Chapter Fifty-Three
Yumiko
June 1, 2010
She couldn't breathe.
Ino dug her nails deeper, straining to break the iron grip inhibiting her lungs from expanding.
'Why?' she voicelessly questioned those dead emerald orbs glinting back at her, 'why, Sakura?'
Hot tears burned her cheeks...
They weren't hers.
She hadn't blinked, hadn't looked away for a moment and yet those same jade eyes that held an emptiness more terrifying than the darkest void, now blazed with emotion. A sadness so deep it hurt her heart, a pain so profound the suffocating kunoichi wanted nothing more to soothe the crying woman. She was broken. Her pink haired soon to be murderer was so, so broken.
'What happened, Sakura? What's wrong?' she asked silently as her lungs screamed for air, 'who hurt you?'
Her eyes crossed even as she silently asked those ridiculous questions. Strength left her arms in a sudden rush, her opposing grip slackening as her vision began to darken. She felt floaty and scared. Her pulse thundering but her heart sluggish. She could hear it thumping her ears. Such a soothing lullaby.
"How could you do that, Ino?"
Sluggish baby blues drifted drunkenly to the speaker.
'What did I do?'
"Why did you do it?" her best friend sobbed, "tell me why..."
Lips trembling, arms shaking, Sakura tightened her grip abruptly, her quaking arms at odds with the merciless squeezing of her steady hands. Ino flayed, adrenaline flooding her slumped body, driving her grip back to those strangling hands. Prying, pulling, wrestling with the iron clasp around her throat, the light headed blonde fought for air. Ino twisted, her legs kicking, aiming for the woman atop her but meeting only air. Her slow heartbeat launched into a full on sprint, beating so painfully against her ribcage she feared it'd bruise her insides.
"I have to do this. You know that," Sakura wept, her voice so shaky, Ino could barely hear her over the rushing in her ears, "I don't have a choice...you gave me no choice. I don't want to do this...I don't want you to go...but she didn't want to either. You didn't give her a choice!"
'Who?' she questioned, 'I didn't give who a choice...?'
Dizziness slammed into her harder than an uphill bolder, ripping away her strength once more. Her arms flopped to the bed, her teary blue eyes rolling into the back of her skull as her vision blurred. Darkness crept into her peripherals, muting the light in the room...in her own tear stained eyes.
"Why did you do it, Ino?!" she screamed.
'What did I do?'
The vice on her neck lifted abruptly.
Sucking in a harsh breath, Ino rose from the soft bed below, hand flying to her throat, panicked gaze darting to the person next to her.
Dark eyes met her own.
Familiar eyes she hadn't seen in what felt like forever.
Reality seeped into her racing mind, her environment at large bleeding into awareness. She looked around, taking in the sparse room, the hospital like aesthetic, the burning bright light overhead. Turning back to the figure seated on her narrow bed, her senses tuned themselves to the significance of his presence.
"Sai," she breathed.
Warm palms cupped her face, callous thumbs wiped away tears she hadn't known she shed.
"I'm sorry I left you," he whispered, drawing her to his chest, enfolding her within the only embrace she had ever felt safe within, a simple display of affections she struggle not to recoil from, "I'm sorry."
There was something in his voice she'd never heard. A rough, hoarseness that was just as agonizing as the pain she'd seen in Sakura's eyes.
xxxxxx
June 2, 2010
'Dear Sasuke,
I'm glad to hear you're doing okay, that your journey isn't the hardship I feared it was. I can only hope it stays that way throughout. I've been briefed about what you found in Kaguya's dimension. Even though we suspected the Otsutsuki would eventually go after her, I never imagined they'd already found her. That she was killed without any of us knowing. It's terrifying, really. Kaguya was the greatest threat to our world, I don't even want to contemplate what being took her life.
Please be careful out there.
Things back home, they've taken a turn for the worse. Ino's been going through purges with the Yamanaka after making psychological contact with 504 through Naruto. She's got this presence in her head that's tormenting her. She's been sedated and will remain so until they can clear up the fodder. Shino's returned to the village but his injuries are awful. I've been doing my best to come up with a treatment plan but there's not much I can do for him. Chakra networks aren't repairable. He's got a long road ahead, one that I can't even imagine having to walk. We're not sure what happened to him, and that's terrifying. So please, please be cautious while you're traveling. I know it's kind of contradictory to say that considering your entire journey is to gather intelligence on the Otsutsuki but, even so, please return home safely.
Thank you for the letter, hope to see you soon.
Sakura.'
He felt warmth, a gentle heat spreading within the confines of his chest, and a calming wash of relief that his letter to her hadn't been met with disdain. It wasn't like the question between them was resolved, it hadn't even been touched upon, still, he felt as though a small bridge had began building across the chasm between them.
He felt confident, at ease even. More than competent to write her a second later once he finished reading the last one he'd received.
He picked up the scroll in question and began to read.
'Yo Sasuke,
I'm shocked as hell that you actually sent me a letter, and before you crumple this up for me saying that, I promise that was the last dig about the letters. You started this by the way, all that bitchin in your last letter about you only deciding to write to me was to avid having to hear my 'idiotic nagging mouth' . Excuse me for caring about you asshole! Anyway, Hinata's doing fine. Her chakra's stable, and with the amount she has now, we've been testing out some new jutsu. She's not afraid of molding chakra anymore and our training is getting more and more intense. She's actually been laying my ass out quite a few times. I'm adjusting my strength to her new power up but its hit and miss sometimes. I don't mind though. I think its sexy as hell when she goes all badass Princess on me. Really turns me on, dattebayo. She gets this intense look in her eyes, and when we start that hand to hand combat dance, I swear to God her body moves like-'
Brow twitching, Sasuke skimmed the rest, oh so tempted to crumble up the scroll just as Naruto predicted. Seconds from acting on the burning impulse when the love obsessed idiot continued vomiting his attraction to the dark haired beauty, Sasuke's annoyed gaze landed on a break in the long, Hinata worshiping serenade.
