Next chapter, as promised.
Serious Sam: So glad to hear that you're enjoying the story and the tension. You're right, it is a tight rope for the men to walk and you'll see the effects. About the Hollow fist, I won't say anything. But you're right about Sasuke and Sakura, they are on their way to the village. And you're also right about Hinata too ;)
Not-So-GentleFist: I was a little worried it would seem a little high tech, but then again we never really see special op equipment besides radios. Not to mention the masks are way ahead of their time. But think of it like this, the masks are simply using a resonance beacon seal to track marked targets.
Jebus21: Glad you've enjoyed the story and I hope it hasn't ended up being too distracting. I'll admit, I've been waiting ever since the beginning to write these styled chapters.
Promised to mention this story in my next update. I think a lot of you would appreciate it.
The Price of Your Betrayal
by: Averell Torrent
Give it a shot guys, it deserves a lot more attention than what it's getting now.
Chapter 39: TARFU
—21:34 hrs—
"Anbu forces are wrapping up the perimeter as we speak," Jihibiki said into Naruto's ear while he paid for two cinnamon buns. "I.D. has cleared the groups meant to attack there. Their teams are being rerouted to the barrier team and Anbu Headquarters. A total of 28 trigger groups have been subdued."
Naruto hummed, indicating he understood while at the same time taking a bite of the glazed bun. He could understand why Hinata enjoyed them so much, the things were delicious. He handed the other bun to Hinata, snickering as she forwent social graces and devoured it.
"As it stands," Jihibiki continued, "the North and West perimeters are clear. The South shouldn't be too far along, and the East perimeter is on standby. Sector Alpha is cleared. Sector Charlie is cleared. The last two groups are in sector Bravo. One near where you first started, and another a little further along to the north."
Naruto frowned. He remembered those groups. Turning his head from Hinata and feigning interest in a stall he said, "The crowd was thin there, and the two groups were in line of sight of each other. They'll need to be hit at the same time in order to keep either group from fighting back."
"Are there any Root teams on location," Sai asked.
"Negative. The stalls in that area are run by civilians," Jihibiki answered.
Everyone fell silent, processing the information. Two against twenty-two weren't exactly favorable odds.
"Naruto, Sai, Shino, regroup and progress to targets," Shikamaru's order crackled through the seal. "I'll meet you there. Shino, you're with me—we'll take the northern group while Naruto and Sai take the second one."
"You heard him," Naruto said, noticed Hinata wandering off towards a stall. Craning his neck to see which one, he cracked a grin saying, "Rendezvous at the flower stall. It's located at the edge of Charlie and Bravo. Shikamaru, I'll signal when we're Oscar Mike."
Three different tisks over the radio told him they understood.
Naruto caught up with Hinata to see what had her so entranced. Giving the stand a once over, he had to admit the variety of flowers was certainly impressive. While he didn't know much about them—even he could appreciate the colors. The hard work the owner put into every piece was obvious. Following Hinata's gaze, he winced when he found she was looking at the center table. Five tiny flowers, each in their own vase, sat in a row. In front of them a sign read,
The Elemental Orchids
Without even looking, Naruto knew the prices of those flowers were going to hurt. So despite the foreboding sense of doom to his beloved Gama-chan, Naruto—ever the optimist—asked Hinata if she wanted anything.
She blushed. Not the shy, cute, blush because he was being considerate of her, but the kind of blush that said she knew she'd be asking too much
"I-It's fine Naruto-kun. Don't w-worry about it," she said, and began to look around the rest of the stall. However, her eyes lingered on the orchids for a moment longer.
Naruto sighed. She might as well have begged him for the flowers. And the sad thing was she didn't even realize the effect it had over him. If she ever learned to harness that power for a darker purpose…he shuddered.
When she wasn't looking, he waved the vendor over and pointed to the center table. "How much are those flowers?"
The man glanced at the table, and then back. "You sure?"
"Well that's reassuring..." Kurama said not bothering to stifle his laugh.
"Yeah," Naruto answered ignoring the fox. His shoulders slumped, "I'm sure."
The man smiled weakly and gave Naruto an apologetic look. "Four million ryo..."
Naruto winced and then sighed. "That seems about right—"
"Each."
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" Naruto hissed. Grabbing the man by the robes he pulled him in close, doing his best to maintain some semblance of a whisper. "What the hell do ya mean four million each? Ya tryin' ta rob me?!"
