(As you can probably tell, there's going to be a four year time skip in this fic. That occurs after one more chapter after this one, that's Chapter 12 for those of you who haven't been keeping track, and I've just started formulating that one, and I'm still tweaking 11, expect 11 in about a week or so, maybe by Saturday 2/9 if I get to it. Enjoy…)
Chapter 10: Terrorist Acts…
The older woman stands in the office, while both Ishikawa and the Hokage look at her. As I move partially around the door, I can see the woman is short of breath, and appears to have been running for some time. She wears a short mini skirt that covers above her knees and a pair of tight spandex shorts under the skirt, a red sleeveless top, with a red headband around her head like a hair band. Her eyes are green, and she wears sandals on feet like so many others.
"What is it?" The Hokage asks calmly.
"There are numerous reports of threats against various border towns in our country." She explains. "Many of them involve bomb threats and the killing of many innocent people." She finally finishes.
I raise my eyebrows…
The Yamikage maybe, no it can't be them, we took care of the last of their members near the village yesterday, so what the hell is this?
"Do we have any other information other then the threats?" He asks.
She shakes her head no.
"How many threats have been made?" He asks, calmly addressing the situation.
"There's one for almost every border town or village within the country." She explains. "Even on our borders with our friendly nations, they've received threats."
"Has anyone claimed to be responsible for the threats?" The Hokage asks.
The woman shakes her head.
"No, though once the attacks happen, I'm sure several groups will try to take credit for doing so much damage to us."
"Unless they're stopped…' The Hokage corrects her.
She shakes her head.
"I'm sorry to say this, but we don't have enough Chunin and Jounin after the attack on the exam grounds and the subsequent attempt on the village to try and stop these threats." She tells him. "We don't even know if they're all true threats or not." She says. "They all came in the same way, on a simple unmarked letter, no fingerprints or anything else to identify the person who wrote them."
I see the Hokage look at Ishikawa.
"You don't think the Yamikage could be responsible for this, do you?"
Ishikawa looks at me, and I see him eye me, the recent defeat I gave him with the Hokage still very fresh in his mind.
"I can't say for certain." He tells the Village leader. "However, I do believe Tsuzaku Sasaki would have more intimate knowledge of that group, seeing as how he's fought with their leader twice now, and can probably judge his statements and whether or not they're true."
The other two people in the room turn and look at me as they see where Ishikawa's eyes are headed.
"What are you doing here?" The woman asks. "Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?"
"Relax." I hear the Hokage's voice. "He's the one Ishikawa just mentioned, so don't blow a fuse." He explains. "Come in here child, and give us your thoughts on the situation."
I watch the older woman step aside, and I walk inside, taking three steps inside the office, and then stopping, realizing that everyone else in the room is at least 10 years older then I am, if not more…
"If you honestly think my opinion matters…" I begin. "This isn't the work of the Yamikage." I tell him simply. "His group is too heavily expended to try something like this." I continue. "He wants to hide and rebuild his forces, no, this is the work of another group or unit, capitalizing on the timing of the attack on Konoha to try and build a name for it."
The Hokage nods once.
"I agree, after seeing the damage done to his forces, I agree that this is not the work of the Yamikage." He says simply. "This is the work of another group, and we have to put a stop to this before things get any worse."
"What's our plan of action?" Ishikawa asks, asking the question that is on everyone's mind.
"May I see a list of the threatened places?" The Hokage asks.
The pink haired girl nods, handing him a clipboard that I hadn't noticed before.
"This is the list of the places that have been threatened with acts of violence."
"Do any of the notes say what they want in order to prevent the violence?" The Hokage asks.
The woman shakes her head.
"They make no demands, only that the damage is going to happen, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."
I see the Village Leader sigh heavily, and I can tell that he didn't think he'd have to deal with these things when he accepted the position of Hokage…
"We don't have much choice." The Hokage begins after his sigh. "We'll send 4 member teams to each of the villages that were threatened, with the mission to find the terrorists attempting to destroy the village, and stop them at all costs." He finally says. "An S rank mission for any who undertake it…"
Both Ishikawa and the other woman nod.
"It's the best plan…" The woman says. "But we lack the manpower to perform such an exercise, and even digging into reserves, we still wouldn't have enough competent shinobi for a mission like that."
The Hokage looks at me, and I keep my expression cold and emotionless.
"There are many young talented shinobi who are more then capable of performing this mission." He explains. "Though many of them aren't even Chunin yet…"
I can feel the woman look at me, and then back to the Hokage.
"Lord Hokage, you can't mean you want to use this Genin standing here and his squad?" She asks sarcastically. "It'd be suicide for a team of Genin."
He smirks.
"This team has done suicide missions before." He says simply, and he looks at Ishikawa. "Will you accept this mission, as their Jounin leader?" The Hokage asks.
Ishikawa shakes his head no.
"I won't lead a team of 12 year olds into an S ranked mission." He explains. "However, I will assume command of a team of Chunin level ninja with more experience then my previous squad, and will be happy to lead them."
The Hokage shifts his gaze to the older woman.
"Well, would you be interested in leading a team of Shinobi that has both the heir to the Hyuga and Uchiha clans in it."
I see her eyes flinch at the name 'Uchiha.'
"What?" The woman demands. "The last Uchiha left this village years ago." She explains. "He became a missing ninja in search of power."
I see the Hokage grin.
"The boy standing next to you has the Sharingan." He says simply. "And has grown quite skilled with it…" He says.
The girl looks at me, and I turn to meet her gaze, and as she stares at me, I can see her eyes scrutinizing me, as if going over me with a fine tooth comb.
"Show me." She says simply.
I close my eyes, calling the Sharingan into them, and then I open them, revealing my fully evolved Sharingan to the girl…
"It can't be…" She stares in disbelief as my eyes return to normal. "You're just like him..."
I shake my head.
"My name is Sasaki, I've never heard of this Uchiha clan or anything like it." I explain. "I'm an orphan found near the village by a returning group of ninja. I have no connection to any family, anywhere." I say simply, putting an end to that train of thought.
"Okay…" The pink haired girl says, and then returns her gaze to the Hokage. "You're telling me you want to me to lead him, someone like Neji, and someone else on this mission?" She asks.
I raise my eyebrows at the word 'Neji.'
She knows Himeko's family? Well, I guess that's to be expected, what with how powerful and prominent the clan is; it's no wonder…
The Hokage nods.
"Yes, but they're all still Genin, though I'd say that all of them should be promoted to Chunin."
I almost feel a swelling of pride at the compliment paid to myself and my squad mates. The leader of the village believed the three of us to be Chunin caliber, though in the system, we're all still Genin…
"When do we leave?" The pink haired woman asks.
I see the Hokage grin.
"So, I take it that means you accept?"
She nods.
"I accept the mission." She says simply. "I'll lead the squad, and we will do what is asked of us."
He gives her a simple nod.
"You leave immediately; I suggest you pack, head to the border village of Kyonsia, and investigate."
She nods, and turns to me.
"Can I trust you to assemble the team together back here in 1 hour?" She asks.
