Chapter 8
- Southern Land of Grass -
Two weeks after meeting Karin and her mother - Noon in the clinic portion of their home.
"...Oh, wwooowwww! Real shinobi!" exclaimed the bright eyed, blonde twintailed ball of sunshine that was Natsuha Uzumaki as she bounced up and down while running in circles around the group of recently arrived Kusa-nin currently in a meeting with their client, Karin's mother.
"Hey, knock it off!" Anko admonished, gently bopping her excitable friend on the head before pulling her back by the collar of her primarily orange, leaf themed short sleeved yukata.
"...Ow! Hey...!"
"They're in the middle of talking with their client, you dork! You can bug them with questions later!"
"But, but! They're real shinobi!" Natsuha protested, lightly flailing her arms in excitement. "Like, really real shinobi!"
"She's right, Natsuha-chan," quietly added Hinata without looking up as she was busy checking over the latest batch of medicinal creams she and the others spent the last week and a half making between their training, lessons, and just getting to know each other better.
Meanwhile, with Karin's mother, Lyner, and the group of Kusa-nin.
"...So, let me see if I have this right; along with the regular medicine delivery protection job, you want us to guard your daughter who will be acting as your representative while escorting this man and his apprentices since they're all headed to Suna as well?" the Kusa-nin leader asked, pointing to Lyner after double checking the modified job request they'd received and been dispatched for.
Karin's mother nodded. "Yes, that's right. I know it's a sudden and last minute change from our usual delivery requests, but I think it's that this young man and his charges helped get the order filled well ahead of schedule and were intending to head for Suna anyway," she explained. "That's why I upgraded this into a B-Rank mission request instead of the usual C-Rank."
"...Which is why we're here, of course, but you have to understand that while we do trust you, we need to be sure about them, especially since we don't know anything about them and could be unaligned shinobi for all we know," replied the Kusa-nin squad leader.
"That's fair, but what would you have us do to prove you can, at the very least, trust enough to let us come along then?" Lyner asked. "I know it's asking a lot, but we really do need to get to Suna."
"Simple. Just agree to be individually questioned by Rie here, that's all," the Kusa-nin said while pointing to the dark haired kunoichi with icy blue eyes behind him. "Let's just say that it's impossible to lie to her and that this is standard procedure for any new client we take on. Normally, we wouldn't even tell you this much and just have done it, but consider this extending you some courtesy in recognition of a long time client that's earned our trust and steady business these past few years."
"Ah, that makes sense," Lyner commented with an understanding nod. "And now that we know, it's either we agree, or you just call it all off and leave... or maybe even kill us, right?"
"...We won't need to go so far as to kill you this time but pretty much, yeah. Call it an occupational hazard of the shinobi profession and all that," replied the Kusa-nin team leader.
"Fair enough, but what guarantees do I have that you won't try something with us even should we comply?"
"Rie here will do the same for us. See, just like how you can't lie to us and get away with it, the same holds true for us once we've accepted carrying out a job," said the Kusa-nin with all seriousness. "Shinobi might play dirty to complete a the mission, but breaking a client's trust when we don't have to is just bad business and certainly wouldn't do us any good in the long run if we ant to keep making money. Our village is just too small to risk burning bridges we don't have to."
Lyner nodded, satisfied by the Kusa-nin leader's answer. "Alright."
"Good, then we'll begin in two hours. That should give everyone here more than enough time to talk to Rie."
And Natsuha, seeing the adults were done with whatever it was they ware talking about, decided to take that chance to speak up.
"Hey, hey! Now that you guys are done talking, is it alright to ask you guys some questions?" asked the hyper little blonde after running up to Lyner, Karin's mother, and the four newly arrived Kusa-nin; her violet eyes sparkling with innocent curiosity and excitement.
"...You know there's probably not a whole lot that they can actually tell you, don't you? Being shinobi and all." Lyner commented, smiling wryly at his unpredictable, hyper little apprentice.
"I know that! But they can at least tell me some super cool ninja stories, right? Or maybe give us some tips about how to do super cool shinobi stuff! Y'know, without giving away any secrets... maybe?" Natsuha said with more thought than Lyner expected, at least for her anyway.
"...Hm, true enough," Lyner agreed with a shrug before turning to look at the group of four slightly amused Kusa-nin. "Right, sorry about that. My apprentice means well, but would that be alright?"
