Chapter 24
Protector

At the command of their missing-nin leader, the bandit hoard attacked.

Men wielding spears charged forwards towards the large wolf on the cliffside meadow while arrows raining down from above. Half of them splintered towards Nomasaki and Hanone while Gaara was left to fend for himself with the ones who remained. The enemy's strategy appeared to be divide and conquer, or rather - keep the two separated at all costs. Bandits shot their spears at the beast and his master, only to have their weapons shattered by Nomasaki's wind-release jutsu. If they approached close enough, she drew her blade and fended them off by swordplay. They blocked near every slice with their own, provoking her suspicions. They are well-trained, she realized, These men must be missing-nin, too. Hatred marked itself in their eyes, glaring daggers towards her while they fought. Kicking the adversary away, her strength took him off guard as he was sent flying against the snows below. She may not have great physical strength, but the wolf-blood in her veins gave her enough power to prove a formidable close-combat opponent.

"Hanone!" She yelled.

"Got it!" The beast answered. Gathering power, the wolf's jaws opened and swirling winds gathered in its throat. "Secret Art! Howling Wind!"

A powerful gust of frost-bitten wind burst from the beast's jaws and struck the onslaught of approaching enemies in one fell swoop. Many were flung into the white pines, others off the cliff behind them, and some were dealt with a direct hit which painted the snows in their life's blood. The stragglers that survived the blast pushed on, cursing the beast that lay ahead of them before the wolf leapt and tore them apart where they stood. Hanone was a grim fighter, that was for certain. Averting her eyes, Nomasaki saw the gleam of a sword enter her foray. Blocking it with her blade, she dodged their advance just narrowly. Forcing their blade back, she swung her katana at their leg and formed hand-signs while the fresh pain from their sudden wound distracted them. Stunning herself, she remembered the jutsu taught to her in her homeland. Her clan's lost techniques passed down from generations.

"Secret Art! Blizzard Shroud!"

In an instant, the battleground where she stood became shrouded in while flurries.

While the enemies trapped within the jutsu shouted curses and called for her to come out, only a rumbling growl answered. A white flash burst through the white realm, its fangs barred and muzzle snarling. The wolf. She tore them to shreds but kept them alive, their screams provoking her to move on to the next unsuspecting victim. The feel of blood on her muzzle was unsettling, but it did not bother her summon one bit. Hanone soon followed suit, entering the jutsu and finishing off any able-bodied adversary that dared to lunge their weapons at the last of the Wolf Clan. The screams of wailing mercy soon quieted, leaving a chill still air about the winds. When the jutsu cleared, the snow-covered meadow was mangled of its untouched serenity. Arrow shafts and bloodied weapons remained while bodies littered the snow, and a kunoichi and her wolf stood in the centre unscathed.

"They certainly put up a fight..." The beast grumbled, licking its red lips. "I sense more of them... They won't give up easily."

Nomasaki turned her head. "Where's Gaara?" Her senses soon flickered. Picking up her katana from the snow, she started for Hanone and mounted herself on his back. "This way! We have to help him! He's facing off against the rest and their leader!"

"Right!" Hanone snarled, leaping his paws against the thick snow in a loud crunch.

The wolf dashed upon the white clearing as fast as the winds themselves. Cold air slapped Nomasaki's face as she rode upon her mount, the feel of chakra striking her the closer they got to their destination. The enemy pushed Gaara away from their location, it seemed. Near the other side of the wide expanse of empty white landscape, the young Kazekage was fighting the armoured leader alone. She could see his sand already within her sights, deflecting against incessant bursts of lightning that sprang from the adversary's hands. She sensed a few bandits still alive but far enough from the battle to not pose a risk.

She jumped off the wolf's back and ran as her body changed form. As a wolf, she was faster. Seeing her approach, Gaara pushed back the foe's advances with a wall of sand and the wolf struck against the blackened armour as it swiped by. Changing into a human, she leapt overhead and landed a heel upon the foe's chest. Angered, the foe drew out his blade. Countering his slice, her katana stopped it just before it could cut through her hair and flak jacket.

The man smirked darkly. "This one knows how to fight... and here I thought we were looking for some peasant girl!"

