AN: Okay. I said about three chapters ago that I was expecting the story to start being told from Menma's perspective. But then I realized I still needed to do establishing chapters for Sasuke, Sakura and Shikamaru's situations. This, however, is what I was planning on doing back then. So I guess NOW is probably the point where the story takes on Menma's perspective, with occasional shifts to other people so we can see what's going on in a bunch of places. That said, let's do this!
Eight years, Menma:
"A ramen shop? Why do you want to open a ramen shop, Maigo?" The boy looked up at his brother, curious.
Maigo shrugged. "Dunno, it just sounds fun. I like cooking and people like ramen, so that seems like a good fit." As he spoke, Maigo drew his arm back a little, poising himself, before swiping forwards once again, releasing the pebble in his hand and throwing it out across the pond. The rock hit the water about half way across, and bounced, hitting the water again near the edge before taking to the air a final time and embedding itself in the target set up on the bank. The rock struck the target dead centre, and Maigo grinned down at his brother, challenging him to do better.
Menma nodded, conceding the point. "Okay, yeah, a ramen shop does sound kinda fun, but why do we need to work all of a sudden? Are we running out of money or something?" He set his sights on the target across the pond, taking a moment to figure out the most impressive shot he could manage with the ammunition he'd found. After a few moments, he selected two of his pebbles, sending the first skipping across the pond in a neat little arc, before launching the second to intercept it, significantly faster. The bottom of the second stone collided with the top of the first just as it came upwards from the water's surface, absorbing the lion's share of it's upward momentum and sending it plunging into the water. The two watched as the second pebble struck the target dead center, never having touched the surface of the pond. Menma shot his brother a winning smile.
Maigo chuckled. "Hah, nice shot, but not even close to winning yet, little man." Maigo fished a pebble from his pocket, before dropping it down onto his foot. "And no, the amount of money we have, we could keep going like this forever. But people might start thinking it's kinda weird that we have so much money if they never see us earning anything, won't they?" As he spoke, Maigo swept his foot out to the side in a sweeping kick, sending the little pebble rocketing out across the water's surface. The little rock struck the water once, it's trajectory wide off course of the target, before it hit a tree. The little rock clattered off the tree's bark, sailing through the air until it came to land, a few inches from the target. Maigo swore angrily under his breath.
Menma considered this for a moment, taking the time to figure out his next shot. "Well, why does it matter if people think we're weird?" He asked, sending a stone skittering across the water in a tricky little maneuver he'd been trying to master for ages. The shot went slightly wide, striking the corner of the target and bouncing off. Menma grunted in irritation, before returning his attention to his brother. "It's not as if we have anything to hide. Right, Maigo?"
The young man hesitated for the briefest moment, before shrugging. "Of course not," he said, sounding strangely annoyed. "I just don't like it when people get nosy, ok?" He sent a rock whistling through the air with an unnecessary amount of force, the pebble arcing straight through the air and striking the center of the target with a crack of splintering wood.
Menma glanced at his brother, confused. "...You broke the target and you didn't even do a trick shot. What's wrong?"
Maigo let out an aggravated groan. "Look, it's nothing you need to worry about, okay? Just... I'll tell you when you're older."
Menma felt a flush of anger building up in him. He hated it when Maigo just clammed up about stuff, but it never did him any good to pursue the matter, and it only upset his brother when he tried. "Yeah," the boy muttered glumly, dropping the last of his pebbles on the bank and turning to begin the long trudge back home. "Whatever." As he made his way out of the clearing, Menma thought he might have heard Maigo begin to speak, before stopping himself. The boy kept walking, ignoring him.
Ten Years, The Wave village.
The pale boy stood silently behind his master, arms behind his back, his blades at the ready. Their client, Gato, was a short man, portly, with the stylings of a mobster. The boy may have found the man's aesthetic amusing, or perhaps merely quaint, had he allowed his focus to sway from observing the room at large.
"So then," The boy's master spoke, his gravelly voice unusually quiet in the darkened room. "You have someone you want dead, I take it?"
The client chuckled, startlingly calm in their presence. "Not one for idle chat, are you? Yes, I have someone I want dead. A group of someones, in fact."
The boy and his master were quiet, each letting the client's statement hang in the air. Gato clearly wanted them to ask for elaboration, neither did so.
After a silence that may, to some, have seemed awkward, the client cleared his throat, before continuing. "I have been trying to track this person for a decade now, with no success. Ten years ago, someone placed a large quantity of marked, hidden leaf village currency in among my personal funds. The leaf village has been tracking my transactions closely ever since, a fact that has caused no small degree of hindrance to my plans for the growth of my business. I want you to figure out who placed that money, track them down, and kill not only them, but everyone they care about. Am I understood?"
The boy's master sighed. "I do not enjoy detective work. You will be paying me extra for this. Am I understood?"
The client nodded, seemingly slightly annoyed. "Yes, yes. Whatever it takes. Just see them all dead, understood?"
"Yes."
"Good," Gato murmured, smiling slightly. "My assistant will show you what information we have on this. That is all."
The boy's master inclined his head almost imperceptibly, before turning to leave. "It will be done. Come, Haku."
The boy gave the room one more quick sweep, before turning to follow on his master's heels. "Yes, master Zabuza."
Two weeks later, Haku:
The ramen shop was a modest affair. A polished wooden counter separated the modest looking kitchen from a few worn wooden stools that sat in the meager shelter offered by a short timber partition to either side. All in all, it was nothing short of entirely average. The two assassins stepped inside, Zabuza having to stoop slightly to avoid banging his head on the low timber ceiling.
