27 A War We Don't Belong In - Chapter 1: Satsuki
Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction based on multiple existing anime/manga series. The characters and settings used in this story belong to their respective owners and creators, and no copyright infringement is intended. This story is purely for entertainment purposes and is not intended to infringe upon any existing intellectual property. I do not own any of the original works that inspired this fanfiction, and I fully support the original creators and their works.
(Warning Extremely Brutal and Morally Questionable Stuff Will Be Depicted, Hinted at, or Shown. Read at your own discretion)
-Story Start-
-Third Person POV-
Dark rain clouds loomed over the noon sky.
The echoes of muddy steps resonated loudly at the town's entrance - The emblem etched on the entrance, slightly torn, proudly represented the Conservative Group of the Land of Woods.
A sharp, rotten, and pungent smell assailed the visitors.
Team 7 was their identity.
First was Kakashi, his expression and gaze steeling at the recognition of the smell as he continued marching forward without pause.
"Steel yourselves," he declared. His tone was the most serious any of them had ever heard.
Second, Akira also caught wind of the smell.
His eyes widened momentarily before his expression turned blank, and he nodded in agreement.
"I agree." He stated with a tone unlike any other Sasuke and Naruto had ever heard from him.
Both perplexed, Naruto and Sasuke nevertheless steeled themselves as well and nodded.
Naruto, his face contorting in disgust, couldn't help but vocalize his revulsion, "Urgh, what is that rotten smell?!" Blocking his nose, he grimaced at the nauseating odor.
It was only after entering the town and walking a little further that he, along with the rest of Team 7, realized the source of the smell.
Just as Kakashi and Akira had suspected.
-Akira POV-
As we walked further deep into the small town.
A massacre was what met our eyes.
A sight not unfamiliar to me.
But for Naruto...
"BLEGHHHHHHH!" He immediately bent over to vomit out all his lunch.
Sasuke approached and patted Naruto's back to comfort him.
Sasuke appeared to be utterly furious as his teeth gritted and fists were clenched.
We kept silent as we observed the aftermath of whatever occurred here.
Heaps of corpses of both men and women.
Unfortunately, the major makeup was of women and children.
The causes of death were varied and wide.
Some looked as if they were expertly slain - A simple slit throat.
Some looked as if they had been stabbed over a thousand times.
While others were beheaded, bodies strung up and displayed on pikes and such.
And what a few of the bodies of the women looked like, need not be emphasized what had been done to them.
Murdering the defenseless innocents?
Raping?
Abhorrent.
Disgusting.
Inhumane pieces of-
Detach.
Remains of campfires whose flamed had dimmed a while ago, as charcoal and ashes were what stayed.
Houses and lodges were burnt to the ground and some completely destroyed, only to be decorated by the decomposing bodies of their presumed owners.
A few small cabins partially intact were left, but bodies colored their brownish color with a dull red.
Kakashi approached one of the corpses, lowering himself to inspect it.
Having finished puking, Naruto got up and muttered, his face messy and eyes bloodshot, "W-WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!" His tone was a mix of fury and horror.
"Civil War, Naruto. That's what happened and is happening." I responded apathetically.
But to think it was this bad...
I continued, "War, however, doesn't entirely explain the depth of brutality we're witnessing."
As we walked further into the small town, the reality of the situation became even more apparent.
"WAR, HOW?! THESE WEREN'T SHINOBI! THERE'S WOMEN AND CHILDREN HERE! W-Why?" Naruto yelled in complete outrage, pointing at the corpses, tears began to form on his expression.
"There's no logic to find in the insane. Naruto." Sasuke stated with a burning hatred.
Sasuke's fists clenched so hard that blood began to drip onto the ground.
I gave my answer, "That might be right, but we still lack information on the reasoning behind this. Thinking the perpetrators are insane is the straightforward answer, there might have been another motive in play with this act... As barbaric as they had decided to go about it."
I added, "Whoever did this left around three to four days ago." I gestured at a corpse that was still being eaten by a crow.
They didn't look fresh enough judging by the smell and look, but neither were they too old for a crow to feast on them.
Glaring at me, Naruto roared, his voice echoing loudly throughout the whole town, "REASON?! WHAT KIND OF REASON DO YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS?! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM?!"
How can I be so calm?
...As disgusting, abhorrent, and heartbreaking as this is.
I don't know the victims, and I largely don't care - At least right now.
I'm not a hero of justice and this is not my conflict to solve.
...It would be hypocritical of me to be enraged at a scene like this.
Bandits, Town Lords, Shinobi, Minor Cartels.
As long as they aren't an individual whose death I'll lament.
Whichever the case may be.
Whichever the title may be.
Whichever virtue or sin they may have done.
