[Hidden Leaf Forest - Shino's POV]
My battle of Kankuro of the Sand was won but my body was unmoving from the poison his puppets injected into me - there was only so much my bugs can do to slow the spreading but I will need treatment soon or I shall know no more. I laid on the tree branch, trying to calm my breathing to slow my heartbeat and slow the poison but I could still feel it moving within me.
My breath caught in my throat when I sensed a familiar chakra signature, I opened my eyes and from behind the dark veil of my glasses - I saw the friend that I betrayed.
'Hinata.'
She leaped through the trees with her sapphire eyes focused ahead - she was on a mission and found the pressure of her chakra, she meant business. She jumped, her feet landed on my branch right above my head, I looked at her...but her eyes did not even look down at me. She was still looking ahead but her face took a scowl as my scent reached her nose and she darted away - going deeper into the forest; leaving me alone once again.
She didn't look in my direction.
She was angered by my scent.
She didn't lift a finger to aid me - her former teammate.
'Hinata...' I thought as I balled my fist, my vision blurring from the tears building up behind my glasses, 'I have really failed you, haven't I?'
[Location Skip: Gaara's Location - Sasuke's POV]
This was not good: Gaara of the Sand was transforming into some kind of sand creature - the beast had already taken half of his body. I was damaged and he lunged for me but Sakura stood in the way of me and him, something about that triggered something in his mind before he lashed out his transformed arm out at her and sent her crashing into a tree trunk before pinning her there with his monstrous claw before he began grunting in pain and clenching his head with his human hand. I wanted to move but he got me in my right calf, I couldn't even stand without it hurting like hell. Just then, I felt someone grab the back of my shirt and leap over to a further away platform; once I was placed down, I looked up to see that kid from the Hidden Mist Village - the one Kakashi killed and Tigress...Hinata brought back.
"You." I glared at him.
"Not now, Uchiha. I didn't want to save you either but I need to buy some time." Haku said, not even facing me as he looked down at Gaara's form. "I just need to distract him for a while until she gets here." He reached into his robe and pulled out a paper with some kind of writing on it - he placed it on my clawed calf and a green glow surrounded it as it began healing. "Wait here." He said before he jumped down to the same branch as Gaara, making the creature look at him before he smiled wildly.
"You." He exclaimed, "You were there with her - The Feline Hybrid - she's a true killer." Gaara growled out in glee.
"My wife kills but that doesn't make her a killer - she only kills when she has no other option...or when she gets angry; depends on what happens first." Haku said with a shrug.
"Not a killer, huh? Lies - I could smell the blood on her sword! On her claws! So much blood! She will prove my existence and I shall make her embrace what she is...BY KILLING YOU!!!" Gaara roared as he detracted the arm from the hand holding Sakura to the tree and formed a new one and the creature took the other half of his human form before lunging at Haku, who just looked at him and jumped away just as the claw came down - crashing into the bark where he was standing. Haku reappeared standing on a trunk adjacent to the tree branch Gaara was on.
"You're a sad soul, Gaara of the Sand; never knowing love and refusing love when someone tries to offer it - listening to the whispers of a Sand Tanuki to kill and become a monster." Haku said.
"Shut up! I kill for mother! Mother wants blood and Mother will have blood!" Gaara roared as he lunged at Haku again but the Mist Ninja just jumped over his head and landed on the branch but Gaara lunged again and he almost got him when Haku substituted himself with an Ice Clone.
"STOP HIDING, YOU ICE RAT!!!" Gaara roared as he looked around for the Ice Ninja, "ARE YOU SO AFRAID OF DEATH THAT YOU WOULD RATHER SCURRY AND PROLONG IT MORE THAN IT NEEDS TO BE?!"
"No." Haku said as he reappeared a few branches behind Gaara - just under the branch held to Sakura, "I don't fear death but I know my wife would hate it if I got hurt dealing with a Tanuki's Puppet." Haku smirked at his statement.
"I AM NO ONE'S PUPPET! NOW, YOU DIE!!!" Gaara lunged at him again but Haku made no move, Gaara's claws were aimed for his chest, and just before they touched - a silver crescent of wind came out of nowhere and sliced Gaara's arm off before a figure came charging into with a knee to Gaara's face, sending him crashing into the ground. The figure landed behind Haku and I saw it was Hinata, her sword in her right hand; the blade seemed to be glowing in the sunlight.
