Hi! n.n
I'm really not sure how I feel about this chapter XD;; Especially Zabuza. I really tried to keep him in character, but I think I failed miserably n.n;;;
So yeah! um, I hope you enjoy it anyways! OwO;;
Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi kishimoto
The mercury had dropped overnight, and it was an unusually cold October morning that greeted the demon when he woke. But he suffered the chill in the air, plodding into the kitchen barefoot, and bare chested, as was his routine. He had no intention of letting something as trivial as the temperature change his habits.
Kotone's eyes were half open when he went to check on her.
She gave a feeble little smile as a reply, as he barked out a halfhearted greeting.
Zabuza stood there for a painfully long moment, uneasy, before his frown became more pronounced. "You need anything?" He asked gruffly, avoiding her eyes. "Hungry?"
"Water?" Came the choked reply, her voice quiet, and hoarse from lack of use. The man nodded curtly, as he turned, disappearing for a minute, maintaining a certain level of intentional distraction. She winced, trying to sit up, when he returned a moment later. She smiled, and gave a sheepish little chuckle, as he watched her struggle. "Nothing wants to move right." Zabuza quickened his pace sharply, and setting the glass he had brought down on the little table next to her bed, moved to help her, placing a hand flat against the kunoichi's back.
Kotone let out a startled cry, hissing in pain as he inadvertently pressed against the deep scratches beneath her nemaki. Zabuza muttered something that might have been an apology, as he moved his hand to what he remembered as her undamaged shoulder. There were deep puncture wounds where Suishou's fangs had sunk in, but that was the worst of it.
He gave no reply, as she thanked him, but assisted her a bit more carefully.
The taller of the two sighed, taking a seat, and picking up the glass again. He sighed again, more harshly when he felt it start to slip from her weakened grasp, and held it steady while she drank. "Your hands are shaking."
She stared down at the bed sheets, fidgeting as well as her stiff muscles would allow. Zabuza grimaced inwardly. Shame? "I'm sorry." Her voice was still hoarse, but improving. "I really don't want to be a burden-"
"You are."
"Oh." The kunoichi was quiet for a long moment, tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear."I'm an idiot... Of course the fourth one tries to kill me..."
He grumbled, reaching for the orange containers near where the water glass had been a moment earlier. "Don't you start with that superstitious crap again." The kunoichi nodded pathetically, which did little to quell the tracker's exasperation. There was a dull twinge of something in his chest.
And he didn't like it.
"Where's the cat?" He returned to ignoring her, feeling a change of topic was necessary.
"Couch,"
He nodded, head turning towards the living room, as a knock at the creaking front door was heard, from outside. Zabuza moved to answer, but Hiraku, it seemed, had already deemed it alright to invite himself inside.
"Uh," He blanched, doing his best to keep his cringing discreet, not having expected his superior's state of undress. "Good morning, Momochi san...?" His eyes widened a fraction more when he noticed the animal lying on the couch, jade eyes surveying him, unblinking.
His sister pushed past him, giving a much more polite greeting, as she went to check on her patient. Her teal haired brother took a hesitant step after her, biting his lip, and staying in place, seeming to reconsider under Zabuza's wary gaze.
"Just what are you doing here?"
"Well," He started carefully, "I wanted to talk to Kotone chan. If she's lucid, that is. Kami sama knows, how that blood loss must have screwed with her head-"
"Get to the point, Kasumi?"
"Ah, yes! Well.." He took this as an invitation, and quickly made his way to the kunoichi's room, where Shinju was un-bandaging, and examining one of the gashes down her arm. "Kotone Chan? Since you'll obviously be out of commission for a long time-" Zabuza let out a restrained little snarl, that Hiraku pretended to have not noticed. " I was wondering if I could borrow your mask. You know, do some floating."
'Floating' was an ANBU term. When a ninja was given a large number of missions to the same country, or worse, the same region, recognition became a problem. If they were to meet the same group of enemy ninja often enough, it would be possible for their style, and strenghts to be recalled, even wearing their masks. So, ever so often, a few shinobi would switch masks. This made it more difficult for an enemy to connect the pattern to other distinguishing features, like height, or hair colour, and protected their anonymity.
