Chapter 11
The Debts to Be Paid

Since hearing her name ring out from the proctor's echoing voice in the arena, Nomasaki stood in silence.

With her eyes drawn wide as she panted from entering her true form, she peered upon her unconscious opponent with her expression etched in shock. She did it - she won. Who knew from catching the sight of fire that it would trigger the wolf inside of her to stir in such a rude awakening? Never before until that particular day had the sight of flames made her relive those painful memories of her home that was lost. While a team of medical-nin tended to the injured Kumo shinobi, they lay his large lumbering body upon the stretcher and whisked him off to be treated for his numerous wounds. None of his injuries were life-threatening, she saw to it that they were not fatal - but in an instant, her mind could have persuaded her otherwise.

A chill went through her as she forced herself to turn back towards the stairwell to meet her eager teammates. Strangely, she no longer felt like herself.

Had she truly changed?

Coming to terms as she solemnly walked towards the exit, she held her saddened gaze upon the floor as she walked. She left the old-Nomasaki behind in the mountains of cold, and all the elements of a peaceful civilian life behind with it. She was now a shinobi, a shinobi of Sunagakure – just like her father. Seething with disgust, her gut twisted at the mere thought of that man who she never knew. Knowing he was alive somewhere left her uneasy and restless in her resentment she held towards him. She remembered Hanone's taunts against her frail humanity as she took her place beside her comrades, their faces blank and stunned with faint caution riddled behind them. She paid them no mind, hoping to get the rest of the day over with.

"That was... unexpected." Shinto broke the silence. "Good job, Nomasaki."

Catching her attention, she turned towards him, meeting his glance. "...Thanks."

"Shinto!" Meiyumi gasped, pointing to the leaderboard. "Look! Quickly!"

Directing their attention towards the flashing screen, Shinto's name was written clear as day for all in the arena to see. The name of his opponent was unfamiliar to the Suna genin, meaning that his adversary was to be either a shinobi from Kirigakure of Kumogakure. Itching to fight all afternoon, the moment he seen his name sprawled upon the screen made him shiver with anxiety. His anticipation suddenly left him, his fists shaking lightly at his sides.

"You've got this, Shinto!" Meiyumi cheered, patting him on the shoulder.

"Uh, yeah," He nodded, nervously. "...I got this!"

"A reminder for all combatants – those who finished their matches are to report to the examination room!"

The voice through the loudspeaker startled Nomasaki slightly.

Turning towards the screen, she paused for a moment and then looked towards her teammates. She did not want to leave them. Sensing a chakra approach her nearby, a proctor clothed in the shinobi attire of Kumogakure stepped towards her from the stairwell, his expression aged and stern as his dark eyes narrowed at her. "You there," He said. "You heard the head-proctor, all genin who finished their matches are to leave."

Nervous and narrow-eyed, she gave a small nod to his command, following closely behind as the Meiyumi's cheering for Shinto soon fell on deaf ears.

The examination room was the most uncomfortable experience she had ever faced. Being judged by others without knowing it was one thing, but having a selected team of superiors judge and critique her on her progress in the exams was something that made her chest tighten with anxiety. She felt as if she lost the ability to breathe in that cramped room cold with concrete and stern glances. Holding her certification in her hand, she walked out from the final examination room far down the corridor that led to the arena. An expression of surprised pride painted her face as the exam room door closed behind her in the silent corridor of grey stone. She finally did it – she was now a Chunin of Suna, and at the age of fourteen.

Bitterly, her gut twisted with the memory of her fight. She felt regret for her loss of her controlled anger, but proud that she managed to survive such a daunting task against the flames that chased her at every step she took. Walking down the dimly lit corridor, she heard the echo of her footsteps bounce from the carved stone walls that surrounded her. Becoming lost in her thoughts, she pondered of her Kekkei Genkai, the Ōkamitoko – and the distraught expressions from the ones who saw her change into a ravenous beast bridled with rage. She did not want to be remembered for that, but she did not have a choice.

It was either become a wolf, or be burned alive.

