Wildflower Book 1 | Naruto Fanfiction

Chapter99: Spark

She moved to stand before him, eyes narrowed in contemplation. The scar on his face was not something she was glad to see. She preferred him unmarked and not bleeding in this particular situation. It was the dead of night. They had only just returned to the castle from Fujimoto's manor. They aught to report to the daimyō, but they had to freshen up before that.

He gulped, eyeing Kakashi with a bit of crazed alarm. The man stood there, seemingly not bothered, yet he was all but.

"What are you doing?", Tamaki asked. She looked strange. Like how a predator would eye its prey. Like how a fox would eye an unassuming hare. But Shisui was no hare, was he? So why did he feel like one?

"Assessing.", she said, voice soft but not gentle. He blinked. Her gaze travelled down his face and to his neck where a small taril of blood disappeared into his collar.

"Assessing what? It's only one scar.", Kakashi said, shifting his weight, uneasy. Then, his heart rate spiked when she brought her face to Tamaki's, sniffing at the blood like a lunatic. The last time he felt something like this was... With Orochimaru. He immediately tore his gaze away.

"Poison.", Tama finally said. He breathed a sigh of relief, eyeing Tamaki. He seemed surprised, but couldn't bring himself to speak as she began to undress him.

Alramed, he asked again, "Why can't I move? What have you done? Tama-san, if you—"

He fell silent, Kakashi's eyes widened as he anticipated what would happen next. He was curious as well. There wasn't a paralysis jutsu in place as far as he was concerned. Then there was that fear in Tamaki's eye. That pure, and utter dread.

"Be quiet.", she said after a moment, annoyed. Luckily for him, she only took off his tops and shoes. He seemed to dread the idea of being naked in front of her. Understandably so.

"Hold him down."

Kakashi's brows immediately met his hairline. Hold him... Down? What was this? Her gaze shot to him, and he immediately did as he was told placing his hands on Tamaki's shoulders as he went to lie down. He didn't want the poor boy to die like this.

"Take a deep breath for me."

Tamaki did as he was told. That wild fear still in his eyes as he stared at nothing. Tama's hands started to follow the boy's blood vessels, which became visible through his skin the moment she touched him.

Then, he screamed.

It was an awakening for Kakashi. This was something you would see at the hospital, something the more experienced members of the medical division would be capable of. However, he was not so naïve as to believe that this was medical ninjutsu. There was just something... Different about it.

...

"You mean to say that more than just one man is doing this? What are their names? Tell me now.", the daimyō said, surprised. He looked around, eyeing the seals on each side of the room.

"Not yet. We have to make certain that these people are alone.", Nanako chided, a cup of tea in her hands. She took a sip, seemingly admiring a painting on the wall behind him, but he knew that was impossible. She was blind.

"What do you mean?"

"We suspect that your men have external help. From outside of the Land of Rivers.", the older of the two male shinobi said. The daimyō's gaze shot between all three of them. They were being serious, no doubt, but what would he do from now onwards? Five samurai against him meant five factions working against his name. All those who were loyal to him were being wiped out, one by one.

It wasn't a competition, it was a scramble for the throne.

"Your land is one of the least secure. I do not find it shocking that such would happen right under your nose.", Nanako said suddenly. The daimyō sighed, there was no use in taking offence if what was said was the truth. The Land of Rivers was so low in terms of power and security that it was barely uttered in the mouths of foreign shinobi.