Sorry for the long wait, I've finished my exams and straight after my last one I went on holiday to scotland for a week, this is my last day in scotland so I finished this chapter(it's been sitting at 8000 words in my doc manager) today on my last day of holiday, hope ya like it
Chapter 4: Oh My Ramen
Instinct made me grab a handful of that ridiculous blonde hair and bring Naruto's head/face down onto the table fast. And hard, effectively shutting him up.
A loud bang was the result, not to mention Naruto's future bruises. This brought the attention of the class and Iruka back to me.
"What happened to Naruto!?" Sensei gestured to the blonde who was groaning.
Again I reacted quickly and did what most kids do when they are in trouble and do not have the forethought to stop and think about the situation at hand. I swear I've changed a lot since I've come back here; I need to get back to my usual silent and mysterious self, right after this.
"Sasuke! Why did you just hit Naruto!?" Yep. That's right. I pinned the blame on somebody else. Of course that somebody else could retaliate. Lucky for me that somebody was Sasuke.
He glared at me, slightly shocked and about to speak when Iruka asked the same thing I did.
"I saw the whole thing Iruka sensei!" I said. Just keep digging myself into a deeper hole. But it's too late, the lie has already started. Next time I'll think before I act. "Naruto was arguing that he was better than Sasuke, he was being really annoying to Sasuke bonked him on the head." I hope I got Naruto's personality right.
From the look of understanding on Iruka's face what I just said must have been a natural thing.
Sasuke looked outraged, but refused to argue, thinking it was beneath him. Lucky me.
"Make sure it doesn't happen again Sasuke, that's a warning, two more and you're staying after school." Our teacher gave a disapproving look. "Now let's all gather outside in the training grounds where I will explain the rules properly."
The class grumbled and slowly followed though a few girls looked back and glared at me as if to say 'How dare you get Sasuke-kun in trouble'.
Sasuke waited in his chair. I think he wanted me to explain myself. Shame he was wrong about that. Instead I sat Naruto up and pried open his eyelids. It took a few seconds for him to release himself from his daze but when he did he curled his fist in anger.
"Why did you do that?!" he whined rubbing his head.
"You were about to cause a melodramatic scene which will be difficult to deal with which would end with me explaining to the whole class exactly what happened last night, and I would rather not." Sasuke perked his head up as this, maybe he was slightly interested as to what 'happened' last night.
Naruto glared at me. "So who are you?" To be fair, I don't think his voice has a turn down button, never mind a turn off. It really didn't do well for my brain. Something my clan were very prone to: severe migraines. Don't ask, I don't know why either.
Instead of trying to bash his face in for the umpteenth time, I lowered my voice, so as not to let Sasuke listen in. "I arrived in Konoha last night, where I met the Hokage. He gave me an apartment, next to yours I might add, and enrolled me in the academy, to prove my loyalty to Konoha and to assess my skills as a genin. If you would like to take it up with the Third, be my guest. I'm sure he will tell you the exact same thing."
Seeing the news start to settle in the kids mind, I got ready to take my leave and to continue outside. Instead, the grabbed my flak blonde grabbed my flak jacket preventing my journey. Again, manners? Where were they?! A simple 'excuse me' or 'please wait' would do, but noooo the ninjas here just grab you and accusation follows.
"Maybe I should have stayed in Kumo." Naruto didn't hear but proceeded with why he had stopped me.
"Okay then, why do you wear a mask?" The twelve year old was curious, I understand that. He wants to see my face. Well that's not going to happen unless it's on my terms.
"A ninja never shows their emotion, while I'm training myself to do so, I'm using a mask that will hide any slip-ups." It wasn't really anything secretive.
"Yeah well why did you leave a trap if you weren't a burglar?!" By that time he had jumped on the desk and was pointing at me again.
"Didn't your parents ever tell you it's rude to point?" I glared at him. That seemed to shut Naruto up for some reason and a hurt look came over him. But he shook it off and plastered on a large grin instead. "Okay then, I'll see you outside." And with that he raced out the classroom.
"That was weird-" Sasuke cut me off.
"I don't appreciate the blame put on me for something you did. No wonder you got sent back to the academy. That was a pretty immature stunt you pulled. Was the life of a lowly genin really too tough for you." His smirk made me want to wring his neck. Instead I opted for a less aggressive answer.
"You don't know anything." of reality, was what I really wanted to say but opted just for the first four words.
With that remark I noticed a sudden change in Sasuke's attitude. Anger tore at his face and his rage intensified.
"If you ever say something like that to my face again, I don't care if you're a girl," he began, that girl comment really got to me though. "Things will not end well for you. " It's almost as if he read my mind and put together the other part I wanted to say.
OKay, what I've learned so far; these kids were wierd, suddenly changing the subject and thier emotions, as well as over reacting.
Maybe something awful happened to him. But nah there's no point in dwelling on it, finding out more about Sasuke Uchiha won't help me to become a Konoha ninja.
Ignoring him was the better option. It's not like I'm going to working with him when I'm a Konoha genin. So with Naruto gone I was free to move and joined the rest of the classroom outside, Sasuke trailing behind.
Sensei gave us a disapproving look. "Glad to see our slower students catching up."
He then went on to explain the rules. "I will divide all thirty of you into three groups. This is more like a competition which will go towards your grade in Taijutsu. We will have one on one match's, where the winners will fight the winners of another fight and the losers will fight the losers of another fight, until we have a ranking of best to worst in each group. The top three winners in each group will then compete against each other for the title of taijutsu rookie of the year. This will most likely last the entire week, with the last few matches on Friday."
Our Sensei took a breath. "However, we will not have matches from each group going on at the same time, so I can assess each match individually."
The students groaned at this, meaning it will take longer than usual. Iruka began calling names out. I strained to hear my own but it seems he left me out. Confused I walked over to him to ask him why I was not among the groups, while the kids sorted themselves into three lines.
"Sensei-" Iruka cut me off by raising a hand and gesturing at two chairs. He went to sit down in one, and I sat down in the other. Okay now I was really confused.
"Ren, on the scroll that you gave me the Third has asked that you help me assess the taijutsu classes, as training for when you become a chunin, as you are officially a genin, there is no need for you to participate in but one match today, so I can see where you are at, and you will be in the top group at the end of the week."
"Lord Hokage wants you to have practice analyzing the skills, and weaknesses of a handful of academy students, and what they can do to better them, as well as analyzing your own skills. Both you and I will discuss these and I will judge how good your assessment skills are. I will then conduct a test for you, putting these skills to use."
The whole thing was quite surprising. But then again of course the Hokage wants me to this, it was probably the council members idea actually. Doing this would mean I would be a likely candidate for the chunin exams and give me an advantage at entering and passing, meaning they could get their information quicker. Those rats. Then again, I have to admit this is good practice for me.
