Chased PTII: "Growth"

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

Mana stopped running to catch a breath. It was a rather dangerous thing to do, especially when chased by someone who does not tire or need breaks. The girl could hear trees cracking and being brought down just by one reckless and mindless man charging through. “Just a couple more moments…” she thought to herself. It was very dangerous to stay bent as long as Mana did, even a second of rest was a luxury she rarely had. A tree very close to the girl’s current location cracked, upon that very moment that it did Mana’s feet kicked off the ground and pushed her forward. Never does a person run faster than when they are running for their own life. Still, as far and as fast as Mana ran she was getting tired, her legs were starting to feel numb and were about to stop listening to her commands. Mana knew what would happen when she stopped running, the girl was not about to go through that again.

She was lucky to sense the Leech coming as early as she did this morning. The girl was just minding her own business on a small campsite she built when the sensation kicked in. The bastard must’ve drained someone else before finding Mana, he still was a brainless force of nature. Even if he knew of the girl’s sensory he still let his hunger get the better of him, he drained some traveler or a bandit. “I guess even when I’m not in the village I can’t protect everyone… Some hero I turned out to be.” the magician thought to herself as she was observing the forest she was dashing through. Still, her getting an early start was what saved her from being beaten up half to death and drained of her chakra this morning. Even if it cost Mana her tent and some of her stuff that she left behind. “I’ll need to come back for that later…” she tried to put this thought deep into her mind so that she’d remember it once the chase is over.

The girl felt a hard hit in her back, a rubble of the tree hit her and part of it broke off and stayed in her back. Mana could feel a warm torrent of blood going down her back, her speed suffered a huge drop from it. Last week the girl was drained this way – the rubble hit her in the back and she did not consider that the Leech was still going. She was not about to make the same mistake again – Mana took out two kunai and stabbed them into the Leech’s thighs as he passed through her. Quickly she set off the tags and turned west, she didn’t know what was there but she needed a break, the wound in her back needs to be tended and she needs some breathing room. The Leech had been chasing her whole morning and he usually does not stop until he loses her. He once chased the girl for six hours straight before her legs gave in and then he drained her again.

By now it looked like the man enjoyed leaving Mana with just barely enough chakra to survive. It was as if he stopped being lead completely by instinct and started to rely on something more than that – passion. He was passionate about making his victims suffer, about toying with them until he was ready to end them and then crushed them mercilessly. He was having a real blast with Mana, he caught her more than ten times over the month that he was chasing her, when he did his moves became slower and softer, as if he was enjoying himself and holding himself back. It was painful. Living on the run, surviving just by the literal meaning of the word. Mana took out a knife and clenched it in her hand. She could end it, right here. This chasing, this pain, living in fear… It wasn’t the first time that the girl tumbled so deep down into the hole of darkness. Still, as it did many times before the knife came back into her pouch and tears formed in her eyes. The Leech was not what scared her at the moment – it was what she would do when she got desperate.

A large fence stopped Mana’s run, the girl simply jumped on it and over it. The trees were familiar to the girl – it was the Forest of Death. It had guards watching the entry points but Mana wasn’t worried, they were few and far in between and she didn’t enter through the entry point. Nor did her chaser require one. The girl’s pace slowed down, she started walking forward even if her legs begged her to just fall down and go to sleep. She’s been running the whole morning, if the Leech found her soon, she’d be done for. The Sennin couldn’t risk slowing down, she may not have been physically able to run anymore but she had to at the very least keep moving so that when the man after her finds her at least the girl could know she’s done everything she could to avoid him. For now Mana was just happy that she couldn’t sense the Leech, she must’ve lost him after damaging his legs. It wouldn’t be too wise to be too happy about it, if he absorbed some chakra from the travelers this morning he’s going to heal it up in a matter of minutes. Tags only left flesh wounds, once Mana even stabbed his eye with a knife and detonated it. Took the Leech whole day to heal up from it but he still did…

“Now what’s this?” the girl wondered as she entered a large structure. It looked like ruins of a place built by stone, something really ancient. Mana looked around from inside – the place was actually huge, almost like it was once a whole temple or a fortress or something… The magician kept walking forward exploring the place – it may have been a nice place to stay that night and set some traps up. She was running low on supplies though. Seeing how tags were the only thing in her arsenal to slow the Leech down she’s been relying on them way too much. “What? Chakra?” Mana mumbled. Hundreds if not more chakra signatures started popping in as she ventured forward. “Could there still be people living in here? Impossible, how can they all be ninja?” the girl was thinking hard on what her sensory suggested. The chakra levels were rather large, they varied from those of C ranking ninja to those of A ranks.

