CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
Sacrifice, Part-1
Hinata and Mikasa stood facing each other in the dimly lit corridor, the air heavy with tension and the smell of dust. The two people glared at each other, their one-sided hatred palpable. Hinata clenched her fists, her breath slowed to a methodical pace, ready to unleash her fury. Mikasa, gripping her staff with practiced ease, watched her opponent with a calm, calculating gaze.
Hinata shot her a glare. "What have you done with my friends?"
"Early retirement for the doctor" Mikasa declared. "As for the pale-eyed brat, I really can't say" she added, watching Hinata fight to keep her composure.
"Once again, you choose to challenge me alone" Mikasa remarked. "Have you learned nothing, Hinata? I am a prophet of god, chosen to lead this world on a path of righteousness and sanctity, you're but a mere pebble in my way"
Hinata ignored her mocking tone. "Don't flatter yourself, Mikasa. I'm going to stop you and whatever sick plan you have in mind."
Mikasa broke into laughter at Hinata's words. "Oh? Is the honorable officer Hinata Hyuuga going to try to arrest me again?" She teased. "By all means, go ahead. Who knows? You might get lucky this time."
Eyes blazing with fury, Hinata addressed Mikasa again, shaking her head. "No...more than nothing, I want to kill you. I should have done it before, but I lacked the capacity."
Hinata took a firmer stance, still addressing Mikasa before her who watched expressionlessly.
"You're nothing but a pathetic fraud, riding on stolen power" Hinata pointed out. "Power stolen from the weak and defenseless, from innocent souls and those trying to preserve them"
Unmoved, Mikasa raised an eyebrow. "And? Is there a point to your narration of my rise to prominence? Are you going to yap on about your righteous self next?"
"People like you have no place in this world, much less as it's ruler" Hinata continued. "I understand how it feels to want to do everything by yourself, to put yourself on the line to help everyone..."
"You must be joking" Mikasa snapped. "You know nothing about me. I have absolutely nothing in common with a naive girl raised in wealth and comfort, surrounded by people that would do anything for her"
"Your idea of me isn't invalid" Hinata admitted. "Even now, I still find myself pushing people away to tackle everything on my own...this dangerous sense of duty driving me, you must feel it too...you can't help it"
"Try as you may, you can't understand me Hinata, we're nothing alike" Mikasa retorted. "I alone can bring true change to this world, you're just a mere pawn."
"Your notion of change is unhinged." As Hinata spoke, her hands became covered in burning chakra, taking the form of lion heads. "And don't be mistaken, I'm not trying to negotiate with you, vile creature. You're not worth saving." Readying her stance, she continued. "And you are right about one thing..."
"Regardless of how much we might possibly share, I am nothing like you Mikasa. I hate you, with every fibre of my being. I'm going to stop you right here regardless of how much you've deluded yourself into thinking you're some messiah."
Mikasa's mouth spread in a grin. "Oh, I'm trembling. Really, Hinata, your desperation is almost entertaining. But if you're done reading out your own obituary, let's get this over with. I have better things to do than to crush you again."
Grabbing her staff in both Hands, Mikasa prepared herself for Hinata's attack. With Isshiki's karma seal, she was more than prepared to take on the Hyuuga, a far cry from her unskilled self of the past. This time, she was going to end her for good.
The fight began with Hinata charging forward, her movements swift and precise. She unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, a blur of motion driven by her intense hatred for Mikasa. Each strike was a testament to her determination, her fists like iron as they aimed for Mikasa's vital points. Mikasa, however, was ready. She spun her staff with grace and speed, deflecting Hinata's attacks and countering with sharp jabs and sweeping strikes aimed at keeping Hinata at bay.
Hinata's frustration grew with every blocked strike. She shifted her tactics, transitioning into more direct close-quarters combat. Her hands moved like lightning, seeking to trap and control Mikasa's staff while delivering rapid strikes to her torso and head. Mikasa did well to nullify Hinata's attacks, but the Hyuuga relented nonetheless . She managed to close the distance, her strikes starting to connect and driving Mikasa back with a strong left hook.
Extending her arm towards Hinata, Mikasa shot several of her rods at the Hyuuga, but she was up to it. Detecting the buildup of chakra in her hand, Hinata quickly went into action.
