Shikamaru peered through the bushes at the Sound Four, examining their resting bodies as much as he could. "Seems like they haven't noticed yet," he said. After traveling for quite a bit, hoping from tree to tree, the group of Konoha ninja finally encountered the foreign ninja that transported Uchiha Sasuke. The chuunin of the ninja had come up with a plan to carry out the mission. If possible, Shikamaru wanted to avoid conflict. He looked around but did not see Sasuke anywhere. "Huh? Sasuke isn't around."
"He's in that barrel," Mayu muttered. Crouching beside Shikamaru, she, too, looked towards the four seemingly unaware enemies. From the cover of bushes, she, Chouji, and Shikamaru critically watched, waiting for a moment to advance the mission. Veins bulged around her eyes, gaze scrutinizing the large barrel. Awhile back, she had taken Hinata's place. Within her chest, her heart sounded like a drum in her ears, but she remained focused. This would be perhaps the most dangerous endeavor she would face until now. However, it was necessary. Mayu's eyes narrowed and she swallowed hard. In order to reach Sasuke—for purely violent purposes—she would steel herself against Orochimaru's elite squad. "He's not moving."
"Is he dead?!" Shikamaru questioned in a whisper, eyes wide and tone incredulous.
"Calm yourself, Leader," Mayu told him. "The enemy wouldn't take him just to kill him. No, he's still alive. However, I can't really tell why he's not moving. There's a barrier surrounding the barrel, I can barely see through it."
"That might be true," he muttered.
Abruptly, one of the members of the Sound Four stood, throwing a single kunai towards the spot where they hid. Apparently, they had been discovered. Shikamaru's eyes widened as the kunai embedded into a nearby tree. "It's a bomb!" Mayu shouted, noticing the explosive tags attached to the kunai. "Everyone, move!" She, along with Shikamaru and Chouji jumped away just as the tag exploded. However, the force behind the explosion sent the three sprawling in a different direction. They slid to a stop right in front of the four. They now stood, leering at their discovery. "Well… this is awkward..." Mayu muttered as she stood. Her comrades slowly did the same.
"What's this?" The one who had thrown the dangerous kunai sounded too smug for her tastes. Mayu glared in response. If she remembered correctly, he was Sakon. Didn't he have a twin brother? Her eyes subtly shifted around in search of another. However, they were called the Sound Four, right? There could not have been another one… Damn her memory. Truthfully, she did not watch these episodes multiple times like others. In fact, she could not recall how the younger ninja managed to survive their clashes with the enemy. Except Shikamaru, of course. His fight with Tayuya had been intriguing. "I thought they were snakes, but they were nothing more than insects." Twitching, Mayu found it hard to control her mouth. Being called an insect was not cool. She had a near uncontrollable urge to backhand Sakon, dangerous opponent or not.
Please control yourself, Mayu-san!
"I'll try my best..." she thought, forcing the glare from her face. The biggest member of the Sound Four, Jirobo—or Jirobu might have been his name—shifted his stance into offense. His movement caused the young Nara to go on the defensive. He raised his hands in a placating manner, showing he meant no harm. Mayu did not switch up. She meant plenty of harm.
"Wait, wait!" Shikamaru urged, unaware of his subordinate's darkening thoughts. "We aren't here to fight! Rather, we're here to negotiate."
"Then what are these?!" The one with the abnormal number of arms flung his appendages. He seemed to be quite smug at another discovery. However, a few seconds passed with no sign of it. Mayu looked around, holding a palm out, obviously questioning the 'these.' Her confusion showed on her face because the guy's face suddenly contorted in frustration. "J-Just wait!" On cue, shouts of surprise cut through the tense silence. The shouts sounded far away, but began rapidly closing in. Suddenly, three bodies shot out of the bushes. Some type of string had yanked them out. The ninja, Kidomaru, laughed in a haughty manner. "See? I caught some more insects in my web."
"Ew," Mayu said, making a face. She now remembered the utter revulsion she felt watching his fight with Neji. Kidomaru closely resembled a spider in techniques and appearance. Seemingly ignoring the jab, Kidomaru jerked his arm, pulling her comrades closer. However, Kida flipped midair and threw the smoke bomb. The smoke covered a large amount of the area so that neither group could see.
"What was the point of that smoke bomb?" Kidomaru laughed outright as the smoke cleared. "You can't escape from me! These are better than wires. They're thinner, more durable, and almost impossible to see. I'll be able to take care of you guys with this wire."
"Didn't he just say it wasn't wire?" Mayu whispered loudly.
"Shut up!"
Shikamaru grimaced as the smoke cleared completely, revealing Neji, Kiba, and Naruto. The three were on the ground, still disoriented from the sudden pull on their bodies. Mayu noticed the dissatisfaction. The leader's plan hadn't gone smoothly. In his mind, the chuunin probably complained how troublesome this all was. She could not blame him. Half of their team had already been captured, having been found out quicker than expected. Still, the backup would suffice. The enemy still had not realized they had been caught as well. It had been a good plan on Shikamaru's part. But what came next? That was what had Mayu worried. Basically, she was just as in the dark as her comrades.
"Well, aren't they a gay and merry bunch of insects," Sakon commented.
"Uh… calm down, kettle!" she shouted, pointing a finger at the one who had insulted the team.
"Quit it with the comments, Hinata!" Shikamaru ordered. Mayu curled her finger and pouted. "Seriously, you're acting so different…" Eyes widening, Mayu quickly switched with her best friend. Hinata almost immediately blushed cherry red and poked her index fingers together.
