Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.

Chapter 11

This was probably the most degrading, yet absurd, mission that they had done so far. Who in the world sends two almost-five-year-olds and a medic to do reconnaissance on group of bandits? Oh right, their Kazekage would.

Yashamaru-sensei said that this mission was supposed to be a show of trust from the Kazekage. Sure, trust, Minoko suppressed a sigh as she wandered through the streets of a small town on the boarder of Ishi no Kuni, keeping an ear out for more information. Ishi was in a smaller country sandwiched between Kaze no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni. Even though the town with the bandit problem was in Ishi, the criminals' camp was situated on the other side of the boarder in Kaze. This meant that while the town being ransacked was outside of their usual jurisdiction, the bandits were Suna's problem because of their location.

Minoko and Gaara were posing as cousins traveling with their uncle to find a new home after theirs was destroyed by a mudslide near the border. When they first entered the close-knit town, the villagers were a bit wary. However, after telling their sob story and flashing harmless smiles to the local residents, it seemed like it was enough to melt their hearts and ease their suspicions. Minoko just felt awkward.

So far, she had to behave like a baby, act like she didn't understand what the adults were talking about, and she was watched constantly by 'caring individuals' wherever she went so she didn't get hurt when she was running errands for her uncle. If it wasn't for Gaara and sensei talking with her like an intellectual human being when they were alone together, she would most likely have gone crazy from all the baby talk. Seriously, how do normal kids her age stand this? She felt absolutely smothered! If this wasn't a mission, she would have left a long time ago.

Unfortunately it was a mission, so she was stuck there until they could get enough information about the situation so the Kazekage could send an appropriate team to take care of things. Minoko was currently walking hand in hand with her 'cousin' as they looked around the market for supper while also paying close attention to the whispering of the adults. Luckily they were mostly ignored or dismissed due to being so young. Adults were so stupid sometimes.

"Ni-san!" she said with a tilt of her head, "We get oranges? Oranges yummy."

Gaara patted her on the head, "K k Mimi-chan. We get some."

Minoko inwardly cringed at the sentences coming out of their mouths. She hadn't talked like this since she was two! They both looked over the produce as they listened to the stand owner talking with an elderly woman.

"Did you hear?" he said in a low voice, "They took Sasaki's kid this time."

"That poor dear," said the woman, a hand to her mouth, "What do you think they're doing to the child?"

"Not much of a child anymore Sumi-san. She's been grown for years. You know what's probably happening."

Sumi cringed a bit, "True. So unpleasant. When is Ishigakure going to do something about this? She's the third girl this month."

The stand owner shook his head solemnly, "Who knows?"

Minoko looked to Gaara. He nodded and grabbed a couple oranges and fished some change out of his pocket. The adults were silent as the owner rang up their purchase. The two children walked calmly back toward their hotel room and slipped inside.

They had only been in the city for two days and they already heard many similar stories about the group they were after. Kidnapping, extorting money or supplies, random acts of violence. This group was not made of nice people. Yashamaru-sensei found out that they were led by a chunin level shinobi. There were a few people that had some shinobi training mixed into the group, most likely Academy drop-outs, but it was predominately made up of civilian thugs.

An hour or so later Minoko looked up from her book that she had taken out to pass the time when the door clicked open and sensei walked in. Honestly, she hadn't really been reading anyway. Her nerves were strung tight with a combination of the mission and her dream bubble that she'd had before leaving Suna.

If she was being truthful to herself, she knew that she didn't look that great at the moment either. Her paranoia was keeping her from sleeping well at night. Of course, Gaara noticed. He never slept, so he could see her tossing and turning at night. He would just give her a look filled with concern that she would shrug off. She knew he was getting worried because of her. She hadn't spoken about what happened since they left the village, but she wasn't really sure what to say or do about it. She knew that she should probably tell him what she saw, but...

I'll tell him after his birthday, she decided, nodding her head slightly while her forehead creased in mild worry, That should work. Then he can help watch out for-

She snapped out of her daze with a jump when a hand waved in front of her face. She caught the hand and started twisting before stopping abruptly once she registered that it belonged to the aforementioned worried redhead.

The silence that followed drew out uncomfortably as she slowly let go of his wrist and chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. Sensei was the first to break the uneasy hush.

"Minoko, I wasn't going to bring this up, but are you alright? You seem more jumpy than usual," he inquired while placing a glowing green hand against her forehead.

Minoko exhaled slowly and allowed Yashamaru-sensei to run a diagnostic jutsu on her. "I'm ok, sensei. I think I'm just getting homesick is all. Ishi no Kuni is so different from Kaze no Kuni," she said, hoping he'd buy the excuse.

"I see," he said as he pulled his hand away, "You aren't physically sick, so I think you may be right."

The sandy haired medic leaned back and looked at his two students, "I sent a report back to Suna yesterday and just received a reply." He closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath before looking at them seriously, "The Kazekage wants us to eliminate the threat, then return home."

Minoko and Gaara both froze, "Eliminate?" they whispered.

