Chapter 4: Chapter 4
They stopped at a seemingly random point in the woods a few miles from Uzushio.
"Why did we stop here?" Tenten asked, panting slightly. "Is there a barrier or something?"
"Something like that," Yuugao said, resting her hand on what looked like air. "There's a scrolling effect here, no one's quite sure when or who put it up, but it was."
"Makes it so people walk right past Uzushio," Genma explained at Tenten's confused look. "Brings the two edges of the seal's range together. Walk in one side and out the other."
"We have to get updated marks from the seal, although it only works if you're of Uzushio descent." Yuugao explained, flicking her wrist. "We think it automatically allows full Uzushio blooded people in, but we have no way to prove it."
"Why not?" Tenten asked.
"I was Konoha born and raised," Yuugao explained. "I am technically full Uzushio blooded, but I wasn't raised like one. My parents figured it would be better if I was raised like a Konoha kid."
Genma flicked his wrist in the air in front of him too. "Could have gone either way." He shrugged. "Tenten, stand here, and flick your wrist like you saw us do."
Tenten eyed the seemingly empty air, but stood where Genma had gestured and flicked her wrist in the air. It felt oddly thick, and like she had collected some on her hand, rather like the cotton candy sticking to the stick. She shook her hand, seeing if the feeling would go away. It didn't. She rubbed at it, wrinkling her nose when she didn't feel anything there.
"Weird the first time, isn't it," Genma laughed.
She shook her hand again. "Yeah. Why are we here again?"
"Right," Genma said as they started walking. "The entire thing here is that while we're pretty sure only a few people can get in, we still go to check routinely for people. We haven't found anyone yet, but it's good to check anyway."
"Plus we're keeping an eye out for any of Uzushio's scrolls that may have survived," Yuugao said, eyeing the sky. "We, again, haven't found anything, but that in no way means there isn't anything."
"We're pretty sure most things got taken by those who destroyed Uzushio, but we aren't sure. As with most things about the fall of Uzushio, we just don't know. We don't know if all of their libraries were hidden away for safekeeping, or everything was taken, or even if it was all purposely destroyed by the Uzumaki to ensure no one got the knowledge."
"Although we're fairly sure about the final one not being the right one," Yuugao cut in. "It isn't the Uzumaki's style."
Genma nodded his agreement.
Tenten considered it. With all she'd been told over the past few days, it seemed about in line with what she knew for the Uzumaki to hide the information.
"We'll have to water walk a good section of the way, you were taught that, right?" Yuugao asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tenten nodded quickly. Gai had taught them a couple of weeks after he got them. Right after they learned tree walking.
"Uzushio is an island," Genma explained, gesturing to the water, which was slowly appearing through the trees. "Any bridges were destroyed when it fell, so water walking it is."
"Aren't there whirlpools surrounding Uzushio?" Tenten asked cautiously.
"There were," Yuugao said, staring out at the jewel-like blue surface of the ocean, Uzushio barely visible as a red smear on the horizon. "Once. They've faded away over time."
Tenten caught the bare undertones of sadness. She could understand, Uzushio must have been beautiful in it's time, and from what she understood, a place where seals were everywhere, and the inhabitants were all long silken red hair and jewel eyes. She wished she could have seen it in its prime. It must have been gorgeous.
"Let's go," Genma said, stepping out on the water. "It's a four hour run to Uzushio at the speed we've been traveling for most of the trip, so let's get started."
"It'll be nearing dark when we arrive," Tenten noted, eyeing the sun.
"We'll set up camp and check things in the morning," Genma agreed. "Maybe we'll find scrolls this time."
"Unlikely," Yuugao said. "But I suppose a bit of hope is not out of the question."
Tenten stepped out onto the water as well, channeling chakra to her feet in order to step on top of it, instead of into it. She didn't need wet shoes. They weren't any fun.
Four hours later, and the sun was dipping below the horizon, bathing Uzushio in red light.
"It's been stained this red color since the fall," Yuugao said, bending over to pick up a handful of sand, letting it run through her fingers. "Mother says it's because the blood of Uzushio's inhabitants is staining it, keeping a reminder of Uzushio's children with it."
"So it'll stay red long after Uzushio's cleared and taken over by wildlife?" Tenten asked curiously, shifting sand through her fingers too. It was indeed colored a deep blood red.
"Probably," Yuugao agreed, shrugging. "Genma stop poking the poisonous plants."
Genma looked up guiltily from where he was crouched next to a plant, poking it with the end of a senbon.
Tenten snickered.
The next morning the sand was indeed still red, as was most of the rest of the island. With the exception of the plants and animals, the entire place was bloody red, as if it had been painted that color.
Tenten was reminded of blood, and resolutely stared at plants any time she could, trying to burn the green into her eyeballs instead of the red.
"It's kind of depressing, isn't it," Genma said, standing next to her. "Come on, we can sweep the island, do a slightly closer check, then leave. Shouldn't be too long."
Tenten tore her eyes away from the plant to look at him. "Alright. How are we doing this?"
"You take the west, Yuugao'll take the east, and I have the middle," he replied, shrugging. "Not too complicated. When we meet up at the other side of the island we'll make sure no one found anything, then do a slightly more thorough sweep on our way back."
Tenten nodded her understanding, sending one last glance at the plant she'd been resolutely staring at for the last ten minutes.
She hadn't really found anything on her side, which she supposed was a good thing. She'd spotted deer, rabbits, even a curious frog that jumped away when she got near it, but no humans. She spotted a butterfly, and after doing a sweep of the area she was in, went to get a better look. She knew Lee would want to know all about everything she found, and she might as well have some descriptions of pretty animals to bring back to him.
She got a good look at the wings of the butterfly, red and sea green splotched across in seemingly random patterns. She didn't recognize it, and wondered if she'd be able to find it in the Konoha libraries. She'd check when she got back, and maybe rope Lee into helping. He'd certainly be enthusiastic about it.
The butterfly moved, fluttering right towards her, and startling Tenten. She fell backwards, brushing against a half fallen building. Something flashed in the corner of her vision, and she looked over, finding a staircase leading downward where she'd just leaned against. She stared at the butterfly for a moment longer before hurrying onward. She'd have to hope it was still there when she got back. She had to tell Genma and Yuugao she'd found something before she actually went down there or anything.
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