Please Believe Me
Chapter 14
"No." Ino said bluntly as she shook her head. "My answers not gonna change Tayuya. I just can't do that stuff."
"Ugh! Come on Ino! We're gonna be learning from the best around! I mean, shit what could be better? Oh yeah, the fact that we'd be learning this shit together!" she pointed out.
Still the blonde didn't relent, simply shaking her head. They were sitting at the breakfast table, the same topic from their previous night still claiming all of their conversation. Tayuya told her about the conversation with Naruto and everything he explained to her. Which is of course why she was so astounded that the girl was still denying. This was literally a once in a life time chance!
"Yes." Tayuya said, essentially answering for her.
"No" She responded immediately.
"yyyyes."
"No."
Tayuya sighed and stared at her, as if just waiting for her opportunity to get her to agree. "… Yes."
"No Tayu." She again denied.
"Ino come ooon." She whined out receiving a simple headshake from the blond. She sighed again and looked down to her plate. With a bit of a sly smile, she grabbed her fork. "How abooout for a hearty piece of sausage?" she asked, an upward inflexion to her tone, displaying her hopeful endeavor. Ino gave her the visual equivalent of calling her stupid, but of course Tayuya took it with a grain of salt. "Or maybeeee an extra pancake?"
Ino chuckled at her poor attempts and stood to her feet, taking her plate and cup with her. "No Tayu I don't take food bribes."
"Well, still you accept though right? I mean, we need this." She said, hopefully.
Ino just shook her head. "No, I jus-… I can't do that stuff.
"Ino, this is everything I've ever wanted… sort of." She said, correcting herself. "And I'm not gonna do it without you."
The blonde sighed in apparent irritation. "Tayu… why is this such a big deal for you? I mean, I already told you I'll be fine. I-.. I'll just move back in with my parents… tell them it didn't work out and everything would just… be fine."
"Would it though?" Tayuya asked in a knowing tone. "Ino what are you planning on doing with your life? Jus-… sit around your parents house all day? I mean… i- I get that you've almost lost your life a few times… I get that you're scared and all, but… but what's the point of living just to live? Don't you want to do something with your life?... Something that matters?"
"Tayuya stop please." The blonde said shaking her head. She really didn't need this from her.
"Hey, I'm just saying." She said putting her hands up defensively. "I mean, shit. One day you're upset that your parents say you're too weak to be in the real world and then an opportunity comes knockin' at your door and you won't take it. Come on Ino." Ino rolled her eyes and continued scrubbing her plate at the sink which was still visible from the table. "This is such a simple thing to decide right here. You have to put aside those doubts about fear or-or joy and make a decision… do you want to help people, yes or no?"
That question hung in the air for what felt like minutes. It perplexed Ino on so many levels. First of all, this was Tayuya giving her an ultimatum that would literally decide the course of her life, and she had only met the girl a few months ago! What a strange way to reintegrate back into society, through the help of a technical stranger. Well, that wasn't necessarily true. It almost felt as though Tayuya was an old friend the way they've been spending time together. With Sakura still off in lala land with her rich boyfriend it was safe to say she lost her spot as Ino's bestfriend.
But, back to that question she asked. Ino knew the answer without a doubt. She knew it as soon as Tayuya asked. But, the fear of that answers outcome held her tongue. That's all she's ever wanted to do is help people, but was there really no other way? What made Naruto just decide she's cut out for this stuff? Just because she can see ghosts? What other qualifications could there be? Screaming and running don't really seem to fit that category.
"Tayuya… what if… what if I can't though?" She asked, looking down with a glazed over look, imagining the outcome of her trying and failing. The redhead didn't seem to understand. "What if I can't save someone… and..."
Tayuya caught onto what she was trying to say and thought about what it was she was implying. She grabbed her plate and walked towards the sink, dumping her stuff inside, all while contemplating her response to that. How would one respond to that?
