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Thank you for all who put up with my EXTREME lack of an update... please enjoy...
Chapter 13 --- Risho
Naruto and Hinata waited at the gates of the village. It had been only a short time since they had stood in front of the unmasked ANBU ninja and Hiashi in the main chamber of the Hyuuga Complex. Risho, the ANBU ninja, commanded them to pack their equipment and wait at the village gates before disappearing from the room in a small cloud of smoke.
Hiashi rose from his position and turned to walk from the room. "Father…" In all the confusion of the moment Hinata could barely believe that it was her voice that spoke.
Hiashi paused and slowly turned back to face his daughter, "When you return…" his face showed no change in emotion as he again turned and left the room.
Unlike Hiashi, Hinabi failed to keep the cool, emotionless look pressed upon her face. As her father left the room an impressed smile formed on Hinabi's face. She passed Hinata and Naruto as she walked over to the downed Neji. After leaning over his body and quickly examining him she turned her head and spoke to her sister for the first time, "Wow… you really got him…" she turned back to Neji's body.
"Let's go…" The still unfamiliar sound of Risho's voice forced a break in Hinata's thoughts. She blinked heavily as the main chamber disappeared and she once again stood in front of the village gates. Risho said nothing else as he turned and started to walk into the forest.
After several hours of silence, the three ninja were walking down what seemed to be a seldom used road. Naruto had been fighting the urge to talk since they first started out, and finally broke the silence, "Risho-sen…. " he paused for a second. "Risho-sensei, what are we doing?"
The ANBU ninja walking ahead of the two ninja turned his head as he walked, but not enough to see the two behind him, "I am not your sensei, so do not refer to me as such." He turned his head back and they walked in silence for a short, awkward time before Risho answered, "We are going to a place where you two can train in solitude. We are here." A small, seemingly long abandoned house came into view just off the road. As they neared the shack-like house Risho stopped, "Place your equipment into the house and return out here."
Naruto and Hinata entered the house. It was only large enough to hold several people and from the outside it looked like it had not been used in years. When they entered they were surprised to see two sleeping bags laying waiting on the floor and a pantry with enough supplies to feed the three for several months. "What the hell?" Naruto spoke as he threw his bag into the corner and quickly surveyed the room.
When the two walked back to Risho he was standing with his back to the two ninja. They stopped several meters away. There was a long, confused silence, broken by Risho, "I have been assigned to teach you control over the nine-tailed fox that you both have access to," both Naruto and Hinata were stunned that anyone else knew about their connection, but Risho could not see their awed faces, "I need both of you to do exactly as I say while we are training. Understood?" Risho turned around as the two ninjas wiped the stunned looks from their faces and nodded. He slowly walked towards them, "Bow your heads and close your eyes." The two did as they were told.
Only a second had passed when a shock ran through Naruto's body. Hinata let out a horrifying scream that pierced through his mind and forced his eyes to open wide to an image he could not believe. Hinata lay on the floor next to him with blood splattered on her jacket while Risho stood in front of her body with his eyes down upon her and a bloody kunai his hands. Naruto couldn't move as he looked down at Hinata, "Wha…" was all that escaped his mouth.
Risho's eyes stayed on Hinata as he started to laugh a cold, heartless laugh. He slowly turned his head to the stunned Naruto, "That was easy." His voice was empty and hollow.
Naruto looked at Risho in disbelief for a brief moment before his legs gave in and he fell to his knees. He leaned towards Hinata and felt for her heartbeat. There was none. He reached up to her neck and prayed for a pulse. Again, there was none. The change was so much more sudden than it had ever been as Naruto's body was surrounded by the demon's red chakra.
From down on his knees Naruto leaned on his far hand and swung a kick at Risho, but Risho had anticipated the attack and leaped backwards. There he stood, waiting, as if daring Naruto to attack. Naruto took one last look at Hinata and rose to his feet to face Risho, "Why?" Naruto could hear the demon's voice overpower his own. He didn't wait for Risho to respond, but instead lunged at him without another thought.
