I'm back. Let's get to it.
Introduction:
When setting sail, a ship must contend with the particulars of both the water beneath it and the sky above it. No matter how well a ship contends with the ebb and flow of the ocean, if its captain ignores a terrible storm, doom comes for the ship inevitably.
Chapter 13: Wound
"I can't believe you're already a chuunin," said Iruka with a wistful smile as he sat on the stool at Ichiraku a day after Naruto's promotion. "It seems like just yesterday you were my bumbling student."
Naruto swallowed a massive gulp of noodles. "Hehe! I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?" he asked, beaming at Iruka, a hint of smugness at the corners of his lip.
"I won't deny it, you are," Iruka replied, recalling the first night he'd seen Naruto's true potential, when he had summoned hundreds of shadow clones to trounce Mizuki.
Naruto's cheeks reddened by the slightest amount. "I guess this means… we're the same rank now, right?"
Iruka nodded. "Yeah, we are. That means that you and I share similar responsibilities. I should warn you, it only gets harder from here on out."
"I'm sure I can handle it!" Naruto boasted.
"Naruto," Iruka's voice became firmer, "I'm serious. Being a chuunin isn't the same as being a genin. You're part of the commander class now. The success of missions and the lives of your teammates will depend on your performance. If things go wrong, it'll be on your head."
Naruto seemed to take in his words. His eyes shifted to the side. "Do you think I can do it?" he asked softly.
Iruka smiled. "I do. If you take the job seriously and remember to think carefully about your actions and commands, I think you can be a great chuunin." Some part of Iruka tugged at him for saying this; it was hard to reconcile the childish prankster Naruto with the flak jacketed boy sitting next to him. As he had been before the chuunin exams, Iruka was worried that Naruto simply wasn't ready. It had only been months since he was painting the Hokage monument for attention; how could he be ready to balance life and death with the needs of a mission? Still, he decided to trust in the judgment of the new Hokage. She clearly saw something great in Naruto, the same Iruka had seen on the fateful night of his graduation.
"Thanks, Iruka-sensei," Naruto replied, strength returning to his voice. "I won't let you down." He looked at the clock on the wall and his expression became panicked. "Ack! I've gotta be at the Hokage building in a few minutes!" Naruto tilted the ramen bowl up to his mouth and scarfed the rest of it down at breakneck pace.
"Inheriting some of Kakashi's bad habits, are we?" Iruka asked with a playful smile.
Naruto finished swallowing the last of the bowl's contents. "Not if I can help it! Thanks for the ramen, Iruka-sensei! I'll see you later!" Rising from his seat, he dashed out of the ramen stand with a wave back at Iruka.
Iruka let his chin rest on his hand. "That Naruto," he muttered. "Growing up so fast." He truly, truly hoped Naruto would be okay.
Hinata and Sasuke quietly awaited their teammates just outside the mission distribution office. They had shared pleasantries but not much else after meeting up. Sasuke seemed more pensive than usual today. He didn't seem to share Hinata's positivity toward returning to missions after their long hiatus. More than usual, he seemed to have better things to do than low-ranking missions.
The mission…
Hinata took a slow preparatory breath, having resolved to be honest and upfront with Sasuke after the Itachi fiasco. She worried about his reaction to what she was about to tell him, but he was going to find out anyway; maybe she could soften the blow by telling him now.
"I wonder what's going to happen with our mission assignment today," she said in an even tone, "Since Naruto-kun was promoted to chuunin yesterday." Her eyes shifted to look at Sasuke, watching for his reaction.
A silence lingered for a few seconds. "Naruto was promoted?" Sasuke asked with no particular inflection.
Hinata nodded. "Just yesterday. I didn't know if you'd heard. Apparently his performance in the chuunin exams was well received by the judges." She paused; Sasuke didn't look towards her. "I'm sure you would have been too if the exam hadn't been-"
"It's fine," Sasuke cut her off, his voice still toneless. "Naruto did well in his match. It's only natural he'd be promoted." Hinata was partly relieved by his reaction, but she could see his jaw clenching, his eyes narrowing by the smallest degree. "Next time…" he trailed off. Hinata wondered, was he talking about the next chuunin exam?
