Rays of sun beat down on the small village of Matsugi, the bright light shining all throughout the Land of Fire.
The light rebounded off a picture of a happy family inside a glass case, the man with a scruffy beard and red kimono ruffling the head of his young, green-haired son. Next to them stood a beautiful young woman, smiling at the camera brightly.
'Now, now, my little emerald.' The same woman from in the photo called out to her seven year old son, the green haired boy swinging a wooden sword around. 'Make sure you don't hurt yourself, okay?'
'Yes, mum!' Shinpio replied, before continuing slashing his wooden sword at the air. 'I'm doing super cool ninja training! After all, I want to become a super cool ninja, and learn from the... What was it again? The something something Hokage's student or something?'
The woman glanced out of her window, her brown hair reflecting the light of the Sun. She resumed washing the dishes, wishing that her husband was still here. Alas, her companion had to earn money for the family, and he would do just that by accepting an offer to work at the more prosperous city named Tanzaku Gai.
'Oh yeah! I remember now!' The boy shouted, loudly declaring his life goals. 'I want to be a ninja, and learn from the Nidaime Hokage's super strong student! Hiruzen Sarutobi or... whatever!'
His mother laughed at her son's antics, before returning to work. She would support her son no matter what.
Danzo Shimura forked over a manila folder to his operative, his face betraying no emotion. It had been over twelve years since Kazenoe had joined ROOT, showing great potential, even as a young child. Even though it had required a highly convenient "accident", recruiting the Kazenoe had been worth it.
Regardless, this agent had a mission to complete. 'Kazenoe. Your mission is to eliminate this businessman. Although he is minor, he still poses a threat to the great tree that is Konoha.'
Kazenoe's eyes locked on to a portrait of the man he was supposed to take out. Skimming through the file that Danzo had given him, Kazenoe determined the location of where his mission would lead him. Tanzaku Gai.
The ANBU donned his blank mask, strapping his tanto to his belt. He would complete the mission, at all costs and serve Konoha. 'Yes, Danzo-sama.'
He was a part of the roots which supported the great tree of Konoha. Enter ROOT.
Out of his ANBU attire and in a simple kimono, Kazenoe walked along the streets of Tanzaku Gai, scouting out signs for his target. His tanto lay in wait underneath his kimono, the ANBU confident that he would complete the assassination so swiftly that it would require only his tanto and nothing else.
Walking up to someone outside the building that he knew was one of the major gambling dens, Kazenoe utilised his silver tongue to lie to the man, faking any emotion that his face was displaying. 'Excuse me, do you know where Natsuo Utsumi is? I have an appointment with him.'
'Right over there, kid.' The gruff voice of the den guard informed Danzo's operative, pointing his thick finger at a large building two streets across.
'Thank you very much.' Kazenoe bowed in gratitude, walking away swiftly to where his target was located. The sooner the task was completed, the sooner he could be out of Tanzaku Gai.
As the ROOT member turned the corner, entering an alleyway which cut to the building quicker, he quickly weaved a few hand seals, his appearance shifting from a green haired man to a tall man with a moustache wearing formal clothing.
As soon as he entered the lobby of the building, the receptionist's eyes were immediately trained on him.
'I have an appointment with Mr. Utsumi. May I ask which floor and which room he is in?' From his years of experience as a ROOT agent, sent to do the tasks that regular ANBU wouldn't do, Kazenoe knew from experience how to perfectly weave a tale and get close to his target.
'Floor 3, Room 9.' The receptionist stated calmly, before tapping a few buttons on the telephone resting next to her hand. 'Natsuo Sir, someone is here to see you.' She spoke into the telephone receiver.
'Very well, send them up.' Natsuo's voice rung in the receptionist's ears, only the female able to hear the voice of the businessman. The receptionist's head swivelled over to Kazenoe, her eyes narrowing at the ANBU's Henge. Her index finger faced the stairwell leading up to he higher floors, Kazenoe nodding as he exited the lobby.
