A/N: Here's the finished product of the first part of my editing phase. Some of you, (I think Eldr-Fire and some others) may recognize this plot even without the Nomads as "The Repercussions of Honesty". TRoH went through several phases to get where it is now. It went from TRoH to "The Noble Truths" first. You can still see the remnants of the Buddhist ideas throughout the story. Finally, I settled on "Selective". The reason for this name will be revealed in the final chapter. The entire story is finished, and I will be posting one chapter per week every Friday, starting this Friday. I hope you enjoy! Next up on the list of stories to edit is "Silver Behind Red." That might take me a while.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Selective
Humans and Human Nature
I heard them unlock the door to my apartment using the key I left for them on top of the frame. I didn't hear them make their way towards my room because they were ninja, and if they could be heard, then I was a serious failure as a teacher. The door to my bedroom eased open, squeaking on its hinges, and I heard Sasuke clear his voice.
"Wake up," he said.
Sasuke had been home for a while by that time, maybe three years. He came back when he was seventeen, after Akatsuki was destroyed and most of the major villains in the world had darted back to hide in the shadows. We were glad to have him with us. For the first year, he had been kept on watch, but now he had been escalated to Jounin status with the rest of us, and everything had drifted to the way it would have been if he hadn't left at all.
I grunted and pulled the blankets more tightly over myself, covering my face with the slate gray sheet after realizing that it was bare for the world to see. Doubtless my students would drink in the sight of it like the most treasured of wines, and I wasn't about to give them the pleasure of that. "Go away," I grumbled sourly.
"Sasuke's just being a grouch, like always." That was Naruto's voice, rough like the grating of stone on stone, but I didn't pick my head up to look at him. He pushed Sasuke out of the way to get into my room, where he stood over me, pouting with his hands on his hips in a very feminine display of indignant annoyance.
"Careful," I muttered with my dark eye peeking out at him. I reached over the blankets and poked him lazily in the chest, careful to keep my face covered. "You'll grow boobs that way."
He swiftly changed his position to a more masculine stance, and I could hear Sakura's peal of laughter as she entered the room as well. I sat up with my hand holding the sheet over my face, and she took one look at my just-out-of-bed appearance and shook her head so that her long pink hair quivered and danced about her.
"We've known you for eight years and you still won't show us your face?" she asked. She took the hands-on-hips position that Naruto's masculine consciousness had just fled from in a frantic scramble to reach a more testosterone-filled ground. Had Sai been present, no doubt he would have passed my joke to Sakura, and I was thankful he wasn't there because I didn't feel like having to clean the carpets free of blood… again. Most of the rust stains on the pale blue rug were from my own body, and on the unfortunate day when I had no strength to clean them, they set like gum to hair and refused to be pulled out unless I was willing to tear the whole thing out, which I wasn't. I didn't have the time, and neither did I have the need—after all, the new one would just get bloodied up again, and my landlord probably wouldn't allow me to tear apart her building for the sake of a handful of red-orange stains until I moved.
"Of course not," I snorted. I brushed away Sakura's comment with a wave of my free hand. "Life would be so much less fun without you hunting after my face like Naruto going after that last packet of ramen."
She laughed at that, and I smiled again. "Now, out," I said. "Let me get dressed. Wait in the living room."
They filed out, and Naruto shut the door behind him so I could dress in peace.
When I met them in the living room, they were all sitting down on my navy blue couch, chatting comfortably with one another in a way that implied they were not expecting me for another few minutes. Naruto looked up at me then, and from behind his back pulled a white box with a dark blue ribbon tied nicely around it. The box was about the length of my forearm and about the width of it, too. I looked at my students, bemused.
"What's this for?" I asked.
"It's your thirty-fourth birthday today, isn't it?" Sasuke asked in response. His reply was clipped and sharp like they always had been.
"Didn't think you guys would remember," I said. In all honesty, I didn't really want them to remember. Birthdays were never my strong suit, and they made me feel awkward and bland. I put on a smile for them, hidden behind my mask so that all they got for their undying efforts to see was a happy eye crease. I slipped away the ribbon and put it around my neck just for the heck of it. Sakura giggled quietly and muttered something about me making a good kitten like the ones women would get from their husbands during Christmas on the old cartoons. Naruto laughed slightly, but they all fell silent as I lifted off the lid of the box to see what they had given me.
