Hello everybody, and welcome to chapter forty-three, of the Winds of Change! I've actually had this chapter sitting on my harddrive for the past week or so, but I've been a bit too lazy to edit it. Luckily, my good friend TheParagonPariah edited it for me, so a huge thank you to him! Please go check out his story, Hyuuga's Black Eye!
As for the chapter itself, I do apologize if it's not up to par. Part of me feels like the last scene needs a bit of work, so if you readers think it does, please say so. Oh, and a huge thank you to DaughterofMania for going through and clearing up all the horrible issues for the first eight chapters!
So, without further ado, I bring you chapter 43, of the Winds of Change.
Chapter 43:
The closer they got to the top, the colder the chakra, it seemed.
Hinata shivered in the cool night air as it rushed past her, attacking her clothes and hair. Lavender eyes closed momentarily, a stinging sensation covering them. After a moment, she opened them once more, revealing the dark sky, the blackened coals now slowly forming into raging dark blues. The stars did not shine as bright, nor were they as harsh, a softer glow about them. Morning was coming, it seemed.
The green leaves were still etched with dark, however, bundles of them sticking together. Twigs and branches jutted out from every angle, the thickened wood hard and steadfast.
She stood atop one of the many wooden platforms that Sakura had created, the crunching of leaves underfoot as she made her way over to her teammates. With a hand-sign, the veins around her eyes disappeared, causing them to soften.
"Anything?" Shizune's dark hair was flecked with the occasional sliver of light as she turned to face Hinata. The Hyūga, long hair flowing down her back, shook her head softly.
"N-no. I don't detect anything."
Shizune nodded, turning away from the girl and placing her finger on the speak button of her headset. "Shizune speaking, does anyone copy?"
She waited a few moments. Nothing.
Cursing, she stood up. "All right, we should keep going, we've rested long enough."
Hinata smiled softly, turning on her heels and walking away from the Jonin. "Kiba, Shino." She called out quietly, the wind sending her tune travelling across the world.
"Over here Hinata!" Kiba's voice was certainly not soft, rough and manly, etched with an inflection of pain. The Hyūga grimaced as she went towards him.
The wooden clones had caught them by surprise. Even with her Byakugan active, they came far quicker than she could've even hoped to warn the others. The battle was fast, over in mere minutes. The wooden humanoids had retreated, leaving the shards of their brethren as the only indication they'd been there.
She'd been lucky, the clones having no idea how to combat the Jyuuken. She dispatched them quickly and effectively. Kiba, however, had not been so lucky.
The Inuzuka stumbled out of a nearby leaf bush, dusting himself off with his arm. A long, pinkish scar, sealed shut with stitches, now ran down his left shoulder and to his left pec. He'd been cut deeply by a piece of wood, or so Shino had said.
"How're you feeling?" She asked.
He grinned at her wolfishly, flexing his shoulder. "Better than ever-" He paused, wincing slightly. "Okay, maybe not amazing. But, I'm good to go!" Akamaru strolled up to his side, cream coloured fur bedraggled with twigs and leaves. The Hyūga heiress knelt down, lightly patting the ninken on the head, but to his happiness.
She rose, peering around her teammate, eyes filled with curiosity. "W-where's Shino?"
Kiba turned his gaze upwards, and sniffed the night air. After a moment, his grin molded into a smile. "He's scouting around for a bit, while we rest."
She nodded. "W-we need to get going now, t-though. But." She added, as the dog ninja began to stretch and limber up. "I wanted to ask you something?"
Brown eyes narrowed, but he did not reply to the girl in front of him.
A pink tinge slithered up her neck and covered her cheeks, her voice quieter and meeker than usual. "Y-you've been acting strange."
Kiba's heart began to beat fast, and he unconsciously licked his lips. Oh shit.
"What?" He laughed, despite the pain it caused to his shoulder. "Have I? I'm sorry Hinata, I guess I'm just worked up about all of this, y'know? I just wanna get in on the action!"
"Y-yes." Her smile didn't reach those lavender eyes of hers, and Kiba frowned. Damn it. "B-but you've been acting strange b-before the mission, too."
"I have!? Wow, you have really great bo- eyes Hinata!" He chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his tanned neck, mouth contorted into a sheepish grin. Hinata's face remained impassive.
"Thank you, K-Kiba. But, are you sure you-"
"Yes!"
