Underlined italics are Team Eight's wordless communication
BOLD italics are Hinata's visions
Disclaimer: Author Does NOT in anyway own the series Naruto or any of its other name rights. Happy Reading!
Team Eight sighed in resignation as they approached the gate of their home. The journey back to the village was long and very emotional, filled with fear, worries and visions.
Hinata did her best to predict what was to come, but after a while, she finally broke down and refused to look anymore. She wasn't advanced enough to control what she saw or for how long, and having her eyes "missing" was too stressful for her. Thinking about how her team was doomed to fall as far as they will, took an emotional and mental toll on her, to the point that she was either numb or crying.
Kiba and Shino were no better. Kiba was much more emotional and angrier about the situation, yelling and screaming about everything and isolating himself for hours at a time. He paced around and would randomly go for runs, jumping as high as he could and running as fast as he was able. He would keep going until he dropped, sometimes covered in blood.
Shino was quiet and sat in a ball of his bugs, who sensed their master's distress. He completely shut down and stopped speaking entirely, staring at nothing for hours at a time.
Kurenai struggled to cheer everyone up and speak to them individually or as a team about what they could do, but it seemed like everything she said was ignored. Her team was falling apart, and she had no clue as to how she was able to help them. She knew that the situation would just have to play out by itself and that she needed to be there for them when the time came.
To say that Team Eight was surprised was an understatement. They entered the hallway to the Hokage's office to hear arguing from behind the door. One voice was very clearly Naruto, while the second one was Jiraiya. The third voice, however, was a woman that they had never heard before.
Kurenai sighed and knocked clearly so as to be heard, ceasing the screaming at once.
"Come in." The woman's voice called.
Team Eight was greeted with the sight of a blond bombshell sitting behind the Hokage desk as if she was made for it. She was absolutely beautiful and Hinata envied the confidence that seemed to follow her every movement.
Jiraiya was standing to her right, arms crossed and looking irate, while Naruto was in front of her desk with a surprised look on his face.
"Good morning-" She looked at the sheet in front of her. If she were surprised or otherwise interested, she certainly didn't show it, "-Team Eight. I see that you're back from your mission. Good. I want a full report from you all on how it went. Naruto, get the hell out of my office; Jiraiya, you can stay."
Naruto whined his displeasure, but made to leave. He smiled at Team Eight on his way out, shouting a goodbye before closing the door behind him.
Tsunade sighed as the silence finally settled, "Finally!"
She grabbed a bottle from under her desk, pouring herself a drink in a shot glass. Jiraiya looked annoyed, "Should you really do that in front of the ninja? You just established yourself as the Hokge. Everyone is going to get the wrong idea."
"I don't want to hear it from a pervert like you." She snapped back, making another shot, "It's your fault I'm back here in this village anyways. It hasn't been a week and I'm already stressed out and tired of this job." She downed the second drink before looking over documents on her desk.
Team Eight waited patiently for her to stop reading. Kiba looked at Shino and Hinata, shooting them a confused look, 'Is she going to say anything or do we have to wait?'
Shino furrowed his brows and shrugged, 'I'm not sure either.'
Before Hinata could respond, Kurenai put her hand on her shoulder and gave a brief squeeze for her to pay attention.
Tsunade finally finished reading and stared at the three genin in wonder. After pouring over Sarutobi's notes repeatedly for days, she still couldn't believe it. She expected a team more… grand-looking than this; a team like Kakashi's kids.
Hinata was shifting nervously on her feet, Shino was staring back impassively and Kiba was looking around the room, seemingly bored. Yeah, she was expecting Kakashi's kids.
"You're telling me," She began skeptically, "That you three are the genin in my sensei's notes? You three are the soon-to-be-ANBU who possess powers beyond the ninja world? You're shitting me, right?"
Kiba growled, but Kurenai laid a gentle hand on his head to calm him. "I know that it's hard to believe. You have the Jinchuriki Naruto, the Last Prodigal Uchiha, and the Civilian Counsel Head's talented daughter, Sakura Haruno.
"There's also the genius Nara Shikamaru, the next Yamanaka head, Ino, and the youngest master of the Butterfly Jutsu: Akimichi Choji. I don't think we need to bring up just how powerful Team Guy is.
"You have those three brave, smart, powerful, and flashy teams, so what does my humble, quiet tracking team have to offer? Well, we may not look like much, but that's the beauty of it. The biggest mistake a shinobi can make is underestimating their enemy, but the best asset a shinobi can have is being underestimated."
Tsunade was silent as she processed Kurenai's words. She was right, of course. Maybe that's why Sarutobi liked her so much; she was about as cryptic as he was.
She knew she was beat and smiled, "You've convinced me Kurenai. However, I would like a personal demonstration, if you don't mind. Have your team come back tomorrow morning, and we'll see what you can do."
Jiraiya smiled knowingly. Tsunade was a shit gambler, but she knew a good thing when she saw it. Even he had doubts, but once he saw everything, he knew that they were exactly everything that his sensei said they were and more.
"Hinata," He called, "We're due for a lesson later today if you're up for it. I think it's time we really got the ball rolling now that you're back home and at full capacity. What say we make a few test seals?"
Hinata smiled widely, "I would love to, sensei!"
"Why don't you all head home?" Kurenai said, "We'll get lunch tomorrow, my treat."
Tsunade's sharp eyes caught the slight tension in their shoulders, the look of dread on their faces. Kurenai ran her hands through their hair and gently pushed them out. Jiraiya followed after Hinata, shooting the Jonin an apologetic look before he shut the door behind him.
Kurenai waited a beat before turning to her new Hokage and slumping in the seat before her, "I'm sure that your sensei had left you a letter or a note of some kind regarding the living situations of all the children."
The blond nodded, pouring Kurenai a drink, which she accepted with a quiet word of thanks. She sighed and began retelling their tales, watching as Tsunade's face turned from interest to horror.
Kiba breathed a sigh of relief when he entered the compound and didn't feel his sister's chakra signature in the house. After taking off his shoes, he walked up the stairs and shut himself in his room.
He was still avoiding any kind of interaction with his family, even when Hana was away. His mother didn't care if he greeted her most of the time and he long since stopped going out of his way to do so.
He let his mind wander to his training and anything else he would need to do to prepare himself for the injuries that were coming his way. He mourned the loss of his legs and thought of every possible cause for the injury. Hinata refused to look into it anymore, having panic attacks every time her visions showed her being blind.
He didn't think it fair to have her look into something that they couldn't change. He didn't want to torture her anymore with the 'what ifs' and 'what will be'.
He closed his eyes and tried to think of something happier.
He thought of his old dreams of his wolf pack, the one that accepted him so readily when he finally realized who he was. He could see the pack leader at the front of them all. Her eyes were a beautiful blue, her coat was a beautiful white that seemed to glow in the sun.
