(Kuroda must deal with the consequences of disappearing from the Hidden Leaf, but an opportunity arrives for him to skip out on some of his punishment. I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)
Kuroda opens the door to exit his apartment complex and his mood quickly sours when he spots two men waiting for him outside. It has been a month since he returned to the village and he has had fellow ninja escorting him around every day. He gets irritated very easily because he can never be alone. He has been lucky because most of the time his escort turns out to be either Ichimaru, Kayo, or Sakura. However, on days like today, when they aren't available, other ninja are assigned to accompany him. On several occasions he has also caught glimpses of an ANBU squad following him from the shadows. The days are long and boring, and he often finds himself doing research in the library. Of course he never gets any important research done because he doesn't go down to the lower floors of the building, for fear of exposing what he has been looking at down there.
As weeks pass by and, then months, the status of his confinement inside the village doesn't change. Over this time Kuroda has noticed that Sakura is getting very attached to him. She makes up excuses to see him, brings up strange topics just to keep chatting with him, or just gazes at him when she thinks he isn't paying attention. He has also observed that she is very grumpy when she returns from a long mission and hasn't seen him for a few days. He takes care not to say or do anything that would give her the impression that she is more than just a teammate. Getting too close to any one of his assets could complicate things.
So in one way the guards following him around have been helpful in limiting the amount of one-on-one time they have together. He also finds please in leading his escorts around to various strange and ultimately pointless places just to see their reactions. Of course today wasn't supposed to be one of those days.
Kuroda's patience had started to run thin due to being confined and followed, so he had decided yesterday to start plotting a scheme to get back on active duty. Yet, out of the blue, this morning a request came in summing him and all of Team 3 to report to the Hokage's office. Initially thinking that they might be getting a mission he was excited to see what was up, but after encountering the guards outside his home he started to doubt his earlier assumptions. He meets up with the rest of the team outside headquarters and his escorts take their leave to attend to other duties. Shrugs and blank stares tell him that nobody else has a clue about what they have been assembled for.
After the group shuffles inside and closes the large doors they form up and present themselves to the leader of the village. Everyone is a little suspicious of the meeting since they haven't been called together as Team 3 for a while.
The Hokage starts out by saying, "I am still very angry with you, Kuroda, and I was not planning on letting you go outside the village for another few months; however a request came in asking for you personally to be on the mission."
"A request for me, who is it from?" he inquires.
"It seems that the King of the Valley Country asked for you. As you know, from your last visit, the Valley Country is in negotiations for peace with the neighboring Forest Country. It turns out that there are some people who do not want peace and have threatened the Princess of the Valley Country. So until the negotiations are completed the King has asked that you come and guard her. Now, if you did not know, the Forest Country has a small ninja village, which is not much of a threat to us, but for a country with no ninja village of its own it is very serious. The King seems to believe that the ninja are very loyal to the leaders of the Forest Country and will not attack his daughter. Yet there is still the possibility that someone will act of their own volition, so he wanted your protection. Our own intelligence suggests there are rogue elements in the Forest Country that could be problematic. For obvious reasons I am sending the rest of your team with you," the 8th Hokage nods decisively.
Team 3 makes the lengthy journey to the Valley Country, going through forests and around lakes and quickly passing through the territory between the Sand and Stone countries. When they finally arrive at the King's estate they are greeted by Princess Kyoko. She is very excited to see Kuroda again and is looking forward to having lots of fun with him. The King has already left on his diplomatic mission, but one of the staff shows them to their quarters and gives them some more information about what they might be expecting in the days to come.
Princess Kyoko now starts paying more attention to Jando, but only for the purpose of pulling pranks on him. Everyone is very entertained by this except, of course, for Jando. An uneventful week goes by and nothing happens. Sakura uses the time to continue her training and can now produce three fully functional Shadow Clones. Kuroda notices that Jando has also improved and is now able to control his Byakugan better. The mission seems like it will be fairly relaxed and peaceful, and Kuroda can't complain since he is get a break from the monotony of his life in the Hidden Leaf.
One morning, Princess Kyoko convinces her bodyguards to take a walk in the neighboring forest so that she can show them a secret grove. Kuroda of course agrees to go, and Sakura accompanies them as well. They set out from a large courtyard near the edge of the estate and follow a well known, but lightly used dirt path. There doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about the path they are taking until they arrive at an oddly-shaped bush that looks like a disfigured horse. At this point they ditch the official road and go directly into the heart of the forest.
