She ran. She ran, never stopping to catch her breath. She did not dare turn around to see if her pursuer was still after her. Sweat quickly skidded off her face as she tried to distance herself further and further away from her predator. Maniacal laughter suddenly filled her ears, causing her to gasp. The laughter sounded as if it surrounded her. Gritting her teeth together, she tried to run even faster. The screams of her teammates haunted her mind. She grabbed her head, still running, and pleaded for the screams to go away. Her hands smeared the blood of her teammates on her face and hair. She could not save them, even if she had wanted to. She had been too scared to move. Too scared to think... Too scared to die...
"And where do you think you're going?" A malicious voice spoke. The girl's eyes snapped open in horror. Her hunter had caught up with her. A blur whizzed by her, startling the girl. She tripped over her own foot and fell to the ground. Her chin painfully slid against the ground. Mud caked onto her chin and blood started seeping through the small cuts. The girl slowly raised her head, afraid of what her black eyes would see. Her dark orbs were met with vicious cat-like eyes. She was staring into the face of a giant tiger. Her lip trembled as she realized that two other giant tigers were there as well. There was no escaping her fate. "You didn't really think you weren't going to suffer the same fate as your pathetic teammates, did you?" The same malicious voice questioned with a dark chuckle.
The kunoichi slowly turned to meet her seeker. As she turned, her hands reached into the holster on her leg. She discreetly pulled out three senbon. She heard the footsteps come closer. Her eyes widen, and then she hurriedly threw them towards where her attacker was. She saw the smirk on her assailant's face. The ninja quickly disappeared—dodging the needles—only to reappear mere inches away from the girl's face. Her chin dropped. A strangled gasp broke away from her throat. Her tracker tittered. Dark green eyes stared nastily into scared black ones. "No… I—I—I … do-don't want to di-die…" The girl's voice quivered.
Once again, the maniacal laughter filled her ears and caused the nervous trembles to begin again. The girl could feel the hot breath on her face. She closed her eyes. "After what you did to my teammate…?" It was a rhetorical question, not meant to be answered. "Oh no, Tsuchi Kin, you will die just like the rest of your team." A hand reached out and grabbed a fistful of Kin's long, black hair, causing the Sound kunoichi to wince in pain. Her killer laughed and pulled her off the ground. She could see the black curse mark spread across the face of her executioner. The impious grin on the Leaf kunoichi's face caused Kin to shake violently.
A new—familiar—dark chuckled caused Kin to look beyond her. A familiar smirk was sent her way. Kin weakly smiled. It was her savior. "Or-Orochimaru-sama…" she whispered. He had come to help her. Her lord and leader chuckled again. He turned his head slightly. He was looking at the Leaf kunoichi, not her.
"Are you finished?" he asked.
"Just about, my lord."
"Finish quickly… I have more important things to do."
Kin's eyes grew wide. What was her lord saying? Was he not going to save her from this fate? "Orochimaru-sama, please save me…!" Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Orochimaru turned his back on his own ninja.
"Save you…?" He, again, chuckled darkly. "You are merely a toy for her. Why would I take away her fun?" Kin stared at his back in disbelief. Orochimaru's body faded into black. All this time, she was only a pawn in his little game. Coming to this realization, the Sound kunoichi's body went limp. The green-eyed girl laughed again. She sarcastically tried to console her.
"Its okay, Kin-chan, I'm sure you're going to a better place…" With another laugh, the Leaf ninja effortlessly tossed Kin into the air. "Time to become dinner for my friends." A split second later, something heavy slammed into her body; she could feel claws digging into her back. Her front side hit a tree. She heard the cracking noise her nose made when it collided with the tree. It instantly started bleeding as she sank to the forest floor. Fangs pierced her skin. Kin screamed, feeling the blood gushing from her injuries. More fangs sliced open her skin, causing more shrieks of pain. The tigers tore away her flesh. The screaming stopped, and yet they continued to feast on her body. Surges of anger suddenly build up within the girl. One last thought passed through her mind before the world turned red and black.
"Orochimaru… You bastard…!"
--
Two eyelids shot open. A moonlit room greeted a pair of black eyes. Tsuchi Kin slowly sat up from her futon and pushed the covers from her body. She looked at her lap for a fleeting moment before gazing out of her window, towards the full moon. Her fingers curled into fists as her eyelids lowered. How could she have been so stupid? As soon at the curse mark appeared on that girl, Kin should have automatically known that Orochimaru had betrayed them. He had sent them to their deaths. Because she had trusted and had been loyal to the snake Sanin, Dosu had lost his arm. He would never been a ninja again--not a good one, at least. Zaku would also never be a ninja in his life time. Kin felt like she was the only one left. She was left alone… and it was all Orochimaru's fault.
She'd make him sorry. She'd become more powerful than he was and she'd kill him, slowly and painful for all the things he had done to her and her teammates. They had gone through so much for him and his cause, and yet he still treated them like dirt—less than dirt. She'd make him beg for mercy as she'd tear his arm off in the same way Dosu's had been. She'd cut out his tongue and then those hypnotizing eyes. She'd slice at his face and limbs, letting his blood stain that disgusting, pale skin. Her nails dug into her palms, leaving crimson, crescent-shaped marks. That son-of-a-bitch would die a horrible death.
A bitter smile appeared.
