Chapter 25: Killing is my business… And business is good.

"I won." I simply said to the girl laying on the floor, her leg firmly in my grasp.
Her breath was still ragged, her eyes still promising nothing but pain, but at least she lost her demented smile.
Immediately, I felt another threat coming from behind me, I completely ignored it and instead looked at my opponent in the eyes.

"It only works when you're not aware of it. I'll admit, if I was in the field, I would not take the risk to ignore your little trick but… Here?"

I let go of her leg and walked toward Yama and Kyougi-sensei.

"You used my training against me. You turned my instinct and experience, which should be my greatest strength, into a trap. I'll give that to you, it's impressive."

I heard Kasumi slowly get back on her feet, her breath became normal again as she made her way toward the group with me.

"Hum… Sorry but… I'm not sure that I understand what happened…" Yama said in a timid voice. "I just saw Shinji-kun making mistake after mistake and then… He finally saw the obvious attack and suddenly won?"

"That is because," Kuroko spoke in her calm and matron-like voice, "We, cats, are carnivorous predators. To put it simply, we are natural born killers. For us, throwing killing intent while masking our own come as naturally as breathing. The 'mistakes' you though your friend did where just him reacting appropriately to an unseen attack while missing the intent-less one."

"And the more trained you are, the more experience you have fighting for your life, the more vulnerable you are." Kyougi-sensei finished her explanation as I sat beside Yama.

"The Nekomata style is a mix of Genjutsu and Taijutsu." Kasumi continued, while looking at my friend. "We unleash killing intent to distract our prey, use a Genjutsu to make the threat feels 'real' then use our preys movement to maximise damage. But even if you know that…" Her eyes became bloodthirsty again. "I don't think you can beat me…"

Yama's body started trembling, since he was supposed to fight her after me.

"Alright." Sensei took control of the conversation in a light tone. "You're next, Yamamoto-kun. The rules are the same as Shinji-kun match, do your best and don't worry. Also…" Her voice became more serious. "This is training, keep your feelings in check and don't kill her."

I sensed the surprise emanating from Kasumi and her Friend, which quickly turned to arrogance.

"Oh, they think you can kill me. Ya-ma-mo-to-kun? How cute." Kasumi was back to her 'sadist' self and taunted the poor boy. Who, for all intents and purpose, was genuinely scared.

"Shinji, watch over her. If things turn bad, then immediately warn me and I'll interrupt the match." Sensei's voice was extremely serious, and I nodded. Much to the surprise of the cat sitting beside us.

Then she gave the signal and, almost immediately, Yama eyes suddenly became horrified and jumped to his right. Exactly where Kasumi was waiting for him and scratched his cheeks with her claws. A taunting move who drew some drops of blood.

"She has lost. Call the match, sensei." I said and she raised her hand.

"Hehehe… Scared, little boy?" Kasumi's voice, now insane again, interrupted her before she could speak.
"So scared… So defenceless… I'll enjoy hunting you…" Then, keeping eye contact with my friend, with a smile that matched her voice, she licked her bloodstained fingers.

SHE DRANK NOHARA YAMAMOTO'S BLOOD!
"NO!/KASUMI-CHAN!/YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"

Yama, Kyougi-sensei and I immediately ran toward the girl, whose eyes were now filled with surprise. Then they lost all trace of life as her body started falling.

Nara-sensei was fastest and caught her before she hit the ground. Immediately, I saw lightning sparks jumping between the fingers of her right hand as she slammed it over her heart.

"YAMAMOTO-KUN! WHAT DID YOU USE!"

"NIGHTSHADE! I USED IT ON REFLEX! When I felt…" The young boy was trembling. "When I felt the fangs on my throat… If I hadn't saw Shinji's fight… If you didn't warn me… I was so scared… I was THAT CLOSE TO USE WOLFSBANE!"

"NO TIME FOR REGRET! IT'S STILL IN HER STOMACH! STANDARD PURGE PROCEDURE! NOW!"

Yama's body language completely closed off. Replaced by the cold precision of professionalism.

"Beginning operation in three… Two… One…" His own hand turned blue, but before I could wonder what kind of technique he was going to use… His fingers stabbed Kasumi straight thought her heart, between our sensei's fingers.

Kasumi's cat attacked him, probably a defensive mechanism or a will to protect her from whatever he was doing. Our sensei just… Grabbed her by her neck with her other hand midflight.

Immediately, the girl came to life and did a wet and weak cry of pain.

"Beginning purge in three…Two… One…"

I felt the flow of Chakra though his fingers. Nothing obvious happened at first. Then we all saw Kasumi turning green and her breath became erratic. Kyougi-sensei just… Grabbed her hair with her freed hand in a neat ponytail, then moved the girl on her left side. I recognised it from my old world as the 'recovery position'. The effect was instantaneous.

Kasumi-chan started unloading her stomach on the floor before her.

After a few seconds, while Kyougi was keeping her blonde hairs from falling into… Well, into you-know-what, Kasumi started to cough and dry heave. Yama had produced a tea pot from… I don't know where and put it in front of her face.

"Take one sip and spit it. In case there's still remnant of my blood in your mouth. Then drink the rest. It's tea. It will restore the fluid you just lost and… Will get rid of the taste."

The girl weakly nodded and took a sip before spitting it. I smelled no trace of my friend blood in it. Then she managed to sit on the ground and drank a few cups.

