Pic of Tozoku's Summon  --->

Ignore the girl in the hood, she's just sort of....In the picture lol

Ashley’s POV

I groan softly, a dull pain seeming to throb in my right eye. I can feel something warm and wet dripping from my eye, trailing down my cheek. Since I had just used my Amaterasu, that can only mean that my eye is bleeding…….Great. More blood loss.

“Ashley?” a faint voice asks, sounding somewhat far away. “Ashley, can you hear me?”

My mouth pulls down into a slight frown, the pain in my mid section a lot sharper than it was only moments ago. Had I torn the injury back open? I sure hope not, because that’s going to be a bitch to fix again…

“Ashley, you sneaky brat” the voice addresses again, sounding a lot clearer now, “Open your eyes. That’s an order!”

I can’t help the way my mouth twitches up into a weak smile at that, forcing myself to open my eyes. As I open them, I find that the vision in my right eye is somewhat distorted, an annoying side effect of using my Amaterasu. Ignoring the blurriness, I glance up, only to see Kakashi’s head above me, his worried eyes trained on my face.

“Since wh-when do I take or-orders Sensei?” I ask cheekily, causing Kakashi Sensei to sigh with relief and shake his head, before giving me a closed eye smile. Kakashi’s grip seems to tighten around me a little, suddenly making me aware that he’d caught me when I fell. Good thing he’d reacted as quickly as he had, or I’d probably be a little red smear on the ground right now. It hadn’t occurred to me that when I destroyed the Centipede, it would disappear. I really need to use my foresight a little more….

“You look horrible” Kakashi feels the need to inform me, almost making me deadpan. What did he expect? I’d just had a sword stabbed through my middle and was practically swallowed alive by a demonic looking Centipede. I bet he wouldn’t be looking so good if he were in my situation either.

“Oh Ashley!” a female voice suddenly cries, causing me to blink. Before I can turn my head however, a pair of arms are thrown around me, my eyes widening as I am enveloped in a throat crushing hug.

“I’m so relieved that you’re still alive!” Kyoku informs me happily, sounding uncharacteristically enthusiastic. Probably still in the middle of an adrenaline rush or something…..

Kakashi clears his throat uncomfortably, no doubt well aware of Kyoku’s close proximity. He glances down, only to raise an eyebrow at the excited look on Kyoku’s face and the way that mine is beginning to turn blue. If I had the strength, I’d definitely be flailing my arms around in protest right now.

“Uhhh…..I think you’re choking her Kyoku” my Sensei informs the blue haired woman with an awkward closed eye smile, causing her ocean coloured eyes to pop open.

“Oops!” she says sheepishly, immediately releasing me and rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry about that…..”

I inhale and exhale deeply a few times, before sweat dropping and letting out a sigh. Turning my head, I give Kyoku a reassuring closed eye smile.

“Don’t worry about it” I reply, before pausing and sweat dropping again. “But uh…..You’ve kind of got a lot of my blood on you now….Sorry about that.”

As Kyoku glances down at her shirt to inspect the red stains, Neji sighs irritably and crosses his arms.

“You look like you’re about to die” he informs me flatly, eyes hooded. “We should probably find the Village and get you to a hospital.”

“Thanks for the sympathy” I mutter, rolling my eyes, before I wince at another quick shot of pain in my right eye, causing me to squeeze it closed for a moment. This is yet another reason not to use my Amaterasu often….

“Though I think what you did was incredibly stupid” Neji continues, narrowing his eyes at me, “How did you manage to decapitate the Centipede? And was that black stuff fire?”

“There’s blood trickling from your eye…” Kakashi speaks up slowly, before I can reply, causing me to glance up at him, “And those black flames….They seem kind of….Familiar…..”

“They were the black flames of the Amaterasu” I sigh lowly, deciding to just hurry this conversation along. Kakashi Sensei is smart, so he would have figured it out sooner or later anyway. “Yes Kakashi Sensei, I used my Sharingan.”

I can practically feel my Sensei smirking at me from behind his mask, his eyes filled with amusement. I roll my eyes as he chuckles, reaching up and wiping some of the blood from my cheek.

“And here I thought you didn’t like using your Uchiha Kekkei Genkai” he teases, to which I turn my head and glare at him.

“I don’t” I confirm haughtily. “Especially the Amaterasu and Mangekyo. I can’t afford to lose my vision…..”

