Welcome back! I can finally say that without guild now that I've A.) Finally updated something that wasn't this story and, B.) explained myself to readers of my other stories who were all very understanding. I'm really grateful to have readers who are very kind so let it be known that I appreciate all of you! Anyway, this chapter is a bit longer than usual but I don't think you'll mind that very much. I do admit that is this chapter is more to fill out the world and some character behavior but I still think it came out well. The next chapter will be the start of the real meat of the "Suna Arc" I suppose you could call it.
As always I hope you enjoy, I'll see you at the bottom!
It was difficult to put into words just how excited she was for this mission.
It was rare for her to feel so strongly about anything given her innate habit to rationalize the world around her and the ingrained skepticism born from years of disappointment but on this occasion, she could confidently state that neither of those factors had diluted her interest in finally viewing the world that rested beyond the towering walls of the village. To be clear, It wasn't as if she'd never stepped foot outside the village before, quite a few of their prior assignments had taken them beyond the borders but this was different than all those other times.
As the village shrank behind her and vanished from their sight, a sensation akin to lighting tingling just beneath her skin took hold of her and she absolutely reveled in the newfound feeling of freedom it brought. She would wager that if she were a more expressive person, she very well might have even given into the childish temptation to run off ahead, leaving her team behind in favor of exploring the local wilderness to her heart's content.
Unfortunately for her, this trip was for business and not her own personal pleasures. As such she maintained her professionalism just enough to not wander too far out of formation while keeping a far enough distance to drink in the sights around her in peace. If Kurenai had any objections to her actions she did not make them known, something that she was rather grateful for.
At the moment they were about five hours into their journey towards Suna and it was a testament to just how large The Land of Fire was given that the overall scenery had not changed very much in all that time. If she had to take a guess she'd probably say they were a little under halfway to the border of the Land of Rivers, a smaller country tucked squarely between the Lands of Wind and Fire. It was neutral territory and it lacked any sort of organized shinobi presence so they would be able to walk freely through it and into the desert without any real trouble.
Seeing as nothing of real interest had happened, the group had made some idle chit chat to break the silence, Kiba had decided to take the lead in asking their client about his travels and what it was like to be a wandering merchant. Takahiro had been more than happy to divulge some of his history and had quite a few stories about his work to share and for the last hour or so they had been subjected to his prattling on about the dangers of the wilds and his adventures. She might have found this chatter to be an annoyance in most circumstances had it not been for the fact that his stories were actually rather informative, if not genuinely interesting.
He was a man that was rather well-traveled, having wandered about all ends of the world from the rocky mountains of Earth Country to the soggy marshes of Water Country and nearly everywhere in between and he had seen more than his fair shares of wonders. Of all the places he'd been to his favorite was supposedly The Hidden Hot Springs Village, which according to him was more akin to a tourist trap than actual shinobi village despite having its own shinobi forces. A place where travelers could go and rest their weary bones in the boiling baths, enjoy great food, and be witness to some of the most beautiful sights the world had to offer.
His face had gone a bit red at that last note and for some reason or another Kiba seemed to take a keen interest in hearing more, but a side glare from Kurenai had quickly shelved that discussion. She wasn't sure what was so bad about the topic as she herself had wanted to know more as well but Takahiro was quick to change gears towards another conversation piece.
In keeping with the theme, he had also told them of his least favorite destination, the Hidden Rain Village. His main complaint being that the atmosphere there was just too depressing for his taste but the architecture was a sight to behold, supposedly forgoing traditional wood and stone homes in favor of towering metal structures with lots of brass and pipes running throughout it. Personally, she thought that sounded awful but she decided not to judge it until she'd seen it for herself. Sadly, Ame was supposedly extremely strict about who came in and who left the village so she'd have to get incredibly lucky to ever set foot inside.
Seeing the sun approaching its highest point they decided to take a short rest and recover some strength, they were making good time all things considered since despite not being a ninja Takahiro was still able to keep a decent pace.
…
"Alright, well settle down here and rest up for about an hour or so before moving on, I'd say we'll make it to the border by nightfall if we keep our current momentum maybe earlier if we pick up the pace a bit." Kurnai assessed turning to her team and their client to see if there were any objections. Hearing none, the group quickly set to work laying down their things and taking a well-deserved rest.
