Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Break to Breathe	By : Okami-Rayne Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Shikamaru/Neji Views: 1958 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: NARUTO and its respective characters were created and are owned by Masashi Kishimoto. No copyright infringement intended. I make no money from this story.

Chapter List
- 39
- 40
- 41
Warning: LONG. Have your poison at hand. Tea. Coffee. Ciggies. Chocolate. etc.

BREAK TO BREATHE

by Okami Rayne

Chapter Forty

[Dedicated to Edwardmorte3]
"Oh please. If you tell me you can't hide a knife behind a smile, Shikamaru, I'll call you a liar. So tell me you 'won't' do it and I'll call you a coward instead."
Shikamaru tilted his wrist, watching Hibari's blood slosh back and forth in the thin vial he held between forefinger and thumb. Temari's words trickled through the cracks in his focus, darker than blood in their meaning.
He wouldn't have minded being called a coward over a liar. Not this time. But he didn't have the luxury of a choice. Not anymore. Shikamaru's brows tapered into a frown and the deep mahogany of his eyes softened into a brandy glow as they caught the lick of a flame dancing on its wick.
This time around…I'm a liar either way…running or standing still…
"Shikamaru."
His hand stilled its idle see-saw motion until the blood pooled at one end of the vial. The Nara glanced up as two shadows fell across the table, slotting into the dim candlelight that haloed his immediate space.
Aqua-tinged and lavender-hued eyes gazed back at him.
He tucked the vial into one of the pockets of his flak jacket. "You both know what this is about."
The two kunoichi exchanged glances, then settled a joint look of concern on him. He watched Sakura's lips part and press together a few times, barely holding back the urge to voice what he assumed would be a protest. Predicting the upcoming words, Shikamaru arched a brow, prompting her to speak. He was already armed with an answer.
"Shikamaru, I can only ask you one last time," she spoke firmly, but it did little to cushion the concern in her voice. "Please don't do it this way."
Shikamaru's answer wasn't in words. Actions spoke louder – considering they were the only thing keeping his head straight. He set his fingers atop two identical maps, both marked by a red crosses, and slid them over.
The paper whispered across the table.
Hinata took one map without a word, studying the marked zone closely. Sakura, however, simply stared down at the other sheet and her hesitance hung uncomfortably, tensely. Shikamaru flicked his eyes up and the look he levelled on her was so steeled it was disturbing. Pinned by the long, hard stare, she eventually relented, taking up the map to glance over it.
Don't make this harder.
He watched them quietly for a moment. "The signal will be when I ask you to move to the red zone. It's marked on the map. That's where I need it to happen and that's where you'll both be."
Hinata said nothing, which said something.
Shikamaru glanced at her, searching her face for uncertainty or reluctance. He found only resignation and a thinly veiled sadness. Shikamaru quickly averted his gaze, turning his attention onto Sakura. The pink-haired kunoichi, more likely to dig her heels in, made no complaint other than a faint tightening of her brow.
"I understand," she said.
Hinata nodded.
Shikamaru looked to each in turn one final time.
"We'll be there, Shikamaru." Sakura offered a softer tone, which failed to scratch out the concern in her face. But her eyes held her promise. It was stronger than her reluctance.
Shikamaru looked away, stared at the floor for a long, hard moment and then waved the back of his hand across the candle on the table, extinguishing the flame.
The pieces would be in place.
That was all he needed to know.

The teams headed out an hour before noon.
Psyched mentally and physically for the upcoming fight, tension buzzed through veins and hummed around bodies in the cold air of the tunnels. A mix of anxiety and adrenalin; but nerves began to settle as shinobi exchanged banter and glances, offering reassurance and shared strength.
Soon, the teams would part ways.
Collaboration and trust were imperative.
Up ahead, Shikamaru and Hibari took the lead, speaking quietly as they confirmed details. Rather than be privy to the discussion, Neji kept pace with Lee, lengthening his strides accordingly when the other's enthusiasm pushed them to accelerate. Fortunately, no questions had been directed his way, only the occasional glance of concern.
Neji kept his focus channelled ahead.
He moved with purpose, his glazed stare the only indication that his mind was not wholly as present as his body. If Lee noticed he chose not to say anything about it, which Neji would have appreciated if he'd been aware of his own transparency. The only thing he was aware of was the necessity of completing the mission.
This mission cannot fail.
Reiterating this command to every aching point in his chest, Neji pushed onward through the pain. Soon, the ninja procession slowed and the pace lulled to a stop as they neared a fork in the tunnel.
"Nice work," Shikamaru's voice carried from up ahead. "You okay?"
A muffled grunt was the reply.
Neji glanced at Lee and a subtle lift of his chin indicated that they move to the front. Both ninja stepped from the line and swept up to the head of the group where the Konoha team had clustered in a loose ring.
Neji's eye fell to Sakura, crouched by a slumped and grimy Kiba. The Inuzuka had his head tipped back, face smeared with grit and mud. He pinched the bridge of his nose to staunch a nosebleed.
Akamaru nuzzled his jaw.
"You gonna hold up?" Shikamaru stood to the side, hands in pockets, hip cocked and his sharp eyes narrowed as he flicked his gaze over the dog-nin.
Kiba nodded, his free hand patting Akamaru's flank as the dog hovered protectively over him, a growling whine tapering off when Kiba spoke. "Yeah. You guys are good to go."
Shikamaru looked to Sakura. The kunoichi nodded and cupped her hands, administering a surge of curative chakra to Kiba.
"Just hold still," she said.
"Pfft." Naruto planted his hands on his hips, grinning down at the Inuzuka. "What was Hibari sayin' about your face looking funny?"
Kiba extended his middle finger in response.
"Just the kind of camaraderie we need," Hibari muttered, nodding to Shikamaru. "I guess we'll part ways here. Remember, she'll look to attack once she realises it isn't me, so you'll need to move fast."
The shadow-nin nodded imperceptibly. "Yeah."
Neji glanced across at the same moment Shikamaru looked over. Their gazes hit squarely and the pull between them was tectonic. Neji felt it in his blood, in his bones. Like his ribs were shifting; grinding against the force of restraint as he held himself rigid.
Shikamaru's jaw tightened as if in pain. He closed his eyes and turned away first. "Let's get going. Team A and R with me. Everyone keep your radios tuned. Hinata's open to all feeds."
Neji's eyes lingered on him longer than was safe or sane to stare. His gaze was broken only by the shift of bodies as the teams mobilised, the line splitting into two streams of shinobi, each flowing down separate tunnels.
Stay safe, Nara...
He felt Hibari at his shoulder. "Ready, Hyūga?"
Neji's answer was to move.
He fell into step with Hibari, taking the lead of Team T as they headed down the tunnel Kiba had hollowed out. Neji reached into his black-and-tan bag, tugging out a flare that he struck to light their path. The other shinobi followed suit, bringing a sputtering, then blazing illumination to the tunnel.
Neji turned his head as the light bounced off Hibari's sword. The mammoth weapon had been handed back to him by Shikamaru, its jagged, lethal edge polished and glinting. Just the design was a bay for blood; like a living fang.
"You might want to test the weight," Hibari said, turning his head. "In case you have to use it."
Neji arched a brow. "Let's hope that I don't."
"Hope in one hand, keep a real big sword in the other," Hibari joked dryly, glancing back along the line before refocusing ahead. "I don't see why he needed Kitori with him."
Neji shook his head. "He'll have his reasons. Ultimately, if she is of any importance to Ozuku's shinobi then she might present valuable leverage."
"That's what it comes down to, right? Weighing lives against each other."
"It is an inevitable part of what we do," Neji reasoned, holding the flare up and out to the side, letting the abrasive light tear into the darkness, illuminating the path ahead. "Even so, Ozuku appears averse to negotiation."
"Negotiation risks benefitting his opponent, so yeah, that doesn't do his ego any favours," Hibari growled, shaking his head. "It should be me delivering his justice, not you Leaf shinobi."
Neji hesitated at that, sensing a potential problem as he glanced across. "You are, Hibari."
Hibari smiled weakly. "I'm not territorial on this kill, Hyūga, provided it gets done. Just make sure your shinobi keep in mind that he's not as reckless as my old man was. Ozuku is weak in taijutsu, competent in ninjutsu, but strong in genjutsu."
Little surprise there.
"I will keep it in mind."
"Oh yeah, take this." Hibari plucked out a vial from his ninja pouch, handing it over. "My blood, should you need it. There are only so many places it can access, but it's worth a shot if anything else."
"I understand," Neji said, slipping the vial away as he cast a quick glance over his shoulder to ensure the others were keeping pace. "I intend to use whatever methods are necessary."
He sensed Hibari's gaze cut across, no where near as incisive or sharp as Shikamaru's eyes, but narrowed enough to indicate that he was trying to perceive something beneath the surface.
Neji met the look directly, his face like stone. "What?"
Hibari frowned. "You know that flying solo isn't safe or smart."
Neji praised the man's attention to detail with a wry smile. "Your flock mentality, Tsubasa? We operate differently."
"Yeah, I can see that."
"I am the only Jōnin among them," Neji said, lowering his voice, unwilling to argue tactics now that the strategy was in place. "I'm used to flying solo. I have every intention of playing it safe and smart."
"Think your team will agree?"
"They will have no objection."
Hibari snorted quietly. "Your hyperactive kid's tendency to manhandle his own people says otherwise."
Neji almost smiled at that. "How can Naruto possibly object when he didn't hear this conversation?"
Hibari was quiet for a long moment.
"Right. So it's like that."
"Yes," Neji murmured. "It is."