[Eight trigrams Protective 64 palms]
As her weapons harmlessly bounced off her jutsu, Hinata rushed forward again. Annoyed, Mikasa struck with her staff, only for Hinata to block it with one of her dark spheres. She retaliated with a sequence of punches to Mikasa's head and torso, blocking a counter strike from her opponent and responding with an elbow to her throat, then sending her backwards with a kick. As Mikasa held her neck, gasping for air, Hinata rushed forward.
Grabbing Mikasa's head in her hand, She took off, slamming through several walls of the mansion as she flew with her opponent. In front of them, Mikasa quickly opened a portal that led them to the courtyard. The pair crashed to the ground, skidding to a stop. As soon as Mikasa rose to her feet, she caught the sight of Hinata sprinting towards her again. Raising an arm to block a hit from the Hyuuga, Mikasa found it enclosed by one of her chakra orbs and held in place. Her other arm followed suit as she tried to move away to no avail. Standing in front of her, Hinata raised her arm to her face, dark orbs orbiting it till they turned blue.
[Golden wheel rebirth explosion]
A bright beam of light shot out from her arm, streaking into the horizon. As the beam died down, Hinata noticed that Mikasa was no longer in view.
She's shrunk herself, she noted, observing her microscopic chakra signature evade her attack.
[Eight trigrams: Palm rotation]
A rotating dome of chakra erupted around Hinata, knocking Mikasa away from her.
"Not bad" the medic smiled, getting on her feet and back to her full size.
She can detect my attacks before I let them out huh?
Materializing another staff in her hands, Mikasa prepared herself once more. Hinata was all too eager to start engagements, she discovered, and she could use it to her advantage.
As Hinata rained down punches and palm strikes, trying to bypass her defenses, Mikasa's calm demeanor never wavered. She deflected the blows, her body moving with the impact to lessen their force. With a sudden burst of speed, she spun her staff in a wide arc, catching Hinata off guard and striking her across the ribs. Hinata staggered, but her determination only burned hotter. Ignoring the growing strain on her eyes, she launched herself at Mikasa again, her movements fueled by pure rage.
Mikasa began to notice herself fatigue as the fight wore on.
My chakra, it's diminishing at an alarming rate...
Catching a lion fist to the face, Mikasa pinpointed the source of the drain. Hinata had been siphoning her chakra with each hit, and although her reserves were enormous, Mikasa still had to prevent her opponent from continuously draining her source of power.
Parrying a palm strike from Hinata, Mikasa shot a rod right at Hinata, at point blank range. The Hyuuga barely reacted in time, bending out of the way. Molding her orbs into the form of a sword, she slashed at Mikasa's side but found her effort blocked by yet another staff the medic had created. Mikasa immediately sent her backwards with a fierce kick.
Gritting her teeth, Hinata dissolved her spheres into the terrain.
"Huh?" Mikasa felt the earth beneath her feet begin to move. Suddenly, the ground underneath her sank, dissolving into rubble and almost enclosing her in it.
Mikasa took off into the air as Hinata launched several large pieces of debris at her. In retaliation, she opened several portals behind her, raining down a barrage of dark spikes at Hinata.
Hinata twisted and turned away from most of the spikes, finally gaining enough space to deploy the palm rotation and shield herself from the remaining projectiles. Pausing to catch her breath, Hinata noticed her vision had begun to waver...
A portal opened behind her but Hinata ducked under Mikasa's attack overhead, replying with a strike to the jaw delivered through one of her orbs. Suddenly, she found her right hand impaled by a rod that she wasn't able to dodge in time due to her failing eyesight.
Wincing in pain, Hinata couldn't do much to stop Mikasa from seizing the initiative, instantly turning the tide of their battle. She found it more difficult to land hits on her opponent and was now on the receiving end of most attacks dealt during the course of the fighting.
Hinata's attempts to regain the initiative grew more desperate as Mikasa continued to evade and counter. Every time Hinata thought she had an opening, Mikasa's staff was there to block and retaliate. Hinata's breath came in ragged gasps, her body aching from the repeated blows. But she refused to give up, pushing herself beyond her limits.
