CHAPTER 18
TITLE: Realization
He opened his eyes, the same dull yellow light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere assaulting his eyes once again. Other than the tall red bars and the shallow liquid that always seemed to be there, he saw nothing else. Intrigued, the Fox rose gracefully, cocking his head to the side, listening carefully for what could have woken him.
The soft, shallow rippling of water as he moved was the only thing he heard. But he did feel something.
The Kyuubi no Kitsune pursed his lips, "Fear, a great deal of it."
His container was afraid for his life, but of what the mighty Bijuu could only guess. The seal that kept him at bay had been repaired since his containers last appearance. The hefty amount of chakra wasted when his container was attack had drained him significantly. Causing him to sleep for far longer than normal.
When he'd awoken, he could still feel the cracks in the seal, although they were patched somewhat. He'd inspected his prison carefully, eventually coming to the conclusion that whatever bumbling the humans above had done to the original seal had wore away at its very foundations. Making certain that any effort on his part to destroy the seal would only cause it to collapse in on itself.
Forever storing energy until they both burst, surely resulting in the deaths of him, as well as any other human in the range of the blast. Which, considering his tremendous power, would be quite large. The fox cursed his luck, and the truly idiotic human that had dared attack him or his container.
He snorted in satisfaction at the memory of viewing the glorious maiming of the man through Naruto's eyes. Mentally praising the Uzumaki for his gloriously plentiful bloodshed. The feeling was short lived, for when the so called, 'Sandaime' learned of what had happened, he'd assembled a hasty seal, and thrown his container deep into the earth. Ironically in a cell that much resembled his own.
He could only admire the sweet irony for a short while, for the seal drastically cut short his perception of the world around him. He could only enjoy watching the young Uzumaki suffer for short stints at a time. But considering his only entertainment thus far had been the occasional beat down, barely seen or heard, this was a drastic improvement.
Of course, this didn't last forever. Somehow, the loathsome brat escaped imprisonment, and been given yet another seal that had choked off all remaining sound or visuals of his containers surroundings.
Now all that was left were emotions, and even then, all he felt now was fear.
It made him want to vomit.
Suddenly, he felt a sudden spike of the emotion, the intensity of it taking him aback. The fox frowned, "Hmm, the troublesome ningen had better not have gotten himself into mortal trouble again.
Then he felt it, The Kyuubi's head raised at the familiar tingling sensation that alerted him to chakra breing used against him. He stood up in his cage, "Chakra? Someone uses chakra against us..."
The fox waited, and was greeted with a panic driven call for chakra. He felt as small whisps of his own energy was leeched from him. A paltry amount perhaps, hardly large enough to constitute one millionth of a Bijuudama. But a concerning truth nonetheless.
He heard noise drift into the mindscape, subtle, alien sensations brushing against his consciousness. The Nine Tailed fox recoiled suspiciously, eventually allowing curiosity to overcome his sense of caution. He gave more chakra, and felt as new emotions and feelings overcame him. Defending upon him like mist from a mountain range.
Colors and shapes formed in front of him. Hands were wrestling him to the ground, panic bubbling in his chest as tears cascaded down his whiskered cheeks.
With a start he realized that he was experiencing the world straight through his containers body, feeling his own mouth form words against his will, "Please Jiji, let me go! I'm sorry!" Naruto cried, the strong hands and arms of several ANBU holding him down.
The Hokage glowered down at him, unflinching and unforgiving. Naruto's cries hit a new high, "Please Jiji! I didn't mean to. He tricked me!"
The old man grunted, his eyes staring into his own, "Tricked, or persuaded?" He mused. Naruto stared silently as a haze of exhaustion suddenly hit him as he realized that the old man genuinely didn't believe him.
Naruto shook his head, "Jiji, w-what are you saying?"
To Naruto Uzumaki, the entire world was focused in on the Hokage as he stared back at him. For a long moment, the earth was still, the Sandaime seeming more like a grand statue than a person. His face was severe, the lines in his face, particularly the ones around his eyes deepening as he stood there, lost in thought. Eventually the Sandaime shook his head, "It matters not." He said.
He took a long step forwards, startling Naruto as the Sandaime's sudden closeness. "This is serious Naruto. You can't control yourself, the danger you pose to others is too great for me to ignore." He said, his face drooping as he frowned sadly. He kept walking, and Naruto struggled against the grip of the ANBU. They held him fast, also keeping their distance, as if he were bait being fed to a predator.
Naruto's eyes widened, his heart beating like a drum as he reflexively watched the old man's hands. The Sandaime stopped when he was on only a half foot away. Naruto leaned back, panting roughly as every danger sense in him was screaming at him to get away.
Kurama watched in fascination as Naruto's mind bristled, instincts alerting his young brain of imminent danger. The moment the Sandaime reached out a hand, his mind went back, back to that place. Back to Masaru.
Naruto was in chains, crying and afraid as he cooed in Naruto's ear. An easy smile on his face, blonde hair slicked back, loose strands of greying blond hair falling down his face.
'Thank you for your sacrifice, Naruto...'
Naruto screamed, and swiped out blindly, his other hand covering his face. He heard a cry of shock, and felt as his world was turned upside down. He saw a flash of white, and felt his face being driven into the floor.
He screamed again, his hands held behind his back at awkward angles, his legs tucked underneath him, someone pressing his legs to the ground by the back of his knees. He struggled with all his might, but could go nowhere. His panic grew sharply, his throat sore from screaming.
His eyes looked around wildly, spying the Sandaime in front of him, a shallow bleeding cut on his wrist. Naruto's blood ran cold, and he stared back at the Hokage, silent. The Sandaime seemed more surprised than anything, swiftly dropping his hand to dangle by his side, staring at Naruto such a potent combination of shock, shame and disappointment it brought tears to his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when he felt something in his arm give way, a hot exlopsion of pain coming from there.
His struggling reached new heights, and he felt as tears spilled down his cheeks. "ANBU, stop! Release him!"
The two above Naruto froze, even the air seemed to halt in its tracks. Everything in the room seeming to obey his commands except Naruto, who wriggled free of their lax grip, scrambling to his feet.
He held his left arm with his right, holding his limp arm in place to keep it from moving. He stared up at them all, his vision hazy from unshed tears. He backed away slowly from the two ANBU guards, his eyes flicking in between the three of them. The Sandaime's face shone with concern and hesitation, "Naruto." He called, reaching out a bloodied hand.
Naruto bolted, and after only a minute of running he found one of his usual hiding spots. He turned a corner, finding an old apartment complex, stumbling frantically as he ran around the back, finding the old shed there. He tore open the door, slamming himself down, breaking into tears almost immediately.
He sat there, alone and injured, the pain in his heart almost too much to bear. He was alone now, not even the old man tolerated him anymore. He devolved into more tears, and the Kyuubi could feel his awareness of his container's surroundings blur into his own.
He sat there, blinking away the last remnants of his container's perspective, suddenly feeling horribly disgusted. He shook his head, marveling once again at the cruelty, and staggering hypocrisy of humans.
"Father, what did you see in these loathsome creatures." First, they use the Tailed Beasts as weapons. Repeatedly pulling them into their petty squabbles, either by capturing them, or using their power for thier own ends. Even that cursed Uchiha who freed him from his previous container, only to be sealed again. All this destruction, all this death and chaos.
He shook his head, "And the blame now falls to this one." He thought he might've felt some sort of vindication, a glimmer of superiority above the way he normally felt as it concerned humans.
He felt curious, so he focused himself, pouring his chakra agaisnt his container's mind. He felt a blackness overcome him, then light faded in, revealing the dark of a garden shed, hearing the sound of soft hiccuping sobs.
