17 - Konoha Crush!
Gaara's fight was up next. Rena wasn't worried, although Gaara's opponent had been late, which she took as a sign of disrespect. Sasuke something or other, his name was. Still, he arrived before Gaara won by technicality, rather flashy.
She wasn't too worried before suddenly, Sasuke started getting faster. Gaara didn't seem like he could keep up; she was rather concerned. Even though he was all about defence, his sand wasn't fast enough to withstand speed.
She watched as the sand surrounded him, layers upon layers. Sasuke had tried to attack him before it was completed, but the sand spiked out, injuring the boy before it slid back in, making up the defence yet again. Sasuke tried, again and again, to break open his defense but failed each time. Rena was awed at the strength of Gaara's defence. Even speed couldn't affect him now. Suddenly, Sasuke was moving up the wall, preparing for a Jutsu- she wondered what he could possibly do.
It was as if he had stolen the lightning from the skies itself as he raced toward Gaara, His fist sunk into the sand, the lightning disappearing. Suddenly, Gaara's pained screams filled the arena. "Aaaagh! BLOOD! IT'S MY BLOOD!" He screamed. Sasuke struggled to take his arm out of Gaara's absolute defence, unable to move even an inch.
"Gaara!" Rena shouted, hopping up on the railing, more than ready to vault it- if she broke her legs, it didn't matter. Even if she got wounded, she didn't care. She had to be with Gaara! But Kankuro and Temari grabbed her, pulling her back.
"Rena, stop!" Kankuro ordered, despite the fact she was struggling against him.
"Could… Gaara be hurt?" Temari leaned over the railing, her face stricken with worry and another emotion- fear.
"Why should I stop?!" Rena snapped at Kankuro, her anger visible on her face, rage burning in her eyes. "You guys have been talking about some stupid plan all this time! Don't think I'm too stupid to notice! What's going on, why should I trust you?!" Kankuro almost wanted to spit back the exact same but hid his emotions. Sansa was the one he was mad at, not Rena. Rena didn't know anything about herself. She was just as much of a victim as he couldn't be. Nobody… really told her anything, after all. He was about to reply when Temari interrupted him.
"We'll tell you, Rena. Just calm down." Temari said before Sasuke hit him with another Chidori and ripped his arm from the ultimate defence, jumping back. An arm shot out from the shell, one that Rena knew- the pattern, the makeup, the way it moved- it was all reminiscent of that nightmare she had last night.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
It seemed as if something within the shell roared as the sand began to crack, falling over him and sifting out onto the floor. Gaara held his shoulder, panting. The only way Rena could describe the look in his eyes was that he had, indeed, truly lost himself. She wanted to go to him, but Kankuro held her back.
"I was right, Gaara's hurt. The shell broke before the change was complete!" As Rena turned to Temari, her face was cloaked in horror, frozen. The entire plan was jeopardized. Who knew what they'd do without Gaara…? And Rena… all of this was problematic. Suddenly, feathers began to fall from the sky, lightly floating around most, if not all of the people in the stands. People began to collapse and Rena began to feel dizzy, but Sansa put her hands together.
"Release. Rena, do the same."
"R-Release…" She had known this technique, but her fatigue suddenly faded. The rest of the shinobi did the same, but that didn't leave Rena any less confused. Suddenly, an explosion rocked the structure, causing Rena to stagger a bit. "What… what's going on?!"
"Just follow us. It's all part of a plan that the Kazekage and Orochimaru cooked up to overtake the Hidden Leaf." Temari, Sansa and Kankuro dropped down, leaving Rena to deal with the realization that Orochimaru wasn't just anywhere, he was everywhere. She began to breathe heavily, staggering back, realizing she didn't have anyone. Anyone to lean on… Su was in the hospital, Tsukiyomi and Suno were probably incapacitated… what could she do? Who could she turn to? If she braved the Hidden Leaf alone and tried to go get them… she'd be attacked! She wasn't strong enough yet…
A hand lightly came down on her shoulder. She turned. It was Ikari. "Lady Rena, I pledge my services to you. If you'd just give me the order…"
"Why…?"
"Huh?"
