Burning Mist (Chapter 5)

I tried to outrun the rain, but to no avail. It pelted down on me furiously, mixing the tears I shed with the shower it gave me. I couldn’t tell what water on my face was the tears of frustration and what was the rain. I covered my head and ran as fast I could, looking for shelter. I had to find a place to rest for the knight. But the Land of Water was just a collection of islands. There was so much barren swamp and marshland that there was very little suitable cover handy…unless you went to a village.
“No.” I muttered. “Out of the question.” I couldn’t afford to be caught again…not after what both my mother and Mei sensei had done for me. I stumbled through the dark and dank terrain, helpless and afraid. The cold made me shiver, and the mist that’s shroud once made me feel safe and at home, now made me feel a horrid since of fear. What mysteries and fear would leap from the mist to attack me? Dare I go in deeper to it and face what lay within?
It was in that moment that I truly understood what felt like to be an enemy of the mist…to be a rouge and foreigner of the Hidden Mist Village. It was a commanding feeling of fear. There was no comfort for me anymore…and no vision for the future other than to go forward and pray that the mysteries beyond the veil would not end my journey here. With that chilling thought, I pushed further into the mist, my body drenched from the rain.

I caught the sight of something to my right and looked to see an odd shadow not far off. Just then, lightning flashed overhead, and I could see the outline of a large rocky formation! I could also see a large hole in it…a cave? A CAVE! I squealed in delight and rushed for the mouth of the cave so I might get out of this horrid downpour. I threw myself into the wonderful and inviting comfort of the cave and collapsed on the floor, dripping and breathing in equal measure. I crawled up against the cave wall and ripped my soaked vest off and tossed it to the side. I wrapped my arms around my legs and trembled. I couldn’t risk starting a fire to warm myself…the smoke and flames might alert someone to my position. Besides, any wood I tried to gather would be too wet to stay burning. I would have to wait out the storm here.
“Damn…how did things get so bad?” I whispered to the cave wall. “Just a few hours ago, I was training as a Hidden Mist ninja. I was home. Now, I have none. No home, no sensei, no family…or do I?” I glared down at my toes in my blue sandals and growled to myself. “Why is all this happening to me? I want to know…I have to understand!”

I then thought back to all that I had heard and seen back in the Mist Village. Mom had displayed unbelievable skills in fighting and her eyes had suddenly turned that horrifying red color. There had been something so powerful and yet scary about her at that moment. I was in awe of it. I thought back to the things that she had said.
“I was raised in the Hidden Leaf Village…in a family called the Uchiha.”
The Uchiha…yes, that was the name of the clan. In the Hidden Leaf Village, the most famous clan of all was, without a doubt, the Uchiha. They were said to possess great skill in fire style jutsu, as well as an aptitude for combat and physical fighting. Then there was that mysterious blood line power that their family possessed. I had never learned much about their power…but it was so terrifying that even Ao, one of the Mists most powerful warriors, had struggled against it. Could I perhaps have this power? Did mom have it?
“Though you were born here, you carry the blood of a foreign clan…”
And was that reason for me to die? For mom to be arrested? For Mei to send me away? What was it all for? Simply because I had the blood of another clan within me? But then again, I suppose that’s the way of the ninja world…to distrust and to be suspicious of everyone; especially in the Hidden Mist Village. I would never turn on the Mist Village. It’s the only home I’ve ever known and I love it! However, much like the mist itself shrouds us from our enemies…it can shroud us from our allies I guess. To them, the fact that I have skills from a foreign village makes me just as much a threat as someone born from that village.
“But what do I do now?”
“Go as fast as you can to the Leaf Village…there you will learn all you need to about yourself.”
This was what Mei sensei had told me. I glanced off into the rain, as if I could physically see the Leaf Village if I looked hard enough. I knew that such a journey would not be easy. To get to the Leaf Village, first I had to pass into the Land of Fire…an enemy territory. After passing into that, I had to go straight to the heart of that lions den. Then, and only then, would I see the Hidden Leaf Village. The thought filled me with hope and dread. True, I wanted to know more about my heritage…but there was a great risk.
Passing into the Land of Fire meant that I had diplomatic immunity from the Mist Village. They couldn’t attack me there without facing consequences. However…being a Mist ninja myself, I could be punished for entering their territory without express permission. It was a no win situation for me, but what choice did I have? I leaned back on the rock and hissed softly and sadly to myself. “I’ll just have to take the risk.” As I said these words, I felt my eyes growing heavy, and soon my world went dark.

