TimeShifter: Actually, Tsume only calls Naruto by -sama to his face, otherwise it's -san. It's really a clan thing that should be cleared up soon. As for the Yumiko things, her first husband was no Hyuuga, and her third child was the one who became the first war hawk. The rest of the questions should be answered in story, but remind me if any of them aren't. I did already state the origins of Basuto's father. Reread the early part of his fight with Shino and Ino. Also, thanks for the well wishes for classes. They're going well, but they're a bear to get through. I need more luck to get through my retail job this time of year.
samueltm2: Rikka's interesting, neh? Anyway, I'm glad my fighting scenes were well received.
Chapter 10:
Lines Drawn in the Sand
Inoichi quickly fulfilled Tsunade's orders. Ibiki and Anko were in her office, and he was on his way to meet his teammates at the gate as ordered. He didn't have to be a genius to figure out their mission. If they needed to move out, Tsunade would order them to, but they were primarily to wait at the gate for the group sent to rescue Hinata to return. The reasoning was simple. They were to ensure the security of any prisoners or relieve any pursuers.
He wasn't in a big hurry. He knew his teammate Shikaku well enough to know he'd be late, so his pace was more a stroll. However, he was slightly concerned with who was following him. He looked over his shoulder to spy Sasame. She innocently looked at him and smiled. He let out an exasperated sigh before questioning her. "Why are you following me? Hokage-sama ordered you to the hospital."
She waved the statement off. "Don't worry. It won't take long to set up a triage." She noticed his questioning look. "What? I want to see the rescue and recovery team off." She paused as an almost defeated look creased her features and she looked down as if to watch her feet. "Besides, I want to tell Sakura something before she goes."
Inoichi sighed. He figured there was nothing wrong in letting Sasame do what she wanted. At full speed, it would still be hours before they heard anything from Housekiyama. With renewed vigor partly to help the young kunoichi and partially to ensure help for his daughter, he quickened his pace. He smirked when she did the same in order to keep up.
The scene they met at the gate was that of ordered chaos. Shizune and Sakura were ordering medics around in last minute preparations. Inoichi knew that not all the medics present were heading out, but he was still surprised to see over a dozen. He recognized several from his daughter's medical classes. While Sasame approached Sakura, he decided to talk to Tsunade's assistant.
Shizune noticed him approaching, but she had more important things to do than chitchat. She was sure he was concerned over Ino and the rest. Considering what she heard from the ANBU about Tsunade's orders, she was certain the two teams would come together to take out the common threat. She continued barking out orders even as he watched her from the guard post.
He leaned against the guard position with a smirk on his face. All the medics were busy and full of concern. It was obvious they had the 'will of fire' the Third always talked about. They wanted to get out there and help their comrades. He was surprised to hear several times concern for Naruto's safety. Happily, he contemplated. "Has the village changed that much?"
"Hey, Sakura!" Inoichi and Sakura looked up as Sasame greeted her. For a moment, Sakura regarded her and was about to answer before a medic came up to her and started asking about appropriate supplies. Sasame simply continued. "Just listen for a minute." She paused and waited for the short conversation between Sakura and medic to be over. She took a deep breath. "Make sure you get Naruto-kun back here safe and sound."
Sakura was about to berate a nearby medic for dropping a supply box, but was momentarily stunned by the statement. "You do realize who you're talking about, right?" She scoffed slightly. "That idiot can take care of himself." She sometimes wondered why insults slipped out so easily, but it felt more like a game between her and her dear friend than what it was in the past.
Sasame smiled. She couldn't help but note the affectionate inflection the pink-haired kunoichi took. "I might be more worried about Hinata or some of the others, but Naruto's not one to let them get hurt." Her grin widened. "In fact, I'd say he'd do anything to make sure they didn't." Her expression darkened when a frown tried to force its way onto her face, but she kept smiling. "He goes out of his way to protect his friends, and I just want to make sure you'll bring him back perfectly fine."
Inoichi smirked. The girls didn't realize it, but various medics were gawking at them. He eyed the crowd to find which side of the line they were on. He had noted a change in the village since Naruto became a shinobi of the leaf. For the most part, they were concerned for his safety. A few in the group grumbled about what made 'the demon such hot stuff' for the kunoichi, but they kept their opinions pretty much to themselves.
He looked over to Shizune to see her about to order the medics to stop dillydallying and get back to work, but he had other plans. "Shizune, you bring our boys home safe and sound." He stretched his arm out to give her a thumbs up. "They've been fighting hard, so you can sure as bet they need some support." He paused as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked solemnly to the sky. He barely whispered. "The 'will of fire', eh Sensei?"
She gave him a quizzical look. She didn't hear the last part, and his statement seemed to come out of nowhere. Still, she nodded her head with a smile. She may as well give him an answer that…should satisfy him. "You bet. We'll get them back home." She blinked noticing a medic slacking and marched over to him to give a piece of her mind.
