"Hmm, stop here for a moment, Shū-kun."
Shū gave her a quizzical look but did as instructed.
They were at the halfway point of their journey, and the sun had long since set to make way for the bright moon. They were lucky it wasn't cloudy tonight.
Kakashi leaned left, toward the heavily frosted area. She tugged her cloth mask down enough to expose her nose.
And yup. That was the metallic scent of human blood in the air.
Kakashi gracefully climbed down from the cart.
"Kakashi-sensei?" Shū called to her, craning his neck to see what exactly caught her attention.
"Just checking something," she told him over her shoulder before stepping off the path. Sure enough, she found a man lying against one of the trees near the road.
She crouched down next to him, a frown pulling at her lips when she saw the wound on his side. A kunai still stuck out of it.
His build and clothing already suggested he was a shinobi, but the kunai sticking out of his side left little room for doubt. After all, no ninja worth their salt would waste the effort to use a weapon on a civilian.
Aside from his eyes, he wore a mask that covered his entire face, even his hair, so Kakashi struggled to tell whether he was from a clan or just a roaming shinobi. There were probably plenty of wandering shinobi in this era.
Kakashi lifted her eyes to stare ahead, farther into the forest. She was not a sensor by any means, but she could distinctly feel spikes of chakra flaring up farther ahead.
"Shū-kun."
Shū hesitated, then climbed down from the cart. "What is it?"
"Do you know any first aid?"
Shū stopped next to her, his eyebrows furrowing when he caught sight of the dying man. "Erm, I'm not the best at it, but yeah."
"Good enough. Stay here and keep an eye on this guy while I check our surroundings."
"Um, is it really okay to leave me here with all the money and your things?"
"Maa, I'm sure it would be fine, but even if it's not, just hide or yell for me. I will come back in an instant."
Shū's expression immediately turned serious. He pulled a double-ended kunai from his sleeve and nodded.
Kakashi's eyebrows shot up at the sight of the weapon. Though she couldn't say she wasn't glad Shū always walked around armed.
"Please be quick, Kakashi-sama."
Kakashi gave him a lazy wave before disappearing into the trees.
The moment she was gone, Shū crouched down next to the guy to try to maneuver him so he was lying in a position that would slow the blood loss.
Shū suddenly felt this headache slowly creeping in. He groaned in dismay.
Kakashi's movements were quick yet silent, her feet barely disturbing the leaves as she moved from branch to branch.
It was a comfort to know that even if Konoha had yet to exist, the trees were still the same.
The further she went, the clearer the chakra signatures became. She stopped far enough away that they wouldn't notice her, but she could still watch them.
There were seven of them.
Six people were ganging up on one, which was quite unfair.
She peered down at them through the branches.
The six men stood with their weapons drawn.
Judging by their clothing, they weren't from any clan Kakashi recognized. Their equipment was mismatched, and though they wore a clan symbol she had never seen before, not even in Konoha's history books.
The lone shinobi standing opposite them was already injured. His clothes were torn, and several shallow cuts covered his arms and legs. Despite that, he was still standing, a sword gripped tightly in one hand.
The six were working together surprisingly well, taking turns attacking while the others covered their blind spots. They were clearly trying to exhaust their opponent rather than overwhelm him immediately.
The lone shinobi, however, was holding his own.
One of the six lunged at him.
The injured shinobi twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the blade, then swung his sword at the man's chest, impaling him on the blade's sharp tip.
Kakashi fought back the urge to whistle at the impressively swift display.
Kakashi rested her cheek against her palm. Something about the guy felt familiar…
At that moment, the lone shinobi formed a series of hand seals and, much to Kakashi's astonishment, proceeded to breathe fire. Burning one of his attackers to a crisp.
Wait-
That was the Great Fireball Technique, a signature Uchiha technique.
Kakashi knew in that moment why this man looked so familiar. He was the spitting image of her student. Kakashi wasn't sure whether this was merely an Uchiha who shared Sasuke's features or if it was actually him.
She couldn't see his eyes clearly from where she sat, but she had no doubt that if she did, she would find the Sharingan. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
The Uchiha had already taken down two of his attackers, but the remaining four immediately adjusted their formation. They weren't going to give him another easy opening.
One rushed him from the front while another circled his right side. The remaining two spread out behind him, cutting off his escape routes.
The Uchiha blocked the first sword with his own, twisted his wrist, and knocked the blade aside. Before he could counterattack, the second man swung from the opposite direction.
He ducked, and the blade passed over his head. He quickly retaliated with a kick to the man's stomach, sending him stumbling backward.
But that momentary distraction was enough. The man behind him lunged. The Uchiha barely managed to turn around in time.
Steel struck steel.
The Uchiha's sword caught the attack, but the force drove him back. Another blade came from his left, but his quick reflexes saved him, and he blocked that one too.
Then another.
And another.
Kakashi's expression grew more severe as she watched the fight unfold.
Every time the Uchiha tried to create distance, one of them stepped in to cut him off. Every time he focused on one attacker, another came from his blind spot. They were slowly forcing him back.
Until his back struck a tree.
The four men immediately closed in on him.
One of them grinned. "Nowhere left to run."
It was unfortunate. He was injured, exhausted, and surrounded by four opponents who had already figured out how to counter his fighting style.
If she left him alone…
She groaned in dismay. "Maa, what a troublesome situation."
She had been hoping to stay out of trouble, especially out of Uchiha trouble. But she was pretty sure this man was one of Sasuke's direct ancestors, and she didn't want to risk him never being born.
Not to mention, the Uchiha, no matter what, were Konoha shinobi, and Kakashi could never leave a comrade in danger.
So much for her plans to avoid them.
Below her, one of the four suddenly charged. The Uchiha raised his sword to defend himself, but there was no need because Kakashi was already in front of him.
The ground cracked beneath Kakashi's feet from the force of her drop. Before any of them could blink, she grabbed the charging man, her foot connecting with his torso and sending him flying into a tree. The trunk broke under the force of the throw.
"Maa, all of you against him seems a little excessive." Kakashi casually straightened. Her visible eye curved into a lazy smile. "So why don't I join in too?"