Hi, just as I had promised, here is another short chapter. But before the story goes on, I want to thank all those who have reviewed my stories. I am truly grateful that there are people who like my story, despite it's rather unique setting and the lack of a blond fool in orange, kill me on sight, clothing^^
One thing I want to state at the beginning though. I have renamed one of Arashi's teammates. His female teammate is no longer called Akane, instead I have chosen the name Hotaru and replaced the name in all previous chapters. Why change it, some might ask. Well I kind of disliked that there were so many characters with a name that started with A. And I really prefer the meaning of the name Hotaru, it fits the character better than Akane anyway. Never forget, I choose names that fit the character and not just random names from other mangas or tv-shows.
Well then, let us continue...
The Hunt – Part III
"What is taking him this long?" A blonde woman said, as she paced restlessly through the cave they were currently hiding in. "You said he would be here as fast as he could. Where is he?"
Akahana looked slightly worried at the entrance of the cave, her hopes still high, that he would come like he had promised he would. "I don't know, Yugito. He gave me his word that he would help me when I would need him. But that was a few years ago, after the war for Kirigakure." She said slightly subdued. "But he is a man of his word, no matter what his reputation says."
"Let's hope you are right. We need help to get back to Kumo asap. The Raikage needs to hear about what we have found." Yugito finally stopped pacing. She closed her eyes for a moment in concentration, before she opened them again, this time narrowed at the cave entrance. "Someone is coming, Akahana."
"That has to be him."
"No excuse for being careless. Arm yourself." Yugito ordered the younger girl. She had taken out her own Kunai, holding it reversed, so it could not be seen that easily by any newcomer. Akahana quickly copied her action, though with less fervor. She knew she was right, she knew that it was him.
A few moments later a tall man entered the cave. He carried himself with an obvious arrogance, a self-assured gait making him look downright cocky. Though most of his face was hidden behind bandages, his eyes were clearly showing his firm believe in his own superiority. There was no need for him to have his weapon in hand, no the large cleaver looked just as menacing on his back.
"Zabuza-sensei, you are here!" Akahana said with a relieved sigh. "We thought you wouldn't come."
"When have I ever shied back from a challenge, gaki?" The man said with a snort. "And who is that blonde friend of yours? Finally ditched that foolish Uchiha?"
"This is Yugito Nii, my current teacher and partner. We fight together in this war, you can trust her like you trust me." Akahana assured Zabuza calmly. It had been a few years, but her old Kenjutsu teacher looked just as strong and battle ready as he did back then.
"Kumo, pah..." Zabuza said derisively as he saw the hitai-ate on Yugito's forehead. "What, you as well?" He added as he saw a similar piece of metal on a sash around Akahana's waist. "And here I thought you couldn't get any lower than the Leaf."
"Everything has a reason. I couldn't stay in Konoha. Kumo is my home now." 'At least for some time' She added in her mind. One word from her true master and she would be back by his side, though it would be hard for her to leave Yugito and Bee behind... she had grown close to her fellow Jinchuriki.
"Whatever." Zabuza said derisively. "Why have you called me? We did not expect you back, especially not after Konoha swarmed our country with their spies trying to find you."
"We..." Akahana gestured towards Yugito and herself, "... need your help."
"Obviously." Zabuza snorted, much to Yugito's rising ire.
"We need to get back to Kumo as quickly as possible. But as you said, Water country is full of spies, both from Konoha and our common foe. The Akatsuki want both of us for reasons I can't share, but it would not end pretty, that much I can assure you. And you can guess fairly easy why I wish to avoid those Konoha spies."
"And why do you come to me? You should have tried Mei, she is Mizukage because of you, she would have helped you." He sounded slightly angry about that last part. Akahana could only guess that he was still upset about the time when she supported Mei's claim when the shinobi of Kiri elected a new leader.
"I'm asking you, because you still owe me, Sensei. I may not have allowed you to become Mizukage, but I still saved your live three times. You owe me something and now I am collecting that debt." Akahana said, as she glared at the man.
Zabuza mumbled something to himself, but neither Akahana nor Yugito could properly understand him. "Why exactly do you have to get back to Kumo this quickly? You can get home by yourself, it will just take some weeks of dodging your enemies."
"We don't have weeks. We found out something very important." Akahana said.
"And that would be?" Zabuza asked. Yugito glared at Akahana, silently ordering her not to tell this man anything of value. And indeed Akahana was struggling with herself, not knowing how much she should trust this man with. She trusted him to a degree, but some information were to important to be shared, not even with friends.
"We found out the true identity of our enemy." Akahana admitted finally. "But we can't say anything else. Please don't press for any more information, this is all I can tell you."
"Give me some moments to ponder my answer." Zabuza said curtly, before he turned around and left the cave for a moment.
"This is the man you were talking about?" Yugito hissed at Akahana. "He's an asshole, how can you trust him?"