Inoichi just watched and smirked. As he turned his attention back to Sakura and Sasame, something interesting caught his ears. "Say Sakura, how do you think Naruto sees Hinata?" He almost shook his head at the Fuuma kunoichi. She stammered as she continued. "I-I mean; he stormed after her without even a second thought."
Sakura rolled her eyes. "I can't believe I'm hearing this!" She pulled the fellow medic in close, so nobody could hear them. Inoichi frowned as his entertainment was taken away. "You came here so confident and full of pomp, certain you could win his heart. I mean; we're talking about the guy who didn't recognize Hinata's affections for…" She quickly calculated. "…at least seven or eight years. He's also the guy who storms off if one of his precious people is in danger, and she's the 'cool, dark' girl on his list."
Sasame perked up almost immediately and smiled. "He's also the guy who tried to peep on me when you were mending me…" Her thoughts trailed off as a gloved fist harshly impacted her skull. She squatted, holding her head, as she tried to rub the sore lump away. "Ouch, Sasuke was right. This girl can punch!"
Sakura stood over the crouching girl with a fist raised in the air and veins ready to pop. Before berating the perverse words and delusions obvious in her eyes, she noticed Shizune calling her over. With a sigh, she had one last thing to say to her cohort. "I'll bring them all back, not just Naruto. Just you watch; he'll show the world his wings." She hurried over to Tsunade's assistant to move out.
Sasame and Inoichi watched the medics go through their final preparations before Shizune's team left. The former never realized she gave the latter something to think about…and some entertainment. They continued to watch until the medic team was out of sight. Then Sasame decided it best to follow orders. She turned to leave, but was stopped by the elder shinobi's voice. "All his life, he's only wanted friends and somebody to love him. Strange how things work out."
She smiled, nodded, and giggled. "Yep!" She turned on her heals to face him, placing her hands behind her back, and leaned forward. "He saved my family three years ago, and he risked his life doing it. Oh, it wasn't love at first sight. I thought he was a pervert, and I was angry with him for a long time even as I led them to our destination. It's just…"
He interrupted her and directed her attention to the Hokage tower. "Don't you think you should be heading along now, little lady? Wouldn't want Hokage-sama mad at you." He couldn't resist laughing as she ran off towards the hospital, panic-stricken. When she was gone, he looked up to the leg casting a shadow on him. "You're late, Shika…" He looked to his right. "…Cho."
His teammates and longtime friends gave him their unique smiles. He flashed his own grin. No, they weren't worried. They had confidence in their children, and they had confidence in whom they were teamed up with. There was no question of 'if Tenten had teamed up with Neji's', They knew the teams had teamed up. It was something about the generation taught by Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, and even Gai. They looked to the distance and just believed.
The pale girl rubbed her forehead as her eyes flitted open. As realization sunk in, she frantically looked around. She was keenly aware she was still inside the world created by her late father's illusion, but she was confused as to why. The Yamanaka broke her hold on the captives, so they should have all escaped. She should have come back to reality in that capsule filled with the unusual chakra-enhancing gel.
The scene was blank and devoid of structure. It was the blank slate she had to work with, and she was acutely of who was absent from the illusion. Neither Hinata nor Tsume were present, and she could only just sense Naruto's presence. She furrowed her brow at that. Why could she only just feel his presence? "I should know where he is…"
She looked up with wide eyes to watch an approaching figure. She was startled at first, but fear settled in and took root as she watched the overbearing entity swirl to life before her. To her, it was odd to see chakra spiral like that. Though it twisted in the seeming random way fire would, it managed the rough shape of a fox…with nine tails. She could only gawk.
Her jaw nearly fell when the rough form coalesced into a human. He was tall, towering over anybody she knew. He was lean and well toned, and he moved with a certain grace. His powerful, crimson eyes cut through her soul, and his blood red hair was tied back in a neat ponytail reaching the small of his back. To her, he was the most stunning existence she had ever seen, even if she was scared out of her mind.
Her brain barely registered his clothes as she gazed at his face. He wore traditional ninja shoes as he padded closer. His dark blue pants fit loosely, and a white tee shirt tucked into it. He wore a loose fitting, dark blue jacket over his torso which billowed in the winds her mind vaguely realized weren't there. The most unusual item was his only accessory. He wore a leather choker with the word 'seal' inscribed on the only white patch on the front.
When he was finally in front of her, he squatted in front of her and scoffed. "This is what the Kagennotsuki are reduced to? Tch, pitiful." He rose and looked around. "Idiot kit, where'd he run off to? He knows he's no good with genjutsu." He scanned the horizon, looking for something.
After a moment, Rikka finally found her voice. "Wh-What are you doing?" She flinched when his glare fell on her, but she didn't want to falter. "Who do you think you are? I control this place, everything in it." His gaze grew harsher, and her face darkened as she averted her eyes. "I-I con-control th-the ho-hori-zontals and th-the ve-ver-verticals." She almost yelped when he stood right in front of her.
He scoffed. "You have some inferiority complex wanting to control people like that? You only got this far because kit's got no ability when it comes to genjutsu." He was apparently angry because he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth in a rough sigh. "Even with a Yamanaka helping him, he's still stuck in this stupid Musouka. He's so useless."
