Blargh. I just wish all this stuff would pop out of my head and write itself. My hands hurt QQ. I blame all of you!! points an accusatory finger!!
Okay guys! At first, I was kinda iffy, and tbh, I still am, but at least I've got the jist of what will be happening in the next 5 or so chapters worked out, so bear with me as I chew my way blindly through it. We are going to see some pretty interesting stuff, including the full extent of Iro's bloodline, and perhaps a glimpse at how he came to be in Konoha in the first place! As for Gaara and friends, as well as the rest of the rookie Nine, everybody will make their appearance sooner or later... Rest assured I can't skate around them forever :P.
I promise more Gama Banjin, and perhaps Iro's special summons? BUM BUM BUM!
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Tracing the Clouds
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Chapter 12: Little Secret
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"Oi! IRO! Pick up the pace, will ya?" A mumbled response was heard, the young man in question buried deeply in the little book he'd produced from his satchel, pen in hand, scribbling away furiously. Curiosity having gotten the best of her, Sakura risked a breech in her sullen visage to peer over his shoulder. "What're you doing in there?" Iro jumped, the soft chime of her voice peeling him from deep within his own thoughts. "Argh! Oh, err, just doodling, you know, scribbling little poems here and there. It's sortof a little time-consumer I like to do when I'm bored. Kakashi turned a casual eye to the boy. "Poems eh? Let's hear one, then." Iro's face went two or three different shades of pink as he snapped the dog-eared booklet shut. "Uh, n-no thanks. Maybe another time..."
Iro tried to keep up, but it was hard, what with all the beauty that surrounded them. Birds sang form their perches in the trees that pushed in on either side of the old trading road, shallow beams of light barely making their way through the canopy to the packed dirt under their feet, causing the who place to take on a rather dim, surreal air. The young gennin looked about at his comrades, who all seemed to move on as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. He felt a small pang of envy building up in him. These people clearly had no idea how lucky they were, to live in a country so impossibly serene in it's majesty. He felt the sudden urge to yell at them, telling them to slow down and take in the sweet scent of the free breeze that passed between the branches. The place was so full of...what? He didn't honestly know...he decided what he loved about it most was that he could hear the creatures, no, the very forest itself breathing...he could hear life.
Pushing all thoughts of charred landscape and hollow winds from his mind, Iro decided to go over the mission once again with the squad leader. "So, oyu explain to me how exactly we're going to go about this...Extracting a single civilian from an entire Hidden Village of people who wish to keep said civilian right where he is sounds like no small feat." Kakashi shrugged, tilting his head to look at the scruffy-haired leaf ninja in question. "It's really not all that hard. Blend in, get info, make a quick retrieval and a hasty retreat. Simple." Iro looked up. "And what if we get engaged?"
Kakashi seemed to pause momentarily, as if unsure of how to answer. Finally he spoke up, though the tentative note in his voice let the three younger nins to tread lightly. "Grass is a neutral village, but the Leaf and the Grass are by no means on friendly terms. Rain has become considerably more comfortable with us, and that is the only reason we took this mission. Our target is the son of a wealthy merchant who resides within Rain country. He was abducted for use as a hostage. All ninja who stand in our way are to be considered hostile, and the Hokage has informed me that use of lethal force is authorized, however..." He looked around, making sure he had the attention of the three before finishing, "it is not encouraged." Three heads nodded slowly. They understood.
Suddenly, as if reaching the edge of an invisible barrier, the forest dissipated. Trees were replaced by seemingly endless emerald waves, the tall stalks the land was named for swaying gently in the wind. The air changed, from a dense, soothing balm to a wide-open, almost chilly climate as the small procession made it's way carefully through the clearing, being sure to keep a slow, steady pace so as not to arouse unwanted suspicion. Shortly before leaving the protection of the forest, Team 7 had donned their respective disguises (Kakashi had bought them all typical traveling wear, as a genjutsu was easily seen through by any experienced ninja), and now Iro tipped his straw hat forward, shielding himself from the harsh rays of the sun.
The arid wind that blew across the plains caused the hood of his newly purchased (he'd realized shortly before leaving he'd loaned his old maroon one to a shivering Hinata) black sweater to puff out and flutter on his back, dancing across the Karu clan emblem. He looked over to Sakura, who seemed to be fighting to keep her loose-fitting Kimono up around her shoulders. He couldn't help but snicker at the comical expression she wore as she frantically grabbed at the fabric, the embarrassment written clearly across her face. "What are you laughing at, you pervert!" Iro's grin only broadened as he continued onward.
Morning stretched into afternoon, and then gradually set into evening as the four Leaf ninja did their best to navigate the unending expanse that the country they had entered seemed to be composed entirely of. Sometime after the sun had begun to set, the now quite weary troop of Konoha natives happened across a small, stagnant-looking stream. After a rather loud "Good Enough!" from Naruto, the four decided to set up camp for the night and try their best to get some sleep.
