Hanabi's new friend.
Written by: Kin-Ryu Chikara
I don't own anything from the manga/anime Naruto. It is Masashi Kishimoto that owns Naruto. This is a fan fiction based on Masashi Kishimoto's manga and anime: Naruto. It really doesn't have much to do with the story, other than some events. Warning, does involve spoilers to things that happens in the anime and manga.
"Ordinary conversation"
'thought'
"Kyuubi speech"
'Kyuubi thought'
Scene change and story perspective. Example: Tsunade's POV (Point Of View): Tsunade is telling the story. Hinata's POV: Hinata is telling the story.
Golden dragon speech
Authors note: a comment from me about the story.
-- paragraph
Wordlist: Konoha one of the ninja villages, Suna another ninja village, Hokage leader of Konoha, Kazekage leader of Suna, Sandaime Third, Yondaime Forth, Godaime Fifth, kage shadow, bunshin clone, jutsu technique, Hijutsu secret technique, Katon fire element, Suiton water element, Doton earth element, Fuuton wind element, Raiton thunder element, Iton healing element(my creation), kawari replacement, shinobi ninja, Jounin high ninja, Chuunin medium ninja, Genin low ninja, henge transformation, KAI undo/cancel, shuriken throwing star, kunai throwing knife, Hai 1. yes 2. here, Yatta I did it, Honto really, Īie no, sugoi 1. amazing/wonderful 2. awful/terrifying, Nani what, baka idiot, dobe moron, gambatte do your best/try your best, obāsan grand mother, otosan father, okasan mother, onesan Big sister, 1.onosan 2. nii-san big brother/brother, imoto-san little sister, ototo-san little brother, sama/san Mr, Mrs, or Ms (formal), nesan elder sister(familiar form), Ero gaki perverted brat, Ero-sennin perverted hermit(Jiraiya), tenketsu chakra holes, Jyuuken gentle fist, Gouken iron fist, Katon, Goukakyuu no jutsu Fire element, Grand Fireball technique, Katon, Karyuu Endan no jutsu Fire element, Fire Dragon Flame missile technique, Katon, Housenka no jutsu Fire element, Phoenix fire technique, Katon, Ryuuka no jutsu fire element, Dragon Fire technique, Katon, Gamayu Endan Fire element, Frog Oil Fireball (can only be used together with a frog summon).
(A/N: I am not going to write down every jutsu name in Japanese. That will be too troublesome. So I'll only write down some of them, the rest I'll use the English translation.)
Ryu-ichizoku the dragon clan, Ryu-kuni the dragon country, Kin-ketto golden lineage, Infomeshon Information, Cymer Chikara's ninja helper, Mujaki Chikara's adoptive daughter, Namida-chan Chikara's pet name for his adoptive daughter, Taiyo-kun Temari's pet name for Chikara.
Chikara's summons(all are dragons): Kaji (fire), Chikyu (earth), Kaze (wind), Mizu (water), Kori (ice), Raimei (thunder), Seibutsu (life), Yugure (darkness). Chikara in his dragon transformation is called: Kin-Ryu.
Continuation from "The dragon and the eight tails"
Three months later. Chikara's apartment. Naruto's POV
"When's daddy coming home? I thought that meeting with aunt Tsunade was going to be short. Where is he? He was supposed to take me to the Genin exam today." Mujaki said angrily. I chuckled and said: "Don't worry. The exam is in…five minutes. We got to get you there. Chikara must have been delayed. Sakura-chan, we need to get her to the academy now." All the while I said or yelled that; Sakura-chan was staring at me, clearly amused.
--
Four minutes later, we rushed into the classroom. Mujaki went first, crashed and tripped on something in her way trough the door. When the noise and dust settled, I saw that she had crashed into Hinata's little sister, Hanabi. "Hey. Watch where you are going!" Hanabi yelled at Mujaki, who blushed and said: "Sorry. Didn't mean anything wrong" the Hyuuga shook her head, and took a seat, waiting for Iruka to announce what he had to say. I and Sakura stood by and watched. Since we both were Chuunin we were to be judges in the exam. I had taken the Chuunin exam shortly after returning to Konoha, and then the first permanent Chuunin team was formed. Me, Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan, Temari and Chikara. Though Chikara had the rank Jounin (but was closer to kage) and Temari also was a Jounin. We would go on difficult missions, S and A rank that required more than one person. Chikara and Temari had gotten together not long after he got back to Konoha. They had now been officially dating for a two months, and were quite happy, should I judge from how they look at each other, and the unspoken words between them. Also the sounds from their room at night are a clear indicator of a happy relationship. Temari had first been awkward with the thought of her boyfriend living with three girls and a boy. Of course one of the girls is his daughter, so she didn't really count, but I have the suspicion that Temari was a bit jealous of Sakura and Hinata. Hinata moved in when some moron tried to kill her at Hyuuga mansion. It was now an S-rank secret that she lived with us. Besides, no one would be stupid enough to try anything on the golden dragon or any of his friends. I was really surprised when Hyuuga Hiashi asked Chikara if Hinata could live with us. Chikara replied by going out and buying a bigger apartment, so we all could fit in comfortably.
"Naruto lets go." Sakura said, and we walked to the room where the final academy exam would take place.
--
Meanwhile at the classroom. Mujaki's POV
I was feeling guilty at the girl I had run into, and while we waited for our turn, I walked up to her and apologised. She looked at me with the pupil less eyes of the Hyuuga. "Don't worry. Everyone can make an honest mistake. I'm Hyuuga Hanabi. Nice to meet you." She said and offered her hand.
"Kin-Ryu Mujaki." I said and accepted her hand shake. Her eye widened at the sound of the name though.
"Kin-Ryu? You are a relative to Chikara-san? No, you can't be. You don't have the eyes." Hanabi asked puzzled.
"I'm his adoptive daughter. I have the same last name, but I don't actually have his bloodline." I explained and gave her a shrug and a smile.
