Chapter 81.- Pulling the strings
"So, this is all the second Uchiha can do?!" One swing after another, the man kept shouting, trying to get a rise out of him. "Run away?!"
Not as slow as the usual trash…still far from enough.
"Come on!" It was clear the leader had no patience. "At this rate, I'll get bored!"
His grip on his brother's katana lightened. Until Kagome gave the signal, there was no choice but to be on the defensive. The sharingan kept track of the doll behind him. It was managing to stay ahead of the attacks of the gauntlet-wearing medic, but it wouldn't last much longer.
Ground broke under his feet, crimson followed the glint of sparks-covered steel as he took the shikigami in his arms and jumped. Doton techniques to shatter an enemy's foothold and thunder release to paralyze them. The two men were synchronized to boot. Strictly speaking, in terms of individual strength, not one of the Shichinintai could be considered a threat. But teamwork could shift the scales. His hold on the doll tightened. Juugo and Suigetsu would make sure to keep the other two at bay, but Sasuke still wasn't sure who his third opponent was. By this time, most, if not all, of the shikigamis Kagome took with her had likely been destroyed. The girl must've found a way to keep them fighting on the back.
Impatience licked at his feet with every missed attack, the sun was high enough in the sky, Konoha's team should've arrived already, but the black ladybug hidden under his haori's collar had yet to react So his brother was still waiting on the sidelines making this a waiting game.
Regrouping was to be their next move.
Creating shikigamis wasn't exactly taxing, but the more complex, the more time it took. That's why the girl bothered to salvage this one from the wreck of their Suna mission. Allowing the doll to be destroyed could cause inconveniences. They'd come marching right into a trap, there was not a single doubt in his mind that every single one of their movements was being monitored, so they had to be careful on not showing their full hand. However, no matter who the coward hiding in the shadows was, confirming her mastery over the jutsu shouldn't change this fight's pace. Not having to worry about the doll would make it easier to prolong this farce.
Another hit forced another jump.
Back towards the long set of stone stairs that made up the main entrance. So determined to destroy his footing. He'd danced to their tune for far too long, it really was about time to start hitting back.
"Return."
Fake azure looked up at him, searching for confirmation before giving a respectful nod. Reiki whirled around the doll, leaving behind only a thin piece of paper caught between his fingers as he landed in front of the first step. Surprise forced his enemies to falter.
"That…wasn't a clone." The man with green marks on his face glanced at the compound.
"Oh, I see. The Higurashi is fighting on the other side." A stupid smirk was painted on the leader's face. "Damn, here I wanted to get a taste of her, let's hope Jakotsu doesn't tear into her too badly."
"It's funny you actually believe any of you can touch her."
"What? You think you can win against us just because you have one more free hand?"
Kagome didn't need anyone to protect her; she'd always been able to keep up with him. He was proud of her strength. But he could still feel vile rising up his throat at the crude shinobi's words. His grip on his blade tightened. Poisons, genjutsu, long-range attacks, the girl had an arsenal wide enough for her to handle any bastard who dared to try and touch her. But he wanted to rip Bankotsu's tongue out and force the bleeding piece of flesh down his throat for saying even half of her name. There was nothing he could do about the silver-haired entitled assholes from the Taisho clan; the kunoichi wanted the family's favor, so he'd stomped on all his aggression. This person, though, one of the many idiots who thought they could take them out, wasn't important to their plan. If he broke his bones one by one before finally slicing his neck, nothing would go awry.
Biting his tongue, Sasuke pulled back, pushing not enough chakra into the blade as he blocked the halberd's swing. Hoshigake Kisame was comparable to a monster, so if they wanted to keep him busy, they needed as much chaos going on when Akatsuki entered the scene as possible. Killing the leader right now was likely to send the others away.
Itachi had been after Naruto, Konoha's team would keep the shark-like man's attention, but the odds of the jinchuuriki's survival would be worse the fewer people were involved in this mess. His brother was their main priority. Everything else could wait, but the last thing Sasuke wanted was to upset her again. Flames left his lips as he turned, forcing the loud medic to take a step back.
