Chapter 17 - Divine Wind

"Say, Shikamaru, why do you wear your wedding ring around your neck?" Moegi asked while she and Shikamaru walked the Hokage Office Building's hall.

"Long story. One that'd be a real drag to remember..." Shikamaru said. "To make it short, there are certain things married men aren't allowed to lose more than once."

Moegi chuckled. She stopped once she and Shikamaru reached the door to the Hokage's office. The latter opened the door, and to his and Moegi's surprise, somebody besides Naruto was already inside.

"Sasuke?" Shikamaru said perplexedly.

Sasuke looked his way once, before looking back toward Naruto. "So, like I was saying-"

"Hey! At least acknowledge when people are talking to you," Shikamaru lectured while he and Moegi entered the room.

"Lord Hokage, why is Sasuke here?" Moegi asked.

"It's about Jingoro Masayoshi. Sasuke came here to share some info on him," Naruto said.

"Didn't he already do that, though?"

"Some new information came up."

Shikamaru made a face. "What new information? Did this dude show his face, again?"

"No. The information concerns an autopsy of a unknown-nin the Hidden Leaf discovered. I knew about the autopsy, but not the details." Naruto opened his laptop, typed something up, then turned the screen around. "Look at this."

Shikamaru did, and so did Moegi, from a view. The former was the most surprised by what he saw.

"No way... They couldn't find any chakra points?" Shikamaru asked, looking up from the screen. "They made some kind of mistake, right?"

"Hey, now! Don't put down our village's surgeons," Naruto said while turning the laptop around. "They do good work. If they said there were no chakra points, then that means there were no chakra points."

Shikamaru stood in thought for a moment. He recalled the time Sasuke walked in and shared information about Jingoro for the first time.

"No chakra points, huh? So you think this unknown-nin and Jingoro have something to do which each other?"

Sasuke glanced toward Shikamaru and said "During my fight with Jingoro, I tried to steal his chakra using the Preta Path, but he had no chakra to steal."

"But wasn't he using jutsu?"

"No chakra, no jutsu. The techniques he was using must have been something else entirely."

Moegi cocked her head. "Techniques without jutsu? Is that even possible?"

Everyone was put in stasis of thought. The mystery of Jingoro Masayoshi just cranked up a few notches. Naruto broke the silence with a sigh.

"Staying up all night looking through this stuff isn't going to help us solve anything quicker," he said. "Sasuke, you mind coming back tomorrow morning?"

Sasuke hummed. "It's almost midnight, but fine."

Moegi bowed and Shikamaru shrugged as Sasuke left. As soon as he entered the hallway, his phone began to ring.

He answered. "Hello?"

"Sasuke? Sasuke, they're gone!" his wife's frantic voice came from over the phone.

"Sakura? What are talking about? Who's gone?"

"Sarada and Hana! They're both gone!"

"I'm still worried about Sarada..." Hana said as he and Bolt headed up a flight of stairs.

Bolt huffed. "You heard her. She said she'd be fine on her own. She's more capable."

"Bolt~ are you still about that?"

"Aren't you?! Seriously, you just says whatever she wants!"

"Don't you do that too? Besides, she wasn't lying. She is stronger than we both are. She even mastered one of her chakra natures already."

Bolt made a face as he and Hana walked the hall. "Yeah... Actually, you did too, didn't you? That lightning thingy you did at the park? What was it called?"

"You mean the Chidori?"

"Yeah, that. You already mastered lightning style then, right?"

Hana scratched his head. "Not really. It's just that one technique. Plus, it's not even complete yet."

"It's not?"

Hana shook his head. "Remember when I missed Onbara and hit the swing instead. My hand should have carved through it like butter, but all I can do is make a good dent and burn some metal. Also..." Hana tapped his right shoulder with his chokuto. "My arm is feeling a little numb afterward. I've only ever used the technique twice before getting a serious rebound. And the second Chidori is always weaker than the first. Sometimes, it doesn't even work."

Bolt squinted. "So, basically... you're useless right now?"

Hana laughed at himself. "Yeah, I guess so! Haha!"

Bolt grumbled. 'Whatever... I wasn't looking forward to relying on a momma's boy, anyway...'

Bolt and Hana eventually stopped in front of large double doors. It was a bedazzling as everything else in the casino. The two boys looked at each other before each sticking one hand out and pushing the door open at once.

"Now ain't this a surprise," a familiar voice. "Didn't think we meet again so soon, kiddo."

Bolt's eyes sharpened in fury while Hana kept his eyes steady.

"Onbara... So you were here after all," he said.