"Right then. Rie, start with the girl then. Oh, and it's fine to answer whatever basic questions she might have," the Kusa-nin squad leader said after thinking on the matter for a moment. He then looked down at the guileless blonde little girl in front of him. "And you, just don't give Rie any trouble and answer whatever questions she might have too, alright?"
"Yay!" Natsuha cheered while hopping up and down, much to the older Kusa-nin squad leader's exasperation and the kunoichi named Rie's amusement. "Oh," Natsuha then turned to Hinata and Anko, who had been quietly observing their friend pull all that off. "Hinata-chan, Anko-chan! C'mon, get over here already!"
"...How does she keep getting away with doing stuff like that?" Anko asked no one in particular, somewhat exasperated by her friend's slightly thoughtless antics.
"It's Natsuha, she's just... very lucky like that," Hinata replied with a light giggle.
"...Ugh."
"...I kinda have to agree though," Karin commented. "I mean, I think it's partly because she's like that that we were able to meet and become friends at all."
"And then there's the night we met and Mister saved us," Hinata added, recalling the day she was almost kidnapped by that Kumo-nin. "If Natsuha-chan wasn't there, I don't want to even think about how things might have turned out..."
"Okay yeah, hyper little spaz or not; she's totally our good luck charm, huh?" Anko conceded before noticing the Kusa kunoichi named Rie finally shooing Natsuha away and motioning for one of them to come over next. "Right, time to get this over with then."
- Two hours and six interviews later: A full booked, small village inn -
"So?" asked Shuyin, the Kusa-nin squad leader to his lone kunoichi Rie.
Rie nodded. "The client and her daughter are clean; same with the man's three apprentices."
"And what about the man?"
"Actually, that's the thing... I couldn't get a clear read on him," Rie answered honestly, a bit unsure what to make of the grey haired foreigner in dark clothes.
"...What do you mean?" Shuyin asked, eyebrow quirked in slight confusion.
Rie just sighed before scratching her head in mild frustration. "I couldn't sense anything from him."
"...Couldn't sense anything? What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I meant. My bloodline never triggered even once, like at all," Rie replied. "I mean, he answered all my questions, which lined up with what everyone else told me so far, and he didn't sound or look like he was lying either, but..."
"..But?"
"It's like, my bloodline just wouldn't work on him for whatever reason."
"...Hmm. I, see..."
"So, how do you want to play this? Do we accept, leave, or..."
After a moment of weighing the pros and cons of each option, Shuyin just sighed before speaking. "For now, we continue as planned while keeping a close eye on the man. From what we've learned so far, he's not a shinobi and has cooperated with us without any issue so far so there's not really anything else we can do but observe him for the time being. The fact that he seems immune to your bloodline is a bit worrying, yes, but there's nothing we can do about that right now. Remember, a good shinobi is 'slow to assume, but quick to verify'."
"...But don't you think that's a bit dangerous?" asked the red haired shinobi standing next to Rie, finally speaking up for the first time since the four of them arrived in this village.
"For the time being? Not really, no. After all, not only do we outnumber him, the guy seems completely chained down by those charges of his," Shuyin began. "It'd just be too odd to handicap himself like that if he really wanted to try and pull something. No, if anything was to happen, it'd more likely come from a third party. Sure, that could even be part of the plan. Also, the blonde and the client's daughter are apparently related too. Like I said earlier, it'd be safer to just keep an eye on him for now. If nothing happens, then great. And if he does end up trying something, then we'll deal with it. Simple as that."
Rie and the rest of his team nodded at their squad leader's reasoning.
"Good, then since we're scheduled to leave tomorrow morning, you three will finish checking over our supplies and carriage while I confirm our route to Suna on top of seeing what else I can learn about that odd foreigner, just to be on the safe side."
"""Yes sir!""" the three Kusa-nin simultaneously answered before body flickering away to carry out their assigned tasks.
- The next day, VERY early in the morning -
"...Sleepy..," muttered a very drowsy and barely awake Natsuha who shambled about trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes as she waited with Hinata and Anko outside of Karin's house by the carriage loaded up with crates of medicinal creams to be delivered to Suna in the Land of Wind.
"...And, that's what you get for staying up all night bouncing all over the place like an idiot," Anko commented, an amused smile on her face as she observed her friend sway about to and fro waiting for Lyner and Karin like a leaf in the wind while keeping an eye on three out of the four Kusa-nin who were to be their escort.