However, it wasn't terribly common. Trackers, interrogators, and reconnaissance ninja generally became quite attached to their masks, as it was, essentially, a surrogate face.
Kotone nodded, and Hiraku helped himself to polished white object, abandoned on top of a pitiful looking, empty bookshelf. "Hey, thanks! Not quite as roomy as I'm used to, but it'll fit."
Zabuza wasn't surprised. Hiraku had always been rather... delicate, for a man. A trait a good portion of the few kunoichi he worked with, and the female medic nin and nurses at the hospital, had noted. And seemed to admire. The taller, less handsome mist ninja repressed a shudder.
Speaking of the damned pretty boy... He was watching Kotone a little too closely, for the demon's liking. He had, earlier, assumed that Hiraku had an interest in his training partner. But actually working with the Kasumi boy had proved otherwise. Quite simply, Hiraku had an interest in any thing his age, with breasts and a pulse. And his partner, however slightly, did meet this criteria. Well... she had a pule now, of course, and she was only a year and a bit younger than he was... and technically she did have a chest, though she bound it. On their first mission together as ANBU, he'd heard an enemy spit out a tooth, and complain to another that 'That guy in the blue happi kicks like a horse.' He was snickering at that for a long time.
But of course, that mistake was getting harder, and harder to make. She had hips, after all, and her waist was definitely girlie... and her shoulders were much to small- Zabuza blinked, before grimacing. He was getting sidetracked. With things he should not have been thinking about. Ever.
"Um... If you two could maybe leave the room?"
"What?" From Shinju's tone, she had been trying to get his attention for a while now.
"I have to change Kotone's bandages. So if you two boys wouldn't mind stepping out there for a moment...?"
He nodded. Hiraku squeaked in protest as the larger man grabbed him by the collar of his flak jacket, hauling him out of the room, and slamming the door.
"Oh my..." Shinju smiled, chuckling to herself. "My brother certainly puts that boy in a foul mood."
The younger, though taller Kunoichi shook her head slowly. "Not Hiraku-ah!" She winced, as the medic began examining her back. "He's...He's been like this all day."
A knowing smirk spread across the raven haired woman's face. "Of course he's peeved. You gave him quite a scare, you know."
"I wha- OW!" Kotone had bolted upright so quickly, one of the wounds on abdomen had ripped itself open, and was now oozing blood over Shinju's hands. She medic chided something about being more careful, under her breath, before continuing more sharply.
"I said, you must have frightened him. You nearly died. You're still mostly dead, so stop moving like that. You need rest. And... You haven't taken these today, have you?" A nod of her head indicated the medicine containers on the bedside table. Kotone shook her head no, and quickly found a few of both pills forced into her hand. She sighed, and resigned herself to cooperation, taking them as the other ordered.
"You're wrong, though."
"What?"
"Sorry. I mean, you know... you're mistaken. There must be something going on with the trackers, because..." Kotone's eyes were downcast again, as she smiled bitterly. "Zabuza doesn't care about me. Not that I mind, of course. He's doing as he's supposed to. He's a good ninja... He can't worry about things like that. That'd be... you know... a weakness."
Shinju replied hesitantly, before continuing her examination. "I suppose you'd know him better."
vvvvvvvvvvvvvv
"It's getting bad out there..." Snow swirled around the cozy, traditional looking home nestled inconspicuously between more houses, in one of kirigakure's more downtown residential areas. Had the place not belonged to the Kasumi family for generations, it would have been impossible to acquire. A sizeable pile of snow had gathered on the window sill, more of it swirling in the air outside, before coming to rest on the frosty ground. Hiraku sighed, turning in the beaten up armchair he had collapsed in, and addressing his sister, who was busying herself with the last few pages of her book. "But they say we're going out on Friday, no matter what."
Shinju nodded, closing the book reluctantly. "Where is it you're going?"
