The Pixie of the Hidden Leaf
Now that the mist was gone, my bird's-eye view allowed me to get a better grasp of the situation at hand. Judging by the massive cleaver, the opponent was Zabuza Momochi, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and an infamous Missing-nin. This was certainly NOT a C-rank mission anymore. Something was definitely going on here, but that was something I could concentrate on once the fight was over.
A bit in the distance, the old man they were escorting was wounded on the ground with the Inuzuka-boy next to him. The Hyūga-girl was also unconscious, seemingly being treated by the Aburame who had sent us the distress call. Lastly, there was Kurenai. Still standing, but hunched over, arm pressed on a heavily bleeding cut in her abdomen.
The heavy downpour mixed mud and blood with water, washing it away in a red stream so dark it was almost black. The wheezing breaths could be heard even through the patter of the rain as I stood next to the body, its upper half at least as everything from the abdomen down was missing. Dark-blue eyes met my own as the light of life in them slowly died down.
I ignored the memory flaring up. Now wasn't the time for that. While I had been able to forge connections over the years, Kurenai was still one of the few close friends I had in this world. Having her die here was not in my interest. Shifting my body in a certain way, I gave Kireiga the cue to stop beating her wings and the two of us went for a dive. Shortly before we reached the ground she spread them again into a pull-out, blowing a strong gust that created an air pillow to catch the fall. Buckling my knees to soften the impact, I landed in front of the injured kunoichi, eyes fixated on her adversary who was currently standing a bit further away close to some bushes.
"Fall back, Kurenai, I got this!"
Since I couldn't risk taking my eyes off of Zabuza, I couldn't see her reaction. What I could hear though - or, to be exact, not hear - was the absence of verbal confirmation. I suppressed my urge to sigh. I understood that she was worried about me; we were facing an S-Rank opponent after all. But she risked bleeding to death if she kept fighting. And it wasn't like I couldn't hold my own.
Well, I guess it's normal to underestimate people you don't want to see getting hurt, so no offense taken.
"Kurenai, you are no help with your wound! Fall back and stop the bleeding, now!"
She hesitated again, but in the end, I could hear her move away from the scene. Finally! I understood that she had basically seen me grow up, but we were equals now. There was no need for her to be this protective of me.
As soon as I could feel her chakra signature join the kids, I went into action again. Until now, both Zabuza and I had locked eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move. Now, I decided to take the initiative and threw a handful of shuriken in his direction. He answered by blocking them with his comically large blade and sprinted toward me, dragging the cleaver behind him. I jumped up and Kireiga immediately took the cue, taking the two of us up into the air before the massive weapon impacted the ground where we had been mere moments earlier.
"Scared, Pixie?" Zabuza shouted in a mocking tone, and it took my all to not cringe at his remark.
I had been given many names and titles during my time at the empire; 'Ace of Aces', 'White Silver', 'Devil of the Rhine'… but no, the one that had to follow me into this world was the one I had hated the most: 'Pixie'.
And yes, I was aware that I now had literal pixie wings. The irony wasn't lost on me. Unfortunately, flight wasn't really a widespread ability in this world, and the moths of the Great Dorīmudasuto Tree had so far been my best way to recreate it. Not only had I during my second life found great joy in flying, but the tactical advantage it brought was also simply undeniable. Maybe one day, I would be able to convince the moth queen to be less stingy about the summoning contract. If I could create some sort of aerial ninja squadron for the Hidden Leaf, even in peaceful times, just the purely logistical advantage it could bring would be enormous. And I would have one more accomplishment to my name that would bring me closer to the furthest backline, also known as desk.
As I gained altitude, I noticed that Zabuza handled his blade solely with his right hand, while his left arm hung down limply. It seemed like my initial attack had taken it out of commission. A good start, but better not underestimate the guy just because of that. I pulled a scroll out of one of the pockets in my flak jacket, opened it, and held it in front of me.
"Kireiga! Gust!"
