Winter in the Land of Water was harsh. Gales swept the spray of the sea inland, making a perpetual faux rain pour down upon the land ceaselessly. The weather wasn't the worst thing, either. The Crimson Tide didn't believe in downtime. Even in the dead of winter, they took jobs.

That was how he found himself as the eyes of Takeo and Hiroki. They alone were traveling to a small island far to the south of the mainland. It lay halfway between the Land of Water and the uncharted waters south of the Land of Fire. Few people called the island home, and of those that did, there were only one variety: pirates.

Their job was simple, really. They Crimson Tide had received a request to eliminate a certain pirate captain that had been raiding and terrorizing the people of a small peninsula of the Land of Fire for the past three months. The Hidden Leaf had sent a team to investigate, but the pirates were cunning, and never struck the same place twice, and never in a predictable time frame. There was nothing the ninja could do without an enemy to face. There was only one place the pirates gathered, and that was where Bolt, Takeo, and Hiroki found themselves.

"This isn't worth it," Takeo grumbled, rubbing his arms in an attempt to keep himself warm. "It's only fifty grand. Don't know why the boss took the job."

Hiroki slapped his partner on the back. "Some jobs aren't for the money, but the prestige. The Crimson Tide hasn't failed a job yet, and if we take down this pirate, it'll only add to our reputation," he said.

Bolt didn't pay attention to them. His job was to make sure their target didn't slip out unnoticed. His Byakugan made his task simple. Instead, Bolt focussed on the small planted pot he held between his hands. It was an idea that came to him one night when he couldn't sleep on their ship—his dad, whenever he used his fancy Nine Tails chakra, caused plants to grow at a rapid pace. He remembered hearing somewhere that it was because of its strong Yang chakra. So, to practice making his own Yang chakra, he just tried to make the plant grow.

It was harder than Bolt thought it would be. His training mainly consisted of sitting and staring at the budding plant and straining his body and mind trying to will it to grow. "Oi, kid, you see anything?" Takeo grunted.

Bolt felt his temper flare. "For the last time, no," he snapped.

"Well how'd you expect me to believe you if you keep playing with your little flower?" Takeo grumbled.

The veins in Bolt's temple bulged; an eerily inhuman bodily function that was made more disturbing by the Byakugan. "I can see everything around us for nearly one hundred feet, including through walls. The guy is still there," Bolt informed him. Honestly, he was insulted. It was like these savages had never heard of multi-tasking. "And it's not a 'little flower,' it's a sunflower," Bolt corrected him. They were his sister's favorite, and that made them his favorite. He would never admit that, though.

Takeo scoffed and went back to trying to ward off the chill. The sun was beginning to set and their target had yet to leave the bar that he was known to frequent. Bolt ignored his surly teammates—and he used that term loosely—and focussed on trying to use his chakra to urge the sunflower sprout to grow.

A flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his attention. The Byakugan snapped to focus, watching the door of the bar closely. A man stumbled out, nearly tripping on the steps as he exited the establishment. He was garbed in worn, threadbare sailor's garments with an old, beaten tricorn hat. At his waist was a long, curved cutlass, and opposite it was a bulging leather pouch; most likely for ninja tools, Bolt assumed. "That's him," Bolt said. He matched the pirate captain's description.

Takeo and Hiroki sat up, instantly alert. "You sure?" Takeo whispered. Bolt nodded.

"Alright. Remember, Bolt. No Byakugan. No Gentle Fist. Not unless you have to. Don't want prying eyes running off with that intel," Hiroki whispered, as he dropped from the tree they were perched in. He landed on the balls of his feet, silent as the wind. Takeo followed him, and Bolt followed the pair as they crept forward.

Takeo and Hiroki were bold, Bolt had come to understand. Takeo was a taijutsu master. Not trained in any one school, he had a style honed from years of drunken brawls and battlefield experience from the last war. Hiroki was a jack of all trades, and a master of none. He could do anything you asked him with some amount of skill, but not much more than that. His real strength came in reining in his violent, hotheaded friend and directing his rampages into something more productive. Something more profitable.