As a corpse, they are all the same.
My sin... Is the same.
Regardless of who I kill - I have still killed.
And as long as it's for the sake of my goals...
That is fine.
But.
Killing is all I do.
This...
If I were to meet the perpetrators of this... Unnecessary Evil.
I'd kill them regardless of my goals.
I responded evenly, "Look, I may not show it, but I'm just as upset as you are. Also, if you're looking for someone to accuse of calmness, direct your accusation at Kakashi-sensei." I gestured towards Kakashi, who was approaching us with a steely gaze.
At my words, our attention shifted collectively to Kakashi. He commanded, "Akira, check for any signs of life."
I nodded, "Right."
Swiftly, I moved my hands to form the shadowgraphic hand sign of a dog head, announcing, "Divine Dogs."
A familiar insignificant dip in my Chakra was felt as liquid shadows moved to form the figures of Noc and Mir.
I inquired from Noc and Mir, "Anyone here besides us?"
'Yes, in that cabin.' Noc and Mir replied simultaneously, gesturing at one of the semi-intact wooden cabins.
'What of its Chakra?' I posed the question.
Determining whether an individual is a shinobi often hinges on the size of their chakra.
However, this isn't foolproof.
Some civilians possess chakra reserves comparable to Chunin or, more rarely, Jonin, without ever engaging in shinobi activities.
I'd wager even six-year-old Naruto, who hadn't even begun any Chakra-related activities had more chakra than the Hokage.
By that logic, he surpassed me when he was still a fetus...
As of now, Naruto boasts over thirty times the chakra of the Hokage, according to Noc and Mir's precise measurements.
'Noteworthy,' they responded.
These measurements are classified into different ranks:
- Harmless = Civilian/Academy Student.
- Unthreatening = Genin.
- Noteworthy = Chunin.
- Threatening = Jonin.
- Dangerous = Elite Jonin.
- Death = Hokage.
- Incomprehensible = Naruto or the Nine Tails sealed inside him.
However, chakra levels don't always correspond to actual threat levels.
If that were the case, Naruto would have been the strongest right at this moment.
They are more of a measuring stick for potential in Ninjutsu.
More on that - An individual with Chunin levels of Chakra reserve, albeit rarely, could pose an Elite Jonin-level threat, especially among Taijutsu specialists like Might Guy or Makoto. And loosely myself, although I hold more Chakra than Makoto.
"The Wolves detected someone in that cabin, 350 meters away," I stated, narrowing my eyes in assessment. "We should approach cautiously - The individual in there has Chunin-level reserves."
At my announcement, Naruto's muscles tightened and he was about to dash in that direction.
Luckily Sasuke held his shoulder tightly, shaking his head, "Not now, Naruto. Listen to sensei."
Naruto turned to glare and protest, "TEME! THERE'S A PER-" He stopped his protest as he saw the silent look in Sasuke's eyes for the first time.
The bubbling fury held back within those onyx orbs.
Naruto's enraged and determined eyes widened at Sasuke's frightening look and he promptly shut his mouth, muttering a silent, "Okay..."
Kakashi nodded, pleased with Sasuke's intervention. His tone lightened, retaining its authoritative edge as he directed, "Akira, send in a rabbit. After Akira's assessment, Naruto, follow up with a clone. We need to determine whether this is a survivor or a potential enemy. The rest of you, be prepared to engage the opponent."
Naruto nodded as he had a determined frown on his face, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He announced as a single clone formed beside him.
I made the shadowgraphic hand sign of a rabbit, announcing, "Rabbit Escape."
Liquid shadows moved at lightning speeds to form thousands of Whiskers, as I dismissed them at a relatively equal speed.
Leaving but a few dozen alongside the Original Whiskers himself.
"Go in there, you know what to do." I pointed at a single whiskers clone.
He nodded and began hopping in that direction.
'The rest of you, position yourselves around town just in case. Original Whiskers, in the sleeve.' I commanded as they began hopping in random directions, whilst Original Whiskers entered my oversized sleeve and made himself comfortable there.
I turned to my teammates, my tone serious, "We should stay here and continue conversing. Loudly. With all that yelling you did Naruto, and the silence in this town. It's unlikely whoever is in there isn't aware of us. If we talk loudly, it would lower his guard, allowing for Whiskers and the Naruto Clone to do their job."
As they silently mulled over my words. I turned to Kakashi, who had narrowed his eyes enigmatically at the sky.
What is he thinking about?
Regardless, I'd like to point out my observations to him while Whiskers steadily makes his way.