"What… What happened to me…" She said with a strained voice. Puking your breakfast tends to do that. Don't ask me how I know.

"The Nohara clan is dedicated to medical jutsu but…" Yama commenced to speak in a slow and methodical tone.
He told me what his clan specialised years ago. Which is why I knew, at the exact second she drank his blood, that she could die.

"But we train to become Field Medics. We train to be sent to war. We cannot… Wait for the battle to be finished. Which means running in a hot zone and concentrate fully on the injured. So, we make a perfect and easy target for any stray enemy that see us. In order to counter that, Field Medics usually develop techniques to protect themselves. Most shinobi use barrier seals, but they take some time to set up.
Some, like Tsunade-sanin, develop strength-based techniques for protection and deterrence, but the Nohara became poison experts. From early childhood we inject ourselves with low dosage of poisons, to develop an immunity to them. It's as pleasant as it sounds."

I noticed that Kasumi's eyes widened in horror from a split second.

"Then, we pass our painstakingly gained immunity to our children. The mother's immune system is shared to the child, which is the reason that Nohara women don't leave the clan to join their husband's when they marry. Then the child gets a higher dosage of poison.

But back to our fight. Before it started, I used a technique called 'Silence' that turned my breath into a sleeping gas. If you had engaged me in taijutsu you would have… Simply fallen asleep. But… When your genjutsu hit me… I became so scared… I… I…"

I put my hand on his shoulder. Startling him. Normally, you don't startle a shinobi. That's a good way to get hit. And by 'get hit' I mean fuckingdie. Especially when talking about the walking bio-hazard bomb that was Nohara Yamamoto. But he needed the support, and he knew it was just me.
Still, the first time I did that without warning him I spent the rest of the day in intensive care. That's when he told me about his clan techniques.

Also, as my mother explained me after the medics managed to save me from the 7 different poisons he used on reflex… Having someone who isn't afraid to touchthem meant a lot for the Nohara.

"When your genjustu hit me." Yama continued, the panic in his voice subdued. "I used another technique out of fear. We call it 'The Shared Journey'. When we use that, we release a poison of our choice in our blood. The person that would strike us… And kill us… Will have our blood on his hands. The poison will take effect and we will both die. But at least the person we were trying to save will survive if another Field Medic found him. You can call it a 'suicide jutsu' because that's basically what it is..."

This time, the horror in the girls' eyes didn't fade as the understood the obvious.

"Since I saw your fight before, I was able to tone down the attack at the last moment. It has several stages, depending on the poison we flood our body with. I used 'Nightshade'. It's a poison coming from the Belladonna flower that induce hallucinations and paralysis. So, just by having my blood on your hand will trigger an inferior version of its effect and you would have just fainted… But you licked your fingers… And took the full effect. Your heart stopped beating and without Nara-sensei using a lightning jutsu on your heart… Which I cannot do… It would never have beaten again…"

"And thus, I must ask you this question." Our sensei said with a faint trace of anger in her voice. And by 'faint' I mean full blown murderous.
"Why, did you do something so STUPID! That's supposed to be Shinji's job!"

I'll… Just ignore the jab for the moment. Mainly because I want to have the answer to that question and NOT because our sensei's anger is kind of scaring me. Yeah, totally for the first reason.

"Since we are all throwing clan secrets left and right, let me handle that part." Kuroko, still being held by the skin of her neck by Kyougi-sensei, spoke in an event tone.
"If you would be so kind as to put me down…"

"Oh… Right… Err… Sorry… I sort of forgot I was still holding you…" The older woman said as she put the cat on the ground.

When her feet finally touch the ground and sensei's hold on her neck was removed, she still took some time to lick her fur. Probably trying to regain some semblance of dignity after being held like a fluffy plushie for a minute.

"Let's begin with a little history: we, felines, are the Nekomatas. Decades ago, we were just a family of cats that awakened to Chakra and used it to become apex predators in our small little world. But we were hunters, not fighters like our enemies. We do not have the stamina, our fangs too small, our claws to brittle, to fight for a long time. So, when the newly banned members of Konoha found us, helpless as they were, we made a pact with them.
We gave them our teaching; they gave up their name. We gave them our style; they gave us their future. But one rule remained, the Nekomata will teach the Human, so the Human must die for the Nekomata."

I noticed that Kasumi eyes flared with… Something like anger or powerlessness. The cat noticed it but dismissed it with ease.

"We then taught them how to hunt and kill their preys. Which can be resumed by the saying 'Ikken Hissatsu'. Which I assume you're all familiar with."

The feline eyes looked at us and we both nodded. 'One hit: One kill' was drilled into our heads during the academy. Do the first strike, do the last strike, and be sure that both are one and the same.

"But such a… Simple rule will not always do. Which is where the Nekomata style enter. Sometime, the first strike will not end the fight. So, we, as predators, taught the humans our ways.
You humans call it Genjutsu, but we call it Intent. Throwing Intent in a direction while masking the REAL attack is how we fight. You use an illusion that an unexpected attack is coming from an unexpected angle, then you use the fact that your opponent will react against it and counter him."

"Yeah, I get that." I said while massaging my back, which have been hit by a wind blade. "But you've still hadn't explained the 'crazy cat lady' thingy."

"Indeed, so sometimes the first strike isn't the last strike. What do you think, little wolf, should be our next step, hum?"

