Hinata of the White Lotus

Your Own Power

Kunai flew from every conceivable direction.

These weren't kunai made from traditional steel, but some kind of specialized hardened webbing. The kunai had a rusted gold coloring, but that didn't mean they should be mistaken for being dull. No- they were just as sharp as any normal kunai. And equally deadly.

"Shugohakke: Six-forty Palms!" Hinata's arms were a blur, leaving behind thin blue streaks of chakra to act as a barrier. It was her only line of defense against this relentless onslaught, her opponent not giving her even a moment to gather herself.

She had been forced to retreat onto one of the numerous blocks that floated all throughout the Kamui dimension. The entire dimension had been prepared in advanced by the enemy, numerous spider webs stretched across every block within her vision, effectively boxing her in while giving her opponent a tactical field advantage.

An opponent that hadn't so much as shown himself yet. She knew his name to be Kidomaru, and she had a rough idea of his abilities already thanks to past conversations with Tayuya. Just knowing her opponent didn't do her any good if she couldn't locate him.

Which was truly the main crux of the issue. Hinata hadn't realized it right away, but this Kamui dimension wasn't just dangerous because it was the enemy's territory. No, there was a much bigger problem than that; There was no natural energy here.

Hinata could not use the Nichiren Byakugan.

Not so long as the fight remained contained to the Kamui dimension, anyways. She only realized this fact after it was too late. Normally the shade of Kali on her back did the work of absorbing and melding the natural energy, allowing Hinata to run around and move as she needed to, effectively bypassing the condition to be still in order to gather it. So it wasn't until Kali quit providing natural energy that Hinata realized there was none here.

The barrage of kunai finally stopped. This brief respite wouldn't last for long, however. Kidomaru was constantly changing tactics, probing her for some kind of weakness or an opening he could take advantage of. And the longer Hinata stayed on the defensive, the more likely he was to eventually find such an opening.

She needed to go on the offensive. But even if she did, would it make a difference? Hinata had gotten through all her fights up until now because she had been using the power of the Nichiren Byakugan, in other words: Kali's powers. None of those victories had truly been her own in any real sense of the word. Could she even do anything without her previous life's help?

Hinata kept telling herself she had changed, but now that she was being confronted with a fight she had to do entirely on her own, she was beginning to question how true that had ever been. No- this wasn't the time for self doubt. Everyone was counting on her.

Naruto was counting on her.

The thought of him spurred her into action. She couldn't just stand here and wait for her opponent to attack, she needed to take the initiative. And thinking of Naruto gave her just the inspiration she needed. It was true, she had spent most of her time learning how to use the Nichiren Byakugan since awakening it, but that hadn't been everything. She'd learned other things as well.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Hinata formed the same seal she often saw Naruto use. Her chakra pool even now paled in comparison to his, but ever since awakening her new powers and sharing Kali's chakra with her own, she had enough to reliably utilize his signature jutsu.

As a single shadow clone popped into existence, the next phase of Kidomaru's assault began. This time it wasn't a barrage of kunai, but a swarm of spiders. Having been on a team with Shino for as long as she had, Hinata liked to think she had developed a sort of tolerance to bugs and insects. However, there was a limit, and spiders the size of her head was well beyond that.

A dozen of the terrifyingly large arachnids leapt for her and her clone, leaving a trail of thick web to ensnare them. "Shugohakke!" Hinata and her clone both waved their arms, sending out concentrated beams of blue light that shredded the webs and split the spiders in half.

The very second the last spider met its fate, and it was like twice as many of them jumped up to take their place. Had Hinata been by herself, she would have been quickly overwhelmed just by the sheer number of them. It answered her other question too now, in that she had been wondering how Kidomaru had been able to keep up that constant barrage of kunai. If these were helping him though, then it all made sense. He must have exhausted his stock, which was why the spiders themselves were attacking now.

Kidomaru still didn't dare show himself, staying outside the limited range of her normal Byakugan. If she was a genius like Neji, she might have known how to focus her chakra into her vision and further expand her range. As she was, she needed to think of another way to track him. If only he would leave some kind of clue… wait a minute! Hinata had it.

