Chapter 40
HINATA HYUGA
Hinata had held onto hope. Even as minutes turned into hours, and hours turned into days, she clung to it. All because of a promise made years ago.
Some part of her wondered if he still remembered his words. Still remembered the promise he had made to her when they had been but children, yet she knew that if there was any chance for her to live through her current ordeal, then it lay with him.
And her faith was answered, for now she found herself staring at his back once more, as a misshapen and skeletal wing sprouted out from one side. His chakra, it was different, darker than it had been, but it was him.
It was her cousin.
And she recognised the man opposite to her as well, for she had seen him many a time at the compound, shuffling through the crowds as he accompanied the Sandaime-sama. He was a man known as Konoha's darkness.
An elder who had once fought alongside Lord Third himself. Danzo Shimura.
Hikari was injured, and blood dripped out from one side of his back. The blade in his hand began to crumble away as he faced off against the five ANBU and the one-armed elder.
"You are not getting your hands on her," he challenged, as the aged shinobi legend raised a brow and snarled angrily.
"Hikari Hyuga," he whispered, recognising her cousin even through his morphing form.
"You could have lived had you stayed away. But now you have sealed your fate," he declared, as the five masked nin all prepared themselves for battle. Their intentions are obvious.
"Hinata," he said, as he dropped the charred hilt of his blade, and took a deep breath, and she felt him gather chakra into his hands, as he called out her name.
"I will handle those fake ANBU. But I need you to do something for me," he whispered, and she was hungry, tired, and battered beyond reason. Yet she nodded nonetheless, as she began molding her chakra, pushing it into the network around her eyes.
"Byakugan," she eeked out, and the world shifted as chakra began to swirl in her vision. Chakra of all forms and colors, readying itself to rage forth as Hikari gathered it in a small sphere in front of his fists.
"What do I need to do?" she asked.
"What are your orders, Danzo-sama?" the masked nin asked.
"Kill the boy," he ordered, as Hikari's face shifted as the masked nin blurred through the air.
"That eye of his. The one he has covered up. I want you to destroy it," and it was a strange request.
"Do it, and we win," he whispered, and she had not doubted him before, and she was not going to start now.
"Ok," and she saw him blur, as he swung his sole misshapen wing, raising a storm that put away all the shuriken and kunai aimed at him, and appeared in front of one of the masked nins.
"Katon:..." she heard his voice, as she began to push lightning-style chakra into her own limbs, trying to replicate one of her sensei's fabled techniques.
"HIKEN!" and with that, he pushed forward his hand, and a massive blast of fire emerged from it, swallowing up two of the masked nin whole, as she set her eyes on the bandaged old man.
"Ninpo:..." she whispered as lightning raced all over her body, and she could hear it crackle and tingle as she took aim at that strange eye of his.
"....Hekireki Issen!" and then in the blink of an eye, she was in front of him, as she aimed her ration-laced palm right for that eye.
THUNK!
Yet before she could pierce his eye, he grabbed her arm with his other hand, stopping her in her steps.
"Your eyes give away your target. You are still far too inexperienced to take on someone like me," and with that, she saw him suck in a bunch of air.
"Futon:..." and she could feel the power of the attack, and knew that it would be the end of her, but she had been asked to do a single thing. One singular thing, and if she couldn't even do that, then how the hell would she be able to change her own clan in the future?
And so, rather than backing away, she pushed forth her chakra as she pushed forth the chakra into her fingers, as lightning began to race through them, burning and scalding her skin as she tried to replicate Hikari's very technique.
"...Enrai!" she whispered, as she shot out the chakra out of her palm.
"...Shinkūha!" and her attack made his head shift, as the man screamed, and Hinata herself followed suit, as the attack tore into her body, sending her back, as the futon attack tore into the side of her chest, drenching her in blood.
