Author's Note: Heh heh! Double update bitches! Don't get used to it though...Oh, and just a heads up, this chapter does NOT contain the fight against Zabuza (don't kill me), that's next chapter, promise. This simply contains the beginning of their journey to the Land of Waves and their run in with the Demon Brothers. However, you are going to see Yumi in a whole new light...actually TWO whole new lights. You'll see just how kind and caring she is, but also how heartless. Gah, just read it already!
Oh, warning for slight torture and extensive psychological warfare...jus' sayin~
Double oh, hate me or not, it will probably be at least two weeks before I update again, fair warning
AsheXChan
"Sasuke, I'm at point B."
"Yumi, I'm at point C."
A long pause before the next voice was heard. "Naruto, I'm at point A, dattebayo!"
"You're slow Naruto." A voice chastised before continuing. "Okay, Squad Seven...hm? The target has moved! Follow it!"
"Over there!" Naruto said in a hushed tone as the three of them closed in on the target.
"Ugh, why am I even doing this?" Yumi groaned.
"Not now Yumi; focus. What's your distance from the target?"
"Five meters." Naruto answered for her before she could get into a fight with her sensei. "I'm ready just give the signal." He added.
"I'm ready too." Sasuke's voice was deep and serious. Why in fuck's sake is everyone taking this so seriously? It's just a cat...
Caught up in her angry thoughts, Yumi missed her cue and another long silence occurred before Kakashi interrupted "Yumi!"
"Wha? Oh, yea, I'm ready." Yumi said in a bored tone.
Kakashi sighed before continuing "Okay...now!"
The three of them charged and Naruto easily tackled the cat...until it started clawing his face off that is. Yumi burst out laughing so hard she fell to her knees, holding her sides.
"Yu-Yumi-chan! Ow! This isn't - ITAI - funny! AH! Somebody get - OW - this stupid cat off of me! YOWWW!" Naruto cried as the feline mauled him.
"Yes it is!" Yumi continued to laugh as Sasuke talked to Kakashi over the radio.
"Right. Lost pet Tora captured. Mission accomplished." She heard Kakashi say.
"Mission? What the fuck kind of mission involves finding a cat!?" Yumi shouted angrily into the headset.
"Yumi..." Kakashi began in an exhausted tone before Naruto cut in.
"YUMI'S RIGHT - YOWW! CAN'T WE GET - OWOWOW - A BETTER MISSION THAN THIS? HEY! I HATE CATS - ITAIIIII!" Naruto shrieked into the headset, earning a sigh from his sensei and irritated eye roll from Sasuke who muttered "dobe" as he walked past the struggling Genin, not lifting so much as a finger to help his comrade out.
Yumi sighed as she carefully removed the cat from Naruto's face. By the time Naruto looked to her, she was stroking the cat gently and it was purring in her arms with its eyes closed.
Naruto's mouth dropped to the floor as he scurried to his feet "HOW DID YOU DO THAT!?" He exclaimed while pointing at the now docile creature resting in Yumi's arms.
"I like cats." She shrugged, not tearing her gaze away from Tora.
"Well I don't! No way! Cats are evil!" He huffed as he crossed his arms across his chest and turned his head to the side with a pout. Yumi ignored his immature behavior as she continued to stroke that cat gently, a half smile on her face.
"What now?" Sasuke asked over the radio.
"Hold your position; I'll be right there. Then we can all go report to Hokage-sama together."
"Hn." Sasuke replied with a nod as he switched off his radio and took it off. "Next time, try not to mess up the mission dobe. Or at least stay out of my way." He scoffed indignantly.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT TEME!?" Naruto demanded, facing his teammate with his fist shaking. "I DIDN'T MESS UP THE MISSION - I COMPLETED IT! I WAS THE ONE TO CATCH TORA! YOU DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING! DATTEBAYO!"
Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "You let a cat maul your face. You're an embarrassment to this team, not to mention, to all ninja."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY TEME!?" Naruto roared. The two of them started arguing, Naruto shouting and Sasuke occasionally raising his voice slightly or twitching an eyebrow to show he, too, was annoyed.
Yumi sighed as she stood up. "WILL YOU TWO BASTARDS SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I SWEAR TO KAMI I WILL SICK THIS FUCKING CAT ON BOTH YOUR ASSES!" The two Genin froze.
Naruto, wide eyed, hid behind Sasuke crying anime tears. "No! Not the demon cat! Please, Yumi! Anything but that - that monster!~" Naruto wailed.
"Get off of me dobe!" Sasuke growled through gritted teeth. But when Yumi raised a threatening eyebrow and took a step towards him with the now wide-awake and ready to strike Tora in her arms, his mouth snapped shut and he didn't say anything further.
Thankfully, it looked like Kami was looking out for the two male Genin today because it was only another minute or so before Kakashi showed up.
"Let's go." Yumi said as she began walking to the village, Kakashi in stride with her and Naruto and Sasuke lagging behind arguing quietly.
"Listen Yumi..."
"Wakatteru, wakattero yo. You don't have to say it, ne." Yumi said staring straight ahead with a distant look in her eyes.
Kakashi frowned. "Look, I know you think these missions are way too easy, but this is just the way the ninja system works in Konoha. Every ninja starts at the bottom and then works their way up as they gain experience and skill."
It was Yumi's turn to frown. "I know that. But seriously, catching a runaway cat? And here I thought the weeding mission was bad! Kakashi, this isn't even ninja work!"
Kakashi gave a light sigh. "I know it may seem that way, but-"
"That's because it is that way! I'm wasting my time on stupid missions like these when I SHOULD be either training or going on REAL missions that will actually advance my skills as a ninja."
"Oh." Kakashi raised his revealed eyebrow, a bit of sarcasm in his voice. "And what exactly did you expect your third week of missions? A B-rank body guard mission? An A-rank assassination? Don't you see those missions are too advanced for you guys? You're simply not ready. Not as individuals and certainly not as a team."
"...It's not like I haven't been on high rank assassinations before..." Yumi mumbled, her gaze still straight ahead.
Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows at this "What did you say?".
Yumi sighed before muttering "I'm just wasting my time here...".
Kakashi would have tried to spark further conversation with the girl, but the distant look in her eyes made him realize that she wouldn't respond. After training Yumi, both with Naruto and Sasuke and all by himself, for over a month now, he picked up of several of her quirks. One being that she sometimes got lost in her thoughts while staring off into the distance. When this happened, she became virtually unresponsive to her surroundings. He wasn't sure what she thought about, but he noticed that anything to do with her goal of becoming a strong Kunoichi seemed to trigger it.
And so, she was silent the rest of the way to the Hokage building, absentmindedly stroking the sleeping cat and staring straight ahead with a detached, cold look to her eyes.
"OHHHH!" A pudgy lady screeched while practically suffocating her cat "MY POOR LITTLE TORA! MOMMY WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT HER NAUGHTY LITTLE FUZZYKINS! YESSS!"
Yumi couldn't help but cringe at the sight. Poor Tora...no wonder the thing ran away...
"Ahahahaha! Stupid cat! That kitty deserves to be squashed! Ahahaha!" Naruto chuckled at the cat's cries. Suddenly Yumi whacked him on the top of his head. "OWIE! ITAI!" He cried as he grabbed his head with both hands. "What was THAT for?!"
"Be nice or I'll squash YOU." Yumi threatened through gritted teeth as her eyes flashed dangerously.
Naruto suddenly went wide-eyed and nodded vigorously in agreement.
"Now then," The Hokage's voice rang through the room, commanding the attention of all its guests. Well, almost all of them. The Daimyo's wife and Tora didn't even notice the Hokage had spoken up. "For Squad Seven's next mission we have several available tasks...hum, among them babysitting the Chief Counselor's three year old..."
Yumi took this chance to glare at Kakashi. Kakashi, feeling the daggers Yumi was shooting at him with her eyes, turned to face her. 'You better get me a good mission if you value your life', she mouthed to him.
Kakashi's eye closed nervously and he held up his hands defensively, but before he could respond the most disrespectful Genin of Konoha spoke up. "Nooooooo!" Naruto whined, crossing his arms like an 'x' in front of him. "I wanna go on a REAL mission! Something challenging and exciting - not this little kid stuff! C'mon Ojiisan!"
Kakashi and Sasuke's eyes widened slightly at Naruto's outburst, but Yumi merely smirked. Hey, if the kid didn't speak up she sure would have.
Iruka, naturally, jumped out of his seat and slammed his hands on the table. "HOW DARE YOU-"
"NO!" Yumi cried desperately, drawing everyone's attention by waving her arms around dramatically. "No! No way! Nuh-huh! I am NOT doing THAT again!"
"Yumi..." Kakashi began again.
"No Kakashi!" She spun around and faced him. "I refuse to play HIS games!"
"What...games?"
"The 'how dare you this' 'how dare you that' game! I've already had to listen to it once and I don't want to hear it again! Noooo way!" Kakashi sighed. She was clearly referring to the first night they met when Iruka kept snapping at her, each time starting off with 'how dare you'.
