A Treacherous Entanglement
"…There is the heat of Love, the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover's whisper, irresistible—magic to make the sanest man go mad."
― Homer, The Iliad
Neji
"Regarding Lady Hinata?" Hiashi repeats. His eyes and features shift in a way that he can't fully ascertain, if it's annoyance at his sudden change of subject to his eldest daughter or if it's concern on something he knows that he needs to immediately be made aware of.
Neji nods, image burned in his mind.
The flush of Hinata's cheeks, Naruto's equally red and nervous moving towards her, fingers brushing under her chin.
He's sure he wasn't seeing things despite how fast it was, there was no reason for Naruto to lean in so close to Hinata when a myriad of doctors and nurses have been attending to her pain management and wound care just fine.
'A kiss.'
Such a simple act of affection he could either keep to himself or expose and hurt Hinata more than any of his Gentle Fists ever did...
But then his eyes fall to half unfurled scroll in his lap, the last words of his Father before he went to his death for the clan.
'I hope after this all that Father tells you everything regarding Uncle Hizashi's true reasons behind his sacrifice.' Hinata's words echo back up to the forefront of his mind.
He's wanted to know for years the truth, what ran through his Father's mind in his final moments and now he finally can.
Hiashi notes his wavering from the way his hands tremble, nudging him gently to read it.
"Go ahead. You can tell me about Hinata after you review over Hizashi's final letter for you." He pushes.
Neji hesitates before doing as he asks, rolling out the scroll the rest of the way. His eyes widen taking in the familiar scrawl of his Father's penmanship, black ink un-withered even with the passage of time.
'Neji, I don't want you to feel I made this sacrifice because I was born into the branch family. While I do feel sadness I won't be able to continue to watch you grow into a fine young man, please know that I'm making this choice to go in place of your Uncle Hiashi on my own. Not because of the Hyuga clan necessarily, but as being able to make my own choice freely without being restricted by fate or serving the main branch.'
He blinks and rereads the words, sting of tears burning at the corner of his eyes.
'I can't stand by and allow my brother to die because he saved his daughter and my niece. Kumo after all only wants to learn the secrets of the byakugan and will continue to make threats of war against Konoha if we don't take action soon. I'm sorry I only showed you in life so much bitterness, an ugliness to hate the main branch. Please don't harbor the same ill will I did. I love my brother, niece, and the village. And thus, I am happily making this sacrifice to protect them all.' -Hizashi
Neji peers back up to Hiashi to see him back again in a deep bow.
"Forgive me for taking so long to show you this!" He apologizes once more, Neji gesturing for him to straighten himself.
Knots leave his chest, breathing in deeply. He tastes the linger of salt on his lips and swipes at his eyes, setting the scroll aside.
He glances outside just as a sparrow takes flight into the passing sunlight, shaking off droplets of rain on its wings. It's feathers shine a yellow-white before it disappears straight into the forests.
'So this is how Father felt that day, at the moment before leaving the compound for the last time...'
Free.
And then he sees the way Hiashi's eyes configure back into stoicism, ready now to hear about his eldest.
'Hinata's been lying to you. She's had her red thread for months now and it's Naruto.' Neji thinks.
It'd be so easy to say, he's sure Hiashi's had his suspicions too after all.
But then, he has no concrete proof either. It would be Hinata's word against his and it isn't as if he can show her thread to Hiashi and prove of her deeper connection to Naruto.
He thinks of his Father, freeing himself from his bitterness towards the main branch only upon his choice to choose death.
"Lady Hinata spends long afternoons sometimes in unscrupulous areas of the village, where the shadier civilian and shinobi occasionally hang out." The half-lie comes out instead, easier than he expected.
Because Hinata does go to that side of Konoha true, though only to visit Naruto at his apartment.
Hiashi's brows furrow, perhaps having expected far worse news.
"Ko has kept me posted regarding that matter. Though as of note, he hasn't seen her do anything that requires me to take action." He describes.
Neji nods, Hiashi's expression darkening just slightly.
"Is that all?" He asks to be sure.
Neji pictures Hinata again, the sides of anger and confidence he's so rarely seen from her brought out by Naruto's influence.
