Author's Note: Like I said before, I've had school and terrible writers block, part of why I haven't updated in forever. But I'm on spring break now so I think I can squeeze in a chapter or two. But I'm happy that people like my story, since it's my first story, I'm kind of encouraged. Enjoy the next chapter people!
=LINE BREAK=
King of the Deck: Chapter 6
Sakabu no Kankuro broke out in a cold sweat as he lay motionless, pathetically helpless upon the floor, with the honey-haired child hovering over him. The boy had pulled down his leaf hitaite slightly with his right hand, showing his plain normal seeming mouth. The boy smiled, a simple smile, but it chilled the sand puppeteer
"I've got you," repeated the heavenly voice, so quietly that no one but the puppeteer and the proctor could hear. Katsu smiled and raised his hands, showing the metal steel strings wrapped around his fingers, "Kai."
Breaking the illusion he himself had set up, Katsu's smile grew exponentially as everyone else's eyes, including Kankuro's, grew wide at the intricate web of steel string that surrounded the arena, like a spider's web, glinting in the harsh lighting.
"How…how did he do all this? In such little time?" stuttered Sakura, staring in disbelief at the glittering razor-sharp strands that surrounded them, reaching out to brush off one hovering dangerously close to her left bared shoulder. A tanned hand grabbed her slender pale wrist, twisting his ease through the forest of steel strands.
"The strands are coated with potent snake venom from Suna no Kuni. Once the string cuts your flesh, the venom will infect you."
Sakura gulped and nodded, her large green eyes looking less disbelieved more so than fearful, looking down at the honey-haired boy down in the arena, still looking down with his Cheshire smile at the struggling Suna shinobi.
"We never saw his do this! He cannot possibly be so fast as to do this in 2 minutes, even under the guise of genjutsu," retorted Sasuke, his dark eyes glaring angrily at the blonde genin. The irritation grew at the slight tender look he saw him give the pink-haired worthless kunoichi he had been paired with. He shook his head as he searched into himself.
What was he feeling? Anger, frustration, reluctant admiration, and even, though he hated to admit it, a want to be…recognized. He felt a connection to the blonde, like a memory from long ago. Like an old long lost friend.
"…will you come back?"
"Maybe."
The last Uchiha was jarred out of his musing however as Tomo's rough voice pierced his memories.
"Katsuhiro was my find in Tsuchi no Kuni. He is a natural in the shinobi arts, particularly genjutsu. No one can match his skill with illusions. The steel poison string is also something of his creation," said Tomo, his scarred face slightly less fierce as he looked down at his third and youngest student with a fond expression.
"You know, I'm an amazing shinobi too"
"Shut up Naruto"
Down in the arena, Kankuro was mentally screaming as Katsu made several handsigns and leaned over, whispering into his ear, making the Suna puppeteer cringe at the voice. It sounded like his mother, long ago before she'd been murdered by his younger brother. Always smiling, tucking him into bed, it made him tear up and cringe as his mother's voice uttered into his ear, "First Degree: Death by Suffocation"
Kankuro found himself gasping for air as he felt hands surrounded his bared throat and start to squeeze, depriving him of the oxygen he sorely needed. Black spots spotted his vision as tears of desperation streaked down his painted face. He feebly twitched his fingers to try to summon his puppet again, but nearly shrieked when he saw the dead wooden face of his own creation strangling him with its powerful wooden joints.
"Die!" it uttered in his mother's voice and strengthened its grip on his soft throat. "At least…" thought the Suna shinobi as he drifted off into the arms of death, his heartbeat ringing his ears, "I don't have to hear her voice anymore."
In all reality however, the puppeteer was being carted off in a state of unconsciousness to the infirmary. To the outside world looking into the arena, Kankuro had spasmed in his bonds, his face growing red, his eyes bulging, as he unconsciously deprived himself of air until he'd knocked himself out.
"Winner: Akaito Katsuhiro!"