The two men cut the pirate off while Bolt hid in the shadows of the treeline, ready to step in at a moment's notice. "Ichiro Ishikawa," Hiroki called out. The pirate stilled and seemed to shake off his drunken stupor as the two mercenaries appeared before him.

"What do you want?" the pirate—Ichiro—slurred. His hand crept closer to the hilt of his sword.

With his Byakugan, Bolt could clearly see Takeo and Hiroki smile. "You're a wanted man. We've come to collect," Takeo growled. Bolt tightened his grip on the kunai he had drawn.

In a flash, Takeo had charged forward and descended upon the pirate. In truth, Bolt felt a little sorry for the man. He knew firsthand just how strong Takeo was. His neck still felt a little sore from where he had been strangled.

The pirate drew his cutlass and swung at Takeo's chest. The rogue artfully dodged, rotation on his foot as he sent a wide kick at the pirate's head.

The pirate managed to dodge, either by skill or stumbling in his stupor Bolt would never know. The man managed to fish a kunai from the pouch at his waist and fling it vaguely in the direction of the hulking Takeo, while he turned to face the slower Hiroki who had entered the fray. Bolt's Byakugan caught the flare of an explosive tag at Takeo's feet. An explosion rocked the small dirt path they had chosen for their battlefield, sending up a cloud of dust and dirt.

Bolt swore under his breath and let his Byakugan fade as he crept from his hiding spot. The pirate was busy clashing blades with Hiroki. He saw the flash of Hiroki's eyes, acknowledging him with silent agreement. Bolt stayed low as he stalked forward; his knuckles growing white from the strength of his grip on his kunai.

A twig snapped beneath Bolt's boots. It was painfully loud, even with the clanging of metal. The pirate's head snapped behind him, catching sight of Bolt. His eyes went wide with panic as he violently lashed out at Hiroki and stumbled backwards, trying to find a defensible position against his new opponent.

Bolt watched as the pirate brandished his cutlass at Hiroki as he continued to retreat. He walked backwards into the trunk of a tree and stuck his sword in the dirt. Before Bolt knew what was happening, the pirate had weaved a series of hand seals and spewed mist from his mouth. He expected the mist to be thick and obscure his vision—it didn't. Instead, the leaves that had fallen to the ground turned to a fine dust as the mist crawled over it. Boil Release.

Bolt quickly reached for an empty scroll he kept stored on one of the pouches on his waist while Hiroki began weaving hand seals. Bolt felt the hiss of the wind as his comrade unleashed a gale that blew the mist back at the pirate, whom the acidic vapor past by harmlessly. Opening his scroll, Bolt quickly bit his index finger and drew the character for "Boil" in the center of the scroll before channeling some chakra into it.

The whole scroll glowed orange for a moment before fading. Bolt saw, out of the corner of his eye, that Hiroki was watching him intently; judging him, cataloging what he was seeing. No doubt for a mission report—Eiji's eyes only. "I'll make an opening, then you deal with him," Bolt whispered.

Bolt charged forward, not waiting to see or hear Hiroki's reply. The pirate smirked at him and inhaled heavily, before unleashing another breath of acidic mist. Bolt skidded to a stop, whipped out the scroll, and absorbed the entire technique. The pirate gawked at him. Bolt ducked as he heard the familiar whir of metal cutting air. A shuriken sailed over his head and struck the pirate in the neck. Bolt felt something wet and warm slap across his forehead. Reaching up, his fingers came back crimson.

The pirate grabbed at his throat with both hands as he slid to the ground, his back against the tree trunk where he had made his last stand. Hiroki strode past Bolt and stuck a kunai into the man's neck, ending his suffering. Bolt watched with wide eyes as the light in the man's eyes faded. He knew death was part of the ninja's line of work, but to see it so close, so impersonal, was something else entirely.

Hiroki jogged back down the dirt path and found Takeo nursing a burnt right foot. Bolt followed after him, at a loss of what to do. "Just a flesh wound," Takeo assured the both of them. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. Hiroki sighed heavily and withdrew a few medical supplies he had brought with him. It was little more than first aid, but it was better than nothing.

