The Archangel of the Hidden Leaf

Chapter 9:

Repentance

The wounds in Kata and Toneri were very grotesque. While stored in the hospital's morgue, their bodies had been cleaned up of stains, drained of their blood, and refrigerated for an autopsy. Sakura had not been a part of the autopsy process until today. She was not the one in charge, but she had to participate. This was her first experience with the dead; therefore, this was a learning experience for the medical shinobi.

Both bodies were placed on separate tables, their skin possessing a sickly pale pigment since their blood had been drained and their insides embalmed for preservation. The exposed wounds were lacking in color and instead had a lighter tint. For Kata, he had openings in his right shoulder that appeared to have chunks bitten out. Sakura pictured Dolia's needle-like teeth chomping down with all her strength and pulling away. It would explain how the muscle tissue was strewn out into mangled threads that touched the surface of the metal table. Other wounds around his body, like in his abdomen and bicep, were eaten in the same fashion. Sakura did not dare to peer into the openings because she knew there would be organs or bone exposed. Toneri only suffered a single, fatal wound in the front of his neck. It was wide and enough to engulf both of his carotid arteries. The cartilage rings of his trachea were crushed and mutilated from the bite Dolia served him. Sakura remembered his distorted screams from the day of his death. Seeing the extent of the damage made her question how he was able to make noise at all.

The deaths these two men suffered were prolonged. Dolia had eaten Kata alive while Toneri was left to bleed out with each jolting heartbeat spurting hot blood out of his neck. Even though they were trained ninjas, they were unable to counter her attack. Specifically, they were unable to land a single blow on Dolia altogether. When she had done her physical examination on her, she found no evidence of harm from a weapon like a kunai knife. She only had burns on her arms and residual cuts on her wrists and ankles from the suspension cables that were holding her in the air.

Dolia's capabilities were to Sakura only shown a couple of times. On the day of the attack, Dolia had escaped from the cables and launched herself at Naruto when she hit the ground. She will never forget how fast she moved. Although it was not enough to create a blur, it was enough to catch everyone off guard. Her black eyes were focused solely on him for some reason. Whatever it was, it was unlike her true character. She was in total control of herself when she showed Sakura her transformation in the hospital, but that day, she was not. Then there was the time she tried to pull Dolia away from a bowl of ramen. She nearly went out of control again but caught herself before anything bad happened. Could it be that Dolia was driven by hunger? She ate Kata and did not want to be separated from food at Ichiraku Ramen. And it would make sense considering how emaciated her body currently was.

Thinking about how Dolia was surrounded by people who did not understand her as much as Sakura did make her uneasy. One mistake, one setoff, and they could be another bout of carnage.

Tsunade stood on one side of the glass window with her arms crossed beneath her bosom. Her brown eyes were focused on the creature sitting on the opposite side in the interrogation room, unaware that she was being watched as she quietly breathed through the muzzle restraining her mouth. As Inoichi shared his investigation with her, she listened intently while studying her. A battle between sympathy and judgment waged in her opinionated mind. There was no denying that this girl had been through a lot, but she still had repercussions to fulfill.

"So, first a subject of a breeding experiment by Orochimaru, and then a captive of the Akatsuki?" she corroborated to the head of the Analysis Team.

"That is what it appears to be at the very least. Although, I don't understand why the Akatsuki would want her. She isn't like Naruto," he answered honestly.

"But they were looking for her. And they could still be in the Land of Fire as we speak."

"Or they could be coming here to find her."

"No. If they aren't desperate for Naruto, then I highly doubt they would come here for a girl who isn't a jinchuriki."

As Tsunade kept her gaze fixed on the contained creature, she mentally went through Sakura's report again. The starvation and pelvic examination collaborated with Inoichi's investigation of her memories. For some reason, she was deliberately abandoned and forgotten about once it was concluded that she could not reproduce viable offspring. Orochimaru was a twisted individual who sought power, but the Fifth Hokage could not see him treating someone so poorly.

She remembered reading the old case file of Orochimaru's intervention with the Iburi Clan, whose members could dissipate into smoke and be swept away by the slightest breeze. He cared for them enough to help them. It was not to harvest their kekkei genkai like this girl. But at the same time, this kekkei genkai has the potential to be used as a weapon if it landed in the wrong hands. Perhaps it was a good thing this girl ended up in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. If only unnecessary death could have been avoided…

"Inoichi, please write a report of the two Akatsuki members who took this girl captive. I want to send a team out to track them down," Tsunade instructed.

