Chapter 15 – The Truth Uncovered
Disclaimer: Don't... don't... don't own Naruto...
Sorry for the long delay... here comes the conclusion of Itachi v. Naruto/Hinata...
I hope you enjoy... read and review...
Naruto lunged at Itachi, but it seemed that Itachi moved before Naruto did. By the time Naruto reached his target, Itachi was already a safe distance away. His head turned towards where Itachi now stood. In a flash, Naruto was standing behind Itachi. "Impressive…" Itachi's voice sounded calm as he turned his head just in time to watch Naruto pull his right arm back to strike. Suddenly, Naruto was pushed back as Itachi's body exploded. The explosion caused the clearing to be filled with smoke. 'An exploding shadow clone. He's fast,' Naruto thought to himself as he quickly stood up. He had not even seen Itachi's hand signs.
Naruto suddenly felt a very sharp pain run through his entire body; he let out a loud yell. Although he had been able to stave off the mental effects of the Tsukuyomi, the physical effects were inescapable. His body felt like he was being stabbed by millions and millions of tiny needles all at once. The pain was so intense that for one very short moment he closed his eyes and could think of nothing else. There was no Itachi, no Jiraya, no Hinata. There was no red chakra surrounding him; no demon fox inside his body. There was nothing but pain. "Naruto-kun!" Hinata's scream brought Naruto back to the smoke filled bamboo forest. She was very close.
Naruto opened his eyes a second too late; Itachi's fist was only inches from his face. Naruto knew he didn't have time to dodge the attack so he braced himself for what would most likely be very painful strike. The attack never came. Hinata had activated her Byakugon even before Itachi's explosion filled the clearing with smoke and she had watched his actions carefully. She saw him running towards Naruto with great speed and she had raced to cut him off. She did not use the fox's chakra.
Just as Itachi's fist was about to connect, Hinata landed a jukken strike to Itachi's outstretched right arm and his attack missed Naruto. Itachi did not seem to be surprised by Hinata's sudden intereference as his left arm suddenly shot towards her back. Hinata's split second reaction time helped her block Itachi's counter attack. She raised her left arm and when Itachi's attack met her arm she wrapped her arm around his. She instantly swung a fully charged jukken attack at his head. The attack would certainly have killed him, but he dodged it with almost no effort.
Naruto could not help but watch, stunned, as all this happened in the blink of an eye. With Hinata in a very vulnerable position Itachi placed his right hand on the back of her head and lifted his knee into her face. Naruto watched as she flew towards the center of the clearing; back into the smoke. Naruto forgot about the pain. He forgot about Jiraya and Sasuke. There was only Uchiha Itachi.
Before Naruto could even turn back to face him, the red chakra struck out at Itachi. He jumped away from Naruto to dodge the attack. Naruto stood there looking at Itachi with a fierce look as he landed. "You broke free of my Tsukuyomi, Naruto-kun…" his voice seemed impressed, but it suddenly shifted, "you are the second one to ever escape alone. But know this: the Hyuuga girl cannot save you again!" His voice sounded angry.
Naruto let out a roar of rage, but it was not his own voice that filled the forest. In his anger, he had allowed more of the demon's chakra to flow from him than he could control, but he didn't care. The
demon's chakra reached out again, faster than before. Itachi barely managed to escape the demon's grasp. 'He's getting slower…' Naruto thought to himself. He was glad that although he didn't have total control over the chakra, his mind was still his.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata's voice rang out from the disappearing smoke. "The chakra, Naruto-kun!" She could see the red chakra burning brightly through the smoke and knew that he was using more than he could control. Hinata knew that if she didn't use the chakra sharing technique and absorb some of the Kyuubi's chakra that it may take over Naruto's body and mind. "CHAKRA SHA--" She was cut off by a soft voice inside her head. 'Hinata, no… Trust me…' She knew the voice was Naruto's, and she knew that she had to trust his choice.