"You double down with a healthy dose of psychopathy…"

"Exactly!" Without warning, the cat beamed up like it was Christmas… "The Intent of our style will only work once. The second time our opponent will be suspicious, the third time it will be ineffective as you demonstrated. So, we taught our friend to act like predators! Kasumi-chan is a natural for that!"

Okay, the sudden change of tone from the cat was kind of weird but the way Kasumi's cheeks reddened out of embarrassment meant that there was something else.

"Intent works better if the target's state of mind isn't stable…" She tried to explain, and I could feel the slight trace of panic in her voice. "So, I try my best to appear blood-crazed or unhinged to destabilise my prey, while coldly and professionally prepare my next attack… Unstable minds means less resistance to Intent and all… But I'm still cold and professional… It's only an act…"

"You're a complete psychopath in denial." Sensei just… Said, while putting her head on her hands.
"Kurenai-chan, why did I believed you when you told me that having a Genin team will be good for me…"

"And that's why I Imprinted with her!" The cat beside her continued to laugh.
"Since we Imprinted, she had thought of SO MANY NEW WAYS to kill! And maim! I'm telling you, she's a genius! The best Imprint I could ever hope for!".

I don't think the cat saw our collective sweat drop. Kasumi saw it though and desperately shook her head. Probably in a doomed attempt to say that she wasn't the person her self-absorbed imprint was painting her to be…

"Well…" Our sensei continued. "Now that this little nightmare is over, I have an inkling about out how this team will work out…"

She turned her eyes on me, not a trace of hesitation or anything in them.

"Inuzuka Shinji and Moon-moon, you will be our frontline fighter. Your role is to be visible, noisy, and never let anyone slips by and attack those behind you. Are you up to the task?"

"I am. Unless it's funny."
"Why not? If you want to go get the thing, then you must be close to the thing."

"Nekomata Kasumi and Kuroko." Our sensei continued, completely ignoring us.
"You can switch between Genjutsu and Taijutsu and your ability to use wind based ninjutsu puts you into a mid-range position. You will have to choose between offensive and support position on the spot. Are you up to the task?"

The girl swallowed and nodded.

"Nohara Yamamoto. As the dedicated medic and poison specialist, your role is to stay behind them and use your talent the way you seem fit. Trust them as your shield and keep the bigger picture in your mind so that you all win whatever comes in your way. Are you up to the task?"

"I… I will…" came the unsure voice of my friend.

"Well then, I guess this means our little training session comes to an end." Then, she looked toward the sun.
"It's not even noon. Why don't we get a mission and test our little group before calling it a day, hum?"

The desk where ninjas usually took missions was… Plain.

It was weird, in a kind of way. Here was the place where missions that decided the life or death of people were distributed. Inside the office two Chunin, who seemed like coffee was the best thing in the world, were shuffling through papers while we entered.

"Okay… So now It's… Nara Kyougi's squad… Team 4, right?" One of the clerks lazily looked on us, leaving his pile of papers.
"Team 4 is reporting and ready for duty." Sensei just said in a formal tone. "I brought my team for their first mission, as is expected for all Konoha Shinobi."

OK, why did she needed to put so much formality in her voice. It's only going to be a D rank anyhow… Like gardening…

"Oh! The Hokage warned us that you were coming!" Said the Genin with a… Weird smile, while discarding the pile of paperwork in front of him.

Huh?

"We have received an urgent summon for a D-rank mission that specifically requires your team. The client is none other than the Daimyo of the Fire Country. You guys will go far!"

…Huuuuh?

"The mission is simple, but time is of the essence. So, we will only brief you with the basics." The Genin continued to read the scroll.
"Someone close and important to the Daimyo's family went missing. Foul play is not yet considered but the possibility cannot be discarded. Your team will be sent as scout to assert if a full team of Jonin is required for the rescue."

…Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuh?

I noticed that our sensei was slowly moving behind us. And stifling her laughter.

"But, in the case of you find the missing target and it's not under duress, your orders are to bring the target back to Konoha unharmed by any means necessary, even at the cost of your life."

Kyougi-sensei was having a harder and harder time containing her laughter, while Yama and Kasumi were becoming paler and paler by the second.
Even the cat.
You know? The black one.

"You are thus ordered to rescue that person and, if it is not possible, to aid in the retrieval with the best of your ability. I'm sure I don't need to remind you that, due to the importance of your target, Konoha and the Daimyo would accept nothing less than full compliance and success on that mission."

"Team 4 accept thi… This mission." Our sensei grabbed the parchment while trembling. "And as Ninja of Konoha, they will gladly give their life to see it fullfi…Fullfilled."

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!

You don't send a newly formed group of FUCKING GENIN in a FUCKING RESCUE MISSION for the FUCKING DAIMYO! That's not how it's done! D-ranks are community service! Like gardening! Baby-sitting! Getting lost pets out of…

….Oh.

"Can we have a pet carrier. At least? Preferably reinforced?" I simply said while raising my hand.
"A pet carrier?" Kasumi said incredulously. "Why would we need a… Wait… The 'important person who went missing…'"
"Awwww Inuzuka-kun, why did you spoil our fun!" The Chunin whined.
"But yeah, the domesticated cat of the Daimyo's wife got lost and you will find him. That should pose no problem for a team like…. Uh?"

Hearing the surprise in the ninja's voice, we all turned to follow his gaze. On Yama.
Who had become so pale that Orochimaru had now a contender for the 'I-never-saw-the-sun-in-my-life' title.

