The Sound Of Falling Leaves
Hi there. Welcome to my first proper Naruto fic. This story definately focuses on Team 10 a lot of the time, but many of the other characters will be in it and play key roles. Be patient and the story will get better. It starts off a bit slow for a reason. As for couples, a feature which seems necessary in Naruto fanfiction, anything could happen. Some will be obvious, some will not. Possibility of yaoi. And one last thing : please do not judge this story on the prologue which you see before you. Thank you!
Prologue - 'In The Sound Country'
The grass was dense and rubbed angrily against his shin-pads. The man with dark hair sneered at the cave ahead. It was very out-of-character for a ninja to follow unreliable tip-offs, but the information he had received seemed more than likely to be useful. He had established this because of the politics surrounding it all. He was in the province near the Hidden Sound Village. The people who lived here were the poorest of them all in this unfortunate country. Shinobi from the Fire Country were more than welcome, if they were inconspicuous around the authorities and did not get those who aided them into trouble. He had been a Jounin for a few years and knew how and where to obtain information. So that had been left up to him, while his companions had made themselves as unnoticable as possible. That is what they did now, by the dark cave, much like they had in the shady inn. The Jounin could see the hazy silhouette of his large male companion backed up against the wall by the cave's entrance. To his left, another figure crouched in some coarse undergrowth, yet this one was female. The Jounin held up his hand to signal to the man to hold his position. The woman inched closer and spoke under her breath.
"The innkeeper seemed certain of their involvement? They could be mere pirates or bandits." she asked. The Jounin looked down at her and caught a glimpse of her bright blue eyes in the darkness.
"Pirates, this far into the land? It is doubtful. And bandits do not appear in groups quite as large as this, unless this is their headquarters." he said, and took a deep breath. "All right, I think we should make sure. Would you be willing to use your technique now? It could be risky."
"I don't mind. I have honed it to perfection after all." the woman said, and adjusted herself to a crouching position. The man beside her watched, waiting for his part in her strange skill. She held out her thin arms, making a seal with her hands. Her figure was almost androginous, which was possibly due to her constant diet of one small meal a day. Before puberty, she had been revered by the girls around her. Now the women of the village giggled behind her back, and no man she had been with had seriously considered marrying her.
"Right, I have what looks like the leader in my sights." she whispered, and said the name of her jutsu. The sight of her falling to the ground caused the man by the entrance to raise his head. Once again, the Jounin raised his hand, and laid the woman's limp body in a more comfortable position. Now they had to wait, but they could not afford to lower their guard.
"Keep calm while you're in there, Ino ..." he muttered.
Within the candle-lit cave, Ino instantly got used to her new body and looked around. Just as her Jounin friend had suspected, this was indeed the hub of a cruel and illegal slave-trade. Why else were there men with whips and chains in their grimy hands, and large cages filled with what seemed to the population of a city slum? One of the slavers turned to her and grinned.
"We got a good haul today, sir. Those nobles in the Hidden Village will give thousands for these hard-working country folk." he said in a strange accent. Ino nodded slightly in agreement.
Ah yes, you did ... but you won't be getting any of those thousands, she thought bitterly. The stench of sweat and god-knows what else was over-bearing, and the man's body that she was in hadn't had a wash in many days. Slave-trading was not a glamourous occupation.
"What should we do now, boss?" the same slaver asked. Ino shifted from one foot to the other.
"We should rest for now. Not much else we can do until day-break. You keep an eye on the cages for a while. Tell the others to get some sleep. They'd better not snore too loud, mind! If they do, I'll have a good mind to lock them in one of the cages. I'll, err, just step out for some fresh air."
She obviously had used the right wording, for the slaver shuffled off deeper into the cave with only a grunt. Ino sighed and glanced at the people within the nearest cage. A woman, no older than herself, gazed wearily out between the thick, inpenetrable bars. The kunoichi felt a pang of sorrow, and sincerely hoped that they could free her and the rest of them. Quietly, she exited the cave and looked at the man who was waiting nearby.
"It's me, Chouji. They're settling down now. The perfect time to attack." she said, and then motioned to the Jounin to approach.
