Those Who Are Lost
Chapter 19
Dark Day For A Hero
Hello there my fellow fanfictioners!
I could blather on about how long it took me to write this but let's be honest. We're all a bit tired of my excuses and to be fair so am I. Writer's block is indeed a thing as is finding the time to write in between all my other hobbies, work and day to day life.
So let's just move on to the good stuff!
Disclaimer: I do not in any way claim ownership of Naruto, Naruto Shippuden or Boruto in any way or form. These are the rightful and respectful property of Masashi Kishimoto and his no doubt incredibly skilled ninjas who specialize in copyright law jutsu.
I would like to thank the guest reviewer KJ for the kind words. I've always thought this fic was an excellent opportunity to explore the sides of Sasuke which most fics don't. Namely his thought process in regard to being a hero and how he might react to tragedy of a different kind and being thrust into a guardian/teacher/father like role.
I have another shoutout at the end of the chapter for those who enjoyed this. (I'll not make it a habit to list every reviewer I get. Just the ones who warm my heart and stoke the fires of inspiration 😉)
I am so pleased that this fic has been enjoyed by so many people. I honestly didn't expect it to make it to 40 reviews and here I am sitting at 72 at the time of this chapter being written. At this rate maybe I'll get to 100 reviews! (fingers crossed).
Now then, enough of my senseless prattling and on to the story.
THE FIRE TEMPLE
"Where exactly are we going?" Himawari asked as she caught up to Sora's retreating form.
"To my private chambers." Sora replied lightly, never stopping or looking back. His strides were longer than she expected and the young girl struggled to keep up with him, walking faster than she normally did and soon found herself sucking in deeper lungfuls of air.
What is the rush?
Even as the thought crossed her mind, she found the question on the tip of her tongue. Himawari bit down on the muscle as she took a closer look at her guide. His expression seemed friendly enough but there was a tightness to it that unnerved her.
Himawari considered the High Priest which Kouda said could give her all the answers she needed. He was not what she expected from a monk.
Where she had been expecting an elderly person to be the highest authority in the temple, Sora was rather young in appearance. If the girl had to guess, then she would estimate that he was somewhere in his thirties and of a similar age to Sasuke. He possessed long dark hair that fell like a curtain from the top of his head to the tip of his chin.
How did Kouda know this man? Why would he have told him about me?
Considering this for a moment, the young Hyuuga came to a decision.
"How did you know Kouda?" Himawari asked conversationally, trying to get a read on the man. So far, he had been frustratingly difficult in that regard.
"He delivered my son into the world." Sora answered, his voice containing that same element of strain that his features tried so hard to conceal.
Himawari nodded. It was a fair answer considering what she knew of Kouda's past.
The man seemed right enough but there was something about him and this place. Something that sent a tingle of apprehension down her spine though she couldn't figure out what it was for the life of her.
They had been walking for only a short while but Himawari found herself impressed at the complexity of the route they had taken. From the main gate that had let them into the main temple square, Sora had led her down one alley after another. The alleys were a natural consequence of the tightly clustered houses, stockrooms and other such small structures which made up the outer layer of the Fire Temple itself.
They nature of the complex and its consequent alleys were a manmade maze that the Hyuuga found a challenge to keep track of with all its twists and turns.
The only landmarks she had were the three large towers that made up the centre of the Fire Temple. At times the path they took led them further away from the large structures before looping back to close in on them once more.
For some strange reason she wished that Kamui were with her. The big, black and frankly far too intelligent horse had proved a comforting presence and possessed a sense of direction that was frankly alarming. During their journey through the Great Forest, Sasuke had repeatedly joked that the horse was the only one amongst the three of them that knew the way.
But Kamui wasn't with her. The steed had been stabled by Sasuke shortly before he left with the other priest, Daiichi.
Shaking her head free of any more distracting thoughts, the young girl resolved to focus on the here and now.
Himawari opened her mouth to continue her line of questioning when suddenly the enclosed sensation of the networks of alleys came to an end. The two of them found themselves in a small square enclosure of white stone. Sora gestured to a building a short distance ahead of them. Returning her attention to her surroundings once she took note of a small wooden house, in the same architectural style as the rest of the temple complex, with a slanted tile roof and a small circle of grass surrounding its foundation.
The most remarkable thing about home was the bright red door with the character for fire engraved upon it in big, bold black paint. The wooden building rested right up against the side of the third large tower Himawari had spied from the outside.
When did we get so close to that tower?
Himawari grimaced at the thought. That didn't bode well for her general awareness.
