Hello there my fellow fanfictioners! It's certainly been a while hasn't it?
I know, I know. I'm back to my old, lazy ways of taking way too long to write a new chapter. All I can say is I'm sorry and ask that you put down the pitchforks and torches. However, I am doing my best to ensure that the plot of this fic all ties together. I have the end destination sorted but the journey of how to get there in a manner that doesn't feel utterly contrived continues to elude me.
I think that Naruto already gave us enough fillers, I don't need to add to that tradition.
I want to ensure that every part of the story adds to the plot rather than going off on tangents. I'm also diving into very unfamiliar territory as I try to ensure that I am writing my interpretation of the Boruto cast based on the 'timeline' that I've created. At the same time, I am trying to ensure that I don't stray so far as for them to be unrecognizable.
I have the sinking feeling that I cannot avoid jumping into the anime after this chapter has been posted. I need to be able to understand how the characters are (at least from the beginning few arcs of the show) to understand what fits within their character boundaries.
So, let's get cracking.
Disclaimer: I do not in any way claim ownership of Naruto, Naruto Shippuden or Boruto. These are the rightful properties of He-Who-Shall-Be-Revered.
Those Who Are Found
Chapter 2
Run From Truth
KARAOKE ICHIBAN
"Himawari." Her name fell from the strange boy's lips. This time, without question. Instead, it was spoken with a strange, desperate reverence. As if some long held prayer had finally been answered by the powers on high. A dream come true at last.
Or perhaps a nightmare.
It sent a jolt through her. Himawari hissed as the sensation became tinged with panic, burning like acid down through her spine and into her veins. She could feel her heart going into overdrive, her mind racing with so many thoughts that it felt strangely empty. Her eye flickered over the boy's features trying to determine who he was. As the panic set in, blackness crept into the corner of her vision as her body and mind struggled to keep her conscious. She staggered back a step as if she had been physically struck, hair whipping in front of her eye as she involuntarily shook her head in a denial she couldn't understand and didn't know how to handle.
Dimly, she took in the shaggy blonde hair, achingly familiar blue eyes now colored with hope and his strange attire. A part of her was sure that she knew him, but the memory refused to form inside the raging tempest her mind had become.
The one thing that her gaze kept being drawn back to, was the sight of the boy's metal headband. Her vision blurred, to the point where she couldn't be certain what the symbol engraved into the metal even was.
The panic was rising quickly now, her heart beating so loudly she was certain that it would rip itself right out of her chest.
That symbol…
Was it a leaf? Or a note?
Did it even matter?
If her experiences had taught her anything it was that, aside from Sasuke, no one with a hitai-ate was to be trusted.
If it was the note of Oto then chances were one of them would end up dead by the end of the night. There wasn't a chance in hell that she would allow herself to be taken again.
And if it was a leaf… Sasuke had warned her what the Hyuuga clan might do if they discovered a rogue Byakugan outside of their control.
"Sorry." Himawari managed to force the words out, all of her willpower going into keeping her face an emotionless mask. Her tongue felt thick and heavy and she had to swallow with every word. It was vital that she keep her composure though. She wasn't sure if she had any success in that regard but it was all she could think to do. At least she hadn't started hyperventilating… yet.
"You must have me confused with someone else." She summoned a shaky smile to accompany the words, shrugging off his touch in what she hoped to be a carefree manner. The black tendrils at the corner of her vision receded a little as she forced herself to act out the lie.
The boy blinked in surprise and Himawari took the opportunity to turn away with as much confidence as possible. If she could just reach her friends then she could hide in their group. Failing that…
No. She was confident that even now, this strange boy wouldn't want to cause a scene in public.
She would be fine. Her appearance had always garnered unwanted attention. This was simply a case of mistaken identity.
The more she kept telling herself that the more her spirit returned to her. The creeping darkness on her periphery vanished and was replaced instead with an angry energy.
If the boy didn't believe her. If he didn't leave her alone…
"Wait!" The boy replied, a hand reaching out to grab her arm. Spinning on the spot, Himawari slapped the offending limb out of the way before levelling her best glare at him. The sudden movement caused the curtain of hair covering her eye to shift out of the way, revealing her injury to the stranger.
For a brief moment she hoped, she prayed, that he hadn't noticed. However, the way his eyes widened and his jaw dropped burnt that prayer to ashes.
I should've worn the patch.
