I do not own Naruto and his associated articles; only my OCs.
Three flashes of grey streaked past an old man who was guided an irritable donkey pulling his goods. The quadruped pulled back fearfully his ears flattening against his head. The man bellowed for the beast to stop being stubborn. A heavy swat on its backside followed. Finally, the creature started to pull the cart again. Down the wide dirt road they continued, the grey streaks soon forgotten.
Two hours they had been on the road and the group was already ahead of Akio's first prediction. The Uchiha had wondered how the medic would fare with a steadily fast pace as this. In fact, he had heard Namazu ask her if she had needed rest. She didn't responded verbally, but he assumed she declined the rest. Thus far, Manami had proven not to be a burden. The Uchiha doubted this would always be the case. He rolled his neck, checking on the seventeen year old. She was behind him to the left; her braided hair was flying in the wind. Her face was passive. Manami appeared bored.
Even now Akio didn't agree with the Hokage's decision to send Hamano into the front lines. The Uchiha had been presented with her information the week prior. At first, he had thought it a joke. He knew the Hokage had purposefully delayed his return so that he could escort the replacement medic but it was a woman. The more he read about the substitute, the more Akio concerned he become.
This Hamano person had no front line combat experience, it was written all over her records. No matter how impressive her achievements were, there had been a few, she was still a green kunoichi. Just in general, he didn't think women should be on the front. They were distractions and liable to be controlled by emotion, his understanding stemming from having three older sisters.
Back from his thoughts, he noted that the team rarely met anyone on the road. Now would likely be the only time he and Umino would have to brief 'the girl'. Akio was sure of it. Despite still being against Manami's presence, the Hokage's orders were absolute. Akio waved her forward, so she was astride with himself and Umino.
"Since we did not have time for briefing before leaving Konoha, Umino-san and I will take this time to explain the function of our squadron. If you have any questions, speak up." Manami nodded as Akio continued, "Squadron Hatake is our codename. We are, as you have already been informed, responsible for the Tactical Advancement of the Konohagakure forces. This means that we are the first on the line, carving a line in enemy territory for reinforcements to occupy. This comprises of scouting surrounding areas, finding a position with tactical advantage and securing it. Do you follow so far?"
Manami's face was thoughtful, but she nodded. Namazu picked up where Akio had left off. "These will not be your duties though. As a medic, you have your own priorities. You will be responsible for establishing and maintaining the medical bay until reinforcements are able to fill it themselves. This means you have to make requests for any supplies. A courier team will transport the materials you need on a biweekly basis, so make sure you have enough. We won't be able to send you or others to fetch more.
"You will also be responsible for upholding the health of our squadron. Including the three of us, there are nine others. This is your number one priority. Our group can't afford to lose anyone. Hatake-san will provide you with more detailed information later."
"Our objective is," Akio continued, "to expand our forces into Amegakure. So far this has been Konohagakure's main concern. Though our enemy doesn't have the numbers that we do, they all excel at water-based jutsu. This brings them to an advantage due to the constant wet conditions of their country. It seems to always rain. We've done our best to waterproof our gear but you're going to have to get used to being wet."
Manami licked her lips, "The water won't be a problem to me but there are other countries?" Both Umino and Uchiha looked at the seventeen year old tersely. She caught on quickly.
"There has been movement from Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Our spies report neither has yet openly advanced. But there is possibility that they are already in field." Akio asserted.
"So, we're looking at a scenario where there could be four different villages involved. What is our objective?" Manami was straight to the point.
Akio was sure that she had heard the rumors. Many had. Manami didn't seem to know which to believe. She was an outsider in this respect, even if she was an ally. "This is a war of protection. Rising factions have come to challenge the country due to economic disparity. They are hiring shinobi to even the odds.
"At least, that's how it started. Recently, we have found that Amegakure is no longer a hired village, but an uncontrolled force looking to expand its boundaries without restraint. Their leader Sanshouo no Hanzo poses a substantial problem. But you'll hear more about this from our commander. I will leave it at that."
His tone signaled the end of talking, leaving the Uzushiogakure kunoichi to her thoughts. It was clear that there was not a straight answer to this war. Many outside factors were involved. Konohagakure was responding to those problems as they occurred, at least that is what the Uchiha had implied. He was withholding information. How important it was she couldn't tell. Her priority revolved keeping her comrades alive.
The sun was now past its zenith, descending rapidly as the team turned north, taking route off of the road. The tree tops zoomed past the trio, the forest floor empty. It wouldn't be long until they reached the main camp. There they would deliver information from the village before moving onto their own camp. This would be the only place that Manami would be able to request supplies. Having no idea what would be left by her predecessor, Manami started to contemplate what would be required.
Though she had never been on the front line, she had the basic knowledge of how to start a medical tent. From there, she decided what would likely be needed. She would need at least two sets of surgery tools, many rolls of bandages and anti-toxins. Needles were next. As a medic kunoichi, she knew of the dangers involved with blood loss; shock, weakness, fatigue, confusion, vasoconstriction, tachycardia, tachypnea and finally death. This would be a problem that even blood pills wouldn't solve.
As strange as it would seem to even a normal medic, the blue haired woman had taken the last couple of years to stockpile her own blood. As a carrier of O-, Manami's blood would be acceptable to anyone. O was a universal donor. Her blood lacked the protein that would cause the body to attack itself if it was administered to positive blood type. It was also one of the rarer blood types, most shinobi having the A or B genotype.
The scroll that held her reserves was an article that she carefully guarded to avoid tampering. Blood could be just as deadly to a person as a kunai. For this reason, Manami had keyed the scroll to react only to the correct combination of hand seals, her chakra and her blood. She had seen the effects of tainted blood. Disease was easily spread this way. And while blood poisoning was treatable, it was extremely dangerous and painful for the one infected.
An operation table would be the next. Metal preferable. It was easiest to disinfect and could serve multiple purposes once the camp was secured, ranging from surgeries to examinations. Comfort wouldn't be significant in this situation. It would be unlikely that Manami would have to use it, as she would be in the field more often than not.
The Uzushiogakure kunoichi was forced out of her thoughts, her hand darting into her hip bag. A kunai emerged in a flash, deflecting a thrown shuriken. It embedded into a branch as she retreated with her comrades. They each had a similar weapon at hand, eyes searching the forested area for the attacker.
"Oi! It's Umino Namazu and Uchiha Akio. You dolts need to open your eyes before attacking." A black haired man appeared from a row of trees, red eyes flashing over the group. Another Uchiha. "I heard you'd be coming through this way cousin, but I didn't expect your new medic to be a twelve year old boy. Poor thing looked like he was about to-"
"Cousin, can't you tell a lady when you look at one? Being away from the village must be hard on your eyes. Perhaps it's time for you to retire, hm?" Akio interrupted, as he deposited the kunai he held into his weapon's pouch.
Two more shinobi joined the new Uchiha. They appeared to be Genin, twelve year olds who had yet to reach puberty. The taller of the two, a blonde haired boy, pulled out the embedded star and tossed it to the shorter black haired boy. The two were nervous, their hands fidgeting. Manami assumed the Uchiha male was their sensei, from the way they looked to him for guidance.
"A woman? Can't be. He looks the same as my students." Manami scowled. "Ah, now I see it. Only a woman could look as if she were cooking you alive." The man turned his attention away from Manami, "I suppose you are headed for the main encampment. We'll accompany you there, to ensure there aren't any more mishaps."
"Do as you wish, we could handle them either way, Hiroto." Akio responded, motioning for his companions to continue. They rushed through the trees making up for time lost.
"I wouldn't doubt that you could." Hiroto Uchiha affirmed, "I'm more worried about any would be assailants than I am about you. It's mostly green Genin around this part, looking to do their part in the war. And they tend to be as hasty as my students. If they see the three of us escorting you, they will leave you be."
Akio's only reply was a click of his tongue. He didn't care what his cousin did. The shinobi had other things to worry about. And Umino trusted Akio's judgment.