"I'm not a 'Lady' anything. I just met you… and you're pledging yourself to me? We've barely interacted! Why are you doing this?" She couldn't be sure if Ikari, too, was a pawn of Orochimaru in his sick games.
"I'm doing this because I'm loyal to your mother."
"S-Sansa…? But she…" Ikari's eyes were trained on Rena. It couldn't hurt to have her believe it was Sansa looking out for her for now. In the end, it wasn't his story to tell, but he'd do everything he could to make sure Rena found out on her own… driving her further away from the denizens of the Hidden Sand, and into his, and her mother's arms.
"Please, believe me, Lady Rena. There's not much time, you have to tell me what you want."
Rena quieted down, squeezing her hands shut. Gaara needed her. No, she needed Gaara. In the end, that was her sin- she couldn't break away from him in need, not even for a second, even when others needed her too. "Go wake up Tsukiyomi and Suno. Save Su. Meet us back at the Hidden Sand."
"What are you going to do?"
She put one foot on the railing, her eyes broiling with confusion, anger, sadness and most of all rage. "I'm going to do whatever I damn well please!" She leapt from the railing, body flickering, sliding in beside Sansa and Temari.
Kankuro was tending to Gaara, but Baki showed up, blocking the Hidden Leaf Chuunin Exams announcer from the group. It seemed like Baki was going to take the announcer all on his lonesome. "Kankuro, Temari, Rena, take Gaara and go! He's a critical part of the plan as the Hidden Sand's trump card!"
Rena's rage broiled even higher. If he was so integral, then what was with the way they treated him?
"But Sensei-" Kankuro chimed in but was cut off by Baki.
"Go!" He barked, willing to die for his village. He paused as Sansa stepped in front of him. She had some frustrations she needed to take out. She had been complicit in the plan from the beginning, but she wasn't going to let anyone touch either her fiancee or her child. "Sansa…"
"The Sand's best interests are mine, Baki. No matter what you might think of me or how betrayed you might feel, I'll explain everything when we get home safely." Baki's eyes widened. That was her way of saying, surely, they'd survive this. And it also proved… that despite her lies, that despite everything he didn't know and all of the secrets he kept, she still had in her mind what was most important… and that was the future of the Hidden Sand! "You kids go on." She turned back, smiling her normal, cocky smile at them. She raised her hand, sinking her teeth into her flesh. As she drew it back, Baki saw the Sansa he truly knew. "I'll make sure these amateurs don't get past the Devil Tactician of the Sand." Slamming her palms together, she was more than ready to begin. "Summoning Jutsu!" As the dust cleared, it revealed Sansa did, indeed, possess a weapon. A Fuma Shuriken, one half as big as she was. She turned her glare back to the kids, who were observing. "Now go, or I'll kick your ass before I kick this asshole's, Rena!"
"All right." Rena nodded, "Let's go." Temari and Kankuro supported Gaara on either side and they body flickered away, disappearing. Rena didn't look back. She fully trusted Sansa; there was no reason not to.
"Even if you're a stranger, Sansa, none of that matters," Baki said, getting into a fighting stance. "You could have taken Rena and abandoned the Sand, hid her elsewhere. Made a new life. But you didn't. You're here, risking your life by my side, as you always have."
"There's nowhere else I'd rather be." It was the plain, honest truth. "Now, let's take care of these morons and show them the mettle of the Hidden Sand!"
Sasuke, however, was a slippery one, bursting past the two Jonin with speed and precision. They couldn't go after him just yet. Baki grit his teeth. "Damn it. Those kids better hold their own!"
Ikari observed her as Rena descended from the bar of the VIP section, declaring her intent to do 'whatever the hell she wanted.' He had been given the orders she designed for him, not that he really agreed with them. Tsukiyomi and Suno, maybe, but Su? She had just watched the girl lose and she still wanted her. It was infuriating. All he knew was that he was superior, yet he had to risk his skin for someone who couldn't even beat him? It was pointless. But, still, as long as it drew him closer to Rena… what better way to gain her trust and love than to risk his life for her will?
