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 XIV - The Waterfall Village - Part III
"There is so much you don't know yet - about women!" - Fuuka
34 years earlier...
Fuuka was on the run.
She barely managed to stay on her feet as she strolled through the dark forest she found herself in. While slowly angling her way from tree trunk to tree trunk, she couldn't help but think back to the confrontation with the 'Yellow Flash of Konoha'. Not only the fact that this fight had cost her a lot of strength and Chakra to begin with; in a short period of time her opponent was able to destroy two of her bodies.
This unbelievable strength, this speed... How is that possible?
Fuuka thought a lot of herself, especially when it came to her skills as a Ninja. The fact that this Minato was able to defeat her so easily damaged her self-confidence. She possessed the power to access all five Chakra elements - even the best Jonin of the Hidden Shinobi Villages usually mastered two elements only. Furthermore, she had access to a dozen powerful Jutsus of various kinds - she could use the skills of Ninjas who succumbed to her abilities or her charm in the past. But none of this was able to help her in the fight against Minato Uzumaki. But not only that; this guy also seemed to have figured out how all this was possible for her in no time as he took her hair in his hand and alluded to its peculiarity.
How... How could that be?
The fact that he had let her go didn't really make sense to her either.
Why had he done that?
Minato's decision seemed somehow related to the specialness of her hair, but she couldn't make sense of it.
Was it a mistake to trust him?
An outcast Shinobi from Konoha, who, just like her now, was on the run, had approached her. This man, who went by the name of 'Furido', held radical views. His partly idealistic, partly imperialistic ideas about the future of the country met with little approval - not even from the feudal lord. He had approached the Daimyō and tried to get him to question Konoha's authority in military matters and the legitimacy of the Hokage in general. Furido wanted to see the Land of Fire united under one banner because, in his view, only as a united country, under a single leader, could the Land of Fire thrive and hold its own ground against its enemies. Fuuka was there when he received a clear 'No' from the Daimyō, even though he had previously seemed to like his radical ideas. But an internal conflict in this politically highly unstable situation seemed too risky for him. After Furido had to realise that he would not be able to achieve his goal with that particular feudal lord, he apparently assumed that he might have better luck with his successor.
He tried to get rid of the feudal lord, but the assassination attempt failed; he had not reckoned with the appearance of Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the Third Hokage, as well as a member of the Twelve Guardian Ninja - the elite unit to which Furido had previously belonged - nor with the extraordinary abilities of one of the Daimyō's personal bodyguards, Fuuka. Furido failed in his quest, but he himself and his ambitious goals survived.
Furido, who was presumed dead, kept a low profile, but he did not hesitate to approach the red-haired Kunoichi when he found her alone in Tanzaku village: "I want you to join me."
Fuuka had apparently left a lasting impression on the fugitive - in any case, this meeting was no coincidence. She neither shared nor was particularly interested in Furido's political views, but his intransigence impressed her - and it took a lot to impress Fuuka. She saw a fire burning in him, a desire for power and expansionism - something she could identify with. It seemed clear to her that he would walk over dead bodies and burn whole towns to ashes to achieve his goal. She wanted to be there when it happens, and if she got the chance to add a body or two to her collection along the way to become even more stronger, then all the better.
But Fuuka's first mission - making Konoha believe that the Daimyō had turned against them - failed when she was overpowered by Minato, and now she found herself in this unfortunate situation. Had she made a mistake? Had she trusted the wrong guy?
The sun was setting, and Fuuka could go no further. The weight of her body and her doubts were too great. She dropped her knees to the forest floor and leaned against the nearest tree trunk - she felt lost, abandoned. She didn't even notice how her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier and falling shut, but by the time she became aware of it and wrenched her eyes open again, it was already deep in the night. Furido was standing in front of her.
In the present...
"Lightning-Style: Earth Flash!"
After making the required finger signs, Fuuka spread her fingers, and small bolts of lightning discharged from her fingertips, which Kakashi had to react to if he didn't want to be shocked to death by the electricity. Her Jutsu seemed to have a limited range, so Kakashi managed to get to safety in time. But Fuuka didn't intend to leave it at just one attack.
"Fire-Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
"What?"
Kakashi's only visible eye widened. Not due to the fact that the strange Kunoichi was apparently able to access a second Chakra element - it was not ubiquitous among experienced Jonin, but it was not at all uncommon.
This Jutsu...
What puzzled him was the specific Jutsu she was using. This Jutsu was a technique of the Uchiha clan that was passed down from generation to generation. Only members of the clan - and close friends who had the privilege of being taught by them - knew how to use this technique.
How on earth did she...
Another thought crept into his mind.
Did she really know... my father?
Kakashi skillfully dodged the hail of fire.
"You're fast, but that won't safe you."
