Six months now and still no leads on my father. Well, it's not as if I could walk up to anyone and say, 'Hey, I'm looking for the rogue ninja known as Hoshigaki Kisame. Have you seen him by any chance?' As if. Taking my time my be the wisest approach, anyway. I need time to gather myself, to heal. Not that this has been an easy process, but I am managing somehow. On the other hand, surprisingly, I have yet to hear any talk about a new rogue from Kirigakure. This does not mean I am going to let my guard down, though.
I stroll casually around in a small, self-sufficient village on the outskirts of the Land of Earth wearing a simple blue kimono as to not draw to much attention to myself. This is not a shinobi village, and few ever pass through here from what I have gathered, but one can never be too careful. Anbu might be waiting for me in the shadows, waiting for me to make a mistake, and reveal myself by drawing too much attention.
My stomach lets out a low growl and a pang, so I quickly head to a dango stand close by. I need a breather anyway. I might as well treat myself.
The old man, that I assume is the shopkeeper, gives a warm smile as I sit down in the stand.
"Hello, young lady. I haven't seen you around before. You new to our village?" he greets.
I return his greeting with a sweet smile.
"That is correct, Ojisan. I only just arrived a few hours ago. I have been doing some traveling lately."
He nods pleasantly. "We don't get many travelers here, being so isolated. It's nice to see new faces every once in a while. Well I suppose you came here for some dangos, didn't you? Not the ramblings of some old man."
"I don't mind," I say with the same warm smile, "One serving of dangos, please."
He turns away to prepare the dangos while another man enters the stand, a rather rough-looking man with scruffy black hair. He sits down next to me. I immediately avert my eyes when our eyes make contact.
"Make that two servings of dangos, Seiji-san," the man says cheerfully, taking a sip from a silver canteen in his hand as I hear the old shopkeeper laugh and greet the newcomer. He seems to be well built for an older man; his hands are callused like that of someone who does a lot of physical labor, perhaps a carpenter. He seems friendly enough. I catch him staring over at me and once again avert my gaze. He replies to this with a soft chuckle. "Gomen, onna-san. Your beauty is captivating. I find it difficult not to stare. Heard you talking to Seiji-san just now. What did you say your name was?"
"I didn't, actually," I say, much harsher than I intended, so I force another smile and add, "but it is Kaori, Toyota Kaori."
"That's a pretty name," he says laughing hardheartedly. "So you say your traveling, huh?"
"That's right," I reply.
"It is nice to get out and see the world. I am a carpenter, so I often travel to different places. See a lot of amazing things…and a lot of bizarre things. In any case, I would steer clear of just 30 miles west of here," he says, a hint of sternness to his tone.
"Oh. Isn't that where Iwagakure is located?"
"Yeah, there were rumors that some rogue ninjas were spotted passing through that area heading west. Horrible men that haunt your dreams with a mere look if you can even escape with your life after glimpsing their faces. I just got back to the village myself. I had a building contract in Iwagakure. Either way, it's best to avoid trouble on your journey, especially for a young woman such as yourself…there are worse things out there to get you than tipsy old carpenters like me."
He laughs cheerfully again, quickly returning the mood back to a lighter one, but he piqued my interest.
"Oji-san-"
"Call me Jin." I nod.
"Jin-san, no offense but carpenters are known for their extravagant and often exaggerated tales. I hear them all the time. Some would have me believe ghosts were eating travelers in the forests, so it may not come as a surprise that I get these stories often. You can't scare me away so easily, ya know." I keep my tone playful even though I speak the truth to him.
"Hmmmm, I heard the rumor from several people…and on top of that, some of the higher rank shinobi claim they were from the Akatsuki. The Akatsuki are no ghost story fabricated by creative old men."
"Akatsuki?"
"Yeah, heard of them have you?" I nod, trying to hide any emotion on my face, albeit unsuccessfully. Akatsuki? Could it be I have finally found a lead? And the rogues who were spotted, perhaps he was among them. "The Hidden Villages seem to be quite occupied with that organization right now. They seem to be causing a lot of trouble. If they were smart, they'd avoid the Akatsuki. It is foolish to pursue people that dangerous. The pursuit of the Akatsuki is the pursuit of death itself."
Pursuit of death, huh?
"Jin-san, don't worry the poor lady about troubles of the Hidden Villages. I'm sure she won't have any problems where that's concerned," the shopkeeper says, emerging from his shop and placing our food before us. The sweet aroma wafting up to fill my nostrils tugs at my stomach, but my mind is in a frenzy at finally finding a lead. I can't just get up and leave this second. No, that would be too suspicious. I don't know who could be waiting for me to make that mistake. A single comment from a curious traveler to a tracker shinobi could put them hot on my trail. I don't need to stand out.
"I suppose you're right," he replies, diving into his dangos. I do likewise.
"Actually, that is rather interesting, Jin-san. Have they managed to pursue them successfully?" I ask in between bites.
"I don't now much else on the subject. The shinobi of the hidden villages don't like to give out much information. They fear it may cause a panic."
"So no word on which Akatsuki members were in the area?"
