J3F\\\Journey of the Three Failures
Chapter Twelve
Record speed update and decent length? You can thank Omega the darkness, Dominican Kitsune, Kokuryu, ComicXArena, Universal Hope, FantomoDrako, Rena-san, Zack-kun, Naybi, FenixFirestrome, chibi heishi and the anon who signed Metallix for that! Thanks for reviewing, y'all!
There might be a longer wait for the next one, though; once this is up, it's time to buckle down and finish my summer reading…
Hinata0321 is on deviantArt! I registered a few days ago because I was planning to do some story artwork soon, but I didn't think I'd have anything up this soon. Let's just say I got a little sidetracked in the middle of typing this chapter and ended up firing up MS Paint, then I got extremely sidetracked and ended up with a picture of Hinata's face in Blood Seal mode (I guess at the fourth ring, since the eyes have changed). It's not great, but I don't think it's too bad for a couple of hours on Paint. My strength is drawing, though, so I'll probably do some more pictures by hand soon.
Go to hinata0321 DOT deviantart DOT com (without the spaces and with real dots) for my dA profile. I'll also put a link to the picture on my FF profile.
Once again, my powers of estimation prove dreadful ;) There's no way I would have fit so much into one chapter, so… Last chapter's preview kind of applies to chapter 13 as well!
I think this chapter turned out pretty nice! Please read and tell me what you think!
"If a picture's worth a thousand words, I'll find two thousand words that kick the picture's butt." – me, as far as I know!
XD No idea where that came from. Anyways…
Disclaimer: No I don't own NARUTO and I'm running out of disclaimer jokes.
Journey of the Three Failures
Twelve: Stillness
Part One: Beginning - The Arrival
Naruto ナルト
"Coming back from a trip? A trip to where?"
"My siblings and I were away visiting our grandparents in a small village of southern Fire," Lee said. "We live here with our uncle and his family."
I nodded. "What's going on? Why can't we pass?" It occurred to me that it might be a little suspicious since the three of us didn't look remotely similar – with our differing hair colors, eye colors, and skin tones…
One of the Sound ninja narrowed his eyes. "What's with these glasses? It's not bright out," he snapped, suddenly snatching the sunglasses off Hinata's face. The girl let out a very realistic yelp of surprise.
"O-Onii-s-san…!" she whimpered in a tiny voice, and Lee clasped her hand with a few reassuring words. "I'm s-scared!"
"She's blind!" I protested, stepping defensively in front of her. "Don't startle her like that!"
I saw the fist coming – even had the time to both think about dodging or retaliating and remember I couldn't – before I was hit across the face, allowing myself to be thrown to the ground. Sitting up more slowly than I could have, I saw the man waving a hand in front of Hinata's face. She stared straight ahead, a very slight crease in her brow but her pale lavender eyes not following the motion. Suddenly drawing back his hand, he made as if to strike her; his punch halted within an inch of her forehead. She didn't even flinch.
Nice, Hinata! I thought as Lee pulled Hinata back and steered her partially behind him, the image of a brother standing up for his younger sister as he glared at the guard.
"That's enough, isn't it?" the other Sound shinobi, who'd been silent up until now, spoke up. "I know we're not supposed to let anyone in or out, but they're just a few kids…"
The first man grumbled. "I was just thinking, she looks a lot like Neji-san and those other Hyuuga folk back in the village–,"
Hinata broke into a bout of coughing, slumping against Lee's support.
"Please, sir!" I said on cue, "My stepsister has a weak body, she's taken ill! Travel has worn on her; we need to get home…"
"Hm… You escort them," the man said dismissively to his comrade, tossing the sunglasses Lee's way. The boy made a point of not catching them too deftly, allowing them to bounce off his shoulder and then fumbling a moment.
"Hai," the younger of the Oto-nin said, opening the gate behind him and beckoning us through.
Infiltration success, I thought, getting to my feet.
Hanabi ハナビ
"Shikamaru-san…"
"Hey, nice to have you back in the world of the living – Hakage-sama!" Kiba threw in with a laugh.
"Thank goodness…" Sakura sighed. "We were getting worried…"
"How are you? Do you feel okay?"
As we knelt down, he gave us a weak smile from his reclining position on the futon. Today he was dressed in a shirt rather than a cocoon of bandages around his torso and neck. "I'll live," he said, "The medics patched me up well; I should be back on my feet before too long…"
"Ha! That's our fearless leader for ya'! If they think they can knock him down that easily, they've got another thing coming!"
"Oh, please, give it a rest with the 'fearless leader' stuff already," he groaned in complaint. "It's not like I asked for the name or anything… huh?"
I could feel their eyes on me as I stared determinedly at a few drops of water on the ground, trying to hide my face behind a curtain of hair.
"Hanabi…"
I shook my head, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru-san…"
He started to sit up; I shuddered at a poorly stifled sound of pain. "And just what do you think you're apologizing for?"
"I sh-should've done something … before Neji hurt you this badly…"
"Look at me," he said sternly, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I hesitantly met his eyes. "I'll be fine. I'm glad you didn't get involved; I'm not sure Neji would have thought twice about hurting even you."
"Y-you were suffering – right in front of me!" I cried, pulling away. "I was the only one who could have helped you, but all I did was cry like a helpless coward! I was too scared of getting hurt to do a thing while you were screaming in pain!"
"That's enough. You're still just a kid–,"
"But I'll never be strong enough to protect any of you… if something like th-that happened again … if it happened again, I probably wouldn't do anything different. The truth is I'm just in the way; you don't need to keep pretending I'm not…" Wiping my eyes, I stood up and turned to walk to the door. If it happened again… if one of them got hurt, or worse, and I could have done something to stop it… I couldn't take it. I had to stop now.
"Hanabi."
I stopped.
"So you're just going to give up now?"
"…Someone who couldn't even do what had to be done at a time like that … who was too worried for her own safety to fight to protect our leader … doesn't deserve to be a ninja."
I heard a sigh. "…Then get out of here and quit wasting our time."
There was a lengthy moment of silence.
"Yes, sir."
I left the room.
Naruto ナルト
"Open up!" The Oto-nin who'd escorted us knocked on the door. "Your niece and nephews are here to see you!"
Don't say my name-don't say my name-don't say–!
"Who in the – Ah! Na–," My eyes stabbed into the surprised gray-haired old man from behind the Sound ninja, "–raku! Naraku! Good to see you're alright!"
What a name, I thought sourly as I slapped on a wide smile. "Glad to be home, Oji-san! And you remember Hikari-chan and Tai-kun, right?" I said slowly.
"Oh yes! Hikari-chan, Tai-kun, welcome home!"
I laughed and whispered to one suspicious Oto-nin next to me, "Poor old fart's going senile, y'know?"
"I see…" he said.
"Come in, come in, put down those bags!" Tazuna the bridge builder said, moving to let us enter; we took off our shoes and went in. "It's getting dark. Shinobi-san, would you care to stay for dinner?"
"I think I'll pass," he declined, turning to go. "I'm still on guard duty…"
Tazuna shut the door, and I sighed. That was close… "Old man, I can explain–,"
"There's no need to do that! You can explain why you were late over dinner!" he cut in.
I blinked. The Sound guy had already left; what was up with him? "Old man–?"
A sturdy hand slapped me unnecessarily hard over the back.
"Come on, you three, I'm sure Inari and Tsunami will be overjoyed to see you," he said, an urgent look in his eyes telling me to shut my mouth. He led us to the kitchen.
In any other situation I would have busted out laughing at the shocked expressions on the faces of that kid, Inari, and his mom, Tsunami. I would have – but I probably had a pretty similar look on my own as I caught sight of the two Oto-nin seated at the dining table.
"Let me introduce you three to our guests," Tazuna said awkwardly, motioning to the shinobi. "This is Captain Torakou and Captain Youkou Akane. Torakou-san, Akane-san, these three are my niece and nephews, Hikari, Naraku, and Tai."
The silvery-haired Torakou, a man with neck length hair, raised an eyebrow. "Naraku? That's a rather foreboding name."
"Yeah, I think my brother was drunk when he named him," Tazuna said offhandedly.
I found my voice to complain with a long, childish, "Oji-san!" that caused the others to laugh.
Dinner was a little more than awkward. Over stew we told about our supposed trip to grandma and grandpa's place, what we'd done, and how our return trip was delayed when 'Hikari' (who by the way was still playing blind) caught cold.
"So…" I began awkwardly after an awkward silence that followed the tale. "What're … y'know … all you ninja doing around here? Is something going on?"
"Sorry; I'm not allowed to tell you that," Torakou said simply. "We'll all be leaving soon though, so no worries."
"I see," I said.
The man smirked. "So, Tai-san, you're a swordsman?"
