Hello, after some weeks of absence I can finally continue this story. I'm sorry it has taken this long to update, but some unforseen events demanded my full attention for the last few weeks, so there was no time to write. Again my free time is severely limited, but I try to update when possible.
At this point I really want to thank all the people who Faved my story and those who have left me a Review. It's always nice to see that there are people who appreciate my work.
To answer the question from one Review, no I do not really know why the Senju Clan declined so rapidly. My best guess would be to blame the wars and possibly assassinations. Worst thing for other villages to happen would have been another Mokuton User like the first Hokage, so Senju would be pretty high on the kill list.
The Hunt – Part V
Kushina watched with great suspicion, as Jiraiya and one of his students slowly approached the main building of the Senju compound. Why they had come, she did not know. But she did not like to see them. All she wanted was to be left alone.
'Yes, you don't belong here. Not with them. When will you finally run away? Use my power and be free.' The demon whispered in her mind. Ever since her return, the Kyubi had not stopped talking to her. Whispering those things she wanted, talking about the power she would need to help her family. The power to escape the Leaf, the place where she was unwanted.
Kushina ignored the demons offer. She did not want it... not when she still had some hope that she might succeed in escaping by herself. To her it would make things only worse, should she allow the demon any more influence on her body. She could feel the seal weakening, but as long as she did not use any of the demon's powers, there would be no risk. But should her situation become any more desperate... the demon knew exactly what to say, to weaken her resolve.
The front door opened and the visitors entered the house. Kushina though did not move from her position. If they wanted something, they would have to come to her, not the other way round.
Jiraiya relished the sight before him. It had been so many years since he had last entered this place. Back when he was still a young boy and Tsunade was his teammate, he would sometimes come here to pick her up before training or missions. She mostly thanked him with a whack on his head, but it did not deter him in the slightest. But compared to those calm and peaceful days, this place, the entire compound, looked like a hollow shell of its former glory. Of all the Senju that had lived here in the past, only Tsunade was still alive. War and other calamities had bled the clan out, until there was only one member left. A great shame for Konoha and a reason for the village's enemies to consider attacking them. With one of the greatest clans, a founding clan, nigh on extinction, the Leaf had lost much of its former strength and glory.
"Kushina, where are you hiding?" Minato called out. But of course there was no answer.
He and Jiraiya started to search for the young Uzumaki girl, looking in every room, every nook, until they finally found Kushina. She sat alone in a small room, looking silently out of the window. She looked so lifeless, her face devoid of any visible emotion. Little did they know what turmoil there was, underneath this cold exterior.
"Kushina, why are you hiding yourself like this? No one has seen you since we returned from Uzushio." Minato said worriedly, as he slowly got closer to her. He suddenly stopped dead, when she finally turned away from the window to look at him. The cold aloofness she had projected before melted away in an instant, quickly replace by anger as she glared at the blond boy.
"Do you really have to ask?" She spat. "I should not be here. I am a prisoner in this village. My clan needs me... my family needs me. My mother... my sister... they are all in great danger and I am forced to stay here. All because of that stupid..."
"Kushina, you should not finish that sentence." Jiraiya interjected sternly.
"Why? Why not tell everyone the oh so dangerous secret of the Leaf? It would change nothing for me. I'm an outcast in this village, no one cares about me or what I am."
"That is not true, Kushina." Minato tried to appease her, but only with little success. "I and many others care about whether you are with us or not."
"You never cared, Minato."
"I do. Why don't we take a walk in the village, so I can show you just how many people are worried because of your behavior lately."
"Did the Hokage put you up to this? Did he tell you to come? Of course he has. You barely even talked to me before." Minato recoiled slightly, when he heard the venom in her voice. "No one ever cared about me... no one helped me."
"You always seemed so strong and independent. That is why people left you to your own devices..."
"Shut up. I don't need your lies. Leave me be." Kushina snarled. Minato looked slightly taken back, but he wouldn't give up. He would not give up on her, not as long as he felt like he could help her in some way.
