Tsume watched the slender teenager vanish, then took a deep breath and glanced down at Kuromaru, trying to gauge how much energy he really had left. It was hard to tell, with their chakra points cut.

His eyes were dull but not glassy, his tongue lolling out still pink rather than white. "All right, Kuro," she said at last, tipping her head. "Shall we walk?"

He fell into step beside her, moving with a loose limbed grace that spoke of strong muscles and satiation.

Field thirteen wasn't too far; it took about fifteen minutes to get there. Tsume hoped Hayate hadn't been waiting long, but she wasn't about to push her familiar.