The Iwa Shinobi chapter 6: Clash of Souls
And now the moment you have all been waiting for. It's my longest one yet. I give you the battle on the bridge.
dhh: I am happy that you took the time to review. However you did not need to be so combative. I will be explaining the difference between Naruto Namikaze and Naruto/Akahana later in this chapter.
Disclaimer: You're joking right? If I owned Naruto I wouldn't be so pressed for cash and I would go the best school money can buy. Or not, but that's beside the point. I also don't own Rurouni Kenshin.
Two days after Akahana's retrieval Haku decided that she needed some herbs to speed up Zabuza's healing process, and that she would take her heart-broken boy-impersonating girl with her, much to Deidara's chagrin.
"She is not going and that is final!" Deidara was dead-set against her going outside again after the last 'fiasco' as he called it.
"She needs some fresh air. She has been cooped up in here for three days. She needs the exercise." Haku argued vehemently.
Roshi threw in his two cents, "You're the one who accepted this mission, Deidara. If you won't let her play her part then what point was there in having her come?"
Deidara glared at the elder jinchuuriki for a moment before he closed his eyes and bowed his head in resignation, "Do what you want with her. But do NOT let those Leaf nin take her. I will not have a repeat performance."
Haku just waved at him and walked off after grabbing Akahana and going out the front door.
The two girls were wearing kimonos that were quite complimentary, Haku's being pink and Akahana's being blue.
Forest Clearing
Upon entering the clearing they spotted a young man lying face-up in the grass, the surrounding trees showing slash marks from what they could only guess was a kunai. Upon walking up to the guy however, Akahana couldn't help but gasp: it was Sasuke.
She didn't know what to do. On the one hand: if Sasuke saw her he would try and take her back but she would have a final moment with him before she disappeared from his life forever. On the other, however: she wouldn't get that last time but wouldn't have the agony of him trying to rescue her from her hellhole of her life without success.
Bowing her head in resignation she knew she had to go with the second. But before she left she leaned down give him a farewell kiss on the cheek when he woke up and turned his head, causing their lips to collide in a kiss that neither would forget any time soon.
Pulling back from the kiss that was etched into her soul, she got up and gave a tearful, "Goodbye Sasuke," and ran from the clearing.
Sasuke, still dazed from sleep and the kiss, didn't get up when she left and didn't truly wake up until she was too far away for it to matter. He lay back down and sighed. He finally got a kiss from the girl of his dreams but he was too out of it to do anything to stop her from leaving. Little did he know that the girl in question was hiding herself behind a nearby tree suppressing her chakra so she could continue to be near him.
Looking up he saw there was another girl in the clearing and saw she was really pretty, although she had nothing on Akahana. Then he realized something: Akahana had just been here so that meant that this new girl must know where she went.
Getting up off the ground he marched over to her, looked her square in the eye and said, "Do you know where Akahana went?"
Haku, who wasn't supposed to be but was, was well aware of everything that happened between Sasuke and her partner-in-crime. Shaking her head she said, "I'm sorry but I don't know any girl by that name. Is she precious to you?"
Sasuke was about to yell at her, demanding she tell her when her words reached his brain, he paused, his mouth open. He closed it and thought about it for a moment. There was his kaa-san and tou-san, and then there was his Nii-san, and of course Hokage-sama and Kushina-sama. And finally Akahana-chan. Wait, chan? When did that happen? He shook his head; he really liked her so it only made sense.
Snapping out of his thoughts he remembered that the girl was still there. He decided to answer her, "Yes, I do."
Haku smiled, It looks like she picked the right boy. "If you have a person who is precious to you and they are in danger, you will become stronger than you could ever have imagined possible. For only when you have someone to fight for can you unlock your true potential," pausing a moment, she added, "By the way, I'm a boy."
Sasuke was speechless, he wasn't expecting a philosophical conversation as soon as he woke up, yet here he was. Also, this person he had been talking to just said they were a boy. But he was prettier than Ino! But, like his previous thoughts, still didn't hold a candle to Akahana-chan.
Seeing as he wasn't talking Haku decided to leave it at that and went around the clearing picking the herbs necessary for a proper recovery for her Zabuza-sama.
Meanwhile Sasuke was still mulling over her words. As soon as he had a firm grasp of the concept he looked up and opened his mouth to respond when he noticed the girl was gone, having filled her quota for the time being.
