Hello everyone! I hope you all are enjoying the story so far. A huge thanks to 10ShizukaYuukiMistress10, xXFallenxBeautyxX, and kwisy for reviewing! In retrospect, I do agree that Kikyuu's initial reaction to the news of the massacre was lax, but I hope later on the reason for this becomes clearer, but I have made note of this, so thank you kwisy! I love constructive criticism! Without further a-do, on with the story! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters, just those of my own design.
Chapter 5
Sarutobi sighed as he looked out of the Hokage's office and down onto his village. He thought often of how he could not stop the massacre of the Uchiha clan that occurred five years ago. He tried to make a point to converse with the remaining Uchiha in Konoha, but it seems that despite his efforts and the efforts of Kikyuu, the boy's heart had still hardened against his brother and the world. His training under Kakashi had gone well and at noon, he looked forward to witnessing the boy participating in the final round of the chunin exams.
Kikyuu. That was another soul he often thought of. He could tell she held feelings for Itachi Uchiha and although she tried to cheer Sasuke up, her heart hardened as well when her grandfather died two years ago.
The old Hokage was broken from his reverie when then was a swift knock on the door before said door opened then quickly shut. When he turned, a cat-masked ANBU member was kneeling on the ground. Ordinarily, this member's identity would've been unknown even to him until he or she spoke, but the pure white hair that flowed to the middle of the bearer's back from the ponytail atop their head gave away the secret behind the mask.
Sarutobi sighed, "Rise, Kikyuu."
The girl did as instructed and he saw that her grey ANBU armor was covered in blood. She held out her left hand and opened the palm for him to take the black scroll it had been clutching.
"The report scroll, as promised. The target has been eradicated," she replied in a monotone voice.
Sarutobi took the scroll before looking at her, "And how are you, Kikyuu?"
"I'm fine," the girl replied, emotionless as before.
Sarutobi sat at his desk and raised an eyebrow, "Are you sure?"
The young woman before him sighed and took off her mask before sitting down on the floor beneath the window and near Sarutobi's desk. She propped her arms up on her knees after pulling them into her chest and she gingerly held her mask in her right hand.
"I'm tired… Sarutobi-sama…" she sighed as she looked at him, weariness etching fine lines into her porcelain skin.
"Then go home, rest. I give you the rest of the day off," the man stated.
Kikyuu shook her head, "No, Sarutobi-sama… that's not the tired I feel…. I could sleep and sleep and sleep and when I awoke, I would still be as tired then as I am now. I'm tired to my core… my very soul is tired… All of the killing… I'm sick of it…"
Sarutobi nodded slightly, he feared she would one day feel this way. He looked at her and asked:
"What can I do?"
She looked back into his eyes, "I would like to request-"
Suddenly, two jonin entered the room to escort Sarutobi to the final rounds of the chunin exams in the stadium. Kikyuu quickly slipped on her mask as the doors opened and stood.
Sarutobi stood and smiled at her, "We'll continue this later."
She simply nodded and watched him leave his office. As he left, she couldn't help but recognize the sinking feeling growing in her stomach concerning the fact that her request might never be filled.
Sasuke stood in a training ground outside of the village where he had devoted most of his time with the help of Kakashi developing his abilities with the chidori and he smirked at thought of getting to use it in the upcoming exams. He was waiting for his sensei to finish doing whatever he was doing so that they could leave for the arena; although, something told him they were late already.
He blinked and tensed slightly as a familiar ANBU member landed a few yards from him, but he relaxed when he realized he was merely on edge for the finals.
"What do you want?" He asked coldly as the ANBU member stood and removed their mask.
The kunoichi chuckled, "There was a time when you would greet me warmly, Sasuke, with an elated shout of 'Kiki.'"
The boy flushed lightly before standing before her, "That was a long time ago, Kikyuu."
She chuckled again as she tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, "Only a few years. I hoped to see you before you entered the arena, and I see that I got my wish."
"What do you want?" The boy asked again, agitation beginning to lace his voice.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm very proud of you. I've been keeping tabs on you over the years and you're becoming a fine shinobi. Your parents-"
"Don't speak of them!" Sasuke angrily shouted, causing Kakashi to direct his attention at to conversation.
She sighed and whispered, "They would be proud," she cleared her throat before stating, "And I just wanted to say that you certainly have a much stronger will than I do, Sasuke."
"What do you mean?" The Uchiha asked, quirking an eyebrow in the process.
"You're healing," she stated, "I can see it in you now, more than ever. As much as you'd hate to admit it, you have friends now; something you haven't had since you began distancing yourself from people after that day…. Like I've done. And just look, you're healing better than someone much older than you. That's wisdom and a strength that I do not know. I'm proud of you and good luck today. You'll make a fine chunin."
She slipped her mask on and turned to leave before looking at Kakashi and stating:
"You know they've started, right?"
And in a quick flash, she was gone.
The kunoichi sighed as she stood in front of the memorial to the Hokage and those that had died following the invasion of Konoha at the hands of Orochimaru. It was long after the funeral had ended; most people were leaving, but she, remained behind, a single thought running through her head:
'I was supposed to ask you to retire from ANBU and ask permission to enter a self-imposed exile…. This wasn't how it was supposed to be…'
She stared at the framed photo of Sarutobi and sighed, unconsciously rolling her right shoulder to relieve some tightness she felt; the rain always seemed to aggravate the scarred tissue there. She had hidden in a nearby tree instead of attending the funeral outright, for most wouldn't consider a red-fitted shirt and a black jacket and pants to be fitting attire for such an occasion, but it was perfect for what she was planning.