"You want us…" Oh yeah, he was terrified. "To capture… THE KONOHA NO BAKENEKO!? REFUSE SENSEI! PLEASE REFUSE! WE DON'T STAND A CHANCE!"
"Sorry, Yamamoto-kun, but it's an order from the Daimyo. Even the Sandaime cannot overrule this." Kyougi-sensei said in a neutral and professional voice. Liar.
"Hey, I retract what I said before, Inuzuka-kun. This is also quite fun." The Chunin helpfully provided.

"Meh. I'll get the cat back." Kasumi said in her arrogant manner. "With my Friend help I don't see any problem arising."
"NONONONONOOOO KASUMI-CHAN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Yama tried to… Let's say 'reason' with her.
"Don't worry, Yama-kun, this should pose no problem for someone like me!" Bakazumi was having none of it and even put her hand on her chest in a display of confidence.

And then she said IT.

"Come on! It's just a cat! What could possibly go wrong?"

The answer to her question was: 'A fucking lot'.

The walls of Konoha were imposing, in their own way. I could feel some sealing energy from them. Maybe to hide them from sight for anyone unwelcome, thus the name 'hidden in the plain under a mountain with very visible stone carved faces leaves'.

The walls were… Somehow comforting. I knew that the world at large was dangerous, after all.
Our group made it toward the main entrance. A line of civilian was here to pass inspection but, as Konoha shinobi, we bypassed it.
The guy in charge of scanning newly arrived people was Genma, always with a senbon in his mouth.

"Hey! Isn't that the newly formed Genin team that was asked an extremely important mission for the Daimyo? Good to see you back!"

He immediately shuffled the papers in front of him to find the documentation for our mission. And thus missed the subtle cue (read: wildly waving our arms around to catch his attention and tell him to SHUT THE FUCK UP) that Yama, Kyougi, me and the cat were doing.

"You did Konoha proud today!" The idiot put the document on his desk. "I guess for a team like yours it was a walk in the park and that…"

"Stop… Speaking…"
Kasumi's colder than ice voice made him stop.

"Don't… Say… Another word…"
Surprised, Genma looked up toward the girl that just spoke. And froze in fear.
"Should I… Contact the hospital?"
"No. THROUGH."

And so, he did. Without another word, as our teammate walked into the village. Holding the occupied pet carrier.

Two hours earlier.

"That's him." Kasumi said, as we were watching the cat simply strolling in the forest. "I'll fetch him."
"Hum… Kasumi-chan? We should probably charge him together and put him into the pet carrier that Shinji is holding…" Yama said, voice trembling. Our sensei was just watching, standing behind us and smiling.
"Oh, come on! It's just a cat! I can at least do that much."

Kasumi then started to walk toward the demon.

"Hey little kitty! I'm a friend, you have nothing to fear." The cat immediately reacted to our teammate and started to purr.

Red flag. Red FUCKING flag.

"Your mistress is worried and is missing you. Don't worry. I know it can be scary to be left alone in this huge world, but we will bring you back to safety. You'll be able to eat all the food you like. Isn't that a good thing?"

I was kinda surprised that the demon… Mellowed out. And moved toward Kasumi. Meowing cute cat noises.
Kasumi took one knee on the ground, while the cat was cautiously approaching her.

"It's all right. You're safe now. Let get you home, right?" Kasumi said with the most disarming smile I could imagine. And she closed her eyes for added effect.
"FRIEND! FALL BACK! FALL BACK NOW!"
That was Kuroko reacting to what we all saw. The very moment our teammate closed her eyes, the cat ones… Became demonic. And attacked her.

You know, I never thought that I would ever see a cat do a fucking Mawashi-geri on someone.
Well, I was wrong and I'm not above admitting my mistakes.

"Not going to protect your teammate?" Sensei said in a cold voice.
I just raised an eyebrow at her. "I did say 'unless it's funny', right? Still wish I had brought popcorn, though…"

Her eyes went back toward our teammates, just as was adding 'Seeing a cat doing a Supplex on a fully grown teenager' to my 'what the fuck did I just watch' list.

"You did say… Pfft… You did say 'unless it's funny'."

Somehow, the stifled laughter of our responsible adult meant the world to me.

PAYBACK BITCH!

Days continued to pass. Between training sessions and D-rank missions, our life started to have a routine to it.

Our missions were quite simple.

Babysitting a kid? Moon-moon and Kuroro will handle this. The kids loved them.
Taking the weeds out of a garden? Yama was a more than qualified.
Clearing training grounds after whatever team trashed them? I took those one.

And so, after more months of easy missions, our sensei greeted us one day with a surprise.

We were given a C-rank.

The details were simple. We met our client, a simple trader that travelled through the elemental nations and looked for opportunities. Which I found strange, because he had no dedicated protection.
He only needed an escort to a remote village within the Wave country.

So, after leaving the village (with Genma helpfully telling us to not trigger an international incident again, please?) our group started to walk at a civilian pace toward our destination. It took almost a week to reach the border.

"You know…" Kasumi broke the silence of our march. "I've never been outside the land of Fire. Where do you come from, Client-san?"
"I'm from the Wave country, actually." Our client held a small laugh at our teammate. "My name is Katomi. I've been trying to establish new trade routes to other nations. Wave country can provide a lot, but trade has been declining these last few years."
"What happened? Did you have a bad harvest?" Yama said. "These can hurt…."
"Not really, no. We just had a lot of badly written contracts." Continued our client. "In fact, that's the reason I'm here. We are trying to establish a commercial trade with Konoha to supply us, which would facilitate…."