Naruto threw several punches, but Risho dodged them with little effort. After several misses Risho again jumped back from Naruto, "So this is the fox demon?" Naruto stood there panting, not from being tired but from anger. "I have been waiting to see this for so long." Risho had a hint of enjoyment in his voice. Naruto's mind again screamed 'attack' as he lunged at him, and again Risho dodged all of his attacks and leapt back.
"And why is that?" Naruto's rage had not subsided, but he was surprised to hear his own voice. He still wanted to attack Risho, but this time he quickly developed a plan of attack. He again lunged at Risho and threw a right punch. As Risho dodged the punch he was surprised to see Naruto jump into the air. In a flash, Naruto pulled five kunai from his pouch and threw them all at Risho. None of the Kunai were aimed directly at the victim, but thrown so that if he moved at all one would hit him.
The kunai were thrown so fast that Risho knew he had no chance to move from his position. 'Clever,' he thought to himself, 'maybe he'll understand faster than I thought.' Naruto used his chakra to drop as fast as the kunai were thrown and, as Risho could not move, came down with a devastating right hand that connected with Risho's head. The impact forced the ANBU ninja through 2 trees and into the wall of a nearby rock cliff. Naruto was sure that the force of the punch had killed him, but as the dust settled he could not believe his eyes. Risho was slowly walking towards him without a scratch on his body.
Even from far away Risho could see the disbelief on Naruto's face. As he neared the suprised ninja Risho paused and spoke in a calm voice, "Do you understand yet Naruto?"
"UNDERSTAND WHAT?!" Naruto screamed with a mixture of confusion and anger. The voice that echoed through the partially destroyed forest was completely his own, and this only furthered his confusion. He looked from Risho down to his own right hand, which was still covered in a layer of red chakra. 'The demon…' he thought to himself.
"What's going on…" as Naruto looked up everything was black. There were no trees or the rock cliff or the small house; there was only Risho standing before him unscarred. Naruto looked down to where Hinata's body was, there was nothing. His mind quickly replayed the last few moments. He was using the demon's chakra, but still used his own voice and was able to think and not just rage blindly out of control. Naruto finally understood, "This is genjutsu."
"Yes, Naruto," Risho voice echoed from everywhere, "Hinata came to that conclusion much quicker than you did."
Naruto again looked down at his chakra covered hand with a sense of realization, "And that's why I can control myself, because Hinata too is using the demon's chakra."
Risho's face formed into a slight smile, the first appearance of emotion Naruto had seen from him, "Yes Naruto, as I thought the demon's power over you is severely weakened because it is split between you and Hinata. That's why you were able to have control."
Naruto quickly and easily built up enough chakra to break the genjutsu. The blackness was replaced with the undamaged forest; he quickly took in his surroundings. Hinata lay next to him on the ground, apparently unharmed and peaceful, while Risho remained standing in front of him. His eyes focused on the ninja in front of him as Risho spoke, "Naruto, do not move." In a flash, Risho's body appeared directly in front of Naruto with his left palm an inch from the chakra covering Naruto's forehead. Again a slight smile was on his face, "Naruto, you could have attacked me. You're listening…" With these last words he quickly pressed his palm past the demon's chakra and onto Naruto's forehead.
The smile on Naruto's face did not disappear as the layer of chakra surrounding his body vanished. "Yeah…" he whispered before he fell to the ground next to Hinata.
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A soft but continuous thud woke Hinata. As she sat up in her sleeping bag she noticed that she was inside the house with Naruto, but Risho was not to be found. The view from the window told her that it was already dark outside and raining softly. She activated her byakugon and searched for the missing ANBU ninja. She spotted him just outside the house; he was on one knee and looked like he was speaking to someone. Hinata was surprised to see a small toad sitting on a branch speaking rapidly. Risho nodded and the toad disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Hinata's eyes grew wide as Risho turned his head and seemed to look directly into her eyes. She deactivated her byakugon and layed back down, pretending to sleep. She waited for Risho to enter the house, but he never did. She didn't dare look for him again, and after a long while she fell back to sleep. She awoke in the morning to Naruto shaking her sleeping body.
"Hinata, Hinata…" Naruto's voice was excited. He stopped shaking her as her eyes opened slowly, "Come on Hinata, it's already late…" Hinata looked towards the window and saw the sun shining brightly. She quickly rose and cleaned up before going outside with Naruto. Risho was waiting for them, again with his back to them.
