Chapter 6: Shirotaka

Naruto left shortly after the chuunin selection exams to train abroad with Jiraiya. Kiyoko was sad to see him go, knowing she wouldn't see him for a couple years, but she knew that he would become unbelievably strong under Jiraiya's experienced training. Though the apartment was much quieter without the hyperactive blonde, Kiyoko had other friends to keep her company.

"Oi, Ino!" Kiyoko shouted, throwing a snowball so it came within an inch of her friend's head. It was late winter in Konohagakure, and despite being hardened shinobi warriors, the girls of the village knew the value of a good snowball fight.

"That was a warning shot, Yamanaka! Next one's coming at your face!"

It was Kiyoko, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten in an all-out snowball blitz. Ino hurled a snowball back at Kiyoko, and she dodged it, only to be struck down by half a dozen more thrown by Tenten. The real battle started, however, when the boys arrived. Kiba, Neji, Rock Lee, Chouji, and even Shikamaru and Shino joined in to verse the girls.

"Okay, we're outnumbered, but we can still kick their asses," Kiyoko said before going on to lay out a strategy. "Ready, GO!"

An hour later, a forehead protector tied to a stick poked out from behind the boy's fort as a sign of surrender. Then, after smearing snow in the guy's faces, she, Ino, Tenten, Hinata, and Sakura gathered for hot chocolate at Kiyoko's apartment- until Kurenai came and ruined everyone's fun.

"Sorry to break up the party, but the Hokage wants to speak to Kiyoko," she said.

"Okay, I guess I gotta go. I'll see you all tomorrow," Kiyoko said, following Kurenai out the door. When she got to Tsunade's chambers, she knocked before entering and taking a seat on the chair in front of her desk.

"Kiyoko, I have a mission for you," she said bluntly, handing her a scroll. "Top priority, A-rank. You'll need to leave immediately. This mission is classified, so tell no one of this."

"Yes, Hokage-sama," said the kunoichi, bowing respectfully before leaving. I'm being assigned a top priority, classified, A-rank mission? Why? As soon she arrived home, Kiyoko eagerly opened the mission scroll to see what this A-rank mission of hers was. It was pretty straight forward and uncomplicated, but sounded very difficult. Some scrolls containing instructions on forbidden and dangerous jutsus had been stolen by one of Orochimaru's spies. His hideout had been pinpointed to an area of woods thirty kilometers outside Konoha. Her job was to find him, retrieve the scrolls, and eliminate the spy before he got away. She rolled the mission scroll back up and changed into a white vest and pants to blend in with the snow better than her chuunin jacket and black pants. She smiled to herself and thought, I don't know why the Hokage assigned me this mission, but I know she must've chosen me for a reason. I'm not going to let her down.

Kiyoko leaped from tree branch to tree branch as she tracked the enemy ninja. She finally found him hiding in a small hut, hidden with genjutsu. Kiyoko dispersed the illusion and crept silently towards the structure. She sensed him in there, sleeping it seemed, but she wasn't taking any chances. After carefully assessing the situation, she set a couple of trip wires around the hut and silently slipped inside. The moment she entered the hut the spy was awake, kunai in hand and ready to fight.

"Hand over those scrolls you stole, and your death will be quick and painless," Kiyoko said. She always said things like, "Don't make me have to kill you," during missions, but it was always just a bluff; she had never actually killed anyone before. My orders were to get the scrolls back and kill this man. When the time comes, I will kill him without hesitation.

"This is what Konoha sends? A pint-sized kid?" said the man in mild amusement. Kiyoko lunged at him with her kunai and he raised his own to block her. She ran out the door to try and get him to follow her and fall into the traps she had set. He stepped on a wire and a dozen kunai launched themselves at him. The man was quick, though, and deflected all of them easily. He triggered another one and while he was busy dodging the blades, Kiyoko attacked from behind. Chakra gathered to her feet, she delivered a powerful kick that sent him flying. She then dove at him with a kunai in each hand. They began an intricate dance of bodies weaving in and out to the deadly music of steel against steel, rapid breathing, and pounding heartbeats; each trying to outmanuever the other. The spy lashed out and sliced Kiyoko in the face, momentarily blinding her. He drove his kunai deep into her shoulder, and she cried out and fell to the ground, clutching her bleeding shoulder. The man kneeled down and grabbed her by the throat.

"I will finish you slowly and painfully for all the trouble you've caused me," he sneered. Kiyoko let out a few convincing whimpers and curled up in a trembling ball of fear. The man smiled smugly and released his grip on her throat to pull out his weapon. Baka, Kiyoko thought with an inward smile before springing to life and shoving her kunai deep into his chest.

"A ninja never falls for his enemy's tricks," she hissed as he collapsed into the snow. "I may be young, but I don't fear death."

