Chapter 163
Out of the Frying Pan: Where the Last War Ended, Where the New War Begins
Tsunade had suspected a duplicitous scheme behind the Waterfall Village's sudden immigration request from the moment it appeared on her desk.
They had to be hatching a plot to further benefit themselves. Nothing else made sense in the current climate, especially from a neutral Village like the Waterfall, who stood to gain a great deal by maintaining neutrality as two Great Nations warred.
Their stated reason for the mission didn't add up in the least. She wasn't some young, naïve kid, ignorant to how the unscrupulous and, frankly, dishonest game of politics and national interests was played.
They had carefully veiled their true aim behind pleasantries which felt off. They were intentionally vague and unassuming, furthering the innate suspicion the Fifth Hokage felt deep in her gut.
Furthermore, the tense political climate resulting from the Stone Village's so-called "training exercise" on the border of the Grass Village provided an even greater reason to doubt their intentions. Again, the Waterfall had too much to gain from neutrality to pick a side this early in the game of war.
They were probably hoping to plant spies within the Leaf's forces, messengers who would filter information to the Waterfall on which way the winds of war were blowing. Maybe even saboteurs to alter the direction to better suit their profits, or prolong the conflict for similar purposes.
After all, with two of the Great Nations in their direct surrounding environment weakened, they could capitalize and build themselves into a military or economic powerhouse in the vacuum their weakness would cause.
There were also worst case scenarios to prepare for, such as an assassination attempt on a Leaf shinobi to gain favor with the Stone, or the possibility of a deal already struck between Waterfall and Stone shinobi which granted the latter permission to act within their region with complete deniability.
For that reason, on such a suspicious mission, Tsunade sent Amaririsu, knowing full well her eyes would see through their deceptions, and Yūgao Uzuki and the Crows would protect her should those worst case scenarios come true.
Yet, as always, the old adage proved true.
Man makes plans, and the Gods laugh.
"The Waterfall has suffered a coup?" Shizune gasped.
"Yes," Atsuko dipped her beak sharply. "Their Village leader, Shibuki, was deposed, and then slain in combat. For all intents and purposes, the Waterfall Village and its Nation are now apart of the Land of Earth."
Tsunade, fingers interlaced and elbows braced on her desk, could only tighten her hands. In other words, she thought, the Stone's military now sit directly on our northern border.
Of all the possible scenarios to come true…
Atsuko went on to provide a detailed report of all Amaririsu had learned up to her latest contact with Osamu, painting a vivid picture of the utter chaos—of the war—the young shinobi now found herself in.
Amaririsu and Yūgao are trapped behind enemy lines. Dammit. A frustrated knot formed between her brow. This is even worse than I imagined. The Stone managed to pull off a silent coup d'état in the Waterfall right beneath all of our noses. And I sent those two right into the lion's den.
The time for lamenting mistakes could come later. The time for anxiously wringing her hands over the Stone's new territory and the puppet government they installed, and how it may effect the war, had to come later.
Right now Amaririsu and Yūgao needed all the support she could provide. She had to help them get home safely.
"At the moment," Tsunade began when Atsuko finished briefing them on the situation, hands firmly clasped together, "our estimations place at least a half of a company of Stone and Waterfall shinobi pursuing Amaririsu and Shibuki's loyalists.
"We can't assume they don't have reinforcements waiting in the wings, however. They were planning to eliminate Shibuki, his forces, and a jinchūriki. No easy task to complete, even with superior numbers. Especially if the Seven-Tails jinchūriki is well-trained or possesses any control of their Tailed-Beast.
"So, we're likely looking at the bare minimum of a hundred shinobi. Worst case, with reinforcements, they may have more than a single company on standby, waiting to bolster the first. If that is the case, that could add anywhere between a few dozen, to a few hundred more enemy combatants to divert, eliminate, and escape from."
Tsunade shifted her jaw. Thoughts and potential plans flitted through her mind like shooting stars.
Amaririsu and Yūgao weren't in any position to hold their ground and fight back. They weren't in the Waterfall to eliminate any specific target to achieve a mission. Now their mission had one parameter and one alone.
Get the hell out of enemy territory.
"The Stone and Waterfall may try to pursue Amaririsu and the others into the Land of Fire. Atsuko," she looked to the Crow perched on her desk, "I need your agents to alert all of our shinobi on the border to the current situation. Also, I want a report as soon as you're able to provide one on the current status of the Grass Village."
A dark expression formed on the Hokage's face, matching her dark thoughts.
"If the Stone have had control over the Waterfall this long, they may have been filtering troops in through their shared border, where we failed to see them," she said. "We need to know if they've already taken control of the Grass as well."
"At once, Lady Hokage."
The Head of the Crows reverse summoned herself, vanishing from the office.
"Shizune," Tsunade turned her chair and rose from her desk, "summon the members of the QRF. Have them report to the rooftop immediately."
"Yes, milady."
Shizune turned on her heel and hurried out the door, with Tsunade marching close behind.
For a jinchūriki, the Stone and Waterfall may be willing to cross into the Land of Fire and draw first blood, she thought, brow furrowed and expression intense.
It was always a matter of time. I just never anticipated it'd happen exactly like this. The Waterfall should've been the last Village to fall. It should've remained neutral, yet here we are.
Traitors and rogues were willing to sell anything for more power. Even the independence of their Nation, apparently.
As Tsunade exited her office, an important detail Atsuko had mentioned crossed her mind.
"Young Haya wanted us to know, no matter what, she will rescue the Seven-Tails jinchūriki. And, as Head of the Uchiha Clan she will defend them from anyone, even the Foundation and the Elders, if she must."
Tsunade flattened her lips together. She wasn't surprised Amaririsu would be willing to go so far for a jinchūriki. Even if they were a stranger. But dammit would it make everything a whole lot more difficult.
After befriending Naruto and Gaara, not to mention meeting her grandmother thanks to Mizuki, Amaririsu's compassion and understanding of the struggle jinchūriki faced went far beyond the average person.
Now she was witnessing firsthand what Nations and shinobi were willing to do to claim that power for themselves.
Amaririsu would be true to her word. No two ways about it, she would step out of the shadows and use the power of her position as Head of the Uchiha Clan to stand between the Foundation and Elders and the Seven-Tails jinchūriki, if the former sought to remove the Tailed-Beast or the girl.
That was just the kind of altruistic kid Amaririsu was.
Bringing back the Seven-Tails is the right call, Tsunade thought, stepping out onto the landing of the stairway wrapping around the tower and turning to ascend the stairs. Not merely for altruistic reasons, either. It'll keep the power of a third Tailed-Beast out of the Stone's grasps, and bolster our military strength, if the kid can learn to control it.