I tuned him out because, as soon as we stepped off the boat and headed outside the port, Moon-moon felt something. I immediately grabbed our sensei hand and tapped a signal in the Konoha equivalent of morse code.

Not alone.

She didn't react, that would have given the game away.
Instead, we continued to move and then stopped and started making camp.

"Since we are now in the law of Waves." Said our sensei in a conversational tone. "Then it's a day travel toward your village. Our mission will then be over."
"Yes…" The man simply said as we started a bonfire and prepare our food.
"Disappointed that your little friends never found the balls to attack us?" She continued with the same unconcerned tone. "I know we are Shinobi and not even from your country, but sending three children to their death is a bit of a low blow…"

Our client's head suddenly raised, and he looked at our sensei with a panicked expression.

"Seriously." Kasumi continued. "They suck at their job. Whatever 'job' that is."

I felt the conflicting emotions of our 'client'. Fear, panic, regret and shame… But was it because he was discovered or something else…?

"Yes, I… I knew they were here. And yes, I was hoping they would attack you… And that you would have killed them… But I couldn't ask… We couldn't afford to ask…"

Nara-sensei saw the confused expression of Yama and took control of the conversation.

"While 'Escorting a client' and 'Cleaning a bandit camp' are both C-rank mission, they are completely different.
That you might have to fight and will have to fight change how the mission is classified. The later will never be given to a Genin team, even one from the Jonin corps.
There's multiple reason but the main one is that you don't send children to kill people. Even with a Jonin-sensei, his attention could be diverted, accident might happen and the Genins will be forced to kill or be killed. So, no.
That kind of mission is only given to a team formed with Chunin. And they are more expensive."

"But why didn't you asked us to attack them?" Yama said, genuinely curious. "I know Konoha's law. That would have been counted as an extra-mission and the price would have been way lower."

"Because…" Shame irradiated again from our client. "Because simply hiring you kids took all the money our village could spare…"

So, he told us the story of the Wave country. It was just some random islands that traded between each other, staying way off the Shinobi system.
Then a businessman called Gato came.
With better technology, better manpower and lower prices, the man managed to integrate itself in their economy. Some business closed from the competition, but their worker could always manage to join a new trade.

Then bandits appeared. Bandits that always targeted people not affiliated with the Gato-company while the latter suddenly upped his prices.

Of course, it was impossible to pinpoint his responsibility. They simply said that it was because their caravans employed guards and were ignored by them. Thus, the higher cost.

It was genius in its sheer simplicity. Gato could not monopolise trade. No, that would be illegal and immoral, for shame! No, he simply monopolised safe trade.

"But… Why didn't you report this to your Daimyo? That's kind of his job, right?" Kasumi raised her hand and spoke.

"That's because Water country has no Daimyo." Our client said with a weak smile. "We are just a bunch of islands that hold no strategic value. We thought we could 'govern' ourselves because, at the end of the day, we all need each other… And we paid for our arrogance.
When that man came… We were defenceless. Wave country is completely under his grasp, and he will take all riches he can find. If we don't find a way out… The most optimist estimate is that we will have a famine next year."

Katomi was trembling. I felt anger and powerlessness. His plan had failed.

"Do you know… Back in Konoha I did manage to secure a trade. It was with that money that I could hire you guys…Do you know what I traded?
I traded recipes from Wave with an Akimichi restaurant to hire you… This is all we can trade. The mere idea of food was our last bargain…
If I had come to Konoha loaded with goods, I would have been killed…"

I noticed that Kasumi was completely unconcerned, beside her curiosity. But Yama was close to explode.

"You are trying to appeal to our better nature. Client-san. I want to ask you: who do you think we are?"
Our sensei cut him with a sharp voice. And then I saw her shadow lash out and connect to him. He was immediately immobilised, eyes now only reflecting terror.

Then our sensei moved her hand before her.
She was grabbing at nothing. Her plate has been left on her right side.
But Katomi's plate was right in front of him, and we all saw him grab his knife… And, following our sensei movement, put in on his own carotid artery.

"I'll answer, since you won't. We are Shinobi. We put our life on the line for money."
She continued to speak, sounding… Way more serious that we ever heard her.
"It's just what we do, because we are Professionals.
And now, you put the three lives that I'm sworn to safeguard into harm. Withholding information to save money. Can you understand that I'm a liiiiitle angry with you?"

"NARA-SENSEI! STOP!" Yama tried to defuse the situation but was cut off.
"It's alright, Yamaoto-kun. I bring this upon myself." The trader managed to smile while having a knife on his throat. "I'm a trader after all. I won't bring goods from one place to another if I didn't get something from it. It's… How the world works. We are all… Professionals… If I blamed you for that, I would be a hypocrite…"

Nara-sensei stopped her shadow-possession. Then she got up and walked toward her tent. For a moment, My Imprint with Moon-moon told me that our sensei emotions where not as cold as she let on.

And I had no way to describe what she was feeling. It was a mix of anger, resignation, hatred… Powerlessness… If there was a word for it, I'd like to know it.
I've felt despair before. Mainly at school during the exams, but this was more.

Somehow, I wondered why her emotions felt so much like our client.

