Chapter 3 - The 'Perfect' Relationship
A/N: I do not own Naruto.
I do however own Mari Kaede and any other OCs mentioned.
This is an OrochimaruxOC story.
Warning: Contains Murder, Violence, Gore; Mental, Emotional and Physical Torture, Experimentation, Depression, Revenge and mentions of Sexual Activities.
Please read responsibly.
Hey guys, going through and altering this chapter now. Hopefully when they're posted, they won't be corrupted anymore.
Enjoy the new version of chapter 3.
"This is not a good start!"
Kaede had a soft snarl to her tone as she paced back and forth in front of the exit to the village, glaring ahead with her arms crossed as she drummed her fingers off her bicep. She looked a tiny bit like her mother when she did that. "Where the hell is my patrol partner?!"
It had been a few years since the Second Great Shinobi War ended and peace had returned to the five nations. Kaede was now a mature woman at the age of thirty, often looking back at her time as a Genin and felt nothing but pride swell within her at the fond memories of her childhood. She had come a long way and was determined to continue improving until she achieved her dream of keeping her beloved village safe.
Of course, right now, she couldn't do that because a certain patrol partner she'd been assigned was missing. "I swear if he appears right now, I'm going t'kill him!" She said angrily and flexed her fingers, thoroughly annoyed. "A Jounin is meant t'be a symbol of an excellent ninja!"
"I myself think I do the name justice..."
Kaede jumped and quickly spun round to see a man stood behind her, his arms crossed, looking very serious. He had spiked blonde hair, far lighter than Takeshi's and fuchsia colored eyes holding no warm emotions. How could a shinobi this determined be late for a patrol mission?
"You're late..." Kaede told him, eyeing him, her own seriousness leaking out with the tension in the air. The Jounin's eyebrow arched at her sudden emotional change, but he paid it no heed, closing his eyes. "What took y'so long?"
"I was asked to assist two Chuunin with a quick supply mission...I returned five minutes ago and made my way here as soon as I could." The man said, opening an eye and looking at her curiously. "It's far more productive than just standing here, waiting for back-up."
"What was that?" Kaede asked, stepping closer, her eyes sharpening. "You have no right speaking t'me like that when y'hardly know me!"
"Mari Kaede..." The man started, causing her to stop in her tracks. "A remarkable kunoichi when it came to ninjutsu, able to use them one after the other with quick succession without using too much of her Chakra..." He opened his other eye and uncrossed his arms. "Singlehandedly destroyed a group of Jounin from Konohagakure during the Second Great Shinobi War when she herself was just a Chuunin..."
Kaede felt both unnerved by his knowledge and flattered that he knew her so well. She must have made an impression on the village. "Also, rather unreliable, immature and completely unpredictable..." She almost fell when he finished.
"D'you have t'ruin it by saying all that?" She asked, frustrated by this man's attitude. She stopped when a hand was extended towards her, Staring at it, she felt a little annoyed. With a tsk then a sharp smirk, she took it, squeezing hard as she met the man's eyes. "Y'know my name, how about your's?"
The shinobi could feel the strong power she had in her hand and squeezed back to show his own strength. "I'm Hamada Kiyoshi...It's a pleasure to meet you at last."
"Heh, wish I could say the same~" She let go of his hand and placed it on her hip, smirking. "After all, Y'didn't give me the best first impression."
Kiyoshi huffed out a laugh and gave her a rare smirk, his eyes were sharp, narrow, but very strong and fit for a leader. She found herself staring into those eyes with a slight tint to her cheeks. "It appears I'm not the only one, Kaede-san..."
The older man started walking past her, pausing at her side she noted that he was only a few inches taller than her, but it was enough for her to have to look up. "Shall we get going? We have a patrol to undergo..."
Kaede watched him with a smirk before she grinned devilishly and walked beside him, making sure to overtake him as a challenge. Amused by her games, he followed suit, the two of them seeming to have a rivalry.
