Well, I had to expect the reaction I got from last chapter. For those who were upset with how the last chapter was, I hope you can accept my apology and promise to make it up with the rest of the story. I also thank everyone for their honest critique and calling out what was wrong with the last chapter, the biggest thing being the rule on how stopping a summon works, something I wasn't aware of and hadn't found when I was researching it. I promise to keep a closer eye on these things.
But for now, the story shall continue, and I hope this chapter (which is going to be pivotal) will atone me. I would also like to state that for the most part, any OOC is intended, or can be explained. Some have pointed out that Danzo has been a bit more vicious, and this is true. This is due in part because out of all the villains, Danzo interests me the most because of his motivations and character. In cannon, he's shown to be a ninja who acts in what he believes to be best for the village, and it is due to him that many of the tragedies in Konoha have happened. It is because of this, that I have made him the main villain in my story.
I hope you enjoy this chapter, as it's one I have looked forward to for months now.
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Three years after Naruto's departure. . .
Sarutobi sat in his office, reading through his latest report once more. In the dead quiet of his office, he re-read the report from the reconnaissance team he had sent out. Over the past few years, things had become disrupted in the ninja world. According to the intel gathered, after the invasion of Konoha, the broken forces of Suna had returned crippled and weakened to their own village, where they became reclusive. Without a Kage, the village had to be ruled by a council led by all the clan heads, all of whom now plotted and vied to become the next Kage. In this process, their requests for missions from the national community had dropped significantly, causing widespread poverty throughout the village, along with most if not all commerce to cease. This caused the village to become uneasy, and before long multiple groups of clans and non-clan ninja began to form.
In the report Sarutobi held in his hands now, held the final news of the situation. Suna had erupted into full civil war, and in the confusion, Kumo attacked Suna and annihilated any ninja who didn't flee. With the Land of Wind having lost it's ninja military force, the Land of Lightning was now amassing it's regular army to begin conquering the nation.
Sarutobi's face grew grim. War was all but a certainty now. He knew that the other nations wouldn't stand for the Land of Lightning's blatant assault, and soon he would have the Fire Daimyo breathing down his neck, wanting him to do something about it too. Sarutobi gripped the report tight, feeling helpless at the turn of events. He never imagined he would live to see another war, nor would he want to. Then, with a sudden motion, Sarutobi began coughing violently, his body shaking from it. His coughing fit continued for a few more seconds, and then finally ended. Taking long, deep breaths, Sarutobi focused on getting air back into his lungs, ignoring the burning sensation in his chest. Falling back into his chair, Sarutobi ignored the urge to slam his fist on the table in frustration. For the past month, he had been having these violent coughing fits. Luckily, no one had been around when he had them. Sarutobi knew that another Hokage would have to be chosen soon, for his body was starting to deteriorate, but the candidates were less than optimal.
Looking up towards the ceiling, Sarutobi began to feel his age in a way he never had before. So many emotions ran through him, as the promise of war was now a constant in his mind, along with the future of the village. His time was coming to an end, and he wanted to leave the village in the hands of someone he knew that could make it flourish in a way he never could. He wished that Jiraiya would return soon, if anyone could could take over for him, it would be Jiraiya, but he hadn't been heard from since Sarutobi gave him leave to search for Sasuke. The last anyone had seen of him was when he left the village the day after, as he checked in with the gate guards. It wasn't unusual for him to go without seeing his student for years at a time, but Sarutobi felt as if something was off. Or, Sarutobi thought with a sigh, maybe he just didn't want to believe that Jiraiya lied to him, and he was out there resuming his foolish search for Tsunade. He didn't exactly have a track record with understanding his students. He felt himself reach for his pipe, but stopped himself, he needed to stop unless he wanted to make his condition worse.
A few knocks at his closed office door brought Sarutobi's attention out of his thoughts. Coughing once to clear his throat, Sarutobi called out in a raspy voice, "Come in." When the door opened, Sarutobi smiled, seeing who it was.
Hinata stepped through the door, walking closer to Sarutobi's desk, giving the Hokage a small bow. "The mission was a success Hokage-sama." She spoke. The girl had grown beautiful in the past years, her body maturing into that of a woman's, with her face having lost it's childish features and her hair now long. Though, at the moment, it may not be easily told, with the dirt that was on her face, from being on a mission for the past two weeks in enemy territory. She dressed in dark pants and sandals, with a fishnet shirt that was covered by her vest, left open just a few inches to show the golden necklace that hung from her neck. She now wore the darker green flak jacket of a Jonin, having undertaken the trials a little over a year ago. Since Naruto's departure, the girl had become driven in her training, so much so that she rarely did aught but train when she wasn't on a mission, which she took often. It paid off for her, as was obvious due to her making Jonin at fifteen. The reason for her strength, came not just from her fierce determination to become stronger, but the taijutsu she had developed. Mixing the Iron and Gentle fist styles, Hinata had created a fighting style that utilized the strengths of both to deadly effect. She had no name for it yet, but she was still developing it.
Sarutobi nodded, happy to hear the mission was a success. She had spent the past two weeks in the Land of Grass, hunting down a ninja who had been masquerading as a merchant, whom had been collecting intel for Kusagakure. Hinata walked forward and pulled out a scroll, placing it in front of Sarutobi, who unrolled it and gave it a quick look through.
"It's good you were able to catch him before he reached his village. This info contains nothing too damming, but it would have been none the less bad for our enemies to have. Did you run into any problems?"
Hinata gave a small shrug. "We found him just as he met up with a team from Kusa who had meant to escort him back. It wasn't anything we couldn't handle." She replied in a calm voice. She was in a team with two other Jonin, both men older than her, but accepted her for her skill all the same. The enemy wasn't anything spectacular, and they had been dealt with quickly. Her time away from the stuffy recesses of her clan, along with having to take care of herself alone had given the girl a lot of confidence, though she was still quiet and reserved at times.