"Wishful thinking…" she murmured, letting her eyes drop from the sight of the moon. There was no way a mere genin could ever beat Orochimaru, a Sanin. He was powerful—too powerful, which was one of the reasons she had decided to follow him. She had felt that he was the only one who could protect her. Now, she realized that she needed protection from him. Kin's fingers suddenly slackened. "Maybe…" she whispered, but then shook her head. "No, as soon as I say his name, they'll kill me for sure… Or would they?"
A loud knocked caused Kin's head to turn to the door. It was Zaku. He was the only one left with one usable arm. Poor Dosu and Zaku… They wanted so badly to be put out of their misery. What was the point of living if they couldn't live as a ninja? That is what the two had told her earlier today. They had not even cared that their leader had betrayed him. "Wake your ass up, Kin!" Zaku's voice came through the door. "Orochimaru-sama wants to see us right now!" Kin narrowed her eyes, and then looked down. That tone in his voice—he sound happy, almost excited. The thought of doing something for that traitorous bastard caused him anticipation. And if she hadn't known any better, she would behave in the same way. After all, Orochimaru had succeeded in brainwashing them all, and causing them to solely depend on him and him alone. "Kin…! I said get your a-"
"I'll be there…! Just go on without me; I'll catch up soon!" It was a lie, of course. If she had gone to see Orochimaru, she would be too tempted to attack him. It was his fault that their team was nothing and useless. Grumbles came from the other side of the door, causing Kin's eyebrow to rise. Zaku muttered a 'fine' and left. Soon afterwards, the front door slamming indicated that the two had left. "Those poor bastards…" There was no way that Orochimaru wanted them all for a mission. That couldn't be it since two of the three were incapacitated. Orochimaru had to be up to no good, calling a useless team like that. Kin could only guess that he was going to throw them away as if they were… useless pawns.
The Sound kunoichi quickly stood, stripping herself of her sleeping attire, which was a simple white robe. She walked over the dresser and pulled out her clothes. After putting on her clothes, she made a grab for her forehead protector, but hesitated. Her fingers touched the metal plate, tracing the music note that was engraved there. The Sound had been home to her for many years… It was many long and painful years—and for what? Nothing… Nothing was returned for her unwavering obedience. She had been a fool for the past ten years. "No more…" Kin's fingers curled up. "NO MORE…!" She moved her fingers away from the headband as if she had been scorched. She pulled out a senbon from her weapon's pouch and jammed the end into the metal plate, which caused a dent. With effort, Kin dragged the senbon across the plate, creating a line across the music note. She pulled her senbon out of the plate and gazed at her handiwork. It wasn't too bad. The line looked a slightly wavy, but it proved its purpose. Kin laid out the headband, and then penetrated the skin of her cheek with the senbon—a few centimeters down from her eye to the beginning of her jaw. She winced as blood trickled out of the narrow line—which would become a scar—and dropped onto the headband. She turned, and headed for the window, leaving a small trail of red. It was as if she was crying blood. She opened her window, and then hopped on the ledge. With one last glance at her room, she leapt out and disappeared into the night.
Tsuchi Kin: Missing-nin of the Sound Village.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sakura yawned loudly. She twisted her body to get some of the knots out. She stretched, standing on tip-toes. Sleeping on the floor was not something she was used to. Thanks to her living arrangements at the time, Sakura had been sleeping on the floor for a week now. She would be glad when all this is over. She would return to her body and get to sleep in her nice, warm bed, instead of a futon. Yawning once more, Sakura walked away from her temporary bedroom and towards the small, cramped bathroom. Her real bathroom was much bigger than this! It was not fair that the Hokage stuffed her into this small vicinity. Her mother would have a heart attack if she ever found out where her daughter was.
After relieving herself, Sakura quickly washed her hands. She closed the door to the bathroom and headed towards the equally small kitchen. The girl couldn't cook many things, so the food items that were stocked had not been used at all. All Sakura had had for breakfast this past week was toast and butter, which was fine. Mariko-sensei would treat her to lunch and dinner. It was a precaution, coming from the Hokage. He had somehow found out that Sakura did not like to eat much, so he ordered it to make sure she was getting the proper nutrients. For the most part, Sakura was okay with this. That feeling of exhaustion had finally gone away, and she would walk a long distance without stopping to catch her breath.
Sakura grumbled something under her breath as the toaster popped out her bread. It was another pair burnt to a crisp. "Jeez…! How did mom use this thing?" The last time Sakura had used the toaster, it was pure luck that she had perfect toast come out. The girl took out the burnt pieces of bread, and then placed in another pair. Hopefully, if she watched it, they would come out alright. Without taking her eyes off the toaster, Sakura discarded the burnt slices. A few moments of intense staring later, smoke started to rise. Sakura forcefully pushed the toaster lever up, causing her perfectly toasted bread to pop out. She smiled. She was really starting to get the hang of it. Maybe she could cook her mother breakfast sometime. Her mother would be so surprised!
Sakura giggled lightly as she placed the toast on a plate. "Better yet, I'll cook for Sasuke-kun! Since we're going to be on the same team, it'll be natural to make him lunch or breakfast!" The girl reached over to open the refrigerator. She pulled out the butter, closed the door, and then got out a knife. Still smiling over her fantasy, she spread the butter over her hot toast. Just as she took the first bite of her bread, a knock on her door, caused her head to turn. She blinked at the door, trying to figure out if she had just imagined it. Another knock caused the girl to scowl, and then take the bread from her mouth. She hoped it wasn't Mariko-sensei again. It was way too early.
