Chapter 15
Hinata took Sasuke to a hollow space beneath a tree, where she hid Naruto. She laid him next to Naruto and checked their conditions to the best of her ability.
Naruto seems to be alright, just some scratches and bruises she she turns to Sasuke, laying a hand on his forehead "He has a high fever"
Hinata removes his headband and laid it next to her on the ground. She pulls out a small white rag and a canteen full of water from her weapon pouch, wetting the rag, and lays it on his forehead. She jumped a little when she saw him twitch at the cold feeling but relaxed when he didn't wake up.
Well that takes care of them externally but... Her mind went back to the battle, from what she saw this Orochimaru person had done something to them each internally. From her spot next to Sasuke, she crawls over to Naruto and looks at his abdomen. His fingers showed a surge of chakra before stabbing Naruto, what kind of jutsu was it?
She bowed her head, blushing a little "Please excuse m-me, Naruto". She lifts up her former crush's jacket, revealing his abdomen. Hinata saw no markings, no injuries, absolutely nothing was wrong with the outer part. "If not outer, then..." She forms hand signs "Byakugan!" With her eyes, she scans Naruto internal and found something odd "His chakra...it seems a bit unstable" Other than that and using most of his chakra, she found nothing else wrong within. Still the imbalance of his chakra...is that what that jutsu does? She hopes it was something that could be taken of soon.
Pulling Naruto's jacket back over his stomach, she crawled back to her spot next to Sasuke and looked closely at the bite. There were two puncture wounds from the fangs, it seemed that the bleeding had stopped and they were healing nicely. What surprised her was the mark on his neck, it looked like three upside down commas. She carefully stroke the mark but all she felt was skin. She gasps as Sasuke grunts in pain again and removed her hand from the mark.
Hinata took hold of his hand and watched as he gripped her hand back in his sleep. The grip wasn't as bad as before but it still showed her he was in pain. Using the byakugan again, she scanned the area in his neck and show a small form of chakra different from his own. This scared her a bit, she didn't know what it was or how to get rid of it, all she could do now is hope for the best for him. Nighttime had fallen and the moon was high in the sky, she knew she needed to keep watch but also knew she wouldn't be at her best if she was exhausted. So she laid down next to Sasuke and closed her eyes to get some rest, not once letting go of his hand.
Next morning came, Hinata remained in her spot waiting for both of her teammates to recover. She replaces the dry rag on Sasuke's head with a wet one and gently pats it down. Looking down at him, she couldn't help tearing up, he was in this state because of her because she wasn't strong enough. After that battle, most of the confidence she had died. "W-Why Sasuke?" She asked "Why did this happen to you?" She started to sob "Y-You...don't deserve this."
She strokes his hair gently and takes his hand in hers "I-I'm not as strong as you...nor am I as confident...but still you helped me get to this point. Naruto is someone I admire, he inspires me but Sasuke, y-you encourage me and help me through and I'm so grateful to you both..." She stops stroking his hair "I may not be as strong as you two..." The hand she stroked his hair with went down to his cheek "But I'll do my best to protect you both"
She gasped softly as she felt his hand grip hers a bit "H-Hinata..."
She looks down at him and see he's still unconscious. Was he dreaming about her? Lightly gripping his hand back, she gaze down at him with rosy cheeks, a small smile and determine look in her teary eyes Yes...I will protect what's dear to me.
Late morning was here and still no sign of Sasuke or Naruto waking up. Hinata sat there, waiting. She quickly pulls out her kunai when she heard moving in the bushes. She turned to the bushes, when she saw it was a squirrel running towards her, she relaxed a little but then stiffen a little when she saw a paper on it's back. When the squirrel was close enough, she quickly ripped off the bomb, wrapped it around her kunai and threw it as far away from the area as she could and watched it exploded.
Hiding above in the trees around the area, the sound ninja watched her. The spiky haired ninja spoke "I thought for sure that would work, can't believe she saw the paper bomb we put on the squirrel." He turns to his team leader, Dosu "So what now?"
"We go and get a closer look, so let's get going" he said chuckling
Hinata pets the squirrel and sends it on it's way. She pulls out another kunai and looks at the large boulder across from her "Come out, I know someone's there!"
"Well, well, well aren't you an excellent look out" Dosu said before he and his teammates revealed themselves
Looking at them, Hinata felt frightened at the thought of facing them alone. She knew this wasn't going to be easy and they looked like the type that doesn't play fair. But she couldn't help but think "It was you guys..."