"I-I apologize, Shikamaru-san," she said out loud. Inside, she scolded her counterpart. "Mayu-san, behave!"
Sorry…!
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious. However, he did not make further comment on the kunoichi's behavior. "I'll deal with you bastards!" Kidomaru raised his voice, drawing attention. He attempted to move towards the group, but his body barely twitched. "What is this? My body can't..."
"Nice, Kiba, Shikamaru!" Naruto grinned. "Shadow Possession Jutsu has succeeded!" Shikamaru's shadow did, indeed, stretch to all the members of the Sound Four.
"Thank you very much for falling into our trap," Shikamaru said.
"This could be bad. However…" Sakon stated began. Mayu cringed. "I have this kind of ability." Without warning, three shuriken came flying towards Shikamaru from behind. The shadow user did not notice it coming. Too late, the projectiles flew towards the chuunin. Shikamaru shifted, managing to dodge one shuriken. However, he could not dodge the next two. The blades pierced his flesh, and he cried out in pain. He lost his concentration on the jutsu. The enemy wasted no time in taking advantage.
"Earth Style Barrier: Earth Dome Prison!" Jirobo mumbled, slamming his hands on the ground. The ground beneath him rumbled, and then erupted. The dirt rose high before forming a large dome around the six ninja. Effectively trapped, they were left in the dark.
Crap baskets…
"Damn it!" Shikamaru exclaimed frowning. "We're in that big guy's prison." Worriedly, the members began looking for a way out. However, they weren't getting anywhere. Naruto became impatient. He banged his fist against the dirt wall.
"Hey, let me out!" he shouted. "Damn it!"
"You're too noisy, Naruto!" Kiba told the blond.
Naruto angrily opened his mouth to retort, but Hinata walked towards him. "He's right, Na-Naruto-kun. It won't help our situation if you shout right now," she said softly. The blond shinobi sighed heavily and tried to keep quiet at the Hyuga's request. "There must be a way…" she continued, eyes darting about. "This doesn't seem to be an airtight structure."
"From what I see, these are just normal walls made out of dirt," Neji commented, palm against the wall.
"It's their technique. There must be a trick behind it," Shikamaru said, looking around the prison.
"I don't know what it's all about, but it looks like we'll have to break out," Kiba stated.
"Breaking out might require a powerful jutsu," Hinata said. "They must know we will try. Could this be what they want?"
"It's dangerous to move carelessly, but to sit around doing nothing is even more dangerous," Shikamaru pointed out. He clenched his teeth in shut his eyes. "Looks like we've got no choice."
"Piercing Fang!" Kiba suddenly shouted, jumping up. He twirled his body rapidly—so rapid he appeared like a twister. The young Inuzuka then shot at a wall, intending to break through. The rest covered their eyes to protect against the dirt cloud and debris. Fortunately, the technique managed to make a hole in the wall. Unfortunately, the wall repaired itself almost instantly. In the end, the attempt had done nothing for their trapped situation. Kiba dropped back down to the ground, staring up at the would-be hole in shock. "What the hell?!"
"What do we do now?!" Naruto yelled out, voice bouncing off the walls of their dirt prison.
"Looks like it is not a normal dirt wall, after all," Neji remarked. He narrowed his eyes as the veins bulged. Hinata did the same, wanting to see exactly what they were up again. "This is…!" Flinching, Shikamaru questioned what he had seen. "This is really bad," he replied, gaze dropping to his own hands.
"He's right…" Hinata wore a grimace. "It is not the enemy that is causing the wall to heal. It is our own chakra." Most of them gasped in surprised. "Our chakra is being siphoned to keep the prison from collapsing from our efforts."
"Even though I didn't think they would just leave us alone in here…" Kiba began, wincing. "I didn't expect them to drain our chakra." All was quiet after Kiba's comment until Naruto's outburst.
"Quit fooling around and get us outta here!" he shouted.
"This isn't good…" Hinata shut her eyes, deactivating her advanced bloodline. She sat down, palms pressed against her thighs. "My body is already starting to feel weak." Neji and Chouji sat down as well, clearly already feeling the drain. Naruto was the next one to collapse, complaining of his drained chakra.
"Same here..." Kiba muttered, panting lightly.
"I didn't expect to get caught before we even found out the enemies' abilities," Shikamaru said. "I was careless. And also, inside here..." He trailed off, appearing pensive.
Once again, Kiba tried to bust out. He even resorted to using Akamaru. However, their efforts were in vain. The wall continued to repair itself. Even the floor of their prison recovered after having damage inflicted upon it. No matter how many times the two went at the dome, their prison held strong while everyone else became weaker.
"Kiba-kun, please… Conserve your energy," Hinata said, halting her teammate from trying again. "We need… to think of a plan." Kiba grumbled loudly, plopping down on the ground and crossing his arms. "If only one of us was not confined here as well…"
It was at this point that Mayu began feeling more than a little irritated. What good was she if she just sat around, waiting for whatever plan to unfold. Of course, she knew that one of them would eventually figure this prison out. At this point, she could not remain patient. Right now, she wanted—needed—to do something other than sit on her rear end. Besides, Hinata had just given her an idea. She would be a fool not to try. She no longer cared about consequences. If this worked, she did not care about the reprimand. After all, it would be coming from a traitor. Practically snarling, Mayu demanded a switch with Hinata. Without waiting for an answer, she took control over her host's body.
What are you planning, Mayu-san?