"Yes, Lady Tanya!" the moth on my back answered in her slightly distorted whisper.
Figuring out how to use my moth summons for aerial combat had been quite the challenge. Their queen had told me that they hadn't formed many contracts in the past, and most of their contractors hadn't been exactly creative. If they had made use of their wings at all, they had simply ridden them by standing on their back. Way too restrictive and not slightly suited for the agile fighting style I was aiming to recreate. But unfortunately, just by sitting on my back, my partner didn't just become my wings. She couldn't read my thoughts after all. At least not yet. According to the moth queen, there was something called "Sage Mode" that would open new possibilities, but whenever I asked her to elaborate on the topic further, she simply stated that I wasn't ready for it yet. So instead, I had to find another way of communication. And I did. It took years of dedicated training, but by now Kireiga was able to pick up even the slightest movement from me and immediately knew exactly what to do. I had trained with her sisters as well - after all, only idiots put all their eggs in one basket - but with none of them was I as much in synch as with Kireiga. However, that only applied when it came to movement. For Ninjutsu, we had agreed that it was easier to stick to verbal commands. Just like the one just now.
Filling her wings with chakra, Kireiga blew a powerful gust of wind forward. At the same time, I dispelled the seal in the scroll, causing the items sealed inside it to spill out. Said items looked like a cross between kunai and dart but were actually something else entirely. They were called fléchette, one of the first aerial weapons the humans in my first life had developed once they had taken to the sky. Meant to be dropped rather than thrown, they could gather enough momentum to punch through metal helmets. The ones I had introduced to this world were actually a new variant. Made with the same technique used to forge kunai and shuriken, they were even stronger than the original.
Thanks to Kireiga's tailwind, the pile of fléchettes spread over a wide area before raining down as a devastating hail of metal spikes. Zabuza immediately recognized the danger and sprinted away towards the coast, just barely managing to avoid the barrage as he did. He then answered with a handful of big, curved-bladed shuriken that had a higher range than regular ones. And credit where credit is due, he actually managed to throw them far enough that they could reach me despite my altitude. Of course, reaching and hitting were two different things, and the increased maneuverability that flight provided me with made dodging a trivial matter. Though it seemed like this was just meant to be a diversion anyway; as soon as my eyes found him again, Zabuza had reached the shore and was in the middle of weaving hand signs. While his left arm wasn't suited for combat anymore, his left hand seemed to still work well enough for at least that.
He wouldn't try the mist again - I had shown him that it was useless against me - so this was likely an offensive water jutsu. Did he think his chances of hitting me with that were any better?
'Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!' [Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu]
No, he didn't. The water behind him rose, formed into the shape of a serpentine dragon, and shot forward. But not at me. Seemingly coming to the conclusion that trying to hit me was too annoying to be worth the effort, he had instead targeted the kids. Immediately I went for another dive, forming hand signs as I fell. Staring into the maw of the water dragon, I slammed my hand onto the ground just before it reached me.
'Doton: Hahen Bakuhatsu!' [Earth Release: Shrapnel Blast]
The earth exploded, tiny shards of rock shooting forward, shredding the water dragon and destroying the jutsu. All that was left to hit me was harmless rain.
"Wings dry?" I quickly confirmed.
"I am not Itoshīga, Lady Tanya," Kireiga answered, sounding almost insulted at the insinuation that she might've not shielded them properly. I abstained from remarking that being safe was better than being sorry.
In the distance, I could see Zabuza popping a pill into his mouth. Presumably either a blood-increasing pill to compensate for the wound in his left arm or a soldier pill. Both meant that I shouldn't bet on time winning this battle for me. I also couldn't risk him targeting the kids again, meaning I needed to do two things: get him as far away from them as possible and stay on the ground.
I jumped forward and took off, but instead of ascending I soared over the grass, quickly closing the gap to my opponent. Zabuza also had started to move again, but I wouldn't let him get close.
"Kiraiga! Boost!"
