Hiyas peeple! I found out that actually more than one person is reading this! W00T! Thank you soo much to Tigrezz-chan, (of course) Theia-chan (that was soo cheesy btw XD) and darkstardragon-chan (I end there cos I'm ebil!)

Disclaimer: Naruto don't belong to me, and neither does chocolate pudding. o.O

A/N: All flames shall be used to make millions of Pein stereotypes. Yes, you read that correctly.

The Value of a Soul

Chapter 22: Precedence

Hinata glanced around at the wreakage, making a mental note to ask her brother to re-cultivate the land again. She glanced down at the emperor. She crouched down until she was at his head level.

"Brother, you should return to the camp. Don't question it," she said softly. His head bowed, and his eyes closed temporarily, before he stood up, the blonde in his arms. Wordlessly, he walked back to the camp.

Hinata got up, and scanned the area once more, eyes narrowing slightly at the damage. Momentarily forgetting her shyness, she turned to the army.

"We can't leave the place like this," she stated. "Bodies need to be buried or disposed of. I'm trusting you all will take care of it?" she asked, barely loud enough for everyone to hear. They all saluted.

"Yes, your highness!" came the reply, before the broke, and began to do as ordered. Hinata glanced up at the sun, wondering how long it would hide it's face from them.

Glancing around, she decided to help them. After all, she believed that just because she was of higher rank, didn't mean she could pile all her work on everyone else. She smiled, and went over to help an injured Lee with a soldier that was nearly twice his size.

She drew close, and bit back a gasp. Her fair face twisted into a frown. She stepped up to him. He dropped the body and saluted.

"Princess Hinata!" She sighed.

"Lee, please go get medical attention right now," she ordered. The raven grinned, and ran off to the two medics. She sighed again, and looked down at the corpse at her feet. Bending down to lug it to a nearby hole that a group of soldiers were digging for a mass burial, she was pulled up.

She turned to see a pale-blue skinned man with the giant sword. He grinned, and his pointed teeth showed.

"Allow me to take care of it, your highness," he offered. She nodded, and allowed a smile to slip onto her face.

"Thank you...?" He hefted the body onto his sword, and slung it over his shoulder.

"Kisame, your highness." She nodded.

"Thank you, Kisame." He walked away.

"No problem, Princess." Opalescent eyes watched as he literally single-handedly carried the corpse away. She turned back to the destroyed battlefield. Spotting more critically injured soldiers, she went to send them to Tsunade.

Tenten ambled over to the Inuzuka's and their dogs, who were standing by a mound of earth that was nearby the west side of the battlefield. The brunette could see that Akamaru had suffered injuries as well, seeing his left hind leg was literally shredded to the bone.

"So..." she bit her lip, whishing she had stayed silent. Hana turned to her, the Haimaru brothers hugging close to her legs.

"He's dead," she said hollowly. "He's dead." Akamaru tipped his head back and howled. Tsume glared at the earth. Tenten could see she was fighting back tears. And succeeding. The large black and white wolf-like canine growled.

The brunette stared at the mound of earth that contained the lifeless form of her friend. Her teeth drew blood from her lip, and she licked it off as she bid the brunet a silent farwell. Her eyes clenched shut, and her fists copied the orbs' example.

Slowly, she stepped away, heading over to help the rest. After all, she would take her fair share of work as well. Even her mistress was helping out.

She walked towards a blonde splayed out on the ground, facing the sky. Proceeding towards him, she glanced down, and almost leaped back, as his eyes cracked open to look at her. Both his arms had been torn off, and lay limply at his sides.

"Oh, so the battle's over, yeah?" She blinked, unable to respond. He groaned, and sat up. "At least I killed the person who did this. He made a beautiful explosion, yeah. Sorry if I scared you." Tenten licked her dry lips.

"No worries. I thought you were dead." He laughed dryly.

"If I was dead, I wouldn't be here, yeah. I'd choose exploding myself rather than getting killed by someone else, yeah." She didn't comment. He leaned down, and grabbed the fingers of his hands in his jaws. He glanced up at her, his eyes asking a question.

Reaching down, she pulled him to his feet. He nodded in thanks, and headed in the direction of the physicians. Staring at his back, she grinned.

"All right, Lee. You can go off, just don't overexert yourself, okay? If you do...well...I won't describe it. After all, we can't have you vomiting here, now can we?" Lee grinned a blinding smile, and flashed the blonde a thumbs up.

"Do not worry! I will not exert myself as you have said! I will go back and help the others now!" he cried, running off. Tsunade shook her head, and sighed.

"He'll overexert himself," she muttered. She glanced over at Sakura, who was busy tending a broken arm of a legionary that never showed anyone his eyes. Currently it was visored, and covered well enough so no one could see.

She turned to see a blonde walk up to her, holding two mouthed hands in his mouth. Stopping in front of her, he spat them out, and grimaced.

"Can you stitch my arms back on, Tsunade, yeah?" he asked. Wordlessly, her eyes drifted from the long-haired blonde to the two arms, to the wounds caused by the arms' forced amputation.

Digging into a bag full of medical supplies she had brought, she pulled out a sharp needle, and some suture. The tip glittered in the dull sunlight, and she could see the blonde gulp. She smiled.

"Unfortunately, it is going to hurt, since I don't have anything to numb tha pain with. Unless of course, you want me to knock you out..." He shook his head frantically.

"No, no it's perfecty all right, yeah," he replied smartly. She smirked.

