My Hero?
Kushina rubbed her finger along the dirt of the forest floor. The rest of her team was asleep but she had an eerie feeling that wouldn't leave her. Her sensei wasn't here, her team mates worn out. She clenched her paw tightly digging her claws into the ground. She was sick to the stomach with this feeling and only wished for it to stop. She looked at Tonko and Kyoti sleeping in their cots obviously tired. They had been training before they were called for a mission.
"I apologies Team Tonko but your sensei is still in the hospital from her last mission. So I am assigning Team Uki's Sensei, Raion-san." The Hokage said leaning back in her chair and fixing her hat. The Black lion leaning against the wall with his arms crossed looked up at the three. He gave a subtle wave before returning to look out the window at the birds that flew by. Obviously not interested in the three genin "But Hokage-sama!" Kushina objected as she slammed her paws down on the Hokage's desk.
The Hokage sat still as a rock, she looked up at the young genin who insulted her. She tipped her hat up revealing her amber yellow eyes framed by her smooth ebony fur. "The Village of Roots is a good friend to Konoha and so I expect you four to be on your best behaviour." She commented leaning her arms on her chair and putting her paws together. Kushina curled her lip, she wanted her sense.! Kyoti put his hands up in a surrendering motion, "Take it easy." He said to Kushina not liking the mood in the room. She turned her head and looked at the team staring at her. The rage in her stomach only boiled more as they all accepted the change.
Kushina sighed and let her back fall against a tree. Too tired to explore, to awake to sleep, she could only close her eyes and listen to the quiet forest. Raion-sensei was patrolling the area so she had the camp to herself. The crackling of the fire seemed to clam her nerves but the eerie feeling never went away. She unclipped her weapons pack and pulled a kunai out. Holding it in her paw tightly as she stood up, glancing at the camp one more time before jumping into the trees above. She needed some alone time. Her paws sweated as she traveled through the foliage, she was waiting for Raion-sensei to catch her.
She found the thickest part of the forest, a small stream tangling itself around the trees massive roots, straining every impurity out of the water, leaving it crystal clear. The camp was far back, Raion-sensei was nowhere to be found and even the forest creatures were quiet. The silence was more unnerving then before. She looked behind her several times, sure that somebody was behind her, sure that she was being watched. She knew as a ninja her gut feeling was everything, but she couldn't help but feel she was paranoid. This part of the forest was still in Konoha and the rival nations barley attacked. She sat down on the stream bank letting her paws touch the icy water. She sunk them into the cold water letting it just reach past her ankles, the burning sensation soon being numbed away.
The kunai still in her paw, she held it loosely over the water. The bandages had been taken off her left arm before she steadied both her arms on her knees and held her left paw up. She looked between the blade and her paw pad, debating what she would do, struggling to follow the right path. She had scars covering her paws but they were not from self infliction, her past was more damaging then most knew.
She couldn't help but feel as though it was her fault she had earned them. She lightly started to graze the kunai across her paw, barley making a scratch against the rough pad. With hesitation she pushed the kunai deeper and cut the end of her paw, flinching at the wave of pain she felt flow through her body. Everything told her to stop, every bone in her body aching to throw the damaging item away. The fear grasped her heart, choking out all reflexes.
She tried to stop, her arms shaking heavily as if she was fighting someone else. Kushina struggled with the thoughts swirling in her mind, she wasn't paying attention as She put the Kunai to the other side of her paw ready to drag the metal across her skin yet again.
Her heart stopped as something grabbed her arm. She was too terrified to look up, shaken with fear. A single drop of blood from her paw slowly dripped into the trickling water, tainting the stream. She pushed herself to turn her neck to see, her spine feeling stiff and skin numb. Raion-sensei gripped her arm pulling the kunai away from her paw.
"What are you doing?" He asked, grabbing the kunai with his other paw and pulling it away from her. She watched as his eyes scanned her paw, noticing all the scars, she could feel him judging her where she stood. Tears streaming down her face as she looked into the soul piercing emerald eyes of the lion. She tried to pull her arm free and run but he held onto it tightly. "Go back to camp." He said releasing her arm. She jerked her limb back and stood up quickly, water dripping from her legs onto the grassy ground.
