So this is my first fanfic ever. This originated from a character I cooked up and thought about for a while and finally decided to give his own story. I've been trying to write my own stuff for a while and thought this would be a good place to start. Fair warning, it will be a build up so please be patient with me. This is an OC story that tries not to interfere with the main story in the anime. It's kind of like a "side story" though there is plenty of interaction with the main characters. But hey, thanks for clicking on this and please enjoy!

*Knock*Knock*Knock*

"Hello? Sir, are you awake? I know it's early, but this is the time you asked me to wake you. Hello?" More knocking followed the last inquiry.

Hayato opened his eyes. Faint sunlight filtered in through the shades, illuminating the simple yet comfortable hotel room. Empty aside from Hayato's mat and personal belongings, light green and tan panels lined the walls with a brown clock hanging on the far one.

Hayato sat up and rubbed his eyes, forcing himself awake. He focused on the clock and read the time. 5:30. Good, right on time.

The knocking picked up again on the door, startling him slightly. "Hello? Are you awake sir?"

"Yes, yes I am. One moment please." Hayato tossed off his blanket and got to his feet. Grabbing his shirt from the floor, he put it on as he went to the door. He didn't normally ask the staff where he went to do this, but he had gotten in so late the night before that he didn't want to risk oversleeping. He had a fair journey ahead of him and he did not want to miss this new opportunity. It was just too crucial.

He slid the door open to reveal a young hostess who greeted him with a small bow. "Good morning, sir. I hope you slept well last night?"

"I did, thank you." Hayato said. "Thank you for waking me up as well; it's really helpful."

The hostess smiled. "No problem sir. We also have some breakfast prepared for early risers as well."

"Thank you, I'll be down soon."

"Take your time!" she cheerfully and headed down the hall.

Hayato closed the door and went into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, he stepped out of the shower and toweled himself off. He wiped a film of steam off the mirror and studied himself. His black hair was cut close to his scalp, with a clean-shaven face to go with. His brown eyes glinted at him as they inspected his torso. He was well built, with a solid core and thick, rugged arms ending in tough hands that were on his waist. All in all, most would call it a good look…

…Except for the scar.

Hayato lightly fingered the mark. It wasn't that long, running about 2-3 inches across his sternum. It was indented though, indicating a deep, thrusting cut. It seemed slightly warped as well, as though the attacker had twisted the blade around, playing with his victim…

Hayato closed his eyes and took a deep breath. No, it wasn't good for him to think about that time. As Sensei Saicho told him, "Dwelling on the pain of the past will make you numb to the joy of today."

Hayato exited the bathroom and got dressed, pulling on a pair of beige combat pants that clashed with his black short-sleeved shirt. He put on a beige tactical vest that matched his pants and slipped on a pair of forearm bracers with metal strips running along the outside of each forearm. He grabbed a black balaclava and slipped it on. He gathered up his belongings in his pack, put on his sandals, and headed downstairs. Pleasant smells greeted him as he made his way to the eating area of the hotel. It was mostly empty, seeing as it was still early. That was fine by Hayato; he preferred the quiet.

After finding himself a table and eating his breakfast, he reached into his pack and pulled out a letter. He glanced at the seal on the front signifying the Land of Forests and opened it up. He read it through for what felt like the fiftieth time. I still don't get it, he thought, most feudal lords wouldn't hire a missing-nin for a high value escort mission. It would be too risky that the ninja would run off with whatever he's protecting. Either he knows about me personally or is really desperate. Or both.

Hayato folded the letter back up and placed it back in his pack. Well, whatever the case, he needed the job. Work had been tight lately, leaving him to take on small-time muscle work or bodyguarding. Heck, he'd even worked as a bouncer for a club for a while. This job could get him enough money that he could pursue his training and… well his personal endeavor.

Suddenly, a shout shook him from his reflections.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing bitch?!"

