Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Naruto or any of their characters. Please forgive any grammar and spelling errors, I try to catch them all but I know I'm not always successful.
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xXx-Chapter 33-xXx
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As a ninja you have to get used to the idea of uncertainty. You come to accept that giving your trust to anyone may likely mean your death. You can plan for it, anticipate every imaginable contingency. You can gather intel from as many and as varied sources as you can. You can trust your instincts or council. But eventually, no matter what you learn, no matter how you feel, eventually you have to act.
You didn't have to like it, but you had to accept it, and that was what Shikaku Nara was feeling right now as he and his team followed Eiji to meet the Raikage. Everything about this screamed trap to Shikaku but in the end it didn't matter, if there was a chance to avoid a war, a war that his son and the other children of the village would be forced to fight, then the chance of it being a trap was something that he had to risk.
"The Raikage wants to meet where, exactly?" Shikaku asks. The Leaf command were all gathered in the war room of East Castle, while Lord Eiji delivered a message to them from the Raikage.
Eiji smiles, "There's a small valley, a few miles northwest of here. It's a neutral location-"
"Neutral my ass, that is deep inside your territory!" Takeko growls. "Lord Nara you can't seriously be considering this!?"
"She does have a point." Inoichi agrees, but he doesn't seem as outright opposed to the idea of going as Takeko was.
"This is a non-negotiable demand of the Raikage. If you wish to negotiate and avert a war then you will meet him there to discuss it." Eiji says.
"He has a point as well." Shikaku says dryly.
Inoichi inclines his head in acknowledgement, slightly amused by and used to his friend's rather dry sense of humor. Takeko didn't look amused at all.
"And with all due respect, you seemed to have no problem when it was our side that was forced to come into your territory on a leap of faith." Eiji says.
"Our side doesn't have a history of treachery!" Takeko snarls.
"Yet your side is now the one accused of espionage." Eiji says, glaring right back.
"Which you still have no evidence to support." Inoichi reminds him.
A small smirk pulls at Eiji's lips, "As far as you know, but that is not for me to say any more on. You will either meet the Raikage's demands or you will prepare for war." Eiji then makes a show of looking around the room at the assembled Leaf commanders. "Are you all prepared for war, are you a bunch of cowards who will hide behind these walls in fear or will you negotiate with our Raikage in good faith. I note that Lord A came personally to handle this situation, the Raikage is committed, yet there is no sign of the Hokage. Perhaps you aren't as committed to peace as you Leaf shinobi like to pretend?"
Shikaku raises his hand to silence the angry grumblings that had begun. "We are committed to peace. I will go to the meeting."
"Lord Raikage has also told me to inform you that you are allowed two bodyguards if you wish. Though you have mine and his personal guarantee that no harm will befall you."
"How generous." Takeko sneers. "Lord Nara, peace is of course preferable, but this smells rotten. Believe me sir, there is not a single warrior or shinobi here who is not willing to fight and die."
Shikaku gives her a gentle smile, "I know that, the bravery and skill of our warriors is not in question. I have the upmost faith in them, but the only way to be worthy of that bravery is to do everything within my power to make sure that their skills are not needed. I've decided, I will go and speak with the Raikage face to face."
"Then please, allow me to accompany you as one of your bodyguards." Takeko says reaching for her Naginata. "No one knows this territory like I do, nor the Kumo shinobi, you'll need me."
Shikaku nods his head, "Agreed, Inoichi if you're willing I would like you to come as well. We'll leave Chouza here in command of our forces and-"
"Wait! Lord Nara, I know I'm only a chūnin but please allow me to speak." Yuko Nakano says stepping forward and then dropping to a knee in a bow.
"Yuko this is not the time or place-"Takeko says firmly, but she stops when Shikaku raises a hand to stop her.
"Yuko is it? Takeko's sister correct, you are the one who lead us through the tower when we first arrived and have been running messages for us since then." Shikaku says.
"Yes Lord Nara."
"Speak your mind."