She eyed him. Sure, she was still scared, but she saw his point. If the genjutsu was disrupted, even a weak genin should have been able to break free. Naruto, she wagered, was at least high chunin if not low junin in skill level…even if his chakra put him well above that. "Is that why he's still a genin…?" She hesitated. "…because he can't do anything with genjutsu?"
He scoffed. "Please. If that were true, that 'fuzzy brows' character would never have graduated from the academy let along the chunin exams." He narrowed his eyes as he watched her, finally, struggle to her feet. "Tch, it's hard to believe you're about as old as Hokage-baa. What's with kit attracting all this weird attention?"
Her face flushed, and she spoke in a low, indignant voice. "How rude?!" She scowled at him. "Have you no manners?" Even if she had the body of an eight year old, she was still sensitive about her age. She flinched when he lowered his face, so his nose was almost touching hers.
His face creased into an overconfident smirk. "Oh, I have manners. I just choose not to use them around foul trash." He stood erect and straightened his jacket. "I've been wondering about something for a while, mortal." He emphasized mortal to show disdain for their method of staying alive. "Is Yumiko the mother of Hatake Ahito, the first 'war hawk' of Konoha?"
She slowly nodded. "Yes, he was the child I was showing Naruto and the others earlier." She was curious about his interest in her mother's first, big obstacle in her revenge against that hated village. She still hated the 'stranger' for betraying her mother by creating that monster.
Kyuubi tilted his head forward in contemplation. "I hate to say it, but that was very clever. He gave Yumiko the hope of revenge while securing a new body for himself. Unintentionally, she became an ancestor to both a great boon and the greatest bane to Konoha."
He jerked his head up and scanned the horizon after his moment of thought. "Ah, that's where you've been hiding kit. I was wondering when you'd show up." He waited and watched as a figure appeared as a dark speck on the horizon. Rikka was also watching, so she never noticed when the great bijuu reverted to his human-sized fox form.
Naruto quickly came into view. He staggered his way forward as he held his head in one hand. He groaned when he saw the two tormentors. "I'm having a really bad day, and this headache just won't go away. Why do I have all the luck?" He looked like he was ready to simply drop to the ground and pass out.
Rikka turned to Kyuubi and in hushed tones spoke to him. "It looks like that Yamanaka's trick had some effect on him." She saw the fox nod his head, and she blinked wildly realizing he'd transformed. Deciding to press another concern, she added a question. "Did you find what you were looking for earlier?" With a shake of the fox's head, the conversation was over. Rikka was content to wait for the blond to feel better.
Hesitantly, Hinata approached the door to the room she was imprisoned within. Oddly, her vision swam in strange colors. She knew her Byakugan wasn't active; one of the bracelets she wore prevented it. She touched the door, and she felt like electricity ran through her. She gasped as she recognized the feeling as Yakedo.
She knew she had to get out of the room. She trembled as she readied herself. She leveled her shoulder against the door and swallowed hard. As she slid her feed back in trepidation, she mentally prepared herself to slam into the door. Trailing leg against the bed, she closed her eyes and focused as much chakra as she could in preparation to strike.
She ignored the pain the other bracelet sent through her body and sprang forward. As she vaulted towards the door, visions of her crush stirred in her vision. As she opened her mouth, a scream issued forth from her lungs. It was half a groan of agony and half a yell of determination. She slammed into the door, and it echoed down the halls.
Kanaeru gawked at Gayt as she held her bleeding shoulders. True, they had begun to heal, but she reopened the wounds when she dodged the earlier ball of electricity. She was used to her kousotsu's unusual show of power, but he just powered through a Yakedo and Fuuin backed Rairyuudan.
Gayt narrowed his eyes at his opponent. If he hadn't countered in time, Kanaeru would have taken the brunt of the attack. He was also worried now that she was using forbidden seals to wage battle. He looked to his gargantuan sword where his partner Star resided. "Do you have any ideas to resolve this?" He let out an exasperated sigh at the idea. "If I use wind to counter her Raiton, there is a chance master will get hurt."
He didn't have a chance to debate as she changed the element of his massive blade anyway. It flicked from pale purple to pale yellow in an instant, and he released another sigh for his impetuous partner. "As long as Kanaeru-sama does not receive further injury, I'll go along with your plan."
Yumiko ignored the obvious danger. She knew through her superior vision that her opponent didn't use chakra. She felt confident his unusual abilities couldn't counter hers so easily. She rushed forward again, and electricity arced from her forearms. She ducked under a mighty swing and slammed her palm against his thick armor.
He barely jolted as invisible blades of wind carried her Raiton back up her arm and engulfed her body in the amplified shock. Her eyes widened as her body convulsed. He watched for a moment before resting his sword against his shoulder. In very short terms, he explained what happened. "Kaze Suki."
He paused for a moment to look over his free shoulder and resisted the urge to sigh a breath of relief. Star's plan worked, and Kanaeru was left unharmed. "It slows my body when I use it, so I normally wait until I see an attack coming. However, you would have seen it and stopped your attack. Now you are paralyzed from your own chakra and conceit."