However, at the same time, bringing back the Seven-Tails will alter the balance of power throughout the shinobi world. For the first time in its history, since Grandfather first bargained off the Tailed-Beasts, the Leaf will possess two of the Tailed-Beasts. Who knows what sort of headaches that will cause. Beyond the war.
Will it entice the Cloud to attack us? Will the Akatsuki see us as a priority target?
The whole situation with the jinchūriki would be a mess, she could feel it.
Within the Leaf, the Foundation leader and the Elders would rise onto their creaking old bones to claw at her door, demanding, doubtlessly, all sorts of antiquated ideas. It would be a fight. A big one Tsunade wouldn't back down from.
She, too, had strong opinions about the treatment of jinchūriki. Specifically Tobirama's treatment of her grandmother, something she and the Elders—especially him—would never see eye to eye on.
Outside of the Leaf she would have the delicate political dance of maintaining peace with the Sand and building inroads with the Mist, while fighting off a war against the Stone, and handling any fallout with the Cloud.
And now Amaririsu would potentially take on a more direct role as Head of the Uchiha Clan?
Great. She could already feel the migraine coming on.
I'll figure out some way to maneuver us through all of this. For now…
For now the next several hours were crucial. What they learned and the preparations they accomplished would determine how smooth or chaotic their immediate future would be.
Either way, there was no point pretending anymore.
The Third Great Ninja War had resumed.
Eruptions of paper bombs rippled and roared one after another. Superheated dirt, blackened by the explosives, ejected off the ground like volcanic geysers, splattering across the bodies of nearby shinobi and raining upon the black feathers of the Crows whistling through the air.
Shockwaves rattled through all of their bodies. Ribbons of smoke rose at the epicenter of the explosions. Shinobi attired in now tattered, singed, and bloody outfits colored red and violet could be seen amid the carnage, their still, eviscerated and charred corpses covered in grime and gore.
Yet, though the explosions left behind ringing ears, the shrill clang of metal on metal and the cries of dying shinobi pierced the air loud and clear.
Razor sharp winds whirred, shredding flesh. Earth unsettled and shifted at the command of shinobi. Fires licked, singed, or set ablaze the warm, sweaty skin of the Stone and Waterfall pursuing the Leaf-led unit.
Amid the fury of battle, Amari balanced between fending off the shinobi to break through the Crows considerable line of defense while simultaneously retreating.
Leaping backwards across the open field they'd unfortunately come across—the fates were intent on trying to kill them, clearly—she quickly slashed her tantō through the air, deflecting a barrage of shuriken.
At the same time, as whirling shuriken ricocheted noisily off her blade, a Waterfall shinobi leapt into the air behind the barrage, preparing to attack from above, hands shifting through handseals. Another attempted to rush in from her flank, blade drawn to cut her down.
Teeth grit, Amari's free hand flashed into her pouch and whipped out in less than a blink.
Two kunai whistled free, flying seamlessly through the barrage of shuriken she was evading and deflecting her way through with quick, elegant motions. The kunais whistled past the airborne Waterfall shinobi.
He only heard the crinkle of paper as they passed, hands settling into their final handseal.
The enemy shinobi vanished amid the sudden flash of light and smoke, momentarily.
As the explosion engulfed the shinobi, Amari snapped her crimson gaze to the violet attired shinobi dashing in from her side, nearly within two strides of entering striking range.
The Waterfall shinobi's eyes went wide, his legs went slack, and then he crashed face first onto the grassy field. He soon clutched his head as he began to scream bloody murder, as though his body was being torn apart, limb by limb, organ by organ.
His flying comrade crashed nearby. Dead.
Amari bounded backwards across the field, moving closer to her unit via short leaps instead of large ones; she couldn't afford to lose her footing or render herself vulnerable with so many enemy shinobi afoot.
The shinobi responsible for the barrage of shuriken charged in as she retreated. Simultaneously, a long wall of Earth shot up behind her, blocking the Leaf kunoichi from her comrades. Her heart jumped when she felt the earth beneath her suddenly drop, and with it her footing vanished completely.
Damn!
The charging shinobi let out a roar as he neared. Had he been closer he may have seen the dark silhouettes approaching in the crimson and lavender reflection of her eyes. Had he not roared, and had his heart not been pounding, he may have heard their beating wings and the sudden whirr of razor sharp wind.
The powerful gale struck his back, shredding his armor and pinning him to the earth, but the flock of Crows did not stop to finish him off. His grievous injuries, they knew, would claim him soon enough. They barreled past, flocking to defend their vulnerable comrade.
An instant later Amari's body dispersed into Crows, ascending and flying over and onto the other side of the wall.
The flock darted towards their retreating unit and, specifically, an allied Waterfall shinobi with bandages around his head, caught between two Stone shinobi.
Amari's flaming tantō appeared first out of the mass of feathers and cawing birds. The initial strike cut the Stone shinobi along the back of his knees, severing tendons and muscle, immobilizing him completely
Before the attack could register, however, Amari made her second strike as she fully emerged. She spun low along the ground like a dust devil beneath the second Stone shinobi's guard, then rapidly rose as she cut him from right hip to left shoulder.
The two Stone shinobi collapsed in a heap of agony-filled wails.
"Thanks!" the allied Waterfall shinobi thanked over their screams.
He quickly leapt away.
"Whatever you do, don't stop retreating," she commanded of the Waterfall shinobi, following after him.
This wasn't a battle they could win. No, they'd already been soundly defeated. They lost any chance at an offensive maneuver when the Stone and Suien wrested control of the Waterfall from its rightful leader.
Any attempt to hold their ground this deep behind enemy lines would be utterly pointless and self-destructive, like an impoverished family throwing money into a wishing well, or gambling it all away. Any attempt to fortify a position and fight back was suicidal.
All we can do now is retreat. All we can do is live to fight another day. That's our mission. Retreat into the Land of Fire and live to fight another day.
There was no other choice. There was nothing more they could do for the Waterfall. Not right now. Not with such a meager force, not from such a disadvantageous position.
Retreat was their only option. Because death, Amari decided, was forbidden.
With her Byakugan she quickly scanned the entire battlefield. Kazama's battalion stretched out from their unit in all directions, heading off the copious enemy forces wherever they may attack from. Their black feathers blotted the otherwise bright afternoon sky.
There isn't an end to these guys, the kunoichi thought, hand tightening around the hilt of her blade.
They had to be dealing with more than half a company. Everywhere she looked there were enemy shinobi gathered together from squads of four and five to ten and more. They dotted the landscape in nearly the same abundance as the Crows.
Or did it seem like an innumerable number of enemy shinobi simply for the desperate nature of their situation? Possible.
However, reinforcements seemed more likely. Their true enemy—Suien and the Stone's leadership—were willing to throw as many bodies as necessary to eliminate Shibuki and capture the jinchūriki.
Miss Anbu regrouped with their unit, joined by one of the other men from the Waterfall; Amari hadn't learned their names yet, there wasn't time for proper introductions.