Kiyoshi found her rather interesting, her personality changed easily and she wouldn't back down from a challenge, even if that challenge involved Taijutsu. He could become friends with her if he had time during his rigorous, stressful missions.
Whereas Kaede herself felt uncertain about the man, he had been rather kind, then rude, then kind again, as if he was gauging her reactions. She was reminded of Takeshi and wondered if he had said those things as a form of criticism. The thought of seeing how they interacted in the future made her grin.
Now all that was left was to survive this patrol without the two of them starting a fight.
~BHBL~
Two months passed since the day Kiyoshi met Kaede, the two of them had started off on very shaky ground, with their different personalities and attitudes. However, as time went on they began to have more and more missions together and eventually saw one another in a different light.
Kiyoshi, who was currently sat in a cafe, drumming his fingers off the table with a coffee in front of him, thought that Kaede herself was far more complicated than people gave her credit for. She had two personalities so gauging her reactions at first was difficult, but now he understood her a little better and could tell what triggers caused which personality to appear. He was curious about the fact that she was unaware of her personality changes but kept that to himself. After all, it'd only hurt her feelings and over the past two months, that thought became more and more unbearable.
With a sigh, Kiyoshi stirred his coffee and brought it to his lips, cheeks flushing when he remembered the day he realized he was beginning to see Kaede as more than just a partner, but as a beautiful woman as well. He usually found himself thinking back to the days he looked look at her and saw her vibrant grin and how it would force a smile onto his own lips. Even if he was full of sorrow and couldn't smile on his own.
He was starting to think he was falling in love with her.
Of course, the memory that amused him the most was the day they first met, he had been late after a returning from a mission and ran to meet her. Now he was here, sitting in the cafe, waiting for the woman in question to arrive, who was far later than he would have ever been.
Almost half an hour, in fact, he was starting to worry in case she had second thoughts and decided not to come. After all, a first date is always a nerve-wracking experience for anyone.
"Ahhh, sorry I'm late!"
Kiyoshi hummed and looked up at the entrance to the cafe, where Kaede stood, hunched over, holding her knees and grinning awkwardly as she gasped for air. As she walked over to Kiyoshi's table, everyone in the cafe gave her strange looks, and Kiyoshi could tell she didn't care. Another thing he liked about her. "I thought I'd missed y'there..." She said, letting out a relieved sigh.
"You're late..." Kiyoshi said, mirroring the greeting she gave him when they first met. Leaning against his hand, he watched her laugh awkwardly and tug on her flak jacket, flushed from the running and the embarrassment of her delay.
"Yeah, y'can blame Third-sama for that..." She complained, crossing her arms on the desk with a groan. "He called me into his office t'scold me for refusing a mission for this..." Stroking her chin, she grinned with a laugh. "Heh, the old asshole is just jealous that I've got a date and he doesn't~"
Kiyoshi chuckled at her laid-back nature and a warm smile curled his lips, lighting his usually cold eyes. Kaede opened her own, only to meet his gaze and blush at the handsome man she saw before her.
Kaede herself had begun to see Kiyoshi in a different light the longer their little rivalry went on. She eventually ended up hurting herself while she tried to outsmart him during one of their spars and he had given her first aid and refused to leave her side until they were safely back in the village and she was in the arms of the medical unit.
She was surprised by his refusal and determination to protect her. When she asked him why he had gone so far for her, he'd shown a rare smile and said that she was his comrade, and he never left a comrade to suffer. Of course, that was less than a month ago and it had sparked some sort of warmth within her, which eventually grew into the flames of early love.
She had been so happy when he had plucked up the courage to ask her to this cafe, she refused any mission that intertwined with that date, despite the consequences.
She believed she deserved a little break.
It wasn't long before the two of them fell into conversation, laughing, eating and sharing secrets between them as they grew too close to be labeled as just comrades. At one point, Kiyoshi's hand landed on her's accidentally, and they both became flustered, but when he went to retract it, Kaede took hold and entwined their fingers.