Yumiko fell to her knees, but Yakedo still showed its effects over her body. Her body still convulsed under the influence of the last defensive maneuver. She could hardly believe what she saw. There was a strange coloration at the point she impacted his armor. It wasn't anything like any chakra she'd seen before, but it was familiar. "Didn't that toad summoner, Namikaze Hiroshi, use something like that?"
Gayt turned to face Kanaeru. "I'm sorry I interrupted your fight, Kanaeru-sama. However, her Raiton was a poor match for your Doton. I trust you are safe." He took her silence and glower as an affirmative. "Very well, I will prepare to heal your wounds. Star, if you would?"
"Don't ignore me, boy!" Gayt turned rapidly only to be forced to parry several blows from his renewed adversary. He had no idea where she got the strength from, but she seemed almost feral. The flow of Raiton over her body didn't help the image. "You're a hundred years to early to turn your back on me in a fight, boy!"
Under his armor, he felt his lips want to curl into a smirk. "If only she knew…" He swatted another attack with the flat of his blade before using that momentum to carry his blade into a diagonal strike. She jumped away and landed on a foot, a knee, and an open palm. She licked the wound on the back of her hand before thrusting the same hand forward.
He saw the latest ball of electricity and brought his sword over his head. With a booming voice, he brought his gigantic blade down in a massive, vertical slash. "Shippuu Boufuu." For a moment, the attacks met in midair. They seemed to be of equal power, but his attack eventually won. In either chakra or mana, wind always defeated lightning.
Yumiko screamed in agony as the wind-enhanced ball of lightning impacted her body. She was too stunned to move. With all the power and lethality the attack had, it moved at a snail's pace, but she was dumbstruck at how easily the armored behemoth overcame her Yakedo when he used no techniques the Byakugan could discern.
Shino and Ino paused in their run when they heard a loud crash coming from down the hallway. There was only one problem. Whatever the noise was emanated from opposite hallway his insects were telling him the fighting was. He looked down the empty passage and raised a brow when a second loud crash reverberated down the stony walls.
Ino looked down both paths and shrugged. "Hey Shino, should we hurry to help everybody or find out what the commotion's about?" She didn't realize it, but she was just as curious as her silent companion. He nodded his head, and they sped towards their new destination.
As they approached, the space between crashes became shorter and shorter. Ino also noted a shift in Shino's mood. His expression almost seemed to become darker, and she could hear the agitated bugs as they swarmed just under his clothes. She was about to ask when he placed an arm in front of her, effectively cutting her off and silencing her. "It's Hinata."
She blinked as she looked between him and the door. His curt response almost made her loose her temper. "Well, aren't you glad you found he-…?" She was cut off as a tingle traversed up and down her spine. Her entire body tensed as she felt the powerful aura and bloodlust behind it. "Is that really Hinata?!"
Shino tapped the door in Morse code. Ino recognized in and listened. 'Hinata, calm down(stop).' It was a moment later a response came. 'I will not calm down(stop). Let me out of here(stop).' Ino felt her teeth chatter. Something wasn't right, and Shino's ever arching brow only reinforced the notion. 'We're here to help(stop). Hinata, we are friends(stop).'
The last part seemed to calm the girl on the other side of the barricade down, but Shino actually sighed. He observed the door for a moment…before they heard another crash. A moment later, they heard the loud sound again. He turned to Ino to deliver his hypothesis. "She's trying to break the door down."
She practically exploded. "Of course she would! She wants out!" She noticed her compatriot merely nod, and her jaw nearly fell. Was he really just doing to stand there and do nothing? "Well! Aren't you going to help her out?"
His answer was short and to the point. "No." He watched as she threw a temper tantrum. It couldn't be helped. She didn't understand what was going on, and he zoned her out to concentrate on the problem at hand. When he felt her eyes boring into his skull, he finally answered. "She is in Yakedo. It is dangerous to go into this bli-…"
Before he could finish, the entire hall rumbled as a wall came crumbling down. Shino and Ino jumped back and entered their fighting stances. As the dust settled, Hinata emerged from the gaping wall. Over her body, water writhed rhythmically. When she looked at them, her eyes seemed to have a mirror coating over them. Shattered remnants of something fell from her wrists before she turned and purposely marched down the hall.
Ino was about to call out, but she found herself interrupted yet again. Shino held out his arm. When she looked to him, he was facing her with a finger over where she assumed his mouth was under his tall collar. She waited several agonizing seconds before blurting out. "What was that for?! Weren't you glad to see her?! You jerk! You could have helped her!"
He took a deep breath before responding to her. "As I told you before, it took everything Kiba, Kurenai, and I had to subdue her once she entered Yakedo. She is currently beyond our abilities, and nothing can deter her from whatever she sees as her mission."
