The Wanderers
Chapter 29 – Neji – Ironic Fates
A/N: Trust me when I say that what the Kyuubi has done has nothing to do with demon sperm or forced pregnancy. That kind of stuff isn't going to be part of the story, I'll say that now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, it would have characters make the hard decisions.
***Previously-On***
After escaping the Hidden Village of Sound, the group was accosted by a warrior covered in white armour, bearing a frightening resemblance to the warrior from Kakashi's memories. After a short monologue, in which he confessed to compliance in the destruction of Konoha, the warrior dispersed the Konoha shinobi under orders from a mysterious leader, causing all of them to be sent to different parts of the world. Now, separated from their friends and comrades, each of the surviving Konoha shinobi are struggling to find each other again before they are found again by the group that had caused them so much grief.
Continuing their adventure with their older companion, Hinata and Naruto continued to try and master the new type of fighting they hadn't heard about before. Hinata was a quick study of spiritual energy while Naruto was able to master physical energy after a short period of time. After some thought Naruto trained by himself for five days in order to learn to control his own spiritual energy. Upon his return their companion Magnus took his leave of the two of them, reminding Naruto that they weren't in a friendly country, setting them on a week-long path to an old city that he knew of. On their own once again they began to move towards the city, but discovered a large group of fifty bandits that acted more like a scouting party then proper bandits. Just as they were discovered Hinata came down with a sickness she had been hiding from Naruto since they got to the country but Naruto, having known all along, resolved to both defend her and take out the attackers with his newly gained techniques. After the short battle Naruto explained the mechanics behind his technique, but was struck on the head by a falling piece of fruit and was knocked out. He awoke within his mindscape, and discovered that even with the seal broken and cage destroyed, the Kyuubi still resided within him, though in a severely diminished capacity, having taken the form of a little girl to face him. After a loaded conversation it became clear that the Kyuubi had done something in revenge for Naruto trying to get rid of it, but was conveniently cryptic about the consequences. Resigning himself to waiting as his mindscape collapsed, Naruto fears the worst for his return to reality.
***End Summary***
***Ten Minutes Before Separation***
Neji had blown the wall behind him fully expecting to fight an uphill battle. If there was ever a way that he wanted to go out, it would be in that kind of heroic fashion. Making up for the mistakes of the past, and leaving an admirable legacy for Hinata to continue.
Fate, it would seem, had other ideas.
The Sound shinobi had come in full force to destroy Lee's group, but when Neji had ensured their escape, the shinobi's actions had changed immediately when they looked on his face.
Neji prided himself on having a terrifying gaze, but when his black and white eyes looked over the kneeling shinobi he could read no aggression whatsoever in their stances.
Are they surrendering to me? What the hell is this?
Neji deactivated his Byakugan altogether and stood back slightly. Even without his Kekkei Genkai he could see that the Sound shinobi were petrified of him, and he had no idea why.
"Why aren't you attacking? Aren't I your enemy?"
Out of the ten shinobi before him there were two that were clearly Jounin that were the closest to him. The woman looked up at him with a grim expression. "We heard what you did."
The male Jounin beside her nodded in agreement and looked up at him as well. "We owe you a great debt."
"What the hell are you lot talking about?"
The Sound shinobi didn't respond. The two Jounin stared back down at the ground. It took Neji a moment before realising where he had seen such a reaction before. It was the same way the Hyuuga shinobi would act in front of the clan head.
Not responding unless specifically directed.
"Oh for the love of…everybody get up." Neji wasn't sure what to make of it, but he had been a shinobi long enough to know not to let his guard down.
Uniformly the Sound shinobi stood up and saluted him, which was a reaction Neji couldn't have predicated if his life depended on it.
He indicated to the male Jounin near the front, "Tell me why you aren't attacking me. What is this debt you mention?"
The Jounin hesitated momentarily and glanced over at his female companion. If Neji wasn't such a keen observer he would have missed the mini-conversation that occurred between their eyes. He looked back at Neji, "It's not like most of us wanted to be here."
Neji crossed his arms while keeping an eye on the other shinobi. "Go on."
"Pretty much all of us came to this village to follow Orochimaru-sama. But with Kabuto…"
"…you were prisoners in your own village" finished Neji. Things had been connecting in his mind since meeting the three Sound shinobi from the Chuunin Exams, but he hadn't thought it would have extended so far into the structure of their forces.
The Jounin nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes sir."
"So by killing Kabuto I've destroyed your motivation to remain in this village? That doesn't explain why you were attacking my companions but refusing to attack me."
The female Jounin coughed awkwardly, "Sir…may I?"
Seeing no reason to stop her, Neji indicated for her to continue.
She nodded her thanks respectively. "In the Hidden Village of Sound, we had one iron-clad law. Anyone could challenge the leader of the village, and if they defeated him then the others would have to obey them."
Neji frowned, "That seems…extraordinary."
"Orochimaru-sama only wanted the strongest of shinobi for his village."
"And if they believe they could become the leader…he's a lot cleverer than we gave him credit for." Neji had only heard stories of Orochimaru, none of them good. But he was developing a begrudging respect for the man, if nothing else for his ambition and drive.
He went to ask another question but was instantly on his guard as three figures came into view. He relaxed when he saw it was his three Sound companions, but still kept a close vigil on the others.
"You seem to find trouble wherever you go" observed Zaku, crossing his hands with a grin.
Neji frowned and stared at the three of them. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you have escaped by now?"
They stared at each other for a second before looking back at Neji. Kin stepped forward slightly with a slight blush, one that he wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been looking. "We…thought it would be a good idea to follow you. Since you helped us…and…"
Even with only one eye showing, Dosu was able to give Kin his most contempt-filled look. "A guy gives you one look, and you lose your guts. Way to further the kunoichi cause, Kin."
Kin cracked her wrists menacingly at her companion, causing even Neji to flinch slightly.
Ignoring his companions' interaction, Zaku stared straight into Neji's eyes. "It was in our interest to help you out."
