Author's Notes:
This gave me so much trouble it's not even funny. XD I think I deleted and rewrote it about five times, and I still don't really like it. Hm, must be the change in pain meds, hahaha!
A few people have mailed me, asking for a picture of Kita. I sent them one, but in case the rest of you would like to see too, I'll include a few links to some pictures (copy and paste into your browser's address bar and delete spaces) :
nick-ian. deviantart. com/art/For-Janni-chan-96876553
janni-chan. deviantart. com/art/Size-Matters-XD-93426432 -- this is basically a timeline illustration - in the middle, she's aged 17-20, like she is in this story (where she's 18) – also, she's wearing the clothes described in the previous chapter. :)
Either way, I managed to get to the end after all! YAY FOR ME! And I'll hopefully be able to start writing the battle in next chapter. That would be nice. 8D I miss writing action. However, I apologize in advance if I make Sakura seem a bit pathetic or weak during the upcoming battle – it's not my intention, and I actually like her a lot. She's definitely on my top five favorite characters list, so it's not because I hate her – heck, she still ends up being better than Kita, so I guess it's fine. :P
Sorry for the wait! And even though I hate this thing, I hope you readers enjoy it at least! Feel free to give me any criticism (positive or negative – as long as the negative is also constructive XD) you may have! :)
-Janni.
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Copyrights:
Naruto, Sakura, Tsunade, Yamato and related characters + franchise © Masashi Kishimoto
Kita, Yuunai family, Kei, Iwahara, Sehomara and related characters © Janni Pedersen
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NOTES:
Italic only indicates thoughts/thinking, which is not said out loud. Italic and bold indicate words that are put extra stress on.
Ryou: This is the currency used in the Naruto world. In Japan, Ryou were used as a currency too back in pre-Meiji era Japan, and one Ryou (a gold coin) equaled about 100 US dollars in today's money, but I doubt that's the case with the Ryou used in the Naruto universe – so just assume it's about the same as the US dollar. :) (150.000 USD about 102.450 Euro).
Leaves and Lightnings.
Chapter 10.
The camp-fire's gentle crackling and the occasional sound from Kei seemed to be the only things interrupting the otherwise complete silence.
They had gotten pretty far – they'd soon be crossing the border and be out of the fire country. They probably could've walked further – even though Kita wasn't a ninja, she was travelling by horseback and wouldn't run out of stamina too fast, and Naruto and Sakura were used to walking long distances without any breaks, and nothing but soldier pills to eat. But as the sun set, they had decided to camp near a small stream. Naruto had caught some fish, and Kita and Sakura set up the tents as well as finding firewood and making the fire to cook the food – it would probably be the best meal they would get until reaching the Country of Lightning. The remaining meals would mainly consist of soldier pills.
Still, the tense silence made it hard to thoroughly enjoy the food. Kita had barely said a word since they left the Hokage office the previous day – and though she didn't seem downright hostile, she was hard to get through to. Naruto and Sakura had let her be – they knew that this wasn't the easiest of times for the girl, and respected her rather obvious wish to be left alone.
But even now – more than 24 hours later – she still seemed reticent. Pensively looking into the fire, at nothing at all, after finishing very little of her meal. The rest of the fish, rice and vegetables remained untouched on her plate.
Once Sakura had finished eating, her plate was all but snatched from her as Naruto got to his feet.
"I'll go do the dishes!" he grinned – but then grimaced, leaning down a little to whisper to his team mate; "please, talk to her! She's a zombie! I can't do an entire week like this, y'know!"
Sakura just nodded, looking somewhat puzzled as Naruto turned and left to walk down to the stream – apparently too uncomfortable with Kita's current state to take her plate. Sakura couldn't help smirking a bit by that fact.
Chicken…
But she quickly turned serious – and her smile withered as she looked up at Kita, observing the purple-haired girl in silence for several seconds. And not even getting eye contact.
She took a deep breath.
"So what happened? To your parents…"
Kita finally reacted. At Sakura's words, she flinched – and she looked nothing short of petrified as she slowly lifted her head and met Sakura's eyes – resembling a wild, trapped animal that just wanted to run, but was still prepared to attack. And Sakura knew she had hit the right spot.
"Is that what you're so afraid we're going to ask?" she lifted an eyebrow slightly; "or are you afraid we're going to think badly of you? Because then, you're pretty thick."
Kita kept staring at her, still looking aghast. But after a few seconds, she averted her eyes to the ground, with a slight hint of a frown on her face. She still didn't answer though.
Sakura sighed heavily, shutting her eyes for a moment. It confused her – Kita didn't seem depressed. At least, not as much as she seemed embarrassed and frightened. But over what?
"You killed them?"