"Ino… you…" Nothing was coming to her. "If you… if you think about it… people will die if you don't… I mean, if you really have those abilities… and you just choose not to use them, then it'd be like… like a doctor not saving someone's life, because they think they'll fail…"
Goddamn it Tayuya. That, for Ino, made this a lot more difficult. "Yeah, but… w-… what good is a doctor who's afraid of blood?" she asked, rolling with her analogy.
"We're all afraid of something Ino." She replied. "I mean, there's only one type of person who has ever become anything by being afraid… and that's a coward… Look, I… I don't even know if I'll be good enough to do this… but, I want to try… I want to try because my dream lies within it… I told you… I want to travel the world, it's been my dream since I was little... If I have to kick some demon ass to do so then that's what I'm gonna do… and I'm not doing it without you."
Ino sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "I-… Tayuya, I just don't know." She said, still not too sure about it. Her words were definitely convincing, but with the things she's seen, Ino was not walking into something like this that easily.
Tayuya grimaced at her reluctance. "Ok, look." She said, apparently reaching her limit for the blonde's difficulty. "You do this 5 month training thing with me… and at the end of the 5 months, if you still don't want to do it, we won't do it." She suggested.
Ino sighed in frustration once again. It was like the girl was trying to guilt trip her with verbal puppy dog eyes. "Tayuya, no tha-… No dude, you have to do this… like you said it's what you've always wanted." She argued. "I told you I can just move in with my pa-.."
"No! Ino, I told you, I'm not fucking doing this without you!" she argued back, raising her voice a bit.
"Tayu, we wouldn't even be working together." The blonde replied.
"For 5 months we will be! And besides, I'd still be paying rent and all when I leave. I mean, I know I'm gonna be traveling around with the douchebag or whatever, but I'd still pay rent so that I can keep my stuff here." She said with a shrug, figuring that's what she was afraid of.
"It's not about that." Ino said. "I just… why does it matter to you so much? I mean, from what you've told me, he's gonna pay you more than enough for you to live comfortably and you're going to be staying in paid hotels wherever you go and… I mean, I'd be at home and… possibly working somewh-.."
"Because you're my friend…"
Ino stopped in her rant at that proclamation and eyed the redhead who seemed a lot more serious than she was comfortable with. Those words felt so heavy right now for some reason.
"My… my bestfriend…" those were even more brutal. "My only friend... and I don't want to see you fail… I-… I want you to fly with me Ino… I want us to be like… fuckin badasses together you know?" she proclaimed with a chuckle. "I-… I want you with me on this, because you're the… strongest person I know, so… if you can't handle it then… there's no way I could."
Ino was feeling sick to her stomach right now, but the throbbing of her heart seemed to dwarf that sensation completely. Why was she doing this to her. How could she possibly deny such a request when it was worded like that? She just stared at the redheaded girl, bewildered by this new side to her. She's always known there was a much sweeter side to her, but actually seeing it was something special to Ino. "… I-… I don't know…" she said, further disappointing her friend. "m-Maybe I'll be good at it."
Slowly, a smile began rising on Tayuya's face until it was nearly ear to ear. "REALLY!? INO! FUCK YES! This is great!" she said jumping in excitement. "Just in fuckin time! Ok, lets go get ready, we've got a meeting with our boss in a few hours!" she said as she sprang back to her room, Ino following.
"Wait… when did you call him?" she asked in confusion.
Tayuya turned back to her and shrugged. "Last night after our first talk." She said slyly. "I knew I'd get you to accept before too long. Took a lot longer than expected, but Ino, you won't regret this! Now hurry, we've got to look bomb as fuck for this! So, lets move it!"
Ino mentally groaned. What did she get herself into this time?
All dressed and prettied up, Tayuya and Ino sat at a booth in the nearly out of service diner that Ino still currently held a job at, just waiting for Naruto. Tayuya took this time to inform Ino a bit more about what they were going to be working on. She grew even more hesitant when she was told about them possibly using guns, but it was far too late to back out now.
