Sehnsucht - Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Identity

It was a few hours before the try outs for ANBU started and Hitori was sitting in her apartment, attempting not to cry or wet herself with nervousness. Although she felt better after the encouragement from both the Hokage and Sakura, she still wasn't sure if she would pass. She hadn't been told anything about what she would have to do for the test, whether it was like the Chunin exams, and she would have to fight or if it was more like the Academy with general tests of skill and knowledge.

After she finished her tea, that she had made in an attempt to calm herself down, she placed the cup and saucer in the sink and began to get dressed in her usual clothing. First was her bindings, which were always annoying, a mesh undershirt and black tank top, that zipped up at the side. Over that was her vest, which had pockets for various syringes, bandages and other medical necessities. Her black pants were cropped just below the knee and her various holsters for senbon, shuriken and kunai were strapped her thighs. She buckled up her leather boots, and quickly tested the blade that came out of the front. It worked perfectly and she carefully pushed it back in against her doorframe. It had a few marks from her doing that frequently.

She was happy with her amount of gear and took a breath before she stepped out of her front door. Her chakra seal did the work for her as she pulled it shut behind her and began walking towards ANBU HQ. The streets were fairly quiet since it was still early in the morning but there was a few shinobi heading toward the front gate, more than likely leaving on a mission and a few people setting up in the market place.

Without any deviations to her path, she walked into HQ and looked at the few other people who were there. They all had masks on, the the typical black and grey ANBU gear. One had a white cloak on as well and she headed over to them after they gestured for her to approach them. They silently handed her a plain white mask, which she put on without hesitation, tying it up behind her head.

Another masked shinobi walked in, and everyone stood to attention. They had a deep red cloak on and their mask was black. She had no idea who it was, but gathered that was the person in charge and followed along with what everyone else did. Shinobi were supposed to be able to adapt to any situation, but she felt that her nervousness was making her react slower than usual.

“We have four new ANBU candidates today, and each Captain has been assigned one candidate on their team today. Captains, please assemble your teams. I will be handing each of you mission details which you must complete in conjunction with the other teams. This mission is real. It is no drill. There are no second chances.” they spoke with a calm, and emotionless voice that just made her more nervous.

As best she could, she took a few breaths as she was called over to the same team that the person who gave her the mask was on. They had their normal animal patterns, but hers being plain just made her feel like she would stand out even more than necessary. She did feel a little better at hearing she wasn’t the only person trying out today though.

Her group's Captain took a hold of the mission scroll and she waited for her orders. She was given an armband to indicate her position as medic and made sure it was tight. The other groups began to move out and their Captain moved closer to the group so that they could explain their orders.

“Right, today we are seeing if our medic here is up to ANBU standards. The other teams will try and beat us to the punch here, so if you aren’t paying attention and working together, we aren’t going to go well.” his voice was fairly casual, but she knew that he was being completely serious. She had a feeling she knew who was under the mask, but wasn’t exactly going to blurt it out.

“So, we are all supposed to be trying to catch a group of missing nin. If we can’t capture them, our orders are to kill them. There is 8 altogether and the four groups are working together to get them. There is only two other medics here, so we will be sticking with the other group over there, but simultaneously working against them. If you need to heal someone, do it. That’s your job, kay?” when she nodded once, he continued. “I’ve seen you in action at the hospital, but ANBU medics are on a completely different level in regards to how they handle the work in the field.”

Hitori was glad that the mask was covering her face, because although she kept her eyes the same to hide her sudden wave of concern, the tension in her jaw would have given it away. She could probably handle the two teams on her own, so long as no one received mortal injuries.

“It will take us roughly three hours travelling hard to get to their last known location. It was confirmed by our scouts just before we received our orders, so let’s hope they are still there. Move out!” the Captain gestured towards the door and everyone readied themselves.

