The patter of feet running down the hallway just outside of the door pulled a young, Konoha kunoichi out of her peaceful sleep. She sat up and stretched her joints, letting out a small yawn. It was a little odd to be hearing someone up and running down the hall so early in the morning, especially considering that Kagero had been away on a mission for the past few days and wasn't expected to return for a couple more weeks. Thankfully.
Moku was a thin, eighteen-year-old Jounin. She had a thin frame, her body obviously built for speed and agility as opposed to strength. Her golden brown hair was slightly longer than shoulder length and she kept her bangs, reaching to about her cheekbones, swept mostly to the right, a small section kept on the left. Her skin was slightly tanned and her eyes, her most distinguishable feature, were two different colors, her left eye brown and her right, blind, eye a pale blue color. Moku was attractive, she did attract the occasional observer, but she was by no means gorgeous.
An alarm clock told her that it was still only eight in the morning. And yet someone was up. She had never really been one to sleep in very long, but her sensei and his kids were near impossible to wake until it was at least noon. She really wasn't sure how they could do it, she hated wasting her day away sleeping.
Bright beams of sunlight poured into her room as she pulled the curtains open, shielding her mismatching eyes from the sun while they adjusted to the sudden change in lighting. She brushed so of her long, golden brown hair off of her shoulder and left her room, following the direction the footsteps had run off to.
Down the hall, third door on the right. Wataru's room, at least she assumed that was where the footsteps had gone. Just as she was about to grab the doorknob, the door opened, almost hitting her as it flew open.
'Interesting.'
Her eyes followed the blonde eight-year-old as she ran from her father's room and towards her own room. "Um… Emiko-chan!" she called after her, closing her sensei's door before she followed the girl to her room. "Emiko-chan, what's going on?" she asked, waiting in the doorway for an answer.
Emiko had short, blonde hair, tied into two matching ponytails, one on each side of her head, her bangs short and messy, but long enough to get in her eyes and cause her to brush them to one side of her face, though they normally didn't stay there very long. She had light brown eyes, a tan complexion and an innocent outlook on life that, although it drove her twin sister insane, most found endearing. She could always be counted on to show off her pride in the village she loved in, often wearing the kanji for 'Fire,' as in the Fire Country, Konoha's red swirl or the Leaf symbol.
She tore through her hamper, searching for anything to wear today. She didn't usually run out of clothes until the weekend, but this week she had run out early for whatever reason. She never looked up at Moku, but she knew she was there. Right now she just needed to get ready for class. She couldn't think of anything more embarrassing than being late to class and now she was running late "Why didn't you wake me up? You know Dad doesn't ever wake up early enough to make sure I get to the academy on time and Kagero-san is gone!" she explained, sniffing a shirt that didn't look like she had even worn it. "Akane-neechan! Get up, we'll be late!"
Although they were twins, Akane and Emiko really shared very few physical traits. Emiko had always taken more after her father while Akane took more after their mother. She had red hair, blue eyes and a cupid's bow lip, like their mother. Her complexion was a much more pale one than Emiko's and she had a more delicate build than her sister. Although she did care deeply about Konoha, she didn't show it in her clothing and she had to be cautious for the both herself and her sister. Emiko had always been more spontaneous and she lived in the present without thinking about the future, but Akane liked to plan things out and she had never been a big fan of change.
"Um… Emiko-chan, don't wake your sister up so early." Moku responded, glancing over at Emiko's red headed twin sister "You do realize that you have today off, right?" she asked "I've never let you be late before, why would today be any different?" she asked, walking over and beginning to pick up the clothes that were now strewn about the room. Moku was no babysitter and because of her blunt honesty most people never asked her to baby-sit for them, but Emiko was making a huge mess and if Moku didn't pick it up it would be messy until Kagero got home.
Emiko's movement ceased. "What? But I had a dream that I was late for class and I got in trouble and everybody laughed at me and made fun of me!"
Moku allowed a small sigh to escape her lips and dumped Emiko's dirty clothes back into the hamper in her closet "And it was only a dream. You worry too much, or maybe you're still asleep." The older kunoichi reached out to pat Emiko's blonde head, the slightest hint of a smile on her face "Whatever it is, maybe you should get a little more sleep before you decide to get up and stay awake." She suggested.
Emiko nodded in agreement, gathering the last of her dirty clothes and dropping them into her laundry basket. "I don't think I'm tired anymore. I'm going to find something to eat for breakfast!" she announced, getting up and taking off to the kitchen.
"Yeah, well, just don't kill yourself." Moku mumbled, seeing as though Emiko wouldn't hear her anyway 'I have things to do and I don't really feel like sticking around here to watch you all morning.' She thought to herself.
It wasn't that she didn't like Emiko, she liked her and a couple of her sensei's other kids, but she had to meet with her team and see if there were any missions for them, not that it was a whole lot more exciting than watching an eight-year-old eat breakfast.