Kiba was a human when he approached and he lifted his hands for the alpha to familiarize herself with. The wolf turned her head away, but kept her eyes trained on Kiba. She didn't want a human, it seemed, and Kiba was more than happy to oblige. He easily changed to his wolf form, bowing his head and approaching the pack leader who now wagged her tail and turned to lead him away.
They walked, calmly and easily through the forest, crossing open plains and herds of other animals. The trees were the tallest he had seen since the Chunin Exams, bursting with brilliant greens and emeralds, the grass was soft and seemingly untouched: it was all so beautiful. Kiba didn't recognize the forest he was walking through, but he knew that he would never forget it.
They approached a cave that had little pups running out to greet them. Kiba saw that everyone was relaxed and happy. They played in the sun and lounged in the shade. This was home, and he knew that this home was extended to him too.
He went to the pack leader, who was sitting pretty by the mouth of the cave, and sat with her, looking over the small patch of paradise that they had built for themselves. His eyes watched their interactions and he sighed, his tail thumping the ground loudly.
He heard movement from inside and turned his head to see the shadow of a human approaching. For some reason, Kiba didn't feel nervous, he didn't feel scared. His tail wagged harder and he stood to greet him.
"Kiba!" The loud knocking on the other side of the door startled him out of his dream. He didn't realize he dozed off. "It's time for dinner. Hurry up, Runt."
Kiba saw that he was halfway through his transformation and forced himself back to 'normal' before leaving his room. He frowned in confusion as he made his way down the stairs. Who was that man?
Shino sighed tiredly to himself and entered his home. He listened for the telltale footsteps of his parents, but heard none. They must be out.
Taking the opportunity of alone time, Shino slipped up to his room and locked the door behind him. He went under his bed and pulled out the multiple bug containers safely hidden from view. He had used his pay to buy more, as his colonies were growing faster than he had expected.
Through multiple trial and errors, he finally found a good way to integrate his insects with those that the monks had given him. They were building a nice hive for themselves, and Shino was sure to feed them his chakra and other good food.
He pulled out a notebook, his third one since starting, and wrote down their feeding time as well as their progress. After that, he pulled out a black, leather bound notebook and transferred old, learned information into it.
Shino preferred to sloppily and messily write in his old notebooks as he tested and studied, just so he could keep the best and most relevant information in the nicest book he owned. He considered publishing it, perhaps to help teach other Aburames or other aspiring entomologists who had his same drive and ambition. For now, he was happy keeping his knowledge to himself: he was going to need it very soon.
He opened the lid and gently lifted the queen of the hive, looking over her body with careful eyes. He gently poked and prodded her limbs and abdomen before steadily feeding her a stream of chakra, which she happily consumed.
Shino was pleased as she attempted to burrow her way into his skin, seeking his closeness and shelter. This means that she was ready to build a colony inside him and lead her children inside. He pulled her out and placed her back in the synthetic skin he managed to procure (another sizable paycheck's worth), and closed the lid. He left them out in front of his window so that they could enjoy the afternoon breeze.
He continued writing in his notebook, transferring information and editing otherwise sloppy sentences. He was at peace, though he wished he could hear the quiet of Hinata and Kiba in the background. He slipped his favorite blanket from his bed and wrapped it around himself, continuing his writing until he heard his parents come home.
He groaned to himself and wrapped up his research, putting everything in its proper place before going downstairs to greet them and help with dinner.
Hinata walked through the compound of her home and sighed. Her training with Jiraiya yielded interesting results and she was sent home with some scrolls. He had told her that these were saved from the Uzumaki libraries before they were destroyed. Kushina herself had studied from these scrolls when she was a child. Hinata was honored to have something as old and sacred in her possession.
After several twists and turns, she finally made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She was told at the front door that Hiashi was in an important meeting, "It would be in your best interest not to bother your father." Her grandmother sneered.
Hinata rolled her eyes at the memory as she washed her cup. She wouldn't have gone to see him if she didn't have to. Since her injury, she had actively avoided speaking with him if she could help it. She even had one of her branch cousins tell her father that she would be going on the seaside village mission instead of telling him herself.
A sudden shudder of dread passed through her and she nearly dropped the cup in her hands. She turned to the door, expecting an enemy to walk through, but no one entered. She carefully walked out and surveyed the area. It was like everyone disappeared because no one was in the hallway, and she couldn't hear the quiet murmur of gossip that always seemed present.
She decided to walk past her father's office to see if he was still in his meeting or aware of this danger that was in their house. His office door was open and no one was inside. She further ventured through the compound.
She had her chakra retreat into her body, hidden under her skin, until the menacing aura was thick in the air. She took a deep breath as it threatened to suffocate her in its impending evil. She pressed her body tight against the wall and listened. She could clearly hear her father's voice and another's that was strangely familiar.
She peered around the corner and nearly gasped out loud when she saw her father shaking hands with Danzo.
She quickly turned around and ran down the hall.
The morning that followed was absolutely not what Team Eight was expecting. They approached the Hokage's office to see that everyone was running around and panicking. Tsunade's angry voice could be heard yelling upstairs, barking orders and demanding answers.
The three looked at each other confused, knowing that something big had to be happening for Tsunade to be as loud as she is this early in the morning.
They slowly made their way up the stairs and to her office, "Do you know what could have happened?" Kiba whispered to his team. Shino could only shrug, while Hinata shook her head. He huffed to himself and continued to lead them up the stairs and through the halls.
When they got to the opened double doors, Tsunade was speaking with Shizune about the possible locations and trails that someone was taking on a large map of Fire country that was haphazardly hung on the wall. There were papers strewn about everywhere, ink stained the desk and floors and Kiba caught the slight scent of sake.
When she finally looked up, Tsunade saw them awkwardly waiting in the hallway outside of her doors and sighed, "Team Eight, please enter." She hurriedly moved her papers around and searched her scrolls for something.
As they entered, Hinata caught sight of Shikamaru standing off to the side, arms crossed and grumbling to himself. When he looked up, he tried for a smile and once again, looked over her face appreciatively. Her own bashful smile and blush made his that more real and she could see him physically relax, if only slightly.
"This morning, Uchiha Sasuke had left the village to join with Orochimaru. I was going over the mission details with Shikamaru, and I had forgotten about discussing your next mission with you all."
With sarcasm dripping off of each word, her eyes rolling so hard they might as well fall out of her head, Tsunade's waved her hands in mock concern, "Kiba and Shino, would you be willing to Join Shikamaru on this mission to save your comrade from the arms of evil?"
If she was being honest, she didn't give a rat's ass about Sasuke. He was rude, he was arrogant and worst of all he was annoying. While she felt for him regarding his clan's massacre, she also recognized that he was pursuing justice in a stupidly selfish, and completely idiotic way.
