So, i've been thinking about doing this for a while, but I have finally decided to answer reviews that have questions or remarks that I find important in them. I've decided to do this to get a bit more interaction with my readers and to answer question's so other people won't ask them over and over again. I also want to just tell you guys that even if you leave a simple "Good chapter" or something or another with a few words, that it is appreciated, but I won't waste my time writing out a "Thanks!" every time someone does that. I think that goes without saying. But I also believe that it goes without saying that I appreciate the review no matter how simple it is.
I won't go back and answer all the reviews from chapter one through five, but I will respond to questions from the last chapter.
If you don't give a shit, feel free to scroll on down and read to your cute heads content.
Adela C. Brandon: I have Naruto still a little weak because I have had a bad habit of making him too powerful in other stories. But don't fret, he can literally control the wind and teleport, so I think he's pretty strong. I wouldn't really say it was partially Itachi's fault that Sasuke died, so I don't really get what you mean by that. Everything with Sakura and why Danzo choose to control her will be explained later on. Basically Kimimaro was insane, jealous, and kinda intuitive. Orochimaru and Kabuto also questioned Naruto's allegiance and motives, so its not too out there to think that Kimimaro would just make the assumption that Naruto wanted to kill Orochimaru. Naruto will have black eyes now, and he will have to practice to be able to deactivate his Sharingan.
The Amazing Grayson: I wished it had more exposure, too, but alas... :'(
drno285: Close to canon? Hmmmm. Well, I try to keep them close to character, sprinkling a little bit of a difference in personality and stuff because I can't stand canon Naruto and Sakura in Part I. Original is my middle name. No seriously, all you have to do is squint your eyes and tilt your head. Its between the and Wind. Murmurs in the original Wind. Heh, not bad, eh; except its not in the middle, but fuck it it doesn't sound as good.
Amouren: I wouldn't say I would like a story just because a character died in it, but whatever floats your boat, I guess.
Ghosts of the Past
Chapter 7: The Clumsy Assassin
At some point, Danzo stopped caring about the consequences of what his decisions would bring. He didn't care about the secrets that Itachi had, or the repercussions that would happen if he killed me and set a Bijuu back into the world. He knew that as long as he had his Root forces and the seat of Hokage, he couldn't be stopped.
— Sakura —
— Konoha —
"You're the only one who can do this, Ino." Sakura said, looking at her friend; who sat on her bed flipping through a magazine. She had a severe frown on her face. "My dad could." Ino said, holding up a finger as she talked in her nonchalant know-it-all tone, her insanely long ponytail flipping over her neck. "My clan could." Another finger flicked up to join it. Sakura rolled her eyes, "You're the only one I trust enough to walk around my head." Ino grinned and tossed away her magazine, bouncing off the bed to stand with her hands on her hips. "Damn right!"
Sakura pushed Ino's finger out from under her nose. "So will you do it?" She asked. "Duh," Ino said with an eye roll, motioning for her to stand. Sakura did as told, and allowed Ino to move her to her own bed. Once she was comfy —well, as close as she could get with her nerves— Ino said, "Relax. It'll all be okay." Ino pulled up a seat from Sakura's desk. "You're not relaxed~" Ino sung, weaving her hands through hand signs.
Sakura frowned. Ignoring her pout, Ino smiled. "Ready?" Sakura opened her mouth, ready to say no. "Good." Ino touched her fingertips together, smiling in a reassuring way.
Then Sakura was pushed into her mind.
— Itachi —
— Unknown Location —
How odd. The Kyuubi had almost completely healed Naruto's wounds in less than a few hours.
Amazing.
Itachi sat knelt on a pillow, drinking from a shot glass as he leaned his elbow on the table at his waist. He watched Naruto's back, which was wrapped in bandages since he still had a slight burn. His whole body was covered, and he was positioned so he faced the wall, which was shaded. Light fell into the room and glittered off the porcelain of his sake bottle. Itachi downed another shot. He wasn't one to drink a lot, but…
How did Naruto have the Sharingan?
