Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Closer ❯ Fighting for Revenge ( Chapter 12 )

Series: Naruto, belongs to Kishimoto-Sama

Pairing: NaruHina

Beta: Blueangel236

Author: Lynns (Inu-Hugger and Mysteriousgirl)

 

Fight for Revenge

 

Pale white eyes followed the fireworks from a fair distance at the Hyuuga estate. There were many gardens with beautiful and exotic flowers, but there was only one that Hyuuga Hiashi chose to sit in whenever he meditated or enjoyed a cup of tea outside. No one besides him, and sometimes his daughters, would occupy this garden because of the type of flowers that surrounded the single stone bench and koi pond. Perhaps they weren't the most beautiful, but, for Hiashi, they always reminded him of her. His finger tips skimmed along the stone bench, reaching up just to his eye level to feel the yellow petals against his skin. As a child, sunflowers had never been his favorite. In fact he hadn't liked flowers at all as a child - until he met Haruka.

 

For most of Hiashi's life, he had worked hard to prove his title as heir and deal with the hatred from his twin brother who had been put into the Cadet Branch. He could never remember smiling nor having any fun in his youth; always with that serious expression pasted on his face. When Haruka had come into his life, though, practically everything had changed.

 

A soft smile tugged at the Head Hyuuga's lips, remembering the first moment he had laid eyes on her as she practiced her Jyuuken in the garden of sunflowers. At first, he had found her odd. Just watching her practice he could tell she wasn't the best, however, the way she moved across the grass . . . it almost seemed like she was dancing. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. When she finally noticed him, he half expected her to stutter or run away like most girls did around him, but she didn't.

 

Initially, he had tried to forget about her. He had tried to concentrate more on his training and studies of Hyuuga history for when he would take over as clan head. Nevertheless, the more he saw her, the more he wanted to get to know her. It had been hard for a while since she was always with her best friend Uzumaki Kushina, the red-headed, loud-mouthed tomboy. Even around the Hyuuga estate, it was frustrating since he didn't want anyone else to know he had an interest in her. It wasn't until three years later did he finally muster the courage to speak to her in full sentences and ask her out. Hiashi had felt ashamed at first for being such a coward around women, but when had they ever covered that topic in his Jyuuken training? Or in any training for that matter? He could easily take on twenty enemies at once and not even flinch, but for some reason he could not stop stuttering when asking Haruka to join him for a walk around Konoha.

 

Flashes of light from the fireworks continued to erupt through the sky. Hiashi could feel the lump in his throat as he remembered the last time he watched the fireworks for the Tanabata Festival. It had been seventeen years ago when Haruka was almost four months pregnant with Hinata. They sat on top of the Hokage tower with Minato and Kushina, who had invited them over after playing a few games at the festival. The two girls had been giggling and whispering to each other about how their children would play together or even get married when they got older. He and Minato had simply rolled their eyes.

 

After the incident with the Kyuubi, the couple had lost their best friends. It had been especially hard for Haruka since she had been at the hospital where Kushina had been crushed to death when it had collapsed. It was a miracle that she had even escaped.

 

A soft, shaky sigh escaped the Hyuuga's lips and he closed his eyes. His chest tightened, as if a weight was pressing up against him. More painful memories passed through his mind, and finally he had to lock them away again.

 

It had been so hard at first for him to even look at his oldest daughter after Haruka had passed away on her mission. Hinata resembled her mother so much that it scared him. Hanabi, on the other hand, had taken after him, so it was much easier to be in the same room as her. Along with the loss of his younger brother and the hatred his nephew held for him, Hiashi had turned back into the same person he had been before meeting Haruka.

 

He could put winter to shame on how cold he could be towards his children. Hiashi could remember a time when he didn't care if Hinata survived on her missions as a genin. Even when the Chuunin Exam took place, he hadn't cared that she may not make it through the preliminaries.

 

Now things were different. Even though he was ashamed for the way he had treated his daughters, slowly, but surely, he was determined to make things right again. The elders had been particularly shocked when he hadn't done anything after Naruto and Hinata started seeing each other. It had taken a while for his eldest to finally confess to him that she was seeing somebody, but at the very least she had told him. Unlike Neji, who had kept quiet about his relationship with his teammate.

 

Despite what the elders kept saying about Naruto not being good enough for the clan, he had simply brushed them aside and let Hinata choose who she wanted to be with. After all he had been free to make that choice when he was young, so his daughter should have that same freedom.

 

There had been only one time where he had come close to murdering Naruto, and that was a few days after White day. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened between the two when Hinata had not come home that night, and his first reaction was to find the family sword. Just as he had been about to storm out of the Hyuuga estate, one of the older servants had stopped him.

 

“Hiashi-sama where are you going?”

 

“Out. I have to have a word with the Jinchuuriki . . .” growled Hiashi.

 

Most of the servants would have cowered with his tone of voice; however, Misa had known him since he was a child, “Ah I see. Before you go, Hiashi, there's something I wanted to talk to you about.