"That's all." He confirms.
Naruto & Hinata
'Maybe I kissed her wrong?' Naruto muses, scratching at his cheek nervously.
A silence stretches between him and Hinata now that they're properly alone once more, clock ticking quietly behind him. He scrambles to find someway that isn't weird to describe this comfortable heat pooling in his stomach, the desire to feel the softness of her lips again.
Don't girls normally swoon or gush after being kissed? At least that's how Pervy-Sage described it...
Though he can't take his advice seriously when he gets slapped or punched half of time when he tries said advice in real life.
Hinata instead of doing any of that has turned a deep red matching the scarlet tulips and daisies on the table beside her. A gift courtesy from Ino that she gets well soon. He wonders then for a moment if it was her or Sakura that had just passed by, sliding downward in his chair at the very idea.
'I'll never hear the end of that gossip/teasing!'
"Umm, I'm sorry if my breath was bad!" Hinata squeaks out, startling him out of thoughts.
Naruto blinks, shaking his head, feeling a slow grin rise up.
"Oh it wasn't bad, you know! You ate something cinnamon related beforehand, right?"
If anything, Hinata's cheeks turn another hue of red. She falls back into her pillows avoiding his gaze, curling her blankets around her like a cocoon. In her dreams this would've been far more romantic, not coated with the scent of antiseptics and the sound of monitors beeping down the halls.
"Yes, but...that had been hours ago and you could still smell it?!" She squirms.
Naruto chuckles, worry abated as he pats at her head pulling her blankets down, getting her to look at him again.
"It's fine, it's fine! Next time your lips might taste like miso ramen, or that fancy pork roast ramen Teuchi makes on weekends!" He teases.
Hinata pushes her bedsheets further down, studying him fully.
"Next time?" She questions.
Naruto nods, confused by her reaction, the way a smile blooms up her lips in joy.
'Did I say something strange?'
He glances to her lips again and nearly smacks himself; realizing it too late.
"Ah, I mean only if you want to kiss again, you know! I mean, I would like to! Though we don't have to or-" He starts, words tumbling out faster than he can fully form them.
Hinata giggles, fingers moving forward, tracing at his whisker marks.
"I want to; I'll always want to with you Naruto." She breathes out.
Naruto pauses as the knots in his chest loosen, considering what to say before grinning roguishly.
"What about now?!"
A sharp series of knocks this time interrupts, unruly white hair coming into view without waiting for a response.
Jiraiya.
He beams, waving giddily to Hinata before presenting her with a Toad themed blanket she awkwardly accepts. His dark eyes roam then to Naruto before lifting him straight up out of his seat despite his protests.
'If I have to deal with Suna's jinchuriki, it's best to have the Kid with me.' He's decided.
"Put me down! What's so important to interrupt us?!" Naruto complains, attempting to wiggle out of Jiraiya's tight grip to avail.
Jiraiya ignores him, bowing in apology to a pink-faced Hinata.
"Sorry to break this up, but I need to steal your Loverboy away for a minute!"
Shikamaru
'Your red thread is a commitment now son.'
It's a statement his Dad has said often since he turned 13, a reminder of his childhood slowly ebbing away.
He sighs at the memory of his laugh and his Mom's at him 'growing up', wincing as he stretches up his arms. Bruises dot his skin from his fingers up to his shoulders, some a deep maroon and others a faint purple-yellow that reminds him of fading sunsets.
Sakura definitely hadn't taken it easy on his arms.
'God, what has Lady Tsunade been teaching her?!' He frowns, rubbing the salve into his left shoulder as Kanako had instructed him.
But at least now he has this temporary break until the finals, gazing towards the passing afternoon clouds.
A glass breaks somewhere in distance making him abruptly sit up in alarm, a woman's scream following.
And then, silence.
'Something's off.'
His stomach lurches, heartbeat rushing into his ears.
He can't quite decide what's going on from just those sounds alone, ignoring the niggling in the back of his mind to investigate. No, he's still relatively low on chakra, doesn't have the energy to stick his nose where surely it doesn't belong.
