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Butterfly and Moth
Chapter 6 - In the Land of Earth
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Tobirama had left his brother and team behind to search for Akari Hyuuga, abducted by Iwa shinobi. His Shadow Clone was following them, at least that's what he hoped his clone was doing. He searched for the chakra signature of his sealing formula, but he couldn't find the kunai he'd given to the clone. That meant it was out of reach of his Hiraishin.
But that was a good sign. If his clone was already that far away, chances were he was following their tracks.
Tobirama left the village to travel northwards. It was the only direction that made sense. To the north, he could already see the mountain range that marked the border to the Land of Earth. They stuck out of the ground like huge spikes, with not a single tree growing on them, just hard stone. Legends said that the Iwa shinobi, old mountain tribes, created them with earth jutsu to stop outsiders from entering their country. Other legends claimed they were the result of two bijuu fighting each other.
Whatever proved true, they certainly had no natural origin.
Once Tobirama had covered a good amount of distance, he searched for his sealed kunai again. This time, he could clearly feel it further ahead. He hid another kunai close-by, just in case he'd have to retreat fast, and used the Hiraishin.
Tobirama had not expected to end up in a dark place. He quickly tried to get an idea of where he was as soon as his body appeared next to his clone. They were in a tunnel. There was not a hint of sunlight to be found, yet his surroundings weren't completely black. White and blue stones were glowing all around them, bathing the tunnels in an unnatural soft light.
His clone signalled him to be silent, so Tobirama focused his hearing on their surroundings. It was completely quiet.
It came to no surprise to Tobirama that the Iwa shinobi travelled through underground tunnels. It was common knowledge that the Land of Earth was connected by a plethora of secret tunnels. Some even said that whole underground villages existed.
But Tobirama knew that this made the whole situation even more complicated. Tunnels were dangerous. Hard to navigate, poor visibility, and in a country full of earth style users, it meant the enemies might lurk around any corner, or even beneath his feet.
The only thing that made him feel confident enough was his Hiraishin, the knowledge that he'd be able to teleport back to his brother in an instant. At least as long as he would leave kunai behind.
The Shadow Clone and Tobirama continued down the tunnel. They followed the glowing stones that seemed to point them into the right direction. Sometimes the ways parted. But only one of them was ever lit up. The other was completely dark.
They never talked about which way to take. They never talked at all. They both had the same thoughts, the same opinion. And they both just wanted to get this over with and return with the girl.
Eventually, the path they were following led them into complete darkness.
They stopped, stared down the black tunnel before them. The same stones that had been lighting up their way so far were still part of the walls and ceiling. They simply weren't glowing anymore. Tobirama touched one of them and infused just a bit of chakra. It started glowing almost immediately and continued to do so even when he removed his hand again.
"Phosphorescence, huh."
They searched the walls. Both had the same idea. Someone must have activated them up to this point, and then stopped. Either there was a secret door somewhere or the Iwa shinobi somehow decided to continue walking in the darkness. They knocked against the stone, ran their hands over it to find cracks.
His clone was the first to be successful, "There seems to be a hollow space behind this wall."
Tobirama was glad he had invested all those hours learning earth style jutsu. It was his least proficient element, yet he'd always been convinced that knowing the basics of every of the five elements was more valuable than having mastered only one.
He formed signs, and the wall in front of him opened, revealing a new tunnel. This one was lit up again. They were still on the right track.
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The tunnel eventually ended in a dead-end. Tobirama again used an earth jutsu to move the wall in front of them. The sunlight that immediately fell into the tunnels hurt his eyes, despite being weak. The sun outside was setting behind the mountains. They'd walked beneath the earth for hours.
It seemed they were far into the mountains of the Land of Earth already. The air smelled fresh, and an icy breeze blew past them. To their right was a huge cliffside. Apart from a few pine trees and grass growing on top of rocky hills, there was barely any vegetation. Just stone and rocks.
A small road nearby led out of the mountains or further into them. They could only guess in which direction the Iwa shinobi had gone. Around them, there was nothing but nature and clouds hanging low around the mountains, dipping them in a mysterious mist.
