WARNING: Brief, but intense, depictions of bloodshed/violence, some heavy swearing, moderate sexual innuendo, and references to minor pre-Shippuden spoilers ahead.

CONTINUE WITH CAUTION.

How the Irons of Love Bond

Twenty-Five Fetters, The Sound Four

The hunt had begun. Before anyone realized it, thoughts stalled and blows were exchanged in lightning flashes. Tenten was nowhere to be found, but the squadron sent after her had caught on to the scent of a trail.

Unfortunately, it was a trap.

"We're only toying with you, at this point," Tenten's voice rang over Neji's head during the operation.

Suddenly, a hand sign morphed in the trees' umbrage. Kannabi Bridge had been rigged to explode.

But Neji Hyūga couldn't accept that. She was already fighting with all her might against her, having deflected weapons and dodged traps. Nets, spiked pits, even swinging logs—anything and everything to deter the kunoichi from advancing. Now, a large bridge in its own right, Kannabi Bridge began to lose ground quickly. And so were Neji, Sasuke, Might Guy, and Kakashi Hatake. Loud, concussive blasts ran alongside each shinobi. Concrete fell in slabs, and promised to separate each man within the squad. But Sasuke pressed onward and ran after Neji's lead.

"Neji…! I'll protect you this time…with my life!" the Uchiha swore.

Elsewhere, Shikamaru and Chōji were in dire straits against their burly opponent—a massive well-built giant named Jirobo. His nickname was "Ironside," and he specialized in Earth-style ninjutsu and close-quarters combat. Shikamaru was able to analyze the brute's fighting style, as well. Chōji did his best to match him in strength, while Shikamaru strategized off a ways.

Before he knew, Jirobo's tattoos had stretched over even more of his skin. And Chōji had moved on to his yellow food pill—in a trio from green to red. Shikamaru clicked his tongue. "We've got to end this, before Chōji runs out of steam…!"

In a different part of the forest, Sakura and Ino were in charge of dealing with a mistress of mayhem. A demoness in appearance, her flowing dark-pink hair seemed to be a completely separate entity as it danced and moved on its own. Angular markings zigzagged further along the "Ogre Flutist" Tayuya's body, birthing a crown of horns from her pate. Sharp whistles rose to a crescendo over the trees, into the ears of her servants, and sent them into a mindless charge.

Sakura looked over to Ino. "Ready?"

Ino smirked. "You betcha!"

"Let's go!" both girls roared as they dashed headlong into the fray, as well.

"Fang over Fang!"

Kiba and Akamaru's combination attack wasn't enough to detract the "Demon Brothers" Sakon and Ukon from Shino's diversionary tactic. Fanciful curls trailed each brother's limbs before a grotesque division divided them by force. Screeches came from both boys, as if every nerve in their bodies had been set ablaze.

Shino awaited their next move.

Kiba couldn't believe his eyes. "Wh-Wha…t the actual hell…?!"

It gave Sakon and Ukon enough time to register themselves as separate beings. Dark gleams spelled death for Kiba and Shino; dark smiles heralded "playtime" for the twins. They licked their lips like predators spotting prey.

"What say you, little brother? Shall we tenderize our meat first?"

"I say, big brother, so it'll melt on our tongues!"

Shino's shades gleamed, as if a plan had been hatched. Even as they picked up on the brothers bearing down at them, claws prone and issuing shrill battle cries.

Naruto and Lee had entered a clearing when they were met by their opponents. A solemn pair—one was brutishly built with fiery spikes for hair while the other was demure and white as porcelain. They seemed to be idly chatting about something when they spotted the genin's approach.

"Hey, you two! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm on a super-special-secret mission! You're in the way…or maybe you're the guys I'm supposed to pummel?" A cocksure grin brightened the twelve-year-old's face. And lit a flame under his ego. He cracked his knuckles.

"Naruto, please hold on," Lee intervened, throwing an arm in front of him. At Naruto's stormy question bubble, Lee continued. "If these two are connected to Tenten's desertion, wouldn't it be too obvious a move to reveal themselves like this? I believe someone is pulling strings behind this; this is surely a trap set by this 'puppet master'." Lee's gaze hardened at the sight of one opponent's dismissing a flock of birds from their shoulders. "Plus…we cannot underestimate these guys. I have a gut feeling that they are worthy of our caution…?"

"Caution, schmaution! Let's get busy and wreck these guys! You with me, Lee?!"

