Hey, a quick question...how the heck did the phrase 'your highness' come into being? It's like some royalty nowadays being referred to as 'your coolness' or something...
Hello once again from AProcrastinatingWriter. Well, I've recently been informed by one of viewers that my OC is what keeps this fan fiction from getting responses, and that he's sure they'll come rolling in if I kill it off. Huh. Let me think that over for a second...
Seriously, it's just like high school, isn't it? To be popular, I have to give up on what I like to do. Welp, sucks for the popular kids, I guess.
THE LAST DISCLAIMER: Why the last? Well, to quote Twilight Scribe: "Hm... Everyone does know that disclaimers like these serve no real legal purpose, right? Having them is mostly just tradition nowadays..." Anyway, Naruto does not belong to me, it belongs to Masahi Kishimoto, its creator.
There you go! For everyone still reading despite the OC: enjoy the chapter!
...oh, and according to Masashi Kishimoto (in turn, according to the Naruto wiki), the exchange rate is ten yen to a single ryo. Sorry for short-changing you, Hinata...you're really worth more than that.
Anyway, now you can enjoy the chapter. I think.
The ANBU Black Ops were on their guard now, as the figure now standing in the 'center ring' of the stage had entered in some way besides the main door, and had managed to slip past them on the way in. All the people in the audience were stunned and silent, even in their thoughts, at the sudden and (perhaps overly) dramatic entrance of the person who had made the latest bid. And the Hyuuga elders? They looked a lot more scared than they really should have, backing away and making small gasps and murmurings at the figure in their midst. And if anyone there could have heard their thoughts, they would know exactly why.
-I can't see his chakra network,- thought Shinratsu, holding his breath without knowing it. -In fact, with the Byakugan...I can barely see him at all! What is this person?- He showed no signs of recovering, so Aku, the most courageous of the lot (for vices are useless as evil forces unless a person also has some virtue) stepped in. He wouldn't have bothered, normally, but there was money on the line.
"A hundred thousand, you said?" Aku asked of the person at the center of the stage, looking up and down in order to size them up. "Well, normally your being so late and not entering properly would disqualify you, but if you are really willing to pay so much-"
"I am," said the person in a clearly masculine voice, taking a step or two towards Hinata. This allowed everyone to get a clear look at him. He was a tall figure, though not quite the tallest one there...perhaps an inch or two taller than Naruto. Black was his predominant color: he was wearing a black kimono, tied tightly with a same-colored sash, though the sash was gilded with gold coloring. He had long black hair, reaching to his waist, and the parts of his head not covered by the hair were covered by a metallic, featureless mask he was wearing.
"Well, then by all means," said Shinratsu, recovering. Hinata looked up at her buyer, and saw herself. The mask was, apparently, more than metallic: it was mirrored. She could see every feature of her face perfectly, as the mask had been polished to a great shine. It almost appeared as if the man had her own face for a second or two. Shinratsu tilted his head to the side. "But, sir...who exactly are you to have so much money?"
As the figure turned back to the auctioneer, chuckling, Hinata looked at the rest of him, taking note of his features out of habit, thanks to memories of her old kunoichi training, but not truly caring. "Who am I?" the man said, repeating the auctioneer's question. "I am a man of many names, but the one I choose to go by at this point in space and time is Kanji." Continuing to describe him, clothing-wise, he appeared to be wearing boots, colored black, and gloves, colored black as well, but with a bright red symbol on each of them.. A katana was tied into the sash wrapped around his kimono; it would be revealed to be a bright crimson, and like his sash was gilded gold. Its handle, though, was black. And, odder than the mirrored mask, odder than the red hands and black feet, and odder than the sword he carried was the star-colored design on his midnight outfit.
-Kanji,- thought Hinata. -An appropriate name.- she thought, sighing. She thought this thought because of the odd starry design. You see, the kimono was covered with various kanji, which the figure obviously took as his namesake. Continuing the color theme, these kanji were golden, and they also came in various sizes. The smaller kanji were words such as 'name', 'nature', and 'metal'. The larger ones were words like 'chaos', 'justice', and 'forethought'. The largest kanji of all, at approximately the center of the mask-wearer's chest, was the word 'life'. -I am sure to have an interesting time with a man like this,- Hinata thought, sarcastically and bitterly both.
"Well, Kanji, are you a noble?" asked Shinratsu as Hinata started crying again, though she remained silent and bowed her head to hide her tears. At least she wasn't stunned into silence anymore, but then, is despair any better? "Or...some kind of ninja?" Shinratsu asked this question because he noticed the figure's armband, which Hinata had missed in her assessment. Actually, rather than an armband, it was simply a forehead protector, sewn onto the sleeve. Whereas most protectors were silver, this one (as fitting the color scheme upon this man), was black. However, instead of a slightly lighter black, the Leaf symbol on the protector was blood-red. It was designed to appear as if it was dripping blood, in fact.