"A, so desu ka. Then it is even nicer to meet you. Chikara-san is a nice person. Every time he comes over to talk to father, he either gives me a piggy back ride, or let's me sit on his shoulders." Hanabi said happily remembering the kindness the dragon had given her.
"Yeah, he is great that way. Always loving and caring. Except in battle. Have you ever seen him fight?" I asked and when she shook her head I continued: "It can be an awesome sight, but if he really is serious it is down right scary. The way his chakra acts, and just the way he fights is awesome, but the way his eyes look when he's angry is enough to make most people wet themselves." Hanabi smirked and said: "Yeah, I'm not all that surprised. I watched once as he spared with father. Father only ended up teaching Chikara-san the Jyuuken, although he never gave him a lesson."
I laughed as I remembered daddy's ability to learn things very fast. Hanabi and I continued to exchange stories before we were called to the exam room. We agreed to meet up afterwards.
--
After the exam. Naruto POV
"So, we have passed those that are skilled enough. Can we go home now?" I asked, and Sakura shook her head. "Why are you in such a hurry?" she asked grinning.
I just shrugged, and started walking home. As I passed the newly made Genin's I saw Mujaki standing with Hanabi and Hiashi. But no Chikara. "Where is he? He missed his daughter's graduation. He better have a good reason." Sakura said angrily. Mujaki looked happy she had passed, but sad that the most important person to her wasn't here to see her.
"Let's go and find him. Starting with Tsunade-baa-chan." I said and we jumped towards the Hokage tower.
Mujaki, Hanabi and Hiashi saw us leave, and jumped after us.
"Are you going to find Chikara-san? We'll help." Hiashi said, totally out of character.
--
"Tsunade-baa-chan. Where is Chikara-sensei? He missed Mujaki-chan's graduation. He better have a good reason." I said, clenching my fist in anger.
Tsunade-baa-chan looked at the five people in front of her. She then lowered her gaze to Mujaki and said sadly: "What about one of the most powerful summons in this world? Is that enough reason?"
"What do you mean? What summon?" Hiashi asked worriedly
"When Chikara was here, a report came in that someone had summoned Manda. Not Orochimaru, but someone else. I had to send Chikara to fight of Manda. That's why he missed your exam Mujaki-chan. I'm sorry, but he should be back now. He probably is very sorry for missing your graduation, but it really isn't his fault. Blame the bastard that summoned that huge snake instead." Tsunade said soberly
Mujaki looked sad, but then a look of understanding came to her face. "So he wanted to come, but had to go on a mission. I understand now. Let's go back home and wait for him." She said, but then a knock came to the door. Chikara opened it and peered in. "I'm here to make my report Tsunade-onesan." He said. He wore a black cloak and had his hood on as well. He walked towards the desk, nodding to everyone present, and giving a small wave. But no one noticed that since we were busy watching how he walked. It was as if someone had switched his leg with a leg of wood, and something was wrong with his arm as well.
"Tsunade-sama, mission complete. I defeated Manda, and the summoner. It was a sound Jounin. I gave his body to the ANBU. Now I would like to go home and rest." Chikara said. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked out. Everyone exchanged glances and Hiashi asked what everyone thought: "What was with his body. It seamed he was suffering from heavy damage. But wouldn't he go to the hospital if he was?"
Everyone thought for a moment, but shrugged, thinking that Chikara could take care of himself. I, Sakura, Mujaki and Hanabi headed home. Hanabi wanted to visit, and Hiashi didn't have any objections.
--
"What is this?" I asked as I stood and watched Chikara's sleeping form. He had obviously arrived a long while before us, and was now sleeping in his bed. The thing that was bugging me and Sakura was that he had huge wounds on his body. Sakura didn't know what could have made them, but I did. "He must have been bitten by Manda. Only that bastard snake has fangs big enough to do that." I said and pointed to the wounds. "But we shouldn't worry. The steam rising from the wounds shows that they are healing."
Sakura nodded, and we left the room, allowing Chikara to sleep.
--
I and Sakura sat in the living room and drank some tea. Sakura glared at me as I put in way to much sugar for her taste, but before she could speak a scream was heard from Chikara's room. It was Mujaki.
"Shit, we didn't tell her not to go in there." I said and we ran into his room. There we found Mujaki lying on top of Chikara's stomach, crying into his shoulder. Hanabi stood uncomfortable by and watched, also with some tears in her eyes.
She turned to me and Sakura and asked: "Why aren't his wounds healing? And why isn't he waking up?"
'That's a good question. The steam is gone. The wounds aren't closing anymore. What's going on?' I thought to myself. Sakura apparently reached a decision and walked over to Mujaki. "Mujaki-chan, I will try and heal him, okay?" Sakura asked softly.
A few moments later, Sakura stood up, looking extremely puzzled. The wounds hadn't responded in any way. Sakura left to get Tsunade-baa-chan while I had to try and comfort a little girl who was afraid of losing her adoptive father.
Tsunade arrived, and started her treatment, but received the same result that Sakura had. "What's going on? He's not responding in any way. There's something wrong. Get Hinata. We need…no wait. We already have a Byakugan. Hanabi-san, could you use your Byakugan to look into Chikara's body for me, and tell me what you see." Tsunade asked the little girl with the pale eyes. She nodded and activated her bloodline limit. She looked puzzled and said: "What? His chakra is standing completely still. It's not flowing at all. How is that possible when his hearth is pumping?" Hanabi asked the two medical ninjas in the room.
If it had been humanly possible, their jaws would have shook hands with the floor.
"His chakra flow has stopped. We need to get him to the hospital and have an operation immediately." Tsunade said but was interrupted by a person who rushed past her.
"Sorry Tsunade-sama, but I can't allow that. Master is all right. He will wake up in about five hours. Give him a little credit." Cymer said. He then began explaining that Chikara had been worse injured when he was training with him, and that he would sleep for five hours, and his chakra would stand still for the first hour or so. Then the healing would start and be done in four hours. Give or take.
"So what you are saying is that stopping his chakra flow for a hour is something Chikara does often?" I asked puzzled. 'Why would he do that?'
