A Silent Breeze Chapter 1: Arrival, a naruto fanfic

A/N: I do not own anything except for my lovable OC's Kiza and Kaze. Everything else belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. My first fic! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as my friends did :)

Her gloves scrunched as she squeezed her hand into a tight fist. She could feel his chakra signature coming from just inside the village outskirts. The slight breeze confirmed it as it brought his scent to her sensitive nostrils. She closed her eyes and allowed herself a quick second to enjoy the familiar scent:soap, woods, and distinctly him. Her glowing dark blossom eyes snapped open at the sound of her brother's return. His weight caused the branch she was sitting on to creak ominously, but it stood fast; just like she was going to have to do now. Even though that man was her lover, she was going to have to face him...and kill him.

Earlier That Same Day

The village was all abustle. Shops were just opening and people were racing to each one, hoping to beat the crowd. Children ran sqealing and yelping as they played all manner of games out on the unpaved streets of the Leaf Village. A few hushed barks could be heard from the few puppies milling about in doorways. Kiza Ookami took all this in with one sweep of her piercing eyes. Her highly attuned ears caught everything, even down to the tiniest of sounds such as a piece of plastic scraping the ground as it floated along the breeze ten feet away.

She was strolling down the streets, lazily perusing shops she'd been to many times in her life here in the Leaf Village. She smiled to herself. Oh, if the clan could see me now, they'd have a stroke. Walking down busy streets so unguarded? unheard of. Even though thoughts of her clan brought a smile, it also brought sorrow and a misery so deep, no one other than herself and her brother could fathom it. Initially, she hailed from the Land of Water, in the Village Hidden in the Mist. This is where her clan resided even now: the Ookami Clan.

She'd been sent to the Land of Fire as a sort of peace offering between the two countries to solidify their treaty. She and her brother were stationed as protectors of the Leaf Village, in a show of goodwill. After what happened with Orochimaru and the Sound Village, and her inability to stop it, the treaty was hanging by a thread. She was determined to right that wrong. But that didn't mean Kiza had to like it. She'd been perfectly at home within the walls of her clan's estate. And now they'd forced her to leave her home, her country, to protect people she didn't even know.

A shout brought her attention back to her surroundings. Her brother, Kaze, was sprinting down the street, waving a thin piece of paper in the air enthusiastically. Kiza cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised questioningly. Kaze came to an abrupt stop in front of her, a cloud of dust following in his wake. Kiza angrily waved her hand in the air, trying to dispel the annoying sand grains bent on lodging themselves in her eyes and nose.

"Kaze, this better be good for you to come slinging dirt in my face," she said threateningly. Kaze simply shrugged and handed her the slip of paper.

"See for yourself."

Kiza gave him another questioning look before bringing it up to her face. It read,

Come to my office immediately. There are some things you and I need to discuss, along with your brother. Don't tell anyone. I want to keep this a secret for as long as I can.

"Judging from the writing, I assume this is from Lady Tsunade herself?" Kiza glanced back up at her brother, awaiting confirmation.

He slapped a fist into his waiting palm and shouted, "You guessed it! Maybe it's a top secret mission that only you and I can handle! Or, no, wait! Maybe she wants to reward us for all our years of service by sending us back home!" The hope in his pale blue eyes was infectious, but Kiza knew better. She and her brother weren't sent here when they were thirteen just to be sent right back at age seventeen. If they wanted to keep the treaty intact, they were going to be here...forever. But still...

"Yeah, maybe. But let's go see, instead of standing here fantasizing." She loved her brother more than anything, and she didn't want to be the one to crush his dreams. She would leave that to Tsunade, who was better suited for the task. "Come on." With that, they both disappeared in a flash. The dog who had been silently approaching Kaze's feet yelped in surprise and turned tail, sprinting down the street whimpering.

The Hokage's office was piled full of books and papers strewn about every which way. There was hardly a place on the floor that could been seen. The only thing left uncluttered as of now was the Hokage's desk, which simply held one huge book with a picture of the human body on it and a mug full of pencils and pens. A steaming cup of tea sat untouched beside Tsunade's hand as Kiza and Kaze quietly stepped into her office. Shizune's pig let out a quick grunt from her arms as Kiza came to attention in front of Tsunade's desk.