I shake my head.
"I don't know where Chisato lives; only Ishikawa does." I motion toward my previous leader.
She looks at him, and I see him nod.
"I'll show you." He says to the woman.
She looks back and forth between us.
"Let's go." She says simply. "I hate waiting around."
We all leave the Hokage's office, and I run down the steps and through the building until I make my way outside. I run toward Himeko's house, my feet moving as fast as my legs can carry me, and when I arrive at the house, I can see that the doors are open. I go inside like I live there, and go inside through the courtyard, slipping my shoes off before going inside, and picking them up in my right hand, I take off into the mansion, going toward Himeko's room.
I get there rather quickly, and I knock on the door loudly, trying to get the girl's attention.
"Himeko, we've got a mission." I say simply.
There's a long silence, and I don't hear a response. I slide the door open carefully, and I look inside to see the overhead light off, the room nearly pitch dark, and no light comes from under the bathroom…
Damn it…
I close the door and I take off, heading toward the large ceremonial bath with a giant tub in it.
Maybe she won't be there, but I have to check…
I get there rather quickly, and I can see light from inside. I open the door a crack, and steam billows from inside out into the hall.
"Who's there?" I hear Hinata's voice from inside.
"Lady Hinata…" I begin, remembering to speak properly, in spite of my hurried situation. "Your daughter wouldn't happen to be in there, would she?"
"No." She responds. "She's out training in the dojo with Neji."
I let out a scoff, swearing under my breath.
Great, he's about the last person I like to talk to, and to tell her she's got a mission in the middle of her training, I hope she isn't too worn out or exhausted…
"Thank you." I say simply, and I close the door.
I take off toward their dojo, having learned my way around the house quickly enough. I run down the halls, holding my shoes in my right hand, and when I arrive at the dojo near the rear of the home, I stop at the door, breathing lightly. I slide the door open, and what I see forces me to stop and stare…
Himeko and Neji stand in the room, both of them standing in a Gentle Fist stance, both of their Byakugan active, and both of them stare at each other, both watching for even the slightest hint of weakness in the other. They don't even flinch when I open the door, and almost as if I sounded a starting gun, the two of them go after each other. I watch as the two of them clash, each of them throwing and parrying palm thrusts, chakra so thick in the air that I can see it coming off their strikes. I watch as they both block and parry, and even without the Sharingan, I can see that the Himeko that stands before me is different from the girl that I knew before the Chunin exams. Her body seems to irradiate chakra in the form of a blue glow that surrounds her body like an aura of protection, but I can tell that it's much more then that.
I watch as the older Neji counters and blocks her blows, his counterattacks getting stronger and more complicated as the skirmish goes on, and I watch as Himeko adjusts, preventing his counters from striking hits, and preventing him from stopping her chakra flow, the basic principal behind their fighting style.
Soon the fight is joined with both of them moving at such speed that they seem to be locked in an endless battle of thrust, parry, thrust, parry, thrust, and parry. It feels like an eternity as I watch them, but in reality on a few seconds pass, and the fight turns when I see a large blue aura appear around Himeko's arm…
"Eight Trigrams…." She begins. "…Empty Palm!"
She thrusts her arm forward, and I watch as a burst of chakra flies from her hand, plowing into Neji like a battering ram, and it knocks him back, sending him skidding across the mat, stopping after 7 feet go by.
With that, the melee stops, and the two stand there, and Neji gives a nod.
"You've done well, Himeko." He says. "I've taught you well, and you've done better then I hoped." He explains. "Your powers are worthy of someone to inherit our clan." He finishes.
He relaxes, standing up straight and Himeko does so as well, the apparent skirmish over as both their Byakugan fade.
"Thank you, Neji-sensei." She says, putting her hands together and bowing like a pupil toward her teacher.
He waves his hand.
"It was a pleasure to teach you." He says. "It is nice to future of the family is in good hands, even at your young age…"
I move a step forward onto the mat, my foot squishing the padded floor, and Neji turns his gaze toward me, not even rotating his face, only his blank looking eyes shift toward me.
"What is it?" He asks. "We were in the middle of training."
I swallow the saliva in my throat, feeling the annoyance of the man standing there, and his obvious distaste for me, in spite of the fact that I'm here with both Hinata and Himeko's blessing.
"Himeko and I have a mission." I finally manage my voice nearly cracking. "An S ranked mission."
He looks at me slowly.
"An S rank mission huh…" He asks. "I wasn't notified of any such missions being available to Genin."
"There have been some incidents." I say. "It would probably be best if you went to the Ninja headquarters for your answers." I tell him. "Himeko and I have to get ready and report back in less then an hour, we're leaving for Kyonsia."
Himeko knows I'm not joking, and she nods, turning toward her cousin.
"I shall return to finish my training, Neji-sensei."
He nods, and then looks at me.
"You better." He says simply, as if to tell me what I already know.
I won't let her die, I'll protect her with my life, and you don't have to tell me that…
Though, as the two of us leave the dojo, I wonder whether or not Himeko is even still in need of my protection, and I question whether or not she's even stronger then I am…
We head back to our respective rooms, and we start packing, shoving things into backpacks, clothes, weapons, rations, whatever we might need. It takes me nearly twenty minutes to finish, and I end up meeting Himeko in the foyer of the home, near the front door.
"You ready to go?" She asks simply.
I nod.
"Let's go." I say simply, and after slipping our shoes on, the two of us are on our way.
We run quickly, moving at a fast jog, rather then a full blown run. We move toward the main ninja headquarters, near the ninja Academy, and when we arrive, I see Chisato waiting for us, tapping her left foot impatiently…
"Well, you two are here." She finally manages. "I got this weirdo message saying we have an S rank mission to go on and had to report here in an hour." She explains. "What the hell is going on?"
Himeko shrugs her shoulders.
"I don't know." She says simply. "Tsuzaku is the one that brought me here."
The blonde and the dark haired girl both eye me.
"What's going on, Tsuzaku?" They say in unison.
I give them both an abridged summary of what was going on.
"You can't be serious." Chisato says, and I hear a female voice clear her throat behind her.
I see the pink haired girl from before, wearing the uniform of an ANBU member, complete with a wakizashi, missing only the animal mask.
"You…" I mutter.
She looks at the three of us with a serious expression.
"For the purposes of this mission, you can refer to me by my ANBU code name: Kori."
So, she wants to be called Kori, huh?
"All right Kori." I say, motioning toward the gate. "Lead the way."
She looks at me with a look of annoyance.
"You're awfully eager." She says. "But, we aren't leaving until I confirm I've got your names right." She says, pointing at Himeko. "You're Himeko Hyuga, correct?"
Himeko nods.
"Correct, ma'am."
She looks at Chisato.
"You're Chisato Shiriyuki, right?"
Chisato nods.
"It will be a pleasure to work with you, ma'am."
She gains a quick look of annoyance at the obvious attempt to suck up, and then dismisses it, returning her face to a cold expression.
"I will tell you now that ANBU captains are a little different then normal ones." She says.