They looked around, but could not find any hints. Instead, they heard voices. They immediately looked for cover behind a giant rock. Shinobi walked past them, wearing the symbol of Iwagakure on their heads. They were following the road, but Akari was nowhere to be seen and they also didn't look like they had just abducted the daughter of the Hyuuga's clan head either.
So Tobirama waited until they had passed. Once they'd been gone for a while, he couldn't help but sigh. This mission was reckless and idiotic after all. He had only a vague idea where those tunnels had taken him, an idea that was more of a guess. Theoretically, he could be anywhere now. And the closer they were to Iwagakure, the slimmer the chances to get Akari back, and the higher the risk of encountering Iwa shinobi.
He approached the road again, looked in both directions. It was empty for now.
"Should I go left and you go right?" his Shadow Clone asked.
Tobirama hadn't expelled him. The chakra he had used to form him he would not get back anyway, and this way, the clone might at least still be of use. He would have preferred to keep the clone close, even now. But while he had a feeling Iwagakure lay further ahead, deeper into the mountains, he couldn't guarantee to know the correct direction.
So he nodded, and the Shadow Clone took the way that led downhill.
Tobirama took a deep breath. He thought of his brother, hoped he and their students were fine. The fight would likely be over by now. Maybe they were already on their way back to Sunagakure with the captured jinchuuriki. Maybe they were all dead. He couldn't know.
When he checked the last seal he'd dropped, he realised it was almost out of range. It was time to leave a new one. The chain that led him straight back to the Land of Stone was useless should just one be out of range. But Tobirama only had one kunai left.
If he left this kunai here and it somehow came to a fight between him and the Iwa shinobi, and that was likely since they wouldn't just let Akari go once he showed up, his combat power would suffer immensely without a single seal to use during the fight.
But if he did not leave the seal and continued, there was no easy way back anymore.
The sun was slowly setting behind the mountain tops. Night was approaching.
A big part of his mind told him to turn around and head back. The odds of finding Akari before they reached Iwagakure were slim. The tunnels had slowed him down too much. Vision had been scarce and he had to expect encountering an enemy shinobi at any time. Maybe the best he could do was to wait for his Shadow Clone to come back. And maybe sent out a second one. But he'd also used up quite a large amount of chakra during the fight with the Raikage, teleporting his brother and himself back and forth.
He put the kunai back into his pockets again. Only an optimist would leave the kunai there. Someone like his brother, who'd hope to find Akari right around the next corner.
His brother's face appeared before him again. And Tobirama remembered the hopeful smile on his lips when he suggested going after Akari and bringing her back. His brother never stated it, but he knew that this was Hashirama's will. He'd want him to give everything to bring his former student back, the girl he half raised.
The Senju's face was frozen. Not a single muscle in his body moved as he stared ahead, further into the Land of Earth, and felt like he was being torn apart. To continue or to return. He wondered what his brother would do. The answer seemed obvious. Hashirama would venture on with blind optimism.
Tobirama chose to follow into his brother's footsteps for once. Not because he was an optimist. But maybe it was better if he died there, walking aimlessly into enemy territory to save a girl, than to return to Konoha and face his brother and her father without her.
So Tobirama continued.
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When Akari woke up again, she found herself lying on hard ground. It took a moment before her memory came back. She remembered the battle, the Iwa shinobi.
Her body instinctively wanted to rise and defend itself. But her hands were tied behind her back with a ninja knot. It made sure her fingers were far enough away to form any hand seals whatsoever. No seals, no jutsu.
"Awake already, huh?" The Iwa shinobi stood by the door, arms crossed. He was observing her.
They were in a small stone hut. There was barely anything in the room except for a few blankets and backpacks.
Akari's limbs hurt as she sat up. The position she'd been in was anything but comfortable, but it seemed she'd passed out for quite a while. It was bright outside. She couldn't tell whether it was still the same day, whether it had been hours or days since they took her.
Another Iwa shinobi sat in a corner, carving a statuette with a kunai. He barely paid attention to her, but Akari recognised him. He was the one whose body was residing bees.
There was no hostility present in the room. Only slight tension and carefulness. It was no atmosphere that made her fear for her life. Not yet. Wherever they were going, likely Iwagakure, they'd been tasked to bring her alive.
