Hello! My name is Miss Netty and I would like to state that I do not own any of the characters in Naruto. Just a quick statement this is happening right before the Fourth Shinobi Wars and will play out to cannon. Not to spoil anything but I have a hard time with altering head cannon if I don't have to.
Anyway I also know some people are not fond of outside characters but the one I created I hope tugs at your heart strings and makes you laugh a little. I hope you enjoy a story of love and trust and enjoy Strangers as much as I had writing it.
Neji sat in a room with his friends at the Leaf Village head quarters. They were waiting on Sakura who was interrgating a girl who was dragged in by Tenten and Ino.
There had been a string of murders in the woods the last few days and they claimed this indivudal just screamed suspicous with a sword strapped to her hip. In the middle of the night.
Naruto, Choji, and Shikamaru sat playing cards while they waited.
Fianlly Sakura and Kakashi came into the room looking exhausted.
"Well, she claims she just arrived in this area tonight and has no idea what is happening but the things we found in her bag are a little suspcious." She sat next to Naruto and rubbed her eyes.
"And what was in her bag?" Naruto leaned in closer, curisoity bright in his eyes.
"She had a bag full of clothes, basic supplies and a lot of weapons. That was a bit of surprise for Ino when she searched her."
Neji took a list from Sakuras hand and named off all the fun things this nut job had on her.
"Wires, files, range finder, breath mask, 3 exploding pouches, 4 smoke grenades, kunai, makibishi, shuriken, and a samurai sword." This had to be the murderer.
"She kept saying that she's been in contact with a friend who lived here and she finally decided to restart her life."
"Did she mention who the friend was? And maybe her own name?" Neji was happy that this nut job was locked up regardless.
"Yeah she didn't want to talk, so we are going to keep her here till she does," Sakura stood and stretched. "I'm going home."
Who the hell is this women?
The last few nights have been a blur of hunting the one responsible for random deaths, and making sure the travelers were safe.
the group evenually broke off and went home, as Neji sat and waited Kakashi came through the doorway.
"Aren't you going home Neji?"
"Actually I thought I would go down and see who the whack job is." They nodded to each other and made their way down to the holding cells.
Her cell was dark, and she was laying on the hard floor instead of the mattress provided for her.
Kakashi kicked the bars causing her to roll into a defensive position.
"I thought I was done being silent for the night?" Her voice dripped with anger.
"Well we just want to get to know you."
"I still don't understand why I am being held here.." Neji took the opportunity to explore the suspect I front of him.
She was short, roughly reaching his chest. Her long light brown hair waved gently down her back. Hazel eyes flicked between Kakashi and Neji as she waited for a response.
"Well honey, you were found with weapons. We've had some unexplained deaths. Figure it out."
"Like I told you before, I was told by a friend that this would be a safe place to live. He never said I would be arrested upon arrival." She squeezed the bars as Kakashi started to walk away.
"Who's you're friend?" She rolled her eyes.
"Really why do you need to know?
Neji continued to stare at the girl until she smiled and winked at him.
"Take a picture it'll last longer." The blush on her pale skin made her glow in the dark cell.
"When you're ready to talk we'll see what we can do!"
"WAIT IT'S SASUKE UCHIHA! PLEASE LET ME OUT"
Kakashi continued to walk and winked at Neji who finally caught up"
"What are you going to do?" Neji looked over his shoulder as her shadow paced back and forth.
"Let Tsunade have a chat with her"
Neji made sure he was going to be there if she managed to get an audiance with Tsunade.
…
The next day everyone seemed to hold their breath. Tsunade agreed to meet with the girl, all sorts of people were hanging around to see what this indivdual was going to say. With her being locked up there had been no blood split all night.
It wasn't looking good for her.
Neji watched as she was escorted by Kakashi and Guy up to her little meeting.
"This is going to be one on one right? I won't have a babysitter right?" She seemed a little nervous. She looked rail thin with her hands tied behind her back, a black sleeveless kimono barely covering her knees, ankle high shoes covered her feet.
As they walked by Guy winked at Neji giving him the okay to spy.
"Yeah sadly for us the Hokage is a little curious about you and thinks you'll talk if we aren't there."
They shoved her into the room and waited patiently as Neji prepared.
"Byakugan"
While everyone waited Neji was going to get everything first hand.
"So you bring weapons into my village in the middle of the night, you are not registered with any village, and yet you are confused on why you're locked up?" Tsunade tapped her fingers on the desk.
"Aha, yeah about that. Um I like to feel safe?" Rei shrugged her shoulders and smiled at the Hokage.
"How about you just tell me who the hell you are before you disappear. I assume no family knows where youre at?"
"You're kidding right?" Rei shifted under Tsunades gaze, this girl had no spine if she couldn't even handle this old woman.
"No, the 2 Jounin who brought you here also have orders to kill you after our talk if i don't like what I hear."
Neji watched as Rei swallowed hard. Seriously, this nervous wreck had that many weapons? Probably didn't know what they all were.
"My name is Rei Aioshi. I'm not registered because I'm not a ninja. I became an assasin after my father was killed." Rei looked Tzunade dead in the eye as she rambled on.
Neji honestly felt like laughing. Apparently so did Tsunade.
"Ahaha, you expect me to believe that? You can't even look me in the eye!"
"Let me show you, everyone has been mentioning murders in the woods. I can bring the murderer in. Dead or alive." Rei became serious and finally stood her ground.
"Alright, if you can track them down tonight then I will see what I can do for you. But you won't go alone." Tsunade was becoming bored with the girl and started to look through a book.