"Cover me, please!" She ordered her clone, earning an immediate nod. The speed of her clone's arms increased, battling off the spiders and slicing apart the webs they left behind. It was just such webs that she would use. Chakra ran through every single thread, creating a network that covered the entire Kamui dimension, hanging from the numerous blocks to trap her in.

Hinata picked up the closest web that had once been attached to a leaping spider, channeling her chakra into it and following the current. In a matter of moments, the entire network became visible to her. It wasn't exactly seeing with her eyes, but more of a form of chakra echo-location. The pulses of chakra she dumped into the string bounced around, tunneling along the interweb highway and giving her a complete vision. Exposing the gaps she could use to get around-

And at the other end was Kidomaru.

She found him. He looked even less like a human than she imagined, with six muscular arms and three yellow eyes with dark black sclerae. His skin was dark red, elongated canine teeth and fingernails, as well as long gray hair. In addition, Kidōmaru had horns on his forehead, shoulders and elbows.

Even without the Nichiren Byakugan she could tell, this was the result of an impurity. For some reason, he was able to use his curse seal in here, despite the fact she couldn't gather natural energy herself. Was there impure energy coming from somewhere that he was absorbing?

She didn't have time to attempt to trace it. He must have sensed her chakra feedback reaching him, because a brief moment was all she had been allowed to sense him. It was going to have to be enough.

"This way!" Hinata took off running, batting away any spider that jumped in her path. It had only been a second, but she had memorized the gaps in the webbing she would need to use to reach her opponent, or at least where he had been. Her clone was on her tail just a second later, fending off anything that attacked them from the rear.

With a chakra enhanced leap, Hinata flew several blocks high. Snagging one of the webs by the hand, she spun around like a gymnast, making two complete flips in order to gain speed before launching herself horizontally. She rocketed above half a dozen of the giant white blocks, touching down on one of them just long enough to skip off it and leap to the next one.

The blocks didn't remain static either, constantly shifting slowly and forcing her to alter her course on the fly, sometimes running along the side of the blocks, other times sliding between the narrowest of gaps as two passed by one another. Even at breakneck speed, it still took her a couple minutes to reach the place where Kidomaru had been hiding.

"Look out!" Her clone's warning came at the same moment Hinata arrived at her destination. The clone shoved her out of the way, just in the nick of time. A twisted arrow drilled through the clone's sternum, leaving a gaping hole in her person. It was an odd image, looking at a perfect doppelgänger of yourself in its final moments.

Hinata hadn't looked at herself in a while now, her blue hair having grown slightly longer, tied back in a short ponytail with the orange headband Naruto had given her as her promotion present. The Chunin vest she wore over the black v-neck did nothing to stop the arrow, which had blown through it like it wasn't even there, traveling so fast it had been little more than a blur.

Most terrifying was that she hadn't even seen it coming. Kidomaru had aimed for the blind-spot in the Byakugan. A small pinpoint just at the back of the neck. How did he even find it… or had that been what he was doing up until now, probing her for some kind of weakness. If her clone hadn't been her, she would have died without even knowing what hit her.

In her place, the clone popped out of existence. The memories of the clone rushed into Hinata, including her agonizing final moments of life. It was enough for Hinata to want to apologize, except the one she meant to say it to was no longer here.

She wouldn't let that sacrifice go in vain, fully understanding it was ridiculous to care this much for a clone. Hinata turned, her face arranged into a rare scowl as she finally came face to face with her opponent.

Kidomaru was only a short distance from her now. Three blocks separated the two of them, those blocks floating at nearly the same level now. It would only take her one chakra enhanced leap for each block; Three steps in total between them. The question was: Could Kidomaru load, aim, and fire another one of those arrows in that time?

The two of them glared one another down, several tense seconds passing in complete silence. Neither one of them so much as budged a muscle. He had a bow made of the same material as the kunai and arrow he just fired, the string made from his web pulled taut by his teeth.

There was a twitch. It was so small, it would have been imperceptible to anyone else. Not to the Byakugan. Only a single one of Kidomaru's thirty fingers flexed ever so slightly. That was all it took. Hinata was off like a blur, jumping onto the first block.

One step. Kidomaru produced the hardened web from his mouth, already in the shape of the arrow. Two steps. He locked the arrow on his bow, adjusting his aim just enough. Three steps. She wouldn't be fast enough.