"I-I'm sorry sir," the vendor said. He appeared more worried about Naruto's health than his own. "B-But these are extremely rare flowers! Nearly impossible to acquire due to the harsh environments they grow in."
Naruto eyed the flowers with borderline delirious resentment. "What the hell makes them so damn special?"
Gently removing himself from Naruto he said, "I take it you'd like to surprise your girlfriend with one of them?"
Naruto nodded, feeling too defeated even to argue the façade they weren't dating.
Giving a sympathetic smile, the man ushered him to the side and gestured to the wall. "The elemental orchids are named for the elemental countries they are found in. While all are from the same Genus—each Species is slightly different. This is why they look similar, but their colors and shapes are slightly varied."
At first Naruto didn't understand what the man was doing. Here he was pointing at the wall, but talking about something else entirely. Then Naruto realized Hinata kept glancing at them while perusing the flowers. It clicked. The man had purposely put his back to her so she couldn't read his lips, and his gestures made it look like they were talking about the flowers on the wall. He was helping Naruto surprise her. It almost made him want to tip the man.
Almost.
"However," the man continued pointing to something else on the wall, "the orchids are also named for the respective elemental chakras they absorb."
"Seriously," Naruto blinked. The man nodded and Naruto put a finger to his lips. "So they're kinda like the chakra trees we get our chakra paper from?"
The man nodded vigorously this time and grinned. He obviously enjoyed anything pertaining to flowers. "That's correct shinobi-san, they come from the same Class as it just so happens! But instead of reacting to chakra types like the tree, these orchids retain the element they're named after."
"I don't mean to sound rude," Naruto said frowning, "but if that's the only reason they're considered special then that's a pretty lame reason. It's like me taking grass clippings and saying they're rare because they give off natural chakra."
"Oh you're quite fine, shinobi-san." The man laughed waving him off. "But the reason they're so special is because even after they've been cut they still absorb chakra. In fact, they never wilt or die because the chakra they absorb preserves them."
Pausing for a moment and giving Naruto an appraising look he added, "I must say you certainly know your stuff when it comes to chakra. With your knowledge you must be what, jonin?"
"Genin, actually." Naruto said scowling.
"Really?" The man said raising his eyebrows. "Well your knowledge is impressive and quite extensive for a genin, but…aren't you a little old to be a genin?"
Naruto opened his mouth to tell him it was complicated, but then it dawned on him this man had no idea who he was. It was why the vendor was being so personal with him—the man thought he was simply talking to another customer. No "Naruto-sama," No pedestal. Just one man talking to another.
It was refreshing, and Naruto realized this must've been what the Sandaime meant when he always referred to him as "Jiji." The fact that he'd come full circle in this moment was almost surreal. So maybe it was because of the situation, or the stress of the mission, or perhaps in this one instant he felt like he'd made it to where jiji had been, he laughed. A hard, side splitting laugh that had him bending over holding himself. Genuine and contagious, even the vendor couldn't help but laugh a little despite not having any idea what was happening.
Ignoring the looks around them, and Hinata glancing at them with a smile of her own, Naruto wiped a tear away and took a deep breath. "Man you have no idea how much I needed that,"
"Um…you're welcome?"
"You don't know who I am, do you?" Naruto asked, his smile turning into a foxy smirk.
"I'm terribly sorry shinobi-san, but I'm not from around here."
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde said inclining his head at the man, and watched as his eyes steadily grew. "Head of the recently instated Uzumaki clan, toad sage of Mt. Myoboku, and 'Hero' of the Hidden Leaf Village."
"U-Uzumaki-sama—!"
"Naruto, if you'd please. You have no idea how refreshing it is to talk normally with someone."
"But Uzu—Naruto-sama doesn't understand!" The man said tearing up and bowing low. "If it wasn't for you, then my wife and I would've most certainly died!"
Naruto's face screwed together as he shook his head. "What? How?"
"During the recent attempted invasion!"
"But that was a month ago," Naruto said. "Why were you and your wife in the village if you're not from here?"
The man's mood did another one-eighty when he smiled proudly. "We came a month early because we were expecting our first child! We knew we'd be near the village when it was time, so we came early. Konoha is hailed for its hospitals after all!
"But then the attack happened, and during the panic I was separated from my wife." The man said turning somber. "When I found her again the shock had sent her into labor. We were stuck, and terrified, and when help finally arrived I remember hearing a roar unlike anything I'd ever heard. And when I looked up, all I could see was a massive wall of debris moving towards us leveling everything in its path…"
Naruto's eyes widened at the description. Nagato's Almighty Push—the one he used to destroy the village. His mood turned somber too, "You died, didn't you."