"So I am your target...!" She pushed him away with her blade. "Who are you and what do you want from me? State your purpose!"

"Your blood."

A stream of sand swirled towards him in blinding speed.

Noticing the onslaught of sand, he eyed the stone-faced Kazekage in his midst. Swiftly, the armour-clad man evaded the pursuit at every turn the sands made. No doubt their foe was at least jonin-level. Rumbling the snowy terrain, the large wolf charged towards him with jaws ready to crush. Striking the man against a protruding boulder, Hanone restrained him with his fanged jaws as snarls echoed from his open muzzle.

"I remember you... The last great beast of the mountains. The Wolf Clan, as legends say." The man grunted, feeling a fang sink into his arm. The blood pooled lightly under his armour, catching him off guard that the beast could puncture even hardened steel. He rose his hands and formed a seal. "You almost had me that time, I have to admit... but I won't die by the likes of you! Lightning Release! Storm Gale!"

The enemy gave a shout, and the hand-sign took effect. Behind him, a powerful burst of wind and lightning came forth and blew the wolf from its hold. Keeping his ground, Hanone dug his claws into the frosted earth, but the power of the winds summoned grew and lightning flickered from the man's jutsu. The wolf felt its paws leave the snows. Nomasaki ran to her summon's side and clung to him. "Hanone!"

Before she knew it, the cliff was under her.

Her eyes wide with panic, she felt the wind in her throat leave her as a force soon pulled her down. She was going to plummet to her death. Instantly, a stream of sand grabbed her reaching arm, securing her to the cliffside. A howl faded below. Tears forming in her eyes, she whipped her head towards the cloud-covered mountain base below. She shouted her summon's name, but no answer followed. Only silence. Pulling her carefully, the sand lifted her back to solid ground. Gathering herself, Gaara was beside her.

"Are you alright?"

Quivering, she forced a nod. Startling her, she still sensed Hanone's chakra. It was loud and clear, and pursuing the remaining bandits who lingered. He's alive... thank heavens. Seven hundred years and the beast still lived. Her expression calmed. "Hanone is okay... I can sense him. He's taking care of the ones left."

Gaara narrowed his ringed-eyes towards the hulking missing-nin behind them. "This one needs to be dealt with." He said. "I'm not at my full strength, so bear with me. We need to cooperate on this."

Turning to him, she gave a stern nod then eyed their enemy. Emerging from the boulder unscathed, their foe approached. A terrifyingly strong missing-nin covered in armour and scars, wielding lightning-release jutsu as his weapon of choice. Together through the heaps of snow at their feet, Gaara and Nomasaki faced off against him within the open meadow of frost – exchanging many blows with the enemy, who was left largely unfazed by their efforts. Throughout the battlefield, sand was scattered from Gaara's gourd and the remnants of Nomasaki's snow clones left mountains of snow dotted across the meadow. Ill-prepared from the snow and his waning strength, Gaara frustratedly fended off the skillful foe with his small reserve of sand. Suddenly, the enemy began to wield hand-signs, glaring at them – unafraid of his opponents' known skill and techniques. At the same time, Nomasaki formed hand-signs as well, slamming her palms into the snow.

"Secret Art! Snow Wolf Pillars!"

In an instant, numerous large wolf heads sprouted from the snow and headed towards the enemy, dashing towards him in a violent stream of snow. As they approached closer, a massive lightning beam was shot towards it by their foe, halting the attack, creating an explosion which blanketed the scene in white. Sensing his approach, she quickly morphed into her wolf form, wincing as the warmth and agony burned through her as she shook off her skin and dashed towards their relentless enemy. Sternly, Gaara turned to his right, sensing the leader dashing directly towards him with a blade in hand. Swiftly, he used his sand to counter the attack – the enemy dodging the numerous streams of sand in lightning-quick speed. Her claws thrashing through the snow as she leapt, the wolf lunged forward with fangs and claws drawn for attack. Suddenly, the enemy disappeared in quick speed, reappearing within a flash behind the lilac-eyed beast – kicking the wolf to the ground, its painful yelp breaking through the frost-bitten air.

"Nomasaki!" Gaara shouted.

