"Speaking current tense"

"Speaking past tense"

'Thinking current tense'

This is fanfic. I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 4: Joker and the Thief – Part 1

The sounds of battle became closer, steel meeting flesh numerous times, as Jinzu and his team waited. The small building, which was the dispatch office, was situated to the left of the base entrance and offered good cover while also giving a good view of the entrance to the subterranean base. Jinzu knew it was the perfect place to be as the leader of the invading ninja's came into view, the man dodging several shuriken only to grab one from the air and throw it back at his attacker.

The ninja was about six foot tall, his body a combination of muscle and flexibility that made him perfect for his role, with an Anbu mask designed to vaguely look like an owl covering his face. Since seeing the man upon the battlements Jinzu had regarded the man with a mixture of contempt and respect.

Here was the man who dared attack the base he was selected to guard. Here was the man who simply batted aside his security measures. This man was responsible for the shame he was currently feeling. And yet Jinzu also found he respected the man for what he was doing. Here was a man that was testing him, and Jinzu was more than willing to accept, and beat, the challenge.

Noting the enemy ninja's position in relation to his teammates Jinzu knew it was time to start. He signalled to Aoshi and Aiiki, both instantly moving to attack while Todoko and he prepared for the next part.

Aiiki and Aoshi ran side by side from the cover of the dispatch office towards their target, the sun still directly above as the three enemy ninja's traded blows with the remaining guards. Timing was everything. Aoshi slowed to allow Aiiki to gain ground, his position now behind her as he quickly ran through several hand signs.

Aiiki pulled out three kunai from a leg holster as she moved to the left in a curving motion behind the owl-masked ninja. Seeing the ninja finally spot her, Aiiki threw the kunai at him as a distraction while she closed the distance to attack hand-to hand.

The owl-masked ninja batted away the three kunai while readjusting his position to meet the new threat. Preparing for close-quarters combat, that was when he noticed the second ninja that used the first as cover now attacking him from behind to the left.

Aoshi moved out from behind Aiiki as she threw the kunai, the attack distracting the owl-masked ninja as he moved to the right. Seeing the target deflect the kunai easily, Aoshi smirked. Hand signs finished he leapt in the air several feet in a forward motion as the enemy ninja now turned to face him. From his position Aoshi knew he couldn't do much. His attack, while effective from the air, really only worked on less experienced targets. He knew this one wasn't, but then again he wasn't meant to succeed.

Jinzu watched his two teammates follow his plan perfectly, and even though he didn't like them very much he had to admit they knew how to follow orders. Now he had to wait for the right moment.

As Aoshi attacked from the air, Jinzu watched the owl-masked ninja turn quickly to meet the new attack while dismissing Aiiki as a distraction. Jinzu smirked. 'Wrong move.'

With weapons ready and hand signs finished Jinzu disappeared in a puff of smoke, Todoko following suit. Reappearing again in another puff of smoke, Jinzu was now swapped with Aiiki while Todoko was swapped with Aoshi.

Now replaced with Aoshi thanks to the substitution jutsu, Todoko threw the shuriken he had readied at the owl-masked ninja, then adopted a defensive posture in case he would be attacked while still in the air.

Jinzu appeared where Aiiki was and watched as the owl-masked ninja, while stunned momentarily by the substitution, now defended against Todoko. Jinzu smirked again as he ran behind the enemy ninja. It was all over now. Watching the ninja start to turn as he realised his mistake, Jinzu flipped the grip on the kunai in his right hand and swung his arm around the side of the owl-masked ninja, the blade tearing through the Anbu vest into the area above his heart.

The enemy ninja reeled back, the momentum and impact of the attack being used to soften the blow. Jinzu didn't wait. Pushing his advantage he sped through several hand signs, his mind soaking in the moment of glory.

The plan had worked! Aiiki and Aoshi attacked as a distraction while he and Todoko prepared for the second attack. Then once in position, he and Todoko swapped with Aiiki and Aoshi in order to disorient the target more. Now focused on Todoko all Jinzu had to do was hit the target from behind. So simple, and all the attacker needed to know was the substitution jutsu. One simple academy-grade move.

