Era [Naruto Fanfiction]

[kryptech]

I'll second that motion, MS!

[uc pseudonym]

Brief but important note following the chapter.

-

Chapter Seventeen: Melee

They were on a collision course, Hinata realized almost instantly. Her opponent was tearing directly down the street in her direction, and she was running toward him. Furthermore, her opponent had sensed her and didn’t seem inclined to stop.

That suited her just fine. If she could get within striking distance of him quickly the battle could be ended much quicker. She shifted chakra to her palms for a lethal inner coils strike and waited. When her opponent first became visible in the distance there was only a fraction of a second before they struck.

Or before they should have struck. At the last second the other shinobi sent a burst of chakra from his foot, making him shoot high into the air above her. Startled by the tactic, Hinata skidded to a halt, then was forced to leap away almost instantly as a shuriken bit the ground where she had been.

She glanced up just in time to see her opponent land opposite her on the street. He wore only a thin grey robe that looked as though it would offer no protection at all. Still, there was a very dangerous chakra about him, and from his initial actions he knew she couldn’t take him lightly.

“We know who you are,â€

[uc pseudonym]

Though the Samurai drew and attacked in his next movement, Ino easily evaded by flipping into the air above him. In midair she hurled several kunai at him, this time in a wider pattern. With his blade already out, the Samurai barely managed to defend himself by bashing away the weapons.

A moment later Ino’s kick landed squarely in the center of his back, sending him skidding across the roof and crashing into one of the sides. Flipping two more weapons to her hands, she smirked and waited for him to get up.

Across the roof, Sakura barely managed to duck beneath the Assassin’s swiping blade. It had an incredible reach, but its weakness was that it could only attack in a few ways. That, and how thin it was. Evading another swipe, Sakura took off across the roof toward him. As expected, he brought the full length of his blade down, aiming to slice her in half.

Just before it struck Sakura raised a kunai over her head. The long blade crashed into it and promptly snapped. Shocked, the Assassin could not prevent the remaining half of his blade from embedding itself in the roof. Still moving forward, Sakura ran part way up the blade and sliced past him, leaving him to fall in a bloody heap.

Whirling about, Sakura glanced across the roof. Silly Ino hadn’t managed to beat the Samurai yet. Even as she watched, though, Ino managed to catch her opponent’s wrists as he tried an overhand strike, then kicked him across the face. He managed to keep his grip on his sword, but still flew to the side. When he rose he looked worn down and his face was bruised.

“Hey!â€

[uc pseudonym]

Even though Sasuke braced himself against it, he quickly realized his situation was worse than he had initially imagined. It was not merely one gust of wind, but a continually blowing force. He was essentially pinned here, and his opponent was not about to pass up on an opportunity to strike him.

In that case, he merely had to strike first. Managing to slip a shuriken from his sleeve, Sasuke hurled it into the wind. Almost instantly it was blown back at him, and it would have struck him had he not dashed to the right.

Unfortunately, the warrior also shifted to his left, keeping the focus of the terrible wind from his wings on Sasuke. No longer braced, Sasuke was tossed backward and smashed into the ground. There he dug one hand into the ground to prevent himself from being launched further. The other warrior’s face parted in a slight smile, but before he could attack Sasuke moved once again.

Taking his hand out of the ground, Sasuke hurled a multitude of shuriken. He was instantly swept backward, but his other hand had already raised two fingers to his face. He vanished entirely, before his shuriken swept back at him.

Immediately the other warrior’s eyes widened, and he whirled to face the attack he knew must be coming. Sasuke’s fist was a hairsbreadth away from his face when the winds shifted direction and sent him sailing backward. For a moment the blond haired fighter grinned, and then Sasuke’s shuriken hit him in the back.

Agilely Sasuke landed on the side of a tree, now that the winds had subsided. His opponent was hunched over, wincing in pain. The next moment he looked up at Sasuke, and his eyes were completely white, even the blood vessels imperceptible. All of his wings shuddered at the same instant, then expanded to twice their former length.

Standing sideways against the tree, Sasuke smiled just slightly.



Dozens of clones filled the street, all merely standing. Occasionally a blast of heat or a freezing wind would shoot from one, but then it would be still once again. In the center of the group, his target remained just as still, waiting for each and every attack and then evading it.

Already he’d learned quite a few things about her that he hadn’t known before. For one, her strange white eyes gave her a wide enough field of vision that she could always see him, no matter where he attacked from. He couldn’t wear her down by making her search about herself, then. For another, her attacks were dangerous. She had struck at a few of the doppelgangers and dissipated them instantly, even with the entire genjutsu supporting itself.

So far, however, she hadn’t come close to hitting him. A few times she had attacked before he could fire another jutsu blast, but soon she had realized that he could jump between clones at will and that it was futile. No more futile than standing there and merely dodging, but evidently she wasn’t thinking clearly.

During the battle she hadn’t even touched him. He mentally gave a scornful laugh. And he had heard that Hyuga Hinata was supposed to be an extremely powerful shinobi. This battle was no more than child’s play. Skipping to another one of the clones, he hurled another blast of freezing cold that she flipped back away from.

How had she dodged that? Blinking and changing locations again, the assassin replayed the attack in his mind. In just a moment she had not merely moved quickly, but skipped over space. That wasn’t possible unless she was using some strange new ninjutsu... or genjutsu. Immediately his eyes narrowed, and, skipping through clones, he examined the area around himself, trying to dispel any illusions.

He found her in a thin alleyway, on one knee. She was breathing heavily from her physical exertion, but it was obviously only chakra on the field dodging his clones. It looked as though she had been there for some time, and was considerably rested. Good plan, but not good enough.

With a burst of chakra he leapt into the sky, not caring that his jutsu was falling apart behind him. High above, amid the biting winds, he hurled several more shuriken down toward her true position. She discerned the true nature of the attack and dodged, but in doing so moved out into the open. Exactly according to the plan.

When he blasted down toward the earth, this time he did not encase himself in chakra. She prepared to attack him, and he smirked broadly. Just before he touched the nearest buildings he thrust his hands out on either side of him. This time, his chakra created intense cold in one and intense heat in the other. Before she could react he smashed his hands together, making the opposites collide.

Howling winds exploded about him, a tornado forming around him with startling speed. Loose papers on the street were caught up in the winds and shredded; its sheer force kept him floating in the air above. Having sensed in intent, Hinata had leapt back, but now it was all she could do to brace herself against the winds blasting past her.

It wouldn’t be enough. Grinning a bit broader, the assassin altered the flow of his power. Abruptly the winds began to pull with terrible force, ripping some stones from the street. Taken off guard, Hinata was pulled part way across the street before she dug her feet in. At this point it was probably taking all of her strength to resist. Such a shame that he had not yet used the Ultimate level of his technique...

Abruptly the wind around him shuddered. His eyes changed to an expression of shock and he tried to compensate, but it was too late. For a moment the tornado burst in full life, then it spluttered and died. Unsupported, he plummeted toward the street. How could I have used all of my chakra? Why wasn’t I paying attention to it?

Already he was beginning to lose consciousness, but through bleary eyes he saw her turn away and bound to the top of a nearby building. She was leaving? She would not even stay to finish the job? How could-

The shinobi struck the street head first with a loud snap, and he knew no more.



Wordlessly, the young man stepped up to the front door of the building. The steel doors before him sat just as silently, unmoving and glistening slightly in the light. It was a looming but otherwise unimpressive building. At the door he paused, his feet coming to rest just before he entered. His gaze flickered to a piece of paper in his hands, then he crumpled it and let the information fall to the ground. This was the place. It was time to begin.

Unnaturally slowly, he took off his glasses and cleaned them gently, shifted his light blond hair out of his eyes and unbuttoned his outer jacket. The entire time his eyes did not move from the door before him. There was a slight pause… and then Matthew entered the building.

-

I have good news and bad news. You just read the good news. The bad news is that in attempting to network my computer (this has yet to happen), I have temporarily put it out of commission. I hope this is temporary, in any case, as this is my actual computer, the one with all the files on it. That may delay next week's chapter unless the problem is fixed before then.

[mastersquirrel]

Excellent chapter! These fight scenes are very well done. The different powers that you incorporate, never the same one twice, is very impressive. The samurai just seems awesome, the winged guy is freakishly cool, and the hot and cold guy was really cool until he was stupid enough to fall on his head...

I can't wait for the next installment. It is unfortunate that your computer is messing up, but I'll wait again if I have to.

[uc pseudonym]

I do not know if I mentioned further problems last time, but they have all been fixed. I should be able to update weekly until this story ends, which will not be in too much time.

-

Chapter Eighteen: An Eye for an Eye

Matthew's feet made no sound as they moved across the solid steel floor. Only the constant buzz of air conditioning could be heard in the corridor. The silence became tighter and tighter as he neared the end, where two guards stood stone-faced on either side of a large door. They did not look at him as he approached, nor did he look at them.

They were almost to each other when both sides struck, mercilessly and brutally. Sweeping forward, Matthew evaded the first man's fist. His arm almost lazily held a glittering scalpel that sliced through the back of the man's neck with clinical precision. Still without looking anywhere but forward, Matthew stepped right, evading the other man's punch.

His left arm swept up as if to backhand the guard's face, but the man jerked his head away. Flipping his hand up, Matthew grabbed the front of the man's face. All light in the corridor dimmed for a moment, then Matthew released his grip and allowed the man to fall to the floor lifelessly. Gaze not shifting even in the slightest, he stepped up to the door.

"So the prodigal returns, does he?" The voice came from behind Matthew, who froze in place, eyes shadowed by his hair.

"Hello, Uncle," Matthew answered, voice soft. Behind him, a large man began to walk forward toward him.

"I'm surprised you found us here," the man went on, voice rumbling in the corridor over the buzz of the air conditioning. "You always were a quick one, Matthew. It seems you've found some friends much stronger than you... if you truly think they'll help you then you are in the wrong.

"But I must congratulate you on coming this far. You did manage to find your mother before she could escape to another safe location. If you were not going to die so terribly soon, you might have actually been a slight hindrance to the plan."

"Where is Father?"

"That is none of your concern," Matthew's uncle laughed, cracking the knuckles of one giant hand. "I suggest that you prepare yourself for the next world."

"I would have thought that by now, Ceriman, you would have learned that I always do prepare."

