Naruto 1. Chapter 1

_Welcome to_ _"Yin and Yang", my Kankuro fic._ _I started this because I was anxious so here it is. "Not Strong Enough" by Apocolyptica is the song. Enjoy!_

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**Troubled Life**

"S-stupid l-little b-bitch!" The bottle flew across the room and shattered in a million pieces, causing the girl it was directed at to shriek in fear. She was tiny, fragile, malnourished, a sight to be pitied. Her blonde hair was nearly brown with dirt and grime and her would-be golden eyes were a dull, lifeless ochre. She was riddled with bruises and cuts and probably even had a few broken or fractured ribs. All in all, truly pathetic. She didn't dare cry because she knew it would only get her into more trouble than it was worth. She did her best to take it on the chin, be a good girl and play daddy's punching bag since mommy was dead. She didn't go to school, didn't go out to play with the other Suna children. She stayed in her cot in the cellar where she knew she would at least survive to the morning.

"I'm sorry daddy, I was bad..." she murmurs quietly.

"L-like a damn h-heathen you were!" He was drunk again and delirious, living in the delusion that his daughter was a prostitute like her mother had been before she had been taken prisoner by her father. She was only seven though, she couldn't have been like her mother even if she tried. At least she used that as her motivation. She couldn't be as bad as he said right? She was cowered in the corner, the blonde man stumbling around in his drunken state. "I o-ought to, k-kill you..." With those last words he passed out, collapsing onto the floor in a puddle of sake. With the chance of escape she bolted upstairs and out the door, running into the dark streets of the Sand village and finding an alley where she could safely shed a single tear before finding she could no longer cry. She was finally enable to express one of humanity's most basic emotions thanks to years of ignoring it. Why couldn't he leave her alone? Were all parents like that? She didn't know since she'd never interacted with anyone before.

From the darkness came a man, a nicely dressed one who wore a business like smile. She tensed but did not speak a word as he approached her. "Tell me, would you like to be free of the abuse little one?" he asked. She nodded slightly, not sure what he meant. "I could help you get into school, would that be good too?" Another nod. "Perhaps you might even like to live alone and be independent, have a chance to make friends?" She looked up at him with unsure eyes.

"What do you want mister?"

"I want to help," he simply stated. "I can make your life better."

"How? What do I have to do?" she wondered.

"All you have to do is pay me back someday. Simple as that, no strings attached. You're a smart girl, you'll figure it out." Give her a release from this hell? Educate her? It was too good to be true, and too good to pass up...

"Deal! I'll do it! I'll do anything!" This made the man smile before bending to her level and offering her a hand.

"Shake on it." She did so eagerly. He told her to go home and sleep, that in the morning all her problems would disappear and she would be happy. And she did...

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She awoke that next morning to find that her father was no longer on the floor. The room, spotless, shining even. She found herself studying everything with eager eyes and searching every room throughout the house. It was empty and just as neat as the cellar. There was a fresh breakfast awaiting her, crisp bacon and eggs and a healthy glass of milk. It was perfect. Too perfect. Where was her father? He never went out during the day. Was what that man said to her truly happening? She had no time to ponder it because there was a grunt from the vacant lot out back she called a yard. She used to go there all the time and play ninja by herself, but recently stopped altogether. Now, it sounded like her father had gone out there himself. "D-daddy?" she called. A groan. She reached the glass door and gaped at the lot. In it's center stood a post, to it tied her father who was on his knees. For once it was not she who was riddled in bruises and blood. It was not her who had multiple broken ribs and various other bones. It wasn't her who was on the verge of tears, whimpering in pain. No, the tables were turned now, he was finally experiencing how she felt all these years.

"Do you like what we've done with the place?" a voice coos. She turns on her heel, facing the man she had met the previous night. "It took a lot of scrubbing to get the blood out of your floor and even more to clean the cigar smoke and sake from the walls. In the end though we got the job done as always. We were just explaining to your father the deal we made last night.

"What, are you going to do with him?" she asks rather calmly.

"We're erasing him as one of your problems of course. He **is **the main one after all and the source of all others."

"B-baby...p-please..." her father gasps. "T-tell them I love you...t-tell them w-what a good d-daddy I am huh?" He stops, vomiting up pure blood before turning his bloodshot eyes back to his daughter. "A-Anri? Sweetie?"

She eyes him, not with anger, but as one who is passing judgment on the accused. One who has too much wisdom for their years and even less emotion than any reasonable person. "You've been a bad boy daddy. You know what happens when your bad, you get punished." The businessman chuckles lightly, placing a gentle hand on the girl's head.

"She's in charge now mister Miyagi. You understand I'm simply following orders right?" The shell of a man begged, pleaded for his daughter to see reason, to please forgive him and his sins. He would love her, cherish her, she was nothing like her whore of a mother. She didn't care at the moment, she was too eager to see him endure everything she did, to see him finally weak. She was shocked however when two men, dressed much like the one whom she had been acquainted with, step to her father's side, katanas unsheathed.

"What, what are you-?" The blades pierced through her father so quickly, it was several seconds before blood seeped from the wounds. Anri stared at her father as the light left his eyes, his eyes identical to hers. "He's dead now isn't he? You killed him."

"Yes. Your life will be much better without him I assure you. Of course if I'm wrong you can always report me and we will face the consequences of what we've done. I do ask that you wait at least a year though. If you are not in a higher state of living by then by all means confront me."

"I'll hold you to that," she mumbles. Shadows had overtaken her eyes now as she gazed at her dead father who was now nothing but a corpse, as lifeless as ever.

"You start at the academy tomorrow. There are new clothes in your wardrobe in your room in the back hall. Do be on time. For now there is a perfectly good breakfast for you while we clean up here." She nods, unsure of how to feel now that it was just her. The food, was exquisite, yet it didn't quite taste as good as it should have. The milk, refreshing, yet her throat was still parched. Her body was more sore than usual yet her wounds were healing. The academy, would it too not be as good as it promised? She had yet to find out, but she was a dog that was being trained, and one day, she would be sent after her redemption, owned by the people who saved her, the most notorious gang in all of the Hidden Sand. Her destiny had been set in motion.

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_It was short but I hope you enjoyed! A very vague beginning but reviews are appreciated. Until the next time darlings!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello once again! I have so missed your eager faces my minions! College applications are ongoing at the moment so I've been a bit slow, apoligies. Excited for Thanksgiving coming up soon so I can stuff my faceas well! Hopefully it'll turn out better than the one year a bear raided the trash... If anyone wants to swap stories leave a comment, I'd love to hear :) Hope you guys are doing well and I hope you enjoy this next chapter. The song for this chapter is "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. Let us commence!_

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**Try It Out**

Suna academy, the last place Anri Mayagi ever expected to find herself. The blonde had showered for the first time in months that morning, washing the grime and grease from her body as well as her hair. Still, what should've been brilliant gold was still a dull amber. The new sandals fit her perfectly, the pants were loose so as to give her black and blue legs time to heal, and her black jacket with pale red patches on the sides covered her mesh tank clad form. Her closet was stocked with enough outfits to last her a year, formal and non. It was new to her, being alone...having no one to shout and scream, no one to throw things and hit her until she passed out. She wasn't sure she could live a life of freedom even if it did mean the liberation she craved. She had been ruled her whole life and didn't know how to live in independence, her father was the only stability she had ever known. Could she handle this leap into society?

She stood outside the academy with nothing but anxiety in her system, dull eyes looking up at the building with hesitance. Classes started some minutes earlier but she had been told to take as long as she needed to explore the grounds beforehand, it wouldn't do if she couldn't find her way around. She stood there, not really seeing the building before her, but lost in thought. She didn't hear the panting or the rough thud of shoes hitting the concrete heading her way. The one approaching her didn't even have his eyes ahead of him though, his attention focused on his bag he was frantically shuffling through. Anri took one fateful step to the side, sealing her destiny with the young boy she had yet to meet but would depend on in her future.

_"AH!"_

_"OUCH!"_

The children clashed onto the sidewalk in a heap, groans and whimpers sounding from them as they rubbed their aching heads from the impact. Anri looked up at the boy with an annoyed grimace, definitely angry. He was taller than her by a fraction, the same age roughly, and had short brunette hair with matching gray-brown eyes. He too held a scowl on his young features. A small wooden puppet, previously sheathed within his bag, had clattered onto the ground at his side.

"Watch where you're going hollow-brain!" Anri snaps. The boy huffs, giving her a nudge away from him with his foot.

"Hmph, me? You're the one just standing in the middle of the street!"

"Oh yeah? Well at least I wasn't too busy to watch where I was running because I was playing with dolls!" she says pointing to the little marionette. The boy blushes slightly as he snatches up the trinket, safely tucking it away in his backpack.

"It's not a doll, it's a puppet and he's my weapon!"

"How can a stupid puppet be a weapon?" she teases, standing and glaring down at him. He shrugs her off, rolling his eyes as he stands.

"A stupid girl like you wouldn't understand, it's not like you could ever control one with my kind of skill anyway." He sticks his tongue out at her like any immature boy would, thinking that would end the argument there. Stupid girls.

She scoffs though, putting her hands on her hips in defiance. "Oh please, when I need to defeat an enemy I'll use something useful to take them down like a kunai or a katana, only a coward fights long distance with a **puppet.**" She mimics him with a proud smirk, her stuck out tongue mocking him and his idiocy. Stupid boys.

"Oh whatever! I don't have time for you anyway, I'm late already and I've got an exam!" Without spending any time to admit defeat he sprints into the building, marionette tucked tightly against his chest in protection. The blonde stood there in an angry daze, not even knowing the name of the boy that had gotten under her skin by just existing. But then...

Her father didn't exist anymore.

She'd allowed him to be eliminated. Ordered it. Had given his life away.

It was never hers to give, who was she to say who lived and who died? It wasn't as if he had killed her. Sure she had been in pain but it was nothing she couldn't handle. She was so selfish, a fiend, a monster-

"No!" She was nothing short of a hero for getting rid of him! God knows what he would've done to others if he hadn't had her to take his frustrations out on. He never provided for her like a father! Never loved or nurtured her. A man who dares to lay a hand upon the innocence he helped usher into the world is no man at all. A father is a provider, not a withholder. It was the right thing to do. "It was the right thing..."

"KANKURO!" Anri jumps at the sudden yell coming from one of the second floor classrooms.

"Yikes, that exam must really be kicking somebody's butt." She wondered quietly who the poor kid was that was receiving such a scolding and what he had done to deserve so. She had never really tried her hand at jutsu before and she had never really picked up a weapon before, she could very well be the next one to be yelled at. She didn't even know if she could use chakra. What if she couldn't and she would only ever be just a normal person? What could she live for? "Damn." As quickly as she'd said it she clamped a hand over her mouth as her face flushed red. She'd never cursed before, she was just a kid and a little girl at that. "I need to watch my mouth." After she finished scolding herself she took nervous steps into the academy and followed the map that showed her to her class. It was on the first floor thankfully and didn't take long to find. When she did though she was regretful.

The last young kunoichi had finished her transformation jutsu with ease, managing a perfect copy of her sensei. The brunette man was covered almost from head to toe in his attire, customary for adult shinobi in the village, well almost everyone really. She didn't really understand it though, sure it helped with sun damage but it only made you hot as hell in the end. Who wanted to die of heat stroke? He ushered her in though with a gentle smile as her new classmates began to analyze her. She was short and scrawny so she wasn't surprised when they scoffed and rolled their eyes at her.

"U-um, I'm supposed to be in room 2B...?" she tried quietly, her eyes scanning the floor anxiously.

