The Celestial Charge (A Naruto FF)

Chapter One - Enter, Team Minoru!

"Sorry to break it to you," A self-satisfied smirk curled the bandit's thin, chapped lips.

"But we're here to take everything you have, and the girl as a bonus." The man didn't sound sorry at all. He reveled in the fear that he brought to others, the power he held. One of the other bandits chipped in, an ugly grin on his scarred face.

"She'll fetch a high price on the black market, don't you think Boss?" A thoughtful chuckle slipped out from Boss's mouth.

"I'll say. Plenty of customers would pay quite a bit to have their very own ninja, and a pretty one such as her to boot. But I'd like to keep her for myself for a bit first. I don't think they'd mind if she's a little broken."

The tension in the air around the four ninja grew thicker. Suzuki's fear spiked, the noise around her slowly muting itself as her thoughts travelled farther down a dark path. The same thought travelled through the four shinobi's minds simultaneously.

They meant......to sell her?

Soon the rapid 'thump-a thump-a thump' of the girl's heartbeat pounding in her ears became deafening, blocking out all the other sounds.

"You bastards! Like hell we're going to let you take her away!" The other boy on the team cried out vehemently, pumpkin hair stinging his eyes as he whipped around.

Boss barked out a laugh.

"The boy thinks we're giving them a choice! What a naïve way of thinking."

Reaching down, the green-haired bandit unsheathed the katana strapped to his right hip.

"Kill the other two, but keep the girl alive! Rough her up a bit if you have to!" Boss lunged towards the blonde-haired sensei, yellowed teeth showing in a slightly crazed grin.

The two shinobi clashed, katana against kunai, as the rest of the bandits charged the three Genin. The two young boys wasted no time in defending their still-panicking teammate, weapons clashing violently with those of the bandits'.

"Suzuki! Suzuki, snap out of it!" The pumpkin-haired boy grabbed her sleeve and shook her arm lightly after kicking a bandit in the face. The bandit staggered back, blood flowing out of his now-broken nose.

With a final clash of metal, the Jōnin and the bandit leader jumped apart, both taking deep, ragged breaths. Cuts and bruises littered their bodies, stinging with each movement they made. Their gazes feuded, angry onyx against cold grey.

"We won't let them take you, so just calm down!" Hearing the pumpkin-haired boys words over the sound of battle, the Jōnin smirked, pride welling up in his chest. His students had certainly grasped the concept of teamwork much better now than when they first became a team.

A chuckle from the bandit leader caused his smirk to evaporate, a frown taking its place.

"You really think you can win, hm?" Boss spat a glob of blood onto the ground, more of the dark liquid trickling down his body in little rivulets. His right arm hung limply by his side, broken.