(Please Note: This is an A.U. fanfic)

NINJA NIGHT

-1

Ninjas, a whole shitload of them; a brand of hocus pocus I'll never understand. It was only a few hours ago that I received word from the Guard that there was peculiar activity going on in the forest near a city in far Japan. Konohagure Village "the village hidden in the leaves", it was hidden all right, took me awhile to find it. I walked into the dark forest and already my throat became dry from a severe case of paranoia. "You never get afraid on the job, especially with these guys" I think to myself. One fuck up and you get a Kunai to the head in three microseconds. I sneak quietly the best I can from tree to tree, going further into the inky black forest trying not to make sound, but I'm making noise. I come to a bush and kneel down and look to see lights in the distance ahead of me. The coast seemed clear, but I realized it wasn't when I stepped out the clearing ahead of me and made my first mistake. A shinobi jumps down and pins me against a tree, he makes the quote of "You shouldn't have come here." And proceeds to choke me, the air escaping me, I reach desperately for the ninja's Kunai; he grabs that hand and pins that hand as well. "Think Quickly!" I curse in my head, before the shinobi has the chance to pin my other hand, I plunge my hand into my coat, grab my gun resting in its hoister and pull the trigger and it fires blowing a small hole through his arm and lodges into the side of his head. I'm released and drop to the floor gasping for air like a fish out of water. For a moment, a rush of blood comes back to my head giving me the feeling of an airplane taking off. I go for my handgun and pull it out of the hoister nested under my shoulder and began to stagger up onto my feet. After my life finished flashing before my eyes, I stood up and took a deep breath, then carried on.

-2

The night was brisk and cool against my sweaty blood stained face, as I walked deeper into the forest, the lights inched closer, I was afraid if I lost sight of these lights, I would get lost and never be able to get back and wind up dead. But the lights came closer, none the less. But my heart sank when a Katana was put to my back, I drop and in a flurry a sharp pain shoots through my right arm, I scooted franticly across the ground and managed to get kicked in the gut and fly back to a tree, as I hit and snap back in a sharp motion, a hot liquid squirted out of my arm in a fair amount. I hit the ground, hearing my skin and bone smack against the dirty ground. In a slight panic, I raise my gun and fire quickly at the unknown shinobi. But it dissipates into a small log and hits the ground with a soft "THUMP". I roll across the ground in a quick reaction to the sound of shurikans being thrown and hit the spot of where I should have died. I stand up quickly, but the steel toed boot of the ninja comes to greet me first and gives me a hard left kick to the gut. But I manage to grab the shinobi's foot and pull forward, shoving the barrel of my Nine into his mouth, hearing a few teeth rip from his gums in the process and proceed to unload a few into his head; sending the back of his skull and brain to the ground in mushy hot fragments. I step back quickly in a huff and scan my surroundings, then avert my eyes to the ground for an even deeper thought poking at my subconscious. "I should've died goddammit." The old man I spoke to before I came here, the intelligence expert at the Guard, said that Shinobis don't go easy or toy with victims. Something's up. At least this thought at my fore may help me figure out what's going on, or at least keep me alive long enough to see the next sunrise. I pull the shurikan that was lodged into my right arm and let the blood flow.

-3

A minute passed into an hour as I walked quietly though the forest. It just seemed to get darker with each struggling step to get through the darkness. Just trying to get my foot in front of me was a pain in the ass. But the lights we're my goal, I have to get to that place; whoever is doing this strange activity is in there. But another question surfaced, why out here? How come the ninjas that were doing this didn't attack the city instead? It's pointless to do this sort of thing out here, no innocents to kill, no money to seal. What's their game? I disregarded this thought as to not liking the thoughts that came to mind and walked closer to the lights, just then, the world went upside down and quickly elevated away from me. A trap! A goddamn simple rope trap, but I reacted quickly and folded upward and shot the rope above me and dropped to meet the ninja that set the trap below me and made my feet go into contact with his face. With the ninja knocked out, I search his body and take his Kunai from his belt pouch and move to the lights, which were now present to the left of me as I stood, I turned towards them and found out it was a warehouse painted tan and made of stone. This was it; I reloaded my gun with a fresh clip and proceeded towards the warehouse, as I headed to the side of the warehouse, I pressed my back up against the wall and hugged it all the way to the corner as I'm just in time to see a ninja to come out to look for me. This kill has to be quiet, so I take the Kunai I had, and threw the knife at the ninja's back, nailing him right on target and watching him fall to the ground with blood flowing from his back. I sneak quietly to the front door and step inside; I rushed through the hallway, tackling another ninja that was coming towards me. He was masked, when he was on the ground I took a shurikan from him and stabbed his chest right where his heart is. I unmasked him and stared into the face of a young man, my eyes widened as he took his last breath. I couldn't help but stammer-

