Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I did this for fun
The Son of the Sannin
Chapter 2: Slug, Snake, Frog, Shoot!
As rain continued falling from the sky, three ninja, each with the power of a Kage, returned to the village of their birth. The sages of the Slug, Snake, and Toad had mixed emotions when they saw the enormous gates of the Leaf. Each of the three legendary shinobi came home for their own reasons, but they all came back together as a team once more.
One returned in honor of her grandfather and granduncle; the first and second Hokage. Another came back for his sister who he feared was killed in the attack. The third returned for his dead pupil whom he loved like a son, the Yondaime. However the one thing the Sannin all had in common in returning to Konohagakure was to see their sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
As the three ninja walked through the village gates, they were stopped by several shinobi wearing long robes and masks resembling animals, the Anbu Black Ops. One of the elite ninja approached the three wearing purple clad armor, a white and red cat mask, and what looked like several scalpels holstered on its right leg.
"Almighty Sannin, it is with great honor to welcome you back to Konohagakure." The Anbu said as she bowed to the shinobi.
The greeted ninja knew exactly who the disguised kunoichi was as they heard her voice.
"I take it you've had enough time to gather the information on the Nine Tails attack, Shizune?" The cat masked warrior nodded to the whiskey eyed kunoichi.
"Yes my lady, it was easier than expected to find the reports considering the situation. Frankly it was rather surprising, considering how widely acclaimed the Anbu is known for security."
The other Anbu looked as confused as they could be beneath their emotionless masks. Their body stances gave away their composure as the fake black ops kunoichi revealed her true identity. Gasps filled the air when the imposter pulled her mask off.
"It's the Lady of Poison herself, Master Shizune." One of the other Anbu ninja whispered, as if seeing a goddess.
"But… how is this possible? Our people would've spotted you miles away, well before you'd enter the village." Shizune nearly laughed from hearing this brag of might the warrior just exclaimed.
"Well considering it only took me twenty minutes to infiltrate your ranks after reaching the village, and two hours to collect the information on the attack, I must say your security needs tightening. You know, when most paramilitary forces have their cities attacked, their defenses are usually more alert to outside forces." Shizune said as she continued shedding the armor she took from the black ops barracks.
"The Hokage is expecting you; he is in his office and urges you to come immediately." Shizune explained to the Sannin as she finished taking off the rest of the Anbu attire, revealing her casual kimono underneath.
The white haired Sannin took out a small scroll and paintbrush. Writing something only his teammates and teacher would understand, so as to avoid their communication being compromised.
"Pass a message to one of the Anbu for Lord Hokage; tell him we'll see him once we've taken care of our tasks first." The Toad Sage said to Shizune handing her the sealed scroll containing the note.
The Lady of Poison passed it off to a mask resembling a turtle with green swirls. His stance at first glance showed stiffness, which could be presumed as an act of defiance. But as soon as the kunoichi approached the shinobi, his posture revealed a sense of defeat and bitterness.
"Take this to Hokage now." Shizune said with a serious if not dominating tone in her voice, and a demanding look in her eyes.
Despite the brutal disrespect Shizune showed to the Inferno Squad, the most prominent fighting force in the Land of Fire, the ninja submitted and took the scroll. Shizune's reputation preceded her in the village. It has been noted by the Hokage that if she ever broke ties with the Sannin, she would easily be placed at the top of the most wanted list in Konoha's Bingo Book. The turtle masked ninja bowed his head to Shizune despite his pride demanding retribution. It took every fiber of his being to acknowledge the kunoichi's abilities and say the two words that would ultimately compromise the Anbu's reputation.
"Yes…ma'am."
The masked warrior along with the rest of the escort vanished in a puff of smoke, using the Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique) to teleport to the Hokage's office while wallowing in their shame.
"Well, that was fun." The Snake Sannin said in a sarcastic manner.
The four shinobi shared a laugh together, the first real moment of joy they had since hearing of the attack.
"So what's the plan?" Shizune asked the three.
"We'll meet at the Ichiraku ramen bar in two hours, we'll eat and from there and then we'll head to the Hokage." The Slug Sage said as the other Sannin nodded in compliance.
"Then do you mind if I come with you my lady? I'm not in the mood for a fight and I suspect those Anbu will try and gang up on me for disrespecting them so badly." Shizune asked the female Sannin.
"Yes I think it would be better if you came along." The lady said smiling.
"The Leaf Village needs all the help it can get right now and crippling twenty of their Jonin would be most selfish on our part."
Shizune laughed, knowing full well she could take on the so-called elite Leaf ninja and kill them if she wanted to. But while imagining the mangled bodies of the Anbu lying at her feet, she remembered her teachings from the Sannin that stood before her, the one she called sensei.
"All right, in two hours we'll meet at the bar, see you then." The Snake Sage said as the ninja went their separate ways, thinking how they were going to handle their own problems.