"You. You're her match." A voice calls out to him from by the doorway.
He half turns to see a trail of sand slowly approaching, encircling his room.
Gaara.
Bile crawls up his tongue as his gaze shifts to the decapitated arm in his hand, blood dripping and pooling into his sand.
Gaara follows his gaze, pleased grin forming.
"I stopped her from yelling for help; I want no interruptions." He remarks coolly.
He recognizes that simple blue and orange bracelet she said a pediatric patient had made for her...
'Kanako.'
Though she's pushed from his mind as Gaara steps forward, sand looming upwards like a growing wave.
"I've always wondered what happens when someone sees their red thread match die right before them. As much as she tried to hide it, I saw the way Temari looked at you during your match. I'm sure you're her match and I wonder what she'll do if she is forced to watch your death; if I carry back to her just your head?" Gaara considers darkly.
Shikamaru moves sideways, looking backwards. For once, he needs the sky clear.
'The Sun. It's about to pass out of those clouds!'
Seconds. He has only seconds left to get out of this.
His sand makes a diving path forward, stopped from encasing him as his shadow locks him in.
"Killing me won't be very gratifying. Temari doesn't exactly care that I exist and I would have to agree; I'm no one special." Shikamaru remarks. He hadn't even bothered to have a conversation with her during their first encounter despite his thread's pull to her, simply assessing her for a second before deciding she was too scary and troublesome to approach.
It doesn't help that her siblings apparently aren't too fond of him either.
As he expects, his words have no affect on Gaara's demeanor, sand rocketing forward like bullets as he slowly breaks out of his bind.
A malicious grin climbs up his face as his sand slashes and tears at his arms drawing out his blood, metallic scent permeating the air, further weakening his shadow's hold.
"After I'm done with you, I'll go after the one who I had been matched up against. The boy with no ninjutsu of his own; his entire ninja career is over. I'll put him out of his misery and end his life before he has to wake up to that horror."
'Lee?!'
He bristles at the thought of more shinobi and civilian dying in his rising bloodlust. Quickly, he tries to recall which wing of the hospital Lee currently resides in, exhaustion pulls at him, threatens to tug him all the way into the darkness of becoming unconscious.
'Don't pass out, you can't pass out.' Shikamaru warns himself, straightening up.
Could he escape through the window? No, his sand would encase him before he even got off the ledge...
Black spots dot his vision as his sand coils around his neck, Gaara's grin widening.
'Crap, I'm really about to die.'
The sand's hold tightens before abruptly loosening, Shikamaru gulping in air as a curtain of white hair forges a barrier between him and the sand.
His brows furrow, trying to recall where he's seen this hair and attire before. Oh wait, it's that old guy who he often sees around Naruto. The one who spies on woman at the bathhouses from the rooftops, and who his Mom tells him to avoid.
"Shikamaru! You okay?!" Naruto rushes up to his side, helping him to stand. His gaze shifts between him and Gaara, blue eyes flashing crimson in a way that makes him stiffen, wondering just how much blood he's lost and is possibly continuing to lose.
'Focus. You're not out of the woods yet.' He has to remind himself.
Shikamaru coughs, half-smile etching up.
"Been better."
Naruto
'Suna's Jinchuriki.' Naruto looks on.
He's heard the whispers, even saw him in passing before the chunin exams began, but now he's encountering him up close. Though he and Pervy-Sage rarely discuss the Nine Tails, he's surely Gaara's equivalent for Suna, a weapon to be used when war breaks out.
Absently, his hand grips at his stomach towards the seal, wonders how long he has had his own Tailed Beast.
Jiraiya sighs beside him, just his luck to be the one to encounter him first.
He summons a toad to report to Hiruzen and Tsunade immediately, hopping off his shoulder out the window just before Gaara's sand can crush him.
"What business do you have with the Nara boy?" Jiraiya questions with a head nod towards Shikamaru. From what he last observed, it was Lee who actually managed to wound him, the catalyst to this current rage.
Gaara scoffs, voice darkening, blending with the bloodlust of Shukaku's and his own.
"My life's purpose is to kill and create pain, to revel in the death of those that are strong."
