Hinata of the White Lotus
Into the Void
Alarm bells blared at full volume.
The terrible ringing reverberated through the cramped, winding corridors, creating an unending cacophony that bounced off the damp stone walls. Hinata winced, her hands pressing tightly over her ears in a futile attempt to dull the noise. The vibrations of the alarms seemed to travel through the very air, a constant pressure that gnawed at her focus.
"What's going on?!" Naruto's mouth moved, his shout barely visible amid the chaos. Hinata could read his lips with the precision of her Byakugan, but the sound was entirely swallowed by the deafening wail of the alarms. She glanced at him briefly before turning her gaze forward, concentrating on the faint spiritual tether that connected Naruto and Sasuke. She'd been following it like a thread through a maze, guiding their descent deep into the heart of Root's underground fortress.
The labyrinth was far more expansive than she had anticipated. Root's base sprawled downward in a dizzying network of tunnels, chambers, and hidden passages, all carved into the earth beneath Konoha. It was like a shadow village, mirroring the Hidden Leaf but with none of its warmth or light. The deeper they ventured, the more suffocating the air became. The damp stone walls seemed to close in around them, slick with moisture and patches of mold that stretched like dark veins. The dim lighting, cast by infrequent, flickering bulbs, made the shadows dance erratically, turning every corner into a potential hiding place for danger.
Hinata shivered despite herself. To think that such a place had existed beneath their feet all this time—hidden, insidious, and teeming with secrets—made her stomach turn. The oppressive atmosphere felt like a weight pressing on her chest, making each breath feel shallow and strained. How could anyone live and operate in such a place for so long?
Despite the chaos of the alarms, Anko pressed on with steady determination. She moved with purpose, navigating the labyrinth with an uncanny familiarity that betrayed her experience with Root. Though Hinata's Byakugan gave her a vantage point of the area ahead, it was Anko's innate understanding of the tunnels' layout that guided their path. They had been moving in silence, carefully avoiding any patrols, the sound of their own breathing blending with the constant drip of water echoing through the damp halls.
But now, the alarms had changed everything.
Hinata expanded the range of her Byakugan, her vision cutting through walls and barriers to map the network of tunnels around them. The shift in activity was immediate and chaotic—Root operatives were moving en masse, converging on the surface. She scanned frantically, trying to determine if their group had been discovered, but to her relief, it didn't seem so. The operatives were racing away from their position.
"I think Naruto-kun's message got to the Hokage!" Hinata called out, though she made no effort to raise her voice. Instead, she faced Anko directly, articulating each word carefully so the older woman could read her lips.
Anko frowned, shaking her head as they moved swiftly through the dim corridor. "That doesn't make sense!" she mouthed back. Her tone was sharp despite the quiet exchange. "The Third Hokage would never mobilize against Root. Not against Danzo."
Hinata hesitated, her mind racing. If Anko was right, and Hiruzen wouldn't act on his own, then there was only one explanation. Itachi. He had survived the Moonfire Elixir. The realization sent a jolt of unease through her. Itachi was the only one capable of compelling such a response. And if he had taken action, it meant he believed Sasuke's abduction was no mere leverage play—it was a declaration of war.
"Doesn't matter!" Tayuya cut in, positioning herself between them as they continued their descent. "Whatever's going on up there, it's good news for us! We can stop crawling around like rats and actually move." Her crimson hair whipped behind her as she gestured to the corridor ahead. "If they're all heading topside, this place is ours for the taking!"
Anko nodded reluctantly, glancing over her shoulder. "She's right. Let's pick up the pace."
The four of them broke from their cautious advance, abandoning their earlier stealth in favor of speed. The corridor stretched endlessly before them, its damp walls glistening under the weak, intermittent lights. The floor beneath their feet was uneven, slick with moisture and grime.
Hinata pushed herself to keep up, her Byakugan scanning ahead. The tether between Naruto and Sasuke grew stronger as they moved deeper into the catacombs. The spiritual connection pulsed faintly, guiding her to the end of the maze like a beacon.
The air grew heavier as they descended further, thick with the stagnant scent of mildew and something faintly metallic. It clung to the back of Hinata's throat, making her breaths shallow and labored. The oppressive atmosphere of the labyrinth seemed to intensify with each step. This place was never meant to be found. It was a sanctuary of shadows, built to keep intruders out and secrets buried.
Yet now, Root's defenses were unraveling. As the operatives abandoned their posts to respond to the chaos above, the hallways felt eerily empty. The only signs of life were the flickering lights and the occasional scuttling of unseen vermin darting into cracks in the walls.
The alarm had faded into a distant echo by the time Hinata called out, her voice soft but urgent. "There's something up ahead."