"Kakashi-sensei, you must have noticed as well, but this town... Was attacked by Shinobi. The corpses were only of townspeople. Some of them were expertly killed and those who weren't were probably playthings for those sadistic bastards. And with how recent this tragedy is, traveling to this country, even for message delivery could not be a C - Rank Mission. Or am I wrong?" I narrowed my eyes at Kakashi.
Kakashi hummed, his lone eye focused on me, "Are you suggesting we abandon it?" His expression enigmatic
My blank expression remained as I shook my head, "That's not what I said. I am merely pointing out an observation, and you, as our Sensei... What is your answer to my question?"
Naruto responded strongly and resolved, chiming uninvitedly into my question with an answer of his own, "WE COMPLETE OUR MISSION AND KILL THE BASTARDS THAT DID THIS! THAT'S WHAT WE DO!"
I turned to glare at him, only to be met with a resolved nod from Sasuke.
...Ah, so they want to see this through as well?
Well, their whims of vengeance and justice would hopefully stay as whims depending on Kakashi's response.
Kakashi responded, "What you say has some merit. It's true, the Civil War currently ongoing here had shown no signs of Shinobi involved, at least at large. Otherwise Lord Third wouldn't have given us this assignment."
I sighed, playing along with him, "But...?"
He continued, "But, your classification is inaccurate. This would have become a B-Rank or more if engaging with hostile Shinobi was guaranteed or extremely likely. We may abandon this mission the moment such a thing occurs - Which hasn't."
I frowned, "Nuances, Kakashi-sensei. You saw as well as I did what emblem was at the entrance. This town was aligned with the Conservative Group. We are bearing an important scroll for that very same Conservative Group. It's likely we'll meet Shinobi on our path to the marked location, even if it is a day of travel away and just a simple submission of a scroll."
Kakashi sighed in disappointment, much to my frustration.
Shaking his head he replied, "You are running under many assumptions that may not even come true. Wouldn't it be a shame to abandon the mission - Given by Lord Third himself no less, when we are so close to completing it?" Pausing for me to digest the information, he gained a confident and gentle tone, "Even if your fears come true... You kids are strong on your own. And you've got me. Even a B - Rank should be no issue if you work together. Alright?"
Hmm... He's not wrong but I can't help but be skeptical.
Seeing my skeptical look, Kakashi added as he approached and ruffled my spiky hair, "Besides, although being paranoid is important for Shinobi. It wouldn't hurt you to show some more trust in your sensei. Alright?"
Sasuke added his own two cents, "Kakashi-sensei has got a point. In either case, we won't grow stronger if we run at the slightest chance of unforeseen danger."
...Now they are just making me out to be a coward here.
I sigh, and reluctantly agree, "Alright, fine."
Naruto chimed in, growling "Yeah... And after we're done with that scroll delivery, we'll be killing those bastards..."
Sasuke grunted his agreement, "Hn."
I turned to glare at both of them, my words had a threatening edge, "We will not be searching for anyone after we are done with our mission. If we do come across them, though, I'll readily agree with dispatching them from the face of this planet."
Sasuke raised a challenging eyebrow, "Since when do you make the decisions here?"
...
Really, shoving their noses where it doesn't belong.
A search mission all for the purpose of killing Shinobi of unknown capabilities.
We are unnecessarily risking our lives.
I don't like it.
But, Sasuke's right, I don't make the decisions here.
As the pungent smell mixed with the peer pressure was at its peak, I relented.
...They have to get Kakashi to agree, anyway.
"Ah, for fuck's sake! To hell with it! Alright! If you manage to persuade Kakashi-sensei to agree to this crusade. Then sure, let's hunt the bastards, why not? But, I'll be cursing the both of you if I die when we fight them."
And all those in my close vicinity, for that matter.
Naruto and Sasuke gained a short smile as Kakashi quickly responded, crushing their delusional schemes, "We are not chasing foreign Shinobi."
Good.
Before they can protest, I get a ping.
'I'm at the entrance.' A message from the Whiskers clone grabs my attention.
'Good. Enter and report everything.' I commanded in our mental link.
"Okay, Whiskers is in position." My voice caught their attention as they stared at me, awaiting the results.
'Small girl. Hiding under. Sofa.' Whiskers reported.
...
'What's her status? Age?' I questioned, ignoring the intense looks of my team.
'She malnourished. Me think. 8 Up to. 10 Year Old. Bruised and. Small cut. On face. Me Kill?' He reported back.
'No, killing.' I commanded back.
I nodded, "There's a small malnourished girl there, I think it's safe."
"Then let's get going!" Naruto exclaimed, further adding with a hint of disgust and sorrow, "W-We gotta get out of here. I can't stand the smell and the look of this place.."
All of us ran towards the cabin as I added, "Don't forget, we have to bury them. The girl probably knows them, so it's even more important."