Morphing back into a human, she lay on the snowy ground, her eyes flickering as she slowly tried to collect herself from the impact. To her shock when she opened her eyes, she was forcefully lifted up by the neck, the enemy's thumb squeezing into her windpipe, choking with each breath. "Let… go! Let go of me!" She kicked, as she tried to pull his massive hand away from her growling throat but to no avail. He was much stronger than her and she was trapped.

"You don't just look like a wolf, but you fight like one, too." The enemy glared, mockingly. "How pathetic… you carry that tracker-nin mask around and you can hardly keep up with me! Whoever took you under their wing must be ashamed to have a failure like you." Grasping the mask off her back, he smirked at it, before promptly tossing it aside – its menacing shape falling into the snow beside them. Glaring at their foe, Gaara raised his hand, ready to attack with his sand in an instant. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." The enemy taunted, holding his sharpened blade towards her. Its steel gleamed in the cold sun. "Unless… you want her to die? I'm ordered to capture her alive, but I'll make it harder for her to live past her purpose... if necessary. Maybe a limb or two?"

Seeing her struggling in their enemy's grasp, Gaara grit his teeth. "Damn it!" He spat under his cold breath, pondering what his next move would be. Alarmingly, his supply of sand was becoming scarce, the snow making it immensely more difficult to create sand from the earth below. Not to mention, his sand prowess was not yet back to normal despite the removal of Shukaku nearly a year ago. He was at a massive disadvantage.

"Your eyes... you're the last Yamamori, aren't you?" The man grinned. "A pretty one. Too bad you're going to be wasted once we're through with you. But don't worry... we'll save your best parts for our men before you meet your death. It will all be over soon enough... and you can be reunited with those pathetic ancestors of yours in the next world!"

"You...! You...-,"

He grew amused at her desperate gasps for breath. "Say it. Say it now before I crush your throat!"

She glared into his dark eyes. "You... said you destroyed my village... Who... are you...?! Tell me... now...!" She spat, her hands clawing into his. "Tell me... who you are...!"

"Kōgen of Ishigakure." He scoffed. "Or was... until I was banished. But yes... I invaded your little village." His grip tightened. As she forced herself to breathe, she clasped onto the enemy's grip once more. "Your line ends here." Revealing her sharp fangs, she bit through the enemy's hand, her canines piercing through his muscle, striking the bone in sudden force. "ARGH!" The enemy wailed, angrily. "You bitch!" In a rage, he strengthened his grip on her neck, near choking her. While he strangled her, he drew his blade forward, swinging it directly towards her. Quickly, she swung her legs and used her feet to grab his sword, removing it from his control, stabbing it through his lower abdomen in an instant. Wailing out in agony, he tossed her against the hardened tundra at their feet, her body suddenly clasped by a warm grainy presence. Looking around her in amazement, a wave of sand crept up behind her and swiftly pulled her away from the attack in quick speed.

Once the sand stopped, she turned to Gaara at her side. "Thank you." She lightly smiled, relieved for his quick thinking. Nodding in acknowledgement, he did not take his eyes off the enemy for a second, watching their strange and burgeoning foe rip the blade from his wound, blood slowly leaking onto the white snow beneath. He was stabbed in a supposedly in a non-fatal spot, but the pain did not appear to faze him at all. Meeting his gaze, the foe's bloodshot eyes locked onto him, anticipating the next move from the Suna-nin. "This foe," She started, narrowing her eyes at him from a distance. "Something feels off about him… His chakra signature is normal, but… my attack should've immobilized him. He has strength I can't comprehend."

"I know," He agreed, glaring at their enemy's intimidating stance. "We should act quickly. We have a mission to complete."

"Right." Standing up, she turned to him with her face calm. "I'll use my wind-release to counter his lightning, and you can seal him with your sand."

"It's worth a shot."

Solidifying his stance, Gaara prepared for the next series of attacks from their challenging foe, attempting to conserve as much sand as possible. His endurance was failing slowly, his muscles not entirely used to their living state. And his chakra was near depleted. Suddenly, their foe formed a series of hand-signs, sending violent beams of lightning in their direction in a blinding blue flash. Standing his ground, Gaara's sand countered against it, holding it back as he could feel its force push his feet further into the snow. He was without a doubt testing his weakened state.