Her Byakugan was locked onto the path ahead, the only visible end to the sprawling labyrinth of Root's underground network. The walls around them seemed to close in, damp and oppressive, and the air carried a faint metallic tang. The corridor narrowed into a single black pathway, a yawning void that seemed to swallow what little light remained.
"Something?" Anko snapped, her tone sharp, breaking the silence that had grown heavier with each step. "What kind of something?"
Hinata hesitated, her Byakugan straining against the thick chakra saturating the air. She felt it pressing against her senses, gnawing at her nerves like invisible claws. Her throat tightened, and her words caught for a moment before she forced them out.
"It's… a gate." She swallowed hard, her voice quieter now but no less steady. "A massive gate with a demonic face carved into it. The frame is lined with… red spikes. They look like fangs."
A sharp intake of breath from Tayuya snapped everyone's focus to her. Her face had gone pale, the light from the torches casting sharp shadows across her strained features. She didn't speak right away, and when she did, her voice was little more than a whisper.
"Rashomon."
The name carried weight—more than weight. It sank like a stone into the pit of Hinata's stomach.
Anko turned to Tayuya sharply, her expression hardening. "The Rashomon Summoning? That's one of Orochimaru's defensive jutsu." Her voice quickened, her instincts already flaring with distrust. "Why the hell would it just be sitting down here?"
Tayuya's jaw tightened, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "If the Rashomon is here, Sakon must be nearby. And if he's here…" She trailed off, her words dissolving into a tense silence. Her eyes shifted toward the path ahead, but they weren't focused—they were searching for something unseen.
Hinata's Byakugan pulsed as she refocused, scanning the ominous gate again. Its chakra was dense and tangled, layers upon layers of seals woven into the very fabric of its structure. She could see the faint distortions in space itself, rippling outward like heatwaves from the gate's center.
"It's not just a defensive barrier," Hinata said finally, her voice steady despite the cold sweat forming along her neck. "There's a space-time jutsu tied into it. It's closed now, but… it leads somewhere. I can't see where."
That revelation sent a ripple of unease through the group, the kind that crawled up the spine and lingered. The pathway ahead yawned like a throat ready to swallow them whole, and the air felt heavier the closer they came to the unseen gate. It was the kind of silence that didn't feel empty but rather occupied—watched.
"This stinks of a trap." Anko's voice was low, barely above a growl, her sharp eyes scanning the narrowing walls as though expecting them to close in at any moment. Her hands twitched, fingers brushing the hilt of her kunai—a reflex she hadn't been able to shake since her days under Orochimaru. "And not just any trap. This is Orochimaru's territory, and he doesn't make mistakes."
She took a step forward, her heels scraping against the stone floor, but didn't go farther. The weight of the decision hung between them, pressing harder than the stale air in the tunnel.
Hinata's Byakugan pulsed again, her voice barely a whisper. "It's not just a trap. The gate isn't guarding the way—it's feeding it."
"Feeding it?" Anko snapped, her voice harsher than intended. She immediately softened, though the tension in her shoulders remained. "What the hell does that mean, Hinata?"
Hinata swallowed, the faint glow of her eyes reflecting the walls. "The chakra isn't just circulating through the seals. It's flowing out into the tunnel, into the ground. It's alive—as if it's inviting us closer."
No one spoke for a moment. The silence returned, thick and oppressive. The torchlight flickered as though it too feared being snuffed out.
Finally, Naruo stepped forward abruptly, his footfalls loud against the stone. "Then what the hell are we waiting for?" His voice cut through the stillness, sharp and jagged, as though it might tear through the tension strangling them. "You think standing here and staring at it is going to make it less dangerous? We've already come this far."
He spun to face them, eyes blazing despite the fear simmering just beneath the surface. "If Sasuke's behind that gate, we don't have time to second-guess ourselves. If it's a trap, then we deal with it. But sitting here like a bunch of cowards just gives them more time to tighten the noose."
Anko's lips pressed into a thin line, but her hand dropped from her kunai. She exhaled sharply, then nodded. "He's right."
Tayuya and Hinata looked startled by the agreement, but Anko's voice carried authority now—hard, sharp, and unyielding. "We didn't come this far to back down. Whatever's waiting behind that gate, we'll face it together. But," she added, her eyes locking with each of theirs, "we move carefully. No heroics. No splitting up."
Hinata hesitated, her Byakugan focusing deeper into the seal. It pulsed faintly, and for just a moment, it felt like it pulsed back, sensing her gaze and pushing against her sight like a living thing. Her stomach twisted, but she took a steadying breath and stepped forward. "I'll guide us."
No one argued.
The group pressed onward, their steps echoing through the stone passage. The closer they drew to the gate Hinata described, the heavier the air became—thick with the weight of unseen eyes and the hum of chakra vibrating faintly through the walls. The stone around them grew colder, sharper, as though they were walking into the belly of something ancient and restless.
