MERRY CHRISTMAS MINNA-SAN! For those who don't celebrate Christmas, then… GOOD DAY TO YOU!
I went and saw "New Year's Eve" with my friends the other day. It was a great movie ;D The cinema erupted into laughter and even applause quite a few times. It was hilarious. Then again, the cinema was filled with mainly loud, obnoxious teenagers like myself, but the movie itself was awesome. I recommend it.
Yay! Over five hundred reviews! And the five hundredth reviewer was... my sister... who just wrote random things in her feedback... T_T Hm...
Thank you to: Spider's Thread, The Shadow Moon, xXSolaine-GirlXx, StarKiss666, tenshi-no-akuma-81, Kyuubi No Tenshi, missie.1998, WinxPossible, The Liar Of Truth, Faith Bell, dangerous ninga, ladyyuuki16, Masked Bard of Chaos, GoldenMoon1997, Ichigo Mirai, SiriusBalisticPretzels, Furionknight, .x, nightliliesu, Ice Vixen X, Oderin-Kuro, HypnoticFlames, Immortalis Cruor Elf, Scarlett Winds, SasuHina4evr, Palace of Venus, AWESOME, Xtra, CalcBoy91, BewareTheIdesOfMarch, evil-step-sister, itachi-sasuke4ever and verohey5
Okies, last of the boring chapters. My Christmas present to you ;D
Chapter Twenty One: Get Ready, Get Set, Go!
~ Get ready ~
"Why do you think all the new rules have gone up?" Ron asked at breakfast. Harry, who was busy shovelling down large amounts of eggs, shrugged and continued eating. Hermione, however, looked quite thoughtful.
"I don't know," Hermione said. She stirred her cup of coffee with a silver teaspoon idly with one hand. "It seems as though the ninja are expecting some sort of attack to commence. They've tightened their security."
"It could be something to do with the dream I had," Harry said. Understanding then dawned in his bright green eyes. "Of course! I forgot! The masked ninja in my dream said that the Akatsuki would attack Hogwarts in three weeks! They must be preparing for that!"
"Keep your voice down, Harry," Hermione hissed. "We don't want to panic the other students."
"Who cares?" Ron said. "They'll find out later anyway." Hermione sighed.
"There must be a reason why nobody knows about this yet," Hermione said. The three of them continued talking as they walked down to Care of Magical Creatures.
Down at Hagrid's hut, they spotted Hinata and Neji stationed outside the Forest. They appeared to be looking for something if the way their eyes continued to scan the trees were any indication.
"I can't see anything," Hinata murmured into her radio. She saw Neji shake his head, signalling that he saw nothing out of place as well.
"Do you think we should enlist the help of the centaurs?" Neji asked. "They know the Forest quite well."
"No," Hinata replied, "they're too proud. And anyway, I don't think they like shinobi anymore after what happened last time."
Hinata saw Neji's lips quirk up, and she smiled too. She turned her attention back to the Forest. She spotted the herd of centaurs and, deeper within the Forest, she saw the web of giant spiders. A crackle at her radio alerted her.
"Hinata… I just found something big."
"Eh? What do you mean 'big'?"
"Like… literally BIG."
Hinata glanced over to where her older cousin was, and found him looking into the Forest with wide eyes. She quickly darted over to him. He simply pointed, and Hinata turned her eyes towards him, her Byakugan activated.
"Oh my…" Hinata whispered. She then turned over to stare at Hagrid, who was busy teaching the class.
"A giant?" Naruto repeated, "A giant? As in, an outrageously big man about forty metres tall?"
"Yes, Naruto," Neji said patiently, "a giant. An outrageously big man about forty metres tall."
"Well, then what the hell is he doing there?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Neji asked, the beginnings of irritation creeping into his voice. "I just found him there."
Naruto sighed. "Then you and Hinata can keep an eye on him. We don't know if that giant is native to the Forest."
"It could be. Strange things live in that forest, anyway," Neji said.
"Still, keep an eye on it!"
"We can just ask Hagrid-san," Neji suggested. "After all, he's the gamekeeper." His captain nodded.
"Alright, go and ask him," Naruto said, "and report back to me."
