A/N: I sincerely apologize for the long delay in posting chapters. I've been feeling a little down since my parents confiscated my issues of Shonen Jump, and writer's block has been tearing me up. Wait. Scratch the "feeling a little down". I've been so depressed I could've run away and taken my Shonen Jump if I were brave enough.
Sorry about that. Back to the story.
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Kani: Thanks to all the people who've corrected my terrible Japanese. -_-
Naruto: And yes, her Japanese really is that bad.
Kani: For anyone who cares, Ryuuchi Kyote's name is pronounced like the animal "coyote" (Kai-yo-tee).
Sasuke: What, are you some genius now?
Kani: Actually-
Sasuke: *grabs keyboard from Kani and starts typing* And as your reward for waiting, here's a chapter. *throws razor chapter at readers, wounding several*
Kani: Sasu-chan! Stop hurting our readers! They are the ones who review you KNOW. *shoves Sasuke away from computer*
Sasuke: -_-*
Kani: Whatever! Now before Sasuke tries to kill me, here's your reading for the day! *Sasuke throws shuriken at Kani* Gahhh!!! Enjoy!!!!
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Ryuuchi Hikaru sat alone on the cliff as he watched the sun rise. He yawned, shaking his head hard to fully wake himself.
Admittedly, the ash-blond haired boy didn't have to be the lookout for the camp since he was the youngest there, but he had insisted and Kakashi had given in. The jônin had told Hikaru that he'd wake the boy a few hours before sunrise to complete the night watch.
So now here he was; the youngest of his immediate family standing watch for the camp. The sun climbed higher, illuminating the boy's light hair. Hikaru sighed as he watched the light. He was very tired.
Being an orphaned child prodigy, it was easy for him to get lonely. Which was why he had run away from home to meet his brothers on their way back to the Land of the Dragons. The boy knew he'd be in trouble when they got home. He just had to get away from the hassle that was his gifted seven year old life.
Hikaru got to his feet, staring into the valley below. I wake up at six o'clock, eat breakfast and got to shinobi school. After school, I go to the lake to practice my swimming. When that's done, I go home and my tutors come to give me my "advanced training." Then I do my homework, eat dinner, and go to bed around ten o'clock. The boy cursed himself. Why did I even want to be adopted into this family?
Because, he reminded himself, they were the only ones who would adopt you. Your own Dolphin family didn't want you after your parents died.
But...why?
Remember? You were too small, and you didn't want to learn how to swim. Besides, even if you were back with your family, you'd still have all this work. You are a genius.
Oh yeah...
That's why I ran away. The other kids were making fun of me. They always do that, and I hate them for it...
Hikaru turned, slowly walking around the small camp to the trees. The others were still asleep. The boy sat with his back against a tree, staring into the fire, which was now a smoldering mass. Wearing a dark green shirt and black shorts, he was easily concealed from sight. He gripped the harpoon that lay across his knees and waited.
Each family of the Ryuuchi clan had their own favored weapon to use besides their swords and techniques. The Dolphin family mostly used harpoons, since they spent most of their time in the water. The Wolf family used blinding powder and caltrops, which were employed to cover hasty retreats. The Dragon family loved their spiked chains, which they often poisoned to add to their deadliness. The Ox family relied heavily on their swords, although they were powerful in had-to-hand combat. The Cobra family had mastered many tricks to put their enemies out of commission, and also used whips. The Tiger family used shuko, since these were easily hidden and could slash off an enemy's finger if sharp enough. And lastly, the Hawk family used bows and arrows, since they were useful for attacking from the sky.
Hikaru lay farther back, closing his eyes unthinkingly.
When we go back home, I am going to be in so much trouble...
****
Hikaru opened his eyes with a gasp. He stared at the sky, and was greeted by the very worried-looking face of Uzumaki Naruto.
"You all right?" the blond haired shinobi asked.
"Yeah." Hikaru sat up and stretched. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Naruto arched an eyebrow. "But you overslept."
"Huh?" The light haired boy glanced at the sun. "Kami...it's almost noon!" He grabbed Naruto by the shoulders, shaking him vigorously. "I was supposed to be the fucking lookout! Why the hell didn't you wake me up before?!"
