The God of Wind:
The Humming Mist Arc:
Chapter 12: On the trail
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– Hidden Leaf Village Training Ground Zero, April 991 A.S. –
It was a bright Spring Day, surprisingly warm. Anko found herself where she'd often been the past ten months; overseeing her student as he trained. 'Student, ain't that a trip.' Even in her head the word sounded odd. Anko had never planned to be a teacher, not in any capacity. She wasn't cut out for a relationship like that after the snake had betrayed her. At least, that's what she'd thought before the Hokage had all but forced her to become the sensei of Naruto Senju.
"Oi, brat, push it harder! I'm upping the weights tomorrow. You heal fast so let's take advantage!"
Naruto gave her a tired nod, redoubling his squats. The boy groaned as his pace increased. His bangs were plastered to his forehead and his shirt was drenched in sweat. Anko smiled fondly, though she made sure the brat never saw it.
At first, she'd resented him for the fact she was forced to train him. Then Kurenai had made a good point while Anko complained to her over tea and dango.
"It's not really fair to blame him, he's not the one that made you train him. I'd think you could relate, especially given his … condition."
Her friend's words had struck her hard, A harsh reminder of the way people had treated her. After that, she'd given the brat a chance. And he'd quickly grown on her with his attitude and drive. That's when she'd sworn, no matter what, she'd never turn out like him. She'd be there for her student, no matter what.
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– Katsuwara City, Land of Fog, Present Day –
Katsuwara was a bustling city, located at the heart of the Land of Fog. It was the second largest city in the country, a confusing tangle of streets lined with opulent casinos and luxurious hotels. Like Tanzaku Town in the Land of Fire, it was a center for gambling and … other vices. A place where the people of all classes went to waste their money, though there were portions of the town devoted solely to the richest of the rich. But like every rich city, it had its seedier side. Rundown apartment buildings where workers lived, and a vast industrial district for producing and moving all the goods the casinos consumed, and where the seedier business was done.
On the roof of one of those rundown apartment buildings, Anko crouched with her partner Turtle standing guard behind her.
It was still day, but she could just imagine what the place must look like at night, when neon signs would blaze in the darkness and set things alight in a rainbow glow. Not a half hour earlier their team had arrived at Katsuwara. Turtle's initial lead had come from a wealthy lord at one of the casinos who had enjoyed a bit too much sake and let slip about an underground fighting tournament. The man himself had left town already, but he'd mentioned a particular merchant, a man named Kaji that sold rather … questionable wares. So, their team had split up in pairs to search for him.
If the merchant really was a middleman for selling tickets to this tournament, it would be a good place to recruit. Wolf and Bird had gone to search near the richest hotels. Kakashi and his student, meanwhile, had gone to look through the market district along with one of Kakashi's hounds. Anko and Turtle had taken up a stationary spot, using her snakes to scout the city without notice.
Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the familiar sensation of smooth, cool brown and green mottled scales sliding across her skin. A legless, muscular body coiled around her body until a snake poked its arrow-like head over her shoulder.
"Whatcha got for me Hebimaru?"
The snake flicked its tongue and began to hiss. To normal people, that's all it was. As someone that had signed the contract of the snake clan, Anko could understand him perfectly. "I tracked the man to the East side of the city. He's currently at Warehouse Thirteen, seems to be where he stores his goods."
Her summons disappeared into a puff of smoke. Anko heard the rustle of cloth behind her as her partner changed positions. Turtle hovered over her shoulder. The pale-skinned man had been silent, content to wait for one of her summons to return with news.
"What's the news?" Turtle asked.
Anko stood up, her knees popped as they shifted for the first time in half an hour. She dusted her hands off. "We found him, warehouse in on the Eastern side of the city. Seems to be restocking. Connect me to everyone else."
Her partner bobbed his head in agreement with Anko's order. With a quick ram seal, he reached over and placed his fingers on either side of Anko's head. She felt an odd, ticklish sensation in her mind, and suddenly she could feel the minds of their other teammates. He didn't bare the signature blond hair of the Yamanaka, so most assumed Turtle was just a regular Anbu: Incredibly skilled, but unremarkable. That made the job easier for him.
"Oi, listen up, we've located the target. I want everyone to meet us at warehouse thirteen, in the industrial section of town."
"Understood." Wolf responded.
Kakashi, lazy shit that he was, simply gave her the mental equivalent of a nod. How you could express a nod with a thought, she had no clue. The connection was quickly severed, and she and Turtle began to roof-hop across the city. They were swift and silent, making sure nobody saw them. While technically they weren't doing anything wrong, it was always best not to openly advertise the presence of Anbu in other countries.