"Hai, Naruto," the Hyuuga said. Neji turned and body flickered out towards the grounds.
Neji sighed, thinking how troublesome this all was. He sounded like Shikamaru now.
"Hagrid-san?" Neji said, approaching the huge man. Hagrid was raking the side of his garden, and he smiled warmly when he saw the Hyuuga boy approaching him.
"Hi… Hyuuga, was it?" Hagrid said. Neji nodded. "What brings you here?"
"You are gamekeeper, right?" Neji said. "So that means you care for the Forbidden Forest as well."
"Well, parts of it, yeah," Hagrid beamed.
"Hinata and I were scouting the Forest, and we saw… a giant in there," Neji said. He watched as colour drained from Hagrid's face and instantly began to feel suspicious. "Is it native to the Forest?"
"Uh… well… he sort of is," Hagrid said evasively. Neji raised a perfect brow.
"What are you hiding from us, Hagrid-san?" Neji asked. Trust him to get straight to the point. "Is the giant dangerous?"
"What? No! Grawpy isn't dangerous at all!" Hagrid protested loudly. Neji's eyebrow twitched.
"Grawpy?" Neji repeated, his voice incredulous. "Its name is Grawpy?"
"Well, technically his Grawp, but…" Hagrid trailed off as Neji glared coldly at him.
"Hagrid-san, are you sure that… Grawp isn't dangerous?" Neji asked, stressing out the giant's name. He knew that the ninja's version of dangerous, the students' versions of dangerous and Hagrid's version of dangerous were all different things. Then again, the ninja's version and Hagrid's version were quite similar, but still…
"Well… he migh' like ter rip outta few trees an' all, but other than that he's a good boy," Hagrid said defensively. Neji stared at him in disbelief for a few more seconds, and then said, "It's got to go."
"No!" Hagrid said, his voice rising. "No! He can't go!"
"And why not?" Neji asked, his voice deadly. He did not like being argued with.
"Because he's got nowhere else to go," Hagrid said.
"I'm sure he hasn't been here for long," Neji said. "Take him back to where you found him."
"I can't! He'll get bullied… and…" Hagrid trailed off. Neji raised an eyebrow, signalling for him to continue. "Grawp… he's my brother." Neji almost choked on the air.
"That giant," Neji said slowly, a vein forming on his forehead, "is your brother." Skeptism dripped from his words. "That big-ass freak of nature who looks nothing less than a huge, deformed mountain is part of your family." He laid delicate stress on the word. Hagrid nodded eagerly, seemingly unaffected by the offensive statement. This was one of the first times Neji had sworn, but no one apart from Hagrid was around, so his teammates could not tease him about it.
"Please, I swear he ain' gonna do anythin'," Hagrid said. "I'll keep him in control."
Neji sighed, rubbing his temple. He could feel the beginnings of a headache coming along. He just wanted to get out of here and go to sleep.
"Fine," Neji said, "but if Grawp messes up, he's leaving." Hagrid grinned broadly and reached out a hand to clap the Hyuuga on the shoulder. Neji dodged, knowing the effects from watching Hagrid slapping Harry and Ron on the backs.
"Thanks," Hagrid said. Neji let out a breath, bid good day to Hagrid and went back up to the castle.
Gaara knocked on the door of Professor McGonagall's office while Shikamaru waited edgily beside him. He waited patiently, ignoring the twitching Nara boy and hearing the soft fall of footsteps behind the large piece of wood. He stared back blankly once he came face to face with the irritated expression of the Transfiguration teacher.
"I came here to inspect your office," Gaara said, without so much as a 'hello'. Shikamaru grunted a "Mendokuse." He held out the slip of parchment that Naruto had given to him from Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall took the note and skimmed it, her thin eyebrows arching. Finally, she looked back up at him and handed him back the parchment.
"Alright," she said. "Come on in, then." She led him inside. "I'll be going to my next class. You're free to look around as much as you want." With that, she waved her wand at a pile of books and swept out, but not before reminding him to close the door after he left.
The Kazekage and the shadow user were left standing alone in the middle of the office. Shikamaru gazed around, taking in the neat stacks of parchment, the books all lined up on the shelves in alphabetical order and the clean desk and carpet.
