Still don't own Naruto...but I'm contemplating a plushie!
She stalked quietly through the oasis. It had been a month since she'd brought in Giji's trusted servant, but she'd finally found the traitor of her country. After hearing he may possibly be in Suna, Hotaru had wasted no time in investigating that claim. The back allies of cities and grungy bars of the night tended to be ideal places to pick up information. Men who had had too much to drink often said things they shouldn't. Now after weeks in the desert, Hotaru would be able to capture the ultimate bounty. Her country would be able to open up its boarders again. It would prosper, and she could return to her homeland. It was probably too late to accomplish her original objective for going home, but at least she'd be able to find solace if not answers.
Hotaru quickly dropped to a crouch by a small spring. The water was warmish from the desert heat, but it would do. After filling her canteen and quenching her thirst, Hotaru proceeded to quietly splash her face with the refreshing water. She was dirty from her travels. It wasn't that she couldn't cope with being sandy, she just wanted to give Giji every opportunity to see the face of the one to bring him in. She gave one last look to the strawberry blonde girl with grey eyes in the spring before continuing.
About an hour's worth of travel brought her to the heart of the oasis. This was it. Pulling a kunai from her pack, she crept silently to the hut that had appeared in the vegetation. A predatory smile graced her lips; the hunt was coming to an end after two long years. Once Giji was eliminated as a threat, things could continue smoothly.
Crawling through the undergrowth, Hotaru came up to the hut. With practiced eyes, she calculated the distance from her spot to the door. In a fluid motion, she sprang up and bounded to the door, kicking it in and throwing one of the smoke bombs she always kept handy for diversion. She saw a shadow of a man, the man that all her previous bounties had led up to. This was the man whose capture would free her home...
Or so she thought. Suddenly her smoke trap was used against her as more figures appeared around her, and she found herself wrapped with rope. Struggling, she attempted to cut herself free with the kunai she still clutched, only to have a masked man pluck it firmly from her grasp. She frowned as the smoke began to clear.
"ANBU?" Hotaru immediately lie still to avoid any confrontation. "I have permits to be here in my pack. My bounty registration name is-"
"Yozora Hotaru. We know. We knew you were coming here to find Giji Kouken. It appears he heard someone was after him and fled," said the ANBU who had disarmed her. Another was digging her papers out of her pack and a third making sure she didn't have any technique on her to conceal her identity.
Hotaru's eyebrow's furrowed. "So what is the basis of my capture?"
"Safety precautions. Our orders were to release you upon confirming your identity. The Kages of Wind and Leaf have sent representatives to speak with you."
His words did nothing to relax Hotaru, her eyebrows knitted more closely together. "I have done nothing to warrant such an interrogation. I know nothing of where Giji might have escaped to. I was hoping this hunt would be done with."
Hotaru would have almost sworn there was a note of amusement in the ANBU's stoic voice. "You must have a tiger's confidence to think you alone can bring in that man when he has eluded ANBU units all this time."
"Rank isn't everything." Released, the unit led her to a camp at the edge of the oasis, opposite the side she came in from. The side closer to Suna. There, she found herself facing a blonde woman in pigtails, a man wearing make up in an unusual pattern on his face, and a blonde young man with bright blue eyes
Offering a water bottle, the blonde woman spoke first. "My name is Temari." She gestured to the man. "This is my brother Kankurou. We are here to speak on behalf of our brother, the Kazekage."
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, representing the Hokage. Here," he said, offering a bowl of ramen.
Hotaru took their offerings of refreshment both with gratitude and weariness. Having been drugged before, she took no chances. "Yozora Hotaru, but I suppose you already knew that." After a long draught from the water bottle and a couple bites of ramen, she continued in the tense silence. "I'd like to inquire as to the reasons for this meeting."
