(AN: So…I have started Class. I also have picked up some hours at my work. I'm swamped…. as of right now. I will have to make only a chapter a month instead of a chapter every 2 weeks or so. I will hopefully be able to pick up the pace when I find more time. I will keep myself on track by uploading a chapter every month on the 1st. If I can possibly get a chapter out sooner than once a month…then it will be a little treat :). I have also posted another picture on my deviant art account that I hope you all enjoy!)
Chapter 7 Savior
(CRASH!)
Naruto went straight through the window with ease. He rolled on his shoulder and up to his feet as glass fell to the ground around him loudly. With a soft skid, he stopped in the middle of the room. Rain fell into the now open window, wetting the floor. Naruto looked to his right as the ground rattled again with another explosion. Molly was curled into a ball in the corner of her bed against the wall. She had her blanket pulled up to cover her face as she barely looked over the edge of the comforter. Her eyes widened with the sudden loud entrance that shattered her window.
"Molly, we've got to get you out of here!" Naruto said loudly over the rain that entered the room through the window as the ground shook with another explosion off somewhere.
Molly's eyes lit up at seeing it was Naruto. She let her blanket drop from her face and smiled widely.
"NARUTO-SAMA!" Molly yelled out in relief. "What's going on!? Are we getting attacked again by those people?"
Naruto made his way over to the edge of Molly's bed with his arms spread open so she could grab onto him.
"No time to talk, I've got to get you out of here before one of those bombs hits h-," Naruto spoke out but stopped when he heard an object hit the floor behind him with a thud.
Turning, Naruto saw an arrow sticking out of the floor that must have flown in through the window. Attached to the end hanging by a string was a hissing explosive tag that sparked, signifying its oncoming detonation.
'FUCK!' Naruto thought with wide eyes as he turned quickly back to Molly.
In one quick action Naruto flicked his hands together, creating a clone behind him while he jumped up towards Molly, encircled her with his arms and pushed her close to his chest to protect her from the oncoming blast. The clone jumped forward onto the arrow, throwing out his arms and spreading his limbs wide as he landed, breaking the shaft with his weight. As soon as the clone hit the ground with the arrow beneath him, the explosive tag detonated. With the clone acting as a human shield, the blast was muffled slightly.
The shockwave sent Naruto through the wall next to Molly's bed as shrapnel and glass and chunks of wood from the floor were sent zooming past them. Never letting go of Molly, Naruto turned upwards as his back hit the floor in the room next to hers. Naruto closed his eyes tight as fragments of wood and plaster sprinkled around them. Once all movement stopped, Naruto opened his eyes and lifted his head to look back at the damage. Molly did the same as she turned her face out of Naruto's chest.
Through the massive hole in the now destroyed wall, Naruto observed the destruction. His clone had been obliterated with the explosion and a huge hole now sat where Molly's floor used to be located. The lower level of the home could be seen now, with pipes and wiring now sticking out, letting sparks fly and water flow. All of Molly's things were now gone, having either been completely obliterated or badly damaged.
"My… my room," Molly whimpered as she tightened her grip on Naruto's jacket.
Naruto rolled to his feet, placing his arms under Molly to support her as she clung to his chest. Dust and rubble fell off of their bodies, landing on the floor around them.
"Molly, let's go. I'll get you somewhere safe." Naruto spoke softly as his ears rang loudly from the blast.
Molly nodded as she pushed her face into Naruto's shoulder, letting fearful tears fall, wetting his still-damp jacket. Naruto lifted Molly to his back and put his arms under her legs for support. He jumped back through the massive hole in the wall and landed on the outer edge of the room, where there was still flooring left. With a quick step, Naruto dashed out of the other wall that was now also completely destroyed. The rain fell into the damaged room, drenching everything.
Naruto jumped over the rooftops as the rain fell; the hardest it had all night. The droplets stung the skin, their impact making Molly flinch and squint her eyes. Naruto was heading towards the main entrance of the compound with great speed, his feet splashing up water as they connected with the black tiles of the roof. Naruto scanned the mayhem as he made another large jump to another roof of the compound.
Smoke blurred his eyes as the rain also made it hard to make out objects. Explosions continued to rattle off all around, making the earth shake violently. Naruto ran along the roof, seeing the large gate in the distance. Naruto jumped down onto a lower wall in front of the house and continued his pace. Once the large home that was blocking Naruto's vision ended as he continued to run along the wall, he looked to his right into the large courtyard in the front of the estate. Just as he had reached the front of the home, it seems his friends had, as well.
Bursting from the front doors, Shikamaru, Choji, Sakura, Sai, and Ino ran out into the pouring rain. Hiro was encircled by his friends who were obviously putting up a human wall around him for protection. Stopping in the middle of the court yard, Shikamaru turned his head as he and Naruto made eye contact. Shikamaru's head turned slowly, following Naruto as he continued to run along the large courtyard wall. The rest of the squad also looked over to see what had caught their captain's attention. At seeing the passenger Naruto carried on his back, Shikamaru understood what Naruto's intentions were and nodded firmly. Naruto nodded back as he turned and jumped from the wall to the floor on the other side of the courtyard, breaking from the squad's eyesight.