Kushina took a step back as Raion-sensei stood up, holding the kunai tightly in his paw. Raion-sensei slid beside her and grabbed her weapons pack off her belt, slipping the kunai inside before holding it slightly away from her. "Wrap your paw." He noted as the smell of blood stung his sense of smell. With her weapon pack still in hand he looked at her one last time before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Kushina stood still, shaken from his sudden arrival. She slowly looked down at her paw, the cut now stinging as if a thousand bugs were upon it. She slowly grabbed some bandages from her pocket, her paws shaking badly as she felt she was about to cry. Every movement seemed to be slower than the last, wrapping her paw had become a journey to her as she strived to tie it tightly while she was shaking so badly.
She prayed her team mates wouldn't smell the blood, the small cut stopping bleeding but the pain was everlasting. She turned to the forest ready to head back when she remembered Raion-sensei. She knew he could still be watching her and she felt as though she was naked to the world. Her true secret exposed for all to know.
The travel to the camp was slow and painful, she wanted to cry herself asleep, to just let her emotions go. A ninja must never show emotion, the one lessons was pounded into their heads as academy students. Kushina never really took it to heart, never realizing how hard it truly was.
As Kushina walked into the camp and slid into her already set-up cot she stilled her movements, making sure not to bother the others. When not a sound was heard she turned onto her stomach and made herself comfy. She was the closest one to the fire but didn't mind the heat. She looked over at her sleeping team mates, Tonko was silent, his breathing almost silent. Kushina couldn't help but roll her eyes as Kyoti's loud snoring interrupted the peaceful crackling of the fire. She rubbed the bandages around her paw, feeling them tug against her cut. Should she be truthful to her team mates, they had known each other for so long, but would telling them cause more grief?
Kushina watched the fire for nearly an hour, almost blinded by it as she was deep in thought. There were few people who knew her secret, and almost all of them blamed her. The thought of her sensei, with the kind smile across her face, even with her dull grey fur she shined brightly in Kushina's darkness. Would her team accept her secret like her sensei did?
Kushina closed her eyes as two tears streamed down her fur, pulling the blanket over her shoulders and curling up under the warm fabric. Any moment Raion-sensei would wake up Tonko for the third watch so he could sleep peacefully. She was grateful he had set up his cot beside Kyoti and Tonko instead of her.
The morning arrived quickly, the fire burnt out leaving a small trail of smoke, the sun greeting them warmly but none of them wanted to see it. She awoke to Raion wrapping up his cot and calling out their names. She wanted to turn over and fall back asleep, just for a few more hours. She groaned as she pushed herself up, leaning over to her side, she quickly moved back as she felt her weapons pack clipped to her belt. It was as if the events of last night never happened. Had it been a dream? She checked her paw and didn't feel the bandages tugging against the cut.
As she packed up her supplies she thought about what happened last night, the pain was so real, it couldn't have been a dream. She looked over at Raion-sensei compulsively, waiting for him to look at her, to show that face of disgust she knew quite well. She waited in agony, waiting for him to spill her secret, to hint towards her problem. She knew Tonko was smart enough to figure it out.
It made her sick to her stomach, the emotionless look on his face as though nothing happened. She balled her fists, struggling not to pound against his chest, to drive a crystal into his paw, she wanted him to know how hurt she felt. She released her fist with a sigh as she slung her pack onto her back. She wanted somebody to help.
They traveled through the tree tops, bouncing off the branches and leaving no tracks. The stinging smell of bitter root cloaked the air. Kushina covered her nose, she had the best sense of smell between the four and it was driving her nuts. Tonko sighed, the strong smell gave him a bad head ache. Though the consistent babbling Kyoti made about bombs and traps was just as bad.
Kushina scoffed as she began to become accustom to the smell. She still watched Raion-sensei, avoiding his piercing gaze back. She wanted ever so badly to show her anger, she couldn't control her thoughts, she dreamt she could bring him back to the time. Let him feel her pain, make him regret trying to help.
They came to a stop at a dusty village, it seemed lifeless, even with the streets filled with souls. Children played with each other, adults working at their shops. Farmers carried large baskets filled to the brim with red roots. Their eyes seem to be lifeless; every villager had the same soulless blue color.
Kushina felt chills down her spine, the look from the villagers sent her mind into a paranoid frenzy. She pushed herself closer to Tonko, walking just inches behind him. Her eyes darted to every presence around them, she didn't feel safe walking through the village. "This is an ally village to Konoha, stop acting stupid." Tonko growled at his lack of space. Kushina shot him a dirty look with a light growl, but she didn't move from her spot, despite Tonko's attempts.