"I'm up for it." I respond simply, crossing my arms. "Anything you give me, I can give you back, ten fold."
She looks at me, and then at Himeko and Chisato.
"What about you two?"
They both just nod.
"Good then, I won't have to go easy you on guys." She says. "Follow me."
She leaps into the trees, and the three of us follow her. She moves quickly, and I can tell that Himeko and Chisato are trying to keep up, and I have to do so as well, apparently Kori wishes to get this mission over with as soon as possible, and get back to her ANBU comrades, rather then deal with a bunch of spoiled brat Genin.
I scoff at the thoughts, and shake my head to clear them. I continue to follow the girl as she goes down to the street as we near the gate, and the three of us follow as she takes off through the gate, and we follow, looking like blurs of motion as we go through the gate. She heads back into the trees 20 steps after we pass through the gate, and we follow her up into the trees, leaping from branch to branch like the skilled ninja that we are. As we follow the girl, we keep quiet, not wanting to invite the ANBU girl's wraith for giving away our position like inexperienced rookies. As we leap from tree to tree, branch to branch, I focus on the task at hand, but at the same time, I'm left with my thoughts…
Whoever the people are that threatened these towns, they're going to regret doing it if any of these ninja teams find them. I just hope that we don't find anything when we get to wherever it is we're heading. I mean, no organization, no matter how powerful, can pull off a combined coordinated attack against us like what they threatened to do, which must mean that the threats are probably meant to pull as many ninja away from the Village while the real attack occurs on the Village…
But I'm no genius, the Hokage no doubt figured that out, and is more then likely ready with a back up plan. After all, there are several village based squads that can't leave the village, no matter what; they're assigned as permanent protection against any foreign threats. Also, most of the ninja going out are inexperienced, which means that they're holding onto the seasoned veterans for village protection.
I see something out of the corner of my eye, and I notice something that shouldn't be there. I don't open my mouth, as the figure that's moving stealthily through the trees is apparently unaware that I've spotted him, so I avert my eyes, but I know that he's there, I can feel him looking on. We keep going for another hour, when suddenly Kori raises her right hand and motions downward, indicating we're all going down at a relaxed pace. She goes down into the forest, and the three of us follow, landing in a small tree covered clearing no bigger then 8 feet across.
"What's wrong?" I ask her.
I see her glance up, and then back to us.
"We're taking a short rest." She says rather loudly, though not loud enough to hurt our hearing. "So sit down and take a breather."
Both Himeko and Chisato sit down, and I wait until Kori takes a seat with her back to a tree, and I sit down next to her.
"What are you doing?" She mutters, and both Chisato and Himeko eye us.
"You know he's there, right?" I whisper, disguising my lip movements.
"How long have you known?" She whispers back.
"For the last 15 minutes." I say simply.
She giggles, covering what we were talking about.
"Good Joke." She says, covering, and I laugh.
"You liked it?" I ask, starting to laugh as well, covering what we were really talking about.
I watch as the ninja begins to move through the trees, trying to get closer, to get within ear shot. I see Kori use the movements of laughter to cover her own moves, and she slaps the tree trunk, starting to laugh harder as if she thought the joke were really funny. Then, when the ninja was nearly breathing down on us, I watch as her right hand flickers to her sword, drawing and throwing the small wakizashi in a single motion, tagging the ninja in the chest like a bullet…
Pretty good, she managed to lure him in, and then hit him with the sword…
I see a male body fall from the trees, wearing old black ninja robes that look like they're at least a generation old. Even his face is covered by the hood, the mask a rectangle around his eyes, leaving only them revealed.
"Who the hell is it?" I ask, standing up, and both Himeko and Chisato don't look surprised.
"You two knew he was there?" She asks them, and they both nod. "Well, looks like I underestimated you three." She explains. "I only decided to stop for this rest break to try and buy time to plan on how I was going to take care of this problem." She explains. "But you all noticed, and you all seemed to understand easily enough."
The two of them nod as I walk over to the dead ninja, and I check his pulse, not feeling one, I do a double check against a different area, and still not feeling one, and the growing red mark on the center of his chest where the sword is still impaled, I come to the conclusion that he is in fact dead.
I tear the mask from his face, and reveal a scarred, disfigured face, like something you'd see out of a horror movie, barely recognizable as human anymore. His hair is gone, replaced by a bald hairless scalp. Pieces of his skin are tattered and improperly healed. His lips are missing, revealing a mouth that seems kept in a toothy smile…
"Ugh…" I say disgust, dropping the mask.
Kori takes a look, and I can tell that Himeko and Chisato do so as well.
"Disgusting…" I hear Chisato say.
"What happened to him?" Himeko asks in pity.
"I'd say some sort of accident, or he was born this way." Kori says, walking forward and kneeling down next to him. "He looks like a Shadow Stalker."
I raise my eyebrows.
"Shadow Stalker…" I ask, not recognizing the term.
She shakes her head.
"It was before your time, even before my time…" She explains. "A clan of ninja from the country of lightning who were born like this…" She explains, motioning toward his face. "They had excellent stealth and tracking skills, and because of their appearance they wore full face masks and were employed in mostly ANBU units." She tells us. "However, the last I heard the Shadow Stalkers were all annihilated by the Village Hidden in the Clouds because they feared the clan was preparing to take over the village."
I shake my head slowly, as if in pity.
"So, what is he doing here then?" I ask. "If the clan was wiped out, then how can one of them be lying here, and not to mention the three of us caught onto him so easily."
Kori looks down at the ninja, and then shakes her head, pulling her sword from his chest as she stands up.
"I honestly don't know what this ninja was doing here, but my best guess would be he was working for whoever made these threats to the outer towns."
"Then how do you explain him following us?" I ask. "How would he know where we were?"
She shrugs.
"He was probably lying in wait, knowing that we'd sent out shinobi teams to the outer villages to investigate the threats and try to stop them."
The three of us stand in silence, and I hear Chisato speak up.
"So, what do we do now?" She asks. "Do we turn back and warn the village, or do we continue with our mission?"
She sighs.
"I doubt Lord Hokage would be happy if we returned before we even made it to our target, and I'm sure that any attack made by this group would meet with failure, there are still too many ninja within the village to attempt a siege or even an attack." She explains. "I believe our best option is to continue on toward Kyonsia, and find out who is behind these threats, and put an end to them."
She reaches into a pouch behind her and removes a white cloth, cleaning the blood from the blade; she returns it to her sheath, looking at the three of us.
"Let's go." She says simply, and the three of us take to the trees.
We move through the trees swiftly, and after 10 minutes, I feel a stabbing pain shoot up my right arm.
"I need to stop!" I let out, and I go down toward the ground.
I land on my feet, and I stand there, pulling the shirt sleeves up, grasping at the bandages, and I pull the bandages off as the other three shinobi hit the ground, and I see them look at me as I pull the bandages from my arms, exposing the burns on my arm…
"Oh Tsuzaku…" I hear Himeko mutter.
I can see Chisato grin, and Kori walks forward, looking at my arm closely.