Behind them were enemy shinobi strewn over the field, cut down by the Anbu agent's blade and Wind Style ninjutsu. Sunlight shimmered in the crimson rivers dripping from her sword, the blood of their pursuers, flowing—pouring—into the grass and earth, nourished the land with the nutrients of conflict.
Crows swept over the battlefield. Streams of Fire and gales of Wind expelled from their beaks, unleashing a vast swath of devastation upon the enemy shinobi.
Some were caught in the flames; Amari saw them stumble, collapse, or run out of the blast, flames shrouding their bodies like burning candle wicks. Others found themselves trapped between the wall of Earth previously erected and the flames. There was no escape from their wrath. No forgiveness. No second-chances.
No quarter.
Thanks for the help, all of you.
Once again the Crows managed to give them some breathing room. Without them…
"Pick up the pace," Miss Anbu called, sharing the same thought as Amari.
They needed to build some distance while they could. Preferably before another unit sprang in from their flanks.
They've altered our course significantly already, the Nara noted. We had a straight path for the border before. Now we're heading southwest
Their original path had nearly led them straight into an ambush. Were it not for the Crows and Miss Anbu's keen sensory abilities, they wouldn't have seen it coming.
Unfortunately, that took them from a straight shot to the Land of Fire to their current trajectory, which put them on a path to Kannabi Bridge within the Grass Village's Land.
If they could just get some more breathing room…
If they could just reach allied territory…
Along the Land of Fire's border with the Grass Village, shinobi of the Leaf blending amongst the trees and foliage monitored the length of the border, from the rivers that passed between their Nations, to well-known roads and off-the-record paths, both new and old, utilized throughout history by shinobi and, of course, by only the best smugglers.
Although the Leaf shinobi presumed the Grass Village maintained control of their Nation, for the only individuals to cross the border so far were traveling merchants and vetted refugees seeking to escape a war they believed inevitable before it truly began, their continued patrol was a matter of risk mitigation.
Already the Stone shinobi attempted infiltration through their shared border with the Waterfall. They would try again eventually. The Stone were dead set on a war, that was as plain to see as the bulbous nose on the Tsuchikage's face.
Shinobi of the Stone, least of all the Tsuchikage, wouldn't tuck tail and run away because of one failed attempt; they were an obstinate people, though they would doubtlessly describe themselves proud and determined instead.
So, for the sake of security, the border guards remained at alert despite their presumptions of the Grass's competence, and as fresh alerts to heighten security began to filter in from the Crows of the Leaf, warning of the grim developments within the Waterfall, their vigilance was vindicated.
The war had finally begun.
Naruto, for his part, had yet to learn anything of the grim developments. He knew nothing of the fall of the Waterfall, nor the frantic life-or-death situation his teammate was caught within. He had no idea the war was afoot.
At that moment, border duty still felt like a big, boring chore.
He had front row seats to a whole bunch of nothing. Just another peaceful afternoon. Leaves rustled beneath a gentle, almost non-existent breeze. He heard the flutter of wings and strange calls or cries of a few birds as they defended their nest. The river ahead of him flowed undisturbed.
All the same, Naruto didn't lower his guard. He kept at alert for obvious reasons; it's not like the risk of the Stone invading was lost on him. No way he wanted to go down as the guy who goofed off and let the enemy slip by, so he had his Shadow Clones stationed throughout the forest with him.
Crouching on a branch, monitoring a length of the river, Naruto couldn't help but exhale a bored sigh.
Man, I'd find more excitement at a bingo hall than out here. Why did I get picked for border patrol anyway?
The question was a dumb one, he could admit. He already knew why Granny Tsunade picked him; she hadn't spelled it out to him, and didn't need to.
With his Shadow Clones they could spread a wider net along the border on the chance someone did try to cross, like they were now. Not only that, he added combat strength to their unit, consisting of Shino, Ino, and Anko Mitarashi.
They were a mishmash of weirdos and crazy people, in Ino's own words. Whispered, of course, when said crazy proctor was far out of ear shot.
Naruto couldn't agree more, actually. Between their former proctor, Ino's grudge over his concussed mistake, and Shino being…Shino, they were a whole witches pot of strangeness mixed together.
I mean, I suppose we make a good team for border patrol, he ruminated, humming in boredom. My Shadow Clones, Shino's creepy bugs, Ino's sensory abilities, and Anko's tracking experience mean our area's pretty much locked down.
And sure, being here beat doing errand missions. Amari, from what he heard, pulled the short straw once again, stuck on what was doubtlessly a dumb and dull D-rank mission a hop and skip away in the Waterfall.
But still! Kakashi had taken Sasuke with him on some sort of mission. Given the situation in the Leaf, it was probably something super cool; Sasuke would end up coming back with a whole lot of experience and be that much farther ahead of him again.
Sakura was training with Tsunade last time he saw her, and she was pushing herself as hard as anyone, so she would totally be even farther ahead by the time he got back.
Why couldn't Pervy Sage come back already and, you know, train him like he promised.
Naruto tried not to groan. He didn't succeed.
I know this is important, I know that no news is good news, but man, he rubbed the back of his neck, I hate just sitting around when I could be training. Or if Pervy Sage ever shows his face again I could ask him about my mom. Just…something better than watching this stream.
Griping about it didn't change anything. A mission was a mission. And they had to keep the border secure.
For what felt like an eternity he monitored the stream, trying to find any manner of way to keep himself focused and motivated, like promising himself if he just stay focused a little longer, he'd treat himself to several bowls of ramen with extra pork once they got home.
When that inevitably ran its course, he created another Shadow Clone to take his place then leapt down from the tree, where he then performed a few light bodyweight exercises, if only to get his blood pumping.
Afterwards he switched places with his new Shadow Clone, knowing he couldn't risk doing anything too strenuous, and had his duplicate work on chakra control training. It was something, at least. Important, too, since he needed to finer tune his control if he ever hoped to use one of those Chakra Chains.
How Lady Mito used so many with ease still blew his mind. The technique was super difficult.
Eventually, once again, he felt his patience thin. Boredom had already stormed into the control room in an attempt to seize his focus, when sudden movement across the stream—a human shape—caught his eye. Then he ejected his boredom faster than a brothel's bouncer could eject a moneyless pervert.
Squinting, he tried to discern their identity, but couldn't make out much of the person at first. They were running—stumbling at times—towards the stream. They had a hand pressed to their abdomen.
The closer they neared, the more they came into focus. It was a man garbed in shinobi attire of the Grass Village, he realized. They reached the stream, took two steps across it, then fell straight in.
Naruto inhaled sharply, but hesitated to move for the briefest of moments.
Did he risk alerting someone potentially disguising themselves to their presence? Or did he jump in and save them?
The water began to darken around the man.
It's blood!
