AN: Well, this came out rather quickly. I may have to go over it again later and make it a bit shorter. Anyways, I would like to thank everyone for the amazing reviews I received for the last chapter! They where awesome, and again, I would like to thank you for reading. This has not been reviewed by my beta yet so please bare with any mistakes that you find.
Warnings: Language, mild gore, death,
Otogakure no Sato (Hidden sound village)
Tanyuu yawned as she made her way to her chambers. As one of the Sound Four, she had had a trying day and she was ready to get some rest, after not having gotten any the last two days. That last mission had been difficult but important, and the Sound Four had been able to get the information that they needed for Orochimaru-sama. Kabuto should be sending a report to us in the next few days as well, Tanyuu mused as she pulled her filthy shirt over her head before tossing it into the waste bin. It was ruined, so there was no point in keeping it at this point.
As she fished though her clothing chest an alarm began to blare through the base making her head snap up.
"Shit, right when I was about to get some fucking sleep. I'm going to gut whoever caused this mess like a little bitch when I get a hold of them," she growled as she threw her shirt on.
"What's going on?" she snapped as she walked down the underground hall, halting a passing ninja.
"Tanyuu-sama. One of the patients from lab D is on the loose. We think the other two from lab E are on the run as well." said the ninja nervously as Tanyuu's eyes widened. Her mouth went dry as fear began to creep up her spine. Those where the top three of Orochimaru-sama's prized experiments. She had seen them herself and knew if the managed to get free, Orochimaru would have all their heads. He would be furious beyond reason.
"No matter what, do not kill them! Get me the Z team down here, Uzumaki Karin and the rest of the Sound Four! Do not let them escape, that is an order!" she yelled making the ninja flinch.
"Yes, Tanyuu-sama!" he cried before racing off to do her bidding. She grit her teeth as she turned and began to make her way towards the labs. No matter what, those experiments could not get away.
Mt. Myaboku, realm of the Toad Summons
Let it be said that being trapped in a giant toad's mouth is terrifying as well as disgusting, and it is very hard to breath. The air in the toad that Samira, now named Kumori, was trapped in, was hot and moist with barely any oxygen considering the fact that the creature was mainly breathing though it's nose. It made sure to occasionally breathe through its mouth, allowing a rare breath of blessed pure air to fill the space so that she would not pass out or suffocate. The tongue of the toad itself was coiled around Kumori's body barely allowing her to move despite her frantic attempts, and all she could do was muster breathy screams and frantic wiggles, which quickly tired her out. The tongue had a crushing amount of muscles and was covered in thousands of small and knobby taste buds. The tongue was also covered in large metal studs, some of which were digging into Kumori's Back and shoulder. She stopped trying to get away, breathless, sweating and frustrated. However, her fears did not abate though she was no longer moving, she had just realized that trying to fight was futile. And that in its self was a bit more disconcerting to realize as the feeling of dread only grew in the pit of her stomach.
"H-hello?" she called nervously after a good ten minutes of silence and she could feel her tension grow as the toad's breathing and the sticky sounds inside her confide continued uninterrupted. The toad hadn't moved around much other than hop a short ways after it first wretched her into its mouth. She could barely hear any sounds from outside the toad's body other than the sound if it's breathing, heart beat and the squelch of wet flesh whenever it moved enough. There was no answer and she could feel her growing tension as anxiety caused her body to react to her increased stress. How long am I going to be stuck in here? She thought as her dread kept climbing. Soon enough she was shaking as much as her confides could allow in stress, a fine tremor running through her as she struggled not to hyperventilate. As she remained bound in place, her body's chakra began to react. He's going to leave me here forever! Kumori thought frantically as her chakra pressure started to grow. She unknowingly began to tap into her new reserves. The new energy began to pool rapidly around, sending warm tingles and jolts through her body as it circulated and she could feel her sensitivity to the chakras around her start to grow along with her rapid shallow breaths.
I-it was too much! Her teeth grit in growing strain as her senses began to go haywire. She could feel it! All around her, she could fell even more than what she had found to be normal the last three days! She could feel and begin distinguishing the different chakras around her as a mass of Chakra became stone and a lazy signature turned out to be another toad. Her jaw dropped as a burning sensation began to replace the feeling of the warm chakra tingles. As she struggled to get her chakra back under control she grit her teeth furiously. Next time she saw Jiraiya she was going to hurt him; grievously too. But first, if she ever got out of this toad alive, she was going to get the hell away from it as fast as humanly possible.
…
Being stuck inside a toad also gave one a lot of time to think, And Kumori found herself thinking about all sorts of things, but mostly about the man that had put her in this predicament, and what she knew of him, which was next to nothing. Kumori knew he was legendary for a ninja, the Hokage's student, was once a candidate for the Hokage, but wasn't chosen for some reason, and a huge pervert. From what she could gleam about his character at the office, he didn't like attachment too much since he seemed to be a roamer and disliked the idea of her tagging along with him for any set amount of time. That suggested that he liked to keep his distance from people or that he didn't appreciate commitments that where burdens. I bet he doesn't have any kids, Kumori thought with a frown. He had also reacted harshly to the Hokage's attempt at guilt tripping, as if offended. Why would Jiraiya be offended about Hiruzen mentioning Naruto's attachment to her? Unless… he was somehow linked to Naruto? Well, if the Hokage paid such close attention to Naruto, then maybe Jiraiya had met the boy in passing enough to grow fond of him. No, that couldn't be it. Naruto had never mentioned someone caring about him or being friendly with him besides, Iruka, the Hokage and the Ichiraku Ramen chef, Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, as well as the fact that Jiraiya seemed to have some information on Naruto, since he had known the kid by name. Why was he worried about Naruto? Kumori found herself pondering with a frown. After the villager's treatment, she couldn't help but find it odd that this man who was always out of the village cared about a kid who didn't even know about him. If Jiraiya didn't look so different from Naruto, then Kumori would have suspected that the man was his father. That wasn't possible though since Kumori apparently looked a lot like Naruto's mother. The boy had to take after someone, and if it wasn't his mother, then it had to be his father, which was obviously not Jiraiya. Perhaps Jiraiya knew his family or something, Kumori thought with a frown feeling a bit uneasy with the idea. That would mean that this Jiraiya guy had known of Naruto… and chosen not to do anything for the orphan boy who was all alone growing up. Kumori shook her head. She didn't have enough information to make an educated guess yet but that still didn't shake the uneasy feeling from her gut about this man. He had stuck her in this toad just to spite her and his teacher, meaning he had a bit of a vindictive streak too, and that there was only so much the Hokage could order this man to do. The man had downright refused the Hokage's orders to train her and look after her until he was satisfied. Was this the level or political authority that this man had? Was this why Shikaku and Inoichi had insisted that this man back her in front of the council? It would make sense but it also brought to light that fact that she couldn't rely on this man. She couldn't rely on him to listen to the Hokage. In fact, the Hokage had even felt the need to threaten Jiraiya not to let something 'happen' to her. Did that mean that at any moment… this man could turn on her? She felt her stomach drop as she shrank into herself as much as the bumpy tongue wrapped around her would allow.
