I don't own Naruto!
Chapter 24
2nd Day of Battle
As the battle continued, no one noticed a small girl enter the village from the north side. She crept past the few jonin guards who had been stationed in the area in the event that there was an attack from behind. She landed on a roof completely unnoticed by anyone. She searched the area, looking for her target. Then she saw it: the Leaf Village control base on the top of the Hokage's tower.
"Very soon, Hokage, everything you think you know will end."
At the southern end of the village…
"Send more men to the left flank!" shouted Neji as he watched the enemy try to overrun the flank with his Byakugan. They had managed to hold the clearing in front of the Leaf's walls, and were now fighting the war in the forest.
"Has anyone found Lee yet?"
"Yes, sir! One of the other Hyuga just took him to the medic camp. He was in bad shape."
Neji nodded. He had seen Lee's fight with his Byakugan, but his duties had prevented him from assisting his teammate. Suddenly, another shinobi lunged for Neji, who knocked him away without a glance.
"Send a messenger to the Hokage. We're going to need reinforcements here soon."
"Yes, Lord Neji!"
As soon as the jonin had left, Neji turned to see the front lines be overrun by the number and size of the enemy's renewed assault. There was at least another thousand here in this one assault. The enemy intended on breaking through with this attack.
"Their second wave has arrived. We'll have to defend the walls!" shouted Neji to the shinobi around him as the second wave of enemy troops tore through the Alliance ninja that tried to hold them off. Neji retreated back to directly in front of the Leaf's south gate.
The shinobi bounded into the clearing, two men on horse summons at the front, leading them into battle. The two on the horses reined in, halting the attack. Neji now got a good look at the two. They both wore full battle armor. Neji had only seen armor like this in history books from the times when the Feudal Lords had gone to war without the ninja. Their armor was exactly the same, complete with helmet and visor. The only difference was the feather that was at the top of the armor. The one on the left had a red feather, while the one on the right had a blue feather. The two held massive lances, which appeared to be wooden reinforced with metal, especially around the tip. The metal snaked around the lance in a spiral fashion all the way down to the handle. The horse summons looked exactly the same as well, being a dark, rich brown color. They also wore a type of armor, but his armor only protected their heads and chests. It was the same greyish metal, the only notable aspect being the horn like projection on the head of the horse. The one with the red feather rode forward and spoke with a high, nasally voice.
"We, the twin Ransukage of the Lance Village, challenge your White Ops to a duel. We will even be merciful. Should you win, you will gain a two hour reprieve from fighting, but if you lose…well… you get the picture."
Neji considered his options. There were currently no other White Ops on the battlefield. The rest were either with Naruto or leading their own divisions behind the walls. Somehow, he doubted that these two would wait long enough for one of them to arrive. However, if these two were being honest, they would have two hours to reform their defenses, something his men really needed. They could also use the time it would take Neji to fight to reinforce the gates. He made his decision and stepped forward.
"Very well. I will accept your challenge."
"Ha ha ha! Alone? You're a fool. Where is your partner?"
"He's currently being tended to by a medic thanks to one of your friends," Neji said with a glare.
The one with the blue feather shrugged and spoke in a voice similar to his brother. "War is war."
"Lord Neji," said a nearby chunin with sandy blonde hair. "You can't do this alone!"
"It's for the best. Use this time to alert the Hokage of what is happening and build up. I'll stall them with this duel as long as I can. Go!"
The chunin nodded and left to tell the Hokage of the new development.
"Give us room," said Neji, dropping into his battle stance.
The one with the red feather nodded and formed hand signs, which created a glass-like barrier separating the three from the surrounding ninja.
"What is your name?" asked the one with the blue feather.
"Neji Hyuga."
"I am Arata, and this is my brother, Michi."
"Let us begin!" Michi, the one with the red feather, said, commanding his horse to charge. He lowered his lance into striking position, perfectly level with Neji's forehead.
"Eight Trigrams Air Palm!"
Neji pushed his palm forward, focusing a burst of chakra and air forward, tripping the horse and knocking the rider off. The horse disappeared in a puff of smoke. To Neji's surprise, as the first horse disappeared, so did the second.
"Twin summons," the man whose horse Neji had tripped explained. "Lose one and the other goes too."
"I see," said Neji.
"However, if you think you've gained an advantage, your wrong."
Michi jumped back, landing next to Arata, who had already focused chakra into his lance.
"Fire Style," Arata said. "Wildfire Lance!" Fire engulfed the weapon, and Arata charged at Neji.
"Rotation!" said Neji, spinning himself and his chakra, but he was surprised when the lance pierced his ultimate defense and his side. The fire had been blocked, but not the weapon. Arata removed the lance, and Neji dropped to his knees, holding his left side, where the weapon had struck.
"Lightning Style: Divine Thunderbolt!" shouted Michi as he jumped above Neji, channeling his weapon with lightning chakra. He brought the weapon down toward Neji, who was able to dive out of the way with only a slash to his left shin.
"I will not lose."
"Face it, Hyuga. It is your destiny to fall before us, just as every opponent before you!"
Neji chuckled, an action which took a little effort thanks to the hole in his side. "I used to think that way," he said with a glance toward the sky. "I believed that fate controlled everything, but then I met someone who taught me otherwise."
An image of a twelve-year-old Naruto flashed before his eyes, and Neji stood with a renewed determination. Arata came toward him lance raised to pierce his chest, but Neji caught the weapon and broke it. Arata, now furious, charged toward Neji with a kunai in his hand. Neji caught the arm with the kunai using his left hand and struck Arata with his 128 palms technique using his right. Arata fell to the ground, dead.
