Chapter 25: Grand Escape

Hibiki felt strong, confident. Haruto's life had been so full, he had learned to protect himself, he knew how to be blind, he knew chakra control. And now all of this plus so much more was now Hibiki's.

Now it was her job to use her new skills to get Suigetsu and Juugo from the prison. She had checked last night for the exact location of Suigetsu and Juugo. She counted each step and each movement to be as accurate as possible. She would need to conserve her front vision as much as she could, this battle could be long. She knew the path inside the building, and how many guards would be moving inside at each time, but she felt anxious, her body shook slightly. Standing tall she paid for her room and walked outside, the wind was cold, and it began to snow. Cold flakes landing individually on her skin and melting into water.

Using the cane to feel in front of her she moved forward and down the street. She walked to the edge of town and reminded herself of the location of the castle,

If I follow this road and turn at the first left turn it should lead me to the castle, or at least close.

Taking a deep breath, she moved forward. She eventually found the left turn and followed the path for a few miles. The wind picked up and the snow fell harder, the flakes became large clusters on her clothes and skin, heating and then melting making her wet.

As she debated checking her location, she hears footsteps nearby, slowly approaching. Hibiki tensed up and had a hand on her hidden kunai.

"Hibiki." a voiced called from her right. Her anxiety and fear increasing as she turned to the voice.

"It's been a while; I see you are in good health." the voice spoke.

"Kabuto-san?" she asked relaxing some. "Why are you here?" her voice hardened.

"I am in need of your services Hibiki, I need the location of a specific body," he said, his voice sounded off, more menacing, like Orochimaru.

"What do I get in return?" she cautiously inquired. She was no longer Orochimaru's tool, her visions had a price now.

"Yes, of course, I thought you'd say that. I'm not sure if this is payment." he touched her hand, his scaly skin made her shrink back. A piece of paper was placed in her open palm.

"And this is?" she wondered.

"Oh, just a document I had that is of no use to me now," he said nonchalantly.

"What body do you want?" she sighed.

"Madara Uchiha's. The real Madara Uchiha's," he instructed. Hibiki had decided to move past her fear, she wouldn't let herself be stopped by it. She had finally looked into the situation around 'Madara' and the Akatsuki and knew a loose layout of the coming events. She could take action but a part of her urged her to take the chance on the Naruto boy and Sasuke.

Hibiki closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. She quickly found Madara, then in curiosity looked at the document Kabuto had given her. Her eyes snapped open.

"How, I mean, this document! This, I mean…" she stumbled over her words, astonished.

"I'm sure you'll know what to do with it. Now, Madara?" he asked.

Hibiki nodded and gave Kabuto the information that he wanted.

"It was good working with you, oh! and the castle is only half a mile away," he told her.

"How did you know," she called after the fading footsteps.

"You are going after Juugo and Suigetsu right? I can sense them there," he called back. licking her dry chapped lips, she carefully stored the document in the inside of her sweatshirt, turned and walked on. She had to focus on her task at hand and worry about it and Kabuto later.

Just as Kabuto had said, she found the road to the castle half a mile away. Nervously she stretched, allowing her body to feel loose and flexible. Taking a steadying breath Hibiki solidified her determination.

In an attempt to disguise herself, she wrapped a long-hooded cloak around her, one she bought from the Hotel's family. Covering herself, she had her hand out to hold the cane in a specific way as she hunched over.

She looked like what could be an elderly person from afar. This could give her time to get close enough to the front gate guards to launch a surprise attack. Under the cloak in her left hand, she took that kunai she had and held it in her other hand. Then she walked to the castle.

The front guards stood on either side of the open gate, the wind was increasing, and they began to feel chilled. It was another 4 hours before they would be relieved of duty. Slowly a bundle of cloth moved toward them, at first, they were alarmed, but as it got closer, a hunched person with a cane approached. Their coat pulled close due to the increasingly bad weather. A blizzard was coming.

"How may I help you?" one asked.