Normally Mana may have been afraid to venture forth but right now she had nothing to lose. If they were ninja they may have had ninja tools to trade or sell. It was really dangerous but the opportunity to find more tags or knives was just too sweet to ignore. “Mana-sama!” the girl heard behind her, she jumped and turned around, obviously startled by the sudden nature of someone talking to her. “My name is Usubane, welcome to the Rabbit Fortress!” the small rabbit greeted her by waving her hand from a platform slightly above the Sennin.

Spoiler:

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

“Um… Before you start with the questions, Mana-sama… May I just say that this is such an honor…” the young rabbit stuttered from where she stood. Her voice sounded soft and feminine which made the magician think that she was female. The tone of her voice shook as the young ninja animal was shy, for some reason the female rabbit appeared to have great respect for Mana. “What is this place, is it safe, Usubane-san?” the girl asked the rabbit, she didn’t like having to raise her tone, her chest and her back hurt from all the beatings and the recent wound she took. “Mana-sama… Called me… Usubane-san…WHAAAA!!!!” the rabbit started shrieking like a teenage girl seeing a pretty pair of shoes during a sale. “Ya had to do it didn’t ye? Now she ain’t gonna shut er mouth whole day, that brat…” a familiar voice reached Mana’s ears from behind.

“Zoku-chan?” the girl wondered as she turned around to face her summon, she didn’t really summon him recently so this had to be a place close to where the ninja rabbits lived. “What are ye doin? Calling me with yer sweet names, while ye call my goofball student all honorable an all!!??” Usuzoku got crazy mad, Usubane was laughing her butt of from above. “I apologize if this is entertaining you two but I am in no condition to play around. I am being chased and I’m hurt, I need a safe place to hide and bandage myself… Except… I’m all out of bandages…” Mana gripped the end of her cloak in pain and disappointment. She was running out of supplies and she hasn’t advanced in her quest to take down her chaser. “Dun worry, that bastard ain’t gonna follow ye here. He’ll sense de big guy and run as far as he can if he’s half the sensor ye say he is…” Usuzoku grunted, “The big guy?” Mana wondered what he meant.

“I know this all feels very strange to you, Mana-sama, but just let us lead you to our caves and we will see what we can do about that wound, do not worry, your chaser won’t risk taking on the whole population of ninja rabbits!” the young female rabbit jumped down the platform and came closer to Mana. She gently placed her paw on Mana’s shoulder and started leading the way. “I’m touching Mana-sama!!!” the young female rabbit mumbled to herself but the girl managed to hear it since they were in close proximity. “Umm… Sorry, Mana-sama… I’m just… A big fan. Always wanted to work with you!” Usubane let out with shyness in her voice. “Yeh, dat kid always wanted to be yer summon, Hatchling, ever since the contract scroll was retrieved. I told her it ain’t nothin special but she ain’t hearin any of it…” Usuzoku grunted following the two.

Apparently this Rabbit Fortress was once where the rabbits lived but for some reason they moved into an underground cave system once the Fortress was brought down. At least that was what Mana understood from Usubane’s rambling whole way to the catacomb system that lead into the caves. “So… Would you consider working with me, Mana-sama? Like… Maybe when Usuzoku-sensei is busy… Like… Maybe every other Friday… I mean it doesn’t really have to be missions. We can start with just… I don’t know… Anything you say. I’m pretty good with the tea ceremony… Just leaving it out there…” the young female rabbit desperately tried to catch Mana’s attention the whole time. The magician would’ve found it pretty cute if it wasn’t for the pain and need to look behind her shoulder every couple of seconds.