The grey eyes boy let out a deep shaking breath, before launching into the mission details. It seemed a cousin of the lightning country's daimyo had become displeased with the land of water's policies, and planned on using the high price they were asking for their few, precious resources as an excuse. There were few decent mining opportunities, and the growing season in Mizu no kuni was painfully short, making agriculture difficult. There wasn't enough produced for the country's own people, and nothing to export. Mizu no kuni had only three real means of profit. Three resources. Fishing, forestry, and ninja. And exporting their goods were expensive, so a high price was necessary. The cloud ninja's country, though it possessed coastline, wasn't as ideal a fishing grounds as the easternmost area of mizu no kuni, and lacked it's immense coniferous trees.
At any rate, it seemed the lightning noble had decided to speak out officially, and advise his cousin of something drastic. Taking the resources illegally, or worse, war.
It was their team's job to assassinate the pesky noble, but without being caught. The water and lightning nations, though not friends, weren't exactly enemies, and Hachidaime Mizukage wanted to keep it that way. Being discovered as the powerful man's assassins would cause an international incident. They would have to make sure he died discreetly, without alerting anyone. He would have to simply vanish into thin air...
"Wait..." Shinju screwed up her face in thought, "I know I'm no ANBU, but... Why would an interrogator be necessary? I hear it's the head of the department himself...?"
"Not sure 'bout that...hm... they say he hasn't been on a real mission in years... I don't know why they'd give him such an important one, out of the blue. But of course," he added hastily, "Far be it from me to question Hachidaime Sama. I'm sure he has his reasons."
"Strange," She replied, before once more returning to the conclusion of her book, grateful that the interruption had ended.
vvvvvvvvvvvv
Kotone slept through the next week, with little exception. She'd only ask for water, and it was only after three days of nothing but sleeping and water that Zabzua forced her to try eating. About once a day she'd attempt to drag herself out of bed, and try to walk somewhere- It was profoundly pitiful. She'd stand, fall over, cry out as her damaged body hit the floor, stand again... repeat as many times as it took her to get there, or for Zabuza to help her walk. She always accepted the aid more readily than he expected, the medication making her disturbingly complacent.
The sebon's affect had worn off, and she now had only the sedative and pain to compete with. Her movements were less stiff, now quite the opposite. They were clumsy, and uncoordinated, as she was never really awake anymore.
By the time Thursday night came along, Kotone was able to stand, however shakily, and walk for a while if she had something to lean on. Still, early the next morning she was sleeping when Zabuza readied himself for the mission.
"I'll be back soon," He assured, the kunoichi mumbling a groggy little reply not even his keen ears could make out. Zabuza exhaled noisily, throwing a quick reminder about her medication over his shoulder as he left the house.
The air was frigid, and even Zabuza was surprised by the sudden blast of cold wind that threatened to blow the open door off it's hinges. He growled, cursing the horrible luck that had befallen his mission. Nonstop snowfall for days, and as much as he'd like to think it would help cover their tracks, it seemed that the lightning country hadn't been affected by the blizzard ravaging Mizu no kuni's western coast. It would make morale low, risk high, and travel unbearable. He trudged through the deep snow, which reached halfway up his thigh, wading more than walking, and quickly tired of the inefficient method. He bounded through the snowdrifts, as quickly as he deemed reasonable, not wanting to waste his chakra prematurely.
He arrived at the designated meting place fairly early, beaten only by Hiraku, and the round, stout interrogator, who was huddled miserably against the cold, into his jacket. The other two had faired no better than he had, and were also covered in snow.
"This is going to melt, and I'm going to freeze," Hiraku complained, borrowed mask tucked inside his outermost layer of clothing, as he rubbed his hands together for warmth, blowing warm air on them in vain. Zabuza noted that the older boy wore warm toe coverings, meant to be added to their zori in cold weather. They were standard issue, but an unspoken belief amongst the mist nin deemed them to be frowned upon, as were especially warm clothes on missions. A display of frailty.
They were also expected to, in one of their old academy teacher's words, 'suck it up, and take it like a man' when they lost body parts to frostbite.