Sakura jumped a bit as the voice came from behind, almost falling off the log she was sitting on – as she turned her head, Naruto was standing behind her – only about a foot or so away. Obviously having left the dishes to eavesdrop.
Whatever the reason, it didn't matter – the reaction was immediate. Kita promptly lifted her head, her eyes, wide in horror. But before Sakura could even say anything to Naruto about his remark, Kita all but leapt to her feet, charged and started beating away at him – and as if Naruto had expected that very reaction, he simply grabbed her by the wrists. Though, not before she had managed to slap him across the face, leaving a red mark on his striped cheek. Despite this, he still did not move an inch.
"K-Kita..!" Sakura got to her feet instantly, grabbing onto Kita as well – the purple-haired girl looked downright ferocious, fighting the grip of the two shinobi as if her life depended on it. Naruto however seemed calm. He was just looking at her, without a single trace of surprise or fear – or judgment.
"I didn't kill them!" Kita snapped, loud enough to make Sakura flinch; she glared at Naruto, with her teeth clenched together and an almost wild look in her eyes; "you sick piece of -"
"What the hell are you so guilty about then?!" Naruto suddenly barked, frowning as he narrowed his eyes; "Sakura-chan worries! I worry! And you just act like we're nothing but air! D'you really think you can just ignore us if we know something is up?! We're not stupid!"
He finally let go of her. But instead of charging again, Kita just stood there, staring at him – barely even noticing that Sakura was still holding onto her, also staring at Naruto. Her rage had been replaced by a dumbfounded, bewildered look.
"We're here to protect you and we don't even know from what, y'know!" Naruto gritted his teeth, still peering at her, darkly; "we're not asking for anything in return! But Sakura-chan is right – you just expect us to think badly of you! That's an insult!" he snorted, folding his arms; "Even for an idiot like you, I'd have thought that we've done enough to prove that that won't happen by now, and you're still acting like we think you eat babies..!"
Kita kept staring at him as if he had just sprouted a second head. But once he was done talking and just kept standing there, she looked down again – not even reacting as Sakura let go of her as well.
"If you leave someone to die, you could as well have killed them with your own hands… you're no less of a killer…" her voice was quiet – and her eyes remained fastened to the ground as she once again clenched her teeth together, so hard that they grinded audibly; "I left them!" she lifted her head with a jerk, scowling at Naruto again – looking almost deranged as she suddenly laughed, shaking her head rapidly. But despite the laugh, she looked far from happy… "they were attacked – the house was burning, and I ran! I heard my mother scream! And I kept running!" she was almost hyperventilating by now; her eyes were wide, and her mouth was in a grimace that could've been a smile but really was not; "you're trying to save me, and you're mad at me for feeling like you shouldn't?! You don't even know what you're trying to save, you persistent asshole! I am a murderer! The kind that runs to save my own sorry ass while my own parents are getting killed for something I did! So don't you dare tell me that I shouldn't feel like I do!"
Naruto didn't even flinch as she yelled at him. His expression didn't soften and he didn't break the eye contact.
"Do you really think your parents would've felt better if you stayed and let them kill you?" he adjured, calmly; "the only people you would've made happy with that are the bastards that killed your parents!" he narrowed his eyes even more; "if your parents didn't want you to live, they wouldn't have fought, would they?! So the least you can do is honor their wish and stop your whining! They told you to run, didn't they?!"
Kita promptly froze – her eyes grew wider as she gaped at him - too astonished to be angry. She didn't even realize that Naruto turned around and started walking away.
They did. Her parents did yell at her to run. But…
"H-how did you…" her voice trailed off into silence – it was barely audible in the first place. But Naruto stopped.
"I didn't know." he turned his head a little, looking at her over his own shoulder with a slight smirk; "but you're the kind of blockhead who wouldn't have run if they hadn't told you to."
He turned away again and resumed walking. And Kita kept staring in his direction, even when he had walked out of view.
Sakura observed her, quietly. Even as the green-eyed girl's frown returned and she looked away again, something had changed. Something that told the kunoichi that Naruto was right. That even though Kita didn't want to admit it – even to herself - she believed him. Felt different.
"I'm going to bed…"
Sakura's train of thoughts was cut off by Kita's voice, and the kunoichi blinked and looked up; Kita was already getting to her feet and started walking towards the tents.
"W-wait..!"
Sakura had said the word before she even got to think – and she looked somewhat flustered as Kita stopped. But she didn't turn to look the kunoichi. She simply waited for her to continue speaking.
"H-he didn't mean it so bad…" Sakura managed, smiling awkwardly after letting out a nervous laugh; "he never really thinks about what he says, and it sometimes comes out pretty--"
"He was right, though… I guess…"
Sakura stiffened at Kita's mutter. Even more so as the female looked back at her with a small – almost non-existent – half-smile;
"I'm sorry. For making you worry. You don't need to."
