A/N: Once again, another chapter is up as a collab with thewoodlandfox and FireOkami! READ REVIEW AND FOLLOW MY LOVES!
Asami stood before the Hokage with the rest of her team. It had been almost two weeks since she had become a genin and today would be her first mission outside of the village. Being as desperate they were for manpower, Asami was surprised it took this long for them to be sent out. She wondered if their sensei had anything to do with it.
The Third turned to face Asami's squad and handed a scroll to Aoto. Their leader took the scroll but did not open it.
"Your mission is to deliver this information to the outpost in the north sector, near the Kusa border. Your sensei will brief you more. Dismissed." The team bowed and left the room.
When the four of them reached the outside of the building, Aoto stopped them. "Alright listen up you three. This will take a few days. Go home, gather your stuff and meet me at the main gate in an hour. The mission will take place in our land but there is still a high chance of meeting enemy ninja. Prepare accordingly."
"Understood!"
"Got it."
"Yes sir!"
The three genin gave their replies and then darted off to prepare.
Asami entered the house, not bother to take off her shoes. Both parents were out, but Satoshi was somewhere in the house. She could feel the faint pulse of his undeveloped chakra. Out of habit Asami felt she should protest at a three year old being left alone all day. But this was a ninja village, this is how children were typically raised. Besides that, her brother was only three physically.
Asami darted up to her room, calling out to Satoshi as she passed him in his room.
"Hey brat I have a mission!" Asami entered her room and picked up her pack, setting it on her bed before going through it, making sure everything was there and in order. She heard Satoshi pad into her room. She really needed to help him learn to walk quieter at some point.
"A mission?"
Asami started to repack her bag. "Yeah, just to an outpost near the border."
"Which border?"
Asami smiled at his curiosity. "I can't say."
Satoshi frowned at his sister before turning hopeful, "Well can I borrow some of your targets then?"
Now it was Asami's turn to frown. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "Why do you need those?"
Satoshi gave her an innocent smile "Training."
It got a snort out of her. "Yeah, no, not happening bud."
"Why?" he whined as he visibly deflated.
"Too dangerous still. If you want to train do some chakra control exercises. And work on your stealth, I can hear you all the way across the house."
Satoshi frowned and turned to leave. Asami put a hand on his head, halting him in his tracks. "I'll be back in a week. Then I'll teach you how to use a kunai."
Satoshi gave her a real smile, and left her room. She slipped the pack on and secured her weapons pouch, making sure her sword was attached firmly under her pack, before leaving to meet her teammates, wondering where she would be able to get training kunai for little kids. Her brother's hands were still rather small.
Three days into the mission things were going well. The team had almost reached the outpost at that point and were ahead of schedule.
"Scatter!" Only vigorous training and instinct drilled into them repeatedly had the three genin obeying Aoto's sudden command.
Asami dodged backwards into the trees, Ibiki next to her as they ducked down on the branch. And explosion rocked the area they had just been at. Asami shared a startled look with Ibiki. Moments later Aoto and Toma dropped down next to them.
"Report. Are you alright?" The familiar orders from her sensei snapped Asami back into reality. She nodded and sent out her senses.
"We're fine sensei." Ibiki told him. Aoto nodded, gaze sweeping the area.
"Not for long. Hostiles incoming. Three ahead, three at two o'clock, off of me." Asami quickly reported, having found the cause of their near disaster. Aoto's eyes narrowed.
"Iwa most likely." He told them, "Get ready. We're in for a fight. You three take on the first team, I'll get the second. This will be your first time engaging enemy nin. Do not underestimate them, work together and stick together.
"Yes sir!"
"On my count. Ready, Go!" The four darted out, Aoto one way and the three genin the other.
Like it had been drilled into them, Asami took point, Toma covering her side and Ibiki backing the two of them up.
The first went down, Toma's kunai taking him out. The second, distracted by the death of his comrade and the sudden charge of the genin fell to Asami's sword. She tried to ignore the unsettling feeling of flesh parting beneath her blade and feel of bone grinding against metal. The third shinobi, Iwa as Aoto said, leapt back out of their path, avoiding the same fate as his two comrades.
