Chapter One:
The Present
Disclaimer:I do not own Naruto, it's characters, or the villages that are used in this fanfic. I only own my character, Raven Mitsunami and her Jutsus. The real creator for the anime and it's characters as well as it's villages are rightfully owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
Two Months later…
"Raven, Raven!" Lady Tsunade, also known as the fifth Hokage, said urgently.
"Yes, Lady Hokage?" Raven Mitsunami replied softly.
"Here's a list of medicinal herbs I'd like for you to gather for me. We may need them for when Kiba and his team get back." Lady Tsunade said, handing Raven a list of herbs.
"I'll get back as soon as possible with them." Raven said as she took the list.
Raven Mitsunami was one of the top medical ninjas in the Leaf Village as well as a very skilled Chuunin-level ninja which is usually why Lady Tsunade trusts her to get the medicinal herbs by herself without any help.
"Okay. Just be careful. We need our top medical ninja to treat the injured ninjas." Lady Tsunade said as Raven headed towards the door.
But usually when someone only refers to her as the top medical ninja, she gets really angry, because they don't see her as a ninja who would rather defend the village.
So, she just ignored the fifth Hokage's words and continued out of the building. But, as she headed down the stairs while she scanned the list, she accidentally ran right into someone.
"Can't you watch where you're going?" Raven asked rudely as she steadied herself against the wall.
"R-Raven?" Kakashi Hatake, a Jounin-level ninja, said when he saw who he had run into.
"Oh, it's you, Kakashi." Raven said as she continued down the stairs.
"Is something troubling you?" Kakashi asked when he caught up to her.
"Can't you, just for once, mind your own business?" Raven asked quite rudely.
"Where are you going?" Kakashi asked her, ignoring Raven's request.
"I'm on a special mission for Lady Tsunade." Raven said as she headed to her apartment to grab some things.
"Who's coming with you?" Kakashi asked as he continued to follow her.
"Nobody. I'm going by myself." Raven said.
"Are you sure that's safe?" Kakashi asked.
These days, as it's been noticed by many, Kakashi had ditched his favorite Adult book, making excuses by saying he's too busy to read it, when in reality, he's just been following Raven around.
"I can take care of myself, Kakashi." Raven said irritably.
"I can come with you, ya know? Just to save you from any immediate danger." Kakashi said eagerly.
"Why, huh? Why is it that everyone keeps treating me like I'm only a medical ninja? Does everyone keep forgetting I'm a Chuunin? One of the most experienced Chuunin in all of the Leaf Village? I'm sick of everyone treating me like I'm defenseless. So, just leave me alone, alright?" Raven said as she began walking faster.
But, Kakashi didn't say anything. He just stood there, staring after her in shock.
When Raven entered her apartment, she began packing her bags with baggies and food in case she gets hungry and set off for her mission.
"Now, what's the first herb that I need to look for?" Raven asked herself as she looked at her list once more.
As she walked through the Leaf village, Raven had been hoping and praying that she didn't run into anyone she knew. But, unfortunately, her hopes and prays were crushed when Kakashi spotted her.
"Why are you still insisting on going outside of the Leaf Village by yourself?" Kakashi asked, hoping she would ask him to come along.
"You know, this could be seen as either stalking or harassment. Besides, don't you have some students to train?" Raven asked, hoping he'd go away.
"I cleared my schedule for the rest of the day, just in case Lady Tsunade had a mission for me." Kakashi said.
"Kakashi! Kakashi! You're needed in the Hokage's office, now!" Shizune, Lady Tsunade's assistant said urgently.
"Can't it wait until later?" Kakashi asked.
"No it can't! Lady Tsunade has a mission for you." Shizune said
"Oh, very well, then." Kakashi said.
To Raven's relief, Shizune grabbed a hold of Kakashi's arm and dragged him hurriedly towards the other end of the village where the Hokage building sat.
"Thank god." Raven whispered quietly and continued on until she reached the forest outside of the village.
A she walked a few miles into the forest, Raven already had four baggies full of herbs when she found a patch of mint leaves. But, just as she bent down to pick a few leaves, a kunai knife came flying out of no where.
"What the--" Raven began as she dropped all her stuff on the ground and pulled out her own kunai knife, readying herself for an attack.
A couple seconds later, a few feet away, a tall figure with a pony-tail and glasses, dropped out of the tree above her, ready to strike.