Naruto no longer possessed a grain of hesitation.
He leapt from the shadows, down to the bank, dashing onto the river, and to the floundering man's side. He was struggling to float, let alone swim. Naruto threw his arm into the river, grabbed the Grass shinobi's free arm, and yanked it as high as he could to pull his head out of the water.
"I've got ya!"
"Leaf shinobi, please," the man pleaded through coughs.
"Hang on, Mister! I'll get you help!"
"The Stone…Ngh…The Stone have…invaded… Refugees…need help."
And with those words the events of his boring day, and the world, changed irreversibly.
The assault and invasion of the Grass Village began an hour before noon.
Few would know how it truly began. In the chaos and disarray of sudden explosions and war, too few would know the Stone had bought mercenaries, turned Grass shinobi against their Nation, and managed to plant spies deep within the Grass Village.
They wouldn't know the Waterfall Village had already fallen. They wouldn't know squadrons of Stone shinobi had infiltrated their Nation through their northern border with the Waterfall for an unknowable period of time, all while their eyes were drawn to the major force settled within the Land of Earth.
Too few would realize the enemy were already within the Village, attacking them from behind their lines as Stone shinobi breached the walls.
Those fortunate to survive attempted betrayals would be overcome by paranoia, thus intensifying the expanding disarray and disorganization among the Grass shinobi.
The Village leader, it would be learned later, was slain in the uprising. Skewered and eviscerated by blades drenched in poison.
On the battlefield, due to the killings or betrayal of top commanders, the chain of command crumbled like an ill-maintained bridge suffering from years of erosion.
As smoke began to rise from the village, the few who understood the severity of the sudden turn of events, who recognized the collapse of their Village through the explosions and smoke, gathered their comrades and what refugees they could and fled, leaving those lost in the chaos to hold back the enemy forces.
It was all they could do.
Among the shinobi and refugees was a small girl bearing hair as red as the fresh blood being spilled within the Grass Village.
Attired in a purple skirt, a light brown short-sleeved jacket bearing an orange stripe across its chest, the girl only took one glance back at the Village, adjusting her brown-framed glasses as she did.
Ribbons of smoke rose from the Village like industrial smoke stacks, coalescing above it in a thick, impenetrable veil of grey and black; the blue sky had vanished, as had the sun.
She could still see the fires, even at a distance. She could hear the distant rumble of explosives. In that single glance she watched a tall building collapse in on itself, disappearing from the horizon, as though it had never existed at all.
None of it felt real. Yet it was, snd though the Stone had conquered the Grass Village by noon, it wasn't the Stone the young girl was afraid of.
No, it was the giant white bird flying above the Village and the disturbing chakra she felt from the person responsible for the explosives that filled her with fear and dread. It should've been them the Grass shinobi directed their immediate attention, and fear, towards.
They wouldn't. It would cost them many lives, and their Nation.
Karin took one last look at the Grass Village. It was the Village she'd known all of her life, now consumed in smoke, fire and death.
It was the Village that had taken her mother's life.
The Village that had only caused her torment.
She wasn't sad to see it burning. No. She wasn't sad at all.
This may finally be my chance, thought the young girl.
Perhaps the fall of the Grass was a blessing in disguise.
Perhaps she could finally escape imprisonment. Perhaps she could finally be free.
Before they killed her, too.
"The Grass has fallen," said the Grass shinobi, voice strong despite the exhaustion he felt.
Anko hummed deep in her chest, lips screwed in a frown as she knelt next to the supine man, now bandaged. Ino Yamanaka continued to tend to his injuries.
Kenshi, the Grass shinobi Naruto found, was lucky the kid now knew rudimentary Medical Ninjutsu.
Had she squandered her time since the Chūnin Exams, he wouldn't have the gentle glow of Medical Ninjutsu soothing the aches of his wounds. He'd only have pain. Or, more likely, he'd be seeing a different light—that once-in-a-lifetime light they'd all see eventually.
And then they—the living—would be stuck in the dark.
Looks like the war's finally started, she thought pensively. The Stone's walked right through the Waterfall and the Grass.
She'd received that lovely bombshell mere moments before Naruto showed up with Kenshi. Now the Crow to deliver the message loomed on her shoulder, listening, learning, preparing a new report for the Hokage and the Head of the Crows.
"What about your surviving units?" Anko asked. "Any commanders among you? Jōnin? Anyone who can gather the survivors and organize them?"
"A few. However, our ranks are dominated by great confusion. Everything has happened so quickly. The Village is in control of the enemy. Betrayal within our own ranks has bred paranoia, and paranoia has begun destroying us from within. We're uncertain where we can go within our own Nation. Do the Stone have shinobi in every town? Every small Village? Are our allies there truly allies?"
"How could your comrades betray their people—their friends—like that?" Naruto wondered angrily, hovering nearby with Shino Aburame.
"Self-preservation, most likely," answered the Aburame, hands stuffed in his jacket's pockets. "They may have believed the Stone would be the 'winners' of this conflict. It's common in war for those on the perceived 'losing side' to become turncoats. Why? Because: They do not wish to die in what they see as an ultimately futile battle, so they join the 'winning side' to evade death.
"Clearly their comrades mean nothing to them. They should be shown no quarter, should we ever encounter them."
Anko smirked. I like this kid.
"However, if the Stone's focus remains on capturing the Village and any key fortifications surrounding it, that may be advantageous to their retreat," Shino added.
"How do you figure that?" Naruto questioned.
"It's simple. What is required to take a fortification? People. Shinobi, specifically. Taking the Village and the fortifications was the easy part; the Stone executed their plan perfectly. Now they must prepare to hold these fixed positions. That will be more difficult for two reasons.
"First, it will require the mobilization of their forces at the border, which will take time. Second, there are likely pockets of Grass shinobi already gathering to resist and attempt to retake their Village. This will lead to more of the Stone, Waterfall, and their mercenary allies holding their position, allowing those retreating with the refugees time to reach our border.
"You might say they're buying us time with their lives as we speak."
"My commander already spoke of trying to hold onto our Nation. Even if it's only a sliver here at the border," Kenshi spoke up. "But, for now, our priority is seeing the injured and the civilians to safety. The Stone and their allies are killing indiscriminately."
"How horrible," Ino said.
"That's war for you," Anko said in a low voice.
It'd be more of the same, and worse, until the war finally ended.
"Where's your unit now? Are they near the border?" she asked.
"There's a map…" He stretched his trembling right arm out, pointing to his nearby flak jacket. "In the third pocket of the right breast. I've marked the town they're heading to. The town we intend to hold, until the war ends, or until we meet our judgement."
You're planning to go back once you're healed, she realized without surprise or shock.
No. She understood. In his place, were it the Leaf and her comrades planning to hold a sliver of the Land of Fire from the Stone, she'd return voluntarily, healed or injured, to help them fight back.