It would mean If I were ever in charge of a squad I would know exactly which formation they should go in, and I'll be able to find an enemies weak points quickly.
"Okay, so who am I fighting against?" Most likely they would put me against the top of the class. Usually the highest ranking would already be at genin-level so that was okay with me.
"Sasuke Uchiha." Except when that rookie is Sasuke. Okay, I can win this, no sweat. Then again Sasuke's had many more years of training than I've had, AND he is from an elite clan. This is going to be fun.
Iruka stood up and announce. "The first match is irrelevant to the competition, it is merely a test for a certain someone. Sasuke Uchiha and Renata Namikaze, please enter the arena." And by area he means the middle of the training ground that is marked out by a wide painted circle.
Sensei gave me an encouraging nod to send me on my way, so I shrugged and dragged my feet across the ground, in a very Kakashi-like manner.
Sasuke met me in the middle, hands in pockets and slightly slouched.
"Let's just get this over with." I drawled.
"Hn"
"BEGIN!"Iruka-sensei yelled. I immediately backed up into a defence position. I can go in and attack first without knowing my opponents speed. It's better to overestimate than to underestimate, so that's what I'm doing. Later on I would regret that I didn't overestimate him enough.
Sasuke rocketed towards me at a very fast pace. At first he looked as if he was heading straight for me, but instead he veered to my left ducked down and swept out his left foot. If I hadn't been on high alert, he would have swept me off my feet, instead I jumped in the air and aimed a punched for the back of his neck and bringing my other fist back in case he blocked the first one.
He did. What I didn't expect was for him to also turn around in that short amount of time and block the second one too. This kid has some serious agility skills. But I had more tricks up my sleeve. Most ninja would retreat back to gather themselves. Just what Sasuke expected. Not me.
My finger gripped the wrists he used to block me with, and doing a backwards somersault - I'm still in the air, this whole thing is happening very fast- I flipped him over me and used the momentum to force both of us to land on our backs, but making sure Sasuke got the worst damage. I just landed. He had more force against him.
But that didn't stop the Uchiha from bouncing back up as thought it were nothing. Fortunately I made it to my feet at the same time. I almost scolded myself at how the technique should have worked. My style was to usually to go down with the opponent but to use their own strength and the momentum I gathered against them, though I tended to hurt myself lightly in the process.
Wait-There! Yes. His posture has changed to accommodate the new pain in his back. He's just not letting on. We both sprang apart and circled each other, waiting for the other to make the second move. I guess it's my turn.
I relaxed my defensive posture and just walked casually towards him. I have to say this technique is so effective it's ridiculous. This made the Uchiha weaken his defence also, as if thinking I was just winging it now, and that I wasn't alert or whatever. But really this was just a disguise. I know exactly what to do, and inside I was getting ready to pounce. it was quiet funny to watch as Sasuke looked confused as hell.
Sasuke would have noticed it if he had been looking at my eyes, darting this way and that way, going through different scenarios. So within a metre distance of Sasuke I suddenly kicked out at him. He caught my leg with both hands thinking he had the upper hand. Perfect. And just as he was about to pound me into the ground I clasped my hands around his, and with flexibility I didn't know I had, I kicked my foot straight upwards, taking Sasuke with it, with him up in the air.
I'm pretty lucky I'm as strong as I am. Even this was pretty hard to do. Thank Kami Sasuke wasn't heavy. Then I did a backwards flip, still holding onto his hands that were gripping my leg so he didn't get away. I landed on my back again, but unlike last time, there was a sickening crunch as Sasuke hit the ground, full force head-first.
Turning around I was surprised to see that my technique, for the first time worked perfectly. In that sense, that the top half of Sasuke's body was invisible due to being underground. His legs flopped almost lifelessly backwards.
I was breathing hard. It took a good bit of effort on my part to time it all right AND keep up with Sasuke. The effects of the jutsu I used were much like the end result of the lotus. The whole thing took place in under a minute. Thinking I had one the match I turned my back on Sasuke. Mistake number one.
I stumbled forwards after being being kicked harshly in the back, but before I regained my balance Sasuke was spinning in the air repeatedly landing blows against my back. If It weren't for my swords protecting me, the match would be over and Sasuke declared the winner.
I ducked,sat on the ground and slid myself backwards fast and far using my feet to push my body. Rolling slightly backwards I gained momentum to jump onto my feet in time to see Sasuke recovering and coming for me. I blocked a kick to my head, but the Uchiha went back into a handstand, using his palms to move and again kicked out with his other leg, this one caught me in the face.
I hissed in pain, yanked his ankle in my left hand, readied my right fist and pulled Sasuke's body over my shoulder so after drawing back my fist and flung it forwards and it collided with Sasuke's gut. The force was so great because both were moving at high speeds that I saw the boy cough up some blood. However I wasn't the only one to draw blood. I could feel some of the red liquid running down my own face.
After that we both engaged once more and this time it was plain old Taijutsu, with a few tricks and smart moves, but no special jutsu. I may be stronger than Sasuke, but that's almost nothing against the speed he has against me, and also being skillful with agility was a deadly combination. I may be fast, most likely fast than most of the kids in my year, but Sasuke's was greater.
I threw out more punches and kicks. He dodged more, and I blocked more, not quick enough to get out of the way. Overall I got hit more. I was lucky he wasn't as strong as me, otherwise I would be finished. Examining him now while we were fighting - I think it's safe to say it's gone past friendly sparring- Sasuke looked quite damaged. His posture was slightly hunched over as if to ease some of his pain, and every once in a while he would wince when I would land a blow to his back, neck or head.
However, even if Sasuke had more wounds than I did, he still had energy to spare, where as I was getting tired. Quickly. It was simple very -and I quote- troublesome to keep up with the raven-haired boy. Either I was going to lose of exhaustion or Sasuke was going to break down of his injuries.
Although they weren't fatal, they were slightly severe and wounds to the back and neck affect your performance more so than any other part of the body, due to the type of stances you need to hold and how your neck and back movements are very important in taijutsu.
So we both continued what seemed to be an endless cycle of punches,kicks,twists,side-stepping,flips,dodges, and blocking. So far an hour has flown by and the academy students around us were glued to our fight. And now looking in Sasuke's eyes, I knew. I couldn't win this.
His skills in taijutsu far exceeds mine. His is graceful and he has a natural talent for it, as well as training for years, while mine is slightly rigid and rough, and though I have a knack for it, I will never be as good as Sasuke. Even if I had been training from the same age as him. I might have been close, but it 's something he will always be better at.
Yet as I thought that, I was not going to give up that easy. I'm going to try my hardest and go down fighting, making this the the toughest fight of his life, even if my bones and muscles are screaming in agony. I watched Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looked at mine which were filled with new-found determination.
