Birthright
Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. For anyone keeping track: Arashi and Aiya are 12, the triplets are 9, Kenji is eight, and Hoshi & Shisui are 6. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Notation: I did get Tenten the last name of Akara as a placeholder.
Chapter 23
Kaemon knew that Aiya's fathers were probably mad at him, but he didn't regret putting that tracker on his friend. He had always known that the Uchiha Children were a little different than most people and at twelve, well he was smart enough to know about bloodlines.
He had gotten his first inkling of what bloodlines meant though when he was a small child. His father had told him about the Chunin Exams.
"There were really only two reasons why Sasuke survived long enough for Naruto to find us in the forest." Gaara shook his head as he situates Kaemon better on his lap. "He was too damn stubborn to die and his Sharingan."
At the time, Kaemon hadn't know what the Sharingan was. "What's the Sharingan and isn't being too stubborn to die a good thing?" So he asked.
Like most children his age, he had had a natural curiosity about things. Kaemon knew there were times when his inquisitiveness both amused and slightly exasperated Gaara, but his father always diligently answered his questions.
Gaara chuckled. "I supposed that it is in this case. The Sharingan is the Uchiha Clan's bloodline." He paused for a moment, deciding to elaborate. "Well now the Uchiha Clan has two bloodlines. The Byakugan from Hinata's Birth Clan and the Sharingan."
"What are bloodlines?" He tilted his head in confusion.
Gaara sighed and that only aroused Kaemon's curiosity more. His father rarely sighed. If he sighed that either meant it was something really bad or something that he felt Kaemon was too young to know. Either way, he wanted to know!
"Bloodlines are traits that are passed down within families." The red head glanced at him cautiously. In ninjas, that's usually related to some sort of special ability that is found only in that Clan. Though some bloodlines can be stolen." Uh oh. That sounded bad.
"How can they be stolen?" Kameon looked at his father intently.
The question obviously made Gaara uncomfortable, but his father continued on anyway. That was just what ninjas did, especially Kages! And his father was the Kazekage, so yeah!
"For instance, the Sharingan is a bloodline that is carried in the eye. If you were to have Sharingan eyes transplanted into yourself, you would have the Sharingan bloodline, even without being born into that Clan." There was another pause. "The Byakugan is the same way."
Kaemon blinked. "So if someone wanted the Sharingan and the Byakugan, they might rip out Aiya's eyes or her brothers' and sisters'?!" He had been horrified!
"That's a possibility. There are Black Markets for such a thing." Gaara sighed heavily. "But your friends are safe. Their parents would never let anything happen to them and I'm quite certain that they'll all be formidable in their own right, before long."
That had been the day that Kaemon had decided to give Aiya Mr. Bear. After he had put a tracker in it. There was no way he was going to let his friend get her eyes stolen!
"Are we close?" Sasuke races along Kaemon's side.
So was everyone else actually. He'd never seen the adults move this fast before and that was certainly saying something. These were all elite ninjas. Fast was kinda their default speed.
He nods. "We're getting close." He could only hope that they didn't discover the bear before they found them.
Inside the cave, Aiya glances at Arashi's supposedly sleeping form. He wasn't asleep though. She knew that much.
Her brother was faking it. The Uchiha girl could only hope that he would have more success with that approach than she had. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones who had been kidnapped.
"Where the Hell are we?!" Safa's voice.
Her brother and his entire team had apparently been captured. That wasn't a good sign.
What if the bad guys tortured them until she and Arash signed that damn contract? Would they be able to resist? Was it worth resisting.
"Be quiet. You've been kidnapped." One of the goons was probably glaring at Safa.
Of course, that had never stopped the feisty Hozuki girl before. She really was Suigetsu's daughter. The water lover just didn't know when to quit.
"Kidnapped?!" She was probably flailing with outrage. "I'm going to kick your ass!"
"Safa, should we really be arguing with the kidnappers?" Kitzu. "Doesn't seem like a smart idea." Always the voice of reason.
Fortunately or unfortunately, it seemed their instructors were awake. Aiya could hear their groaning. Well that was good in a way. At it meant they were still alive.
Tenten was the first to speak. "Let them go. They're just children." That hurt Aiya's pride, but she wouldn't argue with it. If it worked, it worked.
"I'm sorry, Miss Akara, but we can't do that." The leader's voice. "Not until the Uchiha Children sign the contract at least." The Contract again.
She didn't understand why it was so important to him. What did it matter to this man, if she and her siblings learned the Gentle Fist Technique? Hundreds of Hyugas already knew it. What was eight Uchihas in the grand scheme of things?