Seeing as she'd packed her supplies into storage seals she wasn't nearly as tired as the rest of her team and so she decided to be a little more productive with this small measure of free time. Finding a decent sized tree to rest against in the shade, she pulled out one of her scrolls and pumped a small sliver of chakra into the unfurled parchment, the seals written into its surface humming with energy as she activated the release mechanism.
In a single small puff of smoke, a rather sizable canvas notebook, some brushes, and a sealed ink well were laid out before her and she smirked contentedly as she settled down to begin one of the few pastimes she'd come to genuinely enjoy beyond just training and one that she had not openly admitted to practice.
Painting
It wasn't something that she'd exactly expected to pick up but years of practicing calligraphy had given her some measure of talent with a brush. She didn't consider herself very artistic by any means but there was something enriching and quaint about sketching the world around her, be it by embellishing the little details or depicting harsh realities in a more expressive manner. Either way, it mattered little in the grand scheme of things, the why didn't matter much in the end and she was in no real hurry to deconstruct just what it was about putting a brush to canvas that captured her so, after all, there was something to be said about nitpicking the things you love too much.
She had barely finished dipping her brushes in ink before she felt her leg being nudged ever so slightly, a lazy glance over towards her foot revealed the culprit to be none other than her teammate's pet, the white-furred pup having wandered away from his master's side to join her in the shade. She momentarily turned her attention across the way and found that Kiba was once more enjoying more tales from their client while Hinata and Kurenai seemed to be off having a conversation of their own. It would appear as though he wanted a break from all the chatter or perhaps he'd simply decided as she had that this was the best spot to rest and step out of the sun.
"Do you wish to join me?" She inquired, taking a moment to run her fingers through his fur and smiling slightly at the way he seemed to preen under her touch, she could not deny that he was rather cute. The way he practically forced himself into her lap drawing a bemused roll of her eyes at the similarities between master and pet, he possessed a similar lack of grace but made up for it by being far more endearing, at least in her opinion.
"Arf!" Akamaru barked playfully, stretching himself out before curling up between her legs, his face resting upon her upper thigh just high enough to keep an eye on the goings-on around him while also supporting his neck. She had to respect his confidence if nothing else, he had seen what she'd done to his master and still had the gall to invade her space with such little care or regard to what she might do to him.
"Be thankful that I am in a good mood at the moment."
A low whine and a few playful licks to her hand was his only reply and she couldn't help but shake her head, his presence would make her painting a bit more difficult but so long as he wasn't a nuisance she supposed he could stay for the moment. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she thought he looked rather adorable curled up like this and that she simply couldn't bring herself to move him.
She dared anyone to say otherwise.
"Very well, do not move too much or I will kick you out." She warned, somewhat halfheartedly, before picking up her brush and beginning her work. Akamaru watched on from his spot in silence, his eyes tracking the movements of her hand and the ink as stroke after stroke began to accumulate upon the once blank page. Slowly but surely images began to form from nothing more than dark outlines, shapes that he could recognize coming to life on the page. Natsumi for her part paid the pup no mind now too engrossed in her own endeavors, analytical orbs wandered across the scene before her while practiced hands transcribed her vision with pinpoint precision.
The once blank canvas, a place of infinite potential, was now home to memory. A moment in time etched into stone so to speak...
Akamaru barked cheerfully as he looked upon the rendition she had created, while it lacked the sheer color vibrancy of the real moment, the painting was no less accurate in its depiction of the seconds it had intended to capture. Faithful renditions of the giggling faces of Kurenai and Hinata occupied the left-most quarter, their delicate features drawn up into expressions of joy and content framed by the backdrop of towering trees that seemed to span for miles on the flat surface. On the right, Kiba and Takahiro could be seen trading secrets like children on a schoolyard, their arms held up for dramatic effect as the whispered back and forth bringing so much life to still images.
"Arf, arf!"
"I'll assume that is your approval of its quality." She smirked, watching the small pup circle around her notebook with some amusement, she wasn't sure what metric animals used to consider art but she supposed it was the thought that counted in the end. She also couldn't truly say what had possessed her to paint her team in the first place… it wasn't as if she could forget what they looked like as was them more than often enough to have their faces practically ingrained in her memory.
