J3F\\\ Journey of the Three Failures

Chapter Ten

Yay for double digits!

Thanks for all your reviews T-Biggz, Omega the darkness, Stygian Styx, SaphireShade, Rena-san, Naybi, Gamerof1458, FantomoDrako, chibi heishi, Adran06, Monte-chan, sixth seraph, pdorn1, Cybergades, and the anonymous reviewers who signed as Zzz, Z, Person, and creativelyspacey!

No, the Kageken has nothing to do with the Hiraishin! Literally, virtually, absolutely and positively nothing! It's called Shadow Fist because it is based on shadow clones. Naruto cannot teleport, instead he… well, that's going to be explained this chapter! ;)

Remember, in this story Naruto has met Jiraiya before, only in the one month of training before the chuunin exam finals.

Wondering what was the holdup? I was preparing for a Pokemon competition for a month! I would have been just fine if you could use Ruby or even Diamond, but no, only Platinum! As soon as I found out about the tournament I spent my birthday money on the game, and then I went the whole nine yards and beyond to get ready.

I mean… rushing to complete Platinum so I could migrate … team balance, team planning, attack planning, a ton of training, trading, Ditto catching, and breeding throughout my own R,S,E, FR, and LG … getting excellent IV's and desired nature through hours upon hours of breeding, selective breeding, training hatched pkmn in the daycare to a high enough lvl input their stats into an IV calculator and jotting down the info in a notebook (I must have hatched at least 200 or so eggs in all, selecting the best in each group to be a member of my party) … super careful EV max-out training for all six (also consuming hours) … getting them to the required lvl with an exp. share (with my lvl 100 Ruby starter I beat the Pokemon league about 20 times over in all) … coming up with the most b-a Japanese nicknames you've ever seen! … migrating the team to Platinum … and practicing in the battle tower (during a several hour car ride to the city the tournament was in).

Yeah… so that pretty much took up 95% or so of my free time for a month, meaning no writing got done (and I hardly got on the computer, so some reviews didn't get replied to. Sorry :(... ). And guess what? After all the time, blood, sweat, and tears of building my awesome team, I didn't get to compete. Random drawing, and my number didn't get picked… I couldn't stop crying for thirty minutes… :'(

Anyways! I ended up chopping this chapter in half because it turned out really long… to celebrate the story's one-year anniversary, I might post the next half pretty soon!

Disclaimer: I don't own NARUTO.

That's it. Seriously. What? I can't have a normal disclaimer every once in a while?

Journey of the Three Failures

Ten: Rescuing the Hermit

Hinata ヒナタ

'It's not working…'

'Go on,' he thought, 'try again. Raise your hand – Nope, you're trying to move my paw, too!'

'Is this even possible?' I was sure we'd been at this exercise for an hour; I needed to learn to 'remain myself even while we were one.'

'Quit complaining. Now, just raise your hand – No, don't pull away! Where're you going?' he asked, mentally approaching again. I sighed, opening my eyes.

"Kurogiba-sama, it's getting late. Can't we continue tomorrow?" I said aloud.

He pulled out of the Soul Link and eyed me curiously. "But we're having so much fun," he said sarcastically. "Besides, since when do you like to put things off to tomorrow? I thought you never give up and all that crap…"

"I'm not giving up," I protested. "It's just that… I promised to help Lee-kun with something today."

Lee リー

"I cannot thank you enough, Hinata-san…"

"Don't worry! It was a challenge, but now I have that much more experience with seals. I'm glad to help – that's what friends are for, right?" she said with a cheerful smile.

"Friends…" Sheathing the katana, I walked over to sit down beside her on the log. "I just hate to bother you when you are already tired out after Kurogiba-san's training…" My gaze lowered, falling toward the ground from the half-moon lighting the night sky. I sighed. "The truth is, there is something else I want to talk to you about as well."

"What is it?" she asked, puzzled by my solemn air.

I looked into her white eyes. "I fear for our friend's wellbeing."

She gained an expression filled with concern. "Wh–?"

"There is nothing wrong with him," I quickly assured her.

"Then … what are you worried about?"

"You have not seen it yet, have you?" I noted. "Naruto-kun's Advanced Kageken… It is not yet a complete technique and he is still working to master it, but it is already extremely powerful."

"B-but isn't that a good thing…?"

I shut my eyes. "Indeed, he has added a unique and formidable form of taijutsu to his arsenal, but… This technique has the potential to very easily be made lethal."

My ears caught a soft gasp.

"Do you see? Naruto-kun's hands are still clean, but with so much strength suddenly at his disposal, I fear the Kageken will either make or destroy him. What I know for certain is that with the way we are now, he will soon blaze past you and me both. We cannot allow that to happen, Hinata-san – we must work harder as well. We must be strong enough to protect him."

She knew I was not speaking entirely of physical protection from foes. "…So that he hopefully won't be forced to resort to a lethal form for as long as possible, right?"

"Yes," I said. "For that, we must be strong enough to protect him, ourselves, and each other. For should he need to protect us or himself, in a desperate situation … the result could be disastrous."

"Naruto-kun…" She clasped a hand over her heart. In a moment she looked to meet my eyes again, nodding determinedly. "I understand. I'll work harder, too."

Naruto ナルト

"Did I stay out training too late?" I thought aloud, standing on a tree's roots as I examined an almost half-moon's position in the sky. In a second, though, I felt lightheaded from looking upward; I lowered my head, rubbing it gently as my eyes shut. I groaned, not feeling all too great. My present weariness and depleted chakra reserves didn't help the matter.

I need to get back to camp… I trudged along, hands brushing trees I passed to help my balance.

Dots speckled my vision, and I tried to blink them away. Before I knew it I was grasping at a tree trunk at my side, leaning against it for support. I shook my head. My face… When had I started sweating? It was freezing out here. This is bad–!

"GAH!" My head throbbed, dull and pounding. I clasped a hand in my hair, eyes locking shut, and soon I was on the ground in a trembling heap.

M-my body … What's happening?! My strength was vanishing rapidly. I gasped as my head throbbed again, as though impacted by a blunt but crushing force. Did I … push myself … too far…?

I forced my eyes to open again, and with far more effort than it should have taken I slowly raised my head an inch. The world was rolling and shaking around me, getting blurry and jumbled…

I tried to move; my body didn't seem to register it. It was like the effort got cut off somewhere a long way off from being translated into an action. That terrified me. Why can't – I m-move…? my mind whimpered. I tried harder, and my body didn't respond in any way. Kuso…! Move, Naruto… Move!

A cloud of smoke popped up next to me, vanishing just as suddenly … almost like a failed shadow clone, when I didn't have the chakra or focus to maintain it. Right now, I probably didn't have much of either.

Distraught and desperate, I threw all my will into getting myself to move in any way at all. Several more bursts of smoke appeared and flickered out of existence in rapid succession randomly around me, but I was so panicked I paid the oddity no mind.

Stand up!!

I rose to my feet.

POOF.

No… I'd thought I rose to my feet. But that was just a shadow clone. That brief glimmer of relief was extinguished cruelly as I found in confusion that I was indeed still on the ground, still paralyzed.

I get it…

So my mind had been split and merged again so many times in the last few hours…

That my body was … confused.

I'd screwed up.

"H…" No good – I couldn't talk. Unless…

"Heeeeelllp!!!" a shadow clone bellowed before it vanished.

That works… I decided, and was content to slip into numb unconsciousness.

"The shadow clone jutsu is a forbidden technique, after all." I flexed my hand again, shivering briefly. My skin was still crawling. Thankfully I could move again, but my body still felt strange; my head felt too light, and thick lethargy pressed down on my limbs. "It puts a huge strain on the mind, and the way I link attacks probably makes it even worse."

"But you've never had this problem before?" Hinata asked.

I shook my aching head slightly. "Never like this. It must've been from using the Kageken too much. It was so weird … like my mind was disconnected from my body or something…"

"Just be more careful next time, Naruto-kun," Lee said. "Even if you have plenty of chakra, you must be mindful of the limitations of your mind."

I nodded. "You don't have to tell me twice; I definitely don't want to feel that way again anytime soon."

Hinata ヒナタ

"You know, I'd almost forgotten you even had a bloodline limit. Why don't I ever see it?"

"When even a little of the curse's power is in my system, the range is so far, and the depth and detail so strong that it overwhelms my senses–,"

"Start practicing to use it."

"Hai," I called idly to the wolf behind me as I finished up the last stroke of the brush. "This pattern has to work…"

"Why do you do that, koinu?" Kurogiba asked from where he basked in the sunlight. "Desperation? Denial?"

