Kaori Hatake

Chapter Twenty - Eight

Kaori's Point Of View:

I stroked the soft fur of the husky puppies around me. I giggled when I got bombarded with kisses from everywhere. I heard Mella also laugh, rolling around underneath them.

"Thank you for adopting two," the breeder said. I glanced over at our parents. It felt nice to say that plural. They smiled at the breeder before looking in our direction.

"It was the least we could do to get a couple off your hands," Shellia told her as my eyes watched every interaction. Of course I was still cautious with new people. I always have been. It's hard to break an old habit. Dad smiled gently at me under his mask. I returned a shy smile.

"We're under attack!" someone outside screamed in terror. Dad's eyes narrowed.

"Kaori, you're with me," Dad instructed. "Shellia, Mella, get the puppies to safety. Sakura, you help, too. Naruto, Sasuke, you're with me. Sakura, also go warn the other villagers. Move out!"

Dad, Naruto, Sasuke, and I dashed out of the building. I didn't know Team 7 was coming with us until we met them a little ways away from the village gates. Naruto had followed me the whole way. I ran beside them as we raced to the gates. The other groups suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"Great timing," Naruto complimented.

"Fill us in, Kakashi," Guy said. Dad filled everyone in on the details as we landed on the gate of the village.

"Hinata, Kiba, Akimaru. You kids go scavenge around and make sure no one was left behind nor hurt. Go, now!" Kurenai orded. The three of them nodded, running off.

I hadn't realize that Naruto had disappeared until I heard him shout from the ground, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Dozens of Narutos formed, charging at the beast ahead.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru hollered.

"That idiot," Sasuke sneered. My vision heightened when I heard footsteps on branches. Definitely not friendly either. I sighed.

"Remind me to tell Naruto that he owes me ramen," I announced. I jumped up, taking out shuriken, and throwing them at the enemy ninja.

"I swear I raised a bunch of children," I faintly heard my father grumble. I hit the targets, but two of them were shadow clones. The other two were not.

I flipped around on my back, throwing my other four shuriken in my left hand at descending enemies. One had thrown a kunai knife at me and since I was literally falling in the air, I had no where to dodge. My left thigh took the hit. I gritted my teeth in pain, but I reached my hand out, grabbing a nearby branch.

I let out a relieved yet troubled breath. I looked up to see a hand, and my eyes followed it all the way up to see Lee's smiling face. I smiled in appreciation, reaching up with my left to grip his hand.

"I have got you, Kaori," he said as he pulled me up to stand with him on the branch.

"Thanks, Lee. I owe you one."

"No problem," he saluted. His eyes narrowed when they saw my leg. I patted his shoulder encouragingly.

"Don't worry about it. We gotta go help the others. Who knows what Naruto did."

"Agreed."

"Give me a sec." He gave me a puzzled look but said nothing. I pulled out the knife. I took a deep breath before exhaling. "Monkey. Bird. Tiger. Dog. Fire Style: Flame Stitch Jutsu." I ran my pointer and middle finger along the cut. The fire sewed, or more of melted, the cut closed. It burned being a fire jutsu.

"Woah," Lee breathed in awe.

"Yeah. I'm no medical ninja, so I had to come up with something. This is the best I came up with. It took six months for me to perfect."

"That is still very incredible."

"Thanks, Lee," I smiled. I opened my eyes, hopping towards the beast on the trees. Lee was following close behind. Soon, we landed with the others, but I was grabbed by a tail. Naruto was, too. Two tails?

This wasn't one of the nine tailed beasts. It was something completely different. If I didn't already have Doana trapped inside of me, I would gladly offer myself to be a junchuuriki to seal this thing. However, I do have Doana, and I don't even know how to help her. I can't risk hurting another beast when I can't even save my own.

I managed to weave signs before hollering, "Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique!" The rumbling of water flooding closer indicated that my jutsu was successful.

"Scatter!" Dad hollered. In came the giant wave seconds later, wiping out a few trees in its wake.

"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" Dad weaved. A dragon emerged from the wave, shooting water bullets at the beast. The beast dropped us as it lost its footing because of the flood. And...I don't exactly know how to swim. I can't move my body to land on the water. It felt numb or paralyzed. "Naruto! Kaori!" Dad shouted.

I seen Sasuke jump down closer towards us, reaching down and caught Naruto in one hand and me in the other. It reminded me a little of how Lee saved me earlier.

"I got you two," Sasuke said, pulling me up to safety before doing the same with Naruto. I sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Sasuke," Naruto panted. "I thought I was surely a goner."

"No problem." When he looked to where I was previously on my hands and knees, I was already gone. I had moved towards the hill and looked over the cliff to view the beast. My shoulder was searing in pain, but overall, I was fine.

"I don't know what to do," I murmured. Shikamaru joined my side, patting my shoulder in comfort.

"We'll figure something out," he gently soothed.

"If I can't control one, how can I control another?"

"You won't be getting this beast, Kaori," Dad said from the tree above us two.

1004 words.