After the events of yesterday, Hisa was extremely glad to reach the village that hired them. The rest of the journey had taken them a full night and day. They reached the village just as the sun went down.
Nawaki had been silent the whole way there. Oki had tried to make light conversation, but he had given her short, one-word answers. At first, Hisa had enjoyed the silence, but as the day wore on it began to unnerve her. Why was he so upset over the death of an enemy? His whole village had been killed. Surely he understood that death happened. Even though her father had managed to put a stop to a lot of the useless deaths between the villages, shinobi were still killed by rogue ninjas or by freak-accidents.
They reached the village and were escorted to a small house.
"You three stay here." Konahamaru ordered. "I'm going to get the whole story from the village leader."
"Can we go out to train?" Hisa asked. She thought she saw Nawaki roll his eyes but she ignored him.
Konahamaru sighed.
"Fine, you can train. But don't use too much chakra."
With that he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Why does he feel the need to do that?" Hisa grumbled.
She was about to leave for training when she saw Nawaki go upstairs, leaving Oki alone in the room. Hisa knew Oki, and she could tell that her friend was extremely worried about Nawaki's attitude.
"Do you want to come and train with me?" she asked.
Oki brightened up at once.
"Sure. I was planning to show you my new jutsu."
The two of them left the house and made their way into the forest.
"What's this village called anyways?" Oki asked.
Hisa shrugged. "I think it's called something like 'The Hidden Metal Village.'"
"That would make sense." Oki agreed. "Most of the houses here were made from metal, and the object we need to find is located in a mine."
They reached a small grove of trees and decided to use it as their training ground.
"I'll go first." Hisa said. "Father taught me how to summon toads, I only summoned one so far, so the one I summon now won't know me at all."
"Do it." Oki said, looking completely fascinated.
Hisa bit her thumb and slammed her hand down on the ground.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
When the smoke cleared, she was faced with a small brown toad with dark brown spots.
"Thank Kami." Hisa sighed "A normal toad."
"What d'ya mean 'normal'? I'm a tracker toad!" the toad said in a squeaky voice.
Hisa sighed in frustration. Why couldn't she just summon a normal fire-breathing toad like her father?
"I've never heard of a tracker toad." she said suspiciously. "Are you sure you're not just messing with me?"
The toad snorted.
"Of course you haven't heard of me! There are only around eight tracker toads alive! It takes a very skilled shinobi to summon us. Which reminds me, who are you? Who summoned me?"
"I'm Hisa Uzumaki and I summoned you." she said.
The toad grinned.
"Oh! You're Naruto's brat! No wonder you were able to summon me!"
Hisa growled in annoyance. These toads were starting to get on her nerves. When would they realise that she summoned them because she was a talented shinobi, not because she was Naruto's daughter?
"So I'm guessing you can track stuff." she said, not really caring.
The toad grinned proudly.
"Yep! Give me a scent and I can track it down for you."
"Can't I just use dogs for that?"
The toad scowled.
"Sure you can- if the trail is still fresh. But if you need to track down someone who's long gone, Gamasaku's your toad!"
Hisa was fed up with the toad by this stage.
"That's great, but you can go now."
The toad nodded happily and left in a puff.
Hisa turned and looked at Oki.
"You're turn." she said.
Oki nodded.
"Your dad showed me this jutsu when I graduated." she said.
She made a hand seal.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Hisa was surrounded by at least ten Okis. She was impressed.
"Why did he show you this jutsu?" she asked.
"He knew that you and Nawaki could make a lot of clones already, so he showed me the forbidden scroll and I learnt how to modify it so that it wouldn't drain all my chakra."
"I'll admit it." Hisa said "I'm impressed. This'll be a lot more useful in a fight then my toads."
"True." Oki said "But thanks to the tracker toad it'll be a lot easier to find this gem."
Hisa's eyes widened. Why hadn't she thought of that? She'd tell Konahamaru tomorrow.
"Let's spar." she suggested. "Then we can practise tree walking."
Oki nodded and the two began to fight.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
The next morning, Team 7 set off for the mine. Hisa explained about the tracker toad, and summoned him to show the way. Konahamaru explained what he had learnt.
"Basically the fame of this gem has grown in recent years and the village want it to be safe in their possession before other villages get it. Apparently, they no longer trust the strength of the former village leader."
He noticed Nawaki was still silent so he rolled his eyes.
"Nawaki, Suigetsu's still alive. It was all a trick so that he could escape safely."
Hisa and Nawaki were shocked, but Oki seemed perfectly calm. She was muttering something about Déjà vu under her breath.
"How do you know?" Hisa asked at the exact same time that Nawaki said "Why didn't you tell me?"
Konahamaru rolled his eyes again.
