Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden or anything aside from my OCs.
Kori stood beside her makeshift team, her eyes assessing her two one-time teammates. Tsunade had just given the order to bring an Akatsuki pair to justice. Whether it was capturing them or destroying them, something had to be done to prevent future destruction. The massacre of the Temple of Fire's powerful ninja-monks had raised the urgency and the danger level on this mission.
The Hyuga's eyes swiveled around the mass of shinobi around her. There were some she knew and some she didn't know. She caught the eye of Shikamaru from afar and the chunin's eyes seemed to be lazily warning her to be careful. She smiled back an encouraging smile and noticed Asuma waiting for Shikamaru's silent conversation to end.
From her standpoint, she considered Shikamaru extremely lucky. Not only did he get to work with Sarutobi Asuma (one of the Twelve Ninja Guardians of the Land of Fire and his long time mentor), his two remaining team members were Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo. Asahina-sensei had often boasted about the pair's deadly combination.
Kotetsu caught her wandering gaze mid-sweep and lifted his hand in a nonchalant greeting. The movement from his partner caught Izumo's attention and he greeted her in turn. They weren't particularly close but they weren't strangers and it was only right for her to bow to their team in response, silently wishing them luck. When she lifted her head she found Asuma chuckling to himself quietly, holding his hands up in a silent dismissal of her traditional ways. He needed no such respect. He was not that kind of man.
Asuma's team turned to go and she watched them leave, her eyes following Shikamaru's back. She was certain that Shikamaru was in good hands. Plus, he was the one who taught her to strategize when she was first promoted to chunin. He was well-placed into a team that could protect him while he used his brain.
"Ahem." A sharp cough caught her attention, "Are you done, Hyuga?"
Kori's eyes settled on her own team leader. She knew nothing of him other than the fact that he was Yui's superior in the Root and that he was still wearing a mask. If she couldn't see his eyes, he couldn't be trusted but he was the assigned leader of this team and she would obey.
"Sorry." She mumbled, assuring the stiffening Toshizo with a smile. She knew he was nervous to work with someone completely new, "We're stationed a few hundred meters away from Shikamaru's team, right?"
"Asuma's team." The leader corrected her irritably, "As Asuma is leading the team, you will refer to the team by it's proper leader. As for our team, I know nothing of your capabilities so you will follow by Kyrie's lead."
Kyrie, or Yui, seemed very used to the way this man spoke in a constantly irritated tone. In fact, she seemed to be only partially listening to her superior as if she disliked him with a passion. In truth, she couldn't stand the false emotion that her superior was putting into his voice. Touga, much like Sai, was said to know nothing of emotions or feelings and had practiced an authoritative voice just for this mission. The only reward to his hard work was that constantly angry tone of voice that only served to make him seem like an irritable and annoying person.
"You are a Hyuga and I expect that you will constantly be on the lookout for messages and signal flares from the other teams." Touga said, "But keep your eyes on everything else as well."
"Yes sir." She said submissively but she didn't waste her time. As he turned to talk to Toshizo and Yui, she observed every last detail of this man. The way his muscles rippled under his clothes and the way that he barely seemed to notice the weight of his blade across his back showed just how talented this man could possibly be.
Still she would have prefered Saizo Kai over this man. It made her wonder why Tsunade had left him out of this sortee.
As they began to move on the orders of their captain, Kori took one last look over her shoulder at their Hokage. Touga and Yui were the only two members of the ANBU Black Ops that were present in this massive group. Tsunade caught her eyes but she said nothing. What exactly was going on here?
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Asahina made her way out to the training ground where she expected Kakashi to have taken Naruto. Her guess was spot on but considering the fact that she knew exactly what kind of training the two were doing it might not have been just a random guess. She smiled, approaching them with her presence concealed. She was not as agile or as light-footed as she used to be due to her pregnancy but she was satisfied with the way Yamato jumped and spun on her with his fists raised when she was only a few meters away.
"Asahina." Kakashi called without even looking back, "I expected as much."
"How boring. You could have at least pretended to be scared." She laughed quietly as he turned his visible eye on her and raised his hands in faux-surprise, "You'd make a terrible actor."
