Clear blue skies welcomed the trio as they left the Land of Waves. Now that they weren't surrounded by the dense foliage of the forest, Suigetsu could smell the salty air of the sea. The strong winds blowing in his face made him feel alive. And even though being alive also meant feeling the weight of his new sword digging into his back, he wasn't too displeased about it.
"Let's stop here," Sasuke called out, coming to a halt. Suigetsu let his aching feet sink into the wet sand, savouring the relief it provided. Glancing at Kaiho, he chugged water from his bottle. They'd been running for a few hours now, but she had yet to make a single complaint. Not bad, but for how long could she continue to match them? For a pipsqueak, she was blessed with remarkable stamina and speed, which wasn't good news. How were they supposed to get rid of her? Sasuke was probably consumed with similar concerns. The frown plastered across his face looked bigger than usual.
"What kinds of jutsu do you know?" Sasuke asked.
Kaiho shuffled her feet anxiously. "Apart from medical ninjutsu, I can walk on water and climb trees."
Suigetsu grimaced. Was that really all she knew? Even so, she would be tough to shake off.
"That's basic," scoffed Sasuke. "And I've already seen you climb trees. Don't you know anything else? What about hand signs?"
"Um, what are hand signs?" Were it not for her solemn voice and inquisitive eyes, Suigetsu would have thought she was joking. With her skill set, she was no better than a civilian. Sasuke would never waste his time teaching her something so simple. This was their chance!
Sasuke clenched his teeth. "Pay attention." His command was directed toward Kaiho, but Suigetsu was the one startled by it. He watched Sasuke show her the various hand signs, after which he ordered her to mimic his movements. She attempted to do so, only to end up knotting her fingers together.
Suigetsu couldn't fault Sasuke's logic when it came to choosing Karin and Jugo. They were crazy, but they had skills. What did he see in this kid? She had spunk, for sure. To confront shinobi such as themselves must have been daunting, no doubt. Even so, she didn't have much to back herself up with. If she didn't know hand signs, she couldn't possibly know the ninjutsu or genjutsu used in combat. Did she even know taijutsu? At present, the odds of her surviving with them were low.
It would've been kinder to ditch her.
Suigetsu looked at Sasuke. His forehead was creased and he appeared to be deep in thought. Was he regretting his decision? His actions didn't show it. Assuming Sasuke had done this with good reasoning and a sane mind, Kaiho had her work cut out for her.
This was going to be fun.
Kaiho's legs sank under the water, adding more ripples to the waves that splashed around her lithe form. To her dismay, Sasuke had decided to resume their travels right after his brief lesson on hand signs. Regardless of the fact that Kaiho didn't have much experience concerning teachers, she knew that Sasuke would be the most impatient one of them all. He rolled his eyes at every feeble attempt she made and snapped each time her fingers slipped into the wrong positions. Eventually, he'd left her to her own devices.
Desperate to get some of them right, Kaiho had begun practising them the instant they'd left the shore. It didn't matter if she hadn't learnt this earlier, did it? So what if she couldn't recall half of their names? There was no time like the present.
It didn't take long to realise that she'd been far too optimistic.
Walking on water — something Kaiho once considered to be a simple task had depleted her chakra to the point she could barely stand. Practising hand seals while travelling didn't seem like such a great idea anymore. It was pure will or rather, her pride that propelled her to catch up with the two boys. She called herself a ninja, didn't she?
It would be mortifying if she needed rescuing on the first day.
Stumbling over the water, Kaiho started using the last of her chakra reserves to stay afloat. Red-faced and wheezing, she attempted a wan smile when Sasuke slowed down to run beside her.
"Did you really read your scrolls properly?" His tone was flat and nonchalant. Had he noticed her struggle?
She hoped he hadn't.
Regaining her balance, Kaiho tried to maintain a calm front. "I read the ones with the medical ninjutsu." All she had to do was talk — distract herself from the ever-present danger of drowning. "It was vast and interesting" — she gasped for air — "but had many holes in its theory." She saw him raising a curious eyebrow, but she continued to speak. "I just glanced through the taijutsu ones. I..." Kaiho huffed, "I didn't find time to look through the rest. I–"
A look of apathy crossed Sasuke's face. "You haven't read the others yet? How pitiful."
Kaiho's temper rose. Who exactly was he to decide that?
"I was following her orders."
"You listened to someone? I didn't know you could do that." A mocking voice chimed next to Kaiho's ear. Jerking her head, she saw Suigetsu glide around her noiselessly, laughing at her expense.
Kaiho frowned, her lips thinning. The woman she respected had been right about one thing. For all the demand it had, medical ninjutsu — notwithstanding its complexity — would always be undervalued.
She felt her chakra flare.
"I obey orders when I see it fit." Carrying out the commands of someone who'd lead others into pits was too risky. These guys were no exception to the rule. And why would they be?
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Then you will follow mine." He held up a book, one with an all too familiar cover.
Her book! When had he... ?
"Stop following this. It's pathetic. And start studying your scrolls." He flung the book to Suigetsu.
Kaiho swallowed the rage she felt, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. "Fine." Facing Suigetsu, or rather the area where he had last been, Kaiho whipped her head over her shoulder. The vast expansion of water greeted her, but he was nowhere in sight.
A loud guffaw came from below the surface of the water.
Looking down, Kaiho caught sight of Suigetsu's head bobbing in the waves. One hand held the book above the water, keeping it from getting wet.
Sneaky guy.
Kaiho glowered at Suigetsu. "Give it back. It doesn't belong to me."
He tossed the book from one hand to the other. "No 'please'? Bad manners," he tutted. He rose above the water, letting his feet rest on the surface. "Try and catch me, why don't you?"
From the way Suigetsu was able to liquefy himself at will, Kaiho knew he had the upper hand. She was drained of chakra too. Pushing herself wasn't a great idea, but was it safe to presume that he'd preserve the book?
In trying to weigh the pros and cons of the situation, she didn't notice his smile broaden.
"Scared, are you?"
Kaiho's mind turned blank. Without thinking twice, she sped after Suigetsu, not noticing the teammate she'd left behind.
It was only after Kaiho retrieved her book from Suigetsu that she was able to think clearly again. Book in hand, she doubled over the golden sand, panting in relief and exhaustion. As her anger ebbed away, she mentally noted the one good thing that had come out of this — She'd reached dry land. She'd made it.
Still, she wanted to rip the smug grin off of Suigetsu's face.
Kaiho managed to glance at Sasuke, who'd just reached the shore. His face was a mask of indifference. Without casting a second glance at her or Suigetsu, he strode towards the tower in the distance.
Curious.
Sasuke's every action showed how restless he was. His curt speech revealed his loathing for pointless tiffs or chitchat. He should've been annoyed by the squabble that had taken place. He should've stopped Suigetsu the moment things got too heated.
Except, Suigetsu hadn't come to fight of his own accord. Albeit indirectly, wasn't Sasuke the one to initiate this dispute?
Kaiho gaped. The whole time... he'd known, hadn't he? Despite her embarrassment, she couldn't help the inkling of new-found respect that grew within her. Slowly standing upright, she slung her bag over her shoulder and dragged her feet in Sasuke's direction.
