ANBU can be nice sometimes

The ground was wet, muck, grain that if you ran your fingers across would stick to it like some kind of blackened tar. It marked the few sparse crops of trees we could find, the bottom and roots covered, upturned ground almost clambering onto the wood.

The sun was hidden today, deep grey clouds telling of coming rain hovering above like great giants, unwilling to let a single ray in, uncompromising in their suffocation. If it continued like this the near dead grass beneath our spot on the tree would decompose, like some kind of unsightly corpse.

Height was the most important aspect though, a perch, a way to spy any oncoming threats. We had discovered via Kitsune hypnotising a man that the convoy, food and troops both, was headed this way, under this dark, green outcrop. The real importance of the carriages wasn't their produce however, it was their escort. The height made us airborne assassins at a single command, but until then we had to wait.

Our captain was knelt on the lowest branch. He was our 'lookout', though Onryō was, due to her bloodline limit, our early warning system. Tanuki was just there to keep us under control, to coordinate us. Not to mention it was the most dangerous place to be.

Onryō was stood up straight, whilst Kitsune was laid back, relaxed. He was more experienced than both of us, but we were quickly becoming good teammates. We had completed a number of missions already, but I wasn't holding my breath. One unlucky event, and they would die, I could tell.

So I sat, lotus position, sharpening my kunai, making sure each one was immaculate. That was something Orochimaru drilled into me, the idea of putting effort and consideration into everything.

It felt like we were losing. We had all 4 other great nations against us, and even minor ones like Taki had taken themselves into a sort of rebellion, the 7 tails jinjuriki killing swaths of all sides whilst ours hasn't even been seen on the battlefield. Everyday, a new mission, and everyday more losses. Our captain had disclosed that it was a miracle none of us had died yet, either because we were lucky enough to not run into a heavy hitter, or smart enough to avoid undue conflicts, or both. I just wondered how long until we are forced to take a mission that would kill us.

Onryō signalled to the captain, who confirmed with his own hand signals, standard ANBU issue. We could have spoken normally, but practise was a good idea. Also, I am pretty sure my entire team are eccentric weirdos who decided to join ANBU because it sounded cool. And yes, that includes me. Either way, I can admit it is fun to see them all gush over really sharp weapons or new techniques, new formations or create combination moves. We had the workings of a system now, one that would let us use prebuilt plans in an instant.

So we waited a few minutes more, the convoy of men, weapons, food, and our mark steadily rising over the horizon, marching along and along until the speck turning into a dot, and that dot into a box, and that box into a carriage, and that carriage into a line of carriages. Before long, they were under us, yet our captain still didn't tell us to attack.

We stayed, obedience drilled into us after repetition after repetition. We trusted him, hell even I did. I never trusted Orochimaru, for good reason, couldn't trust Danzo, but Tanuki? I cared what he said, put a lot of value in it. Oak browns and red iwa vests passed underneath, until a redder still, velvet carriage, adorned with golden accents presented itself, where Tanuki gave the order to attack, his hand falling before he dropped to the top. He kicked through, unsheathing his tanto and beheading a noble inside. Kitsune dropped with him, a genjutsu surrounding them. Me and Onryō stayed, lookouts in case the situation got out of hand, but the older man had been sitting by himself. Nobody heard or saw a thing.

The next phase of the plan was slightly more audacious. Me and my partner leapt down, myself inside and Onryō on the top, her joining with Kitsune. I heard a scuffle from the front of the carriage, clearly the two killing and replacing the carriage rider as we agreed. Kitsune's genjutsu would cloak them both, and nobody would be any the wiser.

Me and Tanuki got to work, stabbing into the floor with a pick, opening up a square from which we removed it, showing a window to the rolling ground below. We were both perched, squats wating for our moment. The trot of hoofs up ahead, the horses leading us along unbothered by their new drivers, and the escort behind and forwards, the slow crunching sound of wooden and steel wheel grinding on and on. We must have sat there for minutes.

Then Boom! An explosion further up, and the convoy halt, ours halting too in phase. Onryō and Kitsune both flipped over. "They think they are being attacked by a wind user from the front, they are distracted." Kitsune spoke, the adrenaline in his system making his voice more animated than usual. We nodded, then flipped through hand signs, diving through the hole one after another.

It was a horrible plan. To use the Hiding in the earth technique against Iwa and escape that way, but it was what they would least expect.

Our bodies rushed through dirt, one after another, shooting through with a noticeable rumble of dirt being displaced. Soon enough Kitune's genjutsu would fall, and a ninja would spot out work, but without sensors we would be fine.

Then we surfaced, and a flurry of projectiles were launched at us. I jumped above my team, casting a gust of wind to deflect them, whilst Tanuki threw a fist of flame forward, stream of red hot head amplified by my wind incinerating a few of the ambushers.

One turned and ran, towards the convoy. I chased, intercepted by another man. I ducked under his blow, throwing a kunai that impacted with his shuriken, the enemy preparing yet another attack before being struck by Onryō's palm, followed up by yet more strikes to his clavicle, neck, nose, ended by her striking his skull, destroying his brain in a single blow. She nodded to me, already resuming my pursuit of the improvised courier.

We dashed through the trees, speed apparent as we pushed of the bark, care to not make sound gone, kicking with an explosive speed and sound. Yet, bit by bit, I got closer, until my still smaller frame but not by that much impacted the soldier both of us rolling on the floor but me managing to force myself onto his back, pinning him to the floor. I took out a kunai, slicing it across his neck, blood shooting out immediately.

[Chunin killed, 2500xp]

Level up!

Level 17

106 points.