As the two approached the ANBU ninja he spoke, "Sleeping in, Hinata?" Hinata was embarrassed. She put her head down and started mumbling an apology, "No Hinata, I'm sure it's only because of what you saw last night." Her head instantly lifted, 'How did he know?' she thought to herself. Naruto stood there confused, looking from Risho to Hinata.
"Do not worry about that right now," Risho continued, "the Hokage has instructed me to inform you of any news I learn…" he paused and turned to face the two, "and any other questions you two may have." There was a silence, and Naruto thought that this was the moment to ask Risho how he knew so much about the fox-demon. But as he opened his mouth to speak, Risho broke the silence, "There will be time for those questions soon Naruto. Right now," he placed his hands together, "I need both of you to close your eyes and remember how you felt yesterday. How you felt when you summoned the demon's chakra." The two did as they were told, but neither wanted to remember how it felt to see the other die.
"You didn't do it Naruto," Naruto heard Risho's voice and opened his eyes. His entire surroundings were black and Risho was all he could see. Naruto knew he didn't want to picture Hinata dead again and stood with his eyes on the floor unable to act. "Does this help?" As Naruto lifted his eyes Risho was wearing an evil smile as his left arm up was suddenly wrapped around a struggling Hinata. Naruto knew instantly that this was again genjutsu, but the sight still angered him beyond his own control. A flash of red mixed with the blackness surrounding him as the Kyuubi's chakra was released.
After hours of fighting, Naruto was exhausted, but the demon's chakra was keeping him upright and fighting. He had understood long ago that this was only an exercise to help him learn to control the demon's chakra and he was excited to be in total control of himself while the red chakra surrounded his body. He stood far from Risho ready to attack again, but instead of waiting for Naruto to attack again Risho spoke, "Naruto, we are done." Naruto understood. He placed his arms at his sides so Risho could knock him out with his palm as he did the previous day. He closed his eyes and waited. "No, Naruto," he opened his eyes and looked at Risho. "You need to learn how to dispel the demon's chakra on your own." Naruto was stunned. He could never remember how the demon's chakra had disappeared before.
"How?" Naruto asked.
Risho started to walk towards him, "I don't know, but…" he stopped and placed his hands together; the genjutsu was released and the forest reappeared. His eyes looked towards something on the floor to his left.
Naruto followed his eyes, "HINATA!" Hinata lay on her side.
"Hinata has not gained the level of control that you have, so I was forced to dispel the chakra myself." He held his left palm up towards Naruto.
Naruto's eyes widened. There was an inscription on Risho's palm and Naruto could swear that he had seen it before, but he couldn't remember where or when. "Wha…"
Risho started to walk towards him again, "Naruto, you need to learn how to dispel the chakra on your own." Risho knew that it was too much to expect him to progress so quickly. He raised his left palm towards Naruto's forehead, "We have only 6 months. If you learn to dispel the chakra on your own I promise that I will tell you anything you wish to know." Naruto remained still as Risho pressed his palm into Naruto's forehead. He blacked out.
Four months passed in the same fashion: the two would be willingly put into genjutsu and learn to better control the Kyuubi's power. Hinata would frequently awake in the middle of the night, but fought the urge to use her Byakugan to see Risho outside. It took Naruto only one month to learn to dispel the demon's chakra on his own and, with his help, Hinata learned in only four; an amazing achievement.
The remaining two months were split into morning and evening training sessions. The morning sessions were spent with each ninja taking control of the demon individually and learning how to control the release of the chakra into their bodies. Naruto was quite used to this, but only now could he learn to constrict the chakra's release to that of his maximum usage without having it split with Hinata. Risho had feared that any level past that would allow the Kyuubi to gain control.
Risho had come to notice that Hinata's chakra control was excellent. Although she had initially feared using the demon's chakra without Naruto, she quickly learned to control its release and soon could use the demon's chakra to its maximum power.
The evening training sessions were spent with Naruto and Hinata fighting each other with the demon's full power running through both of them; Risho would sit and watch the two go back and forth for hours. Both Naruto and Hinata had long since agreed that neither would hold back in training, especially when pitted against each other. With the Kyuubi's chakra, Hinata's jukken attacks were increased to near fatal power, but Naruto was fast and agile enough to only be struck with 2 training ending blows. Those attacks were the only times that the fighting ended with a clear cut winner.
