A/N: New links have been added to my Author Profile! Enjoy new Keisuke/Haruka fanart courtesy of Gabzilla (Thanks again, Gaby!) and a mindless attempt at humor by yours truly. In the meantime, I'm still working hard to finish this story before I leave—only one month to go, and counting! Wish me luck, and hope that I have time to write something else in my lifetime.
Edit: This chapter was delayed thanks to a certain two someones making me "busy..."
Chapter Fifteen: Recollections
The night was still young when Neji's team finished moving camp. There would be a good deal of time to sleep, for the battle had taken place moments after sunset and had lasted mere minutes, leaving the rest of the evening and morning hours for sleep and healing. Having moved out of the bright light and mess, the team was also away from signs that would point them out to any patrols from unfriendly armies. Conditions for safe rest could not have been better in this situation.
Shino remained awake on Neji's orders, however, just in case someone did happen to run across them. Nor did the bug user believe that any of his comrades would be sleeping for some time to come. They, like he, had all been affected negatively in those few minutes and would lie awake thinking about their experiences until they exhausted their minds. Luckily, Shino had reason to be wide awake now, and could think over the battle without trying feverishly to forget about it.
He occupied his body by standing away from the tents where his comrades lay, having his insects move in small swarms around the tiny enclosure of trees where the team now rested. Every few minutes, he would move to another corner of the enclosure, walking silently along the length of the row of tents until he reached the other side. He walked clockwise in this pattern, always quiet, not disturbing his friends though he knew they were all very much awake; he could even hear Naruto talking in what was likely a low tone for him but easily audible outside the tent.
That Naruto, Shino thought. He has become restless again. Did he really mean what he said about decapitating Sasuke?
Shino thought Naruto's behavior following Sasuke's disappearance had been off for the blond shinobi. Not long ago, Naruto had been absolutely determined to retrieve and "save" the Uchiha betrayer. Shino understood that he had recently resolved to put Sasuke from his thoughts and let his actions do the talking, but he had not expected that Naruto would react with such hostility to this development. What was really going on in Naruto's mind?
Eventually, he decided to let Hinata solve this mystery and concentrate on his own problems. Chief among those was the enemy plant ninja, Ayaka; she had out-performed him in single combat, and though he had managed to create a weakness in her defense through timely psychological warfare, she had quickly capitalized on the mistake he had made in his follow-up. Now, he would be on guard against such potent defenses, but his opponent would no longer be susceptible to his verbal tactic. The next battle would be a repeat of the first, but without the respective tricks; a close-range combat in which Shino had the disadvantage.
If there even was a next battle. Having lost their most powerful ally, Ayaka and her surviving teammate had retreated in fear and awe of Sasuke, and with Jiraiya left alive, it was unlikely that they would make another attempt on Hinata or Naruto unless those two were miraculously separated from the rest of the team. The only other way that they could possibly recuperate from this loss would be to ally themselves with Orochimaru, and the Cloud had already shown that they fought only for themselves in this war.
Still, Shino could not rule out that possibility, and he had a strong feeling that whether they did so in the near future or not, there would be a final reckoning between Ayaka and himself one day. He needed to be prepared if that were the case. He spent at least an hour thinking over her fighting style, trying to remember if there had been any weak points in that sweeping power of hers. He recalled every thrust and parry, every twist and step, the slight change in facial expression she made when she sensed an opening in his defenses. Analyzing it all mentally, he tried to think of how he should prepare himself for the next encounter. He made some progress; he recalled a number of instances where he had stepped or moved incorrectly, and filed away the information for later use.
The only large bit of detailed information that he found, however, was the interesting way in which the fabric of Ayaka's black combat suit shifted as her chest heaved beneath it.
It is unfortunate that the insects cannot cure human hormones, Shino thought. If they could have, I would have been victorious already.
Being unable to get any more use out of his recent memories, his thoughts turned to those memories that were older and more distant: the forgotten ones of twelve years ago, when the Kumo representatives had entered Konoha. There was very little that the young Aburame remembered of that time, but as the reason for Ayaka's apparent vendetta was buried there, Shino found himself straining to remember.
The most prominent memories he had of that time were those of the festival. A great procession had wound itself through the streets of Konoha, leading up to the Hokage mansion. Shino remembered watching it from high atop a building—the Hokage tower itself, he suddenly realized—and then going down with his father, who represented their clan, to meet the Cloud leaders that arrived there.