Her blue eyes narrowed into slits as she moved towards the door. Another knock was heard, which only succeeded in bringing a stress mark to the girl's dark skin. "Keep your shirt on…!" she shouted as she opened the door. Blue eyes grew wide at what she saw. There, standing in her outside, was another blue-eyed person. He blinked, looking innocently surprised. Dark eyebrows knitted together in uncertainty. "Naruto…?" Was that a Konoha headband around his head? Sakura could have sworn he failed the Academy exam.
The blond grinned. "Hey, sorry if I woke you up…!" His loud statement caused Sakura to look down at herself. She was still wearing her pink pajamas. She flushed in embarrassment. Great, the class idiot had seen her in an indecent state.
"What the hell do you want?!" Sakura grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. She was slightly pissed that these boobs were bigger than her real ones. Naruto looked nervous as he continued to stare. Sakura's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Well…?!"
"Well, I just wanted to see who my new neighbor was! My name is Uzumaki Naruto! Remember that name—one day, I'll be your Hokage!" His eyes sparked as he said this, but this only further irritated Sakura. The loser would always talk about his dream of being Hokage, which would never come true. He was so annoying! "You're my first neighbor. Everyone else moved away when I got here, so I came to say hi and welcome you to the neighborhood!" He raised his head with a pleasant smile on his face. Sakura glared. He was as annoying as ever. He hadn't changed a bit. But why is she just finding out now that Naruto was lived near this temporary apartment?
"Hey, how come I haven't seen you before?" She was breaking the rule and interacting with an old classmate, but it shouldn't matter. It was just Naruto.
"Oh, I'm training for the finals in the chuunin exam!" He pointed to his headband. "I am a ninja, after all!" His loud voice was not doing a lot of good so early in the morning… Wait…! Chuunin exam…?! This brat actually got into the finals? There must have been a lot of weak people. Damn, that means Sakura had missed her chance to defeat people and look strong in front of Sasuke. "Anyway, anyway…! What's your name?"
"Ha—Ishikari… Mayu…" She had almost forgotten. No one ever asked her, not even Mariko-sensei. But she wasn't much of a talker, anyway.
"Ah, that's a nice name!" His grinned seemed to grow bigger as he praised the name. It wasn't that nice. Haruno Sakura was a much better name… And Uchiha Sakura was even better. Sakura almost drooled at the thought. She quickly snapped out of it when Naruto spoke again. "You look like my age, so I hope we get along!"
"Don't count on it, loser!" Sakura faked a smile. Naruto, not noticing, eased down on the grinning and smiled back.
"Well, I have to start training again!" He turned to go. "SEE YA AROUND!!!" He left Sakura, clutching her ears, trying to get the ringing to stop.
"That idiot…!" Sakura complained as she slammed the door. She huffed angrily. "Well, I guess it's only for another week. And since he's training-" She stopped to laugh at the thought. As if he could train enough to become a chuunin. Everyone knew he was dead last. "-I guess I won't be seeing much of him. Lucky me…!" She smiled as she walked back over to her breakfast. "Besides, I'm only here in the mornings, and don't come back until real late. Now that the stamina has increased again, I can start training in my ninja abilities." Mariko-sensei had told her earlier that she would teach her how to walk on water today. "Sasuke-kun's going to be so proud of me when I return to my body. I can hardly wait!" She bit into her breakfast again. It was time to start the new day. Only seven more days until the chuunin exam finals begin.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Tsuchi Kin gazed down at her reflection in the clear water. The water only looked blue and white because of the sky above. She touched the scar on her face. It had been a week since she had given it to herself. It had been one week—seven days—since she had abandoned her village and comrades. It had been one week since she had been in hiding. It was like the Forest of Death all over again. A finger slid up and down the scar. It had stopped hurting a few days ago. It acted as a simple disguise just in case Orochimaru did find her. It wasn't much of one, but then again the snake Sanin had yet to find her. Kin scoffed. He probably hasn't even come looking.
The missing-nin lied back on the grass and stared at the sky. It was a little before noon. She would go have to find something to eat soon. She had money, but she did not try to risk going back into the village. Orochimaru had spies everywhere, it seemed. For the first time in ten years, she had to fend for herself. Kin shook her head. "Don't think like that!" she told herself. It's a good thing. This is a blessing. Being independent would mean she could be stronger. And she had to be.
But that was a hard thing to accomplish when she felt so hallow inside. Kin sighed as she closed her eyes. Hallow—she had been feeling this for the past week. She had been indecisive. She knew she couldn't stay in hiding forever, and she knew she couldn't just up and leave the village either. The Sound, by now, had surrounded the outside of the village or was in preparation of doing so. She would be killed on site, even with the disguise. To further add to the cover, Kin had changed clothes, and burned her old outfit.
She now wore simple dark pants that were rolled up just below her knees. The fabric of the pants was soft, yet strangely durable. And so was the dark blue t-shirt she wore. Her shoes were now regular black flats. They weren't as comfortable as her ninja sandals, but they had to do. She had stolen this outfit from a home near the hotel she had been staying in with her teammates. Her teammates…
The fourteen-year-old rolled over, onto her side. She watched the blades of grass sway in the wind with a frown on her face.
Kin assumed that Orochimaru had killed them. They had to be burning in hell right now. She hadn't seen the two the few times she had ventured into the village. Orochimaru must've have done it that night she ran away. If she hadn't had that dream— that nightmare—then she'd probably be dead right now to. She had wanted to live. They—the fools—had wanted to die. If it would impress him, then they'd do it without a second thought. She hated fools like that. She hated herself more because she had been the same way ever since she had met the snake-user. It was not out of loyalty. It was out of fear, she realized. Fear is what kept her serving him. In reality, she could give a rat's ass what his cause was. As long as she had shelter, it didn't matter who she had served. How dim-witted she had been.
