Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Up in Flames
As things generally go, our plans get out of hand by the end of the day. For the first time, we decide to go over to Ryo's home, as today we would not be training but planning. If we were to get caught planning at one of the clans, where we normally train after school, one of the adults would probably stop us. But at Ryo's home, with only the chance of his sister's civilian boyfriend being there, we could probably get away with murder. Akio goes back to Yoshino's house first to tell her were we will be, and to see if she has any markers, sting, or old cardboard. As we were planning, Kouta got the bright idea that we should make masks like the anbu wear to make our classroom take over mission feel more legit. Izumi heads off to the Akamichi's to tell Chouji's mom where she will be, and to get some snacks for everyone. And Shouhei does the same, so his civilian parents will know where he is spending the afternoon. Kouta decides that he does not need to tell anyone where he will be, because if someone from his clan is looking for him then can always just track his scent. So, the three of us; Ryo, Kouta, and I walk to Ryo's home after we finish the classroom chores. Today I got to clean the black board while the boys cleaned the floors. If we timed it right, we would make it to Ryo's home the same time that the other three do. As Ryo leads the way, I start to notice that we are actually heading in the direction of where Naruto and I live. I had not been back home since the night before Akio's parents left. A silly part of me wonders if anything has changed since I have been gone, but mostly I just feel nostalgic as we turn a corner and I spy the second floor of Naruto's and my apartment building. Without thinking I take a step towards it out of habit. But I do not get very far. "Manami, where are you going? My home is that way" said Ryo as he reaches out and grabs the back of my shirt, to pull me back on track. Ryo is a very physical person. And while he has no probably talking, he has an easier time expressing himself through actions than he does by using words. That being said, if he wants to make a point, expect to be on the receiving end of a kunai.
I stumble as he pulls me. Almost tripping over Zuzu, who yips at me from where she is walking next to Kouta before I have to grab onto the Inuzuka to keep from falling over completely. Only then does Ryo let go of my shirt. Kouta reaches up and grips my wrists to help me steady myself, drawing my attention to brown hide wrist bands that he is always wearing. We barely even see them because of the long sleeves of his jacket, so I wonder why he even wears them in the first place. "Thank you Kouta" I said once I was balanced. As Kouta lets me go, I looked down at Zuzu. "Sorry Zuzu" I said, for almost tripping over her. The little puppy barks at me and wags her tail; all is forgiven.
Kouta laughs, revealing the sharpness of his canine teeth in his smile. "No problem" he said. "I knew one of you girls would fall for me. I just always thought it would be Izumi, and not miss tomboy" I scowl at him as Ryo rolls his eyes. While Ryo, Shouhei, and Akio have no problem having friends who are girls, none of them really found Kouta's comments concerning Izumi and I interesting. And Izumi and I defiantly did not find them funny. I am not even sure Kouta knows what he is saying. I think it is just something he picked up from the older members of his clan. The nick name, miss tomboy, came from a time when a sparring match between Shouhei and I had turned into a wrestling match that left us rolling around in a puddle for a handful of minutes. I got so dirty that Yoshino would not let me enter her house until she had laid down a trail of old newspaper leading to the bathroom. Which is a story that Akio gleefully told everyone the next day at school, that lead to Kouta coming up with his nickname for me.
"It is just that that is my home" I said pointing to the building to the left of us. "I have not seen it in a while and it is just a sort of habit to go to it". I explained sheepishly, running my right hand through my hair to get it out of my face.
"huh" said Ryo as he stared at my building. "I live over there" he said, pointing to another apartment complex diagonal from my home. "How have we not noticed this before now?"
"Because at the academy Manami is always early and you are always late" intoned Shouhei as he comes up behind us. Making Kouta startle. Shouhei really is good at knowing what will get on people's nerves and what will not.
"Shouhei" Kouta growls with his fists curled. "Don't do that! Save it all for tomorrow!"
Shouhei blinks at the Inuzuka. "But shouldn't you have smelt me coming? You're an Inuzuka" Shouhei stated the obvious.
Turning a bit flushed, Kouta lunges forward, pushing me out of the way, as he traps Shouhei in a head lock, forcing the taller boy to bend his back. Zuzu leaps into action by barking and running circles around Shouhei and her partner. Ending up as mere witnesses standing shoulder to shoulder with each other, Ryo and I exchange looks. It is hard to tell that Shouhei and Kouta have been best friends for as long as they both have been going to the academy. "Do you want to go on ahead of them?" I asked Ryo as some passing genin started to give us weird looks. "because the war will probably be over before they finish" I pause to gesture a free hand at the two boys and the dog rough housing in the middle of the street. "Whatever this is".
