Spear & Shield

Spear & Shield
Chapter 31

It was a sunny and mild afternoon in Konohagakure. 

Mount Hokage was haloed in brightly colored ropes, strung between thin posts, with small “keep out!” tags that flutter in the light breeze. The flimsy barrier wrapped around the look-out area, barring off any sight-seers who may wander into the area. It may have been stretched a little larger than necessary, for an extra level of solitude for the work that was to be done.

Yasu looked over the edge of the mountain, taking in the overwhelming sight that was her bustling village. The streets were full as citizens took advantage of the good weather. Peak business hours were approaching, and Yasu watched in real-time as the market district began to fill up. A bell rang out in the distance, and the shouts of children joined the chorus of noises below as the Academy let out for their lunch break. 

Once again, she was overcome with a feeling of surrealism, somehow both embedded into and removed from the people she stood above. It was only here, atop the mountain, that she ever felt this way. 

She took a deep breath through her nose, filling her lungs with a fresh, cool breeze. Chakra flowed to the soles of her feet, connecting her to the earth itself. 

For one, singular moment, she was one with Konoha.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” a voice droned behind her.

The connection broke, leaving Yasu feeling empty. "We're wasting time."

She sighed, face twisting in irritation. 'Today is the day,' she hissed to herself, 'That I realize one of my biggest dreams. I am living one of the greatest moments of my life and he has to be here.'

“Yamato-taicho’s right, Yasu,” her father chimed in, hauling the last bit of equipment through the barrier. “We best get started soon, or it will be midnight by the time we finish.”

She spun around, fixing Yamato with a sharp glare. He stared back evenly, arms crossed over his chest. 

“You’re only here as an assurance,” she sniped tartly, walking over to join him at the center of the closed-off area. 

"Oh?" he smirked down at her, "You'd rather do this on your own, then?" 

She frowned. The very thought of her attempting to do this by herself sending a wave of panic through her. Weeks of careful measurements had been taken, soil and rock samples collected, and (not one, not two, but) six model replicas taking up a substantial amount of space in her apartment. Even with all of that, she still didn't feel ready.

Today had snuck up on her, despite her apprehension. 

Her father had come to fetch her personally, barging into her apartment just before dawn. She hadn’t even gotten out of bed when he threw one of the traditional family haori over her head and demanded she hurry up or else they’d be late.

Late for what? She wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like the mountain was going to carve itself. Regardless... in her state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion, she complied with little argument.

Her glare dropped from his smug face to the stony ground, practically pouting. "I hate that I need your help…" she muttered. She glanced back up, seeing his face shift to surprise. "What?"

"I…" he shook his head in disbelief, "I just didn't think you'd admit it."

A vein twitched in her temple, "What? You expect me to move a mountain by myself?"

"I'd expect you to try before admitting you needed my help," he shrugged.

If she had been in a better state of mind, she may have argued more. Instead, she sighed in defeat and said, "I know my limits, Yamato-taicho."

"Good," he fell back into his usual blank state. "It'll make this easier."

Despite the gargantuan task before them, Yasu couldn’t help herself, “Stop with the snide comments, already!” she retorted, finally snapping. “I swear, I can’t work one job with you without your backhanded attitude.”

“Attitude?!” Yamato echoed, sputtering at her outburst. “I’m not the one being snide! You're the one who treats me like cheap labor--"

"Because you're the one who refuses to listen to me--"

"Well, I do outrank you--"

"Oh, you've got to be--"

“Children!” Yasuchika bellowed, pinning the pair with a stern look. "Let me know when you are done with your bickering. We still have a job to do." The two shinobi shot him sheepish and apologetic looks. He sighed again, ‘Yare, yare…’  

Yasu felt herself deflate with her father’s disappointed tone. 

Given recent “events,” she had less of her usual fire. She was distracted in the worst possible way, overwhelmed in a cloud of stress, anxiety, and over-thinking. Having Yamato around certainly didn't help.

Being around someone so irritating only made her crave those who made her feel at ease. 

“We’re ready, Ushi-sama,” Yamato nodded in confirmation, already making his way to the other end of the area. A seal, simple and circular, had been carved into the dirt there. A temporary measure to ensure precision. 

Yasuchika turned to his daughter, “I’ll give the signal.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Yasu’s mouth as she rolled her eyes, “Okay, Dad.”

She took up post opposite Yamato, standing with their shoulders parallel. Below her was the sister seal, the control to the variable. 

Fuuinjutsu was far from her forte, but the same method had been used in the past… It took a lot of effort, but the system worked.

She sent up a silent final prayer to the spirits for good luck. 

“I’m counting on you, Taicho,” she called over, mirroring him by squaring her stance.

