Chapter III: Reunion!
[[Author's note: Hello, readers! I'm glad that some of you are enjoying my fanfiction =). I have noticed that most other writers here on fanfic.net seem to use a heck of a lot spacing—and I, on the other hand seem to stick to the conventional "novel" paragraphing and spacing. If you want me to space every line, just tell me and I'll switch up my format with loads of more spacing. Until then: conventional paragraphs!]]
The mid-afternoon sun's rays pierced through the foliage of trees.
Kabu, Kiba's uncle, stopped in his tracks on a large tree overlooking the stream. 'Kiba...I can smell you.' Kabu, made sure he was concealed from any enemies and closed his eyes. He then concentrated Chakra to his nose and initiated the dog-imitation smelling technique. His sense of smell multiplied in high intensity, Kabu, was able to point Kiba's location. 'From the proximity of your odor, wind speed, and the intensity of your odor...you must...there!' Kabu swiftly pounced from tree to tree following his nose-- as his dog, Yukkon, quickly trailed behind him.
'There you are...' Kabu did a forward flip off the branch of the tree and landed onto the rocky bank of the stream. He tilted his head to the right and couldn't help but let loose a huge grin.
"Ha! If it isn't my nephew Kiba and his white haired dog, Akamaru! It's been awhile hasn't it?" Kabu expected a reply but when he received none, he took a closer look at his nephew. 'What in the...?' Kabu noticed the deep gash in the right abdomen.
"Kiba!" Kabu shouted. Yukkon, let out a worried whine as he trotted over to the unconscious Genin and started to lick his face. "Kiba, what in the hell did you get yourself into..." Kabu studied the wound. 'I'm no doctor but...the wound is deep, he's lost lot of blood, and on top of that he's pulse is getting weaker..'
Kabu took Akamaru off Kiba's stomach and placed the injured white haired dog next to Yukkon, who started to lick Akamaru in hopes to awaken it. Kabu rolled up the tattered wife-beater to Kiba's chest and then examined the wound with great scrutiny. 'Hmm...' Kabu pulled out some basic shinobi medical tape. He began to dress the wounds that threatened to kill his nephew.
*** *** ***
'He couldn't have gotten too far...', thought Sakon angrily to himself. The two-headed Sound-shinobi pounced from tree to tree while skillfully pinpointing Chakra to his feet to get that extra boost. Fueled by anger and overwhelming intentions of murder, Sakon blazed through the forests as his devilish white/gray hair fluttered across his forehead.
'Damn you, Genin! Damn you! Once I get my hands on your filthy dog neck...'
The thought of wringing that filthy dog Genin brought a smile upon Sakon. 'Ukon! Don't get too comfortable, we'll definitely tear him and that dog to pieces!' Sakon was too enveloped in killing Kiba that he seemed to ignore the fact that Sakon himself, was burdened by two critical kunai wounds and a nearly blind left eye. The Sound-shinobi fleetly moved through the forest leaving behind just a trail of bark dust behind him.
*** *** ***
"Aah--!" Kiba awoke with a deafening pain in his right abdomen. On instinct he curled his nails into his palms to divert his attention away from the sharpening abdominal pain . "What the hell--?" Kiba saw that his wife-beater had been removed and someone had crudely dressed his wounds with medical shinobi tape.
"Oh, so you're awake now?" Kabu said with amusement.
"What the—?" Kiba tilted his head to the left to see was talking. He saw a man probably in late thirties with fuzzy gray hair flying wildly out the top of his head. What stunned Kiba even more were the two red-striped Inuzuka tattoos on the man's check. 'Wait! This guy is...'
"Uncle Kabu! Wha—?" Kiba fell back down clutching his wound in pain.
"Easy now, Kiba", Uncle Kabu said while laughing, "you got yourself quite a wound there. You mind telling me how you got that?"
Kiba sat in bewilderment. 'Am...am I dead?', Kiba thought. The last time Kiba had seen his uncle was three years ago when Kiba was nine years old, Uncle Kabu was sent out on a mission with a couple other shinobis. Ever since Uncle Kabu left out on his mission...he never came back home.
The other shinobis that had returned from the same mission as Uncle Kabu had said that they were ambushed by an 'overwhelming amount of Mist shinobis'. The returned shinobis sadly reported that Kabu, defended the value of the mission at the cost of his life. Uncle Kabu's name was thrown under the list: Killed in Action.
Kiba even remembered the small ceremony they held for his uncle amongst the Inuzuka clan. Kiba remembered his dad telling him, "Your uncle Kabu, valiantly fought that day. Upholding what it means to be a shinobi...protecting the definition of what a shinobi is. Be proud Kiba..." Kiba had fought back the salty tears that day.
