(Well, this is chapter 26. I know I said I'd try and post these quicker but typing 26 pages does take time, add onto that that I have a full time job that has been putting a lot of stress on me as of late. (Worrying about losing my VERY precious and VERY loved job in this economy is a major concern of mine.) Also, I know I shouldn't care two rat's asses, but when people read 2 chapters of my story and say 'You're stealing the whole thing from Team 8' it gets to me. To those who bother to read this, if you think I'm doing nothing but plagiarizing the whole thing, then have me banned from this site and this story taken down. It won't hurt my feelings, because I can easily devote what little free time I have to other pursuits other then writing this, but I don't. Why you ask? Because there are a lot of people on the internet that read this thing, and that flock to it the day of and several after I post a new chapter to read for 30 minutes and actually bless me with their feedback and words of encouragement. I write this for them, not because I want to steal something from someone else that I will go on record and say has already crafted a fine story, and it was that story that actually spurred me to write this one. So, in closing to this topic, I say this, if you think I'm stealing this story, you basically have two options, Option A, you can report me to the site and have the story taken down, more then likely pissing off a lot of people in the process, or you can go with Option B, which is you can go away, and continue to wait another month or more for S'TarKan to finish the next chapter of his 'Team 8.' If you don't like those options, I believe the term is you can go blow it out your sphincter. Now, onto a MUCH more pleasant topic to rant about before I turn you over to this latest installment in The Demon in the Hyuga Clan, Resident Evil 5 was released days ago, and I must say it is an awesome video game, and I even worked to have this chap completed the day before it shipped so it wouldn't bog me down any further. If any of you wishes to play the game with me, and live in a time zone somewhat similar to the East Coast of the United States and has a headset, PM me and I'll send you my gamer tag along with a request to add a friend, and we'll get together for a session. Keep in mind I'm not a hardcore gamer and I prefer to not use Infinite Ammo when not playing on higher difficulties...
Look at me, I'm ranting….)
End of Babble
Start of Story
Demon Chapter 26 Omake
My name is Naruto Namikaze, and I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage. Currently, I'm in training, and have been for the last three years since my teammate and good friend Hinata Hyuga left the village with the Sannin and Perverted Hermit Jiraiya to do the same. I've been working under my father during any free time he can spare, which is very rare, but I've done everything I can to make the time count.
I've been learning something that my father invented, a fighting style that he created after I was born, and hoped to pass onto me when I came of age. He was never able to go beyond the principles and movements of the style, so it will be my fighting style, and mine alone.
"Dad, Dad!" I breathlessly call out to my father as I run toward the living room.
It's not that late, the sun having just set with the air beginning to cool. I wear a sleeveless t shirt and loose pants, my training weights now rest in the courtyard of the manor, lying in a pile.
I round a corner, my bare feet slapping against the smooth hardwood floor. I skid to a stop at the closed door to the living room, and the door reveals my father sitting in the living room. My mother stands in the kitchen, putting away dinner dishes into their proper cabinets.
I breathe heavily, my chakra level low, but not extremely low. My father sits on the sofa, his head cocked toward me with a questioning look on his face.
"Naruto, what's wrong?" He asks in concern, and my mother pokes her head out of the kitchen, a look of concern mirrored on her face as well.
The look I wear however is one of almost pure elation.
"Dad, I mastered it!" I hurriedly declare, afraid that I might forget to tell him in my excitement.
Both my father and mother exchange a glance, and then both of them look back toward me.
"Mastered what Naruto?" My father asks with his voice laced with curiosity.
"The Isshunken!" I remind him, feeling like I could nearly jump out of my skin.
My father's eyes perk up, and mom looks toward my father in surprise.
"You taught him that hair brained fighting style you thought up?" Kushina asks sarcastically, and my dad nods.
"Yep." My father says, flashing one of our family's signature grins.
Kushina shakes her head in disgust.
"But not even you use it, what makes you think that Naru-kun could even begin to apply it to actual combat?"
Minato grins again, looking at her with confidence in his eyes.
"Darling, Naruto inherited your rather large chakra capacity, and part of his training has always been to further increase his chakra capacity and he's reached the point where he's more than capable of using it for a short period of time, and with more training he'll be able to use it for even longer."
"Uh…aren't either of you curious to see whether or not I'm lying?" I gingerly ask, and both of them look back at me with wonder in their eyes.
"Why wouldn't you be able to master it Naru-kun?" Mom asks, and I suppress a blush, looking down and away from my parents.
Dad pushes himself up off the sofa, slipping his hands into the hip pockets on his pants.
"Well, let's go outside and you can show me." Minato says with a smile, and mom emerges from the kitchen a moment later, curiosity on her face.
Both my mother and father follow me as I leave the living room and head back out toward the courtyard. Once the three of us are outside, I can look around and see ANBU standing around, alert and guarding the area. I walk toward the pile of weights in the middle of the courtyard, and both mom and dad stop six or seven feet behind me.
I turn around to see my mother standing with her arm's crossed over her ample chest while my father still stands with his hands in his pockets. Both of them have guarded curiosity in their eyes and on their faces.
"Well, show your mother Naruto." My father jabs at my mother, who shoots him that look of annoyance wives often give their husband.
"Go ahead Naru-kun." My mother encourages me, smiling at me.
I nod to both of them, and I put my hands together in a generic hand sign. I begin to focus my chakra, bringing it out toward my skin. I focus and hold the chakra around my skin, using sheer willpower to form an aura of chakra around my body. My body begins to glow with a golden radiance, and I continue to focus, drawing more chakra into my eyes for a dojutsu that's my father developed for use with the Isshunken.
"Well, well…" Minato says in surprise, and my mother has a look of surprise on her face.
"So, you've mastered 'Flash Mode' huh?" Minato asks.
I stand up straight, a golden glow reflecting in my parent's eyes. The chakra concentrated into the golden luminance that surrounds my body shimmers, the only sign that I haven't totally mastered controlling and manipulating the chakra involved in the chakra veil.
"This is part of that Isshunken you created?" Kushina asks.