He kept his thoughts off the icy wind, and chill threatening to make him shiver, as he awaited the others, who arrived quickly. They were a small team of four, plus the addition of the aged interrogator, numbered accordingly for speed, and stealth. Nezumi Hatsuka and Seiuchi, another man he wasn't acquainted with, and knew only by mask, and name.
Zabuza raised an eyebrow at the team he'd been assigned. Under normal circumstances, he would have picked the group himself, but in this instance, Mizukage sama had deemed the mission too important, and had selected the ninja himself. Something the Demon was still sore about. But none the less, with the exception of the interrogator, who the mission information had listed as being named "Mukudori"...and perhaps Hiraku, this was the group he would have chosen. Hatsuka was a lanky, gaunt man, his own age, give or take a year, with wavy brown hair that spilled over his mask. The boy looked vaguely familiar, and Zabuza could, perhaps, place him among his year mates, at the academy. His ninjustu skills weren't at all shabby, and his aim with projectiles was fantastic. And besides... He'd seen Nezumi clan members working with their rodent friends. The stronger ones could completely overrun an opponent, a hundred sets of oversized teeth gnawing at their flesh.
There was something moving in Hatsuka's sleeve. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, and seemingly addressed his own stomach. "You guys ok down there? Warm?" A few squeaks answered him, and Hiraku wretched visibly.
"You keep them in your clothes, Hatsuka? That's disgusting!"
"They're cold." The taller, but skinnier ninja snapped. "Up yours, Kasumi."
Hiraku huffed indignantly, muttering something about vermin. Seiuchi remained stony quiet, as usual, the team's physical combat specialist. He was monstrously strong, and the only present ninja taller than Zabzua.
Hiraku... well, as much as he hated to admit it, Hiraku had been chosen for his aim, and innate talent with genjutsu.
"Hey, Kasumi," Nezumi whispered harshly, jerking his head in the shivering old man's direction. "Congratulation. For once, you're not the most useless ninja on the mission."
"Bastard," The shorter boy spat, fixing the temporary mask on his face. "Why, if I weren't on duty, I'd have half a mind to-"
"If? Oooh, excuses, excuses."
"Nezumi Ko-" He started to form more words, but stopped in time, and corrected himself. "Kasumi, knock it off." Zabuza sighed, imagining that behind the thick whisker reminiscent mask Seiuchi wore, there was a similar expression of disgust. He wasn't sure if it was the weather, that two of his men seemed ready to kill each other, that he had been assigned the most useless ninja in their village's long, bloody history... Or the fact that he had almost addressed Kasumi Hiraku by the wrong name...but whatever it may have been...
He definitely had a sinking feeling about this mission.
vvvvvvvvvvv
The kunoichi jumped awake, sitting bolt upright in alarm, a white hot pain tearing through her chest as she did. Panicked eyes darted around the dim room, faded light filtering through dense clouds, and half drawn curtains. She sighed, recognizing the room as her own, and lying back down, wincing. "Fuck...Is this getting worse?" She groaned, trying to settle herself comfortably.
Kotone closed her eyes, frowning as she mentally assessed her condition. Pain, was the first word that came to mind, but there was something else wrong that she couldn't put her finger on.
Did she feel worse than the day before? Yes... yes, the pain was worse, much worse. She raised a hand experimentally, noting that though the pain made her clench her teeth, it was indeed more mobile that it had been earlier. At least she thought it was, anyways... What the hell had she been doing all week? She knew the house was otherwise unoccupied, but couldn't, for the life of her, remember where he had gone, for how long, or why.
One eye slid open, lolling over towards the cheap little clock on her night stand. "Holy shit..." seven PM. No wonder she was in agony, she had been supposed to take her medication hours ago, though the exact time escaped her. Reluctantly, she reached over to grasp at the translucent orange containers next to her bed, as reading them from any farther would be impossible, with her eyes. "Ok," She muttered to herself reading over the antibiotics. "Take two once every six hours...shit, that was like...assuming Zabuza had left the house at five AM, and she vaguely remembered being woken up, that'd make her about six hours overdue.
She frowned at the second container's almost identical instructions. Almost.
