Another path

The Swamps - 3rd day

< Hi everyone ! Nothing to report today so take care and I hope you'll enjoy !
I don't own Naruto nor its characters, I only own my OCs. >
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Higure tiredly rubbed his eyes, drowsiness remaining all the same anyway. Forty-eight hours without sleep wasn't new to him - he had been on the run after being banished after all - but the level of awareness, stealth and stamina this trial required was totally off charts. The issue wasn't not sleeping or hiding or being able to run away in a matter of seconds, it was constantly pulling at least two of these without a break. So yeah, at the dawn of the third day, he was beyond exhausted.

Fuck. He really didn't need that... Sometimes he wished he had the same stamina as the Uzumaki, they were impressive. He was in a part of the swamps where the trees were scarce and the grass short. In other words : not an ideal hiding spot. He had managed to evade the summons so far but he doubted it would last with his vigilance thinning.
Oh well, he would manage anyway. If that was how things were going, he might as well gain strength so he could fend against any enemy.

Just at that moment, a rabbit stopped right under the tree he was in. A kunai throw and Higure  had his meal. He decided to leave after that, going for another area entirely. He had to be very careful while traveling : not only were there barely any hiding spots but he knew of the sense of smell of the Kitsune and if one was anywhere near, the blood of the rabbit would lure them. He had had to cover it in different kinds of smelly leaves that Harubana had told him about. Those were good to preserve food and cover its smell without being poisonous.
Still, despite his precautions, a bit of blood might have spilled on and in the soil, thus becoming a marker indicating his earlier position.

Suddenly, he noticed a figure above him. He snorted as he recognized a green haired girl flying without a care in the world.

" All the Jinchūriki are such peculiar individuals..."

***

Tenten was currently navigating an area she had grown somewhat fond of. It just felt... Soothing to be here. A strange calmness and peace seemed to exude from this place. It was pretty different from the eerie and mysterious aura the rest of the swamps had, it was just like basking in pure water. And yet, she didn't feel exposed or threatened in any possible way, almost as if...

"As if those trees were shielding and protecting me..."

She couldn't help but marvel at their beauty : tall yet gracefully gnarly branches shadowed the ground. Light seemed to still be able to pass through the canopy, as though it passed through the trees themselves. The soft shade of moka that colored their bark contrasted the healthy green of the leaves.
She didn't know what kind of trees those were but there wasn't a shred of doubt in her mind that those wouldn't harm her.

Clear water run close to those trees and she drank it, also catching a carp to eat. It was clearer than the water she used to drink in Uzushio, how was that ?...
Many animals inhabited the trees, ranging from birds to squirrels, she had even noticed a few foxes, wolves and a bear !

The more she thought about it and the more she was persuaded that those trees were the ones blessing the area with such energy and life. Surprisingly, this energy was strangely akin to the one Kurama-dono, Suzuka and Harubana gave off : their presence was like a safe haven for those they cherished.
She honestly felt relieved and honored the environment had accepted and welcomed her, but she couldn't let her guard down anyway.

After all, if she had been allowed in such a place, why wouldn't the summons be as well ?

***