The Wanderers
Chapter 20 – Separation
A/N: Sorry for the constant big action scenes. That won't happen again, least not for a while. There will still be action scenes of course, but they'll be broken up properly. Also I'm working on a new style of writing, so please tell me if you think this way is better.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, there would be TWISTS!
***Previously-On***
Two down, two to go. Shino, Shikamaru and Kakashi faced off against the large Sound shinobi Jiroubo. After an impressive summoning display by Shino they forced Jiroubo into his Second Level, which allowed him to easily push back the Konoha shinobi. After nearly dying at Jiroubo's hands, Kakashi was saved by a mysterious technique in his Sharingan that Obito had implanted. Seemingly coming back from life twice, Kakashi was able to knock out Jiroubo with a close range attack. Unfortunately such an ability left his Sharingan useless, having reverted back to its original black colour before Obito had activated it. Since they were fighting outside the village left them stranded, Kakashi scrubbed their mission and they decided to regroup with the others at the rally point. At the other end of the Village, Hinata, Kiba, Sakura and Lee broke out of their illusions and faced off against Tayuya. With her flute in hand, Tayuya pushed the group with her three summoned giants, but after an impressive display of teamwork they were able to break her flute and take her down. Unfortunately she was able to get back up, and with amusing banjo play nearly defeated the Konoha group, but after some clever observation from Hinata they were able to beat her to submission. Lee was able to destroy the device blocking the Byakugan's vision, but when they did Hinata saw a large ambush waiting for them outside their room. With Kiba and Akamaru down for the count, they were forced into a bad position, with no-one to help them.
***End Summary***
Neji stood in silence as the room in front of him burned. It had taken most of his explosion tags, but after seeing what he had there was little reason for that room to continue existing. At first he didn't want to believe it, but after lifting up that sheet and seeing the mangled corpse of his long-dead father, the writings within the book concealed in his robe made a scary amount of sense. Silently he spoke a prayer for his father, hoping that he was now in a better place. He reactivated his regular Byakugan and took a look around the floor. He had ignored the other rooms at first, but the more he looked around the more he figured there might be some kind of clue as to where he might find the Sound leader.
I'll find him, and I'll kill him for what he's done. At first he was outraged, but all that sat with him now was hatred. Everything that had happened to them so far seemed to have compounded into that moment, where all Neji could think of was how he was going to extract his revenge against Kabuto.
After checking most of the rooms on that floor Neji was ready to move on, until his Byakugan showed him a strange image in the final room. It appeared to be a prison of sorts, but the thing blocking his ability to see people through the walls was still in place, so he couldn't see if anyone was inside. Placing his hands into his robe, Neji resolved to check it out before moving to the new level.
To his surprise there were no locks on the door, and with careful examination there were no seals on the door either. Shrugging his shoulders, Neji pushed the door open, watching as three figures appeared within the room, behind a large set of metal bars.
"You…" Inside the jail cell sat three shinobi that he recognised, though he hadn't seen them for nearly a year, only knowing them in passing. The bandaged one stared at Neji quietly, wincing in pain as long black arrows ran across the single patch of skin on his face.
Neji looked over at the other two within the cell, recognising the three Sound Genin that had competed in the Suna Chuunin Exams. The two male shinobi were the ones that Naruto and Kiba had defeated in the 3rd Exam, and it took him a few seconds before recognising that the black haired girl was the one that Hinata had beaten in the 4th Exam.
All three of them seemed to have Cursed Seal marks, and despite not being bound they seemed to be in bad shape. "Why are the three of you locked up?" he asked cautiously.
The girl stared at him for a moment, "You must be related to the Hyuuga girl from the Exam." She stood up slowly, almost as tall as Neji through the bars.
Neji nodded slowly, he didn't want to give too much away, but figured the white eyes gave him away. "A bit strange for you guys to be locked up in your own village, isn't it? I recall you were pretty faithful back in Suna."
The bandaged one stood up as well, so that all three of them were standing opposite him. "We were, up until Orochimaru was killed by that imposter Kabuto."
"Orochimaru was killed by his teammate Jiraiya, who died in the effort. You've got some bad information." While keeping his outlined irises on the three prisoners, Neji took a look around the room with his Byakugan, not seeing anything of interest beyond the three of them.
"What the hell are you talking about? Kabuto brought back his corpse as proof." The one Neji knew as Zaku cried out in pain as circular marks traced across his face before retreating into a mark on his neck. "Damn this thing…"
His companions leant down to help him, their own marks staying still for the moment. "Zaku, you've got to fight it" said the one he knew called Dosu.
Neji felt his muscles constrict at the sight, he had been in a similar situation before and hated to see it. "One of our group was there. She killed Kabuto and survived. In fact she's here somewhere, I think. The one leading your village is an imposter."
Dosu turned to face him, his one exposed eye told Neji a thousand different things in that one instant. The Sound Genin let his female companion take care of Zaku while he stood opposite Neji. "Are you here to kill us? Because I can tell that we've been here for a long time, and you won't get any satisfaction from it."
"I have no interest in killing you." With a pulse of chakra he activated his secondary Byakugan, a wealth of information about the three of them flooding his mind instantly. He felt angry immediately at the knowledge that they've had Cursed Seals for months, and judging by the degeneration in their bodies they had been in that prison cell for months as well. Prisoners because their Cursed Seal is uncontrollable. This village is a mess.
The three prisoners moved back slightly at the sight of his Byakugan, even their steely nerves were tested by his instant examination. "Maybe he's here to help us?" asked the girl.
"Shut up, Kin. He's from Konoha, he has no reason to assist us" said Zaku.