He watched her for a moment more, but as he body flickered up to the stands, crouching between the unconscious bodies of the many who had come to see the Chuunin Exams. Above his head, two kunai clashed against one another, dropping by his feet. He caught a glance of a Hidden Sound shinobi fighting someone from the Leaf; the situation must really be dire if they knocked everyone out to do this.
He found his way over to the unconscious Tsukiyomi and Suno. Suno was slumped over the row in front of him, hanging limply, while Tsukiyomi laid back, her cloak obscuring everything but the tips of her hair, which went down to her feet. As he slung them both over his shoulders, he knew they would slow him down intensely, but he had felt a glare on his back since he began. As a shinobi dived at him, he body flickered, dodging the attack and jumping backward. As the shinobi ran at him, another one knocked them over, barreling into them and causing them to crack their head off of the wall. This newer shinobi seemed to replace the old one as he locked onto Ikari. "Hey! You! You're not going anywhere!"
"That's what you think, amateur." As the shinobi rushed him, tearing his kunai through the boy's flesh, he exploded into blood that splattered over the man. He had used a substitution Jutsu; now for the finisher. He made the hand-signs for Blood Spike, the spikes spearing the shinobi through, only for his companion to turn and yell out the now-deceased shinobi's name. "Damn it all. Time to go." He body flickered away, but he could feel the vengeful companion of the nameless shinobi hot on his heels.
He knew exactly where to go. His blood still covered her; if he got in range of the hospital, he'd know the direct pinpoint of her location. The only trouble he was having was with his tail. He couldn't do anything about it while he was holding Tsukiyomi and Suno. Nothing productive, anyways, other than distraction techniques or trying to trick him, but his chakra was waning and he'd need all the chakra he could muster to get the hell out of the Leaf Village. He'd have to… just run for it, damn it!
Su sat up in her hospital bed. She had just reawoken. Staring into her own darkness, she felt discomfort with how silent her room was. Nobody was around her. She was alone. She had failed the person special to her. She grabbed onto her blanket, her knuckles turning white as she bunched it up, grabbing it, silently exploring the depth of her pain. How could she face Rena again? Even her skin felt sticky… the smell of iron was so strong, she felt like she might be sick.
Her annoyance at losing the fight was enough that she wanted to just hide in the darkness she saw… how could Ikari be so cruel as to say and do the things he did? Her anxiety peaked as well… for the first time since losing her teammates, she was alone. Rena was not at her side. Tsukiyomi was not sleeping beside her. She didn't like it… this feeling of loneliness. Would Rena even come back? Would she just leave Su here, alone, forever?
The more she thought, the deeper into her own darkness she descended. Her hand moved to the bandages around her neck, a scowl breaking through her visage. This was the furthest from ideal she could get. She couldn't speak. She couldn't see. The doctors here didn't even seem to understand the most basic sign language… she swore she would tear Ikari apart for this…!
She shot up as she heard her window crash open, the tinkling of glass hitting the floor causing her to flinch. What was happening? Her fingers twitched. She was ready if it was an attack. She felt pressure on her bed and then a familiar voice- "You know how to release Genjutsu?"
/2e0Cdi_TLY8
Ikari had decided the simplest way to get anywhere; by breaking in. Break in he had, for he had no time to stop and go through official channels with a Jonin chasing him down. He had dropped Tsukiyomi and Suno on Su's bed, who hung limply over her legs. With that, he had asked the most basic question; he had asked her to release the Genjutsu on the two. He had no time to do it himself as he whipped around, facing the window. Shuriken aimed at him shot through it, which he immediately countered, having slit open his wrist, blood blocking their path as they slid through it cleanly. They clattered to the floor, coated in his blood. "Anytime now, Su!" Ikari snapped, the Jonin jumping directly at him as they engaged in hand-to-hand combat. He managed to land a kick on the shinobi, but Taijutsu wasn't his strong suit. Even with his hands wrapped in his blood, it still seemed like the Jonin was aggressively dodging him.
"You're not going anywhere, Sand Village scum!" The man retorted, going on the offence and leaving Ikari to block most of his attacks.
