AN: Okay welcome to chapter one of my first story on here, Dashinuke Nagaremono, or, roughly translated, Unexpected Stranger. Updates ought to be fairly regular on here, as I've already written through chapter four, but I expect plenty of reviews if you expect this story to be updated plenty. This is sort of an AU story, so don't send me reviews or emails telling me that this couldn't happen or that couldn't happen. I don't really care. Also, unfortunately, I don't own anything in this chapter except the nagaremono.
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The mid-August morning was stifling, the heat pressing in on anyone unfortunate enough to be within its reach. Aburame Shino sat with his back up against the rough bark of a Larch tree, sweat plastering the skin of his tunic to the pale skin of his back. He grimaced in agony. He was bleeding freely from a gash in his brow, and his leg was visibly broken. He was in a great deal of pain, and his energy was just about drained.
The sound of rapidly approaching footsteps reached his sensitively trained ninja ears, and he jerked to full alertness despite his injuries. After that last battle with a ninja from the Hidden Village of the Mist, there wasn't much left in him.
Shino dragged himself to his uninjured leg and slipped around behind the Larch tree, pulling a kunai from his belt. If he managed the element of surprise, perhaps he could emerge triumphant even in his current, injured state.
The brush parted and the stranger entered the clearing. Whoever it was had on so many different layers of clothing that even the most basic of his features were indistinguishable. Even though the late summer morning was scorching, the stranger moved without noticing the unbearable heat. They moved with a steady purpose.
The intruder had almost crossed the clearing when he stopped suddenly in his tracks. The hood turned in the direction of Shino's hiding place. The hiding ninja caught the barest glimpse of black eyes behind the shadow of the hood, but they bore no ill will.
The stranger slowly reached into his heavy black cloak and removed a metal headband. He turned it so the sunlight filtering through the foliage caught it and revealed the symbol etched there: a ninja of the Hidden Waterfall Village.
Shino sighed in relief, sheathing his dagger in his belt. Konoha was allies with Akin, the Hidden Village of the Mist, so it should be safe to trust the stranger. He moved out from behind the Larch tree.
The stranger paused momentarily to take in the extent of Shino's injuries, then took off his pack and unrolled it on the ground. Inside were extensive medical supplies, more than Shino could recall seeing in one place before. He motioned for Shino to sit, which the injured ninja did gratefully.
"My name is Aburame Shino." He introduced himself in his quiet, introspective voice. "From Konoha." The stranger's hands paused momentarily in their work at the mention of the Hidden Leaf Village. "Do you know Konoha?" Shino asked. The stranger nodded as a pair of deft, fishnet-clad hands fashioned a splint expertly out branches found in the clearing.
There was a long pause, where the only sound came from the whispers as leather rubbed against wood as the stranger fastened the splint around Shino's broken leg.
"What is your destination?" Shino, who usually wasn't so vocal, continued. It unnerved him a bit that his aide spoke naught. The stranger paused long enough in his administrations to nod in the direction Shino himself was headed. "Konoha?" He suggested, and the stranger nodded. Shino silently watched the healer work for a moment. Now he mixed a salve to stem the flow of blood from the lead ninja's forehead. The stranger's hands were oddly gentle and delicate beneath the fishnet gloves. Finally, unable to stand the utter silence any longer, Shino asked, "Do you speak?"
The stranger's black eyes flashed momentarily in amusement, and he nodded.
"But you're not going to." Shino answered for the healer.
Again, the Ninja of the Hidden Waterfall nodded. He released Shino, now fully patched up. He climbed to his feet and offered a hand to pull Shino up to his uninjured foot.
"In exchange for your administrations, I'll show you the way to Konoha." Shino offered, and the stranger nodded gratefully. "I have to find my companions first. They're somewhere here. We were fighting Hidden Mist nins."
The stranger nodded solemnly, holding his woolen hood in place to keep even the slightest glimpse of his face. "Let's go this way then." Shino suggested.
The Waterfall ninja slipped an arm around Shino's shoulder and supported him like a crutch as they hobbled out of the clearing. Being so close together, the stranger gave Shino an opportunity to study him further. At such a close range, the tip of a tanned, upturned nose was visible at the edge of the mysterious hood. He smelled faintly of herbs and some kind of sweet-smelling flower.
The stranger suddenly ducked out from under Shino's arm, baring the slightest glimpse of blonde hair. Shino was left to grab onto a tree for balance. The healer had rushed to the side of a large blonde boy lying facedown in the dirt.
"Akimichi Chouji." Shino told the stranger, who had rolled the corpulent body onto his back with more strength than the small frame had suggested. "He uses these special pills that bring out excess chakra."