Shikamaru quickly turned back to his team.
"Come on! We have to get Hiro to the bunker!" Shikamaru ordered. The group began to move once again. Rain splashed their ankles as they ran smoothly through the large puddles on the ground.
Their trek was stopped abruptly as an arrow with an explosive tag at the end landed a few feet in front of them. It hissed loudly in the heavy downpour.
"GET BACK!" Choji yelled. The group skidded to a stop and jumped away as the blast went off.
Shikamaru slid on his stomach, splashing up water until he came to a stop. Picking himself up quickly onto his knee, he scanned the area to assess the statuses of his teammates. Ino, Choji and Sakura stood off to the side a few feet from the newly formed crater caused by the explosion. Sai was crouched on a knee similar to Shikamaru as he had Hiro next to him.
Standing, Shikamaru began to say something before something behind the smoke from the explosion caught his eye. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at the figures that began to emerge from the smoke. The other members also focused as they realized the explosions that had been going on around them had ceased and only the sound of heavy rain rattled the night air.
The smoke finally cleared away with the wind, leaving 2 people standing on the opposite side of the crater. The rain continued to fall heavily around them as they tried to make out who their enemies were. Shikamaru gestured for the squad to form up as they walked together. They once again created a human wall around Hiro as the dark figures concealed by the rain still stood motionless.
"Who are they?" Choji asked out sternly, as he continued to watch the attackers carefully.
"I can't see any identifiable markings or symbols through this rain," Sakura stated calmly as she balled her fists, making her knuckles pop.
"We will just have to wait for them to make a move. With us having no knowledge on who these two people are… It would be stupid to attack them blindly," Shikamaru informed, earning a nod from the rest of his team.
"Are you afraid?" A feminine voice called out quietly over the rainfall.
The squad flinched at the new, unknown voice coming from the two figures. They were rattled that they were even able to hear her so clearly through this rain. They were having to yell just to get the people next to them to hear what they were saying. How was that possible?
"What's wrong, kiddies? Cat got your tongue?" The voice whispered out again from the direction of the dark figures.
Ino shivered from the tone in the woman's voice. It sounded so sweet and caring. It was… unnatural… they shouldn't have even been able to hear the woman from that distance.
'What the hell is this!?' Ino thought in frustration. Something didn't seem right at all.
Ino stared at the still unmoving figures before blinking quickly. As her eyes reopened, one of the figures was gone.
'WHAT!?' Ino thought completely shocked.
"W… where did he go!?" Choji yelled out in shock as he took a step backwards.
"SAKURA, ABOVE YOU!" Sai yelled out as he jumped backwards, away from the rest of the team.
Sakura looked up quickly to see a dark figure racing towards her in the pitch black sky. She could see the person's leg was raised for a kick. Sakura quickly threw her arms over her head and reinforced her arms with chakra to keep them from being broken by the incoming attack. The kick hit Sakura's arms dead on, causing the floor beneath her feet to crack and shake from the impact.
The mystery figure, seeing that their attack wasn't effective, twirled in the air and landed a couple feet in front of Sakura.
Lowering her arms with a wince from the pain in her now throbbing arms, Sakura readied herself for a counter attack. She was about to lunge at her attacker, but they jumped into the air and the area where the person was previously standing was destroyed by a large fist sticking into the ground.
The mystery person back-flipped and landed a few yards from where Choji's attack hit. The person slowly stood up and smiled wickedly at the group.
"Damn, I missed," Choji growled out as his fist shrunk back to normal size.
Focusing on the now clearly visible woman that stood before them, the team studied her appearance through the heavy rain.
The woman had long, cotton candy blue hair that was cut at the middle of her back. It stuck to her face and body from the rainfall. Her bangs hung just to the top of her eyes, sticking to her forehead. She had piercing brown eyes that glared menacingly at the group. She wore a long-sleeved, skintight black shirt with an orange swirl directly on her chest. Her black Jonin pants were torn at the knees and left untied at her ankles, unlike how most ninja wore them. Her sandals had a slight wedge on her heels, and were also black. On her left arm was a plate where a village symbol usually was present, but this plate was blank.
Sakura narrowed her eyes and glared back at her attacker, gritting her teeth at the smug look on the woman's face.
"Who the fuck are you!?" Ino yelled from behind Sakura as she walked forward.
Stopping beside Sakura, Ino didn't break her gaze from the woman, who only smiled slyly with a snicker.
The woman suddenly jumped backward a couple feet as a black and white tiger impacted the ground with a crash. Ink and water flew into the air before falling to the ground in puddles.
"She's fast," Sai spoke out calmly as he re-pocketed his brush. "She didn't even look at my attack, and yet she dodged it perfectly."