And still, no one spoke. Because no one needed to. The gate was waiting. And it wouldn't let them pass without a fight. When they finally emerged into the open space before the gate, the sheer size of it left them momentarily speechless.
The Rashomon loomed over them, its grotesque demonic face twisted in a perpetual snarl. The red spikes that framed it glistened faintly in the dim light, as though wet with blood. The gate itself pulsed faintly with an unseen energy, the space around it warped as if reality itself resisted its presence.
Naruto let out a low whistle, stepping closer to the massive gate with wide eyes. "That's… huge," he muttered, his voice tinged with awe. His outstretched hand brushed against the cold, metallic surface, and the moment his fingers touched it, a faint vibration hummed beneath his skin—a resonance that pulsed deeper, almost like an echo rippling through his chakra network. It wasn't painful, but it wasn't comforting either.
"Sasuke's on the other side of this, right?" Naruto asked, turning to Hinata. His voice carried a rare seriousness, but his body remained tense, almost like he expected the gate to spring open and swallow him whole.
Hinata nodded hesitantly. Her Byakugan pulsed as she traced the faint spiritual connection that linked Naruto to Sasuke—a thread of chakra so faint it was barely perceptible, yet it stretched beyond the gate like a beacon. "I think so," she said softly. But that was as much certainty as she could offer. She couldn't see what lay beyond the threshold, only that something—no, someone—waited there.
"Too easy," Anko muttered, her voice sharp and low. Her eyes swept the chamber like knives, catching every shadow. "No way they just left this thing unguarded for us."
She barely finished her sentence before the air behind them twisted unnaturally. A ripple, like heat distortion, broke through the space they had come from. The temperature seemed to drop as a subtle, almost imperceptible pressure filled the room. It wasn't overwhelming, but it was… wrong. Like an itch they couldn't scratch.
Hinata spun immediately, her Byakugan snapping into focus. Her voice caught in her throat as a figure stepped out of the disturbance—fluid and unnatural, like he had been part of the wall itself until the moment he peeled away.
"Hello!" The voice rang out, bright and cheerful, almost jarring in the oppressive atmosphere. The man who emerged wore the unmistakable black cloak of the Akatsuki, the red clouds vivid even against the dim light of the cavern. A spiraled orange mask covered his face, its singular eyehole locking onto them with eerie precision. He raised a gloved hand and waved with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Wow, you all made it here so fast! I wasn't ready yet. That's on me."
Naruto immediately dropped into a defensive stance, his fingers twitching toward a kunai. "Who the hell—?"
"Get back!" Anko barked, already moving. She flung her arm forward, and a writhing mass of snakes erupted from her sleeve. Their hisses filled the chamber as they lunged toward the intruder with deadly precision.
The masked man flailed wildly, stumbling backward in exaggerated panic. "Snakes?! No, no, no!" he cried, hopping up and down like a child throwing a tantrum. "Not snakes! Anything but snakes!"
Naruto blinked. "What…?"
The snakes struck—but passed clean through the man's body, their fangs finding no purchase. Anko froze mid-step, her expression darkening as the serpents recoiled and slithered back to her.
The masked man clutched his chest dramatically. "Oh no! I've been bitten! I can feel the venom coursing through my veins!" He staggered sideways, letting out an exaggerated gasp before suddenly straightening up as if nothing had happened. "Just kidding! No venom. I'm fine. But good effort! You almost got me."
Anko's teeth ground audibly. "What the hell is this?" Her voice was low, venomous in its own right, but there was unease in her eyes now. "Genjutsu?"
"Nope!" The man chirped, straightening his cloak as though brushing off invisible dust. "But good guess! And bonus points for enthusiasm. Very scary snakes, by the way. I'll probably have nightmares."
Naruto scowled, stepping closer to Anko. "What's his deal?" he hissed under his breath, his grip tightening on his kunai.
Anko's gaze didn't leave the masked man, but her shoulders tensed. "I don't know." And that was what unsettled her most. In all her years as a kunoichi, she had seen monsters, killers, and liars—but she'd never seen someone mock the danger they were in so completely. It was either an act, or something far worse.
The masked man tilted his head, that singular eyehole unnervingly fixed on them. "Oh, sorry, where are my manners? Introductions first, right?" He raised both hands, his posture suddenly relaxed and welcoming. "I'm Tobi! And I'll be your host this evening!"
The way he said it, with that false cheeriness and the echo of something darker just beneath the surface, sent a ripple of unease through the group. No one lowered their guard. Not even Naruto.
"It's him," Tayuya said sharply, her voice cutting through the uneasy silence like a blade. Her fingers twitched toward her flute, her eyes locked onto the masked figure. "That's the guy I told you about—the one who wanted Naruto captured."
The man clapped his gloved hands together, the hollow sound echoing unnervingly against the stone walls. "You remembered me! That makes me so happy." His tone was bright, almost cheerful, but there was something deeply wrong about it—like a jester standing in the middle of a battlefield.