Hayato turned in his seat and looked behind him. One of the patrons had stood up from his table wiping his shirt while the hostess who had woken Hayato stood by nervously holding a teapot. Hayato recognized the man as a guest who had gotten plastered the night before. Apparently, he wasn't taking the hangover very well.

"What the hell was that?" he yelled again, gesturing towards a large wet spot down the front of his shirt. "You trying to burn me with that tea?"

"I-I'm sorry sir, but you hit my arm as I was pouring it." she said. "It was an-"

"Excuse me," the man snapped, taking a step towards her, "But are you accusing ME of being the problem here?!"

The hostess became flustered, taking a step back and raising her hands in defense. "S-sir! It was merely an accident! I wasn't trying to-"

"Don't accuse me of being the problem here!" snapped the man, getting into her face. "You need to learn to be more careful! And you should be able to-"

"Hey jackass, leave the girl alone."

The man turned to see Hayato standing behind him. He stepped back, startled at his silent approach, but quickly regained his sneer. "Oh? And what are you going to do about it, tough guy?"

"Well, I was hoping I could get you to calm down without things escalating" Hayato said evenly. "I'm not partial to starting fights."

The man looked Hayato up and down, sizing him up. His eyes flickered over his mask and arm bracers, and he came to a conclusion. "You a ninja, huh? Think you're some big, tough guy coming over here and helping this chick? Well I got news for you, buddy. I ain't scared of you."

Hayato studied the man and considered his options. He really didn't want to start a fight; his insult had been mostly to shock the man and divert his attention away from the hostess. He preferred to end conflicts quickly, before things got violent and out of hand. He wasn't afraid to fight mind you, but fights meant two things. One, fights were loud and attracted attention, which was something he didn't like to have a lot. Two, it opened the possibility of getting angry.

And, well, he tried hard to not let his anger get the best of him.

Hayato raised his hands in a placative manner, trying to appear non-threatening. "Well, I don't know if that's entirely wise, but regardless, you don't need to make a big deal out of this. She just made an innocent mistake and apologized profusely for it. I can't see a reason to get worked up."

The man stepped up to him. "Yeah? And who asked your opinion? You need to keep out of other peoples' business. Otherwise, you end up pissing off the wrong people."

Okaaay, this is not going very well.

Hayato tried once more, "Look you're just overreacting. If you just- "

"Listen ninja, if there's two things I don't like, it's people calling me a liar, and it's people who tell me what to do!" With that, he threw a fist directly at Hayato's face. Before it could land however, one of Hayato's hands stopped it, clenching it tight.

The man gave a look of surprise and tried to pull his fist free, but it wouldn't budge. "Wh-what?" he cried pulling at his arm with his free hand. "Hey! Let go of me!"

Hayato glared at the man, feeling his patience slip. "I'm only going to ask you this one more time. Step. Off. Before things go bad-"

"G-gentlemen please."

Both men turned back to the hostess, who was watching the scene unfold before her with increasing anxiety. She flinched as they both looked at her, but she managed to speak again. "There's no need for this, it was just a simple misunderstanding. Let's just sit back down and enjoy breakfast, please?"

Hayato looked between her and the man and suddenly relaxed. He released the man's fist and bowed to him formally. "She's right. My apologies."

The man took a step back and studied Hayato holding his hand. His gaze flickered over him, put off by the sudden change. "Really?"

Hayato straightened up and forced an amicable tone, "Yes. As the hostess has said, there's no need for any of this. Let's just sit down, resume eating, and forget about it." He threw in a smile with his words which he hoped showed in his eyes (considering the man couldn't see his face).

The man glanced between Hayato and the hostess and sat down with a grumble. "Fine. But I want a new cup of tea."

"Of course, sir!" the hostess burst with relief. "I'll get that to you right away!"

The man grumbled a "you better" and aimed a heavy glare at Hayato. He didn't care, he was just glad the situation had been resolved. He headed back to his seat followed by the hostess. She gave him a bow and said "Thank you sir! I was so scared that he was going to do something and you stepped in even though you didn't need to and you just handled him so confidently and-"

Hayato stopped her with a raise of his hand. "Don't worry about it. You handled that situation really well. And I'm glad you stepped in when you did, that situation was starting to go bad."

