The seductive Kunoichi Fuuka is back from the dead! She wants to take revenge on the blond-haired brat who dared to expose her best-kept secret and defeat her in battle years ago. Much has happened since then but the story of the attractive woman, whose beguiling charm had brought many strong opponents to their knees, also continues...
Fuuka's Last Kiss
Chapter XXII - Night - Part IV
"Ugh - Manual labour, not my cup of tea." - Fuuka
The path was clear.
The Anbu fighters who were on their side had made sure that the two Kunoichi could find their way to the Hokage's estate undisturbed. The units of Konoha still seemed to be busy getting an overview of the situation, which was why they paid little attention to the approaching danger to their Hokage in the form of Fuuka. Apart from that, the masked warriors who had attacked them seemed to be more threatening to the Leaf Ninjas than a young and attractive woman. Fuuka saw no benefit in giving a dangerous, threatening impression. On the contrary, she wanted people to feel comfortable in her presence. Hisame was also with her - still. Her presence seemed superfluous to Fuuka. It bothered her, even if her companion was not particularly talkative, which was not surprising considering the fact that the two of them were in the middle of a thoroughly dangerous mission. Although they were walking along one of the main central ways of the village, which led to the Hokage's estate, a strange, disconcerting silence could be discerned around them, broken only now and then by distant explosions and other sounds of battle.
"It seems like things are heating up" observed Hisame and sighed. "It's almost a shame that I'm not part of the action."
Fuuka, who had so far been enjoying the silent walk to the Hokage's estate and was already imagining how she was going to have her vengeance at the blond-haired brat - in every nasty detail imagineable - when she reached him, glanced fleetingly at Hisame.
"Why? After all, it's a positive thing when you have others to do the work for you – when they're competent enough, of course. It sets you apart from them. It means you stay above them."
"It means that I be bored to death. Good Ninja's always put their skills on trial - that's the only way one can develop as a Ninja."
"That goes for those people whose skills are not yet proven to be effective."
Fuuka ran her hand through her hair and smiled.
"Mine are. I don't need to be tested," she said.
Hisame snorted.
"If you were that good, we wouldn't be here today, would we? After all, that boy had beaten you back then, right?"
Fuuka grabbed Hisame by the arm. Her smug smile was gone from her face.
"Tzz."
She glared angrily at the brown-haired woman - apparently her words struck a nerve, which was why the red-haired Kunoichi reacted irritably to the factually correct statement. Fuuka was defeated by Naruto. If she had won then, she would not be seeking revenge now. Not only would her own history have been different; probably the whole Shinobi world would have looked different too, had Naruto's story come to an end that night, which it almost did. But just almost.
"Watch your mouth! No one has asked for your op-"
"We don't have time for this," Hisame insisted with a sober expression.
Fuuka's anger gradually receded from her face. She had forgotten herself again while Hisame was right again. Now was not the time for such banalities. They could not waste time – her stunned prey was waiting for them, and that prey would not remain in this state forever. The two Kunoichi started moving again, this time with faster steps than before.
Fuen was enjoying herself as she watched her artwork unfold before her eyes and become reality. Her landscape-altering Jutsu had destroyed many buildings in Konoha, but she did not see the destructive nature of her art as negative at all: the old had to be destroyed to make space for the new.
"Huhuhuhu - isn't it beautiful, Sai? Even more beautiful than I could have imagined." Fuen's blue eyes sparkled. "Reality always triumph over fiction. I recreated this place."
Sai stared at Fuen's "art". The contours of the village had changed significantly. At least from up here, the village was almost unrecognisable. He had already created countless works of art of his own, even if his art was not really comparable to what was happening that night. He had a whole gallery of completed drawings. But most of these works did not even have names. He couldn't name them then, when he created his works, because names usually expressed the feelings the artist had while creating them. But Sai felt nothing. One nameless work after another joined his collection without his insensitivity changing. His latest creations, however, had names. Sai had changed by now. Fuen drew as well, but in his eyes her pictures were uncreative and monotonous, even if he would never dare expressing that opinion directly. He looked at her and could now quite understand the broad grin on her face - as an expression of her euphoria and enthusiasm - even if it was not the feeling he seemed to be feeling at that moment.
"They are putting up more resistance than we have anticipated," Sai stated.
"They're not yet aware of the hopelessness of their efforts. Their devotion and loyalty to their village inspires them and gives them strength. After all, this is the village they know and love. Their home."
Fuen lifted the brush Sai had given her again.