Kin's eyelids lowered until they closed completely, hiding her black spheres.
"How could anyone be more frightful than him…" she murmured. Her lips were pressed against her arm. She was thinking of that day in the Forest of Death. She never wanted to see eyes like that again. Horrible green eyes—they sent chills throughout her body whenever she thought of them. All that for one teammate…? Kin was sure that Zaku and Dosu would have never got angry like that if she was hurt—the bastards. Actually, no one from the Sound village would do that, unless it was for him.
"Well, well, well…" Kin's eyes snapped open in surprise. That voice… That dreadful voice… No, it couldn't be! The missing-nin sat up. "What do we have here? A lost, little, golden, bell…?" Kin's black eyes slowly met the eyes of the speaker. No… It was her. She stood in front of Kin with a sadistic smirk on her face. "Glad to see me again, Kin-chan…?" The missing-nin crawled backwards until her hand touched the water's surface. She was trapped. She could practically feel her heart in her throat. It hammered like a drum in her ears. "That wasn't very nice." The Leaf kunoichi feigned sadness. She then grinned. "Did you really think your little costume was going to stop me from finding you?" Those terrible green eyes looked at her in mock astonishment. "You even cut your long, pretty hair. What a waste… You could have died with it—you didn't have to cut it."
Kin had cut her long hair. The length was now just below the base of her neck. She had managed to give herself bangs as well, mostly to cover the top of her eyes. But it proved to be pointless since her killer had realized who she was. "Please… Spare me…!" Her voice had barely been above a whisper.
"No." Her simple response caused Kin to quake.
"But I-" The Leaf kunoichi's hand shot out and grabbed her neck before she could finish her sentence. She forced Kin's head into the water, not giving the girl time to struggle. She was planning on draining her! Kin grabbed the girl's wrist, trying to get her to release her, but it was all futile. The girl's grip tightened around her esophagus. Kin couldn't breathe. Water rushed into her mouth and nose at alarming speeds. As she thrashed around, she briefly wondered why death was taking so long to come. It shouldn't have taken this long. Why couldn't her torture end? It was so painful. Kin felt her body slowly start to relax. Behind closed eyes, a beam of white light shot at her.
--
Kin sat up, breathing heavily. She felt sick to her stomach. Her head ached. Sweat ran down her face and slipped off her chin. She squeezed her eyes shut and grasped her head, trying hard to remove the green eyes from her mind. "Damn it…!" Kin's teeth grind together in frustration. When were these nightmares going to stop? They were maddening, not to mention horrifying. Every time, she would die by the hands of that girl. Whether it was suffocation, poisoning, burning, drowning, being mauled by tigers, being thrown from a cliff, having kunai being stabbed repeatedly—death was always certain when that girl appeared in her dreams. "Stupid dreams…"
She had not even realized that she had once again fallen asleep. Kin sighed heavily. She laid her head back down on the soft… fluffy… pillow…? "What the hell…?!" The girl bolted up and frantically looked away. She was no longer in a forest. She was no longer lying on grass. There was no longer a small pond near her. Instead, it looked as if she was in a room. It seemed as though she was sitting on a bed. But it couldn't be… "Am I dreaming again?" Kin's eyesight became clearer with each passing second. Wherever she was, the atmosphere was warm, inviting… peaceful. She had never felt this before. Just where the hell was she? She pushed the covers away from her body to see that her clothes had been replaced with a different set of attire.
Her body now donned an overly large, grey t-shirt that reached her just above her knees. Kin pulled up the shirt slightly to see what she had on under it. Shorts hugged her hips like a second skin. Kin's cheeks turned slightly red. She never really liked showing off her skin. She pushed the shirt back down, and then looked around the room again. It was essentially a clean room. There were clothes scattered in random places—like on a chair. The brown desk had papers and books layered on it. The table next to the bed also had a few books on it. There were two doors. Kin assumed that one of them was a closet, and the other was the exit. The room did not look in the least bit familiar to her eyes.
Hopefully she hadn't been captured. That conclusion did not seem plausible. The environment was much too friendly. If she had been captured by Orochimaru, then she would most likely be strapped down to a hard metal contraption and being tortured for her desertion. And the smell would have been atrocious because of past torture victims. The smell that invaded her nostrils was pleasant. Whatever it was, it smelled delicious. Kin's stomach gurgled in agreement. Outside, she could see that it was dark. The stars and moon illuminated the room. Someone must've have been cooking dinner.
Putting a hand over her rumbling stomach, Kin slowly slid her legs off of the security of the bed. She didn't want to leave the comforts of the bed, but her stomach was overpowering her need for relieve at the moment. It was also overpowering her sense of fear and uncertainty, she realized as she made her way over to one of the doors. Kin opened the door, and luckily it wasn't the closet. The smell of food had gotten stronger. The missing-nin stepped out into the hallway, which was lit up by lights that hung from the ceiling. Kin took hesitant steps forward, her hunger driving her. She could hear voices now. They were also unfamiliar, which she supposed was good.
As Kin moved down the hallway, she passed by other doors that were all closed. She was only somewhat curious, so she continued on, following her nose. The voices were getting louder as she drew closer to the end of the corridor. Kin could make out two different voices by now. One was male, the other was obviously female. The two voices sounded… fine, she presumed. She would have to face them—their voices were coming from the same room as the smell. With a gulp, Kin pushed opened the door, determined to get some food.