They came to an inn and rented a room, the Hokage promised they could get an inn with a hot spring as compensation for the sudden notice. It truly wasn't a big deal, but the team was grateful. They were excited to rest in the hot water, to sooth their muscles after the exhausting trip.
Kushina walked into the female side of the hot spring alone. It was late at night and most of the travelers had gone to bed. She could hear Kyoti still gushing over the new supplies behind the tall wooden divider. She couldn't help but smile, he was so determined to make better working traps and bombs she felt as though he would run to get supplies right there. She giggled to herself as she imagined him running through town with just a towel and his goggles on.
She un-wrapped her towel and slipped into the spring, melting as the hot water gently burning her skin, sending a soothing feeling as it coated her fur and worked her aching muscles. She leaned her head against the cool rocks lining the spring, and let out a sigh. It was boring being alone, she wanted to sit with her team in a mixed bath, to watch Kyoti bother Tonko and to see him groan in agony. It was boring behind alone.
The heat made her head swirl, the rock serving as a pillow dug into her neck. She put up with the pain and dizziness, she could ignore it when she felt the knots in her legs and back unwind. Both sides fell quiet as time passed by, the team got tired quickly and it took Raion-sensei to get them out. He called over the wall to Kushina saying how they are going back to the room now before battling with Tonko who wanted to stay.
They all entered the room together, heavy grey kimonos draped over them. Kushina had kept her bandages on, now causing her to be itchy yet not able to scratch. The team had a large quiet feast in their room. Everybody focused on their bowls, Kyoti making a bowl of rice with a large ball to roll around in it. When they all finished and put their bowls and plates on the table, sitting in the awkward silence that weighed down the room.
"I think we should turn in, we got a big day tomorrow." Raion-sensei said standing up as he ran a paw through his thick mane. The team was too tired to argue so they got their cots from the closet and rolled them out on the floor. Kushina stalled with her cot till everybody had laid their down. She was begging for a place closer to the bathroom or exit, away from the others.
As she laid her cot closer to the bathroom Raion-sensei appeared beside her and laid his cot down. The others looked at them but Raion-sensei played it off well. "I don't think supper agreed with me, so just in case." Kushina growled, she knew he was lying but neither Tonko nor Kyoti would call out his bluff. She climbed into her cot and got comfy, her back to him as she curled up in her soft cot.
The lights turned out and shadows engulfed the room, leaving Kushina the last one awake, staring at the black roof. Her mind was running in circles, consistently going back to that night he caught her. The wet bandages on her paws were drying and pulled at her fur. She felt nostalgic as she thought about unwrapping them and remember the pain the scars caused. The feeling she had when Raion-sensei stopped her made her stomach do flips. She was confused at what she should have been feeling and cursed him for confusing her.
She shivered in her bed, forcing herself not to cry. She spun onto her stomach and buried her face in her pillow. The feeling of her secret being known and no strength to hide it, she felt weak. She balled her fists under her pillow and stayed as silent as she could, rage boiling inside her. She felt as though she would break at any moment.
Daylight chased away the shadows but brought agony to Kushina's eyes. She was still lying on her stomach watching the walls. No birds chirped to welcome the morning sun, but Kushina couldn't be bothered to notice. She was becoming bored, now that the team would soon wake up she needed to be chipper and happy. She cursed to herself as the minutes dragged long, she wanted them to wake up.
Her stomach grumbled, she had not eaten much for supper and it was betraying her. Raion-sensei stirred in his cot, obviously sensitive to the small noise. She turned her back to him and brought her paws to her face, burying into the soft bandages and fur. She silently wished to herself that Raquel-sensei was here. Though she didn't doubt in Raion-sensei, she didn't feel comfortable around him.
Kushina looked up at Tonko and Kyoti, the only males she felt comfortable being around. She trusted them with her life, they were better brothers to her then her own blood. Her paws started to shake badly as the memories returned, the memories played in her head like she was re-living them, the reason she was afraid of men. Would she ever be able to trust one again?
Raion-sensei rolled in his cot, finally coming to when some light came through the window and danced on his eyes. He didn't realize how quiet he was as he pushed himself up and rubbed his eyes. He turned to look at his team and found Kushina shaking in her cot. He assumed she was cold, the window was open and her blanket was barley on her. He leaned over and tapped her shoulder, only to quickly retract as she jumped.
