Chapter 17
Lady Tsunade told me that I hadn't managed to make chunin this time. I was fine with that.
After that, I spent days just either modifying my clothing or training. Sometimes Naruto joined me, sometimes Sai joined me. And, every now and again, Lee or Neji joined me for sparring.
I'll willingly admit, when training my taijutsu, Lee regularly kicked my butt without even breaking a sweat. He'd been training in taijutsu for way longer than I had. Although he always apologized afterwards for being so rough on a girl.
About a month later, a lead came about Koga. I was determined to go out, but Lady Tsunade told me I had to have a squad with me if I was going to go on a potentially dangerous mission.
I sighed. "Well, whoever you pick, make sure they catch up with me, because I'm not waiting." With that, I ran out of her office.
I, of course, took a stop in my room to gather my things. Little Naruto and Little Gaara were both dancing around, somehow portraying a stubborn worry with my actions.
"Listen, guys, I'm fine. It's just that this is something I need to do by myself. I don't want a team this time. I know it's not smart to go out without a team, but the boys managed to get themselves hurt bad enough that they'll be out of commission for a few weeks…in their training. I don't know how they pulled that off."
Little Naruto facepalmed.
"I know, right? They must be taking lessons in overdoing things from Lee." I tightened a strap and threw my sweater on over the whole thing.
Suddenly, both Little Naruto and Little Gaara fell over.
That instantly put my guard up, as I'd sensed the air change that meant someone had opened the door. If the two dolls who moved on their own had fallen over to play lifeless, then that meant it wasn't one of the few people who knew. True, that didn't mean that whoever had just come in was an enemy, but…I remembered a look I'd gotten from a rogue ninja a couple years back, one that left me sure I'd get a visit eventually.
I picked up the doll copy I'd made of him, and studied him for a second. Then I quickly connected my thread to his back and real-timed his actions. If I was right…
The doll's right hand swung up perpendicular to his body, palm-down, and his feet started moving as if he was walking. As if maybe he was going to set his hand on my shoulder?
NOPE! I channeled a bit more chakra into the doll and yanked the headband down over his eyes, and was rewarded for my suspicions with the doll's feet stilling, its hand jerking back, and a barely-restrained yelp behind me.
Bingo! "Can I help you with something?" I asked, feeling far calmer now that I knew I held a few more cards than he had thought, and turned to look at Itachi Uchiha. Now that he was blindfolded, he was a far less formidable presence.
And…now that his original plan had been derailed, he was lost for words. Instead, he started trying to get his headband up again.
Amused, I tightened my grip on his headband – not trying to crush his skull, just making sure that headband didn't leave its place over his eyes – and spoke again, walking in a circle around him. "Did you really think that you could use me to get at Naruto? It was his calling me 'sis' that got your attention, wasn't it? And did you really think I'd be an easy target just because I had no real offensive skills of my own?"
Finally realizing that he wasn't about to get his headband back up, he lowered his hands again.
"You really needed to think that one through more carefully. Yeah, I'm alone now, but I have a team coming by later," part swagger, I didn't know if whoever Lady Tsunade chose would be coming here, but he didn't know that, "and honestly, only the fact that Sasuke wouldn't forgive me for stealing away his revenge is keeping me from just running you through right now." To continue my point on that, I pulled a kunai and used the tip to tickle the doll's chest.
His hand strayed up and rubbed at his chest, his expression – what I could see of it – just starting to take on a rather dismayed look.
"But you're getting a free pass." I twirled the kunai and put it away again. "Even if I wasn't worried about retribution from Sasuke for stealing his revenge, I've got my own rogue ninja brother to deal with. So, I just want you to turn around, get out of my house, and out of my village. You have ten seconds for the house thing, and another twenty for the village."
Finally, Itachi spoke, pointing at his headband. "And how am I supposed to do that when I can't see?" As petty a remark as that was, he still managed to make it sound borderline-dangerous instead of whiny.
"Any idiot ninja can retrace their steps blindfolded, and you still have your Sharingan. I'll let you see again when you're out of my house. If you're not out of here in ten seconds, I'll run you through anyway, and if you're still in the village after twenty seconds I'm calling it in."
That was apparently enough, because Itachi backed out of my room. I followed him, keeping my eyes pinned on him, until he cleared the doorway leading to the outside.
I slammed the door in his face, locked it – gee, I must have been distracted to not have locked it when I came to get ready – and ended my jutsu.
Then I returned to my room…and started laughing.
Little Naruto sat up and cocked his head at me.
"Oh, good grief, what came over me?! 'Can I help you with something?' Honestly!" I put the doll back in the box I'd pulled it from.
Little Gaara sat up himself and looked at me, his sand sliding out of his gourd to write a question. "Are you going to report this?"
"Eh, yeah. Eventually. I'll leave her a note." I threw one last toy into my bag and slung it onto my back. "I don't want my actions curtailed, though, so I'll have the note wait until I've left."
I never said I was smart. Still…this was my brother we were talking about. I was well aware that I wasn't being reasonable.
And with that, I wrote the note, had Little Naruto and Little Gaara hop into my bag – carrying three ninja dolls between them, so quickly I never actually saw who they'd grabbed – and rushed out the door. I was planning on looking at those dolls later, just to see who Lady Tsunade had chosen to accompany me. I have no idea how Little Naruto or Little Gaara are connected to the outside world to tell me stuff like that, maybe they were reading energy waves in the air or something.
Leaping across the threshold of the village, I took off running.
A/N: I literally got stuck. I'll update this again whenever my brain gets unstuck.
