Sum of our Parts
First Blood
Thank you to all who have taken the time to read, review, favorite, or followed this story.
***I still make no money off of Naruto, nor do I own any part of it. ***
"Le gasp!" normal talking
'das fuken?' normal thinking
set-you-on-fire-no-jutsu: Jutsu and other techniques
"I will murder you!" Tailed beast/demonic voice
***SooP***
After a warm group breakfast, that was completely unplanned but completely welcomed, Team eight departed from the main gate towards the village of Ohira.
To Kurenai's surprise, and relief, Natsuko had been forced to abandon all orange in her outfit. Akane later admitted that she had made a deal to bring along enough ramen for the entire trip as a trade. The young blonde now wore a black top with white stripes down the front and sleeves that cut off at the elbows, black fingerless combat gloves, and a pair of shorts with a black and silver belt.
Akane on the other hand wore almost all black, complete with what appeared to be black leather armor and arm guards. She wore a brown leather pack strapped to her back. Strangely enough she wore a black hood and facemask, almost as if she was trying to mimic Kakashi. A katana was strapped to her side along with Kunai attached to various points of her outfit.
Hinata had only changed out her jacket for a darker grey one, without the fur lining.
The four Kunoichi were moving at a decent pace, but certainly not pushing their speed, just in case they should stumble upon a threat in the woods.
"Kurenai-Sensei w-what do we expect f-from this mission? D-do you think there will b-be any enemy n-ninja?"
"I highly doubt it Hinata, C-rank missions have no threat of enemy ninja that is why the only ones who undertake them are high level Genin or low level Chunin."
"So does that make us super awesome Genin then?"
"It makes you high level Genin Natsuko, you three have been doing exceedingly well in not only your personal training but also in teamwork. All of the Jonin who have taken time to work with you have nothing but positive things to say about the first Kunoichi team."
"Oooo we should totally think of a new name for our team then, maybe 'Team awesome' or 'Team butt-kickers' maybe even 'Team better-than-you-and-we-know-it'."
Kurenai chuckled at the young blonde's antics. Sure they would never actually use any of her suggestions but they were amusing and helped to keep the mood from becoming too serious.
"How about 'Team Kurenai'?"
That comment almost caused the Sensei to fall from the tree branch she had just landed on. Sure she knew that her Genin trusted her, but for the normally stoic and protective redhead to suggest using her meant a great deal.
"Actually Akane, as flattered as I am I was thinking that 'Team Kunoichi' would be a better title. After all this team is about you three more than it is about me. My goal is to teach you and be taught by you."
"I t-think it is quite f-fitting Kurenai-Sensei. I agree w-with 'Team Kunoichi'."
"I guess…. WAIT! What about 'Team Ramen'?"
***SooP***
After stopping for lunch and continuing on Kurenai called her team to a halt around dusk.
"That's far enough for today. we will easily reach the village by noon tomorrow if we use the same pace. This serves as a good lesson though, when moving through unknown territory it is often ill advised to move at night. Traps are much harder to spot. Animals that might hibernate during the day are out. Finally enemies are far more concealed. Despite the fact that we too have an increased stealth, it is often seen as a gesture of bad faith to arrive at night in an allied village, especially if the situation is not an emergency."
"Plus it's gonna rain soon and its sooo much harder to get a fire going for Ramen in the rain."
"N-Natsuko-Chan, how do you know it is going t-to rain?"
"We can smell the change in the air." Akane replied, as she glanced over to their Sensei, who gave a nod to look for a place to setup camp.
A half hour later the two Uzumaki and their Sensei were cooking up their dinner as the rain began slowly drizzling down.
"Could one of you go find Hinata and make sure she doesn't wander too far from camp?"
Akane just nodded at her Kurenai's request and left to find the pale eyed girl
"I never liked the rain," Natsuko began suddenly, her voice a bit sad while she stared into the clearing ahead of them. "It always felt like the sky was crying. It makes me feel sad."