The underground cave system was amazing, it was almost like a small village built from the rock and minerals over time. Mana didn’t even know that the rabbits could do such a thing. “Well, this is where we live… I mean it’s no Konoha… Never really seen Konoha, I’d really like to, though.” Usubane winked at Mana trying to leave another clue in the air that the young rabbit wanted to work with her. Mana turned at Usuzoku “Why did you bring me here? You guys aren’t safe now? The Leech is going to find you guys and he’ll eventually kill all of you. You should’ve never brought me here.” the magician turned around. Her vision blurred for a moment and she stumbled. She could hear Usubane screaming and jumping around her. “CAN WE GET A DAMNED MEDIC? HATCHLING’S DYIN ERE!” Mana could hear Usuzoku shouting.

The girl was taken into one of the many houses carved into the rock. Some rabbit came over to patch Mana up. “Ye better hold onto yer pants, Hatchling, it might hurt.” Usuzoku grunted out as the rabbit took her cloak off and lifted her shirt up to examine the wound. Mana shouted out in pain as he pulled out the piece of wood and started to look around looking confused. “Where’re the bandages…” he kept mumbling to himself. “Maybe ye shoulda thought bout it before ye pulled it out, ye dumb shitface!” Usuzoku yelled out. The wife of the rabbit started healing Mana with a simple Mystic Palm jutsu, it felt like cold and refreshing liquid was being poured on the wound. “Alright, I think I got it. Here goes…” the rabbit shouted out and started patching the wound up. “I think we should let Mana-sama rest for a while. She’s been through a lot.” Usubane whispered in a high pitched and worried tone. The girl’s eyes felt tired, “I hope ye don’t mind Hatchling taking yer bed fer de night old-timer.” Usuzoku grunted and settled down near the wall right in front of the bed Mana was laying on.

“Is she asleep?” the wife of the rabbit asked. “Yeh, let er sleep up, she ain’t gonna be happy when she wakes up… She’s a dumb one, this Hatchling.” Usuzoku pouted “She’s worried that this Leech guy is gonna find us in ere, I’m not sure if we’re really safe ere myself but if dat guy wants to take on all of de rabbits let im come I say…” Mana could still hear and see them talk, her eyes were feeling heavy but she wanted to hear what they had to say to one another. Usubane looked Mana straight in the eyes, the magician faked that she’s sleeping. “Do you think she’ll accept me as a summon, Usuzoku-sensei? I’m trying my best…” Usuzoku replied something angrily but Mana couldn’t hear it. The moment she closed her eyes to fake being asleep she actually drifted off.

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

Mana’s eyes opened. The process was not easy. As the light seeped through into the girl’s eyes it caused a lot of pain. Because the whole home was illuminated with torches there weren’t that much light but little as there were still caused the young magician a headache. The Sennin slowly sat up and grabbed her forehead as if trying to alleviate the headache that was pulsing intensely. “Ugh…” she moaned as she felt a her head being a bit hot, probably a slight fever. Since she faked her death and left the village Mana found herself having colds and infections on a daily basis but this one was a bit different. “Mana-sama, you’re awake! Sorry…” Usubane shrieked out, apologizing for waking everyone in the house up as it was quite early in the morning. “I should smack ye right now, ye dumb cub!” Usuzoku shouted out angrily.

Usubane rushed up to Mana and helped her up, “Mana-sama, don’t worry, I know you think that Leech will find you here but he will not. Just stay in here for a bit, please…” she said silently. It was almost like the rabbit was begging her. “Alright, but if he makes it here, I’m luring him away from here, you guys sit still and stay safe.” the magician replied. Usubane smiled in a weird and creepy manner, Mana felt a bit creeped out by the way that the young rabbit acted and went to get some water. The young woman quickly found out that it was a mistake as the rabbit kept this weird wide smile as her default face. “Alright, what is it?” Mana sighed knowing she’d regret giving the rabbit an opportunity to talk. “You’re such a hero, Mana-sama, always caring about other people and even rabbits… Just like Usuzoku-sensei told us.” the young rabbit said. At least after clearing what was on her mind Usubane dropped that creepy smile from her face.