Kakashi pushed his thoughts and reflections aside. Now was not the time to deal with that; he had to concentrate on the here and now.
The cave wasn't particularly narrow, but there were only two paths leading one way, or the other. He would have to fight this stranger, or flee. But escape might also prove difficult; after all, he was not particularly familiar with the layout of this underground network of caves that stretched beneath the entire village; without an escort, he certainly would not have found his way to Hisame's cell. He was practically trapped in this labyrinth. Apart from that, escape was out of the question anyway; Kakashi hadn't gotten his answers he wanted yet. It seemed evident to assume that this person was in cahoots with Hisame. And, besides all of that, he's Kakashi Hatake.
"I'm not just fast."
Kakashi formed finger signs - at a speed Fuuka had only seen Fuen do before.
"Fire-Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
A huge ball of flames and fire emerged, and it almost seemed as if the Jonin's breath was making it grow bigger and bigger, like a big, yellow-orange balloon into which he was blowing air and which was inflating more and more as a result.
"Water-Style: Mouth of the Serpent!"
Kakashi raised his eyebrows in wonder.
"What, water too?"
Kakashi knew few who could use more than two Chakra natures most of the time, including himself, but his access to other elements is limited and without his Sharingan - which he had from Obito - this would not have been possible for the famous 'Copy Ninja' of Konoha. But this woman played out one element after another, like cards she laid on the table. The Kunoichi created a giant viper out of water that launched itself headlong at the Jonin's ball of flame. Hisame backed away as the clash of Jutsus made a loud hiss. The interaction of fire and water caused the temperature in this section of the cave to rise abruptly, as if they were suddenly in a boiler of steam. Kakashi could barely make anything out. Normally, the activation of his Sharingan would be quite helpful in such a situation, but he had already used his special gift and a second use would cost him too much Chakra - Chakra he would surely need; his opponent was not bad, that much seemed certain to him. As the vapour slowly cleared, his vision cleared - but it was already too late; He saw the Kunoichi running towards him with an outstretched arm from which lightning was discharging. Before he could react, her fist was punched into his abdomen and the lightning into his body.
"Gotcha!"
She smiled confidently at him.
"I must say I thought the son of the 'White Fang of the Leaf' would be stronger."
Suddenly she startled as she became aware of a deafening, electric interlude - for this sound was not caused by her Jutsu; it was much louder and brighter. She looked down and saw the electricity concentrating in Kakashi's hand to such an extent that she could feel the heat of the resulting energy on her own skin - just like the sweat forming on it. The sound emanating from this Jutsu was reminiscent of birds chirping.
"Don't underestimate me, lady."
The woman's eyes and lips widened as she lifted her head again and looked up at the masked Shinobi's covered face. Even the harsh, blinding blue-white light his Jutsu produced did not allow a view of his face.
"Your lightning is nothing compared to mine – Chidori!"
Kakashi raised his hand to be able to ram his special Jutsu into her body, but before he was able to, he felt a blade at his throat.
"I would be careful what I do next, Sensei."
The voice was all too familiar to Kakashi, he could instantly match it to someone very close to him.
"Sai!?"
His voice sounded incredulous.
"What are you doing?"
Sai moved his wrist slightly and the sharp side of his blade was now scratching Kakashi's skin. The flashes grew quieter and their light dimmer.
"What is necessary."
Kakashi hesitated, but then he seemed to want to say something, but Sai didn't allow him to answer; he delivered a blow to the back of his head with the blunt end of his Tantō. Kakashi's unconscious body slumped, but was caught by Sai, who carefully leaned his old Sensei against the wall. Fuuka seemed relieved, but then her eyebrows drew together.
"What took you so long?"
"We were delayed. A couple of guards were kind enough to point out the security procedures down here."
Sumire stepped up to the two and lowered her gaze to the white-haired man.
"I wonder what reason he was sent here for?"
Sai glanced at Kakashi, but remained silent.
"After all, he was here before the attack on the village leader happened," Sumire added.
"Perhaps he was on a diplomatic mission. It's not uncommon for allied villages to send advisors to each other as an exchange of knowledge for mutual benefit," Sai speculated.
"Or Kakashi was sent to encourage Shibuki in his decision to withdraw his people from the border."
"Yes, you could be right about that."
Sumire maked a thoughtful face.
"But when I think about it, it doesn't make that much sense either, after all, it was just a ruse on our part; that Shibuki hadn't even sent his people to the border yet should have been obvious when Kakashi entered the village."
Fuuka leaned down to him.
"Whatever the reason was, one thing is clear..."
She lifted his downturned face and reached for his mask.
"... in a moment, I will take his body!"
"No!"
Suddenly a force pulled on her shoulder and pushed her back.
"You won't! We may need him."
