Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Ghostly Eyes ❯ The Plaza ( Chapter 16 )

      The flattened tree stump in the center of the Nimmori village was known as the Plaza. Though stump wasn’t the most accurate word for it. It had once been a high standing, ancient tree. Years ago, back in the day of Morigakure village, it was cut down. But not at the bottom, as most trees were. Instead, the cut was made nearly ten feet from ground level.

     This was done because the tree was an anomaly. Though most of the flora of the woods had small tethers to the land’s lay line network, the tree was heavily steeped in the lines. This was discovered by the cult that hoped to summon forth the Mori no Megami and bring her to this world. They realized immediately that this place was ideal for their goal. The summoning required a large collection of the lines in one place to act as a focusing point for the goddess’ life force. The mass within the tree was perfect.

     Cutting it was a precise process. For they had to create a flat space at the largest gathering of ley lines without completely destroying it in the process of cutting down the tree. They succeeded, and the Plaza was created. The place where Hyuga Hinata, where Kashghyu N’ga would become the Nimmori’s Goddess-Made-Flesh.

     She stood in the center of the plaza. She wore no longer the vest and short pants that the youngsters of the village favored. She now was clad in a simple white, sleeveless, one-piece tunic that ended in a knee-length skirt. It was belted at the waist with a leather strap. On her head was a tiara, made of simple iron, in itself a rarity among the Nimmori. The Ki’ge had a more ornate set of clothing ready for this ceremony. Something better befitting the Goddess they would be bringing into the world. However, practicality demanded things be kept simple. There was no guarantee that Kashghyu N’ga would not be required to fight. In the tunic, she was better set to defend herself than the longer dress they’d had ready.

     All over her skin were painted lines of green and brown, moving about seemingly at random from the tips of each of her fingers and toes, along her arms and legs, and across her torso. All of these markings, as random as their patterns might appear otherwise, all ended at one point: the tree-mark on Kashghyu N’ga’s forehead. This paint represented the many ley lines all over the forest. The center of which would be the point of the goddess’ rebirth.

     Scattered throughout the forest were men and women. Those with the strongest Life’s Flames. They remained hidden for the time being. The Ki’ge didn’t doubt for a moment that the shee’nobie might seek to disrupt the ritual by interfering with this point. As such, the channelers would remain hidden until a signal from the Plaza was sent up letting them know their time had come. They would emerge only then, and only long enough to perform their task, to focus as much of their Flame as possible into the ley lines. Enough so that, when it all gathered at the Plaza, it would create a beacon that the goddess could sense even from her otherworldly plane. The channeling process would take a minute or two, after which the people performing their duties would use the remainder of their strength to go back into hiding. While this occurred, decoys would be used to lure out any shee’nobie who might try to attack. They would be among the strongest Nimmori warriors, their goal to be to stall and, if possible, kill any enemies that attempted attack. They were placed fairly close to the real channelers, so they could respond quickly should an attack on the correct people occur.

     Stationed along the village were warriors of the tribe. But they were different from most that the shee’nobie had seen thus far. Until this point, excursions to the outside had been made using the younger and greener warriors, as a means of giving them valuable experience. Those guarding the village now, however, were among the best and strongest. Some at, or nearly at, the level of Da Iri’ga. Many below that power, but still beyond the youngest of the fighters. Those younger ones were currently leading the noncombatants, elderly, children, and the Purified, out of the village. Into an area intended to keep them safe should things go awry. Should the ceremony fail, or should the shee’nobie actually succeed in stopping them, they would be able to create anew the People of the Forest.

     The Ki’ge, who currently sat on the Plaza with Kashghyu N’ga chanting and signing to himself in preparation, had planned for as many eventualities as he could. He knew, thanks to Kashghyu N’ga, that there were now more among their enemies. At least one of whom was also of the Blessed Line. According to what he knew from the girl’s memories, those of her former people often traveled in groups of four. So he knew to expect at least three others along with the five he knew of.

     Kashghyu N’ga stood silently in the center. Her heart beating hard in her chest. She knew that the moment she’d been brought here for was fast approaching. She was nervous, self-doubt gnawed at her. She tried to push it away, but she was unable to focus on anything except for her own failures since the shee’nobies’ arrival. Her faltering had allowed their escape twice now. She had defeated them in battle, but had been unable to land the final blows. Worst yet, her memories of Before had become stronger as she thought more of them. Memories she had been fighting to bury from her first day as She of the Ghostly Eyes. She spoke of it to nobody, but she truly feared failing everybody yet again.

     She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up behind her to see the compassionate face of Da Iri’ga. His injuries from his battle with Yuhi Kurenai had almost entirely healed. He would be fit for battle should she and her subordinates try again.

     “Do not fret.” he told her, reading her emotions in a way she couldn’t recall anybody else ever doing, “Concentrate on your task. We will handle everything else.”

     Kashghyu nodded. The fact that Da Iri’ga still held faith in her lifted much of the load off her mind.

     I will not fail! she thought, chanting it to herself as a mantra, I will not fail!

     Naruto and Kiba shared the last watch before the group was to set out into the Nimmori village. Kurenai had told them it was because, this close to the time, it was best to have two sets of eyes instead of one. Though they both suspected it was because she didn’t trust them not to fall asleep on such boring detail. But the two of them bickered through most of their watch, keeping both ninja alert.

     They had wondered to each other what Kurenai, who had the watch before theirs, had been doing when they arrived. Their only clue was what seemed to be leaves stuck in some nearby trees, almost as if thrown. They also tried to think of ways to get through to Hinata, when they finally confronted her.

     “The fact is, telling her is pointless.” Kiba said.

     “Yeah. When I kept pushing, she became more eager to kill me, not less.” Naruto commented.

     “So we can’t tell her.” Kiba said.

     “But we can show her!” Naruto said, suddenly hit by inspiration.

     “Kiba,” he asked, “Kurenai-sensei told me that Hinata kinda looked up to me? Is that true?”

     “She told you, huh?” Kiba said, feeling a little disappointed in his master, “Well, ‘kinda’ is an understatement. You know how Hinata is. Shy, doesn’t believe in herself much. Compare that to you, who would rather be?”

     Naruto thought he understood well enough.

     “You’re her ideal. Yo-wait…” Kiba said, suddenly getting an idea himself, “When you said show…?”

     Naruto nodded with a sly grin on his face. They were on the same wavelength.

     “If you’re thinking what I think you are, it’s crazy.” Kiba told him.

     “But it might work.” said a voice behind them. The two Genin jumped up and saw Shino standing behind them.

     “Kurenai-sensei asked me to get you, so I couldn‘t help but overhear.” he explained, “Hinata’s hypnosis seems based in giving her that which she has idealized. You’re thinking of somehow destroying that idea and making her realize she’s living a false dream.”

     The two nodded.

     “Good. Let Sensei and the Hyuga know what you’re thinking while we move.”

     “It’s time?” Naruto asked.

     “It is.”

     “Then let’s go!” Kiba said, eager for battle.