They left through the main gate and began travelling towards their targets. They travelled hard, and Hitori readied herself to fight at any moment, ensuring that she channelled enough chakra through her body to keep the lactic acid at bay and keep her muscles flooded with oxygen. The other team they were with was keeping up with them, roughly 15 metres on their right. The first two teams were in front of them, slightly offset. Briefly, she made eye contact with the Captain of their team, who gave her a quick nod before he looked back in front of him.

As they continued, she focused on the feel of both team’s chakra. She carefully assessed them, keeping in mind how they felt naturally. The best way for her to figure out if something was wrong from a distance was to understand their baseline well. Doing that while they were moving, actively using their chakra was perfect way to get their baseline. So she focused, memorising everything she could, every ripple and detail that they made on their travels.

Once they had arrived in the vicinity, their Captain gave them a heads up and they all prepared themselves mentally for the battle ahead. He dropped back to run with her, and spoke.

“You ready, girlie? Make sure you stay back and you’re ready to heal us at any given moment. That’s what we need from you today.” his eyes were dark and blank as he spoke.

“Then let’s not be reckless and make unnecessary work for me. I’ll be pissed if someone does something stupid.” she retorted with a smirk, even though she knew he couldn’t see it.

“I think you’ll fit in fine here.” he said with an amused tone before heading back to the front of the cell.

The group was camping out in a small, somewhat hidden clearing and the first cell came upon them first and began their assault. Hitori gathered that the team in front was comprised of those who had the best abilities for shock combat, and surprising the enemy, the ones who were fast and could disable as many opponents as possible before they had time to organise and fight back. They would have long, and wide range abilities and explosive techniques to really push through the front lines. She could hear the sounds of the battle as their group approached last and her team joined the fray.

Medics were brilliantly trained in evasion and the ability to stay out of the front lines, however, Hitori was bad at staying back. She knew that she needed to follow orders, but she had leapt in out of necessity on more than one occasion. ANBU was different however, she would be severely reprimanded for disobeying direct orders, and since she wasn't even an operative yet, she needed to be on her best behaviour.

One of the other team members leapt over to her with a kunai sticking out of their shoulder, and she worked swiftly to get them fighting fit again. It took her less than a minute to stop the bleeding, close the wound as best she could, although they would more than likely open it up again in the course of combat. Just before they were able to rejoin the fight, one of the enemy nin approached them from her left and she felt her jutsu get just the right spot, ignoring the sound of her patient yelling in her ear.

It only took a second, but she stopped healing them, focused her chakra and her hand took hold of a kunai from the holster on her thigh and she used her jutsu to push into the shadows on the enemy's’ chest and slit his throat. Her patient swifting stopped yelling, and she tapped him on his injured shoulder to let him know she was done and he could rejoin the fight. He was stunned, but refocused quickly and leapt back into the fray of jutsu.

Since she had healed someone, she knew that now the enemy shinobi would begin to target her. Taking out your enemy’s medic was the best way to ensure that you could win the fight. Killing the leader of the group didn’t always work. She could hear her allies yelling in code to each other, they had only captured one enemy shinobi so far and things were getting out of hand. The element of surprise was gone now and their opponents were fighting back with impressive teamwork.

Hitori managed to land a kunai she threw into someone’s side, although she had aimed for the inside of their leg, hoping to sever their femoral artery. They had lost their footing and it ended up planted in between their ribs, which meant it wouldn’t be taken out too easily. Two members of the second team captured him and cuffed him, meaning he was out of the fight. They gave her a nod of thanks and began attacking one of the enemy nin with Doton Jutsu. He was giving their whole team trouble by moving the terrain around to their advantage, which was a well-practiced skill from what Hitori could tell.

One of the third team members had Suiton Jutsu so she discovered as they used the Water Gun jutsu to force back two enemy nin, which soaked them in the process. Seeing her chance, she concentrated as best she could. Having mastered this only in training, she knew it was daring to do it in the field, but her ally was in a corner and no one else had noticed that they needed help. Using her jutsu, she reached through after grabbing two senbon and charging them with Raiton natured chakra, and threw them into the two nins backs, disabling their movement and paralysing them. The attack drained her, but her chakra control made it less devastating. She still had plenty to heal her team.

