Bonded and Broken

Chapter 17

Kakashi's POV

There's a man charging straight to the enemies that just disembarked from a boat, he's fighting off the newly arrived group of shinobi alone, while I noticed a figure with long silver hair at the other side of the shore who's trying to run away from the place.

I was certain it's Sumire because I was able to recognize her unique chakra signature upon extending my sensing ability in the area, and I finally felt her familiar essence; the cool, calm and refreshing chakra that I've always longed to find in the past years.

She seemed startled by my action since she suddenly stopped running and scanned her eyes around the area before her gaze settled on me. Maybe she also recognized my chakra, because I fucking know hers by heart.

My necklace hung on my neck, its light blue shade now noticeably more luminous than its usual glow, so this made me more certain that the girl I love was really here and finally within my reach. I took the pendant out and directed a series of pulses toward her while I observed her reaction from a distance. She looked very undecided whether to continue running away from the commotion or head in my direction. After a while, I detected the rhythmic chakra pulses emanating from my pendant while her hands were touching her necklace and her gaze still fixated onto me.

Several of the shinobi were now closing in on her so I did my best to protect her.

My eyes were locked on her face even as I rushed to stop the people chasing her, determined to intercept and subdue her assailants before they could reach her. Sumire's beautiful face was vividly visible to me even in the dimness of the night, all thanks to the softly illuminating moonlight and the increased vision perception of the Sharingan on my left eye, so I could easily see her even from afar.

I had a short sword in my hand, trying to kill off as many of her pursuers as I could. It looked like a freaking war zone at the shore, but there were only three of us fighting against the many shinobi who were sent for Sumire.

Those people hunting her down definitely came prepared, they probably knew that many others would also be targeting Sumire judging by the numbers they sent just to capture one girl.

Amidst all the commotion happening, I still managed to reach her. I gently lifted the porcelain mask that concealed my features, revealing the upper half of my face, then enveloped her trembling figure in a heartfelt embrace. I whispered in her ear while I held her in my arms, "I missed you so much, Sumire." I wanted to say more of what I feel, but the overflowing emotions were too much for me to express out loud, so I settled for the silence that persisted between us as I held her close to me.

Her response came not in words, but in the warm embrace that she gave me in return. I felt her arms wrapping tightly around me, her silence spoke volumes that conveyed the depth of emotion that I know she feels at the moment. Her reassuring hug was all the response I needed, the affectionate gesture expressed more of what she feels than words ever could.

As people often say, "actions speak louder than words", and this popular expression describes our heartfelt reunion perfectly.

I cannot stop myself from feeling very emotional with what's happening at the moment. Finding her and holding her in my arms again were all I could dream about in the past years, but with her life being in danger at the moment, her safety is more important over my own desires and happiness.

Unwillingly, I forced myself away from her embrace and urged her to escape, "Go! I will hold them off and find you after this!" Tears were flowing from my eyes as I pushed her away gently, trying to make her move from her spot, but she was firmly holding my arm and very reluctant to leave my side. My purple-eyed girl was unable to hold her tears as well, so I hastily wiped away the liquid from her cheeks. "Please go now, we don't know how many more will come for you here. Run as far as you can and do not trust anyone easily, not even people from Konoha."