The veteran agent walked up the stairs, ensuring that the receptionist was not following him after leading him to the stairs leading up to the third floor. Once again, Kazenoe's hands entered a sequence of hand seals. He weaved Dog → Boar → Ram, before his appearance morphed from one of a man of culture to the receptionist's very appearance, copying down the mannerisms that he had observed from the woman near instantly.
'Natsuo Sir, I brought someone here.' The fake receptionist said, knocking on the door of Room 9, also known as his target's office.
'Ah, yes, thank you Yua.' Natsuo said, dressed in a red kimono for business. 'Please come in.'
Kazenoe opened the door, secretively placing a privacy seal on the doorknob with his hand.
Instead of two people standing outside the door, only Kazenoe, still in his Henge, entered the room. Swiftly, the ROOT member locked the door, releasing his Henge and revealing his true form.
Kazenoe's prominent green hair revealed itself under the transformation, the ANBU grabbing his tanto. The assassin lunged at his target with the intent to kill, determined to successfully complete his mission.
Natsuo looked at his to be killer, petrified at the sight in front of him. He stared in shock as his killer plunged a tanto into his chest, blood spilling out and staining his kimono. Natsuo Utsumi coughed up blood, some of it smearing across his greyish, scruffy beard. Before he breathed his last, his voice rasped out two last words. 'Little Emerald?'
Kazenoe clutched his head in confusion. He had successfully completed his mission, and he did these missions so often! So why was there a tugging feeling in his gut that he had done something wrong?
The ANBU continued on his way back to Konohagakure, his sandals brushing against the branches on the trees he was leaping through. The breeze colliding with his exposed skin chilled him to his bone, even though a slight breeze never before made him so cold and exposed to the dark.
'Shinpio. Shinpio.' A voice in the ANBU's head called out to him, cloudy flashes of past times appearing to him.
'No, no. This is all fake. I belong to Danzo-sama, and my goal is to serve Konoha.' The agent's intense brainwashing kicked in, shooting down all of the doubts welling up in his mind.
'You are not Kazenoe.' Part of his mind reasoned from the influx of unclear memories triggered by the two words that Kazenoe's target had uttered before his death.
The sun began to set, the hot, pinkish orb of fire slowly disappearing over the now-visible Hokage Monument. The sight of the majestic mountain face that Konoha was well known for signified the fact that Kazenoe had arrived at Konoha.
Kazenoe entered the secret ROOT headquarters through one of the many entrances, quickly informing the desk worker at the entrance of where he was supposed to go. He walked through the dimly lit hallways of the base, towards the mission room. As he expected from procedure, one of Danzo's agents was awaiting him.
Handing over the scroll containing the corpse of his target and the manila mission folder that Danzo had given him to the other ROOT agent, the confused ANBU exited the room quicker than usual, determined to find out what was happening.
Kazenoe made his way to his apartment, wading through the deep pits of his own memories. For reasons that Kazenoe could not fathom, Natsuo Utsumi's last words had caused the events of old to resurface out of the depths of his ROOT "training".
The ANBU locked himself into his living space, changing out of his ANBU uniform into a more casual set of clothing. The man sealed his tanto into a seal on his wrist for safekeeping, also in case he was ambushed and attacked.
His emotional conditioning kicking in to reinforce the brainwashing that Danzo had inflicted upon him, Kazenoe's mind raged a battle against itself. The ANBU agent dug through the hazy recalling of his past experiences, attempting to discern if it was true.
Suddenly, a switch flipped in Kazenoe's brain, a sixth sense activated. The ANBU agent's eyes centred on a memory of a young, green haired boy playing ninja with a man with the exact appearance of the man he was sent to eliminate.
Kazenoe's blank eyes widened, coming to a shocking realisation. The man he had just killed was his father. Confused, Kazenoe reached another conclusion. If Natsuo Utsumi was his father, then who was he? But one thing was for sure, and that was the fact that he needed to get out of Konoha.
