A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay guys. So, I think I've mentioned I don't live in the States, but I do live close enough that my city gets their electricity from Texas' power grid...and if you know what happened that week then I'm sure you can imagine what happened. We were lucky I guess, temperature never went under -5 degrees Celsius, but we did go through 2 days with no power and another 2 1/2 with no stable internet. Got it back by friday afternoon and spent the weekend rushing like a madwoman to catch up with school work, because apparently while classes were officially suspended, the dates for the homework was not changed...so yeah.
Chapter 32: Moving Cogs
It was good...better than good, really.
From the very start, Kurenai had expected the Higurashi heiress' performance to be on the higher end of the spectrum when compared to other genins. After watching how the class clown, Naruto, had been able to create such a large amount of physical clones without breaking a sweat, only a fool would underestimate any of Kakashi's students...or bet against them. But to reach this level of quality and activating the jutsu while moving around at such speed was still more than she'd expected. So, why was only Sasuke everyone focused on when talking about talented rookies?
Vermillion eyes traveled to her own student beside her.
Political training.
That had to be it. The girl had to have been trying to pass unnoticed, no unlike what Asuma said about the Nara heir, though for different reasons. Political training and the confidence to pull it off. Guess she shouldn't be surprised, with Uchiha Mikoto as her guardian for whatever long it lasted. Idly, Kurenai had to wonder if pushing the children so much had really been the right choice? After all, wasn't Uchiha Itachi lauded and praised as well? Even if none of the kids had been promoted as fast as the former prodigy had been...they had definitely pushed their limits over and again. Hell, most of Hinata-chan's problems could find their roots in the pressure the Hyuuga family had put her through. Not like the jounin could do anything to try and ease any of that pressure for either of the Copy ninja's students, not when she could barely do a thing for her own student. And even if the genjutsu specialist were to try, the man would rather they force themselves to the breaking point than risk them dying during a mission.
Could she really blame him, though?
"Okay, that's enough for today, Kagome-chan!" Shaking her head, Kurenai pushed the thought away; it would not help any of them. Instead, the woman forced her lips to rise in a smile. "I think you've got the bases mastered already, we can still refine it a little, but that can be done next time."
"Thank you so much, Kurenai-sensei." Just like their very first session, the girl offered her a light vow before turning away, her hands clapping. "Hinata-chan, do you want to seat?"
"O-oh, I-I feel better already...you shouldn't t-tire yourself o-out." And just ad in that first day, the Hyuuga heiress tried to refuse the medical help, a blush on her cheeks.
"It's fine, really." For all that this was a repeated occurrence, the blue-eyed girl's tone betrayed no frustration. "I've told you, this isn't that tiring."
The woman couldn't help but laugh as the blush darkened on her student's face. Every time the time came for the healing sessions to start, Hinata-chan would try a new excuse to convince the other girl to stop them, to no avail. Considering the potential backlash this could have, the jounin wasn't sure supporting this friendship would be good in the long run...still, this and her fondness for the village prankster were the only things that Hinata had been really motivated to pursue so far. Her mood was also entirely different from the one she showed that first morning the genjutsu specialist had gone to retrieve her. If only for that, Kutrnai would think it worth it.
"So, how do you feel?"
"B-better..." Hinata's voice was tentative as the soft pink glow died down. "C-can I help you?"
"Huh?" The confusion on the other genin's face probably mirrored her own. "You're already helping me. Your explanations of what you can see are way more detailed than what Kakashi-sensei or Sasuke can give me."
"T-training! I want to h-help you with t-training!"
"Hinata..." The woman began softly, still taken aback by the sudden outburst.
"Ok, then," It took the genjutsu specialist a second to understand the easy acquiescence. "Can you hit me?"
Whatever scolding had been on her tongue died as the vermillion-eyed woman could do little more than blink in their direction. Because that was certainly not what she had in mind when Hinata said she wanted to help with the more physical aspects of training. It probably wasn't what the girl had in mind when she offered either.
"W-what.."
"You see, I've been thinking." There was a confident look on her face before she leaned towards the Hyuuga. "I believe my plan can work, but even then, Neji-san is not someone I can take on lightly. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure I can keep out of his range for the full fight. There's a very high chance that I'll chance for me to end up getting hit at some point. "
"Even one good hit can be enough to end the match..." the jounin added, her mind now beginning to understand the reasoning behind the favor.
"I know, that's why I want to make sure of something. If possible, I'd rather face him fully confident that I can actually heal myself from the damage the juken can cause."