"It seems you still have no respect for your superiors! I'm disappointed Kakashi-san, I thought you would have whipped her into shape by now." Iruka spat bitterly, emphasizing the 'you' with extra distaste.
Kakashi was about to speak but Yumi cut him off. "Oh NO you didn't!" She spun around and faced Iruka with her fist shaking menacingly. "How DARE you bring MY SENSEI into this! My disrespect for authority and all-around rudeness have absolutely NOTHING to do with Kakashi!" She yelled with hatred shining in her eyes.
Kakashi froze in shock when Yumi referred to him as her sensei, seeing as how this was the first time she had ever acknowledged him as such. In fact she didn't even call him 'Kakashi-san', let alone 'Kakashi-sensei' as Naruto, Sasuke and most other Genin in Konoha did.
"See! There you go again! Disrespecting your elders! You should refer to him as 'Kakashi-san' or 'Kakashi-sensei'!"
"Why don't you make me!?"
Iruka turned red with anger and looked like he was going to erupt. This time it was Kakashi's turn to stand up for Yumi. He quickly appeared behind Iruka and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. Iruka whipped his head around and came face to face with a smiling Kakashi who was trying to defuse the situation. "Sumimasen, Iruka-san. Yumi gets a little...touchy when someone insults one of her teammates."
"Iruka..." The Hokage's voice said calmly. Iruka hung his head and took several deep breaths to calm down as Kakashi reappeared to the left of Naruto. Yumi locked eyes with him for a moment but he soon turned his attention back to the Hokage when a certain loudmouth spoke up.
"Wait, so does that mean we get a real mission now, 'teybayo?"
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Iruka erupted, this time his anger focused on Naruto. "YOU'RE JUST A BRAND NEW GENIN WITH NO EXPERIENCE..."
Iruka and Naruto started arguing, but Yumi didn't pay them any mind. She was too busy staring at a certain silver-haired Jounin who had just stood up for her to the Hokage's advisor, Iruka. There had only been a handful of people in her life who had ever tried to help her or stand up for her; she was shocked that Kakashi was now one of those few as well. Shocked, and happy. A small smile crept up on her face as she realized that Kakashi really was a good guy.
Without warning, Kakashi punched Naruto on the top of his head, sending him face first into the wood floor. Yumi couldn't help but snicker at the irony. "Will you put a lid on it?" Kakashi drawled.
"Naruto! It seems you do not understand the tasks that you have been given..."
"No!" Yumi interrupted, the last thing she wanted was a long lecture about how the mission ranks work. She already got that three times a day from Kakashi. "It's not that we don't understand - really it's not. We just, well, we're sick of all this slave labor!" The Hokage raised his eyebrow as Iruka stood up again, only for Sandaime to motion for him to sit back down, which he did very hesitantly.
"We became ninja so that we could go on 'A' rank and 'B' rank missions to protect Konoha and its citizens. I know we are new Genin, and I'm not asking for a high rank assassination mission, but we have a really great sensei who taught us many things, especially teamwork. Because of him, I think we may be qualified to skip the lower missions. I guess what I'm asking for is a compromise."
"A compromise, you say?"
"Hai. A 'C' rank mission: something challenging enough that we can prove to you and to everyone else that we're no ordinary Genin."
"YEAH!" Naruto added enthusiastically. "I'M NOT THE LITTLE BRAT WHO USED TO PULL PRANKS ALL THE TIME! I'M A NINJA NOW! AND I WANT A NINJA MISSION! HMPH!" Naruto turned around and crossed his arms across his chest, puffing out his cheeks as well for Kami knows what reason...
There was silence for a little while before the Hokage...chuckled? "Naruto wants us to know that he's not a brat, he's a former brat. And Yumi wants to show us that because of Kakashi's teachings, they are qualified for a slightly more advanced mission. Well, I guess I have no choice but to oblige..."
Everyone, spare Sandaime himself, gasped at this. "Since you two are so determined, I'm going to give you a 'C' ranked mission. You'll be bodyguards on a journey."
"Honto? YOSHI! WHO? WHO? ARE WE GUARDING A PRINCESS? OR SOME BUSINESS COUNSELOR?" Naruto exclaimed happily, now facing the Hokage.
Damn...Yumi thought to herself, I can't believe that actually worked! Finally, a decent mission! Take that Iruka! She thought smugly while glancing at the brown-haired Chuunin who looked like he was about to faint.
"Don't be so impatient, Naruto. I will bring him in now. Send in our visitor!"
Yumi, along with the rest of Team Seven, turned around just in time to see the door slowly open revealing...an old drunk?
"What the...? A bunch of little, snot-nosed brats?" The drunk mumbled angrily before thirstily drinking from his sake bottle in an oh so classy manner.
Yumi sweatdropped as she hung her head. It figures THIS would be my first 'C' ranked mission in Konoha...curse you Sandaime...
"Huh?" Naruto said standing up as the three of them stared at the man, Yumi still staring at the floor.
Leaning against the door frame he spoke "And you: the little one with the idiotic look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?"
Naruto burst out laughing as Yumi raised her head with an inquisitive look on her face. What the fuck is he laughing about? Doesn't he realize the drunk is talking about him?
As if to answer her question, Naruto shouted with a grin "WHO'S THE LITTLE ONE WITH THE IDIOTIC LOOK ON HIS FACE?"
"Well, you ARE the shortest one here, gaki." Yumi said in a matter-of-fact tone as she ruffled his hair.
"Huh...?" Naruto blinked a few times as the tiny wheels in his head slowly turned, processing what Yumi had said. After a few seconds, realization hit his face before it was quickly replaced with rage. "I'LL DEMOLISH YOU!" Naruto yelled as he attempted to charge the old drunk, only to be held back by Kakashi.
"You can't demolish the client Naruto; it doesn't work that way." Kakashi said coolly, making Yumi chuckle a little under her breath.
"And what are you laughing at girlie?" The drunk said taking another generous swig of booze. "You really expect me to trust a girl to protect me?"
Yumi developed a very large anime vein as anger clouded her senses. "YOU SEXIST PIG! I'LL DEMOLISH YOU MYSELF!" She shouted charging the old, sexist drunk only to be held back herself. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Sasuke had grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms around each of her biceps to ensure that she couldn't attack the man. "GRR, TEME! GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME!"
"Now, now Yumi you can't demolish the client; it doesn't work that way." Sasuke said in a mocking tone with a smirk.
Yumi felt herself blush at his words as the drunk sighed and finally introduced himself. "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder, and I must return to my country. I'm building a bridge there that will change our world and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life."
"Yea, yea I'll get you there alive, but I can't guarantee it'll be in one piece. After all I am a girl." Yumi hissed at him.
Kakashi sighed as Tazuna narrowed his eyes and turned to face the Hokage. "Hokage-sama, surely there is a different team you could send with me?" He faced Yumi again, his eyes narrow slits "One that is more...qualified."
"Kisama..." Yumi growled as Sasuke gripped her tighter to prevent her from, well, demolishing him.
Before the Hokage could speak up, however, someone else did. "Don't worry Tazuna-san, I'm a Jounin and I will be accompanying you as well. Besides, I know these three don't look it, but they are all rather accomplished ninja." Kakashi said calmly as his eye crinkled.
Damn, that's the second time Kakashi has stood up for me today...Yumi thought as Tazuna simply replied with a "hmph".
"Alright." Kakashi said finally releasing Naruto. "Go and gather your things. We will meet at the front gates in exactly one hour. Do not be late."
"I'll be on time if you are, Kakashi." Yumi said sweetly as she stomped on Sasuke's right foot rather harshly. Sasuke hissed in pain and his grip let up just enough that she was able to pry herself free. Walking towards the door, she held up a hand "Ja ne. See you, well, far too soon." She said as she walked out.
"Matte! Yumi-chan! I'm coming too!" Naruto shouted as he chased after her. Yumi simply shrugged as she continued walking, slowing her pace ever so slightly until Naruto caught up to her. "Can you believe it!? Our first 'C' rank mission! This is gunna be great! Dattebayo!"
"Yea, if only our client wasn't an old, sexist drunk." Yumi muttered sourly.
Naruto shrugged. "Yea, but at least it's a 'C' rank. We even get to leave the village! I'm so excited!"
"You...don't get out much, do you gaki?" Yumi said as she raised her eyebrow.
"Well, not exactly...actually this will be my first time leaving the village." He said thoughtfully with a big grin.
Yumi's eye's widened "Are you serious? You've never left Konoha before?"
"Uhmm, nope. Nuh-huh." He said shaking his head.
"Wow..." Yumi muttered. She found this very hard to believe seeing as how she had practically traveled the whole world. "Crazy..."
It wasn't long before they reached Naruto's apartment. "I'll see you in an hour Yumi!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran into his apartment to get ready.
Yumi gave a small nod as she continued walking into town. There was something she absolutely needed for this mission. Entering a small shop, she withdrew her wallet and counted her yen. She didn't have a lot from the 'missions' she had gone on so far, but she had more than enough to buy what she desired.