Six months had passed since Naruto and Hinatas' first encounter with Risho. They both awoke in the early morning; not to the sun shining on their bodies, but to their internal clocks that woke them every morning at the same time. Both ninja lifted their heads from their sleeping bags and reached for their clothes. Hinata was surprised as Naruto let out a tiny yelp. She quickly turned her head towards the door to see Risho sitting, waiting for them with his ANBU mask on. "Get dressed and get outside." His words were spoken quickly. He rose and left the small house; Naruto and Hinata followed when they were fully dressed. As the two walked out, they stopped in their usual spots. Risho also stood in the same spot he always did in the morning, 10 meters away with his back to them. The only difference between this morning and the previous ones was that Risho was wearing his ANBU Black Ops mask.
The two stood there, quiet; this was normal. They were not to talk at all, only listen for Risho's instructions and follow obediently. Risho stood looking away from them for a slightly longer time than usual, and the two could sense that something was different about this morning. He finally spoke without turning, "Today will be our last day together, and," he slowly turned to them, the ANBU mask now seemed awkward on his face, "if you are lucky, we will never meet again."
Neither Naruto nor Hinata knew what to make of this statement. They did not look at each other but stared wide-eyed at Risho. The shock of their last sight of Risho was not due to love or admiration for him, but from the respect that came from his successful development of their abilities. His presence, although uncomfortable and sometimes unwanted, had become an all too familiar part of their lives. Naruto's mind raced; the usual silence was broken by his loud voice, "WHY!?" His face was not worried, but angry. As he spoke he knew that he had done something he should not have, but if this was their last meeting it didn't matter. "SO IS THAT IT? YOU'RE DONE?!" Naruto looked ready to attack.
Hinata's worry had quickly faded as a sudden thought occurred. She placed her hand on Naruto's chest without looking at him and, just as always, he instantly calmed down. She looked up at Risho, "Naruto-kun told me that you had once promised to tell us anything we wanted if we could dispel the demon's chakra. Is that true?" Naruto was suprised, he could barely remember telling Hinata that on their first night in the small house. He looked at Hinata; she was still looking at Risho. Her eyes were not questioning, but demanding.
Risho stood for a moment, as if Hinata's request was unexpected. "What is it you want to know, Hinata?" His voice was not shaky or unsure, he spoke with a calm steadiness.
Hinata took a step towards Risho. Naruto was surprised at Hinata's sudden boldness. "Everything…" Her answer seemed simple, but she had so many questions that it was the only suitable response.
Risho had not expected this to happen, but he had already planned on telling Naruto and Hinata everything. He had been ordered by Tsunade to explain who he was and report any news he learned, but he had decided himself that he would wait until their last day. "I am…" he had to pause because both Naruto and Hinata had jumped back, as if expecting retaliation to their questions. He waited for the two to become calm before he started again, "I am the head of S-919, a secret organization within the ANBU Black Ops. We were founded at the request of the 4th Hokage on the day of his death; our original purpose was to protect Konoha in the event of the Kyuubi's release." He stopped to let the words sink in.
Naruto was confused, but Hinata seemed to be in complete control of her emotions. "That's why you know so much about the fox demon? And about our connection?"
Risho was glad that Hinata understood, "Yes, Hinata. We have watched Naruto since his body's acceptance of the Kyuubi. We are unable to follow Naruto on missions, but both Kakashi and Jiraya have been entrusted with keeping the Kyuubi under control." Naruto seemed to snap out of a daze at the mention of Kakashi and Jirayas' unkown involvement. "Both have been quite successful with the chakra dispersing inscription." Risho lifted his left hand towards them and showed the inscription tattooed on his palm.
Naruto suddenly realized where he had seen that inscription. He had seen a printing of it in Jiraya's bag during their training, and when he asked about it he was told that it was one of their most important training supplies. Before he could speak his mind, Hinata spoke, "Have you been watching me as well?" Her voice held an air that suggested she already knew the answer.
