Alright! After four months of pirate deprivation, I have finally finished this chapter! I'm dedicating this one to Black7, who actually gave me my first threat. I've never been given such a harsh deman for updates, but I'm quite flattered, honestly :D So, I hope this update lives up to everyone's expectations.
By the way, sorry for not responding to reviews. I really do appreciate them, I just don't have time to respond to them. I hope me not responding to them doesn't keep you guys from reviewing because I appreciate all words feedback, whether they be positive or negative!
Anyway, this song is Circus by Britney Spears.
Read on and enjoy!
The sun shined brightly over the Leaf Village, signifying the beginning of a new day. The shining light and the always cheerful personalities of the villagers remained equal to that of nearly all preceding days. The buildings remained just as colorful as usual, and many civilians walked passed all these structures, only entering them when needed.
One building, known as the Interrogation Office, was a large steel structure that reached up to three stories, not including the floors that ran beneath the massive edifice. The construction was nearly shaped like a box with no extravagant feature that related it to its brother buildings of the Leaf Village. The only feature that gave this office any form of color other than the bland graying steel was the thick pillar that reached only ten feet in the air in the center of the roof. The green Konoha flag that was tied to this pole flapped neatly with the wind as the breeze blew it towards the west.
Outside this building, a team of shinobi waited both patiently and impatiently for the prisoner that they needed to guard. Only one particular member of this group radiated with annoyed intolerance, but it was enough to cancel out the calm vibes of his teammates.
"What is taking so long?" Naruto yelled in frustration as he punched the air with anger. "She's almost as late as Kakashi-sensei!"
"Naruto, it has only been ten minutes," Sakura said, attempting to control her own anger as she listened to her friend rant on and on and on…
Sakura wondered how he had not grown used to tardiness, as Kakashi was always late for everything. Rather than adapting to it, the blonde genin had obviously grown even more fed up with lateness.
His teammate's words did nothing to soothe Naruto's irritation. "But still, doesn't she have some kind of consideration for others? I mean seriously, what kind of prisoner comes late to her own punishment?"
"A smart one, obviously," Sai said from his potion of leaning against the corner of the gates that stood in front of the Interrogation Office.
Naruto was about to retort, but after remembering the gossip of the other members of the Konoha Eleven and their time with the Blue Tiger of the Mist, he couldn't deny that it was probably true. Now that he actually thought about it, it wouldn't have surprised him if the prisoner made it a point to be as late as possible. Maybe not even show up at all.
"Remember, Naruto," Kakashi started as he leaned on the opposite post of the fence of which Sai leaned on. He held his Icha Icha Paradise book loosely in his hand, his eyes never leaving the graphic content on the page. "This is a pirate captain we're talking about, so she has to be at least a little diabolical."
"Yeah, true…" the Uzumaki sighed as he locked his hands together behind his head.
He caught something out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to see four ANBU guards walking up to Team Kakashi, the Blue Pirate captain in the middle of the heavily guarded troop of elite shinobi. The Hokage was following closely behind the ninja, keeping her hazel eyes fixed on the prisoner. The pirate appeared extremely calm as she walked up to meet her new reformation team. She seemed rather relaxed, in contrast to the day before, when she had immediately gotten into a fight with the Inuzuka boy.
"There you are!" Naruto yelled in outrage, pointing an accusing finger at the blue-haired girl. "You're late!"
Kasumi's eyebrows rose slightly as she looked at the blonde screaming at her. "So?"
"I could be training right now, but instead, I'm stuck babysitting you!" the whiskered boy complained.
The pirate's coal orbs, if possible, immediately darkened as she stared at the ninja in front of her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she glanced at the Fifth Hokage, who appeared to be holding herself with a small sense of confidence and triumph. The sly smile on Tsunade's face really said it all.
Kasumi turned back to stare at Naruto, who was still glaring at her. She growled her words in a low whisper as she said, "I do not need a babysitter."
"That's not what the Hokage seems to think," Sai said from a few feet behind his blonde comrade. His infamous fake smile was spread across his face, his eyes crinkled shut just for added emphasis.
The pirate eyed the pale-skinned boy as he continued smiling at her. She blinked a few times in mild surprise at his expression, as the fake grin seemed to be permanently etched on his face. "Wipe that smile off your face. It's disturbing."
Sai completely ignored her words as he continued to smile. Sakura rolled her emerald eyes at him, obviously used to the unnerving grin that always seemed to be on her teammate's face.
"Welcome to Team Kakashi, Kasumi Mayonaka," the jounin said, his face twisted into an amused smile beneath his dark mask.
Kasumi glanced at the little orange book that was still settled in the sensei's hands, and she let her head hang down slightly in annoyance as she remembered seeing one of crew members reading that same book. She knew exactly what was in it after she confiscated it. She had chucked it into the ocean not too long after she found out the genre of the book's content.
"Oh dear lord…" she mumbled.
"Introduce yourselves then," Tsunade said as she crossed her arms over her large chest.
"Right…" Kakashi said as he finally put his book away into its pouch. "I am the team leader, Kakashi Hatake."
"I'm Sakura Haruno," the pink-haired kunoichi said as she held up her signature peace sign.
"I am Sai," the black-haired boy said, his face never falling from his phony smile.
"And I'm Naruto Uzumaki! The greatest ninja of the village and the future Hokage! Believe it!" the exuberant blonde said as he pointed to himself with his thumb.
The pirate captain sighed as she felt a headache slowly growing already. "I fail to see how that's possible…" she said as she cocked an eyebrow at him.
"What'd you say?" Naruto questioned loudly and angrily.
"Remember? I fought you in the Land of Waves," Kasumi said, a cocky smirk appearing on her face. "You didn't stand a chance. Unless the Leaf Village is filled with weakling shinobi, I fail to see how you could be the greatest ninja in Konoha."
"Why you lousy good-for-nothing cocky annoying stupid little-"
"You have fun now, Kasumi," Tsunade interrupted, a triumphant smile spreading across her ruby lips. She turned on the tip of her red high heels and walked away, with the ANBU in tow, already looking forward to seeing how Team Kakashi fared against the Blue Tiger of the Mist.
"Well anyways," Kakashi sighed as he shoved his hands into his pockets, "I guess we'll be on our way to the training grounds then."
"Oh joy," Kasumi muttered. With each member of the shinobi surrounding her, the group made their way out of the village and toward a secluded forest area for a more spacious and private spot to complete the reformation training.
