Damn its good to be back writing. The sudden return of NB's greatest writer to the base(sadly, not to writing
) has inspired to me to post something new. This is a new story which I haven't worked out all the kinks yet, just going with the flow. Hope you guys like it cuz it doesnt start out with much action in this chapter
Please read and enjoy! =D
The moon shone brightly on this cold night and a chilly breeze swayed the lush green grass that blanketed the terrain for as far as the eye could see. These were the outskirts of the small settlement known as Kusagakure. Here nature blossomed, humans were scarce and at night, the grassy terrain buzzed with the soothing melody of crickets and other creatures of the night, the beautiful moonlight transforming the scene from merely picturesque into a work of art.
Far off in the distance, a watchtower rose up against the night sky. It was a tall structure with a small compartment on top which was manned by shinobi, their singular duty being to look out for any possible invaders. Stationed at this watch point was a team of four Kusa shinobi. A small lantern provided light for these ninjas but its illumination was feeble and dull as the atmosphere in the tower.
With a blade of grass caught between his teeth and a lazy gleam in his brown eyes, one of them- tawny haired and broad faced with a large build which he hid behind the standard Kusagakure shinobi attire- leaned against the wall in one of the towers.
Three other shinobi were in the tower; one, with a lanky frame and short spiky black hair, surveyed the terrain from time to time with a set of binoculars. The two others, one raven haired and the other blonde, both rather short but with average build and similar attire as their companions, were crouched on the floor playing cards.
“Man, this is boring.” groaned one of the card players, the blonde.
“It’s watch duty, of course its dull.” said his raven haired opponent with a yawn.
“Stop your whining you two.” said the one who leaned against the wall. “You should be proud to serve your-”
“Yes, yes, Captain Maki.” interrupted the raven haired one.
“What’s that?” asked the one who handled the binoculars, peering at the landscape through the instrument.
The others moved towards him. They looked into the expanse and at once, they saw a great number of birds, crows by their black feathers and distant dreary cries, hovering over a spot on the grassy plains.
“Crows? Probably something died.” said the blonde amongst them.
“And attracted more than fifty of those things?” asked Captain Maki mockingly. “I’ll go check it out.”
With that said, the Captain leaped towards the gathering of birds. The chilly air stung his skin as he raced towards the crows and he arrived at their location in about a minute. Their gloomy cries were louder now that he was in close proximity and he fully comprehended their great number; some were perched on the grass but most flying low over the plains. Maki strolled cautiously amongst them, arming himself with a kunai despite no observable treat. He was moving towards the centre of the gathering, where the morbid creatures were most concentrated.
They scattered on his approach and he saw, his eyes widened with shock, a small boy sprawled on the grass where the birds had vacated. The boy was dressed in shinobi outfit which comprised on a brown jacket donned over a short sleeved high collared shirt; it sort of resembled an ANBU uniform. His face was turned away from Maki and his bangs spread over his forehead protector. I better check which village he’s from. thought Maki as he moved to check his headband.
His hand waved the hair off the metal plating and there, gleaming in the moonlight, was the symbol of Konohagakure. “Konoha!” exclaimed Maki. No sooner had the words left his mouth that the boy, who Maki had presumed to be dead, opened his eyes revealing a pair of Sharingan. Maki’s eyes met with the child’s.
Return to your men and tell them there’s nothing here.
The instruction was not verbally given but was spoken directly to Maki’s mind via the hypnotic power of the Sharingan. Maki nodded stolidly.
Incapacitate them and yourself with this.
The boy handed Maki a small yellow ball. Maki nodded again and immediately headed back to the watchtower, leaving the congregation of crows, the grim cacophony of death they sung and the young Uchiha amongst them.
There was, in an empty corridor inside the Hokage Office Building, an old man dressed in a long black cloth which ran from his shoulders down to his feet where it dragged on the floor. It was an attire which was tied at the waist and opened at the left side of his upper body, revealing the inner white robe he wore and allowing him a free hand with which to handle his plain wooden cane. The elder’s head bristled with short and spiky jet black hair, and his heavily wrinkled face was decorated with bandages around his forehead and covering his right eye as well as a cross shaped scar on his chin
Danzo trotted forward with quick strides, his hurry evidenced by the fast paced knocking of his cane against the wooden floorboards, his usual indifferent expression tinged with fury. It wasn’t long before the Konoha elder arrived at the office of the Hokage and barged in without knocking.
The pipe nearly fell from the wrinkled lips of Hiruzen as he let out a gasp of shock at the abrupt intrusion. The old man upon realizing it was Danzo, immediately contorted his drooping face into a hardened expression that might have frightened lesser men, as he alighted from behind his desk and sauntered towards his unexpected guest, stopping just a few inches in front of him.
The moonlight from the large window of this spacious office fell upon Hiruzen. The Third Hokage’s small stature was well hidden by the rather voluminous Hokage garb he had donned. His eyes, glaring coldly at Danzo, were cloaked under the shadow of his broad hat and his face was marred with many wrinkles and a few warts, a small white goatee hanging off his chin. Shifting his long pipe to the side of his mouth, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s spoke in a cracked voice, “What is the meaning of this?”
