Chapter 8 Part 1
Step, step, step... The sun had hit its peak, and our little squad kept moving. At first, the genin had been swiveling their heads every which way, eagerly taking in the mostly monotonous — but still kind of pretty — scenery. You could tell right away: they'd never left their tiny world. Which, for them, was Konoha.
They were all so alike! The only differences were in the details: Naruko spun in every direction at once, scoping out the sights with pure excitement while simultaneously hunting for Enemies — practically peeking under every pebble. Uchiha's pride and image wouldn't allow any spinning, so Sasuko fought hard to project total disinterest on her haughty little face — though her eyes still darted sideways now and then. The calmest of the bunch was Sakurai, who looked around with mild, easy interest.
Gotta say — Naruko's anger didn't last long. She's been bugging Akashi about the outside world for a while now. Bounces back quick, that one. At first Akashi tried brushing her off with generic answers — basically "Yes," "No," and "Because" — but then Haruno joined the girl fountaining energy, and the jonin realized she couldn't just shake off these knowledge-hungry genin. So she started giving them real answers.
"Hey, hey, Akashi-sensei — doesn't the Land of Waves have its own shinobi?" the irrepressible Uzumaki fired off.
"No," Hatake said flatly.
"Naruko, you idiot." Sakurai sighed, fed up. "If you hadn't skipped class, you'd know little countries like this don't have their own Villages! Right, sensei??"
"Yes, that's right, Sakurai-kun," Akashi nodded. "Small and tiny nations just can't afford them. And who'd set up a settlement in a place like that? Maybe a small clan might live out there... but even that's unlikely. All the clans worth anything already moved to the big Villages. There are actually a lot of settlements out there, but the main ones are these: Konoha, Iwa, Kumo, Suna, and Kiri. Five total — the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Most shinobi belong to one of those five. And those Villages are led by the Kage — the strongest, most skilled shinobi. The ones with the most authority, the most respect."
"Ha, awesome!" Naruko declared smugly. "When I'm Hokage, not just Konoha — all the other Kage are gonna know my strength!"
"Naruko..." Sakurai put his face in his hand.
"First, learn some self-control, you blockhead." Akashi rolled her eye.
"Pf!" Uchiha snorted.
"What?" I raised my eyebrows when the blonde turned my way. "They're right. Stick your nose up that high, you'll catch it on a branch, Naruko. And don't look at me like that! Don't think becoming Kage is that easy."
"Boo, Koru-chan's a traitor." The blonde puffed up all ruffled — like a scruffy little sparrow. It was so cute I actually felt a little bad about what I'd said. But cute.
"You'll pop," I snorted, poking her cheek with my finger.
"Prrffh!" The blonde sputtered, air bursting from her mouth. "Mooouu! Don't do that! Bakoru!"
Huh?.. What kind of nickname is that? Baka + Kaoru??? She really comes up with some stuff...
"Children on a field trip," the bridge-builder grumbled, stopping at the roadside. "I'm tired."
Hm. Honestly, it's amazing this alco-bot made it this far. He's just a civilian — and not exactly in peak shape. The shinobi are a different story — chakra. Akashi could walk like this for days. If it weren't for food and sleep, she might never stop. So yeah. Still, a little break's nice — monotonous walking wears you out.
"Well then, let's take a short rest," Akashi concluded, stepping off the road to the nearest tree and flopping down in its shade. She never once looked up from her book.
"What d'you think sensei's reading, Nagisa-san?" Haruno asked quietly, glancing at the softly giggling Akashi. "Is it REALLY that interesting?"
"Trust me — you're better off not knowing," I replied with the straightest face I could manage.
I made the mistake of checking out Jiraiya's work once myself. (Goes by the same name here, by the way.) I look old enough — buying that kind of thing wasn't a problem. I really wish I hadn't.
Jiraiya writes well — be stupid to argue. The writing's good enough to grab you and not let go till the end. She also puts a ton of work into the romance, the love scenes, and the... intimate stuff. Would've been fine — a solid romance novel with action, spy games, and 18+ scenes... If not for one BIG BUT!
DAMN YAOI!!! There is NOT A SINGLE book from Jiraiya's pen that doesn't feature men getting together!! From the "brutal male camaraderie" between squadmates to puppy-love romances between coy young genin! The captured young chunin...; "Friendship" in the squad; Teacher-student relationships!..; It's got everything! Something for every taste! Female domination over a weak uke shows up too — all kinds of Mistress and...
Yeah... looks like the Sannin has a real soft spot for coy boys and bishonen...
Kami-sama...
Plop — my hand landed on the boy's shoulder in an encouraging gesture. My fingers clamped down.
"Trust me: You. Are. Better. Off. Not. Knowing," I repeated.
"Ah... Er... O-okay." Thoroughly confused by my behavior, Sakurai wriggled free of my grip and edged away.
Alright, no need to scare the kid. While I've got time — catch my breath, grab a snack.