Naruto held his dislocated arm, hot, radiating pain coming from it, leaning against the wall, "Why?" He cried to himself, his face scrunched up in anger and frustration.
He shook his head, crying softly, "Why does everyone in the village hate me?"
"Humans hate what they fear, and make no mistake boy, they will always fear you."
Naruto jumped up, wincing and crying out at the pain in his arm. He looked around nervously, then he looked up, "Is that... Kyuubi?"
The Fox grunted, "It is. I witnessed your, altercation with the Hokage." He said.
Naruto slowed, calming down as he relaxed himself, "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. Anyone."
The Fox shook his head, "Your tendency to commit violence is meaningless to them. Only your capacity to commit violence. You've spilt blood now. Whether or not that was your intention is irrelevant. Now they'll merely use it as excuse to do as what they've always meant to do. They'll always feel threatened by your existence. And for that, they'll hate you."
Naruto's face was blank as he absorbed this information. The fox watched as the boy aged somewhat, lost something. He got the distinct impression that he should feel sad.
Naruto curled in on himself, his white shirt decorated with an Uzumaki swirl came away brown from the dirty shed. But he didn't care. When he spoke his lips curled as if he whispered the most cruel and abominable of curses, "I hate them, why couldn't I be born a fox like you?"
The Nine-Tailed fox smirked to himself, "You're no Bijuu. You're something different altogether. A Jinchurriki.
Naruto's eyes widened, looking out into space with a jubilant expression, "Really? What's that?"
The Fox smiled wide, "I will show you."
Hinata's sandals slapped hard against the rough wood of the freshly built bridge. Her steps in time with Tazuna's, Sasuke's and her sensei as they all raced to the nearest person they could see. Which, considering the heavy, chakra laced fog, wasn't saying much.
Hinata slid to a stop, stooping down to cradle the man's head in her hands. One long, steep slice traced along his body from his shoulder to his sternum. He cringed at her touch, writhing in agony. She bit her lip as she surveyed the damage, and was about to report to her sensei when Tazuna knelt next to her.
He stared in shock and horror, "Buji! What happened here?"
Buji shuddered as he tried to speak, his eyes opening to reveal nothing short of utter fear. His grimace of pain changed into a mask of terrible fear, his eyes opening wide.
"A... A demon! He's... T-The bridge..." He spluttered, flecks of blood flying from his lips, even more tricking down his chin. Then as he drew in another breath, he stopped. His face relaxed, the awareness sapped from his eyes, making them appear more like glass than a human organ. His shuddering stopped, and his body relaxed in her grip.
Hinata watched, unable to do anything as the life fled from him. She exhaled, mist coalescing from her lips as she felt her heart break. Her eyes willed him to revive, her hands shaking as the now dead body cooled slowly.
She could hear nothing but her own heartbeat, 'I... I couldn't save him...' She'd failed yet again.
Her breath quickened as she heard a voice on the wind. Deep, cruel laughter reached her ears as she reeled away from the body. Her arms refelxively moving up into the first guard position of the gentle fist.
Her sensei dashed out in front of them, his arms stretched out at his sides, "Get ready, they're coming!"
She heard footsteps, and Sasuke appeared at her side, his arms raised in a defensive posture. Tazuna ducked behind them, shielded from all sides.
"Hahaha, sorry fools. Should've run when you had the chance..." Zabuza said from somewhere unseen. The mist thickened suddenly, forming out of thin air. It was as thick as she remembered, seeming more like a heavy powder than mist. The Bridge disappeared around them. The only reason they could see each other now was because of how close they were.
She sighed harshly, anxiety creeping into her bones, 'Naruto-kun... Where are you?'
"Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long Kakashi..." Zabuza deep, foreboding voice grated. Hinata's heartbeat was suddenly loud in her own ears, but with an effort, she calmed herself. Willing her senses to pay attention. She could still see close to nothing but she took a deep breath, 'Calm down Hinata, you've trained for this! You can do this!' She yelled at herself, gritting her teeth.
Hinata heard the sound of creaking wood come from everywhere at once, footsteps looming ever closer, "I see you still brought your brats with you. A bit selfish if you ask me. They're not ready. I know it, you know it, they know it." Zabuza taunted. "Tch, that one's so terrified he's trembling. Poor thing."
Hinata looked up with a start, glancing at her own arms, then over to Sasuke. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, Zabuza was right. He was trembling, but apparently Zabuza couldn't see his face. Sasuke grinned manically, looking anything but scared. If anything, this was the happiest she'd seen him. He was grinning wide, his eyes focused yet calm.
Hinata's head and eyes snapped to where he was looking, and she gasped as the air in front of them cleared a bit. Revealing three exact copies of the devious missing nin. He was healthier than when she's last seen him, a few bandages still there where previously he's been impaled with kunai. But he seemed no worse for wear, his dark eyes fixed on them all.
"Last chance to back out kiddies." He said. Hinata frowned and lowered her stance, not even dignifying such an offer with a response.
"You're right, I am shaking..." Sasuke said, grinning at Zabuza. " I'm trembling with excitement. You lost last time. Bring it on." He said.
Zabuza frowned, growling as he raised his sword.
Kakashi's head whipped to the side, "Sasuke, now!" He commanded.
Instantly, Hinata heard Sasuke move, barely able to follow as Sasuke launched himself at Zabuza. A dark grey blur that parted the mist as he moved. She turned and watched Sasuke drag the tip of his kunai over the missing nin as he dashed past him. Slashing at each and every one of his clones, even the ones hidden in the mist that she hadn't seen the moment before.
Sasuke landed beside her, the clones collapsing into water a heartbeat later. Sasuke sighed out slowly, shooting her a look. Hinata smirked back, "And here I thought that showing off was Naruto's thing." She nodded back, and Sasuke returned her smile.
The sound of Zabuza's laughter echoed through the mist, "Well well, so he managed to see my hidden clones, and beat them all without a sweat. That brat's grown quite a bit eh Haku? Looks like he could be quite the rival for you."
The mist thinned out and parted to reveal two figures, both equally recognizable as Zabuza, and the false hunter-nin.
'The same one Naruto met in the forest earlier...'
The pair looked like menace incarnate. Looking more akin to ghostly wraiths than shinobi as they marched their way towards them. Her blue and tan haori waved gracefully in the wind, that menacing mask still on her face. Despite the fact that her facade had already been shattered.
She moved in the same confident grace she did when she was acting out her part, her arms swaying as she walked, "Hm, possibly. We shall see."
Sasuke smiled confidently, inclining his head at the masked ninja, "Naruto told us all about you. You're not as subtle as you think, fraud."
Haku and Zabuza both stopped about a dozen feet from them. Haku smoothly pulling a kunai and a senbon from inside her haori, "If that's true, then Naruto should've told you how you don't stand a chance." She said coldly, Hinata's skin breaking out into goosbumps as she heard her teammate's name come from her mouth.
Sasuke scoffed, "I won't lose against some third rate actor. I hate cocky brats like you." Hinata would've rolled her eyes if they weren't about to be locked in mortal combat.
Zabuza tilted his head to the side, never once removing his eyes from his opponents, "Haku, get this over with already."
Haku nodded slowly, "Right."
The wind picked up suddenly, pulling at Hinata's robes, swirling around the fake hunter-nin, now known as Haku. The mild gust grew into a roar, cloaking the hunter nin, swirling around her like a living hurricane.
Haku twirled with the wind, spinning impossibly fast, careening right for Sasuke. The Uchiha waited, his eyes dark and hungry, pulling out another kunai to match the other. He held the two kunai backhanded, his eyes trained on the fast approaching whirlwind. Sasuke's expereesson was somewhere between patient and mindlessly eager as his enemy approached.
As soon as Haku was within an arms reach, Sasuke shot an arm out, catching onto hard steel with a clang made Hinata's ears ring.
