Those Who Are Lost
Chapter 22
Need For A Hero
Hello there my fellow fanfictioners! As I am writing this I am hoping that this time my work keeps chugging along smoothly rather than running into another wall.
In the event that it does not then Huzzah!
We are entering the final arc of the story now. I hope that you all enjoy it thoroughly. Maybe I can even get this bad boy to 100 reviews by the end huh? 😊
Forgive me my mistakes, I just wanted to get this out and I think I rushed it. Please let me know if I made any big ones.
Now then, enough of my senseless prattling and onto the story!
Disclaimer: I do not in any way claim ownership of Naruto/Naruto Shippuden or the Boruto series. These are all the property of Kishimoto-sama.
THE VALLEY OF THE END
So this is where I'm supposed to die…
The thought sent a chill through her. Himawari wasn't entirely sure what she had been expecting but it certainly hadn't been this. The valley had been gargantuan as they had drawn closer and closer to it. From the outset it had seemed to her to be a small mountain.
As she was driven closer though she could make out more details. The river which ran into the valley formed a huge lake at its basin. The various pathways into and out of it that reminded her of the trails that ants would make in the dirt at Kouda's farm.
Briefly her thoughts turned inward to the memory of elderly man who had rescued her from death, given her a home and wanted to help her on her journey of self-discovery.
No! Thinking of him is of no good to me now.
Before Himawari could shake herself out of her own thoughts she was helped along by a forceful shove between her shoulder blades that sent her stumbling forward onto her knees. Behind her one of the Silent Step stood, posture aggressive and with a hand on a tanto sheathed at his side. Himawari glared at him, doing her best to ignore the horror just to his left.
The Sound nin had put bodies up as a display on the approach to their camp.
Throat parched, Himawari ran her tongue over her top lip to moisten them and grimaced at the taste of her own blood that lingered there.
Yeah, I'm certainly no fairy-tale princess
A trail of dried blood ran from her forehead down to her chin, her hair was a fright and her clothing hung on her in tatters.
A strong hand gripped her by the arm roughly and pulled her to her feet. The Silent nin remained impassive even when she hawked a gobbet of bloody phlegm at him.
"Keep moving lamb." Batou growled from ahead of her, turning back to the path and pulling her by her chains.
Like a dog on a leash
Spitting a curse which Batou simply ignored, Himawari forced one foot in front of the other, helped along by the occasional prod from the ninja behind her.
As she kept plodding along on her death march, she could've sworn that her guard was poking her harder than he normally did.
Maybe not so impassive after all.
The more she looked at the famed Valley of the End the less impressed she was by it. It was just a big reservoir with a couple of broken statues growing moss in the water. No… what caught her attention was the monolithic tower which rose high into the sky, its bloody peak topping the very waterfall which flowed into the Valley of the End.
Bloody is certainly apt.
Himawari couldn't help but grimace again at the sight of it. The tower was massive and ringed at every level by a large wooden platform, of which there seemed to be ten, and the structure of the tower itself seemed to be covered in a rust red colour which was growing darker by the minute.
At its apex, on the highest platform of the tower sat a large clock and above it some sort of large metal brazier in which a massive fire had already been lit. Himawari was so taken aback by it when she first recognized it for what it was that she did a double take.
Why on earth would they put such a large clock there?
Upon further thought Himawari found she didn't want chase that line of thought. As things currently stood it was all she could do not to heave her guts out onto the ground.
They had arrived within sight of the tower just as the sun was beginning to set and with every step the sky darkened. She could see storm-clouds in the distance, large, black clouds which creeped closer every second.
Himawari found herself becoming more and more numb with each step until, by the time they reached the main gate, she resembled little more than a ghost of herself. Dull eye cast to the ground, Himawari just kept on walking until she suddenly collided with Batou's back.
Shaking herself out of her daze the Hyuuga took stock of her surroundings once more.
They were just inside the gated area and a large party of shinobi had gathered to receive them. At the head of the crowd stood an elderly man wearing, what seemed to her, to be some sort of ceremonial robes. The edges of it were embroidered with strange kanji that Himawari had never seen before. Emblazoned upon the front though, was the symbol of the Hidden Sound with which she had become very well acquainted.
"You've cut things close!" The elderly man hissed.
Himawari felt goosebumps raise on her arms when Batou took a step back as if he had been struck.