Though she was unable to see it from the angle of their approach Himawari found herself absently wondering whether or not the two structures were connected to each other.
There was something about the wooden house that unnerved her and her steps slowed of their own accord as her mind debated whether it would be better to wait for Sasuke to come back or not.
"Is something wrong?" Sora asked.
Himawari blinked and realized that she had come to a complete stop a few feet away from the front porch steps leading to the High Priest's home. Sora stood beside the red door, holding it open and gracing her with a look of mild puzzlement.
"Why did you have to bring me here?" Himawari asked pointedly once she took a moment to collect herself. "I know it's not because of a chilly breeze."
The question came out far more aggressively than she expected, and she successfully fought down the blush that threatened to creep up her neck and onto her cheeks.
For a moment, so quick that Himawari almost missed it, there was a flash of …something in his eyes. Himawari wasn't sure she liked what she had seen there.
Something isn't right here. If it looks like a trap and it smells like a trap, then it sure as hell is one.
Himawari took a step backwards in retreat.
I have to find Sasuke. We never should've come here.
"The truth…" Sora started only to trail off.
Himawari froze mid-step.
She should've turned away and kept on walking and damn the truth.
Unfortunately, the truth was not so easy to turn from. All of the life that she could remember, the truth had been both her greatest fear and her greatest desire.
Sora's eyes took on a faraway look and it was only when Himawari took a wary step in his direction that he returned to the present. Sora swallowed and gave her a shaky smile.
"The truth is that I could've just told you about your parents. I thought about it." Sora told her.
Frowning, Himawari retreated once again, suspicion sweeping through her.
"Then why didn't you?" The words spilled out of her before she could think it through. Sora merely gave her a tired smile in response.
"What use are words to someone who has suffered the kind of trauma you have? I thought the best way to explain your heritage would be to show you." He told her with an uneasy smile.
"Show me?" Himawari questioned suspiciously, preparing to turn away once more.
"I have a photo of your parents. I thought you might like to see what they looked like. If the sight does not spark any memory, then I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have."
That stopped her cold and Himawari swore she could've heard her own heart hammering against her ribcage. The idea that there could be an image of her parents, something that she could physically look upon, was too enticing an offer to pass by.
Steeling herself Himawari took the first step, then another until she found herself moving past Sora and through the red portal.
The High Priest's quarters were more spartan than she expected, more reminiscent of a commoner's home than the abode of a High Priest.
I always thought important people would live more luxuriously than this.
She found herself in a square room of average size. There was a low table in the centre of the room with cushions surrounding it in place of seats. There was a television on the wall at the far end of the room and a cupboard opposite in which Himawari suspected were contained various linens and a futon.
A desk just beneath the television contained a collection of photos though she couldn't make out any details from where she stood. There was an door off to the side which led to a kitchen area if the dishwasher she spied were any indication and another door at the far end of the room, next to the television.
That one was closed but if she had to guess then it probably led to a bedroom or washroom of some kind.
Himawari couldn't help but note, with wild curiosity, the collection of paintings and sketch portraits which seemed to fill out the walls. The most extravagant thing in the entire abode.
"Please feel free to make yourself comfortable." Sora told her as he closed the door behind him.
Himawari nodded and looked at the various pieces of artwork that adorned the walls. There were stylistic paintings of various landscapes and sketches of people performing various activities.
Most were beautiful with a few abstract pieces but nothing that screamed to her of being a masterpiece or exceptionally expensive in quality.
One of the paintings caught her eye more than the others. A watercolour feature of a mountain with a number of faces sculpted into the side.
Himawari couldn't help but feel as though there was something familiar about that place.
"Beautiful watercolour isn't it?" Sora remarked from just behind her and Himawari jumped in surprise. She had been so engrossed in the image that she hadn't noticed the priest move up behind her.
Despite her surprise she found herself unable to tear her gaze from the painting. Himawari settled for nodding in reply instead.
"My wife's masterpiece." Sora injected into the silence and Himawari absorbed the revelation with a frown.
"Your wife?" She questioned, tilting her head slightly so that she could observe the priest in her peripheral vision.
Sora gave a shaky smile and played with the scarlet sash which kept his priestly ensemble together at the waist.
"Yes. My darling Sayuki." He informed her with a wave at the wall. "Most of the watercolours here are her works."
Turning her attention back to the watercolour in front of her, Himawari continued to examine the mountain in the painting.
"Where is your wife?" Himawari asked. "Will she be joining us?"
Himawari knew she had to ask the question. There was a part of her that still screamed that this was a trap.
If so, the bait was obvious.
Tempting.
It was why she was willing to risk it.
