Leaves in the Wind
Chapter Nine: Drowned Rat
Iruka and Amaya each held four lilies in their hands as they walked through the streets of Konoha. The citizens they passed didn't seem to realize the danger they were in. Children still laughed and played alone in the market. Hagglers still bargained for prices, and door to door sales marketers still harassed people. Perhaps that was the way things should have been. It was, after all, the burden of the shinobi to protect these people that they loved so dearly. Maybe the citizens weren't even in danger. Not a single person had gone missing, or at least reported missing. Only Konoha ninja seemed to be in danger of assassination if they stood in Suien's way.
The four Konohagakure ANBU and four Takigakure trackers were the only shinobi to pay the toll. Kozue Amaya sighed, grip on the flowers tightening. Team Two and Kakashi had determined that all eight had fought along side each other, facing some unknown but destructive enemy. Damage from high-level water jutsu gave that Suien was involved in the fight; however, it was hard to believe that one man could have single-handedly defeated all eight opponents.
The names of the ANBU squad were already carved into the Hero Stone. For the past twenty-four hours, Iruka and Amaya had been regaining their sanity in the confines of Kakashi's apartment. Amaya suggested that they place closure on the horrific scene by placing flowers at the memorial. Kakashi was already at the Hero Stone, they both knew it though the Jounin had said nothing to them.
Red streaked the sky above them, interspersed with yellow near the horizon and a deep, nighttime blue in the East. The streets of Konoha faded away from them, and they crossed over the bridge, moving into the forest by the training grounds. It wouldn't be long before they got there. The trees finally parted to reveal Kakashi, standing silently before the black stone. The Jounin looked over when they approached. "Oh, hi."
"Good evening," Amaya said in return, as she set her flowers down at the base of the stone. "You've been here all day?"
Kakashi shrugged.
Iruka murmured a polite 'Konbanwa' before moving away from the two, drifting off to a distance a few yards back. He hadn't been doing well. Both Jounin had become quite worried for their Chuunin friend.
"How are you two feeling?" Kakashi asked. The scene of the dismembered bodies flashed through his mind as he smiled. It had been hard to clean up. Two Jounin of the team had fainted upon arrival, and another had fallen ill half way through the clean up. They had seen bodies, they had felled men in gruesome ways before, but this… this had been too much mental and sensory overload for them to handle.
"Much better," Amaya offered the same smile on her face.
Iruka didn't seem to have heard. He was gazing up at the darkening skies, mouth set in a deep frown.
"Iruka-san?" Kakashi called over to his friend. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing."
The Jounin nodded, pocketing his hands. "What do you two say to eating ramen at Ichiraku?" Iruka shook his head in refusal and Kakashi shrugged. His eye crossed over the flowers and then back up to Amaya. "You?"
"Mm, I couldn't leave Iruka-kun here."
"Eh, go." Iruka sighed, glancing over the trees now.
Both ninja stared at the Chuunin. Their eyes flickered up as well. Amaya noted that there weren't any birds out this night. Perhaps with the… well, they might not have been scavenging for food at the moment. Their attention fell back to Iruka questioningly. People normally didn't stare at Iruka. Children stared at him from time to time, and he had developed immunity to glares from students. However, when Shinobi like Amaya and Kakashi took to staring at him, he couldn't help but grow nervous. It must have showed.
The Jounin looked away from Iruka, but he knew they were keeping silent tabs on him, watching his every twitch and fluctuation of mood. Kakashi coughed and looked over at Amaya. "Well, I haven't seen hide nor hair of Suien and company for a day now. He's in hiding. Perhaps he was hurt in the fight against ANBU."
"He wants us to think that…" Amaya murmured.
"But we've still got to eat and sleep." Shiringan no Kakashi placed a finger in the air to help make his point. "And I'm going to Ichiraku."
"See ya." Iruka lifted a hand and no more than that.
