A dark silhouette waited, back pressed against the outside wall as he waited for the coast clear. One wrong step, and he'd find a kunai through his stomach faster than he could blink and say 'Ho shit'.
"It's unusually quiet tonight. Keep everyone on alert." The leader of the post instructed the two others with him.
"Yes, sir!" They chorused.
The silhouette crouched and darted through the window, slicing the leader's throat before they even realized he was in the room.
"Takashi!" One of the subordinate's yelled, turning at the loud thump the body made when it hit the ground. The other subordinate stood staring at the silhouette, frightened out of his wits.
"I know you! Saotome, move!" The man dove for his partner at the same time as the silhouette, driving a kunai through his skull. One last man.
"OBATA! No, please! Please don't kill me!"
The silhouette stepped into the beam of the moonlight coming in through the window.
Sasuke smirked. "For a little while longer." He slashed the man's belly and left, knowing that while the man was pleading (he could see it was all an act), he had flicked his fingers toward Sasuke.
The Saotome Clan were known for their chakra tracers.
He wanted to be found.
"Lord Hokage! Dammit! Stop running!"
"I DON'T WANNA DO ANYMORE PAPERWORK!"
The first voice belonged to none other than the Hokage's Aide, Ms. Kira Uchiha, not having changed from her genin, then chuunin days. Now at the age of twenty-five and a jounin, her black ponytail had grown to her mid-back, her onyx eyes sparkling with mischief. She currently spends her days trying to tie down her lovable Hokage to do paperwork...
The second voice belonged to the sunspot of Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki.
His hair shaggy around his ears as he retired his headband in favor of the Hokage's hat, eyes just as blue, though he had already gathered a few wrinkles around them as a testament to his age, a whole twenty-three years. Not like he could venture outside the village as much as he'd like to. The part of the job he coveted so much since his academy years that he had overlooked: the endless paperwork.
Thus, the reason for Kira to be chasing Naruto through the Hokage Tower, yelling at each other.
"Twenty ryo on Kira." Sakura told Ino as the two ran past the mission office.
"No way, you see how fast Naruto was going? He's DETERMINED to get out of the office today!" Ino pointed out.
"Hey, anyone seen Naruto? He wasn't in his office. I wanna hand in my mission report." Kiba approached the two women, sheaf of papers in hand.
"Kira's chasing him down as we speak. Just give them here Kiba, I'll hand them in for you." Sakura offered. Kiba grinned as eh handed them over.
"Thanks a lot, Sakura! Well, I better get going. Wanna get a shower in before Hinata gets home. Laters!"
"See ya later, Kiba!" Ino called back.
Yes, you read right. Four years ago, he had finally worked up the nerve to ask Hinata Hyuuga out. The two had been happily married for a year. Now they were working on their first child.
"NOOOO! YOU CAN'T MAKE MEEE!" Naruto yelled, going sonic speed past the two women once more, causing their hair to get blown to the side, and almost ripping the papers from Sakura's hands.
"YOU WANNA BET YOU DAMN CHIBI?" Kira yelled, eyes white and enraged, her hair and clothes covered in orange paint. "I'M SENDING YOU MY DRY-CLEANING BILL!"
"...We have dry-cleaning?" Ino asked, blinking owlishly.
"How long has this been going on?" Neji asked from behind the two.
"Oh, hi Neji! Not long. About ten minutes. Wanna get in on the pool?"
"No thank you. I just have some business to discuss with Miss Uchiha."
"..."
"..."
The two women looked at each other than back to Neji.
He seemed to get it immediately.
"Not that kind of business." He informed them, a tinge of pink gracing his cheeks. "It's about Sasuke."
As the two started running past them again, Sakura reached a hand out and yanked Naruto back by his shirt collar.
"You! Are doing your paperwork!" Sakura informed the blonde and started dragging him down the hall.
"Ah, c'mon Sakura! I thought you were on my side! Please let me go! I've been cooped up in that office since this morning-!" They could hear Naruto complaining all the way down the hall. Kira sweatdropped and just stood there.
"I guess...I have the rest of the day off..." Kira said.
"Kira, I need to have a word with you." Neji said from behind the ravenette. Kira looked back at the Hyuuga.
"Oh, hey Neji. What's up?"
Neji motioned to follow him and did towards a corner, away from prying ears.
"The outpost near the Land of Rice Paddies was attacked yesterday. Our scouting team that was sent to check it out sent in this report." He handed ehr the paper, still talking while she was reading it. "A survivor of the attack says it was caused...by the rogue shinobi, Sasuke Uchiha. Alone. I thought I should let you know."
Kira paled (well, even more than she already was).
"I gotta tell Naruto." She muttered and took off for the office. "NARUTO! NARUTO WE GOT A PROBLEM!"
"I'm doing my work! Don't hurt me!" Naruto cowered behind his desk as Kira threw the doors open and bodily threw Sakura out, shutting the doors back tight.
"Kira? Your scaring me, what's going on?" Naruto said, sitting back in his chair, staring right at the ravenette.
Kira threw the paper at him.
"Sasuke."
"What about Sasuke?" Naruto jumped up.
"He attacked an outpost, killed all but one, the survivor died shortly after from his wounds. But not so soon he didn't tell the scouts that Sasuke was the one who attacked them."
Naruto flopped back into his chair, suddenly seeming to age another ten years as he cupped his hand around his eyes.
"I can't believe this..." Naruto muttered. "Not so much as a peep in years, and he shows up out of nowhere and kills Konoha shinobi? There's no reason to it!"
"Naruto." Kira called the blonde's attention back to her. "There's one more thing. The survivor, was a member of the Saotome clan. He left a chakra tracer on Sasuke. Allow me to take my team and hunt for him. He couldn't've gone far."
"No." Naruto told her, flat out. "There's a great possibility that whoever goes after Sasuke will just be more senseless deaths. I can't spare you, Kira. Just to be killed by your little brother."
"That little brother used to be your best friend, Lord Hokage. And the remaining member of the Uchiha clan. Only a Sharingan can go against a Sharingan, remember, Naruto? Didn't Kakashi-sempai tell you that?"
Naruto sighed and stayed quiet, thinking.
After a moment, he sat up and looked at her squarely, pulling a scroll towards himself and dipping his ink brush.
"Kira Uchiha. You are to lead a team of three on a S-rank mission to capture Sasuke Uchiha, alive. Am I understood?"
Kira grinned. "Got it, Boss! I won't let ya down!" She said, bowing and leaving.
Naruto waited a minute before he stood, light-hearted and whistling, out the door...and running down the hall.
"I'M FREEEEEE!" He shouted.