Island of Houki
Land of Water
Basara POV
Someone shook me awake.
I blinked into the dimness of the cramped space Hanami and I had shared for the night. My neck ached from the awkward angle I'd slept in, and the stone floor had been merciless to my back.I'd slept fitfully after the meeting, what little rest I managed had been restless.
Last night had been a bizarre experience. For the first time since I'd started relying on it, I hadn't been able to sense anything substantial with my chakra.
The seals layered through the bunker had cut me off completely. It was a wake-up call. I wasn't infallible, and there were things that could hamper me, and I had a glaring hole in my repertoire.
Fūinjutsu.
I knew it was a versatile and powerful field when learned and utilized properly, but I hadn't expected to feel its lack so soon. At least it hadn't been used against me by enemies. Still, I would have to get used to operating without constant awareness of my surroundings.
I sat up slowly. Hanami was already awake and fully geared, standing just outside the small entrance to the carved-out room.
I had slept in my armor, so all I needed to do was strap on my chokutō and weapon pouches. Once everything was secured, I stepped out into the corridor.
"Are you all right now?" I asked.
She looked much better than the day before—the wonders of medical ninjutsu. The pallor was gone, and she moved freely without any tightness.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said simply. "We should meet up with the others."
I finished my morning rituals quickly and led her out into the dim corridors. As we made our way to our squad, I recalled Minato's assurance that the rest of the squad was fine. Tsume had taken a hit and been treated, but it was nothing serious. Hanami had taken the news well yesterday; she was as concerned for them all as I was.
I hadn't asked Minato how he knew what happened to my squad. The man still made me uncomfortable. He was much different from the figure I had expected the Yellow Flash to be, more so than Danzo, and that was a high bar to cross.
We walked faster, passing many shinobi and kunoichi going about their tasks. The mood here was completely different from the camps I had known before. It wasn't depressed or despairing—just dull and filled with duty. People accepted that this was simply something that had to be done, and that people would die.
The looks I had been receiving had increased; after all, they had just seen me prove my strength the day prior. I barely paid attention to it. The war would be long and brutal. The only reason Konoha won the war was due to Minato killing an entire army single-handedly. But that was just an anime, and this was my reality. With that thought, I firmed my resolve. I could not afford carelessness and keep a level head.
Eventually, we found the others.
Tsume stood with the rest of the squad, looking a little worse for wear—Misaki, Takeru, Gin, Sayuri, Riku, Yukimaru, and Kuromaru. There were some injuries here and there.
Even Yukimaru looked a little worse for wear; the ninken barked at me when I approached, and I couldn't help but smile at him. Tsume had bandages wrapped tightly around her torso and wore only her open Jonin jacket over them.
Sayuri-san smiled at us and said, "I'm glad we're all still in one piece."
There were small nods of understanding all around. No one needed to say more.
I told them what had happened in the meeting. Tsume, as the nominal leader of the squad, listened and gave a short nod. It felt a little strange in my mind—she was the leader, yet I had been the one invited—but I figured it was simply because she had been injured.
After that, there was nothing to do but wait.
It didn't take long for new orders to arrive. We were among the mostly uninjured. At this point, there couldn't have been more than five hundred able-bodied shinobi left on the island.
It sounded like a lot until you remembered we were expected to hold back Kiri's advance if they pushed hard. Every capable fighter would be needed. I hadn't had that same luxury on the Grass front. From yesterday's intelligence, it might not be enough.
Tsume split off to receive our specific orders. When she returned, she had a strange look on her face.
"We have our mission," she said. "We'll be coordinating with three other squads. Our job is to clear out the eastern part of the island and hold it."
Gin frowned. "Which teams?"
"Juinichi's squad of six, Shisui Uchiha's squad of four... and Team Kakashi."
I was surprised by the names. Even so, it still didn't feel like enough to clear an entire section of the island. The place was big. I was about to voice the concern when Sayuri did it for me.
"Doesn't that seem a little thin?" she asked, folding her arms. "Even if we're short-staffed, how are we supposed to hold the whole eastern area?"
"We're just shock troops," Tsume answered. "Clear the enemy shinobi out. That's the job."
Sayuri still looked unconvinced.
"I'm not fully sold. What if we run into the Seven Swordsmen? Not that we shouldn't do the mission, but..."
