Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other copyrighted/trademarked intellectual property that may have been referenced. I am making no money from this work.
Chapter 3: Assassin
By Piplop
Autumn
Hinata woke up to a large crash.
With a gasp, she threw off her covers and sprung upright. The window had been thrown open, letting the chilling wind howl against her face. Long candles were toppled and pieces of clothing were blown all over the floor. Hinata could make out Hanabi and a figure in a thick black vest writhing and snarling in the center of the room.
Probably alerted by the sounds of altercation, Izumo and Kotetsu, the soldiers on the first guard shift, crashed in. Seeing the situation, they pointed their spears at the two and started yelling for help.
"Guards! Guards! We have an intruder in the Princesses' room!"
They didn't move to join the fight, wary of the whirling blades and the possibility of accidentally injuring Hanabi. Hinata drew up her covers to her chest and shrank into a corner as she watched the brawl between her sister and the intruder in terror.
Hinata heard a guttural yell, and a second later, she saw that the stranger had pinned down Hanabi's arms with his elbows. He moved his arm back, aiming a glinting kunai at Hanabi's face.
"No!" Hinata let out a sharp scream. The man swiveled his head to look at her, distracted for a split second. That was all it took for Hanabi to aim a quick jab of her knee to his gut, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to shift his center of mass away from his elbows. Hanabi wrenched her arms free of his weight and grasped his thick forearms. With a cry of exertion, she curled her back, braced herself on her knees, and flipped the man over her head, forcing him to drop his kunai in the process.
Crack!
The sharp sound of bones breaking resounded through the room as the masked man's tailbone met the hard, wooden floor. Izumo and Kotetsu took that opportunity to quickly jump onto the intruder. With a final cry, the man whipped his foot forwards in an arch—a high-pitched whistle shot towards Hinata as a hidden blade flew at her, burying itself into the wall half a head's length from her neck in a resounding thud.
Hinata's heart leapt as she slowly turned her head in shock to stare at the offending weapon. The thin blade was still quivering from the force of its launch.
The man in black grunted and continued to thrash despite the two men and ferocious girl holding him down.
"Secure him! I want him alive!" Hanabi barked, her voice panting and strained from the struggle. Izumo and Kotetsu grabbed the man's arms and twisted them behind his back, forcing him into a hunched kneel.
"Who are you?" Hanabi was breathing hard. The masked stranger was still a head taller than her sitting down even when he was being shoved into a kneel. Sensitive about her prone defensive position, Hanabi pushed herself up on one knee to stand up and look down at their captive.
"I'll never tell you filthy scum anything!" The man spat his words out vehemently, his lilting accent hinting at origins from the Cloud Kingdom. He turned his sharp gaze to Hinata, beady black eyes filled with hatred. Hinata's heart leapt to her throat at the electrifying glare.
"I'm going to kill you, you whor—!"
Slap!
Hanabi used the full force of her arm to strike him across the face. The blow was so hard that the man was thrown sideways onto the floor. Hinata was pretty sure that she heard the bones of his neck crack from the impact.
In a split second, the man wrenched his arms free and lurched away from Kotetsu and Izumo, whose grip had been loosened by Hanabi's violent strike. Hanabi immediately stomped the heel of her foot onto his solar plexus, pinning him down and making him wheeze in pain while the two soldiers regained their hold.
"Eyes. On. Me." Hanabi returned the gasping man's glare full force. "Now, how did you know we were here?"
While they didn't exactly travel in disguise, they definitely didn't broadcast their location in order to avoid crowds of well-wishers and dangerous situations such as this. Neji had even taken regular shifts with the rear cavalry and the scouts to make sure they weren't being tailed. Only the Leaf Kingdom council and a select few in the Stone knew exactly when they had left the capital, when they planned to arrive at the border, and when and where they stopped in between. It was disconcerting that a foreign assassin from the Cloud was able to track them down to their very window. They could have easily gone to Koi Village further north, which was a more direct route to the Stone Kingdom's central city, or even camped in the woods for another night. An attack of this precision should have been nearly impossible unless the assassin had access to highly specific and heavily protected information. Even with such sensitive intelligence, he still would have needed to infiltrate Sable City and camp out for a while, awaiting the exact night of their arrival.
"Now that I can see you in the light, you're quite a pretty one," the captive sneered lewdly. "Maybe I'll tell you a little something if you come closer…"
Hanabi scowled and shared a quick look with Izumo and Kotetsu. She then slowly crouched down on one knee, a foot away from the man, and stared at him eye-to-eye for several beats. Hinata didn't dare move, breathe, or make a sound. She could hear the quiet, sharp whistling from the assassin's spent lungs every time he drew a breath.
"I don't trust you," Hanabi hissed. In a blur that Hinata's eyes could barely follow, her little sister suddenly shot her hand forward towards the perpetrator's mask. The figure reacted quickly, whipping his head downwards and tucking his chin to his chest.
Rrriiiip!
A heartbeat too slowly, Hanabi, Hinata, and the guards realized that their prisoner had bit at his puffy vest, tearing a hole with his teeth. A purple gas began to leak from the small gash. The man attempted to gnaw on it to widen it further.
"Shit!" Hanabi spat, jumping back onto her feet. "It's poison gas!" Hinata drew the sleeve of her cotton kimono over her nose and mouth, afraid to breathe any of it in.
With a coordinated heave, Kotetsu and Izumo dragged the man across the floor and to the window. He kicked at the walls and windowsill, struggling to break free while leaking purple gas in puffs. With a forceful hoist, the two soldiers threw him out from the fourth floor.
They heard a muted thump a moment later.
Hanabi immediately grabbed her bow and quiver from her bedside and rushed to the window. In a smooth motion, she drew the wooden arch and let an arrow fly, the bowstring slapping her unarmored right arm with a loud, painful thwack.
"He's dead."
