Doku Hana looked at Tenshi's face. She saw his stern, stoic facade masking a tormented inner presence. Her eyes refused to focus enough for her to gather her wits and respond. She scrambled to her left and heaved her breakfast into the snow, leaving a steaming hole in the snow.
"Ah, yes. I forget how unsettling it is to touch her for the first time. She has been with me since I was born," Ishi Tenshin said, half-heartedly consoling her. "You may still feel weak for a few days, we should return home now that you're conscious."
Doku Hana gained the courage to look back into his eyes. As she turned to look at him, she retorted, "No, we need to stop him. They want to contact the Human tribes. Our whole way of life..." She struggled to continue while trying to stand, "... will be destroyed."
"What do you know of our 'way of life', youngling?" Tenshi snapped derisively.
Stepping in to defend Hana, Shiro eased him, "Be gentle, Tenshi. She's following orders just like us."
"Hmmph," Tenshi snorted, "Our orders are to capture the leaders of this revolt and bring them in for trial, not to baby-sit genin."
"I believe you are missing the point, Tenshi-sama," Shiro argued. "You know as well as I do that the only other clan to accept this mission was Kumorai. And they sent their most respected officers," he continued sarcastically. "Hana is the only one of us who belongs here. We're important to the defenses of the clan. We're too valuable to be sent on a fool's errand like this. And why do you think it is that we were sent?" he asked rhetorically while turning his attention to Doku Hana. "Besides, this situation isn't that dire. They have two Hikages. It's not as if they are without one. Now that would be a tiresome mess..." he trailed off.
Doku Hana sat still, trying not to roll her eyes at her superiors' bickering. She let out a disapproving sigh at their squabble. As she did this, she looked at Tenshi and saw the angel's face flicker into view over his. "Scroll," she heard as a whisper in her ear. Shaking her head, she looked down at her hip. To her shock, she could see right through the case. And there was what looked like 4 separate inks. Wide-eyed, Doku Hana unraveled it and started reading.
Startled, the other two tried to get her attention. Tenshi shook her by the shoulder to no effect. Shiro simply asked, "What is it Hana? Have a stroke of inspiration?"
"It's a riddle, and the answer. And... is that a Shogi board? What do these seals mean..." she trailed off.
At the mention of the Shogi board, Shiro and Tenshi shot each other puzzled looks. They had both deciphered their scrolls and acquired their specialty jutsu long ago. They knew full well what the meaning of the Shogi board was.
"Wait did you solve it?" Shiro asked. "I didn't see you-"
"No, Tenshi told me to look at it just now, and-"
"I did no such thing!" Tenshi broke in. "You broke the seals! That's it, we must return immediately. If she broke the seals, who knows if the technique is still bound to her?"
As Hana started to argue, the ground started to rumble and the air was filled with the sound of wood snapping. They all looked up just in time to see the wall of snow barreling down at them.
"Retreat!" Tenshi called out as he grabbed Doku Hana and released the Angel's Chakra, taking off. Shiro leapt up onto a young tree, bending it under his weight and using it to launch himself in the air as he shot a jet of wind chakra behind him. Doku Hana looked back as she was spirited away and saw two ninja advancing on them, sliding on the avalanche on boards of ice. Even at these incredible speeds, they were keeping up.
As the three of them approached the shore, they could see their boat anchored a distance away. Hana felt the Angel struggling against Tenshi's will, but her wings aided him none the less. The presence under the surface loomed large now, it's suffering that much greater.
Just before they cleared the beach, Tenshi pulled back, causing Hana to look at the ocean. A huge wave was welling up and blocking their progress. The pursuing ninjas started to gain ground.
"Baka!" Tenshi exclaimed, as he saw Shiro fly uncontrollably into the wave and get swallowed. "Only one way to go..." Tenshi said to himself as he rocketed straight up into the air.
Doku Hana could face nowhere but down. She stared in terror as the two ninja vaulted into the air on their snow boards and the wave parted for them as they approached it. When they crossed onto the water, one of them was carrying Shiro as the other created a floe of ice for them to land on. They then created and surfed a wave towards the boat.
"I hate it when you're right, Shiro," Tenshi muttered to himself as he tilted towards the boat. "I don't have the chakra to get us home by wing. Both of us, anyway," he related as they dove towards the water's surface. "Hang on."
As they approached, the aura surrounding Ishi Tenshin got blinding white. Then, as dark as the aura was white, tendrils shot from his mouth in lieu of sound. The ice melted and the water boiled below. It pained her to touch him in this state, but she didn't dare let go. Her very heart burned inside her. All Doku Hana heard was the rush of water into the sky around them, but she never got wet. She felt Tenshi place her down next to another body, and the burning ceased. She then heard someone coughing, and realized it was Shiro when she heard Tenshi begin to speak.
"Snap to, Shiro. This is no time to be lazy. We need that wind to get us out of here," he said in a tone that came as close to panic as the stoic Ishi Tenshi ever got.
Doku Hana peered back, her vision returning, and couldn't see anyone pusuing them. She had lost track of the other two only moments ago and there was no sign of them. She was held in awe of the raw power inside Ishi Tenshi. She looked at him, kneeling next to Shiro with his hand on his shoulder and eyes closed. Shiro groaned as he stood.
"Take as much as you need, just get us out of here," Tenshi barked.
Shiro closed his eyes and concentrated. He created several Kage Bunshin, which made Tenshi shudder at each one. The clones jumped onto the cross beam near the sail and each let out a Hurricane Punch directly into the sail. The mast groaned with tension as the boat lurched forward and began to skip across the waves' crests. As soon as the island was out of sight, the clones disappeared, and both Tenshi and Shiro collapsed onto the deck. Doku Hana made her way to the ship's wheel and steered toward home.
