Chapter 8: To Endure
It was starting to get dark. She has been running for at least seven hours, crossing several borders into smaller villages. But she has caught on to their trail now, it wont be long. Hyuga, Hinata; she was known for her superior tracking skills. Kiba and Shino were often unsuccessful when it came to tracking and finding their target first on their missions however, she wished they were here now to help her. This was proving more difficult than any previous tracking mission she had been on. But she would be successful. She hoped. She continued to run, the scenery was now a blur, colors of various trees, buildings, rivers meshing together into obscurity. As the last rays of the sunset fell over the mountains, she stopped.
'They should be stopping too.' She thought as she mulled over her next plan of action. They were still not in the range of her Byakugan, but her instinct told her she was headed the right way. Her feet carried her a bit further as the sky turned pitch black. 'I should get some rest.' As Hinata climbed a tree to take shelter for the night, she noticed lights two kilometers away. It was a small town in the middle of nowhere. She contemplates if it is wise to go there, but her stomach makes the decision regardless. She hadn't eaten all day and during her spur of the moment decision making to hunt some of the most dangerous and undetectable shinobi, she had forgotten to bring food.
The town is dainty and old and has a smell of rust and soot. Hinata cursed her stomach, but proceeded to keep walking until she came to an Inn in the middle of town. Before stepping in the grungy building she noticed three "Wanted" signs hung in an alley between the Inn and Tavern. She didn't need to see the signs to know who's faces were plastered on it.
"Don suppose yer know them, huh?"
Hinata turned to see a man in his late forties, dirty and unkempt. His build was strong, but he was drunk. She looked back at the faces of her friends on the signs. "No." She says flatly. The man eyes her with interest, but her face remains expressionless.
"So, what's a pretty girl doin here alone, eh?"
"None of your business," Is what she would have liked to say, but she didn't have time to deal with a drunk man's ramblings and she needed to make sure not to step on any ones toes. "I'm here on a mission. I'll be on my way tomorrow morning." Well, that was mostly true.
The man snickered, "So, yur a shinobi, I see. Interesting. Usually, squads of three or more shinobi come through here. But never just one." His impish grin was unsettling.
"We split up, I'll be meeting with them tomorrow." She was irritated now, but he would not deter her.
"Well, if yur say so." He turned his back and walked zigzag to the tavern but not before saying one more thing and waving his drunken finger at the "Wanted" signs. "Yur probably apart of that team that came by, err, three. No…two days ago? Anyways, the Three Yabanana should be dead soon…" He trailed off trying to think about what part of the sentence he mispronounced. Before he had a chance to mispronounce again, a pair of hands grabbed his ragged shirt and dragged him further into the alley.
She dragged his heavy body farther into the darkness so not be seen. Finally, they were deep enough. She sat him up against the alley wall, she was sure he could not see her, but she could see him with clarity.
"What the hell are you doin! You little fucking cunt!" He started to laugh as he teetered his way up the wall, his intoxicated state preventing him from being stable. He threw punches in the dark, but it was only in vain. "When I get ahold of ya, I'll be sure to play long and hard with you." He growled. Before he had a chance to spout anymore of his improper taunts, Hinata had already struck the chakra points in his legs. He fell to the ground, limp and idle. He was helpless and he knew it. His eyes were wide and his body was shaking.
"How many shinobi were here two days ago?" She was blunt. Hearing what he had said was something she could not ignore. She needed to know. She knew the Three Yaban could handle almost anything and take care of themselves, but her gut told her not to turn a blind eye to this.
"I-I-I dunno! A hundred, maybe three…." He says. His eyes were hanging limply open, if he wasn't so afraid, he'd be asleep.
Her eyes narrowed as she considered this. Something was not right. A group that size wouldn't band together on their own to take out the Three Yaban. No, they must have been sent out by someone of high-authority, a Kage most likely. It was a high possibility, but she couldn't be sure. Naruto had told her nothing pertaining to his troupes relationship with the Kages. All she knew is from what Sakura told her. "We have a mutual agreement." The only Kage that knew of this mission was the Hokage, which could very well mean that he planned this from the beginning and Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were walking into a trap. She needed to know more.
"Where are they heade—" She stopped midway. He was already asleep. "Tch." She left him there as she exited the alleyway. 'Perhaps someone in the Tavern might know.'