Out in the deep ocean, a ship sailed slowly forward across the waters. The dark blue color of the majestic vessel and its black sails contrasted against the cerulean ocean on which it floated. The sun was high in the sky, and its golden rays reflected off the water to give the image of sparkling crystals floating on top of the blue sea. The Midnight Thief proceeded right on through water, disrupting these glittering reflections nestled on top of the sea's surface into mere ripples as waves splashed them away.
Inside his quarters, the captain rubbed his chin in deep thought as he stared at a map of the world spread out on his wooden desk. The different colors representing the different countries were laid out before him, and he absentmindedly marked an X with his pencil on the water representation, where he assumed The Midnight Thief was currently traveling.
Masaru shrugged to himself as he inwardly contemplated the different villages worthy of pillaging. As his emerald eyes roamed over the pictures of islands, his gaze subconsciously landed on a small swirl design that rested deep inside the main continent. It was the shinobi symbol that represented the Land of Fire's Konohagakure.
The temporary Blue Pirate captain sighed to himself. He dropped his pencil onto his desk and rubbed his hands over his face, trying to convince himself that the stress of being captain was the only reason why he was thinking of her.
Deep inside though, he knew it was repressed memories of the time he had first met the girl who later became known as the Blue Tiger of the Mist. That day had been popping up in his mind a lot since she had been taken prisoner. That day… the one and only day when he had seen Kasumi as a fragile little girl.
A fortunate knock on his door startled Masaru out of his thoughts, but he gladly beckoned the person inside. The door creaked open to reveal one of the elder members of the crew, probably around twenty-five or so. His shaggy brown hair fell into his light blue eyes, and his worn and baggy clothes did little to conceal the tan-skinned muscled biceps and chiseled chest of the assassin.
"What do you need?" Masaru asked, rubbing his forehead to rid himself of any remaining haunting thoughts.
"There's a ship due north of us. It appears to be a cargo ship from the Land of Water," the underling said, keeping his head bowed slightly in respect.
After a short moment of weighing the pros and cons, Masaru stood from his seat. "Assemble the crew. I want everyone on deck immediately." The man nodded in response and quickly fled to gather the other pirates. The captain quickly swept from his cabin to wait on deck for the rest of the crew.
"You want to do what?"
There it was; another scream of defiance and incredulity upon hearing the new day's reformation activity. However, the yell didn't come from the expected person. In fact, the person who would normally be upset about the training was sporting an evil grin suitable for a Cheshire cat.
The person who did scream, however, was looking at her sensei like he was a lunatic. "What kind of reformation training is that?" Sakura asked, her jade eyes pleading with the squad leader to rethink what he had said.
"Well, I think the 'training' part seems suitable enough. As for the 'reformation' part, that will factor in too," Kakashi drawled out lazily.
"I like your sensei," Kasumi remarked, her evil smile still plastered across her facial features.
"Alright! This is going to be so cool!" the excited Naruto cheered happily. He was jumping up and down around the small group, repeatedly chanting words of excitement. Sai didn't have a comment to make, but his dull black eyes watched his teammate leap in joy around the clearing, trying to fathom why this particular form of reformation training was so exciting.
"But…" the pink-haired girl started weakly, "a battle? I fail to see how this is productive at all."
"Hey, a punishment is a punishment," the pirate said, sending a cold glare towards the other female. "Leave it as it is."
Sakura almost shivered under the Blue Tiger's stare, and she was sure that if Kakashi's idea for the day's activity wasn't denied soon, the pirate captain just might pick her as her first target.
"Sensei…" Sakura whimpered as she stared at her teacher with pleading green eyes. "How is a fight going to meet the reformation standards?"
"Well…" Kakashi sighed as he flicked some of his silver bangs out of his one uncovered eye. "Judging from her previous history of reformation activities with the other teams, I have come to the conclusion that Kasumi here has a lot of penned up anger."
At this, the pirate captain fixed her glare on the teacher. She scowled at him, but he pointedly ignored her.
"So, with a battle, I figure it would be a decent way for her to release that unnecessary rage that she seems to hold with her everywhere she goes," the gray-haired jounin continued. With hands shoved into the pockets of his dark blue pants, he sluggishly turned his lazy gaze over to the still bouncing genin. "And this way, Naruto can stop bugging me about not having enough time to train him."
"Heck yeah! Finally, a strong opponent to test my abilities!" the orange-clad shinobi said, his signature foxy grin stretched over his face.
His team sweat-dropped at his words, obviously insulted at not being considered worthy enough to train with him. Well, Kakashi stared at his student with a bit of nonchalance mixed in with his offended feelings. Sakura looked about ready to pummel the unsuspecting blonde. Sai only looked at his teammate blankly.
Kasumi smirked deviously at the excited ninja. "Oh, so you think you stand a chance against me, kid?"
Naruto blinked a few times before he pouted. "Hey! I'm not a kid! I'm the same age as you!"
The criminal shrugged condescendingly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Unless you can beat me, I still consider someone as immature as you as a kid."
The genin was about ready to lunge at the prisoner, but his squad leader kept a firm grip on the collar of his black and orange jacket. "Easy, Naruto. I didn't give the rules yet."
It took a few moments for his snarl to ease away, but after he finally calmed down enough, the genin mumbled out a, "Fine." He then stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest in a childish manner.
"Alright then," the silver-haired man began. "No ninjutsu or genjutsu allowed. I won't be taking those chakra bracelets off because I definitely don't trust you without them. Only taijutsu is allowed, and weapons that you have on you now will be the only ones that can be used unless you acquire some from your opponent."
Kasumi slightly grimaced at the odds faced before her. No ninjutsu allowed, so she couldn't use her kekkei genkai. No weapons allowed unless she happened to steal some from someone else. She was known to use her high heeled boots as a good defense and a bit of offense, but that was about it.
She shrugged to herself. She would just have to improvise when the heat of the battle began.
"Are we all good?" Kakashi asked. Everyone nodded their compliance. "Alright. Team Kakashi versus Kasumi Mayonaka. Begin!" And with that, the group of five instantly scattered into the forest.
Out in the distance on the blue waters, Masaru could see the smaller brown ship sailing horizontally in front of The Midnight Thief. The white-sailed vessel was only a short distance away from the Blue Pirates, providing a clear target for a good raid.
"They're not even attempting to get away from us," Osamu commented as he came to stand beside his higher-up by the railing of the ship.