There was jutsu and weapons flying everywhere, and even a two on two sword fight happening on Hitori’s right, when her Captain leapt up to her, a massive sword slash on his back. It wasn’t deep, but the gash stretched from his right shoulder blade to his left hip, and would be inhibiting his movement severely. She got to work, using two hands to cover the large wound and treated him, sending him back into the fray in just over a minute.

She couldn’t catch a break though, as the member of the third team she helped before was on her left, limping over as best they could with their calf muscle practically cut in half. Growling in frustration, she got to work, telling them to continue standing so that she didn’t heal it too short in her rush, stopping them from running properly. They were stuck there for around 3 minutes, and she was breathing heavily by the time they went back to the fight again.

Luckily, they had won the upper hand in those few minutes and most of the enemy shinobi were captured, with a few dead, including the one she had killed earlier. She dodged a few shuriken that flew her way, before her Captain sliced open the enemy’s leg with his ninjato, making him drop like a sack of potatoes. The biggest trouble was getting past the Doton using shinobi, whose defenses were working well for him and stopped her team from getting to him. Unfortunately, there was no shadow for her to take advantage of, so she couldn’t help in this scenario either.

Eventually, he was the last of his group still standing, and didn’t last much longer with so many Konoha shinobi attempting to capture him or kill him and the Captain of the first team landed a good strike with their Katon Jutsu. It shocked him enough for them to get past his brute strength defense and capture him. With him, they had captured 5 shinobi and 3 were dead.

The trip back would be long since they had to escort the 5 still living, but with their large entourage, they wouldn’t have much trouble. The 3 dead ones had been dealt with, stored in special scrolls that must be ANBU standard issue, since she had never seen them before. ANBU quite frequently had to take enemy shinobi back to Konoha for examination, and it made sense now how they transported them. She had always wondered how they did it.

They went into a box formation on the way back, ensuring that there was shinobi surrounding their captives, not only from the ground, but above as well, keeping an eye out in the canopy for any approaching threats. Luckily, Hitori had been given reign to move around the formation and heal their teammates on the way back. She gathered that her Captain had asked her to do this as a test of her skill and endurance, since she had already healed a few decent injuries today, as well as participated in the fight itself. She had no problem getting everyone fixed up, but ensured that she didn’t overdo it. The finer details and smaller, superficial wounds would either heal with time, or they would get fixed up at the hospital.

It took their team just over 5 hours until they arrived back in Konoha, all of them were exhausted as they made their way through the village gates. They all headed straight to headquarters and placed their captives in their cells and left them with the guards. Since they were all in fairly good shape, the red-cloaked ANBU told them all to stay for a quick debriefing before they headed to the hospital.

“So, I see you’ve brought back 5 of them alive. The other 3 are in transportation scrolls, I take it?” their voice was just a deep and blank as before.

“Yes, sir.” one of the second team members tapped their chest, indicating that’s where the scrolls where. “I’ll leave them with the examination team when I take my team to the hospital to get checked out.”

“Each Captain will give me a report on the mission itself and a separate report on their candidate’s performance. I expect it here by this time tomorrow.” the black-masked ANBU nodded to dismiss them, but waved Hitori and her Captain over.

“How did she fare healing two teams?” he asked her Captain, as Hitori stood there wondering why they didn’t ask her directly.

“As you can see, everyone is in fairly good shape. I told her to rotate through the two teams on the way back to ensure everyone was okay and she seems to still have stamina left.” Hitori was definitely certain it was Genma under the mask now, especially since his usual nonchalant voice and body language had fully returned.

“I’m not surprised. She has treated me once before in the hospital and was quite proficient.” He turned toward Hitori and she stood a little straighter. “I’m glad to see that the Hokage convinced you to try out.” their tone softened slightly, but she still had no idea who it was.

“Thank you. I hope I did well enough to be considered worthy of the ANBU ranks.” she bowed her head respectfully.

