Kiba sniffs the air and lets the scents wash over him.
There it is, stronger now. The scent of the missing-nin he's been tracking for the last few weeks. There's the still the lingering smell of an animal that has been killed and cooked. There's also the smell of sweat. Of exhaustion.
This method is a bit cruel. Stalking someone for weeks until they're too paranoid and mentally exhausted to properly function. Watching them until they're scared enough that they make mistakes. And then striking at the most vulnerable point. It's disgusting and humiliating.
But this is what the village wants.
So, he tracks them. He's far enough away that the enemy can't get really get a good picture of who he is but close enough to let them know they're been watched.
It's all psychological.
Kiba's been following the missing-nin for weeks and the shinobi is finally faltering. Kiba and Akamaru have pursued him at a calm pace never letting the missing-nin get out of his maximum range but never getting any closer.
The sun hasn't risen yet and won't for at least another few hours.
Tonight, Kiba will kill the missing-nin.
It's not a nice way to die. To be stalked and followed until paranoia eats away the person's sanity but Kiba doesn't let himself dwell on it.
The missing-nin hasn't done anything specific to warrant such a death. He left Konoha. And the village found that reason enough.
It is Kiba's job to kill the missing-nin and bring the body back to Konoha, not to judge whether or not his superiors have made the right decisions.
Akamaru nudges his head against Kiba's own as they stop on a tree branch, to assess what their next move is.
It hurts more than Kiba likes to admit. He's a murderer and that's that. He just has permission to do it.
But this is no place to think about such things. he's on a mission and the mission must be completed. Kiba's thoughts don't matter. All that matters is the mission.
Kiba can cry all he wants when he's alone back in the Inuzuka compound.
He rubs Akamaru's head, willing him to understand. Kiba's gotten terribly good at compartmentalising and it works for him. Kiba won't – can't – bring his feelings with him on a mission. There is a time and place for that and here's not it.
The scent of stress is a distinctive one and it leaks out of this shinobi's every pour even as he sleeps.
Kiba and Akamaru leap over a few more branches and come to a halt on the closest one near the missing nin's campsite.
There is to be no trace of Konoha here. The missing-nin himself must never know what affiliation his murderer was.
Kiba is not sure whether murdering someone in their sleep is more merciful or less so.
A part of Kiba almost wishes he could fight the man, then when Kiba kills him, it would have been a fair fight and shinobi would've had the chance to survive. But the mission required him to carry out the mission in this way. And who is he, an average Jounin, to question that?
Kiba pats Akamaru's head, a silent request asking him to stay up in the branch. It'll be easier for Kiba to do this alone.
He leaps down from the branch and pulls a kunai from his pouch. He kneels down beside the shinobi, ignoring the grass that dampens his pants. Kiba places one firm hand on the shinobi's chest and slices through the man's throat before the shinobi can react to Kiba's presence.
The body beneath his hold jerks once and blood pools from the wound, soaking the soil around him. The scent is strong and Kiba's nose twitches involuntarily.
The blood continues to flow even when the shinobi stops twitching.
Akamaru jumps down to join him then and winces at the smell as well. Blood will always smell unpleasant and the smell of death is worse. Kia doesn't think he'll ever get used to it but that's okay. That's fine. Akamaru's the only one who'll ever know that.
Kiba pulls out a scroll and seals the body inside. T&I wanted the body. Kiba doesn't know why and he doesn't question it.
Akamaru wines and nudges his leg.
It's wrong. All of this is so, so wrong it makes Kiba's skin crawl.
The system hasn't changed. Shinobi are still slaves to the system, suicide rates haven't risen but they haven't dropped yet either and the village's problem-solving mindset is still 'kill it'.
Like with the Uchiha back then.
Like with ex-foundation shinobi now.
It's all wrong.
Kiba doesn't know how hard Naruto's is trying to change things, and it doesn't feel right to hate on his friend like that but...
Nothing has changed.
Kiba has gotten over his days of wanting to be Hokage and most of the time he didn't really mean it. He used to say such things to get a rouse out of people.
But now he can't help but think, if he was Hokage, how hard he would work to change it all. Even if the all of Konoha hated him for it. Even if they shunned him.
Because the system is damaged. It's damaging them.
There's a horrifically large part of Kiba's head that understands why shinobi go missing-nin. And an equally large part understands Sasuke's reasoning for wanting to destroy the village.
And there's a part of Kiba that's far too large that wholeheartedly agrees.
idk I just felt like Kiba had the potential to be a very good (and kinda terrifying) shinobi but I also think he would be very aware of the world and how wrong it was.
I think Kiba would try and fix things eventually... but he'd low-key do it bc he knows how ppl don't see him as very smart and all that.
I have no idea what I'm doing... anyway hope you enjoyed