Chapter VII: Pray

Kushina looked up when she felt a few drops of rain hit her body. Indeed the clouds had finally caught up to them, darkening the sky and filling the air with rumbling thunder. She grinned a bit when the rain was beginning to come down upon the Hi no Kuni once more. Kushina looked around to see if the other platoon members were going to protest against the rain. Minato continued to stare up at the sky, despite the rain coming down. Fugaku just continued to lead the group as if the rain weren't there. Tamura looked a bit nervous, but shifted so he could properly close all the zippers and buttons on his one-sling bag. Kuromaru's tail was wagging in response to his fur getting damp, Tsume grinning as well while exchanging glances with her Ninken companion.

"A-ano... Is it like a rain season in the Hi no Kuni or something?" Tamura questioned once he securely closed his bag. Kushina shrugged in response, since she hasn't lived in Konoha long enough to know the weather changes. Minato and Tsume, on the other hand, nodded in unison.

"Hai, Tamura-san... The Hi no Kuni got it's name for obvious reasons... The environment is pretty stable so we don't see drastic weather changes." He explained. "I guess you can say that the rain is telling us that there won't be much snow this year, as usual."

Tamura nodded, glimpsing around to examine the leaves on the tree. The leaves were indeed green, though they held a slightly paler coloring than the leaves in the summer. Tamura thought for a moment, and remembered that it was practically the middle of fall by this point. Kushina stared at the green leaves as well, red-brown eyes examining them for a bit. It always snowed every winter in Uzu...

"I see... Do you guys enjoy the snow when it comes?" Tamura inquired curiously. Kushina was snapped out of her thoughts when Tamura asked, her gaze shifting over to the other Konoha ninja. Minato blinked in response to this, before he grinned lightly and dipped his head into a couple of nods.

"Of course I do... It's nice to see some change in weather in Konoha. It always seems like summer, that's why." He replied. Tsume snorted.

"It's great training as well! Trying to just plow your way through the snow! Though it does raise the amount of D-rank missions." The Inuzuka kunoichi rolled her eyes and snorted slightly. "The usual 'clear the streets' or 'dig out a house' missions... Those ones really pile up."

"I see." Tamura shook his head when he felt the water beginning to pile up on his hair. "What about you, Uzumaki-san?"

"I'm not sure, dattebayo." Kushina shrugged slightly from where she walked with the group. "I'll have to buy some winter clothes if it ends up snowing. Otherwise I'll freeze to death." She muttered a bit. Tsume laughed a bit.

"Then come over to the Inuzuka's house! We'll keep you warm!" Tsume snickered a bit. Kuromaru rolled his eyes.

"As much as Kushina has a sense of humor, I don't think that would work out either way." He muttered as he shook his head. Kushina laughed wearily and regarded the Ninken slightly.

"Err. I'm fine, 'tebayo..."

"... Hey."

The group halted slightly and looked up at Fugaku. The Uchiha was half-turned and looking back at the group, his expression unreadable as usual.

"Tamura-san, would you like to stop for the night and continue in the morning?" He questioned. Tamura blinked at this, holding onto the straps of his bag and looking down at the other four escorts through the rain. Minato just stared back at him, waiting for an answer. Tsume's gaze flickered over to Fugaku every now and then, while Kushina looked around as if trying to figure out how Fugaku knew it was getting dark, considering that the dark rain clouds were completely blocking the sky from view. Tamura fidgeted a bit, before he nodded a bit and sighed.

"I suppose... Though I don't exactly want to hold you guys back."

"We think of the client before ourselves." Fugaku only replied.

"..." Tamura glanced over at the younger ninja. Minato dipped his head into a couple of nods, frowning slightly and his eyes closed.

Tamura sighed a bit and shifted his one-sling bag. "Alright... Let's go find a dry place to stay..." He murmured.

Kushina watched as Tamura rubbed his hands together coldly, before holding them closely to the fire in an attempt to stay warm. They had found a small clearing just a bit off to the side of the main path. The only problem was that it still rained. So Tsume and Kuromaru said they would deal with it, quickly jumping into the trees and shifting the branches so that they shielded out most of the rain. Minato helped them by going to collect a few other branches that had fallen from other trees and handing them over to the Inuzuka pair. So the two swiftly made a small 'roof', while Fugaku gathered a couple of sticks and leaves with his foot lazily, and conjuring just a small amount of chakra for a tiny Katon jutsu to light the pile of foliage. Kushina growled since Fugaku had kept looking at her while everyone was working, as if he were silently telling her to make herself useful. She just frowned and stood by Tamura, motioning for him to sit by the fire and dry off.

