Welcome to the 2nd chapter of Bounty Hunter! Admittedly, it's around this point that I actually started getting kinda 'meh' with the idea, mostly due to my lack of planning back then.

Anywho, not much to talk about right now. Hope you enjoy.

Fourteen years after the Kyuubi attack (Officially 'Canon' time)

Gato, founder of the Gato Company, was a very busy man. The short man in his black suit, with his eyes being hidden by black sunglasses, felt no remorse as he placed his seal of approval on another parchment that allowed even more money to be taken from his current seat of power: The Land of Waves. The man had taken over the land's shipping routes and created a monopoly by isolating the country completely, keeping all visitors out and keeping any would-be saviors out as well.

Those on the inside... were demoralized. Those who stood against him were murdered and made into public displays of Gato's wrath, such as stringing them up and chopping their heads off in front of everyone. It was no doubt that he was an awful, awful man... But he was a man with protection.

Hundreds of armed men were under his command, and one of which was a powerful missing-nin of the Village Hidden in the Mist and member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist: Zabuza Momochi. The man was easily his biggest investment, due to his power and the very aura he carried around him.

It was a sound job to grab Zabuza to make sure Gato secured his place in Wave, but now the man was beginning to reconsider his investment in Zabuza's talents. Not only had the missing-nin came back nearly dead, but he had came back stating that he had been unable to kill the only man who still went against Gato, a man he could, officially, do nothing about.

Tazuna the Bridge Builder was Wave's last hope, due to a large bridge that had been under construction before Gato became a presence in Wave. The bridge was a definite wrench in Gato's plans, but he was unable to do much about it, officially. While the Ninja villages and Samurai around wouldn't ever hear about him stringing people up for executions, they would no doubt hear and see the explosion of a large bridge, should Gato try to destroy it.

If it wasn't finished, however, they would pay it no mind, and thus no word of Gato's power would exit the village. If he had his way, he would have all of his men charge Tazuna and aim to kill the man, but Gato was no fool. He was always guarded by two of his strongest men, Zori and Waraji, both powerful swordsmen in their own right.

They were nothing compared to Zabuza, of course, but what man can be compared to a Ninja?

Gato knew, however, that without the men around him that he would most likely be assassinated by people looking to take his position, or by those that put a bounty on his head in the underworld that he was part of. His drug dealing, along with his smuggling of illegal materials and information, brought a lot of attention to his underworld identity.

So, along side his two body guards, were his hundreds of men that all settled in the main building he had taken over upon his entry to Wave. The building was a large square shape with very tall walls that kept anyone from getting inside. There were no windows, and only three ways in.

One was a large wooden gate on the front of the building that had wooden boards placed on the inside to keep it from opening without consent from the inside. The other was a wooden door on the very top of the building, which had a similar build as the gate, and the last was a small dock in the back that led to a large ship that he used for his own personal transportation, along with any men he brought along as protection.

That said, Gato was wondering if he even needed to stay in the village for much longer. While his insurance in Wave did help his business a lot, it was beginning to look like he could not rely on the men he hired. If Zabuza was bested by a group of weak Konoha Nin, then it may be time to move on...

Then again, Zabuza had demanded another chance to fight them, so maybe it could work out in his favor. The swordsman was asking for far too much money anyways...

Gato's musings were brought to halt as his door snapped open, causing Zori and Waraji to instantly grab their blades while Gato simply looked up. There was a panting brown haired man at his door, and while Gato wasn't one to usually remember the faces of his mercenaries, he did recognize the boy as one of the many he hired. Mostly due to a golden G on the left side of his dark red kimono, placed there by Gato himself.

The boy was instantly shouting as he entered the room, though he did pant as it was evident he had to run quite a way to get to Gato's office, "Someone is attacking us, Gato-San! Some black clad woman..." Gato frowned as the boy panted, gripping his chest. It was only then he noticed the deep red cut across the boy's chest. Despite his wound, he continued to speak, "She … I believe it's the bounty hunter, Gato-San. She took out five men with just a katana, I barely escaped... She's on her way here now."

Gato rubbed his chin thoughtfully and nodded, sighing. "Alright, get yourself treated. I'll put more guards up. Damned bounty hunter can't take the whole force." The boy nodded his consent, starting to walk away when Gato turned his head towards Zori on his left, and the gray hair man smirked slightly as he saw Gato's expression.

"Got it, boss." Zori stated simply, exiting the room quickly and heading in the same direction the boy had went. Gato shook his head as a scream echoed through the hallway and he turned his gaze towards Waraji.

"Come on, get a few men out front. I know exactly which hunter he's talking about... I never thought she'd come after my head." Gato huffed softly as he stood up from his desk, slowly walking towards the front door after grabbing his black cane while Waraji walked beside him, his eyes darting side to side.

A few moments later, the two were standing on the roof, looking down at where most of Gato's men had already assembled in front of the building, due to Waraji making a call over the intercom as they walked. Gato grunted in annoyance at the sight that greeted him, as at least ten of the men were already on the ground while a black clad woman stood in front of them.

