Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden or anything aside from my OCs.
Yui was positioned quietly in the brush, downwind and in a strategic location to attack or defend depending on the outcome of their conversation with the Akatsuki spy. The battle began with Orochimaru's arrival and the exposure of Yamato's disguise. As it was, their plan had already failed and it seemed appropriate to enter full combat.
Yui remembered nothing of the battle except for Naruto's fearsome jinchuriki form. The normally stoic and emotionless Yui was shocked, frozen in fear as the massive form of dark and angry energy that was Naruto wreaked havoc on the entire area. The whole bridge came crumbling down in the battle between Orochimaru and the angry demon fox.
Even when the fight was over Yui could visualize the multiplying number of tails, the skin being destroyed by the malicious energy of the demon fox, etc. The fear gripped her chest. Were there really nine of these monsters running around in the very same world that she lived in? Did other countries really own the same kind of beast as Konoha? Her first thought was of Gaara. They had probably called him the demon of the sand for a reason. How could Kori possibly consider that beast a friend? Did she not understand how dangerous the creature was?
She was brought back to her senses when Sai moved to complete his top secret mission. She pulled herself together, making a mental note to observe just how much Kori knew about the monster she called a friend, and continued on as she had been ordered.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Kai was still upset about Sai's casual mention of his genitals as their mission began. He was fuming, his blond hair sparking with electricity each time he thought of the pale face and false smile. He was barreling ahead through the trees at the head of his group by a good ten or so meters at a continually fast pace.
"Saizo, you're making a scary face." Kori muttered, jumping and avoiding the branches that her companion's thundery chakra was cutting from the trees, "Cut it out or you'll give us away before we catch up to them."
Kai's passionate anger was only fuel at the thought of their mission, "Why are we always running around catching criminals?! I'm not a fucking police officer. I'm a ninja!"
"He's a B rank criminal with a C rank partner." Toshizo reminded him, panting as he attempted to shorten the distance between him and his two jonin companions,"That's not something an ordinary person could handle."
"Regardless, we are ninjas. We don't get to pick and choose our own missions." Kori's eyes focused on their prey as their chase finally brought them within vision of the criminal pair, "There they are. Saizo, close in."
"How far?!" He demanded, picking up his pace.
"950 meters." The Hyuga estimated, easily speeding up and taking to the right side of her companion, "Veer left! We can flank them."
"Understood." The blond muttered and sped off without looking back. He knew Kori would give her orders to Toshizo before taking her own position. She was the only female in their team and she lacked physical strength but possessed the fastest speed amongst them. Even if he hurried ahead, he trusted her to reach her position at the same time as him.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu, Rokuro!" Kai heard his teammate's call for her partner and knew that Rokuro would follow up behind him.
The White Tiger had sharp hearing and as a trained ninja beast, was able to focus all of his chakra in his ears to extend that range. Rokuro would be his method of communication with Kori even though they were splitting up.
"Kori-sama." Rokuro appeared with an affectionate call towards his master and snorted in disdain when she ordered him to follow after the blond.
Kai snorted in return and barked over his shoulder, "I don't need you either, asshole!"
Rokuro fell into step behind the jonin, growling low, "If you weren't a valuable partner to Kori-sama, I'd tear you apart right here."
"Oh, fuck off." Kai spat.
Rokuro's ears twitched, registering the quiet voice of a kunoichi that was many meters away, "Shh. Kori-sama says we're close. She's given the orders to close in."
"Tch." The proud jonin would normally have problems taking orders from a cat but he had no choice.
The pair of criminals was taken off guard when Kai and Rokuro leaped in on them from the left, pressing them to back away. Only a split second later, the enemy duo was forced to split up by a deadly shuriken assault from the right. Kai knew his partner had arrived and, despite having started in her direction after him, she had arrived only a second later.
"Saizo, close combat!" Kori commanded.
He didn't have to be told twice. He swooped in with a roundhouse kick. His eyes took in the surrounding area. Toshizo was nowhere to be found but that was to be expected. He didn't have the same speed. Kai smirked and mentally sent his companion a sarcastic apology. It would be over before Toshizo even arrived.
