Phantom of the Leaf

by Hyperguy

A boy born without chakra finds the attention of a certain outsider. Distraught over his lack of ability, the child walks a different path than his twin sister who's shining personality changes anyone she meets. With a different power at his fingertips he must go about removing the tumors that have grown within his village and the shinobi world without forgetting who he once was.

4. Honestum

XxXxX

A man with several scars running across his face gently sighed from his squatted state before shaking his head. Around him were a plethora of chunin, all of which were taking notes of anything and everything that may be of use.

"So it was a hit then?" A blonde man stated, standing tall as he too stared down at the grievous scene laid out before them.

"That much is obvious, Inoichi. The head has been sliced clean off and taken elsewhere. Meaning it had to have been a bounty hunter." The scared man stated as he stood from his squatted position.

"Just saying it out loud was all Ibiki." Inoichi looked across the dojo with observant eyes. Picking up everything that was out of the ordinary. "A struggle must have taken place." Inoichi knelt down and ran his fingers over one of the deep slice marks that had chiseled itself into the otherwise spotless wooden floor. "They must have really been slamming their swords against each other with reckless abandon to leave such deep marks."

"Maybe…" Ibiki replied as he observed the headless body before him. Kirito Sato was an outstanding citizen and went far beyond the call to help his community. Yes, there was a bounty on his head for his past deeds, but Konoha was willing to give him amnesty so long as he put his past behind him.

"Looks like his past finally caught up to him." Inoichi stated as a chunin came up to him and whispered something in his ear. "Nobody outside witnessed anyone coming in or out of the dojo since his final lesson several hours ago." Ibiki wasn't fazed by this however as he was too fixated on the grizzly scene before him. "Ibiki?"

"The person who killed Kirito was either a professional or a shinobi."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

"See how the body is laying on its stomach? Either a shinobi was able to quickly get behind him and stab him with the sword, or the body was turned over as to misguide anyone who came to investigate." Ibiki closed his eyes and sighed at this train of thought. "But it's clear that he was stabbed in the back meaning the former is more likely."

"If it was a shinobi then why was there such a fierce sword battle across the dojo? Wouldn't a shinobi just end it the moment that they could?" Inoichi asked, confused by this predicament.

"The assassin may have been toying with him, but if he wasn't a shinobi then that means Kirito may have been bested in a dual and finished off from behind." Ibiki rubbed his temples in a vague hope to subdue the headache that was brought on by this murder. "In any case we can't learn of what really happened here until more evidence presents itself."

"So the killer will get their reward and disappear into the shadows?" Inoichi asked with an irritated voice.

"I don't like it any more than you do, but what can we do? For now we will book it as a successful bounty hit by a private individual until we have more evidence on who could have done this." Ibiki stated with that even tone he always carried.

"I guess you're right." Inoichi said, knowing that this was probably just another murder that happens from time to time within the village.

"Come on. We have to file this at the T&I Headquarters." Ibiki said as he walked towards the exit with Inoichi following close behind.

XxXxX-Two days later

"What will you have me do Danzo-sama?" I asked before kneeling before the man that has trained me into the ground. It has only been two days since I killed Kirito and already Danzo has summoned me once again. We were currently standing within the darkened warehouse that had so much blood stained across its steel walls and concrete floors.

"Your previous mission was a success, but do not let it go to your head." Danzo said as he walked around me, inspecting my new wears. "Your clothes suit you. Hard to make out your identity and keeps you concealed at night."

"Your approval greatly honors me Danzo-sama." I replied, keeping my head down.

"Your next mission will begin now." Danzo said moving straight into business. "A member of the CCC has been leaking confidential information to a third party." A scroll was placed down in front of me by a Root agent before disappearing back into the shadows that surrounded us. "Complete the mission according to the specifications adhered in the scroll then return to me with the results."

"As you wish." I stated, gaining a nod from the elder man.

"Good. Now go. I expect good things from my favorite assassin." Danzo stated with a small smile. I nodded my head before slinking back into the shadows along with my Root brothers and sisters. After my presence had fully disappeared a Root agent appeared next to her master. T1 to be exact. "His skills as an assassin are growing at a faster pace than I had originally anticipated."

"A true diamond in the rough, Danzo-sama." T1 responded from her kneeling position.

"Indeed he is, but he is so much more valuable as not just an assassin." Danzo said as a sly grin spread across his features. "Your secrets cannot stay hidden forever little one…"

XxXxX

I rolled up the scroll and placed it within my jacket before looking up at the four story hospital. Kohona North Regional Hospital, the largest medical facility for non-shinobi in the village. Placed at the heart of Konoha's Political District, only the elite with power go to this hospital. The man I'm looking for is one Haruto Tanaka, or more importantly his medical records. There are five members in the CCC, minus Danzo of course, and my master seems to believe he's leaking information to someone else. Not one to disappoint, Danzo tasked me with killing him in a way that looks like an accident and after further scouting I've learned that the gluttonous CCC member has a very expensive palate. The man often visits a very high end restaurant known as the Aki Bara that serves a wide variety of different dishes.

A perfect setting for my mission to be carried out.

First, however, more information needs to be obtained before I can move forward with my plan. The setting sun signaled to me that his normal reservation at the Aki Bara was soon approaching, meaning I needed to move fast.

Moving into the entrance I quickly surveyed my surroundings. Two people were sitting in a few of the chairs waiting to be called on while a homeless woman argued with the clerk about not being allowed treatment. Patiently waiting behind the disgruntled woman until she finally stormed out of the building, the clerk then looked to me with an even expression.

