Ugh... been working on a cosplay project and it is currently kicking my butt! Maybe I'll get motivated if I try it on xD ~KB

Disclaimer: Kishimoto owns Naruto, not me...

Ch 13: Undercover

Manami followed Genma in silence as he led her through the village. Her head kept bouncing back and forth as she tried to take in the sights around her. The village was huge! Buildings everywhere of various sizes and colors, shops lining the streets, and at the far end of the village was a tall mountainside with five heads carved in at the top. She was sure to get lost if she tried to leave. As the two continued to walk, Genma kept a careful eye on the newcomer. She appeared as innocent as an Academy student, but she could easily be an enemy.

Approaching the base of the mountain, Manami saw that they were headed for a huge complex of buildings. Off to the left side, Manami could see children playing in a fenced in courtyard. Must be some type of school, she thought. Genma steered Manami to the right a bit and brought her inside a building attached to the school.

After walking through a labyrinth of hallways, Genma finally stopped in front of a set of large double doors. Manami's nerves were shot by this point. Since they entered the building, she gradually became more and more nervous. When they stopped, Genma turned around to face Manami and she almost jumped out of her skin.

"Here's the deal," he started, "you're about to meet Lady Tsunade, our Fifth Hokage. She is the leader of Konoha so she deserves the utmost respect. Got it?"

"Got it," Manami squeaked out. Her knees were practically shaking as Genma knocked on the door.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" shouted a voice behind the doors.

Manami took a step back from the anger emanating from the voice while Genma remained un-phased.

"I have an unidentified newcomer," he called through the doors. "Permission to enter."

Manami heard grumbling and ruffling of papers. A moment later a door was opened by woman with short black hair.

"Welcome," she said politely, "Tsunade-sama will see you now."

"Thanks Shizune," replied Genma. He looked at Manami and cocked his head towards the door. Manami followed, gathering all the courage she could muster.

Shizune closed the door behind them and walked across the room to a large desk overflowing with papers and scrolls. Genma bowed to the woman behind the desk, a blonde with hair tied in two loose pig-tails and a purple gem on her forehead. Manami's eyes met stern amber eyes and she bowed deeply as well.

Tsunade eyed Manami up and down for a moment asking, "Who is this?"

Genma straightened and replied, "Her name is Manami. She claims to be in a predicament. I saw her not far from the site where the smoke was and went to meet her but she ran. Izumo and Kotetsu met her at the gate where I caught up. Manami didn't even know this was Konoha."

Tsunade listened with eyebrows furrowed. Her eyes flickered between Genma and Manami as Genma spoke. Manami remained silent, for fear of the wrath she glimpsed earlier.

When Genma finished, Tsunade took a deep breath and said, "Interesting. Tell me, Manami, you're predicament wouldn't have anything to do with the smoke appearance, would it?"

Manami's heart thumped so hard in her chest, she was sure the others could hear it. Keybearers were forbidden from directly meddling with the affairs of a world. It disrupted the natural order of things and caused confusion and chaos. Keybearers were told to avoid meddling with worlds and to create covers for their appearance. And yet here she was in the middle of the village leader's office being inquired about the smoke from her crash landing.

"I don't know anything about that, ma'am." she lied. It felt like an arrow shot through her chest, but Manami had to keep her true identity hidden.

"I am merely a traveler," she concluded. She felt a little better admitting some truth and it calmed some of her nerves.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed at the vague response. "Where were you coming from?"

Manami froze. Crap, she thought. Didn't think of that.

Manami kept her breathing steady and heartbeat down, basic tell-tale signs if someone was lying.

"I come from no place in particular," she answered coolly, "I explore many different places near and far, simply following one path to another. That's how I ended up here."

"Then how do you explain running from one of our ninja?" asked Tsunade in a warning tone.

"He dropped in front of me and demanded to know who I was." Manami replied easily. "I had no idea who he was or anything and got spooked." At least that much is true.

Genma looked at her like she grew a second head and Tsunade smirked.

"Genma, take her to see Ibiki. I've got paperwork to deal with." She looked at Manami, "We'll see how much of what you say is true."

Genma bowed and left the room, Manami mimicking his actions.

Walking through another labyrinth of hallways Manami asked nervously, "What did Tsunade-sama mean at the end when we left?"

Genma looked back at her and smirked, "If what you say holds true, you can stay in the village. If not, we have to break you and find out what your true intentions are."

Manami gulped at the thought of being tortured for information.

"So, who is this Ibiki person?" she asked.

Genma's silver pick twitched. "Ibiki-san is in charge of interrogation. He's a mastermind of getting information out of people, but sometimes it takes a little while for people to crack."

Manami's nerves returned with every step as she followed in silence.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Down in the interrogation office, Manami was placed in a room with two chairs and a table. She sat in the chair furthest from the door and waited patiently for something to happen. There were no clocks, no windows, no way of telling how much time was passing her by. Everything was grey too. Awfully dull, she thought.

Manami felt relatively calm for her situation. There was no point in freaking out, it would just get her into more trouble. The calmer she remained, the clearer she could think. Not to mention her nerves were shot by this point.

The handle to the door jiggled and a large man in a black trench coat entered the room. When he sat down, Manami saw two scars streaked across his face. A bandana covered his head with a silver plate attached. His presence alone set Manami on edge.

Tension filled the room as the two stared at each other. The man set a file folder on the table and leaned on the table. Manami shifted in her chair and crossed her arms. This guy can't be any good, she thought morbidly.

The large man grinned as if reading her thoughts.

"Let's begin," he said in a deep voice.

FIN

That was fun, hope you all enjoyed!
Just a heads up, I won't be able to post for at least a week :( I'm sorry... Until next time then! ~KunoichiBlade