Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

ᗰOᑎᔕTEᖇ	By : Sessakag Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female > Naruto/Hinata Views: 44706 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Chapter Twenty-One
Shukaku

April 6, 2010

Hinata gazed intently at the forested terrain beneath her, veined eyes moving carefully over rows of trees and lush green grass. Seated atop a dull gray crane, Hinata and her Anbu companions coasted smoothly across the cool blue midday sky, drifting lazily below fluffy white clouds. Having spent the entire night and most of the morning travelling, they’d slowed the summoned bird, Manami, to a crawl half an hour ago, utilizing the Byakugan and sedate pace to scan the vast wilderness.
The flying bird belonged to the female Anbu nin seated next to her. Face hidden behind a feline mask, her sable hair cropped close to her skull, the kunoichi had been assigned to accompany her, along with Sou, to investigate the anonymous tip. After a quick briefing by Shikamaru, the masked woman had identified herself as Eiko. Slightly taller than Hinata and of a more muscular build, the Anbu female was dressed in standard Anbu gear, and sported two short blades strapped to her back.
Hinata swept the area again, pausing when a rocky structure and a distant glow caught her eye. She zeroed in on the cluster of stones, measuring the distance before she spoke.
“There’s a cave five kilometers North,” Hinata informed the group, “ There’s a glowing spring at the bottom.”
“Manami.” Eiko prompted.
The gray crane released a honking call then flapped its wings, propelling the group swiftly towards the spotted landmark. The giant bird glided over the tops of towering trees, the roar of a waterfall reaching their ears long before they passed the cascade of water. Hinata watched closely, tracking movement and searching for enemies lurking near the cave. Her search for adversaries turned up empty, and after a nod of all clear, Manami landed a few feet from the darkened cave entrance. Folding her massive wings along her sides, the gray crane waited patiently as the trio dismounted. Eiko gave the bird a quick pat on the beak before its large body disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“I’ll take point,” Eiko said, “Sou, the rear.”
Situated between the Anbu pair, Hinata followed the female lead into the shadowed recesses of the cavern. The dirt path slopped downward, the hard walls of the cave narrowing and widening at random intervals. They trekked through the cave for the better part of an hour before reaching the glowing spring.
Glittering and vivid spring green, the sparkling water illuminated the open space, casting long shadows that danced eerily and highlighting the black shinobi letter “A” painted high on the ceiling.
“Hinata, can you see what’s at the bottom of the spring?” Eiko asked as she dropped to a knee at near the edge.
Hinata shook her head, the veins around her eyes fading into smooth skin.
“No, my vision is distorted.” she replied, “I can’t see anything.”
“Whatever this is, its not water,” Sou commented as he scooped the liquid in a bear sized palm, “it dissolves too quickly and leaves the skin dry.”
“You think its a trap?” Hinata questioned.
“Most likely.” Eiko stated as she straightened.
Sou grunted in agreement. The burly man formed the signs of a summoning, then pressed his palm to the water’s surface. Smoke cover the surface of the spring briefly before parting to reveal a curved, translucent blob. Surprised lilac eyes widened, moving over the gelatinous aquatic creature with keen interest. The pale blue jellyfish bobbed gently in the glowing liquid, its transparent dome lined with delicate, navy blue lines, and sprinkled with silvery circular globules ranging in size.
“Ginjiro will take us through the water.” he informed the two women.
Eiko made no objections as she wandered over to the silent jelly. Sou, however, turned to Hinata and explained further.
“He’ll be transporting us inside his body. The experience can be…unsettling for someone that’s never been inside before,” he warned, “Stay calm, and don’t panic. His insides are both breathable and harmless.”
A large, slinky tentacle broke the water’s surface. Hinata watched with a small sense of alarm as it wrapped around the dog masked male. Sou uttered not a word as he was lifted, tugged towards the curved head of the creature and sank slowly into its translucent body. Holding back a shiver of unease, Hinata willed herself not to squeak when a different tentacle found its way around her waist. It was felt cold and foreign even through her cloths, its strength frightening as she was lifted effortlessly off her feet. She was pulled towards the umbrella shaped crown where Sou waited, his large body suspended inside the jellyfish. Ginjiro’s body was ice cold and covered in a layer of something slimy. Pressed against the invertebrate bell shaped head, goosebumps pebbled her flesh. Panic tightened her stomach when the jelly parted, the squishy sides slowly engulfing her body.
Chilly.
Jiggly.
Slippery.
Unease skated down her spine.
Her heart slammed against her chest.