"Can you store a body in one of your scrolls?" Hiroki asked, as he bandaged Takeo's leg.

Bolt swallowed. "I, uh, I've never tried... but I suppose I could," Bolt answered lamely.

Hiroki nodded. "Good, do it. I don't really want to have to carry two dead weights all the way back to base," he quipped, shooting Takeo a scathing look. The rogue grumbled and looked away.

Bolt felt a shiver run up his spine as he walked back to the lifeless body of the pirate. He found a blank scroll and began to quickly sketch out a sealing matrix using a length of charcoal he kept with him for improvising seals. Bolt cursed as his hand shook, causing him to snap the end of the charcoal. He could feel the pirate's empty gaze upon him as he worked. Reaching up, he closed the man's eyes and offered a silent prayer. Returning to his seal, he quickly finished. Luckily, the scroll took the pirate's body with ease.

Sighing in relief, Bolt rolled up the scroll and stored it. He patted his newest addition, a scroll containing the Boil Release. That would be a nasty surprise for anyone he had to fight in the future. Hiroki had managed to get Takeo to his feet and had the larger man's arm resting over his shoulders as he helped him keep off his bad leg.

Hiroki raised an eyebrow at Bolt in silent questioning. Bolt just patted the scroll containing the pirate's body, and Hiroki nodded in satisfaction. "Well," Takeo said, as the three began to move back to where their tiny boat was moored. "It wasn't a complete waste of time after all. I knew I knew that guy's name from somewhere. Our friend Mr. Ishikawa fetches a nice price in the bingo book—Hidden Sand wants him, two hundred fifty thousand ryō for his head."

Hiroki smirked. "I won't tell the boss if you don't," he said.

"Deal," Takeo agreed. "What's the split? I'm thinking one hundred for you and me, fifty for the brat."

Hiroki turned to see Bolt listening to their conversation. "I don't know," he said, flashing Bolt a smirk. "I think the kid did more work than you. One hundred for me and him, fifty for you."

Takeo made an unmanly noise in the back of his throat, causing Bolt and Hiroki to laugh. The trip back to base took an extra day. Harsh seas, they had told Eiji. No one questioned why they were just a little more tanned than normal, nor why they were each sporting heavier pockets.

Bolt was quite happy with his newest payday.

Bolt yawned, lazily stretching. He was laying on his side in bed, one hand cupped around the potted sunflower as he tried to transform his chakra into Yang chakra and promote its growth. He wasn't making much progress. The little budding flower had begun to climb skyward, though that was more to do with the passage of time than any influence of chakra.

Bolt felt his eyes grow heavy as he was tempted by sleep. The noon sun shone through a window, warming his back. It would be all too easy to catch a quick nap, but he knew that if Hikari found him lazing away that there would be hell to pay.

He drifted in and out of a light, dreamless sleep, trying futilely to make the sunflower grow. He wasn't even really trying after a few minutes. He just did it on principle. The sunlight on his back made Bolt dream of warm summers in the Hidden Leaf. He and his sister would play with the other kids, or help their mother with chores, or sometimes visit their father at the Hokage's office.

Sometimes they would bring sunflowers to Uncle Neji's grave. Bolt stood before the grave of the man who was his namesake, and cursed not being able to meet him. From what the history books said, he was the greatest prodigy of the Hyūga in centuries. A bit of an ass, according to his dad, but after the Chūnin Exams, he turned out to be a good friend. Bolt basked in the warmth of the summer's heat as he imagined how strong his uncle was before dying in the war.

Bolt felt his arms grow hot, more so than the sun could warm them. He raised his head from the grave of his uncle and looked at his arms. They looked normal. Blinking his eyes, he found himself awake. His skin was glowing with a warm, orange colored chakra that sang of life and growing things. The little budding sunflower was growing, even as Bolt watched in stupefied amazement.