"Sir… I… forgive me for speaking out of turn but it is a mistake to take my sister and leave Lord Akimichi in charge."
"Oh?"
"Yes sir. Lord Akimichi is an incredible shinobi and he has done much these past few days to shore up our defenses but…"
"But what? Don't be nervous, speak your mind."
"But he is not my sister." Yuko says, glaring up at him, almost defiant. "My sister has guarded these lands for years now, the soldiers and shinobi stationed here trust her more than anyone. And my sister knows this castle and how to defend it better than anyone. Lord Akimichi, as I said, is a great shinobi, but he isn't her and he won't be the commanding presence that our side will need if it comes to a fight. We are all loyal servants of the Land of Fire and will give our lives if it is necessary but I do not exaggerate when I say the men and women stationed here would follow my sister straight into hell and not even flinch!"
"Yuko…" Takeko says softly, touched by her sister's words.
"She wants to accompany you because she blames herself for this situation. She thinks that there is something she should have seen but missed, or done differently that could have prevented this but she's wrong. This has been building for a long time and she did the best she could in an impossible situation. She wants to go to make up for this because she feels it's her fault and it isn't. You want her experience and I understand that, but she knows, I know, you know, and everyone here know that the best place for her, where she can do the most good, is here."
"What would you suggest instead?" Shikaku asks, knowing what she would probably suggest and already weighing the pros and cons of it.
"Take Lord Akimichi, go as the full force of the Ino-Shika-Chou trio. With the three of you there it will show the Raikage that you are willing to negotiate or willing to fight. Send a message that we're strong, your reputation is well known throughout the lands and let him consider the possibility of having to face you as he considers his negotiations. This will present our side with the strongest hand we can get while also leaving ourselves with the best possible defense."
It was a good idea and one he had initially discarded because despite Takeko's greater experience, Chouza's jutsu made him ideal for dealing with multiple enemies. An army that outnumbered yours was easier to fight if you had a giant on your side. But Yuko had made an important point as well, negotiating as the Ino-Shika-Chou trio presented a powerful figure while still meeting the Raikage's conditions. But it was iffy as well because Takeko's presence and experience in dealing with Kumo shinobi would be equally as valuable.
The one thing he hadn't considered to his embarrassment, and what made him change his mind about bringing Chouza instead of her, was the affect Takeko's presence would have on their side's morale. He and his team were obviously a welcomed sight when they had arrived, but Yuko was correct, Takeko had years of experience working alongside the people stationed at the castle and he believed Yuko when she said that the people there would follow Takeko into hell. Numbers mattered in a war and they were outnumbered, but equally important in his view was the will to fight.
So he called Chouza to his side, left Takeko and the other commanders with strict instruction not to engage only defend, and then he set out with his team to what was quite likely a Lightning trap. The next few hours would be critical, success meant a continuation of peace. While failure would be… failure would be the spark that could ignite into another shinobi world war. For his village, for those under his command, for his friends and family... for his son, Shikaku knew he had to succeed. Peace had to be secured.
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xXx-Scene Break-xXx
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"Sensei! If we don't hurry they'll beat us there!" Quinn calls out.
"Dammit… alright, forgo stealth, we need to intercept them before they reach the others."
Their initial attempts to leave a false trail had been successful. The larger group of six Kumo shinobi had re-split into two. They were about to lay the groundwork to try and split one of the groups up again when the group further from them began to move towards their teams position. They dropped what they were doing to rush to their team's aid when the other team began to move in that direction as well.
Six Kumo shinobi versus two was not good odds, no matter how strong Hizashi and Hana were and even with the backup of Hana's nin-ken. Not to mention the difficulties that arose while fighting when you were protecting someone, let alone someone as injured as Nami was. So their best bet in this situation was to intercept the backup Kumo team that was on their way, take them out, and hope that Hizashi and Hana could hold their opponents off until they took care of the other team and could arrive to help them.
