Inside the nightmare
Black Widow – Martin Phipps. I listened to this while writing –so all disturbing description was inspired by it. If you wish, you can read this chapter while listening also, I think it sets the scenes quite spectacularly.
Cold and damp clung to her like a child starved for affection, the thunders' rumble both her ally to conceal her heavy breathing and worst enemy, covering the footsteps of her hunter. She had done her best to control her shivering, but fear and frosty air did nothing but amplify her distress, she was barely able to hold her own kunai. Her breath came out of her as hot, white strings. She knew that somewhere inside her, her soul moved –abandoning her earthly body and leaving her existence behind. If she could project herself in the stars to escape this persecution, she will do it in a heartbeat.
Red, glinting eyes bore into her through the cloth of her tatami doors, and her body betrayed her when displaying her fear. She had screamed high as an infant calling for their parents' protection, but Inoichi was nowhere near to help her. Ino shut her eyes forcefully and opened them again, trying to wake from a nightmare that was nothing but the most horrendous truth. Yet the beast didn't move as quickly as she expected it to, and before she could think about it, she jumped through her window and into the garden, running furiously to reach the safety of the tree line. She was bleeding, yet she knew not really where she wounded herself, the glass had torn parts of her skin, and she was sane enough to heal herself with her chakra as not to bleed through her path and guide it towards her.
Another lighting crossed through the sky and rain started to pour down furiously –it cared not for Ino's predicament, she bit her lips and rested her back on a nearby tree, quickly glancing back to see if the beast had followed her. White smoke came out through her fingers, her hands glowing green from her medical jutsu, she flinched in pain when her panic made her slip her control and burned her skin –yet she didn't stop, she had no time to do so. Ino swallowed, glanced back again, there weren't many more places where to vanish. Howard's private collection of trees wasn't vast enough for her to run until safety –the desert waited for her at some point in the distance, she wouldn't be able to escape without confronting— without—
Ino took another breath, then another and another. No air was actually making it to her lungs –her hands fell to the sides and shook, her legs buckled and her knees hit the floor. Control. Control. Ino took a chance and hit her forehead against the cold earth, the rain had softened it enough for her not to cause much damage, yet the pain resounded where it should: on her mind.
Grass strands plastered against her damp forehead, they itched and she scratched her skin forcefully, hurting herself further. It had been her sensing what awoke it, should she try again? It was the only tool she could use to pinpoint its location –around her, there was nothing but the sound of cascading rain and the few glimpses she took of her environment through the lightning's sparkle –everything else was pitch, wonderful blackness –ink poured down a map. Ino's smile was a trembling one, in the face of death, she could only laugh at her misfortune. At a time like this, who needs sanity?
Was this thing a sensor? Otherwise, how could it—
Dear lord, the eyes were bloody red, they shone brightly against the black figure of its shadow –concentrate Ino. Focus. What did they mean? She met people with unusual pigments before –hair, eyes, even skin, no part of the human body was exempt to present such rarities –what were they then? Just an oddity and a weird coincide that scared beyond recognition? Were they the vestige of a doujutsu? She only remembered Sasuke's eyes to be of such color –but Sasuke's chakra had been so completely different, even back in the chünin exams, when a nauseating veil covered his energy, it was absolutely different from this monster…
As it turned out she didn't need her sensing, with the quantity of raw, untamed power the beast possessed, it was impossible for her not to feel it reverberating against her bones and muscles, her spasm coming just in time to escort the sky's thunder. It was following her –and it was walking, such was its trust on its chances to overpower her and take her.
She could not outrun it –him, was it a man? A man possessed that sort of chakra? Its shape against the tatami was human-like –but it couldn't be, Ino refused to think people like that existed –so she stripped him –it, from all human qualities. If it was walking, then that meant he trusted its speed to catch her.
She could not overpower it either, just the feeling of it –Ino pressed her fingertips in her mouth to control the gag wanting to come out, water drops fell from the tip of her nose to her nails –it changed nothing of her state, she was already drenched.
Fuck –fuck, she fled with nothing but the kunais strapped in her forearms and the Kimono now stuck to her skin, her chakra wires, Hitai Ate and bag, were all still in her room, fear clouded her judgment and now she will die because of her idiocy! Could she make a trap with her hair as she did many years ago? She brought her kunai to her hair and placed the edge against her wet strands, her hand trembled with anxiety –the beast was not far off from her location. Ino bit with her molars and dropped her hand –no, think Ino, think. This thing wasn't Sakura, for her trap to work she would have to be close in order to touch her hair –and this beast would clearly burn through it, it would only work if it possessed less or similar chakra as hers, yet its energy was far denser. It made her feel like an insect in comparison.
She couldn't run, she couldn't fight –the only thing left for her was to hide.
Perhaps –perhaps if she made it to morning, if the servants returned, she would be safe –and then out of here, to the security of Konoha's borders. What happened with the rest of the residents? The servants, the bodyguards, the cooks?! How come no one had woken with the commotion? Were they dead? Were they—?
Were they even in the house?