It had come out far harsher than he had intended, and she flinched backwards, bringing a hand to her mouth.
She looks so cute when she's blushing-
He stopped the thought dead in it's tracks. "S-sorry." He apologized. "I'm not sure what's wrong with me... well, I am, sorta."
"I-Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Take off your clothes?"
They both froze. "I-I mean, hahahahaha!" He laughed far too loud and uproariously. "Whoops, my mistake, sorry 'bout that Hinata. What I meant to say was... was... Watch out for foes! Yes, I'm a little bit on edge, I think, so it would be good for you to keep an eye out!"
Please believe me, please believe me, please believe me-
The red hot blood that had washed to Hinata's face slowly began to flush back down, and she managed a soft, albeit awkward smile. "A-alright."
Akamaru placed a paw of his eyes in disgust.
"You two." Shizune's voice carried across the platform, loud enough to be heard over the wind, but not loud enough to draw much attention. "We've got to get going now. Do a quick sweep with your Byakugan, Hinata."
The Hyūga Kunoichi made a hand-sign, muttering to herself. "Byakugan."
Veins pulsed around her temples and eyes, as her vision surrounded the entire area, giving her minute detail of every leaf, every insect. It was all in her vision. Nothing could hide.
The bushes rustled behind her. She turned a little, only to find nothing. To her side, she turned again. Nothing. Her brows furrowed in confusion.
It was the wind. That was it. It was a bit odd, however, that the rustling seemed to occur in her...
...blind spot.
Her eyes widened, and before she could let out a cry, she was taken off her feet. Her head smacked harshly onto a branch, fuzziness overwhelming her consciousness as she tumbled to the floor. She blinked, fighting away the spots in her vision, warm liquid slowly trickling down the side of her head.
There was a loud snap, and a scream that echoed in her ears and banged against the inner workings of her mind. Kiba.
She slowly forced herself to move upwards, hands pushing against the rough bark. Hinata raised her head slightly. All fuzziness was lost, and replaced with complete, and utter, dread.
Kiba's leg was bent at an odd angle, a bone protruding through the skin, muscle and sinew torn as blood gushed from the wound. Akamaru lay limply beside his master, curled into a ball, blood splattered over the cream coat of the hound.
Kiba continued to scream.
She forced her way back to her feet, clutching at the pain in her head. It seemed to be a minor cut, nothing serious. But the potential concussion was. The fuzziness in her vision continued to fade, only to come back stronger than ever. She deactivated her Byakugan, which only caused more pain in the side of her head. She persevered, however, slowing making it to her feet.
The toothy grin of Garou, teeth sharp, brown eyes coated in a wicked gleam that made her sick to her stomach. His hand was roughly gripping Kiba's hair, his boot, massive in size, placed on his son's leg.
"I remember you." He stated, the grin never wavering, his eyes becoming more intense. "You're Hyouden's girl, ain't ya?"
She bit her lip, willing the fogginess to leave her senses. She couldn't fight fully with it clouding her vision. She needed to stall.
"L-let Kiba go!" She uttered as forcefully as she could. The Akatsuki member reared his head back and laughed, booming and maliciously.
"You want me to let go of my son? Hehe, he's my child you know, not yours. And you're interfering in family business."
He moved his free hand around the neck of Kiba, and slowly began to squeeze. The Younger Inuzuka struggled under the weight, hands feverishly trying to pry the meaty fingers away from his windpipe.
She needed more time. But, she didn't have it.
Hinata rushed forward, palm pulled back, her feet slamming against the bark below her feet. With a cry, she shoved her palm forward.
Garou answered with a kick to the ribs, the breath leaving Hinata's body as she flew backwards, connecting with the bark she was at moments ago hard. She coughed up some blood, biting her lip as she fought through the pain. The adrenaline had done something to get rid of the fog, at least.
She winced, her chest aching with pain. Sucking in a harsh breath, she slowly began to rise, channelling chakra into her hand to do a diagnostic scan. It was a fumbled and quick attempt, but it didn't take her long to realize her rib was broken, snapped in half.
Garou's grin never let up, and neither did his hold on Kiba's throat, as the Inuzuka's flailing began to die down. His tanned skin began to turn grey, eyes bulging out of their sockets.
Hinata rose once more, and charged again. The Akatsuki member laughed once more, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a kunai, and lobbed it at the running Hyūga. She moved her body to the left, the kunai sailing past her effortlessly. Garou looked put out by her speed. But only for a moment, before an even cockier, more malevolent smile overtook his face.
