15 A Hectic Birthday Party 2

In a year, Konohagakure had changed numerous times. As the village prospered, new residential apartments were built to accommodate the growing population.

The abundant forests surrounding it, however, remained the same, as if frozen in time.

Like he had always done, Akamaru quickly jumped into the water, splashing around without a care in the world. He loved the icy freshness of the stream to cool off the scorching summer sun. Even after Daji's personality had resurfaced, his habit remained the same.

"We're here... now what?"

Kiba mumbled while laying under the shades. He would usually play along with his partner, but right now he was just too lazy to do so. He practically got kidnapped here, after all.

"...I actually have no idea either."

The 'kidnapper' irresponsibly replied.

Her mission was to keep the boy out of the house until evening. It was already midday, so she just had to hang in there for a few more hours. Gotta think something to distract him. Anything. Ah, drat, she got nothing at all...!

"Hey," Kiba suddenly called out.

"Y-yeah?"

"Those things you randomly taught me, like that king-koong thing..."

It's Qinggong, you ignorant-!

"...Where did you get them from? They're not like any ninjutsu or taijutsu that's been taught in class."

"Eh?"

Where did she get them? Well, they were all techniques that she had copied from various sects during her previous life's eventful youth... but there was no way that she could answer like that.

In situations like this, the best solution was to find a convenient scapegoat!

"Lord Kokuo taught me."

"Oi!"

Just push it all to our venerable spirit beast!

"..."

Kiba narrowed his eyes. He got this burning suspicion that this girl was lying to him, but he also felt that if he kept pushing for answer, she'd just retreat farther and spit out more outrageous answer.

"...Is that so? I see."

He decided to just let it slide. For now.

"By the way, what does it mean when you said it's called a 'twisting ladder'?"

"Not twisting, ascending! It's 'Cloud-Ascending Ladder'! It's the Qinggong of Wudang sect that allows you to move in high speed and leap so high you're literally walking in the air!"

"Walking in the air... the heck?"

Aside of some random words, her description was so absurd he couldn't bring himself to believe her.

Although, his speed did increase after trying out the method that she had taught him... but still, walking in the air? Not even the infamous Body Flicker Technique could do that! They're ninja, not ghosts, godamnit!

While they were talking, Akamaru was seemingly done with playing in the stream. He had quickly jumped back out and frantically ran toward the two.

Kiba was the first to notice that something was going wrong. Very wrong.

At the same time, Kokuo suddenly yelled within the girl's mind, a tinge of panic coating its words.

"We got visitors, kid! Four of them! Get out as fast as you can!"

Kokuo was very chill throughout the year even when they passed by active ninja from Konoha. To incite such reaction from the Tailed Beast, that meant the guests weren't going to be polite with them.

She quickly poured out her chakra to envelop her body.

"Kiba, your Four Legs-"

"On it!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kiba had crouched down and activated his family's prized technique. Akamaru jumped to his back right as he reached them.

And then, they bolted away toward the direction of the village gate.

They had quite a head start. With their speed, they should be able to reach the village before those strangers could reach them.

However...

<Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall>

"Watch out!"

They were forced to skid to a halt when a huge wall made of dirt and clay suddenly rose up from the ground, blocking their path forward.

"Go around them-!"

<Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall>

Similar-looking walls were erected on each of their sides as well, boxing them in.

Perhaps they could just leap over the walls, considering those things were only as tall as an adult's height. However, the problem was that they had mistakenly stopped for that split second, breaking off their momentum.

Thus, their pursuers were able to catch up.

Four shadows flickered into the scene, wearing identical set of gray shirt, pants, and flak jacket. Each of them had a porcelain mask to cover their face, like Konoha's Anbu, but the design was flat, with only two round holes for the eyes.

"...They're not from our village," Kiba growled. Actually, he couldn't tell which village they came from, since their clothes didn't show any village's customary traits. However, he could tell from their scent that they didn't belong to Konoha.

For foreign ninja to wander around near their village and used jutsu against them, that could only mean that they were enemies!

The guy at the furthest back raised his hand, and then pointed at Hikari. With a monotonous voice which was filtered by the mask to not give off his identity, he said with a threatening tone,

"Hand over the girl. If you don't get in our way, we will let you live."

As expected.

'Lord Kokuo, they are...'

'Iwagakure ninja. Who else?'