"How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if I could visit a friend." I asked with a smile.

"Sorry, but visiting hours are from eight to six. Come back tomorrow morning if you want to visit."

"But it's urgent."

"I don't care. Rules are rules. Not get out of here." She must not have known who I was, but all the better in my eyes.

"Okay, thank you." Time for Plan B then. "Is there a restroom I can use before leaving?"

"Around the corner to your left." The clerk had already went back to writing something down in her notebook. Without another word I moved to the male's restroom and looked around until spotting the janitors closet. Checking to see if it was locked, which it was, I produced a lock pick and went to work. Every now and again I would check over my shoulder with my Dark Vision to see if anyone was approaching. A satisfying click resonated in my ears, meaning the door was now open. Swiftly entering and closing the door behind me, I locked the door and looked around the small room until my eyes landed on an air vent.

'Based on the schematics of the building this should lead me to the hallway close to where I need to go.' Opening the vent was simple and after removing the filter I Blinked up and into the metal shaft. Slowly I crawled through the maze of vents. Blinking up until I finally reached the third floor where my target was. Undoing the vent panel, I silently slipped into the hallway after checking if nobody was around. There should be very minimal activity on this floor based on what was housed here. With my Dark Vision active I crept through the building, dodging a few doctors moving to a fro until I reached the edge of the hallway. My Dark Vision spotted two guards standing in front of a door, clearly bored out of their minds. 'Not shinobi, but they're in my way…' The schematics to the building revealed that this door was the only way into the room. Looking about I found a storage closet not too far away with a possible distraction. The door wasn't locked, giving me full access to the contents inside. Pushing a beaker off the edge of the shelf, making a very loud crashing noise, I moved into an empty office across from the storage room.

"What was that?" I could hear one of the guards ask.

"Lets go check it out." The other responded as I watched them with my Dark Vision move away from the door and towards the storage closet. "It sounded like it came from in here." Silently I moved behind them before moving down the hallway.

"But this is just a storage closet." He stated as he opened the door to see a broken beaker on the ground.

"Rats maybe?" Beyond that I didn't hear, or care to hear for that matter. My simple distraction worked and I was at the door. Quickly lock picking the door, I entered and locked said door behind me. Not needing to turn on the lights I looked around at the stacks of file cabinets.

My feet carried me through the rows of files until finally I came across what I was looking for. 'Haruto Tanaka. There you are.' Opening the drawer, I quickly flipped through the folder until I landed on what I needed. After memorizing the contents insidem, I placed them back where I found them and closed the drawer.

"I swear this place is haunted." One of the guards said from outside the room, making me turn to see them standing outside the door once again.

"You really believe that?" The other responded.

"How else would a beaker just fall over like that?"

"I told you. It had to be rats or something."

"This is a hospital! You think they'd just let vermin like that crawl around in here!"

"It's the only logical explanation." And now a new problem has arisen. How was I going to get out? I could wait for the shift change, but who knows how long that would take? By the time a new set of guards rotates in my window could be closed and my plans foiled. Looking around the room for any secret exits I was unaware of I devised another simple plan for them to move away from the door. To play on the fears of the unsure guard. Slamming my shoulder into one of the filing cabinets, the guards outside immediately took notice.

"What the…?"

"See! I told you this place was haunted!" The other guard looked annoyed, but unsure as he unlocked the door.

"Lets go check it out."

"What?! I don't want to go in there!"

"Oh would you man up. It's our job." The guard walked into the room and flipped the lights on before pulling out a baton. "Now come on and let's see what that noise was." The room had five rows of filing cabinets, meaning they could only cover two. "You move down the far right side. I'll move to the left. We'll meet up in the middle, okay?"

Unsure of it, the other guard finally nodded. "Fine." They began making their rounds, giving me the perfect opportunity to swiftly move through the center row and out the room without ever being noticed. With this I swiftly made my way to the vent and exited the same way I came in.

I exited the bathroom and looked over at the clerk who glanced up at me in confusion.

"You okay? You were in there for a while." I looked up at the clock and saw that I had about forty minutes to make my deadline at the restaurant.

"I'm fine. Was just having some stomach issues." I replied as I walked out the door. Once out into the streets I placed my hood over my head before disappearing into the night.

XxXxX

"Where's my sous chef?! We have a dish that needs tending to for table thirty seven now!" A man shouted as he went back to work. Aki Bara was one of the most high end restaurants in the village and was given the award for best place to take a date to for the last two years running. Several people were running about the kitchen trying to keep up with the orders that were flowing into the kitchen. A loud banging noise could be heard at the back door leading into the alley. "Who could be coming at this hour?! You, finish this dish while I check on the door!" The man barked as another loud knocking could be heard. Quickly opening the door in annoyance, the head chef looked down at a blonde headed boy wearing a dirty hat carrying a bag of rags and black aprons. "What do you want?"

"I'm here to drop off some rags from the cleaning service." The boy responded, showing him the bag over his back.

"What? I didn't order any cleaning… whatever. Must have been that good for nothing sous chef of mine. Go place it on the shelf in the storage room and we'll take care of it later."

"Where is the-?"

"On the other side of the kitchen. Now go! We're busy here!" The chef quickly went back to work as the boy moved through the kitchen and into the storage room. After a few moments the cleaner boy returned and left without another word after passing by several work stations.

XxXxX

"Is that all sir?" A waiter asked me as I read one of the magazines that was provided by the small café. A small tea had been placed before me by an older lady that ran the small street side drink shop.

"Thank you miss." I responded with a smile, letting her take her leave to tend to someone else. The tea was hot, but needed to keep my eyes open for a while longer. Several gasps and screams began to echo from the large building across the street as moments later medical ninja appeared on site with equipment on hand. Taking another sip of my tea the scorching hot liquid made me flinch somewhat, but I continued drinking all the same. After waiting for a while longer a body bag on a stretcher was seen exiting the building.

"Oh my! What on earth happened?!" The owner asked in shock as we watched the medics carry the body away. I didn't reply. Deciding it best to finish my tea and leave the area without another word.

XxXxX

Danzo looked down on me with a neutral expression. "Another job well done." He stated as he stared at my kneeling position. "This time I gave you a little more leeway to complete your mission." The bandaged man smiled somewhat at the outcome before nodding his head. "Tell me. How did you know he would have a deathly allergic reaction like that?"

"I did some research before executing my plan." Was all I responded with.

"Well your research paid off. T1, if you would." Danzo stated as T1 appeared from the shadows and placed a wallet off money before me. "Your pay for a mission well executed. I will send for you when your next mission arises. Until then might I suggest paying a visit to our local bounty board? There you could gain some real world experience and make some extra money too."

"As you wish Danzo-sama." I replied before placing the money into my jacket pocket.

"But remember that my missions come before all else. Is that understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. You are dismissed until further notice." Nodding my head I slunk back into the shadows unknowing just how pleased Danzo truly was.

XxXxX-Three Weeks Later

Walking down the steps of one of the apartments in the Red Light district, the sound of my footsteps was cathartic to my ears. The noise radiated off the walls of the stairwell in an interesting fashion that made my mind buzz at the fairly odd topic of sound waves. Even if this building was a pile of garbage, it still made a strange echoing tone that not every stairwell made when walking down them. My thoughts were interrupted when a cloaked man could be seen looking out the window that gave him a perfect vantage point of the street below.

"Is it done? Did you… kill her?" The man asked, clearly not liking the word.

"Yes." I replied before stopping in front of the man and holding out my hand. "Now for the other half of my payment." He gulped before placing a bag of money into my hand. Without another word I turned and continued down the steps towards the entrance of the run down building. My name has been growing since my second official kill three weeks prior. Small jobs to large ones, I would take them all and complete them quickly.

Walking out into the dark back alley of the apartment buildings, I shifted through the garbage and sludge before finally making it out onto a neon glowing street. The Red Light district was one of the many places that shinobi and civilian officials avoided like the plague. Like most villages and cities, places like this were an unavoidable happenstance of having so many people in one place. And while Konoha was better than others at covering their underbelly up from others it was still here and an integrated part of the culture of Konoha.

Finally exiting the Red Light district, I moved through the crowded streets of the inner city until emerging into a weapons shop that I was all too familiar with. "Aki." I stated as I moved towards the back of the shop. He nodded his head in my direction before turning his attention to a customer wishing to purchase some supplies.

Several other shinobi were moving about the shop in search of supplies for the various missions that they would be going on. I waited for a lull in the store before moving to the counter with a pair of gloves like my old ones. Placing them onto the counter with a large amount of money, Aki took the money and put some into the register with the rest being stashed into his pocket. "Have a good evening, and come back in a day or two. I'm sure our next shipment will arrive by then." Aki said.

"I'm sure I'll be around then." I replied as I moved towards the entrance of the store. To my surprise Aki was the local Bounty Keeper for Konoha. Small to large bounties, everything is ran through him when it came to bounties in and around Konoha. Because of this I've stayed close to him and paid the man his finder's fee on each and every kill contracted through his board. Never, EVER, not pay a bounty keeper his portion. It is the quickest way to end your career as a bounty hunter or assassin. Word would spread that you missed a payment, and when others hear of your reputation then they will bar you from their respective bounty boards. If the bounty is large enough then they may even place a bounty on you, which is a worst case scenario. Danzo once explained to me with a serious face.

Aki was, in the beginning, hesitant to give me contracts, but when he received word of my triumph over Kirito from an…. unknown source his mind quickly changed. The swordsman had a large bounty on his head, ranked C to be exact, and anyone who could complete a bounty like that was worthy enough to take harder bounties. Aki was only disappointed that he wasn't the one that contracted me to kill the target. Unlike his daughter, and now deceased wife, he wasn't a shinobi. He didn't know any jutsu, and he wasn't able to run up walls like Tenten. Aki's life before he met his wife was… shady, but with that behind him the storeowner now only distributes the work instead of actually doing it. What he did in his past remained a mystery to everyone who asked. I couldn't blame him. One day, if I ever meet that special someone, I would never want to tell them of the things that I'm doing right now.

As I opened the door, I was met with a familiar face. "Hey there mister blue eyes!" Aki glanced over, but returned to dealing with a customer that wanted to purchase some training kunai.

"Hello." It was Tenten, and she looked particularly beaten up and tired.

"I haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"Fine, just busy." I gave her a once over, which she seemed to notice.

"Oh, sorry. We had one of our training days that Gai-sensei likes to put us through." She shivered at the memory of what they did today. "I would prefer to do a hundred D rank missions than do that again." I went to respond, but then I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

"Tenten, could you help me for a moment?" Aki asked from behind the counter.

"Sure thing! See you later mister blue eyes." Tenten said with a smile before running to the counter. I left the shop and moved through the busy street that ran along the front of the building until finally entering a dark alleyway across from the shop.