"They must not know who we are then… Poor saps." the black-haired pirate said. He flashed a confident smile; a smile that, Osamu noted, didn't really compare to the signature cocky grin of the Blue Tiger of the Mist.
"Orders then, Captain?" the white-haired male asked. "Do we strike?"
After a brief moment's contemplation, the man in charge gave a firm nod. He turned to face the rest of the crew, who were eagerly awaiting the command. Masaru's green eyes glanced around to make sure everyone was paying attention before he yelled, "I want all hands to stations! Prepare for battle!"
The deck became a swarm of bodies quickly moving about to steer the ship toward its designated target. The midnight-colored boat cut through the cerulean waters easily, and with the leader's wind-release techniques giving more power to the sails, the pirate ship drew closer and closer to its next victim.
At last, the innocent carrier ship was in range for the strike. The people aboard could easily be seen now, and the expressions on most of their faces appeared startled at the sudden arrival of another vessel.
Masaru smirked. "On my order!" He raised his arm in the air as wind began to pick up in the palm of his hand. Expressions of terror stared at him in fear as the wind became a visible silver color around the pirate's hand to form a claw. "Ready! And-"
Suddenly, the entire pirate ship jerked to the side, causing a few of the crew members to fall over. With his jutsu deactivating from the sudden loss of concentration, Masaru furrowed his eyebrows as he looked over the edge of the ship. His eyes widened as a murky green slime bubbled up from the surface of the ocean. It instantly began to cling to the bottom of the dark blue boat, and the slime reached out until it covered the water's surface that kept The Midnight Thief afloat. Within seconds, the pirate ship was glued in place to the hardened surface of a portion of the goo-covered sea.
Confused and shocked, the captain looked up to the passengers of the cargo ship, and he gaped at the triumphant smirks that were replacing the previous looks of horror. The Blue Pirate grimaced when his emerald eyes finally landed on one particular 'civilian' performing a unique hand sign. The man's dull brown eyes flashed with victory as he pulled away his large straw hat to reveal a headband with the Hidden Mist symbol carved into the metal plate.
"Mist shinobi?" Masaru hissed inwardly. One by one, ratty and worn layers of clothes were stripped to reveal professional Kiri jounin vests. Forehead protectors gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting the shinobi symbol in front of the eyes of the Blue Pirates.
"Shit… They're all Mist ninja…" Rikuto grumbled as he glared at the passengers of the other ship.
"And they sure as hell ain't here just for me," Ayame mumbled as her faded blue eyes roamed over the battle-ready warriors who hailed from her old village.
Realization suddenly dawned on the captain. This wasn't just any trap. It wasn't just some freak accident. The Kiri shinobi were there to finish what Konoha had started: to terminate the remaining Blue Pirates.
Masaru mentally cursed himself for falling into the trap. He should have known the 'cargo ship' would be swarming with Mist ninja. The fact that it hailed from the Water Country was a dead give away. Now he had gotten the Blue Pirates into an unnecessary battle.
"Who among you do you name as captain?" the ninja who had trapped the pirate ship called out. His question was laced with an arrogant and victorious tone instead of an actual curious inquiry.
The raven-haired male placed a smirk on his face as he straightened up and pointed to himself with his thumb. "You're looking at him."
The ninja raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright then. With Kasumi Mayonaka currently under the restraint of Konoha, let's see just how good the Blue Pirates still are."
Masaru's eyes narrowed. It seemed that word had already spread about Kasumi's capture. The news definitely spread more quickly than anticipated. That wouldn't be good for her sake, for if the snake Sannin discovered her whereabouts, it could mean a deliberate strike against her. And she was currently alone in the Leaf Village.
Hopefully, he wouldn't obtain the knowledge of her location anytime soon.
Masaru briefly glanced at his crew. He was a little wary of a full-out battle with Mist ninja who were intent on destroying the crew that their own missing-nin had created. But judging from the excited and eager faces of the pirates and the firm glue that held the ship in place, it was obvious that a fight was inevitable.
The Blue Pirate leader smirked. "Bring it on."
Just on the outskirts of the Land of Waves, two figures approached the large cemented structure of the bridge that led into the small village. Waves of the ocean splashed against the pillars that held the pathway up. A pair of stone cold eyes stared at the kanji that were written across the opening archway. The young man's eyes flashed crimson for a split second as he looked at the name of the bridge, written proudly at the top of the arch.
The second person chuckled as he glanced at his companion staring at the name of the structure known as the Great Naruto Bridge. "So? Any remorseful feelings for your old teammate?" Kabuto asked mockingly.
The rogue Uchiha glared at his fellow apprentice with malice before he turned away and marched off down the path. The glasses-wearing ninja snickered under his breath before he followed after the younger male.
The two colleagues crossed the stone bridge and entered the small town. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow as he looked around the village. The buildings, the roads, the homes, even the people looked so… broken. The town's condition looked almost the same as it was when Gato had been around. Possibly worse…
When Team 7 had arrived just those few years ago, the village was in a state of immense poverty. People were living on the streets, buildings were run-down and ready to collapse at a moment's notice, and food had been scarce. What Sasuke remembered the most was that the spirits of many of the villagers were utterly broken while Gato was in charge.
Now, as the raven-haired male looked around, he wondered just how well the village had been doing after his old shinobi team left. The buildings were still destroyed, there were no shops set up, and the people seemed heartbroken. The topping on the cake was the fact that dried blood was scattered everywhere.
Sasuke eyebrows slightly furrowed. Did one criminal really break the spirits of all these people again? It didn't seem possible, especially when the villagers had been ready to defend their home against the infamous drug dealer those few years ago.
Kabuto glanced at the curious and confused look on the younger boy's face. "The Blue Pirates show no mercy, wherever they appear."
The Uchiha turned to look at the silver-haired man. There was no emotion written on his always stoic face, but his eyes displayed his unasked question.
"That's why Lord Orochimaru finds such interest in Kasumi Mayonaka," the medic continued. He turned away and began to walk further into the village. "The Blue Tiger of the Mist has nearly everything the Lord wants."
"Nearly?" Sasuke asked, his curiosity getting the best of him as he followed his traveling partner.
"All you need to know, Sasuke…" the medic purred out maliciously as he walked away, "is that there is only one thing that makes you and Kasumi different. You're a predator, and she is prey." The Uchiha's eyes narrowed in confusion at his elder's words, but he decided to drop the subject.