The rustle of food wrappers crackled in the tunnel, followed by a soft grumble about a lack of ramen and real food. "I'm tellin' you, the second we get back, I'm gonna stuff my face. Shikamaru? Want some crackers?"
"Save 'em for your little orange buddies."
"Man, would you shut up with that?"
"Not likely. It's been the highlight of this mission, lovebird."
Shikamaru didn't turn, too engrossed in his thoughts to register any chatter beyond the sphere of his own skull. A lack of sleep hadn't helped. Barely rested, he was functioning solely on intellectual focus. Maintaining it was critical so he'd tuned out most of the surrounding company, keeping his attention on Isuka as the vet led them along the tunnel. She'd confirmed that the passageway led into the basement of the veterinary building – which would grant them access elsewhere.
As Hibari's supplier for medical provisions, Isuka had been supporting the rebels for months, keeping up a steady trickle of equipment and medicine. Given her profession, she had more leeway and control than any doctor in the village, as vets were highly prized and praised individuals amongst the bird loving folk of Hanegakure.
"We're almost there," Isuka informed.
Sure enough, the tunnel began to tilt at an incline, hinting that they were close to approaching the surface. Isuka paused and touched a finger to her lips, denoting quiet.
Hush fell and the line of shinobi grew still.
Shikamaru gestured Hinata forward. "We need a surface check."
Hinata nodded, blinking once as the veins around her temples pulsed. The Byakugan flared and her eerie eyes turned to the roof of the tunnel, searching the basement above.
"There are six people. Their hitai-ate are around their arms and…" Hinata cocked her head, "they are wearing medic coats."
Isuka smiled, waving away Shikamaru's frown. "They're my people, Shikamaru-san. It's alright."
The shadow-nin nodded, touching Hinata's shoulder to draw her focus down. "Let's go."
Team A and R filed out behind Isuka, scaling a ladder that led to the surface. A hatch door was drawn back, pooling light down along the ladder. Shikamaru squinted, his eyes adjusting to the shift in brightness as he stepped up into the large room. The florescent flicker of cheap lighting cast a harsh, abrasive glow around the place, which was clearly used for storage.
He heard the hiss and struggle of movement behind him and turned in time to see Kitori slung unceremoniously over Naruto's shoulder as the Uzumaki climbed the ladder to the surface.
"Why am I always carrying people?" he muttered, narrowly avoiding her knee to his face. He dropped the gagged and bound Tsubasa woman on her ass atop a crate of birdfeed.
Kitori's eyes cut across to Shikamaru, narrowing dangerously.
He offered no response and waited until both teams were above the surface and the hatch to the tunnel closed. The dull thud of the door was like a judge's mallet calling for order. The group stilled, rebels standing to attention while Naruto lounged against a crate and Kiba draped himself on Akamaru's back.
The two teams were quite an antithesis.
Shikamaru looked from his relaxed comrades to the regimented stance of Hibari's people. Kitori caught his eye, a condescending edge to her glare as she observed Naruto and Kiba with distaste.
Shikamaru smirked then, a sharp quirk of his lip.
It was arrogant and belittling assumptions just like Kitori's that gave the Konoha shinobi an edge. A reluctant leader he may have been but Shikamaru knew his comrades strengths and weaknesses as individuals, regarding them not as a block of cloned fighters – but as unique players.
The one-flock formation and one-fighting-body mentality didn't apply to them.
Shikamaru knew this and used it to the advantage of his strategies. He'd sooner play people to their strengths, rather than force them into one category of attack, which would only limit possibilities and flexibility in battle. In some cases, one-formation worked, usually in defence. But he had powerful players and it was better to utilise their intrinsic natures rather than work against their grains. Acknowledging people for their strengths despite their weaknesses had earned him unshakeable respect and friendships.
And now it might cost me both…and more…
Knocking aside the distracting thought, Shikamaru moved to the centre of the group with Hinata, his gaze scanning the two teams. "Everyone knows their positions."
A collective nod interspersed with murmurs.
"Team R, keep the timing tight, but don't stick around to get caught. We need you moving at all times to keep them on their toes." Shikamaru paused, but was met with no questions. "When Hibari's part is done, you'll be given the signal to sweep and regroup."
He searched the rebel's faces and found only resolve and sobriety. They were ready.
He looked to his own team. "Naruto, Kiba. Isuka's people will get you two beneath the barrier jutsu. It will hold out for as long as you can now that Hibari's people have those pills. When you move make every distraction count."
Kiba propped his chin on Akamaru's head, scratching his dog's neck with a smile. "Oh we'll make it count alright. I'm not letting the pint of blood I just lost go to waste."
"Whiner," Naruto snickered then shot a grin that rivalled the watts of the florescent lighting. "No sweat, Shikamaru."
Just blood and tears…
Shikamaru glanced at Hinata next, frowning a little. "The rebels will make sure you've got a safe spot to observe from." He paused for a moment. "I'm counting on you, Hinata."
Hinata read his meaning and tipped her head. "I understand."
The ring of inevitability was clear to them both.
One shot. That's all I've got.
Failing didn't enter into it. It couldn't. His nod was the unspoken cue. The two teams moved automatically, Naruto and Kiba following one set of Isuka's people while Hinata and Team R followed another. This left Shikamaru standing as alone in body as he'd been in mind for the past few hours. He stared at the floor as he turned over the last few details in his head.
"Shikamaru-san?" Isuka interrupted his thoughts, her skinny arms folded across her chest as she glanced at Kitori. "What do you want us to do with her?"
I couldn't care less…
The Nara slid his gaze across, studying the kunoichi out the corner of his eye. "For now, just put her somewhere she can't interfere."
Kitori lifted her head, muffling something into the cloth of her gag. Shikamaru arched a brow, deciding to humour her one last time. He moved over to hook a finger into the cloth, loosening it enough for her to speak.
Without warning, she rocked forward to the edge of the crate.
Shikamaru was faster, drawing his head back before her lips could smack his in a twisted parody of a kiss.
With their faces set close, the tension turned dangerous.
Kitori clucked her tongue, her earlier fear eradicated as she slipped into her viper's skin, venom in her crooning tones. "You poor boy, he has you all tied in knots."
Shikamaru stared back, his expression carefully blank. "Funny you should say that, considering you're the one who's gagged and bound."
"Oh but there are crueller things to be bound with and bound to, Shikamaru," she returned softly, the gentle tone mocked by the hard set of her face. "The bonds that bind us to others, for instance."
Shikamaru resisted the urge to draw back, not that he could put enough distance between himself and those words even if he tried. He grabbed his restraint with a mental fist, muscles drawn tight against the urge to react.
It was a calculated hit he knew she'd take. It shouldn't have riled him. But it did.
Stupid. Don't fall for this mind game crap…
His jaw tightened and the anger he emitted warned her off without a word.
Kitori leaned back and smiled thinly, her bloodshot eyes like rusted steel. "I'll pray for you, Shikamaru."
The shadow-nin turned away. If he'd thought a prayer from this woman would change anything, he might have told her she was already too late.

Two minutes to noon an eerie hush fell upon the birds of Hanegakure.
Their cacophony of song gave way to a deep and chilling silence; a shift that stopped the Hanegakure shinobi mid-march as they patrolled the parapets of the aviary.
This silence was the only warning they had.
Because two minutes later, the first explosion hit.
A plume tore up from the ground outside the aviary, showering rock and hurling grit onto the dome of the massive bird enclosure, clattering and rolling off the great sphere. The thunder of the blast was nothing compared to the chaos the birds flew into, their silence torn apart by a united scream of terror and the instinctive urge to escape the source of it.
The shinobi had barely deployed a response unit before the second explosion hit, smaller than the first, but no less disruptive as it struck a short distance from the first. And like a chain reaction, a series of bombs tore up the outskirts of the aviary, ripping up the ground in perfect coordination.
The haze of smoke and dust rode the breeze like a mantle. It fell over the aviary, dragging a veil of heat and obscurity across enemy eyes, dividing attention between scattered forces as they sought to respond both to their birds and to the threat they couldn't detect.
Reinforcements were called in, spreading commands across ranks like wildfire. The flames of the explosion spread faster, the ruined ground belching up smoke.
Shikamaru surveyed the damage from the narrow window of the veterinary, fingers resting at his mic. Right on time, the static crackled at his ear.
"They're moving," Hinata's voice broke through. "Two minutes."
"And counting," the Nara murmured.
They'd better make it.
Two minutes later, a fresh ring of explosions struck the circumference of the village, the wide berth allowing for the fire to wash across uninhabited ground, eating up autumn-stained foliage. The plumes crested high, throwing smoke and flame across the canopies, choking the boughs and streaking a mist of black across the raised platforms where shinobi guards lost their advantage of viewpoint and security.
It raised a fresh alarm that Hinata relayed down the transmission.
"Shikamaru-kun, their forces are dividing…they're moving to stop the flames…"
As predicted – not that the enemy had a choice. With the number of trees, a forest conflagration would be imminent unless they intervened.
Shikamaru hummed with quiet respect, moving away from the window.
Team R didn't disappoint.

