Roar of a Monster
Last Time: Even with Orochimaru being injured and near chakra exhaustion he was still moving like a blur. The other Jōnin could barely match his speed or prowess. Then I noticed what was happening. The Jōnin was slowly being pushed back.
He was slowly losing ground directly to a place laced with bits of chakra. The Iwa Jōnin was planning on taking Orochimaru out at all cost!
As I started to try and warn him I stopped myself. "This is Orochimaru. He causes the death of thousands of people. Should I save him? Why did I come back in the first place? Except, he has saved my life too many times to count this night. How can I just let him die? Can I let him die?
The perpetual roar of the land was out done by the clangs and clashes of battle. Distant blurs sped toward one another and collided to many times to count. One brownish blur slowly losing ground in the desolate fields torn up by the perpetual wars fought across the land.
One small figure stood up in the maelstrom of the battle. Silently watching. Silently debating his inner turmoil. Barely peaking at 4 feet, the small figure leaned in on the blade he wielded. The battle still raged in front of him, the rain still pelted the ground.
The young boy stood motionless for what seemed to be ages. The water seemed to slowly glide toward the muddy battleground. The blurs became more recognizable but still too fast to accurately tell what they were doing. The boy stood before this all and made his choice.
He began moving faster than he ever could before. The boy seemed to poof out of existence only to reappear a few meters behind the Iwa Shinobi. The boy settled into his signature stance. Two exact copies of the boy appeared to his left.
When the Iwa shinobi finally landed back into the ground, the boy launched into action. With less than a second passed by before the Iwa shinobi turned around. That was the first mistake of three, the Jōnin did that sealed his fate. The shinobi moved to engage the young boy in a bout of Taijutsu. That was his second mistake.
Confronting a Hyūga in a Taijutsu battle without a trump card was almost certain death. The Jōnin moved to block the strikes the small boy made. The young boy was not nearly fast enough to get past the Jōnin's guard. That wasn't his goal however.
As the three copies began to reach the apex of strike, the Jōnin only moved to block the center figure. That was the third mistake. The boy smiles and yelled.
"Hakke Sanjūni Sho!" (Eight trigrams: 32 palms.)
"Two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty-two!"
The young boy had effectively stunned the Jōnin. The boy was grinning madly. He couldn't believe it had actually worked! Before the Hyūga could continue celebrating, he saw the ninja in front of him try and lunge at him.
The Iwa Jōnin suddenly jerked, and stopped moving. The shinobi coughed up blood, and looked down. Hiro didn't need to look down. He saw it clearer than day. Instincts had prevailed yet again.
Hiro's Tanto was embedded six inches into the Iwa's chest. Horror overcame the young Hyūga. It was his first real kill. The first of whom knew how many he would be forced to slay in combat. His hand jerked back and dropped the Tanto.
He fell to his knees and began to heave up the contents of his stomach. He had seen many die that night. He had even caused the death of shinobi that day. Except, he was directly responsible for this death. He was the one that ended this life.
He didn't last long on the floor however. He was grabbed by his arm and brought upright. He was staring at the hideous grin of his savior. The glowing-slitted green eyes stared directly into Hiro's soul.
The snake began speaking but the boy could not hear. The boy was in his own world lost in a sea of guilt and regret. The boy could only stare at the bloodied man in front of him.
Orochimaru reached up and grabbed his black Hitai-ite. Orochimaru looked at the blood soaked cloth and began to wrap it around Hiro's forehead. The rain made the blood run down his face.
"I, Orochimaru, Sannin of Konohagakure, deliver this Hitai-ite and its responsibilities on you. I pronounce you, Hiroaki Hyūga, a Genin of Konohagakure." Orochimaru smirked and ruffled through the boy's hair.
"We need to leave. It's only a matter of time before other shinobi come." He turned away from the boy who was still blankly staring at him.
The words didn't seem to register to the boy. His body moved on its own and continued to follow the man up ahead. The blood ran down his face. The boy never moved once to wipe it away from his face.
"What Have I Done." Was the thought that continued to echo in the boy's mind. There was an inner battle raging inside him. His old self clinging on pulsing out how wrong it was to take a life. The other justifying the death for their own life.
7:37 A.M
The rain began to slowly lessen and lessen as the two weary shinobi made their way through the land. After hours of walking, the sun began to peek through the clouds. Sunlight pierced the clouds and descended on the earth.
The boy looked up at the sky. "So the world continues...Did my family continue their life after my death?" Sadness. It was sadness and guilt that overcame him. Settling in the pit of his stomach. He had not thought of how his family must have been after he died.
Trying to remember his family, they were just a distant memory. He wondered if they had ever even existed. Was he just insane? No one else in this world could possible understand him. That train of thought is what fueled his sadness and guilt.
He had forgotten about them. He had neglected to think of them because he was trying to settle in this world. How were they dealing with his death? How were they? Why hasn't he thought of them?
Then he realized it was this world. He had struggled for everything so far. He had put in hard work and hope into getting better. Except, this world continued to take from him. He had fought with everything he had to get as far as he did.
What did the world give him in return? He was captured in his very first excursion out of the village. He was tortured for days and days at a time. He was forced to run like a coward. He was forced to watch as a monster slaughtered dozens of men for him.
Dozens upon dozens of men and women would never get to see their loved ones because of him. But he didn't feel sadness for them. In earnest he felt a fire raging in his heart. His sadness and guilt lot the fire for his rage.
He wouldn't get to see his family either! The world had taken him from them! This world would continue to try and pry everything away from him. No more! He wouldn't lie down as the world had its way! No. He would become powerful. Powerful enough that no one could take anything from him.
10:25 A.M
Border of Hi no Kuni
Three Konoha shinobi, stood hidden in the trees overlooking the western border with Amegakure. One with binoculars spots two staggering figures in the distant clearing slowly approaching.
"Shinobi!"
The yell rang out in the forest.
"2 of them! Badly injured."
Two shinobi jumped down and positioned themselves in the path of the 2 shinobi.
The two shinobi recognized the tall figure immediately.
"It's Orochimaru-sama! Get the Medic!" One of the shinobi yelled to the others in the forest.
In a big commotion, one shinobi sped off toward the two injured shinobi while another went to get help.
Hiro's P.O.V
Hiro had barely been able to walk after hours without rest or supplies. Using his Tanto to help keep him up was a must. He had been limping for the past several hours right behind Orochimaru.
What made things worse was the thirst. Burning his throat, Hiro could barely even speak let alone fight. "This is worse than torture.. At least they gave me water."
It had only been around an hour ago that Orochimaru stopped being able to walk by himself. It seemed the chakra exhaustion had taken a bigger toll on him. He had been leaning more and more on Hiro as they walked.
What has bugged Hiro the most was the sudden lack of rain. It was as if Kami himself had stopped the rain from falling on them. As to punish Hiro even more.
Orochimaru looked up ahead and spotted the Konoha-nin. "After all we have been through, you better not fuck this up." That was all he said as he collapsed to the floor, taking me down with him.
I couldn't get up anymore. Any small strength I had left me that moment. I just stared up at the clouds in the sky. After a few moments a shadow fell over me.
I was staring up at a brown haired man. He looked at me and began speaking. I couldn't seem to make out what he was saying. I remembered what Orochimaru had told me earlier that day.
"C-od *Cough* Code 3"
Alarm immediately settled into the shinobi, before I felt him grab me. He began yelling something to the rest of his group. That was all I remembered before the world went black.
A/N: Here is the next update. Rewrote it a few times to make it flow smoother.
Question:
Does anyone dislike the way I switch from POV's?