A new outfit.
No way in hell was she going on this mission in a fucking dress. Especially not with that sexist, old drunk of a client. No way. She grabbed some appropriate attire and paid for it before hurriedly leaving the shop, delighted that she still had some yen left over.
She was in such a hurry she accidentally bumped into something, knocking her on her butt. Oops, make that someone.
"Always in a hurry, Yumi. How troublesome..." A tired voice droned.
Yumi's head whipped up and her lips formed a small grin "Shikamaru!". Hastily grabbing her bag she pushed herself off the ground and offered her hand to the lazy Shinobi. "Hi! How are you?"
Shikamaru gave a polite smile in return as he took her hand and slowly stood up with her aid. "Eh, can't complain." He stated casually.
"That's a first." Yumi jested with a smirk, her comment producing a small smirk on Shikamaru's face as well.
"How about you? Naruto and Sasuke drive you crazy yet?"
"Heh, very close to it." Shikamaru chuckled. "We really need to stop meeting like this." She added, remembering the first time she met the brown-haired Genin two weeks ago.
Yumi had just eaten some sushi from a small shop in town and was walking towards the training ground to meet Kakashi for her private training. Glancing up at the sky she realized it was probably about six. 'Damn, better hurry. If I'm late, Kakashi is going to kick my ass...literally.'
Despite the fact that Kakashi was always late for everything, he somehow managed to make it to their nighttime training session on time. Even more surprising, Kakashi does NOT like to be kept waiting. She found this out the hard way last week when Kakashi trained her especially hard out of spite, just for being ten minutes tardy.
Inwardly grimacing at the memory Yumi increased her pace as she turned a corner. Before she could even process what happened, Yumi found herself on her butt. Glancing up she saw a boy about her age, with dark hair in a spiky ponytail and a surprised expression on his face, on the ground directly in front of her.
It didn't take her long to connect the dots. 'When I turned the corner I must've knocked into this kid, causing us both to fall down.'
Shaking herself from her thoughts she was about to speak when an annoyed female beat her to it "Why don't you watch where you are going, baka!? You almost knocked into me!"
'I know that voice...' Sure enough when Yumi looked to the left she saw a very familiar pink-haired Kunoichi with her hand in a fist. Rolling her eyes and resisting the urge to yell a comeback, Yumi pushed herself off the ground before extending her hand to the kid she had accidentally totaled "Sumimasen, I wasn't paying attention."
He took her hand and gave a small, polite smile. "Mondai nai. I wasn't paying attention myself." His voice was calm, almost to the point of being bored.
"What's your name?" She questioned with a smile.
"Shikamaru."
"Shikamaru..." Yumi began thoughtfully. "That name sounds familiar..."
"Hi! I'm Chouji." A cheerful voice to her right said. She turned her head to see a rather plump brown-haired boy with red swirls on his face munching on a bag of chips. She hadn't even noticed him until just then, but he looked like a nice kid so she didn't mind.
"Nice to meet you Chouji, I'm...hold up. You two wouldn't happen to be Akimichi Chouji and Nara Shikamaru, would you?" She asked, realization dawning on her.
"Yup, that's us!" Chouji replied shoving another chip in his mouth as Shikamaru nodded with a "yea".
Yumi allowed her grin to widen slightly. "No wonder your names seems familiar; I've heard of you guys before."
"You have?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.
"Uh-huh, Naruto's mentioned you several times." She said matter-of-factly. "You guys are on Team Eight, along with Pinku over there." Yumi motioned to Sakura with her head.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!" Pinku erupted. "I HAVE A NAME!"
"Yes, you do. Haruno Sakura. Personally, I think Pinku fits better. You see, Sakura is way too pretty a name for a violent bitch such as yourself."
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE TO TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?"
Yumi raised an eyebrow "You don't recognize me?"
"I WOULDN'T BE ASKING YOUR NAME IF I DID NOW WOULD I? AND HERE I THOUGHT NARUTO WAS A BAKA!"
Yumi's eyes narrowed. "You know what you and Sasuke Uchiha have in common, Pinku?" The three Genin, especially Sakura, seemed rather shocked at Yumi's question. "I like you both a hell of a lot better frozen to the ground on your hands and knees, completely at my mercy~" She finished with a dominant smirk. The same smirk she gave Sasuke the day she beat him, Naruto and Sakura.
Realization dawned upon Pinku's face which flickered to fear before giving way to anger. "You-you're Yumi!" Her voice was soaked in rage and her face set in an angry glare, but her eyes were filled to the brink with terror. Yumi couldn't help but smirk at the fact that Pinku was afraid of her.
"Aw, I'm touched. You really do remember me." Yumi said with a false sweetness and a fake smile.
"You two know each other?" Shikamaru asked cautiously.
Yumi turned to face him before Pinku could answer. "Yup. My name is Yumi. I'm Pinku's replacement."
"Sakura's...replacement?" Chouji asked as Shikamaru's eyes widened.
"Mmhmm. I'm the new Kunoichi of Team Seven."
"Ohhhhh..." Chouji said. "So YOU'RE Naruto's girlfriend?"
"NANI!?" Yumi felt herself go bright red.
"Word on the street is that Naruto is dating his new teammate." Shikamaru said with a nonchalant shrug.
"WHAT-WHY-HUH? Who-who said that!?" Yumi stuttered, turning redder in the process.
Shikamaru shrugged again. "I don't keep up with local gossip well enough to know. It's not really my style; too troublesome, ne."
"I heard it from Kiba." Chouji said popping a couple of chips in his mouth.
"Damn you Kiba..." Yumi muttered under her breath. She really couldn't blame him though; after all it was her fault for telling him she was on a date with Naruto. Then again she didn't think he would go tell the WHOLE VILLAGE she was Naruto's girlfriend. Yumi sighed, shaking her head in the process. "Well, it's been fun boys, and Pinku, but I really need to get going."
Sakura looked about ready to explode but she didn't dare say anything to her. At least she was smart enough to know that she was outmatched.
"Yea! It was nice to meet you!" Chouji exclaimed happily as he finished his chips and crumpled up the bag.
Shikamaru gave a nod while saying "I'm sure we'll run into each other again."
Yumi nodded with a smile before heading towards the training ground. It took her a few moments to realize two things. First of which was Shikamaru's pun, 'run into each other again', which made her smirk a little. The second was serious enough to knock said grin right off her face. 'I didn't deny it...' She thought to herself, completely dumbfounded. 'I never told them that I wasn't Naruto's girlfriend...'
Yumi's mind remained devoid of all thoughts in a state of shock until she reached the training ground. An authoritative voice cut the silence that engulfed her, snapping her back to reality. "6:15. You're late, Yumi."
Yumi looked up to see Kakashi reading his small, orange book and leaning up against a tree. 'Well...fuck', was the first thought to run through her mind. "I, eto, sumimasen Kakashi. I ran into some people on the way over here...literally." She mumbled the last part.
Kakashi snapped his book shut and turned to face her. "Is that so?" From the tone of his voice she could tell that he was NOT impressed.
"You're...not buying that...are you?" His eye crinkled in a menacing way as he took a step towards her. "Eto...I got lost on the path of life? A black cat crossed my path and I had to take the long way? I helped an old lady with her groceries? You wouldn't believe the traffic... I had a meeting with fate? A cute girl stopped me so I danced?" Yumi rattled off excuse after excuse as Kakashi calmly approached her.
By ten o'clock Yumi was so exhausted she laid sprawled out on the training ground for another 30 minutes before she finally had the strength to limp home. She collapsed in her bed an hour later and overslept the next day, causing her to be twenty minutes late for their mission and to be greeted with the same dangerously calm look on her sensei's face.
Kakashi does NOT like to be kept waiting.
Yumi shook her head with a smile as Shikamaru chuckled lightly. "You need to stop rushing around all the time. Don't you ever just take the time to watch the clouds?"
Yumi smiled in amusement as she shook her head. "I don't have time for that kind of stuff; I'm a very busy person, y'know."
Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "How troublesome..."
"So, where are Chouji and Pinku at?" Just as soon as she had finished asking her question, it was almost immediately answered by a loud, berating, female voice.
"There you are Shikamaru! What are you doing just standing around? We have-" Pinku stopped mid-sentence as she caught sight of the person standing next to Shikamaru.
The two females stared each other down as Sakura slowly approached Yumi and Shikamaru, Chouji trailing behind. Their glares intensified as Sakura stopped right in front of Yumi.
"Pinku." Yumi growled.
"Aoiro." Pinku countered.
Yumi smirked. "Aoiro? Really? Is that the best you could do, Pinku?" She taunted before dismissing her for the Genin quietly munching away. "Hey, Chouji."
"Hi Yumi! What's up?" He happily replied.
"Not much." She shrugged. "Just getting ready for a mission." A smug look appeared on her face as she turned back to Pinku. "A bodyguard mission. 'C' ranked."