The explosions rolled like thunder above the surface, causing dust to fall like powder in the cramped passageway of the tunnel Kiba had hollowed out.
"Sounds like the ball is rolling," Hibari murmured, waving a hand in front of his face to dispel the dust.
Not yet it isn't.
Neji felt the grit settle on his lashes and blinked it away, resisting the urge to activate his Byakugan. He already knew what lay above them. Even so, he couldn't ignore the fact that if Kitori hadn't already shown him the Temple, it would have been an entirely different situation.
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the weight of the scythes strapped to his back.
The second round of explosions was the signal.
Hibari stroked his palm across the flat of his jagged sword and the steel purred beneath his touch, a series of symbols emblazing across it at the sweep of his fingers. Chakra charged the weapon, casting a brilliant sheen across the blade.
"Wow," Sakura said quietly, squinting against the glow.
Hibari offered a weak smile. "Gets the job done."
Neji glanced at the roof of the tunnel. "Now would be the time to illustrate that."
The redhead smirked, backed up a pace, readjusted his grip on the sword and stabbed upward in jerk. The blade pierced the roof of the tunnel smoothly, like a knife through skin rather than stone. But it was the chakra pulse which burst from the charged steel that blew the ground apart, incinerating the flak.
"Go!" Hibari roared.
A moment later, Chōji was above the surface, a loud shout heralding his jutsu.
Neji's lip curved slightly.
Now the ball was rolling.

Ugh. Karma.
The smoke clogged Shikamaru lungs, causing his eyes to water and sting. Wearing Isuka's veterinary goggles would have been preferable, if his vision hadn't been twice as impaired by the prescription.
And I give Asuma crap about cigarettes…
Passive smoking and the random drags Shikamaru had taken to create his makeshift clouds paled in comparison to the massive smog he'd created this time.
Sensei…you haven't got shit on this…
Drawing some measure of strength from the thought of Asuma's unerring, if not troublesome, amount of faith in him, Shikamaru pushed forward and honed his focus.
Just keep moving.
"Stay close!" Isuka shouted above the roar of birds and the shouts of shinobi struggling to maintain order.
Shikamaru followed at her heels, one arm raised against the waft of smoke, his eyes fixed on the flap of her white vet's coat. He wore a similar one, kitted in the same veterinary gear as Team R had been. They slipped between enemy ranks, Isuka flashing her authorised pass as Chief Vet as they made a beeline to the entrance of the aviary.
A line of shinobi guards barricaded it.
Isuka veered right, directing Shikamaru up along a fire-escape and into a cage lift. It scaled directly to the upper tier of the aviary and into an observation room. Once inside, she bolted the door behind them and immediately moved to access the entrance that led to an enclosed walkway. It was a path that ringed the entire dome of the aviary, stretching further than two walks around the village.
"Hold it," Shikamaru halted her, shedding the white medic coat as he stepped up to the observation glass, watching the tornado of feathers and wings orbit the aviary in vicious circles. "Wait for the signal."
He watched the mounting tension of the birds with growing unease that didn't register on his face. "You sure this bird is gonna scent blood with all this crap going on?"
"Oh she'll scent it alright." Isuka smiled, tapping her nose. "Like a shark."
Shikamaru tugged out the vial that made him the bait.

