Chapter Nine : The Battle of the Fourth Shrine - Kumera Joins the Fight.

The rest of the evening went by pretty melancholy. I was in my room most of the evening sitting on my bed looking out the window at the sky. I watched as the sun set over the horizon and couldn't believe how much of a fool that my family had made me feel like. So what if I had discovered a way to make a new jutsu? A lot was expected of me and I was actually living up to expectations considering I'm the daughter of an Uzumaki and a Hyuuga. I shook my head in disbelief as my mind raced with the thoughts of war. The army of Amegakure would soon be knocking on our front door, so to speak and there was nothing I could do about it. I looked over at my bookshelf and pulled off a few titles. I had bought a few of the books from the village library that were on secret techniques and other things. I looked through the pages only to find that I was soon bored. "Gah! Why do they expect so much of me and then when I give them what they've been wanting, they look down on me?!"

I threw the book to the other side of the room only to see it landed at the feet of my mother. "I see you are having a moment, huh?" the beautiful Hyuuga said as she walked into my room. I turned around on my bed and continued looking out the window. I felt her walking up behind me and then sitting on the bed next to me. "Well, your father isn't speaking to me either, so this isn't a surprise." She put her hand on my head and ran her fingers through my hair. "Kumera," she continued. "You are a very special child and I know that you think the whole world expects a bunch from you. But right now, it's just me wanting what is best for you."

I listened intently as she continued. "Your sister told me that you've learned a new jutsu. I think that is great news to hear, my baby girl." I turned towards her slightly, laying my head on her shoulder. My arm was against her belly as I felt my baby brother kick. I looked down at her growing bump before she pulled my chin up to look her in the eyes. "I believe in you, Kumera. You just have to believe in yourself and believe in what you know you can accomplish."

I looked back at the window, "I know, Mom. But it seems like I'm a bother to Dad. It's like I'm a constant annoyance or topic of conversations. My sister is now hating me because I know something she doesn't. For cripes sake! I just wanted to prove to Lord Hokage himself that I'm not just a failure!"

Hinata looked at me with sadness in her eyes, "You are not a failure in his eyes, Kumera. In fact, you remind him a lot of himself and that's what terrifies him. He knows how he was and just wants you to be better than that, that's all."

"I just don't know. I want to take part in this war and help stop the Amegakure army, but I'm not sure if he'll let me," I admitted to her.

She stood up, a bit wobbly because of the large baby bump, "You'll find out soon enough that you will be allowed in the fight. Just not right now. You still have training to do." She walked to the door and turned back around, "But you hear me - if you get into too much trouble, you come straight home from the war." She walked out the door and I felt a warmness inside me. They're wanting me in the war? They want me to fight too? I jumped off of my bed and did a little dance in my room. "I'll prove to them! I'll prove to them all that I can be somebody!"

Hinata had paused outside the door to hear her daughter. She smiled as she continued to the bedroom to sleep.

The next day...

"Morning, Kumera!" Akeno said meeting up with me.

"Hi, Akeno," I said throwing shuriken into the practice log at the training field.

"I heard you would be fighting alongside us in the war," my friend said picking up extra shuriken to toss with me.

I looked to him as I picked up more of the weapons and began tossing them, "Yeah, guess they decided they needed a strong somebody to fight off those asses from the Hidden Rain."

Akeno laughed as he walked over to the log to pull out some of the throwing stars, "Yeah, that can't be it."

I huffed at the notion that he was laughing and threw a star that just missed the top of his head. "Oops," I said chuckling.

"Hey now! That's not cool!" Akeno said as he threw the shuriken back in my direction to which I had to block with my kunai attack.

"Children...both of you are children," we heard from behind the tree near the field. We stopped and looked in the direction only to see Kunji with three butterflies on his head.

"We're not children, we're...um...Kumera help me out here," Akeno said picking up the weapons again.

"Yeah, we're big time ninja! You're just butterfly boy," I said, teasing my squad member.

"Hmph..." Kunji huffed as he turned to go place one of the butterflies on the flower near us.

"Seems like you guys are busy training as usual this morning," another voice said before the person appeared before us.

"Morning, Kitami-sensei!" Akeno said before picking up a kunai to block my attacks with shuriken. I started throwing them at him at a fast speed, my byakugan activated to enchance my throwing. "Hey no fair! You're using visual jutsu!"