Naruto added with a slight sweatdrop, a sad frown etched on his face, "Right... I forgot about the need to bury them with all... This."
"We do have time for something like that, right Kakashi-sensei?" I pointed out the question to Kakashi.
He hummed, nonchalantly muttering, "You suspect this is a trap?"
So he noticed it as well.
I nodded, "I have my suspicions, depending on whether the girl is a Shinobi or not will confirm it."
Kakashi responded nonchalantly, "If Naruto uses the full force of his Shadow Clones then we'll have more than enough time to bury the victims before leaving."
As we were about to reach the cabin, the Whiskers at the cabin reported, 'She found me.'
'Okay, just keep docile.' I replied.
'She say. She hungry. She bite. My neck-' The connection died as the Whiskers clone was killed by the girl.
She's that hungry, huh?
Poor thing.
'Noc, you stay and report any abnormalities. Mir, go hunt something for us. Report if you notice any Unthreatening Chakra Levels and above you may notice.' I commanded Noc and Mir who were running alongside us.
As I said so, Mir pivoted and headed outside the town.
I answered the questioning gazes of my team before they could ask, "I sent him away to hunt some food for us and especially for the starving girl... She took a bite out of Whiskers and killed him."
At my words, Naruto paled momentarily but recalled this was serious as his face hardened and awaited command.
Arriving before the cabin, Kakashi gestured at the Naruto clone, "Go. Give her a snack if she's absolutely starving." He threw a nutritious soldier pill at the clone who grabbed it without hesitation.
As the Naruto clone was about to make his leave, Kakashi emphasized, "Make sure to not scare the girl and tell her that we're allies of the Conservative Group - Leaf Shinobi."
The Naruto clone nodded with a serious expression as he slowly headed toward the cabin.
We watched from afar as he slipped through the blocked doorway of the cabin, small rubble and furniture shoved in a rather mediocre way to create a semi-blockade.
This blockade, however, had a hole in it, enough to fit an adult if he tried really hard to squeeze in there.
It was a tense few minutes and then we saw the Naruto Clone exit the cabin.
A small more optimistic smile was on his face, quite unfit for the current situation, as he was soon followed by a little girl at his side.
The clone yelled out, "Suki-chan is safe!"
I narrowed my eyes as I got a closer look at the girl.
Whisker's description was fairly accurate.
Around 8 or 9 years of age, weak and malnourished body.
Shoulder-length grey hair and azure eyes.
To contrast the vibrant color of her eyes, her gaze was rather lifeless and paradoxically hungry.
Her posture indicated complete unease and mistrust.
Yet, Naruto managed to break through this barrier - As he was holding her hand, while she glared at the rest of us.
Even if we are teammates of Naruto, I can't blame her for not trusting us.
She must be too exhausted to process anything.
...Truthfully, all in all, the chance she is a trap meant for any rescue party seems less and less likely.
Again, there's just a small test I need to conduct to confirm that bit.
Silently, she was led by Naruto to us. They walked slowly, according to her own pace as she seemed to walk unevenly.
Her gaze scanned the cruel and shocking aftermath of her own town - Tears began dripping along her face as she hiccuped.
Naruto tried his best to remain optimistic as he tried to comfort the girl.
Yet the small smile of relief he had at finding a survivor quickly turned into a frown on his side, as he couldn't do anything but hold the girl's hand reassuringly as she silently wept.
She arrived in front of us, her gaze wary yet curious - Whether out of instinct or not, she was especially wary of Kakashi.
Kakashi took the initiative, lowering himself to meet her eyes.
His masked face bore a gentle yet sad smile as he spoke, "Suki-chan, what would you like us to do before we leave?"
His words echoed our team's collective thoughts.
The girl cannot stay here, in this... Graveyard.
She has no say in the matter.
But, at the very least - We can bury the victims and listen to her requests.
A soft mutter escaped her, as she carefully pulled at the hem of her ragged kimono to bow formally, "Haruka Satsuki. That's my name. M-Mother taught me to introduce myself when meeting n-new people..." Her eyes became teary once more at the mention of her mother.
...
Kakashi smiled, "You're very well-mannered. Your mother taught you well. I'm Hatake Kakashi, Jonin of Konoha. Nice to meet you, Satsuki-chan."
Sasuke followed up, "Hn. Uchiha Sasuke. Nice to meet you as well."
I nodded, "Nara Akira. It's a pleasure to meet you."
We turned to look at Naruto, and she answered for us, "Ruto." She gripped the Clone Naruto's hand harder and pointed at the original beside us.
I approached her, only for her to back away, attempting to pull Naruto with her.
Naruto gave a small smile as he gently told her, "Suki-chan, Akira, and everyone else won't hurt you. We just want to help. Right?" He directed a questioning look at me.
