Her vision had faded to black. The last thing she remembered was… Nothing. She remembered nothing. Where was she now? She couldn't tell. It was just an empty white space. No. That's not entirely true, there was a single set of swings here. They seemed to sway as if a breeze pushed them but the air was still. Wait no. There is no air here. The only thing here seems to be some source of light she couldn't pinpoint and the swings.
She decided to walk over to the swings. If there was nothing else here then she might as well sit on the swings. As she approached she realized there was a woman sitting on the swings. The woman had long red hair, and deep purple eyes. Protruding from her forehead were two small horns, not unlike… Unlike what? Or is it who? She couldn't remember. The woman had an ethereal beauty to her, how had she not noticed this woman? She must be out of sorts. The woman looked up at her and spoke.
"Hello dear."
"Hello."
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you Na—" Her voice cut out, the girl had no idea what she was going to say.
"Am I supposed to know you?"
"I've been with you your whole life."
"Then how is this our first meeting?"
"For the first time in your life we are separate."
"So then are you me?"
"I suppose you could say that, I have been many people, as have my brothers. You were, are, my latest incarnation."
"So then how am I distinct now?"
"You were the first to be killed by As—" She had cut out again, so the girl didn't know who or what killed her.
"So is this the afterlife?"
"No, not quite. You still have a chance to live."
"Should I even want to live?" Being dead didn't seem that bad.
"That's up to you. But if you want to live all you have to do is remember who you are before Ka—" Another name was cut out. "escapes completely."
"How do I remember?"
"I can't answer that for you, I suppose try to think about what drives you."
"How long do I have?"
"About ten minutes, but time doesn't flow normally here, counting to 600 will not take ten minutes, it could be an hour, it could be one real minute. So just think, if you remember then I'll help you regain control."
"Thanks miss… I never got your name." The woman spoke but the girl couldn't understand it. Seeing she wasn't going to understand, the girl sat on the swing and tried to remember. What drives her?
The color lavender seemed to flash in her mind, but she couldn't think of why.
***
"Naru-chan is dead and I killed her." That was the only thought racing through Hyuuga Hinata's mind. Over and over the message seemed to repeat in her mind. She had betrayed the love of her life and in her final moments the girl was not angry at her. Hinata was barely aware of the proctor calling her the winner by death. What she was intensely aware of is the cheering that seemed to erupt from the crowd.
They were cheering? Cheering for the fact that she killed Naru-chan? How dare they! After everything they had done to the girl! They dared to cheer for her death! She'd kill them! She'd show them what it's like for someone to cheer for their loved ones dying. She looked up fiercely at the crowd, tears streaming down her face.
"Shut up! All of you shut the fuck up!" This seemed to start the crowd into silence. She absently noticed the elders and her father looking upset, but she couldn't care less at the moment. "You… You pieces of trash are cheering for her death! You made her life hell and then you dare cheer for her death!?" The Hokage was standing to try and calm her down.
"Hyuuga-san! This is not the kind of—" She interrupted him. He would never be her leader, not when he condones a village like this.
"Shut the fuck up you bastard, you are the worst of them all. Her parents trusted you to protect her dammit! And you sacrificed her! I've had enough of you and this god forsaken village hurting her, even in death!" She couldn't take it, the stares of hate all beamed at the love of her life, the derision it was maddening. They call themselves the great tree. She would show them what she thinks of this tree. She didn't hesitate to remove her headband and slash right through it.
"Hinata." That was Sasuke's voice, he was giving her a meaningful look, he would stick by her. To prove it he slashed through his headband too. He may want to restore honor to his clan, but Konoha had proven there was no honor to be had here.
"Sasuke, we'll probably die, but let's give them hell shall we?" He smirked and nodded.
"Try not to hold me back." Hinata smiled, she was still so angry, but she couldn't help the malicious smile that came to her face. A group of chunin had approached to apprehend the two defectors.
"I'm already ahead." She made a single handsign and spikes of wood shot out of the ground impaling the chunin. They died instantly.