"You never went for the sixtails," Akari noted. There really wasn't anything else to do except for talking. "Were you not interested in the tailed beast?"
He didn't answer her, just continued staring at her with a face of stone. The other one continued carving like she wasn't even there.
The third shinobi entered with a breeze of fresh air. "I got all the supplies!" she said happily, holding up a big shopping bag. Her enthusiasm died down a bit when she saw Akari was awake.
"Wasn't she supposed to sleep longer?" she asked.
The man carving stopped and put his work away. "You have to be careful not to overdose. Better she wakes up a few hours earlier than never at all." He put everything in a small pouch and hung it around his waist. They were leaving.
Akari wondered whether there were more Iwa shinobi outside. There'd been more when she fought them with Riku.
"So carefully give her another dose," the girl urged.
"We've almost reached Iwa," the other man said again. "No need to risk anything. She's no Uchiha. Her eyes are useless without her hands."
Almost reached Iwa. Akari knew once she entered the ninja village, the chance of fleeing was almost zero. She'd never been to Iwagakure, and only had a vague idea of where it was located, but if it was anything like Konoha, it would be filled with skilled shinobi. Guards, walls, secure cells. Either she would have to find a way to flee now or not at all.
They'd taken everything from her, scrolls, weapons. And the Iwa shinobi was right. Without her hands, there was not much she could do.
The three shinobi packed their stuff and were ready to continue the journey back to their village. They barely talked while Akari was with them. One gave her water, careful so she wouldn't choke.
It seemed they had stayed the night in a small village. Civilians watched them as they left, curious to know who they were and what they were doing. But no one dared question the shinobi.
One of the men pushed her forward when she refused to walk, threatening to drug her again should she not comply.
They walked through a forest, huge pine trees towered around them left and right. They almost prevented any sun rays from reaching the forest floor. Akari carefully moved her hands and arms. The wire sat tight. It wasn't cutting into her flesh just yet, but it would if she attempted to free herself.
By chance, the wire was right on top of one of her chakra points. An idea came to her. If she expelled enough chakra through that point, she might be able to tear the wire apart. Might. She'd never done it before, and she wasn't sure how much chakra was needed. If she used too much, her capturers would notice her attempt. In that case, they would be sure to use whatever substance they had used on her before, and she would wake up in a cell in Iwagakure.
So she started slow, by expelling just as much chakra as she was sure would get unnoticed. All while quietly walking next to them. It would take a while, but eventually the wire should tear. How long she didn't know.
Time passed, and it felt like hours. They left the forest, walked uphill and downhill, and uphill again, all while being surrounded by huge mountains, whose tops were covered in snow and mist. It made her anxious. The place looked nothing like Konoha and the Land of Fire. The Land of Fire was green and flat, with trees and flowers growing on vast fields. But the Land of Earth was grey and brown, covered in sharp rocks and soil.
To her right was a stone wall. A rock came rolling down every now and then. To her left was a steep slope that ended into yet another cliff. It was like the mountains had all been torn apart at some point in time. There was another dark forest down below, an ocean of pine trees, their needles so dark the world down there almost looked black.
At times, their path became so narrow they had to walk in a row, one person after the other.
Akari thought about running down the slope and jumping. She wasn't sure whether she'd survive, how deep the ravine down there was. Maybe it would be for the best if she died trying, she thought. Better than being a prisoner of Iwagakure.
But there was too much hope in her heart that she would be able to flee after all.
When the mountain path had become wider again, Akari felt a sudden snap, and the pressure on her hands and arms was gone. She was free. The shinobi walking to her left, the one with the bees, was still quietly looking ahead. There was one more behind her, and one in the front. They hadn't realized yet that she was free. But they would soon.
There was only one opportunity. It was now or never.
Akari activated her Byakugan and before anyone realized, her palms were already on top of the most vital chakra points of the enemy closest to her, disabling them, killing. She grabbed one of his kunai. There was the sudden sound of bees buzzing inside of him as one after the other left his body through nose and mouth. But Akari had no time to worry about them now. A quick glance at both her remaining enemies and she had decided on the next target.