"Yes, he does. He does it because of the Hyuuga. If a Hyuuga stooped a normal person's chakra flow, that person would die, but not Chikara. He raises his own limits this way. And before he does stop the flow, he makes sure that the injuries are disinfected and clean. Also when the flow starts again, any bacteria or anything like that inside the wounds, that aren't supposed to be there, gets destroyed. He takes care of himself, so there is no need to worry. Let him sleep." Cymer explained. I wondered why Chikara would train like that, but figured it was because he just wanted to eliminate a weakness.
"Cymer-sama, can I stay here, or does he need to be alone?" Mujaki asked
"Please, stay here if you want. He would probably enjoy the company." Cymer replied
And Mujaki stayed by Chikara's side, along with Hanabi.
An hour later they yelled: "EEP" in perfect unison. Cymer chuckled and said: "Looks like the healing has started." And boy had it ever. When we walked into Chikara's bedroom again, his body was glowing and you didn't need the Byakugan to see the chakra flow. Chikara's chakra pipes clearly showed as they shone like the sun. And a steady hiss of steam came from his wounds. Four hours later Chikara woke up, and was as cheerful as ever. We never talked about that day again.
--
Sometime next week. The Hyuuga mansion. Chikara POV
"Stop. Who are you, and what do you want?" a Hyuuga guard said, blocking my path into the mansion.
"Leave my guest alone" a voice boomed, and the head of the Hyuuga family, Hiashi, walked towards the gates.
"Hiashi-sama. This person is your guest?" the guard asked.
"Bingo. I'm here to visit my friend Hiashi. You can call me Chikara if you wish." I said to the guard, who dropped his weapon to the ground, while his jaw dislodged itself from his face and said hello to the ground. Hiashi chuckled at the mans reaction.
I laughed also as we walked towards his living room, but before we reached our destination; I was knocked over by a dark streak. When the dust settled, Hanabi was clutching my leg, while I was rubbing my head where it had made a dent in the ground. Hiashi laughed so much he had to support himself onto his knees. Ever since I helped change the Hyuuga, Hiashi has shown some uncharacteristic emotions toward me. First gratitude, then more and more we became friends. Now he probably looks at me as one of his best friends. I would rank him high on my list as well, but since I don't hold favourites, I don't have a 'best friend'. Hiashi had changed even more that the rest of the Hyuuga. Where his image before was to be cold, mean and ruthless, he now was a loving father, just man and a good friend. He also had a strange sense of humour.
And since I now spent a lot more time in the Hyuuga mansion, hunting for the assassin that tried to kill Hinata, or just visiting my friend, I also came on friendly basis with most of the Hyuuga, especially the former branch family. And Hinata's younger sister had started to look at me as part uncle, part horse. A horse with wings and scales, able to fly faster than any other, but who cares about details?
"Uncle Chikara, transform. I want to ride around the village. We can go get Mujaki-chan and have a flight. What do you say?" Hanabi demanded rather than asked. I laughed along with Hiashi. He knew he had always spoiled his youngest daughter, but he wanted to make up for the mistake he did when he stopped loving Hinata. When she didn't show enough potential, Hiashi just showed her away, never accepting her or show her love. After she became Chikara's student, and started really growing, he had realised his mistake, and were trying to make everything up to her. Hanabi was the opposite of Hinata. She received love, praise and acknowledgment. That's why she is a spoiled brat sometimes. Now was one of those times.
"Sorry Hanabi, but not this time. I don't feel like flying tonight. But you can sit on my shoulders if you want." I said, and she seemed a little down by the loss of a flight, but cheered up when she was given a chance to sit on my shoulders. For some reason she always liked that.
--
I found myself sitting in Hiashi's dining room with a young girl sitting on my shoulders. Her father coughed to get my attention. "Chikara-san, what are we to do if we find out who is trying to kill Hinata?" he asked, making Hanabi stiffen on my shoulders.
"I will take care of that. Anyone that tries to kill one of my students will end up in a very warm place. I will not tolerate it; my students are my friends and precious people. I protect them. I know, I know. It's a huge cliché, but it true. Now, do you have any clues, since you ask?" I replied.
"Yeah, I have a pretty good idea of who it is. And it will only take a moment for you with your mind reading ability to make sure." Hiashi said. I nodded and we both rose, and walked out of the room.
"Father, where are we going?" Hanabi asked and startled Hiashi.
"Hanabi, what are you doing here? We are going to arrest the one who tries to kill Hinata. There might be fighting. You should go home." Hiashi said with a hint of panic in his voice.
"Ah, don't worry Hiashi. If things get dangerous, I will protect Hanabi. The only problem is if I have to kill the guy. Has Hanabi seen death before?" I asked the worrying father
"Umh, no. I haven't. Why?" Hanabi asked curiously
"I don't want to ruin your childhood too early. If I must kill the guy, I will use a jutsu to transport you back to your room. And don't argue." I said sternly and the young Hyuuga shut her mouth, pouting.
"Aw, that's no fun." She said sourly. Hiashi looked angry
"It's also safe. You are just a little kid. No reason to let you die yet, is there?" I asked jokingly. Then we arrived.
--
"Hello Hiashi-sama. Nice to see you here. And Chikara-sama. With Hanabi-sama too. Why do I have the honour of hosting such important people?" a voice said from the doorway in front of us. An old man emerged bowing to us.
"Assassination attempts have been committed against my oldest daughter. Do you know anything about it, Warui?" Hiashi said, amazingly without any emotion in his voice.
The man named Warui didn't look surprised or scared. As I read is thoughts, I had to bite my lip from laughing loudly. His thoughts: 'Hah, he doesn't have his Byakugan activated. Without it he cannot tell if I'm lying or not. Guess I can make a believable excuse and live trough this.'
"I'm sorry Hiashi-sama, but I don't know anything about any assassinations. You know I'm retired." Warui said, unknown to him, I could read him and saw right trough the lie.