She was dressed completely in black from her neck to her feet, and it was impossible to tell if it was all one suit or multiple pieces of clothing. It also drew more attention to her bright blue eyes that stared at them coldly, looking like pieces of ice, while her bright blonde hair hung behind her back in a loose ponytail. The bottom of her face was covered with a black mask, stopping just below her nose.

Her body shape was well toned, though even Gato couldn't tell how old she was. Her breasts weren't very large, but she was rather tall, probably around 5'9 if he was any judge. He was sure she was at least in her teens, if not her twenties, but that hardly mattered right now. He glanced at the long katana in her right hand, the white blade being tinted red from the blood dripping off it, before speaking.

"What do you want, Bounty Hunter?" Gato shouted, tapping his cane against the roof. "I have no bounty on my head, I am merely the owner of this shipping company." He knew it was a lie, and that the woman probably knew exactly who he was, but it didn't hurt to get a bit of information. "Why are you killing my workers?"

The woman stared up at him, ignoring the men beginning to surround her. Instead of responding, the woman jumped upwards towards Gato, her feet sticking to the wall of the building, causing Gato and many of the men to gasp in alarm, while the short man quickly began to retreat back on the roof. "A... A Ninja? Waraji!" He shouted and the dark skinned man moved in the way to intercept the blonde on her way up, pulling his katana off his hip.

Their blades met in mid air and Waraji grunted, glancing towards the woman's feet with a chuckle. "Not a Ninja, sir. Just a trick! Take this!" He shoved hard against her, causing her to grunt as her feet separated from the roof, revealing the thick needles on the bottom of her feet, seeming to come out of the black cloth she had covering them.

She fell quickly towards the ground, and the men quickly began to surround her, holding her down...

And moments later, she was tied up tightly by thick ropes in a large open room in Gato's building, many of the men from before lining the walls as the short, and fat, man stared down at the woman on her knees. He was holding her katana in his left hand, resting it over his shoulder as he grinned down at her. "So the big, bad bounty hunter falls to me... Hm..." He tilted his head slightly and grinned, digging through the pockets of his suit before pulling out a small green vile. "You're quite the looker, so I think I'll train you... to be a good hunter for me." He grinned, pulling at the woman's mask to push it down.

He blinked a few times in confusion behind his sunglasses, staring at the face he revealed... Or at least he would, had there not been a thin plate of steel across her mouth and cheeks, keeping him from getting at her mouth as he wanted. He grunted in annoyance and turned around, gesturing towards the men behind him. "Get some saw blades then, we'll get this metal right off her. Damned bitch..." He grunted in annoyance, but with his back to the woman, he never saw her slowly get to her feet...

Or the ropes fall off her arms.

There were cries of alarm as the woman's arm pushed itself through Gato's chest from behind. The man didn't even have time to cry out or turn his head as it was roughly chopped off by the woman's other arm, both arms being thick silver blades.

Gato's head began to fly into the air as the woman pulled her arm out of his chest, kicking him forward before catching the head as it fell with her now normal hand. The head disappeared in a poof a second later and the woman made a show of flicking her blood soaked hands to the side before pulling her mask back up.

The silence was deafening, and it was only broken as the woman grabbed her fallen katana and slid it slowly out of its sheath. "If you wish to join him on the ground, then come at me. Otherwise, leave." The woman stated, speaking up for the first time. Her voice was soft and clam, but the whole room could hear it as if she was speaking straight into her ears.

It took a moment for the men to register her words, but some were quickly scrambling for the door while the more loyal and angry mercenaries charged at her. The first came from her left, slicing at her neck with his blade, only for his blade to be knocked up by her sword and sent flying to the side. The man soon followed it after a harsh kick to the side sent him flying.

With her leg still extended from the kick, another mercenary tried to take advantage of her position and slice right at her leg. Again, her blade blocked it and pushed him back, her foot slamming against the ground as she put pressure on it to shove the man backwards towards the others behind him.

Spinning, she grabbed a man's wrist just as he was about to grip her hair and she twisted it painfully to the side, making him cry out in pain before her sword flashed forward, slicing his head clean off and onto the ground below. Her blade continued its arc, slicing through the shoulder of another man as he attempted to attack her and his head soon joined his companion's on the ground as his body stumbled back from the strike.

The remaining men, which totaled to around fifteen, all shuffled nervously as they stared at the girl who easily dispatched their comrades. Her icy gaze slowly turned towards them, sliding over each one before resting on the only man who made no move at all, a tall muscular man with the lower half of his face covered in bandages, much like her mask covered her own face.

He said nothing but he grinned under his mask, leaning against the wall next to the door. He hadn't been there originally, but had slipped in just in time to see Gato's head be chopped clean off. He glanced at the men in the room and the blonde woman seemed to understand his unspoken message.

They would speak when the trash was taken care of.

The woman flicked her blade to the side, sending blood along the ground as she stared at the remaining mercenaries. "I will not ask again. Leave, or I will collect your head as well." A few men shuffled and one bold man charged forward, yelling as he swung his blade towards her stomach.