Kanji appeared to look straight at Shinratsu, who suddenly moved, sharply, in fear. (He 'appeared' to look, because with the mask no one could tell for sure.) "Is that really any of your business?" asked Kanji, tilting his head slightly.
Shinratsu gulped, backing off quickly. "N-no, of course not." Inside his brain, the waters of his stream of consciousness had become murky. He couldn't gather his bearings, he could not think straight, he could not even, as he fell over backwards, gasping for air. -Why...why am I so afraid of just one man?-
"Now see here!" came a voice from the audience. Everyone snapped out of their reverie, turning towards the blue-haired young man who had placed the last (or, rather, second-to-last) bid. The boy was almost growling, teeth straining against each other. A look of absolute hatred was in his eyes. One didn't need to be a trained psychologist to see that he was used to getting what he wanted and couldn't take not getting it. "That bid is illegal! The man didn't even...the rules clearly state that only those who entered the room by seven o'clock could make bids!"
"I've been in this room since 6:45," said Kanji, without turning to look at the boy.
"Prove it!" shouted the blue-hired blueblood.
"I can't," said Kanji. "But I promise it's the truth."
While the conversation continued in this sort of way for a while, Kanji being accused of breaking rules and then refuting his opponent's arguments, the audience's mind was stuck on one thing. -6:45?- thought Neji from just offstage.
-He's been here all this time, and not a single one of the ANBU knew about it?- thought Sasuke.
Shikamaru blinked, then turned to Naruto. "Exactly how bad are these 'really bad' ANBU, again?"
"Not this bad," mumbled Naruto, leaning forward slightly. The look on his face told Shikamaru that he was very interested in what was happening onstage...well, moreso than everyone else in the room at that moment. "This guy is seriously something else."
"You think maybe..." Sakura began. She gulped, then looked at Naruto. "You think maybe this Kanji guy is here to save Hinata like we are?" She didn't really believe it, but a person had to have hope...right?
Naruto frowned slightly. "I hope so," he said simply.
"And I doubt it," said Shikamaru, frowning as the argument (which had moved from being between Kanji and the blue teen to between the elders and the blue teen) came to a head. His frown deepened to the point where...well, if it had been a pool, the water was being drained. "Nothing is ever that simple when we're involved."
"Alright," Kanji said, finally turning towards the audience and simultaneously breaking up the fight going on. "How about this? Let's overlook any rules I may or may not have broken, and in exchange..." and he shrugged slightly. "Let's quintuple the price, shall we?"
And the crowd goes wild! And why shouldn't they? After all, quintupling the winning bid means...
Kiba stood up. "Get away from Hinata, you slimeball!" And he took a large step forward, plowing through the people in front of him. Akamaru and Tenten, who was also sitting nearby, were barely able to restrain him.
Hinata's eyes were wide again. -Five hundred thousand ryo?- she thought, slowly moving her head back over to the figure, who was now looking at her. -So much...too much.- she thought, some part of her refusing to believe that she was really worth that much. Her eyes widened even more than they already were .-Does that mean that he wants to make me his...- Kanji suddenly lifted his hand, then slowly reached out for Hinata. She cringed, no longer crying but now very afraid. A few seconds passed.
People hadn't been sure exactly what to expect, but this wasn't it. The crowd quieted, and Hinata slowly opened her eyes. Both of these reactions were set off by a single element: Kanji had gently laid his hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Don't worry," said the man softly. "You're going to be okay."
And, for just a second, Hinata actually softened towards the strange-costumed man. She noticed some more of the positive things about him: that his voice, though deep and slightly muffled, was also smooth and non-threatening. Almost romantic. He pronounced his words in the way of a man who was educated, each syllable receiving its proper attention. Actually, his voice wasn't even very deep, just...rich. And his hand. There was a gentle curve to the way he set his hand upon her, though his grip was firm. And perhaps it didn't mean anything, since she couldn't see his face, but Kanji's body language, small amount of it that there was, seemed to indicate a concerned heart.
Then she remembered that he was buying her. As his own personal possession, his 'wife'. She turned her head away, no longer scared, but angry. The man turned back to Shinratsu. "If you would please unlock the chains?"