He was a ninja after all. Ninja. She knew what those where. Cut throats. Liars. Spies. Body guard for hire. Trained killers. Actors of the highest degree and masters in the arts of seduction, sabotage and espionage.
And she had been put in the care of one of the best ninja out there, one that didn't want her around, with enough power to push back against the Hokage without immediate reprimand, and the ability to make sure that she either disappeared smoothly or could screw any chance she had.
Panic began to creep up on Kumori again and she found herself having to forcibly calm herself again as the burning started up again when her chakra got too hectic. The toad shifted uncomfortably, the insides squelching wetly as the tongue tightened around her briefly. Kumori grit her teeth, trying not to start crying in panic and frustration. He had stuck her in this toad to spite her and his leader. He had said something about smuggling her out of the village before the toad had suddenly appeared in a summons. That didn't mean that this was the only or best way to smuggle her out, and that didn't mean that he had to leave her in the creature for this long. She could tell that it had already been at least a couple of hours by now and there had been no sign that this Jiraiya would be releasing her from this creature anytime soon. The thought of spending another couple of hours in the toad had her gritting her teeth in pain again as her chakra surged wildly. She was going to have to figure out how to control this energy. This was getting too painful.
4 hours later
Kumori twitched as her eyes slid open slowly. She blinked groggily at the dark red that made the toad's stomach as the slightest bit of light filtered through, veins dark lines. It appeared she had dozed off between the stress and the low amount of air she had been getting. She scowled groggily before tentatively reaching for her chakra as she had been doing for the last several hours off and on.
Of course she still found herself ponder what she should do about this situation and the man that had left her in this accursed toad, as well as her options in case she was able to get out. Admittedly, the more time that passed without her being released from the toad, the worse her situation began to look as well as her dwindling hope that this Jiraiya person would help her. He had left her here. Plain and simple. She sighed still reaching for her chakra before focusing. It had been easier at first for her to summon, since her chakra seemed to react to stress swiftly. When she had first calmed, she had barely been able to do anything with it. It took a lot of concentration to get it to respond at all, but with some practice she found she could move it sluggishly. She frowned moodily. When was that man going to let her out? Sighing she went back to what she was doing, trying to figure out how to move and control this odd new power inside of her. It's not like she could do anything else, while trapped inside a toad.
An hour later Kumori found herself pulling on the chakra much easier. The trick it seemed was to focus on summoning the energy towards any particular body part. It seemed to respond to emotion and will-power the best, meaning she would have to be careful when she was upset not to let her chakra slip from her control. Now that she could focus it much better she was starting to take the time to focus on her ability to feel the chakras around her while trapped in the toad. She found her range expanding. She was starting to feel a bit sore though for some reason. With all the time and practice her awareness and sensing as well as her control began to improve. When she had calmed and the adrenaline faded, so had her ability to sense things with such clarity. However, with focus indistinguishable masses of energy had became clear once more, like when she had been upset though not to that level just yet. No, she was still working on it. However, something had caught her interest when she had realized something as she had been practicing her sensing. She had a very large amount of chakra at her disposal it seemed, not to mention that her chakra seemed unusually dense compared to the chakra around her. She frowned as she summoned her chakra to her arms once more before grunting in frustration. She was trying to use it to make her arms stronger like she had heard mention of when helping Naruto with his home work but she couldn't seem to manage. It had only been a passing mention of it, there had been no instruction, but she knew that it could be done, which was what mattered. After a good twenty minutes of trying she gave up in frustration to pay attention to what was going on in her surrounds once more as she pushed her sensing abilities outward. The most forceful chakra she could sense was the toad, since it surrounded her. Listening to its steady heart beat, she frowned as her eyes slid shut, paying particular attention to the toad. At first, it was just a mass of energy with barely discernible patterns moving through it, but as she focused, the patterns slowly became clearer. One thing was certain; the chakra in the toad seemed to be flowing in constant motion consistently though the body. She frowned as she realized the same was happening to the chakra in her own body. She continued to 'watch' the chakra flow through the toad for a while longer, the flow becoming more understandable, though not by much. Slowly, her eyebrows rose as an idea began to form. If she could speed up the flow of chakra, instead of just pooling it in a limb, then maybe she could make her limbs stronger! Maybe it was a combination of the two! More chakra in a limb moving faster… it could work! Smiling grimly at the idea, she began to speed up the chakra flow through her entire body as she pulled more chakra into her limbs and torso, the sensation making her slightly light headed at first. Then she pushed… and the toad's tongue actually moved slightly. She grinned wildly a savage glint lighting her eyes in the dark as she began to fight the tongue in renewed earnest, her limbs and torso moving wildly as she used her new strength.
South of Konoha
Jiraiya sighed tiredly as the village came into sight. It was a small village but it was the one he needed to meet his contact at. Because of the delay in the Hidden leaf, and having to go to the kid's apartment to get the woman's stuff he hadn't been able to leave as soon as he would have liked, making him slightly late for his meeting. Thankful the contact was still there, he noted as he made his way to the old tree that was at the village's tree line. The operative melted out of the shadows.
"Jiraiya-sama," the woman greeted demurely with a bow as Jiraiya sent her a nod of greeting.
"I take it that you've got something for me, Hana-san?" he asked. The tavern keeper nodded, her loose hair brushing her collar bone lightly.
"Yes. It's in here, Jiraiya-sama," she said as she presented him the scroll of information. He opened it after checking for traps. His eyes widened in surprise. It looked like there had been some activity of the Doko Ryu clan spotted in the south. He frowned before he rolled the scroll up again. Fishing through his pack he removed a scroll before unsealing a small bag that jingled with coin.
"For your troubles, Hana-san," he said as he gave her the money. She bowed gracefully before turning to make her way back towards the village.
"I will be in touch, Jiraiya-sama," she called over her shoulder before disappearing from sight. Jiraiya sighed as he rubbed his face wearily. It looked like he was going to have to be visiting the coast of Hi no Kuni, for two reasons now instead of one. He would be able to work on Kumori's cover as well as trace some leads in his spy network. That's was good, but it would make traveling more difficult. That woman could mess everything up for him if she interfered too much. He sighed as he began to perform hand seals. He was going to have to find a way to keep her busy then.
Poof!
