Hinata grimaced as the continuous pelt of a leak directly above her forehead peeled her away from the realm of sleep and dreams. Growling in a way that would have made her Kage proud she sat up on the bed, glaring at the offending leak in the ceiling as if she were willing the water to evaporate and the wood to swell and seal itself up again.
Of course even the mighty gaze of the all seeing Byakugan could not bend matter to the wielders will, and so Hinata gave up in the attempt and simply moved her bed. Laying back down, the Hyuuga clan head could only hope for a quick return to the world of dreams. But with her wakefulness came her thoughts and worries. Though she had faith that Naruto was alive, she could only speculate about the others. Ginchiko had gone off after Mika, and she wasn't sure which one of the two was stronger than the other. She had only heard of Ginchiko's abilities through word of mouth and though she had fought Mika once before many years ago during the first campaign to take Kiri she had really no idea just how much the Kiri sword-woman had grown over the years. So again the results of their battle could only be speculated, if they'd even fought at all.
Then of course there was Jiraiya. The toad sannin's skill was almost as revered as that of their Kage and he was still, at the age of 60 considered the second most dangerous man in Konoha. Though Kakashi, and the late Guan were beginning to threaten that title. She was confident he was still alive.
Tenten, Toushiro and Lee, she knew were also part of the attack and though she wasn't particularly close with any of them, except perhaps Tenten she was worried. It was never a good thing to hear of a comrade dying.
And finally, Yoshihiro Shimazu along with his nephew Toyohisa. Personally she'd be glad to be rid of the two. They were both wild cards and she didn't trust Yoshihiro as far as she could throw him, which wasn't very far considering how strong the old man was.
But those were her personal feelings towards their lives, politically, so far Yoshihiro had proven to be a stabilizing influence over Iwa, and they needed him alive in order to make sure the entire area didn't erupt into civil turmoil, which would only cause more problems than they needed at the moment.
So...she supposed...she wanted the infuriating old man alive too.
The Hyuuga matriarch sighed with frustration as she picked herself up from the bed, deciding that sleep wasn't gonna be coming back any time soon. She decided that some sea air may be good for her.
And so, she put on her clothes and made her way out to the torch lit deck, she felt, more than saw as the crew member who manned the helm snapped his gaze back to the horizon once he caught sight of her exiting the door. There were only a few others on the deck at the moment and all were more than happy to give her a wide berth.
Making her way to the front of the ship Hinata allowed herself a brief smile as her long hair was caught in the wind, whipping out behind her as the salt water mist caressed her pale skin.
Her moment was broken however by the grating, highly annoying (at least to her) voice of Ishio, the captain of this crew of cutthroats and vagabonds that ferried them across the ocean. "Well now dear princess. What'll be troublin someone like you enough to keep ye awake at this hour?" His tone was friendly, but carried an edge of mocking just enough to let her know that his concern wasn't genuine in the least.
"Nothing that someone like you would ever need to concern yourself with, much less be able to comprehend." She replied in a dangerous tone.
"Claws out tonight I see." He shot back with that familiar confidence that never seemed to leave him, even under the withering gaze that was directed at him.
"Oh come now lass." The older man said after a brief tense moment between them, taking his Sake jug from his hip and pouring a bit in the saucer in his other hand he offered her some of the alcohol. "Whatever's botherin' ya I'm sure its nothin a good drink cant alleviate."
Hinata had to admit, a drink sounded very good at the moment. She wasn't one to drink but these last few days demanded some kind of fix.
She eyed the offered drink for a moment before looking back at the captain. "You first."
The captain simply looked at her as if to say. "Oh please." before he downed the drink in a single gulp. Turning his eyes onto the Hyuuga, he spoke as he poured a bit more Sake into the saucer. "Little princess, believe me I have nothing to gain from killin ya and if I wanted you dead I'd do it much less upfront than this."
Hinata activated her Byakugan for a split second as she looked at the jug, making sure there were no hidden compartments or anything before looking at the captain, she could read no deceit from him, only a hint of nervousness that suddenly shook him. Though that was common at the sight of a fully activated Byakugan, especially to non ninja who are not used to such things.
Still she needed to wonder just what was underhanded in this captains eyes if poisoning someone was considered "upfront"
Deciding to filter that to the back of her mind however, she took the offered saucer before nodding. "How very noble of you." She said before she drank the sake, relishing the sansation of the warm liquid trailing down her throat.
Extending the saucer towards Ishio again the pirate captain served her some more before pulling out another of the small dishes before pouring himself some more of the alcohol.
