CHAPTER – 9
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Anime/Manga.
AN: Thank you all those who showed their appreciation, it compels me to make it better and keep on writing.
This chapter continues after two-year time-skip. It's been a delayed update…no excuses.
The OC that I use belongs to 'Scarease' (Yes, I'm talking about Emi). Thanks to him for the excellent OC.
"Talking"
'Thinking'
'Flashback'
"Far-off communication"
The tree leaves parted as Kisuke walked stealthily, following his target with absolute concentration. The man being followed was a Kiri scout named Seiki. Apparently, he was carrying a bit too much sensitive information about the location of Rebel outposts. Along with him, there was another Kiri scout with the same information. Both were traveling individually to increase the chances of info-leak. Team Stampede's mission was to seize them; unhurt. Taking into account that both were considerable fighters, capturing them head-on without hurting them wasn't an easy task.
At missions like these, their experience came into play.
Kisuke didn't like tailing. Bushes and tree leaves irritated him, but he was the best in tailing in the whole team, so he had no choice. After a moment of preparation of pushing these thoughts out of his mind, Kisuke leaped on Seiki-but a just a little slower, so as to let him know.
Seiki glanced back when he heard the rustling of leaves. He saw a black-clad shinobi wearing a brown overcoat and black mask leaping at him with his ninjato unsheathed. Without a second glance, Seiki realized that he was being chased by a member of Team Stampede. Having been warned about their power, Seiki had no second thoughts as he ran in a straight line.
Kisuke smirked underneath his mask. Their simple plan was working like a charm.
Seiki kept running without looking back until the sound of the footsteps of his stalker vanished. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He tensed again when he heard the familiar rustling of leaves, but this time, it come from the tree in front of him. The sound multiplied and surrounded Seiki and a dozen shinobi made themselves visible. Seiki was surrounded. They jumped and landed on the ground, surrounding him carefully. Fearing for his life, he raised both of his hands as a gesture of giving up. After a second, he fell on the ground; unconscious.
All the rebels surrounding his senseless form except one, popped. The remaining rebel was surrounded by smoke as the Henge wore off.
"That was easy" he said.
"Your Shadow Clones make it look easy Naruto" Kisuke explained as he walked out of his hiding spot. "Whatever" Naruto replied "Your Genjutsu is considerably better" Kisuke nodded at the compliment "I'm surprised myself"
They tied the scout up. Kisuke carried him on his shoulders as he and Naruto raced across the forest. The technique they used to capture the scout was easy and quick. It was executed in three steps:
First, Kisuke chased down the target to their desired spot. Second, Naruto made a bunch of Shadow Clones and Henge'd them into various rebels, so as the target will think that he was actually surrounded by a battalion. Third, Kisuke used an effective Genjutsu to knock out Seiki while he was intimidated and careless.
Despite the mission success, the boys were slightly irritated. Mei's promise to rid Team Stampede of any mission for a week broke on the third day. The sheer amount of tasks they did was ridiculous. It wasn't only them, but all the rebels did the same amount of work. They were really determined to get Kiri back.
The rebellion was almost over. Bit by bit, they had ripped off the suppressors of their wealth, will and manpower. They always had to be on guard, since a major task of the rebels was to simply annoy them. Several times, the rebels just caused a few explosions outside the city so that they went on guard and ran to the site to find nothing. This was done often at night, to rid them of sleep.
Their leader, the Third Mizukage had vanished out of the blue. The generals were barely holding their ground. The rebels will get Kiri back in less than a few months.
It had been two years since Team Stampede joined the rebellion. After a year, their prowess and exploits had reached outside the Land of Water. They were on the Bingo Book. Many of the Ninja Nations saw them as a serious threat, especially since they changed their status to 'Mercenaries'. They did any job asked by their client in exchange for a respectable sum of money. The only condition was whether they liked the mission or not. They didn't do a job they didn't like, no matter what.
TTTTT
The whistling of air warned Haku of the arrival of some men. With a quick use of his sensory skills, he confirmed their identity.
"They're here" he declared as they arrived.
"You're getting a little slow" Tayuya remarked aloud as she noticed Kisuke land in front of her. "Not at all" he smirked and signaled her to look back. She did so, only to find the shackled and unconscious body of Seiki. "When did you even-" she was cut off by Kisuke's laughter.
"Where's Sanada?" Naruto asked. "Here" answered Emi as she held the unconscious body of the implied person on her shoulders. Naruto gave a nod of approval. "Let's go then" he announced. With the words of agreement from everyone else, they headed to the direction of Northern Camp.
TTTTT
"So it's over?" Tayuya asked in surprise.
"Almost" Terumi corrected.