Or was it the next time Itachi appeared in the village?
Before she had time to contemplate it further, she heard Naruto's voice cry out, "Phew, I made it!" as he arrived in front of them, "With time to spare too!"
"Hi, Naruto-ku-" This time Hinata cut herself off. She knew it was going to happen and had tried to prepare herself, but the sight of Naruto in his flak jacket, having replaced his usual orange and blue, was overwhelming.
Naruto grinned and gestured at his vest. "Whaddya think? Pretty great, right?"
Hinata's mind flooded with thoughts. Oh gods, he looks amazing. He looked amazing before too, but this is a different flavor. So mature. So handsome. After a second, she regained control of herself. Say something! "It suits you, Naruto-kun." Good enough.
Naruto chuckled and turned to Sasuke, his grin turning unthinkably smug. "Well, Sasuke? Anything to say about my new chuunin outfit? I outrank you now, so you have to do what I say!"
Sasuke met Naruto's eye. Something in his dark pupils struck Naruto and his grin wilted a touch. Hinata noted that this was the first time Naruto and Sasuke had met since Sasuke's fruitless chase. Was Naruto baiting him because it would be weird not to?
"Congrats," said Sasuke, and that was all.
Naruto grew indignant. "What, that's it!? I thought you'd have a way better reaction than that."
Sasuke shrugged. "Congrats, stupid," he added.
"That's more like it." Naruto crossed his arms. "Hey, wait a second!"
Hinata chuckled at their banter. Perhaps normalcy was more in reach than she thought. Perhaps the darkness in Sasuke's eyes wasn't as worrisome as she thought. Perhaps, amazingly, things would be okay.
"Sorry to interrupt this comedy duo," said Kakashi, appearing behind them. The team shared glances at each other, surprised at Kakashi's relative punctuality. "We've got business to attend to." He gestured for them to enter the office.
Inside the office, Tsunade sat at the center of the booth, loose paper and scrolls covering the space in front of her. "There you are," she said, beckoning them forward. "I've got a mission prepared for you."
"We're ready!" Naruto replied enthusiastically, approaching her.
"Specifically, this is a mission for the three of you," Kakashi chimed in. "I won't be joining."
Naruto turned to him, confused. "Eh?"
"As I've said, the village needs me to do high ranking solo missions," said Kakashi, and as he noticed Naruto beginning to interject, added, "Beyond the skills of a chuunin. Moreover, this will be the first official test of your skills as the commander of a 3 man cell."
Naruto's eyes widened. "So… I'm in charge of this mission?"
"Exactly," said Kakashi.
Naruto gawped for a moment. Once the realization hit him, his expression hardened and he faced Tsunade. "Granny, what's our mission?"
"Normally for a neophyte chuunin I'd stick you with a C-rank mission to get your feet wet," she replied with a grin, "But considering the makeup of the team and its leader, I think you can handle a B-rank mission. That is, if you accept?"
Naruto returned her grin and raised his hand in salute. "Yes ma'am!" he exclaimed. Behind him, Hinata shared his expression and even Sasuke's lips had curled slightly upward.
"Very well then, your mission." Tsunade held the detail sheet in front of her. "We have been contracted by the town of Kyoi – about a day and a half's walk from here - to guard the transfer of power to their new mayor."
"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "That's it?"
"Let me finish," replied Tsunade. "The ceremony involves a scepter made from extremely rare materials – enough that there's a reasonable chance another village's shinobi may try to steal it. Once the ceremony is complete, the scepter is to be put behind a barrier jutsu, which we will supply." She tossed a scroll to Naruto, who caught it and stored it in one of the pouches on his flak jacket. "There it will be safe until their next election. Understood?"
"Leave it to us!" Naruto replied, pointing a thumb at his chest. "Come on, Sasuke, Hinata, let's get going!"