 

“I couldn't help but remember one time when a certain young man came home early in the morning and tried to explain to his father where he had been all night. He tried to convince his father he had been out all night training, but there were certain marks on his neck that made the father suspicious of what he had really been up to.”

 

Hiashi stopped dead in his tracks.

 

“Ninja certainly do live short lives. I recall the boy telling his best friend later in the garden that he didn't want to have any regrets later on in life if something ever happened to him or the one he loved.”

 

The sword fell with a loud clang against the stone path.

 

After the incident with Ryuuji, he summoned Naruto to the estate to have a little chat with the boy. With the reminder that he had done the same thing at his age with Haruka, and after already blowing off some steam with Neji on the topic, he had been reasonably calm with the Jinchuuriki.

 

The only matter now that had him worried was that by the end of the year either Naruto had to propose to Hinata or the elders would be jumping in to find the heiress a husband. Hiashi had never been one to tamper with the rules of the Hyuuga; however, the current one about marriage for the next head was certainly something he would rather see gone.

 

If the next clan head is male, they may choose whomever they wish to wed as long as the council and current head agree. If the next clan head is female, they will have until their eighteenth year to choose someone. If someone has not been chosen or does not meet the approval of the council or clan head, then a suitor will be chosen for them.

 

Perhaps the rule was ludicrous in his opinion (not to mention most of the clan aside from the elders thought so too), however he had found a loop hole with his daughter and she could be engaged to the Jinchuuriki for a year. Hiashi couldn't help but smile about how he had outsmarted the elders.

 

Another sigh left him as he pulled his hand away from the sunflower towards his cup of tea sitting beside him. I know Hinata will be happy with Naruto and he will treat her right. I wonder when they get married if he'll keep Kushina's surname or if he'll switch to his father's. Now I just have to make sure that Konohomaru is good enough for Hanabi. Although the elders already approve, I must make sure the boy is worthy enough despite being the third's grandson. As his fingers brushed against his steaming cup of tea, a crack suddenly appeared along the side, which caused the Hyuuga's eyes to narrow.

 

An ominous sign . . . has something happened?

 

***********************

 

 

Uchihas never lost their temper. Yes, they could become angry or even annoyed from time to time, but to completely snap was simply rude. However . . .

 

God. Fucking. Damn it! If I lose sight of Naruto one more time I swear to god I'll show him the true power behind the Mangekyou Sharingan again! Does he really think he can find Orochimaru's old hideout on his own?!

 

Sasuke was not one to admit when he was beat, especially when it came to speed. For years, he had been the fastest and had even caught Tobi - not knowing it was Madara at the time - by surprise with his sword. Now, however, Naruto was certainly living up to his father's name, and Sasuke was just having one hell of a time trying to keep his friend in sight.

 

The Fourth Hokage.

 

It was just a little over two weeks ago that Tsunade had finally announced to everyone who Naruto's father and mother really were to the entire village. Only a handful of people already knew the truth, and, needless to say, those who didn't know were literally shocked speechless. Sasuke himself had begun to suspect a connection between the fourth Hokage and Naruto with the way both of them looked. Multiple times he had been in the Hokage's office and had seen the picture that hung on the west wall.

 

Of course, with the truth told, some of the villagers were absolutely appalled that Minato would seal the Kyuubi inside his own son. However, Naruto calmed their rage when he explained to them what his father had told him. That Minato knew his son would be able to handle it and because of the threat Madara posed at the time.

 

Afterwards, on the other hand, most of the villagers couldn't even look Naruto in the eye for almost a week. Perhaps it was because they all felt guilty for the way they had treated him as a child. All they originally saw him as was the container for the Kyuubi, something more monster than human. Usually the children and grandchildren of the Hokage were well respected - Asuma and Konohamaru as two good examples - but for Naruto he had practically lived in hell for most of his life. Naruto did feel a little irritated for the way he was treated compared to the way he could have been treated, but instead he had merely brushed it aside and told everyone not to worry.

 

Sasuke was soon brought out of his thoughts by almost running into a tree and quickly switched his focus onto the task at hand. With the pace we're going, Kabuto won't make it to Orochimaru's hideout; in fact, I wouldn't doubt that we'd catch him within an hour. Suddenly, Naruto came into his field of vision, but he could tell that he was slowing down.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

Golden eyes of Sage Mode met his darker ones. “Kabuto's slowing down.”

 

Well I'll be damned . . .

 

“Seems Kabuto's thinking the exact same thing I was. He knows he won't make it to Orochimaru's hideout, so he's probably going to try and play out his plan now.”

 

Naruto nodded.

 

Sasuke suddenly grabbed the Jinchuuriki by the shoulder, forcing both of them to stop. “Listen. I know you'll just want to go . . .”

 

“Charging in head first and ask questions later? Heh, you should know me better than that, Sasuke. I have matured and grown some patience, you know.” Naruto smirked as he started to hop from tree to tree again. “But I do get what you were going to say. Even with Hinata being taken hostage, I shouldn't lose my cool.”

 

A soft smile tugged at his lips before Sasuke took off after his friend. “Good, just as long as we're on the same page.”

 

Half an hour later, both Naruto and Sasuke came to a sudden stop.