"That's pretty normal Natsuko. A lot of people feel sad or tired when the weather is dreary or it rains." The Jonin answered, as she double checked the three tents that were setup. One for her, one for Hinata, and the Uzumaki sisters were forced to share one due to their economic situation.
"Yeah I know… I guess as long as it isn't storming."
"Not a fan of the thunder and lightning?" Kurenai teased lightly, but when she glanced over the young girl had a faraway look on her face, as if remembering something from the past.
***SooP***
'One two three four, one two three four.' Hinata inwardly chanted, going through the various motions of the Juken Kata.
Even after several weeks of training the Hyuga girl was having the same problem as always. The Gentle Fist style felt wrong to her. Again she messed up one of the stances and quietly swore, punching a nearby tree in frustration at her continuing failures.
After another moment or two Hinata resumed her beginning stance before closing her eyes, allowing herself to simply feel the rain fall from the sky and coat her skin, relaxing her in ways that she could find no where else save for with her team.
As she prepared to begin the Kata again a pair of arms gently went over her own from behind, the thin yet powerful fingers interlacing with her own as a voice spoke quietly next to her ear in a calm soothing manner.
"This form doesn't seem to suit you Hinata. It is too tense and uptight, too ridged. You need something that flows more like you do, something that allows you to take advantage of your natural gifts." The redhead whispered out, as she began to move the young girl like a puppet, in a flowing motion, each movement connecting with the next like a never ending dance.
"You once said that you hated your clan, so why do you insist on using the style they refuse to teach you? Why not create your own and show them what they have lost by denying you the basic rights of being human?"
Hinata tried to fight down the blush that threatened to consume her as one of her closest friends, and secretly one of the two people she admired most in the world, pressed against her back in an almost sensual way.
After a few more moments of going through what appeared to be a combination of dance and Katas created out of thin air Akane released her hold on the young pale eyed girl, much to her 'captives' disappointment.
"Kurenai-Sensei wanted me to ensure you did not wander off and get into trouble, though I would be far more concerned if it were Natsuko. I know you can take care of yourself and act responsibly."
"T-Thank you Akane-Chan. I suppose I am getting rather cold and hungry though. Perhaps w-we should head back to camp?"
"As you wish Hinata."
"Akane-Chan, thank you for your assistance and the confidence you have placed in me."
"The confidence is well placed Hinata, we all know you have the power to succeed, the only one who still needs convinced is you."
***SooP***
As the two girls returned back to camp the remaining blonde Genin instantly perked up in excitement.
"Your back!"
"We were only gone for a little bit Natsuko. Though I am surprised there is still any Ramen left."
"Of course, I knew you two would be wet and hungry so I saved some of my precious 'food of the Gods' for you."
"T-thank you Natsuko-Chan I could use a warm meal."
"Actually this presents an interesting opportunity for some Chakra Control lessons. Since the two of you are soaked and freezing I want you to figure out how to use your Chakra to warm yourselves and dry out the clothes you are wearing without taking them off. This has come in handy more times than many would like to admit especially in blizzard conditions, where taking off clothes to dry them can mean death."
The three Genin nodded before focusing on the task at hand, Natsuko drying off rather easily, even if some of the water steamed a bit.
Hinata took a bit longer but soon got the hang of it.
Natsuko almost set some of her clothing on fire, while the other's remained soaking wet.
***SooP***
The team had arrived at the small village the next morning before noon and proceeded directly to what appeared to be the town hall.
They had been informed to wait for the village heads to gather and were shown into a comfortable waiting room.
Around a half hour later the Kunoichi were summoned to the main room where they were immediately thanked for their quick arrival before the explanation began.
"So tell us what exactly you require us to do." Kurenai stated, taking on a calm and professional demeanor towards the village elders.
"Our town has been raided several times now by a group of thieves. So far they have stolen any items of significant value but now that the obvious objects are gone they have begun taking food and resources that we cannot live without. We need you to stop these bandits and retrieve anything that you can from them." An elderly man replied.
