Chapter Seven
"All right everyone, that's a wrap for this morning," Akemi called out to the various kunoichi that made up the White Kitsune. The order once had consisted of hundreds of midwives and healers trained to assist with fertility issues maternal care. As of this morning, Sakura, Hinata, Konan, Ino, Hanabi, and about a half dozen other apprentices were all that was left of the once proud order. Count your blessings, had you died when you were supposed to, no one would be here, and the order would be extinct. What seed was planted in this dojo today would hopefully spread on the wind and grow.
"Excuse me, Lady Hyūga," a soft voice came from the dojo's entrance. Akemi turned to see Tenten. "Tenten, good morning. What brings you here."
The girl stared with fear and tears in her eyes. Tenten was training as part of the order until her pregnancy had occurred – Akemi hoped she would rejoin after the baby was born. "I'm not sure," the girl's voice shook, "I didn't know who else to talk to… I'm worried something might be wrong with…"
"The baby?" Akemi finished for her. Poor girl, clearly not ready for motherhood, much less the fallout with her parents.
Tenten nodded with forlorn eyes, "I've been feeling incredibly sick that past few days, barely able to keep anything down, and I just feel… off!"
"Ladies, it seems we have a last-minute lesson for the day; somebody pull up a chair, please," Akemi commanded. Hinata and Hanabi pulled a chair from the side of the dojo and had Tenten sit. "Hanabi," Akemi decided today would be an important test.
"Yes?"
"Perform your history and evaluation."
"Mother?" Hanabi queried.
"It's time to put what you have learned to the test." To Hanabi's credit, she did take a thorough history and did perform the appropriate exams. "What is your assessment?" Akemi asked as the girl finished.
"All told, it appears to be morning sickness. The mother's vital signs are all well within normal and her chakra signature appears normal for an early pregnancy." There was visible relief on Tenten's face.
"What would your recommended follow up be?" Akemi asked.
Hanabi rubbed her chin and stared at Tenten, "Ideally, coordinate with her OB/GYN," she shrugged, "Send for blood labs to rule out anemia, gestational diabetes, or infection. Otherwise, recommend avoiding known food triggers, and try ginger tea to reduce the nausea."
"Highest marks," Akemi replied, with a nod to her younger daughter. "Although I'd recommend basic urinalysis as well." Akemi turned to her other daughter, "Hinata, please see to getting Tenten scheduled with me for medical follow up."
"Certainly," Hinata took Tenten by the hand, "This way." She guided her friend away.
"Everyone else, you are dismissed, and I'll see you tomorrow," Akemi paused, "Hanabi, would you stay after, please?"
As the other apprentices filed out of the dojo, Hanabi crossed her arms. "So, got something on your mind, sensei?" She only does that
"Hanabi, I know about you wanting to quit," Akemi said, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
"What about it?" her girl shrugged.
"You are one of my best students," Akemi pleaded, "within a year you'd be fully qualified as a nurse-midwife." Do it, don't do it? "A few years you could be a medical-nin."
"I know mom, and it's been fun," Hanabi seemed all the more disinterested, "but to what end?"
"Hanabi, you and any children you might have no longer have a claim to this clan," Akemi delicately reminded her of the consequence of losing her challenge against Hinata around five years ago. "Your sister pays you great respect, but remember you are no longer a princess in anything but name."
"Jeez, rub it in why don't you," Hanabi sassed as she turned to walk away.
"Hanabi, you're almost an adult now," she shook her head, "the clan's wealth will not be at your disposal in a few years. Even if you continue to live in the compound, you will need to support yourself."
"All because Grandpa filled my head with delusions of grandeur," Hanabi replied with bitterness.
"Hanabi, had Hinata lost, she would have face even worse," Akemi's mind rewound to the day Hinata had made a blood wager with Hattori Hyūga, "She wasn't even thirteen and facing the prospect of being thrown out of this house and having to make her own way in this world."
"And I get cut off on my sweet sixteen; at least I still have a place to call home, right?" Hanabi shook her head, "At least I have one thing."
"You still have your father, your sister, and me; Hanabi," Akemi reminded.
"Gee, thanks," she huffed.
"If not this, then what?" Akemi asked.
"I don't know, maybe go on real missions like a real shinobi," she replied.
Akemi reserved her words. Prior to the war, Hanabi had gone on very few actual missions compared to Hinata, and she'd gone on even less since war's end. Even among the rank and file, more and more shinobi were dropping to reservist status and taking civilian jobs as serious missions became rarer and more competitive to vie for. "Hanabi…"
"Mother," Hinata interrupted as she reentered the dojo, "I'm afraid I need to speak to you and Hanabi."
