Author Notes: The first official chapter is finally out. To anyone whom reads this story, please review because for each chapter I have set up a review goal. When this goal is met, I will update and release the next chapter in the storyline. If you enjoy this fanfiction, refer it to others and spread the word. Thanks!
REVIEW GOAL: 8
Chapter One: Mission Assignment
The humidity permeated the dense jungle surroundings of Venezuela. Birds of many colors and animals of many species inhabit this place of natural beauty and serenity. The thunderous roar of water could be heard above the ever thickening mist. With little disturbance, a jet slowly rose from the mist and descended into the sky only to stop as the cascading water parted, revealing a hidden cavern. It slowly proceeded inside towards the open platform that had risen from beneath the depths of the water near the entrance of, what looked to be, an ancient ruin palace.
It gradually landed in the center of the platform before the engine turbines died down and a large ramp lowered, illuminating four female individuals. They departed down the ramp and off the platform as it began to descend beneath the surface of the water. Walking up the stairs, they approached a pair of steel doors, sealed tightly shut for the security of the organization. Standing before them, a computerized voice spoke in monotone request.
"Identification, please."
Upon this request, the four women spoke individually, relaying their codenames to the computer.
"Wind Charmer"
"Blood Blossom"
"Weapon Mistress"
"Indigo Iris"
And with that, the doors proceeded to open as the A.I. system responded.
"Access approved. Welcome back Nightmare Quartet."
They walked into the building and down the hallway just as the doors closed behind them. Soon the four of them came to a large foyer with a grand staircase that displayed the significant difference between the outer exterior and the complex interior of the building. Standing at the top, peering down over the railing was Shizune; Lady Tsunade's personal attendant and Tonton; her trusty pet pig. She looked down upon the four assassins and took in their stoic expressions.
"Good afternoon, ladies. Your mistress has requested your presence due to an urgent matter of importance. Come now, she has been awaiting your arrival."
With a quick 'oink' from Tonton, the wall behind Shizune shifted around to uncover an express elevator. She once again looked at them, cueing them to quicken their pace. Climbing the stairs, they proceeded to board the elevator just as Shizune bent down to gather Tonton in her arms. The doors then shut tightly as, once again, the A.I. system activated.
"Where to?"
"The Director's Office."
"Verification code?"
"267402"
"Permission granted. Proceeding to level 6."
The elevator slightly sank then lifted as it climbed the cable cords up to the office of the leader of SBD (Silent But Deadly). After traveling a few floors, it began to slow and halt as the doors slid open to a pristine hallway. They steadily made their way down the hall as they approached yet another door. It unlocked itself and parted to allow the small group entrance. The office was large and yet practical save for the collection of cable wires connected to the A.I. mainframe. Shizune, setting Tonton down, moved to stand beside the figure whom was currently seated upon the chair behind the desk centered in the middle of the room.
"I have brought them as you've requested, milady."
The figure then lifted her head to view the four individuals in front of her. Her amber eyes were tense and her blonde pigtails swayed with the movement of her head. Her hands were neatly folded and placed upon her mouth until she decided to lower them and close her eyes. She let out a quick sigh before returning her attention to the girls.
"Temari, Sakura, Tenten, Hinata; Welcome back."
"Lady Tsunade…" The four young women bowed their heads respectively.
"I'm sure you've already determined our means for bringing you all here but this matter is of the utmost urgency. The current mission you were on will be voided and given to another team." At this, the team looked up and stared at their sensei in amazement.
"We've never been pulled off an assignment before let alone called back to headquarters in the middle of one. How critical of a mission are we talkin?" Temari asked.
"It's an assignment that I can only entrust to you, my best assassins. This mission is classified above top secret and it's crucial that it be completed. Failure is NOT an option." Tsunade's tone turned serious as she pivoted her chair to face the ten foot high monitor located behind her desk.
"Computer, access file # 0816."
"As you wish, milady; accessing file# 0816. Mission Codename: Operation Sinister Island."
"Sinister Island? Sounds like it belongs in a video game if you ask me."
"Well despite what you may think, this island harbors many secrets that we have no clear information about; it is also the location where your next target resides."
Soon after she spoke, a picture appeared on the screen along with an SBD hit profile. The target was male, roughly about fifty or sixty years old. He was large and had long spiky, white hair. The clothes he wore gave no indication of class or high social standing; he looked more like a nomad. The only things really noticeable were the red markings on his face and a metal headband that had the Japanese character for 'hermit' engraved upon it.
