So, hi everyone. .Eyes here, with my new fantastical story. It's mainly action oriented, with a lot of fighting and stuff like that. There isn't much "romace" until way later in the story, so if you're hoping for a quick fluff story, I'm sorry to disappoint you. Some parts of the story are heavily tied in with the story, as I tried to stay along the Naruto-world timeline the best as I possibly could, including actual lines from the show, while others are loosely based, going off in my own direction. After all, Team Gai isn't shown all the time. Having said this, Naruto and all of the characters, text, and plot information belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Tv Tokyo.
Chapter One – Training
We were the best, the four of us under our sensei. We were the strongest, the fastest, and the cream of the crop when it came to a ninja team. There was Neji, he was the brains. He was a real prodigy, even for fifteen, and had a powerful bloodline jutsu to go with it. Lee, who was fully tai jutsu, probably the fastest and strongest man I have ever met, next to my sensei Gai. Tenten has dangerous accuracy with weapons of all kinds, small and large. Me? Well, I use a mixture of many things. I have weapons and poisons for my main attacks, making me quite deadly. I brew poisons of all kinds, fatal and nonfatal, for all sorts of different results. I can paralyze, knock out, and a number of other effects with these concoctions. I, like the rest of my team, have great taijutsu abilities, since we have Gai for a sensei. But, I do have some ninjutsu. The normal substitution, et cetera and so forth I obviously can perform. I can also cast one gen jutsu. It is that of a field of roses that wrap their thorny vines around a person, feeling as if they are as long and razor sharp as a new kunai.
It's training now; tomorrow we have a mission, so it isn't as tough as it usually would be. Normally, we'd have to run at least fifteen laps around Konoha, do an insane amount of pushups and other "warm up" exercises before we'd ever even get to the actual "training". Warming up took at least an hour with this team. We'd already completed that for the day, now we were beginning our training. Tenten was working on her aim with different weighted weapons. Lee and Neji were sparring under Gai's watchful eye. I sat under a tree, watching them, mixing poisons. I wore heavy leather gloves, because God forbid if I cut myself. I'd done that once, and I was lucky that I was making a paralysis poison. I refused to continue until I'd gotten them. Right now I was making a cure for my poisons, just in case one of my teammates, or anyone else, got into my kunai pouch and stabbed themselves. I'd already created a poison that put the victim to sleep and a new formula, one that stunned the victim, but retained all of his senses. I needed to test that one, but first this cure had to be created. If the poison was deadly, I couldn't necessarily fix the problem if I couldn't cure it. So, I was mixing herbs and creating a liquid with it, occasionally taking a few drops and putting them on a few drops of the poison. Nothing, nothing, nothing. After my seventh try, I got it, the poison hissed softly, barely making a whisper of noise, before disappearing, leaving only the cure in place. I grinned to myself and bottled the mixture, carefully labeling it with the ingredients and what it did.
"Gai-sensei," I called. The match was just about over, I could tell, as he looked up. "Could you please come here?" I said, pushing the cork into place on the vial. I was still making poisons, for all he knew, so he wandered over, curious. "Yes, Maia? What can your awesome teacher do for you?" He was always boasting in some way, you eventually got over it and ignored it. "I made a new poison today. I believe it only stuns the target, allowing them to have all five senses. However, I'm not sure if it's exactly safe. How should I go about testing it?" I asked him. Up until now I'd been learning poisons that had been created by others, that were set in stone. He looked thoughtful – a rarity, I swear to you – and then nodded.
"I suppose you'll have to test it out on one of us." He said, with a sweeping motion to include the other three and himself. I stared at him. "Are you insane? It might kill someone if I'm wrong!" I exclaimed. I wasn't about to kill a teammate to test something out, and I didn't want them incapacitated before a mission, not to mention how horrible I'd feel. He just grinned that stupid, cocky Gai grin of his.
"You have an antidote, don't you? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be asking me if you didn't. Besides, there's no poison out there that can kill in less than five seconds. People have been trying for years, so I doubt that you've made that amazing poison. So, let's get a shot of that cure, and we'll bring it out for a test run." I glared at him, but did as I was told. I'd made enough for three shots with very little left over – enough to be able to make a new batch and be sure that it was the same substance. I handed these three to Gai, who beckoned Lee over.