But the conclusion of Kiba thinking that he and his uncle were conversing in the after-life was expunged when he saw Akamaru lay next to him with Yukkon licking the wound on Akaramu's left side. He was brought back into reality.
"Aka-Akamaru..." Kiba said gently as he mustered all his remaining energy in attempt to raise his hand toward Akamaru.
"Kid, didn't I just tell you to relax? You and Akamaru are fine", said Kabu while placing Kiba's arm back to his side. "Listen, Kiba, your probably wondering 'how in the hell is my dead uncle talking to me', isn't that right Kiba?" He let out a soft chuckle when he saw Kiba's confused face.
"Uncle...I thought....I thought you died?" Kiba softly said.
Kabu roared with laughter. "Is that what the whole village thinks too? That I'm dead? Well, junior, you want to know what happened?"
"We should...we should stay somewhere safe...not out...not out here in the open." Kiba spat out a small mist of blood in the process to speak.
"No, not a good idea. With the condition your in... I can hardly move you. If I did try to move ya' you'd probably die from shock, considering all the blood that you've lost," Kabu took out a small red pill from his pouch, "here take this pill. The pill will increase the rate a clot will form on your wound to stop the bleeding. Once your bleeding stops then I'll take you to my place."
"Ugh..." Kiba gulped the pill and stared into the near ending afternoon sky.
"So, looks like we'll all have to stay here till you're strong enough to move." Kabu explained.
"Ha, your just...your just lazy, old man." Life seemed to slowly pour into Kiba again when cracked his jokes. Kabu laughed at this.
"Ah, shut up you mutt." Kabu said amusingly, "while we wait here...let me tell you what really happened that day..." Kabu took a deep breath to help him remember.
Kabu began to recollect his memories...
*** *** ***
The dying afternoon sun rays faintly pierced through the forest tree. A group of seven shinobis stopped in their tracks.
Shino, grabbed the upper ebony branch and rested his foot on the lower thicker branch. According to his bugs that he placed over a two kilometer proximity, the targets his men were after were due further north. Something was out of place though. His bugs are telling him that someone is going to pass by in this direction.
"Hey, Genin." Said the Anbu-scout with light brown hair. "You find anything?"
Shino rotated his head and his black shades covering his eyes glared into the depth of the forests. "Something is coming, approximately one kilometer away."
"It's not our target?" Asked the Anbu-scout while facing in the same direction Shino was.
"No...our target we are hunting has a female bug tracked on him. That 'something' that is approaching is not marked with a bug", explained Shino "and it's coming real fast."
Soon, the Anbu that wore the fox mask felt the presence of the approaching 'something' in the distance. "The boy is right; 'something' is coming this direction. Team, conceal yourselves. We are going to let this person pass on by without detecting us."
All six of the Anbu in unison performed a series of hand seals with blistering speed. They initiated Camouflage no Jutsu, a prerequisite jutsu to become an Anbu, this jutsu allowed the user to cover themselves with a thin layer of Chakra and blend in with background.
All six Anbus had become 'one' with the landscape. Only someone of Hokage-level intuition could reveal such high a level Camoflouge jutsu. Shino himself found green bush nearby and threw himself inside it. 'I wonder if this 'someone' was following us?' thought Shino.
In a matter of minutes that 'something' surely did come through. 'Something' was a two-headed man with white-gray hair on both heads and wore a loose fitted outfit. The man also had two kunai wounds in his admomen as well as a scorched left eye. The man, or the 'something', passed through their position with such haste that he didn't seem to notice the presence of Shino and the Anbu.
The two-headed shinobi pounced from branch to branch and in a couple of seconds he had passed through Shino's position. Once the man was well out of distance the Anbu broke out of their Camouflage.
"Who was that?" asked one Anbu.
The Anbu that wore the fox mask dropped to his knees in sudden realization. "That man, with the two heads...isn't he from the invasion? That man! I know it, he's from the invasion..."
"You're right! He's one of the four Sound-nins that works under Orochimaru!"
All other Anbus stood in shock. "Shouldn't we go after him?" suggested the Anbu with the crow mask.
"Yes...that bastard...he's that the bastard Sound-nin who aided in the assassination of the Hokage!" the Anbu with pulled out his katana to show his agreement with the previous suggestion.
"Don't let your feelings interfere, we've got a mission to accomplish." ordered the Anbu with the fox mask. Upon saying this, all six of the Anbu and Shino continued their pursuit of their original mission targets.
What the other Anbu don't know yet, is that Shino, when he had hid in the bush he placed a female bug on the bark of a tree. Then, when the two- headed Sound-nin passed through, the female bug planted itself on the sleeves of the Sound-nin.
Shino began to speculate, 'That man...where is he heading?'
TO BE CONTINUED!!
Next Chapter: Kabu's history and, clash with Sakon?!