"Hmm?" Dosu cocked his head looking at her
"That day when my team and I faced the sand ninja, I felt another presence in the trees, it was you guys, wasn't it?"
This girl is sharp, I'll give her that. We should have kept an eye on her as well...Dosu thought before chuckling "I must say I'm impressed, you certainly have sharp eyes. I can't deny that after you caught the paper bomb we placed on that squirrel. But enough about that, about your job as look out, there's no point now that we found you. Now wake Sasuke up, we want to fight him"
I won't let you near him... She glared at them as she looked at their headbands "I know you three work for Orochimaru but what's in it for you guys?"
The sound ninja looked at her shocked as she continued to speak "What has he done to Sasuke? That mark on his neck, what is it meant to do? You can see the condition he's in and yet you wish to fight him?!"
"What in the world could he be thinking?!" Dosu asked himself
The spiky haired sound ninja clicked his tongue "I can't stay quiet after hearing you talk to us like that. First I'm gonna kill this girl and then I'm gonna kill Sasuke"
"Wait Zaku" Dosu said as he took a few steps forward and knelt to the down, picking up the layer of grass Hinata put to hide the trigger to her trap "It's so obvious, this is the color of dirt that's recently been dug up however the grass you placed here does grow around here. I must say you did a decent job, if I hadn't notice the dirt's color, we would have fallen into your trap"
Sweat beats down Hinata's neck at his discovery
"Now we kill her" he said then all three sound ninja went after her
As they were in the air, Hinata triggered another trap
"A log?!" Zaku yelled in shock as he saw a huge log heading towards him and his team
"You also laid a trap above?! Watch out!" Dosu said. Then he placed one hand on the log and form a hand sign with the other "Nice try, little girl" he said destroying the log
Hinata gasped in shock at this
"You need to try and put a bit more effort into this" Dosu said as they got close
Hinata stood up and went into her fighting stance, bracing herself for their assault.
"Leaf Hurricane!"
Then a blur of green came and knock the sound ninja away, then landed in front of her
Is that...
"Looks like you also need to put a bit more effort" The green figure said
"Who are you?" Dosu asked the figure after regaining his composure
"I am the handsome devil of the leaf village and my name is Rock Lee" Lee stated
Hinata took a moment to recover from her shock "Lee, what are you doing here? And if you're here then does that mean..."
He shook his head "No, neither Neji nor Tenten are with me. We split up to find a team with the scroll we need. While I was searching, I heard an explosion and went in it's direction and I saw you were in trouble"
So that's how he found me, I forget that the bomb would give away my location. In any case it's a good thing. But still... "Lee, during this test you and I are enemies and-
"Hinata.."
She looks at him.
"I don't know the entire story between you and Neji, whenever you are near he tells Tenten and I not to waste our time with you..."
Her sadden expression faced the ground at the fact that her cousin telling his team not to come around her.
"However even though he is the leader of the team, we alway go against him when he's like that and we alway will because you are our friend, Hinata and you alway will be" Lee said as he looks down at her and gave her a thumbs up
She looks at him as tears of happiness filled her eyes "Lee..."
"And I vow to protect my friends with my life!"
Words couldn't express how relieved Hinata was. Ever since she became friend with Lee and Tenten, she was alway worried that Neji would say or do something to make them break off their friendship. She knew they were not like that but her cousin was considered a genius, so she worries he would find a way. Now here Lee is, wanting to help her despite the fact they are enemies at the moment, He truly is a great friend..."Thank you, Lee. I'm very grateful"
"You are welcome, Hinata. What are friends for!"
"It looks like I have no choice..." Dosu sighed as he took out his team's earth scroll and tossed it to Zaku, who caught it "Zaku...I'll let you have Sasuke, I'll take care of these two"
Lee glances at Hinata as she pulls another knife out and notices the cuts and scratches on her. What has she been through? She is not in the condition to fight.
Dosu lifts up his left arm and pulls up the sleeve of his jacket, revealing a strange device connected to his arm "The guy with the bushy eyebrows is pretty good at taijutsu, looks like I get to have some fun!"
Hinata sees him coming and quickly throws her kunai but Dosu dodges it and jumps into the air ready to strike. However before he could get close, Lee reaches into the ground and pulls out one of the roots of the large trees, blocking the attack "I am positive that there is some kind of trick to your attack, therefore I will not waste my time trying to dodge it. After all I have seen your jutsu before" Of course, having said that, my odds still are not good since it is 3 against 1, I have to take a chance! One at a time, I will attack each of them with all my might!
