Author's Note:
I am pleased to say, that this is the first fanfic I have ever published. This is only the first chapter, just a tiny prelude to many more epic things to come. Be kind, or maybe don't. Hate me, flame me... Or maybe even love me. We shall see...
Ch 1 : Vengeance Sweet as Nectar
Shikamaru lay unconscious on the ground, his ponytail undone and caked with mud. Dosu stood over him, a gleam in his eye as he stared at her.
Choji wasn't in much better shape, held back by Zaku's knee which pressed his face into the unforgiving earth.
The third member of the Sound trio, perhaps Kin was her name, trudged towards Ino, a menacing grin on her lips, three gleaming senbons held within her fingers.
Heart filled with desperation, she looked towards the crater where the body of Rock Lee was lying prone, no movement from the green clad ninja.
Shaking hands clenched at dirt as she vigorously tried backpedalling away from the fate which surely awaited her, her fingers making shallow trenches on the hard ground. Face twisting in a grimace as her stomach throbbed, her pale face lost all blood as the distance between Kin and her continued closing.
Smiling in a way that showed way too much teeth, Kin spoke," Not so brave now that we crushed your team, are you?"
Ino continued struggling back, her lips trembling as she gazed at the terrifying visage of the shinobi standing over her .
Suddenly the taller girl's leg shot forward, and Ino flew through the air, rolling on the ground for a few meters before coming to a sudden stop against a tree trunk.
Blood flew from her mouth and her head felt hazy, as if she were floating through a dense cloud. Her vision became blurry, struggling to identify the blots of colours in her vision as any distinct shape.
"I can't believe you. It's girls like you that are giving kunoichi a bad reputation," came the sound ninja's drawling voice, cutting through the haze surrounding Ino's mind.
Her baby blue eyes followed the voice and focused on Kin's face, which sported a disgusted scowl.
"Ughh! You disgust me so much I don't even want to kill you anymore", she said and spat on the ground at her feet.
Ino tried to turn her head, to look towards Sakura, her old friend who had turned a rival, but a sudden sharp pain lanced through her neck, making her cringe and give up on the movement.
Dosu took a step towards Kin and spoke up, "Whatever you plan to do with the girl, be quick about it. We're on a time crunch here, let's get the Uchiha and get out of here. We don't wanna be late and make master mad."
The mention of this master sent a jolt through Kin, whose face paled for a moment, before she started taking measured steps towards Ino, her face set into a firm scowl.
Reaching Ino, she bent over the blonde girl, bringing her senbon up and between their faces.
Setting her lips in a malicious grin, she said," I'm going to carve you up, little girl. Let's see if the Uchiha likes you so much anymore."
One of the senbon slowly moved towards her right eye, and Ino could do nothing but stare as the pointed instrument came closer and closer to her eye.
'This is it... This is how I'm finally gonna die'
As the senbon was about to plunge into the girl's eye, Kin suddenly stopped the movement and stiffened. Her breathing became ragged and came in slow gasps, and a cold sweat broke over her skin.
This was when Ino felt it, the surge of chakra and killing intent that suddenly filled the air. Though it was aimed towards her general vicinity, she could distinctly tell it wasn't pointed at her. She was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to breathe otherwise.
Kin's head snapped beyond Ino, somewhere that she could not see, and slowly her eyes widened.
She snapped backwards in a hurry and it couldn't be sooner for someone had landed where the sound ninja stood just a moment ago, their fist embedded in the ground with the earth cracked around the fist.
Ino's blank eyes slowly trailed up the form of her saviour. Eyes which were blank just a moment ago, gained a glint of newfound light as the tiniest ray of hope entered her heart that she may perhaps survive this encounter after all.
Her saviour pulled their fist out of the crumbling earth and slowly straightened up. Ino could tell it was a male figure, with his broad shoulders rigid against the looming threat. Her eyes widened as a light of recognition entered her eyes, yet her brain refused to believe the scene in front of her.
