destiny calls | *. naruto fanfic

37.

"Are you guys idiots?!" A pair of jonin rushed over to the exhausted young ninjas as they stumbled into the village gates, one by one. They were all out of breath, and barely seemed to be standing on their own two feet. However, last to come through the gates was Heidan... and on his back, he carried the reason why they had rebelled against those with more experience. They had succeeded.

    During the exhausting return trip, Akari had done her best to explain things. However, somewhere along the way she had once again fallen unconscious. And they still knew too little. They needed to know more about the Mizushima clan. How they were still alive... how they would attack... why they were attacking... and yet, they knew practically nothing. 

"Forget about that for a minute!" It was Kiba who spoke first. Kiba, who had been so unnaturally quiet for all these hours seemed to have finally broken from his trance. "Akari needs medical help now! S-She'll die if she doesn't..! Just look at her!" 

    One glance at the young ninja was enough for the two jonin, and the taller one carefully took her from Heidan, rushing off to the nearest hospital. 

"And... there's something else to." It was Shikamaru who spoke this time from his spot on the ground. "According to Akari... the Mizushima clan... plans to ambush and destroy the Hidden Leaf." 

"W-What...?"
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"Tell us everything you guys know." 

    The young shinobi stood in the Hokage's office, despite the lack of a Hokage. Shortly after returning to the village with Akari, they had been summoned by the jonin, who had sort of taken over running the village until a new Hokage was named. They didn't even know what condition Akari was in... or if she would survive. But Mizushima or not, she was their friend. They wouldn't abandon her in her time of need. But... would the jonin feel the same way?

    The Mizushima clan was one popularly mentioned in history books, especially those related to the wars. They were known for being ruthless assassins. Emotionless killers willing to take on the most unethical of jobs. It was said they disliked the Great Nations, for reasons unknown. They were an independent clan, however after the wars they simply vanished. Despite being such a well-known and feared clan, not much was known about them and their secretive ways. Most just assumed the clan had died off and left it at that. And soon, that assumption had become history for the new generations to come. This is becoming such a drag... 

    Shikamaru began explaining everything Akari had told them in the short time she was conscious, the other genin piping in occasionally. He told them about the village in the mountains, the apparently not-so-dead clan, about Akari's heritage, and most importantly... about the oncoming attack. 
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    Everything felt numb. Yet at the same time... so incredibly painful. She opened her eyes to the black surrounding her, eyes flickering around the empty void. Where was she? What happened? Was this hell? Questions raced through her otherwise blank mind as she began to walk. To where, she did not know. But instinct told her to move. She could not stay still. Loitering meant death. And Akari Mizushima did not want to die.

    She thought that maybe she had wanted to die in one lifetime. After all, this world was so incredibly cruel. Death was just the easier option. They were all going to die anyways. Maybe she should have just gone earlier. But... the smiling faces of Eriko, of Machi, of all her friends. They kept her afloat. They kept her from drowning in her guilt, her regret, her fear. 

    She knew there was no redemption. The blood on her hands would never wash away. The desperate cries of innocent people as their lives ebbed away would never fade from her ears. But somehow, she had been accepted. A coward like herself had found a new purpose in life. And yet, here she was, about to destroy the new life she had carefully crafted. All because of her fear. All because of her selfishness. If she had never stayed. If she had left the welcoming village behind... everyone would still be safe. But now... all she could do was watch in fear as her loved ones lost their lives one by one. All because she was a coward.