My father nods once.
"Unlike my Flying Thunder God fighting style, the Isshunken relies on physical speed rather than teleportation. The main source of that speed is the restraining weights Naruto's been wearing. By increasing the load and learning to move at a normal speed under the steadily increasing weight, his muscles have become stronger, and when he removes the weight he's capable of much greater speed. The dojutsu involved in Flash Mode grants the user greater visual acuity, preventing tunnel vision from developing during the high speed movements. The chakra veil has a dual purpose, the first being it provides some physical protection and also prevents chakra from flowing through it, making it nearly impossible for a genjutsu to take hold on the user. The second purpose of the veil is to protect the skin from the air. Moving at high speed would place extreme stress on the user's skin, enough to actually rip the skin apart."
"So, basically in order to use this miracle taijutsu style of yours, you have to train for years with restraining weights, have an enormous amount of chakra and the chakra control to maintain a veil around your body and use a dojutsu at the same time?" Mom asks, and Minato smiles at her.
"This style isn't meant for the average shinobi." Minato reminds her. "I created it specifically for Naruto anyway after the doctor told me he'd grow to have a large chakra capacity. I designed this style for him, so there was always going to be odd requirements to use it."
Mom shakes her head slowly.
"You always think of the strangest applications for Ninjutsu."
Minato gives her a grin.
"Yeah, and you know you love me for it." He says smugly, putting his hands on his hips.
"Just don't let Naruto get too carried away!" She quickly retorts and turns around, though I can see the beginnings of a blush forming on her face.
My father retains the grin on his face, and he looks to me, slipping his hands into his hip pockets as he does so. The grin fades away, and a serious air forms around him.
"Just because you can do it doesn't mean you're ready to use it in battle Naruto." My father reminds me. "You have to keep up your training, build up your chakra reserves. The Isshunken requires a massive amount of chakra, and if you combine it with the shadow clone jutsu it will take even more from you."
I nod, returning my body to normal and undoing the jutsu that comprises my 'Flash Mode.' Dad smiles at me while I stand up straight, and Mom turns around, her face still showing the remains of a blush. She walks toward me and wraps me in her arms, a sigh of relief coming from her mouth.
"I'm proud of you, Naru-kun." She whispers, and I look to my father to see him give me a thumb up of approval.
Mom…Dad…
Chapter 26: Spiders and Snakes
"Haruka-taicho, something is ahead!" I report, and the four of us stop in our tracks.
Haruka, now twenty feet ahead of me on her own branch jumps backward, landing on the branch with cat like agility.
"Details, Hinata." She orders, and I focus ahead, looking through my eyes and out toward the edge of my range.
"It's an underground structure that appears to be several kilometers wide. There are a variety of rooms in the structure, and there are no signs of the bunker on the surface."
"Orders, Haruka-taicho?" Naruto asks, tendrils of excitement leaking into his voice.
Haruka keeps her voice even.
"We have to proceed cautiously, and judging from the description, this isn't the so called 'Sound Village' but an outpost of some kind."
I look back toward the outpost, focusing more on the underground portion of the outpost, but at this range all I can see are the chakra networks of the people inside the bunker, and I can't even see the bottom floor of the bunker at this range.
That chakra network…
Inside the bunker I can see an odd looking chakra network. This one appears to have six arms and two legs, and has a strange eerie green glow to it.
That's the spider ninja that attacked the bandit encampment. I guess this is where he came, which means we were successful in following him.
"We'll skirt the outpost and search beyond it. Our mission is to locate the Village Hidden in the Sound, and not alert everyone in the country to our presence before we do."
Naruto is visibly disappointed, his desire to beat the snot out of someone is obvious, and the fact that Haruka is denying him that opportunity isn't sitting well with him.
"All right." Naruto reluctantly agrees.
Shino just slips his hands into his pockets, and I scan the area before Haruka motions for us to move out. We head toward the outpost, but Haruka leads us around, and when we're halfway past the outpost, I notice something I couldn't see before.
That's an odd chakra network.
It's so strange, that I actually stop and focus on the sighting. The others all stop when they notice what I'm doing, and I put my hands together, focusing to clear the image of the odd chakra network several levels underground. The chakra network pulses with a deep purple light, and it's got enough chakra in it that the person has to have at least Jounin if not Kage levels of chakra reserves. Once I move away from the chakra network, I examine the body its inside, and the body is about the farthest thing from normal a person's body can be.
On the man's right arm, a summoning contract is tattooed in black ink. The bones of his neck appear to be loose or disjoint-able, and the skin on his neck is tight, but has signs of extension. His tongue is rolled up inside his mouth, appearing as though it can extend out of his mouth to extreme distances. He has long dark hair, and yellow slit eyes, with purple paint under his eyes, and a pointy nose. He has a smirk on his face, and his face reminds of me of a face that I haven't seen for years, since the Chunin exams.
No, that isn't possible! Minato-dono killed him years ago! There's no way Minato-dono would lie about something like that, so how can he be alive?
The face is that of the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, and with my Byakugan I can tell that it isn't a transformation or some sort of trick, it really is the legendary shinobi himself.
"Hinata, do you see something?" Haruka asks.
I nod grimly.
"There's a man inside, he has yellow snake like eyes and black hair."
Recognition passes behind the eyes of my teammates and my leader.
"You mean to say you see Orochimaru?" Haruka asks, and I nod again.
"It could be his twin." I offer in explanation.
Haruka shakes her head no.
"Orochimaru didn't have any siblings or children and he was orphaned in a war." Haruka explains.
"In spite of that, someone who looks exactly like him and has enough chakra to be a Jounin or Kage level ninja is in that bunker, and the spider ninja that attacked those bandits is there as well." I report to Haruka.
Naruto shakes his head in denial.
"Dad killed Orochimaru years ago, and the village burned his body, I watched it happen."
"Even so, he's standing in that bunker, though I can't get a clear read on what he's doing, and I only found him because he has such an odd chakra network."
"We'll move in and investigate." Haruka says. "Hinata, how much closer do we have to be in order for you to get a clear read on him?"
"He's several levels down, which means it'll be harder for me to focus and bear down on him since he has so many other people around him."
There's a shifting movement around us. Shino leaps up into the air, flinging his arms up at an angle, a black buzzing mass of kikai leave his sleeves. The streams of kikai seem to extend longer and longer from his sleeves. The bugs buzz and descend in a ring twenty feet in diameter. They then swarm onto four sound ninja that have surrounded us. The kikai feast on the sound shinobi's chakra, and I curse myself for my lapse in attention. Because I was so heavily focused on the bunker, I didn't notice the four sound shinobi sneaking up on us until just before Shino did, and he was the first to act.
The sound shinobi attempt to struggle against the kikai that feast on their chakra, but the sheer number of bugs and the amount of chakra they consume per insect makes their struggles futile and short lived. In seconds the kikai have the four shinobi unconscious and out of chakra before they can even cry out in surprise.
Haruka watches the four shinobi silently as the kikai crawl off of the now drained shinobi and crawl back to their master. Shino slips his hands into his pockets as the kikai crawl up his feet and inside his pants. I shiver at the thought of the bugs crawling on my skin, and then Haruka speaks up.
"It's time we left, our position is compromised, and if what Hinata says is true, then we have information that will be vital to Konoha's survival."
A snake flies toward us from the direction of the bunker, and I grab three kunai, hurling the knives toward the snake and sticking it to an overhead branch. The snake writhes in pain, and then disappears in a puff of smoke. Three shinobi ride a snake from the bunker, and land near us, and I recognize Orochimaru and the spider ninja, along with a silver haired shinobi wearing purple pants and a purple vest with a white shirt underneath.
I recognize him from the Chunin exams, that's Kabuto Yakushi, is he working for the Sound Village now?
"Ah, the fool's favorite pet." 'Orochimaru' says; his voice nearly identical to my memories.
The snake man's eyes bore into me, and I can feel the bloodlust coming off of him. In spite of the nearly overwhelming desire to kill, I stand firm; Naruto, Shino and Haruka all standing firm as well.
"Orochimaru-sama let me kill these fools." The six armed ninja begs from the Snake Sannin.
"Kidomaru, don't underestimate them." Kabuto speaks up.
"Quiet traitor!" Haruka barks at him.
Through the Byakugan, I can see that Kabuto's obvious betrayal isn't sitting well with Naruto, though it's much less obvious with Haruka, other than her bark of anger, the woman isn't showing an ounce of emotion.
"Go ahead Kidomaru." Orochimaru bids his lackey. "Rip them all to shreds."
Naruto's weights slip off of his limbs, kikai fly out from Shino's sleeves. Haruka's eyes flare and her Sharingan appears in her eyes, her right hand going to her weapon pouch and fishing a kunai from it. While this happens, Kidomaru opens his arms and points them in multiple different directions. The green seal crawls its way across his skin, and a euphoric expression settles onto his features. Webs spout from his hands, and the four of us move up to the branches avoid the spreading spider web. Orochimaru and Kabuto both avoid the spider web in a similar fashion. However, both Orochimaru and Kabuto head back toward the outpost.
They're leaving? Not a chance.
I spring forward, looking to chase the snake and his right hand, when a web shoots up in front of me. The web is impossibly adhesive, sticking to my skin and holding me.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah, no chasing after Orochimaru-sama…" Kidomaru scolds me.
Below me, Naruto's fist impacts Kidomaru's face, enough force behind it to cause his body to reel backward, his feet chakra adhered to the branch below. Haruka appears behind me and uses a kunai to slice at the webbing, but the blade doesn't cut the chakra enhanced fluid.
He's using chakra to reinforce the substance, meaning if you disrupt that flow, you can cut it.
"Haruka-taicho, focus on him, I can cut it."
With a curt nod, Haruka drops toward Kidomaru. Looking down, I notice a gold metal covering Kidomaru's face with Naruto's fist resting against it. Kidomaru lashes out with his arms, gold kunai sticking out from them. Naruto deftly ducks, avoiding the golden kunai. Naruto's leg shoots out, impacting against Kidomaru's chest with enough force to actually undo the chakra adhesive and send the spider shinobi flying. Webbing springs from one of his hands, and he uses it like a swing to right himself in the air and swing toward an unoccupied branch. He lands there with only a slight thud of his feet impacting the branch.
"Ha, one of you is already stuck in my web." He taunts Naruto, Shino and Haruka.
I close my eyes, focusing my chakra into my body and using it in a Gentle Fist technique to release a burst of chakra from my body. I use the chakra to cut the chakra filaments inside the spider web. The webbing cuts into little pieces, falling away from my body. Without the spider web holding me up, I plummet through the air. I curse myself for not having a kunai attached to a line ready for just such an occasion when a yellow and green blur crosses the air below me and intersects me at just the right moment. The blur, actually Naruto, holds me in his arms and carries me to a nearby tree branch. He sets me down and quickly turns his head back toward Kidomaru. His face is set in an expression of absolute seriousness.
"You all right, Hinata?" He asks, his voice concerned, but focused.
"I'm fine."
"Good, how'd you break that web anyway?" He asks, still focused on Kidomaru.
Both Haruka and Shino attack the spider-like shinobi. Haruka hurls kunai at him, while Shino attacks the man with both flying and crawling kikai. The gold armor now covers the majority of his body, deflecting Haruka's kunai and putting a stop to Shino's kikai.
"His webs use chakra to hold them together, unless you cut the flow of chakra through the webbing, it'll be extremely difficult to cut."
"Right, I guess the Gentle Fist can do that, right?"
I nod.
"Yes, it's very easy for me to cut the webbing, though I'd imagine that it'd be really hard for you or Haruka or Shino to cut it."
"Right, so we have to keep you out of that crap, what's the gold stuff surrounding his body?"
I use my Byakugan, looking through it to try and figure the golden metal out. The substance is unlike anything I've ever seen before, and looks nothing like an ordinary metal. Within the metal I can see chakra, presumably Kidomaru's chakra.
His golden armored hands clasp together, and chakra builds around his body.
What?
There's a bright flash of light, followed by a cloud of smoke, and I'm forced to close my eyes to prevent the light from permanently damaging them. I open my eyes a few moments later and the smoke has begun to dissipate, and Kidomaru is nowhere to be seen in the immediate area.
"Where did he go?" Naruto asks, glancing around left and right.
I look through the Byakugan, locating the strange man in a few seconds, his chakra network like a glowing beacon in the forest.
"He's 235 meters southwest of our position." I inform Naruto.
Kidomaru hangs by two spider webs, the webs sticking out from opposite arms on his body. Two of his other arms form a generic hand sign, while the other two hold a golden bow, apparently made of the same gold material as the armor that still covers his body. Beneath the golden armor, his skin has turned a sickly neon green color, and a third eye has opened on his forehead. His chakra network is now beaming with chakra, similar to how Sasuke's reacted when he spread the mark on his body.
The seal must extract chakra from the body forcefully, I can't think about that now, he's preparing a long range attack and he's going to try and assassinate us from a distance.
As if to confirm my thoughts, a golden arrow head seeps from his mouth, the shaft following it. He slots the arrow on the bow, and one of his free hands that once formed a hand sign now attaches a spider web to the back of the arrow. He draws the bow, preparing to release an arrow and kill me or someone I care about.
"He's 235 meters to the southwest! He's preparing a long distance attack!" I yell out, pointing toward him.
The problem with pointing him out is that none of us carry a weapon capable of attacking from that distance.
The fact that he can pull off a shot like that is incredible in and of itself, none of us are prepared to fight against something like that.
He shifts his aim, and his eyes focus on me, targeting me because I'm the only one who can spot him once he's left normal visual range.
Naruto's next to me, I can't let this bastard take me out, if he kills me he'll be able to pick all of us off without a care in the world, as long as he moves after each shot.
Kidomaru releases his arrow, and I go into a spin, using a large rotation, forming a sphere of protective blue red chakra around both Naruto and I. The arrow flies, impacting the dome and bouncing off it with a ping. The arrow flies and impacts a tree, sticking there and vibrating for a moment before becoming still.
Haruka and Shino both go into motion, moving toward the source of the arrow. Naruto stands next to me inside the protective dome for a moment, until I stop spinning, and the chakra sphere disappears.
"You all right Naruto?" I ask half a question and half a statement.
"Yeah, I'm fine Hinata, thanks to you."
Unlike me, Naruto doesn't know who Kidomaru was aiming at, so for all he knows Kidomaru was aiming for him.
Haruka and Shino both move toward Kidomaru's shot position as though their lives depend on it, and Shino manages to keep pace with the ANBU Uchiha. Kidomaru drops from where he was hanging, somehow seeing both Shino and Haruka approaching him. He quickly goes on the move, taking off and jumping into the trees, running as though his master's whip was at his back.
"Hinata, what's going on?" Naruto asks.
"Kidomaru is running from Haruka and Shino." I inform him. "He's trying to keep his position a secret so he can line up another shot, and try to assassinate one of us when we can't see it coming."
Naruto's hands ball into fists, his knuckles turning white from the pressure.
"I'm not going to let that happen. Do you think you can get me within sight of him?"
"I could, but I don't think he'll let us get close to him."
Naruto nods and something happens to him. Chakra surrounds his body almost in a mist, and then a gold brilliance surrounds his body from head to toe. Naruto's blue eyes shine to a brilliant gold, and his entire body seems to be alive with energy.
"Naruto?" I ask, and he looks toward me, his glowing gaze piercing.
"I don't really have time to explain Hinata, but I promise I will." He tells me.
His weights slip off his arms and legs, clattering to the ground from beneath his sleeves and pants. Through the Byakugan, I see that both Shino and Haruka have found Kidomaru's trail, and a swarm of kikai and balls of flame chase the spider-like shinobi through the forest. Naruto moves toward me, and without a word he scoops me up in his arms bridal style, and I can feel something between me and Naruto.
It must be the chakra that's giving him that golden glow. But what he's going to do holding me like this?
"Get me ahead of him Hinata, try and predict where he'll be and give me thirty seconds to prepare."
I nod my understanding.
"Head that way, 400 meters." I tell him, pointing in the direction ahead of Kidomaru.
Naruto coils his legs, and then there's a rushing of air and a blur of green and brown that seems to fly by. Two seconds later, Naruto stops on a branch, and I look around to see we're roughly 400 meters from where we once stood.
"Is this right?" He asks, still holding me. "I was moving at about half speed so we might not be exactly where we're supposed to be."
I shake my head.
"We're close enough, and Kidomaru's coming."
He nods in understanding and puts me down next to him on the branch. He makes the sign of the ram, and chakra shimmers around him.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yells out.
Two shadow clones of him pop into existence, the clones both possess the same golden radiance that the real Naruto has. Naruto thrusts his right hand into the air, holding his palm up and his fingers slightly curled, as though he is holding a ball. He balls his left hand into a fist, and the two clones flex their fingers, and they hold their hands up toward the real Naruto's hand. The clones move their hands away and toward Naruto's right hand while Naruto's face contorts in concentration. Chakra begins to swirl around in his hand, and I can feel the air around me begin to pull against my clothes, a vortex of sorts forming around Naruto. I raise my right arm to shield my eyes from the whipping wind, and take an involuntary step back as the wind picks up. A Rasengan forms in Naruto's hand, and a few seconds later a spinning three pronged shuriken like formation of chakra surrounds the Rasengan.
What in Konoha is that?
"Wind Release: Rasen-Shuriken." Naruto says aloud.
Through the Byakugan I find Kidomaru being chased by Haruka and Shino.
"Naruto, he's coming from that way." I point toward Kidomaru.
Haruka and Shino have the spider shinobi on the run; Haruka flinging fire at him and Shino's kikai hovering over him, the small insects making feint attacks against Kidomaru.
