Her Mask (Shikamaru x Oc)

Chapter Fifteen

They’d been walking in complete silence since they had left the village for four days prior. It didn’t seem appropriate to speak most of the time because there was always the chance someone would try to take the old Sarutobi's life. 

And that was not something that they wanted to happen but Hiruzen didn’t seem to care very much. He, just like Shingami was enjoying the sounds and sights of the forest around them.

Out of everyone in the small group, Shingami and Hiruzen seemed to be the most relaxed. Tenzo grimaced under his mask when he remembered why the pair couldn’t be bothered by the situation.

‘One was frickin immortal and the other was a damn Kage.’

Tenzo shook the thought out of his head and returned his attention to their surroundings when the Hokage decided it was a good time for conversation. 

“So, Shingami. How is your team treating you?” He said slowly.

“They treat me just fine.” She answered quietly.

He nodded. “I see that you have made friends with your team and not just Asuma.”

She glanced at the older man. “That’s what you wanted from me, wasn’t it?”

Hiruzen smiled. “Yes, it was.”

They continued in silence for about ten more miles until he decided to speak up again. “So what started your new friendships?”

Shingami could sense some new Chakras that she couldn’t identify and she was waiting for the others to sense it too and it was clear the Hokage knew it was there, he just didn’t care.

“Choji and I had a little dango eating contest, Ino took me out shopping for a dress, and Shikamaru taught me how to play Shogi.” She said slowing her pace as the unknown shinobi approached even closer.

“You like Shogi?”  The older man asked slightly surprised.

She stepped to the side right in front of the Hokage just as several kunai were aimed at him. She didn’t even blink when they pierced through her ribs and spinal cord, putting holes in her back drawing a lot of blood. 

“Yes, it is quite enjoyable.” She said completely unfazed by what had just happened freaking out everyone besides Hiruzen and Tenzo who were used to her behavior by this point.

Once she had answered she turned around and took off in the direction of where the kunai had been thrown, leaving a trail of blood behind her. When the anbu, besides Tenzo, were about to go after the girl their Hokage stopped them.

“It’s alright, Shingami will handle it.”

All of the anbu were baffled by this. “But sir, she’s injured.” An Anbu in a bird mask spoke up.

“She is fine, trust me.” He said and a few seconds later blood-curling screams of a group of men echoed around the forest and the sound of paper bombs going off did too, scaring the birds out of their perches. 

The Hokage and the anbu continued through the forest following the trail of blood Shingami had left behind and after a few minutes of walking, they saw the destruction caused by one girl and the enemy.

There were trees uprooted, the forest was soaked and scorched due to some unknown Jitsu that was used, weapons laying around both clean and covered with blood.

But the worst was yet to come.

The most horrifying part for the unknowing anbu was just about three hundred feet ahead of them. 

Blood covered every inch of the forest floor, some of which was splattered against the trees. Bodies torn and ripped apart spread out in the area there were only two bodies completely intact and that was Shingami who was just sitting on a high tree branch overhead, covered in blood and her clothes were ripped up just like the bodies. And the other body had been tied to a tree, carved into with some kind of blade and the death blow had been that the man’s throat had been slit.

“What did you find, Shingami?” Hiruzen didn’t even blink at the scene before him or the girl’s appearance.

“Just a handful of Kiri shinobi looking to make a little extra by giving their kage your head.” She said as she reached over her shoulder and ripped one of the kunai out of her back throwing it behind her somewhere not caring where it landed.

Her mask had blood splattered all over it and that made her look even more intimidating. Hiruzen thought that this would be the proper time to fully introduce the anbu team to Shingami.

“As you already know, this is Shingami. She is Ibiki Morino’s assistant, she’s been working in the T&I unit since she was nine. And in case you haven’t already noticed her high pain tolerance, she is able to regenerate limbs and organs-”

Shingami pulled out a second kunai and threw that one too. Then she jumped down from the branch landing softly on the mossy grass that was now an unnatural crimson. 

She fixed her tento so it was more comfortable on her back, before feeling another kunai just to end up yanking this one out in frustration causing blood to spray from the wound that had pierced her left lung, narrowly missing the Hokage who was a few feet behind her.

“...Without Chakra.” He said slightly delayed as he made sure none of the blood got on him.

She then turned around sharply and walked up to Tenzo her magenta eyes glowing in frustration. “Can you please take the rest out? This getting quite vexing.”

“Of course.” He waited for her to turn around only to find that she had missed three kunai that were still in her lower back but there was also a good ten senbon lodged so deep that they were barely visible.

“Got you good.” He said and grabbed all three kunai, to the horror of the other anbu, and tore them out drawing more blood. The girl didn’t move when he did it because she was so used to it by this point.

Hiruzen then noticed something that stuck out to him hidden in plain sight. A symbol marked on the ground in blood. He’d seen it somewhere before but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he saw it. He chose to say nothing about it because it resembled the necklace that Shingami used to always wear. The Hokage waited until the last senbon was removed from Shingami’s back to speak.

“We are almost in the land of snow it won’t be much longer now. Shingami, are you ready to continue?”

The girl turned back around and bowed slightly.

“Whenever you are, Lord Third.”