"When you took down those two scouts, the Generals gave up. Apparently, those scouts were their last hope. As soon as they heard that the scouts got arrested, they sent a declaration of peace, submitting to all our demands" she explained.
Consequently, the whole Rebel Camp was in a state of shock. No one expected it to end this quick.
"In celebration, I'm giving you guys a week off; for real this time" she said smiling, earning a look of gratitude from all of them. "But a week later" Mei stopped mid-sentence to gather attention "I'll give you'll the most dangerous and important mission you ever had. Are you ready?" The Rebel Leader leaked some Killer Intent to add weight to her words. As she expected, all the members of Team Stampede affirmed in unison.
"And what will be this mission, Terumi?" Naruto asked. Mei let his manners slide this time, because she was waiting for this moment. She cleared her throat and straightened her posture.
"You all will invade Kiri and execute the Generals" Terumi smirked as the others gulped.
TTTTT
A Week Later:-
"Is she really serious?"
"As it seems."
"I don't think it was a decision taken in good mental health."
"Her age is really starting to get to her."
"SHUT UP" Terumi roared. All the members of the team stood in attention "You are standing in my office right now so hold your tongue."
"Here's your complete briefing." She tossed a scroll to Naruto "Although they submitted to our demands, there is a strong possibility that it is a trap. You will sneak in there and find out all about their plan, if there is any. If you find ANY evidence that all this is a trap, assassinate ALL the Generals immediately." Mei explained.
"All in all, you guys have to breach Kiri tonight and assassinate the Generals" she simplified "Any doubts?"
Naruto spoke up "Well, since this is such an important mission and all…why don't you just send the Commanders instead of us? Surely they are more capable in every field." He put in words the question which had aroused in the heads of all his teammates.
Terumi smiled "They all voted for you guys to go."
The surprise hit them. This was the one and last mission for the rebels after which they will get their motherland back, for which they have been fighting for years. Certainly, this mission must hold strong emotional value for them, not to say that the success of this mission defines their future.
The Rebels' strong trust in them moved the Team.
"You will leave in an hour. Are you guys ready to do this?" Mei confirmed one last time.
Without any hint of hesitation, their heads moved in acquiescence.
TTTTT
The Team sped through the misty forest in a V-shaped formation, with Emi in the front, Tayuya and Haku in the back and Naruto and Kisuke in the middle.
"Remember, if you find even a tiny bit of evidence, I want the severed heads of all three Generals here on my desk. You all have one week. Clear?" Mei had said.
After a few hours of traveling, they had reached the outskirts of Kiri.
"No enemies nearby." Haku declared. "They dropped their guard too soon"
"Too bad for them" was all Kisuke said before he dashed to the stone boundary wall. Under a second, he climbed the wall and snuck into the village. A minute later, they all heard two light thumps on the wall; that was the signal. Soon, the remaining members of Team Stampede penetrated Kiri.
Although they'll have superior stamina, a few hours of continuous high-speed travel exhausted them considerably. They decided to Henge themselves as civilians and suppress their chakra. Due to the Civil War going on, most of the businesses were ruined. They were no active hotels or motels in the village. There was barely enough food, and people's quality of life had declined significantly since the last time they invaded Kiri.
"There's not a single sheltered place where we could sleep." Tayuya said. "There's still a few hours till the sun sets. Let's investigate till then" Naruto ordered "Tayuya; Emi; you guys look for a place to sleep. Rest of us will spy on our targets; the Generals. Each of us will spy on a general individually."
Naruto turned briefly looked at their attentive faces "I won't tell you to be safe…but…we will get this mission done" his voice contained a hint of concern. The other members sensed it "Of Course!" they replied. Their confidence reassured Naruto. He smiled. "I'm counting on you. Let's go" was heard from the blonde's mouth as they all dispersed.
XXXXX
-NARUTO-
Naruto reached his target's house with ease. After inspecting the house from the outside, he noted a few things: First, the bungalow was huge. It was a triple-story with a large patch of ground, where various flowers and plants were planted. Compared to the rest of the village, it shined like a star. Obviously, he didn't have any problem finding him. The General Akihiro's family was very well off it seemed, as the name implied. Apparently, Akihiro made as much profit from the Civil War as he could, looting as much money as possible.
"That bastard" Naruto voice was filled with rage. Just as he was about to enter the General's territory, he saw a kunai closing in on him from above. Naruto suppressed his reflexes and acted as if he clumsily fell on his butt, avoiding the kunai by a hair.
"Ahhh" he gave a short scream. Naruto was perfect at this type of stuff.
"This is private property, and you know that very well. Do not push your luck, civilian" came an authoritative voice from the roof. Naruto only managed to see the silhouette of a well-built man, since the sun rays didn't allow him to speculate further.