"Since the attack of Balance, 27 people had their names added to the wanted list," began Kankurou. "Of the 14 captured, half of them have been cited under your name. We also found tha-"
"You take to long Kankurou! I have things to do back in leaf! Sakura will skin me alive if I don't make it back for-" the blonde cast a weary look at Hotaru "for Sasuke's next session." He then turned to address the bounty hunter. "We want to know if you have underground connections. It would explain why you've somehow managed to out do Gaara's best search squads." Naruto didn't even notice the mutterings from the squads around the camp.
The girl named Temari cast him a disparaging look before addressing Hotaru. "You seem to be in the know of finding these criminals. We would like to know how."
Setting aside her mostly eaten food, Hotaru sighed. Glancing around at the nins who were still casting the loud young man dirty looks, she realized that vague explanations would no longer get her by. But she'd be damned if she wouldn't at least try. "What can I say? I live for danger." In face of the silent stares and raised eyebrows, Hotaru gave an impatient sigh. "Sometimes all one needs is a certain drive. I want to go home." Keeping one hand where everyone could see it, Hotaru dug in her bag with the other, not taking her weary eye off the ANBU units now watching intently. She pulled out a necklace with a pendant. Carved on it was Balance's insignia. "I used to live in Balance. In the chaos and raids that followed the main attack, I had to flee the area. The lockdown was enacted before I could return." Mostly half truths, but perhaps it would be enough to get her by...
Naruto let out a low whistle. "That sounds like reason enough for me. If I was shut out from my loved ones, I'd be in a hurry to capture those preventing me from returning too."
Temari, however, knew her brother would want more explanation than that. "Well that explains why you do it, but how did you find them all?"
Hotaru shrugged. "I might not look like much now, but any moderately good looking waitress in a bar can easily eavesdrop on drunken conversation. It's all puzzle work from their, and a rather enjoy a mystery."
Kankurou smirked at Temari. "Told you pubs were better than prisons to get information from."
Hotaru picked up her food again. "A man will say anything you want to hear when he faces torture. A man can't help what he says when drunk."
Naruto laughed. "That's true. I know I'd be able to tell you all about a person even if I hadn't met them before if I was under some of the techniques the information retrieval squad uses." His laughter ended in a shudder before he cast you a sharp look. "So you're not gathering them into the prison so they can stage a break out or anything?"
Temari put a hand on her forehead in face of Naruto's straightforwardness. Hotaru, however, answered in a rather angry tone.
"Of course I'm not! I'm not a double agent, traitor, or any such thing. I just want to get home. I-" She cut off, and a moment later, a falcon broke through the thin span of vegetation separating the camp from the desert, landing on an ANBU's arm. Deftly, he took the note from the bird and handed it to Kankurou.
Kankurou's eyes widened, then narrowed as he read. "Shit, time to get back to sound. There's been another assassination attempt."
Temari paled slightly, but her training helped her keep her emotions under control. "Is Gaara alright?"
Kankurou passed her the scroll. "He's alright, but the assassin...it was Giji Kouken. And he was in Akatsuki robe."
The camp was suddenly a buzz of movement, everyone gathering their things. Hotaru wondered if she could manage to sneak away, but decided against it. If it was really Giji Kouken, maybe she tag along to get some information before continuing the chase.
"Temari, Kankurou, I'm going ahead. If he really is in Akatsuki, there might be other members around. I'm gonna talk to Grandma Tsunade and see if I'm needed in the chase." With that, he leapt quickly through the vegetation, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Everyone was set only moment later. Temari turned to Hotaru. "Will you be able to keep up? If not, I'll have a couple of our ANBU escort you back."
"I can keep up. Just because I'm a bounty hunter doesn't mean I don't have special tricks too."
Hotaru was true to her word. She wasn't as fast, but she was still able to keep up. Temari and Kankurou had exchanged slightly surprised looks. They had felt a surge of chakra flow through her body even though they had not seen her activate it. They nodded at each other, noting to add that question to the inquiry list as well.
Next time: ...the Kazekage came across an envelope bearing no name..."Ah, so you survived again. What a pity."...Squads were rushing in and out, until an ANBU noticed him...