The pair headed deeper into the destroyed town, and it wasn't until the harbor was stretched out in front of him did Sasuke realize where Kabuto was leading him. The docks were in the same miserable conditions as the buildings that made up the village. Pieces of wood floated aimlessly by the shore, and the once clear blue water seemed murkier than the Sharingan user remembered. He briefly wondered if the dirtied water was tainted because of the bloodshed.
He turned away to see Kabuto approaching the small house on the harbor, his Sound Village forehead protector already hidden within his cloak. Sasuke scowled momentarily as he raised the hood of his black cloak over his head, the shadows easily concealing his face.
The two apprentices walked up to the front of the home, and Kabuto reached out to firmly knock on the wooden door. The sound of shuffling could slightly be heard from inside the house, and moments later, the door swung open to reveal a young boy on the brink of reaching adolescence.
"Can I help you?" Inari asked as he ruffled his brown locks absentmindedly.
"Why yes, actually, you can," Kabuto said with a sickeningly sweet grin. "My friend and I are travelers, and we just happened to notice that your village isn't in the best of shape."
"Yeah, what's it to you?" the boy asked with a glare.
"Well, I was just wondering if you could share some information about what happened," the ponytailed ninja said, his smile never faltering.
Inari eyed the strangers warily. "Who are you guys again?"
Kabuto sighed in annoyance, his smile becoming a bit more impatient. "Is there anyone else home that I could speak to?"
"No," Inari responded curtly. "They're out fixing the village, which is what I was about to do."
The silver-haired man rolled his eyes behind his thin-rimmed glasses. "Fine. Can you just tell me what happened?"
The preteen eyed the strange man suspiciously as he contemplated slamming the door in his face. His eyes briefly glanced at the hooded person who stood off to the side, not uttering a single word. Inari turned back to the questioning stranger. "The Blue Pirates attacked us."
"Really?" Kabuto smirked as he cocked an eyebrow. Now he was getting somewhere. "Do you know what happened to them afterwards?"
"They left," Inari said, getting very annoyed at this point. "Duh."
The medic closed his eyes in frustration. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he took a breath and then pushed his spectacles up all the way to rest a little bit higher on his face. "Do you know where they went? Did you hear of anything that might leave a hint as to where they might have gone?"
The young boy glared at the stranger. "Are you a ninja?"
"Do you see a headband anywhere on me?" Kabuto asked, the irritation and impatience in his voice very evident now.
Inari pouted a bit childishly as he stared at the glasses-wearing man on his porch. He really didn't like this guy. Now, all he wanted was for him to go away. "No, I don't know where the Blue Pirates went."
Kabuto sighed in exasperation and turned away, muttering incomprehensible words. Sasuke smirked to himself when he heard something along the lines of, "Useless children" and "Waste of time."
Inari must have heard him as well, because as Kabuto walked away, he was glaring holes into the back of his silver head. "But the Blue Tiger of the Mist was captured by Konoha shinobi."
The medical ninja instantly froze and slowly turned around to face the boy, and Sasuke quickly whipped around to stare at the younger male in surprise. "Really?" the eldest of the three males inquired curiously, a tiny yet delighted smile appearing on his twisted face.
"Yeah, by some good friends of mine too," Inari replied with a small smile as he remembered his Leaf Village acquaintances.
Sasuke instantly stiffened while Kabuto grinned. "Thanks a lot for your help, kid," Orochimaru's assistant smiled.
"Yeah… no problem," Inari muttered as he watched the two men walk away. He closed the door once they had left the porch and shook his head in exasperation as he went to prepare himself for helping his grandfather and mother repair the village.
Once the two Sound shinobi were far enough away from Inari's home and any other watching eyes, Kabuto tied his ninja headband back around his forehead. He bit his thumb and let his hands fly through the necessary hand signs. After the final sign was made, he slammed his bloodied hand to the ground. A small circular seal appeared on the ground briefly before a puff of smoke clouded the area.
A regular-sized purple snake was sitting between the two men, its acid green eyes staring up at both of them. Its black tongue slithered out every few moments as it waited patiently for its orders.
"I need you to relay a message to Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said as he kneeled on one knee so he was closer to the snake's face. The reptile stared at its caller expectantly. "Tell the Lord that Kasumi Mayonaka is in Konohagakure, and Sasuke and I will be heading there to wait further orders."
The snake nodded once before it turned away and slithered into the dense foliage of the forest. It was gone within seconds.
Kabuto stood up from his kneeling position and turned to see the expectant onyx eyes of the Uchiha. "So?" Sasuke inquired. "Once we get to Konoha, we just wait then?"
The elder ninja nodded as a smirk graced his lips. "That's right."
Dark eyes glanced about through the cover of the green leaves, keeping a close watch on anything that moved within a close proximity. Perched on the branch of a large oak tree and hidden in the shadows, Kasumi kept a firm gaze on the area around her. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and her growing excitement left chills that made her shiver with glee. She hadn't had this much fun since she had left the Blue Pirates for this mission, and the suspense was already eating at her. She wanted to fight so badly.
The snap of a twig quickly alerted the criminal of an approaching target, and she quickly ducked down to conceal herself a bit more until her opponent became known to her.
The black-haired and pale-skinned member of Team Kakashi landed on a tree branch not too far away from the pirate's position. Kasumi's charcoal eyes stared the boy up and down, calculating his abilities while trying to refer back to his fighting style back in the Land of Waves.
Sai, as she recalled his name being, cautiously looked around, trying to sense her presence. The prisoner smirked; the four chakra bracelets she wore on her wrists and ankles actually helped in concealing her from the shinobi. With no chakra signature, it would be even more difficult for them to find her. At least the accursed metal rings were good for something.
Kasumi quietly left her spot to sneak around her prey. Silently leaping from branch to branch, the pirate captain made her way to stand only a tree away from her new enemy. His back was to her, his dull eyes scanning the area in front him. The criminal smirked, jumping from her perch to quickly and swiftly strike her opponent. Within seconds, the sharp heel of her boot was falling towards the left side of his head. Reacting fast, Sai drew his small katana and blocked the pirate's strike.
Still in midair from her attack, the Blue Tiger flipped sideways, and the heel of her boot hooked onto the ANBU blade before the small sword was flung out of its wielder's hand. The sunlight reflected off the shined metal as the weapon fell to the ground, lodging itself in the grassy dirt beneath the two fighters as they stared at each other from opposite branches.
