Swords flashed in the darkness, broken only by the flash of explosions and lightning. The thick rain kept the fires from spreading, but the flames of war were not as easily sated.
Tossing one of his swords into the air, he pulled a third short sword from one of his many hidden scabbards and threw it at an oncoming attacker. Catching the second sword as it fell gave his swing the momentum to break the defense of one of the remaining two attackers. Keeping his gaze fixed on the last man's eyes, he swept down and knocked the attacker's legs out from under him, pinning his chest to the ground with his third sword.
Retrieving and cleaning his swords, he fought himself to not run inside and look at the family he had served. Six attackers there had been, yet ten bodies lay dead in this house, in a moment that number would be eleven. Kneeling down, he steadied the head of his master's father, Takumi Reiki.
"Don't look at me with that sad face Bunta." The man coughed, blood trickling down the left corner of his mouth. "You're a free man now; I'd think you'd be happy."
"That's what I always hated about you gramps," fighting back tears, the young man held his hand while trying to listen for anyone outside; "your sense of humor was always the worst."
"Don't bother calling for help," his tone changed to serious in a flash, "You have to endure this for now and get out of here." Stopping to cough, this time more violently than before, he grabbed Bunta by the collar and pulled him close. "Don't bother waiting around for some wise last words from me… I remember my mother-in-law used to call me… the… the youngest old fool who ever was…"
His grip slackened and he was gone. Letting him rest on the grass in the outdoor garden, the old man had died with an odd smile on his face. Closing Takumi's eyes, he scanned the edges of the garden and found himself alone. The bodies of the attackers lay before him, pulling up the band of cloth which hid their forehead protectors revealed their identity.
"Kirigakure." The name tasted bitter in his mouth. Spitting on the dead man, he took a moment to remember the inventory of the household as he considered his next move. Delay could be costly, fighting was breaking out all over the city, but moving without preparations would likely be deadly as well.
The shed on the side of the house doubled as food and supply storage. Their untouched state spoke to the sudden nature of the attack, deadly and without warning. Grabbing a backpack he found himself stuffing in a bag of rice, cooking pot, and four survival kits. It was more than one person needed, but he had done it on instinct. Years of training as a bodyguard had made him unaware of some of his actions. He rubbed his chest where an old wound reminded him of another time he had acted on instinct. The warm feeling it gave made him think he would make the same call again.
Strapping the heavy back to his back, he silently pressed his hands together and nodded in the direction of the family shrine before running into the growing darkness.
"We're surrounded on all sides." The jounin was bleeding from a fresh cut on the side of his face, a slight wound compared to others she had seen this day. "Kirigakure has the eastern paths out of town covered in heavy mists infested by the seven swordsmen, while the Mizukage himself cuts off all retreat along the west with his damned genjutsu."
"And mercenaries have small boats along the river through the center of town firing rifles and cannons right into the heart of the city." Tomoe Uzumaki looked at the map and tried to coordinate the town's defenses, but the enemy's intentions eluded her. "Kirigakure would not bring war like this if they had a specific goal in mind; they are out to destroy us entirely."
"There used to be rules for wars." Scoffing in defeat was all the wounded jounin could do.
"Shinobi changed those rules… and not for the better."
Rubbing her eyes, Fujie awoke aware of the chaos engulfing her city but far from it. It might have just been another dream, but her dreams were as real to her as the waking world so she chose caution.
It took her a moment to remember which of her hiding places she was in. She was in the one above the fish market last night and the ramen shop the night before. A fresh bullet hole in one of her walls let in enough light to remind her she was in her hidden attic of one of the river warehouses.
Shaking off the last of her sleep she cleared her mind and tried to remember her dream. The city was being attacked; she had been walking the streets. The thin layer of fog did nothing to hide the fallen bodies and streams of blood.
"Streets are dangerous, enemy boats on the river… I need to get to the Hidden Temple." Picking up her backpack, she looked around to confirm whether she was alone or not. Chances were any invading force was more concerned with the residential areas instead of the industrial ones. Dropping to the ground her first instinct was to take the sewers, but she knew others would think to look there for anyone trying to escape.
The canals were another likely option, too small for the enemy boats; they ran along the backs of the factories away from the houses. She could follow those until reaching old Uzushiogakure.
Night illuminated by fire turned the sky a strange color, overcast clouds of deep purple mingled with a red-orange light, making it the same strange color seen when looking at light through closed eyelids. Thankfully the canals were quiet save for a few attackers busy fighting city guards on rooftops. Everyone was too busy to notice her as she moved in the shadows. Others would be forced to look at the fires, but Fujie knew better, it would kill her night sight. It would be foolish to call shadows friends, but tonight they were her shields.
The old temple was half ruins, a clever disguise. Kissing her hand, she touched a marking on one of the door posts before entering. An old monk sat calmly while an assistant stacked dead bodies of Kirigakure Nin in a side room. "Ah Fujie, I'm glad to see you are alright dear one." He greeted her calmly before nodding to another assistant to close the door behind her.
"I dreamed of this attack just now, and when I awoke the city was on fire."
"Yes, we have discussed your dream premonitions before Fujie. Any other time I would be fascinated to write this down and discuss it with you but I'm afraid we don't have the time for that now." Standing, he walked over to the wall before opening a hidden panel.
"What I don't know is why we're under attack. I thought we had an agreement with Kirigakure."
"At one time yes, but I suspect there are more hands in this than simply the Mizukage. The first wave of attackers confirmed that one of their objectives were the sealing masks, but we safely smuggled those into Konoha years ago when we sent your cousin to live there."
"Yes I remember Kushina mentioned that, but you said that was only one of their objectives."
"Quite so. Here is another." Gently pulling a box from the hidden cache, he placed it in her hands. "Here lies all of our secrets, everything our ancestor was able to preserve of the Sage of Six Paths' teachings. It is yours to protect now."
Fujie couldn't help but laugh. One of the assistants began to scold her, "Is this how you treat the sacred secrets of our clan?"
Taking the scroll from the monk, Fujie bowed to the clan's shrine. "I've read enough stories to know where this is going." Spreading her arms wide she motioned to the entire temple. "The last survivor of the clan escapes with the ultimate secret to face the world on her own; but only in the end she realizes that the power is not in some scroll but inside of her the whole time. But perhaps this story will be different?"
"This is not another one of your day-dreams girl." The Elder took a serious tone for once. "Our clan is about to be scattered to the winds, if any of us survive at all it will be as families or small groups, but that's a slim possibility at this point."
"A scroll won't bring anyone back. It's not even the enemy's primary objective; otherwise they would have it already." Fujie looked down sadly. "You say this is not another dream? After all the debates on philosophy we've had you choose now to stop being philosophical?" Wrapping the scroll in cloth she tied it to her back and walked to the door, touching the mark one last time. "I don't believe in good-byes, but I will say thank you."
She made it to the hidden exit of the temple before hearing sounds of struggle come from behind her. Explosions spread a mist that almost enveloped her before she could make it to the tunnel leading outside of the city. None of this felt real, perhaps it was because this was her waking world. Soon enough the adrenaline would wear off and she would have dreams of this night. Was it strange that she was more afraid of her nightmares than the swords and mists of Kirigakure? Shaking off her thoughts, she ran through the darkness, towards an uncertain future.