WARNING: Chapter contains swearing, violence, and hints of sensitive topics.
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*Flashback - Third Person P.O.V.*
A slight breeze ruffled the vibrant green forest, the sound of thousands of leaves brushing together replacing the usual cacophony of the forest animals, which was eerily silent. Cotton candy clouds drifted across the sky that was painted with a variety of red and orange shades.
Glinting in the light of the setting sun, a kunai sliced through the air only to be knocked to the ground with the clash of metal.
Slowly putting their arm down from blocking the attack, the target of the kunai glanced about him warily, taking in the sight of the twelve bandits that were surrounding himself and his three students.
The blonde-haired man knew that he could take out all these men with a bit of difficulty, but with his three Genin here it would be that much harder. He didn't want them to be injured.
Although, injuries, and even death, were simply unavoidable in the ninja world.
"You three, Manji formation! Quickly!" The four ninja stood back to back, each wielding a kunai.
"S-sensei..." A girl with long honey-blonde hair shrunk closer to her companions and away from the leering faces of the bandits, seemingly folding in on herself. There was slight fear and uncertainty in her light blue eyes. She thought that this was supposed to be a simple C-rank mission.
The way the bandits were looking at her, with lust and greed written all over their faces, was scaring her more than her worst fear ever could. She couldn't keep her body from trembling. It was as if she was watching herself from the back of her mind as her vision tunneled, and her grip on the kunai in her left hand became slack.
The teammate that stood to her left quickly glanced over his shoulder at the terrified girl, one bronze eye studying her in concern. He could see her knees quake, could see the terror in her eyes. Hatred coursed through his veins and made his blood sizzle. These bandits were scum, he thought, and scum didn't deserve any mercy from him. Determined to keep her safe, the boy shifted to the right until he was partially standing in between his teammate and the bandits.
Their sensei glanced over his shoulder at his shy female student, false confidence hiding the concern in his onyx eyes.
"Don't worry Suzuki. I won't let them hurt you, any of you." His voice was soft, placating, and sent a rush of relief through the young Genin's veins.
The bandits burst out into a fit of laughter. One stepped forwards, presumably the leader of the group based on the air of power and confidence he exuded.
He was an older man, with a bit of spiky green hair peeking out from under his black bandanna. The cold gray eyes that were set in his pale, thin face wandered over each of the four shinobi, lingering for a bit longer on Suzuki's back. The look in his eyes was wicked and depraved, and the thought of what the man might do to his student sent a chill down the blonde man's spine.
"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.
"You won't be winning today!" Suddenly, he darted around the blonde man, poised to grab the young Genin, who snapped out of her panic and slightly stumbled at the same moment.
Time seemed to speed up for the Jōnin, who was turning with his arm outstretched to grab the bandit. His fingers just barely brushed the sleeve of Boss's broken arm. Inwardly cursing at himself for missing, he opened his mouth to warn his students.
"Suzuki!" The two boys turned their heads towards their sensei at his panicked shout. Their eyes widened as they saw the bandit leader get closer to Suzuki's back with each step, and both leaped forwards to intercept him. But to the three shinobi, Boss was moving too fast, and they were moving too slow.
With a sickening crunch, dark red blood arced through the air, splattering on the faces of the horrified pair of boys as more started to soak through the material of Suzuki's two shirts.
Her crop top was slowly being colored a purplish-red, and the color slowly dripped off the end of her shirt as gravity pulled the dark liquid down to saturate the ground.
The world around the blue-haired boy disappeared, the blood in his veins turning to ice as his mind slowly blanked out while his horrified brown eye stared into surprised light blue ones. Suzuki coughed once, her skin pale compared to the splash of color that was now trickling out from between her slightly parted lips.
A cry of anguish pierced the air, rising like the high keening screech of a falcon in flight, and it was later that the boy realized that the cry was his own.
"SUZUKI!"
*Flashback End*
*Present Day*
"-rou. Jirou!" The voice of his Jōnin sensei snapped the boy out of his thoughts, a shiver going down his spine as he remembered that fateful day. His brown eyes rose to meet an irritated gaze. He realized his sensei must have been calling his name for awhile, since the man was normally hard to anger.
