Shiori jumped back to create some distance. He couldn't tell the expression of the man. He seemed furious, but at the same time, he seemed to be trying to hold himself back from attacking.
"YOU KILLED HER." He yelled.
Shiori stayed silent. He was blocking the exit, so Shiori started walking back. He needed to get closer if he wanted to attack so she could get around him and run to the exit if needed.
She brought a hand to her pouch, ready to grab a kunai if needed. The man started advancing toward her, but he stopped at where the woman lay dead. He kneeled down beside her. Grabbing the disfigured arm to check for a pulse.
Shiori wasn't holding back anymore. She was using her senses to make sure she was truly dead. The flesh was melted on the body, and it was a mangled mess. She knew logically it was not possible, but she had to be sure.
"What will I do now. My only job was to protect her. Everyone is already gone. What….." The man drifted on rambling.
He seemed less threatening and Shiori wasn't about to take her chances and provoke him. she let the man continue on rambling but the man grabbed his hunting knife and got up to his feet.
Shiori fell into a defensive stance with her kunai drawn as the man pointed the knife at her. There was a good distance between them and Shiori was already calculating which jutsu would be more effective.
"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT." He yelled, and then, faster than she could even blink, the man turned the blade toward himself and cut his own neck deeply. Shiori let out a shocked noise.
This was not what she expected. With her medical skills, she knew it was too late to save him. he would die within a few seconds, and she wasn't about to risk getting hurt by the last-second effort of a dying man.
She stayed put until she was sure they were both gone. Even then, she proceeded with caution. She wanted to investigate them more, so she quickly drew some samples from their bodies. It was hard to get samples from the woman with how her body was, but she managed to get enough.
Then she sealed everything in preservation scrolls. She wouldn't be able to preserve them for long, but it should give her enough time to contact a few people and set something up.
She also sealed the metal bars and broke down the rest of the cage to seal in another scroll. She snooped around the rest of the cave to see if she can find anything of value but there was none beside a few historical scrolls which she took.
Before going back, she also went to dig in the holes of the forest for sampling what was killing the trees. It was hard to investigate everything on her own so she should probably write some letters for an investigation crew.
It was beyond her responsibility, and she wasn't about to reveal everything that had happened. So when she reached the village, she went to meet the chief and told him about the area and how she had found an unknown substance buried in the ground.
It was not hard to convince the man and write a letter for their Daimyo for the investigation crew. They made it seem dire enough to warrant an investigation. With that, her job was done.
She spent the next few days healing the villagers to gather enough money for her journey. She also sent a letter to Tsunade-sensei. explaining everything that happened and how she needed an expert to analyze the samples with.
Her sensei had a lot of connections around the nations to scientists and doctors and if there was anyone familiar with such cases she would be able to introduce Shiori to them.
Shiori also went through the historical scrolls and after finding nothing of value in them she gave them to Yuki so he would be able to make use of them in his journals.
Everything was going fine and after the stress of the whole ordeal Shiori appreciated the slowness of life. She also had set up the connections she wanted for Yuki to get some income.
Today she was near the lake again trying to gather the plant she was originally looking for so long ago. She had her basket and was about to head back when she felt KI coming from behind her.
She used substitution to get away from the shovel that would have taken her head off.
"You are the one who killed her, aren't you? You little shinobi bitch. You killed her." A man yelled. He was dressed similarly to the villagers, but his clothes were ragged and dirty. His hair and beard were long and messy, and it was clear that he hadn't been taking care of his personal hygiene.
She had an idea of what was the case but she wanted to make sure. "Who are you talking about?" Shiori said from her place on top of a tree branch.
"My Himari. You killed her. I saw all the blood in the cave. You pretend to be a doctor, but you are a monster. How could you kill an innocent woman?" He screamed at her.
"You are the one who pushed me into that hole that day, aren't you?" Shiori said in a calm tone.
"Yes, and you should have died, you little bitch. Your life is nothing compared to hers." He said.
"You knew she killed people to sustain herself, didn't you?" Shiori said.
"She had no other choice. It was the only way for her to live." He said. It was clear that he was lied to and Shiori wasn't about to entertain him. she just used a Shunshin to get behind him and knocked him with a quick hit to the neck.
He would just bring him to the village.
It turned out he was the same guy who ran away from the village a while ago. When he gained consciousness, he was deemed mentally unstable and was sent to the capital to be put in a mental facility.
From what Shiori heard, he kept screaming and lashing out at everyone, screaming, "She is dead." While she pitied him, there was nothing she could do.