"Masayoshi-sama!" a voice called after Konoha's current Hokage. "Masayoshi-sama, wait up!" The Hokage's steps came to a halt to wait for the Chuunin calling him. He stared up at the giant, stone faces of the eight Hokage that had come before him. Besides Uzumaki Naruto, Konoha's sixth Hokage, he was the youngest shinobi to acquire the title 'Hokage.' He was thirty-years-old now and there had been plenty of time to carve his face into the cliff that overlooked the village.
Sarutobi Masayoshi, the ninth Hokage and great-great-grandson of Sarutobi Konohamaru, cared for the Hidden Leaf village about as much as you could expect a Hokage to. Since he had been a kid, he had always dreamed of becoming Hokage. It wasn't an uncommon dream among you Leaf shinobi, but Masayoshi was one of the few, nine to be exact, that had obtained that dream.
The ninth Hokage was strong, brave, fair, a very ideal Hokage. He not only cared for the village, but each and every one of the shinobi that lived within it. In fact, he cared deeply for the entire Fire Country, however his compassion was focused mainly on Konoha. He was very kind and very gentle, but he was still the strongest shinobi in Konoha, fierce in battle and devoted to protecting those he cared about.
The Hokage was kind and strong, but also fairly good-looking. He had brown eyes and brown hair to match, short and never completely tamed. His complexion was tan and he was built strong. He was thin overall and his muscles neglected to show off his true strength. He was a tall man and if he had any scars or tattoos they were well hidden from prying eyes.
Masayoshi greatly enjoyed visiting the academy to meet, and get to know, the youth of Konoha and, as a result, he had become good friends with one of the Chuunin instructors, Akimichi Arata. Just like most of the other Akimichi's, Arata was humble and jolly. He was large, but not fat. The Akimichi clan used their fat for their ninjutsu, but didn't have more than they needed. He had spiky, large, brown hair and a warming smile. He was a very confident shinobi and he very much enjoyed teaching academy students.
"What is it, Arata-san?" Masayoshi asked, a calming tone ever present in his tone "Your voice… you sound worried. Is something wrong?" he asked, turning his head to look back over his shoulder at his companion, a soft breeze tugging gently at his hair and the ends of his robes.
Arata nodded, taking a moment to regain his composure after sprinting around the village in search of the Hokage "Two Jounin just outside of the village's main gates." He began, worry written all over his normally happy face "They're dead. They've been killed." He announced. "As for the assassin, we have no idea whom…"
"Just outside of the main gates?" Masayoshi questioned "How far? Did the two watching the gate see or hear anything?"
The Chuunin shook his head in dismay "They were asleep when we got there, under the effect of a genjutsu technique."
"I see…" the Hokage replied, the news obviously putting a damper to his mood. "Arata-san," he said, his soft gaze shifting back to the heads of the previous eight Hokage "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't mind accompanying me to the scene." He indirectly asked the Akimichi.
"Yes, Masayoshi-sama. Of course."
It was truly a gruesome sight to behold. Their spines were broken, their blood splattered all around the area, a look of anguish in their faces.
And ANBU squad was gathered around the bodies along with the Hokage and Arata, inspecting them to gather what information they could about this assassination.
"Do you have any idea who did this?" The Hokage's tone was very downtrodden, but he didn't let his mood affect his judgment or productivity. Right now there was a need to figure out who had killed these men and why.
All four ANBU masks turned respectfully to the Hokage as he spoke, the masks themselves hiding the expressions and identities of the four ANBU squad members. One of them shook his head "No, not at all, Hokage-sama." He answered "Not yet anyway. Nothing was left that alone could help us, but whomever it was that did it," he explained, "It looks like they left in a hurry and didn't think much about covering their tracks." A finger pointed to a few footprints and then shifted to a broken twig.
"I see." The Hokage replied thoughtfully, turning his attention to what the ANBU was pointing at as he poke "You four, follow the trail as far as you can, but be wary of traps." He instructed the team, "Also, do not fight unnecessary battles. This is a recon mission and your top priority is your safety."
"Yes Hokage-sama." The four replied in unison mere seconds before they decided to take off and begin their mission.
"Masayoshi-sama, is there anything I can help with?" Arata stepped forward to cast his own eyes upon the bodies of his comrades.
Masayoshi stared at the bodies for a moment, silently mourning Konoha's loss. "They deserve a proper burial," he began "But nobody should have to see them like this."
"I understand, Masayoshi-sama. I can take care of it." The ever-loyal Akimichi was always willing to help where he could. He hated to see people upset or stressed out. He always did what he could to help cheer others up or help them relax, anything he knew he could help with. And now it was the Hokage, his dearest friend, which needed his help. He knew Masayoshi well and he knew what he considered to be important. Honor was one of them and fairly high on the list. He would want these shinobi to retain the honor they had earned in life and carry it on through death. This was something that was important to Masayoshi and it was also something important to Arata.
Masayoshi's face warmed into a delicate smile "Thank you. I am very grateful to have you as a friend, Arata-san."