"We were delayed Lord Tenchen. The Leaf ambushed us on the final leg of the journey." Batou rasped, getting to one knee. "Forgive me First Note."
"It is not I whose forgiveness you will need but the Master's." Tenchen snapped, the wrinkled skin on his throat rippling over his Adam's apple as he did so.
Batou's mechanical breathing hitched for just a moment before he nodded and got to his feet.
"I understand Lord Tenchen. Thank you for your mercy."
The elderly man snorted before moving around Batou to look at her. Himawari found herself trying to shrink away as Tenchen approached only for Batou to pull roughly on her restraints and drag her forward.
Tenchen circled her before reaching out with a hand that, to Himawari, resembled a claw and gripped her chin. Tenchen's nails were hard and pointed and they left little cuts on Himawari's chin as he turned her head for inspection.
"All this trouble for such a pathetic specimen." The elderly ninja hissed, spittle flying into Himawari's face. Tenchen snorted when she flinched as a result.
Here I am, being inspected like cattle.
"All that power. All that potential wasted on someone as weak and undeserving as you."
Himawari thought about answering but her lips remained tightly sealed. It was strange. She had become so numb with terror that she couldn't even feel it anymore.
Not cattle… the sacrificial lamb.
"Tenchen. Where is Maru?" Batou growled, his sedge hat swaying in the wind as he turned his head to scan the courtyard.
"She has returned to the Master's side along with the rest of our brethren." The man Himawari now knew was Tenchen croaked and Himawari found that he reminded her of an old toad.
"Or what's left of the Notes in any case." The scarlet warrior yawned.
"What?" Batou growled, pointedly ignoring the scarlet swordsman, and directing his question to Tenchen.
"Apparently the war against the Leaf has hit a few snags." The man in scarlet armour drawled, inspecting his fingernails for dirt.
Those words clearly angered Tenchen as he abruptly let go of Himawari and stalked back over to his compatriots.
"But surely now is the time that –" Motoko spoke up only to be silenced when Tenchen shot her a sharp look. Motoko's jaw snapped shut with a noticeable click.
"If you wanted more backup to kill a child Motoko then Sae, Komura and Gou shouldn't have gotten themselves killed." Tenchen told her. "As important as this mission is, the Master has more than one plan in motion."
"Batou!" Tenchen croaked and the large ninja stood, his back ramrod straight. "Take the girl to the cells. We still have a few final measures to put in place for the ritual."
"It will be done Lord Tenchen."
Himawari heard the footsteps approaching but she didn't react. She sat there in the corner of her cell, hugging her knees which were tucked against her chin, watching a cockroach run around in the dirt in front of her.
She didn't react when the footsteps halted outside the bars of her cell.
"Leave us." A dark, masculine voice commanded and then there was the sound of a door opening and closing a few moments later. Himawari didn't react to that either, staring listlessly at her six-legged cellmate as it wandered around the enclosed space in search of food.
Just trying to survive… like I am. Like I've always been.
And now in a few short hours her life would be over.
I'm tired of running anyway.
Himawari jumped slightly, her stupor broken when a loaf of hard bread hit her knee and bounced onto the floor in front of her.
"Your last meal girl." The man said by way of explanation, his voice tinged with mirth. Himawari stared at the food, her stomach growling, and she found herself tempted to reach for it.
No… I will give them nothing.
She would defy them in all things. Until the bitter end.
It was stupid and it was spiteful, and she didn't care.
Ignoring her stomach's protests, Himawari hugged her knees even tighter and glared at the cockroach.
Stupid bug.
"Is he dead?" The man asked suddenly. His voice was deep, rich, and filled with the promise of such pain that Himawari shuddered. Himawari chose not to answer and instead made a point out of staring at the cockroach who shared her cell as if it were the most interesting thing she'd seen.
I hate bugs. I really hate them.
She stared at it for a long time, refusing to meet the man's gaze, hoping that he would leave her to wallow in her misery alone. But the man didn't move, instead leaning forward against the bars and from the corner of her eye Himawari could see that gaze fixed upon her and that unerring grin.
It was him, the scarlet armoured warrior from the gate.
Eventually she could take it no more. The man's stare felt like needles prickling against her skin.
"Who?" Himawari asked, the words leaving her lips soft and sullen. The man let out a small chuckle and straightened and the young girl could hear the cracking of bones as he stretched his limbs.