"Iro, get a fire going. Naruto and I will see what we can do about getting some water decent enough to boil." Came the weary drawl of Kakashi, almost completely drowned out by the whistling wind as he heaved a large bucket onto his shoulder and grabbed the protesting blonde shinobi by the collar, absent-mindedly dragging him towards the small brook. Iro nodded to the retreating figure's back, and set about finding firewood. He looked around, and his heart fell as his eye reached as far as it could into the distance, and noted the distinct lack of trees. Not a single branch broke the perfect grey line of the horizon, and a quite put-upon looking Iro gave a resigned sigh. This was going to suck.
As if a brick had come out of nowhere and planted itself right between his eyes, Iro's eyes suddenly sparkled, a potential savior arriving in the form of a little light-bulb that flicked on over his head. Casting a furtive glance in the direction of the pink-haired kunoichi that was now his only companion, he began to flash through the seals required, satisfied that her attention was elsewhere.
Sakura's eyes fell from the sky onto the back of a crouched Iro, watching with growing wariness as the suspicious ex-Sound nin whispered to an unseen audience. A quiet "Okay Boss." Was heard, and the grass parted slightly as the speaker made his stealthy departure. Sakura raised an eyebrow, and inquired in the most accusatory voice she could muster, "and who was that?" Iro jumped, landing in a startled heap. Flipping around quickly, he shot her a nervous glance, replying, perhaps a little more forcibly than intended, "No-one!" Sakura's eyebrow arched even further. "Bullshit." Iro's eyes flitted from her accusatory stare to the floor, and back again.
"Well, err, you see..."
The pink-haired Chuunin's eyes narrowed. "I knew you couldn't be trusted! Sending a little messenger to Orochimaru, are we? God damnit, and to think I was starting to like you! Kakashi is going to rip your head off!" She turned to scream for her comrades, but found she couldn't when a hand clamped firmly over her mouth. She clenched her eyes, waiting for the telltale steely song of a Katana leaving it's sheath, waiting for warm liquid to flow down her neck, signifying her life's end. When neither came, she glanced questioningly at her captor. "Sheez, cool it, woman!" The brown-haired boy hissed, the eyes that met hers looking more exasperated than anxious or fearful. "I'm not a friggin' spy, how many times to I have to point that out...I just don't want to reveal all my trump cards just yet, and it might tell you a little more about me then I'd like you to know. Now, I'm gonna let you go, thinking you can friggin' chill out?!" She nodded. "Good."
With that, he released her, noting the white marks he'd left upon her cheek. Had he really been holding on that tight? Well, she deserved itfor being such a loudmouth. He nodded to himself in silent agreement. They sat on opposite sides of the clearing, saying nothing for a few moments. Finally the girl spoke up. "So...if you weren't relaying messages to somebody, what were you doing?" Sakura questioned in a tiny voice, eyeing him bashfully.
Iro sighed, trying his best to skirt his way around the real answer. "I just didn't want to have to go searching for firewood myself...so I enlisted a little aid, that's all." Sakura's mood brightened almost instantly. "So that was a Summoning Jutsu?! Oh wow! Tell me Iro, what is it you summon? Oh tell me, tell me!!" Iro cursed under his breath. She was way too sharp for her own good. Hegave her a firm stare. "No." The girl regained her sullen look, "Why not?" A hand ran through unruly brown hair as the Leaf gennin stood, frowning at the stubbornness of his current assailant. "Because." Sakura pouted, standing as well and resting her weight on one foot, propping her arms up on her hips, giving him an icy glare. "The only Summons I've ever seen are Kakashi's doggy Pakkun and Naruto's big ugly toads! They're both so boring! I demand to know what it is you summon!!"
Iro matched her stance for stance and glare for glare. "Nuh uh."
Naruto and Kakashi sweat-dropped simultaneously at the scene they had returned to. A very ruffled-looking Iro was doing his level best to fend off a growling Sakura, who currently had both hands clasped around his neck, shaking him senseless. Sakura drove her knees deep into his stomach as she pinned him to the ground by his throat, throttling the young man like there was no tomorrow. "TELL ME!!" Iro struggled in vain to release her death-grip. He did his best to return her shout, but what came out was aragged "N-no-aargghh". He was, of course, quite jostled by now.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, his wandering gaze finally resting on the neat pile of wood directly to his right. "Hey, nice work. I didn't honestly think you'd find any timber at all, let alone this much of it. Yeah, this should keep us nice and warm." Iro flashed Sakura a victorious grin. Her face contorted in rage, a dark cloud seemed to develop over her head as she realized in her effort to beat an answer out of the boy, his summons had quietly entered their clearing, completed his duty, and returned to whence he came. As muffled screams of agony emitted from a now battered Iro (Sakura had released her strangle hold and was now wailing freely upon the poor boy's face), Kakashi crouched down next to the tidy pile of wood.
"Hey, nice and dry too, no smoke. Good work, indeed!"
Iro sighed, resigning himself to his brutal fate as an enraged Sakura sat upon his chest, reducing him to a pulp under a hail of blows. Tonight was gonna be a long night. He was getting really tired of how often that particular thought crossed his mind these days.
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Hope you guys liked it! I had alotta fun writing it . I'll have you know that it was my intention to leave his summon-familiar a mystery, so if any of you are feeling particularly tortured, take solace in the fact that it is entirely on purpose (bwahaha). Feel free to guess on what it might be in your reviews, which you will be leaving, because your lord and master commands it. (Big grin)
-Grum