Without a word spoken, the Root member launched himself forwards, a kunai drawn in his hand. The pirate expertly dodged each swipe, maneuvering out of the way of each swing. Sai did not relent as he pressed forward, trying to land a strike on his enemy. Kasumi moved backwards along the length of the tree branch, and her coal eyes quickly glanced at her surroundings. She inwardly smirked as she calculated her next move.
Sai raised his knife to strike once more, but before the blade could make contact with his target, Kasumi had ducked out of range. She attempted a sweeping kick to his legs, but he easily jumped over the attack. Taking advantage of being in the air, he used the split second of time and momentum to bring down the kunai with immense force towards the criminal's blue head.
The ANBU member was sure he had his opponent bested, but his eyes widened when she dove headfirst off the branch. He froze in surprise as he watched her flip in the air and land swiftly on the lush grass. Sai's fallen blade was wedged in the ground right next to her, and she easily pulled it out and held it by her side as her new temporary weapon.
She moved her head to the side so she could stare at the shinobi above her. "So how about it? Come get me, if you think you're up for it."
Sai's eyes narrowed before he leaped off the branch, hurling toward his enemy. He raised his kunai as she lifted the sword, and the two blades clashed together, creating a metallic echo across the forest. The weapons pushed against one another, neither wavering in the slightest. Kasumi quickly lifted her right leg to kick Sai in the side, and he stumbled with his footwork, falling over and landing on his back.
The pirate quickly threw her blade at the spot where the ninja's head should be, but he quickly rolled out of the way of her attack. He fluidly moved to his feet only to be met head on with a flurry of punches and kicks from his enemy. Sai expertly dodged the strikes, mechanically ducking away from the raging captain.
Scowling to herself, Kasumi feinted a blow to his head only to kick him in the chest when he dodged her arm. The attack startled him so much that he couldn't block the series of sharp kicks that followed, and the razor heels of the pirate's boots tore at Sai's short shirt and bare stomach.
As Sai fell to the ground, Kasumi was about to deliver another fierce kick to his chest, fully prepared to break his ribs, when she felt another presence approaching from behind. Quickly redirecting her kick, she spun around and clashed her heel on chakra-enhanced fist of a certain pink-haired kunoichi.
Kasumi narrowed her dark eyes in a dangerous manner. She brought her leg back away from Sakura to hurl a punch toward her instead. The medic easily caught the fist in her hand, and she used her chakra to crush the pirate's hand in hers. The blue-haired girl hissed in pain as she felt the medical ninjutsu violently compressing her hand. Kasumi tried to punch Sakura away, only to have the same results as before happened. Now both of her hands were trapped. She saw a ghost of a smile on the kunoichi's features as she burned the Blue Pirate's hands with her medical chakra.
Sai grabbed his katana that was stuck into the ground and brought it up to stab the prisoner. Kasumi grimaced at her bad luck, but she quickly counteracted the incoming blade with her foot by kicking it off to the side. But it didn't stop the kunai that she hadn't noticed before; the raven-haired boy raised the knife up and aimed it right at the criminal's heart.
Biting her lip in quick contemplation, Kasumi quickly moved her body so that the blade came crashing down on her shoulder. She sharply took in a breath of air as the knife lodged itself in her shoulder blade, and she could feel the warm sticky substance seeping through her shirt.
Growling at the pain she felt in her shoulder and hands, Kasumi quickly kicked Sakura away from her and then used her good shoulder to shove Sai out of the way. She speedily jumped into the trees to leave the scene and find a hiding spot to observe and treat her bleeding wounds. Sai and Sakura rapidly got their bearings before taking off after the captain. But once they took to the trees, the pirate was already out of sight.
Kasumi sat down by the base of a tree, leaning with her back against the hardened trunk. A river flowed directly in front of her. Its rapids let the water flow quickly, but its serenity kept the entire scene at peace. The cleansing sound of the river actually soothed Kasumi as she scooted closer to the edge of the water.
She slowly slipped off her elbow-length fingerless red gloves, and she cringed as she eyed the red peeling skin of her hands. She let them soak in the cool water, and her breath hitched as her limbs welcomed the feel of the cool liquid against her skin. Her eyes closed in a peaceful bliss, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Kasumi felt tranquility that she didn't realize she had been missing. Even if it was only a small creek, it brought back beautiful memories of the vast ocean. The pirate could almost feel the wind blowing through her hair, taste the ocean spray against her face, and hear the waves moving with her beloved ship.
Kasumi almost forgot where she was in that heavenly moment.
The ache in her shoulder brought her back to reality, and her black eyes shot open in pain. She clutched the weapon lodged in her skin, and pain instantly shot up and down her spine.
"Son of a…" she muttered. She pulled the blade from its place, and she violently growled a foul cuss word into her hand.
Still holding the kunai at her side, Kasumi stood up from her spot by the river, watching the blood leak from her wound to stain the grass by her feet. One drop of her crimson liquid landed in the blue water of the river, and she stared at the web of red that stood out against the rushing water of the creek. It didn't take long for the single drop of red to disappear with the rapids of the stream.
"How much blood would it take to taint this river red?" Kasumi thought to herself as she stared at the spot where her blood had landed in the river.
Her dark eyes glanced up to follow the brook, knowing that the small remnant of her body had already disintegrated in the water.
"How many bad deeds does it take to corrupt a person?" she silently wondered to herself, her eyes glazing just a bit. She stared at nothing in particular, and yet, she felt as if she could see everything by just looking at the brook.
A rustle in the leaves behind her caused Kasumi to frown, and she quickly turned around to see an orange blur flying towards her. She flung the kunai at the blob, but the new arrival easily deflected it. She eyed the blonde ninja as he landed in a crouch in front of her, his own knife in his hand prepared for an attack.
"You're really going to take me on?" the prisoner asked.
Naruto's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he looked at her. The tone of her voice sounded more distracted and sad than it had before, when she had been spouting cocky words at him about his incapability of being a good ninja.
"Heck yeah, I am!" the whiskered boy shouted. "And I'm going to take you down."
Kasumi stared at him for a few seconds, in which nothing happened during that time. Finally, she plastered a smirk on her face. "Bring your worst… if you have it in you."
The blonde growled as he launched himself forward, bringing his weapon down toward the criminal's already injured shoulder. Kasumi quickly ducked out of the way and kicked at her opponent, who stumbled backwards from the impact. Taking advantage of the moment, the pirate hurled herself forward and released a series of punches towards the ninja's face and chest.
