Before the break of dawn, I had already packed my knapsack with various ninja tools, clothing and a small supply of provisions for the journey. I now sat on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Because my room was so far to the north of the house, where we kept the forbidden scrolls of our clan, and only the head of the clan, my father, and my brothers were allowed, it was completely void of any life. Nobody ever came to this side of the house, which was why I chose to have my room here – and also because I wouldn't have to sleep through the sound of women being abused and raped by other clan members and special clientele my father kept. Just thinking about it gave me shivers and made my blood boil.
It was my sixteenth birthday, and apparently my destiny was supposed to become clear to me. I didn't exactly feel any different, except for this strange tug in my gut. It compelled me to pack faster, rushing me along so we could leave sooner. Did I just refer to a feeling as though it were an entity? I wasn't quite sure why, but I followed it. But now, as it urged my body to leave this wet, weeping country and begin my journey, I resisted. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to complete my duty, or even if I could. I didn't want to kill someone to bring an eternal darkness. I didn't even like the dark, for one, I actually hated this power within me. It caused me to do terrible things when I wasn't in control of my emotions and hurt the people that were dear to me. I could feel it, even now, eating away at my body, cell by cell, trying to consume every little bit of my humanity until I was nothing but a lifeless, emotionless, killing machine. I held my hands in front of my face and noticed they were trembling. I clenched my fists, closing my eyes and inhaling and exhaling deeply.
After five minutes of this, to calm my nerves, I stood and picked up my brown hooded-cloak, holding it in one hand as I stood in front of the mirror. I wore black khakis tucked in to my shin length black open toed boots, a fitting grey singlet and a loose black shirt over that. My messy red hair, a mortifying trait I picked up from my mother, was naturally spiky, jutting out in every direction, though slightly falling in my eyes. My white eyes, devoid of any features, stood out against my olive-toned skin. The Byakugan – a bloodline limit that was thought to have only belonged to the Hyuga clan of Konoha. In the Hyuga clan they regarded it with so much respect, even going so far to have a Main family and a Branch family, branding the latter with curse marks so they could never betray the Main family and forcing them to know they're place. Every single member can use the Byakugan, I have heard. In my clan, however, those rare members who possess the Byakugan are banished and exiled, as it is seen as a symbol of the light. I never knew why it was so wrong to possess such powerful eyes. However my father, when I was born with these eyes, knew immediately that they were a blessing for me. He said they would help me bring about my fate. I had no clue what he meant, but now I think I have a sound understanding. My father never kept the dark secrets of the clans origins from me, in fact he made me study the ancient scrolls that were passed down from generation to generation. I just didn't realise that one day I'd be making those barely readable babblings come true.
I sighed, already frustrated with what the day would bring. Father said I was to follow my gut feeling, and that would take me to where I needed to go, but I didn't understand how a stupid intuition could do that. With what felt like daylight approaching and darkness fading, I slipped on my cloak and retrieved my knapsack and katana from the corner, slinging the bag over one shoulder and sliding the sword in to the holster at my side. Before I left I turned to see if I had forgotten anything and a glint on my dresser confirmed my suspicions. I picked up the tattered black forehead protector with the symbol of my mother's clan on it and tenderly placed inside my knapsack. I slid open my screen door, and slipped outside on to the porch. The rain trickled down gently, which I did not appreciate due to the fact that the air was humid and stuffy, and the heavy rain would have nullified that sense. My brother and father were already waiting for me on the east porch in the desolate courtyard, by the gates that protected and hid our compound from prying eyes.
My older brother, Takeshi, who was in line to be the next head of clan, nodded at my father when I approached. My brother was as equally menacing as my father, if not more. He was a cruel, merciless brute with a strong network of informers, most of them mercenaries and just plain evil people who wished for the world's demise as fiercely as my clan did, and was allied with many organizations trying to achieve this, such as the group Akatsuki and some other people who held power over dark techniques. He was always knew about, if not involved in, any attempts to destroy the world. I'm sure that if I wasn't able to complete my mission, my older brother would find another way to bring about his future. Takeshi grinned at me as though he could read my thoughts, a glint of insanity and bloodlust in his eyes.