Hanabi threw down her weapon, turned, and walked towards the still-frozen Hinata. She was covering her face with her left arm.
Hinata noticed a thin stream of blood dripping down the white kimono sleeve of Hanabi's right hand, snapping her out of shock. Hinata gasped at her sister's cut—the intake of breath allowing a sharp, bitter smell to permeate into her nose and mouth.
"You're inju— Mmph!" Hanabi forced Hinata's arm back over her face and spoke in a muffled tone.
"Don't talk. Don't breathe."
She dragged a wobbly Hinata to her feet—Hinata noticed that her vision was starting to swim and that she was trembling—and pushed her towards Kotetsu and Izumo. The four of them hurried out of the room and slammed the door closed behind them. Hinata saw Neji and Kurenai approaching them from down the hall, probably startled awake by the clamour.
"What's happening?" Neji rushed to the unsteady Hinata's other side, lifting her arm over his shoulders for support. The lurch and shift in weight made Hinata feel sick to her stomach. The world spun and then refocused on Kurenai, who had a severe look on her face.
"Hinata was targeted by an assassin… The window…" Hanabi gasped and panted breathlessly, finally out of the vicinity of the toxic fumes. "Probably from the Cloud from his accent and the poison gas… Belladonna."
"What?" Neji exclaimed, shooting an alarmed look at their closed door.
With a proud smirk, Hanabi tossed her hair out of her face. "We threw him out of the window. He's dead."
"How did he get into the city?" Kurenai asked in disbelief.
"I don't know…" Hanabi handed Hinata's other arm to Kurenai and paced down the hall past her open door. Hinata could hear her heartbeat pounding heavily in her ear. She tried to drag her feet to walk by herself, but found that she couldn't feel her arms or legs. In a daze, Hinata opened her mouth to speak, but only a confused gurgle came out.
Hanabi stopped in front of Neji's room.
"Hinata breathed a bit of the stuff in. It's not enough to be deadly, but she needs to air herself out far away from the source." Kurenai and Neji stumbled into the open room and laid Hinata down on the tatami floor. Izumo jogged to the window and threw it open while Kotetsu closed the door. Hinata found that she couldn't move a single muscle. She was terrified out of her wits and her heart was drumming rapidly, albeit steadily.
"Izumo and Kotetsu, I assume you two are okay?" The two soldiers, fueled by adrenaline, nodded fiercely.
"You did good." Hanabi nodded at them in thanks.
"Kurenai, can you go with them to get the others?" Hanabi said with a scowl. "Those other idiots probably drank too much to hear anything."
There was a reason the short captain never partook in alcohol. As a warrior who prized her quick reflexes, she hated anything that could dull her senses or slow her down.
"Wait!" Neji whipped his head back and forth, suspiciously looking at the window and the door. "Shouldn't we check if there are any more of them?"
"I'm sure that was the only one. The Cloud only dispatches lone assassins for purposes of discreetness. And besides, if there were more, they would've attacked when we were dealing with the first one and couldn't protect Hinata." Hanabi's military experience shined through in her confidence. Kurenai, Izumo, and Kotetsu nodded and left, promising to be back soon.
"Oh, I just remembered, I brought some charcoal." Neji ruffled through his bags, his long brown hair a mess against his sweaty, furrowed brow. "Let's have her swallow some to help soak up the poison."
"Yeah," Hanabi nodded, staring intently at the paralyzed Hinata. She moved to kneel over her sister to take her pulse. "Her heartrate's steady. A bit faster than normal. Her pupils are really dilated, though."
"How much of it did she breathe in?"
"Just a whiff, but it's probably top grade," Hanabi frowned. "We'll need some soldiers to secure the area where the assassin fell. There probably aren't many people roaming the streets at this time of night, but we don't want any civilians stumbling across his body and breathing that stuff in. The rest of the gas should dissipate by morning."
Neji drew out a wooden box from his bag and opened it to take out a small, black slab. He grabbed a jug of water and handed it to Hanabi.
"Sit her up and give her some water. It'll help her swallow."
Hanabi dragged Hinata's limp body across the tatami to the nearest wall. She propped her sister up and squeezed open her jaw with a firm grip. Tilting Hinata's head back, Hanabi poured a tiny bit of water into her mouth. Hinata coughed at the intrusion, her reflexes still working despite her lack of muscle control. Her eyes watered from the pain, but some of the liquid made it down her throat.
"Sorry sis," Hanabi mumbled, wiping at Hinata's dripping jaw and throat with her clean sleeve. Neji broke the charcoal into small, tablet-sized pieces and dropped one into her mouth. Hanabi followed up with a bit of water and helped massage Hinata's throat as she choked down the tablet. They repeated this process several times.
"I think that should be enough. We don't want to give her too much." Neji wiped his charcoal-coated hands on a nearby cloth and stood up to pace the room, his brow furrowed. "I wonder what's taking them so long. I don't hear anything coming from downstairs either."
Hanabi shrugged, occupied with helping Hinata through the small coughs that still racketed her from time to time. "I'll check on them after Hinata's settled."
The room fell into silence, only broken by the soft shuffles and squeaks of Neji's feet pacing on the tatami.
From the position of the moon low in the sky framed by Neji's window, Hinata could tell that it hadn't been long since she had gone to sleep. Maybe two hours? As a member of the ruling clan of the Leaf Kingdom, she had experienced her fair share of kidnapping and assassination attempts, but the blood and violence still shook her. It deeply disturbed Hinata that there were people out there who hated her enough solely based on her family and her position to want to end her life without ever meeting her, trying to get to know her values, or understanding what she stood for. Sure, there would always be people who would profit from extorting money from a wealthy clan or killing off their heiress, but Hinata wished that it didn't have to come down to violence.