Katsu himself picked up Kankuro's wooden puppet as well as the antidote to the poison on his strings and handed them over to the emergency medic nin carting him off.
"Well done," said Tomo simply as the honey-haired shinobi rejoined them, reeling in his steel wires around his gloved hands, hitaite firmly over his mouth again. The boy eye smiled and glanced at the screen.
Kakashi's single eye narrowed. No doubt, Tomoaki had trained his students well. They were very much advanced compared to his own team. Yet, they were dangerous; he could sense it, and very much the wild cards in this year's exams. He knew nothing of either of them and Tomoaki had even indicated they were not of Fire Country. His onyx eye then fell on the last of Tomoaki's students, the golden haired boy who had all but seemed like a civilian.
The girl was a force to be reckoned with; her disability never hindered her in the least. The younger boy was a dangerous mystery and perhaps something to be left alone. But the blonde, the blonde was the one who irked him the most. The harmless one, the polite one, yet Kakashi felt the back of his neck prickle.
The next battle, between Sakabu no Gaara and Rock Lee, was a difficult match to watch. Naruto's blue-green eyes narrowed in disgust at the obvious satisfaction the red-headed maniac felt in causing the strangely eye-browed boy pain.
"Winner: Sakabu no Gaara"
As the red-head passed them, nearly everyone inched away, but the Naruto himself never moved as he said politely, calmly, "Did you enjoy that?"
Gaara stopped, but never turned around as the particles of sand surrounding him jitter slightly, like anxious bugs.
"Did you enjoy causing pain and misery?" repeated the Kyuubi Jinchurikki.
"And if I did?" rasped Gaara, his jade colored eyes staring straight ahead, though he was very conscious of the blue-green eyes that bored into his back.
"We are Shinobi. We kill; we fight, but never for pleasure. There should be no revelry in death,"
"As I said, killing is what keeps me alive. It is to prove that I am alive. No one is more important than myself…Kyuubi"
At the utterance of the Demon Fox's name, everyone jumped. Both Tomo and Kakashi's hand slid down to their weapon's pouches as Mana fingered her katana. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. What the hell was going on, what did the Kyuubi have anything to do with this?
Naruto frowned at the name, his almond shaped eyes narrowing into sapphire slits as he stared at the figure in front of him, "Ah," he said, "Of course, to every man, he is the most important. But a shinobi, no matter his job, does not enjoy killing. That is reserved for the weak of mind and heart."
Gaara didn't reply and walked back to his place, relieving the tension that his presence had caused, making Sasuke turn angrily to his teacher, "What the hell was that? Why did the Kyuubi come up in all this? And Shukaku? What the hell?"
Naruto's jaw tightened as he snapped, "Teme, shut up."
Sakura frowned and berated the blonde shinobi for insulting her teammate, but at that insult, Sasuke turned and stared at the blonde shinobi, his gaze deep with nostalgia and loathing. That insult, in that particular tone, made his blood boil.
"Never call me that again!" he hissed, his Sharingan unconsciously activating as his double tomoe started to spin.
Naruto hesitated, as if opening his mouth to respond, but a look came over him and his furrowed face smoothened back into its original pleasant attitude as he proceeded to ignore the Uchiha in favor of the match below between two Hyuuga, making Sasuke bristle like an angry cat.
Naruto only vaguely remembered Hyuga Hinata. She'd been the cute quiet girl with the courage of a mouse back in the academy. He noted with a morose expression as he watched the still cute, still timid-looking girl get battered below by what seemed like her cousin. However he didn't feel anything except pity for the mild looking heiress.
He had never been close to her, only vaguely noticing her in class, and commenting on her odd habits. But even he was not hard hearted enough to think this justifiable, that this was survival of the fittest. The elder boy, Neji, went on and on about fate and truth be told, Naruto only heard a few words. But it was enough.
"You are destined to fail, to always be a disgrace and a failure to the clan!"
"Destiny" thought Naruto, "What a vague fickle thing it is."