Find out next time...
[[Author's note: Hello, readers! I'm glad that some of you are enjoying my fanfiction =). I have noticed that most other writers here on fanfic.net seem to use a heck of a lot spacing—and I, on the other hand seem to stick to the conventional "novel" paragraphing and spacing. If you want me to space every line, just tell me and I'll switch up my format with loads of more spacing. Until then: conventional paragraphs!]]
The mid-afternoon sun's rays pierced through the foliage of trees.
Kabu, Kiba's uncle, stopped in his tracks on a large tree overlooking the stream. 'Kiba...I can smell you.' Kabu, made sure he was concealed from any enemies and closed his eyes. He then concentrated Chakra to his nose and initiated the dog-imitation smelling technique. His sense of smell multiplied in high intensity, Kabu, was able to point Kiba's location. 'From the proximity of your odor, wind speed, and the intensity of your odor...you must...there!' Kabu swiftly pounced from tree to tree following his nose-- as his dog, Yukkon, quickly trailed behind him.
'There you are...' Kabu did a forward flip off the branch of the tree and landed onto the rocky bank of the stream. He tilted his head to the right and couldn't help but let loose a huge grin.
"Ha! If it isn't my nephew Kiba and his white haired dog, Akamaru! It's been awhile hasn't it?" Kabu expected a reply but when he received none, he took a closer look at his nephew. 'What in the...?' Kabu noticed the deep gash in the right abdomen.
"Kiba!" Kabu shouted. Yukkon, let out a worried whine as he trotted over to the unconscious Genin and started to lick his face. "Kiba, what in the hell did you get yourself into..." Kabu studied the wound. 'I'm no doctor but...the wound is deep, he's lost lot of blood, and on top of that he's pulse is getting weaker..'
Kabu took Akamaru off Kiba's stomach and placed the injured white haired dog next to Yukkon, who started to lick Akamaru in hopes to awaken it. Kabu rolled up the tattered wife-beater to Kiba's chest and then examined the wound with great scrutiny. 'Hmm...' Kabu pulled out some basic shinobi medical tape. He began to dress the wounds that threatened to kill his nephew.
*** *** ***
'He couldn't have gotten too far...', thought Sakon angrily to himself. The two-headed Sound-shinobi pounced from tree to tree while skillfully pinpointing Chakra to his feet to get that extra boost. Fueled by anger and overwhelming intentions of murder, Sakon blazed through the forests as his devilish white/gray hair fluttered across his forehead.
'Damn you, Genin! Damn you! Once I get my hands on your filthy dog neck...'
The thought of wringing that filthy dog Genin brought a smile upon Sakon. 'Ukon! Don't get too comfortable, we'll definitely tear him and that dog to pieces!' Sakon was too enveloped in killing Kiba that he seemed to ignore the fact that Sakon himself, was burdened by two critical kunai wounds and a nearly blind left eye. The Sound-shinobi fleetly moved through the forest leaving behind just a trail of bark dust behind him.
*** *** ***
"Aah--!" Kiba awoke with a deafening pain in his right abdomen. On instinct he curled his nails into his palms to divert his attention away from the sharpening abdominal pain . "What the hell--?" Kiba saw that his wife-beater had been removed and someone had crudely dressed his wounds with medical shinobi tape.
"Oh, so you're awake now?" Kabu said with amusement.
"What the—?" Kiba tilted his head to the left to see was talking. He saw a man probably in late thirties with fuzzy gray hair flying wildly out the top of his head. What stunned Kiba even more were the two red-striped Inuzuka tattoos on the man's check. 'Wait! This guy is...'
"Uncle Kabu! Wha—?" Kiba fell back down clutching his wound in pain.
"Easy now, Kiba", Uncle Kabu said while laughing, "you got yourself quite a wound there. You mind telling me how you got that?"
Kiba sat in bewilderment. 'Am...am I dead?', Kiba thought. The last time Kiba had seen his uncle was three years ago when Kiba was nine years old, Uncle Kabu was sent out on a mission with a couple other shinobis. Ever since Uncle Kabu left out on his mission...he never came back home.
The other shinobis that had returned from the same mission as Uncle Kabu had said that they were ambushed by an 'overwhelming amount of Mist shinobis'. The returned shinobis sadly reported that Kabu, defended the value of the mission at the cost of his life. Uncle Kabu's name was thrown under the list: Killed in Action.
Kiba even remembered the small ceremony they held for his uncle amongst the Inuzuka clan. Kiba remembered his dad telling him, "Your uncle Kabu, valiantly fought that day. Upholding what it means to be a shinobi...protecting the definition of what a shinobi is. Be proud Kiba..." Kiba had fought back the salty tears that day.