On the other side of the bars, Neji cancelled his eye technique, looking at the three prisoners with interest. He placed a hand on the bars, "What would you do, if you were free?"
Even underneath his bandages, Dosu easily projected his anger. "We'd kill Kabuto. Nothing else to it."
"But with these Seals like this we are powerless" said Kin.
Picking himself up from the ground, Zaku put his hands on the bars. "Why, are you offering?"
Neji stepped back from the bars, "I'm considering it. Kabuto killed our people, and butchered my father. We may share the same goals." He reached out and ran a small amount of chakra through the lock, breaking it into pieces before he placed a hand on the door. "Before I do, I want to ask you something."
He could tell the three of them had no idea what he was doing, he knew they wouldn't be much help, but still had an inclination to let them out. "What is it?" asked Kin.
"If I could remove your Cursed Seals, would you assist me?"
Neji kept a straight face, but through his eyes he could see the disquiet across their faces, the mistrust between themselves but also the sheer desperation. They spent a few minutes in private discussion, through which Neji couldn't hear them at all despite being only two feet away. I suppose they are Sound shinobi so that makes sense.
They all turned to him at once, Dosu stepping forward as the de facto leader. "If you can, and that's a big if, then we will help you. We have no loyalty to those who use us for their experiments. But only until that confrontation. After that, our debt is done." He reached out to push the door open, but Neji held it firmly shut.
"Let us make one thing clear. I'm not look for loyalty; I'm not even looking for your assistance. It is only because I can sympathise with you, that I'm doing this." With that said, he pulled the gate open and allowed the three of them to hobble out of the jail cell.
"That's as good a reason as any I suppose" said Zaku as he walked past Neji.
His bandaged companion stopped them before they could leave the room itself. "So can you do it?"
Neji nodded, indicating for them to take a position outside the room. He reached into his robe and removed the scroll from before he entered the underground village. It had bothered him before that there were no marks on the scroll before, but as he'd had enough time to think about it, he'd realised that he hadn't performed the technique completely right. After reading the notebook with his secondary Byakugan, he also realised that since the Cursed Seal was based on the Hyuuga Branch House Seal, the same technique could remove it.
He asked the three of them to place their hands on the empty scroll. Unlike the last time, he didn't perform the extra Serpent handseal, clapping his hands together before slamming them into the empty scroll.
They didn't cry out in pain, either a testament to their pain threshold or the fact that Neji had done the technique correctly, he couldn't tell. But as his chakra flowed, the black marks travelled quickly down their arms and into the scroll, forming a collection of symbols on the white sheet.
oOoOoOo
"You guys seemed less friendly back in Suna."
Dosu scoffed as they turned a corner. "What do you expect? We were enemies."
At the front of their group, Neji shook his head slowly. "I meant towards each other. My fellow Konoha shinobi implied that you would've sacrificed each other to get through."
With his Byakugan Neji could see the look the Sound Genin shared; it told him a huge amount about their relationship to each other.
Zaku looked down at the air holes in the centre of his palms, clenching his hands slowly as they turned a corner. "Initially perhaps. But sitting in a cell for months on end changes your disposition towards one another."
For a second Neji glanced at Kin through his Byakugan, but almost as if she could tell he was looking at her she glared at him. "It wasn't like that. If either of them had tried anything, I would have killed them."
Both of her male companions shivered slightly as they recalled the last time they had suffered Kin's wrath. In Suna they had to admit they didn't care much for each other. When Kin had made it to the last round they hadn't supported her at all, still preoccupied by their own losses. Each of them had their own reasons for following Orochimaru, but after his death they didn't feel much of an obligation to the village.
"How much further?" asked Neji, the device blocking his vision still in place, meaning that all the rooms around them appeared empty to his doujutsu.
Dosu stopped for a moment before pointing down a long corridor to their left. "It's a short distance down there, we are close."
Neji nodded in acknowledgement and went to move past the hunched Sound shinobi, but he blocked the Hyuuga with his armour-plated arm. "Hold a moment, Hyuuga."
"What is it?" asked Neji, eager to get the task finished so that he can find the others of his group. Without any Konoha survivors, their invasion was entirely pointless, and he didn't want there to be any unnecessary injuries to their group.
The de facto leader of the Genin stared at the elder Hyuuga as his companions stepped to his side, the three of them blocking his path.
"What is your plan when you face Kabuto?" asked Dosu, staring straight into Neji's white eyes. "He is not an opponent you can take lightly."
"You sound as though you fear him" observed Neji, noticing the slight movements in the Genin's body when he said their enemy's name.
Zaku scoffed, Neji taking note that he seemed to do that more often than not. "You don't seem to understand who you are dealing with."
"Shut up, Zaku" interjected Dosu. "We owe him our lives; we have no right to be rude."
Neji put up a hand with a tired smile, "Don't worry about it, Dosu. There is one of our group that is similar to him. You guys would probably get along with him pretty well; almost everyone does after a while."
"Regardless, Zaku has a point. Kabuto has done things to himself, things that make him very dangerous. The three of us wouldn't be able to kill him by ourselves."
Neji looked over the three of them before realising that in their own way, they were asking for his help. From his use of the new Byakugan earlier, he had judged them to be about Chuunin level strength, meaning Dosu's statement was likely quite accurate. Even after Lee had nearly killed him, Neji was still very confident in his own abilities.
"I will challenge Kabuto, and kill him. I need the three of you to keep the rest of the shinobi away from me."
"You can't possibly kill him, not in single combat. You don't know anything about him." Kin seemed quite irate to Neji, he could tell that while she was apprehensive she was also, to his surprise, hopeful.
I need to convince them. They could make for powerful allies, not just for now, but perhaps for our group as well. Making a village at Uzu wasn't an option, but perhaps here is a possibility.
