Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｆｏｒｔｙ－Ｎｉｎｅ
Shino had a bad feeling the moment him and y/n hid in some bushes, eyes trained on two suspicious looking men in strange cloaks.
He looked at y/n, then back at the strange scene.
The oni looked as though she were itching to launch herself into battle, but there was worry in her gaze as she kept her eyes on the very injured Jinchuuriki.
"Yugito..." she whispered before tensing, her gaze darting to the ground a few feet away from where Hidan was seated, "Hm? A new enemy!"
Out of the ground came that aloe vera bastard which y/n frequently found herself chatting with.
Y/n's behavior, despite the grave situation, was still bright and buzzing with energy as she observed the situation with intense eyes. Ah, yes, Shino could see it.
A plan was forming behind those eyes.
A plan that would likely go horribly wrong.
"Calm down, y/n." he warned the girl, resting a hand on her forearm, "Don't do anything stupid."
"Yeah, yeah..." the oni huffed, not once looking away from the Akatsuki trio in front of them, "Shush, I'm trying to listen!"
"It seems the two of you are done. I take it that the tediously long ritual has been completed as well." the Aloe Vera bastard hummed.
"What is it with you two always hanging up on me?" the Hidan guy scoffed as y/n glanced at little Ushi who nodded to her.
Uh oh, Shino didn't like that look.
"Shino." y/n whispered to him, "I've got a plan."
"And I don't want to hear it—"
"C'mon, don't be stubborn!" y/n leaned closer and whispered something into the boy's ear. As she shared her plan with him, Shino could see more and more ways in which this entire situation could go wrong.
He was going to warn the oni, but she 🚚ing charged in without another word before he could even think to tell her not to do anything stupid.
One minute, the three Akatsuki members were just chatting. The next, they had this big 🍑 oni looming over them with a sharp toothed grin and her kanabou ready to blast their 🍑es into oblivion.
Kakuzu and Zetsu spotted the oni first and backed off in a panic, while Hidan looked confused and looked up instead.
There was a loud BOOM as y/n made impact, crushing the man with her kanabou and releasing a rippling shockwave which tore up the ground surrounding them.
As the dust shifted, both Kakuzu and Zetsu could see a pair of ominous e/c eyes glowing within the dust cloud.
"Tch, meddling Oni!" Kakuzu snapped.
The dust cleared enough for them to see the oni perched on top of the fallen Hidan, one foot planted on the back of his head while her kanabou glowed menacingly where it was slung over her shoulder.
"Ah-ah, it's meddling Crimson Oni." y/n corrected with a little smirk, cocking her head to the side, "Show a little respect and get it right, will ya?"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Y/n, what the hell did I tell you?!"
"Not to do anything stupid..."
"And what did you do?"
"Do something stupid..."
The Oni was sitting in a hospital bed, wrapped head toe in bandages as she sheepishly stared at the furious Sakura who stood beside her.
"You could've been killed-! Going up against three Akatsuki members like that!!!" Sakura cried, grabbing the girl by her shoulders and shaking her back and forth.
"Miss Haruno, please avoid shaking her so much." the doctor advised, "Your friend suffered a serious concussion, and it's important that you avoid causing further damage."
"Eh? But I didn't get hit in the head?" y/n mumbled.
"You had at least 600 pounds worth of force hit you in the head when you fell from that cliff." Shino spoke up from where he was leaning against the wall, "That's way over the amount needed to crush a human skull."
"But I'm not human." y/n pointed out with a blank look, "And wait a minute, I fell from a cliff???"
"You seriously don't remember?"
"Nope."
"Loss of the memory of an event in which one is concussed is pretty normal." the doctor piped in before giving y/n a wary look, "Although, she really should've died with that amount of force..." 'Yet she got away with just a concussion and memory loss-!'
Y/n gave the doctor a blank stare, "Wha?"
The man flinched under her gaze, "Ahem! You're very lucky to have gotten out of that situation with just a concussion, although your injuries were very bad. Even with your impressive regenerative abilities, that stomach wound almost took you out."
