Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. However: Isuzu Kagura, Kaguya, Naoko, and Kanna are MINE! And there are some other characters that come in later that are mine, too...so...if ya steal'em...oh...you don't wanna know what'll happen if you steal'em. : )
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Why didn't I just keep going?
Kagura raced through the forest, rain soaking her thoroughly as she leapt from branch to branch. Her waist length black hair was in bun atop her head, and her icy gray eyes scanned the forest through the rain. A black cape with red clouds across it covered her body, and a long yin yang earring hung from her right ear. Hidden underneath the cloak, a golden handled sword clattered slightly at her side. On her back she carried a young girl of 12, who's left leg was wrapped in bloody bandages. The child's vivid pink eyes darted from side to side every few seconds, and her short chestnut brown hair hung damply around her face.
" Kagura-sensei! I think they're gaining!" the girl cried over the howling wind. Kagura gritted her teeth as she pushed herself to go faster, knowing that if she didn't the four behind them would quickly close in and drag the two back to the village.
" Naoko-chan, how is your leg doing?" Kagura asked, trying her hardest to stay calm. Inside she felt like just stopping and giving up; just dropping to the forest floor and letting them capture her. But she couldn't. She couldn't let them get Naoko, even if the cost was her own freedom. They had left the Sound so that they would no longer have to be used as Orochimaru's tools, and it had taken two years to find a window of opportunity wide enough to take a chance with. No. She would definitely not quit now.
"It still hurts a little, but it's ok!" Naoko replied. Kagura sighed internally. Naoko had been stabbed in the leg by that bastardous spider, Kidoumaru. He had caught them off guard when they'd stopped for a break and had pierced Naoko's leg with his Spider Throwing Knives, earning him a square kick in the balls from Kagura. Of course, the exact moment it happened, the other three had arrived, but Kidoumaru's swearing had been enough of a distraction so the two girls could escape. They had been given enough leeway so as to be able to stop for a few minutes in a small village and bandage Naoko's wound before setting off again. Of course, now she regretted stopping in the first place. It had slowed them down substantially, and Kagura was beginning to grow weary.
NO! Don't let yourself be overtaken by your selfish desire to sleep! Think of Naoko-chan! She needs you!
Kagura nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement to her own thoughts. A small smirk graced her lips when she remembered Kidoumaru clutching his groin, an expression of indescribable pain on his face. It was his fault for not wearing some sort of protection down there.
"Ka-!" Naoko was cut off as several shuriken came whizzing past them, one getting the very tip of Kagura's nose.
" Shit!" Kagura cried, taking shelter behind a tree trunk as another wave of shuriken shot towards them. As soon as the second wave's last shuriken had hit Kagura dashed forwards to take shelter behind a second tree, landing on a wide branch. More shuriken flashed through the rain and wind, one this time embedding itself into Kagura's arm. She ground her teeth together.
" Naoko-chan! Rip it out!" Kagura yelled. The young girl complied, her hands trembling as she tore the four bladed weapon from her sensei's skin. The ebony-haired woman gently set Naoko down onto the branch.
" Kagura-sensei..." Naoko said in a voice barely audible over the wild winds. Kagura looked down at her student, and offered her a reassuring smile.
"Stay here and keep quiet. I'll be back in a second. I just have to take care of the shuriken thrower. But...in case I don't come back...hurry off to the meeting point, where Kanna is." And with that said, Kagura jumped higher into the tree, and then onto the opposite side of the trunk. She stood stock still, watching the surrounding trees closely for any movement. She heard a snap to her left.
There! Oh, good. Just a regular Jounin. But if there's more than two, I might have trouble, Kagura thought. She reached into the holster on her leg and pulled out two senbon, a kunai, and five shuriken, and then closed her eyes and listened. Rain fell nonstop around her, wind blew past her ears, swaying the solitary earring. Leaves flew past her, branches moved about and rubbed together. She listened as hard as she could, waiting for the correct sound she was searching for. Focus...focus, she told herself. Focus...focus- There.