Sarutobi nodded, then put the scroll aside. "Good, now go on home and get some rest, you earned it."
Hinata smiled and thanked the Hokage, bowing. She lingered in the bow for a moment, and straightened up for a moment, a question on her lips that wasn't spoken just yet.
Sarutobi saw the familiar motion and shook his head before the question was asked, causing the girl to look crestfallen for just a moment, but she recovered quickly. The old man gave a sad smile, every time Hinata returned from a mission, she would ask if Naruto had returned in the time she had been away, always hoping for a yes. He began to wonder if he would ever see the blond again. No further word had come from Uzushiogakure, but Sarutobi took some comfort in that no sighting of the Kyuubi had been seen either.
"I see. Thank you Hokage-sama." Hinata replied to the unspoken answer. Giving another bow, she turned and left the office, her smile having returned to her face.
Sarutobi let out a small sigh as he watched her go, she didn't let it show, but every year that passed without word from Naruto made it clear that she was starting to lose heart. She had said before that she trusted in him, that he would fulfill his word to return to her one day. And he knew that she would go on believing that until she saw him again, but it was taking it's toll on her.
Naruto, Sarutobi thought with a suppressed frown, When are you coming home? Making such a woman wait is terrible indeed. Grabbing hold of the scroll Hinata brought him once more, Sarutobi put his mind to business, trying to push his earlier thoughts from him.
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The sun shined brightly over head, heating up the small island where Uzushiogakure's remains would sit until the sea reclaimed them. In the outskirts of the ruins, by a large waterfall, the only two inhabitants of the island could be located at the moment. One, being Tenchi, the other an older Naruto with long spiky blond hair that rested at his shoulder blades. His body was muscular, a result of intense physical training over the past three years. At the moment, he was wearing only a pair of black cloth pants, standing under a waterfall. He had his hands held out in front of him, his father's kunai floating before them with a glow. His brow was covered in a mixture of sweat and water. Directly over him, where the water was cascading down into the river, the stream was partially being diverted, as it fell into a small vortex that the blonde was struggling to maintain. Anything that was falling into the purple black hole above Naruto's head was exiting through another vortex somewhere in the forest, travelling though somewhere the human mind had little comprehension of. The visible vortex was struggling, however, as it's shape continuously fluxed and shook.
Tenchi looked on with his neutral look, except for his keen eyes, which watched his grandson like a hawk, as Naruto continued to hold onto the jutsu. He noted that the vortex would wink out soon, as Naruto's control over it was beginning to wane.
His hands now shaking, Naruto grit his teeth, doing everything he could to forgo the inevitable, when he felt the connection snap, and the full force of the waterfall dropped onto him, making him curse. Naruto emerged from the waterfall, stomping onto the water as he walked across it, fuming. This was the second month now that he had been trying to master this jutsu, which in theory was used to divert enemy attacks by teleporting it through space and time to another location all together. The very intricate nature of such a technique however, made it almost impossible to maintain if not use on cue, due to the steps that needed to be took.
"Peace my grandson," Tenchi started, as Naruto neared him. "This is not an easy thing to learn."
Naruto bit back a scathing reply, his temper flaring, but kept it to himself. He knew his grandfather was right, but Naruto was starting to feel the amount of time he had been on this island start to really wear on him. The first year alone, he had done nothing but study theory and work on the proper writing required to make seals in the first place. The second year he had finally begun to learn sealing jutsu, but all of them were advanced techniques that required much practice and learning before Naruto could repeat the technique error free. At this point, he had most of the basics down. From being able to make things like sealing scrolls and items like exploding tags, he was starting to feel better about the teachings he had been receiving, but his fathers scroll still mystified him, more so now that he had a better understanding of the principles that sealing worked under. But something about this particular jutsu was driving him up the wall, having to maintain two open gates, using a focus like his father's kunai, required a monster amount of focus. Ordinarily, the jutsu would be far more simple in a fight, requiring the user to only maintain it for a few moments while the thing you wanted to divert went through, but his grandfather stressed that if he couldn't maintain it perfectly for something as simple as falling water, how could he expect to divert a dangerous jutsu?
Tenchi saw the conflict in Naruto's eyes and understood what it spawned from. "Patience Naruto, this is not something that can be learned overnight. You have made great strides thus far, most would still be in the first years worth of training." He watched Naruto carefully, seeing his grandson turn his head slightly from him, trying to hide the pain in his face. "You will conquer this, and return to see Hinata with the Kyuubi subdued."
Naruto bit his lip, as the now hazy image of the woman he loved was in his mind. A day hadn't gone by that he hadn't thought of her, of her smile, of her warmth. But with every day that passed, his memory became more clouded, as certain features of her left him, to the point where it almost felt like trying to recall a shadow rather than a person. Not just that his memory of her grew fuzzy, but doubt would plague him. Was she okay? Did she grow tired of waiting for him and moved on? He couldn't blame her if she did, but it would kill him if that happened. He heard the echo of her reverberate in his mind, Naruto, I love you. Naruto took a breath, as he felt that his frustration had left him, leaving only a defeated fatigue in it's place. He had to stop thinking about things that he had no way of knowing. He needed to focus on his present efforts. Standing back up straight, now almost a foot taller than his grandfather, he looked down at him. "I know."
Tenshi smiled, placing a comforting hand on his grandson's shoulder. "Let's go home and get some lunch, shall we? Then after we can begin sword practice so I can show you again why you are still the student."