I cast him a look. "I already have a seal formula that kind of works, but it locks my hand to whatever I touch, leaving me pretty open to attack until I can get the chakra to release. I need a formula that doesn't let any chakra rest on my palm before I release it."

"So to fight your disability you waste time drawing on yourself instead of focusing on important matters like–,"

"Mastering the Soul Link in the next eight days?" I said, double-checking for symmetry where it was required. "I think we're getting pretty decent at it, actually."

He snorted. "We're not even close…"

Paying no mind, I sprang from where I was crouched, clearing the meters between us to land in front of him. "Look!" I exclaimed, pointing to my palm. "This one in the center draws the chakra to my hand, and these around it work by blocking it so the chakra can't blanket my palm!"

"…And?"

"Weren't you listening, Kurogiba-sama? This solves my sticking problem! Then when I strike I only need a one-handed seal to let the blocks release it!"

"You know, somehow … I don't think that's going to work."

"It will!"

"Yeah, whatever." He stood up, shaking himself from nose to tail and in the process sending small embers rolling off his body; I fell onto my rear in surprise. "Just hurry up and test it so we can get back to work. You've run over the break time already."

"Right," I said, getting to my feet. Turning away from him, I struck out. I channeled chakra to my arm, watching closely with the Byakugan as it raced toward the attracting seal, met the barrier of the blocking seals, and–

"Ack!"

…Shot straight back up my arm.

With a jerking shudder, I stiffened and toppled onto my side.

"Told you so. Scrawny koinu…? Hey, you alive?"

I rolled over, hissing. "Th-that felt really strange," I said, massaging the triceps. My face paled. "It's a good thing I d-didn't use a lot of chakra, o-or…"

"Are you done? How about getting back to work before you manage to screw that arm up even more?"

I got up, eyes downcast. "Hai, Kurogiba-sama."

Lee リー

I blinked salty sweat from stinging eyes. My chest was heaving for air; hot breath baked a parched throat. My knees shook under my weight, and aching arms trembled with the swords locked in hurting hands, stiff knuckles and fingers practically ablaze and throbbing hotter.

Not … enough!!

I grunted and shot forward, clearing ten yards in an instant and jerking to a halt. Then I was blazing back through a hundred now falling leaves in another instant, and screeching to a halt at the same place in which I'd begun in a low crouch with both katana outstretched behind me.

Wheezing, I flung a desperate, almost pleading gaze back over my shoulder.

Dozens upon dozens of leaves split cleanly in two behind me. And one leaf, undamaged, was the last to drift to the ground.

My teeth locked.

A tremendous burst of will managed to shove me to full height once more. I turned around. That was not good enough.

My arms were trembling violently as I assumed my stance. "This … is nothing at all… I am just … getting st-started… Unh!"

My left arm twitched sharply. A katana clattered to the ground.

I reached toward it. "K-k-kuso…" My knees gave when I started to lower myself, and I shoved the other blade into the ground, head down as I clung to it for some measure of support. "I am not … d-done yet," I whimpered between gasps, my left arm stiffly folding itself across my middle as I curled over in pain. I could feel heat radiating from my body in heavy waves, from my throbbing head, from sides drenched in sweat. My vision blurred as I reached for the fallen blade, fingers awkwardly fumbling at the hilt. Eventually they collected it up in a feeble grasp – which quickly failed again.

"Kuso… I am not…!" My shoulders shook. My vision blurred for a new reason, and tears began to feed the puddle of facial sweat quickly forming on the ground.

I growled as I raised my head. "Sitting an feeling sorry for yourself … while the others are blazing past you?! Gh…!" My hand popped in several places as I firmly gripped the hilt of the sword once more.

"Naruto-kun … and even Hinata-san…!"

I got to my feet yet again, bent my knees, and shakily crossed the blades before me.

"For them as much as for myself, I will not back down!"

My foot dug into and shoved against the ground, and I sprinted forward.

"YOOOOSSH!!! SEISHUN!!!"

Neji ネジ

"I was great on that last mission, wasn't I?"

On my right, Tenten scowled and rolled her eyes. For all his reaction, Shino may as well have not heard a thing, and I simply smirked.

"Yes, Ino, you did a good job. If not for your swift thinking the client's cargo may have been endangered. I'm ashamed to admit as your leader that I nearly allowed such an incident to occur, but thankfully I have teammates who are able to handle matters when there is the occasional slip on my part."

The girl beamed, clasping her hands beside her face, dancing ahead and twirling once. "Oh, I only wish Sasuke-kun had gotten to come along on this one! It's too bad he's busy in New Konoha…"

I halted on the road.

The three looked back as I inhaled slowly and deeply. "Neji-san," Shino inquired shortly in a tone better suited to statements, though the slightest elevation of an eyebrow revealed it as otherwise.

"Speaking of New Konoha…"

A figure came crashing through a few crates piled at the mouth of a small alleyway, bursting onto the street and in front of our group, sliding past Ino on his back, and yelling to watch out as he backflipped and hurled a fistful of shuriken in the direction from which he'd come. The four shuriken met four opposing throwing stars squarely (and right in front of a petrified Yamanaka), clattering to the ground as Inuzuka Kiba called out "Snake Squad alert!!" and shot into the adjacent alley across the street.

What the–?!!

Facing back, Nara Shikamaru flew next into the open, hands flashing though three seals before one foot met the ground and he tumbled backwards. As he began to slip into a one-palmed handstand, four branches of darkness leapt across the ground.

"Gomen, ne!" he called smirkingly to the four of us as two more blurs burst at once onto the street. The Akimichi landed in a backwards roll, drew a kunai, and rapidly deflected shuriken at Nara's back; Haruno briefly touched foot on the ground, flinging the better part of a pouch of makibishi spikes toward the alley and some more toward my frozen group for good measure before she leapt to the next alley. Chouji wasn't far behind in following, and Shikamaru, having completed his backflip in the time the two passed and releasing us as his hand left the earth, executed one more handspring off his momentum before vanishing down the alley with a chakra-packed leap.

…They had passed in four seconds. Maybe nearer three.

"Ah! Spikes!"

I started forward. "Halt!"

Five furious Oto-nin rushed past; they ran along and jumped from the walls of the alleyway to avoid the scattered spikes completely before taking off in pursuit. One, hopping on one foot, lost balance and toppled over before me.

"U-uh, Hyuuga-sama!" the chuunin stammered, scrambling up to his knees. "Good aftern–!"

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"Hehehe…! Um, you see, they're s-sort of stealing food from the market…!"

Shivering, he trailed off as I growled deeply. My knuckles were white at my sides. "We're gone for three days and they're sewing mayhem in the village streets…?"

"Neji…" Tenten warned quietly.

Ignoring the hand that crept for my shoulder, I bolted off in pursuit.

Hanabi ハナビ

"Open the door, open the door!!"

That was my cue; I unlocked the door and pushed it open to see the hazy cover of more than one smoke bomb obscured the street outside. The next moment I was scooped up in Kiba's arms, and soon we were falling a six foot drop down a trapdoor in the corner of the room. In quick succession Sakura, Chouji, and Shikamaru joined us, the lattermost's hands already forming a seal.

"Kage bunshin…!"

A pop! issued from above, and the trapdoor was promptly shut. We heard the dusty old shelf hastily pushed back into place, where it would fully conceal the trap. Then we waited, motionless in darkness and silence.

I held my breath at the rattling of the doorknob above.

"It's locked…"

"Move over."

My heart rate climbed as I heard the door get busted down. This was supposed to be a low risk mission! How had it turned out like this? Kiba's hand carefully stroked my hair.

"Nothing here!" someone called. Footsteps from above grew faint and vanished.

I let out a breath.

"Phew… Shikamaru, you okay?" Chouji whispered.

"I'll manage…" the Nara drawled.

"Heh!" Kiba's voice softly came from near me. "While they're looking for us, I'll bet the other teams are making all the cleaner a getaway – and unlike us, you can bet the Oto-nin don't know the nooks and crannies of this place! I think it's pretty safe to say 'mission successful!'"

"Arr, arf!" Akamaru agreed happily.

"Not yet," Sakura reminded gently, though there was relief in her voice as well. "We still need to get back to base."

"Right. If memory serves me, this tunnel's only a little over sixty feet. Stay close and watch your step," Shikamaru ordered.

"Hai!"