While one part screamed warnings at her there was another part of her, perhaps the part of her that had been Himawari before the fall, that urged her to focus on the painting.
If she just kept focusing on the painting of the mountain then she might be able to recollect something. Something important.
She found herself so enamoured with the texture and motions of the strokes that she didn't even hear Sora's response to her question.
Instead she found herself taking a step closer to the art, something about the faces screaming at her to remember… something.
"Wh-where is it?" Himawari asked, reddening at the involuntary stutter that seemed to escape her. It had been a while since she had last stuttered.
Thought I was done with that. She thought with a flash of irritation.
That felt more like her than whatever the pull of this art was. With what felt like considerable effort, Himawari tore he gaze from the mountain and turned to face Sora.
She wanted to hear his answer this time.
Sora gave her a kind smile.
"It's the Hokage Mountain in the Village Hidden in the Leaves." He informed her.
Before she knew what had happened Himawari was turning back to the painting with renewed scrutiny. If she didn't know better it was as if her body were acting against her instructions.
For one split second it had been someone else taking control there. Forcing her to confront an image from her past.
It happened so quickly that the young girl couldn't even be sure that it wasn't just anticipation on her part.
Konoha.
Himawari frowned at that.
That was an odd thought. It was her inner voice that thought it but somehow the voice was different.
Younger and infused with a longing that felt entirely alien to her. Like a past self.
It was a pretty piece of art, but the textures made it so that, try as she might, Himawari was unable to pick out any of the finer details of the faces carved into the mountain.
Still, as Himawari's eye drank in the assortment of greys, reds and browns that made up the mountainside she found something about those faces that was achingly familiar.
Absentmindedly she found herself tracing one of the faces. It called to her more than the others. Himawari huffed in frustration as her mind refused to conjure up memories she no longer had. The more she tried to bring back… something the further away it became.
Himawari couldn't help but wince as her head throbbed painfully from the effort.
"I'm going to make some tea. Would you like some?" Sora called from further away behind her and Himawari cursed at her lack of awareness yet again.
Himawari glanced over her shoulder and caught a flash of Sora as he disappeared into the kitchen.
"Yes please." Himawari called out.
With a sigh Himawari moved away from the collection of artworks and the achingly familiar watercolour and made her way to the table. Taking a seat, Himawari rested her head on the wooden top, enjoying the cool feel of the material on her forehead.
Her muscles ached with the efforts of the past few days and it felt nice to be able to relax, even under the circumstances. With a small sigh Himawari closed her eye and enjoyed the respite.
The only sound was that of a kettle beginning to boil in the direction of the kitchen. Himawari allowed herself to enjoy the sound the water bubbling. It was soothing in a strange kind of way and the young Hyuuga found herself struggling to stay awake.
As the kettle settled Himawari found herself creeping closer and closer to the edge of sleep. When the kettle died down Himawari found herself fighting the urge to just fall into oblivion. She was so close to the answers that had plagued her, so close to the truth she so desperately feared.
Himawari frowned. The sound of the kettle had been replaced with something familiar yet unsettlingly different. It was like a cross between a deep, bass gurgle and a rasping sound. The fog cleared from her mind instantaneously as warning bells went off in her head and Himawari shot up to her feet as if she had been jolted, her head spinning with the suddenness of the motion.
Her blood turned to ice in her veins and Himawari felt her breath escape her lungs as she involuntarily let out a gasp of terror.
She had no idea where he had come from or how he had entered the room so silently, but he was massive. He was a beast of a man, cloaked entirely in a dark shroud with some strange mechanical breathing device covering the lower half of his jaw.
It was that same contraption which proved the source of the noise that had alerted her. The upper half of his face was a mess of scar tissue, concealing a set of dark, cruel eyes. His head was adorned with a sedge hat which gently scraped the ceiling above him back and forth. Beneath the hat Himawari could make out the glint of a metal headband and an engraving which she recognized all too well.
A rustle of movement to the side caught her eye and Himawari noticed the slumped, sobbing form of Sora just behind the monstrous shinobi.
Seeing that she noticed him, the priest reached out to her, all pretences of friendliness replaced with the purest expression of grief she had ever witnessed.
Himawari took it in and felt her heart remain steady as a rock. With the emotions running through her head at that moment, fear, confusion, betrayal and shock, Himawari had no room left in her for sympathy. And she had grown used to fear.
"Forgive me child. Forgive me please! I had no choice!" Sora cried out, his voice strangled and tears falling down his cheeks with no signs of stopping. His mask had cracked and now Himawari could see him for what he truly was.
A filthy lying snake.
