Chapter 42: The Test
The Cave (Morning) (Kamui's Point of View)
Waking up to a brighter cave, Kamui quickly realized that it was probably morning.
"Well, aren't you uncharacteristically late to wake up." Yugao commented, sarcasm dripping in her voice.
"You know it's almost noon, right?" Reina, commented from the side.
"What!?" Kamui exclaimed.
['It shouldn't be too surprising. Remember, you were being attacked by Naga's mental defenses to the point where you were forcefully expelled. If it weren't for your unique circumstances, you'd have been out for a month at the least.'] Yume clarified from inside of her.
Hearing the explanation, Kamui sighed in resignation.
Yugao's eyebrow raised at her student's reaction.
"I take it that you have an explanation? It was a little concerning to see you of all people sweating with a fever; it's the reason we didn't wake you. It lasted until about an hour ago." Yugao asked.
Normally, she liked to respect her student's privacy, but this was a dangerous mission and she couldn't have unknown variables that compromised either of their health.
Kamui nodded. Considering the fact that she needed to change the mission parameters to an extent, telling Yugao the events of the previous night would be a requirement.
For the next twenty minutes, Kamui went over what she had seen during her vision, including the shifting scenery, the screaming, the stomach area, and finally the details surrounding Naga.
"Wait, can you transform yourself into her?" Reina asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion; it wasn't toward Kamui's account, but in the description of the mysterious snake woman.
"Sure." Kamui replied. With a puff of smoke, Kamui transformed into a six-foot version of Naga. "Well, she was actually 10-feet-tall, but this should be fine." She clarified, both human and monster voices blending together in a similar manner to the snake woman, just a lot calmer.
Kamui made a shadow clone with the transformed appearance and undid the jutsu on herself. Then, she turned over to see their reactions. Her sensei's was understandably tame compared to their client's and it seemed her sensei was aware of that as well.
They watched with interest as Reina's eyes first showed confusion, then slowly shifted to realization, and finally settled on a seething anger barely veiled by a stoic face.
"Those pieces of shit…" Reina mumbled to herself.
"Hmm?" Kamui questioned, not understanding the sudden fury at Naga's appearance.
"Is this one of your clansmen?" Yugao asked from the side, much to Kamui's amusement.
There was no way that was the case. That type of transformation would require years. Although it looked like the process was moving fast, that was just because Naga was in the final stages. Her soul was already mostly that of whatever kind of beast she was turning into. Her body had likely been conditioned for years before it entered the phase where it could safely take on that transformation. This wasn't a rushed process; Orochimaru had likely invested in it for many years, probably since she was an infant.
"She certainly has clan blood, but she is not a member. That said, she bears a strong resemblance to our records of a certain previously missing member in their youth." Reina stated through gritted teeth.
She paused for a short moment, took a deep breath, and slowly continued, "She looks like Ana."
Yugao's eyes widened at the implication, then walked up and put a hand on Reina's shoulder to comfort the woman.
'I wonder who the father is? Orochimaru maybe?' Kamui secretly thought to herself.
It was a tense moment as the three silently contemplated the implications of this new information.
Finally, after a long moment of silence, Kamui spoke, "Well, I guess saving her shouldn't be too big of an issue, right?"
"Yes, please. If she's been brought to this island, we need to save her. Especially if she's suffering through one of that monster's experiments." Reina resolutely stated, looking into the nearby Yugao's eyes to convey her conviction. They still needed to save her clan, but she was willing to delay that a bit to save this poor soul who was currently suffering.
Yugao remained silent for a moment, taking time to think of the best way to proceed.
"Kamui." She called out. "Do you remember the way to Kocho village" she asked.
"Of course, Sensei." Kamui responded with a nod.
"Good. Here's what we'll do. You create four reinforced clones and have them take four different paths to the village. Once there, set up four different teleportation markers at key points to give us options. Not only will it make our jobs easier when we get to the village, it'll mitigate the risk of you getting there without Reina guiding you." Yugao ordered.
"Right." Kamui nodded in understanding. There wasn't anything she wasn't particularly clear about up to this point. It was pretty clear that Reina would be coming with them to save Naga. Her sensei's idea was more than sound.
"Oh!" Yugao uttered suddenly, "Make sure you don't spook the sound four. Only act if they look like they're planning on killing the clansmen and I mean on mass, not individuals. Until we finish with Naga you must endure." She ordered; her expression more serious than Kamui had seen from her this entire mission.
"What!? Why!?" Kamui and Reina asked almost at the same time.
Silence answered them. Yugao waited for them to regain their bearings. If she started voicing her reasoning now, there would only be arguments.
'Has she gone mad!? I know there are benefits to enduring through these types of situations, but we have the ability to rescue them ahead of time. The villagers shouldn't have to suffer in this instance.' Kamui angrily thought to herself.