"Ah, Kazuya, you are finally joining us. I hope you have packed sufficiently for your trip." My father said, arms crossed in front of him. It was uncommon for my father to leave his torture chamber for any reason, but I guess this destiny meant more to my father than I thought. I nodded feebly. Takeshi's presence unnerved me. His sadistic and gory past weren't foreign to me. Ridiculous things like having the same blood running through our veins, or having the same father, meant nothing to Takeshi. I was sure that if I didn't hold such an important role in his future, he would have killed me years ago. He told me so himself. He thinks of me as weak, and resents the fact that I was the one born with this destiny, not him. He doesn't think I can carry out this mission, and in truth, neither do I.
"From here on out, you will be on your own. All of these years of training have all been for this instant. Do not forget your duty, or stray from your path. Though I am quite sure the cursed hatred of your ancestors will lead you in the right direction. Now, go."
Without so much as a "Happy Birthday" even, I thought inwardly. I stepped down the steps, on to the soggy path that led to the gates. As I approached them, they creaked open. Beyond the gates was nothing but muddy rock paths and jagged hills, the slowest and most dangerous route out of our hidden community. To the left, was a deep chasm, a rough cut in the land like lightning had struck it repeatedly, that twisted and split into two directions. The chasm was filled with water, from years and years of endless tears falling from the heavens. If one were to follow one of the directions of the river, it would lead down to the main village, guarded by Pein and a Guardian Angel, also members of the Akatsuki, as I have heard my brother speak of them with the utmost admiration. The other direction, would lead me east towards the border of the Kusagakure, and from there I would be able to pass through the Village Hidden in the Grass and east into the Fire Country or north into Takigakure. I glanced back at my father and brother, unmoving, just watching me. I had no clue where to go from here. How was I to kill this person if I didn't even know where to begin? He could be all the way in the village of the Hidden Cloud for all I knew! I dreaded the trip, suddenly wanting to turn around and walk back through those gates. But I knew that wasn't an option. One, my father would probably imprison, or knowing Takeshi, kill me if I were to abandon this mission. And two, I was desperate to see more of the world, since I have never left this compound all my sixteen years of living. I wanted to know what the sky looked like, and feel the warmth of the sun on my face. I closed my eyes, and listened to my gut feeling. I felt a tugging sensation, like someone trying to drag me along, I just had to move my feet. I felt my foot take a step, splashing in a puddle, then another one, and another, and another, until I was heading in the direction of the ravine. For some reason, the tug was faintly getting stronger with every step I took, and soon I was following the river east towards Kusagakure. My journey had begun.
As soon as Kazuya was out of sight, following his destiny, the elder man turned to his oldest son. "Takeshi, I want you to follow him discreetly. Do not make your presence known, try to stay far enough behind him that he can't detect you with that disgraceful Byakugan of his, but close enough that you can interfere when needed. Make sure he carries out his duty at all cost."
The beastly man growled, humoured at his father's lack of faith and perpetual predictability. "Do you not trust that he can follow through with it? Even without those eyes, he holds immense power..."
"That may be true, but he lacks hatred now and follows that stupid path of peace. He was perfect as a child, full of so much loathing. Now he is weak, just like his mother. He can never kill anyone, but then again, they do say the curse has never failed to corrupt its host. He is the only one who can do it – extinguish the light decisively, so it is not able to return, so darkness can rule. If it were that easy we would have ended it years ago. Although, if he needs motivation... you know what to do."
The son chuckled at his father's evil ways as he melted in to the shadows, the sound still echoing eerily in the courtyard long after he had disappeared.
Tsunade heard a hasty knock on her door, and before she could answer, Shizune burst through the door. Her face was flushed red, and she was inhaling sharply, as though she had just run here. Tsunade didn't think much of it – Shizune was always overreacting – and continued filing through her pile of mission reports.