The hostess smiled shyly and shifted her feet. "Well, thank you for saying that. But, if I might be honest, you seemed pretty in control. You didn't seem afraid of that guy, and I think you could have taken care of him easily."

Hayato felt his smile slip slightly beneath his mask. "Well, I wasn't concerned about him…"

The hostess looked at him quizzically. "Sir?"

Hayato quickly waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just happy to have been of help."

"Well, ok. Just let me know if you need anything." The hostess left him with a bright smile and a quick bow.

Hayato sat down in his booth and took a deep breath. He glanced around the room, reading the faces of everyone in the room. People seemed to have lost interest, and aside from the occasional glance did not look his way (except for the jack-ass, who was glaring daggers into his head). He rested his arms on the table and leaned on them with a sigh. He hadn't lied to the hostess when he said she had stopped the situation from turning sour. He could have handled the guy, but that wasn't the problem. He couldn't afford to draw too much attention to himself, it was dangerous. He couldn't sit by and let harm come to others, that wasn't him either. Sensei Saicho had taught him better. But still, in his position…

Hayato shook his head and sat up. He couldn't let this get to him now. His situation sucked, but that was life. Well, HIS life anyway, but there was little he could about that.

Hayato finished breakfast and gathered up his belongings. Stepping outside of the inn, he was greeted with the sounds and bustle of the early morning rush. Shopkeepers opening for the day, men rushing to get to work, and wives doing the daily shopping began to fill the street. The scene was alive with people starting their day off. Hayato shifted the pack on his shoulder and cracked his neck. Well, it was time for him to start his day as well. It would take him most of the day to get to the Land of Forests capital. He stepped into the bustling street and started out.

Unfortunately, he only made it about ten yards before...

"Hey! Hold up you asshole!"

Hayato stopped, closing his eyes in frustration. Really? He had to deal with this again? He sighed, steeled himself, and turned around. "Can I help you?"

The hangover guy stumped towards him, wearing a dirty look on his face. He got up to Hayato and shoved his face into his. "I'm not done with you yet," he growled, his hit breath blowing into Hayato's.

Hayato shied slightly from the man but did not break eye contact. "What do you want?"

If the man's eyes could have gotten any narrower, they did. "You made a punk of me in that inn. No one makes a punk of me and gets away with it."

Hayato groaned, already fed up with this guy's crap. "I thought you had calmed down about this already. Why are you reacting this way? All I did was stop you from attacking someone and causing an outburst."

"This ain't about that bitch! You made me look weak!" he roared, his volume rising to match his anger. He jabbed a finger angrily into Hayato's chest. "No one makes me look weak and gets away with it!"

Hayato shoved his hand aside; he didn't have time for this. On top of that, the man's ranting had begun to attract people's attention. Some were watching them as they passed by while a few were stopping to watch them. He needed to end this quick before things started to get out of hand.

Hayato took a deep breath and held up a reassuring hand. "Look pal, you're being unreasonable. There's no need to get into a fight over this. Just walk away."

The man sneered in derision. "What you think you're too much for me just cause you're a ninja? Well I've got news for you, buddy. I've been in my fair share of fights and I've handled plenty of ninja punks like you before. You don't scare me a bit."

"Just back off, will you? I don't want to get into a fight over something stupid as this; I haven't got the time." As he spoke, Hayato's eyes began to dart around, subconsciously scanning the growing crowd of people. It was now larger and getting even more so as the man's rant continued to attract attention. His eyes went from person to person, scanning faces, body posture, looking for anything suspicious… or familiar.

The man gave him another sneer. "What, you got an all-important mission to carry put? Big-ninja business to do? Well I don't care what mission your village sent you on, you'll make some time for me right here, right now."