No. Survival of the fittest –fittest, hah! First, she will focus on her own life before wondering about everyone else. She could use her sensing –try to make her chakra veil as thin as possible not to grab any sort of attention, but not now –not now, now she needed to find a hideout, a way to disguise her scent and energy with the environment.
Thank god for the mud, Ino quickly got chunks of it and smeared it across her face, hair, neck, and cleavage, arms, and legs –it was a hasty work and it barely held –the rain was quick to wash it off of her, but at least it was able to diminish her smell, even the slightest bit. The storm, at least, will help her by also camouflage her –Kiba once mentioned, it was more difficult to track during this type of weather. Kiba –Spirits, she couldn't believe she would actually miss him.
You aren't dead yet –you aren't dead yet –Focus.
Ino slapped herself, hoped that the storm covered the sound, and moved through the trees –keeping an eye to the energy she could feel –it was so strong, sick strong, but at least it gave her tips of its location, so she moved away, keeping it at her back. Running would be the best option, but she hardly could see anything around her, the floor was slippery and wet –so she was forced to move slowly, using the cortex of trees as her only cover.
She moved, reached cover, paused, and glanced back, then moved again. Her nails scraped the wet trunk of the tree behind her, she breathed twice before glancing back again –as usual, darkness was everything she saw, she smelled the rain pouring down, and licked the water drops that fell from the tip of her nose. With the forearm of her other arm, she cleaned the rain from her brow and eyelashes. The kunai was a reassuring weight on her hand –the other one was still concealed, better not to show all of her cards.
She started to move again, and another lightning bolt cracked through the sky, illuminating the space –Ino was just taking a step when its figure appeared in front of her, thunder making the earth vibrate under her sandals. Its eyes bore onto hers, she took a deep breath and bolted.
It was impossible, it was impossible –it was impossible.
She had been feeling it, its energy was so immense it couldn't be camouflaged with anything else –and it had always been on her back, it still was! And yet she saw it –she just saw it!
Ino ran through the petit forest, channeling chakra to her feet once she slipped and almost fell to the floor –mud made her steps wobbly, she was like an infant –not a kunoichi of the leaf. Whatever this thing was, it had stripped her of all her logic and previous knowledge, making her nothing but a commoner. Ino breathed through her mouth, and threw her chakra net –there was no use to limit herself now that there were two of them (a bunshin?) and ran out of air
-Its energy -like a cloud –all around her.
N-no. It couldn't be, how could someone expand their chakra that far without there being a focal point? It was as if the beast was ethereal, a mist, a fog. In the span of the few minutes she had met him –it, still it, it shattered all her previous beliefs. Over and over it shook the foundations of her reasoning, what she thought impossible suddenly was real –staring at her, she was such a fragile creature –how come nothing made sense, and yet there it was? The storm didn't even wash its power –it existed untouched against the pouring rain, no chakra could survive such downpour, and yet—
"I –I –" Ino cried, there was little else she could do in the face of truthfulness. She turned, the beast was there –red eyes gleaming, but didn't move towards her, it waited patiently, his expression –it was a man, lord, a man, neutral at the face of his victim. She raised her kunai and took a defensive pose, the beast cocked his head to the side, watching her and, still, didn't move one inch closer –Ino wondered if she started running would he follow? Or will he calmly wait for her to exhaust herself before trailing behind her?
Tears mixed with the rain, they found each other in her chin and fell to the ground, the cold was piercing through her skin, Ino grasped the kunai tighter-
-and brought it down on her own leg.
Pain blossomed from her wound, blood cascaded down –hot against her fingers, relieving some of the cold in them and awakening far more despicable sensations. Ino winced, the creature blinked and glanced at the blood trailing down her leg without a hint of emotion. Ino sobbed harder –this seemed stronger than a regular one, cutting off the chakra supply to her brain wouldn't have worked –physical pain was the only thing that could have saved her –now, not even that.
She stared at the beast and the beast stared at her –his expression stone cold. And perhaps seeing her sacrifice brought something upon him, or maybe he was just feeling kind enough to allow her the truth before killing her, whatever it was, everything started to melt –all around her, trees disappeared, as did the mud she covered herself with –the rain dissipated and the water over her skin became sweat, humidity brought by the storm was nothing but the odor of rotten mold –forest transforming into gray-stone walls. The wound on her leg was still there.
She found herself in the secret passage. In front of her, the man watched her, his eyes were black now, not red –had she imagined it? Had he trapped her in a genjutsu through the tatami doors?
Sadly, his enormous energy was still all too real.
At the face of such calamity, Ino sobbed –a wobbly smile made it to her lips that stretched awkwardly, she felt the dry skin breaking, she stumbled to the side and her shoulder hit the wall, she allowed the weight of it all to bring her down, resting the side of her head against the rock –the putrid smell was almost unbearable, her hand kept pressing the kunai against her leg. He had played with her most important resource –if she couldn't trust her mind, what could she rely on? He had stripped her from everything.
There was no point in running, she knew –they both did.