"Naruto, please wait."

Those blue genin sandals jarred, and he threw a bewildered gaze back at his teammate.

Somehow, the gravity in Lee's voice began to press into the blond's ego. "I plan to take on the white-haired man. He may seem frail, but my gut is telling me that he will stress my taijutsu prowess to the maximum. You take the bigger man next to him. Alright?"

"Ha! Callin' dibs, I see. Sounds good to me! Let's do it!"

Naruto rolled up his sleeves and dashed at the same time as Lee.

Their opponents, on the other hand, didn't seem to regard them at all. A pale, almost ladylike, hand was kissed by the hulking warrior. Opposite hands, on both males, transmuted into dangerous weapons.

"I'll protect you, Kimimaro." The brute held the hand tenderly under his lips. Slowly, a gruesome transformation blackened his sclera and yellowed his irises. His right arm became an axe's blade.

The same happened to his porcelain beauty. His tattoos clamored over his skin, and his eyes yellowed, as well. "There's no need, Jūgo. Allow me to assist you." He had placed his right hand over his mouth, mockingly hiding a blush behind it. However, his modest reaction was a direct counter to the white acanthas—his very bones—sprouting through his flesh. A dagger-like bone protruded through that same palm, to show Naruto and Lee whose territory they'd crossed into.

Pupils tightened; Naruto and Lee were right on top of them, now.

"Rasengan!"

"Leaf Whirlwind!"

Calamity rang out in different areas of the vast battlefield. Multiple squads were too busy batting off the enemy to keep track of their teammates' progress. Chōji Akimichi held his own in his duel against Jirobo. To Shikamaru's amazement, the 16th Clan Heir's chakra blossomed into a pair of commanding butterfly wings.

"Ch-Chōji…!" Shikamaru was half-shocked, half-impressed.

"Rrraaaaah!" Fierce blue wings flared, and boosted the thirteen-year-old's attack power, just enough to slam Jirobo's ogre-like body into the earth with a great heave. Shikamaru Nara, as a comrade and best friend to the boy, couldn't believe his eyes.

The strength transferred only so far, but it was loud enough for Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno to hear. Ino threaded bouquets of fresh flowers around each of the demoness's demon soldiers. A noxiously sweet smell intoxicated them, slowing their movements down to no more than a trudge. Pinpricks struck to their flesh, and groans escaped. Even as they ripped out the flowers, more pinpricks assailed their palms. Only one class of rose was responsible for their anguish.

"My dad specially cultivated these roses just for me~!" Ino took a sniff, then sent into the blind ogre's eye. "They're harmless to humans, but especially lethal for demons! I call them…well, Demon Slayers!"

At the smallest hint of a lead, Sakura leapt in and swung her fist into the demon's jaw. "Cha!" Ripples of raw strength went into its jaw, face, and skull. A cry of failure echoed, and its physical body careened into a nearby tree.

The last one to fall; that meant the Ogre Flutist was open.

"Impossible," Tayuya hissed in aggravation, "they took down all three—by themselves?"

"Sure did!"

Suddenly, Ino and Sakura were in front of her. Her own hair welcomed her swift defeat.

"It's called girl power, and we've got loads of it! Ready, Sakura?"

"On three!"

Ino unraveled some wire, threaded with Devil Slayers, and tossed their shuriken anchors in a hooked curve. "One…!" Tayuya's sharp reflexes deflected some, but couldn't keep up with the interchanging directions they whipped from. Soon, she found herself entangled by them. They'd bound her hips, waist, arms, and hair. The thorns bit into her skin; she snarled.

A smooth high-five: It was Sakura's turn.

"Two…!" Sakura released a train of steel wire of her own. Dexterously, the twine spooled around her fingers began to not only snatch up Tayuya's ankles but the tree branch she stood on, as well. It was nice and taut. No matter how much Tayuya struggled, it would only get tighter and cut into her skin. Sakura rounded the tree limb, leapt up, and gave the Ogre Flutist a good smack on the forehead.

Leaving a paper bomb like a talisman.

Tayuya roared in indignation.

"Three~!"

The Ogre Flutist couldn't endure the bombardment of explosions. Paper bombs ignited from the Demon Slayers' stems, one by one. Both kunoichi struck a "girl power" pose in the light of their victory fireworks.

Fireworks that Kiba Inuzuka picked up from a distance away. He smirked.