And that determination withered as soon as I noticed that Sasuke was building up his chakra. Something I didn't know how to yet.
"Shit."
And the Uchiha came flying at Ren, using chakra to make his blows harder and to make him quicker on his feet.
Okay...I think I did...well...to keep up with him during some parts of fighting his chakra induced body...Oh who am I kidding, there's no way I can win this The kumo nin thought as she continued to block and evade Sasuke. It was rare that she hit him now, but every time she succeeded, he just brushed it off like a fly.
New tactic..new tactic, uh weak spot? Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find a weakness, but she couldn't. Well there was one...but I couldn't possibly..it's just wrong and dirty...but then again you're a ninja, and ninja fight dirty. Please forgive me for this later Sasuke.
An opening occurred at that moment, Ren closed her eyes not wanting to look upon her treachery and struck out. She opened her eyes after hearing a groan and Sasuke's face was inches away from hers, his fist stopped mid-way and his face twisted in complete and utter pain. Several gasps directed her attention to the audience as they witnessed the horrifying act. And yet someone was laughing.
"HAHAHAHA OH MY GOD! RIGHT IN THE BALLS! JUST WHAT HE DESERVES. I TAKE BACK ANYTHING BAD I SAID ABOUT YOU! THIS IS OFFICIALLY. THE. BEST. DAY. OF. MY. LIFE." Naruto was pointing again and using his other hand to clutch his belly.
"You must have a pretty boring life." Ren joked to herself. And then the fan-girl mob started shouting insults about how the new girl damaged Sasuke's fertility and the Pink haired girl hit Naruto on the head who whimpered in pain. Speaking of whimpering in pain the genin turned her attention back to Sasuke. And she really couldn't decipher the look he was giving her. Mortified? Angry? Disbelief? Constipated? I could believe the last one.
Instead he spluttered, coughed and grabbed her around my neck, threw her to the ground where he brought down the full force of his leg onto her unprotected stomach. Ren felt as if all her organs were being strangled in that single moment, and blood drizzled down her lips without even realizing she had coughed up more.
"WINNER -finally- SASUKE UCHIHA!"
And the girls went wild. Literally. They shook each other and screamed in happiness. Sasuke ignored it all as if to say 'I'm too cool for school' Before moving much closer to Ren, his body was already crouched over hers menacingly.
Oblivious to the detail of that moment the audience failed to noticed Sasuke spitting in Ren's face and uttering the words " You don't deserve that headband, and if you pull a stunt like that again, next time I won't be so merciful."
Ren glared at him, refusing to wipe the spit off her face. " We're ninjas, we're supposed to use our opponents weaknesses against them, so really I'm just doing what any shinobi would do, it you have a problem with it, take it up with Lord Hokage."
"hn" Sasuke just turned his back on her as she struggled to get to her feet. After finding her balance, she made her hands into the reconciliation seal, as a demonstration that two opponents are still comrades after sparring.
"Good fight." she said as she waited for him to make the seal. Instead the Uchiha walked out of the circle. And that really pissed Ren off. It's proving a point to her to say she was a waste of his time and not good enough to fight, as well as insinuating she was inferior to him.
What happened to he respect between shinobi? and the MANNERS?! That was something Minato always had;respect for his elders and anyone who worked hard regardless of their views and who they were, and lovely,beautiful manners. Ren thought. She decided it wasn't worth getting annoyed over so she calmed down. Well I'm not going to lower myself to his level.
"Sasuke."Sensei's voice felt icy. "That was your second warning, make sure I don't give you a third."
"It's not my fault she's weak." Sasuke snorted. Then he winced. He grabbed at his stomach. Dammit, she's a lot tougher than I thought! Still she's far behind me, and it's obvious taijutsu isn't her specialty, she was too crude. I doubt she even has a specialty. She didn't damage me that much ,Sasuke deluded himself into thinking.
"Sasuke!" Iruka called. "No more fighting today, here, have some Ice-packs." The chunin threw Sasuke three blue plastic cases filled with a cool liquid(recently melted Ice). He sat down, one on his crotch and held the other two to his neck and back, sighing in relief. He glanced over in Ren's direction and watched her like a hawk as the Kumo nin limped across the boundary and sat down beside Iruka who immediately handed her Ice-packs.
The Uchiha couldn't help but be surprised when the girl declined hurriedly, refusing to touch them. He knew he hurt her badly, so why was she so desperate to get those Ice-packs away from her. His sudden interest in the genin annoyed Sasuke. pfft she's just a wannabe ninja, what do I care.
"Hehe..looks like Sasuke-kun isn't so great after all!" Taunted a very familiar orange-clad boy. Naruto wandered over with his hands behind his head and his signature swag. The Jinchuriki had to admit, the fight was pretty badass, and was pleased to see Sasuke taken down a notch, though Naruto didn't think Sasuke felt less superior. Figures.
"Whatever, loser." Sasuke dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
"What did you just call me?!" Naruto yelled in his ear.
Looking him straight in the eye Sasuke repeated what he had just said. "Loser."
Launching himself at the Uchiha, both Naruto and Sasuke tumbled and rolled over each other, kicking and punching and...biting? Seriously Naruto you're quite an animal.
Something hauled them off each other by grabbing the back of their collars. Iruka stood with both the boys in each hand, keeping them apart.
"RIGHT THAT'S IT! DETENTION FOR BOTH OF YOU AFTER SCHOOL TODAY!" He used his big head jutsu which made Naruto cower in fear and Sasuke pout in annoyance.
The girls started to whine at the Teacher that it wasn't Sasuke's fault but sensei wouldn't hear none of it. Ren watched the whole thing shocked at how quickly things escalated. Naruto and Sasuke must really dislike each other she thought.
Sasuke was pretty pissed off at Naruto now, the only consolation being that the blonde idiot had to go through with detention also, meaning payback. Glaring at the blonde, Naruto noticed crossed his arms in a huff and stuck his tongue out at him.
After Iruka ordered them to stay at other ends of the training ground the instructor turned to the rest of the class.
"Okay, since this match was particularly long, we have missed our break and it seems It's-
RING
"-lunch, so all of you can stay out here today since it's a nice day to eat." Lunch?! Wait that means my fight was Sasuke lasted two hours?! Wow when your actually a part of it, the spar felt like it only lasted twenty minutes Ren thought.
"Oh. I forgot to bring food." Inwardly the girl smacked herself in the face. She proceeded to stand up from sitting down on the chair, but her muscle refused to comply without great pain. Sweating and breathing heavily, Ren finally managed to stand. Thats the first time I underestimated someone. That kid was at least chunin-level!
Stumbling over to the edge of the training ground where there was a grass patch underneath the shadow of a few trees, the genin couldn't help but notice a few of the boys give her a thumbs up or smile at her. "Well it seems not everyone is Sasuke's fan."