"None that I heard, but any one of them is trouble by himself." I continue to chat casually with the two men for a brief time before making my discreet departure, adrenaline pumping through me. Jitters fill to the rim. Finally…
While in sight of the shop, I head east outside the village to throw off any suspicion. I quickly change into a more suitable wardrobe consisting of black cargo pants, halter top, and boots and double back towards the direction the Akatsuki was rumored to have traveled. If I hurry, I can make it to Iwagakure in three hours on foot. Hopefully, they haven't managed to get too far ahead of me. But what am I going to do if I catch up with them? Casually chat them up and ask to travel with them? 'Hey, just checking out the scenery, mind if I join you?' I mentally slap myself for being so silly. At worst I will probably end up dead, killed in the worst way possible. I need to have a plan, but each one I think of sounds more ridiculous than the last.
"Get a hold of yourself, Aya," I say out loud to myself as I sprint through the forest, opting to take the ground rather than the treetops after entering the forest. I don't need to be distracted right now. Everything is vital. Every detail. Every sense. I am a rogue now. I keep repeating that to myself. Everyone is a possible threat. I need to find him as soon as possible. There is no more time for lollygagging. It is a time for action. He is my hope for life as a rogue; he can teach me his ways. Do I even want that? I have next to nothing to go on as far as his personality is concerned, all of it being dated back to nearly eighteen years ago. He might truly be a monster at heart. Would I want to follow someone like that? A man who left my mother?
I once saw an old photo of him in the bingo book of our village along with his profile. I can't say I take after him much as far as looks go, and I am sure his skills could obliterate mine in a heartbeat. He is primarily a water style user, as are most shinobi from Kirigakure. I, however, am also fairly adept with wind style.
My mind wanders back to the jutsu I used to kill the ninja who murdered my mother. The jutsu I could have yet refused to use on my former sensei to get away quicker. My sensei who would have thrown me into prison on murder charges. Had I chosen to fight him then, I may have not made it out of the village, and I refuse to spend any time in a cage for giving scum what they deserved.
Now that I reflect on my life, I deceived myself over and over again. The villagers had always looked down their noses at my mother for how she had become over the years. She was a broken geisha whose addiction to alcohol only seemed to worsen as time passed. People shunned her for being a single mother, and in extension, they shunned me for being her daughter. My ambitions as a shinobi have always held my hopes of bringing honor to my family, and I actually thought that the villagers had begun to accept me. On the surface, it seemed that way, or maybe it is what I had wanted to believe. They never truly accepted either of us. They could care less what happened to either of us; what happened is proof of that. So be it. My mother is gone and I will spend not a single second more of my life protecting a village of ingrates and hypocrites.
The following time I spend trying to clear my head, making myself a part of my surroundings as much as I can. The wind whips through my dark brown tresses, my heart leaping in anticipation. I must be insane…but…I want this. I do. "The pursuit of the Akatsuki is the pursuit of death itself."
After an hour of running, I begin to hear faint voices and stop dead in my tracks. Moving in to stealth mode, I creep closer to the direction the voices are coming from. Are they travelers? Ninja? Within a few minutes the voices grow louder, and I notice two figures at a distance standing still in the forest. I quickly crouch behind a large tree and steal a look to try and make out who they are.
"It seems they've given up hunting us, Sasori no Danna, un," one of them, a man with long blonde hair visible beneath a straw hat, says. He sounds rather amused about something. Hunting? Both of them are wearing long, black cloaks emblazoned with red clouds and a straw hat concealing most of their faces.
"I suppose our diversion has led them off track as planned," the other man replies in a tired voice. "It would be a bother to keep Leader-sama waiting."
Wait. Their cloaks. Black. Red clouds. Then that means…Akatsuki! I have to-! No, stop, calm down, breath. Could that other man be him? No, that man isn't tall enough to match his description, but I can't get a good look at his face. Why are they here? Weren't they headed west. Unless…
"I don't think the ones hunting us will be following any time soon, un. They'll have to put them back together first." The man laughs at his statement.
"We need to keep moving. This is no time to be taking breaks."
"I know, un," the first man replies, annoyed. They are headed at an angle from my position, so it shouldn't put me at risk of getting caught to change my location. I need to follow them. They can lead me to my father. I summon all my courage and tail them at a distance, careful not to give away my presence. It doesn't work.
"How irritating. It seems we've missed one."
"What are you going on about, un?" the first man replies, turning to his partner.
"Don't be so careless, brat!" The second man snaps, "It appears we have a visitor."
WHAT? There is no way he could have heard me; I took absolute care not to reveal my location. My heart pounds in my chest as I withdraw back behind a tree. No way. Is someone else out here?
Perhaps…Perspiration starts to collect on my face as I chance another look in their direction. Keep it together. I need to keep an eye on them. This is my first real chance at finding my father…What the hell?
A lump of fear forms in my throat. The second man who spoke is still where he was a second ago, but the other,…the other is no where in sight. Where the hell did he go? This one doesn't seem to be alarmed or worried. Is that a good sign? Bad? Stop panicking. He can't get close to me without me knowing. And still…
"Hey, un." My heart skips a beat at the sound of a male voice directly behind me. How did he-? I hastily spin around, drawing a kunai from my ninja tool pouch. I meet a set of dark blue eyes belonging to the long, blonde haired man. A menacing grin forms on his face upon viewing my reaction. The kunai before me is trembling rapidly. No…I am trembling. I'm trembling, and he is smiling. He's seriously going to kill me! "You seem to be lost, un."