The two stopped talking and looked up at her. Kin broke out into a cold sweat. They were staring at her as if they were expecting her. The male—he looked fairly younger than she was. Judging from that headband, he was a ninja of Konoha. He had brown spiky hair, red, upside down triangles on his face—one under each eye—his black eyes were shaped like slits. The female, however, looked older, had bigger black pupils, had long dark, brown hair that was tied in a ponytail; a few strands of hair fell to the sides of her face. She also had two, upside down, red, triangles on her face. She smiled lightly. It was surprising to see a warm smile on someone's face—it looked genuine enough. The female did have a gentle face—maybe it was okay… "Um-"
"It's about time you came in here! We thought you passed out in the hallway, or something!" The male had interrupted her before she could start a sentence. He grinned, showing her longer than normal canines. They had been expecting her! Did they know that she was standing outside the entire time? The room that the two were in was a kitchen. They were sitting at a table with—delicious looking—food in front of them. There was a third portion of food as well, which means someone had yet to arrive.
Kin's eyes shifted back to the boy. He was still grinning away as if she wasn't a stranger. He did seem familiar, but there was no name to match his face. Maybe she had seen him in the Forest of Death; he was a ninja, after all. And he looked like a genin. It suddenly struck her. She was in the home of Konoha ninja! Unconsciously, her body began to slowly retreat. "Don't just stand there, come join us," the female's soothing voice had brought Kin closer to the table somehow. She sat down at the table, in between the two—whoever they were. She fiddled with her hands in her lap. She didn't dare to even look at the food in front of her. "Well, aren't you going to eat? Your food is going to get cold." Her food…? She hesitantly looked up at the girl—no, woman. She was still smiling. "My name is Inuzuka Hana, by the way."
Instead of devouring her meal—which is really wanted to do—Kin finally spoke up. "Where am I? Why did you bring me here? Where are my clothes? Why are you feeding me? Who are you? Where did-"
"You sure do ask a lot of questions." The boy snickered. Kin glared at him, causing his snickers to become uneasy laughter until it stopped. The missing-nin turned back to the woman. She chuckled lightly.
"You are on the Inuzuka compound. I didn't bring you here, Kiba did-" she gestured towards the boy, but Kin kept her face on the speaker. "-Your clothes are hung up in my closet. I'm feeding you because it's been two days since Kiba found you, so you must be starving. Like I said, my name is-"
"What?! Two days…?! But that can't be it! I was-"
"I found you passed out at my secret training spot," Kiba, again, interrupted. It was starting to make her mad. Oblivious to this, he continued. "There were some bad mushrooms near your body, so I assume you ate them and got sick. Sis has been taking care of you since then." So they were siblings? That would explain why they both had the same markings. "What were you doing eating bad mushrooms, anyway?"
"It's all I had…" Kin grumbled, still glaring. "Brat."
Kiba returned the glare. "What was that? I didn't quite hear that over your growling stomach!" His spiteful remark caused Kin to flush. She had to remember that these Konoha ninja were feeding her.
"Kiba…!" his older sister scolded. "That's not anyway to treat a guest!"
"Well, I made it! The least she could do is be thankful!" Kiba yelled back.
Before Hana could retort, Kin stood up. "I didn't ask you to treat me, nor did I ask you to bring me here," she said. Her eyes did not meet either one of them. "I will go now."
"Hey, wait…! I didn't say that you had to go!" Kiba shouted before she could turn. "Sit down and eat with us!" It was still for a few moments. Kin felt both pairs of eyes on her. It wasn't until her stomached rumbled again that she sat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kiba smile.
"Itadakimasu…" Kin muttered, picking up the chopsticks and the bowl in front of her. She would never admit that it tasted good out loud to his face. Complimenting him would be too embarrassing. A boy shouldn't cook this well.
"So you know our names… What's yours?" Kiba asked, trying to make conversation. Kin swallowed the lump in her throat. She had been eating way faster than she normally would. But then again, she normally would be fed on the daily basis. Kin set her bowl on the table. She wiped the rice from her face. "I mean, I've never seen you around before. Are you here to see the chuunin exam?"
"Sure, whatever." This vague answer caused Kiba to scowl at her. He asked for her name again. "I have no name." Kiba growled.
"Look…! I bring you to my home, the least you could do is answer my question!"
"I don't have to answer shit!"
"I dare you to say THAT AGAIN!"
"I. DON'T. HAVE. TO. ANSWER. SHIT!!"
"Grr… THAT'S IT!"
Hana sighed heavily. She picked up her cup and sipped on the hot tea. With uncaring eyes, she watched her younger brother and a complete stranger wrestle on the floor. She turned her attention to the table. Both of them had finished their meal. Kiba had always been a fast eater. The girl had been too hungry to show manners, so she had eaten quickly, too. She began to pick up their dishes, as well as hers. The two bumped into the table a few times, but Hana didn't mind. The veterinarian was so glad that her mother was out. But there was going to be hell to pay when she did arrive…
--
"This is all your fault…!" Kiba growled, angrily. Kin rolled her eyes as she watched the boy toss and turn. She was seated with her back against the wall. Her arms were folded over chest. Her legs were pulled up. Kiba was lying down at her feet. Kin accidently kicked his side, causing him to glare at her.
"Excuse me…?! You're the one who lunged at me like some sorta beast!" Kiba glowered at her. Kin only turned her head away.