"What stomach wound?" y/n murmured before grasping the front of her hospital gown and literally ripping it in half.
Sakura let out a shriek, face going red and covering her eyes while Shino coughed lightly and looked away.
Y/n's blood ran cold and her eyes damn near bulged out of her head as she gawked at the stomach woundnthe doctor had spoke of, "I— what the hell?!"
There, right smack dab in the middle of her abs, was a big 🍑 scar. It kinda hurt to look at, and y/n was puzzled about what kind of attack she'd have to be hit by in order to get a scar like that.
...
"Well, on the bright side, I'm not dead!"
"Y/n!!!" Sakura snapped, grabbing the oni's face and forcing her to make eye contact, "Shino told me everything that happened! Some cultist and some weird stitch dude ganged up on you and did this! Those Akatsuki members almost killed you!"
"Oh! Kakuzu and Hidan!" y/n chirped, blinking innocently, "Haha, there's no way those two idiots did this to me!"
"Mm, no. It's true." Shino confirmed.
Y/n paused, then gave him a look of disbelief.
"That cultist guy managed to get some of your blood, and performed this weird ritual. Drew a sign on the ground and everything. When he stabbed himself, it seemed as though the injury was reflected onto you." Shino explained, "When you didn't die, even after he stabbed himself a couple more times, the one with all the stitches hit you with a strange nature transformation. It left a hole in your stomach."
"Oh, sheesh, sounds bad🍑." y/n chimed and Sakusa gasped, horrified by her words, "Lemme guess, I fell off the cliff after that?"
"No. You went berserk and threw both of them farther than I could see, punted that aloe vera thing, grabbed the blonde lady you wanted to save, grabbed me, ran a good 25 miles, then lost too much blood and fell right off a cliff." Shino finished with a sigh, "It took me forever to drag you two back here, and that was after I had to stitch your injury shut."
How odd. The last thing y/n remembered was waking up feeling like she'd been kicked by a giant bull, and then being punched in the face by a sobbing Sakura while she yelled at her about doing stupid 💩.
Y/n must've been seriously concussed if she couldn't remember any of this awesome story! Wait... the doctor said she should've died! That meant she was super cool, being able to survive that kind of hit to the head!
She was totally gonna brag to Naruto about this!
The oni perked up, 'Oho, speaking of which..!'
Not even a second later, Naruto burst into the wrong with a, "Y/n! Are you okay? I heard about what happened!"
Y/n immediately pointed at the boy with a smug grin, eyes gleaming with delight, "LMAO I'M STILL THE DURABLE ONE, NARUBRO! GET GOOD!!!!"
As y/n began to howl with laughter, Naruto gave Sakura a puzzled look, "Excuse me, what happened?"
Granny came to visit as well, pinching y/n's arm and scolding her while the oni begged for mercy before Shino told her and Naruto was happened.
"Woah, she fought three Akatsuki members?" Naruto breathed, "And you saved a Jinchuuriki too?"
"Oh— oh yeah!" y/n's eyes lit up before she gave Shino an expectant look, "How is Yugito? Is she okay?"
"She's doing alright. She received serious injuries, but she recovered a day earlier than you." Shino replied.
"Ah, yes, that child is currently with Nimble Ninja and Ushi back at home." Granny told y/n, resting a hand between the oni's horns and patting her head, "She's alive and well because of you, my child."
Y/n blinked once, exhaling quietly in awe before smiling warmly with a delighted chuckle, "I'm glad!"
Suddenly, the old woman's grip on y/n's hair tightened and she tugged with an angry, "But what you did was extremely dangerous!!! Don't you ever do it again, you hear me?!"
"EEK!!! I HEAR YOU, I HEAR YOU!!!!"
Sakura stayed with y/n in the hospital that day while Granny left to make sure Yugito was settling in well, and Shino decided to give y/n and her teammate some privacy. Naruto had gone off to train, but promised he'd visit y/n soon.
