An: So, I got caught up on the manga and realized that Kishimoto-san and I had the same idea. He split the ninja into groups as well… and now I want to change my story. But I only have time to write the rest of my story at the moment. So, what I'll do is say that the group Popori's in is a 'top secret' group or something along those lines. Kakashi is leading one of the groups, so I'll just say he isn't present. Everyone else will be sorted into the designated squads that Kishimoto-san put them in.
Another thing; someone recently reviewed my story and said that Popori was Mary-Sueish. They said that everyone liked her, she had a sad past, she was able to defeat all the tough ninjas, and that she was in every major part of the series. Now that I see it from a different perspective, Po-chan is a like that. But, it's too late to change that now, so oh well. I'll try to make other characters that I come up with less Mary or Lary-Sueish. Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them. ^.^
We've stopped to rest in a not-so-noticeable clearing that I shouldn't even call a clearing. There's debris, bushes, and trees everywhere. We're hiding here more than anything else. Karin sensed that someone was coming up in front of us so we dropped down to the ground to conceal ourselves. The enemy group stopped above us for a while, but kept going after five minutes or so. Now we're waiting for whoever it was to get far enough away from us so we can carry on.
I hold my breath for another thirty seconds until Tsunade gives the okay for us to move on. Once we're back in the trees, I can feel the others' anxiety and don't complain when I notice we are all moving twice the speed as before.
Finally, we reach our destination. We peer out into the battlefield from our hidden places and study the mess of blood and bodies all around. On one side, ninja and samurai are bearing the alliance symbol. The other side is filled with Zetsus and…walking corpses? I'm pretty sure that every notable ninja that's died within the last century is fighting against us. I scan the field and pick out the old man Hokage, Itachi, Kakuzu, and … my family?
My heart beats loudly in my ears while I watch my three sisters and my father battle against my allies. Keime, her long blond hair swishing behind her as she is locked in combat, using the family kekke genkai is going toe-to-toe with a ninja twice her size. The twins, Shinzi and Miho, are side-by-side moving with blinding speed around their opponent. They were always the fastest in the family. Their hair is in pigtails, Shinzi's darker hair messy while Miho's lighter brown hair is pulled into pigtails tightly. My father, Nodo, is facing off against a samurai. His face, though hard to tell from so far away, looks blank and emotionless as he, too, uses the Lightning Fist.
What is this lie? My family has been dead for years now. Who has done this? I'll kill them in cold blood; hag their heart around their neck as they lie dying on the ground alone. I will make them suffer a thousand times over. God, my family doesn't look a day older than the day Orochimaru killed them all.
Orochimaru. Could he be alive somehow? No, it's not possible, Sasuke killed him for sure. Maybe Kabuto then? Yes, that's more likely. We left him alive when Sasuke and I left. So Kabuto has learned of some sick and twisted new jutsu? Fine, I'll kill him just like I wanted to in the Chunin exams. I look over to The Hokage, who appears to be frozen in place. She must know someone down there also. Well I'm not standing here and taking this torture any longer.
Before anyone can stop me, I say, "Kabuto is dead," then leap into the heart of the battle.
I sprint through the chaos, ducking around and dodging attacks as I search for the four-eyed bastard. I come upon Gontei, who looks like he's seen a ghost, and stop as I see he's backing up his father. I can't see who Sate is fighting, they're moving too fast. My cousin spots me and makes a shriek/groaning sound that is extremely unpleasant. His father glances back at him to check to see if he's safe. When he catches sight of me he makes a pained expression, then turns to fend off his opponent.
The enemy lands a blow to my uncle's chest, knocking him to the ground. As the dust clears I can finally see the opponent. I stare horror-stricken at my father. He sees me and his upset expression turns to one of anguish, and he starts weeping silently as he goes in for the kill on his brother.
"Popori…you're so beautiful! I'm glad you lived on. I trust that you've lived a happy life." My father says, tears dripping down his face as he kneels next to my uncle. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to see you become a woman. Sate, brother," he looks to his own flesh and blood, and holds a kunai to his neck. "I'm sorry, I can't stop myself. But I thank you for protecting my daughter."
Gontei snaps out of his panic and sends a poison needle flying at Nodo's hand, knocking the kunai from his grip. This action makes my father smile.
"Gontei, nephew, that's very nice aim you have there. You've grown to be a man I would've liked to march into battle with. Thank you for keeping Popori safe, too." As he says this, he punches Sate in the face, and now they're wrestling for possession of another kunai. I would think it a brotherly spat if I didn't know better.
This is the most I've heard my father say in less than five minutes. He must feel like he has to say all this, so he can make up for the fact that he's the enemy against his own will.
I haven't moved an inch since I first saw that it was my father fighting Sate. It's so unnatural, it makes me want to kill Kabuto even more, but I can't make my feet move. I'm frozen in place, staring at the father I thought I'd lost forever. He's right here, he may be trying to kill my uncle, but he can't help it. He still loves us; he just doesn't have control of his limbs. Maybe if I kill Kabuto, he'll lose control and they can al think for themselves. My family could be restored! The more time I linger on the idea, the more I lose confidence in it. I want my idea to work, but I know it won't.
Is this hopeless? The only thing I'm sure of at this point is that this day is the worst of my life.
I notice I'm crying when my vision of my father and uncle start to blur. I wipe the salt water away then turn and run in a different direction. My legs finally decided that my eyes couldn't take the scene anymore. Nothing could ever compare to that feeling of knowing that one of your loved ones was going to either die again, or kill another of your loved ones. There is no way to win in that situation.