Frowning he turned around and walked back towards Tazuna's house, the memory of having kissed Akahana rushing back to the front of his mind as he put the brunette's speech behind him, a blush rising to his cheeks. Quickly, he decided that he wouldn't mention it to his teammates or Kakashi-sensei as he they would probably pummel him for having kissed Hokage-sama's daughter, even if it was her that instigated it.
Taking a deep breath he schooled his face and opened the door to Tazuna's house.
^_^Iwa Shinobi^_^
Dirt road
Haku ran to catch up with Akahana. Seeing that she wasn't going to stop running any time soon she leaps in front of her. She tried to go around her but Haku was having none of it. She grabbed her arm and forced her to stop and look at her. And she was saddened by what she saw.
Akahana's face was a mess: her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her cheeks stained because of the same; her lips kept quivering and tears were still spilling down.
"Oh Akahana," Haku dropped her basket of herbs and pulled the younger girl into her arms.
"I-I don't want to fight him, Haku, I don't want to fight anyone. Why do I always have to fight?" she cried into her chest.
Her heart went out to her, she was like this once too, but Zabuza-sama had shown her that if you weren't willing to fight for the ones you love you didn't deserve to have any to call such. But in Akahana's case, she wasn't even given a choice in whether she wanted this or not. And she had loved ones on both sides- a lose-lose situation.
"I know you don't want to, but right now you have to. Don't worry, I will be right there with you every step of the way. We are partners, remember?" she got a shaky nod against her chest in reply. She smiled. Pulling back from the hug, she looks into Akahana's eyes, "You are not alone in this, and you are not the first person to be in this position either. Sometimes we have to fight battles we would prefer not to, but must otherwise others we love will get hurt as well. Just don't lose sight of your true precious people and you will be alright," Akahana gave a faint sniffle and nod in response, "Good, now, was he a good kisser?"
Akahana blushed so brightly that it rivaled her hair, "W-what k-kind of q-question is that?"
Haku smirked, "Oh, come on, you can tell me. Girl to girl. I promise not to tell another soul. Now give me tell me."
The red-haired (and faced) ninja looked away for a moment, a small smile forming on her lips, "It was magnificent. His lips were so soft and yet so strong. I thought I would lose feeling in my legs if it had lasted any longer."
Haku's smirk grew, "Well, well, well, I think our little violet-eyed wonder is in love," said girl's blush deepened if that was even possible, and apparently was. Laughing, Haku picked her basket back up and linked arms with Akahana, "Come on, lover girl, I'm sure your sensei is worried about you."
^_^The Iwa Shinobi^_^
3 days later
Zabuza's hideout
After a couple days rest, and with the help of the herbs Haku and Akahana gathered, Zabuza was finally healthy enough for them to make their move, much to said-man's great joy, if the glimmer in his eyes was any indication.
With everyone gathered they went over the strategy. However, there was one point that seemed to be of concern. . .
"That girl will NOT be participating in this battle, do I make myself clear? Onoki-sensei told me that if there was any conflict, if it can be avoided, she will sit it out," guess who.
"But Deidara-sensei, how can I prove myself capable if you don't let me actually DO anything?" Akahana tried to argue, hurt that he didn't think she could do it.
"That is not the point and you know it. You have been acting strangely ever since Jinsoku brought you back from the Leaf Shinobi's house and even if Onoki-sensei hadn't told me I wouldn't have let you go. You have grown attached to them, and that is not acceptable. They destroyed our village and you were openly embracing them. You have to learn that . . ."
"My brother is on that team Deidara-sensei," she said quietly, breaking him off his lecture.
He looked at her wide-eyed, as he finally started to realize why everything had happened, and why she was so open with them. He cursed his luck the day he found. If he hadn't, then this drama wouldn't be unfolding before him.
Roshi, who was standing off to the side, nodded his head in understanding. Most Jinchuuriki didn't have any family, so finding out you had one even if they were on the other side was a miracle. Of course she still didn't know she was one but that was beside the point. She would find out soon enough.
Deciding that the argument had gone on long enough, Roshi spat a small amount of lava at the two in question, earning yelps of pain as they hadn't been paying attention.