"Ah - sorry Minoru-sensei."
The man's gaze softened slightly, recognizing the numb, yet emotional look in Jirou's eyes and the empty sigh. Minoru relived the same thing his student just did four to five nights a week - the time when he had failed as a sensei.
"Don't apologize to me, apologize to Lord Hokage." The Jōnin gently admonished his student, gesturing with one gloved hand towards the old man sitting behind the long desk in front of them.
There were several people sitting on both sides of the Hokage, each shuffling through a stack of papers. The large window behind them shed sunlight in the large room in the administration section of the Academy.
Smoke drifted up from the red pipe clasped between the old man's lips, dissipating just above his red and white hat, emblazoned with the Kanji for "fire". A white haori rested over his red kimono, which was tied with a white sash. Three lines stretched down his tanned skin under his dark eyes, stopping on his cheeks just above his pale goatee.
"Sorry Lord Hokage." Jirou bowed his head.
A sigh from Hiruzen Sarutobi caused another puff of smoke to rise from his pipe and permeate the air around him. He understood that what the boy was going through was tough, especially at such a young age. Pulling his pipe from his mouth, the Third Hokage cleared his throat before addressing the three shinobi in front of him.
"As you three know, Academy graduates are placed in teams of four, consisting of three Genin and one Jōnin instructor. This is to teach the Genin teamwork, and to promote it later on when they become Chūnin and Jōnin." Hiruzen paused, giving a short cough.
"Your team has been a team of three instead of a standard team of four for a month, which is why I'm assigning you a new team member." A loud, excited voice interrupted the Hokage before he could continue.
"A new teammate?! Who is it?!" Dark green eyes darted around the room, searching for an unfamiliar face. The pumpkin-haired boy felt an ecstatic buzz run through his body, starting at the top of his head and traveling all the way down to his toes. Minoru sighed, running a hand down his face in exasperation before lightly smacking the back of the excited boy's head.
"Ow!"
"Don't interrupt Lord Hokage, Kazuki." The Jōnin said flatly as the boy rubbed the spot where he had been hit. Hiruzen coughed once more, regaining the three shinobi's attention.
"Ah-hem." With a glare, he continued speaking.
"They are new to the village, and not much is known about them. This means you must keep a close eye on them until we are sure they will not be a threat to this village, and I feel that you are the best equipped to handle them if they get out of hand Minoru." He focused his gaze on the door behind the three ninja.
"Send in our new Genin."
Two of the shinobi turned their attention to the door behind them as four slender, pale fingers stretched through the gap of the cracked-open door at the Hokage's call.
As the appendages curled around the edge of the green painted wood, Kazuki's breath caught in his throat, anxiety running rampant throughout his body.
'I wonder what type of person they'll be.' Possibilities ran through his mind.
'Will they be kind, or mean? Quiet, or opinionated? What kind of skill will they have as a shinobi?'
A pair of onyx eyes narrowed at the door.
'Not much is known about them? Is Lord Hokage really going to let a complete stranger become a shinobi, someone who's vowed to protect Konoha and the people in it with their very lives?' Minoru's gaze flickered towards the Hokage, then back to the door.
'Well, I won't doubt the Hokage's decision,' A slight foreboding feeling settled in the blonde man's gut. He was unsure of the repercussions the Hokage's decision would cause, not only with the actions the newcomer could take, but the safety of the villagers and his fellow shinobi. Yet he would always place his trust in the Hokage.
'No matter how uneasy it makes me.'
Jirou slowly turned around as the door creaked, eyes cast towards the ground, unsure how to react about getting a new teammate. The blue-haired boy was still reeling from his vivid memory, his emotions clashing and mixing like a whirlwind in his gut.
'A......new teammate?' His thoughts were hesitant, sluggish.
'Why? We,' Licking his dry lips, Jirou began to tremble slightly, as if his body was being put under strain.
'We don't need them. We're fine with just the three of us.'
With smoke rising in a small continuous stream from his pipe, the Hokage studied the group in front of him.