"Lee, take half of your weights off. When one of us is struck by Maia's blades, get to them, but allow us to view the results for a moment before administering the shot. Make sure you get the cure as close to the poisoned site as possible." Lee saluted him and did as he was bid before taking the three syringes. I should have just tested it on myself instead of calling Gai into it. He could go overboard if we weren't careful. But, my team trusted me, Lee, and yes, even Gai, so they did go along with it after a little more arguing. During that time I carefully coated both sides of the kunai with the poison, as well as the sharp ridges. I'd need to know exactly what I was up against if I got a full dosage into someone, not just an itty bitty bit. They'd get the real deal, or nothing. After creating a handful of kunai that were poisoned, I stood and awaited Gai's orders. He'd positioned everyone at different intervals from me. This was going to be a training exercise for me with my aim, even if it was quite dangerous.
"Alright Maia, let's get this over with." I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to pretend that I wasn't about to throw a deadly weapon at my teammate… and that was without the poison. I took aim on Tenten, aiming for her left shoulder, well away from the heart. I threw, and she instinctively ducked and rolled to the right. Then, she rose, smiling sheepishly.
"Sorry, Maia." She said, nodding for me to throw again. This time, I threw at her leg, and it hit dead on, since she'd held herself dead still, even though her instincts told her to flee. She fell to the ground with a thud, since I'd hit a muscle on accident.
"Tenten! Are you okay?" I cried, taking a step forward. Lee was already at her side, and he was sticking her with the needle not even half a second later, supporting her upper body with one arm. He yanked the kunai out swiftly, but Tenten didn't even flinch. We stared at her, watching in silence, holding our breath. I was about to ask if we should take her to the hospital when she took a small gulp of air and shifted slightly. She looked at me, and I saw her mouth twitch upwards slightly.
"Lee, bandage her wound so we can get back to the test." He told his pupil, who instantly pulled bandages out of his pouch at his hip and began to bind the wound. Gai obviously had seen the movement too. Once Tenten was taken care of and placed in the shadow of a tree to the side, we started again. Gai gave new instructions this time. "Lee, let the poison sit for three seconds exactly before administering the cure." He nodded, and I threw at Neji. He, like Tenten, instantly reacted for the defensive. Man, we were wired on too much defense. We really needed to get out more. He, the show off that he is, caught it out of the air, spun and threw it back at me. I yelped softly as I dodged to the right, throwing the other one. As it was in the air, I yanked the other kunai out of the tree behind me. However, I hadn't expected Neji to throw it again; I figured he'd control himself. He threw it back, and it embedded itself in the right of my back. I froze where I was, unable to move.
Lee was over by me instantly. I tried to open my mouth, to tell him not to administer the drug, but it was too late. I felt the needle enter my flesh, the coolness of the cure spreading, and the release of the blood that the kunai had held back. After a few moments, I could sense the cure taking its effects. It was almost completely through my system and I would be able to move again. Tenten was already up and about, stretching and such. I felt Lee pulling my shirt up so that he could bandage my back. I didn't feel the usual embarrassment that you'd expect a girl to feel when a guy was messing with your shirt like that. No, I felt safe with the team, they were like family. I knew they wouldn't do anything like that.
"There you go, Maia." Lee's voice rang out.
"Help me up, please, Lee." I asked slowly, my tongue not wanting to work properly. He supported me, one of my arms over his neck, until I could stand against the tree. I didn't have enough of the cure for any more than one more trial, and I needed the trial on me. I could feel how it could affect others and how I could better take advantage if I felt it myself. Now, if it were a killing poison, obviously I'd just need to watch, but this was internal. I had to see if it would wear off within a short period of time, or if it would hurt me.
"Neji, throw it at me again. Lee, don't give me the cure until fifteen seconds have passed." I ordered. Lee looked at me, shocked to hear the time rise. Gai looked thoughtful, but nodded. "If she shows any signs of passing out, not breathing, anything, stab her with the cure as close to her heart as you can manage." Gai said, very seriously. Lee saluted, and stood next to me. I tossed the kunai to Neji. It landed on the ground a few inches to his right, and he lifted it up. Without a word, he threw it at me, and it embedded itself in my right shoulder. I felt my body go stiff almost instantaneously, a few moments in there that would give a victim time to fall over I noted. The poison seeped quickly, no nonsense, almost like a fatal poison. The nerves it touched deadened even more so than the ones that were on the opposing side of my body. My left hand, for instance, could move slightly. But, when it'd hit near my spine, it didn't. So, spine or major arteries was the key. Thank goodness I knew my human anatomy. Fifteen seconds were up; I saw the needle pierce my skin near my heart. The cure moved rapidly through my body, and soon I could move my whole left side – since it wasn't nearly as effected – and I could speak.
