Who are you?

Part 42

Even if Shiori knew what she needed to do, it didn't mean doing it would be any easier. She was running around the temple grounds, trying to find the man's chakra. Wherever he was, he was using strong means to keep hidden since she couldn't even feel a spark of his chakra.

She used both her sensory zone and her earth jutsu to try to find the man, but there was no sign. All the while, she was running to every location she had ever seen him. He was nowhere to be found.

She was beginning to tire; her previous predicament was still taking a toll on her. Yet she knew she didn't have time to rest. Suddenly, she felt something approaching from behind and instinctively dodged.

It was Scar, who was now perched on the ground a few meters in front of her. "I don't have time to play now, I have to find Akira-sensei." Shiori managed to get out between ragged breaths. She started to walk away.

Scar cawed loudly and flapped his wings to get her attention. Shiori hesitated for a second. She knew for a fact that Scar was definitely not an average bird, even if there was a possibility that he was a summon.

But the way he was trying to get her attention now, maybe he understood more than she believed. "Do you know where he is?" She asked with her voice shaking in hesitation.

Scare cawed and turned his head to the left. "Can you show me?" Shiori asked, and Scar actually nodded to her bewilderment. He flew a few meters and turned his head back to make sure she would follow.

She had no energy to run but followed in an almost jog. She was uncoordinated and would stumble every few steps, but she didn't fall down. She was starting to see some dark spots in her vision.

She focused only on Scar and the path ahead. They were going through the maze-like hallways of the temple. Scar was oddly sure of the path they needed to take, as if he had taken it himself many times.

Scar stopped at the door, waiting for her. He did not move when she got close, so she assumed he wanted her to enter the room. She slowly opened the door, and it revealed a staircase that was going down.

There was no light inside the room, and the staircase seemed to go into an endless abyss. Scar moved ahead and sat on one of the stairs, waiting for her to follow. She knew she wouldn't be helpful if she passed out in the middle of her descent, so she searched frantically in her robes until she found it.

Her emergency storage scroll. It was small and could not contain much, but she usually kept it on her in case of an emergency like now. She pushed a little chakra in the seal to activate it, and a small pouch popped out. She opened the pouch and took out a ball the size of a plum. She ate the ball as fast as she could, not wanting to bear the awful taste longer than she had to.

The chakra pill started to take effect as she was descending the stairs. Her vision was more focused now, and her head wasn't swaying as much. She started circulating her chakra in her body to boost her healing.

She was still feeling discomfort from pushing her body. She felt pins and needles all over, but it was easy to ignore. She was using a small amount of earth chakra to locate the steps since the path was completely dark. Scar cawed softly every few steps so she would know where he was.

She didn't know any helpful katon jutsus that could help her in this situation. She made a mental note to learn some after this ordeal. Finally, the ground in front of her became flat once again. She followed Scar's voice as she heard him pecking his beak on a surface that sounded like wood.

She moved close and felt the door in front of her. She reached where she expected a handle, and sure enough, she found it easily. Thankfully, the door was not locked, but it was very heavy.