'Shita, Ureha, Seno. I'm leaving tonight, or I'm going to die trying.'
…
…
Forest Bells - Blood Stained Freedom
Approaching the end of my 10th month in the hidden leaf, I found myself sitting across from Danzo for the last time.
"One of my agents has reported movement from your rebellion."
What?! It's too soon! We didn't have the numbers or power to accomplish anything on our own! Orochimaru alone could put the whole thing down, not to mention the sound four, jonin, and everyone else. If Isoaki tries anyway…
I quashed my panic and continued to listen.
"In two days, you will be given an opportunity to escape. Your jailor will be pulled away, and…"
'...there's a construction site, near the wall. The scaffolding is tall enough that I could get over without needing chakra, and the crew manning it is set to take a scheduled break. Heading slightly east, and then straight north, there is a weakness in the patrols: a section manned only by a team of 3 genin without a jonin instructor. Sneaking past them will be no issue.'
Ureha and Seno were shocked, but Shita looked on with a serious frown.
"Why tell us this?" Shita asked. "You've proven you can sneak away from us without issue."
'I don't want to lie to you.' I answered with a card, before scribbling out another: '...and I want to say goodbye, properly.'
The dog boy locked his eyes onto mine.
"Now that you've told us, we could stop you easily."
'I know.'
He sighed and leaned back.
"What are you going to do about the pursuit team? Even if we don't alert them, someone else might. You're slow, and your stamina's abysmal. You'll get caught, brought back, and then executed."
'Then I'll fight.'
"...I want to know what is happening. If what they are planning is doomed to failure, do what you can to salvage the situation. Is that all understood?"
I felt my speech return to me.
"Yes, lord Shimura."
He stared me down a moment before continuing, expressionless as ever.
"Then we are done."
I rose and bowed to take my leave.
"By the way, I believe that I never fully answered your first question."
He interrupted.
"It was not inaccurate of me to say that a shinobi must act without emotion, but… perhaps, they may be permitted to let their feelings inform them of their objective when a superior is not available."
It was a minor change. A slip in a seemingly immovable castle of hypocrisy.
…but that's all it takes to bring down the house of cards. Maybe, just maybe, it's the first step towards a better man.
Despite my professionalism, I couldn't stop the massive grin that took over my features.
"Thank you sir."
The moment didn't last as I felt the air chill.
"Nevertheless. The time for deliberation is over. Now it is time for you to be shinobi. Remember why you must act, but do not let your feelings cloud your judgement. Do whatever it takes."
"You know they'll be fighting to kill you if that happens. If you don't do the same, you will lose."
Shita approached me so that we were face to face, inches apart.
"Are you willing to abandon your principles for this?"
If it had been between my life and theirs, probably not.
…but it wasn't my life on the line. It was Isoaki and everyone else I'd roped in.
'...I'll try talking first.'
He kept up the serious look for a moment longer.
"Damn. That important, huh?" Shita leaned back with a sigh. "...and now we have to pick between you and some of our nameless comrades."
Seno adjusted his glasses and addressed his teammates.
"As ninja of the hidden leaf, the answer should be obvious." He said before crossing his arms. "As a friend the same applies. Her behaviour will get her killed."
"So… knock her out, tie her up, and wait out the opportunity?" Ureha asked while juggling a, probably poisoned, needle.
"Do whatever it takes."
Seno nodded as I found myself subtly popping a blade into my hand behind my back.
Don't make me do this…
Despite what I'd told Shita, I wouldn't be going quietly if they tried to stop me.
"You guys realise that just means she won't tell us next time." said the dogless dog boy.
…that too.
"So we're just supposed to let her or our comrades die? That's ridiculous!" Ureha shouted back at Shita, who laid down resting his chin on his palm, seemingly unperturbed by the whole thing.
"Reluctant as I am to admit it, that is correct. There's no other way about it." Seno added.
"Unless we help her." Shita commented nonchalantly.
…What?
The other two were similarly confused.
"It's not like we want her to stay, no offence. The issue is her killing someone or getting killed on the way out. As long as she actually sneaks past the genin like she said she would, then we just need to make sure no one catches up to her." He explained with a shrug. "Simple enough."
Much to my relief. Seno and Ureha seemed on board with the idea.
That's what you were going for from the start weren't you? I guess treason is fine if you're doing it for friendship.
I held off a sigh.
Not that it will matter.
The door was about to close behind me when I heard something.
"Prepare a pursuit team in case the village fails to respond in-"
The door slammed shut.
It sounded like I needed to make a strategy journal on fighting ROOT agents.
I affixed the shinobi built carrying case containing Hanzo, marking the last of my preparation.
5 minutes until the construction workers clear the site.
…
I snuck past the last construction worker before he locked up the build site.
…
There was a 1 metre gap between the scaffolding and the wall, and the top was twice my height.
I can't use chakra for this or I'll get detected by the ninja on watch.
I tied one end of a rope to the scaffolding, and tossed the rest over the wall. The section hanging over the wall weighed more than I did, so it would hold me while I climbed up to the wall, while the knot on the scaffolding would hold me as I climbed down.