Naruto laughed once, thinking on what his grandfather said. His daily routine consisted of waking up and having breakfast, then going out to train with his zanbato against his clones until his grandfather called him to start his sealing technique training. It was then followed by lunch, then training with his grandfather, learning how to use dual katanas, which he understood was his clan's chosen style of kenjutsu. Then in the afternoon, Naruto would scavenge the island for food and water, making sure to leave enough time to go into the ruins. Naruto made it his mission while he was on the island to make proper graves for every person whom had been left to rot under the sun. He had already buried enough beyond counting, and there were days where he was overcome by just how many had died in the destruction of Uzushiogakure. Nevertheless, he continued every night until the sun fell beyond the horizon, where he would finish the night by studying more on the technical aspects of sealing jutsu.
Giving his grandfather a challenging grin, Naruto replied, "We'll see about that old man, I'm gonna land a hit on you one of these days!" Feeling his gloom lift, Naruto allowed himself one final thought of his princess in Konoha, hoping she knew how much he thought of her.
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The bathroom door opened up in a cloud of steam, Hinata stepping through the misty veil in a large white bathrobe, drying her hair with a towel. The girl let out a content sigh, glad to finally have the grime from being out on a mission for so long finally scrubbed off her body. Walking through the small one-bedroom apartment, Hinata saw that she would have to do a good dusting soon, as a light layer had settled down on some of the furniture. In the past three years Hinata had lived in Naruto's apartment, she had taken the liberty of cleaning it up and decorating it in a nicer fashion. She hoped Naruto wouldn't mind, but she could only take so much of the boring window shades and the old couch that had sat despondent in the living room. The apartment felt much livelier now, with colorful furniture about, and nice curtains. She also found that Naruto had a taste for house plants, and added some more, taking good care of them all. She was grateful to see that in her absence Shino had come as she promised and watered the flowers while she had been away. It had been some time since she had been with her old team, as all of Team Eight had been busy, though they still got together from time to time. Shino had become a Chunin himself, and was more busy than ever with his own training. Kurenai had been active as well, but it a different sense. On Hinata's urgings, she had convinced her sensei to accept Asuma's advances on her, and the two had started dating quite seriously. Just two months ago, Hinata had learned that Kurenai was pregnant with Asuma's child, and they were going to be wed in the fall.
Reaching the bedroom, Hinata sat down on the bed, as she continued to dry off her hair. Looking down at the bed, her mind wandered as it always did when she sat on the bed, of the few nights she had shared it with Naruto. His scent had long since left the room, something that had comforted her the first few weeks alone. She truly had no idea how Naruto had lived as a child, living within this building all alone. It wasn't something she had noticed at first, but after getting the letter from Naruto three years prior, it began to sink in that she was alone. Neji would visit from time to time, which she always loved. She had grown close to her cousin, to the point where he felt more like a brother. She would try and visit her sister, but to her displeasure, the Hyuuga clan was keeping her under tight restraints, and was only ever able to get perhaps one walk through the gardens with her a week. But no matter how much her days were filled with being with friends, it was the night that she disliked. How many nights had she sat at the kitchen table, the only illumination being the light that hung from above the table? Slowly eating her food, staring down at the delicious platter, yet finding no joy or comfort from the food she cooked.
It was the silence that was the worst. When it was that quiet, her thoughts would always decide to go to places that she didn't want them to. She would stare across the table, and remember the meals she had shared with the blond knucklehead who was always laughing, or smiling. It always warmed her heart when he smiled at her, but not the smile he always wore, his true smile that he seemed to reserve for her and her alone. But as soon as those thoughts would come, the phantom of the memory would vanish, and she would be left with silence.
Dropping against the bed, bouncing slightly on the springy mattress, Hinata let out a sigh. She rolled over once, looking towards the wall. The same phantom would appear here too, and her memory still retained the feeling of his body, and the feelings she had draped over him. She blushed slightly, as she remembered feeling his muscles under her touch, and the heat of his skin, the smell of his body. She could only imagine what he would look like now, grown and close to a man. Would he be just as muscular, if not more? Her breath started to become heated, as her face reddened, and she began to feel a heat burn in her groin. She let out a small groan, she knew that she had done this to herself, thinking the way she had. Gently, she started to lower one hand under the soft cotton robe, her fingers running over the source of the intense heat. Her fired up imagination started to picture an adult Naruto, who laid in bed with her, and it was his hands instead of hers that was running over her body.
Knock, knock, knock.
Hinata let out a surprised gasp, as she shot straight up, face burning red. She looked around rapidly, feeling as if she had been caught, but then heard the knocks again and she called out, "B-Be right there!" She stumbled to her feet, re-tightening her robe as she headed for the door. She couldn't believe she had let herself get carried away like that. Opening the door partly, she saw Neji standing outside, looking surprised. Neji had been the only other ninja in her generation to achieve Jonin at the current time, though he didn't wear the flak jacket.
"Forgive me, Hinata," Neji spoke, not adding the honorific as Hinata had finally convinced him to, "I didn't mean to interrupt you while you were bathing."
Hinata's face burned up more, currently wishing she could just crawl in a hole for a while. "N-No, I was just drying off, you didn't interrupt anything." she lied. She quickly added, "What did you need?"
Looking sheepish, feeling inept at having forgotten to state his business, Neji replied, "Hanabi-sama wanted to speak with you when you returned from your mission. She said it was something she needed to speak with you on right away."
Hinata's heated face cooled at once, hearing that her sister needed her; she gave a quick nod. "Give me just a moment to get dressed, I'll be right out." Giving Neji a moment to reply, she closed the door after.
True to her word, Hinata redressed, though now she wore a black t-shirt with the Uzumaki symbol emblazoned on the right breast, with the lion necklace in the place it never left. A pair of white cloth pants and blue sandals covered her legs. "Let's go." She spoke quickly, feeling worried for her sister, she never had asked for her to come visit her like this before. Neji nodded in reply and led the way.
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"What?" Hinata asked, sounding shocked.
