Chapter 3: The River Runs Rough

After my break from walking, I shoulder my bag, and begin to walk again. I can see large quantities of discarded war supplies. Unused explosive tags, dented shurikens, and kunai imbedded into the stone. It seems that people have been using this bridge to fight on. From what the old man had said, it would've taken two weeks to cross the valley without it. I'm glad that I met him. Taiga pointed me on a shorter path to where I needed to go.

It takes a couple minutes of walking before I come to the edge of the bridge. I look over the side of the bridge. I can't see the bottom. It is too dark. I pick up a small pebble and consider throwing it in to see if I can hear it hit the bottom.

"But, what if there is someone down there?" I ask myself, then giggled, realizing I'd spoken out loud. I drop the pebble to the ground. Listening to the soft clattering it makes on the stone.

The bridge is surprisingly long. Carved several times into the decorative walls is the word 'Kannabi.' What a funny name! I think to myself. Why would someone name it 'bridge where the gods do not help'? Big sister was right. People are weird.

I skip for a few steps, happy to have made it this far. I quickly revert to walking because my scroll was bouncing up and down.

I wonder what sister would say if she were here. She would probably be telling me all about a lesson she had in the academy. Maybe about the Shinobi Code, someone she met in class, or a new ninjutsu she had learned today.

Hands covered my eyes from behind, and a familiar voice says, "Guess who?"

"Big sister? Is that you?"

"Not just your big sister! Your genin big sister!" She drops her hands and spins me around to face her.

I giggle and hug her. I inspect her Forehead protector. It has a horizontal zig-zag line on in. The symbol for the Village Hidden in Grass "Wow! This is so cool."

"I know, right?" She says excitedly. "Tomorrow, I'm getting assigned a team!"

I tried to fight the memory. I knew that less than a week after she had become a genin, they were on mission chasing a loose cow, and followed it outside the village gates. Village gates that had been set with an explosive tag set by an enemy shinobi.

A week after the memory, my sister was gone. Tears flow unbidden to my eyes. I resist the urge to cry. I know if I start crying, I can't stop. I, rather roughly, wipe away the tears that were starting to form. I don't have time to stop and cry. I need to keep moving.

At that moment, a large gust of wind blew through the gorge, and pushed my hood away from my face. My hair blows in the wind, still black from the charcoal. My hands pull may hair back into place under the hood. When I final get it settled, my hands are covered in charcoal. My palms are black. I want to wash them, but I only so little water. I wipe my hands on the bridge railing. Leaving two black handprints. My hands are still covered with grime, but they are not as blackened now.


My feet keep moving down a now dirt path. Occasionally I call out for Uma-y, but I haven't seen any sign of him. I guess he went the other way.

The high sun drifts lazily through the sky, eventually settling on the horizon behind me. Long shadows laying out in front of me. Sinister shadows stretch across the earth. I keep moving. My muscles automatically moving my distracted mind.

I am brought sharply back to reality when I almost step into an icy river.

"Eek!" I jump upward, and fall backwards onto the bank.

I could hear laughing coming from above me. I was a humorless laugh. One done to be mocking, and for no other reason. "Look what we have here" A man's voice said.

"A little shrimp, how cute." Another man responded. I tried to find the men in the darkness.

"Think she is trouble?" The first voice is right behind me, however I hadn't heard him move. I turn, trying to see him.

All I can make out is a large, black silhouette against the orange sunset. A flash, then the other man is beside him, my scroll in his hand.

"Hey! That's mine!"

"Mine now, kid." It looks like he is grinning. A small flash of white teeth in his shadow.

The other crouches down in front of me. "Hn, what have we here? A raven haired brat with blonde eyebrows? Aren't you special." His movements blur. My hood disappears and I've been pushed into the river. I fall under. The fast current rips through my hair. The charcoal black hair returning to it's natural vibrant yellow

I flail trying to get my head above the water. When I succeed, I can see a trail of black in the water leading away from me down the current. The two men stand atop the water next to me.

"Look's like we've caught a spy. Grab her."

"No! Lemme go!"

"Not a chance, shrimp."

The one not holding my scroll makes a hand sign. My vision blurs. I feel fingers close around my arm. Then the world disappears into an ebony abyss.


When I wake, my hands are tied behind my back. A fire crackles in the middle of the cave. However, what woke me wasn't expecting. Screaming. Two ninja stand above another girl. She has short, brown hair. She was trying to break free, tears running down her face, and forehead protector off center.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" I scream at them. One of them turned away from the girl to look at me.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the little princess is awake."

I let out the loudest scream I can manage. Maybe if Sato Taiga found Uma-y he would have come after me? Maybe someone is nearby... Maybe…

The man walks towards, me, and is about to slap me, when a different slapping sound echos into the cave.

"What was that?" The one by the brunette asks.

"I'll go check it out." The one by me says. "You keep trying to get information out of that one." He walks towards the cave. His body turning transparent as he went.

The man next to the brunette continues his work, and she resumes yelling. I pull on the ropes that are around my wrists. The knots are poorly tied, and after a minute of struggling, one hand comes free. I think even I could tie a better knot. Did they think that I wouldn't try? I remove my other hand from the ropes. I stand up shakily. I pick up a stick from by the fire and swing it at the guy. He blocks, and pulls the dry branch from my hand.

He advances a step as I retreat one.

He advances again, and I retreat again. However, I fall backward, having been tripped by something. My scroll!

I try to do the jutsu to seal the man inside the scroll, like I had the bear. But my hands are shaking to hard to properly form the seals.

The man raises the stick that I had attempted to hit him with. Then he starts swinging it down at me. I abandon the jutsu as I attempt to cover my head, clamping my eyes shut tight.