"It may save us time" Ryo said as we watch over Shouhei's and Kouta's bobbing and struggling heads as the last members of our group approach. In her hands, Izumi is carrying a lunch box, one that is actually bigger than the one she brings to school each day. I did not think that was possible. Akio is next to her, carrying the supplies he was after in his arms. So, I guess that means Yoshino has no problem when our after-school activities.
At the display of brawling school boys and a hyperactive puppy, Izumi huffs with an indignant scowl on her face. "What are you two idiots doing! We have a mission to prep for" She said the last part quietly. Shouhei and Kouta pause, with Shouhei's neck still trapped under Kouta's arm to stare at the red headed girl. Neither of them is surprised. Anything that involves attention that is not positively directed at her, Izumi considers to be inappropriate and a waste of time. In any other situation, her 'I am higher than you' attitude would get under my skin and I would want to keep at least a five-foot distance between us. But we are at war, and when we are at war Izumi is an important comrade. They all are.
Kouta lets go of Shouhei, who immediately straightens his back, and Zuzu calms down once she realizes that her partner has as well. "Yeah, our mission is so important that you were one of the last ones here slowpoke" countered Kouta. But then his face softens and he leans into Izumi's personal space. "but you can take all the time you want. I'll wait for you".
With sounds of disgust emitting from Izumi's throat she shoves her packed snacks into Kouta's face, forcing him away from her. Akio takes a dramatically big step away from Kouta, as if whatever he possesses that makes him say these one-liners is contagious. "Let just go" says Ryo, drawing everyone's attention to him. His voice is strong as he takes his time to make eye contact with each and every one of us. Ryo steps forward to take Izumi's lunch box from Kouta, signaling that he will carry it. "If we start fighting amongst ourselves the old bat wins" he declared, referring to our civilian teacher. Suddenly, all in a serious mood, we all nod our heads and allow Ryo to take the lead as walks towards his apartment.
We are in luck. Ryo's sister's boyfriend is not home when we all commandeer his living room after taking off and leaving our shoes by the front door. The six of us all find a spot around the coffee table. Ryo at one end, and Kouta and Zuzu at the other. While Akio and I sit on the right side, and Shouhei and Izumi on the other. Ryo's apartment is a lot nicer than mine. Or at least it is nicer than my apartment before it was rebuilt. I still have yet to set foot in my new apartment, because I still do not have the key. The floor is softened by tatami mats, and all the furniture from the table we have all gathered around to the china hutch in the kitchen are well crafted. It has to be the doing of Ryo's sister's boyfriend.
Ryo places the lunch box in the center of the table before sitting down, cross legged. And it is Izumi who has the honor of unpacking the food, which makes since as she is the one who brought it. Meanwhile Akio starts to pass out the supplies so everyone has some cardboard, strings, and access to the markers. "I think we need to start with making a list of everyone's skills before we decide exactly what we are going to do" spoke Ryo with his eyes on Izumi as she revealed rice crackers, sweet buns, and some carrot sticks. It is a mystery to the whole village how the Akamichi clan is eating so well despite all of the shortages due to rationing. The rest of us nod along with Ryo's words, silently appointing him as our leader.
"I'm pretty fast" said Akio as he munches on a carrot stick with his back teeth. I nod in agreement, reaching for a sweet bun after Izumi got one. The last time I had a sweet bun was when I was still living in the land of Earth.
"And Zuzu and I have the best hearing and sense of smell" gloated Kouta as he tried to keep his rice cracker out of Zuzu's reach. None of us mind the bragging. Actually, I am not even sure it can be called bragging if it is a true statement.
"We already know Ryo is good at stealth" said Shouhei with his chin perched on top of his hands as his elbows rested on the table top. "and I think I am good at reading people". He said, looking down and rubbing the back of his shoulder length brown hair.
"You're also good at making traps" supplied Izumi, nudging him with her shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short". She admonished. Then turning to make eye contact with the rest of us. "I'm flexible so I am good at dodging things", she finished with another hair flip, before selecting a rice cracker for her next snack. It's true. When we train at the Inuzuka compound, Izumi is always the last one to get caught by the dogs. Though I think her motivation comes from not wanting to get her face slobbered on, because the last time we sparred when Iruka-sensei was still teaching classes she did not do a very good job of dodging my fist.