"Now!"
Neji hit the ground running, keeping directly behind Hibari as the Tsubasa swung his sword as if harvesting crop. Chakra pulses burst from it like unseen boomerangs, knocking aside the ring of enemy ninja, breaking up the line with a sickening crack of bone and armour. Three bodies plummeted to the lower level of the village.
"Neji! Left!" Hinata's voice burst through his mic.
Neji ducked a stream of kunai and shuriken, the quill-shaped knives lodging into the ground as he swept by. He advanced toward the green dome of the Temple, fighting every instinct that pushed pressure into his head, urging him to use his dōjutsu.
No.
He skidded smoothly onto the stone apron leading up to the doors, spun on his heel in a graceful pirouette and cracked a kick into the jaw of a running shinobi, flooring the man in a heartbeat. He spun another revolution, twisting into an aerial kick that knocked an enemy's head into the ground.
Neji landed in a crouch, raising up only to sway.
Dizziness swept it, taking him longer to regain his balance.
Not now.
He blinked hard and turned right, flicking out three shuriken. He watched them whisper into the fray. One bit into an enemy's throat in a quick kill, the second skittered off the stone and the third struck a man in the forehead.
Neji's eyes narrowed, temples pounding, veins pulsing.
Denying his dōjutsu left him more open than he dared to be with this much smoke and chaos. He checked the periphery and hopped back beside Hibari.
"Neji-niisan, above you!" Hinata warned.
He glanced up as a group of shinobi guards dropped down from the canopies, breaking into a dead run towards the stone platform.
The enemy were seconds too late.
Chōji bulldozed the ground between them and the apron.
Neji and Hibari leapt back a pace, watching as the Akimichi orbited the Temple like a red planet, smashing a trench into the surrounding area until he'd created a moat around the sacred site.
"CHAAA!"
Sakura flew in from the side, a violent swing of her fist sending three shinobi smashing into each other domino style. She waited for Chōji to roll past before leaping over the makeshift moat to join Neji and Hibari on the other side. She ran across the stone apron, tugging out kunai. Chōji continued to circle, keeping the enemy at bay as Lee backed him up, cutting down any that tried to jump over the trench.
Neji turned to Hibari, exchanging a sharp nod. "The decoded symbols, do you need to see them again?"
"I know them like the back of my hand, Hyūga." The Tsubasa smiled, turned, and slashed his palm across his blade without a flinch.
Across the stone apron the massive Akimichi boulder rolled out of the ditch, tearing on down the bridge leading up to the Temple, scattering enemy reinforcements.
Neji's fingers flew to his mic. "Lee! Now!"
On command, Lee sprung to the edge of the created moat and launched into a sprint, simultaneously reaching into a bulging artillery belt strapped around his waist.
Terracotta orbs flew from his hands as he ran.
They struck the moat and ignited.
The trench filled with a river of fire, sloshing flame like lava as the toad oil flared, creating a defensive, blazing ring around the Temple.
That takes care of the enemy outside.
Which left six ceremonial guards penned in with them.
Neji turned to face them, watching ninja move to block entry to the Temple doors, their long spears tapping the apron in a calculated and menacing calm, sending a rough clang across the stone.
"Great." Hibari dripped blood, clenching his torn fist with a grunt. "Probably should have slashed my hand after this part."
"There's no time to waste," Neji said, sliding his right foot back a pace as he raised his palm upward and out. "We'll break the line. Hit the centre with your sword and in the best way possible, don't stop bleeding yet."
Hibari snorted. "Not a problem."
"Sakura," Neji said.
Sakura stepped up beside him, aqua eyes flashing as she twirled two kunai in her fingers, already crouched to spring. "Right."
Neji gauged the faces of the enemy, glimpsing the barest hesitation in one of the guards who blinked a little too quickly. It was all he needed. Weakness found.
Exploit it.
"Sakura. Crosscut and take right. Move now!"
The kunoichi dashed left the second Neji sprung right, both moving towards the centre of the line – a few yards from closing they cut across each other, briefly throwing the enemy into confusion as they switched paths and veered hard towards opposite ends of the line rather than the centre.
The nervous guard reacted first, prompting the line to respond the second he broke team. Spears scraped against stone as a trio of guards turned left and right to counter the attack to their flanks.
The line split, leaving the centre open.
One man tried to close it – too late.
Hibari hit it hard.
The shockwave of chakra lifted two men from their feet, slamming them into the doors. The ripple spread and smashed into the backs of the other four, throwing them into Neji and Sakura's attacks.
Neji jumped, kicked off the wobbly thrust of a spear and cracked his knee into the side of one guard's head, pitching the man into the Temple wall. Touching down into a duck and roll, Neji came up behind the other guard in an instant.
As he spun to face the enemy, his vision spun faster, ceasing to stop when his body did. The dizziness disoriented him, forcing him to fall back a pace. A pace was all it took for the guard to close distance.
The spear shot through the air, straight at Neji's head.
"Neji!" Hinata's voice screamed down the mic.
He didn't hear her.
A sharp screech of metal rent the air.
Sparks danced before his eyes.
The point of the spear glanced off Hibari's blade, which came between Neji and the strike seconds before impact. The pole of the spear snapped under the reverberation, leaving the guard to gape in shock. Before he could backpedal, Neji stepped up and smashed the heel of his palm into the enemy's nose. The man howled and dropped.
Sakura sent another sprawling across the stone. "We're clear!"
Neji stood rigidly to keep from swaying, blinking spots from his vision as the vertigo settled.
Breathe.
He heard Hibari sheathe his blade with a scrape.
"You're not using your dōjutsu," the redhead said, his voice rising above the din of battle.
Neji froze at the tone and scowled, his shoulders squaring as he sucked in a sharp breath. When he turned back towards Hibari, his face was devoid of expression. He cocked his head towards the door, not deigning the Tsubasa with a response, just a redirection.
Hibari pursed his lips but held his tongue, moving after Neji towards a lacquered slab mounted beside the stone doors. It was protected by an intricate iron-like grille.
Neji frowned.
Damn.
Sakura glanced at the casing as Hibari reached behind his back.
"We should be able to—!" Sakura cut off in a yelp as Neji jerked her back.
Hibari's sword swung down and split the grille in a violent crack.
The casing fell open in a clatter.
Neji arched his brows, releasing Sakura.
Well, whatever works.
The kunoichi scowled, waving her hand towards the ruined lock. "That could have had a backfire seal, Hibari!"
Hibari sheathed his sword. "We're still alive. Guess it didn't."
Sakura scoffed, smacking a hand to her hip. "There was a way to do it without being reckless," she scolded.
Hibari looked at her askance and his grey eyes lightened.
"I've seen you give that blond kid some reckless treatment, so I'm just complimenting your style. Imitation is flattery, Sakura." He looked her over with a smile. "Besides, I don't think my words would do such a pretty face justice. And you know how I feel about justice."
Neji shot Hibari an incredulous look.
You have got to be joking…
Sakura's eyes widened and she flushed, folding her arms as she struggled between angry embarrassment and reluctant pleasure at the compliment. Hibari smiled, some of the hardness falling away from his eyes. Neji, utterly unimpressed with the brazen and inappropriate flirting, cleared his throat and rapped his knuckles against the stone door.
"Time and place, Tsubasa," the Hyūga said pointedly. "This is not it."
Hibari shrugged and smacked his palm onto the lacquered slab, drawing decoded symbols with his finger using the blood from his hand. He placed his palm flat, uttered a quiet incantation and on command the loud groan of the doors signalled their opening.
Perfect.
Neji turned, stretching one arm behind his back to hook his fingers into the loops of the aerodynamic scythes. He paced to the right and Hibari and Sakura moved to flank him. The trio advanced carefully, the shadows of the doors sweeping over them like huge black wings. The noise beyond the Temple seemed to fade like distant thunder, leaving only the transcendent hum of power within the massive dome.
It practically radiated out onto the stone apron.
As they edged past the threshold, Neji felt the weight of chakra hanging heavy in the air, strong and pulsing – like a heartbeat. It was soothing and disturbing all at the same time. The raw potential for sublime or sinister intent – as was the case with most forbidden jutsu.
Hibari hesitated suddenly, almost dropping back a step.
Neji glanced over his shoulder, noting the flash of pain and anger tearing across the redhead's eyes. Given that his sister had been held prisoner here, Neji could hardly fault his conflict.
"Tsubasa?"
Hibari shook off the emotion that had gripped him. "I'm fine."
Neji nodded fractionally and raised a hand to his transmitter. "Hinata?"
"I can see you. But I…it's murky…the chakra energy is intense…"
"Can you clarify the direction of the scroll chamber and the experimentation rooms? Are they where Kitori said?"
"I'm searching…"
A pause held, during which Neji observed the surrounding shrine. The Temple floor was a shimmering mosaic, one which caused illumination to bounce off the ground and criss-cross the interior. These beams of falling light reflected back up to the domed ceiling in altering shades, adding an illusion of an underwater forest, rich with sea green hues shot through with emerald, jade and olive.
Incredible.
The walls were intricate murals, paying homage to the feathered denizens of Hanegakure's sky. The designs swirled up to the roof of the dome, where the most praised bird of all marked the apex of the Temple.
Kin-Washi – the Golden Eagle.
Neji could not deny the Temple's beauty – or the exquisite complex of its design.
A sacred site turned into a sacrificial cage.
Neji frowned, his focus honing on the centre of the floor. A large space had been cleared for ritual purposes and six shinobi casters sat in a circle. Two were children. Their heads were bowed, hands clasped, lips moving in tandem to shape a mantra.
The jutsu…
Neji scanned the formation, looking to the centre of the chanting circle.
Ozuku was missing.
Static sputtered at his ear. "Neji-niisan, it's like Kitori said…"
"Understood," he replied, looking towards the back of the Temple, where a corridor led to further chambers on either side. "Sakura, cover Hibari. When I hand you that vial be ready to evacuate any children or casters."
Sakura tore her gaze away from the caster circle. "But Neji…where is Ozuku?"
Neji straightened at the question, but didn't answer, his eyes flicking around.
"He's hiding like the gutless bastard he is," Hibari growled, his eyes shifting to the Priest's pulpit, stationed to one side of the Temple. It was also empty.
Neji's jaw tightened, his arm still stretched back. The hook of his fingers gnarled into the loops of the scythes. He took a step forward as he raised his free hand, touching the mic at his throat to speak quietly.
"Hinata, how long?"
"Team R…running low…you…ten minutes…" came the fractured response.
One thing was loud and clear; time was slipping.
Neji closed his eyes, weighing options.
We don't have time for this cat and mouse game…
"Neji?" Sakura pressed, urgency cresting her tone.
Gods forgive me if I'm wrong.
The Hyūga drew a long, measured breath through his nose, filtering calm into every muscle. When he released the soft stream of air, it was like he breathed out something else as well, because when his eyes slipped open, the opalescent orbs were disturbingly hard.
"Hinata, tell Shikamaru to move…"
Sakura jerked her head up in surprise, eyes wide. "But Neji we—"
"Do it now," Neji said.
"That's not your Nara's game plan, Hyūga," Hibari warned, matching Sakura's confused expression. "We haven't found Ozuku yet."
Neji angled a chillingly calm stare at the redhead.
The look had Hibari frowning. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Weighing lives, Tsubasa," Neji uttered, looking to the circle of casters. "Just like you said."
"What?"
Neji's fingers flexed sharply behind his back.
Hibari caught the movement too late to stop it. "No!"
By the time the redhead lunged, Neji's arm was already outstretched and the scythes were already flying – sailing in a lethal dance straight towards the ring of helpless casters.
Sakura's eyes flew wide.
"RUN!" she screamed, hand reaching towards them even as she bolted to intervene.
Neji caught her around the waist.
She spun to strike him but the punch never connected.
Neither did the scythes.
A shower of sparks exploded across the distance and the scythes came spinning back towards them. Neji caught Sakura's fist and pulled sharply, flooring her to safety behind him.
She rolled across the ground, coming up on her knees. "Neji!"
Neji had to no time to react.
Hibari reached him first.
The Tsubasa's blade punched forward and the chakra pulse knocked the weapons off course. They spun away to skitter across the mosaic floors, hitting the dome walls with a reverberating clang.
Then silence.
Neji straightened slowly and turned, glancing past Hibari, who stood with a look of unadulterated hate blazing in his grey eyes. But he wasn't looking at Neji. The ring of casters continued to chant and in their previously vacant centre stood a figure draped in velvet robes, arms outstretched, the cowl of his shroud tossed back.
A mockery of salvation…
Neji raised his jaw just as the Priest raised his head.
Opal eyes locked on orbs as cruel and black as the smile that accompanied the deep and sonorous baritone.
"Why Hyūga, it would appear you've brought me my wings."

