Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shinobi: Pride of Pride ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Shinobi: The Price of Pride

By: Hanasaki Rikku

Summary: With a clan like the Hanasaki, is it any wonder why Rikku is the way she is? She lost her brother and friend at such a young age, and things with Chizuko have seemed to only gotten worse. What does Itachi want and why does a certain Snake Sannin seem so interested in her life all of the sudden?

Rating: T/M. For violence (poorly written, but still there), language, and some other stuff I can't quite recall at the moment. Just be warned. Oh, that, and my horrible writing.

Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure/Angst

"There is nothing on this earth more prized than true friendship"

((CHAPTER SEVEN))

Rikku was startled by the sudden bloodcurdling cry that broke through the clearing. She swallowed past the feeling of dread that had suddenly overcome her and tore her attention away from the Bunshins to where Chizuko stood. Even from her point she could see the stream of tears trailing down the girl's cheeks, accompanied with hoarse whimpers.

Panic surged within her, but she could do nothing other than stand, frozen, and watch the older girl wither and scream. What was going on? What was Itachi doing to her? Chizuko… She couldn't move; fear froze her in place. The Bunshin before her had ceased in their attacks, but she didn't question it.

“Stop it…” Her voice barely came out as a whisper, only audible to her ears.

Chizuko continued to scream, her voice breaking from the strain. She saw her hands clamp around Itachi's wrist, tightening. Without warning, Itachi released his hold on her, letting her fall unceremoniously to the ground. Finally, finding feeling in her being, she made to catch her, anything to soften the dangerously high fall to the ground, but was restrained by the Bunshin. A fist was slammed in her stomach, and she found herself coughing blood.

She heard the nauseating crack of bone and flinched, struggling against the clones. She wasn't sure what he had done, but right now, it was the last of her concerns. She first had to figure out how to get past the clones.

They were stronger than most, almost as strong as the real body, and she could faintly see the exploding tag attached to their backs. She had made to grab for it early on, but her efforts had proved futile. The kibaku fuda was attached, in more sense than one, to the clones, and couldn't be extracted without detonation. This didn't bode well for her, because now she was stuck fighting five walking time bombs while Itachi continued to torture her friend.

She scowled in frustration, tugging at her arms with renewed force when Chizuko's voice suddenly boomed over the clearing. She froze, glancing up slowly in time to see the girl rise and gulped.

Chizuko was pissed.

Chizuko's bloodline, although not the strongest bloodline in the village, was one to be feared, and right now, Itachi was facing the full wrath of it. Her crimson eyes were wild, locked solely on his form, her fists clenched tightly at her sides. She crouched in the familiar taijutsu stance, knees bent and feet spread an even distance.

Rikku had been with her, training as usual, some years before actually meeting Ayame, when she perfected this stance. The Himura's didn't have a specific stance to fight in, seeing as they used chakra as their main source for attack, and rarely needed anything else.

But Chizuko loved to draw out her battles, so they had met, and she had taught the Himura a few basic Hanasaki techniques, not really caring whether or not she was caught. Disclosure of the Hanasaki clan's secret was forbidden and punishable by death. It didn't matter whether or not you were the next heir in line.

It appeared simple, but was most assuredly not. The Hanasaki stance and fighting style had been based on the many different generations of taijutsu, though mainly centering on the Hakke Ken, Hike Ken, the Chinese Kenpo, and of the Jyuu Ken style the Hyuuga's were oh-so proud of. But when Chizuko had created her new style - mutilating the Hanasaki's in the process, much to Rikku's amusement - she had made it to be brash, but precise.

And now, watching her fight Itachi, Rikku knew those years spent watching - and avoiding - Chizuko's psychotic little moves, she was sure it had paid off. Blood-red chakra emitted powerfully from her fists, effectively countering the Uchiha's Sharingan.

Since the Sharingan was used to foretell its opponents moves - among other things - her chakra created a sort of optical illusion that made it difficult to read her moves, therefore, forcing Itachi to rely on his old techniques of reading an opponent, rather than using his Sharingan.

Itachi was forced into the defensive, dodging Chizuko's feral attacks easily enough while Rikku could only watch, amazed. Not by the strength behind Chizuko's unruly attacks, rather by the ease and agility the Uchiha possessed, not even breaking a sweat during Chizuko's tirade. He truly was amazing.

Having been backed a good distance from the girl, Chizuko suddenly leapt back a foot and began performing seals. She saw his Sharingan spinning rapidly, quickly analyzing her seals, but she knew it would be futile, for most attacks Chizuko was known to perform where solely Himura in origin; not to mention they tended, more times than not, to create rather devastating results.