I nodded, a practiced placating smile formed on my face, "Yes, I'll be checking your wounds, I'd appreciate your cooperation, Satsuki-chan."
Hearing my words, she reluctantly nodded and let me approach her.
At that, I felt Kakashi's gaze on the back of my head.
I lowered myself to inspect the wounds on her, "Hmm... The bruises and small scrapes will need ointment at most. But, this..." I gave a slight touch to her ankle as I noticed her uneven walking.
She flinched and let out a hushed pained cry, "Ack!"
"OI! AKIRA!" Original Naruto shouted his protest.
I sighed, "Calm down, I'm just checking her state..."
Good.
That confirms that she's not under any powerful transformation jutsu.
She's a genuine victim.
The other thing this confirms is that this isn't likely a trap from the off-chance Satsuki was a Shinobi.
That leaves two options - Whose answer depends on how willing Satsuki is to tell us anything.
I won't push for it, but I'll keep those two in mind.
Nevertheless, her injuries aren't severe enough that I'd use Rudolph.
I am really hoping to keep that card secret until the Chunin Exams.
I announced, nonchalantly as I made some distance from the wary girl, "She'll be fine." My eyes met with Kakashi's lone eye, as he nodded.
Sasuke mumbled, "She's not a Shinobi then."
"I guess Sasuke was in on this as well, huh?" I muttered, my tone reflecting a mix of acknowledgment and mild surprise.
Sasuke raised his eyebrow, "I'm not Naruto. This was the obvious concern. I don't understand why you and Kakashi-sensei were so secretive about it."
Kakashi responded for us, "Naruto would have made this more difficult."
Naruto growled, "Now's not the time for this! We need to listen to Suki-chan!" He pointed at the silent Satsuki who was merely gazing at us, her gaze profound.
Her voice cracked as she answered Kakashi's prior question, "P-Please bury everyone, my parents and brother as well... Help me find them."
My voice made her flinch a little, "Could you provide us with descriptions of their looks? We'd rather not let you look any longer at this scene."
At that, my team nodded in unison at this line of thought.
Her eyes widened momentarily as a sad smile formed on her face, "T-Thank you, but... I have to see this through. I-I have to see this. What those monsters did..." Her expression turned into a momentary hateful look.
...Strong girl.
I took a glance at my teammates, who were similarly impressed by the girl's mental fortitude and strength.
Sasuke, his expression understanding, chimed in, "If she wants to see this through, then let her." His tone was profound as he met Satsuki's surprised gaze with his own strong gaze.
Naruto then turned to Kakashi, "Any complaints, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi's gaze narrowed at the girl momentarily, causing her to flinch despite her resolved and hateful state.
'This is not something anyone should ever see, especially a child. Sasuke, and now Satsuki-chan.' Were the somber thoughts in Kakashi's mind.
He sighed, his tone regretful, "None."
I nodded, "Right, let's find a suitable spot to bury the deceased. I suggest a massive grave. Satsuki-chan, is there anything specific you'd like us to do before we leave?"
She shook her head, avoiding eye contact, "J-Just... bury them, please."
The Naruto Clone gently squeezed her hand, "We will, Suki-chan. We promise."
She added, "But let me see each one before you do. Please."
Nevertheless, this wasn't something anyone needed to see up close, not a child anyway so I asked pointedly, "Again, are you sure you want to see this? Some of them experienced an extremely unkind death."
Droplets of rain began to fall as the sky began to cry once again.
The weather seemed as untimely as ever.
She made eye contact head-on, as her gaze turned hateful and teeth clenched, "I'm sure. I need to see every last one."
"Then let's get to work." I nodded and pointed at Naruto.
He already knew what to do, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He yelled out as he made a hand sign.
A large cloud of smoke enveloped us only to dissipate revealing hundreds of Naruto clones.
As we started the somber task of creating a mass grave and burying the victims, the rain continued to fall, almost as if the heavens themselves mourned the tragedy that had befallen this town, as it soaked all of us even when I handed out raincoats from my shadow storage, yet we continued unperturbed.
The mood was heavy, and even all the Narutos, usually full of energy, moved silently, understanding the gravity of the situation. Sasuke, too, was focused and determined, burying his emotions beneath a stoic exterior.
As we worked, Satsuki observed silently, occasionally wiping away tears, only for bubbling anger to resurface amid her sadness. Kakashi, ever the calm and composed leader, offered a few words of comfort as he stood by her side with an umbrella.
The injured girl shouldn't get sick.
Noc kept a watchful eye with his Chakra detection and Mir had returned while we worked with a freshly hunted deer.