Lee started. "O-oh … I am sorry, I should have left them at the door. I really never take them off, so I suppose I did not notice…"
"Hm. Dual wielding, huh? Not the most common style among long swords, but one that requires a great deal of strength and control in equal parts. It's the style I myself favor, though I specialize in ninjatou – shinobigatana rather than regular katana."
"Ninjatou?" Lee asked, probably just pretending he didn't know of them.
"Straighter edge," Torakou clarified. "Anyways, it's not often that you come across another double-wielding swordsman. We must have a spar tomorrow."
Lee was being watched for a reaction, and his spoon froze halfway to his mouth. Then he laughed. "I am afraid I would quite embarrass myself against a shinobi, Torakou-san!"
"Y-yes," Hinata added, setting down her glass with careful uncertainty. "Onii-san has never had any p-professional training, after all…"
"Here we go," the other Oto captain said, "This fellow's looking to show off."
"I wouldn't show off against a civilian," he defended. "Please, Tai-san, I insist."
"Well, how can I say no?" Lee said with a cheerful face.
This isn't good.
Neji ネジ
–"You have an opportunity to redeem yourself. I've decided to place you in charge of the strike on New Konoha… It is time to finish them."–
"Where is he?" I muttered to myself, hurrying down the halls at a brisk walk. Hopefully he hadn't left already… "Byakugan–!" It was one of those days; my kekkei genkai was acting up, but I'd glimpsed him at least.
–"I have confidence in your capabilities, Neji-kun. Do try not to disappoint me…"–
I stopped where I'd seen him; he wasn't further down the hall, but he couldn't have moved that fast unless he'd decided to sprint down the hallway. Then I heard a quiet voice nearby.
"Uchiha," I said, opening the door to a startled yelp – and a fist aimed at my face. I caught his hand and raised an eyebrow at the wide-eyed boy as he blinked in surprise, disoriented.
"H-Hyuuga-san…?" He shook his head. "Darn it, don't sneak up on me like that!"
I released his fist. "I have a simple assignment for you, but first… What are you doing in the broom closet?" I asked, eyeing him.
"…Hn," he said, looking away. I crossed my arms.
"Then what did you just slip into your pocket?"
"Nothing," he grunted.
"I'm sure you're aware I'm not in the best of moods with you, Uchiha…"
"Is that a threat–?"
"What do you think?!" I hissed, grabbing the neck of his shirt in one hand and slamming him against the wall a foot off the ground. A small, half-inch thick disc was promptly flung my way; I dropped him as my free hand snapped to catch it.
"Take it if it means that much to you, Hyuuga-san!" he snapped, straightening his shirt indignantly. I glowered a moment and popped the disc open.
I blinked.
"…How rather feminine of you, Uchiha," I said, shutting the compact mirror and handing it over.
He snatched it away. "It's this pimple," he muttered, blushing slightly.
I saw that there was indeed a microscopic pimple near his nose. So the genin was fretting over the first zit ever to mar his beautiful face? I snorted. That was a bit vain, even for him… "You can break down over acne on your own time. I've a message that needs to make its way to New Konoha."
"What is it?" he said.
"New Sound is striking New Leaf at 1200 hours tomorrow with a force of one hundred."
"Wh – what?!"
"So when we strike at 800 hours with a force of three hundred shinobi, we will finally crush them. And if they appear somehow to be fully prepared and ready… let's just say I'll know who to hunt down."
"Tch. I got it; 1200 hours with a force of a hundred. So the resistance ends tomorrow, huh?" he said, starting to pass me. "I guess now New Oto needs all its focus for bigger and better things."
"Indeed it does…" I turned my head to the boy beside me. "Uchiha."
He stopped. "Hyuuga-san?"
"I know why you lied yesterday," I said in a quiet tone. "I applaud your ingenuity. In exposing a liar, you gained favor with Orochimaru-sama without losing any of New Konoha's trust. But there's a problem with this picture – how is it that you yourself weren't discovered? How did you manage to lie to Godaime-sama's face and go unnoticed?"
"Lie, Hyuuga-san?" he said, eyeing me oddly, and so true was the look on his face that for a second he got me to believe I was crazy.
"Y… You don't have to pretend," I said, unnerved but not showing it. "I already know–,"
"I am a loyal soldier of New Oto, Hyuuga-san, and I'd appreciate it if you stopped trying to convince me otherwise," he said icily. Indignant, he turned and walked away. "If you'll excuse me now."
Teeth clenched, I was still staring for long after he had vanished in a swirling gust of leaves. By all indications, he was telling the truth … but if that was so, then what was wrong with me?!
No, now isn't the time to start losing your cool. You already slipped once, after all…
I turned to go back down the hall; I was to meet in a few minutes with the captains I'd be commanding in tomorrow's raid.
He's got some manner of trick on his side… I need to be more careful around him. I should assume that if it is ever allowed to come to my word against his, things will be dangerous.
Lee リー
There is no talking him out of it, I guess… I clutched the katana tightly in my hands.
"You seem nervous, Tai-san," the Oto-nin commented, sinking comfortably into a stance with two straight-edged swords in hand. "It's nothing but a friendly fight. Loosen up; I won't hurt you."
"Right," I said, "I guess I am ready when you are."
"Okay, then." He shifted one of the swords slightly; the light of the morning sun behind me glanced off the blade and flashed sharply in my eyes.
I cannot see!
I blinked hard – and moved my right hand. Metal struck metal, a katana sharply halting the swing of a forceful ninjatou uncomfortably near my neck. I took in a shaky gasp as my wide eyes locked with the smirking man's calm ones. H-he would have killed me?! No, of course not! He would have stopped had I not blocked in time… right?
"Tai!" Naruto cried from where he and the others were watching.
"I am fine!" I called, shooting him a look. Do not blow it now!
"Not bad at all," my opponent remarked, and the pressure on our locked swords suddenly increased. Panicked thoughts sprinted through my mind as I allowed his blade to inch closer.
No fourteen-year-old non-ninja swordsman would be strong enough to hold him off! Stop him and the secret is out, or do not stop him and … hope that since you appear to be a civilian he will not harm you!
A cold edge touched my neck.
Torakou whirled, striking fiercely from the other side. I blocked again and spun away, avoiding a stab toward my abdomen.
Kuso – Kuso! I thought as he attacked again. He is not fighting to win – he is trying to expose my true level of skill! Am I reacting too swiftly? Or demonstrating too much strength? I cannot tell! But if his game is truly to test me by striking as if to kill, then if I am to fall into a potential-death position…!
I parried a strike, and his other blade flashed in the opposite direction to hack the katana from my grasp. I swung for his shoulder at a controlled speed – and released my second blade as his ninjatou lashed sharply against it.
…Then it will appear as though I have shown the full extent of my ability.
I allowed myself to be disarmed and pinned to the ground, a straight blade's edge resting at my throat. I gulped.
"Eto… It seems I have been defeated, Torakou-san."
"So it seems," he agreed. "But see, I'm really curious about something."
"And that would be…?" I inquired, holding his smug gaze.
"Who are you, really?" he asked lightly.
I gave a look of surprise. "What do you mean? I am Tai…"
"Hm… So tell me, Tai – why do you wield the katana of Kozue Kuri?"
I missed a heartbeat.
Metal began to slide against my neck.
The sword seemed to vanish into thin air. As the man clenched and opened his hand in surprise, an orange and blue blur from nowhere slammed into Torakou's side, knocking him off of me.
The two rolled on the ground, Naruto ending up below him and vanishing to appear a few yards off; Torakou's sword slashed only the earth. Naruto kicked the air, and a harsh impact sprayed blood from the man's mouth. The boy shadow substituted to stomp on the sword before the Oto-nin could lift it. He lashed a heel back, and another invisible blow forcefully caught the captain's face.
I stood up, quickly grabbing a katana. If we could defeat them before any other Oto-nin were alerted…!
Hinata crashed into the ground next to me with a thud. She sat up quickly. "No, stop her–!"
I whirled, following the girl's wide eyes to spot a signal flare rocketing into the air.
No…
"Kuso!" Naruto appeared near me, a ninjatou clattering under his foot. As Hinata lunged again toward Akane, I caught sight of the other ninjatou rising independently a few meters behind Naruto. It pointed toward him.
I moved at full speed and whirled to drive and elbow into his gut. Naruto lurched forward, shocked.
"Wh…?"
The blade shot over his head and clapped into Torakou's waiting hand. "Akane!" the man barked, and he body flickered.
The two appeared thirty yards away. And over the course of a few seconds, a dozen others joined them.
Twelve, Part Two: Omen - Crimson Warrior
Hinata ヒナタ
"Three enemy shinobi of uncertain level, loyalty unknown," Torakou said to the others, glaring at the three of us.
"N – Naraku!" the boy, Inari, called.
"Don't worry about us!" Naruto said. "Just get away! Hide in the house or something, we'll be fine!"
