Chapter two: Ghost of the Past

The scene that Hinata arrived to was horrific. Nins of different countries were strewn throughout the field. Doctors, medics, and medic Nins alike were performing triage sorting the various injured. While within tents and makeshift shacks, the surgeons and medic Nins preformed what limited field surgery they could, hoping desperately to save some of the lives that were there. It was hard to believe that after nearly two millennia the samurai had tried to invade yet again. It was also hard to believe that they could do so much damage. It had been quite some time since all of the shinobi villages had banded together for something as large as this. Even civilian doctors were here, trying to do what they could. It was rumored that the samurai armies had been routed and decimated, but there was no substantial proof.

The doctors and medic Nins were simply stabilizing the people so they could be moved to another secure location. Off to one side she spotted Jiraiya, summoning toads to transport the injured, along with others who possessed summons contracts, who summoned various things from wolves to falcons. Moving through the field, she spotted a doctor ordering the others around, obviously the head physician. Within moments she was beside him.

"Where do you need another surgeon?" She asked.

Turning to look at her he sized her up. "And just who are you?"

"I am one of Tsunade-sama's apprentices, Hinata."

"Alright then, you see the far tent, we had two doctors performing surgery on those with the severest injuries. However, one collapsed from exhaustion, the other already an incredibly skilled medic Nin but he could use some help."

She nodded her acknowledgement and moved toward the tent. Moving into the first compartment, she used the portable equipment to scrub and don a surgical smock, gloves, gown, mask and hair net. Walking into the next room, both only divided by a simple hanging sheet, she could see the man standing across the room, finishing with his current patient, stitching the skin of the man's chest together. As he finished, the medics took the man out, and rung the bell telling him to take a break. The man removed his gloves and apron, then reached up, and removed his surgical mask and cap. The sight that she saw was one she never would have expected.

The man before her couldn't have been any older than her. He stood a good six foot one inch, with very spiky silver hair and red eyes with silted pupils. His build suggested that he possessed great strength. However, he didn't look like a body builder with over inflated mussels. As she moved toward him, he broke her out of the stupor that she hadn't even known herself that she was in.

"Hello, my name is Yami." He said while bowing politely.

Bowing in respect, she answered, "My name is Hinata."

"Well, it looks as though we are going to be sharing the same surgical quarters, for the moment." He said with a polite smile.

"Yes it does. Tell me, how did you come by your medical training? Your master must have taught you well for you to be this good when you are this young."

His dark reply was, "Actually, I don't think you would like where I learned."

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad."

"I was trained by Kabuto-sama, the right hand man to Orochimaru-sama, leader of the sound village."

His forwardness surprised her, and that was when it hit her, his name was yami, as in yami the black plague. One of the worst sound Nins that anyone had ever heard of. He hadn't killed any leaf Nins. However, he had killed Nins of just about every other shinobi country. Not that she was any different. Then she asked the question that she asked most who had once followed Orochimaru. "Why did you follow him?"

Every other had given her the same answer, 'Power', they had wanted. However, his answer surprised her. "Because, Orochimaru-sama and Kabuto-sama were like a father and older brother to me, and it was the only home I know. You see, when, they found me I had had my memories of the first 13 years of my life sealed. They took me in and saved me from dieing. If it were not for them, I would be dead right now."

Hinata was shocked to say the least. No one had ever described Orochimaru in such a kind way. "May I see the seal?" She asked. Turning his head, he brushed his hair away from the back of his neck. There it was, near the base of his neck. It looked very similar to the symbol that Orochimaru had used for resurrecting humans. However, she could tell that this one was different, a proto type of sorts. When he had resurrected humans, they had possessed no memories, which meant that this man was an Edo Tensei. However, when she reached out and touched his neck, she felt warmth. Activating a simple probe technique, she could sense the blood rushing through his veins, sense the impulses telling his heart to beat, this man must have been the ultimate Edo Tensei. Then she said in disgust "How many people did Orochimaru sacrifice to bring you back?"

The man turned, and looked at her in utter shocked. "What are you talking about?"

"You are and Edo Tensei, a forbidden summoning technique that brings back a soul from the next world. However, most are only shells you, however, are an actual living person. It would take an incredible amount of people being sacrificed to bring back someone to an actual living body."

Hinata was shocked again when he spoke, saying, "Than I wish that I had never been resurrected. If living people had to be sacrificed to bring me back, than I wish that I had never been brought back." Then he turned, looking at her. His sudden words took her aback. "I pledge my skills to you and the leaf, Hinata"

Her question left her mouth just as he finished. "Why?"

"Because, Orochimaru-sama betrayed the leaf, as did Kabuto-sama, now that both of them are dead, I have no place in this world. However, perhaps I can use my skills in the leaf to somewhat pay them back for creating those two, however much everyone hates them." As he turned, his words took her back. "And perhaps, I can heal the wounds you carry within your heart, so that you can move on from your grudge against Sasuke-san."

"How did you know it was me that killed him?"

"First of all, when you used your probe on me, I used your own probe on you at the same time. From this I concluded that you were an Anbu because of certain physical characteristics that are frequent in Anbu. Remembering that it was a woman that killed the three, I remembered how the battle had been described when I returned. They had said that Kabuto-sama and Orochimaru-sama had been killed almost as an after thought, and that the person had used open palm strikes against Sasuke. After that, he had been destroyed by the technique, Rasengan." While he said this, he formed a perfect Rasengan in his right hand. Shocking the hell out of Hinata. "From there, I used the probe to gather that you are a Hyuuga, and as such, concluded that you had been the one to attack Sasuke, and because of the brutal way that you killed him it was easy that it was personal to you."

"How do you know that technique?"

"I remember many techniques from my life before my memories were sealed, however, nothing else. Not even my name. Orochimaru-sama wanted me to teach him how to do them, unfortunately, all I remembered is how to do them, not how to teach them so someone could learn. However, Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy all but this technique. Now, my turn, why do you hate Sasuke so much?"

"Because, he took my future away from me by killing the man I loved."

"That is interesting. I never knew that Sasuke had killed anyone."

"He killed him during his escape from the leaf village. His name was Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto you say?"

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"It is nothing, just a vague memory."

As he finished his sentence, the bell rang, and two nurses moved into the tent, dressing him in new gloves and a smock. The medics then brought in a two men and Hinata and Yami set to work. Even as the night wore on, and Hinata was forced to rest, Yami worked tirelessly, seeming to have an endless supply of charka to use. When the sun rose, it shined its light down onto the field of victory for the shinobi. The samurai armies had been driven back and some who were using an unknown style of combat had been taken prisoner for interrogation. By noon, the different injured and dead had been sorted and the summoners were calling on the hugest beasts to carry their comrades' home. As for the dead, they would be shipped by ground transports back to their home villages. When the time came, Hinata and Yami began to prepare for the journey to the leaf. For some reason, that not even Hinata could answer, she felt that this man was trustworthy.