"Of course," said the elder. It was technically policy to ask for the money first, then to unlock the chains, but Shinratsu couldn't think about anything except getting this strange man as far away as physically possible. He waved Neji on stage, and Neji obeyed, carrying up the unsealing jutsu in his brain and the key to the plain old locks in his hands. Ino tightened her grip on his suitcase, a good indication of how much nervousness and fear he held in her heart. The others leaned forward or swallowed or slumped and basically went one by one through the various emotions one could feel at a moment like this and how the body might react. The chains fell to the floor with an ominous clank. Hinata rubbed her wrists, simultaneously cracking her joints to remove stiffness. She moved on to massaging her neck, which she never felt comfortable cracking. Shinratsu, meanwhile, overcame his fear with greed. "Now, then," he said, indicating for a member of the ANBU guard to come out from his hiding place and keep Hinata guarded until payment was received. The ANBU did one better, sending two of their rank to stand between Hinata and Kanji. "About the ryo..."
"Hmm?" asked Kanji. There was a few seconds of silence. "OH! Oh, right, of course." He shrugged. "Actually, I don't have any money at all."
The total force of all the facefaulting occurring in the room was enough to crack the floor.
Shinratsu stood up first, and quickly at that. "WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ALL THAT THEN?" he shouted, a new bruise added to his collection, as various other people started getting up and asking similar questions of each other. The blue-haired kid looked most annoyed. And he definitely was. In fact, he was so annoyed that he couldn't even speak.
"You asked me my profession earlier," said Kanji, putting up his hands in front of his face, fingers locked together. His thumbs, however, were not laced with the other fingers, instead pointing straight at and touching where his lips would be if his mask was not on. "Do you still wish to know it?"
"What?" asked Shinratsu, angry and confused. He spoke his next sentence through gritted teeth. "What does your profession have to do with-"
"I am Justice," said Kanji.
Every light in the room suddenly went out. Most people in that room gasped. They didn't have time to start murmuring, because after two seconds the lights came back on rather unceremoniously. Now people started murmuring...or rather panicking...because on stage, several copies of the mysterious Kanji had appeared, all but two standing in a semi-circle at front stage. The last two of them actually had the two ANBU in a submission hold. All of them were glowing slightly. Hinata looked around, surprised as one could be without moving from 'surprised' to 'shocked'.
"Light Clone Jutsu," said Kanji retroactively, suddenly undoing what was now obviously a hand sign and moving quickly to Hinata. The two light clones holding the guards twisted their wrists, tossing aside the hired help like it required no effort at all. Admittedly, most ninja are strong, but that was still something of a feat, since Kanji's clones moved them with a simple flick of the wrist. Simultaneously, several more ANBU leapt from various directions. The Light Clones drew their katana, leaping to meet their foes.
A great clash was heard.
People started running for the exits now, not wanting to get caught in the middle of a fight that looked to be even a challenge for the ANBU Black Ops. Naruto and his friends, bucking the trend as usual, began fighting their way through the crowd, trying to get to the stage. "Light Clone jutsu," Shikamaru murmured thoughtfully to himself. Then, over the screaming people: "This guy a friend of yours, Naruto?"
"What, just 'cause he uses Light and I use Shadow-woah!" responded Naruto, adding the 'woah' on the end because someone had accidentally (he hoped) slapped his butt in their rush to get out of the room.
"I was thinking more because he's apparently saving Hinata," said Shikamaru.
Naruto shook his head. "I've never seen this guy before in my life."
Hinata looked around, now having moved to shock, as people continued clambering around for the exits, screaming all the way. She suddenly noticed Kanji standing just in front of her, and she believed him to be the real one. (Especially since he wasn't glowing.) He was extending a hand to her, having drawn his katana with the other. "May I?" he asked gently, somehow making himself heard over the din in the room.
Hinata was no longer shocked. In fact, there was something about the figure in front of her that made her feel...calm. That life was okay. Maybe it was the fact that he was obviously here to rescue her, not to buy her as a slave...that was what he was here for, right? She slowly, uncertainly, grabbed his hand with both of hers. He suddenly pulled her in and lifted her up, sheathing his katana in the split second between where her feet left the ground and he caught her in his arms, carrying her bridal-style (ironically enough).
Suddenly, and too simultaneously for it to be a coincidence, the ANBU got through each of the light clones' defenses, and each one was instantly stabbed in a place where a very vital organ would be if they had any organs. Instead of disappearing in a puff of smoke, though, all the clones dispersed in a flash of light that lasted for several seconds, temporarily blinding anyone who was looking at that moment and giving those who looked afterward a lot of trouble seeing what was going on.
Finally, the light faded, and most of the people there rubbed their eyes back into shape. The ANBU looked around wildly, while everyone else just kind of stared at the spot where Kanji was...or, rather, had been until recently. There was, quite obviously, nothing there now.
Shinratsu growled deep in his throat. Where once he had felt fear, he now felt anger, as often happens when the object of fear is removed from a phobic's presence. "You idiots!" he shouted, showing his true nature in the way his facial muscles moved and his voice became an unpleasant screech. "Spread out and find him!"