Chouji nearly dropped his bag of chips as his eyes bugged out of his head. Shikamaru and Pinku both gasped as their eyes exploded as well. After a few moments, Pinku snapped out of her shock and rolled her eyes. "Yea right. You guys just made Genin a month ago. You expect me to believe you already have a 'C' rank mission? Get real!" She spoke in a fairly condescending tone.
"Well, whether or not you believe doesn't change the fact that we DO have a 'C' rank mission." Yumi replied through gritted teeth with an anime vein.
Pinku narrowed her eyes as Chouji spoke up. "Wow. You guys really have a 'C' rank, huh? That's so cool!"
"Mmhmm." She said with a nod.
"Damn, that's impressive. How'd you guys score that?" Shikamaru asked.
"Well-"
"Please." Pinku interrupted. "It's quite obvious that if they really DO have a 'C' rank, it's because of Sasuke-kun." Yumi narrowed her eyes. "After all, what could Aoiro and her idiotic boyfriend do to get a 'C' rank? They're barely ninja, both of them."
After discovering a couple of weeks ago that everyone in Konoha thought Yumi and Naruto were together, the two of them just decided to go along with it. It stopped the bitchy fangirls and bullies from picking on Naruto and telling him he will never get a girl. It also stopped guys like Kiba from hitting on Yumi. Neither of them ever openly said that they were dating the other, however they didn't try to deny it either. It was a mutually beneficial imaginary relationship that neither one of them tried to destroy.
"Well now, that's not a very nice thing for you to say. About yourself I mean. After all I DID kick your ass, so if I'm barely a ninja now what could that possibly make you?" Pinku's glare intensified, but Yumi ignored her as she now addressed the two stunned males. "Anyways, I need to go get ready. I'll see you guys in a couple of days."
"Uh, okay. Good luck Yumi!" Chouji exclaimed.
"Yeah, have fun of your 'C' ranked bodyguard mission." Shikamaru mumbled sourly.
Yumi smiled and punched his shoulder playfully. "Have fun babysitting brats, hunting cats and weeding yards!"
Shikamaru groaned loudly as Yumi chuckled and walked off. She left the village and broke out into a run, focusing chakra into her feet to increase her speed. But she didn't go to her spot. Instead, she ended up in a small village.
Carefully maneuvering around citizens, nodding her head at those who acknowledged her presence with a smile or a wave, she made her way to a small house on the other side of the town. Opening the door, she entered the foyer and glanced at the clock while taking her boots off. It's 1:30, that's thirty minutes I have to get to the front gate so I can only spend about ten minutes here.
She frowned when she realized she wouldn't have enough time to stop at her spot before leaving. Luckily she had enough weapons that she didn't need to, but she still would have liked to grab some scrolls and her spare archery bow. I really need to learn a transportation jutsu...She thought with a shrug as she made her way down the narrow hallway to a small door. Before she could turn the knob, a loud squeal stopped her.
"ANEKIIIIIIIIIIII!" Yumi smirked and turned around just in time to catch the tiny girl who flung herself at her. "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH YUMI-ONEECHAN! YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR A WHOLE WEEK! ARE YOU A STRONG NINJA YET? ARE YOU ON A MISSION? CAN YOU HELP ME WITH MY SHURIKENJUTSU? I CAN'T GET IT RIGHT!" The girl babbled happily as Yumi just chuckled.
Putting the girl down, she looked at her with a small smile. "Sorry Miwa-chan but I'm getting ready to go on a mission."
Miwa's emerald eyes lit up. "HONTO? HONTO NI? WHAT KIND OF MISSION!?" She jumped up and down, her short caramel colored pigtails bouncing with her as her tiny arms flailed around excitedly.
"Hmm." Yumi put her hand to her chin. "I can't tell you."
She frowned "Why, not Aneki?"
"Because..." She took a step towards the girl and bent down so she was eye-level with the tiny seven-year old. "Then I would have to...tickle you to death!" Yumi lunged forward and attacked the girl's sides. She instantly erupted into a fit of giggles as Yumi pulled her closer and continued tickling her all over.
"A-Aneki!" The girl cried in between laughter as Yumi just grinned and continued on with the merciless sentence.
"It seems you two are having fun." Yumi turned her head and ceased tickling Miwa upon seeing a figure leaning against the doorframe.
"Ryou-kun!" Yumi jumped up and grabbed the figure in a headlock. "Don't think I forgot about you!"
Ryou struggled and squirmed and shouted "hey!" several times before Yumi finally released him. Ryou staggered back and narrowed his amber eyes at her. "Don't you think I'm a little too old for that?" There was annoyance in his voice but he couldn't stop the large smile that formed on his face, indicating that he was indeed happy to see her.
Yumi just grinned at him. "Sorry kid but as long as you are younger than me, I will always greet you with a headlock."
"I'll always be younger than you." Ryou sweatdropped. "And by one year." He muttered.
"How you guys holdin' up?" Yumi asked, changing the subject. "You treating Miwa-chan nicely?" Yumi said as she grabbed the little girl's hands and pulled her close to her legs.
"Yes." Ryou crossed his arms and turned his head to the side in a desperate attempt to regain his cool after Yumi nearly decapitated him.
"NO!" Miwa yelled as she looked up at Yumi with big eyes. "He wouldn't help me with my Shurikenjutsu!"
"Ryou, Ryou, Ryou." Yumi clucked her tongue. "Refusing to help your little sister with her Shurikenjutsu isn't very nice."
"Yea! It isn't nice you meanie!" She stuck her tongue at him causing Yumi to giggle.
Ryou rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I have better things to do than teach you how to be a ninja."
Yumi sighed as she let go of Miwa's tiny hands. Walking up to Ryou she placed a hand on his short, messy, dirty blonde hair. "One day I'm going to teach you the importance of teamwork." Ryou's eyes widened but he didn't say anything as she walked past him to the door. Picking up her bag, she opened the door and turned back to face the two. "I need to get my things together for my mission. I'll be out to say goodbye in a few minutes." Both of them nodded and so Yumi entered the room and closed the door behind her.
The room was simple with a bed, a small desk and one window. Yumi changed into her new outfit. The top was a dark blue spaghetti strap tank top that stopped right above her belly button with a mesh shirt over it. She had fitted capris that matched the color of her tank top, held up by a light grey belt. She also slipped on some matching ninja sandals and exchanged her black plated gloves for a pair of thick, brown leather ones that went a third of the way up her forearm.
Walking to the desk she dumped all of her weapons on top of it. She loaded up her newly bought dark blue weapons holster and put it on her right thigh on top of some white bandages. She then sealed a whole bunch of other weapons, medicine and other items she would need in a couple of mini scrolls which she stored in her beige weapons pouch before securing on her lower back. Yumi restocked her quiver and then placed that on her back as well as her archery bow.
Looking at the small, cracked mirror on her desk Yumi pulled her hair, which had grown a couple of inches since she cut it, into a very tiny ponytail which she then held in place with two chopsticks. Lastly she tied one end of her forehead protect to one of the belt loops on the left side of her capris and the other end two belt loops away.
Leaving her room she was greeted with a warm, soothing voice. "I hear you have a big mission."
Yumi smiled at the woman with long, flowing sandy hair who stood before her. "That's right, Takara. It's my first 'C' rank."
"Congratulations child. I wish you the best of luck." Takara said with a dip of her head as her emerald green eyes shone happily at Yumi.
Yumi nodded her head as well. "Thank You." Yumi walked over to Takara. "Here. It's not much, but I want you to have it." Yumi said as she held out her remaining yen.
Takara frowned slightly and shook her head. "My dear child, I couldn't possibly-"
"It's okay." Yumi insisted. "I'll be away with my team for this mission so I won't need the money anyways. If it makes you feel better, you could think of it as my rent."
"Yumi." She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You know we think of you as family; you do not owe us anything."
"Still, I want you to have it. You guys need it a lot more than I do." Yumi said with a smile. "Besides, I'll get it back and then some when I get paid for this mission. 'C' ranked missions get a lot more yen than 'D', y'know."
Takara graciously smiled and accepted the yen. "You have done so much for us Yumi-chan. I sincerely thank you." She placed the yen in the pocket of her dress and pulled Yumi in for a comforting hug. "Please be careful my dear."
Yumi gently hugged her back "Don't worry, Takara. It's only a 'C' rank; I'll be fine." Yumi pulled away and began to walk away, leaving Takara alone in the hall "I'll be back before you know it! Tell Daiki I say hi!"
Yumi left the hallway and went into the kitchen to see Ryou and Miwa eating some rice balls. She couldn't help but smile at the two. Normally Yumi absolutely hated children, but Miwa and Ryou were different. They were family.
"Yumi-Oneechan, are you leaving already?" Miwa asked with puppy-dog eyes and her lips in a firm pout.
Yumi smiled sadly. "Sorry Miwa-chan, but I have to go."
Miwa jumped out of the chair and jumped into Yumi's arms again. "Come back soon, okay?"