Kiyoshi stared at her and she stared back, smirking, another challenge. With a chuckle, he held her hand tighter and their date continued, both of them happy to be there.
They were happy to be together and hoped this romance would blossom for a long time.
~BHBL~
"Don't y'dare help me!"
Kiyoshi sighed with an exhausted frown as Kaede tried to lug a box up the stairs to his apartment on her own. So far she had done well, but after her seventh box full of heavy luggage, she was beginning to waver. "Kae-chan, it's alright to let me assist you, you've done most of the move yourself, it's time you put your feet up."
"I'm only thirty-one, I'll put my feet up when I'm too old t'walk on them!" Kaede told him, grinning when she got up the last step and turned to face him. "See? I ain't some weak kunoichi, just finish making dinner and I'll get these boxed sorted!"
Kiyoshi knew arguing with her wasn't going to help, and rolled his eyes, walking over and kissing her lips gently. "Alright, just don't wear yourself out too much..."
"Can't make any promises!" Kaede told him, walking past him into the apartment. The man smiled softly as she left and crossed his arms.
They had been dating for almost a full year now and Kaede had complained about how she had to travel halfway across the village to see him. So after some time to mull her words, he asked if she would move in with him and move their relationship forward a little. It was only slight hesitation, since it meant not living close to her parents, that she agreed.
"I'm going down t'get the last box," Kaede told him, stepping out of the room again. "Hurry with dinner, I'm starving!"
With a chuckle, he walked back into the apartment. "Alright, alright, perhaps this move was a bad idea after all...I have the esteemed Ninjutsu Expert treating me as her personal servant~"
"I heard that!"
~BHBL~
Kaede could not believe this was happening, it was surreal, unnerving and completely different to what she was used to.
Standing before a mirror, Mari Kaede, a woman of thirty-two, wore a beautiful white gown with a veil over the back of her head, left open as her mother and Shinako currently worked on her make-up and hair.
"I've never been this scared in my life!" Kaede told Shinako, only to get a scolding from the shy girl as she tried to apply gloss to Kaede's lips. "Oh sorry..." With a glare from her lifelong friend, she shut up with a soft laugh.
"There's no reason to be scared Kaede-chan..." Ayame told her daughter, trying to figure out what to do with the short spikes of Kaede's hair. If she flattened it, she'd look ridiculous. "After all, the love you and Kiyoshi share is as plain as day, this was the best decision the two of you could have made after being together so long..."
"I'm not saying I regret it!" Kaede said, turning, only to smear the lipstick on her cheek, hearing Shinako slap her forehead in response. "Ah, crap..." She turned back and tried to remain still while the girl mumbled incoherently and began to wipe away the mistake. "I've never felt my heart beat so fast, not even during my first S-Rank mission!"
She grinned and Shinako smiled too, deciding to sit back and wait for the bride to be to finish beaming before she'd continue. "I'm so excited I could burst!" She snickered, holding the skirts of her dress in a tight, gleeful grip. "I never thought I'd ever find a man like him, or fall in love! This is the best day of my life!"
"That's the spirit!" Shinako said, holding Kaede's chin to keep her mouth shut. "Now please let me finish your makeup."
Both Shinako and Ayame giggled when Kaede laughed awkwardly and refrained from further conversation so they could finish their tasks. Once done, Kaede was met with her father as they left the room, he looked ready to burst into tears.
"You look beautiful, Kaede..." Hiroshi told her, holding out his arm for her. "I couldn't be prouder than I am right now..."
Kaede felt warmth spread through her at her father's words and took his arm, holding back some of her own tears. She the overwhelming joy begin to take control of her emotions. "Thanks, Dad..."
Patting her hand, he escorted her into the main hall, where her soon-to-be husband stood, looking at her in nervous awe as she was walked down the aisle to a beautiful melody. Kaede met his sharp fuchsia eyes with her own soft brown ones, hidden behind a veil and they both smiled. From this day forward, they would be married.
