Ino Blink of the Eye

13: Battle of the desperate – Discovering the truth about your life


Ino couldn’t sleep. He had tied her to a pole by the wall and secured her collar to it holding her head up and her back stiff. She was fairly certain that this was his intent, for if she rested she would be more of a threat.
She was tired but the knowledge that the children had been found gave her hope. She wondered who the rescue team would consist of. Perhaps it would be some of her friends.
She knew that Rock lee had made Jounin and was being trained for ANBU and so was Shikamaru, but they had not reached the stage of training to take on a rescue mission of this magnitude.
Then it hit her that most of the village was currently on alert and had been sent out on the amazingly large number of missions that had come in. She even remembered that Konohamaru had been complaining that Genma was on another mission.
Her heart fell at the thought that the man would be away while his team had fallen into danger and would not be able to rescue them himself.
There were few in the village that Ino trusted as much as the quiet man, and even fewer that she believed could save her from this danger. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks in the dark as she listened to the sound of Iyashi’s snores and the humm of the small town outside of their door.
Ino felt like she was drowning in the fears of the team had that had saved the children not accomplishing her own salvation, and her eventual demise at the hands of the crazed ninja medic she had once considered a lover.

Genma searched the town over and by morning was no more informed or close to his prey.
He slid up the street to the hotel and rode the elevator to the floor he had left his genin team on.
He opened the door and called out to the boy within.
“Hey, brat. It’s me. Has anyone come here?” he said, finding the switch he clicked it on and found the room empty.

Konohamaru tried to be a good student. He really did. He sat on the chair and watched his friends sleep, listening to the sounds of the town settling down for the evening, not quieting but settling into a low rumble.
Then he felt it.
It pulsed through the floor and up to him.
He had never understood how this came to him, but Konohamaru was a vessel of chakra interception. He felt the arrival of the traitor in the hotel and it chilled him. He rose and paced the room, finding himself unsettled and tense.
He needed to get away. He couldn’t stay in the room like Genma-sensei had told him to, and just wait while the man came and captured him and his companions.
He gently roused the two on the beds and told them to come with him.
Moegi rose quietly and Udon didn’t complain. They were used to their leaders impulsive moves and they simply followed mutely.

Ino had finally dropped into an exhausted slumber when she was shocked awake by a firm slap across her cheek by the back of Iyashi’s hand.
“What?” she cried out.
“It’s morning. Get up.” He said as he stood and yanked on the leash once more. Ino rose as gracefully as she could in her state of binding, and stood behind him.
Iyashi grabbed his small carry pack and pulled her out the door.
They followed the street to the alleyway that followed the back of the building. There they found a low doorway and crossed through. It took them through a long hall and out to the back of a small undeveloped area. It wasn’t a park, just not quiet a part of the town.
Here she was pushed up to the closest tree and her leash hung from the branch. Iyashi looked around and then glared at her.
Ino stared back wide eyed. She did her best innocent look as she felt the movement of chakra nearby. Her heart cried with joy as her mind tried to keep clear. If it was the team she would be saved, however it could be something else.
Iyashi pulled out a rope and secured her to the tree before he went into the small grove and searched carefully.
Ino kept still and felt the tug against the rope around her. She looked down and found the frightened face of Udon looking at the knot in his hand and pulling on it intently.
“How did you get here?” she whispered to him.
“Konohamaru is keeping the evil man busy. Moegi is hiding and we are going to find Genma-sensei when we get you free. Hold still.” He ordered and Ino smiled as she complied.
To be saved by a team of untrained genin was a little embarrassing, but it was a rescue just the same.
When the knot fell away, the boy yanked on the tie to her wrists and pulled the glove away. Ino flexed her fingers quickly and then undid the collar at her neck. She flung the thing away and grabbed Udon’s hand.
“Let’s go.” She said, as he pulled her toward the far end of the trees.
Ino followed the genin to the last tree and then through a busted piece of fence behind it. There he stopped and turned to the small garbage can that sat there and he smiled. The can morphed into the girl and they both took her hands. She followed them as they headed to the town again.
Konohamaru bounced through the trees leaving chakra touches on each branch. It was a confusion trail and he would soon be far enough ahead to be safe.
He dropped onto the ground and slid through the broken fence, mending it as best he could before chasing after the rest of his team.