Without another word, she started walking again; leaving Sakura rather flabbergasted. But once Kita was gone, the kunoichi shook her head a bit, as if to shake off the surprise – and let out a heavy, exhausted sigh.
How the hell do you do it, Naruto?!
She trudged over to the log by the fire and sat down again, looking in Naruto's direction out of the corner of her eye before glancing towards the tent Kita had crawled into. With a slight smile that only grew when she heard a sudden crash, followed by shouting of profanities from Naruto as he apparently dropped the plates, cups and cutlery.
Really, it didn't matter; how he did what he did. He was capable of changing people's feelings – changing their lives. To change the world.
And to achieve whatever he wanted, just by being who he was.
And fact of the matter was that he probably didn't even realize it himself.
xxx
xxx
Only a small flicker of light was seen as the two figures arrived at the camp – one of them, freakishly tall, and the other, quite small – but their arrival didn't go unnoticed. Their chakra told everyone in the area of their presence. And almost immediately, they were met by another figure that got up from a position near one of the tents.
"The Yarada brothers, I presume?"
"You presume correctly." A dark voice, belonging to the taller male responded, as the two stepped out into the light of a nearby campfire, "you Iwahara?"
While it wasn't that easy to see before, the fact that these two were brothers was now quite obvious – they were pale, covered in scars that seemed darker against their skin. Both of them had white hair and crimson eyes – with a cold-blooded look, ridden of anything that resembled emotions – or sanity for that matter. But the shorter one – also a male, about five feet tall – was the truly minacious one. One whose chakra seemed to force the entire forest into a state of fearful silence. He remained quiet, however.
"Indeed." Iwahara responded, bowing slightly as he approached the two of them; "I appreciate-"
"Save the small talk for later, Iwahara-san." The shorter brother broke in – his voice seemed as cold and emotionless as his demeanor – so much so that Iwahara visibly stiffened for a moment; "what are we here for?"
"Ah, of course, I was getting right to that…" Iwahara quickly bowed again. His voice was already trembling slightly; "we have had some problems with someone…" he reached into his bag and pulled out a few sheets of paper, which he handed to the larger sibling; "we want her exposed of… annihilated…"
The taller Yarada looked the papers over - and suddenly roared out a laugh.
"You want us to hunt down a teenage girl?!" he held up the paper for Iwahara to see, "is this a joke?!"
"N-no…" Iwahara stepped back, obviously apprehensive; "I-"
"Did she turn down a date with you or something?! She must've really pissed you off if-"
"Takeda." The other sibling held up a hand, immediately silencing his taller brother – still looking at Iwahara as he spoke; "you offered us 150.000 Ryou. Why so much for a petty civilian? A female teenager, nonetheless."
Iwahara cleared his throat, nervously.
"She's being protected by Konoha shinobi…" he looked away; "my partner and I will take care of the girl, naturally… you won't need to bother with her."
The taller brother – Takeda – laughed again.
"Do all you Kumo-freaks get so frustrated over getting dumped or is it just--"
"We're professionals, Takeda…" Tetsuo – the shorter one – didn't even turn to look at his brother; "it's not any of our business. Keep your speculations to yourself and stick to the mission."
Takeda just nodded, quickly. His smug grin was long gone and the fact that he had a lot of respect – and a certain amount of fear - for his brother was quite evident.
"Well, then." Tetsuo spoke up, making Iwahara flinch again, "I suppose you have a plan…." He sat down, in a cross-legged position – unstrapping and unsheathing a sword from a sheath hanging from his shoulder, on his back. A double-edged sword that appeared to be about as tall as he was – shaped like a Chinese serpent-like dragon, with a protruding tongue that formed its own blade at the end – its tail, forming the handle. And as the Yarada grinned, his teeth and red eyes flashed in the light of the fire, reflected by the blade of the massive sword.
"Let's get this train rolling, then, Iwahara-san! You seem to be quite eager to!"
xxx
xxx
"Hokage-sama has received the invitation, Raikage-sama… Yuunai-san is leaving today, accompanied by two chuunins."
The chuunin messenger – recently arrived from Konoha after being sent off the previous day to tell the Raikage of the acceptance of the invitation to the funeral – saluted as he finished his message. The Raikage stared at him for a while, obviously a bit perplexed.
"Invitation..?"
The chuunin blinked in confusion at the Raikage's question.
"The invitation to the funeral ceremony held for Yuunai-san's parents, Raikage-sama…" he checked the scroll in his hands, "it says here it'll be held in five days…"
The Raikage furrowed his brow.