"I have business inside," she said.

"Can we ask for your summons paper." the first one asked again.

"Oh, I believe I lost it to the wind," she answered

"I cannot let you pass without summons paperwork." the guard frowned.

Feeling the suspicion, Hibiki moved quickly and suddenly, dropping her cane and letting the cloak whip around her in the wind. The guard was confused seeing the young girl with one eye shut and didn't act fast enough. With a shaky hand, she sliced the speaking man's neck. She dodged a swing from the second man's sword, dropping her kunai she pulled the sword from the first man and took a defensive stance.

The man was right on her, swinging and jabbing at her. Hibiki dodged and blocked his attacks, waiting for the right moment to strike. After a little melee, her opportunity came, and she jammed her sword through the man's side, he paused giving Hibiki time to retract the sword and bring it down on his neck, a clean cut.

Panting Hibiki was surprised by her own body. Haruto made Hibiki exercise during their time together, that paired with his fighting knowledge and experience gave her near master skills. Her life with Haruto was worth it.

Steadying her breath, Hibiki dropped the sword, grabbed her kunai, and stored her cane in a sheath on her back, like a sword. She let her front vision go and now moved as a blind woman. The forming blizzard hiding her footprints and the men's bodies behind her.

Hibiki held herself tight under the cloak, she had never really fought before. She trained in dodging, sure, but wielding a knife, a blade, this had to be the first time. Yet it wasn't, she wielded swords as Haruto, they had fought and killed many times in his life.

Focusing on her breathing as she walked, she smiled at how surprisingly well that went.

Well, they were two young and fairly inexperienced samurai. Had it been a real one It would have been a harder fight. She thought.

Forcing herself to focus, she moved on and enters the castles main doors opening it just enough for her to slip in and close it again. She ran along the right wall, her hand giving her a sense of her location. She quickly found a niche to hide in.

Three... two….. one,

Two men speaking grew louder and then passed her, their voices fading slightly as they walked away. Hibiki kept to the wall and quietly ran down the corridor and turned into the next one. She found the next niche and counted to 92, two men passed her again and she ran down the first right turn she came too. She continued her counts and hiding until she came to an open area. This was a center where 4 corridors met. Two guards would be waiting right by the hall that leads to the cells. She would have to be sneaky; these men would be more experienced. Summoning her courage and knowledge she gained from Haruto.

You can do this you can do this you can do this

She placed one foot onto the wall, getting her grip then walked up against it. She took each step carefully and very deliberately. Only when she was near the ceiling did she go around the corner and move down the room to the guard's position. Finally making it to an area high above them. Preparing herself she closed her eyes and focused, gathering herself and forcing her soul to split again.

When she opened her eye, her building adrenaline made her numb, and she ran down the wall and jumped onto the first guard standing on the left.

Her increasingly shaky hand slit his throat. Blood sprayed out of the wound. The other guard grabbed her pulling her off his teammate. She quickly stabbed through his arm, causing her to be dropped. She turned as he swung his sword at her and Hibiki barely ducked just in time. She lunged at the nearby wall, kicking off it and ripped his helmet off with one hand. She landed and dodged another attack, then she springs forward slashing his eyes with the kunai. The only way she was going to make it was to fight as dirty as she needed to. Even if it meant condemning this man to a world of an empty black abyss.

The man took a few steps back in pain covering his face as blood poured, Hibiki took this chance to run down the hall as their commotion and his screaming drew attention. Replacing her kunai, she took out three smoke bombs from her pocket.

As she came to a junction and four guards began to surround her, she threw the first bomb down, thick smoke covering the area. She quickly took the left hall and ran until she found the stairs. Being small made it easy to slip past these men in bulky armor.

Throwing herself forward, the men right on her heels, she ran down the stairs. She slipped twice and fell on her ass. Scraped her knees too, but she kept herself propelling forward, and on the last step her ankle twisted and began to throb in protest of the weight she put on it. She had Haruto's skills but not his grace.

