Chapter 12:
Ladies and gentlemen, let the games begin.
Naru woke to the uncomfortable feeling of her wounds being healed, the skin was growing and stretching in the most painful of ways. The seven year old konoichi watched as some of the other cellmates stirred in fevered nightmares, while others stood still and looked as though sleep would only do good. Twisting slightly in the reeking straw, she looked over at Yoh, who was unsurprisingly awake and watching over the others. When the tan woman saw her awake she grinned and motioned the tiny girl over, something Naru went along with.
"sleep well gaki?", Naru gave a tiny nod before resuming her mental once over of her injuries. She felt that the monster fox -Kyuubi, was responsible for her impromptu healing and decided to send a small flair of gratitude to her chakra enhanced pain in the ass. She resolved herself to talking with the Hokage when she got home to find out the reason for her unwilling prisoner. She was so deep in thought that she nearly jumped a mile high when Yoh elbowed her.
Her blue eyes sought the older woman's, who just nodded her head in the direction of the bars as a man dressed in leather walked in. he was very tall and held himself like one of importance. His face was marked diagonally with a red and puffy scar, while his mouth held a self-satisfied sneer as his bright brown eyes looked at the huddles of broken women. His hair was close cropped and mayhap was brown as well. She knew he was not a very nice man and openly glared at him which made Yoh chuckle when she noticed.
The man opened up his mouth, "alright, you bitches get enough sleep. Are all of you bright eyed and bushy tailed or do any of you need a bath in boiling oil to knock the sleepy fro your eyes." his voice was high and nasally and oh so mocking. Naru had thought she had wanted to hit the Uchiha bad, but now she wanted to beat the mans scarred face against the bars until his hard head made them open. Yoh placed a heavy callused hand on her left shoulder which made it twitch in pain as she calmed down her killing intent. That man rubbed her the wrong way.
He made a hand-sign that had the cold bars of their cell glow briefly before lowering, with that he had some of the handling guards come and take them away. She still grimaced in horror and disgust when the creatures walked up to the now open cell and picked up the women who moaned in fear and carried them off. Though she had been warned about the monster guards, she still fought like a hell cat when one of them picked her up in its huge hands, behind her she could hear Yoh silently struggle against her own assailant. The leather dressed man had left and was walking up to a huge door with two crossed swords carved into the metal. With a snap of his fingers, one of the guards who didn't have a woman in his arms slumped forward and braced himself against the big door before throwing his weight against it, making it groan open and nearly blinding her with the harsh outside light.
The sound of cheering and clanging of metal on metal alerted her of a fight before she saw it.
The outside was designed like a huge coliseum, like the one in Konoha, but this one had a freaken huge dome with only the very top circle cut out for light. The ground was covered in blinding white sand with huge slate and sandstone boulders haphazardly placed willy-nilly. The stands were packed with richly dressed people -most likely merchants and small time daimyos of small countries. Servants also stood at attention behind their masters and most seemed to be disgusted by the brutal spectacle happening on the sands below. In a richly decorated box stand, a man bathed in black silk with his face covered in shadow watched the fight, his intent radiating sadistic glee.
Naru grimaced. How could people find enjoyment in watching others suffering and death. The pretty girl felt her stomach rebel when the thick smell of death- blood, urine, feces wafted from the still air. Logically she knew that she would doubtlessly be in closer contact with death in her pursuit of being a great konoichi, but she felt that the way people died and the broken balance left behind would forever haunt her.
Yoh watched her tiny companion in contemplative silence. Once a konoichi of Iwa, she was known as the rock fall of the country of earth and had lived and fought for the ideals of her people and Kage. she had only been twenty or so at the time when she was betrayed by those she thought had her trust. It had been a routine mission, go find a young ninja undercover, assassinate him/her and then leave with no one being the wiser. The older women clenched her jaw in hate. She still felt the phantom ache from where her own teammates had let lose a volley of kunai and shuriken upon her unprotected back, the raised scars marring the once smooth skin. No, she was a bitter women now and seeing a tiny girl of only seven being trained in the shinobi arts rubbed her the wrong way.
The crowds cheers snapped her out of her musings. The heavy swaying of the guards movements jerked her around, beside her Naru growled lowly which brought amusement to Yoh's features. Even now the child would fight not to be controlled and thus doing so made the older women feel respect. Something she had thought she had lost long ago.
Naru felt her chest rumbling with her growls as she was carried like a doll towards a room with gigantic iron bars that stretched from floor to ceiling. Inside, men and women sat or paced in anticipation. Some wore the rags that were given as clothes while others wore leather armor studded with large metal rings set in a medieval fashion. Those that were geared up sat in resigned silence as voices echoed around them. Naru chanced a look at those in rags and noticed with rage at how skinny and broken they looked as they paced in fear. Their bare feet left bloody footprints from pacing on the rough sand covered stone. With a lumbering motion forward, the lead guard quickly uncovered a large wheel and grabbed one of the pegs in his meaty hands. Motioning with his hands to come forward he beckoned the other beasts to bring over their burdens before slowly turning the wheel backwards. A rumbling screech bounced around the arena as onlookers and patrons looked to see what was going on. The roar of the crowd was deafening as those who watched cheered or booed at the newest arena meat, most looked ready to place bets before they were even outfitted, practically drooling to win or lose money depending on the odds.
The lead guard had finally opened the gate and was shooing the other fighters back further into the large holding cell. The other beasts followed him in before dumping their burdens on the hard and unforgiving ground. With grunts and lumbering noises the beasts left and closed the gate behind them, effectively trapping the prisoners in until they were called to fight.
With a groan, Naru felt someone slowly helping her to sit up. A quick glance showed them to be a older women with a shaved head that was covered in small white scars. Her eyes were a dark brown and showed no warmth, nothing like Yoh's eyes at all. She was muscular like Yoh though, with large shoulders and narrow waist. She wore the same metal ringed leather outfit as some of the others and even Naru could see that her build pushed on the worn outfit.
"you should not be here, young one." the women had a silky voice, that made you believe what she was saying as a simple and universally excepted fact. "the child-loving man will come for you soon. Why you though, I wonder?" she was also kind of a bitch.
Naru, still in the woman's hold, grunted as she cleared her throat before answering, "he thought I was a delectable little morsel. Wait till he finds the ants though, then I will see who has the final laugh." she grinned when she startled a laugh out of the older woman.
Her silky voice held laughter in it as she said, "well now a fighter. Its been a while since I've seen one of those outside of us here who have been fighting for years in this arena. it's a pleasant change and no doubt the patrons who serve the shadow will be pleased at the newest selection." by the end it had turned sarcastic.