Y/n didn't know how it happened, probably because she was too busy eating those peeled apple slices Sakura cut for her, but the pink haired girl ended up right by her side under the covers.
The oni didn't say anything about it, noticing that heavy feeling of sadness and longing hanging over her pink haired teammate. It was important that y/n kept her tough outward appearance, especially now since she was hospitalized AGAIN, but she'd hold that off until Sakura was okay.
She could be soft and cuddly for a little bit.
After all, y/n had been so busy with everything else and had barely taken the time to check on her teammates!
Y/n remembered that they didn't know she saw Sasuke too during their mission, nor did they know that she beat the 💩 out of him, so they probably didn't think they could speak to her about their worries.
'But am I reallyyyy ready to listen?' y/n wondered, nibbling on an apple slice with a thoughtful look, 'I want to try to comfort Sakura, but I'd probably say something inconsiderate like "oh, I'm way better than Sasuke, why don't you get with me instead?" Yeah, no, I'm not gonna do that and risk being hated by her for the rest of our lives.'
After silently contemplating this matter for a long moment, y/n decided to open her mouth and speak up.
"You know, the closer you are, the clearer I can sense your feelings." the oni announced and Sakura looked up in alarm.
"H-Huh...?"
Y/n glanced down at her teammate and gave her a little smile, "Oni are sensitive to this kind of stuff, but it practically feels like I'm feelin' it myself since you're so close. To be honest, I actually thought I was super bummed out for a second, but then I realized I had no reason to be!"
"Y/n, you're hospitalized. That's a reason to be bummed out, isn't it? You won't be able to go on missions with us." Sakura reminded the taller girl and her voice trailed off when y/n reached out and gently poked her cheek.
"Sure! But you're here hanging out with me, aren't ya?" y/n chirped, "That's enough of a reason to cheer up if you ask me, haha!"
Sakura's cheeks turned a rosy red and she lightly knocked the oni in the arm with a, "Shut up..."
"Soooo, you gonna tell me what's got you so sad?" y/n eagerly asked, wiggling around so she could lay on her side and face Sakura, "Is it someone I need to beat up?"
"No, no, that's not it. Though it's not like you could beat up anyone in this state you're in." Sakura chuckled half-heartedly, eyes moving to the spot where the scar from y/n's stomach would be.
The young lady had been given a new hospital gown to wear after she ripped open the first one to see her new scar.
"Heh, you'd be surprised. But really, what's up?" y/n questioned and Sakura looked away with a frown.
There were a few long moments of silence before y/n cleared her throat and asked awkwardly, "Is it about Sasuke?"
Telling from Sakura's silence, and the way her feelings hung heavier in the air, y/n had hit the nail right on the head.
"Hrm..." y/n coughed in her hand, "He'll be back. I get the feeling that we'll see him very soon."
"How can you be sure?" Sakura questioned.
"You're here in Konoha." y/n said without missing a beat before grinning, "That's a perfect reason to come running back to the village! If you and Naruto weren't here, I would've dipped and went to Sunagakure or something s long time ago!"
Sakura snorted, lips quirking up into a little smile as she palmed y/n in the face lightly with a little, "You don't mean that."
"Are you sure about that?" y/n questioned, e/c eyes serious as she gently grasped Sakura's hand, "Do you really think I don't mean it?"
Sakura stared at y/n in silence and, oddly enough, she could practically feel the sincerity from the oni. She didn't miss the distant feeling of anger and sadness, but that sincerity was there.
She meant every word she spoke.
Sakura didn't say anything else, only wrapped her arms around the oni and hugged her close. Y/n laid there for a moment, unsure of what to do, before she smiled and returned the embrace.
It was only after Sakura fell asleep and the heavy feeling of sadness hanging over her dissipated into a slightly warmer feeling, like a warm day with a couple clouds in the sky, that y/n gently eased herself out of her teammate's grasp.