As she sat there and listened to her, Ino mentally thought about what she was going to say to Naruto. Should she apologize for blowing off his first proposal? Was there a reason to? It felt like things would be sort of awkward throughout the five month training period if she didn't. It wasn't like she cursed him out or anything, but she was rather rude. With how often they were going to be seeing each other, maybe she would, just out of common curtesy.
"Hey, you even listening to me?" Tayuya called out to her grabbing her attention.
Ino blinked herself out of her stupor. "u-Uh, yeah. Yeah sorry." She said as she flipped the hair resting over her shoulder back behind her.
"Well, then answer my question." The redhead said in a threatening way. Ino's confused face said it all. Tayuya rolled her eyes. "I said, do you think the training will be tough?"
"Oh. Uh… I'm not sure… It might be a lot of studying." She offered.
Tayuya's demeanor instantly dropped. "Ugh, you think he's gonna make us read the bible all day? I mean, he doesn't really seem like the religious type, but with the line of work he's in, it makes sense."
Ino shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I mean, he has a lot of religious stuff in his car." She offered.
"What do you mean? Like bibles and stuff?"
"Yeah." She replied. "Uh, in his glove box, he has like holy water, bibles, and crosses."
Tayuya seemed interested at the least. "Huh, maybe he is hardcore Christian… maybe we should ask him."
"Why? Does it really matter?" Ino asked.
Tayuya gave her an annoyed look. "No dummy. But, I'm curious. He just never struck me as a religious nut."
"Because I'm not." A deep voice said from behind them as Naruto and Ghost came walking up to the booth. Well, Naruto walking, and Ghost damn near sprinting towards the familiar scents as he hopped up onto Ino, his tail wagging furiously as he sniffed and licked the two girls.
"Hey Ghosters! How are you, you little cute fuckin cutey!" Tayuya cooed with glee as she rubbed his face and ears. Ino was just waiting for the pooch to get off of her as she gently pet his back. "Hey boss man! How's it going!?"
Naruto whistled for Ghost to listen and snapped his fingers, pointing towards the other side of the booth. The pooch got the message and hopped into his spot, followed by Naruto. "It's going well. How are you?"
"Ah, I'm holdin' up. Just can't wait to start is all!" she proclaimed proudly.
Naruto nodded with a small smile. "Great. And how are you?" he asked looking towards the girl right in front of him.
"I'm-I'm fine." She replied. "Just uh…"
"Excited for this amazing opportunity!" Tayuya finished for her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "We are so ready for this shit boss!"
Naruto nodded, unsure what the tension was about. "Well ok then. I was glad to hear you accepted my offer." He said addressing Ino further. "I completely understand your previous reluctance. It's only a natural reaction to this sort of work. But, the way I see it, someone has to do it." He said with a shrug.
"Amen to that!" Tayuya said comically. "-and trust me. Ino and I will become the best damn demon hunting chicks ever!"
Naruto smiled, amused by her eagerness. "Ok. Well, before that happens, the training comes first. I was a bit vague in my description yesterday. If you have any questions about any of that stuff, I'll answer those first."
"Uh, yeah." Tayuya said. "You mentioned gun training. I'm all down for that shit, but what exactly will I need that for?" she asked.
"Well uh, we do more than exorcisms. Are you familiar with the darkweb?" he asked. They both shook their heads no. Naruto nodded. "Right, well. The darkweb is essentially the uh… the unrestricted part of the internet in which anything illegal or disturbing lives. It is here that our mutual friend Bug does his handy work in both finding us cases and hunting down the devious users. These users are sometimes uh… child slavery owners, murderers who use their website as a camshow to displaying their murders, and pretty much anything you can think of."
"Holy shit dude." Tayuya said with a chuckle. "That's fucking insane… but, why does he do it? I mean, I'm sure they have police who do that right?"
"Well, yes, but Bug is a bit more advanced than anyone you would meet within a federal agency. He can hack into absolutely anything. Darkweb users utilize different types of search engines that render them anonymous online. They can hide their IP address, remove their online visibility altogether and essentially roam freely within the interconnected den of monsters. But, Bug can find them given the right circumstances. So, he browses the darkweb daily, looking for whatever he can dig up and when an emergency strikes, he lets us know so that we may go and… prevent the problem."
