War of Love

Chapter 3: Conviction

Shin looked around at the others. All of them, including the jounins, were waiting. Waiting for their team leader.

"How did this guy get made leader of this mission if he's late for our departure?" Shin asked aloud.

"Kakashi-sensei does this all the time," said Naruto. "When we were genins, he always showed up late for our training and missions."

"So he's chronically tardy," Shin commented. "Why is he the leader again?"

"Kakashi-sensei might be late a lot, but he's still a great jounin," Sakura replied.

Just as she said that a figure landed on the bridge behind them.

"Yo! I forgot to find a caretaker for my dogs, so I had to do that at the last minute."

"LIAR!" Sakura and Naruto shouted.

"You have dogs?" Shin said disbelievingly.

Kakashi looked at him and then at his two former students. "I see everyone is here. Well, let's get going then. We'll be meeting the Sand shinobis in two days."

The gathered quickly moved out and began running through the forest. Though they stayed as a group, each made sure that they were well dispersed so a single strike wouldn't get more than one of them. As they moved forward through the surrounded forest Shin made it a point to stay behind Hinata. The way things were working out, he wanted to be able to react quickly and being able to see if she was in danger would help.

"Hey, Shin, what are you staring at Hinata-chan for?" Naruto suddenly asked, popping up next to him.

Shin shook his head, annoyed that Naruto had been able to sneak up on him like that. He really was getting distracted.

"I was looking ahead, Naruto-kun. And as Hinata is in front of me, what exactly am I supposed to do?"

"Hehe. I think you like her."

"And why would you be asking me this if you didn't have feelings yourself?"

"Huh? Me? What? Hinata-chan's one of my friends. If you're interested in her, I'm going to do my best to find out!"

"Quite the nosy one, aren't you?"

"Who? Me? Hehe, I guess."

"I already have Neji breathing down my neck, Naruto-kun. I don't need more people butting into my business. Besides, talk to Hinata-hime. I believe she already said she wanted to handle all this herself."

"Yeah, I know. But I still want to know what's up with the two of you. I mean, you hang around Hinata-chan a lot. It's like the two of you were married!"

Shin hid his smile. "I wouldn't go that far, Naruto-kun. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to move up. Oh, and watch out for that tree."

"Huh?"

As Shin leapt away Naruto looked forward and ducked to avoid a large branch. By the time he had recovered Shin had moved up the group but was still behind Hinata.

"Man, what's up with that guy?"

"Hey, Naruto! What are you doing?"

Looking over, Naruto noticed Sakura running close by him.

"Oh, I was just talking to that new guy. Something's going on between him and Hinata-chan."

"Well stay focused on the mission!" Sakura replied. "You can look into other people's personal lives later! For that matter, don't, because other people like their privacy!"

Naruto winced at Sakura's rebuke and only nodded. He wasn't about to get her pissed, especially after seeing her use her strength against Kakashi. With a leap Naruto moved up again and was soon close to the head.

For much of the rest of the day the group moved without rest. Finally as the sun was starting to set Kakashi signaled for them to stop.

"We'll stay here for the night," he said. "Tomorrow the Sand will meet us here and then we'll set out for Sound."

With silent nods the group broke out their packs and set up a small camp. Four of them took position around the camp to act as sentinels as the rest quickly made dinner.

"Mmm, ramen tastes good even out here!" Naruto exclaimed.

Shin looked at the young man questionably. "You brought ramen as food?"

"Of course! What was I supposed to bring?"

"Dried meat, some canned stuff, military rations?"

"Oh, they're somewhere in my backpack," Naruto replied with a smile. "But since we're still in Konoha territory, I might as well enjoy some ramen."

With a shrug Shin moved away from Naruto and sat down by Hinata.

"Well, your village certainly has a lot of interesting people," he commented.

"I think it's what makes Konoha special," Hinata replied. "We all have our interests, wishes, and talents. It all blends together to make us strong."

Shin smiled. "An interesting concept. I've learned quite a bit about Konoha, though I doubt any of it would work within my family."

"Why is that?"