"The Uchiha of course." The man clucked, his tongue hitting the roof of his mouth audibly and Himawari found her attention drawn away from the cockroach to her captor.
Himawari considered him for a moment. The man oozed lethality, every movement of his body as he stretched made her senses scream out that he could just as easily break her neck as he was cracking his knuckles. He emitted this aura. One of dread and malice and pain. The look in his eyes akin to a butcher eyeing up a slab of bloody beef. As though he was determining the best way to slice her to pieces. Himawari felt another shudder pass through her, and the man's red eyes shone like drops of blood in the torchlight. His large shaggy mane gleamed like oil in the torchlight, accentuated by the paleness of his skin and the vivid red of his pupils.
They look like Sasuke's Sharingan except without the tomoe.
His blood red armour enhanced his physique and Himawari knew at a glance that this man was a killer born and bred.
"Well?" The man drawled lazily as if he had simply asked her a question about the weather.
Himawari found her mouth opening to tell the warrior that, of course Sasuke was alive and that he was coming for her. She tried, she honestly did but all that emerged from her lips was a small sob.
Was Sasuke alive? How could she know?
Despair filled her then.
What if he's dead?
That was the first horrible thought that came to her and another wracking sob tore its way up from out of her before an even more horrific thought occurred.
What if he's alive… and he's not coming?
Tears welled from deep inside and coursed down her cheeks as she considered that possibility. She shouldn't have. Of course he would come for her, that was who Sasuke was.
But then again…
How well did she really know the man?
No! He will come for me.
There had been a part of her, a small part, that wondered if he would bother. Who was she to him? Just a stray he had picked up on the road. One that he had fed, clothed, and trained.
A man who gave me his family name.
She told herself that repeatedly, like a mantra and with relief bordering on hysteria, the sobbing subsided.
The man stood there now, his arms crossed, seeming to be perfectly content to wait for her breakdown to run its course. In fact, it seemed that he was taking a perverse pleasure in watching her fall apart.
She wouldn't give him the satisfaction as she angrily wiped away her tears with the back of her sleeve and glared at him, her blue eye shining with anger.
She was an Uchiha and those who bore that name would not show fear.
"He's alive." Himawari finally answered him firmly and the man's grin grew impossibly wider.
"Good! Then I still have a chance." The man hissed, his hands running over the pommels of the swords at his waist, caressing them as if they were old lovers.
"Who are you?" Himawari surprised herself when the question slid unbidden from her. Those scarlet eyes flicked briefly to hers before he snorted and turned his back on her.
"Toyohisa." He told her shortly and began to stalk away into the darkness.
Toyohisa… something about that name seems familiar.
Then with a start Himawari remembered. It had been back at the Uchiha shrine. Sasuke had told her that a man named Toyohisa was who he believed to be in charge of the operation to capture her.
But he doesn't seem to be in charge anymore. It looked like it was that old ninja.
"Wait!" Himawari cried and Toyohisa stopped, looking back at her. The grin was gone, and he gazed at her disinterestedly. Slowly, the young girl leaned forward and grabbed the loaf of bread.
It was caked in dirt, but she could wipe that off. It wasn't as if she could afford to be picky.
"What did you mean you still have a chance?" She asked warily.
"Why to complete my life's purpose of course." Toyohisa replied as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "To kill Sasuke Uchiha."
"Don't leave me." That's what I asked of him and he said he wouldn't.
So, she would trust him. Until the very end.
"Well… there it is girl." Sasuke murmured, patting Kamui's neck before getting on one knee to survey the area.
"How the hell did Oto get so powerful over the years?" Sasuke wondered aloud.
The Valley of the End lay spread out before him. Following the tracks had taken the Uchiha into a mountain range with a trail that, Sasuke knew from past experience, eventually led downward into a forested area and then through to the valley basin.
Knowing this Sasuke had opted to head upwards instead, using one of the old hunter trails. The path led through a forest of spindly trees; their roots visible as the mountain forest clung stubbornly to the mountainside.
It cost him some time, but he eventually reached a cliffside that overlooked the plateau. The sight that greeted him was such a shock that he couldn't help but gasp. From his viewpoint Sasuke observed the mountain trail a short distance away, the familiar path trailing downward as he had expected. It was when it reached ground level that the terrain changed drastically.
