'Tis a long boi
Miyoko's scream forced Kiba into action.
He spun around, leaping over a sweeping foot. Landing smoothly, he threw two kunai and immediately ducked.
"Shino!" He forced through gritted teeth. "Get Miyoko—" Kiba leapt to the side, crashing into the ground to avoid a stab from a katana. "—sama away from here!"
Not sparing a second to glance at Shino, who nodded, Kiba flew through hand signs and slammed a hand onto the ground. The earth shook before rising in a dirt wall.
"Go!"
Shino ushered the daimyo's granddaughter away, glancing back at his teammate uncertainly. 'I didn't know he already knew his chakra nature, much less any jutsu to compliment it.'
He sent out half of his colony to swarm the attacker as they retreated into the woods, coming to a stop beside a large oak tree. "Stay here." He ordered the whimpering girl, who nodded shakily.
As quickly as he could, he ran back to aid Kiba. Shino arrived on the battlefield to see Kiba perform the 'headhunter jutsu,' dragging the bounty hunter into the ground until only his head popped out. Kiba reappeared in front of him and gripped his own bleeding arm.
Shino made his way to stand beside the Inuzuka, who seemed to notice his concerns despite being silent. "I'm fine." He grunted, though he removed his hand from his arm to show blood on the palm. "The guy wasn't that hard. What do we do about him though?" He jerked his chin to the enraged head in the ground.
"Release me!" The man hissed.
Kiba rolled his eyes. "Sure." He drawled sarcastically. "I wanna knock 'em out, but it might snap his neck and that's a bit unnecessary."
Shino sighed and walked over to the captured hunter, reaching behind to their neck and pressing firmly on one of their pressure points. The head lolled back and slumped.
"We still have to keep a look out for the other thirteen though. They can't be too far off." Kiba muttered. He kneeled down beside the head and took a sniff. Akamaru did the same.
"What are you doing?" Shino couldn't help but scrunch his nose.
"Duh, getting his scent. If they were around the other bounty hunters, I can now sniff them out. I already have a heightened smell because of my clan, but concentrating chakra to my nose increases that a thousandfold. Maybe." Kiba waved his hand. "Let's get back to Miyoko, and continue on our way." He grimaced.
Shino noticed the bandages on his left forearm were loosened in the fight, revealing part of what seemed to be a seal tattoo. He chose not to mention it and turned on his heel, going back to Miyoko.
::
"Fuck! Fuck, fuck!" Kiba cursed.
Shino gave him an unimpressed stare.
They were surrounded. Six, perhaps seven if their sensor capabilities were anything to go by and one was hiding, and they were fucked.
"Give her up kids, and we'll be on our way!" One crowed, sounding far too excited to fight children than she should have.
"Go fuck yourself!" Kiba growled, throwing a kunai at her. The woman just chuckled and caught it with ease, not realizing the disguised tag wrapped around the hilt.
In one swift motion, Kiba formed the activation hand sign and covered his ears as the kunai exploded in the woman's hand.
Kiba grimaced, but he had no time to think about the damage or consequences because the other six were upon them. Barely dodging an incoming kick, Kiba ducked as Akamaru leaped onto the man and clawed his face.
Trying not to think about it too much, he shoved his kunai into the man's torso until it was dark up to the hilt. Removing the bloody kunai and watching the man collapse, Kiba moved closer to the panicked Miyoko.
In an effort to conjure up more chakra, Kiba's shaky hands formed the bird sign and an earthy pillar rose beneath their feet. Kiba tried not to feel disappointed, though the jutsu was supposed to make multiple pillars, one was better than none.
Three circled the earth pillar as the other half of the group charged at Shino. Kiba watched in horror as they surrounded the Aburame, who held his own and took down two of them. The last delivered a nasty blow to the head, staggering Shino.
He had no time to help, for the other three were already climbing up to him. Cursing, Kiba kicked one of them off the pillar and jammed a kunai into the shoulder of another. The last one seemed far more capable, most likely with shinobi training, as they destroyed the earthen pillar Kiba stood atop and nearly cut Kiba to ribbons.
Akamaru came to the rescue, clamping down harshly on the man's leg when he was distracted. Trying hard not to vomit, Kiba slit the man's throat. Gagging, he rushed to Miyoko and Shino's side.
Shino blinked blearily as he tried not to sway. It was as if the whole world was spinning under his feet, and he stumbled a bit, clutching his head. Trying to ignore the wave of nausea that rolled over him, he squinted through his cracked glasses as Kiba identified the ones that were dead, and the ones that were simply knocked out.
Kiba slipped a paper out of his holster, kneeling beside the ones unconscious to wrap it around their wrists. He swiftly tied them up. Glancing behind him, he narrowed his eyes at the dizzy Aburame and terrified princess.
'We have to get out of the open.' Akamaru barked. 'The rest of the group will catch on soon enough, but we're injured and gotta rest.'
Kiba nodded and stood on shaking knees, wrapping an arm around Miyoko's torso and allowing her to slump against him.
"We can stay in the cave nearby for a bit." Kiba mumbled, sniffing the air for any sign of the other bounty hunters. He grimaced when the scent of blood overtook everything, and tried to shake it off as they limped away.