"I don't have any intentions to quit my day job so that's alright." He chuckled before turning his attention back to the overflowing waterfall in front of him, "Naruto is improving. You might want to be here when he cuts that waterfall in two."
"Oh? Is he already at that level?" She mused, her eyes scanning the crowd of shadow clones out on the wooden bridge stretching across the length of the waterfall, "I don't suppose you'd like to teach me the Raikiri while you wait?"
"Nice try but no." Kakashi grinned at her beneath his mask, "You know I don't teach that skill to anyone."
Except for Sasuke. She retorted mentally but she knew that it would be pouring salt onto old wounds if she actually said those words. "Ahh. I don't think I could pull it off anyways. I can't seem to manipulate shape like you do."
Their conversation fell dead as, with a mighty shout, Naruto cut the flow of the waterfall with his entire line of clones. It was an impressive sight. Deafening cheers went up from the line of Naruto clones and they celebrated their success with weird dances and annoyingly loud cheers. Asahina turned her head just the slightest, watching her lover take one powerful leap towards his student just in time to catch the exhausted blond against his back.
Kakashi would make a perfect father. As she turned to go, she couldn't help but almost bitterly wonder: What isn't he good at?
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Kori's eyes settled on the nearby messenger bird, speeding towards her group. That was the signal for help. From the rear of her group, she announced the approach of the help signal, "On the right, a hundred and twenty meters, there's a bird. That's a message from Team Asuma's Izumo-san!"
"The signal for help?" Touga mused, "We're changing directions. Move towards them slowly. Hyuga, assess their situation from here."
"We're out of range." Toshizo murmured meekly, "Kori-san's range of vision doesn't extend that far."
"Silence." Their leader hissed, "My orders are absolute."
"Even if they're absolute, we can't do anyth-!" Toshizo was cut off by a steady hand to his shoulder from his friend.
"Thanks but I can extend my range if I focus on one direction in particular." The Hyuga grinned reassuringly at her friend that turned a bewildered look onto her from over his shoulder.
He knew that it was not a trick she used often because she couldn't use it often. It drained stamina fast and it was a danger to her safety as well. The more she narrowed her vision the bigger her blind spot became. It was uncomfortable for the all-seeing Hyuga. He knew her biggest fear was being blind or blind-side by her enemy in her only weak point.
"They've engaged the enemy." She announced, "They've just started but it appears that the damage is heavy. It would be wise to speed up."
"Incorrect." Touga said firmly, "If we approach them now we'll be forced to go to their aid."
"Isn't that the point?!" Toshizo was stunned that this man would dare to say helping comrades was a bad thing.
"Our mission was to detain and/or destroy the enemy. We would have a better chance if we used Team Asuma as a sacrifice to fully scan out the abilities of our enemy so that we have the advantage when we engage them in battle later on."
"But that means that Asuma-san's team is going to be completely eliminated!"
"I'm sure they would have done the same thing if we had arrived first."
"Shikamaru-san is on that team!" He continued to protest and it only surprised Touga, "We can't let that happen."
"You are a shinobi. You will not let your emotions and pointless friendships get the better of you." The ANBU operative spoke strictly and harshly, "I'm the leader of this team and my judgement is to be followed. I have been deemed the most fit to lead this team, understand?"
"Touga." Yui spoke for the first time since their team had begun to move, "I have a suggestion. Why don't we let Hyuga Kori lead the team into battle? She knows most of our capabilities and most of that team's capabilities as well. Perhaps it would raise our chances at winning if we were to become one team and defeat the enemy."
"Silence. We will not be entering battle until we have ascertained all of their abilities and know for sure that we can attain victory."
"Kori. What do you think?" Kyrie had blatantly ignored him, thoroughly surprising him with a show of emotion that he had never seen from her before, "You have been watching? Do you think we have a chance?"
"Shikamaru is there. Of course we have a chance." Kori had learned all of her strategies from Shikamaru and then adapted them to benefit and match her team's own skillset. She was certain that Shikamaru would create a victory for them if her team would just go to his aid!
"Your orders have been given." Touga said firmly, "This team will also be at risk if we charge in without thinking properly."
Completely ignoring him, Yui urgently said, "Then let's go. The three of us will be more than enough."
