Fated to Meet You
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please leave with a follow, a favorite, and/or a review! I would love to know your critic, and if you're liking this story!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything, character or plot, from Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto.
Chapter Two: The Mission- The Land of Steel
Mai felt as if her ebony haired head was absorbing all the heat the sun had given the land for the entire day. It was the middle of summer and cicadas sang as the young Uchiha lightly stepped onward on the dirt paved road. Her eyes were casted down onto the brown dirt road, and her sweat glued her black hair onto the back of her thin neck. Although Elder Mio recommended her to leave at sundown, Mai left three hours after her meeting with the female elder. Checking the small bag of necessities hanging at her waist underneath her dark blue kimono shirt, she touched the white scroll given to her just three hours prior.
Many of the people she'd passed by on the road talked about their intended emigration to the Land of Steel. The Land of Steel was a small country just north of the Land of Fire. It had one major village, Steel Village, that was the only place of its land for trade and tourism. The rest of the country consisted of farmland and small villages. The country was a resourceful land and its economy gave the landowners and entrepreneurs a lavishing life. Like the name, the country focused on steel goods; and in a time of constant war, money was always flowing into the country. That was all Mai knew of the Land of Steel, but she could see why a scholar would want to take the position of 'Daimyō' in such a resourceful land.
When she reached home, Mai opened the white scroll once more and read its content with more attention. The scholar attempting the coup was Scholar Kihito and his inner circle of four: Scholar Satoh, Scholar Akiyama, Minister Takaru, and Teacher Yotei. All of whom own large amounts of land in the Land of Steel- Scholar Kihito the greatest. The Land of Steel has an annual festival held in Steel Village to thank the gods for giving the people abundant amounts of minerals for steel. Almost everyone residing in the Land of Steel and the surrounding states knew of the Steel Festival. The festival was scheduled in two days, but from where Mai was, she expected to reach Steel Village by high sun tomorrow. She took in account that if Scholar Kihito were to find out that the Land of Steel Daimyō, Lord Atsuchiyo, had hired the Uchiha Clan to assassinate him, he'd surely hire the Senju Clan for protection. This was something Mai had to be cautious of.
Many of Mai's missions composed of individual assassination and reconnaissance. Her missions were in the backdrop overshadowed by the Uchiha shinobi that fought in the front, Lord Madara being the prominent one of them. Because of that, she rarely encountered shinobi. But that didn't mean that she never encountered them. To her knowledge, no ninja alive knew of her existence in the world- an attribute Lord Tajima preferred she have for the benefit of the Uchiha Clan. Many times her Sharingan gave her the escape she needed when she met shinobi on the battlefield. Kunoichi's were rare in the Warring States Period because females lacked the biological physical trait of strength when being a shinobi.
Many clans preferred women to stay behind walls and do their duty and bear children- this was the Warring States Period and children were limited. Lord Tajima believed throwing someone onto the battlefield with only the Sharingan and no fighting ability was futile, like giving the enemy a piece of your own food. He had no reason to be against females on the battlefield fighting for the Uchiha Clan, but he preferred them to be behind the main stage of the battles and have the ability to physically fight. An opponent would never expect a female kunoichi when compared to a male ninja. He believed women made one of the best and exceptional spies.
And when he saw Mai's fresh Sharingan eyes, he knew immediately where to put her and how to train her. When he looked into the six year old's eyes, he could see the new generation of Uchiha Clan with his sons leading it.
The Land of Steel is well known throughout the world as a place untouched by the constant wars and fighting, which Mai found funny because the Land of Steel thrived from the ongoing wars. Many families fled to the Land of Steel for both economic and safety reasons. It's peaceful image was just second behind the samurai land of the Land of Iron. When Mai reached Steel Village, her first destination was an inn with a hot spring, and the first thing she noticed was the massive population the major village held.