She supposed she was just being indulgent. They had grown on her in their own roundabout way.
"Grr, arf!" Akamaru nodded.
"Thank you." She wasn't above a bit of gratitude for a compliment, even if it was from a dog. "Perhaps next time I shall paint you, would you be interested in modeling for me?" She questioned, barely holding back a snort as the canine began to pose before her rather animatedly as if demanding she capture his best profile. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Arf!"
"Natsumi, get ready to leave we head out in five minutes!" Kurenai called out.
"Yes sensei!" She answered back nodding her head in affirmative before turning her attention back to the pup. "It seems we will have to postpone your portrait for another time." She noted casting a low powered wind jutsu to help speed-dry her work before sealing it and her supplies away. Once everything was secured the two made their way back over to the rest of the group and once again they set out for their destination.
…
The second leg of their journey was far less interesting than the first.
Having exhausted most of his more interesting tales in the first half of their travels there wasn't much left to keep her attention, coupled with the inability to explore the nearby foliage as she pleased and she was left wishing for any distraction from the monotony of travel. She wasn't the only one who felt that way either, a quick glance over towards the rest of her team revealed that neither of them seemed particularly enthralled by the lack of activity either. Hinata, trying her hardest as ever, was still alert but she could see the girl occasionally spacing out before bashfully snapping back to attention. Kiba, on the other hand, made little effort to hide his boredom, openly appearing to be caught in a daydream of his own while they walked. She might have very well scolded him had she not been far too occupied staving off her own lack of growing lethargy.
The only members of their little band that didn't appear to be visibly affected by the long stretch of silence were Takahiro-san and Kurenai which made sense when she thought about it. No doubt their client was used to long drawn out travel like this, while their sensei had probably been on dozens of missions in the same vein as this assignment.
She envied them, she wasn't sure she could take another two hours of silence…
"Hey, hold up a second."
Kiba's abrupt and sudden request shattered the silence like a bull in a China shop, prompting the group to pause with all eyes turning towards the now frowning Inuzukua who appeared to be staring off into the distance with uncomfortable suspicion, his eyes narrowed at the line of trees ahead.
"What is it?" She asked knowing that he wouldn't have stopped them unless there was good reason to.
"I'm pretty sure I smell some people just up ahead." He revealed turning his nose to the air and taking another deep whiff as if to confirm his assumption and nodding. "Like a lot of people, I'm not sure how many though but it's a big group." He clarified making sure to stress that this wasn't just a small gathering of one or two individuals.
As their leader, Kurenai's face grew serious and her attention shifted completely to the waiting faces of her students and their client. "I see, Hinata can you scout ahead and give us a better picture of what's waiting up ahead." She half asked, half ordered.
"H-Hai!" The veins around Hinata's eyes bulged outward while in her own perspective the world shifted to grayscale, her vision zooming forwards as she stretched the bounds of her limits to the outer edges. After a moment of silence and searching, Hinata spoke again. "I-I see them, there are t-twelve figures up ahead waiting along the road spread out a-among the trees. A-About forty meters ahead of us." She relayed with a frown. "T-They don't seem to h-have a lot of chakra though so it is l-likely that they're civilians… but they are carrying weapons."
"Bandits then," Natsumi clicked her teeth at the thought. "It makes sense, we're far enough away from the village that they don't really need to worry about running into any patrolling shinobi while also occupying the most direct route to the border. Easy access to incoming travelers and merchants." It was a smart play for a group of unorganized thugs, not full proof seeing as they'd been caught but still without Kiba's nose and Hinata eyes they would have blundered on ahead without the slightest clue.
Kenji meanwhile cursed under his breath, his hopes of an incident-free passage slowly spiraling down the drain as more information came to light. "Lousy lowlifes… What should we do Yuhi-san? Perhaps we can try going around them?" He proposed, looking towards the ruby-eyed woman for suggestions although she appeared to be lost in thought, her eyes closed in contemplation as she decided on a course of action.
"We continue ahead as planned," Kurenai answered plainly, apparently not at all fussed by the information, unlike Takahiro who seemed incredulous at the thought of essentially wandering into an ambush. "You all are more than skilled enough to handle a few bandits."