"Sit down," she commanded. He complied. Kneeling next to him, she threaded the needle in one fluid movement. Grabbing an arm, she held it at his shoulder. Quickly, she stabbed the tip of the needle into his arm, and brought it down, ignoring the sharp yelp that emitted from his throat. She sighed.

"Look. If you want, we can wait until we get back to the palace. I can administer this poison that numbs you, so you won't feel it." He shook his head stubbornly.

"No. Continue, yeah," he responded. She rolled her eyes.

"Men," she muttered under her breath. Digging the needle quickly into his detached arm, she brought it up, and stitched into his shoulder again. Out of the corner of her blue eye, she could see him gritting his teeth.

Finally, she finished his arm, and he sighed, and rekaxed, as blood dripped leisurely from the puncture holes, and the general wound. She smirked.

"Time to fix your other arm." She nearly laughed out loud as he stiffened, and his visible eye widened. "Look. One's it. You're waiting until we get back if you want your other arm fixed," she decided. He relaxed.

"All right. Thanks, Tsunade, yeah," he said, levering himself up with his arm, before grabbing his other one. She stood up, and poked his newly fixed arm.

"I never said you could go. I need to bandage up your other shoulder. It could catch infection. Deidara inwardly groaned, as he sat down.

Lee spotted a certain figure and ran towards it. His bushy eyebrows raised as he saw who it was. He stepped away warily, as he saw that the figure was alive. Cautiously, he stepped forward.

"It is you!" he exclaimed. "How are you still alive?" he asked. The figure chuckled darkly.

"The fox had to return to his vessel. He didn't have the time to torture me as he wanted to." Orochimaru's unnaturally long tongue snaked out and swept over his lips as he glanced at the raven. Lee shuddered in repulsion, and stepped back. His eyes registered a fact, and he glared at the white-skinned man.

"You are coming with me!" Lunging forward, he grabbed the collar of the golden-eyed man's robe, and dragged him along the ground.

The long-haired raven couldn't fight back, as his limbs had all atrophied, due to the orange vulpine. He hissed as he was dragged across the torn battlefield.

Lee broke into a run as he caught sight of the person he was looking for. He could hear pained hisses as debris laying on the ground scraped against his burden. However he couldn't care less.

"Princess Hinata!" he screeched to a halt in front of her, and dipped into a quick bow. She smiled.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected you to...stay still...when there's work to be done." He pulled Orochimaru in front of him.

"I found him on the battlefield! What do you wish to do with him?" the long-haired raven smiled unpleasantly.

"Why hello, Princess. So sorry Sasuke didn't manage to kill the emperor," he sneered. She grimaced in distaste.

"You are a sick person," she hissed. He looked surprised.

"Me? Oh no. You have it mistaken. Your brother is the one who should be out of the picture. Don't you think I would make a much better leader than him? I might even make you my wife," he added. She grimaced again.

"You are a sick, sick person. You are at least twice my age! And I don't think so, I know for a fact that Neji would make a far better ruler than you would, Orochimaru," she stated. His freakish tongue snaked out, and stopped an inch before her face. She flinched.

Her left hand reached into her garments, and drew out a dagger. In a quick jabbing motion, she stuck the blade hilt deep through his heart, pulled it out, and watched as the raven crumpled to the ground as Lee let go of the former lord. She stepped back.

"Go dispose of the body," she ordered. Lee saluted, and ran off, dragging Orochimaru's now dead body with him.

As realization of what she had done struck her, her hands trembled, and the soiled dagger fell from her grasp, sticking itself point down in the hard earth. She trembled in shock as the fact that she had killed a living breathing human sank in. She heard a sympathetic growl at her right.

"Battle shock. You've never killed anyone before, right?" Kurama asked. She nodded, her lips dry.

"It...it doesn't feel right," she said. "I...I mean killing someone. How do soldiers do this so regularly?" she asked, falling to the ground in some form of shock. An orange tail levered her to her feet.

"They must learn to bury those feelings. After all, a single death could change a sitution for the better." Hinata could still feel herself trembling.

"Y-you say that as if it's normal," she stammered. Kurama glanced down at her, before his gaze drifted back to the sun.

"It is. I've seen many a human get battleshock, only to become one of the most ruthless fights. If you can't kill as a soldier, you cannot be a soldier," he stated. She shook her head, her eyes wide.

"It still doesn't feel right. They could've had a family that would be hoping they'd come back. They'd have friends that cared about them." Kurama shook his stately head.

"In some cases, that is true, but in his case, no. The world is a better place cleansed of Orochimaru. Many people are safe now that he's dead. And it's thanks to you." She shuddered.

"I don't care," she mumbled. "I don't want to be responsible for anyone's death, whether they be good or bad." Kurama's lips curved up slightly.

"You're one for peace. You'd make a good ruler, but not when it comes to battles, which are a mandatory part of every rule." She shook her head.

"I'm too shy to make a good ruler. I'm too weak also."

"A powerful person is the person that can easily admit they have weaknesses," he replied. "Besides, one day you'll take the kingdom after your brother. He had eyes only for my vessel, even if he didn't know it at the time." Hinata lowered her eyes.

"I could see that," she murmured. "And if the kingdom is handed to me, I will try my best to be stronger." Kurama's lips were curved into a smirk.

She'll make a great Empress some day, that I know.

This is like a filler. Basically nothing to do with the main plot. I needed to break from that, so I just wrote this. Cya later! And now you know how Orochi-kun died. And now he's probably watching me. Which would be rather creepy actually.

-Jeya-