Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Diplomacy ❯ Misty Leaf ( Chapter 10 )

     “However,&# 8221; Saruwatari Makoto said, “There are two other individuals who are possible suspects. And all the evidence points right to them.”

     I can’t believe it… Hinata thought, as Saruwatari’s deductions began to fall into place for her, Taiki-nii-san… Kiriko-nee-san… The two were Hanabi’s chosen protectors. Of all the people in the world, they would be the last anybody would expect to commit a crime.

     “Phantom.” Chie whispered, Hinata didn’t respond, “Phantom!”

     “Eh? 221; Hinata blinked.

     “Phantom, what’s he doing?” Chie asked in a low voice, motioning her chin towards Taiki. Chie moved in front of Hinata. Hinata caught the hint. She activated her Byakugan and looked at Taiki. She gasped.

     “He’s weaving jutsu signs, isn’t he?” Chie asked, paying no attention to Saruwatari tell of Hinata’s encounter with the kidnapper.

     “Yes…” Hinata said, unable to believe it. She no sooner opened her mouth to warn everyone when Chie reached back and grabbed Hinata’s hand.

     “Is there anything peculiar or specific about the pattern?”

     “Yes. Every other sign is the Snake.” Hinata said, and through her Byakugan she saw Chie’s eyes narrow.

     “Say nothing.” Chie ordered.

     “But…” Hinata said, thinking of warning those around her.

     “Trust me.” Chie said.

     Hinata found that much harder to do than it would have been barely twenty minutes ago. While she heard Saruwatari proving Chie’s innocence in the crime, it was still hard for her to ignore what she had seen earlier. Hard to accept that the person she had faced wasn’t Tsurukawa Chie, but Hyuga Kiriko. Hinata recognized part of her that wanted to keep blaming Chie, so she didn’t have to accept her own family was turning on her and her sister. However, what she wanted did nothing to change the truth. Chie had done nothing, she was the same person she had always been.

     “I trust you.” Hinata said.

     “Okay.” Chie said, Hinata thought she might have heard a sigh of relief, “Your eyes can see my Chakra, right?”

     “As it traverses your body, yes.”

     “Then watch, and mimic very closely what I do next.”

     Hinata watched Chie’s body and Chakra lines closely. As she did, she noticed an unusual amount tracing up towards her eyes. Specifically around the wholes of her eyeballs, acting as a barrier. Hinata considered how best to accomplish this, then successfully formed her own chakra eye shield, a tingling in her eyes, not unlike her first ever uses of the Byakugan, accompanied the act.

     “Okay.”

&n bsp;    “Good,” Chie said, “Now, when it comes, if you can still move, don’t.”

     “But everyon-”

     “No worries.” Chie whispered, “If he plans to hurt anyone, it won’t be until after he’s performed this jutsu. Making it imperative that at least one person block it.”

     Hinata kept her chakra around her eyes as much as she could, as she listened to Saruwatari explain how Chie had been poisoned and isolated to help remove a potential alibi. Finally, Hinata saw through the Byakugan as Taiki’s chakra began flowing into his eyes, and his hands stopped on the sign of the Snake.

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

     It was at that moment Hinata felt it. An assault on her eyes, as though something were attempting to stab right through them. The Chakra guard Chie helped her create prevented anything more than a feeling of betrayal and surprise from hitting Hinata.

     His jutsu complete, Taiki’s eyes returned to their normal, veinless form. Hinata moved her fingers experimentally. After knowing she could move, she yielded to Chie’s advice and didn’t. She couldn’t resist looking around, however. She noticed that every single individual gathered at that part of the fairground had completely frozen in place. Nobody moved, nobody spoke, for a moment Hinata feared that nobody breathed.

     Taiki surveyed his victims carefully, Hinata made sure to not move even her eyes anymore. When he seemed apparently satisfied he had gotten everybody, he leapt out of sight, escaping in the same direction Saruwatari and Hinata had come from. The same direction in which Kiriko had taken Hanabi.

     When he was gone, Hinata let out an involuntary sigh of relief. Chie seemed to have done so as well. Hinata didn’t doubt Chie had been as anxious as Hinata herself.

     “W-What was that?” Hinata asked quickly, “Is everybody all right?”