Anko stretched to the jacket and pulled it closer, opening the third pocket and pulling a roll of paper from it. The weather-proof flak jacket and Naruto's quick action preserved its contents.
The Crow on her shoulder scanned the map as well.
"What's the deal? Is it nearby?" Naruto asked.
Nearby was a liberal use of the word. Like saying hot wax stung when it touched bare flesh.
Based on what she knew of the terrain, it was near enough to be actionable, but not so near for a clean getaway to be an easy task. That they'd be guarding over refugees and wounded made a rescue operation complicated. The risk of spies blending into the group also added risk.
"Hey," she turned her head to the Crow, "I need you to report everything we've learned to the Head of the Crows and Lady Hokage. Also, see if you can find a replacement unit for us.
"If we're going to do this," Anko drew her eyes back to the map, "then there's no room for hot-headed actions or impatience."
Genma would've chuckled at that. Her? Taking measured and patient actions? Might as well expect a whale to walk on dry land.
Hot-headed behavior and impatience were her style, traits she and Naruto both shared. He wanted to just leap into action without thought, she could tell; Anko felt a similar sensation in her gut to rally her unit and rush to the town as soon as possible to rescue the civvies.
However, they'd be utter fools to take off now. Kenshi already mentioned spies and the rational fear of Stone shinobi in every town.
No, rash action would only put their lives in greater danger and the Leaf's security at risk. They wouldn't be of any help to the refugees and wounded if they rushed off ill-prepared straight into an ambush, or if their exit became compromised by the Stone's forces.
As expected, Naruto didn't like the sound of her plan at all.
"But every second we waste here is giving the enemy a chance to regroup and take out the refugees," Naruto argued
A colder shinobi may have brushed it off. The Grass and their refugees were allies, sure, a colder shinobi would've countered, but they weren't their people. Better to fortify their position, even if it cost those people their lives.
Anko wasn't so cold-blooded. She was nothing like her former Master.
"Don't count our allies out so quickly," she chastised the little hothead. "The Stone played dirty and took them by surprise. But those guys will fight to keep a sliver of their Nation free to the last man. Just like any of us would.
"Besides, if we run off now we'll just leave the border unprotected, and spies or Stone shinobi may try to slip through. They'll compromise our exit. So we need someone to man our posts before we help anyone. Once the border's secure, we can take action."
They'll just have to hold out in the meantime, she thought. None of us like it. You may even think it's unfair, you little hothead. But war is unfair. It's dirty and horrible. You need to get used to it.
"Got everything?" she asked the Crow.
The bird dipped its beak and reverse summoned itself.
"All right," she rose out of a kneel. "For now, Naruto, can you spare a Shadow Clone to watch over Ino and Kenshi?"
"Yeah."
"Do it. Afterwards, man your posts and stay on guard. We'll be mobilizing in no time, you'll see. So prepare yourselves." Anko looked at the three Genin with a serious expression. "This is everything the Exam's survival exercise was meant to prepare you for. Hope you paid attention," she said, rolling up the map and slipping it into her trench coat pocket.
'Cause things are about to get intense, she kept to herself. Glancing off towards the border, she flattened her lips together. Hang in there, Grass shinobi. War isn't over yet.
It's only just getting started.
They're crazy. They're all crazy!
Dashing through back alleys, Karin's heart drummed harshly against her chest. It'd taken every molecule of cleverness she possessed to make it this far.
She had and continued to suppress her chakra, concealing herself from the Sensory Types, she had hid amongst reeking, fly covered piles of garbage the townsfolk gathered behind their businesses for at least half an hour, if not more.
The game of cat-and-mouse was still afoot. The cats were still out prowling. Hunting. They wouldn't stop until they captured their favorite mouse.
Since the day they first imprisoned Karin, her handler never bothered to teach the young girl any combat skills whatsoever—her special healing abilities were all he wanted. Her gifts—her curse—was all the Grass needed from her.
If they could transfer them, or utilize them without her ever existing at all, they would have. They weren't shy in admitting that.
However, Karin didn't need to know how to fight. She couldn't have fought every shinobi between her and freedom anyway. But that was okay. She was perfectly fine being a little mouse, skittering off at the first sign of danger.
Because these people had gone completely insane.
Hold this town no matter what? Why? For what purpose? The border isn't far from here. The Stone isn't on our tail. We should be high-tailing it to the Land of Fire before they catch up. Before that guy on the bird can bomb us here, too!
They'd already lost the battle. Their Nation was lost. Holding a sliver of it, for what? Pride? To prove some kind of point to the Stone that they would fight to the last man?
No way. No way was she going to take part in this insanity!
Karin sensed the chakra of nearby shinobi, halted, and quickly scanned her surroundings. At the sight of a dumpster beside a bundle of trash bags, she hurried over, struggled to heft up a light bag of cardboard, and dove into the dumpster, hiding herself beneath it.
There, in the stench of rotten food and garbage, among flies and insects she felt crawling all over her, she tried to hold her breath and fight back gagging.
If they stay here, I'll die, she knew in her heart. They'll use my chakra until I have none left to heal all of their wounded. Battle after battle, more and more injured will pile up. They'll keep forcing me to use my chakra to save them.
The insects, she felt, crawled around her fresh bite marks—the bites of shinobi who'd she'd been forced to heal. Who took no care to how harsh they bit her, nor had they ever cared for the layer of bite marks scarred across every inch of her body, from her neck to her feet, and all the surface in-between.
If they held their ground here, it would be more of the same. She'd be used over and over to get their shinobi back from life-threatening injuries so they could fight again. They'd keep doing it until the final man died. And if she somehow, by some incredible miracle, survived through it all, the Stone and their allies would either kill her or imprison her for the same purposes.
If she survived. If they didn't drain all of her chakra, like they did to her mother.
After all, she and her mother were just outsiders. Foreigners. Even when they gave her a headband to compete in the Leaf Village's Chūnin Exams, they hadn't truly seen her as an equal, a friend, or a comrade. She was only there to keep the other two boys alive.
That's all anyone here saw in her. A means to an end. A body to abuse. Some sort of subhuman.
I'm getting out of here, she promised herself, trying not to whimper or gag. The insects were all over her. She could feel their little legs skittering around on her skin. She winced as others bit her.
I'm not going to die here. I'm going to cross the border. And then…I'll be free of this nightmare.
Eventually the shinobi hunting her moved off.
When it felt safe to move, Karin pushed and shoved the trash bag off like she was trying to escape a thick blanket and sprang out of the dumpster, shivering and trembling from head to toe. Out of horrified instinct she quickly brushed off as many insects she could, trying not to scream and cry, before the adrenaline kicked her into high gear again.
She tore off for the town exit.