Shino's afraid to get them on him in case Haruka hits him with one of her fireballs and sets him on fire. If that happened I doubt he'd die, but Naruto seems pretty confident that jutsu of his will do him in.
Kidomaru lands on a branch, pausing only long enough to coil his knees and leap again when he spots Naruto and on the branch in front of him, the two shadow clones still standing next to Naruto. The sight gives him pause, and that pause is all Haruka required.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Her word's echo through the forest.
Flame impacts Kidomaru's back. The light from the fire frames his body, and the sound of the flames searing at his flesh sends a chill down my spine. He falls from the branch, and Naruto pulls his arm back, ready to throw.
"RASEN-SHURIKEN!" Naruto yells, flinging the chakra shuriken toward Kidomaru.
Kidomaru has time to look, to see the incoming sphere of wind chakra just before it impacts his body. Upon impact, he releases a scream of agony from the depths of his lungs, and I can see all too clearly how Naruto's jutsu attacks his body. I watch in horror and amazement as the wind chakra contained in Naruto's jutsu forms microscopic blades that rip into Kidomaru's body. Not only do the blades sever his body, but even the cells that comprise his form. Watching the savage and obviously painful death happen before my eyes, part of me can only wonder how Naruto prevented any errant wind chakra from hitting him.
Then, Kidomaru lands on the forest floor with a slicking splat, his body splitting into multiple pieces that seems to degenerate into a crimson and black slop upon impact. From the point of impact to the ground was scarcely a few moments, but watching it and seeing it all so clearly, it was though time had slowed for me, every breath taking minutes instead of seconds, the beating of my heart slowing to a dull thump, repeating much too slowly.
"Ha…ha…ha…" Naruto breathes in exhaustion, the sound bringing me back into focus.
Looking over at him, he's very low on chakra, and he's no longer in his golden glowing form.
"Naruto!" I move deftly as he loses his balance.
He falls forward, and I put myself beneath him. Putting my right arm across his chest, I use my left arm to drape his right arm over my shoulders, and then brace him and pull him up.
"Hinata…?" He groggily asks. "Did it work, did I get him?"
Holding him there, it dawns on me that Naruto didn't really know if his attack would've worked, in spite of the outer confidence he demonstrated.
He mustn't know what it does to a human body, better not to tell him right now, it is a rather disgusting sight.
"You got him Naruto." I affirm for him.
"Good…" He breathlessly manages, and then his eyes close, and he slips into an exhausted unconsciousness.
"Is he all right?" Haruka's concerned voice pulls my attention from him, and I turn to look to see her and Shino appear on the branch near us.
Shino has his hands out of his pockets, concern filling his otherwise stoic body language. With Haruka, her concern is painted on her face like a billboard.
Then, an explosion rips through the forest in the direction of the bunker with an overpressure wave striking the four of us like a giant omnipresent club across our bodies. We all recoil from the wave of force, both Haruka and Shino kneeling and touching the branch with chakra at their hands and feet holding them to the tree. The tree itself shifts, recoiling away from the explosion, and I feel myself slip from the branch, Naruto's dead weight helping to pull me from relative safety.
NO!
Both Haruka and Shino move, dropping to the branch and extending their arms, reaching out and trying to grab me before I fall out of reach, but it's too little too late, and both Naruto and slip out of reach.
"Hinata!" Haruka's panicked voice screams in my ears.
Then, kikai flood from within Shino's body, the overpressure wave having passed and no longer posing a threat to them. The bugs fly down, plummeting through the air like kites without a wisp of wind to hold them aloft. Watching it all through the Byakugan, the kikai form a wall of buzzing black that forms beneath Naruto and I. Seemingly as a single entity, the multi-layered mattress like mass of Kikai acts not as a barrier but as a buffer, moving with us and slowing our descent, Shino's chakra shimmering across the kikai bodies, strengthening them against the combined weight of Naruto and I.
The descent stops ten feet above the ground, and I look around with my normal vision to find my lover and I lying on a 'bed' of crawling and buzzing kikai. I restrain my initial urge to scream in terror at the thought of a hundred bugs creeping up my legs and all over my body, knowing that Shino would take it as an insult to his ability to control the creatures. With only a slight change in the pitch of their buzzing, the kikai lower Naruto and me to the ground and slip out from beneath us layer by layer, until finally the last layer moves as one, and Naruto and I gently plop two inches to the floor of the forest. Still holding him close, I look the both of us over carefully, the kikai very hard to spot even with my Byakugan. Still, I don't find a single kikai on either of us, and I look up to see the fearful expression on Haruka's face gone, replaced by an expression of approval while Shino's kikai return to their master. Once the last of the kikai return inside his jacket, Shino pushes his sunglasses up to the bridge of his nose with his right hand, slipping his left into his pocket.
"Good thinking Shino." Haruka commends him, and Shino merely nods before slipping his right hand into his pocket as well. Though due to the ringing in my ears, I simply read their lips.
"I could not stand idly by and do nothing." Shino retorts in what I can only imagine as his normal flat tone.
She nods solemnly, turning toward the source of the explosion. I look as well to find a giant crater four kilometers across, having gouged into the forest with only thirty to forty meters of trees separating us from the crater. Looking at it all with my Byakugan, I can't find a trace of the underground bunker that once resided where the crater now gaps into the planet.
Both Haruka and Shino hop from the now erect tree and land on the ground near us, and I release Naruto from my grip, letting his body rest against the ground while I stand up as well. Haruka continues to look toward the crater left by the explosion, and it takes several minutes for the ringing my ears to subside before I open my mouth to speak.
"There's nothing left, Haruka-taicho." I finally report.
She closes her eyes, nodding grimly.
"I would expect as much." She says tiredly, releasing a breath.
So, Orochimaru sacrificed one of his subordinates to give him time to escape, and he even bothered to destroy what had to be a valuable facility just to cover his trail and distract us a scant few more moments. I don't doubt that he knows that we managed to kill his Kidomaru, and that's why he chose to detonate the facility when he did, otherwise it's too much of a coincidence.
