Chapter 9 - Two months later
"This is seriously a mission the village needs us for during war time?" Takahashi asked while bent over a flower bed picking weeds. While Takahashi was complaining, Shinji was inspecting the plants properly.
"Take up botany in your spare time, Shinji?" Maki asked her teammate as she plucked another weed. She noticed his particular interest on these measly d rank missions where Takahashi would whine about picking them, Shinji looked into its species, what made it unique and all of the other plants as well.
It was quite interesting to see him work, Maki had to say. She just never thought about asking him until now.
Tucking the plant away in his personal pack, he answered, "Quite a bit actually. It's amazing really, just how powerful plants are. Just think, with the wrong flower you could make the most delicious tea you've ever had, but under boil it by even a few degrees and next thing you know you're blind."
The trio finished their mission and had quite a fair amount of free time left of the day. Shinji planned on more training and getting back to his research, but Maki was insistent on the three of them going out to get food.
Takahashi hated shinji. Ever since their first interaction with the so-called 'genius' who graduated two years early and was shoehorned into their squad, Takahashi had a bad view on the boy. After shinji outclassed them in a single move, had outclassed them during training and other missions, and the worst of all in Takahashi's opinion was how he was younger, and giving advice like an adult!
Shinji annoyed him to no end.
Now on the other hand, the love of Takahashi's life, Maki, was asking the three of them for a lunch date. 'It should've been just me! Not him!' the boy thought to himself with a sour expression on his face.
The trio found themselves in a barbecue restaurant, one of the few that were actually in the village. Shinji sat next to Maki against his wishes while Takahashi was left alone in the stall opposite of them.
Conversation was awkward to say the very least. Takahashi was unwilling to speak with shinji and speaking of the former witcher, he was too absorbed with whatever he was currently working on as he was writing in a notebook.
"What're you writing in that book, Shinji?" Maki asked, shunning away the shyness she had as she peeked over his shoulder.
"It's a theory I'm working on." the boy said as he closed his book and placed his pen on top.
"Care to share?" Takahashi asked with a raised eyebrow and an annoyed tone in his voice. Getting fed up with his teammates' attitude, Shinji replied with a question.
"Do you even know the difference between the typical huckleberry and the nightshade?" He asked with a deadpan stare. Takahashi fumbled over his words, trying to recall something from the academy he knew he should've remembered.
"The huckleberry and nightshade are very similar in appearance, but the nightshade is extremely toxic and causes weakness, cardiovascular issues and in extreme cases, even convulsion." Maki said without missing a beat that left both boys stunned. She continued to eat her chicken as if nothing happened. Takahashi thought she was gorgeous when she talked smart, but Shinji's respect for her grew even with something as minor as distinguishing plants like she did.
After the conclusion of lunch, the trio were now resembling something close to friends, comrades even."So what do you guys have planned for the-" Maki was cut off by the sudden appearance of sensei Tanaka.
"Change of plans you three, we have a mission from the Tsuchikage himself." The jonin handed her students a scroll, informing them of their mission.
"Our mission is to deliver important information to our guys on the southern front?" Takahashi repeated the orders aloud.
"Wait, that's near Kannabi bridge." Emi pointed out while observing the included map.
"You think it'll be like the one from last week, with that noble jackass?" Takahashi asked Maki.
"Enough chatter, I want everyone to go pack and meet me back at the village gate in thirty minutes, This is a C rank mission you three, failure is not an option." That was all Shinji had to hear as he used the body flicker technique to half the distance.
Those thirty minutes came and went as the three met up with Sensei Tanaka. After giving another mission briefing to her students, they soon left the village.
"I just realized something." Shinji commented as he and his team were dashing about the landscape.
"What's that?" Maki asked.
"This is the closest we'll be to the front lines." , Shinji said with a small frown. Maki could only look at Shinji's back as they continued to speed through the cliffs of Earth country.
"Make sure you all keep your heads about you. There's a very real chance of us running into other shinobi, so be prepared." Sensei Tanaka didn't want to worry her students, but she sure as hell wasn't about to sugar coat a literal war going on.
Maki had a nervous frown on her face as did Takahashi. Shinji less so, he was experienced in wars, but he still hated them. 'So much uncertainty, and for what? I'm sure if Onoki were honest, he wouldn't even remember what this war was about.' Alas, team Tanaka continued on their travels.
