This is such a pain. Why couldn't Mom send Ayame to do this instead? I mentally complained as I trudged through the streets of Konaha. Ayame, of course, is my older sister. Ayame's pampered by my parents; I'm not really sure what it is about her that they like so much better, but in any case, I was always sent to do the dirty work. Mom and Dad probably just didn't want to tarnish Aya's perfectness.
And she was, naturally, perfect.
I sighed, but picked up the pace. This particular murder was going to be a pain. Not because of the high security of the target's home, which wasn't even really security at all, and not because of the person themselves. No, this was going to be a pain because of all the grief I knew this was going to cause. This was going to be a pain because I was on my way to kill one of Konaha's highest ranking ninja.
I didn't know her name—to be honest, I didn't really care what her name was. All I cared about was that I had to kill her, and I had to do it quickly.
It would be easy, this much I knew. Anbu were overrated, and weren't even as skilled as they were shown off to be. They were pathetically easy to kill, but at least I could get a little fight out of them.
I wonder what her mask will look like? I thought to myself, visualizing my growing collection of Anbu Black Ops masks that hung on my wall, each one a constant reminder of all the lives I'd taken. I'm strictly required to kill only members of Konaha's Anbu who piss off my parents. Even though we live in Konaha ourselves, I wouldn't really consider us a part of the community. After all, one of us is a murderer.
That would be me.
I smirked, recalling each expression of complete and utter shock that was always the same upon every one of the victim's faces. Every time, it was the same. Just imagine what they would have thought when they realized that they were about to be killed by a fourteen year old girl who wasn't even an official ninja of the Hidden Leaf.
How weak they must have felt.
Chuckling at the thought, I lengthened my stride and picked up the pace.
Almost there.
The apartment building I was searching for slowly became increasingly larger. There wasn't anything particularly special about this building; there were several nearly identical structures that served the exact same purpose as this one scattered throughout the village, but I needed something that was inside this building. The thirty-fourth apartment, you could say, if you wanted to be exact. That was where tonight's target lived.
I now stood just a couple inches in front of the navy blue door. A bronze plate was nailed to the thick slab of wood at eyelevel, the number 34 engraved in exactly the center of the plate.
Now for the fun part.
Almost boredly, I raised my hands and began to form the hand signs that would activate my specialized version of the clone jutsu. There was a small puff of smoke a couple of seconds later, and I stared blankly down at the bloodied corpse that lay at my feet. It was a little girl, maybe six years old. The body wasn't real, of course. Just a clone.
So this was who the woman cherished most.
I raised my gaze back to the door and tapped lightly on it, a smirk already in place. This always worked.
The door opened to reveal a woman in her mid-twenties. Long blond hair pulled into a thick braid stretched down to her waste, and it fell over her shoulder. Long bangs fell into her face, almost obscuring completely her dark brown eyes, but not quite.
How unusual, I observed, to have blonde hair and brown eyes.
Still smirking, I jerked my head down to the small body at my feet.
"She's dead."
The woman's eyes shot down to stare at the body, but she reacted faster than I was used to. It only took her a couple of seconds to take in the sight, and she raised her gaze angrily back to mine—the dark brown pools swirled furiously with hate, and she let out a little yell and dove for me.
I leaped backwards onto the railing, gave her a mocking smile, and jumped again, twisting in the air to land on the roof of the building opposite to the apartments, my back to the woman who would die in just a few short minutes.
Not waiting for her to come after me—everything had happened in just a few milliseconds—I took off for the woods at the edge of the village, knowing she would come after me.
It didn't take long to reach the gates, and I crouched for a moment before leaping directly up, pushing with my legs as hard as I could. I flew up and over the wall with no problem, even overshooting a bit. I loved the feel of the wind in my hair.
I didn't get to relish the feel of flying for long, however, because just a second later an ear-piercing shriek echoed through the woods. I winced—my ears are very sensitive—but proceeded in launching myself forward into the trees.
I was maybe a mile or two into the forest when I finally lurched to a stop, tucked between a large branch and the thick trunk of a tree. Though for most shinobi this position was not ideal, it always worked best for me. Trees always worked best when I wanted to use my genjutsu.