Hanabi nodded, looking despondent. She was dressed in a floral kimono, a large billowing one, meant for highborn ladies of status. She repeated the news once more. "I'm to be married to the Fire Daimyo's son, Tadakatsu. I was told of it last week, and I'll sent off within a month."
Hinata looked at her sister, the information still not feeling like something real. Her sister was in an arranged marriage now? But she was to be the clan head, it made no sense. "But, I thought you were to be the next clan head?" Hinata knew that in the past few years, the elders had been the ones making all the decisions, as Hanabi was still too young to fully assume the role, but this was something completely out of the norm.
Hanabi shook her head, her face seeming bitter. "It was decided by the elders that another shall be chosen. They feel as though I have not shown myself worthy of it."
Hinata could only stare in shock. She knew that political marriages were not uncommon in powerful clans, but in ninja clans it was rare of to marry one of their own to a non-ninja clan. Especially the Hyuuga, who considered themselves the elite of clans, surpassing all in battle? They would never marry one of their own into a civilian clan, much less the soon to be head of household! Trying to think of anything to ask, Hinata went with the first thing on her mind. "Have you seen who it is you're supposed to marry?" her tone made it clear she wasn't supportive of this at all.
Hanabi nodded her head. "The Fire Daimyo brought Tadakatsu with him to this year's Chunin Exams. He's your age."
Hinata's mouth set into a grim line. She tried to think of anyway she could help her sister, but she could come up with nothing save a violent act that wouldn't do much. Her fist clenched into a tight ball, but she felt a hand placed upon her shoulder from Neji who sat behind her.
"Nee-chan." Hanabi called out, her voice soft. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to make you think I was asking you to help me. I just wanted you to know before I was sent to the capital."
"But, Hanabi, you can't be okay with this?!" Hinata replied, trying to keep her voice under a shout. Her sister and Neji were the only blood related family she had left. The thought of her sister being married off in some ridiculous political marriage was horrible.
Hanabi gave a sad smile. "There isn't anything I can do about it. I've tried to argue it with the elders, but they won't budge on it, they say it's for the good of the clan."
Hinata's hands dug into her pants. She wouldn't accept this. Her ex-clan was once again trying to ruin her life by taking away her only remaining direct relative. Standing up in a shot, she looked down at Hanabi. "I promise you Hanabi, I won't let them do this to you!"
"Nee-chan," Hanabi replied, her voice just above a whisper. She knew that her sister meant well, but there was nothing she could do about it. Reaching into her kimono, she withdrew a small item. "Nee-chan, will you take this?"
Hinata looked at her sister's outstretched hand, and took the item given to her. She recognized it as a hair comb that Hanabi had since she was a girl. Before she could ask, Hanabi spoke again. "Could you give that to someone for me?" Hanabi started, her face turning a small shade of red. "H-He's in my team, his name is Konohamaru."
Hinata knew Konohamaru, both from the stories Hanabi would tell her of her genin team, along with the times the boy had come running up to her, telling her that he was her underling by default, since she was Naruto-oyabun's woman. She held the comb back to Hanabi. "You can give it to him yourself, I'm not going to let you get traded off like an item."
"Nee-chan, please," Hanabi started, her eyes threatening to spill tears. "There's nothing to be done."
Hinata shook her head vehemently. "I will get you out of this Hanabi." Looking back down at the comb, she pocketed it. "I'll take this for now, but when I come back I'm going to make you give it to him yourself, okay?" She asked, her voice softening.
Hanabi nodded her head, though it was more to humor her sister than anything.
Hinata turned hard on her heel and started walking out of the compound, Neji scampering after her after giving a quick farewell to Hanabi. "Hinata, wait! Where are you going?!"
Hinata glared down the path she walked, feeling her rage igniting. "We're going to go see the Hokage."
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Deep underground, Danzo stood in front of Sasuke's holding vat, though the man held within no longer looked like his former self. His body had long since deteriorated, his skin now gaunt and tight against his bones, much like a starving human would appear. His hair was unruly and floating in a gnarled twisted way. The seal to keep him unconscious no longer functioned, and dead eyes stared ahead onto the ground in front of the vat. More tubes had joined the original ones, to the point where he looked more machine than human.
Danzo too appeared different, almost younger. He no longer walked with his cane, though he still kept his eye and arm bandaged. The war hawk looked to his right, where his latest addition to ROOT stood, dressed in a white lab coat. "Is everything prepared?"
Sakura turned to look at Danzo. The girl had changed considerably in the past three years. Her pink hair was now dull and uncombed, resting just on her shoulders, obviously cut with no care beyond keeping it at the length it was. Her eyes were surrounded by dark circles, a stark contrast from her now sickly pale skin and green eyes that no longer shone. "Yes, Danzo-sama. Only one final check remains and then everything should be ready." Her voice was monotone, and almost drone like.
Since her arrival here on the day of Jiraiya's death, Kuroi had taken the girl under her wing and made her an apprentice. Sakura had no intent of returning back to the surface without Sasuke, and had been instructed to help assist Kuroi with her research. From her understanding, Sasuke was sick from a rare disease, and by the work they did, it would help find a cure for him. She would find herself in this dark laboratory often, sitting down in front of the vat, talking nonsensical to an unresponsive Sasuke.
Danzo had to admit that Kuroi's decision to keep her had turned out better than he had expected. The girl was fanatical to say the least, and it was that which drove her to work days before taking any rest on the research. To his relief, her disappearance hadn't caused any major concern, search parties had been formed to track her down. The Hokage had his suspicions, thinking that her disappearance was far too strange, but a few reports of seeing the girl from various civilians in the Fire Country made his suspicion die down. The last verdict had been to label her a missing ninja, who was to be brought back alive, if she hadn't defected to another village.