There was a heavy sigh. "What a drag. This was supposed to be an easy mission." Shikamaru. Only one man sighed like that and it was the lazy genius!
"A ninja should expect the unexpected!" Kami just couldn't keep his mouth shut either, it seemed.
Really, he was almost as bad as Safa. He was smart, but always getting into trouble. Honestly, she really should have Miya boop the ever living Hell out of him!
"Look what I found in the pack!" One of them laughs. "A teddy bear!" Oh no!
Not Mr. Bear! They wouldn't! Seriously, it wasn't a weapon. They wouldn't destroy her bear, would they?!
"Just toss it into the fire." The leader didn't seem to care. "You'll be very blessed, if that bear is the only one that doesn't make it out of this cave." He sighs dramatically. "You're all beginning to try my patience!"
And that that, Aiya feels tears welling up in her eyes as she hears the bear get dropped into the fire. The scent of burning cotton filled the air. Damn them!
"You're so going to pay for that!" Apparently, not even Arashi could keep quiet at a moment like this! "What kind of bastard burns someone's teddy bear?! And you call yourselves ninjas!" Aiya was inclined to agree, but she didn't think Arashi's cheek was going to help them much in their current situation!
Elsewhere the other Uchiha Children had managed to escape. It had taken awhile, but Shisui had Flickered them all out of there. Though there was just one problem. None of them had any idea where to go next.
"I could probably track them." Nara bites her lower lip anxiously.
Miya nods her head in agreement. "Sounds good. Maybe, we should get Akeno to come with us." She glances at them. "I mean she's in love with Arashi. So she'd do anything to save him!"
Kenji raises an eyebrow. "Girls are really weird sometimes." He shrugs. "But I don't think it could hurt. She is really strong."
Shisui couldn't disagree with that. "Alright, we'll go there first and then Nara can try to track." And with that they headed off.
"We can't let Uncle Naruto or Sakura see us." Hoshi flails.
Oh right. That was a good point. Things would go badly, if they were caught heading off on this rescue mission.
"Can you hide this many people under your Invisibility Jutsu?" Amaya looks at Shisui with concern.
He sincerely didn't know. Shishi had never attempted this many people before. Usually, it was just him and Hoshi. But he kinda had to take Hoshi along. They were twins. That was unshakable bond.
He shakes his head. "I've never tried to conceal that many people." The youngest Uchiha sighs heavily. "Maybe, you can Genjutsu them?"
Naruto was said to be really weak at Genjutsu and Sakura wasn't much better off. She was probably moderately skilled in that area. The woman had monstrous strength and was an excellent medic. One couldn't be good at everything!
Hoshi nods. "Sounds like a plan." He grins. "Let's go get Sunny and kick some butt!"
Shisui nods and laughs as they continue on their quest. The adults would never willingly allow them to mount a rescue mission, but they were going to do it anyway. After all, they were all students of the Hidden Leaf's Academy! That meant something!
Back with the Uchiha Parents and the Kazekage family, Hinata frowns. Kaemon had just suddenly stopped. Out of nowhere.
"What's wrong?" Something had to be wrong. "Why did you stop?"
He looks utterly devastated. "The tracker died." Oh God! No! This couldn't be happening! "She either lost the bear or they destroyed it!"
Hinata swore at that moment that her heart had literally stopped beating. They couldn't track them! They couldn't find who had taken their daughter and save her!
"It's alright." Gaara's eyes scan the area diligent as he sends out some sand to scout. "We at least know what direction they were heading in."
Hinata wanted to remain calm. She knew that she had to remain calm, but it was just so difficult. God only knows what could be happening to Aiya right now! She could be having her eyes cut out!
"It's NOT alright!" Sasuke's eyes were flashing a dangerous shade of red and lavender. "But we will find them!" Only his lavender eye wasn't a Byakugan. It was a Rinnegan.
A Rinnegan that was likely going to help him destroy whoever had did this. Not to mention, Hinata almost shivered in fear herself as she imagines what Itachi would do to these kidnappers.
It had to be more than one. Surely? That was the only way she could see Tenten and her entire team getting kidnapped.
Itachi nods in agreement. "We will." He summons a flock of crows and sends them out. "They'll be able to look from the sky and cover a greater distance faster than we could."
"Not to mention, they're a little less conspicuous than all of us." The female Kage tries to offer whatever comfort she could. "Don't worry. We will get them back!"