-but hey,
Ino knew he could see the kunai in her leg, she was counting with him being distracted by it before she channeled chakra to the sole of her feet in order to jump, with her human eyes there was more to see inside this space, the torches worked better with her real gaze.
Ino jumped back –she didn't know which direction she was running but Spirits forbid she dies without becoming at least a nuisance, and threw the bloody kunai at his direction, hand channeling chakra and pressing it to her wound. It was roughly fixed, she needed more time and far more concentration to fully heal it, but it will faintly hold during persecution.
Footsteps sounded behind her –they echoed on the walls against her own sprint, yet he wasn't running, following her with a calmness that unnerved her. She collided with a wall, and glanced around to see a bifurcation, she could go right –or left, if the creature wasn't running then it meant there was no exit near her, whatever she did now was to buy more time in order to –in order to think of something. She glanced at her still soaked fingers and splattered drops of her essence against parts of the floor –the left path, and took the right one, with any luck he'll take the bait.
She turned again in a corner –a corner, this place was immense, how far had he brought her?! And paused –listening intently for any sounds that pointed out his arrival.
"Kunoichi-" the voice echoed through the space, mold fell from the cracks it lived on, his tone smooth as silk for such a horrifying countenance –it was his calmness that terrified her the most, he was toying with her and her emotions. She wouldn't live to see another sunshine. Ino brought a hand to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. "I can see you-" and then he was next to her, eyes red again (no –she hadn't imagined it!) his hand pressed harshly against her throat –he moved so fast, Ino raised the hand that still concealed the kunai and attempted to strike…
And then he smiled…
The body of the kunoichi fell, she was unconscious –he stopped her limp form from resting fully on top of him with his hand and lifted her, her head hung from his arm while he supported her back and legs –such a silly child, trying futilely to escape his gifts. Stubborn, this one… he had used such a weak genjutsu –he hadn't thought her capable of anything, and she hadn't exactly proved him wrong, there was no way she alone could break free from an illusion placed by his Sharingan, but the fact that she had noticed his clues… ah –perhaps he could use that to his advantage when harming her.
It had been nice to feed off her terror.
Itachi glanced at the figure hiding in the corner, embraced by shadows that concealed the all too clear tremors, he furrowed his eyebrows and wrinkled his nose to disclose his disgust –alas, there was just so much inadequacy in his companion, he had to wonder why he kept them alive, not even kindness could justify this decision any longer.
"You-" he said, Yua froze when noticing his red eyes glaring, "are useless."
Then he turned, his tunic scrapping the uneven floor and almost floating around him with the harshness of his movements, giving his back to the servant who still quivered –she presented absolutely no threat, she both feared him and loved him deeply, another one trapped on his web.
He walked towards the dark mouth of one of the many -many corridors inside this hidden city under Suna's most expensive mansion, his steps calm and echoing around the silent space, water drops fell constantly somewhere in the distance –his eyes flared crimson and he felt the light disappear all around him with each step he took until he melted and mixed in the welcoming arms of gloom –taking the woman with him.
A/N: If you can guess which popular story/character inspired most of the imaginary of this second part you'll get a round of applause. Or –you know, a link with a youtube video of a round of applause.
Speaking of this chapter: Ordinary genjutsu can be broken through the kai release as Sakura proofs during Suna's invasion –this type of release works by interrupting the chakra flow from the brain when alone, otherwise, a partner can do the same. Physical pain can also awake the person trapped in that sort of technique. Both ways (kai release or physical pain I mean) need ultimately that the person realizes a genjutsu has been cast on them, which is why it's a difficult type of attack to pull off.
Now, Sharingan's illusions can't be broken by the individual that the technique has been cast upon –Itachi trapped Kurenai in her own illusion when they fought, which is why she was able to break free. Naruto had to be released by Sakura from Itachi's attack, Sasuke was able to fool Orochimaru, a genius, through a genjutsu. Bee was solely able to break from Sasuke's illusion thanks to his tailed beast –also, the Sharingan can see through any type of genjutsu –visual or sound-induced.
In that regard, Ino wasn't able to break free from the genjutsu –Itachi dropped it.
Also, Sharingan induced illusions are almost impossible to notice, therefore, it isn't that Ino was able to see through it, but that Itachi purposefully allowed her to know he had trapped her –this is not to undermine Ino, but to keep her consistent to her canon figure. She's competent, but not a genius, and it isn't until the war arc that she becomes truly remarkable (by the standards of regular shinobi, that is).
I know there's a big portion of the fandom that just loves to give characters (particularly females) incredibly overpowered and overblown techniques, yet canonically few people can keep up with Itachi –much less surpass him: The only characters that are able to do so are Sasuke, Obito, Madara, Hashirama and Naruto (Kisame also might). Three of those people have –like Itachi- the Sharingan.
I know we love powerful women, but I can't help to think that many people tend to believe that just by making a female (physically) strong equates to giving them a good characterization. To me is lazy writing. Having a well-layered character –independently of their physical or mental capacities, is good writing, everything else is just filling.
Comments are appreciated!