There would be time for that later on.
Whitin the slowed-down world of his perception, he could see the two nins that attacked them in Suna, rushing to the entrance of the ruins.
Good, it wouldn't be long now.
Dark hallways went on for what felt like an eternity. And yet, Naruto barely had the time to breathe as he followed his childhood friend through the maze-like underground tunnels, even as every single surface was covered with reiki and made the fox sealed inside him stir.
Pure, genuine panic was hiding under the girl's surface, the blond was sure of it. Because while nowhere close to Sasuke's accuracy when it came to reading her, it would've been impossible to miss how she almost bolted as soon as the ground closed above them. Probably because Naruto hadn't been entirely correct in his assumption that the Uchiha forced the girl to come to this place. After all, these weren't the usual bounty hunters going after the runaway heirs. Whoever hired these people had to be after the Higurashi clan for generations, making it unlikely they'd magically stop hunting the clan's only survivor. Somehow, they had a unique poison that even Kagome failed to make an antidote for. The girl was just too cautious to let it be.
Questions were pounding his brain, though, since nothing about this cleared the confusion her genjutsu left him with.
He wanted to stop her and ask for explanations. Real ones, but one glance behind him reminded him to force back those words. Now that he thought about it, the blond couldn't remember ever meeting either Yamato-taicho or Sai in the village, even though his career as a prankster meant he got a good look at most of Konoha and its citizens. Tsunade-baachan had assigned them, so it's not like they could be spies from other countries who suddenly appeared within the village's walls…then again, Kabuto had lived in Konoha for years and had been working for that freak Orochimaru all along. It's not like Kagome had ever been overly paranoid; she wouldn't bring up something pointless out of baseless fear. However, no matter how hard he thought about this, the blond couldn't figure out what her words were supposed to mean.
He could use some of Hinata-chan's insight right about now.
"You really want us to believe all that nonsense?" Sakura's voice broke his train of though, it had only gained more irritation the more Kagome explained things.
"Trust me or don't, I wouldn't dream of dictating your actions, Haruno-san," the blue-eyed girl replied, as polite as always. "That said, pray tell, what would I gain by lying here?"
"It's obvious, isn't it? You're trying to keep Sasuke away from m…us."
"Exterminating both your group of hunters and us should be an adequate motivation for someone like you." Sai's words almost caused him to stumble. "Treason is not an anomaly for a traitor."
Naruto turned before he could think twice, left hand grasping a rough black collar, right fist ready to fly. This fucking…since they fell to the tunnels, Sai had been throwing not-so-subtle insults towards the girl, and the jinchuuriki gritted his teeth and pretended not to understand what it all meant. Kagome could deal with insults. Diplomacy and word games had always been her thing, the last person she needed help from was the prankster. But Sai was getting on his damn nerves. Yamato-taicho could do his scary voice trick, but fuck if Naruto wouldn't end this day with at least one solid —
Loud laughter froze his arm, halfway in its way to the asshole's face.
"Oh, dear, here I thought Sasuke was bad at social interactions." Delicate fingers closed around his wrist as Kagome lightly pushed him away from the pale jerk Naruto had to call a teammate. She looked amused. "Smiling requires more facial muscles than one might initially think; the intensity of one also varies drastically, depending on the situation and people around you, see?" In a heartbeat, her face brightened, light amusement turning into unrestrained joy that almost fooled him. Had he not known her since childhood, he might've been believed it, but as he thought, the fake grin lasted only a second before fading into a calm, slightly entertained smile. "Besides, a person's intonation will ebb and flow as someone talks. If you don't consider it, all you'll achieve is make everyone around you feel uncomfortable.
"Well, that just goes to show what isolation can do," she said, taking a few steps back without turning. "Sai, was it? Funny, I thought I knew most shinobis our age, but I'm certain I've never seen your face before." Spinning on her heel, the girl took a turn, straight into a dead end and cutting her palm with a hidden senbon. Her blood traced a quick symbol on the stone, causing it to move, creating an opening. "In any case, since the circumstances have changed, I'll have to ask you all to stay behind until the Shichinintai's poison user has been neutralized. It won't take long."