Su got to her feet, her attention moving to Tsukiyomi and Suno as Ikari battled the Jonin in the background. Genjutsu… It had never been something she really dealt with, but now wasn't the time to hesitate, not to mention she didn't have any way to communicate her lack of speech or skill in the area of Genjutsu. Besides, she wouldn't ask Ikari to help her with something. She heard the sounds of the fight, unimpressed by it, but she had a task to focus on. She channeled her chakra through her hands, doing her damndest to wake Tsu and Suno up.
The Jonin went in for another swipe with his kunai, but it was blocked by the blood surrounding Ikari's forearms. Blood splashed into his eyes, causing him to jump backward and try to rub it out, but it was much too late. Ikari was already on it. "Blood spike!" It was even more ruthless than he had been with Su in the match they had; as the Jonin screamed, the spikes ran him through, blinding him. As he staggered backward, his back legs hit the wall and the Jonin could feel nothingness behind him. As he moved to get away from the window, Ikari came at him, landing an uppercut, followed by a spinning kick that sent the Jonin flying out of the window and plummeting to his death. "There'll be more coming. We have to go, Su, now."
Suno had been the first to awaken, shooting up, taking deep, chaotic breaths. "Where's Rena?!" He yelled, causing Ikari to tch, rolling his eyes as he glared at the kitty cat. Tsukiyomi slowly rose herself, glancing around the room. Ikari must've lost her cloak somewhere on the way here because she didn't have it on.
"Rena is trying to save Gaara." His voice was full of bitterness, evident to all in the room. "She ordered me to save you and get you three out of the Hidden Leaf." Ikari walked up to the bed, his face hardening. Su's heart felt light, but a deeper wound had been cut into it. At least Rena didn't forget her… but it reminded her that she couldn't protect Rena. If only she had won against Ikari… "Starting now, as the most experienced person in the room, we're a four-man Genin squad who has been assigned an S-Rank mission. Since I am the most experienced, I am going to act as the team leader. Our mission is simple; escape from Konoha!"
Su's confusion would be obvious. Just what the hell had happened in the time she'd been away from Rena…? News didn't really travel well in the hospital, but she raised her hand, linking one of her chakra threads to Suno discreetly. Even if she lacked the strength, she wouldn't get left behind, no matter what.
"Suno, carry Su. She's still recovering from her fight with me. Tsukiyomi, you're going to be our frontal assault member. Carve a path through anything that gets in your way, got it?! Suno, Su, take the middle. It's your safest bet. As for me, I'll take rear guard and make sure we don't get ambushed. We're in enemy territory, so we have to be aware." Suno slid his arms underneath Su, picking her up with ease as he nodded. These orders were simple enough.
Although, Tsukiyomi didn't seem so sure. "Are you sure it wouldn't be more advantageous for you to carry Su, for Suno to be the front guard and for me to be the rear guard?"
Ikari took a singular, hard glare at Su, going over his options, before nodding. "Yeah. I'm sure." Su clung to Suno tightly, for the time being, not expecting to be carried. She hunkered down, her breathing deep; she didn't have much chakra left from her fight with Ikari and judging by his breathing pattern, he was lacking chakra as well. She needed to focus if she was going to be of any help to anyone. Su smacked Suno's shoulder to get his attention and then pointed at her pouch on the side table of the hospital bed. It was hard to miss, as her clan crest was emblazoned on it. Suno's ears and tail unfurled as he used it to grab the pouch, launching it in the air and catching it in his hand as he tossed it on Su's chest, quickly replacing his arm back to where it had been underneath her.
"We're going to have to be a team, Su. You're going to have to be my arms- but I'll be your legs." Su realized how chaotic this could truly get. She couldn't speak or see, but he didn't seem to realize that. The pouch fell downwards as it bounced off her chest, but she caught it with a single well-aimed thread and a good guess, yanking it back up. She then attempted to mime him that something was wrong with her throat and Suno stared her down, really, really hard before he came to a clear resolution. "Uhhh, guys? Su's on a fuck ton of drugs… I don't think we can rely on her right now."
Ikari's gaze turned from hate… to more hate. He was looking at Su like she was the worst scum on earth, his annoyance so profound it was almost physical. "Damn it. Just what we needed." Tsukiyomi also walked up to her, partially observing her movements, curiously watching her.