The two teens were being punished at the moment. Their punishment involved sleeping outside with the dogs. Well, not necessarily with the dogs. It was more near the dogs, but it was still outside. The two had been cramped into one of dog houses. Apparently this dog house belonged to Kuromaru, Kiba's mother's partner. Tonight, he was sleeping in the warm house.
Inuzuka Tsume had come home while Kiba and Kin were fighting. She was beyond pissed. She had yelled out them for hours after breaking the two up. A lot of glass had been broken in the mist of their fight, so Kin could understand why she'd been so angry. But yell for that long was just crazy…! Kin could see where Kiba got most of his traits from. Whether it was attitude or physical appearance, he'd definitely got them from her.
Kiba grunted and turned his back to the missing-nin. "You know, this wouldn't have happened if you would have just told me your name," he murmured, yawning. Kin was silent. Kiba sighed heavily. "Fine, be that way…"
"If I tell you my name… would you please shut the fuck up?"
"Grr…"
"My name is Tsuchi Kin."
"Tsuchi…? Wait a minute…!" Kiba turned around. Kin turned her head back around to face him. "You're that Sound kunoichi, who fought Shikamaru in the preliminaries, aren't you?" The missing-nin grumbled as she stared at her knees. "You look so different now. Why'd you cut your hair?"
"None of your business…! Now shut up, already. I'm trying to sleep!" Kin put her head down and closed her eyes, not waiting for a retort. She did hear the Konoha shinobi move around. What the hell was he doing? She had thought he would go to sleep by now. Curious, she lifted her head and opened her eyes. That proved to be a big mistake… Kiba's face was mere centimeters from her own, and… he appeared to be sniffing her. It took a few moments to register. "WHAT THE FU-" Kin had reeled back, but because of this, she banged her head against the wall of the dog house. Kiba started laughing hysterically. "Shut up, you damn mutt!" The missing-nin tenderly rubbed her head. That had hurt much worse than it should have because she had bitten her tongue.
"Hahaha…! That was just like when you lost to Shikamaru!" Kiba held his stomach. He was now sitting up like Kin was. The missing-nin kicked him again, but it did not stop the laughter. Kin gritted her teeth. Damn these brats for making her look like a fool! She wished that she had kept her weapons. She wasn't bitter about her match with that lazy bum of a ninja—she had not been feeling well, after all—but it didn't need to be brought up. "So… Why'd you cut your hair?" His mirth finally stopped.
"Would you just shut up?!"
"I can't help it! I'm bored!" Kiba indignantly replied. Kin sighed miserably. There was no way she was going to get any sleep at this rate. This Kiba was such a brat. "Tell me why you cut your hair."
"I cut it to disguise myself from a rapid snake and a couple of tigers." Kin deadpanned. Kiba blinked in surprise, and then cracked a smile.
"You've got a pretty weird way of telling the truth."
"What is that supposed to mean? How do you know I'm not lying?"
"I've got this!" He pointed to his nose proudly.
"You're a fucking retard…"
Ignoring that, Kiba asked another question. "So what…? You're like… homeless now?" Kin glared.
"None of your business, fleabag!"
"I don't have fleas."
"Could've fooled me! You keep scratching your head as if you do!"
"I just do that when I'm thinking!"
"Yeah right!"
"… You are so hard to talk to! You're as shriveled up as an old man!"
"That's what she said…"
"What…?"
Kin flushed in embarrassment. Did that crude joke really just come from her mouth? Man, if Zaku wasn't dead already, she would kill him. He used to say that all the time. No matter what was said, no matter who was present. One time, Orochimaru had been talking to Kabuto. He was referring to the report Kabuto had given him when he said 'Why is it so long, Kabuto?' Zaku was quick to say 'That's what she said!' Orochimaru was very upset. Kabuto had been drinking something and had spurted the liquid right in the snake Sanin's face. Hilarity ensued. That was one of the rare times that Team Dosu had laughed together.
"Go-Gomen…" her voice had cracked. Her eyes stung with an unfamiliar familiarity. It was something she hadn't done in a very long time. Kin clamped a hand over her mouth to prevent the strangled sob from coming out. She was crying. After all these years, she was crying. She did not love Zaku or Dosu, nor did she think of them as friends, but… they were gone. They would be no more arguments, no more jokes, no more smirks—no more… comfort.
Kin swallowed a lump as tears spilled freely from her eyes. Without Zaku or Dosu there, the days of solitude were finally catching up. She had abandoned her village and comrades. She was all alone in the world. Kin did not want to cry—to show weakness, but this was something she could not help it. "Hey, hey, hey…! What's wrong?" A hand came down on her shoulder. Startled, Kin looked up. Kiba had moved to her side and wrapped his arm around her. She had forgotten he was there. More tears came. She felt even weaker than before. Letting some stranger see her cry—how pathetic…
Her body was started to shake again. This was stupid. What was point of living, anymore? She had nowhere to go. No one cared about her. She was alone. She was betrayed. She was—another arm moved around her. Kin blinked back another flow of tears. She stared down at the arm that was holding on to her waist. Her eyes then shifted up to Kiba. He had completely enveloped her into a hug. She had not been hugged since she was three. Why was he…? "Ge-Get the hell-"
"You can cry," he interrupted. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but it's obviously not good. You can cry until you go to sleep. I'll stay like this for your benefit."
"… Why… Why are you doing this?"