"As long as you give your word not to turn on us." Their captain spoke, voice stern.
"Right, I suppose a level of distrust can't be helped, all things considered." With a sigh, the girl nodded. "You have my word; my team won't aim at you, provided we receive the same courtesy. At least until the mercenaries are dealt with."
"Wait, Kagome!"
Before he could try to say something else, slender arms wrapped around him, surrounding him with an old, familiar warmth. He had to stop the girl and get her to talk to him. Once they got into the fight, his chance to get answers would be lost; Kagome was too smart to not have an escape plan ready.
"Careful, you don't want to alert those who pull the strings; you can't rush it." Her voice was barely a whisper, her face hidden as she hugged him. Louder, she continued. "Sasuke won't mess up his priorities, and if it looks like he'll do something stupid, I'll handle him, so…can I ask you to watch my back once more?"
This time, her grin was real, a little forced, but far more genuine than her polite smile had been until now. After three years of silence, she was asking him to be patient. Really, just how unfair was that? But if she was right then, Kakashi-sensei had kept just as silent as his two childhood friends. Despite the time that had passed, no one even tried to share a sliver of information, and he couldn't deny that there was a chance he was never meant to find out the truth. It took a traitor and an assassination attempt for him to learn about the Kyuubi. He'd wanted to trust the people who'd stuck with him during the darkest years of his life, and for once, it looked like he could finally make some progress.
"You bet!" Was his cheerful reply.
Fire exploded at his right.
Suigetsu cursed as he melted around the shrapnel. This is why he didn't do mercy. Killing, he enjoyed; torture he could handle, but fighting while trying to make sure his opponent didn't accidentally die was bullshit.
Normal civilian weaponry may have some decent power, but it was slow as fuck. Even a madman like Orochimaru didn't bother to try his hand at making bizarre hybrids like the idiot in front of him. So not only did he have to hold back with his attacks, but he also had to pretend he was barely able to dodge all those projectiles. All he got from this was having to endure an honestly absurd level of heat as explosions surrounded him. Failure wasn't an option. The princess' patience wasn't nearly as eternal as she pretended it was, and he was already on thin ice as it was. If he messed up this overly complicated ass plan, she was sure to look for a target for her frustration, and Sasuke would give her Suigetsu's head on a silver platter before he had the time to blink if he thought that would appease her. Jealous bastard would probably even be happy about it.
Aiming way too much to the left the ex-Kiri nin swung his sword.
Hoarse and mechanical, a groan filled the air.
Just how incompetent were these Konoha people? The girl had confirmed the team's position before they entered the ruins, so it's not like they miscalculated the distance. At this rate, he wasn't sure how useful this pile of scrap metal would be before he got the signal, and there was no way that was gonna count as not fucking up. Forcing back a shiver, Suigetsu liquified as a new barrage of projectiles pierced through him, half-destroying the walls behind him.
Violence was just another part of life for those who lived in this world. And to someone under the care of someone like Orochimaru, living off of violence was a requirement for survival. It was something the teen could handle, so when the snake's precious vessel stabbed him in the back, the former Kiri nin didn't hesitate to join the younger boy's hunt. There was cruelty living inside the Uchiha, but it was fairly well contained so long as the girl wasn't involved. Higurashi Kagome had played her part well, docile; she'd vanished in the background like a decorative doll whose only value came from her bloodline. Suigetsu's survival instincts were always strong though, and he knew there was no way in hell the princess was a kind person. In a place where empathy had to be strangled, dismembered, and thrown off a cliff, Kagome became the madman and the doctor's medical assistant. For as saintly and gentle as she acted, the girl was as poisonous a flower as it got.
It was only for an instant, but he'd frozen at the feeling of her killing intent.
Because unlike most shinobis, including Sasuke, her violence lacked brutality. That blood lust of hers was cold and uncaring, hidden so well it was impossible to feel it unless she allowed it. The Uchiha would tear his head from his shoulders, but the pacifist and oh-so-gentle Higurashi would keep him alive until he was begging for death, feeling nothing as he pleaded to be killed.
