Impossible to Foretell

Chapter 24: Barrier Breaking

I was led through the village and could feel the powerful genjutsu surrounding us and keeping us hidden from view. In fact, I was shocked that a genjutsu powerful enough to mask us from the vigilant eyes of the Leaf Village existed. Well, if my experiences with the Kisei Genjutsu about a year ago were anything to go by, there was a lot more that the illusionary shinobi skills could do than many thought. And, maybe there was a lot more to Kanaye than there appeared to be on the outside too. I was no sensory ninja, but I could feel that he was the source of the powerful jutsu hiding our presence.

Anzu's unusual, orange eyes were scanning all around, absorbing every detail.

"Is this your first time in the Leaf Village?"

Her head whipped over to look at me, shocked that I had started a conversation at this point in time. "Yes."

"What do you think?"

"Well, considering the fact that I've only seen it in the middle of the night while being lead around by a bunch of creeps, I really don't know what to think of it. But, I guess it's pretty nice."

Oreikoku pushed me forward and away from Anzu, "Silence." The "s" hissed out between her teeth unpleasantly, causing me to wince.

Anzu rolled her eyes skillfully at the ruthless kunoichi, and I had to suppress a laugh at her lack of fear. She gave a salute and lowered her voice into a poorly done imitation of a man, "Sir!" As funny as I found the young girl's antics, I was starting to wonder if she had a death wish. It was not smart to antagonize a powerful, and most likely unstable, ninja.

Oreikoku was clearly less than pleased by Anzu's sarcastic response. "Roll your eyes or salute like that again and you won't have eyes or hands left anymore to do so."

A shiver ran down the young girl's spine, but she kept her head held high. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind for the future, oh great and powerful ninja lady who I should fear above all else."

Anzu was saved from her wrath by the looming gates of the village.

Kanaye held up his hand and halted our little procession as the two large men, Ouki and Oroka (they were completely identical, I bet that even their own mother couldn't tell them apart), picked up Anzu and I, throwing us over their shoulders like sacks of potatoes.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Kanaye ran through extremely rapid hand signs and then placed his open palm on where the barrier protecting the village was located. In about a six foot radius from where his hand rested, the barrier's fancy, red markings and jutsu formula became visible. Stemming from a point under his hand, a hole in the barrier started to grow until it was big enough for a person to walk through. The moment that the hole was created, our captors rushed through, and it sealed itself back up behind us.

We were now out of the village without having been detected once. I was personally involved in most of the security measures set up around the Leaf and couldn't fathom that all of my hard work had been brushed aside by Kanaye like it was nothing. How the hell was he able to break in and out of the most heavily protected ninja village in the world? I had really underestimated him.

He send at proud smirk at my wide eyes.

"How?" I breathed out in anger.

"Well, I was a Leaf shinobi. Did you ever look through the Barrier Corps' records? I was the person who developed the jutsu that surrounds the village. In fact, that project of mine was the one that caught your lovely mother's eye."

Anger coiled in the pit of my stomach, and I would have tried to kill him, but one of the giant idiots was still holding me firmly over his shoulder.