The woman kept quiet with the sly smile still on her face. Her eyes scanned over each person closely before she locked her gaze on Hiro, who was standing behind Sai. He cowed under her gaze and gulped loudly.
"Ah! There you are!" The woman spoke out calmly, setting herself into an attack position with her knees bent and spread. Her left arm extended out in front of her while her right arm stayed at her side.
She scanned Hiro calmly before she started to glance around him as if she was looking for something. She huffed with an annoyed look on her face as she turned her head to look back over her shoulder.
"HARU! The girl isn't here with these ninja!" the woman called out back towards her partner, who was still shadowed by the pitch black rainfall.
"Of course she isn't, Kira…My real self is already in pursuit of the ninja protecting her," the other person called out from the distance in an emotionless tone. By the sound of it, the other attacker was also female.
The blue haired woman, now known as Kira, huffed and turned red with anger. She fully turned away from Hiro and the others as she yelled childishly back to her partner.
"YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME THAT BEFORE I CHARGED OVER HERE TO SEE IF SHE WAS WITH THEM!" Kira shouted out loudly stomping her foot childishly.
"It's not my fault you are reckless and stupid," The other woman spoke out again, her voice completely drained of emotion. "Also, Kira…"
"WHAT!?" Kira yelled in annoyance, still red-faced.
"Behind you…"
"Huh...?"
(BOOM!)
Sakura's fist impacted with the ground, sending fragments of rock and brick into the air. The ground indented around her fist as she yanked herself free from the hole.
"How the hell is she doing that!?" Sakura yelled out in frustration, watching as Kira skid to a stop a few feet from where Sakura attacked. "It's like she has eyes in the back of her head!"
Kira smiled as she turned back over her shoulder to look at Haru once again.
"YO! Go ahead and catch up with your real body! I can handle these pests," Kira hollered out back to the still cloaked Haru.
With that being said, Haru vanished from sight with no trace.
Kira turned back towards the group of ninja in front of her and gave an ominous glare towards Hiro.
"Well, kiddies….who wants to dance first?" Kira whispered out menacingly as she crouched down ready to fight.
Sakura was about to step forward when Shikamaru called out from behind her.
"Sai! Choji! Get Hiro to the bunker and guard him with your life!"
Choji and Sai looked baffled at the sudden order and did not move from their spots.
"What the hell are you, crazy?!" Choji yelled, apprehension etched onto his features. "It's four on one! If we all fight here, there's no way we can lose!"
"I agree," Sai said calmly.
"Listen, protecting Hiro is our main objective. We need to get him to safety before he gets hurt. With both of your guys' abilities you two are the best out of us to guard him." Shikamaru replied, aggravated.
Choji and Sai hesitated for a brief second before nodding in understanding.
"Ino! Naruto is on his own with an unknown enemy on his tail. Go after them and help Naruto protect Molly!" Ino nodded, confidence written on her face.
"Sakura! You are here with me! We won't allow this woman to get to the bunker!" Sakura nodded in understanding without breaking eye contact with Kira.
Shikamaru looked around at his teammates and friends briefly before he returned his eyes to Kira.
"NOW GO!" Shikamaru yelled out as the group scattered.
Choji and Sai ran towards the bunker in a quick pace with Hiro in tow. Ino dashed away from Sakura as she jumped up and over the courtyard wall, breaking from sight just as Naruto had done earlier. Shikamaru walked up to stand next to Sakura as Kira stood, calmly watching as the group scattered in different directions.
"Splitting up? Is that really the best strategy?" Kira asked mockingly.
Shikamaru stood quietly never breaking eye contact as he ignored the young woman's question.
"What do you want here? Why send your partner after my friend?" Shikamaru asked calmly. "He's nowhere near where your target is."
Kira smirked and flicked her wet hair out of her face.
"Don't worry about it kid you have no idea what our target is. Just know that you picked the wrong chick to pick a fight with tonight," Kira spoke scornfully.
Sakura gritted her teeth angrily, causing them to crackle slightly. The tone this woman was using was beginning to get on her nerves.
"I don't know who you are or what the hell you want, but the Five Nations are under a truce. Whatever Nation and village you are affiliated with will be persecuted for your actions!" Sakura spoke, her fists balled. "Stand down!"
Kira giggled quietly to herself before gripping her sides and bursting out in full blown laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man, you must be the funny one, eh, pinky?" Kira asked mockingly. "If you think I give a shit about some stupid-ass truce… well then you're dumber than you look!"
Sakura growled in annoyance and took a step forward to attack the cocky harlot when Shikamaru's arm reached out, blocking her path.
"Calm down, Sakura. You're better than to let the enemy get in your head," Shikamaru spoke calmly, never looking away from Kira.
Sakura glanced back at Kira, then took a deep breath.
"Right," Sakura whispered out quietly as she collected herself.
"Well… since you two seem to want to play…" Kira smirked and flicked her drenched hair out of her face. "Why not play!?"