A rustling above her was all the warning she had, and through some instinct, she managed to leap to the side.
Another Garou smashed up the ground with his massive fist, chunks and shards of bark and wood being thrown all over the place.
Hinata rolled and skidded, wincing as she felt a piece of the jagged wood pierce her shoulder. Using the momentum of the roll, she managed to get back to her feet. The wooden piece was small, but she didn't have time to get it out, Kiba was the main priority. She turned back to Garou, only to discover that he had let go of his throat, allowing the Inuzuka boy to breathe. He took in deep gulps of air, spluttering loudly as he forced oxygen into his lungs.
His brown eyes, wide with fear and pain, looked past her.
She stiffened. The smell of daffodils invaded her nostrils. Her body refused not move, refused to react. She was paralysed, but not by any jutsu. By fear.
And yet, despite this, she managed to, ever so slowly, incline her head backwards. Lavender eyes filled with terror and raw fear.
"Mother."
The lone swordsman was steadfast in her defiance, mighty blade raised high above her head as she stared down the group in front of her.
Kataki, katana in both hands, grinned to himself. "You're outmatched here." He spoke low and menacing, cracking his neck to the sides. "We have the advantage."
"That's what you think!" She sneered. "I'll kill all of you!"
"How do you want to play this?" The blood-ninja asked his current team leader, who finished knitting together the wounds on Raion's hands.
Gurei's grey eyes turned and locked onto Kataki's brown ones, and he nodded. "Let's do this quickly."
"Understood."
Kataki turned back to the Akatsuki member, her eyes becoming wilder by the minute. "Ready?" He asked Fenris. The snowy-haired nin did not reply, merely withdrawing his gargantuan blade and pointing it at their opponent.
Kataki's grin never faltered.
"Go!"
Fenris charged forth, blade ready to taste flesh and blood. Kataki used his blades to slit his wrists, the crimson liquid pooling onto the floor. He began to weave through hand-signs, as Fenris swung his sword towards the Akatsuki's head.
She blocked with her own blade, the sharp scratch of metal on metal causing both sword users to flinch. They pressed against one another, their snarls echoing across the platform as they both vied for control. Sparks flew from the point of contact as the cold steel of both weapons ground against each other in their attempt to gain a favorable position. Fenris' vicious scowl soon morphed into a deadly smirk, and he unlocked the blades, leaping backwards in the process.
With only a moment to spare, Eliara managed to block one of the large blood shuriken that came her way, blood splattering all over her weapon and cloak. The other one she was not able to block, and leapt to the side as it slit open her shoulder, fresh blood mixing in with the blood of her opponent. She skidded on a puddle of the crimson liquid, unable to right herself. What she received was a huge kick to the ribs, knocking all the air out of her lungs as she flew backwards, back cracking loudly against the overarching branches. She landed on one knee, panting heavily, blade still firmly grasped in her hands.
She wasn't going to lose that easily.
Leaping up, she charged in towards Raion, blade arched high. The brunette leapt backwards as chips of wood burst from the ground as she slammed her weapon of choice into the wood. She didn't stop there, rushing forward with her sword protruding forward. She stabbed at her opponent, only for him to duck and roll to the side, narrowly avoiding being skewered.
He got back to his feet, hands bursting through signs. "Earth Style: Stone Column Spear!"
Protruding rock shot out of the ground, forcing Eliara to leap backwards to avoid being impaled. She breathed a sigh of relief when they finally stopped coming.
But what she couldn't stop coming was the onslaught of senbon, three of which pierced her arm. She cried out in pain, before that morphed into a fearsome growl.
Utsuro shushin'd in front of the Akatsuki member, poised for a high kick to the skull. Eliara ducked, her face contorting into a grin as she wrenched her blade to the side. There was a sickening crack as it collided with Utsuro's rib cage, globs of blood flowing from the girls mouth as she was sent flying to the side, smashing through some nearby tree trunks and out of sight.
Eliara did not get a moment to recover, Kataki using all of his might to combat the woman in front of him. They danced around each other, sword clashing with sword, steel clashing with steel, will clashing against will. Eliara's power advantage matched up perfectly well with his speed. But the senbon in her arm made her sluggish, and she attacked while Kataki went for a feint. With this opportunity, the blood ninja struck out with one katana, while blocking Eliara's sword with the other. The blade only just pierced the skin when the Akatsuki retreated.
