Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Diplomacy ❯ One Truth ( Chapter 9 )

     Hina ta leapt through the rooftops, paying no heed to those who saw her fly by them. Her eyes were focused on only what her Byakugan showed her happening, not far from her current position.

     It can’t be!! she told herself, Chie-san wouldn’t do this! I can’t be seeing this right!

     Though she had been focused on Madoshi and Kiba, Hinata had happened to catch sight of Hanabi through her Byakugan. She had also witnessed her apparent kidnapping by none other than Chie. All other thought left her as she immediately made way toward her sister and friend. It wasn’t long before the two were spotted. Chie was leaping rooftops just like Hinata, Hanabi was tucked under her arm, struggling to break free. There were no pursuers yet, the incident was so sudden and happened so fast that nobody had yet managed to react in any organized fashion. That meant Hinata alone would face her former friend.

     “Chie-san!” She called out. She knew she should have been more stealthy, try to catch her friendly enemy by surprise, but she couldn’t help it. Chie ignored Hinata and proceeded as if she hadn’t heard. She didn’t respond to Hinata’s presence until the Genin was right behind her. Chie stopped jumping, and turned to face Hinata. Both were on adjacent buildings, separated only by the alley between them.

     “Nee-san!” Hanabi yelled from under Chie’s arm.

     “Chie-san?! How could you?!” Hinata demanded. Chie didn’t speak. Instead, she loosened her grip on Hanabi. Hinata thought maybe Chie was letting her go. But as Hanabi began to fall Chie suddenly grabbed the girl by the scruff of the neck of her kimono and with all her strength hurled the girl straight up into the air.

     “Hanabi!!” Hinata screamed, her attention entirely on her airborne sibling.

     That lapse in focus cost her. Before Hinata could react Chie had jumped the alley, closed the gap between them, and aimed a spin kick right toward Hinata’s stomach. Hinata barely dodged it by stepping backward, which only left her open for Chie’s follow-up. Chie dove down from her spin, catching herself on her hands, and sending a second kick straight up into Hinata’s face. The blow knocked Hinata onto her back. Before Hinata could right herself, she planted a foot onto Hinata’s stomach.

     “You white-eyed bastards took from me the one I cherished most!” she said, “But tonight, with your sister, I’ll be able to avenge him!”

     With that, kicking off with the foot in Hinata’s belly, Chie leapt back to the roof she had leapt on. She held out her left arm, which Hanabi promptly fell into. The younger Hyuga sister once again in her grasp, the kidnapper ran off into the night, leaving the elder sister gasping for air. Hinata tried to get up, only to stumble and nearly fall off the rooftop she was standing on. Fortunately, a pair of large hands appeared and steadied her.

     “Hinata-kun.” said a deep voice.

     “S-Saruwatari-san?̶ 1; Hinata answered weakly.

     She looked up to see the hands indeed belonged to Saruwatari Makoto, her superior officer.

     “Hanabi…”

     “I know, Hinata-kun.” he said. His wrinkled face looked grim, “I saw the whole thing from the street. We must go immediately.”

     “Yes, we have to-” Hinata began, but stopped when she realized Saruwatari’s hands were guiding her in the opposite direction Chie had come from.

     “Sir!” Hinata cried out, suddenly alarmed, “It’s the other way!”

     “No, Hinata-kun.” Saruwatari told her, “There is a separate crisis we must resolve first.”

     “But-” Hinata had begun to struggle against her superior’s grip, to get away and chase her sister.

     “Hanabi-chan’s situation can wait. I don’t believe her kidnapper will harm her, not without her accomplice present as well.”

     Acoomplice?! Hinata thought in shock, but Saruwatari went on before she could ask.

     “If we can get the accomplice I’m sure is waiting for us, then we will rescue her that much more quickly.”

     Hinata bit at her lower lip. She respected Saruwatari, he was wise and, in diplomatic training exercises, displayed abilities for observation and reading body language beyond even most Hyuga. Even so, Hinata couldn’t avoid mutinous thoughts revolving around calling him a foolish old man who didn’t understand what she felt.

