Bringing the Whole Army to Hoshi

Reizo quickly finished his dinner, scarfing it down as he didn't want to keep Saya waiting should she get to the gates before him. He was invited, along with the entirety of the Kumogakure military forces and many civilians, to celebrate their victories all the way out in the arid land of Hoshigakure. The blonde relayed the invitation to his mother, who owned the dumpling cart where Reizo ate dinner, and then swiftly headed home. There, he packed his clothes, weapons, and other essentials. By the time he was headed to the gate, a huge crowd of higher ranked ninja and some important civilians had gathered. After asking around, it seemed that this was one of the last major groups to head out to Hoshi for the celebration. A few had already left and some had even already arrived at Hoshigakure's gates. Reizo immediately noted that that was likely where Senshi, Komori, and likely Max and the others were at. Hundreds of shinobi ranging from Genin to ANBU and dozens of civilians could be found at the village gates. It was about 8 pm when the group had all gathered, and Reizo was ready to head out.

The jinchuriki donned different attire than usual for this travel. Since his jacket and usual clothing had been reduced to ashes in his fight with the bijuu, Reizo took to wearing a simpler outfit in order to conceal his tattoos and Iron Seal. He didn't need to make all of Hoshi his enemy simply because of his degenerate juvenile appearance, or because they quickly discovered he was a demon. He figured Akihana already knew, or at the very least would be able to tell that he was a jinchuriki upon arrival, but taht didn't mean everyone in the village had to know. A simple, plain black long sleeved shirt and the white Kumo flak vest  was all that he wore on his upper body. His lower body consisted of a simple pair of military-style black pants with his weapon pouches adorning his hips, and black shinobi sandals. As always, he proudly sported his village headband above his brow, keeping his now long hair out of his eyes. Now, he would just need to locate Saya.

It wouldn't take long for him to locate the girl thanks to his Mind's Eye, and once reunited they would head out with the rest of the village pilgrims. The trip would be long and arduous. It was somewhat of a slow travel to begin with, but Reizo would soon pull ahead to the front, being much faster than many of the other ninja. There weren't any official roles, so every shinobi just kinda did their own thing. This meant that Reizo kept his Mind's Eye open toward the front to detect any hazards or enemies that the group could come across. The jutsu's longer effective range would prove invaluable as they entered unfamiliar territory, especially in the Land of Earth which was known to be on edge since Kumo had conquered much of the surrounding lands.

Somewhat preoccupied with his own duties, he seldom noticed when Saya would dodge back into the crowd of civilians and ninja on her own. She would always find her way back to him, so he didn't worry about it. The group would pause every so often to let the children and elderly rest; it was a long journey after all. Many of the civilians complained about the difficulty of the path and the challenging terrain, but the ninja never did. They all attended to the civilians and catered to their needs whenever something went awry. Thankfully, nothing too bad happened along the trip for quite a while.

They passed through Snow Country, the cold and winds fierce and biting. The majority of the trip, in fact, was in Snow Country. Shinobi could be seen passing out blankets and heavier clothing to make the trip easier for the civilians and each other. The richest civilians were taking comfort in their caravans and wagons, while the poorest were at risk of frostbyte on their bare feet as they had not even sandals to wear. Reizo remained on alert for any renegade pro-Yuki nationalists that wanted to start anything, but fortunately it seemed the puppet state was successful in keeping their rogue forces under submission.

As the group made their way into Earth Country, there was some refiling and shifting of the shinobi ranks. Jounin and Anbu took to the outside, while Reizo was eschewed further in as a Chuunin. He tried to protest; given his sensory abilities, he felt it would be logical to have him on the outside. His requests were denied however, and a couple of Jounin even pulled him aside to assure him it was best for their "asset" to remain further in the group. Reizo reluctantly agreed, frustrated with the decision but ultimately recognizing it was for the best. It was around this time that Reizo felt Saya's chakra levels just completely dwindle. Had she been injured, or was she just tired? The Chuunin couldn't be too sure and so he drifted back through the ranks to find her. A wealthy business couple had picked up Saya in their caravan, where she had passed out trying to soothe their infant's fever that had developed in Snow Country. They recognized him as his mother's son as she was well known for her dumpling stall across much of Kumo. He didn't recognize them, but thanked them for nursing Saya after she passed out. Reizo easily cured the infant with his Mystical Palm Techinque and did the same for Saya, giving her much needed chakra to balance out her reserves. With some manner of diffiulty, Reizo managed to get Saya to stay put on his back as he moved further up, back to where he originally was stationed.