"Because the way my family does things works and it's the safest way for us."

"Safest?"

"You can say it's because of our bloodline limit."

Hinata looked sadly at Shin. "It's almost like a curse, having a bloodline limit."

"Indeed it is. I think everyone who has it finds themselves trapped by it. Others expect so much from them because of their powers. A pity we can't live like ordinary people."

With a sigh Hinata found herself agreeing with Shin. A life of peace would be wonderful, but the world didn't allow it.

"It's strange," Shin suddenly said.

"What is?"

"It's because of conflict that there is need of shinobis. Constant strife, destruction, and instability need people to quell it. And yet once that is done, what point is there for shinobis to exist? And because of that, even though many shinobis are noble and have honor, we continue this cycle of conflict in this world."

"Is that so."

Hinata clutched her legs and looked down at the ground. Everything Shin had said held a good deal of truth. Despite the fact that shinobis were called upon to end conflicts, other times they started them through either assassinations or kidnappings. Could she take on such missions if she were ordered to?

"Shin-kun, do you want there to be peace?"

"Of course. It'd be nice to settle down and just live a normal life. Though with these eyes, I don't think that's possible."

"Huh? Why?"

"I don't see things the same way as everyone else. That's as much my curse as being a weapon."

"You're not a weapon, Shin-kun! You're a person!"

Shin chuckled. "That I am. But a person can also be a weapon. Well, I think I'm going to get some sleep now. Good night, Hinata-hime."

"Good night, Shin-kun. But remember, you're a person first."

Nodding to Hinata as he left, Shin felt something inside his chest burn. He touched the spot and smiled slightly. It was the first time in a long while since he last experienced anything from his heart. Shin crawled into the tent he would be sharing with another Leaf shinobi and pulled the sheet over himself. A few seconds later he was asleep.

A shift awakened Shin and he was instantly alert. Something was going on outside. There was little movement in the darkness of the night so it was easy to spot the incoming. He shook his roommate awake.

"What's going on?"

"Quiet," Shin hissed. "A large group is approaching."

"It's probably just the Sand."

"In the middle of the night? I do believe Kakashi said they would be arriving the next day."

Finally nodding, the Leaf chuunin joined Shin as he left the tent. The two moved stealthily and quickly, looking around.

"Where are the sentries?" Shin asked.

"I don't know. We should have run into one by now."

Suddenly a kunai flew towards them from nowhere. Shin ducked and immediately backed away, grabbing the Leaf nin with him. Moments later it exploded and sent dirt and wood chips flying.

"Damn, we're under attack!" Shin shouted.

The Leaf nin immediately leapt off the ground and was soon engaging a masked enemy. Out of his sleeves Shin launched several shuriken. They went wild but suddenly arced around and struck two attackers. By now the entire camp was awake and the other Leaf nins were fighting. Another attacker tried to catch Shin from behind but he twisted and sent a kunai into the man's throat. Landing softly, Shin lifted off again, barely avoiding a volley of throwing stars.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Naruto darting amongst the enemy. Actually, there were several Narutos. Apparently he was trying to even the odds as they still didn't know how many enemies there were. Lee engaged the enemy with his speed, killing several with punches and kicks. His mentor was right by his side, the two covering each other. Neji and Hinata seemed to be doing the same thing, using the jyuken against any that got close.

Suddenly a fist connected and sent Shin flying back. This new opponent was much more dangerous than the others but didn't pursue him. He quickly moved on and began a duel with Kakashi. Apparently he didn't think Shin was a threat. Other shinobis were coming in for the kill anyways. Shin knocked them aside and retreated back towards the camp. He was too far outwards and could be easily surrounded. Suddenly he was back to back with someone and both fended off incoming attacks. To his surprise, it was Sakura.

After a few seconds Shin moved off again as he couldn't risk using his powers that close to an ally. Then he heard a scream and everything seemed to freeze. Without even looking, Shin knew Hinata had been hit. It didn't matter that the wound was minor, the fact that an enemy had struck her flashed through his mind. At that moment his eyes turned black and he charged towards Hinata. Neji had already gotten in front of her as Hinata stood again as more enemies pressed on. However, they had left their back exposed.

