Chapter Text
Leaping through the trees with clothes singed, bloodied and clinging to her skin, a raven-haired girl moved through the forest. Even though her legs threatened to give way at any moment she did not stop. The girl did not know how far she had gone from the village but she knew that she had to find a certain someone before she passed out.
Her breathing grew heavy and pain shot through her chest. The sweat stuck to her soot covered skin all while her body cried out, begging for it all to end. The burns on her hands began to sting as she dug her nails into her palms but the pain released the adrenaline she needed to keep moving.
The girl jumped down to the ground following the chakra patterns of the assailant. She grew delirious but determined as she continued to push forward, deeper into the forest. Even as the blood seeped through the wounds and the smoke suffocated her lungs she refused to stop for even a second. Then suddenly the earth rose beneath her feet, causing her to trip and fall onto her arms. With her body now flat against the ground and wheezing, she pushed herself up onto her shaking knees without bothering to inspect her injured arms. She was certain the skin was grazed.
There crouched on all fours, tears welled in her eyes as she clawed helplessly at the earth beneath her. Although at that moment she wanted nothing more than to sink into the soil below and become one with the earth she instead forced herself to her feet, body shaking.
‘Father!’ The girl called out into the darkness. ‘Father, where are you?’
She did not know how far she had gone or how long she had been running for as the need to find her father blinded her. She did not study the path before her and by the time she realised something was in front of her it was too late.
A trap, one she had used many times herself and should have recognised a mile away. When the girl took a step forward kunai from all sides shot at her at once. She took a fighting stance and began to block them with the clang of the metal reverberating throughout the night. One, two, three—
A moment of silence followed by the gentle thud of the girl falling to her knees. The final kunai struck her left arm and caused her to let out a silent gasp followed by an agonising scream. She began to fade quickly. With the wounds stinging she finally let herself drop entirely to the ground, clutching her bleeding arm where the kunai stay embedded.
Every second she lied there with the cool soil against her battered skin felt like a lifetime. Through laboured breath she winced as her fingers—shakily—wrapped around the hilt of the kunai. The kunoichi part of her knew it would be better to leave it in but the stubborn girl overpowered and she decided the the pain was too much. With a sharp inhale of breath the girl pulled out the dagger, biting her lip to muffle the groan that followed.
‘How could you let this happened?’ The girl whispered before her eyes fluttered closed and she plunged into darkness.
Her final thought was the notion that perhaps it was better this way; it was better for her to die.
The kunoichi’s eyes flashed opened then blinked furiously as she found herself beneath the treetops. It was barely daybreak and the images of the dream began to fade. As she rubbed her eyes she exuded a soft sigh. The dream had felt as real to the kunoichi as the day she lived through it. Years had gone by since then and she was not a child stumbling through the forest anymore.
As she looked up she saw several white dots moving against the sky streaked with orange from the morning sun catching her attention. Birds. They flew in slow, tracing circles, then suddenly swooped and soared, flapping their wings. The kunoichi observed the birds for a long time, watching them dive and sore adjusting to the wind. She considered the layout of the land, the density of the forest and the river which she suspected lay in her path. Then calculated the distance realising if they were to avoid that point it might take twice as long to cover the ground. They would have to risk heading toward it, obstacle or not.
The kunoichi finished her analysis and threw aside the cloak she had adorned in the evening and revealed her shinobi gear. She wore black with violet detailing and a pouch across her thigh which she adjusted and tightened. She reached up and stretched her tired limbs feeling the stiffening toll of nonstop travel. Then stuffing her cloak into her pack the kunoichi slung it across her shoulder then pushed aside her hair in the process.
‘Well?’ A shinobi with spiky, silver hair and a heavy-lidded expression approached the kunoichi. ‘Are you ready to move, Sena?’
The kunoichi turned to face him and pulled the other strap of her pack over her other shoulder.
‘Ready,’ The kunoichi replied with a smile. ‘I can't believe we will finally be home, Kakashi!’
The shinobi gave her one of his signature smiles, barely able to make out through his mask.
They jumped up and began leaping through the trees. It was easiest way to cover ground especially in friendly territory. They were close to The Hidden Leaf Village and would arrive within hours. She just hoped that the object in their path which had attracted the birds attention was nothing more than a dead animal and not a fallen comrade.
As they came closer to the birds Sena saw there was a river as expected. She scanned the riverbed and found a gentle flowing stream almost dry and clear of any obstacles. They jumped down from the trees and crossed it easily without any chakra necessary. On the other side lay the object in question.
She swallowed hoping she was right in assuming it was an animal and nothing more.
Kakashi followed as if knowing what she was thinking. They had been partnered long enough to be able to communicate with so much as a look which benefited them in a lot of situations.