He'd seen her go through the process before.
"Fucking hell," Suigetsu yelled.
Pain burst in his shoulder. Blood filled his mouth as he bit down. This was not the time to get distracted. It's not like he hadn't known that dealing with the Uchiha was likely the same as making a deal with the devil. The only thing that changed was the identity of the person holding his chain, and as long as he pulled his weight, he'd be given quite a bit of free rein. As far as deals went, this one wasn't that bad.
Rushing through seals, water formed around him, a wave washing against his mechanical opponent. A broken weapon or two should be justifiable.
With the faded colors of the walls around them, there was no missing the bright blue of the three butterflies dancing in circles.
"About damn time!" He grinned.
This wouldn't be the confrontation he was willing to sell his soul for, but he wasn't about to fuck this up just when he managed to keep this pile of metal alive after struggling so much. However, this would give him a decent chance to test his skill against the real Hoshigake Kisame. The copy from Suna had been strong, but still manageable with Sasuke's help. He could feel his blood pumping. How much stronger would his senior be without the jutsu's restraint. Not quite what he'd bargained for, but a good enough taste. Gripping the hilt of his second, Suigetsu raced forward, liquifying around the projectiles without topping. His swings were shallow and just strong enough to push the human weapon back to where they came from. The loud sound of walls shattering was all he needed to know, Juugo had gotten the signal and was well on his way.
Struggling machinery failed to stand his ground.
Uchiha Sasuke could kill the ex-Kiri nin, and Higurashi Kagome would destroy his mind. But there was a reason out of all the test subjects inside the facilities, Orochimaru's precious successors agreed to take him with them. He wasn't about to lose here.
One after another, life just loved to throw unexpected hurdles at her.
Frustration welled up inside her. Being able to adjust her plans around those potential disasters didn't make things any easier to digest, but at least her irritation was doing a great job of keeping her nerves at bay. Everything has a price; finding out the link between the man in the baboon pelt and that poison was well worth the risk that came with not retreating. Besides, as long as their replacement within Konoha's team could follow simple instructions, everyone should be able to make it out alive.
Glancing around at the compound's entrance, the girl allowed restless fingers to play with the flash bombs hidden inside her sleeves.
Juugo and Suigetsu's fights had destroyed a good portion of the buildings on the outer ring, making the wide gap between the start of the stone steps and the actual compound even bigger. A white desert that'd make any intruders an easy target. Sasuke and the others had managed to position themselves on the steps' landing; if the Shichinintai decided to try and flee, they'd be forced to go through the Higurashi compound. Now, all Kagome needed was for the Konoha shinobis to cross the gap and stay put until the still-missing poison user was dealt with. Of course, considering how slow they were, she'd have to create a diversion.
"For fucks sake, stop moving!"
"It hurts, you bastard!"
"Do you want me to heal you or not?!"
Mentally calculating the number of bombs she'd need, Kagome caught a glimpse of pale skin behind the tree line closest to the steps. The ANBU and Haruno were Tsunade-hime's pieces, they had to survive if she wanted to delay any official head hunt. Having Sasuke remain behind would help ensure Naruto's well-being. The unknown shinobi, however…biting her tongue, the girl slipped one more bomb into her right hand. It wouldn't surprise her if whoever ordered the Uchiha massacre likely decided to finish the job, tie loose ends. Death wasn't an uncommon outcome for a high-ranking mission…then again, just because she couldn't fully take over a piece didn't mean she couldn't make use of it.
"…up outnumbered. I'm telling you, they planned for this."
"Konoha wasn't supposed to be involved with them anymore!"
Not one of the mercenaries seemed to have noticed Sasuke had stopped attacking, content with staying back and letting Juugo and Suigetsu deal with their original opponents. Really, out of the six she could see, four of them were too busy talking among themselves. She hummed, letting the bombs roll around in her palm; her reputation all but ensured their enemies would underestimate her, but this had to be the first time the Uchiha was so obviously not taken seriously. Whether these people were more careless than she thought or Sasuke's image was starting to suffer from their silence. It had been quite a while since they killed Orochimaru. Succeeding here would mean they'd be busy for some time after, but there was still quite a number of acceptable targets for them to pack.
