Rescue (3)

Kaito POV

I raced back towards where the other genin was.

'Mio has to be ok. She's gotten strong.' I knew she was at least as strong as me after all the training we had done together.

I knew that the scream wasn't from Mio. But still... I couldn't help but worry. She was an entirely different person compared to when I first met her. She had learned basic chakra control and had better control of her kekkei genkai than I did. But the image of that weak and trembling girl, so frightened she couldn't even open her eyes from when I first met her kept popping into my mind as I ran.

Bursting out of the underbrush, I turned to see Mio sprawled onto the ground, with a sneering Kiri ninja raising a sword above her. She was trembling, struggling to stand up. But ninja's foot grinding into her back held her down. He seemed strong. At least mid chunin level.

"MIO!" A scream burst out of me.

I felt the same rage I had felt when my father died rise up in me once again. I clenched my teeth hard, a pressure building up inside me to the point of explosion.

The genin paused, distracted by my scream. Mio struggled even harder.

A ruthless smile formed on his lips as he saw me.

"Just another kid seeking death."

He stopped paying any attention to me, pushing down to slam Mio back into the ground and raising his sword once again. It was a mistake he would never get a chance to regret.

A crackle ripped through the air. A palpable charge could now be felt in the little clearing.

"Not again! I can't be too late again! Kiyo, give me as much chakra as I can handle!"

This time would be different!

A surge of power flowed into me, coursing through my meridians of its accord. I could feel something stirring within me. The charge in the air grew stronger.

Before he could react, I thrust my arm out and an electric blue line of lightning pierced through the air, all the energy inside my body flowing out of me.

He again looked up towards me, his eyes wide in shock. His body jerked to the side unconsciously.

The line of blue light filled his vision, approaching at tremendous speed. It arrived in front of him instantaneously, piercing through the side of his neck. He toppled over backwards, clutching his neck which had been torn open by the supercharged beam with a pained shout.

Mio took the chance to jump onto him and stab her kunai down at his chest.

Thud!

Just as her kunai pierced into his chest, his flailing arms landed a heavy blow to her own chest, sending her flying off him to collapse on the ground, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.

I jumped up high above him as I began making hand seals. Kiyo again supplied me with chakra.

"Secret technique: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!"

A barrage of thin water needles pierced through the air towards the Kiri ninja from above, too fast for him to completely dodge in his current state. He rolled to the side and curled up into a ball in an attempt to protect his vitals, the needles stabbing into him all over his body and the ground around him.

There was a moment of stillness, the twinkling of the needles in the moonlight the only movement.

"Arghhh!"

But it wasn't over. He suddenly shot up with a roar of anger and pain, flashing through a series of hand seals as he turned to face me.

I froze, stunned.

'Even that didn't kill him?' He was bleeding from half his body!

I could feel him gathering a large amount of chakra.

My mind raced, trying to find something to do. I had used all my chakra in the previous attack, and my body couldn't handle another transfusion of chakra from Kiyo.

'Is this the end... already?' I saw him taking in a huge breath, and closed my eyes as I braced for the impact of the coming jutsu.

"Thunk!"

An odd sound suddenly could be heard just as he reached the peak of his breath. I opened my eyes again, and saw the man's eyes were bulging open wide in shock. He slowly toppled forward, revealing a kunai sticking out of his back and Mio propping herself up on the ground with one arm behind him.

A wave of relief swept through me. It was finally over.

I knew that I had just awakened the gale style. It was the only nature release that attacked with such speed. I knew that I had just participated in the murder of another person.

But I didn't care.

All I could see was Mio on the ground. Steadying my swaying body, I rushed over to her.

"Mio..."

"I'm fine." She forced out between clenched teeth.

Tears formed in my eyes when I saw her pale, slightly trembling lips.

'What was I thinking? Yes we are strong for our age and yes we are genin level in terms of ninjutsu thanks to our kekkei genkai... But so what? We're weak! In every other way! A single punch almost broke Mio's ribs! How could I have dragged her into this?'

I hated myself. I hated my weakness. Even now, I had practically no energy left after fighting just a couple genin. What would have happened if they were jonin? I shuddered, unable to continue thinking of this possibility.

"Really Kaito. I'm fine. I just need a minute to recover."

"No. Wait here. I'll keep going on my own."

"Idiot. You have almost no chakra left. You're just as drained as I am. We'll both continue in a couple minutes."

"I.."

She was right. My eyes felt heavy, and the entirety of my body was sore and drained. At least I hadn't fainted like when I awakened my Ice release bloodline.

I bowed my head in acquiescence.

We hobbled over to a tree and slumped down against it.

I pulled a canteen of water out of the storage pouch and handed it to her. I didn't drink any. No, I couldn't drink any. This moment of pause had allowed the memory of my first kill to push its way back to the fore of my mind, and the memory of the sound my ice spear made as it pierced his body left me doing all I could to avoid retching.

Already having trouble keeping the contents of my stomach from rising up, I felt no need to attempt to try and force anything more down.

I felt Mio's warm and soft hand suddenly envelop my own.

"Kaito. It's ok. This is war, you were both only doing what was necessary."

'What kind of fucking world is this for a five and a half year old child to be able to speak such words?' I couldn't help but rage internally.

I hated this place. The senseless violence. And I suddenly missed home. Earth. Where brutal wars were a thing of nightmares and tv shows (#GoT).

'No, that's not true.' I suddenly realized.

On Earth, these things occurred. But they were so detached from civilized society that it was easy to ignore. But in a way, things were just as bad in parts of Earth, even in modern times. Ask a kid from South Sudan, and he would say things were no better on Earth.

Maybe, it's actually better here. At least here, people know the truth of this world. They openly acknowledge the horrors and atrocities that occur, instead of pretending it doesn't exist while they live in comfort.

'Either way... the anime sure looked a lot more fun than this...' I thought bitterly.

I glanced down at the slender fingers that rested on top of my hand. My eyes slowly moved upwards, tracing the smooth and delicate looking arm and slender shoulder and neck the the fingers were attached to. Finally, I looked up into Mio's vibrant green eyes.

They contained so much life.

It didn't seem possible. But in a world full of death, she stood up and shone like a beacon of warmth to me.

Suddenly, I felt that maybe coming to this world, and going through everything I did, was worth it. Just for the company of the person beside me. Just for the chance to bask in her warmth and proximity, to lose myself in her green eyes.

'You know... Maybe, this world is dangerous. But it also contains so much beauty.' My thoughts drifted between Mio and Mom.

'Then... I guess I just have to become strong enough to make a place where this beauty can shine to its full extent, without a single worry or care!'