"The same way you're helping Hinata."
"Yeah, since I was born with reiki, most of the reasons to be careful when healing others don't quite apply to me. But I'm not sure if I can just fix it the same way I do with any other injuries." Which would make sense, the soft fist technique was unique in the way it attacked chakra networks instead of physical parts of the body. "That said, this would probably be too close to revealing clan secrets, so I would understand if you refuse."
"N-no, it's not like that!" Again, her student was flustered enough for her voice to rise. "B-but, it's g-going to hurt."
"Even that is useful. That way, I won't be taken by surprise midmatch."
"It's a sound idea." If more than just a bit too extreme. What in the seven hells as Kakashi teaching his kids?
The Hyuuga heiress looked at her for a second time before nodding, placing a determined look on her face, and standing right in front of the other girl. Fondness warmed her a little; this was so different from the rookie she met right after graduating. Yes, these small excursions seemed to be worth it.
Argh!" The exclamation escaped the Higurashi almost as soon as Hinata's hand touched her shoulder. "Crap..."
"I-I'm so sorry!"
"No, don't." The words were clipped, but with the pain she had to be in, it was a surprise the girl was that calm. "This is my fault. I knew it would hurt...I should've expected this...just give me a couple of seconds."
The Higurashi heiress forced a shaky breath before closing her eyes and placing one hand in her now limp arm. Shit, did she miscalculated? Kakashi was going to have her head for sure if the genin was injured by the finals...her rapidly panicked thoughts were cut short by the sudden pink light coming from her temporary student.
"Okay, I think it's all good," Kagome said with a relieved sigh. There was already a senbon being twirled experimentally between her fingers. "Let's see if I regained full mobility..."
With a simple smooth movement, the weapon was flying through the air, going straight through the center of a falling leaf...right, what she actually excelled at was long-distance fighting. Perfect aiming, the Copy ninja had carelessly said.
"You know." A voice the jounin was becoming slightly more familiar with came from behind the trees. "When people say they're not going to go overboard, they usually don't end up having to check if a wound got completely healed."
"It was getting hit here or on the actual match." There was a smile on her face as she answered the unhappy-looking Uchiha. Hatake Kakashi was walking right behind him.
"Yo," Lazy steps brought the man next to her before he turned towards the pair. "well, you two have until I finish speaking with Kurenai-sensei to get to the top of the Hokage mountain and back to our training grounds."
"Tch."
"Hinata-chan, thank you. You're really helping me out." A bright grin was directed at the Hyuuga before the girl turned, her hand taking hold of one of the Uchiha's in a familiar action. "Come on, let's go."
With a blink, they were gone. Clearly, those two were also working on stamina and speed. Usually, the woman would stay with the shy heiress for a little more, allowing her some respite from having to return to the compound, but usually, Kakashi just took his student with him instead of sending them both on their own.
"Hinata, think you can go ahead and find a place in the teashop?"
"Y-yes, sensei."
"So, how is she doing?" The question came as soon as the remaining genin left the field.
"She's got it down." There was no surprise on his face at the words. "There still some work to be done to speed through it, but the technique is basically mastered."
"Good, good."
"So..." the woman started as the silence stretched. "Did you find anything useful?"
The thing about living in a village full of shinobis, was that gossip might as well be currency, and there was no one who missed the couple of clones coming and going from the Hokage tower a couple of days ago. Something that only really let one possibility when considering the timing of the lazy man being forced to handle paperwork; and the kids on his charge. He had to have taken the children to the Higurashi compound.
"I was given half of an ANBU team." The copy ninja scoffed in a rare show of frustration. "Half of a team to cover a large area outside the walls. Sometimes I don't understand what Sandaime is thinking."
"Well, there's probably not that many left in the village in the first place." The exact amount of ANBU within Konoha at any given moment was not the kind of data someone of her level had access to. But even Kurenai knew a good number of them had been sent to probe the other countries. "Speaking of...has there been any news from that front?"
In a village like this, information was usually passed by ranks, and, while technically both of them were jounins, Hatake Kakashi's reputation and history would all but ensure he got notified first. After all, the man had been the only jounin sensei included in the first group to be warned of Hayate's death.
"No, at least not as far as I know." Again, the silence settled, though the woman remained quiet this time, giving him the time to ask whatever it was he'd wanted to question. "Have you been able to watch the Taishos?"
