to begin a three year training excursion upon the third month following his failed mission. The day he was to leave crept up on him, and he knew there were things he had to do that were… unpleasant… before he could leave. Loose ends had to be tied up regardless of how he felt about them.
In the early morning long before the sun rose on the day of departure, he saddled Shia with a pack brimming with necessities; sleeping bag, camping gear, food, and, of course, a hefty sum of money. The disturbed girl didn't understand why he gave this to her but accepted it nonetheless. The blonde then instructed her to lead him towards the open tunnel that allowed the Sound reconnaissance force entry into the hive system. Upon reaching the grand hall leading to the exit, the Uzumaki turned to the girl at his side.
"Shia," he said with a sullen tone, "I'm sorry but… it's time for you to go…"
"W-w-what?" she proclaimed, shock apparent on her auburn features, "W-why?"
He sighed; this wasn't going to be easy for either of them. During their time together he had unconsciously grown attached to her, coming to see her as some kind of family or confidant. "I have to go away for a while," he stroked the back her head gently, "A real long time."
"B-but y-y-you'll be back, r-right?" The tears were already welling up in her eyes. "Y-you always c-come b-b-back…"
"Yeah, but I'll be gone for three years. I won't be able to support you…"
"C-can't I g-go with you?" she pleaded, her face betraying her panic.
He put his other hand on her shoulder and squeezed, trying to build up the resolve to say 'no' but only finding enough to shake his head. Shia's brown eyes immediately began to overflow with salty tears and he knelt before her and trapped her in a firm embrace. "I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear, "I really wish I could take you with me, but I can't."
"W-why not?"
This was a tough one; he had to think about it carefully. He pulled her back a bit and gazed inter her eyes through his mirrored mask. "It's… really complicated. I know that's a terrible answer, but there are a lot of things about me I never told you…"
She didn't argue, opting out to cry and sniffle instead.
The blonde pulled her back into the tight hug. "I know it's cruel to ask you to do this. It feels like all I ever do is take away from you and give nothing back…"
Shia's weeping escalated and her small arms wrapped around him as she drenched his shoulder. Naruto instinctively knew that speaking right now would be bad, so he merely held her close; slowly rocking back and forth like a parent would a distraught child. Minutes passed and he felt no less horrible about doing this to her, so he decided to continue and get it over with.
He rubbed her back as her crying hit a lull then pulled her back far enough so that he could gaze at her moist eyes. "I want you to find someone who will care for you. Someone who's kind and will keep you safe no matter what."
The disturbed girl's eyes were red from the hard sobbing and she choked a sniffle as she rubbed her face with her sleeve. Her mind was in no less sorrow, but she had spent enough time with Curse to understand that she could trust him; he had never purposefully led her astray and always acted in her best interests. "C-curse," she stuttered, "D-do y-you have t-t-to go? I-is this r-really th-the only way?"
The Uzumaki nodded slightly and was relieved when the crying did not begin anew; this was already hard enough for him. He started to pull her back into an embrace when she spoke again.
"Curse, c-can I-I see your f-face?"
He paused and found it odd how he had never removed his mask in this sweet girl's presence. "Yeah," he acknowledged quietly as he placed a palm over the crimson visage and slid it off, his springy blonde hair fluttering in the air as it was freed from its confining mane.
Shia stared in wonder. She and her elder brother shared similar muted traits; that is, muddy brown hair with eyes to match. Curse however had brilliant and distinct features. Those whisker birthmarks that reminded her of a fox, that pair of brilliant azure eyes that resembled backlit whirlpools, and golden hair that radiated with its own illumination. "He's so pretty…"
"Shia," Naruto placed his hands gently on her shoulders to break her from her trance, "Can you promise me that? Can you promise me that you'll find someone good to take care of you?" His voice was filled with hurt as he said this; even the disturbed girl could hear it.
She nodded, grimacing with tears and sadness. "This has to be done," she concluded, "Curse says it's the only way."
Endless minutes passed as the two remained locked in a tight embrace, neither wanting to let go as they attempted to resign themselves to this sad fate. Eventually, Curse was the one to break the intimate gesture as he pulled away slowly. Noting that his adopted charge still carried grief on her face, he ran his hand through her hair to reveal her brow before leaning in and kissing her forehead.
Needless to say, this shocked her from her reverie. "C-curse…" she started.
"Be a good girl," he placed his forehead against hers, "Always remember that I love you. You're very special to me and I'll never forget you." He stood and gazed down at the girl whose brown eyes stared back.
Tears formed once again in the corners of her eyes, but this time a small smile forced its way through. "Thank y-you, Curse," she said before bolting away, denying the waterworks permission to flow again. Her stuffed pack shifted with her swift footsteps which grew more distant as the seconds passed.
The Uzumaki watched the girl depart until she was out of sight. As soon as she became indistinguishable in his vision, he wiped a tear from his eye and donned his crimson mask again. "Goodbye Shia," he murmured, "I really will miss you."
--
Silence sailed through the dim caverns; her cameras recently installed in the Hub picked up Curse and she felt like taking a break and seeing him before she had to head home to avoid arousing suspicion; she loved playing hooky with her father's curfew. "I wonder what Curse has up his sleeve today?" she mused happily.
She arrived at the unspoken rendezvous point with a soft clang of her steel footwear; her legs were becoming accustomed to the weight but she still had a ways to go before becoming truly silent whenever she took a step. "Hey, Curse," she greeted cheerily with a slight wave. "What's up?"
He merely regarded her with a sullen stare that magically pierced his crimson mask. "Hey," he started, melancholy practically dripping off his voice, "There's, uh… something I need to tell you."