Once the task was done, majorly thanks to Naruto. Naruto, Sasuke, and I stood before the makeshift graves, heads lowered in a moment of silent prayer. Satsuki joined us, her small form standing among towering shinobi.
It was only fitting, that the last to be placed into the mass grave, were the remains of her parents and brother taken from their homes.
Truth be told, they were one of the lucky ones - Considering that even in their destroyed home, remnants of a person being burnt alive were left near their doorstep.
Both mother and father were killed professionally, the mother had not been desecrated like some of the other women, yet their expression held the same emotion prior to death - Pure horror.
Her older brother, although met a more unfortunate end with an open gut, seemed to have perished quickly as well - His expression enraged at the time of his demise.
Satsuki, though visibly distraught, whispered her own farewell to her fallen neighbors and family, her guard loosened considerably at our presence excluding Naruto and she let the tears flow freely.
With each teardrop, the girl's teeth gritted louder and louder and her hatred and rage grew more potent the closer we came to completing the makeshift burial and funeral.
-----------------------------
Following the somber burial, the sun had begun to set and a dark evening met the Land Of Woods.
We found ourselves in a makeshift cavern Kakashi had made us with Earth Style - Digging a hole into a cliff we found.
After I set up a simple detection barrier and for safety measures ordered Whiskers whom I had not yet dismissed to keep a watchful eye, as his chakra drainage is nonexistent right now.
We sat and warmed up in the cave, our campfire drying our wet bodies as well as serving as a way to cook the deer Mir had caught for us.
The pitter-patter of heavy rain continued outside the makeshift cave and thunder boomed loudly in the background as we ate.
Satsuki, even now, never left Naruto's side - After eating, and making my job of dressing her wounds unnecessarily difficult, she fell asleep on Naruto's lap after telling us what happened from her perspective.
How she survived - Down to the last detail of our request and her compliance.
The fact she agreed to relay the tragic tale was a surprise in and of itself.
A subtle introspection crossed Satsuki's eyes before she began recounting the traumatic events.
Her parents sent her away into the cabin at the first sight of conflict.
She hid under the sofa for as long as she could there - Plugging her ears at the sounds of agonized screams and cries for help.
Someone entered, chuckled, and simply... Left, having not noticed her.
This confirmed which of the two options was correct in the case of that town.
With her having fallen asleep, was our chance to discuss the situation at hand.
"Akira, have your wolves detected anyone by now?" Kakashi inquired.
I shook my head, "No one whatsoever."
Kakashi nodded, "Even more convincing... Then it wasn't a trap."
Naruto, his expression confused asked, "What do you mean by trap, Kakashi-sensei?"
Frowning and folding his hands, Sasuke answered the question, "They left a single girl alive. According to her story, it's unlikely they hadn't noticed her. They left her purposefully."
Naruto's eyes widened, as he kept his voice to a whisper, "W-What for?"
I continued, "Initially, we believed this girl was the trap itself. Transformation Jutsu and then simply killing us when we let our guards down. Once confirmed that she is indeed a victim. That left the other angle of a trap - She was bait for the rescue party that should arrive relatively soon, soon because any later and Satsuki would have starved to death."
Naruto's eyes darkened and his fists clenched, "Then... What is it if not a trap? Why haven't we been attacked?" His tone was disappointed at the fact it wasn't a trap, Naruto's rage was evident.
My eyes narrowed, as I took a bite out of the thigh meat, "I was getting to that. We suspected that to be the case, yet Noc and Mir had not detected a hint of any shinobi. If this was a trap with the girl as the bait. Noc and Mir would have found something by now."
Kakashi then chimed in, "That left one option. This was all done to gloat or perhaps a veiled warning we have yet to understand."
"T-To gloat?" Naruto was bewildered.
Sasuke nodded, his eyes filled with hate, "Yes... With how proudly they displayed the victims and simply left the girl alive. This was most likely a gloat or a warning, maybe both by the Radical Group against the Conservative Group."
Suspecting the opposing group - The Radicals, to be responsible for this, was obvious.
Of course, what was left unsaid was why they'd leave Satsuki alive, in the off chance a rescue party wouldn't make it in time or arrive at all.
The answer was just as gutwrenching as the tragedy that befell the town.
Sadistic glee.
"Why not leave a girl to starve to her death? Clinging to hope?" Cruel and sadistic bastards are easy to figure out - They disregard and hurt others purely for their enjoyment and sense of self.
Radical is one light way to call them...
Naruto turned to Kakashi, "We need to kill those bastards... Mission or not." He growled.
Kakashi sighed as he folded his hands, "Don't you think it'd be wiser to first take Satsuki-chan into a safe town?"
Naruto grew silent at Kakashi's words.
