Devil From The Heavens
Chapter 41: The War Is Within
Hinata had noticed something recently; she hadn't cried since they fought Broly. Beyond the shock and horror, she had allowed herself to become numb in the aftermath. The other Hyuga had grieved in the wake of her father's death and the loss of their friends and family. Neji had cried. Hanabi had done little else. It was easy to ignore herself and to just drown in the work of helping to rebuild the village. It was easy to look after Naruto and make sure he was ok. It was easy to just keep moving. What did that say about her?
It was exhaustion that thrust her to sleep than any effort on her part. She dreaded it otherwise. All she could see in her nightmares were whirling metal slabs like dragon's teeth. They had always swung down on her to cut her limbs from her but they always just missed for hours on end. She was fully convinced the next one would succeed every time.
"This makes Hanabi head of the clan now." Neji idly mentioned which snapped her out of her spiral.
'What clan?' was Hinata's bitter thought as she gazed over the ashen ruins of their former home. The rising sun was hardly peeking over the horizon. Between her, Neji, and Hanabi, they were the only shinobi left in the Hyuga. The rest were those that maintained the estate and thus were evacuated during Broly's assault. Her younger sister was quiet at the news. Hinata wrapped her arm around Hanabi and the girl clutched at her like a safety blanket. She had been quiet since the near extinction of their clan.
"This means it's up to her to-"
"Do we have to do this now?" Hinata cut off her cousin. She knew why he wanted to have the girl take up the mantle so soon; with all the clans shattered as they were, it portrayed theirs as still strong in spite of what had happened.
"If not now, when?" He asked sharply. The cousins met eyes and there was a building tension there. "We're all in pain but time moves ever onward regardless of our feelings. The other villages will be paying attention to see how best to exploit us."
"Lady Tsunade is working with the other Kage to secure an alliance against Madara." She responded in a more subdued manner. Neji had a point; her kidnapping as a child would always remain in the back of her head when it came to the other villages. "Hanabi is a child and lacks our experience as shinobi; this is too soon."
"Can't I just...make someone else the clan head?" Hanabi mumbled against her older sister's jacket. Hinata held her closer still. It felt like letting her go would have the girl disappear through the floor. Hinata didn't have to look to see that Neji had lost some of the fervor within him.
"The elders that still live will not simply allow you to pass on the responsibility." Her cousin responded though the edge that had been there had softened. "They will step in to prevent it."
Hinata wanted to laugh at that even if she found no humor in it. "Who would enforce their will? Not me."
The unspoken threat hung in the air. If the rest of the clan tried to pressure Hanabi into anything, there was nothing standing between Hinata and them. Neji was an accomplished shinobi in his own right but being a Sage put her well above everyone in the clan even before the assault. The only 'power' the elders had was their social standing and what did that matter?
Neji sighed. He was always more of a hardliner for the ways of the Hyuga compared to his gentler cousin but, if he learned anything from his youth, it was learning to move when the tides change against you. If Hanabi wished to change it, he'd be behind her.
"Very well. If Hanabi so wishes to choose it, I won't stand in the way. They won't be so accepting."
"Let's see if they have the courage to speak." She responded.
The trio of Hyuga stood silent in memoriam of their once grand home before they quietly returned to their work. With the Byakugan, they were the premier sentries around and so they were assigned to keep a lookout for the village. The Leaf as a whole still labored to clean the ruins of their village and they were no exception.
Naruto meditated alongside Jiraiya for the first time in forever. Tensions had been high between the two for a while what with his partnership with Kurama and the siege. It wasn't helped by Naruto's interrogation right after Broly's leaving. Pervy Sage and Granny Tsunade had both insisted that they had a fundamental disagreement with how to accommodate Broly and that's why the Saiyan left.
She assured the teen that they'd still work with Broly but wouldn't elaborate on what the actual disagreement was. It bothered Naruto; did he not deserve to know after he helped save the village? But he was tired and let it go. He just wanted to spend time with his mentor and friend. He'd be happy to set things aside for now just to have some peace with Jiraiya.
And so here they were.
"You're fidgeting a lot." His fellow Sage mentioned. Naruto clicked his tongue with some frustration. It was hard to have inner peace with the last few weeks. Jiraiya sighed. "I get it. I can't get my head cleared either."