A gasp before a thump, as she fell out of her cot, struggling to turn around. She panted heavily as she stared at him, all signs showing fear. Slightly taken aback by the scene he recovered quickly and pushed the rest of the blanket off himself before standing up. "Wake the other two will ya?" He said as he stretched out his arms. "Yes sensei." She replied, tripping over her own tongue. She pushed off the tangled covers and stood to her shaking legs.
She took a deep breath and let herself recover before walking over to the boys. "Tonko-kun! Kyoti-kun!" She called, delivering a kick to both of their sides. The two boys groaned and rolled over in their cots. Tonko pulling the pillow over his long ears and Kyoti cocooning himself in his blanket. Kushina sighed to herself as she began to form hand seals. A small pillar of crystal rose from the ground, its purple hue covering the floor as the light hit its base. Two crystals appeared on the sides, shooting out towards the two boys, stabbing them both in the rear.
The team walked down the main town road, but Tonko and Kyoti still rubbing their rears. Shooting daggers at their team mate who caused the pain. "Should've gotten up." She growled as she put her hands behind her head and walked in between them. As they traveled through the town a weird smell came across their noses, they turned to look at Raion-sensei who was innocently having a smoke. "Hm?" he questioned as he saw the look on their faces. "We still have some ways to go, mine as well." He said ignoring Tonko's small cough.
As Raion-sensei enjoyed his smoke Kyoti sight caught a hold of something. His eyes glazing over like doughnuts in his excitement. A local stall was selling Cajun Bombs, stronger then pepper bombs, worked as a scent blocker and doubled as a tear gas, but also three times the price.
He ditched the team and ran over to the stall finding some for cheap. Kushina walked over and joined him at the stall noticing him eyeing the bombs on sale. "Uh, Kyoti..." She was cut off by him as he grabbed his cartoon bomb shaped wallet and dumped the change on the counter. "I'll take them all!" He said grabbing the box of bombs.
Kyoti walked with his head low and shoulders slumped. In his hand a small plastic bag containing three Cajun bombs. Kushina couldn't help but feel sorry for him and tried to cheer him up. All attempts proved worthless as he ignored what she said. Tonko groaned, his eagerness made the Konoha ninjas look like fools.
"We are almost at the feudal lord's, straighten up." Raion-sensei barked as he flicked his small cigarette to the ground. Kyoti sighed and stuffed the bag of bombs in his weapons pack and stood straight. Kushina wiped the worried look off her face and Tonko put his hands in his pockets. "It's just a title." He scoffed.
The three stood in a line behind Raion-sensei as a large racoon sat on a platform above them, stroking his chin as he stared at them. "So you are the ninjas Konoha sent eeehh?" He questions as a slim vixen brought him a golden platter filled with Mizu-Yokan and Kuzumochi, both topped with anko sauce. "Yes Sir." Raion-sensei replied as he stood with his paw in his pocket. "Huuuuh, why would Hokage-sama send such insolent ninjaaas?" He whined as he picked a Kuzumochi off the plate and stuffed it in his mouth.
Kushina growled, balling her fists but Raion-sensei put his paw out telling her to stop. "Konoha believes greatly in its ninjas, Hokage-sama handpicked the ninjas for this missions." Raion-sensei said retracting his paw and returning it to his pocket. "Is that sooooo?" the feudal lord questions shoving the last of the Yokan in his mouth.
"Insolent ninjas my ass, I'll teach him who's insolent!" Kushina cursed, stomping behind the small caravan. Two of the villagers trailed in front of her, dragging their feet as they carried large baskets of roots on their back. Tonko stayed quiet as he walked to the side of the small caravan, ears pinned. Kyoti walked on the other side, fiddling with one of the bombs he got. He carefully cut a small incision on it's side before it exploded, coating his body and clothes in Cajun pepper.
He yelped in pain, shitting his eyes and dropping the empty bomb shell. The team looked in his direction, Kushina sighing heavily in disappointment as it was just Kyoti playing with his bombs.
"Hold still." Kushina said as she sat him down on the path. She took a rag from her pouch and used her water canister to wet it before rubbing his eyes to take out the pepper. "Ouch! Ow ow ow ow!"He cried as it started to burn his eyes more and more. "That will teach you to buy faulty bombs." She grumbled flipping the cloth over and working on his eyes again.