Turning towards her, he gave her the signal. "Now, Nomasaki!" Quickly, she began to form her hand-signs for her wind-release counter-attack. As she was nearing the last seal, Gaara suddenly detected something. Looking up at the sand shield before his hands, the shield began to quiver under his control. In an instant, a beam of blue lighting broke through the top of his shield and struck the air above him. Dodging it, he grit is teeth in frustration at his disadvantage, shocked and dismayed at his lack of refinement of his sand abilities in a dire situation. "Damn it!" He spat to himself.

"Wind release! Forceful gale!"

From the formation of her seal with her hands, a thick current of powerful wind dashed towards the enemy's lightning attack, slamming into it with insurmountable force and rage. As the two natures clashed, the air became a vacuum of lightning and wind, as if a storm entered the battlefield. Both adversaries standing their ground against the other with matching glares of anger.

"Impressive, but..." The foe taunted, fending off the wind. "Your people are dead for a reason! They were weak! No matter how strong the wind may be, it cannot make the mountain bow to it… isn't that right?" Struggling, the bulking enemy began to step forward with his lightning, causing an intense pressure between the two attacks. "I'm going to do your people a favour and erase your clan once and for all! There's no place for wolves in this world!"

As she could feel her feet being pushed deeper into the snow, she grit her fanged teeth as she struggled to hold her stance to maintain her jutsu. Feeling his strength beginning to overcome hers, she sensed her doom. Suddenly, the enemy slashed his arms towards her, causing a gigantic and blinding electric pulse to strike towards her, slamming against her wind jutsu. Dispelling her technique, the force threw her across the snow-covered earth. Slowly, she gathered herself. Glaring up at him as she slowly stood on her knees, she could feel the burnt texture of her hands from deflecting his scalding lightning.

The blue light flickered in her eyes, engulfing all that she could see.

In an instant, the enemy sent another beam of lightning towards where she sat. Sensing the approaching jutsu, without even thinking, Gaara appeared in front of her, taking the brunt of the attack by summoning an encasing sand shield in front of them. As the attack shook the sand shield and became stronger, he dug his feet into the snowy ground, sending all of his strength to the quivering shield. With widened and shocked eyes, Nomasaki seen the corner of his shield shatter, his blood falling to the snow as it broke through his weakened defenses.

Horrified, she watched him stand before her.

Injured and bleeding from the burning wound of his left shoulder and surrounding area of his chest, his hidden Sand Armour shattered and fell to the snow-covered ground in streams. All throughout her stay in Sunagakure, she heard the unsettling rumors of Gaara's Ultimate Defense and how he was never once injured in battle. Aside from the failed Konoha Crush, he returned from missions unscathed and immaculate. Shocked, she sat behind him, witnessing him in his state of mortality and weakness.

"Gaara –!"

"I know!" Clapping his hands together, all of his remaining sand was summoned, flying towards the enemy in great speed, dragging him under the tundra into the depths of the frosted earth. Although it took great effort and time, Gaara was able to harvest the minerals from the earth for his sand, boring through the thick layer of frost shortly after their battle began. Preparing for the final hand-sign, he locked eyes with the struggling foe. "There's no place for waste like you in this world…" Gaara spat at him, glaring. "You're the one who's weak! Sand Tsunami!"

Covering him in death's warm embrace as his screams filled the forest air, waves of sand burst from the frost-bitten ground and swam to cover their foe in violent haste. When he placed his palms onto the sand below, the very earth rumbled and quaked from his power. Despite his strength waning, the Kazekage still stood strong and powerful. Sweat beaded his forehead, and at last his muscles grew weary from the exertion.

At last, she could no longer sense the foe's chakra.

Stunned, Nomasaki sat in silence as she witnessed his strength. As the cool mountain winds became eerily silent, she watched the sand-ridden grave cautiously. "It's over..." She spoke. "That man... he said he was from Ishigakure. Kōgen is what he called himself. He was after me… like the others from three years ago."