We worked our way single file down the narrow tunnel; in under a minute we reached another basement. Shikamaru climbed on Chouji's shoulders to push up a trapdoor, peeking out carefully before he crawled out. After Sakura and Chouji followed noiselessly, Kiba boosted me out into the room before emerging himself. The dog-nin lifted me onto his back, and I didn't complain; we'd need to move fast to get to safety, and the last thing I wanted was to be in the way by slowing them down.

Shikamaru glanced at the four of us, shooting a thumbs-up. "Let's go."

He opened the door and stepped outside.

"Hello."

My heart skipped a beat as this word – and more significantly, the voice which spoke it – reached my ears.

Shikamaru flinched in surprise. His eyes were wide as he turned to his left, raised his hands into a seal, and tried to back away. Before he was allowed to cast the Kagemane, a lightning fast palm thudded into his chest as Neji lunged toward him.

"Kuso!" Kiba set me down, already launching himself forward as he barked, "Run for it!!"

Glancing at him, Neji dodged elegantly by flowing into a flexible back bend. His hand met the ground as Kiba flew over him, and he lashed up with a sharp kick that impacted the Inuzuka's stomach with sufficient force to send him crashing upside-down into a wall.

"Shikamaru-san, Kiba-san!" I cried.

"Come on!" Chouji said, punching out the room's sole window with his bandaged hands. Sakura slipped outside, and quickly I was collected up in Chouji's arms before he hopped out.

Sakura threw a kunai tagged with a paper bomb toward Neji, who quickly jumped away, retreating further down the alley. Heedless of the explosive, she rushed forward hurriedly helped a wincing Kiba to his feet, half-dragging him back to us: the tag was a fake.

Having recovered, Shikamaru flung a smoke bomb to the ground, and we turned to flee. "Hurry!" he said as we neared the alley's end, "We'll lose him in the crowd!"

We broke into open air and the midday clutter and bustle of the market. "We split up!" Shikamaru declared as we raced down the street, dodging and weaving through the crowd. "Find somewhere to hide, do whatever you have to, just get back to the base as soon as you can! Okay, scatter–!"

Where he had come from so suddenly I had no idea. All I knew was that Neji was in front of Shikamaru, his fist smashing into the boy's face in a brutal swing. His head snapped to the side, his face contorted in pain. And blood flew everywhere.

"No…" Sakura breathed.

I trembled. The civilians were frenzied, women were shrieking: a ninja fight had broken out. A startled toddler nearby burst into tears.

"Hanabi, escape with Akamaru!" Kiba said as Shikamaru hit the ground.

"B-but–!"

"Just go! You'll only get in the way!" he yelled, preparing to attack.

I whimpered as if struck. I'm in the way…

Neji swept out his arm. "Detain them!"

A shinobi flickered into existence between them, slamming into Kiba and pinning him to the ground. Four more Sound ninja appeared, and I could only stand frozen in fear as my friends were swiftly captured.

"S-Sakura … Kiba … Chouji-san … Shikamaru-san…" I squeaked. What could I do?

My eyes fell on Shikamaru; he was bleeding heavily at the nose and mouth, a bruise already darkening on the side of his face. And his trembling hands were inching together to form a seal.

CRUNCH!

"Aaaahhh!"

"Honestly, how foolish do you think I am?" Neji asked, his face disturbingly calm as he crushed Shikamaru's hand under his sandal. It would have been less frightening if he'd been furious, or even taking a sadistic pleasure. But this, the look on my cousin's face … he was emotionless.

His foot rose up. He stomped.

The tortured Nara's cry stabbed into the silence of the still street, sending a shudder through my body. What … c-can I…?

"Consider yourselves warned!" my cousin shouted coldly, raising his head to sweep his stern gaze over the crowd that had fallen a safe distance from the commotion. "Let this be a message to all those who oppose Godaime-sama, and all who dare associate themselves with them!"

"…T… teme…" Shikamaru's tightly shut eyes cracked open. "Those truly loyal to this place … to our village … As long as we live, Konoha will never die!"

Neji's eyes narrowed slightly. Then he drew his foot back.

THUD!

"Agh!"

I whimpered as I watched Shikamaru get kicked, as he cried out, as his back met a wall.

I'm the only one that wasn't captured … but I can't … There's nothing I can do!

Neji strode toward the boy. "There is no future ahead for those who fail to accept reality. Fate is not something that can be shaped to one's own will and fancy; this truth is absolute. Do you see? The only future awaiting you who will not yield to Destiny … is death."

"Oh, brother," Shikamaru groaned. "Destiny this, fate that, reality in between–!"

Kick!

"Agh!"

Kick!

"Ah!!"

Kick! Kick! Kick!

"Sh-Shika…maru…" Tears spilled out of my eyes. Men were watching in horror, women appalled and some crying; parents covered their children's eyes. Chouji, Sakura, and Kiba shouted in protest, struggling despite warnings from their captors. Neji's team had shown up, and Shino held a furious, tearful Ino back from interfering.

What am I doing…? It's true. I'm … I'm just in the way!

My watering eyes shut as I turned away, whimpering at each cry of pain. My hands rested over my head as I slowly crouched down, crushed under the weight of my own disgusting helplessness. My despair. My cowardice.

I d-don't … w-w-want to get h-hurt…!

Neji ネジ

"Had enough?"

Arms cradling his abdomen, he coughed blood onto the street. "…We won't ever … back down…" he whispered.

"Fool," I said, "What can you accomplish? Futile is futile, no matter the manner of way you approach it."

"So resistance is futile? Well, we won't know for sure … unless we try, now will we? None of us … will forgo our loyalty like you cowards have… I'll keep fighting you even of it means the end of me, Hyuuga, you hear?!"

I shut my eyes. "You think yourself noble as you speak of prideful self-righteous nonsense. There's a fine line between courage and idiocy, Failure."

"Without a doubt, between the two of us, there is one noble and one idiot … and I'm also pretty sure that these civilians have decided well who is who. They know what's right… and what's wrong…"

"Yet they do not act against me."

"Out of fear…"

"Because they see reality and understand it. They know they can't overpower shinobi, and so they wisely do not act."

"That's what we're here for, Hyuuga. Our civilian citizens won't be made to risk their lives, not while we're around. Their will as well as our own burns inside us, and I for one am ready to do whatever I have to to fight for the ones who lack the strength to fight for themselves! That's why we won't ever give up!!" He punctuated the declaration by spitting at my feet.

…That look in his eyes…

–"I'm not giving up ever!!"–

So you carry on his will – is that it?

My frown deepened.

I dealt a kick that cracked more than two ribs.

"I've shown mercy today," I said coolly as an agonized scream died out. "I have permission to kill you. These four are going to the prison!" I ordered, raising my voice as I turned to face the Oto-nin who had restrained the others.

"Sir!" they answered, and began to bind hands in rope.

I turned back to their leader. My foot nudged the shuddering heap on the ground before me as I looked down on his pained face in disdain.

"Hn. I wonder who the idiot is now, Shikamaru… don't you?"

"That's ENOUGH!"

I looked back to see Akimichi inflate forcefully, knocking away the Sound ninja next to him. The boy reverted to normal form and charged toward me, enraged. "You get away from my friend!!" he roared, drawing back a fist.

I was faster – much faster. Two fingers hit a tenketsu on his neck, and he fell, stunned.

"Pathetic," I spat. "And there you have it; if you will never yield to New Oto, then may you spend the rest of your days rotting stubborn fools within the village prison, never again to see the light of day…" I reached into my pouch for a length of rope…

Something glinted near invisibly in the sunlight. I blinked – then my eyes widened. Sh–!

Wires snapped taut. Already having wound several times around me unnoticed, they pinned my arms to my sides. In the same moment a body pressed against me from behind, and two arms snaked across my front, one hand locking firmly on the underside of my jaw, and the other resting against my hip. Then I felt something quite different from wires or arms wrapping around me; I gasped as a serpent, after circling me twice, slipped over my shoulder to flick its tongue at my cheek with a malevolent hiss.

Mitarashi Anko's chin rested over my other shoulder. "Careful, little snake…" she crooned menacingly in my ear. "We wouldn't want you getting bit."

I failed to suppress a shiver. With her hold on my jaw, I couldn't turn my head enough to see her directly. Even from my peripherals, however, I could see demonic eyes that were calm and deathly. She wasn't playing. A cool and murderous aura blazed icily from her, and I felt that should I attempt to escape she would slice me to pieces first and twist my neck after.

"Hyuuga-sama!" an Oto captain called.

Watch out! I thought, not finding my voice.

Few of them saw it coming, and in the next moment all of the five Oto-nin keeled over, unconscious.

