Then There Were Two
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki...Katsumi Uzumaki...are the twin children of the Honorable, Late Fourth Hokage...both outcasted by Konoha, the two find strength in one another that is incomparable and irreplaceable. The Teams...are quite different now, and the future...is looking more than a little bit brighter…or is that but the calm, before the storm?
Anime/Manga: Naruto
Genre: Romance/Humor/Adventure
Pairing: I... know who will be with who. I'll let you guys fidget and wonder.
Rated: M for Mature
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The cure and the poison
The loss and the gain
Escaping once again
The cause and solution
The pleasure and pain
All run through my veins
-The Cure and The Poison (Clawfinger)
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Kakashi watched the team around him, the client before him was walking with Ino on one side and Sasuke on the other, ahead of them was Katsumi. Looking to his left, he watched as Shikamaru followed their surroundings with an analytical look in his eyes. He was taking in every detail around them, and yet, his eyes would wander over his teammates continuously as they walked. "What's on your mind?"
"Don't you know?" Shikamaru asked, though his tone lacked any real curiosity.
"If you mean that, then don't worry about it."
Shikamaru looked up at Kakashi, giving nothing away on his face, he turned his eyes back ahead and looked curiously at the Bridge Builder that they'd been instructed to deliver to the Land of Waves.
'I shouldn't be surprised that Shikamaru noticed.' Over the last couple of weeks, he'd become quite attentive to the unique skill sets that his team possessed. He'd seen how well Ino worked with Shikamaru, and he had seen how well Katsumi worked with Sasuke...it crossed as well. While Ino and Shikamaru were preferable as partners, there was no question to how well Shikamaru worked with Katsumi or Sasuke. In fact, the star of his team, intellectually...was Shikamaru. Ino was a flower that was coming into her own, she seemed to be trying to figure out a place in every lineup she could. Her abilities were best for espionage and infiltration, that was for sure. However, he had noticed that she'd been spending some extra time focusing on her Taijutsu when not with the team. Then Sasuke was another jack of all trades. He was, very similar to his brother. While Kakashi wouldn't say that out loud, he couldn't ignore the similarities of their fast learning and exceptionally talented lineage. The Uchiha bloodline was a commodity to the team. His eyes lingered on Sasuke for a moment before moving on to the blonde ahead of the team. He watched her head shift in direction every so often, her eyes no doubt taking in their surroundings.
Katsumi was hard for him to follow. She thought herself more mature than the rest of the team, which...wasn't completely wrong...but wasn't entirely correct either. She was a fast-paced studier, with above average Ninjutsu, subpar Genjutsu and a little more than decent Taijutsu. Rather than better improving her Taijutsu and Genjutsu, she had been focusing on her knowledge of plants. He'd had a chance to see her generous collection of miniscule clear acrylic jars. Various things written on the caps and color specified with the colors Red, Blue and Green. What it all meant? He couldn't be sure...but...that she was so thorough meant that he probably should proceed cautiously with her collection.
He looked over at the Bridge Builder. Kakashi wasn't blind, he knew that everyone's first impression of the guy was that he was a drunk...Shikamaru himself had said that he was too much trouble. They had all seen him toss back the bottle of rum he'd been drowning his sorrows away in. On top of that, he'd done a great job bad mouthing his students when he'd met them the night before. Then... Katsumi had the misfortune of walking into him when he'd stumbled out of the room. She had been coming back from an errand that he'd sent her on. Yeah... the way he'd insulted her for his clumsiness, that had just put Shikamaru in a foul mood.
"Ah! Kakashi-Sensei!"
Eyes widening, he reacted to Shikamaru's voice just in time for chains to shoot out and wrap around him. Just in time...
"Sensei!"
"Kakashi-Sensei! Shikamaru!"
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Shikamaru looked at the two shinobi who had attacked and moved his hands, "protect Tazuna!" Not like he particularly cared about the guy, but it was their mission. As pathetic as he personally thought the guy was, drowning in alcohol and insulting him and his teammates for being kids, he would do as his mission entailed.
His voice carried as he forced himself to speak after watching the bladed chains rip through his Sensei. No, he knew that Kakashi was fine. Out of sight, out of mind? Whatever it was, he was watching and waiting, and they needed to be actively protecting the Bridge Builder. When the two shinobi shot towards Ino, Sasuke and Katsumi, completely ignoring him, he realized that he and Kakashi were not the intended target. Seriously, he doubted it was anyone on his team, but to be sure... "Shadow Possession Jutsu!" His shadow stretched out and managed to ensnare one of the Shinobi, but the second eluded his shadow.
Sasuke, who was in front of the Bridge Builder, Tazuna, had held his ground and glared down the second Shinobi as he rushed forward. Jumping, his hand took the enemy's' with the intention of redirecting his aim, flipping over and taking the nin with him. However, the enemy had other plans and had his weapon ready to tear through Sasuke. He whipped the chain out and Sasuke jumped out of the way, the blade smashing through a tree when a hand settled in the Shinobi's line of sight. Catching both Sasuke and the Shinobi off guard for only a moment, but a moment too long. Katsumi swept her foot out and the Shinobi tumbled, her hand settling on his back as she straddled him.