"He won't pursue you anymore," Gaara spoke, walking towards her. "And neither will Ishigakure, once we finish this mission. They are to sign a peace treaty with our village, now that our daimyo have agreed to one. They don't have a choice."

Standing up, she turned her back towards him, averting her glance as she mulled over her thoughts. "Are you… sure the council didn't know of this?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Turning towards him, her sorrow-filled eyes bore through him. "Do you think… they wanted us to fight him? Because he was after my bloodline?"

Averting his gaze, he tried not to dwell on the suspicious motives of his village's council. Although he internally agreed with her, he said nothing for the sake of secrecy. "Let's not think of that right now. We have a mission to complete, I will tell them about this when we return." Suddenly, he felt a writhing pain in his wound, burning through his muscles as if a hot flame burned under it. Grasping it tightly with his hand, he winced. Nearly a year later from the Shukaku extraction and his sand was still not yet strong enough to withstand high amounts of damage, and his wound proved it. "My sand armor didn't stand a chance against his jutsu… My shoulder is burning!" He panted. "I didn't bring my strongest sand… his jutsu cut right through it! I was being careless… My sand isn't yet strong enough…"

She turned to him, a concerned tint visible in her vibrant strange eyes. "Before we head out, we should deal with your injury first to prevent infection."

He nodded. "You're right."

On her knees that afternoon, she sat in front of him beside a large waterfall and babbling river.

The wind was cold and the water was even colder, the light layer of ice still dancing upon the flowing waters. Close by, she had a small first-aid kit opened, its contents ready for her to use at her disposal. A gift from Meiyumi from their chunin days, Nomasaki carried it with her at all times. It had everything she would have needed – alcohol for sanitization, bandage wrappings, healing ointments, and other dressings.

"I don't know medical ninjutsu, so you'll have to cooperate with me, alright?" She spoke, pulling back her black sleeves. "We have to clean your wound."

Acknowledging her cautious words, he nodded. As she prepared the damp cloth from the icy river, he removed his cloak and unbuttoned his burgundy shirt and purple chest-protector. Taking his arms out of his sleeves, the clothes fell to the snow-covered earth, revealing the extent of his injured chest. Turning to him with the cloth as she sat down, she noticed his impressive physique immediately. His body was pale, toned and somewhat thin and muscular. Immaculate, save for the gash. The body of a highly skilled ninja – a Kage. Just as his numerous fans have lovingly declared, the Fifth Kazekage was indeed an attractive young man, complete with his stoic and cool exterior. She could see it clearly before her. It was then she realized his fans' inability to resist such a person. She found herself finding it difficult the more she stared at him. Shyly, she averted her gaze from him as she could feel her cheeks begin to redden, trying to focus at the task at hand – healing his wound.

Preparing the sterile cloth, she situated herself in front of him. "Okay, this is going to sting a little bit."

As the cloth in alcohol touched his open wound that covered his shoulder to his chest, he winced, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. At his age of seventeen, he was still not completely used to physical pain. However, with each press of the cloth, it became more tolerable as he could sense her hands delicately tending to his wound – trying her best to be gentle. With each press, more dried crimson leaked onto the cloth until it was soaked with red. Switching to the cold cloth from the river, she tampered it lightly against his wound. Surprising himself, he felt no more pain. It was bearable.

"I may not know medical ninjutsu," She smiled, in her friendly nature. "But I can at least clean it up a little. That's what first-aid kits are for, anyways." Remaining silent, he slowly opened his eyes, accepting the pain as a trial he had to hurdle – his wound becoming numb from the alcohol and the cold. Her eyes saddened at the wound while she crudely healed. "You know… You didn't have to be so reckless."

"What do you mean by 'reckless'?" He asked, looking straight ahead into the snowy forest.

"You shielded me from that attack." She answered, her eyes closing halfway in guilt, lightly touching his wound with the crimson-stained cloth. "I could have dodged it, but… you still…"

"I did it because I had to protect you."

"Yes, because I was the target."

"No."

Surprising her, she froze – the cloth pausing on his wound.

"I can't explain it, but… I just had to."