Manami, on the other hand, could feel the man's eyes on her or more specifically her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his eyes narrowing on the beads. He was wary of them. It was only when Hiroto reached out to touch one that Manami reacted, slapping his hand away. "Don't touch me." She hissed.
He snorted, "Yes I can see that. You've got some nasty secrets hiding in those beads. I can see the seal and chakra, but I've no idea what they are. Won't you tell me?" The man was being overbearing and Manami didn't like it.
His red and black eyes spun, making the kunoichi momentarily confused. 'What does he want me to tell him?' "I-?" Mid-thought, Manami was knocked aside, her mind coming back after the eye contact with the Uchiha had been broken. Hands were on her shoulders, balancing her, as the haze started cleared.
"THAT IS ENOUGH." Akio roared, Manami realizing he was the reason for the break. Namazu gripped her shoulders, as she regained her strength. Her confusion dispelled, as the Uzushiogakure shinobi witnessed the formerly carefree man shove his cousin against a tree.
"I put up with your behavior because we are related, but I will not stand around to see you misuse your power against an ally! You never use that Genjutsu on an ally. I don't care if you're curious about a technique or are 'just having fun'. If I ever and I mean ever see you do something like this again, I will relieve you of your eyesight and bad habits. Do I make myself clear?" Akio's voice was barely above a whisper but everyone could hear the exchange. His words made the hair on the back of Manami's neck rise.
"I u-understand." Hiroto choked.
"Get out of here. Go back to your post; we don't need your assistance." The Uchiha ordered, releasing his cousin. Hiroto scrambled away, his students following after him. "Coward." Akio sneered, spitting in the direction Hiroto ran. It was an unforeseen side to Akio. Manami had found it hard to imagine the man as being serious.
Akio turned to the blue haired kunoichi and bowed, "Please forgive me. Hiroto is my cousin and I treated him lightly despite his offense towards you. It was inappropriate of him. I do not condone his behavior towards you and respect your wish to keep your secrets your own. If we had the convenience and the time, his punishment would have been more severe."
"It is fine." She muttered, wishing forget the incident. "We should move on."
Umino gave her shoulder a last squeeze before releasing his supportive hold and taking the lead of the group. Akio and Manami followed. The silence that ensued was heavy but tolerable. A half hour later, they stood before the entrance to the main camp.
In spite of the sun dipping below the horizon, the camp was bustling with people. Namazu and Akio were not surprised, but Manami was fascinated. It was like a hive, every worker knowing their destination yet managing to avoid collision with ease. The trio proceeded to a quieter section of the camp, but the air was heavy. Though she couldn't see them, the kunoichi could feel eyes everywhere, watching them suspiciously.
The three parted ways a moment later after the older shinobi found a guide for Manami. Umino and Uchiha left to report to the leading authority in the camp, while Hamano was led to the supply chief. Yuji was the name of the shinobi quartermaster; a quiet man with brown hair and dark orange eyes. He was quick and efficient, leading her through the supplies' tent with two clerks, consulting Manami occasionally for certain sets of items before nodding to the a clerk who would pull the scrutinized items from storage.
Neither of the clerks or the quartermaster were proficient with sealing jutsu. A large back scroll was given for this purpose, leaving the blue haired woman's own scrolls free of burden. They cleared the area, leaving the Uzushiogakure kunoichi to her seals.
There didn't seem to be much of a schedule now that they were in camp. Manami took her time, carefully documenting and sealing items into the scroll. The sun set long before she finished.
Manami sighed from fatigue as she wiped the excess ink from her hands, satisfied with her handiwork. Her body and mind were tired after a week's worth of non-stop traveling. Her chakra was untouched as usual. Even as a child, Manami had an abnormally high amount of chakra and now that the ocean of energy had been paired with precise control, she never seemed to run out. It was one of the elements that set her above other medics in her class, her ability to continue treatments when others' chakra had run dry.
But like all good things, it came with drawbacks. Her Genjutsu was a joke and her strength dismal. The majority of her ninjutsu were medical related and what wasn't medical was considered average, in most cases. She theorized that her water jutsu could be an advantage in this war but she suspected, as a front line medic, she was not to focus on battle. Manami did have speed and wit on her side a major contribution to her Chuunin status. She severely doubted that she would ever make Jounin rank though.
