Good day.
Seven chapters in one month, and this one is the longest yet. Not terrible...not great.
The plot thickens, so I'll let you get to it.
"Virtue, integrity and courage are my priorities.
I can be approached, but never pushed;
befriended but never coerced; killed but never shamed."
A blinding stream of light tore through the air at speeds that not even Hinata's Byakugan could follow, impacting the body of her target and obliterating the seal along with most of his lower torso, before continuing its trajectory far into the horizon. The vortex winked out of existence, just as the kunoichi touched the ground in front of it, no longer subject to its pull. In a gruesome display of gore, the upper body of the technique's caster fell to the ground with a thud, connected to its lower half by only a few strips of flesh which had escaped disintegration. A second of silence slowly passed, then two, then three – then time resumed its normal pace. She became aware of her own pounding heartbeat at first, then her chaotic breathing, and as the world returned more and more into focus, she heard Kiba's voice calling out the name of their team leader. When Hinata turned towards him she realized that his location also coincided with what must have been the origin point of the beam. Her Byakugan had not been deactivated when she laid eyes on Sasuke, but despite her ability to peer through objects, what she saw only confused her further. A large stream of chakra had been redirected to his eyes – not an anomaly, given that his primary fighting techniques revolved around using dojutsu. No. What confused her was what he held in his left arm – rather, what was attached to his left arm. A metal …construct, of a kind she had never seen before, fused with the flesh of his stump. Gears reacted to each other, setting the whole thing in a constant slow spin, while multiple metal cylinders kept realigning along its length every other second. Wires and tubing emerged from its sides and burrowed into his upper arm, all the way to his shoulder. At the opposite end, the tip was flat and hollowed out, but made of layers that spun in different directions. Sasuke had chosen to hide whatever that was beneath his travel cloak after using it, but Hinata's eyes remained glued to it in sheer bewilderment.
"You filth! You dare attack me?!" Itsuki kicked the corpse of a fallen enemy with furious abandon. "Do you know who I am?" He grabbed his sword and drove it down into his lifeless target repeatedly, until his muscles burned. "Do you know who I am?!"
"That's enough." Sasuke approached the ghastly scene and Hinata noticed that while her attention had been on the young lord's outburst, his left arm had returned to normal.
"Get away from me!" Itsuki swung his blade in a wide arc, threatening to cut whoever got close. "Where were you, Uchiha?! You left your underlings to protect me while you went to chase ghosts!"
"Steady yourself, lord Fuku. The battle is over."
"How can you know that?! They came out of the ground! There could be more beneath us, waiting… waiting to attack me again."
"Lower your weapon. This is not the time for such behavior." Sasuke's tone left no room for debate, this time.
Itsuki's glare roamed between the three stunned shinobi who had fought to protect him, then lowered to the trembling katana in his hands. Realization suddenly dawned on him. Feeling the effects of adrenaline starting to subside, his grasp on the hilt loosened and the blade fell to the ground. Everybody stared at him in disbelief, but no one wanted to be the first to speak.
"Bring me my horse." His order came in a low, calculated voice, a few seconds later.
"The… horses ran away during the fight." Kiba spoke out, but made no move to approach the lord. "They could be miles away, by now."
"Fine. We'll continue on foot." With blank eyes, he stepped over the body at his feet and continued past the Uchiha, following the road.
[…]
A full two hours later, the lodge they were supposed to spend the night in came into view. Itsuki had not so much as uttered a single word throughout the trek. Not when Shino handed him the weapon he abandoned, nor when they passed the place where Sasuke had fought the second group of attackers. To the three shinobi following him, the scorched wood and deep blade marks left on tree trunks told a gruesome tale. Still, none of them spoke, unwilling to risk another episode on the part of their charge. The building in front of them stood an imposing three stories high, though its large size did not diminish the comforting feeling it evoked. Clearly built from the woods around it, rough sawed timbers supported the porch that led to its main entrance, each hand-notched to fit.