"What about me, Lady Hokage? I can also aid in tracking Sasuke." Hinata knew that Tsunade had an idea of how strong her byakugan really was, given that she had the notes from the Third Hokage. With enough tries, she could easily search for Sasuke and find the best outcome for saving him and escaping. She just needed time.
"As much as I would love to have you on the team, I'm afraid I need your help with something here. I'm having Neji join the retrieval mission for now."
Hinata could feel herself deflate slightly in rejection. She wanted a chance to prove herself as a capable shinobi too.
Kiba and Shino grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly, which seemed to lighten her spirits a bit. She knew that whatever she had to do here at the village would also be important. She was going to try and have faith.
"Hinata, please meet me in the hospital as soon as you can. I will have someone let your father know that you are with me. Shikamaru, you may add whoever else you see fit to the mission. Please prepare and leave as soon as possible. Grab your mission scrolls and get going."
Hinata exited with the boys out of the office, frowning to herself. She knew that her father wasn't going to be pleased to hear she was with Tsunade. Not only would it give him a reason that she was recognized as an "incompetent shinobi", it also means she would likely be doing healing or something else he didn't like. It was going to be a big headache to explain what she would be doing, and maybe she could convince Tsunade to classify the mission details.
"Hinata." Shikamaru called. She turned to the lazy boy who scratched the back of his head. She recognized it as a nervous tick and filed that information for later. "I know you want to help us, and I would much rather have you than your cousin, but I also know that I don't want to see you getting hurt out there; I don't think I could stand it if you did."
When he saw the irritated faces of Shino and Kiba he groaned and scratched harder, "I know you're strong, probably the strongest girl in our class, but I don't want you getting hurt for someone like Saskue. It'd be a drag."
He relaxed when she finally understood what he was trying to say. Sasuke wasn't worth her time, and he would rather be doing anything else if this wasn't an official mission.
He was being honest, though. He didn't want Hinata getting hurt, not for someone as disastrous as that Uchiha. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she managed to get injured, or worse under his orders. This was Shikamaru's first mission as a chunin, things were going to go wrong, he just knew it.
Hinata smiled softly, and tilted her head, "It's alright Shikamaru. Just promise me you'll be safe, too. I don't think you deserve to get hurt from any of this either. That… Well, it would be a drag."
She smiled wider when she saw him blush before turning to her teammates and hugging them tightly. "You'll be okay. Please remember that." She whispered to them. They seemed to grow under her careful, determined gaze and nodded.
"We'll meet you at the gates. We're going to get some supplies and prepare."
Shikamaru nodded, sighing to himself when they left. He thought of Hinata's smile and grinned to himself. He didn't peg the Hyuga Sweetheart to be a tease. It was like unlocking a new part of the puzzle every time they spoke.
He snapped back to the matter at hand and headed for Choji's house. They had a mission.
Shino was quick to get to his room and gather the necessary tools for the job. He made sure to pack his weapons, soldier pills and anything else that would aid him in this mission.
He finished gathering what he needed and headed downstairs to grab a quick snack. Before he could make it out of the door, the familiar presence of his father made its way down the hall.
Shino resisted the urge to roll his eyes and pulled on his shoes as quickly as he could, ignoring his father burning holes into his head behind his glasses. "Shino, there is much we need to discuss." Shibi wasn't usually this insistent. He moved closer to Shino, almost threateningly.
Shino rolled his eyes this time and continued to ready himself, "I recognize your need to have a conversation, however, I am to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke."
There was a moment of silence in which Shibi was trying to make sense of things. "The last Uchiha has left the village?"
"Yes father, he left last night. I am on a time limit to leave so that we may catch up to him and return him to the village." His voice did not betray any emotion, but left no room for arguments. He handed the mission scroll to his father and waited for him to read it, which he did slowly.
"Very well." Shibi most definitely did not sound pleased, but there was nothing he could say about it, and they both knew it. He handed the scroll back, "When you return, you will see me immediately." He turned away and stalked out of the hall. Shino scoffed under his breath and ran out of the door. He was going to be late.
When Kiba entered his home, he didn't bother with the barking or howling that announced his arrival. He needed to get his shit and go.
His mother and sister sat in the receiving room, speaking in hushed tones. Hana waited for him to greet her, she even prepared a smug and hurtful comeback for him, but was left speechless when he passed by without so much as a glance in her direction.
"Hey!" She shouted angrily.
Kiba rolled his eyes and poked his head into the room, "Yes?"
"Suddenly can't be bothered to greet your loving mother and sister when you get home?"
Biting back a smart ass comment Kiba shrugged, "I didn't want to interrupt whatever conversation you were having. I'm really in a hurry right now, so I can't talk." He waved and continued to his room, leaving his mother and sister confused and surprised.
Hana wasted no time in running after him with Tsume on her heels. They found him on the floor of his room, repacking his weapons and restocking his pills for Akamaru.
Hana's anger was pushed aside for curiosity, "What's all this?"
"I have a mission. Sasuke left to join Orochimaru and I have to go get him. My team is waiting for me at the gates, so I have to get going here soon."
"We'll, before you go, you have to apologize to us for your disrespectful attitude! I'll bet you don't even have a mission!"
Kiba sighed and stood, fishing the scroll out of his pocket to hand over to Tsume. His height surprised his sister suddenly, since she now realized that he was almost as tall as her. How could she not notice? Was he too good at shrinking away all the time or was her head so high that it made him look smaller? She didn't know, but she really didn't like it.
Tsume rolled the scroll up and tossed it back, "Fine." She bit out, "When you return, we need to have a talk about your behavior. This has gone on too long and you need to learn to straighten up and act right." She turned on her heel and pulled her daughter along, saying something about helping her with dinner.
Kiba scoffed again and muttered "Whatever, bitch." Under his breath. He wasn't going to stay very long if he could help it. He just needed to get this mission over and get going.
Hinata marveled the room around her. There were scrolls everywhere and ink pots sitting neatly beside them. She wasn't sure what she was doing here, but she was eager to find out.
"Thank you for meeting with me Hinata." Jiraiya grinned and swaggered up to her. Hinata bowed and waited for his instruction, a determined look on her face.
"Did you happen to get a good look at those scrolls I gave you?" He asked, guiding her to a table. When she nodded, he smiled, "Good, Now all we have to do is apply that knowledge. I'm sorry to put a little pressure on you kid, but we don't know what your friends are going to face out there and we need a way for them to be found in a stable enough condition that we can save them."
Hinata nodded and thought back to the scrolls, "We're going to be adding healing chakra to the seals, so when they're placed, they can heal the injured. Will we be painting on a tracking seal as well?"
"Yes, we need to make sure they are found so we can treat anything the seals can't." He grabbed a scrap paper and painted on it. He was quick, precise and careful. Hinata studied his movements as closely as she could. She watched each brush stroke and how he flicked and twirled his wrists.
When he finished he presented the paper to her and waited for her to look it over.