Kira regained her fighting stance before disappearing in a flicker. Sakura and Shikamaru both quickly shifted into fighting stances back to back waiting for the enemy's attack. The rain seemed to fall even harder as the wind began to pick up. The cold liquid that fell around them iced the skin and made it hard to see. Sakura squinted her eyes as she looked in every direction for Kira.
"Do you want to know why we waited so long to attack after our first attempt?" Kira's voice whispered through the downfall.
A quick slash of what looked like water lashed out from the blackness of the night at Shika and Sakura, causing both to jump apart to avoid being cut in half. The attack collided with the ground, leaving a deep gash in the earth that instantly began to fill with falling rain.
Shikamaru looked around at his surroundings slowly, trying to catch any movement in the downpour. He narrowed his eyes in frustration as he placed his right hand on his kunai holder. Without knowing where the enemy was he couldn't attack, but he sure as hell could defend.
"You were gathering yourselves?" Shikamaru asked in an almost uninterested tone.
A slight giggle echoed around himself and Sakura.
Another slash of water came out of nowhere, trying to slice Sakura's body in half. With a quick jump, she back flipped over the water blade as it past under her. Sakura landed on her feet as water splashed up from her impact on the ground. Sakura once again began to scan the area for Kira, but to no avail.
Sakura growled in frustration.
"No… The reason my Sister and I waited until tonight to attack again was because of one very important fact." Kira called out over the rain. Her voice sounding as if it was coming from every direction at once.
Suddenly, Shikamaru froze as he felt a presence suddenly appear behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Kira standing behind him with her hands in a seal.
"My affinity is water," Kira whispered menacingly. "Water Style: Razor Droplet Jutsu!"
With a large inhale and exhale, Kira sent out hundreds of water spikes straight into Shikamaru's back. Simultaneously, a small capsule dropped from Shikamaru's hand and fell to the ground beside him. It ignited and created a large flash bang, blinding Kira and Sakura. Sakura raised her arms over her face and eyes to help shield from the blinding light that had illuminated the battle field.
"SHIKAMARU!"
-Forest Outside Compound –
An orange-and-black blur moved through the trees with great speed as it made its way away from the great swordmaker's home. The front gate of the compound was now a half mile behind the figure, who showed no intention of slowing down. The rain continued to fall all around, thick and heavy drops drenching everything they came in contact with.
"Naruto-Sama," Molly whispered into Naruto's ear while still clinging to his back.
"Hm," Naruto grunted as he kept his attention on the damp tree branches ahead, using chakra to keep from slipping on the slick surfaces.
"Where are we going… and where's Daddy?" Molly squeaked, not bothering to hide the fear in her voice.
At hearing the distress in his young passenger's voice, Naruto looked over his shoulder and sent a warm, calming smile to Molly.
"I'm taking you to the Hidden Rain village that's not too far away from here. You will be safe there. As for your dad… he's fine! With my friends guarding him, you don't have to worry. You'll see him soon!" He turned back to the trees ahead.
Molly didn't respond to Naruto's words of encouragement, but rather buried her face into the back of his shoulder to help protect herself from the chilling storm. Her emotions had been shot from the events of the night; for now, she would believe him without question.
They continued to move along the wet terrain of trees for a couple of minutes before Molly felt Naruto's muscles tense underneath her. She looked up from his shoulder to look at the side of Naruto's face. He seemed bothered by something.
"What's wrong, Naruto-Sama?" Molly asked in a worried tone as Naruto looked back at her with focused eyes.
He didn't answer her question and kept his gaze upon her. His eyes seemed to be looking over the top of her head back down the path which they had just traveled. He looked concerned.
"Molly," Naruto whispered out just loud enough for her to hear. "I want you to read my mind. I'll communicate to you that way."
"W…what? Why?" Molly asked, confused.
Naruto didn't reply. He turned his vision back towards the path and he seemed to pick up the pace slightly. His grip on Molly's legs tightened and his movements became much more focused.
Molly chose to finally comply with Naruto's request and focused on her mark, activating it. There was a moment of silence before Naruto began to think.
"Molly… If you're reading my thoughts, squeeze my arm," Naruto thought in a confident tone.
Molly complied with his request and reached over and squeezed his arm before returning to her previous resting position with her arms around his neck.
"Okay, good. Now Molly, what I'm about to tell you is very important. Please do not panic and stay calm." Naruto thought sternly, a tinge of concern in its undertone.
Molly didn't say anything as she waited for Naruto to continue, which he did after a brief moment.
"We're being followed… I picked up their chakra a few moments ago. They're moving quickly and will reach us in a few minutes. Now listen very, very carefully, Molly…"
Naruto moved his hand together, creating a cross.
"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu," Naruto spoke out quietly as five clones puffed to life around him. Two of the clones dashed away from the original into the blackness of the forest, fading completely from sight. The last three clones created a triangle formation around Naruto as they continued to move through the trees.
