Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Leaf in the Desert ❯ Chapter 13

Chapter 13

 

“Bouzen.”

 

The spaced-out guard in question snapped to attention at the soft but deadly announcement of his name. “Y-y-yes, Taichou?”

 

Black eyes moved from the nervous man to the iron cell door between them. “Are you watching the prisoners as ordered?”

 

“Yes, ma'am.”

 

The captain of Kanaye's personal guard narrowed her gaze as she peered through the small barred window. Indeed, the two shinobi were sitting on the floor, their expressions subdued, resigned.

 

Her eyes shifted and the scene wavered. “Dammit.” she muttered. Quickly she made a few seals. “Kaihou…”

 

The image inside the cell dissipated like a fog rising to reveal the two prisoners kneeling amongst a large pile of rubble, the source of which had come from a rather large hole bashed out of the far wall. The female was trying to do something with the stony remains…

 

Her eyes flew wide open as she realized that the sand kunoichi was trying to use a jutsu to command the sand created from the rubble.

 

“Bouzen.” she murmured, her gaze shifting to the guard, irritation radiating off of her like a tangible aura. “Keys.”

 

“What? Why?” came the confused reply.

 

The captain drew herself as tall as she could- which was still a few inches shorter than her subordinate. “Are you questioning a direct order?” she said quietly.

 

“N-no, ma'am!” His hands fumbled with his keychain, nearly dropping the item before managing to hand it to her. “S-sorry, ma'am!”

 

She unlocked the door to the cell and slid it open.

 

-------------------------

 

Kohaku was on his feet as soon as the genjutsu was broken. Aikou remained in a crouch, her ice blue eyes on the door.

 

“Dammit,” he swore. “How could they break what they can't see? Only a…” he trailed off as he saw a figure step into the cell, their body silhouetted by the corridor light behind them.

 

It was definitely a female- a rather shapely one at that. Slightly shorter than Kohaku, but most girls were. He couldn't see anything else, as she was completely shadowed.

 

Except for her eyes.

 

Kohaku actually took a step backwards, his face a mask of complete shock. “Impossible. There's no way.”

 

The eyes blinked. “Ah, so these eyes are not a surprise to you,” a quiet, almost sultry voice remarked. “Since they are considered unique among Iwa shinobi, I am guessing you know my father.”

 

“There's no way,” Kohaku repeated, this time harsher. “This has got to be some sort of genjutsu.”

 

The woman stepped into the light. She was a few years older than Kohaku and Aikou, probably in her early 20's, dressed in solid black, including a black ANBU vest. She folded her arms and they noticed a black ANBU tattoo was visible on her left upper arm. She wore no mask, as was customary for ANBU, but instead sported an Iwa forehead protector. Around her right arm she had tied a red and black cloth.

 

She had long ink-black hair, worn lose, with chin-length bangs parted in the middle to show her forehead protector. Her eyes stared unflinchingly at the Konoha nin with something akin to apathy.

 

“Since you seem to be familiar with the Sharingan and its capabilities,” the captain said quietly, “there is no reason for me to hold back…”

 

Her red eyes shifted again, from the normal triple tomoe to…

 

“Mangekyo Sharingan,” Kohaku whispered, tearing his gaze away from hers and moving quickly over to Aikou to cover her eyes. “Don't look at her eyes!” he hissed in her ear. “Whatever you do, don't look in her eyes!”

 

---------------------

 

“Good morning, yer Kazekage-ness!”

 

Haru glared at his cousin. “Kisho, one of these days I am going to use you as fertilizer for my roses.”

 

The puppeteer snickered. “Yeah, right. All your precious roses would die within mere moments of being exposed to my carcass.”

 

Haru glanced around the area, seeing no one except the two Konoha sentries posted in their usual hut near the huge wooden doors that provided entry into the village proper. “Keep it down with the Kazekage crap, will you? I do not want Gin to-“

 

Kisho's brown eyes lit up. “Gin, is it? Weeeeeell now. That's a whole `nother dune of sand.” He nudged his younger cousin. “She doesn't know you're Uncle Gaara's heir, does she?” he whispered.

 

“Her sister told her I am `emotionless and uncaring' like my father and sister.”

 

Kisho whistled. “She called your dad uncaring? And she's still breathing?”

 

“Obviously Kin Hyuuga knows nothing of our family, but that is to be expected since we have been rarely able to make the trip to Konoha over the past seventeen years.” Haru scowled slightly, crossing his arms over his chest. “She knows only what the adults may have gossiped about, and the sands only know how many still consider my father to be dangerous despite no longer being a Jinchuuriki.”

 

“Well, he is. Who else can use the entire desert to save their village? I mean, even Aikou can't do that yet. And your dad was doing that and more at her age.”

 

Haru allowed himself a sigh before glancing around again. “Where is everyone? I told them we were to meet here at precisely 8:00…”

 

Kisho glanced at his watch. “It's only 7:45, dork. I only came early because I know how you are. Everyone else is probably doing last minute things before they undertake this mission. It's not your normal run-of-the-mill rescue, after all.”

 

A figure in a dark purple shirt walked around the corner of a nearby shop, hands stuffed in the pockets of his black pants. A knapsack was on his back and his equipment bag was hung on the back of his left hip. A kunai holster was secured around his right thigh.