She said nothing to him. Himawari had nothing to say. She had no words for the man who had sold her and Sasuke out.
You had every choice.
Her body reacted a split-second before her mind did. She was getting scarily good at processing too much information in the span of a few moments.
Even as she tensed to run, Himawari let out a high-pitched scream.
Maybe it was the fear. Perhaps it was an attempt to warn her companion.
Most likely, a small voice inside her head whispered, it was because she was a scared little girl surrounded by monsters. It was the same voice as before. So familiar and yet so alien. Her yet not her.
Himawari crushed that voice mercilessly. Now was not the time for self-reflection. Now was the time for survival.
How had she been so blind? How had she not seen the trap she and Sasuke found themselves in?
Those turned to darker ones and Himawari felt the fear thicken inside of her.
She had known it was trap. A part of her had known from the beginning. Picked up on the signs and she had ignored them.
All in favour of the lure of her past and a promise made to a dying man.
Where is Sasuke? Does he know it's a trap?
Then those thoughts gave way to an even darker one.
Is Sasuke even still alive?
As the scream left her throat Himawari knew the answer. He was alive.
She had seen what Sasuke was capable of, his level of skill was beyond anything she had ever seen. To him, the art of combat was as easy as breathing.
Nothing short of an army would take him down.
There was an army of the bastards that was for sure.
Sasuke had never seen so many shinobi gathered into a fighting force since the Fourth Great Ninja War. Even as he backed away from the temple doors, Sasuke could see more and more black shapes fill up the interior until even the great golden buddha seemed as if it were shrouded in darkness, its golden glow muted.
Cursing, the last of the Uchiha bloodline activated his Sharingan and got to work. Even as the first of Silent Step crossed the threshold, Sasuke set the doorway ablaze with a burst of Amaterasu.
The black flame spread quickly, greedily licking at the wooden structure and setting those shinobi who came after aflame.
Three shinobi had cleared the blaze of the inferno and without hesitation, threw themselves at him. In some way he admired their fanaticism. Their willingness to sacrifice themselves against a clearly superior opponent in the name of their cause.
That didn't mean he so much as blinked when he killed them. Sasuke deftly swivelled out of the way of the first thrust from the lead shinobi's kunai, opening the man's throat as he did so. Wasting no time, Sasuke carried the motion through and beheaded the next ninja as she attempted to place a kunai deep into his jugular.
The third shinobi was more difficult. A woman just like the second but with far more obvious skill at her disposal. Her reflexes were quick, and she proved able to match Sasuke blow for blow for a few moments.
Sasuke scanned her movements with scarlet eyes. Her technique was impressive, the way she seemed to be able to change the path of her blows at the last moment to deflect an unexpected strike on his part or attempt a counterattack of her own.
It was admirable and if he had had the time, he might've considered just knocking her unconscious. Such talent shouldn't be wasted.
But he didn't have the time and so, with a flash of crimson he copied her. The next half-second was used to mimic her own trick and send her severed arm flying into the night air, a trail of crimson sprouting from the stump. The next heartbeat saw her head joining it.
With a sigh, Sasuke flicked his blade free of the worst of the blood before sheathing the sword.
Now then, to Himawari.
The black flames of Amaterasu were spreading quickly. Already black tongues were licking at the edge of the roof and were seeking to climb over the roof's lip.
As he made to turn fate decided to intervene.
A kunai shot through the dark flame and embedded itself in his shoulder. There must've been some chakra put into the throw as the power behind it was staggering.
The force of the blow took him off his feet and instead of hitting hard ground the Uchiha found himself continuing to sail through the air, a spray of crimson trailing after him. The blow took him back down the steps.
Twisting in the air Sasuke's eyes widened as he took in the suddenly increasing distance between himself and the ground as the stairs receded below him ever more.
This was going to hurt.
He had to land correctly or risk breaking something important.
He decided on his wounded shoulder. Angling it in such a way as to reduce the damage from the kunai being exacerbated the Uchiha braced for impact.
"Shit!" He roared in agony as his shoulder collided with the corner of a stone step. Rolling into a ball before the momentum carried him forward and raising his arms to protect himself, he tumbled over and over down the long stone steps.
The pain of his injury worsened with every tumble as his shoulder repeatedly came into contact with the steps. He let out another roar of agony as his shoulder hit the last step full on.
Sasuke bit his tongue as he felt something snap. His body was battered and bruised from the fall but as far as he could tell he had no broken bones. He knew all too well what a broken bone felt like.
Blinking away the haze of red that swarmed his vision, Sasuke noticed the broken handle of the kunai lying just a few feet away.
Damn it. That means the rest of it is still stuck in my shoulder.
Black spots filled his vision suddenly as unconsciousness threatened to take him. It took a supreme effort of will to fight it off and the Uchiha spent a few moments struggling.
Sasuke recoiled as a second kunai struck the ground next to his head, sending chips of stone flying into the air like small pieces of shrapnel.
The Uchiha hissed as a small piece sliced his cheek open. With a grunt he got to his feet and reached up to his wound.
His fingers came into contact with the edges of the broken blade still embedded in his shoulder. Sasuke couldn't help the curse from escaping him as he felt the jagged metal cut into his fingertips. With a roar he found a grip and pulled the shard from his flesh and tossed it away.
Oh, sure that's the way to do that. If Sakura knew about that she would kill me.
Sasuke grimaced and he wasn't sure if it was from the gaping hole he'd created in his shoulder or if it was from the thoughts of Sakura now swirling around in his mind.
A third kunai whizzed past, missing his ear by an inch and Sasuke turned his attention to the top of the steps.
His eyes widened as he took in the threat. In spite of the raging inferno which now engulfed the entirety of the main shrine's front entrance, Sasuke was able to make out an endless stream of shrouded figures wreathed in black flame, dashing their way down the steps.
They don't care if they burn or not.
This was a level of fanaticism that the Uchiha hadn't encountered before. One of the ninjas leapt the last few steps, kunai in hand, in an effort to shank him with the blade. He seemed ignorant of the fact that his flesh was beginning to boil and crack as the black flames devoured him.
Sasuke wrenched himself back so that he began to fall back to the floor once more, his muscles screaming in protest as he did so, and the Silent Step nin sailed over his head.
The Uchiha wasted no time and bisected the foe as he cleared him so that he landed in two halves. With a burst of chakra, Sasuke bounced off the ground back to his feet and, in the same motion, sent a brace of kunai at the descending tide of enemy shinobi. There was no room to evade and so every one of Sasuke's projectiles found its mark.
It made no difference and the swarm continued its charge. Sending brace after brace of kunai into the swarm, Sasuke managed to make the host falter as the staircase filled with black clad bodies. The Uchiha found himself with a moment of respite and slapped a hand to his wound, the appendage glowing a soft green as he poured healing chakra into the injury.
A few seconds wouldn't be enough to repair the damage, but it would it at least allow him to use the limb once more. Just in time as the rain of kunai began once more and the stairs were filled with more and more of the enemy's corpses.
I'm running out of kunai. I can't keep this up for much longer.
The enemy were spilling out of hidden side entrances in the shrine and were avoiding the black flames which had engulfed the front of the temple.
The bastards were everywhere, spilling out of the main shrine from every crook and crevice like angry black ants out of their hive.
Soon the Uchiha found himself on the defensive, ignoring the remaining pain of his injury whilst fending off wave after increasing wave of opponents. Fortunately, the staircase served as an impromptu chokepoint and thankfully, the Silent Step were only able to engage him two at a time.
Sasuke could spy the swarm approaching him, trying to leap over their comrade's heads and corpses and scaling the sides of the staircase in their efforts to get at him.
They rushed him in such quick succession that Sasuke found himself unable to counter with jutsu effectively. There wasn't enough space or time for him to focus his thoughts in order to summon Susanoo.
The enemy circled him in numbers that he could scarcely believe. Every pathway, every rooftop was covered in bodies of black leather, cloth and silk or wreathed in black flame. The fires of Amaterasu had spread rapidly and now engulfed the entirety of the main temple building and Sasuke could hear the groaning as the flame devoured the wooden structure.
The structure wouldn't last long.
The shinobi already ablaze threw themselves at him with reckless abandon. Their lives were already forfeit and so they sought to take him with them.
Sasuke denied them one after the other as Kusanagi drank their life's blood.
This is taking too long.
Since he heard Himawari's scream the Uchiha had been making his way in the direction of the sound. Unfortunately, the Silent Step harried him every step of the way and he found himself having barely made any progress despite his best efforts.
It was slow work. Butcher's work.
Meter by bloody meter.
We never should have come here.
Coldly, almost mechanically, Sasuke butchered his way out of the trap.
I never should have left her.
The monstrous shinobi growled darkly and advanced menacingly when she opened her mouth to scream once more.
In a blink, the giant crossed the room and, at a speed that belied the shinobi's frame, slammed his fist into Himawari's jaw with such force that it sent her crashing into the wall.
Such was the force of the blow that for a single moment she remained upright, her arms splayed wide as if she had been crucified before she crumpled to the floor in a heap.