There were very few ways for someone to have the Sharingan...and if Sasuke had —
No!
He shouldn't come to conclusions like that. There were other ways for someone to have the Sharingan. Naruto might just actually be a Uchiha. Which was almost as preposterous as Sasuke being...
Someone could've preserved and then transplanted them into the boy by force. It wasn't an outrageous thought, and he wouldn't put it past Orochimaru or Danzo...or Madara. His fist tightened against his cheek. Madara was a problem and Orochimaru's words earlier gnawed at him. Was it true? Did Naruto somehow get Sasuke's eyes? How? Orochimaru probably transplanted them himself.
Was Sasuke...dead?
He had to know, and he refused to believe it till he heard it from the only person who would know.
He absentmindedly tried to pour more of his drink, but the bottle was empty; only a small droplet plopped into the shot dish. Sighing, Itachi decided to do some meditation. He needed to prepare himself for whatever outcome came next.
— Naruto —
— Hours Later —
Goddamn it burned. His whole body stung like he had been slapped a thousand times all over. Naruto groaned, turning onto his back, blanket sliding off his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at the buttresses that held up the ceiling, eyes blurry. Where am I?
Jumping when he sensed another presence, he turned on his other side quickly, eyes adjusting. He looked straight into the eyes of Itachi Uchiha. Naruto's jaw unhitched as Itachi casually sipped on some tea from a clay cup. "Mornin'." Itachi said, placing the cup on a coaster as it steamed, face carefully calm.
"Wha…" Naruto gaped in disbelief. Why was Itachi Uchiha here? Wait, why was he here? "What's going on." Naruto pushed up from his bedding, arm wobbling. He glared. Stupid, do you really think you can look threatening to a murderer who slaughtered his whole family? He bit the inside of his cheek. I don't think I can stand, anyway. His entire body shook just from sitting. Not only was he burned, but he was also drained of chakra.
"I saved you," Itachi said frankly and casually, laying his hands primly in his lap. Right, he was fighting Orochimaru before he lost control. "Why?" Itachi just pointed at his eyes. Naruto blinked, getting what he meant. They were still activated. He hadn't noticed the difference between his normal vision and this one. Weird.
"How did you get the Sharingan?" Itachi asked, face never changing. It was unsettling —like looking at a painting whose eyes followed you. Naruto looked at his fists, clenching the blanket in his lap. "I-I didn't want them." He said, trying to be strong, but his voice cracked. "I just didn't know what to do with them." Tears fell, and he felt like an idiot. Sure, cry in front of a mass murderer, that'll help the whole threatening look!
"I tried to hide them, but he found them and forced them onto me."
Itachi sat in a stoic silence, eyes never flashing with any sign of emotion. Naruto frowned, not knowing what to do in this type of situation. It wasn't every day that you were saved by a heartless killer. "Sasuke's…" Naruto started, but couldn't finish. Why would Itachi care? He had ruined Sasuke's life.
"He's dead?" Itachi asked, and somehow Naruto finally realized it. Itachi really wanted to know. Why? Beats him. "Yes." He looked at the floorboards, frustrated. Itachi didn't even react. He stayed as deadpanned as a mask. A long moment of silence dragged across the room.
Itachi stood with demure, reaching into his plain cloak and tossing a scroll in front of Naruto. It hit the ground and rolled, coming to a stop at his hip. He picked it up. "I got that off of Orochimaru." It was his parent's scroll. "How did you know this was important?" He felt the smooth paper in his palm, turning it over to look at the blood seal for confirmation. "I know the work of the Yondaime anywhere." Right.
"Thanks…for saving me —and the scroll." His thanks drifted as he watched Itachi nod, turn, and then walk out the door almost...in a hurry. He didn't say a word in farewell. The door clicked closed behind him, and Naruto sighed, falling back into the plush of his bed. Things just seem to get more and more confusing, huh?
…
Did I just get left behind?
An hour later, there was a messy pile of bandages on the floor. Naruto sat on his bedding, his legs crisscrossed and his parents scroll on a thigh. He crossed his arms and scratched his chakra burnt cheek, still confused as to what had happened earlier. Wasn't Itachi supposed to be a merciless killer who messed up Sasuke's entire life? He literally made his brother close to insane.