His blue-green eyes glanced quickly at the Uchiha a few feet away from him. If he had stayed, would he have been like Sasuke? Rash, hard-headed, stubborn, and hot-tempered? A boy still seeped in the naivety that Konoha allowed to blanket the youth? He would have rebelled against his status, probably would have still been determined to become accepted, to be Hokage.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto forced his feelings down and focused back toward the match, watching the girl get pummeled both physically and emotionally by her brutal cousin. The boy, Neji, was not entirely wrong to an extent. If he'd stayed, if he'd remained stuck in narrow-minded Konoha, his fate would have been sealed.
"Neji-niisan, I came into these exams looking to improve myself. So…I will not give up. I cannot…or I risk breaking my promise to myself."
Neji's face contorted into an ugly expression as he rushed toward his barely-standing cousin, his hands raised in the deadly Juken until a tanned hand caught his wrists and a leg twisted itself around his right ankle, twisting him to ground.
Looking up, he saw the blonde contender staring down at him with a strictly neutral expression, his lips in a grimace.
"There is no need to spill anymore blood, Hyuga," hissed Naruto, his hand, though rather small and fragile-looking, holding tight onto the pale large wrist of the Hyuga.
Wrenching himself out of the hold, Neji glared coldly at the intruder, his face displayed the disappointment he felt as Hinata was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, her red-eyed sensei following with a quick glare to the elder Hyuga.
"Fitting, that a failure must be rescued by some unknown fool. Listen here loser, do not try to defy fate for it'll always crush you like it did Hinata-sama," retorted Neji scathingly, his pale gaze looking Naruto up and down in disgust, "You are nothing!"
"You tried to kill her, your own cousin," replied Naruto, his voice not raised nor holding any emotion, "Was I to stay back and watch you murder a defenseless girl?"
"If fate decreed it, it would be her destiny to die by my hand, like the failure of an heir she is," said Neji, turning his back and walking back to his team.
Naruto smiled grimly and replied, low enough so that only the two of them could hear what he uttered, "Fate is a fickle mistress Hyuga. Are you ready to deal with the consequences she deals out with her hand?"
Neji snorted and strode back to his team.
"Winner: Hyuga Neji. Will the last contenders, Inuzuka Kiba and Uzumaki Naruto come to the ring!"
"Sweet, about time! We can take this guy, Akamaru," hooted Kiba as he leapt down with ease into the stadium, his faithful ninken following him, yapping.
Naruto raised an eyebrow, but his neutral face melted into his polite sunny smile that seemed to irritate just about everyone.
"Last Match: Hajime!"
Kiba immediately crouched down making a single hand sign, "Shikyaku no Jutsu: Down on All Fours Technique!"
His chakra surrounding him, the beast shinobi went down on all fours, his nails and canines elongated as he dashed toward the smiling motionless blonde with amazing speed.
"Why doesn't he move?" yelled Sakura, pointing downward, physically calling out what the majority of the crowd was thinking.
Tomo pursed his lip.
As Kiba came crashing into the blonde, elbow digging deep into the blonde's gut, Naruto grabbed Kiba's shoulders and flipped him sharply onto his back, falling back and cradling his bruised stomach, but still smiling all the same.
Kiba growled, shaking himself off, still on all fours, and started to prowl a bit, circling like a wolf cornering its prey.
Naruto leaned backward on the balls of his feet, lowering himself, his smile fading a bit as his arms came up in elegant figures, his fingers relaxed and his elbows slightly bent, instead of the usual fists, making him look rather harmless.
Kakashi's brow furrowed at the style, his brain working in overdrive. He'd seen that style before. He knew he had…years ago. But where?
He looked over to his self-proclaimed "rival" in his horrid green jumpsuit who nonetheless knew nearly all the signs of the entire 5 nation's multiple fighting styles, but even Maito Gai's face was in a petulant frown, his eyes gazing seriously into the crowd.