The entire forest surrounding the Valley of the End had been cut down and then set alight. The ground had been blackened, all grass and shrubbery burned away leaving only an ugly scorch upon the earth in their place. Here and there Sasuke could make out the smallest remains of tree stumps, either cut or burned until they resembled twisted, dark and lifeless husks of their former selves.
"It's okay girl." Sasuke soothed, stroking the side of Kamui's neck with one hand even as he undid the saddlebags with the other. Kamui let out a whinny of relief as the straps were undone and immediately sank to the ground, her belly expanding and contracting as the steed took great, heaving breaths.
"I'm running on my last legs too." He confessed. Despite his best efforts his wounds were still healing, and his chakra levels were low.
Sitting back against Kamui, Sasuke let himself enjoy for a moment, the rise and fall of the animal's breathing. Night had fallen and there was a cool breeze which he took a moment to enjoy.
"This is the end of the road for you girl." He said quietly. "You don't have to go any further. This is where I leave you."
Kamui merely snorted in response and Sasuke's lips twitched involuntarily into a half smile.
This horse is far cleverer than anyone would think.
Releasing a sigh, Sasuke reached for one of the saddlebags. For a small pouch he never thought he would have to use. The pouch was made of brown leather hide and small enough to fit into the palm of his hand. Sasuke stared at it for a moment.
I never thought I'd have to use this.
Grimacing, the Uchiha loosened the pouch's strings and withdrew some of its contents. Opening his palm he gazed at two small, dark, round pellets. Each one was about the size of his thumbnail and their surface seemed to gleam despite the darkening sky behind him.
Thunder rumbled and somewhere close by Sasuke heard the distinctive crack of lightning hitting the earth. He never took his eyes off the pellets though.
Naruto's last gift… or should I call it Sakura's?
He still remembered it as if it were yesterday.
"What's this?" Sasuke asked, eyes narrowing instantly as Naruto blushed, chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Oh you know… just a parting gift." Naruto replied, studiously avoiding his gaze. Sasuke's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as he assessed his Hokage.
He took a sniff at the pouch's contents and immediately regretted it. His skin paled and he couldn't help but sway where he stood, black spots momentarily dotting his vision.
"What in the name of Kami?!" Sasuke gasped, leaning forward to rest on his knees. He wasn't quite sure how he didn't drop the pouch but when he gathered his strength again he glared at the blonde who was now laughing.
"What. In. The. Hell. Was. That. Uzumaki?!" Sasuke spat, his eyes bleeding purple and ready to blow the Hokage out the window.
Naruto laughed nervously and backed away, holding up his hands in supplication.
"Oh just something Sakura tried to give me for my birthday last year." As soon as the name passed his lips, Naruto's voice faded until the last word was no more than a strained murmur. Sasuke's expression was shuttered but Naruto knew the man better than anyone.
The mention of his wife's name pained him. They hadn't spoken since the funeral service for Mikoto.
A tense silence reigned until Sasuke cleared his throat and inspected the contents of the pouch once more, this time holding his breath as he did so.
"So what are they then?" Sasuke asked before tacking on; "And why didn't you keep them?"
Naruto, eager to move past his slip up, gave another nervous laugh.
"Well… Sakura made them for me."
At that the Uchiha eyed the pouch with renewed caution.
"She made them? So they're suicide pills then?"
Naruto laughed so hard at that that tears pricked the corners of his eyes.
"Her cooking is pretty terrible but no, these are chakra pills."
"Chakra pills?"
"I don't know what goes in them but you take one of these and your reserves will zip from empty to overflowing in just a few minutes."
"Really? Then why haven't they been manufactured on a wider scale? Our ninja could use something like this."
"You mean other than the smell, the taste and the knowledge of the cook meaning some would prefer death?" Naruto shrugged. "I tried one once and it worked. Unfortunately, when the pill wears off you're out for the count. It takes a lot out of you. Take too many and it could make your heart give out."
"So suicide pills with a twist."
"See it's funny when you say it but when I say it Sakura puts me in the hospital."
"That's why I don't say it baka. It's also why I did all the cooking." Sasuke muttered. He eyed the pills with renewed interest and caution before placing them back in the pouch and pocketing it.
"Well let's hope I never have to use them then."
Naruto grinned and clapped him on the back.
"That's the spirit Teme!"
Staring down at the pouch, Sasuke grimaced. Steeling himself he withdrew two of the pills before downing two of them. Refusing to bite into the waxy texture of the pills he swallowed them as quickly as he could, swaying slightly.
