Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi ❯ Riding the Wind to the Starting Point (3) ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Riding the Wind to the Starting Point (chap.3)

She woke to a soft cry in the night. It was the eagle calling the Jounin and Chuunin to a meeting. Something urgent was happening. Kumiko leaped off the roof and dashed through the streets to the Hokage's mansion. At the bottom she shot a grappling hook to the top of the building and climbed hand over hand to the top, and peeked in through the window.

The Fifth's mouth was moving but she couldn't hear the words, so she scampered to the rooftop, unscrewed the skylight and dropped into the attic, then pressed her ear onto the floor to hear muffled voices.

“The Hidden Village of Rain has gotten cocky. Since when do they have enough power to take on the Sand?” said a voice.

“The Sand has lost their Kazekage, remember? They don't have too many high level ninja, and the village of Rain is taking advantage of this,” Kakashi's voice replied.

“We must send reinforcements immediately, but I fear we won't reach the village in time. The message states they have almost been overrun already.”

Kumiko sucked in her breath. This was her chance. She scrambled out of the attic and swung down from the rooftops and ran back to her shed. Once there she packed her bag and grabbed her goggles, then stealthily snuck to the cliff top. She would fly to the Sand by morning and attack from the air. This would show her worth for sure.

She released the wings and filled up the gas tank and bundled herself up. Mikomi was already loaded with everything she would need for an air battle, Kumiko made sure of it the moment she it was finished. When she turned the propeller she winced at the loud noise it made, and was readying to jump into the cockpit when a hand grabbed her arm.

“Where are you going?” a voice said urgently.

“Lee…the Sand is under attack. I'm going to prove my worth by saving the town,” she answered to Lee's blurry figure.

“Take me with you.”

“No.”

“A ninja never goes alone,” he shouted at her, gripping her arm tighter. “Friends never leave friends behind. I'll tie myself to the side of the plane if you don't let me go!”

Tears shimmered on his face in the moonlight and Kumiko was taken aback. Was he really that worried? She couldn't imagine the terror he must feel about boarding that plane and riding it into battle. He really was a faithful friend. She smiled and threw an extra pair of goggles into his hands. “Come on, hurry up!”

He sniffled and followed her into the cockpit. She grabbed a rope and tied it around his waist and the other end to the cockpit.

“You have to sit behind me and hold on. If we go down, cut the rope, and don't let me go!”

There were shouts behind them and several figures emerged from the stairs. Neji, followed by Tsunade and several of the Jounin were rushing toward them, yelling.

Kumiko jammed the gas pedal and Mikomi lurched forward. They plummeted off the side of the cliff and Lee screamed in terror. She yanked up the lever until they whooshed into the sky. Mikomi steadied herself, catching an updraft to gently rise high above the trees. Back on the cliff tops the figures were shouting, but Kumiko and Lee couldn't hear their words.

“Wow,” Lee said over the thrumming engine. “It really is amazing up here.”

By midnight Lee had fallen asleep. His soft breathing tickled the back of her neck but also kept her awake. He was holding onto her tightly; even in sleep he remembered what she told him. She reached into her pocket and ate a rice ball to keep herself awake, it would be a long night, and an even longer day.

She shook Lee in the morning. “We're almost there.”

He awoke immediately and looked around. “I can see the village. There's smoke coming from it!”

Kumiko squinted in the sunlight to try and catch action in the town, but was distracted. “What's that?”

Below them on the ground a figure was running through the forest. Wearing all black with something large wrapped into bandages on his back he ran like a mad-man, tripping over fallen things in the path. He was obviously tired.

“That's Kankuro, one of the Sand siblings, fly lower!” Lee said.

Kankuro looked up and yelped in terror at the hovering aircraft. He sped up to try to get away but Lee leaned over the side and shouted. “Hoy, Kankuro! It's Lee, remember from the Chuunin exams!”

Kankuro looked up, confused. “What the hell is that?” he screamed at them.

Kumiko was getting impatient so she shoved Lee back into the cockpit. “We're the reinforcements from Konoha! Hop on board; we'll get you to the village faster!”

Lee rummaged around for the rope ladder and hung it down over the side.

“What the…no way!” Kankuro shouted back, ignoring the ladder. “There's no way you're getting me into that thing!”