The dry, bitter taste of the charcoal choked Hinata. Despite the water, a bit of the charcoal dust had settled in her lungs. It hurt a bit to breathe. As Hanabi rubbed Hinata's back and covered her with a blanket to shield her from the chilling winds, Hinata thought that she could feel her body reconnecting bit-by-bit with her brain. She was starting to be able to twitch the muscles in her numb arms and legs, though her extremities were still slightly prickly and inaccessible.
The door suddenly burst open, making Neji jump and startling Hanabi into a protective crouch in front of her sister.
"We can't wake anyone up!" Kotetsu panted, probably from rushing up the stairs. He was visibly panicked. "Even the innkeepers are unconscious!"
"Are they dead?" Hanabi asked in alarm.
"Th—" An arm pushed Kotetsu out of the doorway, cutting the man off and inciting a surprised yelp. Izumo appeared in his stead.
"No, no, they're not dead. Lady Kurenai says that they seem to have been drugged to sleep." The much calmer soldier brushed his bangs out of his left eye, though they fell back immediately after. "She'll be up soon. She said she had to check something."
Kotetsu righted himself and shoved his friend with an indignant pout.
"Our situation is getting more and more serious…" Hanabi frowned, ignoring the two's antics. She looked out the window and then looked back to Izumo. "I need a hawk right away!"
He gave a sharp salute and hurried off.
"And you," Hanabi's eyes sharpened with vengeance as she pointed to Kotetsu. The bearded man gulped. "Get the mayor! We need their soldiers for backup! And he's going to answer for how an enemy assassin got inside his city!"
"Yes, captain!"
"Don't forget to avoid the poison gas where he fell!" Hanabi called out after him.
"I'm going to check on Kurenai." Neji shrugged on a thicker kimono to warm himself from the cold, windy room. "It's not safe to be alone right now." He swiftly slipped on his shoes and closed the door.
Hinata was beginning to stir. She tried to hold herself up without Hanabi's support but only ended up coughing some more.
"W-Water," Hinata's voice was rough and raspy from the abuse. Hanabi propped her up and helped her swallow several small mouthfuls of the cool liquid, this time with much less choking.
"Hinata, you're trembling! Are you feeling alright?"
"Y-" Hinata cleared her throat, shivering uncontrollably from the cold and the shock on her body. "Yeah. I'm starting to be able to move. I th-think I'm going to be okay." Hanabi nodded, absentmindedly continuing to rub Hinata's back.
"I don't know how much you remember, but we were attacked by an assassin from the Cloud. I got him through the eye."
"I actually—" Hinata was overcome by a fit of coughs. "—I actually rem-member everything that happened. It's odd-d. I could see and hear e-everything but I couldn't m-move a muscle."
"Well, be glad that you only breathed a little of it in. You would've been in a lot worse shape otherwise."
"Th-Thank you for saving my life, Hanabi." Hinata smiled shakily.
Hanabi sighed and moved in for a hug. "I'm just glad you're okay." When Hanabi lifted her arm, Hinata noticed the wet, red stain on her right sleeve. She gently grabbed her little sister's arm by the elbow and lifted the sleeve to observe the swollen, red welt from Hanabi's bowstring.
"Hanabi! You're hurt! We need to clean this a-and wrap it up!"
"Oh, I barely even felt that."
"That's the adrenaline talking! We don't want it g-getting infected!" Hinata reached for a jug of water and poured it over the wound. She noticed that she was starting to warm up and that her shakes were starting to cease. Hanabi hissed at the stinging sensation.
"Did you get hurt anywhere else? What if his kunai had poison on it?!"
"Calm down, sis. He didn't get me."
Hinata hmmphed, displeased, as she patted down the newly washed cut with a nearby towel, pale red dabs of bloody water dyeing the cloth. "You know you shouldn't use the bow without your armguard."
"I wanted to be sure that I would get him. He could've survived a fall from the fourth floor." Hanabi's eyes narrowed. "No assassin that's gone after my family is going to get away alive."
As Hinata cleaned the oozing line on Hanabi's arm, her thoughts wandered back to her parents. The last she heard, the assassins that had ended their lives had been tracked to the Snow Hare Mountains in the north. Their trail had gotten lost in the ice and snow of the long mountain ranges. She wondered what Shino and Kiba's team were still doing up there. Were they gathering information from nearby towns?
"I… I didn't want to tell you, but since you're so worried already, I guess it wouldn't hurt." Hinata snapped out of her reverie. Her little sister only used that tone of voice when she was being very, very serious.
"There's actually been progress on the murder investigations." Hanabi looked from the open window to the closed door and paused to listen for any footsteps. Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "This is top secret information, so you must not tell anyone."
Hinata nodded. She understood the gravity of the situation. Her little sister was probably breaking several laws by telling her, someone who would soon abandon her Leaf Kingdom origins to rule over a rival nation.
"The team that Kiba and Shino were on ended up tracking our two leads to the border of the Cloud Kingdom."
Hinata gasped. So the murderers that killed her parents were from the Cloud, too? The trackers must have gone east after hitting the tall mountains until they reached the marshes near the Cloud Kingdom's border with the Leaf. It made sense that this information was restricted to a select few in the military. The evidence was piling up and getting harder to ignore—war was coming. Danzo and the council probably didn't want the people or officials to panic: it was important to keep up the pretense of ignorance until they were ready to attack.
Hinata recalled receiving the condolences of King Yagura of the Cloud Kingdom at her parents' funeral. He was merely a boy, slender and pale with light brown hair and a staff on his back. His expressionless purple eyes and blank, thin-lipped smile had unnerved her at the time. One so young shouldn't look so dead inside. Hinata's heart started to race.
"Shino and Kiba are still camped out at the northeastern borders. We're going to gather more information for now." Hanabi paused again to check for potential eavesdroppers. "Danzo's sending us out on an infiltration mission after your wedding. We're going to get to the bottom of this."
"…We?" She definitely heard that right.