So why did he care that he was dead? The way he left and the way he acted conflicted with each other. Why leave so quickly, but look like you had just heard the weather?
"We need to get out of here." Naruto jumped, almost screaming. Don't do that! Naruto yelled, frowning. "Hm." The Kyuubi grunted, and Naruto had the imagination to think that he had probably crossed one paw over the other in that dismissive habit of his. Not wanting to start an argument, he moved onto what was important. What do you mean?
"That man is dangerous." Well, no shit!
"I mean it, Naruto." The Kyuubi growled, and Naruto rolled his eyes.
Naruto sat for a moment, placing a contemplative hand on his chin. I think we'll wing it. He decided a few moments later, slapping his knee and grinning. The Kyuubi groaned. "Wing it? The last time you winged it you almost got stabbed in the face!" Naruto shrugged, standing and walking across the room, holding his growling stomach. He rounded the table Itachi had been sitting at, passed the door, and walked into a little kitchen area with cupboards lining the walls and floor going around the room in a L shape. He started to go through the drawers and cabinets, finding all of them empty. He tapped a finger against the marble counter tops, looking around at all the strewn open kitchen containers.
"There's no foooooooooood!" He whined, sliding down the side of a cabinet and onto the ground. Light streamed through a window and onto the side of his face, making him squint one eye; which made his whining face look even more ridiculous. His stomach growled again, and he sniffled. "Please don't tell me you're about to cry!" No! He yelled pathetically, sitting up straighter and wiping his nose; after jumping off the floor, laughing. He imagined an eye roll. Let's go find Itachi, I guess. He walked to the door and paused.
Never thought i'd say those words. Usually, you avoid kinslayers...and clanslayers —and I guess all types of killers in general.
"Then you'd be avoiding the whole ninja population." He had a point.
Not dwelling on it, Naruto walked outside onto the cabin's landing and looked around as the door clicked closed. The cabin was tucked away in the woods and only a small patch of land in front of it was cleared of trees. Itachi was nowhere in sight. The faint sound of a waterfall drew him down the steps and into the trees. Birds chirped and sang, and the sun warmed his faintly burnt skin to a slightly uncomfortable level of pain. He found a small game trail, and after a few minutes he was standing on the bank of a river. The waterfall wasn't huge, but it made a very booming sound as it fell and collided with the river. It was...nice. He could see why Itachi came here.
Naruto watched the clan killer for a few moments. He sat on a very large rock that jutted out at the base of the waterfall, turning a river stone in his fingers, eyes focused downstream as the waterfall clapped against the surface of the river behind him and sent mists of water droplets into the air. Naruto waded out to him, walking through the apparent ankle deep water. The stones sunk and gathered around his sandals when he stepped, then were pushed back into place by the current, covering the indents of his footsteps.
He stood at the base of the rock, the water ebbing around the large boulder and his ankles. "Well?" Naruto asked, putting a hand on his hip and running a hand through his hair; which was getting wet from the mist the waterfall created. Itachi did nothing, and Naruto tilted his head to stare at his face. Yes, that was grief. No matter how much he hid it, Naruto could see it. Afterall, he had done the exact same thing after Sasuke died, too.
Itachi stood with a look of determined conviction on his face. He dropped the pebbled. It tumbled down the side of the rock and plopped into the water, joining its kind back under the surface. Itachi looked him in the eye. "We have a lot to talk about, Naruto Uzumaki."
— Kakashi —
— Konoha —
Well, he couldn't say that the past few years hadn't been eventful. He just had to say it was the bad type of eventful. Why did the Sandaime have to die? Everything flew to shit soon after he got murdered by his own student. Well, it wasn't like everything wasn't shit before, but it still felt like orderly shit. There was peace with the Sandaime, and now the Gondaime was declaring war on countries left and right like he was throwing down a winning hand of cards. After three years of reigning, Danzo didn't care that there wasn't a reason. He just did what he wanted.