Risho nodded, "Yes Hinata. At the request of the Hokage and Jiraya, we allowed the passing of the chakra sharing technique that S-919 developed, and we have kept a watchful eye on you since that time. Due to your Byakugon," Risho paused. Even with the mask on his face Hinata could sense he was looking directly at her, "we have been forced to increase our stealthness when watching the two of you."
Naruto did not let a moment of silence pass before he filled the forest with his anger, "YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING ME?! ALL MY LIFE?" The trees seemed to sway with his voice, and when he stopped talking they stood unmoving.
"Yes Naruto. We have watched you all your life." His voice was a stark contrast to Naruto's, calm and controlled. "We had to insure that the Kyuubi was not released."
Naruto listened to the words while his anger grew inside of him. He wanted to yell, to scream, but his brain would not let him talk above a whisper, "Why?" The words barely reached Risho, but he heard them clearly. "Why didn't you just kill me?" Naruto was no longer looking at Risho but at the floor, "Or didn't you know? If you kill me, you kill the damned fox." Hinata lost her composure and looked at Naruto in shock. Naruto eyed the floor for only a moment. His eyes slowly lifted, as if expecting an attack that he would not try to dodge.
Risho could see the sadness on Naruto's face, but as he spoke his voice held no sympathy, "Yes, we thought that your death would end the Kyuubi's existence. The Fourth, however, made only one demand of us: that your life be spared." Naruto's eyes widened as Risho continued, "Our only mission was to watch over you and ensure that the Kyuubi stay locked inside your body, but as of recently we have been forced to change our purpose." There seemed to be a momentary tone of unease in his voice.
Naruto could barely take in the words that he was hearing. The Fourth wanting to spare his life, the unknown constant survelience, other's knowledge of the fox demon within him; it was too much. He barely heard Hinata speak. "You said 'Original Purpose.' What is the new purpose of S-919?" The name of the secret organization rolled off of her tounge as if she had spoken it many times before.
Risho did not hesitate to answer, "Our new purpose is to ensure that you both become able to utilize the power of the Kyuubi to your full extent." Naruto could not help but think back to Gaara and how the Village Hidden in the Sand used and exploited him. Risho had noticed his stunned face, "We do not wish to exploit you two in any way, we only wish to you allow the use of the enhanced abilities that your specific conditions grant you." Naruto wasn't completely relieved, but hearing this did sort of calm him. Risho could see the change in his face and continued, "We just wish…"
There was nothing anyone could do. With all the tension built up during the conversation, the speed of the kunai cutting through the air was too fast for any reaction. Risho's body fell limp to the floor; a kunai with an explosive tag sticking out from his back.
Both Naruto and Hinatas' natual instincts kicked in. Naruto grabbed a kunai from his pocket and hurled it at the explosive tag. It caught the tag and dragged it through the air. The kunai landed a good distance from Risho's body and the tag detonated causing the surrounding area to be shrouded in a thick smoke. "SHELTER JUTSU!" They both yelled just in time to protect themselves from the next pair of kunai. The explosions caused the forest to be lost in smoke. Hinata had activated her Byakugon and spotted their attackers quickly. Their conversation was brief.
"Two of them!"
"Where? Hinata is this…"
"NO! Straight ahead!"
Both jumped out of the thick smoke; red chakra surrounding their bodies. Naruto lunged straight ahead for an attacker he could not see. Hinata jumped off into a tree and to her left towards the second attacker.
As Naruto exited the smoke he could see his attacker, 'An ANBU mask!' he thought quickly inside his head. Hinata's thoughts had been exactly the same when she saw the two attackers. Naruto did not ask any questions; instead he summoned his shadow clones. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" It seemed as if the ANBU ninja had been expecting this as just prior to Naruto's jutsu, he pulled several kunai out and flung them. Naruto turned his head in disbelief as the kunais hit every clone just as they were summoned and he was left standing alone in front of his attacker.