Pondering her past options, she wondered if burning alive was such a horrible fate after all.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar and strong ominous chakra nearby. The chakra lingered upon the air close to where she was headed – its menacing nature gnawing at her senses. Shukaku, she thought – it was close. Startling her from her thoughts, she turned towards the presence as she came to an abrupt pause in her steps. Standing silently, the jinchuriki stood against the wall in the winding hallway with his gaze locked onto the floor. Noticing the red hair and burgundy colored clothes, she recognized their face immediately.

Gaara.

With his proof of certification gleaming from his pocket and his ringed-eyes avoiding hers, he stood in silence while his chakra struck her with its familiar fear - catching her off guard from his presence. She thought of his strong chakra, forcing herself to accept it in her senses. "Oi!" She jumped, timidly. "You startled me! I... didn't think I'd see you here."

"…Sorry." He spoke, averting his glance. "I'm waiting for my siblings to finish up."

As she stood near him, her fear slowly subsided as she grew used to his heavy chakra – remembering his ferocious and swift strength. In her thoughts, she had to remind herself that his chakra was that of his tailed-beast - and she knew better than to get them mixed up. Embarrassed from her initial reaction, she scratched the back of her gold head, giving a timid smile as she looked away. "My bad, I can't quite control my sensory abilities yet. I… can't shut it off, so I can always sense chakra."

Across from him in the corridor, she briefly stood along the stone wall, looking up at the cracked ceiling above. Relaxing, she slid down the wall until she was sitting, patting down the thin armor plating that was on her shins and wrists. Her white tunic was dirtied with the evidence of battle and survival from Blood Mountain, as her headband lightly gleamed on her forehead. Tiny flecks of blood dotted her clothes, he noticed, as he found himself glancing towards her from across the hallway. Although her match was brief, it was certainly a messy affair. For the first time in ages, the sight of blood did nothing to his psyche – not a stir or a rumble from Shukaku.

The sealing must be effective, he thought.

Since that time months ago when he faced the Ishigakure shinobi in the Land of Rivers, Shukaku had not bothered to make any attempts of emergence. To him, it was a long-awaited relief.

"Shukaku in particular… I can feel how dense it is, combined with your chakra." She said with a subtle nod. "It's chakra is hard for me to tune out." Distracting herself from her troubling thoughts, she formed a light smile upon her lips. "My teammates are still there, too. I hope they pass! I'm the only one from my team who made it."

Gaara turned to her with an expressionless stare from his ringed-eyes, listening to her words. Unused to casual conversation, he was unsure of how to socialize with someone other than his siblings. Although they did have scattered interactions that were brief and usually tinged with conflict, they were still scattered interactions, nonetheless. They were comrades – a recluse jinchuriki still feared by his village and an outsider from the far mountains who was descended from a clan of wolf-people. They were both self-redeeming misfits, both of them sharing the same pain and working towards the same goals for acceptance. As he examined her friendly smile from a distance, he carefully calculated how to respond to her kind small-talk. After a moment of silence in the aged corridor, he closed his eyes as he turned away from her in his stance. "You've met all of the requirements, like the rest of us." He explained. "You're skilled enough to earn the title of 'chunin'… these exams proved it."

"Y-You think so?"

Her thoughts getting the better of her, she remembered the sight of the opponent she faced only hours ago. The shifting change of her skin to fur was still fresh in her mind, and she grimaced to herself as she was reminded of the stunned and shocked faces of the other genin who watched. She acted brashly – and she knew it. If only my instincts were not so daunting, she thought to herself, If only there was another way. Her glance upon her lap saddening, she felt a lump of guilt swell in her throat.

"I... don't think I was meant to be a shinobi. Even now after finishing these exams, there's something about it that makes me feel... uneasy."

If her village had avoided attack, she would still be living in her family's empty homestead with Hanone standing guard close by on the snowy hilltop. Although the lands were harsh and coated in thick blankets of ice and snow, she saw herself living as a quaint farmer if she had the choice to remain in Yamagakure. Dealing with the fearful villagers was something she was always used to since she was a child, their barks of aggression and fright for her bloodline nipping at her in the cold – and that would have been the only drawback if she stayed.