"Well, you gonna stand there all day?" A slender woman, looking to be in her forties, greeted them. She wore a plain, dark green kimono with sleeves stitched up at the shoulders and carried a basked with tints of red and yellow in it – what could have only been berries. Strands of her chocolate hair escaped the bun atop her head and fell haphazardly onto her face. "Night time will be upon us soon. You young ones want rooms or not?"
Nobody moved until Sasuke made the first step towards the entrance. Their host waited for all of them to pass before she followed them inside.
"Welcome… welcome. My name is Chizue Matsumoto. Me and my two daughters, Haia and Kagome, own this little corner of haven. Hm… You don't look like you're out here to hunt game. I'm guessing from your clothes and light bags that you are making your way to the capital." She paused waiting for confirmation, but it never came. "Well, I got nine rooms in total, of which seven are currently available. Will you be taking five or are any of you sleeping together?"
"Five."
"Huh? Speak up, lad. An accident a while back left me deaf in one ear."
Sasuke frowned and raised his hand, making sure all of his digits were visible. "Five rooms."
"Five rooms… Alright. Will you be staying just the one night?"
"Just the one." The raven-haired shinobi took a moment to asses Itsuki's condition. "Possibly two." He searched one of the inner pockets of his cloak and produced a small bag of coins.
"I see…" The woman eyed the bag and scribbled something in what could only be a personal ledger. "Follow me upstairs and I will let you pick your rooms, then."
The floorboards creaked with every other step they took along the outer corridor which wrapped around the building's upmost floor. The opaque paper of the shoji screens had turned yellow with age, weakening the contrast between the panels and the wooden frames.
"This entire floor will be yours. My other two guests use the lower rooms to resupply and get a good rest between hunts. They left this morning and I don't expect them to return for yet a few more days. Speaking of hunting… young man…" She pointed at Kiba. "It's a first time I see someone walk around with a tamed wolf, but I certainly hope you will keep him outside for the duration of your stay."
"Er… yes, m'am. I will." The shinobi shot an apologetic look towards his partner who let out a whimper.
"You all look like the road's been harsh to you. Feel free to make use of the konyoku in the back. A relaxing bath will always soothe away the worries of a hard day." The old woman smiled when she saw the spark in her guests' eyes. "Me and my daughters will be around. Do not hesitate to ask if you need anything." Despite her overly-relaxed manner of speaking, she bowed respectfully before turning away and heading down the staircase.
[…]
Sasuke stood in front of his window, watching their host dutifully light up the oil lamps on the stone-paved path connecting the main building to the bath house. The idea of soaking in warm water sounded very appealing, but right now he had a more important task that needed his attention. He walked to the travel bag that hung next to his cloak and searched for what he needed – a small bottle of ink and sheets of paper. Sitting down at the small tea table by the bed, he started writing the report that described the attack, along with the implications of it.
Using the Rinnegan's method of interrogation had never been a pleasant process for Sasuke, especially since it inevitably led to the target's death, but with the sounds of battle coming from his team's location there had been no time for more conventional measures. He found that the group which attacked them was never meant to split up. This decision had been taken only after their leader realized that one of the four guards escorting the Fire Daimyo's son was Uchiha Sasuke. With this realization, of the twenty-three shinobi that had set out on their mission, fifteen had volunteered to act as a decoy in order to lure him away and keep him from the real objective. Their leader had been one of the fifteen, and he, like every one of those who volunteered, knew they'd be throwing their lives away just to give the remaining eight a chance to assassinate Itsuki.
His battle had indeed been a one-sided slaughter. The lack of distinctive markings or symbols on their outfits initially led Sasuke to believe he was fighting a group of missing nin, but every time he would manage to place one under genjutsu to extract information his comrades would kill him, leading the Uchiha to conclude that the attackers knew exactly who they were fighting. The moment he saw Itsuki's distinctive white mare running into the forest without its rider, the pieces clicked into place. Witling down the number of enemies to one, the Human Path afforded him both an instant-kill method, as well as all the information he would need before rushing back to his team.