His attacker took the chance that Naruto offered and lunged at him with his left palm out. The attacker let out a scream of rage, a woman's scream. This caught Naruto's attention 'A woman?' he thought, but just as he turned his head he made out the inscription on the woman's palm; it was the same inscription that Risho had on his left palm. Naruto quickly threw his right arm out and caught the attacker's wrist before it could reach him. They stood for a moment; Naruto's red eyes staring into the mask of his attacker. The woman again took advantage of Naruto's distraction and quickly pulled a kunai from her pack and thrust it towards him. She had barely heard the words of his justu as her kunai stopped against a shield of red chakra. She stared down at the chakra shield; now Naruto took advantage of the situation. In a flash, he had released the shield and swung at the ANBU attacker, but as he swung he began to think of the situation and did not strike with his full power. Even so, the attack was enough to send the ANBU ninja through two trees.
Hinata had understood much quicker than Naruto. Her byakugon had allowed her to instantly see the chakra inscription on her attacker's palm and she had realized almost instantly what was occurring. As she landed in front of her attacker she stood calm and controlled. His attack was fast, but so was her defense, "SHEILD JUTSU!" The kunai struck her shield and fell, the exploding tag attached to the end was still sizziling. She released the jutsu and picked it up off the floor; the ANBU ninja did not move. She held it in front of her, taking her eyes off the frozen ninja and watching the explosive tag. With her free hand she wrapped her chakra covered hand around the tag; a small puff of smoke escaped. She looked up at the ninja with a sly smile and flung the kunai back at him.
The attacker stood for a moment as if waiting for the kunai to stike him. He finally regained the movement of his body and leaped into the air before the kunai could hit. Hinata jumped from branch to branch with a speed that the ANBU ninja had not seen and just as the ANBU ninja was at the apex of his jump Hinata lunged at him, her palm thrust out towards his chest. The attacker made to defend himself as best he could in the situation, but just as her attack was to strike there was nothing. Hinata disappeared and reappeared behind the ninja. She struck her Jukken pose midair and hit several spots in the ninja's legs; the attacks were so fast that he could not make out the different strikes.
As the two landed, the ANBU ninja fell to the floor. He tried to stand up, but it was useless; his legs would not work. After trying in vain to stand he used his hands to sit. It was at that moment that Hinata heard the blast of Naruto sending the other attacker through the trees and, seeing her enemy downed and no longer a threat, Hinata rushed to make sure he was ok.
Naruto was walking towards his downed attacker when suddenly he heard a simultaneous yell that filled the forest, "CHAKRA CAGE JUTSU!" Naruto's entire surroundings turned a light shade of blue and he was frozen where he stood; his ears filled with an unfamiliar buzz. His body would just not move, no matter how hard he tried. That, however, did not stop him from trying in vain. He only stopped when he started to hear something other than buzzing. It was very faint at first but he could instantly recognize it, 'Naruto-kun…' It was Hinata. He thought that it was coming from the inscription on his back, but as it grew louder and louder he sensed that her voice was coming closer to him. As the voice got closer, he watched helpless as Hinata walked beside him and stood in front of his eyes.
Hinata's body was no longer surrounded by the demon's red chakra, only by the blue of the enemy's jutsu. She smiled at Naruto's frozen body, "Naruto-kun," her voice held a slight sense of laughter and she was smiling as she spoke, "dispel the chakra."
Naruto was confused, but he did as he was told. As the red chakra disappeared he could suddenly move his body. He looked at both his arms as he waved them up and down. Content with his newfound movement he asked, "Hinata, what's going on?"
Hinata shot a quick look over her shoulder where she knew her enemy was slowly recovering. When she turned back to Naruto her face was no longer smiling, "I think it's the rest of S-919."
"WHAT?" Naruto screamed out. "Then why are they attacking us?"
Hinata put her finger up to her mouth to quiet Naruto as she shot another look over her shoulder, "I think this is some sort of last test. I don't think their trying to kill us, but…" her face turned almost sour, "I can't be sure."
The two looked at each other for only a moment before the sound of rushing footsteps could be heard. Each turned around to see their attackers running towards them; there was no time to finsish their conversation. Without the Kyuubi's chakra, both ninjas' power and speed were decreased and they knew that this encounter was going to be more difficult than their last. After training together for so long, however, the two had developed excellent teamwork, and both decided that they would only survive this attack if they worked together. The both took one step away from each other and waited for their attackers to come closer.
