Drifting by AlphaDelta1001

Part 12 - Breaking All the Rules

Drifting

Breaking All the Rules

Meanwhile...

Down on the beach...

It had been a very strange day for Isaribi so far and, surprisingly, it had also proven to be one of the most pleasant days she could remember. At first the morning started out like any other; with her waking up alone in her little shack on the beach, glowering scornfully at the sun and the cold air that was there to greet her. Making herself breakfast and plans for the hours ahead, she expected nothing more but displeasure to come her way, even when she went out swimming for fish, urchins and squids.

However, all of that changed when Naruto came knocking on her door.

At first she found his presence unsettling and distasteful, thinking he was nothing more than another boy from the island village coming over to throw stones and harass her. But, after forcing his way in, he showed nothing but genuine care and interest in her. It had been a perplexing experience, but even though she sat with him and left her body open to attack, he didn't take advantage of it. All he did was sit with her, make food, and talk with her, using the time they spent together to get to know her. The smiles he gave and the laughs he shared were genuine. It had been a welcome surprise for the purple haired diver.

No one had ever tried to get close to her or act friendly like that with her before. Hell, not even the people she worked for found her presence with them enjoyable, even the man who made her like this. He always treated her like an asset and sneered at her unpleasantly through his smirk. Naruto though; his smile was gentle and he wasn't afraid to be with her.

Spending that hour with him had been a really enjoyable experience, even with knowing he was a jinchuriki and him knowing she had been experimented on. When the time came they had to part ways, Isaribi could think of nothing afterwards but that boy's smile and hoped that he would be okay.

He was going after Gato directly on his turf, so there was reason to be concerned.

"I hope he doesn't do anything reckless," Isaribi thought, strolling back to her shack along the beach with a bag of clams over her shoulder. Seeing how he'd reacted to that man's name, she wondered if Naruto was really going to be alright.

Upon returning home the diver immediately shoved the clams into her freezer, making plans on removing the meat later onwards. With that done, she then went about cleaning up her place and checking on whatever stew was still left over, and stored it away for tomorrow. However, while she was moving about the shack and rearranging the rest of her belongings, a knock on the door had her look up in surprise.

Weary as always, she approached the door and leant against it. As soon as her ear came in contact with the brittle surface, a voice spoke.

"It's me, Isaribi."

Pulling away, the teen slowly unlocked the door and opened it, where she looked up to see a man in a white lab coat, purple tunic and pants, with pale hair tied into a ponytail, large nose and small iris eyes smirking down at her. The shadow he cast was eerie, but didn't affect Isaribi at all. She merely stood in place, right there in the entrance to her home, and looked back at the man with cold indifference.

"Amachi? What is it?"

The man dipped his head to her in greeting, "The envoy from Orochimaru-sama has arrived. He's here to inspect the facility and to receive a full report on our current progress."

Isaribi blinked, yet her expression remained unmoving, "Do I need to be there?"

"The visitor demands that all staff from this branch of the research division be present for a full assessment. You know how important our work is to our master. Full cooperation is to be had by all operatives, no matter how big or small they are," Amachi stated with authority in his voice. "I'm sure you understand how important our line of research is."