“….What?” Kakashi asks softly, tilting his head and furrowing his brows in confusion at my words. Hmph. He mustn’t know about the side effects of using the Mangekyo Sharingan and Amaterasu too often. Well, I guess he wouldn’t. For one thing, he’s not an Uchiha. And two, he doesn’t have to worry about losing his vision, seeing as he got his Sharingan eye from another person.

Actually, that second point is just an assumption on my part. I have no idea how Kakashi Sensei got that Sharingan in his left eye. Seeing as he has no Uchiha blood, my best bet is to assume that he either stole it or received it from an Uchiha. I don’t really think it would be smart to ask about it though. If he wanted me to know, surely he would have told me by now….

“It was just a reflex anyway” I mutter as I blink my eyes rapidly, trying to rid my right one of its blurriness. “I wasn’t planning on using it…..At least I didn’t have to use my hands, like if I had’ve used a Jutsu.”

“The Uchiha in you must have momentarily risen to the surface” Kakashi jokes quietly, obviously deciding not to press the issue any further. Kyoku takes a step forwards, smiling at me kindly.

“You should really use your Sharingan more often” she advises me. “It’s a very powerful ability to possess.”

“I’ve gotten along just fine without using it often” I reply stiffly, causing Kyoku’s smile to falter slightly. “Can you please put me down Kakashi Sensei? I need to stop my stomach from bleeding.”

Nodding his head, Kakashi very carefully sets me down on a large rock and takes a few steps back. He adjusts his headband, recovering his left eye as I glance down to inspect the damage to my mid section.

The bandages around my stomach are completely soaked through with blood and covered in dirt, so I may as well get rid of them for now I guess. I’m sure I’ve got some bandages in the pouch on my left hip…..

As I busy myself trying to find some clean bandages, Kyoku glances around at our surroundings, sweat dropping.

“I think we should try to put some of these fires out” she suggests to Kakashi, who pauses, before nodding in agreement. “Before they get any more out of control.”

“Sorry, but I won’t be able to help you at the moment” I state dryly, savagely ripping the bloodied bandages away from my body, due to my frustration with my blurred vision. I immediately regret it though, my eyes automatically filling with tears and widening at the burning pain in my mid section, caused by the vicious movement. Right….Be careful…..

“We weren’t asking” Kakashi replies smartly, turning away and ignoring me as I cast him a dark look. “Neji, keep an eye on Ashley while Kyoku and I are gone…..We shouldn’t be too long, but just make sure she doesn’t do anything else stupid.”

“Hmph” Neji scoffs, raising an eyebrow as he smirks in my direction. “Don’t worry, it doesn’t look like she’ll be going anywhere anytime soon.”

I pause in the middle of trying to bandage myself up, sending Neji a warning look.

“I may be in a lot of pain right now Hyuga” I growl lowly, “But that doesn’t mean you can push my buttons. Don’t think I won’t come after you when I’m fully healed.”

“I’m terrified” the tall brunette informs me with a roll of his eyes, before turning to a skeptical looking Kakashi. “Don’t worry about us, we’ll just wait here until you both get back.”

“Give us about fifteen minutes” Kakashi replies, to which Kyoku tilts her head.

“You really think we’ll be able to put out all of the fires in fifteen minutes?” she asks dubiously, earning a wink from Kakashi. Well, he might just be blinking actually. It’s hard to tell when his other eye is covered….

“You’re more skilled with Water Style Jutsu than anyone I’ve met before” he informs the blue haired woman cheekily, “So yeah, I’m positive we’ll be done within fifteen minutes, if not sooner.”

Kyoku blinks her hooded eyes, giving Kakashi a hint of a smile, when Neji sighs loudly and rolls his eyes for the hundredth time.

“Just go already!” he orders, exasperated with the two older Jonin. I smirk as Kakashi sends Neji an irritated look, before he and Kyoku bound across the ground, swiftly disappearing from our sight.

“It’s like watching your Grandparents flirt…..” Neji sighs, his shoulders slumping slightly, before he drops down on the rock beside me.

Third Person’s POV

Peikirin limps through the blackened forest, her breathing raspy and laboured. She leans against a thin branch as she walks, using it to help support her. She squeezes one pink eye closed, sweat and blood stinging her open one.

That silver haired Jonin from the Leaf Village had really done a number on her, yet he hadn’t killed her. Her Mirror Clones hadn’t been so lucky, so Peikirin was a little confused as to why Kakashi had spared her. Didn’t he know that showing mercy to the enemy was a big mistake? Well, Peikirin was going to show him what a mistake he’d made by sparing her!