"Huhuhuhu - let's see if their love and devotion will still be as strong when their home is no longer recognisable. That should put a significant damper on their morale, even before Fuuka deprived them of their oh-so-beloved Hokage," she added.
The brush touched the paper again, and Sai's pitch-black eyes witnessed another block being razed to the ground below. He could feel the tremor that resulted under his feet.
"SHANNARO!"
Fuen dropped her brush in shock as she heard a loud roar behind her. Sai reflexively grabbed his weapon on his back and turned around. He could see one of the Anbu fighters on guard being hurled several metres through the air before his body hit a rock. The force of the blow was so strong that the man's mask was instantly shattered, as was the boulder against which he then crashed. A little girl remained in attack posture. Actually, she should not have stood a chance against him - apparently the man was as surprised as Sai had been at that moment. She inhaled and exhaled deeply and hastily - apparently that move had cost her quite a bit of strength and taken some of her energy. Her red glasses were crooked on her nose.
"Sarada!?"
Why is she here? She should be with the others. In fact, she shouldn't be here at all.
The girl looked at the young man and seemed almost as surprised to find him here as the reverse seemed to be the case.
"Sai?"
"What are you doing here?"
The girl, who appeared to go by the name Sarada and had short black hair, adjusted her glasses with her hand.
"I could ask you the same thing."
Fuen picked up the brush she had dropped in fright and placed it carefully beside the open scroll in front of her. Then she stepped up to Sai.
"You know this child?"
Sai nodded.
"This is Sakura and Sasuke's daughter, Sarada. It's the only child they have. She just became a Genin a few days ago."
Fuen's gaze rested on Sarada. Slowly, a smile spread across her lips.
"Oh really? Hehehehe – excellent. Shouldn't kids like you be in bed and sleeping by now?"
Sarada straightened her back, trying to give a confident impression and demonstrate that Fuen's words did not intimidate her, but she was up against people who were not only much older than the young Uchiha girl, but also clearly more experienced in combat. Nevertheless, Sarada's determination seemed to displease the woman - Fuen looked visibly annoyed.
"You're so annoying. I despise girls!" she remarked. She drew her eyebrows together. "Normally, I would have been very angry right now that you dared to disturb me with your sassy demeanour and presence, but you actually come in quite handy."
Sai looked at his leader in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
Sai raised his eyebrows.
"You don't want to..."
"And what if I do?", Fuen said.
"She's just a child. She's not really a danger. Just let me-"
Fuen narrowed her eyes and looked suspiciously at Sai, who then abruptly fell silent.
"I'll decide what we do with her. And I have no intention of letting her escape - or sparing her."
"As - as you wish." said Sai in a resigned, submissive voice, lowering his head.
Fuen, meanwhile, turned to Sarada. She closed her eyes and tilted her head down a little.
"I wonder how your mother will feel when she finds out what happened to you. I'm sure she won't be pleased."
Sarada swallowed hard - Fuen's deep voice and threatening tone certainly seemed to have made an impression on the young girl. A wisp of grey, dark cloud slowly settled in front of the moon, making the surroundings seem even darker than they had been anyway on that night. Then she froze as Fuen's eyes opened again and stared menacingly at her. Fuen's red eyes shined brighter than the moon before, which was now hiding.
"SHARINGAN!"
They were almost there. Not only was the Hokage's estate so close that it was difficult to miss the large building, but the noises have increased significantly. It seemed as if fierce battles were taking place at the estate. That was not actually part of the plan. The plan was for Fuuka to go about her critical task undisturbed.
"Of course," Fuuka remarked. "As things seem I may have to fight my way to the boy."
"Maybe not. If Fuen's people keep them properly contained, we should theoretically be able to just sneak past them."
"Huh? What happened with the thing you spoke about? 'Putting your skills on trial' and so on?"
Hisame smiled, closed her eyes and tilted her head to the floor.
"It's just because of the specific nature of our task. Believe me: it wasn't easy for me to acknowledge that earlier either, but a good Ninja knows that sometimes you're forced to restrain your own interests and needs for the sake of the mission."
Fuuka looked to Hisame. She suppressed the urge to frown. Even though, strictly speaking, Hisame might be right: Fuuka's Ninja Way was different though. She would never put the interests of the collective above her own and sometimes even risk blowing a mission if she saw a personal advantage and benefit in it for herself - until one day Furido called her on her vanity and admonished her. Fuuka obeyed him to a certain extent, but only because working with him seemed to pay off in the long run and she respected Furido as a person - and also feared his anger. Fuuka's gaze returned to the Hokage's estate. She looked up. The building was only a block away - soon she would be there. Fuuka clenched her fists and looked seriously and resolutely at the part of the building where she thought Naruto's office was.
