Cat's Notes

Hola, so sorry about the delayed update, but as we all know this weekend was Easter weekend and it also turns out to be exam week for my university. I just finished up my last official exam. I have one more, but its not official 'cause it's online. GOOGLE! Oh, the perks of online exams. Anywho, this chapter is the longest (or second longest) and fairly important. Just as warning, in the next few chapters she faces extreme opposition from Kakashi. You'll understand what I mean by the end of this chapter.

Uh...k, that's it.

ReadEnjoyReview.

.Wolf Thief.

Chapter 4: Immunity

"Where are we going?" Aiyana asked as she trailed behind Sasuke. After stopping by her hotel room so she could pick her something up, Sasuke had lead her towards the shadier part of the village. An area filled more with gambling huts and bars than anything else.

Then she heard an uproar of laughter from a nearby gambling hut. Sasuke immediately veered off in the direction of the noise. "Tsunade-sama isn't one to stay put in an office; I bet you anything she's in there." He nodded his head towards the crowd.

Aiyana grinned. "How much you got?" He shot her an annoyed look. "Just joking, just joking!" She raised her hands up in defense as if trying to keep him away. His looks could kill if they wanted too. For a young kid, he was way too serious and seriously needed to loosen up.

"Come on," Sasuke ordered pushing through the crowd. Her smile fading, she followed in the Uchiha's wake. The front of the crowd began laughing again and the laughter quickly waved through to the back of the crowd.

"You lost again! Why don't you just give up all ready?" Aiyana heard one man say.

"There's no way I'm giving up!" a young lady with blonde hair pulled into pigtails snapped. The thief realized that pigtail-lady was Sasuke's objective. The young woman was the Hokage. But she couldn't be much older than 25!

"Tsunade-sama, give up all ready. Someone needs to talk to you," Sasuke interrupted.

"Oh, Sasuke, I didn't see you there," the women said looking up at the Uchiha with a fond smile. Her eyes were a large, warming brown and, in the middle of her forehead, was a strange diamond symbol. The Hokage appeared to be a caring woman, but apparently cared more for her money-dispensing machines. Who would have thought that the Hokage would have a gambling problem?

"Can it wait?" Tsunade asked putting in some more money for another round on the machine.

"No, I have something of importance to speak of," Aiyana announced stepping forward. Sasuke was caught off guard by her sudden seriousness. He thought she was more like Naruto than anyone else, and Naruto was rarely serious unless he was in the middle of a massive fight. Even then, he might not be that serious.

Tsunade caught the same serious note in Aiyana's voice that Sasuke did. She examined the young thief carefully before standing to her full height. "Who are you?" she asked forcible. "You aren't from around here."

"Do you have a more private spot?" Aiyana suggested with a small smile. Tsunade nodded and walked through the crowd beckoning for Sasuke and Aiyana to follow. Aiyana gave Sasuke a quick glance and he nodded. They were led back to the Hokage's office, the place Aiyana originally had thought they would be meeting.

Tsunade took a seat at her desk, folded her hands together, and regarded the thief carefully. The girl was young and had a mischievous air. It wasn't the same feeling she got from Naruto, who only pulled harmless pranks, but a feeling that made her think this girl could pull a off a very dangerous game of deception. "What is it you wish to talk about?"

"You obviously care for the village. You recognized Sasuke out of who knows how many people, and recognized the fact that I'm not a villager," Aiyana said without warning. She could feel the cold regard of the Hokage's eyes. What a skeptical woman the Hokage was. She looked upon Aiyana as if she was an alien sent to destroy the planet. It'd be fun to pull a couple of her strings. "So what if I tell you I'm interested in joining your village?" Not a startled enough reaction in her opinion, so she quickly added, "as a ninja?"

"What's your name?" Tsunade asked.

"Aiyana Shijo."

"Aiyana-chan, you must understand that we don't let just anyone become a ninja. You must be trained for it, the village must trust you, and you must be dedicated to the village." Tsunade regarded the travel worn girl in front of her. "From what I can see, you have none of those traits."

To her surprise, Aiyana started laughing. "Everyone in this village is so damn serious! I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, I was just kidding. I can't dedicate my life to one place."

Surprised, the Hokage seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "Then what do you want?"

"Immunity," Aiyana answered, her eyes and tone acquiring seriousness they hadn't had before. "I want immunity in this village. I want to be safe and protected whenever I'm within the walls of this village, whether it be from anyone on the outside or anyone on the inside."

Tsunade cocked her head, curious by the girl's request. "Why would you need something like that?"