Does that mean…?
"I'll be leading the mission."
Hinata's eyes widened. The Cloud was dangerous! Their terrain was still relatively unknown despite their increase in trade the past few years.
"I know." Hanabi cut off Hinata's objections before she could even open her mouth. "But it's something I have to do." She closed her eyes and took a breath. When Hanabi's eyes opened once more, they shone like steel, reminding Hinata of that time in the imperial garden months ago.
"I will make them pay." Hinata looked down. There was nothing she could do or say that would change her little sister's mind.
"Be careful, Hanabi." Tears welled up in Hinata's eyes. "And thank you for telling me. You know how much this means to me…"
"Yeah, yeah" Hanabi looked away in slight embarrassment. "You deserve to know the truth. They're our parents, after all." They sat in silence until the door opened. Hinata looked up to see Neji and Kurenai.
"It's good to see you up, Hinata." Kurenai smiled as they entered the room. "We were able to narrow down the source of the drugs to the sake. The corks had some small holes drilled into them that suggests they had been tampered with. The soldiers should be fine, though. I would be surprised if they didn't wake up in four or five hours."
"Now it makes sense why only the four of us and the guards on the first shift were unaffected," Hanabi frowned. "Men and their alcohol…" Hanabi grumbled, pursing her lips.
Hinata could almost hear the angry rant echoing inside Hanabi's head. She pitied the soldiers who were going to be on the receiving end of Hanabi's lecture on the evils of alcohol tomorrow.
"Are you feeling better?" Neji asked Hinata in a gentle tone, sitting down next to the sisters on the tatami.
"Yes, thank you for carrying me over here."
"Ah, I see that you're cleaning Hanabi's wound. Do you need any help?" Hinata had almost forgotten about what she was doing before Hanabi's revelation of her future mission to the Cloud. She noticed that she was still holding her little sister's arm. The towel that she was using to pat off the blood was now stiff and stained light brown in several spots. She internally scolded herself for being so out of it and not taking proper care of the sister who had risked her life for her.
"I probably need some wrappings," Hinata said haltingly. "I would've also liked to put some poultice on the welt… But all of the jars that I brought with me are in my room." She had prepared several herbal creams for various medicinal uses before she left the palace. She had learned how to make the poultices from her mother and had practiced for years in the hospitals. If Hinata hadn't been such a humble person, she would boast about their effectiveness. The residents of the city would often seek her out to ask for the jars of cream for various ailments, including sprains, colds, headaches, and flesh wounds. The princess was afraid that the ingredients required for the poultices wouldn't be readily available in her new home so she had prepared a supply ahead of time in case of emergency.
"I have some gauze here." Neji rummaged through his bags and presented Hinata with a white roll of cloth. Hinata nodded in thanks and expertly wrapped the roll several times along Hanabi's arm, careful not to cut off circulation. With a hard pinch with her nail and a forceful Shhiiik, Hinata ripped the roll and tied the cloth off. Hanabi bent and twisted her arm a few times, testing out the tightness of the wrappings and making sure that her range of motion wouldn't be too limited.
"What are we going to tell Danzo?" Kurenai asked when they were done treating Hanabi.
"I'll write a report." Hanabi offered. "I'm sure they're going to send a proper investigation party from the capital when the news reaches them."
"We need to make sure that Mayor Chohan and the Sable City soldiers don't tamper with the evidence until then." Neji had developed a healthy paranoia of the Sable City leadership after several years of dealing with shady monetary matters and complaints of fraudulent cover-ups on the council. Kurenai nodded in agreement.
"I have an old friend here who may be able to help if we need someone to secure the body and the rest of the drugged sake bottles," Kurenai offered, biting her bottom lip. Hinata thought that she seemed a bit nervous and reluctant.
"Umm…" Hinata interrupted, "Should we tell the Stone Kingdom too? About what generally happened last night?" That sent Neji, Hanabi, and Kurenai into a thoughtful silence.
"No," Hanabi decided. "We can't let them know about this. They'll perceive it as a weakness."
That made sense. They didn't know whether the Stone Kingdom was trustworthy, after all. Who knew if they were going to take advantage of any potential breaches in defenses to attack?
"I think we need to tell them," Kurenai rebutted. "The men are all going to wake up sick tomorrow with splitting headaches. When the Stone Kingdom party sees them in that condition, they're either going to assume that our soldiers are all weaklings who can't handle a few days of travel—" At that, Hanabi bristled. "—Or they're going to come to the conclusion that we were attacked on the way."
Hanabi still looked unconvinced, which led Kurenai to continue explaining her reasoning.
"In the first scenario, they may think that our kingdom has gotten weak since the shift in power and explore the possibility of continuing the border skirmishes." Kurenai paused to let her words sink in. "In the second scenario, we'll either have to tell them about what happened, or lie. And both of those options weakens their trust in us and in the integrity of our alliance." Neji started nodding slowly, coming to the same conclusions.
So this is what it means to be stuck between a rock and a hard place…
Hanabi sighed in exasperation. "Once Izumo gets back, I'll have him get us another hawk."
"It seems that people are targeting the Hyuuga family left and right these days…" Kurenai said slowly. "They would have succeeded again this time if it wasn't for Hanabi, Izumo, and Kotetsu."
Hinata shifted uncomfortably, her near-death experience resting in a solid knot in the pit of her stomach.
"I'll go see if my friend would be willing to help." Kurenai pushed herself up.
"Wait, you're going at this hour?" Neji looked bewildered. Any normal person would be asleep so late into the night and would probably throw a fit at getting woken up.
"He's an old friend." Kurenai repeated mysteriously, a nostalgic smile gracing her noble features. "And the sooner we secure the evidence, the better."
"Just who is this person?" Neji asked. At this point, Hinata was a bit curious too. She exchanged a look with Hanabi.
