No One Stands Alone

Chapter 19

Chapter 19:

  "Can't we help them?!" Hotaru demanded in a low voice.

  Tsukki scanned the bridge to find Sasuke collapsed in front of Naruto; both the genin were several feet away from where Team Nine was standing watching. A masked teen looked on without pity. His mirrors of ice still loomed as a continuous threat.

  The blond had to crush the rising emotion—sympathy or empathy, he wasn't sure—at the sight of his former classmates defeated on the ground. Especially after seeing the black haired boy try so hard only to fall.

  "The Uchiha will be fine," Junko answered dismissively. "If not, he's a disgrace to his clan's name."

  Hotaru opened his mouth to protest, but settled on mumbling something under his breath.

  "And Kakashi?" Tsukki spoke up. It was not out of care but curiosity that he asked. He repeated that until he believed himself.

  Junko didn't say a word. She watched with a relaxed posture, but her narrowed eye betrayed her. The silver haired jonin was grappling with Zabuza, protecting both the bridge builder and Sakura.

  "It doesn't matter. Our business isn't here."
She tore her gaze away from the fight on the bridge and silently ghosted back the way they came. Equally quiet, the genin followed her lead. Tsukki caught Hotaru sneaking glances over his shoulder with narrowed eyes as they walked away. Daichi's mouth set in a troubled line, his body tense.

  Without trying, the blond's body language gave none of his own thoughts away. Months of practice suppressing them under Junko's watchful eye had turned it into second nature.

  Suddenly, a prickle of unfairness rose. He dismissed it immediately. It didn't matter if Daichi or Hotaru were allowed to show their emotions while he couldn't. They didn't have to worry about losing control, and wishing otherwise was cruel on his part. The clan's kekkei genkai was a heavy burden, and he knew he could shoulder it. The others would be crushed under the weight.

  "What do we have here?" a stranger's voice broke into his thoughts. Tsukki blinked, silently cursing his mind for wandering while his body went through the motions. "A little group of 'loyal' shinobi dogs? Funny thing. I was just heading over to put mine down."

  A large number of shinobi greeted the blond's refocused sight as they stood in the middle of a dirt path worn down from repetitive use. Trees lined the edges, lush and green.

  The man who spoke stepped forward. Small, black lensed glasses rested on his face, and wrinkles made the man appear older than he was. He stood straight, full of arrogance, but Tsukki was not intimidated. He had met many demons, and a petty man like the one before him was nothing in comparison.

  Junko stepped forward. "Gato of the Land of Waves. You own a shipping company, but I know what you do behind the scenes." The condescending smirk on his face fell off in an instant. "You smuggle drugs, illegal weapons, and even humans to any paying customer. The only reason why you haven't been thrown in jail to rot is because the police can't find enough evidence to convict you."

  "Now, I would be very careful with what you say next little lady," Gato warned. The rogue shinobi behind him tensed, realizing a fight could soon happen. Bloodlust was in their eyes. "I can be very forgiving—"

  "Nothing has stopped you from forming a monopoly here, and you're trying to expand out of this country," she continued, cutting him off. "You've terrified the citizens here into submission, receiving no opposition since you've arrived. Everyone else is too afraid of your connections to stand up to you. I could've look past all that—my clan could've look past it—but you have a deal with him."