As the female ninja ran towards Naruto she quickly formed several hand signs. "Rising Earth Jutsu!" she yelled as the ground in front of her quick feet started to rise and rise until she seemed to be running up a hill towards him.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Naruto yelled out just as his attacker leaped off the hill high above him. As gravity pulled her towards him he noticed three foot-long claw pertruding from the gauntlet on her right wrist. Two of the clones jumped to meet the attacker but she sliced through one, landed a heel to the face of the other, and continued falling. Her claws hit their mark, completely penetrating Naruto's chest and extending through his back. "IT'S A TRANSFORMATION!" the attacker yelled out to her accomplice. She pulled her claws from the piece of wood that replaced Naruto and leaped back.
The other attacker had slowed tremendously and stopped almost 15 meters from the two young ninja, "POISON MIST" he screamed out as he held his hand near his mouth. A large cloud of purple smoke surrounded Naruto and Hinata; loud coughing could be heard. Then there was nothing.
As the smoke cleared, the two ANBU ninja neared Naruto and Hinata cautiously. Each stood over their target for several quiet moments before a voice broke the silence, "You were not supposed to kill them you fucking fool!" Risho's voice was loud and angry; he stood unharmed before them. They both turned to face their leader as the chakra cage surrounding them disappeared.
"I…You!" The male ninja responded, "You said we were to use extreme force! You said they were capable of fighting back!" The ANBU ninja's words were loud but his voice seemed scared.
There was a long silence as Risho put his head down. His two subordinates looked from their leader to each other and back again knowing that they should remain quiet. They were both stunned to hear Risho laugh out loud; a heavy laugh. The two ANBU ninja looked at their leader confused. Risho's laughter stopped and he looked towards them, "I think you two may have been out of action for some time to have a pair of kids trick you." The two ANBU ninja looked at each other and then down at Naruto and Hinatas' bodies. To the ninja's amazement, the two bodies disappeared in puffs of smoke revealing two large holes in the earth.
"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" was the last thing the attackers heard before they felt their hair pulled back and cold tips of two kunai held to their throats. Hinata stood behind the male ninja and Naruto behind the female while shadow clones stood holding the wrists of both attackers.
"WHAT!" the female ninja yelled out in shock. Naruto pulled harder and harder on her hair.
Risho again let out a laugh. He was the only one that seemed to be in a cheerful mood as both Naruto and Hinata wore looks of complete seriousness and the ANBU ninjas seemed only moments from death. As his laughter died he spoke out in a joyous tone, "Naruto, Hinata, I'm sure you already understand what's going on here." Both Naruto and Hinata nodded, but neither released their hold on their attackers. "Lower your weapons," Risho spoke in a more serious voice as he pulled two shurriken from his pack and tossed them at the shadow clones causing them to disappear. Both Naruto and Hinata seemed hesitant, but each lowered their kunai and stored them back in their packs before stepping back.
"Why did you do this?" Hinata was the first to speak.
Risho did not hesitate to answer, "The others needed to see your progress." He turned from Hinata to face each subordinate in turn, "I supposed you two are both satisfied?"
The female ninja was rubbing the spot on her neck where Naruto was holding the kunai; a small trickle of blood flowing from it. "Yeah… but what the hell happened?" Her voice was angry and confused.
"Well, you seemed to underestimate their power without the Kyuubi." Risho spoke in an amused tone. "From what I saw, before your last attack on Naruto he summoned his shadow clones. He used two of the clones and the transformation jutsu to distract you, and when you…," he turned to the male ninja, "when you used the poison mist he used two more clones to cover their mouths. Is that correct so far?" He looked at Naruto and he nodded; his eyes were locked onto the female ANBU ninja. "And then, from here I'll speculate, you two dove underground while one of the clones turned into Hinata before they fell dead covering your entry underground." Both ANBU ninja looked behind them to see the holes where Naruto and Hinata had come above ground. Risho did not wait for them, "What I don't understand is how you managed to keep the dead clones from disappearing for so long."
Finally the male ninja spoke, "It was the chakra sharing technique…" he spoke as if he had just come to an understanding long past due.
"Hai, Naruto borrowed my chakra to sustain the clones." Hinata was looking at the male ninja, but she spoke to Risho.
