The two masked travellers known as Wind and Rain watch the fight between Shisui and the Mist ninjas with interest. It's been a few days since the Mist ninja hired them for a very delicate job. However, if the boy wins rather than the Mist ninja it will throw a serious spanner in the works of their plan. As such the pair of freelance ninjas have been watching every team that comes out of the Mist to gauge their strength. Hopefully the plan will work.
Shisui's team finishes wiping the forest floor with their enemies.
"That boy has potential," says Rain. "Maybe there is hope for the Uchiha clan after all."
Wind smiles under her mask. "He is definitely one to keep far away from Danzo."
"Speaking of which," says Rain. "We have a boy to save, don't we?"
Wind nods. "We had better go and save him instead of watching fights that are obviously unfair."
Iruka's team arrives at the village they were sent to on the second day. The village seems deserted at first glance. Shikaku sensei leads them to the house of the man they were told to meet.
Then man hurries them inside and looks around suspiciously before closing the door. Then he turns to the group. "I hope you're here about the bandits," he says.
"We are," says Shikaku. "Are they that bad that everyone is hiding from them?"
"Oh, they're bad alright," says the man. "Usually the townspeople can take care of roving bandits, but these ones were too much for us so we sent for some ninjas." He peers around at them. "You three seem alright, but maybe the little guy should go home. This is too dangerous for a twelve year old."
Iruka blushes bright red. "I'm fifteen, not twelve!"
"Still," insists the man. "You look like an easy target, so they'll all converge on you and overpower you-"
"Hush!" snaps Shikaku sensei. "My team is capable of fighting off a few bandits. Now leave Iruka alone."
"Yes sir," says the man, still apparently not convinced.
"Now, where are these bandits?"
Once the ninjas have left his house, the man smiles and makes himself a cup of tea. Soon the boy who still looks 12 will be dead and Danzo sama will be very pleased. Unless, of course, that jounin interferes.
Then the man will simply kill the boy himself.
Those are Danzo sama's orders, and the Root operative plans to carry them out to the letter.
Still, he wishes he could see the looks on the Leaf ninja's faces when they find out there are no bandits.
Just a fully equipped team of Mist jounin.
Out in the forest, Iruka feels a familiar chakra. One he knows because he has fought that particular ninja before. Iruka grins. Fighting this particular ninja is something he always looks forward to. All their matches so far have ended in stalemates.
Then Iruka realizes something.
"There are no bandits," he says to his team. "They are shinobi. This is a trap!"
"Good observation!" the Mist ninjas materialize out of the trees. "You're a smart kid!" the one speaking grins maniacally.
Iruka's team shifts into a defensive formation.
Where is she? Wonders Iruka. She didn't step out with the others. The slightest sound of an object flying through the air alerts Iruka to her whereabouts. There! He turns and brings his kunai up to block her aerial attack.
"Back so soon?" she taunts, backing away from the main group of fighters. It seems she wants to go strictly one-on-one again. "And it seems you still haven't grown any."
"Means I can still duck all your attacks," counters Iruka cheerfully. He stalks forward, carefully keeping up his guard.
Mei Terumi smiles and says, "I'll just have to kick you then."
Iruka leaps forward and swings his kunai in a deadly arc.
Mie reads his move perfectly and blocks with ease. "Tell me," she says conversationally. "Do you want to die?"
"Not overly," says Iruka. "I have a little brother to look after."
"Then I suggest you let me win this fight," says Mei.
"No way!" says Iruka. "You are my enemy, why would I let you win?" Even if you are hot, senpai.
"See this?" she holds up an envelope. "This is for you. You'll need to show it to your Hokage. But first, let me beat you."
"Hell no!" Iruka attacks again.
Mei dives forward and shoves the envelope down the front of his shirt. "I'm so sorry, Iruka," she says. Then she jumps back and lets loose a waterfall of lava.
Iruak tries to dodge, but he is caught by the very edges of the jutsu. Then Mei is there, behind him, knocking him over the back of the head.
As he falls unconscious he realizes that she held back in every fight they ever had. Just like he did.
Hinata and Naruto freeze. Slowly they turn to see the man standing behind them. To their tiny five year old eyes he seems like a giant. With his arms crossed and his face wearing a frown he looks even scarier. They can't see the Uchiha symbol on his shirt but they know it is there. Everything about him screams 'Uchiha'.
"We were just pulling a harmless prank!" squeaks Naruto. "Honest!"
The Uchiha's face breaks out in a smile. "What kind kind of prank?" he asks, gleefully.
Suddenly he doesn't look nearly as scary and Naruto realizes the Uchiha is just a teenager, younger than Iruka niisan. "Well, um," Naruto clasps his hands behind his back innocently. "We were just drawing mustaches and stuff on people's faces. You know, the police people who we knocked out with the sleeping tablets Hinata stole from her dad."
The Uchiha grins. "Can I help?"
Naruto and Hinata are so shocked they just stare at him for a long time. Finally, Hinata says, "Okay, here's a marker." she pulls out a permanent marker and holds it up.
The Uchiha takes it and says, "Thank you. I am Shisui Uchiha. What are your names?"
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki!" announces Naruto.
"I am Hinata Hyuuga," says Hinata politely. Naruto wonders vaguely what it is like to be polite. Maybe he should ask Iruka niisan to teach him.
"Cool," says Shisui. "Who's face shall I draw on?"
"We were gonna draw on those guys next," says Naruto, pointing into the room he and Hinata were just about to enter.
Shisui grins and walks straight into the room. Naruto and Hinata follow him somewhat nervously. Shisui grins around the room at the snoozing police and heads over to one saying, "I've been wanting to get back at you for making fun of Itachi for ages." he pulls the cap off his marker with much purpose. "Time to face my wrath!" Then he stops and turns. "You don't happen to have any other colours, do you?"
"We have all the colours," says Hinata, pulling out a handful of felts.
Shisui takes a pink one, a bright green one and an orange one. He then proceeds to colour the policeman's cheeks pink, his eyebrows orange and give him a green mustache. Naruto and Hinata watch in curiosity. When he is finished, Shisui turns to them. "You better get drawing before the next patrol returns."
"Right!" Naruto scrambles off to decorate some Uchiha-face.
Hinata heads in a different direction and soon the whole room is full of graffitied Uchihas. The trio moves on to the next room and gets busy drawing. Shisui claiming the rights to draw on the ones he has a personal vendetta against. After Shisui uses the word 'vendetta' for the first time Naruto asks what it means.
"A vendetta is where someone annoyed you and you wanna get even," Shisui explains.
"So like how half my family hates the other half and wants to get back at them!" says Hinata, nodding.
"Yes, very much like that," Shisui says, drawing a pony on a particularly sour-looking man's face.
"I think most of the village must have a vendetta against me," says Naruto sadly. "They all glare at me and yell at me and stuff."
"Naruto," says Shisui seriously, crouching down in front of the small boy. "If anyone mistreats you you should find the nearest police officer and tell them what happened. If they ignore you, go straight to the chief."
"Yes Shisui-san," says Naruto. Then he grins. "I drew a mustache on the chief! And I asked him if I could be friends with his kid who's my age!"
Shisui laughs. "I'll see if I can arrange for you two to meet," he says. "But she might not want to. Sasuke is very shy."
"Do you know her?" asks Naruto surprised.
"Yes," nods Shisui. "I'm good friends with her big sister."