The man nodded. "I don't remember much of what happened. Only that I was traveling towards light, and my wife was with me with our child in her arms. Then the next second we were being dragged backwards, away from the light. I thought for sure we were being taken to hell, but when I opened my eyes we were alive and unharmed! And even more surprisingly, our child made it too!
"I know it's not much, but from the bottom of my heart, thank you Naruto. I owe you not only my life and the lives of my family, but my happiness as well." Bowing deeply again he said, "I wish I could give you the orchids for free, but I can't afford it. So how about I give you a discount—"
"I'll take them at full price."
"Wha?! Naruto-san, I couldn't possibly…" The man trailed off when he saw Naruto's watery eyes. "Is everything okay, Naruto-san?!"
"Yeah…" Naruto said blinking a few time and clearing his throat. "It's just…you're the first person to really thank me, and explain what happened. To me that means so much more than discounted flowers—no matter how rare."
The man was about to speak when he was interrupted by Hinata. "Is e-everything alright, Naruto-kun?" And despite asking Naruto the question, her wary eyes never left the salesman.
Naruto grinned, and rubbed the back of his head blushing. "Ah, yeah Hina-chan. This man was just thanking me for saving him and his family's lives during the invasion."
"O-Oh, I s-see." Hinata said as her eyes went wide. She turned around quickly saying, "P-Please forgive my intrusion into your conversation!"
"Nonsense," The man smiled, steering her back to them. "I was just telling Naruto-san how I'd like to return my thanks by allowing you to pick anything from this stall, free of charge!"
Hinata blushed lightly, eyes drifting towards the center table. The vendor winced, saying with a grimace, "Except the orchids…I'm sorry."
"N-No I am!" Hinata said averting her gaze and blushing darker. "I was being far too presumptuous. I k-know how expensive and rare they are."
"Perhaps something from this wall," the man said motioning to the wall by them. "A nice accent piece to go with your lovely dress."
Hinata gave a small smile at the compliment, and nodded gratefully. As she skimmed the wall, Naruto glanced out into the crowd catching the black arrows indicating Sai, and a little further behind him, Shino, moving his way.
Turning to the table Naruto pulled out a small storage scroll and pen. Double checking to make sure Hinata was still preoccupied—he began to scribble out a message. When he finished, he blew it dry and turned back to the vendor.
Grinning and rubbing the back of his head Naruto asked, "Do you take checks?"
The man blinked, but shook his head. "No not usually. We're not from around here so we only take cash. However, for you I'd be willing to make an exception. I'd like to believe the 'Hero' of the Hidden Leaf has a reputation to uphold."
Naruto let out a breath and nodded appreciatively. Writing out a number on a check, he tore it out and handed it to the man along with the scroll saying, "I'll make a clone to come back and get them."
The man looked at the check and his mouth fell open. "N-Naruto-san! I can't accept this!"
"What? Why not? You just said you'd take a check!"
The man opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, but still nothing came out. He looked down at the check, and slowly reread the numbers just to make sure he hadn't gotten them wrong. Staring back up at him was the number twenty million. He'd hoped to sell at least one of the orchids at the festival, but not all five! And certainly not all at the same time!
"A-Are you sure," he asked quietly looking at Hinata, and then back to Naruto. "This is a large sum of money."
Naruto smiled and waved him off. "Don't worry about it. I've been saving my money since I could remember. Not to mention the funds I recently inherited are almost sickeningly large. If it makes her smile, then it's worth it."
The man nodded smiling softly. "You love her very much don't you?"
Naruto stiffened, his eyes shifting between the florist and Hinata. Then he sighed. "I also owe her my life…Surely you can understand that?"
The man's eyes widened slightly before nodding, and put the check and scroll in his pocket.
"I-Is this alright," Hinata asked rejoining them. On her head was a simple band, made of woven red and orange leaves accented by yellow flowers. If Naruto had to guess he'd say lilies, he wasn't entirely sure though. But it looked beautiful on her, and matched her dress near perfectly. She blushed from the stares she received from both men, and gave a shy smile.
"Of course it is, my dear!" The man grinned. "I was right in suggesting that wall, it fits you wonderfully."
"Thank you very much," Hinata said bowing.
"No, thank you very much," the vendor said, returning the bow to both of them.
"Naruto!"
