"I would appreciate it if you gave that back. I was told not to lose it," Ichigo snorted as she stood a few feet away from the hostile ninja who had suddenly sprung from the trees and snatched away her newly-signed application for the Chunin exams. Ichigo had no idea who the man was; most of his face was masked and his eyes concealed by dark goggles, and he was also wearing unfamiliar clothing. No doubt it was another candidate for the Chunin exams who was simply trying to whittle down the competition with a little scare tactic.
Well, Ichigo was far from scared.
"You don't stand a chance in the Chunin exams! All the other candidates will tear you apart! You should just give up!" the strange man cackled as he waved the piece of paper around tauntingly, making Ichigo's face flush with anger, before he tucked it into his shirt. "You're nothing but a weak little girl just playing at ninja."
"Oh, yeah? Why don't I just show you how strong I am?" Ichigo cried, the comment striking an obvious nerve. Before the Rain ninja could reply with another scathing insult, Ichigo twirled her sword in her hand and dashed toward him, the grass rustling wildly in the wake of her speed. The man seemed startled at such a display of quickness, and had almost no time to whip out a kunai to block her offense before Ichigo's sword was on him. Sparks flew through the air and danced off their clothes as the metallic weapons collided, and his hands shook violently as the young girl bore down on him with all her strength. As his own blade inched closer and closer to his neck, she could see the unease form on what little of his expression was readable. "How do you like that?" she snarled angrily.
Abruptly, the ninja shoved her away and sprang a few yards away, hoping to increase the distance between them.
"I'll admit, you're stronger than you look, physically. How are your reflexes?" he laughed and pulled open his cloak with a dramatic flourish, and dozens of kunai flew from the ripped, dirty fabric. As the projectiles whistled toward her, Ichigo fell back into a back-hand spring, launching herself into the air and somersaulting to land perfectly on an overhanging branch. Before she even saw them she heard the shuriken whirling toward her, and she swung her sword powerfully to block the oncoming onslaught of sharp throwing stars. They fell harmlessly to the base of the tree, embedding themselves in the dirt. "Not bad. But you still aren't ready. Give up!"
"Haven't you gotten in through your thick head yet? I'm not giving up on the Chunin exams! I'm not going to run away from a challenge!" she shouted down at him before placing a hand over her chest. She could feel the chakra of Hotaru burning there, blazing brightly contained in the seal inked into her skin. Hotaru, can you hear me? Why don't we give this joke a demonstration of our power? She suggested silently. She immediately grinned when she heard the wolf's deep voice growl back.
Gladly, he purred, and Ichigo felt the chakra contained within the seal suddenly burst forth, flooding through her body. The groove in her sword began to glow a rich red, channeling the raging chakra inside the girl, and then the sword burst into flame. The flame flickered along the silver surface for a moment before taking on a life of its own, jumping into the air in a ball of roiling fire before colliding with the ground and spreading out, burning all the grass as it did so. The flickering flames morphed into a lupine shape, before dying out and leaving the reddish form of Hotaru behind. As he snarled at their enemy, small flames danced across his massive paws and burned at the end of his fluffy tail. Do you think that was a grand enough entrance?
"He certainly looks spooked!" Ichigo laughed as she stood up and hopped down from the branch to land behind him. Indeed, the Rain ninja had stiffened at the appearance of the large wolf, but to his credit he tried not to let her notice.
"Ha! You think that summoning this dog will help you?" he shouted mockingly at her. Being referred to so lowly made her canine comrade snarl angrily and lash his fiery tail. The ninja sprang at her, wielding a kunai, and Hotaru jumped out of the way while the kunoichi met the attack head-on. She remained firm as he fell upon her, but she blocked the attack easily and side-stepped around him to lash out at him. He leaped away, but was too slow; the tip of her sword ripped through his cloak, sending a large chunk of it fluttering to the ground. He landed practically into Hotaru's waiting jaws, as the wolf appeared behind him and clamped tightly down on the enemy's arm.
Now, Ichigo! He demanded, and Ichigo planted herself a few feet away in front of the ninja at once. Her hands seamlessly weaved the appropriate hand signs, and she felt the chakra welling up inside her torso, nearly boiling over. Fire-Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu! Five well-sized fireballs spat from her mouth, streaming toward the immobilized man. They were so hot that the air boiled around them, and Ichigo almost felt sorry for him as they collided with him. All his clothes instantly caught fire, burning him intensely as he screeched in agony. Because the flames were fueled by chakra, they burned out after a few seconds, and the man collapsed face-first into the ground with a low, agonized groan. Well done, Hotaru smirked at her as he padded over, tongue lolling and blood dripping from his maw. Ichigo snorted and stomped over to the man, bending down to rummage through his clothes. She pulled out her application, which thankfully had escaped the inferno unscathed.
"What a creep," she sighed before folding up the paper and returning it to the safety of her ninja pouch. She was about to dismiss her summon until he abruptly began to growl, his ears angled.
Something is coming. A lot of people. Several squads' worth, he warned, and Ichigo rested a hand on the hilt of her sheathed sword.
"Reinforcements?" she wondered gruffly. No matter. If they're anything like him, they'll be a breeze, she thought haughtily. As promised, within a few seconds the clearing was filled with ninja, perched in the trees and lining the area in a circle. Immediately Ichigo knew that something was wrong; their clothes were nothing like the man she had just defeated, and even bore resemblance to the garb that many people from the Leaf wore. In addition, Hotaru hunkered low to the ground and backed up closely to her, indicating that these people were on a much higher level. Ichigo was beginning to consider running away when one of the newcomers, a woman with blue-black hair swirling about her waist, stepped forward and addressed her.
"Why so hesitant, my dear? Is that any way to treat your family?" she crooned as she opened her arms wide as if to embrace her. What? What is she talking about? She thought in bewilderment and glanced around the clearing. It was immediately apparent to her that they were linked in some way, as they all had similar hair colors: the bluish-black of the strange woman, a golden hue that resembled golden wheat, or a blazing red that matched the fire Ichigo used to often. Wait… That red… Looks a lot like Father's hair. Additionally, all of the ninja surrounding her had long hair, in ponytails or pinned in buns or simply flowing free. A pit of dread began to settle into Ichigo's stomach. "Come, now. Won't you hug your mother?"
That comment was so shocking that Ichigo stepped back as if stricken by a blow, her chest tightening as all the breath left her body. My… mother? No. It couldn't be… And these… these people are my clan…? As she struggled to process the bombshell, the unmoving body of the fallen Rain ninja abruptly sprang to life, jumping in front of Ichigo in a defensive stance. Before she could inquire as to his motives, there was a loud poof! and a cloud of smoke, and the Rain ninja was no more.
Rather, it was none other than her former sensei Iruka standing protectively in front of her, a scowl on his face and a kunai brandished threateningly in his hand. This seemed to leave a bitter taste in her mother's mouth, as she pursed her lips with a disdainful expression, as if she were gazing at a bug that needed squashing.
"I hate to interrupt your heartwarming reunion," Iruka sneered as he held out an arm defensively in front of the frightened girl. "You know you are not welcome here, and Ichigo is not the least bit interested in any relationship with you- not that you are, either. Now- tell me why you're here, Nanami Tsukihana!" he demanded adamantly. Ichigo was too busy reeling to consider the fact that Iruka had disguised himself to challenge her about the Chunin exams, now obviously unveiled as a mere test of her ability. My mother. My clan. They're here. But why? Why, after all this time?
"That isn't any concern of yours, but since you'll be dead in a few minutes, I'll leave you with this hint," Nanami mused as she tossed her long, black hair haughtily over her shoulder. "You can't see the danger in front of your noses. Soon, very soon, the Leaf Village will be rocked to it's very core- and as it should be. The wayward leadership this village has suffered will end, and the Tsukihana will finally take their rightful place at the helm to lead this village into a new age of greatness! The other great nations will fall before us, and we will usher in an era of unprecedented peace!" As she ranted, her expression turned maniacal, a mad sneer on her plump lips that contorted her pretty face. It scared Ichigo how delusional she was, how an ideology could become so twisted that her mother truly believed she was protecting the village by razing it to the ground.
"Great speech. Now, what does Ichigo have to do with it?" Iruka snorted, clearly unimpressed.
"She's a Tsukihana. She belongs with us," she mused before locking eyes with her daughter, who winced but could not tear her gaze away. "She belongs with her mother… That aside, whether she knows it or not, Ichigo has been chosen by destiny to bring the Tsukihana to its former glory. She is the cornerstone of our endeavor to save the village!" That final statement jarred Ichigo out of her fearful silence, and she balled up her hands into fists as her face set into a glare.
"How can you save the village by destroying it? That makes no sense! Father was right! You are insane!" Ichigo yelled angrily. At the mention of her former husband, Nanami rolled her eyes and made an expression of pure disgust.
"Do not speak to me of that weak fool," she spat before drawing her sword, identical to the style of Ichigo's. The girl quailed as the woman spun it expertly and took a few steps toward her; all courage fleeing from her body, she cowered behind Iruka as her mother advanced. "That's enough talk. Ichigo, you are coming with me."
"Not if I can help it!" Iruka shouted and darted forward, his kunai glinting in the sunlight as it ripped through the air in a savage arc. Nanami's sword rose to meet it, and the air rang with singing steel as the two blades collided. The other clan members made no move to intervene as the two ninja met, jumping around the clearing as they crashed together over and over. All Ichigo could do was watch in horror as they fought intensely to decide her fate. I don't get it? What would they want with me? Why am I so special? She thought. She was so confused, so mystified, that she could only watch as the battle unfolded.
Though Iruka tried his best, he was clearly outmatched.
"Gahhh!" the young teacher cried as Nanami's sword sliced through his chest, sending him staggering backwards. The kunai dropped from his hand and he fell to one knee, panting as his green Chunin vest turned dark with his blood. His face was screwed up in pain.
"Iruka-sensei!" Ichigo screamed and went to unsheathe her sword. She could not simply stand idly by as the man who had risen to her defense be slain.
"No!" he shouted at her, causing her to freeze in her tracks. "Run, Ichigo, run as fast as you can and get help!" he demanded, glaring savagely at the woman with a sword at his throat. "You will never have her!" he cried and grabbed his kunai to slash upwards. Nanami was not caught unawares, however, and simply avoided the attack, turning her sword around to jam the hilt of it into Iruka's middle. He doubled over in pain, coughing violently as the breath was forced from his lungs.
"You can't even take me on. Even if you did defeat me, you'd still have an army of my allies to contend with," she grinned scornfully. As he turned his face to shoot her another angry look, she kicked him hard in the face, knocking him out instantly. "Stay there and die," she huffed before turning to Ichigo with a smile. It was not the soft, loving smile of a mother; it was the hard smile of someone who had achieved a nefarious goal. Her eyes did not see her as a daughter, but as a tool to be used.
Ichigo could not be a tool in the destruction of the home she loved.
I have to run! She thought frantically as she stepped backwards, but her knees were shaking so badly that she could barely move. She hadn't been so scared since the first face-off with the bloodthirsty Zabuza.
Ichigo! Grab onto me! Hotaru suddenly growled and jumped in front of her. Scared out of her wits, she grabbed handfuls of his thick red fur, and with a powerful spring he launched into the air with her in tow. The mighty jump carried them over the wall of ninja, and he twisted into the air to pull her on top of him so that she was riding him like she would a horse. Though it was undignified for someone such as him, he obviously saw that the poor girl was in no state to flee. Tears rose to the corners of her eyes, and she leaned forward to bury her face into his fur.
"Hotaru, I'm so scared," she whispered. Rather than mock her, he glanced over his shoulder as he dashed over the grassy ground to rub her reassuringly with his snout.
"Do not fear," he said aloud. His voice was like that of a human's, almost, but with a beastly roughness that was distinguishing. "You are strong. No matter what they do to you, remember who you are and what you stand for, Ichigo. They cannot win so long as you continue to believe in yourself," he told her. She nodded and tightened her grip on his fur, trusting him to bring her to safety.
It proved too daunting a task.
"Damn!" Hotaru shouted and skidded to a sudden halt. Ichigo looked up to see that the ninja had somehow outrun and cornered them, and all of their blades were drawn. Nanami stood at the forefront, smiling that horrifying smile of hers.
"I knew you would inherit your father's bloodline trait. It has always been the strongest, especially in his line," she commented with a snide look at the wolf summon. "However, there is no use for him now. Dismiss him, or I will be forced to kill him. It would be a shame to lose him when you have only begun to scratch the surface of your ability, wouldn't it?" Ichigo gasped at the cold seriousness in her tone and expression, and she knew that if she did not comply she would have two potential deaths on her hands in less than ten minutes.
Ichigo, don't listen to her! He snarled in her head, crouching down as he prepared for another dash. We can reach the village!
No. We can't, she answered silently, a tear rolling down her cheek as she realized the hopelessness of her situation. It's over for now, Hotaru, she told him and then smiled down at him when he looked back at her with a concerned expression. I'll be all right, as long as you're still with me… and I believe in myself, right? The wolf gazed at her, then dipped his head before vanishing from under her in a cloud of smoke. She landed on her hands and knees, and as she sat there she could see her arms trembling still. I must not be afraid. I am strong. No matter what they do to me, I still have the power to choose my own fate.
"Very good. Now, take a nap, dear," her mother crooned, and before Ichigo could even react she felt something slam into the back of her head, and everything went black.