Downing the liquid with a satisfied sigh the older, bearded pirate decided to converse with his drinking partner. "So mis Hyuuga, mind tellin me why you're in this little game?
"What little game?" Hinata questioned before she drank a little more.
"This little game of you leading armies, risking your life for a half dead Suna girl, sailing across the great sea with nothing but two firm allies to have your back should anything go wrong. Seems like a loosing game to me." He answered.
"This is no game." She said firmly. "People's lives are at steak as is the fate of this country, our country."
"Ahh I see." He breathed, almost sarcastically "And what would your intentions be for "The fate" of our country?"
"My intentions don't matter, only Naruto's intentions matter." She said firmly. "He is our leader...and we fight for him."
"We, or just you?" The captain questioned rhetorically before downing his sake. Hinata did not turn to look at him this time, instead looking out towards the inky black distance, contrasting sharply with the bright reflections of the moon against the oceans glossy surface. "Seems to me like you place an awful lot of faith on the character and integrity of your commander and chief...especially considering some of the things he is rumored to have done. And especially of the things he's known to have done. Poisonings, the slaughter of entire families, manipulations of any kind to get what he wants."
"What's your-" Hinata's sentence stopped dead as she turned to face the captain, the world coming to a violent and dizzying spin, Hinata felt her stomach lurch and bile rose up in her throat, sending her to a fit of coughs as she stumbled over the railing, barely managing to catch herself in time to avoid falling completely. Heaving coughs wracking her frame as saliva slowly fell from her parted lips, dripping onto the wooden floor with her dry heaves.
"The point is. Little princess." The captain spoke, walking around her, uncaring to her apparently failing health. "That everyone is out for their own gain. Everyone. And your commander, and especially myself, are not above this rule either. So you see, since I have no intention of working to help fulfill his ends, I'm going to work on fulfilling my ends, and one of my ends is to get rich. Hopefully filthy rich." He paused, watching as several of his crew emerged from below deck, ropes, swords, torches in hand as they approached the downed Hyuuga.
Hinata continued to cough, her saliva now tinted red as she turned her pale eyes onto the smug Ishio, the darkening veil over her sight making his image deformed and blurry, but the smile was still clear. She didn't try to pick herself up, recognizing that her body was beginning to shut down. What toxin did he use? How did he even use it. She's seen the Sake jug there were no second compartments hidden in the muzzle of the bottle where he could have hidden any other liquid so that he didn't drink.
Unable to come up with anything she took a breath, even that proving difficult in her current state before she released a jagged "How?"
"Oh nifty little drink we got there. Its actually a poison developed by some old hermit in the woods. Apparently he had a grudge against a ninja who massacred his whole family several years ago, probably your commander for all we kno', and so began to develop a poison that would specifically target ninja. The more Chakra the person has the quicker and deadlier the effects are. I didn't learn many of the basics before I killed the old goat but someone of your level of skill from what I understand would probably become ill by tonight, but you wont die for at least another three weeks. More than enough time to get you back to Kumo or Suna, who I'm sure will pay quite a hefty price for your head, as well as your eyes..." He smiled at the last part. a gleam in his eye as he leaned down, cupping her chin in his hand as he brought her dropping head to look at him. "Oh yes. They'll pay for those eyes alright."
Not having the strength to do anything else, Hinata curled back her lips and spat in his face before her world faded and she collapsed on the deck.
Ishio wiped his face, smirk still firmly in his expression as he did. "Hmph, claws out as usual. Tie her up boys and secure her below deck, I'm sure you've already dealt with the medics."
"Aye captain." One of the pirates nodded as the others went about tying her up.
Ishio nodded, turning to leave when he heard the man currently tying her ankles spoke. "Hehehe, I'm sure we'll be enjoying this stuck up little princess later tonight. I've always wanted to do it with a ninja girl."
Turning sharply on his heel Ishio smoothly grabbed a crossbow from another crewmate's back, aimed, and fired.
The bolt pierced the offending crew member through the neck, the man gurgled, choking on his own blood before he fell over the ships railing, a splash soon accompanying his fall.
All eyes turned to Ishio as the bearded man handed the crewmember back his crossbow his smile still there. "I trust they'll be no more words so much as inclining to acquiesce the suggestion our former friend put forward yes?"
When no one said anything the ships captain nodded to himself before turning to the helm master. "Change course east we'll be heading to our stash so we can gather our supplies before heading south.
"Aye captain." The helmsman yelled before he turned the massive wheel, grabbing his hat as a powerful gust of wind suddenly blew over them.
