Part Two: The Search

Chapter Two

A pirate ship, with a black mast depicting a white skull and crosses, and black flags, was certainly coming towards them - and fast. If they didn't stop, Hinata was beginning to fear being run over, and the waves the ship was creating could not bode well for their tiny boat. Tightening her jaw, Hinata tensed her muscles just like the adults, and had feeling that there would be a battle.

"Kumogakure-nin," Inuzuka-san announced.

Zooming in her eyesight, Hinata recognized the headbands the crew on the ship was wearing. The symbol of the Cloud-nin was permanently engraved on both the opposing headbands and in the back of her head. It was the very symbol that kidnapped her, and killed her uncle. The very symbol that promised peace, only to spit it back in Konoha's face.

"Hinata-chan, behind me," Inuzuka-san commanded.

She looked to Shikaku-sensei for confirmation on the order, but he was too preoccupied with finding out a weak spot on the ship, and Anko-sensei seemed too busy preparing a jutsu. Being a good child, she stepped back from the action, and quickly performed a Bunshin no Jutsu behind her back, creating four clones and sending them under water.

No sooner did Hinata release the hold of her chakra, water clones popped out from the ocean and onto their small boat. Letting the adults deal with the enemy, she directed her clones towards the pirate ship. Ducking down away from the kunai coming towards her, Aburame-san quickly dispelled the clone with his kikaichu bugs.

"We need to get on their ship," Shikaku-sensei said.

"How?" Anko-sensei asked, casting off the last of the enemy clones.

"They'll send more clones," he said. "And we'll let them. Once we draw a lot of them, we set this boat to explode, and then we swim towards them."

"And board their ship?" Inuzuka-san said. "That's insane. There're at least thirty of them."

"Hinata," Shikaku-sensei called.

"Twenty-five," she answered, zooming in again.

"We'll let them create more clones," he said. "Help me rig the explosives."

"Explosives?" Inuzuka-san asked. "Since when did we have them?"

"Since Anko bought some on land," Aburame-san spoke, sunglasses gleaming in the afternoon sun.

Inuzuka-san looked at Anko-sensei incredulously, and she simply shrugged her shoulders sheepishly.

"Hinata, stick close to Kuromaru," Shikaku-sensei instructed. "He'll keep you warm."

Hinata nodded as Inuzuka-san's partner lowered himself for her to climb on. Taking his fur in her hands, she held on as the enemy took great pains, and massive chakra amounts, to create more clones to attack them. Hinata surmised that they must have felt certain that they'd win because they were wasting chakra like crazy.

"Go!" Shikaku-sensei shouted.

Hinata held her breath as Kuromaru bounded off the boat and into the icy water. The frigid water hit her full on, her lungs releasing the air at once. Desperately clamping her mouth shut, she felt herself loosing air fast. Wordlessly, she told herself that she should train underwater more often.

Breaking the surface of the water, Hinata felt Kuromaru pad anxiously to stay on top of the liquid so that she'd be able to breath. Patting him on the head, she hoped that it would reassure him that she was fine and breathing, albeit a little cold.

According to plan, Kuromaru swam towards the ship, and just as soon as they were far away enough, their rented boat burst into flames and explosions. Her cold grip tightened around Kuromaru's fur. She was only glad that he was giving off some heat to sustain her.

Seeing the others in front of them, she suddenly flashed back into action, a bit scared and freezing. Searching out for her clones, she was glad that they had attached themselves to the bottom of the pirate ship, waiting to pounce.

A moment passed, and then Shikaku-sensei, Anko-sensei, Inuzuka-san and Aburame-san scaled the slick side of the ship and boarded it, instantly killing a few Cloud-nin. Holding on fast, Kuromaru pounced onto the deck, clawing at the enemy as he went. Instantly, Hinata rolled down from the dog and sent her clones running up.

But before they could land on the deck, Hinata felt them vanish. Looking around in confusion, someone gripped her wrist.

"Hello there, Hyuga," the Cloud-nin sneered. "You are coming with me."

