Chapter 44: The Moon Appears
Hinata watched in slow motion as Sasuke passed her, his shoulder brushing hers on the way to kill that old man. The fire of the wreckage began to die down, becoming only smolder and smoke that reached into the sky. Standing straight, her Byakugan the only indication of battle readiness, Hinata felt helpless before Sasuke's conviction.
True shinobi- What were the actions of a true shinobi? Was there a true shinobi and a false one? For most of her life, she had walked into the world of ninja against her own desires. Then later, she found a path that suited her. Was it really a path she wanted? Or was it a path of compromise? Would it make her weak?
Then she noticed one of the ashen outlines. It was small. Too small to be any older than they were. Hinata instinctually put her hands up to her mouth.
"You never wanted to be in this world," said Sasuke, attempting to push past her.
"No," Hinata said, side-stepping to block Sasuke. "A Shinobi who protects must be stronger." She pushed him back lightly, putting him right in front of her. "A shinobi sticks to their convictions. A shinobi never gives up! I belong here!" Hinata declared.
"You won't have to give up if you die," said Sasuke, "If you do not move, I will have to tell Root what you know. I can't protect you. Just go home Hinata!"
Go home… She wanted to go home and pretend this wasn't happening. She really did. But after seeing the shinobi world for herself, how could she go back? There was no going back.
"What about that person?" Hinata gestured to the smallest outline. "No older than us. You killed them. How do you know if they belonged here?"
"A shinobi on the field of battle. This is the world, Hinata. Those on the other side of battle, kill without hesitation." Sasuke burst into movement behind her and aimed a kunai at the old man.
"Then I'll change it! I'll change this world of shinobi!" Hinata lowered into a stance before striking out at Sasuke. "I'll remind you I am also a shinobi on the field of battle!"
"Yin-trigram Palm: Falling Moonlight!"
She rushed Sasuke, pushing him back with her three-pronged attack. The attack she had been honing. A feint with the force of chakra behind it, and a real strike without it. This made it slower in fully incapacitating opponents than the traditional form, but was less easily blocked. She now stood between Sasuke and the old man again.
"Hmph, tricks are wasted before the-"
"Don't underestimate my clan, and don't underestimate me!" Hinata cried out.
Sasuke blocked the first blow, but missed the second. His weakness against the Byakugan, Sasuke could see more information about chakra shaping and element, but was weaker in directly viewing and reacting to chakra. It was the Byakugan's physical eye against the mental eye of the Sharingan.
"Kuh!" Sasuke held onto his chest just below the shoulder.
Her blow connected, but didn't block a tenketsu point. The internal damage would still collect.
"You never paid attention to my progress as a ninja! A shinobi does not underestimate! You're in my range!" She pressed him. Remembering her first spar with Naruto.
"The ability to not hurt people is a privilege of the strong Hinata! If you keep going as you are, you'll hurt more people."
Sasuke blew a flame right in her face! She immediately thought of the old man, right in the path of the flame!
Before she got out of the way, she lifted the old man and threw him out of the way. The timing wasn't right though, the flame hit her right in the shoulder before she could completely dodge.
"KYAH!" she cried out. The pain was immense. Her shoulder was smoking where the chakra-laden flame had touched. She used healing justu and pressed her shoulder.
This time, Sasuke followed up and pressed the attack, forcing her to stop healing and dodge a kick to the face. Her right arm hanging slightly limp, Sasuke's arm also had less power behind it with a follow-up backhand.
"Even after a surprise and a previous battle, you are no match!" Sasuke taunted while throwing kunai. It forced her to jump backward, he wanted her out of taijutsu range where she could press an attack without time for him to use jutsu.
"SUITON! Water Bullets!" Bullets flew out of her mouth as she stopped her retreat. Sasuke had to flip to dodge. She jumped into the air and rolled. "Suiton: Water whip."
At the end of her flip, the water whip extended from her feet and into Sasuke's range.
*PAH*
Sasuke was whipped across the torso, making a crisp sound from the water smacking him. She saw the replacement with her eyes as he tried to flank her.
*BZZT*
Sasuke disintegrated into electricity which ran along the water and flashed brightly, shocking and blinding her momentarily, right as he approached
"You aren't the only one overestimating your eyes!" said Sasuke, the chirping of electric current in his hand, Kakashi sensei's Raikiri.