Hinata stared hard at the example presented to her before grabbing her own ink brush and painting some modifications. She proudly presented her own work.
Jiraiya looked it over, impressed and grinning. He put his hands on his hips and chuckled to himself. "With the way that you're progressing, I don't think you'll be needing my training for very long. You're catching on a lot quicker than I thought you would."
Hinata beamed up at him and made another, listening to his instruction and guidance.
He was late.
Shino flew through the trees of his homeland and cursed this sudden turn of events. Before he could make it to the gates, another messenger stopped him, requesting that he make his way to the Hokage building as soon as possible. It must have been important, but Shino wanted to be there for Kiba.
He tried not to think about what had happened last time they had split up during an Orochimaru related situation. He tried not to think about Kiba getting hurt the same way that Shino did, but there was nothing else he could do. An order was an order, and he would have to be quick to catch up.
He glanced back at the three ninja who followed behind him and griminced.
"Shino," Tsunade sighed, "I'm sorry for pulling you at the last minute,, but this is very important." She gestured to the familiar faces of the Sand siblings that were his enemy, not even a few months ago, "These shinobi have offered their services to help our Uchiha problem. Lead them through our forests and make sure they find their way to aid our ongoing forces. Knowing Orochimaru, we can never be too careful."
Shino could only nod, "Are we to provide any medical support?" His thoughts went to Kiba and Akamaru, the excited look on his face before he went on a hunt. Seeing these three again brought back unpleasant memories.
"These seals were made for this very situation. You may place these on any you may see, but your main goal is to drag back that ungrateful, idiot Uchiha."
Some medical ninja had already found Choji and took him back to the village for treatment. Tsunade was probably already starting at this very moment. However, there was bound to be more along the way.
A small chirp on his shoulder alreated him to another Injured comrade. Shino stopped and sucked his teeth; he didn't want to play medical ninja with anyone, he wanted to fight. He wanted to kill.
"What's the hold up?" Kankuro asked from behind.
The siblings managed to keep up with him, despite the speed and unfamiliar area. While Kankuro may be comfortable enough to talk to Shino due to their brief history with one another, the other two were clearly weary about him. The newfound peace between their villages was still very tense, and they made sure to keep their distance. Shino was fine with keeping it that way.
"There is a teammate that requires my assistance, please continue without me."
"Sure thing, but how are we supposed to find our way in this sea of trees?"
With another sigh, Shino approached and placed a beetle in each of their hands. He saw Gaara visibly shudder, while Temari made a grossed out face. Kankuro, oddly enough, was intrigued at seeing something so small yet so powerful. It nearly killed him after all.
"These are my Kikaichu. You won't be able to find your way without them, so please take care of their lives. When you are close to someone in need, they will let out a chirping noise. If it is an enemy, they will hiss." When he offered no further explanation, Temari and Gaara ran off immediately.
"Kankuro," Shino managed to stop the puppeteer before he could follow, "Do you remember what I said after our battle?"
The other boy managed a chuckle and shook his head in mirth, "Yeah, yeah. You calling in that favor now?"
"Correct. You will be led to my teammate, Kiba. Even if you have no need to fight, I would appreciate you checking up on him to ensure his safety."
Kankuro looked at his new ally carefully. He was acting tough for sure, but the Sand ninja could clearly make out the worry and stress at the thought of his teammate being hurt.
He thought back to their battle. Shino was a difficult opponent who had the home advantage in the environment. Kankuro, though winning, got too overconfident when it came to their fight. Shino was cold, calculating, intelligent, and very, very strong. However, despite him having every reason to kill him, he didn't. He saved Kankuro and spared his life.
At one point in his recovery, he even found out that Shino tried to take him along, but opted for getting him help instead as he could not carry him. He checked on Kankuro in the hospital, fighting off the poison in his own system; poison that Kankuro gave him. This was something he could do.
"Yeah, sure, fine." He smirked, "I don't like owing anyone."
"Good. Kiba is my height with wild brown hair, red facial tattoos, brown eyes, and tanned skin. He has a dog companion, Akamaru, who is white with brown ears." Kankuro thought back to the Chunin exams and remembered someone of that description: it was the wild looking boy standing with that cute Hyuga.
"Got it. I'll make sure he's alright. After this, we're even, Bug Boy." He ran off, disappearing from sight almost instantly.
Shino smirked to himself and turned to where the bug led him, using the frequency of the chirps to determine if he was getting close or not. He poked around the area cautiously. There was a tense silence that had him on edge, only interrupted by his beetles.
Finally, an urgent chirp was made, letting him know that the injured was found. He turned to the left and ran, still keeping a lookout for any possible enemies in the area.
He stopped when he found Neji, bleeding and practically covered in tattered clothes. He was still breathing, but just barely. Shino was quick to place a seal on him and check over for any other fatal injuries. There was one on his shoulder, which the seal had spent most of the chakra to fix. It slowly but only nearly closed, and Shino couldn't help but be amazed.
He looked down at the boy who was passed out and vulnerable to him. The thought about how he tormented Hinata, how he humiliated her in front of her graduating class and nearly murdered her in cold blood.
She insisted she was fine, that they were well on their way to a path of love, forgiveness and healing. He, however, still held a grudge. He wanted Neji to pay. He wanted Neji to bleed, to suffer, to wail, to die.
He could do it. He was fully capable of hurting Neji for everything he had done and no one would be any the wiser. He could certainly fake it, he could stage an 'unfortunate' incident in this whole mess that the Uchiha created. Shinobi die in the line of battle all the time, right?
All he needed was one little bug to choke him. He needed one swift punch to the ribs, hard enough to break and puncture the lungs. All it took was a kunai against his throat, and just a little. Bit. Of pressure…
Another urgent chirp from behind stopped his hand. Was someone else here? It wasn't a hiss, so surely it wasn't an enemy. Shino sighed and pocketed his weapon and glared down at the Hyuga below him. He turned and followed his insect slowly, feeling something akin to disappointment as he made his way forward.
He was surprised at the sight of a man on the ground, desperately clinging to life. He had three arms on the side of his body; paired with his two legs, it made for eight limbs total, like a spider. When he coughed, blood and some sort of web substance came out of his mouth. Shino noticed that he didn't have as many eyes as a spider, but that didn't matter.
What really interested him was that the mysterious man was clinging desperately to a large scroll, which was covered under hundreds of spiderlings.
When Shino approached and met the man's eyes from behind his dark glasses, they ran faster. The man was shocked at the genin's sudden presence, but relaxed once the small arachnids made their way to his ears.
Shino could barely hear their honeyed whispers, "Worthy. One of us. Another. He keeps us safe."
"My name is Aburame Shino. Who might you be?"
The man laughed, but obliged, "I am Kidomaru. You Aburame types take care of bugs and insects, right?"
Shino nodded.
"Do you take in spiders?"
He only nodded again and knelt closer to hear what this dying man's last request would be. Shino hated to admit that he was curious and very intrigued at this sudden twist of destiny.
