Chapter 40: How in the...

"Who are you?"

Hearing someone near us, we all looked around before eventually spotting a woman with short blue hair and amber eyes.

She exuded a pressure that I have only felt from people like Tsunade, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, Lord Third, and other extremely powerful shinobi.

However, what truly stood out was her robe. Long, black, and covered with red clouds.

Identical to what Itachi wore.

I kept my surprise masked, and looked at her. Feeling no hostility, I was slightly relieved, however it was quickly suppressed by the fact that she was somehow related to Itachi. That meant she was quite strong...

"I dislike repeating myself..."

Seeing her eyes harden slightly, I sighed before saying "We were just passing through..."

Staring at me, she tilted her head slightly.

"So why are you scurrying about like rats? Go through the main gate like civilized people."

I chuckled slightly, saying "Would we have been welcome if we did so?"

She stayed quiet for a few moments, before shaking her head.

"No. However, you are even less welcome when you sneak around our city like vermin. Tell me, why are you here?"

The entire time, her voice remained steady and emotionless. Slightly worrying, but...

"We just need to pass through to the Land of Fangs, and we couldn't go through the Lands of Wind or Earth..."

She nodded, before moving closer.

I could tell Anko was reaching for a kunai, and that Kurenai was about to stop her chakra suppression so she could use Genjutsu. However, before they could do so, I signed for them to wait.

"Smart. Had you allowed them to continue, you all would be dead..."

Standing in front of me, she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Do you plan on harming Amegakure or its people?"

I shook my head.

"Good. You are free to go. The last thing I want is to upset some Major Village..."

Turning, she walked away, slowly fading into the city.

When I felt that she was gone, I took in a deep breath.

"How in the..."

"Yeah... She is... something else, huh?"

Hearing Anko, I nodded, before looking back to the west.

"Well, lets not give her a chance to change her mind..."

Saying so, I started making my way towards the west, my heart pounding in my chest.

Hearing them following behind me, we traveled in tense silence, keeping an eye out for any other surprises.

Thankfully, we reached the other side of Amegakure with no problem, but I swore I could feel someone, or maybe a group of people, watching us the entire way...

Running for another hour or so, we stopped. Panting, we all looked at each other, completely mentally exhausted from the previous encounter.

"By the Sage, who was that woman?! She was insanely strong! How have we NOT heard of her before?"

Hearing Anko, I shook my head, confused and worried.

"No idea. She felt like she was reaching the Sannin in power, but... well, we haven't seen them often, so who knows... But still, by the Sage..."

Kurenai took a shaky breath, before slumping to the ground.

"Why'd she let us go? She could have easily killed us..."

I pursed my lips, contemplating it.

"I... I guess she was telling the truth. She may know who Anko is... after all, she does have a Bingo Book entry, although it is low... So maybe she just doesn't want to make Konoha or some other large villages look at Amegakure..."

"Yeah, that's cool and all, but those robes... How the hell is she related to Itachi?"

Again, I shook my head.

"Honestly, I have no idea. If he is part of that group that Lord Third mentioned... we need to get this mission over with quick. I... don't think we'd have a good chance going back at the moment. It would be too suspicious to her."

The others nodded, before sighing.

Looking at me, Anko asked "Should we go on for a little longer, or camp here?"

"Are you both able to continue? I really don't want to sleep in the rain..."

They nodded, though I could see Kurenai was exhausted.

Patting her on the back, I smiled down at her before continuing west. We needed to make it to the Land of Claws, or at least near it, before we stopped.

And so, we kept up a steady pace, making our way out of the perpetual rain of the Land of Rain, before entering the vast, lush forests of the Land of Claws.

Making our way into the forest, I looked at my girls.

Kurenai was panting, leaning against a tree, while Anko was keeping an eye on our surroundings, and after a few moments she nodded at me.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I smiled.

"Well, lets set up a small camp. We need some rest after what happened in Ame..."