Takahiro gulped. "I-Is that wise?"
"Do not worry Kenji-san, I will be personally guarding you the entire time." She assured him before turning to her students. "That means you three will be handling most of the fighting if we are unable to pass peacefully, can I trust you to do that?" She questioned leveling the trio with a challenging stare. They couldn't avoid combat forever and this was a perfect opportunity to put them to the test.
"Of course." Natsumi nodded confidently, her fingers already twitching in excitement. Any reprieve from the tedium of the last few hours was more than welcome, plus she might get to try out a few new poisons she'd been working on if they put up a decent fight. "We won't fail you."
"Damn right!" Kiba grinned and Akamaru growled in affirmative as well.
"W-We'll do our best…" Hinata promised meekly but there a fire of determination in her eyes.
"Good, then let's keep moving. Kenji-san, stick close to me." She ordered and with that, the group pressed onward, now prepared for what lay ahead though they made sure to keep the image of obliviousness lest they give away their advantage. It only took a few minutes for them to arrive at the location of the ambush site, a small patch of particularly thick trees waiting for them only a few feet ahead. As they passed a tense silence permeated the air and for a moment it almost seemed as if they would proceed without incident.
However, fate was rarely that kind.
"HOLD THERE!"
A loud and commanding shout rang around them forcing their party to a grinding halt as a band of shoddily dressed men and women stepped out from behind the trees and shrubbery. A ragtag group of about seven thugs each armed with a variety of sharp and blunt striking instruments ranging from swords to clubs, spears, sticks, and so on. The band of clearly malicious folk prowled slowly forward like lions corning frail gazelles, encircling their party with greed present in their beady eyes. At the front, one rather distinguishing figure stepped forward, his size and presence practically demanding attention.
Natsumi figured that this man was their leader.
He was a rather imposing man up close, bald with not a speck of hair upon his head and the only item to adorn his face was a black eyepatch covering his left eye where a scar could be seen running down the length of his brow. The most intimidating thing about him was his size, he stood at nearly six feet in height and his build was solid as a rock, clearly a man that favored his strength above all something that was made even more apparent by the bulky mace strapped to his hip.
Undaunted by his presence, Kurenai stepped forward to meet the man and leveled him with an inquisitive gaze. "Is there a problem sir?" The jonin asked, her tone very much clipped but still respectful.
The leader of the bandits met her half step with a full one of his own making the difference in size between them far more apparent.
"I'm afraid there is little lady," His single eye bored down on the raven-haired woman, his lips drawn up into a mocking facsimile of a smile while he leered down shamelessly at her. "It looked like you were trying to use this road without paying the toll, rather rude of you I'd say." He sucked his teeth and shook his head in disappointment.
Kurenai despite her annoyance remained calm and settled for merely raising a brow in faux surprise. "I don't recall there ever being a toll to travel through here." She countered, easily taking notice of how the surrounding thugs began to push in closer around them, and the remaining few that had remained hidden began to step out as well. Behind her, Kenji withdrew nervously into himself, keeping his body squarely in the middle of his guards while his sight whipped around to the nearing vultures.
"It's a new addition," He chuckled mirthfully and tapped his hip, his hand falling ever so conveniently near the handle of his club. "If you wanna use this road then you'd best pay the toll, otherwise we might have to relieve of something a bit more valuable than gold." He gripped the weapon as if to make it abundantly clear just what would happen if they didn't comply. "I don't think you want that now, do ya beautiful? Especially with those little kiddies of yours, I wouldn't want them getting hurt."
"You're right, I'd much rather not go down that route." She conceded, earning an approving grunt out of the bullish man pleased that she was things his way. "However, as touching as your concern for my students is, I believe you may be worried about the wrong people." She graced him with a condescending smile turning his smirk into a frown at the sudden shift from submission to mockery.
"It's not my students who need to worry about being hurt."
The moment the words left her mouth one of the bandits to her left let out a shrill scream of pain, hopping up and down as a now revealed and aggravated Akamaru scratched and bit at his leg startling the rest of thugs and creating a clear opening for Kurenai to shoot forward and drive her elbow into the leaders gut, her strike leaving the mountain of a man doubled over before a second elbow came crashing down upon his skull driving him into the ground with a loud thud.