He fired.

"Yata no Kagami!" Hinata's right Byakugan glowed with a bright light. Not the usual pale iris of her clan's prized dojutsu, but a color similar in hue to Naruto's sky blue. A spectral shield appeared in front of her, the same as what Itachi's Susanoo had once used in his fight against Kali. Unlike his red shield, this one was a blue the same color as her right eye currently was.

The arrow that had easily drilled through Hinata's clone bounced off the shield, the durable hardened web shattering into pieces upon impact. As promised, the Yata Mirror offered defense beyond compare, the true form of the mirror having been fused with Hinata's right eye to allow her to summon its spectral form at a moment's notice.

"Wha-!?" Kidomaru didn't get to finish his exclamation, Hinata skidding to a stop just in front of him. She had finally closed the distance.

"Jyukenho Hakke: Sixty-four palms!" He was already inside the range of her vision, Hinata having slid into stance in the same movement she used to reach him. Kidomaru attempted to jump back. It was too late.

"Two palms!" Hinata's hands swung forward, extending her index and middle fingers to strike her opponent's tenketsu. The hits connected. "Four palms!" She began to pick up speed, the next two landing only a moment later. "Eight palms!" Her arms were nearly a blur now. "Sixteen palms!" With every blow she landed, Kidomaru was knocked backwards a step. "Thirty-two palms!" It was always at this point that Hinata had messed up the technique in the past, having only performed it successfully once before, but never on a person.

"Sixty-four palms!" The final strike fell, bringing the technique to a conclusion.

Kidomaru wobbled in place. With sixty-four of his critical chakra points closed it would be impossible for him to perform any kind of jutsu, including his prized webbing jutsu. That was only if her jutsu actually landed.

"Nice try, but this fight is mine!" Kidomaru grinned, spreading his six arms wide. It was then that Hinata saw it. He had emitted the same hardened web from all the pores of his body. It was similar to how the Hyuga could unleash a Jyuken from any point, not just their hands. That hardened shell had blocked every single strike, making the whole jutsu worthless.

From his hands he released the same hardened webbing, forming six kunai. He stabbed at her with all six. From this range there was no way he could miss. She was just simply too close to dodge. That was if she only moved at normal speeds, however.

Even in this situation, Hinata hadn't quit thinking about her next move. In the same way she knew Naruto would. Pressing a hand to her left temple, Hinata pressed her own tenketsu; One of the eight most critical gates in the whole body.

"First Gate of Opening: Release!" Hinata vanished from sight, too fast for Kidomaru to see. He hadn't realized she didn't go anywhere at all until it was too late. All she had done was ducked low, his kunai striking empty air. In the same movement that she had ducked, Hinata placed both palms on the floor, foot coming up from straight below to strike Kidomaru in the chin.

He was lifted airborne, the power of the first gate giving even Hinata enough physical strength to send someone skywards. She grabbed a handful of the discarded webs, leaping into the air to float just behind Kidomaru as he reached the height of his arc.

"The fuck are you doing!?" Kidomaru cried in protest as Hinata wrapped his own webs around him, pulling them tight and ensuring he wouldn't be moving any of his six arms.

"Primary Lotus!" Hinata called out the name of the jutsu in response. According to Kali, it was an incomplete technique. A bastardized version of the White Lotus Dance she had cultivated in her life. Even so, it was an undeniable part of her legacy, so Hinata had decided to learn it.

She grabbed her opponent, spinning the both of them around so fast that they looked like a drill. They flew headfirst towards the ground together, Hinata releasing him at the last second to break away.

Kidomaru had no way to stop himself, crashing full force into the white block with enough force to crack it. Hinata didn't even need the Byakugan to see that he had shattered his vertebrae upon impact. He was dead before his legs began to dangle, his head still partially buried in the block, making him look like some kind of demonic plant.

Even so, she didn't drop her guard. Not until several moments of silence had passed and she was absolutely sure this hadn't been some other trap. No, it would appear the battle was truly over.

Hinata had won.

