Carry Our Burdens.
Chapter Twenty-Eight.
The Cavalry's Coming.
Edit: 06.10.11
[Shame on me and my man-eating game]
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata gathered in Dumbledore's office within minutes of getting into Hogwarts. They had only given themselves enough time to clean up briefly and put their disguises back into place. Tenten had insisted that she be allowed to attend with them but Naruto had told her repeatedly that she had to sleep. She had returned grumpily to her bedroom, mumbling mindless threats and plans for revenge. A few impatient mental notes to visit Neji peppered her death speeches. Of course, Naruto had just thought she was hilarious.
Now the three ninja stood in Dumbledore's office in front of his desk, surrounded on all sides by teachers who were up and looking around nevously. Only a few sat in the motley group of chairs provided for them. Dumbledore was sitting himself but his hands twitched every once in a while and his muscles were tense.
"Captain Fox, I will not waste any words in getting to the point. Why were your team out in the middle of the night with one of my students and would you also kindly explain why one of your team is currently in the infirmary with near-fatal injuries?" The headmaster leaned over his desk with his fingertips pressed together in front of his face. His blue eyes weren't as kind as they had seen them before and his lips were turned down in a frown.
"Well you see, Dumbledore-sama, we had a little issue with Voldemort and it got out of hand and we had to do something about it –" Naruto started in a kind of bumbling way. He chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "I… I guess I may as well just tell you everything from the beginning, ne?"
"That would be nice," Dumbledore answered with a kind of vaguely sarcastic tone. Naruto took a deep breath.
"When we found out about Mr. Weasley's condition and the dream that Harry had, I sent out two from my team, Neji and Tenten, to infiltrate Voldemort's lair. They were successful upon entry but after about a day they were discovered and taken hostage. Both were tortured for information, Neji more so than Tenten, but they didn't say anything. Voldemort sent us a letter demanding Harry Potter in return for our teammates and since there didn't seem to be any other conceivable way to get them back we agreed… kind of."
"You agreed to hand over Harry for your teammates?" McGonagall half-shrieked. "You're supposed to be protecting him, not giving him over to our enemies!"
"I said that we kind of agreed, Professor," Naruto said as if speaking to a very young child. "We never intended to hand Harry over. We've dealt with our fair share of hostage exchanges before so we decided to just double-cross Voldemort. Unfortunately a rouge ninja from our county has teamed up with Voldemort and there was a big to-do over when to get them back and who to get back for who. In the end we just grabbed Harry and our teammates and ran for it and here we are!" Naruto spread his hands wide in a motion to his teammates in the room.
"I can't fault you for handing him over since you didn't," Professor Dumbledore said slowly, "But we have put a large amount of trust in you by letting you do what you will to protect Harry however you see fit. However, next time you think that you have to pretend to hand him over to the enemy, or anything that could be at all deadly for him, do tell us."
"Hai, Dumbledore-sama," Naruto said, giving the professor a little before before making for the door.
"Captain Fox, I don't believe I said you were dismissed yet," Dumbledore said. Naruto turned on his heel with a tight smile on his face.
"Right, my bad."
"What is the current state of your absent teammates?" Dumbledore asked conversationally.
Naruto shrugged. "I'm pretty sure Tenten's just shaken up, Sakura's looking after Neji, and I'm not sure about Neji until Sakura tells me."
"Very well. You are dismissed."
Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata left the room quickly, darting down the hall toward the infirmary. When they reached the door, they stood outside for a moment, listening for any sound that may warn them against going in. The sun was starting to rise outside the school and children would be up soon.
"Ne, Sakura?" Naruto called as he stuck his head in.
"Hush!" Sakura's whisper came from behind a curtain. She stuck her head out and made a quick motion for them to come in and put a finger to her lips in a sign to be quiet. The three made their way into the infirmary with silent steps.
"How's Neji?" Naruto whispered. Sakura gave him an almost helpless look.
"There's only so much we can do. I'm starting to think that we may have to contact Tsunade, she'd be able to help him. Madame Pomfrey's magic is doing some of the things that I can't but… there's still so much that isn't working," she whispered back. Hinata clasped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened. There was fear in her innocent face.
"Can we see him or is he off limits for now?" Naruto asked. Sakura glanced back over her shoulder. Neji was hidden by the thick curtain around the bed and Madame Pomfrey was bustling around him, trying to figure out exactly everything that was wrong. The older woman had an ongoing list floating in the air by her head as she listed things out loud.
"He's asleep right now and I don't know how Madame Pomfrey will take to you being around. When we let him wake up I'll send a summon to get you, alright?" The three ninja nodded and Naruto and Sasuke headed for the door. They glanced back when they realized that Hinata had not followed them.
"Sakura, please may I see him now?" she asked softly.
Sakura bit her lip. "I'm not sure if you should. He's in bad shape, Hinata, and I don't know if you should see him now."
"Please?" she pleaded. Sakura glanced back at Neji and then at Hinata's face. She sighed and pushed the curtain back just enough for Hinata to get in but not for Naruto and Sasuke to see their teammate.