The man raised one bushy eyebrow, then abruptly realized there was something strange about the steel floor beneath him. It was as if there was a pattern etched in it, but upon closer inspection he realized that it was a set of characters he did not recognize. Immediately he began to run, but a massive portion of the corridor was etched with them. All of them burst into flame the next moment, consuming him and leaving nothing to even fall to the floor.

Silhouetted against the raging inferno, Matthew opened the door before him.

"Well, well, well... I did not expect to see my son again so soon." As before, Matthew did not look at who was speaking to him. He did not need to look. The lights within the room slowly began to increase in intensity, until the dozens of men in it were visible. On the opposite side, sitting in a large swiveling chair, was a woman. She was quite ordinary except for her long blond hair and the poisonous smile on her face. "Alive, no less. And what have you done with your hair?"

"I did not expect to see you so soon either, Mother," Matthew responded, voice even softer. Around the room, the numerous armed men shifted nervously.

"To what do I owe this visit?" the woman asked, leaning her head on one arm. "Surely you have not truly come back to us. You know what that would entail. Or perhaps do you understand that it is futile to try to fight us?"

"Fight you?" Matthew asked. "I have no intention of trying to fight you."

"Such a pleasant surprise... I had expected you to be far more unreason-"

"I intend to kill you!" With those words Matthew finally looked up, a dangerous light burning in his eyes, his hair flying about him. It was as if something in him cracked, releasing a terrible force. Immediately the men in the room attacked, swords sliding from sheaths and kunai rasping from pouches. The ones to his right or left were dead before they touched their weapons.

"Now is the time, Mother," Matthew called, slicing forward with dangerous speed. A kunai nicked his shoulder and blood trailed away from it. "I told you that I would return and end this one day, and today is that day. Now you must reap what you have sown!"

A massive warrior swung a huge axe, aiming to taking his head off entirely. With a flickering motion Matthew stabbed a finger into his opponent's shoulder, and the warrior's arm instantly dangled uselessly. Matthew darted past him, being slashed from multiple sides but ignoring the blows, still speaking, gaze never flickering from his target. The woman's eyes were wide; she was pressed against the back of her seat.

"You taught a pupil to kill, and his lessons are over." Matthew's voice was completely unmodulated. Something in his eyes seemed calm, something terribly cold blooded and beyond rage. "This is what happens when you tell them to take an eye for an eye. You've made yourself just as evil as everything you hate. This is the end!"

Suddenly he was looming before her, not moving, as if not quite believing he was truly there. His clothing was ripped and torn, his body bleeding from a multitude of wounds, his hair tinged with blood. Behind him lay a mass of dying bodies and weapons, before him sat a terrified woman.

"I... I raised you!" she shouted into his face. "Without me, you would never have had any life! You have no right-"

"Right?" Matthew demanded, voice cutting her off. "You have no right to say that! I was not your child, Mother, I was your tool. You taught me that problems must be solved by destruction, and I am only acting as you have taught."

"Do you have any idea what you risk by killing me? Do you tr-"

"No more," Matthew stated, hand flying in a lethal strike. When it was finished his body shuddered as if something had left it and he sagged in place. The wild energy in his eyes vanished and a glistening sadness replaced it. When he spoke again, it was no more than a whisper. "No more."
With those words, he fell backward and lay still.



Shuriken flew from Sasuke's fingers in quick succession, three of them slicing at varied places in an attempt to compensate for his opponent's dodging. The blond haired man moved swifter than he had imagined, backflipping away from all of them. Before his feet hit the ground he sent chakra bursting along his wings and charged.

Instantly he was careening through the air with unreal speed, far closer to Sasuke than he had been on his previous attempts. If all went well, the winged warrior speculated, he could probably sever his opponent in half in one swoop. He perceived that something changed about his opponent's eyes with a red glow, but disregarded it. Any jutsu he wanted to pull off now was far too late. It couldn't possible matter.

Just as his opponent swept up upon him, Sasuke moved with lightning speed, grabbing the edges of his opponent's wings and twisting them around in the opposite direction. The blond haired man crashed directly into him the next moment, sending him careening backward even as he impaled himself on his own wings.

[uc pseudonym]

As soon as he got his footing Sasuke leapt into the air, away from his dying opponent. To his surprise, even bleeding heavily the man leapt up after him, wings moving him faster than even Sasuke could jump. This one was lethal when nearly dead.

The man's arms clamped on Sasuke, locking in place. At that moment his wings folded, and both crashed into the ground. Pinning his opponent in place, the man began to laugh, his lips grinning bloodily, his eyes dancing with nothing but white.

"You think you've won just because you'll kill me," he rasped, "but you're wrong. I might die, but you're dying with me. And once you're dead, I don't have a good reason to live anyway." Behind him, the man's wings began working, shifting strangely and slowly building chakra... a jutsu using only his wings?

"Mommy? Mommy, what's that?"

Briefly the man's gaze flickered to the side, taking in the terror-struck mother and her young child. Neither of them moved, eyes locked on the two men who lay in the park, blood and weapons scattered around them, dangerous energy visible in the air. An immensely dangerous force seemed to constrict about their throats...

"You think they'll stop me?" the man hissed at Sasuke. His teeth were gritted; the words came out forcefully. "Nothing is going to stop the Seraph Sphere from destroying everything in this park!" At that moment his chakra contracted, and his wings flashed a golden color.

"A suicidal jutsu, eh?" Sasuke asked, voice ringing hollow. The side of his head began to fade away. "You aren't going to like this."

For a moment the man gaped in horror as Sasuke vanished from him, then his wings exploded in a sphere of shards that ripped through everything nearby. His vision was briefly annihilated by the pain, and then he could dimly see the destroyed park around him. The trees have been shredded, most of the ground ripped apart, a few benches shattered... but no mother and little girl. Where had they gone?

There was a soft tap, and the man exerted all his willpower to turn his head and look toward it. Sasuke had just landed quite some distance down a nearby street, the mother and her little girl in his arms. Gently he set them down, then he vanished in a blur of chakra. He appeared a hair from the man's face the next second, a kunai in his hand.

"Why kill me?" the man choked, ignoring part of a feather lodged in his throat. "I'll be dead in a few minutes, anyway."

"You are almost entirely out of chakra," Sasuke observed. Probably can't do any more harm...

"Why?" the man asked. Something in his voice seemed so confused, so desperate, that it made Sasuke turn back to him. The Uchiha merely raised an eyebrow. "Why did you save them? Do they matter to you?"

"They have nothing to do with this," Sasuke answered. "They don't deserve to be killed by our battle. I'm not going to let people like you kill anyone else."

Chuckling, the man closed his eyes and breathed painfully for a moment. Sasuke didn't leave, feeling somehow as if it was not over. Some distance down the street, the mother had already scooped up her child and fled. It didn't matter.

"I really wanted to kill you, Sasuke-san," the man eventually said. "I've spent my entire life training to be able to destroy you. I went through operations more painful than I could have ever imagined. Now it seems that you will continue to live... perhaps, that is what is meant to be."

"Why did you want to kill me?" Sasuke asked, folding his arms within his cloak.

"There was another Uchiha I met once," the man rasped. "I don't know how he was related to you. I didn't really care. He had a mission in my village, to kill a leader that was popular but leading a rebel faction against the government. The people tried to defend him... and that shinobi slaughtered them all."

Blood welled up in the man's throat, but he coughed violently, now speaking as if he desperately needed to. "My parents died, and I watched them. The more I learned about shinobi, the more I thought they were all cold-blooded killers. That was why I vowed to destroy all of them. Especially your family."

"And how did that bring you to Ragnarok Incorporated?" Sasuke bent down beside the man.

"Do you really think you'll get information out of me?" the man scoffed, with a disturbing grin. As silence stretched on, however, his face became strangely contorted by an emotion Sasuke couldn't completely understand. "But maybe... maybe we were wrong. Alright, Uchiha, I'll tell you everything I know. You, at the very least, aren't like the shinobi I knew. My life was wasted, but perhaps my death does not have to be.

"You said Ragnarok Incorporated before. The name doesn't matter, the corporation has many faces. Most people are kept completely in the dark about their operations, if they know anything at all. They're all motivated by different things, and they don't care about any common goal. I was pretty far in, and even I don't know a lot.

"What I do know is that all of it is controlled by one family. They're very big, but very tightly knit. While they're not really shinobi, they're very powerful in the politics of all five major countries. One way or another, they've managed to marry or lie their way into the leadership of all five.

"I don't know much about that." When he drew breath, the man very nearly fell unconscious. He fought away the darkness and continued. "I'm running out of time. This is what's important: I don't know why, but they want to kill every shinobi on the face of the planet. They've been gathering every warrior they can get for years, anyone that can fight and hates shinobi. With the resources of all five countries, and the crime syndicates of each, they've gathered an army. They have a lot of Missing-nin, but also a core of samurai trained by-" the man coughed up blood and gave out a pained cry.

"Not... enough time. Please, you have to stop them." He was almost begging now, tears running down his cheeks and mixing with his blood. "Their own son... you can't imagine what they did to him... there are more monsters like me out there... please, you can't let them, can't-"

Sasuke touched a finger to the man's mouth, quieting him. "Thank you," Sasuke said softly. "You were a noble warrior indeed." For a moment the man seemed stunned, then he just barely nodded. After a few moments his breath stopped. They are not entirely evil, Sasuke realized. They merely manipulate that which is good. While that is their strength, it will also be their downfall.

For a moment Sasuke paused, eyes fastened on something in the distance; there was the beginning of something in them, a flame that burned within his soul. At the beginning of the conversation his cloak had been severely ripped and torn, but now it was whole once more, though his skin was still bruised and cut beneath it. After pondering for a long while, Sasuke closed the man's eyes and rose.

The instant he did so multiple shuriken flitted toward him. He was immediately in combat mode, catching them and identifying the attacker. His new opponent was a strange warrior whose body seemed lumpy and not completely natural. Already he was rushing forward, attacking with a long blade.

Almost lazily Sasuke grabbed the blade as it swept at him and hurled its owner into a nearby tree. The shinobi, if he could be called that, landed on his feet and hissed at Sasuke. He slowly raised a hand, Sasuke watching him closely the entire time, then flicked something to the side, not even in Sasuke's direction.

A spark touched the blond haired man's body, and he exploded in golden flames. In an instant he was consumed, leaving only scorched earth. The new warrior snickered.

"There goes any proof you had against us," he jeered. When Sasuke glanced at him he abruptly gulped and bolted away, running from the park in an instant. Sasuke gave chase the next moment, tearing after him.