There had been a great many important people present at that meeting, he recalled. All of the clans of the Leaf—minus the Hyuuga, who were occupied with the birthday of their successor—were there, as was the Sandaime Hokage. Sarutobi had greeted the Raikage's ambassador warmly, and introduced each Konoha representative in turn. The ambassador had brought only a few along with him, but he introduced these with enthusiasm.
As hard as he tried, Shino could not remember any of the Kumogakure clans that had been represented that day, much less the Ibara clan that Ayaka had professed to being a member of. He could not even remember their faces or the clothing that they wore. The only thing related to the plant user's story was the memory of a nameless, faceless man who approached Shino's father, whom young Shino had taken note of due to proximity but then forgotten among the lights and the noise. There had been no young girl with that man.
What happened after the festival? Shino asked himself. For a moment, his brain brought nothing forward. He moved across the quiet camp, hoping for the soft breeze to stir his memories up to the surface.
There came something, then; when the Aburame representative and his son went home that day, there were guests in the hive cluster, being toured through it by Shino's mother and uncle. Insects swarmed everywhere, but the young Aburame heir had noted with childish curiosity that they swarmed especially thickly around the guests. Then one of the guests had produced a brilliant blossom—Shino could not remember what color—and the bugs had immediately converged on it, practically bathing themselves in the pollen of the thing.
Shino had gone over to that guest and asked what kind of flora it was that the insects liked so much, a question to which he could not recall the reply. He did remember that the stranger had let him have one of the flowers, though, drawing out a second one through the cloak they were wearing and handing it to him hesitantly.
Cloak... I remember now, Shino realized. That guest was a child—her. It may be that she was absolutely correct in her story. But why is she wearing that heavy cloak even at such a young age?
He thought and thought again, but in vain; he did not remember why she had been wearing it, though he had the feeling that there was a good reason for it. Nor could he remember what had happened after the guests had left; it was possible that in the events that followed, the Ibara did not return to the Aburame compound. Therefore, Shino had remembered enough to confirm that Ayaka had been to Konoha twelve years ago, but his memory could not validate any more than that.
His four hours of watch duty ended with little having been solved. As he went into his tent to rouse Neji to take his place, he knew that he would find sleep as difficult as the others had.
The bug user's mind wandered again to Ayaka's beautiful form. Laying down on his bedroll, he tried to picture what she might have looked like as a child. He never had gotten a good look at her back then since she had snatched her hand and face back under the protection of her cloak as soon as she was finished interacting with him...
The protection of the cloak, he realized. Protection from what...?
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The largest of the team's tents had become the medical tent. Like Shino, Sakura had a task with which to occupy herself and stay awake. She was more visibly grateful for that than her stoic, bug-hosting ally, and threw herself into her work of healing with a vengeance as her mind raced over today's events.
Both Jiraiya's and Kiba's ailments were easily identified and treated. Jiraiya was suffering from simple chakra exhaustion, as Copy-Ninja Kakashi sometimes did when forced to use his Sharingan too excessively. With a few days of rest, he would be as healthy and perverse as he normally was. Kiba's malady was more serious; apart from a number of bruises, he had suffered mild electrocution and several first- and second-degree burns on his head, hands, and torso. Sakura applied a soothing balm and padded gauze to these, then let the boy sleep, occasionally returning to check on him and, if she hadn't for a while, use a jutsu she had learned to speed cellular regeneration, holding it for a few seconds over each major burn. With luck, Kiba would be ready to fight again by morning.
Akamaru, despite Kiba's insistence that the dog was far worse off than he, was in bad but still stable shape. Looking him over, Sakura had found no broken bones or fractures and no damage to the internal systems. In fact, the huge beast had only the same problems that his master did, plus a mild concussion. The burns were even less serious than Kiba's due to the large amount of fur that was between the heat and the skin. There was little that Sakura could do about the blackened, charred hairs, but the burns themselves would be easily healed.
It seemed that most of team would be able to continue on in good fighting shape, for which Sakura felt a surging relief. Jiraiya would be unable to take part in the next day's operations, but this was no terrible loss when one took into account the mission parameters. Tsunade-sama had been confident enough to send this team on this mission without backup, and the Godaime Hokage was always a trustworthy and knowledgeable person in Sakura's book. And now that they did not have Sasuke to look after, they would be able to concentrate their efforts solely on the rescue and reconnaissance that they'd been sent to do in the first place.