"I'm disobeying that traitor." The remark caught the attention of the shinobi that surrounded her. Mayu ignored them and stood up. She pressed her palms together, concentrating on her chakra. Then she performed seals for the clone jutsu. It might have looked like a waste to the others, but she did not want to attempt her next move using Hinata's body. She did not want to think about what it would do to her friend. Finished, a clone appeared right next to the kunoichi. Slowly, blue Hyuga eyes opened, noting the apprehensive, curious looks on the other's faces. Neji might have taken a step back. In another situation, Mayu might have been tickled by the reaction. However, she chose to focus on escaping this trap.
"Mayu-san…!" Hinata hissed in a whisper. "Wh-Why?"
"Yeah, aren't you supposed to be a secret from most people?!" Kiba questioned, pointing.
"So that's what it was…" Shikamaru remarked, eyes narrowing at the darker version of the Hyuga. "Your clone is weird because she's not really a clone, is she? She's a completely different person." He pressed a hand to his head. "Though I can't begin to understand how that's possible."
"Just you wait, Leader," Mayu spoke. "I'll answer anything within my range of knowledge once we escape this prison."
"You've got a plan?" he asked.
"Sure," she replied. Then the girl breathed in deeply before opening her mouth wide. "HEY, YOU SHRIMP-DICK FUCK NUGGET! I HOPE YOU'VE HAD YOUR LAST MEAL BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY! WHEN I GET MY FUCKING HANDS ON YOU, YOU'RE FINISHED!" Her scream caused both Naruto and Kiba to cover their ears. They both shouted, wondering why she chose to do that. Hinata grimaced, watching her counterpart scream such vulgar language. "YOU DUMB SHIT! CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?! I WANNA KNOW IF IT'S OKAY TO SEND YOU THE AFTERLIFE!"
"Interesting..." A voice came from the outside, causing all heads to turn. The voice of the enemy. "Whoever the girl is... you've got the same mouth as Tayuya. Ladies shouldn't talk that way... Even if they are trash."
"Got him."
Mayu smirked. She walked over to a spot where his voice had come from. Not only had the enemy given his position away, he had also let slip that he was now alone. The other three must have continued without him. The girl slammed her hands together, concentrating yet again. Utilizing her own chakra, she felt the drain. She would have to make this quick. She had learned about this during the separation and had planned on sharing her findings with Sasuke. Haah. Too bad it went and turned against his village before she could share. According to that turncoat, this jutsu had been something she had already done. A mind transfer… If this truly worked, then it only brought about more questions. Questions she could not ponder right now.
Mayu breathed in deeply, and then began the combination of seals for the jutsu. "Mono… Rata… Zorro… Dragón… Gallo… Caballo… Mono… Puerco… conejo… Oveja!" With each foreign word spoken, Mayu brought her hands together to perform the appropriate seal. She went slowly as to not mess up. The last seal—the ram—pointed to the wall in front of her. "Ishikari Style: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Again, hoping it worked, Mayu waited. And then, she collapsed. The surrounding people blinked before their eyes turned to Hinata, obviously wanting an explanation.
"You have a lot of clarifying to do, Hinata-sama," Neji stated.
"Mayu-san, why do you do this to me?" she thought, blushing bright red.
"Ugh…" The darker clone sat up and rubbed her head. "How did I get in here?" Now, the others were really confused.
Meanwhile, outside of the Earth prison, Mayu, in the body of Jirobo stepped away from the dome. She couldn't believe. The jutsu she had attempted actually worked. Just like before apparently. Just like Haku, though she could not remember the experience. This felt surreal. Hazel eyes narrowed. "Does this mean I am a part of that clan?" Mayu murmured. She shook her head. That couldn't be it. She was from a different dimension. Or, at the very least, a different time period. She couldn't be. If she thought about it, she could be a descendant. Or a remnant…? But how could she possibly be related to the clan if…
"Ahhh! I'm in a girl's body!" A muffled shout brought Mayu out of her musings. Right. She was supposed to be getting them out of there. Honestly, she had been hoping the Earth dome would collapse once she removed her new hands from the structure. However, that was not the case.
"Wait… This guy's like super strong, or something, right?" Mayu thought. Using the chakra of her new body, she walked on the dome until she was at the top. She squatted down. With the knuckles of her massive hand, she rapped at the center. The thing was pretty sturdy. Her eyes narrowed again. She reared back a fist, and then shot it forward. The impact caused a large hole to form. She looked through the hole she had caused. Several pairs of eyes stared back at her. However, the hole closed itself up. "So even when the chakra isn't being absorbed, the prison still does its job."
She flipped off the top of the dome. As she did, she brought her leg down upon the prison. The damage it caused made the dome rumble, and then completely fall apart. The back of the dome didn't have as much chakra going through it. The others, surprised, looked around. Then they focused on her. However, Mayu's focus was on her body. The darker clone of Hyuga Hinata had been pushed to the ground front first, arms bound behind.
"Mayu-san, you did it!" Hinata exclaimed. "I told them that you switched bodies, and they tied you up," she explained.
"Nice job, Hinata-chan!" The girl, in the body of the enemy, nodded her head. She began walking towards the group. The boys, however, weren't as trusting. "Calm down. I'm a comrade," Mayu told them. "As Hinata stated, a jutsu is responsible for this switch." She pointed to her tied up body. "Hinata's strange clone is me."
"She is correct," Hinata stated. "Mayu-san means no harm. We can trust her."
"Ishikari Style… I haven't heard anything like this," Shikamaru muttered. "How does this work?"