Naru watched as the woman turned to motion Yoh over before walking up to the gate and banging on it to gather the attention of the guards all the while yelling, "hey you, big, gross and ugly. Yeah you, come here. Its my turn to fight or are you just going to leave me here to rot like a dead dog in the sun." a few moments later and the woman was let out and on to the sandy arena. Too soon the clash of metal and screams rang through the air. The young girl slowly undid her bright red hair from her ponytail and sat next to Yoh. It was going to be a long day.
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Several days had passed and Naru could admit that she was bored, nervous and filled with a odd thing - adrenaline.
All there was to do in this place was mend weapons and talk or meditate and ignore the dying screams of those who fought in the arena no more than a foot away from the cell. Hana- the woman with the silky voice, had said and befriended both Yoh and herself, even taking the young konoichi genin under her wing. She was always talking about how to fight and what she had been doing before becoming a fighter which was being a friend of some daimyos as she worked on being a blacksmith. When Naru had casually mentioned of having some experience with metal working for making weapons and tools, Hana's eyes had lit up with a fire worthy of a forge. The cell in the very back had a mediocre forge and was watched by a guard to make sure only weapons for the fighters were forged and even then it was difficult to convince the shadows dogs to give them materials to forge or make with.
So a Few days later found Naru and Hana with Yoh as a lookout taking lessons on blacksmithing. It was hard and difficult work but it was something to do and gave her a life skill she could apply to their compounds armory back home - the one she would build once she got back with Hinata and Lee and as a cover for her espionage work, after all who would question a blacksmith who worked on making tools for tilling fields rather then weapons to kill.
Naru smiled as some of the old iron pieces of a shattered sword were turning red as she steadied the large hammer over them before pounding the holy hell out of the shards which threw up tiny sparks and heat. It had already been five and a half days since she had been placed into the cell with Yoh and already she had made two swords and a lance for some of the fighters. honestly I enjoy this work. Who knows, if this konoichi stuff doesn't work out, I will be a capable blacksmith. She was so in her thoughts that she shrieked and jumped when Hana had come into the small alcove forge without her knowing and touched her shoulder with an almost motherly protection.
The woman's brown eyes showed anger and fear, not for herself but for the tiny girl who was now eight years old. She may have been trained as a konoichi but she was still just a child who was being forced to grow up at a faster rate then she should be. Her voice shook softly as she silently looked at the one she considered a daughter-like figure, "oh my little one. I tried to make them reconsider but they wouldn't listen to me even though I have fought for years an have some respect and authority…" the older woman went off on a spiel as she worked herself up into a frenzy so much so the Naru was scared she was going to faint or give herself a conniption.
Blue eyes focused on brown as Naru asked what was wrong.
A silent wail as Hana answered, "they want you to fight in your first fight three days from now."
That was the last thing Naru heard before she felt the blackness over take her vision and then she knew no more.
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Along a dust road a silent shadow moved onwards. He had his mission to bring back those gaki's that had graduated early. Truthfully he liked the kids, they were warm and filled with a light that was as soft as iron. The moving shadow sighed quietly as he caught another false trail.
With dark black eyes watching the road, Ibiki ran on. Losing his brother and then being promoted to T & I, he often had little time to keep aware of inner village politics and their struggles, but one thing had surprised him: the three kids, Uzumaki Naru, Hyuuga Hinata and Rock Lee had passed an anbu exam and then passed the academy test before leaving a brief training trip. He had also heard something from the Hokage about them living in an old abandoned compound that they had been gifted. It never failed to amuse him when he heard about this nor the looks on his colleagues faces when the heard about several knew graduates only to find out that they were the three outcasts of the village.
Ibiki smiled as he pushed on with more speed as the green forest started to turn into flat land and in the distance a desert started in a golden expanse that shown gray in the fading light.
He would do his Kage proud and bring those children back, after all he wanted them to participate in his chunin exams one day.
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The buzz of soft conversation was what Naru heard as she slowly woke up from her fainting spell. The now eight year old felt slightly ashamed with herself at passing out, she had been trained better. A cool hand was suddenly placed on her forehead making her blue eyes snap open. Looks of shock and confusion greeted her as she pushed herself to a sitting position. "what's everyone looking at?" her voice was raspy and drained.
Yoh moved over to her side and handed her a piece of glass. With an odd look she glanced down and promptly dropped the fragile piece of mirror. Tan-ish hands moved to her hair in shock and fear as blue eyes flicked through the small crowd in question. "what is this?" no answer.
Her once bright red hair was a now bright blonde with a slight reddish quality to it. She was more tan - more like Yoh's and Hana's coloring. She was so confused. In the end it was Yoh who answered, "we found a seal on you that disappeared when you fainted. After it was gone your hair and skin color changed." she wondered how long she had been out and this time it was Hana who answered, "you've been out for two days. Today is the day you fight. Thankfully it is a later fight, which will give us time to prepare you." the woman's voice was sad. A rush of pure unadulterated fear shot through the young Uzumaki. She knew fighting and death were all parts of being a shinobi but nothing anyone did could stave off the fear that she would have too kill someone.
She remembered the words Crane-sensei had told them before they finished their training in anbu, "the first kill is always the hardest. It is the time when you make or break your shinobi career and it is the most damning on the mind and heart. The key is not to lose yourself in the process, be strong but flexible and don't kill for enjoyment. Respect the loss of life and never see them as numbers but as people, lest you lose who you are!"
With squared shoulders, she forced herself to her feet and took unsteady steps until she was next to Hana and Yoh. "lets finish this."
With the help of the two women, Naru was brought to the back of the cell where an assortment of odds and ends lay. There was leather ringed armor and a pair of leather gloves that went up to the elbow, one held the compartment for her collapsible staff. When she pulled it out it had been changed, in now had seals written into the heavy metal. Yoh told her they held things to attach to the top and bottom of her weapon. Her clothes that she had been wearing when she was kidnapped were still missing but her sword was there, which surprised her. With reverence she picked up the katana and looked at the hilt which was still covered in the blue fabric. "how did you get this. I thought it was lost when I was kidnapped." out of the corner of her eye, Naru noticed that Hana had motioned to herself and cringed at the implications for getting a partial of her things back.
With quick, deft fingers the two older women fastened on the armor and rearranged her meager weaponry before they stopped.