In a final, desperate move, Hinata lunged forward, aiming a powerful kick at Mikasa's head. Mikasa saw the opening she had been waiting for. She sidestepped the kick and brought her staff down with all her strength, striking Hinata's knee with a sickening crack. Hinata screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground, clutching her leg.
In an instant Mikasa grabbed her by the hair and flung her into the rubble of a statue. Pinning the Hyuuga's hands to the ground with two spikes, Mikasa watched with satisfaction as she struggled to free herself to no avail. Hinata tried to strike her with one of her spheres but Mikasa simply opened a portal in front of it, sending it into another location.
"It's over" Mikasa declared, squatting next to Hinata still squirming on the ground.
"Now ain't this a familiar sight" she mocked, watching as Hinata's chakra cloak dissipated.
"I'm guessing that was you giving it your best... I'll be honest, you impressed me"
Hinata frowned at her captor. She had run out of ideas, and her dojutsu was strained from overuse. Frustrated, she tried to look around for anything she could free herself with, but deep down she knew she was at her opponent's mercy.
"This isn't over" She said to Mikasa, her voice coming in a tired wheeze. Mikasa ignored her comment and raised a finger, opening a portal in front of Hinata's forehead. Defiantly, Hinata turned her head to the side, but Mikasa grabbed her chin, forcefully restoring her gaze to the portal ominously floating above her.
"You're done, Hinata." She leaned forward to get a better look at her.
"I want you to look at me Hyuuga" she declared, meeting Hinata's gaze with hers.
"I want you to look into my eyes, so I can see the exact moment you die..."
Hinata's breathing accelerated as she observed a buildup of chakra inside Mikasa's portal. She felt a tear build up in her eye, even as she continued to wear a stern frown.
This is it...
Once again her life flashed before her eyes, faced with death at the hands of Mikasa Kurosaki.
Refusing to appear weak, Hinata maintained her frown, waiting for the inevitable...
"Shanaroo!"
Sakura's fist slammed into the earth, separating Mikasa from Hinata's body. In shock, Mikasa studied Sakura, surprised that her wounds had healed.
'I'm sure I killed you, Haruno"
Sakura fixed her a glare. "That's UCHIHA Sakura for you, bitch"
"Hmm?"
In an instant, a nearby pebble at Mikasa's foot suddenly became Sasuke, hand raised and covered in electricity.
[Chidori]
Sasuke's hand swung into Mikasa, sending her crashing into the wall of the main building.
"Sakura, attend to Hinata" Sasuke ordered, unsheathing his sword and rushing towards his target as his teammate settled next to her comrade's injured body.
Out in the desert, Naruto Uzumaki ran as fast as he could towards Kaguya's palace.
"Kurama, I need your help to get back to that mansion"
I still don't have much left in me
"Please, I need to get to Hinata in time, Kurama please help me with anything you have!"
I understand
Naruto's form became covered in orange chakra, the incomplete form of his bijuu mode. But it was sufficient, as his speed greatly increased allowing him to get to the mansion on time.
Hinata you silly girl, why do you keep doing this? He asked in his mind, racing towards her location. Hinata had noticed his obvious fatigue and sent him away from confrontation with Mikasa, although by her safeguarding of his life, she might as well have sacrificed hers.
Why are you so intent on risking your life for mine?
"Sakura..." Hinata wheezed, straining to focus on her friend's face.
"Shhhh... it's okay" came Sakura's voice. She studied Hinata's arms, noting they were now broken. "You're pretty banged up, but help is here now. I'm going to fix you up and we can get back to dealing with Mikasa okay?"
"O-okay...thank you" came Hinata's reply.
Sakura went to work, drawing on her seal and healing Hinata as best as she could. She was starting to run low on chakra from all the fighting she had done that day, but she calculated she had just enough to atleast heal Hinata's arms while still being able to defend herself.
At the main entrance to the mansion, Sasuke engaged Mikasa with all the strength he could muster. Sakura had healed some of his more serious injuries prior to them rescuing Hinata, and she had replenished enough of his chakra to atleast hold his own in a fight.
The Uchiha clashed his sword with Mikasa's staff, sending sparks flying through the air. As they struggled against each other. He managed to detect her manifesting sharp spikes under his feet.