'You skipped over it didn't you? Figured you would. You know I can talk about my Princess for hours, my bad. Back to the matter at hand. She's doing great right now. Its everything else that's taken a nosedive. Went to go help Suna with the 504 frequency and me, Kurama and Ino got fucked up. I'm pretty sure you've either already been sent notice or you'll get briefed on it when you get back so I won't go into it all, but Ino's been hit pretty bad. We're really worried about her, but the Yamanaka are taking care of her. Shino's back but he's fucked up too. Got his chakra network all messed up, its got holes, leaking chakra and shit. He's not gonna be able to be a shinobi anymore. Sakura told us. She's working on helping him, so we're hopeful that at the very least he can live a life without chakra infusions every goddamn hour. It sucks. It really fucking sucks, ya know? But we'll get him through it.'
Sasuke wasn't close to Shino, or any of the others. The only time he'd spent with them was early on in his youth, a lifetime ago to him, and the engagement party they'd ignored him at, even so, he felt for the guy. To have something as important as his right to be named a shinobi ripped from him permanently, Sasuke couldn't imagine the hole it'd leave inside anyone cursed to such a fate.
'I hope you sent Sakura-chan a letter too. She's stressed out and could really use any kinda support you can give her. ANY kind. Make sure you be there for her, alright? I still think you should really open up to her, ya know? You know how she feels about you, and I think that's part of the reason she won't tell me how she's really doing. I think she wants to do that with you. Even if you don't, you know, wanna get into the uh, romantic shit, give her a treasured friend vibe. It'll mean a lot to her. Maybe she'll let you help her unload those burdens on her shoulder cuz she won't let anybody else help her. It's up to you though, but if you make shit worse I'll kick your ass, so be fucking careful, alright? But yeah, that's pretty much it. The good and bad at the moment. By the way, don't forget, August 1st is the wedding. You gotta make it in time, dattebayo. It'd be real stupid if I didn't have my best man standing beside me on the wedding day.
Seriously though, thanks for the letter dude.
I'll be on the look out for the next one. Don't make me go back to nagging. You know I will.
Naruto.'
With a sigh, Sasuke re-rolled the parchment, closed his eyes and muttered to the surrounding woodland around him one word.
"Idiot."
Standing, Sasuke tucked the scroll into his pouch beside Sakura's then turned his gaze to the path ahead. He was in the region described in Kaguya's love letter and had spent the better part of two days searching for some hint of the lair. The surrounding brush was overgrown, frustrating to traverse and thick enough to obscure anything that might catch his eye.
The one armed nin was undeterred.
He search doggedly, lifting branches, shoving fallen tress aside, even burning away useless shrubbery in an effort to shave time off his searching.
Two hours before sundown, his diligence paid off.
Nestled within the dirt, a blackened cinderblock slab with a familiar etching carved in its cracked surface.
A tree topped with a branches.
Crouching, he ran his fingers over the groves, swiping away dark grit obscuring the alien words below. While he had a very minuscule knowledge of the Otsutsuki language, the symbols etched were more than familiar. Their interpretation had been in one of his briefings.
'Fodder no More.'
Gripping a sharp corner, he applied pressure to the weighty slab, pushing it from its place in the ground.
He looked into the gaping hole, expecting darkness only to find the opposite.
Gray metallic walls and floors, radiating a light from a source he couldn't place shinned from within. It wasn't metal, he could tell that immediately. It was moving, almost...breathing as though alive.
The hair at his nape stood on end.
Despite his unease, he placed his legs into the opening then let himself fall.
A gentle hum teased his ears.
Monotone and smooth.
Bleeding chakra into his right eye, Sasuke swept the long hall with the perceptive power of the Sharingan.
Endless gray.
Seeing nothing to hold him in his current place, he began to walk...
For hours...
All along one long hall. He wasn't trapped within genjutsu, though he'd considered it after the first hour passed. He was dealing with the Otsutsuki, the origin beings of the very dojutsu he held within his eyes. Confident in his ability to see through any human created genjutsu, the Otsutsuki were not human. He wasn't arrogant enough to assume their abilities were measurable by earthling standards.
By the time he reached a widening of the hall, the strange light had long since created a insistent throb in his temples. A throb that was shoved to the background as his eyes beheld a site that had, once again, been described in a previous briefing.
A chalky tree crumpling into ash.
An Otsutsuki attached to the dying tree by some strange tubing made much like the squirming walls.
But this one, this male, there were chunks missing. Dusty piles where his lower limbs had once been. His left arm and the torso attached an even bigger pile.
It was alive, however.
It was looking right at him.
Dull milky eyes swept him from head to toe, though lingered on his red eye. Recognition flaring as he took its note. Once finish with his quiet study, his chapped lips began to move.
"Who are you?"
His voice was raspy, threadbare but somehow resounding.
"I'd ask the same of you," the lone Uchiha rebutted, "I know what you are, Otsutsuki. Who are you? Why are you here?"
"I am a branch member of the Otsutsuki, and now that you have opened this tomb, I do not have much longer."
Sasuke was not in the least surprised. Quite the opposite in fact. A Otsutsuki minutes from death was a recurring theme in these otherworldly encounters. He was beginning to tire of it.