"You can do this better than I can," Shikamaru said lazily. "What with your troublesome sand and all."
Gaara's lips turned up into a smile. He twitched his fingers and sand poured in waves from his gourd. He then let the sand seek out every corner of Professor McGonagall's office, and he closed his eyes, feeling every nook and cranny for anything suspicious. He also formed his Third Eye, and let it wander up to the higher shelves, checking for anything potentially dangerous. Gaara then opened his eyes again and drifted over to the Professor's drawers, opening them and dispersing his Third Eye.
Look at all these report cards, Gaara thought. If Naruto had discovered these, the blonde would not have hesitated to read through him. However, Gaara was Gaara, and he felt no real curiosity over these files, and so, after checking them, he slid the drawer shut again. After this, Gaara stilled himself and made his mind concentrate and tried to search for any unusual chakra or magical pulses. When none came, the Kazekage concluded that Professor McGonagall's office was fine, and he walked silently out the door and shut it.
The next office Gaara and Shikamaru inspected was Professor Snape's. The Potions Master was in class, but the two ninja did not let that stop them. Shikamaru was not sure whether or not Snape had put any repelling charms on his door, and was relieved when all they had to do was pick the lock with Gaara's sand.
When they entered, their eyes worked frantically for a second or two to get used to the dim light that engulfed Snape's office. Eerie jars of pickled animals and animal parts loomed out from the darkness, all of them bathed in different coloured liquids.
It looks like a typical mad scientist's laboratory, Shikamaru thought. Hopefully, this office will be more interesting to inspect than the last one.
"Anything?" Shikamaru asked, noting the grains floating around in the air.
"Nothing," said Gaara.
He used the same tactics as last time; letting his sand search. While his sand was doing that, Gaara himself wandered around the office. He peered critically at a dead octopus floating around in murky blue water, and took it down from the shelf. As he stared at the octopus, he started to feel slightly sick and quickly put it back.
I've never liked seafood, Gaara thought. That was probably because he grew up in the desert, and the desert is the farthest place one could be from the ocean. The one time he had eaten seafood, he had almost thrown up. Thankfully, Gaara had forced it down, as much as his pride would allow him to. He wasn't used to eating seafood. I swear that octopus' eye is following me… disgusting, black, squishy thing…
"Don't like seafood?"
Shikamaru's voice cut through the gloom. The Kazekage swore he heard a smirk in his voice.
"No. It's the fact that they don't like me," Gaara stated, turning away from the lifeless creature and looked back at the office. Shikamaru opened the drawers, and found a large stack of files on the students of the school. He closed the drawers again and straightened up. A glowing light in the corner caught his eye, and when he turned to look at it properly he found himself gazing at the Pensieve.
Dumbledore-san said that it contains memories, Shikamaru thought. I shouldn't get any closer to it. They're not my memories, and I don't wish to see them. Troublesome.
"And what are you doing here?" asked a cold, deadly voice. Shikamaru did not look at the speaker; he had known that he was there for a while now.
"Inspecting your office," Shikamaru responded mechanically. Snape's lips curled into a distasteful expression and he entered.
"Oh? And who gave you permission to?" Snape asked. Shikamaru still did not look at him, and Gaara was busying himself with staring at a folder filled with notes. Shikamaru was now gazing avidly at the shelf behind Snape's desk.
"Dumbledore-san," Gaara said. His sand grasped the piece of parchment and swept towards the Potions Master. Snape glanced at it, and grimaced. Gaara peered behind all the books on spells and dark magic. "You have a lot of things here about Defence Against the Dark Arts."
Snape twitched. "What of it?"
Gaara then looked at him for the first time, and he raised a non-existent eyebrow. "Nothing. I was just saying."
"Well, don't," Snape snapped. Gaara then paused, his jade green eyes boring straight into Snape's icy, black ones. A tense silence grew between them.
"You seem to have a stick up your ass," Shikamaru said finally. "Wait, no. Make that a whole troublesome tree." Snape's face twisted and he plunged a hand into his robes. His expression then grew confused as he groped around in his pocket.
"Looking for this?" Gaara asked. His sand reared into and shaped itself into an arm, and within its fist was Snape's wand. Snape scowled darkly.