Haruka walks toward the now pile of mush that was once the sound ninja Kidomaru. With her Sharingan in her eyes, she kneels down over the pile of mush and scans it up and down. She withdraws a kunai from her pouch and pokes at the mush, looking for something but doesn't find anything. She stands up, and Haruka turns back to me then looks down toward Naruto.
"How is he?" She asks, and I glance down toward the still sleeping Naruto.
"He's fine, just exhausted. That last attack really took it out of him."
"I can imagine." Haruka agrees, glancing down at him before looking at the two of us.
"We're heading out; we can't remain here any longer."
"Yes ma'am!" Both Shino and I agree.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Three days later, Naruto, Shino, Haruka and I all stand before Minato in the Hokage's office. The trip back was eventless, and once the four of us got back into the land of fire we nearly flew back to the village. In fact, Haruka has just finished giving her report to Minato, explaining everything that happened during our mission.
Minato sits with his hands steepled on his desk, his arms cocked at his elbows. He wears a grim expression on his face, an obvious representation of his mood.
"Are you absolutely sure you saw Orochimaru, Hinata?" Minato asks.
I nod solemnly.
"I am." I assure him. "The chakra network I saw was nearly identical to the one I saw in the shinobi called Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams."
"How could Orochimaru have survived all this time?" Minato thinks aloud. "I killed him myself." He continues. "And why wait this long to make his move, why not strike when Konoha was weak and rebuilding in the aftermath of his attack?"
He gains an almost empty gaze, as though he was lost in his own thoughts.
"Hokage-dono, we've finished our report." Haruka says, and Minato blinks, consciousness coming back to his gaze.
"You all are dismissed for today, Haruka I'd like you to stay." Minato dismisses us.
Naruto, Shino and I nod our assent before we walk out of his office. Haruka remains behind as requested. The three of us walk through the tower and when we hit the bottom floor I stop for a moment. Both Naruto and Shino stop after taking two steps, and both of them half turn and look toward me as I reach into my bag and withdraw the purple hooded cloak given to me by Jiraiya during my time away from the village.
Shino's eyebrows narrow and Naruto rolls his eyes.
"Do you really have to wear that Hinata?" Naruto asks.
"I want to keep my return to the village quiet." I say, pulling the hood up to my head.
"Being around the two of us is a rather overt sign of who you are." Shino explains to me. "Your wearing a hood doesn't conceal much of your appearance, and it has been multiple days since your presence was made known to those border guards. If your presence was that important to them, they would've sent a message."
"The longer I keep my identity hidden, the better." I respond, and Naruto shakes his head in disgust.
"You two wanna go grab a bite to eat?" Naruto asks.
"Proper nourishment would be appropriate." Shino comments.
"I could stand eating something." I offer.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Five minutes later the three of us are approaching the Ichiraku Ramen Stand.
Some things never change, no matter how much time passes; I can take some comfort in that.
Teuchi still stands behind the counter, and he immediately recognizes Naruto and Shino, having probably seen the two of the somewhat regularly since I left the village. He looks at both Naruto and Shino, and then looks at me, questioning passing behind his eyes.
"Naruto, Shino, it's good to see you." He greets both of my teammates. "Who's your friend?" He asks.
Naruto grins, reaching up and grabbing the back of my hood.
"This is a friend from the past, Teuchi-san." Naruto says, pulling the hood down and revealing my face to the man behind the counter.
Recognition flashes in Teuchi's eyes, in spite of the time I've been away from the village and how much training I've undergone.
Well, I am the only Hyuga in the world with a crimson tint to my eyes.
"Oh, good afternoon Hinata-chan." Teuchi greets me. "It's been a long time since I last saw you."
I nod in acceptance.
"Well, I did have to go training for a while, but I'm back now."
Then Ayame emerges from the back of the stand.
"Did Naruto-san come back with Hina-chan?" Ayame playfully asks.
Ayame glances to me, and surprise enters into her gaze.
"Oh, hello Hina-chan." She greets me. "How've you been these last few years?"
In spite of my being gone the last four years, Ayame seems genuinely curious about me and where I've been.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
The three of us manage to get our orders in, in spite of Ayame's attempt to extract as much information about where I've been and what I've been doing since I left the village. After Ayame disappears into the back of the stand to prepare our drinks. Naruto, Shino and I now sit at stools at the stand, the white drapes hanging behind us. Naruto sits next to me on my left while Shino sits on my right.
"See?" Naruto nudges me in my left side with his elbow. "Not everyone in the village hates you, in spite of what you think both Ayame-san and Teuchi-san were worried about you when you left."
Teuchi, who until this point has been diligently working on preparing our ramen orders, looks up from cutting the noodles.
"Why do you think everyone in the village hates you?" Teuchi inquires.
Doesn't he know what I am, what I've got imprisoned inside me?
"Sixteen years ago, when the Kyuubi No Kitsune attacked our village, my father used one of Hokage-sama's ninjutsu to seal the unstoppable demon inside my newborn body." I explain to him. "Everyone in the village seems to hold me accountable for what the Kyuubi did, and treat me like I'm a monster."
"I never once thought of you as a demon or a demon child, did I ever do anything to you to make you think I thought that way?"
I shake my head no.
"Nearly everyone I ever met seemed to think that way, or at least avoided me and made an effort to make me feel like I'm absolutely worthless because of it."
"I never cared about the demon, just that you're a good person and that's all that matters." He explains.
I remember a vivid memory of lying in the middle of a circle of destruction, the forest and ground around me razed clean. I look up at the sky and wonder just what happened. Then I blink and I'm back at Ichiraku, a single thought coming to mind.
Would he still think I'm a good person if he found out I was capable of doing something like that?
"See, not everyone thinks you are a demon Hina-chan." Naruto says.
I smile, assenting to his statement.
"I'm glad that there are a few people who don't think of me like that, though it seems the rest of the village does."
Ayame chooses then to emerge holding a tray with three ceramic cups on it with the Ichiraku logo printed in red on the side of the cups. She sets the tray down between the three of us and distributes the cups. As she sets my cup in front of me, she looks up at me and smiles happily.