Jiraiya frowned as the sound of muffled grunts and snarls filled the air from inside the smoke cloud. What the hell was that? A bit alarmed, he moved into the smoke as he waved an arm to try and clear it faster. As the smoke cleared slightly he paused, confusion making him tilt his head as he frowned. That was the toad, but why were its cheeks bulging, and where was that sound coming from?
There was a particularly loud snarl and the toad's mouth was forced opened. Kumori was gasping for air as she held the creature's jaws open, her arms visibly shaking from the strain. She was covered in a sheen of sweat and toad saliva, her short blood red hair a few inches longer and mussed, the strands sticking up in all directions. He froze as her now red eyes locked on him and he found himself taking an involuntary step back as she growled. Her lips pulled back to show abnormally white and sharp teeth, her canine teeth slightly longer than what was average.
"You!" she hissed angrily teeth gleaming dangerously, "You son of a-" and the toad spat her out before disappearing in a poof of smoke. She landed hard but didn't get up as she continued to lay there panting as she struggled to catch her breath. Jiraiya continued to remain frozen in place as he tried to figure out what the hell had happened. How had she done that?! Jiraiya couldn't remember a time when someone had overpowered his prisoner toad. That tongue was pure muscle and tightly wrapped around the body, making it hard to move any limbs. There was no way this civilian woman could have done that. Even for a ninja it would have been difficult. And he could have sworn that when she had glared at him, her eyes had been red.
Jiraiya continued to stare at the panting woman, trying to figure her out. He edged forward carefully before nudging her with his foot.
"Hey." He called cautiously. She turned her head slightly, only enough to glare at him with a bluish-purple eye, before her eyes rolled up in her head and she went motionless. Jiraiya's eyes went wide with alarm.
She was breathing, right?!
RIGHT?!
He dove to her side to check her pulse.
She was still breathing but it was shallow, and her heart was beating strong at a regular tempo. He placed his hands on her after performing a diagnostic jutsu. It was the most basic form of Iryo ninjutsu (medical jutsu) but something useful he had learned from Tsunade. He could feel his chakra seeping into her as well as his awareness of her increasing as he let his chakra travel into her. He frowned. Her chakra was unusually dense and it was a bit difficult for him to ease his chakra into her to check but when he finally was able to check her reserves, he found his eyes snapping open in surprise. Her chakra reserves where already very large for a woman's and would be getting bigger with time as her chakra coils grew before settling. After all, when people from the Far Shore, as some shinobi called the it, came through the Lake, their chakra coils would shape themselves after a transformation before continuing to grow, giving them very large reserves. This growth was usually due to their bodies over production of chakra, some researchers suggested. Jiraiya frowned as he scanned her. Her chakra reserves were missing a little but her body was strained everywhere. All her muscles where showing strain from having too much chakra going through them at one time. So this was how she did it? Chakra enhanced strength? It would make sense that she passed out then. Ninja got used to moving chakra all through the body at a young age when their bodies were still growing. She however had never had chakra so her body was going to have to get used to it first, a bit at a time or she would end up passing out from being unable to handle the strain. Sighing he gathered the passed out young woman in his arms and began to head toward the village. He knew where a good onsen was at the edge of the town. That would probably be the best place for them to stay.
Kumori groaned as her eyes fluttered open to see a dimly lit ceiling above her. She blinked slowly not trying to move. There was a slight soreness lingering in her body but nothing like the burning that had been running through her when she had finally gotten that toad's mouth open. She let her eyes rove the room and she began to recognize it as a traditional Japanese inn. Her bed was even a floor futon, which was oddly very comfortable. An Onsen then, she realized as her eyes drifted to examine the sliding panels for the windows. From the little light she could see it was early morning. Might as well get up, Kumori thought as she sat up, the tickle of her hair brushing her cheek. She blinked in surprise as she reached up to find that her locks where now several inches. If it kept growing so fast, it would be long in no time, she realized with a frown. A snore made her flinch. She turned to find the man with white hair, Jiraiya as they had called him, asleep in his futon a few feet from her. She frowned at him, her anger at being put in a toad coursing through her. The desire for revenge was swimming through her, warring with self preservation and wariness. She supposedly needed this man as much as she didn't want to admit it. That didn't ease her anger or fear though. I need to think, she thought as she placed her face in her hands, already feeling stressed even though the day hadn't even started. Needing to go get some air, she decided to go visit the bathing area of the onsen. There wouldn't be anyone out this early anyways. It would be a bit before the sun broke the dawn of the day.
Hot springs are heavenly, Kumori thought happily as she soaked in the hot water. The hot natural spring water was soothing away any remaining aches she had. With a happy sigh her eyes drifting to the lightening sky. The predawn is beautiful, she noted with a small smile as she took in the light pastels that where starting to shine on the horizon. The sky was slowly changing colors as more light filled the sky. As she watched the dawn slowly come she found her gaze drift to the silhouettes of the trees and she found her smile fade. Those where not the trees of her home land. It was silly how small the reminder was, but it was still like a slap in the face as she was once more reminded how much everything had changed. Even the damn trees are different here. Her mood dropped quickly, and the reality of her situation was back with a resounding slap to the face.
Grim faced, Kumori sighed again. She was thinking about just getting the hell out of this place. Who was she kidding? Ninjas? And her become one? As much as she wanted to stay with Naruto and have a place to call home, and a village to be part of… things overall weren't looking good. Staying in a ninja village and not having the skills to defend one's self against the people living there was stupid, and this Jiraiya wasn't going to teach her, she was sure of it. She had seen only a little of the man and what he was like and was already convinced that he was only going to make her miserable on this little trip. He said that if she proved herself to him, he would teach her. As far as she was concerned, he was just going to play her like a fool. Her teeth grit in anger as she recalled being played like a fool as a kid, being made to go do tasks and errands only for it to have turned out to be lie used to get her to do things for free. Being manipulated was not a new thing to Kumori and she could usually spot an attempt a mile away.
I need to leave, she realized with a sinking sense of doom. What where her options though? She needed money to travel and she sure as hell wasn't stupid enough to try and steal from this man. He would probably hunt her down out of spite, like he had stuck her in that toad. By playing the erhu, Kumori realized with wide eyes. That was how. It would be just enough for her to buy food with. She would also have to avoid bandits though, and then there was the chance of bad weather making her find shelter. I will have to watch every penny, she thought with a frown. Now the next question; where to go? Somewhere without ninja, Kumori immediately thought with a grimace. If she couldn't keep up with these people, and at least have a chance of defending herself, she was going to stay the hell away from them, for safety sake. Maybe the islands to the south. A small island with a little population that's in the middle of nowhere, she thought with a hum warming up to the idea. She would have to find one that was elevated enough to be safe from tsunami's and without volcano's but still, an island would probably be best. There she would stay unless she got the urge to venture forth into the messed up world that lay beyond that great stretch of water.