Exhausted, the group made it through the jagged landscape as they approached the Haven Country's borders with Earth Country. It was strange how they went from a snow ridden land to a fairly arid almost desert like climate in just one journey. The group halted as they arrived at the gates of Hoshigakure, eager to get on with the festivities. Many had brought their own alcohol. Unfortunately, a lot of it had been drunk already to get through the bitter cold of Snow Country and to deal with the boredom of travel. The civilians and the military were getting rowdier by the moment, the alcohol playing a key component in their rambunctiousness. Now they would be forced to wait.

-------- Fast travel to Haven Country Borders ----------------

1095 / 1000 words @ 100 speed

Her hands shook as she placed one piece of clothing after another into her pack. The news still wasn’t quite sinking into her mind. Saya inhaled and held her breath for a few seconds. Was it truly true? Was she really travelling all the way to the distant land of Haven? It was very exciting for a genin like her. She had always lived in the inner parts of Kumogakure since she could remember. And just a few months ago the girl had seen the gates of the village herself. Even went to harass the rot monsters that roamed its perimeters. Yes. It was all too surreal for a non-descript genin like her.

Idly, Saya wondered if any of her year mates had the chance to get an invitation to go there too. Then again, she supposed she was lucky enough to have been with someone who personally received a letter, demanding him to head over to the Village of Stars. And he just so happened to decide to take her with him. It was probably because he felt guilty for what had transpired in their meeting. The dark haired girl paused in her packing and pursed her lips. That particular event, happening just an half an hour or so ago, still scared her. What had happened and what was that thing that Reizo turned into? Those questions were obviously still running through her mind, and it was somewhat making her question if she should even try travelling with the boy.

She shook her head and exhaled quickly, feeling that sensation of lightheadedness sway her. There was no time for her to be backing out now. Saya resumed filling her sack, cinching it closed when she thought she had put everything needed in there. Another deep inhalation and exhalation. It was time to go meet up with Reizo and the army and the civilians that had opted to join in on the journey. This was a peculiar situation. Saya had never known such a phenomenon to occur in her lifetime. Ninja and citizens travelling to a country they don’t know?

Another shake of the head before the girl finally exited her empty house. Saya had yet to meet with her mother since she had been called out on that mission. It had been months since she last saw her, but there was a bit of hope in her to see the woman who had birthed her in the crowd she would be joining soon. However, as the petite kunoichi arrived at the gates and marvelled at the massive entourage, Saya couldn’t seem to feel her parent’s chakra anywhere. Disappointment and longing surged through her just before she immediately clamped down on her emotions.

Not too long after squeezing through the crowd Saya was awash by Reizo’s chakra signature - mountains and after rain sunshine. She hesitated, unsure if she should go to him. Would they allow her to travel with the group without being near him? The girl glanced around, seeing all of the higher ranked shinobi, and thought it better to simply stick with him. If he went berserk for whatever reason then she could, at the very least, warn the others to simply run away and save the civilians. With that decision made Saya maneuvered her way to the blonde chuunin, and nodded to him in acknowledgement.

”Hey,” was her simple greeting followed by a slight bow at the waist. It was only right for a lower ranked shinobi to pay respects to those of higher ranked. ”I wasn’t expecting such a big assembly. Did you?” Saya took another look around, noticing that everyone was beginning to gather their belongings and adjust their packs. Within moments there was a high pitched horn blaring throughout the entire area, signaling the start of their journey. Saya could hear the people grunting with effort as they started to move like ants past the gates and out into the wild.