His gaze shifts back to Shikamaru, sand climbing up again.
"He's Temari's red thread. To kill him would be like the death of two people at once. I want to bear witness to it, to see the devastation and heartache that comes; the rise of hate."
Jiraiya huffs at his explanation, putting his hands up in preparation.
"Toad Oil Bullet!"
He unleashes a barrage of oil that slams each projectile of sand, coats and sticks every coming wave turning them to mush.
"I hate to break it to you, but people can and do survive not having a red thread match. In fact, you're looking at one yourself!" Jiraiya boasts proudly at Gaara's annoyed glare.
Naruto steps forward then, Gaara's eyes turning to meet his own.
His expression shifts in a fleeting second, seeing the way Naruto looks at him. He's seen that sorrowful stare upon his own face too many times to count. Wondered what's wrong with him, why with all the good he's tried to do for the civilians of Suna and his own Dad have they only been met with hate and disappointment...
'Those eyes.'
"You...you're the same as me."
Jiraiya orders him to stay on guard, Naruto ignoring his command gathering himself.
'This is my first time talking to someone who grew up like me, someone who knows the sorrow and loneliness.'
"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"
3 chains erupt forth, coil around his arms and legs before the sand can pierce them slamming Gaara to the ground. Sand gathers and attempts to break the chains no avail, sliding out into a pile around him.
Blood trickles out from his head wound, Gaara peering up to him, teeth bared.
It's hard to keep him still even with Shikamaru's shadow possession coming back in to help, jade eyes piercing into his blue.
"I just want to say I understand the feelings you had growing up. My parents died in the Third Shinobi World War and people even now still often give me hateful looks or ignore my existence. It's because we're...jinchuriki for our villages." Naruto starts.
He hates using that name, but it's true. He's heard it muttered behind his back enough times to connection the association back to himself.
Gaara momentarily stops his thrashing, renewed look of interest returning.
"So, why do you not kill those that ignored you? Hate you for no reason?"
Naruto thinks of Hinata then, Iruka-sensei, Teuchi and Ayame, his Team, even Pervy-Sage.
"I met my Red Thread. Now before you use that against me, I pushed to make connections with others before I met her. After all, I always knew in the back of my mind that there was a chance she wouldn't want me or circumstances would prevent us from being together." He remarks.
Gaara quiets then, clicking his teeth.
"Do you understand?" Naruto asks.
Gaara responds by fighting with his chains a minute longer before stopping abruptly. Jiraiya immediately goes in front of him, holding up a hand when he attempts to step forward too. Sand bubbles up and begins to shroud Gaara's body and Naruto retightens his grip on his chains feeling their holds weaken.
The sand around him twists and elongates, left eye pooling with black; iris turning a sharp yellow.
The eye of the One Tail.
"Move back Kid. This fight is far from over!" Jiraiya orders with no room for argument.
Still, Naruto opens his mouth to retort only for the lights to flicker above them before plunging them into darkness.
Hinata
Glass shatters too close to her door, Kanako hasn't returned back in more than hour...
She shuffles out of her bed, muscles burning at the effort.
She grabs the remnants of Gelsemine from her fight with Neji, hurriedly pocketing them as the commotion outside grows louder. Is it a fight that got too out of hand? Rowdy civilians trying to get sneak peeks and make early bets for the finals?
'Naruto. Where did Jiraiya take him?'
The lights above buzz to a dull yellow-brown before everything shuts off completely.
'A blackout? There wasn't any earlier thunderstorms outside though?'
Immediately she activates her byakugan, frowning as she assesses everything nearby.
There's nobody around her that could be the cause of the sudden power outage, though she hears the sound of screams and yelps along with the rush of footsteps above and below her. She glances outside only for her eyes to widen at black smoke billowing out of one of Konoha's major financial buildings near the market and business districts, surrounding structures starting to crumble downward in tandem.
A snake appears out of the smog, as giant as the very buildings and towers it's crushing.
This isn't from some type of storm like she originally thought, this is entirely something else.
The smell of smog and blood instantly engulfs her as she steps out into the hall, pinpointing on the masses of chakra towards the arena.