The girl walking in front of her was about to turn around, her hand also on her way to a kunai, when Akari had already reached her, driving the blade into the girl's throat. Two she managed to kill by taking them by surprise.
She turned to face the last one. His face was full of anger and shock, but that didn't stop him from forming hand seals to attack her.
The bees seemed equally angry, almost as though they knew she killed their host. They swarmed at her. She killed them with fire, and they burned together with the shinobi who'd housed them.
The last Iwa shinobi did well in keeping her at bay with his jutsu. He was an earth style user. Stones flew in Akari's direction, spikes emerged from the ground, and the soil she stood on tried to swallow her.
But Akari could use jutsu too. For every stone that flew in her direction, she sent a fireball back. When spikes stopped her, she summoned a water dragon that charged through the spikes in her stead. When the soil tried to wrap itself around her feet, she dodged by going for another attack.
The two shinobi were fighting on the mountain side, running up and down the stony slopes. The chakra in their feet just so managed to glue them to the ground. Sometimes the impact of their attacks was so harsh it caused rockslides, and no matter the amount of chakra in their feet, it was of no use when the whole ground was being swept away.
Akari eventually managed to get close to him. Without her bow and teammates, this was the fighting style she thought would benefit her most. She hit one of the chakra points on his shoulders. The earth beneath her rumbled. More spikes shot out of the ground, following her as she retreated.
The Iwa shinobi had clearly given up on trying to catch her alive. He couldn't afford it. They both had to give their best, or the other one would kill them. One misstep meant death.
The earth continued rumbling. The rocks she stood on broke away and rained downwards. Akari had to jump elsewhere to not lose her footing. The enemy managed to grab her. He pressed her down. Akari struggled to free herself, but he was stronger.
More rocks rolled past her. The rumbling and roaring of the mountains became even more vicious. And suddenly, the ground beneath them was moving, pulling them downhill, right towards a ravine.
Akari wanted to run, but the shinobi held onto her. She wasn't sure if he tried to kill them both. She managed to free herself, mainly because he let go to dodge rocks coming down at them. But it was too late. They reached the edge of the cliff, and were washed over it in a wave of soil and stone.
Akari was flying. She couldn't find anything to hold onto as gravity pulled her down.
The world around her went black for yet another time as her body hit hard ground.
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Akari's head hurt when she opened her eyes. The world around her was spinning. She closed them again, hoping it would somehow ease the pain in her head. It didn't.
She was lying between rocks. Her right foot was stuck, but other than that, it seemed she'd been lucky. She freed her foot and sat up. Her head was throbbing, like something inside of it was vibrating constantly. She ran both hands over her scalp but couldn't find the source of the pain. It was everywhere. One hand came back bloody.
Not far away lay the Iwa shinobi. His body was covered with rocks and earth. He wasn't moving. She checked his pulse. There was none. She checked her own next, though she wasn't quite sure anymore how to count the beats.
She leaned against a big boulder, closing her eyes until she thought the world had stopped spinning.
Slowly, she realized that she had to leave. It was likely their fight had attracted attention. And she was still in enemy territory, even if unsure where exactly. Iwagakure could be close. More shinobi could be on their way already. She straightened herself and walked towards the dark forest.
She would have to rest before figuring out where she was and, most importantly, how to get back home.
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Tobirama hadn't slept at all, and now he was exhausted and tired somewhere in the Land of Earth. He spent the night on top of a big tree. Part of him wanted to continue, catch up. But he could barely decide which way to go during the day, let alone at night. So he continued with the first rays of sunlight.
His Shadow Clone disbanded due to fatigue long ago. The clones were beings full of chakra, but they could not regenerate it. Once the chakra was used up, they were gone. He'd felt the moment it happened. The clone sent him even more exhaustion and he now regretted that he hadn't dispelled him earlier. Information his clone hadn't found. A waste.
He came across villages on his way, but never dared ask anyone for directions or even openly show himself. He wasn't exactly an unknown face among shinobi and even his clothes would give away that he was an outsider, a foreigner, to people who didn't know already.
For some hours he shadowed Iwa shinobi who looked like they would be returning to their village from a mission. But there was no trace of Akari. And he became more and more certain that he'd lost them. That he was lost.