"Heh-heh, break time, break time!" Naruko purred happily under her breath, rummaging through her stuff. Like the other genin, she was hauling a full backpack. "Let's eat, let's eat!.. Oh? Koru-chan?"
"What now, Naruko?" I was in the middle of a very important task: picking the perfect spot. There's shade under the tree — but with the breeze it might get chilly. The sunny spot's nice and warm — but the light's right in my eyes. Dilemma...
"Where's your stuff?!" The girl shouted, surprised — only just now noticing I'd been carrying just a small waist pouch this whole time.
"Wait, seriously, Nagisa-san? You really didn't bring anything?.." Sakurai shook his head, stunned. Hey! What's with the pitying look?! Do they think I'm some kind of klutz?! "How irresponsible! You've gotta be more careful heading out on a mission!"
"Hey, Koru-chan — if you need some, here!" Digging frantically through her backpack, Naruko pulled from its depths... a packet of instant noodles?! "I've got tons! I came prepared, heh-heeh!"
"Pfeh!.."
"Naruko..." Sakurai muttered, rolling his eyes.
"...oh..." I couldn't help it — I covered my eyes with one hand and barely held back a laugh.
"What?!"
"Iiiidiot — how were you planning to make THAT without hot water?" Haruno pointed out the obvious.
"..." The smile on the blonde's face immediately twisted into bewilderment, then deep thought. Then her eyes went wide with revelation. "Oh!.. Well... I didn't really think about that... But you can eat it dry, right?! Right? Heh-heh?.."
Kami-sama... Amaterasu-sama — where is the brain switch on this scatterbrain?! She's a smart girl — her noggin works fine... but sometimes Naruko is just so... Naruko.
"Oh... Naruko... Ohh!" Looks like Cherry and I are on the same wavelength. We sighed in unison, at least. "But she's right, Kaoru-san." Sakurai switched back to a friendlier tone. I swear, I don't get his jumps from casual to formal to polite. "If you forgot your stuff, we can share. I've got some homemade food — I don't mind splitting it. Sasuko-chan, you want to join?"
"I'll pass," Hedgehog muttered, chewing a sandwich under her tree.
"Oh, relax, you guys. But thanks, Sakurai-kun, Naruko-chan — I appreciate it. But there's no need." I reached into my pouch and pulled out a small scroll — about finger-length. It's pretty short, just 60-70 centimeters of usable surface, but I don't need more than that. Plus these scrolls are compact and cheap — though the quality's a bit lower. They're mostly used for learning sealing jutsu and for experiments. They don't last long: an active seal holds for maybe a month, tops, and they're basically single-use. Useless in the long run. But as disposable supplies? Perfect.
I unrolled the paper all the way, laid it on the ground, and ran my thumb down the whole length — channeling chakra.
Poof — and a decent-sized box with a still-warm breakfast appeared on the paper's surface. I love sealing! Gotta say, I'm proud of myself — storage seals are definitely my thing.
"Mmmhh... scroll's toast," I noted, checking the burnt-out seal. This is what I meant — cheap scrolls aren't exactly stable. Mass-produced disposables. Getting a second use out of them's rare. But that's fine for me — what's left can be resealed into a fresh scroll. I've made a decent pile of them, and if I need more, I can whip one up on the spot. Takes maybe half an hour per scroll.
"Whoa?!"
"Well, there you go," I said, smiling at the genin's stunned faces.
"What was that, Koru-chan?! That's awesome! Teach me!!!" The blonde immediately caught fire. Yeah, that's about right. Ninpo: Flick-On-The-Nose! "Ow!"
"Standard sealing technique. As far as I remember, they teach the basics of sealing jutsu at the Academy, right? Just an overview, but still."
"Sealing... jutsu?" Blink-blink went the blue eyes.
"Oh!" Sakurai's eyes shot wide.
"But that's... for weapons... sealing... weapons..." He trailed off, his gaze turning inward. Looks like it's starting to click. "So we could've been traveling light? Without hauling all this junk on our backs?!"
"Yep!" I grinned. Their faces are priceless. Especially the deep shock on Haruno — and Uchiha's unusually big black eyes. The boy's expression said, "That was allowed?!" while Sasuko's face practically had words carved into it: "How did I not think of that?!" I get it — inertia, mental ruts, all that. But it's so simple! Far as I know, only Choji ever thought to carry food in seals. But still! Because of Choji, any excuse the genin could make would sound ridiculous even to themselves — the example's been staring them in the face for years!
"Sealing jutsu is one of the hardest branches to master," Akashi threw in, helping demolish the genin. A true sensei! That flat, mocking tone of hers... it's an art form. "But the basics — sealing and unsealing — anyone can learn. Using pre-made seals is a lot simpler than making your own."
"Damn!" Sakurai cursed, wholeheartedly.