"Tsunade-sama! Please come quickly!" she huffed, trying to regain her breath. Tsunade merely glanced over at here, making no attempt at moving.
"Hmmm? What is it, Shizune? You demanded I do these reports, and now that I'm finally doing them you barge in demanding that I accompany you somewhere! Jeez Shizune, can the Hokage not get a break?!" Tsunade thumped her fist on the desk lightly, yet still causing a split in the wood. She sighed. "What is of such importance that it cannot wait until I am done?"
"A girl was found this morning in front of the hospital, in a wheelchair, completely paralysed from the neck down." Shizune started, wishing that the Hokage would be less carefree about dire situations. This raised Tsunade's curiousity, and she raised an eyebrow.
"Well, have you administered an antidote? I'm sure you are able to handle a simple anti-paralysis antidote, Shizune."
"We did immediately, but posion wasn't the cause. Or genjutsu. After running an examination, we found all of her chakra points are fried, the cause is unknown. She was found unconscious, and hasn't recovered yet. But that's not what is strange about her..." Shizune's voice became shaky, and she wasn't sure how to explain the next part. Tsunade, now listening intently, urged her to continue.
"It's her chakra, Lady Tsunade. Or rather, our chakra. We find ourselves losing chakra around her, and some are unable to conduct a full examination on her chakra because they have become weak very recently. And, after getting a member of the Hyuga clan in to use their Byakugan, they... they..."
Tsunade, growing impatient, thumped her fist once more, this time splitting the desk in half. "Spit it out, Shizune!" the Slug Princess ordered.
"They said that her body is overflowing with chakra, and for some reason it keeps on gaining chakra at an alarming rate. Her organs are beginning to fail and we have no solution at all. Please Tsunade-sama!"
Tsunade leapt up and jumped out through her window, responding to Shizune's urgency with swift speed. She leapt over building, running on rooftops, until she reached Konoha's hospital. When she reached the administration, she didn't even pause, grabbing herself a surgery gown, and heading straight for ICU. She found the room almost immediately, due to the large amount of people standing outside of the door. Some nurses were holding up other exhausted nurses and leading them out of the room so they could sit on the chairs outside. When the crowd caught sight of the Hokage, they all cried out in relief, exclaiming that it was alright; Lady Tsunade's medical ninjutsu would save this nameless girl. Tsunade ordered for everyone who did not have enough chakra to continue to leave the room. She saw Hinata Hyuga, a skilled Byakugan user standing in the corner, unsure of what to do. In the centre of the room, lying propped up on a bed, with tubes running out of her nose and needles protruding out of her arms, was a girl. She was about average height and weight, although very wide, child-bearing hips, with raven hair that fell down in waves around her breasts, and pale skin. Her eyelashes were her most prominent feature; long and straight. She had delicate features and a slight hint of red to her cheeks. She had been stripped of her normal attire and now a white gown adorned her young body. Tsunade touched her arm, and was alarmed at how blistering hot her skin was, like fire burned under her skin, seeking a way out but finding none. But that wasn't what alarmed her the most. It was the fact that Tsunade could feel the pull of the girl's energy, like gravity, attracting her chakra, and gradually taking it as its own. Tsunade simply stared at the girl in amazement, before removing her hand as it was beginning to sear her flesh.
Hinata stood in her corner, twiddling with her thumbs, while she stared at the girl. It was strange, but she felt like she had seen the girl's face before – like her features were familiar. The girl appeared to only be about Hinata's age, maybe a little bit older from the look of her mature hips. Hinata feared for the stranger. When she activated her Byakugan it almost burned her eyes just looking at the girl. Her chakra was not normal at all. For one, it glowed brightly, like the sun resided within her body, all over, and pushed out from the centre of her body. Even stranger than that she could not sense any physical or spiritual energy. Just... pure energy. It pushed at her chakra points with such a force that, if not dealt with soon, would make her explode from the inside. Two, when she used her Byakugan to look at her organs on a microscopic level, she found that none of her chakra coils wove around her organs. That, in itself was completely abnormal. The last thing was that as she watched with her Byakugan, she could literally see chakra seeping up from the ground, filtering in through the open window, even see the chakra being sucked out of her own body and the bodies of those in the room, all gather around the girl's body, before her already overflowing body would slowly take it in. It scared her, to be quite honest. The girl didn't scare her, but what was happening to her did; the girl's body heat was on fire because she was in so much excruciating pain. This is what she revealed to Lady Tsunade when she asked Hinata to use her Byakugan to take note of the internal effects. Lady Tsunade stared at the girl in disbelief, a thousand questions running through her mind about the possibilities of this.