Looking over towards Kuroi, who now only wore the black robe with the mask removed and hood off, Sakura nodded. Kuroi returned the gesture and turned her attention to a series of computers. Inputting a few keystrokes, she pressed down on the enter key, the sound of it reverberating through the silent laboratory. From behind Sasuke's vat, in the murky blackness of the lab, two red glowing eyes shone brightly in the dark. Then, they were joined by hundreds upon hundreds more that stretched far back into the recesses of the giant lab, and up along the walls, the once dimly lit green area now bathed in a red glow.
Danzo's smile grew into a grin. Today was the day, all of his careful planning would finally come to fruition. Soon Konoha would be reborn, and become the powerful tree it was meant to be. And he would be the one who would lead it into it's glorious phase. Turning towards the two women who now kneeled before him, Danzo spoke.
"Commence operation UpRoot."
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Hinata moved down the road that led to the Hokage's tower, the weight in her pocket spurring her forward. Neji was right behind her, keeping her hustled pace. Neji had tried to get her to calm down a few times, but knew that it was useless, she was clearly on the warpath at the moment. Not that Neji could blame her. The Main Branch had become even worse in the previous years, and as the head of the Branch Family, it had fallen to him to do all he could to protect his side of the family. On his forth attempt to try and get her to slow down, a voice rang out, causing them both to stop.
"Hinata-san, Neji-san!"
Hinata looked up, her eyes still smoldering with fire, and saw Lee atop a nearby rooftop, striking a pose. "Yosh! It is good to see you again my friend and rival!" Lee yelled out, clad in his usual green leotard, but now sporting a Chunin vest that he had earned two years prior. The upcoming taijutsu expert had become close friends with Hinata, even if he kept using the honorific with her name. He saw her not so much as a rival like Neji, but rather a comrade in taijutsu, as she still trained with Gai and he on a regular basis. With a flourish, Lee leaped from the roof, soaring through the air gracefully as he executed a few rolls before landing in pose in front of Hinata. "I can see your fires are burning with a blazing rage today, can I be of any assistance?!" In the language of the youthful ones, Lee asked if he could help, seeing as Hinata was angered.
Hinata smiled at her friend, happy that he was going out of his way to try and improve her mood. He was prone to do as such when he saw her in a bad mood. Briefly explaining what was occurring, Lee's eyes lit up with fire as he clenched his fist. "Unforgivable! To force one to smother her youthful flames is beyond a disgrace! Let us go to the Hokage at once! I shall gladly assist you in this!"
"Lee," Neji spoke, looking at his teammate with a smile. He may get annoyed at the bushy brow, but there was no denying that he had a good heart. "Well, then let's –" Neji started before Hinata threw out a hand, shushing him with a harsh whisper. Neji looked at his cousin with a confused glance, as he saw her activate her byakugan. "Hinata, what –" Neji stopped again, as he felt a cold chill run up his spine. Something was wrong.
Hinata's eyes widened, as she gained the vision from her kekkai genkai. Her mouth fell slightly agape as she saw what looked to be perhaps ten or more human shaped black figures slowly moving up alleyways and rooftops all around them. The most disturbing part however, was the chakra network that made up the figures. Unlike a normal chakra pathway that moved throughout the body, with clusters of tenkentsu in the vital organs, these things only had pathways through the limbs, but a massive amount in the head and eyes. Whatever they were, it wasn't human.
"What in the world. . ." Neji mumbled out, his own byakugan activated and seeing the same things that Hinata was watching.
Lee looked at the two, confused as to what they were getting worked up over, when his senses alerted him to a hostile presence. Looking over, he saw what set his senses off. Standing upon a nearby rooftop, stood what appeared to be a man, dressed from head to toe in traditional black shinobi garb, but it had over it's face an almost translucent black sheet.
"Lee, be careful they -" Hinata began, but just as she began to talk, the forms she was watching moved fast, and before she could fully register it, the street was full of the things, all of them charging towards the three ninja. "Incoming!" Hinata cried out, as she moved into her unnamed style's stance, her legs were firmly rooted into the ground, knees slightly bent. Her right arm was cocked at her side, fist curled into a ball, while her left was held out, almost leisurely, with her hand outstretched.
Not wasting a moment, Lee spurred forward with a yell as he leaped into the air, straight for the charging pack of enemies. "Leaf Whirlwind!" He shot his leg out with a fury, but the intended target rolled underneath him and kept moving, while those behind him drew in on the taijutsu specialist.
Neji bit back a curse, as he formed a flawless Jyuuken stance next to Hinata. As he did, the first wave of enemies came within range, and Neji snaked out his chakra enhanced palm, aiming straight for the thing's chest, but it nimbly dodged out of the way, but it's charge was stopped cold nonetheless.
Hinata waited until the last moment, just as the one coming for her shot it's leg out in a roundhouse. She avoided the kick with a lighting fast rotation of her body, that moved her to the it's flank, where she let out a fierce yell and punched hard into the thing's side. No sound of pain was made by the creature, and Hinata knew there had to be some, due to the cracking of bone she felt under her fist. Snapping her left hand out to try and grab it's head, the thing dodged back as if it hadn't been hit, causing her to only grab a handful of it's veil, which tore as it moved from her. Letting out a small gasp, she saw that the translucent veil had been hiding a pair of two tomoe Sharingan. She barely dodged another kick from a creature that thought to take her unaware. "Be careful! These things posses the Sharingan!" she yelled out, as she blocked two attacks.
Lee was fighting like a mad beast, surrounded by enemies. They were quick, but Lee was faster, as he slammed a weighted leg straight into the skull of one of his opponents that fell like a sack of rocks after the hit. "That would explain the unnatural defense! Avoid looking towards their eyes!" Lee learned well the tricks of the bloodline after his fight with Sasuke.
"Kaiten!" Neji roared out as four of them tried to rush him in an attempt to pierce his defenses, the blue sphere of chakra knocking all the enemies away. "Where the hell did they come from?!" He called out as he came out of the spin.