Hearing his name, Naruto and Hinata turned to find Sai, Samui, Shino, and Tamamushi all waiting outside the stall. Thanking the man one last time, they left the stall. As they did, Hinata failed to see Naruto make his signature hand sign, or for the clone that appeared behind him to quickly duck under a table.
When Naruto and Hinata joined the group, the girls quickly detached from their dates and formed their own bubble ahead, giving the men a chance to talk.
"Shikamaru," Naruto said activating his seal, "we've regrouped. Oscar Mike to location, E.T.A. three minutes."
"Copy that," Shikamaru said.
Naruto glanced at his watch.
20:38
"Okay," Naruto said nodding, "we've got just over twenty minutes to finish this phase before the fireworks. As soon as these last two groups are dealt with we'll be moving on to phase-two. Somehow we're ahead of schedule. Sai will link up with the squads at the Hyuuga estate, Shikamaru will aid the barrier team, and Shino will head to the Anbu Headquarters. I'll stay by the Hokage until I receive the all clear. Once the village is secure we'll then proceed to phase-three. Understood?"
Naruto received two nods and a tisk over the radio. The plan was progressing smoothly to his surprise and pleasure. The target groups had been easier to deal with thanks to the spare Root forces hidden in the crowd. It was a load off his shoulders knowing that the most delicate part of the mission was almost over. After that it would be nothing more than mopping up what was left of the rebels.
They made slower time through the crowd than what Naruto had anticipated. The crowd had thickened in the area of their targets which was good, but made maneuvering more difficult. Of course, this was assuming the crowd was still there when they arrived at their targets. The flow of foot traffic was a difficult thing to predict.
Shikamaru was the first to get into position. He managed to distract Temari with a group of traveling thespians, telling her he'd get some snacks for them. As she watched the show, the Nara heir backed into an alley and allowed the shadows he manipulated to swallow him.
"In position," Shikamaru said. Giving the area a quick glance, he said, "Shino, there's a gap between two stalls near my location. It should provide the cover you need."
Shino tisked his radio in confirmation and turned to Tamamushi. He whispered something to her, earning a brief look of confusion. Then she nodded, and grabbed Hinata and Samui's attention.
"Bathroom break," she asked. The other two blushed at the forwardness of her question, especially in front of their dates, but nodded, and Naruto sent a silent prayer to the heavens.
God bless the wily, stoic, Aburame.
"W-We'll be right back, Naruto-kun." Hinata said.
"We'll be in the area," Naruto replied nodded, and the girls disappeared into the crowd.
Once they were gone Shino gave them a nod and slid between two stalls, moving invisibly between them and the buildings to the location Shikamaru mentioned. Naruto motioned to Sai and the two moved on, the red and yellow arrows appearing above the crowd once they came into range. Slowing their pace, a frown appeared on Naruto as they surveyed the scene. The crowd was still thin here, and just like before the two groups were in line of sight of each other.
"This is problematic," Sai said while his eyes shifted between targets.
"Shikamaru, can Mercy reach all four of us?" Naruto asked.
"No. I can get Shino, but the distance between me, you, and Sai is too great. I can't stretch my control that far when we're so spread out."
"We'll need a distraction then," Shino said. "Any ideas?"
Naruto clicked his tongue in response as he looked around for ideas. Then his eyes landed on a particular stall, and a devious grin appeared.
"Follow me," he said, and they slid out of the crowd and behind the stalls.
Crossing his fingers, Naruto created five clones which then proceeded to henge into children a little younger than the Konohamaru corps. Running back into the street as a group, Naruto radioed Shikamaru.
"Standby and be ready to move," Naruto ordered.
"What's the signal?" Shikamaru asked.
"You'll know it when you see it." Naruto answered. Turning to Sai he said, "I'll take this group. Be ready to secure the trigger agent when I'm done."
Sai nodded, and the two settled down in preparation. A minute later Naruto's henged clones ran through the area laughing and screaming. Three of them chased after the other two throwing paper shuriken back and forth. Once they came between the Hyuuga groups, a paper shuriken grazed the leg of a clone being chased, and he fell down with a mock scream clutching it.
"Leave me!" The clone said dramatically pulling out a plastic kunai.
"No way," his partner cried out. "I never leave a man behind!"
The ruckus began to draw the attention of the crowd, and they watched with amused smiles. While children playing ninja was nothing new, the games always become more entertaining when stalls at the village festivals sold fake shinobi tools. Premade paper shuriken, blunt plastic kunai, and weak smoke bombs were favorites among the kids.