"I don't know how things are in your village, but in this village, we learn to help each other out when we need it." She could sense the grin on his face. "So you can just get use to this hospitality." Kin slowly bowed her head. He wasn't lying. He actually seemed to care. Maybe he'd gotten brainwashed, too, but… this was nice. She liked this. Inuzuka Kiba was nothing but a stranger, and yet she felt closer to him than she had her teammates. "Don't get it twisted, though. This doesn't mean I like you or something."
"… Get the fuck off me."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Yamanaka Ino yawned loudly, not bothering to cover it up. It had been another grueling day of training. Today, her father had been much more relentless in his attacks. Of course, he told her it was for her own good, but it was still infuriating. How was she, a mere genin, supposed to challenge her father, an elite jounin? It was all too much. Ino had not sweated so much in her entire life! The blond shrugged. She supposed it was all worth it in the end. If she wasn't going through this type of training, she wouldn't stand a chance in hell against Gaara.
The blond shuddered at the thought of his eyes. In just a few more days, her fight with him would begin. Ino released a long, weary breath. "Aww, man… Why couldn't I fight Sakura-chan, instead?" Oh well, it didn't really matter. What happened has happened. There was no changing what was to come. Ino yawned again as she walked towards her home. By this time, her mother had already gone off to bed, so chances were that there was no hot meal, waiting for her.
Stumbling into her house, Ino realized that she had been right. There was no warm smell coming from the kitchen. She, unfortunately, had to eat Ramen again. Ino would be glad when chuunin exam was finally over. Ramen was not a very good source of nutrients, after all. The blond kunoichi closed the door behind her. She was now in the sanctuary of her room. After putting her bag down—they contained mostly weights, weapons, and scrolls—Ino shed her clothing. "I'll take a quick shower before fixing something to eat." The blond nodded her head, and then walked towards her very own bathroom.
--
Ino, once again, blew on her steaming pork-flavored Ramen. She would have to thank Chouji for getting her a year's worth of Ramen. At the time, she had yelled at him, but now it was becoming an important food source for her. "Next month, I'm eating nothing but fruits and vegetables!" Ino silently vowed as she stuck broke her chopsticks apart. "Itadakimasu…!" She began eating.
The blond kunoichi was currently on her rooftop. When she was younger, she would eat on top of her house. It was easy to get on the roof from her window. Chakra wasn't necessary to reach it. Eating up on the roof had been fun back then, but now it was more… relaxing. Ino looked up, still slurping up a noodle. "Come to think of it… There are no stars tonight…" Actually, there were several nights in a row that there hadn't been any stars. It gave Ino a bad feeling. Only the moon had lit up the night. Yes, it was bright, but Ino missed the stars. Shikamaru had been a cloud person, but the Yamanaka liked gazing up at the night sky more. Ino mentally shrugged as she continued eating. Perhaps there would be stars tomorrow night.
"Have you gotten stronger?" The sudden voice startled Ino so much that she choked on a noodle and even dropped her Ramen cup. It rolled off the roof as the blond grasped her throat, trying to spit out the noodle. Finally, she managed to spit out the noodle. She glared down at the ground below. All the contents of her Ramen cup were now splattered in front of the door. Some of the 'juice' had gotten on her window as well. It was going to be a pain cleaning it off. An angry growl nearly escape Ino's throat. Her eyes burned with hostility. She rounded and prepared to give—whoever it was that had scared her—a punch to the face. That is… until she saw who it was. "Well…?" The person gave Ino an inquisitive look, not the least bit phased by the fierce—almost demonic—look he had gotten.
The blond backed up, only to realize that she couldn't. She was on the edge of her roof now. She was cornered. Ino gulped nervously. She could feel her heart beating quite rapidly thanks to the uninvited guest. Why was he here in the first place? Oh, God…! Was he stalking her?! "Calm down…! You're not scared! You're not scared!" Ino told herself, knowing full well that it was all a lie. "Wh-What…?" she stammered out. His lips twitched. From that simple action, Ino knew that he enjoys doing this sort of things with his… victims. She could see the amusement in his sea green eyes. The blond cleared her throat, and tried to glare. "What do you want?" There, she sounded a bit more confident. Hostility flashed in his eyes; Ino gulped again.
"I asked a question. I won't repeat myself," he stated. Despite being frightened, Ino's eye twitched. That spoiled little brat, she thought.
"I could as-ask the same question," Ino replied. "Gaara…" The Sand shinobi narrowed his eyes. She had the nerve to say his name—and with such defiance in her blue eyes, too.
"I have no need to get stronger, as I am already strong. You, and everyone else, on the other hand, are weak."
Ino almost snorted. Just who did this guy think he was? Sure, she had heard rumors that him and his siblings—really, they looked nothing alike and Gaara had threatened them as if they were random strangers—were the children of the Kazekage, but that didn't give him the right to be so arrogant. "I don't like the way you're looking at me, girl." Sand slowly eased out of his gourd. Ino's eyes grew as it loomed closer to her.
"What are you doing?!" she asked, frantically. "I haven't gotten a chance to use your weakness against you yet!" The sand dropped to the roof. Gaara looked unconvinced, and yet Ino was no longer in danger… at the moment. Ino silently breathed a sigh of relief. "I think my life as been shortened…"
"I have no weakness." The sand shinobi turned his back on the leaf kunoichi. "You're either lying, or you're just a fool. My perception of your skills is that you, quite frankly, suck." Ino blinked. Did he just…? No…! It couldn't be! Not this guy. Although he was quite scary, he was also polite… when he's not out to kill. That talent is most likely from being the son of the Kazekage. He did not just use slang!
"Come again…?" she asked, just to make sure. If he says 'That's what she said,' then this was a weird-ass dream.