The room spun and she saw double of everything. Himawari let out a moan of pain and she could feel blood pooling over her gums and her teeth felt loose in her mouth.
The bastard hits like a bucket of bricks!
It felt like it too. Every breath sent a fresh wave of agony coursing through her head and if she didn't know better then she would've sworn that her jaw had been dislocated.
Her vision was a mess as her brain and eye tried to recover from the blow and Himawari took the time to feel her jaw out.
Well it's not broken or dislocated but I'm going to have a hell of a bruise.
As her vision returned to a semblance of normalcy, Himawari took note of two gargantuan feet coming to a stand in front of her.
If I even make it to tomorrow that is.
"My name is Batou of the Notes of Oto and you, little lamb, are mine." The man rasped; his voice altered by the mechanical apparatus which covered the lower half of his face.
Getting to her knees albeit shakily, an action which required both hands and caused her vision to swim with black and red spots, Himawari glared up at her enemy, defiance shining in her azure eye.
Batou chuckled darkly, sitting on his haunches so he could look at her at somewhat eyelevel.
"You're a foolish, weak, pathetic little nothing." The sound nin taunted, looking over her as if she were a rodent to be exterminated.
"I'm getting sick and tired of people saying stuff like that to me." Himawari spat at him, covering the man's boots in bloody spittle.
With a hiss in reply Himawari felt a gargantuan hand enclose her throat.
In the time it took to tighten his grip on her throat, Himawari slipped her kunai from its sheath at the small of her back.
Without hesitation she plunged her blade into the wrist that was choking her. With a roar of agony, Batou threw her to the other side of the room. This time Himawari was somewhat prepared and tucked into a ball and hit the ground at the angle Sasuke had shown her.
The force of the impact was still enough to make the young Hyuuga feel as though someone were trying to tear her limbs from her body.
Sasuke's training has really paid off since I met him.
Batou's throw had landed her just in front of the entrance and Himawari would be damned if she was going to let the opportunity slip her by.
Gritting her teeth to contain her scream as her limbs and face pulsed with near-blinding agony, Himawari scrambled to her feet and fled out the door. The young girl barely noted that the door was already open, and that Sora was nowhere to be seen.
Himawari paid no mind to the loud cursing coming from Batou behind her and did her best to ignore the sound of steel ripping through flesh as the giant shinobi removed the kunai from his wrist.
Himawari jumped the porch steps and hit the ground running. Tearing across the tiles the young child ran in the direction of the main gate. That was where she had left Sasuke and so that would be where she headed.
Sucking in another lungful of air, Himawari let out a cry of 'Sasuke!' whilst she ran as fast as her bruised and battered body would allow.
Now came the hard part. She dashed into the maze of alleyways and began retracing her steps, using the three large temple towers as a landmark. She had a general idea of where the main gate had been and a partially complete mental map of the maze through which she had been led.
It was dark. Far darker than she remembered it being when they had arrived. True that night had long fallen since their arrival but there was something else to this blackness. It took her exhausted mind a moment to recognize that all of the torches they had seen riding into the Fire Temple, were now extinguished.
It was a mistake coming here.
Understatement of the century.
A jolt of pain ran up her left leg as Himawari put too much weight on it and she gasped, it being all she could do to keep her balance and keep up her flight.
I can't keep running on memory alone. I need to see.
A thought occurred to her and Himwari channelled her chakra as Sasuke had shown her.
In the gloom of the night Himawari's eye blinked from azure blue to lilac. The orb glowing softly in the darkness.
The world around her changed into that spectrum of vision she was sure would drive normal people insane. A way of seeing in multiple directions at once. Seeing the chakra that held the world and all the living things in it together. Seeing things that couldn't even be described for there were no words to describe them.
But, in this instance, the Byakugan was an excellent tool for seeing in the dark.
It looked to her as though the inky blackness of night had been replaced with a lighter grey coating. While she was unable to make out colours, she could identify her surroundings.
It was an extraordinary gift.
And one which the young Hyuuga wished she had never activated. Though her eye seemed to be staring ahead she could make out some of what was happening around her.
And what she saw terrified her. Shinobi clothed in all too familiar garb surrounded her at the shadows' edge.
They were everywhere and in numbers far greater than she would have thought possible. The shinobi did not engage her but were following her just out of sight of normal eyes.
Fortunately, I have anything but a normal set of eyes.
Gritting her teeth in determination, Himawari kept putting one foot in front of the other.
With a start Himwari took note of the fact that one of the main temple towers was on fire.
Black fire.