"I know because I saw him turn to water just before the senbon hit. There were tiny little splashes wherever they hit, which tipped me off. I didn't say anything because it would have been too much hassle and I didn't want to kill him anyway. Lastly, I didn't tell you Nawaki because I appreciated the silence that came with your brooding. It was a pleasant break from your constant chatter. I'm telling you know because I need you to be thinking straight for this part of the mission."
"Sensei, that was mean." Oki said reproachfully.
Konahamaru shrugged.
"I never said I was nice. I manipulate people and I love reading smut. I have faults and I freely admit them."
Oki had no reply to this.
She started discussing plans with Hisa and trying to predict what kind of traps there would be. Nawaki still remained silent but he didn't look as angry or upset, more like he was just thinking hard.
It took them an hour to reach the mine. The entrance was dark, and Hisa couldn't see a thing that lay inside.
"I'll go in first and deactivate most of the traps." Konahamaru said. "Wait here for me until I come back."
He took off into the mine. The three genin surrounded the entrance to make sure that no one else would get in.
Konahamaru was back within five minutes.
"Something's wrong." he said. "Most of the traps were already deactivated. I've a feeling someone's been here already and wants us to get the gem."
"Is it the guy with the scary sword?" Oki asked.
Konahamaru nodded.
"That's most likely who it is. Be on your guard everyone."
The four of them set off into the mine. Each of them kept a tight grip on their kunai as they walked, eyes scanning for the slightest hint of danger.
As they walked deeper into the mines, it got colder and darker. Hisa could barely see the outline of Konahamaru in front of her.
Konahamaru came to a stop at a seemingly random point. Nawaki crashed into his back and almost fell over. Hisa smirked. Yet another thing that made her superior to Nawaki: she had better vision.
"This is as far as I went." Konahamaru whispered. "I've no idea what's beyond this point, but it's probably not good. So keep yourselves armed and ready."
They advanced deeper into the mines. For a few minutes nothing happened. Suddenly Hisa heard Nawaki scream and saw him falling. Konahamaru reached out and grabbed him stopping him from falling into a pit. They jumped over it and continued on their way.
Hisa could see why the villagers were in doubt. All of the traps were crude and simple. Not one used ninjutsu or genjutsu. Nawaki still managed to get caught in every one. His eyesight's really terrible. Hisa thought.
Finally, they reached a huge wall. It blocked the whole path, and there was no way past it. Konahamaru ran his hand along it.
"Ah." he said "Now I see why they deactivated the traps for us. This is a chakra absorbing gate. To get past it, you need to give it a large amount of chakra. I'm guessing that their plan was to wait until we unlocked the gate and got the gem. Then they would ambush us and take the gem."
"So what do we do?" Hisa asked.
Konahamaru thought about it.
"I'm the only one with a large enough amount of chakra to open the door. So once I do it you three will have to get the gem and guard it."
"Do you think we have a chance against them?" Oki asked.
"Not really, no." Konahamaru said casually. "But it's the only thing I can think of right now, so let's just go with it!"
He put his hands against the door. For a few seconds nothing happened, then his hands started to glow with blue chakra. Hisa used the light to look around. She was startled to see that the wall was also a reflective surface. She looked at her blue-black hair and her bright blue eyes. I need a shower. she thought.
Finally, Konahamaru's hands stopped glowing. He stepped away from the wall, swaying unsteadily. The doors rumbled open loudly. It sounded like the cave was about to collapse on top of them.
"Get the gem." he mumbled before sitting down on a rock. "I'll wait here."
The three of them raced ahead, keeping an eye out for anymore traps. Luckily, there were none. After a few minutes of running, they reached a small podium with a blue gem on it. It looked like an average crystal, a blue one except for the fact that it was glowing.
Oki quickly reached up and grabbed it, while the other two scanned the podium for traps. Finding none, the three of them made their way back to Konahamaru. He still looked very pale, although maybe that was just the gem's blue light. He seemed to have gotten a bit more energy back.
"Come on." he said, standing up. "Let's go up and get this ambush over with. Oki, you keep a tight grip on the gem. Nawaki and Hisa, you two guard her. I'll watch from a safe distance."
"That's very nice of you." Nawaki muttered.
"I know!" Konahamaru said cheerfuly.
They reached the entrance to the mine after half an hour of walking. Nawaki and Hisa went out first, kunai at the ready. Oki walked out behind them, clutching the gem tightly. Konahamaru strolled out last, hands in his pockets. He even had the nerve to whistle, which irritated Hisa immensely.
They didn't have to wait long before the ambush began. A fog seeped over the whole area, making it hard to see anything, even the people standing beside you. Konahamaru shook his head in disappointment.
"Kiri shinobi are so unoriginal." he sighed.
He hung back for a minute, letting the other's wander ahead. When they were a far enough distance away. He straightened and removed his hands from his pockets.
"You can come out now."
