Chapter 35: Bellicism Arc: Fire I
"How many times do I have to apologize?" Yuina hadn't wanted to ruin Kakashi's celebration. She didn't even expect her to forgive her, but he was now approaching the petty territory with his snide remarks.
"Until I feel like it." Not only was his celebration pushed back again, he had to wait on Yuina for another several days of manic and sickly behaviour.
Yuina had to remind herself that her twisting innards was from Kakashi's rejection and not a side effect from the poison. She was slated to take it periodically, but less frequently, in the foreseeable future, but she had gotten through the worst of it. She continued to follow him through the streets. "What if I—" Yuina stopped speaking as Ryoma approached. Her lips sealed, unhappy with his appearance.
"You two will do. We're headed out," he said as another five people who had been following behind stop.
Yuina had to stop herself from huffing. If Ryoma was willing to take them on his mission, it was probably for some chore, especially with several others already going. She hadn't forgotten his jabs at her age or how much she was irritated under his leadership. She had been hoping to never be under his leadership again. To her, it was even more important than whatever reason would necessitate eight people on one mission.
Well, unless Ryoma received a promotion, then everyone was genin or chunin, so it couldn't be that bad.
Ryoma reiterated the mission details again once they left the village. He had told the first two he recruited, before deciding it was better to tell everyone at once to not waste time.
"There's an ongoing wildfire at Chisaiu. Those from Post 3 have contained it, but there continue to be no signs of stopping. There's a little over a hundred people who have been evacuated at a camp north of there, but there are new orders to have them evacuated to Musoku for the time being. They're being a little stubborn, so Kakashi, Yuina, your role will be to help with the evacuation while we support Post 3. They've been resistant, but they might be more receptive to you two," explained Ryoma.
"Understood," said Kakashi.
They wouldn't be useful in putting out a fire or even containing it. Yuina was even happy she wouldn't have to be in the thick of the smog. It wasn't a taste or view she wanted to experience again.
Yuina recalled Musoku from her first C-Rank mission. The largeness and the diversity would certainly lend well to newcomers, whether that be a temporary arrangement or accepted as something more permanent. Better than a tent to set up in the middle of nowhere, and if their town was destroyed, there may be nothing to go back to. Ironically, the same fire that disrupted their lives would probably re-fertilize the land, promote new growth, and manage any invasive species.
She wondered more about the wildfire situation. It was the dry season, and the land was often even hotter in that region. It was understandable a fire would start. She wondered what the backup was for. Did they need more water power? Most people required a water source to use a water jutsu on a large, meaningful scale. Those who didn't require a source for big water jutsu usually made a name for themselves. The Land of Fire had many lakes, but there were more plentiful on the east side. Well, the villagers would have needed a reliable water source to survive, so hopefully it was a body of water and not a well.
Maybe it was just to rotate shifts? She couldn't image there being too many people working an outpost and containing a fire required a lot of manpower and constant monitoring.
Well, there was no point in overthinking it.
Kakashi and Yuina separated from the rest of the group to reach the camp. She could see flecks of fire in the distance. She lifted the collar of her shirt over her mouth, which didn't work. It looked foggy, but it was smoke. The sky was even orange and grey. She could only see the flecks of fire in the far distance, but the clouds of smoke permeated everywhere.
At the camp, people stood in line for raw food, as there was a fire ban in place. There was a horse laying down and a wagon beside it which held food and supplies.
The person handing out food was wearing the familiar green vest. Kakashi went directly to him as Yuina took in the scene a moment longer.
"We're here to help with relief efforts and relocation," said Kakashi.
Some people in the line for food began muttering to themselves or talking to those next to them at Kakashi's words.
"We already said we aren't leaving. Can't you do anything?"
"All of this is doing something," Kakashi replied pointedly before the other nin on duty could say anything to smooth it out.
"We aren't expecting you to leave forever, but it's looking like it may take weeks before the fire can be properly quelled." The Konoha-nin she didn't know the name of was much gentler with his words.
Yuina joined in. "If we haven't already, we'll take down all your names to follow up with you, but it's dangerous here and breathing all this smoke isn't good for anyone. If you want your family to be safe, then please consider relocating for now."
"Ataka, who is this creepy child?"
Creepy?! She may not have had a vest jacket like Ataka and Kakashi, but she had Konoha's emblem on her forehead just like the other two.
"They're with me," Ataka said in a gentle tone again, trying to not further escalate the situation. The last thing he needed was for people to argue or panic.
The elder lady brushed off his words. "And where would you expect us to go?"
"That's…" Ataka hadn't heard their update yet.
"Musoku," answered Kakashi.
"You aren't taking us to that cursed town!"
The younger woman standing next to the elder grabbed her arm. "Now, mom, why don't we calm down? Sorry for her."
She shrugged off her daughter's grip. "Don't apologize for me. They'll dump us there. Then we will never be notified when the fire is gone or they'll let the town burn like they did with Kogagi."
"That was before I was even born."
"So what? Doesn't change that it happened and Musoku attracts the wrong sort. I don't want my grandchildren living there."
Yuina saw no signs of their argument stopping. "If I could interrupt." She continued talking the moment she had their intentions. "There's access to food in water from Musoku. That's where the rations you're consuming now were retrieved from. They don't have a fire ban, so food can properly be cooked. We will follow up with every resident. We promise."
"Keh. You don't even know who all lives in Chisaiu."
"It's better than living out here in the bush," added Kakashi. He crossed his arms. He hated crowd control or anything public facing. People did ridiculous things to sabotage themselves.
"We aren't useless. We know how to hunt."
"It's not smart to start a fire to cook it though. There's a reason you're being fed raw vegetables." Ataka was worn down long before they arrived, but a job was a job.
"And the forests around here are all connected. The animals will be agitated and being in the forests poses a risk. Again, we'll write down the names of everyone who has evacuated if we haven't already. If there's anyone missing or unaccounted for, then we will note that down too." It was better than telling a bunch of refugees to deal with it. They didn't have a choice. It was the luck of life and now the only thing that could be done was manage it. "Did we not write their names down?" she asked Ataka.
"That's not protocol."
Sure. A world mashed of new and old, and it was emergency measures that leaned towards the medieval end. She doubted this was their first fire. A plan should have been put in place. It was infuriating.
"I'll get the names from the people in line. You get the names from the others." Kakashi trusted his sister more than a stranger. "Ataka can continue to hand out food and secure what's left on the wagon."
Ataka didn't feel comfortable having two kids command the situation and have one order him about. He was there before them. He kept his mouth shut, for now. The old woman was grumpy but had finally accepted, so he wasn't about to reignite that fire.
With their tasks divided, they were packed and prepared for their journey north in a little over two hours.