It made their hearts swell with joy as she stopped by his side, the Kazekage's subordinate giving the ceremony that would bring these two together.
By the end of it all, their promises of love for eternity were sealed with a gentle kiss, two unlikely lovers brought together by their hearts. It was a wonderful experience that Kaede wouldn't soon forget.
~BHBL~
Kaede sat on the couch in her shared home, holding a new copy of Icha-Icha Paradise that Kiyoshi had bought her a month back. At first, she had read the book and laughed at the mature content inside. However, after reading it once, she read it again and again and now it was no contest about which book was her favorite out of her small collection of different books from different people.
Hearing the front door open, she hummed and looked over the sofa as Kiyoshi stepped into the room, looking tired and carrying a huge pile of papers with him. Frowning she spoke up. "Hey, you've been gone a while, did something happen?"
"No, I just stayed behind to finish some work..." Kiyoshi told her, rubbing the bridge of his nose to smooth out the stress building between his eyes. "I'm still not finished, so I won't be going to bed early tonight..."
As he went to leave, Kaede's concern bubbled. For the last two years since their marriage, Kiyoshi had slowly been doing more and more paperwork outside of missions to the point where it was beginning to get out of hand. He spent more time at work now than he did at home, and whenever he was home, he was working. Hell, she hadn't seen him follow her up to the bedroom in weeks.
"Kiyoshi..." She started, knowing she had to speak up before this problem got worse and endangered his life. The man she loved stopped with a hum and turned to look at her, he was exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes were proof.
"What's up, Kae-chan?"
Gritting her teeth, feeling unsettled by the wave of disquiet washing over her, she looked him in the eye and spoke her mind. "I think y'may have a problem..."
Confused, Kiyoshi tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean?"
"Y'spend all your time at work, and when you're home, you're working! You're tired and have skipped meals on occasion...I think y'have an addiction, you need t'see a doctor!"
Kiyoshi's eyes turned cold at her words, and her own widened in shock, that was the first time he had shown her such a stern expression since the day they met. "I haven't got an addiction..." He said, his tone flat as he turned and walked away. "Don't bring it up again."
Watching him leave, she stared after him before frowning, looking down at the precious book he had given her. What was going on, why was he acting like this around her? Gripping the book tighter, she ground her teeth. "Tsk, stupid bastard..."
Though she said this, she couldn't hide the pain his cold words caused and the sorrow that doused her anger and left her feeling weak. Love could both hinder and strengthen a person, after all.
For now, she'd listen to him and drop it, not wanting to start an argument and say something they would regret. However, if things went too far, she'd take matters into her own hands. He was a talented shinobi and the love of her life if he died because she didn't try to stop him...She would never be able to forgive herself.
~BHBL~
That's it!
Kaede couldn't take this anymore. It was going too far now, she hadn't seen him in three days and after he came home he barely spoke to her. Since the Ninjutsu fighter had confronted him, he grew cold around her, as if his love for her had dried up and left bitter irritation behind in its place.
Her heart ached, she couldn't take his harsh glare anymore and she needed to do something to make him wake up to reality. It had been a full year since the confrontation and she was at her wit's end.
With anger fueling her usually carefree, boisterous brown eyes, she snatched up the documents he left on the desk, during his shower, and walked out of the apartment. "Try working now, you asshole!" She hissed out, yanking open the trash chute and tossing the papers inside, hearing the shredder catch the parchment down below. "If y'won't get help by yourself, I'll make sure y'get it one way or another..."
Slamming the chute shut, she turned, only to freeze when Kiyoshi stood before her, his eyes wide as he stared at the closed lid of the trash shredder. Though she hadn't planned this, and her heart sank with guilt at his horrified expression, she held her ground.
"Wh-what did you...?" Kiyoshi started, his voice a soft whisper.