The smoke had all but cleared and Hinata could see Jiraya's downed body very close to where she was. She jumped over and checked for a pulse; he was barely alive. At the touch of Hinata's fingers Jiraya shook as if awakened from a deep sleep and he grabbed Hinata's hand. Hinata could see that his eyes were barely opened, but she could still sense a great fear in them. Jiraya used all the strength he could muster in his weakened state and pulled Hinata close to him. He leaned his head over and spoke into her ears. His words were quiet and whispered, but Hinata obeyed the orders she was given. She reached into the bag on his back and pulled out one white scroll and one blue scroll before turning back to the fight between Naruto and Itachi. She slid the scrolls into her leg pack and reactivated her Byakugon. She did not notice that Jiraya's eyes were no longer open.
The two stood at the edge of the clearing staring daggers into eachother's eyes. Naruto lunged at Itachi again. He seemed to hear the words before his feet left the ground, "GREAT FIREBALL!" Naruto's momentum was too strong to stop himself, and he dove straight into the giant fireball coming towards him. Naruto's body was consumed by the fire, but Hinata was not worried as she watched. Itachi had to make a last second leap towards the center of the clearing as Naruto came full force out the fire, seemingly unphased by the jutsu. He was still fast enough to dodge Naruto's right fist but only by a hair. As he dodged Naruto's counter he could see fire coming off the red chakra surrounding Naruto's body. 'Damn demon…' he thought.
Hinata saw her chance as Itachi's body soared though the air towards her. She ran towards his oncoming body with chakra built into her palms; she knew a solid strike to his head and chest would be the end of this battle. The two came closer with great speed, but Itachi had never forgot about Hinata's presense and turned to see her coming fast. With the blink of an eye he tossed three kunai at her: one straight, one above, and one below.
There was no way that Hinata could stop in time and nothing she could do to avoid at least one of the kunai coming towards her. She fell to her back and her momentum carried her body on the floor. As she slid towards Itachi she used her right hand to deflect the one kunai that could have hit her. Itachi's body glided over her and their eyes locked. Hinata could already feel the heat as she thrust her left hand into his left leg; stopping the flow of chakra to the entire leg. Itachi launced another giant fireball less than a meter from Hinata's face. "NARU!!" was all she could scream as the fireball came towards her.
Naruto had watched Hinata's attack, and when he heard her scream out he knew what to do. 'Hinata take my chakra.' The words were automatic, and as soon as they were thought he leaped into the air.
Hinata could feel the burn coming closer and closer. Then there was nothing. She felt her left hand connect with Itachi's leg, but the burning sensation was gone. She quickly stood up and looked down at her body; it was covered in the demon's red chakra. Before Hinata had realized what had just occurred and before the fears about the consequences of the amount of the demon's chakra she had consumed, she saw Naruto's body flying high in the air.
Itachi's body had just stopped its tumbling as the full force of an angry Naruto came crashing down. Naruto felt his attack connect, and the force of the attack caused the ground underneath it to cave in like a meteor strike. A cloud of dust, dirt, and debri surrounded Naruto, but his anger did not fade. It only intensified as the cloud settled to reveal only a smashed wooden log. "A REPLACEMENT JUTSU!" Naruto screamed out.
The unexpected use of the demon's chakra had distracted Hinata and she had not seen Itachi's escape, but when she heard Naruto's scream she knew exactly where Itachi was. She turned around a moment too late; Itachi's fist shot out at her face. Her reflexes were quick enough to deflect his arm, but just as her arm hit his he spun around and sank his foot into her stomach. She bent over in extreme pain, but the pain was instantly replaced with fear as she could feel the tip of a kunai held to her throat. "HINATA!" she heard Naruto scream out.
"QUIET!" Itachi replied. His voice was no longer calm and steady but angry, and his breathing was very heavy. "ZETSU!" The word rang out through the clearing and the bamboo forest; all was quiet and still for a moment. Suddenly, something seemed to rise slowly of the ground next to Itachi.