I promised you a kiss, boy, didn't I? But this time it will be the last one; The lips of yours will be mine!
44 years earlier...
Sakumo could not believe his eyes. A woman was pressing the Suna-Nin he had just spared against the sandstone-coloured wall of the fortress he had infiltrated with his comrades. It looked as if they were kissing. They were in one of the few still manned fortifications on the border. There used to be a few border posts on both sides - it wasn't the first time Shinobi Nations fought each other, and the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire was considered one of the best-guarded borders in the Shinobi world. The enmity between Konoha and Suna went way back and the rifts between the two Hidden Villages ran deep. But Sakumo was convinced that these scars would eventually heal, which pierced this world and the hearts of those who inhabited it. It was only a matter of will - and time. The Shinobi of the other villages fostered the same loyalty and love for their friends and families as he did. For his village - and for his son, Kakashi, of course. It was easy for him to muster the necessary empathy and put himself in these people's shoes. He had always been a man of compassion and never harboured personal resentment towards his enemies who were victims of the conflicting circumstances and political machinations in which they found themselves. They were all victims. He detested the world as it was, but he accepted it and tried to make the best of it without rejecting his humanity. If he could avoid taking lives, he did so. But apparently not everyone thought like him. Apparently his mercy had not been able to save the two: the lifeless body of the previously merely injured Kunoichi lay on the floor. Some sunlight filtered in through the destroyed wall on the other side of the room - Sakumo could see her face. His chest almost ached with sadness when he saw the picture lying next to her body: the two had been a couple. And if that wasn't heartbreaking enough for him, they even had a son who would grow up without a mother - and without a father, it seemed. Sakumo knew he was too late. His instincts rarely fooled him; it was no ordinary kiss this strange woman gave him.
"Who are you?"
As Sakumo stepped closer, he saw the Shinobi's eyes were wide open, but his gaze looked hollow and empty, like a corpse whose eyelids had not yet been closed. A sight Sakumo had seen too often - unfortunately. On closer inspection, he recognised lines of blue Chakra running through his face. But they were also visible on other parts of his body, such as his hands.
I have never seen anything like that before. A strange technique, that's for sure.
The woman, who had her back to him, took her hands from his face and her victim fell to the ground in front of her.
"Hehehehe - and I was hoping my presence would go unnoticed."
Sakumo's gaze fell on the Suna-Nin. He looked as lifeless as his female comrade. Then his eyes wandered around the room.
I don't see any signs of battle anywhere. Maybe they didn't have a chance to fight back - or something else happened - very strange, all of it.
"But I won't complain," she added as she turned around. Sakumo looked into the stranger's face. Her appearance did not remind him at all of what he was used to seeing when it came to Ninjas, but he had learned not to reduce people to their appearance. Behind the obvious façade there was usually more than met the eye.
"You don't belong to the people of Sunagakure - and you don't belong to us either."
The strange woman folded her arms in front of her chest.
"How perceptive!"
The woman ran her turquoise eyes along his body, eyeing the white-haired Shinobi intently. Then she smiled.
"You make quite a passable impression. You must be very strong. What do you think – you wanna become a part of my collection too?"
Sakumo furrowed his brow in confusion.
"Your what?"
She wiped a hand through a long strand of her red hair that fell to her chest.
"I'm sure I could do a lot of enjoyable things with your body. You'd be in good hands with me."
What is this weird chick rambling about?
Sakumo was puzzled by her enigmatic words. It was extremely rare for him not to know what was going on. He was a good judge of character - he could size others up very well. But for some reason he seemed to find that difficult with her. The stranger walked slowly towards him, visibly intent on maintaining eye contact at all costs.
"I'm sure a man like you have made many woman quite happy in the past, am I not right?"
"What, I - uh..."
Usually Sakumo knew what to say, what to do - but at this moment, even the legendary White Fang of the Leaf seemed unsure about how to react to the situation.
"I'm sure it's like that. I'm pretty good at sorting things like this out, you know?"
Sakumo's mouth was open. His irritated gaze was fixed on the woman. He lost himself in her eyes - a strange feeling spread through him, as if his body was whispering to his mind that it would be futile to struggle and resist her.
"I'm good at other things too," the red-haired stranger added. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"
He couldn't take his eyes off her face as her eyes grew bigger and bigger the closer the woman got to him, until finally he could see his near-panic expression reflected in her eyes. With all the mental strength and discipline he could muster, he then managed to avert his gaze from her. It certainly wasn't some kind of Gen-Jutsu, he would have noticed...