I wondered what went through the mind of my enigmatic sensei, "Then, what is our next move, Kakashi-sensei?"
He took a moment to mull over my words as he responded in a neutral tone, "We'll be traveling to the mission's rendevous point - The Town of Yumemori which is only a day away from here, the stronghold of the Conservative Group. That way, we'll both complete our mission and leave Satsuki-chan in friendly and safe hands."
Quite straightforward, hopefully, it'll stay that way.
Naruto frowned, "What about those bastards?"
Kakashi's lone eye narrowed and his tone was steely, "No arguments, Naruto. You kids are my responsibility and on the off-chance we are dealing with Chunin or above Shinobi, I will not be risking your lives unnecessarily for something we had not agreed upon. Once the mission is done and Satsuki-chan is in safe hands, we'll be leaving. No hunting down the Radical Group that was most likely responsible for that tragedy."
Sasuke frowned as well at that.
Me?
I'm content with this arrangement.
Yet, something in his words bothered me, "Kakashi-sensei, you believe there may be a chance the Shinobi here could be Chunin or even more powerful?" I posed a question.
He glared at the damp and earthy roof of our cavern as he said, "At best, they are Rogue Shinobi hired by the Radical Group. At worst, they are remnants of the Prajna Group - Who I had believed were exterminated. Or even an opposing Village with interests."
...He certainly held back a lot of information there.
As we absorbed the information, he added lazily, "Mah, if all goes according to plan we won't have to figure out the truth behind this anyway. From here on out, we'll be traveling as quietly as possible. Akira we will not be using your Shadows for anything besides detection. Reserve your Chakra and keep only one wolf with us whilst we travel."
Ah... Famous last words.
"Roger that."
And at that, we headed to sleep - Except for Kakashi, who insisted on keeping watch despite Noc keeping an eye as well.
Odd. What's he worried about?
I couldn't shake off the feeling Kakashi was hiding something from us as I let the darkness take me and lull me asleep.
-----------------------------
We woke up to a bright and open sky as if the excessive rainfall that was one level short of a typhoon hadn't happened.
We were left to the sight of a great many small ponds and wet trees in the open meadow of the forest in front of our cliff.
Kakashi hadn't shown even a hint of exhaustion despite having not slept through the night.
I turned to look at Noc and assessed my current Chakra Reserves.
Hmm.
With all that, I'm at around 88~90% right now after nearly a whole day of Noc being manifested, not to mention a time with Mir and Whiskers being there as well.
It's a damn shame that this wasn't the case with leveled-up Shikigami.
Against anything that isn't Genin, Level 1 Noc and Mir would die, they'd amount to a meat shield at best.
Satsuki approached, and her hand quickly took hold of Naruto's own as she asked him, "Ruto, where are we going?"
He lowered himself as he gave her a small optimistic smile, "We're taking you to..." He struggled to remember the name of the town we were heading to.
I answered for him, "Yumemori, the stronghold of the Conservative Group. We won't be passing through any towns or roads in our path." I took a glance at the map in Kakashi's hands.
Her eyes widened in recognition as she nodded, a small relieved smile on her face.
"So, who's going to carry her?" Sasuke uttered the question, as Satsuki wouldn't be able to keep up with us.
Without hesitation, we all pointed at Naruto, Satsuki included as she mumbled, "Ruto will carry me."
He didn't seem against it as he quickly lifted her up in a piggyback, and he announced with his iconic enthusiasm returning, and his smile beaming, "Alright! Team 7 is heading to Yumemori!"
With us having digested and left the grim sight of the massacred and destroyed town, with a new bright day looming above us, Naruto's enthusiasm and cheer returned and easily infected us all.
He usually wears his heart on his sleeves, but even now I can't figure out what went through Naruto's head to allow him to return to his normal state.
Perhaps a sense of purpose?
Satsuki giggled at his childishness.
Sasuke deadpanned, "What are you? A plant? Dobe? The sun is back and so is your stupidity?" Insinuating that Naruto exhibits a form of photosynthesis.
Naruto glared at Sasuke, "YOU'RE LUCKY I'M HOLDING SUKI-CHAN! OR ELSE I'D CLOBBER YOU RIGHT NOW!"
...
Kakashi sighed, his tone a mix of disappointment and exhaustion, "So much for traveling as quietly as possible..."
I narrowed my eyes, "I bet they're doing this on purpose."
Satsuki giggled at that as well, "Ruto! Go!" She slapped him on the back to make him charge as she pointed forward with her finger.
...
Sasuke probably taunted Naruto, and he played along for the single purpose of being as loud as possible, in the hopes that those bastards attack us as well.
Although I'm against this, a more vengeful and enraged part of me can't help but hope for the same situation.
As beneath the cheer and enthusiasm of Naruto.
