I started walking, making sure to keep track of the ones that had fled from the battlefield. They were still running, but they all started heading in the same direction, closer to the temple we were heading to. There was a village not far from it, so they must be heading towards that village. Turning off Senrigan, as one I have laid my eyes on them, it wouldn't be hard to check in on them again.
Making it out of the forest and hearing gasps as I noticed the group with Kurenai as she looked at me, only for me to look at myself and realize I was covered in blood. So that is why the female guards were on guard and gasped. Kurenai walked over as she spoke.
"Are you okay, Kume?" She said.
"I am fine, this isn't my blood. I am not hurt, but I can tell whoever is after her has lost a good bit of his men. So if he does plan something after this, he will be struggling with manpower. Moving a few hundred people would be extremely hard to do without drawing attention. So it should be well within our means to protect her, as long as they are the same level as the ones I killed, that is." I said.
I walked across the road and then stopped, turning to face the group. "Do we have time for me to wash at least my body off?" I said, looking at everyone, when a kind, sweet voice came out from the carriage. "We have time, and thank you for protecting me." The voice said, making me nod and reply. "It wasn't an issue, they said some nasty things about the twins, so I was going to kill them anyway," I said before walking towards the river.
Making it to the river, I started to take off my clothes. My hoodie was the worst; it had clots of blood stuck on it from when I cut open the fat man. Taking off the rest of my clothes as I stood there naked, hearing whispers, and Kurenai sensei quickly looked away with a slight redness to her face, making me smirk as I turned towards the water, dunking myself along with my hoodie.
Letting the rushing water move over me as it pulled the clumps of blood off my body and down the river. I stayed a few minutes underwater before coming back up and walking out of the river, as I noticed the window to the carriage was open, making sure the person inside could see me before it quickly closed. I would ask the twins later how she reacted seeing me naked; this will help me later.
The female guards were red-faced and glaring as I walked back to the forest after finishing my dressing and breaking off a branch. I then put the hood of my hoodie over the end of the branch and placed it over my shoulder, letting it dry as we started walking. "How are you feeling, Kume?" Kurenai asked me.
"I am fine, Sensei. It is not a sin to kill to protect those you hold dear, I won't lose sleep over it, and I won't be judged for it." I said, looking at her as she nodded and became quiet as we walked. We arrived at the temple without any issues. It was a little past noon, and I was waiting outside. I choose to check in on the ones that got away.
Senrigan showed up in my eyes as I gazed in the direction, seeing the group panting outside of a village, before they started to fight among each other. From what I could tell, they were trying to decide who would tell their boss, until they settled on the weakest one to do it.
Watching the man walk towards a run-down building that looked to be some kind of grain storage area, and enter it. A man was sitting there, wearing a fur coat that resembled that of a gangster. However, what caught my eye wasn't him, but a man wearing a black coat with red clouds, leaning against a wall with his face partially obscured by shadows as he pleaded and begged on his knees.
The man in the shadows walked out, mouthing something as I noticed right off the bat when he walked out of the shadows. Kisame Hoshigaki, I looked around to see if I could find Itachi, but I couldn't find him. Maybe Kisame took this job alone, and since it was so close to the village, Itachi sat this one out. That would make sense, as he didn't want the village to catch him.
Well, if it's just him, then I think I could manage him. As long as Itachi doesn't pop out of anywhere, I thought to myself. But now I need to plan, as this was something out of the ordinary, as I pushed off the wall and walked towards the open area in the direction I looked around, picking this spot for the battle that will happen, as I noticed Kisame leaving the place with at least fifty henchmen.
Looks like I will have to face a member of Akatsuki sooner than I thought I would, but they are hired thugs. So there was a chance that criminal groups would use them. I started to draw on the ground, creating a two-hundred-meter by two-hundred-meter diagram, before dropping some blood in the middle of it. Then, using the earth chakra, I hid it with some light dirt until it was no longer noticeable.
I got done in an hour, as I noticed Kisame was about an hour away with the thugs. "Kurenai sensei, can you join me outside real quick?" I radioed to her. "I will be right there." She said, coming over after a few minutes, as I turned to look at her.
The first thing she noticed was my eyes. "Kume, your eyes." I held up a hand as I spoke. "Kurenai Sensai, we have a problem. I have been watching the thugs that got away, and I found out a member of Akatsuki has been hired by the stalker." I said, making Kurenai serious.
"Which one, Kume?" She said. She has heard of the Akatsuki; they are all high-level missing-nin in the bingo book. "Kisame Hoshigaki, the S-rank missing-nin," I said, making her eyes quiver. "How do you know? Is it because of your eyes?" I nodded.
"I can track people anywhere in the world as long as I have laid eyes on them." Of course, I gave half-truths and half-lies. I don't need to see them first, but it makes it easier to find them, as you know which way to look.
"Then we need to get her out of here," Kurenai said as I spoke. "You and the twins take her back. I will stay here," I said, making her freeze as she had already started turning. "What do you mean, Kume?" She asked.
"We won't be able to outrun him if we have to carry her, plus he is heading straight here if I wait here. Then he will believe she is still here, as why would a Leaf village genin be here and not his Jonin? This will buy you time, so gain distance that way the thugs won't get their hands on her." I said.
"This isn't a game, Kume." She said as I walked over and placed my hand on her stomach, marking her. "I have marked you, so when I feel like I have bought you time, or killed him, I can teleport to you. I have already laid a trap for him, and I need to be here to trigger it." I said, making the seal on the ground glow slightly as she looked at her body. "My-" She then looked at me and nodded.
"Very well, but you will teleport to use after two hours. Got it." She said. I nodded, and she started to run towards the temple. Well, now let's see how the big bad Akatsuki is. I said, licking my lips.