The journey wasn't long at all. In five minutes, she and Turtle stood in front of a tall warehouse. Warehouse Thirteen didn't stand out much, one of several that surrounded them. Made of bland concrete, with rusted metal braces to support it. They were the last to arrive, having been the furthest away, but just barely. Sakura was still blushing in embarrassment as she climbed off Kakashi's back. He clearly hadn't wanted to waste time.
"He's in there?" Kakashi asked.
Anko nodded.
"Good. Let's scout the place, and then move in. Thankfully, he's provided us with the perfect opportunity by coming to a place so isolated. Wolf, get a feel for the layout."
Wolf nodded and knelt down; he placed his fingers on the dirt road. Anko shivered as the tiniest ripple of chakra passed through her. After several moments of silence, Wolf spoke up. "There're six entrances, two in the front, two on either side. Typical shelf arrangement, the target is at the back in an office area, directly opposite us."
"Let's split up, we'll converge on him on him in one minute." Kakashi ordered.
They spread out carefully, approaching from three different entrances, the main door, and two side doors. Anko twisted the handle on the East side door carefully, she silently prayed it wouldn't make a sound.
The door slid open soundlessly. She gave Turtle one last nod, before they ducked through the entrance. Turtle made sure the door slid shut as silently as it opened. Inside, the warehouse was dark and cavernous. The only source of light was a few dim yellow lights hanging from the rusted rafters. Kaji's merchandise was stacked into eight messy rows that towered to the ceiling. The six shinobi stalked between the shelves. Anko felt her pulse quicken as the sound of a scratching pen drew ever closer. Finally, she caught sight of their target through the shelves.
Kaji was a small, weasel of a man in shabby clothes that were meant to look expensive. His limbs looked slender and frail, and he had a pointed face, beady black eyes and thinning brown hair. The man was at a worn down desk, pouring over a spreadsheet of items and expenses. It was painfully easy for Anko to sneak up behind him. She struck in an instant, right arm lashing out to cover the mans mouth, while holding a kunai. Kaji squealed, the sound muffled against her hand. His beady eyes darted around in panic as her teammates slipped out from between the shelves.
"Easy there. We're just looking for some information." Anko crooned soothingly, though she pressed her kunai just a bit harder into the man's neck. "No point in struggling anyways, there's nobody to hear you scream. So why don't you be a good boy and keep quiet so I don't have to spill that delicious blood all over the concrete floor?"
Kaji bobbed his head frantically. When she moved the kunai away from his neck, and released his mouth, the man sagged in relief. Voice cracking in distress, he asked, "What do you want?"
"Like I said, just some information. See, a rich little birdie told us you've got a connection to a certain underground fight. Now, a few of our friends seem to have gone missing, so we're very interested in learning everything about it."
The weaselly merchant squealed in fright. He looked as if he was about to piss himself. "I can't tell you anything, they'll kill me!"
"Well, it's a good thing we don't need your cooperation. Turtle, do your thing. Get as much info as you can." Anko tightened her hold on Kaji.
He squirmed in fright, as Turtle approached with his expressionless animal mask. Turtle placed his hand onto the merchant's head, and the man went rigid in her grasp. He gave the occasional twitch as Turtle began to dig through his mind. Usually they'd do this more gently, but they were short on time. After a few minutes, the Anbu released their prisoner, who collapsed face first into the desk as Anko let him go. Kaji's skin was clammy and pale, he shivered from the experience of having his mind torn through.
"Top drawer on the right hand-side, there's another ledger."
Kaji made to sit up in a panic, but Anko slammed his head back into the desk harshly. With her free hand she yanked open the drawer Turtle mentioned. Just as he said, directly on top was a second leather-bound ledger with delivery addresses. Turtle flipped open the ledger to the third page and pointed to a particular address.
"Here, in the Sen Mountains, that's where he's been making the deliveries too. Isolated, perfect for this kind of thing. Unfortunately, he doesn't know much about the fights themselves, or who runs them. Though there was one notable thing, there are a lot of wisteria trees."
Anko grinned savagely. "Oh, are there now?"
Under her hand, Kaji whimpered. The frail man began to hyperventilate. Under his breath, the man began to say the same thing over and over. "They're going to kill me, I'm dead."
Anko patted Kaji on the back soothingly. "No need to worry buddy, they aren't going to kill you."
Face still pressed against the rough wooden grain of his desk, Kaji looked up at her hopefully. "They won't?" Anko quickly and gleefully cut that hope short.
"Nope, cause we're gonna beat em' too it." She said grimly.