Ren sat down in the shade contemplating how the match went for when Iruka would ask her what she thought of it. After agreeing with herself which points to bring up she lay down with her hands behind her head, her knees brought up so only her back was flat against the ground, and one leg over lapped the other.
Cloud watching was one of the most relaxing things that came to mind. When Ren lived in Kumo, it was practically encouraging you to watch them drift along the sky, what activity better suited than to the village hidden in the clouds?
She watched with curiosity as she spotted a one that resembled a wolf howling. "I swear every time I look up, the clouds take some form of a wolf." She scowled quietly to herself.
Ren didn't waver her gaze when she felt someone lie down beside her, in almost the same position.
"Huh, well I tend to see deer, must be a clan thing, though I don't think wolves are a Namikaze animal." The boy beside her voiced his opinion.
The Kumo nin felt the need to smile, unfortunately smiling was harder than she thought. "I was wondering when you would turn up, Shikamaru."
The Nara just shrugged. "This is my spot, so...yeah."
"I remember you to have cloud-watching spots all over Konoha. Unfortunately for you, I've taken it up as a hobby, so you may have some competition for those areas." Ren replied lightly.
"See that one there?" Shikamaru pointed to a cloud that was the exact shape of the kumo marking on my forehead protector. "So, where have you been, Namikaze." Despite the relaxed and somewhat lazy manor Shikamaru showed, Ren could tell that he was trying to connect the dots, and if she gave some information, no matter how small, it would be just the right piece to the puzzle.
"Here and there, there and here. Quite an adventure, really." She replied casually, of course dripped with ice.
"You've been gone six years." The Nara boy stated flatly.
"Didn't realize it was that long." This was getting tense now.
"Why exactly are you wearing a mask, and don't give me the bullshit you gave Naruto." So he was eaves-dropping Ren growled to herself. What they didn't know was that the mask was an extra-layer of protection.
"Fine! If you are all getting so worked up about it I'll take it of." she growled, thrusting the navy blue cloth down around her neck to reveal her face. Shikamaru almost flinched when he looked at her. There were not soft touches. Her small nose was sharp, her jaw was thin and sharp, similar to an upside down triangle. Her lips were dry and thin, and were in a permanent straight line. With her narrow eye's , she looked far older than she was.
But that wasn't the only thing tat shocked the Nara boy. Just below her jaw on her neck was a thin jagged white scar, and across her left cheek was the ugliest and most brutal scar Shikamaru has every seen, like a big fat dark pink worm.
"Satisfied?" Ren asked coldly.
Shikamaru just stayed silent and went back to watching the clouds. Ren raised her mask again.
"What are you trying to hide?" He asked after several minutes.
The Kumo nin didn't answer until a while later.
"Me."
I felt safer opening up to Shikamaru than plenty of other people, even if it was just a little bit. I almost laughed out loud when I spotted a cloud portraying A deer chasing a wolf with it's antlers down. Noticing Shikamaru saw it too, I saw him smirking.
The bell rang meaning lunch was over and we had an hour and a half left of school. It's quite nice that It finishes at two o'clock, meaning the kids have time to get some training down and other things before the sun goes down, and that we haven't spent all our day at school. I had a quick look at the time table Iruka had given me:
8:50- registration
8:55- 9:20 - usually time for the kids to hang around, and for Iruka to talk to them individually about their training or behavioral problems, or to relay any messages or information.
9:20- 10:00 Lesson time
10:00-10:30- break
10:30-11:30- Lesson time
11:30-12:30 - Lunch
12:30-2:00 - Lesson time
"Come on, lets join the others." I heard Shikamaru say, already standing and offering out his hand. I took it and he pulled me up. We walked over in a lazy-like manner towards the other students. Now Shikamaru, he was polite. And smart might I add by not pointing out the obvious all the time, which many shinobi do and are considered clever. No, Nara's look underneath the underneath.
Right then I decided I wanted him on my team when I graduate.
The students all gathered around Iruka-sensei as he announced the first match. The one before didn't count considering Iruka was just testing my skills.
"Hoturo Mazinake and Getabi Umuta from group 1." Iruka along with the other students sat down while the match commenced, though he got a chair and the others a dusty ground. Oh well, at least I get a chair. I made my way over to Iruka sensei, carefully zig-zagging in and out of twelve year old's legs that were stretched out. They were oblivious to the fact I was trying to maneuver myself around them.
Just to prove my point, I purposefully stepped on the pink-haired girl's leg, who screamed out in pain. Now that was an over exaggeration. Ino who was only a meter away smirked. I'm getting a hang of this social life here at the academy.
"Sorry." I mumbled while she rubbed her leg, and I moved on. Finally sitting down and resting again felt good as I settle in next to Iruka.
"I want you to assess only the students who are from clans, AND Sakura Haruno. But I want you to tell me which ones are from clans." Sensei said. Okay thought I've got no idea who Sakura Haruno is, but clan kids were easier to pick out because one: they are usually stronger and two: they have their own unique style.
"Well I already know Shikamaru Nara, the lazy boy over there, Ino Yamanaka, with the long blonde hair, Sasuke Uchiha who I just fought and Naruto Uzumaki, the one in orange." I replied counting the off my fingers as I did so.
"Good now you have to figure out the others as we watch them fight, now tell me are either Hoturo or Getabi from a clan?"
Studying their every move I realized they were using the basic taijutsu you were taught in the academy, no smart moves or tricks. Also the blows were quite weak, which made the answer even clearer when those weak blows were very painful to both the boys.
"No. They use only what they were taught, not even to the normal standard and they haven't made it more than that. They are both very weak and very slow. Which means they will never make it to chunin, and not just because their not clan members, they would be better off as civilians, or genin only performing D-ranks." I said. A lot of these kids need to wake up to reality and I didn't even bother keep the harshness out of my voice.
"Good, good. Now have a rest while this match is on, I need to mark their grades anyway." Iruka smiled at me before turning to the clipboard in his hands, while scribbling down notes.
I closed my eyes, knowing Iruka would wake me when it was time for me to assess.
A small cough caught my attention and my eyes snapped open.
Naruto was sitting a meter away from me on the ground, his legs crossed with his hands on each of his knees. He was trying hard to look aloof and to keep staring forwards.
"So...uh I saw what happened between you and Sakura." His lips actually moved sideways in my direction, but he still kept his eyes forward. This was ridiculous, who's Sakura anyway?..Oh wait, that must be Sakura Haruno, right...Haruno, Haruno. I glanced around the students. Which one have I been involved with. Aha! It must be pinky! After all blossoms are pink, yeah that must be her.
"What of it?" Was he referring to when I stepped on her leg?
Naruto slid himself close sideways, acting as if he was the best spy ever. "Why did you step on her?"
I noticed his voice was full of concern. Either she was a sister-like figure...or he fancied her. God I'm getting good at this. "She was in my way." To put it simply.