Shikamaru couldn't see what she did next as she leaned in, struggling to keep his hold on the Shinobi he had already captured. However, it was clear that the fight was over with when the second Shinobi went completely limp beneath her and she stood up and walked away from the enemy. She stepped forward to the one held in his shadow, and he got a better view of her weapon. A clear jar no larger than a coin, was held in her hand.
"That will be enough, Katsumi..."
Katsumi, who was standing in front of the Shinobi that Shikamaru still held captive, stilled her hand and turned to see Kakashi walking towards them. "Nice to see you in one piece, Sensei."
"Were you worried," he leaned in a bit and chuckled. Turning to Shikamaru as he placed an arm around the Shinobi's neck. "Let him go, Shikamaru."
"...right..." Shikamaru did as told and let a small sigh out as he straightened up and pocketed his hands. "what a drag."
Shaking her head, Katsumi put the twist cap back on the acrylic jar before pocketing it.
"What was that?"
"...a high concentrate of Marsh Marigold in a cream base...it's a sedative and can be sleep-inducing depending on the dosage. That one...is particularly strong. Magire-Sensei helped me with it..."
Kakashi loosened hi grip on the Shinobi as he finally went limp, "so that one isn't dead?"
Katsumi frowned, "no...is that why you stopped me? You thought I killed him?"
"Not really, no. I just didn't want my students to do all the work. Sasuke, grab him and help me tie them up. Then..." Kakashi turned to Tazuna, "...we will talk a little bit with our friend..."
"Right..."
Katsumi turned her eyes to Sasuke who walked towards the Shinobi on the ground. An annoyed look on his face, he glanced in her direction before quickly looking away and grabbing the guy on the ground.
"That was amazing..."
"Hm?" Katsumi looked over her shoulder, Tazuna looked at the two Shinobi being tied up and then back at her. She gave him a look of suspicion before she turned and walked away from him. She had already decided...that she didn't like him.
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"You bumbling fool!"
Katsumi glanced up from her spot on the ground, she'd been completely lost in her thoughts. Thinking about Magire and the lesson from the night before. She was confused for a moment as to why the man in front of her was yelling, but then the smell of alcohol hit her and she cringed a bit. Feeling the dampening of her shirt, she pushed herself off the floor as the old man continued to insult her.
"This is what I have to look forward to on the way back home? What kind of Ninja do you guys train?! She is a ninja, right?" He turned his hard glare to the Hokage who cleared his throat.
"This is Katsumi Uzumaki, and she will also be on the team responsible for taking you back home to the Land of the Waves."
"This fumbling klutz?! Great...guess I shouldn't have expected much looking at the other three...what's one more incompetent brat?"
Katsumi's eyes were hardening by the second before she finally turned away from the man and completely shut him off. Ignoring him as she let Kakashi know that she'd done as he'd asked her to.
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Yes, she didn't like him at all, and wouldn't stand for his insults. So, the best way to avoid that...was to avoid him all together. Settling beside Ino who had been quiet for some time, she looped her arm with the other blonde and smiled at her. "What's up, Ino?"
"Oh...I was just...you and Sasuke were great, even lazy Shikamaru did great...but..."
Katsumi frowned, "Ino...isn't it you who always says that a flower blooms in its own time?" Smiling, she tugged the girl a bit and grinned when she threw her off her balance. "A flower doesn't think of competing with the flower next to it...really, it just...blooms."
"Katsumi..."
"Don't spend your time trying to run someone else's race, Ino...just work hard, and train diligently. You have something nobody else on our team does, you just need to find it." She turned to Kakashi and Shikamaru, both listening to Sasuke as they finished tying up the Shinobi. "I guess...we are breaking for a bit..."
Ino stared at Katsumi for a moment, then looked to the others on their team. Finally, turning her eyes back to Katsumi, she smiled. "Thank you. I don't know why I let myself worry about something like that. We are, after all, still learning. I'll find myself, on my own time...at my own pace."
"Well, I'm not sure if you noticed, but we all feel that way, Ino. If anyone does better than Sasuke, he feels like he's falling behind. When I see the guys fighting, I push myself to study more because I'm good at it, where as...I know I'm weak in Taijutsu. I mean...even Shikamaru feels cloud envy."
Ino laughed alongside Katsumi at the expense of Shikamaru. The two girls ignoring the looks of the four guys as they spoke a while longer to one another. Waiting for the Shinobi to come to.
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Me: Here is chapter eight of Then There Were Two. I hope I still have everyone's attention. I've been studying poisons extensively just so I could write a story where a character excelled in Toxicology. Review, let me know what you think~