Chapter 1
Thick clouds had obscured the moon several hours ago, plunging the forest into a blackness that seemed to seep into the hearts of men. In a well- hidden clearing, there is a sudden rustling sound. A lithe figure silently emerges from the shadows of the forest, glancing around silently to make sure she wasn't being followed. Content, she jumps into the branches of a nearby tree, apparently waiting for someone. A few moments later, four more figures emerge from the shadows. A event which, brings the figure out of hiding to join them. Not a word is said between them, yet, they seem to come to a understanding. Each one nodding before going back into the shadows.
They were being observed by a figure perched unseen on one of the branches a short distance away, seeing them begin to move again, the figure signals to his companion and they quietly follow. They move stealthily, making sure to make no sound to prevent their quarry from learning of their existence, they were confident, that in just a few moments, this chase would end.
*****************
Inuzaka Kiba, Chuunin of the Hidden Village of the leaf, tried to hold back the growing sense of panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. A few moments ago, his trusty companion Akamaru had sensed that they were being pursued by 2 individuals.
He had never considered himself a coward; after all, he was a Chuunin and had several years of experience behind him. He knew that if it should come to a confrontation, he would fight—to the end if need be. His hesitation came from the fact the no one really knew just what they were up against.
Strange things were in motion, and it seemed that it would not bode well for the Village. In the past few weeks there had been a very marked increase on attacks on Ninja's outside of the village. Due to the close proximity of the Village, most were able to escape – but there were a few fatalities and quite a number of injuries.
They did not know the identities, numbers, and reasons for the attacks, but one thing was known- the attackers, whoever they were, were extremely skilled.
Confronting these unknown assailants were not part of their current mission, but the threat was real. Deciding to wait for instructions, he began maneuvering towards the team leader to wait.
*****************
Uchiha Sasuke, Chuunin of the Hidden Village of the leaf and current leader of the group of ninja that were being pursued, knew he had to make a choice—and fast. His choice was not an easy one to make, and all his options were unattractive.
Glancing at his team, he mentally did a quick survey to try to calculate their chances of success against this unknown opponent. The team was composed of Chuunins of the leaf: Haruno Sakura, while not blessed with abilities like those of the rest of the team, was one of its most experienced members. Aburame Shino, a member of the bug using Aburame clan had a plethora of bugs in which he could control. Inuzaka Kiba and his dog companion Akamaru, was a formidable duo. Hinata Hyuga, blessed with byukagan was also a talented fighter, utilizing a style of Taijutsu practiced by the Hyuga's. There certainly was talent in his team, but would it be enough against these unknown opponents?
Their mission was to find a person and bring them back to the village, not to engage enemies. They were being pursued, but turning back to the village wasn't a good option either. Doing so would lead them directly into the hands of the enemy, and slowly circling their way back wasn't attractive either. The distance involved would be great and it would allow the enemy to gain on them as they did so. His second to the last option, continuing the mission and hoping to loose the opponents on the way wasn't a viable option as well. Since they couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the person they were looking for, hence making their ultimate destination a question mark, and also, they were quite tired, having been on the move since they left the village.
He decided to fight.
*****************
In Aburame Shino's own opinion, things were definitely not going well. Although they only had two known opponents, their abilities were definitely way above theirs. Two members of the team were unconscious. The rest had taken damage, without inflicting one on the enemy.
The enemies' initial assault came unexpectedly. The herald being Sakura's unconscious body as it was hurled towards Sasuke, followed by a similarly unconscious Kiba. The standing members of the team dashed towards Sasuke and the unconscious members of the team, forming a protective ring around them, vowing to protect them at all costs.
The second wave pushed them to the limit, as a barrage of projectiles and different Jutsus were thrown towards the center of the formation, the weakest link – their unconscious friends.
It seemed to Shino, as he glanced towards his tired and wounded comrades that this could possibly be the end. He's body was about to collapse from exhaustion, and he was out of Chakra. Hinata and Sasuke might be able to hold on for a little longer, but he could see they were tired as well. The enemy on the other hand showed no indication of letting up yet.
His vision began to become blurry as his body began to shut down. The enemy had begun the third wave. The last thing he saw before he passed out was Hinata hitting the trunk of a nearby after being blown away by a strong gust of wind.
*****************
He was going to die. His team along with him. The opponents were too strong. It had been his decision to fight. It was his entire fault.
All his Chakra was spent; his body was trembling, almost completely drained of energy. His wounds were unattended, not ever a hand to stop the flow of blood out of his body. He didn't have the energy to try and stop the flow. 'I'm going to die soon anyway.'
A figure materialized from the shadows near the tree-line. 'This must be one of them', he thought to himself. He couldn't see much of his opponent, all he could make out was the outline of a man. He walked slowly, but not in a way that would indicate that the person he was walking too was a threat.