Hinata, on the other hand, was quite used to waking up early due to her past daily training sessions with her family and couldn't help but smile fondly at how silly her friend looked trying so desperately to not move around on autopilot.
"...Ugh...! Don't be mean..!" Natsuha started after letting out another yawn. "Anyway, what do you guys think the Land of Wind is like...?" she asked while still unsteadily walking around in a circle.
"Well, I've never been there myself, but from the books I've read and what some of my clansmen who have been there on missions before have said, the Land of Wind is a harsh land mostly made up of desert with its settlements built near the many oases that dot the country," Hinata began to explain. "It lies southwest of the Land of Fire just past the Lands of Rain and Rivers and, because there isn't much arable land, the country itself has to rely heavily on trade to get by, with main exports being steel, shinobi services to smaller countries, and specialty sweets while importing whatever the country is incapable of producing or getting on its own."
"Specialty sweets you say?" Anko asked, interest piqued. "...What kind of sweets?"
"...Um, I think they're called 'Desert Dango'," Hinata replied while doing her best to hold back from giggling at the sight of a now practically drooling purplette who reminded her way too much of a certain twintailed blonde whenever it came to ramen. "I heard they're made using a specially made soy flour said to resemble the desert sands of their home."
"Holy crap that sounds... AMAZING!" Anko exclaimed, eyes sparkling and now outright drooling.
"I've also read that their shinobi have two major specialties, that being their Wind Release and puppetry jutsu," Hinata added, doing everything she could to keep calm and focused.
"...Puppets?" Natsuha asked, finally (mostly) awake and very interested in what her lavender eyed (which were hidden by her dark blue contact lenses) best friend was saying now. "How's that work?"
"Actually, I don't really know much about the technique either myself," Hinata answered honestly. "But, from what little was written about it, the jutsu makes use of chakra threads to control specialized battle puppets that, under the right conditions and with high enough skill by the user, can allow a single puppeteer to control up to ten of them in combat. Oh and on a side note, it's said that the technique was first developed by a Suna-nin who happened to watch some puppet shows while visiting his civilian wife's family's home village," added the (currently contact wearing) lavender eyed dark bluenette.
"...That sounds so...COOL!" Natsuha exclaimed, eyes sparkling just like Anko's did a little earlier. "Hey, hey! Do you think we can learn that jutsu when we get to Suna?"
Anko shook her head. "Yeah, not likely. I'd bet a million ryo those techniques are treated like 'clan jutsu', so there's no way they'd teach them to an outsider, much less a bunch of kids like us. Plus, I bet being able to use a jutsu like that needs a lot of ether control... like WWWAAAYYY more than any of us have, especially yours, Natsuha-chan."
"...Hey!" By now, the blonde was very much indignantly pouting at having the cold, hard truth ruthlessly and constantly thrown in her face like that.
"Anko-chan's probably right though."
"...Ugh...!" Meanwhile, inside their mindscape, the other 'Natsuha' just rolled her eyes at how silly her 'sister' was acting.
"Anyway, nevermind all that for now, what the heck's taking Mister and Karin so long?" Anko asked, getting a little impatient.
"Oh, um... I think the Kusa-nin's leader wanted to check in with Karin-chan's mom and Mister one last time about the travel route and stuff before we left," Natsuha answered, remembering bits and pieces of what her Mister and the other adults were talking about while on her way to meet up with Hinata and Anko.
"Oh, well I just hope they won't take too much longer then..," Anko said, feeling a bit impatient and wanting to get a move on already.
"Oh, speak of the devil," Hinata said, pointing to the three people in question heading their way.
"Sorry for taking so long," Lyner said while followed by travel pack wearing Karin to his left and Shuyin to his right. "After Shuyin, the Kusa-nin's squad leader here, was telling me a bit more about what to expect in Suna, Karin's mother wanted to kae sure Karin had everything she was going to need and say a few words to her before she left."
The three other little girls nodded in understanding before getting into the carriage after Karin.
"Alright, now that we're all here and we have a long way to go to the Land of Wind, let's get moving," Shuyin said after seeing the girls in the carriage and his team ready to start moving.