…
There was no point sneaking away once I crossed the wall, distance was what mattered. Unless I expended enough chakra to match a bird I wasn't going to be able to circumvent the sensing barrier. Unlike on duty shinobi though, they needed to pass the warning up the chain of command, which would then prompt the formation of a pursuit team.
Based on Shita's intel-
-3 minutes until the team departs to pursue me.
More accurately: 3 minutes until Danzo's ROOT team noticed team Hayama distracting the official pursuit.
With the pace I had, my lead would be enough to sneak past the genin patrol, gain some distance, and then rest up in preparation for combat.
"Do whatever it takes."
…
That should be enough.
I stopped, sat down, and began to meditate.
A snap. One of the traps I'd set had gone off.
They're here.
With a trance-like calm, I got to my feet and readied my bow.
I've thought about the strengths and weaknesses of this weapon in this world many times, and there is one strength that is unmatched.
Range.
Breathe in…
Nock the arrow, draw the string, aim…
…and out.
…then release.
A direct hit.
That could have been a headshot, but instead I aimed for a shoulder.
"Do whatever it takes."
I didn't need to kill these people. I-
Need to focus, keep firing.
-shook off the thought and fired another shot.
Glancing hit.
Enough, these arrows have a weakening poison.
Nock, draw, aim, release.
Nock, draw, aim, release.
Fire and repeat.
I had full control at the moment. I couldn't see it, but a number of them should be caught in some of the traps, the rest should be approaching, and none of them should have anything that could reach me.
So why aren't they coming closer?
I couldn't make them out in the distance behind all the flora.
ROOT, Black ops: assassination, infiltration, sabotage. All stealth fields.
I focused on my senses. The sound of rustling leaves behind me to my left. The odour of humanity from behind me to the right.
Shit.
I was surrounded.
To make matters worse, they're waiting to engage until the trapped group gets free.
I pretended not to notice. This was fine, I was still in control.
Nock, draw-
Rapid turn, aim, release.
Direct hit.
I'm not going to get any more shots in.
I shouldered my bow as they arrived and displayed themselves in clear view. There were 6 in total, all dressed in regular konoha uniforms. Despite that, I could clearly recognise the lifelessness common amongst Danzo's ROOT agents.
"Yumika Nogawa, we are here to see you back to the hidden leaf. On account of-"
Something was very wrong about his scenario, and I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
"-your good behaviour so far, Danzo is willing to oppose an immediate execution, given that you return willingly."
Then I saw it.
None of them are injured.
That was bad, I'd definitely hit something.
Why? Why?! Are there more of them? 6 was pushing it already, but more-? No that's not it, their clothes are torn in places. Then-
That's when I recognised Kabuto Yakushi. The infamous double agent/spy, loyal minion of Orochimaru, and skilled medic. It had taken me a minute since he was looking different to his canon self, but he still had the glasses and hair colour, even if he styled it differently.
This section of forest was feeling much smaller than before. It was claustrophobic.
This is fine. Stay calm.
Time was up.
One of them charged me.
I popped out and swung my staff to intercept- He backed away.
I didn't have time to register it. Someone approached from behind and I fumbled to recover in time to block, managing to deflect the strike to glance off my shoulder.
Counter-!
Like a fly on the wind he was gone.
What are you trying to accomplish? Why?! This isn't going any-
Another attacker approached suddenly from my left with a horizontal kunai slash, which I countered with a downward staff strike to his wrist, butI wasn't allowed to follow up as someone came from behind again, and I had to turn to defend.
A heavy breath. A realisation. A chill in my bones.
They're tiring me out.
Of course they would, stamina and durability were my biggest weaknesses. It's exactly the area I would capitalise on if I were to try to fight myself. On top of that Kabuto undid any progress I'd made.
A death by a thousand cuts, or a game of hangman. I wasn't going to win as I was.
Smoke? Flashbangs? Caltrops? Poisons-? Useless!
The fly buzzed once more. Pure defence wasn't working, so I charged and met him in the middle. A strike to the knee knocked him down, and then-!Someone else stepped in to defend him, while another grabbed the guy and took him to Kabuto.
Like the damn flies I compared them too, taken from my grasp. Bastards!
With each wasted breath the unseen noose tightened.
…but I'm not the only one slowing down, the poison's kicking in.
It wasn't enough. I needed more.
I blitzed through the hand signs of the telepathy genjutsu, almost fumbling the signs.
"Hey, this is Yumika Nogawa, speaking in your mind with a genjutsu. You probably recognise the technique."
Buzz, buzz, buzz. Another attack, a futile counter.
"It's in your best interest to not break it though. This is costing me chakra and attention-"
Lies. This variant of the technique was basically a pre-recorded message, so it didn't cost me attention, and most of the chakra cost of the jutsu was 'switching' the recording out to speak.
"-and all it costs you is to listen. So why do you obey Danzo? Loyalty to the hidden…"
I spun my staff and readied to deal with another attack, unable to track if he'd broken free or not.
Dodge, deflect.