Now there was nothing to do but wait.
"It's time little lamb." Batou growled and Himawari couldn't help but flinch.
She tried to resist when he entered the cell. She twisted and turned, tried to bite, kick and scratch him but it was no use. The seals on her fetters prevented anything of note. Batou merely grunted and lifted her over his shoulder, ignoring the way she beat her fists against his back.
"There's no point in resisting." A familiar voice called as they started up the steps and Himawari lifted her head to see Toyohisa smirking at her. "Batou's as hard as a rock and just as thick."
Batou growled at the slight but didn't stop and Toyohisa simply laughed. The Jashinist followed behind them as they made their way from the cells, across the yard and to the stairs that ascended the tower.
"Where'd you get the scar on your hand?" Toyohisa asked as they reached the second level and began making their way to the steps leading to the third.
"It may have escaped your notice but I'm a walking tapestry of scars." Himawari couldn't help but hiss.
Toyohisa merely snorted and waved his hand. "That scar is fresher than the others. It was treated differently too; with chakra I'm guessing."
"From one of yours." Himawari spat and Toyohisa grinned at her.
"Oh? Do tell… which one of the Notes added their art to your 'tapestry'?" His grin masked the glint in his eyes.
"The woman." That was all she was going to offer.
Toyohisa blinked slowly then chuckled under his breath.
"Sae huh? Not many who could've taken her down. She was always stronger than she looked."
"No, she wasn't." Himawari retorted.
No point in trying for tact anymore. What's the worst they can do? Kill me?
The thought almost made her want to laugh but she didn't. She couldn't.
Toyohisa stared at her for a moment before stopping on the steps, clutching his stomach as he roared with laughter. After a few moments he composed himself and hurried to catch up to them, doing so just as Batou reached the third level.
"Perhaps you're right!" He told her.
They walked on in silence for the remaining floors. The landing of the final floor was filled with a veritable sea of black ninja and Batou released another growl, causing the Silent Step to part like water around them.
They were met by Tenchen at the centrepiece of the floor. Himawari's heart stopped as she took it in. A large cross stood before her. Tenchen wasted no time and rushed forward, gripping Himawari's chin yet again.
"How curious… that so much effort should be expended for such a pathetic creature." Tenchen murmured, his words reminiscent of the ones he had said by the gate. Only this time there was a feverish light to his eyes, highlighted by the various torches and the flame of the brazier at the tower's top.
"That you should hold such power in your veins. Why are the weak so gifted and the strong left to die?" Tenchen whispered, more to himself than to her or anyone there.
Enough of this.
Himawari lashed out, catching the old man by surprise and he retreated a step. As he did so, she jumped forward in an attempt to sink her teeth into his flesh. Unfortunately Batou seemed prepared for such an event and roughly pulled her back.
"Don't touch me you old creep!" She spat.
"I'll do whatever I like brat!" Tenchen snapped, before giving her a stinging backhand which left her cheek red.
Now that she had been restrained in the grip of her captor, Tenchen leaned in close, raking that same cheek with one of his long nails, causing a fine trail of blood to appear. Himawari bit her tongue to keep from crying out.
"If I decide to pull out that remaining eyeball and make you eat it right here and now then I will do so and there is nothing you can do to stop me." Tenchen warned her darkly. For a moment he seemed to consider it, his nail twitching at the corner of her lips. Then he shook his head and snapped his fingers.
The ninja parted once more, clearing a path to the cross and Tenchen led the way to her altar of sacrifice.
Himawari continued to fight until Batou simply lifted her again. When they reached the cross, Himawari was able to see the hook at the cross's apex. Batou looped the chains over the hook and left the Hyuuga to hang there, her feet clear from the ground.
"Bring the bowl." Tenchen commanded brusquely.
All she could do was watch as a group of Silent shinobi approached. They carried between a large ornate bronze bowl. It was as wide as two men and they seemed to struggle to carry it. They placed the bowl directly beneath her. Next a pair of ninja approached Batou, carrying between them a large, two-handed blade with a wicked, serrated edge.
Upon seeing the weapon, Himawari began to curse and scream, thrashing wildly in an attempt to free herself.
Batou calmly took the weapon, inspecting its edge before turning to face her. She resisted as fiercely as she could, to the point where Tenchen called for her to be gagged. And so she found herself bound, gagged and waiting for the final blow.
