The Blood in our Veins

A Dark Mission

The night was moist, clouds hanging low in the sky as if trying to touch the ground they so admired. The air was sticky and caused my red hair, darker without a light source, to frizz up. I kept it braided along the back of my head to keep it out of the way of tonight's mission, the braid reaching to mid-back and promising curly hair later.

My family ran behind me, I usually was in back, but at night I remained in the front. My eyesight was sharp, catching the subtle differences in movement, a deer peeking out from behind a thick tree, the tracks of a squirrel and their acorn crumbs, the varying light levels.

My father was last, sending out a thin layer of his blood as a sensor for enemies. he was our best sensory type because he held the most blood considering his large physique.

My mother was second, behind me, listening with her sharp ears to the howls of a far-off wolf, the gentle clicking of grasshoppers, the chirping of birds, our silent breathing and quickened footsteps.

My uncle was behind her, and in front of my father. he was my mother's brother, with slightly more brown hair than mother and a square jaw that somehow managed to be soft.He held a deep loyalty to my mom, I don't think he has ever left her side, something about a childhood promise. I thought he was clingy, in a good way.

We were running beneath a canopy of trees in the Land of Fire, only about an hour away from home. The moon was absent, casting no light to form shadows and letting darkness become tangible. Our black-clad figures were invisible upon the background of dirt and grass and trees.

Three anbu raced above us within the branches of strong trees, trying to keep up with our quick pace to watch the inevitable fight. It was a test today, not training. I could feel my ninja headband I recently had earned hitting my leg every once in awhile from within my black cargo pants along with the other goodies I kept. The wind was stinging across my exposed stomach, a thin line splitting my body in two. A black crop top was my only protection besides the metal clad gloves strapped lower on my arms and my weapon pouch strapped lower on my waist to the belt of my pants.

This mission seemed too easy, much too easy for an Anbu test. Of course, maybe that was the test, to see if we were ready for anything. And of course we were, always. 

Our mission was simple, take out a group of bandits terrorizing a small village to the east of home. Apparently, they had no special talents or skills, because we weren't notified of any. If they had ninjas within their numbers, the Anbu would have told us, or at least I hoped. Sometimes that happened. Suffice it to say, the Anbu aren't always that reliable.

We were coming up on the small village, lights shining through the darkness like a beacon to all lost, but I preferred to stay out of the light's range. That way no one would be able to see my lies.

We stopped shortly from the borders of the village, quickly scattering in perfect synchronicity, as had been taught to us and learned in varying forms. I went left, keeping out of the village's innards for the skin. Father went right, and mother and uncle braved the guts. 

Once I was a quarter of the way around the circular form, a shape most civilizations managed to make, I stopped within the trees, facing where my father would be opposite me if not for the hundreds of people between us. 

I waited. 

I kept to the shadows of a large birch, the leaves covering my form and only revealing my searching gaze. I stayed on lookout, but I let my thoughts wander where they want, I found it peaceful to become myself on missions such as these for short times between action. Right now we were looking for the bandits in our own ways, I searched with my eyes, dad with his blood, mom with her hearing, uncle with his chakra. Of course, we all similarly used our blood, but I held the smallest amount, and once it is out of your system, you are unable to safely put it back, a weakness we all possessed.