Hinata knelt beside her cousin's bed taking in his pale face and gruesome torture wounds. She tried to hold back the tears gathering in her eyes but couldn't. Silent tears slid down her cheeks as she brushed a few strands of her cousin's hair away from his face. His breathing was harsh but even in the drug-induced sleep. Madame Pomfrey and Sakura ducked out of the space to let the cousins have some privacy. Hinata clenched a fist in the blankets that covered her cousin from the waist down.
"I'll make sure that this never happens to you again," she whispered. "I don't care if you think that you should always be the one protecting me. I can protect you too. Just you wait. You'll get better and I'll make Orochimaru pay for what he did." She stood and leaned over, kissing Neji gently on his forehead, right at the center of his curse mark. She pushed the curtain back and walked back over to where Naruto and Sasuke were waiting for her. She wiped tears from her eyes and sniffed as they left the room.
"Are they related?" Madame Pomfrey asked tentatively.
Sakura gave her a small smile. "Yeah, they're cousins but more like siblings." She looked over at the door Hinata had gone out of and sighed. "And Hinata's too damn sweet to handle some of the stuff that we go through." She pursed her lips and carefully cut the awkward stitches holding Neji's Anbu tatoo in reverse. Her nose wrinkled as she started pulling it away very gently.
"He needs to go to the hospital, not stay here," Madame Pomfrey said quietly. Sakura sighed and examined the wax filled hole.
"I know but I don't know if he should go to a wizard hospital or if he should go back to our village where our specialists can help him," she murmured. She set her tools down on the table beside the bed. "I am going to contact my Hokage. She'll know what to do."
[Please, good missus, a soul cake]
Tsunade lounged at her desk, leaning her chair back on its back two legs while propping her feet up on her desk. She was completely unconcerned with the paperwork littering her work space and was busily staring out the window. The day was very nice, the sky was clear except for a few billowy white clouds. Genin were out in force today, doing any odd jobs they could for 'ninja experience'. She was just settling down to her third cup of sake when the communication device on her desk started buzzing. She snatched it up. There was only one team on a long term mission right now, the one team she hadn't heard from in months.
"Yes?" she answered.
Sakura's voice came back to her, crackly and tiny because of the interference over the long distance. "Tsunade-sama, we have a bit of an issue," she said.
"What?" Tsunade demanded.
"Orochimaru is here and he got a hold of Neji and Tenten. We have them back but Neji isn't looking good at all. He has extensive injuries and I don't whether to send him to the wizard hospital here or send him home. And if you want me to send him I have no way of getting him there without hurting him more…"
"How bad is it?' Tsunade was no longer relaxing at her desk. She sat on the edge of her chair, on hand gripping her desk, white knuckled, and the other clutching the communicator like it was a life line.
"The resident nurse in the school is having to help me with his injuries. I can take care of them by myself. That's how bad it is," Sakura said. She sounded weary now that Tsunade really listened to her voice. "As soon as we got him in here we had to put him to sleep."
"Don't do anything besides what is necessary. Shizune and I are going to be there by tomorrow." Tsunade held the communicator away from her ear, calling to the Anbu stationed outside of her office. "Akira, get your ass moving and find Shizune! Tell her I need her urgently!"
"Hai, Tsunade-sama! Right away, Tsunade-sama!" a muffled voice came back as the Inuzuka nin bolted from his position by the door. Tsunade put the communicator back to her ear just in time to hear Sakura's rant.
"Tsunade-sama, you can't come down here. Who's going to be in charge while you're gone. Stay where you are and just send Shizune. She can help me figure out where to move him –"
"Haruno Sakura, are you trying to order your Hokage around?" Tsunade asked. Sakura fell silent instantly. "Good. That's better. I'm coming there whether you like it or not. I am not loosing one of my best shinobi because of Orochimaru. Don't you dare worry about who is going to be in charge while I am gone. I'll handle what I know and you handle what you know, got it?"
"… Hai, Tsunade-sama…" Sakura said reluctantly.
"Good girl. Tell Naruto that I'm coming and I expect a full report of everything that's happened. Make sure that everything is in that report. Make sure that you inform Dumbledore that I'm going to be there and exactly why I am going to be there. Don't move Neji or do anything other than what is necessary. Try not to let anything wrong heal that way. It's going to take me at least a day to get there. Shizune and I will have to get everything together, find a way to get there, etcetera, etcetera. Just hold tight until we get there."
"Hai, Tsunade-sama."
"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune exclaimed as she burst in the door, Akira standing behind her with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "What's wrong?"
"Pack your medical bag, we have a long trip ahead of us," Tsunade said. "Oh, and gather our best Anbu. We're bringing an injured shinobi home and I have to leave back up in his place." She put the communicator back up to her mouth. "Did you hear that, Sakura?"
"Hai. Do you want me to tell that to Naruto and Dumbledore-sama?" she asked.
"Why not? See you tomorrow," Tsunade said. Before Sakura could say goodbye, she terminated the connection and swiveled in her chair. "Shizune! Why are you still here? We have a mission to go on!" she shouted. She gave her assistant a broad wink as Shizune rushed out of the room. Once the younger medic nin was gone Tsunade sank back into her chair. She heaved a sigh and looked back out the window.
