Chapter 4:Instincts

In her head it had been a rather clever idea - to drop off the stolen item, take her cash, and retreat before anyone could catch up to her. Speed was one of the many things she was confident on. And while Kagemichi Rei was annoyingly full about herself, she would not make unrealistic comparisons to many idiotic ninjas she had previously met. However, she was not simply talking about here physical prowess - she was also referring to the quality of her work. It was one of the reasons why she was so expensive to recruit.

While she managed to land the same genjutsu on her hunters like she did to the Hokage, that bad gut feeling from the morning before never really left her. She had cleared quite a distance from her chasers, but the premonition still persisted like a stubborn coral. Rei took a short glance at the scroll compartment she had returned the scroll into, feeling like it was a source of bad luck. That, or the mission in itself was bad luck. She had grudgingly accepted the request and down payment, so it was only right that she finish it. The faster, the better.

Those two Konoha ninjas chasing after her were strong, even Rei had to admit that. They were pretty smart, too. None of their movements were unnecessary. Each shift of their boots, arms, and weapons were directly for a certain goal at hand. They weren't easily distracted by their opponents like the other shinobis she had met, and instead were keen to stay strictly guided to their one objective - retrieving the scroll.

Had her chasers been after her life and not a stolen scroll, they would be far more dangerous than she'd be capable of handling. It was all the more reason to hand over he scroll quickly, and let her client deal with the repercussions of stealing from the Hokage. She was just the courier, is all.

Besides, Rei was sure that they had no confirmation on whether or not she's the wanted criminal they listed down in their so called Bingo book. The book provided no information to her persona, and to their probable understanding, she was a one-time thief.

That being said, Rei raced to the address listed on her quest scroll at full speed - this time even faster than when she slipped away from Konoha or from The Waves. To normal people, she would probably seem mutant. But really, to Rei, it was all simply one method of physical body control and strategy out of many others.

In the two instances of her extraordinary running within the chase, Rei absorbed and converted the natural energy around her into her own active chakra, going in and out of her lower body's chakra points simultaneously as she ran. That way, her chakra kept being replenished non-stop and running out of energy was just out of the question, because she wasn't even using her internal chakra reserve. She's only using the surrounding natural energy around her.

It was a great technique to boost speed and maintain stamina though there would be a limit to her increased speed. The energy she could give her legs was only equal to the energy she could absorb at the same time. Adding her own chakra reserve would mean faster runs, but that would mean that she was risking fighting capability if she was forced to a situation.

But, then again, if she was faster than them, she wouldn't need to face them. So she took the risk.

With almost double speed, she had reached the gates of the given address in no time. She found herself running straight into a darker part of the woods, into a clearing, before stumbling upon tall gates and obnoxious looking guards right upfront.

The size of the mansion was insane - definitely made for some men with too much cash on their hands. The exterior looked like it was forced to look grander than it should have been - completely unnatural and out of place, and while the decor pieces surrounding the garden and gates looked incredibly expensive, if not for the size of the angel status, then the golden colors, but they did not make the aesthetic any better. If anything, they made it worse. It just looked like some new money thug pretending to be old money.

Rei stood still for a moment, focusing her chakra to sense her surroundings. Mostly, it was the abundance of nature energy around her, alongside the people guarding within the gates and the front of the mansion. However, she couldn't really check the deeper parts of the mansion - her scanning radius could not reach them. She could not feel anyone with high or intensely active energy within them, usually the sign of shinobis or strong individuals. There was the risk of danger within the mansion. But, if she stepped to the mansion's foyer, she would be close enough to have the entire mansion within her radius. It would still allow her to escape rather than be stuck inside. Within her mask, Rei's lips turn upwards. This should be quick enough for her to get her money and run.

Without further hesitation, she presented herself by the door, skipping the gates and landing right in front of the door, her mask and hood still attached as an identifier for herself. She alerted the two guards standing by who immediately corrected their stance to a fighting one.

"Who are you and what is your purpose here?"

One of the two guards approached her, his hand reaching out to the sword's hilt by his hip.

Rei eyed him. She really, really, wanted to get over this shit quickly. "Your boss didn't tell you? I come bearing gifts for the fucker."

The guard didn't stop his steps and Rei hated being held at sword-point, so she disappeared and reappeared right in front of him, turned him around to his guard mate before he could pull his sword halfway through, and pointed a kunai to his throat.

She turned to the other guard and threatened, "I do your boss a favor and you pull out pointy things to me. Open the door, tell him I've got his scroll and I need a fucking raise. If it doesn't open in ten counts, I'll get in myself."

