Chapter 15: Retrieval of the Last Piece
"You think she failed?" Hinata asked.
"... I doubt it." Temari answered "I may think you all are weak, but we have too much pressure to end up failing."
Three Hours Later...
"Sorry I took so long!" Tenten said appearing at the borders of Wind and Earth where they first made it to the Country of Heart,
"What kept you an extra three hours from our meeting time?" Ino asked.
"... A boy."
All four pairs of eyes widened.
Tenten smirked "One I consider my eternal rival!" They fell down anime style.
Flashback
Tenten sighed when she saw Takano still pinned on the tree, unconscious, bloody, and seriously injured. She removed the kunai then brang him to the hospital.
The nurses and doctors were just shocked that a Leaf ninja was carrying a Rock one to the hospital. Tenten checked out his room then was about to leave when she heard his voice "Why?"
She quickly appeared at his side "Why what?"
"Why didn't you leave me there?"
"... What gave you the idea that I would leave someone behind to die? We don't like each other, but you would've done the same thing. Right?"
"..."
She punched him on the arm "Ow!"
"You Rock hold grudges too long. But I have to admit, you aren't bad with weapons."
He frowned. "Aren't bad? I'm considered the weapon master in the village."
Tenten shrugged "You still have alot to learn. And who knows if we meet again-"
"There will be a rematch."
She smirked "Of course, and who knows? You might just stand a chance!"
"You Leaf are so full of yourselves."
"And you Rock aren't?"
They glared at each other.
Another Kakashi and Gai arrived.
Too bad they live in different nations for a real rivalry.
End Flashback
"..."
"What?"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Ali jumped in front of them right before they entered the Kage tower.
"You all got the pieces? Here." She handed Tenten a map "Onee-chan told me to give you that map."
"It's not a thousand years old is it?" Temari asked. Ali shrugged "Not sure... but can I see a piece! I aways wanted to see it up close!"
Ino frowned "The only way we knew it was the crystal was when it emitted a sort of feeling, like the one here." Then she got out the piece that was about the size of her palm.
"... Its a rock."
"We can see that." Sakura said.
"A rock is the reason why we're all alive today?"
"Maybe it was because they were separated for so long." Hinata said.
"But still... its a rock.The kind that looks like something that you find anywhere. The kind that doesn't even cost one yen. The kind... that's a rock.
"We get it."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
The five girls were inside the Forest of Life heading to the 'x' mark. Hinata suddely remembered something "Sakura, I sensed your chakra at a village in the Land of Water."
"My chakra? I wasn't even near the Land of Water."
"... I know, it came from someone else, it was as strong as yours, but also exactly the same."
Flashback
Hinata was about to walk on the water, that didn't have Ali's jutsu, when she noticed many of the machinery that was constructing the bridge were gone. She let out a sigh of relief At least I don't have to run all the way anymore.
She ran across the bridge, but when she reached a certain point there was mist all around that you couldn't see anything. She activated her Byakugan, and noticed five chakras about. One was standing idle, while the two were fighting, and the other three were together in some sort of barrier.
Hinata quickened her pace to avoid the fight until a giant wave of chakra appeared. She turned around and noticed the same type of chakra that Sakura has, fire, emitted from someone... Her eyes widened.
"Naruto-kun."
She was about to run towards him when she remembered that she wasn't supposed to, unless for really very important emergencies. She sighed then continued running.
But what she didn't notice was that a certain Copy nin sensed the chakra of a Hyuuga heiress.
End Flashback
"What are they doing in there? If it involved going to another village, then it would have been C-ranked." Sakura said. They already knew of the nine tailed fox sealed in Naruto. And Sakura made sure that when she came back, she was going to be more nice to him.
"Maybe they're already Chuunin." Temari said. Sakura stopped in her tracks, Tenten rolled her eyes "The Chuunin exams didn't even pass in the time we were gone, it will be about half a month until the next one."
Ino nodded "And you know Naruto, he must have said something like 'I'm a ninja! So I want a ninja mission!'. What a baka."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Naruto sneezed.
Sasuke faced him "You must be coming down with a cold."
"I didn't know you cared!"
"It would harm the chances of completing a mission, dobe."
He stuck his tongue out at him, but then let out a sad sigh at the absence of the peacemaker "Mission... when do you think Sakura-chan and the others will come back from theirs? I mean she just missed the greatest mission ever!"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"He is not-" But before Hinata could finish she quickly threw a kunai at a large insect that was about to attack, with a poison that could've killed her "Now I know why they call this the Forest of Life."
"That almost everything in here could take a life in a single minute." Tenten stated "They should call it the Forest if Death."
Sakura shivered "For some reason, when you say that it gives me a feeling... like meeting a dangerous snake."
"A snake?" Tenten asked.
"I don't know. It's like de ja vu. But I never even got near a snake that was about to kill me..."
"You're just imagining things." Temari said.
"For some reason I doubt it." Sakura replied.
"So, Sakura, anything change?" Tenten asked.
"Change?"
"You were able to get back to Konoha, anything we should know about?"
"... Um... you see..."
"Spit it out."
"Kiba and Shino are almost at war with each other, and Kurenai-sensei can't handle them alone. Lee and Neji are just too much for Gai-sensei, he can't control Lee from getting beat up by Neji. And Chouji and Shikamaru are just too lazy to train without Asuma-sensei forcing them."
"..."
"Look on the bright side."
