Disclaimer
K. I'm not sure if I have to write these things but I will. I don't claim any rights to Naruto or the characters. I give full credit to the rightful owners, blah, blah, blah. Except my story line. I mean I have no problem with them using it in Naruto, but I want credit if they do. Lmao.
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.
—Oscar Wilde
The Nine Jinchuuriki slowly moved away from Konan's mansion. She had long since gone back inside, after their goodbyes - though Sakura was the only one who seemed genuinely sad to leave - but they could feel Kouta's eyes on them from one of the upper windows of the house. They had woken up before he usually woke so it wouldn't be awkward, but he had woken up anyway and watched their goodbyes without any sign that he would miss them.
A freezing wind brushed by the Jinchuuriki and they immediately pulled their dark cloaks - courtesy of the Secret Uchiha Supply Shop - closer to themselves. A pitch black symbol was emblazoned on their back, the Japanese character for Freedom drawn on top of their Seal. Each of their names had been stitched into the sleeve.
Naruto sneezed as they morphed into the tree line, Konan's house disappearing from view. "Geez, why would she want to live somewhere so friggin' cold?" He asked, not expecting a response. Even though he got one.
"M-maybe Konan-san wants isolation after all that happened to her." Hinata offered quietly, readjusting her backpack on her shoulders.
He frowned in response. "Where the heck are we anyway?" He looked around, as if expecting a large map to come into view.
Neji looked up at the trees above them. "I'd say somewhere in Cloud. Probably pretty far in, though..." He said, more to himself than to the others. "We'll have to keep going until we find a village, before we decided what our plan is."
"Hey! Sakura, didn't you used to live in Cloud?" Lee asked suddenly, causing most of the other Jinchuuriki to jump at his abruptness.
Sakura nodded in response. "Yeah, but I was really young then, so I couldn't tell you much. Sorry." She responded half-heartedly, looking around at the tree surrounding them.
"This place gives me the creeps, I can tell you that much..." Tenten murmured thoughtfully, a shudder running up her spine. "Hey, how far away are we from the Secret Supply place?"
"Far. It'd take about a day to get to Konan's place from there." Sakura responded over her shoulder, not bothering to turn around. "But, don't worry, the Akatsuki have no idea where she lives so they won't know which direction to head in so they'll probably just go back to their headquarters for now."
Neji shook his head. "They can't, though, Konoha secured that place after your battle with the two zombies, remember? They wouldn't risk going back there with all those ninjas." He told her immediately, a frown running across his face when Sakura didn't seem fazed by what he told her.
"They have more than one base, Neji." She told him, sending a smug grin over her shoulder. "But, don't worry, we're completely safe here. Their Cloud base got destroyed a few years back and no one's had anytime to rebuild."
"Wait, you know where their locations are but you never told Tsunade?" Naruto asked in a confused voice.
"I can't. I told Tsunade that I'd tell her everything I could tell her, but I can't tell her where their bases are 'cause I'd die if I did." She glanced at their confused looks before sighing and explaining. "Every Akatsuki member gets a jutsu put on them so that they can't tell anyone where to find the others or what their specific targets are. See, I can't tell you which Jinchuuriki Itachi was targeting or I die - though it is pretty obvious, if you ask me."
They nodded in understanding and drifted off into their own worlds. They were safe for the time being, but it was only a matter of time before the Akatsuki caught scent of their trail and followed them like a dog after the scent of fresh meat. The world was big, yes, but there were plenty of people - who were terrified of the Akatsuki - who would tell them where the Jinchuuriki were. It'd probably be a week - at the most - until the Akatsuki found out their location. Maybe another week until they started following them again. Yet another week until they would have to fight again. They were all jolted out of their thoughts when Neji cleared his throat.
"Sakura, I know I have no right to do so, but would I be able to ask a favour of you?" Neji asked, looking her directly in the eye. Sakura frowned in confusion but nodded. "I think I can speak for everyone when I say that you are one of the strongest members of our group, and you know that I'm telling the truth because I'll be the last to admit someone is stronger than me."
"It's true." Lee and Tenten said in unison, nodding their heads even though they both looked confused.
"The rest of us... Even with our demonic chakra, we didn't stand a chance against the Akatsuki. I don't think it's really occurred to us that humans - sadists, yes, but still human - could defeat a Jinchuuriki." He paused before continuing, his eyes flickering towards Sasuke too. "I would like to ask that you two give us as much possible training as you can while we travel. It is inevitable that we will run into the Akatsuki again, so we should be prepared."
Sakura laughed nervously. "Doesn't seem like we have much choice, does it?" Her green-eyed gaze shifted to Sasuke, questioning.
Sasuke sighed in response. "Listen, Sakura and I have been trained in a... different way than the rest of you have. And different is putting it nicely. We'll be glad to give you as much advice, or help, or anything that'll make you stronger but - and I think I speak for both of us - we're not going to train you the way we were trained." He declared, his eyes flickering to the fading sun. "We'll make camp now and talk details in the morning, alright?"