"A bit hard no to, they're not being too subtle about their presence. Anything in specific?" The couple had taken to leisurely strolling around the village as if they owned the place themselves instead of being uninvited guests.
"The people they interact with?"
"You mean other than the vendors and restaurant owners?" He nodded. "Cordial, I suppose. Neither overly friendly nor too distant, why?"
"Apparently, their team is missing variety when it comes to sparring partners." The words were airy, and the tone light, a complete contrast to the implication behind them.
"Kagome-chan?"
"They didn't come here to participate in any other year, even when the Uchihas were still renown."
Understanding washed over her as her mind went through the subtle meaning behind the comments. Perhaps, it was a bit too paranoid; then again, someone was bold enough to kill a chuunin inside Konoha...maybe being paranoid was the right call.
"If they break even a single one of the treaties, they'll have to deal with every single village."
Because, while the allied nations may not really have any lost love between them, they would all come together in an instant. If the Taishos broke just one of the agreements, all the others would be put into question. There was no doubt those guys were strong, but even a clan like that was not mad enough to try and fight all the Hidden villages...hopefully.
"Yeah, that's what I think as well..."
Figure her out, they said.
Figure her out.
Vaguer instructions just did not exist, and yet, the monk impersonator was absolutely sure their lovely lady matriarch was very much looking for a specific thing. Something their superficial observation of the Higurashi heiress just wouldn't produce. And it had to be stupidly important if he took into account the length she went to get the two teams to train together, a direct contradiction to Toga-sama's orders. Also telling, was the fact that the Head while very obviously...upset...had ended up relenting after throwing all of them out of the room. If not for his strong common sense and survival instincts, the con-artist might've been tempted to peek and find out what the whole point of this mission was about. Sesshoumaru-sama had also, begrudgingly, prepared a plan for their sparring matches and given him a single order.
Figure her out.
And Miroku would've laughed in his face because those three words meant that even the direct heir of the clan had been purposefully kept blind; all for the sake of his own mother's amusement. He had managed to bite his own tongue, of course. There were few things as suicidal as laughing at the Killing Perfection after being riled up by his lady mother, and if there was one thing the fake monk was not (despite the family he belonged to) was suicidal.
Which, evidently, didn't quite solve his problems right now.
After all, if his supervisor had no idea of what the clan heads wanted to find, there was no way for him to know either. And finding out the information they wanted was very much a him problem. Sango was doing her best by trying to engage the girl in conversation, and Inuyasha...well, his friend was doing his best too. At the end of the day, however, data gathering fell in his hands, and that was something everyone was aware of. If the team failed in figuring her out, it would be Miroku they looked at (and Sesshoumaru as well, as the team leader, but then, the young man would also be aiming for him, so the fake monk allowed himself not to worry too much about that). Ambition may not be something his family was well-known for, but the teen wouldn't have made it to this team without a healthy dose of it. It wasn't just about not failing.
He wanted to succeed.
Only problem was...the girl was good.
That one confrontation with the Suna team had already hinted at it; however, these past two weeks only confirmed what he'd feared. Higurashi Kagome had been trained and taken pretty well to political and diplomacy lessons. Enough for her to get better even after being left on her own. So far, most of the conversations his teammates had gotten out of her consisted mostly of polite responses and general trivia about the village. Informative, maybe, but not what they wanted. His own conversations with the girl were a bit different. It almost felt like a dance, she was clearly looking for something as well, and their words ended up heavy under the weight of a dozen different possible meanings.
As for her general abilities, those were also a bust. She was holding back and not even being subtle about it either. They had seen her speed when fighting the Oto team, and the girl had been tired then, but she was very much choosing not to even reach that when fighting them. Restricting herself with regular long-ranged attacks and lighting hits, rushing away anytime any of them tried to keep a prolonged physical match.
And the Uchiha who had so far followed her into this sparrings every single time, well, it would seem that for all that the three of them had yet to see the girl treat anyone else with any sort of sincerity, the boy was very much jealous. Any time either Inuyasha or Miroku were set to fight the boy after their first fight with Kagome-sama, the intensity behind his hits seemed to increase. And call him crazy, but he didn't seem the kind of guy who would go easy on anyone, even a girl. Sango not getting the harsher treatment offered few other possible explanations. It was a small miracle that his short-tempered teammate had managed to not take his sword out (the icy stare of his brother probably played a role in that). Not that the young genin was going all out either, the fake monk would bet his year's earnings that the little heiress gave very specific instructions about how much of their skills to show before taking a single step in the offered training grounds.