She accepted that.

Having no home to return to since that night of fire, her life was bleak with hope. Ending up in Sunagakure was both a godsend and a curse. Never again would she see snow when she would awake, only sand would greet her – and the cold was replaced by the harshness of the unbearable heat. The more she thought to herself, she felt her heavy heart grow light with the thoughts of how she liked the desert when it turned cold in the nights and the faces of her comrades on Team Hashira. Becoming a shinobi might not have been her ultimate choice, but she was thankful for the void it filled.

"I suppose I should get used to this," She said, her eyes averted still. "The life of a shinobi is a cruel one. There's no turning back now... not for me at least." Contempt rose into her throat, replacing the guilt that clawed its way there. She remembered the words Hanone spoke of that man - her father, and it left ashes on her tongue. "I want to be strong. I have to... if I'm to reach my goal."

Gaara turned to her, interested. "You have a goal as well?"

She nodded, avoiding his eyes. "Yes. It's... a selfish one." Hesitating to speak any more, she changed the subject. "What's your goal? You mentioned it... when we met in the forest."

"To hone my skills for my own purpose."

"I see," She sighed, the contempt drifting into calm. "You're very skilled… more skilled than anyone I've seen, at least." Turning to him, she gave a light smile of gratitude. "You were able to save me from those Ishigakure ninja so easily… I wouldn't be surprised if they promoted you to jonin after this."

Narrowing his ringed-eyes at the floor, he took in her words. "I still have a long way to go… to prove myself."

"To prove yourself?"

The words came to him without a second thought. "...I want to become the Kazekage."

Curious from his words, she examined the determination and seriousness that gleamed in his turquoise eyes. "Kazekage?" She repeated. "That's the leader of Sunagakure, isn't it?"

Upon seeing a subtle nod from him in response, she glanced back to her lap in deep thought – surprised by his reveal. Only weeks ago, Gaara was told he had to make a choice. Knowing that Gaara would be the next suitable candidate for such a role once he came of age, it nonetheless took the councillors by surprise and urged them to get an answer. Baki pressed him enough on the subject, but after some careful thought he reached a conclusion. The exams had to be given credit as well. The young jinchuriki that was once hellbent on murdering anyone who looked at him in the wrong manner stood a changed young man – wanting nothing more than to protect his home as its next Kazekage. Sensing the familiar and shared understanding in her as he stood across from her in the silent hallway, he decided to put his trust in her.

"I want to protect the village as its leader... to right my wrongs." He answered. "Becoming a chunin was only a minor step in that direction, and I intend to succeed."

"I can see that happening," With a trace of surprise in his stoic glance, he turned towards her. His eyes widened when he seen a light smile etched upon her scratched face. Her expression appeared genuine – trusting, even. As he looked into her strange purple eyes, he noticed a glimmer of newfound courage, replacing her frequent shyness that he often saw when he glanced towards her. "You would make a great Kazekage for Suna, I'm sure of it. And… if you need any help," She nodded. "I will be there for you, because… I believe in you. I will be there, I promise."

From hearing her words, a faint trace of a smile became apparent on his pale face. Surprised, he was warmed that someone else shared the same ideals as himself. She truly was strange, and that was what he liked about her. Meeting her friendly expression, he nodded back.

"Thanks."

"Aye, Nomasaki!"

Turning and standing up on her feet from the sound of the voice, Nomasaki could feel the chakra of her teammates. Their footsteps echoing down the hall, she saw Shinto and Meiyumi exit the exam room, Shinto's arm raised up for a wave. Team Hashira had survived the final test. Both of them were in once piece, she thought to herself – a wave of relief coming over her as she saw them approach. Although they were covered in the evidence of battle, they were both alright.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stay," She asked. "How did it go?"

"Passed!" Meiyumi chuckled with a smile. "Shinto failed. He thought he could stand his own against –,"

"M-Meiyumi!" Shinto shouted, embarrassed to death – his proud character dissipating to nothing from shame. "D-Don't spread it around!"