"It's probably not the best time to tell you," Mayu said. "However, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ishikari Mayu. Please take care of me." Her eyes focused on her temporary body. Blue Hyuga eyes glared at her. Wow, she didn't realize how weird Hinata truly looked like this. Cute. But weird. The snarl on the face did not help, though. Still, she grinned. "Should I purposely damage your body, and then return to mine?"
"Go to hell, you piece of trash!" Jirobo snarled.
"Gosh, is that what I sound like, Hinata?" Mayu questioned, turning towards the Hyuga.
"I… don't have to answer that," the kunoichi replied. Mayu glowered and crossed her arms. Come to think of it, hadn't Sasuke told her the voices had not switched? With Haku, Sakura's voice had come from the wrong body. Did that mean she had performed the jutsu incorrectly? Or had it been wrong the first time? Before she could ponder further, a sharp pain made her cry out, all thoughts grinding to a halt. "Mayu-san! What's wrong?"
"I… I don't-" She grimaced, clutching her forehead. "This bo-body is fight-fighting me, I think."
"Oh no! Quickly, Na-Naruto-kun, untie her!" Hinata seemed to know what was wrong and instructed the blond to act accordingly. The shinobi nodded and hastily did as told. "Just hold on a moment, Mayu-san."
"Ha! You dirty trash! Your time is near!" Jirobo said, and then started snickering in a crazy sort of way. "Just you wait till I get my body back! I'll crush all of you!"
"I cannot believe you let me walk around talking like that, Hinata!"
"Mayu-san…" Hinata said her name flatly. "Please focus."
"Fine... " Mayu groused, pouting.
"Almost..." Naruto called.
The girl quickly jumped away from the group. "Release..." she muttered. The familiar rush overwhelmed her body. Before she knew it, she was Hinata's unusual twin again. "It... was a success..." The wire fell from her body. She panted lightly, surprised how drained she felt in such a short amount of time. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Was it because I went through that wall of chakra first…" she thought. "Something got messed up along the way?"
"Mayu..." Naruto said. "That was... crazy. Is that what happened with Sakura-chan and Hinata?"
"I don't know," she shrugged her shoulders, and then stood up. However, this seemed to be a bad choice. Her eyes widened, sight going blurry. She felt dizzy, too. "Hinata." She took a step forward.
"You used a larger amount of chakra than you're used to, Mayu-san," she said. "Come back into my body so you can rest. You've done well."
"That's... fine... by me," the girl muttered with a nod.
0-0
Slowly, her eyes opened. Wind slapped at her face, which meant she was moving, but not on her own accord. "Mm…" Her groan caused heads to turn. "Wha-What happened to me?" she questioned. Her eyes looked up. Blue eyes stared down at her. Judging from the whiskers, it was Naruto. "Hey, stop carrying me now." The blond shinobi scowled, and then stopped on a branch. The moment she was on her own two feet, he shot off again, leaving the girl to follow him.
"Glad to see you're okay, Mayu," Naruto said.
"Disappointed that I'm not Hinata?" Mayu asked, cheekily. Naruto frowned, yet said nothing. Disappointed by the lack of reaction, the girl turned serious, shifting her attention to the rest of the group. "Anyway, what happened? Why am I coming to like this?" She looked behind her. There was no one accept Neji. "Where's Chouji?"
After you went into my body... I, myself, experienced your fatigue and collapsed... so I don't know much.
"After Hinata fainted, we left Chouji behind," Naruto answered. "We all took soldier pills, and then I gave Hinata one. That's when you woke up." That would explain the sudden power boost. She did feel better than before. In addition to that, her chakra felt back to normal. Those soldier pills were an awesome invention.
"How did you give it to her if she was unconscious?" Mayu wondered.
"I just-"
"Oh, you passed it to her through your mouth!" She didn't let him answer. Her grin stretched wide, noticing the faint blush on her former teammate's face. "Soooo…! How was it kissing Hinata for the first time, hm?" The blush spread deep and red across Naruto's face, causing Mayu to snicker. "Was it sweet? Or hot? So hot—hot damn! Did it make dragons want to retire?"
"THAT IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED!"
Ma-Ma-Mayu-san!
"Hm…? The future Hokage denies such a thing—how unbecoming," Mayu said, sounding scandalized. Naruto glowered, but she only giggled. She could feel Hinata's glower as well. "Too cute."
"Hey, you, Mayu girl," Kiba called to her, gaining her attention. "Where exactly does Hinata go when you're in charge?" He frowned a bit. "You've never come out on missions before. Hinata's only ever told us about you."
"Yes, you switched bodies with the enemy. Does this mean Hinata-sama is in your real body currently?" Neji asked.
Instead of giving an affirmative, she decided to show them. Her hands worked through the combination of the Clone Jutsu. Seconds later, she was jumping beside the original Hyuga. "Mayu-san, I wish you would stop being so reckless," she scolded in a hushed tone. There was a pink tint to her cheeks. The earlier comment was still affecting her greatly. Mayu had to stop herself from giggling again. "Now the others know about you."
"They were bound to figure it out sooner or later, Hinata-chan," Mayu said, nonchalantly. "After all, I can only pretend to be you for so long."
"Ain't that the truth," Naruto remarked, eyes rolling.
"How long have you known this girl, Hinata-sama?" Neji questioned. Hinata flinched, and then pressed her lips together. "Does your father know about her? Why does this person have your features, and yet her colors differ? Is she a foreign ninja? Was she the one I fought in our match?"