The ANBU all nodded, then leapt away. Naruto and his friends paused for varying amounts of time ranging from a quarter of a second to two seconds, and then headed outside to meet up again and form a new strategy. "Hold on, Neji," said Aku, as Neji was one of Naruto's friends and was therefore trying to run outside. Neji stopped, then looked back. "You will also go after our 'friend'. Bring him back alive. Hinata, too, of course."
A part of Neji's body twitched, that much was obvious. But very few people, if they had been watching, would have been able to say which part, for it happened quickly. "Understood," he said, before continuing to run out, now no longer going to meet Naruto.
0-0-0-0
Humans tend to overlook the blindingly obvious.
Instead of leaping across the rooftops like most ninja in this situation would do (faster, with less witnesses) or running along the ground like an amateur thief (which, despite all his clever tricks and stealth, he technically could have been), Kanji was crouched underneath a window, in the back alley of the building where the auction was being held.
As he predicted, the ANBU had instinctively gone to the rooftops since, after all, they were ninja with a ninja's instincts. And they hadn't looked downward nearly as well as they thought. Why, there were several hundred square meters in various locations near the warehouse that no one had looked at yet!
Kanji waited about five minutes, then stood, Hinata following because her hand was clasped in his. He looked to his left and right a few times, then looked at Hinata. "Shh," he said, lifting a finger to where his mouth would be. It was hard to see, but the full moon helped with the light.
Hinata nodded, unable to resist due to her racing mind. She continued thinking as he ran through a doorway, open, in front of him. It was a kitchen, with a lone chef manning it. The chef seemed to not take notice as they ran past. Hinata saw the reason why when Kanji momentarily paused and pulled out a 100 ryo bill, throwing it over the shoulder he opened the front door with. -He planned this out in advance,- thought Hinata, just realizing this obvious fact because her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts. Like: -Why is he going so far for me? Who is this man, behind his mask and this false name...Kanji, right?- She stumbled slightly, and Kanji paused, looking back at her. "I'm fine," Hinata said.
"Good," said Kanji, nodding to affirm his statement. He looked up. "I suppose here is as good a place as any." And he put his other arm around Hinata's waist, drawing her in close. Hinata blushed at the sudden physical contact as Kanji leaped into the sky, taking Hinata with him. They barely came up to the roof of the building before Kanji turned his body, slamming his feet into the brick side of the structure. They stuck.
Hinata gasped slightly. -This man is a ninja,- she realized. One would think she would have guessed earlier, but only if that one was not a ninja themselves. After all: it takes a lot more than a few tricky jutsu to be a ninja. There are several other things a ninja must know. Like stealth, which he had demonstrated at the auction. Trickery, too, which he also had demonstrated at the auction. And, most importantly under the definition of 'ninja' in that universe: chakra control, which he had demonstrated very well just now.
The man lifted her bridal style again as he began running. This time, Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting much physical contact with this stranger (admittedly an apparently benign one, but still a stranger), but not wanting to fall even more. "Most civilians don't look up very often," Kanji explained as they ran, leaping across "pits" that were also alleys to people walking along normally. "And most ninja don't look sideways."
"I s-see," said Hinata, stutter coming back. Reluctant as she was to admit it, (and going against the ideals of her feminist friends) she had had more than one fantasy of being rescued from a dangerous situation by her Prince Charming...
...unfortunately, Kanji was not her Prince Charming. Naruto, despite every logical and illogical reason anyone could throw at Hinata, was and always would be her ideal man. Still, she had to admit: Kanji did have a certain air about him she kind of liked. Nothing that would ever unseat Naruto as Man of the Hour (her lifetime being that hour), mind you, but he was one of the few people besides Naruto to spark anything at all in Hinata.
"We're almost there, now," said Kanji, then dropped down off the wall a split second later. They were close to the older part of town now, the part that once was going to be a shopping district. Well, as close one could be without being in that part of town and still having new buildings around them. "Are you doing alright?" he asked as he sat Hinata down.
"I'm alright." responded the girl. "Thank you for being so concerned for me, Mr..."
"Kanji," he responded, beginning to walk.
"No," confirmed Hinata, shaking her head. She moved back into stuttering, for she felt nervous about, well, life at that moment. "I m-mean your r-real-"
"No time for that now!" shouted Kanji, suddenly grabbing Hinata's hand and breaking into a run. Just before he reached the gates that signaled the end of downtown and the beginning of the small wilderness leading to the older part of town, another person jumped down in front of them. "Of course," sighed Kanji, letting go of Hinata and motioning for her to step back slightly. He drew his sword as she did so. "So...Neji Hyuuga."