The other guard stiffly nodded and proceeded to know three raps at the door and pushing it himself, giving space for Rei to enter. Rei returned her hostage back to his post (albeit with more force than necessary), and marched inside.

A servant came walking quickly towards the entrance before bowing deeply. The woman looked no older than forty, dressed in kimono and had her hands between her sleeves. She did not lift her head to meet her gaze with Rei's, a common indication of fear. "The master has been waiting for you, please come this way."

Rei followed her into the mansion. With a closer radius, she could get a clearer grasp of her situation. Most of the people actively moving within the mansion seem to be civilian. However, there was an odd ball of chakra in the middle of the mansion, accompanied by another that seemed to have a similar level of chakra to a chunin level ninja.

Now, this was a threat to Rei. It may or may not turn out well. For the better part, her client could have been a strong shinobi seeking more power from the scroll she brought. But if they were to go against her, for whatever reasons there are to do so in this industry, they had the advantage. Not only was she outnumbered, she had risked draining her chakra for speed earlier. Rei was stuck.

"The scroll has arrived," the woman was quick to announce her presence. Inside the room she had led Rei to, stood a snob looking man with obviously expensive attire (he made it clear that he was indeed the owner of the residence), and a familiar face that sent chills down her spine.

She'd never met him, but she had certainly seen him before. In that bingo book they had her written on, too. However, his face was on page one.

S-rank wanted ninja Orochimaru.

The thief was fast. According to Pakkun, the traces of footprints were at least a few hours old, and they have been going at it for quite some time now. Kakashi scowled. They could have already lost this thief, there was no telling how far the thief have gone to, or if she ever stopped to a destination at all.

"How is she doing this?" Kakashi asked. He wasn't really expecting an answer, because he knew Itachi was just as clueless as he was, with the little information they had. What kind of ninja was able to transport that quickly? Kakashi was reminded of his former teacher, the fourth Hokage, but even he had certain limits to speed. Minato's speed was mainly from teleportation of marked items or locations, not from bodily power. This thief, however, was running on foot. It was both astonishing and crazy.

Based on the spread of the footprints, Kakashi could assume a certain speed. If he truly tried it, he might have been able to match the speed, only if his chakra continuously supported his feet and boosted his running power extraordinarily. However, even if he did match the speed, he would only be able to do so for a few minutes. Going on at that speed as a traveling method was outright insane.

Pakkun stopped his tracks suddenly, and both Kakashi and Itachi followed suit. "I can smell our target," Pakkun announced, much to Kakashi's relief. "Its slight, but we're almost there. Come on."

With a few more sniffs, Pakkun directed them to a pathway, where the footprints disappear insight, but still traceable by smell. The road was long between a denser part of the forest, adding darkness to the area.

It wasn't long before the gates of a mansion came into view. Several guards were stationed throughout the front yard of the residence beyond the gates. Pakkun's nose was telling him that the target was just right ahead. "The target is probably inside the mansion." Kakashi turned to Itachi for confirmation. "I need a closer look," Itachi mentioned, no doubt his eyes gleaming red.

"We'll take it from here. Thanks, Pak."

The pug nodded and disappeared into smoke just as both Kakashi and Itachi trasported themselves to the nearest tree branch, finding it easier to skip the guards and land on the roof of the mansion, where Itachi can visually scan the mansion in a closer distance.

"The target is fighting," Itachi reported. Kakashi frowned. More parties never was a good sign. "With who?" Kakashi pushed his head protector to sit horizontally on his forehead from the side of his head, avoiding moving his Anbu mask. Impatient as he was, he decided to check for himself when he took in the familiar shade of chakra sitting right below him.

"This-!"

Rei decided that she was going to pretend that she knew nothing of this Orochimaru. It was better to stay on the ignorant side. She took the small scroll from one of her compartments and undid the seal for the real scroll. With a puff of air, the real Scroll of Seals made its appearance almost half Rei's height.

The man of the house eyed the artifact with starry eyes and a greedy look plastered on his face, growing into what seemed like an almost psychotic expression.

"Finally! It is time, Orochimaru-sama," the man spoke. "To create a kekkei genkai... With this scroll you shall be able to!"

"Indeed," the Sanin replied, a sinister smile accompanying the darkness in his voice. If his snake-like appearance did not make Rei uncomfortable and confused, his voice should. It did not take much from Orochimaru to send Rei the chills. He had done nothing as of that moment but agree to the man's words. Once again, the man felt the need to announce his ambitions.