Her reply was in a series of hand movements that brought him down to his knees, chakra no longer usable. Quickly dashing away, she drew out a senbon, ready to plunge it into a passing neck on the way, but hesitated. Was she ready to take a life?

That hesitation cost her, because the moment she paused, the Cloud-nin tossed her overboard. Muscles tensing from the change of temperature yet again, she struggled to swim to the top. Reaching the open air, she spluttered for air, eyes stinging from salt. Gathering chakra to her palms in hopes of scaling the ship, hands grabbed her ankles and dragged her back down into the ocean depths.

Learning fast, her breath held, she looked down to see several Cloud-nins looking back at her with scuba gear. Those cheaters! Frowning, she tried to kick away the hands, but they held on fast. More hands, more struggling, she was losing breath fast. Her heart beat frantically against her ribcage, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to make it.

What would Fugaku say once she met him in heaven?

He would certainly scold her for not being careful.

And then he'd be ashamed of her...

Ryujin, she thought, that was who she needed.

Seeing her eyes beginning to close, they plugged an oxygen mask into her mouth.

Big mistake.

Wakening up, chakra churning in her body erratically, hands being held back, she didn't bother to perform the seals, simply imagined them instead. In her head, the words rang clear: Legendary Summoning Jutsu, Dragon.

She glowed blue, illuminating the area. And the last thing they saw was of very sharp teeth clamping their bodies in death. Looking away, she swam up to the surface, pulling off the mask as she broke into air. Shivering, she climbed the ship, staying low to see that her senseis and the other two adults weren't doing so well. It was them four against twelve others.

They did well for being only four jonins.

"Goodbye, Konoha ninjas," a Cloud-nin said, obviously the leader.

Hinata watched, with her Byakugan, as he performed the familiar summoning hand seals, and waited. A burst of chakra, and she watched with shock, as a large shark burst out from the water, showering drops of water everywhere.

She felt Ryujin stir beneath the water restlessly, wanting to fight this inferior summon. Calming him, she waited from behind the rail as the shark descended into the water and then shooting back up from behind her senseis and the other two. Gasping, she was relieved when all four leapt away from the summon, but then choked when Anko-sensei was suddenly flung into the mast, blood coming from her mouth.

Not caring anymore, Hinata flung herself up onto the deck, prying necks open with her kunai as she ran to her sensei's side. Going on her knees, she performed some basic medic-nin jutsus to help the bleeding, and soon Cloud-nin swooped in to grab her.

"Ryujin!" she screamed.

"ROAR!" The massive blue dragon broke from the water, the shark summon in his mouth.

"Kill them all!" she yelled.

Ryujin opened his mouth, letting the shark drop onto the deck, immobile, before taking out the big guns out in the form of gigantic icicles that pierced the hearts of the Cloud-nin within a second. Filled with the rage of a great summon and the fear of a small child desperately hoping her sensei would be fine, Ryujin laid waste to all his mistress' enemies.

Crying softly against the stomach of Anko-sensei, she felt her pat her on the head. Looking up, she saw Anko-sensei smiling encouragingly at her. Smiling through the tears, Hinata hugged her sensei closer.

For a second... she had feared...

Wiping away her tears, she stepped back to give Anko-sensei room to breathe, and when she looked to Shikaku-sensei, she saw that Aburame-san and Inuzuka-san were staring at Ryujin with an odd expression. Their mouths were certainly open, and their eyes were abnormally big. Well, actually, she couldn't really tell with Aburame-san, but he was certainly staring.

"It's okay now, Hinata," Anko-sensei said, smiling reassuringly. "Let's steer this baby to land, 'kay?"

Sniffing with a huge smile of relief, Hinata nodded eagerly.

"C'mon," Shikaku-sensei called. "It's time I taught you how to work a ship."

Anko-sensei winced, probably not wanting her to get too beaten up, especially when she was still a child. But Hinata was keen, always willing to learn. So quickly, she scrambled up on wobbly legs and headed for the giant, wooden steering up on the high platform in which Shikaku-sensei quickly taught her the names of each area of the pirate ship.

the point