"Kanji," replied Neji, standing from the crouching position he had landed in. "Release Hinata."
"I'm not going to hurt her," Kanji said, getting into a fighting stance. "You have my word."
Neji looked pained, then slowly moved into his Gentle Fist position. "I don't have a choice in this matter."
"We always have choices," said Kanji, shifting slightly for a better position.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps...it's all fate. I can't say I know for sure," said Neji quietly. A determined look, now. "But I do know that I have my orders. I am to stop you and bring Hinata back."
0-0-0-0
"So what do we do now?" asked Tenten to the group, who was now sitting in a circle.
"We find Hinata, obviously," said Kiba.
"But exactly how do we do that?" asked Shino, not as a literal question but rather to make a point.
"Easy, Akamaru will sniff her out! Right, boy?"
Akamaru, now changed back into a dog, sniffed the air a few times, though it was half-hearted, as if he was simply confirming what he already knew. He whined, then barked a couple times.
"What?" asked Kiba somewhat sharply.
"What is it?" asked Sakura. "Is something wrong?"
Kiba turned to her and the group at large simultaneously, seeing as they were, as said before, sitting in a circle. "This guy is good. He's eliminated his own scent completely, and he got hold of some of Hinata's perfume ahead of time. He spread it all over town!"
"And my bugs would be far too thinly spread if I sent them throughout the entirety of the city," explained Shino. "They would not be able to communicate with me, nor with each other. We'd never find our target that way." His eyes suddenly creased. "I knew I should have requested additional help and insects," he muttered.
A small sound of befuddlement from everybody. Then Chōji suddenly looked up from pondering something that had been bugging him. He hadn't gotten an answer to his deeper question, but something else had just occurred to him. "Hey, guys," he said, and they all looked at him. "Isn't the fact that this guy knows what kind of perfume Hinata wears a little...creepy?"
Everyone thought for a moment, then shuddered. "Well, hey," said Ino, changed back into her old self (and no longer taking care of the briefcase), "This guy was prepared otherwise. That just means he did all of his research, right?"
"I hope so," murmured Tenten. Everyone else nodded.
Suddenly, Naruto growled. "This is all my fault," he said, angry with himself. He punched the ground. "If only I'd-"
"Oh, Naruto, it's not your fault," said Sakura, pulling him into a hug. "And, hey, you still kept your promise. I mean, even if you weren't the one to save Hinata, you did all you could, and she was saved. So, technically, you did everything that was needed to save her." And she looked up at the rest of the group for confirmation. "Right, guys?"
"Of course," said Lee, thumb up.
"Definitely," enthused Tenten.
"It would certainly appear so," agreed Shino.
Naruto smiled as he left Sakura's arms. Mainly at Sakura. "...thanks, guys," he said softly, realizing that his friends may not have necessarily believed what they were saying was true. Still, they were trying to encourage him and cheer him up. And it's the thought that counts, right?
"Don't thank us yet, because I wouldn't be so sure," said Sasuke, earning himself a whack on the head from each of the girls there. "OW!" times three was heard from him, each one increasing in anger and intensity.
"Do not be so negative!" scolded Rock Lee. "After all, we saw Bright Sunshine Hinata rescued before our very eyes, did we not?" He nodded, arms crossed and eyes closed. "Therefore, she must be safe right now. Mm-hmm."
"Correction," said Shikamaru, "We saw her taken in front of us. We don't know what this 'Kanji's' motives were in taking her yet." He closed his eyes, an unusually solemn look on his face. "For all we know, he just wants the same thing out of Hinata as all the other bidders...he just wants it for free." He opened his eyes again, berating the group as a whole for, perhaps, deceiving themselves. "Why do you think we're out here trying to find Hinata? Just to say hi?"
There was a short silence. Finally, Ino spoke up. "But...but we saw how he acted towards her! He was kind and gentle!" Her face looked off as she said these words, as if she really didn't believe them but truly wanted to. "There's no way a guy like that would-"
"Evil is sometimes obvious, but not always," interrupted Sasuke. "The kindest of faces often hide the darkest of hearts." He looked up at the now-scared group. "I've seen people like that." He smiled slightly despite his gnawing sense of guilt as his eyes drifted away from his friends. "I've been people like that."
There was a much longer silence, taut with horror and sadness. Naruto stood up, a neutral look on his face. This was an even more dangerous sign than Ino's face being neutral. "I'm going to find her." he said simply, walking off in a random direction.
"Not without help you aren't," said Shikamaru. If anyone else had spoken up, Naruto wouldn't have stopped, but the Sixth Hokage had long since learned to trust Shikamaru's strategic heart. Shikamaru stood up now, turning towards Naruto. A short pause. "Do you know which way Neji went?"