"If she was the one who arranged this shit, why isn't she here anyway?" They were becoming repetitive, his best friend's angry comments.
"Because if she were, that would bring too much attention to these sessions." His answers, as well, were starting to repeat themselves.
"That we're doing this at all is already bringing attention to us." Sango's words were neutral, but he could hear the slight irritation hiding behind.
"Perhaps," Whatever it was they wanted was worth the rumors that would begin out of this interaction. "But with both of them spending their time outside, a good number of eyes will be trained on them. Few will care about the kid's training."
"Tch, not like they can do much about us even if they are suspicious." Unsurprisingly, his logic failed to impress Inuyasha. "I mean, they've been infiltrated by their own nuke nin."
"Speaking of..." the girl trailed off. Hazel eyes wandering around the trees. "Do you think something else happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"Doesn't it look like there are more shinobis doing patrols lately?"
"So you noticed, then?" His own voice lowered as he glanced at their supervisor, who made no move to stop the conversation. "It looks like ever since two weeks ago, there's been a slight rise in the number of people around, and some of them look...tense."
"So something did happen."
"Do you think they told Kimi-sama or Toga-sama?"
"Tell the only clan unrestrained by any faux loyalty that they're currently in a precarious position?" It would be the honorable thing to do, the naive thing to do.
"But we're stuck here, aren't we?" There was slight disbelief in his silver-haired teammate's tone. "We have deals with them."
Ah, Inuyasha, his friend was a reliable person, but politics went over his head. If the agreements within the allied nations were nothing other than a fragile illusion of peace, the ones their clan had, were nothing other than veiled threats. Little more than a warning to let them pass, or deal with the consequences of angering a group that was renown for not only their love of battle but their prowess as well. With the frailty of their bonds, not one Hidden village would dare to open themselves to an attack just to protect a small portion of their missions.
"Never change, my friend, never change."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"Nothing, nothing." The con-artist bit back a laugh. "Oh, they're certainly punctual."
"Don't change the topic, you leecher!"
"Quiet."
A single word hissed was all that was needed for both teens to shut up. A familiar icy, golden glare was set on them, a silent warning to be on their guards and let nothing slip when they could already see the silhouettes of their sparring partners getting close. As far as they knew, none of their clans boasted a particular accurate hearing, but Sesshoumaru didn't like to take idiotic risks. Violet eyes studied them as they approached them. There seemed to be permanent bandages adorning the heiress' legs, more likely a method of protecting the muscles than an actual injury; either that or a way to get her opponents to lower their guard. He honestly could not say. Uchiha Sasuke's left arm seemed to be in a similar situation.
"Good afternoon, Sesshoumaru-sama." Her usual politeness seemed just the tiniest bit strained as she offered a low bow to their supervisor. "As always, we thank you for your patronage."
"Go ahead and start." Sesshoumaru-sama's usual coldness was very much at top form, though. "There's no chance of the instructions."
And, of course, his instructor was going ahead and being as clipped as a human being could be. He wouldn't be surprised if, behind the girl's cordial smile, there was frustrating anger.
"Of course, we wouldn't want to waste any of your valuable time."
Yeah, definitely angry, maybe a bit more.
"Good afternoon, Kagome-sama, Sasuke-san." Better stop this before it became unsalvagable. "Is the day treating you well?"
"Let's just get this over with."
It was going to be...challenging, for him to get this done when the Uchiha rushed to cut off any friendly interaction he could have with the girl. If only the girl didn't keep her conversations with Sango restricted to safe topics...alas, at least he'd learn how to be more adaptable. Especially considering he could see a similar tension in them than what they'd shown the very first session, back when they were clearly trying to figure out the reasoning behind these sparring sessions. Idly, the fake monk wondered what would be her reactions at knowing they had no idea themselves.
"I feel like I should apologize beforehand." Her words were soft, matching the sheepish smile on her face. "Today was trying, so his temper is shorter than normal..."
So was it because of training? Did something else happen? Did it even matter to their assignment?
"Ah, fret not." His smile was easy, friendly. The one that would have even older women shaking their heads with a small curve to their lips. Her expression did not change. "If we were unable to take on something like that, I fear we wouldn't ever make it past the front gates back home."
"A bit harsh of a requirement, is it no?" A small laugh, light and musical. And probably as practiced as his own. Was she fishing for information about the location of their clan? Or was it about the level of talent their members have?