"I'll kill you!" the woman cried, appearing several feet in front of me. Angry, grief-stricken tears ran down her face, and her dark chocolate-colored eyes blazed. In her right hand she clutched at a kunai, and she held it with the tip pointing back up her arm, the blade parallel with her wrist and forearm. So she was a close range fighter, was she?
Excellent.
"Not today," I replied, smiling casually and confidently. Leaving my left arm limp at my side, I raised my right hand to about my chest-level and formed a fist, with my middle and pointer fingers sticking up, and my thumb parallel to them with the tip tucked into my palm.
My genjutsu activated immediately, my body seeming to disappear, melting easily into the rough bark of the tree. Though in reality I hadn't moved an inch, I knew exactly what the woman in front of me was seeing, and I grinned, manipulating her senses to see, smell, hear, and feel what I wanted them to.
To her, a hand reached up to grasp her ankle, anchoring her to the tree-branch so she was unable to move. She gasped and struggled to break free of "my" grasp, and I chuckled lightly, knowing she wouldn't hear it, but then the laughter vanished.
Alright, enough playing around. Let's finish this.
I focused more intently on the jutsu, and in her mind, a wall of wood suddenly rose up from the tree, encasing her and crushing her body. I released the jutsu as her body fell limply at my feet, bloodied and bruised. Her bones were crushed.
I stared blankly down at the dead woman, feeling nothing for her. I didn't know what she had done to make my parents angry, but if there was one thing I knew, it was that my parents were not irrational. Her death was for the good of someone, and I'd simply carried out my orders, nothing more.
Reaching down towards her forehead, I pushed back the stranger's thick blonde hair and placed my hand across her soft, still-warm skin. I closed my eyes and reached into her fading mind with my kekkei genkai, digging through her memories quickly before she died completely and there was nothing left. Finding what information I wanted, I opened my eyes and stood.
It wasn't hard to find my way back to the village and the anbu's apartment. The dark blue door was still open, swinging just the slightest bit on its hinges. The only light that was shed came from a lamp in the living room of the apartment of the now dead woman, and I paused in the doorway as a cold wind gently blew my deep violet hair to the side.
Sighing, I stepped into the apartment and made my way to the bedroom with ease, where I dug through her dresser until I found her mask. It was white, like all the others, with orange, flame-like markings creeping up from the left side of the chin. Two eye-slits were carved into the mask, and I smiled slightly. I liked this mask.
Not having any place to put the mask for the time, I strapped it to my head so it wasn't covering my face, but was on the side of my head the way I'd seen many Black Ops do. I took one last glance around the room before heading back outside so I could go home.
This had been a tiring night. Though I hadn't toyed with this woman as much as I would have liked to, I found myself strangely exhausted.
Weird. I didn't even give her time to fight back.
I shrugged it off and walked the streets quietly back to my house. No one was out and about to see me, so I didn't worry about walking out in the open, like I would have during a day-job. Night missions were always my favorite for this reason.
I didn't see him until he appeared directly in front of me, only a couple of inches away. Though he wasn't very tall, he was still taller than me, and I had to tilt my chin to look him in the eye. Messy, spiked silver hair flamed up from behind his dark blue headband that showed off the fact that he was a ninja. Eyes blacker than the night that enveloped us scrutinized me with disdain, and his face from the nose down was hidden behind a black cloth mask. The boy was my age, though he could've easily passed as older, and he looked to be painfully arrogant and prideful.
"I don't like murderers," he said, and his voice was deep, thunderous and quietly threatening at the same time.
"Well then it's a good thing I'm not a murderer now, isn't it?" I replied smoothly, lying through my teeth. I stared him in the eye, daring him to challenge me.
"I also don't like liars," he returned.
My green eyes widened just the slightest bit. Oh, shit, I thought to myself. I was dead.
I took half a step back, turning slightly as if about to bolt. My mouth dropped slightly open, but I was unable to force words from my mouth. I didn't know this boy's name, but I'd seen him before, and I knew he could kill me without trying. He was nearly immune to genjutsu.