"How can you both switch places, seemingly at will and without expelling chakra?" Shikamaru joined in on the interrogation. "How is it that she can be beside you in the form of a clone? It sounds similar to Ino's jutsu, but there's definite differences. Although I'm familiar with the notion, it still doesn't make sense to me. So how about it? What do you know?" With each question flung in her direction, Hinata appeared more and more uncomfortable.
"Well... Th-That is-" Hinata began stammering.
"Okay, don't put this all on Hinata!" Mayu exclaimed loudly. The shinobi turned towards her. "I'll answer any and all questions to the best of my ability. But I want to make it clear that I am your ally before I begin. Do you understand?" For a moment, none of them spoke. Finally, Shikamaru gave a curt nod. As he was the leader of this mission, Kiba and Neji deferred to his judgement. Mayu sighed lightly, and then opened her mouth again. "Honestly, I don't know much about this situation. Where I'm from, I nearly died." Or probably. She hoped for a no on that front. Or her mother would lose her mind. "That is when… my mind, I guess, transferred to Hinata during the chuunin exam."
"Hm… So, I'm guessing when Hinata threw up water… That was actually you?" Shikamaru guessed.
"That would be correct, Leader," Mayu stated. "My near-death experience involved water. So, Neji, to answer your question about the duration of my relationship with your sweet cousin—it was from that point." Behind her, the older Hyuga frowned. "But don't think for a second that Hinata wasn't the one to make you struggle—make you bleed. Don't ever forget that beating she gave you." Neji frowned deeply but did not respond. "Anyway, I am not of Konoha, but I am not a ninja either."
"But you use chakra and admitted to using jutsu," Shikamaru pointed out.
"Well, I was trained by the best," Mayu said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"… Wh-What does that even mean?" Kiba muttered, tone baffled.
"Mayu used Sakura-chan's body for a while before," Naruto spoke up. "After we graduated, right?" Mayu nodded. "She was a part of Team 7."
"I still don't know how all this came to be, but yes, I did use Sakura's body as my own," Mayu agreed. "Utilizing chakra has become second nature to me despite not coming from a place without ninja."
"A place without ninja…?" Neji repeated. Mayu grimaced. "You are referring to a non-ninja village, is that correct?" Mayu gave a high-pitched hum of agreement. "Ishikari-san… Do you have a scar beginning at your neck and ending at your lower back?" The question completely threw her. Frowning, she turned her head slightly to look the Hyuga in the eye. He stared back at her, unwavering and patiently waiting.
"Uh… No, I don't," Mayu stated. "I have scars, but nothing like that. Why do you ask?"
"There is no reason," Neji replied, shifting his eyes elsewhere. There was clearly a reason. "It is unimportant." Mayu glanced to her mind host. However, the kunoichi appeared as perplexed as Mayu felt. It had been a strange, obviously specific, question. Why would Neji ask it unless he knew another similar? Did Mayu remind him of someone else? How could that be? To her knowledge, Hyuga Neji's friends consisted of his teammates. Perhaps a passing associate? Someone he had seen on the various missions. It was not as though Kishimoto expanded so much on supporting characters. Not in depth. "Anyway, Shikamaru…" Neji staunchly ignored the curious gazes on his person and looked to the leader. "That pill Chouji took… It seemed that it was some kind of last resort. Is there any chance of success?"
The change of topic did well in distracting. Mayu was still curious, but she could not help but to recall the shinobi known as Akimichi Chouji. She remembered his fight with fondness. Before, she had not thought much of him. Not because of his appearance but because he had never gotten the screen time to show what he was capable of. Not until his fight with Jirobo. His popularity had been put on the map thanks to that fight. Well, that had been what Ichiro had told her. Still, she could understand it. On the plus side, he survived the fight. Critically conditioned, but he would live. Still, it did not stop the worry. Already, their group was beginning to be picked off. Mayu narrowed her eyes, remembering the anger she felt towards the one responsible for this.
"Ishikari-san…" The sound of her surname snapped her out of her darkening thoughts. She realized that she had been clenching her teeth. With a slight huff, she relaxed before shifting her gaze to the one that called her. Hyuga Neji increased his pace somewhat to match her. "I am curious about something," he mentioned. "What is your relationship with Uchiha Sasuke? Why did you want to be a part of this mission so badly? I am assuming you are the one who threatened Shikamaru."
"Because-"
"Because Mayu is Sasuke's girlfriend!" Naruto loudly and obnoxiously blurted out. Mayu jerkily turned her head towards the blonde shinobi. In a state of complete bewilderment, her lips parted. She almost lost her footing on a branch but managed to stay upright and stare incredulously at her former teammate. "Yup! Sasuke and Mayu always hang out together! And they were close when she was Sakura! They totally fell in love and have weird pet names for each other. You should see them flirting, too—so annoying! They pretend to fight, but really, they're always seconds away from kissing. I'm glad they found each other, or whatever, but man, are they super lovey-dovey!"
"Wh-Wh-"
"Mayu-san often remarks that Sasuke-san calls her wifey," Hinata chimed in. Naruto covered his mouth before explosive laughter could erupt. Mayu sharply turned shocked eyes at the kunoichi. Hinata, to her credit, did not change her matter-of-fact expression. Her shoulders shook, though. "Sasuke-san also likes to carry her around bridal style. They became a couple during the month break of the chuunin exam. She helped evaluate and train him, and Sasuke appreciated her for that. The two of them understand each other on a fundamental level. It is truly no wonder this happened. Such development in the SasuMayu plot." Insert open-mouth Pikachu face here. Mayu's best friend and her former teammate had just tag-teamed her. Throwing her own words towards them back at her. Was this betrayal? Or was that too dramatic?