She stopped at the taverns door, its bellowing noise of music streaming through its cracks. If anyone in there was as fowl as the drunken man in the alley, she knew that being physical might be her only option to get the information she needed. She took a deep breath and opened the taverns heavy doors. The atmosphere was musky and the lights were dim. Men inhabited its bar with a few scantily clad women, all drinking and lollygagging. But their merry chat came to an abrupt end as Hinata stepped foot inside. She sighed. She couldn't be afraid and she couldn't cry like she wanted to. She had to be strong, for the Three Yaban. For Naruto.
"A couple hundred shinobi came through this town about two days ago. Could any of you tell me where they might be headed?" Her voice was unusually loud and definite. But that was good. She needed to be assertive.
"Who wants to know?"
Hinata looked at the man who spoke. He was smirking and obviously just wanted to toy with her. She didn't have time for this. She stepped towards the man, he was sitting in a bar stool, his arm leaning against the counter. With one swift motion her right foot connected with the stools wooden leg and broke instantly. The man tumbled to the floor.
"Fucking bitch!" His teeth were clenched as he pulled himself up from the ground.
"My name is Hyuga, Hinata. And when I ask you a question, I suggest you give a respectable answer and not waste my fucking time." Her Byakugan was activated to show how serious she was. Sure, she was being a bit harsh, but she couldn't be taken lightly. The men around her were all standing now while the few women she saw earlier had already scurried out of the bar.
"That mouth of yers would look real perty around my cock." The men all started to advance on her. Their eyes were raging with lust.
Hinata had to smirk. These men were strong with broad shoulders and bodies that shouldn't be scoffed at, but they were by no means a shinobi. "I'll ask one more time, where were the shinobi heading?" She genuinely wanted to give them one last time to redeem themselves before someone got hurt.
The men started laughing. "We will let you know after each one of us has had their fill of you. By that time anyway, you probably wont be able to walk!" Their laughter filled the room as they drew closer.
'Eight, nine, ten…' There were twelve men in the room with Hinata. Their faces all looked one in the same to her, all with the same idiotic expression.
She took her clan's stance, her feet apart with her palms at the ready. She could see the men behind her, plain as day with her Byakugan. She needed to end this quickly, and her Protecting Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms could do just that, but it would most likely destroy the building and she didn't need that kind of attention. Taijutsu with Gentle Fist would be her best bet.
They all came at her at once. With Hinata's perception, they might as well have been walking in slow motion. Her left foot lifted behind her while her two palms extended in front of her, each making contact and sending two men flying.
Three minutes later, moans were the only sounds ensuing from the tavern. The floor was littered with men holding their stomachs in excruciating pain. She made sure not to knock them out. Hinata stepped over one of the men and lifted him by his collar. "Tell me, now!" She screamed.
The man was breathing hard with sweat was rolling off his forehead. He gulped and stumbled with his words. "T-T-They c-came here about t-two d-d-days ago! There were at l-least three h-hundred. They m-mentioned they were h-h-hunting the Three Yaban! T-They went s-south! Oh, p-please spare me!"
"Who sent them!" She was finally getting somewhere.
"I d-don't know I swear!" His hands were in front of his face, shaking.
"He's telling the truth, we don't know who sent them. But there was a man who was obviously their leader." A man from across the room spoke, his back was leaning against the tavern wall. His breathing was ragged, but he was a bit more composed.
Hinata walked to him and kneeled. "Who was their leader?" Her voice was calm now.
"I had a drink with him here. He mentioned he was intercepting the Three Yaban and putting an end to them. He was careful not to give information of his destination. He wore a hood, so I didn't get a good look at his face, but…"
Hinata waited for him to continue but he never did. The man's eyes became wide and his body started to tremble. "But what?" she asked.
"…His eyes. I have seen many shinobi come through this town in my lifetime, but…none with a look quite like this one. The look of a…murderer.
She stood back in shock. 'This was bad.' The man was still in a frightened state as she bowed. "You have my gratitude."
"…I'll never forget those eyes. So cold…and grey."
She grabbed a piece of bread from one of the plates and exited the tavern. It was still dark, the stars illuminated to sky. 'Naruto, wait for me.' She took off south, eating the bread as she ran. There was no time to rest, there was no time to stop, there was no time to think. She had to keep moving forward at all costs. She had to keep enduring, to protect the one she loved.