She was now deaf to the pitter-patter of the rain, to the howling of the wind, and to the rustle of leaves and branches. All she heard was the steady movement of a man exactly six feet and four inches in height, moving fluidly through the branches of a tree three yards to the left of the branch she sat on. He wasn't exceptionally fast, but he was very graceful, with movements like a cat. He was moving towards them at a patient pace, stopping every few seconds to listen. Kagura opened her eyes and easily zeroed in on his dark figure. He was, like her, wrapped in a black cloak, but it lacked the red clouds. His face was covered by the normal Sound mask, revealing only his eyes, and he wore the traditional Sound uniform. He stopped suddenly and Kagura could see him smile through his mask, his eyes watching something below her intently. He's spotted Naoko...
He reached into his holster and pulled out three kunai, and then took aim. Kagura watched in silence as the man hurled one kunai after the other towards Naoko's vital points. Everything seemed to slow as the kunai made their way towards the defenseless young girl. And just as they were about to make contact with the target, there was a loud clang. The three kunai now hung from a tree behind Kagura, three shuriken holding hem by the small holes at their bottoms. Naoko let out a yelp of surprise.
" Amateur," Kagura muttered, jumping from her hiding place. The jounin tried to reach for more kunai, but was dead before he could even touch the handle of the first. A senbon poked out from each side of his neck, the remaining two shuriken in his heart, while the kunai glittered evilly in the middle of his forehead. He fell to the ground with a sickly thud.
" K-Kagura...sensei..." Naoko was watching her teacher with wide, fearful eyes. "Did...did you use me as bait...?"
There was a pause.
" Nonsense," Kagura replied. She quickly lifted Naoko onto her back and began forwards again. There was a dull pain that pulsed through the arm that had been struck by the kunai. She did her best to ignore it, but it was really beginning to hurt after only going twenty yards.. She wasn't this weak; she was stronger than this. She was Isuzu "The Jackal" Kagura, and she'd be damned if she let a bunch of low life Sound-nin catch and lock her up again.
" Naoko-chan...how close are they?" Kagura asked, trying to get her mind off the pain. There was pause.
" They're right on our tail..." Naoko whispered into Kagura's ear. As if on cue, two sharp, curved knives, zinged past them. Kagura instantly recognized them as Kidoumaru's Kumen-Ninken Spikes.
" Oh, Nogitsune? Why are you running?" A voice called tauntingly behind them. Great, now that dumbass, Sakon, is on us, Kagura thought. Time to really speed up.
Just as Kagura was about to put on her final burst of speed, something knocked into her from the side, causing her to drop Naoko, and go flying into a nearby tree.
WHAM!
"Ugh!" There was a sickening crack as two of Kagura's ribs cracked on impact. A small bit of ivory poked from her side amongst the crimson, and blood dribbled from her rouge-covered lips. Jiroubou had managed to sneak up on her while Sakon had distracted her with his words, and had rammed headlong into her.
" Sensei!" Naoko screamed. The young girl was now in the arms of Kidoumaru, who had wrapped her in a silken web, and was now proceeding to dangle her slightly over the edge of the branch he stood on.
"Are you still alive, Nogitsune?" Sakon asked with a smirk, jumping down next to Kagura. He grabbed her chin and tipped her head up so he could look her in the eyes. But Kagura's eyes were closed, and her body was immobile. Sakon's smirk turned into a frown.
"Is the bitch dead?" Tayuya questioned, flipping her orange hair haughtily. "If she is, Orochimaru-sama is going to feed us to Manda-sama."
"Hey! Wake up!" Sakon shook used her chin to shake her head. He turned pale when he received no response.
" Oh shit! She is dead!" Kidoumaru groaned. "Jiroubou, you bastard! I told you not to hit her so hard!"
"Noooo...sensei..." Naoko screamed softly. Tears were falling down her face, mixing with the rain from above and falling to the ground.
"Shut up, you six-armed freak! If she couldn't handle that little smack, then maybe she isn't the real Nogitsune!" Jiroubou snapped. " I've seen the Jackal in action, and I know a hit like that wouldn't even phase her normally!"
