VI
Sonia Yamashita and Kana Terada. Two of the strongest and deadliest Kagunin within the Society. Sonia's 29 and Kana...well, she's the youngest Kagunin in the history of the Society. She's only twelve. Sonia was from the Hidden Wave Village, had long black hair, green eyes and was wearing a blue t-shirt and black caprees. She's mastered genjutsu and can use up to four katanas at once. Her kekayaken peice is the left foot. Kana, a Kagunin from the Village Hidden in the Mist, had white hair with small blue flowers woven into it, ice blue eyes, and pale skin. She was wearing a white shirt and beige skirt. Armed with a Murasame, she too, was a master of genjutsu, and only at the age of 12! We weren't exactly friends, but we weren't enemies either. Her kekayaken is her right leg. The injury she sustained a few years ago to that leg was...bloody. It's one of the few reasons why she's a certified Kagunin.
"Sonia, Kana... It's been a while."
"Good to you see you as well. How have things been?" Kana's voice was light, not showing any emotion.
"I see your pathetic home still stands." Sonia was giving me 'the look.' I don't know how else to describe it. She laughed in a mocking way. "Not a surprise, though. As long as Kenta and Hitomi are in the village, it will continue to stand. Did he make it through the night?"
"What does it matter to you, Sonia?" I crossed my arms, grinning and glaring at her. "Hm. Fine, don't answer. I have a job to get to." I turned back to Harlan and bowed. Shoving Sonia aside and leaving the room, I slammed the door. "Where do I go from here?" I walked over to the balcony, leaning on it and closing my eyes.
"Hey there!"
Opening my eyes, I saw a pint-sized genin standing behind me with a large smile spanning his face. I can't say I wasn't happy to see him, but it wasn't the best time to for him to show up, either.
"Naruto. What's up?" I didn't turn around, but instead, I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "Why are you here?"
"Kakashi sensei told me to come find you. He said it was important. Come on, let's go!"
He tugged on my arm. Trying to ignore him, I tossed his arm aside. "I don't know why you came here, I'm not interested at the moment. Go back to your training, Naruto. I'm sure that you have something better to do than bother me with errands that Kakashi sent you on."
"Hitomi!" Another person was shouting my name, a man by the tone of the voice. I wasn't in the mood. Espescially if it was...
"Iruka..." I still hadn't turned around. Anything that he had to say to me wouldn't be interesting or useful. "What do you want this time? Besides, can't you see that I'm busy in trying to deal with...him?" I pointed to Naruto, knowing he would feel insulted.
"What's that supposed to mean!?" He was freaking out, clenching both hands into fists and grinning. "What do you mean by that!? Huh!? What!?"
I couldn't help but laugh at him. "Funny... You remind me of when I was just starting to train as a ninja. So hot-headed, so tempermental. It's tough at first, but it gets easier as you go along." I looked at him, smiled even. I knew what it was like, being the one who everyone dislikes, being the one who was always teased and insulted. "Go. I'll meet up with you later, Naruto. There are some things I have to take care of now, and you're one of them, so go."
"Oh. alright..." He slunk off, leaving me to deal with Iruka, the least favorite chunin I knew in the whole world.
"Now for you... What is it this time?" I turned to the right, looking out on the village from the balcony again. "Come to bother me with more...missing ninja? The day you came asking if I'd seen Naruto, he was with Sasuke and Sakura, along with Kakashi. You were after something else that day. What was it...?" I didn't turn to face him, but he stood beside me. "Iruka, you never were ambitious, but I want something you tell me to be true."
"I never did lie. I was looking for Naruto that day. Then, I heard some rumors going around the village that a squad had been attacked while training out in the forest. There was one death that day. Although, I never did hear who had died. I guess I'm relieved that you didn't go through with it...killing Kakashi or Naruto, I mean."
"How...? Don't you have a class to teach?"
"Not at the moment."
I grunted, leaving the balcony and heading down a long flight of stairs. "Iruka, I guess you haven't noticed, but I'm not in the best mood at the moment. Leave me alone." Even after telling him to go away, he still followed me.
"Would you just listen to me for two minutes?"
I turned around, my hair covering the right side my face. "What is it!? If it's that important, then just say it. After that, you can leave me alone!" He was holding something in his left hand. "What is it?"
"I found it a little while ago. Take it." He tossed it to me. "Take a good look at it."
Catching it, I let it dangle from my fingers. "It's a necklace. A gold necklace... Why is this so important?"
"Like I said, take a good look at it. There's an inscription on the pendant." He pointed to a small oval-shaped piece of gold that was attatched to the chain. "It's on the back. You'll find it as strange as I did."
Reading what was written, I gasped. What was inscribed on it was a name. My mother's name, and mine. It was strange, though. This was the first time in ten years that I've ever seen something that was owned by my family. "Iruka, where did you get this?" I tried to open it.
"I just found it a few days ago, outside the village on the shore of a small river not too far away. It was caught on a stone."
Finally getting it open, I saw a shriveled, water-damaged photo inside. It was too badly damaged to make out who the picture was of. However, I was amazed. Closing the small pendant, I noticed that it had some scratches and was slightly charred. "Too bad..." I closed my hand around it as I closed my eyes. In my mind, I could see my mother and father, as well as my brother's smile. "Thanks, Iruka... I'll hold onto this for a little while. See ya 'round, chunin." I walked away heading west to my own little sanctuary that had very few ties to reality.
Okay, I'll admit that a tree is probably not the best place to be alone, but where else was I supposed go? Someone was always outside the door of my apartment, knocking on it at three in the morning. So yes, a tree was my little getaway. (Don't mock me, it's rude to do so!)
