I~~~~I
Naru was in a slight panic, sealing up her scrolls in a hurry as Yugao waited beside her for the girl to finish so she could shunshin her to the front gate to meet up with Team Ten and the rest of her Team.
The Hokage had just briefed her and the others on the danger Team Eight was reported being in. Such a dangerous mission should never have been given, but with the current Jonin count already low inside the village, Hiruzen decided sending the teams back out was his best option.
Hiruzen had dismissed them to get packed and ready to head out within minutes at the front gate.
"Done!"
Naru shouted toward Yugao, the woman grasping her shoulder quickly. Chakra pulled up at Naru's senses, tickling them as she was drawn into the fold of swirling colors.
Seconds later the speed increase faded, leaving Naru at the check in desk in front of her teammates.
Asuma and Kakashi looked rather surprised at her transportation method, but since Yugao had continued onward without Naru to avoid awkward questions, they had no way of asking.
Sasuke glanced to her, receiving a sharp nod as a silent message was passed between them both.
One of their own was in danger, and no matter the feud between Hyuuga and Uchiha, Hinata was part of their family and neither Sasuke nor Naru would stand for harm coming to the softly spoken Heiress.
"Team Ten, you good?"
Kakashi called to the other three Genin, whom nodded sharply with their faces drawn taught. No doubt they sensed the direness of such a situation, and had acted accordingly. Naru was even a little glad to notice Sakura was taking this mission seriously.
"Yes."
Shikamaru, Choji, and Ino all answered the Tokubetsu at once, turning his gaze to his own team. Each member nodded sharply, and the Jonin gave the signal.
Within moments the convey was off, two Jonin heading the six Genin, each in rows of three with Naru, Sasuke and Shikamaru at the back as they would provide the best cover. Sakura, Ino, and Choji were in the middle, since they mostly used closed combat strategies and techniques.
Maroon eyes darkened as the nin flew past the trees, chakra aiding them after properly learning the tree walking technique and practicing it on the way back.
A silent vow stretched out around Naru and Sasuke, speaking of their will to see Hinata safely home.
I~~~~I
Hinata grunted gently and ducked under a swipe aimed at her head by her teammate Shino, striking out with her own palm. The male shifted easily enough, his Kikaichu swarming toward the outstretched limb.
The Hyuuga Heiress twisted away, grabbing several kunai from her pouch. She tossed them toward Shino, watching the teen grab one of his own and deflect the weapons.
Hinata withheld a smile at the sight, shifting her grounding on the moving surface of the water below her before launching back at the Aburame Heir.
Her mind was mostly blank, only strategies brought to the forefront, while the rest was hidden deep into her subconscious. Heavy breathing left her pale pink lips as she shifted once more on the water, twisting backwards to avoid a volley of shuriken.
Her hands touched the surface of the water behind her, and remembering the hours Sasuke spent helping Naru and her get the form right, she shifted her weight and launched herself up into the air.
Her twist midair resulted in shuriken and kunai launching toward Shino, silvery trails following them.
The Hyuuga landed on the surface of the water and immediately circled her opponent, the strings attached to the kunai obeying her movement, jerking around Shino's limbs.
Shino went still, and Hinata let all the chakra vanish from her feet, dropping into the water with a quiet splash just as 'Shino' burst into a swarm of kikaichu.
'Shino-San really likes his kikaichu clones.'
The thought flitted past her normal strategies, and the heiress paused at one of her more…Naru-esque plans.
For a moment, she considered the pros and cons, before she cast the thought away and went with her second safer plan.
Her hands twisted through signs, summoning the water around her.
The heiress found it a little easier than earth, but not as easy as Lightning was for her. She shot upward in a spiral, water shooting out in two whips around her.
The sudden strain on Hinata's chakra had the girl gritting her teeth, but the Kunoichi that she was forced her to pull through as the way smacked right into the revealed Shino standing a few feet away.
Shino tried to duck, but the water clipped his shoulder and sent him flying.
Strain forced Hinata to release the whip, her breath coming out in short rasps while she gathered more Kunai in her hands.
The projectiles sailed through the air, slamming into the tree Shino was backed into, the tags on them hissing as sparks flew.
