"Uh! Damn it!" I hissed the words, flinging a kunai at one of the many trees surrounding the seven of us.
"What now?!" I flinched at the harsh words coming from my sensei's mouth.
"We've been at this for three freaking days and we've found nothing!"
There was a murmur of agreement from the rest of the group as we rested among the green foliage. Everybody was fraying at the ends, frustrated at the lack of results. Even Hinata-san seemed on the verge of lashing out. I hadn't expected immediate results but we hadn't run into anything. The most dangerous thing we had faced was a spider that had embedded itself in Pakkun's fur.
We sat in a shape that somewhat resembled a circle, all of us fuming. Naruto-kun was angrily tapping his fingers against the damp ground, a low growl coming from deep in his throat. Lee-kun was positively shaking, with fury or anticipation I knew not. Ritsuki was going over hand signs, cursing every time he did one wrong. Hinata-san was scanning the tress with her Byakugan, probably searching for something mire exciting. Pakkun was barking at a fly that was zipping around his head, his guard completely dropped. Even Kakashi-sensei had lowered his guard, disappointed at the lack of action.
It was a shame that we had become so immersed in our own thoughts at that exact moment. A weapon that I wasn't familiar with came flying through the tress, just seconds after Hinata-san let out a small gasp. The noise was just enough to get Kakashi-sensei's attention. It just barely brushed his hair as he caught, seeming not to even think about it.
The expression on his face had me biting back a laugh. He was bored with one lethal weapon. He wanted dozens to come at him, get him moving. He almost got what he wished for.
Soon after, six more of the wind-mill like things were cutting through the trees. Hinata and I fell back, knowing we would be of no use in this battle. We had to save our energy for healing the others and alerting them . We were only to step forward if the rest weren't in any condition to fight.
Lee-kun quickly caught on of them and lodged it into the nearest tree. Naruto-kun produced two Kage Bunshins and took out three more of the weapons. Kakashi-sensei merely flicked one and it spun off into another tree, the some bored expression on his face. Ritsuki was a second to late and the remaining weapon grazed his left cheek before Lee kicked it out of sight. A thin red line appeared on his cheek and it quickly started to seep blood.
"Sakura! Heal this!" I rolled my eyes as Ritsuki ordered this from me.
"Uh, no. It's a cut. You'll live, unfortunately."
"Yeah, but the enemy could pick up my scent from the blood and he'll be able to follow us." He said this matter-of-factly and I longed to go over there and punch his lights out.
"Then we'll leave you here to die." I only muttered this because Kakashi-sensei had nodded his head towards Ritsuki, a stern look in his eye.
I stiffly walked over to Ritsuki and placed my hand above his bleeding cheek. Muttering profanities under my breath, I quickly healed the stupid cut. Ritsuki smirked and lined up in front of Kakashi-sensei. I stood in front of Hinata-san, waiting for Pakkun to pick up the scent of Shizune.
We set off, Kakashi covering our scent with a strange substance that adopted the look of its surroundings. I was a bit jittery, frightened by the sudden attack. Why had they waited until now? Why had they stopped so easily? Why was I so scared?
I'd faced far worse things, yet this frightened me to no end. I wasn't afraid of this happening again. I didn't really care about who had attacked us unless they were linked to Shizune. The only thing that was strange about the attack was that I had dreamt about something similar happening the night before.
Once she was sure that we weren't I any danger, Hinata-san confirmed that it was alright to rest for the night. We settled into the same type of circle we had before for a quick meal and talk. While Lee-kun prepared what looked like soup, Kakashi-sensei gathered his thoughts.
A few minutes later, when everybody had eaten the small meal, Kakashi-sensei stated the plan.
"If nothing more happens within two days we'll return to Konoha. That is, if Shizune's scent starts to become faint and we've found no clues as to where she might be. If something does happen, well, we'll figure that out later. Right now, I want you all to get a good rest. Pakkun and I will stand guard for now and I'll wake someone else in a few hours. Any questions?" He said the words as if he were a bad actor, reading the script in a monotone.
The five of us had none and we quickly settled down to sleep. Naruto-kun slept with his back against a tree, farthest from the fire. Hinata-san crept closer to him and a small smile found its way to my lips. Ritsuki still sat near the fire. If he were to roll over in his sleep he'd get burned! Lee-kun lay on his back, staring at the tree tops over head, his arm outstretched as if to grasp my hand. I settled myself close to Kakashi-sensei and lay on my back, afraid to let it be out in the open. I crept a little bit closer to Kakashi, feeling safer close to the Jounin that I would have if I were closer to my fellow Genin.
I fell into a fitful sleep, nightmares taking over. I remember waking, being frightened by a dream, and holding onto Kakashi-sensei's wrist, hoping my watch was next.
Hinata has picked up a few medical techniques.