While that was happening the rest of Team Eight quickly moved in to dispatch the rest of the bandits.
Natsumi held back a smirk of amusement in favor of her usual mask of disinterest as she lazily ducked under a wild swing from the nearest opponent, before lashing out with a hard palm thrust into said attackers elbow that easily dislocated his arm, forcing him to drop his weapon and fall to his knees with a shrill shriek of agony that left his fellow compatriots wincing in visible disgust at the sickening sight of his now warped bone protruding out awkwardly just beneath the skin, some even recoiling back from the initial charge now clutching their own arms in fear and phantom pains.
How pathetic, to speak of taking lives so casually while turning in fear from a bit of challenge.
She wasted no time in knocking out her first victim with a follow-up blow to the temple, granting him a swift reprieve from his pain, before quickly falling upon the nearest two thugs that had not possessed the good sense to back far enough away. Her hands hummed with a familiar blue glow as familiar sharpened ethereal blades of chakra formed above her skin and she set to work cutting through muscle and sinew like a surgeon, their bodies crumpling like lifeless dolls as she shredded their tendons to ribbons. One fell unconscious before his body hit the dirt, while the other held on just long enough to cry out towards his companions begging for aid but it was all for naught, most of them had already begun a desperate sprint back towards the trees, abandoning their fallen comrades in favor of saving themselves.
They wanted nothing to do with that vile girl!
"Where exactly do you think you're going?" She hissed, there was no escaping punishment. Crouching low she sprung forward like a tiger, pouncing upon the nearest runner and tackling him to the earth as a single syringe hidden within her flowing sleeve slid easily into her hand whereupon she jabbed the poor fool in the neck filling his bloodstream with its contents. Her weapon of choice? A nasty concoction gathered from a species of venomous ant that resided within small pockets of Konoha's surrounding forests, the tiny insect's bite was so bad that those who had suffered it compared its effects most similarly to having a heated kunai driven slowly through their flesh and more often than not their victims went into immediate shock from the agony alone. It wasn't lethal by any means but as her prey let out an almost unearthly wail and began to spasm violently beneath her mere seconds later, she made a mental note to get her hands on more of it for further use.
Perhaps she could have Shino arrange a meeting with his clan as they were the primary suppliers. She would have to broach the subject with him at a later date.
Off to the side, Kiba and Hinata had each taken their own share of the work as well...
Hinata counted down to herself as she weaved around attacks like a graceful dancer, twin trails of chakra bleeding from her fingertips as she poked and prodded the incoming aggressors with practiced ease sealing off their chakra and damaging their internal organs in an elegant display of violence. Unsurprisingly, her timid nature and small size made her given the rogues the impression that she would be an easy target and so four of them had piled on in a bid to overwhelm her with sheer numbers, however, her attackers had quickly discovered that their assumption would lead to their downfall as she easily slid into their guards and left them twitching pitifully on the ground unable to move. It had actually been Natsumi who had taught her to embrace her shy demeanor to lure opponents in citing that...
"An opponent who thinks you are too weak to fight back will leave themselves full of openings due to overconfidence, it is your duty and your right then to show them the error of that mindset by abusing those openings as hard as you can."
It was safe to say she had taken the advice to heart and the results spoke for themselves, though she had been rather unnerved by the oddly... devious way, said advice had been delivered. She also did her best to mute the screams coming from Natsumi's side of the battlefield.
…
Kiba's face was drawn into a wild grin as he and Akamaru bounced from one opponent to the next in a whirlwind of fangs and claws. He was a brawler at heart and so the sloppy chaos of the bandits' desperate slashes and panicked punches resonated well with him, everything was instinctual, each move a response to a single moment of stimuli that thrust his body in whichever direction it needed to be. The difference was he moved with controlled chaos, or at least that's what Natsumi called it.
"You lack elegance but you make up for it with power, ferocity, and unpredictability. Constant motion is your strength so resolve to never stop moving and cripple your opponent by attacking where it hurts the most while they struggle to pin you down."
She had given him a crash course on general weak points in the human body, joints, arteries, tendons, and even a few nerve clusters, anything that he could use to hit his opponents where it hurt most and put them down as fast as possible. Of course, she had taught him all these by beating him into the ground but the lessons were worth it in the end, as he rolled out of the way of spear thrust and buried his fist into the attacker's nose with a deep, echoing crunch he couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction that the lesson had stuck.