"Summoning jutsu" I said and did some hands seals. A large dog appeared.
"Chikara-sama. What do you want?" the dog asked. I lifted Hanabi from my shoulders and said: "Take this child back to her room, and stay with her until I say otherwise." The dog nodded and vanished. I turned to Warui.
"I can read minds. Your mind is telling me you lie so much it actually drips of you. I can see your reason, but why don't you tell us. And no lies." I said and appeared behind the old assassin. He gulped, and turned slowly.
"I told you, Chikara-sama, I don't…" he began
"…know anything about any assassination attempt." I finished for him. He almost fell down, nearly wetting himself. Then his fear turned to anger and he snarled: "Why do you even have to ask? That weakling doesn't deserve to be part of the Hyuuga clan. I must kill her to prove that only the strong can be part of our clan."
Now had been a good time for the bastard to shut up, but not only was he a bastard, he was also an idiot, so he just continued his snarling. "She's got everything laid down to her on a sliver platter. Never has she needed to work for something. For the most of her life she followed that demon around, watching him and playing with her fingers. Then she got the best ninja in the leaf to train her, and here he is now, watching out for his 'friend'. That brat never worked for anything in her life. She doesn't deserve all that she gets."
Hiashi was about to attack, when I stopped him.
"So you think that Hinata doesn't deserve anything? That she is a waste of space? That she is weak?" I asked growling.
Warui snorted and said: "But of course. She is so weak she couldn't even beat a filthy branch…"
A sickening crushing sound was heard and the poor fool never got to finish his ranting. I had moved so fast, it appeared as if I was in two places at the same time. One standing with his fist clenched, the other standing with his fist trough both lungs of the idiot insulting his friend.
The man feel down, dead even before the afterimage faded. Hisashi snorted and said: "I know he deserved that, and I would have done it my self soon enough, but I think it would have been smart to ask him if he hired someone or someone hired him."
I looked at him and said: "I'm not a fool. I read his mind. He has hired two assassins, but no one hired him. He acted alone. So now we only have two assassins to worry about."
"That shouldn't be too difficult for you my friend." Hiashi said and smiled. I looked at him and sighed. "Wonder what problems lie in the future for little miss Hinata." I said mostly to myself. Hisashi nodded though. He was wondering the same thing.
--
We walked back to Hiashi's living room in silence, and after I washed my hands we sat down.
"So, why do you look so grim my friend?" Hiashi asked.
"I just wonder how many still think that way about Hinata." I said, and Hiashi nodded thoughtfully.
I was about to reply when Hanabi came running into the room. "Hey, why did I have to leave?" she asked while sitting down beside me.
"Because I killed the guy we spoke with." I said simply. Hanabi looked at me in disbelief.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because he deserved it." I said, and Hiashi nodded.
"But what did he do?" Hanabi asked, turning to her father.
"He tried to kill Hinata." Hiashi said. Hanabi gasped.
"Someone tried to kill Hinata-onesan? Is she alright?" Hanabi asked frantically.
"Yes, she is quite alright. She is in a safe place now." I chuckled and Hiashi joined me when Hanabi visibly relaxed and slumped down on a pillow.
"Where is she?" Hanabi asked. I looked at her and just out of curiosity I read her thoughts.
'Maybe that's why Mujaki has been so distant lately. She knew. Oh, she is so dead.' Hanabi thought angrily. I chuckled inwardly.
"Sorry, but until I find and stop these two assassins, Hinata's current position is an S-rank secret." I said amused and Hanabi looked down.
"Well, I better go. I have some things to take care of. See you later." I said and left. When I got home, I saw my houseguests sit in the living room, drinking tea.
I decided to leave them alone for now and went to my room and sat down in front of my desk.
I picked up a letter I got from Ryu-kuni. Kibo had written me a letter. I was surprised, but happy. As I opened it, I wondered what she wanted.
--
"Dear brother.
How are you? We are fine, but mom and dad miss you terrible, and I kind of miss you too. Can I come visit you soon? I would love to see Konoha.
Dad has been training me ever since you left, and I have learned a lot. Did you know that Ryo-kuni is over a thousand years old?
Anyway, mom said that I should send you a letter if I wanted to visit. Dad said I could go if you came and picked me up. I really hope you get this letter and let me come and visit you.
Well, see you later then.
Love Kibo-chan."
--
I shook my head after reading the letter. 'Kibo, you aren't supposed to sign with the –chan yourself. But a visit would be good. I'll talk with Tsunade about it though.' I thought and vanished in a poof of smoke.
I appeared in Tsunade's office, only to see her sleeping. I shook my head and woke her up.
"Tsunade-onesan. I have to speak with you." I said and she grudgingly opened her eyes.
"What?" she asked. I rolled my eyes.
"You must be the most irresponsible Hokage ever. What if something serious happened?" I said.
"Then you would have been able to deal with it." Tsunade said with a big grin before stretching.
"You've got a point. But anyway, I got a letter from my little sister, Kibo. She wants to come visit us, and I thought it would be best to tell you, since you are the Hokage and all." I explained. Tsunade nodded and took out some papers.
"Do you know how long she wants to stay?" she asked. I shook my head.
"No, she didn't say."
"Okay, I'll just give her a temporary citizenship here in Konoha then." Tsunade said and started writing.
"Citizenship? I thought she only needed permission to come to Konoha, not a temporary citizenship." I said, rather puzzled. Tsunade smiled at me.
"It will make it easier for Kibo-san to stay here. No ANBU to stop and question her all the time for instance. When are you picking her up?" Tsunade asked, continuing to write.
I thought for a moment. "Well, I was thinking of picking her up right away, but it looks like I have a mission, so after that?" I said and Tsunade nodded.
"Honestly, I don't know why I bother try keep things from you. You just read me when ever you like, don't you?" she said, poking my chest with her pen.
I shook my head. "No, no. I don't read your thoughts. I just saw the mission scroll and you happened to have written my name on it." I said. Tsunade chuckled and shook her head.