"I did this for your own good!" Kaede told him, clenching her fists. "You're always away at work for long periods of time and when you're here, y'don't even say 'hello' t'me anymore!" She felt tears pool in her eyes and held them back by closing them tight. "Y'don't sleep enough and y'haven't eaten anything for two days-"
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Kaede gasped and stepped back when she opened her eyes to see Kiyoshi's angry fuchsia eyes burning holes into her face. He was furious. "Ki...yoshi?"
"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT? WHAT KIND OF SICK PUNISHMENT IS THIS?!" Kiyoshi stepped forward and Kaede slowly backtracked to keep the distance between them, she had never seen him lose his temper like this. Realizing that he was going to knock her down the stairs at this rate, her expression matched his and she stepped forward so she was confronting him.
"I'm scared dammit!" She roared, causing him to step back instead. "I've been holding back my fear for a year! A whole damn YEAR!" Tears began to spill down her cheeks as she let out the emotions she had held onto for the duration of his problem. "I love y'too much to see y'do this t'yourself, you'll die if y'keep this up! Please, just stop and get some help!"
Kiyoshi's shock was evident on his features as Kaede relaxed her posture slightly, breathing heavily as she choked on her tears. Slowly, her eyes widened as his expression turned cold and he leaned close, his fuchsia irises burning with hatred and disgust. "Well then...I've learned something from all this..."
His next words froze her heart and shattered it into tiny pieces.
"The only problem here is you...I should never have married you..." Making a face of distaste, he straightened up. "This 'love' has been one-sided for a long time, it's about time you learned that and left me alone..."
Kaede stood there, staring straight at Kiyoshi's chest as he turned and entered the apartment, slamming the door shut behind him. Her cheeks were soaked with tears as she absorbed his words and her heart bled.
Unable to stop herself, her lips curled back into an angry snarl and she punched the door. "FINE! Keep t'yourself y'selfish bastard, suffer, starve t'death for all I care! Don't expect any sympathy from me, we're through! Y'hear me?!"
Standing there with her fist against the door, she stayed still only a moment longer before the pain became unbearable. Making a noise of pained anguish and uncontrolled fury, she turned quickly and ran down the stairs out of the apartment blocks. People stared as she kicked up sand making her way down the streets with droplets of salted water glittering in the moonlight behind her.
"Is that Kaede?" Whispering voices asked.
"I don't think I've ever seen her cry."
"Is she alright?"
"Where's Kiyoshi-san? Did they fight?"
"Oh dear..."
Their words only hurt her more as she tripped and caught her footing, running through the night until she stopped at the opposite side of the path to her parents' home. Trying to hold back a fresh wave of despair, she ran over and opened the door.
Ayame gasped, having been about to leave to meet Hiroshi at a restaurant for a date, and grabbed the Jounin by the arms when she saw that it was her daughter, and she looked like she had been crying.
"Kaede-chan?" She started, only to make a noise of shock when the grown woman let out a sharp gasp and sobbed against her. "What's wrong? Has something happened?!"
Unsure what to think, and unable to get a response from Kaede at that moment, she just led the woman inside and closed the door.
~BHBL~
It wasn't three months after this event that a divorce was finalized between the two of them. Kaede sitting there on her mother's couch, staring at the papers with a heartbroken look in her slightly dull eyes. Hiroshi had never seen her so distraught, so he took the day off to stay with her, hoping he could get through to her.
Since Kiyoshi had broken her with his words, she tried to keep her emotions to herself, behind a smile and her usual boisterous attitude. Though people could tell it was fake, it was still unnerving Ayame because she hadn't seen hide nor hair of her daughter's serious personality since.
Well during the divorce process it had peeked out, but it was much more hidden now than before. Her tactics were still good, so it was still there, but not on the surface where it used to reside half the time. Hiroshi knew and trusted their daughter with all of his heart, so he did not fear this change, but Ayame did, which upset him greatly.
Couldn't his wife see that Kaede needed nothing more than their full support right now?
"Kaede?" Hiroshi started, pulling her eyes from the papers. "C'mon, put them down, you can't change history by staring at it..." He stood up and walked over to her, taking the papers, which she allowed.