It was a tantou knife. The handle was made of a beautiful dark red wood with the likeness of Buddha carved onto it (strangely enough, they knew I wasn't religious), and the sheath was a narrow figurine of his sacred Bodhi tree, made out of the same dark red wood. It was beautiful, but for decoration only, so I set it upright on the shelf above the couch and said, "Thanks—I love it.
"But seriously, why did you wake me up?" I asked. I flopped down onto the navy armchair with my legs dangling over the side. "You could have given this to me in the street, for all intents and purposes."
"We have a mission today," Naruto explained. He leaned forward on his hands. "Tsunade-baachan didn't want you being late, and she actually decided to enforce it for once, so she sent us to come and find you. It's an A-rank mission. It pays well, and she said it's pretty important, so let's go."
I hoisted myself to a stand. "All right," I sighed. "Thanks again for the gift. It really is very nice."
—
We stood at attention in front of the Hokage's desk as she rifled through piles of documents searching for the lone piece of paper she was to turn over to us. It took her at least five minutes to find what exactly she was searching for, and then she almost tore it pulling it from the middle of the stack and pushed it, crumpled, into my hands. I opened the sheet of paper and held it out so my entire team could look on with me.
It was a picture of a man with thick wiry brown hair that reached his shoulders, starting to gray near his temples and chin where a long braided beard draped halfway down his chest. His ears were gauged, the loops in the flesh large enough to fit two fingers through, and heavy golden earring hoops hung from them to create a contorted chain effect that was nauseating just to look at. His eyes were flinty and cold, and just looking at his aging face, I could tell he'd seen the value in life the hard way.
"Is this our client?" I asked, glancing up at Tsunade. In answer, she nodded towards the door, and my team and I turned around. A young man, no older than I was, stood there tall and proudly, his dark brown hair reaching in a tightly wrapped ponytail to the small of his back with some long braids that hung down to his waist in front. His eyes held the same cold glint as the ones in the picture, but at the same time, he looked cheerful and optimistic. His outfit was a green traveler's shirt, pants, and boots that set off his strong, agile figure the way white can make black seem much darker than it really is.
"That's my father," the young man said. "I'm your client. That's the picture of the man you're to assassinate."
We stared at him without surprise, which was the reaction he seemed to be hoping for, for he faltered a little bit before going on. But really, it was silly for him to think we would have been surprised—I've performed countless missions where a member of the family wants to assassinate their relative. This was no different.
"My name is Daradara Ke, and my father's name is Daradara Hige. We're from the Land of Canyons on the border of Wind. My father's ruled for thirty years, and judging from that picture he looks respectable." Ke's face darkened and the whites of his eyes grayed in the shadow. "But the people of our country are suffering while he sits away in his mansion, soaking in pools of gold and silver. No one in my country can afford earrings like that. I want to assassinate him so we can distribute his vast wealth to the people, to tear down his house. I would rule in his place and let money come and go as the people saw fit…" His eyes took on a dreamy luster. "They could own their own things, grow crops that they could call theirs—some of them could eventually afford areas of the river to call their own! People in Konoha can have things. They don't have to fear it being taken away from them. That's all I want for the people of Canyons. That is why I'm asking you to assassinate my father."
Naruto raised a righteous fist. "All right! We don't need more of an explanation than that, do we, guys! Let's head out!"
"Give us a day to prepare, will you?" I asked, directing the question first at Naruto and then at Ke. "We'll meet you at the main gates tomorrow morning."
Ke nodded and bowed. "Thank you," he said, and walked out.
"I hope this mission is worth it," Sasuke grumbled. I rubbed the back of my head tiredly.
"We should probably go into the jounin common room to strategize," I offered, and my team nodded. We bowed to the Hokage and left, shutting the door politely behind us before making our way down the hall to the well-loved (dingy) room that we used as a sort of headquarters. Faded old couches were set up around tables with magazines offering life insurance and stock marketing, none of which were even given a passing glance by the various jounin loafing about drinking coffee and talking about their next missions with their team. My students and I sat down around one of the magazine tables with the overhead light fixture almost directly above us, and I leaned back comfortably.
"Well," I said, "we can either do this quick and easy, painfully slow, or we can find out what corrupted Daradara-sama in the first place by talking to him before killing him."