"Upset that you can't spy on any of the women anymore?" Naruto guessed with a mirthful grin as he opened an eye. "No 'beauty to calm your wiles' like your books say?"
Jiraiya barked a laugh at that and the unspoken tension eased greatly. "I knew you couldn't resist becoming a fan!"
The boy shrugged off the accusation. "We had three years of traveling. I was gonna get bored enough sometime to actually read."
"You'd be surprised how many times I've heard that excuse." Jiraiya clapped his meaty hand onto the teen's back as he rose onto his feet. "This isn't going to work; let's grab some breakfast."
Some time later and the two were sat high up on the barely standing remains of of an apartment building munching on some rations. It wasn't good but it would keep them going. The forest around only barely provided enough to keep their village going as is and so the food was strictly controlled and cooked for efficiency rather than taste. It was miserable but supplies from nearby settlements were starting to come in so things would hopefully improve soon.
"You think granny will get the other villages on board against Madara?" Naruto asked as he looked to the other side of the village. It'd been four days since she had gone so Tsunade should be back any moment. A thick fog was starting to roll in. The Sun should clear that up once it's been up for a couple hours.
"They'd be fools not to." Jiraiya took a bite of his ration, chewed once, and swallowed it. It was an understatement to say he loathed it. "So, y'know, I give it a fifty fifty that they ally with us."
"Real bright and sunny there, Pervy Sage." Naruto snarked as he finished his meal.
Jiraiya shrugged. "When you've been around the block as much as I have, kid, you're no longer surprised when someone willingly chooses to step on a rake. Their sights are set on their feet when it should be on the handle about to break their nose. My money is on Iwa taking a shot at us once they find out how vulnerable we are."
"Eh, we'll kick their butts." The blond verbally waved off the idea so casually that the Toad Sage actually believe him for a moment. "We survived worse after all and we still got plenty of strong guys and gals here."
"You're not wrong but quantity trumps quality here I think. We'd be asking each of our shinobi to take on a small army each. The only person in recent memory I can confidently say that could do that would be the Fourth Hokage and that's because I was alive when he did do that." Jiraiya scratched at his face. "Though you and Hinata might be an exception with your Sage abilities."
Naruto's smile faded away at the mention of his father. He still wrestled with that conversation even now. He meant what he said; even as he talked amicably with the Saiyan, that hate was still there. It had diminished with time and through talking with the man but it burned even now. It was so much fiercer when he thought of Madara.
That man ruined his life as far as he was concerned. There was no room in his heart for forgiveness. That being said, his father had a point. Madara, Pain, and the Akatsuki were symptoms, not causes. They existed because the shinobi system was an environment that birthed tragedies. Tragedies that led to fear and hate. Who would Madara be if his talent and dedication wasn't poisoned by the constant bloodshed?
To end the hatred like Minato wanted, he had to destroy the system that bred it and create something better. To think he wanted to be Hokage just for the acceptance that he though would come with it. They would stop this Madara but he could stop all future Madaras if he could just figure out what to change the shinobi system into.
"Naruto?"
"Hmm? Sorry, just...lost in thought." Naruto jumped up to his feet and stretched.
Jiraiya was about to comment on it when a waving shinobi below caught his attention. "Why did Tsunade leave me in charge?" The Sannin groaned. "Duty calls. It was nice spending time with ya, brat."
"The feeling's mutual, Pervy Sage!" The teen responded with a wide grin as the Toad Sage stood and they hugged each other. Jiraiya jumped below right after which left Naruto alone with little to do. He absorbed some Natural Energy to tap into his Sage Mode's sensory capabilities. With it, he located Hinata quickly enough.
'Oh, one last thing. Give Hinata space. You both need it.'
His father's words rang like a bell tower. If only he could ask his father about what he meant by that. The two kept close eyes on each other right after Broly's assault and had even slept pretty close together on some nights. As far as he could tell, there wasn't a problem. He was actually going to ask her to go on a date. With how close they were all to death in Broly's assault and with Madara looming over them, it made his nervousness about that prospect so much dumber in hindsight.
"You humans are so dense. It's astonishing you managed to capture me." Kurama growled within his head.