"So this is the effect of hospital drugs on the human brain."
Su's hand slammed into her face as she bared her teeth in annoyance. It wasn't drugs. She gave Ikari a rude gesture- one he deliberately ignored and acted like she didn't exist because of- before pointing to the door. She could hear footsteps and even though they couldn't translate her strange mojo moves with her throat, Ikari could at least understand that.
"There's someone coming. Let's set up an ambush." Ikari dove into the covers, hiding underneath them.
As they readied themselves, Suno hiding behind a plant and Tsukiyomi hiding behind the door, Tsukiyomi was the first to make a move. "Self-Puppetry Jutsu: Tendril Trap." The tips of her hair began to stretch over the floor until it covered a good deal of the stretch between each side, completely consuming the boards in between the tall plant and the door. Su felt through her pouch before pulling out senbon that looked like they'd been reduced to half size, wrapped in her webbing. She placed two of them in her mouth, pressing them against her cheeks.
Tsukiyomi had been resting, not using her chakra at all, so she was probably their best bet. Su, despite her wounds and her lack of chakra, was ready as well.
Jonin or not, whoever was trying to attack wouldn't make it very far.
The party of four continued on, as fast as they possibly could. It was only a matter of time before someone came after them. Gaara was unconscious, but he was regaining chakra. Rena stared at him, finally speaking up for the first time since they started running. "You were all keeping this from me? That the Hidden Sand was using him as a weapon? I can't believe that he…"
"He most likely didn't tell you because it was knowledge kept only to those who were playing a part in the Konoha Crush." Temari was calm and rational as always, speeding up her pace. "Kankuro, we've gotta go faster." Rena didn't understand why, but the number of their pursuers had gone up. The situation was more dire than ever.
"But Gaara isn't just a weapon, he's your brother!"
Kankuro couldn't stop himself from holding back his emotions. "He told me himself he didn't see me as a brother, Rena." His voice was sharp and cold as he glared at her. "I don't know why you defend him. If Temari didn't save me before you arrived in the Forest of Death, I'd be dead."
"Gaara wouldn't!"
"Shut up!" Kankuro snapped. "You need to stop denying and ignoring the truth when it's right in front of your damn face! You've always been dense, but seriously!? Gaara might be my flesh and blood but he isn't a human… He's a monster! The Shukaku made sure of that!"
That was enough for her. Kankuro could never understand anything. No matter how much you plainly told him. This time, however, she wouldn't back down. His eyes widened when she saw the expression on her face, one of complete rage. She didn't bother hiding it any longer. "All I hear from your MORONIC logic is 'Shukaku', 'Weapon', and 'Gaara!" Temari's head turned, both of them looking at her in disbelief.
"Now's not the time-" Kankuro began, but he was shut down instantly.
"Shut. Up. Kankuro." The venom in Rena's voice was obvious enough that he had to stop speaking, not wanting to gain any more ill will than he already had. "If anything… you and everyone else in the Hidden Sand should be blaming your father and hating him for what he did to Gaara! Gaara was never given a choice and he was treated like trash from the beginning! Who the hell are you to call him a monster when you did nothing to save him!?" Kankuro wanted to stop, so badly, to tell her that he did care… but her supposed death… it ruined everything. "How much longer are you going to be making excuses to hate Gaara?! Have you EVER taken the time to just show him some kind of warmth?! Who the hell are you to call him a monster… when you're ALL god damn monsters for turning him into what he is today?!"
"R-Rena…"
"Don't mistake me for a coward like you, Kankuro." That stung, especially coming from her. "I've never been afraid of Gaara. I'm not going to abandon him like the rest of the pathetic village you guys are so proud of. If this is what the Hidden Sand is, I'll reject it! I'll destroy it and remake it from the ground up! In the end… the only thing I'm afraid of is the people who did this to Gaara. For someone to be such a monster that they can hurt someone so badly… it disgusts me."
"Rena, don't go saying things like that!" Temari pleaded, but it was too late.