Aiyana grinned. "The Wolf Thief needs it. She needs somewhere that she knows she'll be safe, doesn't she? So in exchange for giving me immunity, I can give you something that I picked up on the side of the road. Something that I'm sure you'll appreciate having back."

The Hokage's mind was at work. A girl who was requesting complete immunity in her village from insiders and outsiders. That meant that if Sand came knocking at her door asking for the girl, she couldn't be handed over. It could prove problematic. And the girl claimed to an infamous thief. Even more reason not to trust her. Yet she had something that she apparently thought gave her leverage. So, Tsunade pursed her lips and waited.

The silence clearly frustrated Aiyana. "Do you want it or not?"

"I will not make a deal until I know what it is you have," Tsunade replied.

The smile that tugged on Aiyana's lips was one of amusement. "Smart. It's a scroll. One that has been stolen recently. I've been told it has the power to release Kyuubi. Am I right?"

"Impossible! How did you get it?"

"Did you not hear me say it? I'm the Wolf Thief. I stole it!"

Tsunade sighed and ran her hand across her face. Yes, this definitely put her in a predicament. "How about this Aiyana-chan? I'll take you up on the first offer."

"My first offer?" Aiyana asked in confusion.

"I can make you a ninja of the village. It also insures you your immunity." There was hesitation in the girl's eyes. Maybe she hadn't lied when she said that she couldn't dedicate. "If you don't think you can stay in the village as a ninja, then I'll release you. But you can keep your protection. Whenever you're in the village, we'll protect you."

The thief ran a hand through her hair. "You've got a deal, Hokage-sama. I'll try this whole ninja thing and if it doesn't work out, then I'll use this village as a safe zone. Besides I've always wanted to be a ninja. It'll be interesting. Though the transition from thief to ninja might not be the easy."

"Excellent!" Tsunade smiled. "For now, I'll put you with Kakashi!"

Aiyana groaned, but didn't say anything against it. At least she knew the man was lazy. It'd be easy to steal from him continuously. Then, she grimaced, realizing that her thoughts of stealing needed to stop. Her eyes glanced back at Sasuke, who was now her teammate, and saw that he was regarding her suspiciously. She'd figure out what it was once they got outside. Aiyana left the scroll with Tsunade before grabbing Sasuke and leaving.

"How'd you get that scroll?" Sasuke demanded the moment they were on the street. Wow, she could definitely say he was one to get to the point.

Aiyana cocked a brow. "Didn't you hear me say it? I stole it, teammate."

Sasuke didn't appreciate her playful use of the word teammate. He just continued to scowl. Perhaps she should warn him that that expression could become a permanent fixture on his face. "How did you get it from those two men?"

"Two men? How did you know it was two men?"

"Two men stole it from the village," Sasuke growled back.

Aiyana sighed, realized it was a lost cause and decided to end it. "I stole it. The big blue guy had it in his hand. It was a simple matter of getting close enough to take it. Turns out Gills is pretty easy to piss off. Demon-Eyes isn't though. Really reminds me of a statue." Like you, Sasuke.

"His eyes, were they red?"

Aiyana turned to him. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Just a feeling," Sasuke seethed through closed teeth.

No, it was more than a feeling. But she wasn't in the mood to pester him. Now that the scroll was off her hands, she'd rather not think about those two men at all. It would be better to take his mind off of it entirely. That's when she spotted the perfect distraction, sitting quietly to her left. A nice, unsuspecting jewelry store. "Mingan, we haven't had some real fun in a while, have we?" The wolf's tail immediately began to wag. "And with our new status in the village, they can't really persecute us yet. They'd definitely let the first one slide."

"Aiyana-chan, what are you talking about?" Sasuke asked, eyeing her curiously.

"Just call me Aiyana, Sasuke-kun. We're teammates. Now come on." He didn't get a chance to object before she dragged him into the store.

Aiyana leaned on the plastic glass that surrounded the jewelry scrutinizing each piece carefully while an uninterested Sasuke leaned against the door. Most of the jewelry struck her as too elegant especially for her. She was simply looking for something for herself, and then she found it

She leaned closer examining one certain necklace. It had a basic silver chain holding onto its charm at the end. The wolf pendent was carved out of a beautiful scarlet color stone and with such detail that she could even make out the fur on it. Its scarlet head was tilted back as if it was howling towards the moon.

"I love this one, Sasuke-kun," she announced glancing over her shoulder at him, a smile decorating her lips.

