Chapter LI - Suzuka Yae, a Friend

He didn't make it. His master was on the verge of death, and who knew what remained of his best friend's life? Hikari furiously gritted his teeth as hard as he could, bitterly staring at his reflection in Killer Bee's shades. Anyone else would make nothing of such a reflection, but to him, he was glancing at nothing more than a failure as a subordinate and a failure as a friend. While Zuko and Gyatsō were sprawled helpless in their barriers, likely to succumb to their injuries at any moment, there he laid in front of the Raikage, currently bested by the elder shinobi. Every time the Osore member made a movement that would put him closer to Gyatsō's position, Bee would send him flying back a greater distance with a strong blow from his arms or legs. It was an utterly humiliating experience for Hikari. It also greatly contributed to his fast-growing fury, which threatened to throw the man into a stage of unintelligible wrath.

Solely driven by such anger, the blonde shinobi quickly jumped to his feet and performed several Supido-style hand seals. Bee, obviously annoyed to no end by the man's persistence, let out a miffed sigh and extended his arms away from his body in a defencive position. Immediately after, a tremendous, fierce surge of electricity pulsated around the Raikage's body, a force that easily caved in the ground beneath him. The release of such powerful energy seemed to come to life, warning his opponent that he wasn't intimidated by his earlier display of speed. Besides, Bee thought Hikari would eventually slip up if he allowed his emotions to get the better of him. At this rate, it wasn't that weak a possibility. So long as he remained a direct obstacle for Gyatsō's safety, he figured Hikari would be kept unhinged. Thus kept at bay.

"You know something, Raikage? You're really starting to get on my damned nerves," Hikari managed to growl through his teeth. Bee smiled at the younger male and did his best to provoke him even more so. His response came in varied brash taunts, all of which stemmed back to the fact that his "precious master" was bleeding out by the second. Unsurprisingly, Hikari took the bait and rushed towards the dark-skinned man with unprecedented quickness, even for him.

"Supido: Kyūshū!" he screamed out. Both of Hikari's fists were engulfed in a peculiar red aura that Bee was unfamiliar with. When Hikari got close enough, though, he got an idea on what this Supido technique enabled. Hikari swung lightning-fast punches Bee's way, the air around them vibrating to such a degree that it sounded as if it was being ripped in half. Distinctive crimson waves were sent into the atmosphere every time the Osore member threw a fist back to strike at the Raikage with his other fist. With the heightened speed that came with his cloak of electricity, Bee managed to dodge each blow without too much difficultly. However, the red waves he unfortunately ignored to this point engulfed his body and slowed his movements down nearly tenfold. The effects of the waves appeared to both linger and increase with time, as Bee found himself completely unable to move after only ten seconds. Hikari viewed this new opening as a chance to avenge his allies, but more importantly, to avenge himself. How could this nonsensical old buzzard push him to the breaking point so? Expose his weaknesses and establish a sense of inferiority inside him?

A twisted smile spread along Hikari's lips at such a query. Yes, vengeance was going to be quite enjoyable. He pulled out three of his signature needles from the pouch strapped to his lower back and slowly traced his fingers along the cold metal objects. In a new state of unaware stupor, he fantasised pinning Bee to a wall or building with over a hundred of the things, for the Kage to experience the worst fathomable humiliation before having his life taken by Gyatsō. The thought of his superior snapped Hikari out of his blood-lusted trance and made him realise what little time the Osore's leader had remaining.

Making good on his promise to completely incapacitate Bee, Hikari threw the needles deep into his neck. Just a single one was more than enough to instantly send Itachi into a state of unconsciousness, but Bee was still standing, straight even, although trembling. Possibly in an effort to somehow dispel the effects of the Kyūshū with his chakra. The sight roused Hikari's anger once again, as he was standing in front of Bee before he knew it. He slammed a knee into the Raikage's stomach and immediately gasped out in pain. A large chakra tail protruding from Bee's right arm had suddenly appeared and deflected the attack. The tail then spun around rapidly before slamming against the Osore member's body, once again sending him flying further away from Gyatsō.