Mind made up, she decided to get out and head back to her room. As she reached her room she slowed before poking her head in cautiously. Thankfully the man was still asleep so she easily made her way in before shutting the door behind her. She looked around the room with a frown as she realized that she didn't know where he had put her things. Cold dread washed over her. Fuck fuck fuck, she chanted in her head as she fought to keep her breathing calm and her chakra down. It was harder than it should have been. She needed her things to leave, and as she looked around she realized that they were nowhere to be seen. After a moment, a sinking feeling began to start in her gut.
What if he didn't even bring her things?
She sank to the ground, before his pack as tears beginning to pool in her eyes. Her stuff wasn't here. How the hell was she going to make money while on the move now? She couldn't just get a job in this town unless Jiraiya decided to let her run off and she wasn't going to be asking his permission. Asking him would give him the opportunity to stop her and to plan ahead against further escape attempts. She couldn't take his pack, it was too heavy and he would come looking for it. It boiled down to two things. Either she stay and chance it or leave and chance it. She wasn't fucking stupid. She knew she had no choice but to stay.
Flashback
I have no choice but to stay. I'm too young to be able to leave at this age, legally. I have to complete high school or I will have no future. I can't just leave and go wherever. How would I be able to get a job and look after myself if I have to focus on class too? My car isn't even reliable and is always breaking down. How will I eat?
Flashback ends
Kumori jolted at the sudden flash back. That's right. This was just like when she was a teenager, living in that hellacious living situation with her parents when the fighting had started to escalate over the past two years. If she had had a reliable car then she would have considered living in it at that point. In fact she had fantasized about doing just that. But this time there was not school to hold her back, and any hope she might have had about a future in Konoha was already dead. She wasn't that much of an optimist to naively believe that she could just get Jiraiya to train her.
After a moment a surge of burning rage hit her, rage so hard that it stole her breath and any trace of sanity she had. Fuck this. She had already gone through this ONCE. She wasn't going to go through it again. She would rather starve to death and die than deal with this helplessness again and she didn't care what she had to do. She was leaving and that was final. With a quiet snarl she all but ripped Jiraiya's bag open. As far as she was concerned he could spare an item or two. Finding what she needed she rolled up one of the Inn's blankets and tied it into a roll with some rope. She pocketed a few kunai she had found in Jiraiya's bag and strapped on a large water canteen.
Standing, she moved purposefully onward with nothing more than those items and the cloths on her back.
She opened the door.
And left.
Jiraiya lay stiffly in his bed, his back facing the door as it slid open once more before sliding shut. He let his breath out slowly as his eyes snapped open, knowing that Kumori had just left. It had been hard for him to pretend to sleep when she had started suffocating the area with chakra pressure, her rage almost a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. He cautiously got out of bed and began getting dressed. He was going to have to move fast if he wanted to catch up with her.
…
Kumori found herself glancing towards the sun as she moved through the heavily wooded land. It was already mid day and she had been moving steadily south through the land of fire. It had been difficult with her having to weave around trees and keep an eye on the direction she was traveling. She sighed, hunger and thirst angrily making their presence known. She grimaced as her stomach growled again, like it had for the past mile. She was starving. She took a small sip of her water knowing that she would have to drink sparingly. I wish I had gotten something to eat at the Inn, she thought with a grimace as she glanced around, trying to spot anything edible. Leaves and brush met her view and she found herself frowning. She needed to do something about the food problem now or she was going to eventually weaken and be killed off by something or die. As she glanced around she tried to see if she could spot anything remotely familiar or edible. After a minute she hissed angrily, racking her fingers through her hair in frustration. She couldn't just eat anything. There was no telling what these plant where. Hell, for all she knew they could be poisonous…
She froze, her eyes wide as realization hit her. With new eyes she scanned the trees around her, awe turning into excitement. There was nothing to fear! This forest was her oyster as far as she was concerned! Anything that was poisonous would just give her a stomach ache or make her nauseous at most. She could live with that. And with that she ripped off the leaf of the tree next to her and started eating, making a face at the flavor. Definitely gross but it was better than starving to death. She made her way through the brush like that, eating whatever she came across. She grimaced at the bitter tasting leaves and soon found a type she liked more and began to hunt for those, making sure not to get too far off course as she forged and traveled. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand an hour later after eating a path through the forest, a mixture of berries, leaves and a mushroom. She was finally full, but she was going to have to find water of some kind to refill her stolen container. Her eyes narrowed as she watched a squirrel dart through the trees above. She was also going to have to figure out a way to hunt.
Kumori frowned at the dimming woods around her. She had spent the day traveling at a reasonable pace and her muscles where aching again from the chakra use that she had used. She was going to have to find reasonable shelter for the night. Looking at the surrounding trees she frowned. Just trees, trees, and more trees, the rustle of the leaves filling the air with the rolling winds that passed. No caves. Dead trees where were wild animals liked to burrow and live. She had avoided those especially in her world because poisonous snakes where know to live in those in the South. I might be immune to poisonous snakes here but I'd rather not test my chances after having ingested so many unknown plants today, Kumori thought with a frown before looking up. She could take shelter in a tree but that would leave her exposed to the brisk night air. Sure she had a blanket but she could fall out of the tree. She frowned as she looked at the rope holding the blanket together. Perhaps not, she thought as she took a running jump, enhanced with chakra. She landed hard against the trunk knocking the breath out or her before she scrambled shakily up the tree till she found a comfortable fork in the wood that was small enough to she could secure herself on but large enough for her to sleep. Her back propped up against the truck, blanket around her and tied to ensure she wouldn't fall she drifted off into a dreamless sleep as exhaustion claimed her.
If she had been awake, she might have picked up on the chakra signature that made its way into her range before retreating once more once it was satisfied that it had found her.
When morning came Kumori woke to find herself stiff with lack of movement but otherwise rather warm, her body feeling better after the full night of rest. Undoing the rope that had bound her she remover her blanket, blinking blearily as she looked around. The morning light streaming through the awakening forest met her gaze and she cracked a yawn before her stomach growled, making her grimace. There hadn't been any adverse effects from her previous meal of random leaves, so she might as well get started. It took a while for her to get full from leaves yesterday and she had had to eat a lot of them too. Taking a sip from her canteen, Kumori then went to relieve herself before determining the direction the sun was. Direction now confirmed, she began to set out once more, eating as she went. It was around mid day when she decided to take a small break, taking a sip from her canteen as she sat on a fallen tree. It was a magnificent thing, easily seven men around and ancient. Kumori frowned as she looked around, eyeing the trees. She remembered how Ibiki had leapt through the trees. It had been terrifying for her, but they had moved swiftly. Frowning she crouched taking carefully aim before leaping. She landed a couple of feet away from her intended target and the impact had her legs aching. With a grimace she tried again, and again, using her observations to figure out how to use chakra to leap.