My arm wasn't moving quite right. Some of the minor cracks and injuries were starting to build up.
My foot slipped and I took a direct hit to my rib.
What the hell did I slip on?
Blood, my blood which had started to pool by my feet.
Colour faded to black and white, and the crimson shone through. I could practically feel the noose around my neck.
If this kept up. I was actually going to die.
"Do whatever it takes."
The world was suddenly clear. The embers of anger were doused. The waves of panic went still. The light of empathy was dimmed.
One of the agents charged me again. I deflected the incoming strike to the side with my staff and in the same motion launched a side kick up at his chin, doubling down with a burst of chakra and causing his head to snap back with an audible crack.
Without the threat in front of me I turned in time to meet the one coming from behind and cracked my staff on his temple with a full powered swing. Then stepped aside to avoid the corpse's continued motion.
Each act done with a mechanical precision.
Yumika the person was gone.
"Do whatever it takes."
Yumika the ninja remained.
I dashed towards one of the three maintaining the encirclement, forcing him to block.
ROOT agents, assaination, sabotage, infiltration. Not combat.
A direct attack was my best chance.
I didn't let my target recover from my first attack, doubling down with a direct kick to his knee. A burst of chakra and his leg bent backward. As he fell down and screamed in pain I popped a kunai and slit his throat.
Two left.
I turned to charge them, but stumbled. A look down revealed that my right shin was in the process of snapping from all the stress I'd put on it.
The agent I'd been talking to telepathically charged me to capitalise on the chance.
"...Danzo doesn't care about you, the village doesn't care about you. You don't either, do you?"
He hesitated.
I didn't.
He was left with an arrow in his forehead.
Then my leg gave out and I collapsed onto the branch.
A laboured breath.
My body couldn't keep up anymore.
A laboured breath.
My stamina was depleted.
A laboured breath.
Adrenaline and lack of pain had warded it off, but now the exhaustion was crashing down on me.
The last agent approached carefully.
A laboured breath.
I popped a kunai into my right hand, but it fell to the ground below us.
Ah.
The last bow shot had snapped the fingers on that hand.
A laboured breath.
He stood over me, tanto raised. He swung and I closed my eyes awaiting my fate.
A cut.
…but it wasn't me.
Hesitantly, my eyes open to see Kabuto behind the still standing corpse, his hand still glowing green from his chakra scalpel.
He discarded the body and crouched, reaching towards me with his green glowing hand.
I fainted.
Where am I?
Forest in the land of fire, no hostiles.
Not quite right.
Kabuto stood on our shared branch leaning against the trunk of the tree.
"So the loyal runaway awakens. That was an impressive showing."
I got up to my feet, recognising that my injuries had all been healed.
From how this feels, I might be even healthier than before the fight started.
Kabuto was second only to Tsunade after all at this point in time.
I popped out a card: 'Thank you'.
He smiled in a way that appeared genuine.
As if.
"It only made sense once your loyalties were clear."
He pulled a folder from under the hidden leaf flak jacket he was wearing.
"If you want to return the favour, see this delivered to our mutual friend. His eyes only."
I nodded mutely and stored it away.
"You should be clear for the rest of the trip."
He waved and left.
That's when I recognised that my heart had been beating a thousand miles an hour.
Kabuto Yakushi, one of the villains who was relevant all the way to the end. One who kept his true abilities hidden and who didn't have a personality to call his own.
Was he always as strong as he was in the end, or did he reach that level later?
Even at a quarter of his canon strength I would probably be annihilated.
It's fine, he's gone.
It was time for me to go meet Isoaki.
Danzo had told me where Isoaki was gathering his forces. One of the border outposts close to the valley of the end. I was familiar with it. The outpost was a smaller building, the size of a cabin. The area around the outpost had been cut down and cleared out giving whoever was on watch a clear view of anyone who approached.
I could see one person sitting on the roof. Someone I recognised.
Jun'You was the first person I managed to recruit with pseudo 'shonen protagonist energy'. She'd gotten a lot better with the metal clawed glove welded onto her hand over the two years I'd been running supplies. On top of that, Isoaki tried to hook up the conscripts with traditional ninja teachers to get them more up to standard.
When we met she'd been 14, which would mean she'd be around 17 now. She'd lost most of her teenage years as a prisoner, so It wouldn't surprise me if she was one of our strongest now.
Alright, here goes.
I dropped down from the tree line and approached slowly with my hands raised. I didn't have my headband to prove my loyalty so I needed to be able to explain myself. As she saw me, she slid down from the roof and approached, expression torn between hopeful and disbelieving.
"Yumika?" Jun'You asked faintly.
Okay, just as practised.
The interesting thing about seals is that they most often needed chakra to operate. A tag needed to be charged before used and seals on the body were usually hooked up to said person's chakra network.
So if I could deny my silencing seal its power, I could speak. Which was something I could do with the chakra trick I developed to fight the Byakugan.
I pulled the chakra from my tongue, and every millimetre that was left uncovered singed and burned like I was licking a molten rod. This body isn't meant to operate without chakra, and my body was numb to physical pain, not spiritual.