Shino seemed startled by the tags, turning to look just as the tag was finished burning.
No explosion came however, and Hinata walked over to help her friend up.
"T-they're practice Kunai Shino-San…"
Shino nodded at Hinata, taking her hand as he pushed up his shades.
"I see…I'd be dead then. Well done."
Hinata flushed a bit at the praise, but offered a soft smile to Shino to hide the fact.
"I g-guess…"
From behind the two, they heard clapping, drawing attention to their dark haired Sensei and Teammate. Kiba was staring in awe at Hinata, while Kurenai was proud and a little surprised.
"Hinata, where did you learn that Jutsu!?"
Kiba shouted from beside their Sensei, his gaze greedy as he stared at the soaked Kunoichi.
Hinata winced at the volume, but answered anyways.
"N-Naru-Chan and I found it in the scrolls…we've p-practiced the theory for a f-few months and finally tested it r-recently…I-it's a little draining on me t-though."
Kurenai frowned and mulled over the information, wondering just how crazy Hinata's little group was to be experimenting with Jutsu, Chakra exercises, and Elemental Exercises when they were Genin.
"You have to teach me!"
Kiba shouted again, drawing exasperation from Kurenai and a twitch of annoyance from Hinata.
Kurenai took note of the oddity in the normally meek Heiress' behavior, listening to the young girl's answer quite intently as well.
"I-I can't. I don't know if you have an affinity for it…A-And you need to practice the theory before trying it out. I-It's a C-Rank technique…" Hinata told her teammate, drawing a nose wrinkling from the male. Kiba whined out at his Sensei, his form slumping.
"W-What! Kurenai-Sensei, come on, you have to let her teach us!"
Kurenai raised a brow at the boy, shaking her head with exasperation.
"I don't have to do anything, Kiba. Especially since this Jutsu was more than likely from her Clan's Library, and therefor off limits to those she does not wish to teach." Kurenai reprimanded the boy, Hinata nodding at her to confirm the scroll was indeed from a family archive. The Heiress simply didn't vocalize it wasn't from hers, but instead from the Uzumaki Archives.
Honestly, if Kurenai-Sensei wished to believe that the scroll was a Hyuuga possession, let her. Clan Law dictated she wasn't allowed to mention the technique to outsiders unless it impacted her health, and the Jonin would not inform her father over such a thing.
The assumption only helped Hinata, Naru, and Sasuke in the end.
I~~~~I
Naru bit her lip as she stared up at the sky, darkness having descended and sent the Genin Teams to their tents.
The Uzumaki had first watch with Shikamaru, and in another hour they would trade off with Sasuke and Kakashi.
"Akihane-San."
The voice did not draw Naru's eyes from the sky, her maroon orbs studying the stars while half her attention was directed at the boy dropping onto her perch above the campsite.
Shikamaru slipped down beside her, sitting only a foot away while he followed her gaze.
Both Genin were careful about dividing the majority of their attention towards the outside world, careful in case of an attack.
"Are you worried?"
The Naru asked of the Uzumaki, drawing out a heavy breath from the girl.
Ever since the moment the Nara Heir found Naru crying at that grave, he had been unnaturally worried for her slightest change in moods.
The boy was quite troublesome, if Naru needed a way to describe his behavior.
Of course, Shikamaru would deny that statement till the day he died, so Naru mine as well do something productive and answer the boy.
"Yes. I shouldn't be. Hinata-Hime is strong, more so than Sasuke or me…combined even. She simply doesn't show it."
Shikamaru hummed in response, allowing the Uzumaki to continue.
"But still I worry…I worry over whether we'll get there too late or we will screw something up…Maybe we even jumped the kunai and made it worse."
A raised eyebrow was the reply, mostly over her odd terminology at the end. Naru glanced toward her fellow Nin, offering a sad smile.
"Sasuke and Hinata are important to me…Family I suppose. I don't even know why I'm telling you this. By tomorrow my jumbled emotions will be locked away again and I won't have to deal with this uncertainty."
Shikamaru paused at Naru's revelation, taking a moment to simple look at the blonde.