 

“He's just beyond these trees - I can feel his and Hinata's chakra.”

 

Sasuke nodded and activated his Sharingan. “You know the plan, right?”

 

“Don't have to tell me twice . . .” mumbled Naruto. Walking in unison the two leaf ninja took the few steps that would lead them out of the forest and into a large open field. It was clear enough that night that neither Naruto nor Sasuke had any trouble seeing the cloaked figure standing in the middle of the field. As they walked closer and closer to their target, Naruto kept eyeing the trees to his right where he could feel Hinata's chakra. Why is he keeping her off to the side?

 

“I must say that I'm quite impressed with you two. Despite my head start you managed to catch up with me rather quickly; for that, I applaud you both,” Kabuto commented, scaly white hands slipped out of the long sleeves and clapped twice before slipping back in. “It certainly has been a long time since I last saw you, Sasuke-kun.”

 

Both of them stopped, Sasuke reaching up to grasp his sword while Naruto ran his fingers along the giant scroll tied to his back. Sasuke couldn't help but smile. “Yes, it has been a long time, Kabuto. I heard that you absorbed part of Orochimaru into yourself and that his power was slowly taking you over. So who stands before us? Orochimaru or Kabuto?”

 

Kabuto was silent, and, for a moment, no one moved or even breathed. Then, Kabuto's white hands slipped out of the robe once again to remove the hood over his head. Neither Naruto nor Sasuke flinched as they witnessed what stood before them. It was Kabuto but with skin as scaly white as his hands, golden slit-like eyes and long grey hair that cascaded down his back.

 

This guy is just fucking nuts. “Tell me what you've done to Hinata-chan.”

 

“Aren't you even going to say hello, Naruto-kun? It has been so long since I last saw you too. You always were someone who didn't show proper etiquette, weren't you? However, to answer your question, she's perfectly fine, and I've simply put her off to the side to make sure you don't interfere.”

 

“Interfere?”

 

Kabuto smirked. “Fighting two against one just seems so unfair, doesn't it? Especially since I have only just learned how to fully control this new power of mine, but under these circumstances, I had no other choice but to lure both of you here. I didn't want to cause a disturbance in Konoha, and I wanted to make sure both of you followed me quietly, which was easily done for you, Sasuke-kun. Naruto-kun, on the other hand, I had to take certain steps to make sure you kept your mouth shut and simply followed orders.

 

“After two and a half years, I have finally mastered the control of Orochimaru-sama's power, and trust me, Sasuke-kun, I won't go down as easily as my old master did. He was weak at the time, but I am at full power . . . I am at the level Orochimaru-sama was in his prime when he was first named one of the Sannin. And now I can finally have my revenge!” Kabuto started laughing.

 

Naruto suddenly bolted forward, removed the scroll off his back and rolled it out on the ground. With such speed, Kabuto couldn't even finish his hand signs before a giant puff of smoke completely covered the blond ninja. As the smoke dissipated, Naruto had summoned a giant shuriken. Without a second thought, Naruto chucked it towards Kabuto.

 

A smirk spread across his white lips as he easily dodged it, watching the weapon fly away from him and land somewhere in the trees. “Impatient as ever, Naruto, but yes, I do agree we should get this fight underway.”

 

“Dobe! I told you not to lose your cool! Keep your act together, or I'll shove that shuriken up your ass!” growled Sasuke, taking a few steps forward and removing his dark cloak. “So, Kabuto, how do you plan on not fighting us simultaneously?”

 

“It's quite simple, my dear Sasuke-kun. I will first finish you off so I can finally redeem revenge for Orochimaru-sama. However, you, Naruto-kun, will be too busy in the trees to even make an attempt to help your friend. If you head toward the trees, you should easily be able to track your lover in there, and trust me when I say you'll be preoccupied for a while.”

 

With a quick glance at each other, Naruto took off towards the trees without looking back. Sasuke slowly pulled his sword out of its sheath and started to walk closer to Kabuto. “Prepare yourself.”

 

Kabuto smirked. “It is you who should be prepared, Sasuke-kun . . . LET'S END THIS!”

 

******************

 

Naruto stood frozen in the small clearing, his breath coming in short pants as he tried to control his body from shaking. His hands clenched into fists, nails digging into the flesh and almost breaking skin. Hinata was sitting on one of the branches and seemed perfectly unharmed with only a few rips and tears in her mother's kimono; however, what had both ninjas wide-eyed and scared was the large, white serpent coiled tightly around the Hyuuga. The serpent's head was easily the size of Naruto's own skull and was, without a doubt, at least twenty feet long. As it slithered around Hinata's body, something else caught his attention that made Naruto tremble with anger. His eyes fell to the ground where long dark tendrils still littered the grass and were slowly being blown away in the wind. Looking back up as a soft breeze blew by, Naruto could finally get a full view of the hack job Kabuto had done to Hinata's hair.

 

The snake's eyes shimmered in the moonlight. “I see you don't like the interesting haircut my master gave your girl here. She put up quite the fight in order to escape and even almost caught him off guard with the kunai hidden beneath her obi.”