"This is one of the few spots in the entire nation where this particular flower will grow," Kyoko brags, eagerly dragging them along to the hidden location, "Our family has protected this grove for generations. Poachers would come in and pick it clean if they knew it was here. Only a select few members of our staff know where this is."
Kyoko seems to have traveled to the grove many times before as she barely needs to look where she is going while guiding them. She excitedly explains about the various plant species they pass by on the route, eager to impress them with her knowledge of Botany and Ecology. Coming up upon a large, moss-covered boulder she makes a move to turn in a different direction. Out of nowhere a female ninja attacks them from the shadows of the forest. Sakura reacts quickly and pulls the princess out of the way before three kunai strike her in the chest.
"So they hired some Leaf Ninja to protect the princess," the enemy ninja comments from up in a tree. She has faded brown hair worn in a ponytail that reaches down to her shoulders. She wears a short, light brown miniskirt with black, spandex shorts underneath. Her legs are covered by a black mesh material and she has brown, open-toed shoes. On the top she wears a dark brown wrap around her breasts and a light cotton jacket.
"Who are you?" asks Kuroda shifting himself in front of Kyoko.
She identifies herself, pointing to her forehead protector which is worn as a belt above her naval and styled with a cute bow, "I am Kohaku from the Village Hidden in the Woods. I do not support the alliance between the Forest Country and the Valley Country, and I have come here to ensure it does not happen. Be warned, Leaf Ninja, I will do anything to stop it."
"Can you tell me why you are so against this alliance?" Kuroda asks as he positions himself at the center of the two sides.
"The Forest Country was built from the ground up by hardworking people who only had their hearts and their guts," the girl responds, "I can't allow some power-hungry dictator to take over everything that my ancestors have created just because he has a bunch of money to throw around."
"I see, well I'm sorry you feel that way. Sakura, take Kyoko back to the village. I will deal with her," Kuroda orders, sensing that he won't be able to dissuade her from following through with her plan by using words alone.
"Right, come with me, Princess," replies Sakura as she grabs Kyoko around the waist and takes off. Kohaku tries to follow them but is stopped when Kuroda cuts off her path.
"You will have to get through me first," says Kuroda as he engages her with a kunai.
Kohaku leaps back onto the branch of a large tree replying, "Bad move deciding to take me on by yourself. I have the advantage in the forest."
"I advise you not to underestimate me," responds Kuroda.
"Why, because you are from the Leaf Village?" she taunts, "That won't make any difference. Ninja Art: Stick Needle Jutsu!"
Thousands of tiny sticks and branches come flying at Kuroda from all directions. At first he thinks to dodge it, but the attack is very fast and comes from many angles. So instead Kuroda decides to use his Ice Weapon Jutsu with the water in his pouch. The water spreads out around him on all sides forming a protective sphere. Now Kohaku's attack just bounces harmlessly off the ice.
"Not bad," comments Kohaku, "I will just have to change my strategy then."
As she starts to weave a new set of hand signs Kuroda charges in close for an attack. She responds easily, their kunai clashing in mid-swing, but this effectively neutralizes the Jutsu she was preparing. Kuroda presses forward, driving her back towards a clump of tightly packed trees with his quick and accurate slashes. Kohaku holds her own, patiently waiting for an opportunity to gain some distance so she can use her special techniques.
Yet Kuroda himself has just been stalling, only attacking halfheartedly, but enough to convince her the he is putting serious effort into his strikes. The clang of metal on metal echoes through the forest with each thrust and the conflict seems like it could continue on this endless path for days. The Leaf Ninja's patience pays off when he spots Jando, Sakura, and Kayo arriving on the scene.
Seeing the backup appear Kohaku snarls at her misfortune and smartly decides, "Four against one, I don't like those odds. My best option is to retreat for now and come back later." She runs away deeper into the forest, jumping from tree to tree even faster than a normal ninja can.
Kuroda orders, "You three stay here at the mansion with Princess Kyoko in case any more ninja show up. I will track her down and attempt to capture her."