Kidomaru passed the scroll over hand to hand until the young boy took it. The paper was old but still in amazing condition with no rips or tears. There was a neat list of names, none that he recognized except for Kidomaru's at the very bottom. Above it all, was a kanji for spider.
"Lady Fumiko is calling out to you. You're a spider, just like me. Please, take care of her, take care of all of them." He took one last breath and died unceremoniously. The spiders all disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Shino couldn't stop the face breaking grin that spread. As quickly as he could, he bit into his thumb, drawing blood, and pressed it hard into the blank space under Kidomaru's name. Like magic, his thumbprint moved across the paper and spelled out his name, neatly and perfectly in his usual signature.
Suddenly, it disappeared and a little black widow rested on his hand, gazing up at him with scarily intelligent eyes.
Kiba sighed; he kind of hoped that the Uchiha would put up a fight once they got him home, it would be great to knock some sense into that showoff for all of this bullshit.
Kiba could understand that he was on this path to avenge his family. He could respect that. Hell, if someone were to hurt or kill his team, he would do anything to get revenge for them too. If that meant going to a creepy snake man, he might have done something different. He would have gone with another, less pedophilic option personally, but hey- to each their own, right?
He thought back to when they were at the Chunin Exams, when Sasuke made his avenger declaration and sighed once again. He didn't have to be so fucking dramatic about it.
Now, here he was: falling into a cavern with some lipstick wearing weirdo (nothing wrong with makeup, but that shade of green was nothing short of ugly and terrible) after they finally got that bastard Uchiha back. Kiba hoped that Shikamaru and Naruto would make a run for it. If they lost Sasuke after all of this, he was going to eat someone, most likely Naruto.
The floor was coming up quickly. Kiba had to think of something to make sure he landed safely enough that he didn't severely injure himself. He grabbed Akamaru and flipped onto his back, so that his companion was resting on his stomach. He summoned a clone who secured itself below and braced for the floor.
They landed with a pop from the clone, and Kiba gritted his teeth at the clone's memory of the fall but without the pain in his legs, jolting his brain with confusion. It was a small price to pay for legs that still worked, though.
The dog boy stood and dusted himself off, taking a moment to assess his surroundings. It looked like they were in an underground cave. There were giant stalagmites everywhere and a small river behind him. He wondered where it led to, but decided to keep it in mind for when he needed to make a getaway. He could never be too careful.
Finally, he turned his eyes to his opponent, just as the man got up with an equally pained groan. Nevermind that he wore lipstick, he seemed to have something… growing out of him? Looking closely at it, he noticed that it wasn't just hair, it looked like a whole other head. It didn't move, so he didn't know whether it was just a growth or some kind of jutsu.
"What are you looking at, you mongrel?" He suddenly yelled
Kiba frowned, "Funny. With that awful shade of green on your face, I wasn't expecting much and you still managed to disappoint me with originality."
Sakon fumed and threw his kunai, aiming for his head. Kiba ducked under and took that as the initiative to fight. In a flash he was behind the minion and prepared to punch. He was glad to see that it hit, until he was suddenly thrown over the enemy's shoulder with no warning.
Kiba struggled to right himself, but let out a grunt of pain when he hit the floor and slid into the shallow end of the river behind him. Akamaru barked and ran to his master, hackles raised as he growled at the enemy. He barked a warning to Kiba that something was wrong.
"I know, boy." He mumbled as he stood straight. "I could have sworn I had him. What happened?"
Akamaru barked again, suggesting a team up attack this time. Kiba nodded and put his fingers together, "Man Beast Clone." He muttered. When Akamaru finished his transformation, they looked at one another and nodded.
It was times like this that Kiba was thankful that he and his dog were so in sync with each other; they could practically read each other's mind in terms of attacks. Kiba knew that Akamaru wanted to try Fang Over Fang, and Akamaru was going to follow his master's lead and cue. They fought together as one.
Kiba rushed forward, grabbing Akamaru's hand and initiating the attack, "Fang Over Fang!" They flew through the air, spinning and cutting through whatever was in their way. At the last minute, they separated and attacked from the front and back. Kiba couldn't help but smirk at this small victory. If they kept this up, they could end the fight in no time.
A tight grip on his arms stopped him.
Kiba's deadly attack was forced to a sudden stop, and when the dust cleared, he saw why: The thing on the back of this guy's head was a twin?
"Two on two?" The head grinned, "Seems like a fair fight, right brother?"
His brother's response was to kick an equally surprised Akamaru, who yelped in pain when he landed.
"Akamaru!"
His worry was cut short at the fist coming his way, "Multiple Fist Barrage!" Kiba couldn't dodge in time with this creep holding his arms, and took the attack head on. He, too, flew back and landed against a stalagmight. He gasped for air, struggling to have his body move out of the way of a blurry fist coming straight for his face.
He ducked in time, rolling away from a three-legged kick, "Multiple Legs Barrage!"
Kiba kept forward, turning his body so that he was facing his opponent, and slid to Akamaru's side, who got up and shook himself off. Akamaru barked insistently, telling Kiba what had happened and when he had seen.
"Multiple limbs, hm?" He muttered to himself, lowering his stance into something he can leap from.
When the enemy duo turned to face him, they had strange markings on their faces. Kiba could only compare them to something similar to a reptile, or amphibian. One of them shifted and started to transform. His hair turned white, his face contorted and his teeth grew past each other almost like fangs. He looked like an oni.
They either were worried about his power or so sure of themselves to be flaunting their power so early into battle. Kiba looked at the other face and grimaced a little; at least it was an improvement.
"Pretty cool, right?" The 'normal' brother gloated. "My big brother, Ukon, will rest in my body. He can move any part of himself around, sprouting anywhere he pleases. It's the ultimate attack and defense combo. You lost before you even knew it."
"Come now, no more talking. Let's end this, Sakon." Ukon grinned, prompting a similar transformation from his brother.
"Akamaru, we're going to need a little more power with our next attack. What do you think?"
His partner barked, spinning in a circle and growling. Wolf Fang Over Fang it is.
Kiba started the process, feeding a pill to his companion who was more than ready to kick ass.
He wondered for a moment what would happen if he used their technique. They never used on another person before, though they knew they would have to eventually. The world of Ninjas was a "kill or be killed" situation at all times, even during peace. He fought to survive everyday, he trained himself to kill every minute and he thought about the lives he would have to take every second.
He hoped that the blood would splatter, even if it was inedible, he wanted to see this guy be ripped to shreds. He wanted to see his mangled remains just for the fun of it. Never mind that he was an enemy or a servant to that sick snake, he wanted to see red. He wanted to smell blood and taste flesh.