"You can't just do that, ya know. Just because somebody's in your way doesn't mean you can treat them like dirt and step all over them. You could, I don't know talk to them or something. It's like you think your above them."
Now I've always despised people who thought they were superior to others and did not show respect when it's due. Ninja are equal, that's what wearing the headband means, fighting on equal terms. So when somebody accuses me of thinking like Sasuke does, I get a bit tetchy.
"Hold your tongue and listen. I stepped on her because Sakura was not aware of her surroundings and did not seem to care for anyone else but a select few. In a way I was teaching her lesson to be more aware of others and their needs and to be less selfless. Is she continued on like she does, someone would be forced to kill her because she was in his way. Not many ninja get the chance to see the error of their ways, even if it is quite small it could quickly escalate into something far larger, she may upset an insane ninja this way and well that ninja could kill her. I was doing her a favour."
God My mind is messed up for thinking theories like that. I sneaked a peak at Naruto, whose mouth hung open. Didn't expect that did you?
"So when somebody accuses me of things like you did when actually I was doing quite the opposite, you better watch what you say next time we meet, because as of now, your treading on thin ice." I concluded icily.
Naruto then scutched up right beside me, his position still the same.
"So I saw you talking to Shikamaru...". Oh so he's changed tactics now. Friendliness radiated off him .I think he want's me to elaborate. Too bad. I stayed silent, trying to block him out. I need some rest, dammit.
The kid looked stumped so I decided to throw him a bone. A very, very small bone.
"Aaand?" What a treat! I feel very generous here.
"What were you talking about? I mean don't get me wrong, I'm not being nosy or anything," Yes, you are. "But it's just..." He looked embarrassed now. "I thought we could be friends an' all cause your the new kid and New kids don't come with friends. " Well duh.
"and I could know you more if you told me what you told Shikamaru." He finally finished. He was looking the other way now. And now thinking back to everything I've seen with Naruto, it doesn't look like he has any companions. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
I'm no longer the girl who would disobey her big brother's orders by trying to comfort a stranger who looked just the smallest bit lonely.
"Okay I'll tell you word for word what I told him :I was wondering when you would turn up, Shikamaru. I remember you have cloud-watching spots all over Konoha. Unfortunately for you, I've taken it up as a hobby, so you may have some competition for those areas. Here and there, there and here. Quite an adventure, really. Didn't realize it was that long. Fine! If you are all getting so worked up about it I'll take it of."
At this point Naruto's face bore that of a frightened rabbit. It was quite funny to watch his growing confusion. I carried on.
"Satisfied?Me." Naruto almost answered me when I asked 'Satisfied' . There were amazing advantages to have a mind like mine, my amazing memory and the other skill, which I doubt no one else knows about. But of course all things come with a price and mine? At least one migraine every week which apparently is so severe it affects my chakra system meaning that when I have a normal headache(which is more often than you think) I can't use my chakra. But that doesn't matter at the moment. Because I don't even know how to use it yet.
"What have you learned about me then Naruto?" I asked evilly. I could see his eyes darting this way and that as he scanned his brain trying to decipher the 'code' . I didn't even think about what I was saying it just came to me, but I don't think I would have Shikamaru, anything interesting, so I laid back and once again closed me eyes.
"Cloud watching. You like to watch the clouds, so often it's now a hobby."
I didn't expect that, especially when I turned to him and he had that massive grin on his face. That smile actually melted some of the ice surrounding my heart. EUGH! So cheesy! Don't ever think of metaphors like that again! Though I have to say, for some reason it brightened up my day, if that were possible.
"Your not as dumb as you look, kiddo. But seriously, leave me alone, as you can see I'm a tad battered and this princess needs her beauty sleep." I said in a patronizing voice.
He looked crestfallen, But I couldn't care less. I needed to rest, after all I've got to catch a thief soon.
Ren woke after being nudged lightly by Iruka. Her muscles ached, but not as much as before. Although she lost the match, Sasuke was going to take longer to heal than her, she lost through exhaustion, something she has now replenished.
She opened her eyes to see two new students in the middle. A girl and a boy. The girl had pupiless eyes and navy blue hair while the boy had normal brown eyes and brown hair.
"Clan?" Iruka asked.
Ren concentrated. The girls eyes were very unusual, maybe a dojutsu. She looked shy and reluctant, but when she struck out, even trying to weaken her blows, the boy flinched in pain every time. And that stance. No taught in the academy. She was also blocking every blow the boy gave her, and allowing a select few to pass. The Kumo nin guessed the girl did this out of kindness to make the boy feel like he wasn't a complete loser.
"The girl...Is she a Hyuga? I didn't hear you call out the names." She guessed. Hyuga's were a big deal in Kumo, there have been several attempts at capturing one and Ren remembered vividly of Yugito telling her they originated from Konoha and specialized in something called gentle-fist. She also said they possessed the byakugan, also known as the white eye. The girls eyes reminded her of that.
"Yes well done! How did you know?" Oh you're not getting me to reveal Kumo's knowledge that easily Iruka-sensei. Ren thought.
"Well I met a few Hyuga's here before I left and they all had one thing in common." She pointed to her forest eye.
He accepted her answer and they watched the match. Ren had to admit; She was really intrigued by dojutsu. They were quite something. Even the sharingan, and she knows plenty -more specifically,one- people who would want to get their hands on it.
Though I'm glad I don't have one. Relying on a sharingan all the time would make you kind of lazy I think. I mean yeah they copy jutsu's and everything, but I always want to know how jutsu's work, the inside of these techniques and discovering more about them as I learn to wield it, maybe even develop it further. It's like copying the answer to a maths question from your friend, but you don't know how you got the answer, and because of that you can't improve it.
And while Ren was thinking to herself, she failed to notice Sasuke approach them until he spoke.
"Iruka, I would rather not spend another detention, especially with that." He narrowed his eyes at Naruto who was completely unaware. "I have better things to be doing." Indeed the remaining Uchiha did not enjoy being forced to spend time with Naruto, however he was pretty pleased the blonde got the same punishment he did.
"Sorry Sasuke, but some things in life have consequences. "Iruka said simply.
Sasuke scowled and this is where Ren was brought back to reality. She was startled to see Sasuke just about to walk past her.
"Speaking of sharingan's. Have you awakened your's yet?" She asked him.
Sasuke brought himself to an abrupt halt, just after he flinched. His expression showed utter disbelief .How the hell does she know anything about the sharingan?!
"Mind you, between you and me," Ren whispered and shielded her lips from the sight of anyone who could possibly lip-read. "I don't think it's quite handy, so if you don't have it, it's probably for the best."
Confused at Sasuke's reaction Ren realized she'd somehow hit a sore spot.
"H-how do you know about the sharingan?" Sasuke stuttered.