"Now that's enough. Deidara," said man glared at him, still in pain, "You knew the moment she put on that headband that she became a true shinobi of Iwa. Also, you were the one who accepted this mission so it is in a roundabout way your fault that everything happened." Deidara hung his head; Akahana beamed. But Roshi wasn't done yet. He rounded on Akahana. "And you, young lady. I don't care if your kaa-san's dog is on that team they are the enemy and will be treated as such. Do I make myself clear?"
A tear fell down her face, but she nodded all the same , "H-hai."
^_^The Iwa Shinobi^_^
Tazuna's House
Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were standing at the door of the house with Tazuna and Tsunami. "Let Sasuke know when he wakes up that we went on ahead to the bridge. He worked hard training yesterday so let him sleep in."
Tsunami smiled, "Hai. Have a nice day tou-san." She kissed Tazuna on the cheek, waving the team off.
At the Bridge
When the group arrived, the workers were scattered about on the ground, some were merely unconscious while others were in pools of blood.
The team surrounded Tazuna, kunais at the ready, a thick mist rolled in. And a familiar voice broke through, "So those brats are still with you, Kakashi? Where's the scared one? He was fun to mess with."
Kakashi narrowed his eye. He reached up to his headband and pulled it up, revealing his Sharingan once again.
Zabuza appeared out of the mist with two forms by his side.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes, "I see you have your hunter with you, and another crony as well. No matter, Naruto, fight with them until Sasuke arrives, then work together to take them down. Sakura, protect Tazuna."
Naruto narrowed his own eyes in response, "I do not need help from that Dobe. I will be fine on my own." Not waiting for a response, he charged the two by Zabuza's side. They vanished into the mist. Naruto gave chase.
Naruto leaped out of the mist and landed on the bridge with kunai drawn. It was then that he got a good look at the second accomplice. He had long, pale blond hair tied in a ponytail, a strand covering his right eye (the opposite of Deidara's). He wore black combat pants with a black shirt and vest to match. He wore his headband on his head partially hidden by his hair. He had bright blue eyes that seemed to make you want to look away immediately from the power they held.
But if you looked a second longer you would see a great sadness was held within them, like he didn't like what he was about to do.
Turning to Haku, 'Naruto' gave a nod, signaling their own attack. They moved to opposite sides of the bridge, one on each side of Naruto Namikaze (who shall now simply be called Namikaze to clear any confusion).
Namikaze threw his kunai at the blond on his left side and grabbed an explosive tag from his pack. He attached it to his next kunai and threw it at the girl. She created a wall of ice stopping the kunai short and remained standing even after the tag went off. Naruto blocked the kunai thrown at him and threw his back in response. After his hands blurred as they did handseals and when they stopped he cried out, "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
Immediately a giant water dragon appeared behind him and surged toward Namikaze, who on reflex did a series of handseals and shouted "Wind Style: Wind Barrier Jutsu!"
The dragon crashed into the wind that shielded its prey and splashed everywhere, leaving Naruto slightly wet and the bridge covered in water.
Haku didn't waste time in using this to her advantage. Going through a hurried amount of handseals, she called out, "Secret Style: Crystal Ice Mirrors!"
The water on the bridge floated into the air and dozens of ice mirrors started forming themselves. Namikaze in an effort to dwindle their numbers grabbed a fan from his side and waved it at the mirrors and said, "Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Tiny blades of wind launched themselves at the mirrors but they couldn't even scratch them because of one thing.
"Your attacks are useless. No wind jutsu could ever destroy my mirrors. It is made of wind and water after all," Haku explained.
Namikaze frowned at this information; he was a wind nature, so most of his jutsus were, naturally of that kind. This was going to be an uphill battle. Grabbing more explosive tags and kunais he threw six of them at the mirrors hoping to damage them but once the smoke cleared they began reforming.
Crap!
Naruto gave a shaky breath before forming the tiger seal and saying, "Water Style: Liquid Bullet!"
He drew his head back and launched a giant ball of water straight at Namikaze through an opening in the mirrors.
Said ninja turned his head to the side at the sound of the voice and widened his eyes in shock. He was about to jump out of the way when a senbon shot out of a mirror and hit the ground in front of him. Pausing him just enough for the bullet to hit him in the side, knocking him to the ground.