I couldn't sleep that night, but that was okay, I could use Chakra to compensate. When the sun finally showed up, we did the whole 'hide our trails' thing we were drilled to in the academy then marched toward our client's village.

It was… Well, it was a mess…

The food stores were closed. I smelled nothing inside.
People were just… Living by. Some of them didn't even have shoes.
No, not just 'living by'. Moon-moon told me, from their emotions, that they were simply… 'Surviving'.

"Thank you for bringing me home safely." Our client simply said when we brought him in front of the dilapidated store that was his home. "I know that it's hypocritical for me to say but… I hope you have a safe trip home…"

"He's not lying." Moon-moon said with a hint of regret in our headspace.

Somehow, I wanted to do something for him. To throw him a bone, if I could say so.

"Mah, you just need to hold on a little longer, Katomi-san." I said in a casual voice with my hands behind my head. Which surprised him.
"Pride always comes before the fall, you know? And from what you told us, that man is the Kami of Pride. So just hold on. Do what you can, help where you can. Meanwhile that man will surely draw the anger of the wrong kind of person and… Your problems will only be water under the bridge, know what I mean?"

We left the village at Shinobi speed. Leaving a confused client behind. He'll get the meaning in time.
Still, I noticed that we weren't heading through the faster route toward Konoha. We were backtracking toward the main route, which had turns to avoid hills and so on. Shinobi don't care about those, usually.

"Care to explain that little bit of wisdom of yours, Shinji-kun?" Kyougi-sensei asked while running forward.
"I've been listening to the conversations around. From what I gathered; they are pooling their resources to build a bridge. It will destroy the monopoly that the cockroach has. They only speak of this in hushed tone and inside their home."
"Until it becomes too obvious to hide, Shinji. A bridge connecting Wave to another country will need to be kilometers long." Yama said.
"I see." Our sensei continued, still heading us toward the main road. "They'll need some breathing room. That's good."

"Sensei." Kasumi asked. "Why are we going north? The port to Fire country is northwest."

Our sensei suddenly stopped, and we mirrored her.

"Because I don't know about you but this whole 'country being held hostage' and the whole 'putting a knife to a civilian throat' got me a bit of stress. I don't know about you?" She said in an happy tone.
"Only the first part, sensei…" Yama deadpanned.
"Good enough! Since I still don't have a b…" Kyougi coughed in her hand. "Since I don't have access to my favorite kind of stress relief, I thought that we could have a fun team bonding exercise while laying waste to some trash that needs it! You know? For stress relieving purpose?"

OH, MY FUCKING GOD! THIS VILLAGE IS REALLY POPULATED BY PERVERTS!

"And why should we do that, sensei?" Kasumi asked, unconcerned. "It's not our country, it's not our contract and you made a very convincing argument that Shinobi never do anything for free."
"Well, I just wanna have fun!" Answered our sensei, which I was starting to think as another psychopath.
"And I've been scouting their camp while you kept watch at night. Just in case. They plan to kill Yama and Shinji, then sell you and I to a Yakuza brothel. After they 'had their fun' of course. I think the leader wants you for himself, I guess he took a fancy to you, Kasumi-chan."

"LET'S KILL THEM AND PISS ON THEIR CORPSES!" Kasumi and Kuroko replied with a… Way to eager smile for comfort.

"Very well, Yamamoto-kun. Have you done your sweep?" Sensei said, half asleep.
"Yes… Yes… Leave me alone you useless teacher! You're annoying!"

For anyone that knew our team, this would have been a red flag.
But the ragtag bunch of people that were slowly circling toward us didn't know our team.

"Sensei!" Kasumi asked with a tone of voice that radiated irritation. "Why do we have to stay here! It's unsafe!"

And she was right. We were currently making camp in a crater close to the city. Which means we had no vision around us. Not that we really needed it.

"Don't worry kids… We're just out of sight…It's an old Shinobi saying that we should stay… Out of… *snore*"
"Shit… This teacher is useless!" Kasumi screamed as she threw her hands in the air.
Then she came close to me, who was simply sitting on the ground tending to the fire.

You know? The fire. The thing that makes light. And smoke. And completely telegraphed our position.

"How many." She simply asked in an ushered tone. While our sensei was snoring loudly, and Yama was sleeping in a corner.
"27. No Chakra users." I whispered back.
"They really took the bait…" She said, completely resigned.
"They really took the bait…" I answered. Sounding as disappointed as her.

Immediately after that, the men I have been listening to showed themselves. Encircling our group with bows and… Pointing arrows at us.

…Seriously…Arrows… As if avoiding them (or as our sadistic academy teachers called 'Dodge Training') wasn't taught in third year…

"Well, well well…" A man in front of us starting to speak. Probably the leader. "What do we have here? Four Shinobi, completely at our mercy… Maybe I should be a good person and let you live but… I just had a bad day. Men! Kill the boys and spare the women!"

Immediately, thirty-somewhat arrows were shot on us. Toward my and Yama's body and Kyougi-sensei and Kasumi's legs.
And thirty-somewhat arrows completely missed.

"Huh?" Was the oh-so-elegant response of the leader, looking at the floor that was now littered with arrows. And us standing in the middle, completely unruffled.
"Hey Fwiend! I'fwe gotten got ve fing!" Moon-moon said, with an arrow in his mouth. I recognized it as the one the leader fired toward Kasumi. Good boy.