Perhaps it was time for them to make another big move.
After this mess was over and done with.
Chakra flowed through her arm, the arc of the bombs making its peak right above the mercenaries. White light exploded, consuming the entrance with a loud bang.
Sasuke's chakra signature guided her as she jumped down, a beacon as she crossed the gap between them in a flash. Curses rose through the air, deftly ignored as she felt her borrowed pieces move. For how long they'd remain obedient was questionable, but at least it seemed they were too wary to ignore her warning about the unknown poison. She could work with that. The girl's hand found the familiar warmth of her lover, slender fingers quick to intervene with his and tightened her grip in a short pattern. His coded reply was filled with tension, but no protest left his lips as the light died out and revealed the battlefield's new status.
"Shit!" Impatient, loud, that had to be their leader. "Mukotsu!"
Precious few pieces were under her direct control, but they were more than effective. Reiki pulsed and echoed as the parchments she'd passed them before entering the ruins were stabbed into the ground, blades piercing through blood-inked seals. Bright pink shimmered around her, the barrier solid against the dark blue smoke colliding against it. The huff that left her was filled with annoyance as her suspicions were confirmed. She'd known they were being watched in Suna, but this was beyond shameless. Because it was obvious they thought they could recreate the scenario of her failure. Then again, perhaps using other people's survival to chain down a Higurahsi's movements wasn't that much of a stretch when it came to strategies.
"Huh, so Konoha is here." They weren't trying to cross through the poison gas, but they could always be wary of her shield instead of counting with antidotes. "And I guess this one's the real deal too."
"I figured it was only fair to even the playing field a little. Seven on four doesn't give the best odds." Deep azure strained to identify the new figure within her opponent's lineup without getting up from her place, her knees touching the ground, hand closed around the sword Sasuke placed in her hand only a second ago, its blade piercing through a seal parchment.
Violet eyes went over her before looking at the group behind her. The Shichinintai's leader was far from the most renowned strategist, but it was clear he was a decisive leader. It shouldn't be hard for him to notice how disjointed her group was. From those in Konoha's team, only Naruto wasn't glancing around, trying to see through the thick smoke. Sasuke hadn't moved from his spot, standing a few paces behind her, but Juugo and Suigetsu were keeping a careful distance from their friendlier hunters without leaving the safety of her shield. This wasn't a cohesive unit, but she didn't need one.
"Alright, looks like this is as far as this goes." Bankotsu's voice was tight, but the cocky smirk hadn't disappeared from his face. "Tell you what, all we need is the Uchiha's head. We'll spare everyone else here, so just save us some time and get rid of this thing, doll. You'll run out of chakra sooner or later."
"You've lost it, if you think I'd ever let you get anywhere close to Sasuke-kun, try it and…!"
"So, you weren't left completely in the dark, after all." Standing up, the Higurashi kept her fingers around the blade. "I'll admit, my pride took quite the hit, being cornered like that by Sasori. Being stuck maintaining a barrier while someone else has to fight is quite frustrating. But let me give you a piece of advice…we don't fall for the same trap twice." With a flourished move, the girl let go, giving a faint wave. "Also, reiki is far more flexible than most people give it credit to. Aside from healing, we were also known for warding."
"You think you can outlast us?" Renkotsu glare was warier now, but he was still underestimating her.
"One after the other," Sasuke scoffed. "None of them have any common sense."
"Coward! Fight fairly!"
"Unoriginal is more accurate if you ask me." The girl laughed, playing along with Naruto's outrage. "Not that it'll make a difference."
"Kagome," Sasuke warned.
"I know, I know," she smiled at him. "Just give me a minute."
Deliberately, the girl walked to the edge of the barrier, crossing it with slow steps. Her lungs burned as she breathed in the smoke, the smell pungent, almost like ammonia. Fast acting. Even her eyes felt like acid had been splashed on her as she feared up, and when she wiped the liquid pouring down her cheeks, her fingers were stained crimson. Maybe a couple of minutes.
