CHAPTER 240 SAFE

CHAPTER 240 SAFE

I ran through the camp. Moving passed people as I gained speed. Chakra in every part of my body I thought on the girls. They were far enough away that I couldn’t feel them from this distance, but there was something. An idea of a direction that I had to go to reach them.

Distracted, I hadn’t felt it before. I’d beat myself up later not understanding this quirk fully before I risked this. Only an hour had passed since I sent the clones out but 1 had gone at top speed straight North. I’d have to do the same.

I left the large clearing where the Konoha people had been staying at. Jumping up to a tree it was apparently the only way to travel in Naruto World. My chakra pushing me further, I was clearing 2 to 3 trees as I jumped to each branch.

My mind focused, this wasn’t the time to dawdle as I ate away the miles. I reviewed what I knew of Orochimaru as I did. I was honestly curious if he was actually dead. From what I remembered, Orochimaru had escaped the cursed seal from Sasuke, and attacked Itachi during the brotherly spat.

I was pretty sure Itachi had extended the fight to make that happen, thus freeing Sasuke from Orochimaru. Then he absorbed Orochimaru into a sword or something? Orochimaru made an appearance later when the dead Itachi came back to life, I knew that much.

Orochimaru had also left fail safes in Kabuto. His will trying to take over Kabuto’s body, Kabuto had fought back. Having his own will for the first time in his life. I couldn’t remember what happened to Kabuto in canon, but I knew he had to go.

The man was a medical ninja genius. I’d have to stay away from his hands. He could probably use all of Orochimaru’s attacks as well. Summoning the dead. That snake/sword attack. The Rashomon gates.

Itachi had beaten Orochimaru with a Genjutsu though. I had trapped Sasuke in a Genjutsu as well. Granted he probably could have escaped given more time, but still.

“Shit, he has the girls,” I mumbled. He probably knew the trick to Lust Element already. He most likely knew of the Makuramoto too, so catching him off guard with a Genjutsu wasn’t an option.

“Quirk, Haki, Nen, and Devil Fruit, it is.” I would have to stick with those 4 skills. I could channel chakra into my body for strength, maybe add some shadow clones. But to really catch him off guard I had to kill him quick and clean.

I came within a certain distance of the girls and felt them pulse in front of me from my quirk. I felt Reina, Nina, and Shinju. All weak but there. I did not feel Tayuya. I hoped that meant she was fine, but a few I had met during the Hunter Exam had died and they felt the same way. Simply gone from my Search quirk.

I sped up more. Worried that the killing had already started. A green blur of leaves on either side of me, I moved faster than ever as my muscles propelled me forward to save those I cared for most in the world.

I had a little less than 10 hours left to save them when I arrived close to where they were. The area was a large valley with lots of boulders and stone outcroppings all around me. I had no time to wait to find them.

Finding the closest spot to the girls they were only about 12 feet under me. I walked a little away and closed my eyes.

My Tremor Devil Fruit had been hard to grasp at first. Like my quirk it was a special part of me that I couldn’t explain. There was no special energy inside me that I could manipulate to use it. There was simply a strength that my body instinctively knew how to bring out.

I latched onto the part of my mind that could control it. Ready to break everything in sight. The air around me vibrated as it began to build up. Branches from trees rattling. Tiny pebbles breaking away from boulders fell away as energy filled the air. The ground at my feet began to quake slightly.

I let it build up more and more until I was stopped as someone yelled, “Weston!”

I turned to see Hinata coming up from behind me. I internally cursed as I dropped the power. Unsure what to do, I didn’t need this distraction. I had been too focused on the girls and hadn’t bothered looking for anyone else I knew with my quirk. Since I hadn’t bothered to meet Kabuto I wasn’t able to focus on him, I was paying for it now.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice.

“I am here. You are safe,” I assured over and over. She bit her lip to prevent her from sobbing more, but nodded. I pulled out Gantz suits from my Status Screen. “Put these on. Then we leave.” Reina gripped my shoulders but slowly released me. Her hands shaking as the girls began to put on the tight black suits.

“Walk me through what happened,” I ordered.

“It was awful-” Reina said.

“You, calm down and dress,” I ordered. She was still blabbering with every other word. I turned to Shinju. The ever bored looking maid nodded.

“We evacuated the city with the others,” she said in a calm tone, but I could tell she was hurting from whatever had been done to her. Moving slowly as she put the clothes on my rage boiled more as I pictured what I would do to Kabuto. “Everything was fine for a day, but then we were all knocked out. We didn’t come to until a couple of days ago, but by then...Tayuya was dead.”

“How?”

“That white snake guy had no interest in her,” Hina said. “She had come to and tried to break us out. That’s when he killed her.”

I nodded slowly. Letting out a sigh, it was upsetting. I felt bad for questioning Tayuya, but also I was happy that it was her and not one of the others. From how it sounded, the girls had been in danger no matter what. I was going to have to rethink some things, but I would get revenge for Tayuya as well. Following Orochimaru, this was most likely the only path set for her. At least that was what I told myself. A small part of me knew that I had brought her down this path, but I pushed that part away.

“Let’s go,” I said, making a shadow clone.

“What are you doing?” Hina asked as she stepped out of the cage.

“You’re going with Hinata and my shadow clone,” I said, pointing to the door.

“No! Weston-” Reina said as she moved to me. I grabbed onto her, hugging her as she stopped talking.

“It will be alright,” I promised. “No one does this to those I love and lives. Trust me.”

“You can’t-”

“I can,” I promised. “And in the off chance I can’t, then I will run.”

She chewed her lip but my shadow clone grabbed her arm and pulled her away. Hina and Shinju hesitated but followed. Hinata still stood at the door as the trio and my clone moved out.

“I should stay with you,” Hinata said after a moment of hesitation.

“I would prefer you didn’t,” I admitted.

“I am a ninja, just like you,” she said, more firm with her words than I expected. In all honesty I had forgotten that she was. Chewing my lip I didn’t want to risk her either. I could tell she was confused, and most likely saw that there was something between my maids and I. However, right then she was a Chuunin. Ready to help protect the village at any time.

I didn’t like it, but nodded anyway. The room was a dead end. Heading out we went back to the main hall. My clone was already running the girls down the hall to where light leaked in from the crack I had made in the ground. Hinata and I headed in the opposite direction. Coming to an intersection I made 3 clones and we headed off in different directions.