Chapter Thirty-Nine
Dim lantern light illuminated the cramped concrete bunker that was home for the night. The air in the bunker was warm and sticky, even before the four teams decided to camp out inside. Hinata had removed her bandana and vest, retaining her black bodysuit and face paint in a vain effort to be more comfortable as sweat beaded down her body. She kept her Byakugan activated as she paced in the entry area of the small fortification. The bunker had looked larger on the outside; the thick walls hid the fact the internal living space was no larger than a large hotel room. Still, four walls, a real floor, and a roof was preferable to sleeping in the open with predators and poisonous insects. With the doors barred, the possibility of an enemy sneaking in and cutting their throats was almost nil.
The real enemy of the night, boredom threatened to force her to sleep, so, she had pulled her knitting out of the bag and started working on a row in the red scarf she was making for Naruto. About eight more rows, then the finishing touches. Ready just in time for his thirteenth birthday! Hinata stared across the bunker to Shikamaru guarding the rear door. She saw gears and cogs turning as he rocked his head back and forth as if he were listening to music in his head. I wonder what has him on edge. It was Shikamaru's equivalent to her tapping her fingers. He was playing his cards close, but Hinata knew something had him bothered. Naruto had been limited in what he told her, Sakura, and the others; but Shikamaru would likely know everything given his job in military intelligence. Which is worse, not knowing, or knowing and not being able to tell?
Hinata finished the row of knitting and turned her attention to Naruto. He slept on top of his sleeping bag, his jacket and boots acting as an improvised pillow. Rather than his traditional black t-shirt, he wore a shear, practically see-through, athletic chafe guard. A quick inspection of his wounded wrist indicated the skin was already healing over nicely – it'd be normal by morning. She held out the unfinished work, imagining him wearing it around his neck as he slept. He looks so peaceful, like a baby napping. Hinata wished they'd opted out of the test and taken the time to go on a much-needed vacation – somewhere with a warm beach and far removed from the responsibilities of being clan leader or the Hokage's son. When this is all over, no excuses, we're making time for some R and R.
The sensation of movement in her expanded vision caught her attention. "Someone's coming," she said in a wispy voice. Hinata quickly stowed the knitting along with her dreamy thoughts of her and Naruto walking hand in hand on a sunny beach.
"How many?" Shikamaru asked, "And from where?"
"Three of them," Hinata stretched out with her vision, "One girl and two boys, but…" she paused, wrinkling her forehead.
"What is it?" Shikamaru asked.
"Something is wrong," she shook her head, "One of the boys is carrying the other; the one being carried… he's very, very, ill by the look of things."
Shikamaru's expression hardened, "Are there any more of them?"
Hinata stretched out, scanning as far as she could. She shook her head, "No other humans for a radius of at least a kilometer in all directions," she said confidently. The girl began approaching, causing Hinata to fidget with her fingers. "The girl is approaching."
"Just her?" Shikamaru asked nervously.
"Just her," she replied, "The two boys are hanging back about a hundred meters."
Hinata recognized the girl – Temari of the Suna Family. They had never met, but Hinata knew of the girl, along with most prominent students participating in the exam. Temari was legendary for her aggressiveness toward others. As the girl approached, sheer desperation covered the girl's face. She looked anything but confident or in control as she approached the door, scanning the area for signs of anyone following her. "She's at the door," Hinata whispered.
Temari tried the knob. Finding the door barred, she knocked firmly. Hinata exchanged looks with Shikamaru, "What do we do?"
Shikamaru hustled over to Naruto, "Wake up, Naruto, we got a problem!"
"Wha- what's wrong?" Alarm sounded through Naruto as he shook off sleep.
"Temari is at the door," Shikamaru said.
"Shikamaru, if you're hung up over her that bad… wait, what?!" Naruto went from dismissive to fully awake.
Temari knocked again. The first sign of tears gathered at the corner of her eyes. "Should I let her in?" Hinata asked.
Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged glances. "It's her and her brothers," Shikamaru explained, "no one else for at least a kilometer in every direction."
Naruto turned to Hinata, "Is she armed?"
"She has a kunai and a few shuriken, but nothing else. She's the only one at the door; the other two are further back."
"Open it," Naruto ordered.
