Cherry Blossom Orchid

Flat all around

They found shelter under a rock outcrop in the middle of the desert. The rock was as high as the Hokage Tower but wasn't very wide. It had a small cave where they could all fit inside but would be squashed. They ate rations since they couldn't make a fire as there was no firewood. They would take turns watching over each other throughout the night. Minato volunteered for last watch and Shibi took the first. Kakashi took the second watch and Choza chose third. With that decided, they went to sleep whilst Shibi remained awake. Minato was woken up a few hours before sunrise for his watch by a red-eyed Choza. He unwittingly rose up and sat at the edge of the cave whilst Choza slept where he had been previously.

There was a sandstorm outside but the rock protected them from it. He decided to expand his chakra senses more out of instinct as he searched for anything amiss. It was so miniscule that he almost missed it, a chakra signature flickering in and out of existence at the very edge of his perimeter. A frown pulled at his lips. That chakra was very much civilian judging by the size of it but what was it doing so late outside, not to mention that there was a sandstorm? The thought of the sandstorm made him leave a clone behind as he went outside and headed towards the chakra signature. He wore his mask which protected his face from the sand and coated himself with a protective layer of chakra. He padded through the sand and wind, biting back the shivers which went throughout his body as the low temperatures of the desert came at him full force.

The moon was full, providing him with light to see through the sand. He saw the silhouette of a person, who was staggering and seemed just about ready to collapse. He couldn't make out the gender, the figure was blurred. Suddenly, the figure dropped onto the ground just as he was within a metre radius. He approached cautiously with a kunai drawn out. It was sprawled out on its stomach. He used his to flip the person over, it was the bald girl. Without further ado, he gathered her in his arms and flashed back to camp. He laid her on the ground as he inspected her. Her lips were blue and she was shivering uncontrollably. Her skin was pale and cracked all over, dried blood on the minor cuts. She wasn't wearing anything except the shapeless brown dress. He put his hand on her forehead, she was burning up and her chakra levels were dangerously low. Her bird was beside her, looking at him intently.

He wasn't well versed in medical knowledge and so he removed his jacket and placed it over her prone figure. Immediately, she grabbed hold of it and held it tightly to her body, seeking for warmth. She mumbled something but all he heard was the word 'naruto'. 'Did she smell fishcake in my clothes? Kushina did spill some ramen on me but that was a long time ago,' he thought as his eyes moved away from her to watch the sandstorm. He shivered unconsciously. Damn, it was cold.

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"What the hell is she doing here sensei?" Kakashi asked with barely concealed contempt. Sakura shifted on her feet uncomfortably. They were standing just outside the rock. The sandstorm had subsided and the sun had risen. Kakashi had immediately thrown a kunai to Sakura's neck as soon as he saw her sleeping on the ground beside his sensei who was also fast asleep. Minato had woken up and flashed the both of them away before it had made contact. Shortly afterwards, Shibi and Choza woke up and the team were having a face off. The kunoichi was standing behind Minato, she felt safer that way. She didn't like the way Kakashi eyed like she was prey and he was the beast who was going to devour her. Being in an unfamiliar time, she didn't want to do something that had alarm flags being raised about her and so she had to be docile.

"She was walking in the desert late at night. I found her passed out on the ground and had to help her," the blonde replied. "But she could be an enemy, maybe she wants to hurt you. I don't trust her," the genin replied coldly. "Even so, I would never leave who needs my help. You should do the same. As a Konoha shinobi, it's important that you value the lives of others, despite not being from the same village," he berated him with hard eyes. Kakashi clamped his mouth shut but not without sending a death glare towards the girl. "And you," he turned to her, his expression unchanged. "You should know better than to walk alone in the desert at night. What would you have done if I hadn't come, you would be dead. Try not to be reckless when doing things," he told as he watched her green eyes widen. He noticed that they seemed to sparkle as sunlight hit them. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to go to Konoha," she said as her eyes glistened with tears. 'Great, just great,' he thought with barely concealed irritation as the girl rubbed her eyes.