Kazenoe quickly sealed all of his important possessions in a sealing scroll, leaping out of his window. Bending his knees to cushion the fall, Kazenoe ran towards the secret exit from the village, one that he could no longer trust. Ultimately, Danzo had just ordered him to murder the man who participated in his birth.
The ANBU darted into the forests outside, attempting to find a place where he could rest for the night. After all, running back and forth from Tanzaku Gai and Konoha took a toll on his stamina.
As Kazenoe jumped from tree to tree, his mind raced, unsure as to who he truly was. He had been a soldier for over twelve years, working for the good of Konohagakure. Now that Konoha had turned their back on him, what was his purpose?
Kazenoe continued his journey, his legs itching and sore.
The moon absent from the sky, the stars shone brighter than ever, sparkling brightly. From under the dim light brought upon the area from the stars, a village composed of a string of houses and a few streets caught Kazenoe's eye.
'So, this is where I'm going to stay.' Kazenoe leapt down, quickly swapping to a different attire to avoid drawing attention to him and having suspicious people call Konoha on him.
A few villagers stood outside, illuminated, red lantern hanging from the string connected from roof to roof.
Kazenoe inconspicuously walked into the village, pretending to be a lost traveller. He glanced around the village, entering through the entrance. All of the outdoor villagers glanced at him, alarmed yet surprised.
The former Konoha shinobi stepped into the city centre, only for the first villager, a teenager, finally begin questioning the stranger who had entered their village. 'Who even are you, and why are you here?'
The village felt very familiar, as if he had been here before. Kazenoe looked towards the boy in front of him, before offering the questioner his reply. 'I am a travelling performer from Tanzaku Gai, and I am heading back there. I'm very tired though, so I need a place to stay the night.'
'Hmm...' The boy eyed him suspiciously, his eyes attempting to discern any incriminating evidence about him. After a few seconds of examination, the teenager's suspicions disappeared, his shoulders loosened, weight lifted off his shoulders. 'All clear.'
All of the adults, most of the people in the village old and weary, gathered at the city centre, some of the village members limping towards Kazenoe.
'Emerald?' An elderly woman whispered in disbelief, too silent so that nobody heard her. 'No, it's definitely not him. He's been long dead since that carriage ran over him thirteen years ago...'
After a long period of silence, each of the older citizens picking apart Kazenoe with their eyeballs, the woman finally declared her plans. 'I'm going to take this young traveller in for the night.'
'Are you crazy, Renko?' Another man exclaimed, but Renko's firm gaze erased his doubts.
'Any objections?' The village elder announced, his white hair and large, white beard clearly visible under the light of the lanterns. When the villagers responded with silence, the elder continued. 'It is settled. This traveller will stay with Renko until his departure.'
Kazenoe jolted up, haunted by an eerily vivid recalling of his earlier mission to Tanzaku Gai. Shuddering, the former ROOT agent reassured himself that that was a thing of the past, and that he would never do it again.
Kazenoe made his way down the stairs in the two-story building, entering the living room, where there was a plate of eggs awaiting him.
'Please, make yourself at home, even if it is only for a day.' Renko said, gesturing towards the breakfast she had prepared. 'It used to be his favourite...'
Reluctantly taking up the pair of chopsticks, Kazenoe slid the egg into his open mouth, taking a bite to test the waters. The shinobi's face lighted up slightly in astonishment, surprised by the quality of the food, before finishing the egg quickly. 'Thank you very much for the food.'
'So, do you need to head out soon?' The former ANBU's host warmly asked, kneeling on the floor next to Kazenoe. She took her place at the four person table, lost in her thoughts for a brief moment, before returning her attention to the guest at her place.
'Indeed.' Kazenoe stated clearly and calmly, nodding to answer the woman's question. 'However, I think that I do not need to head on my way yet, as I still have a bit of time to arrive.'
'So,' The host started, her mildly wrinkled face turned towards her guest. 'what's your name?'