" Yeah!? Well she's been running for six hours straight, smart ass! That'll take a toll on anyone, even on a top member of the Akatsuki!" Tayuya snarled back.
"Shut up! She-...She's faking! That must be it! She can't be dead!" Sakon yelled. He slapped her across the face hard. "WAKE UP!"
Life suddenly reawakened in Kagura's body, sending a pulse of chakra throughout her system. Her eyes flashed open, and time seemed to stop. Sakone's face filled with fear. The whites of her eyes were now as black as tar, and the irises were now a combination of blue ice and purple glass. But what caused the trepidation to rise was the fact that her pupils had now slightly dilated and from each one, two curved swirls connected. She looked up into his eyes, and Sakon was glued to the spot by the murderous intent in them.
" H-Hu-Hurricane...K-K-"Sakon stuttered.
" Katsugan..." A chilling voice spoke from Kagura's lips, cutting him off. "Yes indeed."
She grasped the hand holding her chin firmly, and then snapped it in half like a twig. Sakon screamed in pain, and then in one fluid movement Kagura had sent him flying through the air towards Kidoumaru. The spider man managed to catch his flying comrade, but he had failed to see Kagura hurl a shuriken at the string holding Naoko. The string snapped, and Kagura jumped forwards to grab Naoko and then drop her safely onto a large huddle of bushes below. Then she disappeared into a shadow. Hidden in the safety of the dark, Kagura pushed her rib back into her skin, biting through her lip to keep from screaming. Once the rib was back in place she began to form a quick series of hand seals.
" Where'd she go!?" Kidoumaru cried looking quickly around.
"Baka! Get her!" Sakon hissed, wriggling out of Kidoumaru's arms and onto another branch(this forest has some damned wide branches, ne?). His face was contorted by pain, and he clutched his broken wrist to his chest. Kidoumaru tried to jump from his branch and down to the bushes, but was knocked off course by a sudden extremely powerful gust of wind. He managed to regain his composure in the air, and neatly landed on his feet a yard away from the bushes. Tayuya cautiously followed, and when nothing happened, Jidoumaru and Sakon joined them on the ground. Naoko gasped when she saw they had surrounded her and began to struggle in the webbing that bound her.
" Where'd the whore run off to?" Jidoumaru asked, his eyes flitting from side to side in search of the woman.
"Looks like she left you, brat. Must've decided it'd be easier to get away without you," Tayuya said, stepping towards Naoko. The girl stared at the orange head evenly.
"I think you should consider guessing again, Miss Tayuya," Naoko said, a cold smile on her face. Tayuya narrowed her eyes.
"And what in the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, grabbing Naoko by her hair. Before she even knew what had happened, five senbon were imbedded deep into her arm.
" It means this."
Kagura suddenly appeared from nowhere, her sword unsheathed, its silver blade glinting heartily. Tayuya dodged just as the blade would've come down across her now paralyzed arm. She jumped backwards, next to her teammates, and grit her teeth as she tried to yank the tiny needles from her arm.
" Attack her! Just make sure she isn't dead when you finish!" Tayuya barked. Jiroubou was the first to rush forward, and he aimed a punch straight at her face. Kagura dodged with ease and brought her blade up to slice his head off, but Jiroubou ducked and hit her square in the stomach. Or so he thought. She dissipated into water right when his fist hit.
" Nani...?" Jiroubou looked down to see the tip of a sword pointing from his side, and when he turned the other way, there was Kagura. She had pushed her sword all the way through his side, only stopping when the hilt met the wound. She viciously ripped her sword from his side and shoved him over. Jiroubou grabbed his side and tried his best to suppress the bleeding as Kagura turned to face the other three. Her aura was almost impossibly different from before, and there was slight violet glow to her black hair. And from the bushes she lay on, Naoko knew a certain tattoo on her teacher's back was writhing with the bloodlust of the true "Jackal".
" Ura Mai no jutsu!" Kagura shouted while forming a long strand of complicated hand signs, and finally finishing on that of the snake.
