Chapter nineteen: Gaara and Sasuke, uh oh…
Moriko sighed as she ran after Sakura, who was chasing Naruto and his fanclub. Could those two be civil for more than ten minutes? She turned a corner, gasping as Konohamaru was lifted into the air by his collar. The blonde woman beside him merely watched, deciding not to do anything. Moriko scowled, melting into the darkness as the man holding the child threatened him. Just as he was about to punch the kid, she appeared behind him. Before he could react, she had Konohamaru out of reach and had a dagger at his throat. All was still. "Do you really want to die over such a simple accident?" She asked, cocking her head to side.
The painted man scowled, attempting to smack her. She easily ducked his blow before grabbing the extended arm and propelling him into the air. He flew a few feet before landing on his back. He wheezed in pain, slowly attempting to push himself up. "You're dead, freak!" A small pebble flew out of nowhere, smacking the man right between the eyes. Moriko glanced up, only to see sasuke reclining on a branch, tossing another pebble in his hand. "Tell me, what are you doing in our village? The blonde woman blushed, staring openly at the uchiha. Moriko rolled her eyes. "Great, another Uchiha fangirl. Just what this village needs." The blonde woman merely sighed, lightly placing the child back on his feet.
Moriko tuned the conversation out, choosing to keep an eye on the three trembling children. She didn't trust the painted man or the blonde bitch. Her gut was telling her that they were planning something… dangerous. "Kankuro… You disgrace our village." "Ah, so that's what paint-boy's name is." She glanced up to see a pale red-head with teal eyes and the kanji symbol for love scarred on his forehead. His eyes caught her attention. "There's so much pain in his eyes… they remind me of me." Her gaze softened and she felt the strange urge to pull the child into a tight hug, but she refrained. "S-sorry Gaara, it won't happen again."
She watched the scene unfold with interest, one hand casually resting on the pouch on her thigh. Suddenly, those sharp teal eyes landed on her. "Jeez, this kid glares like a basilisk." "What's your name?" She lightly smirked under her mask. "I'm the Red Death, but you can call me Red… for now." Kankuro grew pale, but still managed to smirk at her. "So you're the assassin we've heard so much about. You don't seem like much."
She couldn't help but laugh. "A sunagakeru ninja who picks on kids… certainly unimpressive, if you ask me. So tell me, just how many people have you killed?" He clenched his teeth, glaring at her. Moriko merely returned the stare with disinterest before returning her gaze to the red-head. "Has he been staring at me this entire time?" As if hearing her thoughts, he looked at the uchiha, as if contemplating something. Moriko blinked, noticing small tendrils of sand writhing on the ground by Gaara's feet. "So this must be the jinchuriki for Shukaku. Looks like the seal is breaking, poor kid." She could feel Shukaku's power moving restlessly within the child, as if begging for escape. "…. So what are you doing in Konoha?"
The blonde rummaged around in her bag before pulling out three passports. "We're here for the chuunin exams."