Naruto's confusion battled with his anger as he watched Itachi and this new person, who seemed to be surrounded by some sort of plant. Stranger yet, this new person, Zetsu, seemed to be half white and half black. "The guy from before…" Naruto thoughts came out of his mouth.
"Yes, my partner Zetsu." Itachi's eyes were down on the kunai in his hand as he spoke. "Zetsu," he now spoke to the new man, "have you been watching Sasuke as requested?" The plant like figure could not nod, but bowed to signify that he had done as commanded. "Go to him, tell him that Naruto-kun and myself are in a battle to the death, and the one who lives will kill him." He turned his head to Zetsu, his eyes were full of anger and hatred. Zetsu again bowed and disappeared as he had appeared through the ground.
Hinata's fear had never faded, but she had concentrated her chakra into her palms and continued to watch the chakra flow of Itachi's arm. When she heard him speak his last words to the new person, she saw the chakra flow in his wrist wane. She took the opportunity she was offered; she had waited patiently. She pushed off Itachi's wrist with her left hand and swung her right palm up and into Itachi's shoulder. She was met with an angry right fist that stung and sent her several meters away, but she was free. She picked up her head and looked at Itachi; he was staring down at his own useless left arm, angry that he had allowed her to escape. Hinata felt the spot where the kunai had been pressed against
her throat; she could feel blood flowing from a wound that led across her neck. She had apparently not been fast enough to avoid the kunai.
Naruto was relieved that Hinata had escaped, but he knew that it was very unlikely that either of them would ever be so lucky again. He had to think of something quick; a plan to draw Itachi's attention away from Hinata. "ITACHI!" He said the first thing he could think of, "Why did you say 'the one who lives' will kill Sasuke?" As Naruto finished his question a strange thought occurred to him: Itachi was not the type of ninja that ever thought he would lose a fight; why now? Itachi slowly lifted his eyes to see a smug smile form on Naruto's face, "Do you think I'm going to kill you?"
Itachi's face grew into a wicked smile and he let out a loud laugh. The sound sent a cold shiver through Naruto's body and he instantly regretted his words. Itachi started to walk slowly towards Naruto. "Kill me?" His words were soft, but they grew very loud, "KILL ME?" Itachi's weight shifted with every step he took. "No I don't. You will help me get my revenge on 'him'!" Itachi now sounded like he was becoming hysterical.
Naruto remained still as Itachi continued his slow march towards him; left arm dangling loosely at his side. "Revenge? What are you talking about?" Naruto could not understand what he was hearing.
"SASUKE!" Itachi's voice rang out; he had not spoken the name of his brother in many years. "He should have died that night with the others! But he escaped… I did not expect it to happen…" Itachi suddenly stopped and looked away; his eyes looked deep in sullen thought. His eyes quickly shot back to Naruto with a look of hatred, "He lived… AND YOU WILL HELP ME KILL HIM!" Itachi started to sprint towards Naruto with his left arm hanging lifeless at his side.
"I WILL NEVER HELP YOU!" Naruto yelled out despite being completely confused by Itachi's words. He knew that had Itachi been at full strength he would have never been able to respond, but Itachi seemed to come at him at a very slow speed. He watched Itachi pull his right arm back to strike, but as the attack came Naruto easily grabbed Itachi's wrist. Itachi did not follow up with another attack; instead, he stood only inches from Naruto with an exhausted face that conveyed very much pain.
For a moment Naruto looked into the eyes of one of his greatest enemies. Itachi's eyes seemed sad, almost pathetic, but Naruto felt no pity for him. "HINATA!" Naruto screamed out as he sent his right fist into Itachi's chin, sending him flying into the air. Hinata leaped up and struck Itachi with a highly chakra concentrated jukken attack to both his remaining limbs. Itachi landed hard on the floor with no chakra running through his arms or legs; he was now almost paralyzed.