"Don't look into her eyes!" Sakon cried, averting his gaze to her feet. But Tayuya and Kidoumaru did not hear him, for they had already been captured in Kagura's illusion. First, they saw her eyes as if they were face to face with her, and then she was right in front of them, but instead of slashing them in half, she was pulling her sword away from them and then letting her sword hand fall to her side. Next she was moving backwards, each step going the opposite way of which it should. She was moving back to the spot in which she had first been, but she was moving as if she were a tape that was being rewound.
"What in the hell is she doing?" Tayuya murmured, confusion written all over her face.
" BAKAS! Dispel! Use the Dispel technique! It's an illusion!" Sakon screamed, keeping his eyes glued to Kagura's advancing feet. Kidoumaru was able to realize what she was doing just as the backwards Kagura was about to reach her starting point. But Tayuya's mind was still trapped.
" Dispel!" Kidoumaru shouted, and then the illusion was gone and Kagura was only a few inches from him, her sword raised into the air, ready to slice him in half. He managed to move, but two arms were lost to Kagura's blade. Kidoumaru growled in pain, but was cut off as Kagura's foot collided with his gut. Kidoumaru flew backwards, but flipped onto his feet. Kagura was just about to slice Tayuya to ribbons when she received a painful kick to her broken ribs from the momentarily forgotten Sakon. Kagura fell to the ground, more blood spurting from her mouth and side, where the bone had reemerged. Naoko screamed and began to writhe around, trying her hardest to escape from the web and help the seriously injured Kagura. But nothing helped, and she had to watch tearfully as Sakon raised his foot to deliver a final kick to her side.
Kagura's eyes were screwed closed in merciless pain as she tried her hardest to regain her composure. She could hear Sakon raising his foot to strike her side again, and she could hear Jiroubou standing up and walking in a pained fashion towards them. Tayuya was now free of the illusion, and Kidoumaru was regenerating his lost limbs. Tears poured down Naoko's face as she awaited the seemingly inevitable defeat of her instructor. It's not over yet, a voice whispered in Kagura's mind.
" Goodnight, sweet Nogitsune," Sakon sneered, bringing his foot down. Kagura's eyes snapped open and she quickly rolled out of his way, reached into the depths of her cloak and hurled a grenade into the air. It exploded, sending a giant cloud of black smoke billowing around everything in a three yard radius. Tayuya yelled out in surprise, Sakon swore angrily, and Naoko suddenly found herself in the arms of Kagura, flying through the branches of the trees once again.
" K-Kagura-sensei! Are you ok?" Naoko asked. Kagura ignored her and kept going, blood dripping onto anything she touched.
Behind them Sakon, Tayuya, Kidoumaru, and Jiroubou were doing their best to gather their senses as the smoke began to fade. Jiroubou was still bleeding heavily, and Sakon was snapping his wrist back into place and tying it tightly with a strip of cloth.
Kagura was able to go on for about two more miles before dropping to the ground, and setting Naoko down. Her eyes had returned to their usual silver color, the odd pupil had returned to normal, and the whites of her eyes were white once again.
" Naoko-chan...how...how far behind us...are they?" It was an effort for Kagura to speak as she pulled her sword from it's scabbard, cut the web from Naoko, and then re-sheathed it.
"They haven't moved yet, but I do sense the chakra of Sakon beginning to split, so I'm guessing he's awakening Ukon," Naoko replied, watching as Kagura removed her cloak and tied it tightly around her wound, wincing in pain and biting her lip yet again. "Sensei...I..."
"Nani, Naoko-chan?" Kagura asked, standing up, a grimace on her face. Naoko opened her mouth to finish her sentence, but closed it and merely shook her head. "Well, let's get going then."
"No...I can go on my own," Naoko replied, standing up also, and ignoring the pain in her leg. If Kagura was able to go on with wounds like those, then Naoko thought she would be fine doing the same.
" But-"
"I'll be fine," Naoko said firmly. Kagura stared at her pupil for a few seconds, and then gave her a smile full of pride.
" You're just like him," Kagura murmured, tussling the girl's hair.
"I...I miss him...Do you...?" Naoko asked in a softer tone. Kagura's smile of pride changed into one of sorrow.