The B ranked criminal twisted away, drawing his dagger to fend off another round of falling kunais from the Hyuga that had taken a backseat in the trees. The C ranked sidekick was flustered as he tried to avoid Rokuro's claws and teeth.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Toshizo was not speeding through the trees, as per Kori's orders. He was taking his time but he was still panicked. He knew that Kori was smart and she lead this team with a wise and clear mind. She knew their capabilities and she knew how useful each of them was and therefore, her orders were absolute but sometimes he doubted things. Was it really right for him to take his time when his companions were probably already locked in combat with deadly criminals?
He sighed, shifting the weight of his puppet-sword from left to right as he continued on his way.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Kori was never the type of person to give orders without planning. She had learned to strategize from the best of the best. Shikamaru had taught her to always analyze the abilities of the people in her party. That step was often overlooked because she always worked with the same group. They were so familiar with one another that no analysis was necessary.
"Saizo! Focus on the one in front of you! Rokuro can handle the other one!" She assured him.
Normally, she would ask Kai to take the backseat in this fight since his powerful jutsus would strike down the enemy in one shot if he would just patiently wait for the opening to do so but his personality prevented such a feat. Kai hated waiting and he hated bringing down the enemy that someone else had weakened. His pride wouldn't allow such a thing. He might forgive someone else for taking his prey down with a cheap shot but he would never be the one to make a cheapshot. He also hated taking orders but for some reason or another, he obeyed her wishes quite frequently even if he couldn't follow every order he was given.
Kori's Byakugan eyes could see her final teammate approach just a few meters behind her and she knew it was time. Her eyes met with her feline partner's and the message was relayed. Rokuro sprang more fiercely at the C rank criminal, herding the man into place between him and his master. Taking Kai's position into consideration, Kori moved to the right to block in the criminals in a triangular formation.
Noticing their disadvantageous imprisonment, the criminals attempted to break free and Kai lurched forward to give chase but there was no need. The edges of a blade glinted in the sunlight and the screams of the C class criminal echoed off the tree trunks. Toshizo stood triumphantly at the end of the clearing, his sword-puppet was dripping in the blood of his enemy.
Kai clicked his tongue at his companion in frustration, "You idiot! Get the other one!"
The B class criminal continued barreling forward and as expected, agily slipping passed the defense of Toshizo's weapon and continued to make his escape. A powerful roar rang out and, from the trees above, a heavy white tiger (not quite as big as Rokuro) dropped and flattened the remaining criminal into the grassy forest floor. With one snap of his massive jaws, Koichi tore the man's arm off in a gruesome show of blood and primitive power.
The forest was silent for only a moment, the fact that the battle was over just sinking in. Kai was the first to speak, his voice irritated as usual, "God damn you, Toshi! How many times have I told you?! I hate cheap guys like you! You take all the good parts and you know what makes me mad?! You killed the wrong one first! Always kill the stronger one first! If you're going to steal the good part, do it right!"
"Sorry!" The puppeteer stammered, "You moved so I thought you were going to get him!"
"You fucker! I was giving him to you!" Kai turned on the massive white tiger cleaning the blood from his fur, "And you! What the fuck?! Who gave you the right to steal my kill?!"
"Oh calm down, Saizo!" Kori grumbled, approaching her animal partners with affectionate hands, "I asked Koichi to jump in if he thought they would get away. He only did what he was ordered to do."
"Tch." The blond calmed himself, seething quietly and grumbling to himself.
"Did I do good, Kori-sama?" Koichi purred, despite his large size he was quite young and enjoyed childish praise more than anything, "Can I tell my Mama I did good?"
"Yeah. You did great, kiddo." Kori laughed as Rokuro wrestled his companion away to start the same lecture as always, "Give him a break, Rokuro. He did a good job. Of course you were magnificent too."
The older white tiger stood tall, pleased at the praise, "I only did as I was ordered."
"You're both great. Go ahead and head home." Kori grinned, waving them away as they did their awkwardly traditional thing and disappeared in a puff of smoke, "Toshizo, perfect timing."
"I was wondering why you ordered me to jog." He grumbled. Toshizo opened his mouth again to add to his comment but he paused sharply upon seeing the girl's shoulders stiffen. "What's wrong?"