Naruto flew back against a tree from the blows of the furious strikes. He groaned as he felt a soreness creeping up his cranium. Fighting against the growing headache, he opened one eye just in time to see his enemy throwing her damaged fist toward his head. The blue-eyed boy yelped in surprise as he dodged out of the way, tucking and rolling until he was a safe distance away.
As he stood back up, Naruto threw his fists back into place in front of his body, prepared to attack at a moment's notice. "Is that all you got? I want everything you have, pirate scum!"
The cocky smile that had been lining her features instantly vanished as Kasumi heard his insulting words. "Scum?" she asked with a frown.
"Yeah, you heard me!" Naruto yelled. "I said to give me your all, trash!"
"Trash?" Kasumi shrieked, her anger suddenly hitting a furious spike in level.
The shinobi furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he watched her reaction. He shook his head to keep himself on track, and he fixed his determined stare on the pirate captain. "Yeah! You and your crew are nothing but a bunch of scumbags!"
That was a breaking point for Kasumi.
She flung herself forward, and Naruto barely had time to react as he quickly drew a kunai to halt her incoming punch. She easily maneuvered so that she was out of range of his knife and then side-swept his legs from underneath him. He fell to the ground, dropping his weapon in the process. Kasumi picked it up and then let the sharp heel of her boot pierce into the skin just above the ninja's heart.
"Let me tell you something, brat," Kasumi hissed as she placed her new weapon at the base of Naruto's throat. "You would do good to not insult me. And you would be smart to not badmouth my crew, especially when I am standing right in front of you."
Naruto was taken aback by her sudden change in attitude. So this is the kind of anger that Teams Guy and Asuma had had to deal with…
Struggling against the heavy boot that pushed against his ribs, he glared up at the girl standing on top of him. "Alright, listen, you psycho wench!"
Kasumi cocked an eyebrow at him, showing that he had her murderous attention.
"You're a horrible person with a sick and twisted sense of pleasure! You kill innocent people with no reason whatsoever!" Naruto shouted up at the girl. "You're a criminal, so it's our job to keep the world safe from freaks and trash like you!"
The blue-haired teenager glared down at the boy beneath her feet. She pressed forward with her foot, nearly breaking the ninja's ribs. With just a bit more force, she knew she would soon be able to relish in the sound of the sickening crunch of his bones…
But instead, she backed away.
Naruto blinked in surprise. He had been fully prepared for the pirate to break his bones. He knew he would have the Kyuubi's chakra to heal him, even if he didn't really want it in the first place. It was always a backup plan to have though. But apparently, this time, it wasn't needed.
He stood up from the ground and stared at the pirate, who had her back turned towards him. "You make a lot of assumptions about the Blue Pirates, kid."
Naruto glared at the blue-haired girl before him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You guys are criminals. What more would I need to know?"
"You don't need to know anything, and I don't want you to know anything anyway," Kasumi shot back angrily. "But those who mouth off about things they don't know should have their tongues cut off and watch as it is thrown to the sharks."
The blonde cringed at her graphic idea of punishment, but his blue eyes still glowered at the girl in front of him. "You're one to talk. Wasn't it you who was spouting crap about me not being good enough? You don't even know me, so how can you expect anything more from me?" he accused as he pointed a reproachful finger at her in fury.
Kasumi let out a dry chuckle. "Worse things have happened to me than having my tongue slit."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at her in bewilderment. "You're a pirate. It's our duty to keep you imprisoned. And it is our mission to reform you. What do you have against us? We're doing our jobs."
The girl scoffed in mock amusement. "Oh, please. Pirates... Ninja... When you airheaded shinobi stop to think about it, you will realize that we pirates have a lot more in common with ninja than you think. Do not badmouth my crew, and do not disgrace my pirate name. The Blue Pirates have a lot more integrity than you ninja care to believe."
Now Naruto was extremely confused. Here this pirate was, preaching to him about integrity. It was a bit much for him to handle, especially when he had only come to this river to pick a fight with the legendary Blue Tiger of the Mist.
"What do you mean pirates and ninja are almost the same?" the blonde boy asked as he took a hesitant step forward.
"Heh, it's too much trouble to explain this to an idiot such as yourself," Kasumi said, a hint of her arrogance returning. "All you need to know… is that you should think about those who you label as enemies and those who you call friends. Because chances are… you won't be able to tell anyone's inner demons apart."
Naruto's mouth fell open slightly as he tried to comprehend her words. But before he could question her about them, she had taken off into the trees. "Hey, wait!" he called out. He grumbled when he realized she was already gone and quickly pounced off after her.
Kasumi landed in the clearing that the reformation activity had officially started in. The meadow stretched out around her, and the trees encircled the field as she moved to stand in the center. The wind blew gently against her cheeks, and she absentmindedly compared this dry breeze to the sea spray that she had grown accustomed to over the years.
She didn't have long to dwell on the similarities and differences between the land and the sea, because Sai and Sakura had found her location. They landed on either side of her, with Sakura in front of her and Sai behind.
It wasn't long before Naruto had wandered in on the scene, finally catching up to the pirate. He joined his teammates in surrounding the prisoner by standing to Kasumi's left. To complete the circle around her, Kakashi appeared from the forest and stalked over to stand on her right. The prisoner glared at the jounin, wondering where he was the entire time. Probably reading his perverted book, she concluded.
Kasumi instantly raised her arms to cross in front of her, her palms face outwards to the side. Her coal eyes glanced around her in alert, prepared for any one of the four shinobi to attack.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kakashi raise a hand out, and she quickly redirected her full attention to him to counter his strike. But instead, his lazy voice interrupted her thoughts of attacking.
"That's enough for today," he drawled out as he shoved both hands into his slacks. "Time to get you back to your cell."
The criminal cautiously put her arms down, falling out of her offensive crouch. She still kept an attentive eye on the shinobi around her.
"But I am proud of you, Kasumi," Kakashi said, his eye crinkling a bit to show his smile. "You didn't go on a murderous rampage or attempt to run away. I call this progress."
"Don't taunt me, Hatake," the blue-haired girl spat.
Kakashi's silver eyebrow rose, almost daring her to do something she would regret. But she wasn't fool enough to fall for these mistakes more than she already had, so she just let her shinobi team escort her back to her prison cell.