"I have good aim" I spoke up, feeling weird about complimenting myself. My mother used to say that the only people who compliment themselves are the people who are not good at anything at all. But now, after meeting so many different people in Konoha, I do not think that is true. "And Akio is good in taijutsu". I added just in case my mother actually was right.
"I like making strategies" said Ryo from where he sits with his arms across his chest. "Whether I'm good at it or not, I can't say".
With his mouth full of cracker, Kouta says, "we'll tell you if you are good or not after we take over the classroom".
Ryo smirks at him in return as Izumi looks away from the Inuzuka, muttering, "gross" under her breath.
From there Ryo decides that we will split into to two teams for three, like Akio suggested in class. Akio, Izumi, and I will be on one team, while the other three boys and Zuzu will form the second team. Ryo and Izumi were elected to be the team captains with Ryo being the leader over all for our whole mission. Being the fastest, Akio would be the one to make sure everything is moving forward once he gets a signal from Izumi. From there, it would be my job to handle all projectiles and smoke bombs. The trick here is that we do not actually want to hit anyone, just startle them into fleeing the classroom. Izumi will be in charge of supervising everything, and helping were we need help. Everything our team has to do makes us the distraction, and attack team.
While Ryo's team is the support, and finishing team. They will be the ones to make sure our demands are met. Once my team gets everyone out of the classroom It will be Ryo's team's job to keep everyone out until negotiations are over. Shouhei will set traps to keep people out. Kouta and Zuzu can use their senses to alert everyone when someone who is not in our class is coming. Once everyone had their role we finally start on making our very own Anbu masks. "Dibs on being a rabbit" said Izumi as she used a kitchen knife from Ryo's kitchen, probably not the best of ideas, to cut eye holes in the cardboard.
"Nobody but you wants to be a rabbit" retorted Kouta as he decorated his mask with a purple marker. "I'm going to be a dog".
"Aren't ya one already?" Akio asked, faking innocence as Kouta starts to growl at him. If it wasted for Zuzu who is curled up in his lap, I am sure Kouta would have lunged over the table to tackle Akio. I fiddle with the dark blue marker in my hand as I listen to my classmates. I have never done a whole lot of arts and crafts before. Father did not see any purpose in them, and mother was never one to make messes, and art is defiantly not something I sought out to do after I moved to Konoha. That being said, my mask does not have any resemblance to any animal that I have ever seen.
"Mine's a carp" said Shouhei with a relaxed smile on his face as he holds up his card board that he had drew yellow scales on.
We all stare at him. "Why did you choose a carp?" Ryo finally asked. After all, I do not think any of us have ever heard of an Anbu that has a fish mask. Maybe in the village hidden in the mist. Of course, we have also not heard of any anbu member with a bunny mask, but a rabbit just seems to fit Izumi. However, Shouhei as a carp?
With a serious expression gracing his face, Shouhei answered in a cheerful voice, "Because I'll be making a splash during tomorrow's mission". Ryo and Izumi groan at the bad pun, while Akio and I snicker. But Kouta lets out a wild bark of laughter. That idiot will laugh at anything.
Speaking over Kouta, Akio said, "I chose a deer since I'm staying with the Naras." Looking over at his work, I can see that he used the black marker to outline antlers.
"Well I wouldn't show that to real deer if I were you", said Izumi as she leans over the table to stare at Akio's work, and Kouta finally calms himself down. "They'll be so offended that they'll trample you" she said. And then ignoring the scowl Akio is shooting in her direction she turns to Ryo. "What are you making?" She asked in a much sweeter voice.
Before Ryo answers, I lean over and bump shoulders with my best friend. "I like it" I whisper to him. "I think Yoshino-san will like it too".
Akio smiles at me as Ryo answers Izumi, "A mouse" He holds it up and we all see that he had used the gray marker to make ears, whiskers and a nose. His is by far the simplest design and it is all the one that looks the most like the animal it is supposed to represent. "Since I'll be sneaking around for the mission". We all nod our heads in understanding. But then they all look at me with expectation. I fight the urge to cover up my mask. There is no point. They will all see it at some point any way.
The longer and longer we are all silent, the hotter my face starts to feel. "Manami" Ryo says slowly. Building to my embarrassment. "What is that supposed to be".
I stutter to answer, but before any comprehensible words come out, Zuzu jumps off of Kouta's lap, onto the table, walks over to me, picks up my mask by using her teeth before turning tail back to Kouta to deliver it to him in his awaiting hands. We watch as Kouta holds it away from his face and turns it in different directions, as if that would make a difference. If it wasn't for the eye holes, it would probably be impossible to know whether it was upside down or not. "It is supposed to be a bird of some sort" I said quietly, fidgeting under their scrutiny.