Those thoughts aside, the blue haired kunoichi knew that she would have to relocate her team members to make their next move. Locating Squadron Hatake would be their next priority but their location was unknown. She hoped that Akio and Namazu, during their meeting, would learn their destination, even if it was vague. If not, they undoubtedly would be stuck at the camp for a while longer.
Setting off, she didn't see Yuji or his clerks. It wasn't too strange after seeing how busy the camp was, but now she was on her own. Moving through rows of tents, some shinobi would pause and watch her walk by. Others would flat out ignore her, caught in their own worlds. Adding to the confusion was a dog. He was a medium sized breed with wiry grey brown hair and large brown eyes; its nose was black. Around his neck was a thick blue hitai-ate that served as a collar, though no name tags or identification was visible. Manami wasn't sure where he had come from.
At first, she tried to ignore the dog. He sniffed at her leg and then would wonder to a tent and sniff around there. But whenever she moved on in her search, he was automatically at her heel or close behind following. After a while, he would nudge at her hand, inciting an absentminded pet or whack her leg with his tail. He was more than likely someone's ninken. Someone's overly friendly ninken she decided, when the wiry hound pushed its nose between her legs.
She stepped away and shook a single finger at him, "No." The dog smiled at her or at least seemed to. It was a bit unnerving. She liked dogs in general, though she had never had one as a pet. This dog seemed different though. Like it knew what it was doing. Ninken were renowned for their intelligence, so there was a chance it knew. Perhaps she was more exhausted than she had originally thought.
The wiry hound started to playfully bite at her new flak vest, pulling her towards the southern side of the camp. It became clear that he was trying to lead her. "What? You want me to follow you?" He yipped in response, his tail waving patiently. Her thin lips pursed at the dog, "Fine but don't expect me to be excited." The dog gave an exaggerated impression of rolling its eyes, before trotting down the rows of tents.
The grey brown hound seemed to know where it was going. It didn't sniff the air or the ground to find its way. In fact, it seemed to be observing all the people that it passed, like memorizing faces. Every once in a while, a shinobi would pat the dog's head as he passed by or acknowledge him with a curt nod. It was clear that these shinobi were either used to his presence or knew the dog's owner well.
When Akio and Namazu emerged from a tent, they weren't surprised to see the blue haired kunoichi. Akio smiled as he patted the dog's head, "I see Yoko found you. I didn't think he would take long. He's a top-notch tracker." The dog preened visibly from the praise. "We're going to rest here for three or four hours before heading out. I would suggest you get some sleep while Umino-san and I work out final details. Yoko is our guide to camp."
The brown eyed woman nodded, as she shimmied the scroll from her back. A quick sleep would do her well if they were to travel at night. Words were exchanged, as the trio decided to meet three hours by the gate they had entered. The three separated, though the ninken chose to stay with Manami. Together, they found a quiet corner to the side of camp and settled in for a short sleep. Manami leaned against a wall, legs stretched out comfortably with the scroll's strap wrapped tightly in her left hand. Her other hand settled on Yoko's neck, the dog resting its head on her lap.
While it hadn't seemed like much time, Manami was gently waked by Yoko licking the palm of her hand. Sighing, the kunoichi stretched and scratched behind the hound's ear. Though she doubted that she would have slept through her set three hours, the kunoichi was upset. Manami had slept a lot deeper than what was safe. She would have to be more conscious of her condition to avoid sleeping this heavily in the future. Yoko nudged her with his head reminding her of their deadline. The kunoichi climbed to her feet, rolling the scroll onto her back once again and headed for the gate.
Neither the Uchiha nor the Umino were at present when she arrived. They had said that it could take up to fours, but she mused that it was better early than late. Manami at least had the insight to move her travel rations from her standard Uzushiogakure uniform to the Konohagakure field one. From the vest, she produced a slightly squished grain bar. It was a mixture of various grains, used to fill the stomach, fruit for sweetness and vitamins and honey to keep it all together. Her body heat must have warmed the honey a bit too much, as the bar collapsed. She quickly scarfed it down.