"Do not take unless you can be inactive for more than four hours." She read aloud. "What the hell?" Her eyes widened as a potential meaning sunk in. It was the damned medication that had made the last long while a sleepy blur. That's what felt different! She was awake! The pills rattled dangerously, as her hand threatened to drop them, the house now seeming very, very empty, and not quite as quiet as she'd have liked. The storm winds were rustling branches outside, but the noise, however faint, was still unsettling. Here she was, weak, in pain, and completely alone. Helpless.
It disgusted her that she'd become so hopelessly reliant on her training partner, and could only imagine the degree to which it disgusted him. But the fact remained that his absence left her feeling... Her stomach knotted uncomfortably at the thought of the abhorred thought. Vulnerable.
She it her lip, one unusually, though not conspicuously, sharp eye tooth digging into the tender skin. If she were to be attacked, she'd prefer to have her head about her, and be in pain, than the other way around. With a resolute nod to no one in particular, she sat up, forcing back the whimper that threatened to spill from her throat. She popped the friendly orange antibiotics into her mouth, swallowing them dry. She'd keep herself alert, while she was alone. Once Zabuza came home... yes. She breathed in slowly, willing her legs to support herself as she stood shakily. Once Zabuza returned, she'd allow herself to be weak. Only then would she give in to temptation of silencing her injuries, which screamed in protest as she moved. But for the time being, she would deal with the pain herself.
She was a kunoichi, after all.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvv
"Hurry it up, old man."
"Quiet!" Nezumi snapped at the shorter boy, who grumbled a complaint. The old man finally caught up with the trackers, who were gathered in the dense foliage outside the target's residence. It was a large home, in the country's traditional style, a lush, thick garden surrounding the eastern side. They were hiding there quite easily, and Zabuza, who had flattened himself against the ground,beneath an annoyingly prickly bush, did yet another double take in the scrawny teal haired boy's direction. That damned mask was distracting him.
He pushed the thought from his mind, and smiled despite himself. The garden was a security nightmare. The man either had a surplus of empty space in his head, a death wish, or all of the above.
The trip over had taken much longer than expected, and the team was showing an unsettling amount of weariness, given that the mission had yet to really start. Two days of rough weather hiding in the freezing cargo bay of a transport ship was, understandably, far from pleasant.
"Hey-"
"Way ahead of you," He whispered, letting a few of the large brown rodents crawl from his sleeve. He murmured something to them, and they scurried off, in search of open windows, and guards.
Usually, the casual tone, and lack of honorific would been seen as disrespectful, but on a mission of this type, names were forgotten, and ranks unmentioned. They were taught to say everything as though the enemy were sitting right beside them. Nothing with which they could be identified.
The blessedly inconspicuous animals returned a moment later, chattering something none of the others could quite catch into their human companion's ear. He nodded, inviting them back into his sleeve, and relaying the information they'd passed on.
Hatsuka held up three fingers, indicating the main entrance, a window, and the back door. "The rest are clear. They say the guy's in a room on the far side." They could see the dark shape of one guard, silhouetted against a window.
Zabuza nodded, pulling himself forward with his elbows, from under the shrubbery. Stay here. Be quiet. The orders are assumed, having been given far too many times to be necessary again.
vvvvvvvvvvvvv
Running. That was all that mattered, and all that occupied their minds as they fled the scene. Not how they wanted to kill the idiot who had stood up a bit too soon, and alerted the guard. Not how frustrated they were with the interrogator lagging behind. Nothing but ensuring that their footsteps would be untraceable, and silent. The target was dead, and as long as Kirigakure no sato wasn't actually identified as the culprit, the mission could still be salvaged.
Nuke ninja from kumogakure could be blamed, after all.
But there was a very, very pressing reason Zabuza had wanted to avoid a confrontation in this country. So far, the small group chasing them seemed to lack what that had him worried, but it would be impossible to tell until they actually caught up. Something fearsome the land of lightning possessed that the land of water had long since destroyed.
From somewhere near the back of the group, Hatsuka muttered a word considered particularly fowl in the water country. "They're gaining."