The divorce had been a cruel and brutal process for her, she had tried to speak to Hiroshi just two months ago, after calming down and pushing away her pride enough to do so. However he hadn't changed, he still hated her and he was so cold around her. Hell, it was him who asked for a divorce, the same man who asked for her hand in marriage only three years prior.
As a father, it took all his power not to march down there and give Kiyoshi what for, however doing so would end badly for him and his daughter, and he didn't want that. "Where's that smile I like to see?" He asked his beloved child, who stared at him for a moment before grinning silently.
Though he could see she was trying, he frowned at the false grin and let out a soft sigh. "Tell you what, I'll make you your favorite curry, how's that?" He asked and she nodded, giving him a soft thanks.
With eyes fueled by concern, he turned and went into the kitchen, Kaede's smile fading when he was out of visible sight. It hurt so much, but she kept this smile because though it was painful, it made the world seem a little brighter.
Even if it was just for a while.
~BHBL~
A year passed since the divorce and Kaede's smile was no longer distinguishable as fake or real. Having kept up the act so long, she could grin no matter what emotion she felt, though she couldn't in the most serious situations.
Ayame was aware of the fact that her serious personality only peeked out once in a blue moon and it scared her a little bit. Because Kaede was still a tactical woman and therefore she could be planning an entire assassination and the way her uncontrolled personalities were right now, none of them would be able to tell until it was too late.
Though she trusted her daughter, every time she saw that grin, she couldn't help the cold feeling that ran down her spine, even if her smile was genuine, she wondered what was hidden beneath it. Guilt always kept her mouth shut when it came to these suspicions and she didn't let her daughter know otherwise, but she just felt that one day...
Kaede would do something that she would not be able to repent, and that thought scared her more than how easily her daughter could hide her malicious or serious thoughts.
~BHBL~
Kaede was walking down the streets of Sunagakure, towards the two walls hiding the village from view. She and her friends Shinako and Takeshi had been put on a special mission to patrol the border. A threat from a smaller nation was looming towards Suna and she was prepared to protect the village she loved with her life.
Though she had her heart broken, she recovered well and was no longer hung up on what she and Kiyoshi had said and done, in fact, she felt stronger because of it. She was a kunoichi, and kunoichi endured whatever they could for the sake of their village. She had endured and recovered and now she was going to keep moving towards her goal she had made after first becoming a Jounin.
"While I breathe, no harm will come t'my village..." She said out loud, only to have the wind knocked out of her when she bumped into someone during her thoughts. "Ah damn!" She grunted, dusting herself off before she looked up at the man before her.
He was a unique one, that much she could say. He had deathly white skin, and long black hair slightly covering one of his snake-like yellow eyes adorned with purple markings. His expression was blank as if assessing her, and it was unnerving, to say the least.
"Heh..." She started awkwardly, placing a hand on her hip. "Sorry 'bout that, I was in my own head!" With a wave, she started walking off. "Try wearing a bell next time!"
Ignoring her, the man continued down his path, only to pause about ten feet from where he was halted to begin with. Slowly he turned and watched as the Sunagakure Jounin kicked off into a jog, his eyes narrowed slightly in recognition. He knew that face, it had been the face he had seen in the trees during the Second Great Shinobi War. She was the woman who had single-handedly killed several Konoha Jounin out of pure rage.
The man's blank frown slowly warped into a malicious grin as he felt the excitement bubble in his chest. He had been right to keep her alive, though back then it was because he saw no use in killing her there and then. What an amusing turn of events.
She could be of use to him, after all, it had been ten years at least since that day and there was no doubt she would have improved during all this time.
Lifting a single hand, he positioned his fingers into a seal and vanished from sight in a puff of smoke.
Meanwhile Kaede got to the gates and stopped in front of her friends, breathing heavily, she had ran the remainder of the way there to avoid being late, but as usual, Takeshi had to point out her mistakes. "You're late Kaede..." He said, his arms crossed with a frown on his lips. "This is a crucial mission, what were you doing?"