Pausing momentarily and leaning her weight against the branch, the panting girl glances up, spotting someone crouching in the bushes ahead of her. She smiles despite her weak state and pushes forwards, biting her lip due to the pain wracking her entire body. How Kakashi’s electrical attacks hadn’t killed her, Peikirin had no clue. The man obviously had amazing chakra control….

Hearing Peikirin approaching, the person in the bushes stiffens, before leaning back and turning their head in her direction. As Peikirin grins tiredly, the person before her just scowls and rolls her eyes.

“It’s about time you showed up” Tozoku hisses, her eyes blazing accusingly. “You completely failed your mission! Ashley’s still alive!”

Peikirin’s smile completely disappears, a shameful look appearing on her face instead. Tozoku merely shakes her head and turns back around, watching a small group of people through the burnt foliage.

“And she killed my Centipede as well” the red head mutters under her breath, hands balling into fists as she stares at Ashley. “She just keeps on pissing me off…..”

“I d-didn’t mean to fail” Peikirin suddenly breathes in Tozoku’s ear, making her jump. Annoyed, Tozoku places a hand on the crouching blonde’s chest and shoves her away, causing Peikirin to fall over backwards.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Peikirin slowly pulls herself into a sitting position, rubbing the back of her head. She begins pouting sadly, unhappy that she’d made Tozoku so mad at her. She’d tried her best!

“I’m sorry Tozoku” she apologises pitifully, looking down and sighing. “This huge….Wolf surprised me in the f-forest…..And then that guy with the silver hair attacked me…..You kn-know I don’t think properly when I see…..Wolves….”

Tozoku smirks knowingly to herself, thinking her blonde teammate to be a complete idiot. Peikirin obviously hadn’t realised that the Wolf she’d come across in the forest was one of Tozoku’s Summoning creatures. Surely she’d recognised the Wolf’s hellish features, seeing as Tozoku specialised in summoning demonic looking creatures.

Seeing as Peikirin hadn’t been able to kill Ashley, despite going into a frenzied state due to Tozoku’s Wolf, the red head couldn’t really think of anymore uses for Peikirin. She was just dead weight now.

Hearing soft footsteps behind her, Tozoku’s smirk grows, her eyes narrowing. Perfect.

“Dispose of her” the red head orders out loud, causing a question mark to appear above Peikirin’s head. Was Tozoku addressing her?

“Y-You want me to fight?” the blonde questions uncertainly. “Despite my condition-”

Peikirin cuts herself off, feeling warm air blasting the back of her neck in short bursts, the sound of heavy breathing reaching her ears.

Tozoku’s eyes widen slightly as she sees Kakashi and Kyoku suddenly leap away, leaving Ashley and Neji together on a large rock. This couldn’t be turning out any better…..Ashley was severely injured and would be an easy target.

“What the-” Peikirin begins, only to turn around and freeze, her pink eyes wide. She stares into the glowing blue eyes of the feral looking Wolf she’d met earlier, its lips pulled back in a silent growl.

As she opens her mouth to scream, the ugly creature leaps forwards with its jaws agape. The Wolf sinks its razor sharp teeth into the surprised Peikirin’s throat, before jerking its head back and tearing a huge chunk of flesh from the girl’s neck.

The blonde stumbles backwards in shock, blood spurting from the gaping wound in her neck. She throws her hands over the injury, trying to hold her blood in, but failing miserably. She opens her mouth to scream in pain, but only a soft gurgling sound escapes her lips, trickles of blood dripping from her mouth.

Licking its lips, the Wolf wastes no time in pouncing on Peikirin again and finishing her off, tearing her body to pieces. Upon killing Peikirin, the hulking Wolf stalks over to Tozoku and crouches beside her, blue eyes focusing on the blonde girl ahead of them.

“That’s your target” Tozoku chuckles lowly, eyes flashing with anticipation.

Ashley’s POV

I drop my right hand from my stomach and release a shaky breath, momentarily closing my eyes. Feeling a little lightheaded, I slump against Neji, my back resting against his shoulder.

With great difficulty, I’d managed to heal my mid section enough to stop the bleeding, but that had taken lot out of me. It’s not like I have an unlimited supply of chakra, and I’ve received quite a few hard knocks today, so I can’t help that I’m annoyingly weak at the moment. And Hakuba’s not exactly offering to fuel me with his chakra, not that I’d accept that sort of offer. I don’t really want to go all Ten Tails when I’m on television….