"Kiba, I've got them…finally."

Shino Aburame, heir to the noble insect-wielding clan, had magnetized the Demon Brothers with bugs. Thick coats of humming insects stuck stronger than glue, and both Sakon and Ukon struggled to separate again.

"Yahoo! Nice one, Shino! Now let's kick it up to the finale!" Kiba had timed his secret jutsu just right. "Let's go, Akamaru!" A loyal yap, and Akamaru was in perfect sync with his master's movements.

Sakon and Ukon gawped at the transformation.

"Inuzuka Style: Man-Beast Transformation Combo—Two-Headed Wolf!"

A mighty canine amalgamation stared daggers into the Brothers. But it all ended in a flash—"Fang Wolf Fang!"—and the Demon Brothers were defeated by Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino's impeccable teamwork. The tightening corkscrew swiveled dangerously, and it threatened to topple any and all the trees within radius. Wind ripped through the leaves and other foliage. Even sending off a few dislocated flower petals.

Pinks and yellows glided along the waspish gust, and found themselves bowling high over the heads of Neji Hyūga and Sasuke Uchiha. Both genin had discovered their separation from Might Guy and Kakashi Hatake earlier, but resolved to press forward despite it.

"I'm sure this is the right way," Neji spoke in a reassured tone. "Tenten's trail leads north-northwest, 1200 meters ahead, but where is she going…?"

"This could be our big break," Sasuke interceded, also sounding confident. "So far, the traps she's left have been key indicators." Sasuke had engaged his Sharingan. Their two tomoe curled watchfully. "Just a little ways to go. We'll get her."

Neji let out a somewhat hopeful sigh. Her eyes caught sight of a falling petal. It drifted into her palm, and she quietly analyzed it. She furrowed her brows.

It was yellow.

Whoosh!

"Sasuke!"

"Yeah!"

Byakugan engaged, Neji narrowed wheeled out of the path of an incoming arrow. Somehow, the arrow was much bigger than standard: It belonged to a skilled archer, aimed to kill in a highly destructive style. Neji caught her balance and dashed into the grove. From her position, she quickly calculated the arrow's trajectory.

But Sasuke was already ahead of her. Leaping through the grove's boughs, Sasuke made a mad dash for the culprit. His keen eyes locked on to the archer. "I can see…!" his thoughts blazed as he quickly unraveled some steel wire. He paced himself ahead of the archer, who was regurgitating his ammunition, and anchored his wire onto some kunai. He pitched them just as the transformed archer was about to strike.

Clink, clank!—Sha-shwing!—Clink-clink! Then—Ka-thunk!

"Nighty-night, kiddo," the archer—the "Demon Silk Weaver" Kidomaru—rasped victoriously. He broke off the arrow from his maws and lunged it at Sasuke.

There was quite a life-like reaction for a clone.

Kidomaru sneered, realizing the kunai strikes weren't meant for him. Soon afterwards, he'd discovered a rope's worth of wire had ensnared him into Sasuke's true trap. Calmly, he huffed at the knives' seven different locations. Then smirked at the several more that interlaced them together.

The last one was held by Sasuke's clenched teeth.

"I can see!"

His Sharingan flashed.

"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Spiral jutsu!"

A ferocious dragon-shaped flame skipped along each path in a seemingly gasoline-fueled dash. One trailed along the outermost ring, while two more connected along the frenzied intersections to gain power and momentum. Altogether, a spiral pattern blazed amidst the treetops; Neji couldn't believe her eyes. Finally, the pack of flaming dragons aimed their charge at Kidomaru. The demon archer's only defense was his six arms.

An explosion ensued. Bright embers threatened to endanger the leaves and brush underfoot. Fauna had long since fled, but the flora would fall victim to the violence.

Neji couldn't afford to worry about it, now. Another enemy had been spotted.

"Sasuke, look out!"

Sasuke's Sharingan had found the assailant before he himself did. "There he is…!" Sasuke threw a good kick. "Hrrryah!" It connected flawlessly. However, it didn't seem to deter the newly discovered Kidomaru in the slightest. Something was released from the demon archer's maws.

Spiders. Hundreds of them.

But they weren't meant for Sasuke.

Neji readied herself. Her Byakugan locked on to every single one that fell within radius. "Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!" Visible chakra revolved in absolute defense of the Hyūga. Strong, whip-like rotations repelled the arachnids, which burst into sticky globs. Silk ribbons gummed the force field, and eventually the rest of the area outside of Neji's feet. Strands of it clung to Neji's arms, shirt, hair, and face.

Meanwhile, Kidomaru had seized Sasuke's ankle and slung him toward a tree. The boy's back collided with a thick branch; Sasuke lost his breath. His sight blurred for a split second. Somehow, he'd found yet another Kidomaru…?

"Hold on," his mind snapped. "Before…"

He remembered the initial Kidomaru he'd attacked with his jutsu.

"That was a clone. This one is, too. So, the real one's still lurking somewhere…?"

Snapping out of it, he caught sight of another swarm of spiders raining towards him. But, somehow, these were different. They weren't natural in appearance; only accurate representations of a common spider. They were bland, bald, without any descriptive features aside from basic anatomy. Something was amiss, and Sasuke prepared another jutsu.

"Chidori…!" He sent it outward, and bolts wreaked havoc on the incoming spiders. Oddly, nothing happened and they simply fell to the ground with light thumps—without incident. Sasuke landed safely, and quickly examined them. They didn't move or make a sound. His Sharingan seemed to have "whispered" something to him mid-attempt.

His brows furrowed. "They were bombs."

On the other side of the battlefield, Neji found herself unable to repel any more spiders. Another wave came promptly after the first, and even sooner did she discover the spiders' silk was responsible for it. Without much choice, she poured more chakra into her Gentle Fist stance and broadened her Byakugan's range.

"They just keep coming," she thought calmly, "but there's an end to them…I just have to stand firm and aim higher!"

Just then, an ancient I Ching encapsulated her and everything within range of her. Vibrant greenish-white light flashed to life and spoke in a divine, yet voiceless, tongue. It expanded greater and greater, to a range her own family thought she would never achieve.

It was too late for them to realize how intelligent their "Lesser Hyūga" had become. How brilliant Hinata's "big sister" truly was.

"Eight Trigrams…!"

"I love you!"…

"Two Palms!"—and two spiders succumbed in rapid succession. Then, "Four Palms!"—and another two fell. More kept coming, but Neji did not yield. "Eight Palms! Sixteen Palms!"

One fell after another at blinding speed. As she kept them at bay, memories of her youth flashed before her eyes. Back to a time Hizashi told her about the clan's most prized secret technique. If anything had to be taken to the grave with a Hyūga, Hizashi had told her, it had to be their Byakugan and Gentle Fist style…especially their Eight Trigrams taijutsu.

"Thirty-Two Palms!"

"Did you know that it can be taken to an even greater height?" he'd hummed into his then-son's ear. "With a will of black steel and a courage of red flame, I'm sure any of us could exceed our limit of…"

"Sixty-Four Palms…!"

"Really, Otou-san?" Neji was curious and eager to hear more.

"Mhm. Do you think"—he poked Neji's forehead at the emphasis—"you can reach 128?"

Little Neji became excited by the possibility; she remembered feeling a brave glaze coating her eyes. "Of course!…"

A single tear escaped. "Just watch me…!"

Another swarm, then another, and another. All burst into bundles of silk. Was this part of the enemy's trap, too? Neji clicked her tongue, in too much of a pinch to counter-strategize. Keen precision went into each strike. Just enough strength disabled each spider's offense and dismembered them in some way. Some lost legs, others lost their lower and upper halves. But they all shed their forms to become messy clumps. Deathly serious Byakugan eyes were ready for what came next: One last wave.

"Father…! This is for you."

"One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"

Neji strived to better that generations-old clan taijutsu. She succeeded in doubling the speed and number of strikes. Her muscles screamed, but so did her fervor. Despite her strain, Kidomaru had nestled himself in-between two trees. Their leaves provided confident cover, and he was poised to release another lethal arrow. "Alright," his tongue curled around his upper lip, "let's try this again, shall we?"

The longbow's string stretched further and further, his aim tightening more and more…

"I won't let you!"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Sasuke came face-to-face with the demon archer.

"Oh my…!"

"Chidori!"

Electrifying bird chirps echoed through the umbrage.

Neji had survived the final wave, just in time to witness Sasuke's sneak attack. "Sasuke!"

High-voltage chakra singed the enemy. Only paralyzed grunts could escape. However, Sasuke's heart sank.

He'd captured a true culprit, but it wasn't the one he had expected. This guy had a scope over his left eye, a bare blue iris on the right, and vivid blond hair. He was also wearing a black robe…and a sneaky smirk.