Standing up with a fake limp the clone said, "There's too many of them. We'll never make it."
"Never give up!" The other clone said digging around in his pocket.
"Get ready," Naruto mutter into his transmitter. Pulling out four small balls, the clone threw them down shouting at the same time Naruto did, "GO!"
Naruto blurred forward into the wall of smoke, the weak smoke bombs' combined power enough to blot out the entire section of the street. Silhouettes of yellow and red were the only indicators of his targets in the obscured atmosphere. They were already forming a defensive circle with the trigger agent in the middle when Retribution flashed rings around the targets' heads, indications they'd activated their bloodlines. Eleven heads began to turn in his direction.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto threw his hand forward and a chakra chain erupted from his palm. Blitzing forward, it snaked between one Hyuuga's legs and wrapped around the trigger agent's. Grabbing the chain with his hand, Naruto yanked back hard while retracting the chain. The man hit the ground and flew towards Naruto, knocking over the guard in the process. Ducking, the trigger agent sailed over Naruto, and as he did Naruto moved his other hand forward slapping a suppression seal onto the man's back.
"Sai, grab him!" Naruto ordered once the trigger agent passed him. He didn't wait for a response, moving forward confident his brother would follow through. A second later a soft grunt signaled Sai had caught and secured the target.
"Shit," Shikamaru suddenly muttered. "SHIT! Shino!"
A blurry wave appeared, and pulsed out over the area before vanishing. Naruto recognized it as Mercy's time manipulation, and cold apprehension washed over him. Not that he could stop and ask what was happening though. Instead he pressed on, his sprint ending when he dropped mid stride and slide tackled one of the Hyuugas while crossing his fingers. Twenty clones burst into existence—their smoke adding more to the confusion.
The Branch members didn't stand a chance. Two on one with Naruto's superior taijutsu sent every Hyuuga to the ground in a matter of seconds, each sporting a seal. Ten clones dispelled themselves prolonging the smoke screen a little more, while the other ten gathered up the Hyuuga and sprinted back to where Sai was waiting.
He was about to follow his clones when Shikamaru cursed over the radio again saying, "Naruto, help us move the bodies!"
Naruto's head snapped over his shoulder to see seven bodies lying on the street. Shino and Shikamaru's silhouettes moved towards the alley each carrying two.
The smoke was thinning, causing Naruto's heart to slam against his chest. It was only a matter of seconds before the crowd saw the bodies. His body twisted towards the ones in the street, the built up torsion springing him forward as he shouted, "Gimme a pulse!"
The same expansion of blurred, invisible chakra flowed outwards again, and this time when it reached him everything came to a halt. He crossed his fingers, seven clones exploding to life and quickly moving ahead. Gathering the bodies, they started to move towards Shikamaru when Mercy's time barrier began to waver.
Then it collapsed.
Naruto's breath wedged in his throat as he watched his clones try to beat the collapsing wave back to the alley. The shrinking bubble was moving faster than his clones. They wouldn't make it in time. And for the briefest moment, Naruto's hands pressed against the cool metal concealed within his sleeve—the kanji engraved into the metal whispering promises they wouldn't be seen.
But he couldn't throw it inside Shikamaru's time zone. Not without breaking the sound barrier. If he did then he could panic the crowd, and instigate the remaining rebels to start the coup early. Not to mention it was his ace. He didn't want to reveal it early. He was stuck.
The last clone was still in the street when the barrier passed Naruto returning him to normal time flow. He held his breath as the wall slipped over him and his eyes tracked the clone.
It vanished from sight.
There was a brief pause. One in which Naruto's mind registered his clone had made it. The extra moment spent in the alternate time zone long enough for the clone to reach the alley, if only barely.
Naruto let out a breath, and glanced to the side. A child stared at him wide-eyed, frozen in mid lick of his ice shavings. He'd seen what happened—sort of. Probably appeared as if the Hyuuga had vanished and Naruto had replaced them to the kid. So Naruto gave the boy a mischievous smile, pressed his fingers to his lips, and winked. The boy nodded unblinkingly before running away.
Letting out a low groan as he unclenched his fist, Naruto moved through the dissipating smoke to the alley where Shikamaru and Shino were, utilizing the extra time in an attempt to calm his raving heart.
"What happened," Naruto asked entering the alley.