'Futon: Kyodaiga no Bakufū!' [Wind Release: Wind Blast of the Great Moth]
On my command, Kireiga pulled up and dropped me. She then unleashed her strongest wind so far and I got into a certain pose, allowing me to ride the blast even faster than Kireiga could fly. As I almost reached my opponent Zabuza swung his blade again, but I had no intention of taking the hit head-on. Shifting my body a bit, I lost enough altitude so my feet could reach the ground. I immediately focused chakra into my soles so I would stick to the earth, molding earth charka to increase the effect, and then dropped down flat so the remainder of the wind blast went over me. Any whiplash I would suffer from this was easily ignored due to the number of times we had trained this maneuver. The blast hit Zabuza square in the chest and threw him out into the sea. I quickly got up again and followed, the chakra in my feet allowing me to sprint over the water. As I ran I pulled out another scroll and unsealed the weapon in it, reaching my opponent just as he got up. He tried a side swing which I deflected upward, then followed his momentum with a kick I ducked under. Afterward, I went into the offensive, but he managed to deflect my blows, albeit a bit sluggish.
Kenjutsu, the art of sword fighting, was definitely his forte. But it was just as clear that he was used to handling his weapon with two hands. Capitalizing on this advantage, I exerted enough pressure to force him backward, until he managed to deflect my blade and followed up with an overhead strike. However, my chakra sense had already told me that Kireiga had caught up to us. Just as the blade came down she attached herself to me again and pulled me back with a quick wing beat, water splashing up as the attack missed me.
"You sure are gutsy to challenge one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist to a Kenjutsu battle," he said in a half-mocking-half-pissed tone.
"I'm sure I can take on half of one," I countered, raising my weapon and switching to a different combat stance.
"Pah. I'm still more than enough to- is that a shovel?!"
I grinned. Shinobi - well, people in general - were simply too narrow-minded to appreciate the beauty of simplicity. Why should I bother with a fancy sword if I could do the same things and more with a shovel? Not to mention the amazing advantage of getting underestimated, as this guy was about to learn the hard way.
I charged forward again. We traded blows once more, but now that I had my wings back, my fighting style changed drastically, and he wasn't able to keep up. Soon enough, he made the mistake I was waiting for. Leaning into his diagonal strike, I brought up my shovel, channeling wind chakra into the special, chakra-conducting metal the head was made of, and struck his blade in the center.
Confused, Kiba looked around as the mist was suddenly blown away, but calmed down once he sensed three familiar smells coming closer.
"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura!" he called out to the three as they reached him, which Akamaru underlined with a happy yap. All three looked pretty exhausted, but right now he was thankful for any help they could get. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Shino called us," Naruto answered and turned to the Aburame, who was still crouched over Hinata a few feet away. "How did you do that thing with the bugs?"
"That's his clan's secret technique," Kiba explained before Shino could. "But when did you do that?"
"Some time ago."
Kiba was quiet for a second, expecting Shino to make his usual follow-up.
"What, no lengthy explanation?"
"I'm concentrating."
"Anyway," Sasuke chimed in, "what is the situation?"
"Ah, right. Hinata got poisoned, but Shino is already treating her. Kurenai-sensei is fighting the scary guy. The old man took a bad hit…" he pointed at Tazuna who was half-leaning-half-lying against a tree half-consciously at best, breathing heavily, a blood-soaked bandage over his chest. "…I bandaged him, but he doesn't look good."
Sasuke went over to him and took a quick glance at the wound. The then took his kunai and cut the cloth open.
"It's too deep, a simple bandage won't do. All of you, hold him down, this will hurt him."
"What are you planning?" Naruto asked.
"Just do it."
The severity of the situation drowned out and potential argument. Naruto and Sakura each grabbed one of his hands while Kiba sat on his legs. Sasuke quickly formed some hand signs and held up his Kunai.
'Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu!' [Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu]
A thin stream of fire flowed over the kunai until the tip was glowing red. Without hesitation, Sasuke brought the hot metal onto the wound.
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Tazuna jerked with a pained outcry as a sizzling noise became audible and the air was filled with the smell of burned flesh. Akamaru whined and pressed his nose into the ground while Naruto, Sakura, and Kiba barely managed to hold him down. Finally, the wound was cauterized, and Tazuna collapsed into unconsciousness. Sasuke applied a new bandage while the rest did their best to not throw up. Just as he was done, Kurenai joined them, barely standing upright anymore.
"Kurenai-sensei!" Kiba definitely didn't shriek. He knew she had gotten injured earlier, but due to the mist, he hadn't seen how bad it was. "What about the other guy?!"
"What the hell?!" Naruto joined him in his shock.
"Tanya keeps him busy," the older kunoichi spat, hobbled over to the same tree Tazuna was leaning against, and slid to the ground. "You!" she growled, looking a Sasuke. "Do that thing with the kunai again!"
He complied and gave her the heated blade. Kurenai cauterized the wound herself, gritting her teeth, but making no sound. Once she was done she demanded a medical kit, sewed her wound close, and applied bandage.
While she was tending her wounds they could hear a loud splash in the distance. As they looked in said direction, they could see Tanya zooming at the other guy with blazing speed, forcing him further away.
"Do you think she's got this?" Naruto asked concerned. Kurenai made a dismissive noise but then sighed.
"She probably does. But you- LOOK OUT!"
Before either of the kids could react she jumped to her feet and threw herself in front of them. Confused, it took them a second to see a couple of senbon sticking in her body, most notably the two in her throat. Her crimson eyes went wide before they lost their light and she collapsed. Kiba rushed to her and tried to shake her awake, but Akamaru's sad whine told him the reality of the situation. With trembling hands, he put two fingers on her carotid artery.
"She… she's dead."
Panic spread among the faces of the Genin, but before anyone could say anything, they noticed a figure standing a couple of dozen feet away. He had long black hair, wore turquoise combat gear, and a white mask with the symbol of the Hidden Mist Village on it.
"I do not wish to kill you," he said calmly as he walked closer. "But I will if you insist on standing in front of his target. Step aside and I shall leave you be."
"YOU BASTARD, I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!" Kiba screamed as he went on all fours. His bared teeth grew into fangs and his fingernails into claws. Akamaru jumped next to him and with a loud bark, a puff of smoke surrounded him as he transformed into a copy of his master. With the drastically increased speed gained from the technique the two rushed at the Mist Ninja, but he easily dodged and the two flew past him. Naruto, much slower, sprinted after them.
"Naruto, wait!" Sasuke tried stopping him, but the blonde didn't listen. "Damn it, that idiot is going to get himself killed!" he grumbled as he turned to follow.
"S-sasuke, what should we..," Sakura started, her voice slightly shaking. The Uchiha grid his teeth.
"You protect the old man! I'll stop those morons from dying!" he commanded and ran off.
The Mist Ninja ducked under Akamaru's claw swipe, grabbed his arm, and landed a palm strike in his side that made him tumble away. In the same movement, he kicked Naruto in the stomach so he stumbled back, then caught the approaching Kiba and threw him to the ground. The Inuzuka managed to catch his fall, rolled backward, and came to his feet, just as Sasuke reached the group. The Genin now had the Mist Ninja surrounded from four sides. Not that it seemed to faze him.
"Don't just blindly attack him!" Sasuke shouted to the others. "His Taijutsu is better than yours!"
The white mask turned to him.
"It seems you refuse to back down. I do not wish to kill you, but I have a duty to fulfill. So be it."
His body then dissipated into a flush of water. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and cursed himself for not doing so sooner. Kiba quickly sniffed the air and spun around, causing the rest to notice the real one standing behind him. Unfortunately, they were too late, and the opponent just finished a set of hand signs.