"Those burns, they look like third degree burns, how did you get them?"
I don't acknowledge her as I take the backpack off as carefully as possible, trying to avoid my injured arm as I slide the pack off, and I send my left arm into the bag, withdrawing a packet of bandages and a container of salve given to me by Hinata Hyuga…
"You're re-bandaging it." She says simply. "Let me help you."
I look at her, and I move my arm away from her.
"I'll handle it." I tell her coldly.
Using my free arm, I open the container of salve, and I put some on my left hand, and then wipe it up and down my arm, applying the healing ointment to the damaged skin…
"How did you get those injures?" The ANBU woman asks again. "Those burns aren't from an ordinary fire; I can tell that just from the chakra concentration left behind."
I hear Chisato scoff.
"He got those burns because he's an idiot, trying to master some sort of black fire jutsu." She tells the woman. "He went off on his own for a month, and came back with his arm wrapped like that."
"Black fire…" She begins. "You don't mean the Amaterasu?"
"You're well informed…" I winch in pain as I start to wrap my arm.
"So, you've managed to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan then?"
I look at her with a questioning look.
"No, I don't have it, but how did you know about something like that?"
She shakes her head.
"It doesn't matter now." She tells me. "What does matter is that you get your arm fixed up before we head out, I need you all at 100, and if you have to change your bandages, then you aren't going to be able to defend us."
I scoff.
"Don't worry about me, just worry about yourself."
I finish bandaging my arm quickly, and I'm on my feet before they begin to complain.
"I'm ready now." I say simply, and the four of us take to the trees again.
We leap from tree to tree, and we move quicker now, her already fast pace hastened for some unknown reason as Kori takes us through the trees. We travel for the rest of that morning and through the afternoon and into the evening, the girl pushing us, and our respective pride at not wanting to look bad in front of the ANBU member pushing myself at least to continue on, even as we travel later into the night, and the forest seems to go on forever, just trees, trees, and more trees coming toward me, my feet landing on them, and then running past them and continuing on.
Does this woman even sleep? She's probably had special training where she can continue on for days without sleep, but we haven't had any such training, if she keeps this up, the three of us are going to pass out from exhaustion…
As if on cue, Kori raises her right hand, and motions the signal for down, and we all head for the ground, the three of us grateful to finally be on solid ground. I can tell that Himeko and Chisato both feel the way I do, our legs being shorter then the fully grown woman's, and thus we've had to try and push harder to keep up with her.
"We rest here for the night." Kori tells us. "I'll take watch all night, you three sleep and get your rest, we've got a long day ahead of us."
I don't argue with the woman as I shuck the backpack off and then fall face first into the ground, not really caring for comfort, just that I'm able to stop, and to rest, more then anything.
I feel my eyes close, and I'm out like a light.
I awake the next morning to see Kori standing over us all, leaning against a tree, the sun beginning to shine into the forest…
"You're up early." She says simply.
I nod.
"Slept well though…" I mutter, getting to my feet, I brush my back off.
"How's your arm?" She asks.
I flex my right arm, having slept on my stomach the night before.
"Doesn't feel that bad…" I tell her. "Why are you asking?"
"I had a shadow clone work on it while I took a nap."
I raise my eyebrows.
"You mean you used a shadow clone to watch over the group while the real you slept?"
She nods.
"Its hell for mental fatigue, but physical fatigue is harder to deal with, and besides, I took some time to sleep." She explains.
I shake my head, flexing my arm.
The pain actually feels like it has lessened, as if a good amount of healing occurred while I slept. Could this girl be a skilled medic ninja as well as a member of ANBU? I heard that high level medics can heal great wounds over night, as if they never happened at all. Someone with that level of skill would certainly belong in the ANBU, but if that's the case, and this Kori specializes in healing, then that means that the combat will be left up to the three of us, and we'll have to protect her, which isn't good…
"Don't worry about me." She says simply. "I can hold my own in combat as well, so don't go thinking I'm some sort of weakling that you have to protect."
I nod my consent.
"You're the leader here, I'm not much more then a grunt."
She gives me a strange, quizzical look.
"You really don't know how much potential you have, do you?" She asks.
I shake my head.
"If you develop your Sharingan, you'll be able to see through almost any ninjutsu or genjutsu, and turn it back on the user." She tells me. "And with taijutsu, you'll be able to copy their movements as your own…"
"You know a lot about the Sharingan…" I begin, but I stop when I see Chisato and Himeko both begin to stir.
"Looks like they're waking up too…"
Apparently, the human body can only sleep uncomfortably for so long before they wake up out of sheer uncomfortable-ness…
"What time is it?" I hear Chisato grumble as she gets up.
"Early enough…" I point toward the horizon. "The sun's just coming up."
The two of them look toward the sun, and I see Chisato squint, and then turn her gaze away.
"Damn it all to hell." The girl says.
Himeko stands up, brushing her black clothes off, and I do so as well.
"We need to start toward town." She says. "We're only a couple hours away."
Chisato looks at her and stares lasers into the woman.
"You mean; you stopped us when we were only a few hours away from a nice, soft bed?"
Kori stares back at the girl.
"I stopped us here because if we went to sleep in the town, we'd be vulnerable; we're much safer out here in the forest, where we at least have some natural cover."
Chisato looks away, apparently beaten in the argument, but knowing her, she wouldn't give up that easily on the argument, no matter how much logic the older woman put behind it.
She always seemed to lack the understanding of logic that nearly drives me, so I guess you could say that we're natural opposites.
"Well, we need to head into town, now that its light, the village will be waking up soon, and we can be free to move around and investigate the area." She explains.
Kori leads the four of us back into the trees, and my legs feel better then they did the previous day. I run, keeping pace with the others, and with the rest, we make it to the village after only two hours.
Kyonsia sits on the edge of the forest, less then 50 feet from a line of trees. The village is on the outskirts of the country, and after you pass through it, you're on your way to the Land of Lightning, and the village hidden in the clouds…
"So, that's it?" Chisato asks, and I nod.
"That's Kyonsia, it's nothing more then an outlying town near the border of the land of fire and the land of lightning." Kori explains.
"So, you really think a group of terrorists is going to attack a town like this?" Chisato asks. "What's the point in it all?"
"Some people just like to kill and cause mayhem, it's in their blood." Kori tells the three of us.
I nod my agreement, knowing full well that she speaks the truth as we look at the outskirts of the town. The small village is nothing more then a large circle of civilization before you cross the border, and many of the people that live in the village are merchants and guides, trying to make a living by guiding or selling to tourists. While it's true that ninja from opposing lands are not allowed in another land's village, the people of those countries are allowed to travel however they wish.
"We need to get going." Kori says. "We'll start by going into the town and asking around about any suspicious persons or groups that recently came into town, and we'll search, if you find anything, radio it to the others."
We all nod as we put our respective radios on, and she looks at the three of us.
"Good luck, and be careful."