“Awight, Ima train ye two puny kids in rabbit style taijutsu now…” Usuzoku grunted after waking up and munching on a cabbage. Usubane looked hyped and started jumping around the whole house, for some reason Mana was not surprised by the reaction of the rabbit by the slightest. “I have no use for your training, Zoku-chan. I will not beat the Leech with taijutsu.” Mana replied rudely. Somehow this survivor lifestyle has made her more blunt and a bit more reserved. The magician could see that she’s become colder and she didn’t like it but it just couldn’t be helped. She’d have to work on it after dealing with an unstoppable man chasing her trying to suck the life out of her. “It ain’t about punchin, ye dumb broad, it’s about not getting punched.” Usuzoku yelled out. “Please, Mana-sama, please train with us, please!!!” Usubane started begging Mana with her sweet high pitched voice. “I could use some defensive training…” Mana thought to herself and nodded.

“Awight, Ima show ye how it’s done, watch an learn!” Usuzoku said and after the sentence was finished Usubane kicked off the ground and charged at the rabbit. The ninja rabbits had incredibly powerful legs so the speed at which they kicked off was amazing, Mana could barely follow the speed of the young rabbit. Without even the slightest warning the rabbit tried to kick her sensei into the air but the rabbit whacked her up instead with a boken. “It’s naht about de dodgin, Hatchling, yer dodge is yer attack, ye don’t waste yer time with dodging, ye just counter.” the rabbit grunted out as Usubane finally landed on her head. Mana rushed to see if the rabbit was OK but she just jumped up and laughed it off. “Mana-sama cares for me!!! Yay!” she yelled out and jumped up to hug Mana. The girl’s arm quickly moved down and hit the female rabbit with her elbow straight to the center of her head.

Usuzoku started clapping, “That’s the way! Yer pretty OK, Hatchling, we could make a proper Rabbit Style user outta ye!” Mana spent the rest of the morning training with the two rabbits, she had to admit as strong as she thought she was the two dwarfed her in the physical department. Mana learned a lot about dodging that morning, most importantly that dodging was a waste of time according to Usuzoku and that fluid and swift counter was the rabbit way. The girl was also really astounded by how tough the rabbits played their training, after dodging Usuzoku’s blow Usubane just dropkicked him in the face with the same motion and the rabbit flew into an unfinished rock house and almost cracked it in two. How aren’t the ninja rabbits extinct yet was completely a mystery to the magician. Suddenly the training session was broken short by a loud explosion in the northern side of the cave system.

“The Leech! Hide!” Mana ordered the two rabbits, Usubane stepped forward. “You can’t give me orders, Mana-sama!” she cried out. “I can, after all – you’re my partner summon.” Mana replied casually and rushed off. She could hear the loud excited yells of the rabbit but she could also feel her running off to hide. Without hesitation the magician rushed to the center of the cave system to stop the threat before it damages the cave system. Much to Mana’s surprise the sight that greet her was not one that she was waiting for. It wasn’t the Leech that was causing these explosions but a small, white, dumb-looking rabbit. “Everybody run, it’s Usujitsa!!!” some rabbit yelled out and ran to hide into their cave homes. “I don’t wish to fight you but I will if I have to!” Mana said to the small rabbit. His stupid expression changed into a dumb one. “Ji-Ji” the rabbit spat out some incomprehensible gibberish before it split into five clones and the five clones charged at the girl.

Mana managed to roll out of their way before seeing the rabbits tackle the rock walls shattering them. “Is this for real?” she thought as the rabbits prepared for another go. “That’s why I never get the upper hand in taijutsu, because I dodge, I’m too busy trying to avoid everything instead of standing my ground and countering… I need to fight like the rabbits are fighting.” Mana thought as the clones charged at her again she moved sideways and lifted her knee kicking one clone upwards and dispelling it. She quickly pulled out two kunai and leaned backwards while lifting the kunai knives while the clones jumped right through them and got gutted in the process. After the two remaining clones hit the wall again the magician used the time that they were stunned to hit them in the back by tossing the knives. The rabbit looked confused. “Get out of my sight, I’ve got no time to waste on you.” Mana said with strict and demanding tone.