Hope to escape this hell pushed her ahead. It built with every step, with every crash of her heart against her chest as the distance between her and the edge of town shrank. Stride by stride. Closer. Closer.
Karin couldn't taste freedom, she couldn't smell it yet; the rank tang of garbage overwhelmed her nostrils, lingered on her tongue. But she could feel freedom nearing.
Once she reached the edge of town she'd just have to keep running. No matter what. It'd be a straight shot to the Land of Fire's border.
She could only hope her emaciated and trash covered figure would make them sympathetic.
A wooden fence in the alley way of a restaurant was the last obstacle she faced between hell and freedom. Karin was by no means physically fit; they'd began starving her again ever since she returned from the Exams, and now her willowy frame appeared built from reeds.
Without training of any kind, and with the recent use of her healing abilities, she struggled to scramble up the tall fence.
Her first attempt ended with her falling onto her butt. Her second attempt was more fruitful, she managed to grab ahold of its edges with her fingertips, feet kicking and sliding along the wood, but she quickly found she lacked the strength to pull herself up and over.
Desperate, she scooted and shimmed several rancid smelling, full trashcans over to the fence. Once set up she climbed atop them, heart striking like a hammer, and managed to brace her palms on the fence.
With a small hop, noisily knocking over the metal cans, she managed to push herself up and swing a leg over the obstruction.
On the other side, a long, open path free of shinobi stood before her.
Though it smelled like trash, the whiff of freedom strengthened her body and spirit.
Steadily, Karin adjusted to swing her other leg over the fence.
A heavy hand suddenly wrapped around her wrist, and then she felt a powerful tug, followed by the scraping of flesh as the leg she managed to get over the fence ripped across the top of the wooden planks.
She cried out in surprise. Air then ejected from her lungs as she crashed first onto a knocked over trash can, then bounced and flopped onto the dirt. Searing pain roared from her back like ten shinobi had bitten to her all at once.
Shivering and trembling, dribbles of blood leaking down her leg, Karin had no time to catch her breath or rise. The same offending hand that dragged her away from freedom snatched her by the wrist and yanked her off the ground.
Her feet dragged over the ground for several long strides. She blinked, dazed, head clouded by the pain, wholly unable to gather her bearings.
Finally she recognized the ground moving beneath her. She felt her feet dragging against the earth, felt the harsh and familiar grip crushing her wrist.
Raising her head, she saw the man responsible for her mother's death and the man who'd caused her torment ever since.
Zōsui.
Karin didn't dare to speak his name. Too scared. Instead, she tried to dig her heels in and yank her arm free. It was foolish. A stupid act born out of desperation and adrenaline, but in the heat of the moment she didn't care. She pulled her arm and tried to halt even as her feet skidded beneath her.
"Let me go! Let gooooo!"
When her arm did slip free, she felt a sudden well-spring of hope burst forth.
And then she felt a heavy hand backhand her.
When the young girl came around, she awoke to Zōsui carrying her by the wrist through the streets. They were nearly halfway to their clinic.
Karin didn't dare to dig her heels in or tug her arm free again. Her shoulders, heart, and hopes all dropped. Tears stung her eyes as submission and fear overcame her foolish hopes of escape.
Zōsui's combed back black hair swayed across his shoulders as he marched her through the streets like he was carrying a misbehaving animal by the scruff of its neck, never even bothering to look at her or acknowledge her existence.
They arrived at the clinic shortly afterwards. Zōsui only released her bruised wrist when they reached an outdoor shower, throwing her to the ground at the new stalls constructed of garden hoses and haphazard "privacy" tarps that no one seemed interested in using. Nor was she given a choice to use one, either.
Zōsui didn't say a word. He just stared at her with his big, cold grey eyes…and she knew what was expected of her. What she was.
Just a tool to heal their sick and injured. Nothing worth the dignity of human compassion or empathy.
There, in front of anyone who happened to guard, enter, or leave the clinic, Karin stripped out of her clothes and bathed her bite-scarred body, cleaning it of the trash and potential bacteria in freezing cold water.
She was only grateful the water from the hose hid her tears.
Afterwards they provided a simple lavender shirt and brown pants.
Before dragging her back into hell.
From the sound of it, the squad replacing them was stitched together by the Crows like a quilt haphazardly crafted from whatever fabrics happened to be on hand, regardless of color or material.
Four guys total. All were already out on missions and had the good fortune of being within their immediate vicinity to be plucked and conscripted to take over border duty on short notice.
Naruto didn't catch all the details. Frankly, he hadn't tried to. He stood off to the side with Shino and Ino as Anko spoke to the new squad's leader—a guy named Hayama Shirakumo.
It was a name that rang a bell from the Mizuki Incident, the guy Team Ten were assigned to work under before they came to delay the Idiot Brothers. Hayama had dark-grey hair tied in a ponytail, a scar running down the right side of his mouth and a thin katana strapped horizontally across his back.
He was cool as cucumber, too, despite the bombshell Kenshi had dropped on them.
It was a struggle not to impatiently tap his foot or grumble. Naruto crossed his arms instead, digging his fingers into his sleeves.
He wanted to go already. He wanted to hurry up with these formalities and get a move on before the Stone or their allies got their hands on the people in the Grass.
Joining Hayama Shirakumo was a tall, robustly built man with shaggy brown hair—Tekuno Kanden. He wore his flak jacket unzipped with a utility sash full of scrolls, almost like a bandolier.
There was also an elderly man, his grey hair tied back in a short ponytail, attired in mesh armor, a sleeveless brown kimono and dark pants. Kosuke Maruboshi was his name. He equipped himself with a sword sheathed across his lower back, a wok, and a ladle; the new squad would be eating well, if the old man could actually cook.
Finally, the youngest shinobi of their replacements was a guy who had to be at least four or five years older than them. His headband was worn as a full bandana over his shoulder length sandy blond hair, the bangs of which were cut to his cheekbones.
Tall, lean, and strong, he wore an opened black sleeveless jacket, a blue sash around his waist, and the uniform pants and sandals of the Leaf. A sword hung from his sash, its hilt and guard decorated by ornate designs.
Naruto hadn't caught his name, but he sure seemed familiar. Like super familiar. To the point he became distracted from his desire to leave by the nagging sense he had met the guy somewhere before.
But where? On an errand mission? It couldn't have been during the Invasion or anything. Humming and frowning, Naruto searched his memories for an answer.
Where the heck had he met this guy before?
"Hey, Naruto," Ino leaned in, lowering her voice, "isn't that the guy Amari fought in the prelims?"
"Oh yeah!" he blurted out, eyes widening. "What was his name again? Um, Hiro-something… No, wait, that was the other guy, wasn't it? Hi-something."
"His name was Hisashi," Shino corrected. "I'm surprised you could forget him. After all, he nearly defeated Amaririsu with his poisoned blade."
"C'mon, give me a break," Naruto groaned. "That feels like forever ago. A lots happened since then."