"Hi, I'm back. Can I see Isoaki?"
It's too much!
I let the chakra flood back like an avalanche putting out a fire.
"Let's…" She looked around cautiously. "...take this inside."
Okay, that's weird.
I nodded and followed her inside anyway. As I sat down by the dining table in the kitchen area, I noticed something off.
Where's everyone else? There's supposed to be a minimum of 5 people here, and as a conscripted prisoner Jun'you should never be left to operate autonomously according to protocol.
"Water?"
I shook my head. To which she shrugged, filled a glass for herself and sat across from me.
"Before we begin…" She planted her elbows on the desk. "...Yumika, why are you covered in blood and do I need to rush you to a doctor?"
Blood?
I looked down. My clothes were barely held together and most of me appeared a dull crimson.
Ah, that blood.
I didn't want to waste time explaining my lack of speech, so I had to endure some more pain.
"It's fine, I was healed up before I got here."
By god that hurts!
I took a deep breath, before continuing.
"I had to fight to get out of the land of fire."
Her eyes widened and she straightened up.
"Fight? Are you being followed? How-"
I raised a hand and shook my head.
"Don't worry, I killed them."
It took a second for the words to kick in before she frowned at me.
"You? You killed them?"
I cocked my head to the side.
"Yeah, is that so strange?"
I hated hurting people, and I refused to kill them, but ROOT wasn't made up of people, they're tools, glorified puppets. It was no different from breaking through a door or discarding a kunai-
My heart skipped a beat as I barely managed to lean back out of the path of the claw swing that would have taken my head clean off my shoulders, and I continued the motion to roll back out of the chair and onto my feet.
What the hell?!
Jun'you was on her feet, claw arm hanging after the swing. Her dark brown hair shadowed her face.
"You had me going there. You got the appearance spot on, and the mannerisms are on point…"
Again, what the hell?!
She looked up letting me see her snarl, as she raised her bladed gauntlet up in a guard.
"...but the real Yumika would never kill anyone!"
The curtains were drawn back. The rose tinted glasses shattered. 5 people were dead because of me. I'd killed four of them myself. Without a second thought, without remorse. The thought should have sickened me, but I felt nothing.
Had I really become that twisted? No, it was them or home, an easy- That didn't excuse me feeling nothing! I talked a big game to Shita, but in the end I was a coward who couldn't commit. Even with Mitsutada I didn't want him to die, and I tore myself up every time I thought about it. So why? Why couldn't I feel any sympathy for them?
"Do whatever it takes."
Danzo…
Things had turned out perfectly in the end. In killing those 5 agents, I reaffirmed my 'loyalty' to Orochimaru and legitimised my escape. He knew his men would follow through on their end, so all that remained was making sure I would commit to the act. Something he could do with Kotoamatsukami.
He may have started the path to becoming better, but for now? He is still a bastard.
"I don't know who you are, how you know about Yumika and Isoaki, or what you want with him, but I'm going to put a stop to it here and now!"
She kneed the underside of the table between us to lift it into the air, before launching it at me with a kick, forcing me to hit the deck to avoid the improvised projectile. The gust of its passing tickled the back of my neck.
Holy shit-! Gas!
I did a chakra enhanced push up to get myself out of the explosive gas cloud that covered the floor, just before she scratched the blade of her gauntlet together to ignite it. I twisted in the air and stuck my hands to the roof with chakra, then swung to get over her and out the door to the hallway.
Need space.
I dashed out into the surrounding clearing, going through the hand signs for the telepathy genjutsu as I ran.
"You're not getting away." She said from the doorway, keeping a safe distance as she sized me up.
"You've got this all wrong! I'm actually Yumika, please listen-"
She broke free of it and didn't even bother to respond.
Damn it!
Words weren't going to cut it, I needed to beat some sense into her, but this was completely different from our last battle 3 years ago. She wasn't just a child with a toy now. Her footing was stable yet flexible; the short exchange in the kitchen showed off a tactical ability she'd lacked before; and she'd grown stronger/faster physically with age and with training.
I could take her down with the Rasengan…
I shook off the thought. Being two years older meant that I had the chakra for it now, if just barely, but winning here would be pointless if I was too drained to follow after Isoaki.
Standard methods it is.
Her gauntlets could handle at most 3 blasts in quick succession, and a max of 5 per fight. That was how I had to win.
Our eyes met and the wind blew up to a howl. In a slow motion, she lowered into a crouch and pulled her gauntlet back, ready to swing, while I slid my left foot forward and raised my fists into a guard.
A bird screeched and we moved into action.
I slid a step forward to meet her charge. She swung the claw on her right hand in a wide arc, and I met it with my left forearm.
Store clothes, pop out armour.
Clang.
Her claw bounced off my armoured left arm, the force of the strike resonating through to my chest piece.
Store amour, and re-equip shirt.
I stepped forward and punched straight at her with my right hand, my whole body moving pushing it forward.
She planted her right foot back and pushed the incoming fist aside with her left palm, but I went with the motion, twisting my right ankle and kicking back with my left foot, hitting her right in the gut and shoving her back with a burst of chakra.