"No way…" I heard this spoken quietly as Naruto was talking.
"What is it?" Torakou asked one of his men.
"It's the demon-child and his demon-friends!" the ninja said, pointing. "They're supposed to be dead!!"
I started; none of us had been called such in a long time. I then noticed that among the group were headbands of New Oto as well as Oto, and recognized the face of the chuunin who had spoken. Of course… The New Sound ninja are all former Leaf shinobi! Why hadn't we thought of that sooner? And how lucky had we been to have not encountered anyone who knew us until now?
"Hey, y-you're right – it is them!"
"They're nothing but a few genin, sir, and weak ones at that!" the first New Oto man said. "It'll be easy."
"Then why don't you six do the honors?" Torakou said tonelessly, his eyes calculating. "I'll be sure to put in a good word about you for capturing these nukenin."
With various shouts of affirmation, the six New Oto shinobi raced toward us. But there was something odd about their formation… They're not in a formation, I realized, They aren't even bothering to scatter or try to surround us… That makes me feel a little… insulted.
"How confident of them," Lee observed at a mutter, clearly sharing a similar sentiment.
"Hinata, hurry," Naruto said. "Time for Gouka Toppa."
"R-right!" I said, racing through handseals as Naruto quickly completed those for his own technique. We both inhaled.
I loosed the fireball at an angle, so that it would pass in front of Naruto. It would have – but as soon as it was before him he blasted from his mouth a shockwave of wind.
Fire exploded forward.
Hellfire Breakthrough!
One body flickered. Two more dodged. Three were blasted by the speeding stream of flame.
The blaze barreled so far that even the eight Oto-nin who'd stayed back had to dodge it. I winced slightly at the cries of the three who hadn't been so fortunate. Hopefully they aren't hurt too badly… Even if they were enemies now, the six were once fellow Leaf shinobi…
Lee had already taken out one of the evading Sound chuunin with a powerful blow from behind (I blinked. When had Lee moved?). I jumped, kicking both feet back and tapping my boots at the center of each sole; bursts of chakra from my fingers reached two seals hidden under the tape dressing the instep of each foot, and my boots vanished. I could summon them back the same way or, should the ink on the bottom of my feet smudge, retrieve my shoes from a scroll I'd linked them to as well.
I landed on my feet. I'm coming–!
Naruto threw out a shadow sliding kick. A chuunin dashing toward Lee seemed to trip over the ground if anything, and the heel of Lee's palm connected with his jaw.
Or not… I thought as the man was sprawled out on his back, unconscious. That's three who are down from the combination attack, two who evaded caught by Naruto-kun and Lee-kun, and the last one who seems to think she's sneaking up on me, I thought, watching with the Byakugan as a certain Hyuuga Hisaki approached from behind.
"I'll capture you for Neji-sama–!"
I leaned forward. A gentle fist intended for my back struck only air. As both hands met the ground I drew one leg up, knee almost to my shoulder, before thrusting back; my heel rammed into the older Hyuuga's gut, a gentle kick that pushed her off her feet.
"It's good to see you, too, cousin," I said, rising again to full height and casting a glance over my shoulder.
"What the – what was that?!" she hissed, wincing visibly as she stood. "You c-can't be that whiny little scrap of Main House garbage! And those other two – you're supposed to be weak–!"
"Insult me if you'd like…"
I threw a fist into her stomach, and then slipped aside to drop an elbow near the base of her neck. She smacked into the ground.
"But kindly leave those two out of it."
I lunged to the side when I spotted a kunai coming from behind. The knife flashed past, and I turned to block an Oto-nin's punch; I backpedalled as I stopped two more strong jabs, but the following kick, blocked at my shoulder, knocked me off my feet. I slid and sprang up again, landing in a crouch.
"Idiots!" the man grunted, slinging Hisaki over a shoulder and flickering away. Supporting their unconscious or injured comrades, the Sound ninja gathered again by the captains.
Face twisted in rage, Torakou (who, having taken two good kicks to the face, didn't look too good himself) was speaking quickly to Akane; the woman stared toward us, aghast, as she listened to whatever he was saying. Jogging up to stand by Naruto and Lee, I was soon able to make out the furious captain's words.
"No one must delay the progress of this mission," he growled harshly, spitting out the words. "Do you understand? You will kill them if it costs you your life."
The woman nodded, the eerily cold resolve and the speed at which it filled her eyes causing me to tremble. Fear was gone: she was prepared to die here. "Hai."
Torakou slapped her on the shoulder. "You will not fail Lord Orochimaru!" he barked, and he and the others ran.
What?! They're leaving her to fight alone? He may be aiming to avoid further injury to the group, but where exactly are they running to? Whatever mission they have in Nami whose progress they can't afford to delay… Why leave one to hold us off and flee to the west? Unless…
"We can't let the rest get away–!"
I shifted. Cold metal opened a scratch on my cheek. It was a blur – three solid blows rapidly battering my moving forearms before a knee rammed in hard beneath my ribcage. My vision flickered away for a moment as I found myself suddenly unable to breathe.
A knife was coming toward my neck. I shut my eyes and spun.
In a feeble excuse for a Kaiten my chakra sprang out in a short burst, smacking into and halting Akane like a wall. Naruto swung a kunai, and the Oto kunoichi's knife jumped out of her hand. The next second I realized Lee had kicked over my head; his heel slammed into Akane's face.
"Hinata, why should we have stopped the others? What's going on?" Naruto asked quietly as our foe recovered, swiftly getting to her feet.
A grunt escaped me as I got my back to straighten. "I-it's only a theory, but either way it's too late now. This captain is jounin level and prepared to kill us by any means necessary. It'll take all three of us to defeat her."
"Then we had best defeat her quickly as possible," Lee said.
"Right," Naruto agreed. "Why don't we try the substitution combination formation…?"
"You just enjoy saying that," Lee pointed out, "but yes, that one might work. Let us aim to deal a lot of damage fast…"
"Whatever you're planning over there is useless!" Akane yelled. "For making yourselves obstacles to Orochimaru-sama's goal… on my honor as a Youkou warrior, all of you will die!" Her hands began flying through seals.
"Naruto–!"
"I'm on it!" he said, throwing a heel kick. He substituted to close range, where the woman barely blocked at her head in time, seal weaving interrupted. She lashed out, and he vanished to appear behind her.
This combination Naruto-kun came up with actually draws much of its form from the Kageken… but unlike the Kageken, it focuses on letting three people utilize their individual strengths to the fullest.
I watched closely as Naruto defended against dangerous strikes.
Also, since we are different people, the kawarimi is probably a little more difficult. Even more than that, though, it takes total and complete, unquestionable trust. This technique … is a testament to the strength of the bond between us!
"Naruto-kun!" I called, already mimicking his position as Akane threw a kick. The boy understood and made no effort to escape or dodge, even leaning into it.
We switched places, and a shin met the side of my ribcage. One of Akane's deep crimson eyes snapped shut as her shin was hurt a great deal more than my ribs were.
My strength: the hardness of my bones.
I grasped the neck of the turtleneck under her flak jacket and headbutted her in the face; she staggered back, but managed to block as I threw two jabs. If she was going to block…
I drew a fist back. "Lee-kun!"
"Yosh! Crushing–," He allowed me to substitute with him, "–Fist!!"
The woman's eyes widened as Lee's blow met her crossed arms.
Lee-kun's strong point: bone-crushing physical force.
Before she could react he threw a kick at her side. As he aimed the next strike for her jaw, I felt a strange force.
That's not going to work, I thought, smirking as I easily blocked Akane's attempted kawarimi with me. We weren't simply leaving ourselves open to substitution; in much the same way that I'd grown accustomed enough to Kurogiba's mental presence that he was allowed into my mind subconsciously, while still I was left none the more vulnerable to others' genjutsu and the like; only Naruto could freely substitute with me, only I with Naruto, and only Naruto or I with Lee. It was there that the trust came in – to let oneself grow accustomed to, and even practice overcoming the barrier of the natural reaction to counter a kawarimi, so that one was conditioned to allow any certain person to replace with oneself at any given time, was something most shinobi would never begin to consider.
"Lee!" Naruto shouted to the boy as the trade of blows shifted dangerously against him. Naruto replaced into harm's way and shadow-substituted out of it again in rapid succession.
Naruto-kun's strength: the capacity to easily avoid being struck or pinned down.
Pulling off what he called the Shadow Snatch Technique, he quickly disarmed the Oto-nin before advancing to attack with the stolen kunai. Akane hit his wrist as she dodged, causing him to drop it; she threw a punch, and he materialized a meter to the side and threw his own. After two blocked blows, he called out as he anticipated her dodging away from a swing.
Naruto, who though not by too much was the slowest of the three of us, swapped places with Lee, who was easily the fastest. Blood shot from Akane's mouth as Lee's fist slammed into her face.