Naruto turned now. "I think he went off that way," he said, pointing to his left and behind him. "Why?"
Shikamaru sighed, because he occasionally got tired of explaining things. "The Byakugan," he said simply.
"Oh, of course!" said Sakura.
"With his Byakugan, Neji can track Bright Sunshine Hinata and Mysterious Man Kanji wherever they go! Brilliant!" said (who else) Rock Lee.
What's with him giving nicknames to everybody lately? said Sasuke's Inner. Out loud: "Alright then, so that's our plan, right?"
Naruto nodded, smiling now. A good sign. "Track down Neji Hyuuga!"
"Right!" agreed everybody, standing. They all dashed off, Chōji even shouting out some kind of vocalization as a war cry on his way.
0-0-0-0
The group's meeting occurred simultaneously with Kanji's meeting with Neji. As the group finished, though there was no direct relation between the two events, Neji put on his Byakugan. He knew this wouldn't work from earlier experience back at the long-ago (it seemed) auction. It was more habit than anything.
"You have your orders?" Kanji said, parroting what Neji had just said. "That's all you can say?"
Neji actually turned his Byakugan off again. Without seeing an opponent's chakra network, it actually made things a little fuzzy in battle. This was a new experience. "Do I need to say anything more?"
Kanji's grip tightened on the black hilt of his blade. He raised it up above his head, though it was still pointed forward at Neji, edge down. He was holding it with both hands, now, too. "I see now. You're the kind of ninja who thinks that 'right and wrong' come secondary to the law and to your honor." He lunged forward suddenly. "You're the kind of ninja I hate the most!"
"Neji!" shouted Hinata, worried for her cousin even though she knew that if he won, it would mean that she would have to go back to that blue-haired boy. Still, she would spend a thousand nights with many different people equally as horrible as that boy before she would allow one of her friends (or worse, a member of her family) to be killed.
Neji had learned, when in battle, to think in pictures, rather than words. Even though one can think one's sentences much faster than one can say them, one can think pictures even faster. Still, I shall attempt to translate the many pictures he thought in the split-second before Kanji reached him into sentences.
-He is very fast,- Neji thought. -Too fast. And his stance is somewhat unusual. I will not have a chance to get around his guard, and without the Byakugan I cannot see his chakra network in order to know where or how to guard myself.- He narrowed his eyes, Kanji just a few yards away as he thought his last picture. -I"ll have to throw him off balance, then.- "ROTATION!" he shouted, spinning and expelling chakra from all the points in his body. At that point in time in which he used that attack, Kanji's katana was less than an inch from where the limits of Neji's defense were.
With reflexes and speed most ninja would be impressed with and most ciivlians would claim were impossible, the figure suddenly un-bent his knee, driving his foot into the ground. He brought his katana back, tossing it into the air as he jumped forward and up, barely clearing the dome. He flipped as he did so, landing on his hands and somersaulting forward to remove himself from immediate danger. He grabbed his falling katana by the hilt with one hand and immediately turned, a kunai appearing from his baggy sleeve and into his other hand. He tossed it toward Neji.
Neji's Rotation had just stopped occurring when Kanji tossed his kunai. The branch-family member's eyes widened slightly as the kunai missed him by what a hair would call an extremely small distance. He froze in place, contemplating the feel of cold metal on his flesh. It had been a while since he'd felt that.
"...you said you hate me," said Neji, turning his head back slightly. "Yet you did not kill me. Why?"
Kanji slowly stood, closing his hand into a fist but not clenching it. A gentle fist. "It...wouldn't have been right," he finally said.
Neji looked for a few more seconds, then experienced a sharp shot of pain across his cheek. He did not flinch, though, merely lifted his hand up to where the cut had just appeared. He drew back his hand, looking at the blood on his fingers as he turned. "...it wouldn't have been right," Neji repeated. Then he looked Kanji straight on, so that his face appeared perfectly in Kanji's mask. "Is that it? Or is it simply that you missed?"
Kanji not only did not respond positively or negatively to this accusation, but indeed did not even appear to hear Neji as he got back into his fighting stance. "Do you still want to fight me?"
Neji blinked once. "...no," he finally said. "I concede to you. You are a better fighter than I."
Kanji did not move from his fighting stance, rightfully suspicious. "Thank you."
Neji smiled as he continued, though the smile seemed bitter. "However, experience has shown I am faster than you." And he suddenly turned again, running back to Hinata, who did not have time to react as she was still slightly stiff and out of practice from a week with no training. Kanji dashed forward as well, but Hinata could see in the instant before she was grabbed around the waist by Neji that he was, indeed, slower than Neji was. "Forgive me," whispered Neji to his cousin as he ran with her, Kanji not far behind but getting farther. He threw a kunai, but Neji instinctively dodged.