While thinking it over, I forget where I am momentarily and almost get hit. A ninja I've never met before calls me an idiot then shoves me out of the line-of-fire. I glance around then groan with irritation. Of course I've run into another dead family member. Fate must hate me.
The twins double-team a Genin then turn to me. Shinzi, always the louder of the two, quirks an eyebrow at the sight of me and studies me with her green eyes. Miho crinkles her green orbs; their eye color is the only thing similar between them, then she sighs and searches my face.
"Who is that?" Shinzi demands while they run at me.
Miho stares at me a while longer as they get closer, then recognition fills her features. "It's Popori!"
Shinzi gasps as the two start circling me at blinding speed. They move so fast they form a sort of tornado around me, the wind picking up rocks and sticks and flicking them towards me. It's in this moment that I begin to panic. I can't fight them. They're my older sisters, though they still look twelve, and I love them. I'll feel horrible if I even lay a slightly aggressive hand on them. They probably feel the same way, but they don't have control over themselves.
As I suspected, shuriken and kunai start flying at me. I catch some and drop them to the ground, but the majority of them hit me. I'm ultimately helpless in this situation. Shuriken hit me in the arms, legs, back, everywhere. I'm going to die by the hands of my head sisters.
"Popori!" Miho yells. She sounds like she's crying. "We're sorry! We can't help it!"
"Pori!" This is Shinzi, and she sounds less sad and more pissed off. "Get your ass up right now and fight back! I won't let you let us kill you! We're dead. Don't you dare feel bad!"
Another shuriken glides across my cheek, and I can feel the blood start to spill out of the line it made in my skin. I know Shinzi's right, but I just can't fight against them. They're my sisters. The two are frozen at age twelve for God's sake!
This is when the winds stops circling around me and starts coming from one direction. It knocks the twins off balance and they come back into view along with the battle around us. I look for the source of this change and find four blond pigtails.
Temari smirks and winks at me, then turns her attention to Shinzi and Miho. "How in the hell were you rendered helpless by these brats?"
Shinzi growls in annoyance as she and Miho regain their senses and start circling around bother Temari and I. "She's our younger sister, pig!"
The older blond looks at me with confusion, then shrugs. "Whatever. I'll just go with it. There's been a lot of crazy stuff going on today." She sets her stance and prepares to wave her fan again. " *Dai Kamaitachi no jutsu!"
I inhale quickly and look away. Once I hear Temari snort, I snap my attention back to the area in front of us. The twins are definitely roughed up, but they're still alive.
"You've got some strong sisters there. I'm kind of jealous." Temari jokes, trying to lighten the mood unsuccessfully. She frowns, "Look, I'm sorry. This is probably horrible. I know I'd feel the same way if I was in your position. But they're on the enemy line, and if I don't defeat them, they'll destroy us. Look at yourself; you're a mess because of them. It's obvious you can't fight them, but I can. Don't try to stop me."
She puts a hand on my shoulder then sets her footing once again. I can tell form the difference in her stance that this blow will end the fight.
The twins get to their feet, and then rush us. They're fast, and Miho gets past Temari before she can wave her fan. My sister attacks me, her tiny fist connecting with my neck and making me choke and fall backwards. She closes her green eyes and yells as she delivers a fury of punches to my face.
I can faintly see Temari attempting to fend off Shinzi while also trying to get to me. A voice in my head that I didn't know existed whispers in my ear as I let Miho pound the life out of me. "So, you're just going to let a zombie kill you? So much for everyone else that loves you and is still alive. But they don't matter, right?" The voice snickers then says almost inaudibly, "Your curse could take the twins out no problem." As it speaks, I can feel the marks spreading on my body, the sweet fire blazing on my skin. "Release it, and this torment can be over." The voice fades, and I explode into my second state, sending Miho flying off my chest.
I breathe in my power and feel the electricity flowing through my veins. I know I look monstrous, but I don't care. I want the suffering to stop.
The twins and Temari all look at me. My sisters don't hesitate to focus on the bigger threat. They both lunge for me, and I coat my body with lightning just like I did when sparring with Lee. As soon as the girls touch me, both their knees buckle and they fall to the ground. With a moment of heartlessness and determination, I charge my fists with chakra and punch the twins in the chests. They convulse for a while, making gurgling sounds, then fall still.
Somehow, I think I see their souls leaving their bodies. They look older, maybe three years older than me like they're supposed to look. They're so beautiful. Shinzi's long dark hair flows to her waist and frames her face, making her green eyes pop. She gives me a thumbs up then fades into nothingness. Miho's brunette hair hangs just past her shoulders, making her oval face shape the more prominent detail. She smiles warmly then fades away after her other half.
I stare into the space they disappeared, ignoring the mayhem around me, and swear that I hear their older voices tell me they love me. I smile, fazing back to my middle state, then look up to the sky. I have my next goal; I'm going to free the rest of my family from their shackles.
AN: And that is the end of this chapter. I like it. When I realized I could bring Po-chan's family back for the war, I totally jumped at the chance. Plus, this gets her away from the group that wasn't supposed to exist. Ha! Yes. The next chapter will include more Keime and Nodo, and end with a bit of Itachi and possibly others' madness. Woo! Thanks again for everyone being patient and giving me lovely reviews.