He's not strong, but he's fast, Sasuke observed. Not really a warrior, just an agent. But with the lead he got on me, I might not be able to catch him. It wasn't worth spending too much effort on the idiot, but killing him would be fairly satisfying.

Abruptly Sasuke narrowed his eyes, sensing another chakra entering the chase. It was coming from an angle, as if also pursuing this man. Focusing for a moment, Sasuke realized that it was Hinata. She seemed to be fine, though having just gone through a battle. In that case she had probably looked for someone nearby to help.

Excellent. Putting on a burst of speed, Sasuke shifted his path slightly. The agent would sense Hinata fairly soon, and then alter his own course. If all went well, that would negate the advantage he had began with, and restrict his movement. Considering that he wasn't even as fast as Sasuke, that would be enough.

Around him, the battles were coming to an end. Sakura and Ino were blocked from him, but it was only a matter of time. Very soon, this phase would be over. Very soon.

[kryptech]

Ah, tiss good to tackle two new chapters, UC! I've been away for two weeks and so I just read 17 and 18 now.

The battles were vicious. ß-) It was neat to see Sasuke up against a worthy opponent. I also liked how the man went through a change once defeated - realizing that his whole purpose in life was backwards and pointless. Though I thought it might have taken a little more to produce the transformation.

Sasuke touched a finger to the man's mouth, quieting him. "Thank you," Sasuke said softly. "You were a noble warrior indeed." For a moment the man seemed stunned, then he just barely nodded. After a few moments his breath stopped. They are not entirely evil, Sasuke realized. They merely manipulate that which is good. While that is their strength, it will also be their downfall.

I could visualize this moment and I found it touching and beautiful in a sad way.

Oh, and I didn't quite get how Hinata took out her enemy... Perhaps I missed something.

And so, the plot begins to reveal itself...

[mastersquirrel]

Excellent chapter, and I agree. That moment was very well done, and touching in a sad way.

Also the scene with Matthew was very interesting. Finally we're learning a little more about him. Good work UC! I'm glad to hear that the problems are done with, and I look forward to the next installment.

[uc pseudonym]

Oh, and I didn't quite get how Hinata took out her enemy... Perhaps I missed something.

He exhausted his chakra while floating in the air and consequently died from the fall. His strategy was really very effective against Hinata's style, but it burned his chakra too fast. She didn't have to do anything.

I'm glad to hear that the problems are done with, and I look forward to the next installment.

Indeed, I hope to have it up next Monday.

[uc pseudonym]

This is an important chapter; I hope that all of you don't dislike it. Yes, I meant that in the negative sense.

-

Chapter Nineteen: Relational Truth

Hinata touched off a building and immediately bounded into the air again. For just a moment at her highest she could see the warrior she was pursuing. They were about equal in speed, but he was being forced to move along the streets, which hindered him. Not that it really mattered; Sasuke had caught on and was going to pursue him anyway.

After her own battle, Hinata had immediately began scrying for the others. She couldn't find Sakura and Ino; it was as if a huge fog of chakra had descended over the area where they had been before. Sasuke was easier to find, though his explosive chakra had died down after a while.

But before she had arrived another chakra had appeared. It was a fairly large one, though to her it seemed more afraid than anything else. In any case, it quickly fled, and Sasuke gave chase. From her position, she had decided to try and cut the new opponent off, and it appeared that the plan was working well.

A black streak burst from a nearby street toward the running man, and Hinata increased her own speed. Now that the escaping warrior could no longer choose the path they took, Sasuke would be upon him very quickly. If he was intelligent he'd stand and fight, but he might keep running and get mowed down.

Then the fleeing warrior began building chakra, glancing over his shoulder with frightened but dangerous eyes. He leapt into the air, and when he landed he had gotten significantly further away from them; the next moment he leapt again. Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke hurled a shuriken directly to the side. Hinata blinked, unsure what he meant to do.

When the running man landed again, he did so just as the shuriken whirred from the side. It severed his foot in an instant, and he collapsed to the ground. Quite suddenly Hinata and Sasuke were coming up upon him. On her last jump Hinata merely landed on the edge of a building and watched. Most likely it would be over quickly, and she didn't want to get in Sasuke's way.

Flipping onto his back, the enemy shinobi immediately jerked his hands into his weapons pouches. Undaunted, Sasuke continued forward. He ran directly into the assault of shimmering projectiles, weaving and knocking them aside with a deadly grace. It seemed in a fraction of a second he had crossed the distance to his opponent, without a scratch, and chakra was exploding from him.

His hand bit entirely through his opponent's chest, going out the other side in a shower of blood. For a moment the enemy shinobi gasped in pain... then he reacted, his body jerking unnaturally and contorting. His chest seemed to explode in a red and silver shower. Long, serrated tentacles ripped from him, lashing around Sasuke. Kunai were flung from his body, weapons slashing through the air in a deadly sphere.

When the explosion of raw death ended, the shinobi was no more than a tattered shell. His metallic tentacles slid off Sasuke as what remained of him collapsed to the ground. Sasuke himself was still standing, as if stunned. All his clothing had been slashed through and was stained with red; many weapons were still embedded in his body.

Ever so slowly he fell backward, collapsing onto the street. Hinata gasped, still unable to make herself move. When he finally struck the ground with a wet thump her trance was broken, allowing her to leap to the ground and rush across the street to his side. For the moment, she couldn't force herself to focus on any other opponents, or the mission or anything besides the fact that Sasuke might be dead.

She bent down beside him and brushed aside his hair... his eyes were blank. Shuddering slightly, she slumped completely to the street. Her Byukagen activated subconsciously, scanning the area surrounding her for opponents, her senses were all on edge, but her heart was gone. Sasuke wouldn't have wanted her to be hindered by his death, but she realized that she couldn't help it.

There were no other opponents. It seemed as if her grief formed a barrier that shielded her from all such things. At least she could have this brief time to herself, before it would all begin again. Tears were leaking out of her eyes, and she couldn't stop them, didn't want to stop them.

Now that he was dead, she might as well cry. It didn't matter if she loved him or not, he couldn't be annoyed by her. She truly hoped that he went to the next world thinking she was his friend; at least she could know that she succeeded in that. But his absence hurt her more than she had expected, left her emotionally crippled. Sighing from the bottom of her soul, she dropped forward to rest her head on his chest.

It dispersed in a shower of mist before her. Instantly Hinata straightened, eyes wide. That could only mean one thing, and the prospect terrified her. Despite her awareness, she still flinched slightly when the words came.

"Stop crying." She was glad she didn't need to look to see him there behind her, completely uninjured, the only blood on him his opponent's. Glad because she really didn't want him to see her like this, even if he knew. His eyes made it quite evident that he knew, he understood everything that she felt. She had tried so hard not to be like the rest of them, and now all of it was for nothing. Because of one stupid mistake; she should have guessed he had evaded the attack, it was one of the basic shinobi abilities. But now it was too late, and he knew.

"I-I'm sorry, Sasuke-san," she said, almost pleading, hoping that he would forgive her. Her voice continued rapidly, spilling out in her defense. "I didn't... I didn't mean to, really. I didn't want to annoy you, but... but... I was trying not to fall in love with you but I couldn't help it. I ha-had finally done something right but now it's ruined and I'm just like the rest of them and-"

[uc pseudonym]

She had been about to raise a hand to hide her face, but it never arrived there. Slender fingers held it firmly in place. Despite herself she looked over her shoulder to find Sasuke kneeling beside her.

"Please stop," he whispered. "Hinata... please stop." There was something in his voice she hadn't ever heard before, and she abruptly realized that it was sorrow. The next moment she received a shock as she realized that he was feeling that sorrow for her. His eyes held nothing but compassion for her; no anger, no annoyance. "You don't need to be sad... it's alright."

"It's alright?" she asked, not wanting to meet his gaze but finding she couldn't do anything else. "You... you mean...?"

"You always think so little of yourself," Sasuke went on softly, gently wiping a tear from her face. "I don't like to see you so upset." He cared? He actually cared about her? "But you don't have to be. I don't mind."

"But... I-I thought you didn't like people chasing after you..."

"I don't. But you aren't chasing, Hinata. I may not want to be chased... but that doesn't mean I don't want to be found." He was still gently holding her wrist, and he used it to help her shakily to her feet. Not certain she was emotionally stable enough to stand on her own, Hinata timidly hugged him. His arms embraced her gently, and didn't move for some time.

"Th-thank you, Sasuke."

Several sources of chakra abruptly appeared on the edges of her senses, leaping over the rooftops toward them. Immediately but carefully Sasuke stepped away, his gaze flickering toward the hostile energies. Once again, his eyes were hard and focused, all trace of what had just happened completely gone... no, not gone, Hinata realized. It was still there, it had just taken a different form.

For the first time in several days, a slight smile appeared on Hinata's face. Channeling chakra into her feet, she leapt into battle.



Sakura carefully watched from above, kunai in hand, waiting for the proper moment to strike. She would probably have only a split second with surprise on her side; their opponent was obviously swifter than he had first appeared. Ino, meanwhile, was fighting him on a nearby rooftop.

The battle was going well, and Sakura began to smile just slightly. Perhaps she wouldn't be necessary after all. Though when Ino and the Samurai went hand to hand the Samurai easily disarmed her, Ino had begun constantly using genjutsu to evade damage. Right now he wasn't doing any more than draining his stamina.

Even as the thought left Sakura's mind, so did hope that this battle would be over quickly. In retrospect she realized that the Samurai's apparently random sword slashes formed a subtle dance... a dance that built up chakra. This revelation was far too late, as he abruptly drove the point of his sword into the ground under him. A massive shockwave exploded from him, smashing Ino directly and tossing her across the roof like a rag doll.

Jumping off the roof crumbling under him, the Samurai landed already running, blade glinting at his side. He had nearly crossed the distance to Ino when Sakura attacked. It took every ounce of strength she had not to cry out, but she managed to send multiple weapons to intercept him silently.

At the last second the Samurai looked up. Instead of slashing down he slashed up, batting aside the projectiles before they could touch him. His momentum carried him past Ino and over the edge of the roof, where he vanished.

With a quick hop Sakura landed on the roof and helped Ino to their feet. The next instant both felt a dangerous chakra explode beneath them and broke in opposite directions. Something ripped through the building from below, and when Sakura looked back she realized a huge gash had been ripped out of it. Silence followed, broken only by parts of the building slowly falling. Ino and Sakura watched from opposite sides of the crack.