Men, women, and children walked through the busy streets; entrepreneurs and workers yelled at the top of their lungs to meet the ears of customers; and, what caught Mai's attention the most, large extravagant buildings in the distance. If one could draw a line through the village, it would be in-between the large homes that had balconies and were surrounded by small, bright green leaf trees; and the smaller almost box looking buildings on the other side. The economic divide was predominantly evident.
Mai exhaled as she sunk into the hot bath water. Her breath merged with the steam that floated in the air. The scorching water soothed her stiff muscles, loosened her fair skin, and released the dirt hidden in the neat engravings on her skin. Leaning her head back onto the stone edge, she took and exhaled a deep breath of relaxation. Lifting her arms above the scorching hot water, Mai looked at her thin, lean arms- she was always too small for her age, then to her fairly calloused hands.
She stared at her hands with complication; she had five targets and only one of her. The Clone Jutsu was of no use because the clones had no body mass. Luck was on her side to have the Land of Steel's annual Steel Festival tomorrow, but she still couldn't find a way to silently complete her mission.
Uchiha Mai also took in consideration of the chance of shinobi bodyguards- whether they be the Senju or not- and of the chance of Scholar Kihito knowing of his entire circle's assassination. Bodyguard missions usually comprised of a team of four or more. Her only chance to complete her mission was during the Steel Festival, where the crowded streets could hide her.
After one of her recent assassination missions, Mai felt shinobi nearby and left as quickly and quietly as she could. It turned out the shinobi were Senju's when the Uchiha girl met face to face with one who had gone astray from her family in search of the unknown presence she sensed. To Mai's surprise, the Senju was a girl. It took Mai weeks to calm herself after what happened in this battle. The female Senju, who looked only a couple years older than Mai, possessed a piercing brown stare that only soften the slightest- to fear- when the Senju noticed Mai's Sharingan eyes. What haunted Mai the most was not the Senju's but her own drive to kill the Senju kunoichi she'd never met- someone that had done no wrong to her. The split second of panic allowed the Senju to slash Mai's left arm before Mai pierced a katana through a major artery. The bloody sight did nothing to calm Mai and her shaking hands. Looking down at her left arm just off her shoulders, Mai saw a part of the pink-almost-white line of a scar on her fair Uchiha skin before she sunk herself deeper into the hot bath water until it touched her cheeks.
Closing her eyes, she let the gears in her head churn.
"Poison." Mai mumbled in the water.
The festival had already begun a couple hours after sunrise, and it was already midday. Children ran across the street with dango's in hand and girls around Mai's age wore light colored kimonos. One group of girls in particular caught Mai's attention. Their light colored kimonos glistened in some angles of light and were brought together with gold thread. It was the girl in the middle of the group who kept glancing at Mai that led Mai stop, who was on her way to start her plan. The girl's gray eyes looked at Mai's dark blue kimono shirt with a superiority aura.
"Kaori! What are you looking at?" A girl within the group asked the gray eyed girl in the middle before tracing her eyes to Mai. "Oh." She too looked at Mai's shirt, and Mai could feel the heat climb up her neck.
The girl, Kaori, walked towards Mai. Physically looking down on Mai- she was half a head taller than the kunoichi, and she extended her hand that held a bag. "Carry this for me."
Speechless and unsure at what to do, Mai felt her hands unknowingly encase the handle of the girl's bag. Only realizing her action when the girl smiled smugly and walked away. Glancing at the other young girls, who were beginning to turn around while giggling, before unknowingly following behind them all. It was in her nature to follow and fulfill. She followed Lord Tajima's orders. She followed Elder Mio's orders. And right now, she was following this girl's order.
When the group of girls began walking into the area of large homes, Mai remembered her priorities. "Um-"
"I know." The blonde haired, gray eyed girl, Kaori, looked down at Mai's blue kimono shirt. "It's a privilege for you to be here, isn't it?" The way the sentence came out of her mouth proved the girl used it many times. So much as that it sounded so second nature, so normal, coming out of her mouth.
Mai did nothing but keep her mouth shut and walked on. She was heading here anyway.
"Kaori! When will we see the shinobi men again?" A girl asked.