Mercy crumbled away from Shikamaru's face in wisps of black smoke revealing his gasps for air. "The trigger agent…anticipated our attack. As soon as the…smoke bombs went off he was…moving with his Byakugan active. He…He dodged my shadow bind, and tried to activate the bombs."
Naruto nodded, "So that was why I saw the first pulse."
Shikamaru nodded. "The first time wasn't a…problem. Shino easily drained the Branch Members…but we couldn't move the bodies fast enough. It's hard…enough maintaining the barrier while keeping…still. It was impossible for me to keep it up while we…moved."
Naruto frowned, taking note of Shikamaru's gasps and beading sweat on his face. "Still struggling to use the time manipulation on teammates from a distance."
The shadow user scowled, but nodded. He was upset with himself, and Naruto couldn't blame him. Shikamaru had worked himself into the ground trying to increase the range of Mercy's time manipulation to others. Unfortunately, progress had been stiflingly slow—the further someone was from him when he activated the pulse, the harder it was for that person to enter his time flow, and the less control he had over the amount of time the pulse lasted. Not to mention, as it showed now, it took a lot out of him too.
"Don't worry about it," Naruto said resting a hand on his shoulder. "It worked, and with these two groups secured phase-one is over. Recover some of your strength and then prepare to move out."
Straightening up and looking out into the crowd Naruto said, "Sector Bravo is clear. I need two extraction teams to retrieve the bodies. Also, inform the other teams we're ready to move on to the next phase."
"Copy that," Jihibiki's voice crackled back.
Naruto let out a relieved breath, but no smile reached his lips. He looked at his watch.
20:42
They were ahead of schedule. The entire mission had run smoothly without as much as a single hiccup, apart from what had just happened. Something was off though. Like he was looking right at trap, but couldn't see it.
"This is irritating! He frowned. "Paranoia maybe?"
"We're missing something," Kurama confirmed. "How's that saying go: If it's going according to plan then it's probably a trap."
Naruto's already tense shoulders grew even tighter. They missed something? After all the planning, careful mission assigning, and countermeasures they still overlooked some detail? His teeth ground together as his mind rapidly reviewed everything he knew. But no matter what angle he looked from, he couldn't find anything.
Maybe it was just him? Maybe his nerves combined with the stress were getting to him.
"You know that's not true." Kurama growled anxiously. "Check with the others."
"Jihibiki, any problems to report?" Naruto asked.
"Apart from five trigger agents being killed as a last resort, no." Jihibiki answered. "The rerouted squads from I.D. are taking longer to link up with the rest of the forces due to the crowds, but they should be regrouping soon. E.T.A. two minutes."
Naruto glanced at his watch.
20:43
He closed his eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We're missing something…"
"What d-do you mean, Naruto-kun," Hinata asked. Naruto jerked violently, and spin around to the girls.
Seeing the pale look on his face, Hinata's own eyes filled with concern and she frowned. He was jumpy, tense, and worst of all distant. She wanted to talk to him, ask him what was wrong, but as she closed the distance between them she was abruptly blocked by Shino. An unspoken conversation passing between the three men in an instant, and when she tried to brush past Shino he caught her arm firmly.
"No," was all he said—his tone more than enough to give her pause. Years of working together allowed her to read his body language, and right now he wasn't only tense—he was scared and uncertain. She glanced at Shikamaru and despite his usual look, beneath the façade of tired boredom, fear and trepidation was roiling within. Something was wrong. Very wrong. And as Shino led the girls away, Hinata looked at Naruto one last time. His jaw clenched tightly while muttering something to Shikamaru, but not entirely speaking to him.
"Naruto, you're over thinking this," Jihibiki said. "You boys put together a brilliant plan. The fact that everything is running so smoothly only proves how well prepared you were."
Sai appeared from the crowd and activated his own radio. "I'm with Naruto, something is wrong."
"They're right," Shikamaru added. "Something's off."
"Regardless of whether or not you all feel something is wrong, we need to proceed with the plans." Jihibiki said. "We have no indication of something happening behind the scenes. To stop now when we're so close to finishing would be ridiculous as well as catastrophic."
Everyone was silent for second, each consumed in their own thoughts. If something did happen, the village might not recover. Even with the alliance. They couldn't afford to fuck up.
"It's your call, Naruto." Shikamaru said looking at him.
Naruto's scowl tightened and his teeth clenched so hard he felt like his jaw would never stop aching. He wasn't crazy—the others felt something was wrong too. But at the same time Jihibiki was right as well, the mission needed to continue. Naruto's eyes fell to his watch again.