The kunoichi's favorite black jacket with blue trimmings covered her shoulders, a black fishnet sweater underneath. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, the strands tracing the middle of her back.
Silver tags shined against her paled skin, her knees drawn up to her chest, cloaked in black leggings. The boots Naru wore instead of sandals blended into the darkness, the brown hue seeming into the wood.
The girl's features were relaxed for the first time since the convoy had left Konoha, her eyes a deep maroon that was slightly dimmed with worry, while her lips held a gentle frown that could have been a smile if the edges tilted up a tiny bit more.
Moonlight drifted across Akihane's form, highlighting her angled features and small eyes along with her unblemished skin.
Shikamaru saw the warrior resting under Naru's façade, he saw the broken girl he had seen trampled on by villagers for years.
Most of all he saw that child he had witnessed in the Nara forest, petting Rikumaru as if it wasn't impossible for a non-Nara to enter the forest without the deer attacking.
Of course, Naru defied all odds and did it, tending to the young buck that Rikumaru was at the time.
Shukaku was sure to warn Naru about wandering onto other Clan Grounds unattended, but offered her a place in the forest soon after.
The memory spurred something in Shikamaru, bringing out words he doubted he'd say to anyone else.
"You'll be there for either of them, no matter what happens, and in the end you'll cause enough trouble to get them out of their own. It's simply how you are, Troublesome Uzumaki."
Akihane's eyes widened at Shikamaru, a rare show of emotion that lit a small fire in Shikamaru's chest, just before she smiled softly at him, her eyes softening to a reddened shade of lavender that accented her features even further, the light from the moon shading her perfectly as her light lips opened to speak.
"Thanks, Shikamaru."
I~~~~I
Stress pressed into Hinata's thoughts as she leaned against the shogi doors of her room, shared with Kurenai-Sensei, facing the ocean before her.
Salt was thick in the early morning mist, the oddity waking the young Hyuuga from her slumber, darkening her thoughts.
She had wondered when the Mist Nin would attack, and now she had her answer.
Chakra filled the area, making it hard for Hinata to track anything. Her eyes were almost useless, if Hinata didn't know how to use them as well as she did.
Sasuke's own Sharingan gave the young Heiress the idea of toning down her activation chakra and supplying a structured chakra, say one honed toward locating rather than sensing, resulting in a toned down version of her Doujutsu that located sources instead of seeing the whole scene.
Honestly the technique wasn't mastered, and the Kunoichi had trouble using it in battle since she had to order her chakra, but it limited her Chakra usage and once she got it going it was easier to tone the chakra down further to near non-existence before spiking it when she needed it most. Right now she had her eyes on 'sleep', which meant the chakra content was close to nothing.
"Are you already up, Hinata?"
Kurenai spoke from behind the Heiress, drawing her attention to the woman.
Hinata offered a small smile, speaking with warmth. "Good Morning, KurenaI-Sensei."
Faintly, Hinata wondered if the reinforcements would arrive on time. If not, the girl wouldn't go down without a fight.
The smile and 'morning' Hinata received from her Sensei only helped her root her conviction further, her eyes alight with determination, despite their glassy appearance.
Little moments of emotion such as these demanded saving.
I~~~~I
Yuhi Kurenai had learned to dodge the blows quickly under her profession, but alone the Kunoichi was struggling to figure out a plan, make sure her students weren't hurt, and avoid being struck by Zabuza's skilled hand.
She danced around the Nuke Nin like a leaf in the wind, thinking up a plan as she weaved hand signs for a simple Genjutsu.
Zabuza was cast into the illusion, but it didn't hold the Nin for long. Kurenai barely had time to arm herself with Kunai before being struck by the man's massive cleaver once more.
Kurenai dearly wished that the backup she had asked for would arrive, because she was a new Jonin and no real match for Momochi Zabuza. In fact, Yuhi doubted that Kakashi could take on the Nin anymore, what with his deteriorated condition since leaving ANBU.
The Genjutsu Mistress suddenly gasped as she was flung away from Zabuza by another powerful thrust, more kunai brought up to block his next strike while she ran through different plans in her head.