"Oh…but I have a piece of information which might interest the General" he said.
"You think I would fall for that? Get lost. This is your last warning" said the man.
Naruto ignored his warning, producing a small scroll from the front pocket of his baggy, worn out overcoat. He opened the scroll and flashed it to the man to see. "The five red crosses marked in this map are the locations of current hideouts of the Rebels" he declared.
"Really?" the man said in a mocking tone. Though he sighed outwardly, he had a tiny bit of doubt regarding the bogus nature of the map. Deciding to clear his suspicion, the man decided to take an up-close look at the map himself.
In a smooth jump from the roof of the house, he landed right in front of disguised Naruto. "Show it to me" he commanded. Naruto did as asked, but as soon as the man lowered his guard to check the map, Naruto bore his knee in the man's gut with as much power as he could muster. The guard crumpled to the ground without a squeak.
Naruto sighed and threw away his rags "It's too hot" he mumbled as he pulled his shirt apart from his chest to let some air in. He grabbed the unconscious man by the collar and dragged to the roof. After some inspection, Naruto left the guard's body on the roof and carefully picked the lock on the front. In a few moments, Naruto had slipped in the house smoothly.
The house was only occupied by a young lady, who Naruto supposed to be the General's daughter. She was cooking happily, unaware of the breach. With waist-length black hair, angular features and well-maintained body, she looked beautiful in Naruto's opinion.
'But alas, the mission comes first!' were Naruto's thought when he grabbed her neck with one hand to gain control and covered her mouth with the other hand, successfully covering her screams to tiny squeaks. Slowly, he dragged her upstairs to an empty room he had discovered earlier. He tied her arms, legs, shoulders and waist securely to a wooden chair using wire strings, but he did not remove his hand from her mouth. Naruto squatted down in front of her.
"Can I trust you not to scream when I remove my hand?" he asked. The girl nodded slowly. Naruto removed his hand, only to be met by a shrilling scream "HEL-" he grabbed her jaw with considerable power, shutting her immediately.
"You liar" he exclaimed with a mocking tone. He could see tears well up in her eyes. 'She isn't trained in any way then. Nice…' he mentally noted.
Naruto took out a kunai and kept it on her temple "You scream again and I will not hesitate to ram this kunai right in your skull. The last thing you will hear is the screech of metal against your bone. Do you understand?" he said slowly, all the while using a bit of Killer Intent.
The girl nodded desperately; her tears were beginning to drip now. "Good" Naruto said before removing his hand. The girl was quiet now. Naruto stepped back from her and observed her. The girl stared at him for a while. Suddenly, her eyes widened and her mouth opened agape. "You realize who I am, don't you?" Naruto asked, already knowing the answer. The girl nodded "Naruto; leader of Team Stampede…what are you doing here?" she asked in desperation.
"I bet you already know the answer" he said in an obvious tone. The girl's tear sacks began to work again. "Please don't…don't do anything…to my dad…please" she said whimpering.
Naruto stared at her for a while and then galloped to the back of the wooden chair. To untrained eyes like hers, it seemed as if he teleported. "I'm sorry" he whispered, and a split second later, knocked her out with a sharp blow to the side of her neck. "You don't need to face the situation when you know…that he is being killed…and you are helpless" he whispered to himself.
Naruto made the hand-seal for Ram and suppressed his chakra, waiting for the General to arrive.
XXXXX
-HAKU-
Haku was standing on the roof of his target's house, wiping sweat from his forehead "These rugs are too thick" he muttered to himself. He looked at the unconscious body of the guard while thinking of a plan. After a few seconds, he descended in front of the main door and picked the lock. It took him a few more minutes to sneak in the house. It seemed that no one was home yet.
Haku dashed to the find the required evidence and began to go through each and every document present in the house.
XXXXX
Naruto was patiently waiting for his target to arrive when his radio transmitter buzzed. He had eventually forgotten that he had one.
"Leader…I found the evidence" came the attenuated voice.
"Haku, go on" Naruto replied.
"This is all a trap…the Generals set up a trap to lure the Rebels…Mei-sama was right. What should we do next?" Haku informed him.
"Secure the evidence and kill your target. Bring me his head. Also, pass this on to Kisuke" he ordered.
"Roger"
Just as Naruto cut-off the transmission, he heard the front door unlock. He quickly created a Shadow Clone to look after the girl and as quietly as possible, he hid in a room on the ground floor. Naruto got ready as he heard the door close. A few moments later, he heard the General yell, "Do you think I'm that stupid? Come out now!"
Naruto sighed, he knew this would happen. He left his hiding spot and walked to the General. His walk was confident and his posture intimidating.
"Not bad." Naruto said.
"Naruto Uzumaki." the General muttered. "You are here to kill me, aren't you?" he asked.