It took her mind a moment to process it even as she kept racing through maze pursued by a small army of Silent Step shinobi.
She could hear the faint rustle of their clothing against the tiles and walls as they ran across them behind her.
She had bigger concerns than strangely coloured burning buildings.
I have to make it to the gate. I can decide what to do from there.
Whether that meant finding Sasuke or…
The thought of fleeing without Sasuke did not sit right with her. Crushing the idea mercilessly the young girl focused only on escaping from her pursuers.
Sucking in another agonizing breath she cried out her guardian's name once more.
"Sasuke!"
She ignored the little voice inside her head which told her that there would be no escaping this time.
They will not trap me.
With a roar Sasuke swung Kusanagi with both hands and all his strength. The blade did not cut into the enemy nin so much as it clove him into two very bloody pieces.
Ducking beneath the retaliation strike from the dead man's companion, Sasuke whirled around inside her guard and with a single stroke beheaded the kunoichi.
The angle of the cut was messy given the proximity and Sasuke spat out a stream of profanity as the geyser of blood spurted from the stump and some of it went into his eyes.
Grabbing the bleeding corpse, Sasuke threw the body in the general direction of the next wave with as much force as he could muster.
Grabbing the hem of his poncho, the Uchiha wiped furiously at his eyes.
Oh, genius plan. Wipe it off with clothing already stained in blood.
It did the job though and the Uchiha had enough time to somewhat clear his vision before another blade flashed toward him, poised to cut his heart from his chest.
"Sasuke!"
The familiar, albeit faint cry startled him and Sasuke found himself unable to dodge back in time to evade the blow. The shinobi's kunai made a great rent in his poncho and tore a bloody red line down his chest.
"Damn it!" The Uchiha cursed before plunging a lightning covered hand into his opponent's chest and disintegrating his insides.
How many more of these bastards can there be?
He had fought a running battle back to the main gate, but he had yet to reach it. Progress had been slow as the enemy harried his every step and blocked the pathways with their blood and corpses.
Every step he took, every turn he made there was another sea of opponents rushing forward to stop him.
How did I miss this?
These Silent Step had faint chakra signatures compared to what he had felt before but even so…
Sasuke grimaced.
He knew exactly why he hadn't noticed.
Naruto.
The mere mention of a message from his best friend had clouded his mind and blinded him to the truth of the trap until it was too late.
Why is it that most of the situations I end up in involve the dobe?
A scream pierced the air and Sasuke felt a chill go down his spine.
Himawari!
With a roar the Uchiha channelled his chakra and used Chidori in its true spear form to sweep clear the immediate area in front of him.
Leaping over the fallen, Sasuke sprinted towards the main gate.
I'm coming Himawari!
They were getting closer. Too close and Himawari forced herself to ignore it whenever she felt the whisper of fingers grasping at her clothes and hair. She couldn't even see them as the ghost touches came from her blind spots.
To be fair she knew that it was probably a good thing that she didn't know how close some of them were.
She just kept on focusing on escape.
On running as fast as her pained and exhausted body would allow.
She ignored the crashing sound of something colliding into a wall as she made a sharp turn into another hidden alleyway.
She ignored the distinct huffs and puffs coming from many pairs of exerted lungs just behind her and she ignored the shrouded figures simply watching her from the walls and rooftops.
Not even bothering to chase after her.
Because they know you won't escape.
With a snarl she shut the voice out and focused only on escape.
Escape was all that mattered.
Escape and Sasuke.
She wasn't sure how long she ran for. Probably no longer than a few minutes in all honesty.
But to her it felt like it had been hours.
But she was through. For a brief moment the air seemed to shift as the small sense of claustrophobia vanished to be replaced with the open air.
Himawari would've cried in triumph if the situation weren't so dire. Sprinting onwards and leaving the maze behind her, she chanced a look back.
It was like something from a horror movie. A sea of shinobi filled the alleyway. Black from head to toe, dark eyes shining in the moonlight.
And they were all just waiting. Standing there and watching as she ran. No more pursuit.
There was no need to. Turning back around she caught them in her Byakugan's periphery first and gasped as they came into full view.
Another tide of shinobi waited up ahead by the main gate. And standing at their head was a familiar figure.
One that she had seen before.
"Hello Himawari."
Himawari screamed as her vision was blasted with an assault of images and sensations that made no sense. Demonic figures swooped through the air around her and sunbursts of colour exploded everywhere in sight.
Genjutsu!
She knew the technique for what it was but she didn't know what to about it. Sasuke had never gotten around to explaining illusion techniques to her.
