Third Person POV
"I'll be back soon, nii-san..."
Then the girl headed over to the crates where her equipment was. She geared up quickly and spotted her brother's things, as well as Takafumi's the latter's Uchiha clan symbol necklace was there too.
Takafumi always wore that. Not a single day in the Uzumaki's memory had she seen him without it. She pocketed the item and grabbed her brother's tantō, along with her own wakizashi.
Only then did she notice her own eyes in the reflection of the blades: her Sharingan was active. I could reactivate it by experiencing something that stirs strong emotions..., the thought crossed her mind at that instant. Let these eyes help me now.
She climbed to a higher spot near the door of the place where she and Shisui were being held. She could feel her chakra being slowly drained – Amaya knew the Sharingan continuously consumed the user's chakra, so it couldn't be kept active for long during the first few uses.
But that wasn't too big a problem for her.
The redhead was aware her chakra reserves were large enough to finish this mission and maybe even get back to the village with her brother – at least she hoped she could pull it off.
She closed her eyes, concentrating for a few minutes, trying to sense the chakra of everyone nearby. Amaya hadn't trained in any sensory techniques, but she could "feel" chakra presences if she focused hard enough.
Fifteen different energy points could be felt around her. She opened her eyes, determined, and put on her glasses. There were fifteen targets to eliminate. When I'm done and they're all dead, the Hell I send them to will feel like Heaven.
The morbid, cold thought filled the mind of the predominantly red-haired girl. And right then, the first targets came towards her. Two men entered that part of the hideout. One of them was the man who had beaten her and her brother.
Before the adults even realized what was happening, the girl jumped from her waiting spot, landing on the shoulders of the man accompanying her previous assailant. She gripped his head firmly and twisted it sharply, hearing the sound of his bones breaking.
The man who had assaulted her glanced to his side, where his companion's body crumpled to the floor. Without even a chance to react, the girl lunged at him like a predator at its prey.
The Uzumaki kicked his right leg, forcing him to his knees. Without wasting a second, she struck his chest with her brother's tantō, and the man felt an indescribable, sharp pain. Before he could scream in pain or alert the others, the second blade traced a path across his neck, cleanly decapitating him with one stroke.
Amaya pulled Shisui's tantō from the body of the man before her, watching as the head and body fell in opposite directions.
Thirteen. She started the count as she ran silently outside the hideout where she'd been held. Everyone who crossed her path met the same inevitable fate: death.
Twelve, eleven, ten...
The countdown progressed steadily towards the first and most desired target: Masao. The girl drew upon her arsenal of knowledge for this moment.
Fire Style, Water Style, Earth Style.
Nine, eight, seven, six... The count kept decreasing, contrasting with the rising number of bodies.
When they started to understand what was happening in the hideout, the smugglers tried to mount defenses against the lone child exterminating them. But it was no use.
Five, four...
Lightning Style and Wind Style.
The girl kept advancing, eliminating anyone in her path like a true assassin. Rage and sadness drove her now. Love, too. That last feeling was for her brother, and the desire to protect him at any cost.
Three, two, and finally one... she thought, pulling her wakizashi blade from the body of Masao's last underling before heading to the room where he was hiding at that moment. An oil lamp stood in her path.
Amaya sheathed her brother's tantō and left it on her belt. She kept her wakizashi in her right hand, her dominant one, and took the lamp in her left.
She walked with firm steps to the door of the room where the final enemy was. With a kick, she opened the door. The man tried to hit her with a few kunai and shuriken, but the redhead defended herself effortlessly.
No way out.
The room Masao was in had no other escape route besides the door where the red-haired, red-eyed girl stood.
He charged at the Uzumaki with a sword in hand, intending to kill her. But that wouldn't happen. The girl dodged his blows with an impassive expression until she landed a single strike on Masao's arm, severing his hand along with the sword.
The man screamed in pain, clutching the remains of his arm, which was bleeding uncontrollably. He looked again at the figure before him and took a step back, falling to the floor. Masao turned and tried to crawl away from her.
The redhead picked up the man's sword, which had fallen with his hand, and with no sign of mercy, drove it into his leg as he tried uselessly to get away from her.
He screamed again in agony. The blade was stuck in the middle of his calf, preventing him from moving. And the man, as he hadn't in a long time, trembled. Fear was the only thing his body processed besides the pain.