The man was kind at first, giving her a look of consolation on her first day. "Yes, you must be Anri am I right?" She nods, not sure if she could speak out of place to this man who would be her teacher. "Come now, don't be shy. Step in please." He ushered her in and put a hand to her shoulder as she did so, making her relax if only a bit. "Class this is Anri Miyagi, she'll be with us for the remainder of the year."

A hushed voice from the back snickered at this. "Please, she'll be here until she's thirty. Look at her, she probably can't even form a handsign without draining all of her chakra, IF she even has any." Laughs erupted throughout the whole room, causing the young blonde to recede behind her sensei in shame. She knew they were probably right, she was just some parasite struggling to survive off of people who were kind enough to even glance her way. She was nothing to them, just another freak show to entertain...

"The fuck if she doesn't!" Her head shot up in shock at the sudden statement, which had also in turn silenced the class from their mockery. The teacher wasn't amused, a glare forming in his features at the brunette who had dared to use such language in class. He was seated backwards oddly enough, a chakra seal taped to his forehead as if he was being punished or something, and by the sour look on his face he probably was.

"Quiet Kankuro! You're already in hot enough water as it is! You've been kicked out of your normal class and so your punishment is to spend the day in mine which means to pipe down and stare at the wall." So this was the kid who had been scolded. Upon further inspection Anri did think he looked mischievous but...

"YOU'RE THAT GUY I PUT ON HIS BUTT EARLIER!" she bellows, automatically swallowing any pity she may have had for him. At this the teacher looks down at her, confused for a moment.

"Is this true Kankuro? Did she get the drop on you?" The boy's cheeks immediately ignite crimson, his face becoming flustered.

"Of course not! I just ran into her and fell, that's all!"

"So this little girl, smaller than even you, knocked you down by standing there?"

"NO!" He was completely flabbergasted, knowing that everything he said was making things worse for him. Everything he meant to say was coming out wrong. "All I was trying to say was I felt her chakra earlier!" he tries to explain frantically.

Anri froze. Did she have chakra? There was nothing special about when the boy plowed into her. Sure she flinched and tensed but that was simple reflexes. Then again, with how fast and hard he ran into her she should've at least had some bruising going on, she had none to speak of that she knew about...

"Turn Kankuro!" The brunette had his glare zeroed in on a boy who had done nothing but cackled the entire time he had been making a fool of himself, his face distorted in a scowl and his fist reared back. However upon hearing such a command from the jonin he reluctantly rotated in his seat to grumble obscurities at the wall. "As for you Anri," the teacher then continues, "I would like to see just where you are as far as strengths in jutsu go."

"Um, strengths?" she questions.

"Yes. There are three basic forms of jutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. Ninjutsu include most of your attack and defense jutsu. Taijutsu consists of only martial arts, concentrating chakra into various parts of your body. And genjutsu are techniques that create illusions or false sensations that dull a ninja's senses." Anri tilts her head slightly, eager to get in her first real lesson. "Usually a ninja can specialize in one of these areas and use the others if necessary, but a well rounded ninja is capable in all three categories. I want to run a few simple tests, much easier than the one my class just took, to see which ones you have a knack for. Alright?" She nods, straightening at attention.

"Y-yes sir!"

"Alright then, let's get started."

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Anri looked around at the training field they had walked to for her test. It was sandy (obviously ), fairly barren aside from some rocks, the occasional cacti, and some targets. _'Not much to look at,' _she thinks. _'Then again it **is **all just one big desert.' _The entire class was there to watch her, save for Kankuro who had been passed on to some other unfortunate teacher that would have to deal with his temper. She was definitely nervous, shaking in the hands even. She felt so out of place with the kunai pouch she had been given. The shuriken, the kunai, it was all different to have on hand. She had to concentrate though, this is what she wanted and she would do whatever it took to succeed. She wouldn't give up.

"Alright, first off I'll test your ninjutsu. I showed you the different handsigns and gave you some examples of what jutsu they were used for, do you have that?" She nods. "Good, now the jutsu I want you to do is called a transformation jutsu. The transformation you will be executing is me." He then begins forming handsigns, Anri's dull eyes taking in each one and committing it to memory. "Transform!" She watched in amazement as her sensei disappeared in a puff of smoke and reemerged as not himself, but an exact copy of her.

"Whoa." He nods with a smile, releasing the jutsu and taking a step back.

"Alright, now you try."

She wasn't sure she could do it right off the bat, it looked easy when he did it, but she wasn't even sure she could use her chakra to **perform **jutsu yet. What if she messed up the signs? What if her chakra backfired in her face or something? What if she lost a finger?! She formed the first handsign but found herself trembling terribly, she was in a cold sweat just thinking about all that could go wrong.

"Calm down Anri," her sensei coos. "You'll be fine just concentrate your chakra into performing the jutsu." She understood that, and his soothing efforts did bring her some comfort. It didn't stop her anxiety, but it did calm her to the point of doing the signs correctly. "T-transform!" She felt her chakra welling up within her, her body changing to fit the image she had of her sensei. She was joyous at first that she was successfully performing a jutsu, until the smoke cleared...

She was too short for starters, her hair was unruly and her head covering was dismantled. Her nose was pompous and her face lopsided. Her gut stuck out from beneath her vest and her feet were crooked in angle. Warts and craters covered every visible part of the body. All in all she took the teacher's image and replicated in in the form of some disfigured creature. Children burst into laughter, ridiculing her unfortunate mistake. They called her names and made rude comments on her transformation. Things like, 'You look like an ogre, Novice!' and 'Even uglier than before!' She felt the instant despair that came with failure. She released the jutsu and felt her eyes welling up with tears, her teeth digging into her lower lip to avoid letting a sob escape them. The teacher was sympathetic but even he held an expression with hints of slight disappointment, his mouth was formed into a grimace of disgust even though he tried to mask it.

"Now now, don't look so disgruntled. You did...fair, for a first time at least. You know how to at least draw forth your chakra, and that's a good thing." He wasn't helping much this time around, she knew she had definitely messed up this time. She was stupid to think she could pull off a jutsu like that. She wasn't sad though, more riled up. Upset. Angry! Disgruntled. Furious! They laugh at her like they're so special! Who are they to judge her?! She had more fight than any of them!

Her teeth grit furiously against each other, her fists clenching in raw anger. She could see herself in her mind, an adult with exceptional skills, a beautiful exterior, and a commanding stature.

One day they would see her become someone they should respect without question!

Her sensei had to blink twice...he hadn't even looked away for two seconds so he could scold his students when they suddenly fell silent. Their expression held awe and slight fear, gaping at something he had to turn to see. He could see why they were so quiet... Anri, at least that's who he thought he was looking at, seemed to glow before them. She was beautiful and was almost at his height. Her hair was brilliant gold and it mimicked the intensity of her cold orbs that were transfixed on the children that had dared to laugh at her. Her posture was commanding, her stance aggressive, nothing like the young girl that had walked silently into his classroom. Tears streamed her upset face, her entire form trembling with sadness and rage. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, she intimidated even him. He took a step back, shielding the children from her with his eyes studying her with caution. He was turning to herd them into the school when one thing caught his eye...a small ripple in the air around her, temporarily haloed in blue. The scenery was different behind that single ripple and he wondered, taking a step forward and looking at not her, but the air around her. He understood it then when he saw it a second time, and moved his hands to make the appropriate seal. "Release!"

And just like that, it was gone. In the place of the once intimidating form of Anri Mayagi was the small child he had seen just moments before. She was still just as angry looking and was crying just as hard, but she seemed unaware that anyone had saw what they did. But she noticed the dissipation of chakra around her, and that rose questions in her mind. "So the whole time, it was a genjutsu? I didn't even see her form a handsign. If her chakra hadn't been uneven I might never have guessed it was an illusion." How could a child so young and without any ninja training perform such a nearly flawless jutsu and only cast it over herself? It had never been done in Suna before. "Anri, how did you do that?" She seemed confused by his question.

"Do what?" she sniffles. Did she not know what she had done? Had it been some sort of instinct then?

"Anri," he asks, "I think you can do without the transformation jutsu. We'll focus on your offensive ninjutsu just in case but I want your main focus on genjutsu."

She wiped her eyes, looking at him with an unsure gaze. "But what about taijutsu?" He nods.

"Let's see." He turns pointing to the center target in the line of them on the opposite end of the field. "Take out your kunai. Get as many of them as you can in the center ring." She was hesitant but she did as told, holding each knife carefully and focusing her attention on only the center ring. One by one she threw them over the seemingly impossible distance. In the end, two of the fifteen kunai sunk into the sand, three were in the second ring, one in the third, and nine in the center. Seeing her result she was more than proud of herself, as was her sensei. Almost two thirds of the kunai hit their intended target, excellent for any genin at such a distance. "Wonderful. It's settled then, your main areas of focus will be genjutsu and taijutsu. Should you wish to try your hand at a few defensive and offensive ninjutsu feel free, but I want you to take offense in taijutsu and defense in genjutsu."

Maybe, just maybe, she had the potential to be equal to that of even the Kazekage...

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_So I hope you enjoyed a little bit of illumination on this unique outcast. How is it that she cast such a precise gentjutsu without forming any handsigns? I dunno :P Was this an omen of what is to happen in the future? Maybe :P Do I like making cliffhangers? Hell yeah! Anyway please **review**, also, **anyone interested in offering their O/C's to be featured in my book please let me know! It's centered around a high school for the supernatural and I need some pairings for my main characters! Questions welcome!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey again! Sorry for the delay but other stories ya know? Kind of slows you down and especially when you type from your phone. Sad but true. Anyway I'd like to say that I enjoyed writing this even though the real stuff has yet to come. It's nice start off though I think. In which case I say welcome to chapter three!_

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**Hunted by Comrades**

_"Anri!" The blonde's honey eyes shot up instantly at hearing her name being called. She felt her cheeks heating up instantly, her body trembling from excitement as well as fatigue. She was covered in blood, her kunai hanging half out from her pouch and an open wound stinging her upper arm as she gaped up. The chuunin exams had started with her casting all surrounding people under her genjutsu as she openly looked at the tests of the people around her. It then consisted of her using her skills as a simple pickpocket to steal supplies from other ninja being forced to survive the barren desert like she and her squad. And then of course came this, the final round, her final battle with her opponent since her teammates had been eliminated earlier on._

_She never expected to get this far, let alone win. She knew she was talented in the area of genjutsu, and that the past two years of honing her skills at stealth and taijutsu skills had made her the best of her squad, but now... Her name had been called... She had been the one to be acknowledged as a great shinobi... As... chuunin...and she was only nine._

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The sunshine haired 12 year old was using the hilt of her katana to draw random creatures in the sand. Her chuunin flak jacket was open completely, bearing to the harsh rays her black tank and mesh clad torso. Her black shorts were mid thigh and the rest of her legs were covered in fishnet leggings that stopped within her heavy boots. A shinobi headband hung from her neck loosely, reflecting light into the eyes of some man who had called her into this alley at the early hour. She seemed indifferent at first, mumbling about how she had to go recieve a mission soon.

"I'm afraid there's no need for that Miss Miyagi," he cooed. The man was well dressed and held an intimidating air about him, just as he did five years ago when he found her. He shielded his eyes with blackened shades and from the way he kept one hand constantly in his pocket she assumed he was armed. Her interest now piqued she stopped with her doodling and with a swift move of her hand, flipped the katana in her grasp so that the sheathed blade was pointed towards the male. He did not tense, not that he was in danger. Anri merely lifted it behind her and placed it back in its holster.

