So, I've been toying with the idea of this story for a while and decided to give it a go.
I'm very much new to this and this is the first story I've ever written, so be kind! For any spelling or grammar mistakes that have slipped through: Sorry! I'm not a native English.
If you have any tips or anything like that, that could help me improve this story, please let me know! I'd love to get better at this! However, even though criticism can help, if you don't have anything to say that can actually help me, please don't review. It will only make me want to stop writing all together and that would definitely.
So, I hope you enjoy!
The streets were empty. Barely any sound could be heard, besides the rain pouring down. A figure swiftly moved through the dark, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Wearing black, tight clothes, it was clear the figure was male, though no older than eighteen. He climbed the buildings, until he reached one of the highest buildings in the area. He stopped on the roof, watching over the village he called home. The village he vowed to protect with his life, as all shinobi did. His head turned towards the sky, but the raindrops never really hit his face. A mask shielded his face from the world. The teen cocked his head, noticing the clouds were slowly clearing, as the moon became visible from behind the clouds. A smile played on his lips. A smile, hidden behind the mask. He never really did like the rain.
The moon shone brightly as the rain fully stopped. Reflecting slightly on the silver hair of the teen. His hair stood out against his clothes, as did his mask. The mask was a pure white, porcelain mask with red markings, making it unique. The teen took a moment to enjoy the view the moonlight created. He really did love his home. He straightened his posture, before taking off again. Resuming his way towards the Hokage Tower, ready to give his rapport. Ready to get some sleep.
His mission hadn't been particularly long, but he had been away for over a month. Infiltrating an enemy base always took time. These weren't high ranked shinobi though, so it wasn't really challenging. Not for him. He wasn't called a genius for nothing. The enemies were idiots, really. Just because he was a teen, they thought he wasn't a danger to them. If only they knew. Well, they do now. Or not, considering they were all dead. Infiltration wasn't the only part of the mission. It really started out simple. Infiltrate and assassinate the leader. There was only one thing he didn't see coming. The man brought his pets. Dogs had an excellent sense of smell. He of all people should know, having a summoning contract with a pack of Ninken. They smelled him before he even made an appearance. The assassination of the leader was fast and clean. He just realized a second too late that the leader wasn't alone.
This, of course lead to the entire base storming towards the chambers of their leader. He really had no choice but to end them all. It's not like he enjoyed killing. He's just really good at it. A single hit, is all it took. The bodies dropped to his feet in seconds. Within a few minutes, over forty bodies were sprawled on the floor. Staining the white tiles red. His skills are feared all over the elemental nations. He isn't part of the Anbu for nothing. Even as an Anbu, he is well known. The Anbu, Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai or otherwise known as Special Assassination and Tactical Squad. These missions were their specialties. Handpicked for their specialized skills and then trained to be perfect. The perfect assassin. With no emotions. The perfect tools. Or well, they were supposed to be. He couldn't bring himself to kill the dogs. They weren't ninja dogs and they had done nothing wrong. Instead, he set them free. Guiding them towards a village nearby. They'd find shelter there, maybe even a home.
Suddenly a bright light appeared at the far end of the village, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned mid-air, landing on yet another rooftop. He hesitated, less than a second, before taking off towards the light. He hadn't ever seen anything like this. But it was coming from the far end of the village. More precisely, the area where the Uchiha's were residing ever since the Kyuubi attack. The new Uchiha district. They weren't happy about it, that wasn't a secret. They were highly offended. It was insulting to them, one of the founding clans, pushed to the far end of the village. All because there was a rumor that it was an Uchiha that controlled the Kyuubi. Making the demon attack the village. They lost their leader because of it. He lost his teacher. His heart ached at the loss of his beloved sensei. This was one of the reasons he joined the Anbu. It enabled him to turn off his emotions. To not feel the hurt and pain of the loss of his loved ones. After all, everyone he cares about dies. Most of them already did. He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts from his head. The hurt with it. Rushing towards the light, he mentally prepared for a fight. One could never be too careful.
If only he knew, he wouldn't fight anyone when he got there. Instead, he would fight for someone. Fight to protect.
The teen sped through the village, towards the location of the light. Towards the Uchiha district. It wasn't smart to go there unannounced. On top of that, it was the middle of the night. They wouldn't be too forgiving, if he didn't have a good reason. If they wouldn't accept the truth, he'd make something up. He always found a half-truth which would be accepted if he worded it just right.
The light was still brightly shining when he arrived. It was in the far end of the district, in an alley. The houses near the alley didn't seem inhabited. Which was good, he didn't really feel like explaining himself at the moment. He unsheathed his sword, holding it in a defensive position. He stayed in that position, waiting. He wasn't stupid. Cornering whatever was in the bright light, wasn't smart. He'd have to wait it out.