"I… I…"
"You what?" he asked, his voice mocking, and I couldn't come up with a response that would make any sense. Even if I could have, I doubted I would be able to force it from my mouth.
I was silent, but took another step back. This boy frightened me, which was confusing. I was never frightened of anything. He simply stepped forward with me, keeping the close proximity which I guess he was using to intimidate me.
"Don't kill me," I whispered, staring at him with wide eyes. What is your problem? Why are you being such a wimp? Get a grip! I screamed at myself. God, why was I acting like some weakling schoolgirl?
"And why shouldn't I? How many lives have you taken, that I shouldn't take yours right now? How many people have you killed?"
I just stared at him, fighting to find the words to make him leave.
"Tell me!" he roared, and I shrank back, stumbling away from him.
"Fifty-seven." Even though I was the one who'd said it, I could barely hear the words.
The boy growled and raised his hand as if to strike me, and my green eyes pinched shut as I flinched back, my arms raising to protect my face.
"Kakashi!"
The sharp, stern voice rang out clearly through the street, and I slowly raised my arm to see a tall, blonde man with spiky hair standing beside the silver-haired boy, his hand wrapped around the arm that he'd raised to hit me.
"It's not gentlemanly of you to strike a woman when she's down. I'm ashamed of you," the man scolded.
"But, sensei, she's a killer! You saw her murder that woman!" the boy named Kakashi protested, glaring at me. I cringed at the word 'killer'.
"I'm not a killer," I growled. "I did it on orders, nothing more. I had nothing against that woman. I was ordered to kill her, so I did. You would have done the same, had you been told to kill her, would you not?"
The blonde man just shook his head and released Kakashi's arm. Smiling kindly, he offered a hand to help me up from where I'd fallen on the ground. Unsure whether or not I could trust him, I just stared at his hand until his smile faltered and he pulled his hand back, and I pushed myself up from the ground, glaring at Kakashi.
"Now, I realize that you two are pissed at me and all, but I really do have to go. Later," I muttered as I turned my back on them and raised my hand in half of a wave; I didn't shake my hand or curl my fingers, just raised it. There was another, albeit longer way home if I went this way.
I had only gotten a couple steps away when Kakashi appeared in front of me again, and this time I angrily pushed him away.
"God, what is your problem? Get out of my space!" I snarled, eyes narrowing. The fear that had shuddered through my body moments ago had fled from my system, and was replaced with defiance fueled by the fact that I'd been humiliated. A ninja did not show fear.
Kakashi smirked and grabbed my wrist, pulling me even closer to him. He used his other hand to reach behind me to grasp my neck and pinch the nerve there. Involuntarily, I sank to my knees, tears of pain filling my eyes.
Before I knew could figure out what was happening, I fell forward and blacked out.
The steady, unbroken, annoying bleeping that emanated from somewhere close to my head was the first thing that pierced my consciousness, and I screwed my eyebrows downward, frowning at the noise. Heart monitors were only found in hospitals.
I wasn't hurt, and therefore could not be in a hospital.
"Wrong."
I jumped, eyes snapping open at the unfamiliar voice, and I glanced wildly around. My hands tried to snap up into a defensive posture, but they only pulled at thick leather bindings that were holding my wrists down to the hospital bed. I panicked.
I tried to kick, but my legs were bound at the ankles, and another thick strap held down my stomach so I couldn't roll and pull the bindings from their bases.
Forcing myself to calm down, I slowly took in the room around me. It wasn't really a normal hospital room, but it was close enough that the difference was almost undetectable. Even though I knew this wasn't your average hospital room, I couldn't really pick out what it was that was different, other than the fact that I was strapped to my bed.
The bleeping continued on, the pace only slightly faster than before. I glared to the side at the monitor, and that's when I noticed the owner of the voice, who I hadn't been able to see before because he was standing by my head, not in front of me.
He had long, dark blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, and his skin was dark and leathery, covered with small battle scars, even though he couldn't be more than twenty years old. He smiled kindly at me.
"Hello. I'm Inoichi Yamanaka. It's a pleasure to meet the Shadow Fox of the Leaf. I've been waiting for this day," he said, and my eyes widened.
"Shadow Fox of the Leaf? I have no idea what that means, you must have the wrong person," I hurried to explain to him, wondering who in the world the Shadow Fox could be. That wasn't a name I'd heard anywhere before.
He laughed, shaking his head. "No, I'm positive it's you. I can read minds, kid. I know you killed all those Anbu. We've been searching for you for a long time."
I looked away. Damn it, I'm screwed. "I was under orders," I mumbled. "I wouldn't have killed them if I had any other choice."
"I know, that's why I'm being so nice to you. I understand how you feel because I now share all your memories. You should know how that works, right? That's how your kekkei genkai operates."
My fists clenched. "You can't tell anyone about that."
"Oh, I don't know about that. The Hokage is the first who must know, and I'm pretty sure Minato's team has a right to know as well. After all, they're the ones that found you."
I was silent. The man was obviously someone of importance if he was one of the Hokage's dogs. But… "Can you tell me who the Shadow Fox is?"
His face turned serious as he began to tell the story.
"About four years ago, our Anbu started disappearing. At first, it was only one or two every few months. For the first couple of years, we didn't give it much thought; we'd only lost about twelve Anbu, and those could have easily been mission murders—stuff like that happens all the time. But one year ago, the bodies began turning up more and more often. Forty-five more Anbu have been lost in the last few months, each one killed using genjutsu, each one's mask stolen. Outside some of their homes—the ones that were killed at night—there would be clones of dead bodies of people important to that particular victim.
"We began to sense a pattern. We sent out search parties to look for the mysterious killer dubbed 'The Shadow Fox' because of their slyness of the fox, and how they seemed to disappear into the shadows every time we got a lead. We'd begun to think the search was going to turn up hopeless until Kakashi found you last night, and here you are, a fourteen year old girl who isn't even an official ninja, and you've been killing off some of our most respected Black Ops. To be honest, I'm impressed. You've got some real potential, kid."
I wasn't looking at Inoichi by this time. I was too ashamed. I'd killed so many people—so many people who had families and friends and people that cared about them. I'd taken them forever from those people, all because I'd been told. I didn't have a right to do what I'd did, and yet done it I had, and now… now I could be killed for my murders. Now I would have to take responsibility for everything I'd done.
"What's going to happen to me?"
I didn't realize that it was I who'd said the words until they were out of my mouth, and I wished I could take them back. I wasn't sure I really wanted to know what they would do to me.
"Well, I've saved you from an interrogation; now that I know everything about you, there aren't any questions you'll have to answer. The rest depends on the Hokage. He may have you thrown in jail, exiled from the village, or executed."
I gulped. This was not sounding very good. Though I could deal with being thrown out of the village, I somehow doubted that the Hokage would choose that option. I could easily break out of jail, and I could probably fight my way out of being executed, but I didn't really want to have to kill any more people if I could help it. Unless I was under orders.
"I doubt the Hokage will choose any of those options, though," Inoichi continued, and I realized with a start that he had to be concentrating in order to read my mind. He'd just been finishing up before when he'd answered me. So he had a jutsu similar to my kekkei genkai…
"And what do you think he'll choose?" I challenged, staring at the wall in front of me.
"I think he'll place you on a team and have you become a real ninja. Maybe you yourself will become an Anbu someday. Kakashi Hatake is well on his way." I could hear the smile in his voice, and I fought back a grimace. I could never understand how some people could be so disgustingly happy; life was harsh, and allowing yourself to be happy could result in a pain beyond any other when it was all ripped away from you.
"That's ridiculous. I've been killing Anbu Black Ops since I was ten. Why should I become one?" I snarled, surprised at my own ferocity.
Inoichi didn't reply, and for good reason; someone was just about to enter the room. I listened as footsteps approached the door; two men, two boys, and a girl. The door slid open a moment later, and two familiar figures strode into my little corner of hell, followed by three more people I didn't know.
"Kakashi, Minato," I greeted them stiffly, eyes narrowed as I stared them down. Minato smiled in greeting, but Kakashi just glared. The girl and boy beside them shifted nervously; the boy had spiked black hair and orange goggles. He was the kind of kid that would get on my nerves. The girl had short brown hair that cut off at her chin, and she had one purple stripe on each cheek; she seemed nice enough.
The last person to enter the room was an elderly, kind looking man with a white goatee and a big red and white hat that was round and flat. The Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said politely, but my voice was laced with venom. All of this was his fault.
"Ah, yes, Shadow Fox. I've been waiting a long time to finally meet you. How are you?"
"A bit tied up," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
Kakashi looked about to say something, but Minato silenced him with a look. The Hokage just chuckled.
"A sense of humor, I like that. Would you mind if I borrowed Inoichi for a bit?"
"Not at all. It'll keep him from digging around in my head."
Without replying, the Hokage turned and left, followed closely by Inoichi. As soon as the door slid shut, a deafening silence spread throughout the room, and I fixed my eyes on the window to my right, forcing myself not to look at them.
Several minutes passed in silence, and once it was finally broken, the person's voice seemed too loud, even though they were speaking quietly.
"Tell me, Shadow Fox, how are you liking that chair?" Kakashi asked, and my gaze snapped to him, a furious glare plastered across my face.
"Stuff it, ninja. I have no interest in your petty little remarks that you seem to think raise you above everybody else," I snapped.
He sneered. "Yes, because—
"That's enough, Kakashi," Minato broke in, and Kakashi fell silent, glaring at me. The girl suddenly smiled.
"Hello, I'm Rin. What's your name?"
I stared at her. Nobody had asked for my name before. No one had called me by my name. No one had cared what my name was. In fact, I'd forgotten my name altogether.
My mind raced, digging around in my head to come up with something. "Um, Aoi. Aoi Aizuko."
"Oh, that's a pretty name. Blue… Such a strange meaning. You don't seem blue at all to me."
I didn't reply. Rin was nice, but she was too… chatty, perhaps, for my taste.
"Oh, Aoi! That's a cool name! I'm Obito Uchiha, and I'm going to be the Hokage someday!" the black-haired kid informed me. He was way too obnoxious; I didn't like him at all.
"Shut up, Obito. She doesn't want to hear your yammering," Kakashi muttered. I guessed he didn't like Obito either.
"Oi! Don't speak for her, Kakashi! I bet she's really nice!"
I glowered at the Uchiha, green eyes flashing. "Don't count on it."
He flinched away just as the door slid open again, and he glanced at Inoichi. "Hey, Inoichi-sensei… any chance she's got some Hatake blood in her?"
Inoichi laughed. "Not a chance, Obito. Looks like you've got the Aizuko's on your tail now, too."
Obito moaned. "Oh, great…"
I didn't pay attention to them, but locked eyes with the Hokage, staring him down.
"You've come to a decision, I trust?" I said icily, my voice low. I hated not being in control.
The Hokage nodded. "That would be correct."
"If you're going to kill me, just do it now and get it over with. I'd rather not draw it out."
"I'm not going to kill someone who's just a child, even if they are a murderer; you're going to be set up with a team and trained to become a real ninja. If you can pass the test that all genin pass at the Academy, you will be assigned to a team and you will cooperate with them; you will be sent on missions along with them and you will learn how to work as a team, rather than as a separate entity. Also, you are to be removed from your home environment and moved into an apartment not far from your assigned sensei; your family is under house arrest for the moment and will be trialed within the next month. If they are found guilty… there might not be much left of the Aizuko family. If they are found innocent—which, I assure you, they won't be—then you will be aloud to return home. Until then, I'm afraid you will have to stay with a jonin of my choosing, whomever I see fit. You will be kept with Minato for tonight and I expect you to report to the Academy at seven tomorrow morning, not a moment later. Dismissed."
And the Hokage vanished with a puff of smoke. I stared incredulously at the place he'd been standing just a moment before, my brain still drinking in the information I'd just been given. My mind raced; I was staying with Minato tonight? Why was I going to become a ninja? Who was my assigned team going to be? Was the genin exam hard? Did I have to perform jutsu? What about the stranger I'd be staying with for the next month, beginning tomorrow? What if I didn't get along well with my team? What if they were all idiots?