Yumi pulled away and ruffled her hair. "I will kiddo. And when I do, I'll treat you both to some awesome ramen."
"Really?" Her eyes lit up.
Yumi nodded. "Yup, I'll even let you guys meet my teammates."
"Yay!" Miwa yelled in happiness as Yumi walked over and hugged Ryou who was still sitting down, casually eating.
"Hold down the fort, Ryou-kun."
"Yeah, yeah I got it. I'll help Miwa with her Shurikenjutsu for you."
Yumi pulled away and smiled at him "Thanks."
"Just promise me...promise me you'll come back."
"I will." Yumi said with a nod. "I promise."
"Good."
"Okay kiddos, I'm off! You two are gunna make me late!" Yumi said as she left.
"BYE ANEKI!" Miwa exclaimed waving.
"Be safe." She heard Ryou whisper after her.
"You're late."
Well, Yumi had been expecting that. Despite running full speed back to Konoha, she still ended up being about five minutes late since she got held up with Miwa and Ryou.
"Sumimasen." She said rubbing the back of her neck as she avoided eye contact with the four unamused males. "I got held up."
Kakashi sighed. "Oh well, not much we can do about it now. Let's just get going."
Suddenly Naruto ran out in front of them and started dramatically looking around "YEAAAAA! ALRIGHT! This is the first time I ever left the village! I'm a traveler now, dattebayo!"
"Am I really supposed to trust my life to this runt? He's a joke." Tazuna complained while pointing at Naruto.
At least the tension is off me...Yumi thought as Kakashi nervously laughed and said. "Don't worry. Like I said before, I'm a Jounin. As long as I am here you will be perfectly safe."
Naruto suddenly got very ticked off and turned around to shout at the drunk. "Hey! Never insult a ninja - it's a big mistake! And I'm one of the greatest ninja ever! Someday I'm gunna be Hokage..."
Not this again. Yumi thought desperately. I'd rather have him list all of the different kinds of ramen alphabetically than listen to this Hokage crap again.
The drunk took a sip from his bottle before speaking in a calm yet demeaning tone. "The Hokage are powerful and wise, YOU are puny and brainless. The day you become Hokage-"
"Enough!" Yumi intervened, gaining the attention of the four men around her. "Our job isn't to have a heated debate with you over what it takes to be Hokage; it's to get you to...to get you...eto..." Yumi trailed off turning pink as she realized she had no idea where exactly they were escorting this old drunk.
"Hey, teme, where in the hell are we bringing this old drunk anyways?" Yumi whispered to her teammate.
He looked at her with a blank stare. "You...didn't read the mission report, did you?"
"I didn't have time!" She defended turning another shade of pink.
Before another word could be said, Kakashi saved her for the THIRD time that day. "Yumi's right. All this bickering will get us nowhere; our mission is to safely escort Tazuna-san to the Land of Waves. Now will you two be able to get along well enough for the sake of the mission?"
Yumi's eyes widened at this as her lips turned into a smirk. The Land of Waves, huh? Maybe I'll run into someone I know...
Naruto huffed and crossed his arms but didn't say anything. Tazuna rolled his eyes and took another generous dose of alcohol. Poor Kakashi just sighed and shook his head. "I'll take that as a yes." He muttered before speaking in an authoritative tone "Let's move out."
The five of them started walking when Yumi abruptly stopped. Something's not right...I feel...a foreign chakra presence.
Kakashi stopped a moment later and turned around to face Yumi. "Something wrong, Yumi-san?"
This got the attention of the other three males who turned around and looked at Yumi with inquisitive expressions. It could just be a Shinobi training or scouting nearby. Until I'm relatively sure we are being followed, I shouldn't worry the others. Putting on her best smile Yumi shook her head. "Nope, everything's alright. I just realized I forgot something, but it's not a big deal. Let's get going."
Tazuna shrugged it off and kept walking and Naruto was quick to follow his lead. Sasuke stared at her for a moment with an intense look, as if he was trying to see if she was telling the truth or not, before turning around and continuing as well. Kakashi kept his eyes on Yumi as she walked up to him and whispered "It's nothing."
"Are you sure?" He huskily whispered back.
"No...but if I think it really is SOMETHING I'll let you know." Kakashi nodded and the two of them set off.
Up in the trees by the gates of Konoha, two sets of dark eyes belonging to the Demon Brothers Gozu and Meizu watched the five slowly disappear from sight. "Do you think they spotted us?" Meizu asked.
"I don't know...I think the girl might have felt our chakra presence." Gozu replied.
"No way; she's just a kid! There's no way she could be a good enough sensor to detect us."
"Either way, I think we should wait for them to drop their guard before we ambush them. We should probably keep a little more distance as well."
Meizu silently agreed and the two Chuunin rank missing nin continued following the group, this time each being extra careful to conceal his presence.
Yumi remained extra vigilant as she secretly scanned the area around them for any signs to indicate that they were being followed. I don't hear or see anything out of the ordinary...And if we are being followed by a ninja he is far enough behind that I can't sense his chakra...But there are no signs that we are being followed in the first place...Maybe I'm being paranoid...But then, why do I feel this way...
Suddenly a low drawl snapped her from her thoughts. "What's up with you?" She turned to see Sasuke had slowed his gait so that they were now in stride together.
"Uh, nothing. Why would you think something is wrong?"
"You've been intensely scanning around for hours now."
"So?" She snapped. "Is there something wrong with remaining vigilant?"
"You're not remaining vigilant. You're searching for something...or someone." Yumi's eyes widened slightly. Damn, looks like he figured it out.
"Look, it's not important." Yumi said dismissively. "If it was, you would be at the top of my list of people whom I would tell, teme." And with that, Yumi increased her pace to catch up with Naruto.
"Hey." Yumi greeted Naruto with a nod.
"Hey Yumi! What's up?" Naruto replied enthusiastically.
"Nothing, I just got bored." She said with a shrug.
"Yea, this is a really long walk." Naruto whined. "Hey Kakashi-sensei! How much longer is it?"
Kakashi sighed and Sasuke replied "You don't know much about geography, do you dobe?"
Naruto and Sasuke started arguing so Yumi sighed and slowed her pace so she was with Kakashi.
After a few minutes of silence, Yumi decided to engage in one of her least favorite activities: small talk. But hey, at least it will pass the time...hopefully. "Soo...Kakashi, have you ever been to the Land of Waves?"
Kakashi turned his head to her and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Once, when I was about your age. Why do you ask?"
Yumi shrugged. "No reason; just curious."
He gave a nod in response, ending the conversation before it ever really began. Yumi inwardly sighed. Oh well, looks like it's back to quietly scanning for enemies. I should be more discreet this time; I don't want anyone to notice me searching around. Especially not teme.
Hours of secretly scanning her surroundings had left Yumi tired, bored and frustrated. She would feel chakra rushes every now and again, but they were always too fleeting for her to decipher them. It was annoying her to no end trying to figure out if they were being followed or not.
And then she saw IT.
A puddle in the middle of the road nearly made Yumi groan at its stupidity. Seriously, a fucking PUDDLE!? How idiotic! Naturally, Yumi had instantly recognized it as the Hiding in the Water Technique: a supplementary Water Style jutsu that allowed the user to hide themselves in a body of water - even a puddle - while completely suppressing both their presence and chakra.
It's actually a pretty nifty jutsu...except for the fact that the idiot who is after us decided to conceal himself in some random ass puddle on the middle of a warm road on a beautiful day when it hasn't rained in weeks. Seriously, if he was so insistent on using this technique why didn't he hide in the STREAM we crossed a couple miles back? My bad, clearly the puddle is less obvious...Kami, enemy nin can be such bakas they make NARUTO look like a genius...
As the five of them passed the oh so inconspicuous puddle, Yumi stole a glance at Kakashi and they both shared a knowing look. Sasuke, Naruto and Tazuna didn't seem to think anything of it as they continued walking , or in Naruto's case strutting, along.
It wasn't long after they passed the puddle that Yum felt that strange chakra presence again. So, the little enemy ninja is coming out to play huh? Good, some action would be great right about now.
She heard chains rattling and turned around just in time to see her Sensei wrapped in some weird shuriken chain with two enemy nin on either side of him. Hm two of them? I only sensed one chakra presence though. Looks like my Chakra sensing could use a little work...
She heard the others gasp as the two nin pulled the chains and ripped Kakashi to pieces. Or so it looked. Yumi knew her Sensei wasn't that stupid...or weak. Naruto and Tazuna on the other hand looked like they were about to piss themselves in sheer terror.
"Ka-Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto somehow managed to stutter.
"Now it's your turn!" One of the brothers threatened Naruto as the two of them charged the blonde who was frozen in a mixture of shock and fear.
"Like hell it is!" In one slick motion Yumi whipped her bow off her back along with an arrow from her quiver. "You ready teme?"
She didn't wait for a reply before she fired her arrow. The arrow hit the chain through one of the holes and pinned it to the tree behind the two nin. Immediately after Sasuke ran past Yumi and jumped on their metal gauntlets. Gripping the metal with his hands, Sasuke delivered simultaneous face kicks to the two ninja. The force caused the chain to snap and the two became free.