All at once, in a grand swirling of leaves, over a dozen renegades joined the scene. Ready to fight, Izumo, Kotetsu, Iruka, Ebisu, Genma, Ibiki, Aoba, Iwashi, Raido… too many to list appeared, all dressed in full black and masking any fury behind an icy seriousness as they stared down my team.

"Sorry, adorable students," Iruka said, a pair of kunai in hand, "but if you move so much as an inch we will be forced to hurt you."

So many came … just to help this lot?

Tenten raised her hands, and the others followed suit. "Please, just don't hurt Neji!"

"Aw, not even a little?" Anko asked. "Then for starters, how about calling off the four reinforcement squads positioned on the rooftops?"

I grunted as fine wires bit uncomfortably into my arms. I was soon bleeding. "Please, fall back!" I called.

"Good boy. Now let's hope your little friends can stand perfectly still, ne? Squad A, take care of Hyuuga's team! Squad B, help out Shikamaru's team! And someone see to Shikamaru!"

As eight of the renegades quickly set to the tasks of freeing the Failures and tying the hands of my team and two more helped the Nara, Iruka addressed the crowd of market-goers and all else who could hear.

"Fear not, citizens, for with the will of fire we will forge a path to victory! On our honor, Konoha shall live and Orochimaru shall fall!"

This is bad! I thought, growling as a roar of cheers boomed from the crowd and filled the street.

Anko chuckled. "Not bad, dolphin boy, not bad at all."

"Great lengths to go to for a few foolish children," I hissed, glaring out of the corner of my eye. "This little demonstration of yours may well be taken as a declaration of war. Was it really worth it?"

The woman glowered back, and I tried not to yelp as wires constricted further. "A few children? When the rest of the village thought hope was truly lost, those four were the very first to begin a resistance. Hopeless or not, their efforts and determination gave us the courage to begin fighting back as well, and as that courage grew and was passed along New Konoha was born. Embodied within each of those foolish children is the will of this village at its purest; I believe that with all my heart. And besides… we can't just let you take our Hakage-sama without a fight, now can we?"

"'Leaf Shadow?!'" I whispered. "You mean... the 'kage' of New Konoha is…?"

…Shikamaru…?

"Correct. Which I suppose means we aren't the ones who instigated this; after all, you just made quite the demonstration of assaulting our leader. If the civil war does begin, then so be it. We're ready."

Suddenly wire and arms and a snake released me, and a hand smashed solidly against the back of my neck. I toppled over with a yelp, crashing to the dirt.

And then my limp body was lifted up and hoisted over a shoulder. Realization slammed into me, and my eyes widened. No!

"All teams, depart!"

"Aa!"

The renegades all body flickered at once, and I was unwillingly brought along with them.

I'm … a hostage…

On that thought, the world was swamped in nothingness.

Lee リー

"Amazing…" So they are practicing the 'Soul Link?' I thought, watching as the two sparred. Hinata's headband served as a blindfold, and Kurogiba simply kept his eyes shut. Neither of the two ever stopped moving for long; one was always attacking, the other defending, and in fact quite often it seemed one was already dodging the instant before a strike was thrown. I see … if they are within each other's minds, then theoretically it is a battle that could never end! But…

As Hinata hopped backward to dodge an attack, she nearly bumped into a large stone. Instead, with her back inches away, she pushed off the ground and hand-sprung over it.

There – she did it again! I know she did not see the obstacle through Kurogiba-san's eyes, because they too are closed. She cannot be cheating with the Byakugan, for the wolf would notice immediately … so how did she know to avoid it?

I shook my head, entranced by the movements of the two. It was as if they were entwined in an elegant dance as they struck and evaded, evaded and struck. Frequently the two locked into close combat, during which time the tempo, the rhythm flew into a furious pace, and they moved at outrageous speeds that from here my eyes could barely follow. All the while, Hinata's expression remained calm, if not a bit focused.

Right, I thought, watching her avoid both a set of blazing claws and the tree behind her. I guess now is a good time…

Stepping off the branch I was perched on, I dropped to the ground and dashed toward the two. From behind Hinata I leapt into a flying kick. The attack was inches from contact when she suddenly ducked, avoiding the strike – just as Kurogiba had said she would. As I landed in front of her she jumped back in precaution.

"Kurogiba-sama–?"

"Next exercise, the Eyebrow Monster here is helping out. You'll dodge his attacks using my vision and not yours," he instructed, opening his eerie eyes.

My blindfolded friend flinched in surprise. "Avoiding a stone or a tree is one thing, but even with the chakra aura to help, a moving opponent–,"

"Actually, no chakra aura either."

"What?!"

"Well, you can try it on your own if you'd like, but it won't be very effective without my aura overlapping with yours…"

"B-but, that's…"

"It isn't impossible, scrawny runt. Take the perception you gather from me, augment it with what you can collect with your own senses, and act on it in an instant. To truly master this will be a giant bound toward mastery of the Soul Link."

"I understand!"

"Good. Then let's get started."

"No."

"Lee-kun?"

I crossed my arms, turning away. "You heard me. The 'Eyebrow Monster' does not feel like helping!" I declared, making up my mind that I would not help until I received an apology.

"Oh, please excuse me," Kurogiba said. "…Apparently the Eyebrow Monster feels like being ground into the dirt–,"

"You will not!" Hinata said, spreading her arms to block his approach. "Kurogiba-sama, you really need to work on your people skills!"

"No thanks – my wolf skills are telling me to clobber someone."

"Lee-kun is spending his valuable time helping us–!"

"You could make a shadow clone or something, right–?!"

"A shadow clone's attack pattern would be too similar to mine!!" she full-out yelled back. She turned back to me, flustered and blushing as she poked her fingers together. "Which is why we're very grateful to have Lee-kun's assistance today, and I'm sure Kurogiba-sama apologizes for his remarks–,"

"You putting words into my mouth?" he growled darkly behind her, and she flinched.

"N-n-n-not exactly, but it would certainly be nice to say sorry to–,"

"Don't be apologizing on my part, scrawny pup!!" he shouted, causing her to shrink away. "I'll name call whenever the heck I feel like it!"

"Kurogiba-sama, you're mean!" Hinata cried accusingly.

"I! Do! Not! Care!"

It was at about this point, at which I believe my sweatdrop sweatdropped, that I chose to intervene.

"Forget it!" I cried. "Let us be starting. It is fine."

The wolf muttered something along the lines of, "It better be," and Hinata clasped her hands in front of her still-blindfolded face, beaming.

"Arigatou!" she said, and her smile did not waver in the least as she ducked and Kurogiba's jaws snapped shut on the space her head had recently occupied.

I could only stare blankly.

These two…

To say the least, the feeling of soundly pummeling a near defenseless opponent at full power was one I had been glad to forget as Hinata had grown strong enough in her taijutsu training to protect herself against me. Frankly, I was not happy to revisit it.

She was not doing horribly, and – apparently due to the effects of the curse – she was a great deal sturdier than she had been back then. Even if she could take a hit in stride, she was blindfolded and judging my moves from an unusual perspective; I could only imagine how difficult it had to be. And frequently, when she failed to respond to an attack altogether–

THAM!!

"Hinata-san!"

No matter how numerous they grew, these instances did not fail to boggle my mind.

First, I had naturally expected her to dodge. She had not even moved. Second, my foot had just crashed across her face with force I would not have used if I had not expected her to dodge, and her head had snapped to the side, drops of black blood shooting from her mouth. Third, just as I was struck by the previous two and crying her name in concern, she faced me again and recovered her stance, mostly unaffected. And finally, as frazzled and confused as this sequence of events left me, she seemed fully unfazed.

My teeth clenched; she was going to kill me with worry! "Why did you not dodge?!" I demanded.

She shrugged slightly. "The wolf was at a bad angle and I was confused. I guess I was thinking for a little too long."

"Oh, so it's my fault?" Kurogiba snorted. "If it takes you that long trying to figure out whether to dodge left or right, you could at least move."

"Gr… I could go a little easier, until you get the hang of–!"

"No," she protested, shaking her head. "I only have a week left to learn this!"

"You are bleeding!" I said, watching the dark blood dripping off her chin.

"I'm fine, really. It'll heal quickly…"

"Are you sure I am not hurting you?"

"Hai," she said. Her eyes were not visible, but her mouth was set in determination. I sighed.

"After this, you are never making me train with you in this way again."

"Deal."

"Okay. Let us continue."