"This is Master Jiraiya," Tsunade began with a stern expression plastered upon her face, "A disreputable criminal that specializes in state of the art equipment aimed at world warfare. Weapons such as nanotechnology, radioactive warheads, and fusion engineered power vehicles; you name it, he's got it. His last appearance was recorded over ten years ago, while I was still in commission. He had traveled the world spreading his ludicrous theories about how the world was going to change and that he'd be the one to change it." She sighed heavily as Shizune walked up to her mistress and offered her a cup of hot tea on order to calm her nerves. She thanked her quietly before she continued speaking.
"He was my last major assignment. I discovered him and his followers hidden far away in the Swiss Alps, developing and perfecting their new atomic missiles for Jiraiya's personal arsenal. I managed to infiltrate and destroy the base including the armed missiles but in the end, he escaped from me."
Her eyes down casted towards the floor before she took another sip of her tea. "Apparently, he salvaged whatever he could and disappeared into hiding. Now a decade later and he finally remerges…"
"Lady Tsunade," stepping up to stand beside Temari, Sakura proceeded to question her mistress, "What are the full details of the mission?"
Tsunade set the cup of tea down softly on the table. She stood from her chair and turned to face her team. Walking over to keypad mounted against the wall, she entered the five-digit code and stepped back as a small platform table with four clear, plastic capsules rose from beneath the floor.
"Your mission is to discover this island that Jiraiya is currently hiding on. Our satellites cannot pinpoint its geographical coordinates but what we do have is a possible lead as to where a digital GPS map maybe located. The map contains vital information regarding the island's position along with a layout of the supposed base situated on it. This "map" was created by two secret agents of the Australian secret agency known as Black Diamond. They were looking into a case about recent sightings of suspicious cargo shipping out of the country and came across the island. They searched the cargo and discovered that the shipments contained illegal firearms and other dangerous contraband. Armed with information about the base and the illegal imports, the agents made their back to HQ. But, while on the way back, they were intercepted and captured."
It was then that Shizune took over for her mistress. "Before being apprehended, they managed to stash the map in a secure location as a precautionary measure. Their GPS locators were shut off immediately after detainment so we could not trace their signals."
"And what 'secure' location would that be?" Tenten inquired.
Upon hearing the request, the A.I. system exited out of Jiraiya's profile and displayed, on the screen, a worldwide map. It began zoning in on a large mass of land situated in the northern Pacific Ocean. Once completed, another picture pulled into focus. The picture showed a large institution; in fact it looked like it needed its own zip code. The building was in excellent condition and the campus full of trees and grassy fields was surrounded by tall, black iron gates.
"This is International Yazaki University, a highly esteemed academy where the most elite students from across the globe come to study. This is also the location where the GPS map has been concealed. The four of you will pose as new transfer students until the map is found and confiscated" said Shizune.
"Hold on, isn't that school in Tokyo, Japan?" Hinata asked with a nervous tone. Tenten stood beside her friend and gently placed her hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry. We'll be with you the whole time. I promise." She glanced at Sakura and Temari as they both nodded their heads and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Shizune and I took the liberty of filling out your applications and submitting them. You all have received formal letters of acceptance and have been informed that classes will begin in approximately two days from now. The administration mentioned that upon arrival, you are to pick up your class schedules in the main office." Tsunade motioned for them to come forward and stand before the capsules positioned on the table.
"Before you depart, you'll need your new gear." The four capsules suddenly unlocked to reveal their hidden contents. "These polarized sunglasses are capable of recording everything you see and hear at over two thousand megabytes a second. They also contain built in x-ray vision, infrared heat sensors, and DNA analysis scanners. You'll also be getting ear communicators disguised as Bluetooth headsets, newly developed anti-gravity propulsion belts that enable the wearer to manipulate the forces of gravity, and Ice Storm; liquid nitrogen disguised as a blue star perfume bottle. Your combat weapons have also been included along with your new Yamaha R6 motorbikes. Each bike is equipped with on-board computers and twin drive rocket launcher engines. Both the bikes and keys are marked with your individual symbols so that you can differentiate between them."
She tossed each of them their own marked set of keys; Temari's with a fan, Sakura's with a flower, Tenten's with a shuriken, and Hinata's with a star.