"What do your higher ups want with me this time Kaoru? I do have a paying job now." He smiles ever so slightly at her, adjusting his shades as he did so. Another visit from these guys couldn't be good, she was already pushing her luck by meeting up with them once a week to make payments. Any loyal shinobi would've already turned them in.

"Boss is a bit disappointed. You're making very little progress in repaying your debts." Her honey eyes narrowed at the man before her.

"My paycheck is only so large, besides I need to survive on something if I'm ever going to pay you back," she argued. He nodded.

"Indeed, after all you were a good investment. You were lucky though that we made good money betting on you in the exams. Of course that was years ago and interest has been added to your tab-"

"That's fucking ridiculous! I'm paying back more than you ever spent on me!" she snaps, jolting up into a standing position. Kaoru's hand twitched in his pocket and Anri took a step back, careful not to provoke him into **really **attacking her.

"I wouldn't Miyagi, this little outburst of yours may just lose you the privilege I was about to give you." At this she reluctantly bows down onto one knee, her fist holding her up against the sand.

"My...apologies... Kaoru," she murmurs, inwardly scolding herself. This was so pathetic! She was no better than a common mutt obeying it's master! Her sun kissed locks fell over her face as she held her position of shame. Kaoru smirked at her submission to his words.

"Good. Now would you like to hear what the benevolent Boss has offered for you?" he questions.

"Y-yes...sir..." He chuckled and leaned back against one of the pueblo walls of the alley, prepping himself for the pleasure he would get from relaying this message. Anri had her eyes locked on the sadistic blonde, his perfect pale, almost white hair screaming at the world that he was high class. She's never seen his eyes despite how often she met with him. Each time they talked he seemed to get more and more cocky, acting as if he himself **was** the boss.

"It's been brought to the Boss' attention that your paycheck as a chuunin is indeed nothing impressive these days, even being one of the most respected of your rank. You could always become an ANBU, but then of course you would need to become jonin first. And you need a family recommendation to become jonin, which unfortunately, you don't have the luxury of." Her gaze hardened. "Kind of ironic how this is working huh?" Her teeth grit, his smugness irritating her to no end.

"Get on with it Kaoru!"

"Tsk tsk. Now now I was getting there. You would really like to know your only option?" She glared at him and he smirked wider. He took that as a yes. "Hmph. Desert the village."

Her eyes widened, thinking she couldn't have heard him right. "W-what?!" Desert the Sand Village?! Her home? The place where her friends and comrades were? She was a shinobi! Her duty was TO her village!

"You heard me. Drop this village like yesterday's lunch." He once again used his finger to push up his shades. "See, there's a gang in the Hidden Mist Village run by a man named Gatō... He's a shipping magnate and also founder of Gatō Company. He does some drug dealing and smuggling as his major professions. He's been isolating the Land of the Waves for years now, building it to be his private island that can't survive without going through him first. Nothing compared to our Boss of course but still impressive. All you have to do is convince him you'd be useful to him and become a willing employee. You'll be making three times your current wages in no time." He made it seem so easy to just leave and get a job...

* * *

This country disgusted her. There wasn't even a sign that a sun existed here, the sky was constantly gray it seemed, painted over with clouds. You could barely see three feet in front of yourself due to the thickness of the mist and fog. She was sure that if she tried she could cut through the air with her katana, perhaps then she would have more visibility...

She'd turned in her flak, well in a way. She'd left it at the missions office and left without a word, gathering her necessities from her home and leaving it behind to eventually be repossessed. Of course when that happened her father's corpse would be dug up from the clay dirt in the backyard. She'd be a rogue ninja, hunted by her own village. She'd be lucky to ever be able to return...

She'd travelled as far as she could on foot, stopping when she reached the shores of the Land of Waves. She had found a man and a large boat shipping cargo, assuming he worked for Gatō Company. It took some persuading but he agreed to take her to the island.

Her kunai tensed around the male's neck. He was sweating profusely from anything but the heat. A young female shinobi from Suna just suddenly showed up at port and asked for a ride to the island, putting a kunai to his throat when he refused. Of course he wasn't stupid and did as she asked, but she kept close to ensure he didn't betray her. He normally wouldn't have fear of such a young girl, but this particular one had eyes colder than the waters he sailed. Plus he had no desire to upset a Sand shinobi...

"How much farther?"

He gave her a growl. "It's right in front of you, how can you not see it?!" She squinted, only seeing a shadow through the mist. She could pick out a jackalope in a sandstorm but she couldn't even separate the boat from the water at this point. She gave his collarbone a poke with her knife to warn him against giving her any attitude, before scouting the surroundings of the port as he docked. "T-there! I did as you asked!" She gave him a glance, then nodded. Removing the kunai she gave him a pat on the head as if he were a dog, making him twitch and give her a glare as she left the boat.

Upon having her feet hit the ground she immediately shuddered at how she sank slightly into the moist dirt. She shook her head in disgust, dodging puddles and mounds of mud. A land of nothing but water, it would take time and effort to adapt to that. She followed what path she could see, only needing minutes to locate the village. It was quiet, run down, there were signs of poverty everywhere. Children didn't seem half as nourished as they should be and the adults were no better. This island was so isolated though she doubted if any surrounding countries were even aware of the conditions these people were living in. People in the shops and on porches gave her hesitant glances and called their children. She couldn't blame them, a black clad ninja from a far off land just strolls into your town in the middle of the ocean without saying a word, it would seem shady to her too.

She was looking for anyone who looked better off, possible workers for this Gatō, when she let out a sigh and decided to stop for a break. She took a seat on the driest log she could find and opened up her pack, rummaging through it and taking hold of her two options: food pills, or desert quail she had packed away in a thermal bag. She could eat the quail first, it would definitely do her more good before meeting with the druglord. Or she could save it for later and just use some of her supply of food pills. She decided on the quail, opening up the bag and giving it a hungry sniff. She was about to dig in when she felt another presence. Her honey eyes lifted to the sight of a small child, rugged and missing teeth with only an oversized worn short. He had his hands held out in a begging manner, his eyes bright with innocence. Her heart panged at the sight, sending familiar emotions through her. Her eyes continued on past him though, catching a glimpse of four more children just like him. Just gave him a exasperated sigh and put two chopsticks in his hands. "Call your friends over here if they want some," she grumbles. A bright smile crosses his features as he calls the others over, each of them passing around the chopsticks and taking turns eating chunks of the meat.

"Hey golden lady, what kind of meat is this?" A girl asks. She shrugs off the queer nickname and pops a food pill into her mouth, knowing they needed the food more than she did.

"It's desert quail. They're common where I come from."

"Where's that?" the boy who approached her initially asks. "The desert?"

"Yeah. I hail from the Land of the Wind in a village called Sunagakure. I was a ninja there." They had pretty much finished off any bit that was still left, now they were just looking at her out of curiosity.

"How come you left?" She considered this. If she openly said Gatō's name around these kids she might deter anyone from helping her.

"I'm not very liked by the people there, so I came here hoping that somebody very important would give me a job," she explains.

"What about your mommy and daddy?" She froze, her fingers fiddling with the wrists of her fingerless gloves.

"My mother, died when I was a baby. And my..." She had to force out the word... "Father...died some years ago as well. I've been on my own for a while now."

They seemed sympathetic to her now. "Sowwy.." She shrugged.

"I'm strong, so I can live on my own," she told them. They were going to ask her another question when they suddenly fell silent and began backing away from her with fearful expressions and wide eyes. At this she tensed, her hands moving discreetly in her lap. She turned slowly, a blade coming down on her just as she blocked it with a kunai. The kids screamed and started running to their parents who had taken shelter themselves. A dark skinned burly man with puffed brunette hair glared down at her with his dark brown eye.

"You're definitely not from here if you're feeding those little brats!" he barked. She spun to the side, making his blade glide over her and into the damp wood of the log as she rolled to her feet. With one swift movement she drew her katana, pulling it back and pointing it at the behemoth man. Now she got a good look at him. His hair was parted into three, finished with an elaborate topknot. He wore a traditional kimono, but not in the traditional manner, as the top fell loosely around his waist leaving his torso bare apart from the bandages wrapped around his lower abs. He had many tattoos that resembled vines and waves that wrapped around his left side and could be seen continuing over the insides of his thighs. He wore an eyepatch over his right eye and she noticed stitched scars on the left side of his forehead and the corner of his mouth. All in all an intimidating man she estimated at about 24. His sword was also very large.

"Not bad for a little girl!" he noted as he tugged the blade free. "You taught by a sensei or something?" She didn't answer him as he questioned her, only poised defensively. "What's the matter kid? Cat got yer tongue?" He charges her, bringing the heavy blade down on her and giving a hardy laugh as it sliced through her soft flesh. Her body, bleeding profusely, collapsed with a thud. This strange male took a step back, admiring his work. "Ha! Not as good as I gave ya credit for I guess?"

"Was that really necessary Waraji?" A boyish voice calls from behind him. His comrade was a teen of about sixteen with bluish white hair tucked under a purple beanie a little too big for his head. He had black lines tattooed under his black eyes and wore black knee pants and a blue jacket with multiple pockets riddling it. At his side in a holster was sheathed a blue handled katana.

The one called Waraji cackled. "Nope but I thought I'd have fun anyway kid! She actually didn't look much younger than you!"

"Would you keep it down?!" a new voice barked. The man was short, overly so, with big grayish brown hair, a nice suit, and rounded glasses. Since Waraji shut up fast, he was presumably the man the blonde had come to see. "I want these people to fear me but even I'm tired of hearing your bellowing!"

"Sorry sir." The man then nodded to the younger boy.

"Zōri, check her, find out where she's from." The teen does as told, crouching beside her and inspecting her. He noted the golden handled katana and it's beauty before moving to her other possessions.

"There's a shinobi forehead protector around her neck, symbol for the Sand Village is on it," he says in surprise.

"What do think? Think she really was one?" Waraji asks.

"Probably just a genin wandered from her squad and thought she would explore. What do we do sir?" the teen asks. Gatō seemed to pause in thought, clutching his cane carefully.

"Dispose of her, no need keeping around a useless corpse."

"Corpse?" The three males froze at hearing her voice. The girl's honey eyes were wide open, a hand clutching a kunai that was pressed against Zōri's throat. Waraji tensed as well, not daring to move when he felt the point of a blade pressing into his back. He barely turned enough to see the girl there as well, katana ready to skewer him.

Gatō gave a gasp, taking a step back. "How did you-" All three seemed flabbergasted, their expressions full of confusion.

"Not everything is as it seems," she murmurs. Suddenly the air around them ripples and their eyes widen. Suddenly Anri isn't wounded at all and she's revealed to be sitting cross legged in a relaxed manner, still poised to slit the throat of Zōri. A rush of pink tints his cheeks as he tries to lean back from the knife.

"A genjutsu? And a shadow clone?" She nods before gesturing for him to stand with her. He does so, all the while the blade still grazes his neck. The blonde then looks to Gatō.

"I'm assuming that you're Gatō?" she asks, nodding to the older man.

He gave her a scowl. "Wouldn't you just love to know!"

She deadpanned at his childish remark. "Yeah dipshit that's why I asked," she says with a twitch of her eye. She let it go though and exhaled deeply. "Look I really don't want trouble okay? I actually came all this way to make you a business proposition I don't think you'll be able to refuse."

The man seems to relax at this despite having been called such a name. His bodyguards however gaped at the smaller female with dropped jaws. "Alright kid, I'll admit you've peaked my curiosity. What did you have in mind?"

"Simple really, I'd like to offer my services as an employee." Both bodyguards deadpanned at the suggestion. Gatō actually let out a guffaw at the young girl.