"Am I going to get to pick?" Her eyes lite up.
"Ah no, but since he's been listening in, Hyuuga Neji with keep an eye on you. Right kiddo?" Tsunade looked right in his direction.
Neji stopped the Byakugan and started to walk away.
She couldn't be serious about this.
…
But sadly she was.
Neji now sat in a tree as this dork used a borrowed range finder to search the black night.
"This is an unfair punishment for just eavesdropping. Seriously what do you think you are going to accomplish with that?"
Rei jumped as he practically yelled at her.
"Lower your voice, aren't you a Jounin or something? Have a little respect for what I'm doing." She raised the object back to her eye and continued what he thought was a pointless search.
"You're still going with the assassin story?" He leaned on the trunk of the tree and gazed at her.
"I don't understand why you people are so reluctant to believe me."
"You seem so normal. You don't even look like a genin." She really didn't, she seemed a little dim to him. Her eyes were always looking to a far off place.
At least thats what it seemed like for the last 3 hours. They've been in the tree since 2 am and she still hasn't done anything.
"Well thats the best part about me, I blend in so people walk right by."
"How old are you?"
"I am 17. Same age as you and just a little older than Sasuke." How was she supposed to be taken seriously when she allowed herself to be so distracted,
"How do you know how old I am?"
"I asked Sakura when she got me ready."
Honestly nothing about him was any of her business.
As he sat up to give her a piece of his mind she grabbed a bag full of linen she requested and jumped from the tree.
He watched as she started to walk along the path and saw a large figure start to follow her.
"Excuse me miss! I lost my way to the village and was hoping you would help me."
The stupid girl nodded and walked over to what seemed to be a man twice her size. There is no way she managed to find the murderer that easily.
"Do you have a map sir? I can just show-"
Before she could get the rest of her sentance out the man pulled a knife and grabbed her by the hair. He aimed for her neck which caused Neji to jump up.
He jumped down and ran ready to hit the man. Only to see Rei twist around and manage to kick the man in the neck and easily sliding the knife from his hand.
As he was kicked he grabbed her ankle, throwing her to the ground he turned and ran.
Neji followed and was quickly closing in.
He couldn't believe she even lured the bastard out in the open.
The gap between them grew smaller and smaller when something flew past his right ear and straight into the mans leg.
He hit the ground hard and Neji stopped to look behind him.
Rei stood with a confident smile, her hands on her hips.
"I told you the best part was blending in."
Maybe she is serious...
...
It took until dawn to drag the man back to the village. Neji had knocked him out while Rei looked through his bag to find another bloody knife and a necklace that was taken off the last victim.
She really did it.
"How did you know he would be there?"
"You're the Jounin shouldn't you have figured this out earlier?" Her laugh was like an instrument playing in his ears. He tried to find it annoying but kept finding it to be relaxing.
"Okay, you picked a heavily traveled path. Made yourself vunerable, put yourself in the open and hoped for the best."
"Where as you have been lying in wait, setting traps thinking that was the only way. I didn't give off a vibe, just a girl walking around in the dark." Never mind the fact she could've been killed.
"So you're a little clever, but there are a lot of things that could've gone wrong." As he continued to drag along with her he got more annoyed at the danger she was in.
"Awww, you care about my wellbeing already." She smiled at him from her busy task of holding the guys feet and carrying some of the weight.
After they finally got him to the proper place Tsunade awaited to hear about how all this happened.
Rei sat outside as Neji explained that she actually did a decent job.
"But her aim was dead on?" Tsunade picked at her finger nails with a bored expression.
"Yeah, she may be serious about this assassin stuff. But she had no regard for her own safety and probably mine." He kept thinking about how it would've only taken one stroke of his knife to kill her.
"Alright, she may be a good atsett. We will test her tonight to see where she's at and use her to our advantage."
"Are you serious?" Shock clear on his face as Tsunade laughed at him.
"And since you seem to so worried about her she can stay with you. Keep her outta trouble." As she walked away she looked over her shoulder at him. "I saw the way you looked at her coming in, consider this a gift."
When she opened the door he could see Rei pop up with an anxoius face.
"Well? Can I at least live?"
"Yes, we will see what kind of skills you have starting this evening and you will stay with Neji till we decide you are safe around others." Tsunade patted Rei on the head. She was a tad on the short side.
"Wait so I'm on like probation?"
"Thats a good way to explain it, Neji will keep an eye on you for now. He has a house near by that the Hyuuga clan bought him. You'll have a roof over your head."
"Huh.." She looked in Neji's direction and waved at him.
If he didn't turn away she probably would've seen the blush covering his cheeks.
...
"Oooooooh you have such an awesome house!" Rei looked around the 2 bedroom house that Neji's uncle bought so he could have a little more privacy.
"Yeah, well your room is over here. Tsunade already had all the sharp objects removed so-"
"You really live here by yourself?" She looked at the plain living space. A few pictures on the walls and one or two pieces of artwork. But for the most part it was pretty clean and basic.
"Yes can you please concentrate?"
"Sorry, I'm a little tired. Can we go over the rules after a nap?"
He stared at her for a moment, they had been up all night and who knows if she got any sleep in her cell. Before he could speak she sat on the couch and started to ask questions about what was happening.
He wandered to his kitchen to grab snacks expecting her to be starving as well.
When Neji went back to sit with her she was passed out. He looked at her sleeping form and felt the urge to brush her long brown hair from her face.
He sighed and threw a blanket over her. He needed to keep his head on straight. She was still a stranger.
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and will anxiously wait for chapter two! Please rate and review until next time!