We all just nod, and with that, the four of us split up, each of us taking a separate 'side' of the village. We move in a cross shape from the outside in, sweeping the interior of the town and meeting in the middle. I move to the 'left' side of the town and I stop, seeing that there is a road that bisects the town and it crosses another road that forms a cross shape, making it much easier for the four of us to do our jobs…
Haven't found anything yet, so may as well get this over with…
Putting my hands on the straps of the pack, I start forward, looking like a young and weary traveler as I walk down the large dirt road. Grass abounds in the area, but the road has been so heavily used and trampled that plants no longer grow on it. I can feel the dust getting between my toes as I walk, and I try to look around in awe, like a stupid child who doesn't know where he is, and what this place is…
I see people on both sides of the road, some of them standing behind carts or stands, while others walk between them. Obviously, this is probably crucial to the local economy, and the people here are peaceful, and used to seeing strangers…
This is going to make it harder to find the people who are trying to kill them...
I see an older woman walking between the stands as the merchant yells, and I approach her slowly, not wanting to startle her.
"Excuse me, Miss?" I ask.
She turns to look, and I raise my hand to indicate it was I who spoke.
"What is it young man?" The dark haired woman asks.
She looks to be roughly Kori's age, with long dark hair, and dressed in a light blue kimono with white trim around the edges, tied at her waist by a dark blue sash. Her eyes are dark and her face friendly.
She's not the most beautiful person in the world, but I can't imagine that she isn't married, unless by choice…
"I was just wondering…" I begin, trying to find the right words to form the question. "Has anyone been acting strangely lately?"
She looks at the headband on my head, and then looks me over.
"You're a ninja, from the village, correct?" She asks, not answering my question.
I give a nod.
"Yes ma'am, I and three others are here in response to the threats that were leveled against your village."
She shakes her head, as if in disgust.
"Well, you can go back to your village." She says. "No one has come in or out of this town since well before those letters arrived, and with our Fall Festival about to begin, we don't need any more buzz about the threats."
I give her a sideways look.
She's sending me away?
"Don't you believe the threats are serious?" I ask. "Lord Hokage…"
The woman cuts me off.
"This town has no political value or anything like that." She tells me. "We're nothing but peaceful citizens trying to get by and live our lives, why would anyone want to harm us, we don't harm them."
I shake my head.
"It doesn't work that way, these people are crazy, they just-"
"Ma'am…" I hear an older voice come from beyond her, to my left, and I see an older man with short dark hair standing there. He wears a robe similar to hers, only made for a man, a lavender color. "Is there a problem here?"
I notice the sword at his belt, and I realize he must be some sort of local police…
"No, there's no problem." I say, turning to leave. "I was just getting on my way."
I start walking back the way I came, and I reach my left hand up to my left ear, pressing the transmit button on the radio.
"This is Tsuzaku, I've encountered the locals, and I've learned some information, we should all meet back at our separation point."
I hear three agreements with my statement, and once I leave the village, I use my real speed to make my way back to the point where the group separated, and when I arrive, I see that I'm the last to arrive, with the three girls all standing there in a semi-circle, waiting for me.
"You're late." Chisato tells me.
I ignore her as we begin our meeting, and we all make our reports to Kori, and the woman gives a report of her own, the stories nearly identical…
"What do we do?" Himeko asks. "They don't want us here, even though we're here to help them."
Kori shakes her head slowly.
"We can't just abandon this mission, these people are in danger, and we were charged with protecting them, even if they don't realize they need it." She says flatly.
"So, what's the plan?" I ask.
Kori smiles a deceptive smile.
"Well, if it were me trying to kill these people, I'd attack the square during this autumn festival they're about to hold." She explains. "There will be a large crowd of people and probably lots of fireworks to celebrate the occasion, which means the intruders, will have optimal cover and a large group of targets."
"Which means, we're going to sneak into the festival, right?" I ask.
She nods once.
"We're going to transform ourselves into a group of young people who came from the Village Hidden in the Leaves to watch the festival." She tells us. "We'll all change into the opposite sex during our transformation to make it harder for them to see through the disguise."
I raise an eyebrow.
"And you're telling me that 4 people arriving the day of the festival aren't going to make them wonder?"
She shakes her head.
"They're expecting people to come, and they want people to come for the festival, so they aren't going to go suspecting people that come to the village when they want them too." She tells us. "The festival is tomorrow evening into tomorrow night, so I suggest we all sneak back into the village and spy on everyone we can, try to gather as much intelligence as we can."
We all nod.
"Meet back here in 1 hour, radio silence unless you discover the terrorist base, understood?"
We all nod again, and with that, we all move like streaks, heading into the village.
Normally, we'd have waited until nightfall to sneak into the village, but we're looking for information, and hiding on rooftops and listening to conversations from the shadows during the day is going to get that easier then skulking around the town at night, when most of the people are in doors. I move independently of the others, and we all seem to keep track of the other ninja, spotting them because we're all trained since we were 5 years old to spot people in darkness, and to see through deception. I move around the village like a shadow, hiding everywhere I can, getting as close to the people as I dare without any sort of ninjutsu or genjutsu to conceal my presence from them. There are many times during the course of my time sneaking that I can see someone grow suspicious, but they all just shrug off the feeling that someone is watching them. I keep my presence concealed, and some of things I hear are useful, but most of it is just mindless chatter of townsfolk going on about their business…
"Can you believe the festival is tomorrow, it's going to be so much fun?" One young man said.
"Yeah, I'm hoping that I'll finally be able to get Maya…" I heard another young man respond.
"You're still trying to get that?" The first responded…
Teenagers, all they ever think about is sex…
I ignore the rest of the conversation, and when the way is clear, I move on, sticking to shadows and rooftops, saying out of sight, and doing everything possible to do so. Finally, after nearly an hour of sneaking around the village, I make my way back toward the rendezvous point, landing in the clearing just ahead of Himeko and Kori, Chisato being the last one to return.
"You're late." I shoot back at her finally, and I can see an annoyed scowl appear on her face as I give her a conceited grin.
"Well, did you all learn anything useful?" Kori asks.
I shake my head no, and Himeko and Chisato perform similar actions.
"Me too…" The ANBU girl says, sitting down on the ground, putting her hands on her knees. "These people have no idea that they're even under any sort of threat, and all they're thinking about is this upcoming festival."
"And an upcoming chance to screw." I say derogatorily.
Kori raises her eyebrows.
"You mean you listened in to a teenager's conversation?" She asks, guessing without any real work.
I nod.
"This one guy was talking about sleeping with a girl named Maya." I explain. "The whole conversation just seemed to drip with hormones."
The ANBU woman looks me over, and then scoffs.
"You'll know, give it 2 or 3 years, and you'll be just like him." She tells me.
Chisato giggles, taking pleasure in the shot at me from the ANBU ninja, and I turn to glare the girl in the eyes.
"You got something to say?" I ask in an angry tone, ready to slam my fist through her nose.
She smiles.
"No, no, no." She says, waving me off. "Kori already said it for me."
I growl under my breath, and I look into the forest, Himeko keeping quiet, wanting to stay out of the argument.