"When was the last raid, and how often have they taken place?"
"They have been increasing in frequency as time has gone on. Originally it was once a month but now it is nearly every week if the pattern continues we estimate they will return in at most two days. We have just managed to scrape enough money together from the village to pay for this mission but it is the last of any real money we have. If this does not succeed we will have run out of options."
"Do you know anything about the culprits, such as their numbers, location, or possible skills?"
"Not much unfortunately," A surprisingly young man replied, he looked to be one of the few merchants in the room by his posture and appearance. "The attacks take place at night and we do know that they have at least some weaponry and training, the first time that any sort of resistance was staged the men responsible lost their lives. As for their locations, they seemed to always come from the North West. The forest is quite thick there so it would be quite easy to hide oneself."
The Ninja noticed that there was something being left out, something unspoken amongst the villagers.
"Is there anything else you wish to inform us of?"
"The raid that was launched several days ago… took several young girls from the village. We did not want to inform you due to the younger girls in your group. That and it would have been around the time our request was received."
"You didn't want us to feel responsible." Akane correctly summarized, speaking for the first time since entering the room.
"Indeed, please save them though, even if nothing else is salvageable."
"We will do everything we can." Kurenai confirmed, before turning to her Genin. This mission had already become far more complicated as it involved hostages and the potential killing of enemies.
"We will split up and each search a direction, I will be taking the North West since it is the most probable location but we should never assume that the enemy will always be in one convenient spot. If you find anything do not engage them, spike your chakra and then return to the village where we will plan out our next move."
The three Genin nodded before the team left for their tasks.
***SooP***
It took only two hours before the four returned to their designated meeting spot.
"So what have you three discovered?"
"My clones didn't find a thing." The blonde pouted, hoping to be the one who would make some sort of grand discovery.
"N-nothing here, I am sorry Kurenai-Sensei." Hinata answered with a slight bow of embarrassment at having failed to locate anything with her Byakugan.
"It is no problem Hinata, I am more relived that you all returned okay. What about you Akane?"
"I found nothing what about you Sensei?"
"Luckily I ran across their tracks leading deeper into the forest. It appears they have setup quite the camp in the midst of a large grouping of rocks. It seems quite defensible from large scale attacks, luckily they do not appear to be expecting a Ninja attack."
"So they are just normal bandits then?" Akane surmised.
"Unfortunately no, there appears to be at least one or two Chunin level ninja in the camp, undoubtedly the leaders. From what I can gather, from the guards talking far too loudly, they have been raiding all nearby settlements and acquiring any local bandits or criminals for their group. What this village experienced was only a small portion of the full force of the enemy's forces. I estimate they have at least fifty in their makeshift army."
"F-fifty! Kurenai-Sensei what are we going to do? I know you are capable but are we ready to take on that m-many?"
"Don't worry Hinata I Won't let anything happen to any of you, besides we are certainly not going to just charge in blindly. We are going to use this as an exercise in tactics and strategy. Since the enemy will often have a superior number, especially when dealing with bandits or soldiers, Ninja are often forced to use superior strategy in order to claim victory."
The three girls seemed to soak in this information as they listened attentively.
"My plan is as such, Akane and I will infiltrate into the camp at nightfall. Meanwhile Natsuko will begin assaulting the Bandits at range with Kage Bunshin and other Jutsu to lure them into a trapped area we will setup. Hinata your job will be to provide Natsuko with targeting instructions, enemy locations, and to neutralize any threats that might make it past the traps. This will all start half an hour after we depart. As this is happening the two of us will retrieve the hostages and defeat any potential Shinobi that might be in the enemy's forces along with thinning their numbers from inside."
The three Genin confirmed their understanding before setting out to begin booby trapping the area.
***SooP***
'This really was the best possible team for showing the strength of Kunoichi' Kurenai mused as she and the redheaded Uzumaki began sneaking through the trees toward their target.
