The Perfect Plan
ItaSasu
Author's note: Finally! FF is back online! Is it supposed to go offline like that? It's pretty annoying. 8(
Thank you again for the nice comments! ;w; I heart you all very much ! Darn heart symbol doesn't work on here.. waaaah I'm finding it difficult to survive without being able to type it. xDD;;;
Anyway! –sweatdrop- Let's get this story under way, shall we? 8D
Just to let you know, I actually write the before note before the chapter, so at this point, even I am anticipating the next part! X) Okay! I'll shut up and write the chapter now. xO
Chapter 3 – Masked Emptiness
As usual, I arrived at the bridge –our meeting point- ten minutes early, wearing my new ANBU uniform for the first time. I leant against the railing and waited for my team to arrive. I felt a shiver run down my back. Everything was so quiet; the air was so still. I couldn't see a single bird in the sky. I couldn't remember seeing anyone on the streets either. It felt like the village was waiting. Everything around me was waiting for something. It creeped me out. I could sense something different around me. I looked up to the clouds for reassurance, but even they had stopped. It was like the whole world was holding its breath in anticipation.
It wasn't until a few seconds later I realised that I was holding my breath too. I released it in a shuddery sigh. "Damn," I thought, "What's wrong with me?"
Just then, Naruto and Sakura arrived together.
"Good morning Sasuke-kun!"
"Hi, dumbass!"
"Yo," I said, glancing over at them and suddenly feeling another inexplicable shiver up my spine.
The kyuubi boy came over and punched my arm lightly, "Hey Sasuke, you look like you've just seen a ghost! Or maybe you're afraid that I'm gonna beat you up today!"
"Don't touch me," I said, shaking him off, slightly irritated.
"He's right though," the soft voice of my female comrade, "You do look very pale, Sasuke-kun. Are you sick?"
"I'm fine," I replied firmly, now feeling angry. I was fine. What was their problem? I wished they would just mind their own business.
Naruto jumped back and pointed at me, "You're LYING!"
What the hell? My eye twitched slightly as I felt my annoyance rising, "Shut up, usuratonkachi, before I have to break you."
"Argh, you started it!" he cried, flailing his arms in my direction.
"You started it, baka," I rolled my eyes as I put my hand over his face, holding him away at arms length. Even at 16 years old, he was as childish as ever.
"Stop it you two," said Sakura, "We've only been here for a minute and you've already started arguing. Can't you just get on for once?"
Naruto stopped attacking and started grumbling something alone the lines of, "idiot…" grumble grumble, "Sasuke", mumble mumble, "beat him to within an inch of his life". I decided to leave him to it.
At that moment, Kakashi arrived, jumping down in front of us. He looked at us in that lazy way of his as we stared back in shock. …was this the first time he wasn't half an hour late?
"What's wrong with you kids?" he asked.
Naruto immediately jumped in and started yelling in his screechy, half broken voice, "Kakashi-sensei, you're not late!" He started prodding and tugging at our team leader, "You can't be the real Kakashi – what have you done with the-"
Kakashi knocked him back, onto the floor (which satisfied me somewhat) and spoke as if nothing had happened, "You have a very important mission today. This is your first super difficult S-class ANBU mission and you'll report to the Hokage's office for a full briefing."
I couldn't help but feel slightly excited. This was my chance to see how strong I had become! Now I could fight elite criminal ninja and justify my own power, and prove whether I was ready to avenge my clan or not.
Sakura gasped enthusiastically and Naruto started cheering and dancing in the background.
"Furthermore," he continued, "From this day onwards, you are a three man team and I will no longer be your sensei. You are strong enough to fight your own battles now and won't be needing my help. This is why you will carry out your first ANBU mission as just the three of you."
"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura said in surprise, "But we need you!"
If that was to happen, who would be our leader…?
"You will need to decide between the three of you who the leader is to be."
Naruto waved his arms, "Me! Me! I'm the strongest!"
"The leader," said Kakashi, "Needs to be strong, quick-witted and intelligent."
"That puts you out of the question then, Naruto," Sakura said, smacking him on the head to stop him from hopping around. I silently agreed with her.
"Sasuke-kun," she said, turning to me, her hands clasped together by her chest, "I don't want to offend you, but you can often be easily provoked and can sometimes lose your temper, making you do things without thinking." Excuse me? "Which is why," she went on, "I think I should be the team leader."
Before I could speak, Kakashi broke in, "Then it's settled. Sakura is the most suitable leader of the three and from now on you boys will follow her orders."
I couldn't help but feel furious at this decision. Sakura was the weakest in our team, and I definitely wouldn't enjoy being ordered about by someone so inferior to me. She was also very annoying.
"You'd better report to Hokage-sama," he said. "Before she decides to demonstrate her horribly powerful strength on you."
We nodded in acknowledgement and made our way to the large building in the centre of the village. So this was it, our first proper mission. We no longer had a sensei. From then onwards, everything was up to us, as a team.