'Hyōton: Makyō Hyōshō!' [Ice Release: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crytals]
Water rose from the wet grass and froze into a person-sized rectangle of ice. Not just once, but dozens of times, until the boys were surrounded by a dome of ice mirrors. They were trapped.
The Mist Ninja then… stepped into one of the mirrors, seemingly leaving the third dimension behind him as he became one with the flat surface before appearing as an image inside the mirror. Sasuke clicked his tongue. That couldn't be good.
To expect the unexpected was one of the core tenants every shinobi was taught. However 'the unexpected' was a flexible term. First, there were unexpected things that shouldn't happen but still had a feasible probability to happen anyway. In this case, that would be Zabuza's opponents suddenly getting reinforcement despite being far away from any outpost. Secondly, there were things unexpected to the point where no reasonable mind could be expected to predict them. In this case, someone challenging his Kubikiribōchō with a shovel. And third, there were things completely unexpected. In this case: the shovel winning. Not against him; against his sword.
Like a hot knife cutting butter, the head of the Pixie's shovel sliced the top half of the blade cleanly off, making it fall into the water and sink into the deep. The fraction of a second Zabuza needed to process what had just happened earned him a jump kick to the chest so hard he could feel at least one rib breaking, adding another stinging source of pain to the one in his arm.
It hadn't been long after his defection from the Hidden Mist that he had heard rumors of a kid genius from the Hidden Leaf, with golden hair and wings that earned her the nickname 'Pixie'. Many of the things said about her reminded Zabuza of his own childhood and piqued his interest. Suffice it to say, his curiosity was more than sated right now. The little girl was undeniably strong, and the extra mobility that the oversized insect on her back provided was really getting annoying. If she hadn't had teammates he could use to pressure her into staying at ground level, her ability to fly would have definitely made her the most irritating opponent he had ever faced. But even without that, he had to begrudgingly admit that there was a reasonable chance of him losing this fight. Fortunately though, she had forced the battle so far away from the shore that she didn't realize that Haku was about to finish the job while she was still occupied with him. Zabuza himself couldn't see what was happening over there, but he didn't need to. He knew Haku's skills were far above any group of Genin, so as soon as he had given him the secret sign, the bridge builder was done for. He just needed to prolong this fight until he had completed his task, then they could take the Pixie two-on-one. Or flee. While he was yearning for a good kill, there was no point in throwing his life away.
He coughed. Just where did that annoying itch in his throat come from? Was that a side effect of the blood pill? He didn't have time to ponder over it though as the girl threw a handful of kunai in his direction. He dodged to the side and charged at her with the remaining half of his blade.
But then, he noticed something. The girl's left hand was still stretched out, and as the fingers curled, he noticed thin threads of chakra coming from them. Looking behind him, realized that the kunai curved in the air and were now coming back at him.
'Kugutsupō: Rainma no Tsume!' [Puppet Art: Rhine Devil's Claw]
In the last second, Zabuza was able to pull his weapon around and block the kunai. Capitalizing on the moment the girl flew at him again. He tried to swing his blade at her but could feel it getting jerked to the side. Too late did he realize that she had used the last attack to attach the chakra strings to his own weapon and was now manipulating it. All he could do was twist his body to dodge the slash of her shovel, but while he managed to avoid a fatal hit, he couldn't prevent a deep cut in his chest.
Grunting, he let go of his trusted blade and jumped back. The Girl used her chakra threads to pull it to her, but the moment it took her to catch it was enough for him to create distance and start weaving hand signs, powering through the numb pain that made his left arm almost completely unusable. She decided to retreat a bit, not knowing that it was futile against this jutsu.
'Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!' [Water Release: Great Waterfall Jutsu]
Water rose in front of him, then shot forward in a gigantic vortex. It was by far his strongest Ninjutsu, and so wide that even she wouldn't be able to avoid it. And even if she could, he had aimed at the shore. This technique had a long range, if she dodged it the others would be hit.
