Chapter 29

In the Nick of Time

Sitting on the roof of the Daimyo's mansion, Rei and Kisho waited in silence, deftly hidden by the shadows of the man-made clay peaks surrounding them. A gray she-wolf leaned heavily against the Claw kunoichi's leg, eyes closed in contentment as her mistress idly scratched behind her ears. More to soothe herself than her companion, Rei picked through the fur in nervous anticipation before scratching again. Any minute now the sun would reach noon and they would receive the order to proceed with the takeover of Wave country. The tension in the air was palpable, broken only by Rei's sudden, surprised whisper as she lifted her head.

"What in the world is that?"

A deep rumbling reached Kisho's ears as he followed the line of her gaze. The trees just outside the village waved back and forth as if caught in a strong, isolated wind, then parted as a massive wave of water came rushing forward. Without slowing it took out the front gates before accosting the main street of the village. He watched the unfolding scene with dismay as a hard feeling hit his guts. Beside him, one of the lions shifted restlessly in reaction, the grinding of solid joints loud on the empty roof.

"It appears that our coup has been discovered." he said quietly.

"Survivors from the village? Impossible." she scoffed nearly as softly.

He gave her a grim half-smile, his hair falling into his eyes. "We don't know that. The battle may not have gone as well as they said it did. Apparently, either someone knows we're here, or this is one hell of a bad time for a random attack."

Making a decision and standing up, Rei moved to the edge of the roof where their entry point waited below, wolf at her heels. "Let's go, Kisho."

He reached out to stop her, his fingers grazing her bare calf before she was out of his grasp. "What are you doing?" he hissed. "We aren't supposed to move in yet."

"We can't afford to wait for official orders. If the daimyo sees the fighting and escapes, then all of this is for nothing. The hammer falls now."

Against his better judgement, Kisho followed as his companions disappeared from his line of sight, dropping to the open window. At the same time he signaled to his stone lion buried in the garden below to emerge and rush the front door. There was a panicked cry from the guards as they scrambled to counter the sudden threat. Hoping that things were being set in motion correctly, he slipped inside.

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It was one thing to hear about the sheer size and power of Kisame's water jutsu. It was another to witness it firsthand. It was something else entirely to be in the middle of one. And she found out quickly enough that 'it' could be properly classified as 'damn terrifying'.

Hinata swallowed hard and spared barely a glance as she was given the signal to start her death-charge, watching as walls of churning water twisted and arched over her, slithering and undulating like invisible snakes on either side of her, leaving her with an alley to run in that was barely wider than her own body and about as long. One misstep and she would be tripped and crushed by the rushing water surrounding her.

Taking off, she hurtled along with the water, managing to identify the remains of the front gate as they passed before tendrils of chakra-driven water flowed in from behind, blocking her from view entirely. The streets of the capital were now vague lanes of dirt and stone distorted by the liquid, and she could only hope that she was actually heading straight for the daimyo's mansion. With all of Kisame's chakra surrounding her, she was completely blind to what was ahead of her. She had to trust in his ability to guide her and hoped that when the jutsu dispelled and she was standing on the mansion's grounds that she had the advantage.

Suddenly, heavy debris passed through her shield of water as whatever happened to be in her path was destroyed. Porch posts, business signs, anything too heavy for the water to push away came at her. She was passing through the expansive open air market, carts and boards forcing her to twist, dodge and jump to keep from getting injured. A short stretch of nothing but street and water followed, then the remains of another gate, this one metal, and suddenly all the water fell to her feet, exhausted of energy. Fighting off her sudden disorientation she continued to run, activating her Byakugan to scan her surroundings. The mansion was just ahead. Kisame had gotten her through.

A loud snarl rent the air, drawing Hinata's attention to the front porch. There, two of the Daimyo's guard were fending off a stone lion construct, who seemed intent on ripping them to shreds. Unfortunately, the lion was also between her and her primary entry point, the closed door behind all of them. Her eyes immediately lifted to the rest of the house and scanned the exterior as she sought another way in. Time was short and she couldn't afford to waste it in a petty squabble when the Daimyo could be taking his last breaths at any moment.