"Give it back," Snape said dangerously. Gaara looked at him emotionlessly.
Shikamaru sighed. "I'm not part of this," he muttered.
"You were going to curse me, or hex me, or whatever you wizards do," Gaara said. "I do not appreciate being attacked."
"And I do not appreciate having my wand taken away from me without my permission," Snape said quietly, "least of all by any of you ninja." He had already had his wand stolen from him in Grimmauld Place by Naruto, who was Fox at the time. Gaara contemplated giving Snape back his stick, but the decided against it. He was not feeling generous today.
"Gaara!"
Gaara let out a breath, slightly irritated. Luckily for Snape, Sakura had arrived. The girl in question was standing at the office door, her emerald eyes flashing. He turned his head to face his teammate.
"Sakura," Shikamaru said, "what brings you here?"
Sakura let out an exasperated sigh. "Naruto told me to accompany you guys in checking the teachers' offices."
"Did he now?" Gaara said. He glanced at Snape, and then, with slight regret, tossed him back his wand. Snape caught it silently. "Your office is clean."
Shikamaru and Gaara walked out the door, Gaara calling back his sand as he went. Sakura walked alongside them, and when Snape's office was out of sight, Sakura then turned to glare at the redhead.
"He was being annoying," Gaara said defensively. Sakura sighed yet again and ran a hand through her pink locks.
"Idiot," she muttered softly. "When Naruto told me to come with you, I thought to myself: 'There's no need; knowing Gaara, he'll probably be already finished and dragging Shikamaru's ass around.' And then, when I follow your chakra signature, I find you toying around with Snape-san's magic wand!"
"Mendokuse," Shikamaru mumbled. Sakura rounded to the Nara.
"And you! Why didn't you stop him?"
"It was troublesome," Shikamaru complained. He yawned widely and shoved his hands in his pocket.
Gaara shifted the gourd on his back and cuffed her head. Sakura rolled her eyes and slapped his hand away gently. Her eyes fell on his gourd and she frowned.
"Gaara, you should take the gourd off," she said. "I know that thing is really heavy, and it's probably stunted your growth, that's why you're so damn short. It may give you back pains later on."
"If I'm so short, then why am I taller than you?" Gaara asked.
"You are not taller than me!" Sakura said indignantly. "We're the same height!"
"I am approximately five point one centimetres taller than you (1)," Gaara deadpanned. Sakura pressed her lips together.
Sakura said, "How do you know how tall I am anyway?"
Gaara shrugged. "I have my ways."
More glaring.
"Stalker…"
"You wish."
"No, I don't."
"That's right, because you used to be the stalker."
"What? And when was that?"
"I believe you used to stalk Uchiha Sasuke."
"I did not!"
"This is so troublesome."
"I don't believe you."
"Who told you that?"
"Naruto."
"You actually believe him?"
"For now, yes."
"… I'm going to kill Naruto later…"
"So you're admitting that it's true?"
"No!"
"Liar…"
"... Please shut up..."
Still bickering, Sakura, Gaara and a sighing Shikamaru finished checking all the teachers' offices, which took most of the day.
The last one was Umbridge, and with dread in their heart, they approached.
"This is the last lesson before dinner," Sakura said, "so she should still be in class."
Shikamaru picked the lock, and the door swung open.
"I think I need a sick bag," Shikamaru muttered. He had only been in Umbridge's office a few times, all not on very pleasant occasions.
"The room matches you hair," Gaara pointed out to Sakura. She rounded to him.
"Do not compare me to that hag or anything belonging to her," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Gaara, you search. I don't want to touch anything of hers."
The ugly kittens on the plates prowled, sickeningly cute, on their places in the high shelves. The pink doilies and pink vases of pink flowers sat on pink antique tables and the chairs were draped with pink lace.
"Amazing," Shikamaru murmured. "She's even got pink ink!"
Sakura rolled her eyes and picked up a pink roll of parchment.
It really does match my hair, she thought ruefully. How depressing.
Gaara reported that there was nothing suspicious in Umbridge's office, albeit she had a lot of letters from the Minister. They quickly escaped the room, not wanting to be there for a second longer, and went off to dinner.