"I don't know what this person wants and I may have to fight back if they are hostile. So, Molly… if I have to fight this person, I want you to find the best hiding spot you possibly can…Okay? And no matter what happens… Do not leave that hiding spot until I say it's safe, okay?"
Molly nodded slightly and gulped hard. She had no idea what to think or do. All she could do was to listen to Naruto… and pray this person following them was just a guard from home.
Naruto continued on his path, jumping from one branch to the other, his pace smooth and determined. His attention was fully on the chakra signature that was gaining on him. The chakra felt calm and untainted… At first guess, Naruto would say this mystery pursuer was friendly.
Naruto jumped from a branch to another before his thoughts were cut short by a sudden sound.
(SNAP!)
Naruto stopped dead in his tracks on the branch and quickly looked down at his feet. A silver wire and been tied to the tree trunk and the branch he just landed on.
"TRIP WIRE?!" Naruto screamed mentally.
Naruto jumped down from the branch just as hundreds of steel-headed arrows shot out from the blackness of the forest. They impacted against the trees with loud thuds and cracks, piercing the wood. Naruto's clones were engulfed from the onslaught of arrows and poofed out of existence. Naruto plummeted to the forest floor, spinning and contorting his body in mid air to avoid the hundreds of arrows that flew by him. Molly screamed in terror.
An arrow sliced a small cut on Naruto's cheek just as he landed on the floor. The hail of arrows immediately stopped upon his impact, leaving nothing but the whistling trees and heavy rain to fill the air.
Naruto looked up towards the tall trees above, his left eye slightly squinted. The pain on his now slightly injured cheek caused some discomfort. Naruto's eyes grew wide at seeing the havoc he had just nearly escaped.
Thousands of arrows riddled the trees above. They seemed to have come from every direction… a true dead man's trap.
"Wow… that was to close for comfort," Naruto thought in an aggravated tone.
"You're very skilled to have been able to escape my trap with nothing but a mere scratch." A monotone voice spoke from above and behind Naruto.
Naruto flinched and quickly turned and looked up to see who had just spoken up. He squinted his eyes to see through the rain. A lone woman stood on a branch just outside the attack radius of her trap.
"Who the fuck are you!? And what the hell's your problem!?" Naruto barked, pointing at her aggressively.
The woman jumped down from her position on the branch above and landed on the forest floor a few feet in front of Naruto.
"You were so caught up on my clone, I was sure that my trap would kill you," she spoke calmly, choosing to ignore Naruto's questions.
Naruto growled, annoyed at having been ignored so nonchalantly. He then registered what the woman just said. He tried to locate the chakra that had been pursuing him before the trap… but he couldn't find it.
"Little bitch… she tricked me," Naruto thought in a sly tone. "She made me focus on what was behind me instead of the trap that was in front… She's smart."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at this woman, choosing now to look her over as she stood motionless in front of him.
She was a fairly tall young woman, no older than 25. She was wearing a black hood that she currently had pulled up over her head. The hood was connected to what seemed like a scarf that was wrapped loosely around her neck. Underneath the hood, Naruto could see she had shoulder-length dull red hair. Her face was pale and her eyes were pupil-less black. She had a nose piercing on her left nostril that was a ring. Her choice of attire outside the black hooded scarf was a red sleeveless top with absolutely no significant markings. On her arms she wore black elbow sleeves and a leather glove on her right hand. She had on black cargo pants that were ripped at the knees. Her red shinobi sandals were bright and matched her top.
What caught Naruto's eye the most though was the bow she had slung over her left shoulder and the quick access arrow holder strapped to her back. Naruto narrowed his eyes and glared at the woman.
"So you were the one who shot the explosive arrow in Molly's room earlier," Naruto said in a low cold tone, his teeth gritting with a crackle.
"Yes… I knew it wouldn't kill you, but I needed to get you moving." The young woman spoke in a monotone voice, her eyes showing absolutely no emotion.
Naruto raised a brow in confusion.
"Get us moving? What the hell are you talking about!? We are nowhere near Hiro or his library, so why would you need to get us moving and then pursue us!?" Naruto asked, frustrated. There was a sinking feeling beginning to form in his stomach.
"Nowhere near my target? I don't know what you mean… My target is right in front of me, Uzumaki-San."
Naruto flinched and took a step backwards at hearing his name.
"What do you mean!? How do you know my name!?" Naruto asked in flustered confusion.
The young woman across from him smiled slightly and shook her head slowly.
"You sure do ask a lot of questions, don't you?" she asked calmly, but receiving no answer from Naruto, who continued to glare. "Well… to answer one… no we have never met… But I do know who you are, Naruto… or should I say… Blazing Angel of Konoha."
Naruto furrowed his brow and began to lower his body to allow Molly to slide off onto the ground. Naruto never broke eye contact with his attacker. He bent down on one knee as Molly stood behind him.
"She knows me from the bingo book, it would seem," Naruto thought calmly.
"What do you want…? We were no longer a threat to you once we left Hiro's compound," Naruto questioned aggressively.