Ino appeared in her vision. She wouldn't make it in time, Hinata knew she had to defend herself. She dug her nails into her palm to calm the shaking from the electricity and grit her teeth. Sasuke's move was to kill, she needed to match him to win. Her new ultimate move.
Hinata created a fake palm and send it sideways despite the shock while Sasuke aimed at her. She spun in a half turn and reinforced it, then she spun backward again like she was pulled back by a rubber band, snapping another reinforcement at a faster speed."My new move! Yin Palm! Waxing Moon!"
Their strikes met, Sasuke's Raikiri pushing against Hinata's palm. Neither gave way. They were locked into the fight, but Hinata could feel her attack holding. The ultimate concentrated push!
"Doton Shuriken!" Ino screamed, now within normal sight.
When the earth shuriken smacked into the middle, both moves were pushed away and disappeared. Sasuke's hand trembled as the Raikiri faded.
"Heh… heh…" Sasuke breathed heavily, before his breaths turned into laughter. "Hahahahaha!"
Ino landed between them and stood in a fighting stance against Sasuke. She glowered at him. "What's so funny?! You tried to kill Hinata."
"No. When I intend to kill, I kill," Sasuke sneered, holding his arm which had been hurt. Using Raikiri with her internal attack must have made it worse.
Wait, intend to- the old man! Hinata's attention immediately expanded from the intense battle, to the old man. He lay dead, a shuriken in his neck. "When did you-"
"When you were blinded by the lightning clone," Sasuke smiled with evil intensity. "That's not why I'm happy though." He stood up straight and stared directly at Hinata, three tomoe existed where two had been. "My eyes have responded to my determination! To throw your naïve ninja way into the dust!"
# # #
"Hrmm." Itachi surveyed the battle from afar, meditating using a shadow crow summon just out of the Hyuga's range. Looking at their situations, 'Hinata' was not likely to be any sort of key to what he had seen with the Uzumaki boy. "Oh?"
Sasuke had just obtained the three-tomoe Sharingan. A cause for great joy. It had been so long, and he had come all this way… That arrogance needed to be shaved off a little. The arrogance of all Uchiha when they came into their full powers… They only scratched the surface.
"Allow me to help you grow. I'll check on the Hyuga, just in case…" Itachi muttered.
The pink-haired girl had shown him many things. The most suspicious character would have to be the sensei behind the Uzumaki child. This Yuki Hisato. The Hyuga would deliver more insight into him at the very least. He would not be caught unawares by a mysterious power yet again.
# # #
Even Ino was caught unawares by Sasuke's transformation. His cold demeanor had been stripped completely. The appearance of a three-tomoe Sharingan… Sasuke was hurt and tired, but would it be enough for her and Hinata to keep him here? The ability to see every jutsu form and predict movements, was invaluable for escaping.
"Laughing? Sasuke, you're as hotheaded as ever, looks like your Root training didn't take," Ino taunted him. Maybe she could goad him into a drawn-out battle and then use her clan jutsu to mess with his memories. Root could not know.
Sasuke's mouth lifted on one side, making a cocky smirk. "Emotions are a tool. I'm not like those other Root eunuchs. My plans are my own. The Uchiha Clan will be revived in Root!"
"Is that your plan, little brother?" said a deep voice, almost right in her ear.
Ino felt her skin crawl, that voice just appeared next to her with no warning. Slowly she turned her head to view exactly who she was afraid this might be. A young man wearing red cloud robes, with black hair like Sasuke's, and equally red eyes with three-tomoes in them.
Uchiha Itachi.
Sasuke's face darkened. Even his injured arm tightened its fist until blood dripped down to his fingertips. Sasuke's brows dropped until they didn't look like they could drop any further. Whatever emotion he claimed to have made into a tool, bubbled to the surface now.
"Y-you…" Sasuke said through clenched teeth.
"I'm not here for you, or your little plans," said Itachi calmly, looming over Ino.
"What do you want then?!" Sasuke screamed, his voice cracking.
"A lesson. And-" Itachi moved like lightning, Ino flinched at the sudden movement, thinking it was over for her. But when Ino opened her eyes again, Itachi was right behind Hinata, knocking her out cleanly with a single palm to the neck. "-the girl."
"Even if she's a fool, do you think I'd let you take my teammate?!" Sasuke challenged.
Hinata? Why would Sasuke's brother want Hinata? Ino didn't know how she could get out of this. Even if Sakura was here, and Sasuke was completely on their side, they'd be lucky to survive an encounter with this ninja.