When the spy ceased his ragged breathing, Kiyoko searched the hut for the scrolls. When she found them, she looked at them curiously. I wonder what's so important about the stuff written on these scrolls. Oh, well. All I know is that they're forbidden, and that's good enough for me. She carefully pocketed the documents and left the hut. The pure, white snow was stained with the blood of Kiyoko's first kill. She wiped the blood from her face and got to work disposing of the body. Upon returning to Konoha, she went straight to Hokage Tsunade's chambers so she could get her mission report done and go home.

"I completed my mission. Here's the scrolls, Hokaga-sama," Kiyoko said, handing them to her.

"Good work, Kiyoko. You did well," Tsunade nodded. "I would like you to return here in the morning once you've had some time to rest."

"Hai. Arigato, Hokage-sama," she said, then quickly filled out her report and handed it to the secretary at the front desk. At home, Kiyoko sat on the sink of the bathroom, dabbing the cut on her face with disinfectant. She knew she was going to have a scar from it, but she didn't really mind. Then she showered to rid herself of the sticky feeling of blood and sweat all over her body and went to bed. In the morning, she went straight to the Fifth's.

"Good morning, Kiyoko," greeted Tsunade brightly. 'Good morning' is an oxymoron, thought Kiyoko but replied, "Good morning, Hokaga-sama. You wanted to see me?"

"Hn, I have something to discuss with you," she nodded. "Please, sit down."

Kiyoko took a seat in the chair in front of the Hokage's desk. Had she done something wrong? What could the Fifth Hokage have to dicuss with a mere chuunin? She cleared her throat nervously and said, "Um, Hokage-sama, no offense, but why did you assign me that mission? There are many higher rank ninjas that you could've chosen."

Tsunade smiled. "The mission was a test. I needed to see how far you've come, and I must say that I'm impressed."

"A test? What would have happened if I'd failed?"

"Then the scrolls would be in Orochimaru's hands right now," she answered. "I wouldn't have assigned you the mission if I wasn't confident in your abilities. Now, would you like to know what the test was for?"

"Un," Kiyoko nodded.

"Back before the start of the chuunin exams, I had a few talks with Kurenai-sensei. I was curious about you. She told me that you are a very talented shinobi and that your ability to control earth elements is phenomenal. I asked her if she thought you would be suited to join a certain group of shinobi if you passed the chuunin selection exam, and she agreed. The mission I assigned you was so I could be sure you have what it takes, and you passed with flying colors. What do you know about the ANBU?"

"Not much. Just that they're elite ninjas that do all the top-secret, dangerous missions," Kiyoko said, startled. Was Tsunade considering putting her in with the ANBU?

"Hai, they're the ones I send when there's a mission that absolutely cannot fail. The ANBU excel at tracking and pursuit, so they also act as the village's hunter-nins. I was a bit concerned about that part, since you hadn't any recorded kills yet, which is why I assigned you that particular mission. But you've proved that you are very well suited to be an ANBU member, Kiyoko."

"M-me...?" Kiyoko stuttered, suspicions confirmed. Tsunade nodded. The blonde woman opened a drawer in her desk and pulled out a porcelain mask. "The ANBU, which stands for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai, is an elite squad of ninjas under my direct control and every member is specifically chosen by me. If you agree to join, this mask will become your identity. Each one originally represented one of the signs of the zodiac; Ne, Ushi, Tora, U, Tatsu, Mi, Uma, Hitsuji, Saru, Tori, Inu, and I. As Hokage, I expanded the squad and added more branches. The original twelve have the job of guarding the Hokages and being bodyguards or escorts for important people such as ambassadors. You would be part of the ANBU branch that includes infiltration of enemy countries, assassinations, recon missions, and other high-risk missions. Do you accept this position, knowing the risks and responsibilities involved, agreeing to put your life on the line for this village?"

"Hai, I would be honored, Hokage-sama," Kiyoko grinned. Tsunade handed her the blank ANBU mask along with a uniform. "It is important to keep your identity as an ANBU member a secret from everyone unless it is absolutely neccessary. The meetings for the assassination branch are every day at three."

She handed Kiyoko a scroll with all the details of being in the ANBU and wished her good luck. Kiyoko practically skipped home and got to work painting the designs on her mask, which the scroll said was a tradition for ANBU members. When she finished, she looked at the simple, maroon design consisting of two stripes. One extented from the forehead to the beneath the left eye hole, and the the other went from the right cheek straight down to the bottom of the mask. Just like the scars on her face. Now all Kiyoko had to do was think of a name for the other members to refer to her as during missions so her identity wouldn't be discovered by enemy ninjas. She pondered a while before coming up with one. Shirotaka, or "White Falcon." It fit her nicely. 'White' because of her ivory colored hair, and 'falcon' for her signature move of attacking with her Stone-Blade Gloves from above, like a bird of prey. Putting on her new uniform and mask, she raced off across the rooftops to attend her first ANBU meeting.