With that in mind, Kiba grinned and sent Akamaru forward. He took in a breath, relaxing his muscles and strengthening his core as he took the punch to the gut. He slumped forward, listening for Akamaru's bark. Once he did, Kiba grabbed the arm as tightly as he could, pulling the conjoined twins closer and smirking in their surprised faces.
Akamaru barked again and he pushed them back, "Dynamic Marking!" His canine companion let loose a stream of urine, spinning gracefully so that it spread out wider and landed on them. One of them screamed, "AH! He got it in my eye!"
"Sakon, you idiot!"
Kiba hopped back and up to join his companion in the air. Akamaru landed on his head, a doggy-like grin on his face. Kiba grinned just as widely and gathered his chakra, "Inuzuka Style, Man Beat Transformation: Two-Headed Wolf."
They were huge. They towered over the enemy, the rocks- hell, they almost reached halfway up the canyon they fell in. Akamaru's head barked, and Kiba laughed. The force of both shook the floor and disturbed the water, unsettling their enemies' stance. Now it was time to fuck things up.
They started to spin, aiming accurately for the scent Akamaru had marked the minions with. Sakon and Ukon tried their best to avoid the attack, but they were quickly becoming overwhelmed.
Kiba didn't let up. He pushed forward no matter how dizzy or draining the action was. They made sure to keep on them, knowing that they had to falter soon.
His persistence was rewarded when he hit them, his momentum and claws ripping into their bodies. Kiba laughed maniacally, and spun faster. They broke through multiple rocks and up the walls until finally they spun into the ground, leaving a crater from their attack. Their bodies tore apart, seemingly ripped and mangled.
The two-headed wolf ceased their attack, sliding off and looking back to see their damage. Akamaru barked smugly, his tail wagging. Kiba was about to smirk until he realized that the bodies were twitching. Curious, he stepped a little closer to get a better look, and was horrified at the monstrosity that sprouted from their injuries.
Veins, nerves and bubbles of raw, wet flesh grew from the injury, solidifying into something that looked like armor. It was so fucking gross to look at, but Kiba could not tear his eyes away. He involuntarily let out a girlish shriek, to which Akamaru gave an exasperated look from the corner of his eye.
"OH MY GODS! EWWW!" He yelled.
The twins glowered at the comment and stood up. They were still sporting the oni faces, which meant that this was a result of their borrowed power. Only a test tube of Orochimaru's could bounce back from being ripped in half, and Kiba wondered how many trials and errors it took to get them to this point.
He took a breath to calm himself and refocused. This time, he was going to actually end it. He started the technique again, zooming forward with incredible speeds. It was harder this time to hit them, since there was more than one target, but Kiba could manage if he focused on one. It's not like the other could do much to stop a giant tornado anyways.
Just when he thought he was getting close to one, he ran headfirst into something hard and metal. A sharp, burning pain spread all over his skull. The kind of pain when he accidentally hit his head on the corner of his desk in school, or when Hana kicked him into the closet door. He was probably going to have a concussion later, but damn it, it stung.
"This is the end!" He could hear the two voices shout over the ringing in his ears. That snapped him out of his haze and he opened his eyes. Akamaru was quicker, turning their body and letting out a squirt of piss that, once again, got into a pair of eyes.
The jutsu fell apart, they couldn't keep it together with this much pain and panic in their minds. They needed full concentration.
Akamaru got sucker punched in the head. He flew back and yelped loudly as he landed. Kiba, still falling, couldn't catch him in time to save him from the hard fall. All he could do was yell his name, helpless and angry.
"Ukon! He did it again!" One of the brothers screamed, "It burns damn it!"
Kiba managed to land on his feet at the last minute, looking around for the second brother who was just next to him a second ago. Had he disappeared? Did he go back to being the conjoined horror show?
"Boo."
Kiba froze and slowly turned.
Oh. There he was. He was growing right out of his back.
Kiba shrieked again at a higher pitch, "Holy shit! WHAT THE FUCK?" As a reflex, he swung his arm to punch the face that was leering at him from over his shoulder.
Ukon's arm was quick to catch him, and grinned wider when Kiba struggled against him. "Just wash your eyes out in the river, Sakon. Hurry up. We don't have much time to waste." His little brother did as he was told, whimpering and cursing under his breath.
"How the fuck are you doing this? I thought you could only do this with your brother?"
"Well, not exactly. When I'm in this second stage of my power, I can infuse my body with yours; it's something only I can do. Everything, down to the cellular level, is merged into one, which means our organs, blood and body are completely intertwined. I can rip you apart like this, cell by cell, piece by piece."
Kiba shuddered and gagged. He was feeling green at the thought of someone being inside of his body and became acutely aware of the foreign feelings of movement inside of him. Ukon was making himself quite comfortable, it seemed.
He looked off to where Akamaru was. He was still breathing, but he was clearly tuckered out and injured. He was still a puppy, after all, and wouldn't hit his growing period for about another year. He could only handle so much damage at this state and age.
Kiba's mind raced, he needed to do something, and fast. He couldn't fight with this THING in his body, he would only block the attacks and hurt him from the inside.
Suddenly, the dog boy had an idea. He thought back to Kurenai's lecture about the human body and Hinata's helpful, albeit brief tips about the construction of nerve points in their body. There were certain points in the body that Kiba could attack to injure and immobilize, but not immediately kill. He just needed to remember where that was. Any slight miscalculation, and he was fucked.
Kiba saw Sakon still washing his face. He could be done at any moment. He needed to move now!
Kiba grinned and fished a kunai out of his pocket. "Hey. Wonder what this does?" He took a deep breath and stabbed himself. He bit his lip to keep himself from screaming, while Ukon was not as prepared and howled in pain. Kiba snickered and wiggled the knife around some more, causing more screams.
"What the fuck are you doing? You'll die too!" Ukon flinched when he saw Kiba's smile, it had too many teeth and his eyes were crazed as he let out an unsettling laugh. What the actual fuck was wrong with this kid? Didn't he have any self preservation?
"What's wrong? You scared of dying? What a little bitch!" Kiba ripped the kunai from his side, and let out a hiss of pain. He slumped forward, shuddering in near agony and aimed again, "You'd put your life on the line for that Snake Bitch, right? Then let's put that to the test!" He threw his arm towards his body, subtly twisting his wrist so that Ukon couldn't see that the back of the kunai was aimed at his stomach instead of the pointed end.
It worked. Ukon let out a scream of fear and pulled himself out of Kiba's body, forgetting to Injure the young boy in his panic.
Kiba quickly reached into his other pocket and threw two smoke bombs behind him in Ukon's face. He ran, ignoring the pain, towards his best friend and scooped him up, leaving behind a dummy instead. He hoped it would stall them for a little while longer while he got away.
He could only run, clutching his side and trying to keep the blood from spilling everywhere, but it would probably be all for naught. His heart was pounding, his breath was quickening and he could only really focus on getting away as quickly as possible.
