Well I must say, this has taken much longer than I thought it would. My real life kind of took off for a while there, which was good for me, but not for anyone who wants to read more of this story. Fortunately I've had a new wave of inspiration and wrote up my longest chapter yet! So, let's see where this goes!
True to Naruto's prediction, the first few hours of the day showed a marked difference in the size of the mountains on the horizon. In the opening hours of the day, as the sun rose from the horizon, so did the jagged peaks that were their destination. The landscape changed in other ways too.
The previously rich plains were slowly becoming rocky, with the soft grass fields being replaced by hardier plants and flowers that would thrive in the shallow layer of topsoil. Hills become taller, and ahead they could see the forest beginning to pop up from the ground. Tall coniferous trees blanketed the hills that sat at the foot of the mountains, sprawling along the border of the two distinct biomes.
Fortunately though there were still enough bare patches in the low valleys that the bikes could still pass, unencumbered by the forests. The method of riding took a turn for the better at this point, in Naruto's opinion. Rather than just setting a straight line, they now went slightly slower and followed the natural curves and dips that the landscape did. It did wonders to break up the monotony as they drifted in and out of the low foothills, and as the hours past, the small outlying mountains.
But as the sun got closer and closer to the center of the sky, the more careful they had to be. The trees got thicker, and the mountains got bigger and steeper. The stone giants towered over them, peaks easily surpassing the few clouds that were floating across the blue sky. Many of the mountains still had snow dusting the tops of them, despite it being the warm season, with the tallest peaks being nearly covered in enormous glaciers.
The trees and other greenery only rose part of the way up the peaks, coming to a stop around halfway up the average mountain. Beyond the tree-line was bare rock in varying colours and formations.
While some of the valleys and openings between mountains were vast and spacious, that didn't help Kakashi's crew for too long. Their destination didn't follow the main pass through the mountain range for long, instead taking a sharp detour to the north. Distance wise, it wasn't far at all. But due to the narrow valley and no open space, they would have to continue on foot.
Kakashi recognized the landmark that had been described to him that marked the entrance to the trail that their targets were on just after noon. Signalling his team, he angled his bike towards it and looked for the best spot to set down for lunch, and to leave their bikes while they were gone.
The spot he eventually settled on was a small open area alongside a clear stream of mountain runoff, gently rolling over a bed of polished rocks. As they got closer, the three younger spacefarers realized that the most likely reason he chose this spot were the shapes tucked in under some low hanging branches nearby. Three speeder-bikes, covered in canvas covers were resting there, likely from the group that they were looking for.
Following the example of the captain, they brought their machines to a halt beside the already parked vehicles. Emptying out all the supplies they would need and fastening them to their backpacks, each crew member pulled a thick canvas cover from their storage hold and used it to cover over their bike.
As he was fastening his tent and sleeping bag to the side of his pack, Naruto took some time to look up and around him. He had set himself down on a rock near where Sasuke was setting up the cooking fire, with his backpack sitting on the ground between his knees.
The clear area that they had been riding through, and were now parked in, stretched out a long distance back to the west, before disappearing behind the reaching arms of the tall evergreens surrounding them. It continued on as well to the east, allowing travel even deeper into the mountain range.
The entire picture matched the beauty of the rest of the planet, with the sky a crystal clear blue, interrupted only by puffs of white. The stone peaks and cliffs that surrounded them had a special way of making him feel especially small in the grand scheme of things. If it wasn't for the fact that they were being paid to be there, one would almost think it was a vacation.
"Pay attention and eat your damn food!" Sasuke's abrupt voice cut into his musings. That was the other telltale sign this was no vacation. Sasuke was there.
Apparently in the time that Naruto had been staring into space and packing his bag, the Uchiha had finished frying up their latest meal. Without any further ceremony, all parties crammed the meal down their throats, eager to get moving. Daylight was a commodity they couldn't afford to waste much of.
Everyone had already practiced how they would pack back on the ship, so it didn't take long for everyone to be ready. In a situation like this, keeping your pack as light as possible was essential. Once you got six hours into the woods, you felt every single pound.
Both Kakashi and Sasuke had their blades strapped onto their packs in positions where they could easily be drawn, but also wouldn't catch on branches or shrubbery. Sakura had elected to leave her hammer behind on the ship, as it weighed as much as a sledge hammer, and wouldn't have any practical use in the woods. It was significantly less effective as a weapon without the power source anyways. She and Naruto had both packed axes for chopping wood, as well as for self defense.
Everyone spent a few brief minutes checking over each other's packs, and when they were satisfied that nothing crucial was being left behind, they departed. They started by following the stream up the valley that it came running down, taking off single-file towards the north. While the trail would snake around mountains, cliffs, and other obstacles as the days went by, the end destination was almost straight north of where they were now.
And so, with this change in traveling method, the crew exchanged hour after hour of plains, for hour after hour of trees and rocks. The valleys that they were traveling in were mostly forested by thick conifers, blocking out their view of any sky or mountains around them. The ground itself was mossy, dotted with small berry bushes and ferns.
Every so often they would pass through a small clearing that would let them see the mountains around them, but the majority of the rest of the day was spent hiking through a seemingly endless maze of trees, pushing on towards an objective far out of sight. The trail hadn't got steep yet, with only gentle inclines so far, but the added weight of the packs were taking their toll on the Raikiri crew. Not that any of them were unable to keep up a brisk pace, but it was by no means a breezy walk in the woods.
Evening eventually crept along, casting longer shadows, and cooling the air to where it held a crisp, but refreshing edge. As the light dwindled, the team decided that it would be best to pitch their tents and wait until morning before proceeding. They set down in a place with just enough room for their small one-man tents between the tree trunks. Taking only their sleeping bags and clothes into their tents with them, the food was left a short ways away from the tents, so no dangerous wildlife would be lured in while they were asleep.
As an added precaution, they assigned shifts to keep watch after supper was finished and they were ready to sleep. It could be dangerous in the wild, so it was best to be cautious.
Even though their lodgings weren't the most comfortable, the fatigue of the day more than made up for it, sending them each off to sleep with very little delay.
Sunlight and bird calls filtered through the trees early the next morning, stirring Naruto from his slumber. His heavy eyelids cracked open just enough to glance around the interior of his tent. Designed to be as compact as possible, the ceiling was only about two feet from his face, meaning he had to crawl in the night before. It wasn't made with lounging around in mind, simply sheltering it's occupant from the elements.
That, coupled with the tree root that Naruto could feel digging into his hip, gave him very few reasons to stay in bed longer than necessary.
In the few short minutes it took him to worm out of his sleeping bag and get dressed, he managed to shake off any lingering drowsiness. Crawling out of from between his tent's flaps, he stood and stretch out all his limbs before stooping over to fasten on his boots.
Kakashi's tent was open, with no occupant, meaning that he must have woke up first. There were shuffling sounds coming from Sakura's tent, but Sasuke seemed to still be asleep, as far as Naruto could tell. The trees blocked his view of the sun, but judging by the angle of the beams that filtered down through the canopy, it was still quite low in the sky. Ideal, if they were to get an early start on the day.
Just then Naruto felt nature's calling, drawing his attention away from other matters. He found himself focusing on finding a spot away from camp to relieve himself. Choosing a direction, he walked until he was out of sight from the tents.
In only a couple minutes, he turned to head back towards camp, when he noticed a shadow pass overhead, shading him for just a portion of a second. Through the thick foliage, he couldn't see just what bird had cast it though.
Shaking it off his mind, he continued back to camp to pack up and get ready to head out. Breakfast was simply cold rations all around, as no one wanted to spend the time to make a fire and cook anything up. It sped things up tremendously, and the entire crew was up and all packed in less that fifteen minutes.
Once again, they fell into silence as the four travellers hit the trail. No one was especially talkative that morning, both because of the early hour, and the lingering tiredness from the day before. Single file, they continued down the trail, a bird's shadow once again flickering across the ground.
Several miles south
The seven parked speeder-bikes sat in a row, undisturbed since their riders had departed. That is, until a dark hand reached out to gently rest on the canvas cover of one of them.
The appendage was darker than a night sky, absorbing any light that came into contact with it. It's edges were hard to define, seemingly shifting ever so slightly, with strange shadows dancing around it like tongues of a pitch black fire. The hand and arm were stretched out of a cloak as black as they were, sharing the same malevolent aura.
The cloak shimmered and flickered from head to toe, draped around the person beneath in a way that covered the entire body. The hood was pulled up, and no face was visible in that void-like blackness. The only colour to be seen were two glowing yellow eyes, peering out from beneath the hood. The figure stood somewhere between 5 and 6 feet tall, but it's intimidating presence made it seem much larger than that.