But the conclusion of Kiba thinking that he and his uncle were conversing in the after-life was expunged when he saw Akamaru lay next to him with Yukkon licking the wound on Akaramu's left side. He was brought back into reality.
"Aka-Akamaru..." Kiba said gently as he mustered all his remaining energy in attempt to raise his hand toward Akamaru.
"Kid, didn't I just tell you to relax? You and Akamaru are fine", said Kabu while placing Kiba's arm back to his side. "Listen, Kiba, your probably wondering 'how in the hell is my dead uncle talking to me', isn't that right Kiba?" He let out a soft chuckle when he saw Kiba's confused face.
"Uncle...I thought....I thought you died?" Kiba softly said.
Kabu roared with laughter. "Is that what the whole village thinks too? That I'm dead? Well, junior, you want to know what happened?"
"We should...we should stay somewhere safe...not out...not out here in the open." Kiba spat out a small mist of blood in the process to speak.
"No, not a good idea. With the condition your in... I can hardly move you. If I did try to move ya' you'd probably die from shock, considering all the blood that you've lost," Kabu took out a small red pill from his pouch, "here take this pill. The pill will increase the rate a clot will form on your wound to stop the bleeding. Once your bleeding stops then I'll take you to my place."
"Ugh..." Kiba gulped the pill and stared into the near ending afternoon sky.
"So, looks like we'll all have to stay here till you're strong enough to move." Kabu explained.
"Ha, your just...your just lazy, old man." Life seemed to slowly pour into Kiba again when cracked his jokes. Kabu laughed at this.
"Ah, shut up you mutt." Kabu said amusingly, "while we wait here...let me tell you what really happened that day..." Kabu took a deep breath to help him remember.
Kabu began to recollect his memories...
*** *** ***
The dying afternoon sun rays faintly pierced through the forest tree. A group of seven shinobis stopped in their tracks.
Shino, grabbed the upper ebony branch and rested his foot on the lower thicker branch. According to his bugs that he placed over a two kilometer proximity, the targets his men were after were due further north. Something was out of place though. His bugs are telling him that someone is going to pass by in this direction.
"Hey, Genin." Said the Anbu-scout with light brown hair. "You find anything?"
Shino rotated his head and his black shades covering his eyes glared into the depth of the forests. "Something is coming, approximately one kilometer away."
"It's not our target?" Asked the Anbu-scout while facing in the same direction Shino was.
"No...our target we are hunting has a female bug tracked on him. That 'something' that is approaching is not marked with a bug", explained Shino "and it's coming real fast."
Soon, the Anbu that wore the fox mask felt the presence of the approaching 'something' in the distance. "The boy is right; 'something' is coming this direction. Team, conceal yourselves. We are going to let this person pass on by without detecting us."
All six of the Anbu in unison performed a series of hand seals with blistering speed. They initiated Camouflage no Jutsu, a prerequisite jutsu to become an Anbu, this jutsu allowed the user to cover themselves with a thin layer of Chakra and blend in with background.
All six Anbus had become 'one' with the landscape. Only someone of Hokage-level intuition could reveal such high a level Camoflouge jutsu. Shino himself found green bush nearby and threw himself inside it. 'I wonder if this 'someone' was following us?' thought Shino.
In a matter of minutes that 'something' surely did come through. 'Something' was a two-headed man with white-gray hair on both heads and wore a loose fitted outfit. The man also had two kunai wounds in his admomen as well as a scorched left eye. The man, or the 'something', passed through their position with such haste that he didn't seem to notice the presence of Shino and the Anbu.
The two-headed shinobi pounced from branch to branch and in a couple of seconds he had passed through Shino's position. Once the man was well out of distance the Anbu broke out of their Camouflage.
"Who was that?" asked one Anbu.
The Anbu that wore the fox mask dropped to his knees in sudden realization. "That man, with the two heads...isn't he from the invasion? That man! I know it, he's from the invasion..."
"You're right! He's one of the four Sound-nins that works under Orochimaru!"
All other Anbus stood in shock. "Shouldn't we go after him?" suggested the Anbu with the crow mask.
"Yes...that bastard...he's that the bastard Sound-nin who aided in the assassination of the Hokage!" the Anbu with pulled out his katana to show his agreement with the previous suggestion.
"Don't let your feelings interfere, we've got a mission to accomplish." ordered the Anbu with the fox mask. Upon saying this, all six of the Anbu and Shino continued their pursuit of their original mission targets.
What the other Anbu don't know yet, is that Shino, when he had hid in the bush he placed a female bug on the bark of a tree. Then, when the two- headed Sound-nin passed through, the female bug planted itself on the sleeves of the Sound-nin.
Shino began to speculate, 'That man...where is he heading?'
TO BE CONTINUED!!
Next Chapter: Kabu's history and, clash with Sakon?!
Find out next time...