Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. Please review.
Hinata rifled through the jacket of the unconscious genin from Kiri and retrieved the second scroll. It hadn't taken them long to set up Shino's trap, which worked so marvelously Kiba was taking credit for it. Less than a couple hours in and they'd already accomplished half their mission. Now all that was left was to make it to the tower and wait out the five days.
"We should hurry and deliver the scrolls," Shino said in his unique way of commenting rather than of commanding.
Not that Kiba saw it that way. Hinata noticed his mouth tick slightly in irritation. She never would understand what was so important to Kiba about who the leader was.
"We've got plenty of time," Kiba barked back and a feral grin revealed his fangs. "I say we thin out the competition a bit. The less teams that make it to the finish, the less we have to face later."
"But, if we can handle them now, then we can handle them later, too," Hinata interjected. She was on Shino's side. They needed to finish the mission.
Kiba shook his head and snatched the scroll from Hinata's hand. "That weird chick said she was gonna cut us down by half using these scrolls, so that means we've gotta be getting close to the individual matches. I say we take them out now while we're still together."
"I'm not afraid to face them one on one?" Shino remarked idly, making Hinata groan. Kiba must've been annoying him for Shino to get passive-aggressive already.
"Who said I was afraid?" Kiba spat.
Kurenai had been correct back when they first started together, Hinata found herself playing intervention between them all too often still. It was time to try a different tactic.
"Shino-kun's right, we should head to the tower," Hinata said firmly. She'd noticed lately that if she stood up to Kiba, he'd back down on whatever they were arguing about. She had a feeling it was more to encourage her to stand up for herself, but she'd take false acquiescence if she could get it.
Apparently she wasn't going to. Kiba shirked away and jumped into the trees. "Come on, we can get another couple teams and still make it to the tower in time."
Shino sighed beside her before following Kiba deeper into the forest. It didn't matter to Hinata if she didn't make chuunin, but she wanted to make sure Shino and Kiba got as far as they could. She had faith in them as a team, but who knew what kinds of abilities the foreign teams were capable of.
She caught up with the two of them for one last ditch effort to convince her stubborn partner to do what was best. "Kiba-kun, if we head straight to the tower we can probably beat all the other teams there."
Kiba stalled on a branch ahead of them. Hinata watched the minor battle on his face going on between his desire to fight and his ego wanting to gloat over every other team.
"It would be nice to show everyone up," he mused.
"Yeah," Hinata said encouragingly, "that would definitely prove how much better we are than the rest of the genin." And by 'we' she knew Kiba would hear 'him,' which was fine if it worked. Beside her Shino stayed silent. They both knew Shino would only aggravate Kiba into doing the opposite of whatever he wanted.
Kiba's grin grew wider. "Yeah, okay, listen up! We're gonna be the first ones to get to that tower! If we don't make it there by nightfall you'll both be sorry."
"Right," Hinata answered with a nod. She'd let him think it was his idea if that's what it took.
"Let's go then!" Kiba barked, heading off without another look back.
Shino stayed in pace next to Hinata, a bit of amusement in his otherwise impassive face. "You've become very good at manipulating Kiba. Almost as good as Sensei."
Hinata's face burned red, and she swore she heard Shino chuckle when she looked away. She hadn't quite meant to manipulate Kiba, just get him to see things . . . their way . . . oh great, she was manipulating him. Hinata didn't like that idea. It reminded her too much of her grandfather's insulting doubletalk.
They ran for nearly three hours with only minor interference from the terrain and other obstacles. Most of the delays were merely constant course corrections. Between byakugan, Kiba's nose, and Shino's bugs, they were able to avoid most of the major problems, creatures, or other teams, but it meant a lot of changing direction and detours. At least once Kiba'd gotten it in his head he wanted to be first, he no longer cared to bother with teams they could have engaged.
They were over halfway to the tower when Shino stopped them. His bugs sensed a chakra spike nearby, and Hinata scanned the area to make sure it was safe to proceed. There was nothing ahead of them, but when she swept behind, her enhanced vision stopped dead on the figure standing over a group of unconscious genin, the very group they'd switched course to avoid a few minutes before.
"We need to run," she said, shoving the panic down in favor of sheer necessity. "Fast."
"What is it?" Shino asked, his steady voice calming her slightly (very slightly).
Hinata forced her vision to return to the boys before her, looking at each one before answering in a soft, nervous voice, "My aunt."
"Your aunt?" Kiba repeated. "You mean we have to deal with fighting off more than animals and other teams? That crazy chick never said that."
"I don't know why, but she's here and not far, we need to get moving before she sees us."
"You don't think she'd make an exception in the rules for you?" Shino asked, weighing his options.
Hinata shook her head. "That's the thing, Neji-niisan's the only person in the clan who knows I plan to withdraw in the individual fights. So, if anything she'd do everything she could to make sure we don't make it to the tower so I for certain won't make chuunin."
