Hinata shielded her eyes as she stepped out of the tunnel.
The sunlight seemed magnified one hundred times over, even with the heavy cloud cover overhead.
Blinking, the young woman began to take in the whole vista spread out below her. The passage opened onto a steep slope strewn with boulders, rock slabs, and occasional scrubby pine trees. The land beyond that slope was thrown up in great mounds and swells, decorated by massive rock spires and water run-off channels.
Looking behind her, Hinata saw that the mountain face rose an indeterminable distance, disappearing into the dark and threatening blanket of clouds, showing only the beginning hint of a snow cap before being obscured from view.
"There's no time to wait. We need to move.Right now!"The Konoha spy had thrown off his disguise, so as not to be mistaken for one of the enemy. "Look!There are enemy soldiers spread across the whole area." He moved, calling back as he began his careful descent. "Friendly forces should be here soon. We need to avoid capture until we can reach them."
As the two Leaf shinobi picked their way down the uneven slope, a loud voice cried out.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOO-OO-OO-OO-OO-OOH. I SEE SOME GUY I WANT TO KILL!"
Soon after that, a large shape strode into view, looking something like a child's model of a badger-dog. The color was sand tan with striking patterns. Exotic eyes were set under large brow lines. There were two small human forms running off to one side of the great creature. Their appearance gave away the identity of the monster. There was no mistaking the outfit the one ninja wore, or the bundle on his back. There was no missing the fan the other shinobi carried, or her noteworthy hair style. Kankurou and Temari. That would make the creatureShukaku.
Hinata bit her finger. Naruto had fought that? She wondered who the monster had been referring to. Hopefully, it didn't mean her and her savior. It wasn't heading in their direction. The huge beast was not the only titanic figure on the battlefield. The object of its boisterous enthusiasm came into view from the other side.
A giant gecko, grey-blue in color and covered with dark blue and orange spots, ran quickly down the mountain slop. Huge metal shutters covered the enormous eyes, offering some degree of protection, but frustrating the creature's attempts to clean the eyes with its tongue. A ninja jumped off the beast, and then motioned for it to attack.
"EEEEEEEE-EE-EEE-EEEE-EEEEE-EEEEEEE. FUN FUN FUN!"
Shukaku's bellowing was answered by a serious of loud barking like noises. The gecko's tail snapped back and forth briskly, a clear sign of its growing agitation. The huge mouth was open, showing a rim of small but sharp teeth. For a moment, Hinata stood entranced. The two monsters were so very big. It was hard to believe that Naruto somehow had something built along that scale sealed away behind his navel. Soon enough, she began to feel like an ant at a picnic, or some bug under a magnifying glass. A huge cloud of smoke marked the site of another summoning. A great beetle, with stag-like horns and a large twitching tube at the rear, stood near the gecko. Jet black in color, with shifting iridescent lines of purple and crimson, the enormous insect opened its wing cases momentarily, and then settled them snug against its back.
"YAY-YYY-YYY-YYY-YYY-YYY-YYY-YYY-YYY-YYY. MORE FUN!"
Shukaku was overjoyed. Hinata covered her ears. Her ears were sensitized after hearing the Demiurge's cacophonous calls.
The beetle pawed at the ground, watching as the gigantic gecko closed with Shukaku. That would have been more than enough to make Hinata think she was trapped in a daydream. But, some distance across a ravine, a huge toad landed after an amazing leap. A large pipe hung loosely from one side of its massive mouth. A number of people jumped off of its head. Even at that distance, Hinata could make out a number of the riders. Her father was among them! The Hokage was there, too! And, the man with the garish robes and huge hair must be Naruto's teacher!
There was a loud noise. When a subsequent cloud of smoke cleared, a mammoth slug stood near the toad.
"Katsuyu , you take Tenguraicho. She cannot fly. Beware her beak. She is terribly fast." That was Tsunade's voice.
"YES, TSUNADE. I HAVE MET THE BIRD BEFORE. THERE IS NO LOVE LOST BETWEEN US."
The slug slid across the broken ground, heading in one direction. Before long, a huge flightless bird with drab brown and grey feathers ran towards it on wickedly sharp talons. Hinata brought her hands to her mouth. Just how many demons were there on the mountain? And, what was going on back in that cavern? If the Demiurge broke free, she doubted that all of the demons combined would slow it down.
Naruto.
What was he doing? Was he alright? Had they managed to capture him? If they had, could the Hokage and others rescue him I time?
