The old man allowed himself to smile, amused yet grateful. On behalf of my comrades and myself, I assure you that promise won't be broken." I do not find it necessary to insist on keeping this private, for as ninjas of Konoha, you are to fight for this village and do whatever is required to protect it."Ī man in his late twenties stepped forward, bowed slightly and voiced firmly, "Many years ago, we swore upon our lives to do so. "I trust, therefore, that what is about to be revealed in this meeting won't leave this room. "There is a very important reason why I've called you," he began, voice low. And then, his pipe was placed on the floor by his knees, and he sighed heavily. For some long minutes, he remained quiet and merely observed them, seemingly pondering something. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the actual Hokage, smoke from his big pipe as he regarded his subordinates with expressionless eyes. But no one had the slightest idea, and so, they eventually turned their attention to the old man who sat before the lot of them. Upon catching a glimpse of her relaxed face as she glanced at Rei, she was suddenly hit by a wave of comforting realization.īecause, in spite of their friendship, Rei Koizumi wasn't someone she'd be eager to fight.Īn unsettling silence invaded the rather-small room inquisitive glances were shared between the Jõnin* inside as they tried to find out if any of them knew the reason behind the sudden, unexpected gathering. And if she was completely honest with herself, it also terrified her. Truthfully, the fact that the girl had been at it through the whole night without taking a single break-and, not even once, had she dropped unconscious-shocked Maki to no end. It was the result of hours of constant practice. Splinters of all sizes decorated the ground, whose previously green colour had faded into the brownish shade of the dirt that normally hid beneath. As though cut down without a care, fallen trees laid around some of them far enough for her not to see. Suppressing an amused smile, Maki sat down next to her and warily eyed the disturbing field spread in front them. Alarmed, Maki was about to reach out to her, when the girl let out a deep breath and mumbled, "Let's just rest for a bit, though." "Are you alright?" she asked, concern evident in her voice, before quickly crouching to her level.Ī weak chuckle escaped Rei, who sent her a small smile and panted, "Peachy." Then, she fell backwards ungracefully. The kunai she was holding dropped to the ground, before she rushed towards Rei as she suddenly staggered on her feet and fell on her butt. Some feet away, an astonished Maki regarded her friend and the destroyed scenery before her, mouth agape.
It didn't matter the price, nor did it matter that she was about to drop dead out of exhaustion. Her orange gaze gleamed in utter satisfaction, prideful and enthusiastic. However, the corner of her lips stretched into a grin of triumph, and as adrenaline started to wear off, she stared straight ahead. To say she was on the verge of falling unconscious wouldn't even be close to both her actual mental and physical condition. Her figure crouched over the grassy ground, and she placed her hands over her bent knees to support the heavy weight of her wounded body.
Her breath came out in puffs, laboured and fast her legs trembled due to the immense effort, her heart beat erratically inside its cage. Sweat rolled down her forehead, dirt decorated her features. ❝ There's no advantage to hurrying through life.