We were let in as soon as we got there. As usual, she was sat at her desk, almost obscured by the stacks of papers. We stood in front of her, looking over the tops of the paper. She decided to stand instead.
"So," she said, "Your first mission as ANBU, eh?" she smiled, walking around us. "You've grown up a lot. Some more than others," she glanced at an oblivious Naruto, "But that's not important. I shall inform you of your mission, but I'm warning you, it is far more difficult than any of the missions you have completed as jounin. This is something of a completely different league. There is a very high risk that you may die."
Wow, something so dangerous already? Was this what all ANBU missions were like? I found the prospect quite exhilarating.
"Risking your lives to complete missions is what being in the ANBU is all about," she said, stopping to check a few papers on her desk.
"We can do it!" Naruto said, obviously very excited too. "We're the strongest team in Konoha! We can take on anything you throw at us!"
He was always so confident in himself. "Hn," I said together with a smirk, just to annoy him. He looked at me, determination in his eyes, then turned his attention back to Tsunade-sama.
"So tell us what it is, baa-chan! What are we going to do? Hunt down some dangerous criminals? Recover some stolen secret scrolls?"
"Pipe down, Naruto" she said, her eyes closing in slight irritation, "And don't call me that."
Naruto calmed a little, but kept his fists clenched and grinned widely.
"You have the option of turning down this mission if you do not feel up to it and you will be replaced by another more capable shinobi."
Yeah, like that was going to happen.
"U-um…" Sakura stuttered, shifting every ones eyes onto her. No way, she wasn't going to pull out, was she? "Tsunade-sama…"
The Hokage looked up from her papers, "Sakura, you don't feel you can do this?"
"Um- no that's not it. I… it's just… do you think I am strong enough for this? Sasuke and Naruto have grown so much, and I am so far behind them. Do you really think I can do this?"
Tsunade's gaze softened and she leaned on her desk. "You passed the ANBU examination, didn't you?"
"Yes…"
"Then there's no doubt that you are capable of this. Besides, I haven't even said what the mission entails yet."
"N-no…" Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you Tsunade-sama."
I began to feel slightly restless. I wished she'd just get a damn move on and tell us! Enough interruptions already! If it was such an important mission, wasn't it better for us to get out there as soon as possible?
"So tell us what it is, baa-chan!" Naruto cried, clearly as frustrated as I was.
"Fine," she said, her face creasing slightly, "Your first ANBU mission will be an escort mission. You will be escorting your client to the stone countr-"
"WHAT!" Naruto exclaimed, expressing exactly what all of us were thinking. "An escort mission? We haven't done one of them since we were genin! What do you mean an escort mission? We're strong! Why can't we go out and track down escaped S-rank missing nin?"
"Calm down, Naruto!" admonished the Hokage, veins popping up on her forehead, "I haven't even finished explaining the mission to you! Stop interrupting me, or you will have to stay here." At that, he immediately shut up. "Now where was I… ah, yes. You will be escorting your client to the stone country. This requires a passage through a very large stretch of uninhabited rogue territory between countries. The main problem is, that your client believes a certain organization of criminals known as the Akatsuki intend to track and kill him. They are all very powerful criminal shinobi and pose a very large threat to both your client and yourselves."
I raised my eyebrows. I'd heard about this organization before. Akatsuki. Red clouds. Dawn.
No one knew exactly what their goals were, but anyone who stood in their way was not guaranteed a happy, peaceful life. I wondered what our client had done to draw their attention to him.
"Now," the Hokage continued, "You three have been specially requested for this mission. Word has spread of the "New Sannin" as some have called you, and you are believed to be strong enough to take on this mission. I do not doubt this fact, for it is true that you three have surpassed all other teams in this village, with the exception of the original Sannin."
"Who is our client?" I asked, curious. Was he a shinobi himself? I imagined him to be rugged-looking, with scars, wild, unkempt hair and clothes that reeked of old blood. I'm not quite sure why this image popped into my head, but I was definitely interested in his connection to the Akatsuki. He must've done something pretty monumental to cause their anger to be directed at him.
"Kamen… Sora."
My eyes widened, and I swear my heart skipped a bit. Kamen Sora? Sora? My thoughts raced for a few seconds until I managed to get a hold of myself. Sora was a name I had made up. He didn't really exist. He was dead - along with my clan. There were bound to be other people with the name. It was just a coincidence.
Suddenly I sensed movement behind me. I turned round to see a tall, dark figure step forward. What? I hadn't sensed his presence at all! When did he arrive? Had he always been there?
