Spear & Shield

Spear & Shield
Chapter 18

The walk back to the village was quiet and only a little awkward. This time, they walked side-by-side at a steady pace, each preoccupied with their own thoughts.  

About half-way back, Gai mentioned he felt two chakra signatures headed down a parallel path a little ways away, and suggested a little competition. Yasu grinned at the notion, happy to see Gai back to his usual self so quickly. 

“They’re going fast, but we’re going to beat them to the village. There’s a fork up ahead. So long as we out-run them there, we’ll win for sure!”

“I’m not as fast as you,” she frowned, “But I’ll try.”

That was more than good enough for Gai, “Yosh! ”

Within a matter of seconds, Yasu was left in the dust. Gai shot ahead, not seeming to notice Yasu falling behind. He concentrated on the path before him while keeping a keen eye on the signatures he had felt on the other path. To his surprise, they began to speed up as well. 

And they were fast. 

Gai frowned, channeling chakra to the soles of his feet, steadying his breathing and ducking lower to gain more speed. 

So did they.

The group was nearing the fork that merged the two paths they were on, leading up to the village gate. The trees between them were thinning, and as they shot forward, they got closer together.

It was at that moment Gai realized who the pair were, and suddenly their impressive speed made sense.

“Yosh!” he declared with a grin, skidding to a stop right were the paths merged, “What a coincidence! My One and Only Eternal Rival, Hatake Kakashi!”

Kakashi and his companion stopped as well, sharing a look before turning to their comrade.

“Yo… long time no see, Gai,” Kakashi greeted in his usual casual drawl. 

“Ah, and Yamato-taicho!” Gai grinned at the other, “Are you returning from a perilous mission?” They were both wearing packs with a fine layer of dust and dirt gathering along the hems of their clothes.

“Eh,” Kakashi sighed, “I wouldn't say 'perilous.' It went well, I suppose.”

“If you're heading to the Village, we can travel together--” it was at that moment Gai realized he was missing his own companion. “Eh…?” he glanced back down the trail he had come from, noticing a speck in the distance. 

“Everything alright, Gai?”

“Of course!” he grinned, “I just appear to be missing my student…”

“Your student?” Yamato echoed, “Were you out on a mission as well?”

“No,” Gai grinned, “We spent the day training outside of the Village.”

Kakashi glanced towards the direction Gai had come from, knowing the area fairly well. He recalled Gai sneaking off to his “secret” training area during their youth, but pretty much everyone in their group knew where it was. They were all just too afraid to go there…

“Ah,” Kakashi caught sight of Gai’s misplaced student, “It’s Ushi-san.”

The poor girl jogged the last leg of her journey, slowing as she approached the group. She was breathing heavily as she came up from behind Gai.

“Yasu-chan!” Gai beamed, turning towards her, “Good news, we were victorious--”

A harsh chill suddenly filled the air. Something almost like killing intent, but not quite, smothered the atmosphere between them, causing Gai to immediately snap his jaw shut and forget whatever he was about to say. Kakashi felt it too, his whole body tensing as he palmed a kunai at his side. Battle instinct kicked in. It was malice and stewing rage, so thick they could practically taste it. It was hearing the war drums before catching sight of a solider. It was a prelude to war.

The two sensei surveyed the area with sharp eyes, ready to jump out at whatever threat had snuck up on them…

Only to realize that the aura of menace was right between them.

The expression Yasu wore made Gai flinch. He had never seen her even close to that malicious, not even in the midst of their most heated spars. Her eyes were full of what he could only call rage, mouth pulled back into a closed snarl. Even with her messy hair and being covered in sweat, she was something wrathful.

Kakashi was used to Yamato’s “scary face.” Perhaps more used to it than most... But it still sent chills down his spine whenever he saw it. This time, however, he sensed a genuine animosity there. Strange...

Slowly, he slid his good eye over to Gai, who stiffly turned to meet his questioning gaze and share a nervous shrug. There was an equal amount of unease in their eyes.

“Yamato-taicho,” Yasu was the first to speak, her voice low as she practically spat her words into the dirt. 

“Ushi-san,” Yamato returned, voice coated in ice.

Lightning crackled between them.

“Ah, so you two... know each other?” Kakashi asked with the friendliest tone he could muster. 

“Yes,” they answered in tandem, each speaking through clenched teeth. 

Gai and Kakashi waited for further explanation but received none.

The lightning crackled again.

Gai, ever the supportive sensei, inched towards his student. “Y-yasu-chan…? Is everything alright?” he asked in his best attempt at a whisper.

“Just fine,” she answered, turning her fiery glare to Gai. “We won the race?”

Gai could only nod, eyes wide as sweat began to pour down his neck.

She snapped back to Yamato, “Good.”

“I was not aware we were racing,” Yamato responded, his dark and dead-eyed stare never leaving Yasu. “We were suspicious of someone approaching the village at such high speeds and decided to investigate.”

“Does it count if only Gai beat us…?” Kakashi dared to ask, mentally debating whether he wanted to get involved with whatever was going on between Yasu and Yamato. 

Gai barked a laugh at Kakashi’s implication, “You’re just jealous I was faster!” he declared.

“I didn’t even know it was a race. I would have beaten you, otherwise.”

Suddenly, the two jounin conveniently forgot the odd behavior of their respective companions. 

“A challenge?!” Gai grinned, “Let’s make it interesting, shall we?”

