/~/~
Title: New Wind Nation: Alliance
Chapter 11: Chunin Exams ~ Fight, Fight, Fight (part 4)
Notes: Get ready for letdowns and side characters all over the place (?!).
/~/~
Gaara didn't waste his breath on words.
Jinchuuriki or not, secret weapon or not, he knew he would be fighting at a disadvantage. As he raised both hands, open palmed, a tidal wave of sand surged up through the canyon behind him, crested and began to crash down.
"Choju Giga," Sai murmured again, holding up a hand seal.
This time, it was a giant ink bird that pulled itself free of his scroll. It flew up almost vertically to escape the oncoming sand tsunami, Sai and Sasuke clinging to its back. Orochimaru's gaze darted to his target, but even he had no time to pursue, his attention taken up with defending himself from Gaara's attack.
"Futon: Daitoppa!" Orochimaru declared, thrusting his hands out.
His jutsu's gale-force winds collided with Gaara's sand tsunami, exploding into a chaotic sandstorm that engulfed the entire canyon. It buffeted Sai's ink bird, which struggled to stay in the air as the other two genin fled from the scene of battle.
Sasuke glanced back, but he couldn't see anything except a massive dust cloud rising up toward the dark sky - then, a sudden geyser of sand erupting up, only to fall away, as the battle continued unseen.
"Hold on," Sai instructed over his shoulder.
Flapping its wings, the giant bird dived into one of the narrow canyons that ran parallel to the one they had been in. It was even more claustrophobic traveling highspeed upon its back rather than on foot. They weaved between the pillars and crags, trying to put as much distance between them and Orochimaru as possible.
They had drawn him out, as was the purpose of their mission. Now, it was a matter of not letting Orochimaru obtain his goal - Sasuke, for whatever purpose he wanted him - while Gaara bought them time.
But even if it was their mission, it still felt...
"Wait!" Sasuke barked suddenly, startling Sai enough to make him obey without question. He jumped off the ink bird even as it flapped its wings sharply to kill its forward momentum and hover in midair. "Naruto! Over here!"
The flash of yellow Sasuke had seen out of the corner of his eye also reversed suddenly and darted toward Sasuke. "You're okay? What about Gaara?" Naruto asked quickly, as he and Sasuke landed next to each other, Kankuro bringing up behind.
"He's back there, fighting," Sasuke replied. "We should…"
Naruto didn't bother listening further. "Head back toward the village! I'm going to support Gaara!" he shouted, already rushing away.
Kankuro hesitated only a moment longer, before he followed, biting off a curse.
"W-wait! What do you think you're going to do?! Against an opponent like that, you'll be in the way! You don't stand a chance!" Sasuke called out after them, but neither so much as glanced back.
Watching them rush in without hesitation made his fists clench. Mission or not, he wanted to turn back and fight too - or at least, part of him did.
The other part remembered the terror of Orochimaru's very presence. To run back to that, against orders even… What kind of madness was that? Why would anyone do that?
Naruto and Kankuro were doing it for their teammate, for Gaara. Their concern was enough to overcome their fear. Were teammates really something that important? Kakashi was always going on about it too. Were the bonds between teammates so strong? Just what did being teammates mean?
Sasuke glanced at Sai, who had directed his ink bird to land nearby. The other boy was watching him, his dark eyes and pale features unreadable as always, though at least he had stopped smiling. Kakashi had warned Sasuke about Sai - that he was part of another organization, whose members killed their emotions and cared only for the mission.
In other words, someone who was not a teammate, only a temporary ally, and who most likely did not even understand the meaning that others placed in the concept.
And as for the other one… Sasuke didn't even know where Hinata was. He had completely lost sight of her during his attempt to buy time against Orochimaru - it couldn't even be called a battle - and, with a twinge of shame, he realized he hadn't tried to look for her in the confusing moments before his and Sai's escape.