He turned and glanced at the ten Sound shinobi standing in formation. "I guess you guys got our message then. Are you all that are left?"
The two Jounin glared at Zaku, as if silently telling him to get stuffed. Again Neji wasn't sure what to make of the situation, but it had become clear to him that he was no longer in danger, at least not from these shinobi.
I should check to see if Hinata and the others got out safely. If this place is no longer a threat…
He activated his regular Byakugan and expanded its view as far as possible, which was a considerable distance, while the Sound shinobi stared off against each other as only companions could.
oOoOoOo
***Thirty Seconds after Separation***
Even though he could read lips at a considerable distance, Neji was only to catch the last thirty seconds of the exchange before all of the purple domes containing his companions winked out of existence. He couldn't quite comprehend what could have happened to his friends even as he watched the conversation between the white-armoured warrior and black-robed figure. As quickly as they appeared they disappeared in a very different manner to his friends.
What…have I just watched…
He knew it wasn't genjutsu, the Byakugan made him practically immune to illusionary techniques. He deactivated his doujutsu and considered all the possibilities, not even paying attention to the Sound shinobi around him.
They were clearly under attack by someone…who could disable such a large group…without utilising chakra since there were no chakra signals coming from anyone…
"Neji?"
It didn't even look like they put up a struggle…
The Hyuuga shinobi turned around with a glare that would have turned a normal man to stone. In this case Dosu was only forced to take several steps back in shock.
The one-eyed shinobi recovered quickly and stood up as straight as his hunched outfit would allow. "Is everything alright? What did you see?"
Neji stared at the hunched shinobi for a moment before looking over at the rest of the Sound shinobi in front of him. He took a moment to sit down with his hands on his knees.
"Just…give me a minute."
To their credit, the Sound shinobi were quite patient as Neji ran through all the scenarios in his head.
There is only one likely possibility that makes sense, with the information I've got.
He sighed loudly, but kept a stoic expression. "My companions are dead, by the hands of some unknown enemy. I'm…not sure how. But they are gone."
To his surprise, it almost seemed like they felt his loss at least a little bit. He wasn't going to show his grief to people who had just been his enemies, and Neji wasn't entirely sure if what he said was true.
"Are you going to be okay?" asked the female Jounin, Neji could almost hear sympathy in her voice.
Neji directed his white-eyed gaze to the Jounin. "It…I don't know."
It's Konoha all over again. Except now…there's no-one left to grieve with. I have to remain strong.
"What will you do now?" It seemed like an obvious question, but it was one that all of them were curious to know the answer to.
Breaking his stoic expression, Neji let a ghost of a sad smile emerge on his face. "I guess…I'm actually not sure."
It felt strange to Neji. He felt like he should be grieving, or at least feeling something. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something unseen had happened before he watched his friends disappear, and he couldn't completely write the Konoha shinobi off just yet.
But the Sound shinobi didn't need to know that last bit. It was only a hope, not a rational observation.
Placing a hand on his chin, the male Jounin took an awkward step forward. "You could…stay here."
Neji stared over at the Jounin with a confused expression. "Not thirty minutes ago I was your enemy. Now you are asking me to be your friend?"
Despite clearly being older than the Hyuuga, the Jounin was intimidated by his stare, even though there was no malice in it. Neji was merely curious about how sincere the invitation was.
The female Jounin reached out and smacked her fellow shinobi across the back of the head, causing him to grimace in pain. "What he means is…you don't have to rush these things. We could all take a rest and consider our options."
"What about the Sound Four?" asked the recovering Jounin, not making any comment about being attacked by his female companion.
"Who are they?" asked Neji, genuinely curious about the figures mentioned.
Zaku crossed his arms with a frown. "They are…were…the strongest of the village, besides Orochimaru-sama. But your companions defeated all of them, we believe. They all had Cursed Seals too."
Dosu opened his single eye and regarded the rest of the group. "They are still alive. I can hear their heartbeats."
As one every single shinobi in the corridor stared at the bandage covered shinobi.
"That's really creepy Dosu" commented Kin.
Neji watched the exchange between the Sound shinobi, noticing several similarities between the Sound shinobi and his old companions.
I guess…if I have start somewhere…
He looked over at the Sound shinobi, seeing the smiles and expressions that reminded him of friends now gone.
What would Father do?
"I think we should find these Four you mentioned."
The two Jounin led the way out of the corridor. Neji took note of how there was no hesitation in following them.
"Have you made a decision?" whispered Zaku as they made their way through the torch-lit corridors.
Neji shrugged, which was a rare thing for him to do. "I'm making this up as I go along. Nothing is ever set in stone."
***Two Hours after Separation***
With Neji's Byakugan it had been fairly simple to locate the four fallen shinobi, but reaching them was another problem altogether. Shikamaru's plan of flooding the tunnels had been too efficient in cutting off large sections of the village. As they moved through the village, Neji noted quietly that the village wouldn't be a viable location for a long time.
Zaku laid down the multi-armed shinobi beside the other three and stood back, feeling the cool breeze against his face. They had decided to bring them all to the place where Jiroubo had fallen, above the village proper. On the way they had made sure to check for any other survivors.
There were none.
From a small shinobi village that boasted nearly three hundred active combatants, only seventeen remained. It didn't appear to Neji that they got along particularly well with each other, but considering the way they were brought together it didn't surprise him.
No wonder we blasted through this place so easily. Even with skill, they don't have much in the way of cooperation.
He looked over the four unconscious shinobi lying in front of them. They seemed fairly normal on the outside, ignoring the multiple arms on the dark skinned one and the second head on grey-haired one. The woman was almost cute in Neji's eyes, though the angry expression she wore even when unconscious didn't particularly endear her to him.
"Will they live?" asked the female Jounin. She had told Neji her name on the way there, but for some reason it always escaped him when he tried to remember it.