"Great! Kids!" Nara-sensei said right behind us, her act abandoned. She happily clapped her hands and talked with a cheerful voice. "It's time for Nara-sensei-happy-fun-time! The rules are simple. KO through blunt force trauma gives you ten points! KO without external trauma gives you 20 points! KO in a way that impress me gives you 30 points! The one with the lesser score must pay for the whole teams at the restaurant the winner decides!"

I watched as the bandits around us where disturbed. Only half of them took the time to reach for another arrow. Half of that half missed their quiver. That was actually embarrassing.

"The time limit is one minute!" Sensei continued with the same cheerful voice. "If someone is dying when the timer ends you get one point deducted. If you kill someone during that minute, then you get a two-point penalty! I'll say do your best to not kill them but… We're Shinobi, they aren't. Accident happens. It's mostly a way to break any tie that could arise, to be honest..."

The bandits where now starting too slowly back off. Maybe from the fact that we avoided their attack. Maybe because they understood from what our sensei said, while doing a 'what can you do' gesture, that the real value of their life was nothing more than 'someone doesn't want to pay for the food.'

"So!" Nara-sensei continued, and I took a moment to appreciate how much she was enjoying this. "When I say 'go'…"

The torso of the leader split in half. His eyes rolling back, and he fell on the ground.

"OH! COME ON! NOT AGAIN!"
"She did say 'go'."
"I did say 'go'."
"I KNOW! BUT STILL!"
"AHAHAHAAHAH! YES! GIVE THEM HELL FRIEND! I LOVE THIS GAME!" That was Kuroro. Clearly enjoying this.
"You can't be surprised by this anymore, Shinji-kun." Yama jumped toward one of the archers. Who simply fell on the ground when he got close.
"I KNOW! IT'S THE PRINCIPLE OF THE MATTER!"

This was our first 'real' fight outside of training, and it took… Less than a minute. The public is disappointed.

Seriously. It was so unbalanced that I started to sing the chorus of 'The Curb stomp Song' near the end. It might not have helped the morale of our enemies but that wasn't my problem.

"Okay, so, you tie the hands of civilians like this…"

Kyougi-sensei was teaching us how to bind non-Shinobi opponent and we were applying it.

"For bandits it's enough. By putting their hand like this they won't be able to untie it. Then the next step is to call for pick-up. Yamamoto-kun, how should I do so?" Our sensei turned toward my friend.
"Hum…" Yama was always timid when he had to answer a question of our Jonin-sensei. "You can call for backup four different ways. Vision, smell, sound or having your own summons… Since we are in a foreign country, I think it's… Sound?"
"Excellent answer." Said our teacher. "Kasumi, Shinji, Moon-moon and Kuroro please cover your ears. For you this might be loud for your senses."

We all did so. Kyougi-sensei then whistled…. Something, and from Konoha's direction came a hawk.
It landed on her hand (damn those claws must hurt). But our sensei simply gave him a piece of meat from I don't know where and tied a small parchment around its legs.

"I told the border patrol from the fire country to take them all in." Our Sensei said while dusting her hands. "Now, let's have the result, right?"

We all perked up. We were Shinobi, cold and professional killing machines. But we were also fiercely competitive cold and professional killing machines.

"With 160 points, the winner is… Yamamoto-kun!" I knew that he'll win. In a fight, my friend was a force that should never be underestimated.
"While you only personally took out 5 bandits, the variation of poisons you used was extremely creative. As such, I'm counting the one that was taken down by the poor sod under influence of your hallucinogen poison as a blunt force takedown in your favor."

Yama beamed under the praise. Now, for the real part…

"Second is… Kasumi-chan with 110 points! Great work with your Intent, having someone people simply faint from fright is easier said than done!"

…Huh?

"This is Shinji-kun, with 90 points. That was close but you'll be paying for the food when we come back."

What? No! I've downed 12 bandits! Did she miss them?

"Finally, Moon-moon scored 30 points and Kuroko 0. But you can't really expect a pet to pay for the food, right?"

"WHAT SORT OF BULLSHIT RULE IS THAT?" I screamed toward our sadistic teacher.
"Shinjy-kun!" She answered with the most fake impression of shock and indignation I have ever seen. "The rules of Nara-sensei-happy-fun-time have been impartial and fair for generations! I will not have you slander them!"
"KUROKO USED THE GENJUTSUS!"
"Do you have any proof of that? Sore little looser?" Kuroko simply said with a toothy smile.
"YES! BECAUSE YOU KEPT USING IT ON ME AND IT STOPPED JUST BEFORE THE GUYS DROPPED!"
"Shinji-kun. As a neutral and impartial judge I cannot say that I've felt any Genjutsu being used by Kuroko-chan. So, as a neutral and impartial judge I added those 30 points to Kasumi-chan. Besides." Her eyes became serious for a moment as she met mine. "You can't be thinking to force Yamamoto-kun invite a girl to as restaurant and have her pay the bill, right?"

"THAT'S FAVORITISM AND YOU ALL KNOW IT!"

We arrived at Konoha the next morning. After crossing the checkpoint, we were directed toward the mission desk. Sensei then did the report.

"Team Four left Konoha last week, at 14:53. We escorted our client safely without any complications. Then we were attacked on our way back by a group of bandits who mistook us for an easy score. We took them out and I summoned a messenger hawk for the patrol to keep them."