That's just like her; she'd rather not get involved in the argument then defend or offend anyone…
"Well, if all you're going to do is bash men, then perhaps I should leave the three of you to do your jobs, and I'll head back to the Village." I say simply. "It would seem that this team doesn't want or need me around."
I see the ANBU woman's eyes go wide.
"Now wait a damn minute…" She tells me. "You need to learn to take a joke, first of all." She begins. "And second of all, we're going to need all the help we can get on this one, so you aren't going anywhere."
I shake my head.
"I'm going to go find somewhere to make camp, away from this cloud of estrogen."
I turn and walk away in anger, and I make my way through the bushes, ignoring the protests from both the ANBU leader and Himeko, my thoughts instead focusing on the happy Chisato, who would probably jump for joy if I just dropped dead…
I'll never understand that damn woman…
I find a small clear area of forest and I set my pack down, going into it, I set up my simple tent, and then finding various rocks and stones lying around, I make a small fire pit, throwing some small twigs and dry leaves into it, I use a small fire jutsu to ignite the fire, and before long, I have a pot of rations cooking over the small blaze, sitting on the ground, watching the fire dance…
Maybe I shouldn't have come on this trip, I should probably just head back, and I'm not really needed anyway. Himeko's improved a lot since before the exams, and Chisato is more then capable of handling herself, and I couldn't care less about that ANBU member, but she became a member of the group for a reason, so I don't doubt that she can't handle herself in combat…
I think about the Sharingan, and the jutsu that I managed to somewhat master in the month between the second and final rounds of the Chunin exams…
As I am right now, I can only use that black fire to empower that jab, and even then, the fire burns off so quickly after use that it only has a few seconds of damage potential before it disappears…
"I wonder if I'll ever master it…" I mutter as I stare into the fire.
I don't know how long I'm sitting there, in silence, when I hear the sounds of the grass rustling, and I look toward the source of the noise to see Himeko approaching me.
Figures, she's the one they sent to try and apologize…
"Tsuzaku…" She begins. "So, you've been here all this time?"
I nod, removing the rations from the fire.
"It's gotten late, hasn't it?" I ask, looking up at the night sky.
She nods.
"Everyone's worried about you, even Chisato."
I shake my head.
"I doubt that." I respond. "I would think that her and our new squad leader would be hitting it off, having a great time."
She shakes her head.
"Kori yelled at Chisato after you left, damn near tore her a new one too." She explains.
"Really, I would've liked to see that." I say. "Though, it doesn't matter much, we're going to be out in the forest tonight, and I've got camp set up here." I tell her, reaching into a small pile of sticks and throwing them into the fire. "So, I won't be rejoining the three of you at that small clearing."
"It's just the opposite." Himeko tells me. "Kori wants to know if you'd object to our coming here."
I raise my eyebrows.
"Why wouldn't she come herself?" I ask. "If her purpose was just that, then she should've come herself, instead of sending you."
"She thought you might still be fuming at the comment she made about you, and asked me to come instead."
"So, basically she's saying that I can't take a joke, and she's afraid I'm going to kick you out of my camp site?"
"She said she'd rather keep the group together then have two separate camps." She explains. "That way, it's easier to keep watch at night."
I scoff.
"So basically she's just lazy, and wants to use me as part of a rotation?" I ask. "Why not just have the three of you make a camp and then work in shifts to keep watch; it's easier with 3 people."
"She'd rather us stay together." Himeko says again. "She wants me to emphasize that what she said earlier was a joke, and it wasn't meant as a real insult, in spite of what Chisato took it to mean."
I shrug my shoulders.
"If you want, you can stay here, but I need to sleep." I tell her, feeling tired. "So, once you get back, I'm going to bed."
She nods, and she goes back into the forest, and 2 minutes later, she returns with the other 2 women in tow. Kori has a calm, cold expression on her face, while Chisato has her head hung in shame, as if she were a captured general in war being paraded in front of the victorious enemy capital city…
She must've argued with Kori for making a separate camp, and when Himeko returned saying they could stay at mine, she must've objected, and it's obvious to me that she didn't want to come here.
"Nice set-up." Kori comments and I nod.
"It was easy to do, and should suffice." I tell her, standing up. "Camp's all yours, I'm going to bed."
I walk over to my tent, and unzipping the door, I go inside and zip it up from inside, effectively closing the door.
Inside the tent I have my sleeping bag set up, with my pack against the far end, a small pillow near the top of the bag.
I sigh as I climb inside, stifling a yawn, I zip the bag up, and prepare to go to sleep, when…
"I still don't like this." I hear Chisato's voice.
They're talking?
"Look, we need to keep the team together." Kori tells her in a flat tone. "If that means doing this, then we do it."
"I thought the two of you worked out your problems when we were in the waterfall village Chisato." Himeko says.
"Tch!" The girl scoffs.
"Why don't you like him, anyway?" Kori asks. "He seems nice enough, and he's very talented."
"That's just it." She says. "He doesn't know what hard work is." She explains. "With that damn Sharingan of his, he can learn any ninjutsu or genjutsu just by watching it done." She explains. "And then there's the way he acts like he has to protect us, like we're weaklings who can't fight for ourselves!"
I see the larger shadow of Kori shake her head.
"You don't understand the male mind." Kori tells her. "Most men will usually try to protect a girl they're friends with, even if there's no romantic involvement." She explains. "It's just something that they do, I really don't know why, but he isn't doing it to make you angry, Chisato." Kori tells her. "He's only doing it because it's instinctive for him."
She scoffs again.
"Still, he doesn't have to act all high and mighty, like he's so strong and powerful."
"He is." Kori says simply. "His Sharingan gives him abilities unlike anything you've seen." She explains. "The reason you don't respect him is because he's only began to scratch the surface of what he's capable of." She tells the girl. "Once he's completely mastered the eye, he'll be frightening."
"How do you know about the Sharingan?" Himeko asks. "Mom told me the clan that bore it was extinct."
I hear the girl sigh above the crackling of the fire.
"It's basically true." She says. "The clan is almost extinct, with only one person openly bearing the name."
"That doesn't answer her question." Chisato tells her.
She nods.
"I know a lot about the Sharingan, because I was once in love with the man who has to be Tsuzaku's real father."
My dad…
"His father…" Himeko asks.
The older woman nods.
"He was a squad mate of mine when we were both Genin, along with the Sixth Hokage…" She tells us. "He was unbelievably strong, and considered the top rookie Genin of our class." She tells us. "He pushed himself to become stronger and stronger, and no matter what happened, he always had a single goal on his mind."
"And what goal was that?" Chisato asks.
"To kill his older brother…" The girl says simply.
"You mean; he wanted to kill his older brother, why?" Himeko asks.
"His older brother annihilated their clan, killed his parents and everyone else he cared about, sparing only him because he was held up at the ninja academy back in Konoha."
I feel a pang of pain in my heart, and I can feel a part of me want to scoff, and I hear his voice in my ears.
"Worst mistake I ever made…" It whispers in my ears. "I should've killed him when I had the chance."
