Chapter 30: A New Target

Approaching the bounty station located here in the Land of Fire, I held a bag full of heads. My ANBU gear was still covered in dried blood. One person stopped me.

"Hey! State your business!" He looked like a simple Chunin man. There was nothing particularly special about him.

"I'm here to collect a reward for my troubles." I held the bag up and he peered at it.

"Ah, this your first time?"

I nodded.

He sighed, "okay, newbie, come this way." I followed and he guided me in. It was strange to see that there was a lever behind a urinal to open this place up, however it was genius. These kinds of places were the underground type of operation. I went in with him and he showed me to the right person to collect on my bounty.

"Place the bag here." Another man said, in charge of inspection. I tossed it on the table without a word and he examined the heads and referenced back to the bingo book. He looked up at me. "Yep, they're all here... by the way...you're ANBU?" I gave a slight nod. "Huh...okay...we don't usually see your kind coming here...I need to file you as a bounty hunter." He found papers and put them in front of me after putting the heads behind the counter and into a bin. "You'll have to fill that out and read the agreement."

I picked the papers up and examined them. It was simple. They required a title or name and the country I come from...then I scanned the agreement. It was basically a privacy policy. I took the pen he offered and signed on the title: Angel and the country: Fire then returned the paperwork.

"Angel, huh?...Intersting..." he peered at my mask. "This place is a secret underground establishment. Next time don't make yourself so obvious, newbie." I gave another slight nod. He sighed and handed me more money than I've ever held before. "Alright, happy hunting."

I turned to leave after stuffing the money in my zipper pocket and securing it.

I could get used to this.

And I did. Over the course of four years, I continued to bring in missing and rouge ninja, only the ones that were labeled due to severe crimes like murder. This kept me busy and by the time I was sixteen, I was bringing bigger and badder guys...women, too, I wasn't bias. Loping off the heads of evil and getting money wasn't a bad gig. That is...until I realized that I had competition who wasn't at all friendly.

I had seen them once before. Creepy guys. They wore long black coats with red clouds on them. The guys also wore straw hats to hide their identity and wore nail polish. Strange but I'm not one to pry. I didn't care enough to pry into the lives of others. I've learned from my mistakes. I passed them on my way out and they were looking at me curiously.

Unlike the last time they saw me, I had outgrown the ANBU gear and had to settle for another Shinobi outfit. I wore a black mask that covered my nose-down as Kakashi-sama did to keep my identity concealed. My top is a lilac-colored halter top which ended a couple inches above my navel and I wore form-fitting capris that fishnetted at the waistline and just below the knees. There was a built in pocket on my right thigh to hold small weapons and other things. I wore shinobi sandals that matched my shirt, and sometimes I wore a black leather jacket that had a white fur-lined hood. There was also fish netted upper arm bracers, just for looks. And to be honest, I looked like a badass. Not that it really mattered.

"Hey." The one with silver hair called out to me.

I paused just before the exit and turned my head in their direction. I didn't say anything but they had my attention.

"Watch yourself." He growled.

I wasn't sure why he would say that or how he recognized me. Maybe he was jealous, or maybe he didn't like having a 'friendly' competitor, whatever it was, I didn't care. I turned my head back forward and kept going. Once I came outside, it was on to the next mission. This next target was in Tanzaku town and I had to be careful and take my time with this one.

This would be a long mission with a massive payout and I knew exactly how I would go about it. My eyes went from having a blank expression to pure excitement. This mission would require about a year of planning and getting close to the target. I quickly made my way in the desired direction.

Tanzaku town is a party town, a gambling town...a sinner's town. I didn't particularly like it but it would be my home for some time. I settled into small apartment that I bought out right with cash. The previous owner was a little too exited about this and left the place with all the furniture still inside. It needed to be cleaned...desperately because it was clearly used as a party room. I sighed, changing into cleaning clothes and got busy. I took a week off from beheading people to settle in. Now...it was time to get busy...

Within weeks I found my target's hang out place. It was disguised as a gambling bar, rich with all kinds of liquor from all over the world and lewd dancers. It was really just a face for what was underneath this place, the central for the black market. Body parts, weapons, and drugs were brought in and sold for a pretty price here.

Now to find a way in...I sat at a table to myself, wearing classy attire. My favorite halter top-styled lilac-colored dress that shimmered with clear jewels was short in the front and then flowed long to my heels in the back. I wore white high heels that laced all the way up to my mid thighs and tied into pretty bows. My hair draped in waves, down my left side, if I were standing my hair would go just past my hip. I had silver diamond-covered rings that encircled both upper arms and three matching bracelets on my left wrist. I wore complementary diamond earrings and a silver cartilage ring at the top of my exposed right ear. I looked sexy and regrettably, I knew it.

Two men walked by the table eyeballing me. I paid no mind as I took a sip of one of the finest sakes they had. It was a little on the sweet side and I blushed softly at the taste.

"Well, well, look what we have here!" One of the men said after realizing that I wasn't going to give the attention he seeked unless he forced it. He was the shorter of the two, smaller muscular build with black hair, green eyes and an annoying smirk. He was handsome but I could change that.

I elegantly placed my cup on the table and peered up at him. He was now leaning on my table. I raised an eyebrow. "Do I know you?" My voice soft and beautiful, like an angel's, velvety, sexy but didn't cover the annoyance I had.

"Oooohhh, a fiery woman. We like those around here." I sighed and looked away, hoping that he would catch the hint.

He didn't.

"Hey!" He hit the table with a fist. It didn't startle me at all but I was much more annoyed than I was before as I glared at the man. "Don't ignore me, bitch!"

His friend stepped in. Much larger, more muscles and wasn't nearly as physically attractive as his friend. "Listen, girl. Don't be causing trouble here, you don't know who you're messing with."

I interlaced my fingers and leaned forward towards the ass holes. "Mind filling me in? I'm new, you see, and my date seems to have...stood me up. So forgive my rude behavior. I'm a little...salty." I gave them a sexy smile and patted the seats on either side of me.

"Now we are getting somewhere!" Said the smaller one and he was beside me in seconds. The larger one seemed a little more reluctant but sat at my other side. "I'm Shoichi and that big burly man is Tetsip."

I blinked. "I see. So who are you to threaten me again?"

They looked at each other, then back at me. "I'm the son of the man who runs this gig." Shoichi replied, looking rather proud of himself.

"I see..." I turned to Tetsip. "And you two are friends, yes?"

Tetsip glared. "I've been Shoichi's body guard for many years. I trained for it since I was a small child."

"Ah, that's nice." I turned my attention back to Shoichi. This explains his arrogance. "Your father is a man with a certain taste for women, you seem to be as well." I was peering at the closest dancer to us, who was twirling around a pole.

"Yes, we do... and you're just that type." He looked at the girl that I was peering at. She was gorgeous in every way. The only thing off about her was the fact that she stooped so low to be this kind of dancer. "Do you dance?" Shoichi asked.

A small smile spread across my lips. "That depends on the average pay, I suppose."

Shoichi laughed. "Well, if you're good enough, you could walk out of here with more money than any other paying job." He leaned close to me. "When my father comes on the weekends, the pay is double."

My eyes narrowed seductively. "If you're offering a job, Mr. Shoichi, I'll take it." There was no doubt in my mind that I had found the best way to get to my target, his piece of shit son was sitting inches from my murderous soul.