"As I've already stated, the mission will begin forty eight hours from now. Once you arrive in Japan, drive to the address given to you in your mission report. As soon as you locate the map, unlock the coordinates and send them to us immediately. Meanwhile, you can head out to the island and take out Jiraiya."
"Understood." The four of them bowed once more and turned to leave when Tsunade called for her young apprentice. Not only was Tsunade talented in the art of killing but she also had the amazing aptitude for healing. She decided that when she retired, she would take on an apprentice so that she may pass along her remarkable skills. It was then that she came across Sakura. The spunky American who was full of life and charisma fit the bill perfectly. Not only was she gifted but she had a drive like no other to surpass her master's teachings and develop her own techniques. Now at the age of eighteen, she had certainly progressed in her healing abilities.
"Make sure that to look over your medical books and review them well. Jiraiya has been known to use special poisonous concoctions that effectively spread through the body for torturous means. Take this time to master some new herbal healing techniques and advance your other skills so that you'll be prepared. Understood?"
"Of course, milady. I won't disappoint you." Responding with the utmost confidence, she turned around and walked away to join with the others as they took their leave down the long corridor, the doors sealing themselves once again.
Shizune decided to take her leave in order to brief the other selected team of their up and coming assignment, which meant she and Tonton had been left to themselves. Meanwhile, little Tonton trotted over to Tsunade and began rubbing affectionately against her lower leg. She smiled as she bent down to pick him up and moved to seat herself in her chair. He snuggled contentedly in her lap while looking up, gauging the expression of conflict and mixed emotions on her face. He let out a small "oink", breaking her train of thought. She peered down and gently stroked his head before leaning back to stare at the ceiling.
"I'm counting on you girls. The fate of the world depends on it." She closed her eyes as a smirk appeared on her face. "Maybe they'll even remember to bring me back some sake and nutmeg jelly..."
"I never would have guessed that we'd be heading to Japan," Tenten's eyes twinkled as they exited headquarters and moved towards the landing platform that had recently risen from the depths of the water, "Aren't you guys excited, even a little?"
"It's not like it's the first time we've traveled to a different country and besides, I bet it's no different than China." Temari stepped onto the platform and proceeded to load the equipment while the others prepped for takeoff.
"Oh it's nothing like China at all," Turning her attention to her friends; Hinata recalled some old memories about her homeland, "It's very beautiful, especially in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom. There are many forests with large rivers and the houses are relatively small, except for the estates owned by noble families. The cities are always busy but there also filled with a lot of excitement. Festivals are held all year and in different villages, depending on the season. In my opinion, they have a festival for just about anything."
"We won't have time to sightsee, let alone attend any festivals," Sakura commented as they finished preparations and boarded the jet. The interior design was simplistic yet very contemporary with its black, white, and gray colors. Unlike commercial airplanes, the jet had no overhead compartments; instead had a sectional couch with a pull-down separators, a mini refrigerator bar with a TV situated on top, and a couple of lounge chairs that faced individual plasma screens. The aircraft was generously sized and had a very sleek, lustrous design to it.
"Remember what Lady Tsunade said, 'The mission is always top priority.' We can't afford to be distracted, especially you, Hinata." As Temari stated this, Hinata immediately bowed her head to hide her expression. Tuning the controls and starting the engine turbines, she looked back at her dejected friend.
"We all know that you're the runaway heiress of the renowned Hyuuga clan but the probability of us even coming across a member of your family is slim. Their residence is in Kagoshima and the school is right outside of Tokyo, in the Osaka district. We've got nothing to worry about and even if something does happen, we've got your back."
Hearing this, Hinata lifted her head and gave her friends a small smile. "Thanks everyone. You won't have to worry about me, I'll be just fine. Let's just concentrate on finding that map and taking care of Jiraiya."
"Alright, let's get this mission underway." With the all controls in place and the engines revved, Sakura guided the jet off the platform and onto the outstretched runway. As they reached the middle of the strip, the water at the end parted just as it did when they first arrived, revealing the wide open sky. The jet continued to increase speed as the engines kicked in, full force. It took off at the edge and sustained altitude while the runway disappeared behind the curtain of water. The jet then soared towards the light of the lunar crescent, hoping to arrive in the land where the sun rose from the horizon.