“I heard you sent one of your ANBU operatives to investigate the rumors of the Kusagakure affair.” said Danzo, his tone even but with a subdued anger twinkling in his visible yet dimmed left eye.
There was a silence for a brief period of time then Hiruzen sighed and spoke, “I don’t see how the movements of my personal soldiers are any of your business. How do you even know-“
“How do I know that you entrusted an important Konoha matter into the hands of a twelve year old boy?” interrupted Danzo in the same flat tone.
“Uchiha Itachi is one of our finest operatives. He has-“
“Barely two years of experience in ANBU.” interjected Danzo.
“And has proved himself one of the finest shinobi I’ve ever seen.” countered Hiruzen.
“I know that the skill of ANBU under your command has become rather pitiful since the reign of the Second,” said Danzo, “but I feel you at least should have a more experienced and more powerful shinobi to handle such a delicate assignment.”
Hiruzen frowned. “Danzo, we both know your real problem with Itachi is the fact that he is an Uchiha. As for the standard of ANBU, I reckon even Niidame-sama would be impressed with Itachi’s competence.”
There followed a tense silence before Danzo replied. “This has little to do with your foolishness in letting one of them into the ANBU.”
“Goodnight Danzo, I will not indulge your prejudice tonight. It is getting late and Ichiraku won’t remain open for long. I promised to treat Naruto to the best ramen in Konoha.”
Danzo stared silently a Hiruzen for a moment before turning sharply and exiting slowly through the door. “I will be monitoring things closely. If the boy gives me any reason to question his ability to fulfill the mission, know that my operatives will step into the matter.” said Danzo. He strolled away, turned at a corridor and vanished from sight, leaving his old rival to ponder upon his vague treat.
“Captain Maki, what’s wrong?” asked one of the Kusa shinobi. Maki had hurried back to them, promptly told them that there was nothing to worry about, that a large bear had simply died on the grass and attracted the crows. However, their usually stern and glum Captain was smiling quite unnaturally and his hand was balled up into a fist for no reason.
“Captain, I didn’t see a bear. Are you sure-“
BOOM!
Something dropped from Maki’s hand and the air was filled with a thick yellow fog. As the gas flooded their lungs, their lids became heavy over their eyes and they all collapsed in moments. The gas escaped from the top of the tower and could be visibly seen rising towards the cloudless sky from a good distance away.
Far off, in the dark shadows of several black crows, crouched beneath the tall grasses, Uchiha Itachi observed the fulfillment of his illusionary command. Seeing the wisps of yellow smoke issuing skywards from the tower, the Uchiha immediately bounded off into Kusagakure, his entry assisted by one of the very guards stationed to protect it.
To Be Continued
The moon shone brightly on this cold night and a chilly breeze swayed the lush green grass that blanketed the terrain for as far as the eye could see. These were the outskirts of the small settlement known as Kusagakure. Here nature blossomed, humans were scarce and at night, the grassy terrain buzzed with the soothing melody of crickets and other creatures of the night, the beautiful moonlight transforming the scene from merely picturesque into a work of art.
Far off in the distance, a watchtower rose up against the night sky. It was a tall structure with a small compartment on top which was manned by shinobi, their singular duty being to look out for any possible invaders. Stationed at this watch point was a team of four Kusa shinobi. A small lantern provided light for these ninjas but its illumination was feeble and dull as the atmosphere in the tower.
With a blade of grass caught between his teeth and a lazy gleam in his brown eyes, one of them- tawny haired and broad faced with a large build which he hid behind the standard Kusagakure shinobi attire- leaned against the wall in one of the towers.
Three other shinobi were in the tower; one, with a lanky frame and short spiky black hair, surveyed the terrain from time to time with a set of binoculars. The two others, one raven haired and the other blonde, both rather short but with average build and similar attire as their companions, were crouched on the floor playing cards.
“Man, this is boring.” groaned one of the card players, the blonde.
“It’s watch duty, of course its dull.” said his raven haired opponent with a yawn.
“Stop your whining you two.” said the one who leaned against the wall. “You should be proud to serve your-”
“Yes, yes, Captain Maki.” interrupted the raven haired one.
“What’s that?” asked the one who handled the binoculars, peering at the landscape through the instrument.
The others moved towards him. They looked into the expanse and at once, they saw a great number of birds, crows by their black feathers and distant dreary cries, hovering over a spot on the grassy plains.
“Crows? Probably something died.” said the blonde amongst them.
“And attracted more than fifty of those things?” asked Captain Maki mockingly. “I’ll go check it out.”
With that said, the Captain leaped towards the gathering of birds. The chilly air stung his skin as he raced towards the crows and he arrived at their location in about a minute. Their gloomy cries were louder now that he was in close proximity and he fully comprehended their great number; some were perched on the grass but most flying low over the plains. Maki strolled cautiously amongst them, arming himself with a kunai despite no observable treat. He was moving towards the centre of the gathering, where the morbid creatures were most concentrated.