Out here on the sea, you got no earth to capitalize on the elemental disadvantage. What are you going to do now, Pixie?
"Kireiga! Dust!"
"Yes, Lady Tanya!"
'Katon: Ekibi no Jutsu!' [Fire Release: Liquid Fire Jutsu]
'Futon: Kyodaiga no Hokorikaze!' [Wind Release: Dust Wind of the Great Moth]
The girls spewed a wave of strange, water-like fire. Stoked by the wind jutsu the flames got stronger, and some form of dust particles in it created a dust explosion, increasing the jutsu into a widespread inferno. Despite its size and elemental advantage, his waterfall was completely swallowed by the literal tsunami of flames. Overcoming his surprise not a moment too late, Zabuza canceled the chakra flow in his feet and sunk under the surface. Roaring flames rushed over him and, despite seemingly having no fuel, kept burning brightly.
When he had first heard rumors about flames that could burn even water, he had thought them to be an exaggeration. Now he knew better. He needed to end this.
A bit ahead, he could see the remains of his weapon. He swam down, grabbed the handle, and then kicked against the water to rise up again. Behind the girl he broke through the surface and slashed at her, cleaving her cleanly in half. He grinned. After all this, she had been too sure that the fire had ended him.
Except, something was wrong. There was no blood. Before she even hit the water, the two halves of her body dissolved into a swarm of small moths that fluttered at him, swarmed his arms, and pulled them to the sides, making a rope-like formation that pulled his hands apart. He tried to fight against it, but somehow, the moths were stronger than a chain of iron.
"What... how?!"
"Did you think Kireiga was just a fancy pair of wings?" he could hear her mocking voice from seemingly everywhere. "You were too fixated on me and forgot you had two opponents."
This is a Genjutsu! Zabuza realized too late.
"DAMN IT!" Naruto shouted angrily as another senbon pierced his arm. All of them had caught several of them already, the worst being Kiba who couldn't move his right shoulder anymore. Any attempts of breaking out of the mirror prison had been futile. Sasuke's fire couldn't melt them, and whenever Kiba and Akamaru managed to break one, it repaired itself instantly. And while the Mist Ninja hadn't landed a fatal hit either, it was only a matter of time.
Sasuke ignored the two and concentrated. The guy was able to move from mirror to mirror faster than anything he had ever seen, but his Sharingan should be able to catch him regardless. But for that, he needed to know where he would come out next.
"Shit!" Kiba cursed as another needle got stuck in his leg. The lingering sound of movement had been faint, but Sasuke managed to somewhat hear the direction. He focused everything on his eyes, trying to get as many mirrors as possible in his field of view.
There!
As the Mist Ninja came out of another mirror, Sasuke managed to intercept him. The kick caught their opponent by surprise and he got thrown out of his jump but managed to catch himself with a backflip before disappearing in a mirror again. But now, Sasuke knew where he was.
"Focus, guys!" he called for the others. "Stay close together, we can do this!"
Seconds passed as the three waited for the next attack. But suddenly, the mirrors crashed to the ground and the Mist Ninja was gone. They quickly looked back to Sakura, but both she and the old man seemed fine.
"…did that guy just bail on us?!"
With a grin, I took note that Zabuza was now trapped in Kireiga's Genjutsu. Time to end this!
But before I could get to him for the finishing blow, someone entered the range of my chakra sense. Just a moment later, they were already at me. I quickly raised my shovel to block the attack and stared into a white mask. A Hunter-nin? What the hell? And the surprise didn't end there. Still in the bind with me, the Hunter-nin used his other hand to form hand signs. Wait, you could do that? I never heard about that! Or was it just for this specific jutsu? A special technique maybe?
'Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō!' [Secret Jutsu: Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death]
As he jumped back, I got surrounded by countless spikes of water. I quickly opened one of the pockets in my flak jacket, pulled a bunch of ketsu-tags out, and threw them in the air. With a chakra thread from each of my fingers, I put them into position and pumped chakra into them.
