Shinken and Kazumi walked side by side through the desert night. Thankfully the Sandstorm had missed the Market but it was clear that it hadn’t missed the Oasis. The terrain had noticeably changed in the hours since they had left. Dunes had shifted and disappeared while new ones had seemingly taken their place.
“I’m sure glad we didn’t get caught in that storm. It looks like it was pretty bad.” Shinken remarked. Kazumi looked over the terrain and nodded in agreement.
“Yeah. It looks like it was worse than the one I got caught in.” She said. That was right she’d been caught in one a day earlier. That was unusual. Usually there was more time between storms. The weather was unusually intense these past couple of days. Was it an omen? Could it be a sign of things to come? Shinken hoped not. He’d been through enough trouble just trying to get the village back on track after Jin’s death. Shinken was shaken out of his thoughts when Kazumi spoke again.
“Are you alright? You seem to have something on your mind.” She asked. He did have a lot on his mind these days, but he didn’t need to bother her with baseless worries.
“Yeah I’m fine...Just wondering why the weather has been so harsh lately.” Shinken answered. He’d have to look into that later. If it was natural it would pass eventually, but if someone of something was manipulating the conditions it could mean trouble. Who could possibly manipulate the weather on such a scale though? He was probably just worrying over nothing.
“Well I guess we should keep moving.” Shinken mused as he started walking through what was now a valley of sand. Kazumi quickly fell in behind him and the two of them continued their trek through the desert.
It was about half an hour before Shinken’s curiosity got the better of him. What had she been doing on that mission for Jin? Surely she could tell him now. Jin was dead, and Shinken was the Kazekage now.
“So...That mission you were coming back from. What was it? I mean you can tell me now right?” Shinken asked. Kazumi looked tense for a moment as she considered what he had said, but she relaxed after a few seconds.
“I...I guess I can.. .can’t I?” She mused.
“Well… Jin said he had been given information by a reliable source that a missing Ninja from the land of lightning was forming a group of powerful missing ninja. He wasn’t sure what his goal was, but he wanted to be prepared in case this man or his organization made a move on the land of wind. It was supposed to be a secret for our safety, and so that people wouldn’t worry. It should have been a routine information gathering mission. We were supposed to meet with a contact in the village hidden in the clouds and he was supposed to give us the scroll to take back to Jin.” She paused for a moment to allow Shinken to take in the information before she continued.
“Everything was fine until we reached the border of the land of lightning. Shortly after we crossed over we were ambushed by a man fitting the description of the ninja we were supposed to be gathering information on. He knew about our mission...and we just didn’t stand a chance. Even with three Chunin… He just...overpowered us, and that’s not all. He had the sharingan...I barely got away. I don’t know what happened to my teammates. I don’t think they made it…” She sounded quiet and defeated as she explained what had transpired. This rogue ninja had the Sharingan? That alone made him dangerous.
“I’m sure you did your best. I think we need to look into this further though. If he’s as strong as you say he is. What kind of techniques did he use?” Shinken asked. He knew he was prying into a subject that must have been very uncomfortable for her, but he had to know more. If he was going to track this man down he’d need all the information he could find. Besides this ninja had potentially killed two members of the hidden sand village. That proved he was dangerous, and needed to be dealt with before he could consolidate any real kind of power.
“He used fire style ninjutsu. I don’t think he showed everything he was capable of though... You’re going after him aren’t you? Shouldn’t you send someone else to do that? Maybe the ANBU?” She asked.
“Yes. I’m going to go after him myself. After we get back to the village I’ll see if I can find anything in Jin’s old scrolls and then I’m leaving to deal with this myself. I’m still new to the position of Kazekage and the village doesn’t trust me yet. Considering how I came to power I suppose that’s to be expected. I’m going to show them that I’m willing to put myself on the line. That I wouldn’t ask them to do anything I wasn’t willing to do myself.” Shinken answered passionately.
“If you’re going after him then I’m coming with you, and I’m not taking no for an answer. I’ve seen how he fights. I can help!” She declared. Shinken was surprised at her commitment. She was clearly afraid of this man, and yet she was willing to put herself at risk and face him again if it would ensure the mission’s success. She was an admirable ninja.
“I might not be able to protect you. You know that right? I’m not going to stop you if this is what you really want to do, but don’t make this decision lightly.” Shinken warned. She didn’t hesitate for a moment before she answered him.
“I’m sure.” She said firmly. Well that was that. Shinken couldn’t say he didn’t appreciate the help, but he was a little worried for Kazumi. Still he’d been able to take down Jin. This man with the sharingan, whoever he was, might be strong, but he was still only human. All Shinken needed to do was get the right information and be smart about this. His intellect was one of his greatest weapons after all.