"Your turn," said Neji.
"Heh, you're not going to last long with that hold in your side," said Michi, charging his weapon with more lightning chakra and throwing it at Neji. This changed in tactics caught Neji off-guard, and as he jumped over the thrown lance, he was met with a fist to the face.
Michi then charged chakra into his fists, causing them to crackle with electricity. He ran toward Neji and grabbed him, electrocuting him in the process. He threw Neji into the air, then jumped up and punched him back to the ground. Neji tried to get up, but his body wasn't responding properly. He managed to make it to his knees, but could go no further.
"This ends here. It was an honor to face someone strong enough to defeat Arata, but you won't have the same luck with me."
He slowly walked toward Neji, taking his time.
'If I can just stay conscious long enough for him to get in range, then I can finish him with the Hyuga's last resort.'
Michi continued walking, grinning like a madman.
'One more step…there!'
"You're in range," said Neji.
"What?" asked Michi, confused.
"It…ends…here," Neji coughed.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Michi, now running toward Neji.
"Eight…Trigrams…Last Resort…Sword…of the…Angel!" Neji managed to choke out the jutsu.
The wind around Michi kicked up like a twister. He felt thousands of cuts all over his body, but he did not bleed. He fell to the ground, also dead.
The barrier around Neji then changed. It opened up behind Neji, allowing his allies access to his injured and lifeless form. The barrier extended between Neji and enemy forces. A few were confused at first, but then one of the ANBU understood and explained what had happened.
"The barrier will remain for two hours, as that was the rules of the duel."
Several others nodded in understanding, then went to reinforce their defenses and alert the Hokage of what had happened.
"What happened?" asked a jonin of one of the nearby Hyuga members, not having understood Neji's final jutsu.
"Sword of the Angel. Only a Hyuga master can use it. They push all of their chakra out from their body, forming it into invisible blades. These blades cut through one's chakra network like a knife through butter. When Lord Neji activated it, his opponent was guaranteed death."
At the Hokage's tower…
"Neji!" Naruto shouted in frustration. "Why did you have to go and do that?"
The other White Ops were silent. Naruto also quieted. "Bring him here."
"What?" asked the medic, confused.
"Bring him to me."
The medic nodded and walked away.
A few moments later, the body of Neji Hyuga was brought to Naruto. They laid him on a table and Naruto walked over, tears filling his sapphire eyes. Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Kakashi stood nearby, saddened at the loss of one of their own.
"You said chakra depletion was what killed him?" asked Naruto.
"Yes, Lord Hokage," said one of the medics.
"Then he's not dead."
"W-what?" asked the medic, astonished. The White Ops were also confused.
"That Caged Bird Seal, I never removed it."
"S-so?" asked the medic.
"I studied the seal. It can reverse the effects of chakra depletion as long as it is released within 1 hour of death. The Hyuga would kill to keep that secret."
Naruto placed his hand on Neji's forehead and released the seal. Chakra flooded into Neji's system, and he sat up gasping. Medics immediately rushed to help him.
"Thank you, Naruto."
Naruto grinned and gave him a thumbs up.
A little later...
"I've decided that the best way for us to win is to attack their leaders. We need to eliminate their kage."
"I agree with Naruto, for once," said Sasuke.
"He's right. The best way to win is to send the White Ops out after their kages," said Shikamaru with a cigarette already lit.
"I thought Kayla told you to stop," said Kakashi.
"She's not here right now, is she?"
The White Ops who hadn't been injured and the kage sat in the Leaf's council chambers. They had investigated the barrier and found that it would last for two hours. Of that time, only about 45 minutes had elapsed. The group was deep in thought planning out their strategy. Suddenly, two loud thumps were heard from outside the door.
"I'm guessing that was the ANBU guarding us," said Shikamaru lazily.
With an explosion, the door was blown off the hinges and someone walked in. Everyone was instantly out of their seats, ready to fight. This person wore a long black robe that covered everything from head to toe. The robe included a hood that had a strange symbol on the top. The symbol was white, a stark contrast to the black, and was what appeared to be a type of cane with one projection on the curve part and two more projections on the straight portion. The person removed the hood, revealing a girl around 16 with dark brown hair. The most startling thing about the girl was her green eyes. They also had a black triangle that surrounded the pupil, never touching it. When the girl looked at Naruto, the black triangle immediately turned blood red.
"Hokage, my master has sent me to give you a gift," she said in an emotionless voice.
"And what might that be?" asked Sasuke.
The girl directed her glowing eyes at Sasuke, staring down his Sharingan glare. "You are not the Hokage, so I ask you to remain silent."
Sasuke glared all the more, but the girl ignored him.
"What is this gift?" asked Naruto, puzzled by the situation.
"See for yourself, Lord Hokage."
The girl started forming hand signs, putting everyone on alert, but Naruto signaled them to stand down. Everyone relaxed slightly, but Sasuke's hand remained on his sword. Everyone watched as two dark portals opened, and from these two portals emerged two large wooden caskets. Sasuke stared on in amazement. Someone else had Orochimaru's jutsu! The White Ops were instantly on alert again, and the girl smirked at them as the lids fell off the coffins, allowing the one's inside to open their eyes and come out.
Shikamaru's cigarette dropped from his gaping mouth.
Sasuke also gaped.
"Whoa!" said Tai.
"I-i-impossible!" said Kakashi.
The other kage, save for Kai, were also surprised. Onoki had fallen back into his seat, Mei was gaping, and Gaara's eyes betrayed his surprise.
The girl smiled. "It is."