The machine next to the girl beeped slowly, indicating she was still alive, but for however much longer no one knew. Suddenly, the machine beeped faster and the girl's eyes fluttered open, scanning the room around her with quick, blue eyes. The girl's eyes settled on Hinata, widening when they saw her. She began to furiously cough, blood splattering all over her white gown.
Lady Tsunade went to her side, and spoke softly, softer than Hinata had ever heard her talk before. "Hello, my name is Tsunade. I am here to help you. Can you tell us your name?"
The girl stared up at Tsunade in what seemed like recognition, a trickle of blood coming from both corners of her mouth. Tsunade smiled – if the girl knew of her reputation, then she would be calm about the situation.
"Y-you... m-my chakra points... t-they are..." she started softly, her voice weak and barely audible. As she spoke, Tsunade watched in horror as blood began to steadily seep out of the corners of her eyes and nose. Although she had already gotten over her phobia, seeing this happen to this young girl made Tsunade feel terrified.
"We know, and we're doing the best we can to figure out why. Do you know anything about your situation?" Tsunade was sure to not touch her, but remained close because she could only just pick up what the girl was saying.
"I have to... to constantly release chakra. I-I need someone to... unblock m-my chakra points." She whispered, struggling to even make coherent sentences. Tsunade nodded. So this girl was just a body of what felt like pressurised chakra, if she didn't release her chakra soon... Tsunade could bet on what would happen, and even with all her bad luck she wouldn't lose. Then again, even if she did release it now, the strain alone could kill her, not to mention the possibility of her losing all of her chakra in the process, with death being the definite consequence. Or if it did work, maybe it would completely destroy her chakra points, resulting in the same situation all over again.
"We can't unblock your chakra points because they've been damaged too much. If we try to unblock them now, it may make all of your chakra pour out, and to lose all of your chakra will kill you."
"I-I think I-I can heal them... please... please just unblock my chakra points" the girl then let out a scream, as her pulse began to race and her heartbeat became erratic. Everyone around her began to go in to a frenzy, not knowing how to stop this girl's pain, or even what was wrong with her. Hinata's eyes widened as she witnesses the girl's chakra begin to take on an even more freakish glow than before.
"Lady Tsunade, what do we do?!" everyone seemed to beg, looking towards their Hokage for guidance. She was completely lost, and hung her head in shame. To try and fix her chakra points now would be useless and would only prolong the girl's death, is what she told everyone. Hinata's eyes became teary as everyone in the room became silent; the only sound in the room was the sound of the nameless girl's screams as they intensified. Hinata clenched her fists, desperate to do something, anything, to help the girl. She thought about what the girl said; "I have to constantly release chakra. I need someone to unblock my chakra points."
It was a risk, and could have huge consequences on the girl's body, but Hinata had to do something. She stepped forwards, urging her body closer to the girl's. Everyone in the room had given up, and accepted the girl's fate. But not Hinata. She activated her Byakugan, and began to filter chakra in to her palms, employing the Gentle Fist style. She had never done it with the opponent lying down, but she made tried her hardest. The familiar taijitu symbol, that only Hinata could see, appeared, and she started her attack on the girl's chakra points.
"Gentle Fist 8 Trigrams 32 Palms!"
"8 Trigrams 2 palms!" Hinata hit various chakra points with her chakra-infused hands. Everyone in the room turned towards Hinata and the girl in the centre.
"4 palms!"
"8 palms!"
"16 palms!"