With a questioning look, Naru watched as Yoh walked over to a small stone shelf before retrieving something small and silver in color. It was a small pair of scissors that looked lethally sharp and were currently focused in front of the brash girl. With an apologizing glance Yoh moved the scissors to her now blond hair and said, "sorry Naru but it would be best if we cut your hair. Less of a handhold."
Each snip of those tiny metal knives connected by a small screw was absolute torture as her long hair was cut shorter and shorter. It took about two hours before they were done. When she looked into an even tinier piece of glass, she noticed the way her hair moved upwards from her head in a pixie cut. She liked it though it reminded Naru of a porcupines bristling quills rather then hair. The blonde look didn't help. Her voice wavered slightly as her natural energy and confidence wore away to reveal a scared and uncertain girl-child. "must I go through with this?" fear perfumed her intent and chakra as she looked to the two women who had come to mean so much to her. "I'm surely to young…I…can't do this, I'm not ready." hysteria raced through her as she trembled. It was during this time that she truly questioned the Hokage's intentions for practically making them into child warriors.
Yoh was just about to answer her when the scream of someone in the arena made everyone freeze. Someone had just died. Someone had just died and now it was her turn, she would have to fight someone to the death. Her first kill. Her newly tanned skin paled into an ashy gray when she heard the screech of the gate being wheeled open, the lead guards heavy footfalls made the sandy floor tremble in time with her shakes. She wasn't ready, nothing could prepare her, this she knew. Her anbu sensei, Hokage-sama, Anko-nee, hell even the academy had taught them the most of a shinobi's life: life till you die. It was the most crucial of lessons, die on your own time and do your village proud. A small part of her sanity felt like crumbling when a mirthless laugh tore out of her mouth through numb lips from somewhere deep in the hallow expanse of her diaphragm.
A sharp prod in the back between her shoulder blades woke her up from her thoughts as the beastly guard shoved her forward. Her feet carried her forward when all she wanted to do was turn around and hide behind the two experienced warrior women. There was only silence as many of the people she passed on her way to the gate were throwing her pitying glances , some even mimed a rope going around the neck as she was moved out. Even these people knew she stood no chance against whatever hell awaited her. So be it.
Naru's last thought before crossing the gates threshold onto the sandy arena was how she was sad she wouldn't get the chance to wish Hinata and Lee farewell. Who knows maybe she would see them again on the other side.
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The blast of heat like hellfire burned across the stands as a man lounged calmly on a large padded chair that resembled a throne. Around him on chains anchored to the wall, sat several extremely beautiful women. The man raised a large dish filled with sake towards his lips as a younger man entered the pagoda with a small sigh of pleasure for being shaded and out of the heat. The shadowed man lifted a perfectly manicured eyebrow in something akin to amusement as his right hand moved down to caress one of the women's cheeks with a silk covered hand. His voice was a mellow tenor, easy to listen too and very controlled as he addressed his champion, "what do you have for me today, Shi?" the name and question flowed smooth as an unbroken sheet of ice at the younger man an champion fighter chuckled in sarcastic joy.
Shi smiled widely, "nothing truly great milord. The woman Hana though, tried to divert my attention today when I suggested a new fighter to the arena. Old girl got attached to one of those arena meats and had the balls to tell me to stay away from some child." the shadow man smiled thinly, more at the disgust of the foul choice of words rather then the openness of the talk. After all, he had practically raised the foul-mouthed youth, he should be rather used to it.
The silky voiced turned mocking as he said, "really now? Hana of the cats tongue, rarely takes to anyone new. What make this boy special, I wonder?" dark colored eyes turned slightly to regard Shi, clearly waiting for an answer. He didn't wait for long.
"not a boy milord." the shadow man seemed shocked.
"not a boy. A woman then or rather a man?" he searched for an answer. The impetuses brat laughed in his sarcastic way. He did truly enjoy keeping his master in suspense even though he knew it would get him into even more trouble later. Master never forgot. Ever.
Shi grinned, "nope…a girl of only seven or eight. Blonde hair, three whisker marks on both cheeks, big forget me not blue eyes, tiny…well, everything. I saw her passed out on the floor when I went to enlist someone new to fight, she's cute. Will be a beauty when she gets older, if you're looking to expand." he gave a chilling smile when his master chuckled before continuing, "anyways, I saw her and liked the look of her, she might even make some of the hotheads in the crowds loose enough to pledge their loyalty to you if she does well."
A silk covered hand brought the dish of liquor to his lips again and Shi calmly went on the defensive. It wasn't everyday that the master agreed to his choices, that was what made him deadly. He made you feel welcomed like a snake hypnotizing a small fragile mouse before lashing out unexpectedly, even though you feel it would happen, those fangs will get you and before you know it you can never leave. It was what happened to him when he was just a street brat without a home, friends or family. His masters fangs though had gotten to his heart before he could run scared out of town, now he was a faithful servant to his master cause.
The silky voice dripped approval as the master addressed him, "you have done, Shi. Make her start from the fourth hour, after Yamabuki is finished with his fight. Make sure the baka doesn't over do himself again, she might be young but that is when you will fall. the newest generations have a way of surprising us when we least expect or want it too." the words were a veiled dismissal as Shi nodded his head in gratitude, he would live another day, the master liked his choices. Just as the younger male was about to leave the shaded pagoda, the masters tenor voice spoke to him again, "also, Shi…" Shi turned to look back. "don't forget to ask about her name, we can't keep calling her girl now can we." a smooth laugh bid Shi goodbye as he left.
"yes master, I will find it all out, for you."
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It was too damn hot.
Sweat dripped from her hairline and down the expanse of her face before falling from the point of her nose as Naru followed the guard out onto the sands. The gritty substance burned her feet. Fighters were not allowed to wear any shoes, Hana had mused to her that maybe the shadow liked watching contestants hop around because the layer of skin on their feet were being burnt away. She could agree.
The crowd was going ballistic when she finally made her debut, mostly boos and one or two cheers. The eight year old girl sniffed the burning air through her sensitive nose and sneezed out the smell of old blood and death. The guards heavy hand pushed her forward as Naru attempted to move away from him. It smelled just slightly worse then the arena. Still it was nice to be back in the sun again. It was one of her few guilty pleasures besides ramen and gardening and that was just being out in the gentle sun among soft grass as she relaxed.
Shaking her head, Naru watched as the guard left her and a young man walked out onto the sands opposite from her. He moved with the strength of a person who could fight and fight well, strong muscle glinted in the sun as sweat dripped down the small ravines and gully's made in his skin. He had short black hair tossled in a lazy fashion that benefited his tan complexion. Small scars showed on his arms as he moved closer to the girl. His bright green eyes smiled in welcome and she immediately felt herself go on guard. He was tall, maybe over six feet and held all the dangerous grace of a wild animal as he crossed the burning sandy arena until he finally stood in front of her.