He saw the man draw a sword. He looked at his comrades one last time, thanking them silently for the 4 years that they have been together. Wishing things would have been different. He closed his eyes and awaited his fate.
He was expecting cold metal to pierce through him, but got a slap of air and dust instead. Followed by a very loud sound of something impacting against the earth. Slowly, he opened his eyes... and saw a huge toad. He blinked.
Looking around, he could see find no trace of the man. He then looked for his teammates and found them unharmed, but still unconscious. A short distance away, he could hear the sounds coming from that seemed to be a battle that being waged. He couldn't see what was going on but the outcome became apparent when another body came crashing down near him.
Another person came into the scene, this one landing more gracefully. The newcomer went to the fallen body and satisfied with whatever he was looking for turned towards him.
The newcomer had no forehead protector to identify what village he came from, his attire was unusual for a Ninja. But his face was familiar. He was sure he had seen this person before.
*****************
Sakura regained consciousness feeling very disoriented. Overhead the sun was already beginning to rise, she could feel its rays through her closed eyelids. The forest was beginning to rise. In the distance she could hear the singing of a couple of birds. Their songs blending together to create something one could only described as peaceful. She wondered what she was doing in the middle of the forest early in the morning, her mind not yet awake enough to recall the events before she lost consciousness.
She opened her eyes, and remembered.
She was next to Sasuke and Shino, who were both still unconscious. Sasuke was being tended to by a tall man with long white hair. The man stopped bandaging Sasake's wound for a while to look at her.
"Rest. We go back to the village in a few hours. Don't worry about them, they will all live."
She just stared at the strange man and nodded, closing her eyes yet again and wondering if she was still dreaming. Suddenly remembering that there were still 2 other people from her party that were unaccounted for, she opened her eyes again.
She saw Kiba underneath another tree with Hinata and another man. In her minds groggy state, she felt that she somehow knew this man not too long ago, but couldn't quite recall who he was. She just stared.
She saw the man, who looked oddly familiar, lift Hinata's head and placed it down on his thigh. He them removed the clothing from his upper body and spread it over Hinata to use as a blanket. She watched him as she gazed at her face. He did so for a while, before lifting one of his hands, using it to brush against Hinata's cheek.
He just sat there for a while, hand hovering hear her temples, before he finally lowered his hands and looked towards her with blue eyes.
Thick clouds had obscured the moon several hours ago, plunging the forest into a blackness that seemed to seep into the hearts of men. In a well- hidden clearing, there is a sudden rustling sound. A lithe figure silently emerges from the shadows of the forest, glancing around silently to make sure she wasn't being followed. Content, she jumps into the branches of a nearby tree, apparently waiting for someone. A few moments later, four more figures emerge from the shadows. A event which, brings the figure out of hiding to join them. Not a word is said between them, yet, they seem to come to a understanding. Each one nodding before going back into the shadows.
They were being observed by a figure perched unseen on one of the branches a short distance away, seeing them begin to move again, the figure signals to his companion and they quietly follow. They move stealthily, making sure to make no sound to prevent their quarry from learning of their existence, they were confident, that in just a few moments, this chase would end.
*****************
Inuzaka Kiba, Chuunin of the Hidden Village of the leaf, tried to hold back the growing sense of panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. A few moments ago, his trusty companion Akamaru had sensed that they were being pursued by 2 individuals.
He had never considered himself a coward; after all, he was a Chuunin and had several years of experience behind him. He knew that if it should come to a confrontation, he would fight—to the end if need be. His hesitation came from the fact the no one really knew just what they were up against.
Strange things were in motion, and it seemed that it would not bode well for the Village. In the past few weeks there had been a very marked increase on attacks on Ninja's outside of the village. Due to the close proximity of the Village, most were able to escape – but there were a few fatalities and quite a number of injuries.
They did not know the identities, numbers, and reasons for the attacks, but one thing was known- the attackers, whoever they were, were extremely skilled.
Confronting these unknown assailants were not part of their current mission, but the threat was real. Deciding to wait for instructions, he began maneuvering towards the team leader to wait.
*****************
Uchiha Sasuke, Chuunin of the Hidden Village of the leaf and current leader of the group of ninja that were being pursued, knew he had to make a choice—and fast. His choice was not an easy one to make, and all his options were unattractive.
Glancing at his team, he mentally did a quick survey to try to calculate their chances of success against this unknown opponent. The team was composed of Chuunins of the leaf: Haruno Sakura, while not blessed with abilities like those of the rest of the team, was one of its most experienced members. Aburame Shino, a member of the bug using Aburame clan had a plethora of bugs in which he could control. Inuzaka Kiba and his dog companion Akamaru, was a formidable duo. Hinata Hyuga, blessed with byukagan was also a talented fighter, utilizing a style of Taijutsu practiced by the Hyuga's. There certainly was talent in his team, but would it be enough against these unknown opponents?