Dosu stood back up from their bodies and turned to the rest of the group. "Under normal circumstances they would. Jiroubo has suffered a large trauma to his stomach but has recovered from the blow. The brothers and Tayuya seem to just be unconscious. Kidomaru is the worst off, but he should also be okay with enough rest."
He shook his head as an addendum, "But with the Cursed Seal…I can't say."
Neji watched the Sound shinobi discuss their situation between themselves. He was amazed that his companions had taken out shinobi of such strength. Through his Byakugan he could get a read on how much chakra each of them had, even without the Cursed Seals he could tell they would impressive foes.
"Can you do anything to help them?" asked Kin, turning to Neji with a curious expression. She seemed to be the most receptive to him, though Neji was reserving judgement until he knew more about them.
The Hyuuga survivor weighed up his options. With such small numbers there was no way for the shinobi here to continue as a force, but bringing back those four would add considerable strength. Neji didn't place too much faith on vibes or feelings, but something about his current situation caused him to continue cooperating with the Sound shinobi.
They could make powerful allies.
"Everyone stand back" he commanded, placing his hand together while activating his regular Byakugan. Since performing the extraction process twice he had a fairly good grasp on how it worked, and resolved to continue perfecting it with the Uzumaki scroll if given the time.
The male Jounin leaned towards Dosu, "What is he doing?"
The one-eyed shinobi grinned, a difficult task underneath all his bandages. "Just watch. There is a reason why he was able to kill Kabuto."
After running through the seals Neji completed the technique and placed his hands on the ground in front of them. He watched the Cursed Seal collapse in on itself through his black and white vision. He used their chakra circulatory systems to burn out the Cursed Seal, leaving in most of the power-enhancing capabilities while removing the addictive and chaotic elements.
It's no wonder the shinobi world tried to destroy the Uzumaki clan. If they wielded this much power and knowledge…it's frightening even in my inexperienced hands.
oOoOoOo
It was already dark when the first of the four woke up from their fallen state. Kidomaru cracked his neck with a sigh, flexing his six hands around his body.
"It's like the worst hangover ever…" he mumbled, looking up to see the shinobi standing over him.
He recognised the Sound shinobi and even expressed surprise at seeing the three of them out of prison, but wasn't sure what to make of the Hyuuga's presence.
Before he could make an observation however he felt at where his Cursed Seal mark used to be, his eyes widened when he realised that he was no longer afflicted by it.
"What…who did this?"
Zaku lazily pointed to Neji, "He did. No idea how, but he removed all of our Cursed Seals."
The spider-like shinobi groaned and picked himself up from ground, standing a few metres away from Neji. He looked over the white-eyed shinobi for a few moments before shrugging and extending one of his many hands. "I guess I owe you a debt of gratitude then."
The ex-Konoha shinobi took the hand with a surprised look on his face. "You don't resent me? My people were the ones who attacked you guys."
Kidomaru shrugged again with a wide grin. "I dunno. I'm not one to hold a grudge. I've got to wonder what the 'illustrious' leader would think of you messing with his toys though."
With an infectious smile Kin stood beside Neji and pointed at him. "Kabuto is dead. By his hand."
"Really?" Kidomaru turned his gaze back to the Hyuuga shinobi. "And what caused you to turn such wrath upon such a deserving subject?"
Neji crossed his arms across his white robe. "He had it coming, let's leave it at that."
Kidomaru considered his point and nodded. "As good a reason as any. What's next?"
"You are surprisingly trusting for someone who was nearly killed not long ago."
"I'm a team player."
Neji watched the six-armed shinobi interact with the others quietly. He decided that he liked the calm mannered shinobi; he had mannerisms that made him easily likable.
"Oh shit…my head…"
They all turned to watch as the pink-haired shinobi picked herself up from the ground. She still wore an angry expression, but it lessened slightly when she saw Kidomaru standing in front of her.
"So you made it too? That would be right, no damn irony at all here."
Kidomaru grinned and offered her a hand up. "Nice to see you again too, Tayuya."
She swore under her breath and looked around the group, frowning again when she saw the three Genin. "And you kusogero broke out of prison? What the shit are you guys thinking?"
Stepping towards her, Kin stood in front of the female shinobi with a matching frown. She'd never gotten along with Tayuya, and never wasted an opportunity to win one over the foul-mouthed illusionist.
"Our Cursed Seals are gone, as are yours. We aren't a danger to our own people anymore."
Tayuya glanced down at her skin for a few moments before looking back at the dark-haired girl. "Well I'll be a shit covered asshole. I didn't think I was beaten so badly that the Cursed Seal abandoned me."
She took a step forward so that she was practically touching Kin's nose with her own. "Get the hell out of my way."
Kin went to respond in kind, but felt Zaku's hand on her shoulder pulling her back. "Another time, Kin. Another time."
Tayuya watched as the girl backed off, a wide smile creeping onto her face. "That's right…run away little girl. Run away."
Across from them the other Sound shinobi groaned in unison. Neji went to ask, but Kidomaru simply shook his head and indicated that he should stand back.
All the strength in the world couldn't help Zaku hold the dark-haired girl back as she launched at the pink haired girl with a snarl.
Twenty minutes later the Sound shinobi did their best to make the two girls comfortable as they recovered from their wounds. They hadn't caused too much damage to the environment, though there was a large layer of golden metal protecting the two unconscious Sound Four members.
Kidomaru grinned as he stood back from healing their wounds. He had his own version of the healing technique, one that was less effective than the medical techniques Neji was familiar with, but it seemed to work a lot quicker.
"Am I the only one that was totally aroused by that?"
Both Zaku and Dosu shot Kidomaru a deadly glare, while Neji struggled to keep a slight grin from his face.
The spider-like shinobi grinned again and placed his six arms in mock surrender, "I'm just saying what everyone is thinking."
He removed his shell around his two companions, noticing that Jiroubo had begun to stir. He indicated to the others to watch the two fallen women and moved to assist his large comrade.