Becoming desperate, Rikku slashed at the four remaining Kibaku Kage Bunshin, taking cover behind a nearby and thick tree trunk, bracing herself for the upcoming explosion. She wasn't disappointed.

It startled the air with a sound blast, the force of it shaking the ground, and she gritted her teeth against the expelled waves of heat. She left the safety of the tree, just in time to see the shark-man appear, his sword drawn and standing between Chizuko and Itachi. That same sword seemed to be absorbing the brunt of the Himura's attack, seeming to absorb the very chakra used for the jutsu.

But, if he was here…where was Kakashi?

The man swung his mighty blade, bringing it down on Chizuko with tremendous force. Rikku had expected the girl to dodge, and began to panic when she just stood there, sword closing in on her head. Inches before reaching her, Chizuko extended the shuko lining the palm of her gloves and sunk them into the head of the sword.

The sharp claws, iron and glistening, a red aura engulfing them, protruding throughout either end, holding the sword in place, effectively preventing the man from moving the weapon any further. But it also prevented her from escaping should he figure a way around his current situation, and Rikku inwardly cursed the girl for being so stupid. The man stilled, and Rikku watched as the tip of his sword, the gauze wrapped tightly around its entire length, began to turn a deep red; blood seeped into the cloth.

Chizuko didn't so much as flinch, smirking with a certain maliciousness that caused the man to look paler, which Rikku found only slightly revolting, and she tore her gaze away, fixing it worriedly upon the rapidly darkening crimson and sparks of chakra absorbing into the sword.

He broke out of his stunned trance and tugging ruthlessly at his sword; Rikku cringed as she saw the cloth around the sword tear and easily rip through the Himura's gloves with an unnatural harshness, and she could only image the damage upon the hands themselves.

Chizuko's eyes narrowed, and suddenly sparks of chakra shot up along the sword, hitting him dead on. He winced, but, being unable to move, and unwilling to give up his weapon to the girl, he growled. “My Samehada has the ability to absorb chakra, little girl. So I'd think twice before doing that again.”

Really? Rikku resisted the urge to roll her eyes, snorting softly. Way to state the obvious.

Chizuko's grin only widened, and a larger, sizzling bolt of chakra shot up and hit him. He cursed, readjusting his grip on the hilt; she cocked her head, eyes gleaming sadistically. Rikku only watched, uncertain and uneasy; Chizuko was beginning to worry her.

No, that was an understatement. She wasn't even sure whether to pity the shark man or worry for Chizuko at this point, knowing full well how painful the Himura's Kurushimeru was.

Her eyes assessed the situation, and she wondered whether or not she could finish the man off without endangering Chizuko. The odds weren't exactly to her favor, and he was beginning to grow restless. Shit. If she didn't do something now, they were all screwed. And where the hell was Kakashi? Wasn't he supposed to be their team leader? Where was he when they really needed him?

Itachi alone had been a bitch to handle, but this guy? Things were just getting worse by the second.

And speaking of Itachi…

Chizuko didn't budge, even after the numerous times the shark-man attempted to jerk her off his sword, she stayed put. Rikku was at a loss for what to do, forgetting about the Uchiha, and could only stand by as the Himura stood up against Itachi's accomplice.

It didn't register right away, she couldn't say she had expected what proceeded next, but the long katana jutting from the man's torso, a frozen look of surprise and mingled pain on his shark-like features vaguely registered in her mind. Blood ran down his lips, dark eyes drifting slowly as if to completely register what had happened, downward to rest on the bloodied metal sword, gleaming red in the soft daylight. His grip on the large sword faltered, knees buckling underneath him. The only thing that kept him up at this point was the katana…

…And Kakashi standing behind him, a second katana in hand. He swiped it across the man's neck with one clean stroke, blood spurting like a geyser. He pulled the other sword out of the severed body, sheathing it along with the other.

The man dropped to the ground in a puddle of his own blood, head rolling to the Himura's feet. Chizuko stared in surprise, along with Rikku, dropping Samehada, cringing as her flesh tore, the last of her chakra sparking along its edge then returning to her.

Kakashi was at her side the instant the girl dropped, falling to her knees in apparent exhaustion, mumbling something audible to only Chizuko and him. Rikku made to walk to her, check over and make sure she'd be okay, but a flicker of black out of the corner of her eye reminded her all too well that there was one other man remaining. She frowned, following the retreating form with eyes, clenching her hands tightly.

