The Fox's Third Flash of Hope

Chapter 15

Eh..........not much to say this time. Sorry about the long updating time. No creativity....

The four Leaf ninja immediately began trying to locate their enemy.

They didn't need to though, since he stepped into their clear line of sight from within the ash mist.

"Any attempt to resist is futile. If you have any decent senses, you can probably tell I have nine others with me." The speaker was tall with light brown eyes and short black hair that was straight at the top but ended in spikes. He looked about the same age as Boruto, maybe a few years younger.

Now that she had gotten over her initial revulsion and panic, Kansen's ears began working properly again. Breaths and heartbeats surrounded her team. How had she not noticed outside the village? Maybe the ash had somehow muffled the sound. Indeed, there were nine others.

"Are you kidding me?! No way in hell are we just giving up!" Boruto shouted.

The black haired man smiled, and leaned on one leg. The slight movement made Kansen notice a detail she hadn't seen: a small silver symbol stitched onto his sleeve. She subtly inched forward to get a better look.

"Don't worry, you guys aren't going to die just yet," Kansen didn't hear the stranger's words, she was more focused on his left sleeve.

Ugh, she wasn't getting anywhere. Couldn't be helped. The redhead purposefully stumbled and fell in an ungraceful heap at the enemy ninja's feet. He looked down at her amused. "What is it, little girl? Are you sure you're ready to be a ninja?" He taunted.

As Kansen stood up she glowered at the man, but cast a spare glance at the little silver mark. The redhead forced her eyes to close as if she was just blinking in order to disguise her surprise instead of letting them widen.

What the hell was a Waterfall ninja doing in the Land of Fire?!

How should I know?

Shut up Kurama nobody asked you. Kansen mentally snapped at the fox.

Well I know that man's name.

Why should I care- WAIT. You know his name?! Tell me. I demand it.

Hmph. Fine. That ninja standing in front of you is Washura Haki of the Hidden Waterfall. He's a high level chunin, but never quite made the cut to jonin.

If he's that weak, why do you know his name?

He may not have the physical capability, but he'll kill you with one kunai without having to even start running.

A genjutsu user?

You're getting smarter.

"Spiralling Ball!" Boruto charged at the Waterfall ninja, a spinning blue orb of chakra in his right hand.

Washura narrowed his eyes. "That jutsu...you're Boruto Uzumaki?" He paused, then the smile returned to his face. "Change of plan."

He must have made a signal of some sort, because a male ninja with a mask that bore the crest of the Waterfall barreled through the ash cloud and knocked Boruto heavily to the right. The blond jonin landed on his side with a grunt, the chakra disappearing from his hand. He would have let the condensed chakra explode, but he was afraid of harming his students.

Kansen heard the attack when the blade was three feet away from her neck. A kunai. A female. Six o' clock. She pulled out her shortswords and spun around. The kunai was blocked by the sword in her right hand, and using her left she aimed a slash at the attacker's stomach. Too bad it was dodged, since it would probably have been at least an incapacitating injury. Maybe even kill you of blood loss.

Niju and Penami weren't as lucky as Kansen to be highly trained already. Two masked ninja stood behind them, each holding a kunai pressed to the genin's throats. Then the Sarutobi and Zanto went limp, heads drooping and hair readjusting.

The remaining twelve year old momentarily felt panic take over. Then she pushed it away. No. There was no blood, those two couldn't possibly be dead. And then the answer hit her. Like, literally. What was it with answers to random questions popping up out of nowhere in violent ways today?! Kansen felt the genjutsu begin to take over her senses.

With what control she had left over her collapsing body, the jinchuriki turned her head for a shifting view of Washura Haki, who was still smiling the same way as before. No.......there was a trace of hostility.

*****

Wake up already.

Red lines split her vision. Then she realized it was just her hair.

Don't move, or they'll find out you're awake. Kurama muttered boredly.

Well, why am I awake?

I put in some of my chakra into your system.

Oh. WAIT. You can do that?!

What is it with you and double takes? I can push a small amount of chakra through holes in the seal. Before you ask me how those holes got there, it's because of the massive amount of chakra you use for that electricity of yours.

The crimson lines and hair in her face were really getting on Kansen's nerves now. She stubbornly resisted the urge to shake her head or move her hand. She was proud of her self control for a few seconds.

".....ar's hideout is perfectly safe. No one will ever find it without explicit instructions from a living person." Now that was an interesting snippet of conversation. Kansen fine tuned her ears to pick up more.

"Can we trust them? They're pretty new to the alliance," another voice spoke up.

"The Hidden Star is small but powerful. They're good allies and bad enemies." This was definitely Washura. The Hidden Star was in on this too?! It was a really independent place, right? And a few decades ago they were friends of the Leaf.....they wouldn't actively sponsor capturing genin right? Or would they?

Her captor stopped. Washura muttered a few indistinct words that made no sense to Kansen. Then the procession continued. A tingling sensation traveled up her body when she passed through a glowing blue barrier. When curiosity got the better of her and she dared lift her head a bit, she saw only a rocky wall.

A few minutes later she felt herself being put down. The redhead quickly closed her eyes and pretended to still be under a genjutsu until the distinct sound of a slamming door and the click of a lock reached her ears. Then Kansen sat up.

The fairly small room was dimly lit by a few lights embedded in the ceiling, much like the hallways the jinchuriki had been carried through to get here. Those had had concrete walls and floors, and so did this room. Penami and Niju were sprawled on the floor nearby. Kansen decided not to dispel the genjutsu just yet, since it would most likely cause some complications. Boruto was nowhere to be found. A thick looking steel door separated them from the rest of the hideout.

By the time Kansen detected the opening of the door it was already too late. The heavy piece of metal apparently was a sliding door since it moved slowly to the right to reveal Washura. Kansen had no time to lie down and pretend to be knocked out. The concrete room was probably soundproof too since the sound of footsteps hadn't traveled through the walls, causing the Waterfall ninja's presence to be unnoticed.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Already awake, are we?" Washura pressed a button somewhere on the door and it soundlessly slid closed and created the low slamming sound Kansen had heard earlier. "Tell me, how did you do it?"

"It's none of your damn business," the genin unsheathed her two swords and adopted a battle stance. "All you need to know is that your genjutsu doesn't work on me."

Here comes a good part. Hopefully. I might just crappily write this battle too. Depends on how many ideas for kicks and punches I have.