Blind Sight (COTK Book 1)

Chapter 14: Bodyguard?

Iwata considered it understandable that she hadn't expected a desert to be cold, but nonetheless, it was. She should have expected it and brought a coat or something, but she hadn't, and now she was beginning to lose feeling in her arms.

Her fingers were long gone. She'd lost feeling in them when she was climbing down the side of the walls an hour ago.

Rubbing her shoulders, she tried, unsuccessfully, to create any warmth she could.

Finally reaching the top of the sand dune, she sprinted off the edge and fell a couple dozen feet before hitting and rolling across the sand.

Shaking out her hair, she groaned in annoyance as she realized there was now sand in her Jounin jacket.

Giving up once again in the war against the sand, she resumed her sprint across the dark desert surface, straining her eyes to see anything that wasn't smooth sand ahead of her.

Her destination was the barely visible Tsukinomiyako Mountain Range, where, according to Ashito, resided a hidden camp of Kumo Shinobi. She had a hard time believing it, but here she was regardless, risking her life to go to it.

It had been excruciatingly painful to make it out of Suna without being detected... she hoped. Iwata wasn't entirely sure that none of the guards had seen her, and that there wasn't a team of Suna Elite following her.

If there is, it's too late now, and all I can do is hope I make it to the camp, Iwata mused, once again rubbing her aching fingers.

Because of the seals covering the outer wall of Suna, she'd been forced to slowly make her way down the side without chakra. She'd thought the hardest part would be making it on top of the wall, but that wasn't the case.

Ashito had pointed out to her several abandoned staircases that led to the top of the wall, and she'd taken the closest one. Despite fearing that the ceiling was going to collapse on her, the seemingly infinite spiders, and cracked stairs, she'd made it to the top without much trouble.

I wonder how the RAIKOU made it into Suna, Iwata mused, because climbing that wall without chakra, and without making any noises is surely impossible.

Rubbing her hands together, Iwata wished yet again that she'd been born with a natural affinity to fire. The cold was killing her.

Several hours of blithering cold slowly drug by, and Iwata finally began to reach the mountains. The sand had smoothed out not long ago, and she'd thankfully been able to pick up speed.

Locating the small, nearly invisible trail up into the mountains took her longer than she would have liked.

As she made her way along the winding trail, she was tempted multiple times to create a simple illumination Jutsu but resisted the urge. She wasn't concerned that Suna would spot the light, but that a Kumo Guard would. She didn't want a Kunai in her throat and a useless apology.

Groaning in frustration as she yet again was forced to backtrack, she found where she'd left the path and resumed following it. It was incredibly hard to see the way in the dark, as it was little more than beaten down dirt.

Despite hearing and sensing nothing, Iwata froze.

Slowly... carefully... she reached down to her Kunai pouch and grabbed the handle of one of her many Kunai.

"Identify yourself."

Iwata stopped, trying to locate the source of the voice.

"If you draw that Kunai, I will kill you."