Kazenoe stared into blank space for a short moment, before deciding to only give the woman a segment of the name that he had recalled earlier. Ah, yes. His name was Shinpio. 'Shin.'
The woman's eyebrows lifted, before reverting back to their original place. Renko gazed at the man in front of her, squinted as if she was attempting to identify him. 'Ah, I see. My name is Renko Ut-' She stopped herself before continuing. 'Yamamoto.'
'Were you trying to say something just now?' Kazenoe asked, interested to ask what the woman was about to say, before finding himself reeling in guilt.
'Never mind.' Renko said solemnly, glancing down at her feet.
'I apologise.' Shinpio said, finding himself bowing to his host. 'I am sorry for bringing up something you are uncomfortable talking about. After all, I am the guest, and you are the host.'
His ANBU training to speak sharply came in handy, on missions or off. Unfortunately he rarely had any time off-duty, and any free time was spent either going out to buy supplies or staying in his apartment. Danzo required his operatives to be mostly emotionless to avoid leaking any information, although they retained some emotion to utilise in infiltration missions.
'No, no. It's fine.' Renko brushed off Shinpio's concerns, shaking her head. 'He reminds me of him so much... But alas, he died twelve years ago... No. It's not him.' He can't be back. Not after getting run over by that carriage.
Shinpio looked skeptically at the person whose house he was residing in for a day, before ignoring his host's strange behaviour. 'It's fine, I understand.'
Two masked men rushed from tree to tree, reminding each other of the standard procedure. 'Remember standard procedure to burn the body after successfully defeating the target.'
'Understood, Hinoe.' The second man stated, nodding to his companion. 'Anyways, my insects are picking up a chakra signature similar to the one of the traitor.'
'Good job, Kazenoto. Hone in on it, and the place where he is residing shall be our target.' The first man, Hinoe, ordered calmly.
Kazenoto closed his eyes for a brief moment, sending out traces of his own chakra in all directions, before his eyelids reopened. 'Matsugi Village.'
'Let's go.' Hinoe replied, picking up the pace. Within no time, the two men had arrived at the village where their target was located, their eyes set on the entrance. 'Locate the exact location where the target is, so we can perform a swift extraction.'
Kazenoto emitted a pulse of chakra, blitzing towards Renko's house. 'In there!'
Hinoe blew out a fireball at the wall, the barrier instantly melting to the strength of the flame. His eyes met with Shinpio's, and the green haired man unsealed his tanto instantly. 'Surrender and come back to Konoha, and you will not die here.'
'Never.' Shinpio said, his tanto firmly in his right palm. The shinobi formed the hand seals for a Doton ninjutsu, sending shards of rock rocketing towards the two ROOT shinobi.
Stones flew towards Hinoe, only for insects to appear out of nowhere and form a shield for the Katon user, the bugs blocking the stones with their numbers.
'You'll have to get through us.' Kazenoto threatened, his hands up and facing Kazenoe. Bugs flew out from under his sleeves, soaring towards the ROOT defector.
'What's going on?' Renko shouted desperately, only for nobody to answer her call.
'I'm sorry, but you need to get out of here now!' Shinpio hollered, forming a rock barrier in front of him to block out Hinoe's second Katon ninjutsu.
Hinoe let loose a barrage of smaller size fireballs, most of them blocked by the earth barrier. Fortunately for the loyal ROOT shinobi, a few of his fireballs managed to penetrate Shinpio's barrier, heading towards the defector.
Shinpio formed a few more hand seals, spitting out a concentrated bullet of water at the fireballs.
Seeing his enemy's arm extend, mud dripping off his sleeve as a result of his ninjutsu, Hinoe dodged the swift tanto slash, blocking the second with his bo staff.
Shinpio's face grew more and more frustrated, grimacing as he noticed the chakra-sapping insects latched on all over his body. From some of his tenketsu, the former ANBU expelled a small but concentrated burst of chakra, sending the insects flying off of him.