The Tailed Beast harrumphed. So, they had finally tracked them down to this place. It actually took longer than it had initially expected!

"If I give her to you, you'll let me live? Heh..."

While she was talking with Kokuo, Kiba had taken a step forward, shielding her behind his back.

"What a frigging joke! Let's go, Akamaru!"

Woof!

Both human's and his partner's chakra flared up in an instant.

<Beast-Human Clone>

With a poof, Akamaru transformed into an identical version of Kiba. The two then leaped forward like bolts of lightning, slashing their sharpened claws toward the pursuers.

"Guah!"

Aiming at the places where they weren't protected by their flak jackets, the claws succeeded to draw blood thanks to the heightened speed from Four-Legs Technique and his additional practice.

Before the opponents could recover, Kiba and Akamaru bolted off once again, changing targets with each strikes to confuse and broke up the opponents' formation.

"What speed! Is he really just a kid?"

"It doesn't matter! Just stop him!"

The pursuers' hands moved in high speed, forming hand seals of Ram, Tiger, Boar, Snake, Tiger.

<Earth Release: Practice Brick Technique>

The ground shudder as the dirt rose up to form one, two, three layers of walls right on Kiba and Akamaru's path.

"As if that would help you!"

Perfectly synced with each other, both human and his partner spun their body mid-jump, forming a drill that cut crisply through the air. One struck from the left, while the other struck from the right.

<Beast-Human Taijutsu Secret Art: Fang Passing Fang>

The power and speed overwhelmed the dirt wall as cracks formed before they were blown apart in the blink of an eye, leaving the opponents with no chance to follow up with other jutsu. The twin whirlwinds crashed onto the three ninja, throwing them to the ground as their flak jackets were sliced through, unable to defend against the sharpness of the attack.

Kiba and Akamaru stopped their spin and landed on the ground, struggling to catch a breath. That was the first time that they had utilized the technique in a real battle. Although the effect was better than he'd expected, their stamina wasn't up to par for continuous usage. In his heart, he lamented the time that he had wasted being lazy. If only he had trained his endurance more...

Meh. At the very least, all three ninja had been taken care of...

Wait, three?

<Earth Release: Tunneling Technique>

Obscured by the fourth layer of earthen wall, one of the Iwa ninja was able to dive under the ground, surfacing right behind Hikari.

A strong hand immediately choked her and lifted her up, while the cold edge of a sword was barely scraping her neck.

"Don't move, kid. Or else, your friend will die."

Of course, he was just bluffing. The Tsuchikage had strictly ordered them to bring the Jinchuuriki back alive, at all cost. He would sooner beheaded himself rather than defying that order.

However, the kid didn't have to know that.

"You... cheap bastard...!"

"Kiba-!"

He was angered beyond belief, but what could he do? That was a blunder on his part not to keep track of the opponents. Now that they'd gotten a hostage, he couldn't-

"Son of a bitch, I'll make you pay!"

The Iwa ninja angrily yanked him by the hair and then threw him to the ground. Another ninja did the same to Akamaru, who returned back to his real form after getting hit with a kick.

They proceeded to rain down punches and kicks on the boy, venting their frustration over getting wrecked by a little kid's half-assed jutsu.

"Kiba, no... kuh-!"

The Iwa ninja tightened his hold over Hikari's neck before whispering a threat.

"Worry about yourself, kid. After we're done with that boy, you're next. The Tsuchikage only told us to bring you alive. Doesn't mean we can't hurt you."

Her eyes widened, fear swirling inside. Seeing her reaction, the Iwa ninja was satisfied.

The group that was pouncing on Kiba had gotten bored with the boy. One of them drew out his kunai, intending to finish the fight once and for all.

"W-wait...!"

She let out a faint sob. Her trembling hands clumsily grabbed her captor's wrist.

"I-I'll go with you... so please... let him go... I beg you..."

Her voice was so weak, it barely qualified as a whisper.

"..."

The Iwa ninja flinched for a moment. In the end, he sighed.

"Oi, you guys, no need to go that far for a child. Just leave him half-dead, that's more than enough."

The guys frowned. Had their squad leader gotten soft all of the sudden?

Nevertheless, his words did make sense. It was a bit too petty to mess with mere kids. They reluctantly stepped away from the boy, but not without giving him one last kick to the face.