Hinata and Sasuke nodded, turning to leave.
As he left with the team, the latter's expression reverted to its serious state and he glanced towards his sensei. "Kakashi. You remember our deal?" he asked plainly.
Kakashi nodded. "I haven't forgotten. Once your mission is over, we'll begin."
Sasuke uttered a noise of agreement and followed Naruto and Hinata out of the room.
About an hour later, the three of them met up at the village gate, backpacks in tow. Naruto's eyes scanned the map in his hands for the route to their destination. Hinata glanced at him – his hands were shaking almost imperceptibly.
Gathering up her courage, Hinata put her hand on Naruto's shoulder. His face turned towards hers; his eyes widened. "Naruto-kun," Hinata said with a smile, "We're at your command."
Naruto took a breath and his expression turned to a grin. "Right. Let's go, Team Naruto!"
"I'm not calling us that," said Sasuke flatly.
"What's that? I didn't hear you, underling of Team Naruto," Naruto replied with renewed smugness.
"Just shut up and lead the way."
Hinata giggled. She was glad to be with the two of them. Hopefully the mission would be easy.
Hopefully.
A couple of days later, the team arrived at Kyoi. All in all, the mission had been proceeding without much issue. Hinata was glad to talk with Naruto as they traveled, enjoying the scenery of the countryside. Naruto got them turned around for a bit after misreading the map; they only lost a bit of travel time, but it did prompt Sasuke to call the embarrassed Naruto an idiot. Otherwise, Sasuke was mainly quiet. The most he had said was during their campout on the first night, thanking Hinata for the onigiri she'd made special for the team. Naruto had been especially appreciative and gobbled his down hungrily.
Once they reached town, they met up with the mayor-elect and the mayor in his office and began to discuss the proceedings of the next day. "We had hoped for a substantial force from Konoha…" the mayor said uneasily.
"We're Konoha shinobi. Three of us is a substantial force," Naruto answered coolly. "Plus, we can be a more substantial force easily." Forming the cross seal, Naruto called out, "Kagebunshin no jutsu! (shadow clone technique)" A dozen Naruto clones filled the room.
"Ohh!" said the mayor-elect, impressed having witnessed ninjutsu firsthand. "Extraordinary! Mr. Mayor, I think we are in good hands."
"Hmph," said the mayor. "We'll see."
Having settled their official business, the team walked around town. At first, Sasuke seemed reluctant to join, but followed despite himself anyway. A part of Hinata had been hoping to have some one-on-one time with Naruto, but otherwise she didn't mind the extra company. She was, however, growing more worried about Sasuke's disposition. Here and there he still traded barbs with Naruto, but still his disposition was distant. She hoped that seeing the sights of the village – a shrine, a temple, the local restaurants – would improve his mood, but it seemed to have little effect on him.
That night, they stayed in complimentary lodgings at the local inn. After they settled in, Naruto beckoned his teammates close in. "So, you guys got a good look at the layout of this place today, right?" he asked in a hushed tone. Sasuke made an affirmative noise and Hinata nodded, smiling at Naruto's use of their sightseeing to further the mission. "What do you think?"
"The place is full of holes, especially in the town square where the ceremony is going to be," Sasuke answered.
"Right," said Hinata. "This isn't a shinobi village; they don't have the same safeguards in place that we do."
"Do you think enemy shinobi are going to try and thwart the ceremony?" asked Naruto.
"The chokepoints around the village are clean of signs of espionage or entry. Too clean if you ask me," said Sasuke. "So what do we do, 'commander'?" Hinata got the sense that Sasuke was testing Naruto's leadership here; he probably had various plans cooked up already.
"Hmm," Naruto muttered, thumb between his teeth, a look of concentration on his face. "Well, I have one idea."
At the ceremony, Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata were nowhere to be found near the town square. The mayor and mayor-elect looked nervous. The mayor's guards appeared fearful of the day as well, knowing they couldn't stand against highly trained shinobi if it came to it.