He spoke softly, like he wanted only her to hear his voice - which was every bit as nice to listen to as it was amazing to look at him. "My name is Shi, the master has expressed his want for a newer fighter. Looks like he hit the jackpot hmm." he gave a flirtatious wink, which made her feel elated and pissed all in one go. He danced amongst eggshells because nothing good ever comes from her temper. With a tiny snarl at the rugged male to back the fuck away, something he ignored, she pushed pass him on her way to the center of the arena which still held puddles of red from the previous fight as the sand wouldn't be raked over until later in the evening. Unhurried steps behind Naru alerted her that the man - Shi, was following her, which ignited her flash fire temper in justified womanly rage. Growls started to pour from her throat as the offending male came closer to her, making her wonder why she was being so beastlike and then accepting the need to have a "conversation" with the over-sized feather duster sitting in her gullet.
Shi himself was loving the vision the girl-child made, snarling and growling like a hellcat as she seemed to warn him away from getting to close to her person. Though twelve years older than her, he couldn't help but be turned on to a woman who fought back, something the master thought was a waste of time. "what is your name little one?" silence. Then, a thunderous snarl ripped out of her throat as she glared at him like some offending piece of trash under her foot. A shiver raced down his spine in two parts ecstasy and wariness. Who knew little girls now days were so vocal in their anger. Shi grinned, this would be fun.
"Uzumaki Naru, not that it matters to you thrice-be-damned kidnappers. I should destroy you for this wrong against me." she said, her voice like stone. Naru was so pissed, she actually saw red. Normally a peaceful, albeit, sarcastic person she liked to be around people and liked it even more when they liked being around her. Yet this man rubbed her in a way so wrong even the Shinigami himself blushed scarlet in shock.
This man seemed like evil brewing under an angelic façade and it made her feel like a cornered animal, except in this case she had way too much to loose if she attacked him and lost. With a small shake of her head, Naru set to ignoring her new found follower as he started to give off her name and rank to the greedy audience. "come now and attend me. The girl-child named Naru will fight my lords fighter - Kasai Saru." she winced as the crowd screamed in appreciation and started the fighters names.
"Naru." "Naru" "Kasai Saru" Kasai Saru" the noise was near deafening.
Up above the arena, a man in black silk chuckled thinly as the women around him shifted uncomfortably. He had been surprised though. What a gem this child could turn out to be, her youth and vigor would help him complete his goals, of this he felt sure. "Naru" he smiled behind thin lips. Who knew that there were still children of the Uzumaki clan running around. Though with the way his Intel had read, he was completely sure that the old fool Hokage hadn't told her anything about her heritage or clan. What a pity…for them.
He was no such fool. With this little tidbit of information, he would soon be having a child of one of the greatest clans known for sealing under his rule, an even better, the little ex-Hyuuga heiress would follow along with that spandex wearing Taijustu student right with her. Sipping at his dish of Sake, he smiled once more before holding up his hand, announcing the fight.
He chuckled in mad amusement, before saying, "Impress me little whirlpool, your life and your friends are hanging in the balance."
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Naru felt the sands shift under her foot a few seconds before something big and obviously sharp whirled at break neck speed towards the middle of her sternum.
quick and thankfully fast reflexives saving her ass from being cleaved in two as a huge double bladed axe split the sand right where she had been standing just moments ago. Her heart thundered in shock as her pulse fluttered like a trapped bird under her skin which was now clammy with sweat. With a practiced move, she thumbed her katana from its sheath as a huge shadow completely engulfed her small form. Looking up until her neck hurt from the angle, she noticed a large, burly man with ruddy features and the ever noticeable battle axe held in one beefy hand.
The man had to be close to seven feet tall with so much muscle it actually made him look deformed. He had a round face with a red colored beard and brown eyes framed by big bushy red eyebrows that would have made Lee cry in amazement. His long red hair was shaved on the sides and tied up in a pony-tail. He wore the same leather armor as she did but his was of a much better quality and was covered in small scratches, gouges and ran small little rivulets of blood. Naru was convinced that most of it wasn't his. The man completed his look with a freshly lit cigar in his mouth as he grinned around it at her, showing blacked and missing teeth.
Shi walked up to her and she watched him from the corner of her eye as he slapped her on the back before doing the same to her opponent. Snorting in male bravado, something she felt would annoy both men, something she had guessed right about, she stomped her foot like a child being denied a treat but really on the inside she was trying to come up with a fool proof plan to get out of this alive and praying to a god she didn't believe in to save her himself all at the same time.
Shi looked at both fighters and seeing them ready to go nodded at himself before moving away as he called over his shoulder at them, "good luck my beauties, try not to damage each other too much while I'm gone." with that he disappeared in a flash of sand before reappearing right beside his master in his shaded pagoda.
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Kasai Saru looked at the pitiful scrap of humanity before him as he hefted his axe. He had been in the company of his master for years and felt a sense of betrayal at them for thinking that such a weak, pitiful little girl who stood no higher then his thigh, could beat him in battle. If he was a laughing man, he would have been in hysterics.
With a snort that had smoke coming out of his nose, he took a step closer to the blue eyed child.
Normally when he fought a opponent, his considerable size and girth was enough to make those foolish enough to fight, weak kneed and dumb. If that didn't work, his superior might and prowess took them permanently of his annoyance list.
With a careful eye, he walked closer to her, all the while scrutinizing his little playmate. She was tiny, only about four foot six, with short, wild blonde hair with a hint of red in it. Large blue eyes stared back at him with a mixture of fear and fight, something that surprised him not at all, after all he had seen it one to many times before. Tan, unblemished skin was clothed in leather and steel armor as long leather gloves reached to hug her small elbows. In a cylindrical container molded in the gloves he noticed the shapes of collapsible staffs. Next to her hip, a semi-large katana sheath rested snugly, while the live blade flashed warningly like quicksilver, almost taunting him to attack its mistress who wielded it in a practiced if not comfortable stance. He showed his blackened teeth in a grin, blade against blade it would be then.
With a roar he threw his considerable weight at the now startled child like a boulder falling free from its mountain mooring. His feet thundered along the sands of the arena as he skillfully evaded the pools of red in his attempt to reach the blue-eyed girl, who had only now started to move away from his reach as he swung his axe in a figure eight movement.