They nodded, before setting about creating a makeshift tent. They just dropped their cloaks between two trees, one making a roof and the other providing the back wall.

"So, about food..."

Hearing Anko, I chuckled, before saying "Get a small fire started after you scout the area. Kurenai, stay here and watch over our gear. I'll go see if there is any game around..."

Nodding at me, they went about their tasks.

Smiling again, I made my way into the forest, silent.

Hearing the familiar sounds of nature, unmarred by people, I grinned.

This is something I loved. The chirping of birds. The rustling of leaves and branches. The various small animals scampering around.

Focusing, I listened for those sounds, trying to pinpoint where I should go. Moments slowly turned to minutes, and I found heard a large rustling. Summoning my bow, I made my way towards it, keeping my noise to a minimum.

Looking around, I nodded my head in appreciation when I saw a few rabbits sitting in the middle of a clearing. Slinging my bow over my back, I picked up a few twigs. Gently coating them in wind chakra, I sent them flying towards the rabbits heads.

Watching as the twig pierced their heads cleanly, I smiled before picking up the three rabbits, making my way back to where the camp was.

Seeing Anko lounging next to a small fire, and Kurenai dozing next to a tree, I smiled.

"Got some food..."

They looked up at me, and upon seeing the rabbits they grinned.

Handing one to each of them, I started preparing my own rabbit.

Skinning it, slicing off the various parts I didn't want, and removing the internal organs, I eventually had a small rabbit carcass ready to be roasted.

Looking up, I saw the other two were close to done as well, and I went and grabbed a few large sticks to skew our meat.

Letting the rabbits roast, I looked at them, smiling again. Every time I saw them, the weight on my finger and collarbone was evident, and I just felt giddy inside.

Seeing me smiling, they both returned the smile, though Anko went a step forward, sitting next to me and pulling me into her embrace.

Leaning into her, I took in her warmth and felt calm.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and enjoying the moment, waiting for my meat to be done.

Dozing, I was shook awake by Anko, who smirked down at me.

"Hey, you're rabbits almost done. If you don't want it to burn, wake up..."

Getting up, I was about to remove my rabbit when I felt Anko slide behind me and whisper "Of course, you could just have my meat instead~"

Giving her a coy look, I smiled, leaning into her embrace. Feeling her stiffening, I laughed before removing myself from her embrace, preparing to eat.

"That's just not fair Kokoro~"

Hearing Anko whine behind me, I chuckled again, and heard Kurenai laugh as well. Taking my skewer, I sat beside Kurenai, leaning into her.

Taking a bite, I was met with the gamey taste and stringy the meat was. However, compared to a nutrient pellet, this was a rich meal.

We talked for a few minutes before huddling under the small tent, sharing my cloak for warmth. Anko sat on a tree nearby, taking first watch.

Snuggling into Kurenai's arms, I slowly fell asleep, taking in her warmth and rose scent.

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I am back~

The last few days have been a little... exhausting. I have no idea why. I am working the same shift (3am-7am) and haven't been doing anything different from normal, but I just come home exhausted. So, that's why I didn't upload these last few days.

Additionally, this is another slow chapter, mainly because I don't want to leave on a cliffhanger again...

Besides that, I just have to say that if you all need something to read, here are three fanfics I have really enjoyed these last few days.

Naruto: The Strongest Senju : Really good writing, all about someone reincarnating as Tsunade. I quite enjoy it, characters are good, plot is good, overall just a solid fic.

Naruto: Tango with Death : Really good writing, good alternate universe fic, and has realistic characters. MC is awesome, interactions are funny, and I really want to read more of it.

Lastly, not a Naruto fic: Time Stops When I'm with Her (MHA) : Really sweet, wholesome, and its Yuri! Really cool, and even as someone who didnt really enjoy My Hero, I quite like the fanfic!

Anyways, yea, I should be back with some either daily or every other day uploads~

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