He indicated to his white eyes with a finger, "You underestimate how much my eyes see, Kin."
He pointed to Zaku. "The holes in your arms lead directly into your chakra system, and can be manipulated to use either wind or sound. You think Dosu is a sissy, but respect him for his abilities."
The face-guard wearing Sound shinobi's eyes widened, confirming to Neji that his analysis was correct, but the other two didn't seem as convinced. They knew that could have been observed from the battles in Suna.
With a passive shove, he moved past the three of them. "If you won't help me, fine. But if you really want to take hold of your own destiny, then there is only one path available to you."
The three of them watched him walk away. At one they turned to face each other, unsure of what to do.
"Do we follow?" asked Kin. On their way from the prison cell they had visited an armoury; she fidgeted with the senbon in her pockets, a nervous tick that they had told her for years was a pain in the ass.
Zaku and Dosu looked at each other and shrugged. "I don't think we have a choice" said Dosu. His armoured arm was somewhat rusty since their imprisonment, but he knew that it would still work.
"You have to admit, he has a…quality." She tried to keep her voice low as Neji slowly walked out of their sight, but both her male companions heard Kin.
Dosu shook his head and jogged to catch up to Neji, while Zaku sighed and moved past her. "Keep it in your pants, Kin. Honestly…"
The long-haired kunoichi blushed terribly before moving to catch up to the others.
oOoOoOo
The four unlikely allies turned another corner and found themselves confronted by a large plated double door that cut off the corridor. Neji activated his Byakugan again, feeling a sense of surprise as he could see all the people within his black and white vision's range.
"The device is down. I can see properly again." Neji quickly analysed the room in front of them.
"It was only a temporary measure. Something about repercussions from Konoha that Orochimaru was afraid of." Neji didn't question Dosu's knowledge of the device that had previously blocked his vision.
He took a final count before turning to his three companions. "There twelve shinobi in the room, and Kabuto. He seems to be sitting on some kind of throne. His village being attacked around him, and he just sits there."
Zaku just shook his head, "That's our leader. Now do you see why no-one wants him here? But we were stuck with him."
Taking a deep breath, Dosu pulled back the cloth over his arm. "We can hold back the other shinobi. But if you are struggling against Kabuto, we will jump in."
Neji gave them a polite bow, letting them know how much he appreciated the opportunity to avenge his father. He turned to Zaku. "Can you take the door?"
Zaku looked over at the door for a moment before giving Neji a questionable look. "It's not locked, you do know that right?"
"Well yeah but…" Neji pointed to the door, "…you can do it dramatically."
All three of the Sound Genin gave him their best are-you-kidding-me looks, to which Neji just shrugged with the faintest smile on his face. He tried to tell himself that it wasn't a certain blonde's influence, but when he saw the door all he could think of was a dramatic entrance followed by a cinematic duel. He didn't really expect that, they learnt in their first missions that ninja battles weren't truly like that.
After seeing that Neji was serious, Zaku indicated for them to move out of the way. He placed his palms up, facing the plated doors. Air Pressure 100%. Supersonic Waves 0%. He pushed his chakra up through his arms. "Zankuha!" (Air Cutter)
Having not moulded chakra properly since receiving the Cursed Seal from Kabuto, Zaku had expected his attack to not be that powerful. What he hadn't been expected was that the residual power from the removed seal had jump-started his chakra. The air waves jettisoned through the holes in his palms and exploded outwards, slamming into the plated doors and knocking Zaku off his feet. The other three had positioned themselves to the sides of the door so they didn't suffer any of the backlash but Zaku was forced to pick himself up from the ground, his arms shaking from the sheer amount of power he had unintentionally shot at the door.
From his side position Neji tried to hide a smile and failed, turning to the recovering Sound Genin. "Now that is an entrance. Shall we?"
Normally when high pressure air waves hit a structure, they blast it in the direction that it was struck. However to their amazement, Zaku's attack had disintegrated the plated door, with only splinters lying scattered around as evidence that the door had existed.
As one they all entered the room, preparing themselves for combat. Neji stood in the middle with his Byakugan staring straight at Kabuto while the other three took positions around him.
Kabuto sat lounging on the throne on the opposite side of the room, Neji noticing that he looked slightly different from Shizune's description. His skin had become cracked and scaled while black lines surrounded his eyes. Neji could also see that his assessment of the surrounding shinobi had been slightly inaccurate as well; they all appeared to be near Jounin level strength. He went to warn the three of them to be careful, but through his Byakugan he could tell they already knew.
Kabuto stood up slowly while adjusting his glasses. "Well this certainly is a surprise. I can no longer sense the Cursed Seal on the three of you. And who is this? A Main Branch Hyuuga? How curious…"
Two of his bodyguards moved to attack Neji, but the Hyuuga survivor didn't move an inch from his position. One of them fell to the ground screaming, holding his ears as he writhed around in agony. The other attacker almost reached Neji, but was thrown back as he was peppered by dozens of senbon.
Dosu, Kin and Zaku all moved to Neji's side quickly. "You better be right about this, Hyuuga" said Dosu. "I doubt we'll be welcome here after this."
Neji took a step forward slowly, "Just keep them off me. I'll do the rest." He reached into his robe and produced the notebook he had acquired earlier, throwing it at Kabuto's feet. The Sound leader frowned underneath his glasses as he reached down to pick up his book.
"So you found that place. It doesn't matter, I was finished there." An arrogant smile crept onto Kabuto's face as he threw the notebook away. "What were you hoping to achieve by coming here? By now you must know that this was a trap."