They stopped, locked together, struggling against the other, Haku's senbon creaking and bending at the pressure. Hinata cheered internally, her previous anxiety replaced with barely restrained joy. 'He's using his chakra only at the exact moment he needs it. All that running and chakra control really paid off.'
Hinata stayed at the ready, her arms aching after holding them up for so long. They remained locked, with only Haku grunting with the effort. Sasuke grinned at her, "Not as fast as you thought you were huh?" Haku said nothing to retort, only raising up a hand, her fingers going through several strange hand signs.
Hinata's eyes narrow in suspicion, 'I've never even heard of one-handed signs before... This could be bad...'
Haku's hand stilled, "Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death." At the utterance of the technique, the cool mist around them suddenly chilled by at least a dozen degrees, and Hinata caught the dull shine of ice in the rapidly condensing mist around them. Her heart sank as she saw dozens of needle-like icicles materialize from the mist.
"Sasuke watch out!" She bellowed.
Too late.
The ice needles sped through the air almost too fast too see, colliding with a crash half a second later. The icicles slammed into each other, and the ground where Sasuke stood. Exploding with enough force to make the bridge shake. Haku leapt away at the last second, barely avoiding being caught in her own trap as she watched the devastation of her technique.
A shallow mist of ice crystals and dust appeared in the aftermath, clearing half a second later to see needles as thick as her arm sticking from the ground. But no hint of Sasuke to be seen.
Hinata looked around for her teammate, her sharp eyes catching a subtle indentation beneath the needles. The wood was dented, sand slightly splintered in a manner that seemed familiar.
Her eyes widened in shock, and she looked up catching a speck of black against the white expanse. Sasuke's form careening silently from the sky. The false Hunter-nin somehow realized what had happened, her mask snapping up just in time to block a hard overhead kick from Sasuke.
There was a loud thwap as Sasuke's kick landed, folllowed by a grunt from Haku as she reeled from the hard strike, her left knee hitting the floor, denting it.
Sasuke moved quickly, attempting to capitalize on taking her by surprise, he reeled his arm back for a stab for Haku, but the false hunter-nin saw it coming, pulling a senbon of her own. Sasuke twirled his fingers, turning the blade around in an instant, flicking his writs to throw the sharp blade at her.
Haku skidded to the side, just barely dodging the kunai, but wasn't fast enough to dodge the blindingly fast knee to her face. There was loud cracking sound as the masked shinobi rocketed back from the force of the strike, just barely maneuvering her body, getting her legs under her as she slammed to the ground.
She slid on the damp wood, panting hard through her mask as she rose shakily to her feet.
Behind her, Zabuza loomed forwards, walking at first, then breaking into a run as soon as he passed Haku.
Hinata hands shook slightly as she went through the signs, concentrating her chakra to her eyes, "Byakugan!" The world unraveled for her, the mist appearing like a grey, hulking emptiness that reminded her of the dark absence of a cave.
Zabuza sprinted for Kakashi, keeping her eyes on him, primed and ready for anything. But then she noticed as he ran, pale light seemed to appear as orbs in her enhanced peripheral vision. It was far less clear than the images afforded to her when something was in her direct line of sight, but it was still clear enough for her to see as certain sections of the mist condensed into a vaguely familiar shape.
Hinata gasped as she recognized them, 'Clones!'
She pivoted on the ball of her foot, swiveling to face three clones of Zabuza. They all stood as tall as the original, each of them also hefting the enormous sword he seemed so fond of using.
All the while, her brain scrambled for answers.
'How am I supposed to beat them? I'm not Sasuke! I'm not as fast or as strong as him!'
She desperately wished that Naruto was here, here to bolster her, to encourage her. He'd say something, do something that would make her feel like anything aside from a complete and utter failure.
She felt angry, angry at Naruto for not bieng her, angry at Zabuza for his evil, murderous nature, angry at herself for being so useless.
She grit her teeth, battling the wave of fear that nearly overcame her. 'You're a Hyuuga damn it! Fucking act like it!' Then her eyes widened, and she looked at her hands, half of an idea forming in her mind.
She heard a grunt, and her bloodline limit was the one thing that saved her from being beheaded as the first clone closed in. She dodged the first swing, leaning forwards, ducking under the terrible hunk of deadly steel.
Another clone lunged, surged past her, they intended to move past her, going after Tazuna instead. The poor old man yelped as they approached, his eyes bulging in fear, hands raised to defend him self. Hinata was there in a heartbeat, grinding her teeth as a battle cry erupted from her throat, she reached out a hand, coating her hands in chakra as they approached the huge sword.
Her left palm hit cold steel, and she focused, using the same kind of adhesion she used in training, only now she channeled it through her hands. The blade stopped cold, nearly pulling Hinata's shoulder out of socket. The Zabuza clone's eyes snapped to her, and her 360º vision showed her the other two clones closing in.
Sensing the danger, Tazuna threw himself to the ground, his hands over his head just as the other two clones came for her. The clone's sword jerked suddenly, and she released her grip just as the other two swung their swords at her.
She launched into a somersault, flipping out of the way just in time to spot a thrust from the first clone. She reached out her right hand moving almost mechanically, reflex telling her muscles when and how to move. She latched onto the blade as he stabbed at her, dancing out of the way, pulling the blade forward with undeniable force.
Zabuza didn't move an inch, but she did. Treating the blade like an outstretched arm in a taijtusu match, her body did the rest. She simultaneously pulled, and shuffled forwards, thrusting out one hand in a deadly Jūken strike.
The chakra formed like a gentle eddy in her left hand, suddenly exploding outwards as it rammed into the clone. It dispersed instantly, popping with slightly more force than the thought it would, the water splashing to the ground.
She panted, a quick survey showing her the other two clones hanging back, watching her with cold, dark eyes. Eyes now narrowed with someithg like annoyance and begrudging respect clear in their gaze.
"Great job Hinata."
She realized that she was glad that Zabuza wasn't facing her. She half-turned, and saw her sensei standing tall, staring down Zabuza. Her Byakugan told her that this one was a clone. But even a single shadow clone was enough to be a challenge for two water clones.
He looked down and smiled, nodding to her before locking eyes with Zabuza once again. She ducked her head down into her robes, hoping that he was unable to see the embarrassed redness that rushed to her cheeks at the praise, "H-Hai!"
Her 360º vision showed the scene behind her, with Kakashi and the real Zabuza just having separated from a skirmish of their own. Each a plethora of scratches and shallow cuts. Kakashi smirked under his mask, a kunai in each hand, "Told you Zabuza. My genin are more than they appear."
Zabuza sighed roughly, "Possibly. Although in my line of work, everyone is the same underneath. They're blood will look the same on my blade as everyone else's."
Kakashi shook his head, pointing one kunai at the missing nin, "I told you before Zabuza. No matter how many times we fight, the result is the same. You'll die here. Nothing's changed except the time and place."
Zabuza narrowed his eyes, squaring his feet for another attack, Kakashi responded in kind.
Hinata couldn't help but feel the fear lessen somewhat when she heard the pure confidence and conviction in her sensei's voice. But she couldn't help but worry about their missing teammate.
'Naruto-kun... Where are you?'
Inari could only watch, horrified, as the man walked forward, crossing the threshold with a relaxed, confident swagger, "I think I asked you a fuckin' question lady." He said slowly. Inari's eyes snapped back and forth from the man to his mother.
Her eyes were wide, swallowing once and taking a split second to look at Inari, the rest of her body not moving an inch, "Y-Yes. Tazuna's my father. What do you want?"
The strange man grinned at her, taking another step towards her, making her flinch, "Well you see, our boss told us to pay you and your little brat a visit." He said, Inari's mother taking a shaky step backwards.