Why aren't the needles affecting him?! Hikari thought as he landed on the ground. Numerous theories came to mind, such as Bee donned a Tailed Beast chakra coat to act as a protective layer under his skin, or that the complicated poisonous substance covering each needle was rendered ineffective by Gyuki's unyielding chakra. Whichever one was true, what did it matter? In the end, Hikari's plots were yet again crushed by Bee. Proving himself to be of even less use to his superior.

Speaking of Gyatsō, Hikari dismally concluded that he must have bled out by now, so his thoughts drifted to who would lead the Hidden Dark Nation in his place. Perhaps his long-time protégé Zuko would be the best fit. That is, if he doesn't die from his wounds, the complete exhaustion of his chakra, or his guaranteed suicide upon learning of Gyatsō's death. Next. What about Sebbech? The undoubtedly capable young man managed to single-handedly lead the entire Hidden Mist Village at one point. But then Hikari remembered Sebbech's Sailor of Blood moniker would just get all of them killed if he ever saw them as expendable threats. Which he inevitably would. Next. Seiko was just Sebbech's lackey. Far too ill-equipped to be a leader. Next. Orochimaru was too unpredictable to trust with the position. Next. Hide's predecessor Doctorisha betrayed Gyatsō at the worst possible time, so who's to say Hide wouldn't do the same? Next. The only one left was Hikari himself... out of the question. The new leader of their nation would have to rise in its time of need and ensure that the Five Great Nations are not pulled out of their grasp...

The description of that kind of leader made Hikari immediately wince. It almost perfectly aligned with the personality of somebody within his memory. He cursed himself for not coming up with a name or face after being taken aback from the mere thought of the person alone. He knew that he came up with some kind of way to remember the person, but what on earth was it? Speed of.. something. Speed of sound? No, that's not it...

Speed of light, he eventually remembered. The feminine name Suzuka, of Japanese origin. Meaning, speed of light... how could he forget his closest childhood friend from the Hidden Stone Village? Even her name brought uniformity to their friendship. He, the Hidden Dark's Instant Flash, and Suzuka, its Speed of Light. As Bee slowly approached him, delicious memories of Suzuka being at his side soothed the hostility that had been boiling inside of him. That's also when he remembered the promise made between them.

The promise! Hikari thought in desperation. Accepting defeat now would be taking that special blood-entailed promise and breaking it into a million pieces. There was no way in hell Hikari was going to let that happen. He calmed his nerves and began walking towards Bee, even though those memories were still freely roaming his mind.

. . . .

"Why are you doing this? Just go away and leave me be!" a considerably younger Hikari pleaded. Nearly in the outskirts of the Hidden Stone, the boy was sitting far back in an empty alley, hoping to please both the angry villagers and himself by making it so that they didn't have to see each other. Well, the alley would be empty if not for himself and the girl with short red hair in front of him. She was trying to push a sizable loaf of warm bread in his hands, and he had assumed that it was sent by the villagers, either poisoned or riddled with small hidden blades and all sorts of terrible things. The fact that he never even saw the girl before didn't make it exactly easy to trust her either.

"My daddy made it. He's the village's most popular baker. I'm not leaving until I see you eat it, Mr. Skin and Bones!" she teased. Hikari lightly growled at her, but he didn't bother coming up with a rebuttal for that one. Since he suspected every single morsel of food that came his way, he put himself on a strict diet, to say the least. Basically only relying on the very limited vegetation that grew in the small fields outside the village. But even though he was almost driven to madness by starvation - a fate he wouldn't mind at all - he still rejected the bread. The girl pouted and quickly tore the loaf in half and stuffed her share in her mouth.

Hikari stared at the girl quizzically. Now why the hell would she eat half of what she apparently wanted him to have so badly? Neither one of them knew each other's name, and there wasn't some past connection between them. Regardless, Hikari couldn't ignore the safety of the sweet-smelling bread presented by the girl's actions. He reluctantly took the other half and examined it for a good minute or two, then bit into it carefully. A soft and warm sensation wrapped itself around his dry tongue, and instantly, he craved that taste. He gobbled up the rest of his piece and sunk against the wall, in tears due to both its failure to end his hunger and the fear that he'll never eat anything that delectable again. The girl let out a sigh of relief and scooted over to sit next to him against the dirty aged building. The blonde-haired boy wanted to object to her company, but the euphoric taste lingering on his tongue prevented him from speaking. So there they sat in total silence, watching villagers come and go, the sun slowly making its usual decent, then nightfall's own quietness rendering everything peaceful.

