Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Shinobi and The Miko ❯ Distance ( Chapter 27 )

A/N: Do I really have to tell you that I don't own Naruto? Well, I don't. Sad panda.

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Madara watched the battle between Sasuke and Danzo with carefully-masked but increasing glee, making sure to maintain an air of detached interest. From the moment Sasuke had closed his left eye, he had known who the victor would be.

 

That's it, Sasuke. Let your hatred consume you. Revel in it. Enjoy it. Surrender to it. It will make everything so much easier for the both of us.

 

Truthfully, it was a little too easy. Ever since the girl-child had run away, the elder Uchiha had felt the shreds of resistance to his will that still existed in the boy fade almost entirely, allowing the darkness to pervade his consciousness. It wouldn't be long until whatever free will or goodness Sasuke could have ever claimed would be reduced to nothing more than a fading illusion.

 

Initially, the fact that the boy had been an essentially good, if misguided person had been a problem. Of course, Madara had soon discovered that it was in fact a blessing in disguise. It was so much easier to manipulate an idealist than a pragmatist. All he had to do was convince Sasuke that there was a larger battle to be fought, one between those who were right and those who were not. To accomplish this, Madara allowed Sasuke to idealize his family in his own mind, to come to see those who did the Uchiha harm as enemies, one and all. Once that was accomplished, it wasn't all that difficult to focus the dull hatred in specific directions.

 

An idealist of that sort would always accept the notion of necessary sacrifice. Most of them would volunteer to do the dirty work themselves, because, in the end, they were still too “good” to want anyone else to soil their hands.

 

Madara smiled. He was an idealist too, just one of a different kind. He knew that the things he did were despicable, he just didn't care. Nothing else mattered but the attainment of his goal. People were just tools to propel him closer to that goal, and who was to say he was wrong? At least he didn't make any pretensions about what he was doing.

 

He watched with some amusement as Danzo attempted to tip the odds in his favor by capturing one of Sasuke's followers. What was her name? Ah, Karin. That was it.

 

Kill her. He placed the suggestion in Sasuke's mind. He felt the younger Uchiha's consciousness fight back, and withdrew. Whatever else happened, the decision had to be Sasuke's and Sasuke's alone. It would not do to actually control his little puppet quite yet; he needed the darkness to close in of its own volition.

 

A twisted smirk appeared behind the mask as the sword ran the girl through on its way to Danzo.

 

Perfect.

 

***

Kaguya lifted her face to the sun, allowing the warm rays to kiss her face lightly as she walked along the forest floor. The light fell in mottled patches though the canopy and she sighed as she remembered what trees looked like. For a moment, she stood still, trying to feel where the sun was hitting and imagine how the dappled beams must appear as they pierced the leafy cover overhead and filtered to the ground.

 

Only rarely did she regret sacrificing her sight, and though she thought wistfully of being able to see the world around her, this was not one of those moments. Right now, she needed her own kind of sight a great deal more.

 

She sank into a meditation posture at the base of a large tree- rowan, she guessed, from the movements of energy within the trunk- and inhaled deeply the scents of the forest. A slight breeze stirred her snow-colored hair, but she was already too deep in her trance to notice.

 

The once-miko made sure to anchor herself carefully to her own body, preserving the sound of her own steady breathing firmly in her mind as she drifted outward, searching. That sound would serve as her reminder not to lose herself this time.

 

As her mind roved over plants and animals, passing through shaded glens and forest ponds, she caught a sense on the edge of her perception. Focusing on that spot, she drove her consciousness forward as fast as she could without losing attachment to her corporeal self.

 

She found Naruto and a man she didn't know first. Something strange was going on there, but she didn't have time to investigate full. Something else was still tugging on her mind. She left them and rushed forward again, passing Kakashi-sensei and what appeared to be some sort of chakra construct, again unfamiliar. She contemplated reaching out and contacting the former, but for some reason the tugging was becoming more urgent as she got closer, and so she continued.

 

She recognized Lee and Kiba in the next group, having met them both in passing a few times. They and the source of the earlier chakra construct were all on the ground, apparently knocked out somehow. Since she could no more “see” this way than she could normally, she couldn't tell how. They could have been sleeping, save that something artificial was definitely laced in their chakra systems. She tried to remove whatever it was, but she was too far away to make much difference.

 

Something wasn't quite right. Making her decision quickly, Kaguya decided to stretch herself a little further and see what she could discover.

 

***

Sakura bit her lip as she ran. She hadn't wanted to hurt Lee, Sai, and Kiba, but if they were going to try and get in the way of what she had to do, well, then she'd make damn sure they couldn't.

 

The kunoichi almost smiled wryly. She'd certainly changed from the uncertain, weak, and love-struck girl who'd first joined Team 7.

 

It seems like so long ago now… so much has happened since then.

 

Resolving to take Naruto's approach and not think too much about what she was about to do, she shook her head to clear it of the troublesome thoughts.

 

Unfortunately, it seemed that fate wasn't going to let her get away with that.

 

Sakura…? The thought was not her own, though the presence behind it was curiously familiar. Sakura didn't really stop to think about that in her panic, though. Someone was in her head!

 

Sakura, please, stop. I can't stay with you if you fight me this much. I'm too far away.

 

What the…Kaguya? What's going on?

 

There was a sigh of relief in Sakura's mind, one that did not belong to her. This would take some getting used to.