"I've got a bad feeling I won't like the answer to that question," Naruto thought with slight worry.
Haru looked at Naruto for a brief moment before she rolled her shoulder, allowing her bow to fall into her hand off of her shoulder. Returning her gaze to Naruto, her eyes became more focused and much more threatening.
"Our target was never Hiro, Naruto-San…" Haru spoke out calmly as her grip on the bow tightened ready to make her move.
Naruto narrowed his eyes, absorbing the information. His fists tightened little pops emanating from the knuckles.
"She's after Molly…"
Naruto shot a glance behind him to see Molly was still standing behind him, cowering. He could see she had just read his thoughts and the young girl's fear had grown tenfold. Naruto quickly returned his focus back to Haru, who stood with her bow still at her side in her right hand.
"Molly… it's about time you go find that hiding place I told you about, okay?" Naruto ordered mentally while he began to ready himself for the upcoming battle.
Molly turned and was about to run when an arrow connected with the ground right in front of her.
"AHHHHH!"Molly screamed as she fell backwards onto her bottom.
Naruto flinched from the scream and he looked quickly behind him to see the arrow. He then shot his head towards the tree tops to find where the arrow had come from, scanning the trees. It didn't take Naruto long to see an exact copy of Haru standing with her bow out stretched showing she had fired the shot.
"W…WHAT!?" Naruto asked out in confusion as he glanced between the two women quickly.
"Try to get away again, little girl, and that arrow won't miss." The Haru in the tree tops spoke out calmly, but full of killing intent.
Molly gulped loudly as she turned her head to look at Naruto with complete fear in her eyes, pleading emotionally for him to provide the answer to their current predicament. Naruto looked back at Molly with stone cold eyes. Molly gulped again.
"You can use shadow clones, huh?" Naruto asked out as he looked from the original Haru to the clone in the trees. "That's really impressive, actually… not many people have the chakra to use them."
Naruto narrowed his eyes and sneered slyly.
"But I'm sure you know already that I can use shadows clones, as well….and I'm sure ten times better than you can."
"Enough talk, Uzumaki-San… Give me the girl or face your fate," Haru said, her voice aggressive, yet monotone.
"HAH! You know who I am, and yet you're making threats; you must be really dum-" Naruto mocked, but was cut off as Haru shot an arrow at him with a blur of movement from her bow. Naruto jumped back, grabbing Molly, and skidded a few feet as 3 arrows stuck into the ground in a line.
"She's fast!" Naruto realized as he jumped once again as the clone above began to pierce the earth and trees with arrows directed towards him. He took to the trees as the onslaught of arrows continued, never ending. The whistles and cracks of their impacts were sending chills down his spine.
"FUCK! I can't even fight back right now! I got to get Molly somewhere safe!' Naruto thought while jumping and twisting through the trees as the arrows whistled by daring Naruto to slip up.
Naruto dashed forward as quickly as he could. The rain and wind whistled past him in a blur. He kept his pace up until he was in a clearing, away from his attacker. She was gone for now, but he knew she was close on his tail. In the clearing was a small cave against the hillside that was shrouded by some trees. The cliff stretched upwards some hundred yards. It looked slick and menacing in the black sky and pouring rain.
"Molly! Stay in here until I come and get you, okay?" Naruto barked out as he pushed the large branches that were concealing the entrance out of the way.
Molly nodded as she slipped out of Naruto's arms and ran into the cave. She turned to see Naruto beginning to cover the entrance.
"Naruto-Sama…" Molly whispered out just loud enough to catch Naruto's attention, halting him from his task. "…be careful."
Naruto nodded firmly, sending the young girl a warm smile and a thumbs up.
"Always," Naruto respond sweetly.
With that being said, Naruto pushed the bushes forward, blocking the entrance completely from sight. Naruto turned and dash forward and into the trees. He needed to make sure whoever this woman was or what she wanted with Molly….she was going to fail.
"I must protect Molly….Even if I have doubts….I can't fail again!" Naruto gulped dryly, the knot he had in his throat clearing for the moment. Naruto was brought back to earth as an arrow pierced the blackness in front of him, flying straight for his head. With a quick duck, Naruto was able to dodge the arrow and slide to a stop on a large branch. He focused his eyes on the darkness around him, trying his best to see through the rain.
"Your movements are quick, Uzumaki-San… Not many people can outrun me, let alone dodge my arrows," Haru's voice came from the darkness in front of him.
Naruto smirked as Haru decided to step out of the shadows and into the moonlight that made its way through the trees.
"Thanks… You know, you're not bad with that bow either… managed to nick me on the cheek earlier." Naruto spoke in a calm tone, his eyes never loosing focus on the bow in her right hand.
"Yes… Well, I will be sure to do a lot more than nick you next time." Haru raised her bow once again to begin the fight once more.
Naruto gulped as his knuckles popped and his body shook with anticipation.
"H… here we go," Naruto thought weakly as he tried to calm his breaths. "Let's see what I got… and more importantly… what you got, bitch."