Now Tsume and Kuromaru were surrounding the fire, laying on their sides in sleep while the fire slowly dried them off. Fugaku sat a bit distanced from the fire, his arms and legs folded while his eyes closed. Tamura was still trying to warm himself. Minato sat a couple of feet away from Kushina.

"You should get some, Kushina-san... Tamura-san." Minato murmured, glimpsing at the kunoichi, lowering his gaze, then looking over at the client. Tamura weakly nodded and shivered a bit.

"Aah... Arigatou..." He murmured. He shifted so he wasn't dreadfully close to the fire, but not far from it so that he wouldn't feel the warm. Tamura then laid on his side, shifting his bag and using it as a makeshift pillow. Kushina just shrugged and leaned back a bit, locking her arms behind her so that they held her up.

"I'm fine, blondy... My shift's right after yours anyways."

"All the more reason to get some rest." Minato pointed out, his gaze trailing over to Kushina before quickly flickering back to the fire, as if he were afraid Kushina could catch him staring. Kushina shrugged a bit.

"Well I'm wide awake, blondy. If you lived back in Uzu, you'd understand." Kushina inwardly flinched again. Stop doing that, 'tebayo... She mentally hit herself. Minato's gaze flickered over to the other members of the platoon, staring over at Fugaku in particular, to see if they were sleeping. Kuromaru's paw twitched in his sleep, and Tsume rolled over and stifled a groan. Tamura looked to be asleep, and Fugaku's breathing was even so he appeared to be resting as well.

"Are you fine with bringing up Uzu so often, Kushina-san?" Minato murmured, not wanting to wake up the others. Kushina sighed a bit, shifting her legs so that they could stretch a bit.

"... No." She mumbled. "But I miss it so much that my mind keeps bringing it up without me thinking, dattebayo."

She stared at her zori-covered feet, which shifted so that they rocked from side to side to lightly tap each other. When Minato was silent, she looked up at him. His blue eyes were staring at her, but when she turned to look at him, his blue gaze quickly flickered back to the warm-colored fire. The corner of Kushina's mouth twitched at this, inwardly wondering why he had looked away so quickly.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" Minato awkwardly asked, shifting to idly play with the rope that bound his sword to his back. Kushina sighed a bit and tilted her head up wards. She stared at the thin blanket of branches and leaves that hovered over the small clearing. Red-brown eyes closed a bit and she exhaled a sigh to remain silent. The corner of Minato's mouth twitched as he slowly trailed his gaze back to her.

"... Then... Do you want to explain to me why you're so wide awake?" He tried again.

Kushina's expression lightened slightly at this, though it still held some sadness behind it. "The rain makes me think of back in Uzu... So I guess I'll just be straightforward and tell you, 'tebayo. Whenever it'd rain, all the ninja would just run outside and train with each other until it stopped raining... Alot of us are water-based, so the rain was a great way of training and perfecting some Suiton attacks, dattebayo... Helps the manipulation of the water element and such." Kushina stifled a shrug. She still kept her head tilted up wards, her eyes distant as she recalled the memories.

"So it pretty much just became an instinct for us... Whenever it'd start raining, we'd stop or wake up or whatever then just run outside and train. It keeps us wide awake, so I guess it's just something that still follows me around, datte'yo." Kushina shrugged once more. She smiled lightly, though Minato could clearly see the pain that hid behind it. He lowered his head slightly and exhaled a soft sigh.

"... You should get some rest, Kushina-san..." He murmured.

Kushina shook her head. "If I get some rest, will you stop bugging me about it, 'tebayo?" She questioned.

"Hai..."

Kushina snorted a bit then shifted a bit, releasing her locked arms so that she flopped roughly onto her back, grunting a bit then exhaling a sigh. "I guess I'll count back wards from one hundred and force myself to sleep." She folded her left arm over her stomach and exhaled another sigh. She closed her eyes and stifled a yawn. "Good night, then."

"Good night, Kushina-san." Minato murmured softly. He couldn't stop the small small that crossed his as he watched her drift off to sleep.