Abruptly the Samurai blurred into existence from the crack, and instantly both shinobi hurled shuriken at him. By whirling violently he managed to knock them all aside, then he landed just beside the crack easily, blade again sheathed. Without moving any closer to Ino, he abruptly swung his blade through the air in a tight arc. An invisible shock wave flitted from it, sending Ino flying backward.

In that instant Sakura dashed forward, a kunai in one hand thrusting. The Samurai turned in a flash, bringing his blade down on her head, and Sakura grinned. With a single motion she raised a hand in its path and stabbed her kunai into her opponent's side.

With a slight cry of pain, the larger warrior bashed her hand and the weapon aside. His weapon was still stopped by Sakura's hand, sheathed in chakra. Recovering from the shock surprisingly quickly, he slashed at her from another angle, but she deflected the attack just as easily and then leapt back.

Before he could pursue her, Ino acted from another side of the roof. Her hands finished a seal and then a slashing wind slammed into the Samurai. At the last second he raised his arms against it, holding his ground, and both of the female shinobi gawked as he was unmoved by the vicious wind. Such terrible strength…

When the jutsu faded the samurai lowered his arms and gave them a lethal expression. Again he bolted across the roof with incredible speed, but this time Sakura didn't give way. Each time he struck, the chakra around her hand turned aside his blow harmlessly. Eventually he stepped back, breathing heavily.

"I'm surprised how much trouble you caused us," Sakura told him. "You were certainly dangerous, waving that blade of yours around. It's too bad you never learned that a smart opponent will eventually figure out how to stop your attacks."

"You talk too much," the Samurai grated. At that instant he rushed forward, blade flying from its sheath again. Midway to Sakura it burst into flame. Her eyes widened in shock, and she could do no more than be struck by the massive attack that sent her flying from the edge of the building.

Ino had been rushing him from the opposite side, intending to stab him in the back, and quickly skidded to a halt. His blade lashed in her direction as well, but she stepped back from the attack. The swath of flame before her seemed to leap, and abruptly she caught fire.

With a yelp and a backward leap, Ino tried to beat the fire out. Meanwhile, the Samurai charged again. This time he was interrupted by a massive shuriken hurled by Sakura from the side. He intercepted the weapon with his own blade, and though it pushed him back the shuriken fell to the ground harmlessly.

By this point Ino had vanished, and when the Samurai glanced back toward Sakura he realized she was gone as well. Narrowing his eyes, he resheathed his blade, closed his eyes and ceased to move.

Some distance away, Sakura landed just beside Ino softly.

"This guy is tough," she breathed. Ino just nodded weakly. "We need to both attack at once; he can deal with us alone." Another nod. "Alright, then. I'll be taking the left. On three, ready?"

Both blurred from their vantage point, snapping into being on either side of the samurai. Instantly he struck, violently slashing through both of them. As both bodies broke apart into chakra, the real warriors struck from opposite sides. He managed to deflect Ino's blow with his sword, but Sakura's got through his outer sphere of defense. She wasn't going to hit him, though...

[uc pseudonym]

But she wasn't aiming for him. Her own kunai struck the handle of his blade, sending it flying out of sight. A shiver went over the Samurai's body, and in the instant he hesitated Ino struck, fist flying for his head.

Recovering, the Samurai caught her arm, immobilizing it in a vice-like grip. She, however, merely grinned at him.

"A samurai and his sword are supposed to be one, aren't they?" Ino asked, smile still on her face. "How well are you going to be able to fight without your blade, I wonder?" With those words her body gave way in a puff of smoke. Already Sakura was attacking from the opposite side, and the Samurai only barely managed to push her swipe aside.

Ino was striking from behind, aiming a punch at the back of his head. Without looking the Samurai raised a hand to catch her fist, making her grin once again. Big mistake. Just before she struck, a thin blade slid into her hand. She gripped it just as it stabbed into his palm.

Blinking, Sakura attacked again. Had she really seen what she thought she did? Ino's blade had impaled his hand, yet it was like she had somehow missed. In any case, the Samurai was forced to raise one arm to block Ino's secondary strike. While his arm was extended Sakura struck, aiming to sever his arm from his body.

She hit, and her blade passed directly through. Her opponent's arm faded away before her weapon. An illusion? He didn't create an illusionary body, he just created an illusionary body part! Then where is his real ar-

Something closed around her neck painfully, keeping her in midair. A bit of chakra dissipated before her face, revealing the Samurai's arm in its true position. She struggled with his grip, and discovered it was unyielding. His fingers were squeezing harder, and she realized that he had caught her just before she had taken a breath. Everything was getting blurry, and she felt strength leaving her body...

The pressure released suddenly. Sakura had a moment to see the Samurai trying to dodge forward but Ino behind him, a kunai in hand trailing blood from the Samurai's back, before she collapsed to the ground. She was still feeling weak, but the Samurai appeared more interested in getting away from them than attacking her.

"Got him good that time," Ino grinned, offering Sakura a hand up. "He is a lot weaker without his sword. Let's finish him off now before he gets smart enough to think about getting his toy back."

"The sword is an extension of the samurai's body," the Samurai spoke abruptly from the opposite side of the roof. "It is not a toy."

"Really?" Sakura asked him. "I was thinking more like-" Abruptly she cut off as Ino gave a cry of pain. Head whirling, Sakura saw half of a bloody blade emerging from Ino's upper arm. On her face was frozen an expression of pain; behind her the blade floated in midair, no hands holding it.

Next the blade swung directly up, but Ino vanished before it ripped from her shoulder. She appeared some distance away and collapsed. Undaunted, the blade instantly swung at Sakura, who barely dodged away from it. Now not tied to a body, it was free to execute impossible twists in midair, slashing away at Sakura and driving her back across the roof.

Meanwhile, the Samurai moved to Ino's body and pulled her into the air by her neck. Sakura gave a dismayed cry, but realized that it was all she could do to stay alive against the chakra-swung blade, much less help her friend. She forced tears away from her eyes, trying to keep just ahead of the deadly silver flashes.

Without warning the blade stopped its attack, freezing in place. Instantly Sakura understood, felt the chakra across the roof. The Samurai and Ino were still in the same positions, but they were no longer moving. Ino's body possessing jutsu! It worked! This was the only chance she was going to get, then. She had to attack now or never.

Sakura rushed across the roof, kunai flying. At the last second she swerved from her attack, catching up Ino and pulling her away. The Samurai shook himself out of the jutsu and managed to evade the thrown weapons. While the shinobi landed on the opposite side of the roof, he raised a hand and his blade flew to it.

"You were supposed to kill him!" Ino hissed at Sakura. "My jutsu doesn't deal damage to me any more!"

"Saving you was more important, idiot," Sakura shot back, knocking a tear away from one eye. So annoying when she was trying to make a snappy comeback.

But their opponent was already charging them again, and they didn't have any more time to talk. He blazed across the roof, blade singing from his sheath a final time. Before either shinobi could move, flames leapt around them, trapping them in place for his blow.

It's over, Ino thought abruptly. It's all over. Sakura was panting heavily and obviously didn't have enough chakra to pierce the flames or mount a counterattack. Her own arm was completely out of commission, and she didn't have any one-handed jutsu that could do her any good. There was nothing they could do...

Ino felt a hand on hers and glanced down, startled. Sakura had taken her hand and was already moving it. Instantly Ino realized what she was doing and grinned just slightly. Sakura moved to the next hand seal, and Ino channeled her chakra into the jutsu. The Samurai's blade was nearly touching them, but it didn't matter.

Chakra exploded across the roof. It hit the attacking warrior head on, sending him flying backward. He and his blade smashed into the wall of a nearby building and no longer moved. Violent winds following the jutsu swept the rooftop clear of all but Sakura and Ino, fallen in two heaps. They did not move for a long time.

"Stupid samurai shouldn't have caused us so much trouble," Sakura muttered eventually.

"Caused us trouble? I could have beaten him myself if you hadn't gotten in the way!"

"I'm not the one without use of an arm!"

"Hey, I'm the- quit holding my hand!"

"Ewww! Get away from me!"

"Shut up!"

[mastersquirrel]

That was a great chapter. Oh man was it great. When the illusionary Sasuke disappeared I actually laughed. That part was very well done.

The fight with the Samurai has to be one of the best I've seen yet. The idea that the sword was actually a part of the samurai was very interesting and down right creepy. The very end of the fight when Ino and Sakura did a jutsu together was just awesome! I gasped and was sitting there thinking, "He's about to die."

Great chapter UC! I don't know what you were worried about, maybe something to do with Sasuke? Maybe it's just that I know nothing of the original Naruto but I really like what you've done with this. Especially his line: "I may not want to be chased... but that doesn't mean I don't want to be found." It may be a little cheesy, but it fit the moment and it was great.

I look forward to yet another rousing addition!

[uc pseudonym]

That was a great chapter. Oh man was it great. When the illusionary Sasuke disappeared I actually laughed. That part was very well done.

Am I alone in thinking laughter is an unusual response? Don't take that as a statement against you, but it did take me off guard.

I don't know what you were worried about, maybe something to do with Sasuke?

That entire scene, actually. The end of the battle with the Samurai is not unimportant, but the central issue (Sakura and Ino's relationship) has already come up several times.

Especially his line: "I may not want to be chased... but that doesn't mean I don't want to be found." It may be a little cheesy, but it fit the moment and it was great.

Ah, but it is the "little bit cheesy" part that worries me about the line.

[mastersquirrel]

Am I alone in thinking laughter is an unusual response? Don't take that as a statement against you, but it did take me off guard.

I understand, it may be unusual. I just found it funny when I realized the uncomfortable situation about to insue. As soon as he disappeared I knew he was nearby and the whole thing was about to get really awkward, so I laughed. That's what I meant.

That entire scene, actually. The end of the battle with the Samurai is not unimportant, but the central issue (Sakura and Ino's relationship) has already come up several times.

I think it was done really well, but like I said before, I don't know much about Naruto or the characters therein so on that plane I have no initial thoughts or biases on how I think the characters should act, that's all up to you. An actual Naruto fan may have a different reaction from me, but from my point of view I like what you've done.

Ah, but it is the "little bit cheesy" part that worries me about the line.