Haru launched the first strike with a quick hand, sending an arrow straight for Naruto's neck and then jumping herself upwards to a higher branch before sending another two more arrows with chakra infused into the tips.
Naruto was quick on his feet as well. With a flick of his right hand, he drew a kunai from his easy-access pouch and blocked the first arrow with a loud clang. He then backflipped off of the branch, grabbing it with his left hand and pulling himself below it as the two chakra arrows impacted the branch, cracking it loudly. Naruto swung himself off of the branch and, in midair, sent his own barrage of kunais and shuriken swirling and twisting through the air at Haru.
Haru jumped from one branch to another as the sharp steel thrown by Naruto rattled the tree where she formally stood with their impact. She jumped quickly from her landing spot and dashed forward into the air towards Naruto. Pulling a blade from her own access pouch on her thigh, she swung forward at Naruto, who blocked her attack with his own kunai.
Eyes locked as blades connected. They glared at each other as they plummeted to the forest floor. Their attacks and counters rattled off as kicks and slashes from their weapons filled the air with the sounds of their impacts.
Naruto threw an elbow at Haru; it connected with her chin and sent her backwards and into the tree truck behind her, forming a dent in its large frame. Naruto spun in the air and landed on the ground swiftly as he looked up with a smirk at having finally connected a blow on the woman.
(POOF)
The Haru who was connected with the tree poofed away, leaving nothing but white smoke.
"WHAT?!" Naruto gasped out as his eyes grew wide.
"Too late…" Naruto heard a menacing voice from behind him.
With a quick twist of his head, Naruto saw that Haru had already shot her arrow and it was mere inches away from ending Naruto's life.
"FUCK!" Naruto thought quickly as he twisted his body around raising his arms over his face as a last ditch effort to protect himself.
"You lose!" Haru called out just as the arrow impacted Naruto's arms.
Haru smirked, but it quickly fell as the arrow shattered as it connected with Naruto's arms. Haru was baffled and could only stare in awe at what just happened.
"W….WHAT!? That arrow hit him right on! How did it shatter!?" Haru disbelievingly as the grip on her bow tightened.
Naruto stayed in his protected position for a few more seconds before his shoulders shook.
"Hahaha…" Naruto laughed quietly to himself.
He lowered his arms slowly, revealing sharp yellow eyes with rectangular pupils. Naruto stared up towards Haru with a sly smile on his face.
"W…what is that!?" Haru asked out in a baffled tone as she stared into Naruto's eyes.
"This….this is Sage Mode." Naruto whispered out in a calm tone. "And as of right now… I'm through playing around."
Haru bared her teeth a low growl escaping out through her anger.
"Phew!" Naruto thought in relief. "I'm glad I had those two clones run off earlier and start gathering Nature energy or I'd be screwed! Now I have to just manage my jutsu and save my Fox Cloak just in case."
Haru started her barrage of arrows once again but this time making sure to infuse the tips with chakra. Naruto's Nature Chakra might have made his skin tougher, but a chakra-infused arrow could pierce just about anything.
Naruto jumped and dodged his way through the hail of metal and wood that rained down upon him. He was making his way closer towards Haru as he himself threw his shuriken and kunai. Naruto needed to get in close... long range battle was not his strong suit.
"Naruto…" Kurama called out from the recesses of Naruto's mind.
"Yo?" Naruto called out as he continued to attack and counter his way closer towards Haru.
"Something's wrong, Kit… Your chakra network is on the fritz!" Kumara informed, concern etched in his voice.
Naruto twirled in the air and sent three kunai slicing through the air towards Haru, who jumped back, allowing the cold steel to impact the branch she previously occupied.
"What do you mean? I feel fine," Naruto thought as he tried to keep the majority of his focus on Haru who continued with her onslaught of arrows.
"I don't know… I'm trying to gather chakra for the cloak if we need it… and I can't! It's like my chakra and that of the rest of the demons are being blocked. The chakra gates aren't sealed… but your chakra won't move… It's like it's…frozen."
Naruto blocked another of Haru's arrows, bringing him just a few trees away from her. He was finally close enough to fight back effectively.
"Well, find out what's wrong and fix it! 'Cuz I'm a little busy here feeding this bitch my rasengan! Naruto thought in irritation.
"WAIT, NARUTO!" Kurama yelled out, trying to hold off Naruto's attack, but his plea fell on deaf ears.
Naruto jumped forward, bringing his hands together as he called out over the rain.
"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Naruto yelled out as he soared through the air ever closer to Haru.
There was a brief moment of hesitation on both sides as Naruto moved through the air before Naruto realized the horrible realization of what just happened…his jutsu didn't activate.
"WHAT THE FUCK!? WHERE'S MY CLONE!?" Naruto thought in horror as he looked into the eyes of Haru who seemed quite content about something.
Naruto tried to recover from his moment of shock as he finally reached Haru from his jump, but was unable to block the kick the Haru aimed at his ribs. Naruto was sent flying as the sound of a crack could be heard with the impact.