"About time you got here, My Tigress." Haku said as he placed a kiss on her cheek, I snarled at this - with all her power and she's with him? She can do so much better and by better, I mean me.
"Sorry, Love, I had to make sure I saved up enough chakra for the Trump Card." Hinata said as she looked at her husband.
'Trump Card? What could that be?' I thought.
[No One's POV]
Hinata looked up and saw Sakura getting crushed by the Sand Tanuki's Claw, shed jumped up to the next branch and walked over to the trapped girl, placing her hand on the living sand that tried to ride up her arm but Hinata's Crystal consumed the stand and shattered, making Sakura fall and land into Hinata's arms. The Haruno grunted in her sleep before opening her eyes - green eyes locked with blue eyes.
"H...Hinata-chan..." Sakura's voice came out in a weak tone as she reached up and placed her hand on Hinata's cheek, who loved her head to knock Sakura's hand off her face. Hinata brought Sakura over to Sasuke before turning her back on them and jumping down to join her husband - the two Mist Ninja watched as Gaara rose from the crater in the ground his massive body made - half his face as melted from Hinata's attack.
"You." Gaara glared into Hinata's calm blue eyes, "I won't lose to you... THERE'S NO WAY I'M GONNA LOSE TO PREY LIKE YOU!!!" Gaara roared as sand exploded around him and shot into the sky - bending into a new shape before Ichibi No Shukaku stood above the forest, glaring down at Hinata and Haku - who were both still just standing there with calm expressions on their faces as the massive creature raised his claw at them as sand began dancing around them into the form of a Sand Coffin.
"AND NOW YOU BOTH SHALL DIE TOGETHER! SAND COFF-!"
The Sand Coffin was ripped apart and the sand turned to crystal and there stood Hinata and Haku but they were different - a silver sparkling chakra flowed around Hinata (Thinks like the Ultra Instinct Aura from DBS) and a blue sparkling chakra flowed around Haku while Sakura and Sasuke looked at them - the aura was suffocating and the pressure was intense.
'What kind of power is this?!' Sasuke barked in his mind.
"Looks like he's going all out." Hinata said as she stabbed her sword in the ground but kept her hand on the handle, "Why don't you have the honors, My Ice Dragon?" Hinata smiled at Haku, who grabbed the handle along with his wife.
"I would love to, My Crystal Tigress." Haku said.
The two of them closed their eyes and their chakras began to grow and mix together - making them shine like stars before they opened their eyes, which were glowing pure white as they spoke in one voice.
Crystal-Ice Style: Dragon Embodiment!
A beam of light shot from the branch and surrounded them - blinding Sakura, Sasuke, and Shukaku as they all covered their eyes from the overwhelming light. The air seemed to drop in temperature and a loud powerful roar erupted, making the trees shake and the ground tremble. When the light faded - Everyone moved their hands and their eyes widened at the new giant creature that took to the skies.
The brilliance of Haku's Dragon Embodiment form shined like crystal but was colder than anything the Konoha Shinobi or Tanuki have ever felt before. His long body hovered above the ground as his large wings slowly flapped to keep him airborne. The sun shined on his crystal-ice body, making him sparkle like a gem. His fangs locked but low hisses could be heard leaking through the cracks of his fangs. His glowing white eyes stared at the Sand Tanuki before him. Upon his head, Hinata stood with her sword at the ready.
"It's been a while since you used this form, My Love." Hinata sand as she kneeled on the dragon's forehead, placing her hand on the smooth surface, "Are you okay in there?" She asked.
"Worry not for me, My Other Half." Haku's Voice - deeper and more powerful - echoed through the dragon's locked fangs, "I am fine, darling. I can keep this form for an hour but it won't take us that long to take care of them." He said as he glared at Shukaku.
"True." Hinata said as she stood and raised her sword to the sky. "Let's take care of him and get home." Hinata's sword dropped as she pointed it at Shukaku's Massive Form. "Charge!"
"At once!" Haku hissed as he slithered along the sky with narrowed eyes - his jaws opened with a roar as he charged at Shukaku.