He slapped Jiroubo lightly on the cheek with a smile, "Wakey, Wakey."
The Sound shinobi groaned again before slowly opening his eyes, looking straight into Kidomaru's grinning face. He frowned and struggled to sit up, clutching his head in pain.
"What…happened…"
"It's…a long story. I don't quite know myself."
He reached up and felt at his neck, frowning as he realised what had happened. "The Cursed Seal is gone. Did Kabuto do this?"
Kidomaru indicated to Neji with a thumb, "The Hyuuga saved us, it would seem. Killed Kabuto too."
"I see…" Jiroubo picked himself up completely from the ground and looked down at his companion, not able to see any lie in Kidomaru's eyes. "The others?"
"We are all that are left" said Zaku beside the spider-like shinobi.
The large shinobi walked around his companions and stood in front of Neji, staring straight into his white eyes. For a few moments Neji wasn't sure what he was doing, until Jiroubo dropped to one knee with a clenched fist on his chest.
"I am yours to command then, providing you are as strong as you appear."
Neji was unable to hide his surprise; he never expected something like that to happen. He could see that some of the Sound shinobi were almost wordlessly echoing Jiroubo's sentiment, while others weren't sure what to make of the declaration.
"That's…quite sudden of you" said Kidomaru. He wasn't as surprised by the action as the others, he knew Jiroubo was loyal to a fault and had a very strict sense of honour.
The large shinobi didn't respond to Kidomaru's comment, keeping his head down.
"I'm…not sure you want to do that. My friends put you in such a bad condition before you woke up."
"I was not myself when I fought the shinobi from Konoha. While I don't deny that I would have found them anyway, I do not judge or resent their actions."
Jiroubo looked up at the Hyuuga shinobi with a serious expression on his face. "Do you accept?"
Neji looked up at Kidomaru and the two male Genin, all of whom just shrugged.
He glanced back down at the large shinobi kneeling in front of him, and made a judgement call.
"I accept. But I'm no leader, so I'm not really sure what I can do for you."
Jiroubo slowly stood up and looked back down at the Hyuuga shinobi. He was nearly a head taller than him, but everything about his stance said that he had a large amount of respect for the shinobi. Each of the Sound Four had tried to take Kabuto at one point or another, but he had defeated them without even revealed the full extent of his strength. Defeating him, combined with destroying the Cursed Seal was worth a lot in Jiroubo's mind.
"You already are a leader, Hyuuga-sama. But I am not your biggest concern here."
Behind him Kidomaru bobbed his head in agreement. They both turned to look at the last unconscious survivor of the Sound Village. The grey-haired shinobi with two heads hadn't even stirred yet, and there was something about the looks shared between companions that caused Neji pause.
Am I out of my depth here?
oOoOoOo
Neji could tell that the conversation wasn't going well. Even if he couldn't read lips, the clear aggression on Sakon's face was enough to give him pause.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. What makes you think that this brat could defeat someone that killed Orochimaru-sama?"
"He says that Orochimaru-sama was killed by his teammate, Jiraiya. And the little three saw him do it." Kidomaru knew there was no real way to convince Sakon of the truth. He was both stubborn and pig-headed a majority of the time.
Sakon pushed past his teammate and glared at the Hyuuga shinobi standing slightly apart from the other shinobi. "Just because his friends were strong enough to defeat us, doesn't mean they could take him. Look at him. He probably couldn't even beat me, even without my Cursed Seal."
Neji glared at the beady-eyed shinobi, an idea coming into his mind. It was risky, but Neji mentally decided it was worth the risk.
"I'll take that bet."
Sakon gave him a look of both confusion and disdain. "What are you talking about?"
Neji motioned for the others to stand back, "The laws of your village state that if you defeat the leader than you become the leader. You can challenge me if that is your wish."
The two-headed shinobi continued to glare at him, but also clenched his fists slightly. "You aren't part of our village, so the law doesn't apply to you. Besides, you don't seem like the leader type."
Jiroubo went to stand between the taijutsu fighter and his companion, "Sakon…"
"Take the challenge, Sakon."
Neji had been told about the twin brother's abilities, but hearing the deep voice was particularly unsettling.
Sakon crossed his eyes as he seemed to be having a silent conversation within himself. After nearly a minute without a word he stared back at Neji with a scowl.
"If you defeat me…and that's a big if…then you'll have earned my respect. That's all I'll offer."
Neji took a moment before activating his Byakugan and taking a defensive stance. He had a plan, but it would only work once. There was something about the twin that leaned Neji closer to caution than haste.
"Come then. But you won't succeed."
Sakon didn't hesitate at all, diving forward with a fist raised.
Neji didn't waste any time either, pushing his doujutsu to its higher level and analysing the Sound shinobi's attack path. He identified an area that wouldn't be struck by the multiple-fist attack, moving easily into it while rapidly driving a finger into Sakon neck and forehead.
The speed was such that the shinobi couldn't react to Neji's counter, crashing into the floor with a groan. He tried to get up again, but his legs just flailed uselessly underneath him.
"You…what the hell did you do?!"
Neji deactivated his Byakugan completely and walked around his body, squatting down so that he was looking straight into his face. Having been in the situation Sakon was in now, he knew what it was like to be completely dominated, but he also knew that he still had to handle it delicately.
"This is the gap between us. I have no interest in being the next incarnation of your former captor. I'm looking for allies, not subjects."
Sakon went to spit at him but a hand came out of his neck and covered his mouth. The head on the back of his neck turned around and regarded Neji with cold eyes.
"You are not like the men we have followed in the past."
Neji frowned and stood back up with his arms crossed. "Why does everyone think I'm some kind of leader?"
He saw that the two fallen women were recovering from their fight, Dosu helping Kin to her feet while Zaku stood beside the other two male Sound Four members.
Kidomaru grinned and placed a set of hands behind his head. "I don't think you have much of a choice. Particularly with people like us."