"Asami. Toma and will push him to you, when you get an opening, take it. Toma, go for his left flank, I'll take his right. Don't let him go anywhere but forward." Ibiki barked out.
Asami and Toma nodded, allowing the more experienced genin take the lead. The two boys darted forward, putting on bursts of speed to get behind their enemy. The shinobi turned to kick away Toma, who had gotten there first, only to dodge an attack from Ibiki. Asami launched herself forward, blade connecting with the Iwa nin's spine before he could even finish turning.
The three turned to look for their sensei, who was still fighting two of the shinobi. Asami had the passing thought of his opponents were much stronger, something he probably did on purpose, when the time for thinking ran out once again.
"Asami, Toma, we will go for the one closest to us. Formation B, pincer attack. Let's level the field for sensei a little."
Toma grinned, "I like that idea." Asami nodded and the three once again sprang into action. It was very quickly regretted.
The Iwa nin must have sensed the three genin coming for he suddenly turned and landed a solid kick to Toma's stomach, launching him at Ibiki, knocking the two of them into a heap. Asami almost turned to them but instinct had her raising her sword as she suddenly found a kunai inches from her own face.
The girl stared at the eyes that bore into her face. There was nothing but hostile annoyance and the promise of death. Asami found her legs shaking. Suddenly it all became that much more real. They were in a war, fighting for their lives. They were children being sent to the slaughter to slaughter. The life she once lived was gone and it was never going to come back, and in this one there was nothing but death. A powerful shove pushed her back, causing her to fall. Momentarily stunned, Asami struggled to get her breath back.
"Asami!" Multiple shouts were heard from her team and Asami watched in horror as the Iwa shinobi drove his kunai down towards her. Then her sight was obscured by the backs her her two teammates as they blocked the attack. The two genin visibly struggled against the difference in strength but together pushed him back momentarily.
Ibiki helped haul her to her feet while Toma covered their backs. Then the Iwa shinobi was on them once more. It was all they could do to keep the blade away from their body and the blows away from anything vital. There was no time to plan, no time to strategize together. They were only genin, but this shinobi was clearly much stronger than they were. First to fall was Ibiki, a violent kick sending him to a tree where he lay slumped and unmoving.
The next was Toma. Enraged by Ibiki's fall, the boy charged at their opponent, only to be met by a brutal chop to the neck and a knee to the gut. Blood and foam was expelled from Toma's mouth as he dropped too. Asami looked in horror at her teammates. They were just children. Children in an unfair world. The girl trembled as the Iwa nin strode towards her like a monster from a nightmare. Something inside her snapped.
They killed children. Spilled the blood of children in an unjust world. Sent children to die. But a child was meant to be protected. She bowed her head. Asami had not been a child in a long time. Not in this life. But, her teammates were still children. Children to protect.
She adjusted the grip on her sword and took a breath. The blood, sweat and metal on the air entered her nose. The feel of her opponent's chakra. Every little detail of it, she took in. Every little spike and fluctuation. Then she resigned herself. A child was to be protected.
The shinobi paused as she opened her eyes.
She was no child.
Asami darted forward, forcing him to block her sword, only to dodge as he felt the prick of a kunai slicing his leg. Asami stood, holding sword and kunai. If her opponent was strong, she would be faster. She moved, putting every ounce of training she had, everything she had ever learned, into each attack. It worked, driving her opponent back, causing more and more blows to land on him. But she was still smaller with less stamina.
He struck her, knocking her away where she collapsed to the ground. Once again he loomed over her, kunai raised to end her existence. This time there were no teammates there to block the blow.
There was however, a sensei with a kunai at his back.
Asami watched the life leave the Iwa nin's eyes and watched as he toppled over before looking up at her sensei.
"Sensei, you're awesome." Aoto just smiled before crouching down to help her stand. Ibiki and Toma stood nearby, supporting each other, pained grimaces on their faces. All around were dead bodies and red stained earth.