Hinata nods. Mei understood. She understood what it was like to be a mother who was worried for their child.
"Hopefully, the birds can find something!" Kaemon looks utterly terrified and Hinata couldn't blame him.
Kameon was a smart boy. He likely realized at least a few of the terrifying things that could be happening to Aiya right now. The boy probably knew that there was a very strong chance she could be getting her eyes cut out right now, but he didn't say that.
He was too kind. Too smart. Too polite. Kaemon was certainly a child of two Kages in that way. So diplomatic and yet stubborn in his own way.
Hinata nods at him. "I hope so too." He wasn't the only one though.
Akeno was also the daughter of a Kage. Naruto's daughter was just like her father in so many ways. So cheerful and determined. And boy was that girl a handful considering she had inherited her father's energy and her mother's strength. In some ways, they were lucky that it was Kaemon who found them and not her.
Back in the cave, Arashi was trying his best not to panic. It was hard though. Those bastards had just burned his sister's bear! They were so going to pay for that!
Seriously, since when did ninjas attack stuffed animals?! When he got out of these cuffs, he was going to join Safa in kicking their butts! The only thing that he was grateful for was the fact that it had been him and Aiya and not one of their younger siblings.
The triplets, Kenji, and the other set of twins were all formidable Academy Students, but they were just that. Students. They were so young. Younger than them. They shouldn't be exposed to things like this.
"I see." He could hear a cold dark chuckle. "I bet you fancy yourself quite the chivalrous sort. A little Uchiha Prince?" Arashi could only imagine that the other man was shaking his head in amusement. "Well that matters not here. If you wish to save your sister though, I would advise that you sign the Contract."
Before he could answer that, Aiya cuts him off. "Leave him alone! I'm the oldest!" By like five minutes! "I'm the one that you want!"
His sister was a heroic idiot! Seriously, Aiya must be out of her mind to take the attention off him like that and put it onto her!
"And such a brave little princess." Sagara laughs. "I almost feel guilty. I can scarcely believe the old fools were really this frightened of you that they were willing to pay me their entire lifesavings, just to ensure you never learned the Gentle Fist Technique."
Old fools? Lifesavings? That could only mean one thing. Kira and Kaiden had something to do with this, but he didn't know how exactly. Those two were dead and had been for a couple years!
"You mean you went through all this trouble, just to get them to sign a Contract for a couple of dead people?!" Kami sounded just as shocked as he felt.
The leader just laughs. "Yes, I know it does sound rather irrational, but I can only get paid if they sign it." How dead people were going to pay him, Arashi didn't know.
The man was probably crazy! They had to find a way out of there and then his mother and fathers could slaughter this insane person!
Meanwhile Itachi waits for his crows to come back. He didn't like staying in one place with everything that was going on, but he had little choice in the matter.
"I can't believe that we're just standing here!" Sasuke apparently liked it even less though. "We need to do something!"
Hinata kisses him and caresses his cheek. "I know. I feel the same way, but first we need a location." Thank goodness for their wife. Itachi was confident that Sasuke would have burned down the forest without her intervention!
"Look!" Kaemon points up to the sky excitedly. "One of the crows is coming back!"
Itachi nods approvingly and holds out his arm for the crow to land on. As soon as it does, the feathery creature informs him of its findings. He smiles and pats it, before dispelling it.
"They're not particularly bright or they felt time was of the essence." Itachi frowns. "They're in one of the nearby caves. Come on!" And with that, he races off.
Itachi knew that the others would follow. His wife and brother because they wanted to save their daughter. Kaemon because he wanted to save his friend. And the Kages because they weren't going to be left behind while their son rushed into such craziness.
Essential. It was essential to maintain his composure until their child was safe, but once Aiya was safe things would change drastically. This son of a bitch was going to be introduced to his Tsukuyomi! Raiden's death would look like a cakewalk when Itachi Uchiha got done with them!
At that same moment, the younger Uchiha Children manage to sneak into the Uzumaki Household without any problems. Naruto was already gone and it seemed that his wife was on a shift at the hospital.
"What are you all doing here?" Akeno looks at her friends in confusion.
"No time to explain!" Miya flails. "Aiya got kidnapped and we think Arashi might have as well. Shisui overheard our parents talking about it!" She flails more. "They think we're stupid and can't handle it, but we can. We need you to come with us!"
Nara laughs and shakes her head. "That was actually a rather thorough explanation given the fact that you said there was no time to explain!" At this, Miya could only roll her eyes.
"I'm coming with!" Akeno's face turns serious. "We have to go now. Do we know where they are?"