Suigetsu emerged from the mist, a smirk on his face.
"Relax kid, I'm not here to fight ya. I'm just making sure that you're not going to rush off and help you're genin."
Konahamaru shrugged.
"They can handle themselves. Who are they going to be fighting?"
Suigetsu grinned proudly.
"My son, that's who."
"Ah." Konahamaru said. "Well then, I don't suppose we could watch?"
Suigetsu shook his head.
"'Fraid not. I tried telling Haru that the mist was unoriginal but he wouldn't listen. Kids these days, ya know?"
Konahamaru sighed.
"Oh well."
A few minutes passed.
"So… have you read the new Icha Icha series."
"You mean the Hatake version?"
"Yep."
"Yeah, I've read it. I gotta say, the character Yuri really grew on me…"
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Meanwhile, Hisa and the rest of her team weren't having such a good time. A strange boy had appeared out of the mist, and was standing in front of them. Nawaki looked as scared as Hisa felt, while Oki was a lot calmer. She seemed to be muttering something about Déjà vu again.
"Who are you?" Hisa asked, trying to ignore how her hand was trembling.
The man came closer and hisa got a good look at him. He had the same amethyst eyes as Suigetsu, but his hair was red, not white and his face was thinner.
"I am Haru, a shinobi of Kirigakure. I afraid I must kill you now. I apologize."
Oki frowned.
"Why does that name seem oddly familiar?"
Deciding that her friend wasn't quite focused, Hisa turned to Nawaki.
"We'll attack together on three." she said
Nawaki nodded. He gripped his kunai firmly in his hand. Hisa was glad to see that he had gotten over his earlier hatred of trying to kill other shinobi. He seemed to understand now that shinobi had no choice but to fight each other.
The two of them rushed at Haru, but he simply vanished into the mist. They came to a stop and looked around.
"Where did he go?" Hisa whispered.
Suddenly, a rain of kunai lashed down on them, scratching them and cutting them. When the rain stopped, Hisa looked around, but there was still no sign of Haru.
"How can he see us but we can't see him?" Hisa asked in frustration.
A low chuckle echoed around them, and Haru's voice began to talk.
"I can't see you-but I can see you're chakra. I have the gift of being a sensor. I'm afraid you two don't stand a chance against me."
Hisa tried to think of a strategy, but her mind was blank. Terror seized her. She really didn't have a chance against Haru. Her legs were trembling too hard to support her and she sank to the ground. She heard Haru's triumphant laugh and Nawaki's desperate cry as a kunai rushed straight at her forehead. For a second she regretted wearing her Leaf headband around her neck. Maybe it's better if I die here. I have been pretty useless on this mission.
She closed her eyes and waited to die. She heard the sound of kunai hitting flesh and she felt blood splatter onto her face. To her surprise, she felt no pain. Maybe my brain is shutting down. After a few seconds she opened her eyes. Why was she still alive? She let out a cry as she took in the sight in front of her.
Nawaki lay in front of her, three kunai embedded in his stomach. She was relieved to see that he was still breathing, but he could barely move or talk.
"Nawaki!" she screamed.
He took another breath, wincing at the pain that was coursing through his body.
"It's up to you now." he whispered. "This time… don't screw up."
With that, he closed his eyes.
Hisa wasn't sure what set her off. Maybe it was the tears she saw forming in Nawaki's eyes, maybe it was Oki's constant mumbling about Déjà vu or maybe it was Haru's laugh. All she knew was that she lost it.
She screamed as loudly as she possibly could. All her anger at everything, Nawaki, Haru, her own uselessness and being the Hokage's daughter, it all came out.
Then she felt something strange, her eyes started to burn. They burned like they were on fire, but it only added to her rage. She felt her anger bubble up inside her. It mixed into her chakra and it made her chakra expand. She felt like she couldn't hold it in her body anymore.
So she extended her arms and let it out. It was like a telekinetic wave. It pulsed out in a circle around her, scattering the mist and hitting an unsuspecting Haru straight in his stomach. The wave was so strong it made him fly backwards.
Then, as suddenly as it had come, the pain in her eyes stopped. She blinked a few times and looked around. Everything except Nawaki and the ground itself had been pushed away. Her eyesight felt better too, she could see everything more clearly. As she felt the scroll-toad in her stomach begin to crawl up her throat, she realised what had happened.
She had developed the Rinnegan.
Haru didn't stand a chance.
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
That night, Naruto and Hinata lay in bed together. Hinata had her arms wrapped around him, and she kissed him every few minutes.
"So, anything major happen today?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Nothing much, but I did discover something interesting."
She twisted around until she could see his face.
"Oh?"
He grinned sheepishly, and she suddenly knew that she wouldn't like what he was about to say.
"Do you remember that C-Rank I gave Hisa?"
She nodded.
"Turns out it was actually an A-Rank."