'As it is he is pretty tired. I'm not low on chakra but I still feel pretty exhausted from the last beat down he gave me.'
Another thrust hit Kurenai, drawing blood form her shoulder as she was sent tumbling across the surface of the bridge.
Behind her she heard the buzz of Shino's insects, her teeth grinding down as she realized how close she was to the Bridge Builder now. Further behind her a large dome of ice was no doubt still standing, capturing Hinata. Kiba was knocked out beside Tazuna and Shino, and would be for a while. Panic thrummed in the kunoichi's blood as she rose again, meeting the edge of Zabuza's blade as the mercenary glared down at her.
"I had thought you'd be more of a challenge…but you still have a lot to learn, if you make it out of this alive that is."
Kurenai bit on her lip, trying desperately to find a plan.
To her shock, her opening came with a sharp gust of wind occurring behind her.
All attention was turned to the dome of Ice that was shattered apart by swirling violet chakra, the dome expanding into thin lines that cut through the air.
One tendril slammed into Zabuza's hand, causing it to bleed and slacked his grip on his cleaver.
Kurenai took her chance, slamming her foot into Zabuza's face, sending him further away.
Behind her she heard a shocked exclamation from Zabuza's partner, as well as Hinata's rather blunt reply that echoed over the area.
"Protective Eight Trigrams…"
A deadly silence followed the girl's words, only brought up but a sudden rush of chakra.
I~~~~I
Hinata paused inside the dome she was stuck inside, her eyes drifting over the ice mirrors that Haku was hidden inside.
Senbon shot toward the Heiress, but a quick shift of her feet caused the sharp objects to drift past her harmlessly.
The Heiress had tried talking to the young Nuke Nin, but talking had gotten her nowhere. No doubt the Nin would try harder to attack Hinata, which meant that the Hyuuga had one shot before Haku got smarter.
"I didn't want to fight you Haku-San…but I will do anything to protect my comrades."
Chakra was pushed to her limbs, the delicate feeling drawing out courage while Hinata began to spin in place.
A shocked gasp was heard from beside her as Senbon bounced of off the expanding sphere of chakra surrounding her body, the fine fibers of the dome turning sharp.
The shield turned to long lines, the chakra constructs tearing apart the mirrors around her, attacking Haku while also hitting Zabuza when Hinata found him close to harming Kurenai-Sensei.
Her heart beat franticly as she came to a stop, her eyes harsh as they landed on Haku's downed form.
"Protective Eight Trigrams."
The words felt foreign, the first time Hinata had actually spoken them aloud awkward but still fitting.
Confidence rose in the Kunoichi's chest, her senses expanding around her.
Her breath only caught when she felt a familiar signature slamming right into the battlefield.
I~~~~I
Ivory flashed across Kurenai's vision, a shining blade driven forward at the rising Zabuza.
Akihane shifted her blade into a backwards grip while her eyes darkened past their occasional maroon, nearly going crimson. Her wind chakra shot through the conductive metal, charging it as she twisted her leg to the side and shot out from behind her water wall with a large leap.
"Gale Dances of the Leaf, Slash!"
A sharp strip of wind launched toward Zabuza, followed quickly by several others.
Zabuza blocked the first two and dove under two others from his new attacker, shifting to force his own water wall up in front of him with a quick flash of hand seals. The blades slammed into the water and dissipated quickly, sharp grey eyes meeting Naru's deep orbs.
Naru's eyes lit up and she tossed several kunai at Zabuza, reaching out to slam her blade into the wood beneath her before raising her hands to form a set of seals.
"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Kurenai was shocked in place at the display before her, wondering how and when the Genin had time to gather such chakra, let alone for the amount of clones appearing.
A dozen clones popped into place around the Uzumaki, two staying at Naru's side while the others set out to keep Zabuza away. Two summoned water dragons, four blasting Zabuza with Gale Bullets while the last four utilized kunai.
One of the clones beside Naru jumped back to check on Kurenai, the other going toward Shino, the Bridge Builder, and Kiba.
Zabuza's hands shifted to summon three water clones while he drew his blade up and launched toward her, grinning manically.
"More children fighting against me?!"
Akihane bit down on her lip, watching her clones get torn apart by the Mist Nin before her.
They barely took down two of Zabuza's when he had downed ten, leaving behind the two guarding the others.
Akihane shifted her stance again, finishing her hand signs with barely hidden glee.
"Battle isn't a place for talk, Demon of the Mist!"
Water rose up once more, her clones reaching forward with their chakra to aid her.
"Water Style, Water Typhoon!"
I~~~~I
Sasuke landed beside Hinata and Haku, his hands finishing seals before Haku could even start speaking.
Hinata felt a hazy rush of chakra in Haku's direction, before she deactivated her Byuakugan.
Sasuke stood before her, staring intently at her while ignoring Haku's downed form, the boy suffering from Sasuke's higher level Genjutsu.
A second later, a dark haired Shikamaru and a light haired Ino dropped next to Hinata. The Hyuuga Heiress shared a glance with Sasuke, before smiling softly, her eyes shutting as she slumped forward.
The Uchiha caught the Hyuuga with ease, huffing as he hauled the girl upward, ignoring the shocked looks he got as he ordered Shikamaru and Ino to grab the prisoner, stalking toward where Sakura was helping Shino with Kiba and the Bridge Builder.
Choji and Asuma had gone to Tazuna's house, directions helpfully given by a mercenary they wandered past on their way into the village.
Kakashi had just jumped into Naru's battle against Zabuza, the two beating down the already weary Nin further.
Kakashi's sharingan was freed from its confines, whilst Naru never let her blade rest, instead using every available moment to attack with her Dance of the Leaf style.
No doubt Naru was angry, since Sasuke doubted the blonde would use the style around other Jonin so easily unless she really didn't care and wanted to cause damage.
Sasuke felt worry over Naru's current condition at the moment, since the blonde was never good at dealing with any overwhelming emotion, much less the rage she was no doubt succumbing to.
Sasuke bit back a curse and set Hinata beside Kiba, his sharingan activating with a single thought and surge of chakra, before he was shooting toward Kurenai, Kakashi, and Naru.
I~~~~I
One moment Naru was redirecting a strike from Zabuza to give her Sensei an opening, and the next she was pushed back over the bridge by an elbow to her ribs.
She choked a bit and brought he blade up to block a strike by Zabuza's cleaver, gritting her teeth when she saw Kakashi and Kurenai stuck fighting two clones.
"Hmm, you're quite different, Gaki. Your eyes hold a weight I haven't seen before…something that tells of quite the past."
The force doubled, Naru's arms forced into the wood of the bridge while she pushed chakra into her blade to stop it from warping under the pressure.
"Y-Yah? W-Well I'm not the average Kunoichi."
Naru hissed at the nin, drawing on a bit more chakra as she readied to possibly out herself to Kakashi and a few more Genin.
Hayate said she should only use the technique in life or death, so now was as good of a time as any.
"Dance of the Crescent Moon."
Chakra built up, Naru seeming to speed up as her body pushed forward, breaking past Zabuza with a burst of agility, her head going under his cleaver while her blade drove home, right into his shoulder.
Zabuza's eyes widened, even as Naru drew the blade out and slashed downward with increased speed.
From the sides of Zabuza, Naru's two previous clones, still alive and quite sneaky, launched toward him with their own blades.
Zabuza was no doubt wondering exactly when Naru had planned such an attack, and where she had learned it.
Zabuza dissolved into a puddle of water however, drawing a curse from Naru. Her clones popped at her sides, her breathing evening out once more.
Her gaze twisted around, her shoulders set while she remained on edge.
"Akihane!"
Aki turned sharply in the direction of the voice, her vision turning red as a black haired male took a blow right in front of her.
I~~~~I
Kakashi finished off his clone rather quickly, directing his attention to Kurenai to make sure she was okay, before turning his gaze to his student.
At first Kakashi had been wary about allowing Naru to help with Zabuza, but the girl hadn't given up and had argued she was a good choice since Asuma would no doubt be needed with Tazuna's family.
Kakashi felt he should have pushed harder when he saw his student fighting to not get beheaded by Zabuza, her face scrunched in concentration while her elbows dug into the ground, her blade thrumming with chakra as it strained.
