Book 2: The Three of Us

Chapter 37: Strategic Stations

My dear readers, I have come back with another chapter after months of nothing. Winter holiday has given me a much needed break from school and has given me the time and motivation to write once more. I've been left with many half written chapters that have been sitting here for longer then I can remember. I'd apologize but that doesn't do much. All I can hope is that you enjoy this chapter. 

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The lingering fatigue of my most recent treatment was still present, pulling at my limbs and causing a heaviness to them that reminded me of walking through water. It was unpleasant but not something I had time to dwell on. At least my breathing isn't feeling restricted, and despite the disgust that I still feel every time I think about my eyes, having my sight back made life much easier. Right now I'm as ready as I could be for the coming war. Tomorrow we will be making our way to the front lines. 

I stare up at the ceiling, watching where the light of the moon is slowly starting to disappear, clouds starting to come in, making the night even darker then it already is. At this point, I couldn't tell if it was late at night or early in the morning. Were we really going to the front lines tomorrow, or had tomorrow already come and it would just be later this morning? Each thought felt trivial in comparison to what lied ahead but those were the thoughts that filled my mind as I finally drifted into a restless sleep. 

Morning comes too soon and my body is just as fatigued as it was the night before. There wasn't anything that could be done about it. Getting ready is a quiet affair, most of the temporary occupants of the house already gone from the village. The young ino-shika-cho tri along with team eight had taken to all sleeping in the guest room tonight, deciding among themselves that Kisame, Sakura and myself deserved at least one night to just us before the inevitable war. Dinner was simple, the two other teams deciding our sex life was the best way to distract us all from the underlying tension. They are were strongly in agreement that we'd be up all night making the most of it, or 'making up for the forced dry spell,' as they all decided to explain it as. 

In reality, the three of us curled around one another, clinging onto each other like it might be the last time. All the while whispering promises of a future together. A future that we all pretended might not come, even if we did everything in our power to all stay alive. Stepping out of the house, very few words are exchanged between Sakura, Kisame and myself as we prepare to part ways, all of us being pulled into different directions. Sakura would be joining the medical unit, her being the one that coordinated everything needed for the field medical station that was soon to be finished, meaning she'd be the last of the medical unit to leave the village. It was less then two hours until she'd be leaving. 

Kisame was to leave sooner then that, in only thirty minutes time. He was headed directly to the front lines, a strong player in any frontal assaults that would take place. His overwhelming strength and large chakra reserves would be a great asset to that division. A part of myself felt out of place for where I'd been stationed. I was used to being out there, in the middle of all the conflict - even if I was hidden away behind a faceless mask. However, that was not my job in this fight. This time I'm needed else where. Another part of myself knew the real reason for me being stationed far away from the conflict. It was logical in reason but still hurt. Not only did I have an important future politically for the village - and possible for the five great nations - I was far from full strength. Despite my illness not being detectable at the moment, there was still lingering damage to my body that had yet to heal, and because of this, my risk of falling in battle was much higher then was worth it. 

For myself, I was heading towards the north gate, meeting up with a group of our best strategists who would all be making it to a secondary meeting point for all the strategists from all the five great villages. In total, twenty people would end up in my care, my main objective to keep them all safe. Most were no stronger then chunin level when it came to fighting, however their specialization of battle tactics were far superior to mine, even if people tried to deem me as a genius. These people were the real geniuses, identities hidden from the public for their own protection. One good strategist was worth more in war then a whole platoon of unguided fighters. 

Eventually, I parted from Kisame and Sakura, each step from them more painful then the next. To stop myself from looking back and making this even harder for myself, I channel chakra into my legs and feet, using the added momentum to jump into the trees, quickly traveling through them towards the designated meeting point. The travel is quick but still leaves me enough time to push aside my emotions, compartmentalizing them and putting myself into mission mode. It always left me feeling numb and disconnected from my own body but it worked. This way I could get what I needed done without distraction. It was unsettling how easily I was able to slip back into the emotionless and disconnected man I became while on missions. But soon, even that feeling of being unsettled drifts away until all that's left is undisturbed focus. Only one thought was on my mind, to complete this mission. 

All are silent when we reach the meeting point, none of us feeling the need to talk, everyone already knowing what is to happen. Some final checks on mission supplies are done before we are quickly off, exiting the old village gate. The path is rough and over grown, clear signs of its lack of regular use from any low ranking shinobi. No civilians used this path or gate, the main one being much easier to access. 

Travel with the group is slower then what I'm used to on a mission but the pace isn't unwelcome. Accommodating to the skills of lower ranked shinobi would allow me to conserve my energy in order to protect them if we are attacked. The likelihood as of now was low - it wouldn't become a problem until we met up with the rest of the group at the official meeting point - but it was not zero.