She hadn't worn it in months though. The feel of the leather had always discomforted her so, since she had grown her hair out, it had proven to be more convenient to simply hide her injury behind that.
Seeing his stare filled Himawari with a shame she didn't want to feel, and she rushed to anger as a lifeline instead.
"Don't touch me!" The words were spat out, the hysteria she felt inside coloring her tone. It felt bitter on her tongue. The boy's jaw dropped further in shock, both at her tone and the sight of the gaping pit of her empty eye socket.
"Kami… what happened to you Hima?" The boy's gaze never left her injury, his voice a horrified whisper. What made it worse was that, beneath the shock and the horror, Himawari could already hear the pity.
He knew her.
No. He knew the girl who used to be me.
"I told you. You've made a mistake. I am not whoever you think I am." She bit out the words with as much force as she could muster, hoping that in doing so she would be able to convince him that he had made a mistake.
Unfortunately, she was shaken to her core, and she couldn't hide it. He could see through the mask she tried to hide behind, and he did so effortlessly. The boy's face hardened immediately and set in a stubbornness that would've looked right at home on Sasuke's face.
"The hell you aren't! You need to come with me!" Reaching out for her once again, shaking his head in disbelief as he did so. "As if I wouldn't recognize my own-"
Whatever he had been about to say was cut off. As soon as his hand gripped her arm, Himawari's Byakugan flashed silver fire and her palm struck out, quick as a snake, to collide with his chest.
The blow, instinctual, lacked any of the focused chakra required to inflict serious damage but it was enough to get her point across. The force of the blow lifted the boy off of his feet and sent him sailing through the air. He hit the far wall of the reception area with a loud crash that would've drawn a wince from anyone. The boy hung there for one horrific moment, like a marionette on strings, before sliding down to the ground. Cracks spiderwebbed out from the impact point to the very corners of the room even as chips of walled plaster began to fall to the ground as the full extent of her strike revealed itself.
Perhaps a little too much force.
The violence of it was certainly more than enough to start a panic. People screamed and began to scatter. Tables and chairs were overturned as ordinary citizens scrabbled to get away.
Some fled the building entirely whilst a brave few cowered behind what cover they could find, eyes focused on her and the boy.
Behind her, Himawari could still make out the muted sounds of music and terrible singing coming from over a dozen karaoke booths as their occupants remained blissfully unaware of what had transpired.
The boy groaned and sat up, clutching his chest and wheezing but Himawari wasn't about to give him a chance to recover. She bolted for the exit, her mind racing with a million thoughts, such that she couldn't focus on her surroundings.
All that mattered now was escape. She had to get out, get to Sasuke.
Her mouth set in grim determination even as she made her flight.
Sasuke.
Sasuke was safety. He'd protect her, help her to escape or eliminate the threat. Himawari pointedly ignored the faint flutter of guilt in her heart when she thought of the blonde as a threat.
None of that mattered. Only escape.
Just then, the door of the booth closest to the entrance opened. Stepping out came two more individuals, laughing at something or other.
Himawari had just enough time to notice that they wore headbands as well before she collided with them. All three of them went down in a tangle of limbs.
"What the hell?!" One of the people, a girl judging by her voice, cried out in alarm.
Himawari didn't bother replying, instead choosing to get to her feet as quickly as she could and resuming her sprint towards the door.
Panic was starting to set in, her breath coming in in deep gasps as her lungs demanded air that she truly did not need.
"Stop her!" The blonde stranger cried out as she reached the top step. For a split moment, Himawari could feel the trail of ghostly fingers on the back of her neck, as if someone had reached out to grab her. Putting it out of her mind, Himawari fled in blind panic, fully aware that the three shinobi were right behind her.
HI NO KUNI- FIRE CAPITAL
Himawari fled. Running as if the hounds of hell itself were on her tail. They might as well have been.
The karaoke bar was located on the fifth floor of a repurposed high rise apartment building located on the very edges of the Fire Capital's downtown area. For one, horrifying moment, Himawari considered simply leaping over the staircase balcony, out onto the street below to hasten her flight.
The thought of accidentally landing on and injuring an innocent bystander was the only thing holding her back.
She hesitated and, in that moment, she could hear the thumping of footsteps behind her. Swearing loudly, Himawari slammed the door of the entrance behind her without looking, smirking when she heard someone slam into it with a pained grunt and a curse.
Refusing to waste another moment, Himawari bolted down the stairs, using the corner walls as launching points to speed up her descent. Less than a second later she could hear the entrance door slam open.