She stared blankly at him. She did remember him mentioning Yakedo before, but she still wasn't sure what it was. Still, she had another question on her mind. "What is her mission?" She nearly choked on her tongue when she noticed he was no longer standing with her. Instead, he was halfway down the hall. She ran to catch up. "Wait, answer my que-…"
"She has only ever entered this state for Naruto's sake." He could have gone into detail, but he didn't feel like it. He was glad when his ally dropped the interrogation in favor of following Hinata and catching up to the rest of their allies. If Chouji was any indication, Yumiko was a powerful opponent not to be trifled with. If his insects were any indication, Yakedo put her on equal ground with Hinata…only she had more experience and stamina.
Rikka watched Naruto as he snored on the ground. She squatted next to his face and poked his cheek. "He really isn't any good with genjutsu; is he?" The fox shook his head. She was finding the whole situation strange. She had a lot of questions, and she hated how the fox seemed to block her mind reading ability. "Hey Kyuubi, what did he do to make Suna agree to a new treaty?"
He looked at her and smirked like only his fox form could. "Oh, you didn't hear from your precious okaa-sama?" He noticed the vein ready to pop. He was hoping the inflection insulting her mother would have exactly that reaction. "That idiot beat Gaara in a head-to-head fight. With their plans derailed, they withdrew and agreed to a ceasefire. With their Kazekage dead, they agreed to a renewed treaty."
She scoffed. "Please, that wouldn't ally Konoha and Suna into new trade agreements." She paused. "I've listened in on other Kagennotsuki, and it seems high profile families and shinobi are freely moving between the villages." It never made sense to her, and she wanted to find out just what was going on.
Kyuubi smirked. "Ah, isn't it rude to listen in on other clan members?" He sniggered when she leered at him. Oh, it was so fun to torment humans like he was finally able to. "I guess you could say that Gaara was so impressed that he became fast friends with Naruto and created a strong alliance with Konoha. As Kazekage, he worked closely with Hokage-baa."
Rikka looked down. She never heard any of what was just related. "Did Orochimaru lie so blatantly to us?" She sighed inwardly. "No, I doubt it would have changed okaa-sama's will. They both wanted Konoha destroyed, and that hatred has festered for years." She paused in her thoughts. "Does that mean I view things differently from okaa-sama?"
She almost yelped when the bijuu erupted into loud guffaws. Once again, she found herself leering at him. After a long string of laughter, he looked at her. "Judging from the expression on your face, I'd say you've come to see how unclear the lines are. I supposed Yumiko's hatred could only manage to draw weak ones in soft sand."
Rikka released a guttural sigh as she couldn't argue the point. She felt she was coming to see things in a new light, and she wasn't sure if she liked her blacks and whites dimmed by shades of gray.
Sakura stuck close to Shizune as they rushed through the trees and towards Housekiyama. She peered over her shoulder to the other three medics to join them. One stood out clearly with a canine following her, Inuzuka Hana. She was Kiba's sister and mostly experience as a veterinarian. Though, she was still a skilled medic when it came to humans.
She wasn't really worried about her, however. It was the two newly christened medic nin assigned to the team. She knew Tsunade had trained them, and they were more than capable. She was just reluctant since they hadn't been on a mission involving combat for almost two years.
Nara Yoshi was from a family she knew naturally should have produced more medics than it did. Of course, he knew all about herbs and natural remedies from living in the woods and relying on income from valuable deer antlers, but he just never considered life as a medic nin. He just followed in his father's footsteps.
He was Shikamaru's cousin, and he was about a year and a half older. Sakura wondered if all Nara dressed alike just to show what clan they were from or out of laziness. He even wore the same topknot. He was only a chunin because of Tsunade's medic program, but he didn't wear the traditional green vest…like most medics. He was a bit short and sinewy.
Yoshi and the final member of their medical team were once members of the same team from Team Gai's graduating class. Her name was Nagara Sayumi. Imagine her surprise when she found out the girl was a distant relative, and her chakra control was just as excellent. In fact, Yoshi had a similar level of chakra control…like most Nara. They only became medics because their other teammate was killed in action along with their sensei in a mission gone wrong.
Sakura was a bit jealous of Sayumi. She was the picture of beauty wrapped in a tomboy package. Her hair was cut short, which only served to accent her perfect face and curvaceous body. What truly set Sakura off was how she never wore anything flashy. She wore simple cut clothes that were functional and somewhat loose cut. Of course, those loose fitting clothes concealed her deadly darts and needles.
Sakura shuddered thinking about how closely Shizune and Sayumi resembled each other in combat. Thinking of her superior, she looked over to the older junin. "I know it's not my place, but are you sure we should be taking rookie medic nin with us?" She was certain excluding them wouldn't hurt their team strength any, but she didn't voice that opinion. She didn't want to discount them or insult them because they were fine medics.
Shizune smiled. She understood where the inquiry came from. "Tsunade-sama feels that both Yoshi and Sayumi need field experience. They're perfectly capable shinobi." She smirked. "After all, you were off active duty for about the same amount of time they were."
Sakura narrowed her eyes at that. "True, but I had to take the chunin exams same as everybody else." Though there was some dissent in her tone, she understood the circumstances. Tsunade needed to prove to her advisors and the clans that she wasn't showing favoritism. She ended up being the perfect example to get the medical program running full swing.