"No way…!" Kiba snickered a bit. "Thought the guy was completely asexual."
"Do you even know what that means?" Mayu found her voice.
"Sure, I do!" Kiba retorted. "It means he doesn't like anyone."
"I suppose that's close enough," she conceded. Then she shrugged. On one hand, the thought of SasuMayu was inconceivable, but on the other, she had brought this on herself. All the teasing she had done had come back to bite her. Plus, she was a bit proud of Hinata for doing it in the first place. Might as well play along. "But… sure… Sasuke and I were a thing." Both Naruto and Hinata gawped. Hmph. "Were," Mayu emphasized. "He left the village without saying goodbye. He left without telling me this was his decision. He left a traitor. And I cannot forgive him for that. I cannot forgive him for making us chase after him like this." Again, her use of the word traitor shifted the mood to somber. "When we find him, I will show him no mercy for what he's done."
"… Troublesome," Shikamaru commented.
"Hm…" Neji did not have a comment.
"Can't wait to see your version of no mercy," Kiba said, smirk in his voice.
Mayu huffed lightly. If they chose to believe such a relationship, it would be their own faults. "Anyway, let's focused back on the mission," she suggested. "I've got a feeling more trouble will come our way."
0-0
The more trouble came in the form of the remaining enemy ninja realizing that it had not been their teammate returning. Despite the hostility they had shown, they apparently knew their comrade enough to understand Jirobo had not caught up. Shikamaru attempted to attack Kidomaru, who held the large barrel, but he was held off while the enemy flung the barrel towards Sakon and Tayuya. From her hiding place, Mayu's body jerked. A near uncontrollable urge to go after them immediately coursed through her. However, she remained put, shifting her gaze back to the clash. This plan—she would put her faith in it. After all, Nara Shikamaru had come up with it.
"Jirobo always criticizes Tayuya for her speech," Kidomaru informed the imposter with a sneer.
The large teen transformed into Shikamaru. "Heh…" Without mirth, the chuunin chuckled lightly. "I see." He tried kicking Kidomaru, but the multiple-armed boy just blocked. He spit out a huge glob into his hands before flinging it at Shikamaru. The young Nara let out a cry of surprise as he was sent flying backwards. His body slammed into a tree, held in place by the glob, which had transformed into a spider web. Mayu found herself grimacing.
Suddenly, six Naruto clones popped out, and they headed for Kidomaru. "You bastard!" Shouting in unison, their fists launched forward. Kidomaru merely chuckled, and then leapt off the branch he was on. He spit more white goo in his hands and shaped its form as he fell. He shouted out the name of his jutsu, and the goo in his hands transformed into a much larger web than what had trapped Shikamaru. Every clone had been caught in the web. Naruto attempted to get free, but it was for naught. First Shikamaru, and then Naruto. Mayu pressed her lips together, holding her breath in anticipation of the next wave.
Abruptly, Kiba launched himself at the enemy, releasing a battle cry. Unfortunately, the cry caught the falling ninja's attention. The young Inuzuka tried attacking, alone with a transformed Akamaru. However, Kidomaru effectively dodged. No damaged dealt, Kiba and Akamaru halted their spinning, landing on a large tree branch. "I won't let you escape!" Kiba growled, obviously annoyed.
"That's my line," Kidomaru chuckled. "Look at your feet!" There, on and around Kiba's feet were strings of the enemy's sticky substance. Kiba continued yell, but Kidomaru only taunted him with his smirk. "Keep at it. You'll be stuck there until I'm ready for you." Then Neji came out of nowhere, Byakugan triggered. It looked as though the Hyuga prodigy would hit, but Kidomaru just let go of his web. He fell, leaving Neji to attack nothing but thin air. Kidomaru clung to a branch upside down, and then began to form something else out of the white goo. It flew from the enemy in the form of a giant web! This time, Neji had been caught. "I'll cocoon you here," Kidomaru told the Hyuga, who was struggling to escape his sticky prison, but to no benefit.
The six-armed ninja made it so that Neji's entire body was wrapped in the sticky substance. At this point, Naruto started to get worried, so he took out a kunai and tried cutting through the web, but that proved to be futile. "Damn it! Damn it!" he cursed. "What's with this web?! It won't cut!" Kidomaru chuckled at Naruto's attempts to cut his web.
"It's useless! Useless!" he taunted, still hanging upside down. "Even elephants couldn't break through my web." From Kidomaru's point of view, the clones must have looked like tiny insects caught in his web. The enemy mumbled something Mayu could not hear. She could only assume it was not good for her former teammate's clones. Kidomaru then began chewing on something, forming a substance in his mouth.
Mayu grimaced again, forcing herself not to groan in disgust. She absolutely hated the way this guy fought. Secure in her hiding place, she continued to survey the situation with Hinata by her side. She glanced at the Hyuga. "Hey, Hinata…" she spoke quietly. "Did you notice the chakra?"
"Yes, I did," Hinata whispered back, narrowing her eyes. "He must use chakra to create such techniques. Stronger than wire and more adhesive than glue. Just like the last, chakra still flows despite not being attached to his person. This is a dangerous opponent as well. Perhaps even stronger. Even multiple targets would not be able to deter him. I wonder if Shikamaru-san's plan will still succeed."
"We need the element of surprise," Mayu pointed out. "Shikamaru was not wrong on that point. Is Neji all right in that prison? He hasn't moved."
"The web does not seem to be hurting or draining him," Hinata stated. "He is fine. However, I have to wonder how we will remove him from that state."