It was the main room of the casino. Pokers tables were in each corner, slot machines went in rows down the room, there was bar, a stage and even a golden chandelier that was currently lit. In fact, all the lights in the room were on.

Onbara was sitting on the stage which sat on the other end of the room. "When I heard that explosion earlier, I knew that someone had sneaked in, but I was sure it would be the Hanimuras, come to rescue that distressed damsel of theirs. Who would have thought it'd be the kiddo... and some kid."

Bolt pointed his finger indignantly. "My name is Bolt Uzumaki! Remember that name, because it'll be the last thing you memorize before I knock your skull loose! You better believe that!"

Onbara chuckled. "Before you get too excited you should know, roughly eight hundred explosives are currently hidden around this room. This place is basically a mine field I got ready for intruders."

Hana cringed. 'This is dangerous... Bolt and I sure figure out another way too.'

Suddenly, Hana saw Bolt run in front of him again. This time he jumped on top of one of the slot machines and dashed down the row of them like they were a balancing beam. Onbara looked just as shocked as Hana.

Bolt jumped off the last machine, pulled out two handfuls of shurikens from his jacket and threw them with surprising accuracy. Onbara back rolled out of the way, then stood in time to see Bolt land on the stage.

Bolt rushed him. "Not so cocky now, are y- Ugh!"

Onbara sunk his knee in Bolt's stomach, sending the latter reeling. He nearly fell off the stage. Onbara was about to kick him into the minefield when Hana jumped onto the stage like Bolt, delivering a slash while falling.

"Get back!" Hana yelled as he rushed the yakuza.

Onbara dodged the first slash, and the two that came after and jumped away nimbly.

Hana looked back at Bolt with a smile. "Still think I'm useless?"

Bolt snorted while picking himself up. "Don't get cocky, momma's boy. You just caught him by surprise."

The two stared Onbara down. They knew that just rushing him wouldn't work anymore. He was faster and stronger than both of them. Plus, their were those miniature explosives of his, that he hadn't used yet.

"Hey, Bolt... I've got an idea," Hana whispered. "A way to get Onbara in one shot."

Bolt squinted. "You had that chance back at the park, and you didn't take it. Why should I trust you to do it now?"

Hana made a sullen face. Bolt was right. He did have the chance. All of this could have prevented had he just hit Onbara then and there.

"...Master once told me, 'Never regret what you still have time to fix," Hana quoted. "I won't screw up this time. We'll save Ryoma and avenge Himawari, so..." Hana smiled at Bolt. "Could you believe in me, for just a few seconds?"

"...you're weird, you know that? Even weirder than Sarada," Bolt said, but he still grinned. "So... what's the plan?"

Hana nodded, then leaned in to Bolt's ear.

Onbara watched the two carefully. Suddenly, Bolt and Hana broke away from each other and rushed Onbara from different angles.

"Finally worked up some nerve, huh?" Onbara said with his hands still in his pockets.

He weaved under Bolt's high kick, and blocked his punch. He also ducked Hana's slash, and threw Bolt into him. The boys were persistent, however. As soon as they hit the stage floor, they got back up and rushed him again.

Onbara cocked a brow. 'Annoying little brats, aren't they...?'

He kept dodging and evading their attacks. Eventually, he found himself cornered on the edge of the stage.

"Now we've got you!" Hana exclaimed while swinging at Onbara again.

Onbara jumped away from the blow and landed on one of the row of slot machines. Hana followed and landed on the machines himself.

"You're not getting away, Onbara!" Hana yelled while chasing him.

"Wanna bet? Between us, guess who's better at running away, kiddo?" Onbara asked while skipping backwards.

Hana suddenly smiled. "Windmill Style: Windmill Step!"

Hana disappeared and reappeared at Onbara's backside.

'It's that technique again! I need to move before-' Onbara looked forward and saw that Bolt had also jumped onto the row, and was rushing him from the other end with shurikens between his fingers.

In the brief second he had, Onbara examined his situation, and understood that he had truly been caught. He almost wanted to congratulate the boys, but instead he just put jumped up two fingers.

"How about I show you why they call me Kamikaze Onbara?"

He said 'boom' in his mind, and what seemed like ¼ of the room exploded. What's more, it was the fourth that the three were standing in.

Sarada stopped in her tracks when the entire casino started to tremble. "What was that? Are Hana and Bolt..."

She shook her head and continued. She had no time to be thinking. She was separated from them anyway. Even if she wanted to go help, she couldn't.

'Once I rescue Ryoma, I'll go back to save them. But...'

