Hope you enjoy! Please tell me what you think so far!
She trained tirelessly before they decided that she was ready to take on her first assignment. She stood in front of Ichi, who was to be her partner and superior officer. He'd already gotten his headband and taken the Chunin exams that summer, and passed. He was ten, so he was three years ahead of schedule, he was considered one of the successes. And if they were sending her on a mission, that meant they thought she was one too. Right?
She had long stopped feeling, but if she still did, perhaps she would be happy that they had such high hopes for her. That she was well on her way to becoming an exceptional tool for Danzo-sama. So she would succeed at this mission and proove herself.
"We're going to kill someone. You'll make the final strike," Ichi told her, faking a smile, that she'd learned to mirror. "Will this be your first kill?" He asked.
No. But he knew that already, so why was he asking? He'd seen her, watched her kill many of the others. She shook her head. "No, Ichi-senpai." She tilted her head to the side. "I'm sure that this will be an easy mission."
"Do not underestimate our opponent, Shichi-chan. Or you'll fail Root."
Or you'll die. Why didn't that scare her anymore? When she had red hair, that thought would have sent her into a panic attack. But now...now. Nothing. She felt nothing. The thought of her disappearing forever into darkness didn't even send a shiver down her spine.
But if she died...then she would have failed to become an exceptional tool. And then what would have been the point of all of this? The training, the conditioning? The corrections that had left scars on her back? It would have been for nothing.
Ichi and her were wearing identical clothes. Black pants that fell just past their knees. A black shirt that showed their midriffs and had one long sleeve, and one short sleeve. A tanto was strapped to their backs. A small amount of red accented the sword. They wore cloaks and blank white masks with two eyeholes. They looked like small black and white dolls.
They met up with one of their superiors in their mission assignment room. Another place that Shichi had never been before. She couldn't tell which of their superiors it was, because he was hidden behind a crow mask. He looked down at the two of them before handing Ichi a closed envelope. "Those in Root," he said.
"Have no name. No feelings," Ichi followed instantly.
"You have no past and no future," Shichi continued.
"There is only the mission," they finished together.
Their target, was simply called Akinari. A clanless Shinobi from Suna who had been poking around nearby villages in the Land of Fire, looking for his missing sister. Who had already been taken out and picked apart by Root's medical experts. He was getting too close, Shichi and Ichi would head him off on the trail to the next peasant village and eliminate him. Then dispose of his body.
We set out that day, with food pills and water. Ichi had her follow him through the winding hallways of the Root headquarters. He opened another door, and Shichi squinted, almost having to cover her face. She'd never been outside before, she realized. The exit of the base was out of a tree, appropriately enough, that put them outside the village. There was grass on the ground, and trees that reached high into the air. She wondered what dirt would feel like on her feet. Nothing like the metal flooring and cold tiles of the place she'd called home for six years.
The moon was shining high in the sky, the stars twinkling above her. At one point, she knew she would have thought them pretty...but now...they were just the light to see by so she could complete her mission. Ichi jumped into the trees, then looked down at her, obviously waiting for her. She'd never tree jumped before, though she knew she had acceptable Chakra control. So she took a leap of faith, so to say.
When she landed next to him, he turned and started to rapidly jump through the foliage, forcing her to pick up the pace considerably. She felt wind whipping through her hair and fresh air entering her lungs. It was pleasant, against the areas of bareskin not covered by the mask or cloak. Refreshing, was the word she was looking for. She let her mind wander for a moment, and almost missed the next branch, having to grab hold and swing herself back up.
"Focus," Ichi ordered her. "I will be reporting your misstep."
"Yes, Ichi-senpai," she answered. And the two of them continued without incident. They set up a temporary basecamp in the branches of a tree. Shichi tucked her legs under her, letting the dip in the tree cradle her. She ate a food pill and took a drink of water. She looked over at Ichi, who watched the road intently.
"Ichi-senpai?" She called up to him quietly. He didn't look at her, but she was sure he was listening. "When is our target going to arrive?" She asked.
"Between now and one week. We will wait here until we see him," he answered. "Now be silent."
"Yes, Ichi-senpai."
As it turned out, it was three days before they saw their target approaching. He had wild green hair that spiked out at random angles. His skin was covered in dirt and blood, and it seemed that he'd already been fighting, from the patchwork bandages up his arm.
"Now," Ichi said, voice just above a whisper before the two of them jumped from the trees, and cut off the man's path. The man looked down at them with wide eyes, before pulling a kunai out of his sleeve and lowering himself into a defensive stance.