"Looks more like a handful of grass" said Kouta as he passed my mask to Shouhei. But I was using a dark blue marker, not a green. I think regarding Kouta's comment.
"So, all of these triangles are?" Shouhei starts to ask.
"Feathers" I mumble.
Izumi reaches for my mask and I tense as it is her criticism that I fear the most. But Akio reaches across the table and takes it from Shouhei before Izumi can. "Here" he said, placing my mask in front of him on the table. "Ya just need a beak" he said, using the black marker to add a black triangle right under the two eye holes. The color black stands out nicely against all of the dark blue. When he hands the mask back to me, it does look more like a bird now.
"But what type of bird is it?" ask Izumi, as I nod my thanks to Akio.
Akio shrugs. "A bluebird".
"No, let's say that it's a raven." Said Ryo. "Ravens fit Manami better than blue birds do". We end the day by everyone trying on their masks, which left everyone in hysterics, and geared up for all of our plans tomorrow.
Trying to keep our faces impassive, Kouta is struggling the most, to not give away Ryo who is currently making his way to one of the open windows to sneak out of the classroom. Almost everyone's attention is on the front of the room. Right now, our civilian peers are being drilled in basic geometry as the teacher draws figures on the board. As long as no one hears him Ryo should be fine. The real danger is when the civilian teacher turns around to ask someone to solve a problem or to see if anyone has any questions. It has happened once since Ryo started to make for the window. He had to drop down and lay flat on his belly behind one of our civilian peer's desk. Though once he makes it through the window it is just a matter of time before he will give us the signal and the mission will start. Kouta brought his deck of cards today, and we have been playing crazy eights to disguise our ill-intent for today's class. Though in all of our laps, expect for Ryo's of course, are the masks we made yesterday; just waiting to be worn. With silent feet and nimble hands, Ryo makes short work of jumping through the open window without raising awareness to himself. The only sign that he was there being the slight breeze his jump would have made, that briefly made the student sitting right next to the window Ryo used as an exit to turn around, before marking it off as a draft.
Shouhei takes his time as he plays his turn. No one minds, as we are all straining our ears of Ryo's signal. It was hard to fall asleep last night. I kept tossing and turning, and Akio would mutter occasionally that it needed to hurry up and be morning already. We have all been waiting for this exact moment. Zuzu notices it before we do; the high pitch bird sound that Ryo can make by whistling through his teeth. Fast by civilian standards, we all throw down our cards, slipping on our masks, and jump into formation. Except for Kouta who had the additional step of freeing Zuzu from the protection of his jacket. Izumi stands in the middle, with her arms crossed and her rabbit mask serving as a stark contrast to the serious atmosphere we are trying to make. Akio and I flank her on either side. My knees are bent in a crouch; in one hand, I have a smoke bomb ready to go, and in the other a clump of mud. The mud was hard to sneak in. Mostly due to the problem of carrying it without getting super dirty. But Akio and I figured it out by finding an old weapons pouch in Yoshino's house, lining it with some wax paper, to keep it all of the moisture from soaking out. I am wearing it on my right hip, and keeping it hidden under my shirt. Hopefully this will be enough mud for what we have planned, and hopefully my raven mask will not affect my aim. Akio is in a similar crouched position, except he is poised to take off in a dead sprint. So, his smoke bomb is still in his pocket. Standing on the other side of me is Shouhei, standing taller than all of us with his carp mask proudly on display. While his legs are filled with the tension required for an impending sudden movement, his arm are folded across his chest, hiding the ninja wire and his own smoke bomb from view. Kouta and Zuzu are on the other side of Akio. Zuzu has her hackles raised, but her tail is wagging too much to even have the chance of looking remotely fierce. Kouta stands proud with his arms in akimbo; not even trying to hide his smoke bomb, as he shifts his weight from one foot the other. Waiting is always what Kouta likes the less.
It takes about ten seconds for every head in room to be looking at us. Some start the laugh at our display of academy student prowess, while others have looks of consternation taking over their facial features. "What are you hooligans doing?" Screeches our civilian teacher, as she steps away from the black board. The piece of chalk that she is holding in her hand snaps in two as she grips it too tight. "What are those ridiculous things on your faces? Take them off now!" She roars. But then her face almost softens as a sort of realization sets in. She takes her time to look at each and every one of us as her mouth moves, silently counting us. "One's missing" She said. "There's supposed to be six of you!"