"Okay, if you say so. Well, I better give you the mission right away then. It is a A-rank assassination mission. Your target is the leader of a bunch of bandits. The bandits are former ninja and samurai and are terrorizing nearby villages. The mission is to kill the leader, but off the record…if you were to go a bit dragon and accidentally kill the rest of the bandits, the mission wouldn't be looked upon as a failure." Tsunade explained and pointed out where the bandits were expected to be.
"So, in other words, the mission say only kill the leader, but you say kill them all?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow at my older sister. She nodded.
"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. Can you do it?" she asked.
"Off course. I'll be going then. See you later Tsunade-onesan." I said and vanished.
'Those poor bastards. They don't know what is going to hit them. But they deserve it, going around killing everyone, raping all the women of the villages. Wonder why I didn't tell Chikara that?' Tsunade thought as she laid her head down on her desk and started sleeping again.
--
I reappeared in my room, and started packing my equipment. After I was done, I went into the living room and saw Sakura sit there, sipping some tea.
"Hello Sakura. Good morning." I said. She smiled and returned the greeting.
"Listen, Sakura. I have a mission. Can you tell Naruto and Hinata? I will be gone for a couple of days. Okay?" I asked.
"What mission?" Sakura asked curiously.
"A-rank assassination. Oh, and tell Temari for me also. I am in a bit off a hurry, so I'll see you when I get back." I said and vanished again. Sakura sighed and continued to sip her tea.
--
Three days later I found the group of bandits. But what I saw when I found them nearly froze my blood. I saw the bandits, but along with them were several hostages, some women, some children, none men. All of the hostages looked beat up and had only shreds of clothing on them. I didn't need to turn on my eyes to see some of the tings done to these people. But I activated my eyes anyway and what I saw in the minds of the hostages was horrible. Even the children had been sexually abused, either raped or forced to watch. Some had experienced both.
Anger welled up in me faster than I have ever felt before.
'No wonder Tsunade-onesan wanted me to go. She knew about this, and wanted me to deal out the proper punishment. These bandits are going down.' I thought and started to change into my dragon form.
The bandits and the hostages heard and felt the transformation trough a fierce growl and the shaking of the ground. When they looked for the source of the sound they saw a golden a little smaller than a horse in height but twice as long with its serpent tail.
The wings and scales gleamed in the sun and the eyes shone like the sun. The dragon started walking towards the camp, and the people in it was frozen in fear. The killing intent was so strong that none of the people it was meant to affect, meaning the bandits, could move. The hostages were paralyzed because they thought the dragon was with the bandits.
--
Once I reached the camp, I looked around, noting the position of the hostages and the bandits.
I didn't even say a thing when I attacked, only a loud growl could be heard, and of course the screams of the bandits I slaughtered. Some of them I left alive with a limb torn of, while others I killed instantly. The ones I left alive I had planned to eat alive, but decided against it. I didn't want to have a stomach ache, so I burned them alive instead. After I was done killing all the bandits, I cut the hostages lose and started healing their wounds.
"What are you?" one of them asked. Then I saw the looks of fear I got from them, although the ones I had healed didn't look so scared.
"I am Kin-Ryu Chikara. I am a dragon from Konoha, sent to help you. You don't have anything to fear from me. I mean no harm. Now that I have punished the fools who did this to you, my objective now is to heal you. And I suggest that all of you get some rest after I have healed you, and I will find some food." I said and returned to heal the former hostages. They seemed to trust me, at least a bit, and formed a cue to be healed. I had to heal a big variety of injuries, and some abortions. I figured the women wouldn't want children with the rapists. Seven hours later I was done healing the women and children and after I made sure they had blankets and were asleep I left to hunt for food. Not once did I return to my human shape, but stayed a dragon. I returned about half an hour later with enough food and had to wake up several of the people I was guarding since they had nightmares.
I then used a jutsu to send everyone of the group into a dreamless sleep and started cooking the deer I had caught.
--
A while later I laid in a protecting half circle around the fire while the people I had saved sat leaned up against me.
'Only eleven people, six grownups and five children. How many were killed by those bastards?' I thought as I counted the former hostages. The children had all eaten and fallen asleep except one little girl who sat and watched my swishing tail. I had made myself about twenty meters long and my tail was at least ten meters, so the girl had a lot to look at. I inwardly smiled as I watched the fascinated look the girl had. Then I flickered my tail and lowered the tip towards the girl. She reached up and touched it. I wrapped the tip around her hand as gently I could. The girl stiffened but I released her hand and wrapped the tail around her waist before lifting her into the air and placed her before my head. She looked a bit scared, but relaxed when I laid my head down on the ground. The girl looked at me with wondering eyes.
"What do you want Ryu-san?" she asked.
"Just wanted to know what was so fascinating." I stated.
"Your tail. It moves so funny." The girl said and giggled. I smiled and nodded.
"Okay, but I think you should go to sleep now. You have a big day tomorrow." I said and lifted her back to her friends. The girl lay down and snuggled up against my scaled cowered belly. I used chakra to make the scales as warm and comfortable as possible. I stayed awake to keep guard, but nothing happened except one boy who cried for his parents in his sleep.
--
The next day I made some more food and after everyone had eaten, I started walking towards the nearest town. One of the women walked next to me. I understood she had been appointed the task of spokes woman for the group. Some of them were absolutely terrified of me, but that is understandable, so the only ones walking next to me were this woman, her name was Mira I think, and two brave children, one of them the girl who had been fascinated with my tail.
"Ryu-san, where are you taking us?" Mira asked. I had told them my name, but they insisted on calling me 'Ryu-san'.
"There is a town nearby. I thought I would lead you there. I can not help you much in rebuilding your lives, and you will be safe in that town." I replied, not looking at the woman. She stopped and started talking with the rest of the group. I didn't bother to stop right away, but after a good twenty meters I lay down and rested.
Twenty minutes later they all walked up to me. I was surprised that not only Mira came, mostly because fear was still evident in many faces.