"So how much more days does it take to get there again?" Tsume complained loudly to make sure Fugaku could hear from where he was walking ahead of the group. The Uchiha didn't halt or even glimpse over his shoulder, just continuing to lead the group through the country.

"... Another couple of days." Fugaku only replied. Tsume could easily hear the Uchiha's soft reply due to her inhuman hearing, and sighed a bit.

"Geez... It'd be easier if we could just Shunshin there..." The Inuzuka kunoichi just grumbled. Tamura lowered his head a bit.

"I'm sorry..." He murmured. "But I'm not a ninja like the rest of you."

Tsume snorted a bit, then released a yelp. Fugaku was immediately in front of her, arms folded across his chest while onyx eyes stared down at her.

"Think of the client before yourself." He growled. Tsume shifted back wards a few steps then nodded wearily. She frowned, trying to keep her growl inaudible.

"Hai, Fugaku-taichou," She hissed through her teeth. Fugaku just stoically stared back at Tsume's glaring eyes, before he turned around. Minato, Kushina and Tamura shifted so they were out of Fugaku's way when he walked past them. With that he continued to lead the group through the forest, the others a couple of steps behind the usual pace they kept when they followed Fugaku. Minato and Kushina wearily exchanged a glance, before the blond Chuunin looked over at Tamura. The client slowed his pace so that he was in step with Tsume.

"I'm sorry that he got mad at you." Tamura murmured. Tsume folded her arms and continued to glare at Fugaku's back.

"It's alright. I was just playing around." She muttered. Kuromaru shook his head.

"It isn't wise to 'play around' with someone as serious as Fugaku, Tsume." Kuromaru muttered in response. "He's the serious type prone to stick to the rulebooks." He muttered under his breath.

Kushina rolled her eyes at the conversation. Stickler... Those kind of people are never fun. She thought to herself. The former Uzu kunoichi looked over at Fugaku's back, watching him to see if he would so much as glance over his shoulder. She wondered if he was simply ignoring the talk about him, or if he couldn't hear at all. Kushina rolled her eyes once more. If people talked about me behind my back, I'd tell them to tell it to my face, 'tebayo.

Her gaze trailed up wards to examine the sky once more. It seemed like they were walking out of the worst of the rainstorm that was currently hovering over the Hi no Kuni. The sky ahead of them was still light gray, though patches of the blue sky was visible several miles ahead of them. Kushina took the time to look over her shoulder as she walked, clearly noting the black clouds that hung in the distance. She squinted a bit, and she could see that it was raining, where ever those black clouds were. Konoha was likely receiving yet another day of rain, from what it seemed to Kushina. The kunoichi stifled a yawn when she turned her head back in the direction of the path. From the corner of her eye, she saw Minato shift. She turned to look at him, and blinked when he had a smug expression.

"Tired, Kushina-san?"

Kushina snorted. "Not."

"Then what was with the yawn?" He pointed out, still smirking lightly.

"Did you forget? It's not raining, so I'm ti-" Kushina caught herself before she said the word. Minato's smirk only widened a bit. In embarrassment, Kushina swiftly flung her arm out and hit him on the side of the head. Minato reeled to his right a bit, but quickly balanced himself and stared at the kunoichi, his hand covering where he was struck and his mouth opened in shock.

Tsume burst out laughing at this, her brooding mood immediately lifting at the sight before her. She quickly moved forward and slung her arm around Kushina's shoulders, grinning smugly at Minato.

"How's that, Kaze-yatsu? That's one of the many reasons why you should't make fun of girls." Tsume continued to grin and looked at Kushina. The other kunoichi blinked a bit, then but grinned widely as well. It felt good to be with another kunoichi that had a tomboyish demeanor...

Kuromaru rolled his eyes and trotted to walk along side Minato, whom distanced himself between the two girls. He looked up at the blond Chuunin.

"Was that shameless flirting?" He asked softly. Minato immediately turned red at this, quickly shaking his head. He glimpsed over at the other kunoichi, relieved when they were talking and laughing amongst themselves. Minato looked back down at the ninken. Kuromaru was grinning back at the blond, the roots of his fangs visible in that smug grin. That only made Minato blush more deeply.

"K... Kuromaru..." He stuttered. Kuromaru released a soft bark that seemed like laughing to the blond.