She spent about an hour working on her leaping before she deemed it satisfactory. Then she tried leaping from tree to tree. It was difficult and she found herself falling more than a few times before she was able to land shakily on a branch. The trick it seemed was to pick the right branch. Too big, get thrown off balance. Too small, not enough landing space. The going was slow at first but soon Kumori had fallen into a shaky rhythm, her pace picking up as she began to travel by tree hopping, making sure not to push too much chakra into her legs. She would pause every now and then to sample the foliage around her as she traveled or to check to sun to confirm the direction she was heading.
…
It was evening when the forest began to thin out before a stretch of plains met her gaze, trees dotted here and there over the high rolling grass. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the sparse forest that she had just come from. This wouldn't give her much cover for the night. She couldn't even really spot a tree that would offer her a good place to sleep. All the ones at the trees edge where too scrawny. She frowned as she looked around. The only trees she could spot that where thick enough to house her comfortably where the lone trees on the plain. She turned to look behind her. She would have to travel a ways back into the forest to find a decent sized tree to sleep in and by then it would be dark, which would make things even more difficult and she wouldn't be able to speed things up with tree hoping. Sleeping on the ground wasn't an option since she didn't have anything to make a fire to keep the animals away with. But the plain was so exposed compared to the forest. She grit her teeth in annoyance not noticing the presence that was hovering on the edge of her sensing range. With pursed lips she made her way swiftly through the tall grass with chakra enhanced speed. She passed the first two trees before leaping into the third. She gave it a once over before nodding and starting to undo her roll, eyes darting around from her new position. She could see further along the plain now from her higher vantage point and could see the beginning of another forest in the distance to the south where she was heading. Towards the west the plain continued, and towards the north where she had come from she could see the forest she had just left. She grimaced. She was going to have to cover a large distance tomorrow before she got back to another forest, which meant she was going to have to go a day without food. She grimaced. She was already a little hungry. Travel really took a lot out of the body and plants could only provide so much. What she needed was meat. She grimaced as she massaged her legs. They hurt from all the extra chakra that had been pushed through them today and she was exhausted. She would wonder about the food problem later. It was time to get some sleep.
It was the middle of the night when Kumori jerked awake suddenly, wondering what it was that had woken her. She blinked groggily. I could have sworn that I felt a chakra flare up, she thought as she squinted in the dark. After going so long without people around, the flare had been enough to wake her up. A soft growl filled the air and Kumori froze eyes and ears immediately straining for whatever had made the sound. Her eyes soon spotted the source and she found herself staring down at a small pack of wild dog like creatures, only their snouts where more defined and their legs sleeker, their bodies more compact and powerful.
Wolves.
Another one growled and sniffed the air. There was a yip before another whined, teeth pulling back to gleam in the slight light the waning moon cast before the smoothly drifting clouds covered it, leaving them in oppressive darkness. Kumori's eyes remained wide, ears strained but what was straining the most was her ability to sense chakra. Right now, these creatures could see in the dark while she was essentially blind. They where little more than blobs, but she at least knew where those masses of energies where. Undoing the rope that secured her, Kumori stood carefully, senses trained. They wouldn't just go away. She knew enough about wolves to know that they would keep her treed for a good long while before moving on, and there was no way this tree would have enough leaves on her to feed her for that long. It took a lot of leave to get her remotely full. She frowned down at the wolves as her mind churned. Decision made, she jumped.
The wolves yowled in surprise and glee when they spotted their prey coming to them and they leapt into action, racing towards where she had fallen. A kunai flashed before it hit one in the jugular as the rest of the wolves raced forward. Ready, Kumori's fist cocked back before she punched. There was a sickening crunch as the first wolf was sent flying into one of its companions, it's still form unmoving since its skull had caved in from a chakra enhanced punch. A wolf snarled at dove at her throat next but a kunai was jammed in its chest, splattering blood all over the young woman before the creature hit the ground with panicked whimpers before it fell still. The moon came out slightly from behind the clouds. Not able to react in time, one wolf managed to latch onto Kumori's leg and yanked her to the ground as it threw her off balance and another wolf pounced, trying to rip out her throat as the last wolf struggled to get out from under its companion for a second before getting free. Seeing the wolf lunge for her throat clearly, Kumori caught its jaws before using her chakra enhanced strength to rip the wolf's jaws apart. It gave a horrible gurgled scream as it got free before racing off into the plain, crazed by pain and panic before toppling over no longer able to keep moving. The wolf that had gotten free just seconds before managed to bite into Kumori's upper arm. She gave a scream of pain as instinct took over. The wolf's jaw went slack as a kunai was slammed into its brain before the body began to twitch.
Sitting up, all the other wolves now dead, except the last one that was trying to rip her leg off, Kumori growled, eyes gleaming red in the dim lighting. The final wolf froze and the two were locked in a staring match. Slowly Kumori's lips began to pull back, revealing canines that where longer than they should have been for a human, another growl rumbling in her throat. The wolf let go of her leg hesitantly, slightly cowed as it took a hesitant step back, Kumori's now red eyes following its every move. Suddenly it turned to flee but it barely had a chance as something heavy landed on its back. It gave a keening yelp before there was a sickening crunch. Both figures remained still in the shadow of the tree before Kumori finally stood, panting from pain and fatigue. Her palms where bleeding where the wolves teeth had cut through them and her knuckled where bloody from punching the other wolf in the head. She grit her teeth, knowing that there was probably some bone fragments in her hand from the wolf's skull. She checked her arm to inspect the cuts and her leg. These where all cosmetic. As long as they didn't get infected, she would live.
I'm alive, Kumori though exuberantly after a moment with a wild grin. She had thought when she had first got here to this new world that she was royally screwed. Now, she could eat just about anything and she had chakra. With chakra she had been able to fight off a small pack of wolves! Wolves! She could survive, no matter what and she had every intention of doing just that. Drunk on excitement she threw her head back and roared her victory for the plain to hear, the sound shattering the still night. Triumphant and feeling a lot better, Kumori began to drag the carcasses away from the tree and gut them, removing the organs before she began to remove the skins and fangs, leaving the meat of the beasts. She frowned at it as her food problem came to mind. That's right… she didn't have any plants to each out here with just the grass and the few lonely trees. She really wanted meat, but she didn't have a way of cooking it. After several minutes of staring at it, she finally reached a shaky hand out before taking a small piece, and hesitantly raising it to her lips. She bit into it and grimaced at the flavor and texture.
"Oh gross!" she cried. It was disgusting flavorless and slimy, but she was hungry, and she didn't know how long until she ran into a town and meat didn't keep. It was either this way or go hungry. With a grimace she forced herself not to throw up as she continued to eat.