"Then we had better make this conversation brief," Sasuke said, "why are you here? Why are others like you here?"
"I suspect the others you speak of are members of the main," he answered, cheek sinking inward as he did, "are you in opposition to the main?"
Brows furrowing, Sasuke pondered a response.
"You hesitate," the dying creature observed, "there is confusion in your eyes. You are not of the main, that is for certain."
"I am also not an Otsutsuki."
"You presume the faction that encompasses the main is made up only of my kind."
Interesting.
"Main or branch, what difference does it make if I am in opposition to one or the other?"
"It is of the utmost importance. If you are of the main, I shall speak no more. I will go to my death in silence and be glad for it."
"And if I am of the opposition?"
"You are not."
"How do you know?"
"You have not shown me the symbol of rebellion."
"Symbol of rebellion?" he questioned.
Then it hit him.
Fodder no more.
Branch member.
Opposition of the main.
The carving of a tree topped with many branches, its main body barely visible within the scene. The one he'd seen outside, the one present at the Akechi village underground lab.
"The branches etched into the stone," Sasuke deduced.
"The symbol of our resistance," the male confirmed, "we are fodder no more."
Kabuto's clan were allies of the branch. With the symbol etched in the ground leading to the lab, the Otsutsuki attached to the tree below, the attack by an unknown Otsutsuki that was not the Otsutsuki-sama Kabuto named. The attacker that wiped out the Akechi village had to have been of the main.
That means Kaguya was also apart of the resistance.
"This lair belonged to a female Otsutsuki-"
"Kaguya. She brought me here," he replied.
"Why?"
"I was to sustain her until the Shinju here bore fruit."
Then that would mean Kaguya was also affected by the 'wasting' just like the males.
"It was by chance that we crossed paths," he continued, "myself, others like me relegated to the branch, tired of serving as fodder for the main, we rebelled. Tension between the main and branch spawned brutal skirmishes. Our efforts were meager at first, but slowly, we began to organize. We singled out the weakest among the main, those we could handle with small casualties, dwindling their numbers, knowing the wasting would deter many of the top elite from engaging in a battle to the death. To us, the branch, we had naught to lose but our endless recycling. Death was welcome amongst, if for no other reason but to thwart our oppressors in sacrificing another branch brother. As the war raged we grew hungry, desperate, our focus shifted to the eldest within the main, we needed essence plentiful enough to share amongst the branch and sustain our force, but that is when our numbers rapidly dwindled. An elite main are named thus for a reason. Many elite fell over years of battle, but the costs to us was heavy. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, Cyilo became increasingly unstable, volatile; our battle with the main ceased to matter shortly there after."
Sasuke had questions, he was gaining valuable intel, but the chunks were wide and vague, lacking fine tuned detail and in depth explanations.
But as the light began to dim in its left eye, Sasuke knew there wasn't time to fill in the gaps.
"Cyilo consumed several of our enemies, and too many of our allies. He was beyond control, a creature who's terrible power grew with each Otsutsuki, each world, each dimension he devoured. Otsutsuki, main and branch alike, fled his reach. I escaped alone, using what energy I could spare and found myself in the ice dimension of Kaguya. I spent years there, how many, I cannot recall; years into my exile, she arrived. She too had fled Cyilo, but she had also fled her captors, the main. She told me of the Shinju, here on this planet. She knew they would come for her, but she would harvest the fruit before they reached her and seek out to those left among the resistance. Even with the power she was to gain, she could not hope to defeat the elite among the main," his voice was beginning to fade, "it would take time before the Shinju bore fruit. I became her sustenance, I fed this tree my life essence, watched it bear fruit, and each time they ripened, she returned to me for the harvest. She missed the final harvest and has not returned."
"She will not return."
"She has been sealed?"
"She's dead."
A weighty pause filled the room.
"By who's hand?"
"From what you've explained, I would presume the main."
"Then she will sustain him longer and he will evolve once more."
"Who?"
"The eldest son of Cyilo, the leader of the main, propagator of our destruction, Toju-sama."
A thread of anticipation unfurled in his stomach.
There it was, the connection, an unmasking of the most powerful being beneath Cyilo himself.
A name they could attach the eldest son of Cyilo, a name they already knew.
Toju.
"With her power, what's his next move?"
"Crushing the resistance, reinstating the merciless recycling. Another Shinju to sustain their existence."
Essentially taking up where Kaguya left off.
And yet...
"I don't believe their motives are that simple."
"Perhaps not. Toju-sama moves differently than us all. He has tasted pure essence drawn directly from a daughter of Sylvana. He is different."
"What..."
His question trailed off.
The face of the Otsutsuki slackened.
Time was up.
xxxxxx
June 3, 2010
Silent tears traced her cheeks, a soft breeze sent her pink strands dancing.
With an aching heart, a burning throat and new moisture lining dull emerald eyes, Sakura committed the solemn scene to memory.
Freshly packed dirt, a small nondescript marker, cheerful yellow flowers plucked from a nearby field resting atop the mound; the orphan; Yumiko, had been put to rest not two days ago. Wiping away another round of sorrow from her eyes, Sakura sucked in a shaky breath.
'Let it die with her.'
Muscles tense, body trembling, Sakura stared hard at the burial spot, forcing herself to face the truth. To confront the painful trauma this little girl's death brought her.
'Let it die with her.'
Her fists curled.
'Toughen the fuck up, Sakura. You're a kunoichi. A full fledged medical expert trained beneath the slug princess herself. You've seen death, you've seen murder, you've taken lives yourself. Stop acting like an ignorant child!'
