It's Time

Hyuuga Neji awoke to find himself in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable chair. It took him a few moments of hazy panic to realise he was in Hoshi's hospital room, and that he must have fallen asleep in the armchair. His heartbeat slowed down, and he stood up, walking over to his daughter's bedside. The heart monitor beeped repetitively, but he was glad of the sound. It meant his daughter was still alive, if only just.

*

Hyuuga Tenten was standing in the kitchen, washing up, when she felt a twinge inside her abdomen. The baby moved a little inside her, making her feel uncomfortable, and need the toilet desperately. She headed to the kitchen door, but every step created shooting pains across her bump. The baby moved again, ever so slightly. Tenten breathed deeply, grasping the doorframe to support herself, and called out for someone, anyone.

*

Inuzuka Akane awoke to the faint sound of someone yelling. She jumped out of bed straight away. Was this it? Had the war started and she hadn't even been told? Still groggy from sleep, she stumbled on something long stretched out on her floor and fell with a crash as she pulled the bedside table down with her.
There was a muffled grunt from underneath her, and she slowly remembered that Ichiru had stayed in her room last night, on the floor of course. She scrambled up quickly, straightening the little table up, and apologising through laughter.
Another panicked shout from somewhere in the house bought her back to her senses. It seemed to alert Ichiru too, as he jumped up from the floor, half dressed.
Akane averted her eyes, and ran to the door.
"Wait! It could be some kind of trap." Ichiru said, grabbing her wrist.
Akane nodded, "Byakugan!" she cried, searching the surrounding corridors.
There she was… Tenten-san! And she looked like she was in trouble. Akane could see the baby struggling inside her, Tenten's hands clutching at her stomach.
Without a word, the girl darted off towards the kitchen, shouting out to say she was coming. Ichiru followed, grabbing a t-shirt as he did so.

*

It was cold in Tsunade's little house. She rubbed her hands together, and then placed them around her cup of green tea, hoping to warm them. Above her, she could hear that lousy man snoring. Obviously, he wouldn't be up till gone 12pm, and so the former Hokage relaxed a little. She lay back on the sofa, curling her legs underneath her, and switching on the TV. A bang from upstairs told her that he'd either woken up, or just fallen out of bed. It was most likely the latter…she hoped.
A scrabbling sound on the stairs, and she knew he was definitely awake. But why? So early?
The door swung open, and he answered the question for her.
"The hospital needs you. Naruto sent one of those kids from the academy. Bloody woke me up, hopping onto the windowsill like that."
Tsunade smiled at her husband. Even though he was old, even though he was lazy, even though he was a bit of a pervert, and it had taken her forever to marry him, she did love Jiraiya.
She gathered her things and left the house quickly.
"Don't be long!" Jiraiya called after her, "Now I'm awake, I'd like to do some…er…research for my next book!"
Tsunade smirked to herself as she ran towards the hospital.
Yep, definitely a perv.

*

Aburame Ino belched quietly as she polished off the plate of food in front of her. Her companion nodded approvingly, as he himself finished off his barbequed meat.
"I'm glad we still do this, Ino-chan." Akimichi Choji said, sitting across the table from his teammate.
Ino laughed, "Even at times of war, I know you need barbeque." She shrugged, "Plus I sometimes enjoy your company. I just wish Shika was here."
Choji nodded in agreement, signalling for the waiter.
"More food?" Ino raised an eyebrow.
Choji licked his lips, smiling. "No, the bill. Kichi will kill me if I ruin my dinner."
Ino laughed again, louder this time; "I see she still has a hold over you!"
"And what about you, 'Miss Mellow'! You're so much more relaxed these days. Is this the affect Shino has on you?"
The two friends laughed even more, sitting in the restaurant. Other customers stared at them, Konoha ninja, laughing at a time like this. But these ninja knew that without this respite, they'd be overcome with despair.
A shadow fell across their table suddenly, causing them to stop laughing abruptly. Ino's face crumpled as the messenger ninja stood talking to her. She stood up, her face full of pain.
"No, no, no! No, you're wrong! You're wrong! You've got the wrong man!" She screamed, shaking Choji off as he tried to calm her down, "My husband is fine. He's fine! There's no way he would get himself hurt!"
The messenger ninja placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Aburame Shino's team are missing, presumed dead, at the boarders of the rain country. I am only the messenger, I know nothing more. I'm very sorry."
Ino collapsed to the floor as the messenger left, Choji holding her in his arms. She shook, sobbing while he rocked her back and forth, as a mother would a sick child.

