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"Here at Point A." I whispered at the radio-communicator, crouching at a tree-branch.
"Point B." Sasuke followed.
"Point C." Sakura said.
".."
"Here at Point D." Finally, that was Naruto.
"You're slow Naruto." Kakashi-sensei commented. "Okay, Squad 7. The target has moved! Follow it."
"We're here." I told Kakashi-sensei through the communicator, eyeing it on the ground. “What’s next?”
"What's the distance to the target?" He asked.
"5 meters. I'm ready to go." Naruto answered.
The three of us agreed. This is kind of fun, doing this kinds of missions with them. I’m lucky I had a break with being an extra in S-class missions my father and I go to. Eventhough I am an extra, I still contribute a lot on those kinds of mission.
"Go!" Kakashi-sensei commanded and Naruto jumped at our target.
"We caught it." I told Kakashi-sensei as I jumped beside Sasuke, watching the cat desperately escape Naruto’s grasp.
"Does it have a red ribbon on its right ear?" Kakashi-asked and Sasuke answered "Yeah."
"Okay. We found the Lost pet Tora." Kakashi told us. The cat started scratching Naruto's face.
I laughed on the marks Naruto is getting and sighed.
"Here." I held out my hand for the cat. It started smelling my hand then after a minute, licked it and jumped to my arms. I played with its head until we arrived at the Hokage tower. Naruto looked at me like he was asking ‘how did you do that?’
We got paid until Naruto ranted on and on about having a mission. A higher mission than picking garbage on the river, helping plant crops and baby-sit etcetera.
Naruto just exploded like a child that he wanted to have a more challenging and exciting mission not this missions for kids. Iruka-sensei exploded back. Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Sasuke and I just watched from the background like we were watching a show. I looked at Kakashi-sensei, asking him silently on what to do. He sighed and walked towards Naruto.
“THOSE AREN’T MISSIONS, THESE THINGS ARE—ACK!” Naruto fell on the floor, face first when Kakashi-sensei smacked his head.
“Will you put a lid on it?” Kakashi-sensei asked boredly but at the same time, slightly irritated.
Grandpa-Hokage started scolding Naruto on how he didn’t understand why missions are given to us. He explained on what the Missions A to D is about.
Naruto started talking about ramen, looking at me. He really isn’t listening to what the Hokage is saying. I raised my eyebrow at him, smiling slightly. I shook my head and looked at Grandpa-Hokage, pretending to listen. Well, I don’t want to get on the Hokage’s nerves, do I?
“Silence!” Grandpa-Hokage shouted at us. All of us turned our heads at him. Like really turned our heads at him.
“Sorry..” Kakashi-sensei apologized for Naruto.
“You always lecture me like you’re my grandfather.” Naruto murmured.
“Because he IS our grandfather ya’know.” I told him, grinning.
“So you don’t want to be treated like a child eh?” Grandpa Hokage told him. “Since you are so determined, I’m going to give you a C-ranked mission. You’ll be bodyguards in a journey. ”
“Really?” Naruto asked excitedly.
“Yeah?” I asked too, excited, like Naruto is.
Grandpa-Hokage looked at me questioningly like it was my first time doing a higher rank of mission than D. I shrugged silently.
“Yes!” Naruto cheered jumping up from his position and faced the Hokage and Iruka-sensei with a determined face. “Who are we guarding? A Princess? A councillor?”
“A Kage? A King? A Prince?” I grinned. I heard the other three sigh at Naruto and I.
“Don’t get too excited, the both of you.” He eyed us both. “Bring in our visitor!”
All of our heads turned to the door. We waited for that ‘visitor’ to enter. A certain drunken old guy entered. A sake bottle on his hand. I still looked at the door, maybe there is another person coming in? Maybe he’s the visitor’s companion?
“What the? A bunch of snot nosed kids?!” The drunken old man exclaimed and made me look at him. It’s him.. He is the one we are going to be guarding? Well this ought to be fun.. I hope.
"Nami, pack your bags." My father commanded as I step inside. "We're going to the Hokage. You're going with me on a mission."
“What? But Papa, I will do a mission with my team! We’ll go to the Land of the Waves.” I whined but he was just staring at me, using his intimidating aura.
"Ughh. Okay. How long will be your mission?" I asked him and threw myself at our couch.
"2 days." He answered as he was checking some kind of map in the kitchen table. My head snapped at his direction.
“Papa! 2 days?! Are you.. serious?!” I asked and sat up.
“Yes. I’m serious. Now go and pack your bag. I’ll talk to Kakashi and excuse you to that mission.”
“But Papa.. I want to go with them. It’s my team’s first C-ranked mission.” I said again, hoping that he will change his mind.