"AGHHH!" she grunted as her body rolled onto the ground, and the world began to spin as she bled out from her wounds. She tried to push herself back up once more, but in the end, the attack had taken what little energy she had, and she could move no more.
But he could.
"AGHHHH!" he roared back to his feet, hand covering his bandaged eye, and the last thing her Byakugan saw was that the eye had been destroyed, and whatever it was, it must have meant a great deal to him as he roared in agony.
"How dare you! How dare you ruin my plans!" he roared angrily as he walked up to her, and she tried to move away, but the man grabbed her neck and raised her into the air, as he choked the air out of her.
"I will kill you myself..." but before the light in her gaze vanished, she felt the force around her neck vanish, and then as she fell to the floor, she heard him grunt and in the blink of an eye, the bandaged elder was forced onto his knees, as he pulled on his arm while pushing his back.
"It's over..." he whispered, and he was caked in blood, and his sole wing had nearly melted away, as he pinned down the elder, who grunted.
"How..." and it was obvious to her that he had killed away all of the masked nin, and the battle had taken a toll on him, obviously, but in the end, he had emerged victorious.
"Do you have any idea what you have done! You have destroyed this village! You will hang for this! I will make sure of that!" Danzo threatened, and Hinata herself gasped at those words, for as painful as it was to admit then, they were not entirely false.
For all his actions, Danzo Shimura was an elder.
"Only if you live..." and suddenly she felt chakra gather on the sole of her cousin's feet, similar to what he had done for his fist during the first attack, as he pinned the bandaged man to the ground.
"You are done..." yet suddenly the air in the room shifted, as a new voice tore through the silence.
"Let him go, Hikari..." and she heard shinobi blur through the tunnels, as half a dozen men jumped down and surrounded Hikari, while another figure appeared just behind her.
"Hinata," and it was her sensei, who gasped at her condition as Shikaku Nara stared into her cousin's eyes.
"You got yourself in quite some trouble, didn't you, my dear pupil?" and the tears that she had long held back welled in her eyes, as the man helped her onto her feet, as another shinobi came and began to treat her injuries.
He wore a helmet on his face and seemed somewhat younger than Kakashi-sensei, yet her eyes remained focused on her cousin, who had not budged despite the order.
"Tell him, Shikaku. Order him to step down!" Danzo Shimura shouted as the Nara jounin's eyes narrowed.
"Let him go, Hikari..." he repeated in a whisper, and she saw their eyes meet before her cousin opened his mouth and replied defiantly.
"No.." and then the world blurred, and shadows moved, but none were fast enough, as Hikari's shout tore through the clearing.
"Katon: Hiken!"
BOOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOM!
00000
NARUTO UZUMAKI
Naruto was getting rather frustrated with the woman they had come to meet. Ever since he was a child, there were but a few people who had ever cared for him, and acknowledged him, and he had let all of them down.
During the attack, he had let everyone down, as he lost himself to the Kyuubi inside of him. If only he had been stronger, then his friends would all have been fine now. Instead, all of them were in the hospital fighting for their lives, and the only person who could guarantee their safety was dragging her feet.
They had run at full speed to reach her, and it had taken them a day and a half to make it to her, and yet it had been a few hours since then, and she refused to budge. From what Pervy Sage had told her, she was one of his teammates and was the best healer alive.
They wanted to make her the Hokage. The Hokage, and yet she did not want the hat!
Naruto could not even imagine that!
It was his dream to become the Hokage, and yet this old hag wanted to throw it away. She held no respect for the old man who had given his life to save the village. He could not stand it.
Not anymore!
"That's it!" he gritted out as he saw the Sun set, for he knew that they could not waste any more time here. He still had to return to the village to search for Hinata-chan.
Pervy Sage and her had walked into a bar in the market and he decided that though was enough.
He came upon them sitting in a bar, and immediately began to scream.
"That is it! I have had enough of your tantrums, you old hag!" he shouted, as the entire bar grew silent, as he pointed his finger at the blonde woman.