"Hm…" Mayu scratched at her cheek. If she recalled correctly, this confrontation would eventually lead to Neji being left behind. Obviously, he would get out of that sticky situation in order to fight Kidomaru. However, what had been the reason? Something to do with his style of taijutsu, she believed. Then it came to her. "Oh! Hinata, you said chakra flows through the web? Like a network?" Catching on quick, Hinata's eyes grew wide.
"You're right…! Just like a chakra network," she said. A smile formed. "Good idea, Mayu-san. We can defeat this technique with the Gentle Fist." Her eyes shifted upward towards where her cousin lay dorment. "It is only a matter of time before onii-san understands as well." Her brow puckered in thought. "We must strike at the right time should Shikamaru-san's plan fail."
"Oh, I'm all about good timing, Hinata-chan."
"Of course," Hinata agreed with a nod.
"You're my first victim, so let's make this entertaining!" Kidomaru's voice reached the girls' ears, causing them both to look towards him. He held a golden curved weapon in his hand. He sharply flung it towards one of the clones. The unfortunate clone popped out of existence upon impact. Mayu found herself wincing as the enemy threw more of his projectiles. Kidomaru was clearly making a game out of this, aiming for vital points from the safety of his perch. He whooped and hollered in glee as he flung them down. Finally, only one clone remained.
"Get ready, Mayu-san," Hinata whispered.
The darker of the two narrowed her eyes and nodded her head. Bracing herself, Mayu quickly and quietly headed to an advantageous place. She left Hinata alone, but she was not worried. Her eyes glanced upward where Neji had been caught. However, the shinobi was no longer encased. The enemy was much too enthralled with his game to notice the escape. "DIE!" The shout from Kidomaru sharply drew her focus again. He flung his curled blade down at the last clone. The projectile pierced the skin of the clone and went straight through. However, the clone disappeared in the same manner as the others. "What…?!" Too surprised, Kidomaru could only stare. Then the true Naruto popped out of his hiding place and launched himself at the enemy. Naruto, though, had practically roared his battle cry. Mayu grimaced as Kidomaru turned. He managed to deflect the punch aimed at his face. In the same motion, he attached his web to the blond.
Mayu tensed, anticipating her mind host's moves.
"Good try," Kidomaru chuckled. "But! You don't have any more tricks. DIE!" He yanked on the string that was attached to Naruto, causing the blond to fly off the branch. Hinata moved then, shooting out of cover to grab Naruto. Her palm sliced through the web string easily, freeing Naruto from capture. Hurriedly, she jumped to a higher branch, where Neji waited.
"Hinata! Neji!" Naruto exclaimed in relief.
"How did you…?" Kidomaru gapped.
"It appears that you have underestimated us," Hinata said. "You will come to regret your decision."
Taking it as her cue, Mayu jumped up. Silently, she landed on the branch behind Kidomaru. A hard fist to his lower back caused a shout of pain. Double kidney shot. The enemy whirled around to face her, but it was too late. Another punch landed. Gut punch. Another. Chest. Another. Throat. Over and over, she inflicted her punches. Fast and targeting any area she could reach before any type of counter could be made. The last punch sent Kidomaru over the side. He fell without resistance. Seconds later, a crash signaled the end of his descent. "Rock Hard Gentle Fist." Mayu smirked. Glad that it worked, the girl began dancing in victory. "Do do do do! Do do do do! Can't touch this!" She ignored the echoing slap of palm against forehead that she just knew came from Hinata. The pretty kunoichi was probably scolding her for using a technique that was still in its early development. Then her brow furrowed. Abruptly, her dance ended. She winced before looking at the backs of her hands. Her knuckles bled. As if she had struck a brick wall.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. "Hey, you little bitch!" Kidomaru's voice came from directly behind her. Mayu sharply turned. The enemy was already in a position to retaliate with half of his arms. In his hands, he held his unique weapon. "That hurt!" Vaguely, Mayu was aware of Hinata calling her name in fright as Kidomaru threw the projectile. The golden weapons came at her fast. Reacting on her instinct, the girl purposely shifted to the side, falling over the edge of the tree branch, just barely dodging two out of three. The third sliced into her cheek before she could get away.
"MAYU!" Naruto shouted.
She cringed, holding her stinging cheek as she fell. Above her, Kidomaru seemed like he was not allowing her to get away so easily. He flung more of his weapons down at her. She could not dodge them midair like this. Mayu squeezed her eyes shut, and then disappeared—popped right out of danger. "Mayu-san, that was reckless!" Hinata immediately told her.
I'm so pleased you worry about me so, Hinata-chan!
Pressing her lips together, the kunoichi performed the seals for the Clone Jutsu. Mayu grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck as her friend stared her down. By this point, the others had been set free. They stared as though they could not believe she had burst into song in the middle of a fight. Mayu huffed lightly, lowering her arm. At least it had not been 'Shazaam,' right? Kakashi would be proud of her. Meh. Probably not.
"A clone…?! Where's the real one?!"
Attention diverted, the group of Konoha ninja finally stopped their judgmental staring. Kidomaru frantically looked around as though his eyes would be able to spot her on the forest floor below. "Since it uses chakra as a component," Neji began. "We are able to destroy it by pouring chakra into it. His techniques are useless against our style."
"Yes, similar to chakra networks," Hinata agreed, watching the enemy through half-lidded eyes. "Only members of the Hyuga clan should face him—as we have the advantage."
"Go," Neji instructed. "I'll be the one."