Hinata landed next to Naruto and two looked into each other's eyes. Naruto had feared that he would lose her forever, and he could never remember a time when he was happier to see her. He wanted to kiss her, to show her how much he loved her, but he knew that he needed to end this battle. He took his eyes off of Hinata and turned them on the down Itachi, she understood and did the same. They both cautiously approached their downed enemy, who was now staring straight up in the air.
As the two got closer to Itachi he finally spoke out through staggered breathes, "I should have been the Fifth Hokage…"
The words seemed to hit Naruto like a kunai to the chest. 'This man, Hokage?' He walked up and stood over Itachi's body. "You could never have been the Hokage," his words were direct and very angry. A deep rage was rebuilding inside of Naruto as he spoke, "A man like you? NEVER!"
Itachi's eyes did not move, nor did his breathing calm. "I… was to be… the next Hokage…"
Naruto pulled a kunai out and walked heavily over to Itachi. He fell to one knee and held the kunai to Itachi's neck, "Explain yourself." Naruto knew that Itachi's eyes were still dangerous, but he looked right into them. Hinata stayed back, watching the fallen enemy's remaining chakra flow.
For a moment, Itachi's gaze did not move, but slowly it shifted towards Naruto. A slight smile was on his face. Naruto watched as the ground beneath him and all his surroundings faded to black. He was back in Itachi's Tsukuyomi, but this time he was not afraid. Naruto know that, in this genjutsu, continuing to hold his weapon to Itachi's neck was useless. Content that he could control his own body he stood up, replaced his weapon, and looked down at Itachi.
Itachi's body was still on the floor and he could barely move or speak. With great effort he lifted his arm and pointed to his right, "Watch…" his words filled the void. Naruto's eyes followed Itachi's outstretched arm as his surrounding instantly changed.
The scene was nothing that Naruto could even imagine. The walls of the Hokage's office surrounded him and in front of his eyes were three men; two of which he had never seen before and the Third Hokage. Naruto needed a second to control all the emotions that ran through his head the moment he saw the Third standing there, alive and younger than he ever remembered.
The old man stood behind his desk with his back turned to the other two men, as well as to Itachi and Naruto. "There is no use in denying the facts. You both know that one of you will be Hokage soon, but I must meet with the Village Elders to make a decision." Naruto had not expected to ever hear this voice again, but when the Third Hokage turned around Naruto was overjoyed to see the face of the man he had missed more than anything.
The two men remained kneeling as the Third continued, "Uchiha, Aro; Uchiha, Itachi. One of you will soon be responsible for the safety of the entire village, its people, and the values it stands for." Both men nodded wordlessly as the scene faded to black. Naruto reached out for the scene to continue; anything to not lose the Third again, but it was useless. He looked down at Itachi intent on demanding the return of the scene, but Itachi's downed body was now pointing in a different direction. Naruto fought his emotions and looked towards Itachi's fingers.
A new scene opened to someplace Naruto had never been. He and Itachi were in the corner of a very dark room ; a man stood at the open door in the middle of the night. Naruto did not know who the man was but he could hear his whispered voice, "But Aro, not my son… Not Itachi… please…" He was speaking to someone standing outside and his voice sounded desperate. Naruto knew that this man
must have been Itachi and Sasuke's father, and that the man that he was speaking to must have been the other man in the Hokage's office: Aro.
As Naruto's mind processed this information he felt a tug on his leg; it was Itachi. Itachi's pointing hand shifted slightly to the right towards the open door, "The roof…" his voice were not nearly as loud as before. Naruto knew that the image he was seeing was not something that he could disturb, so he ran to the door and out into a large, open courtyard. He turned and leaped onto the roof of the building he had just left. There he was: a much younger Itachi; dressed in full ANBU mask and uniform crouching silently on the roof. Naruto knew that from this spot Itachi could hear everything that was being said below.
"Fugaku! I am the leader of the Uchiha clan," Aro's voice was not loud but still very strong, "and I will soon be the Fifth Hokage!" There was silence; the only sound Naruto could hear was his own now heavy breathing. He watched and waited for Itachi to move; nothing. "What you do, you do…" Aro's voice paused for only a brief moment, "for the Uchiha Clan." His voice held a sense of finality.
