“Where are we going again?” Hiro asked.
The three of them were following Taryn through the desert. All four of them were wearing cloaks to protect them from the weather and the sand.
“Lightning Country,” Taryn said, “we have to intercept a messenger from giving information to the enemy.”
“What enemy?” Daro asked.
Taryn shook her head. “Our spy didn’t have the specifics. Only that there would be a transfer. It is most likely a scroll, but we should be prepared for anything.” She knew her students were nervous. It was their first time outside the village and it was a long way to the Lightning Country. She didn’t expect any trouble though.
“Have you been there before, sensei?” Kuro asked, “in Lightning?”
Taryn nodded. “Yes, but that was long ago.” She gave them a serious look. “We have to be careful when we’re there. We’re not currently at war with Lightning, but we’re not allies either. We can’t draw attention. Understood?”
They nodded. “Hai, sensei.”
“Good,” Taryn said, “now, while on this mission, there may be times when we get separated. Keep paying attention and keep your guard up.”
“Shouldn’t we think of a password? Just in case?” Kuro asked.
“No. Passwords are not as safe as you might think. An enemy may be hiding an overhear. Some can use mind control jutsu and gain the password without you knowing it. Or you may be taken prisoner and forced to tell. They can disguise themselves as your comrades and you might still be tricked.”
"Then how will we know they are who they say they are?” Daro asked.
Taryn smiled. “Do you remember the first assignment I gave you?” The boys nodded. “It is very important to know your teammates,” Taryn continued, “someone might impersonate your friends, but only those who have fought beside you will know you well enough to see the difference. I’ll admit that it is not easy. But if you are clever enough, you will be able to figure it out. Did you three study the information on Lightning Country?”
Kuro nodded.
“Yes,” Daro confirmed.
“Uhmm…,” Hiro scratched his head.
Taryn stopped and gave him a stern look. “What did I tell you?”
“Sorry,” the boy muttered, “I was going to, but I forgot. We only had an hour to prepare and I had to pack.”
Taryn sighed. “You’ll just have to read along the way then when we have a break.”
“When are we taking a break?” Hiro asked in a small voice.
Daro punched his arm. “We’ve only been walking for an hour.”
“We’ll pause when we’re out of the desert,” Taryn said and kept walking. She glanced at the sky. It would be dawn soon. In the daylight, temperature would rise quickly. Yes. It was better to cross the desert soon. She hoped this mission would go smoothly. Of course she had been on missions before since her return to Suna, but this was the first time leading a team of Genin. She liked being in charge, but skilled as they were, her teammates were children. She couldn’t let anything happen to them. The only way to achieve that was to prepare them as good as possible.
She glanced at them. The three boys were talking to eachother in hushed voices. Taryn smiled. They would be fine. They were raised in Suna. This was just a simple mission. How hard could it be?
***
Taryn closed her eyes and took deep breaths as she performed a low series of taijutsu. Her team was watching her intensely. They had never seen her train before. When she trained with them it was different. Then she adjusted her jutsu to be compatible with their skills. She trained herself alone. Or with her siblings. But here, out on the road, she would have to train. As team leader she needed to be ready for anything.
She lowered her arms and breathed out. They had set up camp for the night close to the river. A few more days and they would reach their destination.
Taryn bit her lip. She had to be careful while moving through that village. What she had told them was true. She had been there before. But that was while she was still in league with Akatsuki. She might be recognized in the village. No matter that she was re-established in Suna, they would remember.
She sat down on the ground and leaned back against a tree. “Sensei, you’re awesome,” Hiro gasped.
“Years of practice,” Taryn shrugged. She glanced around carefully. It was still daylight and no one was in sight. They could risk making a fire. “Why don’t you go gather some fire wood?” she asked, “take Kuro with you. Keep aware of your surroundings and don’t go too far.”
“Hai sensei.” The two disappeared into the forest.
“Won’t a fire make us conspicuous?” Daro asked.
“There’s no one around,” Taryn told him, “and we will put it out by nightfall. It is warm enough. Always look around to make sure no enemy will spot you. But in this case it’s alright.” Daro nodded. “Come on,” Taryn said and walked towards the river, “let’s catch us some fish.”
Daro and Taryn stood barefoot in the steam with rolled up sleeves. Taryn had her hands closely above the water, waiting for fish to come near enough to grab. Daro glanced at her. “Isn’t there an easier way to do this?” he asked.
“Of course there is,” she answered, “but we’re not going to use that. Look at this as training.”
“What kind of training is catching fish?” Daro wrinkled his nose.
“Patience,” Taryn said, “and observation.” She ducked and plucked a fish from the stream, holding it tightly so it wouldn’t escape. “See?” She threw it on the bank. “Now you try.”
Daro launched forwards and missed, splashing water all over him. “Ugh,” he complained. Taryn chuckled and shook her head. “Patience Daro. Try again. Feel the water.”
After a few more efforts Daro was able to catch a fish. When they had collected six more, they returned to the campsite where the other two boys were already waiting.
“Why haven’t you started a fire yet?” Taryn questioned.
“We thought you could do that, sensei, with your fireball jutsu,” Hiro said innocently.
Taryn stared at him sternly. “I will not,” she said, “you’re shinobi. You have to learn how to start a fire on your own. You won’t always have someone around that uses fire-based jutsu. And you shouldn’t waste your chakra on simple tasks like that unless there is no other option.”
“Told you,” Kuro muttered.
“Oh man,” Hiro complained.
“Being a ninja is hard work,” Taryn told him, “you have to be serious about this.”
