(Thanks for coming back to read the next chapter of the series. A summons to the Hokage's office leads to something unexpected. I love feedback and constructive criticism, so please leave a review so I can improve my writing and storytelling skills. Enjoy!)
A day later Team 3, including Kuroda, is summoned to the Hokage's office. His senses go on full alert and his mind goes into overdrive as he tries to discern the intent behind the unexpected call to assemble. In the end he has too little time and information to come up with any reason for the gathering, so he is forced to wait for an explanation from the village leader.
Once everyone has arrived the Hokage starts off, "As I am sure you are all aware, I restricted Kuroda to the village after his mission in the Tea Country with Team 15. The team and the Mist Ninja, Kasumi Momochi, were attacked by an unknown person, and then on the return to the village Kuroda was attacked again. I have been in recent talks with the Village Hidden in the Mist regarding this matter."
"Did you find out what Kasumi was doing in the Tea Country?" inquires Kayo.
"The Mizukage did not tell me and I did not ask," replies the Hokage, "Whatever her assignment was it is not a high priority at the moment."
"Still, it was suspicious," remarks Kuroda.
The fair-haired boss shoots an annoyed look over in his direction, but then continues on with her oration, "Anyway, it seems that The Hidden Mist has uncovered evidence that the ninja could possibly be from the Village Hidden in the Grass. Our two shinobi villages have decided to participate in a joint scouting mission as a sign of good will between us. You can come in now."
Footsteps echo out in the hall until the handle on the door twists and it creaks open. A tall young man with spiky light blue hair walks into the room. He wears light blue pants, a brown vest, and his Mist headband is slightly slanted on his forehead. Turned off by proper protocol, he lazily introduces himself, "I am Desh Momochi, and the Mizukage sent me as his representative on this mission."
"Momochi, are you related to…?" inquires Kayo.
"She is my older sister," says Desh, cutting off the query while he picks at a speck of dirt in his hair.
Sakura looks the newcomer up and down. Even though his height makes him seem chronologically older, she can tell he is still only in his teens. She notices his body is well toned and has a number of small scars indicating he is a trained and experienced warrior. Yet, something about relaxed posture and irritated facial expression rubs her the wrong way. "How come you are alone?" she asks, suspicious about the absence of any other team members.
"How come you're not?" retorts Desh, arrogantly.
"Quiet down all of you, I want to go over the mission rules," says the Hokage, motioning her hand.
"Lady Hokage, why am I being sent on a mission where I could possibly encounter the ninja who might have attacked me?" asks Kuroda, "And if the mystery ninja is from the Grass Village, then its leaders might know what I look like anyways and they might attack."
"I am sending you because there is a possibility that it might trigger some suppressed memories and you might be able to recognize the ninja and confirm his identity," she divulges.
"As you wish, Lady Hokage," Kuroda replies, "Now I have a question for you, Desh. Why has the Mist Village only sent one ninja? This is a joint mission, and I would want an equal number of ninja from both villages if I were in charge."
"I am more than capable of conducting the whole mission on my own," Desh retorts, sneering loftily with his arms folded across his chest, "and the only reason that your team is going along is to ease relations between our two nations."
"Are you two done now?" asks the Hokage, strumming her fingers on the desk impatiently.
"Yes, I apologize if I spoke out of turn," says Kuroda, throwing in a slight bow to feign respect.
"Now, you are to go to the Grass Country and search for any traces of this mysterious ninja. This mission is strictly to gather information. You are to retreat if you are met with any opposition. Is that understood?" she queries, with a firm stare.
"Yes, Lady Hokage," confirm all of Team 3, crisply snapping to attention.
"Desh?" she inquires, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Yeah, I was already told by the Mizukage," he replies, waving his hand haughtily.
"Good, then you are to head out as soon as you are ready," she commands.
Team 3 and Desh leave on the mission and head to the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Grass. Along the way there is obvious tension between Desh and Kuroda. They spend their time carefully watching each other, studying movements, and planning on how to take the other one out in a fight.
Eventually they get into conversation where Desh comments, "You talk a lot. If this mystery ninja had not attacked my sister Kasumi, then you would not even be alive right now."
"It was a five on one situation," Kuroda retorts, acting like he hadn't personally tested Kasumi's strength.
"So what?" Desh counters with mocking laughter, "My sister is stronger than most of the Jonin in the Hidden Leaf Village, there is no way she would have lost."
"You say that, and yet she was apparently not strong enough to defeat the mystery ninja," Kuroda mentions, trying push the other boy's buttons.
Desh's hands curl into fists and his muscles start to tense up. Even though he knows completing this mission will advance his position in his village and get him closer to becoming the strongest person in the Hidden Mist, he is having trouble keeping himself under control. A low class Genin insulting his sister is driving his temper to the point of exploding.
Sensing that a brawl is about to erupt, Kayo interrupts, "Settle down. We are approaching the border."
"I don't have to follow your orders," Desh sneers, insolently turning his back to her.
She grits her teeth, resisting the urge to smack him upside the head and instead reminds him, "This is a joint mission, and since I am the highest in rank you will have to follow my orders in order to ensure the success of the mission."
His chakra starts to rise, instinctively reacting to being ordered around by someone from a different village. For a second it seems like he might rebel against her authority and attack right then and there, but eventually he regains his composure and settles down.
"Fine, I will follow your command," Desh replies, letting the tension loose from his shoulders, "For the moment."
The team passes through the border town without any hassle and they make camp for the night soon after. Kuroda cooks up a tasty meal for everyone, but Desh opts to eat his own food, innately distrustful of any ninja not from his village.
"Jando, are you feeling okay?" Sakura comments as they sit around the crackling fire.