"There's someone watching us." Kori spoke quietly, "Over that way."
As expected Kai noticed the danger as well.
"Oi!" Kai called sharply. Although he was unable to see such a great distance, he felt the malice floating about.
"There's four of them." Kori muttered quietly, keeping her voice low, "All of them are in masks. Five more approaching. All males except for one. Billowing black cloaks, red clouds, all armed and ready to fight. A message! They're lifting a message!"
"Red clouds? Black cloak?" Kai grumbled, "Wasn't that the symbol of the Akatsuki? What message?! How the hell can they see us from that far?!"
"'Silent prophecies come to pass. Our destinies cross again. Your fall is at our hands.'" She relayed the message as it was written against the slates that the nine were holding up for her. They knew she possessed powerful vision. They knew she was looking.
"Sounds like they're picking a fight if you ask me." Kai grinned devilishly, "Let's give them what they want!"
"They're leaving." The Hyuga grasped her teammate's arm as he attempted to approach them, "Our mission was to defeat these two and bring back what they stole. We can report those guys to Tsunade-sama but let's focus on the mission for now."
"Tch. You're always such a good girl." Kai grumbled, "We can have a little fun every once in a while."
"We don't know anything about those guys." She said sharply, "We shouldn't do anything we might regret."
"If you say so."
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Aya shrieked in frustration as Ibiki denied her the permission she needed to perform her technique on real people.
The members of the ANBU Torture and Interrogation Squad simply shook their heads and passed by without much concern. Aya's tantrums were a daily event so they were all used to such outbursts.
Ignoring her screaming, Ibiki said, "Let's take a break from this. You'll go through sparring and stealth work like a normal shinobi for a few days and then we'll come back to this."
Incoherent streams of insults and whining spilled from the childish kunoichi's lips but they were all ignored. Ibiki was a strict instructor indeed.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Danzo was very irritated. He had just brought up the matter of allowing one of their own tools, one of Konoha's very own weapons, one of their shinobi to correspond with a ninja of a foreign country to the Hokage.
She had simply replied with, "He's the Kazekage not just any ninja of a foreign country. We're allied with the Sand."
"It's makes no difference." Danzo had tried to reason with her, "We should not risk Konoha by permitting a personal relationship between one of our own and the Kazekage. He could easily exploit her."
"She's a smart one. She won't be exploited." Tsunade had replied naively.
"She's only a child. She doesn't know the ways of the world." He had argued, "Or if she's as smart as you say, she could be plotting against us."
"I trust her."
"On what evidence?"
"They're just friends. It promotes goodwill between us and Sunagakure."
"And what will you do if she betrays us?" Danzo demanded.
"It won't happen."
She had talked them in a circle. That damn Tsunade. She had been influenced by the the Third too much. Of course she wouldn't understand.
He had read her reply letter and found nothing forwardly wrong with it but it was suspicious in itself. There was always a deeper meaning to these sorts of things and he was ready to discover what their secret was. He had read it so many times that he had memorized it:
To Gaara-sama,
I can't worry about something that has already passed but I can worry about the future. Please be careful from now on.
As for my feelings, they remain unchanged. Once a friend, always a friend. I'm pleased to hear that you thought of me in your last moments and I'm certain that I would do the same.
I'm no stranger to regrets but I can't pretend that I understand what you feel. One day, I'm sure that I'll understand but until then I cannot help you. I'm sorry. But I believe that, to live life without regrets, is the greatest of joys. With that thought, no life is wasted as long as you feel that you've gotten something worthwhile out of it. I've earned many friends and found my goal; that makes my life worthwhile. You've achieved your goal already so your life won't be wasted this time.
On that note, I hope you sleep well now that you are free to sleep as you please. I'm hope to wish you a 'good night' every once in a while from now on without a guilty conscience.
Stay well,
Hyuga Kori
It was too plain a letter. There must be a code behind it all.
He was locked in a heated glare with the Hokage when the kunoichi in question had stepped in with her team to give a report of their latest mission. Danzo had turned a glare on the Hyuga and she immediately tensed, staring back at him with an analytical gaze. Impudent girl! She was assessing him, sizing him up. She was a dangerous child. Something had to be done about her messages to Suna. They were probably traitorous messages written in code.
