Destiny of the Cursed
Chapter 12: All grown-up!
Yotsuki Katana walked in the streets of Konoha. It's been 2 and half years…she thought happily. Her much longer chocolate brown hair was confined in a winding braid. Her black shirt had longer sleeves and an open silver overcoat over it. Her pants turned into knee-high shorts. Her katana draped loosely by her left hip.
The place hadn't changed much, but the Hokage Mountain had another distinguished face carved in it. She smiled. "Tsunade-sama…" Walking down the road of life, she overheard a noisy conversation. "BAAAKKKAAA!" a feminine voice growled. A pink-haired girl fisted the shirt of a young blonde man in her hands. The poor guy was all covered in bruises. "You haven't changed at all!" screeched the girl again. Katana sighed. She approached them from behind. "Fighting so soon, Naruto-kun? Sakura-chan?" she asked in a teasing voice. They turned around, together with a certain silver haired man. Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi stared at her.
"Um, hello. Do we know you by any chance?" asked Sakura in a friendly way. Katana blinked twice. "You…you guys don't remember me?" she asked. A pang of hurt hit her. Kakashi focused on her eyes. His own eyes widened in surprise. "You—It can't be…Katana-chan!" he exclaimed. Naruto and Sakura stared at her, jaws dropped in the ground. Katana rushed towards Kakashi and hugged him. "Tou-san! I've missed you so much!" she laughed out. Kakashi hugged her back. "My, my!" he said, drawing back. "Look how much you've grown!" Katana beamed proudly.
"K-Katana-chan!" stuttered out Naruto. "Wow! You're so…you're so…" She waited for the sentence. "You look so beautiful!" she blushed and chuckled. "Thanks…" she said. Sakura looked envious. Katana approached Sakura. The two girls hugged happily. "It's so good to see you, Katana-chan!" said Sakura. Naruto was now taller than both of the girls.
"Oi, Katana-chan?" asked Naruto. She turned to him. "Yeah?" He pointed at her braid. "How come you tied your hair. I thought you didn't want it to be restricted?" he asked. She scratched her head at the mention of it. "Ah, this…My father kept pestering me about my loose hair. So I tied it." She shrugged. Tsunade, who had been there all along, said, "Kakashi. Please explain everything." He nodded.
"From now on, there will be no more teacher and student relationships. We are now equal shinobi. You guys will be in the same team as I am." He held out something: bells. "I'm curious at how much you've developed. If you don't come at me with intent to kill, you won't succeed in taking the bells away from me. " They all smirked and shared a look.
In the training grounds…
"The rules are still the same. You have until tomorrow sunrise to get these from me." Stated Kakashi. The three teens looked around. "I missed this place…" sighed Naruto. Sakura agreed. "Yeah…" Katana sat down on the ground. "I haven't been here for a long time." Kakashi remembered something. "Right, this is where you all first trained right?" he inquired. They nodded and had a rush of nostalgia. "That time…Sasuke was there too." Said Kakashi. Silence answered him. Confused, he looked up.
An aura of despair and gloom surrounded the three. Kakashi sweat dropped. Sasuke's name is a taboo around them, huh? He shut his book close. "Let's go!" he said. They snapped out of their trance. Naruto smirked. "You aren't gonna read your book?" he teased. Kakashi raised his protector, revealing his famous Sharingan. They all stared at each other. Naruto was first to move. Throwing shurikens and kunais, and then making kage bunshins. Sakura was clearly amazed. Katana smirked. He sure did grow stronger…
He successfully cornered Kakashi in between two bunshins. Kakashi smiled. "START!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura glanced at every direction. Left… right…above…behind…no? "ORA!" screamed Sakura as she sent a punch on the ground. Katana's eyes widened at the sudden impact and jumped away. The one mile radius of rocks and grass surrounding Sakura crumbled. "Found you!" she cheered as she spotted Kakashi. Both Naruto and Kakashi sweated nervously. Katana smirked wickedly. "Cool…" she muttered under her breath before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
It was almost night time and Naruto, Sakura and Katana were hiding behind a tree. Katana only used basic jutsus and taijutsu. Naruto used clones. While Sakura used chakra attacks. "Look, there are exactly 3 bells. One for each of us so we have to work together." Said Katana. Sakura turned to Naruto. "Even Kakashi-sensei must've had a weakness…" she inquired. Naruto was stuck in thought. His eyes suddenly widened. "Ah! He does have a weak point!" he exclaimed. Both girls looked at him. "Really?" asked Sakura. "Quick! Tell us!" urged Katana. Naruto snickered before whispering his plan. "Let's go!" they cheered at the same time.