Amaya looked between Iruka and Kakashi and quickly weighed her options. Suien was more interested in her, but that didn't mean he wouldn't stop for fun along the way. "Iruka, are you sure you don't want to at least come with us? I feel uncomfortable leaving you out here on your own."
They were momentarily pinned by shaded, dark eyes. "Yes, I'm sure."
Amaya studied him for a moment before turning to follow Kakashi's trail back into Konoha.
"Bye for now….Amaya-chan…" The Chuunin plopped down in front of the stone, automatically reaching out and tracing those well worn characters. His hand strayed to the new incisions, stroking them, eyes closing. These brave ninja, taken out by a bastard missing nin…
Footsteps approached behind him. Iruka sensed it was a strong Jounin, probably Kakashi coming back to say something to him. Why couldn't he just be left alone? A hand landed on Iruka's shoulder and a hot whisper hit his ear. "Lovely, aren't they?"
Iruka's eyes didn't open, though he flushed and bowed his head. "Good evening, Suien-san."
Iruka's path of escape was cut off when Suien's hand rested on Iruka's other shoulder. "Did you know them well?" The voice relaxed into a normal tone, but it didn't distance from the Chuunin's ear.
"No."
"Too bad. They were very lively fellows." Suien chuckled at his own pun. Hair fluttered across Iruka's neck as Suien switched ears, forcing the Chuunin to tilt his head slightly. "Tsk, tsk, not checking the windows before entering. What are they teaching now days?"
"The same thing we've always taught, Suien-san. How to kill." Iruka let his hand fall from the stone.
"You must be doing something different in Konoha," Suien crooned in Iruka's ear, lips pressing against bare flesh, "because the only thing your people do in battle is die."
The Chuunin's eyes opened half way. "Perhaps."
"If I were to kill you now," Suien began, hands sliding down and taking hold of the Chuunin's arms. Suien promptly flipped both backwards and pinned them to Iruka's back. "Would your name go on the Hero Stone?"
"No." Iruka answered with a breathy whisper.
"And why is that, child?" The voice became a murmur. "Do they not consider all ninja heroes?"
"Would you call yourself a hero, Suien-san?"
Suien chuckled, eyes narrowing at the same time. "Like I said, you have personality." Iruka shouted as a thumb pressed through his bandaged arm and dug into his wound. "And they don't recognize it here, do they?"
"I couldn't say."
The thumb dug further into the wound. Iruka felt the supporting rod snap against his skin with a loud pop. Suien jerked the arm further, misaligning the bone.
"No!" Iruka screamed and cringed, gritting his teeth together.
The pressure lifted very, very slightly. "That's a good boy." Suein shoved Iruka forward and the Chuunin's head cracked into the stone. "Mm, mm, mm." The Jounin licked his lips. "What am I to do with such a clumsy bastard such as yourself? No one is really going to miss you anyway. Perhaps I should string you up for the birds? They'd appreciate you."
"If that's what you believe…" Thanks to his students and the people of Konoha, he wasn't so easily suckered into that line of thought. Iruka knew he wasn't worthless or underappreciated. Unnoticed, perhaps, but never dismissed.
"Oh, I believe it." Suien's knee pressed into Iruka's back, forcing him further against the carvings. "So, do tell me what's so special about this place, mm? Do only Jounin get their names written up here?"
"Any Shinobi…that's died…for a noble cause…" Iruka cringed again.
"Ahh, I see." The eight lilies were slowly crushed by Iruka as he was jammed further into the hero stone. "So let me do you a favor, Iruka-kun. After I kill you, I'll write your name up here in your blood. Sure, with the next rain it'll wash away, but at least you'll be able to have half a moment of glory." He laughed, releasing Iruka's bad arm.
"Thank you, Suien-san. You're far too generous."
