Behind the Waterfall

#41 Showdown

Hawk's eyes widened as Naruto and Fuu quickly pulled their weapons, stepping closer together, their faces losing their friendliness. It took her a few moments to realize that, while Fuu was still looking at her and Cat, the redhead was fixated on the trees behind them. Out of instinct she had drawn her kunai as well, the three other rogues doing the same. There was a massive spike in chakra, something that Hawk could clearly feel even though she was not a sensor. The two shinobi in front of her looked at each other before jumping away in a blur just as four blurs landed around their previous position.

"I know you felt my chakra. Come peacefully, and nobody has to get hurt." One of the newcomers spoke before Hawk had any time to process what had just happened. The white masks of the second group were emotionless, their fingers tightly wrapped around their short swords and their knees bent as they didn't even spare her or her group a glance.

"I don't repeat myself, demons." The man said, vanishing in a blur as he appeared next to Cat, his sword pressed against her throat. Hawk heard Lion and Rhino whisper to each other, but couldn't quite make out what they were saying. However, her heart sank as she saw that the four newcomers didn't even look at them. Either they were severely underestimating Hawk and her group or they were confident in their abilities and knew that they wouldn't be able to attack quick enough. Seeing as he had called Naruto and Fuu demons, he seemed to know about the two bijuus so she was sure that it was the latter of the options.

"They have no part in this." Naruto spoke up, Fuu kneeling down as she went through a series of hand signs. The rogues again seemed to know exactly what they were dealing with as they didn't move to stop the girl.

"They are here, so they do." The man behind Cat responded, increasing the pressure on his blade, drawing blood.

"I did not want this." The redhead muttered, the girl next to him finishing her signs and standing back up. There was a giant spike of chakra from the pair as their henges dropped and the blonde boy she had once loved stood before her. Next to him, the green hair of Fuu was the first thing she noticed, before her attention was taken away from the pair.

"Trust me, nothing will happen to you." A feminine voice in her ear whispered. The wind had picked up a bit, but Hawk was sure that she had heard correctly. She looked around and saw Lion and Rhino ready to attack, three of the white masked shinobi staring down Naruto and Fuu while Cat was still in the arms of the fourth. There was no way that they were going to get out of this without a fight, as she could feel the chakra radiating off of the two jinchuriki.

She didn't even have time to blink when it happened, there was a burst of chakra as she felt her body being lifted, the world shifting in a blur. It had ended just as fast as it had started, her mind trying to keep up as she found herself standing next to Lion and Rhino, even those two not having been able to move in that short moment. Cat was there as well, the small wound on her throat still bleeding profusely, as she was just as confused as Hawk herself. The two rogues that they had come here to capture were standing between them and the four white masked shinobi. Looking back towards where Naruto and Fuu had been, Hawk saw the man that had held Cat hostage with his sword arm missing and blood pouring out of his shoulder.

However, a second later, the man disappeared in a cloud of smoke, as the same guy jumped out of the trees landing behind the group of six.

"So, the rumors were true." The man said, as the other three shinobi disappeared as well, the smoke briefly creating a small wall.

"The hiraishin is back in business." He continued with a chuckle as two of his partners jumped out of the trees, landing to the left and right of Hawk. Her eyes widened as she heard him say that. They all knew who Naruto's father was, since his surname had been revealed on the contract. She had known before that, ever since he had told her his real name, since Konoha had published his heritage in an attempt to turn him back to their side. Obviously it hadn't worked.