It was rather surprising for all those present as the blade bounced off uselessly and the man seemed to shake as his blade slowly fell to the ground, having snapped from hitting her with so much force. With a flick of her wrist, the man's head was sent flying and blood sprayed out of his neck, dripping down onto the woman's head and dripping slowly down her face.

The rest of the men quickly hurried out of the room and the blonde sighed, flicking her blade to the side while the blood on her body and outfit seemed to slowly be absorbed into her skin. She slid her blade into its sheath and strapped it onto her back, looking towards the last remaining man who stayed by the door with his arms crossed.

"Momochi Zabuza, I assume. Missing-nin of the Kirigakure and holder of one of the seven heavenly blades. Five hundred million bounty." Zabuza grinned at her words and chuckled softly, starting to slowly stand up straight, though it was clear even to her that it was a slight struggle. It seemed he was heavily damaged.

Despite the damage, the tall man that stood in front of her was giving her a gaze that would make most men hide behind their mothers, but she returned the gaze calmly. After a few moments, he slowly spoke, "You cost me a bit of money by killing him... Why shouldn't I just kill you now?" She sighed softly and shook her head, staring up at him.

"I have no reason to fight you, Zabuza-San. Even though you are harmed, I have no doubt I would lose the fight, but I could escape." He grunted slightly at her words and she bowed her head, "However, I have been searching for someone like you. I wish to ask you to train me."

They stood there for a few moments before Zabuza let out a low chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest. "And why would I do that..? You seem to have a good handle on swordsmanship already. I'm pretty interested in who taught you to fight like that."

"No one taught me." She admitted, shaking her head, "I learned by fighting other swordsmen. One in particular, a samurai from the Land of Steel. We fought for five days and I was able to copy down a majority of his style, although I have changed it considerably." Zabuza's thin eyebrows rose from her words and he hummed softly.

"I wasn't aware Samurai had bounties, little hunter." She nodded her head slightly and sighed.

"It was a mistake on both our parts. I was lucky he allowed me to live, although neither of us were really able to move after the fifth day." She waved her hand dismissively, "At any rate, I am willing to pay you considerably well if you agree to teach me. The bounties on the men here are yours, along with Gato's underground bounty which is around six million." Zabuza rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering her words.

"Mm... What is stopping me from taking those heads for myself?"

The woman held her hand up, the cloth surrounding her palm separating to reveal the black seal printed across her skin. "I have Gato's head sealed inside my hand, and only I know how to access the seal. Not only that, but you're a wanted man yourself. I am welcome to turn in many bounties... Sometimes with interest, since the heads are always in tact." Zabuza nodded slightly at her words, grinning under his bandages.

"You're a crafty little brat, aren't you? What's your name? And what village do you come from? Someone with that much chakra can't be just a bounty hunter." His grin grew as she seemed to shuffle nervously, but her calm gaze returned soon after.

The woman frowned under her mask, which was only indicated by the slight twitch underneath the cloth, before she spoke. "I have no affiliation with any village. I am simply a bounty hunter. My name... is Hiiro (Scarlet). It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed respectfully, placing her hands on her sides, and Zabuza chuckled softly at her.

"No affiliation, huh? Well, Hiiro, I'll require the money up front if you want me to teach you. You did cost me a lot, after all." Hiiro nodded her head in response, looking around the room.

"It's likely you can find some money in here as well, although I would not know where. I do have another question, if you don't mind me asking, Zabuza-San." He stared at her blankly as she began to seal the multiple heads on the ground into her hands, not bothering to interrupt as she spoke. "The first thing I must ask is if you're aware of the one behind the door." A soft tap was heard as she spoke, and a short black haired boy, or girl?, walked into the room, his face covered by the mask of a Kiri hunter nin.

Zabuza didn't even bother turning his head,"I'm well aware. This is Haku. He is my tool." Hiiro let out a soft 'Hm' at his words, sealing the last head into her palm before she allowed her glove to slowly reform.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Haku." Haku inclined his head, but did not speak as Hiiro began moving towards the door. "I also wish to know where Tazuna the Bridge Builder lives. I was instructed to inform him of Gato's demise." Zabuza arched his eyebrows again, watching the girl stand in front of the door while she waited for his answer.

"Near the entrance to the village, I believe. I assume you have business with those Konoha Nin, then?" Hiiro, who had been walking out the door after he answered, hesitated mid step before responding.

"No, I was not aware they were present. That... may complicate things. I will see you soon with the money, Zabuza-San." With that, she turned the corner and disappeared from sight, though not before Zabuza called out to her,

"Tell Kakashi I won't be there for a rematch just yet." He had no idea if she would, but he knew she heard him. He chuckled to himself as he heard the snap of a door closing in the distance.

Haku frowned under his mask but slowly removed it from his face, turning towards his master with a worried expression, "Are you sure we can trust her, Zabuza-Sama? I did not feel any bad intentions from her, but... she is clearly more than she says." Zabuza grunted slightly and let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head.

"No, we can trust her for now. I saw what she did to Gato with her arms... But I also know her reputation. She follows a code of honor... But enough, we need to pick this place dry. Probably a lot of money in that pig's office." The tall man quickly exited the room and Haku soon followed, leaving the bodies of Hiiro's victims to rot in the room behind them.