Sakura and Naruto jumped out of the hiding spot and made an open attack. They've got to be kidding…thought Kakashi as he waited for them. "The last part on Icha Icha! The truth is, the main character…!" he heard Naruto shout. His eyes widened. He covered his ears. No! Spoilers! Wait, what if I see his mouth movements with my Sharingan? He closed his eyes tightly. A jingle was heard. He opened his eyes. His three students were all in front of him, each one holding a bell. They had this annoying smug looks on their faces. "Shinobi rule: Look underneath the underneath!" said Naruto. Kakashi scratched the back of his neck sheepishly before laughing.
After the training, Team 7 went to Ichiraku for ramen. Kakashi was unable to come along for he had some paperwork to do. On the way, they bumped into to familiar faces. "Shikamaru-kun! Temari-san! Guess who it is!" she pointed to Naruto and Katana. "Hey, it's Naruto!" said Shikamaru with a smile. He turned to Katana. He stared for a few minutes. She glared. He flinched. "Ka-Katana? Is that you?" he asked incredulously. She finally smiled. "And I thought you wouldn't remember me…" she sighed. Temari looked at her. "Ah, Katana-chan!" she said with a smile. Katana returned it. "Ohayo, Temari-chan! Are you on a date with Shikamaru?" she asked politely. Temari and Shikamaru blushed. "Wha-What? No, no… Of course not!" stammered Temari. "Sigh…troublesome. We're working together for the next Chuunin Exams."
He explained, but the pink taint was still there. "By the way Naruto", the blond looked at him, "What are you planning to do?" Naruto looked confused. "What do you mean?" Shikamaru sighed. "The only genin in our batch is…you." He said carefully. It took some time before he understood it. "Th-then, Sakura-chan…!" Sakura nodded. He jerked his head to the other side. "Ka-Katana-chan….?" She stared at him. "I got promoted to be a chuunin after the mission…Rock Lee got promoted too." She said. "Neji, Kankuro and Temari here are jounins." Added Shikamaru.
Naruto remembered something. "Gaara! What about Gaara?" he asked. When Katana heard the name, she suddenly became interested. "Ah, Temari-chan! How is he?" she asked excitedly. Maybe a little too excited. They all stared at her. She blushed. "What?" she asked innocently. Naruto smirked. "Ah, of course, how's Katana's boyfriend Temari-cha~? Itai!" he cringed as Katana's fist collided with the top of his head. "Baka…" she muttered and turned to Temari. She was smiling proudly. "He is Suna's…youngest Kazekage." She stated. Katana's eyes widened and she gasped. "Really? That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. Temari smiled at her. "It is, isn't it? Thank you. You were his inspiration, you know…" her eyes softened. Katana's eyes held an appreciative gaze. "It's no problem." Meanwhile, Naruto was sulking. "How come he gets to be a kazekage while I'm still not?" he mumbled. His friends only laughed.
As the trio ate in Ichiraku, Iruka-sensei dropped by and had a little chat with Naruto. Katana stared at the two as they talked. When they were together, Iruka always smiled. She noticed that. He was like a father to Naruto. She smiled. Grabbing the glass of water beside her, it suddenly shattered. The loud noise caught everyone's attention. "Katana-chan! Are you alright?" asked Sakura worriedly. "Katana-chan! What happened?" asked Naruto. Iruka was concerned too. The owner apologized for the fragile glass and immediately cleaned it up, but Katana ignored them all. Staring at her bloody and cut hand, she had a sudden flashback. She shot up from her seat, shocking Sakura and Naruto and left the store without a goodbye. They followed quickly. "Katana! Why the hell did you just leave us behind?" asked Naruto indignantly. Again, Katana ignored them. She just kept running…running towards the Hokage Tower. Naruto glanced at Sakura. She shrugged. "We're going there to meet Kakashi-sensei anyway, right? Perhaps, she didn't want to be late?" They chased Katana.
