| [Jan. 12th, 2011|08:24 pm] |
Along the edge of the fireline, Asuma's clones and the Inuzuka had cleared the first four houses, and were rapidly working on the rest. Tsume had sent other peoples' familiars off to find more special jounin and high level chuunin, giving them orders. As the last familiar dashed off, pumping chakra into his legs to race faster, Tsume began to form seals.
She didn't know any earth jutsu. The fastest way she could think of to bring down an entire house was the Tsuuga. Her claws were broken, but she'd taken half a dozen kunai from nearby ninja and held them now, three in each hand. It would be enough, with chakra behind it.
As the last seal fell, the world seemed to slow. For a moment, everything was clear. She had a snapshot of chuunin working earth jutsu on one of the burning houses. Of an Asuma-clone smashing through a door. Of Kuromaru streaking toward another cabin.
And then the world twisted and became a blur, as the jutsu took her into a spin. She closed her eyes and smashed into the first house, blades and chakra slamming her straight through the wall as she boosted the jutsu as fast and deadly as she could. She could feel wherever she struck, tearing down the foundations, ripping through sturdy beams and flimsy walls. One house, and another, and onward through the next four. She dropped the jutsu as she cleared the last one, skidding to halt, digging tracks in the dirt as her spin brought her around to face the row of buildings. They were still standing.
She nodded to Taro, who, grim-faced, formed seals and whipped up a wind. The houses came crashing down, nothing more now than piles of rubble. She twisted, looking around, and saw more Inuzuka doing the same. Clearing a ring around the fire with Tsuuga and teamwork, or earth jutsu, or smashing houses down by sheer force and blades.
They were working. Carrying out her orders. She could leave them.
Tsume twisted to look into the fire, trying to spot the buildings that still had people in them. The ones that weren't going to last much longer. Under the crackle and snap of the blaze, she could faintly hear a cry. She ran that way, sprinting past burning houses, trying to keep her head down and ignore the heat. Into the center of the inferno, where Kuromaru had led Asuma. Into the houses most people couldn't get to. Her Pack, and she would get into them. |
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