"Damn, ninja moms are crazy, too," Kiba muttered and looked to Shino. "How'd your weird family end up with the only normal mother?"
Shino adjusted his glasses and for the first time since they entered the Forest of Death looked uncomfortable. "You've never seen her when I bring wild bugs home." When they both stared at him confused, he amended, "My mother's terrified of most bugs."
Hinata slammed a hand over Kiba's mouth before the laughter threatening to expose them burst out. "You can make fun of that later, for now we need to get out of–"
She shoved Kiba and Shino off the branch supporting them and leapt off as a wave of chakra –visible only to byakugan– struck the tree and shattered the branch they were sitting on. Hinata frantically searched the tree line, but it was empty. The attack was one of the few distance attacks advanced jyuuken users were capable of; Naomi was still a short ways behind them.
"Hurry," Hinata called and all three were in a flat out retreat towards the tower.
If Kiba ran at full speed, then he'd have been able to outrun her, but the whole team had to arrive or it didn't count. For now, Shino and Hinata were merely maintaining a pace with Naomi, close but not gaining.
"Do we have a plan?" Kiba screamed.
"Does praying count as a plan?" Hinata asked with a terrified chuckle. She knew Naomi was faster than her, so her loving aunt was currently toying with them.
"No," Shino replied as if she'd been serious, "praying is a bad plan."
That earned a good laugh from both Kiba and Hinata. Shino's dry humor had brought the fun of the fight back into Kiba's face and relaxed all three back into their normal rhythm.
"You got a better suggestion?" Kiba snapped.
"Survive."
Kiba burst out laughing. "Yeah, let's work on that."
"Down!" Hinata screamed, barely giving the boys enough warning to jump out of the way as another branch splintered off under Naomi's chakra attack. They landed on the ground in a large triangle and their way ahead was blocked by massive boulders except to return to the tree line above, which still showered them with fragments of falling bark.
"Seriously, Hinata, you need to learn that!" Kiba yelled, both awed and annoyed at Naomi's skill in cornering them.
"Remind me once you're chuunin," Hinata snipped back playfully. It would still be a while before her inner coils system was strong enough to support the advanced techniques Naomi knew, but Kiba worked well with motivation.
"If that's what it takes we need to get out of here," Kiba snorted.
"Is there any path?" Shino asked. His bugs were out and searching themselves, but Hinata's sight was oftentimes faster.
She scanned the area as efficiently as possible without skipping around what might be a way out, but Naomi was too close for them to double-back around the boulders, their only chance was up and back into the line of fire. As if to emphasize that wasn't an option, another branch exploded over their heads from a wave of chakra only Hinata saw coming. Naomi wasn't going to let them go now.
"Up's the only way out, and she's watching for it. "
Kiba growled like a predator who'd found his prey. "Then we face off."
Naomi had been pleased when she'd been assigned to work the chuunin exam. Not only did it mean she could stay in Konoha for a good length of time (not that she didn't enjoy traveling again, but she missed Hizashi and the children), but it also meant she'd get to know first hand where Neji and Hinata stood instead of waiting till the children came home. Plus she got to brag about her boy to the other officials whenever talk of who they wanted to see in the individual matches came up. Neji was a favorite.
What was surprising was how quickly the first of them were being called away during the second part of the exam. The chuunin weren't there to aid or save the wandering genin, not until the five days was up, but they were on hand for those who failed to listen to the rules and opened their scrolls. Naomi thought they should have waited at least one whole day before someone was that stupid. But come late afternoon Naomi felt the summoning technique written inside the scroll attached to her activate. She was lucky number one it seemed.
As if being summoned so early wasn't unexpected enough, seeing Hinata's team close by as she cleaned up the mess of unconscious genin was a pleasant addition. She debated for a moment (a very short moment) whether or not to let them go; it wasn't technically her job to make it harder for other teams to pass through the forest, but since she was there . . . Naomi doubted Anko would find her at fault.
Hinata only joined the chuunin exam because she had to for her team. Naomi knew as well as any of them that she didn't want to be chuunin anytime soon. And while a part of Naomi wanted her to succeed just so they could shove it in Hyobe's face, Naomi knew that Hinata would never be happy returning to the clan right now. Her team made her far, far happier than the clan, and whether Hyobe recognized it or not, the team was giving her confidence she'd never had at home. A fact that was confirmed when Neji very subtly let slip to them she intended to ignore her grandfather's wishes if he tried to stop her from excusing herself from the individual matches. (It had eased their fears that she was just acquiescing to her team's demands.)
Still, now that she was here and some spirit out there gave her such a perfect opportunity, Naomi decided to make sure that team of hers was worth the shit-storm that would blow through the clan when Hinata pulled out of the exam. If they weren't, Naomi would save everyone the trouble and put a stop to their aspirations right there in the forest. Hyobe couldn't get mad if the entire team failed to make it to the individual round.