Crazy, unpleasant thoughts entered Katana's mind like a highway. She didn't want it to happen, but she had to be there if it did. Finding the door that had 'Hokage's Office' written in it, she opened it hastily. Kakashi was there inside. And so were Tsunade-sama and the rest of the Konoha council. "Ah, Katana-chan, you're 30 minutes early. And you've got a bleeding hand! What happened?" Kakashi rushed to her side. "I'm fine, Tou-san." She replied but she didn't look fine. She was a bleeding nervous wreck. "Tsunade-sama!" she hastily said. Tsunade looked at her. "Is something wrong?" asked the Hokage. "Is there any urgent news from Suna?" she asked. Tsunade shook her head. "No, there hasn't been any. Why?" For a moment, Katana calmed down a bit. But then the door suddenly opened. A kunoichi, Naruto and Sakura were at the doorway. "Tsunade-sama! Urgent news from the Sand! Kazekage-sama was abducted by two members of Akatsuki!" the kunoichi exclaimed. All of them were shocked. Katana dreaded this. Blood was drained from her face. Her knees shook. "Team Kakashi!" ordered Tsunade. "You are to go to Suna and find out what happened. Relay the situation to Konoha and after that, follow Suna's orders!" They nodded obediently and even Temari went with them.
Naruto was ahead of them. Far too ahead of them. "Naruto-kun!" Sakura shouted. But he still didn't stop. "You're going too fast, Naruto!" Now it was Kakashi's voice. "Naruto!" a hand pulled him to a stop. He glared back and her eyes suddenly widened. "Katana-chan!" he said, surprised. She had a death glare similar to Gaara's. "Why won't you listen?" she hissed lowly. He got angry. "You don't understand!" he yelled. "It was always him! He and I are very similar! He was always alo—" A hand clamped down on his mouth. Katana's other fist shook. "Y-you think I don't know that?" she roared. "I care for him just like you do, but if you're going to take it YOUR way, we will not reach him! .Understand?" she screamed. She was worried too. And now, she was pissed off at him. His eyes lowered. Katana released her hand. "Sorry, Katana-chan." He apologized. She shook her head and sighed. It had been 5 days since she had a proper sleep. The weariness and worry must be getting in her nerves. "Don't worry about it." They reached Suna's gates in no time. With Temari by their side, they easily entered. "Temari-san! Kazekage-sama was abducted. Kankuro-san tried to bring him back, but he was poisoned as well." Temari's eyes widened in distress. "What? Kankuro too?" she gasped. The sand shinobi nodded. "The poison is strong. We have no known antidote for it!" he added. "Kuso!" Temari cursed before dashing inside the Kazekage Tower.
"Temari-san! I'll examine him!" offered Sakura. Temari let out a deep breath before nodding and leading them inside. They reached the room where Kankuro was confined. Sakura and Temari hurriedly went towards Kankuro. An elderly woman, about 70-years old, focused her eyes on Kakashi. "The White Fang of Konoha…!" Katana heard her say. She lunged for him. Katana immediately went for Kakashi's aid and blocked all the woman's attacks. The obaa-san landed on the opposite side. Katana's eyes narrowed. "Why did you attack Kakashi-sensei?" she asked. "I remember… the White Fang…my son's enemy… I will get revenge for him today…!" she said. Kakashi raised his hands up in defense. "Ah! No! I'm not…!" But the old woman would have none of it. Another old man prevented her. "Sister, look closely." Said the oji-san. "Huh?" she looked confused at first, but then she erupted into fits of laughter. "I was just acting dumb!" she said.
Kakashi let out a sigh of relief. Katana let out one of frustration. How can she joke on a time like this? She thought miserably. Sakura immediately went to work. After a few tense moments, she successfully took out all the poison in his body. Temari let herself slide down on against the wall. "Whew…" she breathed out. Next, Sakura ordered some ingredients needed for the antidote that will cure Kankuro completely. Katana was a bit relieved. At least one of their problems had been solved. But the pain and anger was eating Katana's remaining hope. Gaara…where are you now? She asked to herself.
