Tales of a Ninja Magician: Of Games of Body and Soul

Licking the Wounds

After the medical ninja concluded the valiant task of patching Mana up, the magician felt like wearing a new, freshly ironed shirt. Except that shirt stretched out over her entire body and covered some extremely sensitive skin. Bandages soaked with something sticky but refreshing covered most of the girl's body. Maybe she could still salvage her shows by rebranding herself as the Amazing Mummy Girl.

Her parents were still home, the Nakotsumi house was further away from where the destruction took place, some villagers from the further districts chose to evacuate into the retreat under the Hokage Mountain as well but Mana's parents were not like them. Father's life was too downed by the pain and mother was simply too badass to get frightened by some immortal, genetic monstrosity rampaging across the village streets and pretty much doing whatever it wanted.

A middle-aged woman desperately clutched at her scattering hair. The hectic battle transpiring in the background did not let the woman a moment to settle down and do her job. She was dressed in the Konoha military uniform, full flak jacket and all but if the monster closed up to where the journalists were reporting from – it'd have been of no help. It was just for the casual audience that could have used the realization that things were going ballistic in their own village. A place they considered sacred and safe before and took for granted.

Father was too absorbed by the television screen to hear Mana enter the room through the hallway after dropping her boots aside. She was too tired for etiquette or house rules at this point, given her ghastly looks, it was understandable. Mother was cutting something that was once a living being in the kitchen frantically and efficiently. That was her way of calming down and given that she had the need for it, it was forgivable that she would miss Mana entering as well.

"The monster seems to be quite contained within the south-eastern district. The jounin who were so absorbed with managing the evacuation and making a proper battle plan have now engaged the beast and are attempting to move it away from the village." The woman outright yelled as the noises and shockwaves coming from nearby were difficult to talk over. Once in a while, both the reporter and the crew filming her got tossed around by the resonating battle they were observing.

"Where the hell were you!? What is this!?" mother's voice made Mana flinch. It appeared that the magician got so absorbed by the report that she missed when mother's knife stopped thumping against the cutting board. "Are you OK!?"

The woman launched herself at Mana, she extended her hands for a hug but before the woman collided with the magician at the speed that would have been enough to qualify it as tackling her daughter outright, Nakotsumi Kei stopped and examined the magician's pitiful state.

"I need... A bath." Mana sighed. Her voice was weary. She sounded about as lively and she felt, given that her skin was paler than all the bandages she was wrapped in, that was not very lively.

"Oh, God! You're all bloodied up..." mother cried out, she still struggled to believe the state that Mana left home in. Naturally, if this was just another day, just another mission, she would have never been allowed to leave home in this condition but this was no ordinary day. The medical ninja from before needed to treat more people until the whole Honda affair was over and through.

"It's not as bad as it looks. When they pulled me out I was bleeding all over so the blood needed to be stopped immediately before all the wounds could be treated." Mana showed her mother a handful of new bandages she had to change into. "I need to wash before applying these. Onimaru-san said that I needed to change out of these old ones as soon as I get home."

"The bastard probably could have helped you out more but he was worried you'd run right back at that thing." Father sighed before standing up and approaching the magician too. "This was beyond reckless. I hope we don't need to tell you how disappointed we are that you ran off and nearly got yourself killed."