"Now then..." Tenchen began. "We can begin the ritual."
The old man grinned sickly at her and when he next spoke it was to her, though all who were present hung upon his words.
"Once the invocation has been completed, once the clock strikes the twelfth hour, once the blade has fallen then your life will be ended." He gestured to the bowl beneath her. "Your life's blood will become Master's lifeblood. A life for a life. Death begets life."
Tenchen turned from her to address his followers, arms raised and outspread.
"For whomsoever drinks the lifeblood of the Tsukihime will know immortality!" As the final words left his lips all of the Sound nin, throughout the entire fortress drew their weapons and raised them into the air. The night was filled with the sound of ringing metal, the Notes's roars and Himawari's muffled cries.
"Lord Tenchen!"
Everyone turned their attention to the steps of the platform. Motoko rushed up the last few steps before shoving her way through the masses to them.
"What is it?" The elderly man hissed.
"The Uchiha." Motoko replied calmly, at odds with the wariness in her eyes. "He's here."
Instantaneously, the whole atmosphere changed. The Silent nin shuffled nervously on their feet, their weapons lowering but tightly held. Toyohisa grinned and thumbed his blades again, moving over to the balcony to try and catch a glimpse of his prey.
Sasuke?! He did come!
Himawari couldn't help but sob into her gag with relief.
"Why would the Uchiha come here? He must know that it's suicide!" Tenchen roared.
He then turned and walked to the wooden railing surrounding the platform, next to Toyohisa and raised his arms. A soft purple haze surrounded Tenchen as he gathered his chakra.
"He cannot stop us!" Tenchen croaked. "He will not stop us!"
Himawari watched on in horrid fascination as the man started moving his arms like a puppeteer. Immediately groups of the Silent Step shot up, their backs ramrod straight and began moving in different directions. Some to the walls, others to the platform but the majority congregating by the main gate.
"Are you sure it's wise to commit such a large portion of our forces?" Toyohisa drawled, his seemingly bored tone undone by the visibly trembling excitement running through him.
"What?" The old man snapped, his expression full of impatience as he directed shinobi around him with waves of his hands. The Silent Step seemed to jerk at first when his hand passed over them, like marionettes on strings, before rushing to obey Tenchen's silent commands.
"Other than the forces we have committed on the frontlines; this is all that is left of the Silent Step given to us by the Master. It would be foolish to waste them all on one shinobi." Toyohisa explained, his scarlet eyes shining with a cruel amusement.
The whole ritual site fell still as the old man turned toward Toyohisa. Even from her hanging position Himawari could feel the tension in the air.
For a moment she wondered if Tenchen would simply draw a blade, or order one drawn, and end Toyohisa's life there and then. But then the moment passed, and the old man simply turned back to the masses of ninja before them. When he spoke next his voice was biting.
"The Master gave me this task. He gave command of the Notes and his Silent Step to me and I will decide how best to use them. Besides, the Master can always make more of them." Tenchen turned his head slightly in Toyohisa's direction.
"I have command. Not you. Is that understood?" Tenchen finished before turning back to his task, though his body remained tense as he waited for Toyohisa's response.
Himawari watched with strained curiosity as Toyohisa turned his gaze to the horizon. Toward where Himawari knew Sasuke was approaching. The scarlet eyed warrior ran his tongue over his lips and fingered the pommels of his swords.
"Understood." Toyohisa muttered after a moment and some of the tension leaked out of the air. Batou remained impassive but Motoko's shoulders lost some of their rigidity and the old man nodded.
"The Uchiha cannot be allowed to interrupt the ritual. We will not have another chance and we must not fail the Master." The old man barked and Batou and Toyohisa both nodded in agreement. Motoko remained silent, looking deeply uncomfortable at the thought of having to face the Uchiha in combat.
"We all have a role to play here." Tenchen continued even as with a simple flick of his hand, dozens more shinobi streamed toward the main gate.
"Motoko and I will take command of the wall defences. Together we will either obliterate that snivelling Uchiha brat or at least delay him long enough for the ritual hour to come upon us." As he said this Motoko let out a little sniff before starting toward the steps that would take her down the tower to the third level which would lead across the bride to the outer defences. As she went, more and more black clad shinobi went with her, drawn to her like bees to honey. At their sides were quivers filled with arrows and they carried bows in their hands.