Shizune giggled and was about to respond when Hana spoke up. "Keep your head cool, Sakura." Her grin was wide and confident. "We Inuzuka have a saying. Kick the pup out, so he can become a dog!" Sakura, Shizune, Sayumi, and Yoshi felt a nervous sweat as they declined comment. Hana roared happily. "You can't keep 'em locked up in the kennel all their lives. They gotta move on, and babying 'em won't help."
Sakura realized it. She really did. She was just reminded of so many things with those two. She remembered the bad way Team Asuma was in after his death. She remembered how long hard Naruto crashed when he found out about Jiraiya. Worse, she remembered Sasuke leaving the village…and his team behind.
No, she had to believe Hana's words. Now, she only had to clear out the image of the thirteen year old brat from Suna out of her head whenever she heard that name…
Yumiko stood once more as electricity arced over her body. She could smell the patches of burnt skin where Gayt's wind caused her own elemental chakra to backfire. Her rage was no longer blind, and she understood who her target should have been all along. The red-headed kunoichi wasn't a threat as long as she was injured and remained out of the fight.
With a clearer head, she was able to think things through. Her beloved Daikichi had injured the dangerous woman. The walking armor had jumped to her defense much the same as she had for her fourth husband. She eyed Gayt dangerously before running her hands through separate one handed seals.
Gayt was stunned to see the action she took, and he hesitated in bearing his sword to shield himself. When the attack left her hands, he was forced to holds his massive sword with two hands. One tightly held the grip while the other pressed against the flat of the blade.
He heard footfalls and was forced to take a step back. He was in no position to retaliate with his sword in the position it was. He also couldn't concentrate on his defense. He noticed too late that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He fell to one knee with a sharp breath before he was forced to parry a strike from above. His opponent was more determined than ever to injure him.
She immediately noticed his change in behavior. He wasn't expecting her to be able to create hand signs with one hand. It was a skill she learned thanks to that book on kinjutsu. She smirked. "I see. He was so stunned and distracted that he couldn't prepare that defensive jutsu from before. I was able to use one jutsu to distract him from the other, and I drew a weakening seal on his armor!"
Kanaeru noticed the Fuuin glowing on her kousotsu's armor. It was a dangerous kinjutsu she thought known only to the Uzumaki clan. Her expression screwed into one of concern. No, the Senju also knew of it. She couldn't believe the Senju would betray such a secret, but it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. Worse, it could have been stolen by a clan known for and even highlighted by betrayal.
She scoffed at her internal musings. She knew assumptions would get her nowhere, but she saw the battle was taking a turn for the worse. If Yumiko discovered her kousotsu was at a disadvantage to Fuuin, it would be no laughing matter. She positioned her hands to run through hand signs when she felt a powerful chakra heading their way. She looked up and recognized it as a Hyuuga…in Yakedo.
She smirked. Things would get interesting soon enough. Instead of finishing her technique, she dispersed it and returned her attention to the fight at hand. She almost flinched when Yumiko landed another good blow on Gayt, but the treacherous Hyuuga reeled back as her chakra backfired from another Kaze Suki. She prayed it meant his weakness hadn't quite been figured out.
She realized it wasn't too be as another Fuuin glowed into life on his armor. He felt some of his strength leave, and he faltered with his next step. He swung his heavy sword at an awkward angle and barely dodged the consequences. He felt electricity course through his armor, and he was momentarily paralyzed.
The moment was all Yumiko needed as she moved in for another strike. She launched into her own consecutive strike technique hoping to put an end to the fight with the armored behemoth. Though she felt plenty of chakra and vigor remaining, she wanted plenty left to heal Daikichi and return to her new toy, Naruto.
Gayt closed his eyes as he silently communicated with Star. He needed his Kaze Suki to defend himself against her elemental chakra, but it would leave him drained of mana. She needed to gather more to keep them fighting, but he wasn't sure how effective it would be.
Star quickly offered up a plan, and he acted on it. He dropped his sword and caught her fists. Electricity arched between them, but he held her tight. He didn't activate his defense, mostly because he couldn't. Separated from Star, she gathered mana as he held their opponent off. Gayt still felt pain, but he could hold on a while longer.
It was the moment Yumiko felt she had attained victory that the most unexpected of things happened. They were plastered against the far walls by a powerful stream of water. Fortunately for Gayt, his sword barely even tilted under the pressure. It still was incredibly uncomfortable to have his entire body convulse from a deluge of both Raiton and Suiton.
When the stream stopped, Yumiko and Gayt slid down the wall and glared at their attacker. While Yumiko stared wide-eyed, Gayt forced himself to his feet. It was hard, and the Fuuin glowed in retaliation. He made a move for his sword, but a geyser erupted in his path before he could move.
Yumiko smirked as she believed Rikka had completed her mission and broken the shy girl. She turned towards the door barring the intruders from Naruto and wondered if he was already in her power. If not, she wondered how soon. She was about to say something when her body was engulfed in sphere of water like a prison. "Im-Impossible!"