'The two sisters already have a near instinctual concept of teamwork and reliance on one another and have easily incorporated Hinata into this group as well. Hinata's self-confidence has been increasing steadily since the start as has Akane's trust in others and Natsuko's patience and strategic skill. Give them a couple of years and they will truly be a force to be reckoned with individually, if they can stay together they will be unbeatable. The only thing to worry about now is how they will react with their first kills. This is always one of the hardest events for a Shinobi, especially for Kunoichi.'
"Patrol up ahead"
The red eyed Jonin was brought out of her thoughts and nodded in confirmation of her student's observation. She had chosen Akane not only for her physical skill and reliance on subtle techniques but also for her amazing stealth prowess and her almost Byakugan-like sensory abilities.
The two Kunoichi easily slipped past the almost jokingly pathetic patrols that the bandits had set about and made their way into the heart of the camp itself, where they would begin their search for the imprisoned girls.
Motioning for Akane to check a group of tents nearby, Kurenai leaped silently onto one of the larger structures and made a small incision on the roof, allowing her to peer through at the contents below.
From her vantage point she could make out a group of around fifteen men, all in what appeared to be their late twenties. They were seated around a large rectangular table with the head of the meeting as an obvious Shinobi.
"Alright shut it all yall its time for our next attack. Were gonna be attacking that crap ass village again and this time I expect better goods than some bread and greens. I know they are holdin out on us and I be damned if they are gonna get away with it. They think they so smart but we gonna show them whose in charge, they try and cheat us out of our riches and they gonna pay with their women!"
The other men cheered as what appeared to be the normal leader of the bandits continued his rant, while the Shinobi simply smiled contently.
"Whuts duh plan boss"
"Were gonna charge in thar and start kickin down doors till we get whats we want you idjit. Then we are gonna burn down some of their shit houses as a warnin to any who be thinkin bout fightin back."
Kurenai silently placed a handful of explosive tags all around the building before moving on, hoping to incinerate the crude men before they even knew what happened.
***SooP***
Akane had made far better progress towards their goals than her Sensei had. The first makeshift building she had checked appeared to contain several crates full jewelry, money, and other valuables undoubtedly taken from the nearby villages. What was even more convenient was that it hadn't been guarded or sorted yet, meaning that the crates all seemed to align with different villages.
As for the guards, that question had been answered from a nearby conversation as one bandit appeared to be complaining to another about how no one had been permitted to guard the valuables since they were caught trying to steal from the "community chest".
Upon making a note of the contents she moved onto the next of her targets, only to find it being used as sleeping quarters, after laying several makeshift traps, so that when the inhabitants inevitably woke from the assault and attempted to leave the building would explode.
Two more storage tents and she finally found the main objective for their mission unfortunately for the bandits what the girl found would awaken a fury inside of her that would frighten even experienced Shinobi.
***SooP***
Hogai had always considered himself a rather calm and collected man. He was a man of practicality and logic. Since he had been born outside of any Hidden Villages he had been denied the training in his obvious Ninja talents. Instead he had been found by another rogue Ninja and taken as an apprentice, there he had discovered that true power in the world must be taken, not given to someone like those who were raised in their protective fortresses, behind which they were pampered with training, supplies, and resources that the lesser villages could only dream about.
Which is why he had joined up with a small group of individuals roughly a year ago. They were the kind of outcasts that knew what had to be done to survive in this world. The kind of men that had the strength of will to do what was necessary and take what was squandered by those with privilege and easy upbringings. It was here that he also found his polar opposite in a man named 'Iwao'.
Iwao was a Ninja who had been born in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, where he had received a formal education, a good upbringing, and even a team to fight with. It was also there that he had learned his hatred of society. He would rant and rave about the favoritism that was granted to those of the main Ninja Clans. He had apparently been passed up for promotions and ridiculed due to his status as a "civilian Shinobi". It was on one of these missions that he had made his fateful choice in life.
After succeeding in a simple protection mission his Sensei had congratulated the other two members of his squad, while criticizing Iwao himself. This lead to the man poisoning the meal he was forced to prepare for the others as punishment. From that day forward he had become a missing Nin.