"She's taken the stairs!" The cry came out even as Himawari reached the ground floor and bounded for the exit.
She barely heard a girl's voice cry out "I'm on it!" even as the young Hyuuga barrelled out onto the street.
It was still quite early in the evening and as such the surrounding streets were packed with pedestrians going about their daily business. Himawari found herself skidding to a stop, mere inches from the face of a rather startled looking donkey pulling a cart filled with rice bags.
To her left, a sudden cry went up from the crowd on the sidewalk as someone leapt from the top floor and landed. Some poor old soul let out a cry as he served as her pursuer's unwilling cushion.
Are they insane?!
Himawari's head whipped around to glare at the shinobi. Her pursuer was struggling to disentangle themselves from the civilian and Himawari had a brief glimpse of short, dark hair, and a feminine physique before the shouts of her teammates forced her into action once again.
The civilians were starting to flee and the donkey, already surprised by Himawari was becoming agitated. The young girl certainly didn't help matters when she leapt over the donkey's back in order to avoid the crowds.
It was midjump that all things officially went to hell.
A kunai whizzed by her ear so close that she could feel the blade sever several strands of hair.
A few inches to the left and I'd have been bleeding out over a damned ass!
"What the hell are you doing?!" The blonde one from before, judging by his voice, roared. Whether he was yelling at her or his companion, Himawari couldn't be certain but she wasn't planning on sticking around long enough for them to try and kill her again.
Himawari completed her vault over the animal in question, turning her jump into a dive from which she could roll forward to maintain her momentum. Her Byakugan flared into life, helping her to keep track of the sea of civilians, in full flight now that weapons were flying around, and she continued running.
Her eye allowed her to keep track of all the movement, finding gaps in the bodies for her to slip through without being slowed down.
"Damn it! Wait!" The blonde yelled from somewhere behind her but Himawari ignored him.
She kept running, moving with the crowd now. The press of bodies around her was suffocating and the people were still in panic, but Himawari knew that her size would help to hide her.
The further she traveled the calmer the crowd became. The blonde's shouts for her to stop had faded to nothingness and Himawari had stopped running, instead using the crowd as cover to blend in.
It meant that her progress was slowed significantly but, theoretically, it was much safer. Every moment that passed though, Himawari could feel the tension in her body rise. Her heart in her throat, as if her body were trying to warn her of impending danger. An attack that she wouldn't be able to see coming.
And then it did, from the last place she could've predicted. Her Byakugan blazing, the young girl kept trying to locate her pursuers, but the task proved almost impossible given the number of people around her. The civilians' chakra levels were weak, appearing as diminished points of small, blue flame in her altered sight. The shinobi were harder to detect still. Juggling her search with the need to keep moving meant that she couldn't search for them in earnest.
They must be masking their signature somehow.
The thought was a worrying one. Himawari made it another few steps before the strike came. Something, some unexplainable instinct bade her look down.
A flicker in the corner of her Byakugan vision. What she saw made her yelp in fright. A hand, attached to an arm that stretched far too much, defying the laws of nature, reached out to grasp at her ankle. The limb had snaked itself through the legs of the people surrounding, weaving through the forest of limbs at frightening speed. Some corner of Himawari's now unsettled mind likened it to a snake, slithering through the tall grass to strike at its prey.
The young Hyuuga-Uchiha jumped in fright. The act, made from pure instinct, saved her. The offending hand's digits snatched at the empty air where her ankle had been a microsecond before.
Gravity took over and Himawari angled her descent so that she came down, feet first, right on top of her pursuers grasp. Despite stomping on the limb with significant force, Himawari found her sense of unease deepen when she failed to catch the crunch of bone. Instead, the hand seemed to flatten like soft dough beneath her weight.
"What in the actual-"
The curse died on her lips when the civilians started to panic afresh. The hand, now trapped beneath her shoes, became a trip rope. The unnatural nature of it meant that civilians began tripping over the extremely elongated limb and, once they discovered the cause, spread new fear and panic throughout the masses.
Suddenly, the sidewalk became a riot as the crowd around her instantly worked up to a frenzy, people shoving each other aside without thought or care in their desperate flight for safety. Himawari could practically smell their panic. She tried to push forward, hoping that gaining enough of a gap would allow her to lose her pursuers and reach a calmer section of the city.