Watching the owl-masked ninja slump to his knees as his left hand gripped the handle of the kunai imbedded near his heart, Jinzu readied his attack as he finished his hand signs. Then Todoko bumped into him. His attack interrupted Jinzu caught Todoko and pushed him away.

"What are you doing you idiot!" Yelling at his teammate Jinzu watched in horror as Todoko continued to fall to the ground, the impact with the earth revealing the kunai sticking out of the man's forehead.

"What the hell!?" Shocked, movement caused Jinzu to turn towards the dispatch office where two ninja's were standing over the bodies of Aiiki and Aoshi, their masked faces focused on him.

"Nice plan. Too bad you gloated too early." The deep ragged voice along with the firm hand on his left shoulder kept Jinzu firmly in place as cold steel erupted from his chest. Eyes wide in shock Jinzu looked down to see the kunai he stabbed into the owl-masked ninja now sticking out of his chest, blood soaking the front of his jounin vest.

The strength in his body disappeared and with a sudden jerk the owl-masked ninja withdrew his hand and kunai from Jinzu's chest. With no support Jinzu fell to his knees, his last sight being the two enemy ninjas responsible for killing Aiiki and Aoshi rushing towards him, then his body tipped to the left to lay on the ground.

Slowly his eyes closed as the sounds of battle became silence, the beat of his heart loud in his ears as it counted down to his death. Jinzu knew then that he had been right to hate his team.

Owl let the bloodied kunai in his right hand fall to the earth as he dropped to his knees, Joker and Rose now rushing over to him. Watching the enemy ninja fall to the ground dead Owl couldn't help but respect the man a little.

The plan to attack him had been simple yet ingenious. And it all relied on a substitution. Yet he had made such a simple mistake right after his plan succeeded. He turned his back on an enemy that wasn't dead and Owl made him pay for that mistake.

Owl fell forward on his knees towards the ground, his arms holding him up. Joker and Rose said something near him, then to him, but he didn't understand it. Probing his chest wound with his right hand Owl could feel the pulsing artery pumping blood. He was dying.

Instead of shock Owl felt a sense of peace settle over him that made him feel oddly detached from the immediacy of the situation around him. If there was time he could get patched up and survive. Owl knew though that there was no time for such work. The thought did not fill him with dread or regret. He found that he simply accepted it.

"Are you still with us Owl!?" The voice of Rose was distorted and hard to comprehend over the constant sound of the roaring winds. Even harder was the act of responding. Pulling his mask from his face Owl coughed harshly, blood spraying upon the ground beneath him, then he turned his head towards Rose.

Rose was several feet to the left of him while Joker was several feet to the left of her. Their position enabled them both to cover Owl for the time being while still maintaining a clear path to the base entrance behind them. Watching them Owl noticed Rose glance back at him then turn towards Joker who also quickly glanced at him.

Joker nodded at Rose, receiving a nod in confirmation, then moved forward while quickly lifting his mask and swallowing a pill. Several ninja remained from the initial defence force, and while the number was smaller than earlier, some twelve ninja's left, it was more than enough to finish the three of them Joker realised. He wasn't stupid enough to attack them all, he just needed to buy Rose some time to check on Owl. Readying several kunai wrapped with explosive seals Joker ran towards the first group of enemies.

Rose knelt down beside Owl, several explosions rocking the area, then helped him lay on his back on the blood splattered ground. Blood was still pumping from his chest wound, but now that he was lying down it wasn't as fast. "Can you hear me Owl?" Grabbing his right hand Rose squeezed it.

"I...can..." Coughing again Owl turned his head towards Rose. The jumbled orchestra of sound that had deafened him before was gone allowing him to focus on the situation at hand. "Where's Joker?"

"He's buying us these few moments. Here, I'll help you to the entrance." Helping Owl raise himself to a seated position, Rose then placed Owl's right arm over her shoulders, her left arm snaking around his back to support him.

Owl nodded at her suggestion. He already knew what needed to be done, as Rose no doubt did, with his help in the current situation being better utilised at the base entrance. Struggling to stand he coughed more blood as the pain flowed through him from the movement. He felt feeble, his body betraying him, while his mind was strangely focused, every one of his senses sharper than ever as death neared. The colours of his surroundings were crisp, the sound of battle deafening, the smell and taste of blood overwhelming. Only the hold Rose had on him brought him comfort as he became acutely aware of the shape of her body as she lead him to their new position.