"Naruto, it could be a trap. She's damn dangerous!" Shikamaru warned.
"She's not wearing her fan, Shikamaru." Naruto turned to Hinata, "Right?"
"Right, it's with her brothers," Hinata nodded. Temari's wind release techniques, especially her wind scythe, were legendary among genin of all villages. She was one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, practitioners of the technique. For her to disarm her strongest technique something must be pretty damn serious!
"Open the door," Naruto commanded.
Hinata released the metal bar holding the door shut. She continued to scan with her Byakugan as she slid the door open, but no surprises awaited with Temari or her brothers. Temari's face went from desperation to surprise, "It's you guys." She sighed, "Thank god!"
"Temari," Naruto spoke up, "to what do we owe the honor?"
Temari suddenly straightened up, "What's the pervert doing here!"
Hinata scanned the area, looking for Grandpa Jiraiya, but he was nowhere in sight. Her confusion was suddenly dispelled as Shikamaru spoke, "I told you, that was an accident, Temari!"
"I'm sensing some history here?" Hinata asked the group, confused.
"They bumped into each other in the hot springs apparently," Naruto shrugged.
"Whatever," Temari scoffed, "I need your help!"
"Must be pretty bad to come here hoping to find us," Shikamaru locked his hands behind his head, smug, uninterested expression crossing his face.
"Dammit to hell!" Temari shouted, her face reddening as she charged toward Shikamaru, "MY LITTLE BROTHER IS DYING!" Hinata rushed to keep Termari's hands from wrapping around Shikamaru's throat, and Naruto rushed to push Shikamaru back.
"Break it up, you two!" Naruto shouted. By now, the entire bunker was stirring.
Hinata struggled to keep Temari under wraps, "Temari! What's going on! What's happening to your brother!" Hinata hoped getting the other girl to focus on what brought her here would prevent this from coming to violence.
"GAH!" the girl shouted, almost breaking loose like a volcano erupting. As quick as it started, Temari deflated like a balloon, sobbing at the top of her range. Temari buried her face into Hinata's shoulder.
Hinata stood dumbly, not knowing how to react to the sobbing mass on her shoulder. She had once been in this position with Sakura, and it had ended badly. Stop dwelling on the past; this girl needs you! "Temari, what are you trying to tell us?"
"We were approaching the central clearing when a swarm of snakes attacked us!" Temari sobbed. Hinata weakly put her arms around Temari. "At first, we repelled them just fine, but we were soon overwhelmed from all directions! Gaara…" she heaved.
"Temari," Naruto stepped forward, "What happened to Gaara?" Something about his tone made Hinata's hands go cold. Obito's fingers were wrapped around her neck, and Naruto was trying to talk him down as she frantically focused her chakra into a fire breath attack.
"One of the snakes was trying to bite me, would have gotten me if my little brother hadn't jumped in the way!" Temari cried as she struggled to compose herself, "It's all my fault!"
"Why didn't you just take him to the central temple?" Shikamaru asked, "if you have a life-threatening injury, they have to treat you."
Temari's face turned stony, "You know that answer all too well, or are you not Shikamaru Nara?"
"Shikamaru, Naruto?" Hinata asked, "What is it?"
Naruto sighed, "Gaara is the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast."
Naruto shivered at the mention of Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast. Gaara's control of the creature was far less complete than he or Hinata with Kurama. While on the diplomatic mission with Dad a few years ago, Dad had agreed to help better seal Shukaku inside Gaara, much as he had done with Nine-Tails. Until that point, Shukaku had been known to randomly seize control of Gaara and go on violent killing sprees. Sometimes Gaara would awaken covered in blood and no memory of what happened, and other times, he'd remember every hideous Village Hidden in the Sands treated him like a disease-carrying leper, worse, as a result. Poor kid, he's a living breathing weapon of mass destruction. The few times they'd written letters to each other at the holidays, things had not improved since Dad's seal had been put in place. The boy was still very much alone in the world.
"Naruto," Temari explained, "the poison is weakening his control over Shukaku." She began crying again, "there is no medic on my team, and no other team would even consider treating him if they knew," she sniffled, "not that many teams are left."
