Leaving Country Maybe he was right

[Ryuu Sumika]

The night was cold, colder than she ever would have imagined. And whilst she could have had a much worse time when it came to hunting food and resources, what she was left with once she ran out of stamina was little to none. A singular apple in her shinobi pouch would be the only thing she had left in her travels. She ventured alone through the beautiful scenery and didn't dare to turn back home at first, yet the only thing now on her mind was the words that Shinsetsu had muttered before she dispersed. Had she really made the right choice? She was only an academy student, and her knowledge of the world only expanded so far. The time that she'd spent in nature questioned everything from before, as the light of the moon which watched over the lone girl would continue to shimmer dimly, she'd gaze upwards at the crescent in the sky before gritting her teeth as all her fingers would take the shape of a set of claws.

Without an end in sight she would simply let out a gut wrenching scream of defiance the last of her energy being poured in to this soul piercing cry before she would use everything she had to dart forwards across the mountain, sprinting as the sharp breeze flowed across her face attempting to usher her back and put her final gambit to an end. Though for half an hour straight as she clenched down her jaw and spirit the Ryuu continued to dash across the cruel mountainside at full speed, it was all she could do all that she knew to do. She just wanted to... get out... go somewhere... be someone... that she wanted to be. Slipping across a jagged rock without concentrating she would flip to the side and hit her head on a rock as she tumbled down the mountainside, getting cut and bruised as she fell before falling on a lone ledge. Beaten, bruised and near unconscious she laid there practically defeated.

[Leaving Country with Ryujin Akira]
[1 hour runtime]

 

[Ryujin Akira]

Before my feet, a scene unfolded. A child, battered and bruised, lay as testament to a journey too arduous for one so young. The destination she sought remained an enigma, hidden beneath the scars of trials and tribulations. Questions lingered like shadows, had her odyssey met an untimely end? My scrutiny extended to her equipment and distinctive accessories, all unmistakable signs of a shinobi, likely a runaway from Kumogakure. The prospect of returning one of their own could potentially position me favorably within their village hierarchy. Akkuma, my creator, would undoubtedly find pleasure in exploiting such an advantage, but fortune favored this child as he wasn't my current traveling companion.

With a calculated motion, I reached down, lifting the battered child onto my shoulders. Despite her weakened state and fragile grip on consciousness, the rhythmic rise and fall of her breath assured me she endured. The rationale behind my unexpected act of compassion remained elusive to me. Perhaps it was an ambiguous blend of admiration, suspicion of hidden village secrets, or an inexplicable impulse. What remained indisputable was the imminent threat of pursuers, shadows looming on the edges of our journey. Heaven help them should they close the distance while the injured child remained under my protection, a responsibility I had involuntarily shouldered.

[Leaving Country with Ryuu Sumika as stated above]
[1 hour runtime]