Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto or any of its respective characters. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. (Mostly my amusement.) However, if I DID own Naruto, it would be called "Neji and Hinata: Byakugan Babies Galore!" That has a nice ring to it...
Author's Note:Warning: Blood and Death. Well, I hope everyone enjoys this. I sure do. Writing this chapter was extremely satisfying. I don't really have much to say this time, except thank you for your reviews and your readership. There is much more to come, so don't worry that the next chapter will be the last. It isn't. And, when this fic does end, the story of Neji, Hinata and their comrades of the Leaf Village will go on, as well. So, happy reading, everyone! And please review!
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Possession - Chapter Eleven
"Sakura!" Sasuke roared. The kunoichi was pinned to the ground by the weight of the head Cloud ninja, a kunai held to her throat. Sasuke's Sharingan spun, ever so slowly. "Release her," he said, "and die quickly. Or..." He approached, menacingly. "Don't release her." He smirked. "I'll take her anyway, and you'll die much slower."
"You're not fooling anyone, kid!" The Cloud ninja yelled. He dug his knee into Sakura's spine, causing her to wince in pain, struggling as he pressed her face further into the dirt. The man was desperate. His shinobi had been decimated in the surprise attack, and now, he was one of only five left alive. He had no recourse. Tsunade's orders were quite clear.
No prisoners.
Sakura turned her head slightly, just enough to see the face of the man frowning down at her, in the pale half-moon light. "Please," she whispered.
"What was that?" The Cloud ninja asked. "Are you begging me?" He glanced toward Sasuke, who was still approaching. "Tell him to stop," he whispered into her ear.
"Yes," Sakura answered. "I will. Just..." Her voice was small and girlish. "Please..." She gave a throaty whimper. The Cloud ninja leaned close to her face, straining to hear her next words. Brows furrowed, Sakura bit down on her lower lip, drawing him further into her trap. As his breath grazed her throat, she clenched her teeth– and spat the poisoned needles into his eyes.
"Arghhh!" He screamed. His hands released her, rising to claw at his face. Sakura rose, eyes wide and blazing. She clenched both of her fists. Her first punch broke his jaw, her second shattered his sternum. He dropped to the ground, dying of a heart attack.
Sakura stood over her victim, hands on her hips. "Humph! Serves you right!" She rubbed her lower back, stretching. Sasuke came behind her, and she turned toward him. His Sharingan eyes looked deep inside her own crystalline orbs. He didn't speak. When he wiped the smudge of dirt from her pale cheek, his hand lingered a moment.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted, before running off to assist Shikamaru with the shinobi he'd captured with his Shadow Possession. Sakura watched dreamily as he left her side, and didn't feel the presence of the enemy until it was too late.
She turned, just as the kunai came sailing down on her. Her eyes grew wide, and the color drained from her features.
She was going to die...
One heartbeat. Two. Three. More seconds passed. Nothing happened.
Sakura backed away, and the enemy lowered his hand. He spoke.
"You know, forehead, you really ought to pay attention to your surroundings."
Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Ino-pig..." She hissed. When relief washed over her, she gave the possessed Cloud shinobi a shamefaced smile. "Thanks."
Ino smiled smugly down at her, then closed her vessel's eyes. The man fell to the ground in a dying heap, complete with frothing mouth. Sakura kicked the brain dead ninja once in the shin, before moving on toward two other retreating shinobi.
"Give up," the kunoichi demanded, silky tendrils of pink flowing in the dark breeze. "I'll go easy on you."
One of the Cloud ninja held his half-severed arm. "Like hell you will, bitch!"
Sakura frowned, but the corners of her pouty, pink lips turned slowly upward, into a sadistic grin. She watched gleefully, as Shino's bugs swarmed the two doomed ninja, invading their mouths, noses and ears; suffocating them painfully. The enemy shinobi grasped at their throats and pulled their ears. They dropped to the ground, writhing and wheezing as the insects filled them. The Aburame adjusted his shades, walking leisurely behind the fallen bodies. The insects returned to him, covering his arms and crawling back beneath his high-collared jacket.
"Sakura-chan," he said, with a nod of his head. She stared into the darkness shrouding his eyes.
Shino.
As Shino brushed by her, he slipped a hand from his pocket, glancing two fingers across her own. Sakura tensed up, blinking back the sudden tears. She composed herself, though, before any of the unwelcome liquid rolled down her pale cheek. Neither dared look back at the other, as Sakura turned toward Sasuke, and Shino continued on, away from the girl who had been a whirlwind in his life.