Kanaeru carefully spoke to her kousotsu. "Gayt, do you think you can heal my injuries, so I can mar those unsightly Fuuin?" She noticed the sour look she received from Hinata and defensively raised her hands. "Don't worry; we're friends. We'll even help you retrieve Naruto-kun if you help us." She wore a friendly smile in hopes she could get through to the shy heiress.
Hinata was like a different person when she experienced Yakedo. Without ever realizing it, Team Kurenai named it exactly as the ancient Hyuuga clan did once long ago. However, her mind still worked perfectly. She was more aggressive, and her body overflowed with chakra. However, she was still a loyal shinobi of the leaf…and she loved Naruto.
She turned to Yumiko and Gayt and concentrated on the geyser. It disappeared, and he limped to his gargantuan blade. She watched him the entire time, wary of any wrong moves. When he knelt before Kanaeru, she turned her attention back to the perpetrator of the whole mess.
She didn't speak. She only turned her hands, palms outstretched, towards the offending person. She started constricting her hands like she had wrapped them around somebody's neck and had started squeezing. Yumiko responded in kind by frantically scratching at her neck as if she were trying to remove unseen hands. It didn't help that her Yakedo was still active and arcing right back to her within the sphere of water.
While Gayt attended to Kanaeru, he observed Hinata's drastic change in behavior. "I hope she retains enough of her personality to refrain from fighting us. Once I heal Kanaeru-sama, I'll be completely drained of mana once again. Star is too weak to gather that much again, and she needs enough for her own life force."
He didn't realize it, but the sumitsuki was thinking along the same lines. She was calculating how much chakra she had remaining, and she knew either Hyuuga in Yakedo was well out of her hands. If she were at full strength, it might be a different story…against Hinata. She could only hope Hinata won, retained her sense of friend and foe, and decided finding Naruto was a bigger priority.
On the outside, Kanaeru and Gayt never noticed the struggle going on insider her mind. Hinata felt like she was facing a mirror image of herself. She faced her inner self who held onto all her repressed rage and hatred. Hinata had refused those feelings, and she always thought she had thrown them away. Instead, they festered into the broken mirror image standing before her with a wicked grin plastered on her face.
"Don't get in Kagami's way, Hime-chan." Her hands were clenched around an imagined neck as she mercilessly squeezed tighter and tighter. She was out for blood, and Yumiko's would do nicely.
Hinata swallowed. She wanted this over with as soon as possible, but she wasn't strong enough to break through on her own. "I-It's m-more like Kagamirigachi." She flinched as she expected her broken self to retaliate.
Her broken self looked over her shoulder with an egotistic smirk. "Oh, I like that! I'm Kagamirigachi!" She broke into hysterical laughter. She knew it would strike the outer self as odd, but she would never retaliate. She really did like the name, and her only interest was doing what needed to be done. Why were her teammates always trying to hard to stop her?
Hinata gasped and lunged forward. "No! Don't kill her!" She was frantic. She wasn't sure what her broken self was going to do, but she was certain she was constricting the sphere of water around their…her opponent.
Kagamirigachi actually sneered at her outer self. "What are you talking about? That woman hurt Naruto-kun!" Her grip tightened on the imagined neck. "She made him watch from his own body as he was made to kill everything precious to him! Even if it was just a genjutsu, you'd just let her get away with that?!"
Hinata was almost in tears, and her crestfallen expression almost made the broken self slacken. Her sobbing broke up her speech as she tried to press her feelings across. "I-I know wh-what she feels like. I-If tou-san made me ma-marry somebody I didn't lo-love, I m-might turn out e-exactly l-l-like her."
Kagamirigachi scoffed. "You're always so weak, Hime-chan." She paused as she slackened her hands a bit. "If you don't have resolve, how can you ever make Naruto-kun see you?" In a gleeful fit, she constricted her hands even tighter. She felt elation as Yumiko struggled even harder to break free.
Then she felt a hard slap snap her face to one side. Her grip slacked enough for Yumiko to pop her head outside the sphere of water for some much needed air. Hinata stood in front of her broken self with a tear streaked face. "Naruto-kun wouldn't want any of this!" Despite being nearly broken from exhaustion and fear, the shy heiress stood defiant.
Kagamirigachi was stunned silent, but she quickly regained her composure. Before Yumiko could retaliate, she covered the offensive woman enough that she couldn't escape but was perfectly capable of breathing. "You think that after all this he'd be willing to just let bygones be bygones?"
They both stiffened as they felt a hand grace their…her shoulder.
Shino carefully approached Hinata. Ino stood at the entrance in stunned silence. She couldn't believe the powerful Suiton technique the shy heiress had pulled off. More so, she couldn't believe she was on the verge of viciously killing their opponent. She was almost scared to approach, and she only hoped Shino would be safe.
The bug tamer was certain she would not attack him. She never had before. Though they had to go all out to restrain her, it was mostly to tend to her poor victim and keep her at a safe distance. She turned her face to look at him with those mirror coated eyes, and he actually felt a shiver run the length of his spine. "It's okay. You find Naruto; we'll handle this."