“Ji-Ji-Ji!” Mana heard the rabbit mumble nonsense again as he made another clone, it tried to tackle Mana but the girl lifted her leg kicking it up in the air. Surprisingly enough the clone exploded. “Explosive clone?” Mana was shocked to see such a high ranking jutsu used by such a dumb looking rabbit. At least he was dumb enough to miss the timing to detonate it… “Ji-Ji-Ji!” he let out more babbling, Mana yelled out “Shut the hell up and stand down! You’ll alert something much more dangerous than the likes of you and if you do and put these rabbits at risk, I swear I’ll kill you!” The silly bunny appeared to be stricken by Mana’s words or rather the tough tone they were delivered in. He started laughing and ran up to Mana and hugged her leg. “What the…?” Mana uttered. Rabbits everywhere were leaving their homes and mumbling, “Yer somethin else, Hatchling, yer the first ninja ever to tame Usujitsa… That nutcase is frickin insane I tell ye, how did ye do it?” Usuzoku who appeared out of nowhere shouted out in surprise.

“I guess he’s just so dumb that he’ll obey you if you shout at him loud enough…” Mana just shrugged and shook the small white bunny off her leg. He looked really cute and if Mana was not in her survivor mode she may have never left the rabbit cave instead choosing to cuddle the little thing forever. “There’s no way that Leech missed this little scuffle with his supercharged sensory, I’ll need to leave as soon as possible.” Mana said to Usuzoku and Usubane. She wasn’t a fan of the fact that the explosive and aggressive Usujitsa joined her party of rabbits but she just couldn’t help it so she had to go with it. “You! Go pick flowers or something…” she ordered Usujitsa with the same pissed and strict tone so that he kept away from the sensitive cave system where he could’ve caused damage. That explosive clone probably damaged the caves enough as it did…

Age : 31 Posts : 1495

The air was warm and a light spring breeze constantly caressed Mana’s hair. She was walking on a familiar path heading straight to Konohagakure gate. For some reason she felt happy, almost as if all of her troubles disappeared. The magician kept thinking of those in the village she left behind and was so happy that she was about to meet all of them again, tell them she wasn’t dead. “Hm… I wonder how I died though… Also why am I alive if I’m dead…” a thought popped into the girl’s mind. The young woman failed to remember the reason as to why she was wandering the Fire Country and why did the world think her dead. Suddenly the sight of Konohagakure gate greeted her eyes right after she passed some thick bushes. This was not a happy cheerful Konohagakure however.

Mana’s face quickly was twisted by sadness as she saw the Konohagakure gate fall down, it happened almost like it was barely held together in the first place. Nothing but rubble remained of the tall and strong Konohagakure wall and the gate. “No!” Mana shouted as she ran forward through the rubble, the smell of smoke and burning flesh was all she could smell. Her whole village was enveloped in fire, people running about in the streets set on fire before they accepted their deaths and gave into the pain and suffering. They just fell down on the road and died, their remains instantly disintegrated into hot ashes that wind picked up and tossed into the magician’s face. The entire village was burning, the buildings were just blowing up into rubble just like the gate with every villager dying in pain and Mana being unable to do anything about it.

The fire then started letting out a loud roaring sound and gathering into a single channeled tornado of flame that was moving towards Mana from the direction of the Hokage mountain. The Sennin did not step a single step backwards, this was the enemy that chose Konohagakure as its target, it destroyed her village and killed everyone in it. Mana had no more meaning in her life, she had to either avenge the destruction or be deleted just like her loved ones. There was to be no more running. The tornado started thinning up in radius as it came closer to the magician: it began as a cataclysm of near apocalyptic proportions but was now just less than two meters in diameter. A figure appeared from the flames. A figure of a man dressed like a gentleman with shoulder long dark hair and a twisted smile. Mana could see the deaths of her loved ones when she looked into his eyes, she could almost feel their pain.