Lee starts undoing the bandages around his arms, as he does he recalls what his teacher, Guy sensei, said about the lotus technique. The technique was forbidden due to the fact that it puts a massive strain on the muscles of the body because it goes beyond human capability. However there was one condition where he could use it. Guy sensei, I have to use the Lotus now, the condition has been met. I must use the jutsu...
He forms a hand sign and glared at Dosu, who came charging "...To protect the life of someone precious!"
"He disappeared?!" Dosu said when Lee wasn't in front of him anymore. But then he was knocked into the air and behind him was Lee. He wrapped Dosu in his bandages, held him in a tight grip and began spinning him in midair.
"Oh no, Dosu! With his arms and legs bind, he won't able able to break his fall!" Zaku said forming hand signs
Hinata looked from Lee to Zaku and gasps He's going to try and stop him! She pulled out another kunai and some shuriken and threw them at him.
Zaku, unfortunately, saw them and dodged "Why you little-"
"Primary Lotus!" Lee yelled as he hurled Dosu head first to the ground
Sadly, it was an effort wasted
"What is this feeling?" Lee asked
As the dust cleared, he and Hinata saw that Dosu had landed in a softened pile of dirt due to Zaku's jutus "Ha! Got you just in time. That impact could have been much for you!"
"No! This cannot be!" Lee said shocked as he saw Dosu pulling his head out of the soften pile.
"That is a frightening jutsu, it nearly took me out even though I landed on this soft dirt" Dosu said shaking some dirt off himself
"Lee, I'm sorry. I tried to stop him from saving his teammate but..." Hinata apology was cut
"No, do not apologize Hinata...It is not your fault...this was to be expected...when dealing with a full team" Lee said panting
"Now it's my turn.." Dosu said revealing the device on his arm again
Oh no, my body still has not recovered from that jutsu... Lee thought as he continues to pant
Dosu charges again and takes a swing at Lee but he stepped back dodging it. But something wasn't right...
"AAAAHH!" Lee screamed
"Lee, what's wrong?!" Hinata yelled concern
Lee's vision was swaying and when he heard Dosu speaking, it was like he was underwater "Your jutsu is indeed fast but ours is even faster because it travels at the speed of sound" Dosu said as he watched Lee collapse onto his knees "Effort by itself does nothing, now watch we're going to show you something called the wall"
Lee then launched forward and threw up
"Lee!" Hinata shouted looking at him with concern and despair What just happened? I don't understand, Lee dodged the attack and yet...
Lee's eyes widen as he felt his ear bleeding and held his hands to it, M-My ear...
"Oh, I forget to mention this little gadget I wear" Dosu spoke holding the device up for them to see "You might be able to dodge my blows but you can't get away from it"
So it's because of that thing on his arm that Lee is like this...Hinata thought looking at the device
Dosu starts chuckling "I don't need to strike you with my fists, I can hit you with the power of sound."
"S-Sound?" Lee panted
"What's makes it possible for the ear to hear things? What is sound really?" Dosu asked
What is sound? Hinata started thinking about the things that can be heard and only one thing came to her head "Vibrations..."
"Give the little lady a prize! Yes, the vibration of molecules in the air creates a sound wave. These vibrations are collected by the ear, then directed to the outer ear canal to your eardrum. The rest as they say is anatomy, what interest me are the organs of your inner ear, the ones that control your sense of balance, your ability to move" Dosu explained
Hinata gasped in horror His jutsu damages not just one's hearing but their balance as well a-and Lee relays on his balances for his taijutsu!
Lee's eyes widen at this realization as well
"Feeling a little dizzy, nauseous?" Dosu asked him "That's right, best if you don't even try to stand up for a well"
Then Zaku began to speak "You see buddy, that old fashion taijutsu stuff won't work against us..."
Lee just glared at him
"Not that you're not pretty good at it, it's just that what's the point? Compare to our jutsu, that's stuff totally yesterday's news" Zaku removed his hands from the ground, revealing two holes, one in each hand "You see, I can manipulate ultrasonic waves and air pressure. I can do things you never even dreamed of. I can obliterate boulders or make the ground itself as soft as a feather cushion. Face it, little man you're up against the jutsu of the future"
Hinata's eyes widen in shock of the holes That's how he... She looks at the pile of soft dirt But for that to be possible, his body must have undergone something...Just what did this guy do to himself? She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard someone charging at her
"Now then little girl, it's your turn!" Dosu said
Hinata's eyes turned to a determined glare as she got into her fighting stance
"No!" Lee said coming to her rescue
"What?!" Dosu said
"Lee!" Hinata called out shocked
"Leaf Hurricane!" Lee tried swinging his leg but winced as his body still hasn't recovered from his previous jutsu
Dosu placed his hand on Lee's leg and leaped over it "Not quite as effective as it was before, is it?" He said as he was now going to strike at Lee "Still it's impressive that you can move at all, we'll have to do something about that!"