Resisting the urge to fight the gooey substance sucking at her skin, Hinata took a deep, calming breath, holding it in as she was absorbed. Submerged in jelly, the nervous Hyuuga was reluctant to release her indrawn breath, fearing lungs full of jelly and subsequent suffocation.
“You won’t be able to hold your breath long enough.”
Sou’s words, coated in a subtle layer of mirth were slightly muffled but clear, piercing through the twisting anxiety that was threatening to erupt into full blown terror.
“Try small breaths,” he suggested, “You’ll get used to it quicker.”
Hinata paused, gathering her courage to take a breath.
Eiko sank into the open space next to her when she finally relented. Her lungs released the air trapped inside before searching for more. Hinata inhaled sharply, the intake small, experimental.
The ensuing sensation was terrible.
It went through her nose as goo, then into her lungs as air. It was the most disconcerting experience of her life and while her body was satisfied with the oxygen filling her lungs, her mind recoiled at the unfamiliar inhalation.
“Let’s go, Ginjiro.” Sou commanded.
Movement wasn’t any better. She felt every single contraction of the jellyfish, the squishy walls squeezing and releasing around her adding to her unease.
Ginjiro swam swiftly through the spring, pulsating along the illuminated liquid. As Sou’s gelatinous summons delved deeper, Hinata adjusted to the weird sensations, her body and mind coming to a truce, one that allowed the wrenching anxiety to drain from her tummy and her lungs to draw bigger breaths.
“There’s another spring up ahead.” Eiko murmured.
A spring within a spring.
Hinata’s stomach dropped as the jellyfish sailed into the round, deep blue water, her world tilting when they landed with a splashed. Dark gray and bright green bubbles floated in the water, bouncing against and off the surface of Ginjiro. A low hum emitted from the creature, the sound sending ripples through the water and in turn pushing the floating orbs away.
“What’s going on?” Hinata asked.
“The orbs, they’re designed to lock us in genjutsu,” Sou explained, “Ginjiro’s repelling the effect.”
The spheres parted, driven away by the humming jelly as he whizzed by. They broke through the booby trapped fluid and splashed through another pool. Inside Ginjiro, the hum stopped, signaling the end of the genjutsu’s influence. They travelled underwater for several minutes before resurfacing inside another portion of the cave. Ginjiro floated slowly to the nearest edge, then expelled the trio from his body, pushing them gently towards the outside as his gelatinous form spread. Once free of the creepy creature, Hinata ran her hands over her bare arms, wiping at the slippery residue clinging to her skin.
“The goo will dissolve in a few minutes.” Sou commented absently as he dismissed the jellyfish.
The surrounding cavern was littered with familiar bubbles, giant clusters skirting the water’s edge and several rocky surfaces. In the middle of the open space was a large pile of rubble, the towering mass covered in more of the glowing spheres. Eiko, also swiping at her skin, wandered over to examine the spheres lining the walls and floor.
“These bubbles are like the ones we passed earlier,” Eiko called over her shoulder, “Careful not to rupture them or we’ll get caught in genjutsu.”
Hinata nodded, taking a step towards the masked female.
The cave rumbled.
Tiny crumbling rocks raining from the roof, the dirt beneath their feet quaking. The group tensed, falling into a defensive stance as a immense crustacean burst from the pile of rocks. Gigantic claws snapping, it’s shell a colorful combination of deep blue, mustard yellow and dull red, the behemoth crab scuttled over the cluster of stones, spewing a stream of bubble laden water.
The trio scattered.
Hinata leaped back, balancing on the surface of spring.
Sou shot across the cave, touching down once before dodging the heavy swing of the crab’s claws.
The cave rocked, boulders crumbling beneath the arthropod’s blows.
Eiko retreated to a nearby boulder, slim hands forming seals quickly as she landed.
“Earth Style: Rock Pillars.”
The brown haired kunoichi pressed her hands to the rock beneath her feet. The cave rumbled moments before a colossal, cylindrical pillar shot down from the high roof. The massive rock crashed, bearing down on the invertebrate, cutting off its next attack mid spit.
Sou reached swiftly into one of the pockets lining his flak jacket, fishing out a scroll. Unwinding the swath of marked paper, the dog masked male made short work of the seal, producing a large, silver plated mallet. Gripping the wooden handle in big meaty fists, Sou hefted the weight with ease, holding the hammer shaped weapon inches from the floor as he sped towards the trapped crustacean. Pinned beneath the weight of the boulder, the crab thrashed, kicking up dust with its spindly legs, spewing bubble water like bullets.