Half an hour later, the hawk summoned to act as a courier nibbled contently on the piece of meat Sasuke provided, though as soon as the sheet of paper was tucked into the small cylinder on its leg, the bird gulped the whole strip down and jumped onto its master's arm, ready to take flight. Not long after it disappeared into the darkness of the night, Sasuke's eyes caught the movements of a figure making its way into the bath house.
[…]
Hinata hesitated a good minute before she finally decided to remove her clothes. She had kept her ears peeled and counted the hours until now, waiting for the perfect moment when everybody would be asleep, to finally make her move. Her right shoulder ached whenever she lifted her arm, and for a second, she was grateful that the only hit she took during the fight was in a place that could be covered by clothes, because her pale skin made the bruise on the side of her abdomen look a lot worse than it felt. After her clothes were folded, she took one of the large towels from the neatly arranged stack labeled for guests and wrapped it tightly onto her body. It was finally time to relax. A wall of warm air hit her when she slid open the door to the bath room.
"Yo, Hinata."
Her shoulders slumped in instant defeat. The words of their host shot back through her mind.
Feel free to make use of the konyoku in the back.
This was a mixed gender bath.
"H-Hey, Kiba. I didn't think anybody would be using the bath at this hour." She remained frozen at the entrance.
"Well, guess you and me had the same idea. I'm glad it's you, though. I don't mind your company. Hurry inside, already. You're letting all the steam out." He dropped back in a relaxed position, letting his body slide deeper into the water.
To close the door and walk away at this point would be nothing less of an insult to her friend. And thus, one step at a time, she made her way into the water, trying to look in any other direction but Kiba's. There had been moments in the past when she and her team mates saw each other more or less naked. Missions didn't always provide comfortable warm baths, and on the worst ones they only had a few minutes a day dedicated to personal hygiene. In moments like those, it didn't matter if it was in a cold river, a muddy lake or with other shinobi watching – you'd take the opportunity and be glad for it.
"Feels good, doesn't it?"
"Yes…" She smiled and let the comforting feeling invade her senses.
"How's the shoulder? I noticed you wincing when you took your cloak off at the reception."
"I'll be fine. I strained it when I got pulled into that seal…"
"Yeah… That was a fight to remember, huh? Bastards bypassed all detection layers just like that. It's been a while since Team Kurenai got ambushed."
"I should have seen them coming. I should have had my Byakugan active."
"Don't be too harsh on yourself. None of us expected it. Sasuke said he'd take care of the enemies and that got us all to lower our guard."
"I'm just glad he reached the last enemy in time."
"Nah. You would've finished that guy off on your own."
It was Kiba's attempt at a comforting lie, though whether it was to give her credit or to take some away from the Uchiha, she did not know. The immense force she felt pulling on her body when she got closer to the center of the vortex made it clear in her eyes – without Sasuke's interference, both her and Itsuki would have died.
"Did you ever see such a jutsu before?"
"The one he used on that last enemy?" The ninken specialist stroked his chin. "Can't say that I have."
"Noticed anything particularly weird about it?"
"Something other than it melting the target's torso, you mean? Look, I didn't actually see him set up the technique. I only saw the beam of light and when I checked where it came from, he was there."
This confirmed to Hinata that she had been the only one to notice the weird construct attached to his left arm.
"Speaking of the Uchiha… After that first dump he got us rooms in, I didn't expect this one to actually provide living conditions." Kiba splashed the water with a hand, sending ripples all the way to Hinata.
"I think he's trying his best, given that he's used to working alone."
"If ya say so… Far be it from me to question your boyfriend."
"Kiba!"
"What?! You two spend so much time together lately that I'd be more surprised if it wasn't true, at this point."