That's why i'm doing all of this, I suppose.
Sneaking around and planning behind the backs of every single one of Danzo's loyal ninja was hard. Especially since his popularity had increased —for some reason. He had a sneaking suspicion that whatever was changing the public opinion was also changing Sakura. Her personality hadn't changed, but her 'blackouts' had started around the same time as public opinion began to change. He sighed, holding his new copy of Icha Icha in front of his face as he walked down the street.
That girl…
He praised and pitied her. While he had lost both of his teammates, too, he had lost them because they were serving Konoha. Her's had abandoned their village, their vows of loyalty, and most importantly; her. Though she hadn't let that impede her progress as a ninja. She had become strong, respected.
He couldn't be prouder.
Yet he couldn't be more worried. It was only after he chased Sakura down and interrogated her did he find out about her blackouts. He had had to use a genjutsu just to make her calm down. She had explained that the only reason she didn't tell people was because she literally felt fear and panic every time the subject came up.
Kakashi was glad he had convinced her to let Ino walk around her mind. Of course, they hadn't told her about the blackouts; only that Sakura was having some odd problems with her memories.
Kakashi rapped his knuckles against the door, and the sliding peephole pulled open. A set of brown eyes stared at him through the slot. Kakashi crinkled an eye and gave a small, lazy wave. "Yo." The peephole slid back into the place and latched. Then, the door was unbolted and pulled open, sliding against the stones. Kakashi slipped in the open crack created and patted the door guard on the shoulder. "Always eternally on guard, eh, Kotetsu?"
Kotetsu slid the large iron door back closed and spoke while the large bolt groaned back into its catch. "Yeah," He said, "Can't ever join ya'll in the main room." Kakashi patted his shoulder in consolation. "We all value your diligence." He walked down the hall as Kotetsu snorted behind him. With a friendly wave to Izumo —who was reading from a book in a wooden chair next to the door— he turned the doorknob and entered the main room.
It was filled with Asuma, Kurenai, Guy, Tenzo, Tsunade, and surprisingly even Jiraiya. People were missing, but they all couldn't gather at the same time.
They greeted him, and he waved once. "I didn't think you would be back, Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi said as he moved through the room to lounge against the wall with Asuma. Jiraiya sat in a chair around the table in the middle of the room with the others. He grinned that toothy grin of his, "I like to be considered a treat every now and again." Tsunade snorted, "I thought treats were supposed to be sweet." Jiraiya whined. Kakashi gave an eye smile, Asuma chuckled, and Kurenai shook her head. Guy shot from his seat, springing to point an accusing finger at Kakashi.
"Always fashionably late, eh, Kakashi!?" Kakashi held up his book farther, acting as if he didn't see the finger in his face or hear the loud yells of the Green Beast. "Oh, Guy...did you say something?" Guy deflated to the ground, crying comical tears as he laminated about his cool and hip attitude. "Why, my eternal rival!?"
Everyone laughed.
"Alright, alright! Calm down. Let's get this thing started." Tsunade stood at the head of the desk, moving around some papers. She straightened them neatly, then cleared her throat and sat back into her leather chair. "I'll go over your reports later —right now I want to hear a count on how many new members we have."
Her honey eyes roamed their faces. No one moved. "Well?" She asked, the severity on her face sullen. Yamato stood, his chair screeching. He looked hesitant, but with a prompting look, spoke. "Ten, my lady." Tsunade grimaced, ringing her hands. Kakashi looked at all the dejected faces of the group. There was a brief moment of austere silence.
He pushed off the wall, sighing. "That's better than last time." He pointed out, scratching a masked cheek to distract himself. "It's hard work to find someone willing to coup an entire village." Nods of agreement followed that. "A large percentage of the ninja will stay on the Hokage's side out of pure obligation to the village, not out of loyalty for Danzo. Most don't really understand that we don't want to throw the village into anarchy."
Jiraiya hmphed, placing a hand on his chin. "Is poison or assassination an option?"