Keep moving, she thought, her adrenaline and her desire to see Suigetsu, were the only motivations moving her. At the base of the stairs were three halls, Hibiki took the left moving her feet as fast as she could. She came to the next junction that held the guard's station and was quickly surrounded, she threw down the second bomb, holding her breath as she did so. She grabbed some keys from the desk and ran off straight down the hall, the men coughing and gagging behind her.

During their down time Karin had Told Hibiki the recipe for the horrible perfume she had made a while back. And as a part of her preparations for this day she recreated it and added extra chemicals to make it into a thick smoke. It seemed Haruto had learned to make smoke bombs and other types of bombs during his travels.

I'm glad Karin gave that one to me, she thought, the horrible perfume experiment was incredibly useful.

She skidded to a halt as two men stepped from a conjoining hall, the first has his sword drawn and ready. As she jumped back to avoid her head being cut off, her hood was pulled and ripped off her head. Her face exposed to them.

She slammed into the wall and just as quickly used her kunai to slash the inclosing swordsman neck, cutting it but no were deep enough to last or kill. However, for the time being, it made him grab his throat, dropping his sword. The second man stabbed at her, making a long cut on her cheek.

As she was dropping her last smoke bomb she was stabbed in her side, the blade piercing her. She dropped her third and last smoke bomb and slid herself off the blade. Grabbing her side, she ran down the hall the men had come from.

The sword guy will be up soon, he will be able to heal that slash easily and come after me again.

Twisting and turning down the halls, Hibiki passed many escaping inmates and the samurai guard were preoccupied with them, letting her pass through the crevices of their battles. After turning down a quiet hall, Hibiki bent over in exhaustion. She closed her eyes and let her front vision go. Sweat beaded on her forehead and drops ran down her neck and arms. She was getting a headache and her adrenaline was coming down, leaving shock and the cold fear of death behind. She gripped her side as warm blood soaked through her clothes.

Thankfully the hall she was in was quiet and still, she straightened back up as much as she could. With one hand holding pressure while the other glided on the wall for support as she walked. The sound of fighting approached from nearby. Panting, as she reached a turn, the fighting became louder. And in the chaotic noise, Hibiki heard a familiar snicker. Relieve flooded her as she turned the corner she called out.

"Suigetsu."

…

After using his finger guns to shoot another guard in the head, Juugo slammed others into a wall. The man's corpse fell, and blood puddles around his bare feet. Once Suigetsu and Juugo had left the cells they could hear the guards moving around in odd patterns, not like their usual rounds. Not wanting to take any chances the two opened all the cells they came across, freeing the other prisoners. They would preoccupy any samurai, leaving Suigetsu and Juugo open to sneak past. But the inmates died faster than expected, and guards pursued the two.

Juugo let his rage go, allowing his violent nature and tendencies to take control. His blood lust was thick. Juugo killed everyone in his way, a human tank going through the halls. Suigetsu stayed clear of him, following a safe distance behind. However, he had to fight too, as a few men snuck around the labyrinth of halls and cells.

Then he stopped.

He heard a voice he missed a sweet sound that gave him relief. Hearing Hibiki's voice was like a song, she was alive. Suigetsu looked around him frantically and caught sight of Hibiki at the end of a nearby hall. She panted and her cheeks were flushed from running. She favored her right leg and had a visible cut on her cheek. Blood dripped from her clutched side. All this went unnoticed as Suigetsu fills with jubilation. A smile on his face, His feet moved before his brain could react and soon, he slams into her, pulling her into his arms.

She was so warm, soft, and She smelled like sweat and blood. He walked himself into a wall, resting his back on it, gluing her to his body.

Hibiki took a few moments before wrapping her free arm around him, returning the hug. Burying her face into him. He smelled bad, probably been a while since he got to bathe, and he was squeezing her too tight, but she didn't care. She listened to his heart as it beat at a frenzied pace, just like hers.