"I'm sick of all this heavy food," Sakura muttered, staring at the platters of roast beef and thick boats of gravy with apprehension. She frowned and straightened her back, pressing a hand against the tired muscles in the lower part of her spine.
"I'll say!" Ino said, sliding into a seat next to her friend. "All this food is making me gain weight."
"You've been eating it for a majority of months now," Gaara pointed out quietly. Ino grimaced.
"Because I couldn't be bothered going down to the kitchens to ask the elves to give us some normal food," Ino said.
Shikamaru did not say anything, but in truth, he also longed for more Japanese types of food. Even a simple bowl of noodles was welcome.
A ninja should adapt to his surroundings, Shikamaru thought. The thought made him sigh, and he pulled a plate of pie towards him with a tiny amount of disappointment.
Hinata curled up on the armchair in the bright yellow Hufflepuff common room. All of the students were down in the Great Hall eating their dinner, and so the common room was quiet and empty. The Hyuuga did not particularly feel hungry and so remained in the comfortable place in front of the fire.
So many things to do, Hinata thought moodily. We have so many things to prepare for.
The common room door opened, and Hinata glanced up. A shock of yellow-blonde hair caught her eyes.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, jumping to her feet. "Is anything the matter?"
"Settle down, Hinata-chan," Naruto chuckled. "Everything's fine. I was just wondering why you weren't at dinner. Are you sick or something?"
Hinata sat back down on the armchair again. "No, I'm fine, thank you very much. I'm not hungry." Her captain sat down next to her. Silence blossomed between them, neither willing to break it. They were comfortable enough in each other's presence for the quiet to not be uncomfortable.
When the silences are no longer awkward, you know you are around friends, Hinata thought. She remembered hearing that line vaguely from somewhere, but she couldn't remember clearly enough.
"Ne… Hinata-chan," Naruto said quietly. The blue-haired girl turned her gaze towards him. "This mission has turned dangerous."
"This mission always has been dangerous," Hinata corrected him softly. Naruto smiled wanly at her.
"I know, but I didn't register that fact. Now I know why this mission was ranked A and a possible S when Tsunade-baa-chan gave it to us." Naruto closed his mouth and stared at the carpet. "But… we could lose someone in a mission like this."
Hinata frowned, her eyebrows trekking downwards. "What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
Naruto chuckled softly, but it lacked humour. "Voldemort is not to be taken lightly. I know he is only a wizard, but he is a great mastermind. Dumbledore-san told me that he waited, bidding his time, for years before he decided to strike. He is like a serpent… waiting for the perfect moment to kill his prey."
"So you're worried," Hinata summarised. Naruto glanced at her.
"Yeah," Naruto said. Then, the usual, overly bright grin slid onto his face again. "You always know what I'm talking about, Hinata-chan." Hinata smiled at him, and then turned her pale, pearly eyes towards the ceiling.
"Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere (2)," Hinata said.
"Heh," Naruto said. The pair of them talked; talked of everything, but nothing at once. They talked to take their minds off the upcoming battle. They talked, and laughed, retreating into a state of peacefulness, both knowing that it wouldn't last long, but doing so anyway to enjoy it while it did.
Tenten knocked the door of the staffroom. She was told to come in, and she did.
"Hello," she said, smiling at the teachers present and bowing. Only four of them were there: Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Snape and, strangely enough, Dumbledore. "Naruto told me to inspect the teacher's staffroom. Gaara was supposed to be doing it, but taicho has got him doing some other thing."
"Go ahead, my dear," Dumbledore said. "I've just got some business with these teachers, so if you would please excuse us, we'll be just outside." Tenten nodded and began making her way around the now empty room.
Neji or Hinata would have been better at this, Tenten thought. They could use their Byakugan. Tch, just because they're busy…
Tenten began her search, and opened a cabinet at the far end of the room, but she had some difficulty dragging it open.
Tenten did not know what happened next, only that as soon as she managed to pry it open Rock Lee suddenly appeared on the floor in front of her. And he was dead.
What is this? Tenten thought.