There, an open window on the second story, just above the porch.

Making a swift decision, she sped up. As she reached the fray on the porch, the lion reared back on its haunches to swipe at one of the guards. Using its back as a makeshift ramp, she launched herself upward, gripped the window ledge with both hands and swung herself inside in one fluid motion. She was back on her feet before the inevitable thud had time to sound. Fortunately, no one was in the bedroom she now occupied, so she moved immediately to the door. No chakra on the other side either. Pulling the door open, she all but ran down the hallway to the stairwell at the other side. Heading down the steps at full tilt, she narrowly missed the katana that came swinging at her from the bottom. Using her momentum coupled with a twist of her body and she went flying through the air, careening along the hallway and onto the main floor. Tucking in for a roll, she came to a stop just in front of the exterior door. Less than gracefully done, but she made it through unscathed.

Rising quickly to her feet, she found herself face to face with another of the stone lions, its progenitor behind it, the wayward katana in hand. He was an Iwa nin she had never seen before. To his right was a Claw kunoichi in a white fur coat, an indistinct bundle of pale gray fur on the other side of her knees. The sight of them together made her stomach sink.

Kisame's theory was right. They were working together.

The door the kunichi was working on was breached a second later, and she disappeared inside in a dark blur. Hinata barely had time to react as the threat in front of her made itself known with a silent roar before it pounced. Sandwiched between it and the front door, with no room to maneuver, her chances in this fight weren't looking too good. And even if he was running as fast as he could and the way was still clear, Kisame was too far away to assist her.

Bracing herself for the backlash she knew was coming, she let her chakra flow into her hands and slammed both of her Twin Lion Fists right into the face of the oncoming beast. A tremor rolled through her arms at the impact, instantly making them feel weak. The lion stepped back in a mimicry of shock and shook its head. Hinata bit her lip as she surveyed the damage she inflicted.

Other than a small crack that formed what looked like a scar over its left eye, the construct was completely undamaged.

Undeterred by her results, she drew her chakra up again as the lion pushed forward in a second attack. Drawing back, she waited until the lion was right up on her before slamming her fist into the wall and rolling into the hole she created for herself. Behind her she could hear the lion slam into the door as it overshot its mark. She wasted no time looking at the receiving room she found herself in, instead charging forward and slamming her remaining fist into the wall to create another hole, this one leading to the Daimyo's office.

Silently thanking Sakura for the inspiration, she pushed through the second opening, ignoring the sharp scrape of wood against her skin, as the lion resumed pursuit. She could hear him clawing through the remains of the hallway wall, digging it out until it was large enough for him to fit.

Once within the office, she was stopped dead in her tracks at the sight that presented itself. The Daimyo was pressed up against the wall, arms out as if he had been interrupted mid-flail, the Claw kunoichi immobile as she pressed a blade to his throat. Her head was turned toward Hinata, teeth gleaming as she fixed the intruder with a victorious sneer. Hinata just dropped into her fighting stance in response, her words rising above the din of noise in the hallway as Kisame arrived, ploughed through the fight at the front door, and was now violently engaging the Iwa nin in the hallway.

"Let him go. Your fight is with me."

Instead of outright killing him and taking the brunt of an initial attack from behind, Rei instead dropped the Daimyo to the floor with a loud thud. She turned to face Hinata, sneer morphing to a hungry grin as her victim crawled off with a frightened wimper. Ignoring the loud shouts from the Iwa nin on the other side of the still-closed door, she spoke, her voice sharp as a blade. "I see you survived the attack on your pathetic little village. It's too bad that you made it this far only to die anyway."

Her words seemed to be some sort of signal as a low growl sounded from behind the desk before a silver she-wolf emerged, lips lifted in a snarl, ruff standing tall. She fell silent as she eyed Hinata, then spoke.

"So, Little One, we meet again."

Hinata nodded to the wolf in recognition, not letting her guard drop for an instant as she spoke. "It would seem that your mistress' premonition about her clan was correct."

