Triple Threat
AN: Alright, my first story. I would love reviews, even if it's only about how to improve. The first five reviews get a character in the story; just tell me some info in a PM if you are one of the first five.
I did make a picture of Team 13, which is located here(replace the (dot) with periods):
Akumu: divinearcher(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d3oiox
Zelkeal: divinearcher(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d3eojzu
Jazz: divinearcher(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d3eol0u
Anyways, thanks for reading! Tell me what you think!
All characters and locations that have anything to do with Naruto or Naruto Shippuden © Masashi Kishimoto
Any other characters/jutsu ©
First Threat
That couldn't be…Is it? I shifted my eyes, back to the empty forest, then back to the tree bark. I released the hand sign and forced chakra to my fingertips, pulling myself up and out of the hollow tree trunk. I pushed my red-tipped bang to the side until it held behind my green braid. I closed my eyes and dropped from the top of the tree, disintegrating into smoke as I fell, snapping my eyes open to the newcomer.
"Gaara! Temari and Kankuro!" My voice was cheery, my fang-y smile fake. As soon as Gaara's face stopped looking so irritated-only to hide the surprise-it faded to my normal half-pout and glazed eyes.
"Oh!...It's been awhile." Temari commented, clearly confused at who I was. Kankuro was having a hard time, too, though Gaara's face was as much of a mask it had ever been.
"I could see why you wouldn't recognize me. I have-" I was cut off by her exclamation.
"I know that hitai-ate! You're…..Zelkeal-kun?" I couldn't help but laugh at the wrong honorific. I corrected her –kun with a –chan before continuing.
"Yeah. I decided to show my face after Akamaru told my secret. Pretty hurt after what Shiromaru did to him—Ignore me, I'm blabbering. Haven't seen anyone for awhile, been on this 'super secret scout' mission for three days now, just sittin' here watching for people…" I felt myself drone off, clearly annoying the Sand shinobi. It did cause the scenario I had wanted, though.
"We were sent on our own mission to Konoha. Would you like to escort us in? Wouldn't look so suspicious then." Kankuro explained in as patient a voice as he could muster.
"You guys are never suspicious in Konoha. Could walk right in with kunai's drawn and you'd still get a warm reception from Naruto." I decided to go with them anyways, looking forward to stretching my muscles. I jumped ahead of the trio, listening to them fall in behind.
Almost invisibly, I performed the two hand signs separately on each hand at my side, re-forming my two other clones, then creating one more where I had been sitting earlier. I closed my eyes and 'dropped,' falling and landing where I would have been if I had never stopped my fall earlier. I crossed three fingers, intertwining my thumb and little finger beneath, whispering, "Sleepwalking Jutsu," before spying on Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara. The clone I had previously made still held most of my chakra, running ahead of the others, looking exactly like I did.
I then averted my gaze to my two other clones, spotting Neji and Shikamaru examining one of them, Sakura the other. I let them fall into smoke, formed them into the kanji for follow, then slowly pulled it towards me. Being the non-cautious ninja they were, they came willingly, stepping right into my trap. Flames licked at the treetops, caging the three ninja. I pulled a ghost-like figure out of the fire, forming it into a Cloud ninja before having it speak.
"What kind of ninja are you? Following something like smoke without thinking twice, walking right into my trap!"
Shikamaru was the first to speak, "Nice try Zel. Neji's byakugan saw you before you re-initiated your jutsu!" I pulled the flame back in, jumping down from the tree branch. I checked at my other clone quickly, seeing that it had just arrived at the gates and gave a slight Zel-bow before taking off and returning to smoke.
"I knew I couldn't fool you, Shika-kun! Nice use of-" Again, I was annoyingly cut off.
"We're not here to have a good time." Neji began, "Lady Tsunade has a mission planned for us."
Second Threat
"Hmm? Who might that be?" A young silvery-white haired girl hopped in the window, walking around to the other side of the cot, sitting next to the older silver haired shinobi. She had to make sure to sweep her hair off to the side so she wouldn't have to sit on it. It fell over her hitai-ate , covering up the crossed out music note.
"Hello, brother." She kicked her legs, watching the sheet flutter in and out. "How are you? Still exhausted?"
"Yes. The battle tired me out and I haven't been able to completely restore my chakra yet. How did your mission go?"
"Is that who I think it is?"
"Hmm…What is it? Iruna-no..Iruka?" I questioned as the ninja entered the room.