The base entrance seemed bigger than ever as Rose helped Owl to kneel to the left hand side of it. Untangled from each other Rose was instantly beside Joker as he rejoined them. Blocking some shuriken Rose completed several hand signs then placed her fingers near her mouth, the resulting fireball scattering the three enemy ninja's that had closed on them.

Joker, anticipating Rose's attack, threw shuriken at two of the three ninja that leapt to avoid her fireball, one dying and the other taking an injury, while Rose quickly digested a soldier pill. Moving back towards the entrance again they both stole another glance at Owl as he retched more blood and vomit on the ground at his feet.

"I'm... not done... yet... guys." Owl wiped away the blood and vomit running down his chin. Joker and Rose both knew what he meant. Turning back to the advancing enemy ninja they both prepared for the next wave of attacks.

The crackle of the encrypted short wave radio each member of Team Hydra had broke the chaos of the battle taking place. Roused from the malaise that his wounds had caused, Owl struggled to listen to the incoming message as Joker and Rose repelled the enemy.

For the last minute the enemy ninja had kept their distance mainly to avoid any close quarters attacks while hoping to force Team Hydra to waste energy responding to their long distance attacks. Projectiles, both steel and jutsu, filled the air as the defenders attempted to wear down Joker and Rose, both sporting several cuts that continued to seep blood.

Owl coughed more blood onto the ground as a voice punctuated the air from the radio. "Hydra, we have the target. Repeat. We have the target. We are currently on route to the entrance. E.T.A one minute." Though slightly garbled Owl instantly recognised Hinata's voice. Relief briefly washed over him at the news they found the target. At least the mission wasn't a failure, yet.

Reaching for the radio attached to his belt, the ear/mouthpiece discarded when he removed his mask, Owl fumbled with the device as the blood on his hands made it difficult to grip it.

"Respond Hydra. We have the target and will be exiting the base in fourty seconds." Hinata's voice once again rang out from the three separate radios, worry tinging her voice as she waited for a response.

Struggling to grip the radio Owl growled in frustration. 'Dammit all!' Owl coughed again, the blood forgotten as fresh agony racked his body. 'Not much time left.' The thought only served to highlight his teammate's plight while he remained useless on the ground.

"Joker, Rose... can one of you... tell Hinata... what's happening?" Falling to his arms on the ground again in pain Owl barely heard Joker respond to his request.

The sound of footsteps alerted Owl that Joker and Rose were now on either side of him, both down to their last kunai as several of the enemy ninja started to come in closer. He could hear their ragged breathing, but more importantly he could hear several footsteps from inside the base.

"They're... here." Rising slowly from the ground Owl's body shuddered with the effort while Joker and Rose stayed on alert for the next attack. Coughing one last time, blood spraying the air, Owl limped forward a step as he pulled several explosive tags from a pouch on his belt.

He knew what needed to be done. It was the only conclusion once he was injured and every effort since then had been a struggle by him and his team to get to this point, this one moment when he could provide the best opportunity for escape.

Staring ahead at the approaching ninja every detail of them was clear in the midday sun, from the clothing they wore to the grime on their faces. Owl's face was set. Without turning he spoke. "Joker, you're the captain of Team Hydra now." Owl took another step forward. "It was an honour knowing you both."

Summoning the last of his chakra Owl willed his body to do this one last final act as he leapt away from Joker and Rose. Every muscle screamed at him to stop, and every step was agonising. The speed he exhibited shocked the enemy ninja's, each no doubt thinking the wounded invader was done. Closing on several ninja's before they could react, Owl felt the seal activate as he came face to face with the nearest ninja. Owl held the explosive tags out in front of him as realisation dawned on the defenders face. He smirked. "Boom."

I was going to have this be part of the last chapter, but now that I've finished it it just feels right for it to be its own chapter. No promises on the next chapter as I have Japanese study to do and PS3 withdrawal symptoms to deal with :D It should be up in a week or so though. Reviews, comments, error correction welcome. Thanks for reading.