"The first order of business is our new member. Welcome to the assassination branch, Shirotaka," said the ANBU leading the meeting. "Here are your groupings for todays missions."

He went through the list until he got to the group Kiyoko would be in. "Yuugao, I want you and Kiyoko to take care of a missing-nin reported last last night. That should be a good one for a first ANBU mission for our newest addition."

A girl with long, violet hair stood up and told Kiyoko to come with her.

"Oh, and Yuugao," he added as an afterthought and patted his upper forearm. Yuugao laughed, "Alright. We'll take care of that quick before we head off."

Kiyoko gave the two a puzzled look, but then realized that it's not all that effective when one has a mask on. She followed the violet haired ANBU out the door. She lead her to a small medical room and Kiyoko asked what they were doing. Yuugao pulled out a small kit from a drawer and answered, "You know the marks we all have on our arms? You don't have one yet, and all ANBU are required to have one to identify each other with."

"So I'm getting a tattoo, then? Peachy."

"Yep, now hold still."

A few minutes later, Kiyoko looked at the stinging insignia on her arm. Yuugao put the kit away and explained their mission. A shinobi had abandoned the village the previous night to join the Hidden Mist. Their job was to track him down and kill him if he refused to return to Konoha with them. They started off, following the trail of the missing-nin. Yuugao explained more about the assassination branch of the ANBU as they moved through the treetops.

"We get all the dirty jobs, the ones that're most likely to end up messy and bloody. But we're the one's that get all the glory. Ya' know, the ones the little kids want to be when they grow up."

"Did you?" Kiyoko asked.

"Want to be an ANBU? Naw, when I was little I wanted to be Hokage. You?"

"Wish I could tell you. I don't have any memories beyond eleven months ago when I came to this village. Some guard found me beaten to a pulp in the woods and that's all I know," Kiyoko explained. She sensed that they were approaching their target. "You feel him, too?"

"Hn, this way. You'll take care of this one since it's your first ANBU mission. I'll just watch and make sure nothing goes wrong."

They came upon the missing-nin, a special jounin of only fifteen or sixteen, like herself. When he resisted, there was a brief fight that ended with Kiyoko running him through with her Iwa Katana Tebukuro. The ninja laid on his back, eyes staring blankly upwards. Kiyoko shivered and leaned down to close his sightless eyes. Any feelings she felt her actions, though, she quickly pushed back. Yuugao, however, sensed her unease and said, "The first few kills are always the hardest. I'll take care of eliminating the body. You go ahead and report back that the mission has been completed without complication."

Kiyoko shook her head. "I'm fine. Besides, it'll go quicker with two people."

Upon returning to Konoha, Kiyoko filled out the mission report and went home so she could get some rest before she had to go train with the team. As she passed by the academy courtyard, still in uniform and mask, the young students ran over to the fence.

"Wow, an ANBU! Cool!"

"Can I see your mask?"

"Did you kill anyone today?"

Kiyoko smiled beneath her mask and greeted the kids. She told them that she had to go now, and to work hard in school and all that stuff you tell little kids. Arriving home, she showered and then went outside to meditate. The apartment complex had a small garden, which Kiyoko found ideal for meditation. She sat cross-legged on a large, decorative boulder and began concentrating on her chakra flow. A while later, she sensed Hinata approach. She opened her eyes and a few stones that had been floating in midair fell to the ground. That happened sometimes when she was meditating intensely.

"Kiyoko-kun, it's time for training."

"Alright. I'm coming."

At the training grounds, Kiyoko got to work on a new technique she had been working on. It was a variation of her Iwa Katana Tebukuro that she called Iwa Tsume ('Stone Talon'). Instead of forming a single spike at the end of each arm, it formed something more like the talons of a hawk. The hard part was making it so that she could flex the claws, but still keep them a lethal hardness. They kept falling apart whenever she hit something, and it was becoming quite frustrating.

"Chikuso!" she swore when the claws crumbled from her hands for the sixth time in a row. Kiyoko tried again. She concentrated on the chakra flowing through the earth gathering around her arms like water, feeling it pulse with pent up energy. Closing her eyes, she could almost see the motion. It was a cool, tingling energy, like an autumn breeze. Make it hot like fire, her mind was telling her, more like a feeling than an actual voice. It didn't make any sense to Kiyoko, yet she understood it perfectly. She worked the chakra like clay and pictured it becoming a white-hot flame. Suddenly the chakra changed and became like a searing flame that almost felt like it was going to burn her. The talons turned black, smoothing and hardening themselves to an unbreakable solidity. Kiyoko could still feel the hot chakra trying to escape from her hands, and it was starting to hurt holding it back. She needed to find an outlet for all this excess energy quickly, so she looked around and spotted a tree a few meters away. Releasing all the chakra at once into her talons, she attacked the tree. The claws slashed right through it, cutting it in half. Kurenai ran over, followed closely by her other teammates.