"End of the line. I caught up to you Sand Village freaks." Kankuro didn't know what to say. Rena had really put some things into perspective for him. It seemed like Temari had decided to snap back, opening her fan, but she spoke to the two.
"We'll finish this conversation later. Don't do anything stupid, Rena." She glared, hard, at Sasuke. "Go. I should be able to hold Uchiha off long enough for you to get away." She looked back, giving Rena an earnest smile. Rena replaced Temari's side and despite her wounds from her previous fight, she did her best to give Gaara the support he deserved. The three vanished, leaving Temari to face Sasuke alone.
"Damn it!" Sasuke snarled, "They're getting away. Looks like I have to take care of you first."
Temari prepared herself, knowing that she was a line of defense for the Hidden Sand. Despite the things they've done, they were still her village… her home. Her chakra was still depleted from fighting against Shikamaru, but she would hopefully be able to hold the Uchiha off long enough for Gaara to get away.
And then, there were three. Gaara still hadn't come to. "Did… you really mean what you said back there?" It seemed like all of the anger had left Kankuro, resulting in just a sort of sad melancholy. He wondered if Rena would ever feel so strongly about him in the way she did about how they treated Gaara.
"Every word." She was still upset, he could tell by her response. "You have all been nothing but cruel. He strikes back cruelly because he's only ever been taught that's the only way to strike." Kankuro was slowly beginning to understand Rena's feelings for Gaara. His future wife, so close to his brother… it bothered him.
"Well, I won't give up," Kankuro stated, causing Rena to turn and look at him in confusion, forgetting her anger for a moment.
"On what? Jeez, why are you getting so off-topic all of a sudden?" Damn, Rena was colder than the Land of Iron… she probably didn't even realize how he felt, or if she did, she purposely ignored it.
"No reason! I was just reassuring myself. Making a promise."
"Good for you! Let's focus on getting Gaara away from the kid with the lightning hands before you fulfil that promise " She was getting rather annoyed by Kankuro today, but it couldn't be helped. Kankuro knew that saving Gaara meant further losing Rena. However, seeing Gaara dead or imprisoned would not only destroy the mission and lead to a counterattack on the Hidden Sand, but it would also destroy Rena's heart. He'd rather lose her and deal with the consequences later than threaten her happiness- and the Hidden Sand- overall.
Sasuke barreled through the trees, Temari only a mere few steps behind him. "I'm sorry, I couldn't hold him off long enough."
"Temari, Rena, take Gaara and go. I'll take care of Sasuke." This time it was Temari who was taking Kankuro's place in supporting her brother. Rena stared at Kankuro, who gently kissed her cheek. "Good luck, Rena."
She nodded back to him. "Good luck, Kankuro." And like that, his siblings and his future wife were gone. He had more pressing matters to deal with, after all- he had to look cool in front of Rena, so he definitely had to beat Sasuke!
Rena and Temari, being the only conscious people in the vicinity, had to keep one another's company. This time, it was Temari questioning Rena's views. "Rena, would you really… tear down the Hidden Sand?"
"I don't think I'm strong enough, but if I could… I definitely would."
"You should be careful saying that around people other than us."
"You're the Kazekage's children." Rena shrugged. "Either way, if you guys wanted me caught and dead, you'd just tell on me and that's fine."
"You're an idiot, Rena. You know we wouldn't want any of that to happen to you. That's why I'm warning you, so please, don't go around saying that. The Elder Council won't stand by and allow it; your actions affect Sansa, too!"
"The Elder Council…"
"They're a tier above the ones who advise the Kazekage and help with things around the village. Old leaders of the most prestigious Suna families. Surely you remember them?"
"I don't know a lot about them, but they must be monsters, too."
"Rena... " Temari wondered just what was going on in her mind. To her, this must be her entire world. She had no knowledge of anything beyond it. She didn't truly know anything about herself- her entire life had been a lie. Knowing this, Temari felt sympathy. She didn't know what happened to Rena before she came back, but what was going to happen in the future… she was terrified. She had to get stronger. She knew it. If not only to protect Rena, to protect her entire village as well.
She felt Gaara shift, his head lolling as he glanced upward. "Put me down."