"Such is the life of a shinobi. However, you shouldn't forget the names of you comrades so easily. Why? Because: You could hurt their feelings. Furthermore, it is unlikely he has forgotten how close he was to victory, and I know Amaririsu has not forgotten how close she was to defeat. They may not have seen each other since, but they will always recognize each other. As comrades. And as distant rivals."
Is he always so long-winded and melodramatic? Naruto wondered, frowning. Man, how does Kiba deal with this all the time?
Once Anko and Hayama finished their discussion, Hayama's squad quickly dispersed to man the border. Naruto waited a minute or so before he dispelled his Shadow Clones holding down the border; he didn't want to leave it unguarded, even for a moment.
Anko approached them with a serious expression.
"All right, listen up," she commanded. "We have no idea how far the Stone or their allies have spread. Given what we do know, its best we prepare for the absolute worse possible scenario. So, from this point on we'll be in enemy territory.
"Our mission is to slip in, reach the town, and escort the civvies and the wounded onto our side of the border. We're not going in there to stop the Stone's invasion or free the Nation. We're too late for that," she added, shaking her head.
"If we're lucky, we'll be able to avoid combat altogether. Let me repeat myself," she said, staring at Naruto, "we are not bursting into their Nation to fight off the Stone. This is not a mission of retaliation or attempted infiltration and sabotage.
"We will do what we can to rescue their civilians and their wounded—that's it. We are not there to fight the war. Not today, anyway. So put that thought out of your mind. Understand?"
"Understood," Shino replied.
"Yes ma'am," said Ino.
"Yeah, I get it," Naruto conceded, unhappy about it, but understanding of the circumstances.
"Good. Don't let your guard down and don't die." Anko spun on her heel. "Now, let's move out!"
On her command they departed for the border and the potential war waiting for them beyond it.
He hoped they wouldn't be too late.
During the Third Great Ninja War, the shinobi of the Stone Village invaded and eventually seized control of the Grass Village and its Nation, bringing into existence one of the most—if not the most—vital supply lines the Stone controlled throughout the entire war.
This supply line utilized the Kannabi Bridge, a massive stone bridge spanning a wide river near the border to the Land of Fire. It granted a tangible advantage to the Stone Village, fueling their war machine as they pushed against the resilient defenses of their enemies.
The bridge would go on to alter the tide of war twice. In the beginning, it would boost the Stone's operational success, causing greater casualties among the Leaf and shifting the momentum into their favor.
They would go on to execute several successful operations, bolstered by the supply line they kept hidden from the enemy forces. Morale among the Leaf would fall. The war would seem all but lost in its final months as comrades and friends died.
However, before all hope could wane, the Yellow Flash of the Leaf and his young team would be assigned a mission to destroy the bridge. It would be on that fated mission where the bridge altered the tide of war for the final time, shaping the course of history for years to come, whether they realized it or not.
According to their history books, after significant catastrophic losses, the Leaf were the underdogs in sheer manpower when compared to the Stone's estimated remaining military strength.
Yet, upon the completion of their mission to destroy Kannabi Bridge, the momentum of the war performed a sharp one-eighty. So sharp it all but paralyzed the Stone Village's forces.
Suddenly the Stone were on the back-foot. Disarray swept through their ranks. Supplies no longer traveled as quickly or freely as before, hamstringing their efforts across the entire Nation; they'd come to rely too heavily on Kannabi Bridge, it would be a fatal error of overconfidence.
On the other side, with morale at an all time high, the Leaf and the Grass shinobi mounted a massive counter-offensive before the Stone could adapt and form a new supply line.
Shinobi of the Leaf like the Yellow Flash, Wicked Eye Fugaku, the Mistress of Shadows, and the Reincarnation of Madara Uchiha would go on to carve their names into the annals of history through that counter-offensive, and into the hearts of the surviving Stone shinobi.
It was said the Stone suffered from such disarray and uncertainty, their line of supplies and chain-of-command quickly fragmenting, that they retreated farther than necessary. They retreated past fortifications that they may have held out within had they not come to overestimate the Leaf and their allies. Eventually they were forced out of the Grass entirely.
The Stone never regained the ground they lost after the destruction of Kannabi Bridge, nor did the momentum swing into any single Nation's favor. Stalemates were reached, and armistices were declared when the cost of war finally became too high.
As though the lives previously lost weren't a high enough cost already for patches of dirt to stick a flag in.
Years later, in the present, Kannabi Bridge remained in ruins. Amari could only assume that was a tactical decision by the Leaf and the Grass as she examined the bridge and its dried riverbed below, caused by the stone dam of decade old ruined debris.
After many long miles of non-stop running, interrupted by bursts of intense combat, it finally seemed like they had lost their pursuers. No one let their guard down, however.
The Waterfall shinobi sat on the debris, silent and almost still enough to be mistaken for paintings upon the ruins. They leaned on their knees and cupped their faces, they drank from their canteens, or, in the case of Fū, they sat alone behind a large stone, arms hugged around their legs.
Miss Anbu shadowed the Nara, who sat cross-legged higher among the debris to have a wider view of their surroundings, and to keep an eye on all of the Waterfall shinobi they'd rescued. The Anbu agent extend her senses in all directions, searching for signs of any enemy, whether it be the faintest flicker of chakra or the flitting of a shadow amidst the trees.
Amari scanned their surroundings with her Byakugan and sensory abilities.
Perched across the debris spanning the entire river, in the trees on the upper cliffs, and on the shoulders of the Leaf shinobi, as well as wheeling in the sky, were half of Kazama's battalion. At a glance the coagulation of Crows appeared to be a long and vast feathered cloak draping off of Amari, or a set of black wings extending out from her body.
We can't rest long, she thought, breaths already calm.
There was no telling how long their decoy would keep the enemy shinobi off their tracks. She hoped they'd be gone for good, but they had to prepare for the worst.
They had to act as though the Stone and their allies could appear at any moment, and be ready to flee at the drop of a hat. At least until they made it into the Land of Fire, close enough to home to trigger their desperate and stubborn pursuers self-preservation.
Running a hand through her sweaty hair, and feeling the bite of the cool air on her warm skin, Amari exhaled a long sigh.
The decoy was well-executed. After gaining some distance, breaking their immediate line of sight in a dense forest, Amari created Shadow Clones transformed into the members of their unit and sent them, along with half of Kazama's battalion, south, straight for the Land of Fire.
To her mind, the Stone and Waterfall were trying to push them southwest. So, what would they expect their unit to do the moment they broke free of their line of sight?
Head straight to the south, straight for the Land of Fire and the border closest to them, where reprieve from pursuit awaited.
Even if the Stone and Waterfall somehow suspected decoys, they'd likely suspect their squad was the decoy. Because who in their right minds would take the long detour into another Nation when the Land of Fire was a stone's throw away? Especially in their desperate situation.