Leaping into the air, Sasuke barely evaded her attack and landed on his feet a few metres away, blood trickling from his eye.
[Amaterasu]
Mikasa's body was immediately engulfed in pitch black flames, burning with intensity. However, Sasuke could only watch as the fire seemed to get simply sucked into her skin.
"What were you seriously expecting to happen?" She asked, raising her arms to fire her weapons at him.
Meanwhile, Hinata had gotten healed enough to be able to sit upright. Beside her, Sakura struggled to catch her breath.
"I'm sorry but I can't get to the injured knee just yet, I'm exhausted"
Struggling and ultimately failing to get on her feet, Hinata replied her. "It's okay, I'll try to help with that"
She held her hands a few inches apart, focusing intensely on the space in-between. A tiny ball of chakra began to form, but it's form dissipated into the air as Hinata covered her eyes in pain.
"Hinata, you need to take it easy" Sakura placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're straining your eyes"
Hinata finally raised her head, looking around. As she strained her eyes to see, she discovered her vision had started to blur.
In the blink of an eye, a blur of orange streaked in front of the pair, coming to a stop a few metres away from them.
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata watched in disbelief as Naruto dispelled his form and hurried next to her.
"Hinata! Are you hurt?" He asked in a panic, checking her for wounds.
"Naruto, she's injured and out of action" Sakura answered his question. "Right now we have to deal with Mikasa"
"Right"
Naruto reached for Hinata's hand. "You need to stop playing lone wolf, we're going to take her down together"
Hinata looked over Naruto. "You were in no shape to fight her, even now. If I didn't do what I did you would've died"
"That's not for you to decide" Naruto replied. "I made you a promise Hinata, to protect you with my life." He took her cheek in his hand and continued, "I understood perfectly what I was signing up for when I came here to rescue you."
Gently stroking her cheek with his thumb, he met her blue eyes with his. "You've already done so much for me, I want to protect you too"
Hinata shifted her gaze to the ground, remorseful. "I...I can help"
Naruto's expression changed to one of frustration. "No. You're in no condition to fight, I-"
"No." Hinata cut him off. "There's something I can do, to help you deal with Mikasa."
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"Whatever it is you have planned, we have to hurry" Sakura stated, observing Sasuke battle Mikasa. The Uchiha had lunged at her with his sword, only for Mikasa to lodge it into the ground with her staff and retaliate with three strikes to Sasuke's jaw with it.
Hinata took Naruto' hands in hers. "I'm going to replenish your chakra"
"No, you don't have nearly enough reserves to do that"
Hinata shook her head. "I can make chakra for you. Chakra that she won't be able to absorb"
Confused, Naruto turned to Sakura who could only manage a shrug.
"It's a long story"
Hinata continued, her eyes closed in meditation. "My eyes are beginning to lose their sight, I can't fight effectively even if I wanted to...but you can"
Naruto felt a bead of sweat on his forehead. However he pushed himself to continue with her plan. "Okay, I understand"
Hinata nodded and turned to Sakura. "Sakura, I'll need a minute for this, like we did last time"
Sakura gave her a knowing nod, rising to her feet. "Right, I know what to do. Just leave it to me and Sasuke"
"Thank you...and please be safe" Hinata replied her friend.
As Sakura took off to aid Sasuke, Hinata began streaming chakra into her hands. Focusing all her effort, she gradually manifested chakra, channeling it straight into Naruto. The blonde felt his body slowly get reenergized, and even Kurama could feel it too. Hinata pressed forward, blood beginning to trickle from her eyes as her chakra cloak flickered into life. As she worked, Sakura and Sasuke did their best to stall Mikasa.
"What are those two up to?" Mikasa said to herself, still engaged in combat with the pair of Sakura and Sasuke.
Dodging a lunge from Sasuke, she grabbed his arm, shooting a rod straight through it as his sword clattered to the ground. Clenching his teeth in pain, Sasuke felt himself flung to the side with sufficient force.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura charged Mikasa, brimming with rage. She let fly several punches but they all misses their target, Mikasa expertly weaving away from her fists. Seeing a chance, she sent a blow to Sakura's midsection, whacking the back of her head with a staff and watching her slump to the ground. Mikasa's bent down to raise her up by the hair with one hand and slowly take off a few metres above the ground lifting her in the air with a hand on her neck.