"You are coming back with us right now!" he declared, and she finally turned towards him lazily as she mocked him.
"Is that so?" Her tone only made him rage, yet he made certain not to lose himself to that damned fox again. He would never let that happen again.
Never!
"Yes! I have had it with you dragging your feet! I have to go back to help Hinata-chan, and I cannot waste another minute here!" and he was the one who had let them all down.
Him! Sasuke, Kiba, Choji, Ino, Shikamaru! All of them were in the hospital because of him. Hinata-chan was lost because of him!
"You are coming back with us, and then you are going to save my friends! Believe it," he declared, for he had made a promise to himself that he would save them all no matter what.
"Hey, Naruto, let me handle this..."
"No," she did not let Percy Sage continue as she rose from her chair, her steps wobbly from the drinking, as she gave him a taunt.
"Let the boy speak," and Naruto grunted as she came and stood in front of him.
"Tell me, boy, what will you do if I refuse to go then?" and Naruto crushed his teeth as he lowered himself and brought his hands together.
"Kage Bunshin!" and two clones popped up around him, and in the blink of an eye, chakra gathered in his palm as he formed a Rasengan within his palm, causing her to go still in surprise.
"I am afraid that is not an option, you old hag! You are coming with us, whether you want to or not!" and with that, he moved forward and tried to strike at her.
"I will drag you half dead to the village even if I have to! Rasengan!" and he saw Percy Sage try to intervene.
"Hey! Naruto, wait..." but it was too late, and just as he was about to hit her, she moved at blinding speed as she slapped his hand up, and that one slap had enough force to break his bone.
"AGHHH!" he grunted as the Rasengan flew into the air and crashed into the roof of the bar.
BOOOM! BOOOM!
But she was not done, as she grabbed him by the head using her other hand, and pushed him into the ground in the blink of an eye.
"AHHHHH!" he screamed as the ground cracked from the force, and he could not even open his mouth to speak. As the clones tried to attack her, he saw her flick her fingers to throw rocks at them as she dismantled them both before they could plan a counter.
POOOF! POOOF!
"The Rasengan, huh," she whispered, and he was surprised that she knew of the name as she turned towards pervy Sage.
"That is a dangerous weapon to give to a hot-headed kid like him," she taunted, before she turned towards him and looked him in the eye.
"And you! Do you know what I hate the most in the world?" she asked, and he tried to push himself back up, and yet such was the force holding him down that he could not even move an inch.
"Its cocky brats like you who cannot even back their words..." she taunted, and he felt so small in that moment and could feel his body begin to burn in a similar fashion as his chakra grew wilder.
"Hey! Hey!"
"Before I had my doubts, but now I am certain of my decision," she declared as Naruto glanced at her face.
"I am not going back to the village..." and the words made his gut twist in pain as Naruto refused to accept it.
"Hey, that is enough, Tsunade. Let him go, and we can talk..." and to her surprise, he moved slightly as he pushed her hand back.
"NO!" he roared, as he continued to move, inch after inch, as he pushed away the ground.
"I WILL TAKE YOU BACK...."
Yet in that moment, suddenly he felt his entire body stiffen, yet the pressure holding him down vanished as well, much to his surprise.
"Shadow Possession complete!" and he looked up and saw an old man standing there, with a face that resembled Shikamaru, along with three other people who all wore the standard uniform.
"Shikaku," Pervy Sage spoke in surprise, as the man gave him a sombre nod.
"Lord Jiraiya," and with that, he turned towards the old hag.
"Lady Tsunade," he greeted as the woman raised a brow.
"Shikaku Nara. You sure have grown, kid," and he was right. She truly was an old hag.
"What brings you here?" she asked.
"I couldn't help but hear your words, that you do not wish to return to the village," he began ominously.
"But I am afraid you no longer have a choice," he added, making both her and Pervy Sage frown.
"Danzo Shimura has just been killed...."
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