Neji watched the battle around them. Zaku was blasting back several of the opponent, as Dosu took the front line. Their opponents knew about their abilities, so they knew how to dodge his arm attack. However even though they moved far away from his strike to avoid the sound waves, they still fell to the ground screaming.
The hunched Genin looked at his arm for a second before staring at the shinobi he had taken out. It would appear that our abilities have been enhanced. Curious, considering the source.
"We knew this might be a trap. But to protect our comrades, we had to try."
Behind him, Kin clapped her hands together as the bells she planted on the walls began to ring loudly. The remaining Sound shinobi facing them froze in place, just long enough for Zaku to blast them with air waves, knocking them all out.
Neji nodded at the impressive display, he had underestimated how strong the three of them were. He turned back to Kabuto, who seemed to be happy to just wait for them to finish. He thinks he is strong enough to take us all out by himself.
"It would appear that I must get my own hands dirty. A shame, I dislike fighting." Kabuto reached back and pulled back his dark hood, staring at the Hyuuga with dark eyes.
Neji placed up a hand, "Before we fight, I have but one question. Why did you send so many men to the Uzu village? Did you know we were coming?"
Kabuto frowned at the question, wondering what Neji could possibly want that answer for. Since he had read his notebook, he knew that he wasn't the original Kabuto, but there was something about the Hyuuga that felt off to him, and he needed more time before he could properly assess his skills. I'll indulge him for a bit. Besides, the more time I waste, the more senjutsu chakra I can generate. This body is starting to fall apart. The original's research was incomplete to begin with.
"Several months ago a woman in red came to our village. She had an 'invested interest' in our working together. She told us about the secrets of the Uzu village, and that you people would be coming."
Neji kept a stoic face at the information, but through his mind he was trying to work out who this strange woman might be. For her to know so much about their movements, before they made them, implied that she was either spying on their group or that they had some kind of informant in their midst, though he refused to believe the latter.
"We were told to be patient, and just as she predicted you came. This village will become your grave, and we will take your abilities for ourselves."
"And where is this woman now?" asked Neji, wary of the fact that Kabuto was gathering power within himself. He figured that his secondary Byakugan might be able to find a weak spot for him to attack, but he also didn't want to waste the opportunity to get more information out of the surprisingly loose-lipped Sound leader.
Kabuto shrugged in response, "I cannot say. She left a while ago. Everything I've done up until now has been for the betterment of this village."
With a frown, Neji glanced at the fallen bodies of the Sound shinobi around them, and three now-panting heavily Sound Genin. Their attack had taken more out of them then they had expected, as Neji had predicted, they wouldn't be much help in his battle.
"That's complete bull. Not only are you only a clone of the real Kabuto, you are also a bad liar. You've used these people as fodder for your sick experiments. They mean nothing to you, except to further your own goals. As a leader, you are a failure. As a person, you are despicable."
He could see the anger on Kabuto's face, two small spikes protruding out of the back of his neck. He lowered his eyes slightly, "I don't have to explain myself to the likes of you. It's about time I take those eyes of yours. They should be fascinating to study."
Neji strained the muscles in his arms, quickly moulding his chakra before moving it towards his eyes. His white eyes filled in with black colour as a wealth of information in front of him flooded his mind. He could tell instantly how powerful the cloned Kabuto had become, though he could tell that the Sound leader was surprised by his new ability.
His skin is hard scaled and his chakra output is frightening. Interesting, he's only been alive for a year. There has got to be a…there! A small spot on the right side of his ribs, just below the heart.
Kabuto placed his hands together into a handseal before aiming them at Neji. Two large snakes erupted from his arms, their fangs dripping with venom as they moved to strike Neji. He moved to avoid them, using a small spike of chakra to shoot forward. He could see the snakes moving around to strike him again, but as the fangs neared his neck Neji released a small amount of chakra that caused them to bounce off.
As he got closer to Kabuto's standing position Neji collected his chakra into his left hand, dodging another snake attack before laying down a trapping seal on the ground. He knew it wouldn't hold Kabuto for long, but if his plan worked then that was all he needed.
Kabuto saw how quickly Neji was moving towards him, but he was confident his scales wouldn't allow his Jyuuken strikes through. "Your taijutsu strikes won't work on me, Hyuuga."
He went to move out of the way, but Neji's seal kept his feet in place, forcing him to try and power his way out of it. The Hyuuga trapping seal was originally designed as a show piece, but clever users such as Neji had advanced it to the point that it made the target vulnerable to the more advanced Jyuuken moves.
Neji smirked as he appeared in front of Kabuto. "It's no use." He drew back his right hand before forming a handseal with his left hand. "Jyuukenhou Hakke…" His pulled back hand slammed two fingers directly into the spot he had aimed at before. "Isshou!" (One Strike)
He drew back his hand and jumped back a long distance, as Kabuto looked down at the place he struck with an amused smile. "Was that meant to hurt?"
Through his clear vision, Neji could see what Kabuto could not, as the lightning-clad chakra moved through Kabuto's system. He put his hands together before swiftly running through a set of handseals. The lightning moved through his system before taking position.
"My strike has disabled your chakra system, and has moved to destroy your heart and brain. No longer will you make people into your slaves, just to fulfil some absurd notion of perfection."
Neji turned off his doujutsu and turned around to face the three Sound Genin. "Do what you will. I'm going to go find my companions."
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Kabuto stepped forward while staring at Neji's back.
The Sound Genin struggled to stay on their feet, and for a split second they thought that Neji was abandoning them. Neji turned his head slightly as he reached the doorway.
"I am leaving. You are about to explode."
