Things We Do For Love

CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE

A/N: Did any of you watch the post-credit scene for Episode 146 in Shippuden? It was so cute to see Shino, Kiba and Naruto having dinner together ♥‿♥

Y/N's P.O.V

Distant screams and warning bells chimed in the still air of Konoha. Its quiet haze of a tranquil evening was ruined by shinobis and Anbu directing citizens to their homes and safety. Children were whisked away by their parents as they sought shelter amongst myriads of houses. As if my sudden reawakening was a curse and paranoia infected hearts of those who had never heard of me. Windows were barred shut and repeatedly, megaphones declared the hunt for an escaped asylum seeker who could pose as a serious threat to civilians.

Streets and alleys looked deserted; not even an animal in sight – how cruel of a welcome I received. It was a harsh reminder that I was a foreigner among these naturalized citizens, I had the blood of an outsider and my worth was counted towards nothing. The depriving nature of my existence further fueled my anger. I was not going to be a sad story. I was not letting the council decide my fate anymore.

As soon as an arrow whizzed past me, its buzzing chakra managing to cut my cheek, I turned back and threw rocks at the pesky pursuers with my poisoned blood. The shinobis scattered away like leaves; the captain frantically ordered his teammates to maintain distance from HDO-1. Oh, how I had missed that label. The trackers stopped momentarily to reassemble with the rest of the shinobis and I used this moment to quickly maneuver towards an alley, hoping to blend in however, my presence resulted in unhinged chaos. People scrammed away with their children as if I was the plague; mothers hugged their babies close to their bosoms and ran for their lives. Several men and women screamed as they looked at my deformity, their eyes traumatized seeing the scar on my neck and bloodied attire. I was called many things – a witch, a curse, death itself. Save the kids, they said; nothing should happen to our kids, they said again.

Why?

Why were they able to keep their children but mine had to be sacrificed? Why couldn't I just have my babies? Why was their blood not as precious as the ones living right now?

"There she is!"

"Code White! I repeat, Code White near North-East of the market place!"

"Y/N Hatake! You are to surrender to the Leaf ~" Panic set ablaze when I noticed Anbu forces closing in on me! They certainly looked differently built and had a much meaner appearance. Fearing immediate arrest, I grabbed an abandoned wooden cart and with my sharpened nails, broke its body to dismember it. I plunged the splinters into my arm, drawing poisoned blood and used this newly acquired weapon to keep the enemies at bay. Sizzling wooden arrows attacked the opposing members, cautioning of its volatile attribute. I was not well versed on the jutsu I honed, but I could tell that once poisoned, the victims would require urgent medical assistance.

I kept throwing splinters at the team as they managed to come closer. And just when I thought I had lost this fight, one of the darts lodged into the woman's thigh and she screamed falling down. As her comrade tried saving her, the last of the darts plunged inside his neck, torturing him with all might. Slowly his body stopped moving and he fell atop the other shinobi, who was also immobile. Foam curdled in their mouth as their fingers twitched every now and then. My heart pounded heavily, it was the unknown results of my power that frightened it. I couldn't tell if they were dying like Akako or if I had unknowingly controlled the lethality of my poison jutsu. Was I even aware of the chakra distribution? What did I do? From the horizon, I observed ten shinobis approaching me with arms, their eyes widening at the sight of two fallen Konoha ninjas at my feet.