"No, Root would just seize control themselves and continue what their master started. We need to defeat Root and Danzo in one strike." Tsunade said. "You would know that we already thought of that if you actually came to these meetings!" Tsunade glared at him as he grinned sheepishly. "Well, you see, hime, I've been busy…" He scratched the back of his head.
"He's looking for Naruto and Sasuke, so I don't really see the problem, Tsunade-sama," Asuma said, his arms crossed over his flak jacket. Tsunade sighed, "Right. I've just gotten frustrated." She pulled out a flask, which was swooped up by Jiraiya and put into the fold of his kimono. She growled, "Hand it back." She demanded, holding out a flat hand. "After the meeting." He said stubbornly, crossing his arms so she couldn't reach into his kimono and pull the flask back out.
"He has a point, Tsunade-sama," Kurenai interjected, smiling nervously when Tsunade glared at her. The two women stared. Tsunade huffed, crossing her arms like a child that just got the cookie it stole taken back away. "Fine." Kakashi cleared his throat. "I guess I should bring it up now." All eyes turned to him. "Ino is going through Sakura's mind as we speak." Guy pumped his fist, yelling enthusiastically. "All right! Maybe young Ino could find whatever plagues my beloved students love!" Before he could go on a rant about how pure and genuine Lee's love was, Kakashi chopped him on the top of the head, making him bite his tongue. "Owsh!"
"Let's hope that whatever it is that it isn't some mental illness, and it actually is what we think it is." Everyone nodded, and Guy nursed his tongue.
Well, he could only hope for the best when it came to his remaining student.
— Itachi —
What was there left to do? His brother was dead. His reason to live was gone. His chance at redemption long ago sealed in ashes. "Who killed him?" It was probably Orochimaru. "Danzo," Naruto answered, sitting on the rock next to him. His long legs stretched down the side of the rock, and his toes dipped into the water.
The Hokage.
That made sense. He had threatened to tell village secrets if anything happened to Sasuke, but it seemed Danzo didn't care enough now to keep the agreement. So, he didn't care about Konoha's image because he was the leader now. He was unafraid of the repercussions that such secrets would create. What caused this change?
Itachi glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye. He was scratching his blonde, spiky hair. He looked confused by the way his face scowled. "What?" Itachi asked, turning his head so that he could meet Naruto's eyes. "Well, I thought we would be fighting by now. Or that I would be in some lair of the Akatsuki's." Itachi let an amused smile turn the corners of his mouth. Naruto stared, a blonde eyebrow lifting.
"We aren't enemies," Itachi stated, pulling off his Akatsuki ring. The black kanji on it read 'vermillion' against the red stone. "I loved Sasuke, too." Naruto let out a tentative snort. Can't really blame the kid, can I? Itachi tossed the ring into the air, letting it fall back into an open palm. He let that slip by, instead focusing on the idea that had been churning in his mind since the chance of Sasuke's death had been uttered. "I need your help, Naruto." Naruto's Sharingan locked onto his. "I want to kill Danzo and take back Konoha." Naruto's inhaled sharply, then his face scrunched up. He laughed. The boisterous sound echoed through the tree and was louder than the waterfall.
He wiped away an imaginary tear. "Oh, boy. Now that was rich." Itachi kept his face serious. Naruto measured his expression, then frowned. "Listen, I want to stab the prick in the neck as much as the next guy, but the problem with that is the fact that the man has an army. If he didn't have that, then where do you think I would be right now? In Konoha, with my teacher, teammate, and the new Hokage —Danzo dead and buried with a big, bloody hole in his neck."
Itachi nodded, "That's why we're going to get our own army."
"Oh, and how do you plan to do that?"
"Well, if you haven't noticed, Danzo hasn't been playing niceties with the entirety of the Elemental Nations." Naruto glared at him for his condescendence. "And what makes you think that they will help when they have to help their own villages? Hell, how do you know i'll help. News flash: I don't like you."
"Like I said, we aren't enemies."
"Tell that to your dead clan."
"I did that for a reason."