The dog masked nin weaved, evading the bursts of liquid. Closing the distance with a chakra boosted leap, Sou swung the silver mallet, crashing through the tough shell with the force of a train, the flat face of the hammer embedding deep into the space between its black eyes. The crab twitched, then stilled, pointed legs falling limp, giant claws slamming to the dirt. Eiko straightened, jumping down from the rock as Hinata walked across the water and back onto solid ground.
Placing a booted foot against the deceased arthropod, Sou yanked his mallet free, the fatal wound spewing frothy brownish yellow ooze at his feet. Swinging the weapon over a broad shoulder, the masked nin wandered over to the water at their back.
The two kunoichi stood by while he dunked the muck covered head in the water.
Once finished, Sou attached the heavy looking hammer to his back, opting to carry it through the rest of the cave.
The group moved on, traveling further into the cave, leaping from one enormous gray crystal to the next.
Minutes passed before the reached the caverns end.
“Sunlight.” Hinata murmured, voice confused.
The group had travelled down, not up, and yet a few feet away, streaming through a hole surrounded by crystal was a fireball of light. Eiko shot up onto the rim of the hole, Sou and Hinata following a beat after.
“Artificial sunlight.” Sou commented.
They jumped down and onto a wide grassy cliff, gazing off into the vast water surrounding the area. In the distance, seeming to float in the bright blue sky was a large green island.
“What do you make of it, Eiko?” Sou asked.
The masked woman shrugged, hands forming seals as she moved towards the cliff’s edge.
“Let’s find out.” she murmured.
Manami returned in a cloud of smoke and a squawk of welcome.
The three shinobi mounted the crane and set off for the island on the horizon.
xxxxxx
Home.
It was here.
She was here.
Shukaku pressed his ear to the earth, the soothing vibrations of the whispered song a loving caress to his pointed ear. The sandy brown tanuki began to dig, pawing away great mounds of dirt, tunneling his way into the welcoming, familiar embrace of earth. The feathery melody was calling, resonating within his core and coaxing his lumbering body to move. It was a siren’s call. Haunting and enticing. Intoxicating in a way he could scarcely put words to. Soil caved beneath his determined claws, the song growing louder, more compelling the deeper he tunneled.
It was close.
Right beneath his feet.
His beginning.
His end.
The place of his birth.
Mother.
Unable to still the adrenaline pounding through his body, the entrance sand spirit burrowed swiftly through miles of dirt, steamrolling towards the earth’s core. Vibrations hummed, crashing over his ears. Shukaku shivered. The ground felt alive, churning with an awareness that left him feeling alive. Unrestrained and open to the currents flowing up from below. Her melody intensified, sinking into the very grains of sand that made up his body, the sensation foreign.
Painful in its glory.
She was calling him.
He could feel her tugging at the center of his being, pulling on the threads that held him together.
She wanted to be one.
He wanted to be one.
To be home again.
She was crying.
Laughing.
Screaming.
Singing.
The haunting melody laden with the weight of an endless sorrow, buoyed with the gentle caress of joy and burning with the molten pain of hatred.
A pain he knew, a pain he remembered.
Her memories were his, flooding his mind of different time, a different place where she had lived and breathed. A period of profound love and soul crushing betrayal.
The crackle of a barrier clashed against his claws, halting the hulking sand spirit. Impatient, Shukaku reared back before slamming his hands into the obstruction, wailing on the dark purple force field with all his significant might.
It caved beneath the onslaught, fizzling then dissipating.
It hit him a moment later.
The connection.
The choking, loving embrace.
Mother.
The tanuki stilled, listening intently to the words that weren’t words, sounds that filled his stomach with dread and his heart with longing. He was conflicted, uncertain and wavering. Shukaku hesitated, the urge to retreat nearly overwhelming. He tensed, body preparing to vacate the tunnel, to reject the tempting lure of the baying creature. Sensing his withdrawal, she tugged harder, sending vibrating entrancement from the ground, great pulses that slammed through his body, invading ever nook and cranny before settling warmly in his chest.
Shadowy fingers slid over his brain, dragging him into a thick curtain of fog.
It was alright.
Tension drained.
He wanted to go.
Wanted to be one.
She was calling him.
“Mother.” he trilled.
Eager claws met the earth with renewed vigor, parting the earth with great ease, hurtling through the dirt between him and her. Minutes stretched into hours, the drum beat of the song goading him onward like the crack of a whip. Shukaku burrowed with every ounce of strength he had, each scoop of dirt he pulled away shoving him deeper into the abyss.
She was howling now, her voice thundering in his ears, wailing her need, her anger, her joy. Desperate, frantic, he tunneled until his claws again met resistance.
Metal this time.
Metal that ripped like paper beneath his claws.