She was a fellow Leaf-nin and his teammate. She was only dragged into this to fill out his team. Sasuke knew he should go back. It was the right thing to do, what Kakashi would have wanted. But…
'Run and cling to your pathetic life,' his brother's voice echoed in his mind. And that was what Sasuke had done that night. He had been unable to do anything but run.
He didn't want to be that scared little kid anymore. Even if he was still weak… Wasn't Naruto the same? And yet he kept rushing forward, back in the Land of the Sea and here too. For his teammate, for his village…
"I'm going back too," Sasuke declared forcefully.
He took off before Sai had a chance to protest - and before he had a chance to reconsider.
/~/~
It wasn't that Naruto didn't know he was being foolish, just rushing in, but he couldn't do anything else. This was Gaara - his first, closest friend - facing off against a person who was more like a monster. Against someone even the Kazekage was hard-pressed to face!
Kankuro followed him, radiating silent, grim unease but without a single protest. However, Naruto didn't spare him a backward glance.
There was no doubt they were getting closer - sand began to build up throughout the canyon, until it covered the entire floor like a smooth, faintly glittering pale river. The sheer amount of it was staggering, almost more than the dissolution of Shukaku's form had left in the Land of Rivers.
Naruto hesitated for a moment, then called out, "Gaara! Gaara, where are you?" It wasn't like they had much chance to sneak up on one of the Sannin anyway.
There was a response - a geyser of sand, shooting up from down a fork in the canyon ahead. At least Gaara was still alive, though Naruto could tell the strength of his technique was much less than usual.
"Gaara!" Naruto yelled again as they approached and he caught sight of his friend - leaning heavily against a boulder in the middle of the canyon.
Gaara was conspicuously alone, but he made no move to warn them of a trap as they ran to his side. Letting out a relieved breath, he slid down to sit on the sand, one hand clutching at his abdomen.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, wasting no time in trying to pull Gaara's shirt up.
"Where's the snake freak?" Kankuro asked more pragmatically.
"He's… ran away," Gaara muttered, his expression strained and tired. "When he heard you. I think he… thought you would have someone else with you."
Kankuro snickered a touch hysterically, as some of the tension eased. Of course Orochimaru would have assumed they were returning with other reinforcements. Why else would they be crazy enough to rush headlong into danger? For that matter, he had probably thought there was no other way they could have defeated his subordinates.
"That's good…" Naruto said absently, prodding carefully at Gaara's stomach. He frowned. "This is…"
"He did something. I can't mold chakra properly," Gaara said, frowning uncomfortably.
"It's a seal," Naruto judged. "He must have slapped it on top of the one you already have, and the two are messing each other up." He frowned too, and shook his head. "I don't know how to take it off. We better leave it until we can get back to the village."
Gaara nodded slowly. "...I don't think I can walk right now," he said quietly. "Maybe it'll settle down, but…"
"Whatever," Kankuro declared, plopping down next to him. "We did our part. We can wait to get rescued. And the meantime, Naruto can stand guard. I'm sure he can handle a couple stuck up foreign genin."
He smirked when Naruto scowled. Revenge was sweet.
/~/~
Another team of three was making their way down the maze of canyons, their thoughts still on the much simpler goal of a handful of pretty flowers and a promotion.
"What's wrong?" Tenten asked, as Neji suddenly drew to a stop. He had been in the lead, his Byakugan proving its worth in the darkness, and she and Lee had immediately stopped with him.
"I'm not sure," Neji said, frowning. The veins around his eyes pulsed. "I thought I saw something, earlier and now, but it's too far to make out…"
"...I wasn't sure if I should say anything, but… do you think there's something else going on here?" Tenten ventured. She bit her lip, fiddling with a kunai. "It just… feels weird, you know? That the location was changed all of a sudden - everyone was so certain it would be in Konoha this time around. And then that our team is one of only two they send. There's plenty of older, more experienced teams, and Sand's supposed to be our ally!"