"B-because Kakashi-sensei said to let you sleep!" Naruto jerked back, surprised that such a small boy could be so strong and have such a dirty mouth. "Besides, you're hurt. Let me go."
Releasing the older boy, Hikaru moved to roll up his sleeping bag. "I'm sorry."
"Well...c'mon. Everyone's waiting." Naruto got to his feet.
And after ten minutes of packing, they were traveling once again.
Unlike yesterday, no one was in the mood to talk. The shinobi—all seven of them—were busy scanning the bushes and trees for the slightest irregularity. Once, when a flock of birds took flight nearby, Sasuke automatically pulled a shuriken from his holster.
But nothing happened. It was just a flock of birds taking arbitrary flight. The morning was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
They didn't want another fight with the Dragon family.
"How long till we get to the Land of the Dragons?" Sakura asked after about an hour of walking.
"Tomorrow at the latest," Kakashi replied.
"Although we would have been there earlier if a certain pair of jônin had simply warned us about the Dragon family," Sasuke muttered bitingly. Shinzuko spun around in anger.
"You really think you're funny...don't you, Sasuke?" he hissed.
Sasuke's gray eyes darkened, like thunderheads before the storm. He didn't reply.
"Leave Sasuke alone, Shinzuko-sensei," Sakura broke in defensively. The teenager ignored her.
"What was that?" Hikaru demanded unexpectedly, nearly giving the other shinobi multiple heart attacks.
"What was what?" growled Shinzuko when he had steadied his breathing.
Then everyone heard it; a high-pitched shrieking sound that reminded everyone of a preying hawk.
"It's a hawk," Kyote muttered. "Like the ones the Hawk family has. Wonder if they're around here...?"
"But we're a full day away!" Sakura reminded the others.
"The Hawk family does a lot of exploring," Hikaru commented. "They could be around here."
"And they could be looking for a certain runaway," Shinzuko added, giving the ash-blond haired boy a dark look. Hikaru reddened in embarrassment.
But another hour passed without the traveling shinobi seeing anyone.
"Hikaru?" Sakura asked at length. "Shinzuko said you were his and Kyote's adopted brother, right?"
"Uh-huh." The ash-blond haired boy nodded. "Why?"
"How'd you know where we were?"
Hikaru sighed. "I didn't. I just got bored with all the extra work I had, and I was tired of being left at home while Shinzu-san and Kyo-san and my sister Takara got to go places. So I sneaked out...and I found you!"
"You're gonna be in trouble when we get home," Kyote reminded him. The boy merely shrugged.
"I don't care." Hikaru crossed his arms. "Kaasama told me to get out anyway."
The younger Ryuuchi twin arched an eyebrow. "She was mad at you? What for?"
Hikaru clenched his fists. His face darkened. "I beat up some of the kids from the Dolphin family at shinobi school," he said in a small voice.
"What made you do something stupid like that?!" Shinzuko demanded. "You're lucky Tahariko-sensei didn't kill you!"
"But they made fun of me!" the short boy whined. "They said I couldn't become a real shinobi because I used to be scared of swimming...and because I was an orphan." He scowled. "I hate them! I hate them all, niisama!"
"Calm, down, Hikaru," Kyote chided softly.
Naruto felt a sudden pang of empathy for the sunshine haired boy genius who was so like him, but kept his mouth shut about his own problems, asking another question instead. "What happened to your parents, Hikaru?"
"They died...in a fire...four years ago." Hikaru stared at the ground as he walked. "That's why...I fought the Dragons. I hate their fire." He kicked hard at a loose stone. "I hate a lot of things."
"...oh..." An uncomfortable silence set in, as Naruto and the others were unsure of what to say.
****
Another uneventful day of walking and night of camping passed. The morning of the next day, everyone was in a hurry to get going. The sooner they got to the Wolf family's territory, the better.
"Naruto."
"Mmm..." Naruto murmured into an almost-overflowing bowl of ramen.
"Naruto!"