"Prevent the problem?" Tayuya asked. "You mean like… like killing?"
Naruto shrugged. "If the situation calls for it… You don't have to be with him on those specific escapades if you don't wish to." He informed her. "For those, he is more than able and willing to handle them on his own… in fact he enjoys those a bit too much."
"w-Wait… would, would I have to do that?" Ino asked, clearly not liking that idea one bit.
Naruto shook his head. "No. You would likely strictly be dealing with investigating hoaxes."
"i-… investigating?" she asked, unsure what he meant by that.
He nodded. "Meaning, when a case springs up gaining more attention than the church can handle, they'll send you in to investigate. If you find concrete evidence, then you inform the church."
"So, I wouldn't be doing anything?" she asked. "I wouldn't… be doing exorcisms?"
"Well… no not necessarily. I mean, there is a risk with performing exorcisms and there's a certain… something you would need to have, but I don't really see you gaining that."
"… What's that?" she asked.
Naruto just pursed his lips together in thought. "We'll just say its best if you stick with the scouting."
"Hold on, we'll be working with the church?" Tayuya asked, cutting into their brief back and forth. "I thought we were going to be doing what you're doing."
"Well, you will." He said nodding to her. "But uh… Ino you'll be receiving orders from someone in the church. I'm still paying you, but most of your involvement will be with the church." She seemed to sink back into her seat a bit, seemingly disappointed by that news for some reason. Naruto was curious, but didn't voice it.
"So, over these five months, what else will we be learning?" She asked.
"You'll learn everything you need to know about defending yourselves against the paranormal… simple as that."
Tayuya nodded and glanced over to Ino. "Seems easy enough." Their previous conversation arose in her head, bringing with it yet another question she was eager to know. "Wait, will there be a lot of reading?" Naruto thought about it. "Uh, yeah a bit. There will also be some cases in which you will shadow an exorcists apprentice during a case, but that'll be a while. We just have to make sure you're ready."
Tayuya had a giddy smile which completely contrasted Ino's look of udder fear and worry. "Great, and we're getting paid for this five months too right?" she asked, just looking for clarification. Naruto simply nodded. "Okay boss man! When do we start?"
"Tomorrow, 6 a.m." he pulled out a white card from his jacket pocket. "Head to this address and your training will begin." With that said, he looked down to Ghost who had fallen asleep with his head in his lap. "Come on boy." He said waking him up. "See you soon."
"Bye!" Tayuya said, waving to him.
"y-… yeah… bye." Ino said awkwardly, her mind still processing all of that information. It was a lot to take in. She would just have to wait and see how things go. Who knows, maybe it won't be so bad.
(The next morning)
"Is… is this it?" Tayuya asked as they sat in the car, staring at the house they were told to go to. It looked like… a regular two story house. Nothing they were expecting from someone apparently as rich as Naruto.
"This is the address." Ino said, double checking the card.
Tayuya cut the car off. "Oh man, that's shitty. I'm so underwhelmed." They got out of the car adjusting their casual outfits on their way to the door. They weren't really sure what to expect on their first day so they dressed for something physical just in case. "I bet it's kickass inside though." Tayuya said which Ino more or less promptly ignored.
As they headed up the steps, Ino stopped and thought about something. "w-Wait… what if he just bought another haunted house?"
Tayuya looked back at her in thought. "… No, he wouldn't do that to you twice." She figured. "I bet it's just like—a house he uses when he's in Konoha or something. We shouldn't overthink it." They continued up, albeit a bit more cautiously with Ino's guess freshly planted in their minds. As they made it to the door, they both just stared at the doorknob for a moment. Tayuya rolled her eyes. "Ugh, your stupid comments has me too scared to ring it Barbie, geez." Fighting through that fear, she raised a shaky hand and rang it."