Inari nearly gasped, covering his mouth with his hands, ducking away before the man could see him. He waited, pressing his back up against the corner, not moving a muscle.
After what felt like an hour, the man spoke again, his shrill taunting making Inari shiver from head to toe, "This doesn't have to get messy, long as you wisen up and do what I say, maybe your kid gets to make it there with all his limbs attached."
Inari felt like sobbing, the fear amplified with the images of his father on the post that day, his arms cut off at the elbow. The useless limbs left, abandoned on the floor, covered in blood. His head soon to follow...
He glanced at the open door just as a strong breeze shook the trees outside. He could run, probnasbly outrun the thugs before they even realized he was gone.
"A-Ahh!" A loud whimper shattered his cowardly thoughts, the voice of his mother. He shimmied to the edge of the corner, glancing at the horrific scene of the thug holding the blade of his sword against his mother's stomach, his other hand holding up her chin as he whispered something he couldn't hear. Inari stared, something hot and restless settling in his gut. Then his mother turned to him, eyes bulging, her mouth forming a single word.
Run.
"Whimper and cry all day for all I care, but the truth is everyone here is trying to make your country a better place. Everyone, but only one crying and doing nothing is, you. Just like the sad, little coward that you are."
Naruto's harsh words echoed in his mind, Inari gritted his teeth, angry at the familiar feeling settling in his bones. The sense of helplessness that always seeemed an inch away from breaking him, day after day.
Then Inari looked around frantically, looking for a sign of anyone, anything that could help him. Then his gaze settled on his crossbow next to the doorway. His eyes widened, his breath quickening as he heard another whimper from his mother. Inari's fists clenched into fists.
"...After so long of being alone, he probably got tired of crying. Decided to act... To be better."
He crept to the side as quietly as he could, stealthily pulling back the string and knocking a bolt. He slid against the wall, kneeling as he took aim. The thug was holding his mother now, his sword laid flat against the kitchen counter as he held her, one hand around her throat, another around her waist.
Inari's teeth clenched so hard he thought his teeth would shatter. He took aim, from this distance the drop would be minimal, so he matched the man's throat with his bolt's broad head. The thug hummed to himself as he held Inari's mother, "Hmmm, tell ya what. Maybe we could all come to some sort of understanding. Long as the job gets done our boss doesn't really care about the details. When my partner gets here we can get something sorted out."
Inari paused, 'Partner?'
Then the closet behind him slammed open.
Naruto leapt from branch to branch among the trees, marveling to himself at how easy it was now that he knew how to stick to stuff. He'd learned it back when he was training with Tori a while ago, mostly just to look cool. Now that he'd learned how to climb trees, he could see how fast he could travel. Especially now that Tsunami or Inari could be in danger.
He'd seeen the dead boar and signs of someone cutting through the forest and knew that it couldn't have been anyone in town.
Naruto finally arrived at the house, frowning when he saw the door wide open. He ran down the tree, perching on a branch near the window, just in time to see Inari raise a crossbow to take out the thug holding his mother.
Despite the dire situation, Naruto found himself smiling at the scene in front of him, 'Damn Inari! Didn't think you had it in you...' He squared his legs, prepared to jump in, slightly concerned that Inari's shot would actually hit the man, and not his mother, when he saw as the closet behind Inari slammed open, revealing a huge brute of a man. He was shorter than the other one, with short spiky black hair and a thin vest.
He inadvertently startled Inari into shooting prematurely, sending the bolt into a cabinet. Tsunami screamed, and the other thug cursed, taking cover.
"Holy SHIT! What the fuck are you doin' over there Taichi!?"
The big one slapped Inari upside the head, the shock making the crossbow clatter to the ground. Then he grabbed Inari by the hem of his shirt, "Savin' your ass Daitan, this little guy almost skewered you." He grunted, lifting Inari up for them both to see.
The bald thug now known as Daitan frowned his nostrils flaring as he grabbed for his sword. Naruto's gut lurched, and he growled as he bent his legs, about to leap into the kitchen and beat these thugs.
"You better run, when Naruto gets here he's gonna kick your ass!" He shrieked, holding his stretched shirt just above him. Naruto stopped, his heart swelling as he heard Inari's words.
Daitan stopped too, smiling too widely, releasing the sword, leaving it on the counter. He stalked forwards, grabbing Inari roughly by the throat. Tsunami yelled and pleaded behind him, but Daitan held up a hand, squeezing with his other hand, making Inari squeal and squirm. Tsunami quieted, holding a hand over her motuth. Then the thug turned back to Inari, his nose only an inch from Inari's, "Listen up you sneaky little shit. Ya think you would've learned a thing or two by now after what happened to that idiot Kaiza, but me and Taichi over here mine as well be KAMI to you. No one, is coming for you, no one is gonna save you."
Naruto smirked, bringing his hands together, crossing his index and middle fingers, leaping as soon as he did. Two poofs of smoke appeared to his sides, he careened through the open window, the thug known as Daitan turning just in time for his face to meet Naruto's hard fist.
His head snapped to one side, stumbling to the side, and Naruto continued his trajectory kicking the second thug's stomach. He made a wheezing sound, and dropped Inari, his own body falling to the floor immediately after. Naruto caught Inari, laying the coughing youth down.
Naruto frowned, "Are you ok?" Inari coughed a bit more, but he nodded quickly, then pointed frantically at the thug he'd just dropped. He rose shakily, nothing short of murder in his eyes as he opened his claw like fists, "Y-You fucking brat, I'll—" He loped forwards, making a grab for Naruto, who dodged as easily as he would a particularly awkward toddler.
He followed up with a jump kick he'd learned from Tori, his heel slamming into the thug's jaw, dropping him like a sack of bonito flakes.
Naruto turned as he heard a scream, watching as Tsunami was held close by the remaining thug, the blade of a katana pressing against her neck.
"Kaa-san!" Inari yelled, making the thug smile, "Good, good. Now that we're all paying attention. I'm gonna—" Then his sword was being batted to the side, a loud clang echoing in the small kitchen as a kunai wielding clone slapped the sword away from Tsunami's neck. The other clone spinning into a hard kick to the side of his head. His head whipped back, and he flopped to the side, the sword clattering away.
Tsunami broke into a run, collapsing into tears as she hugged Inari with all her might. Inari sobbed into his mother's chest, hugging her just as tight.
Naruto walked over, briefly fist bumping his clones, then dismissing them before he walked over to Tsunami and Inari, "Sorry I wasn't here earilier, but heroes are supposed to show up late..." He said.
"I believe that is what some humans would call 'lame'"
A drop of sweat fell down his forehead, not completely able to argue with him.
The mother and son duo split up, their faces still wet with tears as they held hands, the both of them bowing to him, "Uzumaki Naruto, we cannot thank you enough for what you've done. First my father, and now Inari. Thank you so much."
Naruto felt his cheeks warm just then, waving a hand, "It's nothing. Just doing what you're dad paid us to do." He turned his eyes to Inari, his face breaking into a face splitting smile, "Nice plan with the crossbow by the way! You almost had him before I did!"
Inari smiled back, rubbing the back of his head, "I couldn't just let him hurt my Kaa-san like that. I was just doing what you'd do."
Naruto faltered, an image in his head appearing. A memory of him, stricken with fear as a blonde man stood over him. A smaller, younger man with brown hair and a scar on his face creep behind the man, striking at him from behind while Naruto could only watch.
Naruto shook his head, kneeling down to his level, "No, you weren't. That took a lot of guts." He said, a bit of guilt resurfacing from a few nights before. He pursed his lips, turning away briefly, "S-Sorry, about... ya know. What I said. You're no coward."