Lee sees him about to strike him with the arm with the device and uses his forearms to stop the blow. However it didn't stop the sound vibrations from escaping the device.
"Do you hear that? This device amplifies the vibrations of the impact transforming them into a wave of sound. A sound wave I can channel with my chakra focusing all its energy on any target I desire" Dosu then channeled the sound into Lee's right ear
"No! Stop it!" Hinata cried
But Dosu ignored her and continued
No, he was just trying to help me...
"You are our friend, Hinata and you alway will be" Lee said as he looks down at her and gave her a thumbs up
As Lee collapses to the ground, Dosu lifted his arm up to strike again "Alright, little man time to end it!"
"NO!"
"And I vow to protect my friends with my life!"
Hinata moves quickly, striking Dosu's chin with her palm
"Urg! Wha-"
He was cut off when Hinata strikes him again with a strong kick to the abdomen causing him to fly a few feet away from Lee and her
Zaku watched Dosu landed near his feet and whistled "And here I thought she wasn't going to be any fun"
Dosu got on his knees and coughed "S-Shut up, Zaku..." He continued to cough, looking at her "I almost forgotten about you, m-must say you're tougher than you look"
In the bushes near the area, Ino, Shikamaru and Choji hid watching the battle.
"These guys are scary, I vote for getting out of here" Choji said scared
"Sasuke and Naruto are out of it and Lee's not looking too good either. It's just Hinata all alone against the three of those guys" Shikamaru said
"Y-Yeah, you're right..." Ino said as she watched Hinata
"Well, what do you want to do, Ino?"
"Why ask me?"
"Well if we don't do something soon, she's toast! Are you cool with that? In all honestly, I find this to be a drag but Hinata is the nicest and quietest one of the rookies and I don't think it's right leaving her to fight these guys alone."
She glared at him "Don't you think I know that?! But what am I supposed to do? You want me to go out there and get myself killed?!" I mean that's all that would happen. I'd just be in the same fit she is, what good would that do anybody?
She looked back at Hinata I know she's nice and all but still after what I saw...
(Flashback)
Ino and Sakura stood there shocked as they watched Hinata walk away from them. They still couldn't believe she raised her voice, she never did before.
Sakura quickly got out of her state of shock "I knew something was going on between them!"
"What proof do you have, Sakura?! All that happened was we got yelled at!" Ino said confused
"Exactly! She got so upset when we asked her to break her bond with Sasuke that she yelled at us! She never yells or shouts or even raises her voice! That's proof right there!"
Ino shook her head, annoyed "What this proves is that she got mad because we came here, harassed her and demanded her to stop being friends with Sasuke. When we don't even know if they're anything more than friends! I should have never listened to you, Billboard Brow! I'm out of here!"
Ino stomped away before Sakura could give her a response. She went in the same direction Hinata went, hoping to apologize before the second part of the exam starts. She spots Hinata walking towards the consent form stands and was about to call to her but stops when she saw what happened next. Sasuke was smiling at her, really smiling at her while he patted her hair. It wasn't like when you're patting a dog but like when you're comforting the one precious to you.
"Well is that enough proof for you?"
Ino glanced besides her to find Sakura standing next to her, glaring at Hinata "I told you something was going on between them"
Ino didn't say anything, she just stood there watching her crush and Hinata walk farther away.
(Flashback ends)
I don't know how I feel about her now...
"Haaah!" Hinata threw shuriken straight at Dosu but Zaku stepped in front of him and blew them away with a powerful wind gust from his hands
Hinata used her arms to block the wind and shuriken coming at her. Using my ninja weapons would probably be useless, from this distance he'll just send them right back at me...
Hinata was pulled out of her thoughts when she found her arm twisted behind her back and in a headlock by the female member of the sound ninja's team, Kin "You may have some tricks up your sleeve but you can't hope to take down the three of us on you own" She said smirking at her, then looks at Zaku "Hey Zaku, I know what would be fun, let's make this girl watch as you finish off that Sasuke guy?"