The figure hardly even acknowledged the information. He unrolled his pack and immediately began mixing a tonic. After trickling the tonic into Chouji's mouth, the large boy coughed a few times and his eyes fluttered open after a moment.
He rolled over onto his knees and vomited noisily, then wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. "Thanks." He muttered weakly. "That's some powerful stuff you've got there."
Shino frowned. "Didn't it take the Fifth hours to come up with an antidote the last time you took too many of those pills?"
"Yeah." Chouji nodded, climbing heavily to his feet and brushing the seat of his pants off. "Whoever you are, you're the best healer I've ever heard of."
"He doesn't talk." Shino explained. "He's heading to Konoha, so I offered to show him the way in exchange for tending to my wounds."
"Guess I owe you too, now." Chouji grinned. The black eyes behind the hood softened momentarily, and it was obvious he was smiling.
"We still have to find the other three before we can head to Konoha." Shino reminded the stranger and Chouji. "Let's go."
The going was much faster with both the stranger and Chouji supporting Shino between them. Chouji babbled incessantly about how he had barely defeated the Hidden Mist ninja he had been fighting.
"If it weren't for that third pill, I'd have been a goner." He told them. "Might've been a goner if you hadn't showed up, too."
"Chouji! Shino!" A sharp voice interrupted Chouji's lengthy and winded tale. The three of them followed the voice and came across yet another young man.
He was tall and abnormally pale for that part of the world. He had unusual black eyes, even stranger than the healer's, and very long black hair. He wore his Konoha headband around his forehead. He was on his feet, but the bones in his left hand had been violently crushed.
"Jeez, Neji, what happened to you?" Chouji demanded, supporting Shino by himself as the stranger hurried to administer to the broken hand.
"I used whatever means necessary to defeat my opponent." Neji said brusquely, glancing down at the bundled up person setting each fragile bone in his hand. He sneered at him. "Who's this?" He asked derisively as the stranger wrapped his pinkie finger.
"A ninja from the Hidden Waterfall." Chouji explained defensively. "He doesn't speak, but he's a better healing ninja than the Fifth."
"Hmph." Neji snorted contemptuously.
After the bones in his left hand had all been set, Neji joined the other three ninjas on their trek through the woods. There were still two additional ninjas to find, and the morning was quickly fading into midday.
The next Konoha ninja was lying on his back near a stream. He had lots of bushy black hair and strange red markings on his cheek. A white dog lay next to him. Both looked weary and past exhaustion.
"Kiba!" Chouji called, waving energetically. His collapse earlier in the morning seemed to have been completely forgotten. The young man lying by the stream lifted his head enough to see who approach. When he saw his friends, his face split into a genuine, but weary, smile.
"Thought you guys would never find me." He admitted, forcing himself wearily to a sitting position. The entire front of his shirt was soaked in blood; he'd lost way too much.
The stranger immediately pulled Inuzaka Kiba's shirt over his head and began to apply a pre-made poultice to the wounds. His chest was gashed with huge claw marks.
"Who is this?" Kiba asked, rubbing the white dog's head fondly. He didn't ask the question in a rude manner, simply a curious one. Chouji explained briefly about the non-verbal Waterfall healing nin, and Kiba lifted his dog. "Could you do something for Akamaru, too? I know you must not normally administer to animals, but he's used all his chakra helping me…"
The stranger didn't answer, but as soon as he had finished tending to Kiba's wounds, he accepted the dog and poured a thick poultice into a small bowl, which the dog eagerly lapped up.
Once man and dog were able to travel, the mismatched band of ninjas continued on through the woods in search of the final Konoha ninja.
His battle was just ending when they stumbled into the clearing, the three able-bodied ones supporting the two that were more injured. The last ninja's enemy toppled out of a tree and landed with a thump on the ground before them, startling the searchers.
The young man leapt from the tree branch, landing lightly on the ground. He was holding both his shoulders with his hands. There were bloody holes, very serious wounds, in both. They had, perhaps, been made from claws of some sort.
"You guys all okay?" He spoke in an authoritative manner, looking from one of his ninjas to another with a critical eye.
"We're all fine, thanks to this guy." Chouji clapped the stranger on the back rather harder than was necessary. "He healed us better than Tsunade-Sama could have."
The last boy, their leader, Nara Shikamaru, peered speculatively into the darkened hood of the stranger. "Let me see your face." He commanded suspiciously.
The stranger shook his head, his hands balling immediately into fists. It was obvious he would fight to preserve his anonymity.