Although the two had bonded over their shared skills they had very little else in common, thus while there was a mutual respect for what the other had accomplished there was very little sense of friendship between the two men.
Yes, Hogai was always calm and collected, which was why when the first explosions began on the outskirts of the camp his first thought was that one of the towns had finally decided to hire Ninja to go against them, but since the villages were undoubtedly poor by this point it would be a group of Chunin at best.
Then the explosions began inside the camp as well, various tents began exploding, engulfing nearby structures and men alike in flames.
Hogai ordered several nearby soldiers to go and secure the prisoners, if the worst would happen they could be used as bargaining pieces or decoys while the two Ninja made their escape.
As the men ran towards where the young girls were being kept prisoner the Shinobi suddenly became aware of another presence among the flames. Looking up he caught sight of… her.
He had heard horror stories from his mentor that during the Third Shinobi War there was a woman whose presence would strike fear in the hearts of her enemies on the battlefield, a Kunoichi so powerful and terrifying that few ever encountered her and lived to tell the tale. Those that did told of a warrior unbelievably fast and silent, who would slaughter dozens of Shinobi without effort with her blade. A warrior who would be drenched in blood, and yet all the while maintain a smile on her face, as if she was truly content with the hell-like battlefields that only she could create.
Now decades later this man who prized himself with always analyzing a situation first, with subduing his emotions and reactions to the point where he could always plan out and anticipate what would happen next found himself frozen in fear at the sight of a woman, standing in the shadows cast by the burning buildings around them. Her figure cloaked no more than a silhouette against the flaming background.
Yet he could tell several things for certain which made his blood freeze in a way he had never experienced before. First she wielded a katana, no big deal in itself, but she also appeared to be absolutely covered in blood. Her face bore a slight smile, as if the havoc around her was comforting. Finally there was the red hair. The hair that was so rare for this country and that had helped earn the woman of whom his Sensei had spoken of her nickname.
Kushina of the Bloody Smile.
But it was impossible. The rumors were that she had died over a decade ago. Even if she hadn't there was no way she could be so young still… right? Unless the whispers and legends were true, that she wasn't a Kunoichi at all, but rather the Shinigami itself taking mortal form to reap those who evaded their fates, those who dared to taunt the God of Death.
Before he could decide on a course of action a nearby cry of terror brought him out of his fear induced state. Glancing over he saw his fellow Shinobi screaming in terror, as an older woman with black hair casually walked up to him, and slit his throat.
A Genjutsu wielder, by the looks of her she was more than just a Chunin as well. How the nearby villages had managed to summon a Jonin for assistance was beyond him but one thing was certain, he was outmatched in every sense of the word. He needed to escape.
Turning back to his original target his eyes widened as the girl who had been his focus had vanished without a trace. Perhaps it was all just a Genjutsu then? A technique designed to create fear in the shape of a legend that would frighten any who had heard the old tales.
This would be the man's last wish, before a sword pierced his chest from behind, ending his hopeful belief.
***SooP***
After her sister and Sensei had left the staging area Natsuko began the discussion of their assault plan for the attack.
"Okay Hinata-chan I will launch a few Kage Bunshin as scouts to determine where the main bad guys are, then they will throw out some explosive tags just outside the camp to get everyone's attention before leading back away from the camp. I want to bring as many of the bad guys as possible so that Kurenai-Sensei and onee-chan have less to fight."
The pale eyed girl nodded in understanding before pointing out a few positions where the blonde could hide out decoy clones to further lure in the enemy.
When the attack began Natsuko's clones immediately defeated two larger groups of enemies, and brought another twenty or so back through the forest with them.
As the men began to chase the 'phantoms' through the forest, with the clones dispersing discreetly only to have another clone hidden nearby move in a different direction, the Uzumaki had a brilliant idea from back when she used to prank people in the village. Summoning up a few more Kage Bunshin she sent them into the trees to begin whispering down from the darkness, further confusing and terrifying the bandits who began running into traps and other devices which would injure or cripple various members of their group.
