Asuma licked the bitter edge of not-quite-medicine off his teeth. "I can't savour the moment?" he said, sharpening a grin and squeezing her shoulders before he let his arm slip away. It hung too heavily from the strained joint, but some combination of way too much icy water and a fleeting dash of heat had left him surprisingly mobile.

He inhaled as deeply as he dared, feeling fresh, false chakra burn through scraped pathways, warming blood and bone, and grinned wider. It was a rush; they hadn't used many chakra boosters in the Daimyo's service. Not with Seito around, using his powerhouse stores to replenish anyone who really needed it.

Asuma would've given his right arm to see Seito's stubborn, unsmiling face right now.

He dragged a pulse of chakra through his skin, stemming the worst of the bleeding, and squashed the thought. Might as well wish for the whole team, a fleet of medics, and a squadron of sexy kunoichi while he was at it. It was just him and Natsumi--who, admittedly, filled the quota of sexy kunoichi pretty damn well--and that wasn't likely to change.

But at least she was alive.

He gathered himself, set his jaw, and leapt for the nearest tree. Gasped, grabbed, and flung himself to the next before his legs gave out. And the one after that...

"C'mon, gorgeous! Keep up!" Under strained breath, he muttered, "It only hurts a lot."