"Danzo has summoned you." The shaded figure of a nameless Root ANBU said.

"I just finished a bounty. Can this wait?"

"No. This is important."

"Important to whom?"

"Quiet and come along like a good servant." I growled as he placed a hand onto my shoulder. We disappeared from alley, leaving nothing but the rats to witness our conversation. It only took a moment for us to appear in front of the warehouse that I was all too familiar with. "As you requested, my lord."

"You may leave." Danzo said, his back turned to us as he spoke. The Root disappeared, leaving the two of us to ourselves and the stars above. "Your name has grown over the last three weeks. Three personal enemies dead, and how many bounties have you tallied up from the local bounty board? Six?"

"Seven." I replied, counting the one I did today. I was slowly accumulating a small fortune from the number of missions, or bounties, that I've completed.

"And with a spotless record no less. 'The Phantom of the Leaf' has certainly lived up to the expectations, but I wonder…" Danzo finally turned to me with a slight grin on his face. "How has your home life been?" Frowning at his words, I knew exactly what he was referring to. Ever since my outburst, Yui has been avoiding me like the plague. Every now and again she would try and talk to me, but I remained quiet. Never speaking a word to my twin, while our father remained oblivious to the situation. Minato knew that I was being distant, at least more than usual, but thought nothing more of it. He was too wrapped up in his work to notice, or care. I did return to school, however, but this was only to further push my cover. Now that I've graduated from my school, it has opened up my schedule considerably. "That's what I thought. They wouldn't understand that with each bounty you collect, with each person you kill under my orders, you're cleansing this village of the plague that holds it down."

"…" It's true… if I told my family of what I was doing then they would probably disown me. Whether I believed Danzo, or not. Whether I was killing people for the money, or to unearth the 'tumors' that ate away from the inside of the village. Minato and Yui would never tolerate my methods.

"I have a new mission for you. One that will place you on the lips of even the shinobi of this village." Danzo handed me a scroll, an evil glint in his eye as he did so. "I won't lie to you. This will be one of the most difficult missions that you will be faced with up until this point. It will be a true test of your skill and it must be completed exactly as descripted. Fail to follow my orders to the letter and you will die."

"Why do I want my name to be known to the shinobi? Won't it only make my work harder?" Danzo sees me as an extension of himself. He wants a tool underneath him that will strike fear into the minds of the people, and one day show the people that he has complete control of said tool.

"The harder the job, the more money you get. As your reputation grows, so too will the challenges you face. Learn this at a young age and you'll become one of the best assassin's in the world."

"Bounty hunter, assassin, it all sounds the same to me. The only difference is one pays more for what I do." I responded making Danzo chuckle.

"I'll be sure to compensate you well for your services. So long as you follow my orders of course." Danzo said as he turned to leave. "You have forty-eight hours to complete the assignment. When completed return to me for your payment." With that Danzo disappeared, leaving me with another job. One that will change my life forever.

XxXxX

'This place is feeling less and less like home.' I thought as I approached the front door to my house. Minato wasn't home, but I could see Yui with my Dark Vision sitting at the desk in her room reading a scroll. Opening the door, I could see Yui's head raise slightly at the noise, but return to normal after a moment of silence. She must have known it was me… Walking to the end of the hallway, I opened my door and locked it shut behind me. I removed my jacket and scarf and walked to my own desk near the window that overlooked the main street that ran from the Hokage Tower to the front gate. After placing the scroll onto my desk, I nearly had a heart attack when a knock echoed across the room.

"Naruto? I know you're in there. Please… can we talk?" I looked over my shoulder and peered at her through the door with my Dark Vision. A hand was placed onto my door and she was staring at the ground. "I know you can hear me. Just listen, okay?" I stood from the chair at my desk and moved towards the door, but I remained quiet. She was trying to apologize. Trying to be a nice person and make amends for angering me several weeks ago. "I know that life isn't fair. That you drew the short end of the stick. After thinking, I remember that some of the best moments of my life was when I learned how to properly control my chakra, or when I finally graduated from the Academy. Then I remembered that you… disappeared. That when dad and I started focusing on becoming the best shinobi we could be for the village, you faded away." She was stumbling over her words, and I could tell she was crying. Over the last three weeks she must have finally realized what has been haunting me for so long. "I just wanted to say I was sorry, and I hope one day we could smile together like we used to."

A frown graced my features as I listened to her walk back to her room. I placed my forehead against the door and pushed the emotions that were surfacing back down. Our worlds were just so far apart. I thought that maybe with my new powers I would be able to become something akin to a shinobi, but with these powers came a responsibility. One that would push me even further away from my family than ever before.

'I'm sorry Yui…'

XxXxX-The following day

"This looks miserable…" Sakura voiced as they looked at a building that has been destroyed due to a fire. "We're supposed to clean this up?" It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky.

"That's what the mission states." Kakashi replied as he rolled up a wheel barrel with several supplies sitting inside. Shovels, gloves, and other protective gear was bought in preparation of their new D-rank mission. "Although I think we're going to need another wheel barrel. I wasn't expecting the home to be this big." They were currently in the suburbs on the south eastern part of town. A quiet little neighborhood that many middleclass families choose to settle down in.

"Well lets get started. We don't have all day." Yui said as she grabbed a pair of gloves and a shovel from the wheel barrel.

"It's good to see Yui feeling a little better. The last couple of weeks she's been depressed I think." Sakura said to Kakashi. Their sensei nodded his head in agreement before realizing that he forgot a pair of gloves.

"Saya could you run to the store and grab a pair of gloves for me? We have one pair too little." Kakashi said, making the brooding Uchiha give her signature 'hn' before walking away. "Don't take too long! You wouldn't want to miss all the fun!"

The Uchiha didn't respond to the obviously sarcastic comment as she made her way down the street towards the nearest hardware store. As she exited the southeastern suburbs and towards the southern district that housed many of the merchant markets, Saya suddenly felt a tingle run up her spine. It was as if a pair of eyes were watching her from afar. Glancing to her sides, she couldn't see anyone who looked out of the ordinary walking along the street. It was then that a small prick tickled the side of her neck. Jumping at the contact, Saya quickly turned around, but there wasn't anybody there. She rubbed the side of her neck where the prick originated, but found that nothing was there as well. 'What is happening? Am I just paranoid?' Shaking off the feeling of uneasiness, the Uchiha approached one of the stalls that was selling the product she needed.

"One pair of work gloves please." Saya asked as she pulled out the money.

"Here you go kid. That'll be…" The man said, but Saya then began to feel light headed. Handing the man the money, she quickly took the gloves and began walking back towards where her team was located. Before she could reach them, however, her vision began to blur and her head began to hurt.

'What is going on?' Saya thought as she nearly tumbled over into a group of passing people. 'Am I sick or something?'

"Hey, are you okay?" A voice said as a hand was placed onto her shoulder. Looking over to the source of the voice, Saya could only see a pair of blue eyes looking back at her in concern through her wavering vision.

"I…" Saya went to say, but then everything went black.

XxXxX

I stared down at a passed out Uchiha with dead eyes. Pulling her arm over my shoulder, we began to move through the crowd of people. Many of which sending us confused glances. "Is everything okay?" A man asked as we moved towards a small park where several children could be seen playing in the playground. I could tell that they were concerned because they knew who the person I was carrying was. Everyone knew who the 'Last Uchiha' was, and everyone in the village was in love with her for some reason. They liked her just as much as they liked Yui…

"Everything's fine. Just a little dehydrated after some training is all." I responded with a smile. The large man still looked concerned, but nodded his head nonetheless. Finding a nice tree with some shade, I placed the knocked out Uchiha against the bark of the tree before sitting down onto the cool grass. 'The poison shouldn't last too long. Maybe only a few minutes or so.' Looking over myself, I was suddenly glad that I didn't wear my jacket and scarf today. Instead I wore a dark gray shirt with black pants and shoes. 'That wouldn't have gone over very well if I looked like an unmarked shinobi.' The sound of children playing in the background, coupled with a soft breeze, sent me into a trance.

"Ouch… my head…" I kept my eyes closed as I simply waited for Saya to regain her composure. The Uchiha finally began looking around until her eyes landed on me. She stared at me for a moment, as if thinking over her position. "Did you…?"

"Are you feeling better?" I asked, finally opening my eyes to look at Saya. She was staring at me for a moment before quickly shaking her head.

"I am. What happened?"

"Not really sure. I saw you start to wobble back and forth like you weren't feeling very well. When you passed out I thought maybe a little shade and some water might help you." I replied as I handed her a bottle of water from my small backpack. Inspecting the lid and seeing that it was sealed, she opened it up and took a sip. "Training a little too hard?"

"How do you know I'm a shinobi?" Saya asked, caution in her eyes as she spoke. I pointed to my forehead, making the girl feel her own. Then a look of embarrassment ran across her features. 'Right… forehead protector.' "I'm not sure what happened. Maybe it was the heat."

"You should probably go to a doctor, just to be sure." I said with worry evident in my voice.

"I should be fine. Just need to-." Saya went to stand, but then quickly fell. Catching her fall, I helped her up by placing one of her arms over my shoulder. "I feel so weak for some reason!"

"Here, let me take you to a doctor so you can get looked at. Hopefully whatever is happening is only temporary." I said as we made our way out of the park and down the street. 'Looks like the side effects of the poison is working just as intended. What Danzo said would be a hamper is actually going to be beneficial to my plan.'

"But I need to get to my team." Saya said, but she didn't sound too convincing. She then looked over at me with curious eyes. "You look familiar… aren't you Yui's brother?"

"Nothing gets past you." I said as another pin prick tapped the side of her neck, but this time it went unnoticed by the Uchiha.

"I just remember meeting you…back… when…" Saya said as she faded off to sleep once again. Shaking my head, I pulled her into an alley between two buildings. Finding two large dumpsters I sat Saya on a pile of garbage bags before setting my backpack against one of the dumpsters. Unzipping the backpack, I removed five glass vials, plastic tubing, a bottle of alcohol, gauze, and finally a needle. The process should only take two minutes if I was fast enough. After I cleaned the inside of her arm with the gauze and alcohol, I pressed the needle into her arm and watched as the red liquid moved through the clear tubing. Two minutes later the five vials were full and the needle out of her arm. I pressed hard against her arm and waited for the blood to clot around the small entrance wound that the needle created. Once sufficiently healed to a point that would be unrecognizable to anyone not looking for a needle mark on an arm, I wrapped the vials up and placed them into my backpack.

After completing my first objective, I lifted Saya up and began carrying her back towards the park. Saya then began to stir once again as we moved towards where her team was. "Wha…?"

"Finally awake?"

"Did I pass out again?"

"Yeah. We're lucky that a medical shinobi happened to be passing by and he said that you had a strange bug that has been floating around." I replied.