"This has to be a misunderstanding…" the confusion was obvious on his aged face; "Yuunai Tasou and Ayako were buried the day after the incident… that's four days ago!"
The black-haired shinobi boy looked from the kage to the scroll, awkwardly – then, held the scroll out towards the Raikage with both hands.
"We received this from you, sir…"
The elderly man accepted the scroll, concentrating as he looked it through. Then, reread it. And reread it again.
"This doesn't make any sense…" he muttered quietly, squinting a bit as he looked at the seal – it was indeed the Kumogakure seal. The one he stamped onto every letter he sent out… but something was wrong here – he had never even seen this letter, let alone written it! And it wasn't his handwriting either.
Who would want Yuunai to come back here..?
He put down the scroll, frowning deeply in thought. Then, stiffened.
His eyes grew wide with the realization; maybe it wasn't a question of getting the girl back into Kumogakure…
Maybe it was an attempt to get her out of Konohagakure. Out into open, unprotected territory.
He looked up at the chuunin again, obviously shaken.
"Please tell Hokage-sama to send out someone to retrieve Yuunai and the shinobi with her." His voice was calm however – he forced it to be; "I never sent out this invitation. Someone wanted her out of your village."
The chuunin was obviously bewildered.
"But Raikage-sama--"
"Now!" The man's voice was suddenly loud as he interrupted the shinobi in front of him, punching the desk so hard the young ninja clearly flinched; "someone might very well be attacking them right now – go!"
The boy had barely nodded and saluted before he was gone with a quick "yessir!" – and the second he had disappeared, the Raikage got to his feet, hurrying out of the office. His face was dark with rage as he hurried down the hallway.
Iwahara..!
He paced up. It really couldn't be anyone other than the blacksmith… people had wanted to do something about Yuunai Kita for a while – but no one had been as eager as this man. No one had been so determined to annihilate what he saw as a threat.
Gritting his teeth, the kage all but kicked a door open, barging into the room – making several jounins who were sitting around a table look up, rather startled.
"Anyone without a mission today is hereby ordered to report to me within an hour! You'll be heading out before nightfall!" his voice was shaking, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked each of the jounins over; "prepare as soon as you have the time to do so. We have a criminal on our hands… guilty of treason and double murder!"
xxx
xxx
The two albino brothers were quiet for a long while. Silent. Both of them, focusing on Iwahara – as if to determine if the plan – and money – was worth the hassle.
"So…" Tetsuo finally spoke up, making Iwahara jump slightly; "you want us to focus on the medical kunoichi…"
"Yes…" Iwahara fought to keep his voice calm – but a slight tremble was still audible; "my accomplice and me will focus on the girl and the other shinobi…"
"And once the kunoichi is dealt with?" Takeda raised an eyebrow; "you're not expecting us to have trouble with a wench like that, are you?"
"O-of course not..!" the blacksmith laughed nervously, looking like he'd rather get up and run off than stay and discuss the plan; "should you wish to do so, you can help my accomplice with the other shinobi… but he wishes to kill the boy himself…"
"I assume you want the Kumo-chick to yourself then…" Takeda barked out a laugh; "good luck! Girls are dirty as hell when they fight!"
Tetsuo didn't bother scolding his brother this time around. He simply frowned a bit, peering at Iwahara for several seconds, in silence. Then, got to his feet.
"Deal." He turned, and started walking away, "we'll go to our assigned positions. Once you give us the sign, we'll be ready to attack." He stopped for a moment, looking Iwahara right in the eyes, over his own shoulder; "just don't get in our way. That would get ugly as hell." He started walking again; "let's go, Takeda."
Takeda immediately stood up, nodding slightly before he faced Iwahara.
"You'd better listen to him…" he smirked; "Tetsuo isn't a person you can just stop once he's started attacking – it wouldn't be the first time someone ended up dead because they didn't mind their own business and got in his path." He started following his brother, not looking back for a second; "it's certainly interesting though! I gotta give you that!"
Before Iwahara could even respond, the brothers were gone – their chakra, untraceable. And despite the threat, Iwahara couldn't help letting out a heavy sigh of relief that they had left. Their mere presence had been suffocating.
The plan had been set in motion – they would be attacking in approximately 48 hours. The end, regardless of how it would turn out, was near… A grin spread on his face as he got up and started walking towards his tent.. Everything seemed to point towards the end he wanted. An end where they would finally be rid of a disaster waiting to happen – someone who possessed the ability to become a huge military asset – and a threat to the village he was loyal to - if she wasn't exposed of…
Of course, he had no idea that it was about to become so much more than just a battle between six people – that he himself now had a price on his head.
Takeda was more right than he thought. It was definitely going to be interesting – more interesting than anyone had bargained for…
End of chapter 10.