They heard the muffled sound of its hollow ring and waited. And waited… "r-… ring it again?" Ino asked.
As Tayuya reached for the button, the door began unlocking, so she jerked her hand back as if she were doing something wrong. When the last lock was opened, the door swung open to reveal something neither of them were expecting…. It was a beautiful woman with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a beauty mark beneath her right eye. Were they at the wrong house?
Tayuya, taking the initiative stepped up to greet her. "u-Uh, I'm sorry, I think we may have the wrong address." She said as she and Ino began to leave.
"You are Tayuya and Ino, correct?" her rather bland voice said, catching their ears. They both turned back, nodding their heads. "Come in. My husband is just getting ready." She said, further confusing them. Was… was Naruto married? She seems so much… older than him.
Regardless, she seemed to know them and expect them, so this was definitely the correct address. They followed her in, Ino shutting the door behind her. Tayuya, never being one to hold her tongue, asked the question she and Ino were wondering. "I'm sorry, but who are you exactly?"
The woman walked towards the steps and turned back when Tayuya addressed her. "My name is Hanare. Hanare Hatake." Just as she introduced herself, their attention shifted to the man in the mask coming down the steps. "You are here for my husband correct?"
"I do-.." Tayuya was about to say.
"Ah. Right on time it would seem." Kakashi said. "Welcome. Welcome. Tayuya and Ino. I am Kakashi." He walked over to them and stuck his hand out, shaking both of theirs. "I will be handling the first part of your training-," he said nodding to Tayuya, he then glanced towards Ino, "-and all of yours… a pleasure."
"Whoa whoa, hold on!" Tayuya said, stopping everyone. "I thought Naruto was training us?"
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, but quickly understood the confusion. He gave them a rather strange eye smile as he scratched the back of his head. "Ah, heh-heh. It's just like him to leave something out." He said. "I guess he didn't tell you, but no. He is rather busy with cases and the sort, in fact I believe he flew out for Iwa just last night."
"Oh… ok, well who are you?" The redhead asked, needing moree information.
"I am Father Kakashi." He said, assuming that's what she wanted to know. "I'm a priest who specializes in exorcisms and demonology. Naruto has asked me to train you two in paranormal defensive techniques… and scouting."
"Umm… okay? Well, he didn't tell us anything like that." The redhead informed him.
"Will that be a problem?" he asked, sensing she had some sort of issue with it.
She shook her head. "No, it's no problem. I just don't know you is all…"
He shrugged. It was a reasonable reaction. "Well, you will get to know me very well, and I hope I get to know you two as well. Now, if you will please follow me to my study, we will begin with some introductions."
That's exactly what they did. They bid his wife a good day and headed down to their basement which is where Kakashi's study resided. Within the rather spacious room was a fair sized desk, religious symbols and writing all around the room, and two seats positioned in front of his desk. Once seated, Tayuya and Ino awaited further instruction from the masked man, both wondering what it was beneath that mask of his. Again, not one to hold her tongue, Tayuya voiced that question.
"Hey, what's the deal with the mask? You a burn victim or something?" She asked, receiving a nudge from Ino who didn't like how rudely she phrased that.
Kakashi chuckled lightly. "No, nothing like that." He said with that creepy eye smile again. "When I was younger I was raised upon my father's religion which forbade men from displaying their face for anyone but their wives. I'm Catholic now of course, but it's just become something of a mystery for my students so I hold onto it."
"Students? You mean, you have more than just us?" Ino asked, speaking up for the first time.
Kakashi tilted his head side to side. "Well, I did. Two others before you two. That was a few years back."
"Naruto was one of them?"
"He was yes. Arguably the best." He pointed out. "I don't know if either of you have seen him in action, but the kid is… is truly something else." He was staring off into the middle distance in thought for a while before he zoned back into reality. "Yeah, but I did train him in the ways of exorcism, but he surpassed me long ago."
"When did you train him?" Ino asked curiously.
Kakashi looked up in thought. "He was about 16 at the time I believe, and it took me a little under a year to teach him all I knew."