"Hinata—no!" Ino found her voice, still feeling powerless.
"I would be more concerned with the teammate you left behind, Sa-su-ke," said Itachi, "And here I almost thought you had matured. Really, you are a child who only wants a toy when his big brother has it." Itachi hoisted Hinata over his shoulder. "I'll be more careful with this one."
"W-what?" Ino fell to her knees. "What did you do to Sakura?" It couldn't be true.
Sasuke bit his lower lip, looking conflicted. Ino wanted to punch Sasuke's face in. He betrayed them all, and now his brother had hurt Sakura, or worse.
Itachi ignored her, staring expressionlessly at Sasuke who was losing his cool by the minute. "You could not hide your hesitancy, Sasuke. Don't forget what I told you that night."
"Like I'd sink to your low!" Sasuke snapped, throwing out his uninjured arm in front of him. "I stick to enemy shinobi! That's what warring villages do! What you did is unforgivable."
Itachi said nothing. Only stood without movement as the wind blew ash between them, giving an outline to the wind. It was as if Itachi's every movement or twitch was for a purpose, perfect control.
Ino could only look on in frustration as the two Uchiha shinobi stared each other down. After all she had achieved, Sasuke raced ahead. And both of them were only children before Itachi. She needed to be stronger, much stronger than her current path could make her. She refused to be fodder, where an S-Rank ninja could just appear and destroy her without a thought, or ignore her.
Finally, after a tense pause, Itachi spoke, "We shall see then, little brother. We shall see… Know the gap between us! Tsukuyomi!"
# # #
Itachi looked pitilessly from within the Tsukuyomi illusion at his unconscious brother. This was the curse of the Sharingan. Those villagers would spoil his brother, only trauma could create a proper sharingan user.
"Hmph, at least Danzo will give you a glimpse. Though you appear to have learned the wrong lessons. When he ultimately betrays you—but that will not happen before I properly prepare you. The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan will be more than enough. Let's create the conditions, awake!"
"Wuh… Where am I?" Sasuke blinked his eyes open at the world of black and white. They were back in Konoha, at the scene where it all happened.
"Welcome back to the world of moonlight, Sasuke-kun."
"N-no!" Sasuke's eyes widened with panic and trauma. Good, the fear was still there.
He wanted to ingrain hatred, the brotherly love, leading to brotherly hate, it would make Sasuke properly strong. Still, Itachi didn't want to hurt the boy, he would spare Sasuke the sort of barbaric physical pain that might do real damage. Instead, he recreated the scene of their parents' deaths, once again. The most painful thing was loss, and that loss was nothing compared to what war would bring.
"WHY!? WHY!? Sasuke helplessly screamed you. "I'll kill you Itachi! I'll KILL YOU!"
Finally, Itachi knocked him out so they could do this again. "For the village, I will kill the brother you knew. Let me destroy it again, that image. Cement the evil, so that you can do what is necessary."
*Click* *Click*
The unmistakable sound of footsteps on the illusioned stone intruded into Itachi's thoughts. There could be no source of noise that he was unaware of.
Itachi whipped around, this whole world was in his control. His emotions wouldn't be put in turmoil after his training—but even the perfect ninja would be surprised at this sort of development. Tsukuyomi was an absolute genjutsu!
"I'll never know why Sasuke admired you after all of this. Whatever your motivation, this is sick."
Itachi recognized the speaker walking towards him. Yuki Hisato, standing out with his bright azure robes in this world of black and white.
"Even Uchiha Madara would not be capable of this, Yuki Hisato. Who are you really?" Itachi asked, keeping his cold mask. Inside, even he began to panic, as the image of Hisato stepped forward with no regard for how Itachi tried to control the illusion. As if Hisato stepped through a tunnel of a different reality, the illusion distorted around him.
"Who am I?" Hisato asked with an amused expression, his tongue hitting the side of his cheek. "Well it starts—ah! Damn, that seal is good." He laughed. "You did see the vision though, otherwise you wouldn't have gone after Hinata."
Itachi relaxed his guard. Whatever Yuki Hisato wanted; it didn't seem like it was malevolent. For him to have played into this man's hand…
"Was it all a trap then? I've never heard of such a trap though. You'd have to-"
"Know the truth, yes. I know it, but no, that vision was not a trap. Just something you were not supposed to see," Hisato responded while staring up at the moon.