A fistful of Iruka's hair was suddenly snatched up. His head wrenched back and pelted forward, knocking harshly against the marble. "Don't you forget it, child," his hot breath growled into his ear. Iruka was lifted up from the ground as the enemy stood. Suien tossed Iruka to the side and a foot landed on his chest, knocking the breath out of him. The missing nin stared down at him through deep brown eyes with a twisted glint. He flipped out a kunai and threw it at Iruka's shoulder. Blood splattered into the air. "After I'm through with you, I'll go play with Amaya-chan, yes?"
"…h…a…g-go…ah…"
Iruka kept analyzing and replaying Suien's movements, but the man left no openings. He couldn't henge, he couldn't use his doppelganger technique yet. All he needed was an opening. Just a small chance to get at least a few feet away from the psychotic missing nin.
"Go ahead?" The man grinned widely, flipping out another kunai. It pinned Iruka's other shoulder. "Two." He flipped another and it landed in Iruka's right wrist. "Three." He flipped a kunai to the side and back, hitting Iruka square in the thigh. The muscle automatically retracted and Iruka screamed. "Oh, ho! Four!" He flipped out another. "This one's for your throat, dearest."
Well shit, this was bad.
HOOT!
God, and the birds just had to appear out of nowhere right when he was about to die. Those- birds… Iruka's eye twitched and he felt his mind starting to slip. One shot. That's all he had. And as he screamed, blade ripping flesh and muscles, the kunai he'd wrenched from the opposite shoulder struck, knocking the rather large owl out of the tree. It plummeted to the ground and landed on top a mildly surprised Suien, which gave him just enough time to run like hell. Iruka's hands clapped together and his image replicated. He continued to run.
Suien threw a kunai at the nearest Iruka. It poofed out of existence as the others leapt into the trees. "Suiton, Suishouha!" A gigantic crash of water swirled around the Taki Jounin. Suien's hands thrust forward and each of the Irukas were swept out of the trees. The forest bent with the force of the wave, and the doppelgangers disappeared.
"Iruuuuka-kuuuuun!" Suien catcalled as he formed more seals. "Mizu bunshin no jutsu." Three Suiens slowly rose out of the ankle deep water. They laughed at Suien's sides and flipped into the trees. Each copy began to shout Iruka's name, making bird calls, and shaking the trees.
Pain occupied most of Iruka's mind; hurt which he desperately tried to shut out. What was left was the singular determination to find a capable Shinobi, pass on his message and then turn to face his death. Under that priority, he felt fear. "Henge no jutsu," he murmured, making a few branches grow more leaves. The extra camouflage might grant him a few precious seconds.
Iruka finished with his signature Bunshin jutsu, producing only three doppelgangers that appeared on the tree limb beside him. They split.
"Gottcha!" An arm reached out from behind a trunk and grabbed an Iruka by the ponytail. A kunai was thrust through its temple and it exploded into smoke. Suien was going to play dirty.
---
"More ramen miso?" Both Jounin regarded their bowls before they glanced at the man brandishing a heavy metal spoon at them.
"Yes please." Amaya grinned, setting down the chopsticks beside her empty bowl. The ramen at Ichiraku was the best she'd ever tasted in her life. She then understood why Naruto liked ramen so much.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of frantic, heavy foot falls. Both Jounin looked over their shoulders. Amaya stood up and pushed the cloth to the side. "It's Iruka-kun…" She looked back at the man. "You know what, cancel that order. Kakashi-kun, I think there's troub-"
"KAKASHI! AMAYA!" The dirtied, bloodied sensei nearly ran into Kakashi, halting just in time. "Suien's at the Hero's monument and he's going to KILL ME! I might be…I might…"
"It's a replication." Kakashi murmured. He ignored the frantic shouts from the Ichiraku manager. The manager and Iruka were good friends, and finding the boy in this state disturbed him. "Let's go. Iruka-san, go inform the other Shinobi."
Amaya and Kakashi dashed out through the street.
"But…I'm out of chakara…" The duplicate sobbed before poofing out of existence.