She'd been making her way to the Market District. Himawari passed through there every day on her way to and from school and had come to know the area quite well. If she could just reach the Market District then she would be able to reach the bar her father worked at. From there, Sasuke would take care of things.
It won't matter how many of them are chasing me or what weird, freakish abilities they have. Dad will ensure that they won't be able to take me. No one will ever hold me prisoner ever again!
Himawari stamped down on the appendage writhing beneath her boot one more time before leaping forward into the roiling, heaving mass that the panicked crowd had become.
Her eye blazed with such intensity that it actually hurt. The force which she poured chakra into her Byakugan was such that it was accompanied by a splitting headache. Himawari gritted her teeth tightly and pushed through the pain even as her Byakugan flitted wildly, the eye working overtime to take in her surroundings. Her eye allowed her to track the flailing limbs and press of bodies that enclosed her.
Himawari ducked, bobbed and weaved. Sometimes she'd pirouette away from a swinging handbag or duck under an elbow with only millimeters to spare before she continued on. It was almost like dancing in a way.
The crowd, such as it was, remained the young girl's best shield from the ninja chasing her. She couldn't afford to separate from it. However, progress was slow and she had to constantly evade being knocked to the ground and trampled.
A delicate, dangerous dance.
However, for all her skill, Himawari still possessed only a single Byakugan. She danced for as long as she could, her head on a swivel to keep track of as much of her surroundings as she could, before her luck ran out.
She'd made good progress too. She could still hear the commotion of the crowd behind her but the panic was settling and the sea of bodies obscured her perfectly. As the long seconds ticked by without sign of being caught, Himawari finally let loose the breath she had been holding. As if by doing so, she'd be able to release the tension which seized her.
It was no good, however. Her heart continued to race as her mind kept replaying the confrontation with the blonde boy. His words and images, every detail, kept running in a loop in her head. Finally, after another few minutes of progress away from the city center and as the crowds began to thin, Himawari ducked into a side alley.
There was nothing there save for a weathered old dumpster and a chain link fence topped with rusted barbed wire splitting the alleyway in two and barring exit to the street on the opposite side. Her heart was beating so forcefully that Himawari wondered at how it hadn't yet forced its way out of her chest.
I need to breathe. I need to calm down.
It was an easy thing to say. Not so simple to accomplish.
Exhaustion gripped her suddenly and her brain hurt. Reaching out a hand to the alley wall, Himawari observed with a horror she couldn't understand how her whole hand shook.
Her limbs suddenly felt far too heavy finding it was all she could do to make her way to the opposite side of the dumpster without collapsing. Using the wall as support, the bricks rough beneath her fingers, Himawari made her way to a gap between the wall and the fence, ensuring that the bulk of the dumpster hid her from streetview. The dumpster was an awful, ugly thing, its coat of green paint long since faded away to be replaced with the dull brown of rust. Seeing the paint, something flashed in her mind's eye.
A tall man with a bowl haircut and big, bushy eyebrows clothed in the most ridiculous green outfit she could've imagined. The man was laughing and gave her a thumbs up.
Then the image was gone, leaving only searing fire in its wake.
Himawari whimpered, stumbling forward to rest her head against the wall. The brickwork felt cool against her forehead, and she sighed slightly in pitiful relief.
Enough relief that she was finally able to notice the smell emanating from the dumpster.
The scent was nauseating in its own right, like someone had left eggs on the windowsill in direct sunlight for far too long. Still, it would cover her scent nicely from any hounds her pursuers might have brought from the Inuzuka clan.
She wouldn't have enjoyed having to deal with those dogs. Her thoughts suddenly screeched to a halt and her heart began racing into overdrive once again.
Wait… what? Inuzuka clan?
The thought had sped into her mind without invitation. As if the knowledge had always been there, casually, like she had just thought about what she had had for breakfast that day.
A sudden lance of agony shot through the forefront of her mind and the young Uchiha slid, her back to the wall, to the filthy alleyway ground with a whimper. The pain did not abate so easily this time and she buried her head in her hands, trying desperately to force the images of the confrontation from her mind.
Himawari wanted to forget it all. The boy-
The enemy! Just another ninja that wants to capture me and use me as a tool for their own ends!
She kept repeating that thought, her head shaking from side to side as her mind sent another lance of fire into her brain. Almost as if in punishment for daring to even contemplate such a silly thought.
The boy, his words, the look on his face… The sight of the Hidden Leaf headband. And now, strange thoughts of clans she had no business knowing suddenly forcing itself into her mind.