20:45
They needed to continue pressing forward. Inaction breeds failure. They were in too deep, they couldn't stop now.
"Proceed to phase-two," Naruto finally said. "Sai, link up with your squads and get ready. I want you ready to move as soon as the first firework is lit, and that estate secured before it goes off! Shikamaru, Shino, and I will get the girls to the Hokage. From there, you and Shino will proceed to your assigned areas. Fast, quiet, and no mistakes. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we can regroup. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Shikamaru, find Temari and link up with Shino," Naruto said jerking his head out into the crowd. "I'll meet you there."
Shikamaru nodded and disappeared into the fray. Once he was gone, Naruto let out a massive sigh and slumped against the alleyway. His shoulders sagged low as he dragged a hand down his face, trying to stretch his already low energy even thinner.
It was absurd. He was exhausted, but he hadn't exerted any energy—the surface of his reserves barely scratched. Yet he felt as if he'd been fighting three days straight, spamming nothing but high level jutsu.
Then there was Hinata. The woman was smart, and he'd only be insulting her intelligence if he thought she was still unaware of something going on. It was only a matter of time now—he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep it up. Every group he'd taken out had become more and more difficult to handle because of her. She was noticing his absences, and he was running out of excuses for them.
A firm hand squeezed his shoulder, and Naruto looked up. Sai was fairing no better. He could see the weariness plaguing his body, too. His overly tensed muscles the only thing keeping him upright at this point.
"You sent him away," he said. No words of encouragement. They were beyond that at this point. So he settled with an observation mixed with appreciation.
"Never let your subordinates see weakness," Naruto said. "They must always see their leader as the embodiment of strength. In turn this gives them strength, and effectively brings out the true strength of a leader—his subordinates."
Sai nodded his head, and then tilted it. "So what's that make me?"
"You already know the answer to that," Naruto said, slowly standing upright. Aching pain coursed through his entire body, his limbs nearly shaking from the constant tension. "A family openly bears their weaknesses to each other because they know they'll be supported. It's a different kind of strength."
Sai said nothing and settled for a smile. But it didn't last long.
"Get moving," Naruto said making his way out of the alley. "I'll see you when we regroup."
He didn't wait for a response. He just slipped back into the flow of the street, and disappeared among the faces. They were beyond asking one another to complete their tasks at this point too. It was understood.
Do not fail. Keep her safe.
His eyes flitted to his watch again, it was becoming a habit.
20:47
While he navigated the crowd, Naruto's mind wandered to Hinata's face when she was leaving. The guilt he felt sliding between his ribs like a blade. His gait slowed, and his fists clenched. She knew something was wrong now. Not only that, but she probably thought he didn't care about their date. While untrue, he couldn't deny he was more focused on other things. That didn't stop the guilt from building in his chest though. How long had she been waiting for this? For him? And here he was simply using it as a cover.
He doubted he'd ever be able to look in the mirror again.
Naruto was shaken from his self-loathing when Shino's voice broke through the radio, the wake of his words causing cold nausea to wash over everyone listening, "We have a situation. Naruto, Shikamaru, regroup now!"
Naruto shoved his way through the crowd to Shino, who was at a stall he'd distracted the girls with. Hinata looked at him, not even trying to sneak a glance. He ignored her, and moved to Shino while shoving his guilt down even further.
Coming up beside him, Shino picked up a small trinket and showed it to Naruto saying, "Eight o'clock, standing next to the telephone pole."
Naruto looked out the corner of his eyes, and squinted through the crowd. At first he didn't see anything out of the ordinary, just people laughing and enjoying the night. Still confused, Naruto found the pole and followed it down to a group of men talking. One of them had his head tilted back laughing, but when he brought it down…
"I thought you tagged all of them?!" Naruto hissed, his head snapping back to Shino.
"I did," Shino answered. "Or at least I was under the impression I had."
"Jihibiki, is that Hyuuga showing up on the map?" Naruto asked. His mouth was going dry, and his heart seemed hell bent on escaping his throat.
"No," Jihibiki said. "He's chuunin level, but he isn't color coded."
Naruto's eyes whipped to Shino's. If they'd missed this one how many more did they miss? Maybe it had just been one, Shino wasn't perfect after—
"I just picked up a bogie at the edge of Alpha. No color marker," Shikamaru said.
The silence that followed was consumed by rampant, dread-filled thoughts. And while wordless, they effectively drowned out the silent space between them all.