He turned back to see Inari just staring at him, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, "I was a coward. It's, scary. Living here, being here..." He said looking down, "... I was scared of everything. Everything made me want to run away and never come back. After... Well, it all just made me want to hide. But now..." He looked back up at Naruto, smiling pleasantly, looking as calm as Naruto had ever seen him, "I'm not scared anymore!" He said cheerily.
Naruto felt tears well in his eyes as he stared at him, smiling back at Inari, "I'm glad Inari."
He stood up, discretely wiping his eyes as Tsunami shook her head, "It just doesn't make sense. They've known where we lived for years now, he's never sent his thugs to us before." She said, puzzled.
Naruto felt his stomach drop, "Unless they knew that Tazuna and my team wouldn't be here." He said, making for the door.
"Wait." Tsunami said behind him. He turned and nearly flinched when she took his hand, cradling it as she stared into his eyes, "If there's anything we can do to help you, just say the word." She said, Inari nodding once along with her.
Naruto shook his head, smiling politely, "Thanks, but—"
Then Naruto's stomach growled loudly, cutting him offf. He blushed, laughing a bit, "Well, just one thing."
Naruto launched himself from branch after branch, loping long strides across the forest, his tongue picking a chunk of meat from his teeth. His stomach was still for now, sated with surprisingly filling leftovers, courtesy of Tsunami. It was no match for ramen, but on an empty stomach, it might as well have been.
Then suddenly, his nose caught a thick, metallic scent that nearly made him miss a step. He scowled in disgust, bringing a hand to his nose at the familiar, yet disgusting scent.
'Blood, a whole lot of it.' He surmised, raising his head to scout in front of him. In front of him, the trees steadily became more and more sparse, revealing more and more of the landscape beyond. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw the huge bubble of thick fog that completely surrounded the bridge.
He frowned, 'Zabuza and Haku...' He sprinted ahead, doubling his pace as he thought of his team and the old man.
"Do not let your feelings distract you Naruto. This girl is the enemy." The fox growled in his head. Naruto grit his teeth, not answering his companion. He saw the look on her face when he asked her about Zabuza. Her loyalty to him couldn't be denied. But she obviously didn't want to hurt anyone.
He could feel the Fox's disdain for his thoughts from here, his angry aura making feel as if he stood too close to a raging bonfire, "Compassion has no place in the heart of a Jinchurriki. She is nothing but an insect compared to us. Our power! If she must die then she will die. But do not allow your naivety to weaken you. Or we, along with your precious team will die."
Naruto frowned deeper, a cruel frustrustration growing in his chest, he grabbed at it, clutching his orange and black hoodie.
'I won't let my team, or Tazuna die.' He declared, the only thing he felt comfortable saying.
"Hmm, then you have made your choice. Be mindful that you represent us both. Take care to understand that."
Naruto felt as the warm presence of the Fox left his mind. Retreating into the recesses of the seal. He meditated on those words, flashes of those he cared about flashing through his mind, Hinata, Kakashi, Sasuke, Kyuubi...
Naruto picked up the pace, willing his legs to move faster, gritting his teeth as he stared ahead at the bridge, "I know. I won't let you down."
Sparks flew as a senbon clanged against his kunai. He ducked under a lightning fast roundhouse kick, countering with a few quick jabs, all of them hitting nothing but air. He danced back, a thin sheen of sweat covering his exposed arms as he bent down low, expecting another attack.
None came, and his opponent, the masked fraud, sat low in a similar position as him. She regained her breath, "It appears we are somewhat evenly matched..." She said. Sasuke frowned, 'That's what you think.' He thought, though he said nothing, his eyes watching her every movement, no matter how minute.
Haku stood smoothly, forming a single hand seal in front of her, her mask bent towards him, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry it came to this." She said, sounding genuinely apologetic.
Sasuke snorted, doing nothing but raising his kunai. There was silence for a few seconds, and Sasuke considered charging the rogue nin. But an instant later, he could feel the air cooled, the air condensing into water all around the both of them, then solidifying into solid chunks of ice.
For the first time since the battle started, Sasuke fear uncoil in his gut.
Kakashi took every opportunity to spy a look at how Sasuke was doing, but Zabuza made him pay for every lapse in attention. His sword moved uncannily fast for how enormous it was.
It cut a few silver hairs off his head after the latest dodge, barely deflecting the massive blade with a kunai. Although the heavy sword seemed to take chips off of his kunai with every swing. He narrowed his eyes at his opponent, 'He's trying to avoid ninjutsu this time. Trying to land a few hits, and take me apart from there. He knows that as long as he's keeping me busy, his partner has free reign on Sasuke.'
His eyes flicked to either side of him, 'Damn, Naruto is missing, Sasuke is fighting a highly ranked shinobi, and Hinata is stuck guarding Tazuna. From a strategic point of view, we're losing. We can't stay like this.'
He clenched his fists, glaring at the jounin for putting him in this position. Zabuza noticed his anger, grinning behind his mask, "You should know by now that this is a losing battle. You'd be better off cutting your losses and running for the hills. It's only a matter of time before my subordinate kills your Genin."
Zabuza relaxed a bit, his muscles unbundling slightly as he glanced behind him, looking at Sasuke and the masked ninja. "Haku's the most powerful tool I've ever come across, she's playing with him. It's only a matter of time."
Kakashi's throw was perfect, the kunai thrown as silently as he could manage, the kunai in his hands flying straight for Zabuza's jugular. Zabuza jerked his sword upright, the edge of the huge sword deflecting the blade. Kakashi cursed and stood up straighter, drawing two more kunai, 'He's right. Better hurry this along.'
Kakashi took a deep breath, "Not if I kill you now." He stated coldly.
Zabuza laughed darkly, only raising his sword in response. The hair on Kakashi's arms stood on end, a familiar buzz in the air. There was a buildup of chakra behind Zabuza and the both of them turned to watch and see what it was. Kakashi felt a cold pit open up in his gut when he watched ice form out of the air, rising into solid, smooth rectangles.
Zabuza clicked his tongue, shaking his head, "Looks like Haku's getting serious. It's all over for your genin now. That's Haku's ultimate technique. Even I'm not able to escape it."
Kakashi's eyes roamed the bridge, scanning the technique for what it was, his eyes widening when the realization hit him, "Kekkei Genkai. Hyoton."
Then, as the ice continued to rise into the air, there was an explosion at the edge of the bridge. Kakashi's eyes snapped to the railing at the far side of the bridge behind them. A railing was destroyed, the wood splintered into charred cinders.
Kakashi came to the realization in a flash, his hopes rising as he looked to the sky, 'Just in time...'
Naruto could feel himself losing momentum, the wind rushing at his hair softening as he slowed to a stop. His stomach lurched as he came to a stop, doing his best to ignore his instincts. He grit his teeth as turned in midair, waving his arms to correct himself. Then he was falling, and falling fast.
He was fast approaching a group of revolving mirrors, surrounding Sasuke and Haku. He narrowed his eyes, waiting until the last second, then he brought his hands together into a seal, screaming out the Justu as loud as he could, "Kage Bunshin no Justu!"
All around him, puffs of smoke appeared, and were torn away, revealing several dozen shadow clones. Haku was looking up now, and he aimed his body for her. She started weaving signs, but it was too late. A few clones landed before him, all of them popping on impact.
He reached out a hand, and several clones reached back. Each of them threw him up higher and higher, slowing his descent as his clones hit the ground.
Haku tried to dodge, sidestepping a clone that instantly exploded in a cloud of smoke. Naruto waved his arms as he hit the ground, pumping his legs full of chakra as he rolled hard. He tumbled as the momentum sent him crashing forwards. He looked around, seeing as more clones fell, all of them aiming for Haku.