“Yes sensei,” Hiro muttered and went to make fire.
“Kuro, you can help Daro clean the fish,” Taryn ordered while taking a map of the village they were headed. She knew where the messenger would meet the spy. There was an inn nearby. That was where they would be staying for the duration of this mission. All kind of travelers visited the establishment, so a woman with her three cousins wouldn’t make much of a difference. She sighed and folded the map again. She didn’t really need it anyway. She knew her way around. How long had it been since she had been there?
***
“Why are we always the ones being send to Lightning?” Kisame complained, “why can’t they send Zetsu? Or the zombie twins? I hate Lightning ninja.”
“Don’t worry Kisame,” Itachi said amused, “if you’re being attacked Taryn can protect you with her windblades.”
“Heh,” Kisame snorted, “I don’t need her protection.”
“I’ll remember that when they are about to electrocute you,” Taryn remarked.
Kisame made a move towards her as if he were about to attack.
Taryn turned to face him and stood her ground.
“Cut it out you two,” Itachi ordered. He gave Taryn a stern look. She crossed her arms and looked away with an annoyed expression. Kisame chuckled lightly, but his breath caught in his throat when Itachi turned to him. He glared at Kisame and his Sharingan turned in a threatening way.
“Gah,” Kisame said, “don’t freak me out like that.”
“Tch,” Taryn scoffed.
“Taryn,” Itachi warned.
“Yeah, yeah,” Taryn waved her hand.
“Can you two maybe work together?” Itachi asked, “we have a mission remember? We need to lure the target, take him out and then go claim the bounty. A hit and run. Can you do that?”
***
“Taryn-sensei?”
Taryn looked up and saw Kuro standing in front of her. He looked at her hesitantly.
“What is it Kuro?”
“Sensei, can I ask you something?” Taryn nodded and watched as the boy sat down in front of her. He lowered his gaze. “Is it… is it true that you were in the same team as my cousin Kodan?”
“Kodan Motou?” Taryn asked surprised. Kuro nodded. “He was your cousin?”
“Yeah.”
Taryn was silent for a moment. “He was s good guy,” she said, ”always there for his comrades. I was sorry to hear that he died.”
“Were you friends?”
She thought about that for a while. “I was a lot younger,” she said, “but… yes… I think you could call us that.” She never had too many friends. Not even then. Outside of missions, she didn’t hang out with her team much. “Why do you ask?”
Kuro shrugged and stared at his hands. “No reason.”
Taryn noticed how he wouldn’t meet her eyes and figured what was behind the question. She wondered what Kodan had said about her. “Don’t worry about it, Kuro,” she said, “go get some rest.”
Kuro nodded and crawled into his sleeping bag.
“I’m tired too,” Hiro said, “see you in the morning.”
“No you don’t,” Taryn said, “you’re on watch duty.”
“What? Why me?”
“Not just you,” Taryn corrected him, “you’re taking shifts and you’re first.”
Hiro gave her a pleading look. “Can’t I go second?”
“I can swap with you,” Daro offered.
“No,” Taryn said firmly, “no swapping. You are not in school anymore. You are shinobi. This is work. Missions are serious business, not exciting camping trips. I thought you had figured that out by now. Perhaps I was wrong. You’re not ready yet.”
“No,” both Hiro and Daro hurried to say, “we’re ready.”
“Sorry sensei,” Hiro said, “I’ll keep watch all night.”
Taryn sighed. ‘What did I get myself into?’ “You don’t have to keep watch all night Hiro. You can wake Daro in two hours.”
Of course she planned on staying awake all through the night to keep an eye on them. This was after all their first mission and she didn’t trust them to be able to concentrate that long. She didn’t need much sleep anyway.
She lay down and listened to Daro settling for the night.
Hiro seated himself against a tree and sighed. He didn’t like watch duty, but he knew it was part of the job. A very important part actually. Watch duty meant being responsible for your teammates’ safety. He took a kunai dagger and held it firmly. He wanted to do a good job and prove to Taryn-sensei that he could do this. That he could do more than joke around. He wanted to become a good shinobi. “Taryn-sensei?” he said softly.
“Yes,” she answered. “I can do this,” he told her, “I can be serious.”
“I know.”
“I won’t complain anymore.”
“Good,” she said.
“I’ll make you proud. I promise. I won’t let you down.”
Taryn smiled in the dark. “I know,” she said.
“I’ll be the best guard there ever…”
“Hiro,” Taryn cut him off.
“Yes sensei?”
“Shut up and keep watch.” There was amusement in her voice and Hiro heard it too.
He smiled. “Yes sensei.”
***
“Take your headbands off,” Taryn told her students, “we’re close to Lightning now. I don’t want to tip off our enemy that we’re here.”
“Won’t they sense our chakra anyway?” Kuro questioned.
Taryn nodded. “They’ll sense chakra, but they won’t know where it’s coming from. We’ll have to conceal our presence as long as possible.” She tied off both her hitai-ate and put them in her luggage. The boys followed her example. “You three will be my cousins,” Taryn continued, “we’re just passing through to visit family, but we’ll stay in town for a few days. We’re meeting up with a caravan that will take us the rest of the journey.”
“How do you know a caravan will be stopping by any time soon?” Daro asked.
“The town we’re heading for is a town of merchants. Caravans stop by all the time. One is bound to arrive while we’re there.”
“What are we going to do while we’re there?” Hiro asked.
“Gather information,” Taryn told him, “we’ll have a few days before the encounter. Try to learn as much as possible about the village. It will come in handy in case we need to make a run for it.”