I shake my head, clearing the voice from my head.
"What happened to him?" Himeko asks.
"He left the village when he was 12, and he never came back, becoming a missing ninja on the search for the power necessary to kill his older brother." She tells us. "That single thought never once left his mind, and when I finally saw him again, he was a totally different person, twisted by his mentor's evil ways."
I shake my head and then lay down.
It doesn't matter who she thinks my parents are, I'm an orphan, and I don't have any parents!
I put the pillow over my ears, and I close my eyes, praying for sleep…
I awake the next morning to Kori's voice, and I sit up, my hair disheveled and unkempt. I shake my head and glance down to my left wrist, seeing that it's still early.
"Come on Tsuzaku, we need to get going." She says through the tent walls.
I can see three total silhouettes outside the tent, and I know that Himeko and Chisato are both up and awake, probably ready to don their disguises. I run a hand through my hair to straighten it, and then I get up, yawning as I do, crawling forward and opening the tent, revealing the three of them, all standing around the front of the tent.
"What?" Is all I can ask, trying to sound innocent.
"We need to get going." Kori says again. "You went to sleep before all of us, and you slept longer then any of us."
I yawn as I get up out of the tent.
"Sorry about that." I say.
I turn around and remove my things from the tent, and then I take the portable tent down and pack it up back into my backpack, and then I shoulder the pack, looking around to see the fire has long since burned out, and the only thing in the small camping area other then myself are the three kunoichi…
"Well, should we transform now?" I ask. "...Get into disguise now and then get down there and mingle?"
Kori shakes her head, vetoing the idea.
"The festival doesn't start until an hour before sundown, and if we transformed now, we'd be wasting chakra maintaining the transformation when we don't need it."
"Well, what then?" I ask. "Do we just stand there and wait until an hour and half before sundown?" I ask.
She shakes her head no.
"We're going to do some more spying, and see if we can spot anything different." She says, and I feel the pack slip off, a groan nearly escaping my lips.
Great, listening to more teenagers talking about trying to get laid…
"We'll split up like we did yesterday, and the same rules apply."
We all nod, and with that, we separate, moving like blurs toward the town.
I begin my spying mission in the same area of town I was in yesterday, and I see the two kids I had found the day before, now they're standing on the side of the road, talking to each other, and I get close enough to get a listen.
"So, Maya said she's going to be wearing a new kimono to the festival tonight." He says an expression like a rabid dog on his face. "And tells me that isn't the only surprise I've got coming to me." He says with a grin.
The other kid grins, tapping the other kid's fist with his own.
"Good job man, be sure to tell me all about it tomorrow."
The first kid grins.
"No problem man, what are friends for?" He asks sarcastically.
I shake my head, feeling a twinge of pity for the poor girl that is probably going to do something stupid with that kid, and not realize that her lover is going to broadcast it to everyone he considers his friend…
I see a blonde haired, blue eyed girl approach the two, and I see their posture change the moment they notice her. She wears a white robe with blue flower designs on it, and she appears to be around 17 or 18 years old. As she approaches them, I see the one who claims to have a girlfriend start talking to her, and I realize that this must be the infamous Maya that dominates their conversation…
She's pretty, and it's obvious that she thinks this kid is a good guy, and she's probably only going to go through with the act because he wants to, and she's conned him into it…
"Well, we got to go Maya; I'll see you at the festival all right?" The first says, and she nods, the two of them departing, and she remains for a moment…
Wait, if I could get her to accompany me to the festival, I wouldn't have to bother doing the whole sex change thing that Kori wants to do. I'll still have to transform, but into a less complicated transformation, making it easier on my chakra…
I decide on that course of action, and I put my hands together, making the appropriate hand sign for the transformation jutsu, and I envision what I want in my mind's eye.
"Transform…" I mutter.
There's a puff of smoke, like a small smoke bomb going off, and I hear the blonde haired girl gasp.
"Is someone back there?" Her voice echoes into the alleyway. "Are you all right..."
I pretend to cough, and I step through the smoke in my transformed state.
I've basically changed into an older looking version of myself; wearing nearly identical clothes, save for the bandages on my right arm and without a headband on my forehead.
"Yeah, I'm fine…" I mutter, coughing again.
I see her look me over.
"I've never seen you before…" She says, showing a hint of interest in her voice. "Are you here for the festival tonight?"
I nod, and even without the Sharingan, I can tell she's fallen for the boyishly handsome face I've constructed for the transformation.
"Yes, I came to town this morning." I say calmly. "Though, I couldn't help getting lost and turned around, and before I knew it, I was back in this alley, and I heard those two boys talking about you…" I mutter.
I see her eyes go wide.
"They were talking about me?" She asks innocently. "What did they say?"
I clear my throat.
"I believe the one was saying that he couldn't wait for the festival tonight because you were going to sleep with him, and the other one told the first to tell him about it afterward."
I can see the reaction is immediate, even without the Sharingan, I can see her cheeks get red from anger, and her fists ball up.
"What…" She mutters, like a witch ready to curse someone.
I nod.
"It's only what I heard, though it might have been they were talking about someone else…"
"Come with me!" She says, grabbing me by the wrist, and I focus to keep the transformation in tact.
She ends up dragging me through the street and toward a house, and she yells into the home, and I can see the boy she was dating emerge from the house, and when he sees me, his eyes go thin.
"Maya, what's wrong?" He asks. "Why are you shouting, and who is this?"
She glares at him with a look that could freeze fire.
"This guy told me that you were bragging about getting to sleep with me after the festival tonight!" She says. "And that you'd tell your friend all the details!"
Surprise shows on his face for only a second, but it's long enough for her to see it, and the honesty in it.
"That isn't true!" He says, lying, trying to cover his tracks. "I wouldn't do anything like that!"
I can already tell that he's lost this argument.
"You are such an ASS!" She yells, slapping him hard. "I thought you loved me, when all you really wanted was my BODY!" She continues, slapping him again. "I don't want to see you again!"
She takes off at a run, and at first he looks at her, and then to me.
"You'll regret telling her that…" He says.
I smirk.
"I don't think I will." I say simply. "But if you try to go after her and lie to her some more, I'll personally cut your balls off."
He looks at me, dismisses the threat, and then takes off after her.
"Maya, wait a minute!" He yells after her.
I close my eyes, opening them to reveal the Sharingan, and I withdraw a kunai from my pouch into my left hand…
I told you so…
My eyes lock onto my target, and I let fly with the knife, throwing it with deadly accuracy as the blade seems to leap from my transformed body, and goes between his legs, and I see the tip strike home…
A moment later, he lets out a scream as blood begins to flow and stain his clothes between his legs. I close my eyes, and he grabs at his groin, falling to his side and writhing in pain.
I turn the Sharingan off, and I walk toward him, stopping next to him.
"If I were you, I'd listen next time." I tell him. "And, you might want to go to a hospital, or you won't have anything down there at all."