"What? Doesn't everyone know?" The kumo nin thought back to her time in captivity. Yep they definitely talked about the sharingan every time he came to stay.
"Not academy students, so I would shut up about it if I were you." Sasuke glared at her.
"Whoa, whoa." Ren threw up her hands in a mockingly defensive manner. "No need to get aggressive, we're comrades here."
"No we are not." Sasuke replied as he walked back through the academy doors.
"You could have fooled me." Ren mumbled sarcastically. Turns out Sasuke has a good sense of time because just that seco-
RING
-nd the bell went.
"Alright everyone, lets get inside and I mark you off.!" Iruka called. It started to rain so as quick as a -yellow(hehe)- flash I rushed inside running through the hallway at full pelt, trying to quickly dry away the few drops of water that had successfully landed on me. I burst through the classroom door and made it to my seat, where Sasuke was already sitting beside me
I tried to catch my breath once I sat down. Shuddering and breathing deeply I realized Sasuke was giving me a weird look.
"What's wrong with you." Sasuke asked a rhetorical question. Just what i needed, more people thinking I was odd.
"I'm just different. Deal with it." I retorted.
"hn." I can already feel a headache coming on. There goes my previous dreams of amazing times at the Konoha academy.
"I need to give Shikamaru a reward for putting up with this for all these years." I muttered. Sasuke seemed to absorbed in himself to notice this time my scroll fall tot he floor. Again. Or maybe he just wanted to show he didn't care.
I groaned in annoyance as I reached for it under the table. I must not have tightened it properly, again, or it came loose during my fight with Sasuke. I need to get my Leather straps checked out in case they need repairing.
When I resurfaced with scroll in hand, I found Naruto sitting beside me and the rest of the class filling in.
"What's that?" The orangutan gestured to my scroll.
"Classified." Why couldn't I have sat in between Shikamaru and Ino instead of these two.
Naruto began his frequent hobby of exploring the inside of his nose with his index finger. Life just keeps getting better and better.
"Right class, everyone is good to go, except Naruto and Sasuke." Our sensei called out, reliving most of us. I hopped down the steps. It appeared I was the last one out. However before I left, I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Iruka's ace. Not creepy at all.
"Ren I would like to congratulate you on your fighting skills, the Hokage will be most please, so far your own your way to offically becoming a Konoha genin." God forbid he does a thumbs up.
"Thanks?" And with that I put my right hand up in the air as a goodbye while walking out. Halfway down the hall I opened my mission scroll.
RANK: D
ASSIGNGED BY: Lord Third Hokage
COMMISSIONER: Teuchi Ichiraku
DETAILS: On Sunday around 01:00 in the morning the Ichiraku ramen stand was robbed of half of their ingredients as well as 5,000,000 ryo kept in a secret, but easily accessible compartment behind the counter. Teuchi Ichiraku reported to have discovered this on Monday morning(today) at 07:00. And old woman who lived near heard noise coming from the stand at 01:00 which is the suspecting time of the crime. The thief is supposedly a civilian due to the method in which they stole the money and ingredients, being that the ramen stand is not in good condition.
MISSION: Find and catch thief alive, do not harm unless necessary. Return the stolen items to Teuchi Ichiraku.
REWARD: 40,000 ryo
SIGNED: Hiruzen Sarutobi
And of course it's only just then that I realized I left my 'guide' back in the classroom. Despite my incredible memory, buildings have changed in the six years I have been gone, and I only ever traveled down one street and an alleyway. A street that did not contain the Ichiraku Ramen stand.
Turning on my heal I walked back casually to the classroom. I opened the door and leaned against the door frame, not bothering to go further inside. Catching Iruka's and the two academy student's attention, I jabbed a thumb at Naruto.
"Sorry Iruka sensei but I need him. Now."
Stunned the chunin gestured at Naruto. "Naruto? Whatever for?"
Unable to be bothered to explain myself I trudged over and handed him my mission scroll. He took it and read through. "Read what the Hokage has written as a side note in the scroll I gave you this morning about how I'm supposed to be excused from detention when I have one of these." I tapped the mission scroll. I wanted to be as discreet a is possible in front of Sasuke and Naruto.
"And that I can request one of the other students, even if they too are in detention. I need Naruto, Iruka sensei, so if you don't mind..."
Iruka's brow furrowed before his face relaxed again. "Of course. Naruto, you are permitted to leave, but you have to stay with Renata until she relieves you."
Naruto looked caught between confusion and excitement while Sasuke looked furious. Must not want to be the only who got detention. Oh well.
I took both scrolls back and strapped them to my straps underneath my flak jacket.
"Ren, I don't think it's necessary for you to keep that one." He was talking about my academy entry scroll.
"Souvenir." Once again I head out the door only to be stopped by the lack of sound behind me.
"Are you coming or not?" I asked sternly fixing Naruto with my signature glare.
"Yes! Believe it!" He scrambled to his feet, stuck his tongue out at a shocked Sasuke and joined me as we walked down the corridor together, with him placing his hands behind his head and doing that ridiculous swagger of his.
After about twenty seconds of blessed silence, Naruto couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore.
"Umm...I'm really thankful and all, but how come I got out of detention?" He asked, curiosity getting the better of him. Ren just kept looking ahead with an expressionless face.
"You're quite well acquainted with the whereabouts of Konoha, as well as Ichiraku Ramen are you not?" With the mention of the food stand Naruto's eyes lit up, and if it were possible his smile grew in size. Yep, he definitely knows, Ren thought.
"Of course! Ichiraku Ramen makes the best ramen, plus I know everywhere in Konoha, gotta know the streets and all the hiding places if I don't wanna get caught by Iruka-sensei, but what's that go to do with anything?" He asked.
"I just need you to show me where it is. Don't worry, you don't have to go back to school afterwards, I cleared that with our sensei, you help me, and I get you out of doing work after class. It's basically a substitute for detention." I explained.
"AWESOME! Sorry about before ya know, I take back what I said about you. C'mon follow me!" Racing off ahead, Ren inwardly groaned.
"Your supposed to be my guide, not my disobedient dog!" She muttered, but the boy didn't hear her.
Making sure everything was secure in her leather straps this time -these were Kakashi's from when he was younger, so they probably need repairing- the Okami girl ran after the boy, surprised at how fast he was was and almost struggled to keep up.
When she caught up Naruto seemed hardly out of breath and continued to make do with conversation while they were running. Of course it was about ramen;
"Sometimes they put this delicious plant in called menma, but it only grows around certain months of the year...you won't get better ramen elsehwere...Ayumi's really nice though she can be a stubborn pig sometimes...without ramen? I'd rather die...ramen...ramen...ramen."
SHUT UP!JUST SHUT UP! Ren thought, using her hands to cover up her ears.