"(KAW) KATSUYU. WE MEET AGAIN. YOU WILL (KAW) PAY FOR MELTING MY FEATHERS."
The voice coming from the great bird was female, but by no means feminine. The great demon flexed hits leathery feet, and then scratched at the ground in a gesture much more appropriate to chickens or pea fowl.
"Hey, Boss Toad. I'll leave you to deal with Tsuchigumo. He's a tricky bastard, but not too bright. Think you can handle him?" Jiraiya's voice was faint but discernible.
The tremendous toad turned to face its approaching foe, an unbelievably large spider with large drops of poison glistening on its cruel fangs. He took a pipe out of his huge mouth and blew great rings of smoke at his foe.
"HO HO HO. SHOW SOME RESPECT JIRAIYA. I HAVE FACED HIS KIND BEFORE. I'M KIND OF PARTIAL TO SPIDER LEGS. I'LL SAVE YOU SOME."
The approaching spider stopped, waving its front legs in the air. Releasing great diaphanous streamers of silk, it fashioned a large balloon-like structure, using it to approach its adversary from above. Its voice was distorted by the huge mandibles. It fell to the ground heavily after Gama Bunta used a succession of water bullets to fray and split the strong silk cord attached to the white globe.
A ninja fell from the back of the spider, but managed to pick himself off the ground. The man immediately sought cover, leaving the battle up to the gigantic creatures.
"REEE RILL SREE RHO IS RRAUGHING AT RHE END, RUFFOON."
Reaching onto its huge black back, the spider brought down a massive mace in one claw. Reaching again, it removed a huge sickle with another.
"HO HO HO. RES RE RILL."
Laughing after mocking his nemesis, the giant toad drew a large dagger and grasped it in one hand. It was almost too much for Hinata to comprehend. Moving more quickly down the hillside, she almost took a terrible tumble. She had wanted to yell something out to her father and others, before they passed out of earshot.
"Help Naruto. He's inside the large cave!" She called out as loudly as she could, but none of the Leaf ninjas showed any indication that they had heard anything. Someone else had, however.
"I think that you are the one in need of help," a familiar voice said. "Itachi might still need you for his plan. I suppose I could tell him that you were killed by falling rocks."
Hinata turned. She swallowed hard, turned again, and then began running fast, almost recklessly fast, crossing the loose and treacherous terrain. Sliding down the slope in a shower of small stones, following after her, a smiling Kisame cradled his great weapon.
"Run!" The spy flashed past Hinata, heading to engage Kisame. A short sharp sword was present in each of his hands. "I will delay him as long as I am able. Join the others, or find some safe place to hide."
Hearing Kisame's laugh, Hinata made a quiet inarticulate sound, and then set her course towards the Sand ninjas. She could reach them before she might be able to catch up with her father and the others. She hated to bring more danger towards the siblings; but, without any charka, she was terribly handicapped. Amazed, she caught sight of the huge beetle as it swiveled the rear tube towards the Sand Spirit. A tremendous explosion sounded and a jet of oily liquid shot forth, catching flame as it sped towards the sand spirit. The gecko lithely bound out of the way, ducking under one final swing of Shukaku's arm. For a moment, the caustic burning liquid drenched Shukaku, before the outer layer of sand sloughed and slid away.
"OOOOO-OO-OOO-OOOO-OOOOO-OOOOOOH. GOODY. A CHALLENGE!"
The sand spirit sucked in a large amount air, and then performed the Fuuton Renkuudan. The beetle was hit squarely by the fierce winds and knocked onto its back, its legs moving furiously. The gecko leaped from Shukaku's blind side, but the great creature was not caught unawares. Picking up a huge rock slab, he shoved it into the snapping jaws of the huge reptile.
"AHH-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-H-HH-H-H-H-H-H-H. YOU'RE INTERESTING TOO!"
Hinata tried to slide to a stop, but tripped and tumbled hard, banging her head. Seeing stars, she jumped to one side, avoiding huge rocks tossed up by a sweep of the gecko's tail. Looking behind her, she saw Kisame give a finishing blow to the valiant spy. He would be after her again! Crossing her fingers, she jumped and landed hard on her rump, sliding down a long steep rock face. It would leave a nasty friction burn, but she was way beyond desperate. Kisame still managed to gain ground, bounding from one rock outcrop to another. Things did not look good.