"32 palms!"
With the last hit, Hinata forced open the damaged chakra points all at once. With her Byakugan still activated, she saw the chakra thrust its way to the surface with a frightening energy, and before she or anybody could react, there was a flash of brilliant radiance, and the energy burst outwards like an explosion, blinding and burning those closest to the girl, including Hinata. It was enough to blast everything in the room away, including the four walls and the floor and ceiling. Shattered glass and rubble covered everywhere. The ceiling began to cave in the small room, and the floor had split open, creating fissures in the dirt beneath it. It was a miracle that they were on the first level, or whoever was underneath them would have been crushed, and she could only hope the rooms surrounding the blast were unoccupied. Tsunade, having shielded herself, Hinata, Shizune and a few others from the worst of it, held up the ceiling with her mighty strength long enough until some members of ANBU used earth style to relieve her. Tsunade brushed the dust off her and gazed around the room in alarm and admiration. The air felt static, and made every hair on her body stand on its end. She pushed debris out of the way and made her way closer to where the girl was. Such chakra... it was unnatural. The list of questions for the girl was piling up in her mind with every step she took towards the bed. A part of the ceiling covered it, and perhaps the girl had been crushed, Tsunade thought, if that sudden explosion wasn't enough to kill her. She lifted the rubble and pushed it away, then gasped; blinking furiously to make sure what she was seeing was real. The bed was completely empty, and even more suspicious than that, looked fine for most part. The legs had been blown off, but the base and the thin mattress were both still in near pristine condition, just scorched around the edges. Tsunade glanced around, searching for any signs of the girl's body or at least, what remained of it, but found none.
"Fifth Hokage?" someone cleared their throat behind her. It was Kakashi, the copy-ninja, who had just arrived at the scene with Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno in tow. They stared at the disaster around them, completely at loss of words. Naruto caught glimpse of Hinata half-buried in wreckage, and rushed to her side. He hauled Hinata out of the mess and Sakura began to work on her injuries right away. Hinata, apparently still conscious despite probably taking most of the force, pushed away Sakura's hand, kindly telling her to attend to Shizune-sama first, and struggled to get to her feet. Her clothing was tattered and singed, and any exposed skin, particularly on her face, neck and hands had been burned to the point where even wincing made Hinata's entire body shudder with agonizing pain. She would have collapsed to her feet if Naruto hadn't been supporting her body with the utmost care.
"Hinata you must rest, your body has taken a lot of damage and you suffer from severe burns." Sakura said to the heiress. Hinata, eyes still burning from the blinding flash of light, tried to focus her vision on the Hokage, who was still in disbelief about what had just happened.
"Lady Tsunade?" Hinata uttered, using the last of her strength.
"Please Hinata, don't speak. You're only hurting yourself. Don't worry, we will find whoever did this to you and Shizune and I'll smash them to pieces! You just leave it up to me!" Naruto exclaimed with his famous enthusiasm. Hinata smiled and blushed – his face was so close to hers. Close enough that she could feel his breath on her burnt cheek. It was refreshingly cool.
"No, Naruto. This was not caused by any enemies. The cause of this was a strange girl, only about fifteen or sixteen years old." Tsunade shook her head in astonishment, touching the painful burns on her cheeks. The blast had the power of a hundred explosive tags, and even Tsunade wasn't able to combat all of the force. Naruto stared at the wreckage around him, at the severity of Hinata's burns and even at Granny Tsunade's raw skin on her cheeks in surprise. A girl about the same age as his had done this? It was unbelievable. Apparently Kakashi thought the same, from the visibly stunned expression on his usually carefree, covered face.
"We... we must find her, Hokage-sama. If we're suffering from this extent of burns, who knows what that girl could be suffering from!" Hinata coughed, a trail of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth. She was quickly losing consciousness.