As they continued to run, with Naruto blabbing his head off and the Kumo nin trying desperately to blot it out, Naruto spotted something just fifty meters ahead and ran ahead in pursuit.
"Maybe a 'oh geez Ren, I think I see the ramen stall up ahead, lets walk nice and slow towards it together' would be nice." Ren muttered to herself. Following her classmate she arrived upon the crime scene, watching a stock-still Naruto widen his eyes in surprise. No wonder he was upset, going on about how much he loves ramen, his heart must be tearing to shreds at the sight of this place.
It was a wreck. Half of it was demolished, with the front and side battered in with what looks suspiciously like a baseball bat, though in Ren's opinion, a frying pan would be much more effective. Glass littered the ground, previously containing ramen ingredients and a large sign hung over the stand.
closed until further notice
With the covering half torn you could see Ayame, and Teuchi saving what little belonging they had. Stepping over the rubble on the ground in front of her, Ren leaned forwards and knocked politely on the cover. Both Ichiraku's heads snapped upwards, and warily glanced around before the eldest replying.
"Yes?! What is it?!" He snapped. Of course it was understandable he would be on edge after what just happened, so Ren cleared her throat.
"I understand that you have been robbed and the Hokage has given myself the mission of returning the stolen items and catching the thief, if I am permitted I would prefer to look for clues as tot he identity of the thief." Naruto just stood there in utter silence as they waited for confirmation.
"Oh! Of course, I'm sorry, dear where are my manners, my name is Teuchi and this is my daughter Ayame here, we are very grateful to you for doing this service, once we get our earnings returned to us we can pay you your reward." He shook her hand vigorously, so much Ren had a hard time keeping her feet planted on the ground.
"Come inside, come inside." he ushered her in. The nine-tails container only stepped in silently behind her. Immediatly on entering, Ren exchanged greetings and elbowed Naruto into doing the same, though not much to Ren's surprised the civilians already knew the orangutan.
"Right so, the ingredients as well as the money as stolen?" Ren flipped out a small notepad and a pen, and began scribbling furiously down the facts the Ichiraku's confirmed for her. After much investigating inside and around the stand Ren had written several notes.
Large footprint outside, and inside. Sizes match. Size 12.
Black hair strand left on counter. Not dyed.
ingredients stolen.
substantial amount of money stolen.
Lots of damage.
"Aah, Naruto I almost forgot you were here, you can leave now, go home or play or whatever it is you kids do these days." Ren looked down from her scribbling at the boy beside her, who was worryingly scrunching up his face in defiance. Oh no
"No! I want to help. Without the Ichiraku stand, there would be no ramen, and without ramen I would go crazy, plus I owe it to Teuchi and Ayame, for making such beautiful ramen and always looking out for me and being nice! I don't care about what I get in return, I'm going to help, whether you say so or not! This place is like my childhood and I'm partly responsible for it as Ichiraku's ramen stand's number one customer!" Naruto smiled as he gave them all a big thumbs up.
"How come I'm not surprised."Ren dragged the palm of her hand down her face, before getting into control. She straightened her back and crossed her arms behind her back.
"Naruto!" she barked.
"Yes si-mam!" The boy snapped to attention and saluted.
"If you want to participate then I expect substantial results and for you to do exactly and every I say. Are we clear?" It was like something you would see in the army.
"You can count on me, I won't let you down. Believe it!"
"Good, now I need you to go to the Hokage tower. Ask him to give you the files of unemployed males with the feet size of 12 and who are not above forty. Plus they must have attended the academy at some point, but dropped out before the age of eleven." Ren listed. "Don't forget, oh and tell him Ren sent you."
"Yes!" And with that Naruto scrambled off.
"Forgive me for asking but how do you know so much about the thief?" Ayame asked, confused as to how Rn came across that information.
"Well for one thing, the footprints. They are size twelve which are too large to belong to a woman. Also the hair I found had no grey colouring, showing that the thief was below forty years old. As a shinobi myself, I can sense that a very small quantity of chakra was used, most likely to help destroy the stand. The thief would have excellent chakra control due to the small quantity he had inside him. And they only teach that at the academy. He must have dropped out though, overwise he would not have made such a messy job. Because he took the ingredients as well as the money means he is unemployed because even those with low paying jobs can still afford food."
Ren gulped down the air greedily after explaining to the civilians.
"Oh, please carry on, that was very enlightening."
"Sorry, but that's all I have, I'll continue to search for more evidence, but that should be all I need." The Kumo nin put away her notepad and pen and crawled along the ground hoping for more evidence.
Some time had passed before naruto finally returned. Bundled in his arms were ten files. He looked ready to collapse so Ren snatched the paper from his hands and told him to sit down while they looked through them together.
Three of the ten were bald.
Two had already graying hair while another two had brown hair.
With every one of them she canceled out, Ren handed the file back to Naruto.
All that were remaining were a a particular short man and two others. She started to think out loud. "Hmm...It's possible it wasn't the short man, due to the strikes to the stand being to high for him to make, plus he is quiet overweight and would not be able to perform the task successfully."
She through the file behind her to the left where Naruto had to dive to the ground to catch it.
Eyeing up another she read the details about him. "unemployed, but has a lot of money, why is that- oh. He won a large bet placed on a genin in the chunin exams, so why would he need the money at all? so it must be..."
Another leap through the air rewarded Naruto with the file Ren had just thrown.
"Cayame Hotisashi, you don't know whats coming. Naruto, come on, and put that hair in the plastic pocket, we need it for evidence and later inspection." Ren ordered as she read the address on the file briefly. She launched the file into the air behind her.
Naruto hurriedly tried to think of how he could catch it, both his hands were full. He whimpered and began sweating quickly before coming to a decision. He caught it in his mouth like a dog receives a frisbee.
"Good boy." Ren said.
With Naruto behind me -trying desperately to hold onto the files as well as the evidence- we leaped from building to building with a certain alleyway in mind. This place I did know, from just reading the sign once when I was six. The same place I had been taken for the first time.
It was a neighborhood that belonged to the scum of Konoha, unpainted buildings with washing lines throwing between them and a few homeless people holding out plastic cups for change. Not to mention the grotty state of the flats. Yep, this was where the sun didn't shine.
As we progressed I became more and more certain that Cayame was the thief. Only the unemployed would be able to afford houses like these.
Nearing number 17, I struck out my right hand, halting both Naruto and myself on top of Number 15. I brought my finger to my lips.
"shhhh"
And we slid down the fire escape like snakes. Well at least I did.
Naruto, more or less fell down.
I guess it was his style.
Fortunately for us only the cats eating out of the bins were disturbed, leaving the street slightly unsettled but not alarmed. Picking Naruto up of the floor I hauled him along with me into the building and up the flight of stairs, not making a sound.
