uzumaki shira | naruto

Shippuden Act 21

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"What's this?"

Tsunade quirked an eyebrow at the kunai embedded on her desk. A paper tag was tied to it. Whatever seal that was written on it, she couldn't tell. Perhaps it was a seal Shira came up with. "I'm giving you this just in case. It's an emergency seal. If you send chakra to it, I'll come back as fast as I can. The stronger the chakra, the more dire the situation. With my speed, I'll be your best reinforcement if things become worse."

"I see..." The Hokage reached out for the kunai and safely hid it in her desk, a playful smirk dancing across her lips. That expression confused Shira who furrowed her eyebrows at her. "Acting cute doesn't suit someone like you, old hag."

...

The entire Hokage's tower shook the moment Tsunade slammed her fist into the wall, blasting it off and sending debris flying outside. Across from her, Shira stiffened and was in cold sweat. "I think I didn't hear you right, you damn brat."

"I... I didn't say anything, 'ttebane."

Tsunade snorted and waved her hand, dismissing the brat. "Go rest. You had an exhausting day. Just don't let me catch you leaving without saying anything."

"Got it."

And yet, by next morning, she heard from Nara Shikamaru that Shira was nowhere to be found in the village.

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There! Shira thought in alert.

Ever since she and Haku parted from her team, she had carried the poor boy in her arms as she used her hiraishin in succession. The roaming around and missions that Orochimaru had given her before allowed her to plant several marked kunais to areas she had been to in the past. However, carrying another one with her took much more concentration than when she does it alone.

Meanwhile, Haku definitely, definitely, wished they arrive at the village sooner. People already mistook him for a woman and now even Shira carried him in the way most women were carried.

"Kakashi-senpai's kunai is within my range but not there yet for hiraishin." The redhead cursed under her breath as she picked up her pace. Just a few meters more and she could flash back directly to where her former sensei was.

"How do you know it belongs to him?"

"I had the people pour a bit of their chakra into the kunai so I know whose it is but I don't think I've done it to anyone else aside for Team Seven before I left." After all, mixing someone else's chakra into the seal was a lot trickier than it sounds. If done wrongly, the seal would become two things. One would be a dud and the safest outcome. Two would be the most dangerous. Space-time ninjutsu had always been a difficult subject and few had been able to wield it.

If the fusion fails, that seal may be the reason why she would be stuck in between space with no way out.

"It's here!"

One moment, the both of them were still in the forest quite a ways away from the village and the next, Haku found themselves... in an area filled with debris?

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The Konoha nins relied on the Hokage's summon, Katsuyu, to find out the current situation. Apparently, Naruto had appeared at last and confronted all paths of Pain.

However, while they were invested in listening, they all jumped into alert when a presence appeared behind them.

Too fast, Choza thought with a wary expression. We didn't even notice them approaching! Despite their caution, Haku appearance startled them. "Haku-san!" The head of Akimichi Clan couldn't help but exclaim.