Following that three things happened all at once. Feathers fell from the sky, putting large numbers of people to sleep. The Kage box exploded. And finally, perhaps the most noticeable in the chaos, a feeling of dread erupted from Naruko. The girl's skin seemed to peel as a deep red chakra, almost like blood, was revealed underneath. Six tails erupted from her back and she gave a deafening roar that shook the stadium.
***
"Shut up! All of you shut the fuck up! You… You pieces of trash are cheering for her death! You made her life hell and then you dare cheer for her death!?" Konan gave a meaningful look to the Kazekage, Orochimaru in disguise, and Nagato. It would seem it's starting. The plan was simple: destroy the leaf and have Naruko killed by someone she trusts, then when the time comes Nagato would revive her, and they would have her loyalty and the hotbed of corruption, that is the leaf, would be destroyed.
"Hyuuga-san! This is not the kind of—" He was interrupted by the girl, shouting at him.
"Shut the fuck up you bastard, you are the worst of them all. Her parents trusted you to protect her dammit! And you sacrificed her! I've had enough of you and this god forsaken village hurting her, even in death!" Much to everyone's surprise the girl slashed her headband and declared herself a missing nin. They had known she wasn't the most stable person, but to think that she would betray the village in front of every ninja the village had, was insanity at best.
The girl and her teammate, Itachi's brother, exchanged a few words, as he too betrayed the village, and then the girl used the kekkei genkai given by Orochimaru. She nodded at the disguised snake and the Kage box exploded.
"Kazekage-dono, what's the meaning of this?" It was Onoki who asked, he had moved to one side of the remains of the box with the other two visiting kage.
"Konoha falls today, don't suppose you'd like to join us? Or you can leave now, We won't hold it against you. Our troops are only under orders to fight Konoha. And any who aided the leaf." Only Suna had brought an army, the other three villages hadn't been allowed to bring more than 100 nin, due to them not being allied. After brief deliberation and the feeling of dread coming from the center of the stadium the other Kage decided.
Mei was the first to decide. "We want no part in this." The mist had no interest in getting involved with this soon to be war, and she had a lot of genin here, as she wanted them to see the chunin exams that were going to be historic. "Kiri! We are leaving!"
The other two Kage weren't given time to declare their intent as the Kazekage and the Hokage were locked in a barrier together.
"Onoki, what do you think?"
"This seems like a good time to wipe out the leaf for good."
"But."
"But we don't know what the Ame is doing, and the chaos below could likely get my own troops killed." He may hate the leaf, but he couldn't have been a kage this long without some rational thought.
"Yes, those three children seem to be wrecking more havoc than the two armies."
Down below the arena was being split in three battles, those by the Hyuuga with Mokuton. Those by the last Uchiha, and finally by the Uzumaki who had some kind of wretched ability he had never seen before.
"Iwa! We are leaving, if you choose to stay you will be declared missing in action!" He would allow his troops to decide whether to take revenge without losing their honor as ninja of Iwa. But they would also never be allowed back in the village.
A, seeing the wisdom in this decides to mimic the order with his own troops. Though much to his dismay it would seem a few of his genin decided to stay, notably Samui, though he couldn't tell why. Well he wouldn't fault them for their choices. He turned to the representatives from Ame.
"And what will you do?"
"We brought no troops, so we shall stay and watch the chaos." Konan had not removed her eyes from Naruko, who had now grown a seventh tail. She didn't even bat an eye as Fuu landed next to her.
"Is this what you wanted?"
"Yes. You've done well."
"Do you think she'll ever forgive me?"
"You truly are infatuated with Naruko aren't you?"
"Yes."
"You realize for our goals to happen there are good odds she dies regardless?"
"I know."
"Will your loyalty waiver?"
"No."
"How can you be sure?"
"I can't."
"You know what will happen if you betray us." It wasn't a question.
"I won't."
"Good." They knew Nagato was in charge, but he was not the one in charge public-ally, so in a situation like this, Konan was the one she reports to.