She smirked.
Gas!
I jumped back out of the way to avoid the potential blast, which didn't happen.
She bluffed!?
The gas was only good to blow for a couple of seconds. So why would she-?
Her limit.
…she really was much stronger than last time.
She took advantage of my retreat and went back on the offensive with another charge.
I popped out my staff to try to intercept, but she stopped just short of my swing, leaning back to avoid it, before stepping close and bringing the claw in for a stab.
Armour!
Clang.
I just barely got the chest piece out in time to save my guts from being introduced to the outside world, but without the full set I felt the impact like a punch and had my breath stolen from me.
Store.
She didn't let up, forcing me to bring up my right arm to block a hooked punch from her left as she pulled back her primary weapon for another swing.
Crack. One of the bones of my right forearm didn't survive the impact.
It's fine, the forearm has two bones, It's still good to go.
What wasn't fine was the follow up swing from the claw.
Shit!
I let myself fall back onto the grass, rolling back and using a burst of chakra from my left palm to launch me back to my feet a bit further away.I hadn't bought myself any time or distance; she was up close again by the time I landed.
I can't beat this.
It was a calm thought in a hectic situation. With the constant aggression I didn't have time to use clones, transformations, or any tools. In this straight up fight, she was stronger. On top of that I'd only managed to force her to use one of her five blasts.
Can or can't. I have to!
I stopped thinking and let my body act. I deployed the entire upper armour to block her next strike, stored it. Then I pulled my head back…
The feet are the hardest place to control chakra, but the easiest is-!
…and headbutted her with a chakra burst strong enough to create a shockwave.
Fortunately for me, Mitsutada left my head mostly alone when he beat me up for three months straight, so my skull was far more durable than the rest of my body. Which was why I only stumbled back dizzily instead of being outright dead.
Just like me, Jun'you stumbled back struggling to balance herself.
"That's the thing about arguing with idiots; they bring you down to their level and beat you with experience."
Looks like I -urgh dizzy- found my equaliser.
Jun'you sluggishly stepped forward and swung at me, and I fumbled back to avoid it. Then I wobbled on a foot as I tried to send a round kick with my right foot at her, but lost my balance and stumbled to get it back.
The grass clearing rocked from side to stride like the deck of a sailing ship.
I caught the scent of gas and fell back on my back to avoid the blast.
She stuttered over so she could finish me while I was down, but I kicked her in the shin forcing her to the ground as I got up to stand.
I stepped up and kicked her in the side.
She took the hit and grabbed my foot before I could pull it back.
I had to yank to get free, which caused me to stumble away, giving her the time to get up herself.
I pulled the chakra from my tongue.
"Why… are you being so… stupid!"
"Stupid? You think I'm going to let you get away with using her face?! Like hell!"
"It's my face! I'm Yumika you dumbass! What will it take for me to prove it?!"
The dizziness and headache were beginning to fade for the both of us.
Ram. Snake. Tiger.
Clone Technique: Echo Self.
I created 4 clones, and the five of us popped out and readied our staff in sequence. I stepped forward and swung at her, and she raised her gauntlet to block, but that wasn't me, that was the first clone.
I change the arc to adjust for the block, the second clone hit her in the shoulder for no effect, then the real me, then the third clone, and then the fourth clone.
Then we shuffled the order as we recovered from our attack.
Gas.
I stepped around her left side to avoid the third blast of this battle.
Two left.
Then dodged back to avoid the lazy left handed backhand that passed through one of the slower clones, before we shuffled again.
I struck again, swinging my staff towards her back, which she just tanked. Then she grabbed the staff with her left to keep me in place and swung at me with her gauntlet.
I let go and stumbled back, dropping a smoke bomb and quieting my step as I did.
I crouched to dodge her blind swing then kicked her in the side of her knee to knock her down.
Gas.
I backed up to avoid the fourth blast which blew the smoke away.
The dizziness was almost entirely gone now.
I need to end this now.
I went on the offensive with a drop kick, which she blocked with her gauntlet.
I pushed off the gauntlet to regain some distance, and swung my arm to pop out and launch a jar of flammable oil at her. A jar which cracked on the gauntlet when she blocked, leaving her soaked.
Landing, I pulled the chakra from my tongue.
"It's over, if you use that gauntlet again you'll burn as well. Please, just tell me where Isoaki is."
Without hesitation, she looked me in the eyes and loaded a new gas canister.
"This is bigger than me." she said quietly "I won't let you get in Isoaki's way, you goddamn fake!"
I stepped back calmly and raised my hands in surrender.
"Please, stop."
She grit her teeth and charged.
If I fight, she'll blow the gauntlet and die. I would practically be killing her myself.
I… couldn't do that. She wasn't a close friend, but she was a friend. More than that, she was right: I don't kill.
Heh, I'm such a coward.
It was with a serene calm that I smiled and did nothing as the claws closed in.
Half a metre.
Centimetres.