Sai looked confident and determined, just as he had before in the forest before they entered Taki. Fuuka wanted to protest loudly at this decision, but she suppressed that impulse when she realised how serious he was and desisted, even though she could not conceal her annoyance; her bitter expression said more than a thousand words.
"Are you guys done?"
Suddenly the trio became aware of a woman's voice behind them.
"I'd like to get out of here. This humid climate down here is not good for my skin."
Hisame was still under lock and key, although her outfit might seem rather unusual - not only for a prisoner, but also for a Ninja. She wore a strapless pink-coloured corset, navy-blue skin-tights pants, a flowing jacket that bared her shoulders and earrings in the same colour scheme. Usually Ninja try to blend in with their surroundings, but Hisame's stylish outfit screamed: "Look at me, everybody! Look at me!"
To be fair, Fuuka too preferred a provocative outfit, but that was part of her calculus, her battle tactics, so to speak, to make her adversaries 'want her', not an end in itself like Hisame's appearance. She, like Fuuka, was a beautiful woman, but unlike Fuuka, Hisame did not know how to outsmart age. Her true age was indeed visible.
Sai nodded to Sumire, who got out a jingling bunch of keys from her belt-holster, which she had presumably taken from a guard earlier. A metallic click signalled that the lock had been successfully unlocked. Sumire opened the cell and Hisame stepped out.
"Thank you for coming for me."
Sai turned to her.
"Your... approach didn't really leave us much choice. I'm sorry."
The black-haired young man's blade came flying towards Hisame, but this circumstance did not seem to hit her unexpectedly. Before the gleaming steel could separate the Kunoichi's head from her neck, she successfully blocked the attack with what looked like an unevenly shaped sword of icy water.
"What are you doing, Sai?" came out of Sumire, who looked completely surprised.
"Doing the mission."
"Our mission is to save her!"
Hisame was having increasing difficulty continuing to muster the strength to keep Sai's blade at bay with her own. She began to weaken, her arms shaking - unable to hold on much longer.
"Our mission is to make sure she is no longer a threat to our operation!"
Sai's cold gaze ate into her face, and neither Hisame's self-control nor her foresight could take away the fear of death she felt at that moment. Fuuka, meanwhile, was silent, just watching; enjoying the spectacle.
"Sai, we don't have to kill her. If we take her with us to our hideout, she won't be able to reveal any information either. You know that's true."
"What if she has already told them everything? What if she had already betrayed us?"
Sai's eyebrows drew together - another of those rare moments when his facial expressions provided insight into his emotions. Fuuka let her tongue slide across her red lips, but Hisame, meanwhile, lost the strength to resist further. Her crystal-like blade flew out of her hand and crashed to the damp cave floor. Stunned and horrified, she had to watch Sai lunge to finish her off. Then the blade hurtled towards her and Hisame reflexively squinted her eyes.
"SAI!"
Sumire's eyes had also fallen shut to escape the sight. A moment of silence. Tentatively, her violet eyes opened a moment later, but to her surprise she found that Hisame's head had not yet departed from the rest of her body. Her surprise turned to relief - the same relief that could be read on Hisame's sweaty face as well. She looked at Sumire, and gave her a subtle, tentative smile, which she returned. Then she looked back to Sai, whose blade was still near her neck.
"Thank you."
"What did you tell them?"
"I didn't tell them anything, nothing!"
Sai's pitch-black eyes gazed into hers for a while longer, as if he thought they would provide information about whether she was telling the truth or not, then he slowly lowered his weapon.
"All right."
Hisame exhaled deeply, relieved. Kakashi, meanwhile, was getting back his consciousness faster than expected, but Fuuka stood at his side, ready to help; when he tried to stand up - still a little dazed from Sai's blow - Fuuka put her foot on his shoulder and pressed his body down.
"Don't even think about it!"
Sai turned back to Kakashi, but whatever he wanted from him or intended to do to him was interrupted; another hiss, but it was neither her, nor the wind. From left and right, several Kunai and Shuriken came flying towards them - and none of them had the time, nor the possibility, to take cover.
Thanks for reading my story so far! It's so fun to work at this fanfic and filling all these vague details about these 'minor' characters of the Narutoverse like Hisame and Fuuka with more details, explaining and exploring their story although I have to admit it's quite time-consuming thinking about all that stuff and writing it down because so little is known about these characters, their past and their experiences. Don't get me wrong: it's fun and satisfying as hell to have that narrative freedom but most of the time you have to come up with things which are completely new because there aren't even hints in the Filler storyline about this stuff, for example why Fuuka joined Kazuma. The next chapter is going to be the finale of the Taki arc - after that I will be focusing on the main story some more. If you don't mind I would appreciate you guys leaving a comment or two to tell me whether you like it so far or not, what I could do better and who or what you want to see in the future. If I'm convinced the idea is good and fits I will definitely consider to integrate it into the story. Cheers!