Her stomach growled, wanting more. Frowning she fetched another from her vest and set to unwrap it when the smell of food became prominent. Umino Namazu had appeared next to her, holding a bowl of steaming food. "I figured Akio would have forgotten to mention to visit the cook's before we left. He forgets about his subordinates at times. I hope you like Saury and rice. It's all they had."
The bowl was handed over to her, a salt-broiled fish staring up at her from a bed of rice. She didn't want to admit it to the tanned shinobi, but it was one of her favorite dishes. Her no-nin cousins were still fisherman and would bring her grandmother plenty of fish from their daily load. "Thank you Umino-san. It looks good." She murmured.
"You're more than welcome." He contemplated for a moment, "May I give you some advice, Hamano-san?" Manami looked up from her food and nodded. She was puzzled to his need. "I don't want to seem rude, but about our camp… you'll be the only female there and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable. If you need to talk or have questions, I'll be there. The others, apart from me and Hatake-san, like to be a little over malicious to the green shinobi, as we've all been assigned together multiple times.
"I don't think Akio meant to forget about the food but I don't want things to happen like this in the camp. I want to look out for you as your Sempai. So don't let the others bully you or tell you what to do. You answer to Hatake-san alone as an ally from Uzushiogakure, not a Konohagakure shinobi." He bowed his head in apology, "Sorry Hamano-san, I've kept you from your food. Please eat."
A brief look of amusement crossed Manami's face before she started on the warm meal. In some ways, Namazu was still worried. The Uzushiogakure girl seemed nice… maybe nice wasn't the right word. Polite was a closer fit. She wasn't talkative and followed orders a little too well. She also gave off a vibe of unfriendliness, though he suspected this had less to do with not liking people and more to do with her introvert personality.
As an analyst, he had spent time studying personality traits and their connection to developing shinobi. It was how he had met Sei. She was an assistant instructor at the academy when he had been studying children's behavior and personality traits. Some highly intelligent shinobi would often exhibit introverted personality traits; reveling in time spent alone and displeasure in spending time in large groups of people.
Manami had exhibited some of these traits. Even as he had spoken to her moments before, he could see her discomfort battling with her need to be well-mannered and attentive. Or the way she had found a quiet place in the busiest part of camp away from the beaten path of people. A place where no one would speak to her. He would mention it to Hatake-san later until then he would continue to observe.
When she had finished, Manami offered the bowl to Yoko. The hound happily cleared the bowl of any leftovers. Akio appeared next. He was finished in camp and accompanied by four shinobi who would be traveling with the medic who was leaving the camp. Things progressed quickly from there as the team set out for squadron Hatake's newest location.
Yoko took the lead, with Akio following directly behind. Umino and one of the new members flanked the Uchiha, leaving the remaining three to close the formation from behind. Though it was a highly volatile position, Manami took the rear. No one seemed to mind or care that the replacement medic took the back, apparently assured that she wouldn't have a problem there.
The pace they set was much faster than what the trio had ran on their way to the base camp. And it was completely quiet. Every step was soft, barely noticeable to even the trained Kunoichi's ears. Silence and speed were their main objectives tonight.
Every once in a while, Yoko would change directions on them, turning the team hard to the left or right. The team followed easily. It seemed that Yoko was intent on confusing anyone that tried to follow them by backtracking continually and taking detours. Despite that, they made good time.
Four hours after departing their pace slowed until they came to a stop. The hound sniffed the air and then the ground. Whatever it was, it seemed that he had found what he was looking for. Yoko let out a long monotone howl, the tone grating on everyone's ears. The flicker of an illuminated camp appeared beyond the trees before disappearing again. A Genjutsu. A very strong Genjutsu. Manami was in awe. She had never seen such a complicated illusion or anything even close. She was glad that Konohagakure were her village's ally in an instant.
The howl died off, though the ninken seemed very pleased with himself. The Genjutsu opened, allowing the newcomers to enter what the illusion hid, the Squadron Hatake's camp.
Thank you for reading chapter two, though it took so long to be produced.
Reviews and critiques are appreciated.