For the first time in her life, she had managed to truly win a fight completely on her own. Hinata understood that the Nichiren Byakugan was just as much hers as it was Kali's, but it always felt like she had received some kind of cheat code. So no matter how miraculous her victories may have been, there was always that nagging doubt in the back of her mind. That this hadn't been her.

She felt no such thing this time. Hinata knew beyond a shadow of a doubt now that she had succeeded in changing herself. She was stronger… and her confidence swelled.

Now… why had Kidomaru been able to use his curse seal? He was dead, so he wouldn't be able to answer her even if she asked. However, she had other ways to get the answers she needed.

As Hinata took a couple steps towards the dead Kimimaro, the effects of the gate wore off- Causing her to stumble and nearly fall. All her muscles burned and her very bones ached. So this was the pain one was supposed to experience when opening the gates without Sage Mode. She had forgotten all about the side-effects, this being the first time she actually felt it.

And to think Rock Lee had opened all the way up to the fifth gate. He was insane… and yet she couldn't help but have newfound respect for him. He knew pain like this and beyond awaited him every time he used the gates and yet he opened them anyways. Because that was his Ninja Way.

Knowing how much he endured, there was no way she could allow this to stop her. Not after she had been allowed to use these abilities tax free until now. She would push through the pain, and make sure this mission was a success.

Hinata forced her legs to work. One step. Two steps. With each one, it got a little easier to fight through the pain. Her legs carried her to Kidomaru and she crouched down, placing a palm over his curse mark.

Channeling chakra into it, she began purifying the mark and turning it into normal natural energy for herself to use. As the process took hold, she once again regained the use of her Nichiren Byakugan. Temporary though it may have been, as there wasn't enough natural energy here for her to do much. In that time, she had to find the source.

It wasn't difficult, the trail of the impurity all too obvious. It was coming from behind the gate Naruto had gone through… in other words it was with Sasuke; Indra's reincarnation. This was bad.

She had planned to leave Sasuke and Indra to Naruto, but this information changed everything. She had to hurry. There wasn't enough natural energy to heal her injuries from the gate, but she could still fight if necessary. Which was a good thing too, as her next battle was already here, appearing out of thin air. She turned to face him.

"You got a minute?" Tobi asked while waving his hand, still as chipper as ever. Yet she knew there was more to this man than he let on. He stood in her path, as if barring her from interfering with whatever was happening between Naruto and Sasuke. He was a full head taller than her, looking down through his orange mask. At this distance she could see it clearly. The reason why he had been able to open up the portal to this dimension with no natural energy.

His Mangekyo Sharingan.

Naruto grunted in exertion, the giant gate heavier than he had expected it to be. He didn't even bother swinging it all the way open, cracking it just enough for himself to squeeze through.

What he stumbled into was something like a wide cave. Stalagmites hung in the ceiling high above him, the walls on either side slick with water, the ground at his feet damp and covered in moss. The air was musty, like it had settled here ages ago with little to no proper ventilation. This place must have still been deep underground.

On the far side of the cave was an orange torii gate, leaving him to believe this must have once been a place of worship. Not that he was really interested in such things right now. No, he had only one reason to be here.

He had to help Sasuke.

Not because of all that Asura and Indra crap, or anything like that. It was because Sasuke was like a brother to him, and he wouldn't let him be used in the enemy's schemes like some puppet. In the first place, this was partially his fault for having riled Sasuke up outside the Hokage Tower. If he had just tried to show him some compassion, then maybe things wouldn't have come to this. He had to fix that wrong.

The only problem was, he didn't see Sasuke anywhere. The only other thing in this cave was a strange barrel. Now that he noticed the barrel though, he realized there was something else in the air. Was it… smoke? No, this wasn't smoke, but whatever it was, it was coming from that barrel.

"It's impure natural energy." Kurama's voice echoed inside Naruto's head. The sudden interaction was so surprising that it caused the young Shinobi to jump.

"Don't scare me like that, you bastard!" Naruto shouted out loud, although it was likely not necessary. He hadn't even known the fox could talk to him like this. They had only met the one time in his seal and he assumed it would always have to be like that.

"Naruto, focus." Kurama said seriously, adding a deep guttural growl along with his warning. It seemed like he was going to have no choice but to roll with this for the time being. He was going to scold the fox later, for having known this was possible all this time and yet staying mum.