"I vote talking with him first," Sakura said instantly. "Just to satisfy some curiosity." She shrugged and then reached for my vest. I pulled out Hige's picture and handed it to her. "I mean, he looks like an honest gentleman, like Ke said," she continued, pointing at his eyes. "I want to know what made him turn so foul as to warrant an assassination. It might not even be needed."
"But it's what we're being paid to do," Sasuke countered. "Ninja don't question what they're paid to do."
"If I was paid to give a patient in the hospital arsenic because they have a felony hanging over their heads, do you think I would?" Sakura snapped. "Ninja don't have to question all the time. If they do, wonderful, as long as they don't pull a Hamlet and get everybody killed. I'm saying we should think about what we're doing. If Orochimaru came back from the dead and paid you to do something, would you?"
"No," Sasuke mumbled, crossing his arms.
"Exactly. I rest my case." Sakura leaned back into her seat and I had to stifle a chuckle.
"Sakura-chan's got a point," Naruto said. "I agree with her. We should question him first, then kill him."
"I agree with that plan, too," I said, and nodding to Sasuke, "Look's like you're outvoted." I folded my fingers for a moment in thought. "How about this then? I interrogate Hige, Naruto and Sakura stand guard outside the room and dispatch any guards we come into contact with, and Sasuke does the dirty deed? We can work out the technicalities on the way and work around any bugs we see."
They nodded. When Naruto seemed about to raise protest against the plan of action, I said, "Don't worry—you will get to do something other than guard." He quieted.
"Well, then, I'll see you all tomorrow morning," I said. When I gave them a dismissive nod, they disappeared.
—
I was up at dawn. For some reason, unrest stirred like a coiled rattlesnake in my stomach, having me pace my room as the soft rays of blue-then-yellow light slowly carved their way into my space. When the light touched my foot, I stopped and looked down to stare at it. I was already completely prepared for this mission, and I suppose the light was trying to draw me outside so that I wouldn't pace a hole into the carpeting. I could walk back and forth around Konoha and would feel more invigorated, at least, than if I drew the shades shut and was late for the meet-up.
I made my way to the door of the apartment, and as I pulled on my shoes, I gave my Buddha tantou a glance. That peaceful smile seemed to mock me. Even if he'd reached Nirvana, how could he possibly smile knowing that his first Truth stated "life means suffering"? Instead of becoming a figurehead, he should have done something physical to help end the suffering, like what I was about to go and do. Buddhism and its ideas were silly to me.
The morning was cold. There were a few weeks until Halloween, actually. As I walked, a dry wind rustled some leaves to dance like festive children around my feet, and I stepped on one with a regrettable crunch. My anxious frown deepened as I picked my way slowly towards Konoha's main gate.
As I expected, no one from my group was there, so I leaned against one of the main beams and waited. Izumo and Kotetsu spared me a glance after yawning behind the countertop and resting their heads against its dewy, dusty surface. My stomach growled and clenched, but I wasn't hungry.
I waited for about an hour before Sakura came into view, dragging Naruto and Sasuke along behind her. She paused, looking at me and blinking and shaking her head, before the others noticed I was there as well, and then they (with the obvious exception of Sasuke) came rocketing towards me.
"You're not late?" Sakura asked, surprised. I blinked at her.
"Well, when I said morning," I began, trying to save a little face, "I meant as soon as the sun came up." I shrugged and put on a happy smile for them even though I was indeed drastically early, two hours, judging by my standards, and if they knew what was actually going through my mind at that point (something will go wrong, something will go wrong), they would probably recognize that something was wrong with me. Although, what had ever been right with me, I could only guess.
Sakura placed her hands on her hips, but my gaze never left her brilliant eyes. After a moment, they softened, and she turned to sit cross-legged on the ground with her cheek resting in her right hand and her left hand pushing slightly against her knee.
"All we've got to do is wait for Ke, now, right?" Naruto asked. He glared suspiciously at me. I gave him a slightly pointed look, and he too turned away.
"I'm here, thanks." Ke came up to stand just outside of our circle of four and jerked his head towards the forest that lay outside the protective village walls. "Are we ready?"
"Ready as we'll ever be," I said. I pushed myself away from the gate's mighty frame. "Let's get going."