Once the townsfolk had gathered in the square, one of the city's councilors unveiled a long, slender box and laid it near the mayor. The mayor removed the lid, revealing the scepter. It was crystalline, with shining golden wings protruding from the head, wrapped around a gleaming, many faced jewel. The object was beautiful, everyone attending could agree.
As the mayor grasped the scepter, a hush fell over the crowd. "Citizens of Kyoi," the mayor began, "Today is a day to be celebrated, a day when we emphasize our town and its laws as strong and enduring. In my hands is the scepter of peace, passed down from mayor to mayor since the town's founding. It represents the bonds between past, present, and future, as a jewel to be preserved in the memories of all who witness it, all who join us here on this day. It symbolizes the dedication to peace and order over greed and selfishness. It marks the passage of continued power from me to my successor." A smattering of applause ran throughout the crowd. "I have served this town to the best of my abilities and I leave it with no bitterness, only love and admiration for whatever comes next. Here I bestow upon your mayor-elect the scepter and with it the office of mayorship."
Cheers rose from the crowd as the scepter began to change hands, but suddenly, smoke filled the town square. Cries of shock and fear replaced the cheers; chaos erupted as citizens attempted to flee the scene.
Within the smoke cloud, three figures wearing dark clothes, breath masks, and Rain village forehead protectors approached the mayor and mayor elect. Two took their backs, knives held to their throats. "No need to die," said the third. "Just hand over the scepter and we'll be on our way."
"You… bastards…" said the mayor. Reluctantly, he and the mayor-elect relinquished it, letting it fall into the shinobi's hands.
The other two retracted their knives and joined their compatriot. "Be seeing you," said the third.
"Not so fast!" said a voice near to the shinobi.
"Huh?"
The scepter suddenly transformed, taking on the shape of a blonde shinobi wearing a green flak jacket. As the Rain shinobi held what turned out to be Naruto's left arm, Naruto reeled back his right and punched him full in the face.
The other two rain shinobi looked on, stupefied, as the mayor and mayor-elect also transformed, revealing Sasuke and Hinata respectively, Sharingan and Byakugan active. "Take this!" Sasuke roared, weaving through the Rain shinobi's guard. Swiftly, he bent down and kicked one of the shinobi into the air, chasing and delivering a series of follow-up kicks before smashing him into the ground with the last of them. "Shishi Rendan! (Lion combo)" The shinobi crumpled on the ground, unconscious.
As Naruto continued to pummel his foe with a barrage of shadow clones, Hinata feinted, provoking a whiffed attack from the last one. She took the opportunity to hammer his body with strike after strike of her gentle fist. He fell just as Naruto finished with his comrade.
The smoke had cleared. Lying in the square were three unconscious Rain shinobi; standing over them were the members of Team 7, triumphant grins on all three.
The real mayor and mayor-elect emerged from the crowd. "Wow!" said the mayor. "I'm in awe! You tore through them like tissue!"
"Indeed," said the mayor-elect. "It seems that Konoha shinobi are a force to be reckoned with after all!"
Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Yeah, we are pretty great," he replied.
With the all-clear given and the rain shinobi captured, the townsfolk reconvened and continued the ceremony.
Having been gifted some rare treats for their trip following the conclusion of the ceremony and a brief interrogation of the attackers, Naruto, Hinata and Sasuke began their journey home. "That was such a good plan, Naruto-kun, using yourself as a fake scepter as bait," said Hinata. "It was so creative!"
"Of course! I am the commander of the mission after all!" Naruto beamed; he was practically skipping on his way home.
"It wasn't bad," Sasuke admitted. "It certainly was effective."
Caught off guard by Sasuke's praise, Naruto's expression went blank for a second. Gaining a softer smile, he said, "Well, I'm glad I had you guys to help me pull it off." Hinata smiled at this display of gratitude in front of Sasuke.
"Hmph," was Sasuke's only reply.