The Hyuuga elder looked over the faces of the Sound shinobi around him. They seemed to be displaying a mix of emotions, but through his keen observation he could see there was a growing consensus.
"Does everyone feel this way?"
The shinobi looked at each for a few seconds before all eyes were on Neji. They nodded in unison.
"May I ask why?"
Kin thanked Dosu for his help and stood beside her fellow shinobi, regarding him with a slow smile. "You've done more for us than Orochimaru-sama did. We respect strength more than anything."
"Besides, not many of us liked the Sound Village to begin with" added Dosu.
Neji looked over the shinobi again, not able to tell whether they were just messing with him or not. It was a strange thing to consider doing, though he didn't think it was out of the realm of practicality.
Working on the assumption that the others survived their…whatever that was. And that that warrior will be back...Naruto came up with the idea…perhaps I should complete it.
"If…you are comfortable working with me…then I will do it." He hid the hesitation expertly, letting his voice exude the confidence that he often felt in stressful situations.
He reached down and fixed Sakon's chakra points, letting him stand up with a huff. The twin glared at him for a moment before begrudgingly giving him a slightly head bow. "We'll follow you…for now. But if you give us a reason, we will destroy you and take your place."
"You are welcome to try" said Neji.
Kidomaru had just finished explaining to the recently recovered Tayuya, who was reluctant at first, but admitted she had nowhere else to go.
Neji moved to the front of the group so that he could speak to all of them at once. He cleared his voice awkwardly with a cough before placing his hands by his side.
"The old Hidden Village of Sound is gone. Anyone who doesn't wish to stay is free to leave if they choose; I will not hold it against you. I'm new to this, but I can tell you now that I will never be the tyrant that Kabuto was. Having learnt more about the man, I'll admit that Orochimaru was a man of vision. His ambitions were admirable, but incomplete. With the destruction of Konoha, there is a power vacuum in this world."
"What the hell are you saying?" asked Tayuya in her trademark blunt tone.
Neji let the tiniest smile creep onto his face. "We have here some very strong shinobi. I believe that with the right way of doing things, we could do the things that the Hidden Sound could not. Orochimaru and Kabuto after him used your village as their personal army. There is a good reason why that didn't work."
Dosu stepped forward in front of the others. "We are at your disposal…sir."
The Hyuuga elder's smile grew at that. It was strange to hear, but felt strangely fitting. He looked over his new allies. "We have a lot of work to do then."
***Eight Hours after Separation***
Neji watched his Sound shinobi set up camp with surprising efficiency. They had determined that they didn't want to stay underground anymore, particularly in a base that was flooding through as they explored it.
They had retrieved their personal effects and had set up camp above the old village. Neji watched the large fire at the centre of the site with disinterest. The flames seemed to have a mind of their own, but that wasn't what was on his mind.
This better not be a big mistake. These are not the kind of people I would want coming after me.
The female Jounin from before sat down beside him with a smile. Neji still couldn't remember her name, which was strange considering he had learnt all the others. He still regarded her with a smile though; she was surprisingly receptive to him.
"Something on your mind, sir?"
"You don't have to call me sir, you know. It feels a bit strange."
She laughed and leaned back on her seat. "Well we had a few other ideas, but they didn't get very far."
Neji turned to face her, "Like what?"
"Well there was White Eyes."
"Too obvious. I think morale would suffer."
Kidomaru walked around the fireplace and grinned at their leader. "I thought of the Grand Destroyer."
"I like that one" replied Neji with a grin.
"It didn't get past the committee, unfortunately. But there was one that everyone liked."
"Oh?"
The six-armed shinobi indicated to his female companion with one arm. She smiled and turned to Neji, unable to keep the joy from her face.
"We decided to call you Dasaiamai." (Uncool sap)
"Don't make me order you to collect firewood."
She gave him a mocking salute, "Yes sir, Dasaiamai."
"I hate you all."
Across the campsite Zaku made his way over to the laughing trio, standing up straight when he reached Neji. "Sir, I have a report."
Neji rolled his eyes, "You don't have to be so formal, Zaku."
"Of course, sir. We believe we've found a place we can set up permanently."
The new leader leaned back in his seat, unable to hide how impressed he was. "That quickly?"
The Genin nodded with a grin, "Yes sir. It's an area that is being used as a base for a bandit army in this region, but if we can clean them out then it would make the perfect staging area."
Neji stood up from his seat, "Good work then. We'll scout it out tomorrow morning and take the bandits out. For now, everyone should get some rest."
Zaku gave him his best mocking salute.
"Yes sir, Dasaiamai."
Neji rolled his eyes and sat back down at the fireplace.
"Seriously, I hate you all."
***One Day after Separation***
Neji looked over the complex with his Byakugan, whistling as he scanned the area completely.
"So what's the deal?" asked Sakon, tapping his foot impatiently.
It had become clear to Neji that the twin wasn't necessarily resentful of his assuming leadership over the group; he just didn't like authority in general.
He grinned at the grey-haired shinobi, "It's perfect."
The Sound shinobi rolled his eyes, "I mean the enemy forces…sir."
Neji turned to Dosu and nodded. The sound-user laid out a map on the grass between their small number of forces. "There are four hundred and seventy two bandits within the complex area. They aren't particularly spread out, nor do they sound very happy to be there."
"Has anyone ever told you that your hearing is really creepy?" asked Kin with a completely straight face.
Dosu turned to his female companion with a stoic expression. "Says the girl who spent most of the last night talking about…"
His sentence trailed off when he saw her slowly pull out a set of senbon, but his point was well made.
Neji complemented him on his good work and regarded their forces. They had eighteen shinobi, including him. He figured it was more than enough to take care of that level of enemy at that number. They were all Chuunin level strength and above from his estimations.
"We take the complex now. It's the best place to start a village anew."
The Sound shinobi began preparing themselves for battle. Kidomaru asked if he would be accompanying them, to which Neji immediately confirmed that he was.
"A leader that doesn't fight with his troops doesn't deserve their respect."
