Chapter: Finally arrived!

The broken branches of the trees crunched and cracked with every step they took. Tall ferns and bushes hit her face and the sky was gray, looked like rain. She would still miss that now. Of course she knew it was going to rain. After all, it did so often in Kirigakure. But her mood was already sunk low enough. In the meantime she had been walking for half an hour through this seemingly endless forest. She had always thought that there were only larger forests before Konohagakure or in the Fire Kingdom at all. Sighing, she went on.
The first drops pelted down on the dense cover of leaves and gave off a pleasantly fresh smell. They pearled down the girl's white hair and splintered into a thousand smaller droplets on the floor. The steady rustling was calming, but the tension on her father and the excitement about the Chuin selection exams persisted. It depressed her. What if he didn't even accept her as a daughter? Surely she hadn't shown much hope from the start. But somehow she had been looking forward to him too. She would finally get to know him and spend time with him. Or at least she hoped.
After another ten minutes of walking in the woods, she finally discovered the harbor. But the rain did not let up: on the contrary, it became even stronger. Her further fear was that she wouldn’t drive a boat to the other port, i.e. the one from the Fire Kingdom. But somehow she would get there, even if it was going to be difficult. The stormy rain mixed up the sea, making it dangerous and almost insurmountable. Even the most experienced navigator would have difficulty dealing with it.
She ran to the cab and knocked. Then she entered without being asked. Soaked to the skin, she stood in front of a man three heads taller. He had a full gray beard and clear, light blue eyes.He seemed to be around seventy. And yet he looked strong. Not old and weak at all. The many years that he had probably already worked as a seafarer had prepared him. He had some deep scars on his prominent face and arms. Still, it seemed somehow calm and beneficial. Mimiko was now ashamed that she had not waited.
For a while they looked at each other in silence. Then the old man smiled and asked: "You definitely want to go to Konoha, huh?" Mimiko listened up. “How do you know about it?” “Well,” the bearded man began again, “you wouldn't be the only one. Many have already gone out today. For the selection tests.” Mimiko replied: “But there aren't any other ninja in our village. How can they then- "" No ninja, little one. Only spectators. There were only high-ranking men and women. What really good, if you understand? "He rubbed his index and middle fingers against his thumb to show that he was already today Had made a profit. Then he continued: "Today the journey will not work anymore. The rain is too wild. It whips the waves up and down. I hope that my men were at least until it rained down at the harbor." "But I have to go Konoha. I'm not just a spectator, I take part in the selection tests! And they are tomorrow. If I'm not on time, I'll be disqualified. "The old man sighed.
Mimiko persuaded him to drive off. They got into the boat. But he advised her to go below deck. Two other, younger men accompanied them. She sat on a bed in a cabin and looked out the window. From there, the sea looked a lot more dangerous than she'd thought. Now she was feeling queasy. But she tried to pull herself together. After all, she had now made up her mind. And she really wanted to take the exams. After all, she was already 14 and at that age it was better not to be a Genin anymore.At least she would be the only one then - she thought.
They cast off. Right from the start, the ship tumbled over the waves. Mimiko got up and looked around the boat. It wasn't particularly big, but comfortably furnished. You could visibly feel comfortable if you ignored the wobbling and creaking. She went to the kitchen first, of course. A small refrigerator, a stove, an elongated, wall-mounted kitchen table and a corner bench with an attached dining table were all that was found. She opened the refrigerator. From the inside, however, it was more like a small cool box. There were vegetables, fruits, cheese and meat available. The drinks - ten bottles of mineral water and six bottles of lemonade - were stored on the side. At first glance it looked well filled.
She heard a crash and spun around. Then she ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs onto the deck. The captain had a lot to contend with. The waves hit the ship mercilessly. Once they hit it so hard that Mimiko lost her footing and fell. "I said you should stay below deck!" The captain called after her. "Can't I help ?!" she replied without responding to his command. “YOU ?!” He laughed shabbily. "You're just a little girl! What are you going to do? Go back to your cabin and wait until we sort it out!" "No, I want to help!" She yelled back.