"Oi, bring my body over here Shikamaru. We should attack now. Gah, I can't stand this guy's smell." she grumbled. Shikamaru, the Jounin, silently joined his team-mates, carrying Ino's body under his arm. It was disturbingly light, even for a temporarily soul-less vessel. He knew what Ino would want to do next. He pulled out a small vial of liquid and gave it to her.
"Hee hee, you must have read my mind." Ino laughed quietly, and gulped down the vial's contents. It was a potion of paralysis that Sakura had given Ino, amongst other things, for use in such a situation. Without hesitation, Ino cancelled the Justu and opened her eyes in her own body. The slaver boss slumped, and before he had barely gained consciousness, he grabbed his neck.
"Gaaahhh!" he gargled, and with that his legs gave way. Ino smirked and turned her attention to the cave.
"We have to go for it now." she said. "Just ... just seeing all those people in there ... in the cages ... it's sickening. Please, guys, let's do it."
Shikamaru nodded, and pulled out a few kunais in preparation. Meanwhile, Chouji downed a full bag of potato chips and stood before the cave's entrance.
"The cages are all on the sides, so if you go straight through you will avoid them." Ino told him.
"Right, roll through Chouji. Any slavers you don't squash I'll be ready for. I'll be right beind you. Ino, you tie up that guy on the ground and then pick the locks of the cages. Try to keep the prisoners calm and don't let any wander off. Understood? Good." Shikamaru said.
As a force of habit and tradition, Ino jumped into the air and cried out,
"Formation : Ino!"
"Shika!"
"Chou! Baika No Jutsu! Nikudan Sensha!" Chouji cried, morphing into a huge ball shape and rolling into the cave. The ground trembled around Shikamaru as he jogged in after his friend. As he passed by, the stunned expressions of the captives pointed him in the direction of Chouji's destruction, as if the sheer noise of it and the broken objects around him were not enough. The shouts of heart-stopping surprise now resounded from a deep cavern, and Shikamaru hoped that Chouji could hold them off until he reached him.
Pulling out a thick piece of wire, Ino fumbled about with the lock of the first cage. In fact, there were three locks on each structure; top, middle and bottom were secured. The highest one was about seven foot off the ground - she could have done with Chouji's help with that one. So, after releasing the middle lock, she grabbed an unsturdy looking stool from beside the cage door and stepped up onto it to reach the top lock. The woman who had looked at her so forlornly before as the slaver boss, now gave her a small smile and stroked her auburn hair.
"Thank you." she mouthed, as the other prisoners around her began to cheer in strained voices that had not tasted water for some time. Ino told them to be quiet, and then moved down to the lowest lock.
"When this is unlocked," she said in a loud, clear voice, "I want you all to remain calm and under no circumstances leave this cave. Nor do I want you to go any further in. My comrades are at this moment fighting the men who imprisoned you. Please stay where you are until it is all sorted out. We don't want any of you to suffer anymore than you already have." She felt the dark eyes of the woman with auburn hair bore into her exposed forehead, tunnelling deep into her mind, as if mocking Ino's own mind-control technique. She knows that was me in that guy's body ... Ino thought, biting her lip. Well, no matter. The cage door swung open, and the crowd of starving bodies swayed like the sea.
"We're free!"
"I can't actually believe it!"
"We can't thank you enough!"
Ino smiled and put her hands up.
"Look, please stay there. You'll be completely free soon enough." she said. After making sure that they were all staying put, Ino went to the other two cages and unlocked them too. More cheers of joy followed the swinging cage doors. Ino wiped her forehead, satisfied. However, she could not decide if she should wait there and baby-sit the captives, or help her friends. The distant sounds of clashing metal and battle cries had not subsided.
"Perhaps I could be of some use." said a voice behind her. Ino spun around to see the same woman who persisted in looking at her.
"No no, please go back." Ino said uneasily, ushering her in the direction of the first cage. The young woman proceeded to produce an assortment of kunai out of a hidden pouch around her middle and flashed a Sound Village headband that was attached to her weapons bag.
"As you can see, I too am a ninja. It was highly embarrassing to be held captive like that, and I feel like getting some revenge." she said, tossing a kunai into the air and then catching it.