"I too have sensed something deeper at work," Lee agreed, unusually serious. "And… when Gai-sensei said to be careful, his demeanor lacked its usual Youthfulness."
"The proctors were acting oddly too," Neji said. As a Hyuga, he had been able to read a subtle tension that pervaded many of the Sand shinobi, far beyond what a Chunin Exam with allied villages would have called for.
"You want to investigate?" Tenten guessed.
"Let's split up," Neji agreed, with a smirk.
"Yosh! Then I swear I will uncover the truth before you do! Or I will do two hundred laps once we return home!" Lee declared.
/~/~
Elsewhere, a different team of three winced simultaneously and raised their hands to their necks.
Only one out of the three wore a headband - emblazoned with a music note. The more noticeable thing about him was the fact he had six arms. The man next to him was rather strange as well, with what looked like a second head growing out of the back of his head. Only the female of the team appeared completely human, though even her vivid red-hued hair made her stand out all the same.
"That's the signal. Kidomaru, Tayuya, let's go," the two-head said, biting back a scowl as the pain faded. "Orochimaru-sama has finished his part. Now it's our turn."
"Who the hell put you in charge, Sakon? Or are you the other waste of space? Why do we even need two of you useless scum?" Tayuya, the girl, sneered.
"More to the point, weren't we supposed to wait a while? He's getting the Cursed Seal, so he'll be out of it, if he even survives," Kidomaru pointed out. His tone remained disinterested, despite commenting on what amounted to insubordination.
"Oh, were we?" Sakon drawled. "Well, no reason not to start early. And if that Uchiha brat Orochimaru-sama is so interested in happens to die while the Cursed Seal is taking hold…" He shrugged, smirking. "It's only a one in ten chance of survival."
'And if we happen to help him become one of the nine who die,' he thought, 'no big loss… to anyone except that bastard Orochimaru.'
"Aren't you just a regular little suck up," Tayuya mocked. "Turning into Kimimaro?"
Sakon gestured toward her rudely, but both were smirking, sharing the same thoughts.
"Fine, suit yourself," Kidomaru said, shrugging with his top shoulders. "But first, shouldn't we do something about that?"
He jerked the thumb of one arm over his shoulder, toward the cliff wall. It was where Naruto had left Jirobo embedded into the rock. But none of the Sound team seemed concerned of the fate of their comrade.
Tayuya clicked her tongue, pulling out a kunai and turning it over in her hand. "Like we have any use for a fatso who can't even manage a couple brats," she said, and let the weapon fly.
Jirobo's body jerked as the blade slammed into his throat.
Hidden Sound had no place for failure.
/~/~
In the end, Hinata had remained where she had been left frozen in fear by Orochimaru's bloodlust. The Sannin had completely dismissed her, and the battle had moved past her as if she was no more than another feature of the landscape.
It was a long time before she managed to pull herself together enough to stumble to her feet. 'I… I have to find my team,' she thought. But finding her team might mean running into… that enemy again, and the mere thought was enough to make Hinata tremble. For a brief moment, she wished she had taken Sasuke's offer and stayed in the village.
The reason she hadn't was...
'This is an important mission... entrusted to me by the clan...' Hinata repeated to herself. 'This is my chance... to bring honor to the Hyuga.'
This was her last and only chance. She had shown no talent for the Hyuga clan Juken style. Throughout Academy, she had performed only passably, with no outstanding accomplishments. She and her genin team had failed their jonin sensei's test. That had been the final nail in her coffin and the last straw for her father's tolerance. Instead of sending her back to Academy for another year, he had simply withdrawn her completely and confined her to the compound. There were no longer even attempts to train her, just a silent abandonment and forsaking.
So what if she would likely die if she drew attention to herself here? Hinata's only other option was to go back to her clan a failure and slowly, silently waste away until she disappeared as her family so wished she would.