Three hours later
The team was two hours out of the projected area and had just stopped to rest. They had been running at a constant pace ever since leaving the village. Maki along with Takahashi especially definitely needed it and while never admitting it, Shinji was also gassed at the moment.
They decided to rest at the entrance of a large ravine.
The camp was small but effective for the time being. They planned on only being here a short while due to the time sensitive nature of the information and would then head back to the village the next morning.
Tanaka was busy being lookout while Maki was massaging her calf, Takahashi was sipping on a canteen and Shinji was sitting on the ground, resting.
Shinji felt a tap to his shoulder and to his mild surprise, it was Takahashi offering the canteen to him with a begrudging expression. Shinji nodded in thanks and took a swig.
"Don't get comfortable. We're leaving now." Sensei Tanaka said as she returned to the group.
Shinji was the first to stand and stretch his limbs as the others did the same. Plans of heading north west in hopes of avoiding any contention resulted in them heading in that direction.
An hour into their journey, Hana Tanaka knew something was off. She's had the feeling of something watching them ever since they stopped for camp and not once has it let up. She tried disguising their route with a genjutsu, but even that didn't seem to slow their pursuers down.
She ordered her students to stop, as their tails had finally caught up to them.
Sensei Tanaka was not the only one to notice their presence, Shinji also kept a sharp eye and ear out the whole time and had the same feeling as his teacher.
Suddenly, six shinobi with headbands belonging to that of Konohagakure shinobi appeared with their own body flickers, making Tanaka confused, 'Why are Konoha nin this far into our border? There has to be a leak, this with all of the other reports of enemy shinobi being found within our land is proof. We have to kill them and make it out of here then report to the Tsuchikage.' Hana Tanaka vowed to herself. She noted that they didn't seem to be anything interesting, but when it came to konoha shinobi, one could never know.
Words were not exchanged as one of the konoha shinobi shouted as they patted through hand seals, "Fire release: Dragon fire jutsu!" the caster of the jutsu exhaled with incredible force, and out came a large inferno with the shape of a dragon head.
The group were fortunate to dodge, upon landing, Shinji flew through his own set of hand seals and called out a jutsu of his own, "Earth Release: Mudslide jutsu!" Slamming his hands on the ground, the jutsu he was most proficient in spread across the ground like a plague, managing to capture two shinobi within its grasp.
However, Shinji was not the only one in this battle, Takahashi went through his own hand seals and using the wall of the ravine, cast his jutsu "Earth release: Earth spear!" and using the material from the wall, a spear was formed and launched at a high speed at those within the mud.
One of them managed to make it out, the other was not so lucky as they were pierced through the back and pinned into the ground, face first.
"You bastard!" One of the ninja called out before going through his jutsu as well, while this happened two others began to flank team Tanaka from either side.
Hana went through a single hand seal and called out a jutsu in a whisper, "Demonic Illusion: Descending Hell Technique." Casting this jutsu on the one approaching on the left made him stop in his tracks and tremble in place, the other managed to break through and approached the group in a mighty leap.
While in the air, the shinobi went through hand seals faster than any of them had seen and called out his jutsu, "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu!" And before Shinji's very eyes, he believed the sun had descended upon him, but that moment was soon gone as he body flickered away.
While the konoha nin was up in the air, Shinji went through more hand seals and called "Earth Style: Sandwich Technique!" With the surrounding ravine walls, and his mobility being severely restricted, the konoha shinobi soon found himself flattened between two gigantic hands made from the ravine walls, cracking its structure at the base.
"Captain!" The other konoha nin shouted in despair at watching her captain get crushed. Seeing this, Shinji wanted to move forward, however Sensei Tanaka wanted to see if they would retreat upon seeing the death of their captain.
This was not the case as her despair turned into a furious gaze. She summoned two shadow clones to her side and they all went through the same set of hand seals, "Fire Release: Ash Pile Burning Jutsu!" Together, the combination of those two extra clones caused a large amount of combustible ash to be spewed from the kunoichis mouth, quickly reaching Shinji's group.
"Everyone back!-" However, just as the words left her mouth, the whistle of multiple kunai came, and with the whistle came the noise of death. An explosive tag.
The tag went off and ignited all of the ash in an instant, the three genin who were on the outside of the blast were knocked back further into the ravine with shinji even hitting his head, causing him to black out.
'Sensei Tanaka was near the blast, but surely she used a jutsu to escape in time. She had…to' Was shinji's last thought before darkness overcame him.