Too late, Sakura realized that she'd thought about him again. Now she would be stuck in that train of thought and all the terrible and wonderful things that might be implied. She stopped her current examination of the Frog Hermit, knowing that the only way to banish these thoughts now would be to let them play themselves out. She laid herself out comfortably along the long side of the tent, folding her arms behind her head.
Once comfortable, the medic resigned herself to getting through the maelstrom of contemplation, and allowed the vision of Uchiha Sasuke to once again pervade her mind. Sakura recognized two Sasukes, both of which she thought of now. The first Sasuke was her Sasuke, the one that she had loved and known affectionately as "Sasuke-kun" in her earlier years. The second Sasuke was The Avenger, the automaton devoted to finding and destroying Uchiha Itachi who did not care for anything else.
For three years following the application of the terrible dark Curse that Orochimaru used to brand his future containers, Sakura had held out hope that Sasuke-kun could overcome the horrible Avenger and be the genius Konoha nin that his parents had meant him to be. If not, she had hoped that Naruto would be able to blow like a storm into the electric, crackling heart of The Avenger and revive the dying fire that was Sasuke-kun, ending the conflict violently but satisfactorily.
When all of her hopes failed—twice now that Naruto had fought him a second time with no better result—Sakura had, sadly but necessarily, made the assumption that "Sasuke-kun" was now dead, mutilated and destroyed by his terrible other half. Her attitude towards the dark-haired Uchiha had changed dramatically then; she had begun referring to him merely as him, and had struck him twice when he had fallen out of the boundaries of his captivity. Since there was no longer any Sasuke-kun within The Avenger to worry about injuring, she had been able to do so with a clean conscience. She had even felt better after hitting him!
But if the good Sasuke was dead, then why had he deigned to save her friends? Most of the others would tell her that it was probably a trick, all part of a greater evil plan, that The Avenger was taking one step back to take three steps forward. Perhaps Naruto would be one of those others, and that would help to ease her concerns—Naruto had been, after all, the closest person to Sasuke for as long as they had known each other, almost. Still, what if he was as confused as she was? Did that mean there was a possibility that the good Sasuke was still alive? If so... was he finally fighting The Avenger for dominance after so much time?
And if he was, what would Uchiha Sasuke do when the team began their operations tomorrow? She did not know, or even have a clue.
I guess, she thought, pulling herself back into a sitting position, that all any of us can do is to carry out the mission.
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Hyuuga Neji, the genius of the Hyuuga family, the one most gifted with the Byakugan in his generation. That was what had been said of him. He had done all that he could to live up to that reputation, vowing to never lose for the sake of those who believed him a genius and depended on him because of it. That determination had earned him a quick promotion to the Chuunin and then Jounin ranks and his old sensei, Maito Gai, had even offered to drop hints to ANBU for him recently. He was renowned in the village as a capable, respectable leader.
He had led a number of missions since his promotions, and nearly all of those had been successful. Those few that had failed were the ones that had met with impassable resistance or extenuating circumstances, nothing that could have hurt his otherwise perfect track record. The only person from their generation that rivaled his record was Nara Shikamaru, and Neji, who had a great respect for the younger Jounin, did not mind at all sharing the repute with him.
Right now, though, Neji wished that Shikamaru could be here with them instead of back in Konoha, organizing defensive positions against the Hidden Mist. The brilliant young tactician's aid would have been indispensable to the Hyuuga prodigy and would have enabled them to prepare for the coming day much more thoroughly in the same short amount of time. Neji knew there would be no hope of such help, though.
That was too bad; the situation was by now so complex and so unpredictable that even the most effective preparation was guaranteed to be out-done somehow. Haruka lost and quite possibly dead, Jiraiya out of commission for a while, Naruto having nightmares, and now Sasuke...
This last one was a huge question mark. Uchiha Sasuke could influence the following events heavily in the favor of one side or the other. The problem was, nobody but he knew whose side he was on for certain. If Neji guessed wrongly and led them into his path, all of them could die. But if Neji put his faith in the possibility that Sasuke was on their side, or at least did not care about this mission, then they would get one of their comrades back and possibly retrieve information that would enable Konoha to end the menace of Orochimaru forever.
In the end, Neji knew that he must follow his orders and attempt to complete the mission. That, and Naruto would never retreat from this situation. There was no going back now. He only hoped that he would be able to get those who depended on his leadership home alive...