Sitting on a single branch with my eyes closed, I began to contemplate on events that had occured, including my past. Then there was fire. Black flames were swallowing everything, including me. Opening my eyes, I was disturbed by someone who was spazzing out about something.
"Why can't I do this!? I used to be able to, so why now!? AGH!!! Stupid chakra!"
I looked to my right, only to see a familiar sight. "Can't I have some peace and quiet at least once in my life?" I sighed, looking away from the genin. "Try to keep the amount of chakra you're releasing through your feet in a steady stream. The key is to keep it consistant. Don't you remember anything that Kakashi taught you?"
"If you're so smart, you get down here and do it!"
"What are you trying to prove, Naruto? You can do this, you know you can." I jumped down, landing softly on the ground. "I've seen you do it before. Remember, concentrate and keep it consistant. Think about the Rasengan. Remember how hard you had to concentrate just to even pop the water balloon? This is just like that, but..." I struggled to find the right word, but nothing came.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But why can't I get it right? Hitomi sensei, do you know why I can't get it?"
"Don't call me sensei!"I leaned against the tree I was sitting in earlier and crossed my arms. "You're not completely focused. Something's distracting you. I can see it as plain as day, so don't try to hide it. Remember to focus. Only then can you acheive what you want to accomplish." I waved a hand toward the tree he was trying to walk on. "Let's see how far you can get."
He continued to try to climb up the tree, this time making it farther than before, but falling in the end. "Ow!!! Man, that hurt! hat am I doing wrong?"
"Try again!" Yes, I was being tough and a little unfair, but it was the type of motivation he needed.
He climbed again, this time accomplishing his mission. "Yeah!! Finally!"
"Told you." He fell to the ground, exhausted from using his chakra several times to perform the same task. "Are you ok?" I laughed at him, amused by his condition. "You should go home and get some rest. You can't perform any jutsu with your chakra levels as low as they are." I offered him a hand. "Need some help?"
He took it and stood. "Why are you being so nice to me? When we were going to the Hidden Mist Village, you could only laugh and insult me!" Both of his hands were in fists. "Not just me! Sasuke and Sakura, too!"
I turned my back to him, not wanting him to see the compassion I held within me. It was a guilty feeling, nonetheless, one that I hadn't come across until a few days ago. It was pathetic. "Maybe you'll see someday, Naruto. Life isn't as easy as you think. Maybe I've finally come to understand something." I waved good-bye to him. "Trust me, you'll see someday. Until then, I don't know what awaits you." I left him alone in the forest, leaving him to continue to practice. And then it came. Another assassination attempt of the poor little genin. All I could hear was his terrified scream through the thick bush.
"What...!? Where!?" An angered scream. "Show yourself! C'mon, I ain't afraid of you!"
I didn't bother with it. He was probably just upset because he couldn't get something else right. So why should I waste my time, right?
"Hitomi!"
I had better things to, like...um...okay, so I don't have anything better to do. But anything could've been better than watching over him and listen to him yell all day. He kept shouting my name, his voice fading the farther away I went. It was strange. I wasn't that far away from him, but he sounded weaker.
"What!?" Jumping back a few feet, three small needles and two kunai flew past my face and were driven into a tree. Someone had gone by, too fast for me to tell who. Walking over to the tree, I pulled out all three needles. "Heavy toxins...these can fatal on impact. Hm." Then it hit me. "Naruto!"
Back in the clearing, there were more marks in the bark than when I had left, in addition to a kunai. On the ground, the Uzemaki kid was lying face down with three needles sticking out of his neck, and the odd one or two on his arms and legs.
"Hitomi, sensei... They're back..."
"Shut up! Shut up and lie still." I pulled them out, one by one, hoping I wouldn't accelerate the toxin. "Only three are poisoned? I hope it didn't hit the jugular vein..." Invoking my right eye, I began to search his body for the toxin, hoping the needles hadn't hit the one vein that could mean the difference between life and death. "Just missed... Not good."
"What? Can I move now?"
"I said shut up! Do you want to die?" This was just like before. A few years back, this exact same thing happened. My mentor died because of it, all to save me from death. Now, it was Naruto's time. "Wait... You don't feel any pain or numbness? None at all?"
He yawned. "Not really." Coughing a few times, he sighed and yawned again.
"Roll onto your side." He did as I asked, cringing once I began to put a bit of pressure on his neck. "Hm... Damage looks minimal...toxins haven't gotten into your blood... You got lucky." He really did have the Nine-tailed Fox sealed inside of him.
"Thanks..." He sat up, coughing some more. "Hey, uh, doesn't that hurt?" He was staring at my left arm, pointing at four needles.
Pulling them out and taking a good look at them, all four were poisoned. "Damn." My left arm was completely numb. Sighing, I tried to move it, but...it was numb. "Wait. Naruto, can you see anything on any of these? We'll make this a part of your training."
"Huh?"
I closed my eyes. "One of a ninja's best attributes is that of observation. Observation can be very useful in certain situations. If you can see what I see, you pass." Handing him the detoxified needle, I opened my eyes. He still had a confused look on his face. "There's an emblem, a symbol, engraved on it. I can see it plain as day. You need to be able to do the same. There's a catch, though."
He still had a confused look on his face. "What now?"
"You can't use any chakra. No jutsu at all. Just use you eyes and hands. Nothing else can help you in this, Naruto." Not even Kakashi could help him. Yes, it was a tough thing to do, and I already knew what the symbol was despite how small the object was. It was something that I knew he would need to know for the future. "Sakura and Sasuke will be offered the same challenge tomorrow. Trust me when I say this: you'll need an extra day."