     “Chie-san definitely has an accomplice?” she asked, as logic and trust won out.

     “Our kidnapper has an accomplice. I am positive of it.” Saruwatari said.

     Reluctantly, Hinata nodded, “Okay. Let’s go.”

     Saruwatari let Hinata go, and began going by roofs (easily the quickest route) back to the point where Hanabi was kidnapped. Hinata followed, hoping against hope her mentor was right.

     Hinata and Saruwatari found where Hanabi was taken from easily enough. There was a large crowd gathered around the booth Hanabi and her friends had been playing at. Most notable among them, Hinata noticed to her dismay, was Hyuga Taiki, Hanabi’s bodyguard. As Hinata and Saruwatari landed, Taiki stood at the place Hanabi had been taken from, staring thoughtfully at it. The look he gave Hinata upon seeing her said it all.

     “Hinata-sama… you dare show your face here?!” he yelled. Some of the onlookers, knowing he was Branch Family to Hinata’s Main, stared open-mouthed at the display of emotion.

     “Calm yourself, Taiki-san.” Saruwatari said.

     “Calm?! Main Family or no, because of her negligence Hanabi-sama has been taken!”

     “Yes…̶ 1; Hinata admitted, “We-” Saruwatari put his hand before Hinata, cutting her off from saying they had seen Chie.

     “Before we go after Hanabi-chan’s abductor, there are some issues that need to be resolved first.” Saruwatari said, his voice level. Ever the diplomat, Hinata couldn’t help thinking.

     “Issues?” Taiki declared, “What is there to resolve? Your foreign ninja kidnapped Hanabi-sama!”

     Hinata noticed, not surprisingly, that whispers of “foreign?” began emanating from the assembled crowd. Everyone also seemed very surprised at Taiki’s outbursts. Hinata wondered if he’d even said a single word until the two of them had arrived.

     “Yes, Taiki-san. Bear with me and you may understand. Hinata-kun?”

     “Yes?” ;

     “Before Hanabi-chan’s kidnapping, where did you last see Tsurukawa-kun?”

     “She was in a bathroom east of here.” Hinata answered pointing in the general direction of where she’d left Chie and Shino, “She appeared to have stomach problems. Last I saw she was in the bathroom vomiting.”

     “And why did you leave?”

     “Um…” ; Hinata flushed, “One of my companions had gone missing… his guardian, Inuzuka Kiba-kun, asked me to aid in the search with my Byakugan. Another companion, Aburame Shino-kun, stayed behind with Chie-san.”

     Saurwatari nodded, “And what is happening there right now?”

     Shino-kun!! Hinata realized with a sudden lurch in her stomach. She immediately activated her Byakugan and focused as hard as she could on where she had left Shino and Chie last. Observers watched as the girl’s expression grew confused.

     “Hinata-kun?”< br>
     “C-Chie-san is there…” Hinata began, “She is trying to rouse Shino-kun, who is lying on the ground…”

     “You are certain of this?” Saruwatari asked.

     Hinata nodded, then gasped “Kiba-kun has just arrived with Madoshi-kun… it looks as though Chie-san attacked Shino. He is arresting her, grabbing her arms so she cannot escape… I don’t understand! If Chie took Hanabi then why-”

     “Wait and see, Hinata-kun.” Saruwatari said, interrupting Hinata. The crowd looked more confused than Hinata herself save Taiki, who looked only angry.

     “You.” Saruwatari said to a man from a squad of ANBU who had arrived to investigate, “Go to the restrooms, please, and bring the four you find back here.”

     The man nodded and ran off to fetch the others. Within minutes they had arrived. Shino was awake and, along with Kiba, held Chie by her arms. Madoshi and Akamaru sat behind them, alert of the tension and paying close attention to everything before them. Chie wasn’t resisting, nor did she look worried. If anything, Hinata thought, she looked annoyed.

     “Phantom,” she said upon arrival, “I don’t think your friends like me much.”