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"Damn that bastard," Naruto growled in his bedroll. He'd tried to put Sasuke from his mind again, like he had before, but now that the Uchiha missing-nin was gone, he found that to be difficult. He knew that Hinata probably didn't want to be reminded of the terror that Sasuke had been, but he couldn't keep this buried right at the moment.
She seemed more preoccupied with soothing his mental hurts than bugged by them, however. She reclined on her own bedroll a mere half-foot away from his, where she could easily look him in the eyes and talk to him while they lay in the darkness. Naruto felt a pang of guilt for that; she was such a nice person, and he had to be subjecting her to this.
"Naruto-kun?" she asked, "You didn't really mean it when you said that you were going to kill him, did you? Oh, no..." When he favored her with a look of surprise, she clarified, "No, I don't mean to question your integrity, it's just... I thought you would be more hopeful when we told you that Uchiha-san protected us..." Her eyes averted to the floor, and she waited for his loud and feverish denial.
She shouldn't have worried; Naruto looked at her blankly a moment, then exhaled deeply. Hinata looked up to see him smiling slightly. "You Hyuuga," he said, shaking his head slowly, "Are way too perceptive even without your Byakugan."
Now it was Hinata's turn to be perplexed. "What do you mean, Naruto-kun?"
Naruto's head turned to face the ceiling, and he stared up at the thick tent canvas as though he could gaze at the stars beyond it. Hinata had the feeling that he was about to reveal a deep secret to her. Though she was honored and excited that she was friendly enough with him to be told such things, she hoped that it would not be a terrible secret. Anything, be it good or bad, was possible when it came to Naruto and Sasuke.
"What I mean," Naruto said, "Is that you're right. I was excited when I heard that Sasuke saved you, though I didn't want to be."
"Didn't... didn't want to be?" Hinata asked, astounded. "Why? If it means that Uchiha-san is on our side, then..."
"Then it means that I won, that I saved him?" Naruto finished. "That's what I want to believe. I wanna believe it so badly that it hurts. But I can't believe it so easily. He didn't come back to us when the fight was over, did he?"
"No," Hinata admitted, "He didn't. Still, this must be proof that you've made some impact on him, isn't it?"
Naruto folded his arms behind his head as he said, "I don't know. It might be, but it might just be that it isn't in his plan to have us dead yet. Don't ask me how that's part of his plan, because I have no idea, but I just can't assume that he's suddenly come to his senses. If he hasn't, then it will just be a big repeat of last time..."
Last time, Hinata thought. I remember when he came home trying to bring him back the first time. He was so hurt, both inside and out...
"You've probably already guessed it," Naruto said, "Being so smart, but I don't want to be disappointed again. The last time I put faith in that bastard, he pissed my faith down the toilet and flushed it away. If I try to put faith in him again, and it turns out he's just playing me..." he shuddered, remembering how he had tried so hard, even when Sasuke held his Chidori poised against his heart three years ago, to believe that Sasuke hadn't fully succumbed to evil. How blind he had felt when he had woken up...
Hinata understood what he was trying to say. Naruto was remembering the betrayals of the past, and was afraid to think the best of his old friend for fear that his faith would be shot down again. This was why he had reacted with anger rather than hope when he had learned that Sasuke had saved them and then run away. She reached over to his sleeping mat and rested her hand on his arm, causing him to face her again with questioning blue eyes.
"I have faith in you," she said. "You've succeeded in so many things you set out to do; you showed everyone that you were not a loser, you defeated Neji-niisan and taught him a better way to live, for which he is very grateful, and your skills are constantly improving, reaching towards Hokage-level. You made a promise three years ago that you would bring Sasuke back to Konoha, and you accomplished that in the end, too. If you can do all of that, then there is no reason that I can see for you to have completely failed in redeeming your friend."
What followed was a familiar scene: Naruto silent and staring as he absorbed the full breadth of Hinata's monologue, and Hinata watching him quietly, waiting for a response. It had happened twice already, once three years ago before the Chuunin examination, when she had smiled sheepishly and retreated behind a training post, and again more recently, when she had been fire and tears pouring forth her high opinion of him on the day when he had taken the Caged Bird seal for her. Both times, Naruto had ended up much more cheerful than he had been before. This time, she was not sheepish or fiery or tearful, but a gentle and reassuring force that looked at him with a mixture of pride, affection and certainty.
Naruto recognized all this as he came out of his momentary lapse in coherency. He was grateful for it, as he had been on both occasions in the past. Yet, it also enhanced the feeling of guilt; he almost felt as though he were taking advantage of her by shoving all of his problems onto her like this.