"Hey, has anybody seen Naruto?" Couji bellowed across the battlefield. He knelt down, wiping the blood from his ninja tools, and onto the uniform of a dead enemy.
"Not here!" Kiba barked back. He turned toward Shikamaru and Sasuke, as they tossed shuriken into the captured Cloud ninja. "Yo, Shikamaru! You seen Naruto?"
"Come to think of it... no, I haven't," the Nara answered. He flung one more shuriken, but frowned when he saw Sasuke's embed itself within the man's unprotected forehead. The last surviving Cloud ninja fell dead, just before Shikamaru's weapon could connect.
"I win." Sasuke smirked, before walking off. Shikamaru frowned, eyes twitching.
"Well, where could he be?" Ino asked. She was back into her own body. "You don't think he's hurt?"
"Unlikely," Shino scoffed, from behind her. The kunoichi jumped three feet in the air, screaming.
"Don't do that!" She yelled.
"Let's ask Sasuke where Naruto is," he hinted, ignoring Ino. Sasuke didn't turn around, nor did he speak. He just kept walking. Sakura hurried to join him, and Shino glared at the arrogant Uchiha.
"Sasuke!" Kiba called him out. "Where's your loser teammate?" The Inuzuka sniffed the air, searching for Naruto's scent. "One minute this place is crawling with goofy, orange shadow clones," he knelt down to pat Akamaru on the head. "The next, he's nowhere to be found."
Sasuke shrugged. "Not my problem," he answered.
"It seems to have become your problem," Shino spat.
The raven-haired shinobi stopped, looking back over his shoulder.
Shikamaru's eyes shifted from the Aburame to the Uchiha, and back again. "Hey, lets not get carried away, you two," he said.
"You'd better listen to your friend, Aburame." Sasuke flung his arm around Sakura's shoulders, pulling her in close to his body. The pale kunoichi blushed at his gesture, but couldn't help but steal a glance at the quiet, bug-wielding shinobi.
Shino smirked. "I just want to know where Naruto is." He shrugged. "I figured you might know, being his teammate, and all." He stepped forward. "Maybe I should ask Sakura-chan, instead."
Sasuke turned to face the approaching ninja, arm still draped over the girl. He cocked his head to the side. "Why do you want to know so bad, huh? Still think Naruto is the one who hurt Hinata?" The hand resting on Sakura's shoulder balled into a fist. "If I thought for one second that he was the one," his Sharingan flashed, then his eyes returned to their normal onyx, "I would kill him myself." Then, he smirked. "Besides, you already know he went to her. To find her– and to find Neji."
Shino looked away, fuming inside and out, fists trembling in his pockets. "He could have waited. We could have gone with him," the Aburame hissed.
"Yeah, we could have," Shikamaru interjected. "Then we could all get into serious trouble for disobeying the Hokage."
"What's it gonna matter now?" Kiba barked. "We'll get in trouble anyway for not stopping him." Akamaru hopped onto Kiba's head, then the Inuzuka stood. "This whole exchange is going in your report, isn't it Shikamaru?"
"Well," the Nara droned, scratching the back of his neck. "Not exactly..."
Ino walked up to him. "So, you're gonna lie to the Godaime Hokage? Then what's the big deal? Let's go help Naruto!"
Shikamaru frowned at the blonde kunoichi. "It's not that simple. One shinobi might be able to slip by the Hokage's group near the front gate." He looked around at all the genin under his command. "Have you forgotten? The entrance into the village is swarming with jounin and ANBU. Do you really think all of us would be able to sneak in without someone notifying the Hokage?"
"That's right," Sasuke said, walking past Shino. He was still holding Sakura, but his other shoulder just happened to bump into the other boy as he walked by. "And I think everyone here knows," he smirked, "that a big part of this little exchange isn't even about Hinata." He looked back at Shino. "Am I right, Aburame?"
Shino tore his hands from his pockets, brows creased in anger. "Sakura-chan! How can you stand him? That smug, womanizing bastard!"
Sakura glanced at Sasuke beside her. The satisfaction on his face was evident. She shrugged out of his embrace, turning toward Shino.
"Shino-kun, please. Just let it go," she whispered, sadly.