 

Hinata whimpered softly, and Naruto could even see tears glistening in her eyes, but she didn't dare make another sound or move as the snake moved so that its mouth was inches away from her neck. “Now that you are here, Uzumaki Naruto, I cannot let you leave. The moment you disappear from my sight I will strike this girl down, either crushed by my body or poisoned by my fangs. So just be a good little boy and stay there while my master has his fight with the Uchiha.”

 

Naruto frowned. His eyes skimmed the tall branches until he caught sight of the shuriken he had thrown earlier. It was a mere few feet above the snake, and soon a smile formed on his lips, however the serpent caught on to his line of thinking.

 

“Do not even think of attempting to get your shuriken back. Perhaps luck was almost on your side since it nearly hit me when it missed my master; however, that weapon will do you no good now.” The snake coiled a little more tightly around the girl and smirked with glee when he heard her whimper.

 

“Oi, snake, since I can't move, can I at least have a decent conversation with my girlfriend while I wait?” asked Naruto rather calmly, his arms crossing in front of him.

 

The snake nodded. “You may. However, if you try anything funny, consider her as good as dead.”

 

Naruto nodded and fully turned his gaze to Hinata. “Are you alright?”

 

“I-I'm fine Naruto-kun.”

 

“Your father's not going to be too mad about your hair, is he?”

 

“H-He will probably be quite furious with Kabuto since he did it to me.”

 

“Yeah, I don't blame him. You didn't like having a short hair, did you?”

 

“No, I didn't . . . not to mention that when a main branch Hyuuga has short hair, it's a symbol that you are weaker than the rest . . . it's why I was forced to cut my hair when I was younger - they thought me a disgrace.”

 

The serpent's eyes narrowed. What is he playing at?

 

Naruto was silent for a moment as he listened in on the fight happening near by. He could hear Sasuke's battle cries along with Kabuto's continuous declarations on how he would finally take revenge for his master.

 

Revenge . . .

 

Had they been facing a whole different enemy, Naruto would have probably taken the time to convince their adversary that revenge would solve nothing and just lead to more hatred. However, after all the crap Kabuto had pulled for the past few years (i.e. betraying Konoha, almost killing him, working for Orochimaru, and kidnapping Hinata), Naruto decided he would just let Sasuke kick the crap out of him. If all goes according to plan then we can . . .

 

“Don't you worry, Hinata-chan, once Sasuke beats Kabuto, we'll get you home, and I'll take the full blame for what happened. I'm sure your father wouldn't mind beating me half to death.”

 

Despite the situation, Hinata giggled softly. “Don't say that! Father actually likes you . . . then again if he was given the opportunity . . .”

 

Naruto laughed. “Oh, I'm sure he's come close to wanting to kill me a few times. So when we get home, would you mind if I took you out for dinner? I'll take you some place fancy instead of Ichiraku's.”

 

Hinata smiled. “That'd be nice. Where did you want to take me?”

 

“I was thinking of that place near the south side of the village, you know, the one Chouji's always talking about how they have the best BBQ steak.”

 

“That sounds good, but you know steak is not my favorite.”

 

“Oh yeah, that's right, you prefer chicken, don't you?”

 

Giggling again, Hinata shook her head. “No, but you are close to what my favorite is.”

 

“Now hang on and give me a second . . .”

 

Naruto scratched his head, and his eye brows furrowed to show that he was in deep concentration. The snake glared down at the ninja below and tried to figure out what the hell he was up to. Either this guy really is an idiot and just wants to have a normal conversation with his girl . . . or he's planning something, but then again Kabuto-sama did say he was more of an idiot if anything . . .

 

The blond clapped his hands together. “Oh, that's right! I remember now: it was turkey, isn't it?!”

 

Hinata frowned.

 

“Okay, maybe not turkey. Oh wait! It's coming to me . . . it was a type of bird, I know that . . .”

 

“Naruto, do you want me to just tell you?”

 

“No, no, I don't want you to do that. Just give me a minute.”

 

The serpent slightly tightened its coils around the girl, its eyes shifting back and forth to make sure there wasn't going to be a surprise attack from the darkness. If this brat thinks he can get the jump on me, then he is sorely mistaken. I'll just make sure that . . .

 

“I got it! I know what your favorite type of meat is! It's DUCK!”

 

Suddenly, the girl in the serpent's coils ducked her head forward, and he didn't even have a second to react. The taste of metal and blood was in his mouth and he could feel his body going numb, everything around him was growing darker and darker. Blood started to roll down into its eyes, and soon its hold on the girl loosened so much she jumped out of his clutches. No longer having any feeling left in its body the serpent's head fell back as it slowly started to slip off the branch. However for just a moment before its world went completely black, he saw the cause for his demise. The large shuriken was gone and in its place was another Naruto, and, by the looks of it, he had been struck in the head with a kunai or two. A Kage Bunshin, huh? I must admit . . . even that was very clever . . .

 

Naruto watched from his spot on the tree as the serpent fell from its perch and was dead before it hit the ground. Sighing with relief, he released the chakra in his feet holding him up, leapt off the tree to land beside Hinata, and enveloped her in a hug.