And then it hit her. She had been gravitating towards him with every chance she got. A small conversation. A shy smile sent his way from afar. Just listening to him talk about his travels. Sharing moments of her own missions in response. Now that it had been brought to the forefront of her thoughts by Kiba's lack of a verbal filter, none of it made sense. Yet, all of it was eerily comfortable.
"I just like him… as a person." She watched Kiba's eyes widen. "As a friend, I mean." She quickly corrected, chastising herself for her own lack of a filter.
"You don't say…"
"Y-yes… Like Shino…" She was panicking now. "He's quiet and thoughtful and efficient."
"Mhm. Go on…" Kiba eyed her suspiciously.
And he makes her smile. And she doesn't feel judged one way or another when she spends time in his presence. Nor does he treat her as the Hyuga clan's princess. "Nothing. That's all."
The Inuzuka raised an eyebrow, taking time to decide whether he believed what she was feeding him. Eventually his shoulders came together in a shrug. "Alright, then. I'm sorry for coming at you like that. We've known each other for almost our entire lives and it's just weird seeing you spend time with anybody outside the team, you know?"
"…"
"I get overprotective sometimes, and it's not on purpose. I think I get it from my mother. Just let me know if I overstep your boundaries."
He had already done that, but Hinata was too polite to say it out loud. For now, she was just glad he didn't press the topic further.
"Oh… do you think that's him?" Kiba moved his hand to form a funnel on his ear, signaling that he was trying to catch noises from the changing room.
Hinata reflexively tightened the towel around body and tried to shrink deeper into the water. She had been so focused on trying to placate the sudden curiosity of her team mate that the sounds of another person nearby had escaped her notice.
When the door finally slid open, Itsuki Fuku made his way towards them with confident steps. Both shinobi fell into an awkward silence while he strolled lazily along the edge of the small pool, but it was Hinata's stomach that sank when he finally settled on a spot to dip in, much too close to her for personal comfort. The small towel he chose to hide his modesty hung loosely around his hips and threatened to unravel completely when it soaked in water.
"I didn't mean to interrupt your conversation. Do go on…"
"We were just discussing the day's events. Nothing important."
"Oh, I beg to differ. I'd say that succeeding in your duty to protect me is quite important." He threw Kiba a short look, but his eyes went back to analyzing the woman next to him, making no attempt at being subtle about it. "I never got to thank you for saving my life, Hinata."
"I was only following my training, Lord Fuku."
"So were your team members, and yet, it was you who stood between me and the danger. My father will be informed of all your brave deeds, rest assured. But you, in particular, have my personal gratitude." He moved his hand to touch her shoulder, but a loud splash drew his attention back to Kiba.
"Right! I think that is enough soaking for me." The ninken specialist spoke in an abnormally loud tone, even for him. "I think I should head back to my room." He pressed the last words, staring intently at Hinata.
"I should retire as well. The hour draws late." She threw Kiba a grateful look.
"Come now, I'm sure you can spare a few more minutes to keep me company." He inched his body forward but Hinata moved out of reach, trying to disguise her intent.
"My deepest apologies, Lord Fuku, but in order to serve you to the best of my abilities, I need to be well rested."
Her answer did not seem to satisfy the man, but she pretended not to notice his disapproval as she rushed to match Kiba's pace towards the changing room.