Yamato nodded evenly at her, a small truce unspoken between them.

“Alright,” Yasuchika continued, determined. “Count of three.”

The two ninja snapped to a soldier stance, hands forming a seal in tandem.

Dragon.

“One.”

Ox.

“Two.”

Snake.

“Three!”

“Doton!”

Two pairs of hands slammed to the ground below. The seals began to glow with chakra, illuminating their faces in green light. Yamato and Yasu poured their chakra into the earth, molding it into the rock and soil. The seals guided the chakra. It joined and melded, spreading and blending together until it became indistinguishable between them. 

The world trembled beneath them. Earthy plates shuttered and shifted. Waves of aftershocks rattled the mountain. Rock and dirt churned together, turning to soft soil beneath their feet. Yasu felt it build beneath her palms, pushing up and swallowing her fingers into the bedrock.

Yamato pushed, using the full force of his strength. Yasu guided the jutsu, having to use the entire extent of her power to contain it. 

One false move, and the mountain could collapse. 

She didn’t even have time to think about it, sinking all of her energy into the jutsu.

“And…!” Yasuchika sucked in a deep breath, knees wobbling horribly to keep his balance, “Stop!”

Releasing the jutsu brought with it a tidal wave of relief. Yasu felt her muscles go slack, her entire body drained and weak. She rolled back until she sat on the ground, body slouched over her knees.

“Perfect!” she heard her father shout, but he sounded far away.

She could feel her blood pump to her extremities, rejuvenating her strained limbs. Her chakra control had always been fairly decent, but a large jutsu like that still took a lot out of her. 

A hand popped into her line of sight. She slowly raised her head to see Yamato staring down at her, expression blank except for the small creasing of worry between his eyes. 

Wordlessly, she clasped her fingers around his outstretched wrist and allowed him to pull her up to her feet.

“The hardest part is over,” he commented lightly. “Are you alright?”

She hated to admit it, but this time, she was pretty glad Yamato was here.

She assessed herself, wiggling her fingers and toes just to see if she could. Chakra flickered in her core. She was drained, sure, but overall… 

“I’m okay,” she told him with a tight smile. “And the hardest part has just begun!”

Yamato raised an eyebrow at her, following as she went to join her father at the edge. Sure enough, the faces of the mountain had shifted a few dozen meters. This added enough space to add another, while keeping the monument perfectly centered above the Tower. ‘Tradition,’ she reminded herself, shaking out the limp feeling from her arms.

She inspected the new ridge they had created, and was more than satisfied with the shape and size.

The bustling noises of the village had all but stopped. A large crowd gathered down below, too far for them to make out any faces. Yasu grimaced and quickly ducked back, hiding from the crowd’s view. Her father remained, waving cheeringly as they gaped up at him.

“Wasn’t there a notice?” she whispered to Yamato. “They knew we were moving the mountain today, right?”

“No one reads construction notices,” he muttered back out of the corner of his mouth. 

“But they’re so important!” she argued, brow furrowed. 

“Unfortunately not to many,” he agreed with a similar expression. “Our Earth Release technique probably felt like an earthquake or an explosion to them. Besides, seeing the faces move is probably quite the spectacle.”

“But if they just read the notices--!”

“I know,” he placated.

Finally, her father stepped away from his adoring fans. “Fantastic work, you two!” he guffawed, turning to face the pair. “Perfectly centered, exact alignment, and not a single crack! You and my Yasu make a good team, eh?”

“We both have Earth-nature chakra,” Yamato hummed noncommittally, face souring at the comparison.

She tossed him a sour look. The sheer amount of calculations and measurements she had to do to ensure that the monument would remain perfectly center… And here he was shrugging her off like a despondent genin. She heaved another sigh, letting any anger she felt out with the breath. “Dad, I’m sure Yamato-taicho has better things to do than to sit around with us all day. I don’t think we’ll require any further assistance.”

Yasuchika frowned, “I suppose she’s right…” 

“Is there anything more you require of me, Ushi-sama?” Yamato asked politely.

“No, no... Yasu and I will be able to handle the rest.” Yasuchika bowed, genuinely humble, “Thank you for your assistance today, Yamato-taicho.”

“As always, it was an honor to work with you, Ushi-sama.” He returned the bow, sending a clear sign of respect to the older man. When he turned to her, he only offered her a small nod, “Yasu-san.”

Her lips quirked upwards on their own. That was the first time he’s called her by her name. So just this once, she decided that his comradery might be better than their usual squabbles. “... Thank you, Taicho.”

The captain disappeared quickly, leaving father and daughter alone on the mountain. 

Yasuchika clapped his hands together, turning to his progeny with a boisterous grin, "We'll let's get started then, eh Yasu-chan?"