"Indeed."

Dropping to a crouch in preparation to attack, the she-wolf spared one last sentiment before her eyes grew glassy and wide as she let her fighting instincts rise to the surface. "I am sorry for this."

Jumping to the desk, the wolf sent papers flying as she launched herself straight at Hinata. Surging chakra to her hands, Hinata hit the wolf full in the chest, aiming for the chakra pathways that ran parallel to the electrical current that regulated the heart. The overcharge was invisible, and painless, but the results were immediate. The beast was knocked back by the force of the blow, dropping at Rei's feet, unable to move. With a sigh of regret, Hinata focused her vision on her insides, watching the wolf's heart as it stuttered to a halt.

Anger welling up from being thwarted so easily, Rei gave the body of the wolf a vicious kick. "Worthless mutt."

Incensed by the callous display, Hinata beckoned the kunoichi forward with a snap of her wrist and a retort. "That would have been unnecessary if you would fight your own battles."

"Perhaps," Rei replied, slowly shrugging out of her doeskin coat before drawing a kunai. "But you'll find me a lot harder to put down than a washed up old wolf."

No more words were wasted as the two kunoichi went at it, trading blows and using whatever tricks they could think of that would give them an advantage in such close quarters. The fight was furious and quick, the superior fighter unclear until Rei stepped too far to the side, leaving her flank exposed. Hinata was quick to take advantage, releasing one of her most powerful attacks into the confined space.

The initial blast of chakra shattered the glass in the windows, allowing the unnaturally thick mist that had gathered outside to pour into the room. The Daimyo, who had been huddled under his desk trying to stay out of the way, screamed. Rei was sent flying across the room, hitting the wall before landing next to the forgotten stone lion, who had followed Hinata through the door, but had remained motionless through their battle, watching. For a mere moment there was perfect stillness in the aftermath of her attack. Then the sound of grinding stone filled the air, the lion bounding into action.

She was knocked down before she had time to react. Her wind left her, and too spent from the fight to recover quickly, she lay there wheezing. Pain bloomed in her chest as the lion's paw came down on top of her, his crushing weight literally grinding her into the floorboards. She felt her ribs crack and give way, the pain from the broken bones topped only by the squeezing sensation of unfettered weight on her heart and lungs.

Spots were floating in her vision as she heard the door get blasted from its track, wood, metal and paper flying everywhere. She caught a flash of red hair as the construct's creator came into view for a moment, his face a bloodied mask of unmitigated hatred. Kisame was on his heels, warning the other nin off with a guttural roar. But he was too far away to save her. She was pinned, her chakra useless against her captor, and now too injured to escape even if she was suddenly free.

Staring up into the face of the sightless stone lion, Hinata knew she was going to die.

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A mile away from the location of Wave country's capital, Midori lifted her hand, calling a halt to her team. A bank of mist lay thick over the buildings, tendrils of black smoke intermingling with the white, drifting plumes. Shouting could be heard from within, and a scream or two erupted from some terrified person witnessing whatever was going on. Her second-in-command drew up beside her, his surprise thick in his aura. The others gathered behind them, voices drifting to her in excited whispers.

"What the hell?"

"Is there a battle here?"

"It would seem so."

"We should go back. This is more than we were supposed to encounter."

In a split second, Midori had her katana drawn and pressed to the neck of the shinobi who had spoken. She glared at him through the mask, a sense of satisfaction rolling through her when she heard him audibly gulp. Digging the blade into his flesh, she spoke.

"Mist ANBU, our orders are clear. Hoshigaki is our target, and we aren't to rest until he is dead. He's in there, so that's where we are going. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, Midori-sama."

"I thought not. Let's go." she said, lowering her sword. Turning away, she added with a cruel smile, "And let the kami have mercy on anyone that gets in our way."

There was a satisfied laugh from under one of the blank masks behind her.

Taking a breath, she started forward again, hoping that Kisame knew when to cut bait and run once they were fully engaged with the enemy shinobi. She was starting to get a bad reputation for being unlucky, and if she had to kill off many more of her teammates, even the bravest of Mist's ninja would start refusing to work with her. Resheathing her sword as she ran, she started forming the hand seals for her own mist jutsu.