After a few moments, they pulled away and he examined her. She was dirty, her hair a tangled mess, she had splattered blood on her, spray from another person dotted her face and arm. Then he noticed the rest.

"Fuck Hibiki!" he yelled sitting her on the floor. A sweet smile on her tired face.

"Wait here," he said rushing to the nearest corpses. He ripped strips of cloth off them and snatched a lighter from a dead samurai. Running he returned to Hibiki, slightly panicking. She had taken off her sweatshirt, when Suigetsu arrived he looked at the gash.

"Lay down Honey, I have to sear the wound shut." he told her, taking the Kunai and heating it with the lighter.

"It's bad huh?" she said in a hushed voice as she complied.

"Yeah it is, Hibiki are you ready? It's going to hurt." he asked, and she nodded.

Throughout the basement level was fighting between inmates and samurai, inmates freed their friends, and a few lay dying from an attack from the crazed Juugo. The fighting stopped momentarily, a moment of stillness as an agonizing scream echoed through the halls.

Hibiki worked on slowing her breath, as Suigetsu wrapped it up applying pressure to the sight. When she had her breath back, He helped her slowly stand up. Her blood-soaked sweatshirt was left on the ground, her white undershirt exposed. Her cloak still hanging from her shoulders.

She regained her balance and calmed herself further. He reached out and caressed her cheek, and she leaned into it.

"Let's get the fuck out of here." he smiled, taking her hand they jogged down the hall to find Juugo.

…

Juugo had lost his composure for a bit. Like always his memory was a little blurry after transforming. But he could say he definitely didn't kill Suigetsu. Which was good. He stood near the stairs, a small pile of samurai corpses and dying men around him, and the hall he came from had holes in it. Suigetsu would have no trouble finding him.

During the escape Juugo let his building tension take over, His urges had risen, but now it felt more sedated. He felt more in control of himself. Which was a good thing. With Sasuke being gone he feared for Suigetsu's wellbeing.

Hearing footsteps he snaps from his thoughts and sees Suigetsu guiding Hibiki to his location. Their hands clasped together. Hibiki held her side and had a slight limp.

"Hibiki!" he smiled as she came in front of him. "I'm happy to see you."

"Juugo it's good to hear your voice, and from what I've seen, your regular sized again, that's great." she smiled.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm just breaking into prison to get my friends out of it." she shrugged. A much-appreciated smile came to Juugo's lips. The three then turned and walked up the steps to the main level.

"I'm going to go find my sword." Suigetsu announced as they entered the junction hall Hibiki had come in from. "You and Juugo should go someplace safe and rest," he told Hibiki.

"No, it's ok. I can keep moving." she insisted, squeezing his hand. He wasn't happy about this, but he didn't want her out of his sight or reach right now.

"They confiscated it, right? Then let look in the armory." Juugo suggested walking down another hall, figuring the armory would be nearby to help with prison riots.

"What? You're going to help me? You're all right, Juugo. Unlike that Karin." he sneered.

"Speaking of which, where'd she go? Want to look for her?" Juugo asked.

"She isn't here, she is in Konoha right now," Hibiki told them.

"Should we go get her?" Juugo asked.

"I'd rather not." Suigetsu frowned.

"No let's leave her alone for now, she's going to be fine on her own," Hibiki said to them.

"Oh, did you see her escaping?" Juugo asked.

"No, don't need to, I know Karin, She's perfectly capable on her own." Hibiki shrugged.

"Alright then let's go to the armory and look for the sword then," Juugo concluded. With a plan of action, the three walked through the castle mostly undisturbed. Most of the guards were focused on the prisoners escaping, the rest of the samurai were gone. The halls were empty and echoed a bit.

The trio found a few armories in the castle, one on the east side and one on the west. The east side didn't have Suigetsu's sword. Hibiki waited by the door as Suigetsu and Juugo looked through crates in the west armory.

"It's not here either." Suigetsu frowned.

"I think there is one more place it could be, in the castles north armory," Hibiki suggested.