A few hours passed. Hikari sluggishly opened his eyes and realised something was pressing against his shoulder. Since he had no source of light to identify whatever it was, he assumed it was some small hungry animal addicted to the faint smell of bread. To be fair, he was, too. He was quickly raising his free arm to strike at it when he heard it. Light snoring. Animals didn't snore like humans, so who had the nerve to invade his personal space?

The girl, Hikari thought. He was simply amazed that she didn't bail when he eventually blacked out. Only one of the disadvantages of being malnourished. He slowly turned his body so that his face was inches from the girl's and calmed his own breathing to match hers. He felt uncomfortable with staring at her as she slept, but it wasn't like he had anything more important to do. He carefully moved his fingers to her forehead to part a few strands of her silky red hair. That's when she shot her eyes open and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"What are you doing?!" she exclaimed loudly. If none of the nearby villagers knew they were sitting in the dark alley, they definitely knew now. Multiple lights accompanied by speculative voices slowly approached the two children.

Great. Just great, Hikari thought as he flinched at the lights. One of his only hideouts was jeopardised by an unknown, pushy, over-reactive girl. He should've been the one to bail. The villagers' lights now revealed them, revealed Hikari's terrified face, revealed the girl's indifferent expression. Could it be that she didn't know of Hikari's status?

"Hey, it's that kid!" a bald man sporting a grey beard shouted. He pointed at Hikari with a bat he came with propped on his shoulder.

"Oh my God, what are you doing to her?!" a woman with short black hair demanded. Several knives immediately came out. As the small group of villagers quickly made their way to them, Hikari bolted for a large ladder adjacent to the building. But the boy was so scared and so lethargic that his feet slipped on the tenth bar, sending him plummeting to the ground.

Very well all of the air in his lungs was forced out. And the pain was so unbearable that he almost wanted the mob to kill him in that alley. But no knives or bats ravaged his body, no fists or heavy boots tried to crush his skull. He slowly opened his eyes to see the girl's back facing him, her arms spread out protectively. Her lips were moving, but he couldn't hear anything. As the minutes rolled by for seemingly hours, the disgruntled villagers backed away from them and returned to the streets. The girl immediately turned around and helped Hikari sit up. Then he blacked out again. Whatever she said to the villagers, it made them spare his life...

"Do you really want to go through with this, Suzuka?" Hikari asked carefully. Two years have passed since the fateful night that created a new friendship. After the villagers left, the girl had carried Hikari to her house, where her mother treated his wounds and provided shelter for him. Since the boy had no home return to, the generous Yae family decided to have him live with them.

The redheaded girl threw a large box on the ground and rummaged through it. She eventually pulled out two swords and showed them to Hikari. Suzuka looked at her reflection in the shiny blades and smirked lightly. The two weapons reminded both of them of the two halves of bread. Accepting the bread established a friendship unlike any Hikari has ever had. Accepting the blades would forever change their appearances in the village, not looked at as naïve eleven-year-olds, but dangerous crooks with a vendetta.

"Oh yeah, I'm all in. You better be, too. This is for everything they did to you, after all," she replied. Hikari frowned as his shaky hand clenched the grip of his sword. How far would he be willing to go in the pursuit of revenge? He was forced to use the Supido jutsu to escape Orochimaru's clutches, only to return to a place where every living soul branded him as a traitor. A mysterious man named Gyatsō had been occasionally popping up to offer him greater strength, and even though Hikari agreed to join him, he wasn't ready to leave the village or partake in anything drastic yet. And now his best friend Suzuka wanted him to threaten and rob villagers just for revenge. But he could never forget that she appeared in his time of need.

Never.