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Perched on a wide branch high in the sacred tree of the village's shrine, a petite kunoichi with long silvery hair swept her emerald eyes over the panorama of activity below her, tracking anything of interest. Rei and Kisho had already entered the mansion, ahead of schedule she might add, followed by the two shinobi she had encountered in the previous village. The water jutsu was followed by a few minor skirmishes that had broken out in the streets, but the bulk of the fighting had yet to begin. It seems there was a small force of unknown shinobi putting up a resistance. Unplanned, but not unmanageable. Extending her arm out without looking up, she waited expectantly for the silent arrival of her companion. Sharp claws digging into the white leather of her bracer, the snow owl landed, fluffing its feathers in the moist air before settling in. No messages were attached to the thong around his leg, so she maintained her position, eyes shifting back to the village spread out around her. She stroked his chest gently, not even breaking rhythm when she sensed that she was no longer alone, that a ninja far exceeding her level was sitting on the branch just on the other side of the trunk. Exhaling softly, she lowered her arm so the owl could hop onto the branch beside her before she drew her katana and spoke in a low voice.

"You're in the wrong place."

A head peered around the bark at her, giving her a minimal view of his face. His eyes were covered with dark glasses and a black bandana sat snugly on his head, tied in the back. His visible skin was tanned and weathered, a testament to the amount of time he obviously spent outdoors. His lips were thick and smooth, but not unattractive, parting lightly as he spoke. "Am I?"

"Yes. I am merely an observer. The fight is down there."

"Well, it sounds to me like I'm in exactly the right place. It would be rather inconvenient if you saw something exciting and accidentally fell out of your tree... let's say, right on top of one of my allies."

Slowly, the kunoichi lifted her hand to stroke the feathers of her owl again and said nothing.

Taking her silence as an affirmation, he gave her a wolfish grin before turning his attention to the view of the village. He had to hand it to her, she had picked a perfect spot. They were nearly in the very center of the village, and had an unobstructed view on all sides while the branches of the tree they were in concealed both of their positions perfectly. Another fight broke out, this one in front of the inn, and he idly watched as Kay took on her first opponent of the day. Tora was busy further down the street, expertly weilding his katana against a slew of wolves. His companion frowned hard as she studied the scene, but her focus was obviously on her allies and not the feisty ex-nin of Hidden Cloud or the quiet swordsman. He watched her until his gaze disturbed her and she looked at him. Tilting his head slightly, he leaned toward her. "You don't really believe in what your village is doing here, do you?"

"No."

"Then why fight?"

"Because I am honor bound to."

He turned his face away until she was presented with his profile, his features hardening as he spoke next. "There is no honor in this. You are only tainting your own integrity by participating."

She gave him a cold look. "So, what do you suggest I do? Go stray, like some cowardly cur?"

He shrugged and turned to look at her again, her eyes widening as they fell on the slashed headband hanging from a strap on his vest. He smirked as she shifted, torn between standing her ground over the unintended insult or apologizing and seeming weak. "Relax. We could just wait here. It would be the same as being engaged in battle. Two pawns at a stalemate until the fight is over."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise at his words. What he suggested was not only sensible, it belied a pacifism she never would have expected from an obviously seasoned fighter. She nodded slowly, the corners of her mouth tilting up slightly. "Agreed."

Gaining her acquiescence, he smiled again, this one a charming grin that warmed her insides. Unable to help herself in the face of his magnetism, she leaned slightly toward him, her voice maintaining its soft timbre. "What's your name?"

"Hiro."

She was surprised by how quickly he answered, and truthfully as well, until she realized why his features seemed to strike a chord of familiarity with her, and why it would be no danger to him for her to know his name. She glanced at his forehead protector again.

"Hiro from the former Village Hidden in Hot Water?"

"Formerly."

"I have heard of you. What are you doing here?"

"Does it really matter?"

"No."