'These four will certainly have a rocky start, but hopefully they'll get through it quickly, and become an efficient team.'
The door opened fully, causing a breath to be released, muscles to tense, and an unseeing gaze to rise from the floor.
A young girl stepped into the room, looking to be about the same age as Jirou and Kazuki. Long silver hair was pulled into a ponytail that hung past her right shoulder except for a small chunk which brushed against her opposite shoulder. The shade of her hair made her pale skin seem darker.
Shining in the sunlight that filtered in through the large window were four piercings in her exposed left ear, an assortment of rings and studs.
Shaggy bangs were swept to the right just above her narrow eyes, the dark purple irises scanning each person in the room with a blank look. A pert nose rested above her full lips, which were clasped around a senbon. She was clad in a simple dark blue jacket and black pants, with the standard blue shinobi sandals on her feet. On her right leg was a weapons pouch, just underneath her new Konoha headband. A silver scarf was tied loosely around her neck.
"Team Minoru, meet your new teammate, In'ei."
*In'ei's P.O.V.*
I studied my new team, eyes hooded.
The first boy had medium-length grayish-blue hair with split bangs hanging slightly over his wide, haunted bronze eyes. His pale skin looked ashen, a slight sheen of sweat showing that it wasn't his natural color. He was slightly slouched, implying that he was recently affected by something.
A long, black sleeveless vest with a high collar was mostly unzipped, revealing the gray short-sleeved shirt underneath. Tied to his left bicep just over his sleeve was his blue ninja headband, and bandages completely wrapped around his hands. Simple black pants covered his legs, his ninja pouch tied on his left leg. His feet were clad in black shinobi sandals.
'He has potential. If only he didn't let his emotions get in the way.'
I turned my gaze to the next boy, his spiky, wild pumpkin hair looking like it was brushed up and back by the wind. Unblemished, tanned skin stretched over a slightly thin face, while dark green eyes were wide in surprise.
A long green sleeveless shirt, with large armholes and a neckline sloping down to his abdomen, sat over a short-sleeved fishnet shirt. His legs were clad in brown pants, which were cut off at the knee on his right leg, just below his ninja pouch, underneath which was more fishnet. The fishnet leggings disappeared into his black shinobi sandals.
'Hm, a weak, foolish boy. He won't get far in this profession if he only tries to look good for females who won't even give him the time of day.' Ignoring the boy's infatuated gaze, my eyes flickered to the third and final person.
Long blonde bangs lightly brushed against the man's slightly tanned cheeks, a small chunk hanging between his onyx eyes, which were narrowed in suspicion. The rest of his blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, the ends touching his shoulders.
A standard Jōnin flak jacket was zipped over a long-sleeved dark blue shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with metal-plated gloves on his hands. Dark blue pants clad his legs, while black shinobi sandals and his Konoha headband on his upper-right sleeve completed his outfit. The way the man was poised, casually with one hand in his pocket, yet his muscles were tensed, told me that he was ready and willing to attack if I made even one wrong step.
'A powerful shinobi. Interesting.'
"In'ei, these are your new teammates." A low, gravelly voice brought my attention to the Third Hokage, his dark gaze locked with mine.
"You will be working closely with them from now on, at least until you become a Jōnin and possibly gain a Genin team of your own. Also, you do remember our earlier conversation, yes?"
I stood in front of the Hokage's desk, arms crossed as the afore-mentioned man consulted with the shinobi standing to the right of the desk. The man's ash-blonde hair stood in spikes on the top of his head, before being pulled into a long ponytail down his back.
Serious blue-green eyes set in a face with strong facial features stared into my dark purple orbs. A red sleeveless haori rested over a green flak jacket. Underneath both of those was a black outfit, which was complete with hand-guards and his forehead protector.
"So, what should we do about her, Lord Hokage? Should we let Ibiki take over, and see if he can somehow get her to unlock those memories I couldn't see?"
"Hm." The old man took a puff on his red pipe, smoke rising in a small cloud. I inwardly sighed.
"If I may speak, Lord Hokage, I can assure you, as a person and as a fellow shinobi, that those locked memories will not bring any harm to the Leaf Village." The two men glanced at each other, silently conferring, before the Third Hokage and I locked gazes.