'I should check there first if anybody needs help, then I'll search for Naruto and Jiraiya.' She decides.
"What's going on?! Are we being an invaded?" A jonin questions running by her. Spectators and civilian that had snuck in to see the final preliminary matches of the day push and shove their way towards the exits.
She gets toppled back, bumping into various passerby.
"Ah, just our luck Mikage! The Hyuga heiress is alone and injured!" A man mentions behind her.
Fingers brush near her hair and she rapidly twists out of the way, frowning catching the glint of their headbands in the emergency lights.
Kumo ninja.
"Sekiei, come on; it's just one girl! This is our chance to kidnap her for the byakugan!" Mikage snaps at his apparent slowness.
Hinata uses it to her benefit, gathering electricity in her hands striking straight into his chest.
"You are wrong to think I would let you take me without putting up a fight." She warns at Mikage's grunt of pain at her attack.
He spits up droplets of blood and drool, gritting his teeth.
Sekiei instantly comes up behind her, earth release trapping her legs in place.
"Little girl, you're nothing against the two of us! We'll behead you and steal those precious eyes of yours." Mikage hisses as he stands before her once more.
She reacts before his partner can lock in her arms by blowing forcefully the Gelsemine petals in his face, aiming as many as she can into his mouth.
Mikage gags and spits out just one or two; the poison won't take effect in time as he turns to give her a vicious grin.
"For that, I'll make sure we slowly torture you before you die."
Hinata winces as he presses a kunai to her throat, drawing blood and she debates her next option when abruptly a palm slams against Mikage's back.
"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"
Sekiei attempts to look for the recruitments only to get slammed with a gentle fist to his chest and arms as well, falling back to the floor with his partner.
"Neither of you are taking my daughter anywhere." Hiashi states, stomping on Mikage's hands at his attempts to stand until the crush of his bones rings out.
Sekiei attempts another Earth Flow Wave only for Neji to strike at his neck, Hinata watching as Sekiei's neck starts to twist in the same manner he had promised to do to her seconds earlier...
"Are you alright Lady Hinata?" Neji questions once he's sure the duo is fully incapacitated.
Hinata nods slowly, accepting his help in sliding her out of the crumpling rocks.
"You helped to save me?" She asks more as a question than statement.
Neji merely nods, Hiashi coming up beside them to help on her opposite side.
"We have talked and cleared the air between us." Hiashi explains.
Hinata feels a smile of relief edge up, but her thoughts scramble as she half gazes to Neji again uncertainly.
It shouldn't matter right now, but her thread keeps pulsing painfully keeping her for pushing it to the back of her mind.
'How far did this conversation go?'
Sakura
"Ugh, there aren't any bugs left in my hair; right?!" Ino whines, rubbing at her arms trying to stave off another rise of goosebumps. She studies her reflection in the mirror carefully, looking from her head to her toes.
Sakura shakes her head, not telling her of the tiny black beetle she crushes between her fingers.
Hopefully that's the last of them.
The last matches are set to start soon, Sasuke's probably going to be last or second to last.
Ino shivers, ignoring Sakura's stifled laugh.
"No laughing Forehead! Imagine this was you up against Shino and his army of bugs!"
'Patients coming into the ER have been covered in stranger things.' Sakura muses to herself, but wisely keeps her mouth shut.
She brushes Ino's comb again through her blonde locks, nodding proudly at her handiwork of fully ridding her of every insect.
"I can't believe I lost. I figured I had him for sure when the mind transfer went through!" Ino grits her teeth, flicking and crushing under her shoe what looked to be some type of centipede off of her top.
Sakura hums curiously, nodding her agreement. Shino, for at least few seconds had become immobile with Ino's plan having been for him to force him to forfeit or having his paralytic insects hold him in place for her to attack.
"So what was it like in that mind of his? Did you get to see his thoughts? What his eyes look like?!"
Ino grins at that, blue eyes sparkling with mischief looking up to meet her green.
"Well...he's as weird as he acts outwardly as he is inwardly!"
Sakura lightly shoves at her shoulder, snicker erupting out. Shino may be the strangest boy out of their class(no matter how much Ino complains about Choji's weird eating habits and Shikamaru's laziness), but that doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings!