There wasn't anything she could do for her. Yumiko was gone from this world. Snatched suddenly, violently from the world by a woman that would never lay her hands on child had she been in her right mind. A woman she knew inside and out. A woman who'd lose her mind all over again should she ever remember the horrendous act she'd carried out on this tiny bud that would never bloom.
Jaw tight, nose aching, Sakura wiped away the tears once again.
'Let it die with her.'
She had to leave this burden here. If she wanted to be able to look her friend in the face again, if she wanted to find the strength to get out of bed in the morning, she had to bury it along with this girl...
She knew that.
She'd been told that but...
It wasn't fair...
It wasn't fair to Yumiko.
She mattered.
This five year old girl mattered.
Innocent curiosity, carefree wandering, breaking from her group on their trip to Konoha had led to her untimely end. Normal circumstances befitting youth turned despicable tragedy. Sakura could scarcely wrap her head around it, but there it was. The unvarnished reality. Yumiko had been in the wrong place at the wrong time, a cruel twist of fate.
On fuckin field trip.
Once a month, the Academy opened its doors and set aside time to welcome parentless children for three hours of arts and crafts, outdoor games and a kid friendly ninja simulation.
Yumiko was a part of that group last month.
Five year old Yumiko had left her fellow orphans and attendant for less than four minutes.
Four fucking minutes had morphed into a lonely grave amongst other lonely graves in the well tended grave yard nestled behind Konoha's Orphanage.
And that was it.
That was that.
Case closed.
No family, no next of kin, no relatives to raise a fuss about her death. This pretty little girl was essentially being swept under the rug and it hurt.
It wasn't right...
It was wrong. It was so wrong.
Sakura gave her nose a swipe, followed by a sniffle.
But...what was the right thing to do considering the circumstances? Even if she had a say in how this was handled, what the hell was the right thing to do?
This...wasn't Ino's fault.
It wasn't.
Had it not been for that thing, that hellish collision of inhuman depravity, unending madness, and otherworldly compulsion, none of this would have happened.
Ino wouldn't have...
Rage seeped through the fog, driving away the dark clouds in her heart. Jaw tightening, hands fisting, Sakura latched onto the explosive feeling. Anything other than the hollow agony in her chest.
That fucking fodder.
If anything was to blame for the horrendous murder of this child it was the Otsutsuki and whatever monster they'd given life to.
It wasn't Ino that did this.
It was them.
She swallowed.
If that was the truth, if that was her truth then...she couldn't avoid her anymore. She couldn't keep asking for updates about the Yamanaka but never once verify her condition with her own eyes. She had to go and see her.
Face her head on.
Placing a weary hand to her pounding head, Sakura gave another trembling exhalation.
She hadn't seen Ino since the Anbu took her away, opting to visit this lonely grave instead day after day.
She didn't have the guts to look at her and not feel whatever the fuck churned in her stomach whenever she thought of the blonde. She didn't know what she'd feel if she stood before her and that scared the shit out of her.
Disgust?
Sympathy?
Hatred?
Would any of those feelings be justified? Did she have any right to feel anything like that towards the other woman? Would it be wrong if she felt none of them considering she was face to face with Yumiko's murderer.
How the fuck was she supposed to feel about this? About her?
Sakura swallowed bile, willing the knot in her throat to ease.
xxxxxx
June 5th
Charged air whipped across the training field. Static pinpricks crawled over his skin, while the short stunted locks atop his head stood on end. Cerulean gaze sharp, seated patiently upon an overturned tree stump Naruto watched the kunoichi several feet from him with keen interest. Dark hair swirling with the hypnotism befitting a dancing serpent, crackling lighting flashing around her petite form, Hinata's graceful figure stood poised and ready to test out her currently developing jutsu on three of his clones. They'd tried this before a few times with sloppy results. Now that she had a better control and understanding of the power she wielded, they were both confident that this time she'd do some serious damage.
If this worked, his Princess would shift from lethal to frighteningly deadly and he was glad for it.
Another update from Sasuke had rolled through. Factions amongst Otsutsuki were in the midst of a fight. Main against branch; unsurprising to many of the jonin inside the meeting, him and his lover included. Considering the Hyuuga, descendants of Hamura Otsutsuki, practiced the same separation, bred the same discontent, the idea that such a dynamic spawned war among the Otsutsuki didn't even warrant questioning. Before the alien Sasuke spoke to expired, he'd revealed what he believed was the next step for Cyilo's eldest son, Toju.
Subjugation of the branch and continuing the recycling.
Meaning, their fight would not only be spilling over into their world, but once the dust settled, no matter which side won, those alien parasites would be looking to get their hands on chakra fruit. Planting a Shinju right here on this planet teeming with life was the next step.
At some point, they were going to have another fight on their hands.
He had expected to feel terrified, to feel panic and anxiety crashing through his veins. To spend his days stressed and worried, his nights sleepless and restless but he hadn't. Not to the degree that it'd been initially. When he thought of everything that had happened, could happen, would happen, sure, he felt his heart pounding with apprehension, but his mind, his resolve, they were calm.
This threat was bigger than Kaguya.
There was nothing they could do to avoid it.
In his mind, there was nothing else to do but prepare.
They needed to be stronger. They needed to push themselves beyond their own limits. They needed to prepare for a Fifth Great Ninja War.
Round two with the Otsutsuki.
Hence, the mandate for a return to intensive training amongst all active shinobi in every hidden village across the world.
Their hard fought peace, their very existence was at risk.