"Why not, sounds like fun to me" Zaku said
Stay away from him... Hinata tried to move but it only made Kin tighten her grip around her neck "Don't even think about it, just sit back and watch" Kin said
Shikamaru and Ino gasps as they saw Zaku walking towards Sasuke
"Things are about to get ugly real quickly" Shikamaru stated
W-What do I do? Ino thought
Hinata watched as Zaku started approaching Sasuke. No... Tears began to run down her face No, this can't happen, h-he doesn't deserve this. Her teary eyes looked at Sasuke then at Naruto and Lee. None of them deserved this. Why? This is the moment when they need me and look at me, I'm useless... She bowed her head in despair and sorrow
Hinata, you have determination and a strong spirit, I know you'll become strong
Her eyes widen at that memory, it was when she and Sasuke walked home together for the first time. It's when everything began...when I started to believe in my abilities...when I started to have some confidences.
She looked back at Sasuke and Naruto and memories of them protecting her starts flooding her mind; of the time when the demon brothers attacked, during their first fight with Zabuza, and their time during this exam. She glances at Lee and the events of what just happened also replay in her mind
You all protected me despite what we were facing.
Kin felt Hinata's free arm grip the arm wrapped around her neck "It's useless to try and escape so you might well give up trying"
You taught me a lesson: that no matter what obstacle stands in my way...I must fight!
Hinata turns her head to best she could to give Kin a side glare "I..refuse to...let you...TOUCH HIM!"
Kin eyes widen as she saw the veins pulsing around Hinata's eyes "W-What the-"
Using her free hand, Hinata attacked the pressure and chakra points in Kin's arm, causing it to go completely limp
"Aaaaahhhh!" Kin screamed, letting go of Hinata to hold her numb arm "Y-You..."
Zaku looked at Kin shocked and confused at what just happened "Kin, what are doing?! Finish her off!"
"M-My arm...I can't move my arm!"
From Zaku was standing he couldn't see her eyes, but Dosu could and they shocked him. H-Her eyes, I-it's like they can see through everything
Hinata charges towards Zaku, using chakra at her feet to boost her speed, while making hand signs.
"Hah, you want to die that quick? Well I'm happy to grant your wish!" Zaku sends a gust of air at her but instead of Hinata, it was a log.
Substitution jutsu, huh? So where are you? He looked around for her and then she appears behind him, about to strike. He turns and holds up his arm to block her blow
"Don't let her touch you!" Kin yelled
Zaku heard Kin and quickly turns sideways, causing her to miss and tumble forward. This gave him to perfect moment to strike. He first delivers a powerful punch to her stomach, knocking the wind right out of her. Hinata did her best to compose herself and tried use her gentle fist on his shoulder. He dodged it, then delivered another punch to her face making her tumble backwards. Before she had a chance to recover from the blow, he fired a strong gust of air pressure causing her to slam against the tree where Sasuke and Naruto laid.
Hinata collapsed on the ground, pain flared up on certain parts body. Her jaw and stomach hurt dues to Zaku's punches. Due to that gust, the entire back of her body screamed in pain and her vision became a bit blurry from the pain. However despite all that, she is still determine to continue as she struggles to get up. I-I'm not done yet...
Zaku clicked his tongue again in annoyance "You just don't know when to give up, do you?" He sets his palms in her direction, ready to finish her off
Hinata got on her knees and coughed violently, blood trailing down her chin She panted heavily looking at him. No, I'm won't give up...
Suddenly, Ino and the rest of her team came in and shielded Hinata. She looks at them, mainly Ino, in shock "I-Ino..."
"Hey Hinata, looks like you need a hand"
"B-But why?..."
"Well I'm not just going to sit back and watch them kill my Sasuke. I want him to see how great of a ninja I am!"
Hinata couldn't help but be a tad annoyed at mention of Sasuke being spoken about as if he's property. But she couldn't help but feel that it wasn't the main reason they came to her rescue.
Dosu became annoyed with all the interruptions and glared menacingly at Ino and the other "These leaf village worms will be sorry they squirm their way into things that doesn't concern them!"
Choji was on his hands and knees because he was the only one not willing to come out and fight. So Shikamaru had to drag him along by his scarf. He whimpers in terror at Dosu's words and turned to his teammates with his eyes widen with fear and disbelief "Are you two crazy?! What're we doing here?! These guys are bad news!"
"Don't look at me! It was Ino's idea!" Shikamaru argued "But what are we supposed to do? Just sit back and let a girl do all the fighting!"
Ino giggles nervously "Sorry for dragging you both into this but we are a three man squad, right? All for one and one for all"
Shikamaru smiles "Yeah, what's meant to happen will"
"This ain't teamwork! I call this suicide!" Choji starts moving frantically, trying to escape but Shikamaru held on tight "Let me out of here! Please, let me go!"