"...forgive me," said Hinata right back as she activated her Byakugan. She lifted her hand to strike a chakra point only to feel something being slapped onto her arm. She suddenly felt very, very sleepy as she lowered her arm, and thus did not lower it with nearly enough force or chakra to hit the point she was aiming for. Or enough accuracy.
"Microscopic needles," said Neji as Kanji fell far enough behind that he gave up on running after the two Hyuugas. Hinata managed to turn her head and look at her arm. There was a small patch attached to it. Obviously some kind of sleeping agent. "Will wear off in half an hour," was the last thing Hinata heard as she fell asleep. Neji frowned. -Perfect,- he thought sarcastically. Suddenly, all the lights in the various windows around him flickered off. He stopped in his tracks, having seen this trick before.
"You are faster than me," said a voice as the lights came back on. Neji gently set Hinata back down on the ground. "Then again, when I want to, I can travel at..." and another Kanji, glowing, stepped out of the alleyway in front of Neji. "...lightspeed."
-A clone? At this great distance?- Neji thought, moving back into Gentle Fist stance. -This man is dangerous.-
The other Kanji caught up again after a few seconds. He paused several feet behind Neji, then drew his blade as he slowly stepped forward. The clone slowly copied the original's movements. Neji turned from one to the other, again and again, trying to decide which one to go for first. Suddenly, both the clone and the original stopped. "I get it now," they said in unison, sheathing their swords.
-Hmm?- thought Neji. As he thought this, the clone suddenly burst in a puff a smoke, as the original stood in its place. There was a bright flash of light behind Neji. -Did he just harm himself and use a substitution with his clone? What was the point?-
Kanji stepped forward. Neji moved back into stance, attention now properly focused on a single opponent. "You're not really giving Hinata back to the elders, are you?"
Neji's eyes widened again. This was the third time he'd been surprised that night. A new record. "H...how did you know?"
Kanji shrugged his shoulders, but did not actually bring them back down. His arms were spread. "It didn't seem like something you'd do."
"You know me?"
"I've been watching you," said Kanji, crossing his arms. "All of you."
"All of my clan?" asked Neji, now angry. "All of Konoha? Me and my friends?"
"...definitely one of those options," said Kanji, clarifying nothing.
"How dare you?" shouted Neji, preparing to charge forward.
"Easy, there," said Kanji, extending his arm as a sign to stop. "Guardians must watch if they are to guard."
"Guardians?" breathed Neji, incredulous.
"We can go into all this later," said Kanji, taking a step forward. "For now, you need to give Hinata to me."
"I'm not letting you put your filthy hands on my cousin!" shouted Neji.
Kanji stepped back again. Then he slowly moved into a normal person's way of standing. "It's not like you to get this angry, Neji," said Kanji. He suddenly looked as thoughtful as a man with no face can look, elbow in hand and chin in other hand. "At least, that is what I have heard from others talking about you..."
Neji breathed rapidly, trying to calm himself down. "I won't let you," he repeated, as if he needed to clarify.
"You have to trust me when I say that I need to hide her, not you," pleaded Kanji.
Neji started. Then he forced himself back into his fighting stance yet again. "I don't. I don't trust you!"
Kanji sighed. "You can't tell the elders you failed at your mission."
"Why not?" asked Neji. "It is a valid excuse. One I cannot be held accountable for. A ninja occasionally failing his mission is nothing he can be punished for. And I refuse to let Hinata be put through-"
"You're very poor at lying," interrupted Kanji. "They'll find out where she's at in a heartbeat."
Neji thought for a second. It was true, he knew that. He moved, slowly, from his first stance and into a slightly different one. "What do you suggest I do, then? Trust you, just like that?"
"Trust me or distrust me, the ANBU are on their way," said Kanji, looking over his shoulder. Neji looked there too, up at the rooftops. There were, indeed, very distinctive figures leaping across them. "They probably saw my little light show. I apologize; that was very careless of me. And now one of us needs to hold them off."
Neji considered things, but very quickly, as the ANBU were, indeed, very close by. "So why don't you hold them off, then? Why me?"
"Do you have a plan?" asked Kanji. "A place to hide her they will never look in?"
Neji considered things again. "...no," he finally said. He looked up at their pursuers, exiting his stance. "You do?"
"I do."
The ANBU could be seen by a civilian now, if any had been nearby. They were closing fast. Neji shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know if I am strong enough."
There was a moment of silence before Kanji started walking forward. "I trust you," said Kanji simply.
Neji looked at Kanji. "Thanks for the vote of confidence," he said, somehow being completely sincere and very sarcastic at the same time.
Kanji walked past him on the way to Hinata. "Are you scared of the consequences of your actions?"