"Shikamaru-kun…Now!…"
Shikamaru was out the door before Isuka could close it behind him.
He tore along the caged walkway of the aviary, keeping close to the wall of the dome and away from the steel mesh that separated him from the flocking chaos beyond.
Birds crashed into the caging, screaming and flapping.
The Nara pressed on, feeling every reverberation of the steel through his sandals even though he couldn't hear the clang of metal above the mayhem. Even the damn walkway was juddering, given the amount of birds ramming into it in their panic.
Time to do this.
Shikamaru reached for his transmitter, screaming down the line. "NARUTO!"
He upped his pace and trusted Hinata to relay the message in case it didn't carry, keeping his eyes on the bedlam beyond the steel mesh. Then shadows broke up the light streaming in from the top of the aviary dome, creating a dappled effect like rainwater running upwards.
Shikamaru looked up.
Shadow Clones ran up along the aviary dome outside, like orange and black ants racing for the summit. He couldn't hear the panic outside, but he could imagine it. Somewhere in the distance, another round of bombs hit.
Shinobi guards distracted. Now.
Shikamaru skidded to a halt, tearing out a strip of bandage. Inching closer to the steel mesh, he reached into his flak-jacket and tugged out the vial of Hibari's blood. Another bird smashed into the caging, talons fighting to get a grip before it was whipped away by the wind of wings and feathered bodies.
Shit.
Shikamaru shook the vial, thumbed off the stopper and dribbled the blood onto the bandage, letting the fabric soak up the vital fluid. Taking up the bloody strip, he looped it into the steel mesh and tied it like a thin flag, jerking his wrists to tighten the knot.
The strip fluttered wildly, like a streamer in a storm.
Somewhere in the deafening din of squawks and shrieks and terrified song, came the sole and piercing cry of a winged majesty. Just the sound caused a stir in the pandemonium of birds, causing flock formations to shift.
Here we go.
Shikamaru stepped back, raised his hands to hover close – and waited.
God, don't let me miss…

"Those eyes miss nothing, do they?"
Neji kept his silence, allowing Ozuku's question to remain rhetorical, rather than to consider the honest answer.
I'm fighting blind…
"Neji…" Sakura said, coming to her feet to stand beside him.
Hibari moved to his other shoulder. "Want to warn me the next time you do something insane like that?" the redhead growled. "What just happened?"
"The casters are vital for his jutsu," Neji explained beneath his breath. "Targeting them forced his hand. It was only logical to assume he'd protect them."
"And if he hadn't?"
Neji didn't answer. He kept his focus ahead. He couldn't afford to take his gaze off Ozuku or his mind off the objective – not for a second.
"Sakura, get ready to cover Hibari. The second he's in position head for the end chamber on the left."
Sakura looked across, her fists raised, one hand clutching a kunai. "Alright."
Neji nodded and eased forward, indicating that Sakura move left as Hibari moved right. Working in tandem, the trio took slow, measured steps, forcing Ozuku to divide his attention between them.
Across the Temple, Ozuku lowered his hands, the thick folds of his robe falling like blue-black ink across his arms. His dark gaze slid across their line, alighting briefly on Hibari. A cunning edge came to the Priest's eyes and his voice dripped with the rich and practised tones of a politician courting power.
"Fraternizing with your sister's killer, Hibari?" Ozuku tipped his head in reproach. "Gods above, this is certainly a stain on your ideals of Justice."
Hibari's eyes narrowed and his knuckles blanched from the grip on his sword.
Neji caught the shudder that ran along the blade. "You know his words are designed to enrage you. Don't fall for it."
Ozuku chuckled then, the sound deep and indulgent, as if humouring children. "Because revenge is such a long way to fall, isn't it?" The Priest smiled thinly, his dark gaze directing itself onto Neji. "But you didn't come here to fall, did you, Hyūga?"
Something in Ozuku's tone stopped Neji short. The light around them had begun to change, the mosaic floors reflecting the eerie shifts of green like a kaleidoscope.
The whole Temple seemed to shimmer and shiver.
Illumination sparkled off the mosaics.
Neji felt the instinctive twinge of his dōjutsu, itching to read the change in the air.
No.
"You came here to fly, didn't you? Let's see how well you fair." Ozuku raised a fist, touched two straightened fingers to his lips and smiled. "Ninja Art, Ghost Flock."
If the title of the jutsu didn't set Neji on edge, the sight of a flock of skeleton birds tearing into existence was enough to do it.
The Hyūga's eyes widened.
He danced back a pace, whipping out kunai with rapid snaps of his wrist to send them in a lethal stream toward the approaching flock. Some struck true, knocking the birds back in a rattle but not stopping them. One weapon sliced through the ribcage of a bird and flew out the other side harmlessly.
Neji hissed a breath.
There was no flesh to attack on these creatures, just bone and cartilage.
He cannot control dead birds. This is genjutsu…
Which meant a chakra pulse would shake it, if the stream was strong enough. Neji backpedalled with Sakura in toe, tracking the approaching flock through narrowed eyes.
"Hibari! Use your blade!"
Hibari nodded and arched his arm, sending a chakra pulse boomeranging towards the phantom flock. The wave of chakra flowed, wobbled and broke into nothingness as if shattering on the air.
"Shit!" the redhead roared.
Neji didn't have time to register what had happened.
The flock were on them.

Where the hell is this god damn bird?
Shikamaru's eyes flicked back and forth rapidly, searching the whirlwind of wings. The strip of bandage fluttered wildly, battered by the ever-growing current as the birds spun faster in their domed cage.
This isn't working, dammit!
Shikamaru stepped forward with a growl, scowling at the clawing noise and the lash of air that whipped and whistled through the mesh. He reached for the strip of cloth and made to pick loose the knot.
Something crashed against the steel mesh.
Pain split his skin, as sharp as the shrill cry at his ear.
"Shit!" Shikamaru jerked back in shock, his heart slamming into his throat.
Golden eyes stared back at him, a powerful head cocking as thick, hooked talons gnarled into the steel lattice of the fencing, almost crushing it. The bird flexed its wings, displaying rich, black-brown plumage – bar the golden nape and crown.
The eagle looked deep into Shikamaru's eyes and gave another piercing scream.
Shikamaru only took a moment to be impressed before he was pissed. He waved his hand to shake off the sting and blood, scowling at the deep gash carved into the back of his hand. He shook his head at the bird, straightening away from the wall.
"Thanks for that," he muttered, bringing his hands together in a familiar sign. "Sorry for this."
The eagle cocked her head the other way.
She spread her wings to fly, but the shadows were faster.

It was no illusion.
The birds – or at least their lifeless carcasses – were real.
They cannot bleed, but they can break.
Neji planted his right foot and hooked his left in a kick that sent a skeleton bird crashing into the wall of the Temple. Its wing cracked in a dry snap, leaving it to turn useless circles on the ground.
Neji turned to strike again.
He tilted his head back just in time.
Bone-claws raked across his headband, drawing sparks.
The side of his palm smacked into the creature's ribs, knocking it away as he regained his balance and distance, moving swiftly to dodge and dance around the endless swoop of attacks. He hadn't stopped moving or calculating since they'd hit.
Never stopping, he dropped low, ducked another stream of birds and rose in an instant, sweeping his right foot high over Sakura's head, scattering the birds that dived for her. Bone fragments fell like hail, clattering noisily against the mosaic floors.
Think!
Ozuku was controlling them with chakra, that much was certain. But as to how he was able to coordinate this massive skeletal puppet show was impossible without some network of multiple chakra strings. But the rate at which the birds were moving and the varied directions made it impossible to orchestrate.
If the chakra isn't being streamlined to each bird…then…it can't be the birds…
A few paces away another group swooped in on Hibari. The redhead swung his sword out, smashing a chakra pulse from the blade. But once again, the wave of chakra only got so far before it broke and dissolved. Neji noticed it this time.
Gods…it's not the birds he's controlling…it's the air they're flying in…
But there was no hint of wind chakra.
Think!
Frustrated, Neji launched into an aerial kick and battered two birds aside - they hit the ground in a shatter of bones. He landed on his toes and sprung into a back flip, righting himself only to cartwheel left and roundhouse his foot into an oncoming attack. Four more birds went down. The fifth caught him in the chest and its beak pierced his shoulder.
Damn it!
Neji grabbed its neck and crushed the bones in his fingers. The rest of the body crumpled. Ignoring the wound, Neji checked left and right. Hibari and Sakura weren't fairing any better. They'd all taken hits but couldn't stop to survey the damage or even regroup.
There was no time.
The claws were going to carve them up if they didn't force a break.
To his left, Sakura punched and parried, moving in sharp jerks to avoid talons. A claw caught her across the jaw, forcing her to spin. She swung back stronger and her punch smashed the bird into pieces.
We cannot keep this up.
But the birds wouldn't relent; they kept on coming, moving in morbid circles, dive-bombing endlessly from all sides. But it was the third attempt of Hibari's blade that caught Neji's eye. As the chakra pulse wobbled out from the jagged blade, Neji tracked it carefully this time, letting his guard down in order to focus.
Two birds crashed into him, pitching him sideways.
He kept his eyes on the chakra pulse even as he fell.
It sluiced outwards in its arc-shaped wave, rippled through the green beams of light in the Temple and shattered.
Neji's eyes widened.
The light…Gods, that's the illusion...
Rolling onto his back, Neji cracked his elbow into the skull of the bird attempting to peck at his throat. The second bird lost its head, which went rolling across the floor as Neji flipped back onto his feet, wobbling once as his head pulsed and his vision tunnelled. Growling, he shook it off, raising his voice in a roar.
"Sakura! Hibari! Destroy the mosaics!"
"The mosaics?" Sakura echoed, her knuckles caving a skeleton wing.
"They're reflecting chakra, not light!" Neji explained, running forward and ducking low to come up behind her, the heels of his hands whipping out to knock birds away. "The light is an illusion. We've been in the genjutsu the whole time. There is no light in this Temple, its all chakra."
To illustrate his point, Neji slammed the heel of his foot into the floor, smashing one of the mosaic pieces. The soft emerald beam that was reflecting immediately cut out and a skeleton bird that had been hovering in the slot of light immediately dropped to the ground in a clatter.
"He is using genjutsu to mask his chakra, not to attack with it!" Neji smashed another mosaic and another bird dropped. "The chakra is in the mosaics, disguised as light."
Across the Temple, Ozuku's nostrils flared, scenting power. "I want those eyes."
Neji didn't hear the words, but he felt the sickening power of Ozuku's gaze. He glanced up on instinct and the play of chakra-light chased across his eyes like lightning. Sakura's fist was the thunder and it struck the floor with Hibari's blade close behind.
The shatter of glass filled the Temple like a thousand symbols clashing.
Light exploded into darkness.
Skeleton birds dropped all around them, a hoarse clatter of bones that crunched beneath Neji's feet as he paced left. When the shatter of glass and skeletal fragments ceased, the only source of light was the glow of chakra around the casters.
Movement drew Neji's eye to the robed figure as Ozuku slipped from the ring.
In the green-shadowed glow, his gaze seemed to intensify, those soulless eyes set deeper into the tattooed face. He stared hard at Neji and then curled one corner of his mouth in a beckoning smile.
"Now you're worthy. Come bring me my wings."
He spread his arms and burst into feathers.
"Damn!" Neji snarled, starting forward at a run. "Sakura! Get into that experimentation chamber and evacuate casters! Hibari, the jutsu!"
The redhead moved toward the circle of casters, pausing only to heft his blade and throw it over. "Hyūga! Here!"
Neji halted long enough to catch the hilt and dip his wrist to take the weight, testing it all in the same movement as he got a grip on the foreign weapon. "Sakura will protect you while I deal with Ozuku and the scroll chamber."
Hibari cast the kunoichi a glance, almost playful. "No problem there."
Sakura flushed, rolled her eyes, stepped over to smack her hand onto a gash on Hibari's arm and smiled sweetly as he winced.
"Thanks for the blood!" she chirped, running off towards the chamber at the end of the hall to open the door.
Hibari watched her with a bemused expression, settling into the centre of the circle.
Neji shook his head and reached for his transmitter. "Hinata?"
Static crackled back.
Damn.
He turned to speak to Hibari but the redhead was already chanting, his eyelids fluttering shut as he tapped into the mind-transference, fingers moving to form rapid signs. Neji scanned the Temple, his jaw tightening in frustration as his options narrowed down to the only available course of action.
I have no choice if I'm going to find him now.
Letting his lashes drift shut, he turned his back to the circle of casters. He drew a deep breath to centre himself, exhaled slowly and then snapped open his eyes.
"Byakugan!"