"There. You happy, girl? Now-"

He suddenly felt a strong grip clutching on his wrist.

The weak, hazy gaze that were asking for pity had disappeared. They were replaced by a pair of sharp eyes full of killing intent.

With her left hand acting as the anchor, she swung her right hand with fingers infused to the brim with chakra.

<<Emei Sect Unarmed-Style: Thirty-Six Dianxue: Elbow Point>>

The tip of her fingers accurately struck the pressure point on his elbow, cutting off his meridian path. The Iwa ninja felt his arm going numb all of the sudden. At the same time, a piercing pain struck his heart, as if a needle had been stabbed right at it.

She was freed from his grasp. However, she wasn't done just yet.

<<Emei Sect Unarmed-Style: Thirty-Six Dianxue: Neck, Chest, Belly Point>>

Her fingers struck at the three pressure points in rapid succession, sundering each respective meridian paths.

"Guh... goheh...!"

The Iwa ninja fell onto his face, his body assaulted with immense pain. Even the slightest of movement made him wished that he was dead instead.

'They were experienced ninja, trained in the way of this world. Trapped in this young, untrained body, there was only one way for me to win against all of them.'

She grabbed the sword that the man had dropped, gauging its distance and how much she had to adjust to be able to execute her techniques properly.

'At that moment when they dropped their guard because they're underestimating us... that's when I will strike!'

She poured out her chakra, covering her in bluish light. The rest of the Iwa ninja, who was still unable to comprehend the situation, had noticed her movement, but they were a step too late.

"Lord Kokuo, that thing that you did before when we escaped from Iwagakure... can you do it again?"

"This One can do it," the Tailed Beast affirmed. "Buy This One just a second."

"Understood."

She dashed forth.

"A-attack! Don't worry about keeping her alive! Give it your all!"

The Iwa ninja quickly formed the Bird seal simultaneously.

<Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears>

"Careful! They're coming!"

"Lord Kokuo, I'll leave it to you. Please tell me where the attacks are coming from."

"Huh? Guh... Fine!"

That jutsu created spikes that rose from the ground. It could tell the spots where the spikes would appear from, but only when they had finished forming the jutsu. Only a split-second window was left before the spikes would rise and stab the target.

But that was enough.

<<Emei Sect Soft-Sword Style: Fleeting Fragrance>>

Her steps turned nimble, as if dancing.

The first one came from the right. With Kokuo's warning, she gracefully dodged the spike by side-stepping within a hair's breadth. The second one arrived soon after, but she dodged it the same way.

"You...! Die!"

The last Iwa ninja changed his hand seal at the last moment, switching to the Rat seal.

<Earth Release: Bedrock Coffin>

The earth rose to surround Hikari, threatening to crush her right then and there.

However, Kokuo had finished its preparation as well.

<Boil Release>

Red chakra intermingled with her blue-colored one, boiling to the highest point. Faint layer of steam covered her body, causing her image to blur for a split second.

Her body flickered out of sight right at the moment when the dirt walls crashed onto each other.

"Where did she-!?"

Behind him.

She had crossed the distance in a single leap, suddenly appearing right behind one of the Iwa ninja. Continuing her dance, the sword on her hand sliced through his neck, coloring the sky with a burst of red splash.

She spun on her feet, and then lunged at another one. This time, it was a downward curving slash that had struck the victim before he could even react.

Two down.

When she struck at the last one, however, the blade let out a screeching noise as it struck a hard surface, failing to penetrate any deeper.

<Earth Release: Hardening Technique>

The ninja had moved a layer of rock to cover his vital parts. With further nature transformation, he had also made the rock armor as hard as steel.

"Kuh... don't look down on me! I won't go down that easily, you monster!"

"...Annoying..."

These so-called jutsu, they were really troublesome to fight against.

Even so...

It was just too bad.

Emei-style swordplay was known for their flexibility in a fight. It represented the duality of Dao. Their practitioner could be soft, dancing gracefully in the battlefield as fluid as a flowing stream. They could also be hard, as unyielding as the sacred mount Emei itself.

And the change of stance, could happen in but a single blink.

The Iwa ninja was about to make another hand seal when he noticed that the girl's atmosphere had changed. Where she was once as light as a feather, right now she was exhuming an aura as terrifying as an Oni.