This is it! I thought, preparing to move at any moment.
As sharp a thud as they came entered the air along with a sound of pain as Lee buried another fist in her stomach. He began to draw back his left, his hand a palm.
"Hinata-san–!"
"Hai!"
Arms hastily crossed before her chest in defense were penetrated by a burst of chakra as I lashed out with a Juuken palm.
With an angry yell, she kicked me in the shin, grabbed my arm, and knocked me to the ground with a shoulder to my sternum. I grunted, shaking off pain even as I rolled onto my feet and raced forward again.
She leapt backwards, hands forming a seal; the earth rose up on either side of her and moved forward, shaping swiftly into a pair of identical copies of the kunoichi. The two earth clones lunged toward me, each with a kunai drawn.
Naruto-kun … I trust you.
I charged for the original, heedless of the incoming blades.
A deep gouge tore into each replication's arm, causing both to drop their kunai. As I was passing both were slashed invisibly across their throats and crumpled into stone once more.
I've got you! I thought, nails turning to claws as I began to slash. As expected of a jounin, she wasn't slow to recover from the surprise of my getting past her clones. More unexpected, however, was that she whisked out a kunai and lunged toward me.
She won't try to dodge?!
I gasped as I saw the knife coming toward my eye. She had the greater reach.
I needed to dodge, now–!
CHING!
A familiar orange flicker, and her kunai was knocked well off course. I jumped into the opportunity, shredding across her lower flak jacket with a backhand slash.
"I've got your back!" Naruto yelled, running up to watch from fifteen yards to the side and a little behind me. I nodded and attacked.
Akane tossed her knife to her left hand and swung. The strike was sharply deflected, and she shifted so that my claws barely missed her as I lunged by. She stabbed toward my back as I began to strike out again; her blade suddenly turned aside so that her clenched hand met my back instead, and claws lightly grazed her side as she dodged away. After feinting with her left she stabbed with another quickly drawn knife. As I spun inside of the strike her left stabbed low, only to be repelled just before I raked her right arm.
She screamed, and I cringed. I recalled for only an instant a fight two months ago, my shoulder slashed open by malicious claws.
Two Naruto clones flowed into existence in front of Akane, grabbing forearm and wrist to pull straightened arms back. She stared, wide-eyed and helpless, as I drove a palm into her chest.
My hand fell to my side. Naruto's clones vanished, and Akane slumped to her knees. My teeth ground.
I held back.
"Chikusho… You…!"
A headbutt landed hard at my middle. The next second Akane was again at full height, hands clasping my own, fingers interlocked. She wouldn't let me pull away.
"Kinjutsu…" she hissed through her teeth, a somewhat predatory glint lighting dulled crimson eyes. "Art of the Encroaching Darkness."
She's still … so fast! I thought, struggling to escape. It was useless; she had my hands tightly locked in a deathgrip.
Her chakra changed from the common blue to a sickly black; unlike the black that my chakra might become when the Seal was active, this blackness didn't seem to be chakra at all. I couldn't describe it; it was like a sick, twisted antithesis of chakra, and made me think of plague. Flowing through her was no longer the essence of life, but that of death.
It tried to enter through my hands.
I swore, clasping tightly and curling my fingers as my nails sprang into claws, sinking deep between the knuckles of the woman's hands. Whether she felt pain or not, she showed nothing. Rather, the diseased energy was conducted quite a bit more easily by my claws and crept into my hands, promptly turning my nails back to normal.
The plague rolled up my arms like tar, hardly even impeded by the scars on my right arm – which seemed only a tribute to the sheer unnaturalness of the substance. My chakra disappeared where it touched, and I lost all feeling in my arms; if I hadn't been able to see them, I would have questioned whether they were there. It spread at an alarming rate, entering my torso and crawling up and down; my body felt like it was vanishing. I tried to kick her shin, but my foot didn't respond, already blocked off from me. A scream of terror was silenced as it reached my throat, erased my voice. I realized that once it had spread to my belly, found the center of my keirakukei, the darkness would extinguish that flame of life.
And kill me.
Amid the terror, moments from death, frozen stiff with half my body nonexistent and the rest leaden and icy and growing colder, I heard Lee yelling something just as my hearing faded away. And just before my Byakugan failed, I was able to catch sight of Lee, from behind me, strongly flinging a katana hilt-first to Naruto, and Naruto, spinning sharply in place, nimbly grasp the hilt as the sword reached and would have shot past him.
My Byakugan failed, and my vision soon followed. I saw only a horrifying default black, and for a short and sickening instant neither I nor anything else existed. There was nothing, nothing but the sinister anti-chakra and my rapidly vanishing keirakukei center.
Then the world was there again, light and color and smells and sound, the suddenly cherished, never before quite so valuable and appreciated feel of my body, my being, my chakra, healthy and pure. There was a feel of rough fingers sliding from my hands, smell of blood in the salty air, feel of liquid hitting my face, sound of more splattering to the ground. And I saw to my right Naruto, head low, a katana in hand outstretched to his right blazing with purple and streaming with crimson; and before me Akane, wide-eyed, spewing blood, and bleeding heavily from a slash across her abdomen.
My stomach lurched. That was not the most tremendously pleasant first sight that could have greeted me.
She crashed to her hands and knees at my feet, hacking out more blood. Then, trembling in pain, she cursed us.
Pain flashed in Naruto's eyes. "Just – just don't move, and you might survive! I can – I can try to–!"
"Now I can't feel anything, either…" She murmured. "Turning my life force into poison, and failing to infect any one of you in time… It's too late… It's a suicide technique… M-my lord… I failed…" she squeaked the word.
I gulped as her sobbing, at some point, transformed into laughter. Suddenly she lifted her hands, clasping my shirt at my shoulder and side, giving me a start of surprise. "You may have g-gotten me, but you don't stand a chance against the rest… It's hopeless, you hear?" I flinched away as she feebly rose up before slumping strengthless against me, arms around my neck as if in an embrace.
More than her ashen skin, her voice drenched in hatred and malice that remained eerily unchanged even as sound itself seemed to decline with each word, or the fact that I could feel her warm blood soaking into my shirt as she clung to me, what froze my breath in my throat was the expression on her face. The miserable smile that twisted her dripping mouth, the tears still streaming steadily down her face, and the laughing blood red eyes that pierced cleanly through my own, warped and sightless and blazing with a hellish glow as they cursed my very soul.
"My group was o-only preparing… Dozens more will be here tomorrow, they're on the way now … I h-hope they burn this place to the g-ground… I hope they kill you all…!"
I was trembling badly, my body frozen with fear. It felt impossible to remove my eyes from hers.
"See you in the afterlife–!"
Lee came from nowhere. He grabbed Akane by the back of her shirt, pulled her away, and unceremoniously shoved a foot into my belly, prying her off of me by forcing me away. I fell to the ground, looking up in time to see him take a step away from us before throwing her hard with both hands.
"L-Lee, what–?!"
He turned and tackled Naruto to the ground; and as she flew away from us, unblinking in shock, I saw a foul word form on Akane's lips just before a hand on my forehead shoved me down.
BOOM!!
…
…Oh, Kami-sama…! I thought a few seconds after the shockwave had passed, tears leaking uncontrollably from my eyes. I stared unblinking at the sky, a hand cupped over my mouth in horror. Sitting up, Naruto broke the still silence after staring for several moments.
"P… Paper bombs?" he whispered slowly, sounding as though he might be scared to speak louder.
Lee sat up, his eyes closed and teeth clenched a moment, before he nodded soberly. "Highest grade, it seems. She must have been covered in them."
I shut my eyes, retreated into my mind, tried not to think about what had just happened. Orochimaru's followers really worshipped him that way? Awful… The three of us are only a small obstacle compared to their forces – a river, not even, a shallow stream in their path that could easily be hopped across. But to sacrifice someone that simply … to leave her to become a stepping stone to make crossing just a little bit easier…! I tried to hold back further tears.
"Hinata-san, are you hurt?"
I sat up, taking a deep breath and shaking my head. "…Th-thank you both," I managed quietly. More hesitantly, I went on to ask, "Lee-kun, h-how did you…?"
"Since I was behind you, I saw her form a seal with one hand; that was the only clue."
"Oh…"
–"You will not fail Lord Orochimaru!"–
–"For standing in the way of Lord Orochimaru's goal, all of you will die!"–
–"M-my lord… I failed…"–
"Hinata," Naruto began. "You were the first to figure out we shouldn't let the others get away – so they couldn't alert the rest of their force, right? But why does Oto need that many guys here in Nami?"
–"I hope they kill you all…!"–
Youkou Akane, the crimson warrior, with as complete a devotion to her Hokage as disregard for her own life, had fought desperately to kill any one of us in a violent battle right up to her bloody, bitter end. I only wish I'd somehow known it then, but her gruesome demise may have been our forewarning – a premonition of the day to come. At the very least, my young heart might have been just a little more prepared for the bloodshed that was soon to follow.