A few hours later they reached the village. The boys followed Taryn towards the inn they would be staying at.
“Good evening,” the woman behind the desk said, “how may I be of service?”
“A room please,” Taryn said, “for me and my cousins.”
The woman looked at Taryn’s students and smiled. “How nice of your cousin to take you on a trip.”
“We’re going to visit family,” Taryn said and leaned toward the woman. “They just lost their mother. Their father abandoned them.”
“Ah,” the woman nodded in understanding, “how tragic.”
“Yeah,” Taryn said, “I couldn’t leave them all to themselves.”
“Of course not. Will you be staying long?”
“I was hoping to find a caravan to travel with the last part of the journey.”
“Very wise,” the woman said, “the roads aren’t safe. Especially for a young woman that travels with three children.” She handed Taryn a key. “Here you go. First floor. Third on the right.”
“Thank you,” Taryn smiled and motioned for the boys to follow her.
The moment they stepped into the room, Taryn went to inspect it. There were four beds and the room held a bathroom. The only door in the room led to the hall. There were four other rooms on this floor. Only three of them were occupied. The window looked out over the marketplace. “Good,” Taryn said, “your first assignment is to find out who is staying in the other rooms without being noticed.”
“Can’t we rest first?” Daro asked, “we’re tired.”
Taryn looked at them. They did look exhausted. She needed to remember that they weren’t used to traveling. This was only their first mission. She sighed. “Alright. I suppose it can wait until after dinner.”
The boys sighed and let themselves fall on the bed. “Ugh,” Hiro groaned, “I never would have thought I’d be so happy to see a bed. We’ve been sleeping outside for days.”
Taryn grinned. “Get used to it,” she said,” there will be a lot more of that.” She stood at the window and stared outside. This was a busy town. It would make it easier fro them to blend in, but of course the same counted for their target, especially if he was a local. Taryn frowned. The meeting would take place in three days in the Dragon’s Nest, a local establishment, and she still didn’t have a clue as to what it was about. Konoha would not betray them but there were enough other nations and ninja villages that might ally with one of their enemies. Suna had a longstanding conflict with Stone, but she didn’t see how they would ally with Lightning. There was nothing to gain from that. Someone from Suna? That was hard to believe too. She gave a frustrated sigh. They would have to keep an eye on everyone entering and leaving the Dragon’s Nest for the next few days.
Taryn pulled away from the window and sat down on her bed. She took out her daggers and started cleaning them. Her fan could use some polishing as well. After that she would wake the boys. There was still a lot to take care of before the confrontation.
***
Taryn stared at the plate in front of her while she kept an eye on every customer in the restaurant. Across from her sat Daro who tried to do the same thing. Only his stares were far more curious and less inconspicuous. But that was to be expected from a boy his age that was travelling through unknown territory, whether he was a shinobi or not, so she didn’t say anything about it. She had sent Kuro and Hiro into town to listen to the people’s conversations in the marketplace. Perhaps there would be talk of strangers that could give them some sort of lead as to whom they were dealing with.
Taryn had noticed that it was a good thing to team those two together. Hiro was a little impatient and distracted and Kuro was always very calm. They made a good balance. Teaming Hiro with Daro often ended in joking around.
“What do you think?” Taryn asked softly, “seen anything suspicious yet?”
Daro looked at her hesitantly. “I’m not sure.”
“Tell me what you think and we’ll figure it out together.”
“The man in the corner,” Daro said, “he’s been sitting alone for a long time, but he didn’t order anything to eat. It seems like he’s waiting for someone.”
“Very perceptive,” Taryn complimented, “don’t look in his direction, alright? Don’t give him anymore attention than you would any particular stranger.” Daro nodded. “When he leaves,” Taryn continued, “follow him. Make sure he doesn’t notice you.”
She finished her plate and ordered new drinks for the both of them. Not long after, the man in the corner paid for his drink and left. Daro glanced at Taryn.
“Not yet,” she muttered and forced herself to count to twenty. Then she gave a slight nod towards Daro. The boy stood up a little nervous “Don’t worry,” Taryn assured him, “you can do this. Just follow and report. No confrontations. We still need to know their purpose.”
Daro swallowed and walked outside. Taryn went to pay and lingered a moment longer to see if she felt any chakra around. When nothing happened, she too left the bar and headed back to the inn. Time to give the other rooms an inspection.
***
“He takes a different route every time,” Daro said. For the past two days he had been following the mysterious man from the bar.
“He’s exploring,” Taryn mused, “same way we are.”
“At least I know my way around town now.”
The four of them sat in their room in the inn. Tomorrow would be the day of the meeting. They were certain now that this was the messenger. The only question now was, who was he meeting with?
“What else did you find out?” Taryn questioned.
“He has a heavy accent,” Daro told her, “like they have in the North. I didn’t see any markings on him, but his clothes are sturdy, like he came from far. With a woolen vest.”
“So it is Stone after al?” Taryn mused, “but how did they get their hands on information from Suna? Did their spies manage to infiltrate?”
“What does this mean sensei?” Hiro asked.
“I don’t know,” Taryn said puzzled, “what did you two find out?”
“We heard rumors from some of the kids in the square,” Hiro said, “about a strange man that arrived this morning.”
Kuro nodded. “They seemed to be afraid of him,” he said.
“Why?” Taryn asked.
Kuro shrugged. “I’m not sure. They couldn’t explain it. They said he felt dangerous.”
“Do you know what he looked like?” Taryn asked.
“We made sure to ask,” Hiro answered, “he seemed to be in his early twenties, long silver hair and glasses.”
