"We have a mission outside the village!" Kiba announced, sitting down at the table with his team and former classmates.
"Awesome, what do you need to do?" Raicho asked leaning over to hand him an extra plate. Sakura passed the chopsticks around, and everyone was fully prepared for the feast they had all pitched in to buy at the local hotpot and barbecue restaurant.
"The greenhouse in the mountains are going to be bringing in a shipment of supplies, so we're going to be helping them make sure everything is safe!"
"Plants both poisonous and medical have important purposes after all," Shino said sagely.
"Yeah, I hope we can fight some thieves. That'd be cool!"
"Oh yeah? We already went on our first A-rank mission!" Naruto boasted on the other side. "Right?"
"You guys haven't even finished your requirements for D-ranks yet!" Kiba protested.
"Well, our mission was actually C-rank, but because unexpected people came in, our mission got upgraded into an A-rank," Sakura explained.
"What? No fair!" Kiba groaned while Naruto laughed.
As the Genin plus one Chunin shared their stories, adventures, and not-so-lucky moments, no one was aware that someone among them would be plotting against them all. Teams Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten shared a feast of hotpot and barbecue for hours before heading back home, ready to tackle the next day.
As Kiba waved goodbye to his team with Akamaru at his side, he noticed Tenten holding a jar of peanut butter under her arm. "Hey there," Kiba greeted, while Tenten gave a half-hearted reply. "Peanut butter huh? Akamaru loves peanut butter." Akamaru yipped in response, hoping the girl would offer some.
"I'm not sharing," Tenten answered bluntly, almost rudely as she walked pasted them. Akamaru whined in disappointment, seeing he wasn't going to get any peanut butter from her.
"What's your problem? Even if you didn't want to share, you didn't need to be rude" Kiba scowled. Tenten sneered at the two, not answering. Akamaru pawed the ground in confusion. "Come on, Akamaru. Tenten clearly doesn't want to be nice."
"Kiba."
"Oh, now you're talking," Kiba said, exasperated. Both the boy and his dog turned to face Team Ten's kunoichi.
Tenten half turned to face the boy, an eerie smile on her face. "You should watch your back, you know. Underestimating the enemy will be your downfall."
"What's that supposed to mean? Are you plotting something, Tenten?" Kiba snarled, ready to attack if he needed to. Akamaru barked angrily for emphasis. The girl scoffed and walked away, hardly replying.
"That was so weird. Let's go home, Akamaru." The small dog barked in reply and the two headed home.
The following morning, Team Eight met up at the front gate. Once Kurenai Sensei led them outside the village, the mission began.
Team Eight guarded the precious supplies and cargo up to the greenhouse up in the mountains. During their various breaks, Kiba swiped a little peanut butter on Akamaru's nose, smiling as the small dog licked his nose persistently, trying to lick the delicious treat. Hinata giggled as Akamaru stubbornly licked, the enticing smell of peanut butter filling his senses.
However, about midday, Team Eight were attacked by the enemy. The three Genin stood together and held their ground while Kurenai Sensei took care of the bigger problems out of their range.
All was seemed fine until Akamaru slowed down, losing sync with Kiba. "Akamaru, what's wrong?"
"The pup can't keep up?" An opponent sneered, attacking Shino. Hinata protected Kiba as he cradled the puppy in his arms.
Akamaru whimpered pathetically, his ragged breathing not doing much to help.
"Kiba, we'll lose our ground if you get distr--"
"I know!" Kiba reluctantly put Akamaru safely among the three among themselves. Then, vigor renewed, Kiba rejoined the fight, hoping to end the fight and treat Akamaru as soon as possible.
Minutes later, everyone gathered in the greenhouse, one of the botanists doing an analysis on the puppy.
"Kiba-san, did you feed Akamaru-san anything out of the regular today?" The botanist asked, frowning at the scan.
"I don't think so," Kiba said worriedly, looking at Akamaru whimpering on the table. Hinata and Shino sat the in corner, waiting for the verdict.
"Do you have anything dog-food related in your bag?" Kiba handed over several dog food crackers, bottles of water, and a small jar of peanut butter he always kept in his bag as a treat.
The botanist hurriedly scanned and checked all the food, spewing questions about their freshness at Kiba who anxiously answered them all. When the botanist examined the peanut butter, his eyes widened a fraction.
"It's the peanut butter! Hurry, get an antidote!"
"What?" Kiba stared in shock. "B-but, Akamaru's never gotten--"
"Not now!" Several antidotes were brought in, and the after a quick overview, the botanist shook his head.
"None of these work. We need to make a different one!"
"What?" Kiba couldn't' believe his ears.
Kurenai Sensei steered the boor boy away from the lab, while the botanists hurried inside to help.
"Akamaru!"
"He'll be fine," Kurenai Sensei assured the boy as quickly as she could, Hinata and Shino joining her.
Kiba could only watch in apprehension as people mixed different herbs together, added some liquids, and shook the mixture in a bottle. They fed the antidote to Akamaru, checking him hurriedly.
The pharmacists shook their head negatively, watching Akamaru, talking among themselves. Kiba's eyes widened. He knew what they were talking about.
"No!"
"Kiba, calm down!" Hinata said, Shino grabbing then boy's shoulder.
"No! Akamaru! Save him! Don't let him die!" Kiba stared in horror as Akamaru's breathing slowed to a stop, his chest no longer rising. The pharmacists and botanists talked some more, shaking their head negatively.
"Kiba, listen to me--"
"Akamaru!"
"Kiba!"
YOU ARE READING
Forked Shadows
Fanfic"I'm leaving." Her eyes were slightly glazed, the once strong resolve shattered to pieces, and her shoulders hunched over in defeat. Her head tucked in, away from the accusing looks and mocking threats, and her entire appearance was that of a war s...