That was a good point. Shisui frowns at that. "Well they were training in the forest and they couldn't very well cart and entire team off stealthily. My best guess is somewhere in the Forest of Death."
Kenji nods in agreement. "That's right." He adds as an afterthought. "Probably in a cave."
Shisui couldn't argue with that. There was a slight problem though. The Forest of Death probably had at least half a dozen caves. How would they know which one.
"It's probably a large cave. One with a lot of caverns." Amaya pauses as she considers everything. "They wouldn't want to get caught too easily."
"I know a big cave like that." Akeno nods. "Mother used to always get mad at me for exploring the forest too much, but I think I know where they might have gone." And with that, she dashes off.
The Uchiha Children had no real choice, but to follow. Shisui could only hope that Akeno was right. If they wasted too much time trying to find them, then bad things might happen to their big brother and big sister!
Meanwhile in the forest, the Uchiha Parents and Kage Family arrive a few hundred feet away from the cave. Sasuke's eyes narrow. He could sense chakra inside.
"As much as I would love to charge in there and punish these kidnappers, we do need to be careful." Gaara sighs as he watches Sasuke warily. "We don't want to accidentally hurt your daughter or her teammates in the process."
It killed Sasuke to admit it, but the red head was right. There was a strong likelihood that the bastards would try to use Aiya or her teammates as a human shield. Some discretion was necessary.
"So what's the plan?" He looks at them all anxiously.
Hinata bites her lower lip. "I think our best bet would be to use a transformation Jutsu to look like Aiya and her team." That could work.
There was one slight issue though. Aiya's team had four members. They had three Uchihas, two Kages, and one Kaemon. Too many people.
"I will stay out here with Kaemon." Mei nods. "As backup in case things get out of hand."
Kaemon definitely wasn't happy about that, but he knew better than to argue with his mother, it seemed. Not that Sasuke could entirely blame the boy. He knew what Mei was capable of and apparently, so did the Academy Student.
"Transformation Jutsu!" The adults, save for Mei, transform into different members of the team.
Hinata was Tenten. Gaara became Kami. Sasuke transformed himself into Aiko and Itachi turned into Aiya.
"You know, I always wanted a big sister." Sasuke smirks at Itachi.
Itachi rolls his eyes and pokes Sasuke's forehead. "Foolish little brother." The action looked so strange when "Aiya" did it.
"While that is all very amusing, we do have some children and one Weapon's Mistress to save." Gaara reminds them and they all nod as they slowly proceed forehead.
Back with the younger Uchihas and Akeno, the children were making plans as they all raced through the forest. Shisui seemed to have stepped into the role of the leader for this mission for one reason or another. Probably because he could make them invisible.
"So I'll make Akeno invisible. I want her to hit the ground as hard as she can. Make a crater outside the cave." He nods. "That will send them running."
Kenij raises an eyebrow at the plan. "Alright, but what are we going to do after they're outside?" They needed to do more than just get the bad guys' attention.
Shisui frowns as he takes a minute or two to come up with more of a plan. Kenji was right about that. They did need a way to beat the bad guys!
"I'll make as many of us invisible as possible." He nods determinedly. "The rest will hide as good as they can. Amaya, I want you to try to capture them in a Genjutsu. After that, I want Sparky to do his thing. Lob a Chidori at anyone who isn't us that you can."
Well he should probably clarify on that last point. After all, Kenji loved his Chidoris and he had a tendency to get carried away. "Fire off two or three shots. Make them count, but preserve the rest of your chakra in case we fight in a drawn out battle."
Kenji nods in understanding as the other children look at him. Shisui blinks. He wasn't used to being the leader. Hmm.
"Miya, I want you to fire off your Scorch Style and fry as many of them as you can or at least scare them. As for Nara and Hoshi, try to trap them in your Earth and Crystal Style."
"What about getting them out?" Nara frowns. "Are we just waiting till the fight is over?"
Shisui shakes his head. "No. I'll send a clone and try to keep it invisible." It could undo the restraints that were likely keeping siblings and their teams untied up."
"And once they're free, Team Seven and Team Eight will likely join the fight as well." Amaya nods. "We can beat them with numbers or superior skill."
Miya jumps up and down excitedly. "This means we get to fight like real ninjas now!" His sister was certainly enthusiastic about the chance to prove herself.
Hoshi nods in agreement. "That's right. Let's go get our big brother and big sister back." He smiles. "And Miya feel free to boop these bad guys with your Scorch Style as many times as you want!"