“What are you, afraid?” Kumiko taunted. “This is no time for that, we gotta get there quickly. So get the hell on!”

Kankuro reluctantly grabbed a hold of the ladder and yelped when the plane lifted. Mikomi tried to climb in the air but she wouldn't rise and started to glide back toward the ground. Kumiko banged on the gas pedal and pulled the levers. “No good it's too heavy,” she said to Lee. “Someone has to get off.”

Lee immediately cut the rope tying him to the plane. “He needs to be there more than I do,” he said while pulling up the ladder. Hand over hand he yanked Kankuro into the cockpit. “I'm going down; I'll meet you there!”

Holding the ladder in a death grip Lee leaped off the plane and swung from the bottom. Kumiko lowered it so his legs skidded on the ground and he jumped off, rolling on the path and kicking up dust. Once she saw he was safe Kumiko climbed back into the sky.

“HOLY CRAP!” Kankuro yelled.

“Shut up and hold onto me,” Kumiko said and Kankuro held on for dear life.

As they neared the village Kankuro gasped. “Chikushou! I should have been here, I should have left sooner when I felt that something was wrong.”

Kumiko circled around the edge of the village and looked in. People were running every which way, screaming in terror. The Rain had gotten inside before the civilians could be evacuated. Some were infiltrating the Kazakage's mansion and others were rounding up the villagers. Fire and smoke filled the streets, along with blood and the ringing of metal on metal.

Kumiko spotted the enemy setting up catapults on the tops of the walls, undoubtedly aiming for the mansion. She turned around to Kankuro who was eyeing the sight in horror. She shoved Lee's goggles onto his face and tightened the straps. “Take the steering,” she said.

He looked at her wide-eyed. “N…nani?”

“Just do it or watch your village burn! The left one controls direction and the right altitude. Keep it circling around the edges.”

She secured rope to her waist and leapt onto the back of the plane.

“You're crazy!” Kankuro shouted, fumbling for the levers.

Mikomi shot into the middle of the village and wobbled in the air. People on the ground pointed up at the plane and others fell to the ground and shielded their heads. Kumiko yanked open a compartment on the back and pulled out a large metal cylinder. She then climbed over Kankuro and onto the front of the plane and laid down.

The plane flew zig-zag through the air as Kankuro tried desperately to keep it from hitting anything.

“Bring it back to the cliffs!”

Kankuro yanked on the left lever and it turned sharply to the right, almost dislodging Kumiko in the process. “Baka! Gently will you?”

She propped the back of the cylinder on her shoulder and closed one eye. She targeted the catapult in front of her and held her arm as steady as she could. Then she flipped a metal trigger with her thumb and a giant metal bullet ripped through the air, trailing fire.

The backlash threw Kumiko backwards and off the side of the plane. The rope around her waist caught her and tugged painfully on her stomach. Holding onto the gun tightly she looked at the cliff tops to see the catapult up in flames and people running for their lives.

“I got it!”

Kankuro swerved before he hit the cliff and Kumiko swung back and forth under the plane. He poked his head over the side. “Ahh, you crazy woman! Get the hell back up here!”

She grinned at him and climbed up the rope and back into the cockpit. “Hold this,” she said and shoved the gun in his face. He let go of the levers and the plane started to nose dive through the air. Kumiko grabbed them and steadied the plane. She placed her feet on the levers and held them steady while rummaging for more rope in the cockpit.

She handed Kankuro the levers once again and crawled back onto the front, and he watched in awe as she tied herself down so only her arms could move. “YOSH!”

Kankuro had been so terrified he didn't have a time to consider what was going on. The girl in front of him, whoever she was, with goggles and wild blue eyes, was absolutely insane. Yet fearless. Maybe she would save the village after all. He turned the plane to face the next catapult and Kumiko aimed. This time the roped held onto her, cutting off her circulation from the backlash, keeping her aboard.

The catapult exploded into flames. “One more!” she shouted back at him and he swerved toward the other one. She aimed, fired, and Kankuro yanked on the altitude lever to avod dragging the plane through the spouting wreckage. As Mikomi once again turned to face the center of the village Kumiko heard Kankuro cry out and followed his pointing finger.

“Gaara!”

The top of the Kazekage mansion was covered in small figures, all of them grouped together and facing a solitary one.

“My brother!” Kankuro shouted.