The caravan stopped near some shade and everybody sat down for a rest. Kyoti had to strip off his shirt and pants leaving him in his red boxers, trying to get the pepper off his clothes. Kushina stuck by him trying to help, the villagers gave her the chills and Tonko wanted to be left alone. "Don't do that! You're gonna rip the shirt." She growled snatching it out of his hands.
Kyoti smirked and leaned back, obviously not learning a thing. Kushina curled her lip as she began cleaning his shirt, being much gentler yet still able to scrub the Cajun pepper out. Kyoti suddenly jumped up in pain as a large crystal protruded from the ground. He huffed and sat across from her trying to look interested while balancing slightly above the ground.
Tonko had climbed a single tree and hid in the shade of its branches, watching the caravan from above. He pulled a kunai out of his pack, whittling into the tree branch, the camp was quiet for once. Kushina was with Kyoti, Raion-sensei was smoking away from the camp, yet the villagers just sat down and stayed still. It bothered him that they did not speak a word.
He drove the kunai beside him, burying the metal blade into the tree's branch, it pissed him off that they stayed so emotionless, it wasn't as fun... He ripped the blade out of the wood, rage building up inside him as he tried to suppress the thoughts. He growled to himself, he didn't know why random thoughts like that popped into his head.
Kushina handed Kyoti's clothes back with a growl before making her way over to the shade of a tree. She hated being a girl sometimes; she wanted to be treated like a male. She knew males had no problems and treated each other like brothers, not slaves. She looked over at one of the younger villagers, sitting cross-legged beside her large basket of roots.
It bothered her that the young girl wasn't playing or exploring the camp site, she looked as if she was concentrating.
Kushina pushed herself up and walked over, sitting beside the girl greeting her with a smile, "Hi there." The girl seemed to notice her presence but was indifferent towards her. Keeping her face emotionless and still as a rock. Kushina gently touched her arm, only to be shocked by the girls reaction. She screamed and slapped away Kushina's hand, leaning back but keeping her face straight.
Kushina jumped back, unable to grasp the situation. She looked back at Kyoti for help but the cat was cutting in to another bomb. Tonko looked angry and she didn't think it was a good idea to bother him. She looked over and noticed Raion-sensei coming back from his smoke break, before she could ask him he called the team together.
They Returned to the road once again, their positions different from last time. The villagers towed their baskets like before, still emotionless as before. Kushina watched the girl she tried to greet, she didn't understand why she was angry with the small child. The expression on her face made her stomach do flips, bringing back that eerie feeling yet again. Breaking away from the child she noticed something was around, like it was watching them.
Her paw reached for her kunai cautiously, slipping it out of her holder and holding it close to her leg, tense, ready to pounce. The forest seemed to slowly choke out the light as they walked along the road. Little sunlight pierced the trees, the beams of sunlight throwing off her perception of the area.
Before she realized what happened, a large fire ball shot through the trees hitting her in the chest. Knocking her past Kyoti and onto the ground. She heaved, the breath knocked out of her and her skin tingling with the burning sensation. Kyoti and Tonko were beside her in an instant, their kunais held in front of their face and they looked for the attacker.
Raion-sensei spotted the rival ninjas through the thick foliage. He grabbed two kunais out of his pack and darted into the bush after them. The sound of a battle began as the clinking of metal and footsteps of the ninjas were the only things making a sound. The villagers stood unmoving, wondering why their guides had stopped.
Kyoti noticed a glare flashing through the trees, He spun around and deflected the needles thrown at them. Tonko glanced at Kushina and absorbed the situation. He quickly devised a plan and tried to locate the enemy. "Kyoti, grab Kushina and hide her." He said as they both noticed how bad the burns were. As the words left his mouth a badger charged them, barley dodging Tonko's kunai as he came close.
Kyoti grabbed a Cajun bomb out of his pack and threw it at the ground expecting some cover. He cursed as the bomb barley created a puff of smoke before flattening onto the ground. He caught himself from being distracted and grabbed Kushina, barley pulling her away from the fight.
Tonko got knocked back by the attacker wincing as he came to a stop several feet back. "Ninja art, Electromagnetic Murder!" He shouted as he formed seals and slammed his hand against the ground. A wave of electricity screamed as it swam through the ground chasing the ninja as he evaded the attack.