The sound of war cries rang out across the two ships as both shinobi and pirates continued to engage in battle against one another. Ropes entangled one another as members of both parties swung over onto the opposing ship. The epic battle raged on as the ninja and the bandits put their all into their strikes and attacks. Blood was spilled to paint the decks of both boats, and the ocean rocked the ships violently back and forth as the fight continued.
Masaru was about to leap over onto the shinobi ship to challenge the Mist ninja head on, but he was stopped when the leader of the ninja crew landed in front of him. The captain's green eyes narrowed dangerously as he stared at the man who had dared to confront him.
"Going somewhere, pirate?" the brown-haired man inquired.
"Only to destroy the man who dared to strike this ship directly," Masaru shot back as he referred to the sticky substance that kept The Midnight Thief stuck in place.
"Then let's see how good the first mate of the renowned Blue Pirates truly is," the ninja grinned.
The black-haired male stared at the offending shinobi with deadly eyes before he threw his hands into the correct signs for his upcoming jutsu. "Wind Style: Razor Wind Jutsu!" Instantly, the air sharpened into a jagged edge that hurtled toward the Mist ninja.
The brown-eyed man rolled out of the way, forming the correct hand seals for his own jutsu in the process. "Slime Style: Sticky Sand Jutsu!"
The pirate hadn't realized what the jutsu had done until he tried to lunge forward. But when his feet did not obey him, he glanced down to see a thick green liquid bubbling up through wooden floor of the ship's deck to coat over his black boots. Once his feet were engulfed in the slime, the liquid hardened into a fine sand that left his feet stuck in place. Masaru growled as he eyed the light brown sand speckled with a greenish tint. He attempted to struggle out of the hardened slime, and it was then he realized that the more he moved, the more the sand began to creep up his legs.
His eyes widened in shock, and the ninja smirked. "Try getting out of that one, pirate," the shinobi spat as he straightened out of his fighting stance.
The solid slime was now up to Masaru's knees. Even with sending chakra into his legs and feet, the sand stayed firm in its hold. The temporary captain growled as he felt the sand suck up his chakra only to grow in strength.
"Now, how about we speed up the process, eh?" the Mist inhabitant said. He held his hand out in front of him, and the slime-like sand responded in reply to his command. The substance sped up as it crawled along Masaru's legs, completely covering his waist now.
"Get away from my captain!" a scream sounded from just above the two fighting leaders.
Masaru didn't even have a chance to look up before a blur fell from the sky to strike the ninja standing before him. The shinobi only had time to look at his attacker before he was pinned to the ground. The captain's emerald eyes widened in surprise when he saw Akira's petite form hovering over the leader of the Mist ninja.
"Slimy good-for-nothing stuck-up shinobi," the brown-haired female muttered as she held her small katana at the man's throat.
The raven-haired seadog let loose a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Gathering his bearings, he let his wind chakra surround his right hand before he began to use his energy-enhanced limb as a chisel against the cemented slime that encased him. It took a few moments before he was finally free, though the green and brown speckles of sand still lingered on his black shirt and black pants. By the time Masaru looked up to see what had happened, Akira was losing her fight against the shinobi leader. The blue-eyed girl was shoved against the rail of the midnight-colored ship, her own katana being used to draw small amounts of blood from her neck.
Masaru didn't even think when he reacted; he simply launched himself forward and pushed the ninja out of the way. As the brown-haired man stumbled and attempted to regain his footing, Masaru took the opportune moment to wreak his revenge. With a simple swing of his arm, the ninja was thrown back with a random yet strong gust of wind.
"Can you finish him off, Akira?" the captain asked as his jade eyes watched the ninja pick himself back up.
"Don't insult me, Masaru," the girl shot back as she stepped in front of him to continue her battle. The raven-haired male just smirked as he turned around to engage in a separate fight.
His smile instantly vanished when he glanced around the two ships. The war between the shinobi and the pirates was still going strong, but one side was clearly standing nearly victorious over the other. Masaru frowned as a sick realization dawned on him.
The Blue Pirates were losing.
"Damn it," he murmured to himself as he ran across the deck. He had been too wrapped up in losing his own fight – a fight that he wanted to assure himself that he could have won if he hadn't underestimated his opponent – that he didn't even notice that his crew was suffering.
Blood tainted the dark blue color of the pirate ship, and bodies were collapsing to the ground one by one. There were no dead bodies, Masaru noticed, which he was quite thankful for, as he didn't want to explain to Captain Mayonaka when she returned that he had gotten half of her crew destroyed. But for the Blue Pirates to be losing in the first place was a disgrace all in itself.
The captain bit his lip as he watched the chaos ensue aboard the two boats. He glanced around quickly in search of someone specific, trying to find the person amongst the crowd. He sighed when he found who he was looking for.
"Osamu!" Masaru yelled loudly.
The white-haired male glanced down to the captain when he heard his name. Currently, he was balancing on the rail of the shinobi ship, battling one of the Kiri ninja. He frowned when he looked at his captain.
"What?" he shouted back as he dodged a bludgeon to his head.
"I want you at the helm!" the leader of the pirates ordered.
Osamu was quite surprised at this order. He may have been the designated helmsman in most cases, but during a battle, he most certainly had never been called.
"I'm a bit busy at the moment," he replied as he attempted to side-sweep his opponent's legs beneath him but failing.
"Get over here, now!" Masaru commanded.
Blinking in surprise, Osamu quickly shoved his enemy out of the way before leaping back over to his home ship. Following the demand, he bounded over to the wheel, where his captain was already waiting for him.
"Mind telling me what this is about?" the well-dressed pirate asked as he flicked a stray piece of hair out of his onyx eyes. He grabbed the wheel quickly as he waited for any kind of explanation from his higher-up.
"When I give the sign, I need you to steer the ship as fast as you can away from the shinobi," Masaru informed as he kept his emerald eyes locked on the other ship.
Osamu didn't even bother trying to hide his surprise, but it didn't take long for him to realize what his captain planned on doing. "We're running away, aren't we?"
The other man subconsciously tugged at the red bandana around his forehead, an old habit he had developed as a Waterfall Village ninja. "Just do as I say, no questions asked."
The white-haired male simply nodded as he watched the younger man leap back into the hectic chaos of the battle on the deck. Once Masaru had made it to the edge of the rail, where his crew would be able to hear him, he shouted the only order that could ever make a pirate captain cringe.
"Retreat!" he yelled out to the gang of bandits.