With his hands almost glowing of chakra, Shin touched one of the attackers in the back and suddenly the man's entire back exploded. The flesh ruptured and his spinal cord snapped. The bones ripped through the other flesh and the man fell, a bloody mess. The others quickly took note of this new opponent and fought back. However, Shin was moving as fast as he could now. He simply tapped the enemy and wherever he touched that area's flesh exploded. One lost his entire arm before Shin touched his chest and his heart exploded. Blood splattered all over Shin but it didn't slow him down. He merely continued on and touched another enemy on the neck. That almost severed the head as the muscles tore apart and the bone shattered. The base of the brain also became shredded and the man fell to a heap.

Upon seeing this, the other attackers began backing away from Shin and concentrated on other enemies. However, it was too late. The jounins were fully into the fight and the offensive collapsed. A retreat was soon ordered but over half of the attackers were dead. The few survivors ran but Shin stood between them and escape. Not caring, Shin dispatched the few that were close to him but didn't give chase. When it was all over, he stood in the middle of a bloodbath.

Breathing deeply, Shin walked forward and looked at his hands. They were soaked with crimson with blood. Tears began flowing out of his eyes as his body started collapsing. Without another word he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Late Afternoon+

Birds chirped in the air, quite a difference from the blood-soaked ground. Few bodies remained though as most had been buried. Several Sand shinobis stood about while Temari and Kakashi talked.

"You people certainly did a good job fighting," she commented. "Though I didn't know you could be so brutal."

"Those bodies weren't because of us," Kakashi said quietly.

"Oh? Who then?"

"One of our allies," Kakashi replied. "I've never seen anything like it. He's certainly an interesting individual."

"Are you saying one person did that?" Temari asked.

Kakashi nodded. "Ah. The way he fought was certainly unique. But as he's from a different village, I'm not too surprised."

"I thought this was to be an operation between Sand and Leaf. Who decided another village would join us?"

"That was a decision of Tsunade-sama. And I'm starting to think it was a good one too."

"Oh? You're saying one man did all that. I haven't seen a battlefield this bloody in a long time. What did he do?"

"He touched them."

Temari gave her counterpart a look and frowned. "That's it?"

"Well, I think it has something to do with his eyes. He fights much like Neji or Hinata, but with a different edge. But it's not like he's in any condition to answer us right now."

"And we're wasting time. We should be heading towards Sound now."

"I've already sent back the wounded," said Kakashi. "However, Shin can't be moved nor am I going to send him back. He's very powerful and will be helpful in the upcoming battles."

"If you say. But do you know who attacked you last night?"

Kakashi nodded. "Sound nins. Orochimaru dispatched a rather large force to try to take us down. That was a sizable portion of his military force. Perhaps he's desperate."

"Orochimaru? Maybe. But we can't delay too long. His servants will be reporting in soon."

"I know."

Inside the tent Hinata sat by her fiancé's bed again. She had done this when Shin returned after fighting Kisame and now he had single-handedly defeated over a dozen of the Sound shinobis. No, not defeated. Killed. Shin had demonstrated his abilities to a frightening degree, impressing even Neji. According to her cousin, Shin had used a technique similar to the jyuken, though it was much more bloody. The power that he had unleashed had to have been part of his bloodline limit. Even Lee and Gai could offer no explanation as to what Shin had done. The damage that Shin had inflicted was utterly impossible except with a high level jyuken strike, not normal taijutsu. But he had done it repeatedly, something not even Hinata's father could accomplish.

Slowly the young man awakened from his sleep and looked up to see Hinata again.

"Hey. Now that's the way to wake up."

Hinata placed her hand against Shin's forehead and smiled. "Are you feeling better?"

"I guess," Shin replied. "Though seeing you sitting there certainly helped."

Hinata blushed. "You don't need to say that. It was Sakura-chan that healed your wounds."

"Is that so? Internal bleeding again?"

A nod.

"Damn. I'm going to end up killing myself one of these days."