After the traps had whittled down most of the remaining men Hinata took to striking from the shadows, often aided by clones of her companion to overwhelm single opponents at a time, before disappearing back into the night.
The effect worked even better than Kurenai had predicted, with the bandits fleeing off into random directions rather than group together for protection.
It took less than a half an hour to rid the area of over half the gathered bandits. The two Genin then proceeded back towards the camp, hoping that their other two companions had just as much luck.
***SooP***
Fury filled the mind of the red haired Uzumaki. Fury at those who would dare treat other human beings this way.
As the teenager began freeing the bound village girls she took in their appearances. They were dirty from being dragged through the dirt and mud. Their bodies were cut and bruised, either from the travel or the men themselves. Luckily their clothing was only torn and muddy, leading the Kunoichi to believe that they had been spared any sort of major traumatic events. They had been obviously starved though, which was just another mark against the bandits.
After the group had been untied, and they had been sufficiently hushed to where they were only mildly whimpering with hunger, pain, and fear, Akane quietly explained the plan before telling them to follow her while they made their escape.
It had gone perfectly, with Akane's senses able to find the miscellaneous guards before they were seen.
Unfortunately when the group finally reached the outskirts one of the younger girls tripped from exhaustion and cried out in pain, alerting several nearby rogues.
The girl's eyes opened wide in fear and regret as she looked towards her fellow captives. Part of her seemed to want to cry and tell them to leave her, while part wanted them to save her.
Akane took control of the situation and picked the girl up before handing her off to two others
"You need to keep going, a quarter of a mile in that direction you will find a small group of blonde haired girls that all look the same. They will take care of you and help you to get back to one of the villages nearby. Don't stop moving until you are safe. Most importantly, don't look back."
"What about you?" One of the girls whispered out, not wanting to abandon another teenage girl to these monsters.
Akane knew that they would never be able to outpace the bandits though, especially with the condition the women were in.
"I'll be fine I am a Kunoichi after all."
The group reluctantly continued off into the darkness.
Soon the two men who had heard the cry came bounding into the open, having just caught sight of the escaping prisoners one prepared to shout and raise the alarm.
The air never left his lunges.
Instead a Kunai was thrown into his throat, causing him to gurgle what would most likely have been a cry of pain.
An instant later the girl was on them, the katana given to her by her two Kenjutsu Senseis already unsheathed and slicing into the other man's chest.
Blood sprayed everywhere as the Uzumaki ripped the Kunai from the first man before impaling him through his heart with her blade.
There was so much blood, it covered he hands, and her arms in a bright crimson.
She wanted to fall down sobbing, to throw up any food she might have had. But she couldn't not with so many people depending on her at this moment.
So instead she leveled her gaze on another patrol that had wandered into the area, and began the slaughter that these bastards so richly deserved.
***SooP***
After the assault began and the explosions went off Kurenai took stock of her situation and decided that the first task should be the elimination of the Chunin. She had caught sight of Akane sneaking the prisoners out of the camp a few minutes prior and so was no longer concerned for them. Which meant that it was time to put her team first, the first step to protecting them was the deaths of those who were the largest threat to them.
She found the first one easily enough, his ability to suppress his Chakra was laughable at best. A simple Genjutsu and the man was nearly paralyzed with fear, and screaming his head off. She made her way forward before cutting the man's throat, finding no joy in it but only a necessary evil to protect those who had earned protection.
Glancing over she saw the second Ninja… impaled on the katana of a small, blood clad figure.
He eyes opened wide in horror as she recognized the form and clothing of her student, despite the blood.
"Akane…"
The girl turned slightly towards the older woman, her eyes had a gaze to them that nearly brought tears to the Kunoichi's eyes. They were full of bloodlust and rage, clearly something had happened that forced this girl to enter such a state.
Kurenai could only thank Kami that there was no Kyuubi Chakra being emitted from her.