 

“I'm so glad you're okay!” whispered Naruto, kissing her temple.

 

“I'm fine, just a few scratches here and there from trying to escape Kabuto.”

 

The blond ninja smiled for a moment, feeling proud that his girl had put up a fight against her kidnapper. Releasing her, Naruto glanced over at the Kage Bunshin and nodded. With a puff of smoke, the copy Naruto was gone. After a quick inspection to make sure that Hinata was really alright, he removed his red coat and placed it on her shoulders. “I hate to say it, Hinata, but we might need your help with fighting Kabuto. Sasuke and I have a plan, and what we would like you to do is . . .”

 

*******************

 

You have got to be fucking kidding me!

 

Sasuke leapt to the side and quickly used his Shunshin no Jutsu to distance himself from Kabuto as far as he could.

 

Why isn't the Sharingan working against him?! That's twice now he's broken out of my genjutsu! There isn't anyone around to disrupt his chakra and snap him out of it! And there's no way in hell it takes him less than five seconds to stop his own chakra flow - you at least need thirty seconds to do that!

 

“You seem surprised, Sasuke-kun. Is something wrong?” hissed Kabuto, more snakes slithering out from under his cloak.

 

Sasuke cursed under his breath. Alright calm down, Uchiha. Just think about it: obviously something is knocking him out of my genjutsu, and I'm willing to bet my sword it has to do with Orochimaru being inside him. Perhaps there's another consciousness inside Kabuto that's able to help him with that. So using my genjutsu would just be pointless at this point, but using the Amaterasu will kill him . . . that is unless I can put the flames out with the Mangekyou. Then again the last time I did that my head wouldn't stop hurting, and Tsunade-sama did warn me that if I did it too much I would end up going blind. Maybe I could use the Tsukuyomi, but, argh, that could make me go blind too. Fuck! If we didn't have to take this guy in alive, it would be so much easier to defeat him! It also doesn't help that the fucker experimented on his body making those scales almost as hard as diamonds, but the only downside for him is that he's slower than I am . . . which will give me an advantage. Damn it, Naruto, you had better get your ass in gear and give me a hand, or I'll just end up killing him.

 

“Perhaps you finally understand that I'm simply too much for you to handle?”

 

A laugh escaped Sasuke's lips. “Don't give yourself too much credit. The Hokage simply wants you taken in alive so you can rot in Konoha's prison, and unfortunately killing you is out of the question.”

 

It was now Kabuto's turn to laugh, “Oh, is that right? You think you can defeat me and take me in alive back to Konoha? Don't be ridiculous!”

 

Sasuke wouldn't be surprised if more than a thousand snakes were now charging at him, but there was a simple way to dispose of them . . .

 

“Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!”

 

The open field lit up almost as if it was afternoon with the enormous fireball Sasuke sent flying towards the snakes, easily burning them all to a crisp. As the smoke settled and the darkness returned, Kabuto still remained unharmed, however something caught Sasuke's attention from the trees. About time . . .

 

Sasuke gripped his sword tighter and closed his eyes for a moment as he formed a Chidori and let its electricity flow through his hand to the sword. Immediately he took off using his Shunshin, his sword posed to take off Kabuto's arm. Kabuto simply smiled and let Sasuke attempt to slice through his arm, “You think that will work? I told you that these scales on me are harder than diamond you won't be able to cut through . . .”

 

At the very last moment, Sasuke twisted his wrist so that only the tip of his sword was imbedded in Kabuto's left shoulder. “Chidori!”

 

Kabuto cried out as a full Chidori shot through him, throwing him back at least twenty feet. Sasuke landed on his feet and slightly cursed as he felt a painful ache in his ribs. Damn it, I haven't fully recovered from fighting Lee earlier. Sasuke watched with narrowed eyes as Kabuto stood up again, a light trail of blood flowing from out of his mouth.

 

“As much fun as I've had fighting you, Sasuke-kun, it's time that I ended this . . . Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”

 

Smoke covered the field, but after a moment it cleared, and Sasuke could not help but feel a shiver run up his spine as he stared at the large snake before him. It's not Manda, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was one of his offspring . . . okay time to initiate the rest of the plan . . .

 

“Eat him!” cried Kabuto.

 

The serpent hissed and lunged towards its prey. Sasuke easily dodged the snake's attacks and was very careful to keep clear of its venomous fangs. At one point, Sasuke back-flipped midair towards Kabuto and, just as the snake lunged at him again, the Uchiha made his move. Leaping into the air, Sasuke grasped his sword and plunged it into the snake's mouth, pinning it to the ground. The snake's body crashed down, and dust rose up, surrounding it. The earth shook below, and, with Kabuto trying to recover his footing, Sasuke charged forward with a Chidori in his hand, preparing to hopefully knock Kabuto down for good. However, he was caught by surprise. The Kabuto before him disappeared, and, without enough time to react, the ground below him crumbled, dirt and rocks flying everywhere as the real Kabuto emerged from underneath.

 

Damn it!