"Please." Himawari whispered, falling sideways so that her head rested against the side of the dumpster. The rusted metal felt cool against the side of her head, alleviating the burning pain inside her head.
Inside of her heart and soul.
"Please." She repeated to herself, her voice breaking with an emotion she'd only ever felt once before.
"I don't want to remember." It was as if seeing the blonde had unlocked a door in her mind that had long since been locked. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't lock the door again.
The door was unlocked but not fully open and things were starting to seep through.
"Please don't let me remember." Himawari begged to whatever gods would be willing to listen. Silence was her only answer.
No! I won't let it!
Gritting her teeth, Himawari used all of her will to banish the unwanted stream of memories flooding her mind. A silly gesture but it comforted her somewhat as, while she couldn't lock the flashes of memories away, she was able to ignore them through sheer stubbornness.
"Found you." The words startled her, so much so that her head shot up sharply enough to make her wince as the muscles in her neck strained in protest.
A boy stood at the entrance to the alleyway. Panting, his pale skin flushed with effort and cradling his right arm in a loose sleeve close to his chest.
"Did you really have to mash my hand into the pavement like that?" The boy muttered taking a step towards her, a resentful light reflecting in his amber eyes.
Himawari shot to her feet, shaking hands braced on the side of the dumpster for support. The sudden reaction made the boy freeze before he could take another step.
Eyes wide, the boy raised a hand to flick pale blue hair out of his eyes before stretching a palm out towards her.
Like a vet would calm a rabid dog.
"Just calm down. I'm not here to hurt you."
The analogy didn't sit well with her, and Himawari bared her teeth in a snarl.
"Stay the hell away from me!" She hissed, hackles raised and gathering her chakra for a fight.
If he wants a fight then I'll give him a damn fight.
The boy took another step towards her and Himawari gripped the dumpster so tightly she swore she could hear the rusted metal squeak in protest. The boy looked at the dumpster with something approaching amusement before his eyes flicked back towards her in a flash of amber.
"Something truly terrible must've happened to you." He kept his arm outstretched and his tone soothing, like a mother to a crying child, and took another step closer.
"I'm sorry for that."
"Shut up." Himawari hissed, her mind racing. Half of her brain was cycling through her options, a grim prospect. The chain link fence behind her was topped with that vicious looking run of barbed wire and the only other exit was blocked off by the blue haired freak in front of her.
Said 'freak' was staring at her intently.
"Interesting. I don't see any resemblance myself but…" The words trailed off as he peered at her intently for a few more seconds before finally straightening with a shrug of his shoulders. His arm, reached out to her, finally lowered even as he took another step.
"I've already let the others know where you are." He told her, reaching up to tap a small black bead, some sort of communication device, nestled comfortably in his ear.
Shit.
He took another step and Himawari felt her blood chill. He was now in striking distance. If it came down to a fight then things would get ugly, real fast.
And I have no idea what he can do either.
Himawari raised a shaking hand in his direction, a mocking reflection of his own and allowed her chakra to flare, spectral flame blooming into life around her fist. A big show with no force.
Let it hide what I'm really doing.
The boy sighed and shook his head slightly as if he were disappointed.
"Really? There's no need for such pointless theatrics." He gestured in her direction before waving her off as she snarled again, the chakra flame wavering as she did so.
"You've got nowhere to run. You're obviously so overwhelmed you can't even direct your chakra properly." He scoffed as the flame began to sputter, taking another step forward as he did so. "You might as well just give up and come with me."
"I told you. To. Shut. Up." Himawari spat.
Just one more step.
"This is ridiculous! You don't even have a weapon!"
The chakra has to channel just right. Just like Dad taught me.
Finally, something approaching irritation settled onto the boy's features before he clenched his fists and took another step forward.
"Enough of this." The boy grumbled. "This farce is over."
"That's where you're wrong about me not having a weapon." Himawari shot back, lowering her hand and glaring at him, Byakugan blazing. The boy froze, eyes widening in shock as he felt a sudden burst of chakra flow forth from the young girl.
"I have a dumpster."
Amongst the myriad of tricks and techniques Sasuke taught her, this was the one that Himawari had the least experience with. Channeling chakra in such a manner as to boost the strength of one's muscles was a deceptively difficult form of chakra channeling.
It was something that Himawari was certainly no master of. But she didn't have to be one. She just had to move a dumpster.