As Neji passed through the doorway, Kabuto began coughing as he felt a thundering pain in his head. The pain began to reach a crescendo before he felt a spike of pain in his chest. He doubled over and coughed on the floor while the Sound Genin got the idea and jumped out of the room as fast as they could. Just as they moved to the hallway they were hurled forward as a huge explosion thundered from the room, threatening to take them out with it. Luckily Zaku was about to put up a defensive wall of air waves, protecting his two companions as they landed on the ground. As they picked themselves up from the ground, all three of them looked around for their saviour, but Neji was nowhere to be seen.
"What do we do now?" asked Kin.
Her two companions shrugged their shoulders, they had no loyalties left to the village, but seeing Neji fight had impacted them more than they thought. With collective sighs they all fell to the ground, happy to just catch their breath momentarily.
"Hinata-san, I need some cover!"
Lee turned around momentarily as a large stream of water flew over his head and beat back the pursing Sound shinobi. At the front of the group Sakura kept moving forward with Kiba and Akamaru held up by her water techniques, the pink-haired shinobi trying to find her way out, but all the corridors looked the same.
"Hakke: Kuusho!" Taking a moment to stand still with both her palms facing the Sound shinobi, two shots of pressurised wind beat their opponents back.
Lee tapped on her shoulder and indicated for her to keep moving, the dozens of Sound shinobi recovering quicker than they could knock them down. At this rate, we'll be overrun. Sakura-san can't fight, Kiba-kun is out of it, and Hinata-san and I don't have much charka left.
As they turned a corner Hinata felt herself being pulled back, as if hands were grabbing at her. She tried to wrench herself forward, but through her Byakugan she could see that there was a kunai attached to wire that was embedded in her pack. With two slips of her arms she dumped her pack on the ground and continued forward. They turned another corner and ran down a long corridor, lit by torches.
"They will overrun us before we can get to the exit" said Hinata. They had taken out nearly a dozen of the enemies when they broke out of that room, but just over thirty shinobi were still following them, and through her Byakugan she could tell they were gaining.
As they came to an intersection, Lee reached into his pack and produced the last smoke bomb that he had. Hinata saw him throw it behind them, calling out for Sakura to move quicker so that they weren't caught up in the smoke cloud.
They kept moving until they reached the intersection. "What are they doing?" asked Lee, hoping they would get a chance to have a breather. He jogged up and checked on Sakura, his female companion panting heavily as the strain of keeping both Kiba and Akamaru afloat was taking its toll on her.
Hinata stared through the cloud of smoke with her black and white vision. "They seemed to be waiting for it to clear. They seem wary of any traps we might have set."
Lee sighed at the news; even his unnatural stamina was running dry in their current situation.
"We aren't going to make it, are we?" asked Sakura.
He wanted to be positive for her, but he couldn't see a way for all of them to escape. With his speed he knew he would make it, but would never abandon his companions. "I don't know. It doesn't look good."
The pink haired shinobi lowered her two companions and looked at the descending smoke cloud. "We should make a stand. If we can defeat them all, then we can escape."
Taking a moment to catch her breath, Hinata stood quietly with her hands up defensively. She didn't say anything, but a part of her wanted to run chakra through the pendant around her neck, calling Naruto to her side. However she stopped herself before doing so, as much as she wanted him by her side, as much as anyone she knew how hopeless their situation was.
Lee swore uncharacteristically and stood in place. "We can do this. They can only come at us a few at a time."
oOoOoOo
Hinata slammed a palm into the face of a charging Sound Chuunin, sending him flying with a pulse of wind chakra before ducking underneath a thrown kunai. A collection of water bullets took out her attack from Sakura's back position, sending the Sound shinobi tumbling into his companions.
They had found that while Lee was right, they could only attack about three a time, the Sound shinobi had no qualms about attacking through their companions. After only a minute of fighting, a lifetime for a shinobi, they had used nearly half of their remaining chakra. Sakura was panting heavily; her water techniques had become sloppy and slow. Lee was bleeding heavily from a cut across his right cheek, and Hinata had avoided being struck so far, but had the least amount of chakra.
"Lee-kun, duck!" Years of experience allowed Lee to duck without hesitation, a sword barely missing the top of his head. Flipping around on the ground, Lee drove his feet upwards into the attacking shinobi and thanked Hinata for her warning as he landed.
She nodded back then winced in pain, reaching down to pull out the kunai stuck in her side. Through her Byakugan she had seen the attack, but hadn't been able to move completely away from it, only able to stop it hitting her neck. Another Sound shinobi went to stab at her neck, Hinata barely able to shield herself with chakra as the blow missed her skin and cut off the chain around her neck. She called out as her pendant fell to the ground and was promptly destroyed under the Sound shinobi's foot.
In her black and white vision she could see them being overrun, Lee struggling to beat back his opponents while Sakura could barely summon enough chakra to defend herself.
A Sound Jounin rushed at Hinata with a sword that seemed to waver in the air, Hinata realising that she didn't have the speed to dodge away from the attack. Naruto-kun…I'm so sorry…I wanted to spend so much more time with you…
The sword came inches from piercing her heart, Hinata trying to think of happy thoughts, but before her expected demise, the sword fell to the ground as the Sound Jounin cried out in pain and crumpled to the floor. She looked up with her regular eyes, having run out of chakra to use her Kekkei Genkai. A figure stood in front of the three of them, looking almost angelical in his white robe and long black hair.
"N…eji…niisan?" Hinata's voice was tiny; she couldn't believe that he had saved her. To the best of her knowledge, Neji was supposed to be outside at their rally point.
Neji placed his palms out against the charging Sound shinobi, "Daikuusho!" Unlike Hinata's air palm technique, Neji's sent them all spiralling so far back that most of the Sound shinobi slammed into the back wall nearly fifty feet away.