Shikamaru looked chagrined, but didn't press the matter. "Well patch me up then. We've got to get back to Konoha, and I'd rather do it before the sun sets." The stranger didn't answer, as was expected, but he shrugged out of his medical pack and did as he was told.
Within a quarter of an hour, the six of them, plus Kiba's dog Akamaru, were on their way back to Konoha Village. The going was slower than if five of the six hadn't been seriously injured, but they managed to make relatively good time. It was nearing dusk by the time they finally reached the Hidden Village of the Leaf.
Kiba let out a low whistle as they crested the final hill before the village. "Look at all those ninjas." The enormous valley containing the hidden village of the Leaf was overrun with foreign ninjas at the moment. Beyond the walls surrounding the city, they combed every side street and store. He sniffed the air experimentally. "They smell like… waterfall nins." They all turned to look at the stranger.
"They're after you, aren't they?" Shikamaru demanded crossly, wincing as he moved his shoulders. The stranger bowed his head apologetically and nodded.
"Well he saved our lives so I'm not just going to turn him in." Chouji maintained. "We'll get you out of here before they know you've been to Konoha."
The stranger shook his head and pointed, firmly, at the village below them. Then he pointed to the tallest building in the tower, the one that housed what government the village of Konoha had.
Neji's eyes narrowed with suspicion and dislike. "You want to get to the Hokage? We're not going to let you anywhere near our kage, you nasty-"
The stranger hurriedly interrupted, pantomiming talking.
There was a long moment where no one said anything; every face turned to Shikamaru expectantly. Finally he sighed. "Well, let's go then."
The six of them set off into the valley and into the city. It was a difficult task, maintaining stealth and speed with five injured ninjas. As they slipped through the enormous front gate, they encountered Waterfall nins immediately.
"This way!" Shino shouted, and they were off down a very narrow alley, followed closely by Waterfall nins. Because the five Konoha ninjas were used to their own city, they quickly lost the foreign ninjas.
As they stumbled through the tiny alleys, the stranger let out a small whimper. It was the first noise they had heard him make so far. He reached for Shikamaru's hand, and as his fingers closed around the strangers', Shikamaru made a startling revelation. He knowingly allowed the stranger's hand to remain in his own.
They burst into the Hokage's office ten minutes later, out of breath and in pain. Shino's splint had broken, and Shikamaru's wounds had opened again, spilling blood across his shirt.
The Hokage was a young-appearing woman with long blonde hair and black eyes. She was dressed in a low-cut shirt that revealed quite a bit of cleavage and a pair of high-heeled ninja sandals that gave a more feminine feeling than the heelless kind. She was poring over a map of enemy territory on her desk with Nara Hatori, Shikamaru's father.
Tsunade's black eyes narrowed irritably at the bundled-up stranger surrounded by Konoha ninjas in the doorway. "What are you doing here?" She demanded sharply, dropping the quill she had been scribbling notes with. "Waterfall nins are combing every inch of the countryside looking for you."
The stranger reached up and pushed back the woolen hood unceremoniously. Long blonde hair tumbled down the stranger's back, and a set of delicate facial features, exasperated and furious all at the same time, was revealed.
"Surely you know why I came." The girl said sharply, her black eyes flashing and her red lips pouting. "I wanted to see what kept you from the Ceremony, but I see now you've just forgotten. I know you're a terrible mother, but I thought even you wouldn't miss the most important day in your only child's life."
Tsunade's expression softened slightly. "The Ceremony… that was the week before last, wasn't it?" She managed to sound abashed.
"Yes, mother. It was." The girl was even angrier now, on the verge of tears. "I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. I took it for granted that you would remember something important for once in your life." She wiped furiously at the tears welling in the corner of her large, exotic eyes.
Tsunade got a reproachful expression on her face. "I may be a bad mother, but that does not give you the excuse to run away from the Hidden Waterfall. Your father has been worried sick."
"It would've been nice if you'd at least written to tell me you'd become the Hokage." The girl mumbled, using her sleeve to wipe at her cheeks.
The Hokage brushed back her long blonde hair. "You are very important to the Hidden Waterfall, and you know I'm just going to have to send you back." She continued as if her daughter hadn't spoken. "You are far more valuable to both your father and myself there."
"Of course." The girl muttered bitterly, her shoulders slumping in obvious defeat and unhappiness. She had traveled such a long way…
"But I suppose, as long as I write to your father, you can stay here for a bit." Tsunade gave in. "After all, I haven't seen you in ages. You've grown so much!"
The girl's eyes lit up, belying the annoyed tone she used to say, "I've been the same size for four years, mother."
Tsunade wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders and turned her around to face their stunned audience. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet my daughter, Midori."