"That is right." Naruto said. The General gave a low laugh "Did the Rebels underestimate my strength?"
"No General…you underestimated me. If you want your daughter to live…drop on your knees now" Naruto said in an authoritative tone.
The man's eyes widened as his mouth went agape "You wouldn't…When did you…"
"I'm not the protagonist of a fairy tale, General. I can, and I will kill your daughter in a second if the need arises. Choose wisely General…do you really want to fight?" Naruto said, crossing his hands.
The man stared at Naruto, the age finally showing in his battle-hardened body. He was helpless. As a father, it didn't take him more than a minute to impale his heart with his kunai. He knew that Naruto Uzumaki was a man of honor, and he wouldn't harm his daughter if he doesn't have to.
In a quick motion, Naruto detached the head from the body and sealed it in a sealing scroll. He left the dead body as it is and left the house.
"Emi, it's me. Did you guys find a place for the night?" Naruto said through the radio.
"Yeah, we did" her voice chirped "Get to the place where we separated. I will tell you the directions from there"
"Okay"
XXXXX
Half an hour later:-
"The war hit them hard, didn't it?" Emi said while tending to one of her Katanas.
"Yeah, too hard. I didn't think their forces would be so low that it would be so easy to sneak in and murder the Generals" Tayuya said.
The clustering of cups made them look towards to the doorway of the room. An old lady was carefully handling a tray with three cups of tea. Tayuya dashed and took the tray from the lady "Why are you doing this Granny? It's already more than enough that you gave us a place to say. You don't even have enough food to eat yourself and you're keen on feeding us?"
The old lady smiled "You don't realize it young girl, but to us, you Rebels are our saviors, our Gods. If it wasn't for the countless times you smuggled food and drinks for us locals, we would have been long dead. If you wouldn't have killed those heartless oppressors, we would have lost have loved ones. If it weren't for you, Kiri would have died" she said teary eyed.
"Whatever, don't disturb us anymore Granny. In return, we promise your freedom tonight" Emi said while sheathing her Katana. The old lady smiled and left in silence.
"You're too rude." Tayuya said.
"We're their Gods, we should act like it" she smirked. Tayuya sighed, Emi's attitude was little too badass.
"Calm down ladies." he said while sipping his tea.
"What the hell?! Why are you drinking the tea? They are starving out there!" Tayuya yelled.
"We are the Gods, after all." he said calmly.
"What is wrong with you guys?!" She screeched.
"You need not worry Tayuya-san. As we speak, food packages are being delivered to the Rebel Camp. The food will arrive here in a day, as soon as we take care of the Generals." He said.
"What?! Why don't I get info about this stuff?" Tayuya complained, to which both of them shrugged.
"How's your hand?" Tayuya asked "Fine. The bleeding stopped at least." Haku replied, studying his bandaged bicep.
"You should be more careful, you know."
"I was fighting a General. What do you expect? Besides, your First Aid skills are pretty good, so I don't need to hold back" Haku said. Tayuya turned around to hide her slight red face "Whatever" she whispered.
"Leader's back" Haku declared a moment before the door opened.
Naruto walked in and glanced at each of them "So, how did it go? Did you kill him?" he asked Haku. Haku narrowed his eyes a little "Yes. I killed him, Naruto" he confirmed after a little pause.
Naruto smiled "Goo-" The words stuck in his mouth when he felt cold steel on his neck. He could feel the breath of the person behind him on his neck "Move and I'll kill you" Emi said. Her killer intent sent shivers down Tayuya and Haku. "Who are you?" Tayuya asked.
"What are you talking about?! Don't you guys recognize me?!" he said desperately.
"Stop fucking around. Who-are-you?" Tayuya said.
Haku decided to explain after looking at his terrified and confused face.
"Two mistakes my friend." he said "First; Even though you saw my wound, you asked about the mission first. Real Naruto would ask how I was before anything else. Second; I referred to you as simply 'Naruto' without any suffix, and you showed no visual surprise. Now, who are you?"
"You won't away with this, Team Stampede!" the man yelled.
"Too bad, we already did" was the whisper he heard from Emi before she beheaded him. The Henge vanished and the person was revealed to be the third General's Water Clone.
AN: I know this chapter is short. On the bright side, I just finished my High School and I'm getting a couple months off before college. Hopefully, I'll able to write at least three to four chapters at this time.
I seriously envy OPINIONS. If you feel that I'm begging for Reviews, you are wrong. I'm begging for OPINIONS. If you don't want to review, just PM me. I don't care how it's done, but I just want to know what people actually think/how can I improve? /etc.
Thank you.
If you find any mistakes or plot holes, feel free to correct me.
Smell ya later.