Kidomaru grinned and nodded in response. "Well said."
Making sure his robe was prepared properly, Neji reactivated his regular Byakugan. "But I'll be keeping an eye on our people as well. To see how strong we all are."
"Of course. We would expect nothing less."
Tayuya shoved past her spider-like companion with a smirk. "And we'll be watching you. To be a leader of a village means to be the strongest shinobi in said village."
"I do not profess to be best at everything, Tayuya. But if you wish, I can demonstrate my strength as well. Let's go."
"You heard him people!" she shouted. "Let's go get them!"
He watched as most of their force charged at the complex. While outwardly it appeared chaotic, Neji could see they were only showboating.
He turned and looked at Kidomaru with a sigh. "Are they always like this?"
"I think you bring it out in them" replied the Sound shinobi, who indicated towards the complex in front of them. "Shall we?"
"After you, sir."
oOoOoOo
Tayuya lowered her recently repaired flute and looked over at the bandits grovelling at her feet. She turned to watch Jiroubo slam a boulder into a small building, crushing a small group of archers that had been pestering him.
"So what do you think?" she asked over the noise of the battlefield.
Jiroubo brought back a hand and slammed it into the ground, bringing up a wall of stone to block a hail of projectiles. "I think it's worth it. He's done too much for us to just leave. Besides…we haven't worked like this in a while. It's…nice."
The pink-haired shinobi swore and spat on the ground. "Yeah, like pissing stones. I'm talking about obeying another again. We know nothing of this Hyuuga."
Jiroubo lowered his wall and sent dozens of smaller boulders into the clusters of resistance that came at them. "He deserves our respect. We should wait…and observe. There is something about him."
"Kin spoke of a quality…I might see it…in time."
Her large companion smiled, noticing a difference in the young girl since they had been separated when their Cursed Seals got out of control. She seemed to almost enjoying herself; he hadn't seen her smile that way in a while. He wasn't foolish enough to believe them out of the woods yet, but it had been a long time since they'd had any resemblance of a plan to work with.
A quality indeed…
oOoOoOo
Sakon took in how many bandits stood against him. It seemed excessive to send so many against one shinobi, but considering what he had done to the first shinobi he had met it didn't surprise him.
"This looks to be enough."
"Showing off, Sakon?"
The grey-haired shinobi frowned, "Shut your face, Ukon. I don't need to prove anything to anyone."
The head on his neck twitched as a deep laugh echoed in the air. "If there ever was a time you were full of shit, Sakon, it would be now."
"Why are you taking his side?" Sakon ducked under a thrown axe and leapt into the crowd of bandits, his fists flying everywhere at once.
His blows crashed through shield and axe, his strength having increased dramatically since the removal of his Cursed Seal. "Not since Orochimaru or Kimimaro have you worked for someone with determination such as his."
"He's a hesitant leader at best, Ukon." An arm shot out of his back to grab at an axe moving to decapitate him while a foot collected the attacker in the face.
He slammed two fists into the ground, the shockwaves dragged down over a dozen bandits while Sakon was already taking them out with concussive blows to their heads.
The bandits began to flee when they saw his frightening visage, having a seemingly invincible enemy with two heads was enough to break even the most stubborn of enemies.
Sakon breathed out slowly and regarded the battlefield with a grin. In less than a minute he had taken out nearly fifty of the bandits by himself. Yet he wasn't satisfied with his efforts, he knew that he could do better.
"What would you have me do, Ukon?"
"I'm not saying to trust him. Listen to his orders, do what is appropriate. But if it comes to it and we aren't satisfied then we will drive him down into the ground and crush his skull."
Sakon grinned slowly and began looking for more bandits to dispatch.
"I like that plan."
oOoOoOo
Dosu and Zaku destroyed their targets quickly, while Kin worked on finding out as much information as she could from a bandit she had 'persuaded' with her sound illusions. She was no musician like Tayuya, but had a more rounded set of skills, which included interrogation.
Zaku moved next to his female companion, flexing his sore hands. It hurt to use his air pressure attack so much in one battle, since he hadn't quite worked out the new power ratio. "So?"
She drove a senbon into the bandit's neck and let him fall to the ground before turning to her companion. "They seem to bear some kind of grudge against us."
"Well we are forcing them to vacate their home" said Dosu sarcastically.
Kin nodded and moved her hair out of her face, "It would seem that way."
Placing his hand up Zaku blasted a large shockwave of air into an open road in the complex, beating back a collection of bandits that had gathered against them. "This place seems a bit big, don't you think? There are less than twenty of us."
His teammates nodded while keeping their attention on the bandits moving towards them. It was hard to take the battle seriously, but they didn't want to risk any injury to their forces, considering how few of them there were.
"Do you think he has a plan?" asked Kin, pulling out a new set of senbon with bells attached.
Covering their rear, Dosu dropped his heavy arm to his side. "I think for someone who was essentially dragooned into command, he's been impressive."
"He doesn't know anything about this land or its people though" said Zaku, sending a deafening screech of sound into three bandits that had climbed on a rooftop to fire on them.
"We can help him with that though. It's better than becoming like these bastards." Dosu threw a fist into the direction of an overzealous axe-wielder, causing the bandit to fall to the ground screaming.
After a few minutes of fighting it seemed like there were no more bandits in the area. Neji hadn't specified on whether to kill the bandits or not, but the Sound shinobi figured that if they were to set up a shinobi village in this location, then secrecy was a significant factor.
Dosu covered up his metal arm and looked back at his two companions. There were few secrets between the three of them since their imprisonment, and he had no delusions that they were equals in each other's eyes.
"We still owe him a great debt. One that cannot be repaid so easily."
Zaku grinned and indicated to their female companion, "Besides, Kin has her crush to consider."
The air-user has the common-sense to duck under the inevitable head blow, but couldn't anticipate the kick to the face that followed. For the first time in it seemed forever, Dosu couldn't contain the laugh beneath his bandages.