So when she got a letter from Tsunade-sensei telling her to meet her fire country in a week, she packed her things and left.
She had done what she could for this village. Her job was done.
Shiori arrived to Tanzaku a day early. She checked in to the hotel their were going to meet and decided to explore the city. she was in need of some supplies. Her shinobi sandals had worn off and she knew of a good shop to purchase a few pairs in this village.
It was where she purchased the last pair. It was a small shop. Shinobi didn't really spend much time here, so Shinobi stores were few and only had essentials. This one was owned by a family who lived in the land of Iron a few generations ago and used to make leather armor.
After shinobi villages came to be and samurai became rarer the family moved to this village and transitioned into shoe making business. Their leatherwork was of high quality, and Tsunade-sensei introduced her to the shop owners when she visited this village.
Their shoes were breathable enough for her feet not to sweat, while being durable for long travels. They were also light weight and flexible. A true work of art. Shiori placed an order for a few pairs since she wasn't sure of when she would visit next.
Since she had the money, she also requested a pair of rain boots and something warm for the winter. After paying for everything, she went to her next destination.
She hated being a kid and constantly needing bigger sizes of clothing because of growth. She tried to minimize her purchases but it was not an easy task due to nature of her job and traveling so much.
She bought a winter coat to wear on top of her usual outfit and some of her usual attire in thicker fabric.
It was not really a secret, but most shinobi liked to wear the same outfit all the time in order to maintain a professional profile. They wore other clothes when they were off duty or on breaks, but they wore the same ones when they worked.
While she was not a shinobi, she planned on becoming a combat medic. She wasn't sure if she wanted to work for a certain village, but the idea of ignoring shinobi's skills was not appealing to her.
So that was why she focused on making a memorable image of herself. she always wore the same outfit in slight variations depending on the weather and condition, and her signature backpack was also a part of it.
While some might call her image childish, she was a child and she planned on enjoying the privileges that came with it. she might be a professional medic but that was not the only thing about her.
She finished her shopping and headed to the inn for the night.
She was taking a herbal bath. Her body was tired from her travels and she needed the rest. She used a mixture of herbal oils to smooth her skin. There were cracks on her palms and legs from all the work she had recently done and she didn't have the time to pamper herself.
She relaxed in the bath water, taking deep breaths and relaxing her mind.
She was going through all the events she recently experienced. The whole ordeal in the wave.
She had a terrible habit of detaching herself emotionally from events around her. She could tell from how she made herself refer to the two bodies in her scrolls, the man and the woman.
She didn't bother to learn their names. Or how she referred to the boy who attacked her as the boy. She was the same with the villagers. Referring to them as their role. Like the chief or the merchant. Of course, Yuki was the exception since she made a connection and wanted to work with him in the future.
Now that she thought about it, she couldn't feel anything about the whole event. Everything just felt as if she was reading a report and not as she went through them herself.
It was a good habit for a medic. To not get emotional over their patients. To remain calm and professional. To not judge them for their actions and treat all patients under her care equally regardless of their backgrounds.
But it was not a good trait for real life. She knew she was afraid of getting attached to people. To get close to them only to lose them. she didn't have many memories of her past.
When she thought about it, all she could remember was a foggy haze. Sometimes, the fog would clear a bit, and she would get glimpses, but it never lasted long. She remembered two boys.
Not who they were or even how they looked like. But she dreamt of them. she knew she was close to them but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't remember anything.
To her everything started from that night. When she was barely four years old. Running in the woods. Hungry and scared. That night was the beginning of her life.
Tsunade-sensei tried some therapy sessions with her. Encouraging her to talk. The conclusion they reached was that due to some sort of trauma, her brain was blocking the memories. Or at least that was the most plausible explanation.
It was probably the reason for how her brain suppressed her emotions. To her emotions were not something lasting. She may feel angry about an event or happy for another, but it only lasted for the duration of it.
She couldn't feel emotions about the event after it had passed. She could remember them only in a detached way. She couldn't hate people or love them. Her emotions were only momentary.
She felt like a doll and not a human being. She was always analytical and logical. Assessing every action and thing around her. she wanted to feel. To be like others.
To be able to connect with people. But she couldn't, despite how hard she tried. She couldn't fit in. she learned to put up a mask. An act to not scare people away. But that was it.
A grand act she put up for the sake of others. She was learning to accept it. To be more comfortable with herself. But she didn't want to lose hope.
She would find her pieces and put them together. She would make herself whole again.