'Kugutsupō: Juten Kekkai!' [Puppet Art: Ten-Point Barrier]
A prism-shaped barrier formed around me, protecting me from the attack. While it did, I could feel the two chakra signatures gain a lot of distance. That Hunter-nin was fast!
I turned to the shore where Sasuke seemed to be waiting for me. There was little point in pursuing the two - not to mention that it would get dark soon - so I decided to return to the kids. Once I reached the coast, they were in my range again. Their chakra was a bit unsteady but otherwise fine.
"We got attacked," Sasuke noted as I left the water. "The other Jōnin… is dead."
"Kurenai?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "I can still feel her chakra though."
"…huh?"
As we group, I could see the kids kneeling around Kurnai's body. I got next to her and quickly checked her vital signs.
"Thought as much," I mumbled and carefully pulled the needles out of her neck. Instantly her body jerked, sucking in a deep breath. Her former dead eyes rapidly looked around before she lost consciousness, her breath steady.
"Fake death," I explained as I applied some band-aids, not needing to look to know the kids were all staring at me. "A rare art. So that guy really was a Hunter-nin. Kireiga!"
"Yes, Lady Tanya?"
"Take Kurenai to the Hidden Leaf's hospital."
"As you wish."
With that, she hopped down from my back and grabbed onto Kurenai's waist.
"What about those two?" I inquired.
"Both received emergency treatment but should see a doctor soon," the Aburame-kid answered. "Why, you ask? Because-"
"I see."
I bit my thumb and performed another summoning. Two more moths the size of Kireiga appeared, one orange and one yellow.
"Shūreiga, take the girl and follow your sister. Itoshīga, you do the same with the old man."
"As you wish, Lady Tanya."
"Righty-ho, Tanya!"
On that comment, the yellow moth earned a dismissive look from the orange one.
"What?"
"And you wonder why mother doesn't allow you at her court…"
"So… what now?" the Inuzuka-kid asked once the improvised ambulance was gone.
"What do you think? Entering the Land of waves right now is too risky, we're going back! Set up camp and treat your wounds. Also, check yourself for poison. I'll go and collect my fléchettes. Tomorrow we run!"
"Hey, Tanya-sensei?" Sasuke inquired as the others went to work. "What was that thing you did at the end of the fight?"
"It's called 'Kugutsu no Jutsu', the puppet technique. A secret jutsu from the Hidden Sand Village meant to compensate for their low numbers. I lack the precision necessary to stir a puppet, but it has other applications."
"Why do know a secret technique from the Hidden Sand?"
"Long story."
As the camp was set, I turned my attention to the other kids.
"Alright, so you got attacked by that Hunter-nin." Which could've ended badly. I really had been careless to go so far away that I couldn't sense them anymore. Having my Genin team die under me within a month was unacceptable. "I need details."
"He was after the old man," Naruto said and crossed his arms.
"He also said something about not wanting to kill us," Kiba added. That made sense. And it explained the fake death. His target was the bridge builder, killing Leaf Ninja could cause political issues that the Hidden Mist couldn't afford amidst a civil war. But why would a Hunter-nin be after some guy in the Land of Waves? Was he secretly backing the rebels? But that didn't explain why he would protect Zabuza, a Missing-nin he was supposed to kill. Unless…
"What else?"
Shino then recalled a conversation with the client about the mission regarding the Gatō Corporation. I pondered about it for a while and also remembered the intel about the civil war that had come in not long ago. That was it. With these new details, I now knew what was going on.
The next morning we started running. The exhaustion from the fight and the previous training prevented maximum efficiency, but the day after, we reached the Hidden Leaf. I sent the kids home and quickly contacted the hospital. All three patients were safe but still unconscious. Meaning the Hokage was still waiting for the report, which I gave him right after.
"A Hunter-nin? Are you sure?"
"Yes," I affirmed. "And I think I know the reason."