"You wanted to see me? It sounded urgent." Kiza's voice was indifferent, but inside, curiosity burned as brightly as the sun. What could be so important that the Hokage would wish to speak only with her? Sure, she was the protector of the village, but what she knew, everyone knew...generally.

Tsunade lifted her head. "Ah, yes. It is, actually. Shizune!"

"Yes!"

"Make sure this room is sealed. I don't want any of what is about to be said to reach prying ears."

Shizune quickly bowed her head and muttered a quick "Yes, ma'am" and left to do her Lady's will. After the door clicked shut behind her, Tsunade turned her attention to Kiza. "Kiza...I know...well...there really isn't..."

Kiza's left eye twitched. "Not to be rude, my lady, but please, spit it out already!" She wasn't known for her patience.

Tsunade sighed and closed her eyes. After a brief moment of silence, she snapped her eyes back to Kiza's annoyed face. "Alright then. I've heard rumors that Itachi Uchiha is coming here. Soon. And he's going to try and make a grab for Naruto yet again." Kiza's eyes had gone wide with disbelief and her mouth opened slightly in a silent "o". Tsunade hurried on. "I'm telling you this because you're the only one who stands a chance of facing him on equal ground. Any other Jounin I send will undoubtedly be wiped out...and I do know of your history with him...but now is not the time to weep over what you've lost. We need your strength to protect Naruto, because if the Akatsuki get their hands on him, we're all but dead. Do you understand?"

A thousand images were flashing through Kiza's mind right that second. All of them were of her...and Itachi. The day they met. When they became grudging friends. Of the times she'd spent at his family's house: laughing with his mother, training with his father, and playing with his brother. The day they shared their first kiss. And then that day. The day she witnessed him killing his entire clan for the sake of power...the day he left her without even saying goodbye.

All of this only took a moment, yet to Kiza it felt like she had just relived her entire life here in the village. Her heart constricted, and her eyes closed in pain. She could never forgive him. She had loved him with all her heart, only for him to step on it and tear it out of her chest to take it with him wherever he had disappeared to. But, she knew she was going to have to face him sooner or later, whether it be a showdown here in the village, or a chance meeting on the road during a mission. Tsunade was waiting and Kiza knew what answer she would have to give; the only answer that could be given.

"Yes, I understand...and I will face him...and kill him..."

Kiza flicked a glance at her brother. "Well?"

Kaze's light blond hair gently waved in the wind as he quickly pulled up a hand to deftly swipe it across his sweating forehead. His blond eyebrows drew down in a frown as he prepared to give her the news she already knew. People didn't know that they were siblings from one glance, not unless they knew them. Kaze was light to her dark. While he had cornflower locks and glacial eyes, she had raven black tresses and dark pink eyes. They were twins, and yet they weren't. Their father had the darker features while their mother had the lighter features. But still...it was rare for this kind of thing to happen even though each member of the clan was very individualized both in looks and in personality.

"Lady Tsunade was right. He's here. Now. And he's not alone. There's a man with him, carrying a bizarre sword wrapped in tape. I got a good look at him, too. It looks to me like Kisame Hoshigaki."

Kiza sighed. Great. Just facing Itachi alone was hard enough, and now throw in Kisame and you get a big mess waiting to happen. Kiza closed her eyes tightly, trying not to think about what she was about to do. Even though he left her, she still loved him, stupid as that seemed.

"There's more. It seems Asuma and Kurenai got there first, and I think I saw Kakashi...but he was lying face first in the water. I think Itachi's done something to him. They must have sensed his chakra as well. I mean, it's not like he's trying very hard to hide it. I can feel him from here."

Kiza nodded and opened her eyes. "Yes, I was aware. But those three being there...it's gonna cause quite a problem." She lifted her hand to her chin and settled more firmly into the tree. "We've got to think of a way to get them out of there. I doubt they'll just leave if we ask them politely."