Neji glances down at me, raising an eyebrow at the messy bandages I’d been struggling with for the last minute or so. I’d managed to get a fair bit of blood on them, but since I can only use one hand right now, it’s pretty much impossible to wrap them around myself.

Heaving a big sigh, Neji jumps down from the rock, almost making me fall right over.

“Hey!” I bark, glaring down at the Hyuga. “What was that f-”

I pause, eyes widening as Neji scoops up the unravelled bandages and stands right in front of me, staring at me through hooded eyes. I stare right back, briefly realising that Neji is actually quite attractive. Well, he’s pretty anyway…..Like a girl. He’d make one hell of a girl. I can’t say I’m really attracted to pretty boys myself…..

“It’s really beginning to annoy me that you’re having so much difficulty completing a task as simple as this” Neji informs me flatly, leaning in very close as he gently wraps the bandages around my back, our noses almost touching. “It’ll be so much quicker if I just do it myself.”

I blink a few times, feeling somewhat awkward about our unusually close proximity. Neji rolls his eyes, seemingly unable to go without doing so for even five minutes, before flicking them down to watch what he’s doing.

“Uhh….” I begin awkwardly, unsure of where to look since Neji’s face is about the only thing I can see. “Thanks……For the help….”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it” the Hyuga mutters, though I can practically hear the smirk in his voice. Annoying prick, he’s probably gloating to himself because he’s had to help me with such a menial task. I should really knee him in the balls. He’d deserve it.

Not one minute later, Neji straightens up, crossing his arms over his chest and giving me an arrogant smirk. My face immediately hardens, the look on his face making all thoughts of thanking him again fly from my mind.

“All done” the pale eyed boy informs me, raising an eyebrow. “That wasn’t too hard at all-”

Before Neji can finish whatever it is he was going to say, something large slams into him, causing the male to shoot out of my view. My eyes widen from the sudden movement, before I turn around, only to see Neji lying on the ground, three large gash marks across his chest.

“Neji!” I cry, before wincing in pain and pressing a hand against my stomach. “What the-”

“You’re such a pain” a familiar voice sneers, causing me to raise my head. “Why won’t you just die already?”

“Tozoku” I growl, my eyes narrowing at the smirking red head, her hands on her hips. “I’ve actually wondered the same thing about you a few times as well.”

Tozoku’s smirk drops, something sinister flashing through her eyes and putting me on edge. She grits her teeth and clenches her fists, shaking her head as she glares hatefully at me.

“You may have killed my Centipede” she seethes, “But now you’re barely able to stand, and now you’re a sitting duck for my Wolf. Revenge will be bloody and painful…..for you anyway.”

“That doesn’t even make sense” I scoff. “What’re you talking abo-”

I cut myself off, my head snapping around when I hear a pained groan from Neji, only for my eyes to widen again. The blurriness in my right eye is slowly beginning to wear off, although the thing standing above Neji just looks like a black, fuzzy smudge. With my clear left eye, I am able to discern that the smudge is actually a huge, feral looking black Wolf with insanely large fangs.

It presses a clawed foot down on a dazed Neji’s chest, causing him to groan in pain again, the animal glaring at me through eerie, glowing blue eyes.

“This is a good day for me” Tozoku announces breezily, though my eyes stay focused on the now snarling Wolf, my body tensed and ready to move if need be. “I’ll finally get to see you die and when you’re dead, I think I’ll take a little trip to the Leaf Village…..Kiba-kun still lives there right?”

My blood immediately boils at that and I, stupidly, whirl around to glare at Tozoku, turning my back to the creepy Wolf. She’s still so hung up on Kiba?! She only met him like, three times! I can’t believe she’s seriously going to all this trouble to get rid of me, and all to get at Kiba!.....How did Tozoku even get to be a Ninja, with a mind set like that?

My eyes widen as the Wolf behind me lets out a ferocious, deranged sounding roar, sending a slight shiver up my spine. I feel the large creature leap up from the ground and launch itself at me, causing me to swiftly focus some chakra into my feet.

“Dammit….” I mutter, before biting my lip and jumping high up into the air, feeling as heavy as lead. Man, I really need some time to recuperate….

Down below me, I hear Tozoku’s Wolf crash into the rock I’d just been sitting on, obliterating it to pieces. It growls furiously, as Tozoku begins berating it for missing me, ordering the creature to try harder.

I drop down to the ground a few metres away, landing heavily and stumbling to one knee, one eye scrunched closed as my insides feel like they’re being crushed from the impact. Unpleasant.