"Aah... Like I said, this trip is an excellent chance to tell Kushina how you feel." Kuromaru murmured between laughs, being sure to keep his voice low so that only Minato could hear it. Minato rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner.

"I don't know, Kuromaru... I mean we have to focus on the mission..." Minato mumbled. The black-and-grey ninken shook his head as he continued to walk along side Minato.

"Then tell her when we get back to Konoha... Just tell her either way. You'll live the rest of your life regretting that you never told her, Minato."

Minato stifled a light, inaudible groan. "Does just about everyone know what to say when it comes to stuff like this?" He questioned as he tilted his head back. Kuromaru shrugged.

"I'm a bit older than you think, Minato... Then there's the fact that I'm also a dog and my hearing is thrice as good as yours." Kuromaru shrugged again. Minato just shook his head.

"Can we just focus on the mission, then, Kuromaru-san?" Minato grumbled. Kuromaru shook his head quickly, as if he were trying to dry his fur from imaginary water.

"Don't be so formal. I'm a dog." He growled, lifting his lip so that his fangs and his gum were visible in a type of sneer. Minato sighed.

"Hai, hai..."

The next day was similar to those of the previous day. Tsume would complain a bit just to make Fugaku angry, to which Fugaku would always reply the same replies. Either that be "Think of the client before yourself", or "We are not here to complain, we are here to escort Tamura-san back to his village", or something along those lines. Tsume and Kushina would growl among st themselves about how Fugaku was too stuck up when it came to the rules, while Tamura guiltily walked along side of them. Kuromaru and Minato would have the same talk, much to the blond's dislike. By this point the group was out of the Hi no Kuni and walking along the borders of the Taki and Kusa Kunis. Tamura seemed to have mixed feelings about having to travel only another day or so just to get to his village. Later in the middle of the afternoon he looked over at the young Chuunins.

"Do you really think you can handle the ones that are attacking my village...?" He asked. Kushina rose a brow and stared at him for several moments, as if forgetting the second part of the mission. Tsume snorted while Minato nodded and grinned some reassurance.

"There isn't any need to worry, Tamura-san." Minato said. "These are just regular thieves and thus, right?"

Tamura was only half way through his hesitant nod before Tsume snorted.

"We're Chuunin, remember that, Tamura-yatsu!" Tsume looked up at Fugaku, whom was glaring over his shoulder in a warning at the Inuzuka kunoichi. Tsume just stuck her tongue out at the Uchiha until he looked back to the front. Tsume then returned her attention back to the client.

"We're fully capable of dealing with commoners such as them." Kuromaru murmured as he walked besides his human companion. Tamura still hesitantly nodded at this.

"Hai..."

"..." Fugaku slowed to a halt suddenly. The group behind him took another two steps before they realized that the leader had stopped, halting in their own tracks as well. The ninja in the group frowned at this while Tamura looked confused and worried. Fugaku slowly lifted his hand up to shoulder level, before he twisted it slightly to the right. Minato's blue gaze flickered over to that direction. Kuromaru's maw twitched a bit.

"We're upwind." He muttered his explanation. Tsume growled softly and nodded, cursing that they were upwind. It only meant that they couldn't detect the scents.

"Namikaze."

The blond Chuunin turned his head back when he heard his name being called. Fugaku was turned around by this point, looking at him. "You're the fastest. Go check it out." He ordered. Tsume growled a bit.

"It'd make more sense if me and Kuromaru-"

"You don't think before you act and might end up attacking or confronting them." Fugaku interrupted calmly. Tsume gritted her sharpened teeth and clenched her fist by her side. Kuromaru just nosed her hand to make sure she didn't cut her palm open with her nails.

"... Hey, can I go, then, 'tebayo?" Kushina muttered. "Blondy might get himself into trouble, even if he is fast."

Minato rubbed the back of his neck at the kunoichi. Kushina-san...

Fugaku stared at Kushina for several moments. Since Kushina was new to the village, he wasn't aware of what she was capable of. Since she seemed to be familiar with Minato, Fugaku shifted his onyx gaze over to the blond Chuunin. "...?"

Minato blinked when he noticed that Fugaku was silently asking for Minato's opinion. He looked over at the others, then back over to where Fugaku had motioned to. "... Let's go, then, Kushina-san..." The blond Chuunin murmured. Kushina grinned slightly at this, then used a Shunshin after Minato disappeared as well. Tsume growled.