"I will not!" His voice rose. "I don't care what I promised before! I won't pretend it never happened, Sakura!" He stepped toward her, and Sasuke scowled. The Uchiha did not turn to face him, however. Then, Shino's voice fell to its usual volume. "I won't pretend you weren't happy with me."
She bit her lip, avoiding his gaze. "Shino I– " For the second time, Sakura willed her tears away. Then, she turned her back on Shino, trembling in the darkness. "I'm sorry, Shino."
"So am I," he spat, stalking away. "Congratulations," he said. "You two deserve each other."
Shikamaru sighed loudly, drawing the attention away from his jaded friend. "Well, our mission is complete, so..." He stepped over another body. "Let's head back to the village. We'll get there before sunrise, if we hurry."
"What about Naruto?" Chouji asked his teammate.
"I'm sure we'll hear something back at the village," the chuunin rotated his shoulder. "Stealth never was Naruto's specialty."
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Uzumaki Naruto crouched down, watching the Godaime fling another Cloud ninja onto the pile of dead shinobi. He glanced up, cursing the return of the moon's light. Someone was going to see him, dressed in his usual orange getup. He frowned. Something had to be done.
He brought his hands together, weaving them through the succession of seals. Smoke enshrouded him. When it cleared, he'd grown three feet, his orange jumpsuit was replaced by green spandex, and his eyebrows were as thick as one of Kyuubi's tails.
Naruto gave his best Green Beast impression, complete with thumbs up and an eerily sparkling smile. It was perfect. Hopefully, Tsunade-baachan would buy it.
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"Get these corpses out of my village!" Tsunade barked.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" The group of chuunin answered. They immediately began disappearing with the bodies.
Tsunade turned toward an anonymous ANBU. "And the ones who fled?"
"We're hunting them down, Hokage-sama. They won't get far," the masked kunoichi answered.
"Very good," The Godaime smirked, then her eyes fell upon her assistant. "Shizune!"
"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" The dark-haired jounin came running. She was holding a gash in her arm, applying pressure to stifle the blood loss.
"You're injured," Tsunade said.
Shizune grimaced. "It's nothing. I'll be fine, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade stared to speak, but her attention snapped to the green-clad figure walking awkwardly toward them. Maito Gai didn't even speak as he passed. His face was fixed in a strained, but goofy grin. Sweat beaded on his brow.
Tsunade and Shizune's heads followed him as he slipped around a corner and out of sight.
"That was odd..." Shizune spoke.
Tsunade smiled, closing her soft, brown eyes. "That wasn't Maito Gai," she answered.
"An enemy?" Shizune was about to dash after him, scalpel firmly in hand.
Tsunade placed a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Don't worry," the sannin said. "It's only Naruto."
Her assistant's eyes grew wide. "Naruto! But shouldn't he be– "
"At the border? Yes." Tsunade smirked. That boy just never listened. "I'll worry about him later. Right now, we have to get these Cloud bastards out of here, before they start stinking up the village." She paused. "Do you want me to take care of that arm?"
Shizune managed a smile. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama, but I can do it."
Tsunade shrugged. "Suit yourself." Then, the Hokage walked off, barking orders with each menacing step.
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Hyuuga Hinata stalked through the winding corridors of the Main House, the tip of her sword grazing across the wall as she went. The bloody footprints were clear, leading her down the path of destruction.
When had all this started, anyway? Did it even matter? Her father was dead, and the Hyuuga were falling apart. How was she supposed to stop this? The council was against her– against Konoha. She had only been able to properly implicate nine individuals, all together. However, she suspected the involvement of the whole council. She frowned, deeply. She would have to deal with the rest of them, after the chaos subsided.
Hinata's ears perked when she heard the tell tale sound of footsteps rushing down an adjacent hallway. They were nearing her, so she stopped.
The Main council member rounded the corner, halting when he met the diamond glare of his new Leader. Hinata took note of his purplish skin tone. Her eyes narrowed into slits. One of them. There were seven, she remembered. Surely, Hokage-sama could make due with six. She smiled, raising her sword. His eyes scanned the length of the blade– and he back away.
He could do nothing. Not even a scream escaped his lips, before Hinata surged forward. The sword pierced through his gut, blood sliding down the blade, as it angled upward, protruding from his back. The hot wetness covered Hinata's hands. She griped the hilt tighter, pressing forward as she stared into his trembling eyes. The man heaved, and blood oozed from his mouth. Hinata just stared, placidly, while he slumped over. Her breath became heavy through parted lips, as she watched him fade away.
