Redeemer's Cross

3

"The Uchiha is a clan destined for revenge." -Madara Uchiha, Spectre of the Uchiha.

::

"Don't move." She whispers and positions herself over his form with a protectiveness that surprises him.

Madara stills at the sensation of several incoming chakra signatures coming at a speed far too high to be anything but hostile.

An ambush, he thinks and narrows his eyes.

"Sound ninja from Otogakure." Sachiko says and purses her lips. "We're approaching the border between the two lands. I'm surprised they are coming directly to us. The outpost watch guard should've—-!"

She stops herself and a pulse of dread stills her and uncertainty flickers through her eyes.

There is fear and grief in her green eyes.

"Unless they have already killed them." Sachiko says softly after a moment and stands.

She flashes through a simple sequence of hand seals which cause two scrolls and an inked paintbrush to appear suddenly in her hands.

入物, she writes on one of the scrolls along with several other fuin marks and quickly begins piling the scrolls upon scrolls on top of it.

She knows that she needs to save the medical supplies at least.

"Seal!" She commands and with a soft hiss of evaporating ink most of the scrolls are sucked into the one. She takes the remaining blank one and begins writing a message in what Madara recognizes to be some sort of encrypted code variation.

From what little Sachiko allows him to see of the code he can recognize an anagram for the kanji (音) which means 'sound' and the word 'ambush.'

A seal master? Madara thinks and then frowns. No... she is nowhere near the level of mastery.

Sachiko bites her thumb and draws a seal directly on the carriage in blood containing the words 'chakra' and 'beacon.'

"Come, Izuna-kun." She beckons him and slaps the horse so that it runs off with the empty carriage. "The decoy won't last long."

He needs no instructions and runs with her in the opposite direction of the horse and it's carriage.

"You're shinobi trained." She says as they leap from treetop to treetop.

"Yes," Madara answers honestly because there is no point in lying.

"Good." She says and hands him a pouch of senbon needles along with several kunai. "Then I will trust you with these."

Naive, a part of him thinks while the other is both flattered and grateful at her show of trust.

"Shadow clone jutsu!" She exclaims and just manages the form two clones.

One of her clones takes the encrypted message and begins running ahead while the other turns in the direction of the approaching sound ninja.

Both of them run in a third direction until it is obvious that the Sound ninja aren't pursuing them any longer.

Sachiko looks grim.

"It seems Otogakure is becoming bolder."

It's worrying to think that the Snake Sannin could be on the move and is inching across Hi no Kuni's borders.

Sachiko glances at Madara.

"We've lost them." She says with a wince, brows furrowing in pain.

"Sachiko-san?"