There was a growling in the mountains not far ahead of them. It sounded like rocks breaking apart and crashing down the mountainside.
The Iwa shinobi ran ahead. Tobirama slowly followed them, making sure he kept enough distance to not be spotted.
When he caught up with them again, they were looking at two corpses. One of them was burned beyond recognition.
The Iwa shinobi seemed clueless. They were arguing what to do, called around, asked if anyone else was there, then it seemed they decided to get help and left.
Tobirama now stepped up to the two dead bodies. The burned corpse he could tell was a man, not a woman. His eyes followed the traces of the battle as his mind tried to reconstruct what had taken place. Parts of the ground were unnaturally damp. It all pointed towards a fight between an earth style user and a fire and water user. Knowing the latter were also the elements Akari used, he prayed it was no coincidence.
He eventually reached the part of the mountainside where the rockslide had happened. He jumped down the cliff, following the movements the earth had taken. It wasn't too high, and he landed perfectly on his two feet, right next to a mound of rocks and earth. He found another dead Iwa shinobi, crushed by his own element.
For a moment, he wondered whether he would find Akari somewhere underneath those rocks as well, buried completely. But then he spotted blood, fresh blood, on top of the stones.
From up the cliffside, he could hear voices. More Iwa shinobi had arrived. Tobirama retreated into the nearby forest, hoping that all this meant that Akari was close, and alive.
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Tobirama slowly walked around the forest. His senses were on high alert, hoping to find the Hyuuga girl. But he also had to expect that the Iwa shinobi would eventually search the area. He had to find her before they would. How, he didn't know. She could be anywhere, if she was even there at all.
Tobirama kept walking and walking.
It took a while until he noticed someone's presence. They were behind him. He swirled around, kunai in hand.
Akari stood in front of him. Her muscles slightly relaxed as their eyes met.
"Is this really you?" she asked, doubting her own senses.
Relief spread in Tobirama, paired with a hint of disbelief. He had actually found her. And she had found him.
Yet they were far away from safety still.
"Are you injured?" The traces the fight had left on her were obvious. Scratches on her arms, fabrics torn, clothes stained with dirt and mud. But other than that, no bigger injuries came to his attention.
Akari shook her head. "I spotted you with the Byakugan, but I thought my eyes had to be fooling me. Are the others here as well?"
Tobirama looked around. "We can't stay here. There are Iwa shinobi back at the mountainside."
She nodded knowingly. They both left in a hurry to find a spot that was more secure, farther away from the battle site, and hidden. Not long after, they stopped. A hillside covered in bushes and conifers gave them enough cover to at least one side for them to take a minute to breathe and recollect
"What about Hashirama-sensei and the others?" she asked again.
"They couldn't come." He spotted the blood on her hands. "Whose blood is that?"
She looked at it and shrugged, then touched the back of her head. "I think I hit my head when I fell off the cliff."
"Let me see." He didn't wait for her to say anything else, just stepped up and stroked her hair away. "Needs stitches."
"Here?" she said rather unsure as he pulled out a small sewing set.
There was no time to waste and Tobirama liked to get things done. A fight between them and the Iwa shinobi was possible at any moment. They had to be ready. So he told her to sit down as he cleaned the wound with water jutsu. The water that dripped down her hair was red with blood.
"Ready?" He didn't quite believe her when she nodded, but continued anyway. The needle quickly went through her skin. It wasn't the first time Tobirama had to stitch someone up out on the field.
Akari flinched. On the second stitch she clenched her teeth, trying to hide the pain.
He kept going as she didn't say otherwise though her face became more and more pained.
After a few more stitches, he concluded it was sufficient for the wound to heal properly. Akari looked like she'd sunken into the ground and was now two heads smaller. Her hand carefully reached for the wound to check.
"Will it scar?"
"Not like anyone would ever see it." He put the sewing set away again. "We should hurry back to the Land of Fire."
"What happened in the Land of Stone?," she asked, looking up at him. "Are the others alright?"
He wished he could answer in the affirmative. "I don't know," he said instead. "I left before the battle was over."