Hours later, evening fell and the trio set up camp in the woods by the main road. Sasuke lit their bonfire with his jutsu and the three of them sat around it. After eating their dinner rations, they sat in silence, taking in the light of the flame.
"You know," said Hinata, "I feel like I've gotten stronger. I think we all have."
"Definitely," said Naruto. "Those guys were chuunin and we beat their asses easily. I didn't even have to use the Rasengan."
"Yeah," said Sasuke, though his gaze seemed far away. "We're all stronger."
"Just months ago, I didn't think I could get to this level," Hinata continued. "I wonder what my father would say…"
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
It occurred to Hinata that she had never told Naruto the situation with her father. Sasuke knew, but for some reason, Hinata had neglected to mention it with Naruto. Perhaps it was embarrassment; perhaps, subconsciously, she didn't want him to think less of her for having such petty problems compared to him. Now she felt surer of herself, trusting that Naruto wouldn't judge her. Briefly, she explained the situation, Hanabi's status as heiress, her father's dismissal of her as superfluous. "Even now, I just wish," her cheeks burned as she continued, "he would acknowledge me." She looked away from Naruto, towards the fire.
Naruto's hand had curled into a fist listening to her. "I understand that, Hinata," he said quietly. "I understand that a lot. I know I can't replace your father's acknowledgement, but I think you're plenty strong, especially now. I can see it with my own eyes."
Hinata's heart fluttered. "Thank you, Naruto-kun," she said quietly.
Silently, with a grim expression, Sasuke watched the flames.
They sat there for a while, listening to the wind course through the trees. It almost had a musical quality to it at times. Even trees back in Konoha weren't so pleasant to listen to.
Over the course of an hour, Hinata found herself surprisingly thirsty despite taking repeated drinks from her canteen. It was odd, she was usually never this thirsty – had she neglected to hydrate? Perhaps sitting near the bonfire was drying her out.
She rose from her seat at the fire. "I'm going to go refill my canteen," she told the boys, turning towards the nearby waterfall she could hear a way off. They nodded in affirmation. As she ambled towards the sound, the light of the fire grew dimmer and dimmer. Shinobi were trained to see at night and this was nothing compared to the Forest of Death, so Hinata felt comfortable in her journey.
Then she heard another sound. She listened carefully – it was barely audible above the sound of the fall, but it was distinct. It sounded like some sort of woodwind instrument… a flute, maybe? It was louder and more distinct than the sound of the wind through the trees had been. Curiosity compelled her to follow it – it couldn't be that far off so she could get back to the boys easily if she needed.
The instrument's song grew louder and Hinata knew she was heading in the right direction. Orienting herself towards the sound, she activated her Byakugan. Try as she might, however, she couldn't see anyone besides Naruto and Sasuke far behind her, and certainly no one in the direction of the flute. Could it really be that far away? It sounded deceptively close. Well, she had her Byakugan active, so she could approach cautiously at any rate.
Closer and closer she drew, crunching through leaves and pushing aside branches, passing tree and bush after tree and bush in what seemed like an endless chase. But still her eyes revealed no flautist. She was starting to wonder if she was hearing things, but it was too clear to be a trick of the ear.
Eventually, she arrived at a clearing. The flute sounded like it was right in front of her – yet maddeningly, nothing was there.
She was about to turn around and return to camp to get the boys' input when suddenly, she felt something wrap around her limbs. Her arms and legs bound, she couldn't repel whatever it was with a kaiten. She couldn't even see it, let alone extricate herself from it. She cried out, "Hel-" but immediately she felt something cover her mouth.
She berated herself for following the siren song of the flute without backup. The easy success of their first mission with Naruto as team leader had lulled her into a false sense of security and her confidence had gotten the better of her. Now she was paying for it. She was trapped. Hopelessly, helplessly trapped.
Back at camp, Naruto and Sasuke had been sitting in silence. "Hmm," said Naruto.
"What?" asked Sasuke.
"Hinata's not back yet."
"So?"
Naruto paused. "The waterfall wasn't that far away." Naruto glanced to the side. "She should be back by now. I'm getting worried."