Hiiro sighed to herself as she stared at the dark brown wood of the door in front of her. It had taken a few tries to find the right house, though the villagers were kind enough to point her in the 'right' direction... which turned out to be another false lead. It seemed most of them didn't enjoy being woken up or bothered at such a dark hour.

Thankfully the children were much easier to talk to, especially after giving them a few pieces of candy and money from her personal stash. It seemed they were much more honest as well, as the directions she obtained led her right to Tazuna's house... Which she knew by looking through the window, seeing the man sitting at a table.

The problem was who else she saw, four Ninja from Konoha. A pink haired girl, whom she did not recognize, a black haired boy that was clearly Sasuke Uchiha, if her book was correct... and the last one was Hinata Hyuuga, heiress to the Hyuuga clan. The biggest problem was their Jounin instructor, Kakashi Hatake, who would no doubt be irritating with questions.

She shook her head slightly and sighed again, pulling her hand up and knocking slowly on the door. 'Better get it over with.' She thought to herself, placing her arms to her sides with her right hand resting on the hilt of her katana.

"I'll get it." Someone called out and a dark blue haired woman stood at the door way nervously, staring at Hiiro with her light brown eyes. "Yes..? How may I help you?" She muttered respectfully, seeming intimidated by Hiiro's presence.

"Good evening, madam." Hiiro stated, bowing her head respectfully, something that the woman returned, "I wish to speak to Tazuna, if he is in. I will leave my blade by the door if you would rather I not bring it in." The woman blinked a few times and squirmed, not seeming sure how to answer.

"Um... One moment." The door closed and Hiiro sighed, sliding her sheath from the loop on her hip and placing the sword beside the door's frame. A few moments later, the door opened up, but instead of the woman there was a tall white haired man that stared down at her with his one eye, while the other was hidden by his Konoha headband.

"Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan Eye. Jounin of Konoha and wielder of over a thousand Jutsu. One billion bounty." Hiiro muttered out of habit, though her words seemed to reach Kakashi's ears and he smiled at her with his eye closing.

"Hiiro the Bounty Hunter, wielder of many blades and the only Bounty Hunter of the Honor Squad." The man retorted, his smile growing under his mask as her eye twitched. "No official bounty, but..."

"But unofficially I have a bounty of seven hundred million." She finished, waving her hand dismissively. "Rumors, nothing more. Now that we are acquainted, I would like to speak with Tazuna. It is a matter of importance." Kakashi hummed softly and slowly nodded, pointing at the blade resting beside the door frame.

"You can bring that too. I doubt you're here to take his head." Hiiro nodded, sliding the sheath back into in her loop on her belt.

"Thank you, I did not wish for it to be stolen. It has been with me in many battles." Kakashi smiled and nodded, moving out of Hiiro's way. She nodded her thanks and walked into the home, sighing to herself as everyone stared at her while Kakashi closed the door and leaned beside the frame as Hiiro walked up to the large table that most of them were sitting at.

Hiiro kept her gaze away from the Genin at the table, though she glanced at Sasuke who stared at her with his onyx eyes, seeming to measure her up as she bowed towards Tazuna, who sat opposite of her on the long side of the table. "Hello, Tazuna-San. I apologize for intruding, but I was asked to inform you of my latest hunt." Tazuna frowned, looking rather nervous as he shuffled in his seat.

"Who … uh..." He stumbled a bit for his words and squirmed a few more times in his seat before he spoke, "Who did that? And … hunt for what? Who are you?" Hiiro nodded her head and bowed again, keeping her head bowed as she spoke.

"I am Hiiro, a bounty hunter. I am here on the request of the late Kaiza." Tazuna's eyes widened and Tsunami, the dark haired woman from before, flinched at the sound of the name. The young brown hair boy wearing a white cap said nothing, but lowered his head. Hiiro stayed silent for a few moments before she continued, "It was requested that if a certain bounty was completed, this family was to be informed."

"A certain bounty..?" Tsunami muttered, her eyes slowly widening as her mind raced with the possibilities. "You mean you..?"

Without a word, Hiiro held her left hand up and with a loud thump and a poof of smoke, Gato's head appeared on the table, causing Tsunami and the pink haired Genin to scream in surprise, while the men and Hinata stared in shock. Gato's face stared up Tazuna with a horrified expression on his face, while Tazuna's face slowly fell into disbelief.

"Y.. You... You killed Gato? Our nightmare is over?" Tazuna muttered, tears slowly brimming in his eyes, "Th.. This isn't a trick, is it? I'm not dreaming?" Hiiro shook her head, placing her hand on top of Gato's head.

"Not a trick, I assure you. I apologize that I won't be able to let you keep his head, as I need it for payment. I hope that you are satisfied with this news?" She tilted her head as Tazuna laughed, tears going down his cheeks as he leaned back in his chair.

It took a few moments for him to calm down and he smiled sadly at his daughter, who was sobbing openly into her palms. He turned his gaze back towards the blonde woman and smiled gratefully, surprisingly grasping her hands together. The action seemed to shock her but she did not pull back, "Thank you, thank you so much. It means so much that Gato is dead... Please, if there's anything we can..." He paused as Hiiro shook her head, pulling her hands away from him.