Hikari slid his sword into its sheath and nodded at Suzuka. The energetic girl could hardly contain herself as she slipped into a black hooded robe. Hikari tied his hair into a short ponytail and quickly put on his own robe. They checked on Suzuka's parents, soundly asleep in the bedroom upstairs, before pulling their hoods on and quietly leaving the house. The two children moved like shadows under night's watch. In no time at all, they were roaming the least populated area of the village - Sabishi Street.

Suzuka and Hikari ducked behind a small abandoned building at the corner. Two villagers, a man and a woman, were unsuspectingly walking in their direction. Suzuka squinted as she stared at the various distinctive badges on the man's shoulder. She recognised one of the symbols - a black hawk surrounded by blue flames - as the prestigious Itazura family crest. The pampered-looking man had to be Akihito Itazura, one of the most influential figures in Hidden Stone politics. The Tsuchikage's puppet.

"You see that man over there, Hikari?" she asked. Hikari sat up on one knee and looked over to Akihito. He remembered him as one of the Tsuchikage's right-hand men and felt his body becoming heavy with dread. Owabi once helped him when some villagers attacked him, so he didn't have any malice or grudge against the Tsuchikage. In fact, he liked him. But hurting Akihito would be hurting Owabi, no doubt. Could he really do it?

"Yes, I know him. He's Itazura," Hikari replied. Suzuka quickly unsheathed her sword and dug it into the ground. Hikari saw how anticipated she was to do whatever she wanted to do and placed his hand over hers. Suzuka frowned lightly and looked into his ocean-blue eyes.

"Akihito Itazura's son nearly beat you to death a few years ago. I saw it," she whispered. Hikari looked at Akihito before looking back at his friend. She'd have no reason to lie, right? If his son really did that, it would explain her strong resolve. She cared far more about this than Hikari did, that's for sure.

"He really did? What'd he look like?" he asked.

"He was the one with that stupid green mohawk and black hawk earrings. Remember?"

Hikari immediately shuddered as the description forced him to relive the savage beating. The peculiar-looking young man had grabbed him by the throat, threw him through a local blacksmith's window, and beat down on him until he passed out. Come to think of it, he remembered the large Itazura piecing under his nose more easily than his bizarre appearance. The boy let out a long sigh before unsheathing his own sword.

"Let's just get this over with."

They quickly emerged from behind the building and ran towards Akihito. The woman next to him, presumably his wife, rose her eyebrows at the small figures approaching them. Already dismissing them as children playing some kind of game. Big mistake. Suzuka harshly bought the grip of her sword against the back of the woman's head, quickly knocking her out.

"What in the- what are you kids doing?!" Akihito yelled. He got down on his knees and shook the woman in an attempt to rouse her, crying out "Naora!" repeatedly. Suzuka gently trailed the blade against Akihito's back and slowly shook her head.

"Wow, she's really out of it. I'm alot stronger than I look, huh?" she giggled out.

"Please don't hurt me! What do you- do you want money? Please!" Akihito cried out. Hikari stared at the woman lying on the ground and only found out Suzuka was looking at him sternly when she tapped him on the leg with her sword.

"What do you wanna do with him?" she asked. Hikari tightened his grip on his sword and walked over to Akihito. He looked relatively relaxed, other than the sadistic smile spreading on his pale lips. He slammed his leg against Akihito's back to push him on his stomach, then quickly brought his foot against the man's head. Over and over. By the time he was even remotely satisfied, the green-haired official had a puddle of blood forming under his head. The injuries didn't appear to be at all fatal. Hikari rose his blade and shoved it deep into the older man's waist. Arguably fatal. The cut made Akihito cry out faintly, to which both of the children laughed at. Then the blonde boy swiftly rose his blade once again and instead pierced Akihito's head with it. Definitely fatal.

"Oh my God," Suzuka whispered to herself. She slapped her palm over her mouth to prevent the contents in her mouth from spilling out. She didn't expect either of them to take any lives, but there her friend stood still, his hands still tightly holding onto the grip of the sword. Remaining quiet. Disturbingly quiet for an eleven-year-old who just committed murder.