And It had nothing to do with the fact that she had begun quizzing him on what they'd done over, with less than pleasant results for incorrect answers.
Nothing at all...
...
"Good work!"
Kurenai couldn't be more proud of her team as she watched them gather the unconscious bodies of the marauders and set them off to the side in a somewhat comically large pile. Of course, she couldn't help but notice that of her three students, the bandits that had fought Natsumi seemed to be in the worst shape with limbs more akin to noodles and echos of haunting pain remaining on their face even in blissful unconsciousness... but that was neither here nor there. They were all still alive which was enough for her.
Kenji nodded giving a thumbs up of his own. "Indeed! I admit I had my doubts about you three but I have to say shame on me for judging a book by its cover, you lot were worth every cent! He apologetically bowed his head. "Especially the scary blond one." He added hastily, nervously inching away from said girl who appeared more amused than insulted by his reaction to her combat ability.
She never said that she didn't enjoy frightening people.
Kiba merely gave a resigned nod of understanding while Hinata giggled into her collar and shook her head. As some of the few people who could claim to be even somewhat close to the girl, they could both admit that Natsumi was... a bit intense, at times. Though they were sure she meant well, in her own rather terrifying way.
"What should we do with them?" Natsumi asked, wondering what would become of the group defeated marauders.
"Seeing that you sealed away their weapons and most of them don't look like they'll be fit to move again for a good few days, I think we can safely leave them here." She said. "I'll make sure to include the incident in my report to be investigated later but our mission is still to get Takahiro-san here to his destination so that is our priority. We have a few more hours of daylight to burn before nightfall so let's try and make the final push past the border if we can."
Her order was met with a chorus of agreement and so without further delay, the party pushed forward once more, leaving in their weak wake a pile of battered and broken souls that would likely reconsider their stance on patrolling the roads again any time soon.
...
Night fell just as the finally managed to push into the Land of Rivers, the seemingly never-ending forests giving way to the rocky flatlands, plateaus, and canyons that the region was supposedly known for.
They'd opted to set camp early to avoid having to fumble around in the dark given that this was unfamiliar territory and Kurenai didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention onto them. Finding a suitable spot of land for the night they pitched their tents and settled in by the small campfire Kurenai had made in the meantime. It wasn't cold per se but the night chill was just enough to be uncomfortable and the fire allowed them to cook some of the provisions they had on them as well.
The plan was to set out early in the morning and blitz their way through River and into the desert maximizing their travel time. Given that on average It took about three days of travel to make it to Suna with a bit of luck they might just be able to make it there in two and a half which while not exactly a major time saver was still better than spending an entire day wandering the sands in the sun, she had made sure to seal up plenty of water for the trip just in case but hopefully, she would not need all of it.
"N-Natsumi, may I come in?"
She was shaken out of her musings by Hinata's voice calling just outside of her tent, while each had brought their own they figured it was better for them to share to save space. Kurenai-sensei had her own tent, Kiba and Kenji were bunked together for obvious reasons, which left herself and Hinata to share a space.
"Of course, forgive me I was lost in thought."
With her approval Hinata carefully crawled into the makeshift living quarters, her sleeping roll was already laid on her side while her personal items were tucked off to the side since she didn't need the space for anything.
Hinata delicately made her way towards her half of the tent and settled down on her mat. "Ano… I w-wanted to say this earlier but thank y-you again for the help in my training." She bowed her head low avoiding eye contact as a small flush covered her cheeks in embarrassment. "Y-Your advice was very u-useful for me and I-I felt much more comfortable t-today despite the odds." She admitted.
Natsumi shook her head and waved her hand dismissively. "That is nothing you need to thank me for, it is only natural for teammates to assist one another. If I have knowledge that can aid you then I see no reason not to share it." She answered matter of factly but Hinata didn't seem to want to budge, a small bit of a weakened but not fully extinguished stubbornness left within her.
"E-Even so, you didn't have to help me but you d-did it anyway." She countered, having grown up in a family more than willing to leave her to the metaphorical wolves most of the time she was more than aware how easy it would have been for the blond prodigy to overlook her weakness.