"Was that your chakra just now?" asked her sensei.

"Yeah, what was that? We all felt it all the way across the field," Shino added.

"My newest jutsu, Iwa Tsume," Kiyoko grinned, proud of herself. Then she noticed the sharp pains shooting through her arms, and she let the talons crumble away. Her arm were riddled with burns up to her elbows from the force at which she expelled the chakra. Kiyoko held her hands up to show Kurenai and said, "Um, oops?"

"Chakra burns. You're going to want to take care of that before it gets infected," Kurenai told her. Hinata pulled out her special healing salve. "Here, Kiyoko-chan, let me see your arms. This'll help with the stinging until it heals."

"Arigato, Hinata-san. I owe you one," she said, holding out her hands. When Hinata finished, Kiyoko headed over to get the burns looked at by a doctor. Although her arms hurt like a bitch, she couldn't help but smile. She had mastered a powerful new jutsu that would definately come in handy in battle.

"Shirotaka, I have a mission for you," said the captain of the assassination branch one day a few months later after a meeting. "We have just recieved news of a possible invasion of the Fire Country by the Earth Country. I need you to lead a team and gather information about it. The Hokage recommended you because of your familiarity with Earth jutsus. Failing this mission is not optional. Konoha isn't prepared to fight off an attack. Your team will consist of no more than four people, including yourself. It takes a little more than two days to get to Iwagakure no sato, so your team must leave by first light tomorrow morning. Understood?"

"Hai, I will begin gathering my team immediately," Kiyoko nodded. Let's see, this is a spying mission, so it would be wise to choose ninja who excel in stealth techniques rather than fighting. I'll definately take Ino; that Mind Body Change Jutsu is ideal for spying. I'll need Hinata's Byakugan and Kiba's nose for detecting enemy ninjas, too. She went over to Kiba's and Hinata's houses and told them to come with her. Then she headed over to Yamanaka Flowers. They still weren't aware of Kiyoko's ANBU status, so she had a bit of explaining to do.

"Hey, Ino, do you have a minute? I need to talk to you three."

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" Ino asked, setting down the germanium she had been repotting. Kiyoko grabbed her arm and dragged her and the other two into the back room for some privacy.

"I've been assigned an A-rank mission to gather information on an attack on Konoha by the Earth Country. I'm supposed to lead a four-man team. Hinata, I need your Byakugan. Kiba and Akamaru, I'll need your noses and ears, and Ino, your Mind Body Change is perfect for spying. How about it? You guys up for it? It's going to be dangerous going into enemy territory, and you know what'll happen if we get caught."

"Hang on, A-rank?" Ino questioned. Kiyoko checked to make sure the door was closed before pushing up her sleeve to show them her ANBU tattoo.

"I got promoted a few months ago. I couldn't tell you before because I'd be kicked off the squad if everyone knew I was an ANBU," she told her friends. Akamaru let out a few barks.

"Translation?" Kiyoko asked Kiba.

"Basically, 'Bring it on'," Kiba laughed. "And I second that."

"Third," Hinata added. Ino nodded. "And I fourth that. When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning. Thanks guys. I knew you wouldn't let me down," Kiyoko smiled. When she arrived at the gates, thinking she was an hour or so early, her team was already waiting for her.

"Is that you, Kiyoko-chan?" Hinata asked. Kiyoko lifted her mask to show her face and said, "Yeah, but once we officially start the mission, it's Shirotaka."

Then she tossed each of them a small backpack. Ino opened hers and pulled out a simple, brown tunic. "What's this?"

"When we get to Iwagakure, we'll need disguises. These'll work, and unless we do something stupid, they won't be able to identify us as ninjas," Kiyoko explained. After going over their formation and general plan, they set off on their two day journey to the Hidden Rock Village.

Shiori's blurb:

First off here's the translations for the zodiacs: Ne is rat, Ushi is ox, Tora is tiger, U is hare, Tatsu is dragon, Mi is serpent, Uma is horse, Hitsuji ram/sheep, Saru is monkey, Tori is rooster, Inu is dog, and I is boar/pig. (also note: for Shirotaka, shiro means white and taka means falcon or hawk)

Okay, for the stuff about the ANBU, almost all of it is accurate (info from various fan sites). I made up the stuff about the different branches to fit the storyline better. Thanks to AnimeKaiser and Y.Mitsuki for reviewing. Next chapter: Crouching Falcon, Hidden Leaf