"Yeah, why?" he replies.
"You seem really quiet today," she points out, "And I thought you of all people would be rubbed the wrong way by our new friend."
"I just have some things going on at home right now that are more important than some Mist ninja," Jando explains.
"Things? Like what?" she asks.
"Hyuga Clan business," he states, "You wouldn't understand."
"Okay, but if you want to talk about it I'm here," she says.
They next day the team disguises themselves as ordinary travelers and they put on long blue traveling cloaks. Then they head for a large city only a few miles away from the border. It is a city known for having lots of information on anything and everything. Kuroda notices that three ninja are following them, but does not mention it to anyone else.
When they enter the city Desh suggests, "I am familiar with a few places. We should check them and ask around about any strong or mysterious ninja that have passed through lately."
"Do you really think that will work?" asks Sakura, skeptical about the way they are approaching the mission.
"Everyone is willing to talk," explains Desh, smirking, "For a price."
"What if they give us bad information?" asks Jando, "What if it is just rumors?"
"Every rumor has some sort of factual base," says Kayo, "Besides we are looking for rumors and whispers about this mystery ninja. This will also be good training for your information gathering skills."
"Training?" inquires Jando, "I didn't think of that."
"I will do my best!" announces Sakura.
"I know you will," says Kuroda patting her head and messing up her hair, making her blush.
"All right, let's get moving then," orders Kayo.
"Follow me," says Desh, "We will head to a little flower shop I know of."
The team sets out through the city going to multiple locations trying to find the information they need. The city is good-sized, but doesn't seem to be planned out very well. It is obvious by the layout that it was once a very small community, but then rapidly expanded outward as more people moved into the area. Buildings are smashed close together and streets have no pattern to size or direction. Most of the buildings that they visit are filthy and rotten with crumbling walls and broken windows.
Kuroda is curious about how Desh knows all of these information sources and he is very careful to take note of all of them. He advises Sakura to do the same. After a while they are directed to a small restaurant that looks to have very promising information. Unlike the places they have visited so far it looks to be kept in good condition, but most passerby give the place a wide berth. They enter the restaurant and Kuroda, Jando, and Sakura sit down at a table while Desh and Kayo go to talk to the bartender. After a drink of water Kuroda stands up and starts to walk away.
"Where are you going, Kuroda?" asks Sakura.
"To the washroom, do you want to come?" he replies smirking.
She's taken aback by the comment, a pink blush popping up on her cheeks. However, she's also confused, wondering why he is being so playful all of a sudden when he has been distant in the past couple of weeks. But before she can respond he has already disappeared into the men's room.
In the interim the bartender has directed Kayo and Desh to a man in a black suit sitting alone at a corner booth and smoking a cigarette. The suit he is wearing seems to be an older one, but it was obviously custom made and kept in pristine condition by the owner. He's an older man with graying hair and a strange L shaped scar under his left eyelid. He wears black shades that hide his eyes from view and give him an edge in his business dealings.
"Do you mind if we join you?" asks Kayo as they walk up, hoping he won't be as tough to deal with as he looks.
"Who is your friend?" asks the man, not bothering to even look in her direction.
"Just my younger brother," she replies.
"Well, in that case you are welcome to sit with me," responds the man, "As long as you let me see that pretty face of yours."
Kayo lowers the hood of her cloak and smirks as she sits down. He lifts up his shades a bit to get an unfiltered view of her gorgeous face.
Desh sits next to her and asks, "So are you the one called Byakko?"
"That's what they call me," confirms Byakko, "And if you don't mind I would like your sister to do the talking. I much prefer listening to the voice of a woman."
"We were told that you might have some information we have been looking for," explains Kayo, quickly taking the lead since he seems to prefer dealing with females.
"I have information on a lot of things," replies Byakko, staring at her chest from behind his shades.
"We are looking for someone," says Kayo discreetly.
"I know lots of people," says Byakko taking another puff of his cigarette.
"We are looking for a Ninja," Kayo whispers, eyes darting around the room to check if anyone is listening in.
"A ninja, well why didn't you say so? So what kind of ninja? Is it a man or a woman? Is there anything special about them? Where are they from?" asks Byakko.
"I can't tell you the gender or give you any facial descriptions. We believe that the ninja is from the Grass Village," explains Kayo, "However, I can tell you the ninja is very strong. He or she was able to take out two Jonin with ease, and possibly has an ability to alter memories."
"A strong ninja from the Grass village you say? That is interesting," comments Byakko, rubbing his chin in deep thought.
"Why is that?" asks Kayo.
"Because there is a very skilled Grass Ninja staying at an inn at the far end of the city," explains Byakko, "I believe his name is Mazuma Shiranui."
"You are positive about this?" asks Kayo.
"Absolutely," he confirms with a nod.
"Well, I think we will be going then," she says as she starts to stand and take out some money.
"There is no need for that," says Byakko with a dismissive wave, "Just make sure you stop by and chat the next time you are in town."
"I will be sure to do so," replies Kayo with a smile and a wink.
Meanwhile Kuroda has made a shadow clone while he was in the bathroom. The clone walks out and meets up with the team when Kayo and Desh rejoin them.
"Find anything useful?" asks the clone.
Kayo pulls the hood up on her cloak and replies, "Yes, it seems there is someone in town that fits the profile."
"Really?" asks Jando.
"This must be our lucky day," Sakura comments, genuinely surprised they were able to get the information.
"We will find out when we get there," says Desh, not exactly enthusiastic about succeeding so quickly.
(That is the end of the chapter, what did you think? Who is this "Mazuma" they were told about? Will Kuroda and Desh end up in a fight with each other? 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.)