They split up, one charging at Naruto and one going to...
"Shit!" Yumi exclaimed as she realized the other one's target was Tazuna himself. Jumping in front of the drunk she yelled "Stay behind me!" While simultaneously grabbing some more arrows from her quiver.
She fired five arrows super-fast but the ninja easily blocked them with his metal claw as he continued advancing towards her. Not good. Yumi slung her bow back on her back and took out two kunai, one for each hand. Any long range attack he'll just block with his claw, I need to wait for him to get closer and then engage him in close combat.
She twirled her kunai and put them in front of her in a defensive pose, ready to attack the second he got close enough. Almost there. She thought as the ninja ducked down and got ready to launch himself at her.
The next thing she knew she was staring at someone's back. "Sasuke!" Yumi shouted in genuine surprise as she realized he had thrown himself in front of her with his arms out, effectively putting a wall between herself and the enemy. Shock was replaced by anger as she shouted. "Move you idiot! You're gunna get yourself killed!"
But he didn't move. He continued standing there wordlessly in a futile attempt to protect herself and Tazuna. Yumi was just about to push Sasuke to the floor and attack the ninja when the Kakashi's arm appeared out of thin air and grabbed the enemy's neck, knocking him out cold.
"Kakashi!" Yumi found herself shouting as she saw him standing there casually with an unconscious missing nin in the crook of each arm. Shit, I can't believe I got so caught up in the fight I forgot he was alive...damn looks like I'm the baka this time.
"Hi." His voice was calm as ever and his back was towards her, Sasuke and Tazuna as he addressed Naruto.
"You baka! Playing dead while two missing nin attacked your students! We could have been killed!" She found herself shouting as she pushed her way past Sasuke and stomped over to the man, stopping directly in front of him.
"Heh heh, sorry Yumi-san. I thought you would have enjoyed the chance to fight on your own." He said with that stupid eye crinkle of his.
Yumi scoffed and rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.
"Wait! But didn't he...?" Naruto started.
"Look behind you, gaki." Yumi said as she motioned to the pile of cut up logs behind Naruto with an inclination of her head.
Naruto turned around and gasped "A substitution jutsu!".
As Naruto's brain tried to process everything that just happened, Kakashi spoke up. "Naruto, sorry I didn't help you right away. I didn't mean for you to get hurt; I...just didn't think you'd freeze up like that."
Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi continued. "Yumi, Sasuke, very smooth. That was some impressive teamwork." He praised as his gaze drifted from Sasuke to Yumi.
Yumi gave a curt nod before glancing at the two nin in Kakashi's arms. "Kakashi, what do you say you take care of those two and I'll check out Naruto's wound?"
"Hn." Kakashi said with a nod and then walked over to a tree, dragging the two bodies along with him.
"Alright, let's see the damage." Yumi muttered with a sigh as she approached Naruto, her hand out expectantly.
"Hey." Sasuke's voice caught the attention of both Yumi and Naruto who turned to face him.
"W-what?" Naruto still seemed rather shaken up from the ambush.
"You're not hurt are ya? Scaredy-cat." Sasuke mocked with a demeaning tone.
Naruto looked rather taken aback by his comment before his face morphed to one of pure rage. "TEME!"
"Yamete-yo!" Yumi shouted harshly as the two male Genin faced her.
"Sasuke, do NOT mock Naruto just because he froze." Sasuke scoffed and rolled his eyes. "And don't act so high and mighty yourself! It's your fault he's hurt! You protected me when you should have helped Naruto!"
Sasuke's eyes widened in shock but morphed to a glare seconds later. "I wasn't protecting you. I was protecting the client." His voice was as cold as ice.
"No, I was protecting the client. You got in my way by jumping in front of me for no good reason." Before Sasuke could retort, she continued "We both know I'm strong enough to care of myself. Next time you wanna go play hero, try helping out Naruto."
She turned her head to said ninja. "And Naruto?" He glanced up at her, still looking rather shell shocked from everything that had transgressed. "What the FUCK was that?"
"...Huh?"
"You completely froze up! What the fuck was up with that?"
He suddenly looked utterly downcast as his eyes trailed to the ground. "I..."
"Hey." She said softly as she gently lifted his chin up to face hers with two fingers. "Don't doubt yourself Naruto - you are strong. And next time you won't freeze up. I know because I'm your sensei, too. And...I believe in you."
His cheeks flushed pink at the same time his lips twitched into a half smile, a real smile. Yumi couldn't help but return the gesture. "Alright, let's take a look." She held out her hand again.
Naruto wordlessly offered his hand. Upon inspecting it Yumi sighed and shook her head.
Poison.
Kakashi suddenly appeared behind Yumi having finished tying up the two ninja. "Their claws have poison in them. Judging by the look on your face I would say Naruto has been poisoned, correct?"
Yumi shook her head without looking away from Naruto's hand which she held tentatively in her own.
"Can you remove it?" Kakashi asked.
She gave a small sigh "No. Unfortunately poisons are not my forte. We should probably get Naruto back to Konoha. If we don't remove the poison soon, he will die." She said gravely as she stood up.
Kakashi nodded his head thoughtfully at this. "I guess you're right..." He said coolly.
Naruto blinked before grabbing a kunai from his pouch and stabbing it in his injured hand. Needless to say, everyone gasped at his action and stood wordlessly as he began to speak. "Why am I so different?" He said through gritted teeth. "I worked so hard to get here - pushing myself until it hurt and training alone for hours. Anything to get stronger and reach my dream." He grunted in pain before continuing, "I will never back down again and let someone ELSE rescue me. I will never run away. And I will NOT lose to Yumi or Sasuke. Upon this wound I make this pledge: bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai knife. A real ninja never gives up and neither will I! Don't you guys worry about me; I'll be fine! Now let's go!"
Yumi could only blink in surprise. Damn, the kid got guts.
"Naruto..." Kakashi began, "Eto, that was really cool how you took the poison out and all...but if you lose any more blood, you're going to die."
There was a heavy silence where only the sound of birds chirping could be heard. Naruto's face suddenly drained and he started sweating profusely as his hand started trembling in fear.
Kakashi smoothly slid behind Naruto, his eye crinkled. "Good idea to stop the bleeding now. Seriously."
Without warning Naruto started freaking out and jumping around like he was on fire or something. "NOOOOO! No, no, no, no, nononononononononoooo! I can't die this way!"
"Show me your hand, gaki." Yumi said while shaking her head. Naruto obliged and Yumi studied it again, noting that the wound had already partially healed. "Hey, teme, reach into my back pouch and grab the blue scroll, would'ya?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her. "No."
Yumi sighed tiredly. "C'mon teme my hands are covered in Naruto's blood. Please?"
He gave an irritated sigh but sauntered up to her and did as she requested. She couldn't stop the small blush that appeared on her face as Sasuke went into her pouch and dug around for a few seconds before pulling out the blue scroll. He held it up in front of her face in between his pointer and middle fingers to show her that he had found it.
Yumi gave a slow nod before instructing him to open it on the floor which he did very slowly. "Okay, now make the ram seal and then place your right hand on the first seal and then the second." Sasuke did so and a bottle of disinfectant appeared along with a towel.
Yumi didn't tear her gaze from Naruto's hand as she grabbed the two items and cleaned his wound. Naruto hissed lightly and tensed as she cleaned the wound but didn't say anything. After she finished, she placed the objects back on top of the scroll and then formed the sign Ox before Tiger.
Her right hand glowed a light blue and slowly flickered to pale green a few times before it turned solid. She lowered her hand over Naruto's and closed her eyes while furrowing her brow in concentration. She imagined her chakra slowly flowing into Naruto's hand and mending the severed muscle before stitching the skin back together.
After a few moments she pulled her hand away and opened her eyes just as the glow disappeared. She smirked when she saw Naruto's hands had completely healed and tried not to smirk even more when she saw that his mouth was wide open in shock. "What? How did you do that Yumi?"
"So, you're a medical-ninja as well. Very impressive Yumi-san." She heard Kakashi praise as she resealed her medical items before rolling up the scroll and placing it back in her pouch.
"Kaka-sensei, what's a medical-ninja?" Naruto asked.
"Medical-ninja are ninja who have exceptional chakra control to the point where they are able to administer medical treatment with their own chakra."
"So Yumi can heal wounds with her chakra? How is that possible?" She heard Sasuke ask, his voice a mixture of disbelief and...jealousy?
"It's simple." She shrugged. "By feeding small amounts of my chakra to a wound I can slowly heal it." She smirked again. "Well, at least the theory is easy. The application is actually pretty hard to do."
Kakashi nodded. "It's true. Very few ninja have the intelligence and chakra control to become medical-ninja. It is even rarer to find one so young."
"Wow! That's amazing Yumi-chan!" Naruto flashed her his million dollar smile.