 

Haru raised an eyebrow. “Uchiha?”

 

Shourai nodded his head slightly. “'Morning.”

 

Kisho gave Shourai a once-over. “You're here early, Uchiha. That anxious to save your friend, eh?”

 

Grey-brown eyes narrowed. “Absolutely not. Kohaku can rot- I'm here to help save Aikou.”

 

A grin appeared on Kisho's lips. Your tone says otherwise. You're worried about the Uzumaki brat, aren't you?

 

“Shourai!”

 

The three males turned to see the Hyuuga twins arrive, ready to go in their matching tan and silver garb. Gin blushed as Haru gave her a secret smile and Kin grinned cheerfully at Kisho and Shourai.

 

“Oh, what luck!” Kisho gushed. “I get to go rescue my cousin with the most gorgeous twins in Konoha!” He placed a hand over his heart and made a face as though he were about to swoon. “Be still my heart- I think I may die of happiness…”

 

Haru slapped his cousin upside the back of his head. “Dumbass,” he muttered.

 

A white-eyed man standing behind the twins gazed at Kisho with a look of paternal concern. “Perhaps it isn't such a good idea to let you two go with a male such as this one,” he murmured to the twins.

 

“Daddy!” Kin whined, turning to her father. “We can handle him! We're kunoichi, remember?”

 

“Yeah,” Gin chimed in, still blushing slightly. “Mom told us how to deal with hentai like him.”

 

Kisho blanched. “Hentai? ME?”

 

Haru stepped forward and bowed. “Neji Hyuuga, I presume? It is a pleasure to finally meet you, sir. My parents have told me a great deal about you.”

 

Something akin to minor embarrassment appeared on Neji's face. “You must be Haru, then. You have your father's eyes.”

 

“Thank you, sir.”

 

Neji's eyes flickered to his twin daughters, one of whom was trying to not look at Haru and the other who was discussing jutsus with Shourai.

 

“I'm trusting their welfare to you,” Neji finally murmured, his words belying his concern.

 

“I will protect my entire team with my life,” Haru replied seriously.

 

“But,” he continued in a quieter voice, “you should trust in your daughters' abilities. You know they are capable of so much more than they admit.”

 

Neji blinked in surprise. “…Yes. Yes, they are.”

 

“Well, Neji. I'm shocked to see you out of your compound,” Sasuke called out as he sauntered up to the group. “Tenten lets you out every once in a while after all, huh?”

 

“If Sasame had any sense at all, she wouldn't let you out at all, Uchiha.”

 

“True, true. But then nothing would get done around here, would it?”

 

Haru had an overwhelming urge to scratch the back of his head and walk away from the verbally sparring adults.

 

“Enough, you two,” came a new voice- a feminine one. “This is an important mission for everyone. Do not make this into a spectacle.”

 

Neji and Sasuke both blushed as they gazed at the lovely woman who walked benevolently between them. Memories stirred and they exchanged a glance of understanding.

 

Haru's eyes widened. “Mother?”

 

Safaia smiled brightly up at her son. “Your father wanted you to have this.” She held out Gaara's forehead protector.

 

Slowly, Haru took it from his mother's hands. “Why?” he murmured. He pointed to the protector currently residing underneath his long reddish-brown bangs. “I already have one.”

 

Safaia shrugged lightly. “As a reminder of what you are risking your life for. Not just for your sister, but for your future as well.”

 

She didn't need to remind him that if he was successful in this mission, he had agreed to take over as Kazekage.

 

He bowed his head, gazing at the protector in his hand. Father…

 

Reaching up, he untied his forehead protector and handed it to his mother. He met her eyes.

 

“I will bring back my sister, Mother,” he promised her. “I will bring back Uzumaki, and I will bring them back safely. Both of them.”

 

He tied Gaara's forehead protector around his head and looked up, meeting the gaze of his team. A movement had him looking over their shoulders to the street beyond.

 

A crowd had gathered while he and his mother had been talking. Everywhere he looked he saw people- some shinobi, some just ordinary villagers- and all had the same expression.

 

Hope.

 

The twins were giving their father a final goodbye hug, and Sasuke ruffled Shourai's hair. Kisho fake-sniffled loudly. Haru glared at him.

 

“What? It's so emotional… and my parents aren't here to send me off…”

 

Haru mentally made a note to tie his cousin to a tree on the way back to Suna when this was all over and done with. He turned back to his mother, who was smiling at him proudly.

 

“Be safe. Be strong. Be everything we know you are.”

 

He nodded and turned toward the road leading out of Konoha. His team members finished their goodbyes and quickly followed.

 

At the edge of the stone pathway, he paused. Slowly he turned and looked at his mother, standing so small compared to the taller men beside her.

 

We will be waiting, my son.

 

“…Move out.”

 

.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.oOo.

 

A/N: The idea for Iwa's captain of the guard (she DOES have a name, but you don't get to know what that is just yet) is the direct result of a conversation and art sketch error with my good friend Lori. She accidentally drew Shourai as a female for a commission I had purchased (luckily she showed me the sketch before finishing the picture) and she did SUCH a good job that I decided to use the character in the story.

 

Taichou: Captain/Superior Officer (in this story, it's going to mean “Captain”)

 

Kaihou: Release