"Yeah, yeah. Impure energy, right?" Naruto asked, glancing uncomfortably around at the gradually thickening cloud that was filling the cave. "Isn't that the stuff Hinata can see with her Nichiren Byakugan?" The way he understood it, Hinata's previous life dealt with that kind of stuff, whereas Asura was in charge of Indra and the Uchiha clan.

"It's also the mark that brat, Orochimaru, put on Sasuke." Kurama clarified, causing a pit to form in Naruto's stomach.

"That means-" Naruto was moving before he realized it, making a mad dash for the barrel now. He didn't understand all the details, but even he knew that this much of that impure energy in one location and near the curse mark was a bad thing. If he didn't stop this right away, Sasuke was going to end up exactly like Kimimaro had.

Without even stopping to think about it and throwing caution to the wind, Naruto ran full tilt into the barrel and knocked it onto its side. The lid popped off and Sasuke's unconscious body rolled out with a dull thud.

He was in the stage one of the curse mark, black tattoo-like marks covering his body like chicken pox. Except for his left arm. The curse seal was placed just above his left shoulder, the mark having expanded now to cover his left arm in pure black.

"Oi, Sasuke! Wake up, you gotta fight this thing!" Naruto bent down, shaking his teammate in a violent effort to rouse him. It didn't work, Sasuke twisting and turning like he was experiencing some kind of nightmare, but not waking.

"Naruto, you've gotta purify it!" Kurama barked, attempting to take charge of the situation.

"I don't know how to do that, y'know!" Naruto snapped back. What was he supposed to do here? Should he just lift Sasuke up and lug him back to Hinata? She could probably purify it, the same way she had done to Tayuya's seal.

"Just put your right hand on the mark! Asura can handle the rest!" That was right. Naruto's right arm wasn't exactly his own anymore. It was Asura's arm now. Ever since he had taken that wood clone arm and used it to replace his lost one; The only reason it worked was because Asura had used his chakra to facilitate the process.

"Shit, here goes nothing." Naruto rolled Sasuke over, placing the palm of his hand over the curse mark in the same way he had seen Hinata do with Tayuya. Then he began channeling his chakra. He had no idea if it was enough, but a second later he saw a golden glow… that meant it was working, right?

The black marks scattered throughout Sasuke's body began glowing with the same golden aura, before disappearing like ash. However, the blackness that covered the entirety of Sasuke's entire left arm wouldn't disappear so easily. Gritting his teeth, Naruto pushed as much chakra through his palm that he could.

He could feel it now. The nature around them. The impure energy that hung in the air… and the shade on his back. Through that connection, he could also feel the shade on Sasuke. If Asura's chakra was warm like the sun, then Indra's was the cool calm of the moon. They were different… yet also similar.

Of course. They were brothers, after all.

In the same way that Naruto considered Sasuke his brother. He just hoped Asura's chakra… his chakra was reaching him.

His wish carried through to Asura, being passed to the golden chakra. That chakra hit the curse mark, attempting to purify it and causing a reaction neither of them intended. There was a pulse. Not one that could be felt by Naruto and Asura, but one that happened deep in Sasuke's subconscious. It was here-

Sasuke's eyes opened.

Not in the real world, but in some kind of spiritual plane.

"Where is this?" Sasuke asked, looking around as he tried to understand what was happening. It looked like a forest… or rather, what was left of one. The once lush green leaves had been eaten by a wildfire. With nothing left to consume, the fire had already gone out, leaving behind the ashen trees and covering the sky with a thick smoke.

Peaking through the sky was a red light, but that light wasn't a part of this world. No, it was something foreign that had invaded this land. Sasuke had no time to think about what that was.

A sudden jolt of pain shot up his left arm and he collapsed to his knees. As he looked down to verify the source of the pain, he saw the arm was no longer his own. It was covered in pale white scales, looking more like a molting snake than human flesh.

"Pathetic." Someone said, drawing Sasuke's attention to the strange man that appeared in front of him. He had long brown hair cut short on top, two locks wrapped in bandages framing either side of his face. He wore a high-collared, light-coloured kimono held closed by a dark sash. The collar of the kimono was adorned with magatama.