"He's just a retired veteran that I know from my days with the eastern scout cavalry." Kurenai replied nonchalantly.
Now this was interesting. Few people knew that the ladylike Yuhi daughter had ever been in the military. It was a more rebellious period of her life that had ended when a mysterious incident occurred during a skirmish with the Stone Kingdom at their northernmost border eight winters ago. Three entire squads of scouts had disappeared into the forests. The rumors said that when reinforcements finally came, they discovered chunks and pieces of the bodies of the lost soldiers strewn across the roads and upon the branches of the pine trees. Kurenai had been the sole survivor, trekking southward through enemy forests in the dead of winter for several weeks until she reached the safety of Koi Village.
People speculated that it had been the work of a monstrous bear, but Hinata doubted that there would be such intrigue surrounding the circumstances of the attack if that were truly the case. She didn't know how much of the story had gotten blown up by gossiping countrymen, but she knew that Kurenai refused to speak whenever anyone tried to ask her for more details on the matter. The Yuhi clan head had covered up his daughter's involvement, erasing public memory of her service with the eastern troops and forbidding her from communicating with any of her old military colleagues ever again.
"Let me come with you, at least." Neji tried again. "As we saw from the attack earlier tonight, this city's not safe."
"You need to stay with Princess Hinata and Hanabi since we're low on reliable soldiers right now. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself just fine." Kurenai got up and walked to the door.
"We'll come look for you if you're not back in half an hour." Hanabi called out after her.
"I'll be quick…" Kurenai closed the shoji door behind her. Hinata had never seen the usually composed woman so skittish in her entire life.
It looks like we won't be getting much more rest tonight.
It was nearly noon when they left the inn, as it took the drugged soldiers several hours to wake up and then several more to stop vomiting. Unlike last night, the atmosphere was sullen and tense in the city. Sable City soldiers patrolled the streets in squads—Hinata could see a pair at nearly every corner and in every alley. The few citizens who were out and about looked weary and scared, walking quickly with their heads down on the quiet streets and taking care to avoid the central road that Hinata's party was using to exit the city. The overcast sky did little to warm the chill of winter.
The investigations into the attempted assassination had been handed off to the local officials. When the innkeepers woke up from their drugged slumber, confused and sick to their stomachs, they were dragged off by Chohan's soldiers to the prison for questioning. They sobbed, claiming their innocence, and begged to be let go, but to no avail. Hinata hoped that they would be released soon. The couple had seemed kind and she doubted that they had anything to do with what had happened last night.
I just hope that Chohan doesn't try to make them scapegoats to cover up his own incompetence…
Kotetsu had returned with the mayor and an entire company of soldiers an hour after he had set out. At that point, Hanabi had been growing more and more impatient with each passing minute. She had finished her portion of the report to Danzo and was waiting for word from Chohan's men to add follow-up information for any investigative parties that the capital would dispatch. Neji and Hinata had already helped her pen and send a letter to the Stone Kingdom:
For the Attention of the Royal Escort to the Wedding Entourage of the Leaf Kingdom:
As per our previous correspondence, we have safely arrived at Sable City tonight. We still plan to reach the border tomorrow. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, we must delay our arrival from tomorrow noon to tomorrow evening.
Our party was attacked by a lone assassin from the Cloud Kingdom last night. Please rest assured that Princess Hinata was not harmed in any way. The perpetrator was taken care of without any casualties.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. The Sable City officials and officers from the Imperial Dragon City will be taking over the investigations to hold the ones responsible for this crime accountable.
Best Regards,
Princess Hanabi Hyuuga, Lady Kurenai Yuhi, Councilor Neji Hyuuga,
And Crown Princess Hinata Hyuuga
When they learned that Kotetsu had found the mayor at a gambling house in the red light district in a highly inebriated state, Hanabi blew up in anger at the man's irresponsible actions. She threatened all sorts of terrible things upon his disoriented person for allowing an enemy assassin to infiltrate his city during such a crucial trip for the royal family and the kingdom. The mayor now jumped every time Hanabi addressed him. If the circumstances weren't so dire, Hinata would have found it hilarious that her thirteen-year-old sister was able to intimidate a fully-grown man.
At least Kurenai's evasive contact had come through. The woman had returned just a minute or two after her half-hour time limit with the good news. To everyone's pleasant surprise, her friend had already taken care of the body and the sake and put them in a hidden barn an hour south of the walls of Sable City. The belladonna poison would have still been in effect when they moved the body, which implied that the veteran had some highly specialized skills in poison neutralization. This encouraged Hanabi to prod further into his identity, but to no avail. Kurenai was still tight-lipped and secretive. Grudgingly accepting her defeat, Hanabi accepted Kurenai's help in drawing a map of the storage location to include inside her letter to Danzo. Since the weather was already frigid and winter was fast coming, they didn't need to be too concerned about rotting or decomposition if the capital sent troops within the next week or so.
Hinata was just glad that nobody else would be put in danger by the poison and the drugs. It was her fault that the deadly man had entered the city and she prayed that no more innocent people would be harmed.
When Chohan noticed the lack of a dead body and asked about the evidence, Neji had simply pointed to the blood splat on the ground outside of the inn and said, "Start there." Kurenai explained that the evidence had been secured to prevent potential spies or possible follow-up soldiers from the Cloud Kingdom from tampering with or destroying it. When Chohan tried to weedle more information out of Hinata, Hanabi had threatened him again, scaring him off.
Hinata yawned and rubbed her puffy eyes. She hadn't slept a wink last night after those precious two hours or so and knew that she looked like a wreck. In fact, everybody looked worse for the wear. Neji was riding next to Hinata while Kurenai had joined their traveling formation with Hanabi at the front. Hinata glanced at her cousin sympathetically. He looked rather irate with heavy bags under his eyes. At least they weren't miserably sick like the soldiers who were drugged last night… Some of the foot soldiers seemed to be leaning on their pikes in exhaustion and using them as walking sticks. Hinata winced.
