HSV: War Arc Middle

Eita’s heart was in his throat as he raced through the forests of the past, trying to keep an eye on every angle possible as he moved. Especially his comrade next to him.

“Keep low, Mitsuo.” he said, ducking low under several overhanging branches as their feet pounded against the ground. Being a few inches over six feet, Eita had to run at a near crouch to avoid hitting some of lower hanging branches. He had dark skin, dark eyes, long, wild auburn hair and a thin frame that made slipping between narrow openings incredibly easy. It was something that was coming more and more in hand as they tried to outrun their pursuer.

The day had started off simple enough with their cover of being a traveling circus being more than believed. Then they had broken off from the merged teams of Delta and Epsilon to try and find more information. Normally, Eita would have gone off on his own to try and scout the area, but with members of the Crimson Order all around, he didn’t feel right leaving his genin teammate, Mitsuo, alone.

“Are we heading back to camp?” Mitsuo asked, breathless and with wide eyes. He was sixteen, average height, with a slender build, wild brown hair and large green eyes that currently were darting back and forth between in front and behind.

“Not yet.” Eita shook his head. “We can’t risk leading them back to the encampment. We need to lead them away, or better yet, lose them entirely.”

This hadn’t been the plan. They had been simply working to gather information, keeping to the shadows and when forced to move outside of them, kept their heads low acting lost more than anything. They had been trying to find members of the Crimson Order to observe, and they had definitely found one. Unfortunately, the one they found was not to be deceived that they were from the past.

Hoshiko, the leader of the Crimson Order. They hadn’t known he’d picked up on their presence, but as soon as they were alone, he’d began attacking the very spot in the shadows they had been. Everything in Eita’s instincts had told him to fight. To jump in and slaughter the man who was primarily responsible for so much destruction and despair. He was the one behind fading memories. The vanishings and Eita’s own brother’s heartache. He was the one responsible for this war, and for Masaki being taken away.

Or at least, Eita thought that was the name of the man who had disappeared at the festival. It was getting harder and harder to keep things straight. But he wasn’t going to let these people take any more. He shook his head as he grabbed Mitsuo’s arm, pulling him along and onto another path, before nodding to take the trees.

He had wanted to fight. More than anything he had wanted to fight.

But as soon as Hoshiko’s attack had begun, he’d known something was very wrong. His reaction to the attack had been slower. It seemed to hit him harder and Mitsuo…

Blood was still running down the younger man’s arm and face from where debris from the initial explosion had struck him. They knew Hoshiko’s chakra nature was fire, but there was a difference between a stream of fire as an attack and an actual burst of explosions. If they had stayed, not only would fighting have drawn more attention to them, but it could have put those in the past who noticed in more danger as well. They couldn’t risk anyone else having their past altered because their ancestor was harmed.

“He’s gaining.” Mitsuo gasped as they raced across the branches of the trees.

“I know!” Eita barked. He didn’t mean for his tone to be as sharp as it was, but he pushed that away. Right now they needed a plan of escape, and running wasn’t cutting it. If it hadn’t been for the explosion initially giving them time to get away, it was possible he would have overcome them by now.

“Okay, you know, but what to do we do?!” Mitsuo’s own voice was sharp, but also edged by panic.

For several long seconds, Eita said nothing as his mind spun. Strategy had always been the area he was strongest in and now was a time he desperately needed it. Though again something felt wrong. As if his thoughts were spinning, but the strategies he needed were harder to grasp. There was one idea though. One thing that could possibly save them and provide enough cover to get them back to the encampment.

“Hang a left.” he nodded towards the direction that would take them back towards the village. “I have an idea.”

“Why is that not comforting?” Mitsuo swallowed.

“Because there’s a very likely chance that I’m making this up as we go, but compared to other ideas I’ve had, this one is pretty sound.” with all the adventures he and Arioch had gotten into over the years, this idea seemed like picture perfect sanity.

“Okay, can you explain this plan that will probably kill us?” Mitsuo asked as they raced through the thick trees as fast as they could. The sounds of town coming closer.

“Hoshiko may be after us, but despite that little stunt he pulled back there, I don’t think he’s going to risk attacking us out in the open again. Not with other people around. Especially not considering that a good portion of those people are samurai. If they even think they smell a ninja, it’ll be a call to arms.” Eita explained, ducking and twisting and turning to avoid the foliage. The forests had always been thick around  Omoichidou, but in the past with fewer people and houses, they were ten times that.

“So what? We jump into a throng of samurai?” the younger shinobi raised an eyebrow.

“No. If we do that, and they find out he, or we, are ninja, it’s possible we could damage the timeline even further. We just need to get to a place that has enough of a threat of exposure, as well as a place we can easily blend in.” his mind was working into overtime as he tried to visualize the map of the area. It was possible that any part of town would work for that, but they also needed to be in a place where an ambush couldn’t be arranged, would provide them cover even inside, and was close enough to the towns borders that they could slip out and make their way back to camp.

Only one location fit all the criteria. The old Omoichidou library.

Eita could see the building coming up through the leaves. It wasn’t nearly as big as it would be in years to come, but based on what he had learned about the history of the village as well as his initial scouting, he knew it was still under Fujihara management. The current librarian was even more no nonsense than Azami when it came to books if that was possible, and while it was a risk, he had a feeling even Hoshiko knew not to start something inside that building.

“Come on! Last…” Eita started though his eyes widened as he looked over his shoulder. He saw a flash of white bandages over eyes, and hair that resembled horns. Hoshiko was right behind them. The library was within reach, but in a matter of seconds they would be to.

“Mitsuo! We still have some cover.” Eita hissed. “It doesn’t have to be a big genjutsu, but can you…”

Mitsuo nodded already making hand seals. With whatever was going on, the genjutsu would hold for even less time, but as Mitsuo casted it, Eita hoped the few seconds it gave them would be enough. All they needed was three seconds of confusion to get the lead. That was it.

He watched, continuing to run forward, grabbing Mitsuo’s arm to pull him further and using his long legs to gather more speed. But also in case Hitoshi attacked he could pull the genin directly out of harms way. But it seemed to work…for a fraction of a minute, Hoshiko slowed as if unsure what direction the real them were going. He quickly saw through the illusion though, but it was enough time and Eita and Mitsuo stumbled out of the tree line into a more well grouped crowd of people.

Several shot looks towards them, and more than a few with swords on their hips looked suspicious.

“Come on. I told you there was still time to get the book you wanted.” Eita said, continuing to pull Mitsuo behind him. He wasn’t sure if everyone believed that, but it was enough of a cover story that no one approached as they burst through the doors into the library and slammed the doors closed behind them.

“Okay…so…what now?” Mitsuo wheezed as they made their way from the door.

“Now…” Eita started, then stopped as he felt a presence behind him.

“Now, you two stop talking or at least keep your voice down in my library.” a woman’s voice from behind nearly made Eita jump as he whirled around and staring at him and Mitsuo was Azami’s ancestor. She was tall, with sharp eyes, sharp glasses, and a variety of scrolls on her hip. Her entire demeanor seemed ready for a fight as she stared at the two that had dared to break the silence in her library.