Her head dropped, but she nodded. She tried to push herself up to continue, but as soon as she put weight on her right foot, she cringed and sat back down. She had to use her other foot to stand up. Tobirama noticed, but before he could say anything, she asked, "How do we get back to the Land of Fire?"
He looked around, thinking. "For now, we should probably make sure we get some distance between us and our enemies. If your abduction was planned or if the Tsuchikage somehow knew that you were with his shinobi and killed them, I'm certain he will send many skilled shinobi after you." Tobirama had an idea on how to get back to the tunnel entrance. He had a fairly good sense of direction. But the Iwa shinobi worried him. "Can you see them?"
Akari activated her Byakugan. A few moments later, she said, "We should probably hurry."
Tobirama nodded. He glanced down at her foot. "Are you sure you can run? Because if not…"
"I can," she interrupted him. "Let's go."
So Tobirama started a slow sprint, which he soon discontinued again. Akari followed after him, but she was slow, and clearly in pain, putting less weight on one side of her body.
"Show me your foot," he said. Akari claimed that there was nothing wrong. "I'm not blind," he snarled at her, "Just sit down."
She finally gave in and quietly sat down on a small tree trunk. She winced as Tobirama took her boot off, and again when he pressed his thumb on her ankle. It was red and swollen.
"You are not going anywhere with this. It's fractured."
She pressed her lips together and grabbed her boot. "We are in the middle of the Land of Earth. I don't exactly have much choice but to walk on it." She put the boot back on and rose. "It might be alright if we don't run too fast. I can walk."
"Too slow. I'll carry you. We'll be faster that way."
She defensively crossed her arms in front of her. "Thank you, but I don't need you to carry me. As I said, I can walk. I can even run. I'll get used to the pain."
He frowned at her. "You are risking permanent damage and you are wasting time. I'll be faster with you on my back than with you walking on a broken foot. So just let me carry you. We don't have all day."
"Can you not just use the Hiraishin?"
"There are no seals nearby I could teleport to. So no, I can't."
The Hyuuga girl bit her lips, but eventually said, "Fine. If you don't mind, then I would appreciate it if you could carry me." She was speaking in a polite manner, but still visibly had to force the words over her lips.
He sighed. The fact it had taken her so long to accept the inevitable bothered him. They could have already made a good amount of distance. Without wasting any more time, he allowed her to climb on his back and they started their return to the Land of Fire.
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It didn't take long until Akari noticed that enemies were approaching, chasing after them. She was observing them with her Byakugan as Tobirama kept his eyes on the forest in front of them. The Iwa shinobi had found their trail, and were tracking them.
Tobirama stopped next to a large tree. Outrunning them was not an option. Not with an additional person on his back. There were at least five Iwa shinobi headed in their direction according to Akari.
"Take this." He gave her his last Hiraishin kunai. "Hide here. I will lay a false trail and then teleport back. Can you do that?"
She took the blade. His last question sounded doubtful, so she made sure to speak with conviction. "I can."
Tobirama left.
Akari held onto the kunai as she pressed her back against the tree trunk behind her. Her eyes searched her surroundings for a better hiding spot, but it was all too open. She thought about using the Illusion Jutsu to camouflage herself, match the colours of bark. But if they had sensors, she only risked that the usage of chakra would lead them right to her. So she jumped up on a branch, and carefully observed both Tobirama and the Iwa shinobi from afar.
The latter, she realised, came closer and closer. Soon they were so close that she could hear their voices. Akari held her breath.
"Hey, I found a trail over here," one of them called to the others. "It's fresh!"
Her heart was beating fast in her chest. She was praying it was one of the fake trails.
It was, and they left in the direction Tobirama had run off to. She took a deep, relieved breath, but her muscles were still tense.
Out of nowhere, Tobirama appeared on the branch right in front of her, making her heart skip not one but two beats. She recoiled, her back hit the trunk, and for a moment, she thought she'd lose balance and fall.
Tobirama only raised a brow at her.
"You startled me," she tried to explain. She looked through the tree trunk with her Byakugan. Their enemies were still running off in a different direction, then she deactivated it. The Byakugan, showing her 360 degree vision, exhausted her brain and she already had a headache.