In the end, as her already tired and pained mind reached its limit and Himawari fell into the unconsciousness, it didn't really matter.
It was over.
They had her.
Himawari was there, slumped over and in the arms of an individual which looked all too familiar.
I know her.
Sasuke hissed in frustration.
The woman who had posed as a waitress in that forsaken border village. From the fog of his memory he pulled a name to go with the face.
Motoko.
He had suspected that she was one of them but hadn't been able to confirm his suspicions.
Motoko, if that was even her real name, had traded in her waitress disguise for a simple black shinobi garb. The only difference between her and the Silent Step surrounding her being her lack of mask and cowl and her retention mouth and tongue.
I should have opened her throat with Kusanagi.
That was an error which he soon planned to rectify. Grimly, Sasuke tightened his grip on Kusanagi's hilt and moved forwards with the intention of doing just that.
Save the girl, kill the bitch and get the hell out of here.
"It's so nice to see you again Lord Uchiha" The woman shouted, shifting Himawari in her grip until she carried the young girl in her arms.
"It's almost too bad that we won't meet again." Motoko sighed theatrically.
She let out a sharp whistle as Sasuke continued to advance, murder in his eyes. The wall of black-clad, faceless men and women who blocked his path drew a variety of weapons from hidden sheaths and others prepared hand signs to cast jutsu and the Uchiha came to a halt eyeing the obstacle set before him.
"Give me the girl and I won't kill you all." He spat. He could feel it again. Like an old friend.
The rage rising from his core to flood through his veins like molten lava. The sight of Himawari, a child, in the hands of such monsters as these set his blood on fire.
Motoko laughed. A soft, mocking titter that only spiked the Uchiha's ire further.
"No Lord Uchiha. I think we will be leaving with the sacrificial lamb here." Motoko taunted, giving Himawari's unconscious form a little shake to emphasize the point.
"You're not leaving here with her." Sasuke promised darkly.
The woman's features shifted instantly from taunting to menacing and for a brief moment the anger in his heart dissipated to be replaced with something else.
Trepidation.
"No." The woman intoned with a sneer. "You're the one that won't be leaving here."
Tilting her head to the left Sasuke's gaze followed.
His eyes widened as he noticed the mountain of a shinobi. Though some distance away, the man's sheer size made him visible even in the dim moonlight. He stood in the mouth of an alleyway, his shoulders brushing against the sides of both walls.
The man shifted his stance and, through the aid of his Sharingan, Sasuke's eyes widened as the giant shinobi revealed his weapon.
A gargantuan bow as big as its wielder. The bow seemed to be made from the horns of some great beast and creaked as the shinobi drew back its string, an arrow already nocked.
It all happened so fast. As Sasuke turned to face the archer and prepared himself to evade the shot the giant chuckled. A deep, base and mechanical sound.
In the space of a heartbeat the entire bow glowed a dark, ugly blue as it was imbued with chakra. In the same moment the giant released the string and the arrow shot forth.
The arrow speared through the air towards him, glowing with chakra so vibrant that it seemed little more than a blue streak to the mortal eye. There one moment and then gone in a flash.
Sasuke had barely shifted his grip on Kusanagi before the missile found itself a home in his belly.
It sank deep.
All the way to the feathers and protruding out through his back. The Uchiha didn't even have time to gasp before he found himself flying through the air for the second time that night. Propelled by the sheer force of the blow.
Lifted clear off his feet, Sasuke could only flail helplessly, hands gripping desperately at the arrow shaft that he could reach before crashing through a wooden wall.
It was then that, thankfully, he fell into oblivion.
He had strength only for one last thought before the darkness claimed him.
Himawari.
Wow… that was intense to write. I hope I was able to convey everything correctly. I noticed only halfway through the last chapter that I had forgotten to describe what happened to Kamui. So, if it seems like I just horseshoe-horned that into this chapter then you are 100% correct 😉.
Also I didn't forget about my old lovable throwaway OC Daichii. I'll just deal with him next chapter.
Anyway, I still wasn't able to fit everything I wanted into this chapter and I wasn't too thrilled with my own writing (then again, I never am) but I hope that you guys enjoyed it at least.
If you did like it then please leave a review. I find them to be highly motivating and inspirational. (Even if its as simple as good job or you suck).
We have officially entered the final act of this story.
Last thing.
I would like to give a special shout out to Country Chick-a-dee, fanofthisfiction and KJ for their lovely reviews for my last chapter. I was going through a tough time when I wrote this chapter and their words pushed me through the slump and back to writing.
Many thanks and see you all next time
Those Who Are Lost Chapter 19: Pursuit.