"This guy is a lot stronger than the fat one," Kiba remarked. Akamaru jumped into the shinobi's coat and shivered with fear. "I can feel it." His eyes glanced at his teammate. "Are you sure you want to do this, Hinata…?"
"Hinata-sama, you must not," Neji protested before the kunoichi could utter a sound. "Besides, if we do not go one by one, then the numbers will be off. Isn't that what we discussed?"
"Yeah…" Shikamaru agreed. "That's right."
"Furthermore, if we stop here, we won't be able to catch up to Sasuke," Neji mentioned.
"Chouji's still not back yet either," Kiba said.
"We are here because it is our mission to bring back Sasuke," Neji said. "But it's not only that... As ninja, we are chasing after and protecting the ideals of Konoha. During the Third's funeral, do you remember Iruka's words?" Mayu shut her eyes, forcing herself to keep her expression neutral. Fortunately, the enemy was still preoccupied with searching, so the rest of them could flashback in peace. She shook her head. She vowed to beat the crap out of anyone caught flashbacking while fighting her. "Listen up! Sasuke is heading to Orochimaru," Neji continued. "We can't let someone from our village go to him. We cannot. And… Naruto… You have better eyes than me. Sasuke is now… within darkness, so hurry and go."
"Onii-san, I cannot allow you to do this alone," Hinata spoke up, gaining the others' attention. Mayu blinked once before frowning. "I have to stay behind and fight. I will stay and support."
"Hinata-sama…!"
"Even more reason that you cannot fight this stronger opponent by yourself, onii-san," Hinata cut in. "Chouji-san will need a guide. Possibly medical supplies. If you are gravely injured, you will not be able to help him with either. We must work together against this opponent so that chances of success can increase."
"Hinata, you don't have to do this!" Mayu said. "Neji will be fine. There's no need for you to fight this time."
"The odds of our success depend on this," Hinata insisted. The kunoichi turned to her friend. "I do not need protection anymore. I am no longer heir either, so I'm not really important to the clan." Neji frowned but it seemed as though his protests were over. "I can do this as a proud failure who never gives up, so believe in me." Both Mayu and Naruto stared, eyes wide. "I am strong—stronger than I ever knew because of you… and…" Her pale eyes glanced at Naruto. A pink blush settled her cheeks. "I am not the same as I was. I can do this, so allow me to shine."
"Hinata…" Mayu bit her lower lip. "I-" To her chagrin, she felt a stinging in her eyes. Of course, she knew that Hinata was strong. She had watched her grow and become more confident. She knew exactly what her friend was capable of. Still, it did not stop the bit of despair that washed over her. It felt like she was leaving her sister to wolves. Neji had barely survived this fight. Hinata wanted to stay behind and become a part of that. Yes, she could end up helping, but Mayu had no idea how things would turn out. Hinata's presence could very well change the outcome. An unfavorable outcome. A deadly one.
Hinata suddenly wrapped her arms around Mayu, causing her to flinch in surprise. The kunoichi squeezed gently, resting her chin against Mayu's shoulder. A gasp escaped. Sure, she was used to dishing out hugs—with or without warning—but Hinata had never initiated one. "Mayu…" Hinata spoke in a whisper. "I understand why you are worried. That makes me happy that you care for me so much. You are my best friend, and I am eternally grateful for meeting you. But I no longer need for you to handle situations I cannot. Do you understand why I need to do this?"
"I-I understand," Mayu replied. She slipped her arms around the kunoichi. Her eyes squeezed shut as she finally returned the embrace. "You're no longer a student. You're now an equal." Hinata made a small noise of agreement. "Then in that case… Don't just be support. Kick his ass, Hinata."
"I will," she vowed. The two girls parted, taking a moment to gaze warmly. The unusual twins smiled then, knowing they would see each other again. "Focus on giving Sasuke-san no mercy."
"I will," Mayu echoed. "Bring Chouji and follow, okay?" She breathed in deeply before shifting her attention to Neji. "I'll cut off all your hair if anything really bad happens to Hinata," she threatened. The Hyuga genius merely stared blankly.
"Please leave my hair out of this," he replied. Mayu grinned. Neji sighed lightly before shifting his attention to the enemy down below. "Get going. Ishikari-san, it seems like you are another equipped to combat darkness. Even though I sense a darkness in you."
"Rude."
"I wish you luck in your confrontation with your boyfriend," Neji continued as though he had not heard her. Mayu made a face that he did not see. Naruto snickered, and then turned serious.
"Hinata, Neji… Catch up with us," he said.
"Yes, we will, Naruto-kun," Hinata responded. "Now, go."
The four jumped from the branch, heading in the direction their enemy had gone. Kidomaru finally seemed to notice. He shouted in protested, obviously not happy with the departure. He spit goo into his hands, hastily formed a shape, and then threw it towards the fleeing ninja. "Byakugan…!" The Hyuga triggered their eyes in unison. Agile and quick, Neji and Hinata destroyed the webs, using their family's style. The substance fell away before reaching its targets. "You won't get by us!"
"Tch…! Fine! You two seem like a good challenge!" Kidomaru shouted. "I'll play with you for a while then!"
"She'd better make it out of this," Mayu thought, forcing herself not to look back. She continued running with the three shinobi, ignoring the persistent sting of her eyes. "Or I'll never forgive you, Sasuke."
0-0
You won't believe how close I was to adding a Hinata and Neji versus Kidomaru. So close. But in the end, I decided not to. For various reasons. Promise. Anyway, we're so close to the end of this rewrite. Stick around, yeah?