This was also the moment that Jiraiya decided to interrupt, as he saw that the situation might escalate otherwise. Minato tried hard to help her, but she almost seemed offended by his attempts. "Kushina, there is a reason why we have come here."
"Does your Sensei want you to check up on his Jinchuriki?" Minato looked confused as he heard that word. He had no real idea what it meant, but judging by his Sensei's reaction, it had to be something significant.
Jiraiya merely looked warningly at the girl, but got no reaction from her. "We have received a letter from your grandfather." He said, as he pulled out an envelope with a broken seal on it. "He..." Before Jiraiya could finish his next sentence, Kushina had already jumped up and snatched the letter from his hand. Without paying him any attention she returned to her place near the window, the letter already open, so she could read it.
"She's alive... she survived, thank Kami..." Kushina said with a soft voice, a stark contrast to her former attitude. To top it all some tears escaped her eyes.
"Misaki-san has always been strong. I had no doubt that she would survive that wound." Jiraiya said confidently.
"But... it says nothing about my sister... what about Akahana?"
"I have built up a small spy network in the last few years, after the end of the second war. I have them on the lookout, but so far they had little success. But I do know that your grandfather has sent out one of his strongest teams to save her. Have some faith in their strength and skill. They will find her and bring her back home."
'The home that you are denied!' They demon whispered mockingly. 'Your sister will have what you are denied to have.' Kushina tried to ignore that last comment, but it still stung.
"Come with me Kushina, I think we should talk a bit." Jiraiya said. He wondered how he had ended up with this duty. Some people believed him to be unfit to lead a Genin team, and now he was here, trying to reason with a young girl, to convince her to return to her duties as a kunoichi of Konoha. Of cause her own Sensei did not waste a single moment of his valuable time. Stuck up as he was, the Hyuga gave up on her the moment she resigned.
Groggily Akahana regained consciousness after what she considered a rather forceful nap. Wind blew around her, her hair swirling freely behind her, as she moved... or rather was moved at a fast pace. The last she remembered, was the moment the other Uzumaki tried to destroy the seal on her back... then there was only pain... then she blacked out.
"Nice to have you back with us." Someone near he commented cockily. "You really don't need all that beauty sleep, but you wouldn't wake up."
She shook her head, trying to force her consciousness to return fully. Soon the world moved back into focus and she realized that she was not lying somewhere, but was rather carried on someone's back. A man, judging by the broad shoulders. The short red hair finally gave it away.
"Arashi?" She whispered surprised. She was on his back, her arms drawn around his neck, his hands on her thighs, holding her firmly in place. Her head started spinning again, so she pressed it against his back, hoping to stop the nauseating feeling this way. She could hear his hard beat slightly faster all of a sudden. Had she been able to see his face, she would have seen the red tint on his cheeks. Hotaru had seen it, but said nothing, she merely smirked to herself.
"Sorry about this, but we couldn't wait for you to wake up. We still have a traitor to find and he still has a big head start." Arashi grumbled subdued.
"I'm fine now... let me down, Arashi."
"You sure? I can keep going like this for a few more hours without tiring."
"No, let me down. I want to try something. Maybe it will help us find Akihiro faster." She said more insistently this time.
"Fine, fine. Naoki, Hotaru, we take a short break. Be on your guard." He ordered the other two. All three Uzumaki dropped out of the tress and stopped in a small glade. Akahana jumped off Arashi's back the moment he let go of her. At first she almost fell, before she regained her balance.
"So what now? Any plans on where this guy might be?" Hotaru asked curiously. "So far the trail we followed was less than successful."
"My summon, Kurou, is still following the traitor. He will know where he is." Akahana replied.
"Yeah, but the moment you summon him back, he will loose Akihiro." Arashi had a point, but Akahana had already expected that and thought of the same thing.
"Just pray this will work." She said calmly, before she tried to summon. She had not dared to do it before, the Kyubi's words still ringing in her ears. He had replaced her Toad contract with something more useful. But those things the blasted demon saw as useful, were usually quite dangerous to her. Though there was no need to tell her current companions about this. No need to worry them needlessly.
