When the fourth shinobi world war came to an end

the nations finally stopped fighting,

and a newly established peace began to spread.

Everyone in the world seemed to live without worry.

However,

not everyone was able to benefit from this peaceful era.

And the place that I live in,

will forever remain in the struggle of darkness.

It's quite cold tonight.

Moving around the empty streets of Konoha, I have to tighten my long black cloak to avoid freezing from the early spring air. The village itself is full of wooden fences and crossroads, and the only thing that helps me keep track of my surroundings is the light illuminating from the almost half way full moon in the sky.

To be honest, I didn't want to be here at all, but I have my job as a hired thief and I'd rather not lose it. Especially now since I need much more money than ever.

"Hey! Can't you wait for me?"

I turn around to face the owner of this high pitched voice, my latest client. Even with the white mask covering his face, the 8 year old boy is still managing to be as annoying as the first time we met. Who would have thought that this boy is 2 years older than me? Well, at least he has the height to proof the claim.

Personal feelings aside, he is my client, so I still have to do my best- like always.

"Move quickly, we don't have all night," I said to him.

There is a long road ahead of us. I hope this boy will stick through until the end, I really hope so.

"I know I know, I get it. You don't need to sound so harsh, geez." The masked boy complains.

See? That's what I'm talking about.

And why do I have to get stuck with this kind of person anyways? I know that he is considered a rare breed in our orphanage. But really, there are so many people I'd rather pair up with than this whinny boy. And he has been in my house for like 3 months now, which isn't that long, so it's not like we are best friends or anything.

I muse to myself and before I know it we are already at the destination for tonight's operation. The big wooden gate and fence that might as well scream 'Konoha rich people' is now in front of us and I hear the loud grasp from behind me.

"That's really a big house." My partner for the night whispers.

Weird…

I thought he came from a rich family. Maybe he is just afraid to break in? From the experience I've gained from my short amount of time as a criminal, most people would be scared to rob a big place- especially if it also belonged to a rich citizen of our lovely village. But then again, if he is not confident then he shouldn't have paid me to be the guide from the start.

Anyways, let's get in and be done with it.

"What are you doing? The door is this way!"

Urggggggg can't you stop complaining for a minute?

It is taking all of my patience to not just lash out on this guy. Seriously, he has been giving me such a bad headache in these last 24 hours alone.

"There is an entrance here."

I point to a relatively small hole behind a well maintained bush. It is wide enough for children our size to claw over without much difficulty. The hole in question is not even that hard to find and there has been some sign of it being use recently.

"And another thing, could you please lower your volume. The owner of this house may not be asleep yet."

Even with the mask on, I can clearly see him sulking and mumbling something under his breath. But I choose to ignore it and start making my way to the other side. Seeing my action, the boy follows suit.

When we finally get out of that small hole and reach the yard, the moon is already high up in the sky. It means we don't have much time left. I lead the boy across the big field. There is so much dew that my cloth tail and the bottom of my pants are covered in water. At least the one who is following me is not making any complaints (yet). I'm quite grateful for that.

And then there is the front door.

"What is this device? Is it some kind of newly design lock?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

I get one anyways.

"Oh that! It's a finger scanner lock. They are really expensive, you know."

No, I don't.

But I think it good to have some information about this lock, so I asked the boy beside me.

"What can they do?"

"Well, it's a fairly new type of technology. Basically, it can remember a fingerprint and open the lock only to the owner. I heard that it's really accurate." The boy explained some more.

Is that the excitement I heard from his voice? Considering who my partner is, I think it kind of makes sense. It's still annoying though, having someone excited over the very thing that is blocking our path.

"If you have time to be excited, then at least help me find a way to open this door."

Honestly, I can just break it if there is really no other choice. But if I do that, the entire Konoha police division will come after us in no time. I'd rather not risk it when I'm with an amateur like this one.

"I can try hacking it" The boy replied.

That really surprised me.

"You can do that?"

I know he is a hacker. That's why he is such a special member of our orphanage. Computers are a fairly new invention that only a few people have the ability to use. Of course, being a poor orphan girl since birth, I don't have a single clue about those thing. On the other hand, someone who came from a rich family, like my partner, is more likely to be able to use it.

"Umm…. Maybe?"

His answer doesn't make me comfortable at all, but there is nothing that I can do at this point.

I watch my partner grab a laptop out of his little bag along with multiple cords and wires. He then starts setting them up carefully, piece by piece. As I quietly assign myself to look out duty, I can't help but admire his professional mannerism. It is possibly the first time that I don't find him annoying.

After a decent amount of time, the door is finally unlocked.

"Here you go."

So he is not that useless after all.

I wait for my partner to finish gather his belongings then we finally move inside of the house. This place sure is dark but that is a good thing. It's means that everyone is likely to be deep in their dreams, or so I hope. Still, I focus my hearing to detect an unusual sound.

That's when I feel like my head is starting to hurt again.

That boy… How hard is it to walk quietly?

Just as I think I can tolerate his presence, my partner comes up with a way to prove me wrong again. Of course, being a total beginner, I don't expect him to be as good as a member of the Anbu. But come on! At least don't be this terrible.

Oh well, I guess I have to find that room faster then.

I guide my partner to the second floor. The long corridor of this house is so narrow it's making me uncomfortable. There is at least 5 doors that connect to this little zone, they look kinda expensive- like every other piece of this mansion. I even heard a sound coming from one of them.

Wait! What?

Ughhh not good at all.

I grabbed my partner's hand and dashed toward the nearest room. There is so many stacks of paper in here. I run behind one of them to use it as a cover.

"Hey! That's hurt! Why th-"

The door suddenly opens again. Thankfully, the boy knows how to shut up when it counts.

The heavy footsteps became louder by the minute. Judging from the sound alone, this new guy's weight at least twice that of mine. He/she is being awfully quiet too. The foot steps stopped just 3 feet shy of our cover. There is noise signaling seveal things being moved, some even get knocked to the ground.

I feel my partner's sweat in my hand and my own heart rate quickens. One glace at the boy is enough to be able to tell that he is really nervous, even with the cloak and mask. At this time, I don't have the choice to be afraid. I am the professional after all.

Luckily, the person finally gives up and walks out of the room.

When we hear the door being shut, both of as exhale the breath we have been holding. I let myself relax a little before clawing out of the paper tower.

"That was close."

I agreed.

At least it looks like we've landed ourselves in the destination room by accident, which I doesn't bother me at all, but there is one problem.

"This is the study room right?" I asked my partner.

"I guess."

"So… How are we supposed to find anything in here?"

Looking at the mess in the room, our future suddenly looks grimmer than the sky outside the window.

Hi! This is my first ever fanfiction so I'm a little nervous.

Thanks to Nutheda for beta reading with patience. I am hopeless without you. 3