"Toyohisa, you will ensure the security of our escape route." Tenchen told him and the other man bristled in indignation.
"Escape?" Toyohisa all but spat the word. As if it were something filthy, he couldn't wait to be rid of.
"Yes, escape!" The old man barked, glaring at the Jashinist. "As soon as the ritual is complete, we will leave this accursed land with all haste and return to Oto. The Master's goals are all that matters!"
"Fine. I will secure our escape route." Toyohisa eventually ground out.
Tenchen didn't give him the decency of acknowledgement before turning to Batou.
"Batou. You will complete the ritual."
"Are you sure?" From the slight falter in Batou's speech it was clear that he hadn't been expecting it.
Tenchen nodded.
"Other than I, no one knows the incantation and your dedication to the cause is beyond reproach."
"It would be my honour." With that Batou turned and faced Himawari, resting the blade point down, between his feet.
"When the clock strikes midnight and the moon has reached its zenith, your lifeblood will fill that cask. Your time on this earth is done child but you can rest easy knowing that your sacrifice will benefit our master." Batou informed her, his words broken up by the breathing device in his neck. "Five more minutes."
"I am not going to die tonight!" Himawari spat, her words muffled and distorted by the gag.
Who am I trying to convince? Him or myself?
"This is as far as I take you girl." Sasuke murmured, stroking Kamui's nose. The horse whinnied at him and the look in her eyes was reproachful.
"It's too dangerous. This is my fight." He told her. "You're finally free now girl."
Pressing his forehead against Kamui's nose one last time, Sasuke pulled himself away and began the trek down the mountainside, ignoring Kamui's exhausted whinny.
It took him over an hour to make the descent, giving his body time to absorb the nutrients of the chakra pill. By the time he made it onto the scorched plains, his muscles burned slightly from the descent but he could feel his chakra flowing through him once more, the strength of it unbelievable.
He took a moment to gaze at the ringed defences enclosing the valley up ahead.
The fortifications and defences were extensive to say the least. Large guard towers and thickened wooden palisades with trenches of fire-hardened stakes.
Sasuke noted with some disgust the rows upon rows of burned and blackened bodies impaled upon wooden stakes at irregular intervals across the plains.
They have much to answer for.
"Is this what you hoped for me Itachi?" He murmured as he began making his way across the terrain. A little while later, the Uchiha tensed as the great wooden gates at the far end of the plains cranked open, the sound of tortured mechanisms audible even at this distance.
No sooner had the gate opened than a veritable tide of black clad shinobi poured through the portal. They spread out like a rolling tide across the plains, rushing to engage him. As they did so the burning braziers to either side of the gate sputtered out, choked by the sheer mass of bodies.
Sasuke looked at the mass of men and women coming toward him, their forms fading into darkness as they sped away from the firelight on the walls. Reaching up he cradled Itachi's necklace between his thumb and forefinger.
"Is this the day I die brother?" Sasuke wondered aloud. If his brother's spirit was watching then he was keeping quiet.
Suddenly lightning flashed, illuminating the whole world and the army swarming towards him.
Well there's my answer.
Nodding to himself, Sasuke tucked the necklace beneath his shirt and walked forward.
The storm was getting worse. The air crackled with electricity every few seconds and each rumble of thunder shook the ground beneath his feet and the world would flash white with every fork of lightning.
They must think I bring the storm with me.
Sasuke pushed back the hair covering his Rinnegan even as his other eye melted from obsidian to scarlet and his Mangekyou glowed in the dark.
They would be wrong.
The Silent Step were close now and Sasuke wasted no time. He rushed forward to engage them, an aura of violent purple chakra swirling around him, cracking the earth beneath his feet with every step he took. A tempest of power within which a set of gargantuan skeletal ribs were beginning to form.
I am the storm.
And as Sasuke's blade cut into the flesh of those who opposed him, his eyes focused on the tower far in the distance.
You're going to live Himawari, I promise.
Oh man I can't believe how long that took me to write. I got halfway through but I just wasn't happy with the writing. Eventually I just said enough was enough and powered through it. What did you guys think?
Special thanks to all my usual reviewers and to the guest reviewer for providing me with the kick in the pants I needed to just power through the chapter.
Hope you enjoyed it and if you did please leave me a review. It really would mean a lot to me.
See you next time on Those Who Are Lost where there will be quite a bit of action.
Chapter 23: Five Minutes to Midnight