Again, like I said before, I think it fits the situation. He probably wasn't sure what to say, but he wanted to calm her down, so the first thing that came was what he said. I think it sounds like something that'd be said like that.

Just don't worry about it. You're doing a great job and I don't care what anyone else may say. It's great.

[Kaori]

The scene between Sasuke and Hinata wasn’t bad at all, but this line struck me as being a bit odd:

She was glad she didn't need to look to see him there behind her, completely uninjured, the only blood on him his opponent's. . . . His eyes made it quite evident that he knew, he understood everything that she felt.

If Hinata isn’t looking behind her, how can she see his eyes? Since this line is from before she actually does turn around, and the narrative seems as if it is from Hinata’s point of view, the bit about Sasuke’s eyes appears slightly incongruous.

It may be a little cheesy, but it fit the moment and it was great.

He probably wasn't sure what to say, but he wanted to calm her down, so the first thing that came was what he said. I think it sounds like something that'd be said like that.

I wouldn’t wish to make any complaints about the line in question. My impressions of it were somewhat different; it struck me as being more deeply thought out rather than something invented on the spur of the moment.

Events in previous chapters have hinted at the fact that Ino and Sakura really care about each other despite their constant bickering, so it is plausible for them to be able to work together here; their teamwork is fairly convincing (more so than the continued argument at the end of the chapter).

The varieties of skills and techniques used by the enemies does a good job of maintaining interest during the fight scenes.

[mastersquirrel]

If Hinata isn’t looking behind her, how can she see his eyes?

I thought it had something to do with her subconsiously using her Byukagen but I may be wrong.

[quote="Kaori"]I wouldn’t wish to make any complaints about the line in question. My impressions of it were somewhat different]
Actually, now that I think about it and see what you said that does seem more plausible. In any case the scene was still well done.

[uc pseudonym]

I understand, it may be unusual. I just found it funny when I realized the uncomfortable situation about to insue. As soon as he disappeared I knew he was nearby and the whole thing was about to get really awkward, so I laughed. That's what I meant.

Ah, that is quite understandable.

If Hinata isn’t looking behind her, how can she see his eyes? Since this line is from before she actually does turn around, and the narrative seems as if it is from Hinata’s point of view, the bit about Sasuke’s eyes appears slightly incongruous.

Mastersquirrel was correct]I wouldn’t wish to make any complaints about the line in question. My impressions of it were somewhat different; it struck me as being more deeply thought out rather than something invented on the spur of the moment.[/quote]

Thank you. For your other kind words as well, of course, but especially this.

I will briefly relate an incident that you may find amusing or a least interesting. This story is also being uploaded on Fanfiction.net (and is currently 14 chapters in). One reviewer expressed the opinion that because very few scenes in this story are from Sasuke's point of view she assumed I was female.

[Kaori]

Mastersquirrel was correct]
I should have realized that; thank you both for clarifying.

I will briefly relate an incident that you may find amusing or a least interesting.

Yes, that is rather amusing.

Thank you. For your other kind words as well, of course, but especially this.

Any time.

[uc pseudonym]

This chapter is between action sequences, and is one of the more important ones. I hope that now that more of the general mystery has been dispersed it does not disappoint.

-

Chapter 20: So It Is

Slowly and painfully Matthew opened his eyes. The light about him seemed extraordinarily bright, though he knew it was merely his eyes being unaccustomed to ordinary sunlight. So he had actually survived; he had not been at all certain that he would. He wasn't sure if he had wanted to or not.

Regardless, it was too late now. He closed his eyes again and began searching within himself. His body had taken severe wounds. Far worse than he'd first thought, actually. In the heat of battle, especially trying to kill his mother, he had barely noticed the injuries he had received. Chakra began pulsing through his body, stitching it back together. For now, it would do. With a slight groan Matthew raised himself slightly from the ground so he could observe where he was.

"Well, I'm glad to see you up again," a voice commented. It was one of the shinobi, Sakura. Not bothering to try to sit up, Matthew glanced about himself. All four of them had survived the attacks. Sakura was standing over him, severely bandaged; a short distance behind her Ino had her upper arm heavily wrapped and was dressing a wound; there was a small fire that Sasuke and Hinata were sitting silently on opposite sides of, both looking worn and damaged but mostly alright.

"I'm glad I'm awake too," Matthew decided to say. Why bother revealing more information than was absolutely necessary? But at that moment Sasuke stood up and glanced at him. His hair and cloak were in their usual positions, which meant his eyes were only barely visible, but at that moment Matthew knew that he had found out somehow. Then it was time to come clean about everything.

Moving was painful, but he forced himself to get to his feet. For the first time he took a look around them and realized they were in the middle of a thick forest of giant mushrooms. Most likely a far more safe location than the city. Evidently he had been unconscious for some time, because a great deal of his chakra had returned.

"It looks like you guys need some serious healing," Matthew commented, glancing over them. Sasuke made an unreadable movement of his head.

"I have recovered, now. Hinata-san will be fine. Check Ino-san's shoulder and Sakura-san in general."

"I'm just fine!" Sakura insisted.

Nodding, Matthew moved to Ino, grateful that it was not yet time. He didn't relish having to finally answer all of Sasuke's questions.

"Hold still," he told Ino. She nodded, but the instant he touched the bandage around her shoulder she winced and pulled away. He raised an eyebrow.

"The inner layers are soaked with blood," she explained. "The skin is really raw there, so I don't want to take it off."

"I need to get a look at the wound to heal it."

"For crying out loud, I got a katana jabbed all the way through my arm! Give me a break!"

Gently Matthew touched her shoulder, fingers glowing and humming just softly. Light began to flow from his hand and through her shoulder, and Ino closed her eyes with a shiver. The feeling was unearthly, but didn't feel bad at all, really.

Abruptly Matthew gripped her shoulder and ripped the bandage away in one violent motion. Ino gave a pained and most unladylike yelp, followed by several most unladylike words. When she had calmed down, however, she realized that her upper arm was whole once again. Her sleeve and the bandage, still with blood and flesh on it, had been ripped away, but beneath it was unbroken skin.

"Go easy on it," Matthew told her. "You'll break open a new wound if you put it under serious stress and it won't be able to handle any chakra flow for a while."

"That's... really impressive," Sakura said after a short pause. "Where did you learn how to do that?" From the corner of his eye Matthew saw Sasuke's eyes shift slightly. Glancing at him purposefully, Matthew turned back to Sakura and answered her question.

"I'd already been taught about the stuff you guys call chakra, though with a bunch of different names. It wasn't too difficult to play around with it and figure out how to use it in new ways. Given that I am a doctor, it was a fairly simple matter to come up with supernatural ways to heal the human body."

"Think you could patch me up, too?" Sakura asked. "I'm alright, but going around with bandages isn't my idea of a good time."

"If you like." Putting his hands on her shoulders, Matthew closed his eyes and concentrated. His chakra slowly drifted down her body, finding the places that needed mending. It was a bit worse than it looked; she had strained and torn several ligaments, and numerous places were very worn down. Setting his jaw, Matthew set about his work.

When he opened his eyes and pulled away he found Sakura looking at him strangely. He responded with a raised eyebrow and then stepped away. It had been his intention to sit down beside the fire, but Sasuke rose before he could do so.

"We have some things to talk about," he said darkly. Sighing, Matthew nodded slowly and then followed him when he moved to the other side of one of the large mushrooms. As he went, Matthew noticed Hinata looking after Sasuke with a strange expression. Something had definitely happened, and at the moment it left her scared and feeling alone. Unusual; he'd have to figure it out later.

"I told you you'd tell me everything when it became necessary," Sasuke said curtly when they were some distance away. "Now it is necessary."

"Yes," Matthew sighed heavily, "I know." He leaned back against the stalk of the nearest gigantic mushroom. Strangely springy surface; he hadn't imagined it like that. "I'll admit I haven't been completely honest with you, but you know that. What I didn't tell you wasn't truly important to your mission, or I would have informed you."

"Whatever it is just became important to the mission."

"Again, I know. I suppose I should start at the beginning." For a moment Matthew paused, his eyes closed, then he glanced up and began speaking. "My father, despite being foreign-born, was the leader of a major faction of Fire Country some time ago. He eventually exceeded his term in office and left. At this point he had not met my mother.

"The next part is blank in my story, as I cannot tell you what happened to him. In any case, ten years later, he was a very bitter man with a dream of destroying every single shinobi on the face of the planet. He met my mother, who was a geneticist with similar ambitions.

"Still before I was born, they began gathering an army through dozens of puppet and front organizations. Again, I don't know a lot about this part. My story begins when they began trying to essentially breed warriors to fight for them. They tested with themselves, and created me. One thing they always used to repeat to me was that I had been born in a test tube.

"In all honesty, I was a failure. Genetically I am only average. Still, they put me through every training program they had access to. I've never learned any skills like you shinobi have, but I was trained in many other arts, including the samurai system of ‘mosou' which is essentially your chakra. Other than my medical studies, which I did solely in my free time, I was taught only to kill. No healing techniques, no evasion, no illusion, not even any blocking. Just killing."

[uc pseudonym]

Sasuke remained silent and let him speak. He was telling his story easily, flowing from point to point without pause. However it was told, it would eventually answer all of his questions.

"A few years before they began to carry out their grand plan, I managed to escape them entirely. For a while I was drifting free, and I managed to get a degree in medicine at a university. But once they began activating all of their allies throughout the world, they came for me. Being a recent graduate, I was too high profile to go unnoticed.

"That is why I made myself vanish again, instead finding a small town in which to try and help people. Their forces had greatly improved since the last time, however, and they began following my tracks. At the time you arrived, there were already quite a few assassins scouring the town for me. The thing was, though they knew what I looked like, they did not really know I was a doctor, nor how I had aged. Plus, the people there are not very open with outsiders. In essence, your arrival just made the inevitable come more quickly.

"From that point, my story is essentially your own. Once we arrived here, it was only a matter of time before they tried to neutralize us. I anticipated this, and used the positions of the attackers and my prior experience to determine where they had been sent from. Given the chance, I attacked there, and discovered that my mother was still in residence in the city. I killed her... I don't suppose you can understand that."

"I understand." Matthew blinked once, as if analyzing Sasuke's response, then nodded.

"I believe you may be right. In any case, from the nature of this attack, I imagine that the final phase of their plan will come soon. Within days, perhaps."

"What is the final phase?" Sasuke asked, folding his arms within his cloak.