The others start to obey, but Jando objects, "You haven't even been with the team for a while. I do not know why the others are even listening to you, but I am going too." So Jando and Kuroda go into the forest, racing after the Tree Ninja.
Kohaku runs for a while, ultimately crossing the unmarked border into the Forest Country. Eventually she comes to her secret base, a gigantic tree in the middle of the forest. Its branches spread far out in all directions giving a significant advantage to anyone wanting to defend the territory. But even that is a bonus since getting the tree in the first place is a very difficult task. The Leaf Ninja manage to track her all the way and follow her inside the base of the tree and into a large carved-out room with a strange looking tree in it. Newly unfolding green leaves stand beside withered branches, making the plant seem to be in some sort of half-alive and half-dead stasis. Along with that, several branches have formed into a peculiar pattern giving the illusion that the plant has wings. Additionally it has a portion of an ancient looking scroll sticking out of the center.
Kohaku turns around with a smirk and sees them enter the room after her.
She says, mostly to herself, "I thought that all of you would follow me, but since there are only two of you I won't have to take the scroll from the tree."
Jando replies, "Don't get cocky. It is a two-on-one match and you will need all the help you can get."
"You are the one who is cocky," replies Kohaku as she quickly uses her Stick Needle Jutsu to attack them again. The loose branches and twigs fly at them from all over, threatening to cause serious damage. This time the attack seems to be even more powerful than before.
Jando and Kuroda are able to use Escape Jutsu to get away safely. Kohaku follows them outside the tree still attacking, adding more and more ammo from the forest outside.
Exuding complete confidence in her assured victory she explains, "This part of the forest is denser than the area we were in earlier. Every one of my Jutsu is three times as powerful in here."
Kuroda uses his Ice Weapons Jutsu and creates a large shield that is big enough to protect both of them. Jando instinctively activates his Byakugan so he is able to see outside.
"Good thinking, Jando, now we can see what she is doing out there," Kuroda compliments, "You should observe her attacks and see if there is an opening we can use to our advantage."
They sit under the shield fully protected from everything she throws at them. After a while Jando reports, "There is a pause in her attacks every 30 seconds, we can strike then."
"Good work," compliments Kuroda. They exchange glances and start counting down in their heads. Anticipation and exhilaration build up as they near the end of the countdown. Muscles clench and nerves peak as the time to counter-strike grows close. When the time is right, they lift the shield and, in simultaneous movement, counter with kunai. Kohaku dodges behind a tree and the kunai whiz past and bite into another tree.
"Damn, this isn't working, that shield is too strong. I don't see how though seeing as it is made of ice. Whatever, it doesn't matter, I will just have to step it up a bit," the Wood Ninja thinks as she makes hand signs, "Ninja Art: Falling Tree Jutsu!"
She barely even touches the tree she is hiding behind and it instantly topples over on top of the boys. Since they are under the shield they cannot dodge the attack, and the tree falls on top of the shield. The boys hold their breaths, nerves flaring up as the seconds tick by, just hoping that the spidery-crack forming in the ice won't break and crush them with a tree. The cold, crystal structure gains a small crack in it but still holds strong, allowing them to let out a big sigh of relief.
"What was that?" asks Kuroda.
"She threw a tree at us somehow," explains Jando, "Do you think this shield will hold?"
"I don't know, just be ready if it breaks," warns Kuroda. From their extensive training in tactics they come to a silent understanding that when it finally gives way they will scatter in opposite directions to try and confuse the enemy. After 3 more trees topple, the shield breaks and they scatter for cover.
As Kuroda runs he scrutinizes his surroundings, "The air here is not as cold as when I was in the snow village. I should have realized that the weapons I create will not be as strong. I also lost nearly all my water when the shield collapsed, I will have to be careful."
Jando decides, "I am tired of hiding, it is time to go on the offensive." He charges straight at Kohaku. She is so surprised that he lands a punch right in her face. Then Jando uses his Gentle Fist Taijutsu to close up some of her chakra points, disabling the flow of chakra to her fingers. She jumps back and tries to use her Jutsu again, since they have moved out in the open, but is unable to. None of the sticks and twigs responds to her commands.
"What the hell did you do to me?" she snarls, angry and confused about her abilities being disabled.