"Ryu-san…" someone began
"We wish you to take us to Konoha." Mira finished. I looked around at the faces around me and yawned. I could feel the fear rising a little bit when they saw my teeth, but it feel again when I closed my mouth.
"You are sure of this?" I asked and Mira nodded.
"We feel we will be more safe in Konoha, and as you said, we have to rebuild our lives. Why not in Konoha?" she said and I nodded.
"Very well. If you wish to live in Konoha, then I am in no position to stop you. If you would just follow me please." I said and turned to walk in the direction I knew Konoha lay. This time however I was surrounded by the people I saved, and not only the three usual ones. Hiding my surprise, I continued walking. To me progress was slow, but the pace was probably fast for the little children and I allowed some of them to hitch a ride on my back, but only the smaller and the still injured ones. The rest had to walk for themselves. "It builds character." I simply said when Mira asked why I didn't let more of them ride on my back. She didn't ask again.
--
We stopped in a clearing in the forest we had been travelling in when the sun set. Once again I left to hunt, and when I came back I prepared my prey. I noted that the children adapted to my presence much more quickly than the women, and now all five children didn't show any signs of fear around me. The women was a bit nervous, but not afraid. Mira was still the person within the group that spent most time with me, but the girl who was so fascinated in my tail also spent a lot of time with me, a lot of it being watching my tail move. She never told me her name, but I didn't ask for it either.
When dinner was consumed, I told everyone to go to sleep, since I wanted to get an early start tomorrow. one of the boys protested, saying that he was a big boy and could stay up late. I told him that when he was as old as me, he could stay up as long as he wanted.
"How old are you then?" he asked.
"Three hundred years old." I replied, which was a lie, since I am several thousand years old. Exactly how old I am I have no idea. But the lie worked and the boy went to sleep with huge eyes of wonder. His mother, after checking that her son was asleep, asked me if I was serious when I answered, and I shook my head.
"No, I am so old I can't remember exactly. But I know I am older than three hundred years." I said. The woman was about to say something, but I waved my tail.
"I only said that to get your son to bed. I didn't mean any harm. Now I suggest you follow his example, since we will start at daybreak tomorrow." I finished and the woman, looking slightly deflated, went to sleep next to her son.
--
True to my word, we set out at sunrise the next day, and there was a lot of yawning on the way. I was deep in conversation with the women, who by now trusted me enough to walk beside me, when I sensed something.
"Oh crap. Gather the kids." I commanded and started taking in the surroundings, trying to find what spiked my senses. I could feel chakra signatures all around us, but they were faint and hidden.
"An ambush. Okay, here is what to do. Huddle together in a tight circle with the kids in the middle. When I tell you, run in that direction. Konoha is over there, and you should not stop until either you get exhausted, get to Konoha or I catch up. Okay?" I asked and Mira nodded. She gave out the instructions and I made a almost full circle around them with my body while I continued to try and pinpoint the exact location of out enemy.
"Dragon!" a voice rang out from the trees. Immediately I had locked on to the speaker but I didn't move.
"Give up those people you escort, and your life will be spared." The voice said. I snorted.
"And what do you plan to do with them if you get them?" I asked loudly. Some of the children flinched at the sound of my voice; the change from sounding human to a loud growl was a bit unnerving.
"We intend to kill them. why should you care? You are after all a dragon, a creature who kills for fun as well." The voice said. I could feel the surrounding shinobi closing in.
"Oh, you have a twisted picture of a dragon. We don't kill for fun. We kill those who deserve it, not others." I responded. The voice snorted.
"Even so, hand over those people now!" it commanded.
"Fine." I said and I could feel the shocked expressions from the people I protected. "If you want them, then fight for them. But first, where are you from? Which shinobi village should I send your remains to?" I asked and the voice laughed.
"We are from the hidden Cloud. Now, if you want to fight, we can always arrange that."
Then several voices called out: "Raiton: sky lightning." And bolts of lightning shot from the sky towards me and the group I protected. I quickly held my wings over them as a shield while I took the lightning full on. When the bolts stopped, I roared and fire erupted from my mouth.
"Katon: dragon mouth blast" I yelled and the fire enveloped the surrounding forest. Some yells of pain came, signifying I at least got two people.
"Now, move!" I said and the group, after giving me a weird look, took off towards Konoha.
"Stop them! Kill the dragon!" the voice ran out, and I nearly laughed. Vanishing in a blur, I reappeared behind a slightly fat Cloud ninja.
"Hum, too fat for my taste. I guess I will just kill you and not eat you." I said. the ninja whirled around but before he could say anything, I killed him with a well placed claw. Then I decided to go hunting.
"Summoning no jutsu" I said and three dragons appeared around me.
"Kaji, Raimei, Kori. We have a little hunting party here. There is about twenty ninja from the hidden Cloud. We are to kill them, but not any of the women and children fleeing towards Konoha. Got it?" I instructed.
"Hai Kin-Ryu-sama." They said and we ran into the forest in four different directions.
A couple of moments later, the group I was protecting heard the yells and moans from dying Cloud ninjas. Then I reappeared in front of them.
"Continue running. We are not safe here." I said and waited until the group, which I happily noted was whole, passed me and I followed. Then one after another, the three summoning dragons appeared beside me. Mira looked behind her and shrieked. She saw one golden dragon (me), a red dragon (Kaji), a yellowish dragon (Raimei) and a light blue dragon (Kori) following them. It took about four seconds before she recognised me and correctly assumed that the other dragons were with me. The other women of the group had similar reactions, and some were faster than Mira, some were slower at recognising me.
--
"Master, what is going on? Why are you protecting these people?" Kori asked me. I didn't look at her, but I told the groups story, about the destruction of their village, the kidnapping, torture and rape. When I was done, Kaji and Raimei nodded.
"I see. And they wanted to live in Konoha. I can understand their logic. Konoha is a safe place, and as good a place to start anew as any." Kaji said.
We didn't speak for a while before Kori appeared to make up her mind.