"No, I require no payment except for the bounty on his head. I was merely instructed to inform you, not take payment from you." Tazuna smiled at her words and nodded his head.

"Still, I can't thank you enough... You're always welcome here if you need somewhere to stay." Hiiro smiled and nodded her head slightly as Tazuna stood up, grinning. "I have to tell the whole village!" He yelled, already moving towards the door as Hiiro spoke up.

"Ah, many of his mercenaries are still about. I would suggest keeping an eye out for them. You may want to go with an escort of some sort." Tazuna nodded, looking towards Kakashi with a grin.

"Can you come with me, Kakashi-San? I'd really like to inform the village as fast as possible." Kakashi hummed, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he stared towards the window.

"Perhaps tomorrow. There's little day light left, and most of the village may be sleeping already. It'd be wise to make sure none of the mercenaries come here for revenge too." Tazuna visibly deflated from his words, groaning slightly.

"You're right... Sorry." He muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

"If that's all then, I'd like to bid you all good night." Hiiro stated pulling the head of Gato up and letting it disappear into the seal on her hand. Tazuna nodded and smiled at her while Kakashi hummed softly, not commenting as Hiiro moved towards the door, opening it and stepping outside.

It wasn't long before she heard footsteps behind her and she sighed, looking behind her into the onyx eyes of Sasuke Uchiha. The pink haired girl was standing behind him, looking confused, while Kakashi stood at the door frame, having a bored expression on his face, though she could tell from his body language that he was slightly annoyed. The Hyuuga and Tazuna's family were no where to be seen, though she was sure the Hyuuga was watching through the wall.

"May I help you, Sasuke Uchiha?" Hiiro turned towards him as he spoke, resting her hand on her blade as he smirked, seeming rather confident. His posture also reeked of arrogance, with his hands in his pockets and his body slouched forward slightly, as if he was ready to dash forward and attack at any moment.

"So you have heard of me." The boy stated simply, rather than answering her question.

"Only of you, yes." With a flick of her wrist, the woman summoned a black book to her hand, staring at it as she spoke while opening it to the page with Sasuke's younger face printed on it. "Sasuke Uchiha, one million bounty if caught alive. Last Uchiha loyal to Konoha, brother of the mass murderer Itachi Uchiha." Sasuke's face fell into anger at the mention of his brother and a low growl escaped him, his arrogance forgotten.

"Don't mention that man to me..." He growled out, but the girl simply flipped a page in her book, ignoring his anger.

"Itachi Uchiha, destroyer of the Uchiha Clan, missing-nin of Konoha. Only known owner of the Mangekyo Sharingan, current location unknown. Fifty billion bounty." Her head tilted to the side as a kunai flew past her head, and she let out a soft sigh as she closed her book. "I will ask again, may I help you, Sasuke Uchiha? I will not forgive another attack."

Sasuke growled in annoyance, his onyx eyes flashing as he stared at the woman. Slowly, he released a breath, seeming to relieve himself of his anger, though he continued to glare at her, "I want to know how you did that.. killed that man." She stared at him and shrugged her shoulders slowly.

"I chopped his head off, how else?" She sighed, shaking her head slightly as her gaze went to Kakashi by the door, "What are they teaching in the academy these days?" Kakashi just smiled at her while Sasuke growled louder.

"Stop ignoring me and treating me like a child..! Come! Fight me!" The Uchiha called out, sliding into his fighting stance. He growled as he felt Kakashi's hand on his shoulder while the woman regarded him calmly from her position.

"Sasuke, this woman is far beyond you. Even I would have a hard time against someone like this." Kakashi admitted, causing the pink haired girl beside him to look up in wonder and back towards Hiiro with wide eyes. His words just seemed to irritate Sasuke further and he squeezed the boy's shoulders, "I don't know what got into you, but I won't let you throw your life away."

A soft scoff brought Kakashi's gaze from Sasuke to Hiiro, as the girl shook her head, "You believe I would kill him? Know this, Hatake Kakashi, I only kill those who I deem wicked enough to fall at my feet. This boy, while childish, has done no evil in my eyes." Her words seemed to make Kakashi smile under his mask and he inclined his head respectfully.

"I understand, I apologize for the insult, Hiiro." The girl waved her hand dismissively as she walked towards the group, her fingers drumming the hilt of her blade.

"No harm done. Now, Sasuke, if you wish for a light fight, then I will give you one. But first I must ask... what you are wishing to prove by fighting me?" She turned her icy gaze onto the boy, who returned the stare evenly, though he was slightly irked that he had to look up to meet her eyes.

"I need to test my strength... If you're strong enough to take out someone like that, then if I beat you, I'll know I'm closer to killing Itachi." His words were said with confidence, as if he thought he was right, but Hiiro just stared at him blankly while Kakashi's hand slowly let go of his shoulder as he sighed.