Naruto waited for the outburst that he was sure would come. 'He must want him to kill Itachi. His son. Impossible!' Naruto thought to himself. He waited, but there was nothing.
The words from Itachi's father were soft, almost dead, "It will be done…"
The door slid closed and the sound of footsteps could be heard on the path below them. Naruto watched in awe as the Itachi that stood before him placed his hand over his mask. He slowly removed the mask from his face and placed it face up on the rooftop. Naruto could see a look of utter rage and betrayal on his face, but what bothered him more was what must have been running through Itachi's mind.
Naruto watched as Itachi waited patiently, and then struck with great speed. Before his eyes Itachi had leaped off the roof, but before Naruto could turn and jump off the rooftop Aro had fallen to the floor dead. Itachi was standing over Aro's body, "For the Uchiha Clan." The words that escaped Itachi's mouth were almost silent.
Itachi's head suddenly turned and started to scan the courtyard. Naruto could see Itachi's eyes, and they were unlike anything he had seen before. Naruto knew evil, he knew hatred, and he even knew extreme pain, but these eyes held a quality like nothing he could even describe. It was too much. The two tomoe in Itachi's eyes searched.
Itachi's body followed his eyes and he stalked through what Naruto finally realized was the old Uchiha complex. One by one, Itachi slayed every Uchiha in the compound with a combination of complete control and utter rage. Family members and friends were slayed; fathers, mothers, children, it made no difference. After every slaying came the same few, soft words, "For the Uchiha Clan…" Naruto watched in horror.
Finally, the only remaining Uchihas alive were Itachi's parents and younger brother. Naruto stood behind Itachi as he slid his own door open. His parents were standing in the center of the room
discussing something in hushed voices that seemed rather important, "ITACHI!" They both turned and spoke his name in surprise.
Naruto had been told by Sasuke what occurred that night, but seeing the actual events unfold before his own eyes was different. Itachi stood in the doorway breathing heavily as his parents remained silent; they seemed to anticipate what would happen. Itachi's voice rang out louder than Naruto had ever heard it, "FOR THE UCHIHA CLAN!" He pulled his sword and sliced through both his parents; they did not try to dodge or block his attack. His parents fell lifelessly to the floor.
Itachi's words must have woken a younger Sasuke. He soon entered the room and came face to face with his older brother. Naruto watched as Itachi's eyes looked down on Sasuke and his eyes suddenly formed the Tsukuyomi that Naruto had become oh-so-familiar with. Naruto watched as both Sasuke and Itachi's bodies shook uncontrollably; suddenly Itachi fell to his knees. Sasuke's body stopped shaking, but he soon fell face down on the floor, unconcious. Naruto waited for more but the scene faded to black, Again, all that was left was Naruto and the downed, current Itachi beside him.
Naruto looked down at Itachi, "He tried to have your father kill you… and you lost control…" He felt a pang of sympathy for Itachi, but he fought the feeling. No matter what he learned today, this man would always be a monster to him. Before his anger could reappear, another scene opened before his eyes.
Once again they were standing in the Hokage's office. The Third was behind his desk and Itachi was kneeling in front of him; blood splattered all over his body. The room seemed somber and the Third looked as if he did not want to speak. Naruto waited for the silence to be broken. "Even so, Itachi. Death? The murder of an entire clan? This village would be disgraced if you were made Hokage!" His words were angry, Naruto had never heard such a tone.
Itachi hesitated for a moment. He slowly stood up but kept his eyes on the floor, "Understood, I will leave the village." He turned away from the Hokage and walked to the door. Neither spoke another word. Itachi opened the door and left the office; Naruto followed.