The Hokage gestured for me to continue. "I'm listening."
"I believe we accidentally uncovered a ploy from the Land of Water to conquer the Land of Waves. They know they can't openly annex it since that would raise the attention of the other four big nations. This is where the Gatō Corporation comes in. In reality, Gatō is just a figurehead, the company is secretly owned by either the Hidden Mist or the Water's daimyō. The embargo stopped all foreign trade that doesn't go through his company, and once the entire country's economy depends on him, they will have enough leverage to install a puppet government."
He thought for a moment before answering.
"And do you have an idea why they would want to do that?"
"Wave is right at our borders, that opens a lot of possibilities. Either way, the bridge would destroy that plan because Gatō could no longer control the country economically. That's why they want him gone. But they can't send their own shinobi to do it, that would give them away."
"But why Missing-nin?"
"Easy, they aren't really Missing-nin. The assassination attempt last summer was staged to make the story believable. Zabuza is still loyal to the Hidden Mist but acts as if Gatō hired him. I mean, we all know the stories about the Fourth Mizukage. What are the odds that someone who fails to kill him will live to tell the tale? Not to mention that the Hunter-nin wouldn't let him escape."
"Speaking of Hunter-nin though, why did that one intervene?"
"Zabuza is one of the Seven Swordsmen. With civil war on the horizon, or maybe even broken out by now, the Mizukage can't afford to lose him. That Hunter-nin was probably a recent change in plans, meant to oversee the situation. They wouldn't assume a poor bridge builder could hire someone who posed a threat to Zabuza, so once he was about to die, the Hunter-nin had to make a judgment call. He probably thought that it wouldn't be enough to give them away. He was wrong," I added with a shrug.
"I… see. Thank you, Tanya, I will see if I can confirm your theories. If you are right, we must decide carefully how to proceed. It's unlikely that we will take action soon, so for now, you are dismissed."
"Yo, Naruto!" Iruka greeted the blonde as he met him on the street.
"Hm? Oh, Iruka sensei."
"Tough mission?"
"You got no idea."
"Want to tell me over some ramen?"
"Oh! Sure!"
The two went over to Ramen Ichiraku and sat down at the bar.
"Say, Iruka-sensei… Tanya-sensei is your sister, right?" Naruto asked after they had ordered.
"Yup."
"…are you sure?"
Iruka chuckled at his remark. "Yes, I am sure."
"How was she?"
"Oh boy, where do I start…"
"I'm home!" Kiba called as he entered the Inuzuka estate. The loud barking of Kuromaru greeted him and Akamaru. Kiba's mother, Tsume Inuzuka, followed right after her dog.
"Already? How was your first C-rank?"
He shrugged.
"Client lied, things went south, mission got canceled." He took off his gear and dropped on the couch. "Say, mom, you wouldn't happen to know a Jōnin that looks like a little girl?"
His mother raised an eyebrow. "No, but I know one that is a little girl, in case you mean Tanya."
"Tanya?" Hana, his sister, chimed in peeking in from her room. "I didn't know she made it to Jōnin, that's amazing!"
"Wait, you know her?"
"Know? I went to the academy with her. Well, for a while. Remember my scar?"
Kiba shuddered. How could he not remember that his sister's torso looked like it had been torn open?
"That was her. Three broken ribs, ruptured stomach, punctured lung. Almost killed me," she explained with a bizarre chuckle as if she was recalling a fond memory. "Hahh, she was so cute back then. Probably still is, haven't met her in a while."
He stared at his sister with an open mouth before he found his voice again.
"Can... can you tell me a bit about her?"
"Sure!"
A/N: This chapter turned out significantly longer than I thought it would. Well, I doubt any of you will complain over more to read.
Starting next chapter, we will see the first snippet of Tanya's past in the Hidden Leaf. It won't be told from just Iruka's and Hana's POV, I just thought that was a clever transition. Of course, we haven't seen the last of Zabuza and Haku either! Until next time!