Hello again guys! Your favorite colored man is back with another chapter! Sorry if it is a day late or so, I had to wait for my sister to beta it for me. I know last chapter I said I wouldn't mind no reviews... but when no one said anything I felt like no one was reading this. So, even if it is just to say hi, I'd appreciate any and all reviews.
Well, here's the next chapter of Unwrapping Udon, enjoy!
Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its original characters belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I only own the original characters I use in this story.
Character talking: "What?"
Character thinking: What?
Flash back: * Flashback/ End Flashback
POV changes will be shown by * from now on.
Unwrapping Udon
Chapter 2: Home, Sweet Home
Udon and his squad arrived at their home village Konohagakure (the village hidden in the leaves) with two days to spare. The birds were chirping, the sun shining, and Udon was satisfied with how their mission went. He chuckled darkly to himself.
Just like beef barbeque.
Unpleasantly stomaching his disturbing form of self-amusement, Fumi nervously scratched the nails of her ring and thumb fingers together. Damn it all, why couldn't she have a normal team; one professional, but containing silent distaste for their trade? Whenever she got together with her old graduating class from the Ninja Academy, they always spoke heartily of how their squads braved the ugly shinobi world together. Engaging foreign shinobi in border disputes, providing backup for undercover ANBU rescue missions, escorting important merchants to and from their home villages; it all sounds so awesome, patriotic, and perfect. But no, their team has to be labeled an exclusive assassination combat squad after one lousy mistake, that wasn't even their fault! All she wanted was a normal team, with normal teamwork, and a less than sociopath execution of the mission.
She glanced up, watching the back of Udon's green chuunin vest with unease. No, Udon was anything but normal…
* (Flashback)
Udon was half-turned to Kazuo and Fumi, so when they landed on a branch behind them his face was visible. It didn't seem like he was smiling as much as stretching his lips to spread eerily across his face. The brown hair that normally hung limp was whipping from side to side, tossed about by the residual force of the explosion. His eyes were dancing in a euphoric mirth, thoroughly enjoying the suffering he was causing.
* (End Flashback)
As they came up on one of the main gates, the chuunin on guard duty noticed them.
"Halt!" he called. "Papers and identification!" His face was stern and authoritative as he barked the phrase. It was not a question. In the shadows behind him one could briefly grasp the presence of an ANBU Black Ops squad flickering in the background, a dark flame ready to snuff out potential threats.
The nameless chuunin thoroughly shuffled through the papers Udon handed him while Kazuo and Fumi looked on. He checked for the location of their mission, what gate they were required to use on return, the allotted time they were given to complete their mission, making sure everything looked standard and they were not enemies in disguise. As he came upon the time allotment, he raised an eyebrow. They weren't due back for another two days… Glancing at Udon in recognition, he grunted and neatly straightened the papers. Satisfied he had checked for any source of deception, he handed them back.
"Welcome back, chuunin squad four. The Hokage expects a full debriefing immediately."
"Of course," Udon replied. "Let's go, guys," he motioned to his teammates, "we don't want to keep Hokage-sama waiting."
They walked through he doors of the Hokage tower, beginning the tedious trek up the stairs to the top, where the Hokage's (the 5th Hokage is also known as the Godaime) office resides. As a security precaution, shinobi were forbidden from using Shunshin, the common short distance teleportation technique, inside the tower. ANBU squads were stationed on every floor to detain, if it was an ally, and eliminate, if they were enemies, anyone using it. It would not do for anyone with hostile intent to be moving about freely and quickly in the offices of the village's leaders.
The steps seemed never-ending, but they trudged on redundantly. None of them spoke a word, content to make the trip in silence, but Fumi's head whirled with thought. What if the Hokage had finally discovered Udon's true personality? Maybe Hokage-sama would gift them with a replacement? Her team would finally be normal, just like all her friends! She sighed dreamily, swept up in the fantasy, before she abruptly bumped into Udon, who had been walking in front of her.
"We're here," he observed, seemingly unconcerned with Fumi's lack of awareness. He opened the staircase door, and they entered a medium-sized room with a dozen chairs and a simple desk. The squad walked up to the short desk, where an old, grey-haired secretary with her hair in a bun glared at them sternly.
"Appointment?" she rasped.
"Chuunin squad four to see Hokage-sama," Kazuo returned, used to the semi-hostile environment. They waited a moment for the woman to confirm, and when she waved them through they entered the office. It was larger than the one they just exited, although it kept the round design. This, Udon thought, was supposed to give the impression of a bigger space, and thus the unlimited authority of the Hokage position. He snorted.
Preposterous. No one has that much power.
From the office in the center of the village they could see the whole village spread out around them. Shops and businesses, blacksmith vendors and armories, even the Hokage mountain with the intricately carved faces of each Hokage was in view. They were distracted from the view by the sound of someone clearing their throat.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," the Godaime, Senju Tsunade said.
"Of course not, Hokage-sama," Udon began, "maybe we-"
"Attention, chuunin!" she barked. All three chuunin slipped stood at attention, with their hands behind their back. "I do not waste my time with frivolity during mission debriefings." She seemed to cut right through them with her stern stare, before she settled her on Fumi. "Chuunin, report!"
"Yes, Hokage-sama!" Fumi proceeded to describe the mission and its encounters, including Kazuo and Fumi's job of distracting the majority of their defenses while Udon laid his trap. When describing Udon's trap, Fumi briefly glanced at Udon, before returning to the Hokage. "And then we arrived at the main gates, Hokage-sama." She took the mission scroll from Udon before handing it to Tsunade.
The Godaime took the scroll and scanned the contents briefly before placing it into a stack on her desk. "That is it for now. All of you are dismissed," she began writing on a piece of paper, "except Saito."
As Fumi and Udon filed out the door, Kazuo kept standing at attention. When she was sure both were gone, the Hokage stopped writing and looked up. The almost unexpressive, bored expression on Kazuo's face turned steely, an intelligent glint in his eye.
"Anything to report on the possible traitorous Watanabe Udon?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Kazuo began, "I believe I have something." He handed her a separate scroll, which was outlined in red.
So? How'd you guys like it? Was it horrible, awesome, did it make your stomach churn? I want to know. ^_^ Until next time.