"Kori-san?" Toshi pressured his partner eagerly.
"Touga-san is right about one thing." The Hyuga's eyes were focused on the battle miles away, "If we go in blindly, we'll be eliminated but we don't have time. They're going down one by one."
"The three of you will all be reported for defying orders. Disobeying orders makes you nothing but trash in our world." Touga warned, "Do not rush in as you please."
Each ninja was frozen in place by the threat, their minds changed almost immediately at the thought of punishment. Kori turned her eyes onto the man in a thick glare, "We shouldn't waste their lives. Human lives are important."
"They are tools." Touga growled, "Tools have no lives outside their purpose."
"But-!" Toshizo began to protest but he was silenced.
"If I was to see it your way and say that human lives are to be valued, you should value your lives as well." Their designated leader said definitively, "If I were to give permission and if I were to allow you to lead this group into battle, can you guarantee us our lives, Hyuga?"
Kori froze, all the burden and all the pressure on her shoulders. This was not about Shikamaru, this was her decision and this was her choice.
"That's right." Touga continued, taking advantage of her hesitation, "You are not a god, you are not a prophet, you cannot see the future and you cannot guarantee that no one will lose their life in battle. If our lives are truly important and you cannot guarantee that we'll come out unharmed, you should not make such suggestion."
The mood was just beginning to grow thick and heavy but a deep and angry voice cut the atmosphere away with just one curt phrase, "Fuck off, asshole!"
The three younger members of this makeshift team knew that voice like their own. He was the fiery voice of passion in their team.
"Saizo?!" Kori gaped at the familiar blond as he smirked down at her from the trees.
"Kai?" Yui's blinked at him in surprise.
Toshizo's mouth was agape for only one moment before his expression turned into a stern scowl, "You're not supposed to be here, Kai-san!"
"Kori! What's your choice?!" The blond demanded without regards for his male comrade's comment.
She burst out laughing in a mixture of relief and joy, "Let's move out!"
"All four of you will be reported." Touga warned but no one was listening any longer.
With renewed passion, Team Asahina approached the battle engaged team leaving Touga stunned and unable to do much more than follow along with their will.
"Clue me in." Kai demanded, his voice serious as they grew closer and closer to their destination.
"We've been signalled for help. Team Asuma is currently engaged in a fight with the Akatsuki and we're to aid them." Yui informed him, "Kori has been keeping a good eye on them so the battle plan is left to her. Team Asuma consists of Asuma, Shikamaru, Kotetsu, and Izumo. And the members of the Akatsuki are unknown."
"There are two members of the-!" Suddenly, their group's new leader stopped, putting up her arm as a warning and signal for the others to halt, "My blind spot… They've been travelling in my widened blind spot!"
The members of the team spun one-eighty to meet their approaching enemies.
"They're close! A hundred and ten meters! They're closing in fast!" Kori motioned for her teammates to cluster together, "There's too many of them."
"We can take them!" Was Kai's encouraging shout, "Let's wrap this up and help Team Asuma!"
"There's nine of them." The Hyuga's voice was a deft warning but her tone sang volumes of the confidence bubbling under the surface, "They outnumber us but…."
The blond noticed the hesitant stare that she had fixed onto him in the last moments before their opponent would be on them, "You can count on me."
"We'll have to assess their strengths and weaknesses first." She said as the nine masked and cloaked opponents whirled into their range, "Saizo will go first and I'll give support."
"Shouldn't I give support so you can focus on watching them?" Toshizo offered, "I can handle it."
"I want you to put the last blow on one of them if you get the chance." She ordered.
"It's futile." A small feminine voice cut in. One of the masked members stepped forward. She was the only female, "But don't worry. It's not your fate to die here either. Today, we will only prevent you from fighting against Hidan and Kakuzu."
"Saizo! Aim for her!" The Hyuga demanded, a handful of shuriken had already been flung at the enemy, "Yui! If you ever see a chance, get out of here and go help Shikamaru!"
"Impatient ones." She murmured and stepped back into the jumble of her masked fighters, "Tai, mark her. Don't let her escape."