After their 'discussion' the Jinchuuriki had listened to every piece of advice that the two had given them. Whether it simply be a comment about their chakra control, or about their fighting style. Sakura's meditation had also become a daily ritual, something they did before sunset everyday, even if they weren't setting up camp. Some - Naruto and Shikamaru, mainly, or others if they were particularly exhausted - just fell asleep while they sat still with their legs crossed. No one said anything, though, unless they started snoring. Every once in a while, Sasuke would get the Jinchuuriki to run from tree branch to tree branch, hanging upside down so they'd get better at controlling their chakra and getting used to using only as much as need be. It had been almost a week since they escaped the Akatsuki when their problem really started.
The Jinchuuriki - even Gaara, surprisingly - were sitting around the small fire, their legs cross and a relaxed expression on their faces. Sasuke was standing outside the circle, the night watch for that night. The two 'sensai's - as Naruto called them - had noticed that Hinata was getting worse with each day. She kept falling from the tree branches, more than was normal even if she was tired. She would lag behind the group until someone yelled at her to catch up. Being the only one who hadn't gained Nagato's Seal yet was a major toll on her, and it was becoming more and more obvious with each day. Sasuke and Sakura had tried to convince her to try to force contact with her demon but she refused, saying that she didn't want to risk loosing control around them all. They knew that she wasn't thinking about that at all, though, she was worried that even if she made contact with Yonbi she wouldn't get the Seal and she'd be branded a freak.
Hinata sat quietly, placed between Sakura and Naruto - like usual - as she faked the meditation like she did every night, afraid that she'd loose control if she got even a tiny bit close to her demon's chakra. Not that she'd tell the others, but she was terrified. Not just of not getting her seal, but of her demon. Sakura had said that her demon was really nice to her, but all of the others agreed that their demon's were horrible. She was afraid that her demon would be horrible, too, and she'd be eternally bound with it after she opened their connection.
Hinata sighed, knowing that by being so selfish she was putting the others in danger. You have to be strong, Hinata. Even if you make contact but loose control, they'll be able to re-Seal you and you'll get Nagato's Seal anyway. Quit being selfish and try to follow their lead! She took a deep breath and focused on the world around her. The quiet shuffle of Sasuke's feet, the soft snores coming from Naruto and Shikamaru, the slow rumble coming from Lee's empty stomach, the deep breathing from everyone else. One-by-one, Hinata blocked the sounds out of her mind until she was only left with her heartbeat and her own breathing. With a jolt, Hinata realized that she had accomplished perfect meditation when it had taken the others days to do so. She frowned and started over, annoyed at herself that she would let such a fact bring her out of her trance-like state.
In no time, she was only surrounded by her breathing and heartbeat. She slowed her breathing until it was only a silent pulse in the distance, like it was someone else's breath, not hers. Hinata focused on her heartbeat, pushing it away from herself so that she'd only be surrounded by her chakra - like Sakura had explained. Her heartbeat started to dim, like she was simply walking away from it.
Her entire world shook, her heartbeat stopped echoing around her and she found herself in a large, shrine-looking cave. There were numerous candles decorating the space, their flames flickering slightly in the invisible breeze. A dozen or so stalagmites and stalactites were jutting out of the ground across the room from here, creating a bar-like structure that cut the room in half.
Hinata gasped when she realized where she was.
Yonbi's chamber. The location and center point of her Seal.
Hinata smiled goofily and hurried towards the bars, standing far enough away that the demon wouldn't be able to attack her, but close enough that she could see what was inside. Yellow eyes flashed open when she stopped moving as thunder cracked somewhere in the distance.
Ah, the human child... What do you want, human? Speak! The six-tailed demon barked as it moved closer to the bars. It's yellow fur glinted in the little light available, lighting crackling over the surface of its coat. It's six, thunderbolt-shaped tails swished lightly behind it.
"I, um... I want Nagato's Seal, like all my friends have." Hinata offered weakly, terror washing over her body as she realized how stupid it was that she was there. The others had said that it was possible to die while in the chamber, even though it was simply part of their subconscious.
The Rinnengan's Seal, you mean? It asked her in a gravely voice, it's eyes narrowing slightly. Hinata nodded weakly. What use do you have for that Seal?
"I want to be able to use your power so that I can help my friends." Hinata declared, forcing her voice not to stutter so the demon wouldn't see the weakness in her. "As you know, the Akatsuki are pursuing us and if they catch us, they'll take you and use your powers. That's bad for everyone. See, if I die-"
I will die, too. I am aware of this fact, little human. He snapped angrily, a large bolt of lightning hitting the wall to Hinata's left. She yelped. What I meant was, why do you need this Seal? Clearly you have no more use of it.
Hinata took a deep breath. "What do you mean by that?"
A malicious grin spread across Rokubi's face. When you 'dim' your heart, you stop it, human. It barked a loud laugh. You're heart has been stopped, you are no longer one of the living.