"To be honest, those memories are personal and none of your business." I spoke bluntly. The Hokage and I stared unblinkingly at each other, him evaluating my words.
About a minute passed, with the blonde-haired man looking between the two of us.
"Lord Hokage? Should I call in Ibiki?" After a few more moments, the old man blinked and turned his gaze towards the shinobi.
"No, Inoichi. I believe she is telling the truth. Although," Here, he aimed his words at me.
"We will put you under ANBU surveillance until we are absolutely sure that you mean no harm to this village or the people in it. Is that understood?" I simply nod, and the Hokage took yet another puff of his pipe.
"Good."
"Yes, Lord Hokage. I remember our previous discussion." My voice came out clearly past the senbon clasped in between my lips. Closing his dark eyes, Hiruzen nodded and gave a short wave of his hand.
"Good. Now, if there is nothing else to discuss then you are dismissed Team Minoru." The blonde-haired man - Minoru, I assumed - gave the Hokage a nod, before pushing his two frozen students past me and out the door, gesturing for me to follow.
I quickly bowed to the old man in respect, before turning on my heel and closing the door behind me. Trailing behind the three shinobi who were now my teammates, we all stopped just outside of the Academy. An arm was slid around my shoulders as the pumpkin-haired boy sidled up to me, snapped out of his frozen state.
"Well beautiful, since we're going to be seeing a lot of each other, we should get to know each other better. My name's Kazuki. Kazuki Nishimura. What's yours?" His breath was annoyingly blown in my ear. I lifted my left hand, and, grabbing his pinky with my thumb and index finger, roughly pulled his arm off me.
"I am not interested in whatever advances you make towards me." Ignoring his crestfallen look, my feet strode towards the bustling streets. I did not care if I hurt his feelings.
"Aw, don't be like that, beautiful! Here, I'll show you around the village." He ran after me, catching up and crossing his arms behind his head. Minoru-sensei and the blue-haired boy lagged behind.
"So here we have the -" I blocked out Kazuki's loud voice, not particularly interested in my surroundings. Walking along, we passed several stores, restaurants, and crowds of people who laughed and talked.
A small dog ran in front of us, causing me to glance down at it and the pumpkin-haired boy to trip over his own feet trying to avoid it. I caught a glimpse of my outfit when I glanced down.
'These clothes are not made for fighting in. I also need to replace my weapons, they are getting dull.' My dark purple irises scanned the surrounding buildings, seeing a clothing store and a weapons store close by.
"Hey, where are you going?" My teammate noticed that I no longer walked next to him, and I gave the boy a glance. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my new sensei staring at me in suspicion.
"I cannot keep fighting in clothes that were not made for fighting. They restrict my movement, and that could prove fatal. I must also buy new weapons, for mine have dulled." With that, I stepped into the store, a bell tinkling above me.
"Welcome!" The shopkeeper, who was an older woman, smiled at me, to which I returned a simple nod before slowly wandering through the store. After a few minutes of browsing, I was able to find clothing that would not restrict my movement, and would fit my fighting style.
"There is a changing room in the back if you need it." The shopkeeper pointed it out as I paid for the outfit.
"Thank you." I gave her a nod and went to the back of the store to change.
A short dark blue crop top with very long sleeves rested over a black tank top, with fishnet on part of the neckline. Black skin-tight leggings encompassed my legs, a large part of each leg made out of fishnet. On my right leg, I placed my weapons pouch and ninja headband.
Around my waist I tied my silver scarf. On my arms were elbow-length black gloves, each with a metal plate on the back of the hand. Dark blue shinobi sandals snugly fit my feet.
"Why?! Why is she on our team?! We're perfectly fine with just the three of us! We don't need her!" The blue-haired boy was arguing with Minoru-sensei when I walked out of the store. They didn't seem to notice me as I meandered across the street to buy weapons.