He was so close he could practically taste the fear the flowed of the girl named Naru in waves, he felt that he had played around long enough, especially since the crowd was expecting her to die any moment now due to her being inexperienced in battle. With another roar, he lifted the axe and sent it sailing down towards the girl as she desperately brought up her thin katana to block the no doubt, deadly strike, her blue eyes closed in dread.
CLANG
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Naru was knocked out of her thoughts when she heard the roar of her foe and felt her big blue orbs widen in fear when she saw the charging mass of flesh hurtle down the length of the arena towards her. Her small hand tightened on the Kanata as she fought for the will to move, to get the hell away from the certain death on legs that was charging effortlessly to her prone position. Naru growled low as she tried to move, the thundering vibrations in the sands made her tremble in shock. move, move now. Try to move. the words continued to bounce around hollowly in her head.
This was what war probably felt like, the thin existence she carried being threatened so easily. Never knowing if today was going to be her last or if her body, wounded, dead or alive would ever make it back home. Naru hated herself for these thoughts but was helpless to stop them, they refused to yield and tormented her with useless ideals that had no place in concentration but yet drew her away from the known order. but what about Hinata and Lee. They will miss you if you give up and will think that they did something wrong if they find out you died without fighting back. Especially if they find out you could have fought and died with some semblance of honor. Naru laughed bitterly at her thoughts, "with some honor huh. What a joke, when honor is something so far from this place it has left it barren of warmth." she whispered dryly, but gripped the hilt of her katana and finally moved her feet.
The sands felt slippery as she maneuvered herself backward, never letting her eyes leave her enemy as he barreled towards her, a confused look on his face that mingled unnaturally with the open sadistic glee shining in his eyes. She shivered in disgust as her foot slipped into a small puddle of red and yet she just continued away, not even pausing to shake away the sticky substance.
She felt him getting closer and panicked, she was still just a child in a civilian term but considered an adult in a shinobi one and so far was thrust into a position in which she had been prepared for but was still lost and out of her element. She shivered this time in fear, the axe was coming straight for her at a downward stoke and the only thing stopping it was a thin katana that she had barely any knowledge on how to use.
Naru's big blue eyes closed as her tiny arms held her weapon, she was scared.
Suddenly, when she thought the axe would finally touch the blade of her sword, Naru felt an odd sucking sensation at her belly. It seemed to be pulling her into the subconscious of her mind and before she knew it she had no more control over her body and this freaked her out. The damn fox in her gullet was, dare she say it, helping her out.
Think of this as a training for what is to come later on Gaki. I have never done this for any of my wardens before now so think of a way you can thank me later.
Naru felt herself being returned to reality as she strengthened her hold on her Katana and prepared to meet the incoming axe head on. The jarring clang of metal on metal hurt her suddenly sensitive ears as the smells of many old fights swamped her nose, sweat and blood being the most prominent. Further more she was holding off the large battle axe with her tiny arms as if she had the strength of a hundred men. Naru grinned, she felt all powerful, the scent and feel of battle sang to her rather hot blood as she held of the mans attacks. She frowned, he was a man who had no reason to attack her, thus she was in her right to kill him for this transgression against her person. Yes, her mad smile was back, his death would sooth the fiery burn that flowed through her veins.
With a mighty push, she managed to throw the axe away from both of them where it spun against the length of the arena until it lodged itself into the thick walls. Naru didn't know what was happening but she relished in the sudden cry of fear, pure and unadulterated, as her enemy caught sight of her. She was powerful, she was dangerous and this pathetic waste of space would soon learn that lesson through blood and flesh. With a quick flick of her wrist, the katana sliced through the air and sliced the mans chest open. His cry of pain was music to her. She moved the sword until it raced along behind the mans ankles across the tender Achilles tendon and laughed openly while he thundered to the ground in agony. Her eyes flashed as coldly as her blade as it arched down towards the fallen man, the man once known as Kasai Saru.
Suddenly she felt limp and drained as some power was forcefully removed from her small body which now seemed as brittle as glass. The spooked girl looked down at her hands and saw them covered in blood she, thankfully, didn't drop her sword as she felt the bile in her stomach rebel up her throat. She looked over at the man she had been fighting and promptly fell to her knees in horror. She felt a silent scream exit her body as two sets of very warm hands lifted her up and carried her away back to the holding cell. Her eyes still receiving the brutality of her first kill.
Behind her, the crowd was chanting her name in awe and frenzy. " Naru" "Naru" "Naru".
0-0-0-0-0
Up in his shaded pagoda, the shadow covered man chuckled in delight. The Uzumaki girl had performed admirable in her fight and the little show she had put on with killing one of his best fighters was well received by the heartless lord. Truthfully he did not care about the ambitious Kasai Saru, he admired ambition in only one being and that was himself, though even he could be surprised and oddly enough it had been a eight year old girl who caused him to become so. From what he had gathered from one of his 'plants' in the holding cell, Uzumaki Naru was a kind if not sarcastic and hyper child, who took duty very seriously. He couldn't help but be stumped, why had she become so dangerous. It had almost seemed as if she had truly become a different person all together. Now felt the need to meet his newest fighter.
His voice was silky as he turned to his champion and said, "bring the girl here to me as soon as possible." he waited long enough to see Shi nod in agreement before turning his head back to the new fight ready to take place. His mind though was still on the tiny blonde haired female that laid just outside his grasp.
0-0-0-0-0
Deep in the holding cell warmed by the small forge, two women sat against the wall holding a small child who had finally cried herself to sleep. The two women might not have been friends but they were close and had stayed beside the gate to watch Naru fight and now they would stay beside the emotionally wrecked girl. Yoh's golden brown eyes lit up when Naru had won but had dimmed again when she remembered the cost of winning. Her silent partner had just nodded in anguish, two parts sad that the carefree girl had been forced to kill and now would be forced to face the Shadow Man.
Hana looked over to the slightly older woman and said, "I fear for Naru now that the Shadow Man has seen her fight, even more so now that she has shown she can win." Yoh looked into Hana's eyes and nodded. Over the years she had seen fights and those who won became his little puppets, mindless to some extent. She growled under her breath. She would be damned before the Shadow Man and his mutt Shi managed to make her little friend into a thoughtless and cruel tool to be used time and time again until she was killed in this kami forsaken arena on the whims of that fool who called himself a lord. She saw Hana agree with the sentiment.