She climbed on Tobirama's back again. The fake trail would not hold them off eternally.
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Tobirama had not yet found the way out to be forest when Akari spotted the Iwa shinobi again. They were back on track.
He stopped, snorted with frustration as his mind thought of a new solution. They couldn't possibly get caught by their pursuers. Fighting them off was too risky. They were both too exhausted and Akari too injured.
"We can't continue southwards," he eventually concluded. "Even if we somehow lose the ones chasing us here, they'll expect us to take the same route back to be Land of Stone. It's better to go eastwards for now."
"Eastwards?"
He nodded, and showed her the map he kept in his pocket. "The Land of Grass should be closer to Iwagakure than the Land of Stone. If we walk eastwards, we should eventually reach the border. They are our allies. We'll be safe there and they might not suspect our change in direction."
"But what about Hashirama-sensei and the others? What if they come looking for us?"
"Not even my brother would be foolish enough to walk into this country without any clue as to your location."
She frowned, but nodded while looking back at the Iwa shinobi. They were approaching fast. "Will you create a false trail again and we change direction?"
He shook his head. "Too risky. They mustn't realise our plan. We only have one try." He formed signs and created another Shadow Clone. It was the last one he'd be able to properly form. His chakra reserves were low, at least too low for more Shadow Clones.
"Give me your boot."
"Excuse me?" She frowned at the sudden demand.
"We'll have to bandage your foot anyway once we got the time. You don't need it."
Akari reluctantly sat down. She barely managed to take it off due to all the swelling. Maybe it was better she got rid to be now. The clone took it, as well as a torn piece of fabric he ripped off her clothes without asking. Akari complained about the clone's rudeness. But Tobirama saw no problem.
He knew it was a good thing they went to be Land of Grass now. The tunnels leading to be south could not be too far away, yet he wasn't even sure whether he'd have enough chakra left to teleport both Akari and himself back to be Land of Stone, even if they did somehow manage to reach the tunnels despite the shinobi that were close on their heels.
Tobirama's clone continued southwards, while Akari and Tobirama slowed down and made sure they left not a single trail behind that would suggest that they had changed their course.
It was the last plan they had.
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Tobirama and Akari were not pursued anymore until nightfall. It made them hopeful that they would make it to be Land of Grass the following day, without any incidents. But at the same time, the upcoming night left them both nervous. Even long before the sun started to set, they searched for a shelter to be night.
They found a rock shelter, a small cave that was no more than a hole in a hillside they both barely fit into while sitting upright. But shelter was shelter, and it was better than staying out in the open. So they sat down next to each other, leaning against the stone wall behind them, and watched the world around them turn dark.
"Can't you use Earth Jutsu? Hashirama-sensei often created a shelter using jutsu," Akari eventually asked.
He didn't look at her when answering, "I've fought a bijuu and a kage yesterday. Then I left to be Land of Earth. My chakra reserves are not infinite."
She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Right, I'm sorry." She glanced at him. He had his arms crossed on to be and was staring ahead into the growing darkness. "I have to thank you," she said next. "You put yourself in danger to save me from Iwagakure. I am deeply grateful to be." She slightly nodded her head instead of bowing.
Tobirama sighed. "It's fine."
The silence that followed felt awkward to Akari. Uncomfortable. She could clearly see that he wanted to be somewhere else. It was nothing she could blame him for. She too wished to be back in Konoha. Or any other place that was not deep into enemy territory. But Tobirama never even looked at her. She wasn't used to such behaviour. It was rude.
"You should go to sleep. I will keep watch," she said nicely. She owed him, so she was set on staying friendly and polite.
Tobirama didn't react, as though he hadn't even heard her. There was a rustle somewhere in the forest around them. An animal screeched, another hissed.
Akari checked the area with her Byakugan, just to be safe.
"I have some caffeine pills left. I can stay awake. Two pairs of eyes and ears are safer."
The wind that blew past their little shelter was hash and chilly. They were still far in the mountains, and the temperature was much colder than what Akari was used to. She huddled up more, hoping to profit from her own body warmth. Another short glance at Tobirama made her wonder whether he was not cold at all.
