The Jutsu That Can't Reach You

The Battle of Clans

A cold night. It was such a cold, gloomy night for me as I sit in the meeting room as our battle strategy are being dicussed again to all members of our clan participating. We have been preparing for an upcoming attack to our rival clan, the Shimura Clan and tension is the only thing present in the air. I sighed, in this period where clans are killing one another, is there a possible peace I wonder? We have been doing this for so long, is this the fate of the human race?

“In our upcoming attack to the Shimura Clan, it is going to be important for us to be able to kill their significant members. In this way, we can be able to weaken their military prowess. We are going to give our everything to this so you ought to be prepared, understand?”

“Yes! Tora-sama!”

With that final reminder the meeting ended. The soft murmuring of my clansmen suddenly filled the meeting room as they exited. I remained sitting cross-legged as I mulled things over. Suddenly an old man called my name.

“Maya.”

I turned to him. “Tora-sama.” I stood up as a sign of respect. Tora Kemonomata is the 70-year old leader of our clan, the Kemonomata Clan. He is old enough to hold on to a long wooden stick to support him while walking, have tons of freckles, wrinkles and age lines and has a soft, weak voice. Nevertheless he was still our clan leader as he was known for his good decisions.

“Its okay, it’s okay.” He said as he raised his hand to tell me to cut being too formal. “Is something bothering you?”

I looked down below, sadness obvious in me, “I was just…thinking if I can go back home alive…as well as how many casualties are we going to have.”

“My dear Maya. Courage is the only thing we can bring into the battlefield. One sign of hesitation might kill you and our entire clan, I advise you remove that kind of thinking for your sake and the sake of your clan.”

“I understand.” I replied as I accumulate a bit of determination.

“Well, the will to go back alive sometimes just need a simple reason to work.” He said.

“Reason?”

“Don’t you want to go back to your family and have some more good time with them? Eating together, laughing together, playing jokes together. These things are reason enough to return alive, don’t you think?”

I felt a sudden heavy feeling in my chest, a burning feeling. “Yes! I will do my best in these fight, and go back alive!”

Tora-sama slightly nodded, “Yes. You are one of the young flames of our village that will enrich the other flames that prolongs this clan, so go back alive.” He added. “Also, you are regarded as one of the kunoichis that excels in medical ninjutsu, I expect you to do a lot.”

“Yes, Tora-sama.”

“Also…” He said again.

“Huh?”

“We gain a lot of useful things from the battlefield, not only casualties.” The old clan leader said, his right hand patted my shoulders and then left.

I do hope to return alive, I do hope to minimize any casulaties.

--------------------

“P-please heal me!” A certain man shouted as he barely stood up, I immediately ran to him and my plated black armor clangs in sounds as I ran.

“What’s the matter?” I asked. Today is the day of the battle with the Shimura Clan. We the Medical Corps are hiding in a cave near the forest where the fight ensues. From our location which are filled with already-injured shinobis, we can clearly hear loud explosions, the striking of swords and other weapons, shouts and screams and we can also smell the strong scent of blood.

I began healing the man with my medical ninjutsu as he lied down. I was busy concentrating when another injured man entered the cave and suddenly shouted, “IT’S THE SENJU CLAN!! OUR ENEMY IS THE SENJU CLAN!!” He shouted, panicking as he struggled to run over the cave. We all ran to him after I gave some medical attention to my current patient.

“What do you mean our enemy is the Senju Clan?” Asked by another medical-nin, fear is obvious in her.

“We thought it’s the Shimura we were fighting, but we saw their crests and confirmed they’re the Senju! Furthermore we also spotted Hashirama Senju and Tobirama Senju! We are currently losing!” He shouted as he punched the ground out of anger, “Damn it!!”

The Senju…? How come? Is it a trap? Did the Shimura striked an alliance with the powerful Senju to finish us? No way. Everyone became silent. You can feel the distress and disappointment. Hope suddenly plunged down.

“How can we defeat those monsters?”

“We’re done. We’re really done.”

My clansmen started murmuring discouraged words.

Is this my end? Will I die here? Is this our end? I started asking myself these questions as pain started striking my chest out but suddenly the image of me and my family laughing together flashed.

“Don’t you want to go back to your family and have some more good time with them? Eating together, laughing together, playing jokes together. These things are reason enough to return alive, don’t you think?”

The clan leader’s words echoed again in my mind. Desperation suddenly filled me.

“I wanted to…go back alive.”

“Huh?” Some of them asked me.

“I’m going to come back alive!” I said, almost crying, “I wanted to see my family again! I wanted to be alive! I wanted to win!” After saying that, I bit my thumb and blood suddenly poured from it, “Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!” After I slapped my right hand to the ground the jutsu formula for summoning appeared and a big white slug appeared below me. “Katsuyu!”

“Maya-chan, is something wrong?” Katsuyu softly said.

“Katsuyu, we’ll do Long Distance Healing!”

“But Maya-chan, your chakra reserves are not enough to—“

“It’s okay! Sip every last bit of my life force to serve as a chakra! I don’t mind! Just please…just please…” I pleaded, “Just save my clansmen.”

“I understand.”

We won’t die here. I won’t let us end here, you damned Senju.