"I can't be certain." Matthew gazed at the ground for a moment, pondering. "They never really gave me information that could be used against them. However, unless they've changed quite a bit in the years I was gone, I think I know what they'll do. Their warriors are probably planted all over the world, ready to strike. Most likely, they will move in tandem for a massive assault.

"From their movements elsewhere, this city seems to be the axis of their plan. However, I would imagine that Father intends to strike from here down toward Fire Country. Furthermore, he might come here to oversee the operation himself. Even if we kill him, however, the plan will not be stopped. All of the forces have their own motivations, and will act on their own."

"So we're moving toward world war."

"That is an adequate summary, yes. Regardless of who wins, Father intends to destroy the political and economic structures that support shinobi of any kind."

"I doubt he will be able to accomplish that." Sasuke closed his eyes. "There are too many shinobi, and they are too entrenched in this world. I am more worried about our own situation. Sakura-san and Ino-san will both be out of commission for a battle. Hinata-san will take some time to recover. I will not be operating at full efficiency for at least a few days. If there are many forces here, things look rather grim."

"Then do you propose running?" Matthew asked.

"We can't run, not now. At the very least we can stop the army building here from attacking Konoha. That will eliminate one leg of their plan, which might topple all of it. If we are sacrificed, it will not be in vain."

"Very well." Matthew nodded grimly. He moved from the large mushroom, then suddenly staggered. For a moment he gagged, then spat blood from his mouth. Sasuke caught his shoulder before he could collapse entirely. Briefly his eyes glowed red as Sharingan spun within them.

"What have you done with your chakra?" Sasuke questioned Matthew, who was breathing raspily. "Your body's flow is twisted and unnatural."
"Temporary healing," Matthew choked. "I nearly died... I can't heal that much in a short time. It will take more than a few days for me to truly recover."

Sighing, Sasuke guided Matthew back to the camp. Then yet another one of their fighters was out of commission. Unfortunate, but to be expected, given what Sasuke estimated he had done. Matthew would not have so seriously underestimated his wounds... which meant he had considered it worthwhile to explain everything, despite what it cost him. Interesting.

Soon the doctor was resting as well, lying back with his eyes closed but his glasses still on. Sakura and Ino had fallen asleep on opposite sides of what had once been their fire; Hinata was nowhere to be seen. Settling down, Sasuke spent a long time staring at the sky. It was still morning, though it did not feel like such.

Everything had been chaotic following the battle. He'd immediately searched for Sakura and Ino and found them hanging on to consciousness atop a mostly decimated roof. Hinata had managed to scry Matthew's location and retrieved him. Completely exhausted, both of them had fallen asleep without saying anything to each other. They hadn't really spoken since that incident, actually. In their secure camp location he'd slept for some time, and had consequently been up that entire night.

But now it was morning. Regardless of the chaos about them, the sun was blazing cheerfully in the early sky, announcing a new day. The fungi-covered forest they were in felt a bit musty, but occasionally fresh air was blown in to them. A draft of it blew past Sasuke, and suddenly, it felt much more like morning. Smiling just slightly, he got to his feet.

It wasn't often that he got to walk alone. There were very few ways that Sasuke allowed himself to relax, and one of the few was walking. But walking alone. That became more and more difficult to accomplish as the years passed and more people began attempting to find him in just such a situation.

Now, at least, he had a chance. It was highly unlikely that he would be interrupted by any of his allies, and their enemies did not seem inclined to attack for the moment. If Matthew was correct, they would not attack at all for some time.

To one end of the forest of mushrooms there was a different type of forest, he found, and it was a nice place. It wasn't at all like the forests of home, but it was still beautiful in its own way. The trees were swaying just slightly in the wind, their strange green spikes waving together in meaningless patterns. Other than the soft sound of his footsteps, there were only a few scattered sounds from woodland animals.

He stopped in mid step, realizing there was someone behind him. Turning slowly, he glanced at Hinata, who was in the path where he had been some distance back. Up until that point, he truly hadn't noticed her. Impressive stealth. At the moment she was standing there looking nervous with her hands together before her.

"Good morning, Hinata," he greeted her quietly, his eyes softening. Immediately her nervous expression dissolved into a slight smile.

"I... I was kind of afraid it had been a dream," Hinata told him softly. "Everything that happened during the battle seems so strange, so unreal."

"It certainly wasn't a dream," Sasuke returned, beginning to step toward her. "I remember it very well." Hinata was walking as well, and they met midway between them, just a short distance apart, watching each other.

"Is it really true that you don't mind?" Hinata asked, large white eyes hanging on his answer. Sasuke let his expression relax just slightly, though he did not smile.

"I more than don't mind," he told her. "I feel the same way, Hinata. It just never felt like it was the right time to say anything about it. You seemed so truly happy to have found a friend that I didn't want to make things any more complicated. It seems that it takes extreme violence to make people talk to one another."

"I hadn't thought about it that way. That's kind of funny." Hinata smiled a bit broader. "Thank you, Sasuke. But why me? I'm not as pretty as Ino-chan is, I'm not as smart as Sakura-chan... you've refused so many people, what makes me any different? How can you-"

[uc pseudonym]

Sasuke embraced her gently but reprovingly. Hinata rested her head against his chest, letting her doubts slip away. How could she have still not gained confidence in herself, she wondered. Perhaps one day she would gain it... but until then, Sasuke would always be there for her. Glancing down at her, Sasuke smiled just slightly behind his cloak. When they parted he opened the front of his cloak enough that his face was visible, and relaxed visibly as he did so.

"No one has a right to insult you, and that includes you," he told her. "Regardless of what you say, you are very beautiful."

"I'm sorry for being silly. It's kind of surprising that you think that; I didn't think anyone would like me, with solid white eyes..."

"I like your eyes. They look nice." Sasuke said it so easily that Hinata found she took it like more of a fact than an opinion. Maybe that had been his intention. Neither one of them spoke for a long moment, but the silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was a beautiful morning; Hinata breathed in the strange smell of the forest deeply. The air was crisper out here; it felt much better than the mushroom-filled forest.

"What are we going to do when everybody else finds out about... us?" Hinata asked. Sasuke shrugged.

"They'll deal with it, one way or another. But for the moment, and for your sake, I don't think that anyone needs to know. Not yet, anyway. As much as I'd like to make most people stop bothering me, I really doubt knowing would make much of a difference. For now, it will be enough to have you with me."

"Alright. That sounds like a good idea. But don't you think that Ino-chan and Sakura-chan will be able to tell?"

Sasuke laughed softly. "Them? We do not need to fear that they will ever recognize love for what it is... or at least not for the moment. I doubt they'll make a distinction between our friendship then and our friendship now. Needless to say, we won't have a great deal of time together until this is all over."

"What about afterward?" Hinata wondered, glancing into the grey sky. "Won't we be immediately split up on missions again?"

"There are some A Ranked missions that require more than one person," Sasuke explained. "Not many, but they can be found. I think that the Hokage can be persuaded to be helpful. Besides... I haven't used any of my vacation time for at least a decade."

"I think I would like that. But for now, we should be focusing on finishing this entire war, shouldn't we?"

"Yes." Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he pondered a nearby tree and the situation. "That is the immediate concern." Both of them continued walking in the same direction that Sasuke had been going earlier, side by side, not really looking at each other. Their steps fell at the same moments, so the forest was as silent as it had been before. For a moment Sasuke pondered that with some people, it was almost the same as walking alone. Certainly not any worse.

"Um..." Hinata spoke up, causing Sasuke to glance slightly at her. "Don't most people who are in love usually kiss?"

"Most of them," Sasuke answered amiably, "I wasn't going to do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable." He was looking away, his cloak and hair shadowing his eyes entirely.

"I... I think I would like to, if you don't mind." The slightest of smiles appeared on Sasuke's face. He turned in one smooth motion, parting his cloak and taking her in his arms gently but swiftly.

As it turned out, Hinata discovered it wasn't uncomfortable at all.



Ino and Sakura sneezed violently at the same time and then glared at one another, as if in some sort of competition. Before either of them could say anything they seemed to pause, then glanced away as if embarrassed. It was probably due to general exhaustion. That was to be expected, Matthew reflected; most people were unconscious for some time after being cured of such heavy wounds. Being shinobi, they were apparently tougher. Still, he wasn't willing to assume that was the cause quite yet.

There was very little for him to do at this point but recover. He had told Sasuke everything he knew, and ended the life of one of the people that had caused his. Father would be in the city, but it would not be possible to kill him. After that incident, he would be far more heavily guarded.

Still... it was all going to be over soon. For good or for ill, the plan was going to come to completion, and go head to head with the world of shinobi. Obviously, Father didn't intend to try and match them strength for strength; that would be sheer idiocy. That meant he could only be counting on some other factor to give him victory.

Then again, victory was probably not his objective. Father would probably be content with the shinobi losing, even if he destroyed himself. Abruptly Matthew realized that he never thought of his biological parents as anything other than Mother and Father. They had insisted he call them nothing but that, and their real names had rarely been used. Oh, he knew them, certainly; the data was stored inside his mind from the one or two times they had been mentioned in his presence, but there was no association between those collections of sounds and his parents.

All this time Matthew had been aimlessly staring into the large mushrooms. He was distracted when Sakura walked across his field of vision to sit beside Ino. After the split second she obscured his line of vision, Matthew discovered a man crouching atop one of the mushrooms and blinked.

He did not loudly broadcast his presence. Ino and Sakura had still not noticed him. Whoever he was, he was calmly crouched there, watching them. Most of his body was covered in a long grey coat; an obsidian pair of sunglasses made his eyes invisible; his black hair was tied behind him.

The man remained there, completely silent, merely watching. Matthew found no urge to say anything and merely watched in return. Sakura and Ino were fairly involved with their conversation, and paid no attention to either of them.

Some large insect flew into their clearing, buzzing loudly. It began dive bombing the women's heads, eventually making them both too annoyed to keep arguing. Just as Sakura was about to hurl a shuriken at it, it promptly flitted away into the forest, just over the shoulder of the man. Sakura and Ino both froze.

"Shino-san?" Sakura asked, slightly amazed.

"What are you doing here?" Ino asked in the same moment. Matthew relaxed and let the scalpel in his hand slip back into the holder on his sleeve. Evidently this was a friend.

In response the man dropped from the mushroom, landing easily and walking over to them. Matthew realized that he was tall when he stepped beside Sakura and Ino. He had the look of a Leaf shinobi; he was probably a colleague of theirs from missions past. Certainly not the type to run on as much as they did, and not the type Matthew wanted to meet in a dark alley.