Thrusting a Jyuuken strike into the face of the one who's veil she had removed, she replied, "This isn't the time for asking why!" There was no time for those thoughts, the enemy outnumbered them four to one easily, and from the glimpse she saw further away, more were appearing throughout the village. Just what was happening?!
XXXX
Sarutobi silently tapped his finger on his desk, a tick he had developed when thinking upon something unpleasant alone. The ninja world was once more up-heaving into chaos, and the flames of war would threaten Konoha again. What could he do to avert it? Before his thoughts could continue down that path however, he heard his door handle turn, causing his attention to shift. The door opened to reveal Danzo, who walked forward into the room.
Sarutobi was never pleased to see his old comrade, it never seemed to bode well. He then noted that many of the wrinkles had left Danzo's face, and the man no longer walked with his cane. Warning bells in the old ninja's head went off, and Sarutobi stood from his seat. He met Danzo's unflinching look with his own steel infused gaze. "Danzo." Sarutobi spoke, his tone serious.
The way Sarutobi spoke his name held a question within it, one that Danzo understood. Reaching behind him, he grabbed hold of his katana that was hidden by his robe, and drew it in a casual manner, and pulled his bandaged arm out of his robe, causing it to fall and hang from the belt.
Sarutobi eyed the steel that reflected the mid-day sun in it's silver blade, and narrowed his eyes. "Explain yourself. Now." his tone suggested that Danzo's life depended on the next few words.
Danzo let out a small laugh, full of scorn and contempt. "You should know what this is. I have told you now for many years that you would bring Konoha to ruin. You've always been far too soft to rule a world that is steeped in blood and shadow. I have been the one who has worked in secret for decades to ensure the lasting prosperity of Konoha. Now I shall see to it personally that Konoha becomes the supreme power it should be. But you and the weakling ninja under you whom carry the so called "Will of Fire", must be removed first. Konoha must be pulled up by the Roots if it is to be reborn. So for that, my old friend, you will die today." Reaching up, Danzo tore free the bandages he kept wrapped around his eye, revealing the stolen sharingan from Shisui.
Sarutobi's whole being was engulfed in rage, though not an ounce of it showed on the face that may have been carved from rock for it's neutral expression. Reaching up, he pulled off his Kage hat and tossed it aside. With a voice like frozen fire Sarutobi spoke, "I should have killed you long ago."
Danzo nodded, "That would have been wise."
In a flash, a kunai appeared in Sarutobi's hand, and just as fast it was flying towards Danzo. A sound of steel clashing against steel sounded twice, the first being the kunai being deflected by Danzo's katana, and the second being Sarutobi parrying a perfected strike from his old comrade with another kunai. The two exchanged a rapid series of slashes, the other parrying and dodging the other perfectly. Sarutobi noted with a quick glance that Danzo was faster than he should be at his age, and he knew it had something to do with his would be assassin looking twenty years younger. Leaping back, Sarutobi threw a kunai directly behind him, shattering the window that was behind his desk and continued through the window, knowing he needed to get to a more open area.
Danzo was hot on his heels, bounding after his target that was headed for the roof of the Hokage tower. As he jumped forward onto the railing of the rooftop, he noted that Sarutobi was on the other end of the roof, looking down into the village. Danzo took a moment to look out himself, and gave a small smirk. All throughout the village, the artificial ninja Kuroi had created were engaging Sarutobi's ninja. Among them would be his agents of ROOT masquerading as regular ANBU, with orders to sabotage and backstab as many ninja as they could.
Sarutobi couldn't help the shocked look on his face as he beheld the carnage below that had encompassed much of the village. He could only watch in horror as he saw his ninja fighting for their lives against a terrifying host of black clothed attackers. Spinning around, Sarutobi's fury encompassed him tenfold as he glared across the rooftop. "You. . . what is this!?"
Danzo hopped off the railing, taking a few steps forward. "It is as I said." Looking back into the village, he continued, "What you see is the result of twelve years of study and research. It was only recently that I was able to complete my army with the help of a final puzzle piece."
"Enough!" Sarutobi roared, as his hands flew through seals. "Katon: Fire Dragon Bullet!" Sarutobi took a large breath, feeling the familiar sensation of burning chakra fill his lungs. Then, feeling something akin to having someone grab onto his lungs and squeeze, he let out a yell mixed with a harsh cough, and a coughing fit worse than one he had anytime before over took him. The collected chakra dispersed, and Sarutobi staggered as the coughing wracked his body violently.
Danzo watched from his guarded stance with an almost pitying gaze. The God of Shinobi had grown far too old, and no one was safe from the ravages of time - those who did nothing about it. Walking forward slowly, Danzo spoke, "It is time old friend. You can no longer fight, I will make it quick." But, as he got within twenty feet of Sarutobi, the old man snapped his head up, his eyes tinged red from his coughing attack, his hand held in the tiger seal.
The little chakra Sarutobi had been able to collect as the coughing fit assaulted him, he shot out in a spray of five fire bullets. Danzo cursed as he jumped back and formed a seal. Sarutobi watched the fire fly, and caught a glimpse of wood breaking out of the rooftop to form a protective barrier in front of Danzo. Mokuton?! Sarutobi thought incredulously.
Danzo appeared over the now blackened and smoking wooden barrier made from wooden support beams. He saw the look on Sarutobi's face and spoke, "You must have many questions. Know that they would take far too long to explain."
Sarutobi began to try and speak again, but was once more silenced by a horrible coughing fit. This time, he noted with a curse, blood had begun spewing from his mouth, as it formed an erratic pattern on the tile in front of him. He tried to move, but his body felt weak beyond anything he had ever felt, and only succeeded in fidgeting where he knelt. Glaring up towards Danzo, he saw the man was now only a step from him with his katana held high.
"The least I can do for you is grant a warrior's death old friend, you deserve that much."