*

Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of his bedroom mirror. He'd been walking past a restaurant, when he'd seen Ino screaming and crying on the floor in Choji's arms. He asked a passer by what had happened, and was informed that her husband was missing. Sasuke had shuddered with fear, and had immediately gone home. The Hyuuga house was empty when he arrived, and so he'd gone to his room.
Now, the head of the Uchiha family stood, pale faced and dark haired, staring at his reflection. He'd dressed himself in his old clothes, from just before he'd left Konoha the second time. On his left leg was a kunai holder. Around his waist was his special pouch, complete with original contents. His black top, emblazoned with the Uchiha clan symbol still fit him perfectly, although he'd last worn it at the age of 19. He smiled, but only slightly. Getting back into the original 'Sasuke mindset' would be easy: Expressionless, emotionless…ruthless. That was how it had to be from now on, if he seriously wanted to defend his home and family.

*

Tenten howled as she crouched on the bed, trying desperately hard to breathe. Tsunade had appeared in the room a few minutes ago, barking at everyone else to get out and give the poor woman some space. Tenten had gone into labour. Early.
"It's not meant to happen now!" she cried, "Not now. This is the worst time ever!"
Tsunade hushed her and stroked her back soothingly.
"It'll be fine, Tenten. Don't you worry. Just focus on your breathing. Come on, you've done this before!"

Outside, Akane paced the corridor.
"I'll have to go find uncle Neji. He's in Hoshi's room, but I don't want to leave Tenten, and Hoshi can't be left alone…"
Ichiru grabbed her arm and pulled her to him.
"Calm down. Panicking does no one any good now, does it? I'll go find Neji-sama, and I can sit with Hoshi. You stay here with Tenten-san."
Akane nodded dumbly. Ichiru was hugging her very close, and looking down at her with those big, dark, bottomless eyes…
A scream from inside Tenten's room made them break apart wordlessly, Ichiru running off to find the father, Akane entering the room to care for her aunt.

*

Naruto stood, dressed in his orange and black fighting clothes. Behind him, Sakura stood in her own 'ninja uniform', her pink hair tied up.
She clasped her hand in is, a tear sliding down her cheek. He turned to her, seeing an image of her as a girl, small and weak. Now she was a strong and capable ninja, one of the best Konoha had ever seen. She was his wife, the mother of his children, and the love of his life…
They would fight together.

*

Hours earlier, Naruto had sat in his office while his former teacher, Hatake Kakashi, sat in front of him, informing him of the latest developments.
Kakashi was close to retirement age now, but refused to be left out of the 'action'. He said he wanted to defend his village, and country until the end. There was no way he'd take a back seat. And so he'd been deployed to the boarders of the rain country with an ANBU troop, led by one Aburame Shino. During a fierce battle with some enemy ninja, Kakashi was knocked out. He awoke to find he was very much alone, with no trace of the battle, the enemy, or his teammates. Everyone was gone. It was as if the cleaners had been through.
Kakashi searched for the members of the ANBU team, using Pakkun and the other ninja dogs he could summon, but it was to no avail. There was nothing to go on.
Naruto organised for Ino to be informed. He then called on his advisors, and was locked in a room with them for over an hour discussing their next move. He then called upon his finest jounin still in the village, and asked for them to organise teams of chuunin. These were then sent out to various strategic positions, pre-decided by Naruto and his council.
He tried his hardest not to separate the teams he knew worked well. He kept Konohamaru, now a jounin, with his loyal teammates. He made sure the chuunin teams made up of his own children, and his friends' children were kept together.
Then finally he stood in his room, ready.
Ready for whatever was going to happen now.