Kakashi tilted his head back to regard Gai with a serious expression, “Oh?”

Gai pointed a finger at Kakashi, leaping into his normal, youthful enthusiasm, “I, Maito Gai, will beat you, Hatake Kakashi, to the village gate--”

“Alright--”

Then that finger pointed to Yasu, “While carrying Ushi Yasu on my back!”

Finally, Yasu snapped out of her anger. “Wh-what?!” she gasped, going from murderous to blushing in the blink of an eye.

“Hmm…” Kakashi tapped his chin, “Then I guess I’ll carry Yamato.”

Yamato’s cold expression turned to one of confusion, “But taicho--?”

“Yosh!” Quick as a blink, Gai grabbed each of Yasu’s wrists, yanking her arms over his shoulders so she dangled oddly over his day-pack.

“G-Gai-sensei!” she stuttered, face flush with devastating embarrassment. The last thing she wanted was to be man-handled in front of Yamato.

But it was too late, Gai was already running.

Yasu wasn’t used to moving at such break-neck speeds. Reflexively, her arms clamped around his shoulders, knees digging into his sides as she held on for dear life. 

“No worries, Yasu-chan!” Gai grinned over his shoulder, “Kakashi’s fast, but I refuse to lose!”

For a moment, Yasu thought to bring up the fact that it was obvious Kakashi had just returned from a multi-day mission, and was probably in some level of a weakened state. She also wanted to mention Yamato was considerably larger than she was, therefore probably heavier. Then there was the fact that no one had said “go” before Gai started running.

But she didn’t. Because, for once, she genuinely wanted Gai to beat Kakashi. She wanted to win.

“They’re gaining on us!” she warned, seeing the other odd-couple appear a few steps behind.

At a later time, Yasu will reflect on this moment as one of the most hilarious sights she’s ever seen. Two high-ranking Konoha ninja, one perched on top of the other, rampaging towards them like they were on a warpath. The deadliest piggy-back ride she had ever witnessed.

Yasu had to think quickly. She reached up, snagging a low-hanging branch from overhead, cleaving the leaves off in one swift motion. She snapped into several sharp splinters, and shot them off over her shoulder.

“That’s cheating,” Yamato commented, deflecting her makeshift projectiles with one hand. 

"That's rich coming from you," she snarled.

There was something great and terrible in Yasu and Gai was terrified. He’s seen her angry, frustrated, and exasperated. He’s seen her protective and determined, and even defensive. But now, she was just plain scary. Good thing fear was a great motivator.

"Incoming!" Yasu gasped, throwing her weight to the right. 

Gai leant with her, barely dodging a good-sized log that had crashed down directly in their path. 

"That's cheating!" Yasu hollered. 

"Please excuse my kohai," Kakashi attempted to smooth over the kunoichi, coming up beside Gai with a friendly smile. "Let's agree; no more aerial attacks."

Gai nodded, but Yasu only pulled a face at the two as they passed.

She bit her tongue until Kakashi and Yamato were a few paces ahead. "Gai-sensei," she leaned forward to plead in his ear, "We can't let them win!" 

“Your Youthful, Competitive Spirit is Invigorating, Yasu-chan!” Gai beamed over his shoulder, only able to speed up slightly.

Yasu pressed her palms into his shoulders and raised herself up, honing in on the other pair with deadly focus, “I have an idea. Do you think you can get just ahead of them?”

Gai’s energy was waning after a day of training and travel, but he nodded nonetheless. “I have enough chakra left for another burst,” his serious tone matched hers.

“Alright…” she ducked back down and braced herself against his back, “See if you can get directly in their path.”

Gai complied, surging the last of his excess chakra to his feet and leg muscles. His stride lengthened substantially, propelling the two into the lead.

Yasu shifted left this time, drifting Gai straight into Kakashi’s path. The southern Village gate came into view, growing closer by the second.

“Ready?” she whispered, leaning back so that her upper body partially faced their opponents.

Gai wasn’t totally sure, but this was Yasu, so he said, “Of course!”

“Alright... Now..." she steadied herself, "Stop!"

Reacting solely on her command, Gai dug his heels into the path, leaving parallel schisms along the road behind him. His legs locked straight, Yasu’s weight pulling his upper-half back until he was sliding at a gravity-defying angle.

Kakashi was unable to react properly, unable to account for both his and Yamato’s inertia. His eye grew wide as he realized with horror he was about to collide right into Yasu.

Yasu smirked, one free arm already raised and ready.

It took only the slightest touch, but just as Kakashi’s body bumped her arm, she charged her chakra to redirect the force right back at them. Like repelling magnets, Kakashi and Gai were knocked in opposite directions.

She and Gai shot through the air like a cannonball. They catapulted through the gate, rendering the ninja on guard duty utterly speechless as they watched Yasu and Gai fly by, bodies spinning and tumbling, limbs flailing in a spectacular show of absurdity. To them, the world passed in slow-motion, rotating wildly, leaving them dizzy and disoriented.

Both student and sensei came to an ungraceful landing, skidding into the middle of the road that led into the village. 

Amazed that her plan had actually worked, Yasu's head shot up in search of Gai.

He landed face-up, blinking at the sky as he re-gained his senses. His heart was thumping at a thunderous rhythm and his lungs were blown empty.

“Are you okay?!” called one of the gate-nin in a panic.

Yasu and Gai only grinned, “We’re okay!”