"Stop wiggling! You're getting on my nerves!"
Zaku started laughing at Choji's actions "Better a live sheep than a dead lion, right fatso?"
Choji stopped struggling "Did I just hear that right? What did that guy just say?"
"Huh?" Zaku said confused about Choji's sudden change in behavior
Uh-oh he just pushed Choji's button big time... Shikamaru thought looking at said teammate
"You want try saying that again?" He asked
"I said you're smart to get out while you still can, fatty!"
There was a moment of silence
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING FAT?! I'M JUST A LITTLE CHUBBY, OK?!" Then he shouts at the sky "CHUBBIES FOREVER!"
Hinata sweatdropped at the display of anger
He turns to his teammates, angrily pointing his finger at them "That does it! Now this is personal! It's a fight to the death between leaf and sound!"
Ino smirked Excellent he's totally lost it...
"Good job, thanks a lot. Now we gotta live with him" Shikamaru said sarcastically
Zaku's eyes narrowed "Don't worry, it won't be for long" We've gotta get rid of these clowns! Sasuke's the target!
Hinata looked behind her and saw a purple aura coming off him. S-Sasuke...
"Hinata..." Ino said
She looks back at her
"Your teammates are down, look after them"
Hinata looked at her with newfound respect and nodded "Yes"
"Ok Team Ino, let's show them who's boss"
"Got it!" Her teammates voiced
"Formation: Ino..."
"Shika..." Shikamaru continued
"Cho!" Choji finished
"Ok, take it away Choji!" Ino said
He stepped forward "My pleasure" He formed a hand sign causing his body to expand to a large round shape "Expansion Jutsu! Followed by Leaf Style, Taijutsu!" He stuck his arms, legs and head into the sleeves of his shirt and pants, jumped into the air and began rolling to the sound ninja like a big bowling ball "Human Boulder Jutsu!"
Zaku smirked "You gotta be kidding, maybe I'm suppose to laugh myself to death" He held his hands out in front of him "Slicing Sound Wave!" He fired a strong gust towards Choji, holding him back but it doesn't stop him jumping into the air to continue his attack. His eyes widen "What?! He jump the air stream!" This thing's spinning way too fast, my sound wave can't control it. And if I try going super sonic on it, it's likely to rip my arms off!
"Zaku!" Dosu started running over to help him
Oh no you don't mummy man. Time to put you under wraps. "Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu!" Shikamaru send a shadow towards Dosu.
Dosu froze in his tracks "What's happening?!" He turned to see himself standing on the shadow connecting to Shikamaru
Just me and my shadow...He chuckles inwardly
Choji then came crashing down but Zaku jumped out of the way
Kin was still holding her limp arm, watching everything the fight. Then she spot Dosu going some strange pose "What is it? Why are you just standing there like that?!" She turned and gasped as she saw Shikamaru smirking while doing the same pose
"I-It's...some kind...of paralysis jutsu" Dosu said as he struggled to move his body
"Ino, I'll leave the girl to you" Shikamaru said
"Got it, just take care of my body while I'm gone"
"Sure"
She formed a hand sign, pointing it towards Kin "Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu" She mind then enters Kin's mind, causing her body to collapse into Shikamaru's arms
"Enough of this!" Zaku said dodging Choji's attacks. He looked over to Kin and saw her standing there with her head bowed "Kin!"
"What's wrong with you?!" Dosu yelled
Ino pulled out a kunai and held it to Kin's neck "Party's over fellas"
Dosu and Zaku stared at her shocked and confused
"Take it easy, one false move and your teammate here gets it in the neck. You don't want that to happen, so here's what you do. Just drop the scroll and walk away. When you're far enough away that I can sense your chakras, I'll let her go" I don't get it, what's wrong with these guys? Ino thought seeing the smirks on their faces. "Hey Choji!" She yelled
"Coming!"
Hinata gasped as she saw Zaku raising his palm towards Kin "H-He can't be willing to..."
He fired a jet stream towards her as while Choji tried to block it but it ended up moving him out of the way and sending Kin's body crashing against the tree behind her.
Blood began trailing down Kin's chin, which caused blood to also trail down Ino's chin. Shikamaru saw this and started to get nervous "This is bad..."
Ino struggled to get up in Kin's body "I...I don't understand you guys. What kind of monsters would attack their own teammate?"