Sarada came to some stairs that headed down. For the past few minutes, she had been doing nothing but coming to stairs took her lower and lower.

"Am I even going in the right direction?"

Sarada continued onward, regardless. With her path blocked she had nowhere else to go. What was more, the windows at Imaeda Palace was stronger than they look. Nothing Sarada tried could break them. A fireball might have, but she knew better than to waste chakra so soon.

She went down one more flight of stairs, and arrived at a door. It looked like a security door. It even had a number pad on it, like in the movies and books. There was only one problem – it was open. Sarada knew it had to be a trap, but what choice did she have?

She took a deep breathe. "Okay..."

She pushed open the security door and walked inside. The place was roomy. So roomy that four pillars the height of Imaeda Palace itself could fit inside of it.

"How deep down did I go?"

"Too deep. You're in the casino's vault level," a voice said.

Sarada jumped back and squinted in the darkness. "Who's there?!"

"You don't recognize my voice? We met not too long ago."

Sarada thought for a moment. "Ah... Yeah, I know who you are. You're that yakuza guy that mom knocked into next week."

Sarada could hear the voice click his tongue. "That's all you remember?!"

Sarada thought harder. "Oh, yeah... You wore glasses too, right?"

"And my name is Roba!"

Sarada shrugged. "I never caught your name before Mom punched you into oblivion, to be honest."

Roba sighed. Sarada actually felt a little bad for him. Judging from his reaction, he must have gotten this a lot.

"Whatever... Let's just get this over with..." he said.

With that, ten kunai flew from out of the darkness toward Sarada. The young Uchiha barely saw them in time to barrel away. Then she looked back and saw the black steel still coming for her.

'What?! How are they-?!' Sarada broke off running, which was difficult, considering she couldn't see anything in this darkness aside from the large pillars.

Roba didn't seem to have the same problem. Another dozen kunai came from in front of Sarada while the ten behind her were still chasing her. She bit her lip and thought 'Fine... if that's how it's gonna be...!' She started heading for where she heard Roba's voice earlier. She would skewer him with his own kunai.

Then she stopped. No. To be accurate, something stopped her. She could feel her flesh being pushed, as though she had ran into a fence. She was bounced back, and then, the same thing that obstructed her path wrapped around her wrists and hoisted her up.

"Trying to get me to off myself with my own kunai? Did you really think I would fall for that?" Roba asked.

Sarada struggled to free herself from whatever was holding her, but she continued to dangle helplessly.

"I gotta say though, you're really talented for a girl your age," Roba continue from the shadows. "You don't even have a headband, but you're more level headed than most genin. ...then again, you are Sasuke Uchiha's daughter. I guess this sort of thing is in your blood." Flying kunai surrounded Sarada. "Now, why I hate to be the reason the Uchiha bloodline goes extinct, I also really hate kids. Sorry, little girl."

"Wait! The guys are the ones who captured Ryoma, right?" Sarada suddenly asked.

"Yeah. So what?"

"The reason you captured her... you want the 'bird,' don't you?"

"...how do you know about that?"

"Because Ryoma gave it to me right before she was captured by that Onbara guy. I brought it with me to exchange for your safety."

"You came here to negotiate? Are you serious?"

"The scroll is in my sweater. You can have it. I don't even care if you let me go or not. Just..." Sarada shut her eyes. "Just let Ryoma go... Please. She's been through enough already..."

Roba was silent for a moment. Eventually, one of his kunai flew near Sarada and wriggled under her sweater. A scroll eventually fell out of it and hit the vault level's floor. For the first time, Roba came out of the darkness.

"So you weren't lying after all," he said adjusting his glasses. "Well, thanks for handing over the 'bird,' but the Hanimura girl is staying where she's at. She's a little too important to be let go that easily."

Roba saw Sarada make a face. He smirked and went to retrieve the scroll. When he did, Sarada made another face. She swung her feet forward, then back, then forward, then back again. Using the momentum she spun her entire body until her hands were front of her again.

She quickly made the hand signs Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger. "Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

Roba looked up and saw a giant fireball plummeting toward him. He got away in time, but the scroll, which was scorched in the blast, was not so lucky. Roba's lost of concentration allowed for whatever was holding Sarada to loosen.

As soon as she was freed she hopped away and hid behind one of the vault level's pillars.

'That scroll... It was a fake wasn't it?' Roba wondered while he searched for Sarada in the darkness. 'What's more, she must have used the fire from that blast to get a better look of her surroundings. Damn... Onbara was right for once: this little girl, really is a monster...'