"This stuff...is the best!" the young shinobi proclaimed loudly with his mouth full of noodles. "Whoever invented instant ramen is the coolest!"
"Naruto!" Kakashi reached down, dealing the blond haired boy a crushing blow to the head.
"Yow!" Naruto yelped, dropping his bowl and clutching the huge bump forming on his head as he spun around. "Who the fuck did that?!"
"Enough ramen, Naruto," the white haired man said firmly. "We have to go. Now."
"But I'm hungry-"
"Hungry?" Kakashi crossed his arms, sounding irritated although Naruto knew he wasn't. "That's your third bowl!"
"But-"
The jônin gave Naruto a hard stare. "Do you want to sleep on the ground again tonight or in a nice warm bed?"
The boy grimaced, still holding his head. "Nice warm bed."
"Then get up. Let's go." Kakashi glanced at the others. "We're waiting."
"Fine." Naruto grabbed his backpack, slipped it on, and hurried to catch up to the jônin, who had already started down the cliff.
****
"Look! There! It's Shimayama no Taka!" Excitedly, Hikaru pointed to the mountain in the distance.
"It looks like a giant cone with the top cut off," Naruto commented blandly. His head still hurt, and it had put him into a sour mood.
"The Hawk family lives up there," Kyote told him. "They serve as our lookouts and the Ox family does border patrol." He sighed under his breath. We're almost home...
"Kami..." Kyote muttered suddenly.
Sasuke glanced at him quickly. "What is it?" he asked, noting that something was truly out of whack. "What's wrong?"
"Yeah...what?" Hikaru arched one eyebrow.
Kyote turned his blue-gray glare on his kid brother. "Don't you remember? The Guardians?!"
The younger Ryuuchi suddenly froze in his tracks. "Wait!" he called to the others. "Come back!"
"Something wrong?" Sakura asked when she and the other shinobi had gone back to where Kyote waited.
Hikaru's ice-blue eyes scanned the surroundings. "We...forgot to tell you before...but there are seven creatures that guard the border along with the Ox family. The seven animals of the Ryuuchi clan." He scowled. "They're giant demons."
"Like the demon fox," Shinzuko put in bitterly. Naruto bristled.
"They watch over our land," Hikaru explained. "Or at least...they used to. Some time ago, they turned rogue and attacked our clan. We survived...and managed to shut the Guardians out with magic...but they went mad. And no one knows why. The monsters prowl the borders now...looking for any unwary shinobi."
"What happens to them?" Sakura asked.
"They're killed." The light haired boy reached for the harpoon strapped across his back, squeezing it hard. "That's what happened to my parents. They went out for a walk one night and got caught by the Dragon Guardian."
Once again, Naruto felt the urge to speak, but he forced himself to remain silent.
"So how are we going to get in?" Sasuke demanded, giving Shinzuko an accusing glare. "Why is it that you Ryuuchi 'forget' to tell us all of this crucial information? Why?"
"Don't forget that I am a jônin, Uchiha," the elder twin retorted. "I did this to see how well you contend with unexpected news."
"We Konoha ninjas contend with 'unexpected news' all the time," Sasuke countered. He took a step forward before Kakashi could stop him. "So give me the real reason why you never tell us what we need to know until the last minute!"
There was a suspenseful pause. The expectant shinobi glared at Shinzuko, waiting for his reply. Even the ambiance sounds around them seemed to fade as everything paused to hear the next words.
"I can't give you the real reason," the teenager muttered finally. "At least not now."
"Then tell us if we can get over the border without getting attacked," Kakashi suggested, his voice sounding weary of all the arguments between Sasuke and Shinzuko.
The twin with sea-green eyes let his piercing gaze travel over each one of his companions. "I can't," he whispered, his voice characteristically hoarse. "I wish I could but I can't."
****
"This way!" Shinzuko called in a loud whisper.
"No! Wait."
"What's wrong, Kakashi?"
The white haired jônin slowly raised his hand to point. "What's that there?" The elder Ryuuchi twin looked and sucked in his breath. Not twenty meters away from them lay one of the Guardians. The Cobra Guardian.
"K-kami!" He moved back the way he had come. "Everyone get back!" the teen ordered under his breath. "We're about to walk into a trap!"