Then, slowly, he turned toward Hinata. The playful energy in his posture didn't change, but the shift in his focus carried weight. The air seemed heavier. Though his mask obscured most of his face, the single eyehole bore into her like a predator sizing up its prey.
"And you must be Hyūga Hinata."
Hinata's breath caught. Her feet remained rooted to the ground, but the ripple of unease coursing through her body was impossible to ignore. She forced herself to straighten, her chin lifting slightly as her Nichiren Byakugan flared to life. Even as the cavern sharpened into glowing threads and chakra patterns, the man remained… indistinct. Almost untouchable. But she didn't back down.
"Me?" she asked, her voice steady despite the pounding in her chest.
"Oh yes, you." His voice dipped, taking on a false reverence that only deepened the pit in her stomach. "You're quite the little miracle worker, aren't you? Taking down Itachi and Kisame like that, Miss White Lotus." He paused, his words lingering as though savoring them. "I was very impressed."
Hinata stiffened, her mind racing. He knew. He knew about Itachi. About Kisame. Her instincts screamed at her to keep her guard up. She let her chakra flow more freely, ready to react if he so much as twitched.
"Are you with Root?" Anko demanded, her anger burning brighter as she debated what to do now that the trap was sprung. For now they needed more information—anything that maybe tied him to the village's shadows.
The man tilted his head slightly, as though genuinely amused by the question. Then he let out a soft chuckle, empty and echoing. "Root? Please." He waved a dismissive hand. "Danzo's ambitions are so… small. No, no, I'm here for something much more important."
Hinata's pulse quickened.
"What did you do with Sasuke?" Naruto's voice cut through, raw with anger. He stepped forward despite Anko's arm snapping out to stop him, his blue eyes flashing red for the briefest moment as Kurama stirred within him.
The masked man—Tobi—shifted his gaze lazily to Naruto, as if only now acknowledging his presence. "Sasuke?" He repeated the name like it was a punchline to some unseen joke. "Oh, don't worry. He's just beyond the gate."
He stepped closer, and the faint pulse of chakra that followed in his wake sent a chill through Hinata's bones.
"But whether he'll come back out…" Tobi's voice turned sing-song. "…that's up to you."
Naruto bared his teeth. "So this was all a trap to get to me, huh? Just like Tayuya said."
"Ah, yes and no!" Tobi said, wagging a finger like a scolding parent. "Sure, you're important, Naruto, but there's so much more happening here than you realize." He spread his arms as if to gesture at the cavern, the gate, and the oppressive air surrounding them. "This is bigger than just you. Bigger than me, even."
And then his focus shifted back to Hinata.
"But you, Hyūga Hinata…" The air seemed to grow colder as his voice softened, taking on an almost reverent tone. "You're the real game changer."
Hinata swallowed, forcing herself not to flinch under the weight of his gaze. The faint hum of her Byakugan pulsed in her ears, tracing his chakra—watching for any movement, any trick. Yet, his presence was so unnatural that it barely registered as human.
"You performed quite the miracle last time," Tobi said, and his tone changed again—mocking now, the faint edge of laughter in his voice. "I do wonder… can you do it again?"
Hinata's fists clenched. The weight of his words hung over her, pressing against the guilt she had buried after the fight with Itachi. The fight where she had struck a deal, walked out alive, and still carried the scars.
Naruto took a step closer to her side, his chakra flaring in defiance. "Don't listen to him, Hinata. He's just messing with your head."
But Tobi only chuckled again, the sound hollow and endless as it bounced off the stone walls. "Am I?" He leaned forward slightly, and though he was still several feet away, it felt like he was too close. "You'll find out soon enough."
The cavern fell silent except for the faint hum of chakra and the slow, deliberate steps Tobi took toward the gate. Every step echoed louder than the last. The space beside Tobi warped, rippling like the surface of a disturbed pond. A figure materialized, emerging from the distortion with slow, deliberate movements. His steps were unhurried, yet predatory, each one reverberating faintly in the damp, oppressive air.
The first thing to catch Hinata's eye was his blue hair, slicked back and glinting faintly in the dim light of the labyrinth. His pale gray skin was marred by swirling black markings, the telltale sign of Orochimaru's cursed seal. The markings seemed alive, writhing faintly as they spread across his body. His sneer, sharp and venomous, revealed jagged teeth as he finally stopped moving, his crimson eyes locking onto the group like a predator sizing up its prey.
"Sakon," Tayuya hissed, her voice low and seething as her grip on her flute tightened to the point of trembling. She took a step back instinctively, her body coiled like a spring, ready to strike or retreat.