---
Iruka's scream rang through the air and then vanished in a puff of smoke. "Hey! HEY!" Suien shouted, looking around at the dusky, swamped area. "You're duplicate is gone!" He almost sang it like a troublemaking child.
Iruka currently hid in the topmost branches of a tree just a few yards from Suien. He'd used the last of his chakara on henges and concealment. All that was left was his weapons and wits, which, as of late, were rather lacking.
Iruka was suddenly jerked downward by a hand from below. He lost his balance and toppled out, falling through several branches before being caught by a second Suien. The missing nin grinned, touching Iruka's bloody face. "Oh, how cute. You're blushing."
Iruka responded with a forced smile. A kunai knife was thrust into Suien's leg. It stuck in place, but rather than blood, water dribbled out.
"Hoot." The Jounin grinned. Three other Suiens appeared in the tree around Iruka. The doppelganger grabbed hold of Iruka very tightly, and he leapt down to the ground. The Chuunin thrust a second weapon into his captor's chest. It turned to water and drenched him. Unfortunately, he had three more Suien to deal with, only one of which was real.
"Well, it's been nice playing with you, Iruka-kun." They whipped out Kunai knives that glinted in the twilight. How appropriate it seemed. "I'll wrap this up quickly n-" it splashed onto Iruka. The other two Suiens looked over and then disappeared.
"Iruka-kun!" Amaya's voice graced his ears. Never before had Iruka been so grateful to hear his name shouted in desperation.
Kakashi appeared at the sensei's side. "Mm. Close one."
"Yes…too close." Iruka groaned, slumping against a tree. His eyes fell to his right leg thigh. There was a kunai stuck in it. "Haha, I forgot about that one, can you…believe it?"
"Close your eyes," Kakashi warned before he jerked it free. He handed it back to the cursing Iruka. Kakashi formed a few seals and guided Iruka to the ground, hidden behind bushes. The Chuunin felt what was left of his chakara fade away to a very quiet presence. "Amaya-chan." Kakashi spoke as he finished concealing his friend. "Where is he?"
She had already disappeared into the trees. Kakashi quickly followed suite.
The battlefield had suddenly fallen very silent. With the arrival of the two Jounin, it appeared as though Suien was quite finished with games. The fun had been spoiled.
Amaya dashed out into the open, apparently attempting to change her location. A kunai zipped out of the trees and nailed her in the back. The replication disappeared.
"Shit," Suien muttered. He heard very light footsteps. Kakashi was on the move towards him. He jumped higher in the trees and then across to another one. A searing pain made him flinch, and his leg gave out.
Amaya looked up to him with a crooked grin. She yanked her knife out of his leg and water trickled down onto her face. The duplication flipped downwards, slamming his foot in her stomach with unrestrained momentum. Blood splattered from her mouth and she staggered backwards on the branch, clinging with only chakara. Suien took the opening and chucked his fist across her face. The girl dropped down and swept her leg to the side, tripping the duplicate out of the tree.
Suien's bunshin shouted during his decent to earth, and his body splashed into the water.
"Amaya-chan."
The girl gasped and whirled around, throwing a shuriken with the motion.
Kakashi caught it out of the air and handed it back to her. "Be careful with that."
"Sorry." The two shifted behind some leaves and concealed their location. Splashing caught Amaya's attention. The water on the ground had given away someone's location. Her eyes landed on Suien just as he slipped out of view.
A sharp, cold piece of metal pressed under her chin and she was suddenly jerked backwards. "What?!" She glanced to the side and Kakashi peered over her shoulder, grin twisting through the fabric of his cloth. Her cobalt eyes widened. "Henge."
"Yes."
Amaya let out a cry of pain as the blade dug into her throat. Her image vanished in smoke. Suien cursed and backed into the leaves again.
The two ally Jounins exchanged glances behind the bushes near their target. Kakashi nodded confidently, and Amaya slipped up into the tree. Kakashi stepped into the open. He waited, making no move to leave his position. The copy-nin wanted an open battle.