She made the hand signs for the summoning Jutsu, followed by the large puff of smoke. And as the smoke slowly disappeared, three foxes had appeared before her. All three with pitch black fur and – much to her relief – only one tail. It would have been odd to explain why she could summon what she believed to be the demons kin.
"Akahana-hime, you summoned us." One of the foxes spoke with utmost respect.
"Do all foxes call you princess?" Hotaru asked, her curiosity roused by the strange behavior of the other girl's summons.
"She is the chosen kin of our lord, why should we not treat her as she deserves?" The fox said. It was a rhetorical question, he did not expect an answer.
"Your lord?" Hotaru pressed on.
"Yes, our creator and master, Kur..."
"That is enough. We don't have time to play twenty questions." Akahana quickly interrupted the fox. She really did not want any of them to know about her past connection to the demon. It did not matter, that she never had a choice and was made a Jinchuriki by her own father. She simply believed that people would treat her different, should the truth ever get out. Of course the other three Uzumaki were even more suspicious now, but none of them said a word. Naoki acted as if nothing had happened and Hotaru was busy petting one of the foxes. But Arashi looked at her with a frown and the unspoken promise that he would demand answers later.
"How may we serve you, Akahana-hime?"
"What is your name?"
"We don't have names. You are the first to summon us. It is for you to decide our names." The fox said calmly, as he sat down in front of her.
"You want me to name you?" The fox nodded mutely.
"How about something simple." Hotaru offered, as she knelt next to one of the foxes. "Like... Ichi, Ni and San."
"Ichi, Ni and San?" Naoki asked with a hint of annoyance. "I already pity the children you might have one day." She stuck her tongue out at him, allowing herself a few moments of childishness.
"Fine, we don't have time for choosing meaningful names now. So you will be Ichi." Akahana decided out of pure annoyance. She really did not want to waste too much time here, arguing about names for her summons.
"As you wish, Akahana-hime."
"Arashi, where exactly are we at the moment?"
"Near the eastern border of Rice Field Country. We traveled quite a bit while you were unconscious." He replied stoically.
"Okay. Ichi, I want you to find Kurou, my other summon. He is currently hunting a traitor and we need to know where they are."
"We know of the one you call Kurou, we will have no difficulties in finding him." Ichi replied dutifully, before he turned around and ran away into the wilderness, followed by the other two.
"And you really think this will work?" Arashi asked with a frown.
"It will, trust me."
He moved closer to her, until he was close enough to whisper into her ear. "Trusting you would be far easier, if you would just share some of those secrets you keep." The other two did not hear his words, to them the action of their leader must have looked like an intimate gesture, a close moment shared by two people that are betrothed.
"My secrets are my own, as long as they don't endanger others. Some things about my past should better be forgotten." She hissed back, though her voice lacked any form of anger or sharpness. She tried to move away from him, but a wave of dizziness caused her stumble into him. He quickly grabbed her shoulders, holding her close to support her.
"Are you alright? Have we missed a wound or anything else that bastard has done to you?" Arashi asked worriedly. Hotaru had also come closer, looking worriedly at her.
"I'm fine. I just overestimated the Chakra consumption of the summoning. My reserves regenerate slowly."
"We will rest for now." Arashi decided quickly. "Maybe your foxes will find Akihiro. Naoki, Hotaru, we shall rest. The sun will set soon, so we will stay here for the night."
Jiraiya watched carefully from a distance, as Minato almost dragged Kushina through the streets of the village. She had been reluctant, though her hostility had died down after she read that letter. He was glad that the good news about her mother had calmed her down. But it still took Minato a lot of effort to convince her to leave the Senju compound.
He had excused himself after some time. He had done everything he could think about, so he left Minato to follow whatever he deemed the best course of action. But judging by Kushina's scowl, the girl did not like his presence in the slightest. But at least he was confident enough in Minato's abilities to leave him alone with the girl.