Kiba hissed in pain when Miyoko accidentally pressed against a particularly bad stab wound.
::
Shino tried not to trip.
Noticeably, at least.
But Kiba noticed, and he also noticed the way the Aburame stumbled and swayed, clutching his head and blinking rapidly.
Also, Shino paused to retch into a bush, so maybe he wasn't that subtle. He squinted through his dark, cracked and broken glasses, irritated by the sun. The ringing in his ears wouldn't stop persisting since getting kicked in the goddamn head.
As they slumped against the wall in the cave, Kiba sighed softly. Miyoko passed out from exhaustion and shock nearly immediately, and Shino watched as Kiba gently moved her out of the way and started bandaging up his cuts. He frowned when he realized his jacket was pretty much shredded to pieces, and discarded it quickly.
Shino probably should have felt tired after such a strenuous fight. Oddly enough, he didn't. But he didn't feel energized either. It was as if he was just...there. He tried not to think about it too much, since when he did his head started pounding painfully.
"Shino." Kiba grunted, tightening his bandages. "Do you have any bad cuts or stab wounds? I can clean them and bandage them up for you."
Shino's eyebrows furrowed, and he didn't answer.
"Shino?"
He didn't respond, staring blankly ahead.
Kiba scooted closer to him, nudging the boy. "Shit." He muttered. "I think I know what's going on.." he mumbled. The Aburame looked down at him. "Shino, can you remember who the first Hokage is?"
Shino wanted to scoff. Of course he did. It was...No, of course he knew, his name was..it escaped him. "I-I.."
Kiba's eyes sharpened as he stared at Shino. "Shino, can you touch the bridge of your nose for me?"
It should have been easy enough. But as Shino tried, he missed. He tried again, nearly poking his eye out. Kiba hurriedly stopped him, gazing at him in a way Shino couldn't describe.
The Aburame watched, in a detached intruige, as the boy sprawled out a scroll and summoned food and water from it, another already open with bandages and antiseptic.
::
He was the brother of Hana Inuzuka, after all. He picked up a couple of medical tips from hanging around her so much.
Ignoring the small, persistent ache in his heart, he helped Shino shrug off his jacket and began wrapping bandages around his wounds. Kiba grimaced at the way Shino's eyes darted frantically around, as if he suddenly couldn't remember where he was.
He offered a water bottle to the disoriented boy. "You need to stay hydrated with a concussion and wounds like that."
Shino hesitantly accepted it, watching one of his bugs crawl up the cave wall.
"They'll find us." Kiba murmured tiredly, bringing Akamaru up to his chest. The dog snored quietly, fatigued from the crappy day's events. "I know they will."
Shino said nothing in reply, instead shifting in his spot on the uncomfortable stone floor.
He wasn't sure if by they, Kiba meant the bounty hunters or a team of shinobi from Konoha.
"Can't sleep?" Shino croaked out, surprised by his own voice. It was as if he couldn't control the words that spilled from his mouth. "I can't."
Kiba pulled up his legs to lay his chin on his knees, a frown playing at his lips. "Me too, I guess. I think I'm still a bit in shock really."
They were quiet for a moment before Shino spoke again. His voice weak, he whispered, "Kiba?"
'I guess we're past using honorifics, huh?' Kiba mused to himself internally. He turned his head to the battered Aburame. "Yeah?"
"Can you...talk?" A disoriented, concussed Shino still managed to sound hesitant and embarrassed for requesting such a thing.
"What?"
Shino stared at the cave walls, the stench of blood heavy in the air and the ground uncomfortable beneath him. "I need something familiar." He admitted.
"Oh. Sure." Kiba winced as he readjusted his leg. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, leaving aches and pains behind for the Inuzuka to deal with.
"So let me tell you all about how Iruka is a little bitch. Get ready to be enlightened, dear friend." Kiba chuckled, trying his best to lighten the dreary mood.
Shino simply nodded, moving to Kiba's side slowly.
The cave was filled with Kiba's fond chattering, rambling about Sasuke or the constellations or fuinjutsu or his dogs, and as Shino began feeling tired, Hana Inuzuka.
And when Shino closed his eyes and listened to Kiba talk, everything felt a bit more normal and familiar.
Kiba's talking ceased when he noticed Shino breathing evenly beside him. His gaze turned soft as he allowed himself to fall asleep, at least for a bit.
'He's not so bad.' He yawned.
::
Kurenai was the first to volunteer to be on the rescue and retrieval mission, the one issued a day past the mission's due date.
While usually the Hokage would wait longer before sending one out, this particular mission had many special circumstances:
1. The team consisted of children. They were under-experienced, genin, and all of important status.
2. The daimyo and his family were very pushy, pressuring them into near immediate action. They actually insisted on sending a team out a full two hours after when Kiba and his team were supposed to arrive.
3. Two of his best jonin had already volunteered and were practically begging him to go.
The two jonin were of course Kurenai Yuhi, and more surprisingly, Kakashi Hatake.