Hinoe rushed at Shinpio, shaking off any attempt at a defense. The skilled ANBU used his bo staff to deflect any tanto strikes, delivering a punch of his own at the traitor to Danzo's cause.
Shinpio pushed his earth chakra into the tanto, failing to dodge Hinoe's punch. Fortunately, he flicked his wrist, sending his shortsword flying into Hinoe's side.
Blood trickling out, Hinoe grunted, his bo staff set ablaze by his chakra. Fire and earth collided, each hit dealing valuable damage to both shinobi. Kazenoto looked slightly aghast from the side, resuming his summoning of many insects to sap away Shinpio's chakra.
The former ROOT ANBU tossed his tanto at Hinoe's neck, the latter bending all the way backwards to avoid the projectile. Hinoe grabbed Shinpio's tanto as soon as it dropped the ground, sealing it away to prevent his opponent from using another melee weapon.
Shinpio unleashed another volley of rocks at his opponent, some of the stones embedding themselves into Hinoe's ANBU armour. Seeing the ineffectiveness of the first attack on the ANBU armour, Shinpio repeated his attack, this time aiming more of the rocks at Hinoe's mask and exposed areas, such as his hands.
Hinoe returned a barrage of fireballs, both the earth and fire striking each other and dissipating. As his ANBU training dictated, Hinoe wasted no time, launching another fireball at his enemy. This time, however, Kazenoto threw a Raiton attack into the fray, a bolt of man-made lightning sent hurtling at Shinpio along with the fireball.
Shinpio shot out a bullet of water to counteract the flame, extinguishing it. Unfortunately, the lightning combined with the water, crackling with energy. The former ROOT member scowled at the fact that he had been hit by the supporting attack, his hands numb. Kazenoto's attack had been dangerously effective.
Following up his previous attack, Kazenoto sent swarms of insects at Shinpio, trying to siphon off his opponent's chakra. Multiple insects latched on, sending chakra back to Kazenoto to use.
Shinpio released another burst of chakra outwards, more of the insects dead and flying outwards. The former ANBU huffed and puffed, catching his breath from exerting a large amount of chakra. After all, he was not born to a shinobi, hence the fact that he had lower chakra reserves than that of Hinoe and Kazenoto.
The two ROOT ANBU sent more flames to burn Kazenoe, attempting to kill him on the spot. Their attack met with another barrier of earth, Hinoe rushed towards the tired Shinpio, using his flaming bo staff to destroy his enemy's earth wall.
Shinpio mustered all his remaining strength, holding up his hands to block Hinoe's attack. His hands were numb anyways, so they wouldn't hurt that much.
Hinoe forced more chakra out of his hands into his staff, overpowering Shinpio's hands with his staff.
'No!' Renko shouted, rushing out to help her guest. She was too late.
Hinoe slammed his staff down onto Shinpio's body, some insects secretly attached to him flying back to their host. The ROOT ANBU held up his former comrade's corpse, throwing it up into the air. 'Kill all witnesses, and burn the body of the traitor.' Hinoe recited, scorching Shinpio's corpse into ash.
Distraught from her guest's death, tears trickled down Renko's cheeks. A sixth sense tingled in her head, causing more tears to roll down from her eyelids. Renko's eyes drifted above her, watching the ashes slowly drift onto her wet arms. She was too focused on Shinpio to notice Hinoe's tanto slicing through her throat.
The flames from their fight engulfed Matsugi, sending most of their citizens to the Pure Lands. The fire surrounding buildings dragged the constructs down into the dirt with them.
The young green haired boy who had wanted to be a ninja so badly had died at the hands of his former comrades.
He had been part of the great tree of Konoha, but he ended up as not one of the many leaves of the tree, but as the roots which supported the great tree. He had worked under one of the Nidaime Hokage's apprentices, but he ended up working for Danzo Shimura, not the Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi.
He had become a shinobi, like he had wanted, and he died a shinobi. This is the tale of Shinpio Utsumi.