Kaze grunted in agreement. "Yeah, we can't have them around when we change. They could get in the way and get hurt. Then we'd be the ones to take the blame. Not to mention that Itachi, or even Kisame, will probably try and attack them to get us to drop our guard."

"That is something we cannot let happen. We can't afford any more slip-ups like the one with Orochimaru. We're already treading a thin line." Kiza glared into the air. Why would they do something so stupid as to face Itachi and Kisame by themselves? And on whose orders? Surely not Lady Tsunade's. Or even Danzo's. Kiza's glare deepened. Tsch, the fools.

"Maybe we can convince them to take Kakashi to the Medical Corp while we take care of the other two. Surely their care for him should outweigh their desire for Itachi's blood."

Kiza blinked. "Kaze, you're a genius!" She reached out and punched him in the arm good naturedly. He smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, I do try sometimes." Suddenly he became serious again. "But, hey, I know how you must be feeling. And if you want, I'll take on Itachi while you bash Kisame. We're the same power level, you and I, so whichever one of us kills him doesn't matter."

Kiza felt tears sting her eyes. Right then, she loved her brother like she had never loved him before. For him to offer himself in her stead, just to spare her some grief...but she knew she couldn't accept. She couldn't put him in danger such as that. If anyone was going to face Itachi, it was going to be her. She had learned a few things about the Sharingan from both Itachi and Itachi's father, Fugaku. She felt confidant that she could at least slow him down enough to where he'd make a mistake. And then it would all be over.

"That's alright Kaze, but...thanks. You don't know how much that means-"

"Of course I do! That's why I offered. Do you think I'd be crazy enough to want to face him willingly?" He laughed. Even though he said this with a smile, Kiza knew he meant every word. Not many people would be stupid enough to face Itachi on their own.

"Well, now that we have that settled, I think it's time we got down there. We need to pull Asuma and Kurenai out fast."

Kaze nodded. "Right!"

"Then let's go." And with that, they disappeared into the wind.

Asuma swore. With his eyes closed and Kakshi down, how was he gonna get out of here alive? It was stupid to have engaged Itachi instead of calling for the ANBU, he knew that now. But what was he going to do?

He could hear Kakashi breathing heavily somewhere in front of him, and he could feel Kurenai shaking beside him. Whatever Itachi had just done to Kakashi was bad. He'd never heard the silver haired ninja breathe so deeply after a fight. He was supposed to be the best. He heard Kisame laugh.

"Even after all that, the fool's spirit is still intact."

Asuma grimaced. What? What does he mean? What did Itachi do to him? Kisame laughed hysterically, making Asuma grit his teeth around his cigarette. He could feel the answering anger rolling off Kurenai as well.

Suddenly, he felt two huge chakra signatures appear not too far from where he was standing. Great, what now? The newcomers had vast amounts of chakra, that much he could tell. But with his eyes closed, he couldn't see if they were friends...or enemies.

"Asuma, Kurenai, are you two alright?"

Asuma's body twitched in relief. It was Kiza and, most likely, Kaze. They were saved. Kurenai made a thankful noise, then she spoke. "Yes, we're alright. But Kakashi's down. Itachi used his Sharingan on him and he hasn't said a word in a while. He told us to keep our eyes closed, so there was nothing we could do."

Kiza sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much. Kaze."

"Right. Kurenai, Asuma. You need to get Kakashi to the Medical Corp right now. There's no telling the effects the Sharingan has had on him. He needs to be seen by a medic. Kiza and I will stay here and fight them off."

Asuma stuttered, "B-But, even Kakashi couldn't do anything!"

Kiza chuckled. "But we're not Kakashi. We can handle this." Silently, she added, I hope.

"Alright. Kurenai, grab his feet, I'll get his head." She nodded and did as told. Together, with Kakashi between them, they hurried away with chakra induced leaps.

Now, the only ones left were Itachi and Kisame, and Kiza and Kaze. Kaze was already crouching in attack position but Kiza stood still. She was gazing at Itachi, drinking in the very sight of him. Now that she had gotten the other three out safely, she could take her time and memorize every contour of his face. The light reflecting off his headband caused her to squint, but she continued standing there in silence. Kaze was getting restless beside her. He began growling under his breath, waiting for her to change so he could do the same.