Oh, the Stone Kingdom is definitely not going to be impressed when they see us…
The wedding party exited the eastern gates of Sable City without fanfare, the large, heavy doors closing behind them and locking them out with two resounding thumps of iron on wood. Hinata turned her head backwards and looked past the other carriages and soldiers. She wanted to catch her final glimpse of civilization before they reached the borders. The tan wooden walls protecting the city were bathed in gray since the sun was covered by heavy clouds. Hinata could see the brown roofs of a few buildings barely rising above the walls. Further off into the foggy distance, she could see a handful of taller buildings like the inn and the mayor's residence.
I wonder what the villages and cities look like in the Stone. Are they much different?
Just as she was about to turn back towards the front, Hinata spotted a masked man with a black eyepatch at the edges of the forest next to the road. Although he had a shock of silver hair and a terribly slumped posture, Hinata thought that he may have been younger than he looked. Hinata tried to squint and peer at him more closely, but when she blinked, he had disappeared.
He was probably a villager who was just curious about the wedding party.
Hinata turned back around and stared at the road ahead, suppressing another yawn. The steady rocking of the four horses dragging her carriage was slow and rhythmic, keeping pace with the exhausted soldiers. Hinata looked over at Neji, hoping for some conversation to keep her awake, but saw that he was already asleep in his saddle. His stiff frame was drooped over at his neck and his mouth had fallen slightly open. Luckily, he was still holding on to the reins of his horse tightly.
Hinata yawned again. This time she was too tired to resist the weight of her own eyelids dropping, as if they were being dragged down by a strong, magnetic force.
When Hinata woke, the world was shaking. She opened her eyes and saw that Sable Forest was now pitch black, its eerie darkness broken by musky, orange blotches of firelight. Every couple of foot soldiers was holding a large wooden torch, throwing dancing, stretching shadows into the depths of the woods with each step they took. She heard the hoot of an owl and scampering noises of night creatures rustling in the underbrush.
"I'm awake, I'm awake," Hinata croaked, groggily rubbing gunk out of her eyes and batting Hanabi's arm off of her shoulder. Thankfully the shaking stopped after that. She rubbed her cold-numbed face and slapped her cheeks gently to wake herself up. Hinata slowly pushed herself upright from leaning against the side of her carriage and immediately regretted it as her stiff neck and back sent a blow of pain to her head.
I shouldn't have slept in that position for so long…
"We're clearing the forest soon! You can almost see the border!" Hanabi announced excitedly.
Hinata's mouth felt dry and bitter for more reasons than one. She knew that her breath must've smelled gross and slowly bent her achy back to grab a waterskin from under her seat. She took a small sip, frowning at the prickly sensation of the liquid on her rough throat. Hinata turned to look over to her other side for Neji but only saw the line of marching soldiers.
He probably woke up a while ago and went to ride in the back.
"What time is it? How long was I asleep?"
"It's around six in the evening. You better freshen up quickly before we get there!" Hanabi galloped ahead towards the edge of the forest. Despite their equal lack of rest last night and the extra nap that Hinata had taken, her little sister looked as fresh and chipper as ever, her eyes lit bright by the flickering torchlight.
Oh man, I'm getting old.
Hinata stretched and rubbed her eyes. She could make out where the treeline ended ahead by the increase in brightness as the cover of dense foliage gave away to an open field.
They broke through the cover of the forest and, all of a sudden, Hinata could see the clear, evening sky. The clouds that hung densely overhead at noon had now been cast away, revealing a scattering of beautiful stars that filled every nook and cranny above the horizon, their glory unimpaired for the single night of the month when the moon turned its back to the earth. It looked like the gods had haphazardly spilled a bag of salt on the navy canvas and had forgotten to clean up the grains. Hinata sighed in appreciation, her eyes glued to the dazzling vista. The Milky Way was a gossamer web of light in the heavens, bridging between the western edges of Hinata's childhood home and onwards into the mountainous folds of the Stone Kingdom. A gentle wind blew through the grasslands in a calming lullaby, rustling the dry stalks of reeds and rattling the loose brown leaves of low bushes.
Hinata was slowly brought back from her trance by a line of white and yellow light creeping up at the edges of her vision. She leaned her head out of the carriage and looked forwards. A great gray wall stretched north and south as far as her eye could see. It was evenly notched with watch towers along its length, each pale post topped with a raging bonfire that Hinata estimated rose taller than her full height. She could see the gate at the end of the road—a mere dark speck marring the even gray expanse.
As they approached, step by step, the stone wall grew bigger and soon began to loom overhead. It was a wonder that King Sasuke had managed to construct this monstrosity in just a year. Even though the Stone Kingdom had some of the best stoneworkers and blacksmiths, as per their namesake, it was over a hundred and fifty miles long from end to end! Hinata quickly ran her fingers through her hair, easily straightening out any tangles and knots from the hours of travel. Unfortunately, a bump on the side of her head from napping on the walls of the carriage refused to uncrinkle.
A lump rose in Hinata's throat as she tried to swallow down her trepidation. Her heart pounded faster and faster with each step that they took towards the border. Hinata's palms were starting to sweat. She took another sip of water to calm herself down. Her hands shook as she fumbled with the cap of the waterskin.
Clack! –Clack-clack!
She internally berated herself when the cap dropped to the floor of the carriage and bounced onto the road.
I'm so clumsy and useless. What if he doesn't like me?
They came to a stop in front of the gate. The dark timber and iron beams of the portcullis were nailed together in an imposing lattice grille, seemingly tough and impenetrable. Hinata heard yelling up ahead, probably from Hanabi asking for entrance and the Stone Kingdom ascertaining that they were indeed the wedding entourage. With a reverberating groan of metal grinding against metal, the heavy portcullis slowly opened, the gap between the metal spikes at the bottom of the gate and the stone floor widening haltingly in inconsistent squeaks and chirps.