*

Akane sat alone on a hard plastic chair in the hospital corridor, listening to the moans and cries of her aunt in the room behind her. The sun was slowly going down, and Akane felt cold and alone. An hour before, a messenger had come to inform her that the Hokage wanted her to stay in the village to protect it. She would be in charge of a group of capable genin, including Ichiru.
Where was Ichiru?
He'd been gone forever. Neji had been in to see Tenten, and then been shouted at so much that he'd gone back to check on Hoshi. That was 2 hours before now. Surely he wasn't sitting with Hoshi and uncle Neji?
As if summoned by her thoughts, the Uchiha boy appeared at the end of the corridor. She stood up quickly, smiling. Then she saw his face.
He walked slowly towards her, tears streaming down his beautiful, pale skin. Akane walked quickly to him, her face questioning. He shook his head.
"Sh-she was so like my mother. It won't be long now." He said, sitting in one of the plastic chairs lining the corridor.
For a moment Akane didn't understand what he meant by 'it won't be long'. Then she realised, and sat heavily next to him.
"Oh."
That was all she could say. Her head was spinning, and the walls were dancing around her. Everything seemed to be getting darker. Were the lights being turned off? Suddenly everything was very cold, and her surroundings seemed to change.

There was a breeze; it was raining slightly. She was in a field of long, waving grass, shivering. Around her were screams, the sounds of battle: The sounds of death. There was the smell of burning in the air. Honou whined next to her. She cried, calling out for her mother, her father. She clutched at a small picture of her family, blood smeared over the faces. Her blood. The dog pawed at her, whining louder. But she couldn't hear it. She couldn't actually hear anything anymore…

Akane sat up with a start, grabbing out for something to hold onto. It had been so real. She'd been seeing through Aiko's eyes, she was sure of it. Her eyes were glazed over as she felt warmth around her suddenly. Ichiru held her, softly calling her name.
"Akane-chan, are you okay? You fell off your chair all of a sudden."
Akane blinked a few times, and then shakily got to her feet.
"I think my sister's dying out there. And my cousin's dying upstairs. And my brother and mother and father could be dying right now… And I have to stay here. I can't go to help them. I'm so useless!"
Ichiru stood in front of her.
"You're not useless. You're an extremely talented ninja. I know, I've had to fight you! The village needs you, Akane. It needs a fiery Inuzuka, it needs a genius Hyuuga. My father has told me the stories of your clans since I was a little boy. You are both those things. Most of all, Akane, I need you, okay? And so do Tenten-san, and your new baby cousin. We all need you to protect us."
Akane sniffed, and held her head up high.
"You don't need protecting, Ichiru-kun. But I'll do it anyway." She said, running from the hospital, towards the Hokage's office.

*

Sasuke stood with Naruto and Sakura, strangely elated at the thought of fighting next to them again. They stood in front of a large group of ninja, most chuunin or genin, but there were a few jounin at the back of the room. Sasuke spotted Choji and Ino amongst them. Ino looked better. Defiant, standing tall, her son next to her.
Naruto cleared his throat and stepped forwards, addressing the people in front of him.

"You are all Konoha ninja. We are all as one. We will fight as one. An ANBU troop has been captured in the rain country. We now believe them to be harbouring the enemy. There are reports of battles at all the boarders. Suna have already been attacked." There was a wave of whispers through the crowd. Aburame Taro clenched his mother's hand even harder than he had been.
"All assembled here are Konoha's last defence. Hopefully we will not have to defend the village. But if it comes down to it, and the enemy breaks down our defensive barriers, I want everyone to fight well, and fight for this village. I will not let evil get it's grip on our lives. Please, begin patrolling immediately."
With that, there was a swoosh and the ninja all left.
Sasuke noticed his own son, Ichiru, leaving with Kiba's daughter Akane. He felt a swell of pride as he caught sight of the hitai ate tied around Ichiru's arm.
Naruto patted him on the shoulder.
"Are you ready?"
"Hai, Hokage." He replied, leaving the room behind Sakura.