"What? They're sending kids now?!" The man growled. "Who the hell are you people?! Why are you coming after me?"
Shichi looked up at Ichi, who didn't make a sound, instead reaching over his shoulder and pulling out his tanto from the sheath and holding it loosely in his hand. She mirrored him, pulling her own out and crouching down, touching the ground with her free right hand.
The man moved before the two of them could communicate anything to each other. Ichi went high when the shinobi went low. Shichi wasn't quite that lucky. The shinobi kicked her in the chest, throwing her back against a tree. Her head cracked against it painfully, but she rolled out of the way, right as the shinobi followed up with another attack. She jumped into the trees, trying to disappear behind the leaves.
Ichi rushed the man, slicing him in the back with his tanto. The man screamed and tried to strike Ichi with his kunai. With each dodge and feint, Ichi was brining the man closer to where Shichi was hiding. He managed to dig his kunai into Ichi's side, and pulled it up, causing a large gash to start bleeding. He stood directly underneath Shichi who pulled out her tanto and aimed down, jumping from the branches, and burying the sword into the man's brain from the top of his head. He let out a few shudders before dropping to his knees. And finally falling over dead.
Neither Shichi or Ichi knew any fire ninjutsu, so they were given tags that would ignite the body. Shichi laid it onto the man, and watched as he was engulfed in flames, and made sure that he was totally gone, nothing more than ash that would be blown away by the wind. Not even the metal remained.
Then turned her attention to Ichi, who lay gasping on the ground, covering the wound with his hand. If Shichi stopped to treat Ichi in the middle of the forest someone might stumble on them. Then the mission would be a failure. So Ichi would have to wait until they were back in the base. She grabbed him by both arms and pulled him onto her back, before jumping into the trees.
When she brought him back, to the base, there were superiors waiting for a report. One man came and took Ichi from her while she stayed to debrief them. "Mission was a success," she said. "Target was eliminated and disposed of. Target appeared to be wounded beforehand, but Ichi-senpai and I did not wait to see if there was anyone fallowing behind him. We waited seventy-nine hours before target revealed himself."
"Well done," a voice said, entering the hall. A voice she hadn't heard in quite awhile. She turned, and bowed, as did the superiors. Danzo-sama walked in, his cain echoing around the room. "You are becoming quite an asset to us, which is why I have decided to give you a new assignment."
"Thank you, Danzo-sama," she said, not straightening her back. "How may I be of service?" She asked.
"In one month time, you will be accompanying a team of AMBU Black Ops on a mission to rescue one of the Konoha Shinobi who was captured by Kumo during the war. As a sign of good faith, as the Third said," Danzo-sama huffed and spit on the ground. Shichi could see an emotion, one of the bad ones, cross his face but she wasn't sure which one it was. "One of the Shinobi escorting this man is one of us. You will say these words when you get to the bridge. 'It looks like it'll rain soon. Isn't that bad luck?'"
"Yes, Danzo-sama," she said with a bow.
Kakashi wasn't sure to make of this situation. He stood behind the Third Hokage, his Inu mask hiding his confusion. The Third had told him already that Danzo was going to put 'one of his men' on the team that Kakashi was leading. But he'd expected...well a man. Or a woman. Not a child. The masked creature was silent as the grave, which set his teeth on edge. It hadn't been that long ago when Danzo had ordered 'his men' to assassinate the Hokage. And he seriously was going to have to watch another one of those things?
"Is this...your agent?" The Hokage asked, sounding hesitant.
"Yes," Danzo said. "Kuma-chan is one of the best. I thought that more work in the field would do her well." He put a hand on her shoulder.
Wasn't Root supposed to have been dissolved? Or was she…? Kakashi didn't know, and he didn't like not knowing things. "Very well," he said when the silence was starting to stretch on. "We will be leaving first light from the gates of the village. Do not be late."
"Yes, Inu-taichou," she said, her voice as cold as ice. It sent a bit of a shiver down his spine. That wasn't normal, right? He didn't really have much experience with children. But that just...couldn't have been normal.
"Well, we should get her ready for her mission then, shouldn't we?" Danzo laid his hand on her shoulder and guided her out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
Kakashi looked at the Third, who had his hands laced together, in a vice. "Kakashi...I want you to report to me every move that girl makes. Record every word that comes out of her mouth. I want to know what Danzo is up too."
"Yes sir," Kakashi said before disappearing in a puff of smoke.