"Pathetic, what the hell is that supposed to be loser?" snapped Kiba as he charged again, his claws lengthened as he took several furious swipes at the blonde. In retaliation, the blonde was nimble on his feet and twisted around them, his hands sweeping outward to knock each swipe to the side, eventually grabbing one of the nin user's hands, pulling him forward, and kicking him in the gut, making the cainine shinobi slid on the paved arena a few meters back.
Kakashi watched as no sign realization come to Gai's face and quickly made a hand sign, teleporting over to Gai's side in a poof of smoke, not startling his one remaining student, Hyuga Neji, in the least.
Not averting his eyes from the match, Gai simply said without question, "I recognize some of the moves, yet I cannot remember where. They seem so familiar, the unnatural fluidity, the flawless conversion from offense, to defense, to offense in motion. Like waves of the sea…Where have I seen this before?"
Kakashi racked his mind; he knew he'd heard of that style before…but where? He berated himself mentally. He'd been able to copy over a 1000 jutsu and couldn't remember where he'd seen a single style of taijutsu.
"It is called Tui-La," said a voice behind him, making Kakashi spin around straight into the scarred face of Tomoaki. The sharp-eyedd jonin smirked and pointed at his student below, " It literally translates to Push and Pull. Naruto has yet to master it, but it is the style of his mother's clan from Mizu no Kuni. Apparently they studied the moves of the ocean and evolved it into a style of their own, very hard to master according to Naruto. There is an intense need for balance, peace of mind, patience, he had a lot of trouble with it."
"From Mizu no Kuni you say?" asked Gai, never taking his eyes off the blonde genin below, "Interesting."
Tomo gave a smug little smirk. He felt a tad accomplished that his student was the one who had the really cool style that even Maito Gai didn't recall.
"Akamaru, come here" shouted Kiba as he panted a bit, his middle sore and most probably bruised along with his aching back. Fishing out two small pills, he popped on into his mouth and fed the second to his faithful dog, who immediately, like his name, turned a shocking color of scarlet red.
Naruto looked on with interest, as he leaned back into his former position, his eyes narrowed.
Kiba smirked, "You're going down! Let's do this Akamaru, Jujin Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Immediately, Akamaru transformed into a doppelganger of Kiba, both figures growling and crouched on all fours. They immediately started to circle Naruto, closing him in slowly like wolves going in for the prey.
"Taijutsu won't help him anymore," remarked Sakura as she watched the match below, "Kiba is from the Inuzuka clan. His speed will be too much for Uzumaki to do any of his taijutsu. Normally genjutsu would be the answer here, but Kiba's nose will sniff him out. He's dead meat."
Katsu made an odd sound in his throat that sound a bit like a choke and Mana managed to laugh a little, albet mockingly. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the annoying twosome, "What's so funny? What Haruno says is true anyway."
Mana gave Team 7 a crooked smile, showing off white teeth as she replied, "You know that every genin team is designed based on whether or not each genin has something to contribute, learn, and balance the team. Tomo-sensei chose us because we complement each other. We each are specialized in an art which, by itself, is strong, but able to be defeated. The three of us together, however, make up for where the other lacks. I specialize in Taijutsu: I can't manipulate chakra at all…"
At this Sasuke gave a condescending look at the elder girl, but she ignored him straight away.
"I find it a cheating method of true strength. Anyway, I specialize in Taijutsu. Katsu here specializes in genjutsu and traps. So tell me oh-mighty-Uchiha and Miss-Know-it-all Pinkie, what do you think Naruto specializes in?"
"You're done for Blondie," shouted Kiba as both he and his clone made similar handsigns, "Tsuuga no Jutsu!" Both inu-nin immediately spun rapidly until they resembled twin cyclones and dashed toward the blonde genin, making the entire arena shake as smoke and rubble obscured everyone's vision slightly, including both Kibas'
"Suiton: Fuyu Ouja Tsume no Jutsu!"