I swallowed and took in his appearance. This client of ours was nothing like my mind's image of him. He wore a large straw hat, with strips of fabric dangling from it, shading his face. I also noticed a small collection of shiny objects hung from the hat, chiming slightly as he moved. I couldn't see his features, though I swear I noticed a red glint somewhere amid the darkness that was his face. This man was tall, wearing a long, plain black cloak that reached just below his knees and the collar was high, obscuring the lower half of his face. My eyes moved down his body. His sleeves were long and loose and he kept his hands inside them, his arms hanging loosely at his sides. I looked down to his feet. They were sandaled. I also was shocked to notice dark purple nail polish on his toenails. What a weird guy… no wonder the Akatsuki wanted him. He had an overall lazy stance and yet I felt there was more to him than meets the eye. He gave off this odd feeling of power and at once I felt dominated and even a little afraid. This wasn't just some ordinary guy – he was really something. From this impression he gave, I wondered why he even felt he needed us to escort him.
Something struck me, though. There was something strange about the way he held himself… just… it was difficult for me to comprehend at the time. Something so… familiar about him… I was bemused. His name was Sora. …Sora…
I was shocked when I suddenly realised what was troubling me. The way he stood – so laid back – was almost exactly the same as the way my Sora did. How could that be…? But then again, Sora is quite a common name. My Sora was dead. It couldn't be him. It just had to be put down to coincidence.
"Ohayou gozaimasu," Sakura said, bowing to him, then smiling. I knew her too well to be fooled by her faux smile. I could tell that she was feeling uneasy. Naruto was also unusually quiet. Kamen Sora didn't return the greeting. In fact, he didn't even move… it was like he'd never heard her.
"Your client chooses to remain silent," Tsunade explained, "He does not desire to converse as he wishes for you to remain focused on the mission at hand."
"But we haven't started the mission yet," Naruto said, confused.
"Yes you have," she replied, "Go and pack your bags. You've got fifteen minutes."
At this, the three of us left immediately, exchanging anxious glances before we set off in the directions of our homes. I was packed within seconds of arriving at my house. Spare weapons, soldier pills, a change of clothes just in case and some food that would stay fresh for at least a week. As I was walking out the front door, I noticed a picture frame. I looked at the photo inside it. My mother and father were smiling and next to them stood him. Sora. A younger version of myself stood in front of him. Once again, he had no face, but something about this photo made me gasp. I hadn't noticed that before… I dashed over to it and looked closer. Yes! There it was! The face hadn't been completely cut out. I was able to see the very tips of his hair. I pressed my nose up against the glass as I examined it. Whoever had cut him out had missed that. The hair was black, like the night. I felt a strange mix of emotions. Shock, fear and excitement. Perhaps this was enough to help me find out Sora's true identitiy!
Before I knew what I was doing, I'd taken the picture down, pulled out the photo and stuffed it into my bag. I'm not sure why I did it. Maybe I felt somehow comforted by it now that I knew something about Sora. I don't know…
We met up at the large gate leading out of Konoha. The Hokage and Kakashi were also there, along with Kamen Sora.
"Come back alive," said Kakashi, "I'd like to see you again at least once." He smiled pleasantly.
Naruto laughed, "We'll complete the mission in no time! We'll be seeing you tomorrow when we get back."
Sakura hugged Tsunade -her real sensei- and waved to Kakashi. I shared an understanding look and a nod with him, and then we all turned to face the world outside our village.
This was it. The mission, which would change our lives forever.
Author's note: WOW! That was long! xD I'm really sorry about that, but there was a lot to get in! Anyway! Before I rant on, here are a few translations:
Usuratonkachi total moron. Sasuke calls Naruto this a lot.
Baka stupid.
Sensei teacher.
Baa-chan granny.
Kamen Sora Sora, as we all know by now, means "Empty." Kamen, however… damn this just gives a lot away… xD But, …kamen means "mask". I shall say no more about this. Other than, can you see how it relates to the chapter title? D8 !
Ohayou gozaimasu formal way of saying "good morning".
Right, now those are done, I can rant rant rant! YAY! 8D
Well! This chapter was a LOT longer than I intended… xD But never mind. xPPP It took me 2 ½ hours to get right.. omg.. time went by quicker than I expected… last time I looked at the clock it had only been an hour and a half. D8
I couldn't keep the humour factor at bay. I just had to put a little bit in there. Otherwise it would be too dark! And besides, we need to experience the lighter moments in this fic where the characters actually have time to joke around and be all happy-happy. xO
Who's this Sora guy? If you haven't guessed already, you might be a bit stupid… u.u"" Even so! I would prefer it if you didn't know, cause then I would be able to keep the suspense. But sadly it's too late now. Well, I guess the last line is suspence-ish enough. X)
"We want ItaSasu!" I hear you wail. Patience, my darlings, it will come in due course. This is a romance fic, after all.
I'd better stop now, cause I'm pushing this word count even further. Thank you very very much for reading! (Unnecessary repeated words.. xO Wait, I'm just wasting space again.. shut up! Stop writing! Aghh I'm just making it worse! ToT)
Until chapter 4….. ja ne! 8)