Author's Note: I don't really like this one as much, but seeing as I've already written it, I might as well subject it to criticism. Feel free to flame this chapter.


On one seemingly innocent day in Konoha, for reasons unknown, an innocent ninja was being stalked. Unaware of his pursuers, he walked obliviously down the main street to the localramen standto get, surprise, ramen.

Sneak

Creep creep

Sneaksneaksneak

Creepcreepcreepcreep

"Oof!"

"Ah!"

Just inside the nearest alleyway, a genin kunoichi lay sprawled on top of a small cardboard box. She quickly scrambled to her feet, and stared at the shivering box in front of her.

Suddenly, the top of the box lifted up, and three small children peeked out from underneath. The one in the middle looked up and snapped, "Hey, onee-san! What's the big idea?"

The genin gasped, and bowed deeply. "Gomenasai! Are you hurt?"

The small boy shook his head and scowled."No, but you should still watch where you're going. Now we've lost nii-san." He turned his head and settled into a short pout.

"Nii-san?"

A second boy pushed up his glasses and sniffed loudly. "We were following Naruto nii-san in preparation for our attack. He promised he'd play ninja with us today. We were gonna use the alley for cover," he explained.

The third child, a small girl with bright orange pigtails, looked up at the older girl with questioning eyes. "Why are you on the street this early? Were you planning to ambush nii-san too?

"What? N-no! I would never ambush Naruto-kun!"

"Then why were you spying on him?"

"I wasn't spying..." the girl argued weakly.

The leader squinted with suspicion and asked, "Then why were you in the alley way?"

The kunoichi looked around nervously. She wished they wouldn't talk so loudly. People were beginning to stare. "I was…I was inspecting! In case enemy ninja were hiding here," she whispered.

Now all three children were looking at her strangely. "Enemy ninja…hiding in an alleyway? Yeah, sure. How stupid do you think we are?" scoffed the leader.

"Ah, n-no! I don't think you're stupid! I…I…" she trailed off, and began to focus intently on her fingers.

The younger girl looked at the kunoichi with pity. "If you want, you can hide with us under the box. It would be a lot better than spying on him in the open."

The kunoichi's face began to burn, partly because of the unexpected generosity, partly because of the surrealness of the situation, and partly because the boy in question was walking closer and closer within earshot of this very embarrassing conversation. She quickly bowed and sputtered, "No thank you. I just realized: I have a…meeting…with my team. Goodbye." She bowed again, and blended quickly into the shadows.

The three children watched her run down the alley, and then snuck back under the box. "She probably wouldn't have fit anyway. C'mon, nii-chan's headed this way! Let's get him!"

Sneak sneak sneak.