So far, the gamble was paying off.
So far.
Amari wouldn't feel at ease until they finally made it home.
"Feels strange. Being here of all places," she broke the silence.
"Why is that?" Miss Anbu asked.
"Inaccurate as it is to say, it feels like the last war ended here," Amari replied, looking around at the debris and the Crows perched on them. "I know it didn't. This was a turning point, sure. But there were battles after this. The war didn't just end because our forces destroyed a single bridge.
"Still, right now, it feels like it did end here. And it feels like it's beginning here again, where it all ended over a decade ago. Even though I know it technically started in the Waterfall. I don't know." She shrugged. "Maybe it's because I finally have time to process everything we've survived so far that it feels this way."
"Mm. It reminds you of the Valley of the End, doesn't it?"
"A little," she admitted. "Kasai and I reunited on a different battlefield, yet that place… That's where it all truly began again. 'Our war' as he put it. The war of the Senju and the Uchiha. Of Madara and Hashirama." She flattened her lips together. "I guess I'm placing significance on some broken rocks for no reason this time. Trying to connect dots that aren't there to create meaning and purpose in all of this…pointless carnage."
"Are you feeling all right?" Miss Anbu asked gently.
"Strangely, I am." And she did feel fine. A little anxious, but that was to be expected. "I think all the training and the trouble my team has encountered on missions has made it easier to handle," Amari considered.
"This almost feels like a regular mission. Doesn't even feel like we're at war yet. We are. But…I don't know. I guess I expected to feel as nervous and afraid as I did during the Invasion when war was declared or when I found myself in the middle of it. Maybe I'm already adapting to it. Or maybe it just hasn't sunk in yet."
"I'd forgotten you were caught in the middle of the Invasion," Miss Anbu recalled. "I had heard your name mentioned at the time; you were in arms reach of me even then, yet I did not know who you were. How did you find yourself amidst the battles?"
"Sasuke, Mimi, Aoko and I were assigned to stop Gaara and his siblings by Genma-sensei. Mimi and I also used Shadow Clones to help on the other fronts with Mr. Ibiki and Miss Anko. Honestly, compared to the carnage of that day, this feels like a small skirmish."
"In a way it is. By comparison, at least. However, this mission and the Invasion are different situations, occurring in very different environments," Miss Anbu reminded.
"True. We had to hold the Leaf in the Invasion. Right now our priority is retreating."
Amari drew her eyes down the ruins to the Waterfall shinobi below. Her eyes lingered on the dark-skinned kunoichi among them.
I saw a lot of death, chaos, and destruction during the Invasion. I haven't forgotten a moment of it. I didn't forget you. Never did I imagine I'd see your face again, Sound shinobi, least of all as an ally instead of an enemy…
There would be time to sort out her feelings on that, and discover whether or not the Sound shinobi was truly an ally or not. Or if she, the turncoat rogue that she was, had sold out Shibuki.
Maybe it was wrong to jump to such a dark conclusion. Since the Invasion she had met and spoken to people from varying walks of life, all different than her own, like Kari, Botan, and Shuji, like Temujin and Tayuya, and even Kimimaro.
People weren't without nuance. No doubt this woman wasn't without hers.
Yet, in spite of all she learned since the Invasion, Amari found it innately difficult to trust a Sound shinobi. She wouldn't put it past someone who so easily switched sides to do it again if they believed it would prolong their life. And she wouldn't put it past the Stone and their allies to betray the woman in return.
For now, the Sound shinobi was under her watchful eye, and the watchful eyes of Kazama's battalion.
Try anything and I won't hesitate to eliminate you.
She hadn't forgotten what Mimi told her of their mission to the Land of Sound. How the Sound shinobi—this woman among them—used orphaned children as hostages.
The Sound shinobi suddenly glanced up at Amari—the woman felt a primal tingle at the base of her neck. Their gazes held for a moment, Amari's face shadowed by her hair and red eye aglow, before the Sound shinobi quickly looked away.
Ignoring the woman's fear, the Uchiha drew her eye away to the head of mint green hair further down. Her gaze softened.
Fū couldn't have looked more alone. Hugging her knees to her chest, she sat away from everyone, and so far none of her comrades had bothered to check on her. They hadn't bothered to offer any kind or comforting words, even if they wouldn't have changed anything.
Not a single shinobi moved to sit with her so she wouldn't be so alone.
Shibuki was gone. And, from the look of it, he was the only one who sincerely cared for the girl. It seemed he had been the only one who treated Fū as more than a jinchūriki.
Amari wanted to join her. To speak to her. She had made a promise to Shibuki, a promise she wouldn't break. Yet…
"That's enough rest," Miss Anbu said, rising. "We need to keep moving. Until we're safely within the Land of Fire, we are all in grave danger.
"Right," Amari agreed, following her.
They roused the Waterfall shinobi and set off at a south-easterly direction, which would take them past a nearby town situated a bit off the border, where it'd be safe to finally head straight east into the Land of Fire.
We'll just have to get to know each other while we're on the move, she decided.
She wouldn't let Fū be alone.
No matter who tried to stop her.
At a high altitude there was only the howl of the wind in his ears and the heavy flapping of his clay bird's large wings. No other little nuisances, no distractions, he could just observe the land far below him as he considered his next creation.
How might it be a new masterpiece? It would need to be fleeting, lasting only in the moment to be true art.
He pondered on his strategy as thick clouds of smoke rose from the Grass Village behind him, sights set on the remaining targets he'd been hired to destroy. His black cloak adorned with red clouds billowed in the wind. His blond ponytail and long bangs whipped about.
To think he'd be helping the Stone on this mission. Doubtlessly that old man would hear about his art when it was all over, but he'd be long gone by then, off to create new art somewhere else.
For now there were still had a few targets left to hit. Couldn't let the pesky Grass shinobi regroup and fortify their position. The Akatsuki didn't get paid for half finished work.
So, Deidara, relaxed and smirking as he flew along, focused on his next targets and how to use the task at hand to reveal his art to the world.
After all, true art was an explosion!
Review Response to Guest: Glad to hear you enjoyed the last chapter so much! We'll have to see how everything develops with the shinobi alliance, whether these events and the war will be more helpful in uniting the Nations, or if it will divide them further and leave them vulnerable.
It's an interesting theory. I'll have to check it out and think a bit more on it, although I'm uncertain if I'll ever be in a position for that to happen. I also feel if I were to put Guy into the final gate mode again, like he was in the anime, that he and whoever he attacks with it should die instead of survive, like Madara did. But I also feel it would've been cooler for Guy to go out saving the world and killing Madara, so that may be why I feel that way. Sort of prove Kakashi's dad even more right and prove that hard work beats prodigious talent. Also avenge Neji.
Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and thanks for the review!