"You couldn't have chosen a better different spot to hit me?" I demanded as I pulled off my outer shirt. I had a tank top and bra on underneath the shirt, but I'd have to move the straps off the right shoulder so we could properly bind them. I did so as Neji just gave me his mocking shrug. I glared at him as I felt bandages wrap around my shoulder and upper arm. After he was done, I had most of my motor skills back to myself, and I wandered back to my tree, where all my supplies were. I carefully packed my vials away in their carry pouch before pulling out a vial from within the folds. Since I was pretty good at poisons and herbs, I also did some healing potions. It wouldn't heal you instantaneously, but the wounds would be a lot better off tomorrow than they would be without it. I poured a generous amount into an empty vial and corked it.
"Tenten, drink this before bed and you'll be better off tomorrow." I told her, double checking the vial to make sure I wasn't going to end up killing her tonight. It was a nervous habit. I handed the potion over, and she smiled at me.
"Thanks, Maia." Then, Gai's voice boomed out.
"Alright, my pupils, tomorrow we have a B-rank mission! We will be given the details tomorrow at eight thirty exactly. You should be packed and ready to leave at that time." Then, he gave us a lecture on how we were youthful, and that we should be early, and all of his insane other ideas. Finally, "You are dismissed until then." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and I just shook my head. I finished packing the vials away and gathered my kunais. By then, everyone else had left, gone to pack. I glanced up at the sky. It was approximately noon. I made my way to my home, where I lived alone. My parents had wanted to move, but I had already become a genin, so I refused to leave. So, they left without me, and we keep in touch through letters. They live somewhere in a smaller village in the Land of the Fire. My home was a small apartment, one bed one bath. It was cozy, and it wasn't like I was in it too terribly much.
It wasn't that long until I was on the third floor in front of room 25-B. I unlocked the door and stepped inside, shutting the door with my foot. I flipped the lights on and gently set my poisons pack on the table. I decided to eat lunch before packing, since it'd probably be awhile before I finished. I walked into the small kitchenette and prepared myself a sandwich with an orange. I devoured this quickly, followed by a cup of water. Once I'd cleaned up and washed my cup and plate, I walked back into the main room where I'd left my pouch. I lifted it and carried it to the desk set aside for this very purpose. There were notes in a pile on the right, and vials in rows of holders on the rest. In the cabinets above were the herbs, in alphabetical order. My attention first went to the racks of vials. I made many poisons and healing potions in my spare time, testing and experimenting. There were different poisons, and I picked three of the paralysis poison someone else had created, two of the poisons, and three of the sleeping vials. Then, I added one of my own. After all these came five of the healing potions. Each were carefully labeled, I doubled checked, as always, so that I wouldn't mix them up. I set them aside for the moment.
Now, I needed to get my ingredients, because I didn't want to be caught without any poisons at a crucial moment. I took enough of each herb that I could create two vials of each of the poisons I had selected. I placed each herb in a different carrying pouch, each marked with a small piece of paper with their name, which I tied closed with a string. I had ten of those in all. Finally, my gloves, the bowl I mixed in, five empty vials, and a small tenderizing hammer. Once I had all these items on my desk, I retreated to my room to grab my back pack. Mine I had ordered special, and in the bottom was a built in rack enclosed in a cushioned box to keep from breaks. I slipped each vial into its respective slot, then the five empty ones into the end. It was a tight fit, especially since I'd almost overfilled the compartment; the cloths filled it to completion. There would be no movement in this department. Once that was done, I tucked a cloth around each of the vials, so that they wouldn't clink against each other while we moved. A second compartment attached to this box, was for the herbs. I gently placed each of the small sacks into the box, and then closed the whole thing. I tied it shut with yet another string, and I was ready to go pack. I would pack my clothes and bandages first, for added support. My backpack had an extra layer of cushioning all around, for shock resistance. It had cost quite a bit, but I'd only lost one vial of poison in my whole use of this bag.
I walked to my room, being gentle with my bag while I could. I pulled out an extra set of underwear and packed them at the very bottom. Then, four tank tops, both gray with a tint of green. Next item of clothing were my shorts. I pulled out four pairs of short black shorts, made of a heavy enough material that it wouldn't rip too terribly easy. Finally, I grabbed two pairs of my long, black fingerless gloves. They extended from my hands to just below my shoulders, tied at the top with red ribbon. I had room on the top for two rolls of bandages and some needles and thread, plus an extra baggy white shirt, for a sling if needed. You could never be too prepared. I still had some room, so I tossed in a small bag of soldier pills and an extra pouch of kunais and wire. I never used them, personally, but there was a first for everything. I closed the bag and opened the smaller compartment that was just in front of it. Here I would store energy bars and other rations for the trip. I checked everything, and then I rose, snagging a third bag of kunais. I strode out the room with my heavier burden and set it on the table, walking back into the kitchen. I grabbed my energy bars, great rations for long trips, and tipped about twenty into the bag. That's all it would hold, anyway. I grabbed two apples and set them next to the bag, for a going away treat. Then, I sat at my desk.
