Part 6: If The Shoe Fits (4)
"We're approaching the forests soon. That's where we came from when General Kitsuchi brought some of the Division Two troops over."
Tenten's ears pricked at the conversation going on between Mugi and another Iwa shinobi named Heuchima who were a few steps ahead, the latter's exposition sending her blood racing. If what he was saying was true, then it meant that she would have to break away from the squad very soon; based on what she had studied from Mugi's map, she was now analysing the situation in her head, deciding which route she should take to make her way to the remaining Division Two troops.
Of course, she also needed to come up with a plan on how to sneak away from Mugi, Yabuza and Kurotsuchi in order to accomplish that task.
The squad had been moving for about two hours, and it was at this point when Kurotsuchi called for a break. The five casualties who were being moved on stretchers were all unconscious, and it did take their caretakers quite a valiant amount of effort to ensure that they were not hurt during the journey. As such, while it had been a long while since the squad left the vicinity of the Division One troops, travelling in such a manner did seem a little time-consuming to Tenten, and she was wondering aloud to Yabuza whether moving the injured to the medical camp was the best idea.
"Well, HQ did send the orders for the divisions' medics to assemble there," the Iwa youth was now massaging his own shoulders as best as he could, having hardly had any rest ever since he was activated to help the troop's dwindling number of medics. "After the first squad left, Kurotsuchi came to us with instructions to move our severely injured patients as well, so here we are."
Tenten acknowledged his response with a slight nod as she joined him on the grass, surveying the rest of their comrades who were all glad to take this temporary breather. Though her aim was to leave the group as surreptitiously as she could, she wanted to ascertain that there was enough manpower within the squad, even if she had not been actually activated initially. Apart from the five patients including Takuma, Kurotuschi was leading a total of thirteen other personnel; while this was not a great number, it should be more than sufficient to handle this particular mission. Besides, with such a skilful and resourceful leader, even if they met with any resistance or stray Zetsu clones, it should not be a significant problem.
"Dawn is breaking," Mugi yawned as he pulled his muscular arms upwards into a much-needed stretch while seating himself clumsily beside them. "Heuchima's preparing some rations, and we're setting off soon after breakfast. We should reach the medical camp in a few hours."
As her two comrades drifted off to slumber, the Konoha Chunin raised her eyes to the pink morning sky – true enough, the sun was making its way to bless the horizon with its majesty, scattering its rays all over the land. Tenten closed her eyes momentarily as the sunshine kissed her cheeks, the welcomed warmth lingering only a few seconds before her skin got used to the sensation. The distant chirps and croaks enhanced the serene setting, broken only by Mugi's snores, and Tenten silently mourned the fact that she would not be able to bask in this peaceful atmosphere for much longer than a few more moments.
She thought she had kept a vigilant eye in order not to arouse any suspicion from her travelling companions, who were mostly taking forty winks. Thus, as she crept away, taking care not to wake anyone up, she was caught totally off-guard when she came face to face with the dark-haired female whom she had had the honour of calling a comrade while caught in the midst of one of the fiercest battles of her young life.
"Now where do you think you're going, young lady?"
Seeing Kurotsuchi leaning against a battered tree, wearing a knowing smirk, brought back the annoyance she had initially felt when she first encountered the Iwa Jounin. Evidently, that teeny-weeny bit of frustration had been totally erased from existence earlier, but somehow, it was now returning to find its way to snake its way up Tenten's spine, as she attempted to maintain her composure with a hurriedly plastered smile. During the journey thus far, she had hardly exchanged a word with General Kitsuchi's spirited daughter – in fact, she seemed to be displaying a lack of recognition of Tenten's presence all this time, as if the two were merely fellow shinobi carrying out a mission together for the very first time.
"I'd been noticing the way you kept studying the terrain," the other female in the squad was now saying, lips still curved upwards in an irritating fashion, eyebrows still arched in that haughty way. "And I deduced that … you must have another reason for following us on this little trip that we're taking, apart from helping us take care of your precious friend on a stretcher. Am I wrong?"
Tenten shook her head in defeat, silently lamenting that her plan was over before it had even started. She was increasingly confused by the weird hostility that the other party was exhibiting, but just as she was about to locate her voice-box, Kurotsuchi suddenly changed her demeanour and suddenly broke into peals of laughter.
"I'm just teasing you, Tenten!"
The bewildered Chunin raised her own eyebrows at this sudden switch in personality, but before long, it seemed as if her fears were unfounded. The two girls fell into an uncomfortable silence for a while before Tenten decided to come clean with her plans, thoughts that she had kept to herself for the past few hours ever since she had that conversation with Ino in the medical tent.
"So… this Neji… he's important to you? Then you should go to him. Take this route, it should help you get there faster."
Utterly overwhelmed by the turn of events, Tenten stared incredulously at the map Kurotsuchi had removed from within her brown flak jacket; how fortunate was she to actually get such unwarranted support from a kindred spirit, one who had absolutely no need to pander to such a rash decision and childish whim?
"Why… why are you doing this?" Tenten whispered cautiously, wary that the others might have been awakened by their voices since they were not that far away from the squad. "I mean… I'm grateful and all…but… I don't understand why you're supportive of this… this idea."
"Well I don't actually," the young woman shrugged the question off with a sigh, followed by a mischievous wink and a pat on her friend's shoulder. "But I sense that this is something that you really want, and after what you've been through today, I thought you could really use a break from it all and go for what your heart desires. Now quick… scoot off before the rest finds you missing. I'll try to cover for you."
Without another moment's hesitance, Tenten took off with the map in her right hand, moving speedily in silence as Kurotsuchi's words replayed in her mind for the next few minutes. A weird sense of unease seemed to be eating her from within as the greenery whizzed past her; she found herself leaping up the low branches of trees at half her usual speed, as if her ankles were strapped on with Lee's training weights. Doubts were forming in her mind as steadily as she was traversing the high elements; every time her sandaled feet bounced off one sturdy bough and landed on another, the cheery voice of her fellow female fatale seemed to reverberate resoundingly in her mind.
"Her words… so … generic… hardly any form of recognition… of me… of even Yabuza and Mugi…"
Just then, her muddled thoughts were rudely interrupted by the unmistakable sounds of a battle occurring a distance ahead, the cries and clangs decidedly jarring in the wee hours of the morning. Without further ado, Tenten propelled herself forward, keeping her eyes peeled and ears sharp as she continued using the trees as her highway, hoping that whoever was at the battle site were still safe from harm.
"Doton! Kengan no Jutsu!"
The familiar command notwithstanding, it was the stark recognition of the user's voice that sent a chill down Tenten's spine and beads of perspiration trickling down her flushed face. Muttering under her breath that it could not be what she was fearing, the teen leapt across the fresh dewy air one last time and somersaulted downwards from the trees. Her heart plummeted to its greatest depths, for her inner fears were undeniably confirmed when she landed behind some bushes and witnessed, to her horror, that the lone shinobi who was involved in yet another skirmish with the enemy was none other than the Iwa female warrior and her earlier fellow combatant, Kurotsuchi.
And what made the sense of dread gnaw even more at the pit of Tenten's stomach was the recognition of one of the several Edo Tensei adversaries Kurosutchi was facing, none other than the wielder of the unique Crystal Release Kekkei Genkai, Guren.