Her golden eyes looked into Hana's, "what can we do. It is near impossible to get out of this hell-hole without the Shadow man or one of his dogs knowing about it." her voice was stern but held only facts. She and many others over time had seen escape attempts fail over and over again. Hell even she had tried to escape several times, none of them had ever worked and usually involved her being sent back to the torturer Naru had "affectionately " dubbed The Minotaur, for a grade A beating. Still, she wasn't as young nor as resourceful as Naru was. Even as old as she was and an ex-konoichi, she could never truly amount to her virtues as Naru was doing going by the seat of her pants.
Hana looked down at the sleeping girl who was like a daughter to her. She felt the rise of maternal injustice at the horror her little friend had to endure. Unlike Yoh, she had never been a konoichi but rather had known several in her life and knew fairly early on that the tiny child in her arms was one of those dangerous ninja in training and it wounded her more then any physical blade or justu. Gently sitting up, she removed the worn girl from her lap and got up quietly from her spot before standing up on numb, tingly legs.
"we need to watch over her more then ever now, Yoh. The damned shadow man won't leave her alone until she's sworn to his cause and fully under his control…even more disturbing is the fact that he might see some potential in her and not anything good." Hana grabbed her hammer and started to pound out her frustrations on a red hot piece of steel.
Yoh nodded before saying, "Breeding…he will want her for his female fighter program, won't he?" she shivered in disgust when Hana simple gave a jerky nod, not even turning to face the other distraught woman. Both women had been extremely lucky to be only beaten and made to fight, they could have been forced into the female fighter program which took the best female and male fighters from the arena and basically bred them together until the female conceived and birthed a child who would then be taken from her and trained to fight for the Shadow. It was a humiliating life and had driven more than one woman to kill herself once she birthed the babe and even sometimes managing to kill the child as well, so it would not have to kill and be forced into a life of pain and horror.
Yoh, smiled down at the small spit-fire girl. She would not be driven to kill herself, she was to strong for that even though she didn't know it yet, in time she would understand. "we need to get her out of this place." she whispered to herself, but was lost on how to do it. Hana looked over her shoulder at the other woman who was biting her lip in concentration, before saying, "we also need to get her and her friends out of here as well." Yoh looked up at her and paled. It was going to be near impossible to get one of the children out, how were they going to manage getting anymore away.
Both women turned when a small groan met their ears. Naru would soon be waking up and would need some medical attention since she passed out before they left the arena. Faces turned towards each other as eyes met in silent communication, both acknowledging the same thing. This conversation wasn't over, far from it.
0-0-0-0-0
In a hallway filled with water, with dripping pipes serving as a ceiling, a young child with tan skin, blonde short hair and big blue eyes sloshed forward.
Naru had been in this kami damned maze of halls ever since she had passed out in the hands of Yoh and Hana before she left the arena. Since then she had been walking through the knee deep water in an attempt to find out where in the hell she had disappeared to, and so far she had no clue.
Everything looked the same, smelled the same, and once when she tripped over her own feet and fell face first into the murky liquid, tasted the same. It didn't help that she was having to strain her eyes in order to see with the strange pale light that filtered in from some odd source she had yet to find or see. Holding back a snarl, which Naru barely managed, she moved towards a dark side hallway.
The dark black opening yawned into forever as Naru peered down into it. She had noticed that something would glow for a few seconds before once more vanishing and felt extremely reluctant to take a venture into the dark. Turning her bright head left and then right, she took a step, reasoning that it was only a unlit hallway and that she was had been through to much hell to be scared of the dark now. Smirking silently at her grim joke, she moved a little faster.
It wasn't until thirty minutes of continues walking that Naru became fed up with the dark hall. Stopping suddenly, making the murky water roll and slap against the sides of the wall somewhere further away from her, Naru felt the urge to run and bare her teeth in a growl, she felt anxious and watched as though someone was keeping an eye on her in the dark. With a half turn she sudden screamed, "what the hell do you want from me!" and listened as the sound bounced lowly down the hall. Breathing hard she managed two steps forward before a booming chuckle echoed around her.
Eyes narrowed as she looked to the side of her and noticed another hallway etched into the wall. With a cautious feeling she made her way towards it.
Naru managed a small sigh in relief when the darkness of the hall brightened until it shone like lamp light. It was while she was noticing the old ability to see clearly that Naru saw several doors covered with big heavy chains and padlocks and a fit of curiosity suddenly overcame the eight year old girl. So with that in mind, she walked over to one of the doors and found them made of some wood that looked heavy and very brown. Looking up she paused when her big blue eyes stopped upon a brass name-plate with the name Liver etched into the soft metal with the most careful of calligraphy. Walking passed several others she noticed that the doors and the plates were of the same make and design of the first and that only the names varied: Lungs, Heart, Kidneys, Brain, Memories, etc…she felt nervous looking at those chained up portals. "these doors must be important. Maybe they control those functions on the other side…hmm, I will have to talk to the Hokage when I get back home." her voice whispered to herself as she waited beside a door marked Eyes.
With a small shake of her head, Naru decided to just keep following the hall, maybe she'd get lucky and someone would be around for her to ask about where she was, though even now she had the smallest of ideas of where she was at.
Naru was just rounding a corner when a big menacing voice boomed out from ahead of her, "So my little warden deems it well enough to finally visit the inmate. How funny you must think it is to try and find out my secrets." clapping her small hands against her ears did not stop the powerful voice from bleeding into her skull as she felt the very pressure from its words boom thunderously from inside her. She grit her teeth as the beast inside of her chuckled in amusement.
With her bright blue eyes nearly closed in a potent mixture of anger and pain, Naru growled out her challenge, "you think of me as the bad person here, but in truth I'm just as innocent of all this hatred you carry for me. I was unaware you even shared my body and mind until just mere weeks ago." it was silent for a few minutes before a huge rush of energy pushed her until she ended up in a gigantic room separated by a massive red gate with a piece of paper with the words seal written on it. She shivered when behind the bars, huge red eyes, slit and pissed beyond reason stared down at her frail mortal shell.
"you think yourself an innocent in all of this! Don't make me laugh. You carry the taint of humanity on your scent and that alone makes you inferior in my eyes. Don't try to justify your claims, they will only fall on deaf ears." the foxes voice yelled out in pure rage, making its energy boil and froth madly as the bars bounced and wavered in their attempt at keeping it in behind them. As for Naru, she fought to keep standing even as she felt the air whoosh out of her lungs at the awe-inspiring show of power. this was the fury and force of a fully grown tailed-beast, the ancient skill to force submission by sheer will alone had been spoken of for generations and was not to be taken lightly.