A tense silence overcame everyone as Naruto exchanged looks with Shikamaru and Hinata, "What do you mean?"
"We made straight for the central clearing," she sighed, "Gaara was hell-bent on getting his hands on the scroll we needed; we thought there were some there. A bunch of other teams had the same idea. It…" she paused, shaking her head, "it was a bloodbath! Even before we stepped in, almost a dozen genin had died in battle. Gaara cut through anyone too stupid to run, killed an entire team that refused to leave peacefully." Temari placed her hand over her eyes.
"And that's why you sought us out?" Naruto asked.
"None of the teams we encountered were Hidden Leaf teams, so I knew we hadn't burned that bridge," she looked back at the door, "If you're willing, I'll happily hand over the spare Heaven Scroll we have."
"Temari," Naruto heard Shikamaru speak, "just how many scrolls were at the central clearing?"
"The joke was on all of us," she shook her head, "all the scrolls were an elaborate genjutsu, a trap laid for anyone looking for a quick way out."
"Then how did you get your hands on a spare Heaven Scroll," Sasuke's acidic voice approached as the rest of the bunker had now awakened.
"We took them from the other teams that didn't flee," Temari said.
Sasuke balked, "Naruto, you can't be seriously agreeing to help them!"
"Why not," Naruto shot back.
"Do you have any idea how damn dangerous that kid is?" Sasuke chided him. "We let him in here, you put all our lives at risk, Naruto!"
Naruto felt his blood boil. Sasuke, would you have treated me like this if you'd know when we were little? Naruto gripped the front of his shirt, exposing the seal on his stomach. "Don't forget," he replied icily, "he's not the only one carrying a monster inside him!"
"Naruto, he'll die if you don't help!" Temari pleaded.
"Naruto, if you bring him in here, I'm taking Team Eight and leaving right now," Sasuke stared coldly with his black eyes, "I've got better things to do that get killed if he loses control."
Naruto closed his eyes, breathing deeply. "Temari, please wait outside," he sighed. "I need to speak with the teams."
"Of course, but please hurry!" Temari exited, and Naruto opened his eyes. Everyone was staring at him. The weight of the situation sat on his shoulders. The first time had been unreal, deciding if they pushed ahead with the first mission or retreated. Making the decision hadn't gotten easier, and now he was going to alienate at least one team no matter what decision was made.
"Does anyone need a recap of what our situation is?" he asked. No one asked for one. "I have every intention of helping Gaara, preferably with the help of everyone here," he stared at Team Eight. "But, I'll put it to a vote. Team leaders, what do you say?"
"What's in it for us?" Neji asked as he shifted onto his good leg.
"Temari is offering a Heaven Scroll; with that, Team Ten and Team Might Guy wouldn't have to leave this bunker until we make our final run on the temple as planned."
"Naruto, you're putting everyone's life in jeopardy if you let him in here!" Sasuke again warned.
"And if we let him die or worse, he loses control in his weakened state?" Naruto asked. "Do you really think this bunker is any defense against a tailed beast?" He shook his head, "Do you think there is a corner of this woods that is safe if it gets loose?"
"Sasuke," Sakura said, "Ino and I already took an oath as healers. We are duty bound to help someone wounded or sick to the best of our abilities."
"Then do as you like!" he huffed, "I'm not sticking around to await a painful death, and neither are you two!" he turned toward Shina and Kiba.
"You're the boss," Kiba picked his teeth.
"I disagree," Shino said, "but I also acknowledge your standing as team captain."
"Neji, Shikamaru, how do you vote?" Naruto asked.
"If Lady Hinata is with you," Neji said, "then so am I." Neji nodded.
"What a pain," Shikamaru sighed, "You got me, chief, let them in."
"After all the argument earlier?" Naruto said.
"If she meant to betray us or not hold up her end of the deal," Shikamaru sighed, "she could have easily set him loose on us."
Naruto turned to Sasuke, "I don't suppose there is any way we can change your mind?"
"Will you at least stick to the original plan?" Naruto asked, "Meet at the original rendezvous at our original time?"
"Fine, just don't come crying to me if you plant half of everyone here!" Sasuke huffed. "Come on, guys," Sasuke stormed off with Kiba and Shino through the back door out into the pre-dawn morning.