"Then why do you use your limit?" Hinata asked.

"Well, they hit you."

"What?"

Shin smiled weakly and took Hinata's hand. "They hit you. I can't let them hurt you like that."

The blush deepened. "Oh. I see."

"It's not just that, Hinata-hime," said Shin. "I should have been fighting at your side to protect you. Instead Neji was there when I couldn't be. I guess it was my way of making up for that."

"You don't have to make up for anything, Shin-kun. I can protect myself, you know. You don't have to always be by my side."

"I know. But I'd like to be there when it counts."

Hinata squeezed his hand in response. She smiled gently and patted Shin's shoulder.

"I'm sure you'll be there, Shin-kun."

"Well, I think I can get up now," Shin said and sat up.

"Are you sure?"

"What? You saw me after my little stay in the hospital. I don't take too long to heal."

After he had put on a shirt Shin and Hinata walked out. The other shinobis looked over his way though not all dared approach.

"Hey, Panda Eyes!"

"Panda Eyes?" Shin muttered, looking over at the speaker.

Naruto ran over with a big smile on his face. "So you're finally up. Quite a show you put on last night."

Shin shrugged. "I did what I had to do. Sorry about keeping everyone waiting."

"Well, that's usually my job, but it's nice to pass it on to someone else once in a while."

The trio looked behind them where Kakashi was standing.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, are we going now?"

"Well, it looks like our guest is strong enough to travel. So let's get going. Our Sand allies are getting rather impatient."

Within moments two other Leaf nins disassembled the tent Shin had been resting in and packed it up. Hinata handed Shin his backpack and soon the entire force was moving out again. However, now it seemed as if an entire army was on the move. They were soon out of the forests and crossed large open fields. This left them exposed but there was no helping that. With Orochimaru's subordinates racing back to report to their master, speed was of the essence.

As they passed through the meadows Naruto once again caught up with Shin.

"So, Panda Eyes, what the heck was that you used?"

"It's a form of Taijutsu specifically for my bloodline limit," Shin replied, "very much like the jyuken. But as you obviously saw, mine can cause much greater damage."

'Yeah. You took down those Sound nins as if they were nothing. So why didn't you do the same with Kisame?"

Shin snorted. "If I managed to get close enough to use it, I would have been dead. Besides, Kisame is on a completely different level than these guys."

"Well, you're definitely going to be a help when we get to Sound. But don't use your abilities on Sasuke."

"Hmm, Sasuke. If I remember, the Uchiha clan had the Sharingan bloodline limit. I don't think I would be able to get close enough to even try it."

"Good."

"But a warning, Naruto. If he harms Hinata-hime in any way, I will go after him to kill."

Again Shin's eyes flashed black and Naruto didn't doubt him. There was conviction behind those eyes that Naruto didn't doubt.

"Yeah well, he'll have to go through me to get to anyone else," said Naruto. "We'll be fine."

"If you say so."

The two traveled silently side by side, though they were more in the middle of the formation. Hinata wasn't too far ahead, explaining Shin's position. Naruto preferred to be in the lead but he still had some things to ask Shin. He'd stay here until those questions were answered.

For another two days the small army traveled. They passed through meadows, forged rivers, and filtered through forests. Soon they were in Sound territory, putting everyone on edge. The jounins led the way, checking for traps and ambushes. After they were relatively sure nothing was around, another small camp was set up.

"We strike at Sound at dusk," Kakashi stated. "It's likely that Orochimaru knows that we're coming, so we don't have surprise on our side. Thus we'll have to use what surprise we have left and strike at weak points."

"We'll have to launch sorties to distract them and pinpoint those weak points," said Temari. "This could get messy."

"I'll lead a team of three shinobis in for one of the sorties," said Gai. "I propose that we use two other teams as well and keep the rest back for the main strike."

"Agreed," said Kakashi. "I'll take my team in too. Though I'll need a third member."

"Perhaps you should take that new kid," Temari suggested. "You seem rather impressed with him."

"Well, Shin would be a good addition. Though it'll depend on how well Naruto and Sakura can work with him. It wouldn't mean much if the three can't cooperate."