"Somewhat," admitted Neji. "How did you guess?"
At the same time, Kanji picked up Hinata as gently as possible. "You seemed scared...and you don't seem like the type to be afraid of death." Neji lowered his head whilst Kanji paused again. Then he looked back at Neji. "I said that people always have a choice." He tilted his head. "You said that you do not know if people have freedom of choice, or if fate chooses for you." He looked towards the exit. "Either way, it is time a choice was made. Will you help me, or not?" And he ran off in the silence that occurred. Well, almost silence. The ANBU's footsteps were loud and clear now.
Neji looked up yet again, this time at the ANBU, who had just arrived. "A choice," he said quietly, getting into his stance again. The soldiers in front of him were surprised at his actions, and therefore off guard. "I make my choice," Neji sai, just as softly but much more determined as he activated his Kekkai Genkai. Another yottosecond of stunned silence, and he took the opportunity to attack.
0-0-0-0
"Are you sure he's this way?" asked Ino.
"Positive," said Shino. "I saw the ANBU headed in this direction. Either Neji is this way, or Kanji is." He thought for a split-second. "Perhaps both."
"Good," said Naruto. "We're coming, Hinata..."
"Look, I see him! Neji!" shouted Sakura.
"Neji!" said several of the group, smiling and waving greetings. Chōji suddenly frowned as they got closer. "Hey, guys, does something look a little...off to you?"
"Oh, man...what the heck is going on?" asked Kiba (the next to see the problem) as Akamaru suddenly stopped on one of the roofs and whined.
All of the others looked a bit more closely at the street Neji was on and gasped. They took the last part of their journey in much larger leaps and bounds, as what they'd seen had disturbed them. Neji, standing alone, looking badly beaten and disheveled. Around him: approximately a dozen members of the ANBU Black Ops, all unconscious.
The group landed close to Neji. His teammates were first to talk to him. "All-Seeing Neji!" said Rock Lee. "What has happened here?"
Neji took a few more deep breaths. Then, he suddenly smiled and laughed, a disturbing thing considering A) He was covered in cuts and bruises and his left leg looked broken and B) He was Neji Hyuuga. "I can't believe it..." Neji said. "I beat all of them...all by myself..." and he laughed again, though it was obvious he didn't actually find anything funny. He suddenly stopped laughing, and fell over.
Tenten caught him. "Neji!" she cried. Then she shifted him so she could carry him off, left arm across her shoulders. "Why did you-" she paused, looking around. "W-what happened to that Kanji guy?"
Neji chuckled. He looked back at the rest of the group as best as he could. "I'm...sorry. He was...too strong for me..." he murmured truthfully, sinking into unconsciousness.
Everyone was startledly silent upon hearing these words. "Woah," said Sasuke finally. And it takes a lot to impress Sasuke Uchiha.
"Um, guys?" asked Ino. Everyone looked at her. She looked worried. "Do we...really have the ability to beat this guy? I mean, if Neji wasn't strong enough..."
Everyone was silent for a couple seconds. "All together, yeah," said Shikamaru finally. "Maybe even as a group of two or three. But one on one?" And he shook his head. "It's a drag, but I think Sasuke and Naruto are the only ones who would even stand a chance."
Everyone was silent for a couple seconds. Or, at least, they would have been, but Naruto spoke up. "Never mind that," he said sharply, looking around. "Where's Hinata?"
Akamaru (who had just arrived recently) sniffed the air, as did Kiba. "I don't smell anything," said Kiba. "Not even any of Hianta's perfume. At least, not nearby."
"And if this fight's been going on as long as it would appear," said Shino. "They could be anywhere in the city by now."
Naruto looked down. "So...it's back to square one?"
"More like back to square zero," said Sasuke. "We have no leads." He looked Naruto in the eye, a rarity even nowadays. "I'm sorry, Naruto. But all we can do now is wait."
Naruto gave a great sigh. "That's what I was afraid of."
And now that this chapter's over, an announcement: anyone wondering what the question mark behind the OC in the description means? Here's a hint: it means that Kanji might not actually be an OC. Shocker, I know!
Seriously now: I'm putting forth the possibility (and a rather strong one at that) that behind Kanji's mirrored mask is a recognizable person from the Naruto canon. Then again, he might not be. I could just be sending you on a wild goose chase. Ha ha!
...alright, I'll give you all one serious hint: It's not Sai. I know I said Sai was gone and we'd get into the reasons why, but the reasons why are not 'Sai is Kanji'. There are different reasons, which we will eventually get into.
Anyway, thanks for reading, and have a super-special-awesome day! (Term is trademarked by LittleKuriboh, aka CardGamesFTW, aka Martin Billany.)