Hinata knew that. She understood that she had nothing to lose. But still, her legs wouldn't move. She couldn't take a single step forward.
She was still standing unsteadily in the same spot, slumped over and shoulders shaking, when Sasuke found her. "Are you injured?" he asked brusquely. Hinata shook her head, to ashamed to even saying anything. At least Sasuke looked okay, Sai too, as he brought up a little behind Sasuke.
They regrouped with the Hidden Sand team a little while later, the six of them huddling under a small crag as they discussed their next move.
"We should report in," Kankuro said. "So we can turn around and head back to the village or keep going forward to the oasis. There's an outpost there too. There are patrols along the borders of the exam field, but we might not run into one, and I don't really fancy running around the open desert."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, we should get Gaara to someone who can… check him over."
"I'm fine," Gaara disagreed, surprisingly. "It's settling. I can't mold chakra properly, but I feel alright otherwise."
"That's all well and good, but if we turn back, we'll end up running into the other teams, the ones who still think this is just an exam," Sasuke pointed out. "They'll probably attack us, to cut down on the competition. That might even happen if we keep going forward, if someone outpaced us or catches up."
"I don't know about your team, but we're not in great shape to be doing more fighting," Kankuro said. "My puppet's all busted up, Gaara's basically out, and Naruto… well, he's probably fine, but I don't want to rely on him."
Naruto glared, especially when Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"We're not exactly fresh either," Sasuke said. "But we can't just hide out either. That's not any better."
"Maybe we should wait for a while anyway. Until, you know… everything is settled."
"There is another concern," Sai spoke up, drawing surprised looks from the rest of the genin. He held up one hand. In the palm was a short, slightly messy ink message. "One of my ink animals returned from scouting. The team from Sound is nearby and they are looking for us."
Kankuro bit off a curse, while Hinata bit her lip nervously. Naruto and Gaara just frowned, both equally stubbornly determined. "Just what we need," Kankuro muttered. Glancing at Gaara, he wondered, 'Can we outrun them?' It seemed unlikely.
"You mean, they're looking for me," Sasuke judged. He thought only for a moment before nodding to himself. "I'm going to draw them off. I can move faster on my own anyway. The rest of you can make a break for it… or hole up somewhere."
"I'm coming with you," Naruto said immediately. "The whole point is to make sure that snake freak doesn't get you. And you can't take three of them alone. They're probably not even really genin."
"I will come as well," Sai said.
"Someone should stay with the others," Sasuke said. "In case they get attacked after all. You can send a distress message or fly them away. Naruto and I are enough for the decoy." He also trusted Naruto with his back more than Sai, and their respective elements made for an easy collaboration.
Hinata curled in on herself a little more, having already drawn away from the discussion unnoticed, at Sasuke's off-hand, unintentional dismissal of even the thought of her contributing to a fight.
That was the plan they went with.
/~/~
Unfortunately, there were unforeseen complications.
Sai's expression remained even as he received the report of one of his ink mouse spies. "They've split up," he told the others. "One of them broke off to follow Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun, but the other two are still moving toward us."
"What the hell do they want from us?" Kankuro wondered, scowling. He had set the area around their hiding place with the best traps he could manage, but he had no desire to stake their lives on them.
The answer was sadistic entertainment. Sakon - the strongest, despite how the other two complained - had decided to take the "good prey" for himself and set off after Sasuke. He could guess, of course, from the fact that Sasuke was up and running around, that something had gone wrong with the plan. But that did little to deter him from "carrying out his orders" to test the Uchiha.
And if he happened to misjudge his strength or go too far… Well, a weakling who couldn't take it was no great loss.
Sakon didn't expect much of a fight, even from an Uchiha, and certainly not enough to overcome his Level 2 Cursed Seal, so he felt no need for backup. The other two were content to wash their hands of what they knew was coming - so that if Orochimaru was angry enough to dole out punishment, they would be able to deny any involvement.