"And what could you possibly bring to the table?!" She gave him an incredulous stare.

"Well for starters I have subdued your private bodyguards with little to no effort." Both males mentioned gave bright blushes at this, feeling ashamed that they had been outsmarted by a twelve year old. Gatō's smile began to fade. At this point she and her clone released the two males and the clone disappeared. "Look, you can start me off at minimum wage or whatever, but there's one thing I have against you. I'm a certified chuunin, and in a land without shinobi, I'm the best you're gonna get. I'm your best option at a true warrior available at such a humble offer." The two males both had their arms crossed now, none too happy that this girl was trying to steal their jobs, even if she was more qualified. They didn't trust her and they didn't think their boss could either. The choice however, was up to him...

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_Alright I know! Zōri and Waraji are older than I made them out to be but they didn't look that old to me! Plus it was all for a good cause! And I also wanted them to be closer in age for better bonding in later chapters. Sue me! Besides by the time Anri matures they will be six years older anyway. Anyhow I hope you enjoyed. Reviews are appreciated and welcomed. Tune in next time for more on Anri Miyagi!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello everyone. I actually have a confession to make... Due to hazardous winter weather I slipped on some thick ice the day before yesterday and hit my face on the concrete road. I went to the emergency room and it turns out I have a concussion. I'm not supposed to be around harsh noises or be looking at screens of any kind for more than a few seconds so that I don't over exert my healing brain and I've been laying in bed while my body heals. So, with kindness I can't begin to describe and with great resiliency, my boyfriend, known as Excizor in his account on here, has graciously volunteered to write my updates for me until I'm all healed in a couple of weeks. That said he wrote this chapter all on his own with some simple guidance on where I wanted to go with it. I edited some small errors but he gets credit for this one. Be kind to him and thank him as I have! Here is chapter four!_

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**Among Samurai**

The druglord looked over the blonde chuunin with a calculating gaze. She was smart, he had seen that much firsthand from her. She was a ninja, something this land sorely lacked and her skills could be of use to him. Also she was asking for the bare minimum payment until he believed she had worked for anything otherwise. She held herself confidently and had cold, calculating eyes, but she also had a way with children as he'd seen, and that could prove useful for him in the near future. What more? She lacked any of the annoying traits of a typical child, despite perhaps a snappy attitude, but that just meant she could be put in charge of others and he wouldn't have to worry about her being inadequate of carrying out orders herself and acting on his behalf. Zōri had proven to be a good decision on his part, even if the sixteen year old was young, he was disciplined, obedient, and strong. Waraji was a similar case even though he was older. Nevertheless, Gatō had a way with employing younger able bodies, this girl would be no different.

"What's your name kid?" he asks.

"Anri Miyagi."

"And you expect me to believe that a brat from the Sand is here of her own free will to be my personal bodyguard?" he taunts, prompting the boys to join him.

"No." Her blunt response made them slowly go quiet, wanting to hear her further. "If you want the truth of it I actually never planned on leaving my village. I don't have much of a choice though now considering I left on dicey terms and it's about the only option I have in paying off my debts. I'd still be in my old man's shack if I had a choice. The mafia told me there was a good chance of making progress under you. I don't care how it happens so long as I can be guaranteed life after twenty alright?"

Gatō, choosing to hold his answer even further, allows the tension in the air to settle, something his two guards are in dire need of to think clearly after their blunder. The younger of the two simmers down first as he struggles to ignore the image of his jugular being gutted before his eyes. Clueless as to how she even got the better of them he glances over to his partner, who seemed to be taking the blow to his pride even more severely than he.

_'When did that little brat do it?!' _Seething in anger, Waraji replays the recent events over and over, looking for any small hint or sign he had failed to see. Catching Zōri's gaze they nod with uneasy expressions and they return to the view of this frightening girl before them who still sending a piercing glare through their boss with those betraying gentle honey eyes. Gatō stood there with his poker face still going strong, certain that this girl would make a fine addition to his miniature empire. The short man clears his throat.

"You got spunk kid, and skill at that so I'm going to take you in," he declares with a smirk. "Now lets get things straight, missy. You do what I say, when I say, no questions asked. Got it?"

"Understood. Sir." She doesn't hide the acid behind the formalities nor does Gatō make a comment of it.

"As things stand you'll be sticking by Waraji until I can trust you to handle things on your own. And if I so much as catch a whiff of anything funny you can sure as hell bet you won't be living to see tomorrow, let alone twenty." With that said Anri acknowledges with masked dread her new master's conditions as the group sets off, away from the depressing town and towards her new workplace. Although she does wonder what ever became of those poor children, fear struck deep in their innocent souls. Pondering doesn't help ease her nerves at all as she walks closely with both young men on her side as Gatō follows, obvious expressions showing that they have zero trust in the rogue ninja. Following the beaten path she tries with adamant will to ignore the rustling in the bushes that followed them for several hundred paces following their departure. Aware that she's the only one who knows of their stalker she launches three kunai into the bushes at the very second a loud snapping branch echoes through the fog with a screeching wail soon following. All three men are completely taken off guard, the two guardsmen immediately turning towards the noise with blades drawn and Gatō cowering behind Waraji.

"Zōri, go check it out!" Gatō shouts, gaining some nerve back as nothing immediately happened in consequence of the surprise.

"Why the hell am I always the one who has to check it out?" Aware that any danger there may have been was no longer present, the irritated samurai approached the bush steadily out of precaution. He reaches down, whistling with a smirk as he pulls a poor helpless hare riddled with all three kunai from the shrubbery.

"Hot damn Killer! Thank the gods you got this bad boy before he got to the boss or else we might not have been able to stop him." Now clear that she had let her anxiety get the best of her, Anri does her best to stop the blood from rushing to her cheeks as Zōri helps her pluck and clean the kunai from her kill. All the while he manages to steal another glance at her elegant hip-clung katana. A beautiful craft really. After enduring what felt like ages of Zōri's mindless teasing the group had finally arrived. Squinting hard, the huge tower eventually shows itself through the fog. Much larger than she had imagined and much like that of Suna's tower that housed the great Kazekage, the blonde was actually somewhat impressed considering the size of the place in such a small rural part of the country. Gatō takes lead approaching the broad double doors serving as the main, and what seemed to be the only practical entrance, to the small fort. Aside from the sentries there was quite an array of activity going on outside from groups of men staggering from having too much to drink, to others sparring sloppily with one another. There was the occasional crew of men moving containers to and fro from behind the building to wherever else. Anri didn't care nor did she want to know.

"Welcome back boss. What's with girl?" Both men look quizzically at the petite blonde, unsure what to make of her appearance since she wasn't among the group of typical women brought to the private quarters, as if even categorized as a woman at all.

"She's useful so don't get any ideas or it's your balls, worms." Both man gulp and resume their posts with haste, dropping any stares they once held.

_'At least I'll get some basic respect around here,' s_he thought to herself. She had gotten it in Suna so at least this would be a consistency in her shitty life. Despite being disgusted with the nature of the operation she had to admit that it was actually far better than most bandit camps she had raided, and they produced a much larger quantity than any drug ring she had busted before. She was still unsure whether or not to be frustrated with the glances Zōri kept throwing her way, namely towards her katana. Better to just leave him drooling she thought. As they step inside Gatō turns around and begins to speak.

"Okay girlie, since we're here I got business to attend to so in the meantime Waraji and Zōri here will show you around the place. Make sure she feels right at home boys." A teasing tone leaves his voice as he heads elsewhere. Tired and eager to settle after her long day of travel, Anri turns towards her new partners who were whispering quietly to one another.

"I dunno man, she doesn't seem all that bad to me. You're just pissy 'cause you can't hit the broad side of a barn, let alone some girl," teased the teen, implying that Waraji should just drop his grudge.

"You dumbass! Don't you see how she's hogging all of the boss' favor? If we don't take her down a notch then how long will it be 'til we're stuck with those chumps at the loading bay?" hissed the senior samurai, receiving a perplexed look from his comrade as he became lost in thought. Only able to make out hoarse whispers, Anri chooses to ignore the two and begins to walk away until that deep baritone voice digs at her nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

"Listen here brat," Waraji exclaims, taking his time with each syllable being aware that it irked the young blonde, "I don't think you're all-that like you pretend to be, so I'm gonna teach you the lesson you missed earlier."

"Sure you don't need your boyfriend to back you up this time?" she asks nonchalantly as she shoots a glance towards Zōri, catching him in unexpected eye contact before shifting her eyes back towards her challenger. She nearly missed the teen's blush as it befell his annoyed features.

"Not at all. Instead Zōri will be making sure I don't carve you up too bad," he shoots back arrogantly, drawing his sword in mid stance. Seeing there was no way out of the confrontation, she reluctantly draws her golden hilted blade and charges head on towards the older man, propelling herself above and over him as he slashes violently at the air just beneath her feet. Tumbling behind the frantic brute, she hurls a small barrage of kunai at his back, only to have him deflect them harmlessly as she creates distance, observing every movement and breath he takes. A small pleased grin emerges upon her preteen features as she finds the weak spot in his stance. Waraji however was growing impatient of her pussy-footing and grits his teeth, tightening the grip of his fingers around his sword, swaying the long blade to his side as he advances her, gaining speed in the process. Almost exploding in stride at the last few feet, he lets out bellowing grunts with a relentless barrage of strikes at the ex-Suna ninja, unable to land a single blow as anger continues to seethe deep at the man's heart. Finally it seems, Anri loses her step and tumbles backwards only to be caught by Waraji's vicious and final strike, piercing through her sleeveless mesh top, passing below the brim of the black bikini top. At first pleased at his mortal blow, the brute smirks and lets himself take a look at his handiwork, only for both males to soon find themselves in a panic.

"B-b-boss!" shouts their referee. Instead of the young female it was Gatō himself on the end of Waraji's blade, his expression contorting grotesquely and his stomach twisted in red. A soft giggle carries throughout the room as Anri's blade suddenly found it's way nudged against the shocked man's back, piercing the first layers of skin with blood waiting to pour from the small incision.

"Now there's no need for me to dirty my blade any further, is there?" the girls taunts as the genjutsu is released, leaving both young men astounded once again with no clue as to when or how her sorcery came upon them. Once again Zōri had yet to see the moment she formed the hand signs to her sneaky yet excellent genjutsu. Once again even Waraji was bested by the young twelve year old. She was four years his junior but she had Zōri feeling like he was the child here. This little girl of gold was definitely up there in skill, and he doubted it because of her age. He should've known better, he'd been Waraji's partner for years and never felt like anything but his equal despite being younger, but he'd never even given her a chance.

Gasping for breath and searching for words to form as the blade burrows slowly into his skin, the oldest male gulps, steadying slowly and dropping his head. "I surrender." Ashamed of himself, he sheathes the dry blade as sweat drips from his brow. He looks over to Zōri in hopes of finding some consolation from his partner, only to find he is still awestruck by the fearsome girl, unsure whether it be her skills or innocent yet lethal beauty. Either way, he saw now that the young teen was in admiration of the new addition.

_'So that's how I stand up next to a chuunin. Her rank isn't for show, that's for sure.' _Frustrated, he admits to himself that he is still unable to see past her guise of a trick and realizes that it's better not to be so reckless towards ninja, especially one with her capabilities. After all he was merely a wielder of a sword while she wielded chakra. Turning around, he kneels before his opponent, who was completely distant and lost in cleaning the tip of her blade with the edge of her mesh armor. Following Waraji's lead, Zōri also nears the girl and kneels beside his partner in humility at the victor.