"Hey, that's not-" Tsume was interrupted by Kuromaru butting her lightly in the leg with his head. The Inuzuka rose a brow and frowned as she stared down at the Ninken. Kuromaru shook his head, then motioned over to Tamura, whom seemed to be frozen on the spot as he stared at where Minato and Kushina disappeared to. The Inuzuka kunoichi grumbled and unclenched her fist, grumbling a bit.

Fugaku nodded at this, before turning around. "Let's go, Tamura-san. Stay close, just in case Namikaze and... the girl messes up." He shook his head, inwardly wracking his brain to remember the kunoichi's surname.

"Her name's Kushina."

"Right." Fugaku only muttered, seeing that it wasn't the correct answer he was looking for.

Minato paused every few tree branches he traveled on, his blue gaze shifting to look over his shoulder to make sure that Kushina wasn't too far behind. The kunoichi would catch up moments after Minato paused, and the two would proceed to press further into the jungle-like terrain. Minato slowed his pace as he stood up on some of the thicker branches, his sword already drawn to cleanly slit some thick vines that lay in their above-ground path. Kushina continued to follow, her sense of hearing sharpened as she listened for what they were searching for. Red-brown eyes looked up when she saw Minato silently slid his sword back into its sheath. He half-turned to look at her, then motioned forward once more. Kushina nodded silently and followed. As they continued to climb through the trees, Kushina could start hearing gruff voices that were muffled slightly by all the plants and foliage. Minato halted on one of the branches, his hand motioning down wards to the ground below. Kushina followed his line of gaze.

"... stopped us fro' makin' our usual routine. Who does that bastard thin' 'e is? Messin' with us like that..."

"I 'unno... 'e wasn' thar before..."

"Whateve'. We beat 'um up perty good. Nex' time we go back, 'e's dead an' we get our usual stuf'."

"Le's just kill anyone who ge's in our way. The villa'ers will kno' not ta stand up ta us then."

"When shou'd we go, then?"

"Soon. Bu' we should git our dam' in'uries fixed..."

"Yea."

"Yea..."

"..." Minato looked over at Kushina, his eyes narrowed after the voices trailed away, the owners clearly walking deeper into the jungle and not noticing the two eavesdropping ninja. Kushina frowned deeply, her own set of red-brown eyes narrowed. She finally met his narrowed gaze, before the two silently shot off back in the direction of the path, Minato leading. Once he sensed they were far away from the thugs, Minato spoke.

"They attacked someone..! And we have to hurry back to the village otherwise they'll kill someone...!" He hissed. His hands were balled into tight fists as they blurred through the jungle-like terrain, darting around loose vines and barricades of trees.

"This isn't good, 'tebayo." Kushina muttered in response. "It's going to scare Tamura to death."

Minato nodded at this. He raised his right hand and swiftly drew his sword, returning it a second later as if he did nothing with it. Kushina then saw the thick wall of vines before them drop to the ground, allowing them passage back onto the main road. Side-by-side the two darted onto the path and swiftly turned their feet- so quickly that there was a high chance of twisting their ankles, and then darting down the path to catch up to the rest of the group. Soon enough the small dots in the distant became more distinct, and the two were able to tell each of them apart.

Kuromaru and Tsume were the first to look over their shoulder, followed by Fugaku and then finally Tamura. Tamura seemed to have taken their urgency in the wrong direction.

"Are they chasing us..?!"

"No, no." Minato didn't seem too out of breath, but was panting slightly as he slowed to a halt by the group. Kushina panted a bit heavily, wheezing every few deep breathes she took. Fugaku turned around and approached the back of the group and towards the panting two.

"What happened?"

"It was... the thugs that are attacking Tamura's village, datte'yo." Kushina managed to explain. She straightened herself and wiped her cheek with the back of her fingerless gloves. Tamura froze at this. Fugaku just stared back calmly, though his frowned.

"What did you hear?"

"That they attacked someone who was trying to defend the village." Minato explained rather quickly, the words nearly tumbling over each other. That only make Tamura's shoulders stiffen. "But they couldn't get into the village this time, it seemed... Though they said that they beat up the person pretty badly... They're going to return to the village and kill anyone who gets in their way, they said."

Kuromaru unconsciously released a growl, deep from the pit of his throat while his hackles rose and his claws dug into the dirt. Tsume copied his examples slightly, but only clenched her fist and narrowed her eyes. Fugaku remained calm. The Uchiha looked back over at Tamura.