I pulled out the third pouch I'd grabbed and dumped the contents onto the desk carefully. There were thirty four kunais in all. I'd spread the poisons as easily as I could. I began with the paralysis. Eleven kunais would be painted with this poison. I tied a linen strip to the ends of each, distinguishing the weapon. It was of a deep blue, which gave color identification for the rest of my team. After I'd thoroughly coated each side of the blades twice, I went over the edges once. Then, I hung them on a cord to dry, being careful to keep them above the drip pan, where all my poisons got mixed together. I'd clean that up later. Next came the sleeping poison, eleven kunai as well. It received the adornment of yellow silk, and was soon hanging to dry. The final was poison, and it would have black yarn wrapped around it. There was twelve kunais this time. Once they were all finished, I fished four of the kunai out of my current pouch and coated it with the newest poison. That's when I belatedly realized I'd forgotten to pack the cures. Well, I had to finish this first, or I'd get uneven poison spreads. A purple linen cloth at the ends was the marker for this one. Once it was drying, I began to unpack my bag, and opened the poison compartment.
I removed four of the empty vials and one of the sleeping poisons. Then, two of the poison cures and one of each of the other cures went in. I quickly assembled all of the herbs for the cures and placed them in their own sacks, marking each with a tag of paper with their names, as I'd done earlier for the rest. I placed all these into their compartments and replaced the cloths that would keep them still. Then I repacked everything. I was ready to go, almost. I restocked the pouch at my hip with clean kunais and shuriken, so that it was full. Then, I retrieved the other kunais, since they finished drying, and placed them back into their pouch, grouping each of the poisons together. I closed this and set it next to the bag. I was now good to go. I glanced at the clock. Five thirty. It had taken four and a half hours to get ready to leave. Geeze, what a girl I was. Well, most girls wouldn't be playing with poisons, I consoled myself. It wasn't my fault they took precise measurements. I stretched and yawned, but my stomach told me I needed to eat. So, I rose from my seat and grabbed my wallet out of the kitchen before strolling out the door.
Outside, I made my way downstairs. Once my feet were firmly on the ground, I set off for the ramen shop. As I walked, I glanced around. Stores were beginning to close and the road was slowly beginning to clear. I knew the ramen shop would still be open for a few hours, so I was in no rush. I took a turn and continued along, but my stomach complained that I was going much too slow. I kept my pace though, taking turns, pushing through masses as I needed to, until I was standing outside of the stand. There was already one other person there, as always. The inevitable Naruto, who was "going to be the greatest Hokage someday", was seated there, in his favorite seat, slurping away at his ramen. I tucked my wallet into my pocket, hoping that he wouldn't notice it and ask me for help paying for it. Poor kid loved ramen so much, but he didn't have much money. Sure, she pitched in every now and again, but she didn't want to be suckered in every time.
"Hey, Maia!" Naruto called, waving his chopsticks, grinning widely. I smiled back at him as I took my seat. "Can I get a miso ramen with pork and leeks?" I called to the man making the ramen. He raised his hand in acknowledgement and nodded, and I leaned against the counter. Naruto was slurping his soup loudly, but it was a noise I was used to. It only took a few minutes before the ramen was set before me, a light steam rising from the broth. I blew on the soup lightly before I broke the chopsticks apart. I ate the soup quickly, the hot noodles scorching my tongue and the back of my throat, but I didn't care. My stomach wanted the food now. Naruto started chattering at me, but I merely made affirmative noises in the right spot more than actually heard him. Once I finished, I slid the proper amount of money onto the table, along with a few coins to help Naruto out. Then, I rose and returned home.
By now it was dark, but I wasn't deterred by the shadows that hung around every corner. This was Konoha, my village. Besides, if a little darkness was all that it would take to stop me, then I shouldn't be a kunoichi at all. The streets were bare, and I made my way home in silence, taking less than half the time it had to arrive at the shop. Once I was inside my apartment, I strode to the bathroom and took a long hot shower. I used this time to work out tense muscles and pains, because after today, I wouldn't have a chance at a hot shower until we returned, more likely than not. I was very careful with my wounds, gently cleaning them with a towel. I washed my hair, and the soap stung my wounds, but I rinsed them thoroughly before I reluctantly stepped out of the shower. I wrapped my hair in the towel and then dried with a second one. After I completed those two tasks, I re-wrapped my wounds and then got dressed for bed. I almost forgot, but I drank a healing potion to help my wounds through the night. I then let my hair down just before I lay down in the bed. Once my head hit the pillow, I was fast asleep.
Alright, so there's my first chapter. I hope you enjoy it, and the next chapter to review. =D