"You look good Hinata-chan." Ayame compliments me.
I feel myself blush, my cheeks flushing and I quickly look away to avoid Ayame's gaze and not show her my obvious embarrassment.
"We all just got back from an important successful mission." Naruto quickly speaks up.
"It's good that you all are working hard to protect and serve the village." Ayame compliments.
"Ayame-chan." Teuchi begins. "You have some paperwork to do in the back, so don't bother the customers." He sarcastically scolds her.
Ayame sighs, obviously not taking Teuchi's reprimand too seriously.
"He is right though, I do have some work to do, so don't work too hard, okay?" She says to the three of us.
With that Ayame leaves the three of us and disappears into the back of the stand. Teuchi continues to make our orders, and Naruto takes a sip of his tea, looking past me toward Shino as he sets his tea down.
"Something wrong Shino?" Naruto politely asks.
Shino takes a sip of his drink, setting the cup down gingerly on the counter.
"I merely had nothing to add to the conversation my teammate." Shino says.
Naruto eyes him for a long moment, and I can tell that Naruto is trying to get a read on Shino.
"Something is bothering you Shino, and you're trying to hide it."
The Aburame actually closes his eyes behind his dark sunglasses, pushing the dark shades up toward the bridge of his nose after he opens his eyes.
"I had hoped to have more time to deliberate on this matter before I brought it up amongst us." He says.
His tone sends a chill down my spine, telling me quite clearly that whatever Shino wants to discuss is important.
"When I returned to the village from our mission I received a messenger kikai from my father." Shino explains. "My father holds a position on the village council, and the kikai explained that Hizashi has already brought up Hinata at the last village council meeting. He was adamant about a decision being brought down and a punishment being meted out to Hinata for a supposed assault on his person." Shino explains.
What kind of crap is that?
"I was provoked! Hizashi destroyed the only record of my maternal history!" I explain, and Naruto nods.
"I saw him do it, and I listened to the whole conversation. Hinata didn't actually hit him I'm the one who actually hit Hizashi. Hinata didn't really do anything to him."
Shino nods solemnly.
"Though Hizashi's claim has caused some friction amongst the village council, and right now they're in a 'cooling off' recess to allow the emotions of the involved parties to settle before further discussion." Shino explains. "However, my father is one of the few members of the council that aren't furious that you've returned to the village, Hinata." He continues. "Those that are angry are ready to have you executed or locked in prison for this supposed attack against the leader of the Hyuga clan." He finishes.
"That's bull! Hina-hime didn't even do anything to him other than push him!" Naruto protests. "I was the one who hit Hizashi."
"I am well aware of the facts of the situation Naruto." Shino informs him. "However, I doubt that those on the council will have an open mind to garner the same enlightenment."
Naruto shakes his head in denial.
"Dad wouldn't let that happen." Naruto explains.
Shino nods in understanding.
"Your father is probably the one thing keeping Hinata out of a prison cell." Shino informs him. "While the council can override the Hokage's law, it will require a 2/3 vote to do so, and Hizashi doesn't quite have enough supporters to do that, yet." Shino finishes.
"I'll take the blame, I'll go before the council and admit that I was the one who struck Hizashi that the only thing Hina-hime did was push him into a tree and chose not to do anything to him."
"My father can arrange for you to have an appearance, but I can't say what impact your words will have on the village council."
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Two hours later I stand next to Naruto in a dark circular room. The light is low, and even though the room is dark I can see the faces of many of the prominent faces within Konoha in the chamber. Shino's father is one of those faces, one of the only kind faces among the many elder people inside the room. Naruto stands next to me on my left, a grim expression on his face.
"…Testimony from these witnesses will shed light onto the subject before us." Shibi finishes explaining.
One of the older members of the council glares daggers toward the Aburame elder.
"How could you bring the demon into our chamber Elder Aburame?" The bald man demands, his anger apparent in his voice.
That man must be one of Hizashi's many supporters here.
After the obvious emotional outburst, the council members go silent, with only a small few of them gaining looks of distaste at the remark. Looking over the council members before me, I scan the group of people, and I can easily pick out Hizashi's supporters, and those that oppose him. As it turns out, Shino's statement of Hizashi having not quite 2/3 of the council behind him is quite true, as ten of the eighteen members of the council show approving expressions, including Hizashi himself.
Looks like Shibi Aburame is the leader of those that oppose Hizashi, it's to be figured though. If I wasn't here, Hizashi controls the entire Hyuga clan and all of its power and influence along with all of its fortunes.
Naruto takes a step forward, taking a deep breath and sticking his chest out in defiance.
"I am the man responsible for physically assaulting Hizashi Hyuga. He attempted to provoke Hinata Hyuga by offering her a bargain which would remove her claim to the Hyuga Main House and in return he would allow her to view her maternity records which would reveal to her who her biological mother is. However, Hinata declined the offer and Hizashi burned the records on a whim, records he had no right to destroy as a mere proxy clan leader."
Hizashi's eyes flash with anger, and he stands up from his seat, slamming his fists onto the wooden table in front of him.
"Be quiet you insolent child! You have no idea what you're talking about!" Hizashi growls at Naruto.
Shibi Aburame turns his head toward Hizashi, somehow managing to glare daggers from behind his sunglasses and maintain his Aburame calmness.
"Elder Hyuga, you realize that this young man is Naruto Namikaze, the son of our Hokage, you will show him proper respect, and any emotional outbursts on your part will serve you no good here."
Hizashi glances toward Shibi, and then nods, sitting down again and smoothing his robes.
An older man with gray hair nods approvingly toward Shibi. He has an air of relative calm, and judging from his expression I can see that he isn't one of Hizashi's supporters.
"Namikaze-san, do you have any other witnesses other than accused to confirm your story that would have no reason to lie about the matter?"
Naruto opens his mouth as if to say something, and then closes it again, thinking better of it. Then the doors to the dark chamber swing open and everyone in the room including me turn and look to see a young Hyuga male walk into the chamber. Once he's through the door, the door swings closed with a light bang.