Instead, Tayuya and Kidomaru decided to entertain themselves by hunting the other genin.
"I will go and try to lead them away," Sai said, after barely a moment of deliberation. "At least I should be able to split their forces further. If it comes to that, will you be able to take one of them?"
Kankuro and Gaara exchanged a look. "We'll figure something out," Kankuro said grimly. "I'm not completely out of tricks." But it would definitely be tough. He could still use the individual parts of Karasu, but controlling them one by one wasn't a skill he was anywhere close to mastering. Aside from catching them by surprise, his chances wouldn't be very good. And Gaara...
"I'm sorry. I don't think I'll be able to help much," Gaara said quietly, as Sai slipped away. What little control over his chakra he had regained was barely enough to move a few handfuls of sand, and he still felt nauseous - a new and unwelcome experience.
"Don't worry about it," Kankuro said, clapping Gaara on the shoulder without really thinking about it.
It was only Gaara's startled expression that reminded him that this kind of action would have been unthinkable and a death sentence a few months back. But Kankuro stubbornly kept his hand in place, squeezing reassuringly.
"Protecting their siblings is what big brothers do. It's, you know… being family and stuff," he said, and looked away awkwardly. He just hoped Temari never found out he said something so mushy.
Gaara's pleased expression was worth it though.
"You! Hyuga girl!" Kankuro barked, desperate to get off the subject. Hinata jumped at being suddenly addressed and stared at him like a startled rabbit. "Can you use your Byakugan to keep watch?"
"Y-yes!" Hinata replied quickly. She silently activated her clan's dojutsu, and focused on processing the suddenly increased visual input.
It was better than thinking about much more suited for this mission everyone except her was. 'They're so strong, so determined,' she couldn't help but realized. 'Why am I the only one who keeps wavering? Why am I the only one who's useless?'
/~/~
The attack took them completely by surprise.
Gaara's sand arced up, slower than usual, but still faster than any of them. The weak shield wasn't enough to stop the attack, but it slowed it enough for them to see the shape - a golden arrow that clipped Gaara's shoulder and buried its point in the canyon wall behind him.
Kankuro reacted first - his eyes darted to estimate the arrow's origin point, then he quickly dragged Gaara to shelter behind a boulder. "Get down!" he barked to Hinata, who scrambled to obey despite her confusion and shock.
"I… I didn't see it at all," she stammered, hiding behind another boulder. "I still can't see anyone!"
"Did it come from outside your range?" Kankuro asked.
"I… I don't…" Hinata started to say, only to cut off with a shriek of fear, as another golden arrow tore past her with enough force to gouge the boulder Hinata had been hiding behind.
"What?! It's coming from a different direction?" Kankuro realized, his eyes darting between the two projectiles and the still shadowed canyon. 'Did he change location? Is there more than one?' he thought frantically.
"It curved," Gaara said, his thoughts running along the same lines. He was right, there was a subtle mismatch between the place where the second arrow had clipped the rock, the point where it was buried in the canyon wall, and the angle of the shaft, when all three should have lined up.
"Just great," Kankuro snarled. 'What the hell are we going to do? If he's out of her range, and he's definitely out of mine… How can we retaliate, if we can't even trace back where he is? Even Gaara's sand can't protect him right now. That thing went right through. He'd be dead if it wasn't a miss...'
That helplessness and frustration was exactly what the last of the Sound team wanted. It made the hunt more fun, to see the helpless prey squirm as it tried to escape the trap - only to meet its inevitable end.
Kidomaru chuckled to himself as notched another golden arrow in his war bow. 'Should I make another wide shot? Scare them a bit more?' he thought with amusement. 'Or take out one of the little weaklings? Make them scream?' He had them completely pinned down - he could do anything he wanted. Sakon and Tayuya might have taken the more interesting prey, but that didn't mean he couldn't have his fun...
