Sown

twenty-one

The people of Konoha, if anything, were breathtakingly resilient. From the moment the first explosion rocked the village shinobi and civilians alike converged to escort others to the underground shelters. Men dug bloodied hands into the rubble to free those trapped underneath. Military forces fell in droves sacrificing themselves to save even one more life, that knowledge bringing them peace through their journey to heaven. All people moved as a unit through the hellish battle before them, their only goal the protection of those who could not protect themselves, fueled by the Will of Fire burning in their beings.

Mere minutes had passed but already Hanae had managed to rescue thirty people. Hikoboshi raked his talons through fallen buildings, upheaving chunks of shattered infrastructure to unveil those crushed underneath. They clung to life and begged for her help, and she was more than willing to oblige. A group of fishermen had affixed a net between Hikoboshi's legs after seeing how few she could actually fit onto his back. The woman helped the less able bodied into the net before carrying them off the the roof of the hospital where a group had formed to speed up the dismounting process.

She had been given a slug upon her second return flight. Half the size of her forearm, the blue and white striped creature acted as a relay between the Hokage and the village. A disembodied voice drifted through her mind at regular intervals.

Akatsuki are attacking the village. Evacuate to the nearest shelter. There are six enemies. One is capable of multiple summons. The barn owl is an ally transport aide. Do not attack.

The slug served another purpose that she was quick to realize. Despite being tightly wrapped her arm still throbbed with pain and the overwhelming feeling of just being wrong. As soon as the mollusk perched itself on her shoulder, the woman realized that she was no longer in terrible pain. The wound had not been mended, instead it seemed that her pain receptors had been blocked. It dispelled the fog clouding her judgement and allowed her analytical mind to return.

However, it did not impede the sudden tightening of her chest mid flight. Hanae collapsed onto Hikoboshi's back with a cry, hands clutching at her heart as a white hot flash of dread filled her. A flurry of distress roared through her being and knocked the breath out of her lungs. Something had happened, something that was not an explosion or attack. Zanshin, she realized through painful gasps. That carnal part of her had been triggered by something happening below, but there was too much going on to focus on it now. People still needed her help.

Those still mobile flagged her down from below. Shinobi ushered the severely wounded into the net before waving her off to the hospital. She focused on their faces, the utter despair painted in their bleary eyes pushing her through emotional strife.

Another telepathic relay drifted through her subconscious as a mob children skittered out of the net and into the hospital. One enemy has control of magnetism. He can repel all jutsu with a five second interval between usage. Male. Twenty-five to thirty. Six nose piercings and seven ear piercings.

Magnetism? Was something like that even possible? Was gravity even an element? How could a person, living flesh and blood, control a force of the universe? The thought was absolutely horrifying.

Hanae spotted something above her. A man dressed in black at least 500 feet in the air. He stood on nothing, floating effortlessly in the air with arms raised.

"Wha-" She was strangled by a penetrating silence and a feeling of pure weightlessness. It was soon replaced by crushing pressure, numbing her limbs and mind. Hanae clapped her hands together with the last of her strength. Hikoboshi disappeared just as she was enveloped in a cold, slimy darkness.

Hanae was laying on the ground when she came to. Sunlight stung her eyes and she could feel her pupils constrict with the contact. Pain washed over her body. The dull throb in her arm turned into a burning ache, ripping a yowl deep from her stomach. A glance at the limb told her it was still in contact. But the village was not.