Chapter 3:
"Can we first talk about how crappy this whole thing is?" Kyoske whined. "Or better yet how terrible this whole day has been?"
"We don't have any time to whine. We have to get started on this mission right away." Hideki said, pulling the file close to him.
I was holding the team photo in my hand and was busy studying their faces. Team 7. That was what they were called. Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha. Their squad leader was Kakashi Hatake who went by two names: White Fang and Copy ninja. As laid back as he looked, he was strong and had numerous missions under his belt not to forget that our village also owed him our lives. Without him, everything we had and knew would have been burned to the ground.
"Miyuki, are you listening?" Hideki sighed.
I looked away from the picture, blinking rapidly. "I'm sorry, what happened?"
Kyoske groaned. "No she's too busy getting all googly-eyed over the Uchiha kid."
I felt my cheeks burn as I glared at Kyoske.
"I am not getting googly-eyed." I said.
Kyoske waved a hand through the air. "Whatever."
"We said you were going to be the one to follow Uchiha." Hideki said.
I opened my mouth to protest but Hideki lifted a hand.
"This mission has to be done right so we'll need to stick to our specialties. Uchiha has trust issues and judging by that photo he doesn't even let his teammates in. You're good at getting people to open up and trust you so you'll be in charge of mostly Uchiha but also the other two Genin."
"Wha—"
"Make them eat out of the palm of your hand." Kyoske said. "I'll stick to learning more about the Sound village."
"Seedy investigative work?" I groaned. "Why do I have to baby sit?"
"Because you're good at it and if I do it I might kill them all." Hideki said.
"And if I do it you'll need to take me in because I'll destroy the village." Kyoske said.
"But Kyoske gets to do the fun work!" I protested.
"While you get to sit on your butt and pretend that everything is all fine and dandy. If anything we're doing the more dangerous work." Kyoske said.
"I'll stick to hacking whatever I can. Information on the other Genin coming to the exams, the Sound Village. I'll even hack into the ANBU database." Hideki said. "Anything and everything so we can stay on top of everything and everyone."
"Sounds good." Kyoske said and grabbed a few papers from the file.
"So unfair." I groaned.
"If we need help we'll come to you." Kyoske said.
I pouted and as much as it burned me that the boys got to do actual work, something productive, I knew what their real motive was. I looked at the two of them, watching them brainstorm and talk over the mission as that familiar tug came again and this time a few images slipped through my mind. Me, one of Orochimaru's many pawns, another victim, except I could never remember feeling like one. My memory with him was foggy and it was as if I had been asleep for a good portion of it. One minute I was in the hospital room and the next Megumi-sensei was looking down at me, tears shining in her eyes as she assured me I would be going home. I had glimpses of the bad, of blood splattered rooms, foul smells, and violent screams echoing from long hallways. But I had glimpses of the good, Orochimaru smiling down at me and holding my hand and treating me with such kindness, convincing me that he would protect me.
But it had all been a lie and when I had caught sight of all I had done while under his control…there was no questioning why the boys wanted me as far from him as possible. They were afraid after all these years, that I would go down that violent path again. They were afraid the deeper I sank into the world of Orochimaru and uncovering his purpose, that I would like it, miss it, and go back to it. I looked at my teammates, feeling, not for the first time, the weight of their feelings for me. I was like their little sister, but I also knew that they had not always felt that way. There had been a time during our captivity where they been terrified of me.
It was hard to believe that Kyoske with his big mouth, snarky smile and confident eyes, could be afraid of anything. He had wavy, brown hair, with bangs so long he was constantly brushing them away with his hand, but there was always that one piece that came back over and managed to block the symbol on his headband. He was the first to rush off into battle, the first to finish his meals, the first to do any and everything. I had distant memories that he had always been like that too, his competitive nature never failing even under Orochimaru's clutches. Kyoske was a skilled fighter, skilled in all aspects just like the rest of us, but he was even better when it came to swordsmanship. He carried a small one at all times and it was his most prized possession but he was always careful to never depend on it too much. That was his belief as a ninja, becoming dependent on one technique made you known for using it and in order to be a successful ninja, one had to be skilled in all aspects, not just one.
Then there was Hideki, who was the sanity in our group. A skill shinobi in the art of espionage, Hideki was great negotiating, at getting in your head and he was even better in battle. He was skilled in Water dragon techniques but he favored hand to hand combat. He kept all his weapons in a small weapons pouch at his waist along with a small gourd of water for his jutsu. He was the most serious between Kyoske and I and he always wore a scowl, his dark eyes always watching behind his dark sunglasses. His forehead protector was always fastened on his forehead, his hair long and shaggy and a shade of dark purple.
