Chapter 6
First contact
The Land of Water was an archipelago with many islands separated from the mainland. The Village Hidden in Mist was on the biggest island in the center, surrounded by the rest of the islands. So, that meant that Utakata, like the rest, would travel to the mainland by ship. There was a low chance that they would be ambushed, and even if they did, with most of them having an affinity to water nature chakra, they would be an advantage.
It didn't mean that sailing was relaxing. With each moment, Utakata became more anxious. This would be his first real battle. It would be decided if he lived or not. He couldn't help checking his equipment every other second. Making sure he wore his chainmail underneath his jacket if his tanto blades were sharp. The calm was killing Utakata, but at least he wasn't getting seasick, so that was nice.
"Be ready. We will depart in ten minutes," The captain of the twenty-men unit, Utakata belonged to informed the shinobi.
Where has the time gone? Utakata asked himself. The journey should have lasted more than a day, yet the setting sun confirmed the passage of time. He was stewing in his mind all day. Realizing that reality had found him, Utakata quickly ate crackers and drank water. He didn't know what awaited him once they landed.
The ships from the Mist stopped a few hundred meters away from land. Five ships, all carrying twenty shinobi units, totaling a hundred. They mainly were genin and a few chunin. The Land of Hot Water didn't possess a great shinobi force, so it shouldn't be difficult. Their mission was simple, pillage the lands.
Even if the mission left a bitter taste in his mouth, Utakata didn't think of disobeying the orders. And so, he jumped out of the ship and ran through the remaining distance on the water. Utakata's control was good enough not to be troubled running on the water. But he was only one of the few who could do it. The rest had to take it slowly.
Most of them were still children no older than ten. Yet Utakata already knew that most of them would die, as they didn't possess the ability to escape if needed. Even though the Land of Hot Water wasn't a danger to them, their neighbors were. As it so happens, that Land of Hot Water bordered the Land of Fire and the Land of Lightning.
It didn't take long before they found their first target, a small town by the coast. Without a word, the unit captain motioned for the attack. Utakata couldn't feel any powerful chakra, so there were no shinobi. For a moment, he was confused about what he should be attacking, but other shinobi who weren't on their first mission answered him by killing everyone that moved.
Utakata had expected he would need to kill to survive, but now, he had no reason to kill. So, he mostly stayed back and let his comrades take charge. It was a sickening sight, but he put his thought deep into his mind and ignored it even if the screams and the sound of cutting flesh didn't help. It didn't take long before the town was massacred.
Utakata could only hope that the following settlements would know of the attack and would evacuate. There was no point in killing all these innocent people. At least, he thought so. After the screams ended, the shinobi started to ransack the town. They were breaking into houses and taking everything valuable.
Utakata couldn't find a difference between them and bandits. He didn't feel strong as he took stashed money and jewelry. Nor did he feel any pride like the rest of the shinobi. Utakata knew that pillaging was what brought the most money to his village. He wouldn't have any problem if it were only stealing, but killing innocent people when they couldn't defend themselves was too much for him.
"Load up the loot to the ships," The captain ordered.
In complete silence, Utakata listened to the orders and took the valuables to the ship before returning. By then, the rest of the captains had joined and discussed their strategy. Utakata, with the rest, stayed away but close enough to listen for orders. It took a few moments, but the plan was established, and orders were given.
…
Utakata couldn't help but think they have gotten too deep. The loot was excellent from what he saw of his captain's satisfied expression. The first few villages after the first one still had people inside, but the rest probably heard or received some signal of the attack, as they were mostly empty. They were leaving only their valuables.
Utakata could see greed had started to take over their captains. They went deeper and deeper into the Land of Hot Waters. Now they had back of loot, but the captains wanted to continue instead of returning to the ships. Utakata was anxious, as he knew that it couldn't end well. Yet, he couldn't disobey the orders. He saw what happened to the first and last one who questioned them. And he thought that the academy was brutal.
Whenever they entered a patch of wood, Utakata felt fear, and only his sensor abilities calmed him down when he couldn't sense any shinobi. It was nervewracking. He could feel deep in his bones that something terrible would soon happen. No matter what, he couldn't shake off the feeling. It started to grind his bones, and sure enough, the scouts sent ahead returned with news.
"A group of sixty shinobi from Cloud are running toward us," One of the scouts informed us. "We will meet in fifteen minutes."
"Should we retreat?" One of their captains asked.
"No, we should fight them," Another answered.
"We have more numbers and have an advantage," The third agreed. "We should set an ambush here, in these woods."
"And I thought it would be boring," The fourth captain added.
"Then we agree," The fifth said, and the rest nodded.
Utakata didn't like it, but again he couldn't do anything but listen to orders and, with the rest of the shinobi, started to hide in the woods, waiting for the shinobi of the Cloud to appear. Utakata told himself over and over again that it was fine. They had more numbers and better positions. As long as the enemy doesn't overrun him, he should be able to defend himself.
