Naruto Shippuden: girl from whirlpools

Children of war

Chapter Seven: Children of War

Dear Hokage-sama,

You asked that I keep you abreast of a certain young man's situation out here on the Fire-Water borderlands, but I imagine that by the time this letter reaches you, you may already have heard more than I can tell you in coded correspondence. This one has a reputation that tends to precede him.

Let us just say that he is a bright boy, as expected from a child of that woman. He is quick to comprehend strategy and faultlessly obedient. He gets on well with others, even the most difficult of us, and from what I have observed he is kind, generous, and hygienic, which is all I can ask of my people here.

It is difficult to complain about him, but since you'll desire to know even the smallest defect, I would have to say that sometimes he is slow to speak his mind and offer insight. When he does find the courage to speak, he always has something fairly wise and balanced to say, so I don't fear he holds back out of simple-mindedness but out of natural diffidence. He has been more forthcoming in recent weeks, however, as he grows more familiar with his comrades and superiors.

Currently, he is best at following orders and all a commander could ask for. I reserve my judgement about his leadership qualities. It is plain to see people gravitate towards him, some twice his age or more, and admire him greatly for his skill. He could easily have a lot of sway if he chooses to utilise it, but until he learns more confidence, I would say he is quite unprepared for what you have in mind for him.

Yours faithfully,

Shimura Danzou

The marshes were always quiet at night, but they were never truly silent. If it wasn't the distant snores and shuffling of the sleeping camp behind them, it was the marsh itself that rustled with little noises and the unseen splashes of nocturnal animals hidden away in the mist.

Being put 'on watch' was a very misleading assignment. The mist was so thick out here that even on a clear night with the full moon beaming down on land, it was impossible to see more than a hundred yards. Vision was a near useless sense on the Kiri marshland. Here, you had to depend almost entirely on your hearing alone, and trust your intuition to know the difference between one ripple of water and the next, for one could be nothing more than an eel gliding close to the surface, and another could be the enemy closing in to end your life.

Naturally, Minato had other more reliable ways of detecting enemy incursions, and so tonight he was relaxed in the bough of a hazel tree, examining his toes.

A rumour had been going around the camp for as long as he'd been here that these marshes had unnatural properties. Most of the Kiri ninja they captured – dead or alive – were such strange-looking fellows. They sharpened their teeth to frightening points, and some were so white and slimy looking they were practically amphibian. Several even had quite real webbing between their fingers and toes.

No one knew how they'd done this to themselves – if they had – so it was a matter of bodily integrity not to wash in the marsh water, for it was widely believed that if you dipped your feet too long in these cold, foggy pools, you'd soon turn into a frog. Minato made sure to examine his toes ever night. So far so good: no webbing.

On the branch above him came a great sigh. Nara Shikaku was always easily bored by watch duty, and he'd only been here a month. But tonight's sigh did not seem like one of dismay... but of wistful longing.

"Do you think she has a boyfriend back home?" Shikaku suddenly asked.

Minato was faintly startled by the intrusion of conversation into a task that was always to be conducted in strict silence. He cast around quickly for any sign of life nearby, then ventured a hushed response. "Who?"