"Someone made it to them before we did." A whisper of a voice sounded out the words, sounding more like the wind than any noise made by flesh and blood.
It's glowing eyes panned over the bikes and surrounding area, spending some time looking in the direction the Raikiri crew had headed the day previous.
A few moments to contemplate it's options was all it took for it to make up its mind. "Looks like the easiest way to do this is to wait for them here, then confront them." A long, breathy sigh passed. "How irritating."
Behind it, a dozen or so other figures lumbered over. Some looking nearly identical to the first, while others had the huge frame of an Akamichi, or the fair hair and skin of a Yamanaka.
The largest of the Akamichi, standing nearly 12 feet tall, rolled his fist in his opposite palm, cracking a number of knuckles in the process. "Sounds like fun..."
Sakura wasn't one to be suspicious by nature. She rarely had hunches or intuitions that someone was hiding something from her, or that things weren't as they seemed. Unless someone was hiding something from her. Then her sixth sense went haywire. Right now, she knew that Naruto wasn't sharing something with the group.
They were still traveling single-file, Kakashi leading, followed by Sasuke. Sakura was behind the Uchiha, with Naruto bringing up the rear. Here's what she knew.
Fact number one; days on this planet were longer than they were used to. Meaning that lunch would be further from breakfast than normal. They had no time to stop for an early lunch, so they were forced to tough out the hunger for some time.
Fact number two; everyone was feeling the effects of the hunger. Stomachs were grumbling, tempers were short, and conversation was to a minimum. Even Kakashi had abandoned his usual chipper self, instead dreaming the day away with thoughts of their next meal. Everyone marched on in silence. That is, everyone except Naruto. Oblivious to the irritable states of his crewmen, he hummed a merry toon as he sauntered along.
The third piece of evidence was the most damning, in Sakura's mind. She hadn't seen him open his left hand since much earlier in that morning, and there was a dark red smudge on his cheek.
Looking at him over her shoulder, her voice broke the silence with a sickly sweet word. "Naruto?"
Naruto's innocent eyes turned to her, curious. "Yeah?"
"What's in your hand?" The same, measured syllables were used.
By now, both men in front had also turned their attention to the exchange.
Naruto grinning in what he thought was a disarming way. Onlookers would describe it closer to 'incriminating'. "Nothing! I was just plucking some leaves off the shrubs to give my hands something to do!"
He spread out his hand, showing the deep burgundy leaves that could be seen on the shrubs that grew in droves alongside the trail, filling in the gaps between the thinning trees.
"Mmm hmm..." She hummed out, her skepticism tangible in the air. "Then what's it doing on the corner of your mouth?"
His eyes widened as he tried blindly to wipe it away, only partially succeeding.
"Those leaves have been edible this whole time, haven't they?!" Her slow, foreboding voice transforming to bare anger. "Why didn't you tell any of us?!"
Kakashi and Sasuke's scowls could be seen over either of her shoulders, equally incensed at this development.
Naruto pointed his finger at the others in his defence. "H-hey, I'm at the back of the line! If I had told you guys about them, you'd have stripped the bushes before I could have even got to them!"
Sasuke's pointed gaze didn't let up as he wordlessly grabbed a fistful of the red leaves and shoved them into his mouth. His scale markings around the base of his neck crawled and writhed, as if he wanted nothing more than to spit flames. Eventually he broke the uncomfortably long eye contact and turned to continue walking.
Sakura soon followed suit, sparing Naruto one last scathing look.
Looking to his captain for a measure of support, Naruto was startled instead by the sheer disappointment, bordering on sorrow, in those eyes. The rest of his face was covered by his mask, but Naruto had no doubt it matched his eyes. Slowly, the last member of the Raikiri crew turned away from Naruto and began walking away.
The blonde threw his hands up towards the others. "Come on guys!" None of them spared him a glance. "I would have told you at lunch!"
True to his prediction, from that point on the others would practically strip each bush that was within arms reach of the trail before he could get to them. Since his crew seemed intent on ignoring him for the time being though, he stealthily reached into his pocket, with a ghost of a smile on his face. He pulled out a mass of what looked like green hair and shoved it down the hatch. They might have found out about the leaves, but he hadn't told them about the moss.
"That rodent in the thicket."
"Gah! How are you so good at this?!" Naruto exclaimed, frustration dripping from his words.
They had rotated walking positions, putting Sasuke in the lead, followed by Naruto and Sakura.