"Whaddya mean?" The jinchuriki asked out loud. "Please explain, Kurama. I'm lost here."
"She fears you just as much as she loves you." The Nine-Tails explained condescendingly. "All that time spent with you is because she's scared of what would happen if she were to simply reject you."
"But Hinata doesn't have a reason to-"
"Don't lie to me, boy." The fox voice deepened until it was a rumble in his chest. "You know exactly why she would fear you."
Naruto shook his head as he bounded over to where Hinata was. "My dad and you are wrong. I'll show you."
Hinata rubbed at her eyes as she shut off her Byakugan. While the dōjutsu was perfect for being a watchdog, she had never really used it for such. As a result, she had to take more frequent breaks from using it. Jiraiya suggested using Sage Mode to bolster herself and get some practice in but it felt strangely frivolous to use it like that. Not that ensuring the safety of the village was frivolous per se but that technique should be used sparingly. She didn't want to end up a toad after all.
"Hinata!" Naruto's boisterous voice called out to her. "Got a minute?"
She squeezed at her jacket as anxiety took hold of her. "Sure. What can I help you with?"
"When this is over, did you want to go on a date? A real one, y'know, with flowers and stuff."
It was funny how overjoyed she would have been to hear those words just a short while ago and how they inflicted a creeping dread now. In the distant reaches of her mind, the grinding screech of the Rasenshuriken so close to her face could be heard. She smiled all the same; she had to hide her thoughts.
"Hinata, are you okay?"
The worry in his eyes had butterflies fluttering in her stomach because, even as she remembered how he seemingly longed to hurt her in their spar, she still held onto the vestiges of her naive crush. How could the monster in red and the boy who longed to be Hokage for respect be the same person in front of her? Hinata had swallowed being around him because there was still that distance of being just friends. Could she survive crossing the distance?
She couldn't do it.
"I'm sorry, Naruto." She rubbed at her elbow and looked away from his face. "I don't think I'm in the right state of mind to be thinking of this. Ask me later, okay?" Kami, she was such a coward. Hinata feigned a worry about some authority and turned away. "Now, I have to get back to keeping an eye on the civilians before I get caught slacking."
The blond stayed quiet for a few moments and the Hyuga clan head was terrified that even this mild push back might have been too much but Naruto plastered his trademark grin on.
"Ah, I'll hold you to that, okay? I'm supposed to be helping with clean up in the village anyways." He waved to her. "See ya later!"
He turned away before she could say anything else and his grin promptly fell away as he bounded into the village. The fog quickly swallowed him.
"Am I wrong now?" Kurama said without his trademark condescension for once.
'What are you doing?' Naruto thought angrily in turn. 'This isn't like you.'
"Things changed and, no, I won't elaborate." The Nine-Tails quickly responded.
'Fine, I'm done talking anyways.' He mentally responded. It ended up sounding more petulant than he wanted but he was too upset to really care. What has he done to scare Hinata? Was it that incident during their Sage training? She had to know he wouldn't have hurt her, right?
A sudden gust of wind blew past him. Naruto perked up at a green light in the fog. Hold on- what was he doing back here so soon? The blond slow down his pace and strode forward with a big grin on his face. They didn't have much time to talk before; maybe this would be a good chance to rectify that a little bit. It would get his mind off things too.
There was a cry. It was high pitched, that of a young girl, but it was cut off near instantly. Naruto stopped as he looked around for where the scream came from. The fog was dense and the ruins messed with the acoustics of the environment.
Steps sounded out in front of him. Two too many for one man.
"Broly?" He yelled out curiously.
The shape in the fog darkened. It was the Saiyan's silhouette but something jutted from his left shoulder. A sickness fell upon the jinchuriki.
"That's not him. You must run."
'I...I can't.' Naruto wasn't just rooted to the spot. His instincts cried out that someone was in danger. A stark white face, contorted with barely concealed rage, peered from the fog. A quick movement of his arm and a bloodied head bounced and rolled to the boy's feet. It belonged to a middle-aged man; not a shinobi he recognized so it must've been one of the volunteers if they out here in the ruins.
Ape held out a child, the man's daughter was his assumption, by the throat with his red hand. The other rested on the hilt of his blade. The message was clear.