The five teenage ninjas stood speechless. None of them, aside from Shikamaru, had even guessed that the strange healer from the Hidden Waterfall was a girl, much less the daughter of their Hokage. Nobody had even known that Tsunade-same had a daughter.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Midori-san." Nara Hatori greeted her with a deep, respectful bow. "If I recall correctly, your mother spends most evenings here at her office. I would be honored to offer you more comfortable accommodations at my own house during your sojourn in Konoha."
"How considerate of you, Hatori." Tsunade smile, resting her heavy hand on her daughter's shoulder. "How does that sound to you, Midori-chan?"
Midori ducked her head respectfully. "Thank you very much for your offer, sir." She replied politely, shifting the weight of her heavy cloak.
Hatori beamed. "My wife will be so pleased to have a young lady about the house." He turned to his son. "Shikamaru, why don't you take Midori-san to the house and introduce her to your mother? You boys all look as though you could do with a little rest after this morning." His tone suggested he would want to know all about the fight in the forest at the first available opportunity.
Shikamaru grunted lazily, but nodded deferentially to his father and Tsunade. The five Leaf ninjas left the building, Midori trailing awkwardly behind them.
"You could have told us who you were." Kiba declared in an offended voice, carrying Akamaru in his arms like an infant.
"Would you have done what I wanted if you had known I was the only child of your kage?" She asked him with arched eyebrows, a smile spreading across her full red lips. Her blonde hair hung in a straight sheet halfway down her back.
Kiba shrugged. "I suppose not."
"No wonder you're such a good healer." Chouji pointed out as they strolled through the streets of Konoha, no longer a panic of Waterfall ninjas. "Being the daughter of Tsunade-sama must have some advantages." He pulled a snack out of his bag and took a bite.
"My mother has nothing to do with it." Midori said sharply, and that subject was dropped rather quickly.
Neji and Shino said short farewells when they reached a crossroads, and each headed to his own house to recover from the day's excitement. Chouji and Kiba left the road five minutes later, leaving Shikamaru and Midori to complete the trek to the edge of town and the Nara residence by themselves.
"Thank you for not saying anything when you realized who I was." She thanked him as they walked up the steep path to the three-story Nara house.
Shikamaru pushed open the door and entered the cool house. "I didn't know who you were." He corrected her bluntly. "All I knew was that you weren't who you were pretending to be."
"Well thank you for not saying anything anyway." She rolled her black eyes at the darkening sky and followed him into the house.
"Shikamaru-kun? Is that you? Have you finished your mission?" A woman appeared in the doorway just then, wearing an apron and brandishing a wooden cooking spoon. In Midori's eyes, she was absolutely stunning. Dark-haired and light-eyed, she was round in just the right places for a mother. Shikamaru's mother was everything Midori's own mother was not. She stopped when she saw her son's companion, and she blinked several times. "Oh." Was all she could manage to say.
"Mother, this is Tsunade-sama's daughter, Midori." Shikamaru made the introductions half-heartedly. "She's going to be staying with us for a while. Father invited her." He glanced at Midori in a bored manner. "This is my mother, Nara Yomi."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Midori dropped what would have been a graceful curtsey had it not been for all the layers of unfortunate-looking clothing she was clad in.
Shikamaru's mother got flustered at once. "Oh my, Tsunade-sama's daughter? You are more than welcome in our home, dear." She beamed, enveloping the young girl in a hug. Midori blinked, unsure of how to respond to such affection. "I'll show you to the guest bedroom. Then you can get cleaned up and rest a bit before dinner. It'll be another hour before it's ready, if you can wait that long."
Midori chewed on a lone strand of her straight blonde hair. "Would it be alright if, after I cleaned up a little, I watched you cook?"
"Of course, if that's what you'd like, dear." Yomi seemed a little surprised by the request. "I'm afraid it won't be very entertaining, however. I don't know how to do any fancy tricks."
"That's alright." Midori practically beamed. "I never learned how to cook, so I'm very eager to learn. Come to think of it, I don't think my own mother knows how to cook."
Yomi smiled appreciatively. "Follow me, dear, and I'll show you the guest room. Once you've bathed and feel ready, you can just come on back to the kitchen for some lessons."
"Thank you so much, ma'am." Midori responded gratefully, following Shikamaru's mother up the stairs and down the hall, passing the bath on the way.
"Oh, call me Yomi, dear." She insisted, pausing before the door to the guest bedroom and sliding it open. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to let me know." She glanced around. "Where did my son go? Oh he is so lazy." And she disappeared down the stairs.
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Okay so there's the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me reviews. Constructive criticism is welcome, but please, no flames. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's that simple. Thank you.
xoxo Ashley