Water splashed as Suien dropped down from a tree. "Shiringan no Kakashi, eh?"
The masked Jounin looked over to the missing nin. His hands were casually pocketed. "Some say so."
Suien's lips curled into a grin. "Let me see it," he demanded.
"No." Kakashi waved a dismissive hand, silhouetted by moonlight and reflected on the ankle deep water that covered the land.
The opponent frowned and shifted his foot to the side. The ripples their subtle movements created collided between them. "No? Why not?"
Kakashi's eye narrowed upon him. "It would be a bother."
Suien did not cover his anger. The Jounin charged towards Kakashi, reaching his arms to the sides and tossing eight shuriken at him. Light flashed as Kakashi knocked them out of the air with collected precision. Suien skidded to a halt, a spray of water accenting the motion. A small smile flickered to life as he disappeared.
Kakashi whirled around and canceled Suien's kunai with his own. The two matched strength in an attempt to knock the other away. Suien threw a punch at Kakashi's head, but that too was blocked and matched. A kick swung at Kakashi's side, and he took the blow, sliding to the side with the force.
Suien flipped to Kakashi's side. The man's hand shot out for Kakashi's head. His fingers curled around the black cloth of the hitae-ate and wrenched backwards. The missing nin disappeared, Kakashi's headband included.
Kakashi stiffened, alone in the open area. The Jounin's grey eye closed and head bowed slightly. His hands clenched.
"A scar." Suien's voice came from in front of Kakashi. The water shifted around Kakashi's ankles as the man walked forward. "A pity it spoiled your surely pretty face, Hatake-san."
The Jounin's eyes snapped open with such ferociousness it made Suien gasp and step backwards. Kakashi didn't move. The pupil of the Shiringan eye slowly rotated. It was fixed on the man like a hawk after prey.
Suien quickly regained composure. The hitae-ate was tossed through the air and it splashed when it hit ground. "Excellent." He chuckled lowly, leaping back once to put some ground between the two. "Now let's see what the Shiringan no Kakashi can do." Suien's hands began to flip together.
Kakashi copied.
"Suiton Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" both simultaneously shouted. The water they stood in was sucked up as two giant, spinning pillars of water lifted into the air. The pillars morphed into the shape of a dragon and stalled momentarily when it could no longer successfully intake more water. They charged one another, only remotely handicapped by the poor location. Trees cracked and crashed in the night, and a fine mist was sprayed as the two jutsus collided and tangled with one another, fighting for dominance.
Suien chuckled lowly as his technique began to win over the copy-nin's. "I suppose a copycat is never quite as good as the original!" He laughed whole-heartedly. It was prematurely cut by the copy-nin's returned expression.
Kakashi smirked, eyes locking with the water Jounin's.
A glint of metal blinded Suien, and a blade suddenly pressed under his neck. His eyes widened as he tilted his head to see his unknown attacker. "A-Amaya-chan? Where did you-"
"I thought you knew, Suien-sensei," She grinned. "I'm always behind you."
The explosion of water from the disengaged jutsu matched Suien's scream. The two dragons were released from their combat and the great wave fell back to earth. Its body rebounded into the air in the form of grey mist.
When the spray faded, it revealed a panting Kozue Amaya. Pink swirls graced the water at her feet. She stared down at the limp form before her, and then dropped the bloody kunai to her side. "Bastard Jounin."
Kakashi walked towards her and kneeled down halfway. He picked up his hitae-ate and tied it in place. "Mm," he nodded agreement.
---
Moonlight blanketed the land like a low hanging fog, granting all objects a silver-white sheen. Kakashi and Amaya walked side by side back to the Hero Stone, near which Iruka was previously hidden away. Their eyes landed on the shape of a body sprawled next to the memorial. Beside it was a second, smaller body of an owl. Iruka gurgled and moaned.