Now was not the time for panic, fear and hesitation. The sensitive information had not been made known to those below jonin rank, the last thing they needed was a traumatized human populace falling into disorganized, self destructive hysterics. They didn't have time to deal with that. Now was the time to prepare. Now was the time do exactly what he and his lover were doing; get their asses in gear and take their battle prowess to the next level.
Prepare for a catastrophe but hope for a shit show.
Hinata sprinted forward, snapping him focus back to the test dummy session at hand. Slapping a crackling palm to the sternum of the clone on the right, another palm to the lower chest of the one in the middle and sixty four strikes with the very tips of her fingers on the unfortunate Naruto to the left, his wife-to-be left his look-alikes writhing in a matter of seconds.
Hissing filled his ears, the clothing in the spots she struck burning away the fabric, the smell of charred flesh agitating his nose.
Right Naruto gasped for air, weaving for a moment then expelling in a cloudy puff.
Middle Uzumaki slumped over, hit the dirt face first and popped like the first.
He grimaced as the memories settled in his brain, their experiences ghosting over his psyche.
Taking several moments to assess the results, the curious blonde shuffled through their final moments. Righty had lost control of its cardiovascular system, or he assumed so. Its heart had been pounding painfully hard, chest tight with pain. He was no medical professional, not even close, but he knew the symptoms of a heart attack. Middle had it worse, in his opinion. Its respiratory system had all but shut down. The feeling of suffocating, of his lungs ceasing their function was the stuff of nightmares.
Naruto shook his head.
The experiences were disturbing.
Disturbing, but nothing he couldn't handle.
He glanced over at the remaining clone still standing.
The unfortunate him that had borne the brunt of more precise strikes beneath the tips of her dainty fingers, couldn't seem to regain control of his body. Crossing his arms, Naruto watched his remaining doppelganger struggle with the after effects of the Juuken melded with electricity.
A devastating composition.
It moved forward and back, left and right, one arm moved up and down then the other.
Staggering drunkenly.
It's nerve impulses had to be all over the place; scattered like a bag of marbles. Naruto gave a low, thoroughly impressed whistle as the dark haired beauty moved towards him.
"Juuken with a lightening twist. Nasty combination, dattebayo."
"Sorry, Naruto-kun," she murmured bashfully, "are the memories uncomfortable?"
He shrugged carelessly.
"Meh, they're pretty fuckin horrifying, especially the one that suffocated, but its fine. After losing an arm, and getting messed up by the fodder, I can handle it, trust me," he replied, "you get a chance to see for yourself what went on with them?"
He jerked his head in his clone's direction.
"And with that one?"
"Cardiac arrest for the first," she informed him.
He'd heard the term before but...
"Uhhh,"
"His heart stopped, Naruto-kun," she giggled.
"Damn."
"There was internal damage form the Juuken, external burning from the lightening. The electricity effected his central nervous system and led to cardiac arrest. The middle clone, respiratory failure," turning veined eyes to the stumbling clone, "this one is still incurring damage. Its internal organs are charred and torn, some have ruptured, even with the initial impact over, the damage is increasing steadily. He's still being electrocuted, and its forcing his muscles to contract and his nerve impulses to flare erratically. He'll probably expire soo-"
A soft puff rang out.
"His chakra flow was off as well, not just blocked. Each tenketsu I targeted endured a burning effect from the electricity that spread continuously. The points were seared closed," she said, allowing her Byakugan to fade, "and the lines that carry chakra from one point to another sustained the same damage type. Burning and severing completely. I'll need to read up on the nervous system, it'll help me hone in on areas and create different levels of effects. The lightening seems to work well with the Juuken, I can target tenketsu and of course mete out internal damage without it, but being able to control the nervous system along side those effect will only increase its lethality."
From a simple tasing to shutting down entire organ systems, this new jutsu was nothing to sneeze at. And with the searing of tenketsu points and severing pathways...
Kurama could unblock his tenketsu, he could heal his internal injuries, he couldn't repair tenketsu. As Shino's condition highlighted, alongside his own experience with nearly losing his ability to mold chakra in his right arm during the early days of crafting the Rasenshuriken, chakra networks were not repairable.
Period.
Having blown the legs off one Jubokko and drilled holes through another, mastering this ability along with others they had planned, he felt a bit better about her being out on missions even with the looming threat hanging over their heads. He'd like to see those monsters or even some half dead Otsutsuki parasite try to fight with melted tenketsu.
"Way to go Princess," he chuckled, "definitely not looking to ever be personally on the receiving end of that shit."
Twining her hand with his, he tugged her between his spread legs, before placing a kiss on her soft hand.
"You're pretty dangerous sweetheart, emphasis on the pretty, dattebayo."
Smiling bright, eyes shinning, she gave his hair a tender comb through. He'd initially thought her lightening affinity was at odds with her gentle nature.
Calm.
Serene.
Water, maybe wind suited her better, at least to someone on the outside looking in.
He was no longer on the outside.
He knew her better than anyone else.
She was definitely suited to the fire and lightening affinity.
Her arrival in his life, her presence within it now, was electrifying, explosive, as beautifully destructive as a lighting bolt. Scorching his heart and soul deeper than the hottest fire. Her love was akin to a volcanic eruption. She lit up his night sky, engulfed his body in an inferno. Hinata Hyuuga, soon to be Uzumaki, was an exhilarating force of nature that rocked his world daily.
"Are you tired?" he asked.
She shook her head, "not even a little."
He grinned.
They'd been at it for several hours, repeating the process over and over again. Proving her with droves of test dummies barely registered to the chakra heavy blonde, but that didn't mean taking them out wasn't taxing to his woman. Learning she wasn't the least winded left him proud and kinda turned on. Watching her kick ass, even if it was his ass, for so long was its own allure, one he didn't think could be fully understood or appreciated by anyone other than another shinobi. Battle prowess, endurance, power, they attracted those who's lives revolved around combat. Being that it was his Princess exhibiting these qualities was icing on the cake.