His amazement shattered his concentration, causing his chakra to flicker out and the sunflower to cease its growth. It had grown no more than a few millimeters, but it was enough for him. "I did it!" Bolt shouted. He thought back to what had triggered the change in his chakra. He had just felt warm; from both the sun on his back and the summer's heat in his dreams. He had unconsciously moulded his chakra to reflect that warmth, and it had manifested as Yang chakra.

Picking up the sunflower, Bolt tried again. This time, knowing what he had to do, and with focus, Bolt felt his fingertips grow unnaturally warm as Yang chakra flowed through them. A few tiny leaves sprouted on the sunflower's stalk. Bolt set the pot down and jumped to his feet, excited beyond words.

Now he could figure out why the scroll wanted him to learn Yang Release.

"What are you doing?" Hikari asked, her voice cold. Bolt stopped his celebratory dancing.

"Uh, nothing, just... you know, exercising," Bolt lied. He could clearly see the girl's eyes roll behind her mask at his blatant lie.

"Whatever," Hikari dismissed him. "We're docking at a small village to buy some supplies. You're free to look around, but don't go too far."

Bolt felt his cheeks redden. She always had a way of sneaking up on him when he was doing something stupid. "Thanks," he told her, but she was already gone. Bolt withdrew a scroll from under his mattress and unrolled it before applying a bit of his chakra to the characters on the parchment. It divulged a small stack of ryō—spending money. Bolt smiled as he counted his newfound wealth. Though the Hokage, his father, was well paid, and his mother, an heiress of the wealthy Hyūga clan, were both wealthy themselves, they had been adamant about giving their children a reasonable allowance. And nobody his age, heir to a clan or not, had an allowance as big as his was now. Of course, most people his age weren't collecting bounties and weren't thieves.

Bolt shivered as he keenly felt the weight of one particular scroll on his waist. Hiroki had taken him aside and asked him to create a sealing scroll—for bodies, in particular. Just in case, he had said. Since Eiji had him working with either Hiroki and Takeo, or Hikari, Bolt thought it was a reasonable, if macabre, request. They were essentially teammates now, though they would never replace Sarada and Mitsuki. So, with a heavy heart, he went through the motions of creating a scroll to store bodies. It was the least tasteful thing he had done with his newfound skill set.

A bell tolled in the distance, and Bolt knew they were getting closer to port. If he strained his ears, he could just make out the dull roar of people going about their day-to-day lives. Looking out the porthole in his cabin, he saw men on dilapidated fishing boats hoisting nets of floundering fish aboard. A few stopped to look at their ship as they passed, some offering nods or waves of greetings to no one in particular.

Locking up his room, Bolt quickly made his way above deck. The mercenaries of the Crimson Tide were furling the sails and tying up the rigging—making ready to dock. The port they were mooring at was larger than any other Bolt had seen so far, though that wasn't saying much. It seemed more of a trading hub than a fishing village, with districts filled with stalls and shops just past the docks.

The mercenaries were all too happy to be on dry land once more. Their ship was a bygone of a forgotten age, rickety and wooden, relying on sails to power it. Newer metal, industrial ships operated on coal, and were much more comfortable. Bolt spied Hiroki helping Takeo limp into town, the larger rogue shooing him away. Their friendship was interesting, to say the least.

Bolt meandered through the shopping districts, idly perusing wares. A few vendors scurried away from the mercenaries, but most were happy to have them as customers. It seemed the people neither feared nor cared that they were mercenaries. There were all kinds of vendors peddling their wares; some sold food, others small knickknacks and trinkets. There were a few vendors that sold scavenged ninja tools and weapons from a bygone age. One such vendor, in particular, had a selection of ornamental scrolls used for sealing. They were similar to the scroll he had stored in his forearm—parchment as white as snow, capped at both ends with engraved metal. They weren't meant for battle, but for storing secrets and valuables. Bolt bought a handful of them and had plenty of money left over to spare.