" Always...Always, Naoko-chan..." Kagura looked at the ground, lost in her own thoughts briefly. "Well...let's get going...We're only a mile from the border."
" Yatta!" Naoko cried, tossing her fists into the air. Kagura smiled again and started back up into the trees, Naoko close behind.
"When we near the border, and exit the tree line we will come across a Konoha border patrol unit. Once we get there, just let me do all of the talking ok?" Kagura called over her shoulder.
"Hai!" Naoko replied. Kagura smiled for no reason. Smiling was the only thing she could do to distract her from the building pain in her side.
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"Where is everyone?" Naoko whispered.
The girls had reached the Konoha border patrol unit seconds ago, and the entire camp was silent. Of course, it was night, but Kagura knew better. She knew at least nine ninja would be up on guard duty, and she knew that even though it was raining there would still be a band of fools outside either drunk or bored out of their minds, playing a game, or sparring, or something. It would most certainly not be this quiet. And Naoko new that, too.
"I don't know," Kagura replied softly. She placed a hand Naoko's shoulder, not only to assure the younger girl, but to keep her own self steady because of the overwhelming pain. Then it hit her. Someone had beat them here, finished off the Konoha ninja, and were now hiding somewhere nearby, waiting for them to make their next move so they could capture them. And then she remembered the lone Jounin who had caught up to her and Naoko, and had attacked. He was a distraction, his only use to stall enough time for the four behind them to show up and then they would take control. And if those four couldn't get them...No...wait...They hadn't even been really trying now that Kagura thought about it. They hadn't even activated their seals while fighting her. They had only been there to drive the two towards the unit, where a large squad of Sound-nin lied in wait for them.
" Naoko-chan...are the four behind us moving in?" Kagura asked. Naoko looked at Kagura in surprise, but focused her energy and then opened her eyes widely.
" K-Kagura-sensei...the four are moving very quickly...b-but...all throughout the camp...there are ninja...they're hiding everywhere," Naoko whispered fearfully. "And...they...they aren't from Konoha..."
Kagura felt sick to her stomach. It had been a trap the entire time. The four had been sent to drive them towards a squadron of Sound-nin, and then if she figured it out, the four would be there to stop her from moving back. Eventually they would close in and they would be done.
"I've messed up, Naoko-chan...gomen nasai..." Kagura said softly.
" Kagura-sensei...they don't have us yet," Naoko said, her voice pulsing with strength. "It's not over yet."
Kagura could hear the voice of the true Nogitsune in her head again, whispering those exact same words...but...no matter who had said it first, they were still right. Kagura grinned broadly.
" You're right. We've only just begun," Kagura agreed. "All right you sons of bitches! Get out here! We know you're there! Some ninja you are! Can't even hide from a half dead woman and a twelve year old Chunin!"
There were several puffs of smoke, and a platoon of over twenty Sound-nin stood before them. Each one wore the same outfit, and each one wore an identical glare. Kagura's grin widened. She blew a kiss to them and flipped them off.
" Oi!" She called, waving her finger at them tauntingly. "What're all of you doing out so late? Isn't it about time Orochimaru-sama-" There was an exaggerated tone on 'sama'. "- tucked you lot into bed and bid you good dream about genocide and bullshit like that?"
" Actually-"What appeared to be the leader stepped forward. "-we're here because Orochimaru-sama wishes to have you back in bed with him so that he can have a good time."
There were snickers all around, and some made obscene gestures and motions at Kagura, who was now frowning.
"Hey, dipshit, you're talking to a virgin, here," Kagura snapped.
"I wasn't speaking to little Naoko-chan," the same ninja said. Kagura's eye twitched, and her hand balled into a fist.
"No crap, baka," Kagura snapped. More of the ninja chuckled. "Why don't you put your kunais where your hidden mouths are!?"
Without warning, all twenty something ninja charged forward, each with a weapon in hand, whether it was a kunai, exploding note, shuriken, senbon, or whatever. Kagura quickly pulled out her sword and raised it high into the air, the blade glowing brightly.