[…]
An hour later, Hinata had managed to shake off the day's events, just enough for sleep to take hold. Her battle played out again in a dream, but this time, she had seen the eight attackers before they ambushed her group. Despite yelling the information to her team mates, they seemed not to hear a word of it. Even as they burst from the ground, Kiba and Shino seemed oblivious of their presence. She tried to fight but her limbs felt stiff as rock. She felt her ribs break when a familiar enemy landed his kick, then smeared blood on the symbols of a seal. Everything stood still while she hung in the air, arm stretched out, inches away from the symbols creating the vortex that would crush her. This time, there was no column of light. Instead, she saw a familiar shadow walk amidst the frozen scene, winking in and out of existence. The scenery changed to team Kurenai's meeting before they set out on the mission. Kiba was arguing his concerns about their new team leader. She heard her sensei's voice reprimanding his behavior, but when Hinata turned to look, the shadow stood in her place, burning holes into her with red and purple orbs. The backdrop of her dream changed again and this time Hinata was in her room. Through the paper panels of the walls, she saw the dark figure walk the outer corridor, floorboards creaking under its steps. When the door slid open, she woke up.
"Sasuke?"
"Hmm… Not quite."
"Lord Fuku?!" She rose from her bed and rushed to him. "Is something wrong?"
"That was quite rude of you, Hinata. Not keeping me company when I requested it."
He closed the distance, himself, when the woman stopped in her tracks. The fleeting look of panic on her face lured him even more. He had appreciated catching glimpses of her form since their mission started, but their proximity in the bath house only increased his curiosity. Itsuki was no stranger to laying with beautiful women. His court retainers made sure to provide him with a throng of concubines that would keep his desires satisfied. This was different, though. She was a shinobi. He had witnessed that body, which belonged in a ballroom dress, weave with precision between his enemies' attacks and snuff out life with a single touch – and now wanted to know how such exotic power would translate into other activities.
"I was going to head to my room after that bath, but I think that after such an eventful day, I need something more to relax. I'm sure you'll have no issue to accommodate my needs."
Hinata's body stiffened when his intentions became clear. All she could muster was a shake of her head.
"Surely you wouldn't deny me this, would you? I almost died today. If we get attacked again, I wouldn't want to go without having experienced this whim."
"That's… No."
"No? But you are a shinobi, aren't you?" Itsuki lifted her chin with his fingers and leaned in to whisper "Sworn to serve my father and me… in every way we see fit."
Her bloodline ability came to life and with it, she fought her body's urge to defend itself.
"Ah… There she is. The Hyuga princess." Itsuki's expression lit up with excitement. "Such wonderful eyes! Your killing instinct is making my hair stand up. But I know you will not attack me. I am the son of the Fire Daimyo and on my shoulders rests the fate of this world… You understand this, don't you?" He took a deep breath, catching her scent. "Good. I'm glad we are on the same page. Now, if there will be no more arguments, I'd prefer if you started removing your cl-."
"What is the meaning of this?"
The actual shadow of Hinata's dream stood in the doorway. She had never seen Sasuke enraged, but if his current look was a precursor to that, she knew she would never want to.
"Mind your own bussiness, Uchiha. I was simply asking her for a… favor."
"Hyuga Hinata is a member of my team. If you have any concerns or issues with her, you will address them with me."
"And what about my issues with you?" The young lord finally pulled himself from Hinata's proximity.
"You will endure them."
"So smug… But ultimately hollow. I will do as I see fit, and you… You can do nothing to me."
"I won't need to. I can simply let the Water Daimyo's men finish the job next time he sends an assassination squad."
Itsuki stared at the shinobi with complete disbelief. His grin had faded at the words.
"What did you just say?"
"The men that attacked us earlier were carrying out the orders of Genkei Kuroishi – the daimyo of the Land of Water." If given the choice, Sasuke would have preferred to divulge his findings in a private conversation with the young lord, but Itsuki's actions had forced him to use it as a diversion from Hinata.
"That's preposterous. What could possibly motivate such a figure to risk a political incident by having me assassinated within his boarders?" The man to mask it but Sasuke noticed the fear in his eyes.
"There is no need to feign ignorance. I am fully aware of your mission. Naruto has informed me of the details."
"And how would Uzumaki Naruto know anything about-"He stopped mid-sentence, realizing the obvious answer. "So, the great lord Fuku couldn't help but brag about his plan… Hardly surprising, now that I think about it. He always did enjoy having his ego stroked."