Suddenly as he stood with his teammates, he noticed Gaara standing across from them in the hall. Standing in silence, the jinchuriki watched their interactions with his ringed-eyes calm and observant. Dismayed from the sight of him, Shinto's expression turned into one of disgust – sensing the one-tailed beast's chakra dancing in the dry air around them. Shukaku was taunting him, he thought. Realizing there was contact made between the jinchuriki and his outsider teammate, he felt his blood boil in his veins.

"What are you doing here, bastard?" He spat, narrowing his dark eyes towards him. "Don't bother our teammates, especially if I'm around! I don't care if you saved her life… we'll never trust the likes of you!"

Gaara glared right back at him, his ringed-eyes locking onto his in the same nature and tone in dead silence. The air felt tense within the corridor as they glared at each other – alerting the sensory kunoichi who stood close by. She was aware of Shinto's distrust in Gaara, and although understanding of his fear of Shukaku, she thought it was irrational to hate Gaara the way he did. Despite her previous explanations, her words often fell on deaf ears. Concerned, Nomasaki turned to meet Shinto's glare, her eyes pleading as she stepped closer between them.

"Don't," She interrupted. "He's… a friend."

The words rang in his ears.

A friend, Gaara thought – did he hear her right?

Surprising him from her guarded defense, he felt both humbled and stunned to hear someone defend him in such a way. Other than his siblings in recent times and the Uzumaki who he fought during the last exams, no one had dared to call him such. Despite appearing near expressionless on the outside, on the inside, he was touched by her kind words. From the girl he found collapsed in the desert a year ago, he gained an ally – a friend.

"Friend?" Shinto scoffed, turning to Nomasaki with a narrowed glance in frustration. "He's a killer! He's just Shukaku in living skin!"

"He's not!" She argued. "Trust me, I could sense it if he was to begin with."

For a moment, the two teammates exchanged tense glances with each other. The more they locked eyes between each other, the more Nomasaki could feel her wolfishness rising within her, her fangs slowly growing in size within her closed jaws. The beast was still ripe from its emergence in the earlier fight, and the angrier she became, the more she felt her skin heave as she pondered changing her form. Sighing, Shinto shrugged and walked off into the corridor towards the shadows of the exit – surrendering. "Let's get out of here…" He groaned. "I don't have time for this…"

Before Nomasaki could speak further with him, Meiyumi stepped before her with an assuring smile, desperately trying to change the subject. "Come on," She spoke. "Let's go tell sensei the good news. We're both chunin, now! Remember?"

"O-Oh," Nomasaki acknowledged, calming herself. "Right."

As she walked off with her teammates, she glanced back at him as he stood alone in silence, concern visible in her lilac eyes as he continued down the hall. Surprising her, Gaara was gone, disappeared with his sand without a trace…

Once the Chunin Exams were over, the Suna shinobi soon returned to their home in the vast and barren desert to the far west of the lands. Upon gathering the results, the Suna Council summoned every team that participating in the exams and gave their final critique – either awarding them with the title 'Chunin' or forcing them to stay genin until the next round of testing. To no one's surprise, the infamous Sand Siblings all received their promotions to Chunin, with Gaara the exception, instead being promoted by two levels – to Jonin. Greatly impressed by his performance in Kumo, the council was further solidified in him being their ideal first choice for the Fifth Kazekage – although he was still very young and lacking the experience in leadership. As a gesture of faith, they further segregated him from his peers – placing him in command of the normal troops to better grow his skills in leadership and command.

The sunset that day was a near blinding orange.

Upon the great village cliffs, Gaara stood overlooking the desert. It was a much-needed peace from the buzzing of the council, and there were things left to be thought upon. Sensing his absence from the celebrations within the estate, Kankuro followed him. Gaara knew he was there but waited for him to speak first, his glance on the setting sun unmoving.