“Get her!” Tozoku screams in her shrill voice, jabbing a finger towards me, only for the Wolf to howl and charge towards me, its humongous paws thumping against the ground.

Seeing the incoming animal, I quickly rise to my feet and whirl around, running into the forest and hoping to lose it. My legs shake violently as I run, threatening to give out on me any second.

I briefly spot Neji climbing to his feet, angry eyes focused on Tozoku’s grinning face as he begins performing shaky hand signs. At least he’d be able to defend himself against her…

‘Sorry for running Neji’ I think briefly, only to skid to a halt and duck, as the Wolf goes flying over my head, having launched itself at me again. I watch as it crashes into a tree, shattering the trunk and toppling to the ground. As I take a few shaky steps backwards, the Wolf pushes itself to its feet, shaking hundreds of splinters of wood from its coarse fur.

The Wolf turns its head and glares at me, pulling its lips back and baring its unnaturally large teeth at me, saliva dripping from its mouth. I return its growl with one of my own, baring my sharp teeth back at the Wolf.

“Why don’t you go back to the hell hole you and Tozoku crawled out of?!” I snap, raising my good arm and activating my Katsuryoku. With a swipe of my arm, a large arc of Wind shoots towards the Wolf, only for the animal to dive to the side and gallop towards me.

Growling lowly, I reach down into my weapons pouch and pull out a handful of kunai, flinging them swiftly at the incoming beast. It snarls viciously as one kunai slices at its shoulder, leaving a nasty gash, before dodging two and catching another in its jaws.

Spitting the knife out, the Wolf pounces at me, paws outstretched in front of it. As I go to evade the attack, one of my knees buckles, causing me to stumble to the ground. My eyes widen as the Wolf soars over me, though it manages to twist around in mid air and slash its claws at me.

I can’t help crying out in pain as the ghastly creature’s paw deals me a heavy blow to the head, though only one of its claws is able to scratch me. I am sent rocketing to the side from the hit, before crashing into the ground and sliding along it for a few metres. I come to a stop as my back hits a tree, the jarring force winding me for a moment and giving me a couple of seconds to panic.

I am quickly able to get my breath back, much to my relief, only for my eyes to land on the Wolf ahead of me, its blue eyes locked on my face. I scowl at the feral looking animal, its head held low and its ears flat against its head as it slowly begins stalking towards me. I growl softly, my head sort of spinning due to weariness.

Would it be completely ironic if I was killed by a Wolf? Seeing as I’ve grown up with Wolves and they’re my life long partners, I think it would actually be sad. Not to mention an embarrassment to the Minami name.

“Better watch it puppy dog” I warn, smirking nastily at the still approaching Wolf, “When cornered, an animal will fight for its life.”

The Wolf seems to smirk back at me, though it’s quite possible that I’m just a little delusional at the moment. Or maybe I’ve got some sort of concussion….

Raising my arm at the same time the Wolf leaps for me, I am able to cause the fur on the animal’s back to burst into flame, though it’s not a very strong fire due to my annoyingly weakened state.

Letting out a pained roar, the Wolf writhes in the air and accidently topples to the ground, frantically rubbing his back into the dirt and trying to put out the flames. I watch on through hooded eyes, my breathing becoming more and more ragged as sweat begins to form on my brow.

Though my attacks aren’t very strong, they’re still too much for me at the moment. I hope Kakashi Sensei and Kyoku get back soon. I also hope that Neji’s doing alright against Tozoku. He’s pretty tired from all of those attacks he was using against the Centipede….Not to mention the huge slashes across his chest now….

I slowly turn my head, watching as the Wolf climbs to its feet, the fire now gone from its back. I can’t help smirking with amusement, seeing the bald patches now along its spine. Serves that thing right….

The beast glares at me hatefully, snapping its jaws and growling deep in its throat, clearly infuriated by my fiery attack. Spinning around to face me properly, the Wolf breaks into a run, bearing down on me at full pelt.

I close my eyes as the scruffy beast’s feet leave the ground, its jaws wide open and ready to snap closed around my neck.

Before the Wolf can reach me however, I hear a quiet fluttering sound, causing me to reopen my eyes. A small piece of paper floats down between us, writing scrawled on each side. I stare at the paper in confusion, only for a blinding light to suddenly erupt from it, causing to close my eyes again and turn away. My hair violently whips out behind me as the sound of electricity crackles right in front of my face, the Wolf now roaring in agony. Something suddenly explodes in front of me, causing me to jump and shield my face with my good arm.