"Because," I answered, "Orochimaru isn't after Nami at all. He really wants…"
Hanabi ハナビ
"Kirigakure no Sato?! That's insanity – Orochimaru plans to start a war with the Mist Village?!!" Kiba roared, while Shikamaru, even as thoughts darted to and fro behind his furrowed brow, muttered for him to quiet down. Kiba and Chouji had come to talk me out of giving up – a conversation that wasn't putting me in a cheerful mood – Sakura had come along but hadn't said a thing, Shikamaru (who was today getting by with a crutch for support) maintained a disapproving air toward the other boys, and Sasuke had just shown up, Anko in tow, with some startling news.
"Wait, hold on!" Anko said, shaking her head. She'd been surprised as the rest of us. "Even if that's true and Sound's going to invade Mizu no Kuni tomorrow, what're we supposed to do about it?"
"If you'll let me finish," Sasuke went on, "from what I heard, Orochimaru's intent is to hit Mist hard before it can recover from the recent death of their elderly Mizukage. But in order to focus all its resources and power on the war that'll almost definitely be triggered, he finally decided Sound's garnered just about as much support out of Leaf as it's going to get."
Shikamaru's eyes, narrowed in thought, seemed to triple in size. "Wait! You don't mean…?"
Sasuke nodded. "New Sound plans to wipe out New Leaf tomorrow – noon, with a force of a hundred."
Naruto ナルト
"Y-you're all alright? All in one piece?" Tazuna said, awed. "You kids fought off all those ninja?" The three of them were seated together in a corner, windows shuttered, lights off. Seeing this, I was silently thankful to find Inari hadn't been watching through the window.
I shook my head at his question. "Not all of them, just Akane. The rest ran away," I explained as they stood. I glanced back toward Hinata, who was hiding herself behind me – not wanting to be seen while her clothes were drenched in the captain's blood, though her dark outfit left this mostly unnoticeable. "Could Hinata – that's her real name – could she use the shower?"
Blushing slightly, the girl gave me a quick, grateful look before she picked up her bag and followed as Tsunami showed her to the bathroom.
"Naruto…"
I managed a smile. "Hey, Inari…"
Eyes watering, the boy ran toward me and threw his arms around my waist. "I'm really, really glad you're okay!" he bawled.
"Hey, what're these tears for?" I chuckled, patting his back.
"You're the coolest – you came and chased off those mean Sound ninja for us, and now everything's going to be okay again, right?" he asked eagerly.
I ground my teeth, torn. If only it was that simple… The younger boy's face fell when he met my eyes.
"Naruto…?" he said, confused.
"I'm sorry… but I'm not so sure…"
I didn't want to run away… and I wanted to believe we could do it if we just tried hard enough, I really did! I would have loved to be able to tell Inari he was right and everything was going to be okay.
…But against dozens upon dozens of Sound shinobi… what could we do?
"How bad is it?" Tazuna asked. He had seen it on my face.
I just barely held in tears, fighting not to choke up. "Pretty bad…"
…As such, we have reason to believe that Nami no Kuni is being utilized by New Oto as one of possibly several launching points for an invasion of Mizu and Kirigakure tomorrow. As some proof of our words, the hitai-ate belonged to now-deceased Youkou Akane, the Oto captain we managed to defeat here.
In the interest of Nami and Mizu, we intend to hold them off for as long as possible, but the situation will be dire. Please, tighten your defense and ready your village, and send help as swiftly as possible.
Konoha shinobi Rock Lee,
Uzumaki Naruto, and
Hinata.
Was there even a point in signing our names that way? They were the names of three nukenin claiming loyalty to a village that technically didn't exist anymore. Well, if anything it couldn't hurt.
After giving the ink a moment to dry, Lee rolled the small scroll shut and placed both the message and a neatly folded, charred and bloodstained Sound headband into a sack before tying it off and handing it to my shadow clone. Nodding, my clone and Hinata's boarded the messenger's boat. The middle-aged man studied the three of us still on the dock with a weary sigh.
"So a trio of nukenin is fighting for us, huh… I feel blessed," he said flatly.
"Hey, what're you getting at?" I asked. "We're not abandoning Wave. If Orochimaru wants to try starting a war, he'll have to do it without getting this peaceful land caught up in the crossfire.
"Don't get me wrong, kid. You and your team really came through for us last time, and we're glad you did – heck, the economy's already starting to show signs it's on its way to recovery. But this time it's different, and there's no guarantee Mist is gonna help out, either. There's no official seal of verification, no nothing; just some fugitives' word and a headband. It's not like it's your duty to risk your lives here. No one's about to hold it against you if you take off. It would be the smart thing to do."
My gaze fell, and quietly I observed the waves that slapped lightly at the deck. "Y-yeah, but…"
"Think carefully now. Just how strong is your resolve to protect this place…?"
I… don't know…
A hand landed on my shoulder. "We will figure something out," Lee said surely, and Hinata nodded. "We are not going anywhere. Be assured that when the time comes, we will neither run nor die."
The man gave us one long look before shutting his eyes a moment and turning away. "Kids these days…" he muttered, starting his boat.
"Please hurry," Hinata said over the rumble of the engine.
"No worries there. Sit tight, doppelgangers, this baby's a fast one."
The rumble loudened to a dull roar, and the boat sped away, heading to the east. We watched for a minute, until it finally vanished from sight.
"So now we can only pray…" Hinata murmured.
"Hey, we can do a bit more than that," Lee said with attempted optimism.
"Like what?"
"Well, for one thing…" I jerked a thumb toward the six Oto ships lined up on the shore. "We can make a hell of a lot of firewood."
Twelve, Part Three: Stillness - Final Day
Hanabi ハナビ
Scrunching up my face and mustering up plenty of effort, I lifted the bucket of powder up to hand it off to Izumo-sensei. Wait, no… Izumo-san, I corrected myself. He smiled as he took it effortlessly in one hand.
"Aren't you a hard worker?" he said. "Don't push yourself too hard, okay, Hanabi-chan? Go ahead and take a break, and why don't you get some fresh air while you're at it?"
"Okay," I said, nodding.
"Hey, Kotetsu, what's the holdup?!" he called as the other tokubetsu jounin approached from the way I'd come, carrying two buckets himself. Izumo leaned down and whispered loudly to me. "That lazy guy could learn a thing or two from you, Hanabi-chan," he said, earning a small giggle. "There we go, I got a smile out of her! You should do that more often, okay?"
I nodded. "Hai!"
Kotetsu chuckled, handing his load to Izumo. "Okay, pal, keep the route moving. The traps won't set themselves."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," the man said, turning to head further down the tunnel.
Everyone in New Konoha is always so nice, I thought as I walked back, taking a path to the surface. Even if sometimes they argue and fight, they always get over it and always stick together. It's almost like a…
I was frightfully hesitant to use the word I had in mind; after what it had always been applied to and eventually associated with, what it had come to mean to me after so many years, it just didn't seem to fit. But then I thought about other kids I'd seen, at the academy or the park, the way I'd almost rudely stared on in envious fascination as my eye happened to be caught by parents or siblings or cousins or grandparents as they smiled so fondly at a relative, and it was easier to accept the positive connotation of the word.
At the top of a ladder, I climbed out of the trapdoor to emerge under a tall tree.
I clasped a hand at my heart as I remembered my Nee-chan's loving face, her gentle hands, her stuttering voice, her caring eyes. And I nodded slightly as a single tear rolled down my cheek.
It's kind of like a family…
And I really, really hoped none of my family got hurt tomorrow.
Hinata ヒナタ
"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!"
It's not good enough yet, I thought as I repeatedly lashed my foot against the tree, returned it to the ground, and kicked once more. I'd more or less mastered using the back of the heel thirty minutes ago, and though the Juuken wasn't as powerful as it would be in a more practiced palm strike, it was passable. I was having a little more trouble trying to release a burst of chakra from the first knuckle of my foot.
"Ha! Ha! Ha– agh!" I winced, flinching only very briefly as a drop of blood fell from my foot. I lowered it and kicked again.
There's not always an opportunity to throw a kick that uses the bottom of the foot, anyways. Anything may help. The more options I have, the better…
Ten minutes later brought some progress; I started getting acceptable chakra bursts out of the kicks. I would practice a little longer, stretch, and call it a day. There was certainly no need to tire myself out before tomorrow. And I also had a small errand to run…
"It's perfect…" I said, looking closely at the trinket on the shelf. The pendant of the necklace was a hexagon composed of three rhombuses, a raised outline running along the outer edge of the hexagon and an inscribed triangle etched lightly within it. The triangle's corners touched three of the hexagon's, and it was positioned so that the edges of the rhombuses bisected each side. It could be unclipped into three separate diamonds and snapped together again. The pendant was nearly identical to the one I currently held, differing only with a slightly lighter color that would be hard to distinguish at a glance.