And he had the Sharingan. Despite the fact that there shouldn't have been anyone else with it now.

"Who-?" Sasuke started to ask, the sharp pain cutting his question short. He gripped his dominant arm with his right hand, squeezing tight in an attempt to try and cut off the pain, all to no avail.

"To think a reincarnation of Otsutsuki Indra would be reduced to this pathetic state." The man known as Indra said. "To willingly accept this cursed chakra from that snake. And on top of that, to be manipulated by the Sharingan of someone not from your clan." He glanced up at the red light, and Sasuke realized it must have been some kind of genjutsu placed on him. That was why the red light wasn't like the rest of the world.

"Worst of all," Indra continued, not done with his grumbling. "To have to be saved by my little brother." Every single word out of his mouth meant nothing to Sasuke. It was all the ramblings of some mad man.

"This is all so I can kill Itachi." Sasuke said through grit teeth. That was right, if it hurt, then he just had to bear through it. Because at the other end of this pain was greater power than he had before. Even if that genjutsu had been placed by Danzo like he assumed it to be, that didn't matter. Not so long as Danzo let him have what he wanted: His revenge.

"Like I said: Pathetic." Indra sighed, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "If you truly want power, you shouldn't be relying on others. It is only from within yourself that you can find the strength you need. You don't need anyone else."

"That's-" Sasuke opened his mouth to refute him, but no words came out. Somewhere deep down, he had also believed that at one point. When did that all begin to change? He remembered the tree walking training, and how he and Naruto kept running up the those damn trees until dawn, neither one of them willing to lose to the other.

Then he remembered that bridge. The pain of a dozen needles poking out of his flesh. His body had just moved on its own, achieving greater power than he thought he had to save Naruto.

Finally, he remembered that moment inside the Forest of Death. When Naruto was the one to return the favor, killing that snake and snapping Sasuke from his terror. In all those moments, he felt explosive growth. As if he had been getting stronger somehow.

All of this was before the curse mark.

"Exactly." Indra seemed to know precisely what had just flashed before his eyes. "You don't need some power from this pathetic cursed mark. The only thing you need is to keep fighting Asura." At those words, Sasuke felt a chuckle work its way past his lips, mixing with his pained groans. "Are my words humorous?" Indra asked, his temper flaring.

"Yeah, they're funny." Sasuke said, grinning up at Indra through the pain. "You just said I don't need anyone, but then you're also saying that I need Naruto." The person Indra named had been Asura, but somehow Sasuke understood instinctually that he was talking about that blond loser. A loser that for some reason was always there, never leaving him alone… and was like the little brother he never had.

Sasuke hated him, and yet he couldn't help but feel close to him. Sometimes, hanging out with Naruto reminded him of those times that he had spent with Itachi, and it made Sasuke wonder… if maybe some path to reconciliation didn't exist?

"Hmph," Indra made a grunt, or perhaps it was a huff of laughter. "Well, that path certainly exists for us too… I didn't always hate my brother either." He wore a melancholic, yet somehow whimsical smile now. "So what choice will you make?" He asked.

"Choice?" Sasuke hadn't realized there was some kind of choice to be had here. If the man before him was offering power, however, then he would take it.

"You can let yourself be consumed by that arm." Indra pointed to the scaly white flesh that had completely infected Sasuke's dominant arm. "You'll receive the power of cursed natural energy, but will also continue to be a pawn for others." At this point, Indra paused, seemingly unwilling to continue.

"Or?" Sasuke asked, growing impatient.

"Or, we accept Asura's help." Indra finished, the source of his discomfort now clear. He still had his pride, after all. "If you do that, it's very likely you will receive the ocular powers of my father, the same way your previous life attempted to do." It wasn't clear, but it sounded like Indra was suggesting his Sharingan would somehow evolve, like how Itachi once suggested he do.

When it was put that way, Sasuke already knew what path he wanted to walk. If it was between having to give his body to that perverted snake man, or trust in his… friend, then Sasuke's choice was already made.

"There is one more thing you should know." Indra interrupted just before Sasuke could make his intentions clear. "You've already been infected quite deeply by the curse mark, as evident by the current form of your dominant arm. So if you should choose to accept Asura's assistance…

"Be prepared to sacrifice that arm."