When we reached Door 17, I signaled to Naruto to stand at one side while I did the other. Just as I was about to break the door down, one of my scrolls came loose and clattered down the concrete stairs. I mentally slapped myself in the face.
Okay, from the silence inside, Cayame probably thought it was nothing. Though I'm sure he won't think the cat I had just disturbed with the scroll attacking the people out side his door was nothing. That's right. Naruto was the first to yell out as this scary looking cat appeared out of nowhere and attacked his face. I would have found it funny had I not been trying to quiet him down and protect myself at the same time.
For some reason cats also didn't like me, in fact they hated me. So when it realized I was there it switched targets and leaped onto me. While all this was happening I could hear Cayame trying to get away, most likely out the window. Cats must he like alarm systems in this neighborhood.
"Dammit!" I muttered, restriction the cat from ripping my eyes out, so instead it tore my mask to shreds. Well that's better than being covered in scratches like Naruto who was tending to his wounds.
"Hey! Squirt!" I yelped in between breathes. " Help me get this thing off my face!". Naruto perked up and grabbed the cat around the waist. it ended up like a tug of war match; The cat cling onto me with all four sets of claws and Naruto leaning back and using a lot of his strength in order to rescue me. I really wish there was an extra person there so they could take a picture, because this was one moment I wouldn't mind waking up to everyday.
Funnily enough, I think I had a camera in my pocket, which cave me an idea. Without looking I set the settings to flash and took a picture of the scene, my arm outstretched. The flashed dazed the cat -possibly Naruto too- and the orange clad kid managed to pull it from me, with my mask hanging in it's claws.
"GO!" Naruto shouted dramatically. I nodded in response and broke down the door. The first thing I felt was a draft which led me to believe he had escaped through the window. Searching through the three rooms I found one of the windows wide open with he curtain blowing this way and that way. Looking around and out of the window, I assessed the situation. It does not fit well with me to go blundering in blindly.
He must have used a ladder because I can see his shadow running down one side of the street and it looked strangely elongated, plus there was nothing else he could have used that wouldn't have left anything behind for his pursuer to also use.
Muttering to myself angrily after noticing he had also discarded all clothing and sheets - I was planning to use them the old-fashioned way of tying them together to make a rope- I took out my left handed and right handed swords. Walking backwards towards the windowsill and climbed out, keeping my front facing the door. I slid downwards and dug my swords into the concrete. Just as I expected the material was cheap and had a lot of weaknesses, making it easier for my swords to cut through and hold my weight as I clambered down.
Hoping Naruto could handle himself, I hit the ground running, placing my swords firmly back into my leather straps while I did so. I just caught the man's shadow disappearing around the corner into the maze of alleyways. I followed in pursuit at my top speed.
Rounding the corner I skidded to keep myself balanced and carried on running. This man was fast, an didn't do something soon I would lose him. He would be away with he money, living in some other country. Thinking fast I dug into the deep pockets in my trackies, pulling out a thing length of rope and took two metal balls out from one of the secure pockets in my flak jackets.
"I told you these would come in handy someday, Yugito sensei." I said to myself. I tied the balls together with he rope(they had a little loop on each ball), even with my eyes on the thief, I could do it well just from memory. When that part was done, I started swinging the weapon over my head to gain momentum before releasing it into the air. This was where my strength came in handy. And thank god for ninja training.
The weapons caught around the ankles of the thief, wrapping his legs tightly together and tripping him up, so he face-planted the floor.
He looked like he wasn't getting up anytime soon, so I slowed to a jog, catching my breath as I neared him. He looked in his early twenties, and definitely not well looked after. He had bags under his eyes and his hair was unkept, and considering the large bag suspiciously filled with a lot of money, there was no doubt this was the thief.
I crouched to sit down on his lower back and untied his legs to use the rope for keeping his wrists tightly together.
"Cayame, you have officially been caught by Renata Namikaze. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" I couldn't help but rub it in.
The man just grunted. Hauling him up to his feet, he thought he could take advantage of a twelve year girl and tried to get free by striking out. I blocked it and rewarded him with a punch to his gut. He doubled over, and I had to let him lean on me while we walked towards the main street.
Once we had crossed out of the alleyway, I made him walked in front of me, his hands still tied behind his back, with me holding the end of the rope and my other hand gripping the rope that held his wrists together.
People stopped and stared as they watched someone who had been brought in as a prisoner just the day before, holding a criminal and taking him to prison. The sight was unusual, but a few civilians, mostly children congratulated me. I waved them off in thanks and continued my task.
The man in front of me stopped struggling as soon as we stepped into the Hokage's office, as if giving up. I would too if I were him, the Hokage was far too powerful to let a petty thief escape.
Speaking of the Leader of Konoha, Sarutobi raised his head slowly, and his eyes met with mine. One eyebrow raised as he also took in Cayame's figure.
"That was...faster than I expected." He stroked his beard. "This is the thief I presume?"
"Yes sir, his name is Cayame Hotisashi, I have evidence against him including that he tried to escape with a bag with exactly five million ryo inside. Not to mention I found a hair at the scene of the crime and if examined it can be determined it is one of his." I tightened my hold on my prisoner.
"Very well." The Hokage sat back. "Take him captive."
immediately four ANBU appeared beside me and I stepped back in shock. No wonder these guys were elite. Being a ninja myself, though a very low-ranked one, that was one of the fastest I have ever seen anybody move, or rather hadn't seen them move.
They waited for me to let go and and once I did they seized the man and vanished in a puff of smoke.
Coughing caught my attention. " I really wish they didn't do that. it's bad for my lungs." hiruzen smiled. He whisked away the smoke and continued to hold my gaze.
"Well done. I have your reward here. The Ichiraku's said to take it out of the money you got back from the thief. Now all mission rewards are split between the members equally while another amount goes towards the village and ninja system such as myself, the academy and weapons." I absorbed the information
"Money going to the village and the ninja system depends on the sum of the reward and the amount of ninja that completed the task. Under these circumstances, you will receive 16,000 ryo, 40 percent of the reward."
I bowed my head in understanding, It's not as if there were money trees in the academy, plus the kids get a free education and someone needs to pay the teachers and buy the equipment. Anyway 16,000 was still a lot of money and would do me well for the time being. rent was only 800 ryo a week so I could save up my money, and continue to do more missions.
We exchange the money and evidence. "Thank you lord Hokage, I hope I have proved some loyalty to Konoha and I will continue to do so in the future." I excused myself and turned to leave. Not a moment too late the Hokage shouted out.
"Ren I don't suppose I could have my files back from the little trouble maker? Where is Naruto by the way?"
"Crap."
hehe looks like someone forgot a certain blonde-haired boy.
by the way if you want to know what she looks like I drew/ traced a pictured of her, theres a link in my profile I forgot to add the scar, oh well
Okami out ~