"Do what you will," said Temari. "I will stay here and wait for word before going in with the rest of the shinobis. As for the last team, I have four chuunins that are up to the challenge."

Kakashi nodded. "Then let's get going."

"Attack!"

The cry immediately sent the gathered jounins into action. It seemed as if Orochimaru was unwilling to let them make the next move. Sound nins charged through the forest and attacked. Though the first wave was repelled, two chuunins were already dead. The formation quickly reorganized itself as another wave came. However, this time they had a far more dangerous foe to contend with.

A young man wearing glasses landed amongst several Sand nins and promptly killed two. The others fell back but he continued advancing and nearly got another before Temari's fan blew him away. Landing softly, the man stood and looked down at his opponents. Naruto quickly recognized him.

"Kabuto! You bastard!"

The traitorous shinobi looked over at Naruto and flashed him a sly smile.

"It's been a while, Naruto-kun. I see you've improved since our last encounter."

"This time you're not getting away!"

Naruto launched himself at Kabuto and the ninja responded with a hail of stars. Evading them with ease, Naruto managed to get in close and punched at Kabuto. His opponent countered and kicked Naruto in the chest, pushing him back. Despite this Naruto unleashed his own volley of kunais, forcing Kabuto to back off as well.

From out of nowhere Sakura appeared and threw a punch at Kabuto. He ducked and the blow caught the tree trunk, shattering it. Kabuto immediately ducked to the side and stood facing his two opponents.

"Naruto, I'll take care of him," Sakura stated.

After looking between the two, Naruto nodded and took off to help his comrades. This left the two medical nins facing off.

"Sakura-chan. I see you've grown into a fine young woman. You've even become the Hokage's apprentice. Impressive."

"You have a lot to answer for, Kabuto," Sakura said, glaring fiercely.

"Oh? And you'll be my executioner? I think not."

Kabuto took the first strike and swung at Sakura. Her own blade blocked the kunai and Sakura ducked under, coming up with a fast punch. Kabuto twisted to the side, landing his own blow. The open palm struck Sakura in the side as he slid back. As he looked on, Kabuto's smile disappeared. Instead of falling like she was supposed to, the area around impact point simply glowed with chakra for a few seconds.

"That's not going to work," Sakura said to him. "I've learned quite a few things from Tsunade-shishou and one of them was to prevent attacks like that from succeeding."

Kabuto cursed under his breath and prepared his next attack. However, Sakura was already on the move. Running towards him, Sakura tried to get close enough to use her strength. Kabuto, sensing the danger, quickly moved away but Sakura was coming on too quickly. Then Kabuto stopped his retreat and two more kunais appeared in his hands. Two thrusts stabbed at Sakura and she had to stop her own attack to defend. This gave Kabuto the chance to pursue a real offense and he pressed it. As he nearly landed a blow, Sakura deflected it with three senbons. Her other hand was soon similarly armed and the three needles stabbed at Kabuto.

Blade locked with needles as the two dueled. Sakura managed to prick Kabuto's hand before falling back. It was only a matter of time now. Kabuto panted as he looked on. Sakura was a far deadlier opponent than he originally imagined. She had learned quite a bit from Tsunade. As he took a step forward suddenly his vision became blurry. Staring at her, he realized what had happened.

"It's a powerful poison," Sakura stated. "My needles were designed specifically to deliver such toxins."

"Damn," Kabuto muttered. "How did I let a trick like that get pulled on me?"

As the poison ran through his system Kabuto quickly tried to adjust his body to it. However it moved incredibly fast. It was soon throughout his entire body.

"Damn you!"

Fighting down the pain, Kabuto charged forward at Sakura. Despite the poison his movements were still incredibly fast and his aim precise. Sakura blocked the first two strikes but the next one grazed her arm. Making sure she too hadn't been poisoned, Sakura continued her defense. There was no way for her to win this battle with Kabuto in such a rage. She had to wait until the poison took its toll and showed him down. Kabuto lived up to his reputation as he pressed the attack. However, after several minutes, Sakura noticed something wrong. The spot where she had wounded him was bleeding heavily but he wasn't slowing down. Somehow Kabuto was draining his blood and the poison with it while still maintaining his stamina. She would have to poison him again.