- Konoha, Hokage Tower: Hokage's office -
Sitting behind his large and familiar oaken work desk sat the normally grandfatherly 3rd Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as he busily worked on the large stack of paperwork in front of him while his two shadow clones worked on their own stacks of a Kage's most vile and hated enemy. 'It's good that using shadow clones not only helps get this done faster, but serves as a surprisingly effective way to increase one's chakra reserves, assuming one has the requisite chakra reserves to make use of this method to begin with, that is.' Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled the looks on Jiraiya and Tsunade's faces the first time they'd seen him use shadow clones that way.
Just then, his thoughts and work were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a certain ANBU wearing a weasel mask.
"Oh, what brings you here, Weasel?" Hiruzen asked after pausing in his work, feather pen down and wizened hands folded in front of him.
"Apologies for the sudden interruption, Lord Hokage, but there's something I have to report. Something of great import and urgency."
"...Is this about what I think it is?" 'Please, please say no...'
Weasel nodded gravely. "Yes, Lord Hokage. Unfortunately, it is. That said, not everyone in the clan is in favor or even aware of what's actually happening behind the scenes."
"...Oh?" Hiruzen then nodded, motioning for Weasel to continue.
"It's just as as you suspected, Lord Hokage, it seems that in the years after the truth of the Kyuubi attack was revealed to the village, it has caused a schism to form within the Uchiha clan itself, effectively splitting the clan's upper echelon in two between a growing 'separatist faction' movement that feels trapped and cornered by the rising mistrust and isolation spearheaded by a small but very vocal segment of Konoha caused by the fallout of releasing the truth behind the Kyuubi's attack on the village seven years ago over what happened to Natsuha Uzumaki before she disappeared, and the larger 'moderate faction' still loyal to the village. What's worse is that these sentiments have only been exacerbated at both ends by the stain of Madara Uchiha's past actions as well," Weasel, or Itachi Uchiha, explained. "As I said earlier though, much of this strife still remains within the inner leadership of the clan and their respective cliques for now but... I fear this won't remain the case for much longer."
"...Has the situation really become so dire?" the Hokage asked, hoping against hope that things have not reached the breaking point yet. After all, it had only been recently that the 'cold war' between the corrupt and ignorant segments of Konoha's governing council over the issue of Natsuha Uzumaki had been mostly dealt with, so to hear of another crisis brewing so soon after cleaning one large headache of a mess up was the absolute very last thing the aged and tired Hokage wanted to deal with right now. Sadly, he knew better than anyone that reality cared not a whit about an old man's desire for a peaceful, uneventful life free of drama. After all, the fact that he was even here listening to this was proof of that. '...I really am too old for this shit...'
"Not to the point of open rebellion yet no, but far along enough that the 'separatists' have begun taking advantage of the unrest within the clan to subtly coax and incite others, frustrated with the situation, to join them," Weasel replied. "The 'moderates' have managed to keep things under control for the time being, but the fact that both factions are being lead by the clan head and my mother respectively has had the unintended side effects of both straining relations within the clan even further, as well as all but forcing people to pick sides that much faster and, at this rate, I fear it won't be too long before one side finally snaps and violence breaks out. After all, the Uchiha clan has control of Konoha's Military Police, have many active shinobi, and are increasingly feeling backed into a corner because of the increasingly cold treatment by the villagers due the implications of another Uchiha being behind the Kyuubi attack seven years ago. I know that 'clan privilege' makes directly intervening difficult, but something must be done... and soon, before it's too late," Weasel, or Itachi, reported in his usual quiet, monotonous voice now tinged with a hint of sadness and desperation.
Hiruzen could only close his eyes, pinch his furrowed brow, and sigh deeply at the whole affair. "...We can't afford this, not now. Alright, while normally there wouldn't be much I could do as this is technically still a 'private inter-clan dispute', the fact remains that the effects of what's happening could very easily jeopardize the safety and security of Konoha as a whole, which supersedes any one clan or its 'clan privileges... which would allow me, as the Hokage, the power to intercede. In which case, Weasel."
"Yes, Lord Hokage?"
"Inform the shinobi council, as well as your mother Mikoto, that they are to appear for an emergency council meeting," Hiruzen ordered in a stern and authoritative tone that brook no disobedience.
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Orders received and with a final salute, Itachi vanished in a body flicker.
"...Sigh..."