The oni got up and did a couple stretches, gritting her teeth to fight off groans from the aching pain in her stomach and sore limbs before letting out a quiet sigh.
She felt very uncomfortable. She'd been feeling uncomfortable for the past few weeks, but it wasn't all that noticeable until now.
It was the kind of uncomfy feeling someone would get when they had too much energy and not enough stuff to do to get rid of it.
Y/n had been ignoring it, though she had a looming feeling that ignoring it wasn't the best of ideas, but it seemed to be worsening to the point where she could hardly deny its existence.
"Man, am I going soft?" y/n wondered before stretching with another quiet groan, "Sheesh, it feels like I broke my back...!"
"Yu-gi-to~! I'm glad you're feeling better!"
The Two Tails Jinchuuriki looked a little embarrassed, but also rather amused as this tall 🍑 oni girl held onto her and and affectionately rubbed her face against her's.
"Ha, you seem to be in high spirits, y/n." Yugito laughed, patting the oni between the horns, "Have you recovered from your injuries?"
"Yep! My regeneration is a quick as ever! It lagged behind a big, probably because of it but punched so badly that a couple vital organs were literally obliterate, but I'm good!"
"Wait, what?"
Y/n had been discharged from the hospital after a day, all of her injuries miraculously healing themselves over night. It took a couple hours for the brain damage to recover, but y/n was in tip-top shape.
Aside from the high fever she ended up with which left her bedridden for a week, she'd recovered nicely and was back to her usual bubbly self in no time.
"Oni were always able to heal at exceptionally fast rates, though it's a little slower with younger ones." Matatabi added, "Since y/n is growing, it's only natural that her oni traits develop along with her."
Y/n and Yugito glanced at each other, being the only ones in the room who could actually hear the Tailed Beast, and smiled to one another.
"It feels like every time you get hurt, you just start healing faster and faster." Granny sighed as y/n happily let Yugito pat her head, clearly enjoying herself, "Perhaps we should ask Tatsuya... is there any discomfort, y/n?"
"Meh, just a little bit of excess energy, but nothing a bit of training and action can't fix!" y/n assured the woman, "Speaking of which, you're planning on returning to Kumogakure soon, right? Can I escort you there, Yugito?"
"Ha, of course! It'd be nice to have you there with me, especially if the Akatsuki show up again." Yugito agreed with a little nod and y/n let out a cheer, hopping up and down and shaking the house as she did so.
"Y/n!" Granny snapped.
"Eek! Sorry, Granny!" the oni yelped before pausing.
She glanced out the window with curious eyes and found that it was raining heavily outside. Y/n frowned, staring at the rain outside in silence.
"Y/n?" Yugito asked, "Is something wrong?"
The Oni shook her head "No, I... I just get the feeling that something bad has happened. That's all."
An Oni's sense of foreboding is never wrong.
Next thing y/n knew, Asuma was dead as hell.
She wasn't super close to him or anything, but his unexpected death was like a slap to the face.
And it was from Shikamaru that y/n heard about who killed the Jonin. It was the same duo who had y/n hospitalized.
...
💩.
The news of Asuma's death hit everyone pretty hard, and y/n couldn't bear to leave her room on the day of the funeral.
Death wasn't new, it wasn't unusual.
It was the heavy cloud of grief that hung in the air in the days following which really tormented y/n.
It felt like getting a period early, minus the pain. It was just a persistent feeling of not wanting to do 💩.
Y/n heaved a sigh, 'Man.'
As she was moping about in her bed, the door to her room opened and she called, "Huh, Granny, you're back already?"
As soon as she finished speaking, it hit her.
Granny said she wouldn't be back until noon.
It was nowhere near noon.
'You've gotta be kidding me.'
Granny returned home to find the house trashed, both Yugito and y/n missing, and y/n's kanabou left laying in the corner of the living room.
She inhaled deeply, exhaled, and quietly went on her way to the Hokage's office report the kidnapping of the village's resident oni and their Jinchuuriki visitor.