Chapter 14: Chapter 13 – Scorched earth

Shisui looked at her in silence and shook his head. 

"Alright.", He looked at her with a gaze that seemed to pin her to the broken part of the roof. "I understand." He looked at her clothes and frowned before slipping back into his torn ones. 

"These won't fit me..." He said, " ... and you need the coat more. I help you get into them, hold still."  

She nodded with hesitation. It was certainly unhealthy to wear his still wet clothes in this weather, but she would not object if he declined an offer. Hissing time and time again, suppressing her screams when he carefully lifted and moved some part of her body she held still. Each and every of her nonexistent muscles ached, and her body felt like it had been put through the wringer, twice. Once she was back to being wrapped up in layers she felt as if hit by a Truck and ached all over. 

"Thank you.", She said as he fixed the heavy and thick woolen hat for last. 

"It was you who saved my life. I am certain I wouldn't have lived if you hadn't helped." He told her and picked up her up. In a princess carry lying in his arms she observed him as he forgone the digging and simply narrowed down on the small gab between the snow and their shelter. 

"Hold on.", He mumbled and jumped out, picking up speed while running over the deep snow that covered the horror behind them. He ran until they reached the trees and jumped upwards landing elegantly and soundless on one of the branches having her flinch a moment. 

"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." He said and moved from one branch to another flying through the forest. It was a comfortable ride, despite her freezing hands that clutched to Shisui. 

"How are the others Riki, Yui, Hiro, that went to save you?", she asked Shisui after a while. She worried about them and now even more seeing Shisui's injuries.

"Mhh, they are distracting the enemy. Leading them into different directions. Either of us would be a hindrance, our job is it to stay low and head home safely.", he said, "You don't have to worry. Yui, Hiro and Riki might be ranking as Chuunin, but their skills are more at the level of a Jonin."

"Then Genin, Chuunin and Jonin are how Shinobi are ranked, are there higher ranks?", she asked him in curiosity. While she could guess what ranks there were from what she had gathered until now it was more half knowledge than actual knowledge. 

Knowledge is power Gene, never forget that, you may not leave the hospital, but you never know when even seemingly useless knowledge is useful. One day, you may even need to know how much drinking water you can store in a condom. Anuk's words almost were touchable right now. All knowledge is useful in a way even if it seems unlikely the knowledge, it was often enough the strange that saved Anuks life in her sometimes crazy bedtime stories even if Gene doubted their truthfulness. That, knowing the power of what you faced, was important knowledge. 

"There are ranks higher than that, but not as clearly defined. There are the Kages, but also Shinobi carrying no Kage title can have the combat ability of one. Some Shinobi specialize in their respective fields and surpass higher ranked Shinobi easily there, but are lacking in other fields." He explained rather patiently. She listened with rapt attention. It was probably general or common knowledge from how he spoke about it, but she appreciated it. Whatever information he was willing to give she would appreciate. 

"So the rankings are more of a general qualification, an insurance that even outside their respective specialty someone has achieved a certain level of skill more than fixed indications of power levels." she mumbled asking for a confirmation. 

"Right.", Shisui agreed with her conclusion, "Judging a Shinobi purely by rank is not healthy. It leads to underestimating your opponents, the same with pride...", he stilled and came to an abrupt halt staring into the distance, "...we might need to take a little detour."

You are reading story Red Snow at novel35.com

"Why, what is going on?", she asked him, but he didn't answer, instead changed direction and picked up speed. She clutched harder to him and shuddered under the increasingly harsh wind and coldness it brought with it.
He had seen something and was not telling her what, and it annoyed her. True she would be of no help, but she wanted to know what was going on, whatever lay ahead.
"Shisui?" He ignored her.
Gritting her teeth at him ignoring her, she looked at the hand holding her and due to the fact she couldn't move did the only thing that came to her mind that would definitely make his attention turn towards her. She bit him, bit him as hard as she could. 

"Hey, what do you think you are doing!", Shisui growled at her, and she faced him with defiance. 

"Tell me what is going on.", she demanded. 

"You bit me for that?", he asked slightly shocked, and she nodded. 

"Precisely.", she answered, "I asked, you ignored me, there is something going on, most likely a threat to us, and it is also my life in your hands and I want to know what are we facing." Each of her words was spoken with intent, strong and clear. This was not a request, but a demand.

"It is nothing dangerous, just not something you want to see.", he answered frowning, "I don't think you would stomach it well." 

"What?"

"Scorched earth.", he answered, and she blinked wordlessly asking for more than two cryptic words. 

"A Tactical move, a very cruel one that is usually not used.", he said,"It is called scorched earth because that is what you do. You set all the land on fire and ... normally ... evacuate the civilians before. Everything destroyed, nothing left for the enemy." She shuddered this time for vastly different reasons. 

"They used it but didn't evacuate causing the civilian population to die.", she muttered thinking back at the village felt sick again and shook her head in disgust. 

"They did, and the village was not the only one. Not even the bloody mist is cruel enough for doing that. I don't know who is responsible."

And she feared the next one might be to. 

"What now?", She asked feeling dreadfully helpless with silence following her and no answer came, instead Shisui drew her closer to his body, and she noticed that his hands faintly trembled while his eyes just for an instant flashed red. 

 

You can find story with these keywords: Red Snow, Read Red Snow, Red Snow novel, Red Snow book, Red Snow story, Red Snow full, Red Snow Latest Chapter