"Let me try." Sakura interjected, eyes scanning their surroundings. Locking in on a small object in the distance, she grinned. "I spy with my little eye, something that is blue, but colourless."
"That iridescent butterfly on that flower up the slope over there." His neck didn't even turn as he pointed off to their left.
Both of the others groaned again in disappointment. They'd done over a dozen rounds, and had yet to even make him hesitate in his answer. With both of them being behind his back, they couldn't see the smirk he was wearing. Or the three spinning tomoe in each of his eyes.
Naruto's hands idly grabbed a thick stick from the ground, almost the size of a small log. Just to have something on hand in case he got any more irritated.
"Okay then, wise guy." He spoke slowly, trying to unwind himself a little. Sasuke's smug demeanour had really gotten under his skin more than he would care to admit. "I spy with my little eye, something dark and fast."
"That shadow that just passed overhead."
Naruto's well muscled arms flexed in anger, snapping his stick with minimal effort.
"F**k!"
"Can you not?"
The pink head of hair turned, curious. "What do you mean?"
An angry red welt ran across the forehead of the Raikiri's resident non-human. With his left hand he rubbed the sore, while also adjusting his disheveled hair.
"Stop pulling back the branches, there are people behind you."
The accusations surprised Sakura, who was unaware of the plight of those following her. "Oh, sorry! I thought you guys were far enough behind me that you wouldn't get hit!"
"We are not." This dry observation came, surprisingly, from Kakashi, over her other shoulder.
She had to suppress a snort of surprise as she took in his appearance. His hair was full of debris ranging from needles and cones, to twigs and bark. His trademark headband was askew, rotated ninety degrees from it's usually resting place, and a slight trickle of blood seeped down from his nose from a rather sturdy smack. His deadpan stare made the situation all the more uncomfortable for her.
She could do little more than mumble an apology and continue walking, this time not bending back branches that would snap back and slap her crewmen in the face.
Unfortunately for the crew though, the lighthearted energy that had been present for the majority of the afternoon began to dwindle as the sun sank lower. As the shadows lengthened, the hairs on the back of Naruto's neck began to stand up, and tension filled his body.
Throughout the last couple days, he had been able to keep himself distracted with the company of his team, and their shenanigans. But for reasons that he couldn't quite pin down, an oppressive weight seemed to settle around his neck as the day got older.
It had been years since he had last spent any amount of time in any sort of wilderness, but memories and flashbacks began to flow unbidden through his mind. And with them, the primal survival instincts he had long ago buried.
Once again bringing up the rear, Naruto's head remained on a swivel, occasionally jerking towards movement he thought he saw.
The terrain had changed slightly several times over the course of the day, and was currently mostly open meadows, dotted with some trees and wildflowers. The open area worked to his advantage in this case, as it put his mind at ease. It's hard for a predator to be lurking nearby in the bushes, when there are no bushes.
That said, the open sky would shortly cause them more trouble than they were expecting.
Movement caught the blond's eye, pulling his gaze towards a shape moving fast across the ground. It appeared to him to be a shadow, once again. For the hundredth time that day, he tried in vain to spot the bird that cast it.
He was about to dismiss it from his mind, when the same shadow shot back across the ground. That was new. In short order, it passed a third time, then a fourth. Next, it paused.
Naruto had since come to a full stop, craning his neck to find this animal. His abrupt halt caught Sasuke's attention, who turned back to see what the issue was.
"What's the trou-"
Blue eyes flew wide open as a shape came into view.
"Get down!"
Without questioning it, the Uchiha and other two dropped to the ground, and not a moment too soon. It was only his speedy response to Naruto's warning that kept Sasuke's head attached to his shoulders.
Instead, the massive claw that would have decapitated him caught the side of his backpack, launching him a dozen feet to the side, spinning him in the air. As he crashed to the ground, he wasted no time unbuckling his pack and sliding it off his shoulders, ready for a fight. In only a few seconds, he was free, sword in hand.
The creature that had struck him, and had since landed between him and his crew, was like nothing he had ever seen. It stood around two stories tall, on four feet that resembled a bird's claws. The massive body had a feline-like build, and was covered in a grey coat that could have either been fur or feathers, it was difficult to tell.
A long tail trailed behind it, reminding him again of a cat. The face and snout was most similar to a feline, though it oddly enough seemed to only have four large teeth as fangs, the rest of its mouth being either toothless, or held small teeth. On the forehead sat two small blue horns, curved towards its front.