He turned around immediately, reaching down and picking Hinata up to her feet. Her eyes widened when she saw his blank forehead, but before she could say anything her vision went dark and she went limp, falling into his arms.
Sakura and Lee both called out but Neji shook his head and handed her carefully to Lee, the taijutsu user taking her with a confused look on his face. "Why did you…"
"She wouldn't understand. Go Lee, I'll hold them off." Neji turned around and placed his hands into a defensive stance.
With Hinata in his arms, Lee stepped to Neji's side. "You can't face them all! We can still fight!"
The elder Hyuuga shook his head while still focusing on the recovering Sound shinobi a short distance away. "This is no time to argue, Lee. None of you have much chakra; I will hold them off while you get away. Now go!"
"I won't leave you behind! Come with us!" Lee's voice was strained, he was practically begging him.
With a single pull, Neji reached over and leant towards Lee's ear. His eyes widened as he listened carefully before the Hyuuga pulled back and turned around.
Neji turned slightly and the faintest smile appeared on his face before he turned back to face their enemies. "I'll be right behind you."
Throwing a soldier pill into her mouth, Sakura raised up Kiba and Akamaru's unconscious bodies before placing a hand on Lee's shoulder. "We need to go, Lee. Trust in Neji, he knows what he's doing."
She could tell that Lee wasn't sure; while she found it commendable she knew that it was the only option available to them. She tugged at his shoulder again, "Come on, Lee."
Lee yelled out in frustration before turning around so that his back was to Neji's. "You better be right behind us." Not taking another look, Lee nodded to Sakura and began running down the corridor, trusting that Sakura knew where the exit was.
Neji made sure that they were moving before throwing two kunai at the ceiling behind him. After a second they exploded, causing the roof to collapse behind him, closing out the path. Neji stared at the shinobi charging towards him, placing his hands into position as he activated his secondary Byakugan. On his way through the village, he had figured out a simple name for the new eye technique.
"Kuroi Byakugan." (Black Byakugan)
As two Sound Jounin charged at him, Neji placed down a seal on the ground before shifting his stance. Father, I hope you are proud. I'm free of my cage, yet here I am, protecting that which is important to me. I wonder if we'll meet again, in the next life.
"Naruto, what are you doing?" Shikamaru stared at the seated blonde shinobi, Naruto having not moved since joining the group at the rally point.
He didn't respond to the lazy genius, staying perfectly still in his seated position. When his group had reached the rally point they had found two of the other groups already there. Itachi had carried Sasuke until he had been comfortable enough to walk on his own, neither of them having much chakra left. After the Uchiha brothers came the three-man group, surprised to see the clan survivors. Shino was at the point of collapsing from low chakra, while his two companions were steadier of their feet. Kakashi had replaced the cloth around his now-normal left eye. He figured that it would be simpler to explain it once everyone was back, but he also had a few questions for Itachi once they had the time.
Upon seeing that Hinata's group wasn't there yet, Naruto had sat down on the ground and closed his eyes, to the surprise of the rest of the group. They had been unable to wake up Shizune or Chouji, with Ino having to explain to the others about Chouji's skinny appearance.
As Ino went about healing the others injuries, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Itachi were huddled apart from the group.
"So what do you think?" asked Itachi, having finished telling them what Kidomaru had told him. "I'm inclined to believe him."
Shikamaru nodded, "I think so. As painful as it is to admit, this whole thing was a trap. The fact that we got out of it was lucky, if nothing else."
"You should give yourself more credit" said Kakashi, clapping the Nara heir on the back. He knew that the group compositions were part of the reason why none of them had perished in the face of their powerful opponents, but as a fellow commander he knew that Shikamaru wouldn't accept that.
"Something feels off though" said Shikamaru, having felt it since they had entered the village.
Itachi glanced at his younger companion. Give it a few years, and he'll be a scary force in this world. "I agree. The Sound shinobi that we met didn't seem like the type to be this patient. They were ready for us."
"An informer in our group?" Kakashi didn't want to believe it, but with the horrifying memory of the Third Shinobi War in mind, he knew it was a possibility.
Itachi stole a glance at the others of the group, noticing that Naruto still hadn't moved from his meditation pose. "Or something else. Shikamaru is right, this feels off."
All three of them turned as they heard Ino calling out from the other side of the group. "Hey, isn't that Sakura and Lee?"
The second she finished her sentence, Naruto disappeared in a crack of lightning. The group saw that he appeared next to the green-clad taijutsu user, reaching out and taking Hinata from his hands before jogging quickly back to the rest of the group.
The others moved to help as Sakura struggled to keep Kiba and Akamaru afloat, the Inuzuka pair falling to the ground as her strength failed her. Just before she hit the ground, Lee moved in front of her and let her land on his back. With a tired smile, she let him carry her the rest of the way, as Kakashi and Itachi moved to help Kiba and Akamaru.
"Is she okay?" Shino leant over as Naruto placed Hinata carefully on the ground, noticing the concern on the blonde's face.
Naruto placed a hand on her forehead under her fringe while leaning an ear over her mouth. After a few seconds he smiled and looked up at the insect-user. "She's just out of it."
He reached down and shook her shoulders softly, but the young Hyuuga didn't wake. Remembering what Hinata had spoken to him earlier to wake him up; Naruto leant down next to her ear. With the softest voice possible, he whispered into her ear. "Hina-chan…I'm not wearing any pants…"
Almost instantly her eyes flickered open, and upon seeing the blonde's smiling face she leapt up and wrapped her hands around his neck, kissing him full on the mouth as her weight dragged him down with her.
After a full minute, they both realised where they were, breaking apart with warm smiles as Naruto helped her to her feet.