"Your healing factor is impressive Sakura, Tsunade Senju taught you well"
Mikasa produced a swirling ball of chakra in her other hand, lifting it to Sakura's chest.
"Storing oceans of chakra and harnessing it for use in the future, it's incredible"
Sakura struggled and squirmed, but Mikasa's grip was iron. Slowly, the dark lines that crisscrossed Sakura's skin began to fade away, receding back into the seal on her forehead.
My chakra... it's being drained...
Satisfied, Mikasa released her jutsu. Pulling Sakura closer, she whispered to her.
"This time I'll be more thorough"
Sakura felt a sharp, sudden pain in her chest before she could react. Looking down to find a dark, metallic rod sticking out of her, she felt her body go limp as Mikasa finally released her from her death grip to plummet down to the earth below.
"Sakura!" Sasuke cried out, crawling to the spot she crashed. Eyes widening in horror, he caught sight of her impaled by Mikasa's weapon through the lung, blood starting to trickle from her mouth.
"Sakura, Sakura... look at me" Sasuke fought through his own agonizing pain, finally making it to her side. He reached for her, cradling her in his arms and was filled with hope at seeing she still had a pulse.
"We're going to get help okay, j-just hang in there" Sakura pleaded with her as he struggled to think of something to do. Suddenly, he was interrupted by a hand reaching up to gently hold his cheek.
"Sakura…" Sasuke looked down to see her smile up at him, struggling to speak.
"I….I…."
Feeling his eyes begin to water, he covered her hand with his, palm brushing over the ring on her finger as a small smile appeared on his lips.
"I know"
Gripping her hand tighter, Sasuke felt it slowly lose its energy, eventually slipping through his fingers and drop back to her side.
"S-Sakura….Saku…"
Sasuke watched her eyes close shut to allow a tear trickle down her face, and fail to reopen.
Gripping his head in his hand, he felt his breathing rapidly accelerate to the point he found it hard to even breathe anymore. As he collapsed on the ground next to his fiancee, the world around him seemed to fade away into obscurity, and nothing else mattered to the Uchiha.
Hinata struggled to infuse Naruto with as much chakra as she could, fighting the unbearable pain she felt in her eyes. Eventually, she was beginning to reach her limit. Still, she was unable to recreate the quality of her own chakra for him.
Hinata, it's enough
Hinata ignored Kurama's warning along with his use of her first name for the first time ever and pressed on. She knew deep down that she still had a way to go if she wanted to restore Naruto to his best, and it's not like she was going to use her powers for anything else after that. But her pain increased with her effort.
I can't keep on making chakra….I've still not gotten it right
"Hinata, what's wrong"
Struggling to regain her breath, she didn't give an answer right away,
"Talk to me Hinata, are you finished?"
Hinata remained silent, deep in thought. A few moments later, she tightened her grip on his hands, a small smile across her lips as she looked up at him.
"Give it your all, okay?"
Suddenly, the colour of the chakra surrounding her hands turned a deep purple, different from the orange of before. It felt different from what she had been infusing into him previously
This chakra, it's…. somehow familiar. Kurama noted.
Naruto could tell too. His injuries healed instantly, and he was even more invigorated than he had originally felt.
Eventually, the flow of chakra subsided, and Hinata collapsed into his arms, pale and exhausted.
"Hinata, are you okay" Naruto asked, holding her in his arms. He watched her open her to seemingly focus on something behind him, her blue irises replaced by pure white.
"I'm fine" she murmured before she finally passed out.
Naruto gently laid her on the ground to rest and rose to his feet. A loud crash behind him directed him to Sakura's body on the ground, with Sasuke hurrying to her side. Fearing the worst, he made to hurry to her side only to be interrupted by Mikasa landing in front of him.
"Uzumaki Naruto, hero of the fourth war…."
Naruto tightened his fists, feeling himself becoming overcome with anger. "What have you done"
"What was only necessary" Mikasa coolly replied. "But fret not, hero. You and your precious village….. I'll be sending you to the same place I sent her soon"
[Author's note]
Minor retcon in chapter 23]