"We apologize for doubting you." The scarred man speaks with cool, hoping to scrape together what bit of pride he had left. His partner however, still overcome by her pristine looks, just manages to speak with less breath than his partner had from before.

"I-it's an honor to be working with such a fine, uh! I mean g-good ninja, like yourself, especially with such an amazing blade at that!" She wasn't one for much enthusiasm but she couldn't nearly help herself from giggling at the older boy's innocent respect of her mere existence.

"Well it's about damn time," she boasts with an air of faint mockery. "And thank you." She decided to be merciful and returned the two some of their dignity by not pressing the issue much more. She wasn't exacrly privileged but she did recieve ninja training, which was more than they had so she shouldn't brag. The two stand and by some great miracle, find themselves chatting away with the girl.

"So when'd you become chuunin?" Zōri inquired, wanting to know the extent of her talent as they began showing her around the the compound.

"Got promoted when I was nine, I was a genin by seven." Upon leading her to the loading bay she gave a disgusted shudder.

"What's that all about?" Waraji asked, thinking she was displeased with the work being done back there. She grimaced and backed into the tall man, gaining as much distance as she could from the soggy ground and humid air.

"I don't see how you stand it. It's so murky and wet and gross around here. Where the hell is the sunshine?" she grumbles. At this the two look to each other and laugh wholeheartedly. She was just used to the desert. She was having climate shock, not looking down on their business. Waraji was actually kind of shocked , the girl was rather amusing to watch.

"Come on Killer, you've got more to see." The blonde rolls her eyes at Zōri's teasing as he nudges her along, showing her around the highlights of the building she was allowed to see and namely only the ones she was interested to know of. They began to direct her to her quarters afterwards, all the while talking about simple things such katanas and swords, and Zōri finally got his adoration voiced for the magnificent gold blade beheld by the younger girl. They showed her the room then and upon opening the door she takes in her surroundings, a small room, but plentiful for what it was. It was much roomier than her old residence but still just enough to be the minimum, quaint she thought, beginning to enjoy herself as thoughts of possible contentment fill her mind.

"It's not much but it's more than most considering you got your own bathroom for obvious reasons."

"Naturally. Not like there's any girls around here," Zōri adds.

"And you can choose to decorate as you please. Don't really know what girls are into..." One would expect her to squeal to herself, but she was a minimalist and was content with bare necessities. She would have to get used to it after all, Kaoru had made sure of that... She listens as Waraji points to the corner of the room where the bathroom is, wrapping up his bland tour. "If you got any requests just find the quartermaster and take it up with him. Until further notice just make yourself at home Kid. Meals should be ready in a few minutes." With that the two leave without much of a goodbye, they'd be seeing her around anyway. Collapsing on her bed, she takes in just how soft the surface is.

_'I know they're bad people but they do have some pretty nice stuff.' _Her entire life so far had been a walking contradiction. She spent her childhood training and working hard to uphold law and to stay loyal to her place of origin, and yet she had sold her soul in secret, and now she was here where none of the noble intentions mattered anymore... Feeling guilty she chooses to push her thoughts aside and washes up before heading out. It wasn't but a short distance of steps before reaching her destination that she shuddered at the smell of booze on a group of imbeciles strutting her way.

"_Hiccup!_ Now looky here boys, _hiccup__!"_

_'Damn it all to hell.' _She tries to ignore the group of men as they surround her, blocking the path to the cafeteria, so reluctantly she stomachs the intent to break all their bones.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" She asked with a high pitched voice and smile so fake she couldn't even pass it off to a blind man.

"Wha-whudda you think your doin' in our place?! The boss may like ya, b-but, _hiccup__!_, we don't!"

"And that's my problem, how?" She was just looking for any way to provoke them just because she needed it after the trouble she was going through. But soon she realizes that it's futile, for as they could hardly protect themselves against their thirst let alone any genjutsu she could have them locked away in.

"Now don't you start actin' all high and mighty like you own the joint, or else I'm a cut dat pretty hair o' yours, kid." She had had it with them. In the end she graciously decided to be as merciful as she could possibly be despite having killed foes for less than just a threat to her hair. Grinning, she jerks upwards, headbutting the ring leader in the jaw and pressing him against the wall with a kunai to his throat, a shadow clone made quickly to cover her flank with two handfuls of shuriken.

"Listen here buddy and listen good!" She barks with irritation as the others stagger in fear and confusion, obvious now that they had lost control of the situation, yet unaware that they never had control in the first place. "You and your pals are you going to sit down, stop drinking, and leave me the FUCK alone. Got it? Good" Without giving him a chance to reply she throws the drunkard aside and marches past the cowering flunkies, jabbing a kunai in what she had claimed as her seat as the entire room catches on to what has happened. They clear the way for the new entry and she's able to grab a tray however childish it may have seemed and catches a flavorful aroma in the air.

"Mm, what's cooking?" She asks excitedly to the man cooking there, eager eyes glowing up at him and showing that she was ready to dig in after having nothing but food pills to eat. The chef beams in joy at the soft, accepting approval of his cooking and entertains the girl with the details.

"Why ma'am it came just not too far from here. Some of the boys saw it and snatched it right up. Was quite the clean kill, but it wasn't their sloppy work that's for sure." Curiosity piqued, Anri began to enjoy the story telling of the man.

"What is it?" she asks, just dying to know.

"Why, it's rabbit..."

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_I hope you enjoyed this addition and make sure to thank Excizor (Jessie) for his dedication in helping me make sure I don't get behind in one of the few things I absolutely love to do! Until next time guys, and hopefully I'll be healed by then._


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay so this story has yet to be reviewed so none of those to reply to. Anyway this chapter is a bit sad. Okay very sad. The next one will probably feature some beloved icons from the Akatsuki and other groups. I hope you're I've enjoyed so far and I hope this chapter is good for you. Song for the chapter is "Heaven Knows" by The Pretty Reckless._

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**What Have You Done?**

"Miss Anri!"

Anri smiled gently at the small brunette haired boy that called to her so enthusiastically. He and several other poverty stricken had stopped her on her way back from market. The small businesses had been getting less than usual to stock since most of the imports went directly to Gatō's base of operations for use but they were doing well for themselves. Yes there was a terrible need for lots of food since there were so many under the druglord's employment but she acknowledged that they could stand to eat less. None of what she purchased was for anyone at base, but for the little ones that she visited frequently here by the shops. Besides, what money she spent here circulated back through the village.

"Wow Kisuke, you're getting so big. I could've sworn you were a foot shorter last week," the now thirteen year old coos. She seats herself next to the circling children, beaming kindly down at their eager dirt covered faces. The little boy Kisuke giggled at her comment and the laughter continued among the tykes as she opened her bag and began to hand them each their own meal individually.

**"Thank you!"**

"You're most certainly welcome." She didn't stay around long but she left with a smile as the kids gave her their usual voices of gratitude and innocent goodbyes.

"I don't know why you insist on feeding those little rascals." She looks up at the tattooed behemoth samurai that had been showing her the metaphorical ropes of the business underworld. The burly man had made it a point to allow her breaks everyday for the simple purpose of what she had just done without breathing a word to Gatō about it. He complained the whole time and said there was no sense in feeding the doomed little worms but he still let her come back the next day to repeat the cycle.

"Their lives have value too you know. Maybe even more than ours."

"I don't see how," he scoffs. "It's not like they'll live long." As per usual when the two of them disagreed on something, Zōri was silent on the sidelines. He rarely argued with her even though he had made it known once that he sided with Waraji on most things. Overall he was compliant and let things run their course.

"Do you forget that the reason their lifespans are limited is because we starve them to control what they do and say?" she states calmly. "They're children still, so they have potential despite their current states. Remember that you too were a child once. I'm a kid as is Zōri. With our work we may not live long either. So do you think we have no potential? No value?"

The older man seemed taken by surprise at her statement and fumbles for an answer. "Of course not, you-"

"Are no different. Now come on, you guys have shift with the Boss and I've got assimilation information to keep track of." The blonde nods to where the hideout was, motioning for them to get going while she did her job. Waraji only sighed in the end.

"Fine. Come on Zōri," he says, shaking his head and surprisingly doing as the young girl says. As he passed the blue gray haired teen of seventeen looked to his coworker and nodded as he munched on a sweet dumpling.

"Later Killer," he mumbles through his mouthful, calling her the nickname he'd given her on her first day of work.

She watches them as they leave quirking a brow at how easily Waraji had listened to her and how uninterested Zōri had seemed. The teen usually watched her every move whether to make sure she stayed out of trouble or because she genuinely caught his attention. "What's up with them?" She sighed. "Whatever. Boss probably gave them a buttload of stuff to do last night." She decided to ignore it and get to work. The people of the village had yet to figure out that she was employed by Gatō and that had been working in her favor. They trusted her and accepted her as a new member of the village, sharing thoughts and information with her that they otherwise would never breathe a word about. Gatō quickly saw this and put it to good use. The majority of her time included just associating with the townspeople, hearing what they had to say about the short man and his goons and whether or not they would try anything against him. Of course they wouldn't but he liked hearing her daily reports anyway.

Now she was taking a stroll out by the water. She usually did this because in her first months in the Land of Waves she had faltered in her training because of her disgust for the climate. To pick up the slack her mind was making for her she made it a point to get wet as often as possible so that she eventually wouldn't have a problem with being so in battle where a slip up could get her killed. She had only been here six months or so give or take, but her birthday had come around and she decided it was time that a childish dislike of climate was no longer an option.

She was just coming upon the pier when she heard the sound of a boy yelling. Taking it as a bad sign she leapt up into a tree and shrouded herself in the leaves as she looked out at the small extension of wood that overlooked the water. There were four boys, two of which were holding back one as the fourth watched with amusement, a small dog in his arms. He looked to be the leader of the bunch and the source of the trouble.

"Poochy! No Poochy!" the boy cried. From the situation the snobby head boy with a bandage over his nose must've stolen his dog 'Poochy '.

"That's not his name," the brat replied. "As of today his name is Shooting Star! And he's my dog!"

_'Yeesh, definitely one for theatrics isn't he?'_

"No he's not he's my dog and his name isn't Shooting Star! I've had him since he was a puppy! He's my friend and he doesn't belong to you!" Go kid, she thought. Tell him what for. He struggled to get free and she had to give him props for spunk.

"Just shut up!" That kid however was testing her patience. The dog whimpered and suddenly he flung it into the water, leaving the poor thing to whine helplessly. She growled to herself, thinking about what a little bastard the kid was.

"Poochy!"

"See what happens when you don't listen to me?" The kid gloats. "Now I'm not gonna lift a finger to help him."

_'Stupid heathen doesn't realize that now he doesn't have a dog either...'_

She watched as they let him go, the kid watching his dog struggle to stay afloat. "Why did you do that?! My dog is gonna drown!"

"Hmph, if he's your dog then jump in and get him! Be a big hero and save your friend!" Anri immediately saw the look of fear on the kid's face. He would save him, but obviously he had a fear of water, or he just couldn't swim. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. Poor kid... "After all that big talk you're not gonna let him go under are you?" They kept taunting him, trying to get him to go in. It was when the damn kid pushed the boy into the water with the dog that she let herself curse and stand from her position. She shouldn't get involved, but he couldn't swim and he was just thrashing about! Even the dog who had wanted his help earlier was now swimming off on his own.