All of her possessions were sealed inside of a scroll in her scroll pouch and her kunai pouch was weighed down with shuriken and kunai. Her grandfather's katana hung at her side, it's black and gold hilt gleaming in the sun and she unconsciously traced the hilt with fingerless armored gloves protecting her hands. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear that fell into her eyes from her ponytail and closed her eyes at the sensation of not touching a forehead protector there; it was strange to her indeed. She delicately placed the cat-mask next to Sarutobi's image and sighed.
It surprised her when she realized someone was standing next to her for she hadn't sensed them approach or appear. They were just there and to do that to her required a considerable amount of skill. This is why she wasn't surprised when she turned her head to her left to see Kakashi standing next to her.
"Hello, Kakashi. I thought you were going out to eat with your students at Ichiraku's," she stated, hoping to find some way to get him to leave; she didn't want her defection to be noticed until she was long gone.
"When I saw you arrive, I told them I would meet them there. Interesting wardrobe choice," he replied as he looked down at her.
"I have a mission that I have to leave for," a cool response indeed, until:
"Then why are you leaving your ANBU mask behind and not in proper ANBU attire?"
"I…" she paused, fear leaped into her throat and constricted her voice until she found the words she was looking for, "I left ANBU when I returned from my mission on the morning of the chunin exam finals…"
"Hmm," the masked man hummed, "Yet, you still showed up in ANBU attire when you spoke with Sasuke."
Kikyuu took a deep breath, "Yes, you see, Sarutobi-sama wanted me to stay on the force until after the chunin exams, in case anything suspicious occurred. You remember what happened to Hayate."
'A quick but plausible lie as ever… if he doesn't believe that, then I don't know what he will believe.'
Her thoughts were interrupted when Kakashi replied, "Ah, that is understandable," the man turned to leave before pausing and stating, "Just keep this in mind, Kikyuu, relief from suffering cannot be found on the outside, it must be found within."
The sharingan user disappeared in a flash, leaving Kikyuu wide-eyed as she stood before the Hokage's memorial.
'Does he know? ... He can't… Does he suspect? ... Most definitely… I must leave immediately.'
She bowed before the image of the Hokage and whispered, "Please, please forgive me, Hokage-sama."
She straightened herself before turning and quickly leaving; thanks to the destruction caused by Orochimaru, no one noticed until she did not report in to the ANBU office the following morning for her next mission.
Seasons came… and seasons went… and it had been one year since she had left Konoha. Once she had gotten out of the Land of Fire, she donned her black cloak and often wore the hood up if she was travelling through a town. The little money she had had lasted her until now, although the hotel stay she had last night took care of a good portion of it. The village she was passing through did not have any odd-job positions open nor was anyone looking to hire an assassin.
In mild despair, she entered the local bar and sat down at the counter. The man behind the bar was cleaning a sake cup at the time she entered and stopped to stare at her along with the rest of the patrons. She glared at all of them before looking at the bartender, setting a ten ryo note down before him.
"What will that get me?" She asked as the dull roar of the bar resumed.
The man took the note and placed a bottle and cup before her, "Our cheapest sake."
She nodded to the man and began to slowly drink, grateful he didn't ask for her age. Kikyuu was enjoying her own world of silence when, suddenly, a large man appeared at her side.
"Hey, sweet cheeks," he stated, drawing her gaze to the gruff man before he continued, "I think I've seen you before in a Bingo Book. You're from Konoha, aren't ya?"
"How observant you are," she retorted going to take a sip before the man swiftly knocked the cup out of her hand.
"Bitches listen when I talk to them. Now, I hear that Lady Tsunade is now Hokage, is that true?" He asked.
Kikyuu shrugged as she sipped straight from the sake bottle, "If you say so. I left after Sarutobi-sama died."
The man proceeded to knock the sake bottle out of her hand, shattering it against the back of the bar and silencing the other patrons again, "I'm not done with you yet. And I also hear that little Uchiha boy defected to be with that snake man… one of the Sannin, Orochimaru."
This caused Kikyuu's eyes to widen a bit at this bit of information. She knew that the pale-faced member of the Sannin tried to take Sasuke during the invasion, but she couldn't fathom that he would willingly leave. However, when she considered the fact that he did desire power to kill Itachi, it all made sense.
"…returned to the village briefly, is that true?" The man asked before shoving her slightly, "Hey! Is that true?"
Kikyuu, finally having enough, gripped the man's fat wrist tightly before spinning him around, pulling his arm tight behind him. This caused him to howl in pain as she tugged on it before putting pressure on his pudgy elbow.
"Listen, you worthless thug. I've had enough of you. I used the last of my money on that cheap sake and you wasted it. My life has been hell for the last several years and I'm in no mood to put up with petty shit like this. Now," she tugged hard on his arm again, "how much money do you have on you?"
The man cried out in pain as she tugged on his arm once more before replying, "A-A couple hundred ryo, t-take it!"
She swiftly dislocated the man's arm before dropping him to the ground. She bent down and retrieved his wallet from his pants before pocketing the money inside. Upon flipping the leather billfold at him and stepping over him, she looked down at him whimpering in pain and stated:
"Pain is just weakness leaving the body. Get over it."
Kikyuu stepped outside the bar and pulled her hood up as it began to drizzle. She saw two Konoha ANBU exiting a restaurant and began walking away quickly in the opposite direction, deciding to get out of town as fast as possible without notice. She glanced back and sighed as the ANBU leapt away in the direction of Konoha. Relief washed over her as she leapt off into the trees, heading as far and as fast away from this town as she could.