The White Flash

Forest of Death: Part Two

The woods roared with a gale wind that ripped bushes from the earth. It hit her body like a landslide, treating her like those many bushes. Ayumi reached out and grabbed Bisuke before he could be blown away and hugged him to her chest. She focused and appeared beside Kohei, who was hiding in a nearby tree. "Wind attack? Don't tell me Kankuro-san actually talked the other two to attack us."

            "No." Ayumi glanced at the surface area that the wind had smacked her; although, her skin was intact. "Temari-san infuses her wind attacks with chakra. I'd be minced if that was her." Ayumi shifted and set Bisuke on the branch beside her. "Get out of here."

            "Are you going to be okay?"

            "We'll be fine," she assured.

            "Don't hesitate to call for me." With that he left. Ayumi flattened herself to the tree branch, hiding her small form in the mass of green canopy. Nobody moved. Watching for those responsible. Which team was it? No one from Konoha could cause such a big gale, none of the rookies at least. It wasn't the Sand Siblings. The long-tongued Grass Genin flashed through her mind. Is it her?

            "Who are you looking for?" Her eyes widened and she spun. A closed fist made contact with her cheek, throwing her from the trees. Twisting her body, she landed with her hands and feet on the ground. As she thought. A lanky man with a carved, wooden mask stood where she had just lay. Kohei quickly jumped from beside him and dropped beside her.

            "I didn't sense him!"

            "You didn't?" As the most talented sensory in their squad, it wasn't often that Kohei missed someone. Especially if they were that close. First that one bitch and now these guys... They're not normal. It wasn't the same feeling of meeting another Genin, even facing someone as cold-blooded as Gaara was wasn't like this. Gaara was like facing off against a gorilla, pacifist unless challenged or defied. Even a Jounin at the level of Zabuza was different, more of a crocodile laying wait in the reeds. That kunoichi and this man... it was like standing in a pit of sleeping vipers.

            "That's a Grass Ninja," Hiro's voice came from behind her.

            "Something's not right here," Ayumi muttered.

            "So, you're the girl," the man said, his voice slightly muffled by the wood. "You don't seem too special to me, just another piece of trash that needs to be taken care of." He crouched slightly. Instinct pulled her hand to Onimaru's handle, the others following her lead. Nearly as fast as Rock Lee, the man was in front of her. A hand latched onto her throat and her feet left the ground. The forest turned to a blur; her teammates left in the dust. His arm moved forward. The thin fingers disappeared from her neck. Earth smacked into her shoulder blades, falling over and onto her chest as she was buried. Onimaru disconnected from its attachment and slid across the small clearing to rest at the base of a tree. Coughs racked her lungs, swiping dust from the air. Each movement of her arm brought a wince. "At least entertain us a little before you die!" The man leapt from the trees; a fist thrown for her stomach.

She disappeared.

            Ayumi stood over Onimaru. Wincing she shrugged her shoulders to get herself used to the pain. "Not bad," the man chuckled. Ayumi picked Onimaru off the ground, stretching her spine and moving her head from one side to the other.

            "So, where's the other two?"

            He stood from the crater, "other two?"

            "You keep talking with 'us and we', so where are the other two?" Her gaze swept along the tree line, "you got me alone. Is there any need for a sneak attack?" Hiding her hand behind the flat of Onimaru's blade, she made a series of one-handed signs.