Haku, taking advantage of the situation threw senbons at Namikaze who tried to roll out of the way but still got hit by multiple senbon. When he stopped moving, Naruto became worried. Rushing over he checked his pulse and when he couldn't find one he gave out a choked sob. Haku- realizing what the problem was- jumped out of the mirror and hugged him from behind.
"It's alright. He's just unconscious. He will wake up as soon as the fight is over."
Nodding tiredly from crying, he wiped his eyes and stood up.
^_^The Iwa Shinobi^_^
Tazuna's house
Sasuke sat up slowly. He had just woken up and he hadn't expected to feel so rested. So, upon waking he got up and grabbed his gear and put on his clothes. It was at that moment that he heard yelling from downstairs. Rushing to the top of the stairs he kneeled and tried to hear what they were saying.
"Now you come with us or your little boy gets it." A thug's voice said harshly.
"Please, I'll do whatever you want just don't hurt my son!" Tsunami's voice cried,
A smaller voice yelled, "Don't do it mom! I'll be fine. Just run!" That was Inari.
Deciding that he had heard enough Sasuke charged down the stairs his hands flying through handseals and made a ring in front of his mouth with his fingers. Once the thugs came into view he leaped over Tsunami and fired the ball at them point-blank and blasted them out of the house. Landing, Tsunami ran over and hugged Inari.
"Inari, I want you to hide in the basement. If they come back they won't look for you there."
Inari shook his head vehemently, "No, I am not going to hide while you're in danger."
Turning to face them, Sasuke said, "You won't have to deal with anymore of these guys if you just stand up to them. If you stay afraid, they will walk over you every time. Fight back! I know I am."
And with that he left, running out the door he passed by the charred forms of the two thugs laying unconscious on the ground and smirked as he jumped into the trees heading toward the bridge.
Back in the house Inari was thinking over Sasuke's words and decided what he would do. Running deep into the house he found what he was looking for. It was an old trunk. Opening it up, he moved things around until he found it. Pulling it out, he ran outside and rushed toward the village, his decision made.
^_^The Iwa Shinobi^_^
The Bridge
Back with the others, Kakashi was locked kunai to zanbato with Zabuza who was gaining ground quickly by pushing forward with his impressive strength.
"What will you do now Kakashi?" Zabuza laughed harshly after sensing the Namikaze's defeat.
Kakashi scowled, he had let his sensei down twice this mission. The first time was not protecting Akahana the second Naruto (Namikaze). He pushed forward against Zabuza and his zanbato, surprising the missing nin.
"You won't take another life while I have anything to say about it."
Just then a fireball flew toward Zabuza who just barely jumped out of the way as it sailed past, dissipating harmlessly in the distance.
It was at that moment that Sasuke made his appearance.
"Seems you aren't as big a coward as I thought," guess who.
Kakashi turned his head toward Sasuke, "Sasuke, help Naruto, he was fighting two nins on his own and I think he lost. Go!"
"Hai."
Dashing past the two jonins he ran toward Namikaze's position and fired off another fireball at his new adversaries, the mirrors long since gone.
When Naruto saw who he was fighting, he choked back another sob; it was Sasuke, oh Kami it was Sasuke. Why did it have to be him? Why couldn't he have stayed away? Haku knew that it was going to be hard for Naruto to do this so she took the initiative and charged forward to engage Sasuke in Taijutsu.
With senbon in hand, she clashed against Sasuke's kunai. With his hand occupied, Haku smirked and said, "I already have two advantages over you."
"Oh yeah and what's that?"
"The first is the water on the ground. And the second is that I have one of your hands occupied."
Sasuke scoffed at the second one, "Occupied? In case you didn't notice yours is too."
Haku's smirk grew, and instead of answering she went through a series of one-handed seals and said, "Secret Jutsu: Flying Water Needles!" and stomped on a nearby puddle. The splash turned into needles and lanced out toward Sasuke, who barely managed to avoid them. Activating his Sharingan, he turned to face the fake hunter-nin only to jump away again when he sensed the other ninja throw several shuriken at him. Coming down several feet away he reassessed the situation.
There were two ninja facing him, one who he has no prior knowledge of and appeared to have some skill, he could only assume that he had some part in Naruto Namikaze's defeat.
Doing another series of seals, Naruto leaped into the air and called out. "Water Style: Water Trumpet!" Holding his hand up to his mouth, he let loose a large jet of water that shot straight toward Sasuke.