The big haired one of the bunch called his leader by the name of Ikane, even said he'd gone too far. At least that showed the others had some conscience. With the dog up on shore Ikane no longer had an interest in the other boy and immediately wanted the dog again. She started to the pier once they ran off, to try and save the boy, but when she got there and he was going under a man with various scars placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go find the dog! I'll get him!" Looking up at the capable man she couldn't help but blush, nodding to him as he smiled and jumped in after the boy. Shaking out of her stupor she caught up to the dog in no time, tucking it under her arm as she heard the approaching children intent on catching the animal. When they came upon her with it the two lackeys began to back away.

"What do you think you're doing with Shooting Star?!" Ikane snapped, pointing an accusing finger at her. She felt a cold glare grace her features, malice dripping from her as she stiffened. The two others shuddered and gulped.

"I-Ikane... Maybe you should let her have it... S-she's a lot older than us... And a ninja..." She turned so that the katana on her hip was visible, her headband bouncing with the turn from around her neck. The anger in her expression was apparent and even Ikane seemed to melt.

"Yes **Ikane, **she's a ninja who's met many a samurai in these parts and it would be unfortunate if they just so happened to stumble upon your house one night," she coos darkly. "You know you remind me of Gatō." At the mention of his name the three shiver and whimper as they back away. "I really don't like Gatō... You're coming with me. Now." They nod and scramble after her as she walks back to the pier, that big man having pulled the boy next to a fire and was emerging from the water once more with fish.

"Ah, I see you found the dog. And the other kids I see." Her blush immediately crept up again, nodding as she placed Pooch in a blanket beside the boy. He placed a hand on her head and rubbed her hair gently, making her look up at him in admiration. "Good job." She nodded as he turned to the boys, disapproval on his features. "Do you boys have anything to say for yourselves?" he scolds.

Silence came from the three boys, until Anri gave them a death glare from behind the man. When the kids cringed and attempted to hide behind one another, Ikane finally whimpered an apology.

"I'm not the one that needs the apology," he said. "I think you owe him one more than me." They looked to the rousing boy who was shifting out of the blanket keeping him warm. He blinked his eyes open and the man smiled over at him, starting to roast the fish. "Waking up huh?" The boy sat up and saw the three who had tormented him first, making him cower until Pooch curled up beside him and Anri smiled. She crouched down and patted him on the head, assuring him it was okay as the three apologized quickly and then ran. He seemed very confused by all this and his little cheeks flushed when he looked up at the golden beauty that smiled down at him. "Hehe. Thanks to this young lady I don't think those kids will be bothering you anymore."

It was Anri's turn to flush as the man offered them each fish. "Thank you..." She murmured. The boy seemed to want to make sure he wasn't dead before actually accepting.

"Did you pull me out of the water mister?"

"Have a bite to eat first, then we can talk all about it." He took that as a yes and ate with them, proceeding to tell the entire story of what happened. When he was done the man looked thoughtful. "Hm, I see. The dog abandoned you too huh? In my country dogs are very loyal. They stand by their masters. Then again, you abandoned the dog first so what can you expect?"

"I really wanted to save him but I just froze... I was just so scared. I guess I just don't have any courage." Anri smiled at him then and gave him a nudge, scratching the dog behind the ear.

"It wasn't your fault really. You couldn't swim, and you're just a kid so it's not awful that you were afraid. Everyone gets scared, even ninja," she assures. "Your courage was staying safe and that's something you have to put first at your age if you're ever going to grow up and protect others." The man seemed pleased with her at this and nodded, patting the boy's head.

"Come on, don't cry. Don't be so hard on yourself. She's right you know. You are a kid. When I was your age I was scared too, just like she said." The kid seemed to not believe the two of them at first and was mesmerized. "It's no big deal. But always remember this..." Both young people then looked to him in wonder. "Live your life so you have nothing to regret. If you care about something protect it, no matter how tough, no matter how sad you have to keep trying. Even if you have to put your life on the line protect it with both arms. Never give in!" The boy and girl were both awestruck, more so the older of the two. This man, had inspired her in his few words and actions. She had entered the academy with that speech as her basis of beliefs. Maybe now, she could just learn to follow it...

"How about we share names now huh? I'm Kaiza."

The boy beamed. "My name is Inari!" The golden girl was so busy watching them she hadn't realized Kaiza had turned to her.

"And you little miss? What's your name?" She blinked for a moment and swallowed.

"Anri."

"Well that's a beautiful name. You're a ninja then Anri? I recognize the Sand Village's symbol on your forehead protector, what brings you all the way to the Land of Waves on your own?" She looked away, about ashamed that she was even in the presence of the noble man.

"I'm not welcome there anymore... I did something bad I can't take back. This was my only choice coming here. I have to take care of myself..." she admitted without giving away too much. He seemed to take this into consideration.

"And this bad thing, why did you do it?"

Why? "I wanted to live to see the next day..." His gaze was sympathetic as he relaxed his body. To her shock he suddenly pulled the two kids in for a hug that had her paralyzed.

"Well then I'm glad you did it. I'm sure Inari is glad as well considering you tried to save him as well and got Pooch back right?"

"Yeah!" She was speechless, it took all she had to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over. "You have to come meet mother and grandfather! Both of you!"

"Hehe I don't see why not. What do you say Anri? Wanna go say hi?" She simply nodded hiding her face as she sucked back the tears and smiled.

* * *

She hadn't smiled like this before she realized as she headed back to base. She had gone to Inari's home with he and Kaiza and met his mother Tsunami and his grandfather Tazuna. His mother was a beautiful woman who immediately thanked her for helping out her special man and gave her the first motherly hug she'd ever had, prompting her to cry. Once she explained that her mother died giving birth to her she was only hugged tighter and she cried more. Tazuna gave her a smile and a thank you as well, more than she'd ever gotten from her sensei. And then when they'd expressed the gratefulness to Kaiza she felt included at being held on a pedestal with him. He gave her praise and Inari idolized him as much as she did. They'd had a meal together and it was almost like they were a family ever though she and Kaiza weren't really. They asked if she wanted to come along for a gathering at the shoreline soon along with Kaiza and she hadn't had any interest in saying no.

Now that she was back at base it all seemed like a dream too good to be true. She almost didn't even realize that it was almost too quiet by the loading bay... Or that the normal sentries were absent from their designated posts in front... Or that there really was no soul around at all. She started to worry, get suspicious. Hand tensing just above her katana she hesitantly approached the door and slowly pushed it open. Darkness. "What in the world-?"

The lights suddenly shut on with a blinding speed, making her vision blur momentarily and put a hand up to her eyes. "SURPRISE KILLER!" She blinked repeatedly until the scene became clearer, and even then blinked again because it didn't make sense. Everyone there seemed to not want to be there apart from her two partners, the cook, and maybe Gatō himself, but that was sugar coating it. The ones that wore smiles or grins were at the front with a miniature cake and a small box. The cook holding one and Zōri the other.

"What the hell is going on?" she asks, pulling her hand away from her blade. Gatō steps forward and hands her a small envelope.

"Just know I wouldn't be doing this if these neanderthals didn't aggravate the piss out of me for it," he grumbles.

"What is it?"

"A bonus. Enjoy it." With that the short man left her shocked into silence to go off and do whatever he did alone. Waraji snapped her from her stupor when he clamped a hand down on her head and encased it as he ruffled her hair.

"Come on, don't tell me you forgot your own birthday?!" She blinks up at him.

"My birthday was last month..."

...

"YOU IDIOT I TOLD YOU THAT YOU READ THAT WRONG!" Zōri smacked him in the shoulder and gave him a glare as he sat down her present. "I knew it was too much a coincidence that it fell on today," he groans.

Waraji seemed embarrassed but hid it well, a blush still touching his cheeks. "Well it seemed so unlikely I thought it was good luck or something..."

"Unlikely it fell on what?" she questions.

"Well you've been here six months after all. It's the anniversary of the day you got here," the cook says with a smile. "I still say you're the best decision the Boss has made to date."

"Hehe, certainly near the top of the list," Waraji adds with a goofy grin that made his eyepatch shift. "Not a better choice than me of course."

"She takes a shit on the choice to have you ya oaf!" Zōri continues.

Six months... They had kept track? All of this, for her? Did they really think so highly of her to do all of this? To say all of this? Everyone was here, even the ones that didn't like her. They didn't fear much and had stuck around after Gatō had left which meant he didn't make them come. The next scariest guy must have...

"Waraji...you did all this?" He was pink in his scarred face but he chuckled nevertheless.

"Well I can't take all the credit. Zōri told me what what to do. He's closer to your age I guess and said you'd like it simple." She blinked over to the teen who pulled his hat down to hide his eyes slightly as his face turned red.

"Zōri?" She didn't know he paid that much attention to her...

"Here, it's from us..." he mumbles, handing her the small box. She was speechless, opening the gift and blinking to hold back the tears. Resting on a small pillow was a gold chain with a charm on the end of it, the symbol for Suna. "Here..." He takes it from its place and reaches for her katana, braiding the chain around the hilt so that the charm dangled just below the golden designs.

"And this is from me," the cook says with a smile. He opens his own box as he sets the small cake aside, revealing a steaming dish of meats. Two distinct ones she was very familiar with.

"Desert quail...and sand hare..."

"Hehe yep. I dropped the usual shipment from inland and requested this instead. Cost a bit more because of shipping distance but it was a good investment." She could feel her lip trembling, no longer able to hold back the tears.

"Whoa Killer are you okay?" The blonde buckled and the seventeen year old caught her and held her, worry in his features. "Anri?"

"Thank you..." Things finally seemed like they could be going good for her. Had she ever been this happy?

* * *

Anri was spending the evening with Inari and his family, Kaiza at the table telling the two of them some old fishing tales. She liked hearing of the simple adventures one could have as a normal person.

Sufdenly the door flew open, the storm outside blatantly visible. "We've got triuble Kaiza!" one of the neighbors shouted frantically. "The gate's open and the water's rising! If we don't stop it the lower district will be flooded." Kaiza shot up at the same time Anri did, his hand coming down on her head.

"What?!"

"Father!"

"Inari get me some rope and hurry! Anri, I know you're a ninja but I want the you to go home okay? Be safe." She didn't want to but she didn't have orders to do anything in case of an emergency so there was nothing she could do. She reluctantly nodded and ran out past the man without covering up, still training herself to the water several weeks after the day she met these people. She didn't plannon leaving though. As they rushed out she hid and followed after them, taking perch on a pole as everyone tried to formulate a plan to close the gate. The only way would have been to swim out there and pull it closed but it was too dangerous. If Waraji were here...

" 'Sup kid?"

"Waraji!" The two samurai as well as Gatō were sheltered in the top level of the building beside her, watching the scene to see what the people did.

"Wonder what they're gonna do? Town's flooding and fast," Zōri adds.

"Sit back and watch boys, this is why we're here spectating. I'm confirming a bit of a theory you could say." _A theory?_

"I'll do it!" Anri snapped at attention when Kaiza suddenly stepped forward and volunteered to swim out and pull the gate shut.

"Kaiza!" Exactly what she was thinking. They tried to stop and and she would've too if she didn't believe he was just the man to do it. He had the heart and will to save them all she knew. Inari was so lucky to have a dad like him, she only wished someone like that had been in her life... He had a will to protect his village with both arms, he would do it. Inari shouted his approval and encouragement and Anri was sulently rooting for him the whole way, all the way until he popped up and grabbed hold of the gate.

"Haha! He's a hero!" Anri beamed as they pulled the gate closed. She couldn't have been prouder.

"Well we can't have that can we?" What? "People like him will give others here hope, and with that my empire is threatened..."

"What are you saying Boss?!" she calls over the storm.