Stop…flapping…dammit…
Shikamaru kept his jaw clenched, the tendrils of his shadows wrapped around the heaving body of Hibari's eagle, keeping her pinned to the steel mesh. She screeched violently; sharp, shrill cries that stabbed at the Nara's temples.
Other birds had responded to the commotion, some of them ramming mindlessly into the fencing, pecking and clawing at it in an attempt to get to the shinobi beyond and liberate their winged companion.
Not good.
Shikamaru held his jutsu, his eyes narrowed as he focused on keeping the pressure firm enough to hold the eagle but not hard enough to harm her. It was not an easy balance to strike, especially when she was fighting the incarceration with every scant inch of space left available for her to flap or twist in.
Fortunately, Naruto's clones were distracting the aviary guards, drawing focus up to the roof as they did battle beyond the sphere.
Still, they can't hold out for long.
A crash sounded to the right.
Shikamaru flicked his eyes to the side of the steel mesh, watching as the metal began to creak, struggling under the weight of repeated slams from the birds.
Crap. Really not good.
And he couldn't reach for his transmitter.
Fuck.
Closing his eyes, he drew a sharp breath and focused his chakra. One of the shadow tendrils began to stretch, pulling until it split into two threads. Slipping his eyes open, Shikamaru focused on the fresh thread, manipulating it into a slow twist until it snaked back towards him, coiling closer to tap his transmitter.
He turned his head a fraction, raising his voice. "Hinata?"
"Shikamaru-kun."
"Where's Neji?" the question was out his mouth before he could stop it.
"I'm searching…"
Another crash hit the steel mesh, talons slicing through, beaks hammering at the wiring.
"Shit. Hinata!"
"He's on the Temple…"
Shikamaru scowled, shifting his footing a little as he inched back. "What do you mean he's on the Temple? He's supposed to be in it."
"On the dome…he's chasing Ozuku…"
"Is Sakura with him?"
"No."
A curse caught in Shikamaru's throat and he swallowed thickly. The distraction cost him and he almost lost his grip on his jutsu. Suddenly, the eagle stopped struggling and went limp, allowing the Nara to flex the hold of his shadows so she didn't slip from the makeshift net.
Shikamaru frowned, watching in confusion through narrowed eyes.
God, tell me it worked…?
He cautiously tilted his head, raising his voice in a hoarse call. "Hibari?"
The bird twitched, then raised its golden head slowly. The eagle stared across with a cognizant gleam in its eye; a look more human than animal. The Nara's lip quirked weakly and he slowly released his shadows.
"About time."
The bird cocked its head in what could only be described as a nod. Then she spread her wings in an impressive display, sternum quivering with the force of the cry that tore forth. The shrill sound was pitched to a volume that forced Shikamaru to cover his ears and drop to a crouch.
The call carried through the mass body of birds like a needle into the vein, catalysing an immediate response. The varied flocks and their deafening thunder slowed and stilled, rolling to a stop that held them hovering as one.
One wing beat – shared by thousands.
The strength of the tempo caused the aviary dome to rattle.
On the roof, the guards were redirecting their forces. A door to the aviary walkway burst open further along the dome. Shikamaru jerked his head up.
Shit.
He looked to the golden eagle, shouting above the pulse of wings. "Ready!"
The bird watched him, another animal nod displaying its comprehension. Shikamaru tapped his transmitter.
"Naruto! Kiba! Go!"
The shadow-nin pushed to his feet and ran, bolting for the door to the observation room as the guards gave chase further along the walkway.
Way below, at the base of the aviary, the cement shook, cracked and exploded outwards.
"RASENGAN!"
The glowing orb lit the aviary like a beacon, flashing vibrant blue before it vanished as Naruto curbed its power, redirecting the surge of chakra back into the earth below seconds after Kiba and Akamaru lunged clear of it. It blew another hole into the ground, revealing a massive tunnel leading out of the aviary.
Naruto bounced on the spot, waving crackers around. "Hey birds!"
Shikamaru glanced down, then jerked his head up when Isuka came running towards him from the observation room, screaming a warning. The shadow-nin turned his head, throwing a glance over his shoulder. His eyes widened as flaming shuriken came wailing down the walkway, the spinning stars streaking fire at all levels.
There was nowhere to duck or dive.
Shikamaru reached for his tantō.
Kiba's tunnelling fang crashed into the side of the walkway, smashing the steel mesh between Shikamaru and the shuriken, battering the flaming crescents into the wall. The metal rafters holding the walkway groaned and buckled, threatening collapse.
Shit! Move!
Shikamaru scrambled to get a grip on the railing and pulled himself forward as the walkway began to dip and fall away from the wall. He gauged the distance. There was no way in hell he'd make it before the walkway collapsed.
Something hit him from behind, knocking his feet out from under him.
He fell back into arms that gripped solidly. "Nice footwork, genius."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
Kiba laughed.
Akamaru, with both ninja on his back, pushed off the collapsing metal and lunged for the observatory room. The dog touched down in a surprisingly graceful crouch, skidding a little before his paws found purchase. Shikamaru and Kiba tumbled with less grace off Akamaru's back and onto the ground.
Shikamaru took an elbow to his ribs, right where Neji's palm had struck him last. "Ow."
"Hey, I took the impact," Kiba snorted.
Shikamaru clambered off the Inuzuka and onto his feet, staggering over to the window to look out into the aviary. He was just in time to see the golden eagle round up the flocks of birds with a final call before plummeting toward the massive hole Naruto had blown into the ground. As one, the birds whirled in the wake of Hibari's eagle, following her down into the tunnel Kiba had created, soaring through and out into the freedom of the village skies beyond.
Done.
Shikamaru closed his eyes, swallowed hard and then snapped back into autopilot mode, turning around sharply. "Kiba, regroup with Naruto and Team R. Get those water scrolls ready."
Kiba saluted from his sprawled position on the ground. "Yeah, will do."
Shikamaru nodded to Isuka. "You good to go from here?"
"Yes."
"Good and thanks." He was out the door before Kiba could ask, moving into the cage lift to take him down to ground level.
Around him, the fire and smoke still raged.
The heat wafted on the air, scorched and hazy.
He barely noticed.
Dropping a shoulder against the bars of the cage, Shikamaru shuddered once and passed a hand across his eyes, burying his face into his palm. The tips of his fingers pressed against his brow hard enough to hurt and he clenched his teeth, his expression twisting with conflict.
He gave himself five seconds to pull it together.
Then very calmly, he reached for his transmitter and tuned to a private channel.
The static crackled softly.
He cleared his throat, but his voice fell hoarse.
"Hinata, Sakura, move to the red zone. Go now."