The groaning of metal was distant to his ears as he pried the pieces apart. Bright light illuminated his face, followed by the overwhelming stench of blood and death. It blasted his senses, the stench one he was all to familiar with.
Rotting flesh.
Human decay.
And beneath it, a fragrance, a scent that clouded his mind, a sweet smell that was everything he had ever wanted.
He peeled the metal roofing away and looked down into the crimson pit. Yellow eyes moved slowly over the fleshy branches reaching out to him, a blackened fruit nestle within the sickly thin limbs. Sticky, melted human bodies quivered beneath thick black veins, pinned around the circumference of the tree’s shiny pink trunk. Blackened blood cover the chamber floor, the thick crimson fluid laden with chunks of flesh and bone, shimmering with ripples of vibrations. His eyes returned to the top, watching the elongated limbs of the tree strain towards him.
It was her.
“Mother.” he whispered.
He dropped down into the pit, viscous liquid splashing at his feet. It was warm, sliding over his skin in a way he’d never felt before.
Alive.
Thrumming with an under current of power.
She was speaking again.
Using words he didn’t know, but words he understood none the less.
He shuffled over, yellow eyes fixated on the branches that were reaching, lengthening as he drew near. Hypnotic tremors blared through the blood, the ripples quickening. The song grew deafening, a screeching wail that was as disturbing as it was beautiful. Fear swept through his big body, terror, the likes of which he’d never experienced paralyzed him.
She was hungry.
The gnawing, aching, soul tearing need to feed crawling over his spine, beating against his head in mind numbing waves…
And then she was soothing.
The melody of the heavens capturing the very core of his being. Reminding him of his beginning.
His end.
The soft touch of the fleshy, sticky branches was frigid. Whispering along the black curving curse seal patterns on his face, stretching over his ears and down his neck. She spoke to him in a hushed tone, murmuring comfort as the gnarled branches began to burrowed. Shukaku flinched, his body tensing to flee. Calm waves washed over him, their warmth silencing the anxiety twisting his gut.
She was taking him back.
Back to the end.
The beginning.
Pain exploded in his limbs, the fleshy branches turned talons, slithering into his body. They attached to him, the skinny ends shifting, hundreds of pinprick needles erupting from the fleshy limbs. It was a pain that was spiritual, the needles hooked into his innerself, lodged within his soul rather than his physical form. The tree quivered, pulsating several times before it began to eat. Weakness rocked his body, the limbs draining his chakra with the force and suction of tornado, draining the life from every grain of sand that made up his body. Agony threatened to drive him to the ground, bone melting fire blazed through his chest. Shukaku struggled to draw breath, to hold himself upright against the tilting of the world. She was speaking, asking him a question over and over again. He listened, battling the thick smog clouding his mind to make sense of what she was saying.
“More?” he repeated.
Confusion flooded.
More?
His mind raced, hurting through memories he’d kept dear to his heart. Faces he cherished.
Hagoromo.
Bunpuku.
Gaara.
Naruto.
His bijuu siblings.
The fog began to fade, reality bleeding into his consciousness. The recent past returning to his mind.
Kurama.
Their argument.
Shukaku strained for the memories, remembering the stupid fox that had insulted his strength, the burning embarrassment that had followed. The fog lifted an inch more, reality becoming clearer.
Kurama.
That’s right, he had to yell at Kurama for making fun of his tail. To show his admired rival that he was just as strong, just as powerful if not more so.
That tails mean nothing.
He was going to give that annoying fox a piece of his mind…
But…
She was whispering.
Repeating the question, demanding his attention.
The cloud returned, blocking out the ray of clarity.
His muddled thoughts honed in on her soft inquires, pain and weakness extinguishing that flare of rebellion, shutting away the memories that would pull him from the haze. He floated back to the bottom.
“Yes,” he murmured, “there’s more of us.”
His body felt tight, brittle.
Dry and flaky.
Cracking.
Something hard hit the ground, shattering on impact. In a daze, hazy yellow eyes looked down at the familiar pointed tip nestled in a pile of tan dust.
His ear.
Broken and splintered at his feet.
He stared down at the piece of his body, watched it disintegrating into a fine powdery sand. Transfixed as his nose joined the pile, splattering, adding to the pile of sand. Crimson blood soaked into the sandy-brown dust.
One last hushed question floated through his mind.
“Eight,” he answered, jaw loosening as he spoke, “Eight more.”
xxxxxx
Naruto frowned, worry creasing his brow as he leapt along the rooftops of Konoha. The concerned blonde sped towards the Hokage Tower, his body moving on autopilot while his mind was occupied else where.
