A/N: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Slow-burn romance.
Three years and are we any closer to the end?
A black mask, in the shape of a cat, sits still as stone on Yumi's face. Her eyes lock onto a flickering orange dot in the distance - a campfire - nestled along an enclave of the mountainside.
She'd been searching for a group of three Iwa nin, rumored to be transporting a list of Officials from various villages about to enter into an alliance against Konoha. The mission: intercept them before they could leave the Land of Fire. Retrieve the documents but do not open them - they are for Danzo's eyes ONLY. And as usual, leave no survivors.
All she was told was that one of them, likely the leader, could be identified by his huge stature - 8 feet tall, built like a rock, with a scarred gash across his jugular.
She pulls up the hood of her cloak and closes her eyes, fully blending in with the quiet shadows of the night.
Her senses stretch toward the campfire. Two asleep. One on guard.
The guard hops down from his perch in the trees. His landing, while well-practiced and skilled, is heavy. It moves the earth with a shake and unsettles the air. Judging by the shift of the air, he is at least 280 pounds. He could be it.
The guard walks the perimeter of the campsite as she watches and analyzes. Yes, 8 feet. It's him.
Her eyes open - a beautiful gold glimmering under the moon. She likes her eyes. These days, it's the only thing about herself she recognizes. Her hair has long been kept short - shaved on her initiation. And day in and day out she is wrapped in the indistinguishable black cloak.
Time to finish this.
The enemy is not weak, but she can read them in the darkness as well as in the light.
And when her blade sinks into his chest, she thinks of the life she takes - she truly does. But she also thinks of the hatred in his heart. And the suffering of this war. She doesn't hesitate as she slits the throats of his two companions.
She does this all without a word.
Even as they ask her name, she stays quiet.
Even as they beg for mercy, she stays quiet.
Even as they make their final depart of this world, she stays quiet.
For three years she's been quiet.
"You're late!" Kurenai shakes her head.
"On my way here I helped a little girl get her kite out of the tree, but - "
Kurenai admonishes Kakashi with a light smack on the back of the head.
"Ah, gomen."
Asuma exhales a thick plume of smoke, then throws his arm around Kakashi's shoulder. Asuma, while only a year and half difference in age, had already shed any boyish features he had left. He shows a light stubble even at 14-years-old.
"C'mon it's Genma's birthday tonight. Let's let loose for once."
He sends a secretive smirk Kurenai's way - though hardly secretive when amidst ninja. She blushes, but smiles widely back.
Kakashi glances away, scratching at his cheek. How obvious.
"There goes Danzo's pet."
A group of older recruits eye her warily.
"I hear he doesn't even have a soul"
"He's just a lifeless puppet."
She walks past them without a sound. And honestly, without a care. She has more to dwell on than whispers and jealousies.
Under her coat she holds the scroll close to her chest. The parchment is old - weathered, but in well-maintained condition. Why would a list of current Konoha spies be on this scroll? It's obviously an artifact of some sort, maybe a clan heirloom.
But she already knows what Danzo would say. That is not for you to know. That is not for you to question.
She grips the scroll, running her finger along the soft, grainy textures of the parchment. Like the delicate fur of a mint leaf.
The material itself a piece of history.
Only for Danzo's eyes.
Follow orders. The mark on her tongue and the lashings across her body ensure that.
And she would have.
But when she turns the corner she sees slightly curled black tufts of hair and sharp, black eyes. Shisui stands beside his Fugaku outside Danzo's door - both decked in full Uchiha police garb.The first thing she thinks is how much she misses his smile.
And as if by her command, he smiles her way. Not as openly as a child, but with the warmth he would never lose.
She stops mid-step.
And for the first time in a long time, she doesn't follow orders.
She runs back the way she came, because if she doesn't, she'll pull off her mask and smile right back at him.
A sticky residue lingers on every surface of the bar. It's loud and cramped and it seems every hour someone manages to drop their drink. And every time that happens, the bar goes up in cheers for the too-far-gone patron.
He systematically chats to one or two familiar ninja, then retreats to a corner to people watch. Genma has his eyes on too many women to end well, but he's certainly enjoying the party.
He sips lightly at his beer - already accustomed to alcohol as it comes in handy on many an undercover mission. He likes the slight buzz as it dulls the loud music and louder crowd.
Tonight he's allowing that dullness to tug him any which way it wants.
He lets Asuma buy them another round of drinks.
He lets Gai pull him into the middle of the dance floor.
He lets a random woman circle her arms around his neck and swing her hips against him.
He lets himself give in.
To feel something or to prove to himself he feels nothing.
A/N: Sorry for the lag omg lol. Next chapters will have some flashbacks in them.