"Itachi," he knew the voice, but he did not look up. Naruto could not believe his eyes; a younger, skinnier Jiraya was standing outside the Hokage's office waiting for Itachi. "Itachi, look into my eyes!" Jiraya's voice was loud and angry. He grabbed Itachi's face and forced him to look into his face which looked angrier than Naruto had ever seen, "Remember my words Uchiha, Itachi… You will die at my hands for what you have done tonight." The two stared at each other.
Itachi's response was somber and quiet, but his words made Naruto shake for some strange reason, "Not…" he slapped Jiraya's hand from his face, "if I kill you first, Jiraya-sama…" Itachi's eyes were locked onto Jiraya's and his Sharingan quickly flashed the Tsukuyomi. Jiraya stood shocked; neither spoke again as Itachi left the scene and all faded to black.
"Sasuke was too strong, even then…" Itachi was still on the floor, "I needed Kyuubi's power to beat him. Now…" he paused. Naruto sensed that at this point any word spoken by Itachi may be his last, "Now… he will kill you… both… of you…" Itachi's voice faded as the forest began to reappear around them.
"NARUTO-KUN!" Hinata yelled out as she started to run towards him. She knew he had been taken back into the Tsukuyomi, but this time he looked all right. This time was different.
Naruto kept his eyes on Itachi, "Hinata, NO!" He put his left hand out towards Hinata in an effort to stop her; it worked as she froze on the spot. Naruto knew that Itachi was done, but his eyes were still dangerous. He leaned down and spoke in Itachi's ear, "If Sasuke tries to harm Hinata I will kill him just like I killed you." He pressed the tip of the kunai further into Itachi's throat. "You… are…" with every word Naruto spoke his voice grew louder and the kunai sank in deeper, "FINISHED!" Blood was already starting to spout from Itachi's neck.
Itachi started to laugh as loud as his condition allowed filling the clearing with an eerie sound. "Yes I am, Naruto-kun… I am finished." The laughter stopped as Itachi's eyes moved from Naruto for the first time; they settled on Jiraya's body. "But first, I must keep my word to Jiraya-san…" The realization of what Itachi meant struck Naruto like a rock. He turned and ran towards Jiraya as Itachi voice rang out, "Amaterasu!"
Naruto stopped halfway between Itachi and Jiraya; ready for almost anything and completely clueless as to what was coming. His eyes grew very large and he watched in horror as giant black flames seemed to rise out of Itachi's eye. The flames hung over his body for one ungodly moment before they shot towards Naruto and Jiraya. "HINATA! SHEILD JUTSU!" The roar of Naruto voice mixed with the Kyuubi filled the air as an enormous red chakra shield appeared in front of Naruto.
The flames of Itachi's Amaterasu collided with Naruto's chakra shield and seemed to be blocked. Naruto instantly knew that that was not the case. The flames continued to beat against the shield, causing the shield to lose its size and depth. "HINATA!" Naruto screamed out as he could feel the shield deteriorating.
Hinata had remained frozen. She watched the flames emerge from Itachi's eyes and pound against Naruto's chakra shield in stunned silence. Hearing Naruto scream her name seemed to bring her to her senses, but her movements were slow. Still watching Naruto her hand slowly searched her pack for something, but she didn't know what exactly she was looking for. Her hand came across the scrolls Jiraya had given her and suddenly her eyes shot to it. Her body seemed to be free of its shock as she pulled the white scroll out of her pack and ran towards Naruto. She stopped next to him and unrolled the scroll on the floor.
Naruto could barely see Hinata next to him and had no idea what she was doing, "Hina…"
"JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME!" She cut him off as she quickly recalled what Jiraya had told her. She looked down at the words already written on the scroll, 'Had Jiraya-sama anticipated this?' Naruto knew that what ever Hinata was doing, he would have to hold the flames back on his own. He concentrated and
forced as much chakra as possible into the chakra shield and it regained a little size, but the flames continued to beat on it.
Hinata concentrated; she had never done this before but she only had one chance to get it right. She quickly formed the required hand signs just as the last bit of Naruto's chakra shield deteriorated. Naruto jumped out of the way as the black flames shot towards Jiraya's body. Hinata voice was strong and confident, "FLAME KEEPER'S SEAL!" She pressed her hand down onto the center of the scroll, "SEALING NO JUTSU!"