"Master, can I ask for permission to stay for a bit? It has been such a long time since we last saw you." She asked. I thought for a little while.
"Sure, why not? I would actually like the company. I have friends in Konoha, but none of them are dragons, and I was thinking about staying in dragon shape for a little while, at least a couple of days. Here, lay your wings on mine." I said and the three dragons did. Some of my golden chakra moved from my wings to theirs and into their bodies.
"Now you are linked to me. When I move back into my human shape, you will be dismissed. Until then, you can move free, but I suggest staying close." I said and Kaji, who ran next to me, nodded in thanks. Kori was about to say something, but I stopped her.
"There is no need for gratitude. I will enjoy your company." I said and Raimei chuckled.
"Master didn't even let her start saying thanks. Does he know Kori or what?" he said to Kaji, who chuckled as well.
--
The camp that night was a little strange. Four dragons lying so that they made a protective circle around a small group of women and children, the dragons ranging from fifteen to twenty meters long. Okay, very strange camp then, but the group being protected had never felt so safe. The fire Kaji made in the middle of the camp was good and strong, and no one was cold, except one boy who went to try and lie next to the light blue dragon. He got rather cold and I lifted him to Kaji.
"Kori is the ice dragon, so she is rather cold. Try lying next to Kaji. He is warm enough." I said and the boy tried to nod, but shivered horribly instead.
When everyone of the humans was asleep, the dragons had a quiet conversation.
"Master, do you know when the war will start?" Raimei asked. I shook my head.
"No, not exactly. I know it won't be long though. My sister asked to come visit, and once I have brought these people back to Konoha, I am going to pick up Kibo. I am going to ask her to be my alarm. When the war starts, I want her to send me a letter. Before that letter arrives, Ryu-kuni has to manage on their own. So I won't have any means of knowing when the war starts without Kibo." I said and Kori laid her head down on her front claws.
"I don't like this situation. Even you face serious threat from that war. What should we do?" she asked.
"When I call you, you come and help fight those that I ask you to fight. The rest is up to me. But you are right, the chance of death is very high, even for me. But that doesn't matter right now. Let's just enjoy our time of peace." I said and lay down to sleep. I hadn't caught a moments rest since I found the bandits, and I really needed some sleep.
"I hope you three can manage guard duty, since I think I won't wake up for some time." I said and yawned. Kaji and Raimei looked at each other while Kori gently shook her head.
"Sleep master. We'll guard." She said and I smiled as I fell asleep.
--
When I woke up, I smelled food. I opened my eyes to see a little girl sitting on my nose.
"Finally! He's awake." She yelled and jumped of, running towards her mother.
"Master, you slept right trough the morning. When was the last time you slept?" Kori asked, appearing next to me.
"Almost a week ago. What time is it?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"Almost noon. Here, have some rabbit." Kaji said and handed me a roasted rabbit. I ate and sighed.
"We are behind schedule. Is everyone ready to move?" I asked and received only nods.
"Good, let's go then. Oh, by the way. Thanks for the food. It felt good." I said and we started walking towards Konoha again.
After two hours of walking, I sent Raimei to Konoha to tell Tsunade about the former hostages coming.
--
Three hours later, ANBU escorts came and accompanied us back to Konoha. The group of former hostages felt a bit awkward with the men in black cloaks and animal masks. I didn't feel bothered, but my three fellow dragons seemed a bit interested in the strange men. After a while, we saw the gates of Konoha.
"Well, inside those gates, my duty towards you will be finished, and you will be on your own. Well, not completely. The Hokage is going to help, but I won't. Sorry but it is reality. If you want, I can check in on you sometimes, or if you have something to ask for you can come see me. But I hope you won't need me anymore." I said and the group nodded sadly. Mira was about to say something when we spotted someone standing in front of the gates.
"Hokage-sama. Good day." I said cheerfully as I approached my older sister.
"Chikara, good to see you. I see you accomplished your mission. I am glad, and I hope those bastards got what they deserved." Tsunade said and I bowed.
"Hai Hokage-sama." I said simply and she smiled in reply. Saying goodbye to the group, I, Kaji, Kori and Raimei walked towards my apartment. The dragons were a bit surprised about the lack of stares we got.
"Um, master? Why is everyone so calm about us? I thought the people in Konoha would be at least a bit surprised at the presence of four dragons." Kaji said.
"They aren't surprised since I walk trough Konoha in dragon shape quite often. They have got used to it. Ah, here we are." I said as we reached the apartment.
"We have to shrink a little before we can go in. Okay?" I asked and we shrunk into dog sized dragons.
--
Sakura, Hinata, Naruto and Temari sat around the living room table when the door opened and a red, a light blue and a yellow dragon walked in. The four ninjas looked puzzled but when the golden dragon entered as well, the first to react was Temari, who jumped up and rushed towards the golden dragon.
--
"Hello Temari-chan. It's good to see you again." I said when she ran up to me and hugged me. I wrapped my wigs around her and lifted her onto my back.
"Hello everyone. How are you?" I said to the other three people in the apartment.
"You're late. Didn't realise that mission of yours would take so long." Sakura said. I chuckled slightly.
"Nice to see you as well Sakura." I said and she was about to say something when she noticed my grin. She sat down and pouted a bit.
"Sorry, but I can't stay. Where is Namida-chan?" I asked. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other.
"She is at the Hyuuga mansion. She and Hanabi have become real good friends, and they are almost inseparable now. Why?" Hinata said, and I gently shook my head.
"Oh, I just wondered. She is about to meet her aunt. I only came here to get Temari-chan, and leave again. We are going to pick up my sister. She wants to visit us, and Tsunade-onesan accepted." I explained. Temari, still lying on my back, nuzzling my wings, tightened her grip on me.
"Oh, you should hurry then. She probably is waiting for you now. Now be off with you. I want to see your sister again." Sakura said, rose from her seat and made shooing motions with her hands. I chuckled and walked out. Kaji and Raimei followed but Kori stayed behind. She said she wanted to see Konoha for herself. I didn't object, and we flew towards Ryu-kuni. After turning back into our regular sizes of course.