Two hours and several blows later, improvement was evident after all. Hits were thankfully growing rare, and she at least reacted to every strike. Occasionally I was even forced to take the defensive when she found opportune moments for a sudden attack.

"Good, good…!" Kurogiba said, moving to keep a good eye on us. "That's it, koinu!" he went on as Hinata blocked three jabs. "You're learning to read!"

Sharp teeth grinding in concentration, she blocked a hard kick at her side and another at her head, than a sharp backfist, a punch thrown by the other hand, and a kick aimed for her middle. I threw another punch – and she leaned outside the attack, causing my fist to just barely miss her cheek.

In the same move as her evasion, her foot rose and lashed toward my gut.

Shoot–!

There was something dark at the corner of my eye, and a breeze at my side. Then a wide-eyed Hinata was ten yards away, her back at a tree, her jaw hanging slack, and her stomach area being intruded upon by the top of Kurogiba's head.

I stared in confusion as Hinata's hitai-ate clattered to the dirt between us. The wolf pulled away; the girl grunted, her eyes shutting as a wheezy cough sprayed black from her mouth. Embracing herself about her middle, she slid to the ground.

"Tell me what you did wrong."

"I d-don't know…" she whispered feebly.

"Did you see me coming?"

"No, but–,"

"Look at me," he commanded.

Slowly she opened her eyes. She raised her head.

"Think. What did you do wrong?"

Realization dawned on her face.

"Correct," he said, seemingly having read her thoughts. "You focused solely on my sensory perception, fully neglecting to mind my thoughts or actions. You had a full two hours and didn't bother trying to go further. I spent five minutes cursing you and your entire family out in my head, and you had no idea. I gave you three firm warnings in the last minute: 'I am going to attack you. I am going to attack you. I am about to attack you–' and you didn't notice. Now that you've mastered remaining yourself, you became too self-absorbed. Your mind. Your body. Your perception. Your surroundings, your position, your condition, your actions, and all the same for me – you must remain at least aware of it, all of it, constantly. I know it's a huge amount of information to register, but we're focusing on the Soul Link, not on combat. So for today, you fail."

She bowed her head. "…I understand, K-Kurogiba-sama…" She flinched, and then her body relaxed, her head hanging as her hair shifted to blue and the pair of rings on each of her wrists faded. The pallor of her skin remained all but unchanged, however, and that alarmed me.

"Hinata…!"

"Exhausted." The wolf shook his head. "She's sleeping what's left of the day and through the night at least. Let her get some rest…"

With that, the blazing wolf abruptly bounded away and vanished.

Quite ruthless … but he seems to mean well…

I sighed. Then I walked over to Hinata and lifted her easily in my arms; very softly, the girl was already snoring. "Let us get back to camp, then."

Naruto ナルト

"Wake up!"

"Gah!" I cried as I was 'punched' by Gamakichi's tongue. "Aw, you got slime gunk all over my cheek!" I complained, trying to wipe off sticky toad spit and succeeding in smearing it around. It smells like…!

"Hey, not my fault you don't have the focus to keep from falling asleep," he berated as I attempted to clean my face.

I sighed, dipping my head. "I know…" I gathered up the book again from where it had fallen, closing it and balancing it on my head. "Gosh, I hate meditation! At least when I practice my chakra control I have something to focus on, but this is just so boring!"

"You're the one who asked me to help out, buddy," he pointed out as he hopped back onto my head to rest atop the book.

Muttering, I closed my eyes again. I don't even know if this'll solve my problem or not, but it's worth a shot anyway. My body's grown a lot stronger; maybe I need to strengthen my mind.

Hinata ヒナタ

Gasping on my hands and knees, I watched as the seal's effects faded from my hands.

"What's wrong? It's hardly been half an hour! Hey… Koinu – koinu, can you hear me?!"

His voice was so far away … even though I could see him right there, right next to me… I shook my head. "I f-feel faint… What's wrong w-with me…?" I rested my forehead on the cool ground.

A paw shoved me just hard enough to roll me onto my back. "Breathe," he ordered quietly. A steady tremble shook my hands; my face was flushed against pale skin. I shut my eyes. "It's strange," Kurogiba began, "As long as you limit contact with the evil part of the seal, you ought to be immune to the deteriorating effects… yet each day your stamina falls short of the last. It should be the opposite – the more you use the seal, the longer you should be able to sustain it."

"I just … need to rest for a few minutes … that's all…"

"Hm…" He waited silently for two minutes before he spoke again. "Tell me, scrawny pup … what do you usually eat?"

Wiping beads of sweat off my brow, I slowly sat up. "What do you mean?"

"Just that – what do you typically eat in a day? Like yesterday for instance."

Thinking back, I briefly recounted what I'd eaten the day before.

"I see… So you've been having trouble hunting, then?"

"W-well…"

"When was the last time you ate any kind of bird?"

"E-eto…"

"Rodent?"

"Um…"

"Hare."

"…"

"Raccoon, duck, squirrel, anything–!"

"Okay! I haven't really eaten meat in the last two months – except fish, sometimes, when I really had a s-sort of craving…"

"YOU IDIOT!!!" he roared. "Good lord, why are you still alive?! Wait here!!" he yelled, and ran off.

"…What was that about?" I wondered, startled.

A few minutes later he returned and dropped a dead rabbit in front of me.

"Eat this."

I looked at it a long moment and blinked. Then I looked at the blazing wolf. Then: "What the heck, Kurogiba-sama?! Seriously!!"

"I'm not joking," he said sternly. "You've malnourished yourself. The occasional fish may be the only reason you're even functioning. But quite seriously, scrawny koinu, if you keep this up you will die."

I started. "Wh-what?"

"Human – omnivore. Wolf – carnivore. A freak like you – omnivore with an especially strong leaning toward carnivore, I'd say. Surely your body's been telling you what it needs? Why would you ignore it and refrain from eating meat?"

I looked down; my eyes landed on the lifeless rabbit, its broken neck, and I winced and looked away. "The first and only time I transformed, on a full moon, I…" I trailed off, deciding rather than finish to observe my hands in my lap.

"Ah… I see," he said. "Mum told me about that little rampage of yours; she was watching you at that time. Well, when I was alive I doubt even I was ever cruel enough to tear a bunny's steaming innards from its body while it was still squirming – huh? Whoops, my bad…"

I grimaced as my stomach lurched again. When I was sure I was done, I spat a few times and wiped my mouth, trembling.

The wolf sighed. "But even so, starving yourself will solve nothing. Listen to me. More than anything, I think the full moon transformation is largely for feeding. By using the aconite you've already skipped a full moon since your first, and the longer you defer the hunt, the more bloodthirsty you will be when you do finally transform. The lack of meat in your diet makes things that much worse; the damage you did last time wouldn't even compare. As things are now, upon transformation you would most likely enter a violent frenzy, continuing to slaughter anything you could find even after your belly is full. And should you lose yourself to such a destructive rage I won't stand a chance of stopping you no matter how powerful the Soul Link's become."

"Tch…!" I looked away, not meeting his eyes.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of; the transformation is something you can't control, and even a scrawny little mutt's got to eat. What we can do is improve your chances of transforming into a state where you're able to maintain enough control over your mind to kill your prey as swiftly and painlessly as possible."

I grunted, grinding my teeth. If there really was no way around it… Finally I nodded.

He nodded back. "Good. Now, eat.

"Raw," he added when I started to get up for some wood, and I blanched. For a moment I felt I might throw up again.

"Kurogiba-sama … no offense, but I'm not a wolf. I'd be diseased."

"How many times do I have to say it? You're no ordinary human."

He was dead serious. I looked down at the rabbit, horrified.

"Go to the second level, and it won't feel so strange. I would say the third at least, but with the condition you're in you'd probably snap and jump to the fifth instantly."

Whimpering, I got on my knees in front of it. I looked back to him.

"Don't even bother giving me that look," he snapped. "Go on."

"…I c-c-can't…"

"You know, Lee's quite fortunate he never started bleeding during training the other day. You may have wound up taking a bite out of him–,"

"Don't even say that!!" I shrieked.

"Go on, then. Activate the mark."

I looked down a long moment. I took a shuddering deep breath … and drew out two rings of the curse's power.

I gasped, eyes widening. Bending over, I laid a hand on the rabbit and thrust my nose into its side. It smelled so…

My claws rested on it and faltered. My hand trembled. I realized, somewhat with disgust, that I was salivating.

Then a familiar presence nudged at my mind. I let him in, and the indecision was scorched out: My claws raked across it, shredding skin.