"My bloodline shall be the most sought after clan in the world!"

It seems like he had completely forgotten Rei's presence, and even worse, her coins.

"Where's the rest of my pay?"

The man snapped his fingers, smirking madly. The servant who previously directed Rei to this room pulled out a briefcase which Rei would assume to filled with her cash. She was skeptical, though. What was an S-class rogue ninja doing here and why couldn't have taken the scroll himself? There was no way this transaction was going to go smoothly. The malicious smile on Orochimaru's face was an indication to that.

Rei held unto the scroll tightly before approaching the briefcase. She allowed the woman to touch the scroll just as she reached for the briefcase before both simultaneously switched their items.

Just ad Rei let her fingers touch the briefcase, she could feel the faintest of vibrations. It was a sensation she usually felt when she touches an exploding paper seal that is about to explode.

Rei's eyes darkened as it had basically confirmed her suspicions. She threw it right at the direction of both Orochimaru and the house lord, and she bolted to retreat.

The door suddenly closed, however, just as she was a step away from leaving. Both Orochimaru and the man had stepped away from the briefcase in time before it exploded. The legendary Sannin had relocated himself to another edge in the room and the man had terrifyingly scrambled to the same edge.

"Oh, fuck you," Rei cursed to the both of them. She was scammed and caught off-guard. There was no money coming out of this, and she was in the attention of a high level ninja, someone she really did not want anything to do with.

Orochimaru did not bother to reply. Instead, he looked at the man of the house and said, "We must take her, too. I must study her body."

"Fuck off, snake," Rei retorted. "I'm not interested."

"He never asked, shadow," this time, the man looked at her straight in the eye, his insane eyes getting worse by the second. "We'll take you whether you like it or not. Maybe you can be the source of my clan's - the Hirota bloodline's - newly developed Kekkei Genkai! Be honored!"

At first, Rei wasn't sure what he was saying about all this bloodline greatness. But now she had a hint of where they were going with all this. Orochimaru was interested in the scroll and he offered a mysterious power for the man to hold in exchange for creating the transaction - or at least that was her conclusion. Orochimaru looked like the kind of crazy maniac that would do more harm than that.

"Get her!"

The woman servant - the previous one wearing the kimono - dropped down to her knees, did a few hand signals, and slammed the floor. Coming out of it, a series of soil made walls started to come out from Rei's sides. With whatever chakra and natural energy she could gather, she boosted her feet and escaped right before the sides closed on each other.

"Ah, to be able to take energy from your surroundings like flipping the back of your hand. My studies on you will be quite fascinating," Orochimaru liked his lips before his head suddenly extended flexibly. It was disgusting, weird, and impossibly fast, even for her. She narrowly escaped the first strike of his teeth coming in for her neck.

"What the fuck? Are you trying to bite me?!"

"Oh, you will be grateful when I do," Orochimaru hissed. His head shot back to her direction, and again, he missed her just slightly. Rei did not entirely move, so Orochimaru was still in her reach. With a little flick of her hand, she had created a pointed shrapnel from a densely put together earth element and stabbed his neck before moving herself to the direction of the man (she didn't quite want to know his name) who had hired her. This time, she sent fireballs his way, an attack and distraction, before moving behind him to shoot him a shuriken right on his head.

Just as he retorted in pain and was about to launch at her, she had slit his throat with a kunai with added speed to her arms.

"Master!" forgotten by Rei, the servant took the opportunity to come launching at Rei from her behind. Rei cursed before ducking an attack, and the both of them dispersed, facing the other. The woman made another hand sign, putting together a series of mini earthquake and cracks on the ground started to open.

Rei jumped to the wall behind her. With her body in the air, Rei shot weapons at the servant's direction, a few of which caught her arms and calves, to which she cried in pain for. Unfocused to her surroundings as she tried to find solid standing on the wall, Rei was shocked to see Orochimaru's face right next to her aiming for her neck yet again.

In reflex, Rei splashed a fire wave his way, a kunai on her hand to cut open the side of his extended neck. He hissed, but he did not retreat. Instead, he extended even more and shot to Rei's side, her the back of her neck a solid target.

Burning pain dissolved from her neck to wide areas surrounding the spot where Orochimaru had retracted from. Rei screamed, the pain easily loosening the chakra touch-points on her feet and caused her to lose balance. In the air, she heard an explosion from another side of the wall, vaguely felt additional presences in the room, before she blacked out before she fell.

She had heard Orochimaru's last hiss before she went out, "I have what I want anyways."