Left alone in his office once more, all the man known as the second 'God of Shinobi' and 'the Professor' could do was tiredly sigh once again before returning to deal with that most dreaded enemy of all Kage.. 'If nothing else, the monotony and routine of it all might serve as a distraction before this shit storm of a meeting happens... Oh, how I wish I could see your energetic face one more at a time like this, little Natsuha...'
xxx xxx xxx
"Ugh, I know this country's called the 'Land of Rain' and all, but come on!" whined a slightly shivering and very much soaking wet Natsuha Uzumaki... completely forgetting that the reason she was wet to begin with was completely her fault; a fact not missed by her two best friends and recently discovered family member though.
"...Okay true, but you're the one who thought it was a good idea to run around in the rain during our last break," Anko pointed out with half lidded eyes and a deadpan expression.
Meanwhile, Hinata just giggled while Karin just rolled her eyes at her cousin(?)'s antics.
'...Idiot,' was all her dear 'sister' said while shaking her head at her foolish other half.
"Yeah, whatever! The rain felt good so, y'know! Not my fault this place rains so much!" protested the pouting blonde in an utterly vain attempt to defend her very impulsive actions.
"Again, true, but it's still your fault for not coming in when we told you to," Anko, ever the voice or down to earth wisdom between the three friends, countered. "But yeah, this country really does earn the name."
"That reminds me," Lyner began, finding this silly little conversation the perfect chance to ask. "Is it common for all the countries around here to have such similar naming conventions?"
Hinata nodded. "It is, yes. I'm not sure who started the trend or even why, but all the countries I know of are named after a special trait or specialty unique to that country in particular, like how the so called 'Five Great Elemental Nations' are named after the most common elemental affinity the shinobi and associated Hidden Villages tend to use/have or how, like here, because it rains... a lot."
"I see. Well, it's a simple enough system, and explains why there's a country called the 'Land of Noodles' then," Lyner said, instantly catching his ramen loving apprentice's attention and chuckling.
"What!? There's really a place called the 'Land of Noodles'!?"
"Indeed there is, apparently it's south of the Land of Wind too," Lyner replied with a smile, gently patting the blonde's head.
"...Ooh! Can we go!? Can we, can we, CAN WE!?" asked a practically vibrating Natsuha, violet eyes sparkling and clearly hoping the answer would be an unequivocal 'yes'.
"We'll see," was all her dear Mister would say though.
"...Is she always like that? ...And is she really drooling?" asked a slightly bemused Shuyin waling next to Lyner to his left at the rear of the carriage's protective formation.
Lyner shrugged. "Yes, and yes. And while she's a scatter brained little fool who has more dreams than she has sense... she's almost more stubborn and determined than anyone I've ever seen, has endless potential because of it, and is never boring. All in all, she isn't the easiest student to deal with, but surprisingly the most rewarding to teach. In fact, I find that she balances out my other apprentices quite nicely. That and it helps they're best friends."
"Ah, I can see that," Shuyin replied with an understanding nod. "Balancing team compositions can be very difficult, true. Fortunately, it seems we've both been pretty lucky as far as that goes."
"You know, being in the professional mercenary business and using some of the same tricks and tools of the trade aside, the 'shinobi' of these lands are quite a bit different from the kind that I'm used to dealing with," Lyner commented.
"Oh? What, did you think we'd only be doing shadowy, 'behind the scenes' espionage and wet work jobs?" Shuyin asked with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk.
"Well, not to sound totally ignorant, but kinda, yeah," Lyner answered honestly, somewhat sheepishly scratching his cheek. "Sorry, that's just the image I have of them in my head, I guess. Based on my past experiences and all."
Shuyin nodded. "That's fair. Can't expect a foreigner from who knows where to know a lot about how the shinobi system works around here. Anyway, the image you have of us isn't completely wrong either since that's how things were for our trade in the days before the establishment of the 'Hidden Villages' during the 'Warring States Period'. In fact, the system that exists today is relatively new, only having been established just after the end of the 'First Shinobi World War' roughly a century ago," Shuyin clarified, giving a brief history lesson that matched what Makami told him and the girls during the short time they spent together. "Since then, 'Hidden Villages' started popping up all across many nations around the world with shinobi gradually becoming a major part of a nation's standard military forces."
"And Samurai? Are they still around?"
"Of course they are. Hell, even in the so called 'Five Great Shinobi Nations' here on the Central Continent and their immediate neighbors, Samurai and the Ashigaru forces under their command still make up the bulk of their armed forces," Shuyin added before deciding to changing the subject. "Right, so delivery job aside, what do you and those brats of yours-"
"Hey! I'm not a brat y'know!" protested a certain blonde little brat, only to be ignored.
