The next morning they were on the road by dawn. It would have been even later had Atsuko not kept Yukina to task. That earned her a nod of approval from Shirakumo and a sigh of disappointment from Gisuke who had nothing to tease Yukina for.
Yuudai already had his oxen and cart ready and they were on the road quickly. The air was cool but as the sun rose it became comfortably warm. Yuudai allowed them to take turns riding the cart; there was a spot on the back where two people could sit. Shirakumo, however, abstained, letting the three genin have their chance. Atsuko was almost ashamed to take her turn—it seemed an unnecessary convenience—but they were still in the safety of Fire Country and whoever was walking up front could call for assistance.
It was a beautiful day and passing through the forest on the back of a cart was quite peaceful. Atsuko had two turns in a row on the cart and it was Yukina's turn beside her.
Yukina was clearly enjoying herself. She was happy and smiled so broadly that Atsuko couldn't help but smile too.
"I almost wasn't a ninja, you know," Yukina said suddenly. "I've lived in Konoha my whole life but my parents weren't too keen on me joining the Academy. My father's side of the family had all been ninjas, even the women. They weren't the most powerful shinobi, but they were loyal. So loyal that both my grandparents gave their lives for the village. My was young, about my age. It affected him deeply. He married a villager and gave up every intention of continuing his ninja training. Of course when I was old enough to know what a shinobi was, I decided that's what I wanted to become." She grimaced. "My dad and I fought over it constantly. He'd hoped that he'd broken the link between his family and the ninja way, but I couldn't help what I wanted. My mother supported me, and I'm sure she's the one who was able to get him to relent. She didn't particularly want me to be a ninja either, but she accepted that it was my choice. My father eventually came around when I graduated with excellent grades." The grimace became a sad smile. "He was only afraid that he would lose me like he lost his parents. I didn't really understand that until he was gone."
"What happened?" Atsuko asked.
"He was killed when Orochimaru attacked during the Chuunin exams. The building he was in collapsed on him."
Atsuko's heart stopped for a moment as she was reminded of her own father. She wanted to tell Yukina, but she was still afraid.
Yukina, however, had missed nothing. "I know there's something about you that you're holding back. I won't ask what it is because it doesn't matter—we're a team now, and all that matters is what you do now. When you're ready, I'll listen." She gave her a wide comforting grin. "We are Team Shirakumo, after all!"
Later in the afternoon when Atsuko had another turn in the cart, the weather was even warmer. The sun made it hard to stay awake and she had been unable to lure Gisuke into conversation. The cart suddenly rolled to a stop, startling her.
Gisuke was alert and she saw his hand stray to his pouch. "Be ready," he said quietly. "Yukina must have found the first trap."
=/=
Atsuko and Gisuke joined Shirakumo and Yukina by the front of the cart while Yuudai looked on nervously.
"It's right there." Yukina pointed at the road. "A trip line. It would have tangled the legs of anything that walked over it."
"Is it to alert the enemy of a potential target?" asked Atsuko.
Yukina nodded. "They could already know. Do you sense anything Gisuke?"
Gisuke closed his eyes and pressed his fingers together. After a moment he opened his eyes and released his hands. "I don't sense anyone. But they could be out of range."
"Can we remove the trap without alerting the enemy?" suggested Atsuko.
"The problem is the cart and the oxen—we need to think of a way to get them over the wire without changing the tension." Yukina frowned and stared at the wire. Shirakumo remained silent, evidently allowing them to solve the problem on their own.
"I can think of two options: either we place something over the wire so the oxen and cart can't touch it, or we somehow remove the wire without affecting its tension down the line," offered Gisuke. "Or we ignore it and prepare an ambush."
"Hmm," muttered Yukina. "Atsuko, could you create a shield over the wire that they could walk over?"
"I don't think so. It would be an awkward angle and I'm not sure I could hold it steady enough to keep it from touching the wire."
"Too bad none of us are Earth-users. Ah well. Let me look at how it's put together." Yukina followed the line into the bushes.
After a moment they heard a loud laugh.
"Ha! How unlucky for them!" She came out with a wide grin on her face. "It's drawn through a metal loop which allows the wire flexibility when disturbed but also allows them to bring the wire parallel to the road. That means they're likely based somewhere ahead of us. I'll use my Fire Sword technique to weld part of the wire to the loop so that I can sever it without the wire moving."
"That will require steady hands," Gisuke pointed out.
"Yes, and someone else will have to hold the wire on the other side until I can do the same to it. You should do that, Gisuke. You should have the steadiest hands, being a medical ninja. Sorry, Atsuko," added Yukina with an apologetic smile. "Not sure you can help with this one."
"That's all right. It just means I get to be useful later," she responded cheerfully.
Yukina and Gisuke vanished into the brush to find the wire. They could hear Yukina giving quiet instructions then she emerged and crossed the road to the other side.
Atsuko turned to Shirakumo. "Isn't a flame sword a bit much for a job this delicate?"
"Her flame jutsu can be applied to more than just swords," he responded cryptically.
Atsuko thought she saw a flash in the bushes, but it was only for a moment. Yukina crossed the road to Gisuke. After a moment they emerged together.
"All done," announced Yukina cheerfully. "The enemy should have no idea we're here." The wire lay lax on the ground.
"At least until the next trap," added Gisuke grimly. Yukina pressed her lips into a similarly grim line and said nothing.
"Well, we'll just have to keep our eyes on the road and our senses primed," said Yuudai, grabbing the reins. "Best we move on."