Sasuke's eyes widened and he tried to jump out of the way but senbon needles in the leg prevented him from doing so. He watched helplessly as the water came hurtling towards him but right before it hit, he saw Naruto, or rather, Akahana high in the air blasting the water at him, a sad look on her face, and then he knew no more as the water took him.
It was at this time that Namikaze woke up, way ahead of Haku's prediction. Sitting up he groaned and started to pull the senbon out one at a time. When they were all out, he stood up and flexed. Looking over he saw Sasuke lying on the ground unconscious with Naruto and Haku standing over him.
Mumbling something about 'useless Uchiha', he went through some handseals and called out, "Wind Style: Devastation!"
Taking a deep breath he exhaled and released. The blast of wind caught the two ninjas off guard, blowing them back as well as dispelling Zabuza's mist.
Zabuza, barely registering the jutsu in time, threw up his sword to block the effects. Kakashi was not so lucky. But while he was being blown backwards he was able to do a substitution and was back where he was before.
Zabuza, now aware of Namikaze, shouted, "I thought you dealt with him already. Take him down and make sure he stays that way!"
Just then, a whirlwind shot forward preceded only moments before by a cry of "Wind Style: Whirlwind Fist!"
The funnel of wind barreled toward Haku and Naruto and only Haku was fast enough to do anything about it. Gathering chakra, she raised her hands into the air and called out, "Ice Style: Protective Ice Dome!"
Quickly ice formed around her and Naruto, creating an impressive defense against the whirlwind which, as Namikaze had seemed to have forgotten, or perhaps hoped they wouldn't be that fast, was ineffective. Growling, he decided that it was time to reveal his second chakra nature.
Going through the handseals, he called out, "Lightning Style: Earth Flash!"
Lightning began to appear in Namikaze's hands; raising them he released the wave, rippling outward toward his two opponents. The lightning hit the dome, and it danced inside of it, zapping the two inside. Haku was able to stay unharmed, but Naruto was not so fortunate, getting hit by bolt after bolt before finally dropping to the floor unconscious.
"Aka-Naruto!" Haku cried in alarm, breaking down the no-longer-protective dome and rushing over to her comrade. Checking her heartbeat she breathed a sigh of relief as it was still beating and she could faintly hear his breathing.
Standing up, Haku looked at Namikaze who was standing over Sasuke with a sad look on his face as he had come to the conclusion that he had died. Correctly reading the situation, Haku called out, "Is this the first time you have lost someone? You can expect to see many more of your friends die if you continue to seek to be a shinobi."
"Shut up."
"What?"
Namikaze took a deep breath, "I said shut up!" And with that he charged her.
Haku, aware of her already low supply of chakra, does her best to keep up with the younger ninja blocking whenever she can and attacking under the same principal. However the problem with this is that he's Akahana's brother and she would be distraught if he died, so she has to keep her attacks confined to areas that would incapacitate him.
Back with Kakashi and Zabuza, Kakashi had Zabuza held down by his ninken and was charging up his Chidori, staring down Zabuza with cold eyes. When the jutsu was ready, the lightning chakra started to emanate off of his hand visible for all to see.
It was at this point that the rest of the Iwa team decided to make their presence known.
Hiro launched into action by sending a flurry of Dust Kunai at Kakashi forcing him to end the jutsu prematurely.
"I see you got help Zabuza. Didn't think you had it in you."
Zabuza smirked, "I didn't. They are being paid the same as I am."
Kakashi paled. If they were on the same payroll, then that meant that Zabuza couldn't order them to leave. And that's when Zabuza's words hit him: they, as in multiple, as in, this just got a heck of a lot harder.
Kakashi had no choice but to keep his Sharingan active, otherwise he would die. He sighed; he would be in bed for weeks after this.
With Namikaze and Haku, Namikaze had just hit Haku in the face shattering her mask, revealing her face to him. Of course since he had never seen her before, he no reason to recognize her so he drew a kunai and was about to go in for the kill when all of a sudden a fist slammed into the side of his head which sent him flying to the side of the bridge where he barely caught himself in time by grabbing onto the railing and swinging himself back onto the bridge.
Then he saw his assailant and saw him to be someone around his age with a mask over his face and a katana on his back. The air was starting to slow down after he stopped moving.