"This is for you." His hand slipped into a pocket and emerged with a scroll. "Show it to Sasuke-san and Hinata-san." Immediately Sakura snatched at it, opening the scroll and reading it before Ino could.

"Gah!" Sakura muttered. "Still can't read Naruto-san's handwriting." After puzzling over the message a moment she glanced up at Shino with a raised eyebrow. "Really? How many? Who?"

All Shino did was shake his head slightly. Sakura rolled her eyes and threw up her hands; Ino took the opportunity to grab the scroll from her and read it over herself. Matthew considered getting up to read it as well, but Ino was reading partially aloud so it didn't appear to be necessary.

"...compensating... worldwide conflict... gathering… talked to Gaara-kun - Naruto-san is the only person who would ever call him that - ...cut off army before it reaches Konoha... blah, blah, blah. What I get out of this is that all of the bad guy's forces from the entire world are going to be converging here soon, and that there will be some people from Leaf sent to assist." She glanced up. "You had the right question, Sakura-chan. Who's getting sent to help us?"

"You'll find out at dawn," Shino answered simply. Briefly his head shifted to glance down at Matthew, but he only glanced at him for a moment and then turned away.

"That's it?" Sakura asked. "Aren't you here to help us?"

"That is for others. I must yet work," his voice returned softly. Without pausing, he moved in between the stalks of the large mushrooms and quickly vanished into the shadows of the forest.

"Still as creepy as ever," Ino muttered. Sakura merely nodded, then sat down to think. Ino soon sat down as well. Matthew glanced at both of them, waited for a long moment, then merely shrugged. In his life, stranger things had happened.

[mastersquirrel]

Interesting. Now we know the intention but not the motive. Intriguing.

Anyway, I liked the chapter. The description of Matthew's healings were well done, and the conversation between Sasuke and Hinata was well done. I might have gotten more out of the arrival of Shino if I knew who he was or who Gaara was, but that's fine. I'm sure I'll catch on soon enough.

Good chapter UC! Looking forward to the next.

[Kaori]

"Temporary healing," Matthew choked. "I nearly died... I can't heal that much in a short time. It will take more than a few days for me to truly recover."

Is Matthew referring to his own body’s healing process, or is he saying that the act of healing Sakura and Ino caused damage to his own body?

Ino and Sakura sneezed violently at the same time and then glared at one another, as if in some sort of competition.

That’s very amusing.

Mainly because of the focus on information, as in Matthew’s speech, this chapter is a bit slower than some others. For the length of time that Matthew spends telling people things, the reader doesn’t learn much that is truly new, but the variation in the scenes helps keep the chapter from becoming monotonous.

I liked the appearance of Shino at the end; you give the reader just enough information about him before revealing his name that readers acquainted with Naruto can come to the realization of who he is before Sakura does, which is always satisfying.

[uc pseudonym]

I might have gotten more out of the arrival of Shino if I knew who he was or who Gaara was, but that's fine. I'm sure I'll catch on soon enough.

Yes, no harm will be done by that, though those elements are lessened.

Is Matthew referring to his own body’s healing process, or is he saying that the act of healing Sakura and Ino caused damage to his own body?

The former. He spent a great deal of energy to get his body into working condition, but such healing does not produce thorough recovery.

That’s very amusing.

I am glad to hear it. It was very nearly removed several times during different edits, and I am uncertain why exactly I decided against that each time.

Mainly because of the focus on information, as in Matthew’s speech, this chapter is a bit slower than some others. For the length of time that Matthew spends telling people things, the reader doesn’t learn much that is truly new, but the variation in the scenes helps keep the chapter from becoming monotonous.

Escaping monotony was the first goal, and I fear it is the only one I will accomplish.

Completely aside, is your current user title a reference to a book? "Anxious faith" seems to tug at the edges of my memory.

[Kaori]

Completely aside, is your current user title a reference so a book? "Anxious faith" seems to tug at the edges of my memory.

The phrase is a description of the Puritans' faith. While they were strongly Calvinistic and believed in election, they seem to have constantly been posessed of an uncertainty about whether or not they had truly been chosen; this led them to constantly search for signs of God's providence in their lives, which would supposedly prove that they truly were among the elect.

If it is a book title, the book is one I have not heard of or read.

[uc pseudonym]

It has become impractical for me to update on Mondays. Because my Tuesdays are a great deal lighter and many times I end up updating then anyway (as is the case with this chapter), I believe I will change my official update schedule to every Tuesday.

No real comments about this chapter. Primarily violence.

[quote="Kaori"]The phrase is a description of the Puritans' faith. While they were strongly Calvinistic and believed in election, they seem to have constantly been posessed of an uncertainty about whether or not they had truly been chosen]

It did not strike me as a title, but as something I had read in a book. After your description, I am inclined to think I read it in a high school text.

-

Chapter 21: Hurricane Wall

Sasuke lightly ran his hand through Hinata's hair, watching it fall away from his hand over her shoulder. Unfortunately, it was finally time for them to move on; they should return to the camp soon in any case. They parted with a final caress, returning to the course they had been moving on before their long respite.

Abruptly both of them noticed Shino before them, standing in between two trees. He was not moving, his clothing was still, there was no chakra surrounding him, he simply was there: his hands in the pockets of his long coat, the high collar of it obscuring his face and his sunglasses obscuring his eyes. There was nothing to indicate how long he had been watching them, if at all.

"Hello, Shino-kun," Hinata greeted him. He nodded briefly to them both.

"Hinata-san. Sasuke-sama." After moving beside them, Shino glanced away, eyes fixed on something far on the horizon. "I have already spoken with Ino-san and Sakura-san; they have the scroll."

"I trust you didn't come here to chat," Sasuke said dryly, watching Shino. He did not waste words, which was an understatement, so there was definitely a specific reason he had come to them.

"No." Shino readjusted his glasses. "Not only is the enemy army coming, they are pursued by shinobi of every nation."

"Then the Hokage wishes us to remain here," Sasuke surmised, "at what will be the heart of the conflict." He received the slightest of nods. "I take it that this has not been discussed with the other Kages, and that there is a great element of uncertainty?"

"Negotiations are underway," Shino told them. "But the status of the other shinobi in regard to you is still unknown. Exercise caution and avoid any conflicts if possible."

"Will you be here, Shino-kun?" Hinata brought herself to say. Somehow, she would feel a great deal more safe if he were there in the battle.

"There will be two others," Shino shook his head. "My mission is incomplete."

"Other messages, right?" Sasuke guessed. "There are critical positions such as ours, and Naruto-san wanted to ensure that no communications were blocked." Shino nodded his assent silently, then turned to walk past them and into the thick green forest. No goodbyes were necessary, and so there was complete silence. Just as Shino passed Sasuke, however, he turned his head just slightly and said in a barely audible voice:

"Take care of her." Then he was gone.

For a long moment Sasuke and Hinata remained where they were, pondering the nature of the message and what it meant for them. In the sky above, the sun continued to move, inching toward nightfall and the inevitable attack. With a slight glance at one another, they began to walk forward.



"Is that guy really our target?"

The leader grunted, nodded curtly, his eyes never shifting. Like the rest of them, he was looking below from their hidden vantage point in a large tree. Fire Country was filled with them, so unlike his home, which made spying was remarkably easy. Of course, they had to be cautious, so close to Konoha.

"He doesn't really strike me as dangerous," another one of the assassins commented, dropping down to sit on the same branch. "I don't think this will be very difficult in the slightest."

Far beneath them the shopkeeper continued to work silently, wiping off the long counter by the front of his ship. He moved lazily and slowly, as if he was in no hurry to get anywhere in his life. Though obviously that of a restaurant owner, his loose clothing was vaguely reminiscent of shinobi armor, and his hands were still clad in tight black gloves with metal plating. Obviously a warrior of the past.

When one looked at him he didn't immediately seem old, but after watching him for a moment you realized that he was far older than he appeared. Still, he seemed to have aged remarkably well, as most shinobi did. He still had all of his hair, which appeared to be a naturally silver color. It had been grown out a fair amount, vaguely spiky locks falling over one of his eyes and onto his shoulders.

"Can that really be Copy Cat Kakashi?" one of the assassins muttered, shaking his head.

"All shinobi grow old," the leader spoke up for the first time. "Death is an opponent that no man can defeat. Some have tried and for a time escaped death, but all have failed."

"Aw, man, it's not going to be any fun beating up an old guy. Can't we target somebody else, like the Hokage? They have better uses for this much talent than cleaning up after yesterday's trash."

"Don't be a fool," the leader snapped. "Any shinobi as powerful as he was has to be taken seriously. Even old, he still has all his spiritually generated chakra, and thousands upon thousands of jutsu. They assigned this many assassins to him so we could end the battle quickly, before he can get started. Once in battle, I imagine he'll quickly remember all his old skills, even if they've been in temporary disuse."

[uc pseudonym]

"He has a point," another of the assassins agreed. "All of us have been noted for killing quickly, not lengthy fights. If sources are to be believed, he'll wear out his supply of chakra pretty quickly due to his copying skill. This battle will probably be brief and brutal."

"Let's make sure the brutality is done only to him." Drawing his cloak around him, the leader leapt from his branch. He landed lightly on the street beside the ramen shop, and the other shinobi followed immediately. There were eight of them in all, and they moved in ranks toward the shop.

By this point Kakashi had finished cleaning. He was sitting back in a chair behind the counter, balancing on the back two feet. In his hand was a book that he seemed to be pouring over quite interestedly. They approached him silently, but making no effort to hide their presence. Eventually all eight of them stood before the former shinobi.

Nothing happened. Kakashi continued to sit in his chair, reading his book. There was an uncomfortable pause, then Kakashi flipped a page, snickering softly to himself.

"Ahem." The leader frowned, annoyed at the subordinate who had made noise. He didn't like being mocked, and he was completely certain that Kakashi had sensed their presence.

"Oh, hey, didn't see you," Kakashi spoke up amiably, waving a hand vaguely in their direction. "What kind of ramen do you guys want? Can't say I get many customers around this time, though the Hokage drops by occasionally. Have I ever told you I was the one that trained him? That was back in the-"

"We're here to kill you!" one of the assassins roared.