She dodged, looking up as the last few clones fell. Naruto charged, his black and organge hoodie flapping behind him as he ran as fast as he could. His feet ached as his sandals pounded against he wood. Haku was still distracted, only turning to look at him as she dodged the last of the clones. It crashed to the floor where she had just stood barley a second ago. Sending another plume of smoke into the air, surrounding her.
Naruto cried out as he threw a haymaker, pouring everything he had into one punch. His knuckles met a hard surface, Haku's mask clinking like glass as she was thrown back. The remaining whisps of smoke followed her like trailing ink as she tumbled backwards.
Naruto heaved with effort, staring ahead as Haku climbed to her feet.
He glanced to the side, Sasuke standing a ways behind him, staring in silent bewilderment. Naruto cracked a smile, "Don't worry Sasuke. Uzumaki Naruto, is finally here!"
Sasuse was utterly silent for a long while, his eyes inscrutable, making Naruto frown. After a few seconds longer, Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "You absolute idiot! Now we're both stuck here!"
Naruto looked around, now seeing the cage of mirror-like ice that hovered all around them. He threw his hands up in the air, "Well how the hell was I supposed to know that?"
Naruto frowned even deeper, "Well see if I swoop in and save your ass next ti—" He cut himself off as Haku approached, stopping about a dozen feet away standing next to one of the floating ice rectangles.
He stood up straight, "Haku." He said, conflicted as he stared ahead at her.
Haku inclined her head to him, "Naruto. I'm sorry it's come to this."
Naruto was still, an ache in his chest as he looked at her. Her chestnut eyes were hidden behind the masks his eyes able to detect a few cracks in the smooth porcelain. He grit his teeth, partially out of frustration and a cutting sense of sadness. He stared hard at Haku, trying to meet her eyes behind the mask, "It doesn't have to come to this!"
Haku took a long breath, then turned around, walking over to the floating chunk of ice, standing directly in front of it. She turned around, facing them both as she leaned back, her body melding into the ice, her voice colder, and more detached than Naruto had ever heard it.
"I told you, I'd do anything, for my master."
Then she was gone, her form melting behind the ice like she was defending into water. The ice rippled, and her image vanished in an instant.
Naruto's sensitive ears picked up the sound of rushing wind, and he turned towards the noise, his arms raised in defense. Stabbing hot pain exploded in his arms, he yelled, looking down to see senbon stuck in his arms. He heard the sound again, and leapt out of the way. He heard a grunt of pain, and turned to see Sasuke's left leg and shoulder decorated with the sharp ice senbon.
He met Sasuke's eyes, dark and angry as always, but now full of fear as well. Sasuke grunted, "She's fast, I can barely see her!"
Naruto's eyes widened, turning back around to see as a barely visible figure sped from one mirror to another. She was so fast that the only evidence that anything had happened at all was the sound of her speeding through the air, and the ice that rippled like flowing water in her wake.
A mirror that faced him rippled, and then the air was forced out of his lungs, pain and pressure erupting from his chest as he flew backwards, landing roughly, skidding slowly to a stop. He looked up, and saw Haku standing tall, a senbon in between each of her fingers in both hands.
She bowed shallowly, "The difference in our power is greater than I initially led you to believe. I apologize for that." She said, the dark slits in her mask roaming from Naruto to Sasuke. "But I'm giving you this one chance. Flee, and give my master the chance to kill the bridge builder."
Sasuke answered by throwing a kunai at her, lunging forwards with a snarl on his lips. She dodged deftly, deflecting the shuriken that came for her.
Sasuke was a few feet away when she leapt into the sky, melting into another one of her ice mirrors.
"Very well then, I'm sorry for what must come next." She said, her voice echoing from everywhere at once. Naruto got to his feet, his head swiveling back and forth, watching as one by one, her masked face appeard in every mirror that surrounded them. Sasuke and Naruto backed up, standing side by side as they'd faced Haku and her mirrors.
He slammed on the door, pounding on the door with all his strength. The loud sound echoed down eerily empty street. He'd knocked on every single door he'd ran into. Everyone who lived here had refused him, most refusing to even open the door for him.
He growled in the back of his throat, the anxiety and frustration of the situation bubbling up inside him, "Giichi! I know you're in there! Come on I need your help."
"Save your breath kiddo..."
Inari drew back, surprised to finally hear someone. The door swung open, creaking loudly, revealing Giichi. He was dirtier than he remembered, more downcast. He'd always seemed upbeat when he was working on the bridge.
Now he was, lesser somehow, reduced. Although, reduced in what Inari couldn't say. He was unshaven, more hunched over with the distinct smell of alcohol on his breath. Giichi frowned sadly at him, "I'd heard you hollerin' from across the way. Hell, I'd bet money that the whole town's heard you already."
Inari frowned suspiciously, crossing his arms in front of him, "S-So, you know why I'm here?"
Giichi frowned, scratching behind his head, "I'm sorry Inari. I can't help you." He said lowly, reaching for the door.
Inari looked up, feeling his heard sink as he saw the door close in front of him. He thrust out a foot, stopping the door. "So you know what's happening. With Jii-san, the bridge!?" The older man frowned deeply, letting his hand fall to his side. He opened his mouth to speak, but as he met Inari's eyes, something in him crumbled, and he looked away, holding a hand behind his head, "W-Well yes, but you have to look at it from our perspective. There's no sense in going out there, risking out necks for no good reason."
Inari stared at the man, uncomprehending. His hands balling up into fists, "No good reason? You've known Jii-san for such a long time! You know how he feels about this town, how could you just abandon him!" He said.
The man seemed to shrink the longer and louder he yelled, never once looking Inari in the eyes. He shook his head, "He'll die anyways. Nothing we do can change that. When... When Kaiza spoke up, he died. It'll be the same with Tazuna. Leave it alone Inari. It's a damn shame, its not worth getting killed over."
Inari felt the old familiar stab in his gut whenever his father was brought up, but instead of energy-sucking grief, Inari felt nothing but anger. He stepped forwards, jabbing a finger at Giichi, startling the older man. "It's not gonna happen that way. Last time all was had was talk. Now we've got a bridge and ninja of our own! They've already saved me and mom. Gato sent guys with swords to come and kill us, but Naruto saved both of us."
Giichi gasped, the first hint of life erupting in his eyes as he surged forwards, grabbing hold of his arm Ashe knelt down to his level, "Good kami kid! Are you and Tsunami alright?" Inari wrenched his arm away, "We're fine, but that's my point! We stand a chance now. The only people fighting for our town aren't even FROM here! We can't just sit here and not defend our home!"
Giichi stared open mouthed at Inari, startled by his words, and the passion in them. But he drew back after a while, "Sorry Inari, I... I can't." He mumbled, standing to his feet.
Inari stared, not comprehending what was happening, until he saw it. So obvious and naked he nearly gasped.
Fear, it was there plain as day. His eyes were wide, his hands shaking as he stood there. There was a thunderous crash, and Inari and Giichi flinched, the sound coming from the bridge. He looked back and Giichi was frowning, his eyes wide with fright.
Inari took a few steps back, and then more, until he stood in the middle of the street, surrounded by torn up shanty houses.
Inari's hands shook, he clenched them. Now feeling a bit like how Naruto felt a few nights before. He stood there, crossbow in hand, his mind racing with thoughts on what he was supposed to do now.
He thought of Naruto, and of Kaiza, 'What would they do?' He thought.
He knew in an instant, and his feet were moving. He walked at first, breaking into a run less than a few seconds later.
"Hey, where do you think you're going!?" Giichi yelled at him, his voice incredulous. Inari yelled back as he ran, his feet taking him to the growing sounds clashing iron, "Where the fighting is!"