"I didn't think I was going to make it out" said Hinata softly, not wanting to let Naruto go, clinging to his arm.
Naruto kissed the top of her head, "I knew you would. When I saw you weren't here, I knew."
Across from the couple, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at the blonde shinobi. "Is that why you were sitting still, not even responding to questions?"
Moving his head slightly, Naruto tried to indicate to Shikamaru to stop talking, but didn't get a chance as Hinata looked at him directly in the eyes. She didn't say anything, like Neji she could read people's emotions by their facial expressions, but with Naruto it was something else entirely. Within seconds, she knew why he had done what he had, though Naruto was scrambling to explain it.
"It's just that…I knew you would be okay. I know that you are strong, and had faith that you would be okay."
Hinata tapped him on the cheek softly before slipping an arm around his waist and leaning into his side. "Let's talk about it later, Naruto-kun. Someplace where there are less people."
Naruto wasn't sure what to make of her statement, so he decided to turn his attention back to the rest of the group, trying to see if they had woken up Kiba yet.
"Is this everyone?" asked Ino, watching as Sakura healed the long cut on Lee's face, though the taijutsu-user asked her to leave the scar without giving her an explanation.
Shaking off the pink-haired girl's concern, Lee picked himself up from the ground. "Guys this whole thing was a trap. We are the only ones who survived Konoha's destruction. But their leader is dead."
"How do you know that?" asked Naruto, still not wanting to believe that all that effort had been for naught.
"When we were retreating we saved by Ne…"
"It would seem we have underestimated you people."
The deep voiced sentence silenced the group, causing them all to turn around in a search for the speaker. In the exact centre of the group a pocket of air appeared to tear apart to reveal a dark void within, one that caused Kakashi and Itachi's blood to freeze. Without any ceremony, a white armour-clad figure stepped out of the fissure, landing softly on the grass with a cold smile on his face. He wore old samurai-like armour with a light blue sheet covering most of his white armourplates. His skin was weathered and tanned, but the scariest thing about his appearance was his eyes. Unlike the pure light blue eyes that the two Jounin had been expecting, his irises were the colour of burnished gold, yet there was no warmth in them.
The strange warrior looked around the group with the smile still on his face, taking a moment before sighing. "Not how this was meant to go."
"Who the hell are you?" yelled out Naruto, reaching to grab his sword before realising he had left the pieces back in the Sound Village.
As one, the conscious Konoha shinobi had their weapons out, while both Kakashi and Itachi were placing their hands together to form a ninjutsu. Sakura and Ino fell back to their fallen comrades, to support their other companions if they needed to fight. There was something about the sudden arrival of the warrior that put them all on edge.
"Ah, how rude of me." The white-clad warrior gave a deep bow past his waist. "I am Shouri, the First. And you are…the survivors of that village's destruction. A shame. It was sloppy work, really."
Naruto went to charge at him, but his path was blocked by Kakashi's arm. "What are you doing, Kakashi-sensei?"
The silver-haired Jounin shook his head, if his instincts were right; they needed to be very careful about how they proceed.
Shouri turned to face the one-eyed shinobi, "Kakashi? Ah, it would seem that fate is strange indeed. To think you would survive…"
"Are you part of that same group?" asked Kakashi cautiously, trying to feel out extra information. The warrior's answer would determine how they would react.
The white-clad warrior cocked his head, "You could say that. Though don't misunderstand, I'm not as hateful as her. She definitely has a way with people."
He flicked his wrists to move the light blue cloth from them before placing his palms facing outwards. "Then again, I am what I am. And leaving things unfinished just doesn't sit well with me."
Several of the group frowned at the statement, weirded out by the fact that they couldn't sense any chakra from him. Naruto took a step back, motioning for Hinata to get behind him.
"What do you want from us?" asked Shikamaru. Several of the others nodded in agreement.
Shouri turned around, "Personally? Nothing. But being who I am, I suppose retribution is in order. Shinobi no longer have a place in this world."
Kakashi's eyes widened, he knew that there was no talking to this warrior. Despite their differences in speech patterns, he recognised the same kind talk from the woman that he knew was responsible for Rin's demise. For the first time since losing it, he wished that he still had his Sharingan, though if his prior experience had anything to say it would make little difference.
The warrior took a step back, watching as a clone of Naruto emerged from the ground beneath him, barely missing his chin. With the lightest of touches, the clone dispersed into a cloud of smoke as Shouri turned to look at the blonde shinobi.
"That was rather rude of you, child. And I was considering leaving you till last."
He manipulated his fingers and white gloves appeared on his weathered skin, with black circles on the centre. The Konoha shinobi went to move against him, but found themselves unable to budge from their positions. With two flicks of his fingers all of the Konoha shinobi, including those who were unconscious on the ground, rose up into the air with their feet dangling helplessly.
Sasuke tried to activate his Sharingan as light purple domes surrounded each of them. "What the hell is going on?"
Despite being unconscious, Kiba was in the same bubble as Akamaru. However none of the others were together.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata tried to reach out to her blonde boyfriend, but as her hand touched the purple barrier she winced in pain and drew back.
The clone-user yelled back, but to no avail as none of them could move. Shouri moved sideways and the purple domes containing the Konoha shinobi followed him until they were lined up in front of him.
Naruto railed against his prison. "What the hell do you want?"
The warrior stared at him for a moment before crossing his arms slowly. "Before you go, I suppose you are entitled to a question. Ask, shinobi, before I lose my patience."
Half the group all spoke at once, but a loud crack from Kakashi silenced them all. He looked over at Itachi's bubble, and nodded slowly.
The elder Uchiha took a deep breath. "Do you know how Konoha was destroyed?"