Taryn stiffened. The boys looked at her. “Do you now him, sensei?”
“I hope not,” she said, “because if I do, then he’s way out of your league. Those kids are right. He is dangerous.”
“Who is he?” Kuro whispered.
“A medical ninja. A missing nin. Very skilled… Kabuto.” She stood up. “Before we proceed, I need to make sure it’s really him. Kuro, I’m going to need your help.” Kuro sat up straight. “Kabuto knows me,” Taryn said, “he knows my chakra and he is not easy to deceive. A transformation jutsu won’t be enough. He’ll see right through that. I need you to cast a genjutsu.” Kuro nodded. “But be careful Kuro. If you’re found out…”
Kuro’s expression turned concerned.
“Sensei?” Daro asked, “why don’t you let one of us find out if it’s him? He doesn’t know us.”
Taryn shook her head. “In any other situation I’d consider it,” she said, “but Kabuto is on a different level. I know his strong and weak points. I’ll do it. Do you know where he’s staying?”
“Three blocks away from the inn behind the fountain,” Hiro provided.
“Right,” Taryn said, “let’s go then.” She altered her appearance through transformation jutsu. Her students gasped. “Focus you three,” Taryn reprimanded, “once we’re there, I’m going to gather information. Daro, you’ll be on the lookout. Kuro, stay out of sight, but make sure you can still see me. I need your genjutsu.” Kuro nodded.
“And me?” Hiro asked.
“You need to watch Kuro’s back. He needs his full concentration. We need to hurry now.”
“Sensei?” Daro asked, “what if he recognizes you?”
“Don’t worry about that.” She hoped that wouldn’t happen, because if it did, Kabuto would be gone long before they would figure out what he was after.
***
Taryn paused in front of Kabuto’s door. Getting in was the easy part. Finding what she needed was a different story.
No one was in the room. She had scanned it with Byakugan. “Daro report,” she said through her transmitter.”
“In position,” the boy answered.
“Hiro?” Taryn checked.
“Roger,” Hiro answered.
“Going in,” Taryn announced.
She remembered that Kabuto used to travel light. He would carry his weapons with him of course. She moved to the closet, but found nothing she could use. If there were written instructions, he would carry those with him as well, not leave them lying around for curious eyes to see.
“Taryn-sensei, he’s coming,” Daro announced.
Taryn quickly closed the closet and moved to the window. She pressed herself against the wall and glanced outside.
A lone figure approached the inn. Taryn narrowed her eyes as she recognized him. ‘So it really is you,’
“Sensei,” Daro said again.
“Quiet,” Taryn whispered. She pulled back when Kabuto’s head went up. Had he noticed her? She glanced outside again, but the streets were empty. Quickly she used Byakugan to make sure he was really gone.
“Sensei,” Hiro said, “ Kuro is low on chakra.”
“I’m coming,” she told him and climbed through the window. A few minutes later she joined her team. “Good job Kuro,” she said, “you can rest now.”
She undid the transformation jutsu and patted him on the shoulder. Kuro sighed and leaned back against the wall.
“Was it him?” Hiro asked.
Taryn nodded. “Yeah. We need to proceed with care from here on. I hope you are in for a long night, because we have a lot to do. Come on. Let’s head back to our room.
It was still before dawn when they snuck towards the Dragon’s Nest. They had to be in position before the encounter would take place. Taryn sighed. Dealing with Kabuto made this mission a lot more complicated. She didn’t want him to recognize her, meaning that Kuro would need to use his genjutsu again. That also meant that he was most likely out of the action for the rest of the mission.
“Does everyone understand the plan?” Taryn asked wile handing her students transmitters.
They nodded. “Yes, sensei.”
“Alright. Stall the messenger as long as you can. I will deal with Kabuto.”
“We still don’t know what he’s after,” Daro said.
“I know,” Taryn said, “I’ll bluff my way through it.”
“Will he believe you?” Hiro asked.
“Let’s hope so,” Taryn sighed, “go on. Take your positions. It shouldn’t be long now.”
“Aren’t you going in sensei?”
“No. Not yet. We’ll wait for Kabuto to arrive first. I want to observe him. Go now.”
Daro took position on the roof of the building across from the Dragon’s Nest.
Hiro hid in the alley behind the bar.
Kuro sat down at a table in the Dragon’s Nest so he could see Taryn and focus his genjutsu. It would be hard enough to deceive Kabuto. It would be easier if she were in sight.
Taryn hid in the alley with Hiro. She couldn’t risk Kabuto seeing her before he went in.
An hour went by before she heard Daro’s voice. “He’s coming.”
“Alright,” Taryn said, “stay in position. She turned to Hiro. “Stay here. I want you close by in case I need you.” Hiro nodded. “Kuro,” Taryn said, “the target is approaching. It all comes down to you now. Stay out of sight.”
“Hai sensei.”
“Study him carefully,” Taryn told all three of them, “see if it is not a clone.”
“I don’t sense any chakra nearby,” Daro said after a moment.
“With a medical ninja such as Kabuto, that means nothing,” Taryn said, “but to maintain a clone, the original must be nearby. If this is a clone, you should be able to see the real one somewhere around.”
“Nothing…” Daro informed, “I can see up till three blocks from here.”
“Kuro? Anything strange?”
“No. It’s the real one.”
Taryn nodded in approval. She already knew that. She wanted to make sure they did too.
In the bar, Kabuto ordered a drink. He seemed perfectly at ease. A hood hid his features from any curious bystander. Taryn waited another fifteen minutes before entering the bar.
