Wings of a Butterfly
Chapter Two
My father and I were leaving tomorrow morning. And honestly, I was excited and a little nervous. I've done S-Class missions before, and I've had some pretty bad stuff done to me. But, I could handle this. I know I could. I put on a white and dark blue striped t-shirt, and over that I put on a dark blue halter top vest. I put on light blue shorts, and the traditional black ninja sandals. I put my long hair up into a high pony-tail, and placed my ninja headband around my upper right bicep. This was my normal attire I wore when I went out on missions, and I sighed as someone knocked on my door. I opened it to see Tohmo on the other side. He smiled at me and ducked passed me, sitting on my bed.
Tohmo was a really good person, though sometimes he was mistaken for a girl. He had short fine blonde hair, and pretty blue eyes. He had a rather feminine and slender figure and always liked to wear hats. He smiled at me and laced his fingers together, placing them in his lap.
"When are you leaving?" He asked. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and grabbed a kunai pouch, tying it around my right thigh.
"Tonight. Shortly." I said. We would be in Suna by morning if we left shortly. Tohmo sighed and looked down in his lap, biting his lower lip. I looked at him, and it looked like he was about to cry. Tohmo was usually a strong person, but when it came to me, he always let his guard down. I smiled and sat beside him on the bed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and placing my head against the side of his.
"It'll be okay Tohmo." I whispered. He looked at me and shrugged.
"You don't know that Namine. Don't make promises you can't keep." He said weakly. I stared at him sighing and hugging him tighter to me.
"You're right, I don't know. But I have faith. I believe in my skills as a ninja to get me through this. I'll also have my father with me." I said. Tohmo nodded. I've been best friends with Tohmo since we were both in diapers, even though he was considered a commoner, and not a part of the royal family. But that never stopped us from hanging out with each other, but it did hinder us from doing stuff like this together. He turned and wrapped his arms around my neck, hugging me tight.
"I always get so scared when you go out on a mission. Like something's going to go wrong and you're going to come back in a body bag." He whispered against me. I smiled and wrapped my arms around his waist.
"I'll be alright Tohmo. Sorry I couldn't make it to your party." I said. He was quiet for a minute before pulling back and giving me a death glare.
"Don't lie to me, Namine." He hissed. I laughed at him and placed my hand in his hair, ruffling it up a bit.
"Really, Tohmo. I'll be okay." I said with a smile. He looked at me for a moment, before sighing and wiping his face clean.
"Sorry." He muttered, looking down at his lap. I didn't mind though, I never did. I just chuckled wiped away any moisture that was left under his eyes, and stood up to place my pouch belt on. "I love you Namine. You know you'll always be my best friend." He said, looking at me from where he was sitting on my bed. I looked over at him and smiled, nodding my head.
"I know. Me too." Which, really, was about as mushy as I got. But Tohmo understood, and smiled at me. I was really lucky to have him as a friend. I never had to explain to him why I acted the way I did. He just understood, and didn't need to ask. "So, Tohmo, what will you do once I'm gone?" I asked him, grabbing all of my kunai and shuriken and placing them in their proper places.
"You mean besides pulling out my hair in frustration and worry? Not too sure." He said, shrugging his shoulders. I couldn't help but laugh a little. My father opened the door then and stepped through the door way, and immediately Tohmo was standing up and bowing to him. "Akito-Sama." He mumbled, his face flushing. My father looked down at him and shook his head a little, catching his laugh. I smiled too.
"Tohmo-Chan. Relax, boy. I've just come to let my daughter now that we'll be leaving in a few minutes. Meet me out front once you've finished here." He said, turning to face me. I nodded to him as he eyed me and then Tohmo, who was profusely blushing again. He turned and shut my door behind him, and Tohmo stood up with a sigh.
"Well that was embarrassing." He muttered. Tohmo couldn't help it. Like I said, my father was intimidating, and people were easily freaked out by him. Even Tohmo, who knew him as long as I have, still freaked out and acted like a commoner should in his presence. Which, wasn't really a bad thing. Because in public, Tohmo was expected to treat him like the Clan Leader he was. But in private, my father has told him on many occasions not to go out of his way for an unnecessary thing. But, Tohmo is who he is, so it didn't really matter.
"It's okay Tohmo. Anyways, I better get going." I said, turning to him. He looked like a little kid right then, for some reason. I smiled and wrapped my arms around him, bringing him close to me. He sighed and hugged me back, the smell of sandalwood filled my nose and I smiled down at him. He always smelled like sandalwood, and I wasn't sure why. But it smelt good, like always. "I'll be back, and I'll be fine. You'll see." I whispered. He grabbed onto me tighter.
"Love you." He whispered. I smiled.
"Me too." I said, pulling away from him and rubbing his hair one last time. I turned and left, shutting the door behind me. Tohmo would probably sleep in my bed tonight. In a way, he was still very much like the kid he was quite a few years ago. I almost couldn't wait for this mission to be over with, just so I could prove to him that I would be okay. I met my father out front, and together we left after saying goodbye to my mother and Rin. Rin gave me her medicinal pack, making sure I knew how to use it properly. I rolled my eyes and assured her that I did, and pocketed the small pack. She really was a genius for her age.