It was Naruto.
Naruto had saved her life from the sudden end it was imminent to be brought to.
His torso was clad in a black tank top, and an orange rag covered his legs, which could be called trousers by the barest definitions of the word. The holes torn into the garment showed tanned skin marked by scratches and bruises. His shredded arms rippled with the minute twitches of the underlying muscles, which were also marked with shallow lacerations and purpling bruises. His sunkissed blonde hair flowed in the air in an unseen breeze, and Ino's breath caught in her throat.
Yet the most glaring feature in front of her was the chakra which Naruto was emitting. It's light blue taint flickered around Naruto, similar to a candle just lit, or a new flame which had just been born. And even without any inclination for sensory ninjutsu, Ino could tell that the chakra was increasing, both in intensity and potency. The chakra was dense, spreading over and covering Ino not unlike a blanket of thick honey.
Yet the most astonishing anomaly was the fact that the chakra was visible.
Chakra wasn't supposed to be visible. It was a form of energy present inside the body of every living organism, minute as it may be. But it just wasn't visible. Energy doesn't have an appearance after all.
And yet Ino couldn't deny what she was seeing just in front of her eyes. Her senses were screaming at her, removing any lingering doubts in her mind that yes, Naruto was here against all odds, yes, his chakra was very much visible, and yes, he was emitting a greater amount of chakra, than she had ever sensed any other single person emit in her life, even considering the fact that she belonged to a ninja clan, and had been exposed to huge pools of chakra before.
But this, was on a completely different level.
He was like a flame, burning bright blue, threatening to encompass her whole being and light her on fire. Yet as soon as his chakra touched her, it spread over her skin, touching her, caressing her, but never suffocating, soft like a silken sheet draped over her, filling her being with promises of warmth and comfort.
Naruto's head turned minutely to the left, a single bright blue eye visible over his shoulder. It seemed to look through her, as if it could see through her entire life in that one moment, calculate the worth she held, and lay it bare in front of her.
Ino's breath hitched.
Naruto's lone blue eye crinkled, a frown appearing on his face, and his head towards slowly turned forwards.
Eyes locked on the paling sound kunoichi, hus chakra flared even wilder than before, wisps of the chakra leaking out of the blue shroud and lost in the air.
Kin drew senbon in both her hands, and adopted a fighting stance. She had to be careful, this guy looked dangerous.
Ino saw a slight movement in the edge of her vision. Dosu was standing with his feet apart, body grounded and rigid, his right arm splayed towards Naruto, as if reaching for something.
A chill ran down Ino's back, she knew exactly what Dosu was about to do. She would have to warn Naruto, make sure he dodged, for the alternative was too grim to even consider. But if Naruto moved, it would put her immediately in the line of fire next.
Yet Ino steeled herself and let out a shout. "Narutooo!"
His eyes jerked around and his gaze fell upon Dosu, with his arm aimed straight at him.
"Heh. Too late motherfucker."
A wave rippled through the air, headed straight for Naruto. There was no time to think, to even react as the wave of compressed sound slammed into him, blanketing the area in a thick cloud of smoke.
With a shudder, Ino suddenly realised that she could still feel her body, that she was still alive. Disbelief took over her mind. 'What.. what happened? Did it not hit Naruto? Did his jutsu fail? How the fuck am I still alive!?'
Through the slowly dispersing cloud of smoke and dirt, a figure was slowly become visible. Ino let out a gasp and her hands flew to her lips as the sight of Naruto slowly became clear, standing exactly where he had been before the jutsu connected with him.
Apart from dirt dusting his skin and hair, there was no other sign of him having been the target of such a destructive jutsu. His blonde hair swayed in the wind, remnant of the sound cutting through the air, and he stood tall, proud and unyielding.
