From Bad To Worse

The genins were pretty much looking at the same kind of scene that followed their missions to capture the cat that always escaped. They tend to damage their surroundings. Kazuma couldn't help but crack a nervous smile when he realized it. He turned to Naruto to share his amusement. However, his smile disappeared when he saw the Kiri ninja, a gash on his arm, standing in front of the inn and watching them with a surprised look. Yamato was nowhere to be seen.

"Interesting," the ninja said.

Kazuma's heart was pounding. Many thoughts appeared in his mind. Where was their sensei? Would they have to fight the man? Could they run away? But the enemy wasn't looking at him. He wasn't even looking at Naruto. He looked at Hotaru. The girl stiffened, tightening her grip on her kunais. But when the Kiri ninja spoke again, Hotaru looked so taken aback that she nearly dropped her weapons.

"You are a Tsuchigumo, aren't you? En No Gyoja's granddaughter. The one who escaped the destruction of Mount Katsuragi fort."

Hotaru said nothing, staring at him in shock. The man smiled.

"I suspected so. I recognize your clan emblem. Few would be brave enough to wear it in broad daylight. What is your name, daughter of the Tsuchigumo clan?"

Hotaru wore a sleeveless kimono-tunic, with black shorts and a sort of gray slit overskirt. She was cute and harmless looking. But still… She was undoubtedly a kunoichi. She wore her headband on her belt… And, on the back of her pink top, was an emblem that Kazuma had never noticed: a stylized spider, with a body in the shape of an upside-down triangle. The young Uchiha understood better where his brother was coming from when he told them to be careful about wearing the clan emblem outside the village. 

Who knew when enemies may appear? Hotaru's clan symbol was barely noticeable, yet it was seen. Jun's warnings which they all believe to be paranoia may have some reasonings behind them after all. He pushed those thoughts back and reported his attention to the current situation.

Hotaru came from a clan. Kazuma had never thought of it, but that meant… That she had a family, but also more than that, a lineage, an origin, a nobility to honor. Not like Neji or Jun, who bore the names of their clans with such obvious reluctance, but more like… Like Karin and Sasuke. So Kazuma shouldn't have been surprised when Hotaru squared her shoulders and said in a voice that didn't waver.

"I am Hotaru of the Tsuchigumo clan. And you, who are you? How do you know my grandfather?"

The ninja slowly walked to the nearest unconscious bandit. A tall, bearded man, who was probably the leader of the thief group. He flipped him over with a careless kick and crouched down to search his pockets.

"My name is Unmo Samidare.. I am a Jonin from Kiri. Four years ago, however, I was just a lowly chunin when I was sent to steal your clan's Kinjutsu."

Hotaru gulped. 

"It was nukenins who attacked Mount Katsuragi," she replied with a shaky voice.

Samidare found what he was looking for. He held a cylindrical box of weathered wood, just the right size to hold a standard storage scroll. His gaze on Hotaru was coldly amused.

"The chain of command was quite uncertain in those troubled times. But we got our orders, and we went. A Kinjutsu capable of razing an entire village in a huge explosion... How not to be tempted?"

"What?" Naruto exclaimed. "What is he talking about, Hotaru?!"

No one paid him the slightest attention. Hotaru stared horrified at Samidare, and Kazuma watched the scene with the strange feeling of being pinned to the ground, like a helpless spectator watching a train derail.

"The attack failed," Samidare continued with an icy smile. "Your grandfather used the forbidden technique to destroy his fort, sacrificing his life and killing the majority of our ninjas with it. But our source told us that there was still someone who knew the Kinjutsu, his granddaughter. A poor heiress, who ran for her life while her beloved grandfather was torn to pieces by his own Jutsu. Surely, she doesn't deserve to wield this weapon… So we set out to find her."

Hotaru was as white as a sheet of paper. She didn't even seem to be breathing. Samidare's reptilian smile widened, his gaze glinting with malevolence.

"It would have been logical for her to hide in the clan's village," he continued in a sinister voice. "So we interrogated every man…every woman…every child. But we still couldn't find her. However, by some miracle, before the Konoha ninjas arrived to chase us away… A village elder, begging me to spare his son, revealed to me that he had a relic."

He showed them the wooden box in his hand. The wood was old, weathered by use, and damaged in places, but it was clearly preserved with care

"How to use the Kinjutsu," Samidare finished with relish. "A safeguard, a precaution, given by his brother, who had once been a pupil of En no Gyoja. Of course, the instructions were useless without the source of the Forbidden Technique… But I took it anyway."

He paused and slowly slipped the cylindrical box into the bag he slung over his shoulder.

"And to think I was furious that those bandits had the temerity to steal my loot. I never imagined they would lead me to you, Hotaru Tsuchigumo. The missing piece. And with these instructions, I'll be a Kinjutsu master in no time. Fate did well to lead you to me."

He took a step forward. Hotaru took a step back. It wasn't so much a defensive move as an instinctive move. Suddenly, she no longer looked like a kunoichi, but a horrified child on whom a menacing adult was advancing. Naruto and Kazuma automatically moved to her side in a gesture of support, on guard, ready to attack. Samidare paused for a brief moment. His sinister smile returned.

"There's no need to fight," he said sardonically.

The way he repeated Yamato's words, like a cruel mockery, made Naruto hiss in rage. Hotaru swallowed, clearly terrified but gathering her courage, and said in a firm voice.

"I don't think we have a choice."

With a loud battle cry, Naruto rushed to attack, creating dozens of clones at once. Hotaru and Kazuma also rushed forward.

This time they weren't holding back. Shurikens flew, Katons Jutsus were launched, and waves of clones swept their enemy. But Samidare was an experienced jonin. He drew the katana hanging from his back and fought back. The flames unleashed by Kazuma perished under a powerful Suiton, and the clones of Naruto were decimated with his sword.

Samidare was moving around like a deadly and elusive demon. Sometimes a clone managed to kick him or punch him, sometimes a blade grazed him, or a flame brushed past him, but it was insignificant. He cut through their attacks like paper, deflecting their blows with the back of his hand without giving them more than a glance. Kazuma backed away. They were all backing away, even Naruto, stumbling over his clones.

And, methodically, Samidare advanced towards Hotaru. She was his goal. He didn't seem in a hurry, just relentless. Hotaru was livid, her jaw clenched, her gaze overflowing with rage and terror. She was casting multiple Suiton techniques, but her jutsus had no impact on the Jonin. Kazuma wanted to scream in frustration. It wasn't fair, it wasn't supposed to be like this, they couldn't lose. It was their first mission. They were supposed to succeed. They were all supposed to come home, together, unscathed. And instead, instead... Yamato-sensei was… And Hotaru was going to be… No, no, it couldn't be! It couldn't end like this!

Suddenly Naruto found himself in front of the Kiri's Jonin, defiantly blocking his path, leaping to attack him. But this time, the man had enough. He didn't just punch or kick the genin out of his way. The movement was too fast for Kazuma to follow with his eyes. One moment Naruto was in the middle of a jump, roaring with anger. The next moment, Samidare's sword was piercing his back, going right through him. Kazuma opened his mouth, a howl of horror stuck in his throat… And the world exploded in a surge of red chakra.