Hiiro tilted her head slowly to the side, her gaze becoming colder as she stared at him. "An Avenger's path, then... Foolish." She sighed as Sasuke bristled, growling angrily at her as she took three steps back. "Your path will only make another Itachi Uchiha."

"I'm nothing like him!" Sasuke shouted, his eyes wide with anger as he charged forward, ignoring Sakura's cry of surprise as he shot forward. He barely made it within arms reach before he was sent hard to the ground. Hiiro's left hand was gripping his wrist tightly while the other had pushed its palm into Sasuke's chest, forcing him onto his back.

The boy helplessly struggled against the grip and attempted to punch her with his free hand, only for his fist to be easily slapped away. She lifted the same hand that pushed him down up and slammed her fist into his stomach, causing him to cough violently as she pulled back.

She sighed as she stood and she stared down at him with her head shaking slowly, "You are no doubt talented. If I let that hit connect, I would have been lost in your combination. But you are slow, I would suggest working on your speed next." She took a small jump back, allowing Sasuke to get onto his feet.

She waited as he panted and coughed, glaring angrily at her, though her eyes widened slightly as he suddenly lifted his hand to his mouth, creating a massive fire ball that flew towards her quickly while tearing the ground up as it traveled. Sakura let out a loud gasp as she saw it, and Kakashi was visibly alarmed as he stared at the fire ball.

"S.. Sasuke-Kun! T.. that... Isn't that a bit much!?" Sakura yelled, while Sasuke just huffed, leaning up slowly as he stared at the fireball as it reached the blonde who disappeared from their vision as the flames moved.

Sasuke, ignoring Sakura's alarm, just sighed as he slid his hands into his pockets once more, "If she can only take that much, then..." His words were cut off as a blur shot through the flames and slammed into him, sending him flying back into Kakashi who took the blow without flinching, allowing Sasuke to slide to the ground off him.

Sasuke gasped for breath, staring up in alarm with his left hand resting on his stomach. "H.. How did you..?" He gasped out, staring up at Hiiro who sighed softly, her arm extended in a punch with her body straightening up as the flames began to die down behind her, due to the chakra running out.

"Rather simple, but I have no reason to explain it to you." She stated simply, standing in front of him without a single hair out of place or a burn mark on her body. She turned around again, resting her hand on the blade beside her as she walked towards the burn mark on the ground. "Your flames are cold, Sasuke Uchiha. They had better burn brighter the next time we meet... Or I won't hold back." She turned her head towards him slowly and Sasuke flinched as killing intent rolled over his form...

...and for a brief moment, he saw her blade sliding through his head.

Then he was just watching her walk away, disappearing into the night, though she threw one last message over her shoulder before she disappeared, "Ah! And Kakashi-San? Zabuza said he will have a rematch with you in the far future." She didn't bother waiting for his response, or to see his frown, as she disappeared around a corner.

The three stood there silently for a moment, Sakura panting slightly as she stared up at Kakashi, her bright green eyes wide. "W... Who was that, Sensei?"

Kakashi glanced at her and sighed as he pulled Sasuke to his feet, shaking his head slowly. "That was Hiiro, or so it would seem. Possibly one of the youngest people in the world to get a bounty over five hundred million, though she's protected by the Bounty Hunter Association, which means her real bounty... is much, much higher than that." He began to lead Sasuke inside with little resistance as the boy trembled against him, seeming to have gone into a slight case of shock.

He seemed to regain himself as the light of Tazuna's living room hit his eyes and he jerked his hand away from Kakashi, huffing slightly as he sat down on one of the many wooden chairs. Tazuna and his family were no where to be seen, possibly upstairs asleep or celebrating. Hinata was also gone, though Kakashi paid it no mind as he assumed she was watching over Tazuna, as she had been on duty.

Sakura took a seat beside Sasuke, squirming slightly as she glanced at him with worry as the boy held his head with one hand. She knew her concern would go unnoticed, so she turned her gaze back to Kakashi as he leaned against the wall near the stairs. "Erm... What is the Bounty Hunter Association, Sensei? I've never heard of them." Kakashi smiled at her and nodded his head slightly.

"No reason why you should have. They're nothing that you'd find in a text book. But..." He hummed softly, tapping his fingers against his arm as he crossed them. "The Bounty Hunter Association, or BHA for short, is a group that is officially its own hunting squad for anyone with a bounty on their head. They're also able to shield their members from having a bounty, meaning anyone that actually kills them wouldn't get any money from them. They hold about... seventy percent of the bounty money as well, so it's not uncommon for the hunted to leave their members alive instead of bothering to kill them. Doing so would just raise their bounty anyways." Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and sighed as Sasuke looked up, his eyes showing his anger at being defeated so easily.

"So what about her?" Sasuke spat out, saying her like it was a disease. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders a bit and turned his head to the side, looking towards the darkened window.

"What do you want to know? I'll admit, I don't know that much." Kakashi muttered, knowing Sasuke would brood over his defeat even more if he didn't answer his questions.

Sasuke was silent for a moment as he considered his question before he just sighed, crossing his arms, "Just tell me everything you know about her." Kakashi rolled his eye slightly and sighed.