"Then buy it," Sasuke replied not even bothering to come and look at the choice she had made. Aiyana huffed and went back to examining it, estimating the price to be around two hundred or so dollars, mainly because the work was so nice and the chain was sterling silver. At the sound of her voice, the manager came out of the back room. He had black hair, but was mostly bald, and dark gray eyes that seem to catch every little detail. Keys dangled at his waist, clinging together in an almost musical composition with each step he took.

"Little lady, you wouldn't be able to afford anything here," he grunted at the sight of her at his counter.

"Little lady?" Aiyana repeated sourly under her breath. Already she disliked the cocky bastard. But she only smiled at him and pointed to the wolf necklace. "How much is this one?"

"That one is six hundred," the man answered with a grin. Aiyana stared at him and then the necklace. He was insane, that was way above the reasonable price. By the look of that arrogant grin plastered on his face, he knew it.

Her eyes narrowed on him and she grinned at him. "You know it isn't worth more than two hundred, sir, so why don't you sell it for that price?" she asked coolly staring him down. Her haughty attitude caused the normally controlled man to become angry.

The owner slammed his hand down on the counter and snapped at her, "It's my store, I name the prices! Now either buy something or get out!"

Mingan, who had managed to remain by her side unnoticed, growled and barked at him. He jumped up on his hind legs, placing his fore paws on the counter. The owner stared at him with wide fearful eyes and took an immediate step back. It gave Aiyana more than enough time to jump the counter, grab the keys off the terrified man, and unlock the cabinet.

The man was in such a shock that he couldn't even utter one word as she picked up the necklace. Sasuke stood at the door, his mouth agape as she performed a theft in broad daylight. Aiyana smiled at him and then at the man. She placed the keys back on top of the counter, grabbed Sasuke while shouting at Mingan, and left the shop in a rush.

"What do you think, Uchiha-san?" Aiyana asked holding the necklace out in front of him once they were out of the store.

"That you should give it back," Sasuke replied. Yet it was quite interesting. It didn't prove that she was the amazing thief she claimed to be, but it did confirm she was a thief.

"Oh, what do you know anyways? Sides, that son of a bitch deserved it," Aiyana pouted. She started putting the necklace on just as a shout was heard from the shop. Once again, a smile was on her lips. "So, Sasuke-kun, you can either run with me or pretend that you had nothing to do with me."

Surprised by her suggestion, Sasuke glanced over his shoulder to see the owner shouting and pointing at them through the crowd. Run, she suggested. Run where? His mind was screaming at him. He was already guilty by association and Aiyana looked like she was about ready to leave without him. Finally, he looked up at her and nodded.

Aiyana grinned and took off through the crowd, weaving in between people while Sasuke did his best to keep an eye on her. Eventually he decided it'd be easier to spy the coal black wolf through the crowd of colors. The faces of the people around them changed from surprised, to annoyed, to anger, and it didn't take long for other blurs to appear. She had managed to get the police after them.

"Hurry up, Sasuke-kun!" Aiyana yelled laughing all the while. Sasuke gritted his teeth, but managed to keep up with her. Until she disappeared around a corner. He rounded the corner, felt someone grab his wrist and was dragged into a hidden spot between a door and a wall.

"How are you planning to get us out of this mess?" Sasuke demanded in a low hiss.

"Your sensei," she replied with a grin in her voice.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke repeated in disbelief.

She didn't reply and instead took a step out of their hiding place. There was no one in sight, so she motioned for Sasuke to come out as well. The wolf brushed past his legs and trotted out before him. They walked out onto the street and began a calm walk towards the training field.

Well, the calm walk lasted about five minutes.

"That's them!" a voice shouted and they were running again.

Naruto sighed and hit the back of his head against a tree. They were taking so long. What could be holding them up? He wanted to start his training and Tsunade-sama wasn't that hard to find. "Ow!" he yelled jumping up after the pain registered in his mind, "that hurt!"

"No way, dumbass," Sakura said sighing. Only Naruto can forget there is a tree behind him-only him. She rubbed her temples and looked over at Kakashi "When do you think Sasuke-kun will be back?"

Kakashi said nothing for a few minutes, his nose remaining buried in his book. After a few moments, Sakura became annoyed and opened her mouth to say something, but by some miracle, he spoke. "Right…about…now," he said just as they came running towards the group.

Aiyana placed her hands on her knees trying to breathe through her laughter. Mingan came up next to her looking like he was actually grinning in triumph, that is, if wolves could grin. Sasuke collapsed on the ground next to her, breathing heavily, but wore a smile. The others, except Kakashi, looked at them with little question marks floating around their heads waiting for one of the two to explain which neither did for a good time.

