Chapter Three: Trust Issues and the Rogue Ninja Attack!
Shiroki, as per usual to her daily routine, was out training slightly outside of Konohagure. She didn't know if that was against the rules or not, but even if it did- who cares? Also, as usual, she was not being the best law-abiding ninja in the world. The question to that was- was she ever? The Nara child was practicing her clan-specific jutsus on a nondescript tree squirrel, when she heard a rustle in the leaves around her. "I'm imagining things," she said to herself. "This is a forest. Forests rustle."
The kunoichi continued to practice.
"Well, well, what do we have here?' came a voice from behind her, gruff and imposing. "A kunoichi from Konohagakure. Fresh from the Academy too." The young shinobi stiffened, and dropped the jutsu from the nondescript squirrel, that immediately scampered off.
"Pro'lly a soft one, too," said another.
Shiroki, upon hearing this, turned and glanced over her shoulder. "What did you just call me? Soft? I'm Shiroki Nara of Team Two. The genin. No one calls me soft."
The first gruff rogue ninja, who had a scruffy, scarred face and small brown eyes, laughed at her. He didn't challenge it, he just laughed. "Genin? Not soft?" He burst into mirthful laughter once again, his two friends joining in, doubling over, and gripping each other's shoulders, as if she had cracked a hilarious joke.
The kunoichi glared, and balled her hands into fists. "You're going to pay. Rogue ninja killed my parents. I kill rogue ninja. It's as simple as that. I am going to be a great ninja, then I will wipe out every rogue element in the field. You being here happens to make my life easier. I'll start with you, like pigs lined up for slaughter."
"We'd like to see you give it a try." This rogue was literally twice her size, and looked lean and hungry, like a wolf in winter, complete with a shaggy dark mane of hair that was tangled around feral green eyes, and a canine snarl. Three on one. She could totally take them on. Or... could she?
"GET DOWN!" A shortsword flipped through the air at the rogues from behind Shiroki. She had barely managed to slip onto her rear end before the sword cleaved her head open like a cabbage for stew. It impaled a tree, and shook on impact. "Shi-chan!" came a familiar young voice from behind her. Only when a fingerless gloved hand was jutted in her face to help her up did she realize who was talking to her.
It was Seito Kurarama.
She took his hand and released it as soon as he pulled her up. "Um, thanks for almost killing me! Good-for-nothing freak!" she retorted, eyes flashing with equal annoyance and contempt.
"At least now you have backup."
"Or another person to accidentally kill."
"That too." He shrugged and grabbed his sword from the tree. "Stay away from her," he said to the rogue.
"How cute," said the wolfish one. "You had to get your boyfriend to help you."
"He's not. My. Boyfriend." Shiroki snarled at the wolfish rogue. "I hate him. He's only a teammate, and I would have TOTALLY switched teams if I could. You are just as immature as those Academy students that you were just cursing." Shiroki reached into her pouches, and extracted four weapons per hand, shuriken and kunai. "Ready to die? Cuz you're gettin' on my nerves."
The third one grabbed her. He was shorter, but more muscular than the lean, wolfish one. His black hair was shaved off most of his head and braided in a long braid down his back, like a long topknot. His eyes were cold and hard, and he was more scarred than the first rogue. Shiroki mentally gave them names: Mane, Wolf, and Topknot. Topknot gently pulled her hair aside from her left ear, and whispered, "If I were you, I wouldn't struggle, little girl."
Shiroki trembled. Eww! Gross! What's he going to do to me! Then, Seito yelled, "Don't lay a finger on Shiroki!" and stabbed Topknot in the shoulder, then pulled out his sword, which was slick with a thin sheen of blood. Topknot staggered and stumbled to his team.
Mane snarled at Seito. "You got guts, kid. Stabbing him like that."
"I got just as much, maybe more," said Shiroki, throwing the shuriken at Mane, who deflected them all with ease.
Mane laughed again. "Kitten. Weakling. B-y little girl," he chortled, insulting her on purpose. "You have no right to try anything. You'll end up dead anyway."
"You look in a mirror, old man."
A shy voice sounded from around the corner. "Seito-kun? You there?" It was Ritoru. Great. Invite the whole team, why don't you, Seito? She came around the corner with fresh flowers in her hair. "I heard battle and knew you were out here, so I came as soon as I could!" Then the youngest Team Two ninja saw Shiroki, and a little 'oh' escaped her lips.
Seito shot his red-brown gaze at Ritoru. "Rito-chan!" Wolf nabbed him from behind before he could run to her. Seito mouthed the word, 'Run.'
"No time for chivalry, you m0r0n; duck!" snapped Shiroki, pulling a kunai-studded hand back to punch with. Seito barely dodged; some of his raven locks fell to the ground in fluttering chunks, like crow feathers. The rouge bellowed in agony as the four blades impacted with his chest. Blood coursed down fast in red rivulets. He fell back, dead, much to the dismay of his surviving teammates.
The Nara child grinned with insane, almost demonic glee at the sight of blood pooling on he leaf litter, penetrating into moist soil, turning it sickly red. The deceased lay still, feral green eyes still open, unblinking, shocked with the prospect of death. Shiroki had left the kunai embedded in her first prey's forehead, but even so, her fingers were stained red. She had no jinchuriki, but she was beginning to act like she did.
Hands up near her face, Ritoru gazed speechlessly at Shiroki. "Shi-chan..."
The Nara's actions spurred a similar response from Seito. "What is with you, Shiroki-chan? You never act like this."
Shiroki smirked. Turning to her standing foes, she sneered. "We're sitting ducks, now aren't we?" At this comment, the rogues didn't bother to overpower her, or even grab their friend. They ran for their lives. "Sissy cowards." She wiped her bloody fingers on her tunic, leaving bloody handprint streaks behind on the storm gray fabric. Ritoru stared, standing stock still in horror and fear. Not only was she jealous of her female teammate, she was scared of her, too, and afraid to speak up.
Seito spoke softly. "Shi-chan, please. Calm down."
"I am calm. You guys are the ones wigging out about this. Why? I did you a favor. You were getting scruffy on top anyhow."
"That's not the point. You were acting insane."
"I might have gotten a little carried away, okay?"
"A little!" said Ritoru, raising her voice for the first time. "A LITTLE! You call spilling a guys brains out then joking about it a LITTLE! You're sick, Shiroki." Ritoru's brow crinkled in disgust.
"Ritoru, Shiroki, please." Seito stepped between the bickering young kunoichi. "Ladies..."
Ritoru's eyes got damp. "Seito, it's almost like you care. But I saw you yesterday. With Shiroki. I hate this. You're even on a first-romanji basis with her. You all disgust me." Ritoru turned, dropping a basket of flowers, and beginning to storm off.
"Wait! Ritoru!" Seito began to run after her.
"Seito... I'm sorry. I need time alone. Please." She left them there, alone, together. With no one but the fading sunset to guide them back to the village, and space between them filled with silence that Ritoru must have expected to be filled with laughter and love, but was only filled with silence, and misunderstanding.