"-sensei." He added, but I shook my head.
"Nope! Kakashi-kun has always been my teacher, then it was Orochimaru-sama."
"Where have you been? You just disappeared." I noted how the tone of his voice changed at the honorific.
"Doing what younger sisters do best-spy! But forget that, this is a private conversation-…" Iruka heard what I meant and closed the door. I listened until his footsteps and breathing were silent before answering Kakashi-kun.
"Well, I haven't been here in four years, a lot has changed. But I've learned a lot, too. I did know about the intrusion, but Kabuto had battled me when I left my ninja tools behind. I didn't stand a chance. Orochimaru still is up to his old plans, though."
"What about Uchiha Sasuke?"
"Ah, yes, one of you students, right Kakashi-kun?" A nod allowed me to continue, " He's strong, but his control over the curse mark still hasn't matched mine." I gripped my shoulder where the four four-pointed stars had been placed inside the two Anbu swirls. "He's strong though, and power-hungry. The Nine-tailed would have a difficult time beating him, even if it was fully released."
"Good job, Jazz. Now leave me be. I need rest if I ever want to get back to my team." As I went back over to the window, hair brushing the back of my knees, Kakashi-kun stopped me.
"Zel's back in town." I hid a smile as I flung myself out the door, flying across the rooftops in search of my old teammate.
Third Threat
The black cloaked figure stood in front of me, scythe held ready. He was in every aspect the real grim reaper, as all he brought was death and pain. Pain for me and death for everyone else. I attempted to dodge the black projectile he had just launched from his scythe, knowing that a realm if darkness couldn't stop darkness from the source.
"We are still weak. Our body cannot be as strong as it needs to be if-" He faded into shadows as two people walked into the scarred clearing. The death-inscribed scythe was now held in my outstretched hand, though it also disappeared like he had. He had no name, but he took mine. I knew him as Nightmare, though he didn't exist to anyone else. Anyone but one of the two standing in front of me and another, his 'avenger.' Now that our training session had finally faded, my vision had as well. I pulled the hitai-ate down from my forehead to my eyes, the white cloth holding my black-tipped purple hair up. Being one of Nightmare's accomplices, I had the special Black Sight kekkei-genkai. Even though I was blind, I could still see the two men in front of me and the next two moves they will make. My family, the Tsukibaras, actually self-induced this darkness, whether it was with a forehead protector or a cloth, to see the next movements of the enemy. Of course, this didn't help me a year ago when I fought and lost to one of the Akatsuki. He was in front of me, as was the one who had been struggling on the ground beneath us. That was, of course, before he had forced me into forever darkness when he tested a new faulty jutsu on me.
I was young then, young and foolish. I had been watching a young blonde shinobi learn how to use the Rasengan, one of the few moves I had ever learned from the lazy Jiraya. He-being one of my old friends-walked up to me after I caught his friend, who used a great sword with which I couldn't battle, in my Nightmare jutsu. Expecting the man to fall as well, I was surprised to see that he didn't as I really didn't expect to see him again.
We had a fight, one of our old, no-deaths kind of match that kept either of us from inflicting any fatal attacks. As soon as I had his throat cornered with four kunai, I walked away, expecting to win until I was caught from behind in a nightmare-proof jutsu. I would have been as close to fatally injured as one of these fights could get and I was forced to surrender and join him on his journey to find who knows what.
He approached me now, standing over me as if he was better than me. Well, I guess he was.
"Yes, Itachi-sama?" I asked with as polite a tone as I could muster. He didn't even seem bothered even though a hint of a snarl was still hidden in my voice.
"You ruined you outfit. Again. These coats aren't easy to come by."
"I'm sure I can't make do with what I have. It's not like I'm a full-fledged member." I could feel how irritated my attitude made him. Kisame was snickering in the background.
"We're leaving in an hour for Konoha. Prepare yourself." With this, he disappeared, and when Kisame swung Sharkskin towards me, I blocked it with the scythe that materialized in my palm as I felt the pain of the sword via Black Sight, though it really didn't draw a single drop of blood.
"See you in an hour!" He taunted, though I resisted the urge to lock him in a Kuro Nightmare, a vast black space nearly inescapable.
AN: Tell me what you think and Review Review Review!
I hope I got all of the character's personalities right, if any of you guys see something I should change, tell me. Any criticism is entirely welcome, as are ideas, characters, and missions!