"Alright... She's the youngest bounty hunter known, being about... Fourteen or sixteen." The two Genin stared at him with wide eyes, but didn't comment. Kakashi knew they were thinking about Hiiro not being that much older than them, since they were both around twelve. "Her abilities are mostly unknown, except that she always targets the neck like most bounty hunters when going for a kill and she's considered a decent swordsman. I believe there was a tale of her fighting a samurai in the Land of Steel for five days."

"Five days!?" Sakura shouted, her eyes wide. "They fought for five days!?" Sasuke also seemed surprised at the news. He had trained for days on end, but even he couldn't imagine fighting someone for five days straight.

Kakashi nodded slightly and shrugged. "That fight isn't what got the Association's attention, though. I doubt you have heard of them, but there was a very elite group of bandits all under the leadership of an ex-Kumo Nin that had the strength to rival the Raikage at the time. It was over two hundred men and at least seventy of them were considered to have the strength of a Jounin..." Kakashi closed his eye and sighed softly against his mask as he spoke up again, "They took over a fortress between the Hidden Frost Village and the Hidden Hot Springs Village. About three weeks after that, they were all found dead in the middle of the fortress and all of their heads were turned into the Bounty Hunter Association by Hiiro herself."

Sasuke and Sakura stared at him with their mouths agape, although Sasuke was struggling to keep his mouth closed, and he seemed to pale slightly as he realized how vast the power difference was between him and her. He was hungry for the power to defeat Itachi, but even he would admit he couldn't take on that many people.

Kakashi suddenly held his hands up, keeping his eye closed, though he faced them as if it was open. "I don't know the story, so don't ask me. Hiiro is probably the only one that knows, though I doubt she'd tell you. What I do know is her title is Hiiro because of the amount of blood coating her body when she turned that specific bounty in. The only thing not red on her was those eyes of hers." The group was silent for another few moments before Sakura suddenly stood up, rubbing her head.

"I need to sleep... It's... too crazy for people like that to exist.." Kakashi just smiled at her with his eye closed, chuckling as he heard her foots go up the stairs. The Jounin turned his gaze down towards Sasuke, sighing softly as the boy seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.

"Sasuke, I'm sure there's a question you've been wanting to ask me since the fight with Zabuza." Sasuke's head jerked up at Kakashi's words and he slowly nodded, frowning as he looked towards the window, staring at his own reflection rather than the darkness outside.

"How do you have the Sharingan, Kakashi-Sensei?" Sasuke muttered, not bothering to look at the white haired man who sighed as he sat down on the ground, his back against the wall still. The idea that someone other than Itachi killed a member of his clan to obtain power... was the worst taboo, in Sasuke's book.

Training under someone similar to Itachi would be just as bad as learning from the man, after all.

Kakashi sighed slightly, though inwardly he was glad to get the topic off of Hiiro. 'Not that this topic is any more fun to go on about...' The silver-haired Ninja noted to himself as he cleared his throat. "Well, it all started back when the whole world was at war... and I was teamed up with Obito Uchiha..."

As Kakashi was just beginning to get into his tale, with Sasuke listening intently, neither of them bothered to check up stairs on the rest of the family... or their team. Thus, they completely missed Sakura yawning as she slid into the guest room, listening to the cheers of Tazuna in his own room. Sakura rolled her eyes slightly, but couldn't help but smile at the old man's attitude.

'Seems like they really didn't like that guy... I guess I can understand with what has happened around here.' As Sakura settled in, her eyes fell onto the large form of her last teammate, Hinata, already asleep in the bed in front of her with her back to the pink Kunoichi. 'Already asleep? That's rare, but I guess we did just get done with a big fight back in the forest.'

Sakura didn't know much about the quiet teammate. While the girl had been the entire reason Kakashi passed the group, Hinata still didn't talk much. It was similar to Sasuke, yet different as Sasuke treated Sakura with indifference.

Hinata was more of a kind dismissal.

But the girl was very strong, enough that Sasuke himself acknowledged her strength and was willing to team up with her to take Kakashi on. The Jonin did pass the group because of this, but they had very little teamwork or friendship... and so none of them knew each others habits.

Which prevented Sakura from realizing that Hinata didn't sleep on her side, or that she would sleep at all when there was danger around. Nor did she even think that Hinata would not be there, so she failed to notice that the "head" of the girl she was looking at was just a pillow with a wig on top of it.

In the darkness of the night, Sakura questioned nothing... and simply fell asleep.

In the forest, near Tazuna's house...

Hiiro sighed as she pulled her mask down, revealing her blood red lips and slightly pale cheeks, instead of the steel cover Gato had revealed before. She sat on a fallen log inside the forest and mused over her situation.

Dealing with the Konoha Ninja had been troubling and left the girl feeling irritated that she wasted time dealing with the Uchiha. 'Dealing with spoiled brats is so annoying. If we meet again, I'm definitely not going to go easy on him if he keeps that attitude.' While Scarlet did have a reputation to keep up in her honor, she also had to keep the reputation of being a blood thirsty killer...