Looking up to him, their gazes met. His ringed tanuki-like eyes gazing into her eyes of gentle lilacs unwavering in nature, true to his word. She could feel it. Sensing his warm chakra around her, she found herself becoming light in her chest. Fluttering. It was that feeling again, she reminded herself. After a moment, she shyly looked down, realizing she was beginning to blush. She hoped he did not see. He was Kazekage and she had a duty to him as his assistant – nothing more. Once the wound was clean from blood and debris, she carefully wrapped bandages over his shoulder and chest, concealing it both effectively and securely. The cold no longer burned through his open sore, coated by a tight blanket of bandage dressing.

"There!" She spoke, tying the knot. "How does that feel?"

Looking at his patch-work, he moved it slightly, then looked at her. A small smile was visible on his lips. "Much better, thank you." Lightly, she smiled at him in return. While she put the medical supplies away in the first-aid kit laid open, he eyed her with concern. "You... are really kind, to do this." His empathetic glance narrowed slightly. "Your hands aren't meant to kill, Nomasaki. I know you feel the same."

Her hands froze on the bandages. She hung her head low, her golden hair covering her eyes. "It's too late for that now... I'm a shinobi, like you."

"I'm aware of that. But still..." He continued, his ringed-eyes glancing towards her on the snow. "A shinobi carves their own path, regardless of the burdens they bear. Remember that."

His words touched her in a way.

Turning to him, she met his glance with eyes that hid all the hurt that quarrelled inside her. Maybe he is right, after all.

Surprising her, she found herself warmed. Before she could say anything in return, she glimpsed the sight of something that struck her. There was another wound painted on him - an old wound. The flesh near where his heart lay was scarred horridly, as if a near-fatal strike from a puncture of some sort. Nomasaki gulped when she saw it, frightened by its ferocity.

"What... gave you this scar on your chest?"

It took Gaara a moment to realize what she was talking about. Glancing down, he narrowed his eyes at its pink scar tissue. "The Uchiha, Sasuke. It was when we fought, and I... was a different person."

That name again, she thought. "I see..." She felt her heart sink into her chest, her glance fraught with empathy and worry. "Did it... hurt?"

"More than anything I've ever felt, even more than this new wound." He said, touching the bandages lightly. "It was the first time I was injured... after that, I can't remember much else. Shukaku took over my psyche shortly after, and next thing I knew, I was facing Naruto."

She pushed herself to ask more. "And that was during the failed invasion?"

"Yes," Gaara answered, averting his eyes from her. He looked back, watching her tuck the first-aid kit into her pack. "You seem surprised."

Nomasaki's fingers flinched as she zipped her pack closed. Timidly, she gave her best smile to mask her fear. "It's not that. It's just..." Her glance wandered to her tools. "You use your Sand Armour a lot, so I didn't think you'd be the type to scar. I'm glad you're alright, even if that wound is old."

Her words raised his curiousness about her, provoking him to continue to watch as she finished packing away her things. For a shinobi who wore the emblem of Suna, she was timid-natured enough to flinch at the sight of his scarred chest - yet, she was concerned all the same. He took her gesture as her being kind, and strangely enough, he appreciated it.

Smiling lightly, he gave a nod. "Thank you, Nomasaki."

Looking up, Nomasaki met his expression and smiled back. Before she could say anything back, a presence on the winds alarmed her. She could feel something within her senses. Standing up, she walked towards the snow-covered cliffside by the running waterfall of ice, taking in a deep breath of the snowy air. That moment, she let out an echoing howl from her lungs, her protruding canines fully exposed as she belted out the mountain air towards the cover of the forest below them. Surprising him slightly, he sat in astonishment from the call as the winds blew past.

She sounded exactly like a wolf, a beast.

Silence.

Then, a faint howl in the distance beckoned back to her. Smiling, a tint of relief entered her lilac eyes. "Hanone says there are no further enemies en route to Ishigakure." She said. "Thankfully."

Gently, a cold wind swept by them on the cliffside, swaying her golden hair with the flurries as she stood looking on at the winter forest below. As the winds swept by her, he felt as if he could not take his eyes off her. He was near mesmerized by the sight. This was strange for him. Was there something about her he failed to notice? As he gazed at her, her hair reminded him of the desert sand, reflecting into golden strands from the sun that desperately tried to break through the clouds above. Perplexing him, he began to feel a light feeling inside of his chest, not a wound but something more. The more he looked at her, the more he could feel its fluttering.