Mai's ears perked up and onyx eyes glanced to the girl that asked the question. Shinobi men?
"They went with my father. I doubt they'll be back anytime soon though." Kaori sighed. "You know, with the festival going on."
"Shinobi men?" Mai said her thoughts from the back of the group peering through to the front.
The group of girls glanced back at her. "Yeah," one of the girls answered. "Kaori's father hired shinobi men to protect him from muggers and bandits during the festival."
"Her father's Scholar Kihito. Don't you know?"
Mai looked at the gray eyed girl, who looked at her with her chin up, with a slightly ajar mouth. "...I know." Mai lied slowly.
Kaori clicked her tongue. "You should know." She said before turning around and led the group through a large gate that encased an even larger home.
"Lady Kaori!" A middle-aged woman welcomed at the door and bowed five times, one for every girl in the group, before stopping to look at Mai.
"Ignore her, Mamiko." Kaori said as she walked into the home. "She can put my bag in my room. But you bring me water."
"Yes, Lady Kaori." Mamiko bowed after taking a small, long glance at Mai.
The group of girls walked into the large home leaving Mai outside. A long moment later, Mai slowly stepped into the large estate with the girl's bag in hand. Her father is Scholar Kihito. Mai thought. Her eyes moved left to right glancing over every dusted jar and painting. So this must be the Kihito Estate.
Uchiha Mai always followed and fulfilled a command- it was in her nature. From a putting a purse into a room to completing a mission. She followed and fulfilled.
Mai watched as Scholar Satoh's body created ripples in the dark lake; the moon's reflection distorting at every movement as the body floated towards the middle of the body of water. When she pushed her first kill into a body of water, the cold feeling, colder than the lake itself, never left her hands until months later. But now, Mai didn't feel anything. That is, anything on her hands.
She already killed Teacher Yotei and Minister Takaru before Scholar Satoh. There was only Scholar Kihito and Scholar Akiyama left, and Mai figured by now they would know they were being targeted. But to her surprise, her last three kills had no shinobi bodyguards. Almost as if it was only Scholar Kihito who knew that Lord Atsuchiyo's hired an assassin and hired himself shinobi bodyguards for protection. He either knew or he had a hunch. Either way, he didn't tell his circle.
Walking away, she untied her thin, black obi and took off her wet, blue kimono shirt revealing her netted, black undershirt. The bursting of fireworks in the clear night sky in the background caught Mai's attention. As much as Mai did not want to relate it to the sound to paper bombs, she did. She let out a breath at the sky before taking a maroon kimono shirt off of a nearby laundry line and replacing it with her wet, dark blue one before walking towards the lit up streets.
Bells rang in no specific beat along with the drumming of drums, but everything still sounded soothing. And although people crowded the streets with chatter and claps, they were also mesmerized by the fireworks bursting above them. With people mesmerized by the fireworks, Mai was able to make her way through the crowded streets to stand near the side with large and lavishing homes. There she stood like any other tourist looking up at the night sky where flowers of light burst. She tugged at the new, maroon kimono shirt's arm's hem while her onyx eyes were glued to the night sky.
Her attention stayed on the sky until a flash of white in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Mai turned to see the source of white: a man's head. There was nothing odd of a head of white. The hair of men and women slowly turn white with time. But what was odd was that the head of white hair belonged to a young man's body. His broad shoulders held the firmness that only muscles could give and he walked with ease- unlike an elder. Mai's onyx eyes stared at the man's head of white hair as he walked away, his shoes clicking on the dirt at each step.
An unnerving feeling crept its way into Mai; her intestines felt as if they were twisting into knots inside her as she stared at the man's black clothed back. But the large boom of fireworks brought Mai's eyes back to the sky, ridding her of the unnerving feeling. Turning back, the white haired man was nowhere to be seen. And the unnerving feeling deepened.
. . .
"Have you sent word to Scholar Satoh about the meeting." Scholar Akiyama quietly asked his right-hand servant walking beside him.
"I have." The servant replied. "He should have received it already."
"Alright." The scholar replied. "Get me some tea."