"Do you think you can run the rest of the way to your village, Tamura-san?"

"Tsume and I can carry him, if he can't." Kuromaru nearly snarled his opinion, but managed to calm himself so it was more of a growl. Tamura stiffly shook his head.

"I'm fine... Let's go... Please..." He whispered. Fugaku nodded at this, turning to look at Minato and Kushina.

"Good job. Now let's go." He muttered, before turning around. Fugaku began running, but made sure to keep it at a common pace so that Tamura wouldn't be left behind. Tamura quickly started after him, already panting as he ran a few footsteps behind the leader. Kuromaru and Tsume ran in grace together, years of being together making them used to each other's speed. Minato and Kushina brought up the rear, Kushina glimpsing over her shoulder every now and then to make sure they weren't being followed.

Of course, Tamura was only a commoner and not a ninja like the rest of him, so he started to slow a bit. Kuromaru and Tsume skidded to a halt in unison, the kunoichi's hand already clasped together in a hand seal. Tsume was lowered a bit, while Kuromaru easily leaped onto her back, his paws reaching her shoulders before a large cloud of smoke enveloped them in with a large poof! to follow. In return a large dog about the size of a stallion lowered onto its stomach, tossing his head in a motion of Tamura to get on. Tamura wheezed as he nodded, his mouth opened as he fought to get air. He scrambled onto the dog's back the best he could, using the back paw's as a step to get on.

Kushina looked a bit dumbfounded at the lager dog, faltering a bit. Minato just grabbed her by the arm and pulled her past the dog.

"They'll catch up."

Minato realized what he was doing and released her arm, allowing her to run along side of him. He raised one hand to his face and pretend to cough a couple of times lightly, being sure to hide his face, knowing for sure that his face was unbearably red. Kushina didn't seem to mind this, only looking over her shoulder when a light galloping was audible. The stallion-sized replica of Kuromaru, with some patches of dark brown fur, slowed a bit with Tamura on its back, running along side of the group. Fugaku only glimpsed at the large ninken, before he nodded and lurched forward a bit, disappearing in a shunshin. Minato was after him in an instant. It took a few moments for Kushina to register this, but she quickly forced chakra to her feet and blurred after the group. Kuromaru/Tsume nodded.

"Hold on." The large dog warned. Tamura weakly nodded and gripped more tightly onto its hackles, before the dog bounded forward after the group.

"Stay in formation, Namikaze."

Minato blinked when he heard the warning from behind him, nodding a bit and slowing his pace so that Fugaku shot past him. Kushina rolled her eyes when she managed to catch up to him, panting lightly.

"Geez... He's the leader, not you, you know..."

"I know... I just thought that he was ahead..." Minato tried to defend himself, grumbling a bit. Kushina rolled her eyes a bit, but grinned slightly.

"But that just means you're faster than him, right? Some leader. His subordinate's faster than him, datte'sa."

Minato blinked, then grinned back and nodded. "Hai..."

Kushina nodded, then looked back over at the front. The group of ninja traveled in flight for probably half an hour or so, their paces shifting between fast and slow to allow Tamura to adjust to the unnatural flight of the ninja. Fugaku halted suddenly as the trees and foliage opened up before them. Kushina swiftly dug her heels in when Fugaku halted, nearly tumbling into the Uchiha's back. Minato had a better landing than Kushina, quickly grabbing her arm before she stumbled forward again. The blond inwardly cursed himself, but he nodded when Kushina murmured a thanks. Kuromaru/Tsume slowed to a halt with a shaking Tamura on its back. Fugaku approached the small village, before looking over at Tamura. The dog nodded and lowered itself, allowing Tamura to nearly stumble off. In an instant Minato caught the client, steadying the man until he got most of his balance back.

A few villagers poked their heads out from the battered holes in the huts- windows -and murmured amongst themselves. A couple of them rushed out to greet Tamura.

"Tamura-san!! Thank Kami-sama you're back so soon! We've got an injured guy and he doesn't look too good...!" One of the villagers cried as he ran up to the group, only regarding the ninja as he ran up to Tamura. Tamura shakily nodded his head.

"I know... Where is he? Hopefully all the medicine that I bought will heal him..." Tamura murmured. The ninja, besides Fugaku, exchanged glances. The dog dropped the henge, and Tsume and Kuromaru were themselves once more. Tamura saw the confused looks.