"The Daimyo pressured Lord Kuroishi into marrying his daughter to you, using me and Naruto as leverage… Through that marriage he would work in more alliances, more arranged unions and slowly take control of the Land of Water's political landscape. Having you killed before you reach the capital was a desperate move to thwart that plan."
"Hmph. My father was so concerned with how the other nations would react that he underestimated Genkei's own resolve to stop this."
"This changes things. Once we reached the capital, we were instructed to hand over escort duties to a team from Kirigakure – evidently that would no longer be in your best interest. I have sent a message back to Konoha, detailing the recent events and asking for how Lord Fuku would like to proceed. We shall wait here until we get a response."
"I could have saved you the trouble…" There was resignation in his tone. "His order will be to proceed with the plan."
"Does he care so little about the life of his son?" Sasuke felt no need to hold back the bluntness of the question.
"Hah! His son?" Itsuki turned to reveal an expression marred in disgust. "I haven't been his son in four years. Ever since that accursed ancestor of yours drowned the world in the light of the red moon, all I've ever been to him is a tool. A pawn to further his ambitions." He couldn't help but laugh at the irony. "…just like you, your friend Naruto, the Hokage… all of the Hidden Leaf."
For the first time in the conversation, Sasuke didn't meet eyes of the young lord. The Curse of Hatred which guided the Uchiha clan's destiny for generations had come to an end with him and Naruto, but not before Uchiha Madara had nearly destroyed the world in the pursuit of his goal. As the last bearer of the clan's name, he often felt the guilt of his predecessor's actions. Washing away the sins of the Curse of Hatred had been one of his main drives since the war – both Madara's…and his own.
"I don't blame my father for any of this." Itsuki took a few steps closer. "It's you. All of you… shinobi abominations…" his words dripped like venom through gritted teeth. "Your very existence is a paradoxical plight on this world. Born with unnatural power, your kind bows their heads and pretend to serve us, average humans. You have the audacity to desire peace, yet all your lives you're bread for war – any one of you just a bad day away from unleashing chaos on the rest of the world."
The impassive gaze he received only fueled his ire.
"My father was a normal man. A good man… but anyone that commands weapons like you will inevitably go drunk with power. Yes. Shinobi are a corruption. They tainted his mind until even I, his own son, became a tool in his eyes. I despise all of you! Your brother should have never stopped at your clan. He should have whipped off the entire villag-"
Sasuke's backhand struck his cheek with enough force to send him to the ground. In a panic, Itsuki's searched for any weapon he could use to defend himself but before he could even attempt anything else, the room went spinning. The Uchiha grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and slammed him against the wall.
"Sasuke!" Hinata rushed to interfere.
"I should end your miserable life for speaking of Itachi." Raw anger shot through him, and with it, his right eye turned the color of blood. Ever since the war, the act of taking an enemy's life had always been a grim necessity for accomplishing his missions. Now, though… with this pathetic excuse of a man, gasping for air under his grip, it would be different.
A familiar hand settled on his arm.
"Please…"
That is all for this chapter.
For those still wondering, what Sasuke used in the beginning of the chapter to save Hinata was the Asura Path. I was disappointed to find that ever since he got his Rinnegan, he is never shown making use of this particular path, in the anime/manga. Hopefully, I described it well enough for this portion of the author note to be useless.
If you are noticing some differences in style with Chapter no.7, it is because I tried focusing more on dialogue, rather than descriptions, to see how it clicks. Let me know if it was awkward, good, bad, rushed or anything in between.
Please excuse any typing mistakes that you find. I admit to having dedicated less time proof-reading this one.
Criticism and opinions are welcome.
Take care.
Oh... and I don't know if any of you care for it, but here is the video that inspired me to start writing this fic, a month ago:
/watch?v=-7jyWPAISQ8
"Naruto - Shinobi" by RasenChidoriSniperShots