The merchant tried to scream, but one quick jerk of her hand and the deed was done. Sakura stifled a scream, as his blood sprayed across the desk. She looked as if she'd be sick, and her horrified eyes couldn't look away from the steadily growing pool of blood. It was probably the first time the poor girl had seen someone killed in cold blood. 'First kill and first time with this. If she can keep it together, she'll be pretty resilient after this.'
Anko looked at Bird. "Dispose of the trash, make sure everything gets cleaned up."
As Bird hurried to do his task, Anko noticed Kakashi studying the ledger with a shrewd look. He plucked something from the book, a red business card, with the image of a tiger and dragon fighting stamped across it in gold leaf; it had been pinned to the ledger with a paper clip. "Say, Turtle, what is this for?"
"An ID for new patrons of the fights, why?"
Kakashi gave a thoughtful hum. "I swear I've seen this emblem somewhere before, not sure where."
"Doesn't matter, we can figure it out later. Now that we know where the kids are, we gotta hurry." Anko replied.
The jonin nodded, though he didn't seem entirely convinced. Anko didn't care. After several days, they were finally in reach of their goal. The second Bird returned she wanted to leave.
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Their journey to reach the mountain was not a long one. Several hours at most, for a shinobi. The air got colder as they ascended into the mountains. Fog floated in roaming clouds, dampening their clothes as they swept by. Lush wetland fields gave way to a thick forest of pine and oak trees.
Two miles away from the site of the supposed mansion, they came to a halt amidst a clearing surrounded by towering oaks.
Sakura nearly collapsed the second they stopped. She looked half dead, the back of her qipao drenched in sweat, skin clammy as she braced against her knees while panting. Anko felt sympathy for the girl. She'd been pushing herself past her limits to keep up with the jonin and doing an admirable job all things considered. They'd been limited to around the speed of a chunin, which was more than she'd been expecting when she first laid eyes on the pink-haired slip of a girl.
Kakashi spared his genin a glance, before getting to business. "Alright, Anko, I want you to scout ahead. Take Wolf and Turtle with you."
Anko nodded in agreement. Their skills would be useful in assessing the situation. She nudged the Inuzuka. Together, they slipped away into the trees. Here, where the trees towered high, and fog was a near constant, there wasn't much light for shrubbery to grow. She made sure to reign in her chakra, imagining as if it was a ball of light and squeezing until it was tiny and unnoticeable. It wasn't a pleasant sensation, as if she was constantly holding back a sneeze. But it helped to counter sensors abilities. A useful technique to know, though the thought of the one who taught it to her left a bitter taste in her mouth.
Finally, the trees parted way onto a wide dirt road. A second road, lined with wisteria trees, led to a sprawling estate. A tranquil lake that stirred in the breeze, and vast gardens of handsomely groomed shrubs as far as you could see. And at the center, lay a luxurious mansion that looked like it might once have been a castle, but since then all form of defensive capability had been eschewed for opulence. It was painted crimson red, with large banks of glittering windows reflecting the white haze. Intricate carvings lined the eaves of the tiled roofs of its several wings. One wind in particular, stood out aside from the rest, a newer addition.
Anko glanced at Turtle. "Is this the place?
Her teammate nodded. "Yeah. That's it all right. And look at that, Wisteria trees."
Anko eyed the trees, decoratively placed on either side of the road leading up to the estate. Just like the dog said. She nodded in satisfaction. This definitely had to be the place they were looking for.
"Wolf, do your thing, get a layout."
Wolf nodded and knelt to the ground. He placed his fingers to the ground and closed his eyes. For several seconds, he was completely still, then his eyes snapped open. "There's an underground structure under the mansion. One level, with a large arena in the center. There are four major exits, three of them connected to the arena. I'll memorize the layout and draw a map."
"Good work," Anko told him. She was just about to order a retreat, when the man pointed to the guards, more specifically, their headbands.
"What's that symbol they're wearing? I don't recognize it."
She squinted, straining her eyes to see. Taking a risk, she channeled a tiny sliver of chakra to increase her perception just slightly. It was no Sharingan, but she could still make things out with clearer detail. Instantly, Anko had to bite back a curse as she saw the three gentian flowers over bamboo leaves. She wasn't the savviest when it came to politics, but it was important for interrogators to know as much about foreign powers as possible. Especially noble families. Could their luck really be so bad?
She turned to Turtle, "Is that what I think it is?"
The bald man nodded grimly. Her stomach sank. They couldn't just go rushing in as she'd have liked. The stakes were much, much too high.
"This … just got a lot more complicated."
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We get a glimpse into how things are going for the rest of the Leaf team and their progress.
As always, a big shoutout to my patrons for supporting my work. Chapter 14 just went live.
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Until Next Time,
RinneTaicho, Signing Off!