"Oh? Please tell me what your psychotic reason was. I'm sure it's glorious." Itachi contemplated that. Well, I guess if we are going to be allies, then he will have to know the truth. We won't get anywhere with him being sarcastic all the time when we talk about working together.
"The Uchiha were planning a coup d'etat." Naruto froze, his eyes unblinking. "They planned to kill the Sandaime and use the Kyuubi to hold control of the village. I was tasked with kidnapping you." Naruto's mouth fell open. "I and a close friend spied on the Uchiha for the village, but in the end we couldn't convince them to change their ways. Danzo persuaded me that it was for the best that the Uchiha be eliminated. So, I killed all of them. I killed my parents, the girl I loved, and my best friend committed suicide only days before. I slaughtered my clan while they slept. But when it came to Sasuke, I couldn't do it. I loved him too much. So I spared his life so one day he could find me and kill me, becoming a hero and avenging our family."
Naruto was silent as he gaped at the new information. Itachi knew what was coming next. "How can I trust you?" Itachi shrugged. "That's up to you to decide, but think about it for a while. Look underneath the underneath." One of his sensei's sayings. Naruto's face glowed with recognition. Itachi stood and jumped to the bank of the river. "I'll be at the cabin. If you do decide to be allies, then we have some work to do." He turned and started through the brush, but then he stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"Starting with those eyes of yours."
— Sakura —
— Konoha —
"I'm sorry, but I couldn't find a cause." Ino sat in the chair next to Sakura's bed, looking dejected. Sakura sat on the edge, her toe's crinkling into her carpet. "But there were missing memories?" Sakura asked. What ever this was, it was dangerous. And she was so, so scared. Ino bobbed her head, running her fingers through her golden ponytail. "The gaps start when the war with Suna started. So —specifically— three years ago, after a training session with Tsunade."
Sakura clenched her bedsheets between her fingers. "So is it an injury?" That was a stupid question. She already knew the answer. She was a medical ninja and had checked for any head trauma the day after the blackouts started. "No, don't answer. I already know. It was a dumb question." She was just panicking.
Now, what?
What now that mind walking had failed?
Ino stood, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Sakura…" She looked utterly inutile. Sakura laid a hand over the one on her shoulder, lacing their fingers together. "It's okay, Ino." She held Ino's hand between her own, rubbing a thumb on the side of her palm. She smiled, then stood, holding back a sniffle. She wouldn't cry. Not in front of Ino. Not in front of anyone.
"I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Ino said, putting her other hand into the group. Sakura nodded, not trusting her voice. Ino smiled, then with a quick hug, she left. Sakura listened as Ino's footsteps faded down the stairs. Kami, what's going on… Somehow, Kakashi seemed to know more about this than her. He had been the one to convince her to talk to Ino despite the deep and primal fear that gripped her every time the subject was brought up.
Someone was controlling the blackouts, and that thought made her sink to her bed and sit down on the edge. She laid down and turned, so her back was to the door. She stared at the wall.
And that night she didn't sleep until the blackout took her.
Her mission was simple. Kill and be seen.
A young and ambitious Lord in the Land of Lightning had been advocating for peace with Konoha and the Land of Fire. His philosophy was popular with most of the other lords, and the Daimyo was leaning that way because the Lord happened to be his cousin and he didn't want an expensive war on his hands. While the Raikage was all for war —seeing as he's wanted another shot at Konoha since the Third Ninja War— he couldn't do anything without the Daimyo's blessing. Well, he could, but money would be tight. And that was one of the most important things for a war besides fighters.
She sat perched on the corner of a tall tower; her sandals gripped into the shingles. She was crouched, her arms draped loosely over her knees as she scanned the palace behind her Anbu mask. Her hair was dyed brown by a Genjutsu, and just to throw them off more it was illusioned to look chin length.
She watched a guard patrol walk across a bridge over the little river running through the compounds luxurious garden. Jumping across the street and down onto the outer wall of the palace, she ran along it on light feet, coming to one of the many guard towers. She put her back against the stones, and she could faintly hear the changed guard walking down the steps, yawning and mumbling through the window about a long night.
