For the next three or so days I spent a majority of my free time on the roof of the hospital, looking over the village, making a game of trying to track the movements of the ANBU overseeing the village.
It was decent training. A few jonin figured out what I was doing, Asuma in particular made a game out of trying to find ways to move without my catching sight of him. When I would take too long he'd light up his cigarette and I'd see the smoke. Of course, Yara and Itachi would stop by, we'd run some light exercises that wouldn't get the med-nin spitting poison at us, I'd ask how their training was going, if Nanako had kicked them into high gear.
They'd talk, focus on that style of conversation. They avoided asking about how I was dealing with the incident. Which I honestly appreciated.
Because I wasn't dealing with it. I avoided thinking about it, I shoved it into the back of my mind because every time I thought about that event, the feeling of blood, bone, and brain splattering against my skin, the heat, the smell. My hands would shake, I'd feel sick, more than once did I lose my lunch because my mind drifted and I found myself back in that moment.
Nanako said that it was a good thing that I felt this bad about ending someone. Said that it shows that I know that cutting a life short is fundamentally wrong but unfortunately necessary.
It also shows that I wasn't as brainwashed as some would prefer. The old adage of 'The only thing you should feel when you pull the trigger is recoil.' Rings in my mind as I looked over the view of the village. I hear someone land behind me. I didn't see any motion.
"Any idiot with a working index finger can pull a trigger, but knowing the cost of that takes thought. Thought that many folk don't take into account. I built my weapon. I carved the stock and built the triggers by hand. I primed the casing, loaded the powder charge and payload, I knew that when I pulled the trigger I was sending nine pellets of lead round balls at twelve-hundred feet per-second into G."
"I knew what that force and velocity would do to a human skull, I knew the visceral reaction that amount of force has when hitting a soft target. In that split second before I pulled the trigger, all of that flashed through my mind and the decision was made."
"Three and a half pounds of pressure, and a grown man's head was reduced to viscera." I turned to face the individual who landed.
They were a tall woman, ANBU, their mask a visage of a tiger. Long, stark white hair waved slightly in the gentle breeze, and they held their arms crossed.
"I'm going to see that every time I close my eyes for the rest of my life, but if that is the cost I pay for saving that girl, I'll do it again in a heartbeat." I spoke, staring down the ANBU.
"You'll have to do it faster than that, Genin. Do you know who I am?" She asked, casually leaning on the roof access door, making sure I couldn't get out of this situation without jumping off the roof.
"Nanako's old boss." This earned me a scoff,
"Who says I'm not still her boss? Still was last I checked." Well, that confirms my suspicions.
"If you're back, that should mean Hiruzen's back. Can I get out of this damn hospital now?" I asked, and Tora simply refused to move from her position.
"Genin Sekitangara, you don't seem to understand the situation you're in. You caused an international incident that nearly resulted in a clash between two Kage. You're fortunate that we are Shinobi, and that your Great Uncle is a much better liar than yourself." Tora spoke, finally stepping forward to get in my space and stare me down. Not hard to do at this point in time, I'll admit.
"Do you think you're smart, Genin? You almost started another war!"
"Cloud Almost started a fucking war, that Jonin infiltrated under the guise of a peace treaty, a violation of the Fire-Lightning Treatise of Friendship, by the way, and the very same night after signing said treaty tries to kidnap a known clan heiress. Stabs me, a freshly minted genin, not even to mention the political shitstorm that happens from my being kin with the Hokage. We had every right to demand someone's head."
"Your removing G's head opened a can of worms the Hokage had to manage, that he's still managing, why do you think I'm here and not him, hm?" The mask stares me down, "He's too busy dealing with the time bomb they're calling a political hostage."
"Wait, what do you mean- GYATDAMMNIT!"
The reasoning for my outburst? A massive chakra signature entering my sensory range, and since I could still feel baby Naru's signature at the orphanage, it wasn't him wandering the village again.
"You're going to have to learn to police those reactions of yours, as amusing as they are, when you go on pilgrimage." The ANBU spoke as I clutched at my head, the signature burning like some sort of Butcher's Nail before I forced my awareness shut.
"Is that what I hope to god above it isn't?" I asked, turning to look back at the ANBU commander.
"You already know the answer to that question, Genin Sekitangara. Better clench up, Powderburn." They grab my shoulder,
"Wait WHA-?!" I'm whisked away in a side-along shunshin before I can finish my exclamation.
—-
I was thrown into the grass somewhere over the top of the Hokage Monument. I immediately noticed Team Nanako already gathered, as I rolled my way back up to my feet.