"Good. It's a boring story anyway."

Silence fell between them as their attention was drawn to yet another fight that erupted a couple of streets over. This one was more intense than the last, bloodlust rising in the air like an invisible tide. Mist filled the streets, heralding the arrival of what could only be ninja from the Land of Water. Hiro shook his head. "Interesting development. I wonder how this will all turn out."

She sighed heavily. "The same way these things always do. With heavy casualties and no clear winner."

He studied the firm set of her lips as she spoke. "You're too good for your village, do you know that? When this is over, you should leave with me."

Half-startled, she locked her gaze on his glasses. "Why?"

He pulled them off, revealing ice blue eyes. "Because I like you. And there are few things in this life that I like."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Well, with two of the major villages involved, the fallout from this incident will be swift and unmerciful. I'd hate to see you suffer for someone else's stupidity."

"Three."

"Three?"

"Yes. Hidden Stone is waiting until the Claw ninja are engaged to move in and back us up."

He scowled darkly. "I see."

"Do you need to go warn your friends?"

"No. They can take care of themselves."

"Are you so sure?"

Hiro gave a small chuckle. "You don't know my friends."

Idly they watched Kay mercilessly and utterly defeat her newest opposition, moving on to her next target with glee.

"One of your friends?"

"Some might say so."

A shout in the distance drew their attention to a group of shinobi entering the remains of the gate. They watched as the newcomers advanced, a mixture of dog ninja and close range fighters. The owl next to her chirred quietly.

"Hidden Leaf and Mist? It looks like everyone got an invitation to the party."

"This does not bode well for my side."

"No, it doesn't."

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Down on the ground, chaos erupted with the hindrance of visibility. The baying of hounds mixed with the more primal howling of wolves and yipping of coyotes.

Kiba perked his head up at the cacophony and spit in the dirt as he withdrew his kunai from an unwary advisary that he dispatched with far too much ease for his taste. "I hate coyotes."

His sister squinted as she looked ahead, trying to make out shapes in the fog as she sniffed the air. "What's Hidden Mist doing here?"

"I'd say they're here for the same reason we are."

"For Hinata?"

"No. For Hoshigake."

"As in, Hoshigake Kisame?"

"The one and only."

"What would he be doing here?"

Kiba snorted. "I have no idea! Does it look like I'm pen pals with the guy?"

Hana eyed her brother suspiciously until he looked away. Giving a matching snort she started forward as her companions finally locked on their next target. "Now the seawater makes sense. They both knew this was coming and arranged for reinforcements."

"I suggest we stop wasting time here. We must advance quickly if we are to find Hinata in time to aid her. Otherwise our presence here will become pointless." Hiashi stated before he silently ghosted into the mist ahead of them, Sakura following closely.

"Translation: More fighting, less talking." Kiba said with a wide grin.

"Just the way we like it. Let's go show them who the Alphas are around here, boys."

With that they jumped back into the fray, slowly making their way to the Daimyo's mansion, one fight at a time.

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Madara stared at the Leaf shinobi as they cut a path through his forces, Sharingan burning, the anger rolling off of him in a dark cloud that had his companion stepping back.

"It would seem that Hyuga Hiashi has escaped." Zetsu stated bluntly.

"Interesting."

"Send in the Stone ninja. Now." Madara ordered, his tone making them edge just a little further away.

"What about us?" Konan asked.

"The Akatsuki shall withdraw. The battle is lost for Hidden Claw."

With a nod of agreement, Zetsu slipped into the ground and headed toward Hidden Rain. Lifting herself above the wet mist on her paper wings, Konan followed suit while Madara disappeared from sight without a sound, the angry chakra discharging from his jutsu leaving a small crater where he stood.

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A/N: So... at long last I finished another chapter. Life has been a chaotic ride since November, a serious illness sapping all of my will to write. But here I am, still determined to carry on. I love this story, but I am so ready to be finished with it, and I'm sure you're ready to find out how it ends. Besides, I have many more stories to share, and I'm impatient to know what you'll think of them. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I rewrote it at least four times.