The game had commenced once more.
A tiring round of hide and seek in which Ozuku had kept out of range of the close-quarter attacks Neji kept trying to draw him into. The Priest had led him further away from the Temple and higher into the canopies.
He's pulled me beyond the kill zone...
Pain bit deep into the Hyūga's body, though not once did it slip into his motions or his mask of calm.
Gods, I need to end this fast.
His most powerful advantages were gone, leaving him to fall back on speed and strategy alone to close distance. He had no other methods at his disposal. He was beyond the charted layout of the Temple and just the briefest use of his Byakugan had cost him.
He was tiring fast.
Too fast.
A spray of quill-shaped kunai burst from above him. He swung Hibari's blade above his head in two rotations, knocking the weapons away like hail off a parasol. Suddenly, painfully, his left arm jolted with a spasm that forced the limb to drop. The blade struck the tree bough, jarred from his grip and fell to the level below, lodging into an outpost. Neji caught himself against the trunk of the tree, dizziness spinning through him.
Breathe…breathe…
"Taijutsu again?" Ozuku sneered, stepped across an opposite bough in slow, steady steps that reeked of arrogance. "You disappoint me with this modest display. Where is the famed ninjutsu of your clan?"
Neji panted, sucking a sharp breath against the rattle in his lungs.
Gods hold out just a little longer…
"Or perhaps this lack of effort has less to do with modesty…" Ozuku cocked his head, dark eyes narrowing with a dawning look of pleasure. "And more to do with mortality."
Neji swallowed the blood cresting up his throat, struggling to keep Ozuku in his line of sight. The man was inching closer by degrees, drawn to the blood he could probably scent – like a vulture flapping closer. Preying on weakness.
Weakness…
Neji blinked, something occurring to him then as Ozuku hovered just beyond range.
Pride before the fall…play on his weakness…pride…
Neji let his knee buckle and sank with an exaggerated gasp, using the blood that dripped from the corner of his mouth to play into the drama. Perhaps if he'd stopped to register the degree of pain he was in, it might have occurred to him that it was less of an act than he wanted it to be.
In the distance, the roar of liberated birds grew louder, rising above the thunder of bombs.
They did it…
Which meant that his time had just been halved.
Think fast…
He flicked his gaze around the surrounding area. As he scanned quickly, words came back to him, shaped in the easy tones of Shikamaru's voice.
"Know the layout before you act, Hyūga."
As ridiculous as the context of those words had been back in the tent, Neji hadn't forgotten them. Indeed, as his eyes strayed higher, he realised just how pivotal those words would prove to be.
His eyes fixed on something in the trees above.
He clocked it and quickly lowered his gaze so as not to draw attention.
Ozuku remained just beyond reach, not foolish enough to swoop in just yet. Neji watched him from beneath his lashes, panting raggedly.
"My, Hyūga. This is just pathetic."
Neji spat blood to the side. "And yet you stay out of reach, passing up the chance to take from me something you could never hope to rightfully possess."
Ozuku smirked. "Ah, but those eyes are already mine. Why else are you still alive if not because I allowed it? You breathe now, because I deigned it so. I could have had you slaughtered in your sleep…" The smirk turned sour on Ozuku's twisting lips. "You and your irksome brat of a strategist."
Everything in Neji went still – he didn't miss the bitter shift in Ozuku's tone.
Shikamaru.
He'd found a weapon.
"Intelligence is key, Hyūga," Ozuku continued, orating to the trees as he spread his arms in a familiar, theatrical gesture. "Brute strength is nothing if not guided by a higher mind. I am a higher mind. I have been a higher mind for years."
"And all your years would make no difference," Neji said, raising his eyes without raising his head. "Your higher mind wouldn't last one round on an intellectual battlefield with our strategist, Ozuku."
Something vicious flashed in Ozuku's eyes. Clearly he didn't enjoy having his pontificating lines cut short.
"Oh? Then pray tell, Hyūga. How is it that I slipped past him unnoticed? Past all of you? Hmn?" Ozuku drew closer, caressing the velvet of his cloak with one hand, the other stroking across the air to mimic a bird in flight. "How is it that I have coasted through your village on the wings of your native birds without so much as a chill running through the blood of your finest shinobi?"
"That power is loaned to you on the blood of your own people," Neji growled, breathing deeply against the pulsing in his chest – it was becoming less of an act with every slipping moment.
"Sacrifice is inevitable in the pursuit of a higher goal."
"Which is why you possess the mindset of a primitive barbarian, Ozuku, rather than the intellect required of a tactician and leader."
Ozuku's pride took the bait in an instant, even as his mind attempted to cover his slip with measured words. "Like your Nara, you mean? Do you honestly believe he hasn't sacrificed you for a cause? Or that he wouldn't if he thought it necessary?"
Neji averted his gaze in a hesitant flicker, pretending to contemplate the words or at least be affected by them. At the same moment he turned slightly, hacking out a cough that splattered blood across the rough bark. He moved to cradle a hand to his chest, slipping his fingers past the seam of his robe in a movement that went undetected.
"A little under the weather, Hyūga? This certainly isn't the kind of standard I'd expect of your breed," Ozuku purred with a condescending chuckle. "You're overrated. This is unimpressive, to say the least."
"If you wish to be impressed, just look around you," Neji uttered, glancing across the dome and through the curtain of smoke. "You don't need my eyes to see Shikamaru's intelligence has turned your ambition into an unattainable fantasy."
The Priest's smile dropped from his face.
"Then that brat shall be the first to wake up to the reality that no intelligence is greater than vision. I am the truth of absolute power, Hyūga." Ozuku's eyes flashed with the light of fanaticism artlessly combined with insatiability. "I am the wind of Hanegakure. I will have eyes on every wing. I will bring my people to destiny's door. And I will bring a fury such as Konoha and all villages beyond have never known and shall never know again!"
Neji watched the fever of ambition burning like a sickness in the darkened eyes. Every word had drawn the man one step closer, as if his presence would impress the promise in his conviction.
All it had impressed was his footsteps right on the spot Neji had intended.
Ozuku stopped right at the end of the opposite bough.
Neji's eyes lowered and a weak smile ghosted across his lips.
It stopped Ozuku in his tracks.
"I told you I'd bring you your wings," Neji said quietly. "I neglected to tell you I was going to break them."
Ozuku barked a short, deep laugh, a faint pitch of respect in his voice. "Such sadistic talk for a shinobi whelp on his knees."
"You have no idea how sadistic I can be," Neji returned with a chilling calm, slipping his hand out from the fold of his robe, fingers curled around something in his palm.
Ozuku arched a heavy brow, the tattooed distortion of his face growing sinister with a mix of suspicion and amusement. "As fascinating as that thought may be, I'm afraid I must close the curtain on this little attempt at an intrigue. You won't get close enough to break my wings, Hyūga."
Neji glanced across, watching out the corner of his eye as Ozuku reached for a ceremonial scythe belted beneath his robes. And in those fleeting seconds, Neji slipped his hand behind his back and crushed his palm around the vial of Hibari's blood.
The glass shattered.
Blood gushed between his clenched fingers.
"I'll pray for you, Hyūga." With a jolt, Ozuku detached the blade, twirling it once in his grip. He drew his arm back in a slow arc, the ceremonial weapon sparking with the same ominous glint as his eyes. "I did warn you. You're in my skies. Even a free bird must concede to his destiny."
Neji blinked slowly and a mirthless smile turned up one corner of his lips. "A good thing then, that I was never free."
Ozuku's expression froze at these words.
Neji tilted his head and glanced up.
The Priest followed his gaze.
In those last few seconds before impact, Ozuku might have looked surprised.
Hibari's eagle gouged its talons across his skull, knocking him from the bough in a flutter of blue-black robes and flailing limbs. Neji lunged forward, whipped out his hand and grabbed the Priest by the front of his cloak, planting his feet in a jolt.
Ozuku dangled from his grip.
Neji gazed down, his bangs streaking across his face as the breeze whipped between them. The eagle had carved deep grooves through the man's scalp, shearing hair and skin. Ozuku's bloody face was frozen into an expression of complete shock, his black eyes glazing with a kind of hysterical denial.
"Impossible."
"And this isn't even how it ends," Neji uttered coldly, reaching down with his free hand to tear the scythe from Ozuku's twitching fingers. "But it does end now. I have no time for you."
Without releasing his grip on the man, Neji twisted at the waist, angled his arm and let the scythe fly upwards. It sailed in an elegant arc, high into the canopies – and struck something. The crash and snap of wood sounded, a rain of leaves and splinters dusting down as one of the cage lifts came plummeting from above. It dropped down straight past them, crashing onto the roof of the Temple below.
Ozuku twisted his head, glancing over his shoulder at the cage below.
"I'm going to break your wings with that, Priest."
The twisted irony shook the man to the core.
Ozuku jerked his head around, looking up into icy Hyūga eyes. "No."
Neji smirked, a look made all the more harrowing by the streaks of blood across his lips and face as he leaned down. "Yes."
Without warning he lunged, leaping off the bough, pulling Ozuku with him. He planted his feet to Ozuku's chest in a drop-kick that slammed the man down onto the dome of the Temple in a sickening crunch.
Neji touched down in a crouch a few paces away.
He snagged a painful breath and straightened, lungs screaming and head spinning with a vertigo that almost cost him his balance when he turned and stalked over, his steps driven – aware of time and all its urgency.
Ozuku twisted brokenly on the ground, hissing. "Kill…you…"
"Your back is broken," Neji informed him with disturbing calm. "You will never fly or crawl away from this."
"No…" the man hissed, his eyes orbiting wildly in their sockets. "No."
"Yes." Neji gnarled a hand in the thick velvet robe and hauled Ozuku bodily into the collapsed cage, slamming the dented door shut. "This cage is now your destiny."
Ozuku wailed with impotent fury, spittle flying thick from his lips; his grace lost in his fall. "You…bastard…!"
"You can rot in here." Neji limped back a pace, favouring his right side as he tugged out a wire-rigged kunai, looping it through the cage's damaged lock before slapping a sealed tag onto the door. "Rot while looking out at a freedom you'll never have. The freedom you took away from these people, by controlling them with fear."
"No…"
"It's over," Neji uttered, but his voice was hollow with the finality.
He reached in to tear loose a strip of Ozuku's robe, saturated in the man's blood.
And now to end this…once and for all…