--
Flying towards Ryu-kuni was a rather boring event. Temari was the only reason I didn't fall asleep on the way.
I had just finished telling her about my latest mission.
"Those bastards. I hope you killed them painfully. But I think you could have been nicer to those poor hostages. It sounded as if you were rather harsh." Temari said, and playfully hit me.
"What? I wasn't…was I?" I said, running the sequence of events over in my head again.
"Oh, I was a bit harsh. Ops." I said and scratched my head. Temari chuckled at me.
"Just make sure to be a bit nicer next time, okay?" she said.
"I hope it won't be a next time." I replied. Temari didn't say anything to that.
--
We landed by the palace after dark, and the guards let us in. Who were they to refuse the golden dragon? Immediately we went to see the king. I had a feeling my sister would be there.
"So, neither of you have any suggestions as to what we should do when the war starts?" the king asked his advisors, who all shook their head.
"No my lord. All our plans were based on Kin-Ryu-sama and his power. Now that he is living in Konoha, all our plans are useless." One advisor said. At that moment, the doors opened and I walked in with Temari on my back and Kaji and Raimei flanking me.
"Hello. How are you, your majesty? I am here to pick up Kibo for her little vacation." I said and bowed to the king. He looked shocked, and the advisors were stunned as well.
"Hello Kin-Ryu-sama. How are you?" the king said hesitantly.
"Oh, I am well. As you see, I can turn into my true dragon form now." I said happily. The king looked at me before he turned to one of his guards.
"Go get my daughter." He commanded and the guard bowed and vanished.
"Kin-Ryu-sama. What do you plan to do with the war brewing?" one of the advisors asked hesitantly.
"I have a plan, but I don't intend to tell it. Plans told without caution tend to become enemy knowledge. But I can tell you that I plan to have someone tell me when the war starts, and then come to fight." I said and the advisors looked at each other.
"You don't trust us?" one of them asked.
"No, I don't." I simply said. At the king's questioning look I sighed.
"I don't know these men personally, and I don't want to read them. I'm not here to lay plans for the war. I'm just here for princess Kibo." I said, and the king nodded.
"Very well. She has been very exited about the prospect of visiting Konoha and her big brother. Just, don't let anything happen to her. Okay?" he said and I nodded.
"I won't. She will be quite safe your majesty." I said. The king and Temari looked a little unnerved at the change in way I spoke to the man who was my father a few years ago.
Then Kibo walked into the throne room along with the guard and the queen. They both looked a little puzzled before they saw the three dragons. Then they separated in expressions. Kibo still looked puzzled, but also a bit afraid. 'Why did father summon three dragons. One of them a…ah. I see.' She thought as she understood who the golden dragon was. The queen had realised right away, and went to give the king of dragons a hug.
"Hello your majesty" I said and stroked the queen's back with one of my wings. She stiffened and pulled away.
"Your majesty? Are you really Chikara?" she asked. I laughed and nodded.
"Of course. How many golden dragons do you know?" I asked and she looked at me with narrowed eyes.
"Then why the formality?" she asked.
"Actually I wondered that as well." The king joined in.
"Yeah, why master? I thought you were their superior?" Kaji asked. Raimei nodded. Kibo didn't say anything but she stood in front of me and examined me. I looked at the two dragons before turning back to the king and queen (who had sat down on the thrones) and Kibo, who was still examining me closely.
"That's true, but I don't feel like pulling rank now. I just got back from a difficult mission, and I want to get home and catch some sleep. Are you ready to go?" I asked Kibo. She shook her head.
"No, wait a bit please. I'll go and pack, if it is okay with you?" she said towards her parents. They nodded and she ran towards the doors.
"Kibo, wait. Take Raimei with you. He can help you carry your things." I said and the yellow dragon nodded.
"As you wish master." He said and followed the girl.
I turned back to the people still looking at me closely.
"It seems we have a little while before I leave." I said and laid down.
"Tell me, what plans do you have for the war?" I asked. The king was about to say something when I waved a claw towards the advisors and guards.
"Please, tell them to leave. This should be discussed in private." I said and said people left without order from the king or queen.
"Well, we don't have a plan. That is the problem. All our previous plans were based on you living here." The king said.
"Ah, I see. Well, that goes against my plan. You see, I intend to test Ryu-kuni. How and why I am not going to tell you, but it has something to do with the aftermath of the war. Whatever result the war has. What I intend to tell you is this:
I am going to leave now that Kibo is ready, and return when she wants to go home. Then I will leave again. On this visit, I will give Kibo a mission, a mission you are not to ask her about. When she completes that mission, my judgement over Ryu-kuni will be made. Then I will fight in the war. What you must do is make Ryu-kuni ready for war, and ready to fight. If the war starts before I get here, then you just have to fight and hang on until I get here. Okay?" I explained. The king and queen exchanged glances before the nodded.
"As you wish. I take it this plan of yours is going to save us no mater what." The king said. I didn't reply. Just then Kibo ran in and Raimei followed with a rather large bag on his back.
"Okay, I'm ready!" she yelled and I nodded and stood up.
"Alright then, shall we go?" I asked. Kibo ran up to her parents and gave them a hug before she ran up to me.
"Okay, I'm ready." She said and I nodded.
--
We walked out of the palace accompanied by the king and queen and once outside the gates, the king and queen said goodbye to their daughter again and instructed me to take care of her.
"Of course I will take care of her. who do you think I am? Don't answer." I said and kneeled down in front of Kibo.
"You want me to ride you?" she asked. I nodded and she climbed up with a bit grin on her face.
"Look daddy, I'm riding the golden dragon." She said and I rolled my eyes.
"Okay, we're off." I said and flew up.
"Take care, and listen to Kin-Ryu-sama!" the queen yelled up to her daughter.
"I will!" Kibo yelled back as she waved.
"Now off to Konoha." I said when Raimei and Kaji came up on my sides. They nodded and we speed of.