"Well, we do have a reputation to uphold," They're slowly walking to their side of the field; on the other, Inuyasha is already muttering curses. He can't cross the line into flirting. It won't work, though she'd likely play along trying to trip him. It may also make the Uchiha snap. "Wouldn't want to disappoint anyone looking for a good fight."
That should be good enough; if she wanted to continue, the Higurashi heiress will be forced to be more specific. It was a good deflection. Unlikely to work in his favor, but good enough to force her to retreat. From that particular topic, at least.
"Oh, wouldn't want to break anyone's dreams, now would we?"
Deflecting it was then.
And it was his turn now.
"Well, you know how it is."
"Oh, you mean us?" Again, she laughed. Head shaking with what had to be fabricated amusement, eyes bright as she looked back at him. For someone claiming to have a trying day, Kagome-sama's acting remained top-notch. "Oh dear, now I feel pressured. Disappointing anyone would be a pitty."
Neither confirming nor denying her plans of following her family's policies, that answer could easily be interpreted both ways. And it was also turned on him now. She spoke in plural, though, right at the start. It was a habit he'd noticed for a while now, how she often spoke for them both. Uchiha Sasuke did the same as well. Like there was no need to consult the other, absolute confidence in what they said. This, he was sure, was not an act. The only thing he knew for sure.
"Ah, that was not my intention at all." This would be so much easier if he knew what the clan wanted with her in the first place. Still, he kept his voice steady as he pretended to panic and try to ease her nonexistent worries. "A rookie making it this far is impressive already."
"That's a relief to hear." Not a crack or a slip as they took their place in front of one another. Her voice sounded relieved, and her smile remained gentle, azure eyes seemingly carefree. "Well then, shall we?"
With a nod, the con-artist allowed his mind to ignore the fact that in about 10 minutes, he would be forced to endure the pain of a really pissed-off Uchiha without being able to use all of his skills. It wasn't like he could do a thing to change it, Sesshoumaru-sama would make the call to switch partners, and that would be it.
Disregarding the fact that the Higurashi heiress was holding back, Miroku tried to focus on her fighting style instead.
From what he'd seen, the girl was mostly a reactionary fighter. She'd clearly defaulted to that when the time came for her match, only ever kicking her opponent after dodging a poorly aimed hit. Not once had Kagome-sama actively rushed against the pink-haired genin. That had to be the basis for her style. Even if during their spars she'd shown herself to be confident enough to make the first move around half of the time. Likely warnings about relying too much on just one type of taijutsu had been given and taken to heart.
Few, but precise shots; careful movements that tried to waste as little as possible. It certainly fit her personality, cautious but unwilling to allow herself to become passive. Perhaps, if Miroku had enough time to actually socialize with her instead of the short talks, he could manage to get her guard down enough for her to lower her masl; gain some trust. As it was, the inclusion of the Uchiha made that all but impossible.
Three weeks, three weeks had already passed, and he still hadn't managed to master even this one jutsu...
It would be worth it, though. It would definitely be worth it. At least, Naruto hoped so, or his match against someone from that famous clan was going to become way harder than he wanted to even think about.
That guy didn't stop or hesitated for even a second before chopping his opponent's arm off. And Kagome had warned him the silver-haired genin had been holding back. No matter what, no matter how, it was not going to be an easy fight. His childhood friends were sparring with him and passing him as much information as they could, (because information could change the outcome of a battle, yes, he knew) it was unlikely to make things that much easier. He was also holding back during those spars and keeping up with them. He had to take training seriously, rush as much as he could to become stronger, or his time would run out.
So he would do it.
This time, for sure!
He would summon a toad!
Cerulean eyes narrowed as the blond tried to see through the smoke the jutsu created. The prankster squinted, he could almost see it. It was vanishing now, he could already begin to see it. It was small but...
Legs!
There were legs on it!
Four even, and...and a...tail?
Wait...just...wait...
What's a frog?!
At what point is it a frog?!
Ignoring the sting of pain, Naruto continued to pull his hair in frustration. Three weeks, he'd wasted three weeks on it, and this was all he could get to show for that effort?!
The oh-so-irritatingly familiar sound of his so-called new mentor's muffled giggles as the old man peeked between the bushes. Eyes glued to where he could tell at least one young woman was probably playing around in the water.
"At least pay some attention to me!"
Dizziness spread through him, the world around him becoming blurry. His limbs felt wobbly, anger was leaving him at a rapid pace...anger, right...he should be angry with...
Exhaustion weighed on him, blanketing all in his surroundings as darkness covered his vision.