The last, and strangest body part, were the two enormous wings that were spread out from its back, still folding in from its decent. As its jaws parted, it let loose a piercing bellow, somewhere between a howl and a roar.
The three other travellers had already followed Sasuke's suit and let their bags drop to the ground, Kakashi grabbing his blade while the other two took hold of their axes.
The creature moved first, once again lunging for Sasuke, casting an immense shadow over the man as it bared down on him. It struck out with a paw, much like how a cat would to toy with a mouse. Sasuke leaped back just out of range, and managed to whip his Chidori around to strike the offending appendage.
The gash left was little more than an annoyance to the beast however. A shrill warble of pain did escape its throat, but it didn't slow the attacker.
By now, the remaining three humanoids had been given enough time to take up positions to distract this predator, spreading out around it. Sakura, who had rushed towards the back end of the beast struck out in an two handed, overhead swing into the thick tail.
The axe sunk deep and garnered a much more severe reaction from the creature than Sasuke's scratch did. Quicker than she could react to, it thrashed its tail, catching the girl in the midriff. Wind knocked from her lungs, she tumbled backwards head over heels in a dramatic display.
Angered at the pain caused, their attacker turned away from the Uchiha to finish off the girl on the ground. As it rotated however, Kakashi darted towards it, targeting its front legs. Sidestepping a snap of its jaws, the Captain made a quick slash at the back of its leg.
It occurred to Naruto that the man was aiming to hamstring the creature, and disable it. A smart move by all accounts, as it was unlikely that they had any other feasible way to prevail against the behemoth.
Unfortunately, it seemed the animal had a measure of intelligence and could see what the silver headed man was attempting. It moved its limb just in time to save its mobility, only getting a shallow gash instead.
Kakashi was forced to spring back, away from the beast to avoid its powerful legs and snapping teeth. It wasn't able to pursue the man, as just when it attempted to dart its head in towards him, Naruto had taken a step forward and swung his axe to meet with the creature's cheek.
The blow surprised their attacker, knocking his head to the side with unexpected force and leaving a nasty wound, but was ultimately unable to gain any lasting results.
The brief but intense exchange let both sides have a moment to size up their situation. Sakura had picked herself up off the dirt, though she had trouble standing straight, probably because of the broken ribs she was nursing.
A deep rumbling resonated from the beast's chest. It seemed to be reevaluating its prey, weighing their worth against the cost of continuing its attack. It had yet to be hurt in any serious fashion, but they were giving it much more difficulty that it had anticipated.
Evidently, not quite enough difficulty. The momentary standoff was broken by its eyes flashing an ominous shade of red. The long tail lifted off the ground and curled alongside the beast's body, pointing the tip towards the group.
They eyed the appendage warily, until a faint glow emanated from the tip of the tail.
"Move!" Kakashi barked out at the last second. All four scattered in different directions, just as all hell broke loose.
A burst of three blasts of a pale purple energy erupted from the tail, tearing into the ground and spreading debris. Another volley was launched right after, too fast for Naruto to completely dodge. One of the blasts grazed his left left leg, burning the skin. The resulting explosion behind him likewise caused damage, flinging rocks and roots at his back, knocking him to his knees.
"Gaghh!" He clenched his jaw and forced down a cry of pain. He could see the tail point towards him again ready to finish him off, but a plume of flame threatened to engulf the creature unless it backed away. It ducked back in time to avoid injury, though it did lose a fair amount of hair from it's left side.
The Uchiha stood to the side, half crouched over the rocky soil. His scale markings had raised up past his collar, flickering up to his lower jaw. The signature sent of singed hair filled everyone's nostrils, almost making Sakura gag.
Naruto spared a moment to inspect his burnt leg. The flesh was writhing, already stitching itself back together, but it still oozed an unsightly amount of blood and other fluids.
During this exchange, Sakura had once again snuck around behind the attacker, moving gingerly to avoid aggravating her ribs. Once she was close enough to that deadly tail, she made another heavy swing, aimed right at the wound she had left the last time.
Gritting her teeth through the pain, she brought her axe up in an overhand swing. The blade struck its mark, slicing through the bone, and leaving nearly half the beast's tail to dangle by a narrow strip of flesh.
A shrill roar tore from the hunter's throat, resonating through the crew's bones. Spinning, it lunged towards Sakura, snapping its immense jaws. Responding quickly, Sakura managed to twist the axe's handle upright, catching its jaws on the inside of the mouth, before its teeth could sink into her.