Kiza took a few more moments to look Itachi over before she realized something vital. Her eyes widened fractionally.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't kill him. Standing in the Hokage's office and agreeing to kill him was something, but actually seeing him in person made her breath catch and all thoughts of malice towards him flew out the window. Sure, she was still mad at him for leaving her, but not enough to kill him. Not anymore, not while she stood here facing him.

Kaze's impatience finally won out. "Kiza, what the hell are you doing!" He glanced at her, his pupils already turning to slits and his irises growing in size. His teeth were beginning to lengthen and sharpen into wolf's teeth; teeth made for ripping and tearing. But the thought of those teeth, her teeth, ripping and tearing through Itachi's skin made her knees want to buckle and her body to shut down.

"I can't do it," she whispered.

Kaze blinked. "What? After all he did to you...he left you, Kiza."

"I know that!" she shouted. Then, quietly, "I know that. But I can't...I just can't."

Meanwhile, their conversation went unheard by either of the two Akatsuki members, who were having a discussion of their own. "Itachi," Kisame started, "you know you risked overusing those eyes of yours. Now we have two fresh ones in front of us. If you can't use your crazy eyes, then let me kill them. Sharkskin could use a good workout."

"No. If you take either of those two on, it won't be without cost. And besides..." He trailed off, leaving Kisame staring at him questioningly. Kisame then followed Itachi's gaze to the woman with the black hair and pink eyes. She was definitely something to look at. Her breasts were neatly bound in tape and had two black straps attached; one above and one below her breasts. Her hands and arms were also wrapped in tape, and he could see some poking out of her knee high black boots. She had on a pair of skin tight black shorts with a white belt loosely hanging off her hips, to which was attached the cumbersome weapon known as the kusarigama. She was also wearing a pair of fingerless gloves with armored plating bearing the Leaf Village insignia. Her hair was slightly past shoulder length, with many shorter layers in between and she had her bangs laying over one side of her face, covering one of her eyes. Her headband was dangling from her neck and it gleamed in the midday sun. Kisame could see why Itachi would be staring at her. She was beautiful.

He switched to the other one, the male. He was her complete opposite in looks. He wasn't hiding any of his bulging muscles either. He had two gold bands wrapped around his biceps and a necklace gleamed from the depression in his neck. He was wearing stiff, baggy pants that rustled in the breeze. He was also wearing fingerless gloves and his boots shined with high polish. His headband was wrapped firmly around one of his biceps, above the band, and its tails trailed in the wind. He kept his hair short, but spiked up with a few strands falling into his eyes. He had a wild look about him, as if he would just as soon tear off your face as look at you. Kisame smiled. Definitely one worthy of fighting and slashing with his blade, Sharkskin.

"Itachi, come on. Look at them. They're powerful, I can sense it. Especially the blond one. And the other...while she looks menacing enough, I can't read her chakra very well. She must be suppressing it. In any case, two very fine opponents." He swung his blade in an arc, as if to prove his point.

Without waiting for a response, he lunged. He flung his blade out to the side so that it trailed behind him as he ran towards the blonde. He could feel the muscles in his face lift in a devilish grin. He blood was singing. This was the fight he'd been waiting for.

Kaze looked away from his sister and to the charging Kisame. "Well, it doesn't look like we have much of a choice now!" He sprung away from Kiza, putting space between them for the change. He was already halfway there, so it took only a few seconds for his full form to appear.

He dropped to all fours, a blond, bushy tail already erupting out from his pants. His fingernails turned into claws and his hands bulged into huge paws. His nose lengthened into a snout and whiskers sprouted from his lips. Wolf's ears appeared atop his head and blonde fur erupted all along his body. His lips curled back in a snarl over his newly formed fangs and his eyes lost their pupils, becoming pools of palest blue. An insignia appeared on his right shoulder: two horizontal circles meshed together with a line through the middle and two dots, one above and one below the middle of the two circles. It flashed a bright electric blue.

Kaze had changed into his true form: a huge blond wolf that stood ten feet from the ground to his shoulder...and he was out for blood.