"So, you think Sensei is mad at us?" Kyoske asked, sounding bored as he looked through the files.
"Mad at you? Yes. Us? No." Hideki grumbled.
"Me? What did I do?" Kyoske asked.
"You've been getting under her skin all day. I'm surprised she hasn't choked you yet. What was with that assumption by the way? Her and the White Fang?"
"That was a bit much." Hideki pointed out dryly.
"I wasn't implying anything!" Kyoske said before giving it some thought. Then he scratched the back of his head. "But I guess…I guess it came out that way."
"You think?" I said and stretched, catching a glimpse of myself in my long mirror. I was still in my mission clothes even though I had vowed to strip out of them the minute we made it back to my apartment. All I had done was loosen my hair from it's braid, and now it framed my face in loose curls, ending just below my waist. I studied my oval face, my big purple eyes, small nose and polite mouth. I was petite, with a small waist and features meant for a girl well into her teen years, not a pre-teen. The boys were constantly coming to my defense when it came to perverts but they did it more for the perverts than for me because once I caught them it was hard for me to let them go and for my hands to stay clean.
"Ugh! Whatever!" Kyoske growled, frustrated. "I just found it odd she didn't mention we met these guys that's all."
"I can't believe the White Fang is this man." Hideki said, turning Kakashi's ninja ID card around. "I mean he doesn't look like much."
"That's what getting old does to you." Kyoske yawned.
"He's like in his late twenties." I said.
"Old." Kyoske said and I rolled my eyes.
"Hopeless." I sighed.
"Wait a second." Hideki gasped.
"What's wrong?" I asked, shocked by the concern and shock in his voice. Hideki was never shocked.
"I can't believe it." Hideki breathed.
"Can't believe what?" Hideki asked, leaning in to catch a good look of the file Hideki was holding. Hideki moved the file away so that he could read it over.
"That Uzumaki boy." He continued.
"You mean the doofy looking one?" Kyoske asked, nodding toward the group picture. "What about him?"
I looked down at the picture and zoomed in on Naruto Uzumaki, the blonde boy with what seemed like whiskers on his face and the clearest blue eyes I had ever seen. His skin was tan from hours spent training in the sun and something told me that scowl in Uchiha's direction was well deserved.
"He's…there's…he's a Jinchūriki." Hideki said, placing the file in his hands on the floor. "He's the holder of the Nine Tailed Fox that destroyed the nearly destroyed the village all those years ago."
"No way." Kyoske said, scrambling for the file and Naruto's ID card. "This little moron is the Jinchūriki?"
"That would explain the red cloud on the bridge." I said and then tapped my chin. "Come to think of it, it did look like a fox."
"No! No! There's no damn way!" Kyoske protested. "It's a joke. It has to be."
"What if that's Orochimaru's plan? What if he wants to use that boy to destroy the Leaf so that he can take Uchiha in the chaos?" Hideki asked.
"That's a bit much, don't you think?" Kyoske asked. "But there's no way this kid is the Jinchūriki."
"Kyoske." I said, as I thought Hideki's words over. While the idea was a bit stretched, I wouldn't be surprised if Naruto was worked into the plan somehow and served as Orochimaru's distraction.
"But I can see it." I told Hideki.
"Now you have to keep an eye on him too." Hideki said.
"Wait? You guys seriously buy this Jinchūriki nonsense?" Kyoske asked.
I nodded at Hideki stiffly.
"We'll help you of course. We'll take turns if anything."
"What about Sakura?" Kyoske asked.
"She likes Uchiha, or he means a lot to her. I don't know if they're close or anything but if something happens and she notices, I have a feeling he'll tell her and she'll be the one to keep it a secret." I said.
"Good catch." Hideki said. "In that case we have to get to know them overall. You focus on Uchiha, Miyuki and we'll all try to keep an eye on the others."
"There's no way he's a Jinchūriki, though." Kyoske said.
"Kyoske." I growled. "He is so accept it."
"Yeah but he's doofy." Kyoske said.
"And so are you." Hideki said.
Kyoske glared at him. "Shut up."
Hideki looked at me. "Think you can handle this?"
I looked down at the team picture, taking in each of their faces and managed a nod, "I can handle it."
"Remember the mission, Miyuki." Hideki said. "Don't get too attached to them. If we have to kill one of them, we have to be able to cut our ties and put the mission before ourselves."
I looked at him. "I can kill them if we need to."
"We're gonna kill them?" Kyoske asked.
