Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Shinobi and The Miko ❯ Flight ( Chapter 12 )

*Author's note: Continued thanks to everyone who is reading. Sorry for not posting in a few days. I've had something of a fever, and I've been trying to figure out how to deal with the fact that I'm caught up with canon. Updates may be a little more infrequent now, but please keep on reading.

 

~kiku~

 

“You ready?” Anko asked, voice hushed.

 

“Yeah…” Sasuke looked to his left, and saw Kaguya nod.

 

“Good. There isn't much time. Both of you, look out for yourselves.”

 

“And each other.” Sasuke couldn't help but feel that Kakashi's remark was directed only at him, and suppressed a rather unpleasant comeback. After all, his teacher was risking his own life to help them.

 

“There will probably be a search squad sent as soon as it's discovered that the two of you are gone. You will both be assumed traitors. Orders will be given to kill you on sight. And they'll send people who will do just that.”

 

Sasuke tuned the voice out. He knew all of this already. Instead, he activated his Sharingan and looked for any sign that they were being watched. Nothing yet, but they'd better hurry.

 

“Kakashi.” Anko's voice brought him back to the conversation. “We have to wrap this up.”

 

“Where… where are we supposed to go?” Kaguya asked. Her voice was relatively calm, but Sasuke caught a hint of uncertainty, perhaps even fear.

 

Anko opened her mouth to speak, but Kakashi shook his head. “Anywhere,” he said. “Just don't tell us. Or anyone for that matter.”

 

Anko grimaced. She knew a place that may serve them fairly well, but Kakashi was right. If they knew, it was just more dangerous for their students. Huh. I guess she really is my student now. Feels like I'm sending her off on her first real mission. Too bad it will probably kill her. She shook her head, as if to prevent such thoughts from taking a grip on her mind.

 

“If it becomes safe, we'll come after you. But, Kaguya,” he cautioned, If there is anyone else with us, do not allow us to find you. No matter who it is.”

 

“Right.” She nodded gravely.

 

“Well, I guess that's about it then. Good luck, you two.” He smiled in his usual pleasant way, but Sasuke was pretty sure it was more of a grimace. Anko couldn't even manage that.

 

“Stay alive, kiddo,” she said to Kaguya, patting her awkwardly on the shoulder. She nodded to Sasuke. “You too.”

 

With that, the two jounin disappeared, leaving Kaguya and Sasuke to make their way silently through the trees. They had agreed to find separate ways out of the village so as to hopefully avoid attracting attention altogether. Sasuke's Sharingan wasn't quite as good as Kaguya's ability to sense chakra for this purpose, but he had plenty of other skills to make up for that one.

 

Still, he ran into trouble twice on his way out; once when a watchman came a little too close, he'd had to remain still for several minutes until he moved away again. The other incident was noticeably more tense. He'd snapped a twig with one foot as he'd jumped out of the last in a line of trees; instantly hitting the ground for cover. One of the gate guards had apparently heard the sound. She'd come over to investigate, and he'd had to cast a genjutsu of a squirrel running up a tree to get her to leave. She'd still seemed suspicious, however, so he'd taken extra care to evade earshot from then on.

 

He found Kaguya waiting at the designated meeting point, a clearing about two miles from the village, with a worried expression on her face.

 

“Yo. It's me.” He said quietly, trying not to startle her.

 

She'd jumped a little anyway, but quickly masked her surprise with a smile. “There you are.”

 

“Yeah. You ready to get moving?”

 

“Mm.” She nodded. “Where to?”

 

He surveyed the surroundings. The most-used roads were to the East and South, probably best to avoid those. Then again, he was likely to be up against the best trackers Konoha had, so maybe it was better to obscure their passage with that of others.

 

“East. We'll hit a major road in about five miles. We can follow it, and hide when someone's coming.”

 

She nodded, seeming to accept this as logical, and the two of them set off for the East.

 

***

“People don't just disappear.” Danzo's voice was quiet, but dripping with malice. “Especially not ones who don't know they need to.”

 

“E- er…” the unfortunate messenger swallowed hard. “None of the watchmen or gate guards reported anything unusual…sir!” he added the last hastily.

 

“I take it the proper search of their homes turned up nothing either?”

 

“C-correct, sir.”

 

“And the perimeter check?”

 

“Nothing for miles.”

 

Danzo glared at the fool before him, who flinched reflexively. Something about the acting Hokage was just… wrong.

 

“Bring me Hatake Kakashi.”

 

“Y-yes, sir!” the chunin practically squeaked. The note of relief in his voice was impossible to suppress. At least he wasn't going to get it for this. Though he did feel pretty bad for Kakashi. And the gate guards.

 

***

Kaguya waited, crouched in the long grass at the side of the road. She'd felt the travelers coming about ten minutes ago, which gave her and Sasuke just enough time to camouflage themselves properly before the sound of horse-drawn carts and chattering children reached their ears. It seemed like another crew of builders and their families were en route to rebuild Konoha. This lightened her heavy heart somewhat. It was good to know that the village she had come to consider home would be in a better state when she returned than when she had left.

 

She felt a small surge of relief from Sasuke when they passed without noticing the two concealed mere feet from them. Kaguya had no idea how he did it, but somehow, Sasuke always managed to hide them in what should have been plain sight. She resolved to ask him about it sometime.

 

Just as she thought that, he tapped her shoulder. “We can move,” he whispered curtly. She nodded, and the two of them leapt into the nearest tree. Soon it would be impossible to travel like this. The road would widen out as more joined it, and the treeline would push further back. They would have to either forgo the cover of the branches and rely more heavily on her abilities, or else relinquish the road, with its mixture of trails and scents, thereby making themselves easier to track.

 

Neither option particularly appealed to Sasuke, but it seemed taking the road in disguise was probably the best option, since they were running out of food and would have to stop in a town soon anyway. Might as well get used to it. He had the feeling that there would be more difficult choices awaiting them in the future.

 

***

Anko groaned inwardly. Of course, she'd been expecting something like this, but still.

 

She was standing in the Hokage's office, trying to maintain an emotionless demeanor while Danzo decided who to level his glare at: her or Kakashi.

 

“Are you telling me you have no idea where your students have gone?” He asked disbelievingly.

 

“Yes, lord Hokage,” answered Kakashi simply. “I imagine they heard the news about the appointment and decided to flee.” His voice remained completely neutral.

 

“And who, I wonder, did they hear this news from?”

 

“It was relatively common knowledge by the evening of their… departure.”

 

Danzo's eyes narrowed to slits. Though he was quite adept at hiding emotion, Anko had to wonder how frustrated he was. It crossed her mind that Kaguya would have been able to give an exact answer to that question, and she smiled inwardly. Danzo would never get the chance to take advantage of that. Take that, you false Hokage.

 

As if in response to her thoughts, Danzo turned to her. “The other runaway was yours, wasn't she?”

 

Anko weighed her response carefully before speaking. “She was a guest of the village. The…previous… Hokage allowed her to work in the hospital, where she proved to be of great use. It was suggested that I teach her a few basic jutsu, which I did.”

 

“Hn.” Danzo was likely unsatisfied with the answer, as she had been careful to remind him that the girl had committed no crime in leaving. Nor could she be yet considered a traitor's accomplice, since she wasn't a shinobi and there was no proof that the two had even left together. A thin defense, but enough for now.