In the Hidden Clouds
Chapter 21: Crossing the Bridge
Tamima's team was roughly within viewing distance of the bridge now. It had been almost a week since they started their travels, and they were finally at the border between the Lightning and Flame countries. A large river divided the countries, and a long bridge spanned the river. No one was present at the bridge, but Tamima knew better than to believe her eyes.
The team got within twenty meters of the bridge before Tamima signaled them to halt. She'd seen something just then, but she couldn't catch it again. "Damn it," she cursed to herself, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." A single Kage Bunshin appeared, which Tamima sent ahead of her to try and figure out what it was she had seen. A few moments later, the Kage Bunshin stopped and pointed at a wire just in front of her, a trap.
Tamima frowned; it was getting close to dusk, which meant she'd have a harder time spotting traps. Tamima dispelled the Kage Bunshin and turned to her team, "we're going to camp out about seven miles back up the road, and cross the bridge in the morning." The three Genin turned and started to head back; Tamima looked back at the bridge for a moment and scanned the forest that was lining both sides of the road. After a moment, she followed her students.
A few hours later, once night had fallen, Tamima headed toward the bridge alone, leaving a Paint Bunshin behind to keep an eye on the students. When she arrived at the bridge again, she stepped past the traps and approached within five meters of the bridge.
"That's far enough," a voice said from the trees, "I'm afraid I can't let you pass any further." A man leapt out from the forest. He wore green, or at least it seemed that way in the dark, and his hair was cut in a bowl style. He stood in a Taijutsu stance between Tamima and the bridge. He wore a Chuunin's flak jacket, and was fully aware of what he was doing.
"Humph," Tamima said, "are your buddies all sleeping, gejimayu (thick brows)," she poked fun at his thick eyebrows to try and unsettle him, but he remained unfazed, "well, either way, I'll get past you."
"I'm afraid not," gejimayu said, "as Konoha's beautiful green wild beast, Rock Lee, I'll stop you from crossing this bridge."
"Rock Lee, eh," Tamima mused, "well, Lee-kun, I'm afraid you're going to be eating the dirt momentarily." Tamima charged, but Lee countered her move easily. Tamima staggered a bit, but kept her footing. She turned and hurled a kunai at Lee, but he dodged it. Tamima sidestepped Lee's attack, but it still nicked her cheek.
Tamima took a step back and felt some resistance to her movements. "Damn," she yelled when she realized she'd triggered a trap. There was an explosion and Tamima was sent flying for just over three meters. She landed hard and had the wind knocked out of her. A kunai buried in her back as Lee finished her off. It was then that the Paint Bunshin melted.
Tamima watched the fight from a distance. When the Paint Bunshin was taken out, Tamima decided she had enough info and headed back for her camp. That guy was just a Chuunin, she murmured to herself, I was lucky it was just him, other wise the Paint Bunshin would've been finished a lot earlier, and I wouldn't have been able to get as much info.
Lee stood contemplating the pile of goo in front of him. Sakura stepped out of the forest a moment later, and approached Lee, "wow," she said, "to think that that was just a Bunshin."
"Yeah," Lee said, "something tells me that this won't be as easy as we thought it would be."
"It's never so easy," Sakura said with a sigh, "I almost miss the old Genin missions…like walking dogs and weeding gardens." Lee almost cracked up at that. He kind of missed the old missions as well, but these Chuunin level missions were exactly the type of challenge he'd always wanted. "Any way," Sakura said, "it's my watch now, so head back to the camp."