Set in the world of Naruto Uzumaki, a new character, Hoshiko Agawa, steps into the light, the two-faced jinchuriki, also known as the Spirit of Life and Death. With the power to use chakra to shape orbs, walls, and lasers of fire, water, light, eart...
Our four ninja hopped through the trees, never breaking formation, leaping through the forest as one. They never stopped, but worked at a relaxed-enough pace to be able to look around as they moved, but still wanted to get about 15 miles out from the village before really slowing down and looking around. About an hour into the forest, they did, arriving at a little clearing.
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The group slowed to a cautious walk, looking around themselves. They stayed close together, never moving out of their positions, slinking about for ten minutes or so. That's when they heard it. The slightest crack of a stick. Hoshiko motioned to Kiba, and Akamaru sniffed the air, then growled.
"There's someone here," Kiba warned. They all pulled out a weapon, Hoshiko deeming it necessary to keep her golden kunai in hand.
She stepped aside just in time to avoid an attack aimed straight at her face. The next few seconds happened in a blur. Kiba bowled Hoshiko over, narrowly avoiding a shuriken that would've hit Hoshiko straight in the face, landing in a pile. A heap that was then shoved aside by Shikamaru as another kunai nailed itself on a tree behind where the two ninja were seconds ago. Neji knocked aside another knife aimed for Shikamaru's back. They stood there, chests heaving, as tense as the skin stretched over a drum.
They heard the hiss of the paper bomb a second before it set off. A huge ball of fire enclosed the group of shinobi, devouring the area where they stood. The fire slowly, oh-so slowly cleared, the sun abruptly disappearing, as if in mourning. But it was for naught. For Hoshiko had her hand held up, still lying on the ground where Kiba had knocked her aside, controlling a hastily made barrier in the shape of a dome surrounding the four ninja. The fire had gone over the shield, the people inside completely unharmed.
Hoshiko collapsed the barrier and she flopped all the way to the ground, breathing heavily. A smile slowly spread across her face.
"We make a pretty awesome team, don't we?"
"We most definitely do," replied Kiba, grinning back. Shikamaru beamed as well. Even Neji allowed a smirk. They reveled in their victory for another half-second, then remembered their situation.
"Right. Now to find our attacker," said Neji, activating his Byakugan. "Stay on your guard." He scanned the surrounding area, his all-seeing gaze sweeping across the clearing. He stopped abruptly to their right. "There. He's hiding behind a tree." His eyes widened slightly. "He's on the move, heading northeast. Follow me." He leapt into the undergrowth, and the others follwed suit.
"Same formation, but Neji and Kiba, switch places so that Neji can take the lead," Hoshiko called, taking her place next to Shikamaru. The team adjusted as needed, then continued the mad pursuit of their assailant at full speed. Hoshiko inched forward a bit. "Neji, did you get a look at him? Does he look like our target?"
"I couldn't and can't see much, but from what I can tell, he had short hair, a lanky figure, and looks tall, although he was sitting down. It seems we have our man." He chuckled. "We should thank him for revealing himself to us. I highly doubt we would have found him without that...unexpected hello."
Hoshiko smirked and went back to her spot beside Shikamaru. "It appears we've found Asahi," she told him, then addressed the entire group. "There's the distinct possibility that this man is our target. He isn't to be harmed. Remember, we are only here to detain him." She looked around.
"I'm gonna move up next to Neji, Kiba and Akamaru, get behind me, and Shikamaru, take the place next to Kiba so that we form a 2x2 square. Stay together, and Neji, I want us on his tail in 30 seconds."
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Neji nodded. "Right."
Kiba tossed a bag of food pills to Hoshiko. "The guy's fast," he explained simply. "And you'll need your energy to dodge his attacks, based on his last assault."
Hoshiko nodded her thanks, grabbed a couple, and tossed the bag to Shikamaru. He took a few pills, then gave Neji some, and returned the bag to Kiba. Akamaru howled as the group of determined shinobi sped up, boosted by the effects of the food pills.
The boy they were pursuing came into view, and Hoshiko got her first good look at him. "Oh, yeah," she muttered under her breath. "That's Asahi Suzuki, alright." He had brown hair, a skinny form, and seemed tall. He turned around to look at them, and she spotted his eyes, the color of light ash, further confirming their theory. "Break!" she yelled, and the four ninja slowly fanned out, gradually surrounding him. He noticed this, and his gaze ran over each of them, calculating.
He dove straight down. Hoshiko's team skidded to a stop on a branch above him.
"There!" It was Neji, pointing under and slightly to the left of them. "He's on the move. Hurry."
They all leapt down as one. "Assume the same formation as before," said Hoshiko, but they had already started drifting into position. She smiled. They were a well-oiled machine. She had absolute faith they would catch Asahi. Her team ran, eating ground, feet pounding against the hard-packed earth in unison.
Then Asahi veered to a stop. And two more people stepped out from behind the trees, flanking his sides, grinning like demons from the ninth circle of hell.
