A Lotus in Winter: A Rock Lee Love Story

Chapter 38: The Will of Fire

Sayuri's POV:

My reserves were running low and I was feeling the effects of it. My jutsu wasn't perfected yet, but it appeared as though the time had come to use it. I had those who were helping me dig out survivors put the mortally wounded and recently deceased in a circle.

I had been studying the jutsu of other lands to form this jutsu. I stood in the middle of the massive cirlcle and formed chakra strings like puppet masters from the land of wind use. I connected a string to each person. Then I built up lightning chakra in my hands like elder brother could and at the same time infused my healing chakra.

Through the chakra threads I released the lighting infused with healing chakra into those connected. I had learned that my lightning nature could amplify my healing abilities as well as shock the heart back into beating. By connecting them all I could control who got the most lightning shock and who got the least. I called it Lightning Style Electric Healing Jutsu.

I was afraid it wouldn't work, but to my surprise it did. Each wounded person stabilized and those who had recently departed came back to life. Everyone was amazed and overjoyed. At the time I wanted nothing more than to use this on Hitsugi, but it wasn't what he wanted and so I had to uphold his wishes. I didn't even know where elder brother was in the village, but he would want me to put the village before him. Perhaps I was wrong and he was alive. So I choked back the pain and emotions.

I fell to my knees panting, I only had one more left in me and I would be out of chakra. I asked the others to form a new circle, they hesitated seeing the shape I was in but obeyed. I cast the jutsu and again it was a success, I had perfected it.

My heart pounded and I felt dizzy more than ever. My chakra was used up. As I fell to the ground I heard a voice calling out to me. I don't know who it was, and I wouldn't find out as I went unconscious.

Lee's POV:

We had finished our mission and was almost back to the village when we encountered Gamabunta. He explained what happened in the village and my heart felt like it was being crushed. Konoha couldn't be destroyed, it just couldn't. Sayuri was there, she could be... No I couldn't let myself think that way.

She was in danger and I had to help her and our village. We quickly returned to find an injured Hinata and a crater where our home once was. As she was being healed by Sakura I desperately asked if Sayuri was okay.

Sakura: "She was badly injured Lee. She wouldn't let anyone heal her. She insisted that no one "waste" their chakra on her and instead use it to help the village. She went off to heal more people."

Katsuyu: "Lady Sayuri just did a brilliant jutsu, I have never seen anything like it. She just saved the lives of many villagers and brought many back to life, but she is almost out of chakra. Her wounds aren't helping the situation either. I fear she is going into shock."

I heard enough, I asked where she was and I was off with my team by my side. I had to get to her, I had to take care of her. As we made our way to her we made a gruesome discovery. The corpse of Hitsugi, everyone but Neji teared up, but he refused to look at the dog. I knew deep down he was hurting too. Hitsugi was a friend to us all, giving us rides and playing fetch with us. What made it worse was the realization that either Sayuri knew that the dog she considered family was dead, or the fact that we would have to tell her.

We had to move on though, there would be time to mourn later. We each gave him a goodbye pet and went on our way.

She was finally in sight. I saw her do her amazing jutsu, and then she fainted. I ran as fast as my leg weights would let me, I called out her name and caught her before she hit the ground.

My beautiful Sayuri was covered in blood and dirt. She had a massive cut on her head that had been wrapped up with a ripped off part of her shirt. This bandage from a once white shirt was now a deep red from the blood. Her leg was wrapped too and bloody. Her hands weren't wrapped, they clearly told of what she had been doing. They were cut up, and blistered from moving the debris. They were a bloody and painful looking mess.

She had looked past her own injuries to help others, she used up all of her chakra to save the lives of countless people. I had never loved her more than I did in that very moment. My tears fell on her cheek as she lay unconscious in my arms. I wasn't there to protect her, to help her.

My group finally made it to my side. They were just as shocked as I. Guy sensei came and kneeled by me.

"Don't blame yourself Lee, blame the men responsible for this destruction when the battle is won. For now we need to get her somewhere she can rest and be taken care of. She has the Will of Fire within her, and she is in the springtime of her youth, she will be okay."

I nodded, we took her back to Sakura and Lady Katsuyu.