Clunk—Shiiinng… Creaaaak—Clang!
When the portcullis was fully raised, locked in place with a loud click, their party entered the tunnel in the wall. Hinata looked up to see the gleaming spikes of the gates, cut into sharp, glimmering pyramids of iron. The gate quickly shut behind them when the last of their rear cavalry had filed in. They were plunged into darkness save for a few torches nailed high above and the light held by the foot soldiers. The size of this structure was impressive—its ceiling stretched to unknown heights past the reaches of the orange flames and its width broad enough to fit several carriages.
Hinata wondered how the people of the Stone Kingdom got up so high to light the torches… Are there murder holes in the walls? Soldiers waiting to attack? Archers poised to fire from arrow slits?
What if this is a trap?! And we're just offering our lives up?
Hinata's heart raced as they came to a stop in the enclave. A guard coughed in the silence, the hacking, rasping sound echoing throughout the large, hollow chamber.
"I hope you don't mind, but we're going to have to check every cart for security," a bored voice droned faintly from the front. The man sounded like he was tired and that he thought they were too bothersome to deal with. Hinata assumed that Hanabi gave her consent since, not soon afterwards, she could hear rummaging as the canvases covering the cargo carts were unstrapped and pulled back. Hinata fixed her posture and straightened her back when she heard the footsteps coming closer.
"Ah, excuse me, your highness," a tall soldier bent slightly at the waist in a bow as he stopped next to her cart. He had a dark beard and a ruddy complexion. "May we inspect your carriage?" He offered his hand, a wide, comforting smile on his face.
"Of course," Hinata responded with a slight smile, pulling at every ounce of dignity and composure she had to look like the confident royal she was supposed to be and not the scared, stuttering girl she felt like inside. She took his proffered hand, noticing that it was rough and calloused like those of her sister, and stepped out of her carriage, being extra careful with her steps so that she wouldn't trip or stumble.
A squad of Stone Kingdom soldiers were gathered in front of the carriage, backs stiff and their hands resting on sheathed swords at their belts. Unlike the Leaf Kingdom army, which preferred longer-ranged weapons like bows, pikes, and spears, the Stone army mainly used close-ranged swords and maces. As such, Stone Kingdom soldiers were fitted with heavy armor. Hinata looked ahead to see a larger group of soldiers at the front near Hanabi. The other end of the tunnel seemed to have closed double doors with a fortified gate as well. The wall was an impressive defensive stronghold and the Stone Kingdom military seemed to take their security very seriously.
That's good. Assassins from the Cloud probably can't breach these walls too easily.
"I'm Asuma of the Sarutobi clan," the man who helped her out bowed again as two soldiers climbed into her carriage to check the baggage by hand, "I serve as the captain of the royal guard. I imagine that we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the future."
Hinata inclined her head slightly, as befitting her position when addressing a subject. "Nice to meet you." If the man noticed that her voice quavered a little at the end, he didn't make any indication. The Sarutobi clan was well known for both their prowess in war and their close ties with the Uchiha clan. Hiruzen Sarutobi had been the most infamous general of the Stone Kingdom army. It was said that any opponent who faced him in a head-on battle was sure to lose. The Leaf Kingdom had lost thousands of lives to his men during the years of skirmishes and battles over territory. Unfortunately, or fortunately for the Stone's enemies, Hiruzen had passed away of a sudden illness about a decade ago. The captain of the royal guard was probably his son or nephew. The man looked to be not much older than Kurenai.
He must have quite the number of accomplishments under his belt to have achieved such a high position at his age.
The two Stone Kingdom soldiers finished quickly and efficiently. With a nod to their captain, they joined the rest of their squad and moved on to check the carriages behind Hinata's. Asuma helped the princess back into her seat. Once she was settled, Hinata said a soft "thank you" and got another smile in return as the captain marched back towards his men.
While they waited for the guards to finish, Hinata looked around at the cavern once more.
It must have taken thousands of tons of stone to build this whole wall! There's probably more stone in this than there is in the entire Leaf Kingdom!
Hinata's home kingdom was blessed with forests and loamy soil perfect for crops, but aside from a few ore and jewel mines in the northern Snow Hare Mountains, lacked the rock formations necessary for harvesting stone. That was why most of their buildings were made of wood—expensive stone was reserved for kilns and smithies. While the Leaf Kingdom was flat and essentially in the shape of a large gibbous moon, their eastern neighbor was a thin, waxing crescent with very rough terrain. The nation was only thirty miles at its widest. Aside from a small stretch of grassland at the border with Sable Forest, the entirety of the Stone Kingdom's length was mottled by a rocky mountain range dotted with lakes. It was no wonder that they had so much of the resource.
The Stone shared a short border with the Sand Kingdom to its south and a slightly longer border with the Cloud to its west. To its east was the ocean, their steep, sheer cliffs colder and rockier than the shores of the Tide Kingdom, which limited the number of harbors and ports they could build. However, the Stone Kingdom had a mighty navy that was known to be on-par with the Tide.
"All clear!" Asuma yelled from the back.
Ca-chunk…Creeeaaaak
Chiiinnng—chrrrick…Clang!
The grinding of metal as the front gate was lifted reverberated even more horrifyingly in the tunnel than it had outside, hurting Hinata's ears and grating her already uneasy nerves. Once the portcullis was open, the large wooden doors on the other side of the wall swung outwards, allowing the group to pass through the tunnel at last.
The military outpost on this side of the wall had several barracks, stables, a hawkery, and a small, plain castle with a black tapered roof. Not far past the expansive reaches of the buildings, the mountain range of the Stone Kingdom rose in lumpy, gray peaks mottled with the fuzzy texture of forests. Although these mountains were neither as tall nor as wide as the Snow Hare Mountains of the Leaf Kingdom, which incidentally made these lands much more hospitable, Hinata was still deeply affected by their majesty.