"I said your skills are awful… stupid girl."
Ino bristled.
She was never the one to back down from a challenge, and this guy was definitely challenging her! She was still slightly scared, but now it was replaced with irritation. Gaara must be dealt with. "At least I'm not the slowest ninja on the face of the planet!" The red-headed Sand ninja looked livid (i.e.: Gaara is the slowest playable character in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja). Ino couldn't help but think she had made a mistake. The sand began moving again.
A big mistake…
"I'm going to kill you slowly and painfully." He grinned sadistically, causing Ino to believe that he was psycho. She had seen quite a few sadistic grins since the chuunin exam started, but his took the cake for sure. "And I'm going to enjoy every minute of it." His sand swirled around his body. He disappeared, leaving Ino alone on her rooftop. It was as if the Sand shinobi hadn't been there at all—he had left no trace. There was not one grain of sand left behind. The blond swallowed apprehensively. She chuckled uneasily as she placed a hand on her chest, trying to stop her racing heart.
"Perhaps… it's not a good idea to use his weakness against him…"
The kunoichi promptly fainted.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Days later…
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Mitarashi Anko grinned as she watched her student collapse from exhaustion. She walked over to the fallen kunoichi, grin still on her face. "It's four days from now. Are you ready?" For a few moments, there were only the sounds of heavy breathing from the tired girl. Slowly, but surely, the young kunoichi pushed herself off the ground. Anko smiled, seeing the grin on the girl's face.
"Oh yeah… I am so ready! I cannot lose! I will beat anyone who crosses me!" Mayu replied. Green eyes twinkled with newfound enthusiasm. "… Right after a nap…!" The girl tumbled backwards, sleep before she hit the ground. Anko chuckled, and then her brown eyes examined the training field.
The entire clearing had been completely destroyed.
--
Jiraiya watched his student sleep. It was only natural that he had been sleeping this entire time. Riding on Gamabunta with all his might took a lot out of him. Despite the brat's disrespectful behavior towards him—calling him Ero-sennin and whatnot—the toad sage was proud of his new pupil. Not many people could stay on top of Gamabunta's head for long. Not even he, himself, could accomplish that feat. Really, only one other person managed to do it. "The finals start in four days, Naruto." Jiraiya turned away from the sleeping blond with a smirk on his face. "Show these foolish villagers what you're really made of." The toad sage exited, by means of the hospital window.
Naruto continued to snore, obliviously to his guest.
--
Hatake Kakashi smiled under his mask. His student's skills had rapidly increased greatly since the preliminaries ended. As an individual, there was not much that needed to be taught—fighting-wise, anyway. The copy ninja made his way over the boy, who currently had his back against a large rock; he was drinking water from a canteen. "Four the next four days—up until the finals—you will work on the jutsu I showed you." Sasuke nodded his head. "But don't use it in the finals unless you have to, alright?" The Uchiha looked up at his sensei. Kakashi looked mildly surprised.
Sasuke had grinned.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sarutobi Hiruzen massaged his temples. He had just finished listening to some of the hospital staff complain about the giant footprint found near Uzumaki Naruto's body. The reason for the complaints had been due to the fact that it was right in front of the hospital. Another reason was because it was Naruto who was found near it. It was just another reason to blame the boy for something. The footprint seemed to have belonged to an amphibian of some sort. This observation led Sarutobi to believe that Jiraiya, his former student, had something to do with it.
Speaking of his former student… Sarutobi shifted his eyes up. Jiraiya was hanging from the ceiling. "What is with younger generations and using doors…?" He raised an eyebrow. "Jiraiya, it's been awhile. To what do I own the pleasure?"
"Just hanging…" The toad sage grinned. The Hokage almost rolled his eyes. "Naruto's training is complete for now." Sarutobi nodded. "He reminds me of him."
"Yes."
"But just on looks…! That kid's attitude is on the borderline of unbearable!"
"That certainly sounds like Naruto." Sarutobi chuckled. "Will you continue to-"
"Of course."
"That…" A sudden knock interrupted his sentence. Former sensei and student looked towards the door. The knock came again. "Come in." The door hesitantly squeaked open, reminding Sarutobi that he had to get someone to fix that soon. A jounin stepped into the room.
"Forgive me for interrupting, Hokage-sama-" she looked towards the toad sage. "-Jiraiya-sama…" Her eyes shifted back to the Third. "This is an important matter!"
"Yes, go on." Sarutobi leaned in, waiting. The woman cleared her throat and tried to ignore the fact that the toad sage was undressing her with his eyes.
"There's a girl here! She says she has information concerning the invasion!"
The perverted look immediately disappeared from Jiraiya's face. "Hold on a minute…! What invasion?!" he asked. The Hokage looked equally confused and apprehensive.
"She says that the Sound is planning to destroy Konoha during the exam! She even says that Orochimaru is involved!" Teacher and pupil exchanged a look. Just outside the door, the girl leaned against the wall with a small smirk on her face.
"Let's see what happens when your plans are flawed, Orochimaru-sama."
A call from the office, beckoned Tsuchi Kin into the room.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I am so glad that this chapter is finally done. Now I can move on! As you can see, the story is finally breaking away from its original plot. Now, I'm well aware that the main characters were barely in this chapter. I did it on purpose! Can you figure out why…? That's the only hint I'm giving. Be looking out for the next exciting chapter!
Next time: Set It Off, Naruto! The Finals Are Here!
I'm looking forward to seeing your amazing reviews!