     “Chie-san…& #8221; was all Hinata could utter.

     “Release her.” Saruwatari said to Shino and Kiba, “It is all right.” he added when they were reluctant to obey.

     “Thanks, Peacemaker. ‘Preciate it.” Chie said as she approached Saruwatari and Hinata.

     “Do not thank me yet.” Saruwatari said, “There are still some points to resolve. Depending on how that goes you may yet again wind up in custody.”

     “Huh? What do you me- Phantom what’s wrong?” Chie asked, noticing Hinata’s troubled look.

     “Hanabi’s been kidnapped.” Hinata said, “And it looks like you did it!”

     “What?!” Chie exclaimed, “I didn’t! I’ve been puking this whole time!”

     “A likely story!” Taiki responded, “No doubt you faked illness! After removing those watching you, completed your task and went back to finish the job!”

     The voices of the crowd began to get more hostile, as they began to agree with Taiki’s assessment of events.

     “That may be.” Saruwatari said, “But then, there are some problems with that theory.”

     “Trying to evade responsibility, old man?” Taiki sneered. The crowd began muttering to another. Hinata picked out words such as “smooth talker” and “excuses” among the chatter.

     “Not at all. I am merely interested in making sure responsibility falls upon the correct shoulders. Let me first ask you the most obvious question that comes to mind. If Tsurukawa-kun is the culprit, as you say, why did she return to finish off Aburame-kun when she should have just continued going? Or, on that same vein, why not just kill Aburame-kun in the first place, so that a return wouldn’t be necessary?”

     Taiki just smiled.

     “It is difficult to quickly kill a man unarmed without resorting to jutsu, which any decent Shinobi would detect immediately. I met with my wife, Kiriko, minutes before the kidnapping, and she informed me that both Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama searched her for weapons and found nothing.”

     “I see.” Saruwatari replied, “So then, if she intended to finish off witnesses, she should have weapons on her now, correct?”

     It was a moment before Taiki nodded to this logic. Hinata suddenly had a very bad feeling where this was all headed.

     “Excuse me, you there.” Saruwatari called out, indicating an ANBU woman among the onlookers. “Could you do me a favor and search this girl for weapons.”

     The ANBU approached and did as asked. Chie held out her arms as the woman frisked her, just as she had jokingly offered to allow Kiba to. Once finished, the woman came up empty save for Chie’s Hitai-ate and canteen. The scene’s audience began to chatter more with the confirmation that Chie was indeed a foreign ninja.

     “Interesting.” Saruwatari commented, “It seems to me that, if you’re right and she wished to eliminate witnesses, then she would have brought a weapon for the task, no? Especially since it is, as you yourself said, Taiki-san, difficult to kill unarmed. And yet, she is here, unarmed despite being caught red-handed. Odd, no?”

     Taiki didn’t respond, nor did anybody gathered say anything.

     “So she didn’t do anything?” Kiba asked Shino.

     “It seems not.” Shino replied, “However there is as much evidence for as against.”

     “Yes!” Taiki exclaimed, “For all your words, sir, you seem to neglect the fact that the girl herself was seen in the act.”

     “Easily explained through use of the Henge no Jutsu.” Saruwatari replied with a shrug, “But if you need solid evidence, I can provide. Aburame-kun?”

     “Yes.̶ 1; Shino responded.

     “Hinata-kun has told me of your ability to communicate with insects. This is so?”

     Shino nodded.

     “In the event you are incapacitated, would they be as well?”

     Shino shook his head, “They are independent of me in that regard.”

     “Well, then, can your insects confirm or deny Tsurukawa-kun’s whereabouts at the time of this attack, even though you yourself were unconscious?”

     The muttering among those at the scene began in earnest once more. Shino was quiet, as some of his insects exited his body and Shino asked Saruwatari’s question. Shino viewed their movements for a moment before speaking. Taiki shifted slightly, Hinata saw him fold his hands under the long sleeves of his robe. Hinata noticed Chie watching him intently, too.