What was it? He felt something growing between them in the recent months, something that propelled him to be closer to her. To protect her. As his wound pulsed, he diverted his attention away, putting his shirt back on and the placing the white cloak back on his shoulders. It's nothing, he convinced himself.

"We should get going." She spoke, the wind blowing against her. "We're almost there. I know you're not used to this weather, but the snow will disappear once we get through this pass. Winter is almost over in these lands, but we should keep on our path." Turning to him, she softly smiled. "What say you?"

Slightly surprising him, her smile caught him off guard, snapping him out of his brief daze. "Yes," He replied, standing up. "We should head out."

Sensing Hanone's approach on the winds, she turned towards the frosted tinge of the forest beside them as the large wolf emerged from the thicket of white, the weight of his massive paws crunching on top of the snow beneath his path. Although he was monstrous in size, his white figure appeared silently as if a ghost – only the yellow of his eyes were visible against the frosted lands around them. Coming to a pause before her, she reached out her palm, touching the warm and moist texture of the beast's blackened nose. Meeting his beastly yellow eyes, she gave a light smile towards him. Gaara watched from afar, keeping his distance from the creature who despised him.

"I'm glad you're alright. I trust you had no trouble?"

"Keh," The wolf scoffed from his jaws. "Humans are no match for a beast such as I... you know that."

"How can I forget," She smiled back with a nod. "We're good on our end. Ishigakure isn't much farther from where we are, let's get going."

Grumbling under his breath as it evaporated into the cold air, Hanone let a growl escape his muzzle while he looked toward his protege with narrowed eyes. "I'm still in disbelief that you even accepted this mission. To go to such a place... your ancestors would surely strike you for what you're about to do."

Her glance towards the beast hardened, her expression fading as the reality set in. "It's my mission," She spoke, her voice calm. "I have to abide. I have no choice."

"Very well... but do not forget what they did to your people – our mountain... They deserve nothing but to be devoured by my jaws!"

Ignoring his final comment, she slowly approached closer as he lay upon the snows for her to mount his back. Resting her hand within his coarse white fur, she hesitated for a moment - lost in thought for what she was tasked. Noticing her silence, Gaara stepped forward, drawing the visual ire of Hanone as he did so. Pausing in the snow, he gave her a slight frown as words failed to reach his lips in time. The assignment from the council drew great suspicion – coupled with the fact they assigned the one person in Suna who despised Ishi above all else and the Kazekage, the decision was beyond his logic. Despite this, he felt content that of all people, it was her that he was assigned as an escort. Glancing down towards the snows at his feet while he pondered his words, the silhouette of white and red caught his eye. Near buried by the blankets of white was her porcelain mask, its snarling expression poking out through the snow towards him.

As she was about to mount the back of her summon to depart down the icy pass, she sensed something approaching her from behind. Turning, she was surprised to see a stream of sand delicately flowing towards her as Gaara stood silently with a stoic expression that held eyes tinted with understanding. While the sands danced in the air before her, her eyes widened slightly upon catching a glimpse of her mask within its flowing grains. Its eerie streaks of red and wolf-like appearance snared back at her in its grasp.

"Oh," She realized, taking it in her hands. "Thank you… Gaara-sama."

Looking down at the mask held in her palms, she frowned upon it to herself. The mask of a traitor, a failure. Reluctantly, she returned the mask to its place on her back, turning back towards her summon who patiently waited behind her. Climbing onto Hanone's back of fur, she fastened herself, lightly clutching the thick white fur in her fingers while the wolf stood from the frost beneath. After exchanging a dutiful nod with the Kazekage, she nudged her wolf to follow the young Kazekage out of the lingering forest of white.

Not long after, they continued their journey to Ishigakure – prepared to finish their mission at last…

Notes: The name of the missing-nin from Ishigakure who attacked is named after the Japanese Emperor Kōgen (高原), who was the eighth emperor of Japan during the Legendary Period (prior to the Kofun Period). His name means "plateau".