The others glimpsed the unmoving cobra curled around a tree. Its dark colors made it almost invisible against the foliage surrounding it. Sakura gasped. Naruto winced.
"I got swallowed by a giant snake before," he managed through clenched teeth as the shinobi carefully backed away. "I-is it awake?"
Kyote snickered. "If the Cobra was, it would've hit us before we saw it."
"Is this how your clan became so powerful?" Sakura demanded softly. "You used these demons to conquer your enemies."
"In a manner of speaking," Shinzuko muttered dryly.
Naruto was listening to this exchange so closely that he didn't realize when he stepped on a fallen log. "Wha-aahh!!" The log moved, throwing the unsuspecting boy to the ground. The others turned on him.
Shinzuko grabbed him by the front of his orange jacket. "You fool!" he growled. "Have you any fucking idea of what you just did?"
Scared of what the teenager might do to him, the blond haired boy only shivered. "No," he said in a small voice.
But before the young jônin could curse him out further, the shinobi became aware of a faint rustling sound. The Cobra Guardian was awakening.
"Oh, for the love of shit..." Shinzuko shoved Naruto behind him. "Nobody move," he hissed. "They track by sound and smell."
The four genin and the three jônin stood motionless as the huge snake reared its head and slowly began to uncoil itself. Noticing the seven unusual shapes standing nearby, the Guardian lowered its oversized head to examine them. Sweat streamed down Naruto's face as a narrowed amber eye flicked past him.
Nobody move. They track by sound and smell.
At least they don't track by sight.
The massive cobra closely studied the silent, frozen items with seeming amusement, but the orange-clad object was the one he was interested in. The Guardian slid closer, its tail curling around the thing's waist.
Naruto was sure he fainted when the snake picked him up. How else would he have kept his mouth shut? But when the boy reopened his eyes and saw the long, forked tongue reaching out to smell and taste him, and the extended twin fangs dripping venom, and felt hot breath against his perspiring face...he couldn't stay quiet. Naruto opened his mouth to scream.
"Get me out of here!"
"Naruto!" Kyote shouted without thinking. His sheathed sword came free with a sharp ringing.
The Cobra Guardian flinched at the noise, a rumble coming up from its throat. It looked at the objects below—who were moving to attack—one last time and, realizing that they were shinobi, decided that the best thing to do would be to get rid of the one it held. The snake raised Naruto—who was now kicking violently—to its wide jaws.
"Naruto!" Sakura screamed.
I didn't die the last time I was eaten like this... Naruto thought desperately. And I can't—am not—going to die now!
Leaping as high as he could, Kyote was able to lop off a large portion of the cobra's tail. Shrieking in pain, the giant beast withdrew, and Naruto dropped to the ground. Kyote caught him before he hit the ground.
"Are you all right, Naruto?" he whispered tersely.
The blond haired boy was still numb with shock, but he regained enough of his senses in time to mumble, "H-hai."
"Let's go!" Shinzuko shouted. "We're not strong enough to fight a Guardian like this!"
Needless to say, the others quite agreed with him. They tore after the black haired jônin, racing through the dense undergrowth. The Cobra Guardian was right behind them, its shortened rear end spurting blood.
"Split up!" Kakashi ordered. "It can't follow all of us at once!"
Naruto jumped to one side, tumbling down the slight incline of a low hill. Hikaru landed on top of him, but quickly rolled off and the two continued running.
"How much farther to the Wolf territory?" Naruto yelled.
"Not far," Hikaru panted. "About two...iie, three kilometers."
"Crap. I can't run that far!" The blond haired boy slowed to a walk. "I need...to breathe..."
"Naruto-"
Just then, the snake appeared right in their path, letting out a very un-snakelike shriek. Both boys froze.
"On second thought..." Naruto turned, his legs carrying him faster than before. "Come on, Hikaru!" The boy was on his heels.
"How do you fight this thing?!" the blond haired shinobi cried as his lungs began to burn.