Sakon's sneer deepened as he straightened, his muscles flexing beneath the cursed markings that danced across his skin. The veins in his arms pulsed unnaturally, as though the power of the cursed seal was alive and coursing through him. "What are you doing here, traitor?" he snarled, his voice a guttural growl that reverberated off the damp stone walls. "This is all because of you. Orochimaru tossed us aside like garbage—because of your betrayal. And now? Now we're nothing but tools for Akatsuki."
"Sounds like a you problem," Tayuya snapped, her voice colder than steel. Despite the venom in her tone, the tension in her posture betrayed her unease. This wasn't just an old teammate—this was a ghost from her past, dragging the weight of her decisions to the surface.
Sakon's chakra flared violently, the cursed markings on his skin darkening as they began to pulse with raw energy. He took a single, aggressive step forward, the movement sharp and deliberate. His sneer twisted into a feral snarl, his body radiating a primal, volatile energy that made the air around him feel electric.
But before he could advance further, Tobi's hand rose. The motion was almost lazy—a simple flick of his wrist. Yet the weight of it was absolute. The space around Sakon seemed to ripple faintly as the command settled over him, halting him mid-step as if an invisible chain had snapped tight.
Sakon's jaw clenched, his entire body trembling with the effort of restraining himself. The air around him crackled faintly, his frustration and anger radiating like a heatwave. But he obeyed, retreating with a bitter glare, his narrowed eyes never leaving Tayuya. The sneer never left his face, but the humiliation in his retreat was palpable, fueling the tension that hung heavy in the labyrinth.
"Now, now," Tobi said, his voice laced with mock patience. "There's no need for finger-pointing. We have more pressing matters to discuss—like the rules of the game we're about to play!"
Anko stepped forward, her golden eyes blazing as she positioned herself between Tobi and her team. Her presence radiated a steady calm, but her knuckles were white around the kunai she gripped. "You think we're just going to play along with whatever sick joke this is?" she said, her voice like tempered steel.
Tobi tilted his head, his body language exuding almost childlike amusement. "Oh, but you will," he said softly, his tone still light but carrying an undercurrent of finality. "You don't have a choice."
The cavern seemed to grow colder as his tone shifted. His swirling eye fixed on Anko, the weight of his malice pressing down on the group. "If anyone breaks the rules," he said, his voice devoid of its earlier humor, "I kill you all. Understand?"
The words struck like a physical blow, silencing the room. Even Anko hesitated, her lips pressed into a thin line. She shifted her weight subtly, glancing at her team as though calculating the odds.
The oppressive silence stretched as Tobi's voice, lighthearted yet cutting, rang out one last time. "Good! Now that we're all on the same page, let's get started." His gloved hand gestured casually toward the monstrous gate looming behind them, its grotesque visage carved into the wood and metal as though it were alive—watching, waiting. The spikes that lined its frame gleamed faintly in the dim light, like teeth eager to devour.
"Sakon will open the gate." Tobi's voice carried an unsettling cheerfulness, as if he were explaining the rules of a harmless game. "I've connected it to two others, all leading into my Kamui dimension. Behind one, you'll find Sasuke." He tilted his head, his mask turning ever so slightly toward Hinata. "Behind the other, your way out. All you have to do is open both doors, find him, and escape."
He clapped his hands together, the sound hollow and sharp, echoing through the cavern. "Simple, right?"
Naruto stepped forward, his chakra bristling so sharply that the air around him rippled with heat. His voice cut through the stillness, low and edged with barely restrained fury. "And if we don't?"
The flickers of red chakra along his skin brightened, the faint glow of the Nine-Tails bubbling just beneath his control. The tension was palpable, pressing down on everyone like a tightening vise.
Tobi let out another laugh—light, playful, but utterly wrong in the heavy atmosphere. "Oh, let's not dwell on that." He wagged his finger, the motion unnervingly casual. "Stick to the rules, and everything will work out just fine. But, if you don't…" His voice trailed off, letting the implications sink in like poison.
He stepped back toward the swirling distortion of his portal, the mask tilting slightly as if he were looking directly at Hinata. "I have another errand to run, but don't worry!" His voice bubbled up with mock excitement, sharp and grating in the stillness. "I'll be watching closely. Play nice, won't you?"
And then he was gone.
The vortex collapsed inward with a hollow hiss, snapping shut as if it had never been there. Yet the air remained warped, thick with the lingering residue of his chakra, bending unnaturally around the spot where he had stood. The silence that followed was suffocating, as though the cavern itself had been holding its breath.
Anko was the first to move, her knuckles white as her grip tightened around a kunai. Her golden eyes tracked the distortion, searching for any sign that Tobi might return. When none came, her jaw clenched as her gaze snapped to Sakon. "He's gone," she said at last, her voice low but sharp enough to cut through the stillness. "But this isn't over."