The man is in his early twenties with long dark hair and wears the white robes of the Hyuga servant families. It takes me a moment to recognize him, but I do recognize the man from my past, someone I haven't seen for quite a while.
Hiraiga Hyuga, one of the only members of the branch houses that is loyal to me, or rather to my grandmother because of the support the clan gave to his mother during her last years.
The old man with gray hair looks at the young Hyuga.
"Who dares to interrupt a meeting of the village council?" He demands from Hiraiga.
"Hiraiga." Hizashi's voice mutters in recognition.
"I am Hiraiga Hyuga, a member of the Hyuga Branch houses." Hiraiga announces himself. "I was assigned to guard Hizashi-sama the day in question, and I witnessed everything. I can confirm Namikaze-sama's story-"
It's then that Hizashi makes a hand sign, a hand sign that I recognize from my younger years. A half second later Hiraiga grasps his forehead, screaming in pain as the curse mark beneath his headband glows active. Hizashi holds the hand sign, and I can tell that he means to kill Hiraiga before he can say anything more. My hands quickly come together, forming a hand sign identical to the one Hizashi is making and directing to Hiraiga. I activate the seal on Hizashi's forehead, and the man breaks his hand sign, releasing Hiraiga from his grip as Hizashi himself falls to the floor, gripping painfully at his skull. I don't mean to kill him, and before the seal completely liquefies his brain I release the seal's hold on him. Both of them groan in pain, and it's nearly two full minutes of tense silence before Hiraiga manages to get to his feet, still obviously in pain. Hizashi also manages to get to his feet, struggling to get into his seat, appearing as though it takes him great effort to struggle through the pain and return to the seat.
The old man watches Hizashi and the entire council seem to take the silent time to process the events, and decide on how to go on. Finally the older gentleman speaks, breaking the ominous silence in the room.
"Elder Hyuga." The old man begins. "Tell me, why would you willingly attack your own subordinate?" He asks, his tone explaining that he already knows the answer.
"That man is betraying our clan." Hizashi tries to explain.
"I believe you are mistaken, Elder Hyuga. That man was about to betray you, not your clan." The older man corrects him. "And it would appear you just tried to silence him for it. With what I've just seen, I no longer harbor any doubt that Hinata Hyuga did nothing to you, and you were only trying to remove a hindrance to your personal gain."
At this, several members of the council nod, more heads than those that originally aligned with Shibi when I entered the chamber.
Apparently they realize that Hizashi has been caught in his pathetic attempt to hold on to his precious rank. They probably think it's best to cut their ties with him before their own personal position of power is brought into question.
At seeing this, I can't help but feel an almost vicious smile of victory creep onto my lips. The old man looks toward Naruto and I, his face staying completely neutral.
"You two are dismissed; we'll deal with this on our own."
I don't know or really care what they'll do to Hizashi, but at least Naruto and I are off the hook for this crap.
Naruto, Hiraiga and I all leave the council chamber without a word of argument. Outside of the council chamber Shino waits and upon seeing the three of us he immediately joins us.
"You were successful?" Shino asks.
Naruto nods, grinning toward our teammate.
"Yep, Hiraiga here came in and explained everything. Hizashi tried to kill him and Hinata dropped him using the same thing Hizashi used on him. Once that happened the majority of the council saw things our way and how Hizashi acted for his own benefit, so they let us go." Naruto explains.
The four of us leave the council chamber and the tower itself. We go into the streets, and the entire time Hiraiga remains quiet the entire time, and I can tell that something is bothering Hiraiga.
"Um, if Hizashi is the Hyuga clan leader, won't he punish you Hiraiga for speaking out against him?" Naruto asks quizzically.
"It was a risk I was prepared to take." Hiraiga confidently declares. "I could not stand idly by and watch while the rightful heir to the clan that helped my mother until her last days is locked in a prison cell for the rest of her life." He explains. "I will never forget Hinata-sama or Hibana-dono, and even if I'm put to death I will die with a smile on my face knowing that I've given my life to protect Hinata-sama and the future of my clan."
I look down, showing my obvious disdain for Hiraiga dying for me.
"I don't want that to happen." I declare, and Shino nods.
"If Hiraiga-san were to suddenly die after what just happened it would appear as though Hizashi did it as an act of revenge. He'd quickly be removed from the council for such an obvious act of premeditated murder." Shino declares.
The four of us reach an intersection, and Hiraiga stops. Naruto Shino and I all stop as well and Hiraiga moves to the west, an opposite direction as the three of us.
"I apologize, but I must go." Hiraiga says, bowing to us.
I nod my understanding.
"I know Hiraiga-san, I'll see you later." I bid my farewell to him.
"See you Hiraiga-san." Naruto says, giving him wave.
Shino gives Hiraiga a curt nod.
"I thank you for your actions with the village council." Shino gives him a farewell.
With that, Hiraiga turns and walks away from us, and the three of us watch him walk away. After a minute Naruto puts his hands behind his head, smiling slyly.
"I guess not everyone in the Hyuga clan is against you, eh Hina-hime?"
"Hiraiga was my ally before I left the village. He risks his life every day he remains in the Hyuga manor."
Shino shifts, moving his weight from his left and right feet.
"It would be wise for him to move out of the Hyuga manor." Shino comments.
"It isn't that simple." I explain for him.
Naruto gains a puzzled look.
"Why not, you did it didn't you?" Naruto asks.
"Hiraiga is a member of the Hyuga Branch Houses, and no matter where he goes, the curse mark on his forehead will follow him everywhere he goes."
"Oh." Naruto says in enlightenment.
Shino merely nods in understanding.
The three of us start walking again, and I have no idea what destination either of them has in mind.
"Well, what should we do now?" I ask.
"Perhaps some light workouts would be in order?" Shino suggests, and Naruto grins.
"Just like old times, isn't it?" Naruto says with a smile.
I smile along with Naruto.
Yes, just like old times.