Naruto's arms burned, the pain bringing tears to his eyes as he struggled up from the floor. He struggled to raise his head, every inch of his body flaring with pain. He looked ahead as Haku appeared in the mirror in front of him. Naruto's eyes flew open and leaped to the side as fast as he could.
He felt a handful of razor sharp needles graze him, but he managed to avoid the worst of it. He landed hard on his left foot, a battle cry erupting out of his mouth as he charged for Haku. He felt the muscles in his arm, protest, but managed to bring both hands together, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ten clones appeared to his left and right, all as injured and laden with senbon as him. They all screamed as one, each wielding two kunai to deflect as many senbon as they could. But inevitably, all were popped, and Naruto was launched back, the speedy, nearly invisible form of Haku swiping at him, sending him head over heels, all the way back to where he was before.
Naruto spat blood, feeling as the senbon lodged in him nudged and tugged inside his body. He groaned, raising himself up, panting hard. To his left, he saw movement, and saw Sasuke try his luck once again.
He watched, and had to admit that the fancy 'Uchiha flair' certainly was as helpful as it was flashy. The Uchiha danced around, avoiding the senbon as best he could. He was still hit, but as he approached, Naruto's eyes narrowed, 'He's, different, how is he moving like that?'
Naruto looked closer, spotting how Sasuke would leap just a little bit before Haku would throw her kunai. He reached the edge, only an arms reach from one of the mirrors.
A black blur phased from one of the mirrors, aimed straight for Sasuke, but he managed to turn at the last minute, turning what would almost be a savage kick or slash, into a block. There was a loud clang, and suddenly Sasuke was skidding backwards. He was sliding, then lost his footing. Sending him tumbling back the same way Naruto did the moment before.
Naruto walked over to Sasuke, and was about to speak when a hint of red caught his eye. The fox screamed in his head, and Naruto cried out in pain, holding his head.
"Filth! The Uchiha, ALL of them are nothing but refuse. Curse you Indra for spreading your cursed seed throughout the earth. The world would've been better off without—"
Naruto cut off the Fox in his mind, panting and sweating as he regained his senses.
"Naruto?"
He heard the voice, nearly turning to face his teammate, but deathly afraid of what he might see. His heat was beating out of his chest, the noise so loud he was certain that Sasuke could hear it.
"Naruto, get up!" Sasuke yelled, his voice was filled with a startling amount concern and urgency. He felt a tug on his arm, and just barely kept himself from lashing out, he gritted his teeth. Finally turning to face Sasuke.
As he thought, the Sharingan blazed in full force. He looked, expecting himself to freeze, for the mortal terror to grip him again. But it never came. He looked back in to his red, ringed eyes, detecting a few things that made his Sharingan look different than the other one he'd seen.
Sasuke was deadly serious as always, but there was a challenging eagerness to his gaze. An unwillingness to give up that reassured him. He stared ahead, his mouth open as he panted, letting his arms drop, steady droplets of blood dripping from a dozen puncture wounds.
After a few moments the real world came back into focus, "You're eyes..." He said softly.
Sasuke jerked as if he'd lunged for him, "My what?"
Naruto's excitement grew as he pointed at his teammate, "Your Sharingan! You have it!"
Sasuke's eyes widened, appearing almost like twin rubies in the grey haze of mist they were surrounded by. The corners of his mouth raised as he felt at his eyes, then it was gone. Replaced by a smirk of confidence and excitement that Naruto had never seen in SAsuke before. "I have a plan, can you still make those clones?"
Naruto nodded, and Sasuke's smirk widened, "Keep me covered, I think I might be able to catch her." Naruto nodded, his smile slowly matching Sasuke's, "Got it."
His hands went into the shadow clone seal, and he took a deep breath, announcing the technique as he focused his chakra. This time about a dozen clones appear, and as soon as Sasuke took off running, so did they.
Naruto ran with them, all of them doing their best to avoid Haku's ice senbon. They glittered against the dull grey of the mist, and Naruto's clones all perished, Naruto himself taking an extra few senbon for his trouble.
Meanwhile, Sasuke moved faster than ever, he weaved in between clones, jumping, dashing and dodging as if Haku were pointing to where she was aiming.
Within a few seconds, both Naruto and Sasuke were at the edge of the ice laden death-trap, when a blur came straight for him and Sasuke. Sasuke dodged, but Naruto wasn't so lucky, a strike from an unknown extremity hitting him so hard in the head he swore he saw stars.
He landed like a rag doll, grunting as hit the ground. He clamored to his feet, slipping and stumbling like a newborn puppy for a few seconds before he found his footing. In front of him, Sasuke dodged again, this time managing to score a slash on Haku's shoulder. She danced away, sprinting for the mirror that faced them both.
Naruto felt his heart quicken, excitement growing in his chest, 'Now!'
He launched into motion, sprinting as fast as he could as Haku melted back into the mirror, launching herself again. Sasuke ducked underneath her, as she careened straight for Naruto. He screamed as he threw his leg forwards, impacting with something solid. In midair, Naruto could see Haku bowed over his leg, her mask forced to look down, her arms and legs splayed to the side.
But as they fell, Haku's face snapped up, and her arms grabbed his leg, twisting in the air, and throwing him to the ground. He flipped once, and then everything went black.
The plan was nearly perfect, but he wasn't fast enough. Naruto actually managed to see what he was trying to do for once, taking advantage of his failed attack, and managing to land a hit. But before Sasuke could reach her, she's already thrown Naruto to the ground, hard.
He bounced once as he hit the ground, limp as a rag doll. A spasm of fear and concern stabbed through him, but he didn't dare take his eyes off his enemy.
The rouge ninja known as Haku felt at her stomach, then kicked Naruto's limp body over to him. He tumbled through the air, settling at his feet.
He risked a glance downwards just in time to see Naruto stir. He groaned, and turned on his side, coughing roughly and wetly. Sasuke nodded to Naruto, "Are you okay?" Naruto shuddered, shaking as he tried to rise. His arms shook violently as he rose to his knees. Sasuke extended a hand, and Naruto took it, rising to his feet.
Sasuke scowled at his enemy, who had yet to move, then he glanced at Naruto. His nose and mouth were both bleeding, with many metal, and ice senbon still lodged in his body from head to toe. A tear fell from Naruto's right eye, "Sorry." He said quietly.
Sasuke frowned, turning to face him fully, "What for?" Naruto panted, his face looking miserable and grim, any trace of levity or good humor gone from his face entirely. He felt his heart sink as he saw Naruto smile, with no happiness whatsoaever in the expression.
"I... I wasn't... I'm not, strong enough. Sorry 'bout that." He said, smirking at him, unshod tears shining in his eyes, before turning around to face their enemy. Sasuke had no words for what feeling overtook him just then, but he knew instantly that he hated it. Every time he looked at Naruto, his heart swelled with despair and respect for his teammate in equal measures. Mixing to create a foul concoction in his heart that burned with action. But his mind failed to come up with something to do to ease what he felt.
They were going to die here, every moment that passed assured him more and more of that fact.
He saw movement, and turned to see Haku turn towards the town, "I apologize for this, but it appears that my master has need of me." Haku drew another brace of senbon from out of nowhere. Sasuke prepared himself, feeling as chakra flared in his eyes, his Sharingan tracking what her next move would be.
His stomach dropped, followed by his jaw as he realized where she was standing, what directing her hips were facing.
Haku bowed her head, "I'm sorry, Naruto."
He watched her, tracing the way her arm flexed when she was about to strike. His eyes flew wide as she threw, and suddenly, he was moving.
Naruto knew the instant Haku spoke where she would aim next. But could summon no strength to do anything but watch.
Senbon were lodged so deep in his legs, they made movement agonizing. The swelling and blood loss making it nearly impossible to move, let alone get up and dodge.