At this comment Risho let out a loud howl of laughter, "It seems your own jutsu has been used against you Amaro-san." Risho reached for the ANBU mask covering his face and lowered it, revealing his all-too familiar face to Naruto and Hinata. The two subordinates followed his example and lowered their masks.
"To think," the male ninja spoke, "that these two would be able to use the technique so well." Naruto could see a pleased look come over the man's face. He seemed older than Risho, only slightly, and his face had a deep scar along his left cheek. As Hinata stared into the face of her attacker she could not help but think that he had been in many hard battles.
"I don't think they used it that well," the female spoke out. Naruto's eyes shot towards her, his face full of rage. Her eyes were staring directly back at him and a deep seeded hatred seemed to be etched on her face. Despite the anger Naruto felt, he couldn't help but think that he was looking at something he had seen so many times before.
"Siro-san, these two seemed to have you beat." Risho spoke as if amused at her comment. There was no response. "Naruto, Hinata," Risho's voice grew very serious. He knew that his was the time to finish explaining. "We are S-919; this is Siro and Amaro," he held a hand out towards each of the attacking ANBU ninja. "We were the only witnesses to the Fourth Hokage's imprisonment of the Kyuubi within Naruto," he paused in silent memory of the Hokage's passing, "and have since that day we have sworn to protect the Village Hidden in the Leaves from the realease of the Kyuubi."
Risho could see that both of them were speechless. "Myself and Amaro were former members of the Hokage's ANBU three-man team…"
Hinata interrupted his comments, "He's a medical ninja." Risho was glad that Hinata could decipher that on her own, "That's why he recovered so quickly from my Jukken attacks." Her eyes were still on her former attacker.
"Yes Hinata, you are correct. Siro is the sister of Fourth Hokage. Naruto, she is your last liv…"
"RISHO! QUIET!" Siro yelled out. Her eyes had not moved from Naruto's and she started to shake in anger.
Risho was not surprised by this outburst, "Yes Siro, I apologize." There was a strange silence and Risho thought it best to change the subject as best he could. "Hinata," he continued, "you saw me the first night, right? Or don't you remember?" Hinata's gaze drifted slowly to Risho. With everything that had just happened she had completely forgotten seeing Risho outside of the small house on their first rainy night. She nodded slightly. Risho answered her silent question, "Jiraya has been watching several members of the Akutsuki, and every night his toads bring me reports of their movements." At the mention of the Akutsuki, Naruto's face lost all emotion and he turned to Risho. Hinata's face grew worried; she had been told of the group by Naruto, but had never heard anyone else speak the group's name.
All was quiet. After a while, Risho decided it best to continue. He had been informed by Kakashi that the name he was about speak was taboo with Naruto, but it was something he had to tell him, "It would seem," he did not know how they would take the news, "that Uchiha Sasuke has dispatched most of the known members of the Akutsuki." He eyed Naruto, who suddenly seemed as if he were about to drop dead of shock. "Uchiha Itachi is still alive." The mention of Sasuke's name was devastating to Naruto, but the sound of Itachi's was almost unbearable.
Naruto could barely breathe, but Risho knew that Naruto had to hear what he had learned. "Naruto!" he yell at him. Naruto tried to regain his composure but it was useless, "Naruto he is not after you! He is after the Kyuubi and he is close!" Risho's voice was not angry; it was as if he was trying to speak loud enough for the message to stay in Naruto's head. After a quiet moment with both ANBU ninjas and Hinata watching the two Risho's voice became lower, "You are a ninja, you both are ninjas; and very good ones." He turned to look at Hinata as well. "We cannot fight your battles for you. There is nothing more we can do for now." Naruto looked up at Risho with his eyes wide. "Don't worry Naruto, I know that both of you have the strength to over come any enemy, even the Uchihas."
There were no good byes or hugs. With a few puffs of smoke Naruto and Hinata were left standing alone in the forest. Both looked around for any sign of either Risho or their attackers. The only thing they could find was a small roll of parchment on the floor. Hinata opened the parchment to find a map back to the city and instructions for them to leave at once.
They took a long while to finally collect their equipment from the house and set off back home. They had learned to control the Kyuubi, but the announcement of the nearing Itachi had shadowed their achievements. The walk home was long and quiet; neither spoke.
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