Naruto: Lost In Kishimoto - Revenge [Book 2]

Chapter Fifty-Four: Peace Through Pain.

Beth POV

In an instant the air around me turned to smoke, choking me as I stumbled amongst the rubble. Screams echoed through the wind, indicative of the pain and devastation that had just occurred. The explosion was overwhelming, crumbling the village's buildings to rubble. Family homes and businesses all vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"Sasuke!" I yelled, coughing through the smoke. "Sasuke, where are you?"

"Beth!" I heard him reply. Moving in the direction of the voice, I let out a gasp as I felt my foot catch on a piece of rubble. The air rushed around me as I tumbled forwards. Pressing my arms out in front of me to cushion the blow, I felt my palms push against a mysterious surface. The surface wasn't hard like stone, but rather rough like cloth. A thick, wet substance coated my hands, the scarlet colour of fresh blood coming into view as the dust settled. Letting out a gasp I fell backwards, taking in the figure before me.

Blood coated the front of his torso, erupting from the open wound that caused his demise. His eyes were open, staring towards the sky. His muscles were relaxed, as if for the first time in many years, he was finally at rest.

"If heaven exists, then I know that's where you are sensei. I love you." With that I placed my hands together and prayed. I wasn't a religious person, but I knew that traditions, especially funerary traditions were very important in the shinobi world. Thus, I would honour my sensei, in every way that I knew how. Closing the mans eyes, I stood up, gazed upon my mentors face once more, and continued on to find Sasuke. "Now is not the time for mourning. Now is the time to fight." I whispered to myself, a single tear slipping from my eye.

"Beth!" I heard him called out again. Running towards the voice, he soon came into view.

"How did you end up all the way over here when we were right next to each other?" I asked, slightly frustrated.

"I heard crying coming from one of the buildings. A shopkeeper and his wife were trapped." My eyes widened.

"Did you get them out?" He nodded. "Good, we should keep an eye out for anyone else caught in the blast."

"What about Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"He can handle himself for now. Right now, we need to help the villagers who weren't evacuated in time." I answered adamantly. Hesitating for a moment, Sasuke soon nodded, following me as we sprinted through the ruined village. It didn't take long for us to come across numerous people who needed help. Countless villagers where trapped under collapsed buildings, injured from the initial explosions, or caught in the cross fire in the shinobi's battle against Pain. From what I could tell most of the villagers had managed to escape to their pre-determined evacuation zones, but there was only so much you could prepare for.

As Sasuke assisted a man who had been caught in one of the first explosions reach medical aid, I overheard a few whimperings coming from a nearby collapsed storefront. Shuffling through some rubble, I called out.

"Hello? Is there anyone in there?" I asked.

"I'm stuck." Cried a tiny voice. Shifting a few more pieces of rubble I managed to make out a small figure, trapped under a wooden support beam. The child couldn't have been older than six, tears and snot leaking from the childs eyes and nose.

Taking in the situation, I realized that I would have to crawl through the remains of the building in order to reach the child. Additionally, the building was moments away from collapsing completely flat. The support beam holding the boy in place also seemed to be the only thing holding the brunt of the structure. I had to move quickly and keep the boy calm so that he wouldn't move, which would only bring the building down quicker.