When he fell to his knees, Hinata lowered her sword, easing the blade out of him. Then, she turned her head toward the Branch servant huddled in the corner.
"You," she acknowledged the man.
"H-Hai," he answered, shakily. His pale eyes fell to the blade in her hand. He knew who's it was. He knew what it meant. "L-Leader-sama?" He asked, needing confirmation.
Her expression softened a bit. "Hiashi-sama has been murdered." She looked forward. "I am Leader of the Hyuuga."
The man swallowed the lump in his dry throat. "W-What is g-going on, Hyuuga-sama?"
"A failed coup attempt– on the Clan, as well as the village," she answered. The man slowly rose to his feet, and Hinata pointed her blade at the dead heap before her. "The council is not to be trusted, nor are their orders to be followed." She paused. "Specifically, if you see any more purple men running around..." She shifted her eyes, catching his own in her sharp, resolved glare. "Stop them." Then she stepped over the corpse, continuing along the bloody path. "Alive if possible. Dead if necessary."
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"Hanabi-sama," the old woman's voice gently roused the younger Hyuuga. The hag had come to Hanabi's room to collect the girl, and to take her to the agreed upon meeting place. They had to hurry– and the little brat had to believe her lies. "Hanabi-sama!" She shook the girl this time.
Hanabi's eyes slowly opened, recognition dawning within them. "Elder," she said.
"Yes, Hanabi-sama," the traitor smiled. Her bony fingers slid onto Hanabi's hands, squeezing in deceptive comfort. The girl sat up on her small bed. "Gather yourself up, young one. We must go."
Hanabi looked pensive, eyes cast downward. "Is it time?" She clutched onto the elder's frail hand, swallowing hard. "Am I to be sealed now?"
The hag leaned toward her, cupping her face in her other hand. The paper-thin skin of her palm grazed across Hanabi's cheek, as she lifted the girl's gaze toward her own.
"Heaven's no," her pale eyes searched within the young kunoichi's own hollow stare. She had to get the words just right. "As long as I live and breathe in this world, your treacherous sister will never mark you with the Caged Bird Seal."
Hanabi sucked in a stream of air. "Why would neechan seal me?" Her head lowered again. "Otousan would be the one..."
The old woman feigned sorrow when she spoke again. "Hanabi-sama. I have terrible news." She looked away, spicing her act with dejection. "Hiashi-sama..." She bit down on her thin, wrinkled lip. "Your sister... She killed your father!"
Hanabi's eyes widened, filling with glossy tears. "What?"
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Tomomori splashed the icy water across his face. He'd managed to scrub most of the blood away from his skin, but the stains soaking his robes had been too much. He discarded them, redressing in a simple ninja suit from the dojo's storage room. He dried himself hastily, staring into his reflection.
There were swollen, red rims around his cloudy eyes, and his skin was so pasty. His black hair fell limply around his shoulders, dampened by the frigid water. He ran a hand through the stringy locks. Yesterday he had not noticed the grey streaking through his once raven hair.
He sighed. How had it gone so wrong? They had planned for years! Waiting so patiently for this day. But now... He grimaced. They had miscalculated, underestimating the Fifth Hokage. And...
"Hyuuga Hinata..." Tomomori yanked the name up from the pit of his stomach. The Heiress. Somehow, over the years of neglect, she had become a true shinobi. He balled his hands into tight fists, desperately needing to still the tremors.
They killed her father, and she would come for them. It was inevitable. However, he had a few minutes yet to prepare.
Tomomori stretched out his arms and legs, then shook them to loosen the muscles. The effects of Hiashi's Gentle Fist still lingered. He was handicapped; slower than normal. But he had a size advantage over the petite kunoichi. He smirked. And he had not forgotten her match with Hanabi. Hinata's weakness was close combat. She might excel at ninjutsu and even genjutsu, but her taijutsu skills were as abysmal as they were when Hiashi first cast her aside.
He gripped the sword he'd also pilfered from the storage closet, as well as the spare robe he found for his brother. Tomoyuki had scrubbed himself as well, but he still needed a change of clothes.
Tomomori tied the sword and sheathe around his waist. He carefully eased the door open, peering out through the narrow crack. He had to hurry back to the dojo, where Tomoyuki was waiting. His brother was alone and undefended. Tomomori frowned. His twin was good at many things, but fighting wasn't one of them.