"You'll have that necklace as well?" the shopkeeper asked next to me. "It's a little more expensive."
I nodded. "Ano, b-but… It's a long story, but I f-find I cannot touch that one," I admitted, blushing slightly. The second I'm around strangers, it seems, this stutter returns… "Could you…?"
He was surprised, but took the pendant off the shelf before bringing it to the counter. I set the first one next to it.
"Will that be all?"
"I need one more chain, s-similar to that one's…" After he retrieved a matching chain I had him put it on one of the second pendant's separated rhombuses. He boxed the two necklaces made from the second pendant, and once the boxes, the remaining piece, and the still whole first pendant were placed in the bag he gave me the total.
"There must be a mistake; it's t-too low," I said, having been expecting a much higher price.
"Those are for those friends of yours, right?"
"Hai," I said, surprised. Had word spread that fast? "A good luck charm, I s-suppose…"
"So, you're one of those missing-nin they've been talking about…" Pity was on his face as a sad smile formed under his mustache. "I imagined they were older…"
"We've made up our minds," I said firmly. "We're not going to run, and we won't die, either."
"I see," he said in a moment with a chuckle. "Then I think I can manage giving a discount – after all, it's for the good luck of the ninja who are going to fight and win for us."
I smiled, giving him the payment. "Arigatou gozaimasu."
Naruto ナルト
"Haha! I finished mine first!"
"No way, you're done already?"
"Betcha weren't reading carefully!"
"Shut up! I was too!"
"He must've had the shortest one."
"Quiet down!" I ordered four bickering shadow clones. "You're making a fool of ourself." Looking to Inari, I added, "Isn't it boring to watch me study?"
He shook his head quickly. "It's totally cool!"
I laughed. "If you say so. When all of you finish reading your sections, dispel in order about a minute apart. Got it?" I asked the bunshin, and they nodded. I'd finished the book a couple of weeks ago; now I was attempting to review as many crucial points as possible. Since it wasn't brand new information to me, it wasn't overwhelming.
Shutting my eyes, I tried to think about as little as possible. When the first wave of information washed into my mind, I focused on it until the next came. A few minutes later all four sections felt freshly read in my mind.
I picked up the book again, flipping open to another chapter. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" Five shadow clones appeared, each with a replicated book opened to the same page. "Section one, section two, three, four, and five," I assigned, pointing to each of the doppelgangers in turn. They nodded and set to work covering the chapter.
"Boss, look!"
Looking to the larger group of clones on the other side of the living room floor, I watched as a rather long gash on one's arm slowly but surely began to mend and knit closed under the healing chakra of another. This group was working in pairs, hurting and healing one another. I nodded. "Good. Keep it up."
Feeling a little fatigued, I dispelled one of the clones that was dozing in the other room. I would need to physically rest my body, yes; but the mental drain of using so many clones could be eased this way.
"Say, Inari…" I spoke quietly, so the clones could focus. "You're not, y'know… worried or scared at all?"
He shook his head. "I know you're not gonna lose to anyone. As long as you're here, we have nothing to worry about!"
I smiled. Look at this… This time around, he's the one picking me up…
A spark of memory came from a clone much farther away. So that's where they are, huh… I had clones interspersed a short way along the coast of Fire and, mainly focused on the Sound army's path, a great number of miles west as well, almost spaced in a gridlike pattern. All were disguised as rocks and whatnot, monitoring their progress. Every once in a while one would dispel itself to report their position, while the rest that were passed trailed a safe distance behind.
The force was still moving fairly slow; high speed was impossible for such great numbers. In fact, this clone had gotten close enough to come up with a rough estimate of their numbers.
I didn't like those numbers at all.
Lee リー
For as long as I could remember, I had preferred training in the forest over anyplace else. Maybe the love had grown over time; maybe it was simply what I was accustomed to. I was generally happy any time I was training, yes, but the green smells of the forest, the sounds of a breeze furrowing its way through the trees, the scenery and the occasional glimpse of an animal, somehow made me the most comfortable of all.
I thought back on all those years ago, frequently escaping the insults and jeering of classmates by fleeing to a forested training ground. It was the sanctuary where I had most often committed myself to hour after hour of push-ups, jump roping, punches, kicks, pull-ups, crunches, and squats; where I had first met Guy-sensei; where I had been many times trounced by Neji and helped up again by Tenten; where I had stayed to put in a few to several hours of extra work after every team training session, no exceptions rain, hail, sprained ankle, broken arm, or influenza regardless; where I had gone to cry when I was told that Otou-san and Okaa-san were…
I stopped moving.
Yes… I liked forests very much. I suppose I am a Leaf shinobi through and through, I mused with a slight smile. I kicked a twig out into the air in front of me, drawing back my right arm and letting some tension gather in it as I pulled forward against the katana's weight. I then ran my chakra down the blade and lunged forward – snapping to a halt ten yards away, the stick split cleanly in two behind me. I moved again, striking sharply at the air.
So much of my power and skill, I reflected, I had built up in one forest or another; at this point, it was a part of who I was. Remembering all my training, all the time I had poured into making myself stronger… I was certain I would survive whatever was to come tomorrow. I would not let myself die, and I would not allow my friends to, either. I knew with sudden confidence that somehow we would do it. We would survive this – the three of us, together.
Training in the forest like this … even if just for a minute, it put my mind at ease.
Hanabi ハナビ
"Hanabi!!"
I looked up at the loud, shrill voice as he sprang around the corner. I dodged and snagged his wrist, and in a second I had his arm behind his back and pinned him to the wall.
"Konohamaru-kun," I greeted.
"Ow-ow-ow! As expected of my other number one rival!" he yapped speedily. "I guess I can afford to hand you this round!"
This boy… Does he realize he might have a better shot if he just refrained from yelling out before he attacked? Not like I thought he could beat me now, but still… "What do you want?" I asked, letting go of him.
Meet Sarutobi Konohamaru, self-proclaimed my eternal rival. I humored him and took him on at every surprise attack and challenge, but usually just saw him as an annoyance at most. When I'd told Nee-chan (what felt like ages ago) about the academy kid who'd taken to ambushing me at any real or imagined hint of opportunity, she'd teased that he had a crush on me. I didn't think so. Apparently his 'number one rival,' Uzumaki Naruto, had advised the boy to stay sharp by claiming the strongest other student in his class as his rival, and apparently, unfortunately, Konohamaru had decided that was me. I wonder if Uzumaki-san was trying to dump this brat on someone else. Very clever…
He blinked. "What do I want…? Oh yeah!" He pointed at me, and I glared at a finger inches from my face. "I heard you're leaving New Konoha soon, that's what! You've gotta tell me that's not true!"
"It's true. What's it matter to you?"
"Are you serious?! I thought you were my eternal rival!"
"It's not like I ever agreed to be your rival or anything in the first place!"
He huffed. "Then what are you doing? Are you going to the Academy instead?"
"No!" I cried. Almost every child left without a guardian, effectively orphaned by the imprisoning of parents, had been put into shelters. And every child in the orphanage and shelters that was old enough was being forced to attend the New Oto Ninja Academy, whether they wished to or not. "I would never go there! I'm not joining Oto, I'm done with being a ninja altogether!"
"B-but… but why?" he asked, a hurt look in his eyes.
I turned away, biting my lip. What did I care? So what if I let down the bothersome, incessantly loud and shrill-voiced brat?
But then… why did I feel this way?
"Hanabi…"
"Quit your whining, okay?! I'm done, you're not going to change my mind…"
"I c-can't believe you were ever my rival!" he cried, and I heard him run away. For a minute I didn't move, and just stared at the ground.
I rubbed my cheek with the back of a hand. Again...!
Stupid… Hyuuga aren't supposed to cry…
Hinata ヒナタ
I swept my arms down, legs scissoring behind me. 'There's still no one nearby?'
'Nope.'
'You're sure?' I asked with sudden suspicion, taking a listen through his ears as I lowered my arms again.
'I wouldn't pull such a joke, even on you. But out of curiosity, what would you do if someone was? Drown?'
'Ha ha.' I broke the surface of the frigid water and lunged onto shore beside him, dropping the fish from my mouth and gasping in huge mouthfuls of the chilled night air. Without thinking about it I shook excess water out of my hair.
"Fish," Kurogiba snorted disdainfully as I leaned against a nearby tree and tore scales away with my claws. "Never was to my taste…"
"Even if I have my ups and downs I'm mostly human, remember?" I said.
"Do humans eat their fish raw?"
"Do wolves eat their fish cooked?"