As he explored the port, Bolt ran across several other Crimson Tide members. Most ignored him, but a few gave him polite nods of recognition. After an hour, and convinced that he had seen at least everything once, Bolt grew bored. Wandering through the winding streets, he worked his way back to their rickety ship for the evening. He'd probably have the place almost entirely to himself, as the older mercenaries tended to drink themselves into oblivion whenever they docked.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bolt spied something. It was an older portly woman manning a stand halfway between the alleyway and the street. She had a small collection sweets and cakes on display, casually fanning herself with a small handheld fan. Feeling the weight of his newly purchased scrolls, Bolt got an idea. A stupid one, one that would probably get him in trouble, but one he liked nonetheless. The baker was all too happy to part with one of her freshly made white cakes topped with strawberries. Her eyes were wide as Bolt placed a scroll on the counter and quickly sealed the cake into it.

"Thanks," Bolt said with a smile as he darted back through the town towards the tallest building. He had seen hawks flying to and from the highest room of the building, and knew from his brief travels that it was probably the nearest rookery in the Land of Water.

It only cost him a handful of ryō to have the hawk fly back to the Hidden Leaf.

"Remember," Eiji chided. "We don't want it to seem like he was assassinated. The client was very specific about this. It has to look natural."

Hikari sighed. "Yes, Eiji. I understand. I have done this before, you know," she said, vaguely pointing at her hunter mask she scarcely removed.

"I know, I know," he said with a small chuckle. "I just worry, that's all."

"About your money," Hikari quipped.

Eiji boomed with laughter that was cut short as Hikari elbowed him in the ribs harder than was necessary. The older man hissed in pain, clutching his ribs. "Be quiet," Hikari commanded. "Do you want everyone in this hovel to know we are here?"

A few patrons of the teahouse they were seated in glared at Eiji for interrupting their afternoon tea. Most, however, were sending glares at a man seated at the rear of the teahouse. Some were envious, some hateful. A tall man dressed in colorful silk robes sat in a large booth. On either side of him were two beautiful women that served him tea and made small talk. He was a successful merchant of some regard in the small port they were docked in. He owned a myriad of stalls and shops that sold supplies and tools vital to life in the Land of Water. Much of his success was attributed to buying out his competition. Unfortunately for the man, whenever that competition refused to sell, he resorted to more underhanded tactics.

Apparently, he had angered one such competitor who had the money to strike back. Whilst the ninja villages no longer provided assassination contracts, as per their peace treaty following the end of the war, mercenaries did—and it was quite profitable.

Hikari stood and deftly weaved between tables and customers alike as she headed to the kitchen. The door wasn't even barred on the other side. She came face-to-face with a startled serving girl who held a platter of tea in one hand and a platter of dumplings in the other. She flinched when she saw Hikari's mask, stumbling and dropping both platters. With lightning speed, Hikari snatched up both platters and placed them on a nearby counter without so much as a sound. Before the serving girl had realized what had happened, Hikari had pricked her with a needle. Instantly, the poison took effect and the girl fell asleep. Hikari caught her and hid her in a nearby pantry.

After assuring herself that no one had seen her assault the waitress, Hikari reached up and removed her mask. She hid it with the unconscious girl and moved to examine herself in the reflection of a nearby piece of fine china. She removed her throwing needles she kept in her hair, allowing it to fall and frame her face naturally. Hikari weaved a few hand seals and watched as her appearance shifted. Her silky black hair faded and became a dull brown, while her skin—naturally pale due to the lack of sun in the cloudy Land of Water, doubly so considering she always wore her mask—darkened, and became pleasantly tanned. Her eyes, normally as green as the sea, turned a warm brown color.

Satisfied that the transformation jutsu mirrored the waitress, Hikari nodded to herself. With a sigh of disdain, she unbuttoned her blouse to expose more pale cleavage than was proper. Turning on her heels, she stalked over to the platters of tea and dumplings. She withdrew a small vial of clear liquid and put a single drop in the cup nearest her hand. Stowing the poison, she took both platters and exited the kitchen. From there, it took her only moments to reach the merchant the Crimson Tide was hired to kill.

