Ice Flower(Kakashi Love Story Book 2)

Chapter 16

Some people preferred the summer days, how the heat and the leaden heaviness of air, the soft, moist smell that carried the scents of forestry all the way, everywhere, and how the world seemed to shine in clear and bright colors under the sun's protective blanket. Some preferred the rain, how the heavy drops fall on the rooftops in a soothing, rythmic, and almost hynoptic sound that people fall asleep listening to.

But Misaki ultimately preferred spring and early summer, when the wind stops being cold and relentless, where the sun is calm and peaceful unlike during summer days, excited and burning.

She was thankful that today was one of those days.

A day where it wasn't too hot or too cold.

Just in between.

It was rather nice.

No further attacks had initiated after the day Minato had strengthened the village's securities. It had already been a couple of days and no ANBU had been called upon to a regular mission. It was a risky thing to do, keeping one of Konoha's most important resources at bay instead of executing profitable missions. However, Minato was determined to see this threat settled, and it was decided that their current plan would continue until the end of the week before it dispels. Everybody in the ANBU forces took turns patrolling the village, Misaki and Kakashi's turn wouldn't come until the next two hours. 

But it didn't mean they could relax, so Kakashi and Misaki settled in Practice Field Three near their allocated positions merely for convenience. A single movement with his hand and Misaki knew what he meant. He wanted to practise singularly this time, so she moved aside with silent grace and awaited his next move. It was useless for her to practise against wooden poles anyways. 

The young ANBU doesn't move, his eyes fixed on the wooden poles fixed onto the patch of previously empty space. He closed his eyes and Misaki's figure rendered rigid as she watched. Kakashi concentrated on staying calm and focused.

Strike before striked.

'Chidori!'

There was a large, blue flare and a loud, metallic chirp all formed into his palm.

The ground at his feet split open and Kakashi sprinted forward, bringing up his chidori in a straight kill. He had hesitated right after his first punch, flashes of Rin appearing right of him, but then felt a greater need to get stronger than he had expected. The Chidori dimmed for a second but came back with a force that would have caused Misaki to lose her balance if she wasn't a ninja. The wooden poles shattered and was left crippled under their knees. All marks intended were hit. The cold gleam on his face dissapeared once Misaki had praised him.

Kakashi threw her a rather soft, shy look but he slid his hands into his pockets and didn't move. Misaki sighed and moved himself to where he was. Misaki, feeling the difference in his attitude, raised her hand and clasped his shoulder.

'It will be alright.' She repeated for the millionth time not only for Kakashi but for herself.

'After all, we haven't ran all over Konoha with the others yet.'

Kakashi was surprised to hear that, and merely smiled at her statement before he withdrew his hands from his pockets, suddenly looking serious again.

'Do you sense it?'

Misaki closed her eyes momentarily, and when she opened them again, they were serious and devoid of any playfulness.

'There are 10 people coming, and fast.'

Silence filled only for a few seconds before the faintest thuds announced the arrival of several other shinobi. It was Nao and another ANBU member. She recognised his chakra signature from a meeting but never bothered asking for his name. Several moments passed in silence before they nodded at each other in understanding. All of them had sensed the same thing.

'We better hurry.' Nao said and neither of them argued against it. All of them turned and disappeared into the trees without further word.

'Wear your masks you two.'

Misaki nearly forgot.

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'These are not Hidden Stone's weapons.' Nao said rather factually as he held the kunai in the air. Misaki was hardly paying attention - so was Kakashi. The enemies were escaping further and further, not that they were getting away, but Misaki hated having her opponents run away from her before anything happened. Explaining could be done later, but recapturing their adversaries held a higher importance now. She turned her head at Kakashi quickly, suddenly feeling a surge of killing intent radiating strongly from him. She froze. He wasn't going to spare. He was going to kill to the last standing one.

True to her assumptions, Kakashi turned around and got to his knees to peer down the left side of the forest before he leaped towards them. Misaki acknowledged his actions rather indifferently unlike her feelings which shook with indecision. She took another turn towards the second group revolting in her choice however not regretting it one bit. Kakashi was going to take a hit from their upperhand for disobeying orders; to the very least he wouldn't be chided alone.

Misaki ascended further into the air as her enemies came clearer into view - despite her being so close to them, they had not noticed her and continued running with beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. Misaki formed a hand sign and the sound of wood barks coming to life crashed in front of the five targets and the smell of dust grew increasingly stronger. Their sights and all escape routes were blocked out. Cries of panic escaped the ninja's lips as they raised their kunais in pointless defense. They were amateurs.

'Do not move, it will make your death less painful.' 

As the last words reached their ears, long, sharpened shafts of crystal pierced through the wood from random directions quickly and swiftly. Misaki only moved a few steps in front from where he stood, wielding her special elemental ninjutsu through her sharingan eyes. Slowly, she removed the logs of wood from its enclosed area, revealing it's victims open-mouthed and blood-soaked, hands dangling in the air. Bright red droplets dripped from her crystal's sharp points as she withdrew four of them back into the ground, making loud noises as the bodies dropped to the ground. The girl remained cross-armed as she brought a living kill in front of her eyes. She had purposely left him alive and instead struck his left kidney.

'You messed with the wrong village.' The man whimpered extremely loud, his panic reverberating through like a frequency. Only with her sharingan she could render a person completely paralysed with fear as the solid foundation. The Sharingan wheel turned, spinned and brimmed, she watched as the life in his eyes dematerialize into nothing, as the muscles in his body loosened, as the blood continued dripping. She sheathed her crystal blade like a sword as the man straightened his posture almost ghost-like, and swiveled around before he limped onwards. The nameless ANBU from earlier had arrived and would have raced on to recapture their target before Misaki blocked him with her arm. He stopped and stared at her quietly. From Misaki's impression, he did not have a compulsive attitude nor a hot-tempered personality, therefore it would be easier to convince him of the reliability of her actions. Fortunately he spoke before she did but callously he said -

'What are you doing?'

'I have put him in a genjutsu.' She replied simply and faced him. He cocked his head for her to explain.

'I had him to return to his village and warn his village to not attempt further at invading us.' She felt a dissapointed swell in the air that bordered rage but her colleague merely said, 'What is the success rate of that?' She did not immediately reply for she had to calculate but then he threw another question at her. 'What if someone manages to break your genjutsu?'

She regarded him almost cooly. 'I have faith in my abilities, senpai. After he relays the message, he will probably die from blood loss. Even if that doesn't happen, he will kill himself after those final words or if anybody manages to inflict any form of jutsu on him.' Blank-minded, she walked past him.

'Success rate?' He reminded her so she stopped.

She considered it for a while again.

'95%'

'What about the remaining 5 percent?'

'If somebody more powerful than me meets him on the way.'