Sakon sneered, his pale gray skin rippling with faint traces of his cursed seal. "Oh, it's far from over," he said, his tone dripping with malice. His gaze snapped to Tayuya, his sneer widening into a sadistic grin. "You. Traitor. I should've known you'd weasel your way into something like this."
Tayuya's knuckles whitened as her grip tightened around her flute. "You really wanna do this now, Sakon?" she snapped, her voice sharp with a mix of anger and unease. "I'm not the one who spent my life licking Orochimaru's boots and whining when he tossed you out like trash."
That struck a nerve. Sakon's chakra flared, the cursed markings on his skin darkening as his fury boiled over. "You think you're so much better? You're the reason we're here, playing his sick games!" He took a step forward, his chakra crackling like static in the damp air. "You deserve everything coming to you."
Before he could advance, Anko stepped between them, her kunai drawn and gleaming in the dim light. "That's enough," she said coldly, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade. She met Sakon's rage with unwavering resolve. "You want her? You go through me first."
Sakon's sneer faltered for a moment, his fierce eyes locking onto hers. "You're protecting this coward?" he spat, his voice dripping with disdain. "Pathetic."
Anko didn't flinch, her stance solid. "Tayuya is with us now," she said, her tone brooking no argument. "And right now, you're just an obstacle. Stand down, or I'll make you regret it."
For a brief moment, the cavern was silent, the only sound the faint creak of the grotesque gate behind them as it slowly began to swing open. The tension between Anko and Sakon was thick, like the moment before a lightning strike.
Naruto's voice broke the silence. "What's in there?" he asked, his tone unusually subdued. His crimson-tinged gaze darted to the void beyond the gate. The oppressive darkness seemed to stretch endlessly, swallowing the faint light of the cavern.
Hinata stepped forward, her Nichiren Byakugan flaring back to life. The faint white lotus blooming within her pupils pulsed softly as she peered into the gate. Her brows knit together as she focused, her breath steady but tense. "It's… unstable," she murmured. "The space on the other side keeps shifting. I can't make sense of it."
Sakon snorted, his bitter grin returning. "That's the point. It's chaos—just like him," he said, jerking his chin toward the space where Tobi had stood.
Anko exhaled sharply, spinning to face Naruto, Tayuya, and Hinata. Her voice was clear and commanding as she issued her orders. "Naruto, your priority is Sasuke. Find him and get him out of there, no matter what."
Naruto nodded, the weight of her words settling into his shoulders. "Got it," he said firmly. His voice carried an edge of determination, but beneath it was a simmering tension. He couldn't fail—not this time.
"Tayuya, you're going with him," Anko added, her gaze snapping to the redhead. "We need everyone at their best, and you're not wasting energy here when it'll be needed there."
Tayuya hesitated, her grip tightening on her flute as her eyes flicked to Sakon. She wanted nothing more than to settle the score right here and now, but Anko's tone left no room for argument. "Fine," she said tersely, stepping closer to Naruto. "But don't think this is over, bastard," she added, shooting Sakon a venomous glare.
Anko smirked faintly, turning her focus to Hinata. "And you, Hinata… I'm counting on another miracle," she said, her voice softening just slightly. "Whatever's on the other side of that gate, I know you can handle it."
Hinata's breath caught, the weight of Anko's trust pressing heavily on her. But there was no time to falter. She nodded, her Nichiren Byakugan still flaring as she turned to face the gate. "I'll do my best," she said, her voice quiet but resolute.
Sakon's laughter shattered the tense silence, jagged and cruel. "Sending the little princess and her pets to die? Smart plan." His voice oozed disdain, his sharp teeth bared in a grin that promised violence.
Anko didn't flinch. Her kunai was already in hand, the blade gleaming as it came up to point directly at Sakon. Her golden eyes burned, steady and unyielding. "I'll deal with you," she said, her voice cold as steel. She shifted into a battle-ready stance, every muscle coiled like a spring about to snap. "They've got more important things to do."
Naruto's eyes flicked toward her, his hesitation barely concealed beneath the red glow of the chakra beginning to seep from his skin. "You sure you've got this?"
Anko smirked, the expression sharp and dangerous. "Don't worry about me, brat." Her voice softened, just for a second. "I can handle one freak with bad skin." Her gaze flicked toward Naruto, unreadable. "You focus on saving your teammate."
Naruto hesitated, his hand clenching into a fist before he nodded sharply. "Let's go." The words rang with finality as he turned toward the gate. Tayuya was already assessing the threat inside, having turned her back on Sakon.
Hinata lingered. She couldn't help it. Her gaze swept her gaze over Anko one last time, reading every detail—the set of her shoulders, the tension in her grip, the faint flicker of chakra swirling just beneath her skin. Anko was steady. But even so, Hinata's voice came out barely above a whisper. "Be careful."
Anko didn't look at her, but the slight twitch at the corner of her mouth said enough. "Go," she said, her voice low but steady. "I've got this."