“Coming in,” she notified Kuro. Immediately he started performing a subtle genjutsu to mask any hint that she was someone other than the messenger. Taryn approached the bar and sat down two chairs away from Kabuto.
“You’re late,” Kabuto said.
“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t being followed,” Taryn said, “these past few days I have had the feeling someone was watching me.”
“Hn,” Kabuto said, “so do you have what I asked for?”
“What’s the rush?” Taryn asked, “let’s negotiate first.”
Kabuto raised an eyebrow. “Negotiate? We already agreed to the terms.”
Taryn chuckled. “Ah yes. But that was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before you sold me out to Suna. The town is crowded by their spies.”
Kabuto tilted his head and gave a puzzled look. Then a slow smile crawled to his lips. “Ah… I see… Well played… Taryn.”
“Taryn?” Taryn questioned, “who is that?”
Kabuto chuckled. “I wasn’t sure at first you know. When I sensed a strong chakra in my room last night… It was a chakra I wasn’t familiar with, so I traced it and found you. Instead of confronting you. I kept a low profile and visited the messenger. Yes, I knew where he was staying. The transfer was made last night. I came here to the meeting point to wait for you. That was a powerful genjutsu you used. Is Itachi with you?”
Taryn made a handsign and broke the jutsu.
In the corner of the room Kuro did the same, but he stayed in place. He wouldn’t move until Taryn would tell him to. Kabuto hadn’t located him yet. There might still be something he could do.
Taryn scoffed. “Are you trying to annoy me?” she asked in a sweet tone.
Kabuto smirked and pushed his glasses up. “Is it working?”
Taryn narrowed her eyes and pulled a dagger which she pressed against his side.
He chuckled. “You’re quite the violent one, aren’t you? Tell me Taryn, what is it like to fail?”
“It’s not over yet,” Taryn said, “not as long as you’re stuck here with me.” She leaned towards him. “What did you want with that messenger?”
“You didn’t know?” Kabuto asked surprised, “were you going to bluff your way through this meeting? You never seize to amaze me.”
“You haven’t answered my question,” Taryn growled.
“No I haven’t, have I?” Taryn’s dagger pressed harder and Kabuto winced. He chuckled nervously. “I suppose there is no harm in telling you,” he said, “since you’re being so persuasive.” He leaned back, trying to evade the pressure of her dagger. “there is a weapon in Suna that is supposed to be quite powerful. Legend say that it has gone lost a long time ago.”
“What kind of weapon?” Taryn demanded.
Kabuto’s expression turned hard. “You think I’d tell you that? I told you too much already.”
“Why haven’t I heard of it?” Taryn asked.
Kabuto grinned. “I doubt there are many Suna shinobi who have. Its secret is being kept in almost the same manner as the secret of the Nine Tailed Fox of Konoha.”
“But my father knew,” Taryn realized, “that is how Orochimaru knows.”
“Yes,” Kabuto smiled, “unfortunately he met a tragic end before he could start the search for it. We took the liberty of completing that task.”
Taryn narrowed her eyes. “What does Orochimaru want with a weapon from Suna? He has no use for it.”
Kabuto smirked. “Are you sure of that?”
“Don’t play games Kabuto.”
“It’s not my fault you didn’t do you homework. You should have interrogated the messenger when you had the chance. Or are those brats you carry along too sensitive for that?” He smirked. “Yes, I know about them too. I’m sure they’re around here somewhere. I wouldn’t have them do anything foolish if I were you.”
“You leave them alone,” Taryn growled.
He chuckled. “Don’t worry Taryn. I don’t need to harm them. I already have what I came here for. I’ll be leaving soon.”
“What makes you think I’ll let you?”
Kabuto had a smug face. “I know you,” he simply said, “you won’t cause a scene in a town like this. Especially since you’re known here. And you won’t endanger those children either. Genin, am I right?”
“Those Genin are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves,” Taryn said in a low voice.
Kabuto chuckled again. “Is that so? We will see.”
“What are you talking about?”
Kabuto only smirked.
***
Hiro narrowed his eyes while listening to Kabuto’s story. A weapon with incredible powers? And no one in Suna remembered? How was that even possible? And how did information about that weapon end up in the hands of Stone? More importantly, why would Stone sell this information? Why hadn’t they gone looking for it themselves? He gave a frustrated sigh. Taryn-sensei had forbidden them to intervene, but there had to be something he could do. Slowly he retreated from the alley.
***
Daro jumped down from the roof as he realized the messenger wouldn’t be coming. This had been a set up from the start. Taryn had told them not to go in, but that was before they knew the truth. What was he supposed to do now? He had to focus.
‘Okay Daro. Calm down. Think. What do you know about this mission? What did sensei say?’
“Patience and observation.”
“Feel the water.”
“Being a ninja is hard work. You have to be serious about it.”
“Missions are serious business, not exciting camping trips.”
“Try to learn as much as possible about the village. It will come in handy in case we need to make a run for it.”
He knew the village. He had spend enough time in the backstreets of town when he was following the Stone shinobi. Daro frowned. Stone shinobi. This Kabuto didn’t come from Lightning either. Why would they be meeting here? Unless… what if this weapon wasn’t in Suna anymore? Perhaps it was here in Lightning. Or perhaps the messenger wasn’t a Stone ninja at all.
‘Focus Daro. Don’t draw any conclusions.’
There could be a lot of reasons. There was no use in jumping ahead of things. He had to work with what he did know. The exchange had been yesterday. There was nothing they could change about that. Kabuto was with their sensei. The messenger… Was he still in the village? If they could trace him…
”It’s not over yet.”