It was clear to Kakashi that it wouldn't hold for long, so he tried to draw its attention, or at very least make it back off. He slashed at its cheek and face with his short sword, but didn't gain anything from it. Sakura was able to scramble a few meters away from the imposing jaws before the handle was crushed, freeing it to pursue her further.
Its broad head swung to the side, looking to bat away Kakashi so it could kill the pink haired thorn in its side, but to no effect. The limber captain dropped low, narrowly dodging the appendage. It served as enough of a distraction for it to continue its attack on Sakura though.
She had been backed up nearly to the tree line now, in her efforts to get away. She scrambled to think of another way to defend herself, when the unexpected happened. Almost faster than her eye could see, a slender object launched from the trees, and buried itself into the left eye of the creature.
Before it was even given a chance to respond to the pain of its newest injury, a bellowing war cry rang out.
"HAAAAARRRGHHH!"
The single biggest man that Sakura had ever seen stepped in front of her, swinging the biggest mace she had ever seen. The head of the mace was a ball of solid metal, at least two feet across, covered in rows of razor sharp spikes. The man swinging it was clearly Akamichi, but no ordinary Akamichi.
At almost 13 feet tall, this man stood almost 4 feet taller than your typical Akamichi man. The only people of that stature that Sakura had ever heard of were members of the Akamichi noble clans, the leaders of the race.
Whatever his story was, his display was nothing short of impressive. His long hair swayed behind his back as he put his full force into the swing. The thunderous collision between his mace and the creature's face was the single most encouraging thing the crew of the Raikiri had seen all day. The sound of bones crunching could easily be heard, the recoil of the hit tossing the beast's entire front end to the side.
Two more bolts shot from the trees, sinking into its side, causing more pain and injury. It was now clear that someone in the trees was armed with a bow, and was launching arrows to contribute to the fight. Likely a Yamanaka, if they were traveling in the traditional group of three. That just left one member of the trio to show them self.
Sakura couldn't see it, but from his angle, Naruto saw an added detail. In the same moment that the Akamichi had attacked, a dark mass had transferred to the patch of ground underneath the predator's feet. If he hadn't seen it move, he may have dismissed it as the monster's shadow. But no shadow could do what came next.
Obviously trying to get itself out of the now clearly bad situation, it tried to step away. However, while it had been looking at the man to its front, inky black tendrils had risen from the ground, coiling tightly around its legs. It struggled to free itself, but the eldritch fingers had too tight a grip.
Unable to move, and with its tail out of commission, it was helpless to defend against its attacker. In short order, a long knife was drawn from the Akamichi's belt, and with a quick stab to the bottom of the jaw, the beast fell to the ground, a lifeless husk.
For about five seconds, nobody moved. The exhausted silence stretched across the area, allowing the humans and Uchiha to gather their bearings.
Soon, the Akamichi turned to Sakura, who had fallen backwards onto her backside and wrists. Extending his massive hand to her, he helped her up.
"Are you alright? You looked pretty hurt..."
She gave him a reassuring smile through the pain. "I'll be okay, thanks. Just some cracked ribs."
This didn't do much to alleviate his concern. "My friend can help, she's good with that kind of thing!"
He looked over to the tree line and raised his voice over Sakura, who was trying to tell him that she was a medic herself. "Ino! Come here, she could use your help!"
From behind Sakura came footsteps, lightly stepping across the rocks and branches. A Yamanaka woman emerged from between two nearby trees, a longbow strung across her back. She wore clothes suitable for the outdoors, sturdy pants and a jacket with many pockets. That said, they still hugged her lithe frame enough to accentuate all the right places, giving her quite the image, especially with the striking purple top. Her long, pale blonde hair trailed behind her, held back by a ponytail high on her head.
While not a tall woman, she had quite long legs to carry her across the distance quickly. Once she got close enough to speak without raising her voice, she answered her friend's call. "What's wrong, Choji?"
As the words left her lips, she turned her attention to Sakura, clearly still quite sore.
"Are you alright? Are you in much pai-"
Her inquiry came to a grinding halt as she took a closer look at the face of who she was addressing.
"Sakura?!"
The patient's face mirrored the girl asking. Much like an animal in the headlights, both were caught off-guard. "Ino!"
Their recognition obviously surprised Choji, who looked back and forth between the two a number of times. He still had a hand on Sakura's back, keeping her steady as best he could.