"Yes, Ma'am," he obediently replied, stepping away.

Tsunade then glanced at two jonin and motioned to the door that led into the interrogation room. They opened it and escorted her inside. Dolia looked, and when Tsunade made eye contact with her, she was struck with a twinge of trepidation from how authoritative she presented herself. She stood straight and tall compared to her, and even with embellished feminine features, a vibe of strength bounced from her aura. Dolia broke the eye contact as quickly as she established it and lowered her face.

One jonin came around her and unlatched the muzzle. Surprised, Dolia breathed out with a light squeak. Her hands were still restrained in cuffs, so she was no threat still, but taking off the muzzle had to have meant she was going to speak.

The blonde woman took a seat on the other side of the table. She was satisfied with Inoichi's findings in her memories, but she still had some business to take care of. She noticed how the creature kept her gaze low as if she were cowering. One thing was for certain: a cold-blooded killer did not act like this.

"You are going to be imprisoned here," Tsunade stated. "You are responsible for the deaths of two Hidden Leaf ninjas, and so we cannot let you go without punishment."

Her words brought a dreaded feeling of defeat to Dolia. After a lifetime of being stuck in a hole in the ground, she was going to be stuck in another dark and cold place. She lifted her gaze to peer at Tsunade. There was no hint of any notion other than seriousness.

"I just need to ask you, why did you do it? Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

There was a pause between the two. Dolia had to comprehend her words because the truth was, she barely remembered the event. Her consciousness was so clouded during frenzies that her actions were unjustified by her own merit. It was as if she lost control of all her body parts and was cocooned by the will to fill her stomach. She was vaguely aware of sinking her teeth into human flesh and hearing their cries of pain, but she lost her ability to stop. Horrified with herself, she had no choice but to let it happen. So, to say something for herself? There was nothing good to say.

"I…" she trailed hesitantly. "I-I just want to apologize."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. She was looking for an explanation or a motive, not this. "No apology is going to reduce your punishment. And it should be their families you apologize to, not me," she coldly responded.

Dolia flinched at the harshness of her tone. The blonde stood back up, scooting the chair back with a screech against the solid floor. She had heard enough already and was ready to give the dead shinobis justice. But Dolia saw an opportunity to right her wrong, even if it would not amount to the pain she caused. Before Tsunade could leave, Dolia spoke up. "Then can I? Apologize to their families? Please?"

Tsunade paused and looked at the skinny murderer. She could detect the genuine attempt to do something right in the longing of her voice. Also, she knew Hiashi Hyuga was very unhappy with the death of a clansman. If he heard an apology from the one responsible, it might satisfy him to an extent. Then the pressure would be off Tsunade somewhat. The thought gave her premature alleviation. "Very well," she granted.

It was obvious why it was named the Village Hidden in the Leaves. As the lone wanderer walked the dirt trail that had been used for many, many years, he glanced around at the dormant forest that surrounded him on both sides. Birdsong would ring in some of the branches full of healthy green foliage, but there were no critters to be seen. But there was so much temperate forest that it could have gone forever. The Hidden Leaf was located right in the thick of it.

This was the first time the man had been outside in broad daylight for a while. He usually waited until the midnight hour could conceal his presence before he left his hideout. The only reason he did the opposite today was that he had business to attend to. Deidara had told him that the faceless girl had gone this direction toward the village, which was a bad thing. If she was found, he would have a hard time getting her back. In that case, Lord Orochimaru would not be happy to hear one of his test subjects had gotten away.

Although he was disappointed that Deidara was unable to keep her captive long enough to be returned to his care, he was still pleased to see the rogue ninja again. The lone wanderer himself was a rogue from the Hidden Stone Village like the blonde. He knew Deidara when he was a part of the Explosion Corps. Not long before he defected from the village, the wanderer was given an offer by Orochimaru he could not resist. By participating in his select experiments, he was given high distinction among his disciples. It brought purpose to his life.

The previous experiment he was part of involved the faceless girl. Nameless and the last of her monstrous clan, she lived to bear young only. He was in charge of the whole thing, but when she failed to produce offspring, he was transferred to a new experiment site. Something happened to the new head of the breeding experiment in the process of the transfer. Nobody could contact him. The wanderer did not want the girl to be found by anybody outside of Orochimaru's circle, so he asked Deidara to be on the lookout for the opening in the ground.