She deftly climbed the tower, using the window sill and chakra to reach the top. She hung from the ledge, lifting herself so she could peek over the edge. The watch guard stood leaning on the railing on the opposite side, looking out over the capital city. A single lantern hung from the rafters. She pulled herself over the railing, falling and walking with light feet. She stood behind him, then put a kunai to the curve of his throat.
He went ridged, gasping. She swiftly gathered both of his arms behind his back, holding the wrist with strength close to bone breaking. The new guards legs bent as he groaned. She audibly heard his teeth grit. "Tell me where Hoyama is." Her voice was a whisper in his ear, so low the wind might snatch it like a thief. The guard growled, and her kunai dug, drawing blood that slipped down his throat, into his armor, and down his chest underneath. He was panting in fear, and he swallowed gently.
"The sand is dribbling out, watchman." She kicked him in the back of the legs, making him kneel on the ground as she pulled his arms up so high that his shoulder blades almost slid up and over one another like plates. He was groaning when he spoke, "Fuck you." She lifted his arms higher, and she heard the satisfying sound of his shoulder joints popping and his shoulder blades sliding.
"T-third floor! Ah!" She loosened her grip on his wrists a bit. "Will up let me go?" He sounded desperate, and ashamed, his honor destroyed by just a little interrogation. Her mouth curved. The weak were always the most afraid of death.
Crimson splashed over the railing and into the open night sky, falling to splatter on the cobblestone below. She stepped back as the guard grabbed at his spewing neck. She didn't watch the light fade from his eyes, instead turning around and nimbly hopping over the railing to fall to the garden. Her feet tapped against the ground as she crouched. She moved through the brightly colored garden, careful not to step into the light of the paper lanterns that hung above the dirt walkway that snaked through the flowers and trees.
She slinked through the night, hid for a moment underneath the outer walkway, then pulled herself up onto the first eave of the pagoda. She moved up the side of the building, coming to a stop at the third eave. She moved across the shingles, peeking in to look through the windows. Her shadow splayed onto the floors from the moonlight, and she was a silhouette in the night.
She looked into a room more luxurious than the others. She sent chakra to her eyes, allowing her to see a little better in the darkness. The bed was occupied, and the room was decorated with ancient heirlooms. She wiggled a special tool through the crack in the window, pushed the catch with the tip, and pulled the window up and open. She slid down to the floor, crossing the room and around the bed, peering at the face of the sleeper.
The description matched. Nodding to herself, she moved back through the room, the floorboards not even creaking from the ghosting touch of her steps. She went to an old set of ancient samurai armour next to the window. She stood, snapping her fingers to spark a fire between the pad of her thumb and pointer. The banners behind the armour took like kindle, and she placed a hand on the armour's shoulder plate. The room was set with an eerie glow as the fire grew larger and her shadow stretched across the floorboards.
Hoyama stirred, and she pushed the armour lightly, making it tumble to the ground in a cluster of loud noises. The plate slid across the ground, and the helmet stopped underneath another display. Hoyama had shot up at the sound and met her eyes. His head shot back not another second later, a kunai lodged in his forehead. He fell back into the bed like a sack, and then the door opened, and in came tumbling samurai.
They were screaming and pointing at her, but she didn't worry about that. She only made sure that the firelight lit up the leaf symbol on her mask. Several charged, and she bolted through the window, rolled on the eave, and fell into the night.
Disappearing into the darkness, she had no doubt that they thought that a clumsy assassin had made too much noise.
So...? What'd ya' think?
Oh, before you go, I wanted to get you guys' opinion on what Naruto's summoning contract should be.
I was thinking Dragon's.
Yes, i'm guilty of thinking Dragon's are badass. Like seriously, who doesn't like Dragon's? Stupid people, that's who! *Coughs* Well, I say that with no offense intended, but I just wanted you to know you're stupid for not like Dragon's...dummies.
Anyway, I would also like to hear suggestions, but just know that I already have some special stuff with the Dragon's planned out already. But don't let that shy you away from making a suggestion!
See Ya!