Taking the chance, Sakura ducked and poked Kabuto in the arm. He winced and pulled back again but the damage was done. There was no way he could keep draining his own blood like that.

"I'm impressed, Sakura. But before I die, I'll make sure you follow me."

Kabuto began moving faster and faster, surprising Sakura with his tenacity. Suddenly he was behind her and grabbed her by the neck. As she struggled, Kabuto brought down his kunai and stabbed her in the heart. He grinned but it soon disappeared as he found himself holding a piece of wood.

"Damn. Kawarimi."

"That's right!"

Turning his head, Kabuto was just in time to see Sakura's fist make contact with his head. His neck snapped from the force of the blow and he was thrown back. When he hit the tree, the body disappeared. Sakura hadn't been the only one to use a replacement. Scanning the area, Sakura searched for her opponent. Just then kunais started raining down around her and Sakura moved around, dodging all of them. A kick struck her in the chest but she reacted by catching the leg. She stabbed it with the senbons and sliced through the muscles and nerves.

Screaming in pain, Kabuto punched Sakura in the shoulders and pulled away. Sakura kept on him, not giving him the chance to recover. With a swift thrust Sakura stabbed Kabuto in the neck with a needle. Despite the pain he threw her back and pulled out the needle, throwing it away. The battle lost, Kabuto retreated into the shadows. Sakura didn't bother giving chase, knowing that the poison would kill him in due time.

When she returned to the rest of the group Sakura noticed the devastation that had happened. Most of the Sound attackers were dead though a few Leaf and Sand shinobis had also fallen. But they had inflicted horrendous casualties on the enemy and now Sound's military might was more or less decimated.

"Ah, Sakura," Kakashi said. "We could use your help treating the wounded."

Sakura nodded. "I'm on it."

As she looked over the injured, Sakura found that few had suffered serious injuries. But when she came to Shin, she was in for a shock. The young man was covered in blood and there was a large gash in his side. Hinata was at his side washing the blood away.

"Shin-san! What happened?"

The young man smiled weakly. "Did this to myself. I kind of used my powers again and I lost control."

"You did this at the last battle too," Sakura said as she began healing him. "But it wasn't this bad."

"No, last time it was just internal damage. This time I guess I overdid it."

"Will you be able to continue on with us?"

Shin nodded. "That won't be a problem. I heal fast anyways."

Once the gash was more or less gone Sakura bandaged the spot. As everything was taken care of she moved on to help other people. Shin stood and winced a bit but remained standing.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hinata asked.

"I'll be fine," Shin assured her. "Besides, it's not like this hasn't happened before."

"Shin-kun, why do you press yourself so hard?"

"Well, why shouldn't I? I have to improve my skills and combat is just one of the places where I can. Besides, this is all so one day I don't end up hurting myself or any of my friends else with my powers."

"I see."

"Don't worry, Hinata-hime. I'm not suicidal or anything."

"Oh! I didn't mean to suggest that!"

Shin chuckled and patted Hinata's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Each of us have a different way we live. Mine just involves quite a bit of struggle."

"Even if it doesn't really need to?"

"All life has struggles, Hinata-hime. It's how you deal with them that matters. Though sometimes I do wish I could live an easier life. But then again, don't we all?"

Before Hinata could answer Kakashi called out to the troops.

"All right! We're moving in! As it's obvious Orochimaru won't let us coordinate probing attacks and a main strike, we're going to attack along the perimeter. Get ready. This it the real thing now."

Shin stretched a bit and smiled at Hinata. "It looks like we still have more work to do. Let's finish this so we can go home."

'So we can go home.'

Hinata smiled at that phrase. Going home would be nice. Especially if it was with all her friends.

End of Chapter 3

I got this one out rather quickly thanks to the fact that I'm on Spring Break. But never expect me to pull off something this quickly again. Ever.

Z98