After a few moments, the crackling electricity fades away, the blinding light also disappearing. I take a few deep breaths, before cautiously lowering my arm and glancing around.

To my right, I see Tozoku’s Wolf lying amongst the remains on a large boulder, steam rising from its fur. Narrowing my eyes in confusion, I look down, only to see someone crouched in front of me. I stare at the black haired male for a few moments, before he turns his head slightly, glancing back at me through his silver eyes.

“Zee….” I mutter, only for both of our heads to snap up as the Wolf rises to his feet, shaking himself vigorously. Zee also climbs to his feet, holding up a hand for me to stay put, as his silver eyes stay focused on the enraged creature.

I see the young Snow Ninja pull out some more pieces of paper from each sleeve of his jacket, almost like kunai that he’d hidden up his sleeve or something. As the Wolf runs towards him, Zee leaps up into the air, flicking his wrist and sending one of the pieces of paper down to the earth. It sticks to the ground, and as Zee lands up on a branch, he kneels down, performing a hand sign.

My eyes widen with intrigue as the paper on the earth begins glowing brightly, before the ground begins rumbling and quaking. Before I can even wonder what Zee had done, a thick, clay like substance suddenly shoots up out of the paper, swirling through the air and locking on to the Wolf.

Seeing the incoming clay, the Wolf darts to the side, trying to out manoeuvre it. It continues this pattern for about twenty more seconds, before the clay manages to catch up. A small tendril of the thick substance wraps around its ankles, before more tendrils snake around its body, rendering the Wolf immobile.

The creature begins thrashing about angrily, struggling to break free from its prison. My mouth sets in a hard line as I see the clay stuff beginning to bend, obviously not reinforced enough to hold such a powerful foe. What would Zee do now?

Remaining as silent as ever, Zee coolly throws the second piece of rectangular paper down towards the ground. To my surprise, the paper stops in mid air, floating right in front of the thrashing Wolf. Zee performs another hand sign, causing the paper to glow brightly, just like the previous ones had.

I almost jump as a huge, roaring flame suddenly bursts out of the paper, dowsing the Wolf in burning hot fire. The roar of the flames is so loud, I almost can’t hear the Wolf howling in agony.

‘How is he able to perform such powerful Jutsu at his age?’ I can’t help wondering, my brows furrowed as I stare up at Zee’s silent figure. ‘And how can he use so many different elements?...’

As I look over to the glowing paper, something suddenly clicks in my mind. Kyoku had explained these things to me this morning, when I’d questioned Yue’s similar style of attacking.

“How did she even do that Jutsu?” I wonder out loud, referring to Yue’s attack. “I didn’t expect her to have the chakra for such an attack.”

“I saw her pull out a Spell Tag before” Kyoku informs me quietly, eyes flicking down to look at her wound. “That’s probably how she did it.”

“A Spell Tag?” I ask curiously, having never heard of such a thing. “What’s a Spell Tag?”

“They’re a special kind of weapon” Kyoku explains, resting the back of her head against the bark of the tree we’re in, “And they’re only made in the Hidden Snow Village. They refuse to sell the weapon to anyone outside of the Village, to keep it a secret. Basically, it’s a tag that has some kind of Jutsu sealed into it, and when someone focuses their chakra into the tag, the sealed Jutsu will activate.”

“Spell Tags….” I mutter, watching curiously as the Spell Tag suddenly dulls, the fiery Jutsu immediately ceasing when the paper flutters to the ground. Glancing back up again, I see that not only has Zee’s Fire Jutsu hurt the demonic Wolf, it has also solidified the clay, making escape from its grip impossible. Clever.

Zee then produces two kunai, flipping down from the tree as he flicks them towards the Wolf to finish it off. With fantastic accuracy, one kunai pierces through the Wolf’s chest, while the second goes straight through its head, killing it instantly.

As Zee lands on the ground on one knee, the now bloodied Wolf disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving us in relative silence. Though Zee had just protected me, I can’t help narrowing my eyes at him suspiciously as he turns his head to face me, face blank.

His eyes drag down my trembling body, a hint of a frown appearing on his face as he takes in the extent of my wounds.

“Are you alright?” the young male asks me in a soft voice, rising to his feet and taking a step towards me. I part my lips slightly, unable to hold in the tiny growl that leaves my mouth. I can’t help feeling a little wary of Zee, I mean, he’s from another Village. I’d be stupid to trust him already. He may have helped me out, but he’s obviously a very capable Ninja despite his young age, and I’m wounded pretty badly. Annoyingly, I make an easy target at the moment.