The silence continued. And Akari couldn't help but think that he neither trusted nor liked her much. Tobirama had never been the nicest of all people, but now that they were stuck in the Land of Earth together, she wished that the air between them was less tense.
"You don't like me very much, do you?" Akari immediately clasped her hands in front of her mouth, regretting that she had actually spoken those words aloud. "I'm sorry. That was an inappropriate question. Please forget I asked."
He turned his head to her to be first time. "I barely have any personal feelings towards you. So how did you come to be conclusion?"
Akari was now the one who didn't look at him. They were close enough to each other that the moonlight offered sufficient visibility. "You told Hashirama-sensei to not take me with him on this mission," she eventually said. "Why?"
"How do you know that?"
She fell quiet for a moment. "I read it on your lips."
"You spied on me."
"I just happened to look in your direction while the two of you were speaking. If a person was speaking right next to me, I would not be eavesdropping just because I am not covering my ears."
Tobirama stayed quiet again.
"Forget it," she snapped, forgetting her manners for a moment.
"I don't dislike you," he calmly said. "It's more that… you are problematic. Just like this whole situation here is problematic."
"Problematic?" His words offended her. She couldn't think of anything she had done wrong, anything that would make her qualify as problematic.
"It's not really you, as a person. It's who you are. You are just like Inori – heiress to a noble clan, the Hyuuga clan to be precise. That, and the fact that I am sitting here with you in the middle to be Land of Earth is problematic."
Their eyes met to be first time as they both decided to look at the other. Akari's were full of bewilderment. So he quickly turned away and added, "It's not that I dislike the Hyuuga. I very much appreciate your clan being part of Konoha. But it's hard to miss that you are your clan's light. Your father's light." He stared ahead into the forest again. It was pitch black now. "I have seen what people are capable of when faced with darkness. I've seen the rage on Madara's face when I killed Izuna."
Akari listened attentively. She didn't quite understand yet.
"I believe that if Madara were to lose Inori, he'd break. And I believe that if you died on this mission, your father would not be able to forgive Hashirama or our village. That's what I find problematic."
She eyed him, carefully considering his words. "Would you not feel the same way about your brother's death?"
"I probably would. But I like to believe that I'd be able to move on."
Akari didn't say another word, but that didn't mean she agreed. Arguing with Tobirama was not something she intended on doing. She leaned against the wall next to her, away from the Senju.
The silence felt uncomfortable to her again. She wasn't a chatty person, but their last conversation now hung over them like those thick clouds covering the mountain tops to be Land of Earth. All she wanted was to be on good terms with the man who walked half across the country to save her.
"You should really rest," she said, changing the subject. She spoke in a polite manner again, pretending they did not just have that conversation. "It would be problematic should we encounter enemies tomorrow and you are exhausted and out of chakra."
He didn't answer.
"I don't want to sound presumptuous, but I'm pretty much the best night watch you could wish for. Any living being basically glows at night. My eyes will protect us."
"Fine," he finally said. "Wake me in a few hours. We'll take turns."
He closed his eyes. Akari stayed awake. At least now the silence felt more comfortable again. All they had to do was to make it through the night, and then make it across the borders the next day.
Tobirama awoke every time there was the slightest sound in the forest around them. Akari could tell from his breathing. She never said anything, but waited for him to go back to sleep. One time, he asked whether it was his turn to keep watch yet. Akari denied it. The man was already carrying her across the country. Staying awake at night was the least she could do. Her head and foot still hurt, and the cold sat deep in her bones, shaking her. But at least it kept her awake.
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A/N:
Welcome back!
I'm a bit torn between 3k to 4k chapters and 7k to 8k chapters currently. I thought quite a lot about splitting this chapter in two and uploading the first part earlier. But I didn't want to end yet another chapter without Akari and Tobirama even talking haha. But if you guys have any preference concerning 3-4k chapters that are uploaded a bit quicker or 7-8k chapters that take a bit longer, feel free to let me know for next time. :)
Also, I really didn't want Akari to be one of those damsels in distress. She's Hashirama's student after all, so I wanted her to at least try and get out of the whole kidnapping situation herself. But yeah, I guess everyone could use a bit of help in her situation. And I was really looking forward to sending them on a little journey together :D