"Ja, ja, it happens." Kakashi glanced up at them, gaze not really focused. "I'm in the middle of a really good part now, though, couldn't it wait? If I'm going to die, I'd at least like to die having read Jaiyra's last and, in my humble personal opinion, best work. Have any of you read it, by chance? Don't tell me how it ends."

"Most of the time, people don't get to decide how they die," one of the assassins commented with a snicker. "Are you ready for the next world, old man?"

There was a pause, then Kakashi shut his book with a soft clap. He sighed heavily, then glanced up a them. In his one visible eye there was something that seemed almost wistful, an emotion that couldn't easily defined.

"Eight of you against one man? Is it fair to gang up on someone like that? Is it necessary to kill every shinobi alive even if they were never a threat to you? Is it just to attack an old man who would just like to finish the rest of his life in peace?"

His speech gave pause to the group, none of whom moved for weapons as they had been intending to do moments before. Abruptly the leader laughed harshly, shattering the effect. A mocking smile appeared on his face, and he spread his arms to either side of him in a grand gesture.

"Fair? Who said anything about fair? Who said anything about necessity? Who said anything about justice? Above all, who said anything about peace?" His eyes hardened. "The fact is, Kakashi, that you are going to die, and you're going to die right now. Even though you're a retired, decrepit shinobi, you still have to die." He snapped his fingers. "Kill him."

The nearest assassin struck like lightning, a long kunai flashing to pierce Kakashi's forehead and end the battle instantly. A split second before the blow struck, Kakashi moved. His hand holding the book swept up, and the kunai embedded itself in its pages; his other arm smashed into the assassin's elbow, making a snapping sound; leaping out of his chair he kicked the attacker in the chin, sending him sailing backward.

As the would-be killer crashed to the ground, Kakashi straightened and put his hands in his pockets calmly. "Who said anything about retired?"

"Get him!" the leader roared, already a moment too late. Kakashi appeared behind them, legs flashing in swift kicks that were only barely avoided by the assassins. He landed before they could turn and was already striking again. One of the enemy shinobi was struck and sent hurtling over the nearby trees.

A massive warrior struck at Kakashi the next instant, an oversized kunai in each hand, aiming to skewer Kakashi's head from both directions. The older shinobi easily caught both the man's wrists, stopping his momentum completely. Roaring, the behemoth assassin stomped forward, trying to overpower his opponent. Kakashi did not move, but the force of the attack.
whipped at his clothing and made his hair fly away from his face...

Moments later Kakashi let go of the man's wrists, and the assassin collapsed to the ground where he did not move in the slightest. The remaining assassins were staring in shock, focused on the silvery hair eclipsing one of his eyes.

"Who said anything about decrepit?" Kakashi asked amiably. Before any of them could answer he thrust one hand to the ground. Chakra exploded around him, arcing in a tight circle and collecting near his hand. While the assassins could only watch, Kakashi braced his hand with his other arm and continued to collect chakra, blue flames leaping around his palm.

He completed the Chidori then stood there watching the assassins, his expression unfathomable. There was a long moment during which no one spoke, and then the long blade moved to impale Kakashi through the chest from behind.

Whirling, Kakashi pushed the surprise attack aside and drove the Chidori through his opponent's body. The remaining assassins winced from the violent explosion, the leader only slightly shielding his eyes. Kakashi pulled his hand out and then moved to face them. Only half the assassins remained, and they were shaking where they stood. Narrowing his eyes, the leader paused a moment, then sneered.

"Impressive, Kakashi-yarou," he said, clapping patronizingly. "But we all know that technique puts quite a drain on your chakra. Even in your prime, you couldn't do that technique more than six times a day." Gesturing to the nearest two assassins, he snapped his fingers. "Pincer attack, now!"

Nodding, the shinobi exploded in opposite directions, touched off nearby walls and hurtled toward Kakashi from opposite directions at the same instant, weapons flying into play. There was a crash and an explosion of chakra... and both men fell backward off Kakashi's hands, collapsing on the street with holes in their chests. Both of Kakashi's hands were cloaked in blue flame that did not dissipate. There was a pause as a slight breeze swept over the street-turned-battlefield, then Kakashi calmly looked up at the leader of the assassins.

"Six?" he asked. "Who said anything about six?"



Slowly but surely Iruka moved down the street, leaning heavily on a wooden cane. It was a gnarled old stick and a bit too short for him, but he loved the thing. There was just something that made it seem so much better than your typical metal walker or anything of the kind. Not that shinobi should need walkers, but still...

It was a beautiful day, and he took a moment to glance up into the sky. Fire Country around this time of the year was really beautiful; more beautiful than any other part of the world, he thought. The cold froze his bones just a bit and made his arthritis act up, but it wasn't a problem.

[uc pseudonym]

Ideally, he wanted to just walk downtown in peace, but that usually never happened. There was almost always some annoying little kid who wanted to hear a story, or some hawking merchant, or a politician getting an early start on the campaign. Or five assassins leaping through the trees after him. Like the one now leaping at his back.

Abruptly Iruka jerked his back straight, one hand blurring as it swept behind him. His cane practically rocketed from his fingers, slicing through the air and through the shinobi leaping at him. The cane drove the assassin backward and pinned him to the side of a nearby stone wall.

Turning slowly, Iruka raised his hands to either side of him and stood on one leg. "So... who wants some of this?"

He'd always wanted to say that.



The battle was short and brief. All the assassins were young, weak and used nothing but textbook maneuvers straight out of the academy. If anyone knew academy procedures, it was Iruka. Finding his cane and ripping it out of the stone wall with some difficulty, Iruka continued down the street. Blasted ninja fights made his arthritis act up something fierce.

Soon he approached the small shop that had been his destination. Huh, part of the awning was ripped and a bit stained... not too unusual. Hobbling inside, Iruka discovered Kakashi sitting on the counter, making a feeble effort to read a book with a gigantic slash in the middle. It looked as though he had been in the middle of something but gotten distracted.

"Hey Iruka," Kakashi said, waving without looking. "I can get you something to eat right after I finish whatever I'm in the middle of doing... which was... wait, what was I doing?"

"Cleaning up the bodies strewn over your shop, maybe?"

"Yeah, that's it." Kakashi hopped off the counter and slipped the book inside his jacket easily. "What'll it be today?"

"Oh, the usual."

"Sure, sure," Kakashi shifted back to the other side of the bar. "You got money?"

"Come on, Kakashi-kun," Iruka rolled his eyes. "I always have money. You ask me that every day."

"Hey, don't knock it," Kakashi answered. "Can't ignore important matters like money. What do you think I am, a shinobi or something?"



Strange shadows were cast over the mostly dead city, making everything seem eerie and unreal. The sun was at the edge of the sky, glowing hot orange in the lower end of the atmosphere. A romantic mind might have considered it like a flaming sphere ready to crash into the earth and render judgment upon its inhabitants.

Shino was not such a mind. He remained silhouetted against the sun, steadily at the top of a building. His expression was completely inexpressive, his thoughts a mystery. The men following him continued to watch from the trees, waiting for the proper moment. Without looking, Shino raised a hand, allowing something too small to be seen from such a distance to land upon it. For a moment he paused, then he nodded and began moving away from the sun across the rooftop.

"Hold it right there!" the leader of the assassins called out, appearing from the shadows at the edge of the roof. The other three assassins came as well, all gathering behind Shino, who did not turn or acknowledge their presence in any way other than stopping. "The Kazekage isn't going to be getting any messages tonight!" There was a long pause. "Well?" the leader demanded. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"No."

Growling, the leader leapt across the roof, green flames exploding around both of his hands like a torpedo. In midair, streaking toward the back of the Leaf shinobi, he put his hands together. The wind suddenly howled, and he shot forward with even greater speed, his hands bursting all the way through Shino's chest

Instantly he seemed to crumble, appearing as a swarming mass of bugs that held his shape for an instant before flooding over the shinobi. He gave a loud cry, but the sound abruptly cut off as he crashed to the ground in a shower of bugs. They swiftly skittered away in small cracks, soon leaving only his body.

"Destruction Bugs," one of the assassins cursed. "Fully matured ones, too. Don't let them touch you, they eat chakra like mad."

A thin beam of chakra exploded from the roof beneath them, startling but not striking all three shinobi. It faded almost instantly, leaving only a rough hole in the roof. Before any of the assassins could comment, however, hundreds of small bodies shot out of the hole. Acting together, like a gigantic whip, the bugs curled around the nearest assassin.

Gaping, the other two leapt away from the roof, leaving their comrade to his fate and narrowly avoiding two more sets of bugs that snaked across the space where they had just been. Falling back, the assassin allowed himself to smirk just slightly. This guy was tough, but it was fairly obvious which of his tools he relied upon most. Using bugs was a pretty good strategy, but not when your opponent could sense even their tiny chakras like he could. None of them were on ground level, so he'd probably have time to use a flame jutsu. With an easy flip, the shinobi landed on his feet just beside the building.

When he glanced up, Shino was standing before him. Before he could even begin to move, his target lashed out, the side of his fist crashing into the wall beside him. The side of the building exploded in an avalanche that quickly engulfed the assassin.

Only one remained, nervously holding his ground on one end of the street. He had already drawn his blade and held it at ready, fingers shaking slightly with anticipation. At last it was time to kill this human who had made a hellish pact with monsters. It was finally time, and he was going to purify the world of this abomination.

He saw Shino calmly leap away from the building avalanche and struck. Racing across the street, he swung his blade in a lethal arc, aiming to slice down and through his opponent's neck. Shino landed before he could attack, but held his ground, merely raising a hand at the level of the sword. The fool! What does he think he's going to do, catch the blade? Electricity abruptly leapt around the assassin's weapon, burning with dangerous chakra. His opponent saw, but it was too late... too late...

Something exploded from Shino's palm, connecting with the blade swinging at his head. The assassin was shocked, barely able to draw his blade back in time to avoid a dangerous slash. Shino returned his hand to one side of him, and the other shinobi finally got a good look at his weapon.

One long object was currently breaking out of Shino's palm. It was slightly curved and one edge of it looked sharp, making it seem like... like... a mandible? The assassin's eyes widened, but Shino was already attacking again. With a backhanding movement Shino knocked his opponent's blade aside, then he sliced in the opposite direction.

The last of the warriors collapsed to the ground. Wordlessly Sasuke straightened his arm, and the mandible retracted itself, flesh sealing over Shino's palm when it was gone. With a slight adjustment of his glasses, Shino turned and vanished into the night.