Natsumi sighed and rested her cheek upon her palm, her gaze locked lazily upon the heiress with something akin to bemusement and exhaustion. "Hinata-san, I believe that you agreed to my offer of friendship did you not?"
Hinata's flush grew deeper and she nodded. It was still a bit embarrassing to remember that she'd spent most of her Academy years idolizing the girl yet had never spoken more than a few words to her out of cowardice, only to then have said idol who had crafted this seemingly impenetrable aura around her then offer her hand out of the blue.
"Then as friends, it is only reasonable that I would not wish to see harm befall you isn't it?" Natsumi was very well aware this was part of the long road to rebuilding the heiress, those who suffered such ingrained feelings of inadequacy were prone to relapse if not handled carefully. She needed to be reassured that their friendship wasn't born out of pity. "If I were to be in danger would you not rush in to save me?"
"O-Of course!" Hinata's answer was immediate, to such a degree that it almost caught Natsumi off guard but she maintained her cool exterior nonetheless.
"Then why would I be any different?" She gave a small reassuring smile. "Helping you now may save you later, and you proved today that our work together was not in vain so as far as I am concerned you owe me no thanks. However, if you truly wish to show your gratitude then continue to grow stronger."
"I-I will, I promise!" Hinata agreed, she wouldn't fail her teammate, not after she'd put her faith in her. There was a small pause between them after that, but it was a comfortable silence in the wake of their little moment and as the intensity waned, curiosity took its place.
"Natsumi… m-may I ask you a question?"
"You just did but you are free to ask another one." She nodded, teasing the girl a bit in an effort to make her relax. "What is it?"
Hinata fidgeted on her cot for a moment before speaking. "I just w-wanted to know… what m-makes you so strong?" She questioned timidly. "I-I mean I know you're skilled b-but what motivates you?"
That wasn't the question she'd been expecting, in all their time together Hinata had never asked her a truly personal question but it seemed as if she was growing comfortable enough to begin inquiring further into her history.
"What motivates me?" She thumbed her cheek in contemplation before turning her gaze back to the waiting bluenette. "May I ask why you wish to know before I answer?"
"W-Well, it's just… you've a-always been so driven, e-even from the first day of the Academy i-it just felt like you always knew w-what you wanted and how to a-achieve it." Hinata explained and Natsumi hummed slightly, she supposed she had been a busy body even as a child but to think Hinata had noticed it so intently so early on was a bit surprising.
"I g-guess I just wanted to know if there w-was a reason, i-if that isn't too personal!" She squeaked, realizing that she may have been prying too much into things that weren't her business.
"Not at all, I was just surprised by the question. The only way to learn is to ask so do not be afraid to speak your mind." She waved off the concern. "As to your inquiry… I suppose you could say that my reasons to pursue strength are numerous but some are more important than others." She admitted and Hinata leaned in to hear more.
"The simple truth of the matter is that being a kunoichi was one of the few real pathways available to me." She confessed honestly, she knew now that there was no other path for her to take given her importance to the village as an asset. "As you are aware, I am an orphan. As such I have no family business to inherit, no traditions to carry on, nothing to live up to but the goals which I set for myself." She stated factually choosing to ignore the way her audience winced as she discussed her lack of worldly possessions and blood attachments. "No doubt you can imagine that growing up in such circumstances did not exactly inspire much optimism and I freely admit that the person I am today is very much a departure from the girl you met within the academy."
Hinata struggled to envision any version of Natsumi that wasn't utterly capable and confident but she listened on with rapt attention.
"I didn't have any goals, I was too caught up in the unfairness of it all to realize that no amount of complaining was ever going to change the reality of my situation. In a way, I continued to perpetuate my own unhappiness by refusing to confront it which I can only be thankful stopped before I did irreversible harm to my future." She conceded.
"W-What changed?" Hinata couldn't help but ask, what could have prompted such a dramatic shift?