Finally, he stopped and ducked around a rock, taking the moment to rest and look himself over. He was sure he had fucked up on the stabbing location, because every movement made it hurt like crazy. He grunted and struggled to remove his tank top so he could lift his mesh shirt and have a look. Thankfully, it wasn't too deep. He only hoped he avoided something important.
Kiba searched his leg pouch and pulled out a pack of matches with a noise of pained triumph, getting to work on lighting one. Carefully, he ran it under the blade of his kunai and waited until it was a glowing red before pressing it to his skin over his stab wound.
Kiba tasted blood as he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying out. Tears ran down his face but he took a couple of breaths and pressed harder with a silent scream. After what seemed like hours, but was only a few seconds, he looked down and saw that the bleeding finally stopped. He shivered, covering his eyes with his arm and letting out a few quick sobs.
Akamaru, hearing his master, gently licked over the wound and whined. Kiba shuddered when the numbing agent kicked in, but only enough that he could push through the pain. Kiba praised him with a scratch behind his ear and a small treat.
With another grunt, he pushed himself up and took a soldier pill. He was going to need all of his strength for this fight, and he couldn't afford to lose. Kiba took a whiff of the air and smelled Akamaru's pee as well as his own body scent. His ears zeroed in on the quiet bickering of the two brothers heading this way as they followed his trail of blood.
Kiba cursed and looked around. The only way out now would be by the river. If he could head upstream, maybe he could find a way back into the forest and either escape or get help.
The bickering got closer and he knew that he had to make a move now. Gathering Akamaru into his arms, he discarded his tank top and waded in, placing his partner on top of his head.
The swim was long and cold, but he didn't want to risk making noise, not when he was so close already. He could smell dirt, grass and trees getting stronger as he moved. Akamaru quietly yipped in confirmation before he could see the end of the cave turn into a forest.
He sighed with relief and wadded faster. He wanted to get out of this cold ass water. He pulled himself out of the bank and walked forward, looking through the plants and wishing he had paid better attention to Hinata and Kurenai's lessons on the flora around their home. "I swear I'll listen better to those lessons if I make it out of here alive." He muttered, glaring at the unfamiliar leaves and weeds surrounding him.
The breeze whipped through the air and Kiba flinched at the cold, but also the smell of one of the brothers. He was close, close enough that Kiba could clearly smell him. It was Sakon. Ukon had Kiba's own scent on him when they separated, but Sakon smelt like piss.
That would mean that he wouldn't have to worry about having someone invade his body again, as the older twin explained that only he could do this, and he slumped in relief.
Kiba was tired. He was cold, injured and tired. He hated that he was feeling this moment of weakness and it reminded him of how helpless he had been feeling these past few weeks. It was bad enough that he had to worry about going home and getting abused, it was worse that he found out he was going to lose his legs. Now, he had to worry about some ugly, shitty makeup wearing creep wanting to be in his body? Fuck. That.
Kiba placed Akamaru in the mouth of a tree trunk and stretched. He needed to loosen up a little bit. He could feel his teeth grow, his nails sharpen, his eyes change, and his body shift into the animal he was. He wasn't going to let these two fucked up, ugly, bad-taste-in-makeup creepy assholes keep their lives.
With that in mind, he shook off the water and stalked into the forest, following the scent and staying out of sight in the brush. He felt his senses heighten as the thrill took hold, but he kept himself in control and slowly moved forward.
He was going to mangle them. He was going to rip them apart. He was going to make them beg and scream for their lives to be spared, but they didn't deserve to keep them. They hurt him, hurt his partner, they didn't deserve to live. No one who hurt him deserved such a luxury. Not them, not his mother and certainly not his sister.
Kiba felt the rage trickle into his chest at the thought. He was going to need practice for when he killed her, and these two idiots would have to do in the meantime. He would have to focus on what body parts to rip off first to cause the most pain. He needed to time it so that they didn't bleed out first, or at least keep them awake long enough to endure the rest of the torture.
A snap of a twig to his right caught his attention, and sure enough, Sakon was following the water puddles he had left behind, clueless that he was in fact, the prey. Kiba grinned a wolfish grin and waited until he passed to continue his short walk to Akamaru's location. If he was still in his human body he would be shaking, twitching in anticipation and impatience; but his wolf was much more level-headed, more instinctual to the fact that good things came to those who waited.
When Sakon got to the end of the trail, Kiba could hear the noise of frustration when he couldn't find his target. He had no idea that he was about to die, and Kiba almost pitied him. It was almost like a scene of a movie:
The clearing was empty. Not a soul was in sight, and nothing could be heard other than the sounds of the wind whipping through the trees. A lone figure stands in the middle of a clearing, turning his head around for any indication of life.
Red eyes glowed from the shadows, belonging to a monster that patiently waited to be noticed. His body was low to the ground and he didn't move a single muscle.
The oni-looking person cursed, looking around still until a cold chill stopped him. Something was there with him. Could it be his target? A shudder passed through him, colder than the last one. It couldn't be. There was no way that a brat like him could conjure up something as deadly as this killing intent, as heavy as this hidden gaze.
He heard a low growl behind him and he turned in time to meet red, unblinking eyes staring at him from the shadows. It was almost like they were just hanging in midair, and Sakon found himself practically hypnotized and pinned to place.
They slowly grew closer, and he started to make out the size of the body they were attached to. He felt his mouth drop in horror, his body shake in fear. This was no regular beast, this was a fucking monster. It stalked forward, licking its maw; its canines were damn huge -probably about as long as his fingers- and even on all fours, he was probably over 92 cm(3 ft)! He knew that without his brother, there was no way he was surviving this thing!
Suddenly, it pounces and Sakon nearly has time to move out of the way. The beast is relentless in its chase and follows. Sakon cries out as he only JUST got out of the way from being crushed. He cried out for his brother, trying to run and fight for his life.
He drew kunai after kunai, throwing it at the large beast who easily maneuvered around them except for one, which landed in its shoulder. It yelped in pain and stumbled forward but still made another attempt to take a bite. The snap of teeth, so close to his face, panicked the twin further and he screamed louder, "Ukon! Brother!"
A familiar bark sounded from above him, and Sakon looked up just in time for another stream of dog piss to land in his eyes. He screamed as loud as he could, airing out his fear, pain and anger. He tried to no avail at opening his eyes to see where he was going. Everything blurred with his tears, it was painful to open his eyes long enough to make anything out as he stumbled towards the sound of running water. He needed to wash his face or he was dead.
He turned around and made wild slashes with his kunai to ward the beast away from him as he retreated. He cursed the small puppy over and over again with all of his might, with every last amount of energy he had just before his curse mark faded and he was back to his normal self. What the fuck was it doing here? Where was its master?
He thought back up at the monster wolf behind him, and remembered its eyes, those devil eyes that were too smart, too human. It was then that he realized and he almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. "Wait! You're that kid, aren't you? You shitty little brat, what the fuck are you?"