Turning her body sideways, Hikari assumed the low stance that defined Emei's destructive style. She tightened her grip on the sword, and then she leaped forward, swinging her sword in a single decisive slash.

<<Emei Sect Hard-Sword Style: Butterfly Wing Clip>>

In order to slice through the wings of a butterfly that could easily avoid the slash, a practitioner had to strike with a speed that surpassed common sense.

That speed, when combined with the infusion of qi, could theoretically cut through the Heaven itself!

"I-Impossible..."

Red color sprayed out as the blade cut through everything in its way; the rock armor, his flesh, even his bones and organs. The pain lasted briefly before he died of blood loss.

The fight had lasted just for a few seconds. Even then, it had blown the boy out of his mind.

He was stuck in the middle of the fight, watching as the ground was getting covered in crimson patches. He wasn't an exception. His hair, his shirt, every part of him was seemingly covered with the stench of iron to the point that he was about to puke.

However, he couldn't. He was simply rooted on his spot, unable to do anything. Only when all the Iwa ninja had been taken down that he could manage to let out a faint grumble.

But then, something happened.

The girl who had been fighting just now suddenly fell on her knees. The borrowed sword slipped out of her hand, its blade thoroughly chipped.

That sight snapped Kiba out of his stupor.

"Oi! You alright?!"

He quickly rushed over, grabbing her from behind so that she wouldn't fall.

"Huh...?"

Her body was really heavy at the moment. She tried moving her limbs, but they refused to comply, as if uncountable weights were pulling her down.

"Chakra depletion," Kokuo remarked. "This One could share some, but it would be better if you rest for now. You have overused your body."

Ah... that made sense. Those advanced techniques were too exhausting for a nine-years-old, after all. It would actually be weird if she was fine afterwards.

Woof!

"I get it, you don't need to tell me, Akamaru."

"W-whoa?!"

He suddenly lifted her on his back. Akamaru also changed position, perching on top of her head instead.

"We're already this close to the village, let's go back at once-!"

Pfiuuu~

A whistle rang out throughout the forest. Its source was the first Iwa ninja that Hikari had knocked out earlier. Enduring the pain, he forced himself to pull out the signal for the rest of his people to gather. This way, they would be able to find the Jinchuuriki.

"For... Lord Tsuchikage..."

He murmured before passing out.

"Godamnit!"

Kiba might be a lazy bum, but he wasn't a complete fool. He knew by instinct that the whistle was bad news, so he hurried back toward the village.

Woof!

"I know! You smelled them too, huh?"

The entire forest seemed to shake at that point. Shadows were flickering in and out of the bushes, pursuing them from all direction. It wasn't just a small group like before. Most likely, the entire force was coming at them like hungry hounds.

The earth itself shook as walls upon walls rose around the fleeing boy. From the front, the back, more and more walls piled up upon them, to the point where they were almost blocking the sun.

There was nowhere left to run.

Ninja dressed in the same ambiguous attire as before entered the encirclement one by one. Their demand was still the same.

"Hand over the girl."

And the boy's response, was also the same.

"What a frigging joke!"

The burning spirit in his eyes refused to yield, even when he was merely a cornered rat.

"Let me tell ya, we Inuzuka never betray our people! And this girl right here, is one of us! So, screw you guys! I will never hand her over!"

"...It's too late to regret that, kid."

He had no patient to humor the boy. The Tsuchikage's order was absolute, and they would fulfill it no matter the cost. The squad leader raised his hand, giving his men permission to go ahead and do whatever was necessary to extract their Jinchuuriki.

And then, just as Kiba was determined to fight until the very end...

<Beast-Human Taijutsu Secret Art: Fang Rotating Fang>

A huge explosion destroyed the dirt walls, throwing cloud of dust into the air.

What the boy saw next was the back of a familiar figure, someone that instantly filled him with relief.

There stood a woman with spiky wild-hair and red fang-shaped mark on her cheeks. By her side was a black-furred, wolf-like ninja dog with an eyepatch covering one of his eyes. Following her entrance, numerous Konoha Anbu with their distinctive animal masks breached through the dirt walls, turning the Iwa pursuers from hunters to prey.

"Inuzuka never betray our people, huh? Screw you guys, huh? Are you trying to make your opponents angrier than they already are?"

Tsume turned around to look at his son. Her lips curved up as she gave him an approving grin.

"Now that's my boy!"