"Whoa, a little under a year?" Tayuya asked incredulously. Kakashi nodded. "-and you guys expect us to learn in five months…"
He chuckled lightly. "No, not exactly. You, Tayuya are only learning defensive techniques to protect yourself when facing the paranormal. That's the easy part. It took him about a solid two months to get that down, but he was already well versed in Demonology at the time, which is why we are giving you five… and that's also the deadline for when your job should begin." The redhead nodded in understanding. "But, you blondie, will be with me for quite some time so long as you choose to stay." She seemed shocked he knew about her iffy acceptance. "Naruto tells me you're on the fence about all of this."
She nodded meekly. "y-yeah, it's just… I'm jus- not too sure I'm cut out for this stuff." She admit.
Kakashi nodded in understand. "Trust me, no one thinks that at first, but give it some time and I'm sure you'll see how valuable your talents are." he advised. "Naruto says you have some potent sight. For someone with sight like his, that's no statement to be taken lightly."
"Ok, hold on." Tayuya butt in yet again. "What is this sight thing? Like, seeing ghosts? I mean, we went to this old Mill for this stupid little thing and we both saw a ghost. Plain as day. So doesn't that mean I have sight too?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Not necessarily." He sat up a bit straighter in his seat, ready to drop their first lesson on them. "You see, ghosts are able to present themselves to normal people through one thing and one thing alone, and that's fear. So, the reason you were able to view that apparition alongside Ino was because you were likely afraid. But, for people like Ino and Naruto, they don't need fear to see them. Depending on how strong their sight, they either view them as clearly as any other person, or they catch glimpses of them from time to time. I'm willing to bet Ino here saw it long before you did, am I correct?"
She nodded. "y-Yeah. It was in the office with me when I went upstairs."
Kakashi nodded. "You know, I have high hopes for you two. I'm not sure if he told you yet or not, but there are more paranormal cases than ever at the moment, and shamefully, the church is under more heat than ever, which is preventing us from stepping foot into anything resembling a hoax."
"What does that mean?" Tayuya asked.
"It means, including Naruto… there arrrre only twenty-one other authentic paranormal investigators, outside of the church, who are capable of exorcisms left… in the world right now." They didn't seem to fully grasp what that meant yet. "That is the equivalent to having… say two police officers covering an entire city."
"That's insane dude." Tayuya said astonished by that ridiculous scale.
Kakashi nodded in agreement. "-add to the fact that Naruto essentially does the work for four, I guess you could double that, but even so."
"Does the work for four?" Ino asked, wanting him to elaborate on that a bit.
"Oh, the kid has no off button." He continued. "I mean, he flies from here to Iwa, Suna, wherever he's needed. I'm not sure how much sleep he gets exactly, but it's a very low number.
"Okay… THAT is insane." Tayuya repeated. "I mean, geez he doesn't take vacations or anything?"
"Nope. Not in the past three years." He said.
"I… gosh, that's just too much." The redhead finished.
Kakashi nodded. "Yeah, well. With my other student returning, it should take some of that load off… He won't have to travel as much with you two handling Iwa and Kumo."
"Hey what's this guys deal anyways?" Tayuya asked. "I mean, I'm grateful for the job, but really? Babysitting a grown man?"
Kakashi chuckled as if he were uncomfortable with the question. "Heh-heh, he's just a bit… frightening to some people. It uh, it used to be Naruto who kept him under wraps, but just as all people playing second fiddle, he wants to be on his own. Understandable of course, but he simply cannot be trusted in social situations on his own. He's usually too much for anyone else to handle, but Naruto seems to think you're rather perfect for the job."
She smiled and tucked her hands between her legs with a giddy look. "Awe, I'm flattered." She said playfully.
Kakashi chuckled at her antics. "Yes, well. I hope you stick around Tayuya." He said getting a bit gentler. "He's not a bad guy. He comes off as uh… rude and brash to most people, but inside, he's just a man who has seen far too much and masks it over that uh… well rather vulgar persona."