"Freakin Cat-lady!" I snarled, hearing an amused chuckle that could only come from Grunkle Hiruzen when he felt he just scored a checkmate.
"Tora's been called all sorts of insults over the years, m'boy. You'll have to do better than 'Cat Lady' to get under her skin." The Hokage spoke, there was a girl behind him. A 16 year old covered in seal tags with her hands in chains. She was also visibly annoyed and my third eye was burning with that sensation of being near a chakra powerhouse who was desperately trying to let loose.
"Pinche bomba de tiempo, Viejo!" I snapped, Tora leaned in and whispered to Nanako,
"Does that mean what I think it means?" She asks
"'Fucking Time Bomb, Old Man!', Chief." Nanako responded quickly, and I swear I can feel a smirk behind that tiger mask.
"I just won a bet."
It wasn't just Hiruzen, My team, Tora and the currently bound and incredibly pissed off Yugito Nii.
There was a man there, long spiky white hair, red and white robes, a grin on his face and currently painting a massive seal tag that I figured was for the bound and gagged jinchuriki.
"Don't you worry, kid, I'm gonna be locking our secondary guest here up real nice."
That had me wishing I had my shotgun right then and there.
"You mean she's fucking loose?!" I sputtered out, jumping back to be alongside my team.
Hiruzen had seemingly had enough of the antics and swiped his hand through the air.
"Enough!" he orders, and all of us snap to attention.
"Team 12, due to the escalating nature of the events that occurred during your mission, I am reclassifying it to A-Rank. You will all be paid accordingly." He begins, pointedly ignoring a gagged snarl from Yugito at his wording.
"This is Nii Yugito. She will be staying with us for the foreseeable future. After a period of acclimation, she will be allowed to roam the village. Under supervision of course."
No. Nononono don't you do this to us Old Man.
"Since it is young Genin Sekitangara's actions that caused her to come here, once that acclimation period is over, he will be on call to escort her, am I understood, Jonin Sarutobi?"
"Yes, Sir! Hokage-sama!" Nanako gave the textbook salute, as did the rest of my team.
"Good. Jiraiya, get her squared away."
Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, current seal master of the Leaf, and super pervert extraordinaire. He vanished in a shunshin that left us with Grunkle Sarutobi, who had a smirk on his face I didn't like, and Tora.
"Under some much needed consideration, I have come to the decision to speak plainly with the three of you." As he spoke, he turned and began to walk into the light woods.
"As you three are no doubt aware, being the bright young Shinobi that you are, there is a very particular purpose that your team is designed to fulfill."
We followed him obediently, Itachi spoke up.
"Assassination."
Hiruzen gave a chuckle.
"No, m'boy. It's not so simple as that. Whilst your clan techniques and unique viewpoints do make your team a very promising elimination crew, there is much more than simply Assassination involved in ANBU."
There's an intake of breath, but it was more relief at our suspicions being correct than anything else. Yara had a smirk on her face that Hiruzen immediately wiped away.
"You all have been seeded. That means that Tora here believes that all three of you are ANBU material. With proper training, experience, and guidance, I believe you can be as well. However, this does not get you all any free passes."
We find ourselves in front of what looks to be a warehouse, it's been sanitized, and I can smell machine oil from here.
"ANBU saplings are held to the highest of standards, those who cannot uphold those standards are pruned, and if they continue to not produce fruit, removed from the seeding. In the future, I expect all of you to keep that in mind."
"We won't let you down, Hokage-Sama!" Yara chirped, earning a grandfatherly smile from the Hokage.
"I'm certain you won't. Now. As for why we are here. Team 12, henceforth dubbed Team Nanako, you all are privy to weaponry and designs that have been dubbed an A-Rank secret, however, to stifle production of these tools, I believe, is folly."
He opens the door, and I can't help but let a grin grow on my face.
"As such, you all will have an ongoing B-rank R mission. Genin Sekitangara, you will continue the development of your weapons. Each weapon you complete, and display for me it's effectiveness, will net your team B rank pay."
I give my tiny fist a pump and am about ready to rush in and get to work before Hiruzen lets his mischievous side come out.
"Genin Uchiha and Genin Nara, for every time he completes a design without at least a C-rank mission done, you two will be assigned to the Inuzuka kennels for the equivalent value of the B-rank payout…without the additional pay."
Oh…so that's how he's going to play it.
Tora is the next to speak.
"The three of you hold promise, and are under the tutelage of a veteran ANBU. If I find that you've managed to muck things up enough to prove me wrong in this…" there's a pressure on our shoulders, and the mask tilts just a tiny bit.
"I will find you."