Hayato grit his teeth, seriously ticked. He needed to leave as soon as possible for his job, the guy was trying to fight for whatever douche-bag reason was on his mind, and he didn't want to be stuck in a crowd. These culminating factors caused him to lose his cool and blurt out something he shouldn't have.

"I'm not on a mission for my village! Get off my case!"

The man gave him a strange look. "Not for your village? But then… that means…"

Hayato froze, then closed his eyes in frustration. Ah shit, here we go.

The man's eyes widened with realization and his face split into a smile. "Ahh I see. You're a missing-nin! You're a freakin' rouge!

The people in the crowd had initially been looking at the hungover man with apprehension and fear, but at his words they suddenly shifted those looks to Hayato. Whispers began to float around, people took a couple paces back, and a woman pulled her child close to her. It didn't matter really, Hayato was used to these reactions; it was the normal way people reacted to someone who must have committed some horrific crime to be kicked out of his village.

Hayato glared at the man. "Well, you happy now?"

"Buddy, you have no idea," the man grinned as he reached into a pouch at his side and pulled out a kunai knife. "I can carve you up right here and you know what? People will think I'm a hero!" He laughed at the thought of it. "Me, the hero. Stopping the guy who must be even worse than the 'jackass'. Crazy right?"

Hayato gave the man a look and then slid the pack off his shoulders to the ground. He faced the man squarely and looked him dead in the eyes. "You listen to me and you listen well sir."

The sneer dropped off the man's face and shattered on the ground as a hush fell over the crowd. Hayato's demeanor had changed entirely, going from nervous and fidgety to still but tense, like a bowstring pulled all the way back right before a shot. His hands hung at his sides, fingers curled slightly. He glared at the man as Killing Intent rolled off him, hanging in the air.

Hayato's voice dropped low. "I really don't have time for you, but you've been pissing me off all morning. So, out of courtesy, I'm only going to warn you this one more time: walk away; there is no way you can hurt me with that knife."

The man took a step back with a shocked look on his face. He glanced around at the crowd for a moment, then his shoulders dropped. "Ok" he said apprehensively. "Fine. You win, man."

The crowd collectively relaxed as the man turned away from Hayato, but Hayato did not relax. He'd grown too well at reading people over years, and something was off…

The man walked towards the edge of the ring the crowd had made as he gave his parting words. "You're right; you probably have no time for me."

And then he stopped.

"So that's why I'll make this quick."

With that, he spun, and the kunai buzzed through the air at Hayato's head. The crowd gasped as it flew and went dead silent. The man had a big grin on his face, which slowly melted into a face of shock.

Hayato glanced down at the kunai he had caught between his index and middle fingers and twirled it in his hand. "It was a nice shot," he said, walking towards the man. "Would've nailed me right between the eyes too."

The crowd stumbled back as he advanced, looks of horrified anticipation across their faces. The man was too shocked to even move, only able to grunt in fear as the ninja advanced. Hayato stepped right up to him and stared him in the face. Sweat rolled down the man's face as he shook, his lips trembling in an effort to make some sort of noise, some excuse. Hayato waited a moment, then lifted his hand. The man flinched but was surprised to see Hayato hold out the kunai handle first. He glanced at him in surprise, then tentatively plucked it from his hand.

"But like I said," Hayato said softly, "there was no way you could have hurt me with that."

With that, he reached up and flicked the man's forehead.

The man flew back with the strike, soaring above the heads of the shocked crowd. He flew past the hotel entrance and hit the ground hard with a 'ooff.' He didn't get up.

The crowd turned to Hayato to stare at him with wide eyes and wider mouths. Hayato didn't notice as he turned and scooped up his pack. As he flung it over his shoulder and walked out of the ring, he muttered for only himself to hear, "And I meant that quite literally."

So there you have it! I don't know when I'll have the next chapter up but hopefully it will be soon. Now that I actually have this on here I hope to be more motivated to continue this. Please feel free to comment critiques and criticisms; I'm always looking for ways to improve. Thanks for reading!