Forcing herself to stay upright, Naru threw up a small arm to cover her eyes as the winds created from the foxes power stirred up waves from the murky water. She gritted her teeth when she was buffeted from side to side as she groaned in mild pain, her muscles seizing up as her fight or flight reaction tried to shift her ass in gear.
Closing her blue eyes she yelled up at the nine-tailed menace, "throwing a tantrum huh, just what I would expect of someone in the wrong…stop this foolish display of power and let us talk like reasonable beings ya' furry formed son of a bitch!" a thunderous snarl shook metal and concrete shavings from a ceiling far, far above her smothered in darkness. Naru gave a tiny snarl of her own as her teeth ached from the immense vibrations. She was mentally figuring out how she was going to shut up some monster chakra fox when a tingling shivered up her spine. Thinking on instinct, Naru forced some chakra to her legs and feet and pushed up with all the power in her body just as a glowing red tendril of power crashed into the spot she had just vacated.
High up in the air, Naru looked down at the explosion of water and concrete in awe. Who knew the Kyuubi could manage that while being held behind bars. Big blue eyes widened in horror as another surge of energy flew straight up from the smoking water as she realized she had no where to turn to safety. With a brief prayer, Naru closed her eyes and braced herself for the inevitable pain that was sure to come. Boy did it hurt, like how being hit with lightning should feel while having a lye bath along its sensitive edge. The pain was so intense that Naru mentally vowed to base any injury or wound she received off the pain she was currently being forced to deal with, all of this happening as she felt her muscles tighten and freeze as she fell from the height she had jumped too.
"Deal with pain little human leech and be thankful that I am sparing you the worst of it, for I do not doubt the full brunt of my strike would have killed you upon impact." the foxes whispered taunts echoed shrilly as Naru lost consciousness. Her last thought before darkness once again overtook her vision was, this happens entirely too often…I'm going to have to fix that once I return home.
0-0-0-0-0
A huge splash met the glowing red eyes of the Kyuubi as he watched the now unconscious blonde hit the shallow waters with the force of a small mountain collapsing. The left over anger from the previous fight boiled evilly beneath his now calmer exterior as he looked upon the girl-child. so much like her mother in action but her father in looks…for years I have tried to understand their decisions for sealing me in their only child, their precious baby girl and now I truly fear I will never know the answer to this riddle. Why? Such a simple question with no easy answer.
The fox felt the throb of his thoughts hit him. His red eyes glared down at the sleeping child, a kit too one of his years. A mirthless chuckle bubbled up from his chest, how appropriate he would end up with an Uzumaki and be forced to watch over her as she grew, someone in hell was definitely angry at him…maybe from a past life.
"sleep Naru, for soon you will be charged with the happiness of your friends and it will do well for you to sleep before the coming storm." the Kyuubi cryptically answered down to the blue-eyed child asleep on the flooded floor, his fury now just a pot on the verge of boiling over as he silently pushed the girl out of the seal. He had many things to think about: who was that man the inmates called shadow? What did he want with the Uzumaki child and those she called friends? There was simply to many answers to his questions and sadly most of those answers left him feeling uncomfortable and wary.
Curling up once more in his cage, the fox sighed in loneliness as his great red eyes closed for a nap, hoping beyond everything that sleep would be dreamless and uninformative.
0-0-0-0-0
Naru felt like she had been on the losing end of a bull fight.
Her small body was littered with cuts and bruises and sore from her fight with that giant from the arena and the fox in her gullet. She felt her eyes water as the previous images from her defeat of Kasai Saru hit her hard. She, Uzumaki Naru had taken a life, she had ended the very existence of someone in something akin to a spar just with higher stakes. Looking down at her bandaged hands all she could see was them dripping with blood as her body gave little but violent shudders. Shooting up, Naru stumbled on unsteady feet as she rushed to the small bathroom set of to the side of the cage, her stomach almost not holding out before she emptied it of what little they were given to eat.
Callused hands gently rubbed soothing circles on her back as tears flowed from her eyes and her nose ran. She was a monster just like those villagers used to call her when she was little. Her adrenaline was very high and she felt like passing out again as her heart beat out a double time rhythm. A rough humming behind her didn't help as Naru turned around and practically merged herself with the startled Yoh, who was currently trying to keep her from doing anything rash.
Yoh looked down at the sobbing child. She had been a konoichi for many years before her betrayal and thus had long forgotten the name of her first kill. Sadly though, she would always remember his face as she shoved a kunai into the soft tissue of his unprotected throat, would always remember the blood spilt on that night so many years before. She was one of the unlucky ones to have been on a solo mission and thus didn't have anyone to hold her through the night when the full impact of what she had done weighed heavily on her battered psyche. She had never had a protégé nor a team of genin, so she had never had to help someone with this type of problem but for Naru, she would do all she could. Though she could never take away the act of the first kill, she could help explain why it had been done and what would have happened.
It irked the woman, knowing this child would be forced to kill again, maybe in the arena or for her country and she could do nothing to stop that…the life of a Shinobi was hard to live. With a grumble, the older woman gently lifted the now shaking but silent girl and looked into the glistening blue orbs and winced as her heart broke further. "the thing about konoichi is that we are taught differently from regular shinobi. We are seduction and assassination all rolled into a very hidden persona. Because of this we are not allowed to be who we want to be and thus are limited in what we want to do with our lives and this leads to many of our profession into suicide." Yoh stopped briefly to gaze at Naru before continuing, "what I want you to know is that I may not always be there for you, I will always care for you…take this time to heal, learn from this and move on."
Naru gave a tiny wince, Yoh was definitely not one for motivational speaking. In fact, she felt even more uncomfortable from the brief talk then the actual implications of what the talk meant.
Nodding her head, Naru gently untangled her short figure from the tanned woman and walked away towards the massive gate. Already the moon was coming out and bathing the arena sands with a quicksilver radiance that belayed the daily horrors the grounds had been forced to see. Big blue eyes watched as the sweepers, those who tended to the sands every night, moved in a diagonal pattern as easily as any dancer as they hurried to accomplish their assigned tasks before any of the guards became unruly and beating were dolled out. Naru simply watched and enjoyed the crisp, cool air as she silently leaned against the gate, thinking about her friends, the fox and those she had left at home as they became her own jumbled headache.
It was during her thoughts when a large hand suddenly slammed into the thick metal of the gate, startling Naru into giving a yelp of shock. Snapping her head around she glared deeply into the amused eyes of one person she could really live without seeing anymore: Shi. Everything annoyed her about him from his arrogant attitude which reminded her way to closely of Sasuke-teme to his sadistic countenance which claimed he could kill without remorse. In a way though, she respected his ability of how far he could shove his tan head so far up his own ass and then the turn around and shove it up the Shadows ass without breathing amazed the eight year old spy-in-training.