"She's probably fine," said Sasuke, though he had to admit Naruto had a point.
A few moments passed.
"Damn it, I'm going to go check on her," said Naruto. "I'm the leader of this mission; it's my responsibility to make sure my teammates are okay." He turned towards Sasuke. "You coming with?"
Sasuke sighed. It was probably nothing; still, he couldn't help but feel worried as well. "Fine. Let's go." He stood and put out the fire, leaving them in darkness.
As they walked towards the sound of the waterfall, Sasuke whispered, "Naruto, stop."
Naruto halted in place. "What?"
Sasuke pointed downward. "The leaves here are crushed in a pattern. Someone's been through here; if I had to guess, it was probably Hinata."
Looking for a second at the spot, Naruto nodded. "Good looking out. Let's follow the path."
They kept their eyes fixed on the trail, following more crushed leaves, twisted branches, and disturbed bushes. "We're getting a long way from camp," Naruto muttered idly.
"Yeah," said Sasuke. "And we're off track from the waterfall."
"I don't like this," said Naruto.
Sasuke frowned. "Me neither." As the path strayed farther away, he activated his Sharingan; Hinata's footsteps stood out clearly with it active. He looked ahead on the path – there was an opening in the line of trees coming up. "Naruto. Heads up." Naruto nodded.
Just then, they heard a flute.
"Do you hear that?" Naruto asked.
"Shh! Of course, I do," Sasuke whispered. "It sounds close. It's coming from the direction of Hinata's footsteps."
"What do you think it means?" asked Naruto quietly.
"I think it's what Hinata was following when she came this way. And I think it means we're headed for a trap."
"Damn it," Naruto hissed. "We can't just back down now."
Sasuke frowned. "No, we can't. I'll try looking in with my Sharingan." He gazed through the trees. "I see something. It looks like the chakra of five figures…"
"That's gotta be Hinata," said Naruto. "And someone else. We should try to grab her and run as soon as possible."
Sasuke's stomach tightened at his suspicion. "Be ready for a fight," he uttered.
Naruto nodded. "Let's go get her."
As the two entered the clearing, Sasuke gritted his teeth at the sight before him.
Standing on a raised section of earth in the clearing were the Sound Four. Kidomaru held Hinata tightly in his six interlocked arms, as though they were chains around her. Her limbs and mouth were bound with some sort of white silk-like material.
"So you finally arrive," Sakon said with feigned impatience. "We were wondering when you would find her." He gestured at their captive.
"Hinata!" Naruto called out. "I don't know who you people are but let her go right now!"
"You…" growled Sasuke, his tone dripping with venom.
"You know them, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. "Who the hell are they?"
"They're Orochimaru's thugs." Sasuke gazed angrily at them. "And they just picked the wrong target."
"Orochimaru again… that bastard," Naruto hissed through clenched teeth. "What do they want with Hinata?"
"I don't know," Sasuke. He didn't want to reveal his suspicion that they were using her as leverage against him. "But it doesn't matter. We're going to take Hinata back by force if we have to."
"Now, now, Sasuke-kun," said Sakon. His tone was unnervingly gentle, an uncanny facsimile of reassurance. "There's no need for unpleasantness. We don't plan on holding onto the girl for very long. In fact, we plan on releasing her back to you very soon."
"Oh yeah? What's the catch?" asked Sasuke.
Sakon's lips curled upwards into a smile as soft as his tone and equally as sickening. "Why, it's simple. You must defeat Tayuya here in battle." At Sakon's gesture, Tayuya jumped down, flute in hand. "Do so and we'll return this girl to you at once. Otherwise…" He tilted his head to the side. "Well, you know."
"The flute!" Naruto pointed to the item in Tayuya's hands. "It was her, Sasuke!"
"Obviously," replied Sasuke, eyes locked on Tayuya. "We have no reason to believe that they'll actually let Hinata go if we win. Even so, fighting her one on one still gives us an advantage since we'll probably have to take them all down eventually."