"And there's your lesson: study. Develop yourselves," I said sagely, looking down at the kids with just a hint of superiority. Even if they're only a year or two younger than me — they're still kids. "Seek knowledge. Don't be afraid to improvise. Everything comes in handy eventually. Now — as a token of goodwill: who wants something hot?"
On the road again.
Ugh... that last onigiri was one too many. Naruko ate most of it anyway. I had to feed the silly girl — I couldn't stand watching her gnaw on dry noodles. The only other food she brought was shinobi ration pills. I didn't want to touch those: sure, they're packed with nutrients, but they taste like solidified cardboard and don't make you feel full at all. And they're not cheap. Pills and field rations are for deep behind enemy lines or places with no supply lines. Basically? Standard soldier's grub — shinobi-style.
Oh! A puddle...
Kami-sama — are they really this stupid?! A puddle. Sunny day. Dry ground. Middle of a forest road. In a place with no stream for a hundred meters in any direction!!!
"Haaahh..." I yawned, trying to look bored. But fake laziness didn't stop me from getting ready. My fingers brushed the edge of an amulet hidden in my secret pocket.
Passing the puddle, I pushed my sensory abilities to the limit, trying to feel the ambush. Either these enemy shinobi sucked at hiding, or — more likely — the short distance helped, but I managed to make out two beings right at the puddle! Looks like I'm slowly getting better as a sensor!.. Interesting. This isn't an illusion. Some kind of spatial technique? Create a puddle with water chakra and hide inside it?.. In a mirrored plane??? A pocket dimension?!!!
No — not the time to geek out over shinobi tricks. We're kind of about to get murdered here!
To my shame, I didn't even see the moment the two enemies appeared. One instant they just burst out of that fake puddle — "First victim!" — and sawed Akashi into a dozen chunks with their chain.
"What?!"
"AKASHI-SENSEI!!!"
Seconds. Pure stupor. And the figures in shapeless rags were already closing in.
"Second," the masked faces rasped. Hideous gauntleted hands swung toward the frozen Naruko.
"Huh?!"
"Uh-huh — as if." Even at a moment like this, I smiled politely into her wide eyes. A silent tableau.
"Why you?!"
Smack — onto the blocked arm (and that wasn't easy!) my palm landed, a plain-looking slip of paper pressed beneath it.
"Tamaya!" A kick to the gut — more to push myself away than to send her flying. I fell backward onto the blonde and tumbled aside, dragging her with me.
Boom!
"Gyaah!!!" A scream of pain from the explosion cloud.
"Looks like I messed up somewhere," I thought, shaking my ringing head. The explosion wasn't what I expected. Most of the energy went into light and sound — deafening, blinding, and lightly charring the Kiri shinobi. A chakra firework, not an explosive seal!
Well, that was basically the end of it:
The second enemy got jumped by Sasuko, who'd snapped out of it, and — a beat later — Sakurai. They kept her busy just long enough for Akashi to materialize out of thin air and shut her down with a precise strike to the throat.
"Yo." The jonin smiled at the stunned genin. Death and resurrection inside one minute! She's a damn magician.
"S... Sensei — you're alive?!" Sakurai gasped.
"Well... something like that," she shrugged, dumping the captured shinobi on the ground. She'd already dealt with my stunned one first. "Good job, kids! You handled that well. Though, Naruko — I didn't expect you to freeze up like that. Say thank you to Sasuko-chan and Kaoru-kun for saving you. You weren't hurt, were you? Their weapons were definitely poisoned. You get cut — you're dead."
"Ah..." The girl on the ground exhaled, dazed. Shivering a little, she frantically checked herself for wounds. Clean. Not a scratch — except maybe bruises from hitting the ground.
"Well, at least she won't be stabbing herself with needles."
"Well, that's just splendid." A fresh eye-smile. "Alright, kiddos — wait for me over by that tree. While I... have a chat with the 'demon' sisters."
Grabbing the unconscious bodies by the scruffs of their necks, the jonin hauled them off into the forest. I wonder — am I the only one curious how she figured out they were women under all those rags?
"Come on, Naruko, up." I offered my hand and pulled her to her feet. "Hope I didn't hit you too hard?"
"Ah... I'm okay..." Uzumaki mumbled, still catching up with the whirlwind of events.
"Pf... You sure you're okay? You froze solid... scaredy-cat." Uchiha snorted, making Naruko scowl.
Harsh — but true. So obvious even Naruko can't deny it. Look at that grimace. Inflated self-esteem hurts worst when someone pokes it like that. Not that I'm an expert... but I can imagine what it feels like when life puts you in your place.
Well... let's wait for Akashi. To be honest, I'd rather not see what she does with those prisoners. Best case — she just slits their throats quietly. They're enemies, after all.
I don't even want to think about torture.
Kami-sama... maybe I should go ahead and recite the funerary prayer. Or... will they be fine without it? Not like I owe enemies a peaceful trip to the Pure World — the local heaven. Still... I'll say it. Costs me nothing. And hey — maybe those two will have better luck next time around.
Namu.