"Heh, he needs to be put down. I never would've found him out if it wasn't for you either so you should feel pretty damn special." Pain ripped at her heart. Kaiza? Put down? He was a great man! And just because he was these people's inspiration he hd to cease his existence? Her fists clenched. He would have never come under Gatō's radar if she hadn't led him right to him... "Come on boys, the kid had an execution to prepare for. Call it your promotion interview. You come through for me on this and I'll accept you're worthy of being my right hand alright? If you fail me well, you know..."

The two samurai noticed the young blonde tense from something besides the chilling downpour, wonder and slight concern filling their features. They followed after their boss reluctantly though, leaving Anri to her thoughts.

What had she done?

* * *

"AHHH!" Anri cringed once more as she sobbed in the corner behind some new shipments of contraband. Kaiza's agonized screams had echoed through the corridors for hours since he had been taken from his boat early that morning, the one time he was without Inari in the day thanks to the knowledge of a gold birdie...

Gatō had attempted to reason surprisingly, saying that if he could break Kaiza and get him to admit defeat and make an oath to stop resisting him he would allow him to live. Which sounded reasonable to his guards, except Anri knee the man. He would never stop standing up to Gatō in all his wickedness. No matter the cost, he'd protect his village to the death...

He was on his knees, wrists bound to a post that weighed down on his shoulders, keeping him from having a hope of escaping the low life that had agitated her in the cafeteria on day one who was beating him with a rod. His scarred tan skin was black with bruises and cuts riddled the surface where the harder areas had been broken. It took an entire gang to bring down this one man. Gatō stood before him watching, Waraji and Zōri on his flanks as their usual formation required, smirks on their faces. She was hidden for a reason, all of this sickened her and she feared if she went out their she couldn't contain her emotions that she had broken the shinobi code by having.

"What happened Kaiza? All that talk about how you were going to protect this village with your two arms. Those arms aren't much use now are they?" She flinched. "Still got that defiant look in your eye though."

_'Please. Please just let go Kaiza. Just stop resisting for the gods' sake... Please..'_

"My men will get rid of that... Hm..." He paused. "Where's the Sand kid?!" She froze as did Kaiza. The only person from Suna he knew was...

"A-Anri?" She stepped from behind the crate, too large jacket she'd gotten from Zōri open and hanging from her shoulders to show her medium nourished torso clad in a sports bra. Her headband hung prominantly as her half covered distressed face came into view. No tears, but clear discomfort.

"Ah so you remember my new favorite huh? Come here kid." Anri stepped up next to her boss, hiding her expression from her two coworkers as they gleamed with pride. Gatō put a hand on her shoulder, smiling wide. "You know I admit when this little lady came from across the nation to be under my employment I was skeptical, almost killed her. Little runt showed promise though and I have to say she's been my best addition." She didn't want his praise... It only made the look of sadness and disappointment on Kaiza's face worse. "You know samurai are formidable but they lack because of the whole chakra thing. A chuunin proved to be just what I needed to sniff out someone like you. Honestly though! What **decent **man wouldn't be won over by a young pretty face? She may look innocent Kaiza but she's proven she's a killer. She'll be the one to make an example of you."

"Anri..." She knew what he wanted to ask. How could you? Why? After all we did for you? She couldn't bear it. She mouthed the words only to him as her lip trembled.

I'm sorry...

"Hehe get to work."

"Get down there!" The older goon kicked him face down as she fought her urge to get him far away. She couldn't afford to mess this up... She had a mafia after her already, she couldn't afford to hve a gang after her too with no means of staying alive... She didn't watch as they bigger fat asses that Anri despised were sent on the poor man. Those damn hammers...he'd never use his arms again...

It was evening and it was the time she had to prove to Gatō she could be trusted as his best. He had purposefully rounded up the villagers home by home until they came to crowd outside the compound, held back by only a fence as Kaiza was tied up to a post for them all to see, to break their spirits.

"Listen up! This man has defied the Gatō Corporation. He has disturbed the order of this land! His punishment is execution!" She wants to make the old man shit his trap but she couldn't. She had to play obedience. Even though he hadn't been here long Kaiza was loved enough that no one showed the slightest pleasure at seeing him this way. This would crush these poor people. "Let this be an example so no one will dare stand in our way again."

"Father!" Inari was right there, right in front watching his dad in such an awful state, tears streaming his face. She had betrayed them. All of them. It was apparent when she and Zōri stepped forward and gasps reverberated through the crowd. They trusted her and now they saw her as the true evil she had been all along. Deceiving and leading them on to take away their hopes. Despite everything as she took her place at Kaiza's left side and Zōri his right, the beaten man smiled up at his son and then to her shock, at her.

"Take care Anri...I don't blame you..." She couldn't speak, only bite her shaking lip as she shook.

"Hmph, do it." Gatō stepped out of the way for them to do his dirty work. Zōri pulled his blue handled sword, she her charm adorned katana of gold.

"Gods forgive me..." She and the older boy poised simultaniously, stance low and pointed at Kaiza. All at once they moved, the tips of the blades piercing him so easily before the cold metal became embedded to the hilt in his unmoving body. Anri watched the life leave him, her blade becoming tainted in his warm blood. Stained with the guilt of his innocent death.

"FATHER!" It was already over by the time Inari was dragged away from it all. Everyone scattered as they cut Kaiza down and left him laying on the ground. Anri, positioned him peacefully, wiped the blood from his face, placed a blanket over him. They were leaving, the people coming in to claim his body.

"You satan's spawn!"

"Traitor!" She felt a rock crack against her head, making her stumble as blood flowed from the wound and the red coated mineral thudded to the ground. Zōri was on her in an instant, arm wrapping around her as he pointed his sticky blade at the culprit.

"You wanna be next?" he spats.

"Leave it be..."

"Huh? Killer you could have a serious-"

"Don't call me that. Ever." He blinked and gasped slightly at the coldness of her tone. She lifted her head and he felt grief, her face was emotionless. Her once bright eyes held no light, they were clouded with a loss to feel, and when had she gotten those dark circles under them? She didn't show the slightest sign of pain despite the heavy bleeding. She stood, handing him her katana. "Clean that. A thousand times if you have to. Just make sure no memory of today stays with it..." He took it, dumbfounded and not even concerned about her letting him touch the beautiful tool. She walked off separate from the rest of them as Waraji came by Zōri's side. How did they not see it before? She wasn't watching the man under Gatō's orders, she had cared for him. And they just tainted him in front of her, killed him without remorse.

What had **they **done?

* * *

_Aww, much feels am I right? So sad, very hurt. Cried a couple times. I bet some of you are asking 'when will Kankuro actually be mentioned again?' Well to answer that not for a while. Sorry my kiddies but the two grow up separate from one another. I may add a few teasers just for you if you behave though. Until the next time loves! Reviews are appreciated and a good source of motivation!_


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't much feel like saying much as of this update other than I hope everyone enjoys. Chapter six._

* * *

**Legendary Swordsman**

Anri gave a sigh as she did patrol along the shoreline, face of nonchalance painfully obvious to anyone unfortunate enough to look upon her these days. For an entire year the blonde had been shunned and exiled from the village she had come to recognize as a home and a refuge. She had began to think of it as an escape from the reality that she was a criminal, an outlaw that had obtained a bounty over her head since her defection from her mother village. She could believe she was a normal child again, that she had a family that cared about her. Gatō had ruined that for her though. Kaiza, the most kind, gentle, and noble soul she had ever met, his blood was on her hands. The only person she had ever cared for, felt anything towards, and his death, no, his murder would forever be a blot on her soul. Her katana had never seen battle since that night, no blood tainted its blade. Only twice did it even leave it's sheathe, on both occasions to be admirably cleaned by Zōri with her supervision. Said eighteen year old had been trying his best since his birthday to improve his skills, something she sometimes found herself watching to take her mind off things.

"Come on Zōri if you're good enough to gamble with the hardened criminals you have to have some way of backin' it up when someone calls you out on it!" Anri paused in her rounds to watch Waraji strike at the icy haired boy with ferocity, only for Zōri to barely dodge it and put his blade up in defensive mode.

"Ergh!" The younger male was obviously on edge because of the motivational teasing he was receiving, his irritation showing in his expression. Waraji struck again, this time sending his partner back several feet.

"Come on kid!" Zōri grunted and swung back, katana clashing with Waraji's sword. The older man trumped him in strength though so once again he was thwarted in his attack. The just aged adult was struggling to hold his own against his partner and Anri felt a familiarity of when she was a genin...

Zōri was panting heavily and on the verge of giving up when he heard footsteps approaching and the two broke focus from their sparring match to see a certain blonde heading their way.

"You're dead," she stated in monotone just as they two felt points against their throats. Two clones had slipped into their personal space and were ready to strike. Both were constantly amazed to see the illusions become reality when they never saw them coming. "Never ever lower your guard in the midst of a battle. The second you allow yourself to feel safe is the moment you get killed along with your comrades." She stated this scoldingly as her sensei once did when she so naively believed she could trust someone to fight fair in combat.

She released the clones and the two cursed themselves for being distracted, both bowing slightly.

**"Sorry ma'am." **

She sighed. It was a chore living with boys.

"Awww, isn't that just adorable Itachi?" The two samurai looked up in shock as a new male voice entered the scene, swords at the ready to be used. Anri reacted similarly and turned with her hand on the gold hilt of her katana, eyes narrowing to the mist that floated gracefully between the trees. Through the fog she could make out two figures, one just over Zōri's height and the other massive in proportion. With this evaluation Anri took an instinctual step in front of her subordinates.

The two figures continued to approach at a slow pace, the faint tinker of a bell gracing their ears through the moist air. It would be hard for the newcomers to tell if they weren't used to this climate, so she made some handsigns and prepared for the worst. "That won't do you any good Missy," the larger one taunted with a chuckle causing her to rethink her precautions. Through the fog the two became visible to the eyes of the village's long term residents. They both donned identical black cloaks with red clouds decorating them and straw hats pulled down over their eyes with fabric strips lining around the rim. The bells they heard, she noticed, dangled from the front of the hats. One of which was being adjusted in front by a hand that they could make out as blue in color. The fact that the two samurai were showing their respect to a young girl seemed to be amusing to them, or at least the one speaking to Itachi. "Your a long way from home aren't you Sand rat?" the behemoth taunts with a chuckle.

"We have an objective Kisame," the other murmurs gruffly. "We're wasting time here as is."

"Sand Rat?!" Zōri snaps, followed by a growl from Waraji. "How dare you!" The giant of a man then allowed his hat to carelessly fall to the ground, the chuckling erupting into hysterical laughter as the blonde cringed in sudden panic. The blue faced man smiled threateningly back at her, razor like teeth glistening in the moisture. His dull yellow eyes held amazement in them and a thirst for violence. She barely managed to to form signs for a hasty rock shield that bursted from the earth and was forced to immediately succumb to the blue man's behemoth blade.

"Not bad for a desert brat," he praises in a sickly sweet tone. He fakes toward the younger swordsman whose face had shown the most horror at his beast-like presentation and Zōri grimaces. Waraji acted as if he may charge the intruder in retaliation, but Anri was quick to stop him.

"Don't!" The tan man blinked, realizing she wouldn't have stopped him if she didn't think it would get him killed.

"Who the hell are these freaks kid?" Her gaze narrowed. The smaller of the two had yet to move, but she had recognized the larger one as soon as he removed his hat. His shark like features were ones she had to pause for in her bingo book.

"I don't know the quiet one... But then again I can't really tell what he looks like. But this guy..." she breathes. "That's Kisame Hoshigaki, member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen from the Hidden Mist Village."

"Heh, so you've done your reading," the behemoth muses excitedly.