"Look, you…"
I took a large bite, trying to get myself to chew at least a little before I swallowed. 'I feel so … fat,' I admitted quietly, snapping up another bite. 'I can't believe I ate as much as the boys at dinner, and it didn't fill me up…'
"It's when you say things like that that it's impossible to forget how human you are," he remarked absentmindedly.
'Hm…'
He sighed. "Look, have you gained any weight?"
'I don't think so…' I thought, getting started on the first fish I'd caught.
"Did one of those boys say something?"
'No.'
"Then your body's using what you're eating. There's nothing wrong with that, so quit whining. Like I want to hear your human-girly concerns…"
I giggled for a second at the change of tone. 'Yes, sir.'
"And stay out of my head while you're eating that stuff, will you?"
"Hai," I said, and kept silent until I finished in a minute. I laughed slightly. "Here I'm worried about gaining weight when I'll probably be fighting for my life tomorrow," I said, pulling my shirt over my head. "What a silly time for me to start troubling over such a thing…"
I finished dressing in silence. Once I was clothed and had zipped my hooded jacket almost to my collarbone, I looked to the wolf beside me.
"So… I just wanted to check, since you never said anything about it–,"
"A tie's not a win, and he went easy on you in the beginning either way. Your strategy wasn't bad I'll admit, but you're still on your own."
Resting my chin on my knees, I nodded and looked down to watch the moon's reflection on the glossy water. "I understand…"
A few minutes later he spoke again. With the one word there was something different, something strange in his voice that I couldn't quite pin down. Or had I simply imagined it?
"Koinu."
I looked up, and then followed his gaze to the almost-round moon in the sky – the moon that I knew tomorrow would be full. "What is it?"
"You'd better not die tomorrow. I've no interest in finding the weeks of my life spent preparing you for the full moon were wasted."
Yes, I decided with some disappointment, I must have imagined it.
"Hai, Kurogiba-sama."
Naruto ナルト
"Okay," I said, opening my eyes. Fixing in my mind's eye a New Oto shinobi the clone had seen, I created a kage bunshin in front of me. It promptly transformed into the New Oto shinobi, and I pictured an Oto kunoichi as I formed another that also transformed. Next was another Oto ninja…
When I was done, the likenesses of three Oto and three New Oto ninja were lined up in before me. I handed two jars of liquid to the last clone; a substance Hinata had mixed earlier in the day.
"Pour half of the first one into that small lake they're camped near; hopefully some of them'll decide to get water from it. Save the rest for until these five start the riot, and slip some into as much food or water as you can without being seen. If you're caught they'll know it's tainted. Keep in mind," I said to the others, "the New Oto and Oto shinobi don't think too much of each other. That's what we're using to our advantage. Understand?"
"Yeah, yeah, we get it already," one complained.
"Okay. Go!"
With nods, "Yessirs," or mock-salutes, they took off out the window.
As it turned out, a shadow clone's memory went not only to the original, but to every other of the original's clones that existed at the moment it was dispelled as well.
A clone popped up next to me.
"How many of you are waiting back in the trailing group?" I asked, and dispelled it with a pop.
'Fifty-seven!' sparked into my mind. I blinked.
Pop. "So fifty-six now, right?" Pop.
Pop. "Wait, don't answer that!" Pop.
I thought a moment. The army was sleeping now, with only a few on guard. Hardly any of them had equipment on yet; safe in a large group, they'd probably gone the rest of the trip without it and would gear up in the morning. Now was the perfect time to start.
Pop. "Split into two groups, twenty in one, the rest in the other." Pop.
I waited about ten seconds.
Pop. "You twenty, go in groups of two about five minutes apart. Weapons, equipment, the packhorses' bags – start stealing and leaving shadow copies behind. Don't let the ones linked to the copies be dispelled; those'll go hide at the waiting point with the real stuff, while the creators return to the trailing group." Pop.
And so they were set to their task – sneaking into the camp, picking up backpacks, holsters, pouches, or bags, creating shadow clones themselves, and leaving the replicated items in place before making off with the genuine.
Fifty minutes had passed; they should be done. I'd sensed none of them dispelled, so the operation had been a success.
Pop. "There're still fifty-six-or-seven of you over there, right? I want fifteen of you to go and wake that camp up. Keep going until you're dispelled." Pop. Pop. "Once they're out, the rest'll go in groups of five or so every twenty minutes, more or less to keep them guessing." Pop. Pop. "Feel free to get creative now; it's time to give them some commotion." Pop.
I would make sure the camp didn't see any sleep for the rest of the night.
Opening my eyes and massaging my brow, I stood and walked outside. Gathering some chakra, I formed a handseal.
"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."
I swept my eyes over the two hundred copies that appeared. "Sorry, but there's not enough space for you in the house and you won't be able to sleep either; if you fall asleep while I'm sleeping, you might dispel."
None of them complained, knowing as I did that carrying out their assignment could improve our chance of success tomorrow. And that the price of failure amounted to Hinata's, Lee's, and my life.
"I want two of you to head off to the Sound camp every twenty minutes for two hours and forty minutes. That's about when the other group should be running out, and you'll send ten every twenty minutes after that. It's eleven o' clock now; you'll last until dawn. Your mission's the same as the other group – don't let them sleep, and injure any if you can."
A murmur of affirmatives ran through the orange army. I nodded and headed back inside.
I sorted through memories that were reaching me already. Many a paper or smoke bomb had gone off, evidence of them vanishing as soon as the clone that had thrown it was dispelled. Snakes had found their ways into tents, an air bullet had found its way to a campfire to spread out a bright conflagration, and more than a few tents were already ablaze. Minds full of fresh faces, the members of the next group set off under henge guises. Crawling into my sleeping bag, I chuckled quietly as I caught various glimpses of the camp going up in chaos. Have fun…
My aching head was almost on my pillow when I sat up again, glanced over the room, and formed a seal.
Fifteen clones in identical sleeping bags suddenly filled in some more of the floor space. Lee and Hinata, already asleep, didn't even stir. I spent a minute concentrating on the smaller number of bunshin. When I felt confident even the decreased chakra flow of unconsciousness could maintain them, we all went to sleep.
It was a fitful rest with so many dispellings carrying over the phenomenon of fatigue, but I was rested nonetheless. Even if I didn't get the best night's sleep ever, it would be worth it.
Neji ネジ
The dead of night was the only time I could do this. If anyone were to see me, they would ask why I wasn't using the prestigious bow that belonged only to the head of the clan. It was rightfully mine, to be seized by me just as was the leadership of this clan; and so in my hands it served as the symbol of our triumph.
Tonight I'd chosen a different one, however – one that wasn't quite as sturdy and sleek, was neither as powerful nor perfect. And it was with comfortable ease, with remarkable clarity and peace of mind that I hadn't known in a while, that I fluidly drew back the bowstring and fired. The arrow zipped off into the still night, sliding through the calm air and planting itself in the tree.
I sighed, thoughts drifting over to the mission I was to command tomorrow morning. I should head back soon; I needed to be well rested.
Silently I retrieved my arrows and started back across the field, toward the estate. I slowed to a stop halfway.
…I didn't want to leave yet.
For a moment I stood and thought; halfheartedly I contemplated moving on before deciding against it. I promptly sat down. A few minutes couldn't kill me.
Lying back in the cool grass, I gazed up at the not quite round disc that blanketed the earth in its illumination from the heavens above. Almost unconsciously I brought the bow to my face, the wood centimeters from my nose.
This was the bow that belonged in my hand, marvelous in its imperfection. Over the one that bore petty legends and history, that many a supposed clan hero had wielded before me, I myself would have chosen the one I now held any day.
Certainty became all the surer as I shut my eyes and inhaled very slowly, drawing in a scent that seemed ingrained in the wood itself. An old, unmistakable scent lied under my own fresher one, and while much like mine it remained distinctly different. A few months ago I would have smelled nothing on the wood; a few months ago no scent would have been associated with the one I knew had crafted the bow. But as soon as I was able to smell it I knew, with undeniable certainty, to whom the scent belonged.
"I'm the leader of the clan now, Father… Isn't that great? I became the leader, and I set our family free…"
Hinata ヒナタ
…Footsteps……
Eyes snapping open, I threw off my blanket and rolled into a crouch, a kunai in hand so quickly I couldn't remember whether I'd acquired it from my sleeve or a tool pouch. My eyes focused on the surprised figures in the doorway, and I blinked.
"Oh!" I dropped the knife and fell to my knees, cheeks burning as I lowered my head. "O-ohayou gozaimasu, Tsunami-san, Inari-san! Sumimasen!" I stammered, ducking my head in embarrassment.
"'San'?" Inari said in confusion, and his mother gave a sad smile.
"Breakfast is almost ready, Hinata-chan. Will you wake Lee-kun and…?"
I scanned the room as she trailed off; Lee was beginning to stir, and over a dozen scattered Narutos were sound asleep on the floor. I shrugged, and Tsunami giggled and left the room.