Dosu's single eye widened, threatening to pop out of it's socket. The shifting and crinkling of the bandages on his face the only sign of any expression on the face of the older boy. Almost instantaneously, the surprise faded and was replaced by a glare.
"I don't know how you managed to survive my attack. But your luck won't hold for long."
Flexing his fingers, he prepared to let loose a second shockwave.
Naruto disappeared.
Dosu's single eye widened, and he struggled to move, to turn around fast enough to intercept the attack he knew was sure to come.
He wasn't fast enough.
Naruto's punch crashed through the sound ninja's hastily put up guard as if it wasn't even there.
The fist smashed into Dosu's face, caving in his nose and launching him across the clearing. Skidding through the mud, the body came to a stop at the edge of the forest.
Dosu did not get up again.
A barrage of senbon converged on Naruto's back. A kunai appeared in his hand, and he masterfully deflected all the aimed projectiles.
With a burst of chakra he leaped towards Kin, who hastily put up a guard. Naruto's feet crashed into it, but she held up with a huff.
Zaku leapt at Naruto with a sweeping kick, but Naruto kicked off, using Kin as a springboard and launching himself up into the air. Going into a somersault, he landed a little ways away from both sound genin.
A second kunai appeared in his hands, and he immediately rushed in at the two genin again.
Zaku cupped his hands, palms facing forwards and raised them towards the blonde ninja.
"Argghhh!!" With a heavy grunt a massive shockwave rippled towards Naruto. As the wave came upon him, he vanished.
Kin and Zaku immediately pressed their backs against each other, both taking up combat stances and making sure to cover each other's blindspots.
The forest was silent.
It was devoid of the sound of any living creature, save for the strained breathing of the two sound ninjas.
The ground under their feet burst open. Zaku barely had any time to react before he was pulled underground, only his head sticking out from the hard earth like an abnormal plant.
Naruto emerged from the ground beside Zaku's head, Kin jumping away to put some distance from the blonde.
"Hey! What the fuck! What kinda jutsu is this man!? Let me outta here!"
Naruto paid no mind to the sound genin shouting profanities at his feet. Instead he only had eyes for the third member of the sound trio.
Kin in turn was shaking on her feet. The speed at which this guy had taken out two of the better fighters on her team was astonishing. She knew she stood no chance against this monster. There was no way this guy was a genin! At the same time, failure was not an option. She knew her master. There would be absolutely no mercy were she to return empty handed. She will have to fight.
Naruto silently watched emotions flit across Kin's face before it settled into grim determination. Good. He would enjoy breaking her.
Senbons flew towards Naruto's face, which were easily dodged. Belatedly he realised they had ninja wire tied to them. A ringing sound entered his ears, and Naruto wondered if he had hit his head somewhere along the course of the battle, to warrant the unseeing sound.
Then before Naruto's very eyes, Kin split off into seven identical clones. Was it a clone jutsu? Naruto did not know. With a cruel smirk Kin's clones launched more senbon at Naruto. He went to dodge, and succeeded. But sharp pains lanced through his arms. Looking down, he saw his arms riddled with numerous senbon.
'Did I fail to dodge? I'm pretty sure I avoided all the senbon'
Letting out a sharp exhale, Naruto grit his teeth and launched himself towards the Kin clones in a burst of speed. Kin formed a hand sign and a sharp pain exploded inside Naruto's skull.
"Arghhhh!!" He let out a shout, holding his head in his hands and falling to the ground mid sprint.
"Naruto!" Ino shouted out his name as she watched the blonde boy writhing on the ground in pain. She felt a deep shame swelling within her. Here was Naruto putting his life on the line for her, and what was she doing? She was acting like a weakling, laying on the ground and just staring while Naruto of all people fought alone, and he was even winning to boot!
Taking in a deep breath, Ino forced herself to her feet with a yell. Sweat broke out over her skin from the effort, her hair hung in tangles around her face, but she stood tall.