"He….He was just a kid….just a kid."

I sighed, and then dragged him into the closet next to me, set him up against the wall,and then stepped out, closing the door concealing the ninja. Seeing as how there will be more shinobi's inside the main storeroom, I think it was time to set the "care package" into place. So I passed the storeroom doors and went down the hall to my right, after I was at a good distance to where I can take out the infrastructure, I set the bomb that I had assembled into place tucked into the ventilation duct and set the detonator. And so here we are at the origin of all that has happened here, tonight. My legs were jelly as I walked slowly towards the main storeroom doors, my mouth dry, my forehead and palms sweaty. There was just so much fear inside twisting at my gut as to thinking what may be on the other side. But I had an assignment to complete. I put my hand on the door handle, opened the door….and stepped inside.

I was greeted with the smirk of a female ninja with a bandanna over her right hand eye and wearing her hetai-ate headband around her neck. I looked at her and it became all to clear who I was looking at.

"K-Kumiko?"

Her smirk became an almost creepy welcoming grin and said "Hello, Kazuma, so nice to see you again."

Before I knew it, I was surrounded.

-4

"But why, Kumiko!" I said in disbelief, "Why did you go and become a ninja? I thought we were partners! Close friends!" I exclaimed

Kumiko busted out laughing and then looked at me "Partners? HAH! We were never friends, nor partners, you treated me like a little kid when I was with the Guard, never letting me go into the tough situations when I knew I was ready, it was unfair! And so I faked my death on that night when we were on that assignment against the murderer that killed your sister."

She smiled wickedly "And I paid him well for helping me get away from you."

Just then, my heart broke and shattered into a million pieces.

"Too bad he had to die when I "kicked the bucket"." Kumiko flicked her dark brown hair out of her eyes casually "But that isn't the reason why I'm doing this here tonight."

"What is your reason for doing this?" I said quietly with my fists clenched in rage. "You were too green; I knew it when the boss first introduced you to me. You were a cocky, stupid little kid, if you hadn't watched your step, you would've been killed. And I cared a lot about you, that's why I was so protective of you. And when I knew you were ready, I would've let you go on your own. But now……" I shook my head "This is beyond forgiving….for what you have done."

"Hah." Kumiko huffed and put her hands on her hips, still having that smirk on her face. "Such a touching story, somebody start playing the violin for this guy." All the other ninjas snickered. I glared daggers at the ninja. She simply smiled, knowing she got me right where she wants me emotionally. "Anyways, to business, the reason why all me and my companions are here tonight is to prove the people's worth."

"Prove?" I implied.

"Yes." She said "Prove that the rest of the people are a threat to ninja's. I wanted power when I became a ninja, skills to overcome and the tools to kill anybody that gets in my way. And I've learned that the ones who are foolish, THE PEOPLE; are slowly plotting a plan against the ninjas for our failures in the past."

"The battle against the Nine-tailed fox…." I finished for her.

She tapped her head and pointed towards me, grinning. "You know your history…that's good. So now this test has been successful in proving my hypothesis." I raised my eyebrow at her unusual intentions.

"That's right, this was a test." She looked at me with a glint in her eye. "And you were a worthy participant, you passed with flying colors." She said in a purring voice. "Now that you have proven that people can overcome ninja's, so now…I must kill you, Kazuma." She unsheathed her Katana.

It was obvious that sort of thing was going to be said, but something else was said after that.

"And all the rest of the people in the world, and all that will be left…..is the ninja's, the ones that rise above the rest of you worthless creatures."