Really, he wasn't going because he knew Kiba or was personally worried. It was because he had never seen Sasuke Uchiha so restless. The boy, usually calm and collected, was always distracted and deep in thought, distressed and nervous.
When he learned what was the reason, he barely hesitated to offer his services.
Kakashi summoned Pakkun, who was quick on the uptake and sniffed the jacket Sasuke supplied with them.
"There's a trail." He grunted, gesturing with one paw.
Kurenai and Kakashi followed swiftly, and for the most part they stuck to the earthy path that was set for the team. That was, until they encountered their first surprise of the day.
A head, stuck in the ground.
Kakashi instantly recognized the jutsu, as well as the face to match. Kaizaw Mitoshi, famed bounty hunter.
"Hey! Let me out of here, shinobi!" He shouted.
Kakashi began inspected the wreckage around them as Kurenai kneeled beside the man to question him.
Something caught his eye. A triangle, crudely carved into the bark of a tree. When Kurenai joined him, he noted how her eyes lit up in pride.
"Kiba," she whispered. "You smart boy."
Kakashi cocked his head to the side. "Wouldn't it be Shino Aburame to think of this?"
Kurenai only shook her head and followed the trail of triangles, leading them to yet another battlefield. This time, with seven bodies. Kurenai gasped at the damage.
Earth was upturned, mounds of ground that was far too fresh to be natural. Three were tied up, looking enraged, while the other five...Kakashi had to grimace. The other five were nothing but corpses. Kurenai and Kakashi identified the bodies, and both adults had to marvel at the way the hunters were killed.
"That's Kiba's earth jutsu." Kurenai murmured, gesturing to the upturned earth. She turned to the woods. "The triangles head this way."
Glancing back at the dead bodies behind them, the two jonin ran into the woods.
::
"..injured...Hokage-sa....medic...Leaf....Sasu.." The words dipped in and out, not managing to catch anything useful.
Kiba blinked tiredly, his head spinning. As his vision returned to him, he squinted at the two approaching figures. Quickly, he scrambled to his feet and held a kunai in a defensive position. "Don't come any closer." He warned, growling.
The figures hesitated, before one began to walk towards them slowly.
Kiba dropped the kunai. "K-Kurenai-sensei?" He murmured. The Inuzuka tried to rub the dirt out of his eyes, but there was no mistaking that sharp crimson gaze.
"Yes, Kiba. I'm here." Her voice was soft and welcoming, so much so that Kiba all but slumped in her arms.
"Shino's got a concussion." He mumbled, not noticing the way the jonin's flinched. "Miyoko-sama's externally fine 'cept for some bruises..she keeps fainting though." Kiba tried to blink away the sudden stinging in his eyes. "I-I tried to bandage them up, b-but I wasn't good enou—"
"Shh..Kiba, it's okay." Kurenai held him comfortingly. Kakashi made himself busy by approaching the beaten kids on the forest floor.
Kids.
Tears sprung from Kiba's eyes and he clung to Kurenai tightly. "I killed 'em, Kurenai-sensei." He sobbed. "They're dead because of me."
Kurenai said nothing, her heart weeping for the boy. She soothingly pet his hair, murmuring and repeating that it was gonna be okay, until Kiba's breathing evened and he fell asleep. Taking great care of his injuries, she picked up the teary Inuzuka.
Kakashi gently lifted both the princess and Shino, holding them close. He may not know these kids well, but they were kids, and they didn't fucking deserve any of this.
"It'll be okay."
::
Kiba fully inspected the scars that ran up his arms and legs. In such an advanced stage of medicine, especially with medical jutsu, he was patched up in no time. He was still bedridden, and he still felt like he was going to die any minute now, but the cuts were healed over.
'My jacket got shredded.' He thought sadly, remembering how Sasuke had gifted it to him.
The door slammed open.
Speak of the devil.
"What the hell were you thinking!" Sasuke shouted, rushing to the Inuzuka furiously. "You got seriously hurt, you absolute moron! You shouldn't have done that! You—You..."
A soft smile spread across Kiba's face as he looked at the worked up Uchiha.
"You fucking idiot." Sasuke choked, slipping his arms around Kiba's torso to hug him tightly. "Don't do shit like that." He mumbled.
Kiba returned the hug. "I'm okay." He breathed. He felt Sasuke relax in his arms. "I missed you, Sasuke."
Sasuke retracted, scowling. "You can't flatter your way out of this."
Kiba's smile widened into a grin. "I'm okay!" He repeated, laughing. "I'm perfectly fine. Just a couple of bruises, some cuts, the tiniest amount of trauma, but what's a mission without some?"
"A successful mission." Sasuke snapped. He sighed. "I'm sorry." The hospital bed creaked as Sasuke sat down beside Kiba. "It's just that one of these days...One of these days, you're gonna get yourself killed."
Kiba didn't reply, instead squeezing Sasuke's hand comfortingly.
::
✨
I have no idea why I'm updating so much on this book in such a short amount of time, but I am??
I thought I was on some creative streak and tried writing the other chapters for my other fics but none of them spark any writing motivation right now except for Stellar soooo
iM jUsT eXciTeD fOr wHat iS tO cOmE