Pulling out a couple shuriken from her hip pouch, she fingered them. Taking careful aim at the clones standing over the downed Naruto, she launched the shuriken.
Ino would openly admit that she wasn't a shuriken-jutsu prodigy, but every Konoha academy graduate had been drilled through countless hours of projectile training to reach the basic proficiency that would allow them to save their life in the battlefield.
The shuriken sailed through the air on a collision course with two of the clones. But to her surprise, rather than hurt her, the shuriken passed clean through them, leaving only a minor ripple on the clones' bodies where the shuriken had entered, and even that disappeared within a moment.
Ino came to the conclusion then, that the technique which the sound ninja was using, was definitely a genjutsu. A cline would definitely have dispersed, be it a shadow clone, or a regular clone.
"Naruto! She's using genjutsu! It's all a trick! She's tricking your mind!"
A single blue eye opened, hazy from the pain, and yet Ino's words reached him. His hands came together to flrm the familiar shape of the Ram seal.
"KAI!"
The pain dispersed from Naruto's mind, leaving him in silent relief from the debilitating pain in his head.
Kin turned enraged eyes towards the blonde girl, fury pouring from her voice.
"You BITCH! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU WHEN I HAD THE CHA- Agh!"
Blood flew from her lips as Naruto's fist embedded itself into her abdomen. She folded around the hand, her head lolling onto his forearm as her eyes blanked from the pain. She slid off the fist, her knees hitting the ground. Naruto's eyes locked onto her. Through the haze, Kin could tell that his eyes held no emotion. Blue irises staring at her as if she did n't matter, as if she didn't even exist.
It enraged her.
Yet she was powerless to do anything apart from moan, as her stomach threatened to empty onto the ground.
Naruto reached out a hand towards her, and Kin shrunk back. His hand shot out and wrapped around her hair, twisting it to form a strong handhold and tugging her towards him.
"Ah!"
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she was silenced by the massive wave of killing intent that slammed into her with the force of a freight train.
Naruto's free hand, the one not gripping her hair, rose up deliberately and latched around Kin's throat, his fingers flexing to increase the pressure gradually.
Kin brought up her hands to grip on to his wrists, pulling and scratching at the offending limbs threatening to choke her to death.
But it was for naught.
Kin's struggles proved futile, her efforst decreasing in intensity, finally leading to a failing grip with her hands falling to her hands.
Naruto's fingers uncurled from around the sound genin's throat, leaving dark blue purpling bruises in the shape of his fingers. Kin's body dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
Slowly turning around, Naruto's eyes fell upon Ino, standing still from where she had launched her shuriken at Kin's genjutsu.
After a brief moment of pause, a light of recognition entered his eyes. His eyes widened and a gasp left his lips," Ino!"
He sprinted towards her.
Ino's legs gave up on her weight, but before she could fall to the ground a couple of strong arms circled her body, holding her close while they supported her weight.
Looking up, she saw Naruto's face only a hair breadth away from her own, his deep blue eyes staring intently into her own. A flush crept up her neck, splashing her pale face into a lovely shade of pink to the tip of her nose.
"Naruto.."
His breath hitched, and his face shot forward, covering her dainty little lips, with his own rough ones.
He had an offbeat taste, a mixture of strawberries and pine, and this thought weakened the knees of the blonde girl.
His hand caressed her hair, fingers digging into the roots of her scalp and gently massaging away.
His mouth opened slightly, tongue uncoiling to faintly touch her lips. Her lips responded on it's own, parting for him, and his slick appendage shot forward to invade her own.
They stood there for what felt like hours, calmly joined together in a moment of blissful peace. Trading soft kisses while Naruto whispered sweet nothings into her ear.
After a long time, the couple calmed down from their frenzy, their kisses losing ferocity, and continuing to paint each other with languid strokes.
Ino was pulled out from her hazy cloud of passion by a timid voice sounding off to the right.
"Naruto... Ino..? What's happening?"