A look of realisation overcame her face and in the last second the claw was pulled of course and I felt the warmth of the heated metal pass through the left side of my face, and saw the blade in the centre of my vision before enveloping it in a crimson curtain.
I didn't flinch.
Not as she finished her swing, nor when she stepped back horrified.
"It's… actually you."
"That's what I've been saying the whole time, idiot."
Since the fight seemed to be over, I popped out a towel, tried to clean my face, and stop the bleeding.
Based on the feel, the cuts are pretty shallow at least.
"Oh no, oh fuck! Wait here, I'm going to go grab the medical supplies."
Before she could run off I held out an arm and popped out a medkit.
It was in silence that she got to work patching me up. I got bandages across my left eye, and a splint for my right arm.
"I… cut straight through your left eye. I'm sorry, we've been getting a lot of impersonators the last two years, either foreign agents or Orochimaru's own spies, so when you acted out of character…"
Just gotta burn my tongue a little bit more.
"It's fine, I understand." I said, not actually understanding and just trying to move the conversation forward as quickly as possible "Please can you just tell me where Isoaki is? I heard you guys are up to something and I'm scared you're making a huge mistake."
"You heard?" She queried with alarm.
Urgh, fine!
I motioned to explain when I got this strange uncomfortable sensation on my tongue and the rest of my body froze up.
What-?
Then my world became pain.
Blood boiled in my veins. Sub-zero needles pierced through every pore of my skin. Finger's broke and bent backwards. Bones twisted and cracked.
Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain.
Then it was over.
I was keeling over and swallowing back down the rising bile in my throat.
None of it had been real.
"...should you attempt to communicate anything about the hidden leaf or its citizens to anyone other than a hidden leaf ninja, you will be paralyzed and forced to endure a painful experience."
I'd completely forgotten that part of the seal.
Never again.
"-ey! Hey, you with me?"
I nodded slowly, and she sighed.
"They have those in the hidden leaf as well huh? You don't need to explain, I remember seeing some of the sick shitheads use that kind of seal. Let me guess, you can't talk about a certain place or group of people right?"
I nodded again.
"Figured, then let me ask my question differently. Is the method by which you learned of our plans going to cause us issues?"
Really forcing yourself there.
I shook my head and she relaxed before staring at me blankly.
"...if I tell you where Isoaki is, you're going to run there immediately aren't you?" She asked planily.
I nodded, the unspoken judgement making me feel sheepish.
"You're injured, and you pushed yourself fighting me." She sighed again, "I can't in good conscience send you off like that."
Then all of a sudden she hauled me onto her back piggyback style.
"Come on, I'll carry you. Not like anything actually ever happens here."
…and she is faster.
Despite my pride, I didn't object.
…
So you know when you're really busy/into something until you take a break, notice that it's 4 am, and then suddenly realise that you're actually really tired?
Well it turned out that waking up around 3am, staying awake until midnight to escape, and then running/fighting for a few hours was quite similar.
…in my defence Jun'You's back was very comfortable.
Where am I?
An unknown tent. 0 hostiles.
Even before my eyes opened, I could hear a hustle and bustle from outside the tent. Wherever 'here' was, there sure were a lot of people.
The clean air and wealth of medical equipment was enough to tell me that this was a standard issue medical tent.
…but why? Those are usually only used in. war.. time… deployments.
Any morning weariness I was feeling faded immediately.
Isoaki! I can't believe I let myself fall asleep!
I popped on a clean set of clothes and jumped up to my feet, but stumbled into a table when I tried to take a step.
Of course, lost my left eye yesterday, so my depth perception is screwed.
I really probably should have been more alarmed at the thought, but I'd grown unhealthily numb to the effects of injury.
The noise must have been what prompted the medic outside to peek in.
"Ah, Yumika, you're awake. Now-"
I wasted enough time already, can we do this later?!
The medic sighed, having read my expression.
"Fine, Jun'You said you'd probably be insistent. You'll find him in the bunker. Please be careful, you clearly haven't quite adjusted to your new vision yet."
I waved them off.
It may have seemed nonchalant, but most ninja made heavy use of all the senses, and on top of that I had the blindfighting practice to fall back on. All in all, adjusting to the one eye would be easy, so I made my way outside without issue.
What I found was a collection of various sized tents surrounding a bunker that I recognised as one of the control centres to manage the border outposts in the area. The area was also filled with people, all of whom I recognised.
He must have at least a quarter of the rebellion here!
Some people carried crates of supplies, others ran patrols, but many were just loitering or making personal preparations.
The most notable thing about all of this was that everyone was in high spirits. The camp was filled with laughter, smiles, and good cheer.
Did he… actually find a way to win?
I couldn't fathom it, but unless everyone was suffering from a severe bout of insanity, nothing else made sense.
On top of that, everyone seemed to remember me as well. As I made my way towards the bunker I'd occasionally get called out, waved, or cheered at.
I thought I'd escaped all this positivity when I left the hidden leaf. This is just weird.
Warm afternoon sunlight was exchanged for unfeeling lightbulbs and fresh air was exchanged for dust, as I entered the bunker.
He's probably in the command room, which is forward…
…
…then first right.