"I admit he isn't the most friendly person you will ever meet, but in a battle he will have your back as long as you fight for the same side. He and I have been through much during the civil war. He taught me everything I know about Kenjutsu and many things about Water Manipulation."
"He still is an asshole." Yugito said with a huff. "Better hope he has not run off like a coward."
"I am still here, that I can assure you." Zabuza's booming voice once more filled the cave as he came back.
"So you have made a decision?"
"That I have. You know, Akahana, Haku really liked you. He liked you so much, he actually was happy that he could die to keep you safe." Zabuza said with a grave voice. He looked coldly at the red-haired girl, his fists clenched tightly. "Sadly for you, I don't share this sentiment. I will not die for your sake and neither will I allow my country to suffer because of you."
"Zabuza-sensei, what is the meaning of this?"
"He means that you will come with us now." Another man said as he slowly entered the cave, followed by three others.
"Itachi..." Akahana growled. She let go of the Kunai in her hand, instead she unsheathed her Katana. Yugito was already in a battle stance, awaiting the attack from the four black-robed men.
"We actually owe you something Zabuza. We worked well together, just like in the old days, eh." A blue, shark-like man mockingly.
"Just get your rotten fish carcass out of my country, Kisame." Zabuza said, as he turned around to leave.
"Why, Zabuza-sensei? I trusted you! You damn traitor." Akahana yelled in outrage. This man had been her teacher. For nearly a year they had lived, fought and bled together to free Kiri from Yagura. There were few people she truly trusted, Zabuza had been one of them. He had earned her trust. That was the reason why she chose to contact him and not Mei. But now...
Zabuza stopped for a moment. He looked over his shoulder, so he could see the red-haired girl, which he had trained a few years ago. "They came a few days before you sent your message. It was either you or Kiri. As I said, Haku died for you, I won't. Don't take it personal, but I just don't give a damn about what happens to you." With that said, he finally left. He disappeared from the cave and out of her life. Somehow both he and Akahana knew that this would be their last meeting. Though neither knew who would be the first to die.
"Don't even think about resisting, Akahana-san. No one will be able to help you here. Spare yourself the hassle and surrender peacefully." Itachi said with his usual smooth drawl.
"Never. We will never surrender to you murderers." Yugito spat out. Akahana merely nodded, still stunned to silence by Zabuza's betrayal.
"Very well." Itachi replied, before he and the other three Akatsuki members sprung into action, intent on capturing two of the few remaining Jinchuriki.
Akahana's restless dream came to a sudden end as an explosion rocked the ground beneath her. Outside of her room she could hear the sounds of fighting, the crashing of things being destroyed, the muffled sounds of people yelling. It was definitely getting closer.
Suddenly the door was knocked down by someone. Akahana had to roll out of the way, as the door nearly dropped onto her head.
"Oops. This was definitely not supposed to happen." A female voice said with an almost childish tone.
A moment later a small animal, a fox-kit, jumped through the door frame and into the room. "Akahana-hime. We are back!" The fox exclaimed triumphantly.
"Kurou?" Akahana asked carefully. Though she would never openly admit it, she was very happy to see the little pest that the Kyubi had sicked on her. The little bugger had promised to find help and he had actually succeeded.
"Akahana-sama?" The girl, which had come with Kurou, asked with a slight smile on her face.
"Yes?" Akahana said, slightly disturbed by the way the girl had addressed her. It was easy to see that the girl was an Uzumaki as well, the same red hair, the same aura of strength that all Uzumaki seemed to project. But to hear any Uzumaki talk to her with respect was something Akahana had not expected.
"We have come to bring you home. Your grandfather was most upset when he heard about your kidnapping." The girl stepped closer and knelt next to Akahana. "I'm Hotaru, I am a teammate of your fiancé. Just give me a moment to free your hands and we can leave this dreadful place."
"Hotaru?" Akahana asked carefully. The girl merely hummed to signal that she was listening as she was busy with the shackles. "Who else is here?"
"My team. Arashi-taichou and Naoki. They are currently entertaining your kidnappers." Hotaru chirped happily.
"Please hurry. They have no idea what they are getting themselves into. Tobi is not to be taken lightly."
"Sure, sure. One more twist and... here we go." With a clicking sound the shackles opened and fell to the ground. Akahana rubbed her aching wrists for a moment, before she stood up and turned to face the young woman who had freed her.
"We need to find Honoka and then we will have to get out of here asap. We cannot fight them, not at the moment. Tobi is too strong... I can't fight properly in my condition."
"Yeah... you look like shit..." Hotaru said without thinking much about it at first. "Oops. Sorry, didn't mean it that way really, Akahana-sama."
"It's alright. I do feel like shit... and please, don't call me Akahana-sama, it freaks me out." Akahana said. "Kurou?" She looked down at the small fox, who in return looked curiously. "Can you somehow find Honoka?"