He was at his limit.
He could hear the faint echoes of the fox raging against him. His voice reaching him despite the fact that he'd blocked him out.
He was no doubt raging at him for not moving, for not fighting. It wasn't as if he didn't want to, but he just couldn't. Images of his team, and of Tori came to mind as Haku's senbon approached, but then Sasuke was in the way.
Naruto screamed as he saw what was happening, his body moving somehow, trying to run, to stop what was happening, but it was too late. Sasuke was a porcupine of needles, nearly every inch holding at least one senbon. His face, neck, chest, everywhere. Sasuke coughed once, a glob of thick, dark blood spilling out of his mouth.
The Uchiha swayed, and Naruto lunged forwards, catching him roughly, the both of them falling to the floor. Everything hurt, his arms most of all, but he pulled his teammate up, bringing him up on his knee, looking hopelessly at the mess of wounds that covered him from head to toe.
Naruto's eyes frantically roamed his body, his hands raised and shaking. His teammate was dying, and there was nothing he could do. Naruto heaved in breath, exhaling it just as fast, the feeling of fear and despair tearing at his heart. He shook his head, wracking his brain for anything that could help him.
He came up with nothing, except a question.
Tears prickled his vision, falling past his cheeks, "Why?" He asked, more to the universe than anything else. He looked down, catching Sasuke's now black orbs. The Uchiha coughed, "I... I don't know. I just, moved."
Naruto shook his head, gripping at his chest and closing his eyes, "I didn't ask for you to save me. I get how it works. If you're weak you get taken advantage of. If you're not strong enough, those who are can take whatever they want, do whatever they want to you. You weren't supposed to save me!" He screamed, more and more warm tears dripping down his cheeks.
Naruto took a breath, opening his eyes, meeting with sasuke's as they lay there. There was silence for a moment, "You know, I used to hate you." He said his face as placid as could be, almost thoughtful.
He took a breath, wincing and wheezing as he did, "How you joked around and made a fool out of yourself. I though you were an insult to the people who wear the headband. But on this trip, your plan, us training... "
His eyes grew distant, his face softening, relaxing somewhat. He winced again, drawing another painful breath. Then his lips turned upwards as he met his eyes, intense as always, almost challenging, "I'm just strong enough to take what I want, and for some reason, I don't want you to die, or your dream. "
Naruto felt like he'd been punched in the gut, gasping as he stared into his eyes. Sasuke looking back with such heat and sincerity that it could almost be mistaken for praise. A bittersweet sense of pride filled Naruto, like a gauntlet thrown long ago had finally been picked up.
Sasuke reached over with his left hand, gripping his arm tightly. His head lowered, his eyes growing hazy and unfocused, "That man, my brother, Itachi. Naruto, he can't get away with it, its not right. It's... It's not, right." He said quietly, beseechingly.
The blonde grabbed his hand with his own, gritting his teeth as he stared into his eyes, "He won't, I promise. He won't get away with anything."
Sasuke's eyes focused for a moment, his face relaxing, unburdened by pain or burden, and smiled at Naruto, nodding to him once before Naruto felt Sasuke's grip relax, and his head thump softly against the floor.
Sasuke stepped forwards, looking him in the eye, "You're still alive Naruto. I don't know how, but you are. And that means something." Naruto's eyes widened and he looked away again, "I shouldn't be..."
"But you are!" Sasuke roared, startling Naruto into looking at him again. "You're still here, even though he tried to kill you. That means something you idiot."
Naruto ignored the insult, to preoccupied in deciphering the meaning of Sasuke's words. 'That means something? Like what?'
Sasuke frowned deeper, sighing in annoyance, loooking away again, "It means you have another chance. That you have a chance to get stronger, to make sure that you're never that helpless again!"
Never. What a human concept.
Naruto opened his eyes, dim orange light colored the large expanse, painting him, and the bars in front of him in a strange, orange, alien light.
Movement disturbed the ankle-deep water, but Naruto didn't move an inch. The fox approached the bars, leering at Naruto, his grin as cruel and taunting as it was terrifying.
Naruto's jaw quivered in anguish, tears continuing to fall past his whiskered cheeks.
I believe I warned you this would happen. The fox said, sounding disappointed. We. Are. Different. Why do you persist in this limited way of thinking, of DOING!?
Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it, hesitating to speak, "I didn't think it could happen like this."
A wave of air hit him at once as the Fox lunged, slamming it's face into the bars, one enormous eyes pinning him down, "Because you chose to think like a human! You thought you could do it THEIR way. Do it by THEIR rules. You though that if you only did it better, that you'd be exonerated from their wrath. You may look like a human, but they'll always look at you for what you really are. Not what you do."
The Fox relaxed, retreating from the bars, his point made.
Naruto clenched his fists so hard they cracked, "Never again." He said, moving for the first time since he got there, taking long, purposeful strides towards the gate.
The Fox grinned, giggling to himself, "Oh, how would you go about accomplishing that? He said gleefully, knowingly.
Naruto reached out a hand, his eyes dark and unwavering, "By changing the rules."
"You're no Bijuu. You're something different altogether. A Jinchurriki.
Naruto's eyes widened, looking out into space with a jubilant expression, "Really? What's that?"
The Fox smiled wide, "I will show you."
Naruto felt numb inside, but he could feel the fox's chakra already pooling in his gut. Naruto groaned, feeling the crack-like scars that branched out from his seal flare up. His eyes turned red and slitted, his fingernails growing quickly, turning into inch-long claws in only a few seconds.
He curled over Sasuke's limp body, his presence only making his transformation more accelerated. His groans turned to growls as his teeth lengthened, his scars darkened to black, emanating waves of pain.
"I'm sorry Naruto."
Naruto stopped, turning to Haku. She gasped, taking a step back.
He stood, turning to face her, smiling ruefully, "Guess I was wrong about you then, huh?" He said.
Haku was silent, angling her body against his, "Are you not wrong often?"
She asked hesitantly. Naruto smiled coldly, "I'm wrong all the time." He said, almost laughing. Then his smile faded, "Just hurts is all." He said, nearly whispering.
Haku straightened, "I'm so sorry Naruto, but I must-"
Naruto's head whipped towards her, his red, bestial eyes silencing her instantly, "Shut the fuck up. All that stuff you said, about precious people, and doing your best to protect them, it was all bullshit wasn't it. You're not really protecting anyone. You're just doing what he says blindly. Kill this, Kill that, you're worse than he is."
Haku stood still as a statue, only shaking her head slightly, "That may be, but he's my master. I owe him everything."
Naruto felt the power in him surge, he groaned, "And he was my teammate." He said coldly. "I owed him... better than this." Then he felt the pain peter out, replaced by sheer power filling him. The chakra warmed him, feeling all his anger, all his grief. The senbon in his flesh melted, the metal ones sliding out of his flesh. He grimaced, "Well, I hope it was all worth it, because I'm gonna kill you, then I'm gonna kill your asshole of a master."
Naruto felt the wind pick up just then, watching as senbon appeared in Haku's hands, "...I can't let you do that Naruto."
Naruto spread his arms, growling as he poured all his anger, all his rage, all his pain into his and the fox's chakra. Naruto sneered, "I'll give you as much of a choice as you gave Sasuke." Then his chakra exploded outwards, and Naruto was gone. Leaving only Haku, and the Jinchurriki.
Hey guys, me again
Chapters 1-17 have been edited to make some revisions, and add some life and much needed substance to this story. As such, they're worth a read through, both to catch up as I release more chapters, and to alert you on what is different about the story.
I can't say for sure when the next full chapter will be up, but I am sure that it won't be too long until then. Again, I'm glad that I'm back, and plan to make the most of the time that I have back home.
Stay safe,
KCMC66