"Never again will I offer to go with you," Sasuke announced, glaring sharply at the raven haired girl. In fact, he wasn't even sure if their pursers were still following. The way she weaved through that crowd made him think it was impossible to follow her.

Aiyana grinned at his comment. "It's your fault for coming in the first place!" She laughed lightly and stood up to her full height, still a bit short of breath but not as bad as Sasuke.

"What happened?" Naruto and Sakura asked at the same time. Eagerness danced in their eyes as the waited to hear the story. Sakura had her fingers intertwined and brought up to her collar bone while Naruto merely bounced on his heels.

Sasuke pointed at Aiyana. "Half an hour in Konoha and she manages to get half the police force after us!" Sasuke exclaimed still panting for breath.

"Half the police force? It was only a few men," Aiyana corrected smiling. He glared at her again. She was gloating and Naruto and Sakura were absolutely transfixed.

"What did you steal?" Sakura asked looking around afraid that men would suddenly surrounded them. She wasn't sure what Aiyana meant by a few men, but Sasuke seemed a bit weary. Her eyes strayed to Kakashi who still appeared to be transfixed on his book.

"Whoever said I stole anything?" Aiyana asked in a spurious sour voice. "Just because I'm a thief doesn't mean I just stole something and got in -"

"She stole the necklace she's wearing," Sasuke answered for her. Aiyana glanced over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him for ruining her suspense. He gave her an ice cold glare in return causing her to change her expression into an innocent one.

"Stole?" Aiyana replied, trying once again to build up that suspense that Sasuke had torn down. "I merely took it from a man who doesn't deserve it."

Sakura was busy studying the scarlet stone around her neck. A wolf, she couldn't expect less, but the detail was beautiful. She could see why Aiyana would want it. "It's cute," she finally said.

"Somebody who appreciates artwork!" Aiyana exclaimed happily giving Sakura a quick random hug. She smiled at Sakura who looked utterly confused then backed away.

It was then that a ninja decided to appear amongst their midst, surprising everyone except Kakashi. "The Hokage wishes to see you, Kakashi-san," he announced in a monotone voice. His eyes slid over to Aiyana who had taken to glaring at him. "The pursuit for you has been cancelled."

Aiyana smiled warmly in reply. With his message delivered, he disappeared as quickly as he came. Kakashi sighed and disappeared without saying a word to his students.

"Hey! You're supposed to train us!" Naruto yelled as if their missing sensei could still hear them. The corner of Naruto's mouth twitched in annoyance and let out a defeated sigh.

"So, what now?" Sakura asked, looking at her other three companions.

"We can go out for ramen, Sakura-chan," Naruto suggested with a sly smile.

"No," Sakura rejected, irritation coating her tone.

Rejected for the umpteenth time, Naruto collapsed on the ground and covered his face. "We didn't get any training done," he pouted.

"That's your fault," Sasuke replied following the path back towards the village while earning an evil look from Naruto. "You should have trained while we were gone."

"Why you…" Naruto growled curling his hand into a fist. Now, Sasuke needed some sensed punched into him. Well, he always did, but now was just one of those times when he wished he could drive his fist into Sasuke's gut. Sakura glanced at Naruto then at the leaving Sasuke and sighed.

"Calm down, Naruto-kun," She ordered though the blonde's fist remained shaking in anger. "Sasuke-kun, wait up!" She called out after seeing that Naruto was just going to stand there. The Uchiha didn't glance back, but his pace seemed to slow down a bit so she started to run after him.

"Hey, Naruto," Aiyana said catching his attention before he left. "If you want to drop by my place tomorrow morning, I'll train with you." She handed him a slip of paper with the name of the hotel she was staying in. She had actually torn it off one of those notebooks that were left on the dresser in every hotel so she could remember what hotel she was staying at. Since she had no other paper and she honestly wanted to spend more time with the blond she might as well give it to Naruto.

Naruto glanced down at the paper and then smiled up at her. "You know how to fight, Aiyana-chan?"

She couldn't help but feel insulted by the question. "Of course, I can. I'm on your team now, aren't I?"

"You're what?" Naruto shouted in surprise.

"The Hokage put me on your team," Aiyana explained absentmindedly. The shock was quick to show on Naruto's face and, with only half the story, it was understandable. "Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow, Naruto-kun!"

She left him alone with his dumbfounded expression and thoughts.