Chapter 45
Osaka was surprised. She couldn't believe she found herself where she now was, creeping along a narrow rocky ridge. Munro had led her to the man, pointed him out and even given her the photograph he carried. However the man seemingly wasn't a fan of sitting around, as he had been walking for the last ten minutes. Having been focused on following him, she hadn't even noticed that unusually for her she didn't feel tired. But she wasn't overly keen about the fact the ridge was getting higher and higher above the ground below.
She held a blade, concealed in her palm. Munro had told her about how the man she was following was a former ninja who had been corrupted by money. She had been surprised when the man told her how Iroto, the very person they were investigating, had paid the man to kill. She guessed Iroto was truly an evil person. But first she would need proof that Munro was telling the truth.
She had no idea that Munro was busy watching her.
"Friends, I was shocked when I heard about the murder of our dear mayor!" called out Iroto, standing in the town square. "Yes I say murder! He did not die of natural causes, as I am sure many of you are already aware of!"
Kimura and the two girls slunk back in the crowd as Iroto continued speaking. They hadn't been able to find Osaka. While they had been looking Iroto had appeared, and a crowd had started to gather.
"I will make it my mission to find the person responsible and bring them to justice!" said Iroto to the crowd. "I will be offering a reward and funding an investigation to find the bloodthirsty killer so all of you can remain safe!"
Iroto smiled to himself as some of the crowd cheered eagerly. These people loved him, he knew it was true. And why shouldn't they- he had brought money to the town, had helped rejuvenate this place. He knew from people he had placed in various industries that many would prefer Iroto in charge.
"Seems to like the sound of his own voice" muttered Tomo. Kimura faintly nodded his head in agreement.
"They seem to like him" said Sakaki. She glanced around at the townspeople around them. She could tell one or two were eying them up, asking themselves who these three new people were.
"And I tell you now" said Iroto. "In these dark times, I am willing to put myself forward to help lead this town. Help to pass through the darkness and into the light."
"Yeah I bet that'll kill him" said Tomo sarcastically. Sakaki pondered if Tomo actually possessed different levels of volume, as a few people turned and stared at her.
"As you know, shortly the election will be occurring. I had been planning on running for mayor and since no one else has come forward, I ask your permission to help this town. Though the work may be hard, it is a sacrifice I am willing to make."
Tomo made a mock throwing up sound as the majority of the crowd cheered. Sakaki wondered what they could hope to achieve against a person who had the support of so much of the town. The tall girl jerked in surprise as Kimura poked her on the shoulder to get her attention.
"Come on, lets get out of here" he said.
"I wonder where Osaka is" said Tomo aloud to herself.
"I do know that you are behind me" said the man, as he slowed down, finally coming to a stop. Osaka paused as well, moving her hand behind her back, keeping the blade hidden.
"I am a ninja, so it's quite easy for me to know a little girl like you is following me" he said in a tone of contempt.
"I happen to be a ninja as well" replied Osaka. She felt deep anger, something she had never felt before, about being talked to like this. "And I like to think I do a good job."
"So what brings you tagging along after me?" asked the man. "Want to join my group or something? I'm afraid I don't have space for you."
"I don't think your group exists anymore" said Osaka, feeling a burning sensation. This man was a murderer!
"And what do you mean by that?" asked the man. "Surely a ninja like you should know we move in groups of three unless we are teachers, or specifically hired."
"What I mean" said Osaka, adopting a cold tone that had never before passed her lips, "Is that you killed the rest of your team when you were brought for money."
"That's a pretty big accusation" said the man, taking a few steps towards Osaka. She could see him look down at the high drop. "A very big accusation to make" he repeated.
"Actually my big accusation would be that you murdered an elderly man for money, taking orders from Iroto, a corrupt-"
She was stopped midsentence as the man grabbed her and slammed her against the rocky wall on the opposite side of the narrow path, away from the cliff face. She coughed out in surprise as he started to dig his fingers into her throat, cutting off her air supply. However she wasn't feeling light headed. She felt a deep burning pain in her head, a tremendous pain. Her eyes rolled back into her head as her memories began to blank.
"Yeah I killed that guy, and plenty of people for Iroto" said the male ninja. "In this day and age you need money. Besides how much do a few people matter? You've probably taken lives yourself, just for a different sake…how can you be any different from me?"
She yelled out and surprised the man as suddenly the sheer force of chakra pushed him backwards. It was almost like a strong wind. He slipped down onto the path as Osaka gripped her head. She yelled out as her fingernails dug into the skin, drawing blood. Her legs trembled, as she felt a murderous rage pass throughout her. W-what was this? The man was still, transfixed.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked, as the pain suddenly washed away from Osaka's head.
"Wrong?" she asked. "Oh there's nothing wrong with me" she said, as the feelings washed over her. This felt good. She felt confident, competent. She felt like she could make a difference.
"I'm perfectly fine" she said, kicking the man in the face.
He yelled out as he fell backward, both of his hands reaching out. His fingernails were torn upwards as he clenched the rocky ledge, hanging over a severe drop. Osaka walked two paces forward, stopping to look at the rocky ground and river below. The man started to plead with her.
"You have no place to ask for help" she said as she smashed her foot down on one of his hands, hearing the crack of bones. "What are you going to do now ninja?" she asked.
He started slipping backwards as he tried to grip something with his broken hand. He felt his other hand give way, and let out a scream as he fell. Osaka watched as the body crumpled on the ground below.
She paused, feeling dizzy. She stepped back away, feeling something else…someone else. Who was this…it was her…the her the others knew.
"Wh-what did I do?" she asked herself as she fell back against the rocky wall.
"You punished an evil man" said Munro, walking along the ridge towards her. "You have helped this town."
"B-but" said Osaka, before she fainted.
Munro caught her, resting her on the ground. He brushed her hair back, looking at the healing puncture wounds on the top of her forehead. He smiled to himself. This would be very useful.
"Now rest" he said to Osaka. "Don't get too worked up- I don't want the old you to come back" he said as he picked up the girl. "If your skill can match the chakra I've felt from you, this could be very interesting. This could be very fun."
The figure in black crouched down and looked at the crumpled body. It appeared that someone else had got to the man before he could. He froze suddenly as someone yelled out. That was all he needed- no target, and being detected. He stood up, face to face with a civilian. He turned, noticing out of the corner of his eye a not too tall girl with a slightly confused look.
He started to run across the rocky land, narrowly avoiding potential ankle breaking incidents. Just a few hundred yards and he would reach the cover of the forest. He glanced down in surprise as a shuriken bounced off the rock in front of him, tearing through the fabric of his trousers, grazing his leg slightly.
Was this person one of them?
A short distance back behind him Tomo sprinted after the man. She had been looking for Osaka, having split up from the others. But she couldn't just let this creep get away!
"Hey stop!" she yelled out, as the forest got closer and closer.