"Look, Gaara," Kankuro started. "I know you've been promoted to jonin, and that some of the councillors are pushing the idea that you take over as leader one day... but I just wanted to hear from you what you think of this. I know Baki-sensei has been pushing it to you - because of our family's ties to power, so I want to know... what did you choose?"

"My answer is that I chose a new path." Gaara spoke, his voice calm and even. "I will do as they ask... and put my name forward as Kazekage."

Unsure of how to approach, Kankuro stepped closer. "I don't really want to say this, but..." He began, hesitation on his voice. "The village considers you as nothing but a weapon of mass terror because you're a jinchuriki. For you to be in the regular troops and becoming a chunin... it will only be harder for you from here. There's still jonin who think poorly of you... and most of the village is still afraid of you for what you've done in the past."

"...I don't care what they think." Gaara said. "Doing nothing will only bring greater pain, as long as the village suffers. I know what I must do, Kankuro. I must clear my own path. Perhaps then, I can become like him."

Catching Kankuro's attention, the mention of the Konoha-nin surprised him. That nine-tails kid, he realized.

"I will aim to be the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure as a shinobi of this village and as a descendant of my clan. I will connect to the people of this village... and survive." Gaara continued, gazing into the sunset with conviction. "I want to work hard... and become someone others acknowledge and respect. That's what I decided... after fighting Uzumaki Naruto. Until I met him, my ties to others... only ever brought me pain and sorrow. But he kept asking - he kept pushing me to redefine those ties. And now finally... I think I'm beginning to understand why. To share one's feelings with others isn't weakness... it's strength. That is what Uzumaki Naruto taught me when we fought - we connected. He's experienced pain as I have, but he never let it beat him. His example has shown me... I can change my own life, my destiny. One day, I'd like to become something precious to others, too. Not as some weapon of terror..." Glancing to his brother, he smiled. "But as the Kazekage."

Stunned by his words, Kankuro stood amazed and in silence. Soon after, pride swelled into his chest and he found himself smiling back in approval. He's definitely changed since then, he thought, If the village will one day be in his hands... I will stand behind him the whole way.

"It seems to be quite the ambition, runt." Shukaku rumbled, alarming him towards the tailed-beast within his psyche. Subdued in the red barriers, the tanuki watched him carefully with eerie narrowed eyes. "I must say... as much as I disagree with the way you're navigating yourself, I'm curious as to where your path may lead you."

Facing the tanuki, Gaara stood upon the still pools of dark water unafraid and stone-faced. "Shukaku, the time has come for us to work together." He spoke. "I can set aside my hatred and contempt for you, as long as you're willing to cooperate. As a jinchuriki, I can't control your chakra alone."

"KEH! I know that!" Shukaku bellowed, whipping its tail behind it. "And you honestly think that we can possibly -?!" Seeing the iron-firm conviction in his ringed-eyes, the beast eased its brashness and came to a standstill. The tanuki narrowed its dark yellow eyes at him suspiciously. "You're serious... Aren't you, runt? What's in it for me, then... the tailed-beast that provides you all your power?"

"I'll release the barrier on the seal."

The jinchuriki's words shocked the beast. Reflecting in silence as Gaara stood below on the waters, the tanuki whipped its tail slowly in thought as it considered its options. Coming to a conclusion, Shukaku eased and met his glance with a grin on its jagged jaws. "You drive a hard bargain... but for once, I've grown tired of the slaughter of those measly blood-bags. Show me your new path... and I will follow you on the way."

Surprised that the beast actually took his compromise, a subtle smile formed on Gaara's lips. "For someone who's had you sealed in me since birth, I believe this is the first time we can actually agree on something." He acknowledged. "Thanks for that, at least."

For the first time, Shukaku and its jinchuriki were no longer enemies vying for control - but allies.

Outside the council's chambers, Hashira-sensei met with his now-chunin team of shinobi.