"Over here. Quickly!"That sounded like a human voice. But, the speaker wasn't human. A small ugly dog with a Leaf forehead protector stood down slope, surrounded by numerous dogs of various breeds, shapes, and sizes. Pakkun held up a leg. "If you get here before that guy catches up, I'll let you touch my paw."
Hinata didn't know who the dog was, but she needed no impetus to run from the S-class criminal closing in on her.
"It will all be over soon. I guess I should bring you back inside alive, where you're needed. I might have to remove a leg or two, however. But then, I've been told that women often like to lose weight." Kisame looked ready to swing Sameshade.
Someone flashed into view between Hinata and the hideous Akatsuki member. It was Hatake Kakashi. "You have another opponent, Hoshigake Kisame. Daimyo Killer. The two of us have some business to settle." Naruto's previous teacher pulled his headband up and away from his sharingan eye. Hinata made good use of her reprieve. She ran, not taking time to watch any of the battle taking place behind her. She paid no heed to the banter between the two men. The question was, where should she head? Away from Kisame.That was a good start!
That choice was easy. Now that things weren't so urgent, she didn't have to join the Sand ninjas for her protection. She could look out for her own welfare and find some hidden crevice or tunnel. That way, no one could use her as bait to lure Naruto any more. But, what if her absence caused her boyfriend to go ballistic, thinking that she was dead? He might do something reckless and stupid! No. Things were very busy and crowded in that cave. She might never find him if she went back in. Without the ability to perform Byakugan or Kaiten, she would merely be throwing her life away unnecessarily. It appeared that the siblings might still be the best choice. For all she knew, she might be able to convince them to head for the cavern.
Keeping an eye out for hidden enemy soldiers and ninjas, Hinata made certain not to grow too immune to the mind-boggling spectacle unfolding around her. The battles between the giant toad and spider ,and between the humongous bird and slug, were well under way, but posed little threat to her. The other titanic struggle was a different story.
Watching in disbelief, she saw Shukaku move with unexpected speed. The giant creature grabbed hold of the huge bombardier beetle's rear tube and clamped down hard with his teeth. Having already triggered the chemical reaction necessary to fire its weapon, the beetle could not stop what happened next. Having nowhere the go, the tremendous jet of fluid expanded the tube, and then had it exploding like an overtaxed balloon.
"CHEEEE-REEEE-REEEEE-REEEE—E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E."
The beetle screeched so loudly, that Hinata winced and closed her eyes. She opened them back up just in time. Flaming liquid flew in all directions, just missing her. As startled as she was, she could not afford to close her eyes or look away.
Looking up every so often as she made her way down the mountain, Hinata saw that the gecko had sharp sword-like flanges strapped to its limbs and tail. Flashing forward, the massive lizard severed one of Shukaku's arms, sending it flying up the hill behind her. Soon after that, a tremendous sand-slide headed in her direction. Why did things have to keep landing near her
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-H. NAUGHTY!"
Shukaku launched explosive balls of air and chakra towards the gecko. The attack missed. The lizard had run straight up a nearby cliff, countless small hooks on its curling toes allowing it phenomenal purchase. Huge chunks of the mountain face blew off, and then toppled over slowly. The gecko leaped until it had purchase on a secure foothold.
"HA HA HA. " A huge barking laugh echoes about the mountainside. "MUCH TOO S-S-SLOW S-S-SAND THING. "
Again and again Hinata dodged deadly happenstance, wondering if she had made the correct decision. This was just the sort of action Naruto would take, rushing straight towards danger. He would do it for her. So, she would do it for him. Seeing a number of ninjas fly past her, accompanied by cleanly cut pieces of stone, Hinata realized that she must be getting close to Temari and her deadly fan. Running out of one short gully, she caught sight of the older girl
"Temari!" Hinata shouted, even though she hated to raise her voice. She had meant the call as a greeting, but soon saw a better purpose. A group of enemy soldiers were sneaking up behind the other girl. While Hinata might have insufficient charka for jutsus, it did notmean that she was useless. Furrowing her brow, she tossed two fists of shuriken, one hand flicking after the other. Feeling paranoid, she took a second to check behind her. There was no sign of Kakashi or Kisame.
The spinning metal stars did not do much harm to their targets; but, they proved sufficient to get Temari's attention. A look of determination on her face, the slender girl brought her fan around in a powerful sweeping motion. The Kamaitachi sliced through the foremost attackers, and then tossed the remaining men like leaves on a strong autumn breeze. She looked over at Hinata… opened her eyes wide in recognition… and then gave the shorter girl a V-sign.
