We tried several strategies after that, but none of them worked. Naruto was lousy at keeping secrets, and Hinata lived under a microscope anyway. No matter how careful we were her father would figure it out in a week or so and send out his assassins. Trying to fight didn’t help much, either. Those guys were jounin-level specialists, and they knew what they were doing. They’d sneak right past me unless I worked a scam with the loops to set them up, and even then the best I could manage was to delay one of them while his partner took out Naruto. After the Kyuubi destroyed Konoha for the fourth time I finally realized how stupid it was to let the demon practice whatever it was doing to survive Naruto’s death, and resolved to find another approach.
“I’ve been training the wrong things.” I said as I stared out over the smoking ruins of the city. “I should damn well be able to take a couple of jounin by now. I’ve just spent too many years studying obscure medical techniques instead of advanced ass-kicking.”
“I also need to train.” Hinata said sadly. “But that alone won’t be enough. We’d need kage-level skills to force father to let us have our way on this.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ve got nothing but time, Hinata. I’ll be damned if I let that old bastard get away with this.”
“Heh. You’d make a decent fox demon, little kami.”
A chill ran up my spine as I turned to find a man with five fox tails standing behind us. Hinata gasped and stepped back to hide behind me, but at least she didn’t faint this time.
“Hello, Kyuubi,” I replied, struggling to keep the nervousness out of my voice. There were no bars between us at the moment, and I couldn’t begin to fight his level of power. Damn, and he was keeping five tails now instead of only four. “That must be one hell of a transformation technique, to get you all the way down to human size. But I’m surprised to see you here, instead of out chasing down the survivors.”
He chuckled. “That gets boring after awhile, especially when you know they’ll be back again tomorrow. You know, I could lend you the power to beat those assassins.”
He took a step closer, and I swallowed. My god, how can something so evil be so damned hot? He was tall and muscular, with fox-like ears poking out of his hair and a light coat of fur that concealed absolutely nothing. But he was so confident, so utterly unashamed of his own nakedness, that somehow it felt like I was the one who was wearing too much.
Maybe we are, my other self groaned. Can you imagine what a guy like that could do to us in bed?
Get a grip, idiot! He’s a demon god, for heaven’s sake!
“I’d rather earn my own power than rely on someone else’s,” I answered aloud, but my voice sounded shaky even to my own ears. “Besides, I figure it’s my job to be the one who doesn’t fall for any convoluted thousand-loop plots while we’re all stuck in this thing. I shudder to think what deals you’ll end up suckering Naruto into by the time we’re done.”
“So the pawn wants to become a player?” He lifted my chin with clawed fingers and studied me intently. I found myself trembling at his touch, my thoughts scattering to the winds as a sudden heat pooled in my belly.
“Hmm. Too damned fragile, and broken things bore me. Still, with a few centuries of tangled time to work with you might turn into something interesting. Grow strong enough to be a challenge, and I may even take you with me when the time comes to leave this pathetic world.”
“Who said she wants to go with you?” Hinata said evenly. “We aren’t your toys.”
He chuckled again. “Yes, little dragon eyes, the whole world knows your soul belongs to the brat. But this one?” He turned his gaze back to me, and brushed his finger across my lips. My vision went white as every nerve in my body screamed in ecstasy, and I found myself lying in a trembling heap on the ground.
Distantly, I heard the Kyuubi’s rumbling voice go on. “This one is just begging to be taken by someone who’ll use her properly. Who knows, she might even be worth bothering with some day.”
“197…198..199…200!” The heavy training post vibrated with each punch, despite the strength of the chakra-reinforced wood. My hands were bruised and bleeding, my breathing ragged, but I pushed aside the fatigue as I switched to high kicks.
“I have had it with being the world’s punching bag,” I growled. “The next patronizing asshole who tries to treat me like a pawn is getting his fucking balls ripped off. 1…2…3…4…”
“Sakura, I believe you’ve done enough for one day.” Gai said tentatively. “The delicate flower of your youth will not bloom through overwork.”
“Fuck that.” I spat. “I still have chakra. I’ll stop when I pass out, just like Lee.”
Six loops with the youthful duo, transforming myself stronger and faster until I wore the body I would have had if I’d spent my whole life training the way Lee does. Four loops improving my long-neglected ninjutsu, poring over earth techniques from the ANBU archive and polishing them until I could finally beat anyone short of Gaara in a fair fight. Three more perfecting the super-strength technique I’d learned from Tsunade, until I could instantly make any part of my body strong enough to smash boulders.
Yeah, I was pissed. I was also scared. Sasuke was bad enough, but the prospect of having to face down the Kyuubi again someday terrified me.
“I’m not letting him out again. I’m not going in to talk to him, and I’m not going to do any pattern where Naruto might die. That, or I make sure I die too before anything can happen.”
Agreed. We train hard, we avoid him as long as we can, and if someone ever has to fight him we make sure it’s Naruto and not us.
“So much for not bowing to anything.”
Hey, badass temptress here, remember? Saying no to evil guys who make us go all gooey inside is your job. Be glad he overdid the arrogance and pissed me off.
“Yeah, I know. I guess I’ll have to invent a defense against superhuman sex appeal, but I’m not ready to go there yet. Hey, think it’s safe to bring Hinata back? We should really get back to work on her training too.”
As long as you don’t do Naruto.
After my long stint of obsessive training I was looking forward to having my friend back for a bit, but it didn’t work out the way I expected. I’d gotten pretty good at ghosting into Hinata’s room in the early morning at the start of a loop, catching her still asleep so I could call out the delicate chakra bubble that held her memories and lower it gently into her forehead. But this time I was just bending over her when her Byakugan suddenly activated, and she slammed a jyuuken strike into my chest without even bothering to open her eyes.
I staggered back, trying desperately not to drop the fragile chakra construct in my hands as I realized my heart had stopped. I knew there were jyuuken attacks that could do that, but I’d never seen Hinata use one. Without treatment I’d be unconscious in less than a minute, and dead soon after.
Hinata flowed to her feet with inhuman grace as I re-absorbed the memory bubble, the tangle of blankets on her bed slowing her not at all. Her eyes narrowed as she noted that I was still standing, and she assumed a stance I’d only seen Neji use before.
“You’re within the range of my divination, bitch.” She spat. “Eight Trigrams Sixty-four Palms!”
Oh, shit. “Earth Armor!”
With my ability to retain physical training across the loops I was far stronger than her, but Hinata’s chakra-boosted speed blazed through my defenses like they weren’t even there. My earth armor stopped most of the blows, but it was crumbling before she finished.