Kataki's grin was still present, and he refused to let it slip, as blood began to pool around his feet. "You want to know what your disadvantage is? You don't have access to water! Without that, this isn't even an honourable fight!"
She gritted her teeth in rage.
"I'm going to snap you in half!" She roared, leaping up once more.
Kataki's grin slipped slightly, as she leapt at him, clashing with renewed vigor. Perhaps provoking her hadn't been the best idea.
Itsutori burst through the leaves and twigs, leaving him out in open air, hurtling towards the ground. The wind rushing past his ears was cutting and fierce, snapping against his skin as he opened his eyes.
Kura was following him, hand morphed into a grotesque black scythe. Her dark hair blew backwards as she shot downwards, raising her weapon to attack. Itsutori grimaced, his wing bracers activating. The sound of metal clashing against flesh only briefly filled the two opponents ears before it was sent flying away, replaced with the onrushing whiplash of wind.
They began to fight in the air, twisting and turning as their weapons clashed, neither able to get a decisive strike.
The Akatsuki member managed to block a slash from the dark haired ninja, kicking his leg outwards. It caught her in the stomach, forcing the air out of her lungs. Taking advantage of this, he pushed off his opponent, speeding downwards and away from her. With a grin, he weaved through hand-signs, before exclaiming. "Summoning Jutsu!"
With a poof of smoke that obscured the scene, a loud bellowing 'caw' sliced through the wind and echoed all around. Kura grimaced.
Out of the smoke, a large, tawny hawk, eyes a sickly yellow and sharper than most blades, shot towards her. Kura twisted in mid-air, inhaling a sharp intake of breath as the hawk just narrowly missed skewering her with its pointy beak. However, she could do nothing as a gust of wind slammed into her back, leaving a purple bruise and deep gash that spewed out blood.
She bit down on her lip, twisting her body around to keep an eye on him. This was a mistake, she couldn't fight him out in the open like this. He was too powerful like this.
Scowling, he began to make hand-signs.
"No you don't, bitch!"
Itsutori's voice caused her gaze to snap upwards, eyes widening. "Wind Style: Powerful Wind Wave!"
A blast of air burst from Itsutori's mouth, speeding towards the dark haired kunoichi. She weaved through hand signs of her own, however, hell bent on stopping the attack. "Niku no Geijutsu: Shokusho!"
Two writhing masses of gore and darkness slid out of her back, quickly moving to her front and forming a large grotesque shield. The wind slammed into it, sending viscera and flesh into the wind. The barrage ended, and the shield disappeared into her back.
Itsutori was pale, eyes wide atop his majestic hawk. Was that flesh? He shuddered.
"Niku no Geijutsu: Naizō no idō!"
He raised up his arm bracers just in time to block multiple mounds of flesh being shot at him at high speeds. What the fuck was wrong with this girl!?
He peeked through the bracers, the smell of rotting flesh dancing around his nostrils. She fixed him with a grin as she continued to fall. "Niku no Geijutsu: Naizō Bakuhatsu!"
With a growl, he began to go through hand-signs of his own, only to notice something horrific. The small pieces of flesh, grotesque and writhing, began to froth a dark, sickly black. They began to shift and morph, blood leaking out of the small pieces and shapes. They then began to pulsate.
"Shit!" He exclaimed, slamming his hand onto the hawk's back and yelling. "Release!"
The hawk soon disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the Akatsuki member alone in the air. He rushed through hand signs, eyes bulging as the pieces of flesh began to sizzle. "Wind Style: Reflective Air!"
A blast of wind exploded out from Itsutori's body, sending the bits and pieces of flesh flying outwards. In a few moments, they exploded, puss and blood mixing with fire to dazzle the air.
Kura grinned, as Itsutori fought hard to re-summon his hawk. Good, he was scared of her. That left things decisively in her favour.
Her head was pounding.
It was like a massive amount of people were stamping around loudly, trying their best to cause her brain to explode. Honestly, it was working.
She let out a low, hoarse groan as she rubbed her head gingerly. Opening her blue eyes, all she saw was darkness. And it was cold.
Tali shivered. Damnit. Damn it all.
Pitch blackness surrounded her, covered her completely. She felt it on her, crawling on her skin, getting into every crevice. She swallowed.