Itachi…

As she started off after him, ready to repay him for whatever it is he'd done to Chizuko earlier, Kakashi's voice stopped her. “Let him go, we are in no condition to fight.”

She did stop, and turned, though the cold look that had settled over her eyes was lost to the silver-haired Jounin behind her mask. “He's a missing-nin. Our mission is to—”

“Our mission was to find exterminate Eiichiro Metani and Tarukane Hirue,” he countered before she could finish. She didn't have the sense of mind to remind them that they hadn't managed that either, a soft hiss escaping her lips.

“I'm going,” she stated, voice steeled.

“Rikku, we can't—”

“I never said anything about a `we', Hatake-san. I'm going alone, like it or not.” Her voice dropped an octave, tone descending in temperature along with it.

Kakashi stood from his position beside Chizuko, “I am your commanding officer…” The phrase held little ordinance behind it, its meaning lost.

“He hurt Chizuko!” She exclaimed, startling him with the sudden outburst. She pointed at the girl, who simply sat, staring off into space with a distant look in her eyes, never mind that her palms were bleeding freely at her sides. She couldn't stand to look at her, and could only wonder as to what the girl had been forced to endure under the Uchiha's cursed Sharingan. “I don't know what he did, but I'm not going let him get away.”

He stared at her, and she could tell he was hesitant in allowing her leave; could read the reluctance so clearly behind those mismatched eyes of his. But she couldn't allow him to deter her, and Itachi was surely to be long gone by now, but maybe she'd get lucky. Don't get in my way…

Kakashi sighed at last, dropping his gaze. “Fine,” he mumbled, and she didn't wait a second longer, taking off in the same direction as the Uchiha.

Rikku found him easily enough, which was a surprise, considering the speed she'd seen him display, but she focused on the sounds within the clearing, using her Kurutteiru to sense for vibrations.

His steps were light, and it was difficult to discern between his and that of a rodent of some sort, but she managed to single out the one to the strongest chakra. That in itself was a difficult task, for he'd learned to mask both his aura and his chakra signature with expert preciseness.

However, he soon disappeared from her view, the solitary black dot vanishing, and she cursed for letting him get away, coming to a stop. Her thoughts weren't given a chance to come together fast enough to see through the simple genjutsu, and in the next second she found herself hurling towards the foliage, wind knocked out of her from the impact of the blow to her back. She quickly gathered her bearings and fixed her gaze on the Uchiha.

“Go back or I will be forced to kill you.”

He held her by the scruff of her neck, watching her with indifferent eyes. In return, she grabbed his wrist and used her legs to propel herself away from him, kicking off his chest and jerking violently from his grip. He ousted a grunt and set her free, leaving her in a downward free-fall for the ground. She skidded, slipping her fingers past her kunai holster and using the throwing knife to soften her fall and maintain balance.

He was before her in a blink, swinging his arm around as if to connect with a punch, but she caught the glint of metal and dodged back before the blade slashed at her. He pulled back and spun a kick, connecting with her ribs. Something cracked and she was thrown back, blood trickling down her chin in a thin rivulet of red. Breathing had become difficult, and the closure of her mask only seemed to make things worse. She felt her broken, hot pants for air reverberate against the porcelain mask and hitting her, adding to her already overheated state.

Her shaky hand rose, clothed fingers hooking under the mask and pulling it away slowly, dropping it to the ground; with every gasp, she felt it become increasingly difficult to breathe. Her lungs felt restricted and useless, and she was certain there was some sort of inner bleeding, what with the growing taste of blood in her mouth.

Strong, callused fingers wrapped around the width of her throat in a firm grip and she felt herself rise from the ground. She winced, inhaling sharply as her ribs were stretched, the pain spreading tenfold. Shimatta…

“Shimatta…” She caught herself muttering out loud, squinting her eyes in pain. This was definitely not going well. But maybe if… She opened eyes with a forceful glare, mind set. Amber eyes locked with Sharingan-red irises.

“Rikku…” Itachi murmured, voiced laced with the barest hints of surprise, watching her closely. “So you've both become ANBU… And at such a young age.”

She snorted, but the action caused pain to spark and she refrained from doing it again. “You're one…to talk.” She grumbled, raising an unsteady hand to her throat. She stood on the tips of her toes, but it was too much, the pain in her side was killing her. “But unlike you…we…have no intention…of become missing…nins.” She quipped half-heartedly; it was becoming quite a trying task all on its own to simply speak.