They were a bit craftier than she'd given them credit for. The Aburame's bugs were lighting up her vision with chakra like a field of fireflies in front of her. It wasn't a complete impediment, but did make her blink a few times to clear up her focus. Everyone always assumed Hinata's team was built for tracking, but those same skills made them especially adapt at survival and retreat. When she finally cornered them on the ground, Naomi waited on a branch above them and took a long moment simply to observe the three children, a deceptive smile on her face.
Hinata stood at the front, Shino and Kiba flanked her on either side, but as she watched and read the underlying truth a story unfolded from byakugan's insight. Though Hinata stood at the foreground, Kiba held himself as the leader, his feral eyes very decidedly passing over the other two before returning to stare down his enemy. Shino wasn't subordinate to Kiba, though. He met Kiba's gaze with acknowledgment, not acceptance. He also was more protective of the team than he let on. Outwardly the boy appeared calm, but when she interpreted the fact that most Aburame were distance fighters and included the positioning of his bugs moving in small, independent swarms, Shino was more poised to take on the role of defender than aggressor.
That left Hinata. If Kiba was leader, and Shino was defender, what was Hinata? Naomi narrowed her sight, searching her niece's face for every truth she could find. She was more submissive when Kiba's eyes passed over her. She showed the reserved acceptance that had been absent in Shino. But they'd placed her at the front. A decoy? Or were they trying to use her as an appeal to Naomi's maternal instincts? That latter seemed unlikely given Kiba's relationship with Tsume. It was only one meeting, but it was obvious that 'going easy' on family wasn't in the Inuzuka mindset. No, there was deception in her eyes; Hinata was the decoy.
"Enjoying the exam so far?" she called down pleasantly. Naomi kept her eyes on Hinata, but byakugan's focus stayed on Kiba. If he was the leader, then he'd probably be the first aggressor while Shino defended the decoy attack.
"It's been interesting," Hinata replied, a nervous grin on her face. "What are you doing here, Aunt Naomi?"
Naomi made sure the warmth of her voice reached her eyes as she answered, "Weeding out the weak."
Her niece shifted ever so slowly, putting her in position to brace for a jump. Kiba was oddly quiet, letting their decoy do her job. At their feet, Akamaru inched his way forward, nearly halfway between Kiba and Hinata and still moving. No one spoke for another long minute; they just watched each other as the children waited for an opening that wouldn't come.
When Akamaru was a full foot in front of his team, Hinata leapt into the trees with Kiba right behind her. Naomi ignored her niece's feint and turned to defend against the real threat in Kiba coming up on her side. She'd never personally fought alongside an Inuzuka, but she was aware of their basic skills. They were generally mid-range fighters and their speed was admirable. If she didn't keep up with his movements she might lose him long enough for him to land a hit. And even from a genin, a well-placed hit can do some damage. The only warning she had for what happened next was the arrogant little smirk that curled Kiba's mouth as a shot of pure nerve pain reverberated through her side.
Hinata hadn't feinted. Her palm strike landed solidly into the inner coils on Naomi's left side. Normally a single hit in a non-vital area wasn't necessarily a painful experience, but the backlash caught part of her diaphragm and for a long few seconds Naomi couldn't breathe through the pain. Still holding her breath against the feeling of needles being shoved into her organs, Naomi immediately adjusted to block a second strike aimed for her leg.
If Naomi could have smiled, she would have. Hinata wasn't the decoy, she was the aggressor. Hinata knew exactly how to make her read them wrong, and the deception Naomi had seen in her niece wasn't because she was a decoy, but because Hinata was a horrible liar – and she'd used it to her advantage.
Once the initial pain receded enough she could breathe again, Naomi switched from defense to offence seamlessly. Hinata had been clever, but she wasn't stronger than Naomi. The palm strike headed for Hinata's side (in return for the one that had landed on Naomi) would have done damage if Kiba hadn't jumped in between and forced her back to avoid a kick to the chest. So he was the defender.
Naomi didn't have time to wonder what Shino's role in this little trio was before a tidal wave of bugs rose up from the ground and descended on her. Naomi wasn't squeamish about bugs here or there, but that many crawling and bubbling together made even her stomach turn once. If they didn't consume chakra she'd have let them fall and used a sharp burst to free herself of them. As it was, a strategic retreat further back was more advisable.
"So he was the escape plan," she chuckled to herself as the swarm dispersed to follow their master, who was already out of normal sight along with his team.
Naomi directed her vision to Hinata and smiled. With byakugan active, Hinata would see the motherly pride unhidden in Naomi's eyes. Her side was sorer than before –jyuuken wounds got worse with time– when she turned to finish the cleanup of the genin who had summoned her in the first place; Hinata's strike had been direct and unguarded. Sure Naomi could have given chase again, but they'd proved themselves enough. If nothing else, the sheer fact that Hinata moved as the aggressor would've convinced her of that. Her niece was changing for the better thanks to those two boys, they deserved the chance to make chuunin.
Besides, as fast as they were going they'd just might make it to the tower first, and then Naomi would get to brag about both her children.