"We're not even married yet and you're already taking on the Uzumaki vitality legacy," he teased.
She giggled, "considering I'm on the...receiving end of the Uzumaki vitality legacy, quite frequently, I think it's safe to assume I've been building up to it since that night you gave me the necklace."
Pink stained her cheeks.
Desire turned her milky eyes molten silver.
"It's been non-stop...vitality ever since."
"Point taken," he replied, heavy lidded gaze reflecting the lust in her eyes, "you want some more of that vitality in you or are we gonna finish training?"
She knew him. She knew his question was one hundred percent serious. Training or fucking, he loved them both. All she had to do was tell him which one she wanted at the moment.
She hesitated, he knew which one she wanted.
Struggling to resist temptation, Hinata threaded her fingers through his hair again, nibbled her bottom lip then ran her tongue against it.
She knew better.
"Lick that lip one more time and I'm gonna make the choice for you."
Lust, mischief and mirth swirled within her depths.
A single blonde brow rose as a little pink tongue poked between her plush lips.
"Try me baby, all I need is an excuse."
With a delicate snort, she leaned down and kissed his mouth.
"As much as I'd love to give you an excuse Naruto-kun, we still have to make it to Seinosuke's birthday party."
Naruto sighed, a pout tracing his lips. Not that he didn't wanna go or anything, he loved his students, but they couldn't train and get a quickie in.
It was one or the other.
"My poor Ero-sensei," she teased, smoothing her thumb over his pursed lip.
Heavy lidded blue eyes glinting, Naruto ran his tongue over her little digit.
"I'll give you a reason to call me Ero-sensei tonight," he promised, voice low and husky, "thought you would've learn your lesson from the Naruto-sempai~ teasing that got you in trouble last time. Apparently not."
He couldn't wait to teach her.
"Let's go Princess, back to training," he commanded, giving her bottom a harsh slap, drawing a mewl from her lips.
Hands on her stinging rump, Hinata gave the plump flesh a rub. Arousal brushed her cheeks with a dusting of pink, chest rising and falling as her lavender gaze melded from teasing to pleading. A single smack to the ass and she was ready to reverse course. Crossing his arms, oozing with smugness, he gave her a sly, foxy grin.
"...Naruto-kun-"
"Nope. You started it," he chuckled, "could've done some horizontal training but you want us to be responsible, remember? Ero-sensei doesn't fold on his responsibilities. Too late to change your mind now."
Much as he was dying to take a quickie break, getting his woman hot and bothered and leaving her hanging before sending her back to field held more appeal at the moment. He didn't mind being putty in her itty bitty hands, but he couldn't deny he enjoyed having her pleading for his big rough hands to mold her any way he wanted.
"Let's go, back to work gorgeous."
Looking so cute and petulant, his beautiful bride shuffled back to her spot on the field.
Unfolding his bandaged wrapped arm from his folded arms, Naruto lifted his hand, formed a seal and watched as one hundred and fifty clones popped up in the distance, directly in front of the sexually frustrated woman. Taking a moment to adjust the tightness around his crotch, the horny blonde settled in to watch.
A familiar charge filled the air. Attracted by the electrical charge in the atmosphere, his lovers dark her lifted, swirled, once again mimicking dancing serpents. She looked ethereal and powerful, her lush body radiating power and quiet menace. A chill swept his skin as anticipation thrummed through his veins. He loved this jutsu, the ferocity of it, the devastation it left in its wake. Violet wisps rose from her feet, erupting and enclosing her entire body a beat later. Lighting strips crackled, snapping violently inside a mass of chakra colored vibrant purple, lengthening in shape as the bubble expanded, molded and began to take shape.
It was bigger than last time
Three times its initial size by his estimate. Damn near towering over the treeline, though not quite. That was fine, potency rather than mass was what was important and she'd definitely reached the goal. He was quite a ways from her, but the crackle stinging his skin, the fine hairs at his nape standing on end, the sizzle twining the wind currents around him left him in no doubt about its intensity.
A fierce roar rent the air, drawing his focus back to the jutsu at hand.
Elegant, sleek, fierce, the spectral tigress was delicately composed of gentle swirls, graceful lines and a smooth outline.
Feminine.
Regal.
Contrasting sharply to its oozing power and wild streaks of lightening.
Naruto leaned forward on the stump he sat on, keen to see how much more destructive force she'd been able to pack into the feline this time.
He didn't have to wait long.
With a delicate hand, Hinata directed the roaring tigress at the blonde horde in front of her.
As big as it was, the violet tigress was swift, shuttling across the field in a purple streak. Had he been anything other than the seasoned shinobi he was, he'd have missed the attack entirely. A single blink, and it was over. Blazing through his clones in seconds, sweeping through each form, sucking chakra from their cloned bodies in great gulps, dispelling each and every one with blistering shocks of lightening in the process.
Chakra drain followed by scorching electrocution.
Damaging organs, scrambling nerve receptors, shutting off impulses to the brain or other parts of the body from a distance.
He absolutely loved this jutsu.
She turned to him, her vein eyes sharp, conveying a silent message. His hand rose again and a new horde arose, double the amount.
Nearly two hours later, she wandered over to him.
"Gotta come up with a name for it, dattebayo," he said once she was within hearing range, "did you practice the other jutsu I taught ya?"
Wagging his brows suggestively, he gave his fiancée a cheeky grin, unsurprised and vastly amused by the blush that ensued.