The man extended his hand forward to Mana and showed her to come to him and surrender. He then smiled even harder and started laughing. It was the most maniacal and insane laugh Mana had ever heard. The noise of it made her grab her ears and fall on her knees. The young woman checked her hands and noticed blood, it was strange because she barely felt any pain, just discomfort. As the magician’s head was raised up she saw that the Leech was already right by her side. He slowly lifted his hand forward and was moving it closer to her forehead. Mana couldn’t move a finger to oppose it, all she could do was to witness her own demise. The cursed hand finally reached its destination, as it did the body of the young woman was instantly covered by flame, she could see her own body disintegrating just like those of the villagers, just like her village.

Mana jumped up and woke up from the nightmare, her heart was pounding and her throat had pulsing painful sensations in it. The girl gently rubbed it to alleviate it a little and stood up. “He’s getting close…” she realized. It all suddenly started making sense. That day when the Leech drained her the first time in Kirigakure he placed some sort of affliction jutsu on her, one that could not be cured or seen. The purpose of it was to make the Leech able to track Mana anywhere she went, the downside was that just like the Leech was able to sense her, Mana also got appropriate signs. Nightmares, pulsating pain in the afflicted spot, sudden panic and fear coming out of nowhere, the feeling that she’s being watched and that she’s sensing the Leech. All of it were signs.

Mana quickly put her things into her backpack. She had no right to endanger these rabbits, their kind has already been through a lot. They had their glory taken away from them when a summoner stole their contract scroll, their home in the Grass Country was destroyed and they were forced to move into the Fire Country. Live in caves and shadow of their former glory, with Mana being the only ninja who acknowledged them. “So dat’s it, huh? Ye had one bad dream an yer abandoning us? Runnin away again? What a fuckin surprise!” Mana heard Usuzoku’s voice behind her. “I can’t let you guys get in the crossfire, he’s going to kill you all even if all of us fight him at the same time, even if we somehow do win it will be under circumstances that it won’t count as victory. Hundreds will die, this whole system will be in ruins, you’ll have to move again. I can’t let that happen, I’m the only one sharing this curse with him, I’m the only one who’s supposed to die…”

“Shut up, ye shitface, stop playin the hero all the time like yer somethin special! So the big bad meanie is gonna come, so what?! Guess what, ninja rabbits called and asked ye to grow a pair! You ain’t gonna solve it by runnin all de time, Hatchling, ye’ll have to face him eventually…” Usuzoku started raising his voice. Mana knew he was right, he was the only friend she had since she left the village. Mana smiled and turned back at him “You always helped me when I left, you always let me know you disagree with my survivor on the run lifestyle but you always helped… You wanted nothing more but to fight the Leech ever since it all began but you did what I asked you to even if you didn’t want it. Thank you for that, Usuzoku.” Mana said after she turned for the exit.

The caves were empty at night which was odd, the cycle of day and night down here was regulated by the countless torches, someone counted the time and let everyone know when to put the fire out. This was an amazing community of incredible little creatures, Mana couldn’t put them in danger. “Wait, ye dumb brat!” Usuzoku yelled out and ran up to her. “Listen… There’s… There’s something you may be interested in. All this time you’ve been runnin with no hope, no way to fight back, I think I got ye a fightin chance. There’s this one rabbit, THE rabbit. He’s really old and he is the wisest and strongest of us rabbits. If there’s one crazy bastard who can take da Leech it’s gonna be that guy. He lives at the highest point of the Rabbit Fortress ruins, it used to be a large clockwork chamber. Trust me, you won’t miss it and he’s definitely not going anywhere – he’s kind of stuck there, you’ll get it when you see him. No one ever came back from there but you’re de dumbest Hatchling I’ve ever seen, ye taken on Usujitsa and tamed him. You can do it.”

Mana nodded and waved farewell for Usuzoku, “Tell Bane-chan I’ll be summoning her someday, don’t let her slack off.” she said in return but the rabbit warrior understood her feelings. He knew that Mana was no longer just running for the sake of running but she now had a purpose, this made all the difference in the world.

[EXIT]