"I'm not a tracking dog. You know why I could find you this easily, but I have no connection to that girl."
"Just try to sniff or hear or whatever."
"Hear? With all that fighting sounds and so on? Very funny." Kurou replied.
"Then come, we have to find her." Akahana ordered sternly before she ran out the room, as fast as her still shaky legs would carry her. Hotaru and Kurou followed her quickly.
Akihiro was sweating profusely. Not because of any tiring physical work, not because of fighting, but because of his situation. His situation was very precarious. His enemies had followed him, despite all he had done to escape them. He had underestimated those damned Uzumaki.
He had to escape. The Uzumaki will kill him. And even should their attack fail, that accursed masked man would kill him for sure. For failing again, for leading the enemy towards this hideout. This Tobi guy would not tolerate that.
If he wanted to survive, he would have to run. But not without his price. He had come so far, risked and lost so much. He would not go home empty-handed. His teammates deaths would have been in vain. No, he would take what was rightfully his.
So he made his way through the compound, careful not to be seen. He approached the room where the had kept the young Uzumaki girl for the last few days. With her in his grasp, his village would celebrate him as a hero. The one who brought the famed Uzumaki bloodline to his home village. It would give Suna the strength it deserves.
The child looked at him with wide, fearful eyes, as he entered the room. Before she could scream or struggle he knocked her out and grabbed her. Now there was nothing that would keep him here. With Honoka under his arm he began to run, no longer caring whether anyone would see him. Freedom was within his grasp, no one would take it from him now.
It was that moment that two redheads and a fox appeared on the scene. "Akihiro! Stop right there you damn traitor." One of the women yelled at him angrily. He was forced to stop when suddenly a blast of water impacted with the ground before him.
"You will not stop me. Not now. This is my ticket to freedom and you damn whirlpool roaches won't stop me." He rushed through several hand signs with his only free hand, before he yelled out: "Iwa Bunshin no Jutsu"
A gray-brown mass expelled from his mouth and formed several clones of himself. In the end three solid clones stood next to him now, all of them looking menacingly at the Uzumaki's. "Get them. Don't allow them to follow me." Akihiro ordered quickly, before he ran away, Honoka still in his grasp.
The clones sprung into action, quickly approaching Akahana and Hotaru. Within moments the latter was locked into close combat with one clone, blocking strikes, lashing out at the enemy. The attacks with a Kunai did nothing to deter these clones, made of stone they were just as hard and almost impossible to cut by normal means.
Akahana had an even harder time than her current partner. The other two clones had decided to gang up on her, forcing her back, step by step. To add to her misery she was still weakened from Tobi's torture. Endless hours under the influence of the Tsukuyomi had not gone by without leaving traces. She felt weak, tired. But her will to fight has not yet been broken.
The rock clone lunged at Hotaru, aiming for her head with a strong blow that would have been fatal without a doubt. But the attack was slow. Wonderfully fluid and effortless, a shining example of a perfectly executed attack. But too slow to hit the agile kunoichi. In the blink of an eye she twisted her body around, crouching underneath the attack.
In one swift motion she arced back up, bringing her own weapon around, slashing at her enemy with a graceful flourish. But stone was not meant to be shattered by a mere Kunai. The clone had no need to parry the attack, it recoiled from its body, leaving only a small scratch that did neither bother nor hinder the clone. But the almost lazy attitude should lead to the clones demise. The Kunai was no threat, but the following Jutsu hit point-blank, ripping a large whole where the clone's throat used to be. Only a formless brown mass remained now, as Hotaru allowed herself one heavy breath.
Her attention quickly refocused on the other woman who had been with her. Things looked rather grim for Akahana. The two clones had driven her back. Much to Hotaru's surprise the woman she had believed to be one of the most powerful members of the clan, was having a very hard time beating the copies of the man they were after.
"Don't just stand there. Follow Akihiro, he must not escape!" Akahana yelled as she saw Hotaru standing nearby. In this moment of inattentiveness she took a blow to her guts, which sent her down on her knees.
Hotaru was torn, she could either help Akahana and possibly save her or follow Akihiro to safe little Honoka from her kidnapper. Akahana might die, should she leave, but not following Akihiro would also mean to allow him an even greater head start. This time he might even elude them completely. Time was ticking, a decision had to be made.
Akahana rolled backwards to avoid the attacks of her two assailants. She felt drained, so very tired. This was all Tobi's fault. His torture had drained her mentally, but there was something else, something that interfered with her Chakra flow. All she could do was evade until she managed to gather enough Chakra to attack. But suddenly one clone turned back to mud, closely followed by the second.
"I told you to follow Akihiro." Akahana said breathlessly. Moments later she fully collapsed onto the ground.