Both Kiba 1 and 2 realized the shadow from above too late as enormous clawed hands, each half the size of the arena, made of ice crashed into both of them, mercifully pinning both boy and dog into the ground without stabbing through. Akamaru, who had transformed back in the last second, was mostly unscathed, but it was Kiba, with deep gashes on both sides of his ribs from the claws coming down from the sky, that was carted off to the infirmary.
"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"
The blonde, who was still balancing on his large ice appendages, looked unaffected by his victory as he himself helped the medics lift Kiba onto the stretcher, patting Akamaru on the head with a soft smile.
"You've trained your students well Tomoaki," remarked Gai seriously, for once, as his dark eyes stared at the blonde, who looked none worse for wear except a few scratches and some dust on his robe, "That was an impressive display for a genin. He has much chakra…almost too much."
Tomo smiled tightly, "Naruto has abnormally large reserves. And because of that, he cannot perform any sort of genjutsu or ninjutsu below a B-rank. Some may think it a blessing, but Naruto struggles to control his chakra. You could say he is the ticking bomb of my team."
Kakashi gave Tomo a sharp glare at this, but the scarred ninja was already walking back to congratulate his student. "Gai," said the masked jonin, "Tomo's team…they're too advanced. They know dangerous techniques that normal genin shouldn't have mastered. And two of them are not even from Konoha…"
"Indeed Kakashi, Team Tomo…they worry me. They are the wild cards in the Chunin exams this year."
Meanwhile, Sasuke gave the blonde a hateful glare as he was congratulated by his teammates. That technique…it was not some stupid D-ranked jutsu from the Academy. The dobe had resources into powerful techniques that Sasuke couldn't hope to replicate in his state. Him…weaker than an outsider. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
Naruto caught the Uchiha's eye and gave him that irritatingly pleasant goofy smile. Sasuke returned it with a venomous stare. He was mocking him!
"Will all the participants who have won their matches please gather in the arena in front of the Hokage," announced Gekko Hayate, holding a plain cardboard box with a hole on the top, "You are to pick a number from inside. Your number will determine who you will face in the final matches."
Sasuke started, " 4."
"7."
"5."
"2."
"8."
"11."
"3."
"9."
"1."
"6."
"10."
After several minutes, Hayate held up the competition sheet, "The matches will be as followed: Neji vs. Uzumaki Naruto. 2. Sakabu no Gaara vs Uchiha Sasuke. 3. Sakabu no Temari vs. Nara Shikamaru. 4. Kinuta Dosu vs. Yamanaka Ino. The victor of that match will face Sakata Mana. 5. Akaito Katsuhiro vs. Aburame Shino.
The matches will take place one month from now in Konoha Stadium. You all have that month to prepare and train. Know that the damiyos as well as many other viewers will be watching with interest. Honor your villages and I wish you the best of luck. Dismissed!"
=LINE BREAK=
-Outside the arena
Naruto shook his head as both Neji and Gaara gave him the dirtiest looks he'd probably ever gotten in a long time as they stalked off in their general directions. These exams were getting to be testing on his nerves, and the people he had to deal with weren't helping matters.
"Oi dobe!"
Including the one and only Sasuke Uchiha aka the boy who doesn't remember him even though they were the biggest rivals in the Academy. Ah well, neither did anybody it seemed.
"What is it Sasuke-san?" replied Naruto in his most infuriatingly polite voice. Oh he knew very well that the way he acted grated on people's nerves, especially the ones like Uchiha. Not that he wasn't polite in general. No, Naruto was a nice, kind, polite boy but he knew when to overdo it and piss people off.
"Your sensei told me that your team has to meet him at Ichiraku Ramen at 7:00 tonight. He said he had a meeting with the Hokage."
"Thank you Sasuke-san for the information."
Oh lookie, now the Uchiha has a marvelous tick present in his left eye. It was twitching madly and making the rookie of the year look half-mad.
"Can you stop that!"
"Stop what Sasuke-san?"
"I know what you're doing. Your mocking me aren't you dobe? Well we'll see whose smug at the finals!"