Upon hearing my growl, Zee pauses, head tilting to the side. Seems he’s quite smart too….

“Why d-did you help me?” I ask sharply, wincing slightly as I try to shift my position against the tree trunk. The young Snow Ninja stares at me for a moment, before shrugging one shoulder.

“You needed help” he explains simply, sounding very calm. “I saw what you did to stop that Centipede……And…You don’t seem like a bad person.”

I watch Zee through hooded eyes as he edges closer to me, probably going slow as to avoid irritating me further. Not that it makes a difference how quickly he approaches me, I’m not like an animal that’s going to bolt away just because someone makes a sudden movement.

Crouching down beside me, Zee seemingly ignores the suspicious look in my eyes and holds his hand out towards me, silently offering to help me up. Staring at him for a moment longer, I let out a sigh and grab onto him with my good hand, allowing the kid to gently pull me to my feet.

“Uh” I grunt, pulling a face at the sharp pain that flashes through my mid section, before Zee hooks my right arm around his neck and wraps his left one around my waist, supporting my weight and helping me to stay upright.

“I’ll take you back to your friends” Zee informs me softly, silver eyes focused up ahead as we begin the slow walk back to where Kakashi Sensei had left me with Neji. As we walk, Zee remains silent, though the silence doesn’t feel awkward. It’s more like he’s just content to listen to everything around him and not fill the air with useless words. I appreciate that though. There are so many people who just talk too much.

“Th-Those Spell Tags of yours are pretty a-amazing” I speak up, stuttering involuntarily due to the intense pain wracking my tired body. Zee glances at me from the corner of his eye, before nodding.

“Yes, they are” he replies quietly. “I’m surprised you know of them….”

“A friend told me about them just recently” I explain lowly, stumbling alongside Zee ungracefully. “For s-such a young k-kid, you seem to h-have a pretty good handle on them.”

“Thank you” is the soft reply. “I have undergone rigorous training back in my Village to wield them properly.”

Before I can reply, someone drops down in front of us and almost instantly, Zee has a kunai brandished in his free hand. Hmph, he’s got pretty good reaction time. This is one talented kid, if his actions during this whole Tournament are anything to go by.

“Relax, th-this is my Sensei” I inform Zee, to which the charcoal haired boy nods and puts his kunai away.

“Ashley” Kakashi Sensei begins, giving me a confused look as he straightens up from his defensive position, “What’s going on? Are you alright?”

“I’m just peachy” I respond sarcastically, to which Kakashi sweat drops. “Th-This is Zee, he helped me out w-when Tozoku attacked me and Neji.”

“….I see” Kakashi replies after a short pause, giving Zee a suspicious look as he walks over to us. “Thanks for your help, but I’ll take her from here.”

Zee remains silent, but nods his head in understanding as he carefully removes his arm from around me, allowing Kakashi to grab me by the shoulders. Before I can protest, Kakashi sweeps my feet out from underneath me and carries me bridal style.

“Kakashi Sensei!” I bark, before scrunching my eyes closed and wincing in pain. The sudden movement had hurt! Idiot Kakashi…

“You’re in no condition to be walking” my Sensei informs me matter of factly. “And besides, it’s quicker for everyone if I just carry you.”

“Whatever” I mutter begrudgingly, before opening one eye and glancing down at Zee. “D-Do you wanna stick with us? I-It’ll be safer.”

“No thank you” the young Snow Ninja replies giving me a tiny closed eye smile as he turns around. “I have to find my older sister so we can get out of here together.”

“Okay well, thank you……” I trail off as Zee turns around, waving over his shoulder and sprinting off into the forest.

“Good kid” Kakashi comments, as he begins walking in the opposite direction, to which I nod my head. Zee didn’t have to risk his own life and help me out, but it was good of him to anyway. I may not show it, but I’m thankful for his intervention back there. Who knows how long I would have lasted on my own?.....

“Is Neji alright?” I asks worriedly, the thought suddenly coming to mind. He’d been left alone with Tozoku of course, and though he’s a very powerful Ninja, he was pretty wiped out from fighting the Centipede….

“See for yourself when we get back” Kakashi chuckles, to which I sigh and close my eyes, happy to rest for just a moment. We travel in silence for a few more minutes, before Kakashi cheekily jostles me in his arms, earning an accusatory glare from me. Doesn’t he realise that I’m injured?