Naruto opened the front door, "Temari, bring him here, now!" He turned back to the bunker, "And someone get that back door secured!" The bunker turned into a beehive of activity as lanterns and flashlights split the night, and possessions were cleared to make room for an incoming casualty.
Gaara's brother, Kankuro cradled his younger brother as he carried him in. "Set him here!" Sakura ordered. She had pulled on a headlamp, keeping her hands free to work.
The bright beam gave Naruto the first look at Gaara. The boy's normally pale skin was stained an ugly yellow, most noticeably around his eyes. His chest rose and fell like an anvil was sitting atop it. Naruto felt his stomach twitch as he saw Gaara's right arm. Multiple bite wounds along the hand and forearm festered an ugly, unhealthy black.
"Hinata, I need your eyes," Sakura ordered. Hinata knelt next to her and Ino knelt on the other side of the unconscious boy. "Tell me what you see!" Sakura pointed over Gaara's right ribcage as she moved her healing jutsu over Gaara's arm.
"His liver is swollen and inflamed," Hinata said, "I see no internal bleeding!"
For a few minutes, Sakura and Ino worked with Hinata assisting. Naruto could do nothing but watch and hope. Dear god, please tell me I didn't make some kind of horrible mistake! "Naruto," Sakura got to her feet, "we need to talk." Naruto noted that the wounds on Gaara's right arm were still unhealed.
They walked off to the side, Temari standing next to him, hugging herself. "Sakura," he said, "what's it look like?"
"The poison is attacking his liver. He'll die in a matter of hours if we don't cleanse it!" Sakura struggled to control her voice. Tears were washing down her face.
"Sakura!" Temari cried, "There has to be something we can do!"
"There is," Shikamaru said, cutting the tension in the air.
"Dear god, what?!" Temari said, "Tell us!"
Shikamaru leaned back against the wall, "There is a rare type of blue thistle that grows in these woods," he explained. "The sap if ingested or injected has a powerful detoxifying effect on many common toxins."
"Mother's Love!" Ino snapped her fingers in realization. She turned to Sakura, "I remember from herbology, it grows in swampland."
Hinata turned, extracting her silk map from her bodysuit before turning back toward Naruto. He knelt down, scrutinizing the map in detail. "How long do we have, Sakura?" he stared.
"Like I said, hours at most. He'll be dead by midday for sure, but I would expect permanent damage by sunrise.
Naruto checked his watch, 0248, "SHIT!" Navigating the forest was dangerous at day; at night it was akin to attempted suicide. Most predators would be more active at night, and it would be harder to spot hazards by what moonlight there was. He stared at Gaara's dying form. There was a swamp maybe an hour's walk northeast; it was their best hope. "Sakura, Hinata, if you're with me, we have to leave right now!"
Hinata ran to her bag for her vest, and Sakura grabbed her kit as well. "I'm going too," Temari said.
"Temari, stay here!" Naruto commanded
"You can't be serious!" she protested.
"Temari," Kankuro spoke, "they'll move faster in a smaller team; plus, you'll make them a bigger target if they run into any of the teams we tangled with earlier."
Temari's hands shook, clenching into a fist. "Fine, then I'll keep watch until you return!"
Naruto nodded, "Hinata, will you take point; we'll need your Byakugan to guide us." He felt guilty asking – she'd slept the least of the three of them.
"Right, let's get it done!" She said
"Shikamaru, you're in charge while I'm gone," Naruto said. "If we don't make it back, get everyone else to safety!" Shikamaru nodded as Naruto followed Hinata and Sakura into the dark of the night. As they charged through the still of the night, Naruto couldn't help but worry someone was watching them. It made no sense but neither did venomous snakes randomly attacking Gaara and his siblings. Naruto knew at least one person with the ability to summon snakes, and cold electricity crawled down Naruto's spine at the thought of the fallen Sannin stalking them – Orochimoru. He prayed he was wrong, but Naruto knew their problems were far from over once this task was done.
Author's note: hey everyone, I hope you're all safe and enjoying. This week's chapter was shorter than I wanted. Sadly, things have been crazy at work. Have no fear, anything that didn't make it in this week will be in next week's installment. See you all next Saturday! Stay healthy, stay safe!