Hideki shrugged. "I'm not sure but if they get in our way, we have no other choice. If we have to fight them during the exams, we will and we will defeat them because our mission requires us too."
"We get it, follow the mission." I said. "We won't get it twisted."
"Yeah, we got this Hideki." Kyoske said before pushing up to his feet and stretching. "Alright as fun as this has been it's about time I get home to sleep."
"Yeah, before this turns into a slumber party." Hideki said as he gathered the loose papers back into the folder.
"You guys are leaving already?" I asked, rising to my feet with Hideki.
"Yeah, we already know the mission like the back of our hands. Now to just train and get in that Chunin exam mind set." Kyoske said, as he threw a few quick jabs at the air.
"Do whatever it takes to win and get this mission over and done with. Orochimaru must be stopped and we cannot let him take Uchiha." Hideki said.
"Right." Kyoske and I said in unison. Hideki nodded and headed for the door.
"Night." Kyoske said with a wave as I closed the door behind them.
I pressed my back against the door and looked down at the photo one last time. I had swiped it before Hideki had had a chance to grab it and crumpled it into my fist before he noticed. There was something about the photo, something about this team. I looked at Naruto as Kyoske's doofy comments rolled around my head. His file had said he was hyperactive and craved attention. He was obnoxious and loud and was probably more trouble than he was worth but he was important to keep an eye on. He was a Jinchūriki the file that had been labeled as such had been stamped "CONFIDENTIAL". His team didn't know and I wondered, if he even knew.
Then, there was Sakura, with her sweet smile and flowing pink hair. Her file had her marked as a book-smart kunoichi. Her fighting skills were basic at best, enough strictly to survive and nothing else. She was even had good entry-level medic skills but I knew on some level she couldn't connect fully with her teammates. Naruto's parents had died while Sasuke had watched his entire clan get murdered right before his very eyes. Sakura had grown up with both of her parents and for the most part her life was seemingly normal. She didn't understand what t felt like to not have parents, to not have anyone. She didn't understand what it meant to be fully and utterly alone.
There was the White Fang, skilled and laid back. He was a far cry from the great shinobi we had read about from our history classes at the Academy. His story had been the stuff of fairy tales and I remembered little girls dreaming of the White Fang coming to their rescue just as he had for Megumi-sensei all those times. But I knew from his expression and words on the bridge that something had happened between them, something that he had blamed himself for and now…now she was alive and well and he couldn't understand how.
Lastly, there was Sasuke Uchiha. His file had revealed that he was a star student, excelling in all areas. He was quiet and kept to himself and seemed calm for the most part except there was a look in his onyx eyes and it was dark and sinister and enough to make my stomach rumble. His family had been massacred right before his eyes and that was something I sympathized with him for, a pain I knew intimately. But what made us different was that I didn't carry that look, I didn't carry that burning tidal wave of pain and hatred for the world behind my eyes. But, that was something one learned from being with others and something told that Sasuke hadn't had anyone to teach him.
Then there was the team overall, different personalities with different views on life thrown together and expected to get along and work together like one single unit. They had egos and dreams and passions and I had a good feeling they could get blinded with it all too.
But, looking at Naruto there was a fire in his eyes that I had never seen before. He might have been a lot of things but he had vision and because of that I knew he would go far. Looking at Sakura, she might be mediocre and in the way sometimes, but she would learn to deal with the boys as best she could while lifting them up because that was who she was. An adjuster. She'd make the most of it. Kakashi would be there to show them the way, teach them how to work together, tell them to toughen up when things looked bleak. He'd b the one holding the torch and all they had to do was follow behind him. But, Sasuke…I wasn't sure where he fit in. I wasn't sure what he wanted either and it scared me, not being able to get a good read on him. Where did he fit into the picture?
I moved away from the door, tossing the photo on top of my desk as I began to strip out of my clothes. It would be my job in a week to find out everything I could about Sasuke without spilling any beans about my own painful past. We had more in common than I think anyone realized and while I could use that to my advantage, the last thing I wanted was to think about any of it myself. It wasn't worth it to spend time looking back when looking forward held the most possibility, the most potential.
I climbed into bed and shut off the light, staring at the starkness of my white ceiling, my mind racing. But, I had to protect him. I had to protect Uchiha from Orochimaru, protect him from making the same mistake Kyoske, Hideki and I had made. Following a man with empty words and broken promises. From trusting in an empty god who would lead him down a path filled with pain and blood and sorrow.
I closed my eyes and sighed. I had to and I would. I would protect Sasuke with my life and I would do everything in my power to make sure that he never had to go through what I had. I'd sacrifice myself before I'd let him be taken.
I would. I would.