Kanaeru watched the scene with a wide grin plastered on her face. Hiashi was going to get an earful when she got back to Konoha! It took a bit of healing, but she was finally able to 'hear' what was going on inside Hinata's pretty little head. She might not have heard it like a Kagennotsuki, but she had a fairly clear picture of what was going on. Yakedo always presented an interesting dilemma, but Hinata just made things more interesting.
"Please, Shino-kun's right." Hinata pleaded with her broken self. She only hoped her mirror listened.
"Tch…" Kagamirigachi clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth in disappointment. "Bugs had to go and ruin our fun."
Hinata pouted at the rude nickname her counterpart gave her friend, but the broken self shrugged it off as if it were nothing. They had come to a rough compromise.
Yumiko dropped to the ground as she was released from the sphere of water. She coughed up what fluid remained in her lungs as Hinata walked towards the door separating them from Naruto. She could only watch as her elemental chakra ripped the door from its hinges, and she walked in.
As she stood, she came to realize several facts. She was outnumbered, but she'd handled worse. She also noted, much to her dismay, that her Yakedo was no longer active. Involuntarily, her body slumped as she noted another distasteful idea. She was very low on chakra.
Neither Shino nor Ino looked to pose a huge threat. They had somehow managed an upset against Basuto, but a victory against such a skilled warrior had to have taken its toll. They were also alone, and she took that to mean the others had to have been defeated. Sure, her third husband was dead, but she had absolute faith that he had taken his targets with him to the grave.
Kanaeru and Gayt had put up a good fight, but they had to be stretched to their limits already after having faced her fourth husband and her Yakedo. In fact, the latter was still kneeling while the former used a disadvantageous element. She figured that, all in all, she had a huge advantage to continued fighting.
While she slipped into a ready stance, she noted the world spinning round her. She shook her head and double checked her condition. Her eyes widened as she realized her Byakugan had at some point deactivated…and her chakra was falling fast. She fell to all fours and clenched her eyes shut. She…felt something moving across her skin.
"I wouldn't recommend moving." The calm, masculine voice unnerved her. Through a process of elimination, she knew it belonged to the Aburame. "You're chakra is dangerously low, and my kikaichu will continue to feed until either you stop struggling or I order them to." He paused, and she swore it was for dramatic effect. "You've lost."
Inside the room, Hinata saw Naruto's slumbering form. She hesitantly walked to the bed on which he lay, and her Yakedo finally broke down. As her Byakugan deactivated, she stared down at him. "Why's he still under the genjutsu? He should have been freed from it when I was."
She gathered chakra and formed familiar hand signs. "Kai!" With the disruptive chakra in tow, she placed her fore and middle fingers against his forehead. After she forced it through his system, she was surprised to see he didn't wake up. "No way, I couldn't have messed up!"
Activating her Byakugan, she scanned the room to find a reason why he was being so difficult. She was distraught to find Fuuin etched throughout the room. They prevented her from completely disrupting the flow of chakra in his body, but they shouldn't have prevented him from waking up when pain brought Rikka to her knees. She had a feeling some mind technique was responsible, but she had no real proof.
She sat down next to her entrapped crush as she rummaged through her mind for answers. She knew he was bad with genjutsu, but even it didn't explain his current state. She leaned over him and cupped her hands around his shoulders. She knew it wouldn't work, but she shook him and spoke gently to him. "Naruto-kun, wake up." She paused. "Ramen, there's Ichiraku Ramen here for you!"
Before anybody asks, I did realize I named Tomoyuki Tsume with the same familiar name as Inuzuka Tsume...a chapter or two after doing so. Also, yes I realize Hinata seems to have a split pesonality while in her Yakedo. I have reasons for everything! Belive me...
Cold Hinata, that was so cold. I wonder if 'Prince Charming' will awaken to your words. Hey, anything's fine if you're desperate to save somebody, right.
A note on the manga front, I really hope they haven't actually killed off Kakashi. I mean, Naruto's already lost most of his familial type precious people.
As always, reviews are appreciated, and flames outright ignored.
Story Word Count: 8,020
Story Page Count: 16
Terms and Jutsu:
baa - grans: Probably made up, but I'm going with it.
Raiton: Rairyuudan no Jutsu - Lightning Release: Lightning Dragon Projectile Technique: A high level jutsu, Raiyuudan usually required complicated seals to perform. Yumiko gets around that by drawing a forbidden seal in the air and pushing her 'burning' chakra into it.
Kaze Suki - Wind Armor Chink: Gayt kindly translated the technique's name from his home's language. A defensive technique by nature, Kaze Suki acts as a second layer of armor.
Shippuu Boufuu - Hurricane Gale: Gayt kindly translated the technique's name from hsi home's language. A primarily offensive technique by nature, Shippuu Boufuu produced gale force winds capable of easily blowing most anything away.
Kagami - Mirror: The broken reflection inside Hinata calls herself this.
Kagamirigachi - Broken Mirror: Hinata calls the broken reflection within herself this, and she likes it more than what she called herself.