“Well we can’t do anything until we get back to the village.” Shinken noted as he picked up the pace. An hour later they were just about at the halfway point. The moon had risen high in the sky now, and clouds had begun to drift in from the east. It was already dark, but it was going to get even darker in the next hour or so. At their current pace Shinken wasn’t sure they would make it back to the village before the clouds blanketed the night sky.
“We need to hurry up. It’s going to be pitch black when those clouds cover the moon.” Shinken noted. Kazumi didn’t say anything in response but instead shifted from a brisk walk to a light jog. Shinken followed suit, the sand spraying up behind him.
He’d been thinking about the man with the sharingan as they travelled and he just kept coming up with more questions. How had he known that Kazumi and her teammates would be in the land of lightning at that specific time. How had he known their exact travel route? Everything pointed to someone leaking information. But the mission was supposed to be top secret. Who else besides Jin would have known? There was the supposed contact in the land of lightning, and the members of Kazumi’s team of course, but was there anyone else? Jin was dead now so it wasn’t like Shinken could just ask him about it. He’d have to see if he could find anything in Jin’s records. Maybe he’d kept a journal or something?
“Kazumi, I know you didn’t get to gather the information you were sent for, but do you think that man is working alone? Or has he already started to gather Allies under his banner?” Shinken asked. He was almost afraid to hear her answer. If this man had managed to gather a like minded group of powerful ninja he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stop him. One strong opponent was likely to be a challenge, but it was still a winnable fight. A large group of powerful ninja at the same time was another story all together. Even if he could pick them off one by one they would catch on after the first few members of their group went missing, and then they would group up. Not to mention Shinken would have less and less chakra after each fight, and his opponents would be fighting at full strength.
“I’m not sure. He was alone when he attacked us, but that might have been because he didn’t see us as a real threat. I’m sure the more time we give him the more likely he’ll be to have gathered other ninja to him though.” She answered. She was right. They were on a clock and every day that man roamed free was another day he would have to get stronger.
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Shinken said honestly. There was no point in sugar coating the situation. She was a full fledged ninja after all, and she’d already faced this man once. Not to mention she’d already decided she was coming with Shinken come hell or high water. Kazumi made an affirmative noise and nodded her head in agreement.
They weren’t far from the village now, so Shinken picked up the pace again. He sped forward into a full run and passed Kazumi. She quickly followed suit and began to run as well. The two of them covered a lot of ground very quickly, and soon the massive walls of the village could be seen on the horizon.
Shinken breathed a sigh of relief. Even with the night quickly growing darker he was sure they would reach the village before the light was completely blocked out. The wind picked up again as they crested the last major sand dune between them and the village. It was cooler now as it was coming from the direction of the land of fire to the east, rather than the heart of the desert to the west. However that did mean that the clouds would be moving in faster. Not that they would pose a problem once they reached the village.
“Just like I remember it.” Kazumi said with a slight smile.
“The outside hasn’t changed, but I think you’ll find the village feels different. People are still getting used to the recent changes, and I’ve invested in the economy a bit.” Shinken replied. Kazumi didn’t have an answer for that. So they travelled in silence.
It took them another half hour to reach the village gates. Two Shinobi stood guard at ground level and they addressed Shinken and Kazumi as soon as they saw them. It was too dark for the guards to identify anyone at that distance so they simply shouted.
“Stop! Who are you and what is your business in the hidden sand?” They demanded. Shinken was glad the ninja seemed to be following his orders. It was too dark to see but there should have also been Ninja on the ledges of the passage to act as reinforcements if anyone hostile tried to force their way into the village.
“I’m Shinken Katsuna, Kazekage of the hidden sand, and this is Kazumi Kumiko, Chunin of the hidden sand.” Shinken answered. The last name felt wrong as he said it. It almost stuck in his throat. He’d have to change his name officially tomorrow, for now though the guards seemed to relax just a little, though they were still tense.
“Approach.” They ordered. Shinken and Kazumi did so and when they were close enough to be recognized the guards attitudes quickly changed from those of confident warriors to nervous soldiers.
“Apologies Lord Kazekage. We were just following protocol.” They said as they bowed their heads. Shinken could tell they were very uncomfortable so he raised his hand reassuringly.
“That’s perfectly alright. No need for apologies. I’m happy to see you’re doing your job so thoroughly. The safety of the village is my number one concern. Thank you.” The guards seemed relieved to hear Shinken’s words and their confidence seemed to return.
“Thank you Lord Kazekage. Please don’t let us keep you any longer.” They said as they cleared the path for him. With that Shinken and Kazumi headed into the village.
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+2100 Words
2100/2000 Travel words
16,007/xx words
Moving to Wind country and from there to Hidden sand village via patrol route
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