Genma breathed deeply, thinking of the motivation of his team members. He knew the way the two followed their self proclaimed leader, and that Konohamaru would not knowingly lead them into danger.
He closed his eyes and relaxed as best he could.
From the corner of his awareness he sensed it. The strong feeling of familiar chakra.
It would have been too much for someone with Konohamaru’s sensitive abilities to handle and he knew exactly why the team had bolted.
But the chakra was moving now, and he had to follow.
Genma rushed to the source and was just minute too late. He reached the alley as the man slid through the door and out of his reach once more.
Genma was at the end of the long corridor just at Iyashi was tying the girl to the tree and when the man was about to rush to her aid he felt the movement of the Sandaime’s grandson in the trees and smiled at the use of himself as a decoy to save the chuunin.
Genma was prepared to intercept anything that went wrong as the children continued with their plan and pulled the girl away from the danger that had now turned and was headed their way.
They had left the open area and were back in the town as Iyashi found the break in the fence.
Genma rushed another way and took to the roofs.
He would have to intercept the group before the crazy medic caught them.
He rushed along the rooftops and dropped into the street where they should have come out.
The street was empty. There was not sign of them anywhere.
Genma turned around and looked at every face and each building. Panic rose in the normally calm ninja and he suddenly realized it’s source.
A ninja must remove themselves from the emotion or the mission is lost. But how was he to remove himself from this if he had never know it before so didn’t know how to deal with it.
Genma was lost and he needed to find the answer to this if he was going to be able to save his team.

Ino felt the rush of chakra behind her and turned her head. Konohamaru pulled on Moegi, who pulled on her and they turned on their own route, jumping up a wall and skittering across a low roof to follow it to another.
“Where are we going?” Ino asked.
“Back to Genma’s room. It has wards and traps. I know them and we can get in. I think it is the safest place for now.” The boy said, suddenly sure that with the girl with them it was finally safe.
Ino followed and soon they were in the room, and the children had fallen onto the beds in exhaustion. She sat on the small couch in the entry room and waited. She would have slept but something kept her awake.
The boy had called this Genma’s room.
“Genma is here.” She said to herself. Her mind raced over the possibilities and came up with every possible scenario.
Yes, it was about time to admit it, if only to herself. She had fallen for the damn Jounin and now she was worried sick about him.

Genma walked down a side alley and followed the chakra. He had only managed to find one trail and it led him here.
He looked around, weariness attempting to settle in. He shifted his ever-present toothpick and gazed at the innocuous wall that the alley culminated in.
Genma was not an amateur at his job and one didn’t last to thirty-five years old in his job without being able to spot an ambush as poorly done as this one.
Now to diffuse it and fast.
He leaned against the wall to his side and rested his hand on his hip. It was a cool move that he had learned from Kakashi. The copy ninja wasn’t the only one to pick up from other’s their tricks and such. He knew full well that the white haired Jounin kept a very dangerous and very sharp weapon there. He had never seen him use it, but Genma had decided that he would keep one of his favorite kunai tucked into a false pocket of his pants.
He reached up the other hand and pulled the pick from his mouth for only a moment before replacing it.
“If you really think I’m that stupid, perhaps you don’t know that much about me?” he said to the alley.
The figure that morphed from the wall was angry.
Oh, this would be good.
“Where are they?” he asked.
Iyashi smiled and lifted a hand dripping with thick red fluid. Genma started only for a second as the fluid dripped onto the ground next to the medic.
“If that is what you want me to believe it is, I think you have made your last mistake. I would have taken you back alive, before.” He said as the man used his free hand to reach behind him and throw something Genma’s way.
It was a shurikan and nothing for the Jounin to dodge. But Iyashi was not so lucky.
Genma’s kunai was imbedded in his throat and several small projectiles were piercing every vital chakra point on his body.
Genma was slowly walking the man’s way shifting the last of his needles in his lips as he watched the twitching form on the ground.
“If you lived through the blood loss you would never survive the loss of chakra. I was a student of Hyuuga Hiashi’s. The Hyuuga know every point to control the flow of chakra and a few strategically hit points, stops the flow. My needles release the chakra from those points out of the body, slowly draining it. You are dead. I just thought you might like to know how you died.” And he rose to flip the body over with his foot as the last of the blood poured out with a sickening dripping sound.



::: I never did like Iyashi. I found a picture of him and he looks like he thinks he's better than the ninja's he is healing.

Vashta - In answer, no but he got to the bad guy before he could hurt her too badly. I think it's time for some loving, oh and we can chalk one off that list I told you about.

krickets - Me? Lazy? Please. I just had to feed my menagerie, and that takes a little time. As for the rest of my fics, please do. And if you get a chance you should definitely read my book. I finished the sequel right on time, and am feverishly working on the next volume.