Attack

I don't want you to accept this mission because of selfish reasons. I want to protect Yuma-kun from negative emotions.

Kiyoshi-san's words went through his head even after some hours. Now he was sitting in a bar and ate some dumplings filled with pork. He didn't want to meet Yuma-san's grandfather and to an extent even Yuma-san himself right now. He needed to be alone in order to think.

He could understand Kiyoshi-san's opinion. He depended on his grandson. Without him, he would have died. Kai himself just came barge into their life because he had decided to travel to Konoha. But he needed to decide. And now only in six days.

He took a bite from one of his dumplings. It tasted good, although the dumplings his mother made were better. Much better actually. A sudden home sickness overcame him. He truly missed his parents. What were they currently doing? Did they miss him? They didn't even know that he was half-way of becoming a shinobi again. His father might be glad… His mother might be worried. If they knew…

A sigh escaped him. A waitress noticed him and walked towards him smiling. She had black eyes and blond hair. An unusual combination of color actually.

"Do you want a drink?" she asked politely.

"Sake… Please." he said.

"One sake. Okay!"

The waitress went away. His eyes followed after her. He didn't drink, not normally anyway but he clearly needed a shot. Maybe with the alcohol in his system, he might decide what to do now. Get this job and becoming a shinobi, or decline and return to Iwagakure.

The waitress returned handing him a bottle of sake and a small bowl. She filled the latter with sake before smiling at him. Kai took the small bowl and put it to his lips. He tilted it and filled his mouth with the rice wine. It tasted okay. He had better sake in his life but it was passable. What bothered him was actually the waitress. She smiled at him rather… seductively? He never considered himself to be attractive or handsome. Or did she just want a good fuck? He was in no mood of such things.

"Your eyes…" the waitress began sitting across from him while still smiling.

"What about them?" he asked now slightly irritated. "They are black… and?"

"I like them! I could drown in black eyes. They seem so endless like the night."

"Are you… trying to hit on me?" he asked.

"Actually, yes!"

"Sorry, I'm taken." he lied in all seriousness he could bring forth.

"Oh." she only made and straightened up.

She turned around and walked away with a hunched head. What was wrong with her? Had he a sign on his head which said "I'm free girls! You can take me on a date!". Kai sighed and took another swing of his sake. Well, at least he was now in a better mood. He should probably return back to Yuma's house after he finished his dumplings and sake. However, his father had always said that you should enjoy a sake slowly. Come to think of it… Should he drink sake to begin with? He was only 19 years old… Back in Iwa that wasn't a problem. But here… At what age was it allowed to drink alcohol in the Land of Fire again?

A sudden dread crept up to him. He broke a law… Great. How much unluck had he in his life? He shouldn't drink another swing of the sake. Unless he wanted to end up in jail. No! He shouldn't even think about it. Kai finished his dumplings and left the sake alone for the rest of the meal. Then he paid and left the bar. At least he was used to drinking… His father made sure that he was used to it.

Pushing his hands into his pockets, he began heading back to Yuma-san's and Kiyoshi-san's home. Still, he hadn't decided yet what he should do. But that visit at the bar brought a little bit distraction to him. Although only minor.s

Kai kept walking until he saw something from the corner of his left eye. A woman was trembling on the ground in a dark alley with barely light. He recognized this woman. It was the waitress. Without even thinking, the psychologist rushed to her and knelt down.

"You okay?" he asked her.

"They are… still here…" she rasped.

Kai looked down onto her trembling form. Only now could he see a deep wound on her side. She wasn't a Shinobi meaning that the pain she endured rendered her completely useless. He knelt down and pressed his hands onto the wound. While he wasn't a medic-nin, some first aid was always a good thing.

"Watch…" she continued but the last word was swallowed by her bloody cough.

She couldn't last any longer. She needed a medic-nin. Now!

Wait… Watch? Watch OUT!

The psychologist gazed upwards before his eyes widened. Two figures cladded completely in black stood there. He couldn't even see their faces. One of them was moving their arm back. More out of instinct than anything else, he jumped back. The kunai barely missed him.

What was wrong with this day?! First this job offer and now he was attacked by two weird ninjas! This was clearly now the worst day in his entire life. But that aside, he needed to bring the waitress to the hospital. However, these two ninjas were clearly a problem…

Wait. Were they the ones who murdered people? The black cloaks would explain as to why no one really saw them in the dark. And if all murders happened in the darkness of the night and also in dark alleys… But why hadn't anyone else noticed these guys? Unless they were ANBU. However, Kai highly doubted that they were actually member of the elite assassination squad. Something about them was really different.

"Now then…" one of the two cloaked figures spoke up. "One almost dead… The other should go."

Kai collected chakra and readied one of his jutsus. He formed some hand seals and took a deep breath before he fired several rocks from his mouth.