Though there was no particular need to, he had even shifted his full Cursed Seal transformation, his skin darkening, his hair growing pale, and a third eye opening on his forehead. The changed state heightened his sense, as well as his power, and made the game all the more enjoyable.
The thick string of his war bow hummed as he drew it back with his teeth and one hand.
But in the moment before he released it, Kidomaru suddenly spun around to point at a completely different target - one that was much closer.
Neji, who had been attempting to sneak up on the Sound-nin, had no time to dodge the arrow that was suddenly speeding toward him. However, he did not attempt to. "Kaiten!" he exclaimed, and began to spin, rapidly engulfing himself in a swirling sphere of chakra.
Unlike Gaara's weakened sand shield, this defense was enough to deflect Kidomaru's arrow, sending it skittering away between the stones.
Kidomaru didn't hesitate or wait for Neji to finish his technique. Puffing up his cheeks with a deep breath, he spat out a sticky chakra-infused web that tangled around Neji, who had just begun to slow his spin in order to make his own attack.
"Gotcha," Kidomaru smirked, as his opponent was completely bound. "Hmm, so you're another of those white eyed bastards? Come to save the girl? I hate you trash the most, always acting so high and mighty. What are your precious eyes going to do for you now?"
Neji tugged experimentally on the web, but it wouldn't budge. However, instead of the fear and despair Kidomaru had hoped to see, his expression shifted into a smirk. "You are foolish to underestimate the Byakugan, the strongest dojutsu," Neji said. Precise chakra flared across his body, easily tearing through the webs. Standing tall and proud, Neji declared, "You have no chance. Accept your fate."
He charged Kidomaru, one hand darting out to close a tenketsu. However, instead of skin and muscle, Neji struck more of Kidomaru's hardened gold substance, which had appeared around part of his body like a crude armor. In the moment after his attack, Neji was left open, and another of Kidomaru's hands closed around his wrist. With beyond human strength, Kidomaru dragged his opponent off his feet and flung him away.
Biting down on the thumb of a hand, Kidomaru flipped through a short sequence of hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" he exclaimed, slamming his hand against the ground.
In a burst of smoke, a massive spider appeared beneath his feet, its mandibles clicking ominously.
"My fate? Yeah, right," Kidomaru smirked. "We'll see who has no chance here, you trash."
/~/~
"I found them," Gaara said quietly. He had covered one of his eyes to use the Third Eye jutsu, but the other clearly showed the strain he was under. "It's one of the Sound team and… he's fighting the Hyuga from Bushy-Brow's team. That way."
"Neji-niisan?" Hinata murmured in surprise, her eyes widening. She bit her lip. So even her cousin, who didn't know the truth about the situation and their mission, was doing more than her to help.
"I don't think… he'll be able to buy much more time," Gaara said, frowning. "They started out matched, but he's falling behind."
Kankuro nodded sharply. "Alright, I'll-"
"I'll go," Hinata stated.
She didn't wait for them to agree or - far more likely - protest. Hinata darted out from her hiding place and rushed in the direction Gaara had indicated. 'Even if it's just buying them time, even if it's just one minute… I have to do something to help! I can't be useless any further! Not when even Neji-niisan… even Neji-niisan is fighting!'
Once she was past the traps Kankuro had set, she focused her Byakugan ahead, extending its range enough to finally see their enemy and Neji.
Her cousin was showing his skill as a genius and best of his year - the best of their generation in the entire Hyuga clan. His hands were flashing out in Juken strikes almost faster than Hinata could follow, destroying the swarm of dog-sized spiders attacking him from every direction.
As Hinata approached, Neji disposed of the last of them. The giant spider that had spawned them screeched, the grating sound echoing down the canyon, and lunged for him. Its massive form towered over Neji, but his stance didn't waver and his strikes didn't slow. The giant spider shuddered and spasmed as Neji's Juken tore not only through its tenketsu, but also its organs.