“Your puppy eyes won’t work on me, Young Lady. Now go.” He said.
I sighed defeatedly. It had been three weeks since the graduation. Papa and I were in good terms now, just like the last time. But sometimes, when I don’t want to do a thing he is saying, he’ll use his anbu-captain-intimidating voice at me so I don’t have any choice but to follow it. He’ll grin at me after. He acts like he’s just the same age as I am. I wonder, Is this really my father? The cold, intimidating father who trained me when I was going to the academy? He turned into the opposite!
Father went first into the Hokage’s Office. He said that he will discuss something with the Hokage before I arrive. I stopped mid-way to knocking. I was straining to hear what they are talking from inside the room and who is inside.
“..you called for me, Hokage-sama? Kyo-san?..” I heard Kakashi-sensei’s voice.
Perfect timing! I knocked on the door and told them it was me. I opened the door not waiting for the Hokage to say ‘come in’.
"Hello Grandpa-Hokage." I bowed, smiling at him. He smiled back at me. I looked at Kakashi-sensei and smiled expectedly. He was surprised to see me.
“Kakashi-sensei! Good timing! I want--” I started.
“Kakashi. Good to see you.” My father cut me off. He felt what I was going to do. He looked at Grandpa-Hokage who sighed miscroscopically at Father and I.
"Hokage-sama. I would like to take my daughter to this mission like the other missions I had. It's for her training." My father told him formally.
"Ah. Yes. Yes. It's her final training, I presume?" The Hokage asked him, seriously.
My father nodded.
“But she is scheduled into a mission with her team today. It’s after an hour?” Grandpa-Hokage said to my father then looked at Kakashi-sensei, asking the question.
“Yes Hokage-sama. We will meet Tazuna-san at the main-gate.”
“That is why I called for Kakashi today. To talk about that. Kakashi, will it okay for you to excuse Nami for this mission?” Father asked and turned his back at me, facing Kakashi-sensei.
I crossed my arms and shook my head vigorously as Kakashi-sensei looked at me. I clasped my hands together, pleading for him to say no.
“Nami.” Father warned.
“Okay. Sorry.” I sighed.
“Then I guess it’s okay if he’ll do a mission with you, Kyo-san.” Kakashi-sensei answered shooting me an apologetic look.
“You betrayed me, Kakashi-sensei! How dare you!” I told him dramatically. “I’ll be outside the door if you need me.”
I stepped outside the room and leaned my back on the door.
“Thank you, Kakashi. You may go now. ” I heard my father talk and a poof, which meant Kakashi-sensei poofed away now.
"Your daughter really wanted to go with her team you know.” I heard Grandpa-Hokage tell my Father. Father didn’t reply. Maybe he nodded, maybe he didn’t so Grandpa-Hokage continued. “Is that really needed? Don't we have any other choices? "
“Nami. I know you are listening. Come here.” My father commanded.
I went inside again and stood beside Father and pouted a little.
"Papa, Grandpa-Hokage knows about the secret training, right? That’s why he allows me to go to S-Class missions with you." I looked at my father, He patted my head and smiled. I took it as a yes.
"But Grandpa-Hokage? What are you talking about with ‘the other choices?’ " I asked the Hokage. He just shook his head and looked out the window. “Hey. You guys aren’t telling me something.”
"Let's go now." My father headed to the door. I looked back at Papa going to the door and Grandpa Hokage looking at him like he will never come back again.
"Goodbye Koizumi Kyo. Thank you for everything. Leave her to me." The Hokage told my father with a strange voice. It was serious. A mixed emotion of sadness and pride.
"Thank you, Lord Hokage. " He bowed and we went outside. ”Until we meet again.”
-
"Father? What's the mission about? You aren’t telling me the details about it." I asked him. We are walking towards the main gate. Papa said we will meet two other ANBU members.
"We will spy a certain rogue ninja from our village." He told me, giving me an ANBU mask. I was dressed differently. Not like my usual clothes. It was an ANBU uniform given to me.
"Captain Kyo." The two other Anbu greeted.
"She's your daughter?" One of the ANBU asked. She has straight purple hair and her mask resembles a Cat.
I just nodded at her. The other Anbu is wearing a mask that resembles a Bird. I think he is a boy. He just kept silent.
"My name’s Nami." I told the Anbu-Cat Lady.
"Yugao." She answered and nodded slightly.
"Introductions Later. Let's move out! " My father commanded.
"Yes sir!" The three of us answered in Unison.
---
"Let's rest here for the night." My father told us after he scanned the area.
I nodded and made fire to keep the four of us warm while the others had set-up their sleeping bags.
"I'll keep watch for tonight." My father suggested. "You guys go and rest."