Physically, she looked like a child. A fragile child. But the blood of his subordinates covering her figure reminded him otherwise. Her naturally red hair was also covered in blood.
The Uzumaki lifted the lamp she held and threw it onto some of the papers scattered around the room. The oil and fire spread like a plague over the disordered sheets in the place.
– You will burn – Amaya sentenced him – You will feel the worst form of death there is on your own skin – The man stared at her, terrified – And still, your pain won't come close to what I feel, or what you caused Takafumi – She tightened the hilt of her wakizashi – Much less the pain you caused my brother.
And only then did Masao pay attention to the girl's eyes. Red eyes, like those of a...
In that instant, he finally understood. The piece he was so eager to know about this girl became clear in his mind. She had the Sharingan, the dōjutsu of the Uchiha clan members. She was a descendant of both the Uzumaki and Uchiha clans.
But at that moment, it was worthless. He knew the fate that awaited him at the hands of this child. And although he saw a girl before him, the aura she emanated reminded him of a true demon.
– Crimson Demon... – He named her with a faltering voice.
Amaya turned to leave the room and stopped at the door, before closing it.
– An eye for an eye – the girl said suddenly – A tooth for a tooth – She stared at him – Evil for evil.
And with a metallic clang, she locked the door behind her. The man didn't react, still unable to process what had just happened. He only returned to reality when the fire reached him, making him scream one last time in agony.
Amaya Uzumaki POV
As soon as I locked Masao's door, I felt my legs buckle. I leaned against a nearby crate, feeling my breath become uneven.
I gripped the hilt of my wakizashi and took a deep breath. I just left a person to be burned alive..., I thought, hearing the man screaming behind the metal door.
But I didn't dwell on it much longer. I need to focus only on Shisui now, I reminded myself. I need to get him to the hospital as fast as possible.
I was heading back to where I'd hidden my brother. Thanks to the fire I started where Masao was, the whole place was beginning to be consumed. We need to get out of here now.
The agonized screams of the smugglers' leader, though they had ceased, still echoed in my mind. The bodies of his lackeys were strewn along the path back to my brother. I looked at my hands, seeing them covered in blood, just like the rest of me.
I also remembered the name Masao had finally called me. A name that now, more than ever, fits me perfectly, I admitted. Red hair and eyes, and skin covered in blood. A demon... A Crimson Demon.
With the fire spreading, I had to run to where Shisui was. I got him out from where I'd left him, seeing he was still unconscious.
I crouched near him and positioned him on my back, placing his arms over my shoulders so I could carry him. Before leaving that damned place, I looked once more in the direction of Takafumi's body.
Forgive me..., I pleaded, feeling that now familiar bad sensation in my throat, and remembered one of the ninja rules: "Rule number 25: A ninja must never show their tears." And then I left the smugglers' hideout without hesitation.
I kept my Sharingan active because I didn't want to risk being caught by surprise or failing to protect my brother. I can't fail again...
I was running with difficulty through the pitch black; there was no light, not even from the moon. The rain fell like a waterfall, making the cuts and wounds on my body sting – injuries I'd received fighting Masao's men.
The tree branches I stepped on were soaked, demanding more attention than I had to spare to avoid falling. But since I wasn't moving as fast as I'd like, I managed to stay steady on them.
Even with my vision limited by the rain, my Sharingan allowed me to see a bit better where I was going, but it didn't stop me from hitting the small branches along the path.
Rain, blood, and exhaustion were all over me.
I was tired, in pain, hungry, and weakening by the minute. I had used a lot of chakra in the smugglers' hideout, and my Sharingan was still consuming what I had left. And carrying my brother on my back in the midst of the storm didn't make it any easier.
But I wouldn't stop. I couldn't.
I glanced around briefly upon sensing a chakra nearby. I jumped from branch to branch, trying to gain speed and distance myself from whoever it was.
I wasn't in any condition to fight anyone else at that moment.
The person was approaching my position rapidly, and a feeling of worry took hold of me. Because of that, I lost focus on my footing, stepping on a branch too weak to support my weight and Shisui's.
The sound of breaking wood was clear in my ears, and the only thing I could do before hitting the ground was pull my brother to my front and let my body cushion his fall.