Hikari felt the merchant's eyes on her before she saw them. She scowled inwardly as he examined her, but kept a small smile on her lips all the while. She bowed respectfully to him, and then placed both platters on the table. She dipped low as she served him and his escorts their tea and food, allowing him to see down her shirt ever so slightly. She made sure that the poisoned tea was set in front of the merchant.

Straightening, Hikari almost flinched as the man held her by the wrist gently. "I knew you couldn't resist my charms for long," he whispered. Hikari felt the urge to scowl, but resisted. Mostly, she felt sorry for the poor girl whose place she had taken. Having to deal with this kind of scum was a cruel and unusual torture.

Hikari allowed a small amount of blush to tinge her cheeks. "Come, drink with me," he said, flashing her a toothy, charming smile.

The two escorts who had been sitting next to him stood and moved to the opposite side of the booth, allowing Hikari to sit next to their master. The merchant pushed a cup of tea across the table for her. Hikari made sure it wasn't poisoned; not that she was worried. No poison-user used poisons they were not already immune to, but it would be exponentially more difficult to poison the man right in front of him if she had to drink the poisoned tea. Thankfully, it was one of the escort's cups.

:So, tell me about yourself," he whispered to her, as Hikari took a small sip of tea. She cursed, not thinking to get the girl's name earlier. She felt her pulse quicken the longer the silence dragged on. "Shy as ever, I see," the merchant sighed, shaking his head and chuckling under his breath.

Hikari thanked whatever god of death was watching over her for her luck. "Tell me about yourself," she quipped, her voice purposely soft and quiet. It was a pale imitation of the brief scream of surprise that died in the waitress' throat.

The merchant smiled and cleared his throat before taking a small sip of the tea Hikari had served him. She felt the corners of her lips twitch upwards in victory as the mission was completed. "I'm surprised you haven't heard of me, I'm—"

"There you are!" A stout, portly man shouted, waddling over to Hikari. "Your break isn't for another hour, girl. Back to work!"

Hikari muttered a quick apology to the merchant as she stood and bowed in apology to the owner of the teahouse. She ducked back inside the kitchens and donned her mask, giving the waitress the antidote for the sleeping drug she had given her. Hikari slipped out into an alleyway through the back door. Eiji materialized in the shadow of a building next to her.

Hikari gave him a single nod.

Mission accomplished.

A/N:

Sorry for the slight lateness of this chapter. Next chapter deals almost entirely with Sarada, Himawari, and the Hidden Leaf? Maybe? Maybe. As for where I'm headed with those characters:

Sarada—more of a classical Uchiha fighter, think Shisui and Itachi pre-Mangekyō. I'm undecided, but I'm thinking about not giving her the Mangekyō. I kind of want to move away from the crazy OP eyes and return more to the roots of the series. The whole thing just got more and more ridiculous with Susano'o and the time-space stuff, and the whole reality manipulation genjutsu... yeah, let us not go there again. That is not to say we won't see the Mangekyō Sharingan, just not hers. In the extremely rare event she does end up with the Mangekyō, it will not be related to Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi in any way, shape, or form.

Himawari—sort of the spiritual successor to Naruto, but not really. Think more of a combination between Jiraiya and Minato. We'll see all the hallmarks of both characters, with a bit of Hyūga thrown in the mix. Should be some good times.

As for where we're going with the plot, it's kind of hard to say without spoiling future events. Needless to say, peace is not forever, and there will be a new threat for the hidden villages to face. I imagine it will become apparent to some readers when the first hints are dropped a few (10?) chapters from now.

There have been quite a few reviewers clamoring for pairing Bolt and Hikari, and that will largely depend on how you like her as a character. Regardless of pairing, Hikari is a recurrent major character who we will see almost the entire story as Bolt's friend and companion. The tail end of this chapter was her first point-of-view chapter, so we shall see where this takes us. We won't see too many of these POVs, as the story mostly revolves around Bolt, but there will be some, especially as more and more original characters are introduced and their function in the story becomes apparent.

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you could leave a review, I'd appreciate it. In particular, what you thought of Hikari's POV chapter.

- Musica