--
Maybe it’s after an hour. I am still awake. I just laid on my sleeping bag while Yugao-san and Bird guy are sleeping peacefully. My fingers are knitted behind my head, using it as another pillow. The sky is beautiful today. It’s full of stars.
I wish I could’ve gone with my team with Tazuna-san. I wonder what they are doing today? I wonder what is their reaction when Kakashi-sensei told them that I will not go with them on the mission. Are they mad at Kakashi-sensei because he allowed me to be excused? I don’t know. I do S-class missions with my father but I was excited when grandpa-Hokage told us that we’ll do a C-rank mission and go to the Land of the Waves. Maybe it’s because I will do it with MY team. No Anbu members etcetera.
My Father’s conversation with Grandpa-Hokage is bothering me. Why was it so serious? Why am I feeling that there is a hidden meaning behind it?
"Nami? I know you're awake. Come here." I heard my Father's voice from his spot.
"Yes father?" I asked, sitting beside him.
"Hey. Why're you still awake?" He asked me.
"I can't sleep and because I want to go to the mission with my team."
“So you don’t want to do a mission with me, do you?”
“No. Father—don’t copy my puppy eyes, it doesn’t look good on you—It was my first C-ranked mission with my team. So I was excited.”
My father sighed. “Sorry about that, but this mission is very important. Is there something bothering you?"
"Umm.. Yeah. The conversation you had with Grandpa-Hokage earlier." He suddenly grew quiet.
"Father. Is something wrong? You suddenly changed. I’ve been meaning to ask you this since Graduation."
"Changed?"
"Yeah. Changed. You don't usually talk to me. You're all about training and stuffs. But now, you're back.
You talk to me again. You're nice to me again. It was like there wasn’t any strange strict training that happened."
"Is changing bad?"
"No. I like this "you" that changed. I feel like your my father again. I'm happy that your back." I leaned my body to his. "But I feel something that there's going to happen. Just like what I felt when Itachi-nii killed his clan."
"Everything's going to be okay. I'm sorry if I hadn't been a father to you, all this time." He kissed my forehead. "I love you, Nami. You're my only daughter and you are God's gift to me and your mother."
"I love you, too. Father. So much. So I don’t know what will happen if you weren’t beside me." I started crying. That last sentence I said just came out of my mouth.
“There there. Stop crying now, Nana. Your mother is going to be mad at me for making you cry.”
There he goes again. Stating my mother in front of me. “Nana, I need you to promise me something. Find Itachi.”
"I promise." I told him without asking questions and wiped my eyes.
"Now. go back to sleep. I love you, Nami. Always." He whispered to me and kissed my forehead again.
I went back to my sleeping bag and slept dreamlessly.
"Nami! Wake up! We're under attack!" I felt someone waking me up. Suddenly, there were waters dropping on my face that made me bolt upright. It started raining.
Someone snapped their fingers infront of me. “Nami! Change of plans. The person we are spying came and attacked us!”
"Where's my father?!" I asked Yugao while fastening my weapon pouch on my waist.
"He's fighting the enemy! We need to help them! Let’s go!"
"Last Question. Who is the one attacking?"
" Orochimaru." As she said that, we arrived at the clearing. There were a lot of enemies. They were like zombie or monsters. Some of them had only one eye, some had tails sticking out from their tailbone. I think they are people who've been experimented on.
I made hand signs."Wind Release! Divine Wind." I kneeled down as it was released infront of me on its way to the monster-zombies and made another set of handsigns. "Fire Release! Running Fire!" I've combined the jutsus making it more powerful and created a flaming hurricane.
It killed a good number of zombie-ninjas. Some looked at me and ran at my direction, attacking me. I looked at the others, each of them were occupied with some zombie-ninjas.
My father was fighting a man that stood out the most of the Zombie guys. Is he the one called Orochimaru?
They were talking. I activated legō-fēlēs to listen..
“It’s been a while, my dear student.” I heard Orochimaru say. I didn’t know if I heard right. The zombie ninja beside me suddenly screeched loudly that made me shut off my kekkei-genkai. I shielded the hit with my forearm but it still reached my cheek. Blood poured out from my forearm and my cheek.
I wiped the blood of and whirled around, shoving the kunai on its neck and killed it. I turned around and threw shurikens around me, hitting every zombie-ninjas.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu." I whispered making hand signs. 15 clones popped beside me.
“Guys. I leave this to you. I’ll go help Papa.” I shouted at them and they shouted at me for an ‘Okay’
"So the daughter had arrived." The Orochimaru said in a creepy voice, licking his lips.
I shuddered. Now that was gross.
Suddenly, I felt pain shoot through my left shoulder. Something stabbed it. I touched it and I felt a cold metal. A kunai. I looked at the direction it was coming from but no one’s there, or someone is hiding behind the bushes.