As Hinata walked Tenten back toward the main house, Naruto, Sakura, Konohamaru, and Sasuke greeted her on the way in. "Hinata, may we talk?" Naruto asked, with a mask of seriousness glued to his face.
"Of course, has something happened?"
"Yes, but we can't discuss here, can we go somewhere private?"
"We can go to the clan leader's quarters."
"Hinata," Sakura added, "are your mom and sister here?"
"We just finished practice. They're in the dojo."
Naruto exchanged a look with Sakura and then Sasuke, "Get them, meet us there."
Okay, this is weird. Hinata turned back to see Konan coming toward the house, "Konan, a favor please?"
"Anything," The other girl said.
"Can you please make arrangements with Mom's office to see Tenten as soon as possible?"
"Of course," Konan took Tenten by the hand, "This way."
Hinata rushed back to the dojo, walking in on what looked like a heated discussion between Mom and Hanabi. "You still have your father, your sister, and me; Hanabi," Mom sounded like she was trying to reassure Hanabi. Things had been tense between the two lately.
"Gee, thanks," Hanabi responded, anything but placated.
"If not this, then what?" Akemi asked.
"I don't know, maybe go on real missions like a real shinobi," Hanabi replied in a short, unimpressed tone.
Mom looked ready to chastise Hanabi. The fact that she showed restraint was a testament to Mom's character. Hanabi lately had been more and more disagreeable as she moved through her teen years. She's still young enough and inexperienced enough to know how the world works. "Hanabi…" Mom began
"Mother, I'm afraid I need to speak to you and Hanabi," Hinata interrupted the heated conversation.
"Is something wrong?" Mom asked.
"I'm not sure, but we need to meet my team in the clan leader's quarters," Hinata shook her head. Mother and Hanabi maintained an uneasy silence as they walked the familiar halls of the compound.
Hinata understood where Hanabi was coming from. She was fourteen, fifteen in a few months. Hinata had chafed under the expectations of being a clan leader while secretly being a KIB/ANBU operative at that age. Hinata remembered too well being looked down on as a child while going on missions of importance some jonin would never go on.
On the other hand, Mom was right to be concerned. Hanabi was not focused on anything as of late. While she had seen action during the war and its lead up, Hanabi lacked the experience needed to form good judgement in the field – something that had been the undoing of many young shinobi. Furthermore, Hanabi had spent her childhood as a princess insulated from consequences. Now, her childhood was rapidly ending, and the consequences of adulthood would come without mercy. Even years later, the consequences of Grandfather's machinations are present as ever!
Upon reaching the clean leader's quarters, Hinata sat on a couch between Naruto and Sakura in the living room. Mom, Hanabi, and Konohamaru sat on the couch opposite the coffee table. Notably, Sasuke stood back from the group, leaning against the wall. Still standing away. "So, what do we need to talk about so urgently," Hinata asked.
"It's…" Naruto strained. His face contorted like he'd bit into a lemon.
"We received the green light to go on the mission," Sakura carefully omitted the details of where they were going.
"Oh, where to?" Hanabi asked.
"That is strictly need-to-know," Sasuke replied deadpan, "and you don't need to know."
"However, it does place us in a rather awkward position," Naruto interjected.
"Awkward how?" Mom asked.
"Hinata, Mom activated you out of reserve status for this mission," Naruto said. "Unfortunately, that means we need some kind of diversion to throw off whomever is stalking you."
"I don't like where this is heading," Hinata said.
"Nor do any of us," Sasuke added. "Lady Hyūga," he turned to Mom, "you, Konohamaru, and Hanabi would play a central role as a diversion for this mission."
"Me, how?" Mom asked.
"As much as we objected to the idea, Konohamaru did have the sound idea of him impersonating Naruto and Hanabi impersonating Hinata," Sakura kept her head low – she'd been the only one to openly support the plan at first.
"What changed?" Hinata asked as she stared at Sasuke then Naruto.
"Cost of admission," Naruto replied. "We might be approaching a truly hazardous location through hazardous territory." He shook his head, "We can't afford to be followed."
"So, we pretend to be you…" Hanabi said with fascination.
"And yes, we pretend to be you and Konohamaru," Naruto finished, "at least until we get well outside the village."
"Sweet!" Hanabi screeched.
"Hanabi," Naruto raised a finger, "remember you are impersonating your sister, and someone immensely powerful is stalking her." He turned to face Konohamaru, "Your mandate is to draw him away, not to take him down!"