"Part of the job is keeping up to date with the data books. Can't exactly do what I'm getting paid for if I don't know my potential opponents."

"The Ninja Swordsmen?!" Zōri gapes.

"Yes. That sword he carries... It's a one of a kind blade known by the name Samehada, possibly one of the largest and deadliest swords in existence..."

As the three bodyguards square off with Kisame, his shorter partner patiently awaits the end of the confrontation. Even though he did not wish to, he braced himself for a battle and it did not go unnoticed. The blonde girl may have thought the three of them could take down his partner if they worked together, but with him seeming to join they were visibly concerned. "I'll say it again, we have other things to tend to other than picking fights with children," he states cooly once more.

"Pfft, enough chit chat! Let's see if you and your monkeys can dance a little more brat!" The monstrosity wasted no time after the verbal challenge against his teammate. He charged the samurai first, swinging the wrapped blade of legend like it was a baseball bat. His aim was directed at Zōri. With last second aid from his partner however the two combined managed to deflect the attack by using the flat side of their blades to make the large sword slide off and away from them, the momentum carrying it on whilst they were left gasping for breath. They were both still drained from the training session that had ended just before. The elder then speaks to the other half of the duo, feeling drained from just the one attack.

"Keep him on the move," he murmurs. "I go high you go low. We can't keep blocking those kind of swings for long, especially if he has a bunch more in store." With a nod the two gather air before bursting towards Kisame from both flanks in hopes to gain some kind of leverage. Grinning, the gilled man swings his wrapped blade at Zōri forcing him to leap backwards and feel the wind of the blow cut against his skin despite being a clean miss. A roar filled with rage came from above with Waraji crashing down towards the cloaked swordsman like a great boulder only to catch a breathtaking kick that hurls the marked beast of a samurai backwards with disbelief clouding his comrades' face. He was the strongest guy either of them knew, meanwhile Kisame's grin grew even more wicked with serrated teeth lusting for the nerve-torn youth.

"You shouldn't play so much, it's needless." Obviously being ignored, the low toned male sighed from where they entered and chose to standby as his partner had his fun. Silently though he was surprised they were still alive knowing what he did about his partner. Anri panicked at the sight of the two people that barely passed as her only friends being tossed about like dolls by this freakish '_thing!_' She launches two kunai at him in desperate hopes to buy the other two time, hands forming signs discreetly at her side. Kisame simply leans back, cackling as he accepts the Sand ninja's poor ass attempts to draw him away from the others.

"So be it, brat!" Forming a sign with one hand he slaps the ground with his palm, releasing a miniature Water Dragon from a pool that had collected on the ground that raced towards the girl. She summons her second earthen barrier to block the attack, using it's demise to cloak herself among several Earth Clones as they slowly scatter in order to divide the beast's attention. To her dismay he is delighted by her proficient jutsu and hunts each clone with ease, deflecting their poorly divided attacks. He walks with confidence menacingly towards the two males that tensed their grips on their swords, raising his faithful blade and plummeting it into the frail beautiful body of the young shinobi that with a final blinding leap had desperately tried to shield the two as a last ditch effort. Blood fills the air and coats the barely satisfied sadist.

"And here I thought I'd finally get to see something better than some damn puppets from that dust bowl of a village," he whines. Just after his retort however the rogue ninja piqued with joy as the blonde's corpse liquified and seeped into the ground. At this the shark's partner's eyes widen a fraction beneath the shade of his hat for a split second before relaxing once more and watching his comrade's actions more intently.

"Now that's more like it, blondie!" Eager to rush in with more flurries, the blue man finds himself unable to move as he begins to struggle, feet slowly sinking into a some sort of Mud Moat. He grows frustrated and frantically swings at the jutsu in attempts to break it only to notice that the entire immediate vicinity has become a swamp of treacherous quicksand and muck. Disgruntled and in disbelief, he refuses to believe that such a young girl could perform a feat such as this.

"You're such a fool Kisame. Now I've no choice but to correct your blunder." Hearing his partner's voice, Kisame finally realizes that he had fallen prey to a genjutsu and smiles at his dismay.

"Fine. Just don't make a habit of cutting in on my fun every time," he snarks.

"Very well." The young male calmly steps forward while his partner collects himself in a meditation in an attempt to press the illusion to the back of his mind, not releasing it but lessening the effects.

Anri readies, cursing at herself for failing to cast it on both intruders with the same intensity in her haste to save her coworkers. The young man's slow eerie approach made her ravenously uneasy, the sound of the bells chiming with each step echoed only to be drowned out by her racing heartbeat. Unsure if she blinked or not, Anri had barely managed to parry his kunai with her own and release a barrage of Wind Bullets only to fail miserably and intensify the meager Fireball that blazed her way. Thanks to the climate however it wasn't hard to avoid it and put it out. She was getting agitated, realizing she'd much rather deal with a brute that's easily fooled than a genius with jutsu that was more powerful than hers on the scale of balance. She paces herself with more handsigns, sending multiple barrages of rock that were dodged effortlessly. Waraji and Zōri, who up until this point were recovering, charge in once again as they begin an assaulting flurry against the man, slicing rhythmically in succession trying to find an opening. Desperate for leverage, Anri mimics the handsigns she saw just moments ago to unleash two Water Dragons ( even though water was a nature she only could perform basics in ), propelling into the robed stoic as both swordsman dodged in time.

"Heh, you got him Anri," Waraji chuckles after there was no movement behind the cloud of moisture. He was about to congratulate the blonde in her 'effortless' victory only to have his stomach sink as the stranger emerged unscathed from the aquatic barrage. The trio group together and ready themselves once again, unsure of what to do next against this one of two frightening foes. The silence weighs upon her, the anticipation almost suffocating.

Their opponent raises a hand, making them all tense. To her surprise however he holds up an open palm, a signal to halt any further aggression. At first she's almost too stunned to believe it, but slowly Anri relaxes her guard followed by the others. The man proceeds to remove his hat and hold it at his side, revealing long black hair in a ponytail and bangs that framed his pale face and held haunting black eyes that she locked with. A beautiful man. She nods as he begins to speak, his tone monotonous.

"I must say, it's been a long time since someone has managed to make a fool of Kisame like that. Even in the short time we've worked together I've known this. That was good. But only good. Stable enough for the likes of my partner and even I for the first moment." He nods towards Kisame and makes the signs for a release and receives a pissed expression in return.

There was deep anger on the faces of the two samurai, hearing this stranger talk down on Anri as if her skills were nothing special. They had seen her do things, so who was this man to say she was only mediocre? Anri herself slouched slightly at this. For so long she had prided herself in her skills with illusions. But pegged against two rogue shinobi she fell short. Her skills suddenly didn't seem so impressive.

"However, it can be improved. Still... I never knew that the Sand Village had the capability to develop any with such a knack for genjutsu. I think though, that it would be wise for you to seek a mentor." With this he uses his free hand to pull apart the buttons on his cloak one by one until he could rest his arm in the opening like a rest. Blushing, Anri musters an expression of humble gratitude towards to suave shinobi. She was not incredible, but even this man who wasn't phased by her illusions was impressed by her capabilities. He continued on, but this time his eyes changed. They were brilliant crimson with comma like markings around the pupil. She held back a gasp even as he spoke. "You would do well to abandon this career and seek a sensei." She blinks at him in disbelief.

"T-the Sharingan?"

"What's the sharingan?" Waraji asks, still edgy of the situation.

"One of the most powerful dojutsu out there... It's used to copy and analyze an opponents attack down to the last detail... And it's illusionary properties are unparalleled..." It was the trait of only the greatest of genjutsu masters. And here was one before her. "But, only the Uchiha clan has been known to posses it, and they're supposed to all be dead..." Things were so outrageous... One of the Ninja Swordsmen and a living breathing Uchiha from the Hidden Leaf were working together as partners for whatever reason and both of them were here. Two of the most amazing shinobi alive. A once in a lifetime opportunity was before her. In her state of awe she kneels with her head bowed, one fist on the ground and the other on her leg.

"Please, I beg you to teach me." At her sudden request her companions suddenly go off, screaming at her in that she had to be joking. Waraji could only glare at Kisame and place himself between he and the others in fear he might try something and that all of it was a trap. Zōri was even worse. He held a glare of extreme distrust and hatred towards the raven haired man Anri was ready to pledge to. He was even slightly jealous of her obvious admiration. She paid them no mind and kept her head low. "Please... If anyone can teach me how to improve its an Uchiha. No one else could ever bring me to the level that you could. I promise, I swear on my life I won't be a burden to you. I'll do whatever you say with no complaints. I... I have to be stronger... Please mentor me in your knowledge of jutsu," she pleas. The young male stares off, as if acting unaware of the younger blonde's request. She took silent deep breaths as the blue skinned rogue cackled at her request. She was never a religious person, she believed the world was too cruel to be watched upon by a benevolent creator. Nevertheless she prayed to whatever force above for him to accept and find it in his heart to help her right her wrongs in life. So she can become better for those she betrayed...

Now the Uchiha glanced over at his partner with an expression that just by its context signaled he wasn't in the mood for his mouth right now. In truth he had only observed the young blonde since they had arrived. It was her authority over two samurai much older than herself and her obvious care and wisdom she held for them. She was up to date on the bingo books and knew when to engage an enemy alone and when she could not handle it. With her guidance even the measly samurai came out mostly unscathed apart from bruising. At first when Kisame had crushed her beneath the weight of Samehada's blow, he believed he'd simply gotten too excited over a simple girl. But that was when her genjutsu had begun, and he scolded himself when he realized it was an illusion at the release of her earth clone. She had never charged him, only made clones and stood still so as not to break her focus. But that was her weakness too, she had focused it more on Kisame and not him. He also picked up on her chakra natures now that he glanced at her with the Sharingan: Wind and Earth. Slight knack for water but only just a fraction more than performing other basic jutsu of different natures. After what seemed like ages, he spoke.

"The Sharingan that I bear sees what others cannot, but my eyes see something in you that you will not admit to even yourself. Your eyes are young, but hold the pain of a shinobi who has seen death and killed against their will. One who is older than their years. You lack faith in humanity and believe in only your abilities and the assistance of those you trust. You have entered an underground world and you feel like it's the only way to survive." She did not interrupt him, no matter how his words stung her. "I will teach you, but not out of pity," he asserts. "You remind me of a child I once knew with great potential. He too was forced to grow up much too fast, and felt he had to harbor the burdens of others to atone for his sins. For this reason alone, I will make you my student."

**"Huh?" **The samurai were baffled, unbelieving as their leader gave frantic 'thank you's from her bowed position.

The massive shark man was even a bit in shock, a skeptical look crossing his features despite his curiosity. "Hmph, I thought we had a mission Itachi," he gripes.

_Itachi..._

"As you've pointed out though we have the time to act like children so some lessons Shouldnt put us too far behind." Anri straightened at this point and had to stifle a laugh at the sass that came from the Uchiha as his partner growled. The blonde was deep int hought though. The things Itachi had said weren't untrue in any way. They were all correct in one way or another. She couldn't help but think that he was truly wise despite him being not much older than Zōri. She didn't know how he had managed to be one of the last Uchihas, if there were any more, or why the clan had been eliminated but she had an instinctual feeling that he wasn't as bad as he looked or his partner acted. "What's your name?"

"Anri Miyagi." She didn't hesitate.

"Shall we begin then Anri? I will warn you that there are no shortcuts with me. I will not go easy on you because of your gender or age. You will be pushed to your limits and even farther. You will get no sympathy from me."

"I understand... Sensei..."

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_I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Reviews are appreciated. Until next time!_


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