"During one of my moods, I just to happened to stumble upon an old book by chance, a dusty old thing barely holding together after years of neglect. It was a collection of notes and memoirs from some unnamed shinobi detailing events in his life and many of his struggles." She recounted, naturally tweaking some of the details a bit for obvious reasons. "He was an orphan like me, and like me, he was angry at the world for his own reasons which you can guess resonated well with my own unhappiness. In my mind, I'd found a kindred spirit and I was keen to learn more about him, yet the more I read the more I saw how different we were. The most obvious difference was that unlike me, he channeled that anger into his studies using those feelings of injustice in more productive ways and eventually earning the respect of those around him along the way."
That wasn't technically a lie, Orochimaru had been respected for his power if nothing else. "Reading his story… well, I guess you can say it inspired me to be just like him, but better of course. I'll not just be so unoriginal as just to copy someone else, we all have a path to walk." She chuckled. "I guess you can say my motivation is to surpass him, a way of showing my thanks for what he did for me by giving me something to aspire to." She concluded.
For her part, Hinata was only left in awe. She'd never considered what struggles that the blond had gone through or what sort of person she'd been before… to hear that story was reassuring, both in that she was glad to see that Natsumi had pulled herself out of that spiral but also that there was a lesson to be taught, anyone could change with the right motivation and work.
Perhaps even she could…
Natsumi yawned and tucked herself into her sheets, her hand reaching for the lantern that had been their only source of light. "It is getting late so we should retire for the night, sensei will no doubt scold us if we sleep in."
"R-Right!" Hinata quickly settled into her sleeping bag, her eyes growing heavy as she realized just how tired she was from the day's events and the long hours of travel. The soft glow of the lantern fizzled out and the pair were left in darkness.
"Also, I expect you to share your own story with me one day," Natsumi muttered softly knowing the girl could hear her over the chirping of the crickets beyond their tent walls. "When you feel ready that is."
Despite knowing Natsumi could not see her she nodded.
"I-I will, promise." She answered.
"Goodnight Hinata."
Hinata's eyes widened at the casual address, it was the first time Natsumi had ever used her name without an honorific outside of training. She couldn't help but smile softly to herself at the thought that they had grown just a bit closer tonight.
"Goodnight… Natsumi.
AN. Chapter Complete!
A little longer than intended but that's fine, got a lot done which at the end of the day is more important even if it does mean editing takes longer than I'd like. Anywho, the main goal of this chapter was to show a bit more of Team Eights development but as always the main focus was to further expand Natsumi's character and delve into her relationship with those around her which I think I did rather well with this chapter. I will say that we aren't going to cover three days of travel either, I just wanted to get one chapter that showcased their feelings and some small events. Next chapter will start in Suna (not in the village but not too far away from it either)
We got a bit of silliness with Akamaru, a good look at how Team Eight handles combat vs. the bandits, and a bit of a heart to heart at the end between Hinata and Natsumi. I do want to cover some points within those events thought so let's get started!
#1) The moment with Akamaru, Natsumi, and painting:
You might have noticed I am trying to include more light-hearted reflections of Natsumi's character in the past few chapters and that is much very much intentional. I spent most of the early chapters setting up the Natsumi that reflects Orochimaru's characteristics and so I wanted to include some very clear moments that separate the two by showing that Natsumi still knows how to have fun, mess around, and most importantly be a child because at the end of the day that is what she is at present and so I think it's important to give her moments where she isn't being the smartest person in the room but is acting closer to her age.
The moment with Akamaru was good for this as we see her interact in a much kinder less manipulative way than in the past and it shows that there is a much softer side to her character, one that she keeps mostly tucked away but does come out from time to time. In the last chapter, I mentioned she has a soft spot for animals so here I wanted to reiterate that point and having her comfortable with Akamaru makes for a convenient example. I had her pick up painting for two reasons, one being that I think it fits her well and the other being that like with most of her hobbies, they are side effects of training. She enjoys painting because she practices calligraphy, she enjoys gardening because she can grow plants for her poisons, and she likes to read because it can also assist her in training.
That's not to say she going to start picking up a bunch of hobbies like singing, dancing, etc and in fact, I do at some point want to show her struggling with something others might consider mundane.
I did want to address concerns about the whole Uzumaki clan thing but that can wait for now. As always let me know what you thought of the chapter either in the reviews or thought a PM. PLEASE NOTE PMs DON'T SEND OUT EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS! Meaning that if you ask a question and I answer it you just kinda have to check your inbox every so often and guest reviews I can't answer at all so there is that.