He had things to discuss with his sensei now... He stopped in his tracks, when he saw the hot springs on his way to the Hokage tower. For a moment he looked at the hot springs, then the tower, then back at the hot springs.
"Well I guess it wouldn't hurt anyone to do some more research... only a little bit more..." He said, before he altered his course and walked towards his favorite place in the village. Everything was peaceful at the moment, so a little bit of fun should be no problem.
Akahana woke up early the next morning, feeling more rested and refreshed than she had felt in the last few days. She could feel the Chakra pulsing through her body again, not as strong as it used to be, but enough to give her a feeling of safety. It was enough to guarantee her a chance to protect herself.
She looked around their small makeshift camp, seeing the other three Uzumaki around her. Hotaru was already up and running, playing around with a Kunai in what seemed to be a rather fancy experiment with wire. Naoki was not far, leaning against a tree as he watched his surroundings carefully. Well it was his shift at guarding the group, so he just did as he had been told.
And Arashi... he was still asleep, lying not far from her. He had a look of content on his face, that she had not seen on him before. Unlike her, he had no problems with his dreams. Of course none of them had. Not many had survived a live as harsh as hers.
"Akahana-sama, your awake." Honoka chirped happily, as she walked over to Akahana.
"Yes, Hotaru. And please stop calling me Sama, I told you that I don't like it."
"Sorry. Some habits die hard. All children are drilled to show our leading family the utmost respect.
"Just remember it, please." She sniffled slightly, as an unpleasant smell assaulted her nose. "Ugh... I really need to wash myself. Where exactly are we at the moment?"
"Near the border of Hot Springs and Rice Field country." Hotaru replied quickly.
"Oh... I remember this place, I think." And she had indeed been here before. On two separate training trips, the one with the Toad Sannin and the second with Killer Bee. The latter had actually showed her some nice spots to relax, places he went to escape work and his brother, the Raikage. "I think I know just the place."
"I will come with you. Arashi-taichou would not like to have you leave alone." Hotaru said, as she jumped up to follow Akahana. "Naoki, we will be back in a bit. Keep Arashi away from us... and don't peek yourself." The other Uzumaki gave her a blank look, before he rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Come, it is this way, I think." Akahana said, as she lead the other girl towards a hidden hot spring.
After a short time they had reached the entrance to a small cave, hidden behind some large bushes. Inside were a few pools, filled with the same water that gave the entire country its name.
"This place is so cool. How did you know how to find it?"
"An old mentor of mine had brought me here. He always said that this is the perfect place to relax after some arduous training." She smiled slightly, as fond memories of her time with the eccentric Jinchuriki returned. Bee had always been good to her, treating her akin to a little sister. He had taught her so much, before he died... died for her sake, so she could end the war.
"Must have been a great person. To find a shinobi who actually cares for the pleasant side of life... must have been nice." Hotaru said with a sigh, as she disrobed and jumped into one of the pools with a large splash. "All the guys I've met this far only act rough and want to train. They don't care for the simple pleasures of life."
"I admit, I never cared much about such things as well. But my mentors changed me. Without some of them, I would most likely be only half as sane as I am now." Akahana said, as she joined Hotaru in the warm water.
"What was your life like, Akahana-sa..."
Akahana hesitated with the answer. She really did not wish to share anything with the people from this time. More importantly she did not wish to relive her past through her memories. But Hotaru did not pry for information to judge her. It was merely innocent curiosity that caused these questions.
"Well... let's just say that it was not nice..." Akahana said evasively.
"It must have been really hard to grow up without the clan. All children in our clan grow up together, so the elders can see who would be suitable teammates later. It's really a blast, being around the other children, playing games and having mock fights just for fun. I'm sure you would have liked it."
"Maybe... but I did not have the fortune of growing up with a family or my clan. I learned to survive at a very young age and lost my childhood in the process." Akahana said quietly. What would have become of her, had she been able to grow up with her clan? Would she have survived the war against Tobi? Would she be stronger or weaker? Would she have been able to have a family of her own one day? At least the latter was something that she would have now, whether she wanted to or not.