"I'm not telling you," his flustered female announced.
Cheesing from ear to ear, he stood up and sauntered over to her. Throwing an arm about her slim shoulders, and an arm around her waist, he smooched her mouth.
"Come on," he urge, "I really wanna see you do it."
"For perverted reasons."
He blinked.
"Of course."
Breaking his embrace with a trilling giggle, Hinata grabbed his hand, tugging him in the direction of the village.
"Awwww, come on, just once."
"No way."
"Hinataaaaa," the blonde whined.
"Naruto-kunnnnn."
Petulant pout in place, Naruto tugged their connected hands, wrapped his arms around the surprised woman and lifted her up and off her feet. Giving her his biggest, poutiest, sad puppy face, he asked again, "just once, dattebayo."
Her body shook with quiet laughter, her gentle fingers reaching down to trace the lines on his cheek even as amused exasperation painted her face.
"Maybe for your birthday," she sighed.
Grinning like a fool, her brought her down for a kiss only to be stopped by familiar, dainty hands.
"I said maybe."
"I'll take it!" he chuckled, "anything but a flat out no."
Shaking her head, she dropped her hands and accepted his smoldering kiss. As they separated moments later, she reached again for his face, tracing hard planes and chiseled jawline. Her eyes were gleaming, her face lined with muted tension.
He frowned as he read the emotions, the thoughts running through her pretty little head.
"We're not doing that, remember?"
"I know but-"
"No buts, Princess. We talked about this. Prepare for catastrophe, hope for a shit storm. There's too much on our plate right now, shit that doesn't even have anything to do with those Otsutsuki fucks. We gotta focus on solutions not problems, 'ttebayo. With Ino..." he trailed off, prompting her for a response.
"Wait for updates and be there for her when she's released by the Yamanaka," she replied, stress easing from her face with each exchange.
"Sakura..."
"Support her as much as we can, provide a listening ear and shoulder to cry on if she'll allow."
Swiping a thumb over her soft cheek, he continued, "Shino..."
"Visit, comfort, help him adjust and stay positive."
Something that would certainly be a challenge. Shino was more than depressed. Their friend was so despairing, so broken it hurt just to think about him. Hinata had started tumbling into her own depression over her teammate before her fiancé put a stop to it with a simple question, 'how can you help put the pieces of himself back together if you start falling apart too, Hinata?' It was enough to toughen her resolve, and reinforce her determination to bring life back to Shino's dull gaze.
"Your family..."
"Talk to Hanabi, tell her how I truly feel and when she's ready to talk and heal as a family, we'll sit down together, discuss the past and decide how to move forward as a family."
He had a feeling that would take a while to accomplish, but it was goal worth working towards.
"Otsutsuki shit. Fodder, 504, Toju, all of it..."
She faltered a bit here. She knew that a fight with the pale race would ultimately come down to him and Sasuke. At least for Toju and those like him, and it scared her. She didn't want him to fight on the front lines but they both knew, there was nobody else that could. She knew he could. She believed in him, she supported him, she was one hundred percent confident and proud of his combat prowess...but she also loved him. More than anyone or anything in this life.
Hinata loved him.
"Follow the mandate. Train while we have the time. Prepare for a catastrophe and-"
His lips twitched, hilarity lighting his ocean depths as she broke off.
"And..." he urged, daring her to finish that sentence, that mantra verbatim.
Her own lips curled, merriment blooming.
"Hope for a...excrement storm."
His stomach ached by the time he finished laughing.
"Our wedding..." he continued as she wiped moisture from beneath his twinkling eyes, her smile luminous.
Her happiness in making him laugh so unabashedly shinning on her adorable face.
"Despite the tragedies around us, the world won't stop for us to deal with it, and our would shouldn't stop either. The future is uncertain, but that doesn't mean we have no control over it. We decide how much of our happiness we'll allow it to take from us, and our wedding isn't a happiness we're going to sacrifice," she replied, her voice soft but shaky with emotion, "when we plan, as we prepare for it, when we stand before friends and family and become one, we will be happy. Those moments belong to us, no matter what."
He kissed her again, his grin confident and joyful.
No one and nothing would stop Hinata Hyuuga from becoming Hinata Uzumaki August 1st. He would move heaven and earth to make this woman his wife. Come hell or high water, he was marrying this ridiculously beautiful female before the year's end.
If the world truly ended this time, with this Otsutsuki, it would end with his lover sharing his surname.
Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki as they reunited in the afterlife.
"Those are our game plans, sweetheart," he confirmed, wrapping strong, comforting arms about her petite form, "that's what we agreed on, that's what we vowed. Hell, this was originally your amazing idea, compartmentalizing and all the other smart shit you said the other night. So let's focus on our solutions and leave everything else on the sideline."
That's what they decided.
Positivity over negativity.
It was the only way to stay sane.
This is how they would handle everything on their plate, one at a time...
Of course, there was still the open question that was Kiba and his feelings...
The Inuzuka, the Uzumaki and the woman they both held love for were often in close proximity. Given the circumstances, they'd pushed their focus to the friends that needed them, but the tension remained a constant undercurrent. Accidental meeting of the eyes kindling a quiet fire between them. Resentment, longing, frustration consumed the feral man each time Hinata turned to the blonde for comfort in Kiba's presence. A twinge of annoyance, discontent and mild acceptance of team 8's friendship blooming in Jinchuuriki's own chest when she reached out to hug the man she had no earthly idea carried a torch for her.
The only silver lining, having a plethora of tragedies around her, Hinata had set Kiba's strange behavior on the back burner...somewhat.