Hand on the handle, a deep breath.
Time to figure out what's going on.
I opened the door and there he was, standing over a table with a map of the country covered with tokens and a collection of documents strewn about. His sunlike aura unchanged. His wardrobe hadn't changed much since I'd first met him either, other than sizing up with him now being 18. There was an attempt at taming his messy pale blond hair by a pair of hair clips to keep the now chin length hair out of his face.
It's good to be back.
I went through the hand signs for the telepathy, which caused him some mild panic.
"Long time no see."
His panic faded into exasperation.
"Was that really necessary, I thought you were an enemy infiltrator for a second."
I shrugged.
"Sorry to tell you, but talking is a literal pain."
"That's not what 'literally' means." he said massaging the bridge of his nose.
"It is."
I stuck out my tongue so he could see the seal, and his demeanour softened.
"I see you haven't had it easy the last year and a half since you left the country."
It was with a shake of my head and a sigh that I sat down across from him.
"No… I have had it easy. A few difficulties along the way don't change that, but forget about all that. Isoaki, please tell me you have a plan."
He lit up.
"I do, and it looks like it's going to work!"
"Really?"
He motioned over to the map.
"Really. You were right about working around Orochimaru. Right now he's out in the land of wind-"
Planning the invasion with Rasa the kazekage!
I filed the thought away.
"-so we have the freedom to move, but I took it a step further."
He pointed out all the green pieces on the map.
"Every jonin, every hidden elite, every secret weapon; we have eyes and ears tracking them all."
He drew attention to the large collection of red pieces in the south of the country spanning from the eastern border to the western border.
"Combined with a long series of subtle reassignments, we've managed to gather everyone together away from all the threats that can stop us. Right now, we have absolute control of all communications in and out of the south."
He rested his palms on the table.
"One by one we're taking control of all the outposts in the south and getting everyone together. No one here is strong enough to stop us, and no one else knows it's even happening."
He's right, this could actually work!
It might have been his charisma, the quality of the plan, or how well things were going, but I felt the ominous feeling in my gut begin to fade.
What did I have to worry about?
I hadn't had any good expectations when Danzo told me Isaoki was making a move.
Heh, that's what I get for not trusting him.
Then a small thought hit me and I frowned.
"Wait… what are you going to do when-"
I felt an uncomfortable feeling on my tongue and immediately froze up.
I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry..?
The seal didn't activate.
I relaxed.
That's a warning, got it.
…but why did it trigger when I tried to talk about Orochimaru?
Right… he may be a missing-nin, but he's a hidden leaf missing-nin.
Isoaki stared at me a little concerned.
"Yumika?"
Okay I can't mention him, umm…
"Sorry. I meant to ask what you're going to do when the business in the hidden sand is done."
"You mean when Orochimaru comes back."
I nodded, and he smirked.
"By then it'll be too late, we'll all be long gone…"
Wait, what?
I looked down at the map again and the pieces clicked together.
This isn't a rebellion…
The ominous feeling came back with a force and my heartbeat quickened.
…this is a mass prison break!
My mind started racing, seeing if there was any way to recover this, and out beneath the table my fists creaked as they clenched.
This is wrong, this is all wrong!
"...We've managed to sneak deals in with the hidden waterfall and the land of hot water. Once we've got complete control of the south and everyone together, they'll be willing to take us in. The current plans don't take you into account, but with a minor adjustment-"
"Don't bother." I bit out telepathically, even as I tried to force myself to smile.
I felt betrayed, even though I had no right to. Isoaki accomplished all of his goals, the goals of all of these people… but none of mine.
I got up and bowed.
"Thanks for seeing me Isoaki. It looks like you're on top of things, good luck."
I ended the genjutsu, then turned to leave as quickly as I could.
"Wha-? Yumika? Yumi-!"
I slammed the door behind me, and stormed out, not bothering to hide how I was feeling with Isoaki out of sight.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!
I'd lost my eye to be here, I killed to be here, but it was pointless! All the progress I'd made towards averting the invasion was gone. The year in the hidden leaf had practically guaranteed that Orochimaru wouldn't select me for the chunin exam, and now the allies I'd collected were fleeing.
The setting sun revealed itself to me as I exited the bunker. My presence was like a poison which killed the mood and parted the crowd as I passed.
"Yumika, stop!" Isoaki shouted from the entrance to the bunker.
Again, I forced a smile through grit teeth, then turned to face him.
What do you want?
He stepped closer, his visage juggling between confusion and disappointment.
"What are you doing? Where are you going?"
I broadened my fake smile.
"I'm leaving, obviously."
"I picked up on that, but why?!" he asked.
There's nothing for me to gain here. This is a waste of my time. You betrayed my trust-
"You seem to have this well in hand."
He folded his arms and frowned, staring down at me.
"You're dodging the question."
"I said you had this under control, you don't need me here and believe it or not I have things I need to do."
He scoffed.
"So you're just going to abandon us again? This whole thing was your idea, so don't give me that shit!"
My porcelain smile cracked, keeping it up was going to be a losing battle.