Kyoti slipped his arms under his team mate and jumped away from the battle scene and into the middle of the caravan. He laid her down gently beside the wagon, propping her against the wagon to examine her wounds. He didn't even think as he ripped her burnt jacket apart to examine the wounds. Kushina coughed as she felt her lungs burning for oxygen. While coming out of her daze she felt something moving her clothes and upon instinct delivered a kick to his chest.
Kyoti had the wind knocked out of him slightly as he regained his composure, "What the hell was that for!" he hissed as he crawled back beside her. "Shit that was Kyoti?" She cussed to herself as she pulled her jacket closed. "Let go, I have to treat your burns." He growled. "My wound is fine protect the villagers!" She barked as the charred fabric scratched her raw skin. She felt her chest was still on fire but as if a thousand ants were crawling on her chest.
"Ouch!" Kyoti growled as he put a hand to his chest. "What was that for!" He exclaimed crawling back over to her. "Shit, that was Kyoti?..." she cussed to herself as she pulled her jacket closed. "The Wound is fine, watch the villagers!" She exclaimed as the charred fabric scratched her raw skin, sending a wave of heat through her chest.
Kyoti huffed and stood up, quickly jumping away from the wagon to back up Tonko. He pulled a red scroll from his weapons pack, ripping the seal of the scroll and throwing it open. He bit his finger and ran it along the scroll as it unrolled. He grabbed the ending and looked at Tonko as a large line of metal needles were summoned onto the tightened scroll.
"Ninja art, Running Beast!" Tonko shouted as he formed the seals and watched as chakara mixed with the lightning formed on his paw. It seemed to take form of a fox as it growled and started to grow bigger. He held his arm out towards Kyoti and released the lightning. It jumped off his hand and bounced across the ground towards Kyoti . Two lightning tails swaying back and forth as it jumped onto Kyoti's scroll and instantly connected with the needles. The needles seemed to absorb the lightning, shaking as the beast grew smaller. They started shaking as sparks of electricity jumped off them.
The needles seem to shoot off the scroll like a bullet from a gun, aiming directly for the ninja, still sounding like a bear growling as sparks still bounced off. One of them being seemed to be faster than the rest. The ninja didn't think as he smiled and deflected the fastest one with his kunai, only to be shocked as the bolt traveled through the metal tool and burning his hand. Before he could react the barrage of needles pelted into his body. Sending him to the ground convulsing as the shocks slowly dissipated from his body.
Kushina tied the bottom of her jacket up and pulled her black tank top over her chest enough to cover her as she pushed herself up. She still coughed as she still could feel smoke in her lungs. She felt sick the stomach as she stood to her feet, shaking badly. She looked around, Raion-sensei had disposed of two ninjas and her team mates had killed her attacker. Somehow, she knew there was still another. A gleam in the shadows caught her eye but she couldn't track its movements.
As Tonko was taking a breather from his last attack he watched the enemy closely, looking for any signs of life or a trap. He didn't notice Kushina slip out of view as she pressed herself along the cart and stayed on guard. She had never let go of the kunai in hand, holding it like it was her life line. "There!" She thought to herself as she had caught his movements, she grabbed three ninja stars from her pack and threw them at the attacker in the foliage, devastated when she heard the three shrunken hit a tree. She kept searching for the presence but it seemed to be gone, it had completely disappeared.
Raion sensei returned and made sure his team was ok. He put one of his kunais back into his pouch. Tonko and Kyoti looked fine, one catching his breath, the other kicking a deflated bomb on the ground. Kushina wasn't with the team and he knew with her injury she wouldn't pose as much of a fight. The wolf stumbled out from behind the wagon, holding the kunai in one paw and her jacket with another. Still gasping for breath, she felt as though her throat had closed.
As she made her way towards the team she winced, suddenly unable to catch her breath, tripping over her own paws. Raion-sensei caught her on his back, covering her chest so she didn't have to hold her shirt. The bandages on her paws were burnt and began to unravel, exposing the cuts on her paws. Raion-sensei turned back to the front of the caravan, no villagers were hurt so he began walking. "We will stop for camp at dusk." He told the team as made sure to keep Kushina still.
The camp had been set up and Raion-sensei had taken Kushina aside to treat her wounds. She began to wake up, the slow steady pace her Sensei had calmed her down but she felt uncomfortable. "Put me down." She asked as she tried to get down herself. "I am bandaging that wound, a dead ninja isn't worth anything to Konoha." He argued not letting go of her legs as he came to a stop. "My chest is fine, it won't kill me." She growled, finally pushing herself off of his back and turning away.
Raion-sensei grabbed her arm and pulled her back, gently throwing her against the tree. He was determined to at least wrap the burn so the pain wasn't as bad. As he dug into his pack he looked back up at her and frowned. She was frozen in fear against the tree, her paws trembling. He kept up his facade of not noticing and tossed the supplies on the ground. "I bet Tonko killed Kyoti by now so I better go check on them." He said turning away and walking back to camp.
Kushina watched him leave before slinking down the tree and landing on the ground roughly. She reached out for the gauze, her paws still shaking as she grasped it. The kunai was still in her other paw, she was unable to let go of it sense she was attacked. She began to awkwardly wrap her paw, cutting the gauze with her kunai before tying it. She looked over to the camp and saw Tonko forcing himself not to slap Kyoti as he began to talk about bombs.
She peeled her jacket off, trying to ignore the ripping as the fabric had melted to her fur and skin. She tossed it aside and pulled off her tank top to fix her wound. She scrapped some green ointment out of a small brown jar ran felt instant relief as it cooled her burns. Her claws dug into the dirty as the ointment both soothed yet irritated her skin, begging her to claw at it.
When the pain had subsided she took a deep breath and cleared her throat, it was time to get to work. She used her small supply of chakara to form a crystal needle that had a long string tied on the end. She slowly sewed the burnt fabric on her tank top, she made up for the lack of fabric by creating some of crystal. It was itchy and rough, having the feeling of chainmail but it kept her covered.
She grabbed her jacket and tightened her grip as she held it close. It wasn't for her rank, but her late mothers. When she became a Jounin she mysteriously quit the ninja force and gave her jacket to her daughter. That day was the day her mother went missing as well. The material was burnt and she could never fix it. With a sigh she slipped it back on and did what buttons were left on the front.
Kushina took a moment to reminisce about home, she hadn't gone back to her home in so long, going from one mission to another. When she could stay in Konoha she had ended up staying with Raquel-sensei. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up. Her arms were awkwardly bandaged, her shirt looked like it was crafted by a blind man and her fur reeked of burnt hair.
She returned to the camp that they had set up, sitting next to Tonko and warming up by the fire. Her bandages slipped down as she reached her paws out to warm them, her clan mark showing through. She didn't notice it but Tonko did. He stopped himself from speaking up, he wanted to dig deeper and expose it. He knew it wasn't a coincidence but no ninja should be ashamed of their clan mark.
The ninjas settled on the ground in thin cots, the camp fire now melted down to coals, giving off a soft glow. The villagers simply laid down and fell asleep, no blankets or pillows covering them. Kushina seem to not get any sleep, her chest burning with every movement. The bandaged pulling at her fur didn't help with the discomfort. She watched the night sky, a single shooting star shining across the sky. She closed her eyes and made a wish, clenching her paws tightly as she grew determined. She turned over and pulled the blanker over her shoulder trying to get to sleep, trying to get ready to face the day.
Tonko laid in bed pondering the mark on Kushina's arm, He wanted to sleep, the whole idea of the puzzle was too much work. Yet he couldn't turn over and sleep, he wanted to know. Growling to himself he pulled the pillow over his head and forced himself to tune out Kyoti's snoring.
As dawn broke the team woke up before the villagers to start preparing their packs. They were all tired from the sleepless night but Raion-sensei had put them to work. Tonko cursed as he rolled up his cot, ears pinned and eyes able to kill. Once their packs were set up they were set to awaken the travelers. Yet as Kushina touched the little girl she screamed again, sitting straight up, eyes emotionless. Kushina herself jumped back, her heart racing as the girl stopped. "We are ready to go." She explained as she licked her lips and caught her breath. The young squirrel didn't answer her like before, not even taking a glance at her "attacker".
The rest of the villagers seem to wake up in sync, sending an eerie feeling through the Konoha ninja. They gathered their things and stood on the road waiting to move. The air was tense between the two villages. The wound on Kushina's chest made her slower as she walked so Raion-sensei made her walk in the front. Her eyes weren't damaged so she could easily keep watch.
The trip was going to be long...