Naruto: Return From Darkness
"Kyuubi speaking"
Thoughts
"Speaking"
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Hiro found Team Ten, rescued them and now they are resting in Kumo.
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One Week Later…
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Hiro woke up, still tired from the cumulation of all the energy and events from the last week. Rising out of his bed, he started stretching in order to limber up for the day. Once he was finished he put on his trademark black scarf and walked out into his main room.
"Oy, get up." Hiro said, opening the blackout shades and exposing the sun's bright rays to the
"Mmm, five more minutes…" Ino whined, not wanting to get up yet while turning away from the sun.
"Come on Ino, or you won't get to train with Hiro today." Asuma chirped, smiling at the stubborn nature of his pupil, and then whispered, "And not get to ogle at Hiro on our last day."
At that Ino sprang up and quickly got ready before joining her teammates at the front door. Hiro opened the door, allowing the Genin to pass him by, before leaping forward himself.
Ten minutes later, Hiro and his guests arrived in the clearing that they had been using for training during their visit while Asuma healed from the battle a week before.
"For our warm up today, you three will all attack me, using your team work and anything you can do to try and hit me this time." Hiro instructed lazily, before smiling and continuing, "If you can manage to hit me once, I'll give you all a special reward."
The three young ninja nodded, the determination evident on their faces. Truth be told, even though they had trained with Hiro many times during the week that they had been staying with him, they had been unable to hit him even once, and they intended on making this the day that that streak was broken. They got into their combat stances and prepared to attack the beast before them. Choji inflated into a ball and shouted, "Human Bullet Tank!" Charging at Hiro, Shikamaru and Ino got into formation for their ultimate combo.
Hiro smirked, Their teamwork is getting better… He thought, a little proud at being helpful in their growth.As Choji neared him, Hiro simply held up one hand, in opposition to the speeding, hulking mass before him.
Choji didn't slow down; he just stopped once he reached Hiro's outstretched hand, not even budging Hiro an inch. Hiro closed his eyes smiling at his own abilities, but also at the determination of his new friends, used his other hand to do a handstand, and flipped up onto Choji's massive body.
Shikamaru used Choji's brave distraction to use his trademark jutsu, "Shadow Imitation Jutsu." Shikamaru whispered. Shikamaru's shadow danced from his location in the shade of a tree, snaking across the clearing and up Choji's body as it went in for Hiro's own shadow. As Shikamaru's jutsu reached Hiro's own shadow, Shikamaru seized Hiro's use of his body, and Hiro remained motionless, seeming caught.
This was too easy…Shikamaru thought to himself, concentrating on and contemplating the battle at hand, If I'm being honest with myself, I don't think anything we could do would be able to stop Hiro.
Suddenly, Hiro took a single step and then another, seemingly unphased by Shikamaru's jutsu. He kept walking until he reached the edge of Choji, where he jumped off of Choji's body, landing in front of Shikamaru.
"As I thought, if you're strong enough, you can easily break through it." Hiro spoke to himself, learning more and more about the different abilities that the Konoha ninja employed.
"Now, Shikamaru and Ino it's your turn to attack me with all you got, seeing as Choji seems to be out of commission already." Hiro said, pointing at the unmoving massive ball behind him, before he motioned with his hand for them to come at him.
Shikamaru, not wasting a second, jumped up and backward, throwing a kunai with an explosive tag attached to it at Hiro's feet. Hiro smiled at Shikamaru's quick thinking, as the tag exploded, creating a large cloud of dust all around Hiro, obscuring his sight.
Landing behind the row of trees that Ino was hiding behind, Shikamaru leaned up against a trunk, turning to talk to Ino. As he shielded himself from the dust, Shikamaru spoke quietly, "The only chance we have at hitting him is if we work together." Shikamaru took a peek out from the tree, to look at Hiro. The fire from the explosion danced around his legs as the dust cleared, but he didn't have a scratch on him.
"You'll have to do better than that…" Hiro spoke seriously, his eyes like knives, before he calmed down. Almost got caught up in the moment there… Need to chill out, they're just kids. He thought to himself.
"The only chance we have is to attack him head on, it'll surprise him." Ino spoke quietly.
Shikamaru shook his head, knowing that Hiro was far too strong for that, "No, we need a plan. How about this, you go out and distract him for, at least 30 seconds, I'll get Choji and you attach one of these to that tree there." Shikamaru instructed, handing Ino a small contraption on a wire and pointing to a tree diagonal from their location. "I'll give the other one to Choji and tell him to attach it, there." Shikamaru said, pointing to another tree across from the one he told Ino to go to. "Wait for my signal, and then get out of the clearing alright?" Ino stood up, cracking her knees and said, "On it, Shikamaru!" Before jumping back into the clearing.