Lee yawned as he sat up. "Good morning, Hinata-san…"
I returned the greeting. Assuming the dozing Naruto lying down next to us was the real one, I hesitantly shook his shoulder. "Naruto-kun, it's morning…"
He blinked. "What, already…?" He groaned. "Man, you've got to be kidding me…"
"Is something the matter?" Lee asked as the other boy slowly sat up. Weariness hung over his eyes, and his voice was low and groggy.
"The clones were working until just about… thirty minutes ago. The ones that were up all night took the biggest toll on me…" He looked to the group of replications yawning and stretching all around us and brightened a little. "But that's why I had these guys rest up."
The doppelgangers vanished, and life seemed to spark electrically bright into his purple eyes. He stood up and patted his chest. "Yatta! Good as new – I'm all recharged!"
"Just like that?" Lee said incredulously.
"Well… Not totally, but I feel a million times better than I did before, that's for sure…" Suddenly he was lost in thought; for a few seconds he stared off into space. A smile appeared on his face, spreading as he shut his eyes and chuckled.
Lee and I exchanged a look. "Ano, Naruto-kun…?"
He laughed out loud for a second, a devilishly mischievous grin on his face as he looked to us. "They didn't get a wink of sleep. They had to sit out in the cold, jumpy and nervous all night! There're a good few cases of stomach sickness from what I can tell, and though mostly minor there are plenty of injuries," he explained proudly. "No one's caught on to the shadow copies, either…"
I smiled. That was some good news. "That's great, Naruto-kun–!"
"Breakfast's ready!" Tazuna's gruff voice called. "Are you kids awake?!"
"Uh-oh! Hurry, guys, we can't let good food go cold!" Naruto said, grabbing his bag and dragging Lee with him from the room. The older boy barely managed to snatch up his own bag and shut the door after them as they left for the bathroom.
As soon as they were gone, I found, my smile abruptly fell.
I started to get changed. Naruto had weakened them, certainly, but when it came down to it we were still outnumbered. Badly.
In a close-fitting, elbow length black shirt and matching almost-knee length shorts, I carefully wrapped my seal-decorated feet and right arm with a fresh roll of cloth tape. A pair of kunai was stored in simple sheaths at each forearm. Shrugging them up my arms and onto my shoulders, I adjusted straps that crossed in an X at my back; they carried sheaths at the sides, letting me store two kunai below each underarm. I pulled my long, blue-lined black pants over leg weights and up to my waist before slipping on and zipping up my warm jacket – but not before stowing a set of six slimmer knives in tough pouches sewn to the inside. I put on the blue sash around my waist. Shuriken holster was soon at my thigh, and kunai pouch and ink flask at my hip.
Last but not least, I secured my headband on my neck. My hand rested a moment against the Leaf mark, and I stood. I was armed a little more heavily than normal, but still I could move with light ease and comfort.
I made my way to the door.
Hanabi ハナビ
I woke up to shouting. Tones of panic rang unorganized through the tunnels, and the sound of various instruments being struck loudly against tin buckets and other such objects rang in the alarm.
No way – I couldn't have slept that late! I listened as some of the shouts shaped in my ears.
…What was this about them being early?
Lee リー
The foreboding mood had returned full strength by breakfast, and it now hung over the table at its peak. No one seemed willing to meet anyone else's eyes. Anxious tension weighed thickly in the air, and so affected were Inari-kun, Tazuna-san, and Tsunami-san that they spoke not a word.
I knew what was on my friends' minds, and I ground my teeth in frustration. Even Naruto-kun! You, of all people…! The boy paced himself as he ate his rice, absorbed in thought that one could not help knowing was grim.
I could not take seeing them resigned this way. All eyes flew to me as I rose from my chair and angrily broke the silence.
"This is not your last meal–!"
Naruto's chopsticks fell loudly from his hand, clattering onto the table as he gave a small start. Shortly his wide eyes relaxed again, and he looked up.
"They're close."
When we stepped outside, we were greeted with a surprise. What is this…?
Tazuna chuckled behind us. "Word travels fast."
Spread along the road was a mass of people – more than I had ever seen in one place at a time. More people than could possibly be crammed into the houses in this area alone; they had come here from throughout the small land. Old and young, male or female, they all stood still and gazed silently toward us. Toward a trio of unobligated young missing-nin, two of whom were complete strangers, who were prepared to fight for them.
I smiled as I understood, slapping a shocked Naruto on the back as a lightly blushing Hinata briefly shut her eyes and clasped a hand over her heart.
"Take a look," I said softly. "This is no funeral procession. This is how many people we have counting on, and believing in us. Go on; they have come to see us off."
Naruto took a deep breath, and started forward between Hinata and me. The crowd parted as we reached the road, creating a path for us to pass. We walked together on the road west, and the fires of determination soon lit up their eyes once more. When we reached the end of the crowd and Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari stayed behind, we continued a short way further before Naruto stopped. He turned around, and Hinata and I also looked back toward the residents of Wave who saw us as neither loser, deadlast, nor failure.
The boy raised a confident thumbs-up before turning to go. Only then did we hear the villagers begin to move, to evacuate east for the center of town as we went west for the bridge.
Naruto draped his arms over our shoulders, his gaze trained determinedly ahead. "You're right, Lee," he said. "We'll survive this. We have to."
"Right."
"Yosh."
Naruto ナルト
It was a cold day; the kind that came only in the dead of winter to a normally sweltering, humid place, with more than a little chill stinging the air but still not enough to really bite. The air wasn't very dry for a cool, breezy day, I observed as we ended our run. We were in a sort of diamond now, Lee and Hinata standing a bit back on either side of me, and the wolf – here to observe – walking behind.
I looked up as we were crossing the bridge at a walk. The sky was a lumpy blanket of grayish-white, leaving the earth darker than normal and coated in a gloomy pallor. Crystalline waves that were black in the relative-darkness churned languidly below us.
I glanced to Lee as he spoke. "You two are no longer the rookies you were when I first met you; I have seen you mature with my own eyes, and I know what you are capable of. This will in all likelihood be the most trying battle of our lives so far, and, though I hate to be the one to say it … if the time comes, you cannot hesitate."
We didn't have to ask what he meant.
As if the timing was premeditated for what we were here to do, we halted at the end of the bridge as they halted twenty meters away. Three captains – and some two hundred-something shinobi behind.
"Captain Torakou," I said, giving a quick nod in greeting. "Sleep well?"
His eyes narrowed. "You took down Akane."
I nodded again, though it hadn't been a question. "Your boats are timber. Since you're not going anywhere, we're asking you to turn around rather than resort to violence."
Torakou chuckled quietly. "More ships are on the way as we speak. Besides, you don't really think we intend to let nukenin of our own village get away with this."
Again, I nodded. "We thought as much."
Seeing we had no intention of moving, the man frowned. "You're missing-nin. Your former comrades claim you're a bunch of losers. And you defeated one of our captains with no apparent injuries between you. Just who are you?"
"The worst possible type of enemy: three determined idiots who don't know when to give up."
He smirked. "Your courage is admirable."
He slowly lifted his arm until an outstretched finger pointed toward us.
"Kill them."
ナルト / リー / ヒナタ \ ハナビ \ ネジ
End Chapter Twelve
Naruto: NOOO!!
Hinata: What?!
Naruto: It's pastel-y again!
(static–)
Hinata: I can't … I can't fight anymore…
Kurogiba: So what, are you just giving up now?!
Hinata: Kurogiba-sama…
Naruto: There's too many… If this keeps up much longer, we really will…
Lee: One may only be pushed so far. As the breaking point is breached, all limits are surpassed in a fleeting of the impossible. When all is lost, the inevitable awakening…
And brilliance erupts in crimson.
Naruto: Next is Chapter Thirteen: Bloody Wave.
Lee: Well, my friends… The time to make the decision has arrived.///
Heh heh heh… Evil cliffhanger.
Thirteen… What an odd number -_- Oh well…
Kinda got carried away on imagery at some points, but that's a good thing, right? ;)
There were lots of small hints and clues and foreshadowing in this chapter! You might have caught a few things!
Gouka Toppa- combination of Fireball Jutsu given extra force and speed with Breakthrough, a smaller version of Daitoppa (great breakthrough).
So I'm listening to an OST playlist on youtube while I proofread, and oh my gosh… a Claymore OST, Ginme no Majo (minus maybe the first 30 seconds) really seems to fit well with the end of the chapter. Just saying… you should look it up!
As always, how was the chapter? What was good, what was bad? What did you think of the drama, the imagery? The teamwork, or Naruto's shadow clone usage ;)? Are the characters' characters (lol) still believable?
Comment, question, complaint, suggestion; this part was the best, that part sucked – whatever it is, please review!
:o)Hinata0321:o)