It wasn't ideal. Three on two still put the odds against them, but it was better than six on four, especially when the four were restricted by the necessity of protecting an injured person. Quinn knew better than anyone that trying to fight an opponent while handicapped like that was nearly impossible. At least this way, she and Yugao didn't have to hold back and once they won, then they could join the others and outnumber their enemy four to three.
Quinn and Yugao could both sense the enemies' presence as they got closer and closer, eventually running parallel to them, and with a burst of chakra they pull ahead. They then switch to an intercept course, where Yugao finally comes to a stop in the middle of a field surrounded by large boulders.
"They're about thirty seconds out, we'll make our stand here. Stay calm, stay smart, and remember your training." Yugao says as she draws her sword.
"Yes sensei." Quinn says firmly, belying the anxiety and fear she was experiencing. This was a fight, a real fight with fully trained enemy shinobi and if she failed then not only would she die, but her sensei and teammates would die as well. Nami would then be captured, which would lead to a war, her father would be in even greater danger, and that girl's death would truly be meaningless. She had to fight, she had kill, and she had to win. There was no other choice, too much was riding on her success here and now.
"They're here." Yugao says quietly, and not even a second later three Kumo shinobi land across the field in front of them, weapons drawn and ready for a fight. In the distance Quinn can sense Hizashi and Hana begin to engage the enemy.
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xXx-Scene Break-xXx
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"It looks like you were correct Raiko, these Leaf scum were hiding out in these nearby caves." The Kumo shinobi on the left says.
The one identified as Raiko scoffs, "Of course, we utilize them so it stands to reason that if they became aware of them they would use them too, and this was the nearest one. Itsu, inform Bravo Team that we've found them."
The shinobi on the left nods his head and reaches up to the radio collar around his neck.
Hizashi's eyes harden and guilt fills him, he had been the one to lead them to this cave, this was his fault.
"Check it out, a Hyūga and if those dogs are any indication an Inuzuka as well." The Kumo shinobi on the right says.
Raiko nods his head, "Our orders are to capture the spy, the rest of them are just an obstacle. We'll give them one chance to surrender or we kill them." Raiko says to his two teammates before addressing them. "You hear that, this is your one chance, surrender or die."
Hizashi doesn't say anything, instead getting into his gentle fist fighting stance. Hana meanwhile slowly reaches inside her equipment pouch.
"Figures, you Konoha shinobi never did know when to back down from a fight. Itsui, Moi, you two take the girl, the Hyūga is mine."
Both men nod in the affirmative, drawing their weapons, while Raiko does a series of quick hand signs and in a puff of smoke two metal tonfas appear in each hand.
"Hana, above all else Nami must be protected, if not then-"
"I understand, and we won't let it come to that." Hana says fiercely, they'd come too far to have it end like that. "We just need to hold them off until Yugao and Rin arrive."
"I can see them from here, it looks like they've got their hands full, I don't know that they'll arrive in time to be of any help so don't hold back." Hizashi says.
Hana gives a cocky little smirk and scoffs, "I'll be fine, just try to keep up old man."
Hizashi chuckles, grateful for his teammate's attempt at levity, her confidence. "Then let's begin." Hizashi says, signaling for Hana to act. She quickly grabs two smoke pellets inside her equipment pouch and throws them at the ground obscuring them in a thick grey smoke. Hizashi's Byakugan piercing it easily and it buying Hana enough time to perform the hand seals for her jutsu.
"Inuzuka Secret Technique: Beast Mimicry!" Hana calls out, chakra surging through her body, making subtle changes to it that made her more beast-like. Enhancing her senses, her strength and agility, her speed, sharpening her nails into claws and her canine teeth into fangs, and even altering the way her body was capable of moving. Allowing her to run on all fours like her canine companions.
The Kumo ninja who had been on the right steps forward and his hands fly into the seals necessary for his own technique. "Wind Style: Air Blast Jutsu!" he calls out, charging the air around him with chakra and sending it blasting into the cave, dispersing the smoke, but the delay in dispersing the smoke bombs had given Hana the time she needed to activate her second technique.