I walk past, knowing full well that the kid won't have a leg to stand on if he tries to take me to prison. There are no witnesses, and this form's fingerprints are different from my own, so any marks on the knife are going to point to a twelve year old kid's hands, not the hands of a 17 year old. I continue to hear him scream in pain, and I know that soon someone will notice, so I make sure I move quickly, catching up with the girl he was going after, and I see her standing near a well, looking down into the long shaft.
The well sits between buildings, back off the road. I approach her slowly, and I can see tears coming down Maya's face, and the way she looks at the well.
"So, this is where you are." I say, not knowing what else to say.
I've managed to destroy their relationship, even if the guy was worthless, she liked him, I guess it was going to happen sooner or later…
She looks at me, and I see more tears begin to flow, and these are accompanied by sobs as she falls to her knees, and I feel a sinking feeling in my stomach…
I really did it this time…
I undo the transformation, my body becoming surrounded in a puff of smoke, and I go through it, in my normal, unaltered form…
"Wha, who are you?" She asks. "Where's the other guy?"
I shake my head.
"I feel really bad about all this." I say simply. "That person you met before was just an illusion I created." I explain. "I overhead those guys talking and I wanted to break the two of you up, but I didn't think you'd be this beat up about it." I tell her. "I'm truly sorry."
She sobs, and she looks me over.
"How old are you anyway?" She asks, wiping the tears away. "You don't look that old."
"My name is Tsuzaku Sasaki, and I'm 12 years old." I tell her. "I'm a Genin level ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves." I tell her.
She nods.
"So, you came here to break up bad teenager couples?" She asks.
I shake my head no.
"I really wanted you to accompany me to the festival tonight so I could get in easier, at first that's what I wanted to do, but after seeing the way that guy was treating you, I knew that sooner or later you would break up anyway, and I just wanted to save you the heartbreak, I swear."
I get on my hands and knees, and I bow to her in a symbol of apology.
"I truly am sorry, and I pray that you'll be able to forgive me."
I hear her sniffle, and then she exhales through her mouth.
"Come on, get up." She manages to say. "You don't have to bow to me like that." She tells me, smiling. "Besides, you're kind of cute, for a 12 year old."
I sit up, moving to a cross legged position.
"Thank you, I think." I respond, and I see her smile, a giggle escaping her lips.
"You're dense, you know that?"
I nod.
"That's not the first time I've heard that." I tell her, and I hear her laugh once.
"So, you really wanted to split him and me up, huh?"
I nod.
"I don't know why, but I believe that you're a nice girl, and he doesn't deserve someone like you." I tell her. "He thought of you as a trophy." I elaborate. "You need someone who will like you for yourself, and that you can be happy with."
She shakes her head.
"Is there even anyone like that in this world?" She asks, looking up at the sky.
I nod, standing up and offering her a hand.
"There is." I tell her. "Come on, I'll get you some ice cream." I tell her. "You'll feel better after you eat something sweet." I say, matter of factly.
She smiles, scoffing in humor.
"That's the first time someone younger then I am has offered me ice cream…" She says, taking my hand and using it to stand, showing me that she still has at least a foot on me. "I accept your gracious offer." She finishes.
20 minutes later, the two of us hold ice cream cones, and she smiles as she eats the treat…
"You know, it's been a while since I just got some ice cream and relaxed." She tells me.
I nod.
"You have to learn to stop and smell the roses; you don't often get a chance."
The two of us sit on a bench in a public park within the small village. The sky is clear, and the temperature is perfect for something like this.
She opens her mouth to ask me a question, but I see several armed men that look like policemen come running into the park, and they head toward the bench I'm sitting on…
Stay calm, she doesn't know you cut off his testicles, and they're looking for someone who's much older then you are, don't worry about it.
The men approach her, and one of them eyes me, and then shifts his gaze back to her.
"Maya, have you seen the young man that was with you an hour ago?"
She raises her eyebrows, but makes no motion toward me.
"No, why do you ask?" She asks.
"Apparently, that young man told your boyfriend to stay away from you, and when he refused to do so, he somehow cut your boyfriend's testicles off."
Some of the policemen shutter at the thought, and I see a smile glance Maya's lips, and then vanish.
"Sorry, I haven't seen him, though you might want to try the festival tonight, he said he was going to be there." She says, and the policemen nod.
"Who's the boy?" He asks her.
"My cousin…" She says. "He just came to the village for the festival tonight; he's never been to one before." She says, answering for me.
"What happened to your arm, kid?" He asks, looking me over.
Fortunately, I already took my headband off, deciding it was better to hide that fact then broadcast it.
"I feel into a campfire during a camping trip." I explain. "Burned my arm pretty bad, you want to see?" I ask, sounding happy, and he shakes his head.
"No, that's okay." He says, bowing to Maya. "You both have a good day, and contact us if you see that man." He says, turning and leaving.
After he's long gone, she looks at me, and I see a grin on her face.
"You did that, didn't you?" She asks from behind the ice cream cone.
"Cut off his balls?" I ask behind my own. "Yeah, that was me."
She smiles.
"Serves him right…" She says simply.
I shake my head.
"I told him he shouldn't come after you, and he did anyway, so I only went through with my threat."
She smiles again.
"Well, I'll be happy to escort you to the festival tonight." Maya tells me. "So, shall we meet back here, an hour before sundown?"
I nod.
"I appreciate this." I tell her. "I've only got the purest of intentions for wanting to be here."
She gets up, finishing her ice cream.
"I know, I don't know why, but I can just tell about you, and I know that you're here to good, and I want to help you if I can, because as weird as it sounds, I just know you're telling the truth."
She walks away, leaving me holding my ice cream cone, and as I finish it, see an older man approach me and sit down, wearing common looking clothing with short dark hair…
"What do you want, Kori?" I ask the man, leaning back against the chair.
The man sitting next to me explodes in a puff of smoke, and when the smoke clears, Kori sits there in her normal ninja clothing.
"Your eyes are sharp, to see through my transformation without your Sharingan."
I grin.
"I didn't need it." I tell her. "When you changed into a man, you changed into a completely unrealistic looking man, so I knew it had to be you, since you wouldn't send either Himeko or Chisato on something like that."
She looks me over, and then shakes her head.
"Whatever…" She begins. "Just who the hell was that girl anyway?" She continues. "The two of you were acting awfully chummy."
I shake my head.
"I cut her ex boyfriend's balls off after she figured out that he was using her." I explain, and she scoffs.
"You cut his testicles off, I wouldn't expect that of a man." She tells me.
I shrug.
"Either way, I've got a way into the Festival tonight, so you three can do whatever you want, I won't have to transform to get in."
She stands up.
"I've got Himeko and Chisato searching the village still; so far we haven't come up with anything useful." She explains. "Whatever these terrorists are planning, if anything, they're going to do it at the festival."
I nod my agreement.
"Hopefully we'll be able to stop whatever it is they're going to do before they can kill anyone." I tell her. "I'll be on the look out, so don't worry about me."
With that, the woman gets up and walks away, disappearing in a blur of motion.
I sit there, and I shake my head, sighing heavily as I look up into the sky…
I've got hours until an hour before sundown…