…
Kumori woke slowly eyes drifting open. Swaying grass in the mid morning light met her gaze and she found herself just watching it from her vantage point in her tree. Slowly she sat up, feeling a bit queasy but aright none the less from eating her fill of raw meat from last night. Her shoulder and leg hurt but when she removed her makeshift bandages she found to her surprise that the wounds where already healed partially, pink puckered scars and scabs dotting her skin. Still, she felt a bit feverish. She frowned at the wolf carcasses that she had dumped on the hill that was a ways away from her tree. As she had suspected, there was a group of vultures picking at the remains and all sorts of scavenger's ravaging the carcasses. There was a reason she hadn't left the meat near her. She knew that it would only draw other manners of beast.
She watched the animals jockey for a spot to eat. It was definitely drawing animal life from all over that wanted an easy meal. Kumori burped before making a face and taking a swing of water. Raw meat was almost as disgusting eaten as it was burped. Grimacing Kumori began to eat some leaves from the tree she was in, in hopes of getting rid of some of the nasty taste in the back of her mouth. Rolling up her blanket she was ready to head out again, this time heading towards the carcasses.
The animals reacted skittishly when she drew closer but didn't leave completely, not wanting to lose their meal. Kumori had already spotted what she wanted though and soon found herself following an animal trail that had been cut through the grass by multiple animals all going the same way. Animals always know where water is, and if you want to follow animals, you need to draw them out and the best thing to do that with is with bait, Kumori thought as she followed a barely discernible trail through the high grass. It was a good thing she had listened to her grandfather when he had taken her out hunting a couple of times. True she hadn't killed anything on these hunts, but she had learned a few basic things, like how to find game and some basic tracking.
She moved carefully and after an hour the trickle of water filled her ears. Moving quicker, Kumori found herself at a medium sized creek. A smile of pleasure crossed her lips and she moved forward quickly before stopping at the water's edge. Kumori decided to clean up a bit, cleaning her face and body and washing her cloths leaving her in her under wear. Not that she minded. There was no one around anyways. The only thing she would need to watch out for was snakes. While waiting for her cloths to dry a little, Kumori managed to catch a few fish. A pity about the fire, she thought with a frown. She should have thought to get some matches or something from Jiraiya's pack when she had gone poking through it. Annoyed she dressed again and set out, this time following the stream. It would lead towards either a road or a bigger stream. After all, water was life and she might find some game worth hunting if she stayed with the stream. Or a predator to run from, she realized with a grimace. Hopefully she wouldn't run into any more wolves. And hopefully there were no bears in this area either.
…
Jiraiya had thought a lot of things when he first saw the flash of red in her eyes or when he felt her potent rage as it oozed into her chakra cloaking the air in the stuff. He had thought a lot of things when she had left, setting out without even a word to him, while taking a few of his things. All in all, he couldn't help but feel confused and curious as well as interested as he followed after her through the course of four days. The first day had been a bit boring; she moved so slow. Her eating any plant she came across had scared him at first until he realized that it wouldn't harm her. The second day had been a bit more interesting as she began to experiment with tree jumping until she could travel that way. That night, he had intentionally flared his chakra when he had spotted the wolves near the base of her tree. These had been some cases in the past where wolves were able to use enough chakra to jump higher than they should have been able but that hadn't been the main reason. He wanted to see how she would react to finding herself cornered. Jiraiya's eyes had gone wide in shock when she had leapt into the fray without much preamble. He watched with a dry mouth as she one by one killed them off until there was only one left. When she growled and the wolf actually back off. It turned to flee and there was a flash of red along with a sickening crunch. Silence. Jiraiya nearly jumped out of his skin when she suddenly howled at the plains, his skin crawling with Goosebumps. Ok, definitely creepy, he thought before she began to take care of the carcasses. He had been confused at first when she started taking strips of meat of the carcasses before he realized that she was eating him. His stomach immediately soured. Damn. He hadn't been expecting that either.
The next day, she was a bit lazy getting up but soon he found himself in for a treat as she went about cleaning her cloths in the stream. Still she was far too bony and was covered in bruises from all her falls from working on tree jumping. She needed to fatten up a bit. Once more dry she set off, her dead fish in tow and soon she was at a larger stream. She continued till they came across a mill where she traded a wolf pelt for oil, a needle and thread and a tinder and flint. Next thing he knew, fire. She immediately set to cooking the fish and stitching the pelts together before oiling them while the fish meat cooked through. She then pulled out her collection of fangs and began fiddling with them before putting them away again. After eating she moved on, heading for the next town. And that's when the bandits decided to attack.
…
Kumori frowned uneasily as she continued the long stretch of road. The road itself was slightly elevated, leaving small ditches to both sides the high grass framing both sides as it swayed gently in the wind. This kind of road would make a perfect ambush, she noted distastefully, wishing there was another way. But there wasn't and she needed to get to that next town there she would be able to purchase an erhu and begin to actually make money so she didn't have to forage and scavenge for everything. The wind blew again and this time she paused frowning. That grass isn't swaying right, she noted with a frown as the wind continued to blow. One, two three four... her head turned slowly as she took in all the spots where the grass wouldn't sway correctly as adrenaline hit her system. There was over seven spots where the grass wouldn't sway right and her sensing rang expanded with the adrenaline. There where eleven chakras on this road, one of them vaguely familiar. He eyes widened in alarm and she took off at a dead sprint heading towards the town, chakra pumping through her legs. She shot forwards like a bullet and was partially past the ambush party when the bandits jumped out. One tried to get in her path, his blade gleaming but with a vicious flying kick she barreled right through the man and proceeded to run for it. Three of the men began to follow with chakra enhanced speed as the others fell behind. They didn't have shinobi training like the other three men that where in pursuit.
Kumori felt the three chakra signatures following and she turned slightly to look over her shoulder to find that they were following. Despairingly she realized that they were gaining and she quickly got her kunai ready. She shrieked as metal bit into her back but she kept running moving faster as fear bit into her along with pain. She could feel them still gaining. This time she heard the whoosh of metal in the air and she dove to the side in time to keep from being hacked in two. Without waiting she slipped in one man's guard and drove a kunai into his neck. The other two tried to flank her but she leapt into the air throwing the dying man at one of the two men, kicking the other man in the neck with a resounding snap. The other man was on her before she could recover. He slashed before she was jerked back, the blade sailing through the air where her throat had been. Kumori remained frozen as the last man was struck by a wildly spinning ball of chakra, the mane of wild white hair and odd clothing unmistakable as Jiraiya finished off the last man, sending him flying into the tall grass. Kumori stared numbly as Jiraiya turned to grin at her over his shoulder, his eyes glittering warmly.
"Looks like I got here just in ti-"
CRUNCH went Jiraiya's balls as Kumori kicked him before she turned and started running towards the town once more.