My teeth sank into muscle, and with me, through me, the wolf savored the first bite – a sensation long forgotten. Then, having gotten me started, he somewhat reluctantly left me to myself.

Only now realizing my great hunger, I ate ravenously, tearing, snapping, swallowing, tearing again. I devoured the warm, rich nourishment; little more than bones would be left behind.

The wolf sat down to wait. "When you finish that, we go hunting. Consider it practice for next week."

Naruto ナルト

Lee and I were finishing up sparring for the day when the wolf came trotting up, Hinata mysteriously absent.

"She's washing up now," he explained before he was asked, in an oddly good mood. "She'll come back soon." He promptly vanished.

Lee and I shared a look. Hinata was coming back to camp on her own? Conscious? That hadn't happened very often since she'd started training with the dumb dog…

Sure enough she arrived twenty minutes later, fully conscious and even seeming to possess a new energy about her. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd seen such a healthy glow to her skin. She gave a cheerful hello, and I smiled.

"Hey, Hinata-chan! How was training today?"

She blushed slightly. "It was … different."

Lee リー

"KONOHA SEMPUU!!!"

THAM!

Her crossed arms easily took the full and normally bone-crushing impact of the kick. Smirking, Hinata pushed me away and spun from the path of a rocketing mass of black fire. I jumped a safe distance away as Kurogiba skidded to a halt and began bombarding her with fire attacks, and I launched kunai after kunai from behind. She evaded it all, spinning and shifting and leaping and twisting and rolling smoothly from each projectile's path.

Kurogiba conjured a fist-sized sphere of fire within his mouth and spat it toward her; this one swerved to attack repeatedly as she dodged, and I was certain it was sheer ability to read his mind that allowed her to avoid a string of rapid fire attacks. At one evaded move it flew to her right, screeched to a halt, and shot toward her at ankle height. She jumped at the last possible second, and the fireball curved around to zip toward her head from behind; she bent forward, dodging even as her feet were returning to the ground.

Predicting their next moves, I launched a kunai. As the fireball shot back toward her she leaned away – and cut the kunai to pieces with a sudden cross-slashing of claws when the knife was inches from her head. I saw her left hand clench so that nails quickly bit the palm, and two fingers flicked out to send two bolts of darkness lashing into a returning fireball, dissipating it.

Hinata backflipped and immediately jumped up; in the same instant a ring of fire appeared, snapped shut, and vanished at her recent elbow level.

The wolf reared back, his tail lashing strongly at the air. Hinata reached the ground and jumped again, higher this time, as he swung his head around to unleash a great, sweeping wave of towering flames from his mouth.

I flung a kunai toward her, swiftly followed by two shuriken that arced around from either side. Her arms crossed her body, and I saw a hidden kunai slide from each sleeve into her hands. She leaned forward and uncrossed her arms; my kunai knife flew over her head, and the shuriken glanced off her kunai – one deflected up, and the other down – so that they whizzed harmlessly above and below her.

Whirling as she descended, she flung a kunai my way. I darted forward to avoid the speeding knife, certain its blunt tip would have easily knocked me unconscious had it hit–

"Kuso!" A kunai from directly ahead was narrowly avoided, grazing my cheek as I leaned aside.

And while my eyes were on the knife, Hinata lunged past from low on all fours. My jaw dropped, and she didn't even face me as her knuckles brushed lightly across my neck – a move that signified the slash of claws and certain death.

Such speed…!

Then Hinata was gone, and a blazing black wolf, butting his head forward, had taken her place.

She was in the process of flipping over said wolf's back, balancing on one hand at the base of his neck. Her other hand slashed lightly across his neck as she slipped into a crouch on his back and sprang away.

"Aaaahh, I'm dying!" Kurogiba howled dramatically, staggering to the side and crashing even more dramatically to the ground. I grinned, and Hinata chuckled as she shook black fire from her claws.

"Urg…" She grunted as her skin colored and her hair lightened, fangs and claws morphing back to normal as the sets of three rings faded. She sank heavily to her knees, panting to recover her breath. "H-how was that, Kurogiba-sama?" she asked, pulling her headband away from her eyes and grinning weakly.

"Not half bad, I've got to admit," he answered, getting back to his feet. He was making half an effort to conceal it, but there was a note of pride in his voice. "We're just about ready, and four days early at that."

A few seconds of panting later, Hinata's eyes shut as her smile began to widen. Her teeth clenched, and she giggled quietly. Then she sprang upward. "Yatta!" she cried, fists in the air, for that one second looking and sounding for all the world like Naruto. She leapt toward Kurogiba, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I knew we could do it, Kurogiba-sama, I just knew it–!"

"Whoa, hey, back up!! Bad koinu! I said back! Three seconds before I burn you!" He semi-dissipated, reforming a safe distance away with his ears low and his tail tucked down.

"Thank you, Lee-kun!" she cried without missing a beat, hugging me next. I laughed.

"Do not mention it – that is what friends are for, is it not?" I said.

She nodded slightly before pulling away; her face grew a little more serious. "But, Kurogiba-sama…"

He flinched, clearly fearing another hugging attack. "…Yeah?"

"There's something I've been wanting to try."

"The prison?" I said as Hinata opened the trapdoor. "I thought you already said you could not follow a scent…?"

"I couldn't, then. But maybe…" Her Byakugan activated, and she jumped down through the trap.

"Um… Wait up!" I called, heading after her.

She ran down hallways, not seeming to mind or notice the dark. "I couldn't follow it on my own," she began as we went down a staircase. "But when Kurogiba-sama and I Soul Link, it's like our senses are combined! In ten seconds, his own, personal vision gains color. My hearing gets so sharp that it overwhelms me at first. And…" She turned sharply; I passed the hallway, backtracked, and went after her. "And even though Kurogiba-sama normally no longer has a sense of smell, he gains it back when we Link and my own nose becomes acute! What I'm saying is…"

She entered a small cell, slowing to a graceful stop and crouching down near one corner. I remembered. Here we figured they had kept Jiraiya-sama, and we had noticed a spot on the ground where it appeared he had attempted to write something. A small symbol was chipped into the floor, but he must have been interrupted; the half-complete kanji was illegible, holding no meaning. But more important now, I realized, was what he had gotten written was colored with his blood.

"I may be able to track him. This is the strongest sample of his scent I can get…"

She sniffed at the floor, spending a long, careful few moments memorizing the scent. Suddenly she grabbed my hand and bolted from the room, heading for the surface.

We emerged into daylight soon enough. I blinked as my eyes adjusted, and by the time they had Hinata was already crouched on the ground, the first ring of her curse seal active.

"Mind telling me what's going on?" Kurogiba asked irately, and I explained as Hinata slowly circled the door on all fours.

"Sure enough, I still can't pick up the scent on my own. It's too faint." She looked up. "Kurogiba-sama, could we…?"

He sighed. "I suppose."

In a moment she lowered her head once more, circling the door at a slightly wider radius.

Will this really work? I wondered, skeptical in spite of myself. Will something actually go our way…?

Hinata's eyes widened, and she halted. The girl sniffed so sharply I wondered how she had not drawn dirt up her nose–

"Achoo!"

She had. "Bless you."

"Thank you."

She smelled the ground again, and then turned slightly to her right. She took a few strides from the trap, and then looked back at us, shocked.

"I – I think I found it…"

I remained silent a moment as it sank in. Soon I found myself smiling. "Then I guess it is time to pack up camp?"

"Hai!"

Nejiネジ

I have. To get. Out of here!!

This was bad. They didn't believe me. They thought it was a poorly constructed bluff, a threat. They had laughed – because who would be fool enough to fall for so ridiculous a story?

I'd told them to ask Sasuke.

Apparently he too had laughed and assured them it was a lie and that I was merely attempting to conspire with him, a call he wouldn't answer.

What was that stupid Uchiha playing at? Did he realize the extent of the damage I could cause?

...Did he care?

Kuso… Kuso! I don't want to kill anyone!

I had to escape. If not…

Then in four days, I doubted they would be laughing anymore.

Hinata ヒナタ

"Byakugan!" I whispered after weaving a string of seals. It had taken a full day of travel – with frequent rests due to excessive use of the Blood Seal – but we were here. We'd found it.

My gaze penetrated the boulder behind me and moved to the small lake and the waterfall twenty meters away.

"The entrance is ten meters north of the shore by the waterfall, covered in dead leaves," I said to the four; Gamakichi was here to see the outcome. "The layout is the same as the other prison. There are people inside…" I was pushing my range, and focusing through solid rock was already difficult enough. I let just enough curse energy into my system to change my eye color, and gasped as my vision was sprawled out too far in every direction, hitting me with a hundred jumbled images.