The few birds that were left were scared away by the appearance of the pair. They soared high above, chirping at the disturbance. Sena saw the corpse immediately. It was a wild boar with a large gash in it's side long festered. She felt the tension lift and the relief flow through her knowing it meant there were likely no enemies nearby. She relaxed but then sorrow stirred within her at the image of the boar. It served as a reminder of the night she had nearly died alone.
‘Hm.’ Kakashi stepped forward and inspected the animal. ‘We should keep moving.’
Sena nodded, allowing her gaze to linger for a few moments. Seeing the dead boar caused something to twist inside her and give the feeling something bad was coming. She forced herself to turn away and followed Kakashi. There was no point dwelling on the beast and instead she thought of home and how close they were after all the time she had spent away.
When they reached the village the view of the main gate cause Sena to take longer strides. She picked up her pace and practically ran toward the gate as though it might disappear at any moment. The need inside her to get back home pushed her forward fuelled by the urge to see her friends and everyone she had missed.
Once they reached the gate Kakashi and Sena were greeted by Izumo and Kotetsu. After months of travelling in foreign lands with only Kakashi for company seeing their familiar faces made her want to explode in happiness but she managed to keep her emotions in check and maintain composure. The only evidence was the smile on her face when they approached them.
‘Well, well, look who is back.’ Kotetsu motioned to his partner to turn.
‘Kakashi. Sena. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen you two around,’ Izumo said, a smile on his face. ‘Does this mean your mission is finally over?’
Sena’s smile faded and her head dropped slightly.
‘Not exactly,’ Kakashi replied to which she was grateful. ‘Just reporting in.’
‘I see, we won’t keep you then.’ Izumo stepped aside allowing them to pass.
Sena and Kakashi walked on in silence comfortably even though there was still something in the air left unsaid between them. It had been a long time since they both were in a place they could let their guard down and trust the people around them. As long as they were there then they didn't need each other as an anchor to home; to serve as a reminder of why they were pursuing the mission. Sena had considered that perhaps she needed it more than he did but they both needed it nonetheless. It moulded a bond between the two even though they had little experience working together before the mission. It was a source of comfort for Sena considering the amount of people she had already lost.
‘You shouldn’t worry,’ Kakashi said, breaking the silence. ‘We will find him. It is just a matter of time.’
‘I know.’ Sena kept her eyes focused ahead as the buildings of the village came into view.
Neither of them spoke again and the comfortable silence returned until they reached the Hokage's office. She had hoped to run into one of her friends on the way however that was not the case. Retaining hope she decided she would find them later if they were not away on missions.
Reaching the door of the Hokage’s office they paused and Kakashi knocked twice before they were told to enter. They were then greeted Lady Tsunade and Shizune, expressions neutral as they exchanged pleasantries.
‘I am sure you are wondering why I asked you to return to the village.’ Tsunade said with closed her eyes, grasping a cup of steaming tea between her hands.
The pair nodded in response, waiting for her to continue.
‘We have received intel about the whereabouts of the target in question. It is believed that he will be in a village not too far from here in a weeks time. I’m not sure how accurate this information is or what his goal is but since the leads you were following have gone cold I want you to check this out and to do it quickly. I am counting on you both. However,’ Tsunade paused to take a sip of her tea. ‘You will not be taking on the entirety of this mission together.’
The pair exchanged glances before turning back to the Hokage.
‘What do you mean, milady?’ Sena asked.
‘I mean,’ Tsunade continued, ‘That you will be exploring two possible leads. You both will set out together but will part ways to search villages around the same area. You need to cover as much ground as possible. We need this matter taken care of and the mission completed. Is that understood?’
‘Understood.’ They replied in unison.
‘Very well. You will take four days to rest and recuperate before you head out. Shizune will provide you with all the information we have in these folders.' She gestured toward the folders in front of her. 'Good luck and dismissed.’
The pair took the folders and bowed their heads to the Hokage before leaving the office.
Tsunade’s request troubled Sena even as they descended the stairs of the Hokage building. They were going searching for her father alone and Sena couldn't help but wonder if it was the wisest course of action. They had come close to finding him two months ago but it ended the same place it began, with a little to nothing. Perhaps completing her mission was an impossible task.
As the pair reached the bottom of the stairs they made plans to meet at the gates in four days before saying their goodbyes. Sena hoped that it would be enough time for her to see her friends and visit her family since it had been a long time since she had seen them. She bit her lip and became lost in thought at the possibilities.
She was about to walk away from the steps of the tower when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.
‘Sena, is that you?’
The kunoichi turned to see long a shinobi long, dark hair and lavender eyes.
‘Neji?’