Team Hashira was the only rookie team of Suna to survive and complete the second stage of the exam, and were summoned to the council chambers only an hour ago. Stunning the team members, all three of the genin were promoted to Chunin – even Shinto, who embarrassingly lost his match against his opponent from Kiri. Never again would he underestimate water-release techniques against his earth-release – that was a mistake that near cost him his life. Meiyumi was also granted permission to study higher-level medical ninjutsu at the Medic Corps due to her precise chakra control and knowledge about the human body. Nomasaki – on the other hand – was the unexpected object of attention from the council. Not only did she survive the entirety of the exams, but she passed the written exams with stellar grades and displayed survivorship and strategy while in the dangerous confines of Blood Mountain with her team – allowing them to survive and continue to the next stage. Begrudgingly, the council gave her the tan flak-jacket of the Suna chunin, glaring at the fourteen-year-old outsider from the mountains as she accepted the garb. Not for thirty years prior had an outsider become a chunin in their isolated desert village

And she broke the silence.

Smiling proudly, Hashira seemed as if he were fighting off tears. "You've all become chunin. I must say, I couldn't have been more proud of you three." He began, while the three chunin stood with bittersweet expressions on their faces. "Even though our time together was short, I feel confident that each of you are well on their way to being splendid shinobi. Someday, who knows? You may someday become captains and each have teams of your own, training them as I have the three of you. We will now not only fulfill our duties as shinobi of Suna - but as equals."

Honoured, Shinto smirked and gave a nod. "Thanks, Hashira-sensei."

Meiyumi tried her best to say 'thank you' but her tears of joy prevented her from bidding farewell. Hashira messed her hair and assured her all was good, and she put on her best smile and joined Shinto. Before departing with her friends, Nomasaki gave a timid smile and nod as she thanked him for all that he did. Being the pleasant man that he was, he placed a hand on her shoulder and said that being her teacher was a privilege - and should they meet in combat, to keep her summon at a minimum. A brief laugh escaped her, and she agreed. Departing as equals, Team Hashira officially disbanded and left their genin days behind them within the chamber at their backs.

"You should try becoming a medic-nin!" Meiyumi said to Nomasaki as they walked.

"I'm not sure," Nomasaki smiled, timidly. "I don't quite have the 'healing hands' like you".

Meiyumi turned to her side. "What about you, Shinto?"

"Not sure." He eyed the path ahead, smiling confidently. "I think I'll enter the regular troops... to see how I like it, at least."

Hearing him speak made Nomasaki realize that she had not thought about what would come next either. The regular troops were shinobi who carried out missions as low as C-ranks and as high as A-ranks, and were mixed amongst chunin and jonin alike. If one wanted to become a shinobi with a reputation, the regular troops seemed to be the best place. And she was unsure of where her place may lay.

She turned to him, smiling lightly. "Maybe that's what I'll do, too."

"That's the spirit, Nomasaki!" Shinto grinned, his cheeks reddening in the sunset. "We'll both make names for ourselves, that's for sure."

Meiyumi raised a brow and snickered. "'Shinto of the Mirage' and the 'Wolf Girl'?"

"Something like that."

Just like that, Team Hashira went their separate ways for the last time.

Saying their final goodbyes as Team Hashira, the flak jacket-clad shinobi departed for their new respective paths as Chunin. As Nomasaki made her way down the winding corridor, she could sense an unnerving chakra following closely – watching her from beyond the shadows. Catching wind of their presence, she glanced behind herself briefly – hoping it was Shinto or Meiyumi instead. They were nowhere to be seen or heard, and the presence was still tailing her. Approaching the silent outdoors, the chakra suddenly disappeared. Brushing it off as nothing of concern, she walked past the clay stairs that wrapped around the stucco walls of the mansion – no one was in sight – no council members, no other Chunin, no ANBU. The still and silent air sent a brief chill to her spine as she could sense the presence return. Pausing in her steps as the desert sun eclipsed the village cliffs in an orange veil, she narrowed her eyes towards it.

"Show yourself!" She barked, reaching for a kunai from the holster on her thigh – preparing to strike at her would-be attacker. "I can sense you following me!"