"Let's go to that one next then." Juugo agreed. Juugo, Suigetsu and Hibiki walked side by side through the halls. Suigetsu's hand keeping Hibiki close by. After they venture down the hall for a bit Juugo turns to Suigetsu.

"You said you're gathering all the lost Hidden Mist Blades. Why are you so obsessed?" Juugo asked,

"What?" Suigetsu hissed. "You said you'd help me. Don't tell me you're giving up?" he complained.

"You're the one who gives up. Except when it comes to the ninja blades." Juugo continued curious,

"I need one thing to keep me going. Resurrecting the Seven Ninja Swordsmen and becoming their leader is my dream." he shrugged.

"Resurrect?" Juugo inquired.

"Yeah." Suigetsu smiled his voice rising in tone with his excitement.

"Right now, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen consists of a single brat named Chojuro." he grimaced.

"Traditionally, the ninja blade is passed down from generation to generation. Right now, there is only one blade, known as the Hiramekarei." he explained. "Nothing else. The great blade, Samehada, is in Kisame's possession, but he's a rogue ninja. I finally got a hold of the Executioner's Blade, only to lose it. So officially, that unit doesn't exist today. For now, anyway" he gave a toothy smile.

"Anyway, there are lots of other blades," Juugo says.

"Yes but these blades are special," Suigetsu said.

"Among the Ninja Swordsmen throughout history, there were super masters besides Kisame, Zabuza, and Chojuro." he continued.

"First there's the wielder of the Lightning Blade, the Fang, a blade swathed with lightning with the ultimate cutting edge, Ameyuri Ringo. The wielder of the Blunt Blade, Kabutowari, that smashes through any defense Jinin Akebino. The blade that stabs and pierces everything and sews them together, the Long Blade, the Sewing Needle. Its wielder is Kushimaru Kuriarare. The blade that adds explosive power to one's swordsmanship the Explosive Blade: the Splatter. And its wielder, Jinpachi Munashi. And the one who, like Kisame Hoshigaki, wielded the Great Blade, Samehada, Fuguki Suikazan. And the one who could handle all seven blades. The one who is known as the second coming of the demon, my older brother, Mangetsu Hozuki." he said excitedly. "And I am going to be the captain of the new generation of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen, and…"

"Enough." Juugo interjected, "You're talking too loud." he hushed.

"Hey, I was coming to the climax." Suigetsu complained about his story's flow gone.

"The sword you used it broke in two, right? Shouldn't you just make a new sword?" he asked his voice lowered.

"You don't know a thing. That blade has a certain power. The Severing Sword, the Executioner's Blade, cannot be chipped or nicked. No, a better way to put it is, the blade repairs itself. It cuts into humans, then absorbs their blood. It regenerates itself with the iron present in the blood." he says.

"Efficient," Juugo remarked as they entered the final armory. After half an hour of searching through even more crates of boring, regular swords, Suigetsu groaned.

"Guess we should move on then," Juugo says. Suigetsu frowns, he really hoped the blade would be here. Now he would have to hunt it down all over again. Hibiki put her hand on his arm, he looked at her and sighed. She smiled a reassuring smile as they left the north armory.

The three had to move cautiously now, with most of the prisoners caught, killed, or gone, The samurai were on the move again. Hibiki gets them to find a statue of a samurai in the east wing. Once there she found the chip in the stone statues base. She turned with her back to it and then slowly progressed forward, counting each of her steps.

She guided them to a small room that held extra supplies hidden in a remote corner of the hall. In the back of the room behind some dusty boxes, was a door to a small tunnel. Hibiki unlocked it with the keys she stole from the guard table. With Hibiki in the lead, they crawled on their hands and knees, with Juugo having the hardest time squeezing through. The end of the tunnel was blocked by a grate. Hibiki pushed it open and crawled out into the piling snow.

A blizzard whipping around them, making visibility low and a great cover for leaving. The tunnel leads out to the back of the castle, and through the woods behind it was the way to the Land of Fire.