As if to punctuate the claim, a throwing needle whizzed over Seiuchi's left shoulder. Engaging the enemy would undoubtedly give away their homeland, so flight was their only viable option. Zabuza scanned their surroundings, eyes resting on a deep, narrow ravine bit to the left, and he signalled the group to follow, as he threw himself down the slope. The others rolled down after, with an equal lack of grace, settling at the bottom, muddy, dizzy and scratched. The tracker captain quickly righted himself, but stopped mid stride as something much heavier, and greatly reassembling a enormous porcupine crashed through the underbrush.
It took them a moment to recognize the senbon pierced interrogator. Or, more accurately, former interrogator.
It seemed as though Mukudori hadn't been quick enough to escape the flurry of their pursers attack.
"What the hell!" Hiraku shrieked when Seiuchi moved to pick the corpse up. "Leave him! That'll be us if we don't get out of her soon!"
"There's no time to dispose of him. If they find his body, they'll know who we were." Seiuchi's voice was deep, and placid. Seemingly unperturbed by their dire situation.
"The man has a point," Hatauka nodded, taking a hopping step over. "We should take his mask, flak jacket, and Hitai ate."
"That's not enough either," Zabuza snapped.
The Nezumi looked puzzled for a moment, but let out a long sigh as he realised to what his superior was referring. Hiraku turned to him, demanding a harsh 'what?'. He responded with a gesture that might have looked, to anyone who didn't know what he was doing, as though he had grabbed Hiraku's ass.
"Oh... right."
"You," Zabuza indicated Hatsuka. "Follow me. I'll bring up the front." He indicated Seiuichi. "The back, and you" Hiraku squeaked, "You carry the dead guy."
"Why me!?" His eyes went wide behind the carefully designed mask, as he eyed the old man's remains.
"Because," Zabzua started, as he bolted off towards the harbour where they would find a way on to some Mizu no kuni bound boat. "You're the one who got us caught." And the one I'll miss the least if you fall behind, and get killed as well. He added mentally.
vvvvvvvvvvvvvv
"My my, aren't we a mess?"
Zabuza bristled immediately upon entering the room, not surprised by the condescension he was immediately assaulted with. Hachidaime's dark eyes twinkled mischievously as he watched the unkempt looking jonin take a few calculated steps across the room, eyes always dancing around the room uneasily, behind the mask's polished surface he hid behind. The kage folded his hands, leaning back in his chair. "I take it everything went well?"
"No." There was a stale kind of silence, before he choked out a hesitant "sir."
"Oh? How surprising. Please, do tell. He is, in fact, dead, at least. You target?"
"The mission's objective was indeed completed."
"Then I see no trouble," A haughty grin split his face, as he directed his attention to some papers on his desk. "What was it then?"
"A casualty. Mukudori San."
The kage raised an eyebrow, inclining his head to one side thoughtfully. "You don't say. Hm... That could be problematic. The interrogations department needs a leader, after all.."
"Then it's to Kurosuki San and myself to chose." He hissed through clenched teeth. "With your permission, of course."
"You?" The water shadow grinned, slumping forward as a deep, throaty chuckle shook him. "You, Momochi Kun, are bias." A hint of the laugh lingered in his voice, as he drummed his fingers distractedly against the desk's polished surface. "Kurosuki and myself convened without you. The decision, given the records we've read, and our own knowledge on the Interrogation's department's workings, was simple. Tell Ume the job is her's when she's well enough to take it." A wide grin reappeared slowly on the older man's face as the demon failed to reply, tensing visibly. "Something the matter?" He asked, voice dripping with nauseatingly false sweetness.
"You knew."
"What? You're not making any sense, my boy."
"You and Kurosuki have met already. You've discussed, and chosen Mukudori San's replacement. You knew he would die."
"Was there any doubt?" He shrugged, eyeing the other a little more warily. "Mukudori was useless. Useless ninja have no place in my village. Or anywhere else, for that matter." He chuckled again, eyebrows raised disdainfully. "Shinobi are only worthwhile when they serve their purpose effectively. You'd do well to remember that, Zabzua kun."