The servant lowered his head to the demand, turned the opposite direction, and walked off.
Sliding the papered door open, Scholar Akiyama entered his dark office. He sighed disappointingly. "I thought I told you to have a candle lit for me every time when I return." He hissed. The scholar turned and slid the door close.
"He did."
Scholar Akiyama's eyes widen with bewilderment at the foreign voice before turning around slowly with the same look in his eyes. Through the darkness and shadows of the room, he could see a small figure standing by the window off to the left side of his study. The occasional firework would allow light in through the window, and he could see the person's silhouette a little more clearly. But before terror could scream through his eyes, he'd already made eye contact with Sharingan eyes.
. . .
"I hired you Senju's to protect me! And you couldn't do one, single task!" Scholar Kihito exclaimed with his hands waving uncontrollably in the air after he'd just slam a door open.
"You are alive, aren't you?" A dark haired man in shinobi gear quietly stated behind his white haired Team Captain.
Scholar Kihito opened his mouth to speak but closed it. Taking one deep breath to soothe his rising anger, he pinched the bridge of his nose "Yotei found dead with a punctured artery. Takaru found dead stabbed in his study. Satoh found dead in the lake." Scholar Kihito listed. His rage doubling after each name. "Where is Akiyama!" He roared. "Send word to Akiyama now!" He'd warned his circle of the chance of assassination and urged them to hire bodyguards for the festival, but they all reassured him that they would stay home and be protected through the building of their estate. Those idiots!
Senju Tobirama turned away from his client to prevent any of his irritation from showing. He never worked well with people- especially those with a superiority complex.
"Kaori! Bring me my tea!" The scholar ordered his daughter.
"Yes, father!" Tobirama heard a female's voice through the cream colored walls of Scholar Kihito's estate.
Tobirama slightly narrowed his scarlet eyes on his client. He internally cursed the Senju elders who accepted this mission. Hashirama was still in his first year of leading the Senju Clan after the death of their father; and as a brother, he felt the need to stay by his brother's side. Yes, the clan was in need of money and to secure the success of this mission they sent Tobirama to lead it, but was this particular mission worth it? The man was planning a coup against one of the most stable countries in the Warring States Period. The world has had more than enough betrayal within Tobirama's life so far, yet it didn't seem to stop.
"I want my old one! Heat it up!" The Scholar added. One thing Tobirama learned from his short stay in the Kihito Estate was that his client did not like wasting tea- an odd characteristic Tobirama found in well-pocketed men. Scholar Kihito sat down and squeezed the bridge of his nose. The two Senju's noticed their client's shoulders shake up and down. "...He killed all three of them." He laughed with ninety percent air, sounding like he was wheezing.
Tobirama's red eyes looked at the scholar. Then he looked back to his teammate, Jun, behind him who was also staring at the laughing scholar but turned to look at his team captain. The two Senju's exchanged glances silently without opening their mouths before Jun nodded his head and turned to leave.
"Father, I have your tea." Kaori walked into the room with a tray of tea, an almost translucent white cloud floating above the teapot. Her gray eyes glanced shyly at Tobirama before turning to her father.
Tobirama watched as Scholar Kihito's daughter poured her father tea. Immediately, the scholar began drinking gulp after gulp. Scholar Kihito's daughter took one more glance at Tobirama before exiting the room.
As if his previous actions was a phase, the scholar lightly tapped his mouth with a white cloth- regaining his calm composure. "And you're positive that the assassin won't come near me."
"I can assure you that you are being heavily guarded." Tobirama informed the man.
Scholar Kihito puckered his lips. "I hope so." He said before taking a sip of his tea.
It was about half-an-hour later when Tobirama noticed the scholar struggle to breathe and swallow. For that, he took another sip of his tea as aid. Moments later, the scholar ceased breathing completely.
. . .
"Jun!" Tobirama called while he felt for any sign of Scholar Kihito's pulse: none.
Jun appeared at the door. "Yes, Team Captain." He said. His brown eyes settled on the scholar on the ground, and immediately he knew. "I-There was no one for the past half-hour."