She wasn't too far gone not to notice the quiet tension, and she certainly hadn't stopped questioning its source. And he had no doubt in his mind that she was far from done with the topic. By then, he hoped to have settled the score privately with Kiba and knew when and how he'd fess up about the fight that night...before she found out any other way than directly from him.
If she heard it from someone else...
He was fucked.
"Let's head over to the park, dattebayo. Seinosuke's party's gonna start soon."
xxxxxx
June 9, 2010
There was someone at his window.
He knew they were there.
He didn't know why.
And he...
Didn't care.
Propped against firm, yet plush pillows, listening to the rhythmic tick of the clock at his bedside, Shino couldn't find the will, nor the energy to turn his gaze to the glass next to him. What held his hollowed gaze was less than negligible and unimportant.
The mid-sized dresser directly across from him.
Dark gray.
Six drawers with silver handles.
A tank crawling with beetles atop it.
That's what held his monotone attention, what had held his empty regard for the last couple hours. It was the silence he couldn't turn from.
They wouldn't communicate with him...
They couldn't.
Not anymore.
He could see them, his static mind knew they were there but...
There was no connection.
No melding of one organism to another even across the short distance between him and them. If he could feel anything at that moment, if a single emotion could penetrate the silence in his heart, the devastation would have killed him.
He was certain of it.
His window vibrated again.
Calling him.
Urging him to turn his head and look.
He didn't have the energy.
He blinked.
His vision blurred.
His head turned.
He gazed out of his window.
Dark eyes stared back at him.
His brain...felt strange.
It was functioning, he could feel his thoughts, his mental space shifting, contorting and aligning. His abdomen grew warm, like the flames of a growing fire, the sensation spread, churning like thick, heavy molten lava. They were still there.
Inside of him.
He realized that.
He wanted to panic, to claw his stomach open and pull them out but his body felt too stiff to move.
Inky darkness parted within the unblinking orbs holding him hostage.
An even darker void winked back at him.
The air moved, mimicking heat waves. Slithering through the glass panels of his window, twining across his room, ruffling his bedsheets as it crawled towards him...winding up his arm. It held weight, he could feel its mass tight around his bicep.
Coiling around his neck.
Snaking inside his ear.
Voices filled his head, their alien dialect soul grating, yet discernible to his mind as though they spoke the familiar, human created Japanese language.
'Isshiki,' the most horrendous voice called.
'I am here, Toju-sama,' this reply, this chilling voice belonging to the creature outside his window.
xxxxxx
Blonde brows furrowed, Naruto wiped bleary eyes, drowsily glancing around the room for an answer to what had roused him from his peaceful slumber.
Kurama's own suspicion knocked the sleep from his brain.
"Naruto-kun?"
The sluggish utterance of his name turned his gaze to the woman blinking sleepily at him, pale amethyst orbs reflecting his own confusion. He wasn't sure if she had sensed what he'd sensed on her own, or if it stemmed from her ability to feel his chakra whenever he was near her.
Either way, she confirmed that his interrupted slumber hadn't been imagined.
Seconds later, vibrant gold illuminated their darkened bedroom. Expanding his sensory reach as far as possible, Naruto swept the village and surrounding area, several times. Hinata watched quietly, her face arranged equal parts concern over the unknown and the intense focus of a shinobi awaiting the details of a high stakes mission.
He swept again.
Moments passed.
Nothing.
"Fuck," he muttered with a frustrated click of his tongue.
Without question she rose from their bed, stepping over the discarded teddy he'd ripped from her body less than three hours ago. He too rose as she reached into their closet for his mission gear, his destination, a fresh pair of boxers.
"Thanks Princess," he said, taking the clothes from her.
He was dressed in less than thirty seconds later.
She was back in bed when he finished, drawing the rumpled covers over smooth, bare flesh. He leaned down as she settled and pressed his lips to hers.
"I'll be back."
She nodded.
With that, he moved swiftly, grabbing his headband as he left their apartment and into the night; wasting not a moment as he sped directly to the Kekkai-Han.
xxxxxx
Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please take time to star and comment!
I'm not one to ask for help with my fic cuz I'm a bit picky about stuff, like I take suggestions and shiz cuz I like having different perspectives and ideas I'd never have thought of, in this case, I'm gonna ask for some assistance, lol.
So, need ideas for new jutsu for Hinata, and even Naruto as well if you're feeling creative, lol. I still have to explore her fire affinity, so keep that in mind, and I also plan on having her learn other affinities as she's got more chakra, she's intelligent enough to learn others in my opinion and I think as a Jonin, its a lil expected. So, if you don't have any jutsu, names for the two in this fic are welcome too! I haven't decided what to call either one yet and its stressin' me out, lol.
Taking all suggestion and I'll be sure to credit anybody that gave a suggestion that I incorporate in the fic.
Oh! On a lighter note, this mufukin story cause something that has never happened to me before, lol. It was 3 am, I'm writing but im hungry af and tired af but I had an idea in my head that I could not ignore. So I caved, got food, started typing and chewing. My tired ass bit the top part of my tongue ring. Granted, I've done that before, but they've never come off before, plus I could still feel the bottom portion beneath my tongue so I wasn't concerned, and continued eating. Once I swallowed my food I checked it and the top mufuckin ball was GONE. I ate it along with my food. Let that be a lesson to all, if ya bite ya tongue ring, check ya mouth, don't be a starving dumbass like me cuz you won't see that bitch again, I promise, lol. And yes I'm blaming this story cuz it was the whole reason I was still up.
I'm done rambling.
Later's
Sessakag~