Simple, concise… Just lacking a feeeew tidbit of information…

"Oh, yes." The Chunin took a file from one of his drawers. "Border patrol got them. They have been quite active recently and apparently attacked a caravan in the land of Fire in the past. The Daimyo had thus decided to give your team a small reward as thanks."

We all perked up at that. Receiving a reward from the Daimyo was a Pretty Big Deal.

"But I must ask you." The Chunin's voice became more serious. "From the… Let's just say 'summary' of their injuries, your student took them down. You didn't just attack them because you wanted your 'Happy-Fun-Time'. Right?"
"I would never do that!" Sensei immediately answered with the most blinding smile I had even witnessed. Gai sensei had competition.
"They encircled our camp during the night! I merely let my students do the fighting because, as a Jonin teacher, it is my duty to teach. Right?"

The Chunin was… Not impressed. After a few seconds of just staring at our sensei, he turned his gaze on us. We were all looking at her with the same expression.

"Sigh… How a peaceful clan like yours could have raised such a bloodthirsty woman… I guess I better not know… Anyway. That's all for now. The pay for this mission will be directly sent to your respective clan, to account for taxes. Miss Nekomata, as an outsider here is your reward. You are all dismissed."

We then all took our separate ways after Kyougi asked us to go to the Hokage tower tomorrow. She and Yama went toward their clan compound as I watched Kasumi being completely enthralled by the stack of money in her hand.
If this wasn't Konoha I would have been worried that she was going to get mugged.
Addendum: If this wasn't Konoha, and she wasn't the girl that wants to kill me, I would have been worried that she was going to get mugged.

It still felt good to be home. On the foyer, Kiba was doing his homework. Hana helping him while mom was reading some confidential reports, a cup of tea in her hand.

"Nii-san! How was your mission!" Kiba jumped on me as soon as he felt my presence.
"It was great, lil' bro. We escorted a merchant to Wave country. Things got tense on the way back home when some Evil Men decided to attack us, but Justice prevailed! And now I'm back."
"You were… Outside of the country? They didn't wait for the six-month standard period?" Hana then said and I instantly became worried.

With Moon-moon helping me, I quickly understood that she was worried. And scared.

"I also think it's too early to have given you a C-rank mission, but Keeper's order." Mom calmly said while sipping her tea.
Hana's eyes zeroed on her, but she gave back a glare that asked for no follow up.

Wait, what the fuck is happening? I did a C-rank, yeah. But every Genin team does that, eventually. In the story Naruto took one too! Well, yeah, it quickly became an A-rank but that's just Team 7's luck. And immediately after that they…

…Oh.

…OH FUCK NO!

The morning after, Yama, Bakazumi and I presented ourselves at the Hokage tower. The receptionist gave us the number of a briefing room where Neji was waiting for us.
The room itself was nice, with multiple sofas and we all took a seat.

"Any idea about what's this all about?" Yama asked nervously.
"I might but… I think we should all wait. So, Neji-kun, how's your team treating you?" I asked him to redirect the conversation.
"Rock Lee is still as unrefined as he was at the academy. Ten-ten is making good progress."
"And your sensei?"
"Gai-sensei is a good teacher. I've been learning a lot but… It's been an experience…" Neji said uncomfortably.

But before I could ask him to elaborate the door opened and Kyougi entered the room, a small stack of papers in her hands.

"Good morning kids. I'll go straight to the point. We have been given two missions: a C-rank that can turn into a D-rank and a confidential C-rank that can turn into a B-rank."
"Why can't things be simply, for once…" Kasumi said, and I agreed with her. As much as it pained me.
"You guys are to form a team, participate, and fail the Chunin exams that will be held next month in Kumogakure. Emphasis on the last part."

Fuck the what?

"Initially, due the… Volatile situation between Konoha and Kumo, we planned to ignore this exam. That and the fact that you guys are not ready, I'll expand on that later. But the situation changed when we received a new information that made the council decide to send you as an information gathering team. Among another one which showed no promise as a decoy. "

Our sensei placed the papers she was holding on the table. I recognized them as official Shinobi cards.

"This year, for the first time since the end of the Shinobi war, Kirigakure is sending two team. This is your second VERY confidential mission: you are to fail the exam and use the time you are given to learn everything there is to know about them.
Since Kiri is obliged to provide basic information about their participants, we'll be reviewing them right now. By order of importance, starting with her."

Kyougi-sensei then showed us the first one. On top was picture of a girl with a rabbit mask that hides the top half of her face.

"She's… Only nine?" Yama said disbelievingly. "And her height and weight… She should be six at best!"
"Exactly. There is obviously something wrong with her, but the information provided by the village hidden in the mist must be true. Lying in them is enough to ban a country from the exams for a period which depends on the severity and checking the age of someone is easy. So, expect that it's true and…"
"That she's a genius." Neji spoke, clearly interested.

As for me, I took my eyes out of the dark brown-haired girl with dark purple eyes and read the rest of it.

Age: 9
Blood type: O-
Affinity: Wind
Specialisation: Kenjutsu
Name - moniker: Sumire Ume – The Red Rabbit

…Nope, never heard of her.

Authors notes.

If you don't recognize the name, please do yourself a favor and head to "Sugar Plums" by SoundlessSleep. Yup. It's a self-insert. But a self-insert that I consider only second to Dreaming of Sunshine. And Fanfiction dot net ranking seems to agree with me.

So, read it NOW. Also, the author came back recently! Which is nice.