"Stay out of this, Kabuto. Leave this to me." Orochimaru suddenly said. Rustling of leaves came from the direction I looked at. I pulled out the kunai from my shoulder and blood gushed out. Again.
"Nami! Are you okay?" My father asked me.
"Never been better." I grinned and spitted out the blood that formed inside my mouth. “Let’s do this, Papa.”
Third Person's POV
"Never been better." Nami grinned at her Father and spitted out blood.
Kyo was very proud of his daughter. She looked like his wife. Maybe a replica of her but she got the color of her hair from him. She always reminded him of Kaori, his late wife. He loved his daughter very much.
"What a brave Little Girl." Orochimaru commented.
Nami looked at Orochimaru, full of alert. She didn’t waste a second after she studied him, she made fast hand signs and slammed her hands on the ground and made it shake. "Earth Release! Earth and Stone Dragon!"
A big dragon came from the ground and dived on Orochimaru’s direction.
"Ninja Art! Hurricane!" His father attacked, camouflaging shurikens and kunais at the wind and together with the jutsu his daughter made, went for Orochimaru making a huge explosion.
The battle went on. Nami is reaching her limit and so does his father. Nami’s heart was starting to throb crazily as she panted and wiped her forehead of sweat. She was confused as to why Orochimaru didn’t tire. Why can he still stand up after receiving their attacks?
Nami and His father were panting. They were standing with their knees and hands. That’s it. They were out of chakra. They were a meter away from each other, Nami the closest to Orochimaru.
"Hang in there!” They heard Yugao shout. She and the other ANBU were still busy killing the zombie ninjas. It just kept on coming and coming unable to let them help the Koizumis.
"Such great talent for such a young age." Orochimaru walked infront of the panting Nami and caressed her cheek. Nami pushed Orochimaru's hand away making a disgusted face and tried to move away from him.
"Oh?" Orochimaru asked. Pulling Nami's collar and throwing her and made her tumbling to the ground.
"I don't need two Koizumis." He said, walking towards Nami "So, Die!" Orochimaru said, nastily. He threw a sharp sword towards Nami's direction and aimed for her heart.
She closed her eyes, waiting for the sword to kill her.
Is this it?
She thought of everyone back in the village and imagined her own funeral as she waited for the sword to go right through her. But there was nothing. No sword came.
She opened her eyes and it widened when she saw what was infront of her.
Her body shook a little as her eyes welled up in tears. She can’t hear anything anymore.
All of her senses were focused on what was infront of her.
Her father shielded her. His back was on hers and the sword went right through his chest. Her father coughed blood and looked at her from his shoulder and smiled a little as he fell towards the ground.
Before Kyo can touch the ground, Nami jumped at him and caught him.
"NO! NO! NO! " Nami shouted at him, slapping his cheeks softly to keep him awake. "F -father! Don't die, okay? Promise me!" Nami pleaded. Her tears dropping to his father's cheeks.
Kyo held his shaking hand to Nami's cheeks. "I love you, Nami. I'm sorry."
Kyo’s hand fell to the ground with a soft thump. Nami saw the life drain out of her Father’s eyes and left it with a glassy look that told her he’s gone. He’s already gone.
“Papa! No!”Nami shouted, cradling his head against her body and sobbing pitifully.
“Tsk. Tsk. How pitiful.” Orochimaru said, licking his mouth with his long tounge.
Nami rested her forehead against her Father’s. Her tears just can’t stop even of her eyes are closed. Nami felt something strange within her body, like something was getting out. A numb sensation had run through her body then prickled her skin like thousand of needles raining on her.
“Shut up, you monster. You did this.” She opened her eyes and glared at him. Her lost chakra came back and she felt like she was stronger. She can see right through bodies, their chakra networks, everything. She closed her eyes again.
Orochimaru began making weird handsigns until his head stretched out and targeted Nami’s neck.
Nami caught Orochimaru’s neck even without looking. She gripped it until she heard Orochimaru make a choking sound. She turned her head at him and glared evilly.
“I’m going to kill you.” Nami spitted to his face and punched his face and made a cracking sound.
Nami threw him on the field and jumped at him. She punched her and threw jutsus at him
When she was contented on beating him up, she stood up and walked back to where her father is. Yugao and the other ANBU was there. Standing beside her father.
She crouched down beside him and caressed his face. She wiped the blood from his mouth. His face was peaceful.
They heard a crack behind them and they turned around. The two Anbu brandished a kunai and looked at him. Orochimaru was still alive.
“I’ll see you again.” Orochimaru told Nami, piercing his snake eyes with hers.
He started sinking on the ground until his presence faded.
--end