Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. They belong to Masashi Kishimoto. This story is purely a work of fanfiction.
Nina- is my original character (I do own her)
Chapter 104
Shizune yelped.
"But Mellady Sakura wouldn't have managed …"
"I don't care! She's needed here. As are the rest. Why are you still standing here?"
Tsunade had disintegrated her desk after she put her fist through it. The Anbu operative delivering the message was still crouched down after passing on the report from Ibiki.
Shikaku's body glanced to the side allowing for Shizune to hurry out of the office and for him to enter.
"Mellady, you bellowed?"
The fifth Hokage had her back to everyone and the room was silent excepting the audible sounds she was emitting whilst biting her thumb nail. Fool. Hokage or not, she wasn't going to be able to excuse Nina's behaviour and have her shielded from the consequences that would surely follow her deliberate disobedience.
"Are the rooms ready?"
"If you're referring to those rooms, then yes."
"Good. Ensure room one is in order."
"Ma'am. Does this mean we have another victim?"
Shikaku was asking a stupidly obvious question but he wanted to hear it from the woman before him.
She contemplated saying nothing. There was nothing concrete to say that there would be it's just that his name had appeared as the last order. Given his primary chakra affinity well that increased the odds drastically. Yes, Nina had taken off from her assigned team. Normally, that would be enough for her to believe in but the kunoichi was not particular put together. Another reason she'd been placed on Ibiki's team. But she'd still given in to impulse.
This investigation had five deaths tallied at her name. Empathetically, Tsunade would probably be just as rallied up too. But now was not the time to lose their heads. It was too soon to jump the gun and call the other teams back. Not just yet. They still had time.
"Maybe."
Maybe. That was all he was going to get? An Anbu operative on bended knee, a total wreck of her desk and paperwork and a clearly distressed Hokage. Why the secrecy? Only for a split second did he contemplate pushing for further details. Deciding on his better instincts concerning the savagery of the opposite sex, Shikaku left the room.
Nina used the sun and her own shadow to approximate the time. She had to make it in time. Given the time of the order, and… shit. Nina tumbled across the roof top; found her feet and kept going. She'd misjudged the gap between the buildings on account her mind was crunching numbers, among a multitude of other tid bits. Where was she? That's right. The time of the order and the time right now, meant that the first symptoms could be starting to show.
The pain was tolerable; probably from something he ate. He gave his lower back a rub, stretched and repositioned himself to focus on the person who sat opposite him. He was about to walk away from this.
"Lady Tsunade, I'm not chasing after a rogue ninja. I've sent a team to his residence. I expect Nina to be held accountable for her decisions today."
Rogue. Well, these were strange times. One of Konoha's best being referred to as a rogue. Nina you foolish girl. What the hell were you thinking?
"If you have nothing to add, I'm going to join my team."
"That's fine. Thank you Ibiki. The treatment room is ready, and the medic team has been assembled."
The room fell silent again. What punishment do you give a retired Anbu operative for disobedience?
Nina bent over for a few seconds to recuperate some of the lost oxygen and she rapped on the door with urgency.
"Nina, what is it?"
Shit. She'd forgotten to replace her mask. She went to slide her mask across but her hands were yanked on by two opposing Anbu operatives who had arrived silently at her sides.
"Where…" Nina struggled minimally before breaking free easily. "Where is …" She was ducking and weaving from her attackers. Well, they weren't attackers perse. No doubt under Ibiki's orders.
The dark haired woman that stood in the door way was both fearful and alarmed by the goings on at her doorstep and at such an early part of the morning.
Nina detested that it had gotten to this point but she hit a few non-vital points and the two operatives crashed to the ground; unconscious. She stepped over their bodies to the person who would have the answer to the question she'd been trying to ask.
"Where is he?"
Nina knew damn well better. Ibiki noted her Anbu mask pulled to one side and in front of a publican. She wasn't helping her case and… he stepped over the two bodies. He signalled for Neji who had joined him from the Hokage's office to see to them. Nina's rap sheet just kept extending. He would have no choice but to escalate it to the Elders.
"Nina. I'm going to tell you once. Stand down."
Nina grit her teeth. They were wasting time. Precious time. She just needed the answer.
"I can't do that." She turned to the bewildered shinobi in front of her. "Where is he?"
Ibiki's hand came gruffly down on her shoulder. Suddenly there was a gut-wrenching scream of pain. Nina once again evaded her would be captors and skipped up and over the roof top to the back of the house from where the scream had come from.
Ibiki followed Nina, with the woman in hot pursuit.
Sliding open the door onto the verandah Ibiki froze.
"Go tell Lady Tsunade."
Ibiki got no response. He looked back and the woman was paralysed. Dammit. He turned back to what was going on in front of them.
Shit. It wasn't just her heart that was pounding her body; it was adrenalin. Her medical persona struggled at first but soon it took over.
"The noodles he ordered last night. When did he eat them?"
No response from either of the unaffected shinobi. She pulled her head up and gave the woman a hard stare. She was useless. Who could blame her though? Nina ran her hands over his body. Ripping the layers open to bare skin. Kidneys had already been affected. Next was? Fuck. Get it together. Liver. She slid her hands over his liver.
That's a second publican. Shinobi or not. She's exposed her identity to a second.
"Nina. I said stand down."
Ibiki had heard the rumours but until now had never quite witnessed anything like it. His blood ran cold and he too found himself paralysed by Nina's piercing eyes.
He coughed, as Nina helped push him slightly upright with the use of her knee whilst she nipped her thumb, weaved the required hand signs and ran her thumb across the tattoo to the side of her right breast. She wrapped her arms around him as they were transported to the hospital.
"Medic team NOW!"
She screamed as loud as she could, disregarding the fact she was in a hospital and there were some whom would be resting.
Nina scrambled to her feet, taking the full weight of the now sixth victim on her shoulders. Unexpectedly, she was soon helped as they carried him into treatment room one where everything was already assembled.
They were shortly joined by the entire team she had trained, including Sakura.
"Shikaku call them back. Call them all back. Make sure Kakashi Hatake …"
She didn't finish her orders. He'd just have to fill in the blanks, although it was pretty self-explanatory. Tsunade raced down the hallway towards treatment room one.
Dammit. Maybe they could save him? Everything was in place. The preparations. The team. The training. They just needed…hope.
Placing his cup on the table, Kakashi heard the screech of a messenger hawk in the skies outside. They had news; finally. He signalled for the rest of the team to remain where they were.
The hawk flew down landing on his outstretched forearm, its' talons clinking against his arm guards. Pulling the piece of parchment from the bird's leg, Kakashi unfurled and read it.
Return to Konoha- Hatake report to Hospital immediately. Mission success.
"Captain?"
"Back to Konoha. You're all dismissed."
Kakashi watched as Tenzo left to relay the information to the other team members. He read the last bit of the message.
Suspect apprehended. 6th victim being treated- A. Sarutobi.