As a handful of men ran into the clearing they stared slack jawed at the bloody scene in front of them.
One cried out an order of attack on the two women, the others hesitated, but decided to charge anyway.
Akane charged forward, near silently, before ducking under the heavy handed blow of the first man. As the blade passed over her head she thrust forward with her sword, impaling the man through the chest before spinning towards another, a kunai already in a reverse grip as she slammed it through the man's eyes.
Before the others could react to what had just occurred the Uzumaki ripped the kunai out, throwing it into the third's heart as she leaped onto the remaining bandit's chest, instantly knocking him down, before pulling another Kunai from her sleeve and going to work.
She slashed and stabbed the prone enemy beneath her until blood coated her face from their proximity. Then she continued stabbing, releasing her anger, frustration, and sorrows through her blade completely unaware that the man had died shortly after the first wound.
It took Kurenai's full strength to pull her off, and her shouts to focus the girl on the present situation. With the camp burning around them and the other bandits dead it was time to retrieve what they could of their gear and the village's belongings and leave before being caught in the blaze themselves.
***SooP***
"Thank you all so much for your help! The girls have been returned safely to their homes and you have managed to save much of the heirlooms and little wealth that we have. We cannot thank you enough."
The leader of the village council continued to lavish the team of Kunoichi with praise even though their thoughts were on their silent member, who had not spoken or made eye contact with any of them since the event two nights prior.
The team had stuck around just to ensure that no bandits had survived to seek revenge, along with giving Kurenai time to speak with her Genin about what had transpired.
***Flashback***
"Girls, I was hoping that we could have gone longer without having to run into this situation but in a way I am glad it happened like this as well. As Kunoichi you will be required to kill in future missions, there is no way around this. As one of the major turning points in a Ninja's career you need to ask yourself if you are going to be okay with this type of life. I am not going to lie to you and say that it gets any easier, it doesn't and it shouldn't. This time it was bandits who terrorized innocent people. Next time it might be someone who seems innocent or even another Genin who is as young as you are. I will not blame you, or feel ashamed if any of you drop out of the program when we get back to the village. There is a reason that elder Shinobi are rare, we do not have long life expectancies and those who do tend to end up with emotional scarring."
"I-I will be okay Kurenai-Sensei, I am just worried about…." Hinata glanced briefly towards her fellow Kunoichi. Akane hadn't said a word and looked as if she was broken on the inside.
Natsuko merely nodded that she was okay before turning back to her sister. The blonde had not left her side since the incident.
Kurenai merely sighed hopefully the red head had not been broken mentally from what she had to do.
***End Flashback***
"I am just glad that we were able to save the girls and your belongings without any real trouble." The oldest Kunoichi confirmed.
"Do you need to stay a few more days? Many of the rescued girls are still recovering and have expressed the desire to thank their saviors. We would be more than happy to let you stay for free."
"As lovely as that would be I am afraid that…" Kurenai was interrupted as a hawk's cry sounded from the sky.
Swooping down it landed on the Jonin's outstretched arm and delivered its message before tilting its head, signaling that it was to wait for a reply.
The red eyed woman scanned over the message, frowning, before making a few scribbles onto the scroll and throwing the creature back into the air, where it took flight back towards Konoha.
"It appears that we do not have any more time to rest anyways, another team has encountered trouble on a mission and we have been requested to aide them due to our proximity."
The elders nodded before waiving the girls off, each looking slightly worried at the most downtrodden of the group.
The team sped off, making their way towards the Land of Waves.
***A/N***
I really enjoyed writing this chapter, especially the part from the bandit's point of view it gives a neat way of introducing history and background in my opinion. Other than that not much to say here, yes they will be going on the (ugh) wave mission. But the reason I am including this is to introduce the two teams and resolve a few minor issues that have been bouncing around in my head.
So far no pairings have been decided on, if you have suggestions PM or leave them in a review.
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this chapter, I had a lot of fun writing it.