Hinata swallowed the knot of unease in her throat and turned. The gate loomed ahead, massive and impenetrable, the carved face split open down the middle and the doors thrown wide open. The darkness beyond the frame seemed alive, pulsing faintly like a great, sleeping beast.
Naruto stepped through first, his crimson eyes glowing like embers swallowed by the void. The moment he passed the threshold, the shadows seemed to ripple, swallowing him whole.
Tayuya followed, her chakra chains snapping faintly in the air as if warding off unseen threats. Her steps were deliberate, but Hinata didn't miss the tension in her shoulders—the silent readiness to attack or defend in an instant.
Hinata lingered at the edge, her heart pounding in her chest as her Byakugan strained to pierce the blackness. She saw nothing. No paths. No light. Just endless shadows.
Then she stepped into the unknown.
The moment Hinata crossed the threshold of the red gate, she plunged into a world that seemed to defy logic and existence. Total darkness enveloped her, broken only by the faint glow of distant, floating blocks that shimmered like distant stars. The air felt thick, heavy, as if the dimension itself resisted their presence. It reminded her of the interstate where she trained with Kali—a black void stretching endlessly in all directions—but here, there was no comforting light from an eight-trigram symbol. Instead, the environment pulsed with a faint, ominous energy.
The red gate behind them hung suspended in the air, its jagged crimson spikes gleaming faintly in the dim glow of the surrounding blocks. Two other gates hovered in the distance, forming a triangular formation within this strange realm. One gate was framed with cobalt blue spikes, its surface etched with the same grotesque ogre face. The other was adorned with verdant green spikes, radiating an eerie, almost venomous light. Between them stretched strands of shimmering golden webbing, weaving an intricate labyrinth across the vast emptiness. The webs clung to the blocks, forming bridges, traps, and platforms that glinted in the dim, surreal glow.
As Hinata fell toward the nearest block, her Nichiren Byakugan flared, the faint white lotus blooming in her pupils illuminating the world in greater detail. She caught sight of a thin, nearly invisible strand of web stretched taut beneath her, gleaming faintly with chakra. With a twist of her body, she flipped mid-air, landing nimbly on the web. The strand stretched and sagged under her weight but held firm, its tensile strength a testament to the power of its creator.
The instant her feet touched the web, a voice rang out, echoing eerily through the vast expanse. "Welcome to my parlor," the voice taunted, its tone dripping with amusement. "I've been waiting."
From the corner of her vision, Hinata spotted Naruto and Tayuya falling. Unlike her, they hadn't managed to evade getting caught in the webbing, and now the golden threads snared them mid-air like insects in a predator's trap. The shimmering strands wrapped tightly around their limbs, glinting ominously in the faint light. Naruto thrashed violently, his wooden arm creaking as he struggled against the sticky strands, while Tayuya twisted and cursed, her voice rising in panic. Her chakra chains flared to life, snapping and whipping as she fought to free herself, but the webbing held firm, stretching without breaking.
"What the hell is this!?" Naruto shouted, his voice echoing in the vast, oppressive void. His frustration was raw, his movements frantic as the sticky threads tightened further, pulling him closer to the dense webbed structure below.
Hinata's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to assess the situation. The golden chakra threads vibrated faintly, an ominous sign of their creator's growing influence. From deeper within the web, the voice rang out again, taunting and full of malice.
"Caught already? How predictable," he sneered, his voice carrying a cruel edge. "Did you really think you could step into my web and walk away? You're nothing but prey, squirming helplessly."
The web around Naruto and Tayuya pulsed with chakra, each strand tightening as if alive. Hinata's breathing quickened as she tried to formulate a plan, but her thoughts were cut short when a new threat emerged. From the darkness, a barrage of golden kunai hurtled toward them, each one glinting menacingly as it sliced through the air. The angle was perfect, the speed merciless. They were going to hit.
"No!" Hinata shouted, panic surging through her voice. She leaped forward, but even with her speed, she knew she wouldn't reach them in time. The kunai closed the distance, their deadly trajectory unwavering.
A sickening crack echoed as the kunai struck their targets. For a brief, horrifying moment, Hinata froze, her breath catching in her throat. She watched as Naruto's body buckled under the impact, and Tayuya's silhouette crumbled, her chakra chains snapping apart like brittle glass. The kunai pierced them cleanly, embedding themselves in the strands of the webbing with sharp, metallic thuds.
But something was wrong. Instead of blood or cries of pain, the two figures exploded into a shower of splinters and bark. The webbing sagged slightly under the weight of the now-lifeless wooden forms, and the realization hit Hinata like a wave.
"Wood clones," she murmured, her breath coming in shaky relief. Her Byakugan's sharp gaze swept the dimension, scanning for their real positions. Below her, she spotted Naruto and Tayuya climbing onto one of the floating blocks, their movements hurried but deliberate. Naruto's real body moved with uncharacteristic focus, his wooden arm stretching grotesquely to anchor him as he pulled himself upward.
