Mission:

Izumi was still shaken from the nightmare fuel of seeing a dead child while she was evacuating the Academy. The child had been killed because Izumi took too much time giving a very brave boy directions to save himself and one of his classmates. In a small victory for her morale, she was at least able to get her emotions back in check. Izumi felt almost severed from emotion in fact, it was almost like she was in a dream, her thoughts and feelings coming and going at random for no good reason. Her head even had that strange fog felt by a mind lost in the world of dream. None of what she had seen or done this night mattered right now. None of it would matter if she wasn’t able to herself safety, hopefully along with the others she had saved up to this point. Shaking her head to get back into the present she looked around assessing the small party she was now a part of. Izumi looked to Chou ”Thank you for all the help Chou. It’s time we got out of the village.” Chou nodded in agreement and they set off down the streets of the village, onwards to refuge.

Izumi had never imagined how hellish it would truly be in the middle of the pitched chaos that is a country in full collapse. All around people were running in random directions, most in a panicked frenzy, in many, their humanity appeared gone instead replaced by the pure instinct of a scared animal. What’s worse than the chaos is the evil, the ones not in a panic of fear were hard at work … looting. Izumi was disgusted by this exhibit to the duality of man, however she had no time to care about petty crime when there were so many people left to be saved. Izumi set down the child she had still been carrying since she left the academy, her tears having soaked the child’s shirt when he was comforting Izumi. She needed a short break from carrying the child, his weight starting to take a toll on her arms. Besides, she was carrying him more for her own comfort than his. They moved towards the nearest village exit. They came to a bend in the road they were on, and when they rounded the corner they saw a large group of civilians. The civilians were halted by a heap of crashed and flaming debris, blocking the road all the way across. Izumi had dealt with a similar issue not too long ago, by fighting fire with fire by using one of her own fire jutsu to starve a fire of oxygen. Izumi cleared her throat and called out to the throng finding her loudest battlefield voice, ”Stand back from the debris, I can clear a path but it will be a bit dangerous.” while not loud enough to reach the whole crowd not with airy roars of the flames all around them, although enough had heard her that word had spread that help has arrived and they opened a path through the sea of bodies. As Izumi began to breathe in, her lungs filling with heat and chakra, the crowd moved back, those who had heard her again spreading the message. From a safe distance of five meters Izumi let the gathered technique out of her lungs. Izumi backed away a few steps in anticipation of the coming explosion.

For the second time that night the deafening boom of a close proximity explosion rang in her ears. When the smoke and dust cleared enough, Izumi pointed the crowd onward through  the gap she had created by her love of fighting fire with fire. The crowd cheered her as they moved along, although Izumi didn’t feel like much of a hero this night. She even felt partially guilty not having tried to warn as many as she could before the night began. It’s not like she had a choice however, the end result of this night was too vital to be ruined by last minute regrets. If Izumi has warned the wrong people it’s possible the plot would have been uncovered. After the crowd had passed heading to the nearby gate and beyond it safety, Izumi looked after them and began to follow. When Izumi was just about to cross the threshold of debris and ash she paused, looking back towards the village. Izumi changed her mind, now was not the time for her flight. There was still plenty for her to do and more importantly, more history to witness.

[773/750]

Chakra Used: