Although my first mission as a Chuunin had been a success, I felt uncomfortable. Was it because it had been so easy? Or, perhaps, because of what had nearly happened? I shivered, but convinced myself that it was because of the cold wind tearing at me. I was supposed to be impassive. I had to be, to remain calm and strong. But on that mission, I had nearly spooked my own team. I had blamed it on the trees. They had accepted the lie.
I looked up into the night sky. If it weren’t for my sleepiness, I would have thought it was morning. The moon was that bright. I blinked as a drop of rain landed on my cheek, and I turned my face down again. I was exhausted, and hardly noticed as the rain began to pour down in sheets. Was the sky weeping? I wondered. It had reason to, at least, since it had seen so much slaughter.
This war was beginning to get to me. Even they had noticed. My emotions had been flaring recently, usually in anger, not to mention fear. It was happening with everyone else, too, but I heard them talking about me at night, when no one dared to try and sleep. Either we would get ambushed and killed, or you would wake from nightmares, screaming.
I cursed the rain. I cursed the whole damn war. I clenched my hands into fists to keep them from trembling, but it didn’t work. I merely shook harder. Visions ran through my mind, distorting the true memories into some living nightmare. No, I thought. This war is a living nightmare, a living hell. Not these screwed up memories. But it wasn’t as if the real memories were much better.
I heard voices. One was Uzumaki, the other was Hyuuga. The girl. I knew that she was tending to the bullet hole in Uzumaki’s chest. He had been lucky that it was only his chest, not his neck or face. Even so, the Kyuubi’s healing power probably would have saved him anyways. It was also possible that he would have died. He’s had that wound for about a week now, and it still wasn’t fully healed.
It was a good thing that Inzuka had sniffed out the sniper. Otherwise, we probably would have lost a lot more ninja then we did. Even so, that one loss had devastated us. Rock had been in the infirmary for a week straight. He had refused to believe his sensei had been killed. Still, he believed his sensei was alive, and could often be found talking to himself and claiming he was speaking with his sensei.
Damn this war. I seemed to be thinking that a lot.
Uzumaki and Hyuuga’s voices faded. Hyuuga was going back to the tent she’d been assigned. I waited to hear Uzumaki make his way into his own tent before moving from my spot on top of the hill that overlooked the camp. I set and armed some mines and claymores, then rubbed my face in hopes of waking myself up more.
I spotted Akimichi and Tenten making their way up the hill. They had night watch tonight. I nodded to them as they came up, made a hand signal that indicated that I had planted explosives, and then left after they nodded in reply.
I went into the Chuunin’s tent that I had been assigned to. Nara was there, playing chess with himself. When he heard my footsteps, he jerked his head up, eyes wide, but calmed when he recognized me. “Damn near made me piss myself,” he muttered. “I thought you were on patrol tonight.”
I shook my head. “They moved it up to a Jounin,” I replied, sitting on my bunk.
“Which?” Nara asked.
I shrugged. “Mitarashi, from what I know.”
“Who?”
“Anko,” I clarified. It felt odd using her first name. We tended to call everyone by their surnames.
“Oh. I thought she got injured?”
“Apparently not,” I replied.
Nara shrugged, and continued playing chess. I lay down on my bunk, despite the fact that it was hardly softer than a rock, and was still. I got the only rest that I could in the middle of a war- a sort of meditation. I only moved when I heard someone- Aburame, it happened to be- come in.
He nodded to us and lay down on his own bunk, resting with his rifle at his side. I noticed that he wasn’t wearing his glasses, and remembered that they had been shot off. He was lucky that he had been wearing them, or else he probably would’ve been killed. I reminded myself to find a new pair of glasses for him, and myself as well.
Somehow, I managed to fall asleep. Apparently, my mind was too exhausted to even think up nightmares, because when I awoke, I wasn’t screaming. But everyone around me was.
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Chapter notes: Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...obviously.