...
He came back in layers. The smell of the grass and dirt filling his nose. A groan leaving his throat. His eyes blinked in an attempt to try and see what was in front of him. His brain was still struggling to keep up and understand what the hell was going on. One thing, Naruto was quite certain of one thing as he managed to sit on the ground. His limbs were still fairly slow. He was no longer in the same place he'd been before...before what?
"Huh?"Confusion laced the one sound the blond managed to make. "Where is this?"
"Get up." The voice was colder, but it was still the old pervert's.
"W...what?"
"The training ends today..." Ero-sennin was standing above him, the sun hiding his features. "If you don't want to die, then figure it out yourself..."
"Huh?"
Things didn't feel right...
This was definitely odd. The old man looked serious, for once, and the blond wasn't entirely sure he knew what the hell he was even talking about. Honestly, the prankster doubted even if his brain didn't feel like mush right now, he'd still feel lost. Struggling, Naruto managed to get to his feet. Geez, how long had it been since he actually passed out from tiring himself this much?
A slight pressure on his forehead made him blink, his gaze flying to see Ero-sennin had placed one of his fingers right in the center...and pushed him back.
Breath caught on his throat as he stumbled back...there was no more floor beneath his feet. His temporary mentor's face got smaller the more he fell.
The sound reached his ears before he realized he was screaming.
Turning his body in midair was easier than Naruto was expecting (he had a lot of experience now that he thought about it. Lately, the boy had been thrown in the air too much). Crap, he was high. Too high. There was absolutely no way in hell he'd survive a fall like this. Even his speedy recovery would not save him.
He had to stop the fall.
Somehow, he had to stop his fall.
No matter how...
Panicked cerulean fell on the rocks that made the cliff he'd been pushed off of.
Right, if Naruto could manage to get a hold of one of the rocks, he would make it. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, the blond tried to empty his mind, forcing chakra to gather on his hands and feet. He could do it. He would do it Extending his arms, fingers stretched, his skin brushed the surprisingly slippery surface of the cliffside...only for them to slip away...
Shit.
What could he do?
What could he do?
If he didn't do anything...he would really die!
Cerulean orbs widened.
He was no longer falling.
Instead, water pooled beneath his feet. A dark hallway extended in front of him. There was something unsettling about the place, and that was without counting the fact that he had just been plummeting to his death less than a second ago. What the hell had happened?
Right, information gathering.
He needed to move.
"Oooh!"
He jumped at the sound of...something...echoing through the halls, and with it came the feeling he'd begun to hate. Because this was...shaking his head, Naruto willed his feet to walk towards the feeling. Traveling through the dark halls only to stop in front of a giant gate. Barely, the boy could see a figure inside...what was it?
"Kid...come..." The words were loud and low at the same time. "Closer..."
Sasuke would kill him, Kagome would sigh and shake her head before telling him this was a stupid idea. But curiosity pushed him forward.
And he stumbled back, giant claws narrowly missing him as he jumped away.
"I want to eat you, but..." There were giant eyes glowing from the back of the room. "This damn seal..."
"...You are...the Kyuubi."
That was it, the feeling that called him forward, the source of the red chakra Ero-sennin wanted him to use for the summoning jutsu...the demonic nine-tailed fox.
"For you to come here...what do you want?"
At first, the blond hadn't really liked the idea. Any time the red chakra surfaced, his control slipped. The outcome always left behind an unsettling feeling in his gut and blood on his hands. His opponents' or even his friends' thanks to his lack of reasoning during fights. Kakashi-sensei wanted him to learn how to control it, though, Kagome as well...and if he didn't do something now, then this would be the end of the line.
"Hey, stupid fox!" His voice was surprisingly strong as he spoke. Bravado he didn't quite feel. "I'm letting you stay in my body, so instead of rent, lend me your chakra!"
Silence met his words for a second, but the blond refused to let any signs of insecurity show. His plan was a good one; he was right. The fox would have to give him enough power for the technique, and this time, it would be Naruto in control of it.
"Gwahahahaha!" It was just loud this time, the laughter reverberating throughout his brain. "If you die, I die too, eh? To threaten me like this, what guts."
Something was moving out of the cell, something darker mixing with the water and moving towards him. "Alright, here's a gift for coming this far."
A scream left him as the mixture of the thing and water rose towards him, surrounding him, restricting him and enveloping him, and he blinked...and he was falling again.