"Inuzuka Secret Technique: Fang Rotating Fang!" Hana then takes a leap forward almost like she's about to do a summersault, only instead her body begins to rotate with incredible speed and power, her body taking the form of a giant buzz saw like object that begins to rush towards the enemy. Her hounds follow suit as well, the four of them rushing to either crush their enemies or at least move them away from the cave. She and the Haimaru brothers successfully force the two shinobi Itsui and Moi to back away, but Raiko dashes around and past her rushing towards Hizashi.
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xXx-Scene Break-xXx
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Once they are clear of the cave and two of the enemy shinobi had been forced out she and her hounds quickly pull out of the technique. The goal was not to actually hit the enemy, though a strike would have been nice, but to move them away from the confines of the cave. Her clan's techniques were powerful and destructive and did better out in the open than in the confines of a small area. If she hadn't moved them away then she was just as likely to hit Hizashi and Nami with her jutsu as she was the enemy.
But now that space was no longer an issue she and her pack wouldn't have to hold back. "Alright boys, let's do this right." Hana growls as she and the Haimaru brothers move to surround the two Kumo-nin. As she's moving, her hands already forming the seals necessary for her next technique, "Inuzuka Secret Art: Beast Mimicry!" in a puff of smoke that briefly obscures the enemies vision, the three hounds become identical copies of their mistress.
'Better end this as quickly as possible. I have numbers on my side, but if Rin was correct then they're both jōnin and I'm still only a chūnin.' Hana thinks to herself as she and her nin-ken slowly begin to circle the enemy shinobi, watching, waiting for an opening to strike. The two Kumo shinobi look as calm as can be though, standing back to back. Watching the four figures move around them intently, but without any anxiety or fear.
With a snarl, Ni rushes forward and Hana and the others follow suit. The four of them reach the enemy almost simultaneously, ready to use their claws to end this quickly. But in a blur of motion Itsui's hands begin to move, forming hand signs at an incredible speed. "Lightning Style: Static Barrier Jutsu!" The other Kumo shinobi Moi, pulls out a Kunai and stabs it into the ground maintaining his grip, while a huge static burst of electricity surges from Itsui's body, creating a dome of electricity around them.
Hana and the Haimaru brothers are thrown violently back, their bodies being zapped with electricity. Hana, Ichi, and San manage to right themselves in time to land safely as they fly through the air, but Ni caught the worst of it and slams into a nearby rock, cracking it with the force with which he hits. Ni lets out a sharp yelp, the force of the blow shocking him out of his transformation. He briefly tries to stand but doing so hurts too much and so he slumps back to the ground.
Itsui scoffs, "Is that the best you can do?"
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xXx-Scene Break-xXx
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Hizashi deftly avoids each of Raiko's furious strikes with his metal tonfas, his Byakugan allowing him to see the obvious strategy of the enemy, who was channeling Lightning Chakra into his weapons. It was quite clever really, any strike would not only be incredibly powerful, but it would have the added effect of electrocuting any opponent struck, and it also made most shinobi weapons useless against him. Block one of his tonfas with your body or any metal weapon and you created a path for the lightning chakra to strike you for him. Of the three enemy he and Hana now faced, his opponent was the best equipped to fight someone like him. Hizashi could not block him with either his hands or a weapon without taking damage, he could only avoid his enemy's strikes.
Fortunately for Hizashi, the enemy's admittedly clever strategy was all he had going for him. The Kumo shinobi Raiko was fast, but Hizashi was faster. His technique was good as well, exactly what Hizashi would expect from a jōnin, but it still wasn't good enough to defeat his own Taijutsu and so every blow missed him. For Hizashi it was just a matter of waiting. Finding the right opportunity to strike.
The Gentle Fist was the most dangerous and deadly fighting style in the Hidden Leaf Village. This wasn't arrogance on his part, or overconfidence, or even clan pride, it was simple fact. There was a very simple reason that the Hyūga clan trained almost exclusively with the Gentle Fist style, and it wasn't because of tradition, or because they were too stubborn to adapt. The simple fact of the matter was, they didn't need to change.