It had been too long since they'd been able to relax like this.
oOoOoOo
Out of four hundred and seventy two bandits occupying the large area, there were fifteen survivors. They had surrendered to the Sound shinobi when it became clear that they were no match for their forces. They brought the bandits to Neji and they had pleaded for his mercy.
After checking to make sure that there weren't any stragglers, Neji considered his options. It was a difficult decision to make, but after a short interrogation by Kin and Tayuya it became clear that the bandits were not the kind of people one wanted alive in their country.
Neji ordered their executions, and they were carried out without question.
The Sound leader called his shinobi to one of the main areas of the complex for a debriefing. He had been very impressed with their performances; they were much stronger than he would have thought, given the defence of the Hidden Sound initially.
I guess when given good motivation they fight harder.
He noted that Kidomaru was still missing, but that was intentional on his part. The playful shinobi was proving to be one of his most useful assets, and while he still didn't fully trust the Sound shinobi, they were slowly growing on him.
Once everyone was accounted for, Neji stood on top of a step above the others. "Good work everyone. I must say, I don't think Konoha could have done this so efficiently."
That drew a cheer from the shinobi, which he hadn't expected.
The male Jounin, who was called Jin, moved to stand beside Neji and pulled out a small notepad, licking the pen in his hand. "Alright. Everyone call out your numbers, and we'll see who won."
Dosu cracked his neck loudly, "Twenty-six."
"Thirteen" said Kin, feeling a little disappointed, though she knew her role in her team wasn't completely combat focused.
"Thirty-one" added Zaku with a grin.
"Twenty-nine" said Tayuya, irritated that the odd-looking boy had surpassed her number of kills.
Jiroubo went to console her, but changed his mind when he saw and felt the anger steaming off his companion. He turned back to their leader. "Forty-seven."
The female Jounin said her number, and the other eight followed suit.
With a smirk, Sakon crossed his arms, "Seventy-four."
Jin noted down the numbers, "And with mine…that can't be right. There are still a hundred and two missing."
"What about Kidomaru?" asked Zaku, noticing the spider-like shinobi hadn't arrived with the others.
Beside Jin, Neji shook his head slowly. "Kidomaru is surveying the outlying region. He should be back in a few hours."
"Okay, clearly someone miscounted then. You don't just have a hundred marks left out like that." It hit Jin quicker than the others, but that was because he had the numbers in front of him.
They all collectively stared at Neji who, to his credit, kept a stoic expression the entire time.
Sakon literally gaped at the Hyuuga leader, "You got over a hundred? How? There were no battle noises from your area at all."
Neji turned to Jin, still keeping a straight face, "I also got their leader too, if you want to note that down."
The Jounin smiled and did as he asked, stifling a laugh as he wrote on his pad.
Their leader turned back to the group, "So, what do I get?"
The Sound shinobi did their best to give him a confused set of stares.
"Get? Whatever do you mean?"
He crossed his arms slowly, "Come on. I won the bet. Pay up."
His subordinates looked at each for a few seconds before sighing as one. They began to dig through their pockets as Neji grinned and thought about what his old friends would say about what they had done.
He could get used to something like this.
***Two Days after Separation***
After a good night sleep, Neji woke himself to a strange feeling in his head. For almost three minutes he couldn't remember where he was, or how he had gotten there. It took a considerable effort but the images came straight at him and he sighed in a mix of emotions.
He felt a deep sadness for the loss of his friends, though he didn't truly believe them gone, but when he thought about his new responsibilities he felt a new emotion, one that he hadn't felt since coming to the Land of Rice Fields.
Hope.
A knock on his door drew his attention, and after hearing who it was Neji quickly threw on his white robes and opened the door. He rubbed his eyes as he saw the grinning face of Kidomaru at his door.
"Rise and shine, Great Destroyer."
Neji smiled slowly in return with a yawn, "I like you more and more, Kidomaru."
He bowed sarcastically to his leader, "I do what I must."
Neji indicated for him to lead the way, the Hyuuga shinobi closing the door to the small house he had taken residency in while they worked out what to do with the settlement. They had taken all the bodies to a far off part of the complex and burned them; Zaku had been clever enough to use his air abilities to direct the smell of burning flesh away from the rest of the residences.
"You seem to have won a great battle here, sir."
"We did, but this is only the first step. This place needs a lot of work before it is functional, and even then I'm not sure what the next step is."
The complex was about half the size that Konoha was, and after the battle it was in worse shape than Neji would have liked, but he was still satisfied with the location. There were dozens of buildings that needed repairs, but he could already see several ways for them to utilise the location as a town area and training ground.
He looked around and saw that he had slept longer than he had intended, the sun was already a third of the way up in the sky. He turned to ask Kidomaru to get everyone up, but didn't bother when he saw that all of his Sound shinobi had already gathered in the staging area of the complex.
"Were you successful?" he asked quietly.
The Sound Jounin nodded and crossed two sets of his arms, "I've got the locations. Not sure why you'd want to know them though."
"Consider them insurance, nothing more."
They descended down the staircase that led to Neji's residence slowly, the leader making little observations about the Sound shinobi beneath them. He could see that they were all well rested and ready to work, and when they saw him coming there were a mixture of emotions on their faces.
He was relieved to see that none of them seemed to resent him; he had learnt how to read that emotion a long time ago.
"So, what's the plan?" asked Zaku from the centre once they reached the others.
"We need to make this place more appropriate for shinobi. Setting traps, appropriate residences, the lot. Then we can focus on making a name for ourselves."
Dosu looked at some of his companions before hobbling forward, "We were talking…and we think you should approach the three main clans that used to be part of the old Sound Village."
Neji nodded with a grim expression, "I agree. If their numbers are anything like what I think, then we could have a real force at our disposal."
"Sir…if you don't mind me asking…what is our plan?"
