The Way Through Stone Village (Naruto)

93: Sneak Attack

[OP: "Constellations"--The Oh Hellos]

Shine and Wally went out to the water vein and found that it was being guarded by at least a dozen bandits.

Wally knew one of them was the one they'd fought before: Doro.

That was all the confirmation they needed that this was connected, but if they'd needed more, Suigetsu's note that Shine got about 2 minutes later while they were still observing the scene told her the rest.

"It's the water all right, Honey," she told Wally. "So now what?"

"This is all my fault!" Wally said. "I'm sure of it!"

"I'm sure it's not," Shine said.

"Oh, you're just saying that," Wally said.

"Wally, there's no way that's naturally what happens," Shine said. "Now get a grip, or so help me I'll hit you with my sword."

It was so unlike Shine to speak to him that way that it snapped Wally a bit out of his spiral.

"Right, right...focus on the problem," he said. "So...what do we do?"

"First we need to look at the water more closely and see what's going on there," Shine said. "Now, based on Suigetsu's note, my best guess is it's the chakra itself is what's being affected. And I have a theory about that. I need to ask him--not sure I can write well enough for it, but I have to try. If you could distract them all and get them to run farther off so I can get a closer look..."

"And it won't affect you?" Wally worried.

"No, it shouldn't if it's chakra based. We should be safe from everything that's like that."

"But we're changing."

"Our bodies may adapt to their ways a little, but we'll never have a chakra network the way they do--which is what I think is causing it, but I need to confirm... But even if I did get it, we can help it."

"Okay, I guess we're at risk anyway. I'll get them away."

He ran off and started to kick up a big circle of dust.

Of course the bandits thought it was a big group of people coming, since there weren't dust storms out here.

Most of them ran right away to check it out.

One stayed behind to watch the water.

That was fine with Shine. She picked up a rock and threw it at him.

He looked up at her, and her sword flashed blindingly in his eyes.

Before he could see again, she scrambled down to him and hit him in the head, and he tumbled over.

"Piece of cake," she said to herself. "Sometimes it's too easy with these fighters."

Stepping around him, she bent to look at the water.

Nothing about it looked unusual.

She stuck her sword into it, and her sword started to gleam in pure white light, though it was very faint.

A pretty sure sign that there was chakra in the water.

Then her eyes lit up (she could see it in reflection of the water, and, as she really hardly ever saw it herself, it gave her quite a start), and it was as if the chakra became visible under a blacklight-reader to her.

Whole clusters of it were barreling down the stream into the Village's water lines...and then pooling in the bottom of the river.

Not caring about if it was smart to do this or not, Shine jumped into it, ignoring how cold it was for once, and ducked under the water.