"You're so mean Ino! What if he heard you say that?!" Sakura gripes.
Ino shrugs in response, fiddling with the ends of her hair.
"Oh well! I'm sure how I feel about him doesn't matter to him anyways." She huffs and Sakura can't say she really agrees.
Ino nudges her gently as she finishes straightening out her hair, devious grin back in place to switch to her favorite topic.
Gossip.
"You're lucky so much of your team is advancing! Naruto was a surprise victory over Kiba!" She mentions.
Sakura waves off the idea because Kiba, like most of their classmates, took Naruto's strength for granted. She's watched him to go off to train deep in the woods for hours apparently alone, often seeing him out and about at the markets or Ichiraku's the next day with faint scratches along his arms.
"He hasn't asked you out in months, not since we all found our red thread matches...well some of us found ours." Ino considers thoughtfully.
Sakura shrugs, she hadn't really given it any thought.
When she's not at the hospital or studying all her medical textbooks, Sasuke is occupying her mind. He sinks into those gaps in her thoughts making her wonder when that first spark of pain to her thread is going to inevitably come...
Ino looks up to her accusingly, blue eyes boring into green. "Come on, don't tell me you don't know who his red thread is after all this time Forehead?! He's supposed to be your teammate!"
Sakura grits her teeth, huffing. "How am I supposed to find out when he evades or switches the subject every time I ask or allude to it Pig! However, I will say it always seems like he knows where Hinata is within the village. I was delivering a shipment of medicine for an elderly woman Lady Tsunade had seen a few weeks ago and saw him leaving the Central Library. I nearly called out to him, but stopped myself seeing the books he had on him."
Ino's grin widens, urging her to go on and Sakura can't help but mess with her by dragging out the suspense.
"...They we're clan books! Though not for the Uzumaki, it was for the Hyuga clan on old school traditions they have and I swear another book that was titled "Secrets on Her Heart."
Ino cackles, eyes bright with mischief. "Naruto and Hinata?! You really think so? Heh, well it's a possibility I suppose seeing who Shikamaru's thread led him to."
Sakura nods, happy at least they've brought each other out of their despondent moods at losing their respective matches, though she really has no proof Hinata is Naruto's match and she forces Ino to promise it's just idle chatter for only them.
"Want to go watch Sasuke's match now?" Ino questions, tone still light with amusement.
Sakura arches a brow, knowing what's she's trying to do despite her reservations. Her face thankfully remains neutral, not flustering at the thought of having to face seeing Sasuke again after his earlier visit to her room.
Whatever rivalry they had for Sasuke has cooled, their red threads burying it.
But according to Ino, she can still enjoy the 'eye-candy' of watching him until her own red thread makes an appearance.
"You never told me what happened to you guys in the Forest of Death." Ino remarks as they head back towards the stands above the arena.
Sakura withers, images flashing to mind of Sasuke's curse mark coming alive; a living tattoo of black ink. It will always call to the deepest parts of this thoughts to get stronger, to obtain the power that staying in the village can't give him alone.
And with the memory comes the scent of blood and moss as if she's back there among the bark and dew, golden snake eyes relishing Sasuke's power; his hate.
"Enough for me to worry." Sakura decides as an answer, Ino patting her shoulder sympathetically.
"I'm sure it must make you feel out of sorts being tied to even a small of amount of his emotions."
She nods, greeting Kakashi-sensei as they look towards the main monitors to see the current fight.
Sakura catches Kakashi's eye as he leans to her, lowering his voice for only her to hear.
"I told him to avoid using the curse mark's power. He's been warned that if it gets too out of control that I'll need to suppress it." He assures her.
Sakura brightens a bit hearing that, nodding.
She glances back to the monitors to see who's up next.
It will be Sasuke vs. Dosu.
'Ah, he's still alive?! I would've thought that Orochimaru would've disposed of him!'
She hasn't seen Zaku or Kin since their bouts in the Forest of Death and considering neither had fully completed their assignment to have Sasuke show off his strength, she's sure they're of little use to Orochimaru now.