Come on…! I concentrated on the underground prison and it alone, snapping my vision into focus, and it became as though I were there, racing down hallways, walking through walls…

There – a white-haired old man in ragged prison garb, lying on a futon in a small room, his breathing and heart rate unusually slow.

"I see him!" I gasped, panting for breath as my Byakugan deactivated. I rubbed my eyes until the trees in front of me quit swaying, and then looked to Naruto at my left. "Jiraiya-sama – he's the only prisoner there, at the lowest level, eight floors down."

Naruto nodded, handsom– deep purple eyes serious. "Got it. Leave it to me."

"What do you little brats think you're doing here?"

Lee and I whirled, moving hurriedly away from the boulder. A middle-aged man was balanced atop the stone, arms crossed over a chuunin vest as he glared suspiciously down at us. A bandana wrapping his head was adorned with a plate bearing the emblem of Oto.

"U-um… Selling cookies?" Lee tried.

The ninja raised a dusty blond eyebrow. "You should have had the cute one say that. Woulda' been a heck of a lot more believable…"

While he was saying this Naruto, who had yet to move from the boulder, shoved firmly at the air in front of him.

"Wah!" the Oto-nin cried in surprise, suddenly falling forward as if…

As if someone behind him had pushed him.

As I was busy blinking in confusion, Lee was already leaping forward and hacking the man's feet from under him with a kick so that he tipped forward. The moment after Naruto had done his shoving motion, he'd turned quickly while jumping a short way from the rock and drawing back a fist. Naruto swung his fist upward, but he was far too early–!

"GAH!"

In an illogical blur of orange and blue, Naruto – who I hadn't even seen jump – was midair and slamming a fist into the man's stomach.

I turned my head.

Naruto was still beside me – and promptly burst into smoke.

What?! I thought with a start, baffled. That – I thought – I'm sure that was the real one!

Naruto landed next to me and smirked as the man crashed heavily to the ground. "Heh! Taken out by two 'brats!'"

Lee jumped down from where he had perched on the boulder and began swiftly tying the Oto-nin's hands.

Lee-kun is perfectly unsurprised… The two moved in a whirlwind together. Could that have been Naruto-kun's new technique? I thought, wondering just how much I'd missed in the weeks I hadn't trained together with them.

I shook my head. Byakugan!

"Above ground, I don't see anyone else nearby at the moment. The guard is probably low to avoid drawing attention to the area, meaning there's likely a small number of elite shinobi within the prison…"

Seeing the look on my face, Naruto clenched a fist and grinned. "Don't you worry about me!" he said quietly. "Just wait, and me and that pervy sage'll both be out of there in one piece!"

I nodded, but it was all I could do to hide my concern. "Be careful…"

"I will," he said, his face turning more serious.

Without a word between us, Naruto, Lee, and I came together for a long group hug.

"This is what all the training has been for, is it not?" Lee asked.

"Yeah," Naruto said as we separated. "We won't fail. After we clear this hurdle … everything's going to be okay."

He held out his hand; my hand lied over it, and Lee's over mine.

Naruto looked up at us, meeting our eyes.

Wind rustled in the trees, stirred brittle leaves on the ground.

He was gone.

I rested my head on the boulder, clasping my hands over my heart. "Oh, Naruto-kun … be careful," I whispered.

Lee's hand clapped on my shoulder. "We would only slow him down. Naruto-kun is without question the best suited to infiltration and escape; with his gift, he will not be easy to catch or pin down. Have more faith in him, Hinata-san."

I nodded. "He'll come back. He has to."

A long, drawn out yawn rolled into the air. "Wake me up when something interesting happens."

"Kurogiba-sama, this is no time to be sleeping–!"

Lee's hand slapped over my mouth, and with a sharp intake of breath I sensed the presence of four people on the lake. Had they detected us yet…?

That faint sound, from the other side of the rock… Crackling… burning?

"Jump, Lee-kun!"

The stone exploded a second after we'd leapt away. That was too close…

I'd almost reached a tree branch to land on when I jerked to a halt like a dog that had reached the end of its leash.

On second thought, forget the dog on the leash and replace it with a puppet being yanked by its strings. I cried out as I went flying backwards; I had just activated my kekkei genkai to observe the fine strings when a net made of a similar substance wrapped around me. Immobilized, I hit the ground on my back and rolled several times. Lee landed in a similar situation nearby, struggling to escape.

"Well, well!" and arrogant voice called. "Look at what the cat dragged in!"

I turned my head to see the four people who stood fifteen meters away on the lake. They all wore a similar pale robe, black shorts, and purple obi. Smirking, the one who had just spoken had two out of his six arms crossed over his chest. Beside him was a larger man with orange hair. Casting a glare with mild interest, a red-headed girl deftly twirled what appeared to be a flute around her fingers. Finally, a sickly pale man who seemed to have a second head sticking out behind him was smiling eerily.

They're all in their teens … not too much older than us… I observed.

"So, what to do with them?" the two-headed one asked malevolently. "They're probably looking to cover for that other one's escape. When the guys inside capture their buddy, it won't really matter if these two are dead, right…?"

"I've got an idea!" the first man said. "How about we watch 'em struggle to escape, and with each minute that passes we get a little target practice…"

Hmm… I wonder if I could…

"You two are XXXXXXX sick," the girl spat.

"Language…" the chubby one chided at a sigh.

"Aw, come one, what's wrong with having a little fun? On this boring job, it's not like the chance comes by very often."

"Um, guys…?" the red-headed man said, pointing.

I sprang to my feet, shredded silk falling around me. Turning my nails into claws without full-out activating the mark, I loaded my left hand with chakra and slashed remaining webbing off my right forearm. Keeping an eye on the Oto-nin, I quickly helped Lee out.

"Not bad," the cocky one remarked as Lee stood up. "And come to think of it … I've seen that bloodline before."

The grey-haired man nodded. "This might just be a little interesting; it looks like our guests are up for a fight. Jirobo, how about it? We don't want them dying too quickly after all."

Scowling slightly, the one he'd addressed took a step forward.

"But wait, how rude of us! We haven't even properly introduced ourselves. I am Kidomaru, of the East Gate."

"Jirobo of the South Gate."

"Sakon of the West Gate."

"Tayuya of the North Gate…"

"Otherwise known as the Sound Ninja Four," the spider-like Kidomaru finished smugly. "Sorry for our rudeness, but this job gets pretty dull. Now that we've courteously informed you who you're gonna be killed by, could we know who we have the pleasure of killing?"

My eyes narrowed. "Hyuuga Hinata."

"And I am Rock Lee. Sincerest apologies, but neither of us will be dying today."

"Heh! We'll see."

They're extremely confident to send out only one… They really do seem to be looking at this as entertainment for now. But if we're able to give this Jirobo enough trouble, the other three may start looking for opportunities to attack by surprise. We need to stay on our toes.

I started as I remembered something important. That paper bomb… "Kurogiba-sama, are you okay?!" I called, turning my head. The wolf was merely sitting back by the trees, watching calmly. "What're you…?"

"I refuse to fight alongside you."

"B-but–!"

"It hasn't changed that you've yet to prove yourself, scrawny koinu," he barked. "Just because Okaa-sama accepted you does not mean I have to as well. You might as well forget I'm here. If it's a true fight with your enemies, I won't assist you in any way no matter what happens."

"K… Kurogiba-sama…"

"Don't you remember what I told you the second time you summoned me? I would help you master that filthy seal – nothing more, nothing less."

So after all we've been through since then, even if it was just a few weeks… I hung my head, shaken. My fists clenched. "I understand." I looked up, tucking my right arm behind my back and holding out the left, palm facing forward. My feet only a bit more than shoulder width apart, I bent my knees slightly. "Lee-kun."

He nodded with a grunt, assuming his Goken stance.

"Here I come!" Jirobo roared, running toward us.

"Get ready to move, Hinata-san."

"Hai!"

Naruto ナルト

With fleeting footsteps I sprinted silently down the dimly lit hallway, alarms blaring in my ears. Passing a side hall, I sent a kage bunshin running down it without a break in stride; I knew the way, and they didn't need to know I knew it.

I need to get as low as possible before–!

"You! Halt–!"

"Konoha Sempuu!" I cried, leaping toward the guard who'd come onto the hallway. He prepared to block the kick.

About… Now.

Fifteen meters down the hall behind him, in the process of executing the Konoha Sempuu on empty air, a shadow clone appeared.