The boy let out a gasp, realizing her intent and attempted to jump back out of range.
It was too late.
With a screech of tortured metal and a flash of sparks as the dumpster's legs scraped along the cobbled ground, Himawari put all of her enhanced strength into the swing. The result was terrifying as the dumpster whipped through the air, becoming a split-second blur of green before it collided with the shinobi.
There was a resounding crack of rusted steel impacting on flesh and bone. Himawari didn't feel any resistance at all as she carried through the arc of her swing.
The next sound was that of broken and twisted steel crunching against the brickwork of the neighboring building.
Panting heavily, Himawari lowered her hand. She didn't realize until she felt something jagged poking into her thigh that she'd ripped away a chunk of the dumpster as she'd done so. The rusted metal between her fingers crumpling like old paper.
Using chakra as a strength enhancement was definitely not her forte. She spent the next minute doubled over, sucking air into her greedy lungs and trying to ignore the beating of her heart hammering against her ribs.
Definitely needed more practice before trying that.
A pained groan interrupted her train of thought and Himawari's head shot up; eye wide in disbelief.
He's still alive?!
Wishing not for the first time that she had brought her kunai with her, Himawari cautiously approached the dumpster. The boy was still alive.
At the last moment he had raised his arms to block the blow. The move, perhaps instinctual, most likely saved his life. Though it had not been without cost.
His arms were in ruins, twisted at the elbows at angles so unnatural that they would've made all but the most experienced ninja wince. The wrist of his right hand in particular had become little more than a red ruin, a piece of bone puncturing through the skin just above his wrist.
A streak of blood ran down his face from some head injury she couldn't see, most likely stemming from his collision with the brickwork. Not for the first time, Himawari's mind idly wondered at the simultaneous resilience and fragility of shinobi.
We die so easily yet can survive the most grievous of injuries.
She herself was a living testament to that fact. Given what she'd seen of his scars, so was Sasuke.
Her heartrate finally beginning to settle again, Himawari moved to stand beside the fallen ninja. With a small heave, she pulled the wreckage away and knelt down beside the boy.
Amazingly, he was still conscious, amber eyes, filled with pain and no small amount of fear, tracking her every movement.
"Please…" The words came out in a wet rasp.
One of his ribs must've punctured a lung.
After everything she had been through, the things she had learned from her father, Himawari had become well acquainted with the injuries that could be inflicted upon the human body.
She had also learned that there was only one way to deal with those who came after her.
Something shifted in the boy's eyes as she reached out, ready to close her fingers around his throat and finish what she started. His eyes shined with the emotion.
What is that? Guilt? Fear? Hope?
"Himawari" The boy rattled out in a whisper. The sound of her name upon his lips was like a hammer blow. She hesitated and he pounced upon the opportunity.
"Your mother misses you."
The effect was instant and overwhelming. Her vision blurred with unshed tears and her hand, ready to throttle him to death, landed upon his chest. The limb shook with tremors so ferocious it scared her. Emotions swirled around inside of her like a raging storm.
"W-what did you say?" The words came out in heaving gasps. It felt as if she had been underwater for a long time and had only just surfaced for air.
"Your mother… she misses you. We just want to bring you home to her." A desperate strength filled the boy's voice.
"We're not going to hurt you, I swear." He added, his voice quieting when he saw the spark of rage in her eye.
"Liar! All shinobi are liars!" She spat back, hating the way her voice trembled.
I should kill him. Snap his neck and get back to Sasuke.
It was the smart move, the right move.
But Himawari remembered her dreams. The visions of her house and the woman inside. The one who told her she loved her no matter who she had become. It was because of that phantom that she had found the strength to survive the horror of her own near-execution. That she'd found the will to stand and fight against XXX.
A long silence followed as Himawari struggled with her warring emotions. Eventually, she placed an open palm against the ninja's shuddering chest.
Her palm rested against his heart. If she activated her Byakugan and sent just the right amount of chakra down certain pathways, his heart would explode and he would die instantly.
For a split-second pondered over this possibility before throwing the thought out entirely. The young Uchiha had already made up her mind.
The dark gloom of the alleyway lit up with a soft green glow as she pumped healing chakra into the boy. It took a few minutes before his laboured breathing eased up but when it did, Himawari met his eyes firmly.
"Tell me about my mother."
"Your father-"
"Shut up!" Himawari cut him off with a snarl, the chakra glow flaring dangerously. The boy rasped, though whether it was from the spike in chakra or the expression on her face she couldn't be sure.