This time though, this time he could feel the power inside him, the borrowed chakra flowing through his veins, more than enough for him to pull it off. Ignoring the pain was easy as he bit his thumb hard enough for the taste of iron to reach his tongue before speeding through the hand seals he'd been practicing these last three weeks.
The smoke explosion this time was way bigger than any of his earlier attempts. And the animal that came out of it was not little. In fact, he bounced off its reddish skin a couple of times before he settled on top of its head.
"H-huge!" The idea was silly, but still, the boy rushed to look at the back end. "Let's see..."
Pride warred with satisfaction at the sheer size of the toad because this was one hundred percent a toad, no way in hell it wasn't! The panic and fear and tension vanished in an instant because he was alive, he was alive, and he'd finally managed to perform the technique, and the toad was even bigger than the one the perverted old man had summoned.
"I did it!" His cheer overpowered everything else. " The summoning jutsu is a complete success!"
"You lil' punk." The voice was loud and gruff, and completely unexpected. "Whatcha doin on my head?! Shut up, you idiot!"
What the...?
"I finally get some fresh air and..." The toad trailed off. "What the hell is this?! Hey, punk. Where's Jiraiya?!"
"Jiraiya, huh?" Should he play the fool? Pretend he didn't know what he was talking about? Why was a toad speaking anyway?
"That perverted geezer, calling me to such a place...even putting some weird punk on my head."
"No...well...I summoned you." It may not be the brightest idea, but after three weeks, he had done it, damn it. This was all him. "I thought you could keep."
"You?"
"Yes!"
"Gahahaha, you shouldn't lie, punk!" Amusement dripped from the words. "There's no way in hell a lil' shrimp like you could summon me!"
"You piece of shit toad!" He had done it, worked himself until he literally passed out. He did it. "How dare you say that! I'm the one who summoned you, so I'm your master! Got that, stupid toad?!"
Maybe...this had not been his best idea so far...
"What the...who the hell do you think you're talking to? Hey, some little kid is saying he's the master of the boss toad Gamabunta-sama!" It was disbelief this time, mixed with anger. "You want your head ripped off?! Huh?!"
"I'm...sorry..." Retreat, a strategic retreat was nothing to be ashamed of, Kagome said that. So he retreated. Seriously, why did Ero-sennin never warned him that toads could be this scary?
"Fine then," the toad grumbled. "Then, I'll make you my underling, be thankful!"
"Y-yes, boss toad!"
He was tired; Naruto was going to blame the fact that he was exhausted for not noticing the slimy tongue wrapping around him, and what was it with him being grabbed by freaky tongues?
A scream left him as the scenery around him blurred for just an instant before the world was swallowed by darkness once more.
There were no sounds he could hear, but the smell of the place was undeniable. The hospital, Naruto was in the hospital...again. This time as a patient, it looked like.
The blond groaned in frustration; he really didn't like the hospital.
"Hey..."A lazy drawl came from his bedside, not the one from his teacher. "Finally awake..."
"How long?"
"According to the hospital, around three days." Shikamaru's words sounded disinterested, as always.
"Why am I here with you?" Because this was not the person he expected to find on his bedside. "Where's Ero-sennin?"
"How would I know?" The boy gave him an odd look before sighing. "Well, it sucks, but I came to see Chouji, and they said you were sleeping here, so..."
"Huh? Were his injuries that serious?" He was sure they were relatively light burns.
"Don't get confused. Chouji ate so much meat after his fight that he got sick in his stomach."
"Hahahaha, that's just like him."
"You two aren't the type to have girls come visit you, and those two can be rarely seen in the village, so..." Right, his childhood friends' training schedule also had them having only enough time to eat and have some hours of sleep. "Oh, yeah! It's stupid, but I brought that guy a fruit basket. The doc says no, though, so I thought we could eat it."
"Oh, really?" Surprise filled his voice. Other than Sasuke and Kagome, it wasn't often that other thought of him. "You're a pretty nice guy."
"You idiot! It's just because it would be a waste if it spoiled."
"Hehehehe." A brilliant idea came into his head, he could worry about the finals in a bit. After his death-defying experience, a little fun would do no harm. "We should eat it in front of Chouji."
"You're so tiring..."
Still, the other boy stood. Now that he thought about it, Shikamaru was always complaining about stuff but kept going along with it anyway. That was also why the lazy kids ended up in detentions with him and Chouji so many times. He was one of the few who played along with the kind of pranks his friends declared too sloppy (which happened more often than he'd like to admit if he was being honest).