The Tokubetsu Jonin's throat was tight as he shot toward the two, trying to quicken his pace despite knowing with every centimeter that Zabuza's blade neared Naru's throat that he'd be too late.
The Cleaver shot forward as Naru gave slack to it, her eyes sharpening despite her odd action just seconds before.
Kakashi's breath stilled while his body kept going, his eyes narrowing in confusion when a familiar arc of light came from Naru's blade, her two clones off to the side appearing at tags dropped earlier, launching toward Zabuza while after images formed around each of them.
"Dance of the Crescent Moon."
The technique's name was very much like a death sentence for Kakashi, even as he was forced to dodge another attack from another water clone that had been trying to double-team Kurenai, but instead decided to attack him.
Another splash echoed as Naru's borrowed technique cut open her attacker, leaving behind water that covered the few still dry spaces on the bridge.
On the edge of Kakashi's vision, just as he drove a Kunai into the chest of his clone, the Jonin spotted the actual Zabuza seconds away from killing Akihane again kami damn the nin, stopped only by a foolish Uchiha jumping right in the way, shoving Naru backwards.
Images flew through Kakashi's mind, ones of Obito shoving him out of the way from a rock before he was snapped back to the present, Sasuke falling forward while Zabuza sneered at his body, blood building around his small body.
"SASUKE!"
Rage and sorrow mingled with an inhumane growl unfurled from Naru's throat, tears slipping past her crimson eyes as Kakashi felt a flicker of dangerous intent, just before Naru was consumed in a raging inferno of Demon Chakra.
I~~~~I
So I may have kina, sorta…might have left you on a cliffy. Don't worry, I'll have the next chapter up, but this seemed like the perfect place to end this small chapter (And it was almost at 4,500 words anyways.)
I hope you enjoyed reading, and if you can wait till next time, I hope you read again!
Omake-Of a Deer and a Fox (Because Naru loves animals and Nara Deer love her chakra, and the way she pets their ears.)
The day would have been normal for a young Nara, had a certain event not occurred.
Shikamaru woke to a shining sun and a blue sky as per usual, his mother nagging in his ear while Ino tried to drag him out of bed.
The Heir muttered his 'troublesome' before allowing Ino to drag him and Choji toward the academy, a grin on her face.
Shikamaru's day continued, consisting of long monologues over Uchiha Sasuke's greatness and the horrible people that were all the girls but Ino.
He left Ino around lunch time, Choji bidding him farewell as he went home.
Shikamaru thought he'd simply go cloud watch and call it a day.
He never counted on walking up to the compound, finding an ivory haired girl standing in front of a young buck with her hand outstretched.
His mouth opened as he tried to shout a warning, the words dying in his throat as the buck ducked its head, allowing the gently smiling child to rub his ears.
"Sorry I couldn't come earlier."
The girl spoke gently to the deer, drawing close enough to rest her pale forehead against the deer's.
"Karasu-San wouldn't let it go that I was training, and Weasel-San wouldn't let me out of his sight after I told him about fox face."
Uzumaki Akihane Naru talked to the deer Shikamaru identified as Rikumaru, seemingly not noticing the dumbstruck Nara going through millions of possibilities and probabilities that would allow Naru to pet a Nara Deer, in their forest without getting attacked.
A headache began to form, only growing when a hand settled on his shoulder, his head turning to see the gently smiling visage of his father at his right side.
"She's been coming since the beginning of this year. She was the one who healed Rikumaru after he injured himself on that branch."
Shukaku gleefully told his son, his dark brown eyes twinkling as he looked at the daughter of his old friend.
He wouldn't tell Shikamaru that Shiranui Genma had been with the Uzumaki at the time, as it would only insight his son's curiosity even more.
Besides, Genma was one person Shukaku did not want to be enemies with, even for a little while.
For being so young, the assassin was quite skilled in scaring the shit out of those who hurt his family or crossed him.
Shukaku had already seen what Genma had done to the last villager who dared call Naru a less than friendly term, he didn't want to see what would happen should he insight a conspiracy with the girl in the middle.
Shukaku rather liked his sanity, or what was left of it anyways.