     “Hebi no Nirami.” said Chie turning to face Hinata, “The Serpent’s Glare. It’s a Dôjutsu I learned about in my studies. It sends Chakra from the user’s eyes to a victim’s nervous system, temporarily paralyzing it. It shuts down all but the most automatic of functions. Everyone here can breathe, can see, can hear, but the Hebi no Niramif hinders their ability to act.”

     “I never knew there was a jutsu capable of this.” Hinata admitted, looking at the human statues.

     “It’s your Byakugan that makes this possible.” Chie explained, “Normally, the jutsu is a one-target move. That is because it requires eye contact to be effective. This and a long sign sequence generally make the technique impractical in real combat. However, with your Kekkei Genkai’s range of vision, and ability to see just where in the body Chakra can go, eye contact, at least, becomes a simple matter, making the jutsu far more effective than normal.”

     “How long will it last?” Hinata asked.

     “Not sure, but probably a while. Seeing as he used it to make his escape. I was concerned he’d go after you or Peacemaker.” Chie said, pointing to Hinata, then Saruwatari. Hinata understood, had they spoken up and warned those around them, Taiki might have panicked and attacked at random. Blocking the jutsu as they did, however, allowed Hinata and Chie a chance to defend themselves or whoever Taiki’s target was.

     Now, however, Hinata’s only goal was to rescue her sister from her abductors, her cousins. She knew what she needed to do first. She approached one of the ANBU and went through her pouches. She soon found what she needed, a blank scroll.

     “I am sorry.” Hinata told the masked woman, “I need to take this. I promise to replace it.”

     As Chie watched, Hinata opened the scroll on the ground, and bit her finger. Using the blood from the wound, she began writing on the scroll.

     “Kuchiyose?” Chie asked, wondering if Hinata had any summoning talent.

     “No, code.” Hinata replied. When finished, Chie saw hastily drawn red kanji on the scroll, with even more hastily written words underneath it.

     “Hanabishi?” she asked, recognizing the two kanji for the word.

     “Yes,” Hinata said as she rolled up the scroll, “It is a code developed by my clan to give a fast and simple warning as possible in the event something happens to a child of the family. Each child has a specific codeword, and writing in blood means that the situation is urgent. The words underneath are just as quick an explanation as I can manage right now.”

     Hinata tied the scroll and handed it to Chie.

     “You remember how to get to my home?” Hinata said as she began going through the female ANBU’s possessions again, this time taking a shuriken pouch and kunai. Again she apologized for taking the weapons.

     “What?” Chie asked, “You want me to… but what’ll you do?”

     “I’m going after Taiki-nii-san. I can track him with the Byakugan. I am going to try to get him and Kiriko-nee-san to call off whatever they’re planning.”

     “Do you think you can?”

     “…No… I think I’ll have to fight them.” Hinata said, knowing what was to come and absolutely dreading having to do it.

     “Two against one?! Are you insane?! I’m going with you!”

     “NO!” Hinata shouted, “I need you to get that message to my clan! Once they’re alerted they can rescue Hanabi! I just need to stall them until help can arrive!”

     “That’s suicide!” Chie told her.

     “So is going after them with just two people!!” Hinata yelled back, “They’re both experienced Chûnin and a well-practiced team, you and I can’t match them in that!”

     The girls argument was suddenly interrupted by a loud whine. Both girls attention was suddenly on the boy behind Kiba, who was whimpering and looked frightened.

     “Madoshi-kun?!R 21; Hinata exclaimed.

     “How is he okay?” Chie asked. But Hinata understood.

     “Kiba-kun said he has poor eyesight.”

     “Oh.” Chie answered. The Serpent’s Glare required direct eye contact to function properly. This meant the victim had to be able to receive the paralyzing Chakra just a well as the user sent it. An individual who was blind or near-blind would experience a diminished effect, if any, because their eyes, as well as the Chakra pathways around them, did not work well enough to receive the full blast of the attack.

     “Wait! If he can move this is perfect!” Chie cried out, she looked at the flower in Hinata’s hair, “Is that flower found anyplace else in the village?!”

     “Some shops sell them, but they’re all grown on the Hyuga compound.” Hinata answered.

     “Perfect!” Chie said again, plucking the white flower from Hinata’s head. She took the scroll Hinata had handed her and used a string from one of the nearby ninja to secure it around Madoshi’s neck.

     “He understands human speech?”