As he ran towards her, another figure dropped out of the tree above her, landing in front of her. This figure had long black hair and was dressed similarly as the first figure. Only, this figure had black close and his skin was paper white.
"Kabuto! Stop it this instant!" The slightly sinister voice said as he blocked the guy with glasses who was now known as Kabuto with his own kunai knife.
"L-lord Orochimaru! What are you doing?" Kabuto asked as his eyes widened in shock at his master's actions.
But, right then and there, Raven quickly backed up to get away from them, her eyes widening in fear.
"Hey, stay right where you are!" Kabuto yelled as he threw another kunai knife at her, grazing her face as it stuck into the tree.
Suddenly, the figure who had been standing in front of Raven, turned around to face her. She recognized him instantly: it definitely was Orochimaru.
Lord Orochimaru was a sinister-looking figure. From the paper-white skin to the snake-like eyes hidden behind locks of long, black hair.
"There's no need to be afraid of me." Orochimaru said gently.
But Raven couldn't turn away from him. There was something about him that forced her to keep her gaze upon him. Perhaps it was the fact that he couldn't take his gaze off of her.
"Tell us your name!" Kabuto said forcefully as he pointed his last kunai knife at her.
"Kabuto, put your kunai away!" Orochimaru barked angrily at Kabuto as he kept his gaze on Raven.
"But what about this Leave Village ninja?" Kabuto asked.
But Raven didn't hear Orochimaru's answer. She looked down at his bandaged arms, wondering why they were bandaged.
"What is your name, dear?" Orochimaru asked softly.
But Raven didn't answer him because she had been too busy staring at his hands. Unfortunately, Kabuto noticed this and quickly jumped in front of Orochimaru, blocking Raven's view of the man's hands.
"My Lord asked you a question. Do I have to kill you for disrespecting him?" Kabuto threatened.
"You will not kill her, Kabuto. Step aside!" Orochimaru ordered.
As soon as Kabuto stepped aside, Orochimaru began walking towards her, causing her to back up into a tree.
"Don't come any closer or I'll be forced to kill you." Raven said as she held her kunai knife at the defensive position.
"What are you doing in the forest by yourself, Raven?" Orochimaru asked, stopping only a couple feet away from her.
"H-how do you--" Raven stuttered.
"You see, Kabuto has these information cards about everyone and everything. But, it seems that he doesn't have one of you. He only has one on your clan which is where I got your name." Orochimaru said softly as he took in the smell of her perfume.
"How did he get information on my clan?" Raven asked softly as the hand holding the kunai knife began shaking.
"You don't really want to kill me, do you?" Orochimaru asked, gently.
"L-Lord Orochimaru--" Raven gasped as she dropped unwillingly to her knees and began gasping harder for air.
"I feared for your life so I threw a poisonous needle at her. She'll be dead in less than ten minutes. So, It'll be painful." Kabuto said.
"K-Kabuto? What is wrong with you?! Help her, save her!" Orochimaru said angrily, yet frantically as his eyes widened with fear.
"But, Lord Orochimaru--" Kabuto began.
"Shut up and help her!" Orochimaru yelled as he began panicking.
"Okay, alright." Kabuto said as he bent down to help Raven.
After he pulled out the needle, he put an antidote pill into Raven's mouth and she suddenly stopped gasping.
"Wh-why did you save me?" Raven asked.
But Orochimaru didn't answer her. He just looked at her as he couldn't help but notice how attractive she was. He was almost hypnotized by her beauty.
But out of nowhere, Raven slapped Kabuto's hand when she noticed that he had rested it on her shoulder.
"Get away from me! Both of you!" Raven said as she used the tree behind her as a support and pushed herself up against it.
Realizing that her face was bleeding, Raven quickly healed it with a healing jutsu. Unfortunately, both Kabuto and Orochimaru noticed this and Kabuto eagerly approached her.
"So, you're a medical ninja too? Can you heal Lord Orochimaru's arms?" Kabuto asked.
"I'd rather not risk the lives of the Leaf Village by healing his arms. Lady Tsunade told me about your plan. I'd rather die before helping him out. He's already tried to destroy the village once." Raven said.
"Then there's only one option for us to handle this…you can die." Kabuto said, but before Kabuto could even act, Raven was already making hand signs.
"Water style: Frozen Raindrop Jutsu!" Raven called out as sharp needle-like frozen raindrops poured out of the sky, pelting both Kabuto and Orochimaru.
Before anymore damage was done, the two had disappeared and the rain had stopped.
"How could you disrespect me like that?!" Orochimaru asked angrily as they headed back to their hide-out.
"She's a Leaf ninja. She was going to kill you!" Kabuto exclaimed.
"If she wanted to kill me, don't you think she would have already done it?" Orochimaru said rudely.
"But why did you stop me from killing her? She refused to heal your arms." Kabuto said.
"Because, there's something about her that interests me. She makes me feel alive." Orochimaru said as they continued their journey towards the Hidden Sound Village.
"Are you telling me that you're interested in her? Attracted to her?" Kabuto asked, sounding quite surprised.
But, Orochimaru just looked on, not wanting to get his mind off of her. He wanted to go back to the forest and talk to her some more, but the mere picture of the disgusted and terrified looks on her face stopped him from going back as well as the tone in her voice when she reminded him about how he almost destroyed the leaf village. Anger and disgust.
Naturally, he hated and despised everyone and everything that had to do with the Leaf Village more than anything, but when he first set eyes on Raven, he realized that she might be the only person in the Leaf Village who he didn't hate or despise.
"Amateurs." Raven said as she picked up the stuff she had dropped and continued her mission.
As soon as she finished gathering the medicinal herbs, Raven headed back to the village as the events that just took place played in her head as she also wondered why Orochimaru stopped Kabuto from killing her.
"Lost in thought, I see." Someone behind her had said once Raven headed toward Lady Tsunade's office, making her jump.
"H-hey, Kiba. Akamaru. What's going on?" Raven asked once she stopped to talk to them.
"Nothing much is going on. We just got back from a mission. So, are you hungry?" Kiba asked.
"Actually, I'm starving." Raven said.
"Would you like to have lunch with us?" Kiba asked curiously.
"Sure. I'll drop this off at Lady Tsunade's office quickly and I'll meet you by the front door, okay?" Raven said.
"Okay!" Kiba said excitedly as Akamaru barked happily.
As Raven entered Lady Tsunade's office, she accidentally bumped into someone who was just exiting the office.
"Raven." It was Neji Hyuga this time.
"H-hey, Neji." Raven said.
"I'll see you around." Neji said as he continued out the door.
"Here are the herbs you requested, Lady Tsunade." Raven said, placing the bag of herbs on her desk.
"Thanks, Raven." Lady Tsunade said, dismissing Raven.
Nobody needs to know about what happened in the forest. If someone asks, I'll pretend I didn't hear them.
"Uh, you don't mind if we have sushi for lunch, do you?" Kiba asked when Raven approached them.
"Uh, no…not at all. Thanks, Kiba." Raven said.
But the entire meal was silent. Kiba kept peering over at Raven, who had been lost in thought, but nobody said anything.
"Thanks for lunch, Kiba. Akamaru. I'll see you guys later." Raven said finally breaking the silence.
As soon as Raven left, both Kiba and Akamaru had the same thought, but Akamaru voiced it first: something was going on with Raven.
"Hey, Kiba." Shino Aburame, known as the "bug guy" said when he approached the two.
"Hey, Shino." Kiba said, but Shino knew that something was up.
"I sense that something is troubling you, Kiba." Shino said as he sat down next to Kiba on the park bench.
"It's about Raven. Ever since she got back from Lady Tsunade's mission, she hasn't been herself." Kiba said as he looked down at his hands.
"Have you tried talking to her?" Shino asked as he remembered the day him and Raven had first met.
They had to be paired up for a project, but the only two who were left without partners were Shino and Raven, but he remembered how nice she was to him.
"Would you like to be my partner? We both seem to be without one." Raven said as Shino couldn't help but stare into her emerald-green eyes as if he was hypnotized.
"Uh, sure." Shino stuttered nervously.
But he couldn't help but wonder why she chose him to be her partner instead of Kiba, who she is always paired up with. He knew he wasn't the most popular person in class like Kiba or Sasuke was, but she saw through all that. She didn't see him as "The Bug Boy," she saw him as a normal person.
"Yes I have." Kiba responded, pulling Shino out of his thoughts.
"But she wouldn't tell you." Shino said, knowing what Kiba was going to say.
A/N: Thank you for reading this fanfic! I know that it's very…lame and Mary-Sue ish, but I enjoyed writing it and using my imagination for it. Stay tuned for Chapter 2.