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Sasuke's POV (Northern Mountains of Irminsul - Terra (Traveling))
Sasuke sat upon Muri's back, the irony of which was not lost to him. The small raccoon had managed to transform into a giant eagle, which they used to leave the Northern Mountains of Irminsul. The peaks looked so simple and tranquil. Yet Sasuke knew that they were similar to their own home full of hatred and violence. Within these peaks, Sasuke witnessed war and cruelty on a level he had yet to personally see. He had been curious whether these intelligent animals would differ from humans. Though it seemed all intelligent life was cursed to the darkness of their mind. A fitting if not cynical lesson to learn.
The state of which affected Muri as well. Since the cruel torture and consuming of Spleen Feaster, he had been quiet still. More so once he had discovered Naruto's position. It seemed the strange creature sought its summoner for comfort. Sasuke could somewhat understand; he had suffered various traumas and had sought the comfort of others on the are occasion. But he had heard summoning creatures were powerful, intelligent, and experienced combatants. Over the years, this has proven an invaluable ally to Shinobi worldwide. But Muri did not fit such; he was not decisive, seeming to be more of a support role than anything; he was intelligent but consistently came across as sheltered and naive. Sasuke himself would never ally himself with such. Even if the raccoon had grown on him he was certain he could not use it. It made Naruto all the more confusing for the Uchiha.
Muri had told him Naruto was in the company of a female human. It could merely be Sakura or Hinata, but Sasuke felt in his gut it would be Yuno. There were very few people Sasuke counted as close, even fewer he could claim to have never felt burdened or infuriated. But Yuno was in that group; as were Hinata and Shino to lesser degrees. She had proven caring and supportive; she was the only other Uchiha who ever seemed in something of agreement of his goals; she also was not ignorant or weak, which Sasuke found intolerable and as such the perfect person for him. Yet if she was there, then Sasuke felt conflicted. He could not trust Naruto Uzumaki with her…
He held no discontent for the Uzumaki; he had proven his loyalty and bravery towards his friends by now, proven an impressive level of strength, and even had raised with Sasuke to the rank of Chunin; despite all that, however, Sasuke could not admit to feeling any love for Naruto all the same. He constantly came across as if he was impulsive and ignorant; he had been an idiot throughout the years of the academy and had the heart and strength to fight for what he believed in. However, Naruto was never willing to do whatever he needed to win. Someone like that would never truly succeed; it was a reasonable flaw but, in Sasuke's opinion, a damned one. Though if he did save Yuno, perhaps he was wrong… at least some sort of thanks would be in order.
But more than anything, Sasuke felt a mounting pressure building within him. He had not found; Hinata, Shino, Choji, Lee, Kiba, Sakura, or even Yuno. One of those three females was with Naruto, but even then, it had been a full day, and they still had six more allies to find. And with the night demons and Kami knowing what else roaming the forest, it was unacceptable!
Naruto would be helpful to have around, and since Sasuke was sure the North was cleared, he was confident the Blonde would've at least started exploring the South. They could cover massive grounds with four of them and deal with any threat. If only Muri could go faster-
"Keeee Ahhhh!" A massive shadow covered the two as two brown blurs flew past them from above.
"Muri, I thought you could sense things approaching!" Sasuke barked as the two blurs flew around them at absurd speeds.
"I'm struggling here! Transforming and maintaining form for travel is strenuous and kinda dominates the mind!" Muri complained. "They're too fast to outrun! Should we fight?"
"I don't think that will be a choice…" Sasuke trailed off as he watched the hawks with wary eyes. The blurs now flew lower, stopping well before the flying Muri. They flew around each other in a tight rotation with such speed they became one solid blur. Suddenly, feathers shout out from the blur in mass, each speeding through the air towards them. 'More enemies? Very well then…' Sasuke thought as he blinked, his Sharigan activated as he did so. His now-boosted vision could see the feathers full of chakra, their impressive speed, and just where they would hit the two of them. "Muri detransform for about three seconds…"
"What?!"