We didn't stop to rest, nor did we talk very much. We didn't want to be over heard, just in case we were being watched. So we talked about non important things, and if it was anything important, my father just signed it to me. Our whole Clan knew sign language, as it was taught to us as our second 'language'. We moved through the night, going as silent as we possibly could, and even when we were tired we moved on. There was no point in stopping, because stopping in the desert was a good way to get lost if there was a sand storm. And my father had no patience to deal with it, so we kept moving.
We did manage to read Suna by the time the sun was rising, but both my father and I were exhausted. We were placed almost directly in between Konoha and Suna, so where it would take Leaf Ninja's to reach Suna in six, it could be reached from Shindou in about three. But that was with stops, and if there was sand storms like there usually was. If you didn't stop, and you managed not to run into a sand storm, you could make it in about one. Like my father and I did. We stopped once we reached the large concrete walls that surrounded Suna, and the guard nodded to us and let us pass through.
Immediately my father and I both drew up our hoods, placing them over our heads so that only the lower half of our face could be seen. Nobody was to know we were here. We reached the Sandaime's building and entered, not bothering to talk the guards. They knew what was going on. We reached the top and walked into the office, stopping to see everyone was waiting. Gaara stood up first and walked over to us, and we pulled our hoods down.
"Akito-Sama, Namine. It's good to see you both." He said, looking at us. I smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. Gaara and I knew each other since I was about fifteen and he was ten.
"Gaara-Sama. It's good to see you." I said, bowing slightly. He nodded and led us to the table where Lady Tsunade was sitting to Gaara's left. My father took his right. I sat next to my father, and next to Lady Tsunade was all of the Leaf Ninja's that Temari mentioned. Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke Uchiha, Neji Hyuga, and Sakura Haruno. Next to me on my right was Temari, Kankuro, and the medic nin that Temari spoke of.
"Good, we're all here. Kakashi, if you would." Gaara said, motioning to him. He stood up and walked around the table, moving towards the door, once there he performed several hand seals, before slapping a seal against the door. A sound barrier, so nobody could listen in. And from the looks of it, a damn good one. Well, that was expected, since he was a former ANBU member. He took his seat again, and crossed his arms. And it was then that I noticed you could only see one corner of his face. His eye was dark, and almost looked as if it was lazy. But really, from just that eye, he looked bored. His headband was covering his left eye, and he had a mask pulled up over his nose. He had silver hair too, that reminded me of his father, Sakumo Hatake, that defied gravity. He was an interesting looking ninja.
"You all know what the scroll said, so I will not be repeating anything from it. Temari and Kankuro, you destroyed the scrolls that were given to you?" Gaara asked. They both nodded. "Good. Our mission is to find these men, and to take them out. There will be no prisoners, they are to be executed upon sight. We have two meeting places, so we will be split up into two teams, and we will head to these meeting places. If the men are there, you are to engage them in combat and take them out, by whatever means necessary. Is that clear?" Gaara asked, a very serious look on his face.
"Hai." Everyone said.
"The first group, will consist of myself, Kakashi, Neji, Namine, and Temari. The second group will consist of Kankuro, Akito-Sama, Sasuke, Sakura, and….you." Gaara said, pointing to the sand medical nin. He ducked his head a little and blushed.
"Shuichi" He mumbled. Gaara nodded.
"We leave when the sun sets, so make plans with your team, and then get some rest." Gaara said, standing up. We all followed suit, and gathered into our teams.
"Gaara, I must ask, why are there two medical nins on one team?" Neji asked, crossing his arms a little with a concerned face. "Sakura medical skills are just as good as Lady Tsunade's, and I've heard Shuichi's talent is rather good also. Is there any particular reason you have them on one team?" He asked. Gaara nodded.
"There are more members in the group they're chasing. They will be outnumbered, and will need all of the medical care they can get. Namine Shindou, will double as our medic." He said, turning to me for confirmation. I nodded.
"Don't worry Neji-Kun, I know my stuff." I said with a smile. Neji nodded, but said nothing more.
"You look tired." Temari said, frowning at me. I turned to her and glared a little.
"We ran here without stopping. I'm a little tired. I'll sleep later, don't worry about it." I mumbled. Temari shrugged.
"Kakashi, you will be this team's commander." Gaara said, looking at Kakashi. I blinked a few times, that was weird. Kakashi was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets, and he sighed a little before nodding. The corner of Gaara's mouth twitched. "You look irked, Temari." Gaara said over his shoulder to his sister. He fidgeted a little and looked away.
"You're the Sandaime, shouldn't you be in charge?" She asked, her voice quiet. Gaara shrugged.