"Everyone calm down," Naruto ordered. It was bad enough they'd missed two Hyuugas, the last thing they needed was to panic and do something drastic. Taking a slow breath Naruto said, "Shino, is it possible your Kikiachu died and we lost his marker."
"No," Shino answered. "They simply transported the marker. Once it's placed my insects do not need to remain on the target for Justice to keep track."
"Then how—"
"I don't know," Shino said, the strain of the mission beginning to crack his calm exterior. "But I began running a facial recognition with all our Hyuuga profiles the moment I saw him. It shouldn't be too much longer."
Naruto gritted his teeth. "Shikamaru, send a picture of your tango to Shino as well."
Naruto received a tisk from Shikamaru and tried to school his face. So much for going according to plan. If the Hyuugas ended up being hostile then there was a strong possibility the Anbu perimeter had been breached. Not the most comforting thought.
They didn't last long though because Shino turned to him saying, "We have a problem."
"No," Shikamaru said through the radio before appearing out of the crowd pulling Temari. "We've got a huge fucking problem!"
Naruto grit his teeth as a massive headache started splitting his head. He jammed his thumb and index fingers into his eyes, and pressed against them—turning the searing pain into a dull throb. He took a breath, held it, and let it out slowly. When he finally opened his eyes he found everyone staring at him, even the girls.
Things were getting out of hand. Hopefully they wouldn't get too far out of control. Hopefully…
Doing his best to ignore the women he pointed at Shino, "You first."
Shino hesitated for a second. Then he realized Naruto didn't care about discrepancy anymore. So ignoring the fact that all the girls were listening he said, "I've made a match. Hyuuga Eto, Branch Member and supporter of the Main family."
Naruto locked eyes with Shikamaru, his confusion only overcome by the screaming voice in the back of his mind. "But wouldn't that make him…"
"A hostage, yes." Shino nodded.
Naruto rubbed his forehead as Shikamaru muttered, "What the fuck?"
That's always a great sign.
"And your problem," Naruto asked the shadow user, unable to suppress the trepidation filling him.
"I scanned my tango to make sure he wasn't forced into cooperating via genjutsu," Shikamaru said.
"And?" Naruto asked, unable to stop the icy fear slinking across his skin.
Shikamaru didn't reply. Instead he walked past Naruto, grabbed Temari's hand, and began leading her towards a side street before saying, "We need to rethink our strategy."
Naruto's mouth fell open when Shikamaru's mask linked with his and the image uploaded. His breath became shaky, and he could literally feel the blood draining from his face. He knew this seal. He'd become extremely intimate with it over the past month, using it as practice for his calligraphy while at the same time stock piling them.
The class one explosive tag—a.k.a. the Blockbuster. So aptly named for its ability to level an entire city block.
Eto was carrying five.
Hinata came to Naruto and grabbed his hand, uneasy and worried. She nearly yelped when he gripped her hand tightly and started pulling her, following Shikamaru. Behind him, Shino ushered Tamamushi and Samui to follow.
"N-Naruto-kun, what's going on," Hinata asked, the uneasy sickness in her stomach growing. Naruto's teeth pressed together before opening his mouth.
"Root squads are reporting Hyuugas all over the place!" Jihibiki said suddenly, "They're coming out of nowhere!"
Cold terror stopped Naruto, and he whipped around just like Shino and Shikamaru. Their eyes landed on two Hyuugas walking down the street, the pair appearing from nowhere. Their masks pierced the robes and blinked frantically—identifying the massive payloads the men were carrying.
Naruto's eyes flicked to his watch.
20:52
Jihibiki's voice crackled through the radio. His words summing up their thoughts. "God help us…"
Atop the Hokage monument, a crimson eye glared down at the festival from behind a mask.
"The clones are in place," Zetsu said morphing out of the ground. "It won't be too long till they're found."
"That's not a problem. They'll serve their purpose."
"Seems a bit wasteful though."
"The threat had to be real," Madara said turning to the black human-plant hybrid. "Now with everyone's attention scattered we'll be able to move freely."
"To the Hyuuga compound then?"
"No. Not yet." Madara said turning his eye back to the village. "We're going to make a short detour first—to the I.D. prison."
"Eh? You never mentioned anything like that before," Zetsu said frowning slightly. "What are you planning?"
A vortex appeared and sucked Madara into his personal dimension. "Their despair."
A/N: Next update will be Monday. Try to hang in there until then!