Taryn’s words to Kabuto. But they counted for the entire mission. Footsteps down the street made him look up. “Hiro,” he said surprised.
Hiro stopped in front of him and panted. He supported himself on his knees and took a deep breath. “Did you hear?” he asked.
Daro nodded. “Yeah. He was on to us”
“We need to do something,” Hiro said, “I was thinking, maybe we should go find that guy. That messenger. He might still be in town right?”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Daro agreed.
“Let’s go then.”
“Shouldn’t we let sensei know what we are doing?” Daro asked hesitantly.
“There’s no time for that,” Hiro said, “and that Kabuto guy might overhear. We can tell her later.”
“You’re right. Okay then.”
Together they disappeared down the road and into town.
“Shouldn’t we split up?” Daro asked, “we’ll find him faster that way.”
“Yeah, or he’ll impersonate one of us,” Hiro countered, “we better stick together. Besides, two see more than one.”
Daro eyed him strangely. “Funny hearing that from you,” he said, “don’t you remember what sensei told us on the way to this village?”
Hiro shrugged. “She says a lot of things. I can’t remember all of it. Are we going to stand here arguing or are we going to do our job?”
Daro sighed. “Right. Let’s start on the square. We’ll work our way to where he was staying, alright?”
“Sure,” Hiro nodded and took the lead.
“Hey wait!” Daro gasped and hurried after him. When he caught up with is friend, he glanced at Hiro. “Calm down will you. We won’t find him if we rush into this."
“I want to get this over with,” Hiro said, “the sooner we find him the better.”
Daro was about to answer when his eyes fell on something. “When did you put your headband back on? Didn’t sensei tell us not to?”
Hiro tensed. “Yeah… uh… I just put it back on in the alley okay? They already figured us out, so why not?”
“Why are you acting like this?” Daro asked, “are you angry about something?”
“I’m not angry,” Hiro said while continuing his way, “I’m just… I want this mission to succeed. Imagine the look on sensei’s face if we find the messenger and get the information she needs.”
“Are you serious?” Daro said, “you think we’ll stand a chance at defeating him?”
“What were you planning on doing then if we found him?”
“I… haven’t thought that far ahead actually,” Daro muttered, “I thought by the time we’d found him, we’d call sensei and she’d figure something out.” He followed Hiro around the corner into a deserted part of town.
“You’re such a baby,” Hiro said.
Daro stared at him and stopped walking. “What did you say?”
“You heard me. Get over it. Now come on. We need to hurry.”
Daro eyed him for a moment. “Where are we going?” he asked in a concerned tone.
“To the inn. This is a shorter route.”
“No it’s not,” Daro said, “the inn is that way. I memorized the map of the village.” He narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”
“What are you talking about? I’m your teammate. Hiro.”
Daro shook his head. “Hiro has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I know everything about him and he knows everything about me. You’ve been acting strange since we left the square. He may be a goofball every now and then, but he would remember sensei’s words. And he isn’t one to take the lead either. And he would never call me a baby.”
Hiro smirked. “For a best friend, it took you long enough to figure it out.” He made a hand seal and slowly changed into a Stone ninja.
The messenger.
Immediately Daro made a few signs and focused is chakra.
“Hm. Quite eager to fight, are you? Perhaps I should have tried to deceive your friend, but he was already gone before I could get to him.”
“What have you done to Hiro?!” Daro growled.
The man chuckled. “Nothing. He took the high road when Kabuto recognized Taryn. He’s a little scaredy cat, isn’t he?”
“He’s not!” Daro shouted, “and he would never abandon his friends!” Without a second thought he charged at his opponent.
***
“Quit laughing,” Taryn growled, “what do you mean ‘we will see’? What have you done?”
“I have done nothing,” Kabuto said innocently, “but my comrade is another story.”
“Comrade? You mean the messenger? He is still in town?”
Kabuto smiled. “So careless Taryn, leaving your Genin unprotected. Do you know all the things that could happen to little children on their own?”
Taryn grabbed his collar. “Tell me where they are and I won’t kill you today.”
“Just today eh.”
“Kabuto!”
Kabuto snorted. “You haven’t changed one bit. I don’t know where they are. What I do know is that they are in trouble. Or… they will be. The question is, what will you do? Waste your time here with me? Or protect them? Quite the dilemma.”
Taryn narrowed her eyes. She wanted to smash his face. She didn’t think he was lying. Hiro and Daro were outside alone. Had they heard the conversation? Or was it already too late? She had to warn them somehow. Kuro was still here. He was her last chance. He was a smart kid. He would understand.
“I told you before. My Genin are good fighters. And they would find a way to work together. They can defend themselves. And eachother.”
“You seem confident.”
“I am confident,” Taryn said, “your ‘friend’ won’t get to them that easily.”
In the corner of the room, Kuro quietly disappeared outside.
***
The Stone shinobi smirked as the boy ran at him. Such a foolish kid. He shook his head and waited for Daro to reach him and then blocked his attack without effort. He made a few signs and cast Daro back. The boy fell to the ground and groaned in pain. The Stone shinobi chuckled. “Foolish boy,” he said, “you think you stand a chance against me?”
“Yeah, we do,” a new voice said.
Daro lifted his head and smirked. “What took you so long?”
Hiro jumped down from the roof he’d been standing on. “I was busy,” he shrugged casually and glared at the Stone shinobi. “How dare you pretend to be me?”
“You must be joking,” their opponent said, “I pity your sensei for having to put up with brats like you.”