"Just do it unless you wish to die!" Sasuke barked as the feather drew within mere feet of them. Muri, perhaps realizing Sasuke had a plan, did so, Sasuke quickly clutching onto the now small raccoon as he pulled out a kunai. Sasuke willed his chakra and used Ash Stepped a few feet forward, bypassing the first wave of feathers. Within an instant of arriving, Sasuke twirled his body away from several more as his kunai flew through the air, deflecting many feathers with each stroke of his blade. '1!' Sasuke thought as he continued to evade and deflect feathers as he drew closer to the blurs. A wall of feathers stood between the two, but Sasuke merely chucked Muri above the wall of death and drew a second kunai. With a twirl, Sasuke dual-wielded kunai and deflected feathers with ease. '2!' Finally reaching the end of the volley right as the strange creatures prepared another one. Sasuke did not flinch, however, merely chucking a kunai with an explosive note at both. It exploded just before them.
The explosion knocked both blurs out of the air. Free Falling to the distant ground below. Sasuke observed as he caught Muri also falling. '3.' Muri poofed back into the giant eagle and continued their path.
"Sasuke, are you okay!? I wasn't sure you could survive that!" Muri asked worriedly.
"Just fine," Sasuke informed me with a calm nod. "Wonder why they attacked."
"It's strange indeed, other than hunting smaller creatures they keep to themselves. They are not a clan to be trifled with…"
"That is good." A chirpy, high-pitched voice called. Muri and Sasuke looked down below them to see the blurs now floating below them. The two blurs from below now stood still, allowing the two of them to see who had impeded them. It was two hawks, easily more prominent than the form of Muri, each roughly the size of a carriage. They were covered in feathers of various shades of brown. Their beaks were yellow, sharp, and menacing. Their eyes were shades of yellow, and their beady black irises focused on them intently. "If you had perished from such a light attack, we would have sought you out for nothing."
"Of course, he would prove worthy." The similarly high-pitched voice of the second chimed in. "We sought him out specifically due to his lineage. The Crows seem to speak of their summoner well after all."
Sasuke calculated the risk of engaging with the birds. It was clear they were fast, and their attacks proved to be wide-ranging. However, he was somewhat interested and confident he could slay the two if less than honest.
"If you wish to speak to me, you must do so as we travel." Sasuke bluntly explained. "I have places to be and no time to waste."
The hawks seemed to discuss this amongst themselves. "Anything you know of the hawks, Muri?" Sasuke asked as they did so.
"A powerful nomadic clan currently residing throughout the Irminsul Biomes. They're not allied with us or much else but have a tentative alliance with the Crows. They also rarely interact with other clans anyway, besides hunting, of course. They are a small but well-respected and feared clan." Muri explained.
"I see," Sasuke said with a nod.
"That will work for us human!" The left hawk exclaimed. "Let us go to ask you what we came for."
"Let's, Muri, continue on. Be prepared to move to safety if they try anything," Sasuke loudly declared as the four raced through the sky. "So, you have heard of the Uchiha Clan?"
"Indeed, our brethren, the Crows speak of their own summoner being a fine summoner. We seek the same in you." The hawk explained as they flew through the sky.
'Crows… didn't Itachi have a summoning contract with them? I wonder if they have information about him; if they do, they could confirm whether or not he's truly dead. Assuming he isn't, I have my first real lead toward the Uchiha Coop. But if he is I still have a lead; their words suggested the summoner was still alive…' Sasuke inwardly reasoned.
"Why should I ally with you?" Sasuke asked as he continued to ponder the information revealed. 'Brother… you haven't left my mind since your disappearance. Are you alive? If so, why not let me know? If not, why would someone have your summoning contract? No, I must focus on the here and now. These birds may contain a clue, but I can't sign for them just for that.'