The minutes have trickled down slowly, one after another. Utakata could feel his heartbeat rising as it approached the fifteen-minute countdown. He tried to ignore it and everything else and only focused on his senses. Utakata tried to spread his senses as far as possible to feel the enemy approaching.
Then he felt something while waiting in hiding behind a tree. At first, it was weak, and Utakata thought that the enemy just entered the perimeter of his senses, but suddenly it got a lot stronger. It expanded and felt like it had molded into something. It took a moment, but Utakata realized what he sensed. Without hesitation, he dropped to the ground.
Lightning strikes flew into the trees where they were hiding. Logs and branches exploded around Utakata as he rolled to safety. Utakata understood that they had been discovered. The screams of agony from nearby warned Utakata to dodge another barrage of lightning strikes. He didn't know how many died or were injured in the attack, but he knew the ambush had failed.
The Cloud shinobi attacked before they could reestablish order and get a bearing under their feet. Utakata only had a moment to focus on the chakra around him, finding that only twenty shinobi had been indisposed by the cloud-first attack. They still had numbers, and it relieved some pressure from his shoulders.
A sword aiming for his heart woke Utakata back to reality. Using his tanto blades, he caught the sword. Yet, he could hold the shinobi in place. Utakata's foe was at least two times older than him and bigger. Utakata's tanto couldn't keep the sword away and was pushed back. Seeing no choice, he dropped his blades and jumped back, letting the sword hit the ground near his feet.
He didn't have much time to think of a tactic. He let his instincts take over. Weaving hand signs faster than he ever did, Utakata created three mist clones before himself. The clones were destroyed with one swing of his enemy's sword, but they had accomplished what they needed. They obscured the vision of his foe and gave him enough time to make another jutsu.
Mist covered Utakata's hands, creating thin blades. As the mist clones disappeared, Utakata stepped forward, using one hand to cut the right hand of his foe, so he wouldn't be able to wield his sword easily. With his other hand, he went for the enemy's eyes. Blood spilled as the Cloud Shinobi cried out in pain. Kicking his chest, Utakata pushed himself and the Cloud shinobi away.
Utakata's hands didn't stop moving. He weaved another set of hand signs and created another jutsu. Carp Rabid-Fire jutsu let Utakata shoot half a dozen water bullets at the Cloud Shinobi, soon breaking his ribcage and making a hole in his chest. Utakata didn't have to think about his first kill. He didn't have time to even asses the battlefield before a kick sent him flying through a few trees.
"Tsuchi!" Utakata's attacker knelt to the Cloud Shinobi he had just killed and yelled. "Damn it all!"
Utakata saw it from lying on the ground, feeling the pain in his chest from the attack. Next to him lay a dead shinobi from the Mist. Around his neck, a thin steel wire was wrapped, cutting deep into the skin. Without thinking, Utakata took the wire. He barely had time to think as the grieving shinobi stood up and looked at Utakata.
"I'm sorry for what I must do," Utakata's enemy said. "You can't win, so I would suggest accepting your death. At least that way, you will avoid most of the pain."
Utakata could sense his new opponent's chakra being molded into something else. Utakata took his kunai, preparing for the incoming attack. But no matter how much he expected the attack, he couldn't see it before it hit him. Faster than his senses could comprehend, he was kicked in his head, making him fly into a tree.
"My lightning release lets me make me faster than most shinobi," Utakata's enemy said. "Even though I do not possess anything near Third Raigake's level of speed, for a kid like you, it will be enough."
Even though Utakata's head spun around and the ringing in his ear didn't stop, he still heard and understood his foe's words. Not knowing what to do, Utakata opened his kunai and shuriken pouches and started throwing them at the Cloud shinobi. It was futile as he was too fast running around Utakata, waiting for him to end his pointless resistance.
"I have told you it was too much for a kid like you to handle," The Cloud shinobi responded to Utakata's attack. "Even if you are so young, you should understand this is your destiny. Like you killed Tsuchi, I will end your life!"
Before the Cloud shinobi could attack him, Utakata tied the steel wire he took from the corpse's neck and fastened on his kunai before throwing it with the rest of his projectiles, hitting a tree. With a quick pull, he tightened the wire, and a moment later, blood spilled as his enemy's head flew in the air. For a brief and tense moment, Utakata watched as the head dropped to the ground.
"You talk too much," Utakata said while looking at the lifeless eyes on the separated head.
Utakata looked around and saw that while he was fighting, the rest of the Mist shinobi managed to push back the Cloud shinobi. But it wasn't done without a considerable number of casualties among them. His senses couldn't even pick up half of the Mist shinobi he traveled with. Not feeling like joining the hunt for the retreating Cloud shinobi, Utakata knelt and collected the headbands of the felled Cloud shinobi.