"-plan on doing in Suna anyway?"
"Natsuha there has a wind affinity and I head that Suna specializes in wind jutsu," Lyner answered, pointing to the still fuming blonde.
"That makes sense, but," Shuyin began before being cut off by the grey haired man who seemed to read his thoughts.
"I'm well aware that I can't expect a shinobi village to just give up their secrets for free, so I plan to offer my knowledge and services in exchange," Lyner replied. "After all, I've heard it isn't too particularly uncommon for a Hidden Village to make such arrangements, provided the conditions are right. And, if that fails, I'm sure I can still find books on the basics of the subject at least."
"Well, good luck then. Hopefully, you've got something to offer then. As a rule, Shinobi are fiercely protective and private about those sorts of things so trading techniques are definitely your best bet. That, or join their Hidden Village... which I'm guessing isn't really an option, right?" asked the Kusa-nin, amused that he'd even try something like that.
Lyner nodded. "Yes, after all, I'm very confident in my skills."
Shuyin chuckled at the foreigner's words which seemed to pique his squad's interest, judging from their now curious glance before suddenly shifting his expression into a serious, no-nonsense one. "Hm, well... I think a chance to demonstrate those skills has just presented itself."
"Oh?" Lyner asked, raising an eyebrow, though he knew exactly what the Kusa-nin was talking about, having sensed the uninvited newcomers as well. "Huh, a good chance indeed."
Shuyin chuckled before asking his team. "Well, how close are they?"
It was their sensor, a redhead by the name of Tannin, who answered Shuyin.
"Twenty of them. Most of them bandits though a few have chunin level chakra reserves, probaly three or four missing-nin then. And, judging by the spread of the signatures, they're trying to surround us."
"Feh. Let 'em come, I say," commented the team's silent up til now final squadmate, a tall young man with short, spiky black hair and sharp, dark brown eyes wearing a truly savage smile on his normally expressionless face. "And I really wanna see what this guy can do too," he then turned to the four now very quiet little girls worriedly looking between his teammates and their teacher." But what about the brats though?"
"Oh, don't worry about them," Lyner began. "Sudden though this may be, it does present the perfect chance for some live combat training."
"Well damn! Hah, you're my kinda guy!" laughed the black haired Kusa-nin.
Meanwhile, the four girls in question just gulped, the reality of the situation quickly hitting them like a ton of bricks.
xxx xxx xxx
At the same time, on a hill overlooking the highway Lyner's group and the four Kusa-nin were traveling on.
"Are the others ready?" asked a tall, well built man with a dark complexion, cold and sharp crimson red eyes and chiseled facial features in a deep and gruff, yet quiet voice.
"Yes," calmly replied the taller, bald missing-nin's subordinate and fellow missing-nin standing behind and to his left. "The encirclement's just about complete and we can begin any time, however..."
"It's just one squad of Kusa-nin, some foreigner and a bunch of brats," interrupted the taller missing-nin, already sensing his companion's concerns. "Even if it's just mostly bandits, so long as we effectively make use of our numbers advantage, then this should be an easy enough raid, right?"
"You're probably right but still, better to air on the side of caution and all that," the other missing-nin replied.
The taller, dark skinned bald missing-nin simply nodded. "Then get going."
"Alright. Then I'll be off too."
And with that, his right hand man and fellow Ame missing-nin disappeared in a body flicker that left behind a characteristic swirl of water. And, alone once again, the taller man wore a savage, predatory smile as he eyed his group's latest prey.
xxx xxx xxx
"...Here they come," whispered the Kusa escort's sensor-nin.
"Good, good," Shuyin then turned to Lyner and three of his four apprentices. "And you? Are you sure about this? I mean, not trying to butt in and tell you how to train your brats-"
"Hey! Stop calling us brats!" Natsuha huffed in futile protest.
"-but don't you think it's kind of reckless to throw them over the cliff like that?"
Lyner chuckled while placatingly rubbing his fuming blonde, twintailed apprentice's head. "No, it's fine. And yes, I normally wouldn't want to put them in harm's way like this but frankly, we're outnumbered and your job only entails protecting the cargo and Karin there, so there isn't much choice but to either put these girls through a trial by fire, or reduce our already small forces even more. Either option isn't really that great and just protecting one other noncombatant is going to be hard enough as is, nevermind four."