"What is my role in this?" Mom asked.
"Two major roles," Konohamaru finally spoke, "One, Naruto and Hinata have been taking care of Akane lately. Hanabi and I aren't exactly parent material yet; Lady Kushina asks if you would look after Akane when she can't."
"I'm honored to do so," Akemi replied, "What is the second point?"
"Your other role is to look after these two and make sure they don't impersonate Naruto or Hinata too closely," Sasuke formed he faintest smirk as he spoke.
"Keep them from doing each other or anything else stupid; I think I can manage!" Mom chuckled.
"Mom!" Hanabi protested.
"This is a real mission, Hanabi," Akemi raised a finger to silence her daughter, "and I'm the commander of our part of this end," she locked eyes with Naruto, and he nodded in affirmation. "If you wanted excitement, you got it," she turned back to Hanabi.
"When do we leave?" Hinata asked.
"Tomorrow," Naruto answered. "We need to come up with a plan for these two the spend a few days looking and acting like us."
"How long are you gone for?" Hanabi asked.
"Hopefully not more than a few days," Naruto replied. Hinata hoped so, board scores would be posted in a few days.
The air nipped at Naruto despite being properly dressed for the now early November morning. The border to the defunct Land of Sound stared him in the face. Unlike prior crossings the group would be using the official border checkpoint over a wide creek into a wooded area.
"Halt," the Shinobi Union border guard ordered as they approached.
Naruto held up their travel documents in plain sight, "By special order of the Fifth Hokage and with approval of the five kages, we are here on official business." The border guard reviewed the paperwork as well as checked everyone's IDs. By now, they were far enough from Konoha that Hinata and he and dropped their transformations as Hanabi and Konohamaru. Still wish there was an alternative to them parading around as us. Naruto had objected to mom and Kakashi, but they reminded him it would mean sending a different team on this assignment – he had to see this through.
"Please be sure to observe all precautions while in the Land of Sound," the guard handed him back. "Everyone leaving will be subject to search; any item being removed must be declared and submitted for official inspection."
"Understood," Naruto replied for his group. Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura nodded in affirmation. The guard opened the barricade and they walked across the bridge across a wide creek. As they reached the opposite bank, Naruto's back tightened as he observed the level of rot that had set in on the Land of Sound side versus the Land of Fire side of the bridge. The glass in the guard post was missing, and all exposed metal flaked with red and orange corrosion. Beyond the guard post, the guardhouse fared little better. The concrete construction, meant to withstand explosives, crumbled as the insidious march of water and wind eroded long cracks into the once-solid structure. The metal grate covering the window, too, was corroded so badly that holes had formed in the lattice, and what glass remaining behind it was dirty and broken.
As they marched down the trail, Naruto activated his Byakugan. Forest life had returned to this area, after being eerily absent their last foray over the border. Thankfully, there were no signs of human occupation this side of the border. He pulled out the map and surveyed their course. "This way," they moved without concern for stealth. As they moved along, a misty rain began to fall, adding to the chill in the November air. All four of them wore similar black and olive-drab field uniforms as had been standard during the war. In spite of wearing the sweater that the outfit came with, all of them shivered as they marched along.
They had nearly reached their destination when they encountered what might have been human remains. Between decay and animal predation, the bones were stripped down clean, and the rain washed down the latest layer of mud and dust that had accumulated.
"There it is," Sasuke's quivering voice nearly caused Naruto to jump. Naruto looked up to see an inauspicious hole in the ground.
"You recognize it?" Naruto asked.
"I wish I could forget," Sasuke shivered.
"Maybe you should stand guard out here, then." Naruto knew all too well the horrors Sasuke had endured while a resident here – physical torture, mental/psychological manipulation, and sexual abuse.
"No," Sasuke rolled his thumb over his fingers, "I have to do this!"
"Sasuke!" Sakura protested, "You absolutely don't have to do this, especially…"
"Sakura, please!" he begged. Sasuke doesn't beg easily.
"Sasuke, we can leave at any time," Hinata reassured him.
"Thank you," he whispered through a strained throat.
"Sasuke, are there any known hazards meant to stop intruders?" Naruto asked.
"Shouldn't be, but be on your guard all the same," he whispered as he descended the hole into the underground bunker.
"Hinata, keep an eye on him," Naruto spoke through their linked chakra.
"If he becomes violent, I'm assuming you want me to paralyze him?" she replied.
"Nothing permanent, but if he loses his grip on reality, our first priority is our safety then his."
"Agree." Hinata nodded as they followed Sasuke down the hole.