"Your sensory skills are quite remarkable, if I don't say so myself." Shocking her, she whipped her head around towards the cold voice. On the clay steps behind her, a man stood with his hand on its worn railing – his face aged and as if cut from stone with dark eyes that glared towards her in a condescending nature. Wearing the garb of the Suna councilmen, his appearance rendered great suspicion – especially since he was noticeably absent from the chamber where the new Chunin were recently gathered. Something felt off to her about him, but she could not figure out what it was. Relaxing her stance, she glared up at him – her lilac eyes gleaming in the setting sun.

"What do you want?"

"I know of you… wolf girl." The man sighed, glancing down at her. "You're a foreigner, a homeless beast with nowhere to call home or a family to care of you. I'm surprised that you decided to stay, being that you were taken here against your will. I, too, am a foreigner as well. My village was destroyed in a great calamity during the war, and Suna was willing enough to open their borders to me. Now I am a trusted senior advisor on the Suna Council, and I am serving my village well… as I've been for the last twenty years. You can call me Kenzō."

That name, she realized.

Remembering her arrival in the village near a year ago, the scroll given to her by the tracker-nin had his name written within its contents. Kenzō the councillor. Noting his eerie air to his chakra, she did not gather the slightest hint of trust around him. His chakra was dark, maybe even darker than that of Shukaku. Slightly surprised by his words, she gave him a glance of suspicious curiosity.

A calamity? Who is he?

"You may not be aware of this, but we all have debts to pay as shinobi… especially those from the outside who seek to call a foreign land 'home'…" Closing his eyes as he took in the dry desert air, he opened them and shot her a dark glare in retaliation – chilling her slightly. "As a foreigner, you have your debts you have to pay. I expect you pay your debts by serving the Suna Council… which is why I'm approaching you today." As he examined her defensive expression, he scoffed to himself with a bitter smirk. "I won't lie, I can't stand to see your smug, dirty blood wander through our streets and wear our crest on your forehead. Truth be told, I'd rather you disappear with the rest of your beast-loving people than be before me in this room."

"Then what is it you want?" She countered. "You said you'd rather me dead than be in your village… so why approach me in the cover of darkness?" As she could feel her canines growing inside her jaws from held frustration, she narrowed her eyes at him as he stood above her. "What's stopping me from going to the higher-ups to report you on this? Should I see the one masquerading as the Fourth Kazekage?"

"That's quite a sharp tongue you have, but… I wouldn't lift a finger if I were you…–," Gesturing his arm towards the balcony above where he stood, she followed his movements with her sight. Suddenly, she felt the wave of chakra erupt through her senses – her eyes widening in shock as she saw what lay behind him. Surrounding her from the winding clay balcony were dozens of armed masked shinobi – all of their porcelain expressions boring through her as she stood alone in the centre of their circle. If she were to run, it would mean certain death. She was effectively trapped. "See these masked shinobi? They bend at my will. They listen to every command I say. Tracker-nin are one of the most elite and silent killers Suna has to offer. They protect the inside with their espionage… and the outside with their manhunting skills, taking out any shinobi who flee the confines of the village with our secrets." Noticing her expression of fear in her strange eyes, he gave a coy smile in smug authority. "You can be one of them, but not until the time is right."

"W-What are you saying?" She stammered, wide-eyed. "One of them?"

"In due time, I will approach you again with what you must do in order to fulfil your debt as a shinobi to Suna. Unless… you'd rather be exiled instead? Or… worse?"

Sensing his intent, she silently gulped – swallowing her fear as she could feel small beads of sweat dot her forehead. He was leaving her with no choice in the matter – his subordinates exerting his will with their gleaming eyes behind their menacing shrouds of masks.

But what was it that he wanted from her?

Forming a single hand-sign, he gave her a dark smirk from above. "Until we meet again… wolf girl."

Within a gust of desert winds, Kenzō disappeared – his armed tracker-nin vanishing from her senses as if absorbed by the cover of the growing shadows of the night. Silently, she stood stunned from her encounter with the strange councilman – shaken by his proposition and knowing there was no way to know where or when he will approach her in the future.

She only just became a Chunin, but her trials as a kunoichi of Suna were just beginning…

~ Part I End ~