"Right," said Naruto, punching his fist into his open palm. He turned towards the Sound Four. "We accept your terms. You better not be lying, or else!"
"Then, by all means," said Sakon, gesturing to the arena in front of him.
"Naruto. Let's do this quickly," said Sasuke, taking Naruto's side and leaning in close. "We'll flank her – one of us will create the opening and the other will seize the opportunity."
Naruto normally would have protested about Sasuke giving orders, but he knew now was not the time and besides, his strategy made sense. "Right. Let's do it. I'll head in first. Tajuu kagebunshin no jutsu!"
Clones of Naruto materialized around him and rushed towards Tayuya. Her expression seemed surprised for a moment before they reached her. Nimbly, she dodged their blows, but they pressed her, forcing her to retreat with each attack. "A dumbshit like you won't be able to hit me with such pathetic attacks!" she boasted.
"What about this?" asked Sasuke, appearing behind her, and aiming a roundhouse kick at the back of her head. To his surprise, however, she ducked, dodging the attack completely. Sasuke was caught off guard. Huh? Tayuya bounded away from Naruto and Sasuke, coming to a stop several yards away. Naruto was ready to charge in for a second attempt until Sasuke called out, "Naruto! Wait."
"What?"
"A couple of things are off here. She had an opening to attack me when she dodged my kick but didn't. She's playing defensively when she's the challenger."
"Maybe she was worried I'd get her if she tried?" Naruto offered.
"Maybe." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. The spacing between Tayuya and Naruto had been wide enough and her speed while fleeing fast enough that that shouldn't have been an issue, but Sasuke couldn't wholly eliminate the possibility. "There's also that flute. She obviously used it to lure us here – and almost certainly Hinata as well. She's holding onto it like a weapon, but she's not using it at all. I can't believe that its only purpose was bait."
"Hrm, good points," said Naruto. "We'll have to watch out for what she does with it."
As if on cue, Tayuya raised her flute to her lips and began to play. The familiar song reached Naruto and Sasuke's ears and both took immediate notice. "We have to stop whatever it is she's preparing," barked Sasuke. "Quickly!"
"Don't have to tell me twice!" replied Naruto, charging forward with his clones. However, just before they reached her, they were struck by an invisible force and flung backward, the clones dispersing on impact.
Sasuke observed the scene with his Sharingan. There's a faint aura of chakra around her. "I think I've figured out the flute's ability," said Sasuke with a grin. "She used it to prepare an invisible barrier jutsu so enemies can't touch her. It's a midrange barrier, extending a bit outside her reach."
"I see," said Naruto. "Well then, we'll just have to break through it, right?"
"Or reach her before it activates." I could use Chidori to try and pierce it, but… Sasuke glanced at the other Sound Four members. He didn't want to waste one of his precious shots on Tayuya in the likely scenario where he'd have to fight the others, but if it came down to it… "I'm going to try something. Watch carefully and if you see an opening, take it."
"Got it!"
Sasuke charged forward. Tayuya began to play again, but Sasuke was on her in a flash, reaching the radius of her barrier before she could get two notes out. "There!" Sasuke readied a strike, but noticed the aura of chakra around Tayuya flare up again. He made a sudden stop and flipped backwards. As he fell, he formed a series of seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu! (Fire style: Great Fireball Technique)" Flame erupted from his mouth toward Tayuya. As they hit the barrier, they began to disperse in a spiral pattern. A spiral? A thought came to mind.
"Nice try," taunted Tayuya. "You assholes aren't gonna lay one finger on me with those shitty moves." She grinned a toothy grin. "What's wrong? Don't you wanna save your bitch?"
Naruto clenched his teeth while Sasuke glanced at the trapped Hinata. His Sharingan wouldn't lie - sure enough, it was her, though her chakra was distorted. Was she under a genjutsu or perhaps poisoned? He turned to Naruto. "Did you see what happened with the flames?"
Nodding, Naruto replied, "Yeah, they sputtered out in like a circle or something. It kinda reminded me of Hinata's kaiten."