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Hyuuga Neji swooped down onto the soggy ground. His silvery eyes followed two Main council elders, as they sped toward him.
Were they purple?
"Branch House!" One of the men bellowed. He pulled the other man by the arm, to stand behind Neji. "You must protect us! You must protect the Main House!"
Neji straightened immediately. "Elder, what is going on here?" He watched, eyes narrowing as their pursers neared. Three Branch members, two wielding pikes, the other lugging a coil of rope. "Halt!" Neji ordered.
The lead Branch member stepped forward. "Step aside, Neji-san. These two– "
"Are of the Main House," Neji interrupted. "What do you think you're doing?" He frowned.
The younger council member whispered to the other. "We can use the cursed jutsu now. With Neji here, we won't be outnumbered anymore."
"Hai," the other answered. They lifted their hands in front of them.
The lead Branch member took another step. "Step aside! Lady Hyuuga demands their surrender!"
Neji's eyes widened in shock. "Lady Hyuuga?"
"You do not know?" The man frowned, deeply. "Hiashi-sama is dead." Neji's face drained of all color and expression. "Murdered– by the council," the man finished.
Hiashi-sama? Murdered? By the council!
Neji's head turned, and his frigid glare settled on the two elders. They stopped forming the hand seals, caught in the Hyuuga prodigy's moment of recognition.
"Then, Hinata-sama– " He began.
"Is Lady Hyuuga," the Branch member confirmed.
The strangely colored elders backed away, slowly. "Keep back, Branch House!" One of them yelled.
"Then, you do not deny it," Neji stated. He turned his body toward them. The one who spoke last began reforming the hand seals. Neji smirked. "Please, continue. I've been waiting a long time for this." The man nearly completed the jutsu, when Neji grasped onto his fingers, snapping the digits with an effortless flick of his wrist. He spun the elder, releasing him to collide with his cohort. They both fell to the ground, splashing in the slick mud.
"Arghh!" The elder screamed over his broken fingers. The other, shakily raised his hands to begin the jutsu.
"You'll lose more than just two fingers," Neji warned. The man stopped.
"Thank you, Neji-san," the Branch member said, as the other two Branch members wrapped the rope around the two purple traitors.
Neji raised a curious eyebrow. "What happened to them?" He asked.
The Branch member gave an amused chuckle, as the elders were led away. "I have no idea. But, it was Hinata-sama's doing."
Neji's eyebrow twitched. "What were her exact words?"
"I was told by the one who saw her: If you see any purple men running around, stop them. Alive if possible. Dead if necessary." He scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't really know what to expect, until I saw them."
"So, there are more of them?"
"Hai. Seven in all." He paused. "Though, one of them is dead." He looked into Neji's questioning eyes. "Killed– by Lady Hyuuga."
Neji breathed, deeply. He had missed so much. He should have been here! He should have been by her side! Hinata-sama should never have had to spill blood by her own hand! Not in her own house. That was his responsibility.
"Where is Hinata-sama, now?" Her protector demanded. He would find her, and he would slay her enemies. Hinata-sama was much too pure, much too beautiful for the stain of death. That was what he was for, after all. He smiled. This was the beginning. The beginning of his redemption, and their final reconciliation.
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Hyuuga Hinata flung her kunai, and the blade sank into the soft flesh of the Branch House guard, who had been shielding another purple traitor. She did not want to kill the man, but he refused to step aside, choosing death rather than to obey his Leader.
"Your poisonous lies may infect a few," Hinata whispered. "But, the many will know the truth." She angled the curved blade upward, looking across its length at her target– his pale, quivering throat. "Succumb to your fate," she hissed. "And it will be quick."
The elder's face contorted in a mask of death, right before she struck. The tip of her sword pierced through his throat. A shower of red sprayed from the wound, streaming over Hinata's head. She ducked low to avoid it, twisting the blade in his neck and slicing across. The sharp metal exited the body, leaving his half-severed head to flop over in an eruption of deep crimson. He dropped to the floor, and the blood pooled around him.
Hinata continued to follow the fading footprints. Hokage-sama would be content with five. Yes. Five would be enough.
As she walked, she passed by the opened storage closet, noting the disheveled mess within. She passed by the washrooms, and saw the discarded clothing, stained with blood and the faint presence of her father's chakra.
The only room ahead now, was the dojo. And after that, the training field; where all of this would come to its end– one way or another.
End Chapter Eleven