Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Leaf in the Desert ❯ Chapter 20

Chapter 20

 

A knock sounded at the door. Sakura glanced at the frail girl resting in the hospital bed next to her. “Are you sure you're ready for this?”

 

Gin nodded resolutely. Sakura was proud of the determined look in her pupil's ivory eyes. “His squad leaves tomorrow at dawn. It's now or never.”

 

The door slid open. “Hope we're not interrupting,” Naruto said, his expression light despite the clear concern in his eyes. He gave Neji a friendly whack on the back.

 

Neji cleared his throat. “Naruto has informed me that you needed to speak with me, daughter.”

 

“Come on, Naruto. Let's leave these two alone.”

 

“Oi, Sakura…”

 

Father and daughter waited in silence, listening as the door slid shut behind the couple.

 

“What is it, Gin? I need to make final preparations for my squad's deployment-“

 

“Daddy?”

 

Neji walked closer. The tone of his daughter's voice was strained. Has she been pushing herself too much too soon? Maybe I should have Sakura limit her visitors until she's stronger…

 

“Daddy, I'm… I'm sorry.”

 

He gazed at her, mildly puzzled. “What for?”

 

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Her eyes lingered on the perfect white rose by her bedside. “I… lied to you.”

 

Neji sat down at the foot of her bed. “Lied to me? About what?”

 

Gin fidgeted with her fingers. “A lot of things.”

 

“Such as?”

 

She still wouldn't look at him. “I… don't like training to use the Byakugan, or with hidden weapons scrolls.”

 

He raised an eyebrow. “It is your heritage.”

 

“I know… but I don't care. I hate it. I hate fighting like that.” She took another breath. “I prefer… genjutsu. Illusions.”

 

This time Neji frowned. “Genjutsu? No one in the Hyuuga clan utilizes genjutsu. You would not be able to do it.”

 

“I can. And I have done it. Several times. Only once in battle, during the rescue mission, but it worked.”

 

He still looked as if he didn't believe her, but he let the subject lie. Best not to upset her right now. “That is hardly reason to be so worried, Gin.”

 

“There's more.”

 

“More?”

 

For a moment she didn't say anything. When Neji was about to repeat himself, she called for her sister. “Kin?”

 

Out of the shadows appeared her twin, carrying Shirabara. Neji narrowed his eyes at the infant, recognizing it as the one from the other day. “What is the meaning of this?”

 

Kin handed Shirabara to Gin and stood resolutely by her sister's side, giving Gin her silent support.

 

“Daddy, I would like you to meet Shirabara. Your… granddaughter.”

 

Silence.

 

“I believe I heard you incorrectly, Gin. Did you just say that this child is…?”

 

“Your granddaughter. You heard me. She is my daughter.”

 

Neji scowled and Gin had to suppress the feeling of dread creeping up her spine. “That is impossible,” he declared. “She does not have the Hyuuga eyes.”

 

“She has her father's eyes, Daddy. Which are better, in my opinion.”

 

He stared at the infant, who blinked slowly at him as if assessing him with her own gaze. Those pale greenish-blue eyes looked hauntingly familiar but with his mind reeling from her declaration, he couldn't place them.

 

“Who?”

 

Gin lifted her chin defiantly. She could hear the challenge he issued just by uttering that one word. He believed her child's father to be unworthy- especially because the Hyuuga eyes failed to breed true.

 

“Haru of the Desert.”

 

He paused. Narrowed his eyes as his mind processed that. Two possibilities, but only one seemed logical at the moment.

 

“So the Sixth Kazekage apparently fathered a bastard on some whore, who abandoned it at birth and now you want to raise it?” Neji stood up and gave Gin his most disgusted look. “You're just a sixteen-year-old girl. We're in the middle of a war. Now is not the time to be playing house!”

 

Kin took a step toward her father, her face furious. “Daddy-!”

 

Gin placed her hand on her sister's arm, stopping her. Her head was down and she shook it slightly when Kin turned to look at her questioningly.

 

“Gin, he just-!”