"If you're sure ... please be careful, then." Ino said, and ran further into the cave with the woman close behind. They found Shikamaru and Chouji surrounded by the twitching bodies of the slavers.
"Ha ha, looks like we don't have too much to do." Ino laughed, as she watched Chouji beating the last slaver's face to a pulp while Shikamaru held him in a shadow bind. But she choked as a kunai was pressed to her neck and her body pulled sharply back.
"Ino!" Chouji cried, and unhanded the slaver. Shikamaru's jutsu disappeared, and the unconscious man fell to the floor. Ino put her hand up to the offending weapon, and realised that it was the woman that she had rescued who was betraying her trust.
"Such a complex operation ... ending so simply ... it's too good to be true." the woman said, delighting in seeing Ino in obvious distress. The two men felt utterly helpless despite their intense shinobi training. They had been taught how to deal with situations such as this. Shikamaru was a tutor's dream in that kind of lesson. His Kagemane no Jutsu, which he had perfected to be as inconspicuous as possible, was the best way of physically resolving the predicament they were now in. Chouji, standing beside him, could only hope that Shikamaru would use the shadow technique as quickly as possible.
"You have been a source of irritation for my boss these past days. Shinobi from the Leaf are not, and never will be, welcome to roam this land." the woman continued, her eyes combing the floor as she spoke. Shikamaru squinted. She somehow knows about my skills. Looks like this really is up to Ino.
"And who is it you work for?" he asked, trying to buy time for his team-mate.
"Oh, I don't think mere corpses need to know that." came the retort. It was evident in her tone that the woman was growing tired of conversing with them already, and was preparing to finish her job.
"Now, this stupid whore can die first." she spat, and dug the blade of the kunai into Ino's throat. She felt the blade slice through soft flesh, but did not hear the gargling sound that should result.
"I have been well taught for this kind of situation." Ino said calmly. The woman nearly dropped the weapon in shock. Shikamaru softly chuckled and Chouji could hardly supress a grin. Ino grabbed the kunai with one hand and spun around to face her assailant. Her neck was unmarked.
"How!" the woman cried, feeling Ino's grip tighten on the kunai.
"I don't think a mere corpse needs to know that, but I will show you anyway." Ino said, and held up her free hand. There was a deep, long cut across her palm. It was bleeding profusely.
"I'm a little upset that I had to do that - it might scar or something." she shrugged, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.
"Why you -" the woman started, but the remainder of the sentence caught in her throat. Her body felt completely paralysed.
"It's amazing how someone can be so easily distracted." Shikamaru said, his hands positioned in the familiar Kagemane seal. "Now, finish the tri-attack, Chouji!"
The woman struggled against her chakra induced bonds, but nothing could make her body react. Chouji advanced on her, his fists clenched firmly.
"It won't take much effort." he said, and gestured for Shikamaru to release the shadow bind. The woman stared up in fright at Chouji, who grabbed her by the shoulders and proceeded to pound her entire body. Shikamaru was astounded by the vigour he was displaying - he didn't normally like to hurt people, even enemies, and especially not women. There was, however, a condition which changed that.
She hurt Ino ... she tried to kill Ino ... she wants to kill Shikamaru too ...
Before any of them knew it, the woman was damaged beyond repair. Chouji had broken many of her bones and severely injured her internal organs. He let her fall to the ground in an undignified manner. Ino wandered over to her whilst bandaging up her hand. Her twitching limbs were splayed out, and she was desperately clinging to every breath she took.
"Sa -" she croaked, and died. Ino's eyes widened.
"Chouji, you great big bruiser, you actually killed her!" she cried, half in shock and half in amusement.
"It wasn't exactly in violation of the ninja code you know, Ino. She attacked us." Shikamaru said, folding his arms. Ino giggled and slapped Chouji's arm in a friendly way.
"I know that, I'm just so impressed by his strength!"
Shikamaru sweat-dropped, and watched Chouji laughing with Ino as they stood over the lifeless body of the mysterious ninja. I hope those prisoners back there aren't watching this, they'll think we're sickos, he thought cynically.