Tenten looked around wildly, and saw no one there to help her. Her teammate was wearing his usual green spandex, and his shiny bowl haircut was splayed around his head. Lee was lying on his stomach, a disgusting wound on his back. It was a large slash, going from his right shoulder blade and ending on his opposite hip.
"Lee," she whispered. "Lee," she said again, only louder. She began to sweat, and she started towards him, when there was a loud crack and Lee was gone, only to be replaced by Gai-sensei.
Gai's mouth was slightly open, as if he was surprised. One leg was broken; one arm was out of place.
"Gai-sensei," Tenten said. She drew a shaking hand into her kunai pocket and drew out the shiny, cold steel knife. She threw it towards her former teacher, but though it went through, the body did not disappear.
Crack. Dead Neji.
The Hyuuga boy's neck was twisted at the oddest angle, and blood pooled on the ground around him. She saw that several fingers were broken, and she could see ribs poking out from underneath his clothes. His empty, lifeless pale eyes stared out at her, and Tenten felt her heart beating faster, louder.…
"Neji."
Tenten's breath came in heaving gasps.
Someone, help me…
"NEJI! WAKE UP!"
The door of the teachers' staffroom was flung open, and Professor Dumbledore came sweeping in. The other three professors poked their heads in as well, and Tenten saw Harry Potter standing with them. His eyes grew wide when he saw Neji's body.
Dumbledore took one look at Tenten, then at Neji on the ground. He took out his wand, and said, quite calmly, "Riddikulus."
Neji disappeared, and Tenten was left staring at the place his body had been.
"It was a fake," Dumbledore told her quietly. "It's a Boggart. It takes on the form of your greatest fear." Tenten felt numb, but then, at the sound of the headmaster's voice, her head snapped up.
"Well, that was interesting," Tenten said, with a cheerfulness she could not understand. "I must get going now. Naruto would want me for guard duty." Still smiling, she skipped out the door. "See you later."
Tenten walked away quickly, her heart still pounding, and found a statue where she could hide herself for a while. She sank gratefully into its shadow and buried her face into her hands. There, she finally began to breathe properly again.
Harry watched as Tenten spoke with a voice that was not quite her own.
"Well, that was interesting," she had said. "I must get going now. Naruto would want me for guard duty." She had smiled, and then said, "See you later."
But perhaps what she didn't realise was that her voice had gone up a few octaves and her face was… too happy. She had masked her horror with a smile, but even Harry could tell that it was false. She had brushed past him, still grinning weirdly, and walked away hurriedly, but not before Harry saw the mask slip and caught a glimpse of the pained expression her face wore.
"I think that Boggart moved in very recently," Dumbledore said. "That's why we didn't know about it until now."
Harry wasn't listening; he was still thinking about Tenten's reaction when she saw Neji's dead form. Somewhere in his heart, Harry was surprised.
Why would I be surprised? Harry thought. I already know that ninja have feelings. So why am I still surprised when one of them show more emotion than usual? Do I still think that they're cold-blooded killers? Wait… they are, but still.
Harry continued to ponder all the way to the common room, but when he saw Ron and Hermione, he felt a sudden urge to keep what he had recently witnessed a secret.
Some things are better kept in the dark, Harry thought.
It was Neji who found her some hours later. Tenten was still huddled behind the stature, and when his shadow loomed over her, she had looked up dully.
"Tenten," said the familiar baritone voice. "What's wrong?"
Tenten looked up to the face she loved so much, and for a second, she saw his neck broken, his fingers and ribs broken, his body smeared with blood, and her heart clenched for one painful moment. Neji must have seen the look on her face, because he then sat down next to her and put a calloused hand on her shoulder.
"Nothing's wrong," Tenten managed to say. "Nothing's wrong… nothing's wrong…"
Neji did not say anything, and merely let Tenten try and squeeze the memories away, like dirty water from a sponge. Tenten was too independent to let anyone help her in something she deemed so insignificant. Still, Neji stayed, and his presence gave Tenten great comfort.
"Nothing's wrong."
"You don't have to hide."
"Nothing's wrong."
"I'm not that unreachable, am I?"
"Nothing's wrong."
"Tenten..."