'Dosu must have realized this too! He probably wants to use this match to prove he isn't just a puppet or pawn for Orochimaru.' Sakura realizes.
And to do that, he'll need to kill Sasuke.
"Sasuke, knock him out!" Ino cheers beside her.
Sasuke glances in their direction, Sakura feeling her stomach twist from the way his gaze seems to focus on her alone. That curse mark, once it's sealed by Kakashi-sensei perhaps he won't feel so inclined to rely on it's power, to follow through on his growing desires to leave the village...
"Good luck." She mouths and she swears he gives her the faintest smirk in return.
Hayate signals them to begin.
Dosu quickly unleashes a burst of sound, though the effect is limited once more by Sasuke's use of flames, blaze of fires getting precariously close to his echo speaker.
'All I need to do is get close one time. Close enough to unleash of rush of sound in his ears.' Dosu cracks his fingers. He's resisting using that curse mark of his, he can use that to his advantage.
"You won't impress him by not using the power boost of that curse mark. Orochimaru wants you so badly, but I'll kill you here and now taking away all the plans he had for you." Dosu remarks in a hiss by his ear.
"I won't lose to a mere grunt/underling of his." Sasuke volleys back.
And with that, he has nothing left to say to him as he leaps out of range before his echo drill can pierce at his ears.
Dosu grits his teeth, running through his options.
The Uchiha can operate at long-range or close range, he needs to finish this fast before he turns this situation around on him.
He launches himself forward to him once more, dodging the burst of fireballs that spill from his lips. Sasuke appears behind him before he can twist around, kicks him high into the air, taunting him to try and use his sound waves once more.
He moves too fast for him to counter, kicked up higher and higher until they nearly reach the ceiling of the arena.
'This move. It's partially from Lee's use of Front Lotus.' Sakura recognizes.
And then just like in the Forest, she watches as they quickly plummet back to Earth. The only difference is that Sasuke doesn't appear to have done much, if any strain to his body as he jabs his fist straight into Dosu's chest knocking him out.
"Winner: Sasuke." Hayate announces.
Sasuke's gaze finds hers again and her heart lurches wondering what's on his mind now, but whatever else she can think of the match is quickly taken away as the room goes black.
Elsewhere- Tsunade & Hiruzen
"Okay, who do you think he's disguised as?!" Tsunade hisses out quickly, cracking her knuckles in preparation for a long fight coming.
Hiruzen tampers her rising ire with a gentle pat to her arm, silencing her as they step into the hall away from the others. He's had this worry for the past month, unable to shake the uneasiness of not knowing Orochimaru's next move, of the fear this old body of his won't be enough to stop him...
He let him go once, he can't make the same mistake again.
They go to an unoccupied terrace that overlooks the sides of the village to the east, greenery of the mountains shining an emerald-gold. The sun sits high above them, warms their skin from the goosebumps that prickled at the coldness of the arena's rooms and halls.
"Lower your voice! We can't, and won't go punching every guard or dignitary here! Konoha still needs to be shown as a powerhouse nation that doesn't cave to any enemies or show fear. Now, it has be somebody that's in a high position, one most people wouldn't second guess or question." He retorts.
Amber eyes narrow, lips pursing with a familiar stubbornness before sighing.
"We should put the finals on an indefinite hold. At least until we can figure out what exactly Orochimaru wants or is planning." She determines.
Hiruzen shakes his head, hearing in the distance as the last round of the preliminary matches begin.
"I told you. I already have a strong idea of what he wants. Orochimaru simply put, wants to take Sasuke Uchiha's body for the sharingan. A fresh young host to carry out his plans for immortality and to learn all of the ninjutsu of the world." He explains.
Tsunade bristles, her old teammate far more cruel and dangerous since their last encounter.
"So what is the plan then?!" She nearly barks out in demand.
Hiruzen points in the distance into the deeper parts of the woods. "We must if we can, lure him as far as possible from the village. I will face him one on one and ensure he pays for his crimes."
A toad lands on his shoulder, producing a scroll from his tongue that Hiruzen quickly intercepts and reads.