"If you go with him, not only will you die but Madara gets me. That is far worse than one child's death."
Ape's hand squeezed and the girl let out a soft whine. The Hybrid wanted Naruto to resist. The blond looked between Ape and the girl for some moments. They were too far out for someone to help and, unless someone with a Byakugan was actively looking, the fog hid them anyways.
Naruto bowed his head. 'I'm sorry, Kurama.'
"Let her go, I know it's me you want."
Ape dropped the dead man's daughter. She curled up into a ball and wept as she was too scared to move from where she laid. Naruto crouched and put a hand to her head.
"You'll be okay. Someone will be here soon to help you." He lied through his comforting smile. It might be hours before someone noticed him missing; hours further still before they would be able to find her. He was afraid of what the Hybrid would do if he flared his chakra to signal the other Leaf shinobi. The jinchuriki stood even as the girl quieted. She looked to him with hope. "Alright, ya got me."
The Hybrid was clearly upset with how smoothly things had gone. With a casual swing, Ape crushed the girl with Samehada. The blade's sharkskin tore her to pieces as he ground the sword into her body. Naruto gaped in open shock and Kurama's chakra flowed freely through his body as righteous fury erupted from the teen.
"You bastar-urgh!" The Sage ragdolled unconscious across the ground as Ape hit him with a swift jab. The Zetsu picked up the boy by the back of his jacket and swung him over his shoulder. He kicked off the ground and the two disappeared into the open sky.
Hinata perked up from her vigil as she felt the Kyubi's presence. She wasn't exactly a sensor but the Senjutsu training gave her some ability to feel chakra even without the Natural Energy coursing through her veins. It was best with people she knew.
She activated her Byakugan in a hurry. Naruto wouldn't release this much of the fox's chakra on a whim. She scrunched her eyes with a hiss as the sun threatened to blind her. In her hurry, she must've focused on it by mistake. The Sage fell back on her chakra sensing to locate her friend and he was...in the sun? Hinata deactivated her dōjutsu for just an instant in shock. She was looking in the right direction; that wasn't the sun.
It took her all of a few seconds to fully transition into Sage Mode after which she tore off.
The veins around her eyes swelled once more. Kurama's chakra disappeared. It was nearly impossible to see it but a hint of the blond's chakra remained underneath the overwhelming light of this other power. She pushed herself even further but it was for not. They both disappeared into the sky well out of the range of her vision.
Hinata arrived at where she last felt Naruto.
A head and some remains were all that remained here.
Author's Notes
What are the odds we get a chapter like this on Valentine's Day? Funny how that works out.
Hinata is promoted to clan head under the worst circumstances, Naruto gets his heart broken, and, to top off this shit Sundae, Ape steals our Fox.
Honestly, it's kinda funny how long it took me to write a POV chapter from Hinata's perspective on things. We've only really seen her surface behavior since Broly's assault. Gotta keep an eye on that given that she's one of the more important characters.
Her thoughts here might come off surprising as a result but she has been dealing with some severe trauma since nearly the beginning of this story and it's really coming to a head here. A lot of it caused by Naruto himself. That takes a toll.
Anyways, let me know what you think in a review!
Ent out.
Review Responses!
Thedepressratman: Because you can't go all the way just yet. Not that I plan to of course. *wink*
DTLA1992: And with the one-two punch that is the last chapter and this, our protags are at their lowest point collectively. Well, lowest so far anyways.
Dontus -not Donut- Powerus: This is explicitly Z Broly for all purposes.
fightingchampion: Tbh, neither of them will probably want anything to do with ninja when all is said and done (assuming they survive) but want and need are two separate words for a reason.
Isaiah: *Looks at Samehada's ever-worsening condition* We'll see about that lol
M: Nobody acts rationally in grief and that's to say nothing of the magnitude of Konan's. She knows it's Madara who did this but having such an encounter with Broly as he was would shake anyone.
SilverJoJo: Yeah, I had that problem for a while myself! turns out FF changed some things up and now you have to opt-in to email notifications. To respond to your review, the main problem is the Kages know the danger that Broly poses but they haven't experienced it. Not like Tsunade and Temari have. They know the risk isn't worth it but the others don't as a result.