"So I'm sick?"

"Not really. He said that it should only last a few minutes and sometimes make the host pass out a few times before disappearing."

"And my weakness?"

"Just feeling sore after fighting off what was inside of you. You should feel better in five to ten minutes." Saya looked relieved by my words as she felt her strength already returning with each passing step.

"Thank you for helping me." Saya said, but it sounded like she was having trouble speaking those words. I smiled at her response, but her eyes lingered on the side of my face.

"What?" I asked as Saya finally regained her footing and began walking herself. As we approached where her team was cleaning up the burnt out building, I stopped and gave the Uchiha a confused look.

"It's just… I didn't expect anyone to help me like that. Especially Yui's brother." She said with a slight blush on her cheeks.

I shrugged my shoulders at her statement. "I guess we're lucky that I happened to be passing by. Anyway have fun on your mission." With that Saya watched as the blonde twin walked away before disappearing around the corner of a building. Shaking her head, the Uchiha continued walking to where her group currently was.

"Finally decided to come back! What took you so long baka?!" Yui shouted, making the Uchiha grow irritated.

"Just took my time dobe." Saya replied before placing the gloves onto her hands and grabbing a shovel. Why should she tell them of what happened earlier?

XxXxX

"Phase one complete." I said as I handed a Root ANBU my backpack on top of a roof near the center of the city.

"Understood. Initiate phase two as per instructed." The Root said before disappearing from the roof in a swirl of leaves.

"Right… phase two…" I breathed in heavily as I thought of what was to come. This would be one of the most dangerous missions I've ever undertook. Its purpose remained unknown to me, but since Danzo was paying me on top of it I saw no reason to turn it down. Still, everything needed to be performed to the letter if I was going to succeed.

XxXxX

"Do you want to get a bite to eat with us Saya?" Sakura asked, hopeful that her teammate would accept after being turned down so many times.

"I'll pass." Saya replied before turning and walking towards the Uchiha District, where a quiet training field awaited.

"Come on baka! You never eat with us. It's a part of team building!" Yui replied, but the stoic girl continued walking without a word. "Fine! See if we care!"

The Uchiha was soon out of earshot of her team with only a mild headache this time. "Why do they insist on inviting me to dinner every time we finish a mission?" Shaking her head, she continued walking through the dense crowds as she made her way towards the Uchiha District. It was the only place in the village where nobody would bother her, and the only place that she could truly remind herself why she must become strong.

As she moved towards her old home, the crowds became thinner with each passing step. There wasn't many reasons for ordinary people to travel to the Clan District unless they needed to deliver something. Even then the clan in question would normally send out their own member to retrieve whatever it was that originally needed delivering. Because of this the surrounding area had very little foot traffic, which was welcomed to the 'last' remaining Uchiha.

Finally entering through the gate to her own district, Saya remembered seeing the bodies that littered the ground of the street as she moved towards the training grounds. 'I'll become stronger… to avenge everyone. Mark my words.' Saya shook the feeling of remorse from her body as she continued walking. It was then that something… cold ran up her spine. Saya stopped and began looking around at the Uchiha marked buildings around her. It felt like…

Her eyes widening, Saya quickly began looking around in desperation. "Itachi!" Saya shouted to the empty street, her eyes dancing wildly over each corner of darkness. The only light came from the street lamps that lined the street. "I know you're here! Come out and face me you coward!" Only the buzz of the lamp posts met her ears. "Itach-!" Then she saw it. A dark mantle looking at her from the door of her old home.

Filled with a boiling rage, Saya charged after the mantle as said figure disappeared into the darkness of the place that she once called home. 'It has to be him. Nobody else has ever made me feel this much raw anger!' The door slowly closed before Saya, but she smashed the door down and looked around the entrance. For a moment there was nothing, then she saw a door at the end of the dark hallway slowly close. 'There!' Dashing towards the door, the impatient Uchiha quickly slid the door open to reveal the room that her parents…

Saya came to a halt after realizing where she was being led to by the shadowy figure. "Why…?" Saya said as she walked into the room. The blood stains were still there from where her parents were…

Before she could think of anything else she was roughly turned around and smashed in the face by a metal object.

XxXxX

I threw the shovel I was holding off to the side and turned back to the knocked out Uchiha. 'Three times in one day. Are you that oblivious? So many openings…' The rope that sat in the corner of the room was quickly tied around her ankles, knees, arms, and wrists. After this I went to work with removing any hidden weapons that could be found over her body. As I dragged Saya to the center of the room, where the only light coming in was from a street lamp outside of the single window in the room, my mind began to wander. 'So what Danzo told me was true. Saya's parents must have been killed in this room. It's the only reason why she would freeze up like that.' Dropping the prodigy onto the ground, I moved back into the shadows and awaited her eventual return to consciousness.

It took her a moment, a few minutes really, but after a while Saya began to stir from her forced slumber. "W-What the hell." Saya muttered as she rolled over onto her back and opened her eyes. Another few seconds passed, but then the memories returned to her. "Wait, where did you go?!" Quickly shooting up into a sitting position, the girl regretted that decision as a painful throb erupted in her head. "Ouch…"

"…" I watched as she finally realized that she was tied down tightly by very thick rope.

"Itachi! Come out! I know you're there!" Saya shouted as she struggled against her restraints, but this only caused rope burn to appear on her arms and legs.

"Itachi… I haven't heard that name in a while." I responded from the shadows. It was a lie, but I needed to force out even more emotion from the already emotionally scarred girl.

"You aren't my brother." Saya said, anger seething out of every one of her pores.

"No. I'm not." Saya was staring into the darkness where my voice was coming from.

"But you know who he is."

"…"

"Tell me where he is." These words were said in a very threatening voice.

"No."

"Tell me where he is you coward!" Saya struggled against her restraints even more, but they wouldn't budge. "I swear if you don't tell me where that murderer is hiding I'll force it out of you."

"Not part of my contract."

"What do you mean 'contract'?"

"Before your clan was murdered did your father include you in their clan meetings?"

"Are you a shinobi from another village? Is that what's going on here?" Saya replied in anger. "Trying to steal the secrets of the Uchiha?!"

"I'm not a shinobi from another village." I replied. "I'm an individual contractor. Now answer the question."

"Go to he-." A fist was smashed into her face, making her fall to the ground. Grabbing onto the ropes that bound her arms at her back, I pulled her back up to a sitting position.

"Your family has many secrets. Secrets that are only discussed amongst the most elite of your clan. My employer is trying to learn of as many of them as possible." Saya was still slightly dazed as I removed my grip from the rope. I quickly disappeared back into the shadows as my target began to come out of her daze. "Now I'll ask again. Were. You. Present."

"I see what's going on. The person that hired you… was Itachi, wasn't it?" Saya slightly smiled as the idea seemed to finalize in her head. "He's scared that maybe our father told me something about the clan that was possibly withheld from him." The girl laughed as the thought finally seemed all too real in her head. "And he sent you! A mercenary! To extract the information because he couldn't return to the village otherwise! How pathetic!"

Then a sharp pain exploded from her body, making the Uchiha scream in agony. Looking down she saw one of her kunai sticking out of her upper thigh and blood oozing out of the wound. Looking up she saw the hooded man with a scarf looking into her eyes. A purple aura radiated from the darkness within the darkness making him look like a demon.

"You will tell what you know." I twisted the blade, making her scream once more. "In due time…"

XxXxX

"You didn't have to come with me." Sakura said as she carried a box of food with her towards the Uchiha district. Yui smiled as she placed her hands behind her head.

"I know, but we need to work on our team bonding." Yui replied, making Sakura sigh and shake her head. "Besides, I want to see if that idiot is coming up with any secret moves without me knowing."

"Is that the real reason you came?" Sakura asked with a sweat drop, but Yui already had an evil gleam in her eye. "You can't be serious Yui. We're on the same te-." Then they heard it. A blood curdling scream as soon as they entered the Uchiha district. "Was that…?"

"That was Saya! Come on!" Yui shouted as they dashed down the empty street of the compound.

"What's going on?!" Sakura asked to nobody in particular, but then another scream reached their ears. Sakura was becoming increasingly worried with each step they took.

"Don't know, but we better hurry! This way!" Yui replied as they turned a corner to see a home with its door smashed in. "Over there!"

"Saya has to be in there." Sakura shouted as they stopped near the door and pressed their backs against each side.

"Sakura." Yui said, gaining her teammates attention. The jinchuuriki could tell that she was nearly scared to death of what was to come. "Find Kakashi and bring him here."

"But what about Saya?"

"I'll scout the situation and find out what's going on. Hurry and find our sensei." Yui said, gaining a quick nod from her teammate.

"Be back soon." Sakura said before running back down the street. Breathing in heavily, Yui entered the building as quietly as possible, but as she entered she saw her teammate. At the end of the hallway she saw her through a door that was left open. Bleeding and tied down so she couldn't move, Saya looked to be knocked out with a small amount of blood dripping from her mouth. Standing over her was a black garbed mantle with a scarf and hood.

"Saya!" Yui shouted on instinct for her teammate's health. The mantle looked down the hallway, as if not surprised that she was there. The darkness underneath the hood made it impossible for her to decipher who it could be, but when he was alerted to her presence he moved towards the door as if to close it. "Oh no you don't!" Dashing towards the closing door, Yui ran as fast as she could.

The door closed in front of her, but less than a second later she smashed through said door with her shoulder. Tumbling into the room the blonde quickly scanned her surroundings, but it was empty save for the unconscious Uchiha. "Where did he…?" Shaking her head, Yui began untying her teammate and treating the wounds to the best of her abilities. Chasing down the perpetrator would have to come after she tended to Saya's wounds.

XxXxX

"She knew nothing." I said as I approached a dark figure in front of my training warehouse.

"Nothing you say?" Danzo questioned as I came closer.

"Fugaku had yet to integrate her into the upper echelon of the Uchiha before the massacre occurred. Saya is unaware of any secrets that her family may possess other than the Mangekyo Sharingan." I reported.

"A shame, but I suppose it is to be expected." Danzo said as he rubbed his chin in thought. "In any case a job well done. You fulfilled your mission parameters even if the end result isn't what I wished. Here is your payment for the mission." He placed a large sum of money into my hand, which I quickly stashed away. "You've proven yourself to be able to complete missions against shinobi, which is incredible in its own right. Even if your target was emotionally unstable. Congratulations my young assassin."

"Thank you." I replied with a bow.

"I will call for you if something else comes up." Danzo turned and began walking away. "Until we meet again." With that he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

'Saya…' I thought as I turned and began walking down the street towards the warehouse entrance. 'To be that emotionally imbalanced just at the mention of her older brother. Everything Danzo's told me about the remaining Uchiha has been true. Itachi's Sharingan must be very powerful to leave a lasting scar like that.' After leaving the warehouse district, I began moving towards my home with my payment in my pocket. 'The Naka Shrine seems interesting, and I'm sure if Danzo knew about it he would have gained even more power from its secrets. Something that I cannot allow until I know what's going on.'

Lowering my hood and taking off my scarf, I looked up into the night sky and frowned. Was this what my life was going to be like? I wanted to save this village from the people that were destroying it from within, but did that entail the killing of people just for profit? Possibly, but if this is what it takes to save this village then so be it. The consequences would catch up to me at some point, and when they do I would gladly pay it in full.

XxXxX

"What did you see Yui." Kakashi asked. They were currently at the hospital outside of the room that housed their teammate. After finding their sensei, Sakura and the Jonin quickly made it to the Uchiha District to find Yui doing her best to stop the bleeding. The three took the knocked out Uchiha to the shinobi hospital where they were currently trying to recollect what happened, and since Yui was the only one to actually see what happened first hand…

"When I entered the building I saw Saya on the ground in the room where we found her. Standing over Saya was…" Yui sighed as she tried her best to recollect what happened. Sakura quietly listened in on the conversation. Having not been there near the end, she could only tell her sensei of the screams that they heard on their initial approach.

"Was what?" Kakashi asked.

"A man. Wearing a black jacket and hood with a scarf that covered the lower portion of his face. When I began running down the hallway he turned to me and closed the door. Not one second later I smashed the door down, but when I scanned the room he was already gone." Yui recollected. "That's when you two showed up a few minutes later."

"Hmm…" Kakashi placed his hand onto his chin in thought. "He probably escaped out the open window, but to do so in that short amount of time means he is very fast."

"Who is it, and why did he go after Saya?" Sakura asked.

"I'll have to ask Saya what she saw when she wakes up. There's still no information to confirm what's going on." Kakashi said as a doctor exited the room. "How is she?"

"She'll be fine. The kunai wounds on her leg, arm, and back should heal within twenty-four hours, and the bruises should be gone before then." The doctor replied as he handed the clipboard to the Jonin, who gave it a once over.

"Is she awake?" Sakura asked.

"She is, and you can see her at this time as well."

"Thank you." Kakashi said as he handed the clipboard back. "So no serious damage was done?"

"Besides the light head trauma, stab wounds, and other bruises she should be fine."

"I see. Well thank you again." Kakashi said as he opened the door to the room as the doctor disappeared down the hallway. "Come on. Lets see how Saya is doing." This gained a nod from the two females as they entered the room. Saya had her head against the pillow, but she was staring out into the late evening sky through a window near her bed with a glazed over expression.

"Saya!" Sakura exclaimed before running to the bedside. The Uchiha never looked over, but instead kept her eyes staring out into the darkness of the hospital courtyard.

"How are you doing Saya?" Kakashi asked as Yui and himself stood by the foot of the bed. She then looked over at the man with a look that the Jonin hasn't seen in a long time. "Yui, Sakura, can you please wait outside for a moment."

"But why?! We have every right to be here!" Yui complained, but the look she received from her teacher demanded obedience. "Fine, lets go Sakura." The pinkette looked between the two before reluctantly following her teammate out into the hall.

Once the door was closed Kakashi looked to Saya with a hardened expression. "Who was the person that attacked you?"

"He was sent by him." Saya said with as much venom as she could muster.

"…" Kakashi, of course, knew who Saya was referring to, but it still didn't make any sense. Why would her brother randomly send someone to attack her? "Why?"

"To extract any secrets that my father may have told me." Saya explained. Each word that left her mouth only fueled her anger further. "Itachi sent him to make sure he didn't miss anything." Slamming her fist into the side of the bed in annoyance, the girl remembered that she was forced to tell the dark mantle what she knew. "And I actually told him what little I knew. Damn it!"

Not wanting to prod into that topic further, Kakashi decided to switch the direction of the conversation. "And what of the man? Can you give me a description of his physical appearance?"

"He wore a black jacket and hood with a scarf around the lower portion of his face. While in the room he mostly stuck to the shadows, but I think he was about our age, maybe a little older." Internally Kakashi sighed. This was the exact same description that Yui gave him.

"Anything else?"

"There was this one thing…" The Jonin's hopes perked at this. "When he stabbed me in the leg I could see his eyes glow a dark purple in the darkness where his eyes should be. It looked almost like a demon had taken over."

"Purple glowing eyes?" Kakashi voiced as he thought over the implications of this information. "And you're sure that it was your brother that sent him?"

"Who else could it have been?! He was sent to try and uncover the remaining secrets of the Uchiha Clan. It has to be him. I just know it." Saya said with anger returning to her voice.

"In any case we're going to have to relay this information to the Hokage in the morning. For now get some rest." Kakashi said as he moved towards the door. 'If what Saya said is true than this man shouldn't be too much of an issue. He's already got the information he came for and is likely going to leave Saya alone for the time being, but something doesn't add up. Why would Itachi hire a mercenary to obtain sensitive Uchiha information? If this is true than this man must be highly trusted by Itachi, meaning a possible spy may be in our mists and a very powerful one at that.' Shaking his head at the thought, the silver haired man placed his hand on the door knob. 'Minato is going to want to hear about this… and he's not going to like what I'm going to have to say.'

XxXxX

AN: Hello everyone. I know it's been a while, but like I've said before in one of my other stories I've been a rough go at it lately. Not writers block, but just life in general.

Anyway, thank you all for continuing to read my stories. It truly means a lot.