Silently, the first fighter moved to attack Yui. Kai was fast on him, a bolt of lightning shooting across the length of the forest to prevent him from going near the Root member, "Raiton: Bakurai (Lighting Style: Depth Charge)"
"Shuu. Your mark is that one." Was the command of the enemy leader, "Ken, I want the Hyuga cut down."
Shuu, at the sound of his master's voice, let loose a flurry of kunai.
"Tch." Kai flipped out of the way and retaliated immediately with his own set of kunai.
Kori blinked in surprise as Touga stood in front of her, catching the blade of the masked man that had been ordered to cut her down with his own blade fully drawn, "Touga-san…"
"I made a miscalculation." He said, "With the addition of these nine members, we will all enter full combat."
"Stop Yui at once." The cloaked woman gave her orders once more.
Tai whirled into action and Kai moved to stop him but was stopped dead in his tracks by Shuu. Ken was immediately trying to cut through Touga to get to Kori.
"Yose, remove Kirishima Touga at once." The woman demanded, "Iryo, focus on Tsukara."
Kori's eyes narrowed, "She knows our names."
"What would you have us do?" Touga muttered, leaping aside as a summoned animal came snarling in his direction, "Do I protect you?"
"Eh?"
"They have deemed you the best to lead. If you are fit to lead, prove it now. I was reluctant to enter combat with you guys because I have no comprehension of your skills but you seem to have some sort of experience with them and the situation has changed." Touga fended off his animal attacker in time to catch another slash from Ken, "What are your orders?"
"I can handle myself." She said, "Focus on protecting Toshizo."
"Understood."
"Yui! Forget it!" She called, "We'll defeat them first!"
At her command, Yui turned to engage her enemy full force, "Tetsuton: Ken no Mai (Iron Style: Sword's Dance)"
Dozens of old fashioned iron blades appeared around her and at the flick of her wrist, they began to rain down around her pursuer, Tai. With skillful moves, Tai dodged each blade as it came, getting further and further away from his target with each blade he dodged.
Yui was relentless, activating another technique at the cusp of her first, "Tetsuton: Haridan Senjou (Iron Style: Needle Ball Battlefield)"
A mountain of heavily spiked balls came pouring down onto her opponent with the intention to either crush him flat or thoroughly impale him in their sharp points.
Tai closed in on his enemy, weaving through the pouring weapons.
Kori watched it all. Her Byakugan giving her full vision of the battlefield despite being locked in combat with Ken. Her opponent's blade swooped by her nose as she pulled away from him.
"Saizo!" She called impatiently.
The blond shouted in frustration, his hands coming up empty when he reached for more shuriken. He had never been one to carry many because he never used a lot of them but his opponent, Shuu, seemed to have an endless amount of them, "Kori, I need you to-!"
He threw his arms up in defense as another round of weaponry came shooting his way but she had understood his meaning. In fact, the Hyuga had been thinking that from the start. A change was in order. Kori stopped Shuu's onslaught of weapons with her own, whirling out of Ken's range with sonic speed.
"Saizo, keep mine busy!" She demanded, "Yui! I need you to switch with me!"
"Fate has spoken." The enemy leader mused, "Hidan and Kakuzu are being called back. Let's return."
As quickly as they had come, they were gone. It had been a strange turn of events leaving the members of Team Asahina aching for further combat.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
"Tsunade-hime." Danzo drawled, "Saizo Kai is nowhere to be found. As expected, it was wrong to send Team Asahina on this mission. They're probably rendezvousing with foreign shinobi as we speak."
"That's not possible. Saizo Kai, on your request, has been given the day off. What he does is his business." The Hokage said coolly, waving the old man off, "His personality dictates his course of actions and knowing him, that workaholic, he's probably out hunting with his team because he couldn't stand being the only one not chosen to go."
"You are naive. That team is dangerous. I would keep a closer eye on them if I were you."
"And that's why you sent Kirishima Touga is it not?" She chuckled, "I trust them. They're reliable kids."
"Children or not, they are dangerous."
"They're have all inherited the Will of Fire and they will protect this land." She said sternly, "There is no reason to suspect them."
Danzo was certain that Team Asahina was a danger to the village and if Tsunade refused to recognize that, he would take matters into his own hands.