The mere mention of the mysterious figure that was her father was enough to make her see red.
In her mind's eye she could still see that damned fox plushie, the phantom recording still ringing in her ears.
"Are we done here? I have more important things to do."
"I don't want to hear anything about him." Himawari warned the boy. Her reaction obviously shocked him as the ninja's skin tautened and his complexion whitened in shock.
The boy opened his mouth to protest but snapped it shut with an audible click upon meeting her withering glare. His skin sheened with sweat from the pain of his broken limbs.
"My mother." Himawari reiterated.
"What do you want to know?" The boy hissed between clenched teeth as she moved her attention to his arms. He let out a howl of agony as the protruding bone snapped back into his wrist with a wet pop and the skin seemed to forcibly pull itself back together.
The best she could do was to set the bone back and seal the rupture. The bone would still be broken, the muscles torn apart. Infection would be a danger too without professional care. Himawari waited out his cries before replying.
"Who is she?" She kept the question short and her tone demanding. Heat rose into her cheeks and she avoided making eye contact with him.
What kind of daughter forgets her mother?
One who lost all their memories obviously.
"Hinata. Her name is Hinata." The boy's eyes flicked over her right shoulder, widening in panic at something he spotted. It was that alone that probably saved her life.
"Sarada, don't!" The boy cried even as Himawari turned toward the mouth of the alleyway to face the threat.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and an icy chill shot down her spine. Himawari had time enough to see a streak of red blaze towards her.
Pure instinct allowed Himawari to move out of the way. Her body's automatic reflexes turning what would've been a blow to the head into a strike at her shoulder.
It stopped the blow from killing her.
Though it certainly made her wish for death.
The blow from this new foe smashed into Himawari's collarbone with such force that she could feel it not just break, but practically shatter into shards.
It also lifted her off her feet at the same time. Himawari dimly heard a feminine voice shout something along the lines of;
"Don't touch him!" A second before she smashed into the chain-link fence that cut the alley in two.
As a fall break, the fence proved woefully inadequate. Galvanized steel wrapped around her like a twisted metal blanket. The blow to her had been too strong though and she kept on flying, tumbling through the air and entangling herself further within the embrace of the steel links. She'd cleared the alley entirely, coming out on the opposite street to which she'd entered, before the barbed wire topping reached her flesh.
Curiously enough, despite the traumatic injury she'd just sustained, Himawari didn't feel much pain. The shock of it protected her from the worst of it. If she were being honest, it felt little more than a slight tingle before the numbness had taken over. Darkness had crept into the corner of her vision and she had been ready to surrender to it.
The barbed wire changed all of that.
The rusted iron teeth ripped into her flesh like some ravenous beast. Himawari screamed as long ragged cuts were torn into her arms and legs. Himawari tried to twist away from the pain but the fence entrapped her like some monstrous iron maiden.
A flash of blue, crossed her vision even as the barbed wire dug its nails deeper into her flesh.
The Ohana river.
The river ran through the entirety of the city and formed one of the metropolis's main waterways. The river was large and wide, filled with small fishing boats and gondolas.
Himawari's mind had only a moment to process this in her agony before she impacted with the river's surface. The impact was akin to an explosive. The force of it was such that several people on nearby gondolas tumbled into the water from the resulting wave.
The water swallowed her screams and the weight of her prison made her sink like a stone.
Is this it?
She could barely make out the dark shapes of the fisherman swimming back up to the surface.
Is this how I finally die?
Her vision began to darken again as the current pulled her deeper and the air left her lungs.
The moonlight on the water… It's so beautiful.
Everything faded to black before she could see that someone had dived into the water after her.
A bit of a shorter chapter this time and one that went through endless rewrites on my part. I just wasn't happy with the final product. My big problem is that writing everything I wanted to write in this chapter proved to be just a little bit too daunting in terms of length. Whenever I have to write something approaching 10k words for a single chapter it makes it very difficult in terms of motivation to finish my rough drafts. I have a solid idea of what I want to happen in the next five chapters but it takes a long time to put my thoughts down and flesh out the details in a way that feels natural and somewhat plausible.
Nevertheless, I hope that you guys enjoyed it and hopefully I will be able to get the next one out a lot sooner.
If you enjoyed it or noticed any major mistakes, please let me know via review!
Until next time on Those Who Are Found
Chapter 3: Red vs Blue