"I noticed that you use your fingers to control your Jutsu," explains Jando, "So I messed with your chakra points. You won't be able to use that Jutsu anymore."
"Not bad," she says, a slight hint of frustration hidden in her voice, "But you didn't think that were my only Jutsu did you? Ninja Art: Branch Bashing Jutsu!"
She uses her arms to control the branches of trees and attack Jando. The wooden appendages follow her movements and slam down, crashing into anything in their path. Since the forest is so large Jando is not able to dodge the attacks for long and is knocked out when a branch smacks him right in the back of the head.
Kuroda takes the opening and uses his Headhunter Jutsu. He sprouts up from the ground underneath the Tree Ninja grabbing her ankles and dragging her down, trapping the upper half of her body under the surface. He stands up and brushes his hands off.
"Let me out of here!" demands Kohaku as she struggles to break free.
"I haven't practiced this a whole lot on a fully-fledged ninja, but it is worth a shot," comments Kuroda as he starts weaving some hand signs.
He uses the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Genjutsu Technique on Kohaku. Suddenly a fire springs up around them, devouring the forest. It encircles them, but Kuroda seems to be unaffected by it. However this is not the case for Kohaku, she can feel the searing heat all around her and believes that she is about to be burned alive.
She screams in agony as the fire latches onto her clothes and starts to consume her body.
"I can stop this," says Kuroda, "I can save you from the fire. I am the only one who can save you."
"Please stop, help, save me," she begs, her body thrashing around in the dirt, hopelessly trying to put out the imaginary flames.
"I can save you," he repeats, "But you must pledge your loyalty to me."
"I'll do anything you want," she pleads desperately as tears stream from her eyes, "Just save me."
She is in such fear that she agrees and instantly signs the contract he gives to her. He releases the Genjutsu and pulls her up out of the ground. The illusions disappear, what is real and what is not becomes clear. But Kohaku falls down, shaking, still not 100% sure she is safe. It takes her several minutes to stop shaking, curled up in the fetal position. Once she believes that all the fire is truly gone she takes Kuroda's extended hand and stands up.
"Thank you," she says.
Kuroda coldly orders, "Take off your clothes."
She hesitates and a surging pain goes through her body. Kuroda explains, "That pain you are experiencing right now will happen every time you try to disobey me. It is not fatal, but it hurts a lot."
Already scared out of her mind due to the fire illusion she instantly obeys and begins stripping her clothes off.
"It stopped," she remarks.
"All you have to do is follow orders and you will be fine," replies Kuroda.
"That pain, it was worse than the fire," she comments as she takes the last article of clothing off.
"Good, that means it is working correctly," he says, "Now please lie down and relax."
When she complies he holds out his palm in the space above her body and moves it around until he locates the correct spot. Then he takes out a kunai and carves a special marking into her flesh. After he pours some of his chakra into the mark it dims and soon is no longer visible.
Kuroda says, "You are not to tell anyone about what just occurred. Oh, and you can put your clothes back on."
"So what now?" asks Kohaku as she dresses, her body still a little jumpy.
Kuroda asks, "Are there any other ninja who accompanied you?"
"No, just me," she admits, "There were a few others that agreed with me and did not want our countries to align, but none of them wanted to go against the village."
Kuroda ponders, "What should I do with her? I could send her back to her village, but would they accept her back? Hold on a moment I just remembered something."
"Kohaku, what was that strange tree with the scroll inside your hideout?" he inquires.
(Note - The Genjutsu in my story may be a bit different than the one in the manga. Basically the illusion occurs in the mind, but depending on the Jutsu you wouldn't necessarily be in a sleep state as shown in the manga. So a person under a Genjutsu would still be interacting with the real world, but the illusions would be mixed in and they wouldn't be able to differentiate between what is real and imaginary. So for that specific part the fire that was burning Kohaku alive was an illusion, but everything else she interacted with was completely real. This is how it is possible for her to sign the contract while under the Genjutsu.)
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? What secrets does the mysterious scroll hide? As usual, if you want more information on my characters you can see their bios on my profile page. Be warned, there may be some spoilers. Also I'm in the process of getting pictures drawn for the characters, but I have no idea how long that will take. If you're interested in drawing and have a DA account then send me a Message. Enjoy the next chapter, and please review.)