Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Ghostly Eyes ❯ Mirror Image ( Chapter 18 )

      Kashghyu N’ga listened as the Ki’ge’s chanting began to slow again. He was now making hand signs at a rapid pace even Kashghyu’s eyes had difficulty keeping up with. In a matter of minutes, the Life’s Flame channeled into the Ley Lines would begin to flow to the Plaza. At that time, it would create a beacon that the Goddess, in her otherworldly plane, would be able to sense and approach. However, the beacon’s exact location would begin to shift in various directions until the final moments. Kashghyu tried to push her apprehensions aside. She would be able to keep up with the shifting and remained positioned correctly. So long as she wasn’t distracted.

     “HINATAAAAAAAAA!!! !!!”

     Kurenai had managed to defeat the remainder of the sparse forces guarding Naruto’s approach when he had appeared. Kurenai recognized him immediately as the man she had fought the previous day.

     He wore a brown cloth tunic. His body was decorated in war paints. The patterns and colors allowed him to blend in with his surroundings quite well. That fact actually puzzled Kurenai, as he could have easily hidden himself away and caught her by surprise. Instead, he had made no secret of his approach. She soon got a very surprising answer to her question.

     “Yuhi Kurenai.” the man said, pointing right at her. He then jerked a thumb and pointed at himself with it.

     “Da Iri’ga.”

     Kurenai was stunned, to say the least. If she understood his intent correctly, he had just introduced himself. She also understood that he was challenging her to combat. Kurenai hesitated to accept. She knew her opponent’s skill, if she got too caught up fighting him, Naruto and Hinata might be endangered. Her inner debate was answered for her, when the men held up a horn attached to a sash he wore around his waist. The implication was clear. If she didn’t accept, he’d put pride aside and summon more fighters to aid him. Kurenai pulled a kunai dagger from her belt’s pouch.

     The two warriors charged and began their rematch.

     Elsewhere, three Genin and their dog were in danger of being overwhelmed. The initial fighting had gone in their favor. But now the enemy was regrouping. Shino had instructed his partners that he was preparing a swarm of his bugs to deal with their foes. But he needed time to place them, so they could catch their enemy off guard. Kiba, Akamaru, and Kodomairu engaged the enemy to buy Shino time. As expected, Kodomairu managed to fill the gap left by Hinata. Also as expected, he wasn’t able to do so as well as Hinata, who had more familiarity with her teammates and their moves. But they were managing so far.

     As the battle progressed, though, the Hyuga boy was managing better with Kiba and Akamaru. His moves became more and more in tune with those of his temporary teammates. Before long, Shino launched his attack. A small army of his insects had been hiding in holes in the wooden bridges and knotholes in trees where Shino had been ordering them. As Nimmori came too close, Shino would unleash the creatures on them. Those hit hardest fell almost immediately as the insects fed off their chakra. The insects became ravenous and began attacking all the enemies that came near their suddenly stricken comerade.

     The battle returned to the favor of the Konoha-nin. They didn’t have their enemies power or numbers. But they were using their talents well enough to keep an edge.

     Two siblings, both Chunin of Konohagakure, were having a fairly easy time with their battles. Hyuga Uaishi had not moved more than three steps from the point where the Nimmori had first seen him. Uaishi was highly adept at fighting within a limited amount of space. He could fight off a dozen opponents without a great deal of movement. And that was exactly what he did now.

     Hyuga Tomoko, however, lacked her brother’s patience for staying in one place. She preferred to move. To that end, she had perfected ninjutsu and taijutsu that enabled one to gain greater speed of movement. Enough speed that even some of her relatives Byakugan were unable to track for moments.

     While the enemy focused on her elder sibling, she would move through their formation, striking down those who were unfortunate enough to have her path crossed by her. When others looked back to their allies’ suddenly being cut down, Uaishi would make his move. Striking down physically those close enough, and hitting with shuriken and kunai those out of range.

     The battle was hard won, but won it was.

     Hyuga Riisen, another Chunin, had a more difficult time. Though he was only one man, he had great intelligence on his side. His IQ could rival that of another Chunin of Konoha, Nara Shikamaru. However, unlike the young and still inexperienced boy, Riisen had a mind sharpened by many years of experience as a Shinobi.

     As anticipated, those Nimmori who didn’t fall into the serious traps took their time around the fake or incomplete ones, leaving them open for attack. Soon, though, the enemy caught on to the plan. They began forgetting the obvious traps and keeping an eye out for hidden ones. Riisen kept himself hidden within the shadows of the forests’ leaves and branches. His Byakugan provided him the range of vision enough that allowed him to hide without having to worry that he himself couldn’t see what was occurring around him.

     From his hiding place, he could see clearly the Nimmori searching for him. He timed attacks and movement carefully. To prevent their pinpointing his position. When he deemed it a good time to do so, he would throw a shuriken or kunai at the enemy. When it seemed he was in danger of being seen, he would quickly and silently move somewhere else. No simple task, as these were warriors who knew the forests and what to listen for. But he managed it.

     Those that remained to challenge him didn’t move. They wanted to find this intruder and deal with him. As his main goal was to keep them away from everyone else, that suited Riisen just fine.

     “HINATAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!R 21;

     Kashghyu’s head jerked in shock at the sound of the voice. It was him! The blond shee’nobie. She could feel her cheeks warm with blush at the mere sight.

     Not here! Not now!

     The Ki’ge, still signing and chanting, looked to Kashghyu N’ga and gave a barely noticeable nod of his head. He was giving her instruction to deal with the intruder. She was happy to do so. She was through putting up with him. It was time to end this.

     “I have had enough of you!” she told him.

     “I’ve had enough of everything, really.” he shot back, “I’m going to make you finally realize what’s going on here!”

     “You can’t defeat me. You lost to me with the aid of your friend and his pup.”

     “Heh! I’ll be just fine, now that they aren’t holding me back!” he said, with a mix of arrogance and defiance. Kashghyu felt a throb in the back of her head. But she set it aside.

     “You don’t plan on trying to tell me I’m this Hinata person again, do you?” Kashghyu asked, her hands suddenly clenching into fists.

     “No, I don’t.” Naruto said, “I’ve finally realized that trying to tell you is pointless.”

     With that, Naruto placed his hands together, his index and middle fingers lining upward.

     “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!” he cried. Several Naruto appeared with clouds of smoke. Kashghyu watched, unimpressed, she’d seen this technique already. But Naruto wasn’t finished.

     “Henge!!” he shouted. Another large cloud of smoke appeared. With her Ghostly Eyes, Kashghyu N’ga could see the forms of the boy and his doubles within changing. She didn’t know what they had become though, until the smoke cleared. Kashghyu watched, her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock.

     As the smoke blew and thinned, Kashghyu N’ga saw, not an army of blonde shee’nobie, but herself. She saw herself, dressed in familiar clothing. A heavy white jacket, a maroon bodysuit underneath, and a headband with a leaf insignia worn around the neck. The army of Uzumaki Narutos had transformed itself into an army of Hyuga Hinatas!

     “Trying to tell you is pointless!” Said the leader of the band of Hinata, her voice carrying the confidence the real Hinata only dreamed of, “That’s why I have to show you who you really are!”