Daro crawled to his feet and wiped the blood from his lip. “Shut up,” he said.
The Stone shinobi cocked an eyebrow. “Haven’t had enough yet? Come on then. Show me what you’ve got.”
***
Taryn cursed when Kabuto pushed her aside and ran for the doorway. Quickly she gathered herself and followed after him, but he was already out of sight. She activated Byakugan to try and find him. ‘There.’ She ran towards the square to catch up with him when another chakra came within her vision. ‘Kuro.’ Was Kabuto after the boy? “Kuro,” she called through her transmitter. There was no answer. That on its own was no reason to panic. He could be hiding and unable to answer. Still, it didn’t sit right with her. She ran towards the spot where she sensed him. She stopped when her eyes caught a small object in the ground. Taryn picked it up and ran it between her fingers. It was an earpiece. Kuro’s earpiece. “Dammit,” she muttered.
***
Hiro raised his watersnakes as high as possible as his friend prepared an earth based jutsu. They released their attack at the same time, but it never found its target. A log of wood appeared in the spot where the Stone ninja had been.
‘Substitution jutsu,’ Daro thought. Where had their opponent gone?
“Looking for someone?” the Stone ninja reappeared behind Hiro.
The boy gasped and turned around, but was punched back by his opponent. Hiro groaned in pain.
“You jerk!” Daro shouted and focused his chakra. He punched at the ground and the ground split open towards the ninja. But he was gone before it landed. “Damn,” Daro said and turned to his friend. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Hiro gasped and crawled to his feet. “Where’d he go?”
“I don’t know. Stay focused.”
The two boys nervously looked around. The enemy could be anywhere and he could reappear at any moment.
***
“Byakugan,” Taryn focused on Kuro’s chakra now. She hoped nothing had happened to him while going to find his friends. She would never forgive herself. “There.” She ran down the alley.
Soon sounds of weapons clashing reached her. Kuro was throwing daggers at Kabuto, who easily countered them with his needles. He was smirking. Kuro gasped when a few needles found their mark and numbed his muscles. He fell to his knees. Kabuto chuckled and slowly approached the boy.
“Kabuto!” Taryn shouted.
The medical ninja looked up and scoffed. “You don’t know when to quit either.”
“Do my Genin frighten you that much?” Taryn asked, “they’re jus children. As you said.”
Kabuto grabbed Kuro’s collar and pulled him to his feet. “I’m just following orders,” he said, “which are to get rid of whoever stands in my way.”
“You’re pathetic Kabuto,” Taryn growled, “fight it out with me. Or are you still afraid of me?”
“Afraid? Of you? Don’t be ridiculous.”
Taryn laughed. “In any case, you aren’t very smart. You haven’t even realized that you’ve been trapped in a genjutsu the moment I arrived.”
Kabuto chuckled. “Genjutsu? You must think I’m stupid. You think I believe that?”
Taryn shrugged. “It doesn’t matter if you believe it. When you took your eyes away from Kuro, he cast a jutsu. He’s not even here anymore.” She smiled. “He’s very gifted. One day he’ll be as good as Itachi.”
That unsettled him a little. She saw it in the way his hand trembled on Kuro’s shoulder. Now her only concern was if Kuro would understand. She couldn’t risk looking at him. That would tip off Kabuto. And she didn’t have much time. She still had to find Daro and Hiro. She hoped they were at least together. That way they would stand a better chance at surviving. “Did you know that Itachi could trap you in a genjutsu by moving only a finger?” Taryn asked.
Kabuto smirked. “This kid does not have Sharingan,” he said.
“No,” Taryn agreed, “but he has something else.”
“And what would that be?”
“Me,” Taryn growled. In the blink of an eye she had pulled a dagger and sent a windblade at Kabuto.
He tried to dodge it, but forgot he was holding Kuro. The boy had gotten his hand on one of his own daggers and plunged it in Kabuto’s leg. Kabuto winced and for a second loosened his grip on the boy.
Taryn charged at him and Kuro rolled backwards so he wouldn’t be in the way. He gasped when Taryn ran at Kabuto. Kabuto had restored himself and took out a few needles which he threw at her. Taryn dodged them and activated Byakugan. Two could play this game. She went too fast for him to see and landed a blow on his chest. Kabuto gasped, but before he could react, Taryn had hit him again and his arm went numb. He narrowed his eyes and focused on Kuro now. He threw a handful of needles at the boy, but when they landed, the boy was gone. A log was in his place. ‘Substitution jutsu eh,’ he thought, ‘you train your students well Taryn.’ Then his eyes went wide. He couldn’t feel their chakra anymore. They were gone. Or was this a genjutsu? His eyes searched the alley frantically, but he found no one.
“Are you just gonna let him go?” Kuro asked. He stood next to Taryn a little further down the road and kept his genjutsu intact.
“Yes,” Taryn nodded, “our main priority now is finding Hiro and Daro. We won’t get anything else from Kabuto. He has what he came for.”
“Won’t he come after us?”
“No,” Taryn told him, “he’ll want to go back to Orochimaru as soon as possible. Fighting us would be a waste of time.” She was searching for the other two boys. Until she had located them, she would keep Kabuto trapped in this genjutsu, concealing their presence from him. Besides, watching Kabuto turn around with a confused expression was fun. Her own little form of revenge, even though it was a little childish. “Got them,” Taryn said and deactivated the eye jutsu. They weren’t that far away, but the other chakra around them worried her. “Come on,” Taryn said and headed towards the rest of her team. Kuro gave a last glance at Kabuto and hurried after her.
