"Keep going," said Kakashi as he led his team out into the woods.
"There really aren't a lot of weapons out here, Kakashi-sensei," complained Naruto.
"How many has Sasuke got?" asked Kakashi.
"Twelve shuriken, three Fuma-shuriken, sixteen kunai, a choke-wire, seven explosive tags and an old ninjato in a scroll," replied Naruto, sulking a bit.
"Eh?" asked Sasuke. "I still have that?"
"How about Sakura?" asked Kakashi.
"Five shuriken, eight kunai, a spool of ninja-wire, a roll of explosive tags, four senbon she's grabbed since I started pointing them out," said Naruto.
"Five," corrected Sakura as she located the one Naruto had spotted. "There's some corrosion."
"You'll want to clean those up so they don't break later," said Kakashi. "Keep going Naruto."
"Old kunai," said Naruto. "Old wood chopping axe, old sword wrapped in oilcloth put in a stone coffer and buried three hundred years ago. Another old axe - this one's corroded all the way through."
"Whoa, go back," said Kakashi. "Sword?"
"Uhm, yeah," said Naruto. "There's one there. About thirty feet off."
It had required Naruto to use his ability to copy a shovel, several times as it was not a weapon version and therefore more flawed, but they soon had it out and were gathered around as the lid of the stone chest was opened.
"The chest was made using a Doton technique," noted Kakashi. "If only we knew why it was buried."
"Because the previous owner had just killed a bunch of kids with it, under orders from their leader, and he was burying his guilt with the honor blade of his family," answered Naruto.
"Right, that's an unlikely guess," said Sasuke, who couldn't see giving away anything useful if it could be avoided.
"Uhm, no," said a confused Naruto. "I can read its history. I don't know why though."
"Too early to be the destruction of Uzushiogakure," said Kakashi. "Also too early for Kiri's bloodline purges. Most likely it was the interclan warfare during the 'Warring States' period."
"It was buried for several years?" asked Rin. "As moist as it is, there's no damage."
It could have been forged yesterday, decided Sasuke, looking at the blade. The sword was a straight double-edged blade, with a thinner middle. The crosspiece was of some kind of dragon, the head curled back towards the blade while the neck swept out and then merged with its opposite number. The pommel was shaped like a pair of wings, but thick and short and forming a counterbalance.
"The first magic laid on it protects it from the elements," answered Naruto. "You hold it and say its name to bring forth its main ability."
"Oh?" asked Rin, holding the sword up and ignoring the gasp from Kakashi. Really, from all she'd heard - she had already died and so being thrown into a potential danger wasn't that bad was it? "What is its name."
"Choukanohi," said Naruto. "It's a flametongue blade that covers itself in fire. It is strong against things of ice, weak against water-based constructs, and can set things on fire. It is especially strong against some kinds of undead."
"'Undead'?" asked Sakura, sounding skeptical. "No such thing, right Kakashi-sensei?"
"Hmmmm," hmmmed Kakashi.
"Undead would be things like zombies and ghosts, and that's just childish superstitions, right Kakashi-sensei?" asked Sakura, sounding a little less skeptical and a little more hopeful.
"'Dirge of fire'?" asked Rin, holding the sword up. "Will you sing for me, Choukanohi?"
Golden fire erupted from the blade and sent a wave of warm dry air out from itself.
Sakura sagged a bit as she realized that Kakashi hadn't answered the question. It couldn't be that there WERE such things, right?
"Hmmmm," hmmmed Kakashi as Rin made a few tentative swipes with the blade.
"Okay, now we start the tree-climbing jutsu," said Kakashi, trying to sound enthusiastic about this.
"What's so hard about that?" asked Sakura.
"You won't be using your hands," said Kakashi.
"Huh," said Naruto, thinking for a moment. His face shifted as he thought of something, then threw one hand forward.
CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK CHUNK!
"Making a staircase of kunai to walk up is not the correct answer," said Kakashi as he eyed the result of Naruto's attempts. "I'll give you a point for creativity, but this is how you do it."
Kakashi walked up the side of the tree as if he were just walking across the floor of the room.
"Isn't that hard on your ankles?" asked Naruto.
"You'll just run up the side, doing it slowly is a bit harder," admitted Kakashi.
"Uhm," said Sakura.
"I'll keep an eye on them if you keep an eye on the client," said Rin.
"That was my plan," said Kakashi. "Zabuza did have two subordinates after all. He might have had more - and I'm pretty sure one was that understandably nervous Hunter-nin."
"Haku?" asked Zabuza Momochi.
"The intrusion has been dealt with, Zabuza-sama," said Haku quietly.
"Eh? The ninja?" asked Zabuza.
"No, some of Gato's men, and Gato himself," said Haku. "I ran them off. You need to mend without these interruptions."
"What haven't you told me?" asked Zabuza.
"Some of the bones are cracked enough that they may shatter entirely if weight is placed on them before they've had a chance to heal," said Haku.
Zabuza was silent for a moment. "There's more, isn't there?"
"There are nicks in major arteries, I have the injuries that I've found bound, but..."
Zabuza nodded, but very very carefully.
"You need a medic of some sort, Zabuza-sama," said Haku. "You were able to block with your sword most of your torso and head, but your sword is cracked in a few places from the impacts."
"I see," said Zabuza.
"Some of these injuries, I've never seen before," admitted Haku. "It's as if the force of the needles was such that they caused pressure waves within the flesh. If the senbon had been kunai as they were when the boy first used the jutsu..."
"I wouldn't have any limbs left at best, or I'd be dead," noted Zabuza. "Well. Isn't THIS screwed up."
It not being a question, Haku didn't answer. Instead he got down a mortar and pestle and began crushing herbs into a poultice. Meanwhile, he was trying to think of a way to acquire a medic's services. IF he could find one.
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:30)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.