"Kakashi used to be in ANBU, since most of the men have infiltrated ANBU, he'll know the ins and outs of how they work. He was also made a Jounin at the age of thirteen, when you were still a Genin. He's been through a war, and has more…commanding skills, than I do. It's only wise to let him call the shots." Gaara said. I looked at Kakashi, impressed, only to find his nose stuck in a book. I looked at the title and actually started laughing.
"Icha Icha Paradise!" I asked, crossing my arms and grinning. Kakashi blinked once and looked from over the book, before smiling under his mask.
"Yes. You know it?" He asked.
"Yes. I have a friend who's…very much interested in the Icha Icha series." I said with a grin. He gave a contented 'hmm,' before returning to his book. A few minutes later, the other team told us their game plan. We all looked at Kakashi who still had his nose buried in his book. Sasuke coughed a little, before jabbing him in the ribs. Kakashi looked up and blinked a few times, before sighing and putting his book away.
"We're going to head straight to the Village Hidden in the Mist. We'll use the fog as our cover up, and we're also going to be moving at a slow, civilian pace. No ninja movement, we're not walking through the town dressed as ninja's either. Once we reach the cave, however, to each it's own. You all know your strengths and your weaknesses, and your limits. But I will make this absolutely clear. This will not work without teamwork. So no trying to act the hero and do things on your own. If you try, I won't hesitate to kill you." He said, before flipping his book open and bringing it up to his face again. "That is all." He muttered, turning around and leaving. I frowned a little and looked after him. He stopped when he reached the door though, and turned back to face Gaara.
"I was thinking once we reach the cave, we kind of throw out any ANBU tricks. They'll be expecting that. I was thinking more of an…Uzamaki entrance." Kakashi said. This caught Gaara and Sasuke's interest as they looked at him.
"That's…obnoxious of you. You sure that's what you want to do, Kakashi-Sensei?" Sasuke asked. Sensei? So this was his teacher at some point.
"Yeah. I mean, I guess Naruto's way sort of works sometimes. But, Sensei, wouldn't that just get you into trouble here?" Sakura asked. He was her teacher as well. And who the hell was Naruto? The name was vaguely familiar, and I tried to think back on it. I snapped my fingers when I remembered.
"Naruto Uzamaki. He's the nine tailed Jinchuuriki." I said, looking around. Gaara nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah, that's Naruto. He's also the third member of our team." Sakura said, motioning towards herself, Sasuke, and Kakashi. I nodded.
"Right. Well, I don't understand what you're talking about." I said, shrugging my shoulders. It was quiet for a minute, while Kakashi was about to explain, but he stopped upon hearing some struggling outside the door. He frowned and stepped back a little, just in time too. The middle of the door exploded, and out came a ninja. He landed on the floor, and the first thing I noticed about him, was the whisker marks on his face. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was wearing an orange type jumpsuit. I blinked a few times as I looked at him, not sure if I should draw a kunai or not.
"Just what in the hell do you think you're doing! Running off on an important mission without inviting me! Are you crazy!" He yelled, and I wanted to cover my ears. His voice was obnoxious.
"Naruto." Kakashi said blazingly. I blinked a few times, and chuckled. So, that was an Uzamaki entrance. That was interesting, to say the least.
"And what the hell! You brought Sasuke along, but not me!" He asked, huffing and puffing. Lady Tsunade stepped up now and sighed, placing her hands on her hips.
"Listen, twerp, we were going to invite you once we already set off. Meeting here was a bit secret, and if you knew, the whole town would know within the next couple of hours. You'll be going with Akito-Sama's team. Just do as your told. This is an important mission, Naruto." She said. Naruto was quiet for a few seconds, before he walked closer to Lady Tsunade.
"Hey, Granny, I think you're starting to let your wrinkles show." He said, poking at her face a little bit. My eyes widened. He can't just talk to the Hokage like that! She stared at him for a minute, before sighing, and reaching a hand up. She balled her hand into a fist, and slammed it into the top of his head. He yelled as he fell to the floor, his body making an audible crack. So, the monstrous strength wasn't just a tale, after all. I looked at Sakura, knowing she was her apprentice and had the same ability. Naruto was only down for a second before he stood back up and pointed a finger at the Hokage's face.
"That's no way to be treating a future Hokage!" He yelled, rubbing his head. "And that hurt." He whined a little, ducking down as he rubbed his head, as if the pain just now registered with him. Tsunade glared at him a little, and then sighed, laughing a bit before placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Glad you could make it, Naruto. Now, go to Akito-Sama. He'll fill you in on the plan and what's going on." She said, motioning towards my father. Naruto blinked a few times and turned around, looking at my dad.
"Uhh…who the hell is he?" He asked. I blinked a few times, absolutely amazed, before laughing. "What! What are you laughing at!" He asked me, coming to stand in front of me.
"That's my father. Clan Leader of Shindou Territory." I said. Naruto blinked a few times before turning to face him, and nodding his head as if he recognized him somehow.
"Nope. Never heard of him." He said then, placing a hand on his hip. Sasuke showed up out of nowhere and punched him in the back of the head.
"Dobe." He muttered.