"Jiraiya is having to deal with Suna's jinchuriki in the medical wing of the hospital. You should go and provide him back up. Based on the information he's gathered while bar hopping in the red light district and to the smaller villages nearby, it's Suna and Oto that plan to invade us. Orochimaru will attack and I alone will be the one to take him down." Hiruzen explains.
Tsunade stiffens before blowing out a breath.
"When?"
But from the way Hiruzen's eyes face forward silently to the village below she figures out quickly that there's no exact timetable.
"Soon. Listen, no matter what happens to me, take care of the village and the next generation. Take...Take care of Naruto." He mutters.
Tsunade snorts, giving him a half-smile.
"Don't talk as if you're walking to your death sensei."
Hiruzen gives her a small grin return, shrugging. "I'm not young anymore. If there's a jutsu that can make your body look and be young well; let me know!"
But as if to prove his point, they hear a loud boom from back indoors, sea of gray smog streaming out.
"It's starting!" He scowls.
He races back inside without waiting for Tsunade's response, heading back towards the upper levels where Orochimaru waits. The area is empty, bodies of various guards and assistants for each nation lay haphazardly across the ground.
His chest tightens seeing their blood now a coppery maroon pooling around them, glassy eyes wide in silent terror.
Tsunade appears behind him, yells for him to move back as the ground starts to quake.
He turns back to her just as a snake breaks forth from the ground, forcefully pushes him upwards onto the rooftop of the stadium.
"Ah, there you are! I knew one of my snakes would sniff you out eventually sensei. It's time for our fight; just you and I like you wanted." Orochimaru smiles in greeting, Kazekage disguise abandoned.
"Everyone! Erect the barrier; now!" Orochimaru yells out to his subordinates.
Tsunade races up right after them just as a violet wall shoots up, cracking her fists in preparation to break the wall.
"No, Tsunade; don't! The flames will engulf you!" Hiruzen calls to her before his voice gets swallowed by the barrier.
Tsunade bites her lip, drawing blood. No, he can't be in there alone with Orochimaru. Not with how he is now. Orochimaru has studied so many forbidden techniques, is ready to kill their former sensei just to watch Konoha be destroyed...
Her attention turns to his lackeys, each having put up an additional blockade around themselves to prevent any interruptions to their battle.
Fine, she'll deal with them first and then assist Lord Third in his fight.
'Orochimaru, I refuse to let you take down Konoha so easily!'
Orochimaru meanwhile grins at Hiruzen's disgusted look, rolling his shoulders.
"Don't look at me that way sensei, you had your chance to stop me in the past after all, and you didn't. Am I still your favorite student? It's not like you have any ties left in this world. Your wife Biwako, your red thread, departed this world years ago. Your son Asuma continues keeps you at a distance. It seems the only people who truly might care about you is that grandson of yours. the naïve genin of the latest graduating class of the Academy, and the civilians who don't even know how weak you truly are." He muses.
Hiruzen ignores his comments, dropping his Hokage robes to reveal his shinobi attire.
"You always wondered what your purpose in life was after seeing you had no red thread; no one around with your team disbanded and your parents long gone. If I could turn back the clock I would've stopped you all those years ago, shown you there's more to life than chasing immortality and ninjutsu." He laments.
Orochimaru merely shrugs at his memories, eyes gleaming in pure excitement now that he truly has him here; alone.
"It's too late for your regrets sensei. You'll die here and now with all those 'what-if's' and 'could've been's!'"
-x-
International Left Handed Day is this weekend! (it's actually this Saturday August 13th). Celebrate all the lefties in your life that you know! (like me who always had pencil lead on my hand and always had my arm off the desk while writing!).
So Neji did not spill the beans! (For now!) I keep writing for this story because I love it and it lightens my stress lol. I hope you guys are loving it as well ha ha! It finally started raining at my house! It's not enough to save my grass or garden plants fully, but I'll take the break from the extreme heat!
A lot truly happened this chapter! Hopefully it doesn't feel too rushed or confusing especially with how I changed the events and battles that started the Konoha crush arc. I look forward to your thoughts on how you feel the next battles will go! Let me know your feedback!
Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!