"What bright side? Our teams are nothing without us." Hinata said.
"That's the brightside, our teams are nothing without us. Without us they wouldn't even be called a team."
"What about you Temari?" Ino asked "Anything happen with your brothers?"
"... No. I just... can't do it Hinata." Temari told her, Hinata sighed "You're going to have fix your relationship sooner or later."
"There it is." Ino said as they appeared before a maze, that was made of very tall hedges, "At least it isn't another cave."
Hinata frowned "I would rather go for a cave than a maze."
"Did you forget that you have Byakugan?"
"No, but-"
"But what?"
"There's another jutsu on this maze."
"... Don't tell me."
"It's like the one in the other places we visited. My Byakugan won't work, and also our jutsus."
"Damn."
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
"ALI!!"
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Meanwhile...
Jalen was just twirling a kunai in her hand "Did Yakaru leave already?"
Kiyu nodded, but then smirked "Why would you care?"
"Because he promised to play with me after!"
"... You are such a child sometimes."
Kuzumi just sighed "I just hope he accomplishes his mission."
Jalen faced Madoto and smirked "Something you weren't able to do!"
"Shut up baka!"
"Make me Madoto-jii-chan!!"
A vein twitched "What did you just call me?"
"I called you old, dummy!"
Kiyu raised an eyebrow "Old? Old people are usually more serious."
Jalen smirked. She was going to hit a sore spot.
"You're twin sister is serious. How come you're not?... Even your younger one is sometimes, even if it is just in pranks."
Jalen did hit a sore spot. And she hit it hard.
And he was going to hit hers.
"What about you? Leaving your mother like that. I bet she died a painful death without her loving daughter by her side. Who would be serious enough to do that?"
They got their weapons out and had a friendly spar.
If you call murdering intent and blood lust friendly.
They they were best friends.
Back in the Forest of Life...
Sakura sighed "We have to split up, it'll be quicker that way. We should put a specific mark when we pass by something, a kunai pointing where we headed, then when we see the crystal give a large signal that could get out attention."
They nodded and went seperate ways.
Temari sighed To think a simple mission to get a herb would end up like this... Then she encountered a crossroad and put a kunai on the floor showing where she already headed. Then continued on her way.
Tenten looked at the map again It really was a thousand years ago if there wasn't even a maze here. She put her hands on one of the hedges but nothing happened. She let out another sigh.
Hinata walked around the maze going to every direction that didn't have a kunai, then put one of her own. She encountered another crossroad but this time there were two kunais, her own kunais. How could I have passed by here again?
Ino frowned Forehead didn't even look at me at all, what in the world is wrong with her?But then she felt something... a sort of energy, not chakra, an energy she feels when a lightning storm comes... her eyes widened My counterpart is here! Then she headed towards the energy source.
Sakura kept walking around but then quickly turned around at the sound of a twig snapping "Who's there?" No response. She cursed under her breath I hate this jutsu, I can't even sense chakra. But then the enemy appeared right in front of her.
The boy looked around the same age as Melane and Feleka, around twenty (even thought you know he really isn't), but with an even more mature demeanor then Melane.
He had messy blonde hair and black eyes, and wore a black jacket over a fishnet shirt, and wore dark gray pants similar to Madoto's. But he also had a forehead protector, but this one with the lightning bolt in Ino's necklace.
His clothes were strange to Sakura, since all the blondes she met wore bright or not dark and black colors. But what surprised her most was that he had black case for arrows. Along with a silver bow.
Even his arrows were silver.
He was lightning.
... Isn't lightning a bright and energetic kind of thing?
And he looked like he was the exact opposite of Ino.
But she had to admit, he was hot.
"I take it you're Yakaru?" Sakura asked.
"Aa."
She mentally winced. Emotionless shinobi found! He might even be a prodigy!
Sakura took out her kunai, he took out his bow and an arrow. Her eyes widened The jutsu cancels out a person's chakra, but not their weapons! The arrows glowed a white tint, something it does automatically, without the effort of the user.
"Why are you going to kill me? If you do then we all end up dieing!" Sakura exclaimed.
He gave no answer but instead readied his attack.
She had no choice but to fight back.
He shot an arrow at her and she deflected it with a kunai.
But when the arrow came down to the floor, it sent an electric strike to the ground that headed towards Sakura. She quickly dodged it, then it hit a hedge with a large explosion, but the hedge still looked unharmed.
That is one strong hedge! But then she looked back at her opponent And only one arrow can alreay create an explosion...! But why me?
"I thought you were supposed to fight the lightning sister? Not the fire."
He paused, then decided to answer "You have not yet revived the crystal."
"But you are going to kill us before we do?"
He gave no response to the question again then readied his bow. But this time he used four arrows "I'll end this now." Then he shot them.
She was quick enough to deflect two arrows, and she was able to dodge the other two. She was ready to dodge all the lightning striked on the ground, and when they appeared she jumped up, but when she did Yakaru got out another arrow.
A different kind that glowed even brighter and gave off an even stronger chakra then the five combined. It was obviously one of his strongest. Then he shot it at her when she landed back on the ground.
Her eyes widened, she was fast, but not as fast as Ino.
Sakura wasn't able dodge it.
Blood splattered.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
hw was it?
pls tell me in your reviews!!
oh! and was i able to make the higure group a bit... not pure evil?
that was my goal in all the intermissions i hav with them in the stry