“Let me go!” a shrill voice suddenly screeches, causing me to deadpan and turn my head. On the ground beside an irritated looking Neji, Tozoku sits with her arms tied behind her back, secured with a thick rope. Her face is red with anger, eyes flashing madly as she continues screaming and kicking her feet like a child.

“To spare everyone an inevitable headache” Neji begins, rubbing his temples, “We should really just kill her….”

“Unfortunately we can’t do that Neji” Kakashi speaks up, causing everyone to look up. Kyoku, leaning against a tree with one foot also resting against the trunk, closes her eyes and sends us a smile as Neji just scowls and crosses his arms with irritation. Tozoku’s eyes immediately land on me, her mouth turning even further down.

“What?!” she screeches, “You’re still alive?! Ahhhhhhhhhh, it’s not faaiirrr! I went to so much trouble to get rid of you!”

“How is it that such a crybaby c-caused us so much t-trouble?” I ask with a heavy sigh, closing my eyes again. “I w-wonder if all of the others h-have found their flags a-and finished the T-Tournament yet…..”

“After everything that’s happened” Kakashi begins, one eyebrow raised, “You still care about winning?”

“I don’t like t-to lose” I reply simply, cracking one of my eyes open to glance up at my Sensei. He shakes his head, before turning his head.

“Well then, this should make you happy” he says mysteriously. “Neji?”

Looking over at the Hyuga, I see him heave a deep sigh and reach into his white robe. Fumbling around for a few seconds, the unimpressed looking brunette pulls out a small green flag and waves it unenthusiastically, making a smirk appear on my face.

“Sweet!” I cry, before grunting in pain and holding my stomach with my hands. Though hospitals bore me, I could really do with a visit to one right now…

“We should find a spot to get some rest” Neji suggests wryly, placing our flag back inside his robe. “It’s starting to get pretty dark now and I don’t know about any of you, but I don’t have a lot of energy left.”

“Yeah” Kakashi agrees, only for Kyoku to speak up before he can say anything else.

“Hey” she says softly, pushing away from her tree and pointing directly ahead of us. “What’s their hurry?”

As everyone turns to see what she’s taking about, Tozoku lets out an aggravated sigh and scowls down at her feet.

“Great” she mutters. “Grass Village Jonin…..”

All of our eyes widen at this, as we watch two Ninja sprinting towards us, swiftly growing from distance black specks to very visible, muscular men. They skid to a halt when they reach us, panting heavily as their eyes flicking between all of us frantically.

“Great” the first man speaks up, “All four Leaf Ninja are here…..Though one of them seems to be severely wounded…..One Grass Ninja also appears to be here….”

“Tozoku Rinosuke” the second man growls, a frown crossing his face as he glares at the girl. “She is the one responsible for the Centipede attack…..You’re in big trouble kid.”

“We’ll deal with that later” the first man sighs, wiping some sweat from his forehead. “We’ve got to get this Leaf Ninja back to the Village.”

“Are you guys alright?” Kakashi asks unsurely, looking between the two Grass Ninja in confusion. They send us tired smiles and nod a few times.

“Yes, we’re fine” the first Shinobi confirms. “Just a little out of breath, seeing as we ran all the way here from the Village.”

“It’s normally a twenty six hour journey to the forest if you walk” the second man explains, unclipping a large scroll from his back. “We sprinted the whole way with only one short break, so we’re a little out of breath.”

“But why are you both here?” Kyoku questions, hand on her hip. “I thought we had to make it back to the Village to win the Tournament?”

“That was the original objective” the second man confirms, dropping the scroll to the ground with a thump and kicking it open, “But since the Centipede incident, we decided that retrieving all of the teams was more important. There are other Grass Jonin scouring the forest now for the remaining competitors.”

“We’re here to transport you all back to the arena” the first man explains, motioning towards the large scroll as his companion begins performing hand signs. “You’ll receive all the medical attention you need as well. Now, if you’ll all please step on the Warp Scroll, we’ll transport you back.”

“C’mon then team” Kakashi encourages, stepping onto the Warp Scroll, still carrying me in his arms. “Let’s get out of here.”

Neji sighs with relief and strides over to us, while a smiling Kyoku drags Tozoku roughly across the ground, seemingly oblivious to the red heads shouts of protest.

She dumps Tozoku down on the thick parchment, before the Grass Ninja finishes his hand signs, causing us to instantly disappear from the forest.