Zaku had a creepy smile on his face "I guess...monsters like us"
"See, we don't play this game by your rules. It's not the scrolls we're after or even passing this test." Dosu said
"What then?"
"Sasuke..."
Suddenly Shikamaru's jutsu wore off and he saw that Dosu could move again. I hate it when it does that!
"So your paralysis jutsu has a pretty limited duration, I see"
"Shadow possession jutsu, get your jutsus right"
"Whatever and I see that your teammate is able to slip her soul into her opponent. Very clever but dangerous. Anything that happens to Kin, happens to her too. So if say Kin were to die..."
"What're you gonna do? Kill your teammate?"
Zaku smirked, pointing his palm at her again "Well it push comes to shove, yeah"
Shikamaru grunts and dropped his shoulders "Oh man, what a drag"
I have to get her out of there... Hinata thought as she tried to get up
"Did you really think you could beat us? Face it, you ninja are just a bunch of hacks"
"From a second rate village" Dosu added
"Huh, that's pretty big talk" A voice said
Hinata eyes widen T-That voice...
Everyone looks up and sees the rest of Lee's team "I guess that makes your village third rate. I wonder if any of you amateurs are ready to take on the real thing"
"What?!" Dosu looked angry
"Tenten...Neji..." Hinata said looking at them
They look down at their teammate and saw him badly beaten and unconscious "Lee!" Tenten called out. Then turns her eyes one Hinata and saw she was pretty banged up "Hinata, are you ok?"
"I'll manage b-but I'm sorry, Lee's like this because he was trying to protect me"
Neji looked at Lee's body again "You blew it"
"You genin keep popping out of the woods like cockroaches" Dosu commented
"It's looks to me like somebody used our teammate as a punching bag..." He said calmly before activating his byakugan and yelling angrily "NO ONE DOES THAT AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"
Dosu eyes widen, He has the same eyes as that girl. Those eyes, they can't just see us, they can look through us as well.
"No more playing around Tenten, full power"
Tenten reached for her weapons when she heard Neji gasp "What's the matter?"
That charka...
"Well, are you going to stay up there all day or are you going to come down here and do something about it?" Dosu asked
Neji smirked, closing his eyes "Actually it looks like it might have been taken out of my hands"
Dosu looked to the direction Neji was looking and his eyes widen again
Hinata heard someone getting up from behind "Sasu-" She gasps at what she saw.
Shikamaru and Choji sat there, looking at him
"Sasuke? That's Sasuke?" Ino said in shock
They all were looking at him and the fearful changes to him. A dark purple chakra swirled around him, marks covering the right side of his body and the menacing look in his sharingan eyes "Hinata...who did this to you?"
She didn't answer, she just sat there with the look of fear, shock and confusion in her expression
"Who was it?" He pushed on
Those marks, they're all over his body Dosu thought as he stood there
"S-Sasuke, those m-marks, t-this chakra..." Hinata said getting some of her nerve back "I-It's from that-"
"Don't worry, I'm alright. It's only the power flowing through me" He clutched his fist "In fact, I've never felt better. He gave me this gift and he made me understand what I am. I'm an avenger, to follow my path I must have power at any power at any price even if it means being consumed by evil"
N-No, please don't say that. Tears began to form in her eyes This...this can't be you
Now I see, those marks on the neck the girl spoke of, they were a curse mark. But who would have thought he'd survive...more than survive... Dosu thought feeling nervous
"Hinata, tell me which one of them hurt you" Sasuke asked
Zaku smiled like he was proud and spoke up "That'd be me"
Sasuke glances at him and turned in his direction
Ino was still in Kin's body, looking at the exchange of words between Sasuke and Zaku
"Ino!" Shikamaru yelled "Hurry up and get back in your body! You don't want to get involved in this! You too, Choji! Come on, get out of there!"
"Coming!" He said running to his best friend
Luckily for Ino, Kin's arm regain a bit of feeling, just enough for her to make a hand sign Mind Transfer Release! Her soul returns to her soul while Kin's body collapses to the ground
"Atta girl, good to have ya back" Shikamaru said once he saw Ino's body moving again
"Shikamaru!" Choji called as he got there "What's this all about?! What's going on?!"
"How should I know?"
Sasuke stood there, glaring at the two remaining sound ninja. The marks on the right side of face now covered his whole face
Dosu saw this and stepped back This changes everything! His charka is too big, too powerful! We can't fight that!
"Dosu!" Zaku called out, preparing to attack "What's wrong? You're not getting cold feet, are ya?"