"I'm the doctor of the village... Also the old chief's son." He explained quickly. The villager regarded the explanation, before he quickly tugged on Tamura's clothing.

"Come on!! He's been bleeding ever since-!" Tamura's eyes narrowed and he nodded, allowing the villager to lead the way into the village. Kuromaru coughed a bit and shook his head.

"Ugh..! Bleeding is right. That's way too much. Are they sure the guy isn't dead yet...?" The ninken growled as he bounded after the two villagers. Tsume frowned and followed him, soon falling into step with him. Minato shot after him, while Kushina hesitated a bit. This scent... She grimaced and pinched her nose shut, darted after Fugaku when he ran after the rest of the group.

"This way, this way!!" The first villager yelled as he ran through the small place, flinching when his bare feet hit a few rocks every now and then. He turned sharply that he nearly skidded onto the ground, but ran into the hut. Tamura quickly followed, pulling his bag off his back. Kuromaru slowed to a halt, hesitantly taking a step forward before pulling back. Tsume coughed a bit and halted a few steps ahead of Kuromaru, her hands immediately shooting up to her nose and mouth.

"It's so strong...!" She hissed. Minato saw this and halted a few yards behind the Inuzuka pair, not wanting to smell all the blood. "..." Fugaku slowed to a halt besides Minato. Kushina, on the other hand, kept her hand over her nose and mouth and kept running past the group.

"Kushina-san?!"

Kushina grimaced inwardly. The closer she got to the hut the stronger the iron-like stench became. She pressed on and approached the hut, her free hand moving the small woven mat that covered the doorway in a type of door. She heard frantic panting, and her red-brown eyes narrowed at the sight. Tamura was already on his knees, his bag opened as he began yanking out the contents and placing them on the ground, searching for the right material and vile of liquid. The other villager was staring worriedly at the man on the small stone bench.

He was the one that was panting frantically, his eyes closed shut in pain- though it was hard to tell since several lines of blood ran down his dreadfully pale face from beneath his black bangs. He writhed a bit, and another villager inside was holding him down as well as the first one. He continued to writhe in pain, his teeth gritted together as he hissed through his teeth. A pool of blood was visible and painting the stone bench and ground, all of it trailing from the large gash that came from his stomach and torso.

"Hold him still!!" Tamura yelled when the man writhed violently. Kushina was frozen on the spot, unable to look away when Tamura began to peel the torn clothing away from the wound. It only caused the injured man to opened his mouth and yell in agony. Kushina jumped and placed both her hands over her mouth, stiffly backing away.

"Kushina-san?!"

Kushina ignored the yell, continuing to back away in horror when more yells of agony came from inside the hut. She kept backing up until her back bumped against the hut on the other side of the small street. She slowly slid onto the ground, leaning against the other hut with her hands still covering her mouth. Minato lowered onto his knee by Kushina, his hand on her shoulder as he gently shook her.

"Kushina-san?!" He repeated a third time. Fugaku and the others approached, Kuromaru being reluctant in doing so. The Uchiha slowly turned his head in the direction of the hut when another agonized yell echoed. Tsume flinched at all the yells, and Kuromaru was trying to cover his nose with his paw. Minato was still fixated on the horrified kunoichi.

"Kushina!!" Minato yelled only her name this time. Kushina seemed to respond slightly to this, though she only continued to shake from beneath Minato's hand.

"What's wrong? Did all the blood...?" Minato questioned, his gaze finally shooting over to the hut. He looked back at her in time to see the kunoichi shake her head slowly.

"Then what's wrong?" Minato asked loudly over the yells. Kushina swallowed the large lump in her throat, slowly moving her hands down to chest level. Minato leaned in a bit to listen to her whisper.

"That's my brother..."


Author(ess)'s notes:
Kilala: All shall be explained in the next chapter. c: Arena't I evil? A cliffhanger. They're fun for me. Evil to you guys. Ne?

But here are the usual thank yous: Thank you for all the watchers! For all the positive reviews and for the constant wave of fans putting this fic on their alert/favorite list! Arigatou!!

I know that spelling is not my best thing... I swear I proof-read all of my chapters atleast three times but never end up catching the little mistakes. x.x So thank you all for putting those little mistakes aside and appreciating the story!