She waved him off. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm here to stay as long as I'm paid. I've dealt with assholes all my life, so this is no different."
"Tayuya." Ino said incredulously. "You can't curse in front of a priest."
Kakashi spoke up before she could. "Oh believe me, I'm rather used to it. You'll understand in time. But, since we are all here getting to know each other, we shall do introductions. Allow me to start." He said as they listened in. "Again, I'm Kakashi Hatake. Otherwise known as father Hatake or father Kakashi, either is fine. Uh… I like my wife… I dislike… hmm… My hobbies include reading, and my dreams for the future arrre a mystery to me… Ok, how about you next red?" he said gesturing towards Tayuya.
She seemed confused by all of this. "But, we all know each other now. Why do we have to do this?" she asked.
"Well, you guys know a bit about me, so its only fair that I know a bit about you two right?"
She sighed, seemingly annoyed by this tedious exercise. "Uh, I'm Tayuya. I uh… I like make-up uhhh… I don't like assholes, so this job should be fun for me… uhh, I don't really have many hobbies unless watching TV all day when I have nothing else to do counts." Kakashi shrugged apparently accepting that. "-and my dreams for the future are to travel."
The silver haired priest nodded. "Very nice. It would seem dreams do occasionally come true regardless of the circumstances. Traveling is something you will be doing a lot." She smiled and shrugged, as she thought about how amazing this opportunity was. "Ok, and new blondie?" he said nodding to Ino.
She got the hint he was referring to Naruto as the original. It was a bit daunting for him to make that comparison because if she didn't live up to that title, she'd feel like a disappointment. But, she did not voice those concerns. Instead she continued with her introduction. "Uhm, I'm Ino. I like uh… I like to help people… however I can…" She said, her voice slowly dying out as she said this. "Um… I-… I don't like uh… I don't- think I dislike anything." She admit.
"Ah, then you're a kind heart." Kakashi said, nodding for her to continue.
"I-… I mean, my hobbies are um… watching movies… uh, gardening… and that's—that's it." She said, sinking back into her seat.
"What about your dreams for the future?" Tayuya asked, reminding her of the last segment Kakashi gave out.
She sat back up straight in thought. "Uh, I- I don't know… I don't really have any." She admit.
"That's completely fine." Kakashi said as he stood to his feet. "We all find our way at some point in time. Now that all that's out of the way, I'd say we're all nice and comfortable with each other… more or less. So, how about we begin immediately?"
"i- uh, actually I have another question." Ino said, drawing his attention. "Uh… Naruto said that there is uh… there is something that I would need to have… in order to do exorcisms… and he said he doesn't think I'll ever have it…"
Kakashi eyed her for what felt like way too long. "… hmm…" he said in apparent thought as if he were looking for the answer to what it could be. "Well, I can't say I know for sure, but the kid typically knows his stuff so… uh, I wouldn't concern myself with stuff like that. You'll only be scouting anyways.
She seemed disappointed that she couldn't find out what this apparent disability of hers was, but she decided to leave it be for now.
Kakashi glanced between them for a moment as if expecting another question. When there was none, he nodded his head and walked towards the bookshelf behind him. Pulling two books out, he came strolling back. "Now… the first thing to be aware of is to know, as I'm sure you already do… ghosts are real."
A low growl escaped Ghost's clenched teeth as he stared down a dark hallway intently. The footsteps behind him didn't concern him. Naruto came walking up next to him, lit cigarette lodged between his lips, a flashlight in his right hand and a shotgun in his left, slung casually across his shoulder. His attire consisting of a white pull over hoodie, black jeans and black boots. Flashing the light in the direction Ghost was pointing with his snout, he saw nothing. As soon as he put the light back on him, the pooch was sniffling around once more. Walking around, he flashed the light around the grey walls, noting the mold and cracks that fit within this abandoned building.