"Why did I know that this was going to go all wrong?" She tapped her ink brush on her lips. "Why do these kids always get in trouble? Am I just getting old?" She sighed again and quickly pulled out a scroll and started making a list of everything she need in case she had to take care of Neji without moving him.
[Tired of working in the coffin factory]
"Yamanaka-san, Hyuuga-san, Nara-san, and Inuzuka-san, urgent mission, let's go!" Shizune shouted into the courtyard filled with Anbu. The Anbu had a separate compound to live in if they so chose, which many of them did. Anbu were in and out of the village so often they usually didn't have enough time to keep up a house or even an apartment.
The four shinobi in question were all in a little training area of their own, two in the middle sparring against each other while the other two relaxed on the sidelines, watching and making comments every once in a while. At Shizune's call, they looked up.
"Heh, guess you're not going to beat me today, Hanabi-chan!" Kiba said, smacking his younger teammate heartily on the back. She kicked him in the shins in return. "Itai! Vicious woman!"
"Just to be clear, you didn't beat me either!" she announced.
"Can you two cut it out just for a moment?" Ino asked with a yawn as she stretched, catlike, and ran a hand through her long hair. She flashed Shizune a peace sign. "What's with the emergency? Are we going somewhere fun?"
"Urgent missions don't tend to be fun, Ino," Shikamaru drawled. Ino stuck out her tongue at him.
Shizune sighed. She had no idea what Tsunade was thinking when she put the four of them on a team together. Shikamaru, Ino, and Kiba had been a team for several years but Hanabi was a first year Anbu and needed an experienced team to wander with. The previous fourth member of Shikamaru's team had retired a few months earlier so they got the Hyuuga handful as a 'gift' as Tsunade called her.
"I don't know where we're going, actually…" Shizune said. "Tsunade didn't tell me anything other than we would be moving an injured shinobi from his post and leaving a new one in his place. But she did tell me to get a team so maybe she intends to leave a whole team there…"
"Awesome!" Hanabi said, punching the air with her fist. Her bright white eyes flashed as she gave Shizune a bright grin and a peace sign like Ino had done. "I'm ready when you guys are!"
"Hanabi," Shikamaru started slowly, "Aren't you forgetting something important? Like… armour and weapons and maybe your mask?"
Hanabi looked around for a moment, as if searching to see if said important things were within easy reach. Not spotting them anywhere, she gave Shikamaru a rueful smile and rubbed the back of her head. "Hey! None of you guys have your stuff either!" she pointed out.
"We didn't say we were ready," Ino said, examining her nails. "Come on, if it's urgent, Tsunade will have our hides if we take too long."
"We're not leaving until tomorrow because Tsunade and I have to get some things together and she mentioned figuring out how to get to our destination. I don't know what that means but you may want to report to the Hokage first before getting anything that you think you need," Shizune said.
"Hai, Shizune-san!" Ino chirped. "Let's go, guys!" she said.
"I thought Shikamaru was captain," Kiba muttered. Ino raised a threatening fist and he decided that it would be better to hide behind the captain in question. Shikamaru sighed.
"Let's just hurry up and get to Tsunade-sama's office," he said. With that, the team members raised two fingers in a sign and vanished without a puff of smoke. Smoke was a jounin thing that people in Anbu quickly learned to get rid of. A puff of smoke could mean life or death on a mission. They appeared in Tsunade's office where she was pulling books and scrolls of her shelves.
"Um… Tsunade-sama?" Ino questioned. The Hokage turned around and looked them over. She sighed.
"Of course Shizune would get me you," she said absently. "Hanabi is going to have to stay here. I doubt she will be able to handle this mission," she said after a few minutes.
Hanabi looked affronted. "I can handle anything my sempai can!" she stated. "All we're doing it getting an injured shinobi, right? I can handle that! I'll be careful!"
"Really?" Tsunade said quietly. Hanabi narrowed her white eyes. She put her hands on her hips and tried to look determined. Tsunade stopped what she was doing and looked the young Hyuuga over. She raised an eyebrow.
"Who's the shinobi?" Ino asked. Tsunade didn't look at Ino. Her gaze never wavered from Hanabi's indignant eyes.
"Can you handle a mission where you have get an injured shinobi who might die on the way back to Konaha?" she asked.
"Hai," Hanabi answered confidently.
"Can you handle a mission where you might know this shinobi who may die on their way back to Konaha?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. Hanabi paused for a moment, as if trying to figure out where this was going.
"Hai," she said.
"Can you handle a mission where you have to get your cousin Neji who may die on his way back to Konaha?"
Hanabi's eyes widened.
[Author's Note]
Lyrics belong to Nikki & Rich, Sting, and The Mumlersrespectively. X]
Just a little bit longer of a chapter. I tried to make it less of a filler chapter (because last chapter was a real filler). The action will pick up from here on out. Now that we know most of what is going on (and by that I mean that I know most of what is going on X]) we can get to some action.