Shouri stared at him before booming out laughing. It seemed to echo in the air for a long time before he put down his hands. "Such a cleverly phrased question. I suppose before I kill you, you are entitled on answers to that. Besides, with this whole thing messed up, it's not like I don't have the time."
Inside their prison's several of the group tried to activate techniques, but found that they couldn't mould any chakra. Neither of the Uchiha could activate their Sharingan, and Hinata wasn't able to use her Byakugan. She called out to Naruto, before signalling several hand signs to him. He smiled and signalled her back, assuring her that it would all be okay.
"I was not there. That was my elder sister's work. If I was, you'd know. Unlike my siblings, I don't generally kill my targets. I am a conqueror, that's why I am here. But Konoha…that was distasteful. And even though it wasn't her choice, she certainly does have a…finality with things."
Kakashi glared at Shouri, "So you are a group that kills people, what, because you feel like it?"
The white-clad warrior scoffed, "We only kill shinobi, don't mistake that."
"Why kill shinobi?" asked Naruto angrily.
Shouri's eyes darkened at the question, and all of them could see the anger in his body language. "As I stated before, retribution. Enough talk. There is still a whole village for me to conquer, though there will be little fun in it now."
He clapped his hands together and a shockwave boomed around him as he pulled back one hand. A golden energy emerged from his outer hand, forming a curved shape around it, while a black energy connected the middle of the golden shape to his pulled away hand.
"Is that a bow?" asked Itachi, still smarting from the previous bow-user he fought.
As he drew back the black arrow and aimed it at Kakashi's dome, he froze in place. They could all see a frown coming across his face while his eyes became unfocused. "What is it?"
He began muttering under his breath, the bow disappearing from his hands as he turned around he placed his hands on his hips.
Itachi turned his head within his prison, "Kakashi, is he…?"
"I think so. Do you see any way out of these things?" The silver-haired Jounin tried to stab at the purple barrier, but the kunai seemed to disintegrate in his hand.
Shouri turned around quickly, "Do you mind? That's quite rude you know."
His eyes unfocused again, "Well I fail to see how that is my problem. If Sensou doesn't like how things are, perhaps she should stop messing around with people and come and clean this up."
Half a minute passed without him making a sound, the Konoha shinobi still struggling to move within their purple domes, unable to substitute out without the ability to mould chakra.
The armoured warrior swore under his breath, waving his hands as the black gloves disappeared from his hands. "That's such…fine. What am I meant to do with these? If Shikyo missed them that means they are…would you let me finish? No I didn't mean that to be rude but if you would let me…okay fine, explain it to me. No, that was rhetorical, I think I get it. Fine, I'll come back. But I'm killing these shinobi; I hate it when a quest is ruined…No, I won't accept that…Bah, fine. But I am not happy about this. They will be more trouble than they are worth."
His burnished eyes refocused and he took a step back, looking over the fourteen Konoha shinobi that he had imprisoned. Almost at once they all started yelling at him, but with a tired wave of his hands they were all silenced as the purple domes covered them completely. "I suppose I need to finish up here. I certainly don't want to be late."
He looked over their petrified faces as the creepy smile returned to his weathered face. "But not all orders are to be obeyed completely. Having been denied my prize doesn't mean I can't have some satisfaction from it."
Inside their prisons he could see them yelling out at him and trying to activate their techniques, but as he put up his hands they tell there was nothing they could do to stop him. "Perhaps in another life, shinobi. I can't say it's been a pleasure, but nevertheless."
He placed his hands out so that he could see all of the purple prisons between his fingers. With a long sigh he clenched his fists, a small flash of ice blue appearing within his burnished golden eyes. As one, the purple domes collapsed in on themselves before disappearing completely, their contents included. Shouri took a moment before placing his hands down and looking over at the large patch of earth that covered the Hidden Village of the Sound.
"Such a waste. His need for chaos will be the ruin for all of us. Still, they will cause more problems this way. If what they did here is any indication, they were too strong as a group."
"That will cost you, Shouri."
The white-clad warrior turned around and seemed thoroughly unsurprised as a rip appeared and a figure came out to greet him. Unlike him the figure was clad in pitch black robes, his skin barely hanging onto his bones as he leant on a wooden staff.
"Come to take me back, Kyoukou? I told him I would be right there."
The ancient-looking figure sighed before tapping the ground with his staff. "You are far more subtle than you appear, Otouto. Do you honestly believe that they will do more damage this way?"
Shouri nodded slowly, placing his hands at his sides as a rip appeared to his side. "They will struggle to find each other again, not unlike how we did. They won't trust anyone, and will do more than any of Sensou's experiments."
"That is understandable, to be sure. However the method was not necessary. Many of them may not survive, which would make this venture pointless."
Placing one leg into the rip, Shouri turned to face his companion with a smirk on his face. "Then the world will be light a few shinobi. You forget our purpose, brother. Come, he is waiting."
The ancient-looking warrior sighed before stepping back into his own rip, both of the tears in the air closing as the air around the Hidden Sound became oddly silent. The drums of war had fallen silent, yet there were no victors to celebrate.
Author's Note:
Muhahaha! Be afraid as I steal plot ideas from Final Fantasy VI and One Piece. Not much to say about this chapter really, other than this is the halfway point. Each character has their own story as they struggle to find each other.
Just to clarify, Neji isn't dead. That was the initial intention, but I've come up with a much more interesting plot idea for him. The next chapter will be a Bonus Chapter, while I consolidate the next portion of the story. Unlike Shippuden, there will be no time skip. You'll get to see all their journeys.
Please review and tell me what you think. I try to reply to each review, and believe me I read them all. Tell me what can be improved, what you liked, what you didn't, everything. I'm a writer so I'm always open to criticism.