Sarutobi wanted to tell him to shove it, but the wracking coughs prevented that. Trying to mold chakra for a substitution, he watched as the sword began to fall. He would fight this until his last breath, he would not fail the village!
XXXX
Hinata's fist slammed down into the skull of the last remaining attack that had been tripped by Lee, shattering it's almost putty like skull into a spray of sickly looking blood. She was breathing hard as she watched the strange blood run down her arms that were coated in the liquid, amazed at how hard of a fight these things had presented. Looking over at her friends, both looked as she felt, trying to catch their breaths. But before she could speak further, an explosion coming from the nearby Hokage's tower caught her attention. She looked up towards the billowing plume of smoke, and knew that the Hokage was in trouble. Not wasting any time, she turned her heard and spoke, her experience as a Jonin kicking in. "Lee! Follow me! Nii-san, go make sure Hanabi is okay!"
Neji looked towards Hinata, clearly torn. "But, Hinata she -"
"Neji, please!" She interrupted, her face serious, but holding a plea to it. Neji looked conflicted a moment more, before giving a hard nod. "I'll be back!" he spoke before rushing off.
Hinata watched him go with a smile, thanking him, and then quickly looked towards Lee who was waiting on her. With a hard kick off, she jumped towards the nearest rooftop, the Hokage tower her destination, just a few buildings away. Please be okay! She thought with a prayer.
XXXX
With a curse, Danzo saw his sword hit into a timber from the roof, and looked behind him quickly, barely dodging a kunai that grazed his cheek. He saw Sarutobi now standing, every last ounce of his willpower clearly being used to fight through the pain of his crippled body.
Sarutobi tried his best to mold chakra, trying to summon Enma, but his body was in far too much pain, along with the bloody coughs that still assailed him. He could feel his lungs burning with an unholy pain, each breath causing him terrible pain. With a cry, mixed with pain and frustration, Sarutobi fell to one knee as he clutched at his chest.
Danzo knew that even in his crippled state Sarutobi could fight somewhat, and knew he had to finish this and fast. Surging forward, he aimed to spear the Hokage through, but his keen hearing picked up a loud cry that was coming from his left. With a curse, Danzo was forced to avert his charge, as he caught a glimpse of a sandaled foot passing where he would have been, and slammed into the roof with terrible force. Hopping back to give some distance, Danzo glared over at the source of the intrusion, now feeling angry that not once but twice he was denied the killing blow. With a narrowing of his eyes, he saw that the Jinchuriki's lover, Hinata Hyuuga, stood before him in the small crater she had formed, holding herself in an unusual stance.
Sarutobi looked up at the new arrival, her hair swaying in the wind. Soon, he saw that Gai's clone, Lee, arrived right after her, looking between Danzo and himself. Sarutobi smiled some, despite his pain, as he felt blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Hinata." he breathed out, feeling his lungs cry out again.
Looking behind her with the Byakugan, Hinata's mouth set into a grim frown as she saw the condition the Hokage was in. Making a quick decision she almost whispered out, "Lee, take the Hokage and retreat." she knew he was close enough to hear her.
Lee looked over at her, about to argue about leaving her alone with the man before them, but upon hearing the paralyzing coughs that Sarutobi was suffering from, he knew she had the right of it. With a nod he spoke, "Be careful Hinata-san, I will return with help!" Hinata nodded in reply.
Sarutobi heard what was exchanged, and he began to refuse, but he couldn't speak. As Lee dashed to him and grabbed hold, he tried to, "Lee. . . I order. . . don't -" he couldn't get anymore out.
"Forgive me Hokage-sama!" Lee cried out as he carried the Hokage in his arms, ignoring his protests as he began to make a straight line for the hospital.
Danzo saw this, and cursed as he slammed his hands together to make a wooden arm shoot forth from the rooftop, heading straight for Lee, but Hinata moved just as fast, intercepting the wooden hand by shattering it with her fist. Seeing Lee clear the rooftop and now safely away, she turned her attention towards the quietly seething Danzo.
"I don't know who you are," Hinata spoke as she formed her stance once more, "But I can't abide that you tried to kill the Hokage. Give up or I'll be forced to kill you." Her hard eyes told she meant every last word.
Danzo scoffed, as he re-gripped his katana with a more comfortable hold. His eyes traveled over the woman for a moment, as he recalled her information. "Hinata Hyuuga. Ex-heiress to the Hyuuga clan." He spoke, causing Hinata to look at him with some confusion. "Exiled due to her relationship with the Jinchuriki and also responsible for ruining him as a potential weapon." Hinata's mouth turned into a scowl, the way that Danzo spoke of Naruto hitting one of her buttons. "You made quite a name for yourself these past years, showing yourself to be quite powerful among your peers and throwing yourself into training to achieve Jonin status at a younger age than most. That is commendable. Which is why I shall offer you this choice." He held out his bandaged arm before he spoke again. "That strength I find appealing. Put aside your foolish notions and join with me to make Konoha great again, or you can die along with the rest of the misguided fools." He watched her for a moment, and saw her scowl deepen, giving him his answer. "Very well, it is a shame then. You could have become even stronger under the proper tutelage." He spoke, as he withdrew his hand, and pointed his sword towards her.
Hinata answered by uncurling her fist for a moment, before reforming it and pulling it back, as if to strike, and behind her body where Danzo's sharingan couldn't see. It was time to test out the technique in combat that she had been developing in secret.
Danzo watched with some confusion. He knew she had been developing some form of new fighting style, but little was known to him about it. With a speed befitting a Jonin, he saw her fist strike out to punch the air in front of her, and he noted far too late with his stolen eye the change of the chakra around her first she had hidden.