Hearing the daring growl of Ghost once more, he flashed his light down towards the end of the hall. This time, he caught it. Well, a piece of it just as it was turning the corner. The heel of a very pale bare foot. He whistled getting Ghost's attention. "… Slow boy." He said quietly. Ghost understood and slow began creeping down the hall, Naruto directly behind him.
When they made it, the black pouch slowly peeked around the corner before freezing, apparently seeing something. Naruto watched him for a few seconds. He watched as he began to show his teeth in an almost silent growl. He whistled to him again, but a much lower whistle, almost accidental. Ghost crouched lower and lower until he was nearly on his chest. He then slowly began backing up, keeping his eyes on whatever he was looking at. He got to where only his head was peeking around and he laid there, watching whatever it was.
Naruto took another hit of his cigarette. "Stay boy." He said as he casually stepped around the corner. Flashing his light down there, he indeed saw the figure that caught Ghost's attention. It was a man wearing a very dirtied black suit. He was facing the other way. He was just about the same size as Naruto with short cropped brown hair. "What pit of hell did you crawl out of?" He asked casually.
There was no response.
So, Naruto did the most reasonable thing he could think of. "Hey." He flicked his cigarette towards him. The stick of nicotine bounced off of the strange man's back.
Slowly the figure began to turn. When he was fully facing Naruto, his visage was absolutely horrifying. His skin was a strange greyish color and his face was set into an almost permanent scowl. What was the most unsettling feature was his eyes. They were bloodshot red, no iris or pupil. Just fully bloodshot red with what seemed like bloody tears running down his face. "…Uzumaki…" his hollow voice rang out.
"Uhuh." Naruto said simply as he cocked the shotgun. "Been a while Ra." He stated simply. "You gonna make it easy for me this time around? Caught you pretty early… I'm here for the girl."
The black suited man shrugged. "How do you know she isn't dead already?"
"I'm pressed for time. Don't play games with me." He said simply. The black suited man took a single step back before his left leg was blown off at the knee cap and he toppled to the ground.
"RGHG!" he grunted in pain.
Naruto stepped closer to him. "Yeah, life hurts." He said simply as he aimed the gun down at the man's chest. "You gonna tell me where she is? We can end this early."
The man began to chuckle. "It won't be long before you're one of us… seeking the same thing we do…"
(BLAH!) "AAARGH!" Naruto shot his right arm off.
"Skip the speech. Like I told you, I'm pressed for time." He said cocking it again.
Still the man chuckled. "Heh-heheh! You'll crave life again more than anything… and you'll do anything to reach it."
(BLAH!) His other leg was gone. "AARGH!"
"You had to live once to miss it Ra. I know she's here somewhere. If you won't tell me, we'll just have to find her. Reconsider returning any time soon." He said putting the barrel to his head.
"I live within sin and in this world, sin will always live… As it fills within that body of yours… sin will always live." (BLAH!)
"Not tonight." Dumping the empty shell casings, Naruto whistled. "Ghost." He called him over. The black pooch came trotting towards him. "Go find her boy." He seemed to understand as he began sniffling around, looking for another scent. As he did that, Naruto pulled his phone out.
It rang twice before the person on the other side answered. 'Finished already?' Shino's voice rang through.
"He was still pretty fresh. Don't think he was alive too long." Naruto responded.
'Has the girl been retrieved?'
"Nope, but we're on it right now." He responded. "Where's my next case?"
'I have possible poltergeist activity at farmhouse in Kusa. It has been gaining a lot of media attention, but the case seems solid. I doubt the church will step in.'
"Fish a card out. If they call, explain the rules." He said simply as he heard Ghost bark from somewhere further down the hall. He began walking that way, flashing his light around. "Anything high importance?"
'I may have a possible ping on a darkweb camshow with a showing in six hours. It is best you head that way. Why? Because a town over has been investigating a missing child report for the past two weeks. It could be the culprit.'
Naruto reached where he heard Ghost barking and turned into the room he could hear him in. Sure enough, there he was, licking the face of a young girl who was curled up in a corner, a chain around her neck. "Send the address… -and we found her."