Our Reflection in Each Other's Eyes.

Chapter 35: Deployed with an uncertain return

After stabbing the sword into the man's chest, his blood splattered onto my face. I wiped it off with the back of my hand and cleaned the blood off my sword with his clothes.

I collected the money he had on him and lifted him over my shoulders. I claimed the bounty for him and sold his sword in the same place.

I put the money in my pouch and decided I would visit Orochimaru-sama's nearby hideouts to see if I could manage to find my money bags.

I entered the few nearby ones and maneuvered through the ruins. Once I located the money I put it into a separate pouch I had, to separate the money I would turn in from my own.

I finally made my way back to the village and stated my identity to my entrance. After being granted entrance, I headed toward the Hokage's office.

"The mission was a success," I declared as I placed the money bags on her desk, "I sold his sword to the same person."

She nodded and I told her I had visited the hideouts in search of my money.

"I just thought I should inform you."

She nodded her head and thanked me for telling her. She paid me for the mission and told me I could go on with my day.

As I tried to return the sword to her, she told me to take it as a gift. I thanked her but removed it anyway and left it on the couch.

I headed toward the infirmary to get my wound bandaged before returning to the Hokage's office.

"Lady Tsunade, do I have enough for an apartment?" I asked as I placed the money bags on her desk.

She laughed, "My, Kyoko, you have enough for a house." She stated.

I nervously chuckled before she handed me an apartment key and told me its location. I took the rest of the money bags and the sword before dismissing myself.

I repeated the location in my head as I made my way through the village. Once I reached the building it was located in, I climbed up to the door the key identified.

I unlocked the door and entered the apartment. I placed all of my things on the couch as I explored it.

The living room itself was so big and the kitchen was just as big. It had three bedrooms, each the same size, and a big bathroom.

"Why did I buy an apartment this big?" I sighed as I sat on the couch.

As the weeks went by, I continued training. Sometimes on my own and sometimes with Lee-kun and Gai Sensei. I returned the weights to Gai Sensei, thanking him endlessly.

The following day, I was informed that Naruto-kun would be taken somewhere hidden so that the man who declared the war can't find him.

From there we were all informed of the serious training we will be put under.

All of the villages became allies, with different leaders in different divisions.

We all held a headband with the kanji for shinobi in place of our individual village headband.

The division Kyoko is under is led by Kakashi Hatake. It is the third division. At a short-to-mid battle range.

Her place is due to her swordsmanship as well as her chakra usage. Among the other members in the village, she is the only one not wearing village attire.

Instead of having the headband hung around her neck, she now has it around her forehead to better secure the strands of hair that cover her scar.

I hung my head downward as I sat with my hands rested on my thighs. My long hair cascaded in front of me as I looked down.

"This war is going to be devastating. I wish we could have prevented it some way."

"That's true, but well, every form of battle has devastating results."

I sighed at the truth in Sakura-chan's words.

"We live in such a cruel world."

As we both sat in the silence we took to drown in our thoughts, others did the same.

I can't stop from thinking of not being able to return to the village. Of dying on this battlefield and not seeing another day.

This is a sad truth we always face. An uncertain tomorrow.

The war began.

I bit my tongue as I encouraged myself. I have to do it to amend for all the cruelty I have brought upon this world. I have chosen a different path and now I have to fight to protect the members of the alliance I have become a part of.

I rose my gaze and was deployed without knowing if I would return.

I moved ahead as we faced reanimations of people who have already died.

Each group faced a reanimation they had to seal back to peace with members that specialized in sealing accompanying them. Every individual stood their ground as they fought against the reanimations.

Kakashi ordered for Sai and Lee as well as another individual to stay behind to seal back a reanimation as he pushed forward with Kyoko and others.

Kyoko stood by to fight back a few zetsu copies that also scattered the battlefield.

As Kakashi dealt with more reanimations she swung her sword to remove the clones. The other group members helped Kakashi fight the reanimation.

Once another individual sprung in defense of the first, Kyoko quickly stopped him from reaching Kakashi and the other.

No matter what way she swung her sword, the reanimation was quick to defend.

Dirt already decorated her porcelain skin as sweat caused for it to stick. She held a few small cuts and bruises, only accumulating more as the time went.

She swung her sword to block the one of the reanimation before rushing an attack. She gritted her teeth as she swung a hard left and a hard right.

Each hit clashed with his own. She incorporated taijutsu to finally achieve a direct hit.

As the others rushed to keep him down and seal him back, Kyoko steadied her breath.

"Good job." Kakashi commented as they continued forward.

Each encounter held the same process. They finally reached a point in which the reanimations were no more.

Night had already swept over them, but hardly anyone was able to rest properly.

Kyoko held onto her sword tightly as she rested against a tree. The entire night she was unable to get any form of sleep, only replenishing her energy. 

Back at the Akatsuki base, Sasuke had been left under the watch of Zetsu. Bandages covered his eyes as he had completely damaged them when killing Danzo.

Sasuke had been repeatedly offered Itachi's eyes, to which he finally accepted.

The eyes they believed to be Itachi's were simply eyes Karin had managed to salvage from when Danzo held her hostage. She had thought it would be a good idea to replace the fake pair of eyes with something real before Tobi or Zetsu discovered the truth.

Naruto and Killer B attempted to push past the Hokage and Raikage as the two sought to fight in the war.

Meanwhile Sakura and Shizune worked together alongside many other medical ninja to heal the wounds of the warriors. They came and went, more by the minute, but still pushed to continue with the fight.