" Namida no Hurricane!" She yelled as she brought the blade down, a mass of spinning wind and water rising from where her blade had struck air, and going straight towards the oncoming nin. Most of the nin were sent flying backwards, only seven or so managing to dodge successfully. Kagura collapsed onto her knees, breathing heavily. The pain was finally to the point where it was practically unbearable, and Kagura was down to her last few bits of chakra. She was thankful the Akatsuki had decided to wait until later to try and do anything, because if they had intervened at any point during their escape, Kagura knew for a fact they would not have made it this far. The remaining nin charged them, but Naoko was on the job and was swiftly catching and knocking away any oncoming weaponry. And just as the ninja were closing in, she opened her mouth and yelled...
" Hakai no Kakyoku!" A wild rush of wind burst from Naoko's mouth and knocked straight into all of the ninja, sending them flying backwards, like their companions. Naoko hurriedly grabbed Kagura by the wrist and pulled her up. Kagura cried out in pain and pulled her wrist from Naoko's grasp.
" Gomen, but-! But we need to get going, sensei, before the four arrive, and before any of these other ninja can wake up!" Naoko shouted, trying to pull her instructor towards the patrol camp.
"Hai, hai!" Kagura muttered, sheathing her sword and following Naoko. The girls rushed through the camp(as fast as Kagura's wound would allow, that is), and once they reached the end, they were met with a large crevice. They could see the side opposite of the crevice, and there was a small bridge leading to it. Kagura rushed to check to bridge for safety, and a she did so, Naoko felt for any nearby presences, and nearly screamed when she sensed the Sound Four at the opposite end of the camp, all in their second forms.
" Kagura-sensei!" Naoko cried, watching as the spidery Kidoumaru pointed something at them. "They're-!"
There was a loud twang and an arrow of web shot towards them. The arrow struck right where the bridge began; directly between Naoko and Kagura.
" He...missed...?" Naoko murmured in confusion. And then she saw the exploding note, quickly beginning to burn down to nothing.
" Naoko-chan! GET DOWN!" Kagura screamed. Naoko jumped away just as the note exploded and fell backwards. Then she heard a crack and saw the bridge under Kagura's feet give way. And then Kagura was falling, unconscious, down into the river below.
" SENSEI!" Naoko screamed. She jumped up, ran to the side of the cliff and jumped.
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Uchiha Sasuke was filling his canteen in a river early one morning, having come out to train with his fellow Team 7 members, when he saw the girl. She was his age, and she was hovering over the body of an older woman who was bleeding very badly. They were only a little ways downstream, and around the woman's waist...
" Akatsuki..." Sasuke whispered, rage slightly evident in his voice. Around her major wound the cloak of an Akatsuki had been tied. He frowned, and snapped the lid back onto his canteen. The girl heard, and quickly turned, revealing lovely pink eyes that were overflowing with tears. The girl was also injured, but her wound was slight compared to the older one's.
" H-hello? I-I need help...my...my sensei...my sensei won't stop bleeding," she sniffed. Sasuke stood up and used his Sharingan to examine the girl. She was weak, but her sensei was even worse. Her chakra was almost completely depleted, but when he looked at her...He saw an intricate marking extending from her back and wrapping around the part of her arm that connected to her shoulder. It was a seal.
" Onegai..." the girl whispered, more tears forming. Sasuke's eyes returned to normal, and he turned his head towards the camp, cupping his hand over his mouth.
"OI! Kakashi-sensei! Come here!" Sasuke shouted. There was a poof of smoke as Copy Ninja Kakashi appeared.
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Translations:
Hurricane Katsugan- hurricane-piercing eye
Ura Mai no Justu- Reverse Dance Technique
Gomen Nasai- sorry/I'm sorry
Namida no Hurricane- Hurricane of Tears
Hakai no Kakyoku- Song of Destruction Onegai- pleaseOk...those were the translations...I decided to completely rewrite this story because I already hadn't liked the way the original story was headed, and I wanted to add more and stuff like that. So, it'll be different, but not to an extreme of anything. Read and review, please!