"Hinata! Hinata! Please stay with us!" Naruto shouted, trying to shake her back to consciousness. Hinata gazed up at Naruto's sparkling blue eyes, thinking about how wonderfully gorgeous they were up close. She could see herself in his reflection, bloody and battered, and wondered if this was how Naruto saw her too. If so, she was absolutely mortified. She could feel her consciousness slipping away now; being drained from her body as though someone had pulled the plug on her tub full of life. But before she faded away into the unknown, she needed to make sure of something.
"P-Please Naruto... please find this girl and make sure she is alright." She breathed heavily, watching Naruto's lips move because all she could hear was a ringing in her ears. She thought about how blissful it would be to kiss those lips, and smiled, not even knowing his answer, but content any way. She was sure she knew the answer anyway, knowing him...
"I will, I promise." Naruto whispered. For some reason, just seeing her so damaged and hurt made him angry, and although he wanted to find whoever did this and make them pay, he also wanted to make Hinata happy. He vowed he would find this girl and confront her, after he had made sure she was safe. He lifted her up, cradling her in his arms, and carried her over to where Sakura was healing Shizune.
"Tsunade-sama, where did the girl go? You said she was here just a moment ago." Kakashi asked and raising an eyebrow as there was no obvious figure of a young girl in the rubble except for Hinata. He doubted that anyone, except their Hokage of course, could withstand a blast like that and just walk away afterwards. He had heard the explosion on the other side of town.
"To tell you the truth, I have no clue. She didn't have a name, or would tell us one anyway. She could barely speak, so I guess that's why. But she was found this morning in a wheelchair outside the hospital, nobody accompanying her, paralysed from the neck down. They called Hinata, I assume because of the fact that Neji is on a mission, and Hiashi obviously won't come to the aid of a stranger, especially when he hears that this certain stranger is slowly draining the chakra of the people around her for too long. But of course Hinata would, because that's just Hinata." Tsunade grinned – she honestly thought the girl was weak, but hitting all of the girl's chakra points like that and opening them all at once? It was amazing to watch the Hyuga Heiress. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi thought that perhaps the Fifth Hokage was going crazy, grinning in a time like this.
"Hinata told me that the girl was very, very abnormal. No chakra coils around the organs, and she sensed no physical or spiritual energy necessary to mould chakra. She explained it like... a sun. A glowing energy that absorbed the energy of everything around it, like absorbing natural energy and having it as a life force. Even I could feel it sucking up my chakra. The reason she was paralysed was because all of her 361 chakra points had been damaged severely, and because she had not been treated earlier," Tsunade scolded herself mentally; she would blame herself entirely if the girl had died. "To try and heal them, while she's draining me of my chakra, would be dangerous for both of us. I imagine she must have been in unbearable pain, but she told us that she needed someone to open her chakra points. I don't have that ability, but even if I did, it would have risks on both parties. Especially with that amount of pent up chakra... Well, Hinata took this risk and managed to open all of the chakra points, and..." Tsunade waved to the scene before them. Nurses rushed in, helping ANBU to retrieve casualties and put them on stretchers to be carried to their own examination room. The walls were on the verge of collapsing, but from the steady sound of moaning coming from those being recovered, nobody was fatally injured. She was glad, but the disappearance of the raven haired girl completely mystified her, and again, she was lost for words or actions.
"Then where is she now, Granny?! We need to find her!" Naruto clenched his fists at Tsunade, and she could see that flair of determination once again. But she didn't even know where to begin.
"I don't know Naruto. Every single thing about this is just bizarre. Maybe some things are better left in the dark..." Tsunade trailed off, thinking about how the girl stole her chakra so easily. And that bright sun that Hinata referred to... Tsunade might consult the ancient scrolls for answers. Naruto was about to say something daring, and Sakura would be there to gladly smack him in the head when he did, when Tsunade spoke, this time her voice full of optimism.
"I do know this – it's not the last we've seen of her."
Tsunade, for the second time in one day, bet on her words, bet on that girl surprising her. And she was sure she would win. Maybe her luck was changing.
I loved writing this chapter. And it's so long :D I think I might just write longer chapters, so expect less frequent updates. Unlessss, someone begs me to update faster, then I might actually be motivated to. Reviews?