Access was granted without a struggle.
Ozuku's blood opened the chamber without the need of a hand-seal or an incantation. The wood leached the blood from the fabric and the door simply groaned open like a sated beast as it drew back on its hinges, dust and splinters powdering down.
Neji swept in like a ghost.
He passed through the chamber in silence.
He already knew it was empty and he wasted no time gazing over the tomes and scrolls. Some lay open, pages torn out in haste, ink pots upturned to blossom black stains across parchment. Some of the works had been incinerated, their smouldering heaps thrown to one side of the chamber. Secrets lost to ashes.
Neji passed through the intellectual ruins of scribes and lore masters and moved straight to the door leading out to the escape route, ignoring the flaring pain in his every step. He would sooner crawl than fail to complete the mission.
I will not lose. Not now.
The hardest part was over.
Now it was just a matter of cleaning up the mess.
A simple search and destroy.
With the pain pulsing rampant inside him, Neji had already considered calling in for backup if required; he'd done enough solo-flying for one day.
Just locate them first…
He slipped down the escape route, narrowing his eyes against the darkness. Not completely black, but irritating enough to deceive his step if he wasn't careful. But as he began to dip into the murky passageway, it wasn't the lack of light that caused him to pause; it was the voices from further along the tunnel. A chorus of startled shouts.
Neji advanced cautiously, keeping to one side of the tunnel, leaning his left shoulder against the wall for support. He didn't suspect traps, given the purpose of the tunnel as an escape route, but he wasn't about to get complacent.
Closing distance, the voices grew in volume and number, their tones pitched in panic. But the echoes were distorted, reverberating loudly in overlapping bursts of dialogue.
"—die here like a rat in a trap and…"
"—never have allowed him to manipulate Konoha into a…"
"—can't move, you imbecile!"
Neji slowed and inched forward, his brows pulled into a sharp frown as he scanned the ground in the dim and treacherous light. Out of nowhere, the tunnel floor gave way to a sudden drop.
A pit?
The Hyūga toed along the circumference of the hole and angled a glance down into the crater. He could hear the voices below but it was too dark to see faces much less distinguish the source of each one. One thing however, was very clear.
These are Ozuku's people…
They'd been caught in a trap which, judging by the layer of dust still hanging in the air, had only been set within the past couple of hours.
Did Hibari's people do this?
Whoever had laid it, they'd saved him the hassle of having to hunt for the runaway council and forbidden scrolls. Now the only problem was apprehending the men from their present state.
Now would be the time to call in back up.
Taking a moment to let the weight of tension roll off him, Neji leaned into the side of the tunnel and exhaled softly, about to close his eyes. But something caught his eye. It drew his gaze down to his feet, causing him to slide his heel back.
His eyes narrowed in on a thin line running across the ground.
Straightening up, he brushed his foot across the heavy layer of dust to reveal what looked like a dirtied strip of tape or bandage. Neji crouched down, getting a better look. The strip ran along one side of the tunnel, stretching back up to the scroll chamber and then right back down the passageway straight into the pit.
Oh god…
Neji straightened up in a bolt.
The second he did, a barrier jutsu that had been holding across the ground dissipated into nothingness.
His eyes rounded in horror.
The entire edge of the pit was tagged with explosives.
Neji had no time to react.
A tag erupted in a sharp, hot burst, startling shouts and cries from the men below. He tried to backpedal but was cut off by a rush of heat as a spark struck the strip of bandage.
Fire engulfed it in an instant.
A ribbon of flame rushed along the strip of tape right back to the scroll chamber.
Neji didn't have to guess it was set to detonate something a hell of a lot bigger.
MOVE!
There was no way he'd make it to the end of the escape route in time. The only exit was a smashed-in tunnel to his left – and by the time the explosion hit, he was already running up it.
The detonation struck with a judder that rocked the entire passageway.
Dust and rock showered down.
Neji kept running, his pulse roaring in his head, adrenalin fuelling each push of his limbs. His lungs sang out their agony in every breath. Panting, pushing and propelling himself faster.
Move. Move. Move.
The rush of heat flooded behind him, searing the air.
He raised his head to look for his route, saw the pool of light at the end of the tunnel and drove on the final paces, breaking into an acceleration that launched him up and out, smoke gushing like a geyser in his wake.
He hit the ground hard but broke the impact on a roll, coming up into a jolting crouch. His hair fluttered over his shoulder, dropping in a heavy stream, his bangs shielding his face as he stared wide-eyed at the grass beneath his hands, the soft, green strands sticking between his bloody fingers.
Fresh, pure, alive…
For a surreal moment, time seemed to churn to a stop…
Sound disappeared…
Stillness fell.
He was vaguely aware that ash and dust were swirling around the clearing, but it seemed to move in slow motion. Every breath he dragged in felt like sucking tar through a straw. He was detached from the pain he should have been feeling, like he was one layer outside of his physical body, looking down into the cavity of his chest.
Breathe.
And just as quickly as sound and time had disappeared, it slammed back into him and out again. Neji's breath gushed forth in a hoarse, red whoosh - a splatter of blood against the grass. He dragged the back of his wrist across his lips and slowly straightened up from his crouch. He was alive. The same couldn't be said for the council members.
What happened back there?
Feet beneath him, Neji staggered back a step, trying to regain a sense of balance and awareness as nausea crawled up the back of his throat. He felt like he'd been dragged into hell, chewed up and spat out again. Judging by the blood, bone fragments, gore, grime and whatever else he was streaked in, he imagined the hell-spewed visual fit him to a T.
Alive. You're alive…
It was over.
The second he registered this, the first thing into his mind was the last thing he'd allowed himself to think about while fighting…
Shikamaru…
Warmth eased through his veins, soothing some of the ache if not the pain. The urge to find the other ninja was stronger still than the urge to catch his breath. As much as his body screamed against further movement, he was compelled to do just that. Exhaling a ragged breath, Neji pressed a hand to his chest and moved to step away from the smoking hellhole.
A step was as far as he got.
He tried to make another but couldn't move…
Paralysis held him rigid…
Neji flicked his gaze up – and wished to God that he hadn't.
A horrible cold gripped his gut, the chill creeping higher with every heartbeat, frosting the glassy white of his eyes with the bitter ice of denial.
Shikamaru stared back – and the Nara's stance was as set as the look in his eyes.
Neji's denial all but shattered the moment that smoky voice rolled out…as calm and unaffected as the Jōnin had ever heard it.
"Hyūga Neji. By order of the Godaime Hokage, you will cooperate with this procedure…or I will be forced to make you."
- 39
- 40
- 41
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Break to Breathe