"Aye tis a good night for sailin." Ishio commented to himself before he began making his way towards his quarters listening to the men as they began to move the poisoned Hyuuga.
The gritty scraping feel of sand beneath her cheek was the first sensation Akina felt as she came to. Her body felt strangely numb as she pulled her arms up to push herself up off the ground.
Before she could even start though the crunching of sand beneath a boot reached her ears shortly before the person stepped infront of her. Her eyes took in the dark leather surface of the boot. A pit formed at the very bottom of her stomach as the heavy sound of a cloak caught in the wind reached her ears. This pit of dread deepened greatly as the color red filtered in through her peripheral vision.
The angle at which she stared up at the intruder was awkward. But no matter how awkward it was the identity was unmistakable.
Naruto stared down at her, cloak draped over his shoulders, hands hidden beneath the lengths of fabric, hood and mask in their usual place.
She scrambled backwards, grains of sand caught in the wind as she hurriedly stumbled to her feet. She ignored the shiver that crawled up her spine as the very edge of the sloshing waves nipped the back of her heel.
As she reached for her kunai she realized her pouch was missing. Cursing in surprise when she looked back at her older sibling he was standing less than an inch away from her, towering over her much smaller form.
Releasing a startled scream she fell back into the water, choking as the salt water entered her mouth and nose, forcing her to sputter and cough as she rose above the surface again.
She turned her blue eyes back onto Naruto her breathing heavy and ragged with what she could only describe as fear as she looked up to his still silent form.
For several moments the only sounds between the two siblings was the hissing of the waves as they came to and fro.
Finally the former Kumo Kunoichi couldn't take the silence and yelled out to her brother. "What do you want!"
His eyes bled into red, glowing in the shadows like rubies as the wind picked up and the skies darkened. When he spoke, his voice seemed to come from everywhere, echoing around her as the ground rumbled beneath her.
"What I want..." Came the ghastly echo as his right hand slowly extended forward.
The shaking of the earth became more violent, the sun that hung above them growing blood red as the clouded sky turned the same color. Akina's eyes darted left and right staring in horrific awe.
"What I want..." he repeated as the ground behind him cracked, the sound deafening even as she covered her ears, clenching her eyes shut before turning them back to Naruto, noticing each one of his fingertips now covered in a deep purple flame.
Fire rose from the cracks in the earth, the heat licking at her skin as screams, horrible, haunting screams seemed to filter up from the earth.
"What I want..."
The ground suddenly opened up beneath her and she could barely scream before the water washed over her. She felt herself sinking, deeper, deeper, the sight of Naruto fading into the blueish green water of the ocean as she futility tried to gasp for air.
She felt herself twisting, moving, up and down lost its direction in this place. She felt sick her stomach twisting horribly as vertigo hit her.
A voice reached her ears as she tried to open her eyes, coming to her like a mere echo. "-sh...na...be okay?" More echoes, more shadows.
As light came into her eyes the only thing she was able to make out was a man's dark hair before her eyes closed again.
Naruto's eyes languidly opened, bringing him away from his sleep, allowing his gaze to take in the full glory of the stone, cold ceiling of the cave he currently resided in.
His ears twitched, filtering through the sounds of the crickets and other night creatures as the shuffling of feet, five or six men if he estimated the number correctly. Gathering chakra to his nose the stench of alcohol, sweat and...Hinata?
Chakra was filtered into his ears allowing the men's words to reach him. Four were talking nonsense, but the two who appeared to be at the back of the group were an exception.
"Man I sure hope the capn' knows what he's doin. I don't like the idea of getting on Konoha's bad side."
"Please, do you really think that Devil King guy really even cares for this girl. He'll probably have her spot filled before he even gets word that she's missing. And even if he did care do you really think he could track us down. We're pirates and he hired thousands of others in that battle. It could have been any of those guys. There's no way he'll find us. Now stop whining and lets get to the stash, we're falling behind.
Naruto stood from his resting place, cracking his neck as he reached down for his cloak and mask. He could think of quite a few things that disproved those theories already.
The thunderous sounds of something smashing against the fifty foot tall iron and wood gate of the cloud village, was deafening, rising above the terrified battle cries of those already fighting on the wall. The seals that disrupted chakra did well enough to keep them at bay but more and more were beginning to analyze and decipher the patterns of the chakra disrupting seals. It would not hold them for long.
Anbu Commander Koro stood in the courtyard, yelling orders to his men to bring more wood for the barricade. Somewhere in his mind. he could only ask himself one thing.
How did it come to this?