"Jun'You mentioned that you were acting strangely. I didn't want to believe it, but it's clearly the case."
I dropped my facade and glared at him coldly.
"You clearly don't know me as well as you think you do."
He laughed.
"Really? You're going to try that argument again? You remember how well that went for you, right? So what's this little tantrum about? What's your problem?!"
I closed my eyes.
"Isoaki… I'm trying very hard to be patient with you right now-"
"Oh please, don't be. Then we might actually get somewhere with this."
I'm not dealing with this.
I turned to leave, but a pair of figures from the crowd stepped up to block my exit.
"You really don't understand the situation." He said harshly with a hint of remorse, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you leave. You saw too much when you found Jun'You alone at the border. If she'd been following orders, you'd be dead. Now you've seen this camp and even the battle plan. If you were yourself then I could maybe trust you to keep that information safe, but as you are now? I don't even need to think about it."
I looked around at the faces of the people I'd called friends and allies. Expressions of hate, hurt, betrayal.
Don't you guys dare look at me like that!
I looked back at him over my shoulder.
"So what happens to me now?"
He sighed.
"You've done good work for us Yumika, so you're coming with us."
I turned to face him head on. "You really want to know what my problem is?"
"That's what I've been saying."
I started walking towards him slowly.
"Congratulations Isoaki. You're a hero, everyone here will remember it clearly, but this…"
I gestured at the surrounding camp for emphasis.
"...This solves nothing!"
I turned and pointed to a random member of the crowd.
"How many people like you do you think are out there? How many in the camps? How many in the prisons? That number is just going to rise."
I'd clearly made him uncomfortable and I turned to someone else.
"You were taken from your home. Do you really think it stopped with you? How many other villages will burn to the ground?"
"So what? You want to turn this into a civil war! We'd lose, Yumika."
I stopped in front of Isoaki with a snarl.
"Not if-"
"If what?!" He shouted. "Actually no, don't answer that, It doesn't matter! Even if you did have a point, the decisions have been made. We're weeks into this plan and there's no turning back. You weren't here! You disappeared and left us with nothing to go on, and now you're pissed that I'm not doing this the way you wanted?!"
"You think I don't know that?! You're right, I'm pissed off even though I have no right to be, but I wasn't going to say anything! I'm not here to get in your way, I can start again if you just let me leave!"
"I told you I can't do that!"
"Then kill me!"
He stepped back in shock.
"You think you know me? Then you should know what happens when word gets out that I fled with you. My family, my clan, my precious people! I wouldn't sacrifice them for anything! Yet here you're trying to 'bring me along' as a kindness! So kill me yourself and save me the trouble."
"You… absolute suicidal idiot!"
Isoaki stepped forward to punch me.
2 years of growth to improve my capacity, nothing I need to save my chakra for, and no one I need to hide it from. So I should be able to-
I lazily pulled my left foot back and turned with it to dodge the punch while I held my right hand palm up in a claw and began to gather chakra.
Motion, strength, and restraint.
Power thrummed and roared in the palm of my hand. The sun passed the horizon, and the curtain of darkness highlighted the blue and white glow on my face.
I stepped into Isoaki's guard, brought my right arm back, and-
"Rasengan!"
-slammed the blue orb right into the wall a mere centimetre short of scraping his ear.
The wall of the bunker cracked. A split-second later a thunderous boom and a shockwave rang out from the attack, and like an echo the cracks became an outright crater, and Isoaki fell to his knees in astonishment, looking back mechanically at the destruction..
I stood tall and looked down on my old friend with my 33 years of maturity. Then I turned and made for the exit, the crowd parting to let me pass.
Walk straight, walk proud, don't let them know…
…that my chakra was low enough that I was barely managing to move, let alone stay conscious. I managed to trudge on long enough to get out of sight of the camp before letting myself stumble and fall-
"Don't worry, I got you."
-only to be caught by Jun'You.
Huh?
She smirked at my confusion.
"You had a point back there, and I'm not the only one who thinks so."
..but you'll lose your chance.
She shrugged, seemingly picking up on my thoughts.
"I don't exactly have anything to live for anymore anyway. Some purpose sounds nice."
Blackness closed around the borders of my one eyed vision.
"If we time our crossing up north right, we'll seem like surviving loyalists making our way back. Let us take care of it. Get some rest."
My body went limp and my consciousness faded.
Yumika Nogawa
Affiliation: Hidden Sound Village
Rank: Genin
Clan: Shiin (Branch)
–
Ninjutsu: 2
Taijutsu: 3
Genjutsu: 1
Intelligence: 3.5
Strength: 1.5
Speed: 1.5
Stamina: 0.5
Hand Seals: 1.5
–
Total Score: 14.5
–
Jutsu Known (uses before chakra exhaustion): Clone (49), Shadow Clone (2), Transformation (38), Rasengan (1), Telepathy (121)
Other Skills: Bow and Quarterstaff; Wall and Water walking; Strength and Speed technique; Stealth; Blind-Fighting; Infiltration; Chakra drain (self)
Unique Abilities: Walking Storage Scroll.