"Evening!" A man's voice greeted them, a lean figure stepping out from the small room behind the kitchen. "What can I get for you both today?"
"Chashu ramen," Zabuza answered quietly, "A couple of eggs, too."
Haku shrugged as both his master and their target turned to glance at him. "Some fried tofu miso, please."
The target grinned, nodding, before turning his head slightly and calling into the back room. "Hey, Menma! Did you catch all that?"
"Yeah," a young sounding voice replied. "Fried tofu and Chashu pork coming up."
Haku felt his heart sink a little. Whoever that kid back there was, he knew they would have to die too. Haku hated it when they had to kill kids. Regardless, he didn't allow his discomfort to show on his face, simply taking a seat beside his master while they waited for their food.
"So," The target murmured as he started preparing the noodles, shifting pans and utensils from station to station. "Don't think I've seen you two around here before. You new in town?"
"Just passing through," master Zabuza replied, giving a small grunt of thanks as the man passed them both a small bowl of soup to eat while they waited. "We don't plan to be here for more than a few days."
The target nodded in polite interest as he began shaking out a large portion of thin noodles, draining the water from them before adding them to a thick broth. "So I take it you're here on business, then. Anything interesting?"
"You could say so," Zabuza replied casually. "Were here trying to find someone, our employer wants a word with them."
"Oh yeah?" The chef replied, setting two bowls of broth on the counter and turning briefly to call again into the back room. "Menma, where are those toppings?" He turned back to Zabuza with an apologetic smile, "Sorry, he's a little slow."
"I am, am I?" Asked the young voice as a blonde boy, perhaps a year or two younger than Haku, stepped out into the bar, two small dishes in hand. He stepped forwards, depositing the toppings into their respective bowls.
The target grinned at him, before once again turning his attention to their customers. "So, you're looking for someone? Anyone I might know?"
"Maybe," master Zabuza replied as he and Haku gratefully took their food and began to eat. "Wow, this is good ramen." The target nodded appreciatively at the compliment. "Her name's Shizune Kato, ever heard of her?"
With that one phrase, the tone in the small room shifted ever so slightly. The target leaned back against a cupboard, crossing his arms. The blonde boy, for his part, looked slightly confused. "And why would your employer be looking for my girlfriend?" While the man's tone was still polite, there was the slightest undercurrent to it. A threat. Haku genuinely pitied this man, some poor ramen shop owner who thought he could stand up to master Zabuza. He pitied the boy even more, however. The kid clearly had no idea what was going on.
"Umm, Maigo?" The kid asked uncertainly, tugging at the chef's sleeve for attention. "Is something wrong? You seem kinda tense all of a sudden."
"Everything's fine, Menma," the cook replied calmly. "I'm just having a polite conversation with our customer here." The boy didn't seem to buy it, but fell silent regardless. Haku was going to hate killing this one. He was far too innocent. Haku took another bite of his tofu.
"As I understand it," Zabuza replied, his tone still casual as he took another slurp of his noodles. "Your girlfriend made a very poor decision and wronged a very powerful man. I'm afraid my employer expects payment in full."
The blonde boy was staring at Zabuza, the first inklings of fear beginning to show in his eyes. Haku looked away, the sight of the boy's trepidation a little too painful for him, and turned his focus to the cook. The man was holding together surprisingly well against intimidation, even if it was fairly mild. The cook chuckled slightly, shifting his weight against the counter. "Well good luck with that," he murmured. "I'm afraid my girlfriend's pretty good at taking care of herself. I don't think you'll find her unless she wants to be found."
"So I've heard," Zabuza said with a chuckle, taking one final bite of pork before setting his bowl aside. "Which is why I think it's best if we have a little bait to lure her in with."
That was his cue, Haku knew. Quick as a flash, before either civilian could have even had time to react, he swept his arm out in a wide arc, releasing two of the long, sharp needles he kept concealed beneath his long sleeves. Each needle was aimed perfectly, so as to paralyze their two unfortunate victims. Haku closed his eyes at the last second, unable to bring himself to watch the needles strike home.
He waited a moment, his eyes shut tight, awaiting the sound of the two bodies striking the floor. One second. Two seconds. Nothing. Haku opened his eyes.
Both targets were still standing, exactly where they had been. The older man seemed unfazed. The boy, however, now looked genuinely frightened. Between his fingers, Haku noted, the blonde was holding two thin, razor sharp needles.
"Maigo," The boy muttered, his tone dripping with fear. "What's going on?"
Haku stared, stunned. Had that boy caught his needles? How? He was a civillian! That should have been impossible even for a trained ninja. How were these two still standing?
The chef let out a long, drawn out sigh. "Menma, I'll explain everything later. Right now, I need you to run. I can handle this, I promise."
The boy looked quickly between the chef and their two assailants, his face pale, before, with a small nod, he bolted, vaulting the counter in a flash. Master Zabuza moved to intercept the boy, reaching out to grab his wrist, but found his own wrist held tight by the chef. Haku blinked. He hadn't even seen the man move.
the blonde boy landed on the other side of the counter, planting his feet between Zabuza and Haku, and began to run. Dear god he was fast.
"Haku," Zabuza spoke, not turning his eyes from the chef, the man's hand still clamped around his wrist. "You know what to do."
Haku didn't bother nodding, it would only waste time. He gave chase, following the blonde boy as he ran. The kid was fast. Haku was faster.
AN: Yay! Fight scenes! I think you guys know the drill by now. If you liked what you read, please shoot me a review cuz it makes me feel nice about myself. I kinda measure the quality of my stories by the quantity of my reviews.