The moment my back hit the ground without any grace, a cry of pain escaped my lips, but it was drowned out by the loud thunder that split the sky at the same moment.
My whole body was signaling that I shouldn't move, and I didn't even know how I still could. No... Actually, I knew. I looked at Shisui's face on top of me. It was for him, for my brother, that I was moving, that I was running.
But even the person with the strongest will has limits, and I was reaching mine. I couldn't even get my brother off me, much less make my body stand up. This was the end of the line.
I looked around and soon felt the chakra of the person who had been pursuing us. This time it was stronger, indicating they were even closer.
With difficulty, I grabbed one of the kunai from my leg pouch and held it in my right hand. With my left arm, I held Shisui's body tightly against me. I won't let anyone else hurt him.
The chakra stopped for a moment and descended from the tree branches, moving on the ground. The person was moving quickly and directly towards where my brother and I were. I tightened my grip on the kunai.
The sound of the falling rain was the only thing I could hear besides my own heart pounding. Even amidst the downpour, I could hear the person's footsteps approaching, probably just a few meters from my position now.
And then, suddenly, everything ceased, except the rain.
Those seconds of stillness were perhaps the longest I had ever experienced. Having finally stopped after so long, I only then noticed how tired I was. And I understood I could pass out at any moment.
I turned my gaze to where I last heard the person's footsteps. Thanks to the Sharingan, I could see exactly where this someone was because of their chakra flow, even in the darkness of the night.
The person's chakra flow was weak, as if they had been using it for a long time up to that point. The figure suddenly approached with hurried steps and stopped beside me. It felt like I wasn't even breathing at that moment.
The person crouched near me, and when I saw their hand was within my reach, I forced my body to attack with the kunai. But whoever it was effortlessly caught my arm. Honestly, anyone could have defended against that strike.
Another thunderclap cut through the sky, causing a loud noise, followed by lightning that illuminated everything around me. And then I could see who was standing beside me and Shisui.
His hair, tied in his usual ponytail, was wet, with a few strands falling over his face, and blood – a clear sign of combat – was visible on his Konoha uniform.
– Amaya...? – the sensei asked, utter confusion in his voice.
– Shikaku-sensei... – I spoke, my voice extremely faint – I'm glad...
He released my wrist, and my kunai fell to the ground with a muted thud, as did my arm. The sensei opened one of the pockets of his flak jacket, which I recognized by the sound. A moment later, I heard a soft snap and saw him holding a glow stick.
He brought it closer to my face and Shisui's, quickly analyzing us. I noticed his gaze lingered on my eyes for a few moments, so I deactivated my Sharingan due to the extreme exhaustion I felt.
The Nara carefully lifted my brother off me and checked his injuries for a few moments. Then he turned his gaze back to me.
– You're in no condition to move either – Shikaku said, a hint of sadness apparent in his voice – Do you still have your first-aid bandages? – I gave a weak nod.
With obvious care, the sensei pulled my belt and took the roll of bandages I carried there from its pouch. He quickly unrolled it, passing a part behind his back.
He propped Shisui against himself, securing him with the bandage and holding him with his right arm. With some difficulty, he pulled me close to him, doing the same with me as he did with Shisui.
– Can you hold onto me? – He asked.
– Yes... – I replied, still quietly.
The Nara stood up and remained still for a few moments, probably adjusting to carrying both me and Shisui.
– I'm sorry, sensei... – I apologized, my voice faltering – Takafumi... – But I couldn't finish.
The words got stuck in my throat. I felt like crying again, but as a ninja, I knew I shouldn't, so I held back.
– Rest – Shikaku simply said – Just try to stay awake until we reach the village – I gave a weak nod to his request.
It wouldn't be easy, but I would do it. I had to at least try...
__________________________________________________________________________
The sensei didn't stop running with me and Shisui for even a minute. I felt my body slowly growing numb and tried to find ways to stay awake, but I couldn't manage it anymore.
We must have been a few meters from the village gates when exhaustion overcame me, and I half-closed my eyes momentarily, finally yielding to the weariness I felt. My body shifted away from Shikaku, and I felt his hand try to hold me against him.
He managed to keep me from falling to the ground and ended up falling to his knees to do so. I heard him calling for help. I noticed him speaking to me nervously, but his voice became distant, and I couldn't force my body to respond to his calls.