"Jirou, these are the Hokage's orders, and we ne-" My new sensei's voice was silenced by the door shutting behind me. Seeing no one at the counter, I simply emptied most of my old kunai and shuriken into the garbage can by the door. When I said that they had been getting dull, it was an understatement. Many of them had chinks and cuts in the metal from being used so often, and from inability to get them taken care of.
By the time the shopkeeper, who was a guy in his late twenties, had come back to the counter, I had picked out two dozen kunai, the same amount of shuriken and senbon, another weapons pouch, a sharpening stone, and a special strap to hide my *kyoketsu-shoge under my sleeve.
The sudden increase of sound from outside made me glance over at the now open door. The shopkeeper looked up from making sure I gave him the correct amount of money for my new equipment, giving a short greeting to my teammate.
"Hello beautiful." Kazuki stood next to me, his eyes taking in my new outfit.
"You look good in those clothes." I ignored him, opting instead to watch the shopkeeper count out the money I gave him to make sure it was the correct amount. It was quiet for a few moments, the only noise that could be heard was the soft clink of coins being shuffled.
"Sooo....Minoru-sensei was thinking that we could all do some training, to get to know each other better." My dark purple eyes flicked over to him, a disinterested look on my face as I watched him fidget. He looked slightly uncomfortable with me staring at him.
"That is fine." A bright smile crossed Kazuki's face at my words.
'At least it will not be a complete waste of time.' I actually enjoyed training, but I won't be letting anyone know that. Showing emotion was forbidden.
"Thank you for your purchase!" I started grabbing my weapons before the man finished his sentence, placing my new pouch on the back of my right hip, then slipping my new senbon and shuriken inside. Before sliding my kunai into my old pouch, I clipped the special strap around my right arm just below my elbow.
Opening my leg pouch, I pulled out my kyoketsu-shoge, the only weapon I kept in good condition, and slid it into the strap. Kazuki's green eyes watched as I did this, an awestruck look on his face.
"You can actually use something like that? That's so cool." I gave him a short nod.
"Yes, I can." I slid my new kunai into my leg pouch, and strode out the door. Kazuki followed me like a lost puppy.
"Have a nice day." The shopkeeper called out from behind us as the door swung shut. Kazuki and I approached our teammates, who stood in silence. Jirou looked as though he were sulking, since there was a sour expression on his face. His bronze eyes avoided me. Minoru-sensei was straight-faced. When I stopped in front of him, his lips slipped into a small smile.
"Well, how about it? Want to do some training, In'ei?"
"Yes, Sensei." His smile grew wider, and he beckoned for the three of us to follow him, continuing to walk down the street.
Eventually, we left the loud, bustling streets behind for a quiet, forested area. Minoru-sensei stopped in a large clearing, the blonde-haired man turning around to face us. I took a quick look around, seeing only a few wooden posts with several scratches and holes decorating the light colored wood.
"Alright!" Minoru-sensei clapped his hands together once, a closed-eye smile on his face.
"Since you're new here In'ei, and we're not sure of your capabilities, how about a sparring match to see what you're strong in and what you need to work on?" I inwardly sighed, disliking the fact that I would need to showcase my strengths and weaknesses. I believed that it was better to keep one's skills to themselves, and only reveal them in battle, but training was important, so I agreed.
"Of course, Sensei." His face fell a bit at my bland tone, but soon afterwards he brightened back up. Onyx eyes glanced between the two boys, gauging their expressions. Kazuki's green eyes were wide in excitement, his lips stretched into a giant grin.
"Oh, oh! Let me spar with her, Sensei!" The blonde-haired man stayed silent, his eyes cast towards my blue-haired teammate, who was clearly not as excited about the idea as Kazuki was. There was a scowl plastered on his face as he glared heatedly at his feet.
Minoru-sensei's onyx eyes solemnly studied Jirou for a few more moments, thinking carefully before opening his mouth to speak.
"In'ei's sparring partner will be Jirou."
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*Kyoketsu-shoge: a weapon with a double-edged blade, attached to 12 to 18 feet of rope or chain which ends in a large metal ring
Hi! Thank you for taking the time to read the first chapter of my Naruto fan fiction! I know that I had already had this story posted, but I took it down to do some editing. Unfortunately though, this story will have very slow updates.