Their mission was to find a person and bring them back to the village, not to engage enemies. They were being pursued, but turning back to the village wasn't a good option either. Doing so would lead them directly into the hands of the enemy, and slowly circling their way back wasn't attractive either. The distance involved would be great and it would allow the enemy to gain on them as they did so. His second to the last option, continuing the mission and hoping to loose the opponents on the way wasn't a viable option as well. Since they couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the person they were looking for, hence making their ultimate destination a question mark, and also, they were quite tired, having been on the move since they left the village.
He decided to fight.
*****************
In Aburame Shino's own opinion, things were definitely not going well. Although they only had two known opponents, their abilities were definitely way above theirs. Two members of the team were unconscious. The rest had taken damage, without inflicting one on the enemy.
The enemies' initial assault came unexpectedly. The herald being Sakura's unconscious body as it was hurled towards Sasuke, followed by a similarly unconscious Kiba. The standing members of the team dashed towards Sasuke and the unconscious members of the team, forming a protective ring around them, vowing to protect them at all costs.
The second wave pushed them to the limit, as a barrage of projectiles and different Jutsus were thrown towards the center of the formation, the weakest link – their unconscious friends.
It seemed to Shino, as he glanced towards his tired and wounded comrades that this could possibly be the end. He's body was about to collapse from exhaustion, and he was out of Chakra. Hinata and Sasuke might be able to hold on for a little longer, but he could see they were tired as well. The enemy on the other hand showed no indication of letting up yet.
His vision began to become blurry as his body began to shut down. The enemy had begun the third wave. The last thing he saw before he passed out was Hinata hitting the trunk of a nearby after being blown away by a strong gust of wind.
*****************
He was going to die. His team along with him. The opponents were too strong. It had been his decision to fight. It was his entire fault.
All his Chakra was spent; his body was trembling, almost completely drained of energy. His wounds were unattended, not ever a hand to stop the flow of blood out of his body. He didn't have the energy to try and stop the flow. 'I'm going to die soon anyway.'
A figure materialized from the shadows near the tree-line. 'This must be one of them', he thought to himself. He couldn't see much of his opponent, all he could make out was the outline of a man. He walked slowly, but not in a way that would indicate that the person he was walking too was a threat.
He saw the man draw a sword. He looked at his comrades one last time, thanking them silently for the 4 years that they have been together. Wishing things would have been different. He closed his eyes and awaited his fate.
He was expecting cold metal to pierce through him, but got a slap of air and dust instead. Followed by a very loud sound of something impacting against the earth. Slowly, he opened his eyes... and saw a huge toad. He blinked.
Looking around, he could see find no trace of the man. He then looked for his teammates and found them unharmed, but still unconscious. A short distance away, he could hear the sounds coming from that seemed to be a battle that being waged. He couldn't see what was going on but the outcome became apparent when another body came crashing down near him.
Another person came into the scene, this one landing more gracefully. The newcomer went to the fallen body and satisfied with whatever he was looking for turned towards him.
The newcomer had no forehead protector to identify what village he came from, his attire was unusual for a Ninja. But his face was familiar. He was sure he had seen this person before.
*****************
Sakura regained consciousness feeling very disoriented. Overhead the sun was already beginning to rise, she could feel its rays through her closed eyelids. The forest was beginning to rise. In the distance she could hear the singing of a couple of birds. Their songs blending together to create something one could only described as peaceful. She wondered what she was doing in the middle of the forest early in the morning, her mind not yet awake enough to recall the events before she lost consciousness.
She opened her eyes, and remembered.
She was next to Sasuke and Shino, who were both still unconscious. Sasuke was being tended to by a tall man with long white hair. The man stopped bandaging Sasake's wound for a while to look at her.
"Rest. We go back to the village in a few hours. Don't worry about them, they will all live."
She just stared at the strange man and nodded, closing her eyes yet again and wondering if she was still dreaming. Suddenly remembering that there were still 2 other people from her party that were unaccounted for, she opened her eyes again.
She saw Kiba underneath another tree with Hinata and another man. In her minds groggy state, she felt that she somehow knew this man not too long ago, but couldn't quite recall who he was. She just stared.
She saw the man, who looked oddly familiar, lift Hinata's head and placed it down on his thigh. He them removed the clothing from his upper body and spread it over Hinata to use as a blanket. She watched him as she gazed at her face. He did so for a while, before lifting one of his hands, using it to brush against Hinata's cheek.
He just sat there for a while, hand hovering hear her temples, before he finally lowered his hands and looked towards her with blue eyes.