Hinata cocked her head. "This isn't like him," she observed, "Something bad must've happened."
"I'm gonna be gone for a while," he continued, "Um, in fact, it'll be so long that there's no way you won't figure out who I am."
"Oh my God…" her heart skipped a beat, "Is this who I think it is?"
"So… uh… congratulations!" he smiled with mock enthusiasm as he reached for his crimson visage. His hands grasped the hard mask and slid it off, revealing the undeniable features of Naruto Uzumaki. "You won this round," he stated with a sad smile, "Guess that makes me a step behind, huh?"
The female genius stared at him through her solid visage with shocked Byakugan eyes. "N-Naruto?!" she exclaimed, "Is that you?!" She focused her bloodline to ensure that this wasn't merely a powerful illusion to find that it wasn't; her fellow prodigy was none other than the village pariah.
"Yep," he smiled humbly, "Now you know. Guess my closest secret's gone now, eh?"
It took the Hyuuga a few lengthy seconds to process everything. "It all makes sense now," she analyzed, "The Shadow clones, the toad summons and Jiraiya… all of it!" Her brain continued to dwell over everything and form a few questions regarding… inconsistencies she had noted throughout the years when the blonde's voice broke her from her reverie. "Eh? What?" she was startled, "Damn it, I've gotta kill that damn habit. It's gonna get me in trouble one day."
"Yeah, uh," Curse said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, "Like I said, I'm gonna be going on a three year trip with Jiraiya. So… I figured I'd just let the cat out of the bag before- hey, what are you…?"
For some reason, Silence felt the urge to not leave things like this. She had been interacting with her fellow prodigy long enough to respect him and even consider him an ally and a friend. And since friends don't withhold secrets…
"Holy crap," the blonde whispered as his temporary partner flipped her own solid mask off to reveal familiar short blue hair and shining pale eyes. "Hinata? It's you…?"
"Yep," she replied with a smile, "Guess we're even now."
"I… I can't believe this…" Every recollection of the shy girl raced through his mind, enforcing how easily he had been duped. "You," a wide grin grew on his face, "Really fooled me! You got me good!"
She giggled. "I could say the same thing about you. Looks like we're both too smart for our own good."
The two stood opposite each other and had a good laugh regarding the other's trickery; not only were they talented enough to deceive an entire shinobi village, they also possessed enough skill to mislead each other. Almost like a match made in heaven…
The joviality of the situation subsided a bit but not by much. Stepping forward, Hinata held out a film-covered palm in a friendly gesture. "C'mon," she said with an unbending smile, "Here's to your training with Jiraiya. Hope it goes well!"
Naruto accepted the handshake and said, "Same with you! Good luck on your experiments!"
After a few seconds of vigorous engagement in the amicable gesture, both geniuses threw caution to the wind and wrapped their arms around the other like age-old buddies who had grown up together. Ironically enough, it summed up their reality with startling accuracy.
"Ah, I'm gonna miss you," the blonde exclaimed with an exaggerated sigh and a smile.
"So will I," the Hyuuga consented before giggling and pulling away and peering at him with a mischievous grin, "You better learn something new; I want a challenge when you get back!"
He laughed. "Same to you! I'm gonna get rusty if I got no one to play with!"
A few more minutes passed as the intelligent duo parted with finalized goodbyes. They went their separate ways to their respectable hidden chambers, bright grins plastered on their faces the entire duration.
--
The first evening of the Uzumaki's lengthy excursion was a sleepless one. While the old pervert was out cajoling in the red light district, the blonde lied on the rooftop of their inn while staring at the brilliant full moon, lost in his thoughts. The revelation of his female companion was happy news in his mind; enough so much that it provided a welcome distraction from the sad parting with Shia.
As he stared at the earth's dusty satellite he held the lunar orb between his fingers and wondered how he should approach his future affiliation with Hinata. Everything would probably be the same on the surface, of that he was fairly certain, but what about when night fell and their true selves were allowed passage within the shadows? Was it possible that she could be something more than an ally and a comrade with time? Despite being one of the greatest prodigies of his time, he had little to no experience with relationships.
When a conclusion formed in his mind, he clamped the moon in his fist with a brilliant smile. He had made his decision and he would stick by it to the bitter end.
Unbeknownst to Naruto, the Hyuuga also peered at the glowering moon with similar thoughts. Her back pressed against the cold roof of the Hyuuga compound as her gaze settled on the cratered globe and she repetitiously traced the satellite with a finger. Now that she knew Curse's identity, what was next? Her greatest secret had been entrusted to him but she felt no regrets; her faith in him had been earned over the years. But as she considered her loyalty to her intelligent friend she found herself questioning the nature of her trust. Was it really what she thought it was? She certainly felt something akin to it but the more she pondered over it, the deeper it seemed to get. "Could it be…?"
She softly grasped the moon in the palm of her hand as her mind solidified her choice. Her lips grinned humbly as her next course of action regarding Curse became clear to her.
And so the night passed as the systematically captured companion of the night sank into the sky and gave way to its burning counterpart, signifying a change that, in time, would affect everything roaming the surface of the earth.
If the fight with Sasuke seemed watered down, consider this: how many moves did he have in his repertoire at this time in the manga? The answer: not a whole helluva lot. There's a reason he's pathetic here (mostly because I don't like him. Never did, either.)
That's really the only qualm that I'm willing to address in an author's note (there are more, but if I tell you, you'll agree with me). So yeah...
Hope you liked the extra length. Let it tide you over for a while. This next week's gonna be hectic, so I won't have as much time to work on the next chapter.
LOVE AND PEACE!!