"Hn, it's alright." Sasuke mumbled under his breath as he crossed his arms.
Yumi found herself go beet red at all the compliments flying her way. "It's really not that impressive..." She muttered casting her eyes to the ground as she tucked her bangs behind her ear with her right hand. "I mean, I'm just a novice at it."
"But you healed my hand! You're amazing!"
"Yea, but that was a flesh wound and tissue damage is easy to repair. Chakra exhaustion and broken bones are a different story." Imagining Naruto didn't understand anything she just said, she added. "I'm not good enough to mend a broken rib cage or save someone from having a heart attack, but a cut hand I can handle." She looked up with a small smile.
"That's rather impressive." She heard Tazuna mutter. Yumi's eyes widened slightly; to be honest she had completely forgotten he was ever there!
"Tazuna-san. I think it's time we talked about why there are missing ninja after you." Kakashi said turning to the now flushed drunk.
"No." Yumi shook her head as she stood up. "Leave it to me." She said with a dangerous smirk. Not waiting for an answer Yumi snatched Tazuna's sake bottle, ignoring the resounding 'hey!' that followed, before turning on her heel and walking over to the two missing ninja tied up by the tree.
Stopping before them she poured the contents of said bottle over both of their heads, once again ignoring Tazuna's protests. The two ninja jolted awake with coughs and angry 'hey's. As they slowly came to, they looked around taking in their situation before narrowing their eyes at the young Kunoichi in front of them.
"Good afternoon boys. So glad you decided to join us." She said with a fake smile.
"Who are you?!" One of the ninja snapped, the one to the left of Yumi.
"Actually, I'll be the one asking the questions around here. Got it?"
"Like we would answer you." The other one scoffed. "You're just a little kid."
"Oh, you'll answer me alright. If you value your life that is." Her tone suddenly became sharp and dangerous but she maintained the fake smile on her face.
They both widened their eyes slightly, more in amusements than shock or fear, before the one to the left of Yumi spoke again. "Heh, nice try kid but you don't scare us."
Yumi sighed as she stood up. "I had a feeling you boys would say that..." Turning towards Kakashi and the others she handed the empty bottle to Tazuna who glared at her intently as she reached into her pouch and withdrew a black scroll. Opening it on the ground she performed the ram sign and slammed her hand on a couple of seals on the scroll. Two small clouds of smoke revealed two equally odd items.
The first was a blood red mask that had two large horns on each side, two slits for eyeholes, a large nose and an eerie, monstrous grin. The second item was a black hooded cloak that had a red flame pattern on the bottom.
"Huh?" She heard Naruto say as Yumi bent down and picked up the two items. She secured the mask on her face and then tied the cloak around her neck and pulled up the hood. She formed a couple of hand signs before turning around to face the two missing nin.
The color drained from their face and their eyes widened in pure shock as she slowly, dangerously stalked towards them looking like some kind of demon. "N-no way!" The one on the left stuttered.
"Y-you couldn't possibly be..."
She stopped in front of them and crouched in between the two, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side. "Hello boys. Let's try this again." Her voice was dark and deep and shot an icy chill through the air.
Both ninja froze with shock as their eyes widened even more. She was fairly certain Naruto and Tazuna gasped at the change in her voice as well but they were behind her so she didn't know for sure how they reacted.
"I-I don't believe it." The one on the left spoke, fear evident in his tone. "There's no way a little girl like you could be the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure!"
She heard Kakashi gasp behind her and couldn't stop the smirk that appeared behind her mask. "Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure?" She heard Naruto's uncertain voice echo.
In a blur of motion too fast for anyone to stop, Yumi grabbed a kunai from under her cloak and sliced the cheek of the ninja in front of her. Naruto, Tazuna, Sasuke and the uninjured ninja to Yumi's right all collectively gasped as the one she had scarcely injured froze in terror. She felt Kakashi move to her side and merely extended her right arm at him, kunai pointed at his neck, all the while not bothering to turn her head away from the ninja she had paralyzed with fear. "Stay out of this Kakashi, this does not concern you." Her frightening voice cut through the air.
Kakashi froze but did not back away, he was probably curious to see if she really was the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure. Moving her arm back towards the ninja in front of her, she held the kunai up for him to see. A thin line of scarlet was on one edge of the kunai she used to slice his cheek. "And what would make you think that? Just because I am a 'little girl', as you say, does that really mean I can't be a demon as well?"
"Y-you...!" The other one stuttered as the nin before her continued to stare at her mask in terror. He was petrified with fear.
"You two are low level missing nin; you aren't even in my bingo book. And so, I wonder, just how much could you possibly know about the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure?"
"H-how much we know..?"
"For instance, I don't suppose either of you know how the Blood Faced Demon got the name?"
"It's from the mask you wear. The blood red demon mask!"
"That is incorrect." That cognitive ninja and Kakashi both lightly gasped. "Some say that it is because the demon is known for mercilessly slaughtering the target, splattering blood and limbs across the floor before burning the remains. Others say it is because the demon paints its face with the blood of its victim and laughs in their face as they slowly pass from this world to the next. And some say that it is from the red shinigami mask, as you did. But these are all mere spineless assumptions and speculations. None of them are true."
She saw both missing ninja tense in fear as they hung on every word she spoke. "The real reason..." She swiped the blade with the thumb and pointer finger of her left hand, removing the blood from the kunai, and moved her left hand to her mask. "...is because..." She turned the mask to the side with her right hand and thoroughly licked the blood off her left hand, all the while staring intensely at the ninja in front of her. Everyone had frozen in shock by the time she put the mask back on and lowered her hands. "I just love the taste of blood..."
Well, that had certainly done the trick. The two missing ninja looked like they were about to have a heart attack, in fact she wouldn't be surprised if they pissed themselves.
"Wh-what do you want!?" The one on the right managed after several minutes of silence.
"I want to know everything. I want your names, your rank, the name of your boss, why he wants Tazuna dead. Everything."
The two ninja continued to stare at her mask, inwardly debating over whether or not to answer her questions. "We-we can't tell you. If we did, our boss, he would ki-"
"I'll kill you!" She raised her voice before raising the kunai knife to the neck of the injured nin. "So far you have backed everything you know about the Blood Faced Demon off of silly assumptions. I ask you now, do you assume I won't kill your brother?"
His eyes widened again. "H-how did you know he was-"
"I said I'll ask the questions around here! Do you really think a weak assumption like that is enough to save his life?"
Both ninja found themselves unable to speak. "Enough of this talk; clearly we need another demonstration before you two start taking this seriously." She said, malice staining her words. "Now, where should I cut this time?" She moved the kunai to his other cheek. "Should I give you a matching wound?" She slowly dragged the tip of the kunai down his body, not pressing hard enough to break his skin, before stopping at his heart. "Maybe I should just go for the kill and move onto the other one?" She pressed a little harder on the blade, still not drawing blood, before removing the blade and placing it on his inner left thigh. "Or perhaps I should go for the thigh? The thigh is juicy and produces a lot of blood."
"Or maybe..." She began inching the kunai up his thigh. "...I should go just a little higher..." Both ninja's eyes went huge as she slowly dragged the kunai VERY close to the most sensitive part of his body.
Inches away, the ninja who had been frozen with shock until then suddenly shouted "Matte! I'll tell you anything you want to know!" Everyone spare Yumi gasped.
"Gozu!" The other nin exclaimed but he didn't try to stop his brother. Frankly he was too afraid of her, or perhaps it was more appropriate.
She stopped her movement but did not remove the kunai. "Names." She said blankly.
"I'm Gozu." The ninja in danger of being castrated spoke. "That's my younger brother Meizu. We're both Chuunin rank missing-nin from Kirigakure. We specialize in relentless attack and work very well with each other."
"Boss?" Both nin were silent and so Yumi applied enough pressure to cause a shallow wound on his thigh before hissing. "I want a name."
"Alright!" Gozu spoke. "It's Momochi...Momochi Zabuza."
"Zabuza!" Kakashi gasped and Yumi let off some of the pressure.
"Momochi Zabuza, huh? And what could an elite missing-nin such as him gain from taking out a measly old drunk like Tazuna?"
Gozu sighed. "He was hired to take out Tazuna and then we were hired by Zabuza to do the dirty work for him."
"Who?"
He sighed again. "Gatou." At everyone's confusion, the missing-nin then began to explain the situation and just why Gatou wanted Tazuna dead.
When he finished explaining, Yumi stood up still facing the two brothers. "Tazuna. Can you verify what they said?"
Tazuna cleared his voice. "Yes, everything they said is true. Gatou wants to kill me so I can't finish the bridge. I'm sorry for deceiving you but are country is very poor and I didn't have the money-"
"That's enough." His voice hesitantly stopped. "I thank you two for your cooperation." She said to the two missing nin as she took off the mask and cloak and sealed them back in her scroll which she put in her back pouch. She could feel everyone intently watching her every move, all staring at her with fear and confusion. She made the same hand signs as before and her voice returned back to normal. "You have proven most useful."