Suzuka, now in tears, placed her hand on Hikari's shoulder and urged that they had to leave before anyone caught them. So they dragged the two bodies behind the building they previously lurked, used basic water ninjutsu to wash away Akihito's blood on the ground, disposed of their robes, and walked back home as if nothing happened. Except that when Hikari closed the front door, Suzuka shoved her face into a mint-coloured pillow and screamed hard. The blonde boy tossed the swords into a closet then sat next to her, rubbing her back slowly. The once timid child prone to cowering at the world's evils died, possibly in a more gruesome manner than Akihito.

"That woman will tell officers we did it," Hikari told her gently. Suzuka rose her head and looked into his void eyes. How could it be that the dynamics of their relationship shifted so easily? She was the one who usually called the shots, but now Hikari was leaving the house, having explained that he was going to kill the woman and dispose of the bodies. Suzuka took a moment before going after him. She was still determined to be at her friend's side, no matter what darkness awaited them.

Luckily for them, it appeared that nobody crossed Sabishi Street, or at least behind the building where they dragged the bodies. Suzuka stayed at the corner to keep watch while Hikari approached the building with a kunai at his side. When he turned to catch a glimpse of the sight, he gasped out lightly. The woman was immobile, likely struck with a terrible concussion, weakly sobbing as her head rested on Akihito's non-rising chest. Just one quick slash to the neck and her misery was over. Now he had to get rid of the bodies. His plans on how to execute this were halted by Suzuka's voice.

"Hikari!" she shakily cried out. Hikari immediately turned around to look at a silver blade pointed at his face. Multiple shinobi dressed in navy blue uniforms quickly appeared out of nowhere and pointed their weapons at him.

"Do not move!" the officer in front of him yelled. Hikari looked over to Suzuka, who was now being pushed to the ground by multiple officers. Hikari opened his mouth to yell out her name, but a large officer behind him jumped on his back and pushed him to the ground. The boy's head slammed against the pavement. Just like that, he was unconscious.

"...Believe two kids were responsible for this," a soft feminine voice said. Another voice was gruffer, masculine.

"...For execution tomorrow. Inform the Tsuchikage," it said. A third voice was another female's. Older than the first.

"...Suspects are Hikari Notori and Suzuka Yae... eleven, both... two counts of first-degree murder and..."

Hikari opened his eyes and looked at the chattering officers blankly. They ignored him for the most part, but the older female with spiky black hair and tired eyes shook her head at him. The boy pressed his hands against the metallic bars in front of him as tears stung his eyes. The officers grabbed multiple clipboards and hurried out of the room to answer a distress signal from the monitor on the large wooden desk.

"I hate all of this," Hikari said quietly. He sat against the wall and did his best to keep his crying unnoticeable. Now that he and Suzuka were apparently being executed some time tomorrow, he had all the time in the world to reflect on his decisions. He, the only son of impoverished Ritsuko and Toru Hikari, was already going down as the Hidden Stone's most famous traitor. Now he'll be its most famous murderer. At only eleven years of age. And certainly as anyone could tell, being famous wasn't everything it cracked up to be.

"Yae has escaped! Return to Notori's cell at once! The prison is on lockdown!" an angry voice yelled through a small radio on the desk in front of his holding cell. Hikari's eyes widened with happiness but soon went down at the realisation that the girl would be killed as soon as she's caught anyway. He sighed and once again touched the cold bars.

"You need to make a decision," a familiar voice said behind him. Hikari quickly turned around to be looking at Gyatsō, who somehow made it into the prison unnoticed. The man with long white hair knelt in front of Hikari and looked into his moist eyes.

"Either stay here and die or come with me to my Hidden Dark Nation and serve me. You'll get your revenge on the Hidden Stone through my plan," he said. The offer was obviously the only option to preserve Hikari's life, but without Suzuka, it would be a meaningless one. Unlike the last time they met, Hikari responded without hesitance.

"I'll come with you if you save Suzuka," the boy told him. Gyatsō smiled at him widely and touched his shoulder. He then performed a single hand sign with his free hand.

"That has already been taken care of. How else do you think she escaped?"

The both of them had just vanished from thin air when the officers came rushing back into the room.