And her face—her beautiful, pale, pearl-eyed face framed in night-sky hair—was wearing an expression that was unmistakable now. It had been unclear to him before, at first because she had been unable to look at him at all and later because she had been masking it, but there was no hiding it now.
Damn it, Naruto thought. She really loves me. Why am I being like this?
"You know," he said, breaking the silence, "There's a pretty high chance that one or both of us will die tomorrow..."
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, suddenly seeming appalled. She had good reason; Naruto had never admitted the possibility of his own death under normal circumstances. "Don't say that! It isn't..."
"It isn't like me?" he asked, guessing her intent. "I know. But I'm not the same kid I used to be, Hinata. I'm still me, and I'm still way too confident for my own good, but I've grown up some. I have a little better perspective of reality. I'll be damned if I go down without giving it my all in the fight, but I know there's a possibility." Hinata still looked disturbed, which he expected, but did not stop him from speaking. He was grateful for that; he wanted to get this off his chest.
"What I wanna say is this," he continued. "You mean a lot to me, Hinata. I mean a whole lot. It would probably hurt me at least as bad if you died tomorrow as it would if Sasuke put a knife through my chest."
Hinata's appalled look vanished. She now stared at him with wide white irises and a slack mouth, and though Naruto couldn't see well in the dark, he suspected that her face was turning colors. Imagining that, he gave a small, slightly pained grin.
"You've done nothing but good for me," he went on. "That's three times, counting this one, that you've brought me out of emotional funk. At the Chuunin exam three years ago, you gave me an example of toughness to follow that carried me through my fight with Neji. You're a great training partner, and I couldn't have made Futon: Rasengan that fast if hadn't been for you helping me. And when I'm hanging around you, I can have so much fun..." he sat up to get a better look at her, then fixed her straight in the eyes. "And you're damned pretty, too. You even make that ugly fox in here twitch and squirm and skulk away!"
Hinata's heartbeat was increasing rapidly. She was beginning to feel warm, as well. This was beginning to look very much like a confession. Last night, he had kissed her on the head. Would this be the time that he...?
"Hinata," he said, interrupting her thoughts, "If you don't come with us tomorrow and stay with Ero-Sennin instead, I won't hold it against you. At least then I'll know you're safe, and that'll make me feel better; my mind's got its hands full already with Sasuke. But, you know, the choice is completely yours..."
From the self-confusing manner in which he seemed to say that last sentence, it looked to Hinata as though he weren't so sure about wanting her to stay away from the fight. Was he torn between wanting to keep her safe and wanting to keep her by his side?
"Ano..." she said, rising up on her elbows unconsciously and bringing her face closer to his. "I think that if I'm with you, Naruto-kun..." her heart skipped a beat as Naruto seemed to gravitate even closer... "... I think that's the safest place I can be."
They were inches apart, now. Hinata's heart was thudding in her ears like a drummer on steroids. She was sure that her face was burning. When they had kissed the last time, it had been she who had initiated. Oh, how sweet it would be for him to reciprocate right now...
I'm right here, she thought. All the love I have for you is in front of your eyes! Will you come just a little bit closer and take it? She stopped breathing when he closed his eyes and moved closer. He would!
Naruto was consumed in appreciation for her. He felt so happy that she wanted to come with him into hell, even though she could be much safer here. What was that checklist again, Keisuke-niichan? Trust? Check. Understanding? Check. Secrets? She knows mine, and the biggest secret she had—me--is out now. Commitment? He stalled on this one. Were they committed to each other?
Thinking back, he'd been committed enough to guard her with his life from the Hyuuga Branch Captain, take the Caged Bird Seal for her, and to think for her safety even though she was the best combat partner he had. And there was no question in his mind, after all that she had said and done for him, that she was committed to him.
Check, he thought. Without further thought, he leaned forward...
And fell across her awkwardly as his overextended weight caused the sleeping roll under him to slide backwards suddenly. He gave a loud yelp as he sprawled out, failing to catch himself in time, and both he and Hinata had the wind knocked out of them.
"Aaaaah!!" Naruto groaned at his own clumsiness. "Damn it! Sorry, Hinata!" I screwed up the perfect chance. Sasuke knew what he was talking about when he kept saying I was clumsy! He extricated himself carefully, trying not to push off on her. When he was sitting up again, he saw that she was now obviously red-faced and very flustered. "Hey, you're not hurt, are you?"