"I'm sorry, Akahana-sama, but Toshiro-sama's orders were strict. You must not come to harm..."
"I'm fine..." Akahana stated with a displeased frown.
"Obviously not." Hotaru knelt next to Akahana, quickly checking her over. "These wounds are only superficial. Nothing to worry about."
"The bastard did something to me... my Chakra... it feels depleted all the time."
"Please don't misunderstand my actions, but I have to check more closely." Hotaru said, before she started examining Akahana much more thoroughly. "There is something odd here. A seal I believe, but its kinda fancy. I haven't seen anything like this before."
"That rotten bastard..." Akahana cursed angrily. "Kurou!"
"Yes, Akahana-hime?"
"Follow Akihiro. Don't loose him."
"I am not a tracking dog, I told you so before." Kurou said standoffish.
"Just do it!" Akahana snarled at the fox. But Kurou just remained sitting in front of her. "Kurou... find Honoka... please." She said almost inaudibly. There was no way she would let Akihiro get away after what he had done. Not after what he and his accomplices had nearly done to Uzushio. Not as long as he still has Honoka in his grasp. This time the fox complied and ran away to follow Akihiro.
"Akahana-sama, I can't remove that seal on my own. I will need the help of my teammates."
"Then let's hope they can still help us. They've been fighting against one of the most dangerous men in our world." Akahana said carefully. Hotaru pulled on of Akahana's arms around her shoulder and helped her up, but Akahana quickly tried to break free.
"I can walk on my own." She said with insistence.
But Hotaru had no intention to let her walk alone. "Maybe, but this way we will be faster." Akahana, realizing that struggling would do her no good in this situation, obliged the other girl and allowed Hotaru to lead her away.
Quickly the two young women had reached the courtyard of the compound. What they saw was a scene of utter destruction. Miraculously the only part of the compound that had survived the fight this far was the part they had been in. Though whether this was luck or the caution of the fighters was something they did not know and would most likely never find out. But there, in the middle of the battlefield stood Madara, once more wearing the mask of Tobi, and two shinobi with red hair.
The girls sudden arrival quickly got the attention of all three men. Tobi was the first to look at them, his mask hiding his face, but Akahana could swear he was smirking. "Oh, Akahana-chan, you really shouldn't walk around in your condition. Just give me one moment and I will take you back to your room, where you can rest."
"Just try getting anywhere near her again and I will make sure that you will suffer the worst fate possible." Arashi growled, as he stepped between Tobi and the girls.
"Oh, but Tobi is such a good boy. I would have treated her well, we are the same after all."
"I'm nothing like you." Akahana growled angrily. "Quit acting like a child, we both know how you really are. Just drop dead already!"
"Tsk, such ingratitude." Tobi said with a much more serious voice. He had to jump back, when a Jutsu from Naoki nearly hit him. "For now things might be more interesting with you walking around freely. But do not forget. You and I are the same. Soon you will understand and then you will seek me out and join me." Tobi said sagely. Then he slowly vanished from the place he had occupied before, even the attacks from Naoki and Arashi passing through him now. "I'll be watching your progress in this world. Never forget, I will always be close." And with a dark chuckle he finally disappeared.
"Where is he?" Arashi yelled angrily. "Come out you coward and fight me! Let us end this here and now." He was livid. This man was not just incredibly strong, but he was an enemy of his entire clan. He was the protector of his clan and in that capacity, Arashi would never allow someone like Tobi to run around unchecked. But he knew he couldn't beat him, not at the moment... not yet. But he would eventually. No one threatened his clan... and his family.
Arashi finally looked over to Akahana, seeing her slightly pale, but otherwise seemingly unwounded. But to see her leaning so heavily on Hotaru, to see her vulnerable for the first time, it was odd to him. It didn't fit the image he had of her... but it also made her look so much more approachable. And for the first time in those short few days he knew her, he felt like he should protect her. And he liked that feeling.
A/N: So another chapter done. I know, not much fighting and all that. But this fit better then the big fight scene I had written in the first draft.
Another scene from Akahana's past, just as I had promised. Well it should be obvious now that Zabuza did not die in Nami, neither did Haku for the matter. Well blame Akahana for that. What exactly happened that day on the bridge is a topic for later chapters. Fact is Zabuza survived and taught Akahana for some time.
I believe after this little scene from the past, everyone can see the irony in Akahana's life, considering who she fought for in her past. Being a root spy in both Kiri and Kumo, the two villages that destroyed Uzushio and thereby nearly annihilated the Uzumaki clan.
Well the hunt is not over yet. Akahana has been found and saved, but the traitor is still on the run and Honoka still in his grasp. So there is still much to do.
Remember to vote on the poll I have on my profile, if you have not done so yet. I will announce the final decision once this arc is over, which should be about 2-3 more chapters. Currently the poll is almost even after the first 100 votes.
Enough for today, see you all soon...