Hinata let out a yell as she punched forward, and in a blink of an eye, Danzo was sent hurtling back by an unseen force, a small fist indent in his clothing. She watched with satisfaction as Danzo's face turned into one of disbelief, as the full force of the attack registered in his mind. He knew what had happened as soon as he had been hit. The girl had formed chakra into her fist, and delivered it in a punch, unleashing the chakra at the apex of the strike, causing a barely visible fist shaped chakra to hit him with solid force.
"Secret Technique Number One," Hinata spoke, as she charged forward fully intending pressing the advantage, "Invisible Fist!" and once more thrust her fist out. She had been developing this for the past year, her inspiration coming from the Jyuken itself. Instead of a powerful wave that emanated from the open palm, Hinata instead focused a concentrated field of chakra around her fist that she then sent flying with a punch, allowing her to strike from a distance.
Danzo had seen the technique once however, and was able to dodge it, as he hopped to the side. It didn't mean he was in any less danger however, as he now saw that the girl didn't need much more time to unleash her attack than she would if normally punching.
Hinata's fists flew out in rapid succession, but she noted with some frustration that the older ninja was capable of evading her attacks. In a move that caught him off guard however, she lashed out with her leg, this time causing a much more visible wave of chakra that caught Danzo on his chin and sent him tumbling to the ground below.
Danzo cursed as he felt the hard blow, and hit the ground rolling, kicking away with a curse. He felt almost ashamed for being caught so off guard by this technique. As the girl unleashed another punch, Danzo avoided it by rolling backwards, and saw as he did so that the chakra only extended out a certain amount. Jumping back again to that length, he watched with his sharingan the aura of the projected fist, and saw that it would only extend roughly ten feet before it dispersed. Seeing that he had his opponents range now, he began forming seals quickly and taking a large breath. "Futon: Great Vacuum Sphere!" From Danzo's mouth, a large ball of compressed, deadly air came forth, and shot straight for Hinata.
The girl was already in the process of moving however, as soon as she saw him forming seals and barely managed to avoid the large deadly sphere that was carving up the ground as it barreled towards her. Hitting the ground with a roll, she turned to move, but saw Danzo was now directly on top of her, slashing with his sword, aiming to decapitate her. She managed to avoid getting her head chopped off, but the tip of the sword caught her just under her eye and cut straight across her face to leave a gash from under her eye to the next. Hinata let out a small cry, as blood spurt out from under her eyes, a sharp pain registering in her mind. But she had no time to dwell on it as Danzo pressed his attack with a fervor, his blade weaving a deadly tapestry of death that promised to kill her is she didn't focus.
Using her hands to knock the blade away in combination with dodging, she was able to avoid getting another wound, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't regain the offensive from her position. The other shinobi was skilled, and he was utterly ruthless in his attack. She knew she had to do something and quick. Seeing the ninja extend himself with a high slash, she roared out as she took the opening to engage the Kaiten.
Danzo saw the chakra building up just before the technique was unleashed, managing to leap away in time as the blue sphere exploded from her. But what he didn't expect was the sphere to shift and bend suddenly and see Hinata come flying out of it in a speed that he barely kept up with.
The second technique Hinata had been developing. Secret Technique Two: Kaiten Missile. Using the momentum from the Kaiten while still in motion, she rocketed herself out of the sphere, aiming for Danzo with a fist ready to strike. She felt a satisfying strike, as her fist slammed straight into Danzo's chest, and felt the sternum underneath crack and shatter, the fragments promising to pierce his heart.
But, as this occurred, she was suddenly aware that Danzo disappeared. Not like how a clone disappears, but rather as if he ceased to exist at all. Then, with a feeling akin to having a thousand burning white hot rods shoved into her at once, she screamed out as a katana was forced through her back and out her midsection. Staring down in disbelief and the bloody steel that protruded from her gut, she watched with lurid horror as it moved, causing another explosion of pain, before it was torn out with terrible effect, a torrent of blood exploding from her midsection in front of her. She barely made it a few feeble steps before she fell back, falling onto the hard tiled roof. Pain, terrible burning pain pulsated from the bleeding wound, her body going into full panic from the traumatic wound. Her breathing became erratic as she stared up into the blue sky, trying to figure out what had just happened. Then, appearing in her vision, Danzo stepped into view, standing by her head.
Danzo stared down at the dying girl, an almost impressed look on his face. "Those techniques of yours are strong indeed. It is truly a shame to have to kill someone who made me use the Izanagi." Lifting his katana, he held it with two hands above Hinata, aiming the tip straight for her heart.
Hinata stared up at the sword, still wet and dripping with her blood that was now running between the cracks of the tiled roof. She felt her breathing grow shallow and light, as her head ached from the gash across her face. Strangely, she began to feel less and less pain, and she stared once more up into the blue sky. She felt a tear start to well in her eye, remembering how the blue sky reminded her of the clear eyes of the boy she loved. Gazing into either gave her the same feelings of staring into something so much more vast than she could ever comprehend. As a drop of blood fell from the tip of the instrument of her demise, Hinata wished only to see Naruto one last time, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.
The sword descended, and Hinata closed her eyes.
Naruto. . .
XXXX
AND CUT.
Phew, this one was kind of long, but I think that's a good thing. I know there must be a lot of questions about certain things in this chapter, but all will be explained in due time. If Danzo seems a bit too powerful in this chapter it's because making him the main villian required a bit of an upgrade, though I think he was very strong at any rate. He did fight Sasuke one on one, and Sasuke was able to fight like, 5 Hokages or something, so that means Sasuke is like 5 Kage strong and so is Danzo. Lolololol Logic.
Goddammit Kishi.
But really, if he's stronger than in cannon it's intended. Next chapter is coming out soon-ish, I bet you're all dying to know what happens next.
Too bad. You get to wait. Except for me.
Because (spoiler) I know what's going to happen. All the way up to the end. Sucks to be you.
Till Next Time!
Shinobi no Ryu