How is it that they now face extermination against this enemy? How is it that the once gentle, peace loving village of Konoha had become the monstrosity that now descended onto their very doorstep?
How is it that their Kage was not here in their time of need? How is it that Konoha could have this many ninja in their reserves while they also needed to fight against Suna to the south west?
How is it that everything that they, the ninja of this village, hold dear and strive to protect, their families, their homes, now face imminent destruction?
So again...how did it come to this?
He was brought away from his thoughts as one of the chuunin rushed up to his side, an open wound along the left temple, dust and soot covering his face and clothing as he breathed deeply, eyes wide and frantic. "Sir! Sir!" He coughed, choking as he took in a deep breath "Br-Breach at sector twelve. The enemy is pouring in, there are too many, the line is breaking. We need reinforcements."
"Everyone needs reinforcements." He snapped at the younger man before a deafening crack splintered the left side of the gate, the banging was increasing now, their opponents driven to a frenzy as they saw the first visible sign of the gate beginning to weaken due to the repeated impacts.
"Hold the gate!" He yelled to several other chuunin who stood in the courtyard, watching as every man scrambled to find a spot against the gate pouring their chakra to reinforce the wooden barrier.
An explosion shook the earth beneath their feet the bang momentarily drowning out everything else before the sounds came rushing back. The insistent banging against the gate accompanied by more splinters and cracks that pelted those in the courtyard with splinters.
"Sir!" Another Chuunin yelled from a nearby rooftop. "The walls aren't stopping em! They're beginning to swarm over the defenses!"
Before he could answer the younger man a massive chunk of the gate came loose, launching towards him with the strength of whatever impact had snapped it free in the first place.
"Get down!" Someone else yelled before Koro and several others behind and around him hit the floor. The mass of wood came to a stop several yards into the street behind them. Koro looked back up to the gate, a hole protruding from the higher portion, where some kind of claw from what hecould only guess was a summoned animal was beginning to tear off more chunks of the wood.
The banging increased now, almost like drums before one final deafening impact smashed the gate wide open crushing several of the men as the massive wooden slabs toppled over them, crushing grown men beneath the nearly two ton weight.
"Now!" He heard myself yell before hundreds of kunai, some with explosive tags, others without, were thrown through the now open portal. He couldn't see past the dust and smoke, but the flashes from the explosions and the screams of whomever they hit was more than enough to tell him we were hitting something. Over the chaotic sound something else reached his ears.
Is that a...a flute?
Something barged through the gate then, a humanoid beast with gray skin followed by two others. It carried a massive club, its long black hair covering its face as he swung the weapon, smashing several of the terrified Chuunin before they could react. The other two, one who was tied up in bandages from head to waist, the last had cream colored skin and bone spikes wrapped around his forearms which extended down towards his wrists and up to his elbow.
The three fifteen foot tall creatures tore into ninja squads, using their bodies and weapons freely as blood spilled onto the cobblestone streets. He moved to step-forward when suddenly dozens of more Konoha ninja poured through the gate engaging the disorganized, panicked men left at his disposal, easily cutting through them.
The sound of the flute reached his ears again, more clearly this time its haunting melody ringing loudly in his ears as he followed the sound, finding the source instantly as a gray skined, horned, red headed woman.
Stepping through the gate her eyes were closed, focussed on her instrument. Koro took a kunai from his pouch hurling it at her, only to have the blade intercepted by one of the creatures, the edge simply bouncing off his hardened skin.
Rounding to face the lone Anbu the beast roared, raising its club high before it brought it down. He leapt away as it smashed stone and brick beneath the massive weapon.
"Damnit." Koro cursed as he landed on one of the rooftops. Glancing around at the men who were quickly falling; there was only one order that came to mind.
"Fall back to the tower! Fall Back!" The cry was loud, going well over all other sounds. The men did not hesitate to obey, scrambling back through the streets, the Konoha ninja hot on their heels as the three beasts tore up the surrounding buildings.
It was then when he realized it...that their only hope now is to save as many as they can.
With the gate breached, it is only a matter of time before they leave their dead on the streets of the white city.
As he turned to leave a sudden searing sensation spread from the center of his chest to the rest of his body. Stumbling, he glanced down where...where a...a bone was sticking out?
Then, he was yanked back, off his feet. Earth met sky in his eyes before I felt his body slam into the ground a white haired man standing over him. He kicked him in his side, forcing him to roll over, allowing him to yank out his weapon. Why was it suddenly so cold?
He pushed the thought away from his mind as he saw the man step around him, marching into the gates of the village where Koro could already see smoke beginning to rise from within its walls.
…
How did it come to this?