Drawing her kunei, Hinata headed in Temari's direction. She looked up when she heard a loud bark of annoyance. Shukaku had somehow managed to knock one of the metal shutters off of the giant gecko, and that large device was headed in her direction! She ran into the nearest sheltering ravine. She was not alone there. A small squad of soldiers shouted, catching sight of her. Most lowered their spears. One raised a bow. Turning, Hinata saw that the gecko's mangled hardware blocked her escape. Oh no!
The man with the bow made a strange noise, just as a huge shape struck him from behind, driving the poisoned spike in its mouth clean through his back and out his chest. Manipulated by long strings of chakra, the Crow made its characteristic sound as it took to the air again. Settling over one soldier, the great jaw-like vice of its body slammed shut. Detached portions the weird creation, sporting long points like lances, rammed hard through the puppet's wall, skewering the poor soul trapped inside.
"The action is still a little rough. I'll work on that later." Kankurou stepped around a bend in the ravine. "Who wants to be next?" The soldiers had seen more than enough. To a man, the scampered up the nearest rock walls like a family of frightened monkeys. "Thanks for warning Sis, there. I would have gotten to her too late." Kankurou smiled at Hinata, recognizing her by look, but not recalling her name. "Hey… wait a minute… aren't you the girl that Naruto was going to save?" he looked around the general vicinity. There was no sign of anyone wearing orange. "Was he successful, then?"
"I… I don't know..." Hinata bit her lip. The weight of everything she had been through began settling on her shoulders. Most of all, she was worried about her boyfriend. "A spy helped me escape…"
"Well, I hope he gets out alive." He looked over at Temari, who had moved to join them. "He's due to become part of the family, right Sis?" He kept an eye on the fan. His sister was not always receptive to kidding around. Temari's face went red. She waved her arms as a disclaimer. Hinata's eyes narrowed and her hands clenched. "Just kidding," Kankurou added.
Hinata let out her breath. She spoke to the two siblings in a hurried voice. "Naruto was still in the cavern when I escaped. He was surrounded by a large number of soldiers. And, there were Akatsuki there. A large number of them, if not the entire group." Hinata swallowed hard, bringing her hand to her forehead. "And… and… and…."
Temari and Kankurou looked at one another, seeing the way that Hinata began to tremble. They both blinked rapidly in disbelief when she gave them a cursory run-down on the Demiurge. It was their turn to look ill. Somehow, Shukaku had caught wind of the conversation. One word caught his fancy. A name.
"NARUTO?" That name echoed across the mountainous terrain. WHERE IS UZUKIMAKI NARUTO? HE IS FUN. HE KEPT ME ENTERTAINED!"
"Better answer him. This is no time for him to be distracted. If the enemy manages to wake up Gaara, we will all be at their mercy." Temari spoke with a stern tone, wanting to get her point across quickly.
"I…OK…" Hianata nodded to Temari, and then looked up at Shukaku, grimacing when she saw the giant beetle ram into the sand spirit with its pronged horns. She shouted as loud as she could, causing herself to cough. "Naruto is in the cave, fighting(cough cough).He needshelp (cough cough cough)."
Shukaku didn't answer at first. He grasped the beetle with his one arm, and then flung the humongous insect hard into the gecko. The two enormous creatures rolled down the slope for a good distance, before jumping up and shaking themselves off. A huge chunk of rock followed after them, courtesy of the Sand Spirit. It struck the gecko square on the snout, causing it to rub one foot repeatedly over its jaw.
"OOOOOOOOOOOOH. YOU SOUND FUNNY. COUGH COUGH. I THINK I LIKE YOU, TOO. COUGH COUGH COUGH. I WILL HELP UZUMAKI NARUTO WHEN I FINISH PLAYING."
"We should head for that cave!" Kankurou kept a close watch on Shukaku's feet.
"Yes. There's nothing we can do out here to aid Gaara until Shukaku goes dormant." Temari readjusted her top knot. She looked worried. "I hope he can defeat two large enemies."
"He'll be OK, Sis." Kankurou said. "As much as I hate that thing, it is handy to have around in a fight." He and the other two shinobi began running around the mountain, heading in the direction that Tsunadae, Jiraiya, and the others had gone. "I think we need a brief change in plan," the puppeteer said, sliding to a halt.
A large group of soldiers and ninja stood in their way.