The old man thought about it and then sighed. "You only have one chance! Do you see that loose rope up there? It came loose during the storm. Now the sail is loose. Grab it and pull it so we can use the wind to move forward!" Said and done. Mimiko ran and caught the wild rope. With an unexpected force she jerked the sail around so that they had a safe journey for a brief moment. But the wind got stronger. Now Mimiko wasn't pulling the rope, but the rope on the girl. She was struggling not to let go.The rain lashed her face and her hands froze. It hurt when she tried to hold the rope tighter. But she persevered. To make matters worse, the wooden floor of the ship became so slippery that she had to be afraid of losing her footing again. But as if by a miracle, the strength of the precipitation and the wind decreased. Soon the first rays of the sun came out again. The sky cleared and the rain stopped entirely. The captain made a gesture of the hand that made one of the two men who had gone with him run towards Mimiko. He smiled at her, took the rope from her and tied it tightly again. Then he led Mimiko below deck. She threw the captain one more look, which he returned suspiciously.
When they got to the bathroom, the young man was looking for bandages. He tied it around the girl's bloody hands after carefully cleaning them. Mimiko made no sound during the whole action. Even if the wounds hurt even more now than before. She wondered why the old man had looked at her so strangely. Either he hadn't meant it seriously and was mad at her, or he had just been surprised. She was interrupted when the boy spoke to her: "I'm impressed. There aren't many girls who have such strength as you. You're a Kunoichi, aren't you?" She nodded, a little dazed. She was irritated by his voice. Although he looked young, maybe only 15 or 16 years old, he had a strong, deep voice. He smiled at her and then led her back to her cabin.
It wasn't long before the old man came to her. She looked at him from the window. "Who are you?" Asked the old man slowly. Mimiko was amazed at the man's question and gave him an equally telling look. “I mean whose daughter are you?” She pondered. Then she replied, "The daughter of Hoshina Yamashita."He frowned:" And your father? "" Why do you care? ", she countered." Because your appearance and your manner are familiar to me ... "He took a step towards her, but then stopped and asked again:" What's your father's name? "Mimiko didn't hesitate and replied," Kakashi Hatake ... "The expression on his face darkened when the man heard the name." So that's it. First he kills other people's families and then shows them what a great family he has, huh? "Mimiko didn't quite understand. The old man came up to her in quick steps, grabbed her by the neck and yanked her upwards. He slowly squeezed her throat shut. Mimiko tried to defend himself, hit and kicked him, but he countered everyone their attacks. "Now he should feel what it feels like to lose someone you love! "His voice sounded aggressive, but Mimiko also heard a trace of sadness. Suddenly the two men were standing in the room and tried to persuade the man from squeezing the girl's breath, but he didn't let up. Mimiko gasped for air, then felt how she was dropped and hit the ground hard. She coughed and clutched her neck. The same young man who had treated her earlier knelt beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. The other, stronger man tugged the old man from the cabin and spoke to him quickly and threateningly.
"We're there ..." he said softly, while they sat on the bed and stared out the window. "Thank you," Mimiko muttered shyly. The young man smiled and replied: "It's okay. You can't help what your father did. It was wrong of the captain to judge by it ..." Mimiko smiled and accompanied him to the deck. Then she said goodbye to both young men with a thank you, gave them the money for the trip and ran down the plank. Only now did she see the narrow path from the harbor that led into the thick, large forest of the Fire Kingdom.She swallowed and started walking.
She did not speak to a person the entire way. Nothing special happened either. The fact that people were so excited was certainly due to the selection tests. It wasn't long before she entered the forest, still lost in thought, and stopped again in front of the Konoha gate. She sighed in comfort. It was getting dark. The evening sun colored the sky reddish and bathed the city in a soft light. She smiled and stepped inside, hoping to find her father soon.