"AAH-AAHT," he chirred, making an X with his arms. "Looks like you picked wrong, kiddo. I dig your dragon flame spiral, though. Very…artsy. Heh heh heh…"

The strange man continued to fall, and disappeared into the shadows. At a loss for words, Sasuke's face drew up into a fretful grimace. His breathing became a little erratic.

"Sasuke! Are you alright?"

Neji's rising voice disarmed Sasuke, and he quickly turned his sights on Neji. They had become separated by a handful of meters, but their eyes met in spite of the distance. But then, shock raked Sasuke from head to toe.

"Stand still for me, my lovely…!" the real Kidomaru murmured, half-lovingly and half-sadistically.

"Neji, the enemy is still out there somewhere! Find him, so I can take him out!"

"On it!"

A moment's reactivation left Neji open to a sole incoming attack: As soon as her Byakugan activated, Neji had to maneuver quickly. It was too late to dodge, so she deflected the flying arrow. Its momentum alone tore the skin off her palm's heel. Sadly, to no avail. The virtual missile strike made its mark. The point, shaft, and solid vanes had impaled the girl's shoulder—centimeters away from her heart, her aorta. She shrieked in pain.

"No! Neji!"

Too agitated to calculate it correctly, Sasuke fired a Fireball jutsu into the source's general direction. Its subsequent explosion failed to yield an injured or dead enemy, unfortunately. "Dammit! He's gone!"

The arrow had pierced Neji's shoulder through and through. It was rendered completely useless. It hurt to move it, even all the way down to her fingers. They could barely cringe in response. The nerves had been severely damaged, and the joint itself was a hole. Blood oozed in trembling rivulets down her arm, into her clothes, and the soil. She did her best to hold back the blood, but she couldn't properly address it.

Her knees gave out. Her breaths leapt past her lips. A cold sweat dribbled from her pores. She had no choice but to deactivate her Byakugan.

If she hadn't deflected it, it would've been a one-hit kill. She'd saved her own life with just a handful of centimeters. Had she cheated death? Had she…changed her destiny? On instinct or by desire? Why fight back when your fate has already been determined? Suddenly, she was asking herself these questions. Her eyes danced with disbelief, from the initial shock of finding herself alive.

"Neji! Neji!"

The clearing opened up for Sasuke as he ran desperately towards her. She had locked eyes with him once again. She didn't cry, but her heart lifted with the sight of him.

"Neji! I'm coming! I'll save you, I'll get you out of—Gaah-hraaaaagh?!"

The threat wasn't over: A series of explosions rocked the forest. One by one, the earth was rent, and soil flew everywhere. Within the fragments, clay. Sasuke had fallen victim to an unseen trap and was thrown into a far-off tree trunk. Neji hunched down to break the explosion's forceful impact, but she ended up being thrown by it, as well. She was flung back to the ground, adding insult to her injured shoulder. Another cry escaped as pain rampaged across her body. Her sky-blue top was ruined. Blood soaked her gauzed right hand, which suffered a friction burn from the arrow. Ribbons of it had floated to the ground; where she'd been was now ruptured by the blasts.

Burnt-umber locks fell quietly back into place. Some spider's silk stitched in, those freed locks curled around her body. Simply, quietly, as if nothing else mattered to the universe. Sasuke's present had been destroyed during the attack, at some point.

"Neji, run!"

Neji's heart jumpstarted. It was Sasuke. She couldn't see him, but he was alive.

"Run away! I'll take care of this bastard! Just retreat, and find Kakashi and Guy! Go, now! Hurry!"

Elsewhere, in the umbrage, Kidomaru's smile twitched. His third eye had never lost sight of the Hyūga. "Dance, my darling…dance for me, will you?" Its pupil slivered.

"I'll catch up with you! Just run as fast as you can!"

Neji could barely get to her feet. She crawled until she could stand. She listened to Sasuke's frantic voice all the while. Tears crept into her eyes.

"Neji, don't give up! I'll be right there! Just hang in there…for me…! I'll get this bastard, and protect you this time—this time, I swear it!"

The Hyūga shut her eyes. And let the tears run down. Her hair flowed in her wake.

That was when her knees catapulted her into a sprint.

"Sasuke…"

Further away, the Uchiha felt like his skin was peeling off. An intense burn seized his left arm all the way to the fingertips. Fire ravaged his body without visible flames.