She looked him over for only one more moment, turning away as if she had just dismissed him with her eyes, "Tsunade-sama, the criminals have both been killed and the stolen item has been recovered and returned to its proper owner."
"The bodies?" Tsunade smirked as if she already knew exactly what happened to them.
"Saizo, shocked the bodies into oblivion after we fished out the item. All that's left are ashes and those… well, they were scattered in the wind." The Hyuga smiled sheepishly, "Sorry?"
"If you've disposed of the bodies, it's no matter." The Fifth Hokage shrugged, "Those were the orders. Capture them dead or alive and retrieve the item. Any abnormalities?"
Team Asahina exchanged wary looks and the young Saizo heir began to speak, "Actually, we caught sight of several members of the Akatsuki from a distance. At least we think they were members of the Akatsuki."
"I caught sight of them with my vision." Kori explained, "They were all wearing black cloaks with red clouds imprinted on them. Each of them was wearing a mask so I couldn't see their faces. There were nine of them, all males except for one. From a distance, they flashed me a message as if they expected us to see them."
"And what was that message?" Tsunade demanded, "A threat?"
The young kunoichi hesitated, "'Silent prophecies come to pass. Our destinies cross again. Your fall is at our hands.'"
"What? Whose fall? Whose destiny?" The Hokage slammed her hands against the table, standing up.
"We don't know. We didn't make contact with them. They turned to go after showing us the message and we had our mission to take care of."
Danzo wasn't sure if he could even trust their report. The whole team might be conspiring against Konoha under the command of the Kazekage. And what Akatsuki? That's preposterous! Why would the Akatsuki be watching these three when they were hunting bijuu-holding jinchuuriki?
"You made a wise decision." Tsunade said, dismissing the topic any further, "Your services are appreciated. Expect your next mission within a week or so."
"Yes ma'am!"
Danzo's eyes met the blank eyes of the Hyuga once more as she made her way out. His eye widened at the way her eyes assessed him again as if she was warning him to leave her be. She was a dangerous girl indeed.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
"Toshi-senpai!" A feminine voice called out as the left the Hokage's office and hit the streets.
The puppeteer turned with a smile, "Hoshina-chan."
"Oh brother." He heard Kai groan from behind him but he paid the jonin no mind.
"How was your mission?" The girl asked, her glasses slipping down her nose ever so slightly.
"Ahh…" Toshizo glanced back as his teammates briefly, "They did all the work."
"Damn straight." Kai grumbled and complained when he was elbowed roughly in the side by his female companion, "What?"
"Toshizo was great." The Hyuga smiled, "He popped right out of the trees at the perfect time and cut down one of our two opponents single-handedly. Kai and I could barely take down the second one together."
"What?! You've got that shit backw-!" Kai grunted in pain as she sharply elbowed him again, "Right… Right…"
The puppeteer blushed darkly. Kori was really too kind. It was no secret that he had a crush on Hoshina but it was also no secret that Hoshina's first crush was the elite Saizo heir.
Hoshina was smiling from ear to ear, "I'm sure you were all amazing."
"Damn straight." Kai caught the elbow coming his way this time, grumbling, "Alright already. I get it."
"U-Umm… If you'd like, as a … treat for working so hard all the time, I could treat you to coffee and cake at my family cafe." The genin offered shyly, "If you've got time, that is."
An awkward silence followed. Kori elbowed Toshizo sharply, clearing her throat.
"E-Eh?! M-Me?" The chunin was startled. The question hadn't been directed at him in particular and he usually let his teammates decide since they were the leaders of the team, "I-I don't have any plans in particular."
"Then it's settled." The female jonin grinned, "We'll take you up on your kind offer."
"We will?" Kai sighed, "Alright… I guess we will."
"Thank you!" Hoshina squeaked in joy and led them away.
Readers,
I'm praying to make more regular updates now. I've got the story planned out well into the end of the Shippuden series so I just have to write it out.
Thank you for the support!
Reviews are appreciated,
xanimexmangaxlover