The clip-clop of hooves approached Hinata's carriage. She looked out to see a man with sharp eyes and a spiky, black ponytail slouching atop a brown horse.
"Hey, I'm Shikamaru Nara," The man droned in a bored tone. "Uh, I'm the general you guys have been writing to." He scratched his head. Hinata couldn't tell if he was feeling annoyed or awkward. "Sasuke couldn't wait here all day 'cuz he had some stuff to do back at the capital. So, uh, I guess I'll show you guys to the castle and take you to him tomorrow."
Phew, Hinata internally sighed in relief, I'm glad I'll have time to rest and freshen up before I meet him for the first time. First impressions were important, after all.
"Hey!" Someone yelled in the distance. Hinata saw what looked like a black and white blur speeding towards them. As it drew closer, she could make out a man riding low upon a white horse, his back hunched to decrease the wind resistance and optimize for speed.
"Ahhhh, how troublesome…" Shikamaru looked up to the sky, definitely in annoyance this time, but Hinata noticed that he made no motion to halt the man.
I guess he's one of theirs? A straggler, perhaps?
When the stranger rode close enough for Hinata to start seeing the details of his appearance, she could immediately tell that he was enrobed in the armor of a noble—this was no soldier who had lagged behind.
The man wore a high-collared black shirt and slightly loose pants. A shiny black carapace accented in red and gold covered his chest and flared out into small spikes at his shoulders. His trim waist was cinched by a gold belt, upon which two pieces of red leather armor hung along his sides to his knees. Maroon arm and knee guards decorated with curling gold flames protected his joints, tapering into black leather gloves and pointy boots. A thin, long sword in a black sheath hung from his right side, clattering rhythmically back and forth with the galloping of his steed.
The man stopped in front of Hinata's carriage, firmly pulling on the reins of his horse and digging his boots into the stirrups. When he rose to his full height, the tight, solid lines of his form cut an imposing figure.
His face was more pretty than handsome with his porcelain skin, delicate nose, and pointed chin framed by black spikes of hair. Both man and horse were covered with a thin sheen of sweat. The stranger raised one finely tapered eyebrow when his almond eyes fell upon her. Hinata stared back into the pits of his coal-black eyes, entranced by his ethereal beauty.
After a few long seconds, he started to scowl. Hinata blinked and looked away, embarrassed to have been caught so rudely gawking. She shifted in her seat and swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable with the intense scrutiny. From his displeased expression, she was sure that she had failed something and she deeply wished that she could shrink and hide into her voluminous robes.
"From your lack of guards, I assume you didn't tell anyone you were coming?" So he was important enough to warrant guards…
"Of course I did!" The noble sniffed, indignant. "But they couldn't keep up."
"How troublesome…" Shikamaru repeated. He then grumbled something about irresponsible, spoiled brats and having to always wipe said brat's ass…
Shikamaru addresses him so casually. Is he a lord's son? Another general?
No… His clothes are much fancier than Shikamaru's and Asuma's…
"Hey." Having caught his breath, the man was now speaking in a low, rich tone. It was quite calming actually, in great contrast with his facial expressions.
"Hey! You!"
Hinata snapped her head up to meet the noble's eyes again. He's talking to me?
This time, his eyebrows had dropped by a millimeter or so and his lips had a slight frown at their corners, transforming his expression from displeasure to irritation. Hinata could tell that this was a man who was used to getting his way. He radiated charisma and sheer power. He was definitely not happy about being ignored. In fact, it looked like he would throw a temper tantrum if Hinata didn't acknowledge him soon.
"H-Hello?"
"Hello," the man said drily, almost sarcastically. His right eye gave a minute twitch. After another beat of silence, he sighed and rubbed his temple.
"So I guess you're Princess Hinata Hyuuga?" He peered down at her with a look that Hinata easily recognized from years of wilting under the eyes of the Leaf Kingdom council—contempt and disappointment.
Hinata nodded, not daring to break the eye contact. This man had an intimidating presence and was starting to make her feel anxious. She gripped the outer layer of her robes with her clammy hands.
"Do you know who I am?" The expectant gaze that bore down from the ridge of his regal nose indicated that he expected her to answer in the affirmative.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, mumbling something about pompous antics.
Hinata shook her head. Am I supposed to? "Have we met?"
"I'm King Sasuke Uchiha." Hinata froze in shock.
Didn't Shikamaru say that the King went back to the capital? Why is he here?
She knew that she was supposed to say something polite, but Sasuke's heavy stare pinned her to her seat like a hawk eyeing its helpless prey. Her tongue was paralyzed and her throat felt like it was getting tighter by the second. Her entire body felt like it had been petrified to stone, with the exception of her heart, which pounded like it was trying to escape her ribcage.
Sasuke's scowl deepened as seconds of silence ticked by without any signs of recognition from the girl. He spoke slowly, as if explaining a difficult concept to a small child. "You know, as in the man you're here to marry?"
It was all Hinata could manage to finally choke out a quiet "Ahh…"
Author's Note: Happy New Year, everyone! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. :) Let me know what you thought of the fight scene at the beginning (not too sure how realistic or exciting it was) or just the chapter in general. Review, please! I'm excited to show you guys more of Sasuke next chapter!
Disclaimers on scientific accuracy:
Belladonna is another name for nightshade, which is an extremely poisonous plant. One of the treatments for it is activated charcoal (different from regular charcoal!)
The treatment that the poisoned Hinata was given in this story is not meant to be medically accurate. I am not a medical professional and lots of liberties were taken in the writing of this fic. If you or anyone you know get poisoned, you should call an ambulance immediately since we're not in feudal Asia (hoorah for 21st century technology!)
As always, please, please, please review/PM! I love feedback!
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