The Blue Pirates were so surprised by the command that they didn't react right away. But once they saw the deadly eyes of their waiting captain, those who had been fighting on the shinobi ship quickly retreated back to their home ship. The rest of the pirates attempted to force back any remaining intruding ninja on The Midnight Thief.
The leader of the shinobi, however, was unwilling to let the pirates go. He stood on the railing of his ship and quickly threw his hands into the correct signs. "Slime Style: Slime String Jutsu!"
The sticky green slimy substance shot out from his hand to attach to the rail of the pirate ship, acting as a rope for him to hang onto. Within seconds, more slime was extending from his hand to attach to the ship. Combined with the cemented slime that kept the boat in place atop the water's surface, The Midnight Thief was stuck in place.
Masaru growled as he prepared his upcoming jutsu. "Hayashi and Ayame! At the ready!"
The criminals in question nodded as they leaped into action, each unsheathing their swords. With swift strikes, the slimy vines were cut away, and the slime-using ninja fell back from the momentum. He quickly picked himself up and was about to order his squad to attack, but Masaru beat him to the punch.
"Wind Style: Whirlwind Fang Jutsu!" he yelled.
He tugged at the red scarf around his neck as it billowed from the enhanced wind that began to pick up around him. The crimson article of clothing flew off of his neck and landed somewhere on the deck as a giant white wolf formed from the air from the wind chakra. The wolf howled as it raised its claw up to strike, completely in tune with its master's movements as Masaru raised his own arm. The pirate swung down fiercely, and the wind creature followed suit.
With a loud crunch and an echoing crack, the hardened glue that had kept the pirate ship in place was broken. Osamu reacted quickly, knowing that this was his designated moment, and he quickly redirected the ship around and away from the opposing boat.
With one final exhausted yet determined swing of his arm, Masaru ordered his wolf to strike the Kiri ship. Its claw crashed down on the phony cargo ship, only doing enough damage to stall the pirates' getaway. The Mist Village boat crumbled only slightly; it still stayed afloat, but its sails were shredded, and its major assets were destroyed, allowing the Blue Pirates to make their escape.
Masaru breathed in deeply, trying to regain some of the energy he had lost. His wind-enhanced wolf evaporated back into the atmosphere as The Midnight Thief quickly glided across the water. His vision blurred extremely as he tried to focus on the condition of his crew.
But his own state was weakening with the loss of so much chakra, and in front of the entire gang of criminals, Masaru collapsed on the deck.
Distantly, he could hear voices just above him. There was some frantic yelling and screaming, and he could see distorted shapes and blurs around him. But he couldn't find the strength to concentrate on any of it, and so he let his green eyes close to welcome the cooling darkness.
In a dark and dingy cell underneath the ground, a certain blue-haired female sat on the cot she was given when she was dubbed a Konoha prisoner. The moans of the surrounding prisoners filled the air, creating a dreary symphony of uncomfortable music. As this was her fifth day in the prison, the Blue Tiger of the Mist should have become accustomed to the cries of the dying criminals that were her prison mates.
But she wasn't.
She sighed, leaning her head into her hands as her fingers laced together to hold her forehead up. She tried to block the depressing groans of the nearby prisoners by recalling the swishing of the ocean's waters against her ship, creating that beautiful soft splashing that she had grown to love so much. But even that couldn't drive away the sounds of the dying people.
The sound of approaching footsteps awoke Kasumi from her daydream of the sea. It was just around dinner time, so she was correct in her assumption when she saw one of her ANBU guards approach her cell with a plate of disgusting prison food.
"Dinner," was all the masked man said as he stood in front of the cage door.
The prisoner sighed as she stood up and approached the barred entrance of her cell. The elite ninja opened the small slot in the door that rested at about the height of Kasumi's elbow. He slowly slid the plate of food into her cage, and she grimaced as she took the food away from him, eyeing the pathetic-looking bowl of thick soup and small piece of bread. She placed it off to the side to eat later, if she felt like it.
The pirate looked up to see that her guard was already on his way down the corridor to leave. She leaned against the vertical bars of her cell as she watched him go before calling out to him. "Hey, guard!"
The ANBU stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to look back at her. She gestured for him to come closer, a look of innocence lining her facial features. Through his porcelain owl mask, he glared skeptically at the girl behind bars. After a moment's contemplation, he figured she could not really attack him, what with the chakra bracelets and all. He slowly and cautiously made his way back over to stand in front of the Blue Tiger of the Mist's cell.
"What do you want?" he asked, his deep voice sounding only a bit muffled from the mask.
Kasumi shrugged as she lazily leaned her arms through the bars to rest against the metal. "Do you know how long I have to go through the Hokage's reformation punishment?"
The ANBU shook his head. "She did not say."
The teenager sighed in evident exasperation. "Well, do I at least get a medic or something? Do you have any idea what those brat shinobi did to me?" she asked. She pulled off her red gloves to show off the burned and peeling skin of her hands from Sakura's medical ninjutsu. "Seriously, what kind of a prison are you people running here? You don't even treat your wounded prisoners?"
"If I recall, Kakashi Hatake did have Sakura Haruno heal your bloody shoulder before he sent you back into your cell," the owl-masked shinobi countered.
"Yeah, well, if I start to lose the feeling in my hands, Konoha's going to have some serious shit to deal with from me," Kasumi threatened.
Behind his mask, the elite ninja was rolling his eyes at the whining yet deadly tone of the imprisoned girl. "If it still hurts, Lady Tsunade might heal them for you."
"Thank you," the blue-haired girl said sarcastically. "Jeez, I can't believe how hard it is to get some decent service around here."
The ANBU rolled his eyes a second time before he turned and walked away, leaving the Blue Tiger alone with her half-dead prison mates.
Once she was sure he was gone, she grinned to herself. Slipping her left hand from behind her back, she dangled the ring of keys she had stolen from the ANBU's belt. "Rules of Piracy 101: Lesson Number One – Learn to pickpocket without being detected."
She chuckled to herself as she began unlocking the bolt that kept her imprisoned. Once she swung the door open, she walked out, almost as if she didn't have a care in the world.
"Lesson Number Two – Never reveal your secrets of wit to anyone."
She carefully kept a firm hold on the ring of keys as she cautiously made her way through the prison and up the stairs into the Interrogation Office.
"Now to get me a map of the Village Hidden in the Leaves…" she muttered to herself in excitement.