 

The young mother merely handed the infant to her sister, who took her and began rubbing her back in small circles- to calm both of them, possibly.

 

Gin still didn't look up as she pushed her blankets down to her hips. Slowly she lifted her hospital shirt just high enough to show Neji the scar on her abdomen.

 

“Is this proof enough for you, Father? Do you believe now that she's mine?  That she is your granddaughter?”

 

Neji took one step toward his daughter.

 

SLAP!

 

Kin gasped in horror. Shirabara began to whimper. Gin sat with her head turned to the side, her cheek red and already starting to swell from where Neji's hand had landed.

 

Without another word he turned and stalked to the door. He paused as he slid the door open.

 

“You have two choices, Gin,” he rasped, his voice low and deadly serious. “You can find another family for that child, return home and we will all pretend it never happened… or you can leave.” He lifted his head but didn't turn around. “But if you leave… you will never again be my daughter.”

 

And with that, he closed the door behind him.

 

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A huge explosion shook the village. Those who had remained in the village proper cried out as debris fell from buildings, collapsing walls, and nearby trees.

 

Naruto was at the window of the Hokage's office in a heartbeat. “Oh, shit. Shit, shit, shit!”

 

He was out of the office and heading down the stairs in record time. Sakura soon joined him, with Shikamaru close behind. Sakura gave their old friend a concerned glance.

 

“That blast came from the west side,” Shikamaru said, his entire demeanor pure business.

 

“But that's all civilian housing!” Sakura whispered. “If anyone was still there-!”

 

“Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!”

 

Three dozen Naruto clones appeared and took off at top speed towards the site of the explosion via rooftops and balconies.

 

Sakura and Shikamaru followed suit, quickly joined by Shino and Yura, who had remained behind to help defend the village.

 

The pink-haired kunoichi glanced at the bug-nin and was shocked to see the look of pure fear on his face. “Shino?”

 

“We must hurry,” was the only thing he said. Whatever was worrying him was directly linked to the explosion.

 

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

 

All around, people were crying, yelling, or cursing. The multitude of Naruto clones were frantically moving rubble and wreckage, searching for anyone caught in the attack.

 

A cough caught the sensitive ear of one clone. “Oi, over here! I've found one!”

 

Several other clones hurried over, quickly unearthing the person caught beneath a large piece of wood.

 

Shino ran over, Yura close behind. He helped pull the boy out of the mess, using his bugs to help lift the wood off his leg.

 

“Hige?”

 

The young Inuzuka boy coughed again and looked up at the bug-nin. “Uncle Shino?” He winced and Sakura knelt down, assessing his mangled leg. “It hurts… Where's Aoimaru?”

 

A weak whine sounded from inside Hige's jacket. The blue-black puppy poked his head out and whimpered, apparently hurting from the cut over his eye. “Oh, there you are. You had me worried, dummy…” Aoimaru whined again.

 

The ten-year-old looked back at the wreckage and immediately his eyes grew wide. “Mom?”

 

Shino and Sakura exchanged a look of absolute panic. “Hige- your mom was with you in there?”

 

He nodded, his black eyes filling with tears. “Mimi's in there too, with Kiiromi… Are they okay? Did you get them out too?”

 

Sakura turned her head to see one of the Narutos carrying something small, battered, and bloody. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the yellow fur. Kiiromi…

 

Hige saw where Sakura had been looking. His voice grew alarmed. “Kiiromi? Kiiromi?!” He tried to crawl away from Shino and Sakura. “Let me go! I have to find my sister! I have to find Mom!”

 

Shino stood up and walked over to where several of the clones were digging. Sakura wrapped her arms around Hige, holding him tightly so he couldn't see what they were doing.

 

“I need to heal your leg, Hige,” she said quietly, trying to keep the fear from her voice. “Can you let me do that while Uncle Shino and Naruto look for your mom and sister?”

 

Hige hiccupped and wiped his nose on his dirty sleeve. “I… I guess so…” He sniffed loudly. “They'll let Mom know I'm okay, right?”

 

All Sakura could do was nod as she picked up the injured boy and carried him away from the scene.