"Things will be better now. Once we have killed that traitor, we can go home. And then you will have the life and the recognition you deserve." Hotaru said with determination. "I'll stand by your side all the way."
"But why? You barely know me and the clan hates my very existence at the moment."
"You don't strike me as a bad person and the clan will soon see it the same way." Hotaru replied easily. "And you keep Arashi-taichou in check and anyone who takes him down a peg or two is my personal hero." She giggled slightly after the last part, remembering the way the oh so fearless leader of her team looks at his new fiancé.
"Thank you, Hotaru." Akahana did not know what else to say. It was rare that anyone trusted her just like this. She always had to prove herself first, before anyone trusted her. The chipper Uzumaki girl was only the second person to trust her this easily. The only other person was Kushina.
Hotaru merely smiled, as she heard Akahana's reply. She knew she would like to have this young woman as the new matriarch of the clan. She would definitely change the clan. "But I guess we have to get out and back to the others."
"Yes. Otherwise Arashi might decide to search for us."
"Oh yes, I'm sure he would love to see you like this." Hotaru said with a laugh. "Oh don't look at me like that, there is no reason for you to be ashamed of yourself, others would kill to look like you."
Akahana said nothing, unsure about how to properly respond to Hotaru's words. She must have meant them as a compliment, but people had rarely complimented Akahana without an ulterior motive.
The two young women had barely finished redressing, before they were interrupted.
"I'm telling you, bro, this place is great. I found it while I was traveling with my parents. You will love it!" A young boy, a mere child by anyone's standards, said euphorically.
"Whatever." The other person, a young man with dark skin and blond hair, said unimpressed as he followed the boy. "We usually don't have time for fooling around. Your training is imperative."
"Don't worry, this won't take long and... Oh we are not alone." The boy suddenly stopped dead when he saw the two redheaded kunoichi, who had just finished putting on their clothes.
"Now look at this, you didn't tell me that there would be women here, Bee." The older of the two said. He had a lecherous look on his face, much to Akahana's growing disgust.
"Akahana-sama, be careful. Look at those hitai-ate!" Hotaru growled as she positioned herself between Akahana and the two newcomers. "Those are Kumo shinobi!"
Akahana did not answer. Instead she looked with keen interest at the young man and the boy who accompanied him. She knew them rather well, at least she did so in her past... the future. A, the future Raikage, now merely an adolescent, and his adoptive brother Bee. She wondered whether the boy already was a Jinchuriki at this moment. But she did not realize the dangerous situation she was in at that very moment. She had trusted Bee and greatly respected the Raikage, so she was not immediately alert when she saw their younger selves. It had slipped her mind that she was a kunoichi of Uzushio at the moment... and that Kumo and Uzushio had been at war for at least a decade now.
"Now look what we have here. Two little whirlpool spies. Or are you some wannabe assassins?" A said with a smirk. It was obvious that he did not see them as any real danger. There was a very good reason why people already feared him, despite his youth.
"As much as I would like to knock you off your pedestal, we don't have time to play with the likes of you." Hotaru said, now sporting a rather disconcerting smirk. "Just be a nice little Kumo ass and sit over there while take our leave."
"You better keep your mouth shut, wench. Do you have any idea who you are talking to?"
"A, son and only child of the current Raikage. Currently A-Ranked in the Bingo Books. We know very well who you are. It is rather that you don't know who you are facing."
"An insolent brat and an airhead as it seems." A replied, as he looked at Akahana, who still stared slightly astonished at the two Kumo-nin. He didn't even wait for a response, before he charged at them, a lightning Jutsu already sizzling around his clenched fist.
He faked an attack on Hotaru, only to switch over to Akahana, whom he deemed to be the easier target. In the last moment she woke out of her stupor, narrowly avoiding the lighting infused punch that was aimed at her head. She could feel the electricity on her skin.
There was no time to form any coherent thoughts, her body acted by itself, the years of fighting and conditioning kicking in. As A passed by her, one of her legs swung, in a spinning kick, towards the man. He blocked the ferocious kick, but even a many of his stature could not avoid being knocked back by it.