Everyone gasped as her voice went back to normal. "S-So are you gunna let us go now?" Meizu asked hopefully.
"Not quite..." Yumi reached into her kunai holder and whipped out two kunai which she then threw at the missing ninja who widened their eyes in fear.
The clanging of metal was heard and four kunai knives dropped to the ground. Yumi angrily whipped her head to the right to see Kakashi lowering his arm. That damn man, he deflected my kunai with his own! "Kakashi! What the hell?!"
"That's enough Yumi." His voice was much sharper than normal.
Yumi narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean? We can't just leave them here!"
"...Yumi..." Yumi turned around to see Naruto looking at her wide-eyed. About a million and a half emotions were written across his face but the predominant ones were confusion, sadness...and fear.
Yumi sighed. "Look Naruto, it has to be done."
"No it doesn't." Sasuke spoke up, surprising her. "They told us what we needed to know now let's just go. We've wasted enough time as it is."
Yumi's eyes hardened. "They're criminals. What do you care?"
"Yea, that's true. But...they're people too, Yumi. Sasuke's right; we should just go." Yumi was rather shocked that Naruto not only called Sasuke by his real name, but was also agreeing with him!
She shook her head. "We can't. They know too much." Naruto gasped and Tazuna's eyes widened but Sasuke remained stoic as ever.
"Yumi..." Kakashi's voice caused her to turn on her heel, now angered by the fact that everyone was against her.
"No!" She shouted. "What the fuck kind of ninjas are you guys anyways? Do you really think for a moment these bastards would have spared our lives if the tables were turned? They nearly killed Naruto with their poison and they took out Kakashi without even blinking!"
"But we're better than them!" She heard Naruto shouted. "You don't have to stoop down to their level, 'teybayo!"
Yumi clenched her fist. "So what then? We just leave them here so they can escape and go report back to Zabuza and Gatou? Or maybe Zabuza will come find them. Either way, they know a lot of information about us. They know what path we are taking to get to the Land of Waves. They know that Tazuna is traveling with a Genin team under the supervision of the famous Copycat ninja Hatake Kakashi and that the Blood-Faced Demon of Kirigakure is with them as well. If this information gets back to Zabuza it will put us at a disadvantage. We're better off just killing them and moving on."
"B-but...!" Naruto stuttered, but Yumi could tell that was only because he couldn't think of a comeback. What Yumi said made a lot of sense. Sure it was cruel and heartless, but she was truly looking out for the best interests of her team and their client. She already knew that WHEN Zabuza caught up to them it was going to be a hard battle; there was no need to put them at any kind of disadvantage by letting Zabuza know all about who he was fighting. That was just foolish.
"Look gaki, part of being a ninja is being able to kill your enemy. Every ninja has to take lives no matter what side they are on. Like it or not, it's part of our job description." Her eyes were cold and distant but her voice was soft and calm as she spoke.
"Ah! Um..Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto desperately tried.
Kakashi sighed and said. "What Yumi said is true Naruto: good or bad, all ninja have to be able to kill. However, most good ninja make a conscious effort to only kill when absolutely necessary. That is the difference between good and bad Shinobi." Naruto's eyes widened as Kakashi put his hands in his pocket and walked past Yumi. "Do what you have to." He said softly.
Naruto looked completely shocked along with Tazuna; Sasuke and Kakashi both had emotionless expressions. "Let's move out. We'll leave this to Yumi." Kakashi said as he slowly started walking down the path, Sasuke and Tazuna tentatively followed him but Naruto remained rooted to his spot staring into Yumi's eyes. "Come, Naruto!" Kakashi barked without so much as turning his head.
Naruto tentatively left as well leaving Yumi alone with the two missing ninja. Grabbing two more kunai she turned to face the Demon brothers.
"Wait-" Gozu shouted.
"Don't-" Meizu begged.
But they were both cut off as Yumi hurled a kunai at each of their hearts. Meizu's eyes widened at the impact and he let out a single cough before his head hung limp. Gozu began wheezing as he took his last breaths. "They…called us…the Demon Brothers…." He strained to speak as Yumi reached into her pouch and pulled out a lighter. "I see now...you are more of a demon…than we ever were." He breathed his last raspy breath before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and his shoulders slumped.
Yumi approached the two and checked their pulses to be sure they were dead. Once satisfied, she took a step back and lit the lighter before dropping it on Gozu's corpse. Yumi stood there emotionless as she watched the flames engulf the two bodies and turn them to ash. Once the fire had destroyed everything, she formed the signs Ram - Serpent - Dog - Boar - Horse - Tiger and used her Water Ball Jutsu to completely extinguish the flames.
Dropping to her knees she said a quick prayer for their souls before getting up and walking away. "You were right, Gozu." She spoke quietly.
I am a demon.
1. Woah! Bet you weren't expecting THAT. Told you see was heartless. To clarify, she is NOT sadistic. She can kill and torture without blinking an eye, but that doesn't mean she gets enjoyment out of it. She was simply looking for answers and thought this was the best way to get them. That's all. And who/what exactly is the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure? Next chapter my sweeties, next chapter...
Miwa, Ryou, Takara and Daiki are all a family living in a small village concealed by a Genjutsu in the middle of the forest surrounding the Land of Fire. Daiki and Takara are the parents and Miwa and Ryou are their children. Yumi is NOT related to them but she does occasionally live there and they have accepted Yumi as family. She also sometimes lives in her secret cave by the waterfall. That's why Miwa was excited to see her because she had been living in the cave (which is slightly closer to Konoha) for the past week and she hadn't seen them. Yumi also has a home in Kirigakure with him, however she hasn't been there since the story started. Yumi does not have a definitive HOME; instead she bounces between the three places at will. She also does not have a home inside of Konoha. She cannot afford one.
Her relationship with Naruto is coming along as well. It's been about three and a half weeks since last chapter so she has learned to tolerate him better. Still doesn't really like him that much. She is also a novice Chakra Sensor and Medical Ninja which will be explained more in the next chapter.
2. Dictionary
Aho: idiot; dumbass
Aneki/Oneechan: older sister
Aoiro: literally means 'the color blue'; how Sakura addresses Yumi; 'blue-haired' or 'blue-head'
Baka: idiot; fool; stupid
Dattebayo/'teybayo: Naruto's verbal tic or catchphrase; roughly translated to 'believe it'
Dobe: dead last; loser; Sasuke's way of addressing Naruto
Eto: um; uh
Gaki: brat
Hai: yes
Honto (ni): really?
Itai: Ouch! Hurts!
Ja ne: See you later; later
Kisama: you bastard; you mother fucker
Matte: wait
Nani: what?
Ojiisan: Grandpa; Grandfather
Pinku: literally means 'pink'; Yumi's way of addressing Sakura; 'Pink hair' 'Pinkette' 'Pinky'
Sumimasen: informal way of apologizing; sorry
Teme: rude way of saying you; roughly translated to 'you bastard!'; Naruto's way of addressing Sasuke
Wakatteru, wakatteru yo: I know, I know already
Yamete-yo: Stop it!
Yoshi: Alright! Yea! Let's go!
3. Jutsu
Chakra Sensing Technique
Handsign(s): Tiger
Description: A skill used by sensor type Shinobi to detect someone's chakra. Using this technique, sensors can tell when enemies are approaching and can easily track down targets. The range of this technique varies between sensors. Yumi can feel chakra presences and distinguish between them by the different frequencies they give off.
Rank: A
Range: All ranges
Generic Sealing Technique
Hand Sign(s): Ram
Description: This technique is a standard ninja skill which allows a ninja to summon an assortment of items that have been stored using Fuuinjutsu. Scrolls are the most common choice for item storage. When needed, the owner will activate the seals releasing their item or weapon of choice. Scrolls can also be used as ammunition for other weapons or have other seals inside of them, which expands the number of potential tricks a Shinobi can use.
Rank: C
Range: N/A
Mystical Palm Technique
Hand Sign(s): Ox → Tiger
Description: This medical ninjutsu allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chara from their hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it highly useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. It is vital to match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. This requires a great amount of chakra control. Because of this, only a few highly skilled medical-nin are able to use this technique.
Rank: D
Range: N/A
Voice Altering Jutsu
Hand Sign(s): Hare → Dog → Boar → Ox → Monkey → Horse
Description: By concentrating her chakra to her throat, Yumi can change the frequency of her voice. She uses this Jutsu when she is the Blood Faced Demon of Kirigakure to give herself a deep and scary voice to help further intimidate her victim. Can be undone by the same hand-signs in reverse.
Rank: A
Range: Short range
Water Ball Jutsu
Hand Sign(s): Ram → Serpent → Dog → Boar → Horse → Tiger
Description: A technique where water is compacted inside the body and then released from the mouth in the shape of a decent sized water ball. The water is highly compacted making the attack, while generally small, deal a rather powerful blow. Several water balls can be shot in succession as long as the user maintains focus and has enough water chakra to form them. Similar to Fireball Jutsu.
Rank: C
Range: Short range