Grabbing his katana from his back Jinsoku got into hinoha ittou stance. Namikaze, having some training with his kaa-san immediately recognized the stance as one commonly used by assassins. The blade was pointing straight at him. And then he charged at supersonic speeds. He was barely able to do a Kawarimi when the sword struck, piercing the log the moment it appeared and he disappeared. Cutting the log in two with his momentum, he whirled around to look for his opponent.
Deidara, seeing how well his students were doing, decided to let them deal with the Konoha shinobi on their own.
Roshi, who had been chosen to be the back-up to the back-up, was standing at the foot of the incomplete bridge.
Meanwhile with Naruto/Akahana, he/she was, still, unconscious, but this isn't where we'll be going. Actually we'll be going inside said boy/girl's head.
^_^The Iwa Shinobi^_^
Inside Akahana's mind
Akahana woke up in a. . . mansion. (weren't expecting that one now were ya?)
Looking around she discovered she was in what would be described as a drawing room and that she was sitting in a very comfy chair. Standing up she stretched her limbs and looked around the room.
Suddenly she heard a deep voice coming from everywhere, So, my container finally decided to grace me with her presence.
Freaking out, she replied shakily, "W-who a-are y-you?"
A great laugh resounded, coming from everywhere and nowhere, scaring her further, You will find out soon enough kitling. In the meantime, however, why don't you come over here?
Shaking nervously, she asked, "W-where are y-you?"
More laughing, Not there, obviously. Just follow the sound of my voice.
"That's easy for you to say!" She yelled, momentarily forgetting her fear.
Hmph, well, go to the main bedchamber on the second floor.
Giving a faint, "Hai," Akahana exited the drawing room and looked around for the stairs. After wandering for several minutes (it's a big place) she found it. Going up said staircase she started looking in each door she found.
She opened the first one. Immediately she saw a group of guys gathered around a table playing poker. They looked up at her.
She waved shyly, "Sorry, wrong room," and quietly closed the door.
Opening the next door. . . she slammed it shut and pinned her body to it in an effort to keep it that way.
On the third try she hit the jackpot, although she wasn't exactly sure if it was supposed to look that way.
The room was huge, it had a giant wall of bars stretching the entire length of the room, which was about a mile wide. And in the middle of that wall of bars was a lock, which had a piece of paper covering it with writing on it, reminding her of a seal. But why would there be a seal here of all places? That would mean it's meant to hold something. But what?
What indeed.
"Eep!"
Akahana ran behind the door and trembled, reasonably freaked out.
Hahahahaha, aren't a small one? Come closer, I don't bite, the voice laughed, and then added mentally,much.
Tentatively taking a step out from behind the door, she slowly walked into the room, and walked toward the now-dubbed cage.
When she was within ten feet she stopped, fearing what might happen if she went closer.
It was then that the thing inside the cage made itself seen. Stepping forward into the light came a giant red fox with nine tails waving behind it.
Now, Akahana wasn't stupid, she knew all about the nine tailed beasts, or Bijuu; however, actually meeting one was never on her list of top ten things to do in life.
Fighting the urge to run successfully, she asked, timidly, "Are-are you the Kyuubi? The Infamous Nine-tailed Fox?"
A grin spread across the foxes giant face, showing a set of razor-sharp teeth, Yes, I am. And you are my container, little kitling.
"Kitling? Why do you call me that? And what do you mean by container? I thought the Yondaime killed you?"
Please, the demon scoffed, As if a mortal could slay me. Your tou-san was no exception to that rule. Don't give me that look, of course I knew he was your tou-san. You look exactly like his wife, my former container for Kami's sake.
Taking a deep breath, she screamed and fainted.
Great, she fainted, now what am I going to do in the meantime?
What seemed like hours later the red-haired beauty woke up, and was met with a scowling fox.
"Eep!" She hid her face behind her hands.
Don't you dare faint on me girl! shaking slightly, she nodded in response, Glad to see we have an understanding. Now as I was saying, you are my container, or as your kind would call it, a Jinchuuriki. Now despite what some might say, this does not mean you are a monster, you are merely my prison. You are far too fragile for your own good. You aren't as weak as you think.
Akahana resolutely shook her head, "You're wrong. I'm not strong. If I was strong, then why doesn't Akira look at me anymore? Or is it that I'm not pretty enough? I know I must be doing something wrong. There is now way I could be strong," she ended looking down at the floor, a tear rolling down her face.