Neji launched into the final, rapid round of his Eight Trigrams - Hinata had no time to be surprised that he, a Branch Family member, could perform that technique - and the giant spider burst open.
Satisfied with his victory, Neji paused and smirked at his opponent, who had been watching from where he clung to a canyon wall. That was a mistake. Kidomaru smirked back, unconcerned by his summon's destruction. Uncrossing one pair of arms, he gestured to Neji as if to negligently say, "Come, bring it on."
Sneering, Neji tried to attack. But he found himself unable to move, completely ensnared and trapped.
The giant spider had released a cloud of silk in its death throes. Its web had fallen slackly around and on Neji, so he had paid it no mind. However, during his short respite, it had hardened and slowly tightened, binding him in place.
Neji had used up more chakra than he intended in fighting the summon, and his reaction time had slowed. Crude kunai made of golden metal flashed in Kidomaru's hands, before flying toward Neji, who could already see that he wouldn't be able to dodge or defend in time.
"Hakke Kusho!"
A compressed burst of chakra and the air being driven forward by it scattered the golden kunai. Having finally reached the battle, Hinata jumped between Neji and Kidomaru, immediately taking a Juken stance.
"What are you doing? You're no match for him!" Neji snapped. Concentrating, he was finally able to use his chakra to cut one arm free and quickly moved to do the same for the rest of his body. "Get out of here, Hinata-sama. There's nothing you can do."
"No," Hinata said quietly, a word that she couldn't remember ever using before. "I'm not going to run. I'm not going to leave you to fight alone."
Because even though Neji was much stronger than her, the battle was not going in his favor. His opponent was more experienced and stronger in certain ways, and had succeeded in wearing Neji down and turning the tide in his favor. Because even if Hinata wouldn't be able to do anything, she had to at least try, like everyone else had.
"It's the fate of the Branch Family to die for the Main Family," Neji said, ripping his other arm free. "It is my fate to die for you, Hinata-sama." There was nothing resembling acceptance at this notion in his voice.
"You're not doing this for me at all," Hinata said quietly. "You hate the Main Family, don't you? It might be your duty to protect me, b-but you're not doing that at all. You wouldn't do that."
Scowling, Neji looked away quickly. They both knew she was right - Neji had hated the Main Family ever since the incident with Hidden Cloud's ambassador. He didn't dare to openly oppose the Main Family, but he wouldn't put his life on the line for them. Not willingly.
The reason he was fighting was pride, to prove that he was better than her - a failure, maybe, but still a member of the Main Family. If he could defeat an enemy that had been about to kill Hinata, who had once been the heir, then he, a member of the Branch Family, was better. The Branch Family would be better than the Main Family, even if that victory was not acknowledged or known to anyone else.
"So what? I don't want your help, and I don't need you to rescue me. Do you think a failure like you stands a chance?" Neji snapped. "What are you trying to prove, Hinata-sama? Just run away. Whatever my reasons, I can still serve as a suitable sacrificial pawn for the Main Family… for you."
"No," Hinata repeated. "I… I don't want anyone else to die for me. Back then, I was completely useless. I've been completely useless all this time. But this time, I-I'm going to fight. Please get away, Neji-niisan. I will cover for you."
Kidomaru, who had been watching them with amusement, began to clap slowly and sarcastically. "Wow," he drawled. "How touching! What a scene! You trash are the best! I haven't had this much entertainment in ages!" He spread one set of arms and shrugged. "It's all meaningless, of course. You're both going to die here. But go ahead. I'll let you decide who dies first."
Hinata's hands trembled finely, but she squared her shoulders.
"I'll go," she said.
Like before, she didn't wait for anyone's approval or protest. Hinata charged, her hands darting out with swift precision, but Kidomaru dodged with ease, still smirking.
"Whoops," he mocked. "That was close.. that one too…"
Unlike Neji, Hinata didn't respond. She was far too used to being reprimanded for her combat abilities, or lack thereof. Kidomaru even chuckled as he evaded lazily. Hinata's strikes began to slow, as if her stamina was waning.