Itachi's flames had no other objective than to engulf Jiraya, and they were only moments from their goal when they began to be pulled in the opposite direction. The flames seemed confused as they leaned towards Jiraya but moved towards Hinata. Hinata moved her hand as the flames slowly entered the center of the scroll and disappeared. When the last of the flames were absorbed Hinata rolled up the scroll and tied it tightly shut. Naruto watched in awe from the floor.
Hinata looked at the scroll in her hand; in this scroll was one of the most powerful jutsus ever. Her eyes shifted to Naruto as he rose to his feet and walked towards Itachi. The two seemed to know exactly what each other was thinking. Hinata didn't need to see Naruto pull out a kunai to know what he was planning, and Naruto didn't need to hear Hinata yell, "Naruto-kun, he's dead," to know the fight was over.
Naruto's kunai slashed through Itachi's body over and over in blind rage. It wasn't until he felt Hinata's arm close around his body that he allowed himself to stop. Everything was covered in blood: the ground, his body, and what was left of Itachi's body. "It's over, Naruto-kun," Hinata whispered in his ear over and over. Naruto's body started to shake in Hinata's arms. She was right. It was over; Itachi was dead. The man who had hunted him for years, the man who caused his best friend to run and betray his village and friends, the man who killed his whole clan; this man was dead.
Naruto slowly turned in Hinata's arms so they stood face to face. His eyes were full of tears and streams were already rolling down his cheeks. His hand grew limp and he dropped the bloody kunai on the floor next to next to his feet. "It's over…" Hinata could hear his whisper the words over and over before he finally regained enough strength to wrap his arms lightly around Hinata. Hinata couldn't watch him cry without crying herself.
Naruto leaned and softly pressed his lips against Hinata's, tears ran over both their lips. This was a kiss Naruto once feared would never come again. All he could think of the whole time they were locked in their loving embrace was how he could have lived his life if he had lost her tonight. His entire life was locked in his arms and he could never see himself without her. He foght tonight to protect her… and… 'ERO-SENNIN!' His mind screamed in outrage as he realized his mentor and sensei was still lying on the floor.
Naruto pulled Hinata away from him, not forcefully or angrily, but with a purpose. Hinata seemed to understand as she did not object or show any signs of disapproval at Naruto's sudden impediment of
their kiss. They both turned to Jiraya's downed body. Naruto rushed towards him with a newfound smile on his face; Hinata stayed behind, horror-struck.
"Ero-sennin!" Naruto called out as he approached Jiraya and tried to pick him up into a sitting position. His body slumped back down to the ground; his eyes still closed. Naruto picked him up again; Jiraya fell back down. "Ero-sennin, it's over." Naruto leaned over his body waiting for a joyous response from his sensei; there was none. Naruto looked down at Jiraya's body, confused. "Ero-sennin?"
Naruto's eyes shot from Jiraya to Hinata, the look on his face was one of extreme pain and loss. Naruto knew what had happened, but he didn't want to admit it. He looked back to Jiraya's body and screamed, "ERO-SENNIN!" Still nothing. "NOOOO!" Naruto's eyes shot straight up into the night sky, "JIRAYA!" His body collapsed over Jiraya's and he started sobbing heavily.
As soon as Hinata had turned to Jiraya she had realized that he was dead. For some reason, she felt that she had known he was dead for a long time already. She stood frozen and watched Naruto crying over Jiraya's body. He had known Jiraya for so much longer than she had, and no matter what she felt for her dead sensei she knew that Naruto's connection to him was much stronger. Hinata did not let a single tear drop from her eyes the entire time she watched Naruto. Inside, she was destroyed.
Itachi was dead, Jiraya was dead. Naruto and Hinata were all but dead inside.
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Chapter 15 - Jiraya's Funeral...