I looked up, and saw a genin, blood soaking his vest, Iwa headband marred with red.

There were 6 of them. It didn't take much to kill the weakest 5.

[Genin killed, 500xp] [Genin killed, 500xp] [Genin killed, 500xp] [Genin killed, 500xp] [Genin killed, 500xp]

The last was something different though, a clan shinobi it seemed. He looked scared, frightened, but not of me. More like himself. I sent a shadow clone to go kill him instead, the genin's body glowing and exploding enough to destroy my clone, the land around us, and knock me back. Tanuki caught me.

"Yurei! That explosion will have alerted the entire convoy. We need to run, use the escape route. Kitsune will misdirect them using genjutsu and Onryō will lay down traps."

And so we did just that, a mad dash whilst the others did their jobs, the swirling of yin chakra sitting still, waiting to penetrate someone's mind, and countless steel ladened traps and collections of ninja wire, waiting to penetrate someone's skull.

I helped where I could, but their talents shined. We had about 5 minutes before they showed, ample time to rig every metre we needed with traps, still and deadly.

The occasional explosion and scream sounded across the landscape, but we didn't stop our escape for even a second. We needed to reach the rendezvous, get some kind of defence to halt our pursuers. We dashed through the trees at an insane pace, rustles of leaves and the cracking of our explosive steps on wood the only sounds. We knew we were faster, but we needed as much space as possible.

…

Hours passed and eventually we stumbled upon the base we needed.

We flashed out hand signs to the jonin on station, him verifying them and letting us through, where Tanuki explained hurriedly a pursuit was chasing us. He told Onryō to go with the man, her stamina not completely gone because we had taken turns carrying her. We walked, almos trodden along the dank corridors of the underground structure, the strength leaving us as the adrenaline did, a group of chunin and jonin both rushing past us as a defence. I hoped they would be enough to hold the enemy back. To make sure Onryō didn't die.

Then we were alone, private in our own little space, where Tanuki removed his mask.

He was attractive I would say, but rugged. He had tanned skin but brown hair, generic, but his face was broad and angled enough to make him seem smouldering even with that genericness. He looked at us with deep blue eyes. We were alone, private, but we still weren't allowed by protocol to remove our masks.

"Take them off. I don't care about the protocol, I just need to see you both."

Sentimental, I know, but we complied. Kitsune has auburn hair himself, short but curled, bunched up at the top, tight and compact, and his skin was dark, brown. He had almost beautiful brown eyes, but his face was slimmer compared to the strength conveyed by Tanuki's own.

I personally was pretty, I knew that, but I wasn't really attractive yet. I knew I would though, in a few years' time, the lining of a strong jawline, yet delicate pretty features, soft skin, and of course my cherry blossom pink hair.

Onryō herself wasn't here, but I had seen her face before, like everyone here. She had the hallmark features of most Hyuga, pale pupilless lavender eyes, pale skin, dark hair, but hers was frizzy, and as I expected, she had a mark on her head. A green glowing slave seal. It scared me, to think all it took was some ink and chakra and your will would be someone else's.

The air was stale, and slick with the moisture of sweat, exercise and exertion expelling a kind of disgusting mist. But I had been covered in blood, hadn't I? It is surreal to think of the number that I killed, that I could, that I would. In my life previous, I couldn't even conceive of that, but now, it was normal.

It wasn't like I was alone though. I had my team, people who were turned into these soldiers but I suppose their minds thought differently. I had always been told killing was evil, to fear it, to choose to decay alone and old and live longer, than ever feel the calm release of death, but these people? They had been nurtured on it, stories of rampages, legends that killed children, schools where you are taught to hold a weapon before you can walk.

And where was that thought from? My team? Since when did I care? It was weird, that I cared for others.

I thought back to Orochimaru, to the two I killed. I didn't regret it, not at all, but I wondered why I thought that was alright? They were the same, a team of randoms who I have no real link to. Hell, at least I could see my teammates' faces before, nowadays I only see porcelain and drawing.

But they are different. They aren't the same. They are strong, smart, intelligent, and willing to do anything for me. And, that matters. I admire their strength, that strength, my own and others' the only island of meaning I have in the endless ocean of apathy that is my soul. Why wouldn't I care more about them than some idiot children who would never amount to anything? They would die, just like that, and drag me down with them. I needed to cut them off, to become better. I couldn't have saved them. I had no reason to.

Onryō walked in, covered in scratches and blood (Not mostly hers), already wrapping bandages around her arms.

"The enemies are retreating, they sent me over here to rest with you guys."

She took off her mask too, and laid down on the bench.

A team.

…

A/N: Exploring Kizashi's humanity here. I personally wouldn't forgive him for what he did to those kids at the start of the story, so I won't let him off the hook. Whenever he sees his new team, he will see his old, and he will have to answer, to lie to himself why he did it, why he couldn't have kept them safe.

He basically killed two children to join Orochimaru. In any context that is an insane and morally deplorable thing to do, but Kizashi was so excited to impress his teacher, to be taught, and he needed an anchor. That anchor is his strength of course, but now it is shifting.

I like Kizashi as a character, hate him as a person. There is an addictive quality to exploring an unexplainable person, that being one apathetic to everything but killing. I try to communicate him discovering new things, but he is a fundamentally broken person. Eventually, what will he be left with, when he only has his strength?

Danzo will show up again, don't worry. Kizashi's biggest antagonist is himself, and the crushing gears of the ninja world. And, well, fate, but we'll get to that. Kizashi is a black hole where the universe ignores him, but continues trudging by. The moment he fucks with it, he dies. Maybe.

Thanks for reading and reviewing, I appreciate you all.