Another volley of kunai erupted from the shadows, faster and more precise than the first. This time, they zeroed in on the real Naruto and Tayuya, their golden edges gleaming like the fangs of a predator.
Hinata didn't hesitate. She sprang into action, her body a blur as she leaped from her position, landing squarely on one of the taut webs between her friends and the incoming projectiles. The web trembled beneath her weight, the sticky strands threatening to entangle her, but she kept her chakra flaring at her feet to prevent it.
"Shugohakke: Sixty-Four Palms!" Hinata's voice rang out with unwavering determination as her hands moved in a graceful blur. Streams of blue light trailed from her palms, forming a crisscrossing net of energy that caught the kunai mid-flight. The projectiles ricocheted harmlessly into the darkness, each deflection marked by a sharp crack of energy.
She stood firm, her breathing steady as her technique dissolved into the air around her. The tension in her muscles eased slightly as she glanced down at Naruto and Tayuya. Both were safe, their expressions a mix of relief and renewed determination.
"Naruto-kun!" she called, her voice cutting through the chaos. "The blue gate—Sasuke-kun is behind it!"
Naruto didn't hesitate. "Got it!" he shouted, his voice steady despite the tension, but his movements betrayed the grotesque nature of his right arm. The wooden appendage, a replacement born from grafting a wood clone's limb to his shoulder after he lost his original, twisted unnaturally as it stretched. Grooves and rings carved into the living wood flexed and creaked as it extended, splitting briefly into tendrils before snapping back together to form a single limb. It latched onto one of the web-covered blocks near the blue gate with a sickening groan. With a powerful tug, Naruto propelled himself through the air, heading straight for the gate.
"Leave the green one to me!" Tayuya called out, her voice sharp as a golden chakra chain erupted from her torso. The chain snaked forward like a living thing, coiling around a nearby block with a metallic snap. She paused briefly, hanging in midair as she turned her gaze back to Hinata.
"Hinata, you see him out there, right? That bastard Kidomaru's lurking somewhere in these webs. He's the worst of the Sound Four when it comes to long-range combat. Six arms, spider freak, loves turning his webs into weapons. He's probably using these golden threads to sense our movements, so don't let him pin you down."
Hinata scanned the webs. The intricate lattice stretched in every direction, each strand shimmering faintly with golden chakra. The oppressive weight of Kidomaru's presence hung in the air, his movements a subtle vibration that rippled through the threads.
"He's a sadistic bastard," Tayuya continued, her grip on the chain tightening. "Loves to play with his food before going in for the kill. If he gets the chance, he'll pin us down and pick us off one by one. You can't give him that chance."
Hinata nodded, her lips pressing into a firm line. "I'll stay behind and handle him," she said without hesitation. "You and Naruto-kun need to keep moving."
For a moment, Tayuya looked as if she might argue, but then her expression softened into something almost resigned. "Fine," she said, her voice grudging. "But don't get yourself killed, Princess. If you go down, we're all screwed." With that, Tayuya swung her chain, launching herself toward the green gate with a powerful pull.
Hinata exhaled slowly, centering herself as she turned her attention back to the shimmering webbing and the shadows that cloaked Kidomaru's movements. The faint vibrations in the threads grew sharper, more deliberate, as if he were preparing his next strike.
"You think you can take me on alone, little Hyūga?" Kidomaru's voice echoed mockingly through the darkness. "Bold. Stupid, but bold."
Hinata straightened her stance, her chakra flowing smoothly through her limbs as the faint glow of the lotus in her pupils brightened. "It's not just me," she said evenly. "It's all of us."
The air around her seemed to shift as she prepared for the fight ahead. Naruto and Tayuya were already moving toward their goals, trusting her to hold the line. That trust anchored her, sharpening her resolve.
"They're trusting me," Hinata whispered, her voice steady. The weight of that trust was heavy, but it wasn't a burden—it was a promise.
She stepped forward, her movements fluid and precise, ready to face the spider's web.
A low chuckle echoed through the realm. "We'll see how long that trust lasts when you're tangled in my web."
Hinata didn't respond. She didn't need to. Her focus sharpened as her Nichiren Byakugan analyzed the intricate structure of the webs, mapping out their weaknesses and connections. She had no intention of letting Kidomaru's confidence turn into reality. As Naruto raced toward Sasuke and Tayuya moved to secure their escape, Hinata resolved to hold the line.
Failure wasn't an option—not for her, and not for her team.
Chapter End
AN: This is probably one of my more out there ideas, fusing the Kamui ability with the Rashōmon. Probably not something that can actually be done, so please just think of it as a combination Jutsu made possible by the slightly different rules in this world.