Doton: Iwadeppo no Jutsu!

The two cloaked figures jumped out of their way. Damn… They were fast. He could barely follow them with his eyes. But if he activated his-

Someone punched him in the stomach. He doubled over coughing and gasping for air. He almost fell to the ground but a kick to his chest sent him crashing into the wall. Pain shot up his spine. He still hadn't been able to catch his breath. Whoever these guys were, they were powerful and fast. To put it plainly, he wasn't a match to them. Even with his Sharingan he wouldn't be strong enough to fight them.

Kai's gaze shifted to the injured waitress. This was bad. Truly bad. At least she had the will to live. But how long will she be able to keep herself alive? If no one was coming then they would die. He gritted his teeth. His finger twitched wanting to form hand seals again in order to release another jutsu. But first…

He let chakra flow into his eyes activating his two tomoe Sharingan. He saw fine strings of metal now. Everywhere. He was kind of glad now that he had activated his Sharingan. If he had stepped onto of the strings he would have probably ended up with several kunais or shuriken in his body. But he wasn't mobile enough to fight and dodge these things. Great…

"And here is the Sharingan. Glad he got one. Unlike the girl." one of the two cloaked figures exclaimed.

"At least we can get his eyes." the other one said.

His eyes widened. This girl was also a member of the Uchiha clan? And they wanted to take his eyes?

"Who are you? Why do you kill us?" the psychologist demanded.

"That's none of your business." the first of them barked and charged at him.

Even with his Sharingan activated, Kai barely managed to dodge him. The other one neared him causing him to dodge again. However, the first one managed another kick to his chest knocking him into the wall again.

Damn… Damn this entire situation!

The two cloaked figures walked towards him. They were probably grinning under their cloaks. Kai's legs began to tremble in fear. They had cornered him. There was no escape. He was going to die today. He closed his eyes. It didn't even come to his mind to cast a genjutsu on them.

Suddenly he heard a clank. High-pitched. He opened his eyes to see a hand fire extinguisher. Then a short sword pierced itself into the metal causing its contents to leak out and fill the entire valley. The two cloaked figures cursed and at the same time coughed. Kai's eyes burned and he was forced to close his eyes.

Someone grabbed his wrist and started dragging him away. He actually wanted to stay behind because of the waitress. He couldn't leave her behind. She needed a medic-nin! But he was forced away from her.

"Wait! What about the girl?" he asked.

"Silence." the stranger said.

Their voice sent chills down his spine. It sounded like a female or a young male. However, the voice lacked any emotions.

"B-but-" he protested.

"Silence. Or they will find us. And deactivate your Sharingan."

"Who-?"

"Do I have to gag you?"

He kept silent. He grimaced upon leaving the girl who was probably dead now behind. He had found yet another member of their clan and he fool just left her behind to die. But that aside, he should follow the strangers order.

Kai deactivated his Sharingan and focused most of his energy to keep running. At least the burn in his eyes caused by the hand fire extinguisher died down. And now he could also see the stranger who was a woman who just now stopped. Kai stepped in front of her and studied her while she looked around.

Her long black hair had been tied to a low pony tail with a white ribbon. She had black eyes similar to him and wore the headband of Konoha over her forehead. Her top resembled a grey kimono although the cloth was much shorter and the entire right sleeve was missing. Almost her entire skin on her right arm could be seen except for the shoulder. There she had the typical ninja underclothing consisting of a grey and thin fabric with several grey lines on it. She was probably wearing it under her top. Around her middle was a violet obi. She wore black pants which reached only to her mid-thigh. One the right thigh just below her pants she carried a black pouch. Her also black boots reached just above her knees. Only now did Kai noticed that she wore black gloves on both of her hands.

The woman started running again into another alley dragging him alongside her. They continued running. His side started to ache from the constant and fast movement his body was forced to do. The woman kept on and on. Dashing through the alleys and pathways.

"W-wait!" he called her out of breath. "I… can't… keep… going…!"

"If you have enough breath to talk, you can keep going." she retorted coldly.

He closed his eyes. His side, legs and lungs burned with the pain. He… couldn't keep going any longer. Just ten more seconds of running and he was certain that he would collapse. Apparently, however, the woman seemed to decide that their pursuers weren't following them anymore.

"Th-thank you." Kai gasped holding his side.

The woman turned around and measured him with cold eyes. Her face was completely blank and devoid of any emotion. Kai decided that he should choose his words carefully. Whoever this woman was, one mistake with words would probably sent him against something. Only now did he notice how intimidated he was by this woman. She emitted an aura of authority without even doing something. Who was she?

"You came like a moth to the flame and almost got burned by the fire. Is that fire your own stupidity?" the woman exclaimed.

She was speaking almost in riddles. Whoever this woman was… she was really dangerous and he should be careful.