"...You've got a point there," Shuyin admitted. "Alright then, we'll go with hit and run attacks while keeping up a perimeter around the carriage and cargo."
Lyner nodded. "Right, then we'll be off." He then turned to his three very young, slightly nervous but still determined looking apprentices as they stared back up at him. "Remember to stick close to me and just focus on attacking one enemy at a time or to keep from being surrounded, separated, or caught in a surprise attack."
The three girls nodded and Shuyin and his squad couldn't help but look a bit impressed at the sight as they made ready to make their own move.
"...We, we don't have to kill them, right? Just fight them off?" Hinata asked, understandably worried that she might actually have to take someone's life and unable to keep from shaking at the thought. Now, having been raised in one of Konoha's oldest and most prestigious shinobi clans Hinata knew in her head that their job involved taking people's lives if need be, but still... there was a world of difference between just 'knowing that you have to kill people' and 'actually being able to kill them'. More than that, she and her two best friends were barely even seven and still woefully inexperienced. Honestly, it was just too much and all she wanted to do was run away and hide. As for Anko and Natsuha's reactions?
"...My Pops always told me stories but the real thing really is different, huh..," observed the purplette, her pupiless brown eyes scanning the area in front of her while tightly clutching the kunai she'd been given in her tiny, sweaty hands. "But, this is what we're training for and Pops always did used to say that this is just the kind of world we live in... I never left the Village before now so I never realized how scary the outside world really was," she added, doing her best not to let her thumping heart and rising fear of the unknown get the best of her. After all, she was the daughter of a proud samurai and skilled kunoichi from the strongest of the Hidden Villages. 'Plus, I've got the princess and the fox with me... and Mister too. Yeah, we totally got this...!'
'How odd.' 'What?' 'I thought you'd be more scared than this, and are you sure you don't want me to handle this?' Natsuha mentally shook her head. 'Nah, I'm sure. Mister's here and I won't be alone. I mean, I'm scared, but this is what we've been training for... to take down bad guys like this, right? And if we don't do something now, it's just gonna end up like that time Mister saved us, or worse even.' Her 'sister' just smiled at Natsuha's words. 'Fine, I'll just leave things to you for now, but I'll take over if things get rough though. That and I think this is a good time to see how well you can handle my, or rather our, power.' 'Hm? What do you mean?' Natsuha asked. 'Your seal's original purpose was to allow my ether, or chakra, to gradually filter into and mix with your own already naturally large reserves, remember? It's been altered a good deal, but that function still hasn't changed. What I'm saying is I think now is a good time to see how much you can handle now that you've gotten a year's worth of training and actually have to fight for your life. consider it learning to use one more tool on the way to becoming 'super awesome'.' Natsuha couldn't help but smile as her eyes widened at what she just heard. '...You think I"m really ready for that? I thought you said you wanted to wait another year?' Her 'sister' just mentally shrugged. 'True, but the situation's changed and we don't really have a choice now. It's either you learn to use that power or very likely end up dead or worse.' '...Good point.'
However, before Natsuha or the others could say or do anything else, they noticed that the air around their normally calm and cool Mister changed as they felt the familiar sensation of the ether around him beginning to flare up.
"Girls, it's time," Lyner said in an an uncharacteristically cold and serious tone of voice, causing them to swallow and quickly nod. "Stay close to each other and don't move too far from my sight while focusing on one enemy at a time for now. Remember, your goal is to put your training to good use and gain real combat experience, not to kill anyone... yet. That said, fight as if you are going to kill them, because if you don't, they'll most definitely kill you... or sell you off into slavery, whichever comes first."
The girls gulped hard and nodded one more time before hearing him say just one word...
"Move!"
And, in response to their teacher and guardian's shout, the three girls began pumping ether into their limbs and desperately followed behind their Mister as they watched him create those strange and mysterious black, shadowy chains they'd seen on that fateful day over a year ago and, it was something about seeing those chains made Natsuha, Hinata, and Anko feel like everything would be okay, even if they knew it was just all in their heads.
xxx xxx xxx
A/N:
Next chapter done!
The girls are about to have their first real fight!
Kinda surprised it turned out taht way, but that's just how things turned out.
Anyway, not sure how the fight's gonna turn out, but oh well, that's part of the fun about writing... things tend to write themselves anyway so oh well...
Anyway, hope you enjoyed and see you next update. And if you didn't? Oh well, not my problem and you can just go read something else.
Until then, see you next update!