It seems luck was on his side. The light was slowly weakening. The teen pushed out his chakra, carefully feeling around, to see if there was anyone nearby. Suddenly, a surge of chakra appeared, startling the teen. He jumped back a few meters, to be safe, still holding up his sword. He considered opening his left eye, the gift Obito had given him before he died. He decided against it, keeping the eye closed.
He stiffened at the whimper that came from the light. Who or whatever it was, it was hurt. Seconds passed and the light disappeared. Leaving the teen and a figure, not much smaller than him, in the alley. He slowly moved closer, as to not startle the figure. At the same time, he pushed out his chakra once more, feeling the area. No one was close by. It was just the two of them. Of course, a single powerful push of his chakra would definitely call out any shinobi that was near.
His right eye widened. It was a girl. She didn't look much older than him. Her dark hair looked messy, like it hadn't been brushed in weeks. It fell over her shoulders, shielding her face from him. He quietly shuffled closer, but she didn't seem to realize he was even there. Maybe it was better to try and get her attention. Carefully.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked softly, as to not startle her.
Which horribly failed, judging by her reaction. The girl froze, holding her breath. After what seemed like forever, she slowly lifted her head, sneaking a peek at him. He saw her eyes widen at the sight of him, immediately looking away while trying to move further away. He saw her shivering, which had to be out of fear. The night was too warm, even with the rain that had fallen earlier. Right. He must look terrifying to her, with his unsheathed sword and not to mention his mask. Within seconds his sword was sheathed on his back. He hesitated. He wasn't supposed to show his identity while on duty. That defeated the whole purpose of wearing the porcelain mask in the first place. But there was no way in hell she was going to calm down when he looked like this. And at this moment, he needed her to trust him, just a little. He needed to know where she came from and more importantly how she got here. Besides, everyone already knew who he was. His hair was a dead giveaway, not to mention his famous Raikiri.
"Alright. Don't be afraid. It's just a mask, see?" He told her, while slowly removing his mask, showing what is underneath.
Not that it would help tremendously, because under his ANBU mask, he was wearing another mask. But, hey, at least she could see his eye. His left hand attached the mask to his belt, securing it. He watched as she slowly raised her gaze, looking at him. He saw her shoulders relaxing a just a little bit, indicating he didn't look as scary as he had a few moments before. The teen's breath hitched when he looked at the girl before him. She was, without a doubt, the prettiest girl he had ever seen. Even with her tear streaked face. She didn't look like she was from around her at all. Her facial features looked nothing like the females in Konoha had. In fact, it didn't resemble anyone he had ever met, and he'd been to a lot of places. But it made her even more beautiful.
Her bright blue eyes looked at his eye, uncertainty visible in hers. She couldn't be a shinobi. Her face told him everything she was thinking. A shinobi would only try to show him what they wanted him to see. He still had to be on guard though. Who knows what could happen. He shifted on his feet, causing the girl to frown. He didn't really feel like talking anymore, but he couldn't just pick her up and drag her to the Hokage tower.
"Are you okay?" He asked again, having never gotten an answer the first time he asked.
She kept staring at him, her frown in place, not saying a word. This really did annoy the teen. He hated talking, which means he did not like repeating himself. Maybe if he took a different approach.
"My name is Kakashi Hatake, can you tell me your name?" Usually people responded when you gave them something in return, earning a bit of trust.
It didn't seem to work, until "My name is Emily. Emily Gray" the girl said softly.
Kakashi nodded, showing her he had heard her. "What is your business here, Emily Gray?" Back to business. He had to know before he made his next move.
Emily's brows furrowed. "Business? What business? I- I don't know. I- I don't even-.. Where am I?" Her voice started to shake.
She didn't know what she was doing here? It's possible she really didn't know. It wasn't the smartest move to infiltrate the village with a bright light in the middle of the night, within the Uchiha district, no less. But still, he couldn't be sure. Crazier things have happened. "You don't know where you are? Alright, next question. How did you get here?"
This startled the girl. "Wait, can't you tell me? Where I am? I honestly don't know." The panic was clear in her voice. Her face betraying the fear she felt.
Kakashi crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Answer my questions first, then I'll decide if I'll answer your questions. It didn't matter how she looked. He needed answers first.
"But, I- I-", she started.
"Listen to me. I don't know you. Until I do, you're an enemy", he cut her off. "Answer my questions first. How did you get here?"
He saw Emily flinch at his tone. "I don't know," she whispered.
Kakashi mentally sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere with this. "Fine. I'll take you to our leader then. He'll decide what to do with you".