The genin glanced at Reizo, waiting for him to set himself before she followed him. Saya kept a pace or two behind the chuunin whilst keeping an eye out for the rest of the civilians. It would be a long trek for those who weren’t ninja. Even the most athletic and fit of the citizens would find it difficult to keep up. However, as Saya easily passed through multiple people - ninja and noncombatants alike - she noticed how the shinobi encompassed the large crowd, seemingly waiting for an attack. She blinked, slowly realizing that they could be ambushed at any time.

If their party simply consisted of ninjas then no doubt that they’d arrive at the borders between Haven and Earth. However, they had to keep pace with the citizens and make sure that they weren’t harmed. Saya hummed in thought to herself. As a genin of Kumogakure it was also her duty to keep them healthy until they reached their destination. So, from time to time Saya would Reizo’s side and fall back to help those were having trouble keeping up. Thankfully the rest of the shinobi also had the same mindset. Though they were militaristic in nature, always making sure to boast of their superior prowess, they had taken their duty very seriously. She could see how soft and wary they were when they handled and solved delicate situations.

At one point someone had tripped over their own feet due to the weight of their belongings and sprained their ankle. The young girl was quick to react, gesturing people to walk around them and preventing more malicious people from trampling over the poor soul. Healing energy glowed around her hand as she healed the man’s injury and he was good for the rest of the journey. Unfortunately, Saya seemed to have taken pity on the man and took half of his load onto her own petite shoulders. It had been hard on her, really, once they made it into the land of Snow, where the cold bit through her clothes.

Fortunately for the entire crowd those at the front had cleared the snow (without turning it into a muddy pathway), making their arduous trek easier. At this point Saya’s energy had been sapped from carrying the man’s things, and though it pained her to do so she had given the task to another ninja. Rolling her shoulders in circles, she pinpointed Reizo’s chakra once more and began to make her way to his side. Saya didn’t feel the need to speak, only nodding her head in his direction once more.

They had, of course, taken breaks from time to time but that was few and far in between. She would take a few minutes to herself, drinking and eating to replenish her body. Before long the small kunoichi would be going around relieving people of their aches and pains. It was harsh for the citizens, and Saya couldn’t help but pity them a bit. Despite the high danger that her occupation poses she didn’t think she could ever give it up to live a life of a normal person. It was just too… scary. To be so vulnerable and fragile. Saya shivered at the thought.

Some time later, as they were close to reaching the borders between Haven and Earth, Saya found herself waking up on someone’s back. Who…? Once more the scent of sunshine invaded her addled mind - Reizo. Just her luck. It had to be him that would be hauling her dead ass through their jaunt to… Where were they at again?

Her vision was blurry from her sleep, but from what she could take it was all shades of brown, indicating that they were on rocky terrain. Without a word Saya tapped her fellow ninja’s shoulder and they immediately released their hold on her, letting the girl land softly behind them. When had she fallen asleep? Saya could feel the slight fatigue weighing down on her body. Blinking, she questioned the blonde chuunin what had happened that they had to ferry her on his back.

It turns out that she had expended too much chakra healing minor wounds and injuries to the civilians during one of their breaks, even going as far as to take away the soreness from some of them. That had been very unnecessary but her feelings of worry pushed through her usual ninja exterior. Saya quickly nodded at the explanation and fought to remain in position, to keep from running away from Reizo. That had been an embarrassing event altogether. She had collapsed? Shame covered her body, hugging her close in its arms. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. How many times had her mother warned her about keeping track of her chakra reserves? Saya let out a frustrated noise, fists tightening at her sides.

It wasn’t long till the entirety of the Kumogakure forces arrived at the borders of Haven. The difference between their surroundings were almost none as both countries had a dry and arid climate. One the side of Haven it was reminiscent of the sand dunes of Sunagakure, but it seemed more muted and less dangerous. Earth, on the other hand, had remained rocky and mountainous. Covering the lower half of her face with a black mask, Saya and the rest of the entourage stepped forth into the land of Haven. Soon they would be at the gates of the relatively new shinobi village of Haven.


WORD COUNT: 1565

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