Everything I'd ever known, I was leaving it all behind. My past and my clan were no more; I would be known as Kiyome, just Kiyome. With no surname, I had nothing to hold me back and tie me to responsibilities of upholding the family name. I was not...
I pressed myself against the wall that was shrouded in shadows, pulling the black fabric of my hood in front of my face. Watching anxiously as people wearing different colored half masks, better known as Anbu, darted past, I held my breath. When they were finally out of hearing range, I let out a quiet sigh, making sure that there wasn't any possibility of anyone hearing.
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I turned to face my partner, his different colored eyes pleading me to rethink my decision, but I turned away again, taking a second to gather my courage. After checking for any unwanted company, I signaled to Faolen, and we exited the alleyway, sprinting towards the gates that surrounded the Village of Seasons or Kisetsugakure.
My robe streamed behind me as we raced through the lamp lit streets, keeping to the shadows. Not long after leaving the safety of the passageway, I realized that we were being tailed by a team of Anbu. Deciding to pretend that I hadn't noticed their presence, I continued running, never faltering in pace. I was not about to let them take me back, not this time.
I discreetly observed their actions and listened in on their hushed conversation, trying to figure out their plan so that I could counter it. From what I was able to hear, they planned on surrounding me once I entered the forest just beyond the gates. From there, they would attempt to halt my movements and bring me back to the village.
To think they doubted my abilities; it was infuriating, but it played to my advantage. I always knew that what they didn't know would actually hurt them in time. Now, I just had to time my actions perfectly in order to pull this off.
I dared a sideways glance towards Faolen who was running silently beside me, his tail streaming out behind him. I knew that he already understood what I was planning as we had an uncanny connection ever since I found him as a pup when I was young. He had never left my side even once. I knew that by running away I would be hurting him, but he understood that I couldn't stay any longer; I had to escape.
Redirecting my gaze to face forward, I realized that we were just about to pass through the gates. Time to put my plan into action.
The only way out of the village was through the gates, so using this knowledge, I summoned a few explosive tags. I discreetly passed half of them to Faolen, and as we passed through the gates, we both placed the tags on the tall structure. I made sure that they would only detonate once the Anbu were within the blast-zone.
Both of us continued sprinting through the forest, waiting for our cue. When the sound of the tags exploding and the shouts of the pursuing Anbu reached my ears, I weaved a single hand sign before disappearing into the thick foliage. The smoke from the explosion severed as a cover for my disappearance.
I watched as my clone took my place, sprinting for freedom, before turning my gaze to look at my always faithful partner. I admired his russet colored fur that was short enough to show his rippling muscles as he raced alongside my clone. His green and blue eyes held a deep determination as their motion was halted by the Anbu. They had been completely surrounded.