He moved closer to the girl, who in turned tried to move away from him. He easily closed the distance, grabbed her arms and skilfully bound them together. He then grabbed her by her arm while his other arm snaked around her waist, flinging her over his shoulder.
"H- Hey!" The girl called out. With his left hand now free, he takes his mask and puts it back over his face.
He glanced around the alleyway. Luckily, no one seemed to have noticed they were here. Good. This situation went from bad to worse and he didn't want to feel the Uchiha's wrath. He'd deal with that later. He decided to go the long way towards the Hokage tower, the safe way, around the district. The girl wasn't really putting up a fight, besides hitting him on his back, which didn't bother him too much. He started running and jumped up on the nearest roof, which caused Emily to shriek.
He looked over his shoulder "Be quiet, will you? I don't really feel like explaining this to anyone else than the Hokage. Well be there in a few minutes, so keep quiet and stay put."
The girl didn't respond to this, doing as he said. Satisfied with this reaction, he continued his way towards his leader. He quietly sighed. He had some explaining to do. Not only did he have to give his mission report, now he'd have to explain the arrival of the girl on his shoulders as well. And all he wanted was to get some sleep. Luck was never really on his side, it seemed.
Kakashi reached the tower within ten minutes. The girl hadn't said a word since. A part of him felt bad for snapping at her. It really did seem she didn't know where she was and how she got here. But they couldn't take any chances. They already suffered enough after the Kyuubi-attack.
As he walked into the building, he was stopped by a fellow shinobi that was on guard duty. "State your business, Hawk-san."
"Mission report," he looked at the girl he was carrying, "and I found this girl in the Uchiha district."
The guard looked at the girl as well, frowning. "Shouldn't you take her to interrogation then?"
Kakashi shook his head, "no, I think it's best to speak to Hokage-sama first. Is he available?"
The guard nodded, clearing the way for Kakashi. "He's ready for you, Hawk-san. You can go right in."
Kakashi gave the guard a nod as he walked passed him, walking towards the Hokage's office. As he walked, he thought of how he was going to explain this to the Hokage. It was probably best to give his mission report after he explained the situation involving the girl. It was classified information after all. If she's a spy, she could somehow report this back. And that was a big no-go.
He reached the office, knocking twice on the big, wooden door. "Enter!"
"Hokage-sama." Kakashi stood at attention in front of his leader.
He saw the old man frowning slightly at the sight of the girl that was flung across Kakashi's shoulder. The Hokage's gaze met Kakashi's, looking at him expectantly, waiting for the explanation that was forming in the teen's head. Kakashi shifted on his feet, deciding whether to drop the girl or to hold on to her. It wasn't like she was heavy or anything, but it'd probably be more comfortable for her if she was standing or sitting down.
His decision made, he nudged her off his shoulder, carefully putting her on her feet. She briefly looked at him, before she directed her gaze at the Hokage. He watched her as her eyes widened, stepping back, away from the village leader. She didn't get far, seeing as her arms were still bound. Kakashi grabbed the rope, pulling her back towards him. He didn't say a word, but the message was clear. 'Don't move'.
"Hokage-sama," the teen started again, "this girl appeared in the Uchiha district. She claims she has no idea where she is and how she got here. Her means of arrival were.." He hesitated. "Unusual." His gaze was fixed on his leader, but he could still feel the girl stiffen next to him.
He watched the Hokage as he processed this information. The Hokage's eyes fell to the girl standing next to him. "Hm. Unusual, you say? She wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the bright light that appeared not too long ago?"
Kakashi nodded, glad that the Hokage was still as sharp as ever. He wasn't retired for that long, which was good. "Yes sir. I went to investigate the light and when it faded, the girl was there." He shifted on his feet, once more. He had to be truthful here. "Also," he needed to word this right. It was against the rules, but he'd still done it, "I took off my mask."
The Hokage looked back at Kakashi. He never could read the Hokage's face, but he knew he wasn't happy to hear this. "Your ANBU mask?" He asked to clarify.
Kakashi nodded again, "Yes, she was scared and, well.. I needed answers, obviously. Not that I got them. But she calmed down a bit after the saw what was behind the mask."
The leader nodded in understanding. "I see," he began. He then directed his attention to the girl. "Will you tell me your name?"
Kakashi turned his head to also look at the girl standing next to me, waiting for her to answer. It was useless to keep quiet. He knew her name, so if she didn't say anything, he would. She seemed to realize the same thing, as she answered the older man's question. "Emily Gray," she answered quietly.
"Well, miss Gray," the Hokage began. "Could you explain to me how you think you got here?"