Amaya ran ahead of Kakashi, a slight limp in her step. "Iruka-kun!" She dropped to her knees by his side, quickly checking his health.
The silver-haired Jounin was second to approach. He placed a hand on his hip, staring down at the Chuunin through one grey orb. "Iruka-san, didn't I tell you to stay put?"
"Ehh? Kakashi-san?" Iruka tried lifting his head, but a sudden rushing, pounding headache stopped the motion. Instead he lifted his arm in acknowledgement of their presence. "Good afternoon?"
Amaya stared into his glazed eyes. "We need to get him to the hospital, Kakashi-kun."
He nodded. "I'll bring med-nins here. If we move him too much, he'll loose blood. Keep a close eye on him, Amaya-chan." Kakashi disappeared.
Amaya started to rip cloth from the edge of her shirt. She tied it above the wound on Iruka's leg so it would act as a tourniquet. The Chuunin squirmed. "Hold still, Iruka-kun. You'll hurt yourself more." She ripped off another strip and pressed down on the sensei's shoulder, trying to reduce the bleeding.
"Aaaaaah…" Iruka moaned louder. "Amaya-chan…I doubt I could hurt myself anymore than I already…" He paused to take in a deep, careful breath of air. "Have."
Amaya gave him a soft smile. "Why are you out here in the open? What if we failed and Suien had come back here?"
"Actually…I knew he was dead before I came out…." He winced. "Nooo, it hurts."
Amaya's pressure on the wound didn't relent. "I would rather you not bleed out…" She brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Don't just assume silence means its over."
"…Ok." Iruka graced her with a half smile. His lips were cracked and bleeding.
White clad ninja surged out of the trees, five in total, instantaneously surrounding Amaya and Iruka. One of them looked suspiciously familiar. The almost amused glint in the man's eyes sparked a memory in Iruka's mind. "Hey, didn't we just bandage that limb?"
Iruka groaned. "Please, no…"
Tekki, the hawk-nosed, golden eyed med-nin, shook his head. "What have you been doing, Iruka-sensei?"
A female med-nin approached Amaya, gently gripping the girl's shoulders and guiding her to stand so the other nins had room to work. "You did well."
The squad nodded in unison. Tekki motioned for the two bearing a stretcher to pick up their cargo. "Let's see what we've got this time, eh?" He ran a pair of critical goldenrod eyes over Iruka as the man was lifted up on the stretcher. "Kunai wound here, kunai wound there. And there, and there, and there and there. Oh, and there too, that's a surprise. We've got a broken bone, again, and that toe there looks like it's broken too." The med nin rubbed his chin. "Got a couple of ribs cracked too. Ouch. Gotta hurt."
Iruka glared at him.
"Yeah, think you've got a concussion too. You've got this crazed look to you. Mm, definitely going to have to keep overnight observation. You guys ready for another one?"
The female sighed. "Tekki-san, you're going to get yourself killed if you keep teasing injured ninja."
"Hell, Riku-san, they don't like sympathy. Makes 'em soft. Now then, let's get- oh, look at that wrist. Missed that one. I think a couple of bones in your hand…eh, we'll sort that out."
Iruka moaned, if possible, louder than he'd been doing the past five minutes.
Tekki bowed his head to Kakashi, then to Amaya. "He'll be stable and sane by tomorrow, I assure you."
"Tekki-san, these combined injuries are going to take at least two w-"
"Tomorrow, tomorrow." Another hand signal was flashed through the air and the med-nin darted off, leaving both Jounin alone in the torn clearing.
Amaya shuddered and shook her head. "I hope he's Ok…"
"Amaya-chan, you still haven't completed your mission." Kakashi looked over his shoulder to where Suien's body had been left.