 

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

 

Shino's gaze rested on the tattered body of Mimi's ninken. Naruto lay the poor dog down in a partially concealed place nearby and heaved a sigh.

 

“Naruto…”

 

“Come on, Shino. We need to keep looking. They're waiting for us.”

 

“…Right.”

 

Yura was already helping out, lifting what rubble she could with her hands and utilizing her bugs for what she couldn't. One of the clones moved a stone and paused. He turned and looked at Shino and the other Naruto.

 

Without a word, they hurried over. Together they stared, despair and anguish filling their hearts, at the painful scene before them.

 

Hinata lay half on top of Mimi, apparently having tried to shield her daughter from the collapsing building. Their bodies were covered with blood and Hinata held Mimi's hand in hers.

 

One of the Narutos knelt down, feeling for a pulse on both women. Shino stood with bated breath, Yura by his side.

 

Naruto was quiet for too long.

 

Shino fell to his knees in the rubble. “No…”

 

Tears filled Naruto's eyes and dripped from his chin, landing on the stone near mother and daughter's clasped hands. “Hinata…”

 

More than one voice let out a yell of grief-filled frustration, and the sound echoed throughout the village, long after the bodies had been removed and taken away by the medic-nin teams.

 

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Naruto stood in his office, staring out the window at Konoha below. Smoke still rose from the east district where the explosion had taken place nearly six hours prior. He rested his forehead against the glass, his normally bright blue eyes dull and vacant.

 

He knew when she entered. He always knew when she was around. That didn't make him move his forehead from the window pane, though.

 

“How many?”

 

Sakura opened her mouth, but shut it again, knowing it would do no good to lie at a time like this.

 

“Seven. Eight, if you count Kiiromi.”

 

Naruto made a noise in his throat that sounded like a choked sob. “…Hige?”

 

“He's alive. Sleeping peacefully with Aoimaru in the children's ward. His leg was badly damaged, though. It's hard to say if he'll be able to walk again.”

 

A knock at the door forced the grieving Hokage to turn away from the window. He gave the Jounin at the door his best neutral look. “What is it, Konohamaru?”

 

Konohamaru entered and took to one knee before Naruto. “Hokage…”

 

“Enough with the formality, brat. I don't have time for it. What is it?”

 

The younger man stood up and looked at him. Naruto was slightly alarmed at the seriousness on the Jounin's face.

 

“Sasuke's squad has returned, Naruto,” Konohamaru said quietly.

 

Naruto could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. “And? Did they get Kanaye?”

 

Konohamaru looked away. Naruto clenched his teeth.

 

“They failed in their mission, sir,” he said. “And… there were severe injuries…”

 

“WHAT?” Naruto grabbed the young man by his vest and lifted him off the floor. “Are they alive? Tell me they're still alive!”

 

Sakura placed a hand on her husband's arm to try and get him to let the Jounin go, but Naruto ignored her. “Naruto…”

 

Konohamaru looked his sensei straight in the eye. “Sasuke and Kiba are being treated by the medics as we speak. Tenten…”

 

“Tenten…?”

 

“Her injuries… were too severe. They tried to bring her back in time, but… she didn't make it.”

 

Naruto dropped him and Konohamaru took a few steps away from his sensei, his senpai, his friend. His eyes were sad as he watched Naruto walk back to the window, looking very aged.

 

His voice was faint and gravelly when he finally spoke.

 

“Fuzzy-brow… Chouji… Hinata… Mimi… now Tenten… not to mention countless others who have died or have been injured for life because of that fucking Kanaye and his goddamn fucking greed!!” He turned away from the window and slammed his fist though his desk, shattering the thing into thousands of pieces- and cracking the floor in the process.

 

When he looked up at Sakura and Konohamaru, his eyes were red. His pupils had contracted to black slits. The whiskers on his cheeks stood out more and his incisors had lengthened. He held back a growl as he clenched his fist, causing blood to drip from the punctures made in his palm by the claws on his fingers.

 

“This. Ends. NOW.”