And now it is Izumi's turn to do something she is particularly good at; shine as the center of attention. "We" Izumi speaks up in a dramatized version of her original voice. "The future generation of shinobi for the village hidden in the leaves resent the way you judge our way of lie, the will of fire!" Izumi said, pointing at our teacher for emphasis. After all, we have nothing against our civilian peers, just the lone adult in the room. Zuzu barks in agreement, alerting every one of our furry friend's presence. "So, we're taking over" She finished.
Kouta, Zuzu, and Shouhei move first. The Inuzuka pair going to the left, and Shouhei to the right. Shouhei waits until he is standing in between two rows of desk, close to the windows, before dropping his smoke bomb. Grey smoke billows out around his feet, and engulfs his whole form in half a second, doing the same to the students around him as well. "Stop that!" the teacher roars, as some students start to cough a little and cover their eyes. Not to worry though, the smoke is harmless. Or at least it should be. But it is too late, by the time the smoke clears. Shouhei is already gone, having snuck out of the closet window to join Ryo in phase two. He is probably already setting up his trap with the ninja wire he was holding onto. In the time it took for Shouhei to make his escape, Kouta and Zuzu bobbed and weaved their way around desks, and classmates. They dashed past the teacher until they were close to the door. By doing so, they effectively pushed all students who had been sitting close to the walls to the middle of the room. As the teacher turns to face him, her face red and hands shaking, Kouta drops his smoke bomb; swallowing up himself, Zuzu, and our dreaded teacher.
"Freedom" Kouta yells as he and Zuzu leave without anyone actually seeing him do so. Now he will play look out with Ryo as they support Shouhei and make sure no one will come across us without our knowledge. After all, when pulling off a stunt like this, it is impossible not to get caught. Izumi taps her right foot twice, signally Akio and I that it is time to do our part. Akio lunges forward, pausing once and a while to ask our fellow classmates to please use the windows and climb out of the classroom. After all, they are not our target. He works his way inward, making sure that the students on the outside are the first to know that they should leave. Befuddled and rather startled, they mostly agree to cooperate. The ones that put up a fuss, become Izumi's responsibility.
Being the leader of our team, Izumi has the majority of smoke bombs on her person. As students refuse to evacuate the classroom, Izumi drops smoke bombs a little way away from the students. Causing them to flee in the direction we want them to go, towards the windows. The cover that the smoke offers does not mean the same to them as it does to us.
It is my job to keep the teacher from intercepting the others, and away from the door until it is time for her to go through it. I use the clumps of mud. Throwing them at her and around her feet in a fluidity of movement to keep her standing in the same area. At first, she sways; tripping over her flat feet as she tries to get out of the way of the projectiles, but after a while, with the amount dirt stains growing on her pastel skirt and blouse, she stands still and just covers her face with her arms. Yelling at us, "you disgusting delinquents!" As I do this, I edge forward, closer and closer to the teacher but away from the door, and taking care not to hit anyone else with the mud but her. If my father and mother could see me know, flinging around mud as if it was kunai, I think they would have passed out in shock.
Once Izumi and Akio finish clearing the classroom of its students, we take our final positions. Akio stands directly behind the teacher, with Izumi standing next to him, blocking a corner. I am in between Izumi and the door. Having stopped throwing mud, I now have my smoke bomb posed as does Akio and Izumi. Noticing the absent of flying dirt, the teacher slowly lowers her arms. To see the three of us have surrounded her, all except for the way to the door. "You will pay for your treatment of us" said Izumi from behind her bunny mask; signaling Akio and I to release our smoke bombs.
The purpose of the smoke bombs this time, is not for us to use them as cover to sneak away, but as a way to herd someone who is not use to them out of the class room. And the teacher does just that. While we cannot see because of the smoke, we hear her flat feet pounding on the floor as she slams open the classroom door and stampedes out. Just before Shouhei's trap activates. Running head first into a wall of ninja wire, the teacher gets snared in the stuff and falls to the floor in the hallway; completely subdued. Once the smoke clears enough for us to see, the three of us walk out of the classroom, to stand behind our captured teacher. In front of her stands Ryo, Kouta, Zuzu, and Shouhei, with our classmates all standing around them. They have their masks pulled away from their faces, so they are either covering the top of their heads of a side of their heads. "Here are our demands" said Ryo, holding out a list of what we talked about yesterday in front of our teacher for her to see. "Meet them and we will release you" he said, grinning. Mission complete.