"... N-nothing's..." A heaved, choked breath. "Shit, Neji…"
~ Get set ~
Naruto jerked his head up, his sky blue eyes instantly alert. Beside him, Hinata activated her Byakugan and scanned the grounds outside. Naruto knew that in the other, various places in the castle of Hogwarts, his friends were watchful and prepared as well. They could all feel the dark, looming presence that came out from the Forbidden Forest. The enemy was coming.
"Taicho," Ino muttered through the radio. In times of serious danger, many of the ANBU in the squad reverted back to calling Naruto 'taicho'. Captain. Naruto nodded at her.
"Ino, come back to the Hufflepuff common room. You two stay together," Naruto ordered, referring to Hinata and Ino. "Make sure all the kids are inside their dormitories. Put traps around the common room, and don't come out until I call you via radio. I'm going back to Gryffindor tower."
"Hai, taicho," the two kunoichi said simultaneously. Naruto disappeared and sped back to where he knew Shikamaru and Kiba to be.
"Uzumaki-taicho," Kiba said when he saw his captain enter the common room. Naruto saw that the room was empty, and asked him, "Are the kids in bed?"
"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "We told them that it was an emergency, and that they should stay up in their dormitories until we say that it's safe."
"Good job, Shikamaru," Naruto said. He tapped his radio. "Tenten? Sakura? Are the Ravenclaws in their dormitories?"
"Yeah," Sakura's voice came out crackly and tinny. "They won't come out. We, uh, threatened them."
"I don't care how you did it, but as long as they stay in there, it's fine," Naruto said. "Don't come out until I say so, and remember the traps."
"Hai, taicho," Sakura said. Naruto then contacted Neji and Gaara. He tapped his radio and said, "You guys alright?"
"We're fine," Gaara said smoothly. "The Slytherins listened to us very obediently."
"Don't come out until I say so. Put traps around the common room," Naruto ordered.
"Hai."
Naruto then turned to scan the line of dark trees that marked the Forbidden Forest from the window. His sharp eyes caught a movement; a silver flash.
"They're coming," Kiba muttered. He laid a hand on Akamaru's large head.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru muttered. "This is so troublesome."
"Shut up," Naruto said harshly. Shikamaru did not seem affected by his captain's behaviour. Rather, he had witnessed and received it too many times to care anymore. The genius knew that when danger approached, Naruto got edgy. He didn't really mean it.
"Taicho?" Neji's voice came from Naruto's radio.
"Yes?"
"… I can see a very large crowd heading towards the school through the Forbidden Forest. I currently cannot see any Akatsuki members within it, but there are a large majority of Sound ninja. Judging from their chakra reserves, they are chunin and jounin," Neji said. Naruto could tell that he was tense. "They are still pretty deep within the Forest, so it will be approximately twenty minutes until they actually get out of it."
"Thanks Neji," Naruto said. He then contacted everyone else. "Everyone, this is Naruto. Go out to the Forbidden Forest; we'll meet the enemies there. Wear your masks." He beckoned to Kiba, Shikamaru and Akamaru, and they all darted out of the common room, careful to no set off any of the traps they placed. Beside him, Kiba gave a feral grin.
"Let's do this."
~ Go! ~
(1) Sakura's height in Shippuden is 161cm and Gaara's is 166.1cm.
(2) Quote by Glenn Turner.
Ahahaha. Yeah. This chapter had implications of the pairings. There won't be any romance for a while now, so I just thought that I'd put it in XP For those who don't support GaaSaku, you can just think of their banter as pure friendship. For those who do support GaaSaku you can read a little deeper into it X3
Okay, next chapter (finally) will be the fighting between our dear ANBU gang and the enemies, namely many Sound ninja and Death Eaters/Voldemort's followers who never really managed to become Death Eaters. I know I've said that for the past few chapters or so ;D No, the Akatsuki and Voldemort will not be there in person. Remember, this attack is to just test the castle's defences. Those evil little masterminds will deem it too trivial for them to actually come themselves.
For those who support GaaSaku, you should go and read 'The Duty' by Avium. It's a really, really good and hilarious fic ;D
This'll be my last update for 2011. I'll be away for a few days on holidays, so if I don't reply to PMs and reviews immediately, don't fret.
Merry Christmas~!