She hadn't bridled when he'd kissed her. Hadn't ducked the arm he'd dropped around her shoulders, either. Or called him an idiot for staging a river-sprint to come after her. Or bawled him out for leaving the redhead alive.

She hadn't even pitched a fit about the scarlet he was leaking all over the riverbank. Instead she'd kept a level head, tossed out a few ideas, and still hadn't complained about her ruined bow hand. Any other mission, Asuma would have suggested mailing the sword home and finding a nice hotel to waste a few days.

Actually--the hotel idea still had some merit. Especially if the room-service came with painkillers. They just had to find one.

"Hollow tree seems a little low-rent, darlin'," he mumbled, careful not to lean too much weight on Natsumi's shoulders. "What if we drive some cute woodland critters out of their home? Shame on you."

The tree canopy closed over their heads, blocking out a darkening view of the first few stars. There wasn't a path he could see, but he hadn't really expected one. Fallen pine needles carpeted the ground, just perfect for leaving a clear trail of footprints behind, if the blood drops and water scatter wasn't enough. Asuma tilted his head back to look at the trees.

They looked sturdy enough.

"If you've got any chakra pills on you, now might be the time to take them. We're leaving a beautiful trail." Natsumi's face was as white as the mask dangling from her fingertips; she still managed an impressive blank stare. Asuma nodded at the canopy. "If we jump for a few miles... at least we'll warm up?"

Neither one of them had enough left for a translocation. But tree-walking...

He didn't let himself think about how much it would hurt.