He didn't get a response, only silence. He stumbled back towards the river, faster now and finally made it. He plunged his face in, quickly blinking out the stinging fluids before pulling out with a gasp. He turned his head and was greeted with an open jaw and impossibly big teeth coming at him at neck breaking speed.
As quick as he could, his arm moved and he readied his blade. He felt himself grin when he noticed the beast stumble from the injury, slowing him down enough that Sakon was able to move faster. He was going to live!
Ukon ran as fast as he could, he could hear his brother crying out for help and felt anger at not being able to help. He was an idiot, sure, but that was still his brother, and he would be absolutely devastated if he lost him.
He saw the splatter of blood by the bank and followed the trail around a tree, where he saw the brat sitting against the trunk with a kunai in his neck and shoulder. There was no one else around and Ukon began to panic. "Sakon! Sakon, where are you?"
"Brother." A voice weakly called. He ran as fast as he could and sighed in relief at the sight of his brother. He had an injury on his arm, but he was otherwise okay it seemed.
"Are you alright?" Ukon helped him up.
"Yes, but I think that dog is still in the area. He hurt my eyes again big brother, I want it dead!"
Ukon laughed and nodded, "Very well. You deserve that, at least."
A bark from behind him caught his attention. Sure enough, the white puppy was in front of his master's body barking at the twins with renewed vigor. The older brother let out a laugh and approached him, drawing his own kunai as his curse form faded. "You're so pathetic. I don't need to waste my power killing you."
The puppy growled and backed up closer to the dead body. Ukon's eyes caught a shimmer, almost like a heat wave surrounding it. What?
He stepped closer, ignoring the small dog that yipped away and knelt to inspect his brother's kill. There was an overwhelming smell of blood, almost like he was bathed in it, but not much came from his injuries. He reached over and touched the face, surprised when they came back coated in red liquid.
He quickly threw his hands together to form the tiger sign, "Release!"
His brother was torn in half, his guts and skin spilling out and hanging off of him. He was torn apart, shredded. It looked as if someone or something pulled him apart. Ukon could feel himself screaming, but the blood pounding in his ears was too loud to hear it. He gently lifted his brother's face and cried his name.
It only took a second to see something carved into his forehead. He felt his blood run cold and his body freeze. A growl sounded over his shoulder and he turned in time to see the maw of a wild beast practically swallow his head. He couldn't move, he couldn't utter a sound. The only thing he could do, is turn his eyes to the writing on his brother's face once more just before his head was crushed: "Boo."
It was eerily quiet, save for the small quickening chirps of Shino's bug. Kankuro sighed as he held the little creature in his hand and moved it back and forth, listening for the change of speed. The little bug pointed its head to the left and flapped its wings, suddenly taking flight. Time to go left.
Kankuro was unsure, but he wasn't a coward. He could easily handle himself in a fight, but there was something nagging at him that this situation he was going to was dangerous. He needed to be careful.
The chirping finally stopped when he landed in a clearing. The smell of blood was overwhelming and Kankuro had to cover his nose for a moment to gather his bearings. He followed the trail to the river, where he saw two figures lying in the distance. The bug was nowhere to be found, and so, he steeled his nerves and pushed forward.
They were missing faces, but he knew that they weren't the Aburame's teammate; they didn't fit the description.
He knelt closer and inspected them with morbid fascination. He was surprised at the level of brutality in the kill, as they were practically ripped apart into shreds. He noticed chunks of them… eaten? It looked like something big had taken bites out of them. Pieces of arms, legs, neck and torso, all gone. Something, maybe a bear, had gotten to them first.
Where was the kid he was sent here to help?
A strong killing intent suddenly appeared behind him, followed by a growl. Kankuro froze in place for a second, afraid to turn to see what kind of monstrous beast was behind him. Was it the same thing that ate these ninja? Was he next?
Shinobi instinct finally kicked in, and he turned. There was nothing there.
He sighed in relief and stood straight just as a familiar looking boy stumbled out of the tree line with a shivering bundle in his arms. That was him! It had to be!
Kankuro took his appearance in and paled at the sight before him: Kiba was covered-soaked actually- in blood. It looked as if he had bathed in it. He was reeking of copper, fear and death.
His eyes were wild and unfocused, glaring at him. It was like he was encouraging him, daring him to attack. He was practically unhinged. Kankuro avoided his gaze, and stared at the bodies beside him.
Satisfied, Kiba stumbled to the river and fell to his knees at the bank. He allowed the shivering bundle, which Kankuro now recognized as his dog, to drink. It lapped up the water for quite a while before letting Kiba wash him. The amount was terrifying, seeing as how it took a few minutes for the white of his fur to show. The river ran red the whole time.
When he was finished, Kiba gently placed his puppy down and plunged his head into the water. Kankuro saw his throat move and figured he was getting his own fill to drink. Once again, the river's surface was running red, and Kankuro was getting sick thinking about Kiba drinking all that blood in.
He repeated his action a few times, his head getting cleaner and cleaner until he was finished. With a sigh, he laid back, scooping his puppy into his chest and closed his eyes. Akamaru was asleep in moments.
Kankuro wasn't sure of what to say, so he didn't bother. He watched as Kiba calmed himself and timed his breathing. It was like he was melting into the grass, becoming one with the earth as his body released all of its stress and tension.
The awkward silence persisted until Kankuro had enough, "So," He started, "Those two enemies…"
Kiba sounded almost too relaxed for the Sand ninja's comfort, "Yeah? What about them?"
"What happened to them? They're all mangled."
Kiba turned his head to look over. His eyes were empty and unfeeling. There was no anger, malice, hatred, or even victory. He looked at the bodies as if he was watching paint dry. It was inhuman, unnatural. "I guess they are, aren't they?"
Kankuro's hair stood on end. Even his voice was lacking any kind of emotion. He might as well have been talking about the weather.
The puppeteer forced a laugh that, thankfully, sounded real, "Guess we underestimated you Leaf ninja. You guys sure don't mess around." He leaned against a tree, close enough to be considered friendly, but far away enough to run; just in case.
His fear was making Kiba hungry again.
"Your teammate was the same way."
That caught his attention. Kiba looked up to Kankuro, who stared off into the distance in thought. "Shino was more vicious than I originally gave him credit for. We were enemies, and he made sure I suffered my mistake of underestimating him." He shook his head, as if trying to understand something, "He had every right to kill me then, but he chose to make a different call. He spared my life and called in the debt on this mission. You clearly didn't need the help, but I came out of respect. Both of you are… Killers."
Kiba was silent for a moment, meeting Kankuro's eyes and genuinely thanking him. He grinned in return and nodded, allowing a comfortable silence to settle over them for a moment.
"…Is it safe to say that your other teammate, the cute Hyuga, is just as bad as you two?"
Kiba thought back to Hinata's rage and smiled. "Worse."
"Aw man."