     “Mostly. Chie-san. What ar-”

     “Okay, now, Pup, listen good.” Chie said, as loud and clearly as she could, looking into the feral boy’s barely-seeing blue-green eyes, “Smell this?” she held the flower to Madoshi’s nose. True to instinct, he sniffed at it, and didn’t seem to appreciate the strong scent much, “All right,” Chie continued, “I need you to take this,” she held up the scroll, then pointed in the general direction of the Hyuga estate “That way, to where that scent is the strongest! Understand?”

     Madoshi looked at Chie for a moment, leaving Chie to wonder if he’d understood properly. Then he began sniffing at the air some more, and soon bolted in the direction Chie had indicated.

     “Is that wise, Chie-san?” Hinata asked, feeling a bit of anger that Chie was disregarding her wishes so much.

     “Maybe not,” Chie admitted, “But I think we’ll be okay. At that pace he shouldn’t take much longer than I would have, anyway. And I’m sure he knows this is serious, so he won’t screw around on us. The important thing is, now you’re not going in alone.”

     “Chie-san, don’t you understand!” Hinata asked, “I can’t let you go!”

     “Why the hell not?!”

     “You’re a guest of this village! One of the rules you have is that you can not strike one of our people! Lay hands on one and you’re immediately expelled!”

     “This is more important that that!” Chie exclaimed.

     “Yes it is! But I can’t just ignore it! You’re here for a reason and I can’t let you throw that away!”

     “Phantom…&# 8221; Chie said, genuinely touched.

     She then hit Hinata across the face with an open handed slap.

     “There.” she said as Hinata held her cheek in shock, “Now it’s not an issue!”

     “Chie-san… why?”

     “You saw how your friends treated me tonight?” she asked, gesturing to Kiba and Shino, “That’s been the general response from everybody who knew who I was. You and Firecracker, on the other hand, you just treated me like anybody else. I wasn’t anything dangerous to you. Just someone you were spending time with. Even now you’re watching out for me, when you’ve got bigger problems!”

     Chie suddenly reached out and grabbed Hinata’s Hitai-ate off her neck, and took her own back from the person who had held it.

     “But the fact is, I am a ninja of the Mist,” she held up her headband, then Hinata’s, “and you are a ninja of the Leaf. Even if I weren’t leaving now, I would go. I would go, and we might never see each other again. And, if we do, there’s a good chance that you and I will do so as enemies!

     “That in mind,” she said, tying her headband around her forehead, “I want to help you and Firecracker.”

     Hinata watched as, rather than give it back, Chie began tying the Leaf headband around her neck, just as Hinata preferred.

     “I want to help my friends, while I can still call you that! I won’t let you face impossible odds alone! I am a ninja of the Mist, but tonight I will fight alongside you, a ninja of the Leaf. Whatever it takes I will help you get your sister back! I swear it, Hinata!”

     Hinata understood. She couldn’t dissuade Chie, and would no longer try. Hinata understood that by using her real name instead of the “Phantom” nickname, and by putting on Hinata’s Hitai-ate, Chie was making this point as clear as possible.

     “All right.” Hinata said, as Chie rummaged through another nearby ANBU’s belongings for her own equipment, “Let’s go!” Hinata brought her hands up to chest level and made the proper signs.

     “Byakugan!!̶ 1; she cried, and her Kekkei Genkai flared to life once more. She expanded her range of vision as far as she could manage. She saw within the village, people enjoying the festival, unaware of the minutes-old crisis now occurring. In the woods, she saw Taiki, running through the woods alone, making his way towards the old playground Hinata had once shown Chie. There she saw Kiriko, no longer disguised as Chie, waiting for her husband’s arrival. Hanabi was close as well, bound tightly on the ground next to-

     “No!” Hinata suddenly screamed.

     “What?!” Chie asked, as she attached a shuriken pouch to her ankle (instead of her thigh).

     “We have no time to lose! We have to get there before it’s too late!” Hinata yelled, “Follow closely behind me, Chie-san. I can get us through the forest to where they are quickly, but I can’t slow down!”

     “So no lagging behind, got it.” Chie replied. Before she could say more though, Hinata had already begun to move. Chie hurried to catch up and stay with her.

     Hyuga Taiki traversed the forest. Not as quick as he could, for he had to avoid traps he knew Kiriko had laid on the route (simple, as he knew her style as well as he did his own). He knew Kiriko would be anxious, desperate to finally begin their revenge.

     We’ve waited nearly ten years for this chance! Fear not, my love, it shall not go to waste!