Steeling herself, she began to rise, the throbbing in her head slowly diminishing. She couldn't feel any blood anywhere which was a good sign, she supposed. Then again, she couldn't tell her hand from a blade in this darkness. So, slowly, she began to walk.
Her legs and muscles ached, the dull thud of her feet slapping against the bark being her only salvation. She hadn't found anything. Not a single morsel of Sakura, or of light. She was alone down here.
Tali leant against a nearby wall, taking a few breaths to calm herself. How long had seen been walking for? A minute? Days? Weeks? A few hours? She couldn't say. But, she supposed, if her feet were aching, she had to have been walking for a little while.
She found no solace in that fact.
She moved away from the wall, taking another few unsure steps.
What was the point in it all? She was trapped down there.
She was going to die.
It was only a matter of time, she supposed. She'd been stupid enough to volunteer to head down here, and now she would die down here. Fuck selflessness. Fuck Sakura. Seriously, who the fuck grows a giant fucking tree out of their ass? Nobody, that's who.
But... she sighed. Damn her, and her noble upbringing. A lady must always be polite and kind to other ladies, even in their heads. And they must be even kinder to the gentlemen.
Despite the situation, she blushed slightly. What a time to be thinking about that.
Kura would've said any time was a good time, but that was the woman that'd slept with the entire bandit camp before she'd killed them. Crazy, crazy woman.
She trudged onwards.
Her legs and muscles didn't ache much anymore. She'd long tried the radio, but there was no reply. Too deep underground, she assumed. But, she didn't really mind anymore.
She was just happy singing.
She really was quite a good singer. She would most certainly admit that. It was lovely, singing at all of those balls and weddings, and putting on shows for the delightful nobles. Tali was, of course, the best singer of them all. There was no point in denying it, although she certainly wasn't being vain. She simply was better than most. Nothing wrong with that, right?
And so, her rich voice carried through what seemed to be twisting tunnels as she continued on.
Halfway through her rendition of 'Reptar and the Princess', it was rudely cut off as she bumped into something roughly.
With a thud, she landed promptly on her behind. "Ow!" She exclaimed, biting her lip. The song was just getting to the best part, damn it!
Grumbling to herself, she rose, dusting herself off. What a day it'd been.
She realized the singing was the only thing blocking out the thoughts of her dying down in the cold, lonely, dark abyss of the tree. She felt a chill run up her spine.
And then something made her heart freeze.
"...Tali?"
"Sakura?" Tali hesitantly asked, reaching forward. She touched something, soft and warm, and covered in a strange fabric. She gave it a gentle squeeze. It was definitely human. "Sakura, is that you?"
"Is... is... Naruto... Sasuke..."
"They're fine! Listen, we need to get you out of here!" Tali yelled happily. She'd done it! She'd found the girl, and now they would have a better chance of getting out of there, back where there was a sky! All hope was not lost!
"I'm stuck." Sakura's voice was hoarse and weak, and Tali's smile faded. How selfish she was being.
"Okay. Can you somehow make a light? Move the tree around, or something?"
There was no reply for a moment, before something shifted up above them. Tali turned her gaze upwards, blue eyes widening as the pieces of wood began to tear apart, until a beam of moonlight, silver and welcome, shone down upon them.
It was then, Tali realized, that she was gripping Sakura's breast. Her cheeks reddened, and she went to stammer out an apology.
But Sakura was almost completely out of it, her eyelids drooping, her skin pale as snow, and her lips chapped. Well, if she wasn't bothered by it...
The binds surrounded the pinkette were thick branches that dug into her skin, wrapped so forcefully around her form that not even the strongest man would be able to pull them off. They'd need to be cut off.
Tali reached into her kunai pouch, pulling out said sharp weapon. She removed her hand away from Sakura's bosom quickly (sadly?), and set to work cutting the sturdy branches.
"Hang on Sakura, you should be out of here in about... two or three years."
She looked up, only to see that the pinkette had fallen fast asleep, her breaths heavy. She softly smiled. She'd get them both out of there if it killed her.
She didn't notice the shadows of the roots slithering towards her.
And there we go! This'll probably be the last piece of work you'll see from me until after Christmas (unless I decide to write a one-shot, or something, which I very well may do.) But, I hope everybody has a great Christmas, cheers to another year, and thank you all for reading and reviewing, it's really motivated me. So, have a great morning/afternoon/evening/night!