"Yes," Yashamaru stated plainly, his discomfort hidden behind his professional demeanor, "He wants you to experience your first kill in a controlled environment Minoko. And Gaara, he wants to see if you can show restraint."

Both children cringed and glanced at each other. Minoko's light tan complexion paled drastically while Gaara bit his lip uneasily. Minoko knew that Gaara occasionally killed people in Suna. Usually it was when she wasn't there and they attacked him. Luckily she wasn't around when that happened like she had been that one time, but Gaara really didn't want her to see him kill someone. On the other hand, Minoko was just worried about killing for the first time. She didn't think that this would happen for several more years. She gulped and shakily reached out to squeeze Gaara's hand.

Yashamaru took in their reactions and frowned, "Well? What are you waiting for?" he asked sternly, startling them slightly, "Prepare your supplies and be ready to move out. We leave at 3 tomorrow morning." He then turned to put his own gear in order, expecting them to follow.

After another moment of frozen silence, the two children mechanically moved to comply with their orders.

Once packed, Yashamaru turned to his genin, "Get some rest. I'll let you know when we head out."

"Umm…Yashamaru-sensei…."

He turned to the slightly trembling kunoichi and raised a brow.

"Are….are you sure I have to do this?" she asked in a timid voice.

Yashamaru sighed, "You are a genin, Minoko. I have told you before that that means you are no longer children in the eyes of Suna. You are tools used for the betterment of our nation. And shinobi tools are made to kill and protect," he gave her a harsh stare and saw Minoko gulp, "You will do your duty and not ask questions. Is that clear?"

Minoko felt the breath leave her lungs in a rush as she gave a firm nod. She had never been scared of the sandy haired medic before, but now she knew why he was a jonin. The authority came off of him in waves. Despite his rather feminine features, he was terrifying.

Minoko went over to the bed and climbed in, pulling the covers up around her head and tried to close her eyes. She felt Gaara get in beside her and grab her hand. She squeezed lightly again and took comfort in his presence. Everything will be fine, she thought.

She wasn't sure if she believed her own reassurances.

…

Three in the morning came too soon in her opinion. Somehow she was able to fall asleep for a while after Gaara had taken her hand, but she still felt rather drained.

They all grabbed their gear silently and left the hotel at a brisk run. They entered Kaze no Kuni and arrived at the bandit's campsite after only ten minutes. Minoko felt a lump growing in her throat. They were perched on an outcropping of rocks and looked at the men that were sprawled out around the camp in various states of dress. There were over forty men down there. And she was going to have to help kill them all. She gulped and wiped her suddenly damp hands on her pants.

Looking closely, she thanked kami for the waning crescent moon. It gave just enough light to see by, yet there were enough shadows to hide their presence. There were a few tents that were only halfway set up, but it seemed like the men decided against finishing. They were probably too drunk to put them together and gave up, choosing to use a bedroll or blanket under the open sky instead. There were a few camp fires that were smoldering from the night before and empty bottles strewn about. The occasional snore and snort was heard throughout the area. There didn't seem to be any guards stationed.

In the corner of the camp furthest from her, Minoko could see a box-like structure and strained to see what it was. When her eyes adjusted enough, it took everything in her not to gasp. It was a wooden cage. Inside were half a dozen women that looked a bit battered. Some were awake and staring blankly into the distance.

Minoko suddenly didn't feel so bad about what they were going to do.

At the signal, the three Suna shinobi spread out around the camp, sensei going to the far end where the women were. He would help them while the children picked off the men.

Minoko crept up to the closest passed out man and pulled out a kunai with barely a whisper. Her hand trembled slightly, but she willed it to stop and focused on the man before her. He was really ugly. Gaunt features, missing or yellowed teeth, clothes that looked like they were caked onto him because of the grime built up from lack of washing…

She crouched down next to him and took a deep breath to steady herself, trying not to gag at his stench. She placed her hand over his mouth and slit his throat, making sure to cut the carotid artery, in one swift movement. The kunai slid through his skin like a hot knife through butter. The man's eyes opened briefly in panic as his hands came up to grasp his bloodied throat, no noise escaping him as she held him down with all of her weight as best as she could. He stopped moving seconds later, his glassy eyes staring forward vacantly.

Minoko let out a shaky breath that she didn't realize she had been holding. Her stomach churned and she could feel bile trying to make it's way up her throat. She closed her eyes and swallowed a couple times. One down. She opened her eyes and looked across the clearing to Gaara, making sure not to look at the dead man in front of her. Gaara was slowly gathering his sand around the men, doing his best not to wake them. She could see three cocoons already, only the faces left uncovered. He would probably try to crush them all at once to limit the noise and effort. She flinched as she tried not to think about it too much.

Suppressing a shudder, Minoko moved onto the next man. Then the next. Then the next. She stopped thinking and just moved robotically, systematically.

She was about to slit the throat of the thirteenth man when he suddenly gripped her wrist, his eyes flashing open to glare into hers. Terror filled her when he roared and moved to stab her with her own blade.