Shikamaru rose, walked around the trunk of the tree he had been using as cover, and placed the small, contraption on the trunk of the tree. He turned to face the direction Choji was in and slinked around the treeline, doing his best to stay out of Hiro's sight. Meanwhile, Ino was doing her best against the insurmountable wall that was Hiro Tatsumi.
She noticed the same thing every time he fought one of them, he never attacked, just defended their attacks. She would jump up for a roundhouse kick to the side of his head, and he would just block it with his fore arm. She would drop low to kick his ankles and knock him over, and he would simply pick up his toe to stop her attack. It was a little infuriating, but also scary; he could beat them just by tiring them out, knowing that there was nothing they could do to actually hurt him.
Jumping back a few feet to catch her breath, Ino looked around for Shikamaru and Choji, but they were nowhere to be seen. However, Choji's massive incapacitated body was also missing, which she took as a sign that Shikamaru had managed to rescue their teammate, and bring him back to the land of the conscious.
She continued looking, until she heard a faint clicking sound, causing her to look towards the top of the trees and finally saw the pineapple hairdo that was a trademark of Shikamaru. He nodded at her and she instantly dove back behind the line of trees, anxious to see what Shikamaru's final attack would be, and if it would even manage to do anything other than slightly bother Hiro.
Shikamaru made a hand seal and his shadow began slithering away. It danced its way to the center point of the three trees, right next to Hiro, who just watched with curiosity, not bothering to do anything to stop the little shadow. It transformed into a hand and grabbed the wire that was connected between the three contraptions, nearly invisible to the naked eye. Pulling forcefully the shadow hand and the wires caused the three trees to begin falling towards Hiro. This action setoff Shikamaru's little toys which all exploded in an interesting way, sending white light to the center point right where Hiro was.
Shikamaru stared intently on the destruction below him as Ino asked, "Did we get him?" Shikamaru looked over at her opening his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a shadow that appeared over them.
There, steaming after being exposed to the harsh temperatures, was Hiro, standing menacingly behind them
"You guys lose this time, but this was still a good try." Hiro spoke honestly, trying to encourage them as best he could.
Shikamaru, Ino, and Hiro jumped down from their perch in the trees back to the clearing, which was now more of a crater than the peaceful forest clearing it was before. There they reunited with Choji, who has been on the other side of the clearing, watching as intently as Shikamaru and Ino were.
"How are you so strong?" Choji asked, hoping to find out some new information about the mysterious man, "From what I can tell your skills put even Asuma-sensei's to shame."
Hiro laughed, flattered by the genin's honestly, "I have a good master…" Hiro said, leaving the kids with more questions and stopping any further discussion.
"Ha! You can say that again, boy!" The Kyuubi said, chuckling hard to himself.
Hiro sighed, mentally shaking his head at his friend before turning back to the Genin.
"Your Sensei is probably expecting you back about now, so let's get going!" Hiro said loudly, moving quickly and causing the ninjas to run to catch up with him.
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As they sprinted, Ino looked over at the man that she had grown a small crush on during the week they had been there.
"Hey… Hiro, where is your family?" Ino asked quizzically, wondering why the, from what she could tell, young man lived all alone so far from anyone else.
Hiro paused for a second, seeming to think deeply, before speaking so quietly and carefully that she could barely hear what he said, "My parents… were killed on the day that I was born… they died… while protecting me…" Hiro looked into Ino's eyes and for the first time Ino saw something that she had never seen so powerfully from someone before; sadness. And just as soon as it came, it was gone and Hiro's eyes hardened back into the dark blood red daggers that they usually were.
Hiro continued staring directly ahead, "We're almost there, Ino, come on." He spoke quickly, picking up his pace.
Ino stopped for a moment, replaying the sight she had just seen in her mind, before running a bit quicker too.
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"Thank you for taking care of us, and placating my kids while I healed up, Hiro." Asuma said sincerely, incredibly impressed by the kindness of the man before him, someone who,based on the many stories he had heard, had thought to be a completely bloodthirsty killer until now.
Hiro smiled with his eyes, "No, no, it was my pleasure, your kids really grew on me." Hiro chuckled, shaking Asuma's hand.
"You'll come visit us, right?" Ino asked, looking at Hiro hopefully, knowing that he couldn't say no.
Hiro shook his head, not in denial but rather in comedic disbelief, "I'm guarding the Raikage during the Chunin Exams which is in Konoha, so I'll see you then, yeah?" Hiro reassured her while smiling.
"Alright I'll see you there!" Ino said excitedly, blushing a little at how close she had gotten to him, before backing up to where Shikamaru and Choji were.
Hiro waved the group of four ninja goodbye as they jumped into the trees and back towards Konoha.
Well that was fun while it lasted…Hiro thought to himself, smiling as he walked back to his home.
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Four down.
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Dog