 

I know it's a little upsetting, but I'm not trying to read your thoughts. I just need to know what's going on here.

 

What? You mean you don't know? The pink-haired ninja's voice was incredulous. Aren't you supposed to be with Sasuke?

 

Sakura nearly choked on the regret that assaulted her system at that point. Argh! Kaguya, stop! You're hurting me!

 

There was another wave of the same, but this one was abruptly stemmed. I'm so sorry, Sakura. There was a grunt in response, so Kaguya continued. I was supposed to be with him, but… Madara was going to kill me.

 

Sakura's head was immediately filled with questions. These, though, were most certainly her own. What? Why? How could you let him join up with Madara anyway? I don't understand any of this.

 

A twinge of guilt made its way past Kaguya's control and hit Sakura. You are right to ask these questions, but there is not yet time enough to answer them. You are seeking him now, yes?

 

Yeah.

 

Then please let me accompany you as far as I can. I… I have to know how he is.

 

Sakura briefly considered refusing, afraid what the repercussions to her plan would be, but decided that in the end, a friend was still a friend, and Kaguya had done a lot for both herself and Sasuke up till now.

 

Alright. But, please, stay out of my head as much as you can.

 

There was an understanding of a nod, and something that seemed like a wall sprouted between them, allowing Sakura to tell that Kaguya was there, but not what she was thinking. She could only hope it worked the same in reverse.

 

***

 

Kaguya was troubled. Her meeting with Sakura had made her realize that she was accountable for a number of things she could not explain. She had fled for her life, even knowing that Sasuke was still in danger. She had allowed him to join Madara. He had done things at the time that she was still ignorant of. She realized that Sasuke had kept her so in order to try and save her from the knowledge, but these thoughts did nothing to ease her heart. The fact was, she had promised to protect him, and failed miserably.

 

More immediate, though, was her concern for Sakura. The other girl seemed to be lost in her own churning thoughts, and nothing in the fragments that had reached Kaguya though their divide made any sense to her. The kunoichi seemed to be resolved to do something, but the former miko just couldn't figure out what. Perhaps Sakura didn't even know yet.

 

All thoughts were brought to an abrupt end, however, when they reached their destination. Danzo-for Kaguya was certain that was who it was- lay dead on the ground. Karin was barely clinging to life, and Sasuke seemed to have almost exhausted his own chakra reserves. The air still faintly tingled with the remnants of powerful jutsu, at least to Kaguya's senses. Kaguya assessed Karin quickly. She would likely live, if given proper care.

 

What frightened her was that Sasuke was standing directly over his team member, sword still in hand. Just what happened here? She mused to herself. Miles away in the forest, her brows knit together. This didn't make any sense.

 

“Sasuke!” Kaguya heard Sakura shout. As he turned to face them, Kaguya tried to examine his chakras, to see if she could glean anything from them.

 

“Sakura,” he replied evenly, and Kaguya halted abruptly. There was nothing in his voice, nothing in his aura. He had recognized his own friend and…nothing…?

 

Something's very wrong here. She was lowering the connection between herself and Sakura when she heard the latter's thought.

 

You said that you couldn't stay if I resisted?

 

Yes, Kaguya replied absently, but Sakura, something's wrong, I-

 

Good-bye Kaguya, Sakura thought firmly, and Kaguya found herself hurtling backwards toward her own body.

 

***

 

Kaguya came to not thirty seconds later, and realized with some trepidation that she was once again in the forest against the tree. A cloud must have passed over the sun, because she could no longer feel its warmth, and she shivered involuntarily.

 

This is bad. Very bad. I have to find Kakashi-sensei, and quickly.

 

She sprang to her feet and let her chakra flow freely into her legs, hoping against all odds that she could somehow make it in time to stop this from happening.

 

All the while, Sakura's words, caught just before she fell out of range, drummed against her head.

 

“I'll join you, Sasuke! I'll betray Konoha!”

 

Where did it go so wrong?

 

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Kiku's Corner~

 

Okay, first thing's first: This one is very sorry that this chapter took so long. This one hopes that she has not lost all her readers. *Bows*

 

Secondly, the manga is driving me crazy at the moment. I just don't like where the story is going at all. This is why the update took so long.

 

Thirdly, someone asked me a really long time ago where I got Kaguya's power from and who I based her character on. First: I mostly made up the uses of her empathy, but the idea of empathy as a sort of telepathic connection with other people is something that has been used before, obviously. The chakra conversion thing was just because I wanted something unique, but not overpowered. Useful, but not able to solve everyone's problems, ne? Second: Kaguya is not actually based on the character from InuYasha as the reviewer thought, though both characters have the same origin in Japanese myth. She's from the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, which is an excellent folk tale. The basis is very, very loose. The name “Kaguya” is written with the characters for “radiant/fire” and “night,” I think, which I found appropriate for several reasons. Other than that, I used a few of the story's personality traits, but not much else.

 

Also, I'm taking sort of an informal poll here; are there any POV's you guys want me to write from more? I dunno, if you really like Shikamaru or something or want more Naruto-ness, I'm willing to do that. Just let me know. I want this to be something that you guys as readers have a hand in, you know? I am but a conduit for my muse anyway, why not join the fun?

 

And lastly, thank you to all my readers and reviewers, as well as Beth the Super-beta, without whose patience you wouldn't be reading this. And sorry for the excessive author's notes this time.

 

~Kiku~