"Right," said Sasuke. "That means there's a rotational aspect to the barrier. If we interrupt the rotation with enough force, we should be able to break through." He took a breath. "My Chidori may be able to do the trick."
"My new jutsu packs a wallop too!" said Naruto. "I bet it'd work on that barrier."
Sasuke looked back at Hinata, at her pleading eyes, and chided himself mentally for his earlier thought. "I don't think we can afford to hold back against a foe like this," said Sasuke. "Let's use both."
"On my mark," said Naruto. "And… go!"
As Sasuke charged forward, Tayuya began to play again. Sasuke recognized the chakra aura reemerging – this time, he leapt over it while forming three hand seals. Lightning crackled from his hand as he bounded off a nearby tree, crying, "Chidori!" Tayuya turned to face him, raised an arm in his direction and began to form the barrier. Sasuke could feel himself caught by the rotating wall, but his momentum wasn't entirely cancelled. He forced the Chidori through, inching closer and closer to reaching Tayuya. One more push…
From behind Tayuya, Naruto called out, "Rasengan!" Thrusting the sphere of chakra toward the barrier, he too pressed through it. Both he and Sasuke crept closer, cutting through the waves of the barrier bit by bit. They roared in effort as their pincer closed in, just a bit further and they'd reach…
Suddenly, Tayuya cried out sharply and they were blown back – all three of them. Naruto fell to the ground with a hard "Oof!" Sasuke, meanwhile, righted himself midair and landed next to Naruto.
Sasuke grinned, gazing at Tayuya crumpled on the ground a few feet away. He wasn't sure which jutsu had reached her, but he was certain that at least one of them had made contact and ended the battle. Naruto sprang to his feet and looked her way. Matching Sasuke's grin and standing by his side, the two of them turned to the Sound Four. "And that's that!" said Naruto. "Piece of cake!"
"Now what?" asked Sasuke. "Will you hold up your end of the bargain or will we have to deal with the rest of you?" He held out an upraised palm as an invitation to combat, though he knew the three of them together would be a much harder foe than just Tayuya.
"Nice work," said Kidomaru. His six arms released Hinata – and began to clap.
The other two members followed suit. Then the three of them began to laugh. At first they chuckled but quickly they intensified into raucous, sadistic laughter.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this bizarre behavior. "What's so funny?"
"Sasuke," said Naruto quietly. His voice was shaky, his breath shallow. He had turned pale, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple.
"What?"
"I don't think that's Hinata," answered Naruto, his tone dripping with dread.
The bindings on Hinata's body and mouth fell away, revealing a sinister expression – her eyes were wild with delight as she joined in with the laughter of those surrounding her. "Truly," she said in a voice decidedly not her own, "Nice work, dumbshits!"
Sasuke felt something close around his ankle. In front of him, the form of Hinata wavered, dissolving into mist before vanishing to reveal none other than Tayuya holding up her flute. Her appearance was different from how they'd just seen her – her skin had darkened, her sclera turned black, and two horns protruded from her head. Her laughter was the harshest of all.
Genjutsu?! Sasuke's eyes widened in staggering disbelief while his thoughts raced. But my Sharingan didn't- In an instant, the realization struck him. The flute! It wasn't a barrier, it was auditory genjutsu! The Sharingan couldn't…
"No…" whispered Sasuke. Mouths agape with horror, Sasuke and Naruto slowly turned their heads to see what had wrapped around their ankles.
Hinata lay on the ground beneath them, grasping them tightly and breathing heavily.
"Naruto-kun… Sasuke-kun…" she groaned, relinquishing the two before her Byakugan deactivated.
On her flank, Naruto and Sasuke saw a red stain – large, dark, and rapidly growing.
Man, poor Hinata always ends up hurt in this story.
It was good to get back into the swing of things. Thanks for reading and thank you to everyone for sticking with this story despite its long gaps in publication! Please leave a review if you have any thoughts on the story!