Kurama was upset.
Mourning seemed a better term for the gnawing emptiness and well of sadness seeping from their shared bond. The fox’s emotional upheaval had began several hours after Hinata had left for her mission. On his way to nag Shikamaru for details of his girlfriend’s mission, the fox had proclaim that Shukaku had been “killed”, his chakra dispersed, leaving a shocked Uzumaki dumbfounded. Bombarding the kyuubi with a flurry of questions, Kurama had given short, monotone answers, stating the tanuki was “gone from this world” but would “reform in a few years.” His tone striving for nonchalance while his emotions screamed anything but.
Naruto could see clearly inside the fox’s head.
Could see the source of his pain and knew that, despite his affirmation that Shukaku would return in a number of years, if had indeed lost his life, the hole left behind by the childish, shrilly sand spirit in the interim was something Kurama hadn’t realized would disturb him as strongly as it was now.
Adversarial though the relationship may have been, it was one the fox had grown fond of.
Kurama wasn’t alone in his distress.
Naruto and B had spent the better part of the day with the other tailed beasts, sequestered in Seishin Sekai, standing by as each bijuu took turns reaching out to the missing tanuki, searching far and wide for a hint of his subconscious mind, only to come away from the attempt empty handed and troubled.
Shukaku wasn’t ignoring them.
The ichibi simply wasn’t there anymore.
His presence erased.
There was no pathway to travel.
No avenue to pursue.
No trace of his unique chakra.
Only a vast gulf of empty space where his subconscious trail had once lay, leaving the worried bijuus to speculate that Shukaku had met his “demise”.
Naruto had argued they didn’t have any proof to jump to that dire a conclusion, but in the face of Kurama’s stony silence, and sad head shakes of the other bijuu, his hope of a reasonable, none fatal explanation for the absence seemed flimsy. Killer B and Gyuki had turned the conversation into action, electing to speak to the Raikage about the disappearance and suggested Naruto and Kurama do the same. Leaving the meeting feeling a little more in control, now that they had course of action, Naruto had abandoned his search for Shikamaru in favor of his former teacher.
Kurama’s silence was heavy as they travelled, his sadness reminding Naruto of his own desolation after Pervy Sage’s murder. His heart ached for his friend. He searched his brain for words of comfort, striving to be there for Kurama like Hinata was there for him.
“Kurama,” he murmured, “We’ll find him. I promised if he didn’t turn up that we’d go look for him, and that’s what we’re gonna do.”
‘It’s not your call to make, kid,’ Kurama refuted, ‘You have responsibilities of your own. Dropping everything to search for a bijuu wouldn’t go over well with your Hokage.’
“He’s not just a bijuu, ‘ttebayo.” Naruto negated, “Shukaku’s our friend. Kakashi-sensei will understand.”
‘I’ve little doubt Kakashi will understand. Agreeing to send you off to chase down Shukaku while the country is in upheaval is blind optimism on your part, Naruto.’
Remembering the destruction he’d seen beyond the gates of the village, his duty to the genin in his care, the blonde jonin fought the desire to throw caution to the wind and declare he’d search for Shukaku regardless of his duties. That saving a friend was just as important as saving strangers.
The youthful impulse was tough to swallow.
“We’ll figure it out,” Naruto said instead, “I won’t neglect my responsibilities, but I won’t neglect a friend either. We’ll find out what happened to Shukaku.”
The pair fell silent, sharing their worry wordlessly.
‘Naruto…’ Kurama began after a while, ‘Shukaku will return after some time, saving those that do not have that luxury is more important right now. During the war, you proved yourself an alley of us tailed beasts, you don’t have to go that far again.”
“Thanks, but I’m not trying to prove anything,” Naruto murmured as he landed atop the Hokage tower, “We’re friends, all of us. Tail or no tail, and I don’t ignore a friend that needs help. We’ll find Shukaku.”
xxxxxx
Busy, busy, busy, good Lord. Just have not had time to do much of anything, let alone update. Anyway, I apologize for the wait. The mess I mention in the previous author’s note is responsible so I won’t rehash what’s going on over here.
I’m sure many of you will recognize the location where Hinata and her group is. I wanted to keep some parts of the Last in this story as it relates to Toneri, however bits and piece will shift around to fit in with the story. You’re probably gonna ask so I’ll tell ya now, I’m not gonna say whether or not Shukaku died. You’ll find out what the flip went on there later on. I’m hoping the next chapter is out sooner than this one came out, but its kinda of hard to write while stressed, at least for me it is.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don’t forget to review and I’ll see you in the next chapter.
Laters
~Sessakag
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