An enemy who was familiar with the gentle fist style had almost no advantage over an enemy who didn't. Once an opponent was struck by a practitioner of the Gentle Fist, even just glancing blow, the fight was pretty much over. One tap from him could cause muscles to spasm, internal bleeding, chakra coil damage, and a whole host of other problems. In a sense, there was no such thing as a glancing blow from the Gentle Fist.
That was why the Gentle Fist was so dangerous, every strike was potentially deadly. It didn't matter if the enemy had a working knowledge of the style and its techniques, which this opponent obviously did. Even if he knew every move that Hizashi was going to throw at him, it didn't matter, because he had to be absolutely perfect for the duration of the fight. One mistake, one moment where he misread Hizashi's movement, or he wasn't fast enough, and the fight would be over and this Raiko knew it too.
He was attacking furiously, a constant barrage of blows that didn't leave Hizashi any time to counter attack. But this was coming at a price, maintaining an attack like that was exhausting, but he had no choice. Raiko's jutsu and fighting style were clever, but they committed him to a close combat fight, which with him was a death sentence. His attacks were using up much more chakra and stamina than Hizashi's Byakugan and just dodging were, and Hizashi could tell that they were taking their toll on him.
Of course with the Lightning Chakra inside those metal tonfas, Hizashi was in a similar predicament as his enemy. He had no idea just how powerful a shock those things would deliver on even just a touch, though judging by the amount of chakra being pumped into them he didn't imagine it would be pleasant. He had obviously faced a Hyūga in combat before, but there was one advantage that Hizashi had over the enemy, despite both of them being in a situation where they couldn't be struck even once.
Hizashi trained in this kind of situation all of the time, every spar with another member of his clan was a fight just like this, where if you weren't perfect, if you made even the slightest miscalculation, you went down. Hizashi was used to fighting an enemy up close who could defeat him with only a single strike. He was used to being in a fight where he would lose if he got hit even once, this man wasn't. He had enough experience fighting Hyūga to know that he couldn't let Hizashi get a hit in, but he didn't know enough to pace himself.
Unfortunately, time was not a luxury that Hizashi had. Waiting for his opponent to wear himself out was the best way to win this fight, but it wasn't the path he wanted to take. Hana was in deep trouble, she was exceptionally skilled and had the superior numbers, but when it came down to it, her opponents were stronger. Already one of her nin-ken had been taken out of the fight and he could see that she had taken a couple of hard hits herself. If he could just beat this guy quickly and get to her, his presence would switch the fight to Hana's favor.
Hana was giving it everything that she had and the situation wasn't hopeless, but the odds were not in her favor and she was taking a beating. He needed to defeat this enemy quickly if he wanted to be of any use to her, but his enemy's style was such that he couldn't retaliate just yet. It would be no trouble to move past him and reach Hana, but that would leave Nami completely defenseless. In a situation like this his Byakugan was as much a blessing as it was a curse. While it gave him unparalleled vision and insight into his opponent, it also forced him to watch helplessly as his team fought for their lives.
Hana, Yugao, Rin, they were all fighting, giving everything that they had to defeat their enemies and right now all he could do was watch. He was able to see them with perfect clarity, and it was killing him that he couldn't join them. But he had his own battle to attend to, one that needed his full attention, he could win but he couldn't lose focus. He had to wait, bide his time, find the opening and then seize it. And hope that moment wasn't too long in coming and that he would still be able to help his team.
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xXx-Authror's Note-xXx
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Oh man, why did I have to write a story where people fight? Seriously! Writing combat is hard! I can see what is happening so clearly in my mind and it looks so cool, but when I try to put it to paper it just doesn't want to come out right. Hopefully I get better but please bear with me. And please forgive the long wait between updates, I am bombarded with school and work right now so I don't have nearly as much time to write as I would like. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and I will update as soon as I can. Thanks for reading :)