The Land of the Canyons was to the southwest of Konoha. I'd been assigned a few missions before there when I was in ANBU, and whenever I thought about it, the first thing that came to mind was the color gold. Canyons wasn't a land of gold by any means, but a fool might think that its beautiful sun-colored sandstone was a valuable thing to behold, even though it was practically worthless. The only thing that brought commerce there was the fact that its series of canyons, which gave the country its name, were the most extensive of any system in the world, and its main canyon, Soudai Chasm, was as wide as Konoha and ran the length of its river, which had been reduced to only a few yards in width. Soudai City was where Canyons's Feudal Lord lived.
The journey took about a week walking. Ke managed to keep up with the brisk pace the entire way there, making mild conversation all the while. It took six days to get to Soudai Chasm, and then another day of careful pick-and-peck hiking down the narrow trail that allowed access to Soudai City from the east. Luckily, none of us was afraid of heights, otherwise we might have never made it.
The city was built up more like a small village even though it took up a vast area along the Soudai River. In the center, I could see Daradara Hige's mansion, which was probably about the size of the Hokage Tower. Extending out from that like spokes on a wheel were Soudai City's roads, which started out paved with cobblestones near the center and gradually deteriorated to hard-packed dirt and mud the farther out you looked. The buildings worked that way, too: near the center, they were nicely built and well maintained, but near the edges, all I could see were crumbling shacks and fallow fields. On the eastern edge of the city there did seem to be a large dirt square, situated by the river. I could see docks and tiny fishermen, and little ant-like children running around in play. The roar of chatter reached even this altitude.
"What is that square?" I asked. Ke followed my gaze and smiled.
"That's the one place of happiness in the city," he said. "People go there almost every day. Right now, everyone's preparing for Halloween, setting up the shops and booths and hanging lights and such. You should take part in the festivities before you have to carry out your mission."
"That sounds like it would be good if we were kids," Sasuke said grudgingly, even though Naruto looked hopeful.
Ke shook his head. "I love Halloween and I'm as old as your teacher!" he laughed. "The children love it too, of course, but there are plenty of things for people our age to do. There's dancing and music and food… Holidays are major tourist attractions for us, and the people that come to visit often bring food and the rare bit of money." He frowned a little. "There's also storytelling and such, but that's usually for the children, like Sasuke-san said."
We reached Soudai City just as the sun was beginning to set. When the sun sets there, the rock turns a bright orange, like Naruto's shirt. Ke led us to an abandoned shack in the southwestern corner of the city and told us that we could rest there.
"The inns are a little too public for ninja," he explained apologetically. "All the tourists are coming in for Halloween."
"Thank you," I said.
As we went, I saw firsthand the suffering Ke was talking about. In all of my previous missions, it was something I had glossed over because I had been hired by Hige rather than by his son (consequently that would make my interrogation of him a bit more interesting). Sometimes we passed sleeping men and women who were lying in the streets and who smelled faintly of alcohol. I smelled something like death when we saw a dreadfully skinny child lying in the center of one of the dirt roads. Every living or conscious person we saw was dirty and disheveled almost beyond recognition. Some of them cursed at us for our clothes and civilized appearance. I frowned—Ke was right, things had gone horribly wrong under his father's rule.
We finally reached the shack just as twilight was coming on, and I was grateful for the lack of people. To the south of us was a field full of wild wheat that was ready for harvest, but it was full of stones as well, to make such harvesting impossible. I thought, If only Hige would give his people the right tools, they could make the outer reaches of the city as great as the center. A dead apple tree provided a minute amount of shade.
We bid Ke goodnight, and he left. My team went inside, but I stayed out for a few moments to watch the last of the day's light fade away over the top of the canyon wall before following them. I rolled out my sleeping bag and sat down on it, pulling off my shoes. The others were already preparing for bed. Naruto was brushing his teeth with some horsetail and Sakura had taken off her medic's skirt to leave her with her shorts and shirt. Her hair was in a ponytail, probably to make any morning bed head less noticeable.
"Before we turn in," she said, "should we review our strategy one more time?" She gave me an expectant look.
I nodded. "We'll go to his mansion on Halloween night. The guards will be easiest to bypass then and they'll probably be lazy because of the holiday. Sasuke will perform the assassination after I interrogate Hige and Naruto and Sakura stand guard. It should be simple. I think this is only paid like an A-rank out of desperation." I shrugged and leaned back.
Suddenly, Sasuke started coughing a little bit. He shook his head and cleared his throat, and when we all gave him questioning looks, he said in a slightly dry voice, "Just a tickle," before he cleared his throat again.