The poor girl had to have been by herself for a long time. Her caretaker was supposed to continue her duties, but he was unsure if she stuck around. Now he had to retrieve the escaped testing subject himself, and the only way to begin tracking her down was by crossing the Hidden Leaf off the list of potential locations. He did not care for the girl's wellbeing but instead cared for Orochimaru's satisfaction with his work. He knew taking time away from his new experiment site would risk his displeasure, but it was for a good cause.

Eventually, the great open gate of the Hidden Leaf came into view. He paced himself to seem to be strolling and not in a hurry. There would be guards ready to question him about his purpose for entering, so he was going to be honest about why he was there. The worst that could happen was to be turned away, in which case he would enter a different way.

Luckily, there was some traffic at the entrance of people entering and leaving. Many of them wore the signature green flak jackets that marked the distinction of shinobi, but many also appeared to be travelers. To blend in, he joined the line of people trying to gain access into the village by waiting in a short line that led to a booth just past the gate.

He was wearing a brown garment that draped over his shoulders and covered his torso. The loose black cloth wrapped around his crown kept his chestnut waves contained against his scalp. There was no indication that he was anything other than a traveler like the people in line with him. When it was his turn to be given access, he came face to face with a shinobi with black hair that stuck out in different directions and a bandage running across the bridge of his nose. "What is your purpose?" he asked, repeating what he had said to the previous travelers before the wanderer.

"I am looking for my daughter. She is missing," the wanderer explained with a false hint of worry. "I was hoping to speak with the Hokage about her whereabouts, if possible."

The chunin raised an eyebrow. This was a response he was not expecting, but he wrote down the purpose on the visa to keep a record of who all was temporarily in the village and turned to his comrade. "See if Lady Tsunade is available," he told him, putting the visa aside with others.

The brown-haired shinobi nodded and motioned for the wanderer to follow him. Partly surprised that he was getting an easy entrance, he stepped away from the line to follow the Leaf ninja to the Hokage's office.

Inside the main house of the Hyuga Clan district, sounds of palms landing hits against another person rang against the wooden walls. Both individuals had long hair that swayed with their fluid movements amid their spar. Their Byakugans were activated as signified by the intense pronunciation of the veins feeding blood away from them. Nearby sat Hiashi Hyuga, monitoring the spar between his eldest daughter and nephew. Even though Hinata was no longer the heiress of the clan, Neji continued to train her to make her stronger as a shinobi.

Hinata gently panted as her bangs swished around her forehead. She was doing everything she could to keep up with Neji. He was an entire rank above her, but she strived to be as strong as him. She remembered the days of her past when she was weak and too reserved to make the efforts she did now. Neji did not hold back nowadays in comparison to when they were both younger. The only thing that had not changed was Hiashi watching them. He was still interested in Hinata's skill in combat, but not to the degree as her younger sister Hanabi.

Absorbed in their spar, Hiashi almost did not hear the door slide open. Neji and Hinata noticed it as well and halted in their training, relaxing their Byakugans. A shinobi wearing the police crest on his flak jacket stood at the entrance. "Hiashi Hyuga, I apologize for intruding," he began.

With a gentle heave, Hiashi stood up and walked over. "What is it?" he questioned impatiently.

"Lady Tsunade has sent us here with the creature that killed Toneri Hyuga."

The name of their fellow clansman made Neji and Hinata look to each other with alarm. Hinata was saddened when Naruto confirmed to her that Toneri had been one of the victims, but Neji was angry about it. He only hoped that the one responsible would be punished properly. If the so-called creature was here in the Hyuga Clan district, there had to be a good enough reason.

Neji and Hinata stood next to Hiashi to see what the creature looked like. They were all unsure if it was some kind of wild animal, but they were shocked to see a girl cuffed and muzzled by a second shinobi. Her curly hair hid her face until she lifted her gaze to reveal why people referred to her as a creature. Hiashi scowled at the sight of the featureless face looking back at him. It was hideous to him. Hinata was taken aback by the sight. She never imagined a person possessing such majestic eyes that resembled the pupilless aspect like the Byakugan. Neji grimaced but waited to see what would happen.

"What is the meaning of this?" Hiashi protested. "I asked for this thing to be punished, not brought to me to be handled."

"She seeks repentance," the shinobi holding her restraint disclosed. He expanded a baton and struck the back of her legs hard enough to make her yelp under the muzzle and stagger down to her knees. Hinata gasped, but not loud enough to be heard by her father. When the muzzle was taken off, Dolia felt the pressure to spit up her apology. She kept her gaze low for a moment as she thought about what to say. The frightening man standing in front of her may have not been expecting a personal visit, but it did not stop him from expressing his anger toward her.