The tight band constricting Sasuke's bladder twisted impossibly tighter as the musty smell of damp concrete and dust hit him as the group transitioned from cavern to tunnel. He flicked on his flashlight to see the utilitarian tunnel showing considerable signs of water infiltration. The base had never been comfortable, and no effort had been made to turn it into a home. To the Akatsuki, the place had been a place to fall asleep when not on assignment and nothing else.
Water ran down the sloping hallway, following cracks in the concrete floor like tiny rivers that would one day flood the passages below, if they hadn't already done so. "Stay sharp, this place is falling apart," Sasuke warned.
Hinata activated her Byakugan, "The lowermost level is flooded."
"Most of that was living quarters," Sasuke said with a shake of his head, "you wouldn't have found much there, anyhow." His eyes focused on the rooms ahead, "The… lab…"
"Sasuke, you don't have to do this," Sakura annoyingly reminded as she took his arm.
"The lab is this way!" he shook his arm loose. I have to do this! He walked into the darkness illuminated only by flashlight. It had only been two and a half years since he'd been here, but the place looked like it had been abandoned for decades. The metal floor grates were rusting, and the concrete and steel walls were blackening with mold and mildew stains. Each step closer to the destination, the decay grew worse.
Sasuke's throat tightened as the door came into sight. The base held no fond memories, but the rooms beyond held memories best left forgotten. "It's in here," he spoke with a gravelly voice, desperately trying to keep at bay how shit-scared he was of anything beyond. What's not to be scared of? You were only tortured within an inch of your life several times. He only drugged you up and influenced you into fucking a girl you thought was Sakura, and then you murdered that same girl carrying your baby thinking it was Hinata!
His breathing increased as he opened the hatch, and the bead of sweat running down his neck brought back other sickening memories to the surface like a disgusting foam head on a glass of beer – being violated by Orochimaru, being made to violate Orochimaru, and the snake's slithering tongue in his ear, telling Sasuke what a wonderful body his would be.
"Sasuke!" Naruto's normally boyish voice deepened with untold maturity. Sasuke gripped the door handle with enough force that the metal was cutting into his hand – blood dripped from a cut on his palm. "Stay back with Sakura, and get that looked at; Hinata and I will clear the room."
Sasuke took a deep breath, nodded, and released the door handle. It's fine; you don't have to do this!
Sakura silently chided herself as she mended the wound on Sasuke's left hand. Even with two years of intensive of therapy he was too fragile mentally to bring him to a place like this. Two years of hard work, and you risked undoing it all because you were so goddamn desperate for him to be the man he was before he was taken! As the wound seal under her healing jutsu, she examined the rest of his hand. "Sasuke, you'll need a tetanus booster when we get back." She cleaned the rest of the hand, noting his lack of response. "Sasuke?"
He stared blankly with an obsidian eye and his Rinnegan. "Someone is here…" he spoke with a hollow voice.
"Sasuke?" cold chills climbed down Sakura's back as she turned, whipping her flashlight around. No one! The beam cut through the darkness like a scalpel through flesh. However, the darkness sealed itself past the quick swipe of light.
"I know what I saw, Sakura," he insisted, "there is someone else here!" His breathing turned rapid.
This doesn't make any goddamn sense! He hasn't had an auditory or visual hallucination in months! The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as Sasuke continued to stare; then he took off running deeper into the base. "Sasuke! Wait!" She called after him to no avail. "SHIT!" Sakura took off after the fading light of Sasuke's flashlight in the dark.
As Sakura took off into the dark the unsettling sensation of the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end hit, and she stopped running. Oh gods! The creepy environment had obscured it at first, but the sensation of having your mind probed was unmistakable. "We're being played," she said breathlessly.
Sakura almost kicked herself. Sasuke had seen something – in the thrall of a genjutsu. And now the group is separated and two of us are isolated in the in dark! She measured her options – go back to Naruto and Hinata or chase Sasuke. First rule, don't separate the party! She ran back toward the lab and hopefully Naruto and Hinata.
Author's notes: Hello everyone. I apologize for the shortness of the chapter, but the holidays are an extremely busy time for my family, and that sadly meant that much of this ended up getting cut. Fear not, anything not featured will be in next chapter.
If you're reading at the time of publication, happy New Years (or soon to be)! I hope you're all well and safe wherever you are in the world. I hope that the start of 2023 is the start of something special for everyone, and I hope you've enjoyed the story thus far and will continue to enjoy well into the new year.
Once again, thank you for reading! Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay classy! I'll see you next chapter!
-Adam