“Wake up…I said WAKE UP!”
My eyes burst open at the command and I sat up quickly. I stared around me in shock. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was or how I got there. But then all the memories came back and the cave became familiar to me once more. However, there was something new here…something dangerous.
“So…the traitor is alive after all? Didn’t have the damned decency to kill yourself and redeem your honor?”
“Who…who are you?” I blinked, adjusting to the dim light. The rain had stopped outside, but the sun was not out yet. It was too dark to make out details, but the voice was familiar. I knew I’d heard it before. Like…someone I knew well.
“You know who I am, you little freak.” My eyes widened and I finally caught a glimpse of the mans beard…his long slicked back hair…and his unique ninja armor. This was a skilled ninja that I’d known for a long time…a neighbor of ours.
“Kuno?” I whispered. Kuno was a chunnin rank ninja of the Mist Village. I’d known him for a long time and, though we weren’t great friends or anything, we’d never had any problems with each other. In fact, he gave me advice on water style jutsu more than once. Here he was now, a knife out and ready to end my life. Was this the same man I had known? His eyes seemed so murderous and angry.
“So you remember my name? Gonna give my name over to the Leaf along with all of our other secrets?”
“What!?”
“How much do you remember about the Mist?! How much of our secrets and intel were you about to sell to our enemies?” He ordered, brandishing the knife at my throat. I backed into the cave wall and pulled my own knife. I had no desire to use it, but I had to try and make him back away.
“Kuno, I’m no spy! I would never trade secrets about my home!”
“I always knew you were weird. No matter how much we tried to help with your water techniques, you were always so slow. You showed proficiency in only fire style…which was the first recorded case in years. I should have known that you and your mother were spies from the Leaf…and from the Uchiha clan no less!”
“I swear, Kuno…I swear that I am not your enemy!” I cried.
“Spare me!” Kuno snapped. “For all I know, you could have been the one responsible for the disappearance of Yagura, the previous Mizukage!”
“I had nothing to do with-”
“ENOUGH! I’m here to make sure you never breathe a word of our secrets to the enemies of our village. Now…die like the rat you are!” He thrust the knife forward furiously and I watched as the point closed in on me. I screamed and rolled out of the way. I threw my own knife at him, forcing him to dodge and jump out of the cave into the open. I followed him out, desperate to keep from getting trapped in again.

“Kuno…please don’t! I don’t want to kill you. You’re my brother in arms! A Mist ninja!”
“How dare you still speak to me like I’m your comrade! DIE!” He threw himself at me again and his knife came down for my head. I side stepped and evaded each of his slashes. His attacks were fast and furious, all aimed for vital organs that would surely be one shot kills. However, his speed and grace paled to Mei sensei. He couldn’t touch me with moves like those.
The more he attacked, the more I felt inward anger build on itself. Why was I suddenly so invigorated by this fight? Was I actually enjoying it? I raised my knife and began returning strikes. He was skilled enough to block the stronger of my attacks, but some of my more subtle slashes managed to find their marks. I was starting to gain the upper hand in this knife fight. What I lacked in age and size, I made up for it with my sheer talent at physical combat! This was more than a fight…more than anything I’d ever dreamed of. This was not a training fight…it was life or death…and it was…amazing. I was still afraid and I was still worried for my safety as well as Kuno’s, but something about this made me feel alive. Like I was meant to do this…like fighting was just in my being! It was as natural as walking.

“Little bitch!” Kuno leaped back and began forming hand seals. He was gonna perform a jutsu! “WATER STYLE: EXPLOSIVE WATER BULLET!” I anticipated the attack and I began forming hand seals of my own. There was no point in holding back my talents now. I could use it all!
“FIRE STYLE: FIRE BALL JUTSU!” Both of us exhaled at the same moment. From his mouth two bursts of water erupted and flew for me. From my own mouth, a huge fire ball flew out to meet them. The water hit the fire and exploded into more fog, hissing loudly like a hive of angry vipers.
“Very clever, Uchiha.” Kuno roared. “But if you think hiding in a little mist will save you, you’re sadly mistaken. It will clear…and then I’ll put you down for good.” He was right of course. The mist wouldn’t hide me much longer. I needed a new plan. Just as I began to formulate one, a thought occurred to me. A memory! A memory of a mist not unlike this one…that melted a shuriken in seconds.
“I could…I could try that jutsu!” I whispered. I stepped back and formed the sign of the horse and I began to inhale deeply. “Just remember what Mei taught you…what she showed you. Heat the chakra…but let it flow…flow like burning water…” I focused with all I had. I had to do this, I had to figure it out or else I was doomed. The mist was almost cleared.
“FOUND YOU!” Kuno came charging through the mist, appearing only 6 yards from me. He would close the distance in seconds, and then the fight was over. It was now or never!

“BURNING MIST JUTSU!” I screamed. I blew hard, mimicking the technique that Mei sensei had shown me. At first, nothing happened…but then I saw something amazing. A light fog was billowing from my lips, filling the air in front of me. However, unlike the fog Mei had released, this fog was…glowing! It was glowing like fire! A flaming fog? Had I really created a mist that burned instead of just acid mist?
“GYAAAAAAAAH!!!” I looked in in stunned amazement as the mist swallowed Kuno, and his body was on fire! He was screaming and thrashing, fighting crazily to escape my jutsu. When I heard his screams, I quickly released my hand seal and the mist dissipated. Kuno fell to the ground in a heap and I ran to his side to see what had happened. His body was covered in burns and parts of his skin looked like it had literally melted, but he was still breathing at least. His clothes were burning and torn from the intense heat. I was amazed by the technique I had just used…but even more amazed at how I had been able to do it so easily just by copying my sensei.

“The power of the Uchiha?” I wondered. Was I tapping into my hidden powers? It would explain many things…such as that feeling of rage and invigoration I felt during the fight. But how was I so easily able to replicate my sensei’s technique? There was still so much I needed to know. This was all the more reason I needed to make my way to the Hidden Leaf Village. I needed to learn about who I was…and escape others like Kuno.
“Time to go.” I sighed. “Next stop…the Hidden Leaf Village.”