There was no response, the hand tightening and cutting off more oxygen. His Sharingan became active in a second, boring into her eyes. She inwardly smirked. Perfect. As soon as she felt the pinpricks, the beginnings of his jutsu, she activated her own bloodline limit, countering his fully. He seemed taken aback, eyes widening only a fraction of an inch. It proved difficult to keep up with the strain his Mangekyou caused, her Kurutteiru coming second in comparison.

It wasn't working, not that she'd really expected it to, but she'd hope at least to create a mere moment of distraction so she could gain leverage. She struggled, using a simply fear tactic, which was about all she could gather chakra for, delving in his deepest fears; if he had any.

Her eyes darkened and pierced past the carefully built walls of his mind, implanting her vision along the borders. She could go no further, his defenses were too strong. She'd never encountered another with such strong mental barriers, but she couldn't have expected anything less. After all, this was Uchiha Itachi.

He dropped her only seconds later, but did not seem affected in the least. She fell to the ground unceremoniously, truly spent, and had to wonder how someone could so easily disregard her technique. She was the strongest in her clan, aside from, of course, Hokori. To have him defer her Kurutteiru…it was just…wrong.

She had begun to fade away into unconsciousness when she next heard his voice, his eyes still trained on her. “You are of the Hanasaki, are you not, Rikku-san?”

She frowned slightly in her half-conscious state, wondering why the hell he was asking such a question at a moment like this. “So what…?” She grumbled, keeping the pain from appearing upon her features as best she could, clenching her jaw. She wasn't sure if it was working, but she was determined not to show weakness, even if she was barely awake as it were.

“I was not aware the Hanasaki clan had a doujutsu bloodline.” He stated simply in his monotonous voice.

She blinked, frowning deepening. “…And what if we do?”

Itachi watched her in silent contemplation, his eyes scanning her features. Something dawned behind those crimson eyes, peaking her curiosity, but she could read his expression about as easily as she could revive the dead. The man was a wall, his emotions - if he had any - hidden safely behind the fortitude. But this was indeed a strange turn of events, and she wondered why he would question such things about her.

“Do you know of a man named Orochimaru?”

She merely stared at him, her gaze holding incredulity. Orochimaru? The Sannin? Of course she knew of him. Who didn't?Her eyes narrowed, but the effect of her glare was lost as a cough sprang up on her throat, causing her to wince. “Why?”

“Just answer me.” He murmured softly, his expression so blank, so cold, it was unnerving. Surely she wasn't like that, was she? She couldn't imagine herself being so completely…empty; a blank slate of a person with no outward sign of emotion. She refused to believe she was like that, like him; like them. She always thought of herself as far too emotional for her own tastes. Could she be wrong? “You or your teammates are of no importance to me, so I will not kill you.”

She swallowed the blood gathering in her mouth, scowling, “Then go.”

“You followed me out here in the first place.” He countered easily, watching her twitch in agitation. “Answer my question and I shall be off.”

With a hiss, she complied. “Yes, I know him.” He said nothing afterwards, analyzing her like some sort of experiment. She felt compelled to lash out and punch him, but that wouldn't have been very Rikku-like of her, so she withheld herself.

He was gone before she had the chance to blink, vanishing from sight in the next second. With a confused frown pinching her brow, she puzzled over his few words, struggling to regain feeling in her limbs. She was hurting all over, and could just picture her body being one big bruise, like a grape. She blinked, pushing away the wayward thought, closing her eyes.

A sharp pain to her side reminded her of her broken ribs, and she was annoyed to find her shoulder throbbing heartily in rhythm to her unsteady breathing. She groaned, shifting slightly. Great… How the hell was she going to get up now? She could scarcely even move without bringing herself a world of more pain.

It was shameful really, and she hated to think what her grandfather would say when he caught wind of her disgraceful defeat, because she just knew he'd find out sooner or later. Usually sooner. He seemed to have a sixth sense for these kinds of things, which was never a good thing when it came to her. And she wouldn't deny it, either. Her pride had been smarted. The wounds would recover soon enough, but she wasn't quite as certain about her wounded ego.

Damn Uchiha.

She didn't know how long she laid there, eyes closed and breathing eventually evening out, but soon enough she heard the distant rustling of underbrush, followed by Kakashi's smooth, baritone voice. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulders, vision flickering and finally resolving to oblivion, falling prey to a dreamless sleep.

((CHAPTER END))

HR: Here come the new chapters. Haven't been edited as well, but I was getting impatient.