He staggered, before he fell backwards into one of the pools behind him, disappearing in the warm water with a loud splash.
Disbelieving that this had just happened, Akahana allowed herself to look around for a moment, until her eyes landed on Hotaru. The Uzumaki girl had captured Bee in the meantime. The Bee she knew would have never been capture like this, not alive at least, but the Bee of this time was a mere child, no older than seven years. A child stood no chance against a seasoned fighter like Hotaru. But that would change eventually once the boy grows older.
"Akahana-sama, hurry, we have to leave." Hotaru called out to her. She held Bee in front of herself like a shield, a Kunai pressed to his throat to stop any further attacks from A.
The latter had already managed to jump out of the water again, but abstained from further attacks for the moment. With his eyes narrowed in barely contained anger he looked at Hotaru and Akahana. "If you hurt my little brother I swear that I will make sure that your village and everyone in it will suffer the consequences." He growled angrily.
"Stay where you are and no one has to get hurt." Akahana said calmly. This was definitely not how she wanted to meet the people she once knew and cared for. To think that they were on different sides of a war now... she did not like it in the slightest.
"Bro, don't mind me... I will be out of here in no time and..."
"Shut up, fool." Hotaru silenced the boy, as she started move backwards. Slowly, step for step they would escape this place.
"Do not hurt the child, Hotaru." Akahana snapped at the girl, as she saw Bee squirm in pain. The Uzumaki thought not much about the order. She had no reason to believe that the order was inspired by Akahana's obvious dislike of seeing children hurt. She way she cared about Honoka was reason enough to believe that. Little did she know that Akahana also cared more about the captive than she would ever be able to admit.
"As you wish, Akahana-sama."
A meanwhile looked carefully at both girls, but payed special attention to Akahana now. There had been rumors. He heard the report from Kumo's spies, that there was another heiress of the dreaded Uzumaki Clan. The way the other girl deferred to this Akahana, it implied that she was an important person, more than just a superior in shinobi ranks.
"You!" He pointed at Akahana. "Fight me! Win your freedom with honor, not by taking hostages. Or is the heiress of the Uzumaki Clan too scared to fight?"
"This does not have to end with bloodshed. You are a fool to believe that you can goad me into fighting you with this mocking." Akahana said calmly. She couldn't fully hide the slight sadness that crept up in her voice, but luckily no one had picked it up. Well no one but one young boy. "We will take our leave now, if you know what's good for you, you will not follow us. Know that we are not here to harm Kumo in any way or form." They had reached the exit of the cave now, the sun shining brightly behind them. "Hotaru, release the boy."
"But Akahana-sama!" Hotaru protested.
"Hotaru, do it. We wouldn't be any better than the bastard we are hunting!" Akahana replied with more insistence. Hotaru finally released Bee and almost threw him back at A. The last thing she wanted was to be compared to the traitor.
"Don't follow us, A. This war is ridiculous and serves no purpose. But should you interfere with my mission I will do everything in my power to stop you." Moments later Akahana and Hotaru quickly left, leaving the two Kumo-nin behind.
"Bro... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have allowed that woman to overpower me so quickly. I should have put up a better fight." Bee said apologetically as he looked at his brother. But A did not react. He still looked at the place where Akahana had left. "Bro, are you alright?"
"Yes. Come, we have to hurry back to the village. There are things that need to be prepared."
"Why? What about our training? Does this have anything to do with that woman you spoke to?"
"Bee, you might be too young to understand my reasons, but I want that woman. The Uzumaki have an heiress worthy of that title." He unconsciously rubbed the spots on his arm, where her kick had impacted. Oh yes, judging by that kick he could easily figure out, that the girl was anything but weak. "If we catch their princess, the Uzumaki will have no choice but to submit to us!" The younger boy somehow doubted that this was the only reason for A's interest, but remained silent as they started their trek back to Kumo.
A/N: And so the hunter becomes the hunted...
Not much to say today, so I just leave it here with a cya soon.