"Ah, yes. I forget how unsettling it is to touch her for the first time. She has been with me since I was born," Ishi Tenshin said, half-heartedly consoling her. "You may still feel weak for a few days, we should return home now that you're conscious."
Doku Hana gained the courage to look back into his eyes. As she turned to look at him, she retorted, "No, we need to stop him. They want to contact the Human tribes. Our whole way of life..." She struggled to continue while trying to stand, "... will be destroyed."
"What do you know of our 'way of life', youngling?" Tenshi snapped derisively.
Stepping in to defend Hana, Shiro eased him, "Be gentle, Tenshi. She's following orders just like us."
"Hmmph," Tenshi snorted, "Our orders are to capture the leaders of this revolt and bring them in for trial, not to baby-sit genin."
"I believe you are missing the point, Tenshi-sama," Shiro argued. "You know as well as I do that the only other clan to accept this mission was Kumorai. And they sent their most respected officers," he continued sarcastically. "Hana is the only one of us who belongs here. We're important to the defenses of the clan. We're too valuable to be sent on a fool's errand like this. And why do you think it is that we were sent?" he asked rhetorically while turning his attention to Doku Hana. "Besides, this situation isn't that dire. They have two Hikages. It's not as if they are without one. Now that would be a tiresome mess..." he trailed off.
Doku Hana sat still, trying not to roll her eyes at her superiors' bickering. She let out a disapproving sigh at their squabble. As she did this, she looked at Tenshi and saw the angel's face flicker into view over his. "Scroll," she heard as a whisper in her ear. Shaking her head, she looked down at her hip. To her shock, she could see right through the case. And there was what looked like 4 separate inks. Wide-eyed, Doku Hana unraveled it and started reading.
Startled, the other two tried to get her attention. Tenshi shook her by the shoulder to no effect. Shiro simply asked, "What is it Hana? Have a stroke of inspiration?"
"It's a riddle, and the answer. And... is that a Shogi board? What do these seals mean..." she trailed off.
At the mention of the Shogi board, Shiro and Tenshi shot each other puzzled looks. They had both deciphered their scrolls and acquired their specialty jutsu long ago. They knew full well what the meaning of the Shogi board was.
"Wait did you solve it?" Shiro asked. "I didn't see you-"
"No, Tenshi told me to look at it just now, and-"
"I did no such thing!" Tenshi broke in. "You broke the seals! That's it, we must return immediately. If she broke the seals, who knows if the technique is still bound to her?"
As Hana started to argue, the ground started to rumble and the air was filled with the sound of wood snapping. They all looked up just in time to see the wall of snow barreling down at them.
"Retreat!" Tenshi called out as he grabbed Doku Hana and released the Angel's Chakra, taking off. Shiro leapt up onto a young tree, bending it under his weight and using it to launch himself in the air as he shot a jet of wind chakra behind him. Doku Hana looked back as she was spirited away and saw two ninja advancing on them, sliding on the avalanche on boards of ice. Even at these incredible speeds, they were keeping up.
As the three of them approached the shore, they could see their boat anchored a distance away. Hana felt the Angel struggling against Tenshi's will, but her wings aided him none the less. The presence under the surface loomed large now, it's suffering that much greater.
Just before they cleared the beach, Tenshi pulled back, causing Hana to look at the ocean. A huge wave was welling up and blocking their progress. The pursuing ninjas started to gain ground.
"Baka!" Tenshi exclaimed, as he saw Shiro fly uncontrollably into the wave and get swallowed. "Only one way to go..." Tenshi said to himself as he rocketed straight up into the air.
Doku Hana could face nowhere but down. She stared in terror as the two ninja vaulted into the air on their snow boards and the wave parted for them as they approached it. When they crossed onto the water, one of them was carrying Shiro as the other created a floe of ice for them to land on. They then created and surfed a wave towards the boat.
"I hate it when you're right, Shiro," Tenshi muttered to himself as he tilted towards the boat. "I don't have the chakra to get us home by wing. Both of us, anyway," he related as they dove towards the water's surface. "Hang on."
As they approached, the aura surrounding Ishi Tenshin got blinding white. Then, as dark as the aura was white, tendrils shot from his mouth in lieu of sound. The ice melted and the water boiled below. It pained her to touch him in this state, but she didn't dare let go. Her very heart burned inside her. All Doku Hana heard was the rush of water into the sky around them, but she never got wet. She felt Tenshi place her down next to another body, and the burning ceased. She then heard someone coughing, and realized it was Shiro when she heard Tenshi begin to speak.
"Snap to, Shiro. This is no time to be lazy. We need that wind to get us out of here," he said in a tone that came as close to panic as the stoic Ishi Tenshi ever got.
Doku Hana peered back, her vision returning, and couldn't see anyone pusuing them. She had lost track of the other two only moments ago and there was no sign of them. She was held in awe of the raw power inside Ishi Tenshi. She looked at him, kneeling next to Shiro with his hand on his shoulder and eyes closed. Shiro groaned as he stood.
"Take as much as you need, just get us out of here," Tenshi barked.
Shiro closed his eyes and concentrated. He created several Kage Bunshin, which made Tenshi shudder at each one. The clones jumped onto the cross beam near the sail and each let out a Hurricane Punch directly into the sail. The mast groaned with tension as the boat lurched forward and began to skip across the waves' crests. As soon as the island was out of sight, the clones disappeared, and both Tenshi and Shiro collapsed onto the deck. Doku Hana made her way to the ship's wheel and steered toward home.