 

Kabuto's fist connected with Sasuke's jaw and he flew across the field, crashing into the ground and creating a crater. It felt like the world around him was spinning. Sasuke made an attempt to stand to his feet but failed.

 

“Is that it, Sasuke-kun? Is this all the power you can muster?” taunted Kabuto, slowly walking towards him. “This was much easier than I thought . . .”

 

Yeah that's what you think you idiot . . .

 

Shaking off the dizziness, Sasuke jumped out of his crater and threw a kunai at Kabuto. With a smile, the serpent ninja dodged it easily and watched as it landed near his summoned serpent. “Nice try, Sasuke-kun, but that won't help you to . . .”

 

A shiver coursed through Kabuto's body as a flash of orange caught his attention from behind. Without even blinking, Naruto was somehow behind him! With wide eyes, Kabuto watched as Naruto grasped the hilt of Sasuke's sword and with a mighty cry dragged it through the snake's body, slicing it in half. The smell of blood fell heavily in the air, but none of them were bothered by it.

 

Kabuto made an attempt to jump back but stopped as Sasuke threw another kunai at him, just missing his feet. Snake-like eyes widened as he realized it wasn't a normal kunai, and, before he could even take another breath of air, Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him. Golden sage eyes met golden snake eyes, and Kabuto didn't even have time to raise a defense.

 

“Rasengan!”

 

Knocked off his feet, Kabuto flew across the field towards the trees. His body bounced off the ground three times before he came skidding to a stop. More blood dribbled out of Kabuto's mouth, his body shaking as he tried to force himself to stand. Being hit with a full Chidori and Rasengan was certainly taking its toll on him; in fact it was a surprise that he was able to stand. Kabuto was completely stumped on what had just transpired in the past two minutes, he couldn't figure out how Naruto was able to join in the first place. How the hell is he moving so fast? I can't even keep up with him!

 

Naruto leaned down and helped Sasuke to his feet. “You okay?”

 

“Shut up, dobe. I could have finished him on my own and you know it.”

 

“Yes, yes, I'm sure you could have. However, we're still suffering from that fight with Lee, and I'm sure your bruised ribs are just feeling wonderful, aren't they?”

 

Sasuke rolled his eyes. The two friends slowly started walking towards Kabuto.

 

“Now are you going to come along quietly? You've been hit by both my Chidori and his Rasengan, and I doubt you have much chakra left to do anything else,” taunted Sasuke. “Give up.”

 

Kabuto chuckled softly under his breath which then erupted into a full laugh that echoed off the trees. “Give up!? Ha! You're one to talk, Sasuke-kun! Look at you! I've certainly done a number on you! Do you honestly think I'd give up to someone who can barely stand up?”

 

An annoyed sigh escaped Sasuke's lips. “Don't underestimate me. Like I said beforehand, I'm not allowed to give you the killing blow, so I had to hold back. It also doesn't help that I was in a fight earlier today where I underestimated how tough my opponent would be . . . but enough of that. I never understood how you liked that slithering poor excuse of a ninja, Orochimaru. He may have been considered a genius at one point, but as far as I'm concerned his method of finding power was twisted.”

 

Another laugh escaped Kabuto's throat. “You'll never understand what Orochimaru-sama and I shared . . .”

 

“You're right, I probably wouldn't, and I don't want to even know, nor do I care. However there is one thing that the three of us here do understand . . . and that is we all know what revenge is. But it's an endless cycle that has no end and the hatred just keeps on growing. Really, Kabuto, would killing me bring Orochimaru back?”

 

Silence.

 

“Enough is enough, Kabuto,” whispered Naruto. “Let's end this meaningless fighting. After all, you can barely stand.”

 

Kabuto's teeth ground together as he tried to think of anything that would help him in this situation, but nothing was coming to mind. No! No I can't lose here! I must destroy these two! But how . . . how can I?

 

Taking a chance, Naruto glanced towards Sasuke who gave him a quick nod. Then his eyes moved towards the trees. “Well Kabuto, what do you say?” Just have to keep him distracted. The moment it looks like he's going to make a move my two kage bunshin disguised as trees will jump out and hold him down while Hinata performs her Jyuuken Rokujyuu Yonshou on him. That way we'll know for sure he can't use his chakra anymore.

 

“Kill me . . .”

 

Sasuke and Naruto froze as they heard Kabuto's whispered words. For a split second they were almost sure they misheard him . . .

 

“Kill me . . .” Kabuto repeated. “I would rather die then be brought back to Konoha.”

 

“Hmph, not like you got a choice in the matter. I'd much rather see you rot in jail then kill you right here.”

 

“Fools. Both of you . . . what do you think will happen to me if I'm brought to Konoha? I'll simply just rot in jail? Please . . . I know a few people in Konoha who can't wait to get their hands on me.”

 

Naruto had just about had enough of Kabuto's gibberish, but Sasuke raised a hand to quiet the Jinchuuriki down. “Who's after you?”

 

Kabuto started laughing again. “Who? It should be obvious, I think . . . Danzou. He certainly would find a use for me since I hold all the knowledge to Orochimaru's experiments. I know for sure he would want to use me.”