"Stop playing around, Kagome."
"Sorry, sorry, it's just this one's interesting." She could see red eyes narrowed at her response; he'd always hated it when she let herself get hurt. Not wanting to stress him out, she turned to look at the short man dressed in white as reiki flowed through her body. "Let me remind you, medical ninjutsu is the Higurashi clan's specialty, which means…I can't be killed by poison." Constant healing was more tiring than regular healing. Kabuto was adamant about extending her endurance, no matter how much pain the process entailed. "The bright purple one should do the work. Suigetsu, Juugo, pass the extra doses around, will you? I did give my word."
"Mukotsu," the leader pressed; he was starting to feel out of balance, it seemed.
"I'll just change the poison…"
"There's no way I'll let you kill anyone here." Glancing back at the ANBU within her midst. "That'd ruin my plans."
It only took a heartbeat for her to close the gap once more. Her tanto pierced the short shinobi's chest before any of the mercenaries could move or try to stop her. They were moving fast now, though, trying to aim at her as the shrieking scream of the man in front of her shattered the silence. Poison was always too big of a variable anyway. Getting rid of him might be for the best.
Kakashi-senpai warned him.
Out of all of his students, Higurashi Kagome was by no means weaker than her original teammates. While the others could overpower her with pure, raw strength, the girl was the fastest out of the three. And she'd been the first to make a kill.
He shouldn't have been surprised to see the kunoichi vanish only to reappear in the middle of the Shichinintai, the glint of a bloodied blade protruding from the short man's chest. Even though the haze of the poisonous smoke. Yamato could see the ease of her movements; her expression remained polite, a faint smile on her lips, despite how her enemies were turning around, spurred by the high-pitched scream of their companion. As if she was in complete control of the situation.
"Receiving immediate medical attention right now should save his life." At her words, all incoming attacks stopped. "Now then, there's one more thing I've found being lately, you see…that poison your employer gifted you is one I've seen before, but I've yet to get a pure sample. I'm sure those smoke bombs weren't the only type you received. Smoke is so unwieldy. All you have to do is give me a dose I can work with, and I'll be happy to step away."
"Give her the damn thing, Mukotsu," Bankotsu hurried to say.
"Wait, if you do that…!"
"Fuck off, Renkotsu!" Ah, so the team wasn't quite as united as it seemed. "I said, give her the stupid poison!"
Black eyes could only watch as trembling fingers went to search through his clothes.
Glancing at the girl's companions, none of them looked surprised, in fact, the Uchiha had a satisfied smirk as the sharingan observed every movement. The situation had changed; that's what she'd mentioned before.l And yet, it was clear that Kagome had managed to get something valuable out of this. The girl was the strategist; she was pulling the strings of every member of her group, and was proving herself more than capable of doing the same to her enemies. And now, he could fully understand exactly why Shikamaru and Kakashi-senpai were so adamant about not letting her establish first contact with Uchiha Itachi.
A quick movement caught his eye as the three runaway ninjas rushed to shoot the bright purple antidote as soon as a small vial fell on the Higurashi's hand. Stomping down on his wariness, pushing the needle into his arm. They still didn't know how much the clan heirs, the antidote had to be real, if only to avoid getting Konoha on their trail. Forcefully taking the girl from the fight would deal damage to their credibility so if he wanted her to be willing to hear Tsunade-sama's offer, they'd have to help out as much as they could. Nodding to his team, the boys followed suit, and the ANBU almost cursed out loud as the pinkette hesitated.
Everyone in the village knew of the medic's infatuation with the Uchiha, Godaime-sama even armed him to be cautious about it. He wasn't prepared for the level of animosity she was showing the other kunoichi. Negotiations were already precarious as it was without getting the Higurashi severely injured.
"Sakura!" he barked out. "Focus on the mission!"
"R-right!"
A/N: Sorry for the short delay, I was feeling a bit under the weather this week, and then I spent half a day trying to figure out why my e-mail notifications were not working before realizing it was a more general problem with
As always thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/comment/criticism is greatly greatly appreciated…I'll do my best to manually check them since it looks like the notification issue may take a while.