"Ah sorry, I bumped into someone on the way here, it slowed me down a little!" She said, straightening up and placing a hand on her hip, looking as carefree as ever. "Alright, what're we standing around for! We're going t'get scolded if we wait around for too long!" Without waiting for them, she kicked off into the desert, making her friends sigh with defeat.
"That's what we should be saying to you..." Shinako said softly with an amused giggle while Takeshi just rolled his eyes and kicked off after her, with Shinako following behind. Soon after, the three of them were running side by side towards their destination, like a true team.
Unaware of the shadow that pursued them.
~BHBL~
The three Jounin spent a long time traveling towards the border, in fact by the time they reached a valley full of cylindrical boulders, it was past midnight. Despite the time Kaede and the others kept their wits about them, their expressions blank, only their eyes showing caution.
They felt like someone was watching them, eyeing their every move. "Guys, d'you feel that too?" Kaede asked softly, and both her teammates nodded silently.
Takeshi listened carefully for any kind of noise and suddenly moved when sand crunched a little bit to their right. Tossing a kunai from his pouch, he heard someone cry out and fall to the ground. It was a shinobi from one of the smaller nations.
Before the three of them could do anything, they were surrounded by the man's platoon, three strong Jounin with evil smiles. "Looks like they found us!" The leader said, glancing towards his dead comrade with a frown. "You'll pay for this!"
"Guys get back, I'm going t'end this quickly!" Kaede told them, thrusting out her arm to exaggerate her point. "Trust me, this'll be over in no time!"
Shinako and Takeshi looked at one another curiously, both showing slight hesitance before they nodded. "Alright, but if things get rough, we're joining in!" Takeshi told her, jumping up at the same time as Shinako and landing on a cylindrical boulder, out of harm's way.
The enemy shinobi all laughed and taunted her for trying to take them on at once, and she smirked, preparing her hands for her flurry of complicated seals. Unknown to her or any of her team, a man with snake yellow eyes stood in the shadows of one of the faraway boulders, watching Kaede's every move with a curious curl of his lips.
'Now...Show me your power!'
Suddenly the shinobi kicked off from the ground and ran at her with a battle cry. Kaede's lips split into a quick grin, her hands moving in a flurry, forming her seals. "Katon: Kasai Suīpu!" She called, inhaling a large portion of air before swinging her head and exhaling a moderately sized line of fire.
Of course, the shinobi stopped and staggered back out of it's range, laughing at her weak jutsu. "You call that fire?" One of them taunted, pausing with a hum of confusion when the fire slowly separated, still hanging in the air, but enough sohe could see the new signs her hands were making. "Oh crap!"
Panicking they stepped back only for Kaede to call out the name of her jutsu. "Futon: Daitoppa!" She took a large intake of air and blew it out onto the flames, jumping into the air when the fire spread across the whole battlefield.
The man in the shadows, watching this, hearing the shinobi scream as they were burned to a crisp, let a gleeful grin twist his lips. His snake-like eyes fueled with excitement at her powerful jutsu. 'Wonderful...' He thought, licking his lips. 'Her power has room for improvement, however...I could find great use in her...'
With a dark chuckle, he performed the same sign as before and vanished in a puff of smoke, while Kaede landed beside her friends and watched as the shinobi all fell, dead. He would return in a year's time to collect his prize, until then, he would let her continue training and improving.
If she was powerful now, he could only imagine with elation what she would be like in another year. With her power, his ambitions may just become reality.
A sinister laugh echoed in the moonlight as the man appeared back in the Country of Fire's borders, continuing his trek back to his village. Eagerly awaiting the passing of the next year.
A/N: Please review, all comments help me improve as a writer.
Jutsu Translation
Japanese = English
Futon: Daitoppa = Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
Katon: Kasai Suīpu! = Fire Release: Fire Sweep! (My own Creation.)