 

“Sorry to get your hopes up Kabuto, but Danzou is currently locked away and is serving out the rest of his days in the capitol. Tsunade and the Fire Lord had him arrested for the stunt he pulled with annihilation of the Uchiha clan. Not to mention the other two advisors were locked up as well, but they're in Konoha since they don't pose any threat.”

 

“Really now? And how long do you think that will last? Danzou has a special ability that I assure you will release him from jail and . . .”

 

“Already taken care of I'm afraid. You really need to get up-to-date with the latest news in Konoha before you start blabbering off like that,” Sasuke interrupted. “Were you going to say that he also posses the Sharingan?”

 

Kabuto froze, and Naruto decided to inform him of what had transpired.

 

“After Pain attacked the village, there was an emergency meeting at the capitol with the Fire Lord and Danzou escorted Tsunade-baachan there. At the meeting, for some reason the topic of the sixth Hokage came up and for another strange reason Danzou was elected the position despite Tsunade-baachan's protest. No one could figure out why the lord would already elect the Rokudaime when the Gondaime was clearly in good health. However, the election was kept secret and would be made known after the Kage meeting, which is why no one knew about it in the village, aside from a few of us that is.

 

“When the Kage meeting was called, Tsunade-baachan was already aware of Danzou being involved in the Uchiha incident, however since she had the elders arrested he was unaware of what she already knew about him. Tsunade-baachan had to play her cards right in order to catch Danzou off guard, and that moment unexpectedly happened at the Kage meeting. A ninja from the Village of the Mist, who happened to be the Mizukage's bodyguard, possessed the Byakugan after a fight he had with a Hyuuga years ago. He was able to see that Danzou possessed the Sharingan of someone he had fought before.”

 

“Uchiha Shisui's. It was thought that my brother killed him, but it seems he was killed by Danzou and had his eye replaced with the Sharingan. Shisui had the ability to get into other people's minds and control them. Which explained why the Fire Lord all of sudden suggested that Danzou be the Sixth Hokage.” Sasuke grinded his teeth together at the mere thought of Danzou and let Naruto explain the rest of the story.

 

“So not only was Danzou arrested for the Uchiha incident, but for also manipulating the Fire Lord so he could name himself Sixth Hokage. Not to mention, the Sharingan was removed from him, so right now he's just a regular ninja locked away in a cell.” Naruto took a deep breath from the long explanation. The story was still fresh in his mind considering it had only been recently that Tsunade had explained the whole ordeal to him and a few other ninjas that she completely trusted; including Sasuke, Sakura, Sai, Hinata and a few other Jounin. All of it had been kept secret from him and the rest of the villagers so it wouldn't cause a ruckus and not to mention they still had to reach a negation with the remaining Foundation Members. However, thanks to Sai they were able to come up with an agreement.

 

 

“Well . . . I must say that I'm quite impressed, Naruto-kun, seems that Konoha is on top of everything happening in the village aren't they? However . . . I still refuse to return to that village . . .” Black smoke suddenly appeared from under Kabuto's robes.

 

Poison?

 

Sasuke and Naruto leapt back as far away as they could as the smoke started to swirl around Kabuto. Within a few seconds Hinata appeared beside them since it was obviously useless for her to hide anymore. Sasuke couldn't help the blush that spread across his cheeks as he glanced over at the woman standing beside Naruto. She had removed her kimono and only wore Naruto's red jacket with the obi tied around the middle to keep it closed. However it did nothing to hide her large chest and long legs.

 

The black smoke swirled faster around Kabuto until he was completely covered. “I'll see you two again . . .” Suddenly, the smoke disappeared along with Kabuto . . . he was gone.

 

*************

Tsunade tried to stifle the yawn that slipped past her lips and rub the sleep from her eyes before anyone else noticed. “So, he escaped again did he? Perhaps (yawn), catching him will be harder than I thought.”

 

Naruto stood in front of her desk with Sasuke right beside him. Sakura and Sai were near the back of the room along with Kakashi, Hiashi and Hinata. After being rudely awakened at 4am, usually Tsunade would have been in a more foul mood, however due to the circumstances her fury had been subdued . . . for now that is.

 

“For the most part I'm glad that you boys are okay and that you managed to rescue Hinata without too much trouble, however . . .”

 

Both Naruto and Sasuke gulped, they could just feel the killing intent radiating off the Hokage.

 

“To go after him alone when he has Orochimaru's full power under his belt was completely reckless! Not to mention you were dealing with a hostage situation, so no matter what the kidnapper says, you inform somebody about it! Not run off on your own and play hero!”

 

Tsunade's fury was truly a sight to behold, even if you were the one facing her full rage. The two friends cowered before the Hokage and simply replied `yes ma'am'. After taking a deep breath to calm herself down, the Hokage returned to her seat.

 

“Well, I've said my bit and would like you two to hand in a report first thing in the morning. Now, Hiashi did you want to say anything since it was your daughter that was kidnapped?”

 

Naruto literally froze and was afraid to turn around. He couldn't decide if he was more afraid of Tsunade when she was angry, or Hiashi. However from what he could tell, there was no killing intent radiating off the Hyuuga, so maybe he wasn't mad at him . . . or at least he wasn't mad yet. Oh god if he wants to talk to me in private I am sooo dead . . .