"The only way to fight is with powerful techniques!" Hikaru shouted back. "Which is something I don't have!" Suddenly, he tripped over a protruding tree root and fell. Looking up, he found himself face-to-face with the bottom of a cliff. "Shit! Dead end!"
Silently, with its incisors trickling poison, the cobra slithered closer. As if it knew that the two shinobi were too afraid to call for help and that they couldn't run and that it was time for them to die.
Naruto stood stock still, unsure of what to do. Unsure if there was anything to do. But then he recalled something and executed the first technique that came to mind.
"Art of the Doppelganger!!"
Then there were two...I mean, one thousand.
"Whoa!" Hikaru stared at Naruto's clones in astonishment. "Kami, that's-"
"Hikaru! Watch out!" the doppelgangers shouted. "Get back!"
In one smooth motion, the Cobra Guardian dipped its enormous head down, piercing the light haired boy's torso with its fangs before Hikaru could think to move.
The Dolphin boy stiffened unnaturally as the two teeth withdrew from his side. His face was drained to a sickly shade of white. For a moment, Hikaru just looked at the wound in disbelief, which was barely visible. Then the extreme agony from the immeasurable poison in his system reached his heart and he screamed.
"What was that?" Shinzuko demanded sharply as a loud cry of pain swelled close by.
"It's...oh, no. Iie..." Kyote started running. "Hikaru!"
The small boy dropped to his knees, clutching the bloodstained mark just below his chest. Seeing that its prey was weakening, the Cobra Guardian lowered its long head to bite once more. Hikaru squeezed his eyes shut as he collapsed to the ground. "N-Naruto..." he gasped as the Cobra moved closer. "H-help...me..."
Here it comes...
Time seemed to freeze. Naruto was beginning to panic.
What should I do? What techniques do I know?
Very few, thanks to yours truly!
Shut up!
Do something...!
There was one technique that the blond haired boy thought would work, but he had only tried it once before.
Kami, let this work...
Naruto made the signs and yelled, "Four Corners Technique!"
A square with threadlike thin lines appeared around the blond boy. He shut his eyes as the four corners began to glow, each with its own Naruto clone. Then he felt his chakra double and the technique reach its peak.
"Perfect!" the boy shouted above the roar of energy gathering around him. His eyes snapped open; cerulean meeting amber for one split second before Naruto released the full power of the technique.
The Cobra Guardian reared back as the four blows of light hit him and exploded. The others arrived in time to see the vast length of the snake quickly gliding off into the forest, trailing blood from its severed tail.
"Wow." Sakura stared after the disappearing cobra. "Is it going to die?"
"Probably not," Kakashi replied, his dark eye warily scanning for any other Guardians.
"It's just hurt," Shinzuko added, his voice breathless from running. "The tail should grow back. Unfortunately."
"What about Hikaru?" Kyote demanded. He was kneeling beside his younger brother. Shinzuko dropped beside him.
"Can you hear me, Hikaru?" he whispered.
"It's hard...but...yes." The boy shivered. "Am I...going to die?"
The bluntness of the question would have made the older twin laugh if the circumstances weren't so serious. "No," he replied quietly. "Just don't get excited, or the poison'll spread."
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
Hikaru squinted, his ice-blue eyes clouding over. "F-four?" he guessed as his voice weakened.
"No. Two." Shinzuko lowered his head to the boy's chest and winced at the irregular heartbeat. He glanced up at his twin with a frown. "We have to get him to Kaasama."
"Don't you have hospitals?" Sakura called to Shinzuko as they ran. "Why are you taking Hikaru to your mother?" Kakashi had gone ahead to meet the Ryuuchi clan's leader while the younger shinobi went for help.
"Hai...we have hospitals," the elder twin panted. "What made you think otherwise? But my mother...she's a nurse at one of them, and that's where we're going!"
Sakura stumbled, almost tripping over a rock jutting up from the ground. "Will she be able to help him?"
"Kaasama knows plenty about medicine. She'll at least try." The teenager sighed. A hint of worry crept into sea-green eyes. "I hope."
Kyote turned to the three genin. "You should go with Kakashi," he said. "Meet us at the hospital when Ryuukage's finished with you."