Glaring blue eyes narrowed further at the baka champion as she said, "what the fuck do you want Shi? Can't you see I'm currently busy." she felt some sick form of satisfaction when Shi's eyes narrowed in anger before becoming closed off once more.
Naru - 1, Shi - 0.
The tall man backed up before motioning on of the guards closer and then pushing the beast to open up the gate before answering the fiery blonde. "the master has expressed an interest in the one who killed Kasai Saru. You will come with me now."
"what if I say no?!"
"then I have no further cause to act civilly with you."
A mirthless chuckle escaped from Naru's chest before she could stop it. Him treat her civilly, what a joke. Shi had been an insufferable ass as soon as she had met him, not to mention he gave her the creeps. A double whammy to the ego of a man who though he was Kami's gift to women.
Silently though, Naru thought it would be a beneficial if not entirely safe and sane idea to see what this master wanted, looked like and if he was flawed enough that she could play off that enough to escape this great excuse for a living hell hole.
Turning back to Shi, Naru nodded once and followed him and a guard towards a curtained off entry way which she supposed led up to the pagoda. The walk was silent but Naru was way past caring about dark and scary hallways because seriously she had already been through that tour of duty and honestly the repetition was getting old. The heavy sounds of the guards footfalls combined with the almost whispery slide from Shi's feet annoyed the young girl, who had already been taught the value of silent walking, running and sneaking from those in Anbu. Thankfully the walk wasn't a long one because Naru was sure she was going to beat both of the two idiots with her bare hands if the silence went on for much longer. Pushed into a room, filled with stuff hit the girl right between the eyes though and brought out a small gasp.
0-0-0-0-0
Naru took a small glance around the medium sized room as she forced something akin to awe on her face, spy training helping minutely as her more troupe acting propelled her actions.
The room was covered in rich tones of purples and reds as smooth oak floors shimmered in the low lighting. Carpets and rugs covered the ground in vibrant splashes of color as tapestries hung along the painted walls depicting scenes of peace, which gave the girl pause for thought. Several tables, low to the floor, held jugs and platters of food that faintly steamed as Naru was pushed by them. A clink of a chain forced her eyes over to a wall on which a dozen women in flowing belly-dancer outfits lounged upon pillows of the same color as the room. A sudden whack of a hand to the back of her head forced Naru to once again look straight which brought her face to face with the one they called Shadow.
As far as first appearances go, Naru could say she wasn't all that impressed with what she saw.
The man called Shadow was in his later twenties or so with slim muscles and a pale complexion that was brought out more so by the completely black robes he was wearing. His eyes seemed amused but were not surprisingly black as the rest of his appearance showed. He had lean cheeks and a high forehead that had a few stress wrinkles etched into the pale flesh. His nose was straight and his lips were thin, almost non-existent and formed into a line. If he had been standing, Naru would have assumed him to be quite tall and of mild build. Next to his high backed chair, a long katana was set carefully next to it on a gold rack.
All in all, Naru thought he looked as threatening as a bowl of cooked porridge. Besides that she also knew looks were very deceiving. Something about this man made people fear him and work for him under that fear, her job was to find a way out of this mess, maybe she could also find out more about him as she looked for an escape route.
With a sense of confidence that she certainly didn't feel, Naru looked dead into the black eyes of the Shadow and said, "you wished to see me, well get on with it I haven't got all day!"
A chuckle flowed from the robed man as he gave a chilling smile at the fiery young child. The black eyes looked at the way the girl held herself and how the others in the room tensed in pure-unadulterated fear at the young Uzumaki's confident attitude.
"congratulations on beating my fighter. Truth be told I felt that he was getting to be a hassle and needed to go, thank you for ridding me of his offensive presence."
Caught off guard Naru almost answered him before at the last possible second she clamped her sharp teeth onto the inside of her cheek. Mentally she gave a finger to the Shadow. He was trying to do what she herself was doing: pumping the other for information. The number one game of a spy and both sides seemed to be matched well together.
The Shadow smiled wider at the silent Uzumaki. So she refused to answer him, big deal. Sooner than later she would feel compelled to answer his query's but until then he would have to set the bait. Already he had noticed the tightening of her muscles in the face as she inflicted harm upon herself so she would not talk, clever girl but he was wiser then an eight year old brat thrust into a grown-ups world, it was time he played the game for her.
"not one for talking. I assure you my dear that I am only giving thanks where it is deserved, it would be respectful to answer your host don't you think?" he gave a smile full of innocence.
Naru carefully pulled her teeth from out of the bruised flesh of her cheek before leveling an impressed look at the room. "Nice place you got here. Plenty of room, nice view and it even comes with a harem, how lucky for you." she returned the smile.
She knew what he was doing. He was going to try to force her to drop her guard enough to become angry with him until she eventually spilled secrets. Honestly who was he trying to fool. That tactic might have worked on a regular eight year old child but she was a konoichi trained in Anbu and such tricks would not work on her, even if she had only just started her espionage training less then a month ago. She knew enough to avoid the most obvious attempts, plus her loyalties ran strong and would not be uprooted so easily.
"so nice of you to say so." Naru grinned when she heard some hint of annoyance in his smooth voice as he continued to watch her from his seat across from her.
The Shadow felt like glaring at the child. She had dodged his ploy and countered with one of his own. Who was she and who had taught her these evasive tactics. It had to be someone versed well in espionage, how else would they teach anyone about evading the topic. Settling deeper into his well padded chair, he continued to watch the girl as she met his gaze with a challenging one of her own.
With a sigh he felt bored of the child for now. With a flick of his wrist he gave a non-verbal command to escort the temperamental girl-child away. As she turned to leave his words ghosted around the small entourage, "oh and my dear…I expect you to fight once again tomorrow. Someone a little more challenging for your tastes shall we say. That is all. Shi! Take her back to the others and send up someone of your choosing for her newest fight."
Naru gave a glare at the robed man as he saluted her with a large sake dish that was being filled by a young brunette slave woman in a pink outfit. The sure cockiness grated on her nerves but she had successfully got away from this meeting unscathed, next time she may not be so lucky. With a small smile on her face, Naru walked almost serenely away from the Pagoda. Her mild victory giving her the confidence for the trials ahead.
The game was set and the players chosen, it was now her move.