Neji noticed that Jin was a little nervous; he'd probably lost a bet with the others and was forced to ask that question. He knew that both Orochimaru and Kabuto ruled through fear, and that wasn't the relationship he wanted to have with his subordinates.
He looked over the faces of the Sound shinobi again, he had a tendency to do that since he liked to see what everyone's reactions were a lot of the time. "We are becoming a proper shinobi village. I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to live underground and work out of there."
He gestured to the complex to the side of them, "This is now our home. We don't have that many of us right now, but eventually I want us to be a force to be reckoned with in this country."
He could see some of them were a bit apprehensive, but he continued his speech. "With Konoha no longer around, there is a large power vacuum that has yet to be filled. I believe, and yesterday showed me, that we can be that power."
"That sounds…ambitious" said Jin, a slow smile growing across his face. "I like it."
"We have a lot of work to do, and only a set amount of time before the other villages realise that the Sound is still a force in this world. Secrecy is essential at this stage."
He smiled slowly when he looked over some of the shinobi that he didn't know that much about just yet. "If anyone has any family they wish to bring here they are welcome to do so. Anyone that isn't doing that, I want to return to the old village and gather as many of the resources we were unable to bring with us. We should have enough food to last a long time, but we'll need money as well."
They seemed to wait for a few seconds after Neji had finished, but when it became clear that he was done the Sound shinobi went about their business.
"You seem to have a flair for this kind of thing, sir" said Kidomaru with a grin.
Neji turned to his subordinate and returned the smile. "Perhaps. Before we get the clans though, we need a bankroll. Once the village is set up, I want to negotiate with the Daimyo."
Kidomaru cracked several of his hands in anticipation, "Things seem to be progressing smoothly then."
"For now."
oOoOoOo
Neji was using his Byakugan to indicate where he wanted Jiroubo to create escape tunnels with his Earth techniques when he saw Tayuya making her way towards their position. He gave his instructions and dismissed the large shinobi, welcoming the illusionist cautiously. He knew she, like Sakon, wasn't very happy with his assuming a leadership role, but recognised that she was an important part of their standing force.
"Something I can help you with?" he asked neutrally.
Tayuya snarled and swore under her breath, standing just that little bit too close to him. "I don't know what your plans are, but don't think I'll ever trust a shinobi from Konoha."
Her leader frowned and crossed his arms, not at all intimidated by her demeanour. "I'm not from Konoha. I'm from the Sound."
She snickered, "Nice line. Practise it often?"
"You have a problem with me? Leave. But since they seems beyond you, perhaps you should get back to your work."
The pink haired shinobi went to reach for her flute in her pocket but the glare Neji gave her, almost daring her to do it, caused her to hesitate and step away from him.
Without another word she turned around and walked away from him, leaving him to continue planning their village's construction.
Tayuya swore loudly when she reached her house, slamming a fist into the side of the building, which caused several cracks to appear in the stone.
"It's not like you to back down from a fight. Has the lioness been tamed?"
She looked up at the figure sitting on top of her assumed residence, spitting on the ground loudly.
"Screw you, Kidomaru. I'm not like you, lapping at his whims."
The spider-like shinobi laughed and dropped to the ground to stand in front of his teammate. "Is that what you really believe? That I'm pandering?"
"Then what is your excuse?"
"Excuse? You saw it earlier. You know why we are here, doing this."
Tayuya thought about what her teammate was saying, and it slowly dawned on her. She fixed her six-armed teammate with a stare. "The look in his eyes…"
Kidomaru nodded slowly, "It's the same as Orochimaru-sama. He's not the same man, but…"
She swore again and shoved past him, swinging open the door to her residence. "Fine. I'll listen, for now. But don't expect me to like it."
Kidomaru laughed again as she slammed the door behind her. Like Sakon, their female teammate was a task to get used to, but when it came down to it he knew that Tayuya would land on their side of seeing things. She was a confusing woman to be sure, but she knew the value of strength, and could recognise a good thing when she saw it.
He considered what he thought himself for a few seconds before shaking his head with a smile and turning back to see the others going about their business.
oOoOoOo
At the end of the day's work Neji had told the shinobi to go into the nearby town and take a load off, figuring that they earned it after the impressive additions they had created for the village. There were hundreds of traps laid under the ground around the village, and a Sound shinobi called Toriko had informed Neji that they would only be triggered when the guards triggered them. He had been impressed with their initiative, and was rather proud of the work they had done.
On top of an alcove looked over the village, Dosu joined his leader with a grim expression. "Things seem to be coming together nicely, sir."
"That they are, Dosu. I must say, I wasn't expecting this kind of drive from our people."
He handed Neji a cup of tea and stood beside his leader. "How long until we go?"
Neji sipped the tea and sighed, it was surprisingly good quality considering it came from the bandits' storage facilities. "I think we'll be up and running soon. How's the attitude among the others?"
"Cautious. They aren't sure what to make of you just yet. But you are making the right calls so far."
Neji smiled slowly, while he was making it up as he went along it felt good to see some of his plans coming together, though he was reserving judgement until the whole picture came into focus.
He sat quietly for a few minutes, taking in the view of the night across the village.
"Something is troubling you" said Dosu flatly.
His leader placed down his cup and indicated for Dosu to sit down beside him. "I…can't remember what my father looked like."
"Oh?"
"It's nothing serious; he died when I was very young. It's just whenever I feel troubled I try to remember what my father would do. But lately…"
Dosu stared at the Hyuuga with his single eye. "I understand, sir. These are interesting times to be sure."
Neji shook himself out of it and looked at his subordinate. "I know it might be distasteful, but I want to know everything I need to about the other shinobi. If I'm to be a good leader, I need to know what I'm working with."
Even under his bandages, Dosu expressed a long smile. "You are started to sound more like a Sound shinobi, Hyuuga-sama. Let me work up a list for you."
Author's Note:
I've been waiting to write this chapter for practically two months. That might be why it only took three days to write.
The next chapter will be continuing his story. It only gets more interesting from here.
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.