My eyes widen with fear, this was big, really big, on a fucking global scale. After all this, I simply replied.

"You are INSANE."

She smiled; it sent shivers down my spine. "It doesn't matter now, what matters now is that I'm going to kill you myself." She motioned towards the ninja's to back off and they did. She took out a Katana and jumped down off the crate she was standing on and stepped a bit towards me.

"Now" She said "fight me."

-5

"I'll never fight you." I said in a quiet, angry voice.

Kumiko rose a brow at me "You won't fight me? But you must. So that I can beat you to an inch of death so that I can enjoy killing you"

I glared "I'll never give you the satisfaction of fighting me and finishing your little experiment."

"Such words" Kumiko replied "why don't you shoot me with that gun of yours? You can end it right here and now."

"The outcome would turn out the same, either way."

"You know what?" She said, with a thoughtful look on her face "YOUR RIGHT!"

I jolted backwards as a pain shoots through my chest, a press a hand of where a Kunai has nailed me right near a vital point in my body. Then my world went flipping out of control as a foot came into contact with my chin and hit the wall with a sickening smack and hit the ground, I sit up in pain and grabbed the Kunai lodged into my chest then yanked it out, feeling it slither out along with blood flowing out of the wound. And I was already getting tired from the blood I was losing from my arm, so I had to work quickly.

"Drat, I missed." Kumiko said, and then her eyes widen as I staggered to my feet and stood there, looking at her. "Not done yet?" she exclaimed "How about this!" she rushed towards me and swung her Katana, I ducked and ran to another side of the storeroom, a ninja blocked my path, I aimed my gun and shot him before he could do anything. Kumiko screamed and ran after me "FIGHT ME, YOU FOOL!" and swung furiously towards me. I ran to the stairs leading up to the catwalk and started to make my accent, dodging Kumiko's swings as she chased after me, chopping the railings in half and making slash-marks on the wall. I run across the catwalk until I reached a dead end, I turned around and faced Kumiko who was standing a few feet away from me, breathing hard. She then smiled and said. "If I can't use my moves to make you croak; I'll make your next move your last!" with that, she reached for her dark blue bandanna and lifted it from her covered eye. My heart sank when I recognized what it was, a sharingan eye. I was officially boned if I didn't play this right. She stared directly into my eyes, I stared into hers. I moved my left arm, she move hers the exact same way as me, I put one foot back, she does the same thing. I noticed a shurikan in her hand, getting ready to fire at me if I fire my gun. I was seriously cornered. But I realized I have the detonator in my coat, and there's a window behind me. It was risky, but it was an idea that worked. I slowly reached into my coat with my left hand and pulled out the detonator and held it close, Kumiko gestured the same thing only with no detonator in her hand. I stared coldly at her and said.

"I won't fight you…..but that doesn't mean I can't kill you."

She mimicked what I just said, then snapped out of it and realized what I was doing and her eyes widen in sudden shock and fear. I jumped backwards out and through the window with a loud "CRASH!" then….pressed the button. I saw Kumiko mimicked my move and hit the back wall sense their was no window there, then my hearing went out the window as the building went up in flames, which blew me back over ten yards across the forest upside down. I landed hard on the ground, and didn't have time to convulse in pain; I then staggered quickly upwards and ran as fast as I could. Running until my palms sweat and my calves were pounding in pain. I ran as far away from that warehouse as possible, leaving the terrifying incident…and past, behind me. Blood leaked from me, my eyes shut tight. I reached the tree near Konohagure and hugged it, stopping myself from running any farther; I was in the dim orange glow of the torch attached to the wall of the village.

My hearing came back and was greeted to the sound of my heart beating as hard as drums. The orange light was welcoming; I stared into the recesses of the light, wondering about the events that have passed.

It was hard killing a person that you tried to protect, but failed….she was a young girl too….but you had to do what you had to do to protect the people that were in danger. It was my mission to go and neutralize the threat. Why can't there be peace? Both Ninjas and people fight for some pointless reason, some good….some bad; but why not just peace? If there was peace, life would be better, but with it, life wouldn't be interesting at all. It's the hard facts….

The orange light was welcoming….and I welcomed it back.

The End