***
Hiro screamed when suddenly a hand broke through the earth and grabbed his ankle. The Stone shinobi chuckled and threw Hiro to the ground. Daro gasped and threw a kunai dagger at the man. The Stone ninja didn’t even look up as he evaded it. Hiro bit the man’s hand. He dropped the boy and swore. Immediately Daro formed a few handseals. “Earth Style Rock Wave!” The earth started to rumble and formed a large wave. It rolled towards the Stone ninja like an ocean wave.
“Rock Shield,” the Stone ninja called. A large wall of earth appeared and blocked Daro’s attack.
“Water Dragon!” Hiro sent a water attack at the ninja which slammed him into a wall.
“Annoying brats,” the ninja growled. He made a sign and vanished.
Daro and Hiro kept their guard up. Both were panting. These last couple of minutes, their enemy had kept appearing and disappearing and it was wearing them out. Their opponent however didn’t seem troubled at all. If he kept this up, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
Hiro kept a dagger ready. His hand was slightly trembling.
A few feet away, Daro was looking around nervously. A sound made him look up. And then he was thrown back by a fierce windattack. He slammed into a building and gasped. With a confused expression he examined himself. He wasn’t injured. Before he could get over the shock an explosion made him jump. A detonating note had gone off in the exact spot he’d been standing seconds ago. He would have been dead if that wind attack hadn’t cast him aside. ‘Wind…’ Daro thought and looked around. And sure thing, Taryn stood in the middle of the road. “Taryn-sensei…” he started, but she lifted a hand to stop him. She seemed to be concentrating on something.
Suddenly she whirled and blocked an attack. The Stone ninja smirked at her and lowered his arm. “You seem more of a challenge than those brats,” he said, “you located me without trouble.”
“Save your breath,” she said, “you’ll need it.” She threw him off and sent a windattack in his direction.
He cast his own attack and she barely dodged it.
Taryn performed a fireball jutsu.
The fight had been going on for several minutes before Taryn’s students could react. Everything had gone so fast. They made it look so easy. Kuro had arrived at the scene too by now. His leg was still feeling a little numb from Kabuto’s attack, but he could still perform genjutsu and he tried to trap the Stone ninja. Trapping a moving target proved to be a lot harder.
“You little pest,” the Stone ninja growled and directed his attack at the boy.
Kuro gasped and fell to his knees.
“Kuro!” Hiro shouted in shock and made his way over to his friend. Much time to recover, he didn’t have.
The next gasp came from Taryn. The Stone ninja had managed to corner her and now pushed her against the wall. He grabbed her throat and smirked at her. “Not so tough now eh.”
Taryn glared at him. She activated her Byakugan.
“Oh no you don’t,” he hissed at her and hit her in the face.
An angry scream sounded behind him. Daro made a series of signs and charged at the Stone ninja. The ground was trembling as if a stampede was coming their way. The Stone ninja let go of Taryn and stared at the charging boy in shock.
“Ah!” Daro shouted furiously, “don’t you dare hit her again!” He released his attack. The Stone ninja was thrown back and hit the ground with an audible thud. He crawled up again, covered in cuts and bruises. He gave Daro a hateful glare and spit out some blood. He coughed.
“You’re lucky this time,” he growled and vanished.
“He’s gone,” Taryn said after a moment. She sighed and looked at Daro. “When did you learn to do that?”
Daro looked at his hands startled. “I don’t know,” he said stunned. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” Taryn said. She patted his shoulder and made her way over to Hiro and Kuro. She kneeled down next to the dark-haired boy. “Are you okay?” Kuro bit his lip and nodded. His hand was against his side. Blood was leaking through is fingers. “Let me see,” Taryn said and examined him. “It’s not that bad,” she told him, “I’ll bandage it back at the inn. A few days rest and you should be fine. Can you stand?”
Kuro nodded and let Hiro help him up, biting back a gasp of pain.
“Good job you three,” Taryn said.
“But we failed the mission,” Daro said, “they both got away.”
“Yeah,” Taryn nodded, “but we’ll get it back. We know what they were after.”
“You think Kabuto told you the truth?” Daro asked. “I’ve know him for a long time. He wasn’t lying. I just wish I could have taken a look at that scroll though.”
“You mean this scroll?” Hiro said. He took out a document and handed it to Taryn. She took it and looked at him surprised.
“How did you get this?”
Hiro shrugged. “When he said he’d already gotten what he came for, I went back to his room and went looking for it. I figured you’d be busy for a while so I would have some time.” He looked at her nervously. “Was that a bad thing?”
Taryn laughed. “No Hiro. It is perfect. Come on. Let’s get out of here. I’ll fix up Kuro and we’ll head for home.”
***
“Did you know?” Taryn asked her brother. They had just finished reporting and she had stayed behind to speak with Gaara privately. He folded his hands and stared at the scroll on the table.
“No,” he said, “if father documented anything on his findings, it was either stolen or destroyed.”
“Do you think it is the only written document?” Taryn asked.
“I don’t know,” Gaara said thoughtfully, “I haven’t had the chance to study it yet. What we should be worrying about is whether you think Kabuto made copies.”
“I think it’s very likely,” Taryn sighed.
“In that case we need to investigate in the matter as soon as possible,” Gaara said. He looked up at her. “Well done Taryn. Your students are making great process.”
She knew that was her cue to leave. It was still a little strange. Her little brother was in charge now. But she was proud of him. She made a bow and left the room. She could do with some rest now. It wouldn’t be long before she would be assigned to another mission.