I laughed as I kept throwing them. He was having a tough time keeping up until I threw the last one. We were panting now as we stopped for a moment. Kitami-sensei was looking at us, shaking her head. "Active as usual." Then she glanced over at Kunji who was knelt down to a bunch of flowers, which made her look at him weird. "Well, at least you two are."

I stopped to pick up the shuriken and began sharpening them on a stone, "So what brings you here, sensei?"

Kitami-sensei looked over at me and leaned against a tree, "Well, it seems that I'm to lead you three as a last resort team because of your specializations during the war."

"Last resort team? What does that mean?" Akeno said handing me more of the shuriken to sharpen.

She pulled out a book and flipped over to her saved spot, "It's because of fact that there will be many losses in the war and you three are skilled in different styles and will be brought in if an opportunity arises that our military cannot make it through a battle, you three will be the battle deciders."

"So we'll be a clean up crew?" Kunji said looking over at her.

"No, not entirely. Just a finishing squad," Kitami-sensei said looking at the three of us.

I thought about it for a moment. Our squad would consist of us being there to help only when things got to be their worst. "Sensei?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you believe we are capable of that?" I said asking her.

She looked over her book at the three of us while we eagerly awaited her answer. She closed her book and put it back into her kunai pouch. "I don't see why you wouldn't be capable. You three are quick on your toes and quick to take action. That's why you three were chosen by Lord Hokage himself."

Her words echoed in my mind as I heard her speak. "Chosen by him?" I thought to myself.

Kitami-sensei turned to walk off. "We leave for the battlefield at first light tomorrow. Be ready to march out with the rest of the ninja fighting."

"Yes ma'am!" we all said at the same time.

On the battlefield...

"I don't know if I can do this," Akeno said sitting down on the ground.

"Pull yourself together. We're needed for once! We can do this," I said holding out my hand for him to hold while he got up.

Kunji was just as quiet as ever while we stood watching the battles unfold before our eyes. We were waiting for the signal from Kitami-sensei that we would be needed. So far, everything was going just fine. Not many casualties as we sat there before the Fourth Shrine. "We'll be needed soon enough. Lord Gaara's squadron is taking heavy fire," Kunji said speaking up.

I activated my byakugan and looked towards the battlefield. Many ninja were falling from the different jutsus cast by the Amegakure nin. "There's so many. Who knew that there were that many people in the Hidden Rain," I said scanning the battle. I saw how the ninja near Gaara were brought forth to stop the onslaught of weaponry before it were to hit the Kazekage. "Those must be the specially chosen to fight for him," I said pointing them out to Akeno.

"Yeah, they look bad ass," he said as he stood up to get a better look.

But even as the line of alliance ninja was advancing, the battle was taking too long and more ninja started to fall at the hands of the ninja from the Hidden Rain. I kept watching as many of them fell and their chakra signs disappeared. I couldn't handle looking at the ninja dying before us and yet, I couldn't look away. The fire within me was burning to stop this madness. We received the signal from Kitami-sensei just as one of the ninja protecting Lord Gaara fell, allowing an opening before the Kazekage. "Go!" I screamed out, teleporting to stop the barrage of kunai from attacking the leader of the Hidden Sand. I blocked every single weapon as I began weaving the hand signs for my jutsu. "Scorch Style: Crimson Skyfall!" I screamed out my jutsu sending flaming kunai with a red mark on them at the enemy. Akeno appeared behind me and combined his attack with my own. "Ninja Art! Shuriken of Blue Blazes!" He sent thousands of shuriken that were summoned in thin air at the enemies, forcing them back. "Human Expansion Jutsu!" Kunji screamed out as he grew to a massive size, taking out several ninja with a single swipe of his hand. The forces from Amegakure were retreating for the time being while we surveyed the damage and loss during this one fight.

Akamo was panting as we stood there, "That was just one fight..one...just one.."

I put my hand on his shoulder as I looked at the enemy ninja leaving to regroup. "Yeah. We're going to be needed a lot."

Lord Gaara appeared behind us and bowed, "Thank you. I knew you three would come in handy. I'm glad Naruto Uzumaki listened to my pleas and allowed you to join the fight."

Kitami-sensei showed up and nodded her approval. "I seconded that motion put forth by Lord Kazekage and I see that my opinion was not put to waste."

I looked at the two of them and then saw my father on the horizon behind us. He for once had a smile on his face. I didn't know if he was proud or not, but it was a smile. My sister was next to him as they headed our way. But as Akamo said, this was just one fight. In war, there are many more. And many more chances to show the world the Alliance still stands strong.