At least if you pissed her off.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Hiiro preformed a single seal and shot out a puff of flame onto a small pile of sticks in front of her. As the sticks began to burn, Hiiro pulled the hilt of her Katana out of a large boar that she had killed before settling down. The beast had not put up much of a fight, but it was large enough to be a good snack for the bounty hunter.

'At least those people seemed happy Gato was gone... Can't say I blame them.' The blonde thought to herself as she cut off the boar's meat carefully and then held it over the fire with her sword. 'With him gone, it's possible this country will...' A presence near her suddenly cut off Hiiro's thoughts, but she made no outward indication that she felt someone nearby.

Casually biting into the cooked meat on her sword, Hiiro felt the presence grow closer and closer... and in an instant, Hiiro spun to meet the person behind her... only to blink a few times in surprise as she saw the face of Hinata Hyuuga a few feet from her.

Or what she assumed was the Hyuuga Heiress, as it was hard to tell with a large piece of boar meat slowly sliding down her face. It seemed that the boar meat had flew off when Hiiro swung her sword around, causing it to slam right into the dark haired girl's face, who clearly didn't expect such a move.

Hinata, with her eyes closed, coughed once before pulling the meat off. Thankfully it had little juice to it, so it didn't leave much of a mess. Her eye twitched slightly as she sighed, "I suppose that... that was my fault, for sneaking up on you..." Hiiro chuckled slightly before pulling her arm back and putting her katana into the ground beside her.

"Indeed it was. Hinata Hyuuga, two million bounty if caught alive. Wanted for three million by Kumogakure." Hinata sighed slightly at her words and Hiiro clicked her tongue slightly. "What can I do for you? I have no more business with Tazuna, if you were curious..." There was a curious tone to her voice, and face, but it fell into shock as Hinata slammed her fist into the tree nearest to her.

"Drop the act!" The Hyuuga snapped, her normally peaceful and kind face showing nothing but anger as her eyes narrowed and her teeth clinched together. "I know who you are. I know you know me. I..." She shuddered and lowered her head slowly, keeping her face from Hiiro's view. "I could recognize you anywhere... even if it has been four years. I recognize you..."

Hiiro was silent, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared at the woman with a frown on her face. It wasn't until Hinata's face lifted up, showing the tears going down her cheeks that Hiiro flinched. Hinata didn't even need to use her Byakugan to see that the girl was chewing on the inside of her cheek either.

But the girl still didn't move or speak, prompting Hinata to take a step forward. "Please... Talk to me... Naruto." The heiress pleaded, clasping her hands together as she stood in front of the bounty hunter. Lavender eyes met sapphire as the two stared at each other for a long moment...

Until Hiiro chuckled, rubbing the back of her head slightly with her mouth turning into a large grin that Hinata knew all too well... "Ah... I guess you really can see right through me every time. Four years hasn't changed that, huh, Hinata?" "Hiiro" chuckled slightly, scratching her cheek now as she stared at the heiress, waiting for some kind of response.

But her only response was the slightly smaller girl suddenly slamming into her, making the two stumble back with Hiiro having to grab onto her sword to keep from falling over as Hinata buried her face into the woman's chest. "H.. Hey, Hinata..." The blonde started, only to jump slightly as she heard and felt the girl against her begin to sob.

A slight smile coming to her face from the familiar situation, the blonde just ran her fingers through Hinata's hair as she held the sobbing girl close...

Chapter... End!

A bit of set up for things that were meant to come, but overall led to no where. Fun hints I forgot about until I got to doing my minor editing for this, like how I'm pretty much stating flat out that Naruto/Hiiro doesn't know how to walk up walls or anything. As a Ninja, her talents are few and far between. As an assassin, however...

Well, the implication of her taking on someone as strong as the Raikage is something I vaguely recall taking from another story, at least for the actual base idea. But instead of it being an actual arc that was hinted at every now and then, this one was actually flat out said to be killed. How? Assassination. That's what got the "Association" to look at Hiiro, though they were unaware she just assassinated all of them by turning into small things and running around. They've got no idea she didn't just fight them straight out.

Back to Hiiro herself; the reason she's in a rather stereotypical FemNaruto appearance is simply because she's under the impression that hiding in plain sight is the best method. Maybe it was. I don't recall.

Strength wise, there's a few things being tossed around, but not quite confirmed. Like Kakashi's comment on having a hard time with Hiiro. Not exactly untrue, due to her unique abilities, but he wasn't really sure. Spoiler: Kakashi wouldn't be able to kill her, but he'd still be able to beat her in a straight fight. It would take a serious sneak attack for either of them to kill the other, though. Take that how you will.

Next chapter will take a bit longer to come out and will be going hand-in-hand with the upload of Oracle of Nemesis. Anyone who enjoyed that story be sure to check it out, since it'll be coming with Chapter 4 as well. But the next chapter is the last of the unfinished Bounty Hunter series. Hopefully the chapters after that will still be enjoyable!

… and hopefully someone gets some inspiration from it. That's why I'm putting my ideas up, after all. 'Bout to run out, too, unless I start getting inspiration for ideas I won't finish again. Meh? Either way! Look forward to next chapter explaining that bit at the end.