"AGHHH!" Naruto yelled out in pain as he crashed end over end through the tree branches before colliding with the forest floor and skidding to a halt in the damp mud.
Naruto wheezed in pain as he grasped the mud below him squeezing it tight and having it seep from between his fingers. He looked up from the damp earth to see Haru standing above him in the trees with a large smile plastered on her face.
"I was waiting for you to finally try and activate one of your justus," Haru spoke out mockingly as she raised her hand and pulled her drenched bangs behind her ear.
Naruto growled and narrowed his eyes. He raised his body off of the cold wet floor slowly with one arm while the other wrapped around his throbbing left ribs. He picked himself up into a kneeling position as the rain washed away the mud that lined his clothes.
"You…. (COUGH)… what did you DO to me?!" Naruto growled out in anger trying his best to calm his breathing as he coughed out blood.
Haru narrowed her eyes as the smile on her face grew even wider. The look on her face made Naruto sick with anger.
"The slash on your cheek…does it sting?" Haru asked in a snicker.
Naruto stared quietly for a brief moment as realization set in.
"The….the cut!" Naruto thought in shock.
"It's my own special type of paralysis poison. You see, instead of freezing the body… it constricts the chakra network leaving it unusable." Haru informed, the wide smile still on her face.
"….Shit," Naruto thought in a growl.
"Now your justus are useless, and with your chakra flow stilled… your sage mode is useless… Such a pity… Well, for you, anyway," Haru mocked.
Naruto gulped a dry breath as he raised himself to his feet, allowing his arm to drop back down to his side. Naruto spat out the last bit of blood from his mouth as he glared. Naruto might have seemed calm on the outside…but on the inside was a completely different story.
"That's not good, Kit. Without your chakra network, not only can we not use jutsu… but I can't even heal you." Kurama spoke out in concern.
"You think I don't know that? My cracked ribs know that much! Ahhhhh, FUCK! What the fuck am I gonna do!? I knew I wasn't ready! I should have stayed home and …and."
"Naruto, calm down!" Chomei (7 Tails) called out from Naruto's mind.
"How!? Without my chakra, I'm screwed! This woman's got me when it comes to weapons and long range! There's nothing I can do right now!" Naruto yelled in frustration.
"Naruto… I might be able to counter the poison in your system," Chomei said happily.
"WHAT, REALLY!?" Naruto asked loudly in excitement.
"Yes… but I'll need time. I've never seen this kind of poison before. If you can keep yourself from dying for a little while, I'll have you back to 100% in no time!" Chomei said cheerfully.
Naruto sweat-dropped at how nonchalantly she mentioned his death.
"I'll get you that time, Chomei! I hope…" Naruto informed with slight doubt in his tone.
"And I'll continue building my chakra. When Chomei's done, we'll go full fox and waste this bitch!" Kurama informed confidently, earning a wide grin from Naruto.
Naruto returned his focus to the outer world just in time to see an arrow heading straight for him. With a quick step to the side, Naruto casually avoided the arrow, which landed next to him. He looked up through the rain at Haru, who still had her wide grin on her face. She lowered her bow as she snickered.
"Still planning to fight back even without your justus?" Haru asked mockingly, earning a snarl from Naruto.
Naruto balled his fists, readying himself to yell back in anger, when he picked up a familiar chakra approaching fast from behind Haru.
"Seems like even though I can't use the full abilities of my Sage chakra, I can still use the sensory skills it gives me." Naruto thought cheerfully.
Naruto calmed himself as he looked up at Haru with a smirk on his face. This caused Haru to drop her smile and raise a brow at Naruto's sudden mood swing.
"I won't have to use my justus to beat you." Naruto said calmly as the grin on his face grew even wider.
"And why's that?" Haru asked apprehensively as she raised her brow higher.
"Because he has me, whore!" A voice yelled out from behind Haru.
Haru turned quickly with just enough time to see hundreds of water shuriken slicing through the rainfall at blurring speed, heading right towards her.
The shuriken connected with Haru, slicing and impaling her over and over as blood and fabric ripped from her body. After a brief moment the jutsu was over, and Haru's limp and shredded body fell from the tree and plummeted towards the earth. With its descent, a loud poof was heard as the Haru clone disappeared.
Just as it vanished, a dark figure landed on one of the high branches above. The rain and darkness concealed most of her from sight, but Naruto didn't have to see her to know who it was.
"Damn… just a clone!" The figure spoke with a loud humph. "Sorry I'm late, Naruto-Kun. You sure travel fast!"
Naruto laughed slightly before sending his dark savior a large toothy grin and spoke with a relieved tone.
"Late!? What are you talking about? …You're right on time, Ino."
-END CHAPTER 7-
AN: Ya so I don't really know what Ino's affinity is… so I'm going to go with water. Just seems to fit her. Hope you all enjoyed and look forward to your reviews as usual! See you next month on the First! :D