"How did you end up in this place anyway?"
"Oh? Yeah, my training!" He felt himself cheering even more at the reminder of the giant toad he'd finally managed to summon. "It's a super special secret technique."
"Humm"
"So I won't tell you," he laughed, still in a soft voice to avoid nurses showing up to shut them up as they walked down the halls.
"When did I ask?"
"Not even if you beg me over and o..."
The playfulness vanished from his voice just as his blood drained from his face.
Cerulean orbs seemed frozen on the sight he could barely see through the half-open door...because Gaara of the Desert was holding his arm right on top of an unconscious Rock Lee, and there was sand beginning to crawl over the genin. Later, he'd be surprised and grateful that Shikamaru kept quiet even though his fingers were now digging on the Nara's skin as he pointed to the door. That it took less than a second for the lazy teen to understand the situation and immediately proceeded with forming the hand seals that allowed his shadow to grow was a reminder that despite the guy slacking off, he was one of the smartest persons he knew.
He didn't wait.
Racing forward the second the redhead's movement froze, fist extended and connecting with the shorter genin's cheek.
"What are you doing here, you bastard?!"
"Hey, Naruto..." Annoyance dripped from Shikamaru's words. "While using the kagemane no jutsu, I move the same as him."
"Sorry, Shikamaru."
They were small, but cracks had already appeared on the freak's cheek, just where his fist had landed...so Gaara hadn't felt a thing from it, go figure.
"You...what are you up to?" He had to reign his temper; he really needed to keep his calm. "Hey! What were you trying to do to thick brows?!"
"I was trying to kill him." It was unsettling; how his voice never changed his tone.
"Wha..."
"Why is there a need to do that? You won the fight!" The tension was evident in the Nara's voice. "Do you have some personal grudge against him?"
"I do not." His words were just as bored, just as cold. "I'm going to kill him just because I want to kill him."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"You must have had a messed-up childhood. How self-centered can you get?"
"If you get in my way..." Shikamaru's comment seemed to have fallen on deaf ears. "I'll kill you too."
"What?!" He should probably shut up; his friends would probably knock him down and tell him to calm down...he couldn't calm down. "Go ahead and try!"
"Hey, Naruto, stop!" Yeah, if the lazy teen was riled up enough, he was definitely being stupid. "We know from your fight that you're string, but we're not too bad ourselves either. And we didn't show our special moves in the prelims. Plus, it's 2 on 1; you're at a disadvantage. if you listen to what we say, we'll let you leave quietly."
"I'll say it again." A freezing glare was sent their way. "Get in my way, and I'll kill you."
"Can you really live up to that?"
It would hurt later, the whiplash Naruto had just gotten as he turned to see the familiar figures of his best friends standing in the doorway. Dark eyes were narrowed as Sasuke walked inside the room, and the blond could already see the slight glint of a senbon in the girl's palm as Kagome made her way inside as well.
"Not to say, in a hospital like this..." Her soft voice hid behind a threat; the prankster knew her well enough to notice it. "How many people do you think will come once they hear any sort of loud sound? Could you really kill every single shinobi who came to investigate?"
A/N: I wanted to explain a bit more about the lack of guards (or apparent lack, since there were, but none of the characters knew/payed them any attention) in the Higurashi compound, but sadly none of the POVs that covered those parts were from Kakashi's perspective and he was the only one who actually interacted with them. Basically some people in the higher ups have definitely tried to have the place searched, especially right after they found it, but because the barrier was not made of chakra, even those with eye-techniques wouldn't be able to properly identify them, the same with chakra sensitive people. Unless they are used to how the energy feels they likely won't register it. As for this specific time, the way I see it it comes down to two specific things: a good chunk of their ANBU are not actually in the village and they are short-staffed (still looking for Orochimaru), and Sandaime was the one who personally assigned the two that were sent. The guy was terrible at handling the whole Kyuubi issue, and Orochimaru situation, and ROOT...many things actually... but it looks like he did keep the promise of not letting anyone interfere with Sasuke, there's a reason Itachi decided to show himself after he died, he trusted the Hokage but not the council. So in here it still pretty much the same. At any other time the council would likely try to meddle anyway, but considering the emergency situation they're in, the Higurashi bloodline is not that high in their priority list.
Also, there is an explanation of why Kagome and Sasuke ended up in this last scene, but it's on the next chapter.
As always, thank you guys so much for reading, and any review/comment/criticism is greatly appreciated.