“You will be called to headquarters in three days to find out if you have passed the test and will become an ANBU operative. For now, head up to the hospital with your teammates.” he gestured towards the door politely and she bowed her head again before she left with her Captain.

“You did a good job today.” her Captain gave her a quick pat on the shoulder as they made the short trip to the hospital.

“Thank you. I was worried that I overstepped a little.” she spoke a little more casually now, matching him.

“Nah, it usually just depends on who is leading the mission. Me? I don’t mind if you are trying to stop your teammates from getting killed, so long as you aren’t putting yourself at risk. However, some of the more uptight Captains don’t want you doing anything but healing your team.” he shrugged before he stretched his arms out and rolled his shoulders a few times. “My advice is, if you get in, just play it safe until you know what your boundaries are with each Captain.”

“I’ll remember that. Thank you for the advice.”

She gave him an appreciative nod as they walked in the hospital doors and she went over to the triage nurses to discuss the wounds she had healed on her teammates to ensure that they were checked over thoroughly. Sakura came over to examine a couple and gave Hitori a nudge with her elbow that no one else noticed. Hitori knew it was an encouraging gesture and smiled, glad her face was hidden by the mask.

It was about an hour before they all got cleared to leave or admitted, the guy whose calf had been severed being one of them. Hitori was able to leave since she could deal with any wounds herself, and she shuffled her feet slowly into the bathrooms before she left. She had been desperate to relieve herself, but stayed to make sure that everyone was okay first.

She removed her mask, concealing it in her cloak before she headed back out and waved goodbye to Sakura, who gave her a beaming smile as she healed someone who was bleeding profusely. Laughing at her friend, she put her hands in her pockets and walked towards home. The three days she had to wait for her results were going to be annoying, since she obviously wouldn’t be able to leave the village on a mission to pass the time. She could possibly pester Haruko for information, to see if he knew anything about the decision, but she didn’t want to put him in an awkward spot.

Heading through the marketplace, she grabbed a few things so she would have some fresh produce for the next few days, being lucky enough to catch them before they closed. She was much too lazy to cook now, being exhausted after the huge day she had and grabbed some takeaway for dinner. It was just an easy stir fry noodle box, but it was enough to fill her up.

As she arrived home, she used her chakra to unseal the door, and went inside, feeling it seal behind her. She didn’t really need to seal it with chakra, considering she was in a building that had half shinobi and half civilians, but it was just part of being a shinobi to be paranoid. Reluctantly, she unpacked her groceries, placing them where they belonged in her kitchen before she sat down at her small dining table to eat.

Cracking apart the wooden chopsticks, she shovelled in a mouthful of noodles and almost cried because they were still so fresh that they were burning hot. Not making the same mistake again, she blew softly on the next few mouthfuls so she didn’t end up with no tastebuds for the next week, and kept eating. The only thing that interrupted her meal was her occasional yawn and she scrunched her nose up as they became more frequent and almost stopped her from eating.

Once she finished the box, she tossed it in the garbage before she headed to the bathroom and stripped off everything she was wearing, leaving it in a pile on the floor. She would wash them later, since she would have free time over the next few days. After she was satisfied with her hygiene level, although she was sure the standard would be higher if she wasn’t so tired, she dried herself off and left her wet towel on the floor.

Pulling out a baggy shirt and underwear, she dressed as quickly as she was bothered, which was rather slow, before she flopped down unceremoniously on her bed. She groaned before she shuffled up higher and pulled the blankets over her small form. Having a queen bed for someone her size seemed a little silly, but she never really cared. It stopped her from having any space in her room, but since it was pushed up against the wall, she had just enough room to access her drawers.

Normally, she would spend a few minutes contemplating the mission before she slept, but her earlier nervousness, as well as having more people to heal than usual, had really taken it out of her. Her eyelids were so heavy and she didn’t fight them closing and just focused on slowing her breathing.

It only took another minute before she was snoring lightly...