"Okay!" Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura sped in the direction their jônin had gone. They soon came upon roads leading in opposite directions.
"Wh-which way?" Naruto panted.
Sasuke scowled, pointing left. "This way."
"But I'm-"
"Quiet! We're almost there."
****
"So the team of the Fire Shadow has finally arrived, ne?" Lord Ryuukage let a slight frown mask his amusement. "You're a day late, you know."
Kakashi nodded. "We were...delayed," he explained shortly. "And we apologize."
Naruto couldn't restrain himself. "We do?" he muttered. Sakura kicked his shins. Hard. "Ow! Godammit!"
"In the mean time, "the man continued, ignoring the outburst, "you'll be staying in the cabins we have prepared for those participating in the tournament."
The tournament? Naruto frowned. So many things had been happening that the tournament had slipped his mind. And it's only time for the second round...gee, I wonder how much more trouble we can get into before all this is over?
****
Hikaru's condition seemed to go from bad to worse as the twins raced towards the hospital. The venom's torturing sting had intensified, and it was all the half conscious boy could do not to scream in pain as Kyote held him more tightly. Then a blur of confused senses clouded over him, and the boy found it hard to speak.
"N-niisama...? Where...am...I?"
"Stay quiet, Hikaru." The voice was Shinzuko's. "We're going to the hospital."
"What-" The boy was interrupted by a fit of coughing, and it was then that Hikaru realized just how serious his own condition was. His body was shivering; shivering and sweating. The snakebite he had received was throbbing painfully.
The last thing the light haired boy remembered before passing out was his oldest brother talking to someone.
****
"Will he be all right, Kaasama?" Kyote demanded of his mother as soon as he got the chance.
Ryuuchi Natsuko glanced down to where Hikaru lay in his hospital bed, his body convulsing uncontrollably. "We've done all we could, Kyote," she said softly. "But the pain's getting worse...and I'm not so sure now..."
Hikaru's eyes snapped open. Kyote winced at the sight of the boy's unseeing, glazed-over stare. Even with all the beeping machines around him, it was getting hard for the boy to inhale, and he was choking for every breath. Every now and then, he whimpered in pain, tears coming to his eyes although he didn't cry.
"Mom? Did he really run away?" Shinzuko asked after a moment.
Natsuko's eyes grew distant. "Yes, he did." She frowned. "I shouldn't have yelled at him..."
"Kakashi and the others are waiting." Kyote glanced towards the waiting room of the emergency ward. "And now we have the Konoha shinobi to explain things to. You coming, Kaasama?"
"No." The dark haired woman shook her head. "I'm going home to get your sister. With all the work we need to finish now...I'll need some help."
****
"Five cells from your lands...and then the seven from the Ryuuchi families." Kyote frowned as he examined the incomplete diagram that marked the tournament's progress. The others listened closely as they ate dinner. "The day after tomorrow, the second round will be held."
Naruto peered over his shoulder, frowning at the unfamiliar symbols. "What kind of language is that?" he wondered aloud.
"The language of our clan," Shinzuko explained around a mouthful of food. "It's close to kanji, so it should be easy for you to learn."
"Oh." Naruto was so involved in examining the chart that he forgot all about the bowl of ramen on the table before him. "Who are we competing against, Kyote?"
"Dolphin family." The younger twin pointed to Konohagakure's place on the flow chart. His hand faltered as it passed over the Dolphin symbol. Hikaru...
Noticing this, the blond haired boy reached down, uncertainly squeezing Kyote's hand. The teenager flinched slightly at the unexpected contact, and blue-gray eyes met cerulean ones.
"Don't worry," Naruto whispered softly. "Kyo-chan." For an instant, the blond shinobi smirked and Kyote nodded.
Thanks, Naruto.
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Kani: I have one question for this fic's reviewers. What's the Japanese word for ox? I'll be learning Japanese next school year (I'm home schooled), but until then, Spanish is my second-best language. Thanks.
Naruto: *reads chapter* Ten pages! A new record!
Sakura: *writes record in Kani's Book of Records* Very good.
Kani: Next chapter will have the tourney's second round. See ya later! ^_~