Sighing, Kyuubi started to change form. Before the top of Akahana's head he transformed into a man with a flaming red mane of hair and a killer body. Any woman would swoon at the sight, once they got past the whole demon lord thing.
Striding forward he left the cage and picked Akahana up, hugging her close. He placed her head into his chest and let her cry. And cry she did. She sobbed her heart out into his chest, not knowing what to do, wondering when her adopted kaa-san stopped loving her, wondering why her life was so bad.
After a while the tears slowed and she was reduced to sniffling.
Are you done yet? she nodded against his chest, Good, now we can get down to business.
Setting her down on the bed located outside the cage, he walked back into his cage and grabbed something from the back of the room and walked back out.
As he approached the bed, she blushed when she caught sight of him. He was gorgeous with his flaming red hair and piercing red eyes and the figure of a god. But, a rebellious part of her mind said, But not as good as Sasuke. A blush rose on her cheeks.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he placed what he had grabbed down and pushed it toward her shaking form.
Lifting her head up she looked at it questioningly, "W-what is th-that?"
He rolled his eyes, It's a piece of paper.
She glared at him indignantly, "I know that! What I meant was what does it say?"
Kyuubi chuckled, Patience kitling. This paper outlines everything about you, from your chakra levels to what jutsus you know to your Kekkei Genkai.
At the last one she looked up at him confused, "Kekkei. . . Genkai? But how could I have one? My parents don't have one, do they?"
Your kaa-san does. Chakra chains. They are unique to the females of the Uzumaki clan. So if you had been born a boy you wouldn't have gotten it, you would have just been a carrier. Of course, you need a catalyst to activate it. For Jinchuuriki it is very easy, as I can do it for you. However I have to want to. I am going to need something in return. Your kaa-san and great-grandkaa-san before you both did this.
"B-but wh-what could I g-give up? I don't have anything to offer you."
Ah, but that's where you're wrong. You see you have something very valuable you can give me, and now for the clincher.
Akahana looked up hopefully, "What? What is it?"
Freedom. I know you can survive me being removed from your body as all Uzumaki's potentially can, as your kaa-san did. You just need to remove the seal. I realize this might seem like a bad idea, but hear me out. When I attacked Konoha I wasn't myself, per se. I was being controlled by an evil man by the name of Madara Uchiha, someone who has a Sharingan that surpasses all others, and can control me if he looks me in the eye. He ripped me from your kaa-san's body and forced me to fight. If you release me, I promise to return to the seal every so often so as to replenish my strength as you will be keeping most of my powers. Would you agree to this? She nodded slowly, I wouldn't leave immediately of course, as we ARE in the middle of a battle after all, and it would not be wise for me to leave in such a weakened state. So in the meantime I ask that you sit back, relax, and watch the show.
^_^The Iwa Shinobi^_^
The Bridge
As the fighting continued, a burst of red chakra brought all of it to a pause. Roshi, knowing that the kid had finally contacted the Bijuu within, dashed over to where the other Jinchuuriki lay on the bridge.
Going through some seals he called out, "Bijuu Style: Chakra suppression Jutsu!" 1
Just when he was about to lay his hands on Naruto, said boy's hands stopped him.
Looking at the child's head, he gasped when he was met with two red, slitted eyes.
Omake:
When Akahana opened the second door, her eyes beheld something that no man (or woman) should ever see. For inside that door was the nightmare of all human beings. It was the end of civilization as everyone knew it. For inside that door. . . was a city full of Gai's and Lee's.
When they heard the door open, they all looked over and said, as one, "The youth is strong with this one!"
And with that they all started the process of the Youth Nightmare Genjutsu.
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
And as one hundreds of Gai's and Lee's charged at each other with arms opened wide prepared to hug. The ground shook like there was an earthquake.
Just when they were about to make contact, Akahana slammed the door shut.
Leaning heavily against the door, she thought, I wouldn't wish that upon my worst enemy!
1: Only Jinchuuriki can use this style, as it requires a demon's chakra to use. And by extension it means that the Jinchuuriki can actually use the chakra without being consumed by it.
Naruto Sakamoto (Akahana's alias)
Hinoha ittou is a sword style from Rurouni Kenshin.
Thanks so much for waiting. Please tell me what you think.