"Is that all? Too bad, I was hoping for more fun… But this is it!" he declared, a bloodthirsty smile splitting his face. He breathed deeply, his cheeks puffing out - about to spit more of his web or his golden metal.
However, what came out was a shocked gasp as Hinata planted a firm strike into his chest. She had purposefully underplayed her speed and strength to take him by surprise.
Kidomaru wasn't stunned for long. "You little bitch!" he roared, one hand snapping out to grab Hinata by the neck and lift her clean off her feet. As his hold tightened, Hinata struggled to breathe, her face beginning to turn blue.
But in his anger, Kidomaru had made the same mistake again. He had allowed himself to be distracted.
"You are within my field of divination," Neji announced behind him. "Hakke Rokujuyon-sho."
Kidomaru staggered as the first two strikes connected. 'Damn it!' he thought, more angry than afraid. 'I've had enough of this trash!'
Four more strikes followed, before he had a chance to escape. But by this point, Kidomaru began to realize something wasn't right.
'It's too strong. Why isn't my armor working? I… I can't form any Kumo Nenkin?!' he realized, his eyes widening in shock. The next eight strikes made him groan sharply and drop Hinata, who quickly rolled out of the way. 'Why?! Why can't I mold chakra properly?'
That was the problem - his Spider Sticky Gold was formed by molding chakra into his spit or sweat, but he couldn't seem to mold the chakra correctly, so the gold metal was too slow to harden and too brittle. Neji's strikes broke through Kidomaru's attempts to create his armor easily.
As sixteen strikes pounded him from behind, Kidomaru's gaze was caught on Hinata, who had scrambled out of the way as soon as she was released. Her hand was at her throat, and she was coughing a little, but she didn't look afraid anymore - or surprised.
She had made her one strike against him count, shutting down a vital tenketsu. It wasn't enough to stop him, but it slowed him down enough to let Neji's attacks hit home. Kidomaru didn't even have the breath to curse.
Thirty strikes, and then the final sixty four.
Kidomaru's body dropped to its knees, then hit the ground with a heavy thud and didn't move again. Behind him, Neji let out a heavy breath, slumping in exhaustion.
"...Thank you, Neji-niisan," Hinata said quietly.
"I didn't do it for you," he admitted. Glancing away, at the slowly lightening sky, he thought, 'Even if it's the fate of the Branch Family to protect the Main Family, I… I chose to fight, for my own reasons.'
It was strange thought, but not a bad one.
/~/~
Q&A:
Why did Orochimaru retreat? He was on a time limit and he knew it. He knew from the start that he was going into a trap - a way to draw him out so that some powerful team could attempt to corner and take him out. Sasuke and Gaara had stalled him for a good while, which would give the adults time to find him. Then, with Naruto and Kankuro returning, Orochimaru assumed that the team put together to fight him for real was finally there.
Sure, he could have tried to hide and look for Sasuke again, but he didn't know how far they might have gone. Orochimaru is crazy and arrogant, but there are limits. The entire situation had basically been slipping out of his control by inches from the moment the initial invasion plan failed - no longer where he had wanted it to be (Forest of Death), no longer a surprise attack, etc. Overall, it got too messy, and he decided to cut his losses.
Originally, I planned to have Naruto get stabbed by the Kusanagi to protect Gaara (ala Tsunade for Naruto), but to be honest, I don't think their friendship needs it anymore. So instead the "protecting" talk got shifted to Kankuro. Which has the side effect of even further destroying the chances of NaruHina in this AU. Oops.
Why did you skip so many fights? I got tired of writing this story. I was watching Shippuden to motivate myself, but something about the "Sasuke resurrects the Hokages" arc just really killed my interest. You can also clearly see where I just got too lazy to keep writing and decided to skip my way through to just get it done somehow. I am the best writer. It's me.
/~/~