He knew it was the Curse Mark. And he knew it was ready to devour him.

"No…! I'll protect her…with my own strength! So back off!"

Kidomaru ignored the boy's incessant rants and kept his eyes on his prize. Another maximum-destruction arrow was set for release. Bloodthirst brimmed his maniacal gaze and twitching smile. "Yes, my little flower, dance for me! Dance, so I can finally pluck your petals with this fateful shot!" Tightening his focus, he licked his lips. "That's it, my flower…! Yeah…! That's right…just a little to the left, now…!"

The girl could barely breathe, but she ran for her life. She'd realized how depleted her chakra reserves were, and could barely engage her Byakugan in order to detect further danger. In those flickers of telescopic sights, not only did she barely dodge the next incoming shots but she discovered that her range had been cut in half by the blood loss.

Haggard. Battered. Bleeding. Crying.

The girl's calf had been pierced this time, claimed by the invulnerable archer's third shot. Its momentum caused her to collapse and hit the ground. A roll allowed what remained to ride out, and her back ended up gently bumping against a tree's trunk.

She couldn't run anymore. She couldn't hide anymore. She couldn't call for help, and she couldn't call for Sasuke. She couldn't dodge death twice. She was alone. She was losing too much blood. She couldn't fight anymore.

All she could do was let it happen.

All she could do was pray.

"Yes, yes, my pretty little flower…just stay right there! I'll put you out of your misery…! Heh heh!"

All she could think of was her father. His smile, his patience, his sternness, his ambitions, his midnight prayers and midday wisdom. When he missed his wife, he'd wear a certain expression that only Neji could recognize. When he'd told her to aim higher and not to accept her fate as a servant to the Main House. When he told her it was okay to be someone.

When she learned that Hinata didn't hate her, no matter what she'd said or done.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji rasped. It was so weak and pitiful. "O-tou-san…please…help…"

Her mother's back was the only thing she'd recognized during her youth. Her face had been a mystery to her ever since her "disappearance". Neji found herself thankful for seeing her mother for the first time in nearly ten years. Hisae was the first to praise Neji's induction into womanhood. Special words held special meaning between them.

"You'll be an even stronger mother than me, Neji. Don't lose hope. The right man will find you…"

"Oka-san…you were right…"

She remembered Sasuke and his cool demeanor.

"Fate isn't as cruel as you think. She weaves paths for people to follow, in hopes of reuniting them after past attempts. Fate is a fickle mistress, but in a way, I do not resent her. After all, she blessed me with your father, and you." She giggled…

Neji's tears clamored across her face. Her hair blanketed her profile. She couldn't focus her gaze anymore.

Kidomaru's aim was perfect. "There…!" So, he loosed his arrow.

Hisae held out her hand. Hizashi held her close to him and did the same.

Neji couldn't believe her eyes. More tears pooled from her eyes. One arm was ruined, but the other strove to reach them. Desperation marked her face, but her eyes stayed warm and accepting.

"Take me with you. Mother, Father…" the girl pleaded over a trickle of blood. "Please…"

Her hand inched farther and farther…until it was taken up by Hinata. Her reaction was silent, as if she'd been expecting her. New sparkles washed the dying girl's eyes with an unbelievable brightness. Hinata looked the same as when she'd been alive.

The spirit pleaded, "Don't give in, Neji-onee-chan!"—Hizashi and Hisae had placed their hands on top of hers, as well—"You have to make his dreams come true! Don't leave him behind!"

Neji gasped.

—"Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation!"

A spinning stream of chakra had appeared out of nowhere. It was impressively strong. It didn't yield to the arrow's momentum one bit. It deflected it, almost like it was nothing.

Much to Kidomaru's shock. This was the first time he'd ever missed a mark. "Tch! Fuckin'…?"

"No time, spider monkey. Time to pull out. We're done here."

Kidomaru snarled back, "My reputation's on the line here, you prick! Who said you could be in on this, anyway…Deidara?"

The blond from before stuck a tongue out at him. "Your tasteless mother. Now let's scram."

"Motherfucker…I'll kill you one of these days, I swear."

Things fell silent, and the two enemy ninja fled the scene. Darkness embosomed them, and their noiseless exit made it seem like they'd never been there at all.

But Hatsu Hyūga knew: He watched them depart with suspicious Byakugan eyes.

Neji couldn't hold her attention anymore. She couldn't hold onto her awareness, either. Simply, her hand hit the ground with an easy thump against the grass. A small sigh denoted her descent into unconsciousness. Hatsu threw his sights back to her, deactivating his ocular jutsu, and went to her side. He checked her pulse, then went on to examine her wounds thoroughly. While the first arrow had completely impaled her shoulder joint, another was still lodged in her calf. Seeing it mired Hatsu's blood. Deft chakra control went into the tips of his forefingers; he snapped off each end, leaving some of its shaft for manual manipulation.

He lightly moved her into a gentle cradle, and looked down at her face.

Broken beauty…

A distant sense of yearning made him remember the botched Chūnin Exams. Tenten, Rock Lee, Hinata, Neji, and Sasuke had failed to defeat him. Neji's unconscious body looked savory to the eye. The plumpness of her bosom made him anticipate a more mature, ladylike figure for her. He envisioned her looking identical to her mother, Hisae.

My broken beauty.

But also her father, Hizashi.

Bitterness had dulled his taste buds. Recalling Kidomaru's words, he readily sacrificed the thought for the sake of another. "His precious flower, eh? You are sadly mistaken, young spider. This flower…is mine." He smirked, clutching Neji closer to him.

The day lilies burned in a malevolent orange hue…
Honeyed tears boiled into blood…
A soundless scream rattled the garden…

He lifted her into his arms with the gentleness of a knight to his lady. His eyes examined her one more time before he made a motion to depart.

"Stop right there."

Hatsu did as the incoming Sasuke Uchiha told him, but refused to face him. A tense wind jostled the tree leaves overhead. Another sigh of petals wisped under it, turning head over heels for the suspense, and finally landed between Sasuke and Hatsu.

This time, they were pink.

"Put her down. I'm getting her out of here, not you."

"We've no time to quarrel about this, little Uchiha. I'm the only one who can heal her, for I've memorized our clan's Regenerative Healing Jutsu formula. It will save her…but it needs to be prepared immediately."

"Fine. But I'm coming with you."

"It cannot be done. I'm sorry."

"Bastard…?!"

The Uchiha boy was seized by an unbelievable surge of pain. His Curse Mark was acting up again; he couldn't afford to lose his reins on it just yet. Neji was right there, just a few strides away. His eyesight wobbled. He had no choice but to fall into a half-kneel. The left side of his neck pulsed in grotesqueness. That searing, unmistakable pain throbbed to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Sasuke snatched past his shoulder, as if to hide the seal from Neji's unseeing eyes.

Another breeze whisked through. Underneath its whisper, an order was given. One that only Hatsu could hear, apparently.

"It is time for both sides to retreat, boy. It'd be wise of you to heed it."—He looked down at Neji's face. His own locks billowed alongside hers. Nearly twice the length as hers, Hatsu never bothered to manage it correctly, and even considered chopping it off at one point. However, he considered it an "aesthetic obligation" to look presentable with. Especially for his love interest. The thought made his smirk.—"Now, if you'll excuse me…I'm going to take care of Neji-chan's wounds."

"No…! No! I'm not letting you take her away from me!" The mark burned even as he spoke. "I know what you're doing…! You plan on having your way with her, you pervert! I won't you…! I won't let you hurt her—Gah?!" Another shot of lava, it seemed.

But Hatsu wore an uninterested glare.

"If your words ring true, then come and get her…"

Sasuke's left eye looked diseased, unsettling with its yellow iris and pitch-black sclera. A look of disbelief trembled in his eyebrows, as well as his curling grimace.

Hatsu had smirked within his vanishing act. Not only did he take the fallen leaves with him, but also the flower petals: the pink and yellow ones. Hiding within was a white one. He scoffed, "…If you dare. If you can."

Neji's unconscious face was the last thing Sasuke saw.

Before his skin turned slate, midnight hair went gray, and his Sharingan ignited yet another tomoe. The name of his future bellowed over the treetops. Even Kakashi and Guy heard it from where they were. Kakashi's heart dropped into his feet. "Oh no…!" he spat.

Enraged tears flew from Sasuke's red eyes. "Neji!"

How the Irons of Terror Bond…

A/N: Minor corrections and age changes have been made. Team Asuma's birthdays have all passed by this time, making them 13 yrs. old, but Naruto's birthday has not, so he is still 12. Only a day has passed between the events of this chpt and the Autumn Festival.