Caught in the Darkness

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: The Imminent Threat to the Leaf

At first, Hyori had expected Hanako to react joyfully, but she never expected the reaction she had. Hanako looked back at her with narrowed eyes. She was sitting on the couch, with Ryusuke and Hayato at either side of her. They had both grown big, about 10 years old already. They were holding Hanako tightly, as if they were afraid she would disappear again, with tears flowing down their cheeks. Hanako didn't even look at them, but let them hold her. Hyori knew that maybe those two would soften Hanako's heart once again, but she never expected them to cause the opposite effect.

"Why did you bring them here?" Hanako asked lowly, but high enough for Hyori to hear her.

The Senju sighed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "They deserve to be with you, Hanako. You're the only family they have left." Hanako's eyes softened. "You weren't there when we had to tell them about the massacre before they heard it from the villagers. They were broken, Hanako, they thought all of you were dead. Even I thought you were dead! That's why we took them in!"

Hanako could feel tears in her eyes but her eyes stayed glued to the ground. "It's about time you explained everything to us, you might not want us to but we care a lot about you. If you are not going to talk to us, maybe you'll want to talk to your brothers and explain why you abandoned them in the first place."

Hanako didn't say anything at first, but Hayato's stare made it difficult for her to stay silent. From the two twins, Ryusuke was the most serious but soft hearted, Hayato was the extroverted one but he didn't stand when people lied to him. Hayabusa stood at the window sill, watching the three of them with keen interest. Hanako was the only one with brown hair. Both twins had spiky black hair, Ryusuke liked it long while Hayato kept it short. "I just wanted to keep you safe," Hanako began to say, "from Orochimaru, from the Akatsuki, from anyone that might be after me. I wanted them to think my entire family was dead and that I left my friends behind; so that they wouldn't have anything to blackmail me with. You would be safe."

"We feel safer with you, Hanako-neechan." Ryusuke smiled as he hugged her tighter. For the first time, Hanako smiled and returned the gesture. She couldn't lie and say she didn't miss them, because she did. She had dreamed a few times of this encounter, and she probably ruined it with exaggerated thoughts. If the twins were both with her, it was easier to watch over them.

"We missed you, a lot." Hayato sobbed and cried into her lap. Hanako patted his head. She had also the urge to cry, but she couldn't cry in front of her brothers. They needed her to stay strong.

"These five years... I've spent them moving from country to country, from lair to lair with Orochimaru," the Uchiha continued to say. Hyori looked at her with interest. "I met a lot of people. People with interesting abilities, people who are willing to help me, people who have sworn their life to protect me.

"We formed a team. We were called the Genso no Rokunin, and there were six of us. I was the fourth member to join, and yet Orochimaru decided I was the most fit to become the leader. The first one was Kai, he's still around, probably somewhere near the outskirts of the village. Kai controls silver and metals in general. He can mold them to form original weapons. A Kekkei Genkai called the Kouton.

"The second one was Guren, a girl of the same age as me. Guren controls crystal with her Shouton. Our personalities crashed at first, but we learned to care about each other. Maybe more than we should have.

"The third was Miyu, also the same age as me. Miyu could control plants and has a special affinity for the Suiton. She was Guren's best friend and sort of her minion.

"I was the fourth. The fifth was a little girl, Yuu. Now she must be around 13 years old; I rescued her in Kirigakure. The ANBU were looking for her to execute her because of her Kekkei Genkai, the Hyouton. Yuu controls ice. Even if she appears to be a young innocent soul, Yuu is merciless. She killed for fun, but she changed a lot when she joined us.