"FUCK! Fuck fuck fuck!" he hissed in pain as he struggled against the urge to double over. Wincing he forced himself to run after her though admittedly he couldn't move as fast as he wanted due to the damaged goods.
Kumori was running at a steady pace as she raced through the village only stopping to dive into a shop for cover once she was sure that the white haired menace was far enough away. Her back was throbbing and she could feel the wet stickiness of blood as it slide down her back, the knife having fallen out mere seconds after landing in her skin. She dove past the startled shop owners before going out the back and darting across the small alleyway where there was another door leading to another shop. Thankfully someone was opening it and without permission she darted past them and into the shop before pausing to look around franticly as the kitchen came into view. It looked like she had just entered the back of a restaurant.
"Hey! What do you think you-" she cut the man off as she slammed him against a wall as she struggled to catch her breath, her hand covering his mouth as she glared. She was in a lot of pain, being hunted by that man, and she was not in the mood to deal with this.
"Shut the fuck up. Make a peep and I will castrate you, got it?" she snapped before looking around cautiously. The other workers in the kitchen stared at them in fear as Kumori let go of the man and crept so that she could peek out the front of the shop from the kitchen. Satisfied that she had lost Jiraiya she turned to glare at the man that remained frozen against the wall in fear, having spotted the blood blossoming through the back of her dirty shirt.
"I need to know if there is a weapons shop around here and where the next town is," she demanded as the man swallowed nervously, his eyes taking in her wild appearance.
"A-are you a n-ninja?" he stuttered. Kumori glared harder, red starting to seep into her eyes making the man squeak in terror.
"That's not what I asked. Weapon shop and the next town," she growled.
"You don't have to be so mean to the poor guy," came Jiraiya's voice behind her. A girly scream broke past Kumori's lips as she leaped from one side of the kitchen to the other before scrambling out the front door in terror.
"Hey! Wait!" Jiraiya yelled as he raced to catch up, taking to the roof tops where Kumori had gone. She cursed under her breath. First off, she had no idea why he was here. She hadn't thought that he would follow, all things considered and secondly, how long had he been tailing her?! The panic racing through her system brought another surge of adrenaline and with it a surge of chakra.
"Please just listen to me!" He yelled as he sped up. She could feel him trailing after her as she raced out of the town and into the tree line where the road was. This should lead her to the next town, she thought dazedly as she began to use the chakra to enhance her speed and strength, taking to the treetops. She rocketed through though the forest with wild abandon at first before the burn of chakra in her legs began to intensify. Gritting her teeth she pushed past the pain and kept going, as she forced the chakra flow to become more level and even. Chakra flowing smoother, the pain abated a bit but the dull ache was there as she continued to race ahead. She pushed her sensing range slightly and cursed. He was still following her. Why was he still following her?!
Well, he has to give up some time, she thought as she grit her teeth against the pain.
"Kumori!" he yelled behind her. She glared as she pushed her speed a bit faster, choosing to ignore him in favor of focusing on her footing and chakra flow. Jiraiya growled in frustration under his breath when she didn't respond.
I thought that four days would have been enough for her to calm down, he thought with growing frustration. Sure he could easily close the gap between them, but it would only push Kumori to panic further, and make her more violent. He hadn't missed the fear that had flashed in her eyes behind the burning anger when she had first spotted him. No, he was going to let her wear herself out. If she was tired, he would have an easier time dealing with her and she would be more likely to listen to him.
Three hours later, they were still going through the treetops, having past another small village. Kumori had to bite back a groan of agony. Her legs where burning in pain, a steady burning throb but still she made herself go on. She was getting sloppy though, fatigue getting to her. I'm going to have to take the road, she realized when she nearly slipped on another tree limb, skinning her knee in the process. Gritting her teeth she waited till she passed a bend in the road before she leapt from a lower branch towards the ground. This way, Jiraiya wouldn't be able to spot her as easily and she might have more time to recover and settle into her new run. When she landed however her shaky legs buckled under her and she gave a yelp of pain when she hit the ground hard, panting for air. Shit shit shit, she thought as she sensed Jiraiya's chakra closing in quickly. He would be coming around the corner in a few moments. Gritting her teeth she pulled herself into a patch of high grass that was besides the road and covered herself with the wolf pelts she had stitched together. The light browns and earthy blonds served as decent camouflage in the dry brown grass she had crawled into. Kumori could feel Jiraiya's presence arrive and pause before it began to move to and fro, clearly looking for her in that general area. She did her best to keep her breathing down as he moved. She heard him tisk in annoyance.
"I know you're there. I can see you. Come on out," he called. Kumori remained frozen in place too tired to move as her fatigue began to take place of the adrenaline and stress that had kept her going. If he knew where she was, then he could just come and get her. A moment later, he sighed, clearly irritable as Kumori dimly realized that he had been trying to trick her into coming out, which meant that he hadn't spotted her yet.
"Listen, I'm sorry that I put you in that toad like that. I could have done that better, but I promise you that I mean no harm," he called as his eyes darted to and fro, looking for any sign of movement or color that would give her away. He walked up till he was on the edge of some tall grass beside the road and frowned, eyes scanning the trees and brush. Where the hell was she? He thought with a frown before finally looking down. Grass, grass, more grass… wait, what was that? His eyes widened in shock when he recognized the pelt of the wolves she had killed. They were barely distinguishable in the tall grass with their natural coloration and if he hadn't been looking, then he wouldn't have even noticed the difference. Taking a few steps into the grass he carefully removed the pelt to find his query laying curled in the grass, clearly exhausted. Kumori glared at him halfheartedly as Jiraiya took in the sweat that covered her and the exhausted tremors that ran through her. He sighed, feeling a bit older inside as he crouched to inspect the quivering creature that lay before him.
"Are you ok?" He asked quietly as he brushed some hair out of her face before sitting to rest beside her. He was only slightly winded from that run but it had clearly taken a lot out of her.
"Do I look ok?"she panted out now that she didn't have to hide her breathing. Jiraiya frowned as he took in her appearance. The kunai that had bit into her back had fallen out since the throw hadn't been very good and the wound was light, but there was still blood coating the back of her shirt. It was clotted by now but she had gotten dirt in it. Her cloths, which consisted of a civilian shirt and Capri pants, where covered in rips and stains and splattered with blood stains, her shoes worn down and covered in mud and dirt. Her knee was bleeding and there where scabs over her palms and knuckles. Her shirt was sticking to her with her sweat, her skin had a pale hue to it, and her hair was plastered to her head in it as well.
"No, not really," he murmured before frowning. "If you aren't ok then why did you run off again? I could have helped you sooner, after dealing with those bandits," he asked quietly. She frowned, eyes far off and distant as she replayed the swift series of events that had brought her to this point.