"What... kind of... technique... is that?"
He noticed the sweat that had formed on his forehead and was being absorbed by his headband. It felt heavier than before because of the accumulated moisture. The woman stopped in front of him.
"Hehehehehe - technique? No technique at all." She moistered her lips with her tongue. "It is merely your desire for me."
Sakumo dared to look at her again and saw the woman's face approaching him menacingly. Her turquoise eyes caught his uncertain gaze. Then her red, glossy lips opened.
"Now comes your last kiss..."
Sakumo's mouth also opened slowly to allow her entrance. He intended to give himself to her - what could happen? But then, at the last crucial moment, his mind seemed to take control of his actions again. He was able to oppress his sensation and lust for what was about to happen. He grabbed the woman by her upper arms.
"Not... with... me!"
He threw the woman aside, but she kept her footing. Visibly unimpressed - almost disappointed - she looked at him.
"Don't you want to feel my body? Your limbs crave my warmth, don't they?"
"I don't know what game you're playing..."
With a nimble movement of his right arm, a Kunai suddenly appeared in his hand.
"... but do not think you can beat me that easily."
She drew her eyebrows together.
"Apparently you don't appreciate a woman's offer when it's presented to you. My first impression of you had been quite positive though - what a shame."
"I can imagine that the poor guy hasn't been the only one to fall for that so far. But if you want to beat me, you'll have to come up with something better than that."
Sakumo tilted his head down.
"I do not know who you are, or who sent you, or for what reason you are here, but I will just give you one chance to surrender."
A Kunai also appeared in her hand as an answer to that offer. She lowered her gaze as well.
"You're getting on my nerves, old man."
Without another word, the woman threw herself at him. She aimed her Kunai towards his throat, but Sakumo was able to parry the iron blade with his own Ninja knife and then launched a counterattack, but the woman expertly dodged it - there was no doubt now; she was a Kunoichi. During the exchange of attacks, Sakumo noticed that her attacks with the Kunai became increasingly wild and imprecise - an indication that she was becoming more and more impatient the longer the fight went on. When his Kunai lightly grazed her hair, she backed away - almost in panic.
"How dare you!? - Wind-Style: Scattering Flower Dance!"
A wind vortex studded with pink flowers suddenly came flying towards Sakumo, but the Shinobi had enough time to dodge, but then his black eyes recognized that the woman had disappeared. Only he and the two lifeless bodies of the Suna-Nin were in the relatively narrow, moderately lit room now. Then, suddenly, he felt a hand grab him by his upper left arm; her arm protruded from the wall behind him and held him until her remaining body emerged from the wall.
"You have mastered two Chakra natures. Wind and Earth. Impressive. Not every Ninja can say that."
The woman gave Sakumo a fleeting but sinister smile before glaring at him grimly.
"Lightning-Style: Electric Needle Spark!"
What? She can use lightning too? She can use three Chakra elements?
Glaring branches of lightning travelled from her head, over her shoulder and then down her right arm before the electricity finally reached Sakumo's body.
"ARGH!"
Sakumo squeezed his eyes shut in pain as his knees weakened and his legs could no longer hold him. He slumped and fell head over to the ground.
"Hehehehehe - very good. That's how I like you the most: lying in the dirt infront of me."
He felt the Kunoichi kick against his side and him on his back. He could still feel the heat on his skin and underneath it. His body ached from the inside, as it did from the outside. Then he opened his eyes again - Sakumo was startled to find that her face had approached him once again. When he felt her cold breath on his warm skin, something happened that he had not thought possible: he finally lost control of himself.
"What-a!? What do you think you're doing?"
He grabbed her neck with one hand and her chest with the other. As his body came off the ground, Sakuma threw the woman to the other side of himself, so that the roles and positions were now practically reversed.
"W-What-"
The Kunoichi looked completely perplexed.
"You were right."
Sakumo smiled as the Kunoichi still stared at him in complete bewilderment.
"Huh? About what?"
"I have made many woman happy."
The woman tried to pull away from him, but his strong hands held her arms to the ground. Her resistance was gradually weakening.
Sakumo Hatake smiled.
Author's note: I know, I know. I know what you want to say. That's why I decided to make this chapter a bit longer as usual. I hope you enjoy the content. And thank you again for being patient with me! We're getting closer, gals and boyz. Until then; Comments are always welcome - see ya in the next chapter!