 

“No, that's quite alright, Hokage-sama. However, I would like a word with Naruto privately though.”

 

The Jinchuuriki tried to swallow the lump in his throat as his eyes met with Hiashi's cold ones. If looks could kill, Naruto had no doubt he would already be dead before his body hit the floor. “Y-Yes sir . . .”

 

“Very well. Alright everyone, show's over, let's all head back to bed since some of us have work to do tomorrow.” At Tsunade's dismissal, everyone vacated her office.

 

 

***************

 

He was expecting for Hiashi to say many hurtful words to him. You're a loser - You obviously can't seem to be able to protect Hinata properly, I forbid you from seeing her ever again - She would be much safer if she was with someone else. However what Hinata's father had said to him practically left him speechless . . .

 

“I want to thank you for bringing my daughter back safe and sound. She does have a few minor injuries; however, all in all, she is perfectly fine. Even though in this situation she was kidnapped for reasons that involved you personally, in my opinion, you handled it very well. I was mostly impressed with the plan you and Sasuke had come up with when you fought Kabuto. Your use of Kage no Bunshin and the Hiraishin no Jutsu are very impressive.

 

“Do not let what happened discourage you, Naruto. With you containing the Kyuubi and possibly being the future Hokage someday there will be situations that will involve the ones you love. Hinata is no stranger to this kind of threat. We, who possess the Byakugan, are always constantly watching our backs in case there are those who wish to steal our bloodline.

 

“Now, even though it is late, I'm sure you would like to stay with Hinata; especially from the trauma that just transpired tonight. However I would like her to stay here tonight, but . . . I am willing to let you stay here as well and even share the same room as her . . . and get that smile off your face - I'm not done speaking yet! You will not be sharing the same bed! I will be ordering one of the servants to bring in an extra futon and do not try to pull any funny business in my home. If I so much as suspect something wrong, I will come charging into that room and show you why I'm the strongest Hyuuga in this clan, are we clear?”

 

A soft smile spread across Naruto's lips before he turned his head to the side where Hinata was sleeping. She was curled up on her side, eyes already closed as she was lost in the land of dreams. Even in the darkened room, Naruto could see and feel their hands clasped together. He could already feel the wear and tear from his fight with Lee and Kabuto taking its toll on him. I'm glad your okay,Hinata-chan, and I promise I'll protect you with all my power . . .

 

With that final thought, Naruto drifted off to sleep

 

***************

 

A/N:

 

Fighting Kabuto: Okay I'm going to quickly explain the plan Naruto and Sasuke used when fighting Kabuto in case any of you were confused. When Naruto pulled out the scroll it was simply a diversion and trick to make it seem like he was summoning something, but actually he was just performing a Kage no Bunshin. The real Naruto disguised himself as the Shuriken and the copy threw him towards Kabuto. It was meant to miss Kabuto and head off into the trees where Hinata was being held. Of course Naruto was unaware that Hinata was being held captive by the snake, but he knew something was wrong and planned ahead to get the jump on the enemy.

 

Next, in the Kakashi chronicles it is said that Minato would us kunai with a jutsu on it, so he was aware of when it would fly and use it as a pin point. I figured that Naruto by now would be able to use that technique, which is why Sasuke was throwing the Kunai around and Naruto was suddenly appearing out of no where using the Hiraishin no jutsu.

 

The ending part of the fight was where I simply could not figure out how to end it, which is one reason I was struggling so much with this chapter. I wasn't sure if I should have Kabuto taken into custody by them, or perhaps have him commit suicide since he doesn't want to return to Konoha, but in the end I chose this way. Also with the way the manga is going and Danzou being named Sixth Hokage I had to try and add it in there somewhere. In my story Tsunade is not in a coma, but on the other hand I had to try and play it in there where Danzou would be named sixth Hokage so I decided this was the way to slip it in.

 

Will there be more Kabuto fights later? Yes perhaps I might bring him in again, but for now I'll be returning to Naru/Hina fluffiness since this chapter was mostly fighting.

 

Editor: Onihikage has returned to college and he will be studying very hard, and unfortunately won't have the extra time to beta for me. So Blueangel236 has graciously volunteered to take over for me!

 

Previous chapters: If you haven't noticed, Blueangel and I are slowly editing the first eight chapters of closer to clear up all the spelling and grammar errors, plus adding in a few things that I didn't think of till afterwards. Also, I know I took out the `kun' when Hinata says Naruto's name, however I'm putting it back in because it sounds better to me.

 

Hiraishin no jutsu: Just one more quick point to make out. Someone commented that they found it highly unlikely for Kakashi to know about the Fourth Hokage's jutsu and be able to teach it to Naruto. In all honesty I agree, but I really wanted Naruto to learn the technique so that he would be able to follow in his father's footsteps and surpass him. So I figured that maybe Naruto found the technique in a scroll and was getting Kakashi to help him with the parts he didn't understand.

 

Anyways, thanks for reading! Please review!