"Fight or flight instinct I suppose. That and I thought that you would leave after a while," she admitted breathlessly with a halfhearted shrug. Jiraiya regarded her seriously, dark intelligent eyes probing as he gazed at her. She met his gaze for a moment before looking away.
"You just killed two men," he pointed out calmly. Her breathing hitched slightly and she sighed, eyes sliding shut as she grimaced slightly.
"Yes, I did," she muttered calmly before turning her amethyst gaze on him.
"And you killed the third before he could kill me." It was silent for a moment as they regarded each other in silence before Kumori finally relented.
"I don't know why you did that, but thank you." Kumori mumbled as she looked away. Jiraiya relaxed slightly as he gave her arm a comforting pat.
"No problem. I'm supposed to be looking out for you after all," he said as she frowned thoughtfully.
"Are you really?" she asked quietly eyes distrustful. Jiraiya nodded seriously.
"Yes. The Hokage had given his orders." He said as she frowned.
"You listen to orders? You?" she asked her tire voice still managing to sound skeptical. Jiraiya grimaced.
"Of course I do." He muttered. Kumori snorted.
"Could have fooled me," she muttered quietly. Jiraiya frowned.
"Is that why you left? You didn't think that I would follow my orders?" he asked. Kumori turned her head slightly so that she could regard him for a moment eyes carefully taking the details of his face.
"Yes." Jiraiya grimaced as a flash of annoyance crossed his face.
"Geez. Even if I didn't follow my orders, did you really have to run off?" he grumbled. It would have been so much easier for her to do that and perhaps this misunderstanding would have cleared itself up much faster.
"Why should I have stayed? Because it would have been easier for me? Because I don't have anywhere else to go? I've had to swallow that bitter pill before and I am not going to go through that again. I didn't think that you were going to do what you where supposed to do anyways, which meant that there was no way for me to join the leaf anyways," Jiraiya frowned at her words but didn't interrupt. Experience had taught him that sometimes if you didn't speak the person in question would tell you more of what you needed to know. After a moment however it became clear to him that if he didn't speak up she would fall asleep on him.
"You said that I wasn't going to help you anyways. How did you reach that conclusion?" he demanded quietly.
"Truthfully, you and I both know that the Hokage can't make you do anything you don't want to do." She said quietly making Jiraiya's face go unreadable, "He had to give you a warning not to let something mysteriously 'happen' to me. That mixed with your political power doesn't put me in a good position to be since your position keeps you from being punished too badly for anything. I figured I might as well take off before you grew bored and sent me off, or got rid of me somehow," she muttered sleepily.
"You don't even know me enough to be able to decide that," he said lowly, feeling a bit annoyed at her assumptions about him though he had to admit that he could understand what had fueled her thinking. Still it had caused them both a lot of trouble, and they where slightly behind their travel schedule.
"I do know that you are a ninja, which makes you capable of just about anything," she muttered as Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly in understanding. Oh. Hmm, she has a good point. They sat there in silence for a number of minutes as Jiraiya thought long and hard about what she had said. Ninja. She had said it with slight distaste.
That wasn't civilian reasoning. That was far too drastic and paranoid. Definitely not naïve, so he didn't need to worry about that in her if he decided to take her on as his student. It was true, he could use his political power and skills as a ninja to keep himself out of trouble if he really wanted to make her disappear for good, because all ninja had the skills needed to do just that. And he was one of the best that had put her in a toad to spite her and his sensei before they had even got on the road. Sure, he wasn't the kind of man to get rid of her permanently, but he was far more honorable than most ninja, and she didn't know that, and she was funtion on the assumption that he was just any old ninja.
My first mistake was to treat her like a civilian, Jiraiya thought with a frown as he gazed at her. He had thought that she would be furious with him but understand the harsh reality of her situation and stay. That way, she wouldn't bother him and would keep him at arm's length instead of nag him to teach her all the time. He had wanted to avoid that. But she hadn't. She had sensed the danger and decided to get away while she still could.
She appeared to have drifted off into sleep, her body no longer able to hold up after her exhausting run. It was impressive that she had been able to last that long. There was no way she hadn't been in pain after the first forty minutes but she had still kept a steady pace that would eat through miles. With their journey four days in, they were already nearing one of the first great towns before reaching the southern part of Hi no Kuni. Well, she definitely has the guts for the job, Jiraiya thought with a frown. She didn't shy away from the harshness of her situation, and in the wild as she tried to do the best she could with what she had. She had taken advantage of the fact that poisons wouldn't affect her, despite the nasty taste. She had eaten her meat raw which was disgusting but imperative for her survival. She had enough common sense as well to spot an ambush. It went without a doubt, that she would make a fine student and an excellent ninja.
But Jiraiya wasn't going to train her just like that. No. She might have the capability and the mind and body that could make her into a great Shinobi, but she had run away at the first sign of danger from him. She had run the moment she had gotten to the hospital and she had run the moment she had spotted him after dealing with the bandits. She was a flight risk and if she ran from those things, what's to say that she wouldn't just abandon Konoha? No, he was going to establish her background, but he was going to wait and see if she was worth to be his student.
That in mind he rose to his knees and began gathering her up in his arms. She groaned when his arm slid under her knees and he found himself frowning. There was no way she would be able to do more than hobble around for the next few days. Her legs would need time to recover from today's bout of running. Perhaps this was best. That way it will be harder for her to run off this time, he thought as he picked her up carefully, still deep in thought as he shifted her to a more comfortable position in his arms. She was painfully light and he found himself frowning in concern. She was definitely going to have to put some weight on.
AN: Aaaaaand CUT! Whew. As you can see, Kumori is one smart bag of crazy. She's figured out how to use her chakra enough for it to be effective, she's learned how to tree jump, has worked on her sensing abilities, how to use Chakra enhanced strength and speed, and that she can eat just about anything and survive.
She also has triggers that once hit make her go crazy. She's not normally like this though, as you've seen from the past chapters. Mostly she's mellow and amicable but when she flips out, she goes all the way.
As for why she was screaming at the sky after dealing with the wolves, you got to understand: adrenaline rush baby.
Being alive is an amazing feeling when you know that you could have just lost it all. Besides, she thought it was just her and the big wide plains… and dead wolves… but you get the picture!
Come on.. admit it… You know that you do weird or goofy things when no one else is around… like dance really REALLY bad to loud music, roll on the floor…and… stuff. Cough. Yeah, moving on!
Leave a review! Because
The next chapter is ALREADY WRITTEN and its JUICY! Mwahahaha!
Its got a super big bombshell in it. Kukukuku...
I'm not going to put an amount of reviews to fill or anything. Just please tell me what you thought. I have also answered a few questions that yall have asked, and the answers are in the next chapter! Thank you!