Everyone nodded, myself included. The mission parameters did feel shortsighted.
Then Tsume turned to me with an unreadable grin. "We have a powerhouse of our own now, don't we?"
To my hidden shock, the others nodded as well and relaxed with thoughtful looks. Riku, the ever-loyal Inuzuka, chimed in for me.
"That's right. We have Basara-san!"
At that, I could only hide the different feeling of responsibility that popped up and bow a little to everyone.
"I'll do my best, everyone."
Tsume clapped her hands once. "We meet at the entrance in thirty minutes. Get ready."
The squad dispersed. I waited while Tsume stepped back into one of the hollowed-out rooms carved into the wall. She bent over to pull her weapon pouches from inside as I looked anywhere but her rump and Kuromaru's distinctly canine grin.
"Who's leading the mission?" I asked. It was something I needed to know. Our lives would be in that person's hands. It would have been better if it were Tsume—I trusted her with my life on the battlefield—but...
"Jonin Juinichi," she answered. I nodded, expecting something like this. It would be better to appoint a leader who had some experience here on this island, though Tsume still had that same unreadable look on her face as she straightened and began attaching the pouches.
She zipped up her vest. It looked like she was forgoing the fishnet armor underneath, probably because of her injuries. Still, if we were being deployed, I hoped she was combat-ready.
"Anything special about him?" I asked, sensing something amiss.
"He's Homura Mitokado's apprentice."
I frowned, confirming what my memories told me. "Isn't Homura one of Lord Second's students?"
"Yup. Right alongside Lord Third."
"So is he any good?" I asked, mostly because of the strange look she kept giving me. But I didn't put too much thought into it; after all, one doesn't become a Jonin in Konoha by being weak or unskilled.
"He's said to be good... but he's a hardliner."
"...I see."
With that, we made our way toward the entrance.
The others were already there. Our entire squad stood waiting—Tsume and I were the last to arrive. A short distance away, I spotted Team Kakashi. Even at a glance, they looked exactly like their counterparts from the anime.
Kakashi was already wearing the standard Jonin flak jacket over his clothes and that signature mask, while Obito and Rin still wore their unique clothes—privileges of being in the officer track...
All three of them looked as young as Riku, if not younger. Kakashi was a known prodigy, and I was curious to see how he stacked up. The white-haired boy with the mask gave me a long look. I offered a small nod and a polite smile, to which he turned away without returning it.
My lips twitched slightly at the cold reception.
Then I noticed the full squad of Uchiha nearby. Shisui spotted me and walked over with a bright smile that was out of place given the situation.
"It's good to see you, Basara-san."
"You too, Shisui-san."
I introduced my squad in turn. Tsume gave a short nod, while the others offered their greetings. Shisui did the same for his own team, listing off the Uchiha under his command.
A full team of Uchihas... interesting.
Before the conversation could go further, Rin stepped forward, practically dragging both Obito and Kakashi with her. She introduced herself and her team with a forced cheerfulness as the other two boys barely cooperated.
Once the brief round of introductions was finished, Jonin Juinichi arrived with his own squad of six. He was a stern-faced man in his thirties, carrying himself with the rigid posture of perfect discipline.
He didn't bother introducing himself or his team. Instead, he simply gave the gathered shinobi a hard look and restated the mission, expecting us to know it all.
I had to withhold a sigh.
Hopefully, he is competent enough to lead the mission, or things could get messy.
A moment later, we were moving, filing out of the hidden tunnels and back into the damp, misty air of the island, where I finally let out a breath of relief. I could use my chakra to sense my surroundings again; it felt like I had regained a part of my vision that I had been blinded to.
I really have to do something about this... what if an enemy encampment is sealed like our bunker...?
We fell in behind Juinichi's squad, settling into a loose triangle formation as we moved. A Hyūga at the front of their group led the way. For nearly thirty minutes, we ran across wet, uneven ground and leapt through patches of sparse trees. Mist clung to our feet as we raced quietly through the island.
Then Riku started coughing as if to hold back a retch. I glanced over. Tsume was also grimacing as she brought up a hand to cover her nose. A few more minutes of running, and I understood why. I smelt iron and feces in the air as a village came into view.
And there was death.