Minoko moved instinctively, her months of training kicking in, and twisted her body in a way that forced the man to release his grip on her. She jumped back a bit and looked at the burly man in front of her. Dark tan skin, square jawline, slightly curly dark brown hair, and a rather brawny build that towered over her. She was in trouble.

The commotion caused the remaining men to wake up. She vaguely heard Gaara crush however many men he had taken captive before those remaining could do anything about it.

"You bitch," the bandit in front of her growled when he got his bearings enough to look around, "What the hell have you done!?" He lunged at her in a practiced move, more grace in his step than his bulk would have hinted at. He must have been one of the Academy drop-outs in the group. Just her luck.

The raven haired girl pivoted around his figure and ducked his kick with ease. It was obvious he wasn't used to fighting someone her size. She barely came up to his mid-thigh. She created some distance between them, then ran through a string of seals and slammed her hand into the ground, "Doton: Doryuheki!"

Instead of an earth wall, a small bump appeared on the ground in front of the hulking figure. Thanks to the shadows, it was barely perceivable in the dim light. Not aware of his surroundings and thinking that her jutsu failed, he smirked and moved to charge her. He missed the bit of raised earth near his feet and stumbled over the mound. This gave Minoko enough time to run up and swipe at his legs with another kunai. She barely nicked the femoral artery in his left leg, but it would be enough.

One thing about being as small as she was, she needed to learn how to fell opponents several times her size efficiently. This led her to learning all about the major arteries and pressure points in the human body. She would never be a medic, but learning anatomy was always a good idea for those in her field.

She didn't notice the bandit swing his fist in a weighted backhand in retaliation until she felt pain blossom across her face. The hit sent her rolling several feet away. She was seeing stars and felt a bit of blood fall from her right temple. She gripped her head briefly before her other senses kicked in and she rolled out of the way of a foot crashing down where she had just been.

The bandit obviously didn't realize that he was basically a walking dead man and continued to attack her. Minoko weaved and dodged, knowing that she just had to outlast him. She briefly glanced at the rivulet of blood steadily flowing down the man's leg and quickly sidestepped. Her head throbbed as she ducked the wild punch. His movements were growing more sluggish and sporadic until he finally fell to his knees breathing heavily. His eyes were unfocused for another moment before he finally fell unconscious due to blood loss, falling face first into the dirt. Breathing heavily, she cautiously walked over and slit his throat just to be sure he'd stay down.

When she looked up again, she saw that Gaara had finished off the remaining bandits while she had been preoccupied by her opponent. The sun was just starting to rise, causing the clearing to be illuminated by the morning light.

Minoko saw red. Blood was everywhere. Soaking the ground, the corpses, her clothes and hands.

She turned and threw up. Whether it was from the sight of all the gore, the concussion that she probably had, or some combination of the two, she didn't know. She vomited again and again, barely feeling the small hand running soothing circles into her back as her head pounded in time with her retching. When she finally calmed down several minutes later after dry heaving for a while, she turned and smiled weakly at Gaara. He gave a small smile back. They did it. They finished the mission and it didn't seem like they were hurt much at all. She could feel a bruise forming around her wrist from where the man grabbed her and the pulsing ache in her skull, but that was it.

She looked over to see Yashamaru-sensei leaning over a body to inspect it. Minoko didn't see the girls anywhere and assumed that he healed them enough to send back to their town. He had mentioned at one point that they weren't citizens of Kaze, so they weren't Suna's concern. Minoko didn't really agree with that thought process, but at least he healed them enough so that they could get home. She hoped.

Sensei moved onto the next body, turning it over, only to let it fall back to the ground with a thud and move to the next. After a moment he straightened with a sigh, "Nice job you two. You executed the plan very well," he ran a frustrated hand through his hair, "The only problem is that the chunin that was the supposed leader isn't here. He must have gone out for something last night."

Minoko slumped down a bit. What were they going to do now!? She was exhausted; physical and emotionally. She barely slept over the last several days, she just made her first kill, and she had been in a fight to the death with a much, much larger enemy. She just wanted to go home.

Gaara patted her shoulder and walked over to inspect the bodies with his uncle one more time to double check, telling Minoko to just rest for a while.

Taking his advice, Minoko walked over to the outcropping of rocks and sat down on one of the lower ones, her head still spinning a bit. She'd have to ask Yashamaru-sensei to check it when he was finished.

She turned her face away from the bodies, still feeling a bit sick, when she froze. Now that the sun was coming up, she could clearly see the various rock formations surrounding the campsite. Most were simple…normal. But the one that she was staring at currently had a very unusual shape; narrow at the bottom, almost to a point, and wider as it went up. Very unusual…and very familiar.

Her blood froze in her veins moments before she heard Gaara screaming her name and felt a searing pain in her chest.

A/N: I know, I'm horrible…See you next chapter! Please review!

Ishigakure: Hidden Stone Village (Not to be confused with Iwa: Hidden Rock Village)

Ishi no Kuni: Land of Stone

Kaze no Kuni: Land of Wind

Tsuchi no Kuni: Land of Earth

Doton: Doryuheki: Earth Style: Mud Wall