"You know each other?"
Ino shook her head in disbelief. "We did our medical training together."
Sakura couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle from the absurdity of meeting Ino again in a place like this, a chuckle she instantly regretted. Her pained wince brought Ino's attention back to the matter at hand.
"We'll catch up later. For now, let's get you seated over here so I can have a better look at you and your friends." She gestured to a fallen tree nearby that would work as a bench. With Choji easing her along, Sakura walked over and had a seat.
By now, the others had also started walking over to join in on the conversation. Kakashi was the first over to the log, keen to check on Sakura's wellbeing.
Behind him, a mass of darkness writhed as it pulled itself up from the ground. It started as a flat pool, but began to rise in the centre, and slowly pulled together into a roughly humanoid shape, cloaked in a substance that couldn't be seen through. Two glowing brown eyes shone where the face must have been, peering over at his companions, then to the newcomers.
Sasuke was next, though he was visibly uncomfortable with something. Even Naruto, who didn't know Sasuke real well, could see that he was hesitant to approach these three aliens. Naruto himself brought up the rear, as he was the furthest from the final showdown.
Everyone assumed a rough circle around Ino and Sakura, watching with interest as the telepath inspected her fellow medic. As they stood in an awkward silence, Sasuke apparently gathered the nerve to speak to the Nara beside him.
He turned his head slightly, just enough to be somewhat facing him, and gave a tiny nod. "Shikamaru. I had a hunch it was you we were looking for."
The Nara have him a similar nod back, though he was slightly more talkative. His voice, like all Nara, was hushed, like a loud whisper. "Sasuke, it's been a long time. How are you?"
"I'm well." Was the extent of his answer.
On Sasuke's other side, Naruto was agog watching the exchange. Not only was Sasuke on a casual first name basis with this random person they were looking for in the middle of a backwater wilderness planet, but he was being downright friendly by Sasuke standards.
It seemed the rest of the group caught the little exchange too. In a hurry, Choji gave the Uchiha another look, and his face was split by a wide smile. "Sasuke! Good to see you buddy!"
Without bothering to get permission, he stepped forward and caught the pilot in a big hug. Though he didn't return the gesture, Sasuke didn't fight it. His face did scrunch up in clear disapproval though. "Choji."
Ino gaped at him, clearly blown away that he was there. "Sasuke, Sakura, you two know each other?!"
Sakura fielded this question, much to Sasuke's relief. "Yeah, we work together. I didn't know you knew Sasuke?"
A brilliant smile lit up Ino's face. "Oh yeah, we all grew up together! Our parents all worked together pretty closely, so we've known each other our whole lives!"
The smile dropped a little thought at what she said next. "It's been a while since we've seen you though, Sasuke. You kind of dropped off the map."
Clearly uncomfortable with the indirect inquiry into his private affairs, he changed subjects in a very abrupt way. "These are our other crew mates, Captain Kakashi, and Naruto." He gestured slightly at each as he mentioned them.
Picking up that he didn't want to talk about it, Ino let it go and greeted the others. She leaned forwards to shake Naruto's hand with a smile. "Nice to meet you! My name's Ino!"
The next few minutes were filled with greetings being exchanged between different parties back and forth, as well as various explanations and reasons for why they all seemed to know each other. It took a little while, but eventually the buzz of conversation died down, allowing them to get to the point of their visit.
In an effort to maintain confidentiality, Kakashi took the three noble heirs aside to explain the reason for their appearance. The Raikiri crew knew the general idea of what was happening, but evidently there were details that couldn't be shared with anyone outside the Yamanaka, Nara, and Akamichi leadership. With the exception of Kakashi of course.
They weren't exactly eager to cut their trial short and depart, but the matter was urgent, and so it was decided that in the morning they would begin their decent. In the meantime though, they got out their tents and made camp for the night. It had been a tiring day both mentally and physically, and Sakura had healing to do.
So, taking care not to do anything that would draw more attention from any wildlife, the seven explorers rested, ready for yet another long day to come.
And there it is! It took a fair bit of effort to describe the environment in this chapter. I'm basing it on the mountains that I spend most of my summers in, and I'm hoping that I've been doing them justice! I'm basing a lot of the landscape of this planet on western Canada, my homeland. Hopefully anyone who backpacks can relate to the struggles that I tried to describe! As always, let me know what you think, and I'll do my best to get the next chapter up soon!