     “Well?” Kiba asked, getting impatient. Their audience was completely silent now, waiting for the words they were sure would damn the foreigner.

     “She never left.” Shino said, “They are sure of it, as they heard the sound of and detected the scent of her being sick.”

     “Well, Taiki-san. What say you to that?” Saruwatari asked.

     “Maybe she is innocent.” Taiki ceded, “But that gets us no further in identifying the true culprit or rescuing Hanabi-sama!”

     “Oh, I think it makes a great difference.” Saruwatari said pleasantly, “You see, it is clear now that our kidnapper not only intended to abduct Hanabi-chan, but did so with the intent of setting someone else up for the crime. And judging from the attack itself, it’s clear that the culprit knew that Tsurukawa-kun was a Shinobi from another village. This reduces our pool of suspects considerably.”

     Taiki didn’t respond, but the onlookers began muttering anew. Ignoring them, Hinata listened as Saruwatari went on.

     “This reduces our pool of suspects to a select few. Whoever kidnapped the child had to both know this fact and have a motive to harm her. Among the diplomats involved in this operation, all of whom were handpicked by me, the only two with ties to the Hyuga clan are myself, as an old teammate of Hyuga Hiashi. And his daughter, Hyuga Hinata-kun. But, neither of us have motivation to harm the child.”

     “But then…” Hinata began to ask.

     “However,” Saruwatari went on, “There are two other individuals who are possible suspects. And all the evidence points right to them.”

     Saruwatari looked right at Taiki as he said this. Taiki responded by appearing to wring his hands in his sleeves.

     “Taiki-san, I have but one question to ask you. Where is Kiriko-san?”

     The crowd’s glares and accusatory looks finally shifted from Chie, and now began to focus on the Branch Hyuga who had been spouting his own accusations. Taiki looked angry, the wringing of his hands increased in speed.

     “Do not speak of Kiriko that way!” he yelled, sounding affronted that his wife would be suspected in any way, “She and I were together! As soon as Hanabi-sama was kidnapped, she went after the abductor! I stayed behind to alert others to the attack and get a message to the Main House!”

     “Oh? Kiriko chased after the kidnapper?” Saruwatari asked, “Then why is it that neither Hinata-kun nor I encountered her?”

     “W-what…? 221;

     “I happened to see Hinata-kun briefly engage the abductor in combat. Her enemy got the drop on her and escaped, however. I went to her aid, and, suspecting something was wrong with the picture, headed straight here.”

     The implication was clear. They had come right from the attack, in the direction the attacker was coming from. If Kiriko had been chasing Chie, they would have encountered her midway, or seen her injured or hurt otherwise.

     “Odd, isn’t it?” Saruwatari posed, “There are only three explanations for it that I can see. Either Kiriko-san took a different route, unlikely as logic would dictate staying right behind the kidnapper. She deserted her duty, doubtful considering she earned the position she was in through loyalty and bravery. Or, and this is what I think most likely, she was the abductor!”

     “How dare you!!” Taiki screamed.

     “Quite easily, Taiki-san.” Saruwatari said, a satisfied look on his face, “The evidence points only in that direction. I believe that Kiriko-san disguised herself as Tsurukawa-kun and abducted the girl. While she did so, you, Taiki-san, would insure that Tsurukawa-kun had no immediate alibi for the attack. You likely posed as a vendor and poisoned some of her food to make her ill. Though only pure speculation, you likely lured the feral boy there away to ensure Inuzuka-kun would leave. You had the good fortune that Hinata-kun left as well. Leaving only Aburame-kun, whom you snuck up on and dispatched.”

     Taiki’s face was red with rage. He hands in his robes were going much faster. Only then did Saruwatari, and those around, realize what Taiki had been doing the entire time. He hadn’t been wringing his hands.

     “Ninpô: Hebi no Nirami!!” he screamed, his Byakugan suddenly flaring to life.

     For a moment in time, for those gathered around Hyuga Taiki, everything froze.