['Kamui, you must remember what Yugao is trying to do. Although, she probably won't word it like this, she needs to test your ability to endure hardship. There's a serious chance she won't be able to test your ability to decide when running is preferred with this being a hostage situation and your combined power being enough for the rescue. Instead, she's likely to test your patience, a competency in a similar vein.']
'She'd be willing to sacrifice lives unnecessarily for a stupid lesson!?' She furiously asked. Logically, she roughly knew the reason, but her emotions were getting the best of her, her eyes had even shifted to their dragon state involuntarily.
['That's what I believe. Keep in mind, you are far too valuable to Konoha to risk on dangerous missions without being absolutely sure of your competency. The rank of chunin would give you the ability to take those dangerous missions. Since the exams are coming soon and you're sure to pass, your sensei has to take drastic action to assess whether you're ready. Your handling of this situation and the responses you give are likely already being assessed. Although Yugao is a caring person, she has her mission, and that's your transformation into a great shinobi. Remember where she came from, one of your father's most elite ANBU units. She may have been reassigned, but humans don't change that fast. When it comes to missions, never forget that mission success will always come first for her. That's just how they operate.'] Yume concluded, retreating back into Kamui's inner world.
Fists gripped tightly, Kamui asked, "Sensei, I have the means to secure the clan as soon as its members' locations are confirmed. Initiating the rescue effort early wouldn't negatively impact our primary orders." She reasoned, hoping Yugao would agree with her line of thinking.
She didn't.
Yugao shook her head and spoke seriously, "Kamui, Reina, I understand your frustrations, but the rescue efforts aren't our only mission here. If possible, we've also been ordered to capture the members of the group. You have little experience with fighting hostile group-combat-specialized shinobi in the field who can challenge S-rank combatants when together, especially tactically proficient ones. You may have experience with those inside the village, but Orochimaru and his men have unique methods of handling their tasks; it's best we fight them together. The death of your clones may not pose a danger to your safety, but they do give the sound four time to regroup and escape. If they're able, they'll most definitely destroy the intelligence we're sure to find in their compound and that's an outcome that we can't accept."
With that said, her eyes narrowed at her student, silently ordering her to shut up and accept her orders. She knew there was probably another way they could go about this, but Yugao really needed to test Kamui's ability to endure and this was probably the best she could expect before the chunin exams. The unsaid fact was that Kamui's improvement was more of an asset to the village than any single member of the Kocho clan. As long as a decent number remained, they could repopulate.
Reina's eyes burrowed into Yugao like daggers. She knew there was more than just a rescue objective to this operation, but she really couldn't accept the jonin's line of reasoning. Although she wanted the sound four captured or dead as well, she wanted her clansmen alive more. That said, she had to bite her tongue. Yugao was the mission leader and was given full discretion on handling the mission. Her focus shifted toward Kamui. She would just have to hope the girl could pull another magical rabbit out of her hat for this part. Regardless, they would have to save Naga quickly.
Releasing the tension in her hands, Kamui sighed.
"Fine. We should make this quick then. Both efforts shouldn't take long. The longest it should take is a day and a half and that's stretching it." She stated, regaining her bearing. Even if she thought Yugao's reasoning was a load of crap, she still had to go along with it. The best she could do was work around her orders. She might even be able to have her clones protect the people from a distance, somehow.
'Hmm… how am I going to get around this?' she secretly thought.
"Good. Let's get moving. Like you said, the earlier we finish, the earlier we get to the hostages." Yugao stated firmly before starting in the direction Kamui pointed Naga to be in, closely followed by the other two kunoichi.
Behind her, Kamui was still deep in thought on a way to do as Yugao ordered and still save the refugees. Then, an idea came to her. An idea so ridiculous, it just might work. She could probably even pass it off as a lucky accident.
Slowly, a mischievous grin formed on her face, catching the nearby Reina off guard. With that, orders went out to all her clones through Yume. Then, she glanced at Reina and gave her a brief bright smile before turning back toward the front like nothing had ever happened.
For her part, Reina's somber expression quickly relaxed. Based on what she had seen, she doubted the girl would flat out ignore her orders, but it seemed like she had a way around them. At least that's what she had come to expect from the girl after the week they'd spent knowing each other.
In front of the group, Yugao silently sighed.
'So, what'll be her approach then? There's no way she'll listen to those kind of orders... at least, not with the captain as a god-brother. Hopefully, we can still finish both objectives. That said, it really doesn't matter. Her development is more important than capturing Orochimaru's goons as well. She doesn't need to know that though. Working around bad orders is also a required skill. Isn't that right, captain?' She thought in resignation and mirth.
On one hand, she was resigned at the chaos that would likely ensue at her student's actions. On the other, she took no small joy in putting the girl through the same emotional ringer her former captain had put her through.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone