Responses To Comments With Questions:
time-twilight : I'll be able to show some of Rena's prowess in the next chapter, but I'd definitely like to think that her strength is closer to Sasuke's than Ino's! As for your other questions, you'll have to wait and see! ;)
Thank you time-twilight, Shewolf, Oblivion168, speedy-skye, Scarlet, Guest and Minato for reviewing!
Rena felt a vein on her forehead grow more visible as Naruto ranted on their – incredibly slow – walk to their destination. All she wanted to do was sprint on ahead and get this mission over with so she could step away from the obnoxious blond, especially when he threw a temper tantrum about having Sai replacing Sasuke (but she did smirk in amusement when Sakura punched Sai in the face).
Just slit his throat.
No, I can't kill this one.
When they finally stopped for the night she was extremely relieved.
The best part?
They were staying somewhere that had hot springs.
She's never even entertained the idea of being able to stay somewhere with hot springs. The childish excitement that bubbled in her as she and Sakura entered the hot springs made her giddy. The second her toe hit the steaming water she felt a sudden relaxation run over her entire being, she didn't even react to Sakura's giggle at her reaction.
"OKAY FIRST OF ALL, I AM NOT COMFORTABLE IN THIS SETTING AT ALL!"
Both Sakura and Rena made similar facial expressions at the outburst that was undoubtably Naruto's boisterous voice.
"Well, the dumbass managed to make me tense again," Rena mumbled aloud, slowly sinking further into the hot water.
"So, Rena-chan, what's your favorite color?" Sakura questioned as the two women walked back to their shared room after getting out of the hot springs.
The raven hummed aloud at the question. "Blue, you?"
"Red," Sakura smiled. "Your favorite food?"
Rena was growing confused by the weird questions but answered, "Onigiri with okaka, you?"
"Syrup-coated anko dumplings!" as they approached their room Sakura pulled out the key from her pocket to unlock the door. "Do you have any hobbies, Rena-chan?"
The brunette rubbed her thumb against her forefinger as they entered the room, the two plopping down on the floor next to the floor table. "What are hobbies?"
The pinkette looked taken aback, then a look of sadness flashed behind her bright green eyes. "Things you enjoy doing, something that can be a stress reliever or just makes you really excited. For example, I like to play trivia games."
The taller girl subconsciously tilted her head to the side, thinking.
Sakura grew nervous at the others sudden quietness and hastily told her it was fine but Rena opened her mouth to say, "Learning about Konoha."
The kunoichi felt touched at the other girl's unpredictable words, treating her to a genuinely warm smile. Rena hesitantly duplicated her facial expression, but before they made eye contact her eyes zoned in on an innocent bouquet of flowers atop a side table in the very corner of the wood paneled room.
When Sakura noticed her gaze she turned around, only noticing a small bouquet of blue tulips, asking her what she was looking at.
Rena simply shook her head, telling the other girl she was tired and was going to retire to bed. Sakura agreed and they laid down after turning the lights off.
"KILL HIM!"
Her red eyes stared unblinkingly into the terrified eyes of the young boy horrifically shaking in front of her. The dirt from the ground caked his trembling legs from when he was previously dragged into the arena, his bony hands barely holding onto an extremely dull kunai that couldn't do any damage without the proper force.
Her stance was straight-backed, her hand calmly resting on the hilt of her katana, her face dull.
"I won't kill you," she whispered.
She wouldn't spill unnecessary and such innocent blood. What was the point?
A snarl met her ears and she felt her body being yanked back by the shoulder. A heavy hand painfully clamped down on her shoulder and whirled her around, her eyes staring at the nose at one of the yukata's (she made the mistake before looking one of them in the eyes when she had her red eyes activated and was practically beat into an inch of her life – she wasn't going to do that again).
"Your purpose is to kill! So, KILL THE BOY!"
"No," her voice was leveled, quiet.
The yukata yelled out some expletives before screeching that she should go back to her room if she wasn't going to do her duty.
Her eyes faded to black and she walked away from the scene, she couldn't hide her amusement in her smile as she left the arena and could still clearly hear the childlike anger behind her.
"Nii-chan!"
A wide smile made its way onto Rena's face once she heard Mizuki's voice.
Even with all she's experienced, the twelve-year-old was still able to carry around a bright, childlike demeanor. And that was one of the things Rena loved about her.
Her tiny hands were cupped around something, her cheeks flushed as she stood in front of Rena. "Look what I made!"
She held up her cupped hands to Rena's face, proudly uncovering them to reveal a pristine blue tulip.
Rena's eyes shined with pride. "It's beautiful!"
"Good, 'cause it's for you!" Mizuki widely grinned.
"Really?" her voice became tight at the simple present.
"Yup! I made it special for Nii-chan!"
Rena gratefully took the flower from Mizuki's hands, cradling it in her hands with the utmost care.
"Thank you," she smiled.
"KILL HER!"
Irritation wove itself through Rena's head at the achingly familiar scene in front of her.
This time it was a young girl with long dark blonde hair, holding desperately to an equally dull kunai as the boy before her. Tears freely flowed from her terrified eyes.
Instead of attacking the girl, Rena opened her mouth to let out a mocking yawn.
"THAT'S IT!"
The same man from the other day – it was always him – stomped out of the arena yelling something Rena didn't bother to focus her chakra into her ears to hear.
It was just Rena and the girl.
"What's your name?"
The girl looked surprised at the question, hesitantly responding with a shaky, "A-Ayame."
Rena hummed in thought. "Well Ayame, my name is Rena."
The girls shaking stopped, but she still tightly held the kunai in her fist.
"Where are we?" she harshly whispered.
Rena raised an eyebrow at the question. "The arena," her eyes narrowed. "Have you never been here before?"
"I've never been in this facility before. My team was knocked out and I woke up here two days ago."
Before Rena could continue her questioning to the girl the familiar yukata returned with two people in tow.
Rena's red eyes widened in horror at the view before her.
Hiding cowardly behind the protective glass that surrounded the perimeter of the arena stood the wildly smiling yukata and one of the male guards, his arms wrapped around –
"Mizuki," she whispered, cold horror surging through her veins.
The yukata let out a harsh chuckle. "Since you wouldn't fight, I had to find something to… motivate you. If you don't kill your opponent, she dies."
To show he was serious, the unknown man holding Mizuki pulled out a sharp kunai, pressing it against her bare throat.
Mizuki's eyes glistened with fear. "Nii-san," she softly cried, hot tears falling down her innocent face.
Rena cursed the man, her red eyes turning back to Ayame. Her eyes widened when she saw the look on the other girl's face.
There was an… understanding.
Rena tightly shut her red eyes, taking a deep breath before snapping them open again and swiftly decapitating the girl, her blood spraying onto Rena's face and drenching the floor.
An ugly glee filled squeal met her ears, before the same young boy from before entered the arena.
"KILL HIM!"
She decapitated him.
She didn't know where they got so many victims, but she swiftly and painlessly killed them all.
For the ones that tried to run and she couldn't properly decapitate she stabbed through the heart.
For the ones that tried to fight back she sliced their jugular.
Before she knew it, she was covered in her victim's blood, countless bodies surrounding her.
"YES! YES!"
She held in a snarl at the yukata's ugly exclamation.
She cursed the man when a whole group of victims entered the arena at once.
The raven tried her best to end their lives as quickly as possible in that endless slaughter. With her eyes it was almost too easy to kill them all – it was laughable. It was too easy to be a murderer.
When the last body fell – a brunette female – she was left heavily panting in the center of the arena, the metallic smell of blood insulting her noise and the sticky red liquid was starting to cake on differing parts of her body.
"Now," she whirled to the yukata, "LET HER GO!" Her chest desperately heaved, agony lacing her voice, her hand still clutching onto the end of her katana. Her heart beat heavily in her chest, anxiety flowing through her solid veins as her eyes absorbed Mizuki's position.
The man stepped forward, his hands behind his back. "Ya' know, if this is how you respond just by her being captive I wonder how you'll respond if she… dies?"
Rena's eyes widened in horror, her body immediately surging forward, slamming against the protective glass, which just harmlessly bounced back from the bouncy.
She was a foot from the terrified twelve-year-old, her fists desperately pounding on the unbreakable glass. She had to save her, she had to!
Nonononononononononono.
She watched in pure horror as the man who was holding her pulled back the kunai and effortlessly sliced her throat.
The teenagers body went cold, her eyes terrified as she watched the girls' life liquid seep from her small throat, her head slumped down in pure death.
"Mi-Mizuki…" she whispered, willing the girl to pick up her head. She couldn't comprehend the scene before her.
The yukata merely laughed at the scene, his yellow teeth shining in the dull lighting.
She gritted her teeth at the sound, anger flowing through her veins like lava. The previous coldness that surged through her veins was rapidly replaced with molten lava. Her entire body felt like it was on fire. Blood freely flowed from her eyes, turning her pale cheeks into a beautiful crimson red, it was hothothothothot and she was so madmadmadmadmad.
She was going to kill that man.
With an inhuman scream she felt something bubble to the surface, a power she never felt before. With all the strength she had, Rena grabbed onto that power – releasing it.
She wildly grinned as she watched the yukata's eyes widen in horror, the girl cried out gleefully as she witnessed his fat, ugly body become engulfed by black flames.
Her screams of agony and anger did nothing but feed the fire, before everything surrounding her was ensnared by the hungry black flames.
Rena surged upright from her blankets on the ground, a cold sweat coating her entire body, her chest heaving for much needed oxygen.
Are you alright?
I'm fine.
As she fought for breath, her eyes flickered to Sakura's still form, confirming that she was still asleep from the subtle rising of her chest.
The young girl threw the heavy blankets off her sweating form and swiftly made her way outside.
She felt slightly renewed in the cool air, taking deep breaths to will the heat out of her body.
She sat atop a large, flat rock not too far from the Inn, her dark eyes closed to the world around her.
"You okay?"
The raven didn't move at the sound of the now familiar voice, she previously sensed him coming from a mile away.
"I'm fine," she responded, tired, keeping her eyes closed to reality.
Rena heard him snort and plop down on the rocks flat face next to her. "That doesn't sound very convincing."
The brunette felt irritation weave its way into her head. "Why are you out here?"
"Because you're upset."
She slowly opened her eyes, settling them on the tree line in front of her. She kept her mouth shut, not knowing how to respond.
"You know," the blond continued, "you remind me of my best friend."
Rena slowly turned her head towards Naruto, supplying him with a confused look. She took note of the wistful look on his face, the peaceful smile that softened his features.
"You're both quiet and like to depend on only yourself. Whenever we would do things together as a team he would scoff and say he's better off alone, that he didn't need anybody, that others would just hold him down. But… it's okay to depend on others. It doesn't make you weak or any less of a ninja, I think it makes you stronger to be able to forge bonds with others. Because it's a two-way street, it's not just you depending on someone else but it's someone else depending on you, too. It's an equal push-and-pull."
Rena gave him a surprised look at his words, never expecting him to say anything that amounted to him containing an ounce of intelligence.
"And it's okay to make mistakes, we're only human, right?" he supplied her with a bright grin, gently nudging her shoulder with his own.
The boy surprised her when he let out a deep chuckle, "You know you and Sasuke look a lot alike too! I swear you guys could be twins!"
There's that word again.
"Who exactly is Sasuke to you?" she softly questioned, her dark eyes settled on his ocean blue ones.
She noticed the somber look that took over his features, the way his lips relaxed and his shoulders slightly slumped, but there was still a light in his eyes. "My best friend, my brother. We've been through a lot together, and I care about him very much. He did some things I don't approve of but I still care for him – because that's what friends do. We're there for each other through thick and thin," his eyes brightened once more, pride flowing through him, "And I'm going to bring him home! Even if I have to drag the basterd back the entire way myself!"
Rena couldn't help but let a smile grace her face at his reaction. "I'm sure you'll be successful Naruto."
The boy looked taken aback but let loose another bright grin.
The next day was incredibly uneventful, their walk was thankfully silent this time and Rena was actually able to think thanks to the blessed silence.
Well, it was uneventful until –
"Mokuton Shichuka No Jutsu!"
Rena hastily jumped back as pillars of dark wood surged from the previously pristine ground. Her eyes widened in awe as the wood grew and twisted seamlessly together to create a large building with the Konoha symbol proudly shining above the door.
"We'll camp out here tonight," Yamato called out from atop the newly erected structure.
"Um… I don't think this really qualifies as camping out…" Sakura mumbled.
Once they entered the building Rena was surprised to see that it was just one large room, everyone placed their stuff down while also taking in the new building.
"All right, gather around everyone," Yamato called out from his sitting position on the floor, a single lit candle flickering in front of him, "Oh, and Sakura there are a few things I especially need to ask you."
Sakura turned around from her spot in front of the windows, "What about?"
Yamato adopted a serious look, "With regard to the Akatsuki member Sasori."
Akatsuki?
She felt a wave of animosity flow through her at the thought.
Yamato seriously continued, "I received his file from Suna but it would be helpful if you could fill in any blanks about his personality, speed patterns, mannerisms or quirks, after all, you're the only one here who's gone toe-to-toe with him."
"What do you need to know all that for?" Naruto butted in, quirking an eyebrow.
"The Akatsuki spy who has infiltrated Orochimaru's ranks expects to rendezvous with Sasori at Tenchi Bridge. They might catch me right away but I'm going to try and approach them disguised as Sasori."
Sai straightened up. "Spy work entrails pretty high risk so your target will definitely have their guard up."
"True," their captain agreed, "and there's still a small chance this is an Akatsuki trap… I've planned for that possibility as well. That's why I'll approach first, alone. You four will lie in wait until I signal you."
Sakura subtly bowed her head. "There was an Akatsuki spy, Yura, in the Sand Village as well and the way Sasori mentioned it, just before he died… I don't think it's a lie but-"
Sai coldly cut her off (ignoring the pinkettes irritated look), "Either way this spy… is most likely quite strong and accomplished."
"Yeah well," Naruto peered through his blond bangs, determination in his cerulean blue eyes, "so are we."
Rena couldn't help but smirk at the blond's attitude, a weird sense of pride filling her.
"The devil is in the details. Well team, here's the mission from A to Z," Yamato spoke, "our one and only goal is a live capture so the target must not be killed or injured no matter what. Even if it means having to fight them. If they're killed, we lose our only source of intelligence.
"Therefore, this mission is even harder than when you just have to take down the enemy. And because it's such a delicate situation this must of off without a hitch. So… while you four act as backup and I'll go ahead and try to capture the target by myself. If, by some chance, my disguise is penetrated and it is revealed that I am, in fact, not Sasori a battle will likely ensue. Then, and only then, do you shift to combat mode entering the fray on my signal alone.
"We will fight in pairs at all times. Every warriors action will be covered by their partner. The watchword, people, is Teamwork. So, the pairings are," the captain took an unnecessarily dramatic pause.
"Squad one will be… Naruto and Rena."
The two clashed eyes, nodding to each other.
"Squad two will be Sai and Sakura."
Sakura did little to hide her irritation at having to pair up with the emotionless piece of paper. "But…" Yamato visibly hesitated, eyes squared on Sakura. "You're the teams only medic ninja. We can't afford to have you injured so Sai is going to keep you covered at all costs."
At the mention of his name, Sai supplied them with one of his disturbingly fake smiles and a miniscule nod.
"In light of what I just told you this isn't standard procedure, but half of tomorrow will be focused on pair simulation exercises. Everything I know about you four comes from your files. I need to assess firsthand your battle style and skills the makeup of our jutsu, etc.
The man practically scoffed at his next words. "Clearly, it's the only way I'm ever going to forge this team into the cohesive fighting unit it needs to be. Kakashi-sensei may have favored a more lax approach… But I am not he."
The younger ninja in the room couldn't relax due to their captain's words for the rest of the night.
Rena felt herself a bit on edge for the rest of the night, wondering what abilities she should show tomorrow in their simulation.
So the voting so far for Rena's paring are :
5 - Naruto
2 - Shikamaru
2 - Shino
1 - Gaara
1 - Neji
But fear not! Voting is still continuing so please vote away~!
So, I'll be honest that I really don't want to re-write everything from the Naruto canon because (1) I find it a waste of time and (2) If I don't find it incredibly important I don't think it's valuable to include if Rina isn't going to react to it. I hope you guys can be understanding that I rather focus on Rena's story than wasting time re-writing word-for-word the Naruto canon story.