"Oh... no!" Hinata answered hastily, putting on a cheerful smile. "You're not a heavy person, Naruto-kun. I'll be fine..."
Naruto knew she was physically all right, but something in her expression punched through the happy mask and said that she resented the ruined moment. He didn't blame her, but he also wasn't sure what he could do about it... except...
"That's great, I'm glad you're all right. Hey, if we... no, when we survive," he said, "I, uh... wouldn't mind going out with you again, like back at that village we passed through..."
For once, Naruto seemed to be the one embarrassed by the prospect of romantic activity with Hinata rather than the other way around. He wasn't quite the deep red color that Hinata had gotten to back in the old days and didn't fidget, but his eyes were averted and his words had come slowly and carefully. It was cute, in a way, and after the surprise of being asked out by him wore off, Hinata fought to suppress a giggle. This experience hadn't turned out so fruitless, after all.
"Sure, Naruto-kun," she said brightly.
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Ayaka stood in the corner of a dark, dusty room under the dirt of the Grave. Hikaru had been taken further below into the depths of the underground stronghold, where the promised medical attention was being administered to his arm. She remained above with her employer, who was conversing with a tall, pale-faced man with long, dark hair and terrible eyes that had slitted pupils.
"What do you mean, the rats have left their hole?" Hiroto asked, anger showing on his handsome Hyuuga face.
"Just what I have said," Orochimaru replied with his devil grin. "My test subject and his Hyuuga accomplice incapacitated the guards that brought them their evening meal, and escaped. They are currently running loose in the facility."
"Were they not supposed to be instrumental in this jutsu that you taught me? How could you just let them go like that? Do not tell me that it was part of your twisted plan."
"Actually, they have done it much later than I expected them to," admitted the snake. "I was considering giving them a little subtle push, but it seems that they have managed it without help, as I had hoped for. This is good; I do not want them to believe that their escape has been too easy and become suspicious."
"As I thought," Hiroto growled. "Nothing is simple when dealing with you. I suppose that I will be able to catch one of them? Or will you compensate me with a new subject to use as a sacrifice?"
"There will be a large number of Konoha shinobi arriving in a few hours," Orochimaru said. "The forces and traps in the facility will keep the rats occupied until then. When the final trap is set off, then you may take as many as you please, Hiroto. Is that satisfactory?"
Hiroto glared angrily at the snake Sannin a few moments more before growling assent. "Not what the deal originally was, but I will accept it."
"Good," said Orochimaru, his smile widening. "Then our bargaining is completed. You have brought me what I desire, and I have given you what you wanted. I will leave you and the facility under Kabuto's watch; I must go to the arranged place, and wait for my new container to find me there. This current container grows more disagreeable by the moment. I trust you will enjoy the power I have given you."
And without another word, the dark master of evil ninjutsu walked sedately out of the room, entering the darkness of his facility to travel to parts unknown. Hiroto watched him go, still glaring but not objecting to his absence. When he was gone, Hiroto turned to Ayaka, who was not surprised to see a wicked grin on his face.
"Your teammate's role in this has already been arranged," he told her. "When he is ready, he will take his position and defend it with his life. I will take you to your station. Come."
Though she liked neither the look on her employer's face nor the talk that had passed between him and the dark man, she could do nothing but obey. Hikaru's life was on the line, now, because they had allowed these evil-looking folk to help them. She fingered the cloth of her new cloak absentmindedly as she walked behind Hiroto, and then a thought came to her.
Was it possible that Hiroto had arranged for the Aburame to be her opponent in this battle?
"Here," Hiroto said, opening a wide door for her. Beyond was a chamber darker than that which she had been in before. He motioned for her to enter. "Go now, and kill in the name of retribution. Both your retribution... and my own."
Ayaka peered up at the traitor Hyuuga, wondering what he was trying to accomplish by motivating her that way. The only reply was the same crazed, wicked grin. She knew that whatever it was Hiroto had planned, the zero hour was close at hand. All that was needed was for her and Hikaru to play their parts.
She turned away from him again and walked through the door, letting him close it behind her. For better or for worse, there was no other choice now. Ibara Ayaka would play her part as best she knew how.
OoOoOoOo Drumroll no Jutsu! End Chapter Fifteen oOoOoOoO
Next Chapter: Team Neji's mission into the Grave commences! What is Hiroto planning, and how will they fare against the facility's defenses?