He made to substitute with me at the same moment I attempted to substitute with him – and being the exact same person, the trade of places was practically instantaneous.

I was landing silently and sprinting off, the THUD! of a blocked kick sounding behind me.

The clone would fight until dispelled, and at that point be dismissed as nothing more than one of the dozens of kage bunshin running about and putting the prison into a frenzy.

I raced down a flight of stairs. Seven floors down! I thought, turning the knob on the door at the bottom. I opened the door to a room with six shinobi throwing various weapons.

I glanced across the room to another open door. There was a flicker of orange and blue in the doorway as I pivoted and began to move back through the staircase door – and then I was there. Dozens of weapons thunked into the door now across the room from me as the kage bunshin closed it.

"After him!" I heard someone call, and the group set on the task of chasing the wrong 'me' as I swiftly turned a corner and kept moving.

A couple of turns later I entered a long room with a few wooden tables down its length; each had two crates on either side as chairs. I didn't slow down as four shinobi entered the room. When they were near a table set I planted a foot.

Two at once!

My other foot swung forward, and ten meters away from me two crates shot into the air, breaking across the heads of two of the guards. Taking another step, I kicked sharply again; the table cracked with a jump, and an Oto-nin who'd been prepared to step on it stumbled clumsily after crashing through it. My fist shot out, and he doubled over in pain. I jumped over him, pushing off his back to launch myself toward the last one. I struck out when I was still a few yards away…

And blurred nearer to punch crossed arms.

Ch…

A hand locked onto my arm as a fist swung at me. One kage-kawarimi later, I was looking over my shoulder to see the man nearly stumble when 'I' vanished before he struck.

"Yo," I called behind him, and when he turned around I mock-saluted and ran through the door, heading to the right down a hallway. I threw a sharp glance to the ceiling space outside the doorway.

Shadow Substitution!

A moment later I was lying hidden on the ceiling, another kage bunshin running down the hall in my place.

"Get back here–!"

As the guard raced from the room I dropped down behind him, delivered a swift hand chop to his neck, and took off in the opposite direction of the clone.

I'm almost there, Ero-sennin! I hurried down another flight of stairs. This floor seemed to be deserted; I encountered no one as I ran, heading first down a long hallway and turning left down another.

My eyes narrowed as I spotted a figure ahead, sitting down and leaning against the wall. I halted a fair distance away as the person began to stand.

"So, you actually made it," stated the man, stepping into the light. The blue-haired Oto-nin wore a pleasant smile on his calm face as he strode toward me, arms tucked behind his back. "I guess it's not really a surprise you made it past that incompetent lot, though, is it? Still, it seems you managed to give them quite a bit of trouble, little ghost."

There was something unnerving about him. I settled into a stance – or I would have, but my body wouldn't move.

Shoot! Was it the Kageken? No…

"Genjutsu…" I whispered, and flinched slightly as the man was suddenly before me.

"Correct," he declared with a smile, and a foot crashed into my chest. I shot fifteen yards before slamming into a rock wall.

Concentrate! I thought even as the impact knocked the wind out of me. This part was crucial. I slid to the ground, blinking in confusion. …Success.

"It looks like you are the real one, after all. Sumimasen. It was an admirable effort, but this is as far as you go."

"K-kuso…" This one was too strong. Still trembling, I held up my hands. "You got me. I surrender."

"Thank you for your cooperation," he said cheerfully as others began approaching.

"Taichou-san, you're incredible…" another guard remarked, awed.

"He made it look so easy…"

The young captain smiled at them. "You are too kind. Please bring the boy to a cell, and take his weapons to a storage room."

"Yes, sir!"

Once my hands were bound and I'd been stripped of my shuriken holster, kunai pouch, and the massive two-hand sword on my back, I was escorted to a cell on the next hallway.

"So… your taichou is pretty tough, isn't he?" I asked idly as I watched the man unlock a door.

"I guess he is, or he wouldn't be captain, then, would he? What's it to you?"

I allowed myself to be pushed into the cell. "Oh, nothing really."

"What's with that look on your face, boy?" he snapped, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Just thinking … He's not quite as incredible as he seems, or else he would've noticed easy."

"Noticed?"

"Ja ne."

Such were the memories of a shadow clone. A shadow clone I'd put a huge deal of chakra into so it could withstand a good blow or two, but a shadow clone nonetheless.

"Sheesh, what is this thing made of? Sword's probably heavy as the kid was…"

The man who was 'escorting' me opened a door and tossed me inside along with a shuriken holster and kunai pouch. As he was shutting the door, I burst from the guise of a sword to land silently on my feet. I made to catch the kunai pouch, and as the pouch itself vanished a very real key the clone had snatched a few floors ago slipped into my hand.

Pocketing it, I darted toward the closing door and rested my hands on it.

"What the…? This door is stuck…" When he finally thought to open it again, I slammed a fist into his face.

"Taichou!" I heard a distant voice already echoing down the halls. I grabbed the dazed man's arm before he fell, hit the back of his neck, threw him into the storage room, performed a quick henge, and slammed the door shut.

"Taichou, taichou!" I cried, masked in the unconscious guard's appearance as I ran back the way we'd come.

"What is it?" the blue-haired Oto captain asked; he, the other guard, and I met at the juncture of the hallways.

"T-taichou, the brat just vanished!"

"His weapons, too! It must've been another clone!" I pitched in.

The man sighed. "It is possible that he was merely on a reconnaissance mission from the start; in that case the real one may be long gone… You two stay here. Watch the cell while I check around the rest of the prison."

"Hai!" the two of us replied. His face slightly troubled, he nodded and flickered away.

I motioned to the guard. "Come on – let's go. The intruder could still be within the prison."

"Oh, man," he whimpered as we started down the hall toward the cell. "This is insane! It's like trying to capture a ghost! He could be anywhere!"

"Yeah…" I agreed, snickering on the inside. Turning to face him, I put a reassuring hand on the shaken man's shoulder. "But it's nothing to worry about; Taichou-san can handle him."

"You're right," he said, calming down a bit.

"Hey, do you hear something?" Release the henge as soon as you appear, I thought, looking over his shoulder.

"L-like what?"

I started in mock surprise and pointed past him. "There he is!!"

"Where?!" the man cried, whirling. That was all I needed.

THUD!

His hand had only gotten halfway to his kunai pouch before he went limp, dropping to the ground.

I released my own henge, and at my thumbs-up the clone dispelled itself. Then I turned around, my eyes locking on the metal door fifteen yards away.

I'm coming … Jiraiya-sensei!

ナルト / リー / ヒナタ \ ハナビ \ ネジ

End Chapter Ten

Naruto: On the next episode of DragonBall Z–! (*brick to the head*)

Neji: NO!

(–static–)

Naruto: I don't care how strong he is, I have to try! I'm not leaving without you!

Lee: How…? How could I let this happen? Kuso! I was supposed to protect them!! Watch out, I am getting SERIOUS!!!

Hinata: Naruto-kun is set on rescuing Jiraiya-sama no matter what it takes, and as the two of us are pushed to our limits, Lee-kun explodes and unleashes his full power! But will his new techniques be enough for us to come out victorious? It all comes down to this! We can't fail here!

Naruto: Right!

Lee: YOSH!!!

Neji: Is anyone coming to rescue me?

Hanabi: Who cares? Don't miss Chapter Eleven: Explosion!

Whoa… I can't remember the last chapter this short. Probably like, chapter 3 or 4 or something…

Not sure about the next chapter's title yet, it might change. But it shouldn't be too long before eleven is out, because SCHOOL'S OUT 4 SUMMER!!!

How was the chapter? I think this one turned out in the middle, not excellent, not bad... It just seems like my writing doesn't flow so well anymore... Still, I hope you enjoyed it!

You didn't expect the Sound Four, did you ;)? Does the Kageken make a little more sense now? The basics were explained; We already know how he can punch someone from a distance, but its 'teleportation' power lies in "Shadow Substitutions" in which Naruto creates a clone and instantly substitutes with it. Pretty slick, huh? ;) And Shikamaru being 'kage' doesn't really mean a whole lot, so please don't freak out and go 'that doesn't make sense, how is he the leader?!' Yes, I realize Shika isn't the strongest ninja in New Konoha!

On a side note: iruka=dolphin

NOTICE!! I've been thinking about changing my pen name. I mean, it's pretty generic and unoriginal, just "Hinata" and numbers… so I might change it soon.

Review to celebrate the anniversary! …Please?

Laters!

:o)Hinata0321:o)