Hiashi stepped down from the building to be on the ground of the courtyard directly in front of her. "Why did you do it?" he questioned rigidly.

Dolia respired with dread. The blonde woman back in the interrogation room did not get an answer to that same inquiry. She was very scared about revealing the truth to this particular individual. Gazing up to meet his eye, she gathered the strength to respond.

Neji studied her mysterious face at the same moment, curious about what exactly he was looking at. No other human on earth looked as dastardly as her. Whatever clan she was heralded from had such significant genes. What kind of kekkei genkai was this?

For a brief second, Neji activated his Byakugan to peer into her chakra network. The glowing blue passageways that circulated throughout her body appeared normal like everyone else's except for a general area. There were crucial chakra points that appeared as empty, hollow knots. Neji could not help but think of it as odd.

"Well?" Hiashi firmly prompted.

"I-I'm sorry for killing him," Dolia quickly blurted out. "I was just…so hungry."

Hiashi, disgusted, raised a hand and swung it. The back of it collided with the side of her face with enough force to knock her over with a distinct smack! Dolia landed on her side with a residual sting resonating from her cheekbone. She was unable to catch herself since her wrists were cuffed behind her back. Hinata winced.

"Get it out of my sight," Hiashi commanded, turning around to return into the house.

Dolia remained shocked as she was lifted from the ground and dragged away without being allowed to find her feet. A regretful wail withdrew from her lungs that plagued Hinata and Neji's ears until she was out of earshot to be heard.

Tsunade sat back in her desk chair to take a break from her paperwork. She had just returned from the Analysis Team headquarters, but the paperwork did not lessen a bit. Shizune stood nearby, sorting through what should be stamped first as Tonton rolled around on the floor. They did not speak about the creature or her request to apologize to Kata and Toneri's families. Tsunade did not want to, anyway. She was ready to put that mess behind her. The only thing left to do was arrange the funeral for them.

A knock at the door made both Tsunade and Shizune glance up. "Come in," Tsunade called, leaning forward in her seat.

The door opened to show Izumo Kamizuki, a chunin she assigned to gate guard duty with Kotetsu Hagane. "Lady Tsunade," he started, "I have a traveler who asked to speak with you."

Tsunade furrowed her brow. She never had a visitor of the village asked to personally meet with the Hokage before, and it certainly should not have been so easy to make it possible. Shizune looked to her to show she had her own doubts about the meaning of this. "Okay," Tsunade agreed, resting her elbows on the surface of her desk.

Izumo escorted the lone wanderer into the office and stayed close to the door. He approached the desk to an appropriate distance that would be respectful and not alerting. "Thank you for allowing me to speak with you, Lady Tsunade," he politely greeted. "My name is Monotu Hikari."

"What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I was wondering if my daughter happened to be here in the village. She's been missing for some time now. I would like to bring her home where she belongs."

Tsunade waited before replying. This was a waste of her time. She would rather be working through her tedious paperwork than deal with a missing person. Besides, if this were a visitor, it would not be possible for a missing person from the outside to come into the village and remaining lost. Only those with purpose were permitted to enter.

When the wanderer noticed a delay in response, he tried to add more. "It would be hard to miss her. She's very pale…and looks to not have a face."

The description drastically alarmed Tsunade, but she suppressed a physical reaction. Izumo's face presented recognition behind the visitor. She prayed Shizune had not done the same thing because it would give away the answer to his question.

Considering Inoichi had already done an investigation through her memories, it was obvious this man was lying. She wondered if he was one of Orochimaru's henchmen. If anything, this was clearly a ploy to get one of his weapons back. After seeing the damage that could be done, Tsunade knew that releasing the creature back into his possession was a bad decision. It could cause more harm than what the village saw just a week earlier.

"We have not received reports of such a person in our village," Tsunade replied calmly.

Izumo gave a troubled expression. He knew it was a lie. Shizune knew it was a lie as well, but her reaction to it would be unknown to Tsunade for the time being. She would have to explain later.

"But, I will have a team search within the village to see if your daughter is indeed stowed away here without us knowing," she finished.

The wanderer nodded appreciatively. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

But on the inside, he knew she was lying about the whereabouts of the faceless girl. He knew exactly where she was now. The only thing holding him back was a lack of reinforcements.