"I know." Tobirama said. His red eyes eyed the tea on the table. "Poison." But what Tobirama did not know was why the man began to show the symptoms after half-an-hour. He knew of no such poison that didn't show symptoms immediately.
"Do you-" Jun began but was cut off by the presence of his other teammates, Senju Takeshi and Senju Kaito.
"The servant that was sent to Scholar Akiyama came back. He said Scholar Akiyama was found dead in his office." Senju Takeshi informed.
"What?" Jun said. "H-How?" He looked at his teammates with his brown eyes wide with confusion.
"He had no external injuries. I went to check." Kaito said. "The trace was small, but there was a very slight trace of foreign chakra on the man."
"Genjutsu." Tobirama concluded and stood up.
"Should we go after the man?" Takeshi asked.
"No." Tobirama replied. "He's probably on his way to the border already."
"Are we going to inform the family?" Kaito asked.
Tobirama's red eyes glanced from the body of Scholar Kihito to his teammates. The completion of this mission was vital for the Senju Clan. Scholar Kihito offered a large sum of money for his protection, and the Senju Clan failed him. "I'm going to find the assassin." Tobirama said. "You three will stay here and inform the family. If I come back with the assassin, there still might be a sum of money given to the Senju Clan."
"Team Captain," Jun said. "Are you sure that's-"
Tobirama held a hand up to his teammate. "The Senju Clan is depending on this mission. You know that."
Jun visibly gave in to the indirect order. "Yes, sir." He did not doubt his team captain. His team captain was renown for his speed and sensory. He'd seen it many times while working with him. But it was the uncertainty of the assassin that bothered him and the number of assassins, if there was. But his team captain looked so sure it was only one person.
Kaito and Takeshi nodded.
Mai kept her path straight towards the border with no rest stops, and she chose the wise path. Not even hour after leaving Steel Village, even with her lack in sensory, she could feel someone speeding towards her- someone powerful. Pushing more chakra to her feet, she sped up. Still, she felt the person's presence nearing her bit by bit. In the dark, the small leaves slapped her face as she fled through the trees. She couldn't believe anyone could be this fast. Scholar Kihito should've just died almost half an hour ago. Then the image of the man with white hair hit her, and her eyes widened.
That explained the unnerving feeling. He was following her, but that was impossible, wasn't it? The man couldn't have caught up to her this fast, could he? But he'd already have, and Mai didn't have time to question herself. Looking forward into the dimly lit trees she pushed her chakra to her eyes. In a pulse, she could see how far the man was, and his speeding body gaining ground against her. The Land of Fire was an hour or two more away, but Mai wasn't planning on entering that state. For Lord Tajima's and the Uchiha Clan's sake, she couldn't let the man find her identity. Therefore, she fled slightly to the left- away from the Land of Fire.
The ground became more steep as time went on, and Mai became slower. But it seemed as if the man behind her kept his speed. Knowing fairly well that a confrontation was the only chance of escape, Mai made one last jump off a tree and landed on the stiff ground. She tightened the thin black obi around her waist and tied her dark ebony hair up into a tail before turning to face her follower. She was certain it was the white haired man. Her gut feeling was telling her, and gut feelings are never wrong. Draining the chakra away from her eyes, her red Sharingan eyes faded into onyx. The characteristics of Uchiha's- onyx eyes and ebony hair- was shared to many other clans such as the Hagoromo. The only definite characteristic of Uchiha's were the Sharingan, and Mai took it away.
It only took Mai a breath before the white haired Senju appeared in front of her standing in the trees. In the dark, his white haired reflected the moon above. He had armor on over the black attire she previously saw him in.
"Who are you!" The man boomed. It wasn't a question nor was it a command.
Still, Mai kept her stance and stared at the man, as he did with her.
The white haired man unsheathed his katana, and Mai reached for her kunai knife. In an instant, the sound of metal clashing metal echoed through the night sky bathed trees.
A/N (AGAIN)
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