They scattered on his approach and he saw, his eyes widened with shock, a small boy sprawled on the grass where the birds had vacated. The boy was dressed in shinobi outfit which comprised on a brown jacket donned over a short sleeved high collared shirt; it sort of resembled an ANBU uniform. His face was turned away from Maki and his bangs spread over his forehead protector. I better check which village he’s from. thought Maki as he moved to check his headband.
His hand waved the hair off the metal plating and there, gleaming in the moonlight, was the symbol of Konohagakure. “Konoha!” exclaimed Maki. No sooner had the words left his mouth that the boy, who Maki had presumed to be dead, opened his eyes revealing a pair of Sharingan. Maki’s eyes met with the child’s.
Return to your men and tell them there’s nothing here.
The instruction was not verbally given but was spoken directly to Maki’s mind via the hypnotic power of the Sharingan. Maki nodded stolidly.
Incapacitate them and yourself with this.
The boy handed Maki a small yellow ball. Maki nodded again and immediately headed back to the watchtower, leaving the congregation of crows, the grim cacophony of death they sung and the young Uchiha amongst them.
00000
There was, in an empty corridor inside the Hokage Office Building, an old man dressed in a long black cloth which ran from his shoulders down to his feet where it dragged on the floor. It was an attire which was tied at the waist and opened at the left side of his upper body, revealing the inner white robe he wore and allowing him a free hand with which to handle his plain wooden cane. The elder’s head bristled with short and spiky jet black hair, and his heavily wrinkled face was decorated with bandages around his forehead and covering his right eye as well as a cross shaped scar on his chin
Danzo trotted forward with quick strides, his hurry evidenced by the fast paced knocking of his cane against the wooden floorboards, his usual indifferent expression tinged with fury. It wasn’t long before the Konoha elder arrived at the office of the Hokage and barged in without knocking.
The pipe nearly fell from the wrinkled lips of Hiruzen as he let out a gasp of shock at the abrupt intrusion. The old man upon realizing it was Danzo, immediately contorted his drooping face into a hardened expression that might have frightened lesser men, as he alighted from behind his desk and sauntered towards his unexpected guest, stopping just a few inches in front of him.
The moonlight from the large window of this spacious office fell upon Hiruzen. The Third Hokage’s small stature was well hidden by the rather voluminous Hokage garb he had donned. His eyes, glaring coldly at Danzo, were cloaked under the shadow of his broad hat and his face was marred with many wrinkles and a few warts, a small white goatee hanging off his chin. Shifting his long pipe to the side of his mouth, Sarutobi Hiruzen’s spoke in a cracked voice, “What is the meaning of this?”
“I heard you sent one of your ANBU operatives to investigate the rumors of the Kusagakure affair.” said Danzo, his tone even but with a subdued anger twinkling in his visible yet dimmed left eye.
There was a silence for a brief period of time then Hiruzen sighed and spoke, “I don’t see how the movements of my personal soldiers are any of your business. How do you even know-“
“How do I know that you entrusted an important Konoha matter into the hands of a twelve year old boy?” interrupted Danzo in the same flat tone.
“Uchiha Itachi is one of our finest operatives. He has-“
“Barely two years of experience in ANBU.” interjected Danzo.
“And has proved himself one of the finest shinobi I’ve ever seen.” countered Hiruzen.
“I know that the skill of ANBU under your command has become rather pitiful since the reign of the Second,” said Danzo, “but I feel you at least should have a more experienced and more powerful shinobi to handle such a delicate assignment.”
Hiruzen frowned. “Danzo, we both know your real problem with Itachi is the fact that he is an Uchiha. As for the standard of ANBU, I reckon even Niidame-sama would be impressed with Itachi’s competence.”
There followed a tense silence before Danzo replied. “This has little to do with your foolishness in letting one of them into the ANBU.”
“Goodnight Danzo, I will not indulge your prejudice tonight. It is getting late and Ichiraku won’t remain open for long. I promised to treat Naruto to the best ramen in Konoha.”
Danzo stared silently a Hiruzen for a moment before turning sharply and exiting slowly through the door. “I will be monitoring things closely. If the boy gives me any reason to question his ability to fulfill the mission, know that my operatives will step into the matter.” said Danzo. He strolled away, turned at a corridor and vanished from sight, leaving his old rival to ponder upon his vague treat.
00000
“Captain Maki, what’s wrong?” asked one of the Kusa shinobi. Maki had hurried back to them, promptly told them that there was nothing to worry about, that a large bear had simply died on the grass and attracted the crows. However, their usually stern and glum Captain was smiling quite unnaturally and his hand was balled up into a fist for no reason.
“Captain, I didn’t see a bear. Are you sure-“
BOOM!
Something dropped from Maki’s hand and the air was filled with a thick yellow fog. As the gas flooded their lungs, their lids became heavy over their eyes and they all collapsed in moments. The gas escaped from the top of the tower and could be visibly seen rising towards the cloudless sky from a good distance away.
Far off, in the dark shadows of several black crows, crouched beneath the tall grasses, Uchiha Itachi observed the fulfillment of his illusionary command. Seeing the wisps of yellow smoke issuing skywards from the tower, the Uchiha immediately bounded off into Kusagakure, his entry assisted by one of the very guards stationed to protect it.
To Be Continued