"I do," The demon snapped, before restraining himself again.
Not yet.
"Excellent! Then we agree."
"Still, Mukuodori was a hazard. Had they retrieved his body, it would have been easy to identify the village responsible. Those marks are permanent."
"You could have cut it out, yes?"
His eyes widened a fraction, taken off guard by his superior's sang-froid attitude. "That would have taken too long,"
Hachidaime threw his head back in another deep, cackling laugh. "Momochi, Momochi, please. Have a sense of humour. I was kidding. And besides... would that really have been the end of the world?"
"They would have every reason to declare war."
"I fail to see your point, boy."
"We would be invaded."
Hachidaime leaned forward, taking his time to carefully arrange his hands in front of him. A hand motion ordered Zabuza closer, before he whispered, lips curled into a vicious grin.
"We would win."
"We would be annihilated." Zabuza was unable to keep the traitorous words in his throat, and ended by growling them baldly.
"Why? What is mist but a low hanging cloud? We're no less than they are."
"They have greater numbers." He took a step away from the older ninja, watching his expression grow irate.
"Ah, but one of our ninja is worth five of theirs." His eyes were narrowed now.
"They have weapons beyond our ability to fend off. Komogakure has a number of bloodline using families. We've destroyed ours. The Kaguya, The ice users-" But Zabuza was cut off, as an order was barked so powerfully, he wouldn't have been surprised if the interrogators downstairs had heard.
"That's enough!" The water shadow's voice was shaking with rage. "Don't you dare bring that... that... filth, into this. I could arrest you for treason, boy." He bared his teeth, snarling when the tracker captain showed no sign of response or penance.
Zabuza shifted his weight to one side slightly, minimizing the target he presented. He breathed deeply, doing all he could to keep himself calm. Not now. Just a while longer. This isn't the time...
"Fine. I'll let this slide. You're young, and foolish." The kage was still livid, shoulders heaving with steady, forcibly controlled breaths. "But it would be in your best interests to get out of my sight this instant."
Zabuza nodded, bowing curtly, recognizing his dismissal. He took little notice of the much older man leaning calmly against the doorframe, a fraction shorter than himself. The man chuckled, green eyes glinting in the dim light as he stepped inside the now unoccupied room.
"What was that all about, hm?"
"I'm not in the mood to deal with you now, Ogakuzu."
"It was you who called me here, you know." The man was smiling much too happily, and the Kage's eyes narrowed once more.
"That boy infuriates me. He's almost as rebellious as you are."
"Me? Please, Mizukage Sama. You're in a position of power. There will always be those who oppose your views."
"I cannot tolerate it."
"May I suggest a change of occupation?"
A fist was slammed down onto the desk's polished surface, as the kage hissed under his breath, bearing a threatening set of teeth, that did little to alarm the older ninja. "I dislike being defied so openly. You forget your place."
"Oh please sir." The man started with a twinge of something the Kage didn't like, laced with false innocence. "A shinobi has to hide their feelings on the battlefield. Must I really do the same during my spare time as well?"
"I'm not in the mood to be trifled with, Ogakuzu!" The younger man's face twitched, as he glared up at the mist swordsman. "I've called you here because I feel it's high time you retired, Old man."
The white haired ninja blinked. "The position of Kiri no Shinobigatana nana nin is one held until death."
"Which in your case," The other growled. "May be imminent,"
The other, however, laughed again. "Imminent? How imminent, exactly?"
"That depends entirely on your behaviour."
"Ah." He closed his eyes, still chuckling, as he turned undismissed and started down the hallway again. " I see. Very well."
"Choose yourself a replacement." The shadow called after him. "While you're still alive to do so."
Hachidaime couldn't quite make out the answer that echoed back to him from down the long corridor.
But he'd bet his ass it had been sarcastic.
I'm going to end it there... it was getting way too long O.o;;;
And um... with the floating thing... stupid term, I know XD;; I couldn't think of anything better. I'm sorry. It jsut kinda seemed like something they'd do...maybe...? n.n;;;
So yeah! I hope you all enjoyed it n.n please review, and have a nice day!