"No, Zaku! You don't understand!" Dosu yelled trying to stop him
"Watch this, I'll take a whole bunch of them in one fail swoop! Supersonic slicing wave!" A giant wave of wind blast out of his hands, causing Dosu and the others to duck for cover. When the dust cleared , he didn't see Sasuke standing where he was before "What do ya know? Blew them all away!"
"Not quite yet"
Zaku didn't have time to react and was knocked away by Sasuke.
"Zaku!" Dosu called as he saw his teammate land near his feet.
Zaku gets up, coughing
"Such speed, he got both his teammates out of harm's way in the blink of an eye!" Dosu and Zaku gasped as they saw Sasuke perform hand signs.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"
Zaku got to his feet "I don't think so, try this!" He blast the incoming fire shots with sonic waves, he manages to subdue the fire, but... "In the flames, shurikens!" He yelled in pain as they strike him.
"Zaku, get down!" Dosu yelled
Zaku didn't have the chance because in the blink of an eye, Sasuke had his feet on Zaku's back, holding both his arm in a tight grip.
Hinata saw the look on Sasuke's face as he had Zaku and shuddered "S-Sasuke..."
"You seem to be very proud of these arms of yours" Sasuke said as he starts pulling hard on them "You must be very attached to them"
Zaku looked at him, terrorized "No! What are you doing?!"
You want it, Sasuke? You want power, don't you boy? Those were the words Hinata remembered when Orochimaru spoke to Sasuke.
T-This is...Hinata gasped in horror as she hear the sicken sound of Zaku's bones being pulled out of their sockets. This isn't power...h-he changed him
Sasuke let go of Zaku, letting him drop to the ground. Then he looks over his shoulder at Dosu "It looks like you're the only one left"
Dosu stood there, shaking with fear
"I hope you make things more interesting than your friend did"
Hinata watched him walk passed her, toward Dosu. Memories of him started coming to her
You look fine just the way you are...
Tears that she has held started to flow like a stream
You have a nice smile too, so show it...
This is not him...
Remember I'll be here if you need me...
More tears came to her face This is not the Sasuke I know...
Hinata kept looking at her feet, but looked up when she felt a hand gently patting her head, to see Sasuke giving her a gentle smile.
Sasuke stopped in his tracks as he saw Hinata standing in front of him with her hands spread out, blocking him from Dosu "Hinata, move out of the way"
She kept her head down, her bangs covering her eyes "No...more, please..."
Sasuke tries to make his way passed her "Hinata, this isn't over. I have to make them regret ever messing us."
"PLEASE STOP!" Hinata launched at him, wrapping her arms around him and held him close. Sasuke looked down at her and saw the terrified look in her tearful eyes "Please...no more Sasuke...please...go back...go back to way you were...please..." She then sobs into his neck
A moment pass, then the marks on his body started to receding, as he wrapped his arms around Hinata, hugging her "Hinata..."
The marks have receded. We're safe...for now Dosu thought looking at the two
When the marks were gone, Sasuke collapsed onto his knees bringing Hinata onto her knee too. He started panting heavily. Hinata looked at him and saw not only did the marks disappear but that evil look of his was gone as well. "Sasuke..."
"You're strong, Sasuke" They both looked to Dosu and saw him holding out this team's earth scroll "Too strong. We can't hope to defeat you the way you are now." He laid the scroll on the ground "We'll strike a deal, I give you this scroll and you let us go"
Sasuke and Hinata turned their eyes to the scroll given to them on the ground and then back at Dosu as he was picking up Zaku "It would seem we underestimated you but at least we found out what we needed to know" Then he picked up Kin "For the moment, we're even. But if it should happen that we ever again meet in combat, I promise you...we won't run or hide" With that said, he began to walk away
"Wait!"
He looked over his shoulder "What is it, girl?"
"Who is Orochimaru?! What is this mark on Sasuke?! Why did he do this to him?!"
"I don't know...all I know is that we were told to target Sasuke and we did. I don't know why he sent us to assassinate someone how he bestow such powers. I don't know why Sasuke even survived the curse mark. There are many things I don't know..."
Her eyes widen as second to last part H-He could have died from that? She thought as she watched him walk into the forest
From up in the trees, Neji looked at Sasuke and his cousin. That was no normal chakra, I had no idea the Uchiha clan was so strong. Just what kind of person have you been training with, Hinata?
After letting go of her, Sasuke started shaking in fear, staring at his hands "Just...what am I?"
Oh Sasuke... Hinata saw him shaking and she didn't knew what to say, so held his hands in hers.
I'm here for you too, Sasuke...No matter what.