Naruto cracked a wider smile, making it very apparent that he was ridiculing the Uchiha, "You can bet on it…teme."
Again, Sasuke shot him that god awful glare, "Don't ever call me that name!"
"Why not?"
"Because…just because ok?"
"It seems you've had a bad experience with the name, no? Perhaps you should see a doctor?"
Sasuke refused to dignify the insult with an answer as he strode off, his eye still twitching uncontrollably due to his irritation. The blonde was infuriating, mocking, annoying, incredibly stupid. Yet, the raven-haired genin still couldn't shake the itsy bitsy piece inside him that seemed to nudge that same memory from the back of his head.
"Will you come back?"
"Maybe."
"You'd better come back dobe…"
Sasuke shook his head. The memory was from years ago, before his clan had been massacred and he'd been thrust into the role of an avenger. A tiny memory, insignificant in the grand scheme of his revenge. He musn't form ties, friendship is for those of weak minds and hearts.
Turning back slightly, Sasuke felt a bit of disappointment at the sight of the blonde girlish looking boy gone.
He couldn't deny the desire within him for companionship, the way he saw little children in the Academy chattering away together. He would never have the luxury. Did he ever even have friends? He couldn't remember in the very least.
Friend…what an odd word
Turning back, his pale lips twitched slightly. Perhaps…the blonde wouldn't be so bad…for a friend.
=LINE BREAK=
-The Next Night, Hokage Tower
Smoke curled around the widebrim hat of the Fire Shadow as he contemplated the task before him. His hard brown eyes analyzing the risks of such an endeavor, yet there was no other option. No other way to prevent such a travesty from occurring.
"You are sure of what you heard, Tomoaki," said the Sandaime gravely as he gazed at the scarred jonin in front of him, standing military straight.
"Affirmative Hokage-sama. When you informed me that Yakushi Kabuto voluntarily failed the chunin exams so many times for absolutely no reason, I found it within myself to look through his records. As you said before, he is an unremarkable person. An orphan from the Kikyo Pass Incident. Perhaps the only thing notable is his work in medical jutsu," replied Tomo, his cattish eyes narrowing as he reported his news.
"However," the jonin continued, "I trusted my gut on this one and decided to trail him. Yakushi should not know who I am, so I managed to trail him without much trouble…much to say that your reports on him are rather faulty. The boy…is sharp. He notices things, he snatches up information leaked out by other competitors. I've managed to sneak a look at those cards he holds…too much information for a mere genin."
"I see…and you suspect that the boy is a spy? He could just be a resourceful young man."
"…You know Hokage-sama, I don't usually try to persuade you all too much. But this boy…he makes my skin crawl. And anyone who makes my skin crawl is not a good person."
The Hokage gave a humorless chuckle as he inhaled another breath of tobacco, closing his eyes in deep thought, "You say the boy has gone to the same place every evening for the past three nights. The market down by Tanto's Weapons Shop?"
"Yes, to the same vendor. Buys the same amount of fruit for the same amount of cash. I didn't dare touch the vendor, but I found that every few weeks; the vendor goes to get his wares out of Konoha…in Ta no Kuni. Now normally I wouldn't be too concerned but…"
"Yes, Ta no Kuni is the village where Otogakure is located isn't it? A relatively new village I've heard with conveniently powerful leader. You think Yakushi is a spy for Oto?"
"Not too sure, I don't even think he's a mere spy. I've seen him assessing at the walls surrounding the village. Note the number of jonin in the village. He even has access to medical files, which display nearly every ninja's personal information. I wouldn't be surprised if he has the record of who's going on missions at a time. The boy…He's no ordinary spy. He seems like a scout…looking over the enemy before battle.
"Battle you say Tomo? You imply an attack on Konoha itself. Perhaps you're being a bit too paranoid, no?"
"I don't know…I think I have a plan to find out. But it'll take time. You'll have to be patient, but I assure you I'll get your information."