Beneath the stoicism and deadpan expression of Sasuke.
And beneath the nonchalantness of Kakashi.
Rage and steel were hidden beneath their exteriors.
I could tell.
Because that was the case with me, as well.
Thus, we began our travel, Satsuki enjoying Naruto's playful and enthusiastic attempts at making her laugh as we hopped from tree branch to tree branch.
I did my best to keep up somewhat of a guard, as Noc was currently acting as our vigilant sentry.
After a few hours, before we decided to take a momentary break, a ping alerted me, 'Noteworthy, 340 meters behind us, following parallelly.'
'Likelihood of spying? And the likelihood of being friendly?'
'High spying. Low friendly.'
Acknowledged.
Quickly assessing the situation, I leaped from a tree branch to a tree's bark, channeling chakra into my feet and tightening the muscles in my legs to prepare for the upcoming maneuver.
With a powerful jump, I cracked the bark beneath me, propelling myself headfirst into the ground at great speed.
"A-Akira?!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise at my sudden movement and burst of speed.
Rather than impacting my face on the ground, I dived into the shadows, allowing them to envelop my entire body upon impact. The purpose was to maintain momentum, ensuring that I didn't accelerate within the shadow but rather entered it in an already accelerated state.
Within a few short seconds, I emerged beneath the shadow of the individual following us, having calculated the trajectory to strike him precisely.
Exiting the shadow with the same momentum I entered, my feet struck the man's back with great force, knocking the breath out of him and launching him towards a tree, where he impacted with a thud.
Wasting no time, I swiftly pivoted and rushed to his location. Despite his attempt to recover, the man was clearly rattled as he spat blood, "Y-YOU BRA-"
Interrupting his attempt to form hand signs for a jutsu, my hand shot to his throat, while the other slapped away his hands, preventing the completion of any technique.
"You'll be answering some questions for us. You wouldn't mind, would you?" I smirked.
In a desperate counterattack, he kicked at my gut, but I maintained a tight grip on his throat, using it to swing above the kick. A powerful punch to his gut forced him to expel more blood as he cried out, "GAH!"
Releasing my hold on his throat, I swiftly knocked him unconscious with a strike to the back of his neck. By then, Kakashi had already arrived beside me, ready for the interrogation.
"Nicely done, Akira." He commented with a narrowed and analytical gaze at the unconscious individual in front of me.
What stood out to us in his visage was the marked headband of the Hidden Stone Village, featuring a conspicuous slash right through the middle.
"A rogue from Iwagakure. In either case, we'll have to interrogate him." He confirmed.
Is he one of those responsible for the massacre in Satsuki's town remains to be seen.
Whichever the case, he was following us.
That means he probably recognized us or, more likely, our allegiance as Leaf Shinobi.
Not good.
To Be Continued!
-Author Note Start-
Note, there will be no Omakes in this arc - so sorry to disappoint, this arc, as you can tell, will be taking a more serious angle and I think an Omake would just ruin the flow :P
Now! How have you been doing my lovely, patient readers!
Been a while, huh?!
Well, to compensate, there will be another chapter out... By Friday or Saturday? Somewhere along those lines.
I'll try to minimize the gap between chapters from once a week to once every 4-5 days to compensate for my 3-week absence from this fic!
Once I compensate, I'll be getting back to the less intense once-a-week schedule so yeah!
Anywho.
How was the chapter? Did you enjoy it? Was it up to par in quality and stuff?
We jumped right into the intense stuff, huh?!
Now I know there's a lack in action, but I plan for a lot of it (If yall didn't notice.)
Just let the arc cook up, and we'll be getting there pretty soon.
I'm planning around 4~6 Chapters overall for this arc.
4 if it all goes quicker than I had expected.
6 for some wiggle room.
After that will be the next arc. (Obviously)
Hopefully, the character reactions and interactions in this chapter were done properly as I had hoped it was done and, well, that's it.
Anywho! Love ya my lovelies! And see you pretty soon!
-Down here is the copy paste stuff-
As always people! If you see any inconsistencies, wrong information, Illogical statements, etc... Notify me, please! I'll fix it ASAP! And or explain it later on in case I had planned to make it vague in the first place.
Also, all comments, reviews, constructive criticism and so on Are much appreciated! I especially love Constructive criticism because it allows me to improve the story in real time! I try my best to follow your advice!
I enjoy responding to you all! So do send them comments! Also, ideas are also welcome! I'm not that creative so assistance from you guys is always nice! Yup!
I hope you lovely people have a fantastic rest of the day/week. And I'll see you in a week's time or so :P
Shawarma is canonically in the top 5 foods in the world. Here's this week's random fun fact.
-Author Note End-