Amaya's eyes widened a fraction. Some hunter nin she was, forgetting to destroy the body immediately. With a glance through the trees, she could see its distinct form. That was a relief, and yet, a sobering, depressing affect took over her mind. Suien had been her sensei, the Jounin who had taken her into his home, into his life. He was more than a sensei. The man used to be a parent and a friend to her. "Kakashi-kun, go ahead and tend to your wounds." She'd do this alone… "I'll be right after you."
"Alright." The Jounin nodded, understanding the expression on her face. He started off through the woods towards the village.
Amaya slowly approached the body and then kneeled down by it, uncaring of the blood and water now soaking her to the bone. The dim, natural luminescence of the air cast shadows across his face. Her hand lifted and she pushed down his eyelids and traced his cheek bone. "I… am really very sorry, Suien-sensei…" Amaya formed the seals that she'd rehearsed in her mind since the day she left Takigakure. With a palm on his chest, the body turned to dust and disappeared into the ground. "Mission completed…."
"Shiiiit. I never liked hunter nins for a reason, Kuro-kun." Amaya stiffened as a hardly audible whisper tickled her left ear. There was no presence next to her nor could she sense anything even if she strained her capabilities.
"Nor did I, Kuro-kun."
Amaya's heart rate skyrocketed and with a gasp, she turned around so quickly that she landed on her bottom. Her eyes flickered around to find no one behind her.
"That is something I have not seen before, Kuro-kun. A hunter nin so silly."
"'A silly hunter nin,' Kuro-kun. Don't speak so strangely."
"Strange is as strange begets, Nii-san." Leaves were stirred by a lazy breeze, which made it seem as though the forest had been brought to life and was dancing to a melody only it could hear. The voices, just as the wind, were not coming from any particular direction. However, whenever these ninja spoke, their words were soft, tentative, and close. No shadows belied their locations; no movement of leaves or insignificant sound was given for her to pick up on.
Amaya slowly stood up from the draining water and produced her last kunai knife. Her blue eyes flickered around, searching desperately for the origin of the voices. "Step forward," the demand was interrupted by a nervous crack of her voice.
"Hoho, silly thing. What a strange girl, Kuro-kun!"
"Yes, yes! Poor Suien-sama…I will miss playing with him."
"Come now, Kuro-kun, we aren't children anymore. We do not play, we…entertain."
"I suppose so," came the begrudged response. For a split second, Amaya saw a pair of brilliant golden eyes peering at her from the underbrush to her right. They vanished.
Amaya turned, kunai at the ready but not quite willing to let go of it until she knew the exact location.
"I want to pet her, Nii-san."
"No, Kuro-kun. Maybe later."
"But I want to, Nii-san…" This time, the whisper had been even lower, and Amaya felt breath on the back of her neck for an instant.
"Absolutely not!"
Silence.
After a stiff moment, the voice continued, "Ahh, no Suien corpse to retrieve. We must go Kuro-kun."
"…..Naaa….." There was a scraping noise, metal on metal, nearby. "But you're going to promise me I get this one."
"Fine. I get the other two."
"What?! No! I want the bloody one!"
"You get HER! I want the bloody one and the copy-nin!"
Amaya's eyes widened. She couldn't stop her body from trembling, and she lifted her freezing hand to the back of her neck. The Takigakure nin wouldn't be able to escape until she was sure of their locations. "P… pet?" she murmured softly. What freaks were these people?
"Selfish brat," the argument continued.
"Kuro-kun is the selfish one." One of the ninjas had obviously hit the other because the second, identical voice ushered a low curse.
"We have to go now, Amaya-chan."
"Yes, dearly sorry. We were hoping you wouldn't be alive anymore. It makes our burden so much more troublesome, eh, Nii-san?"
"It does."
"See you later! Tell your friends the shadows are smiling tonight." This was apparently very funny to her concealed visitors, for they erupted in raucous laughter. Again, one of them must have hit the other because there was a loud 'thud' and a cry of pain. A strong wind current brushed over Konoha's forest. After the leaves settled, silence reigned.