Sarutobi narrowed his eyes as the smell of burning tobacco got stronger. Tomoaki was a strong shinobi, no doubt about it. Despite his handicap in reflex, sight, and stamina, he had persevered into a respectable jonin. But no ninja, no matter how good, was 100% perfectly sure that their plan was going to work.
This alone worried the old man.
"What is your plan then, Tomoaki?"
=LINE BREAK=
A scowl adorned Mana's face as she tried to glare a whole through the piece of paper that had been stuck to the refrigerator of the hotel room she and her team had rented.
To my sadly childish, yet amazing fuctional team,
The Hokage has requested me for a mission which will take a long time, namely most probably this whole month. With that said and done, I know you are perfectly capable of training yourselves for the final exams. Unfortunately, Mana tends slightly unimaginative, Katsu tends to try and drive people insane, and Naruto…well he just isn't trustworthy to train alone. Therefore I have requested a few of my friends and fellow jonin to help you train. Mana, you are to train with Gekko Hayate and Maito Gai. Please do not attempt to wear the green jumpsuit or get sick. Katsu is to train with Yuuhi Kurenai. Considering her only student is training with his clan, she has no problem with training you. And Naruto, you are to work my friend Tenzou.
Your training starts two days from now. I have confidence that you will do fine. Please do not attempt to cause trouble.
Tomoaki
"Isn't Hayate that procter who looked like he invested in cough medicine a little too much?" stated Naruto, wiping the stray toothpaste from his lips as he glanced at the paper in Mana's hand, "Ha, so if you start coughing, does that mean you've got Gekko-cooties?"
"Shut up…"
"Oh god, isn't Maito Gai the dude with the green jumpsuit and the horrible haircut?"
Kaito gave a nod of confirmation.
"…Shit, you're screwed."
=LINE BREAK=
The town of Komugi was a generally average town. Nothing out of the ordinary. Yet if one spoke to the locals, they'd have to say that the number of men, all dark, brawny, and adorned with various weapons, had begun to show up over the years. But they caused no real trouble, so the public generally ignored them.
Therefore, it was no surprise that no one passing through the streets noticed the cloaked man walking steadily through the masses, weaving gently in and out, dragging his feet to the side to obscure his tracts.
The man was tall, perhaps nearly 6 ft. tall, and had a fair amount of muscle. Only adorned in a plain black cloak, complete with an nondescript bamboo hat that shaded his face.
His feet, a ghostly white color, shuffled swiftly into the market, searching for something. The figure stopped in front of the most non-impressive thing: a simple fruit stand.
The vendor was not special in anyway, limp plain figures on a largely circular face and a shorter body. But the cloaked man was sure that he had the right guy. If his informant had been correct, this unimpressive man would be the key inward.
Coming upward, pretending to glance at the apples the vendor sold, the cloaked man whispered with a high breathy sounding voice, "You are Magoro Takeshi, known for his taste in the discreet sounds from all countries?
The vendor, Takeshi, didn't blink an eyelid at the question, his face still streached in the mask of a greasy salesman, but he too murmured, "I am, and if you are a merchant of such interests and are willing to sell and meet those who share your interests, Go to Mt. Sousen 3 miles west of here. I have a friend who is interested in your wares."
Nodding his consent, the cloaked figure left, his lips twitching into a small smile.
Mt. Sousen huh? This would be interesting.
It didn't take long for the simple mountain near the outskirts of the small bustling town to appear. There, only a few people mingled, all wearing dark cloaks, some protruding in odd angled from what seemed like hidden weapons. But the man knew his target. And there was only one figure in white.
Yakushi Kabuto smiled pleasantly at the newcomer, propping his glasses onto the bridge of his nose, "Ah, you are Hirashi Ojiro from Tsuchi no Kuni, are you not? Come, we will leave shortly. The Otokage has expressed an interest in your information and your…talents."
The cloaked man smiled and gave a humble bow, his eyes, narrow like that of a prowling feline, sparked a golden brown before reverting to a mud brown.
He was in.