"You…should follow Gaara's scent." Kankuro sat up shakily. Temari went by his side. "Kankuro, are you okay?" she asked her brother. "Yeah. I'm feeling a bit better now." He answered. He stared at Naruto. Naruto greeted him. Then his gaze fell on the distressed Katana. "Hatake…Katana?" asked Kankuro weakly. She snapped out of her thoughts and smiled sadly at him. He nodded in acknowledgement.
The two elders were named to be Chiyo and Ebizou. Apparently, Chiyo-baa-sama was the grandmother of Sasori, one of the two who abducted Gaara. After Sakura made Kankuro drink the finished antidote, she told him to take it easy. He was still trembling. "Let's hurry!" said Naruto. They fixed all the things they needed. Kankuro glanced at him. "Uzumaki Naruto…please save my brother." he said and the blond boy was quick to answer. "Leave it to me!" Naruto smiled confidently. Then the puppeteer turned to Katana.
"Hatake Katana…" She regarded him. "Yeah?" she went nearer. Kankuro gave her a smile. "Gaara had always talked about you…You were his first precious person…You taught him how to love and we are very grateful of you." Katana snorted. "I taught him how to love…but it seems that it was that love that brought him in this situation." She spat, angry at herself. Kankuro stared at her. "Gaara needs you…" he whispered. "And not just today or tomorrow… he needs you to be there for him forever." A small contented grin graced Katana's face. "And forever, I'll be there." She finished for him. He smiled. "Thank you."
They went outside. "I'm coming too!" said Temari, but Chiyo interrupted her. "Temari, stay here and take charge of Suna's borders. I am more than enough to represent the shinobi of Suna." She said and jumped down from that immensely high wall to the ground. Naruto, Sakura and Katana panicked. "She jumped!" shrieked Naruto. Kakashi only sweat dropped. The four of them and Chiyo-baa-sama started the search. In the middle of their mission they were stopped by Uchiha Itachi.
He came out of nowhere. His Sharingan was activated. When Katana looked closely, Itachi resembled Sasuke. That raven hair and calm expression. "Everyone! Avoid his eyes!" Kakashi ordered. They obeyed without question. "How do we beat him then?" asked Sakura. "Look at his feet and predict his movements." Suggested Kakashi. "There are many ways to fight a Sharingan user." Said Chiyo-baa-sama. "If it's one on one, run. If it's two on one, take the rear." Katana understood quickly. "Naruto…" said Kakashi as he raised his hitae-ate. "Back me up." The two of them took care of Itachi. "Sakura, Katana, Chiyo-baa-sama, please go ahead." The three kunoichi sped off.
When Kakashi and Naruto manage to beat Itachi for now, they caught up with the women. Team Gai, their supposed-to-be back-up was there as well. In front was a massive opening block by an equally big boulder. A seal was placed on its opening. When they successfully removed all seals in the surrounding, Sakura punched the boulder open. It cracked into smaller rocks. Inside the cave-like place, it was damp and musky. Two figures were seen. Sword at hand, Katana took slow cautious steps nearer them. The was curved, wooden-like man, which could only be Sasori. His blond companion was sitting on something… or rather, someone. Katana's eyes widened. Red hair, sea foam orbs closed inside black rings, and that distinguishing emotionless expression. Except now, his expression was…Dead…Katana felt a rush of chakra enter her. Grey eyes turned into a swirling vortex of black and gold. Naruto's features turned more fox-like.
"You bastards!" he screamed angrily. "So that one's the jinchuuriki…" muttered the blonde and smirked. How Katana wanted to wipe that smug look of his face and turn it into bloody horror. He turned to her and raised an eyebrow before grinning. "You… you couldn't be the Raikage's daughter, could you?" he asked. "What have you done to him…?" hissed Katana in a dangerously calm manner. She had never been this angry before. He laughed sadistically. "You mean your stone-faced boyfriend over here?" He sent two taps on Gaara's cheek. Katana temper flared up even more. "Oh, you'll be thanking us." Mocked the guy. "We extracted the monster inside him. But of course…" he sighed and shrugged, "we had no idea that he wouldn't survive the process. Sorry baby." Said he. Katana felt hot tears sting her glaring eyes. "You want a monster?" she asked lowly. Canines appeared on her rows of teeth. Markings of gold formed at the sides of her face and arms. "I'll show you one!" she roared before charging.
End Chapter