My brain felt bloated with questions, and I began to get a headache. I was so distracted by all the sudden new information that I hadn't realized I'd been untied until Inoichi had seized my arm and pulled me up off the bed.
"Oh… thank you…" I muttered distractedly, standing and allowing the blood to flow back into the limbs that had fallen asleep.
"Well, come on, then, we'd better get going," Minato said cheerily, a smile on his face.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, just give me a second so that I can actually feel my legs," I snapped, crossing my arms. I looked down at my clothing, and realized that I'd need a new outfit; the current one was torn and dirty from the previous night. Oh, good.
A few seconds later, we left the stuffy, cramped room and filed into a narrow hallway; I felt claustrophobic and wanted out, so I turned around and went back to the hospital room, sliding open the window.
"Hey, Aoi, what do you think you're doing?" Kakashi asked. He must have turned back when he noticed I had turned around.
"Going outside, stupid. What does it look like I'm doing?"
I jumped off the sill and landed on the ground in front of the building, where Rin and Minato were just exiting. Kakashi landed with a soft thump next to me, and Minato smiled.
"Hey, you two. What were you doing up there by yourselves?" he teased, and I glared.
"Like I'd ever do anything with him," I snarled, striding forward, eager to be able to go somewhere. This whole thing actually sounded kind of fun, like an adventure. All I'd done my whole life was followed orders. To be honest, this wouldn't be much different, but at least I wouldn't be expected to go slinking around.
"What she said," Kakashi echoed.
The next morning, I sat up in a tree at six thirty at the Academy, waiting for the sensei to arrive; a man named Iruna. I'd seen him around before, and knew who he was. His best friend had been one of the Anbu I'd killed a few months back. Not that he knew who I was.
"Hey, Blue Fox," a voice greeted from my left, and I jumped. No one ever snuck up on me.
I turned to see Kakashi crouched on the branch beside me, a smirk on his face. Oh, good, he'd come to pester me.
"What, so now I'm Blue Fox because of my name?"
"It's not your real name."
Startled, I narrowed my eyes. "How'd you know that?"
He shrugged. "I can just tell. Why'd you lie about your name?"
"Because I don't know my name."
He snorted. "That's ridiculous. How can a person not know their own name?"
I shrugged. "My parents never used my name, and no one ever asked for it. After awhile, I just… forgot."
"So how'd you come up with Aoi?" he questioned curiously, sounding genuinely interested.
I looked up at the sky, smiled, and pointed. "The sky is blue."
"The sky?" He sounded surprised.
"Yes. The sky is endless and can take you anywhere you please. The sky makes everything happen: the rain, the snow, even the sunshine and breeze. It's so powerful, and so beautiful. It's everything I could ever want to be."
Kakashi was silent, and after a few moments I had to look over to make sure he was still there. He was still staring distantly up at the sky.
"Well said," he murmured.
Footsteps by the gate snapped us back to reality, and we both froze, staring towards where the noise was coming from. A man I recognized as Iruna strode forward towards the Academy.
Once he had passed under us, I dropped silently from the tree and stalked forward to stand quietly behind him.
"If you try anything…" he trailed off, speaking to me without turning around.
I scowled. "Aw, no fun!"
"Aoi Aizuko, I presume?" he inquired, turning to face me. He had light brown hair pulled into a ponytail, and a dark blue headband across his forehead bearing the leaf village symbol. I could see he was a Jonin level from his dark green vest, and I suppressed a snort. Weak.
I nodded, and decided to play dumb. "And you are?"
"Iruna. He raised his eyebrows and eyed me skeptically. Finally, he sighed. "Well, let's go, then. You're no use to the village if you don't know anything."
Frowning, I muttered, "Do you even know who I am?"
He grimaced slightly, but didn't reply, simply turned back to the Academy and led the way to the classroom my test was to be held in.
Just before the door could sway shut behind me, I turned to catch just the faintest glimpse of dark ebony eyes and a mass of silver hair watching me from our tree, smirking like he knew a secret.
