Chapter 19.1- One Thousand Hands

“Are we going to talk about how much of a clusterfuck that was?” I allowed her voice wash over me as I tried to focus on what I was doing. The mystic palm was essentially a magical jutsu that could speed up healing within the target tremendously and with the blood pills I had on hand, I’d been able to save Toshiro’s life, but things still weren’t finished. I didn’t have the chakra reserves to completely close the gash that framed his body so that meant I had to do things the old fashioned way. In this case, that meant stitching him shut.

“Hey, Fancy eyes. I’m talking to you” Still, I ignored her words. I could talk to her while I worked. Stitching up a wound was practically child’s play with the kind of shit that we learned in the academy, but I was still using the opportunity to get my thoughts in order. I was foolish. All of it had been my fault. Going back through what happened, I could see just how unsure everyone had looked in my mind’s eye. Even back then, I’d noticed it but I hadn’t cared. I wanted to pretend that I’d done it because I cared about inter-village relations or because I’d cared about making allies with the Mist. But the truth was much more embarrassing. I had a crush. I saw a physically attractive woman and all my higher order thinking flew right out the window. It was stupid. So fucking stupid.

“Answer me, damn you” This time, she tried to move to reach me but she froze in transit. I sent a grateful glance over at Shika who was watching the whole thing with wide eyes and shaky hands. She hadn’t been ready for this, I realised. Combat with jounin. None of us had truly been, but she was the least ready. In the edges of my vision, I’d seen Uzume step in more than a few times to save her life from their opponent who wielded the thunderswords like they had been made for him.

Both of them had been so dangerous. If the fight had lasted any longer, we would have lost. And the fact that they were so strong was also a cause for concern. There was no way they’d died in that.

“You know you almost killed us over there. If I hadn’t seen you charging up that fucking thing and warned Shika in time, you’d have managed to kill all three of us.” She said, and the words hit like a truck. Still, I ignored them as I moved the needle in and out of Toshiro’s body, working with a strong backstitch to ensure that the wound would not open when he began to move.

“And you almost killed us when you decided to trust that fucking ice bitch” now she was screaming. Still, I remained silent. She was right. She was completely right. What could I say to oppose her when I knew that everything she said was valid? I agreed with her.

A/N; Foundational moment for Shori here.