Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Hunter and Prey ❯ The Hunter ( Chapter 1 )

Hunter and Prey

By Kimiko Yuki

 

Summary: [AU] Her mission was frighteningly simple, eliminate Kakashi Hatake. Unfortunately for her, the simplest of things often turns out to be the most complicated ones, especially when a silver haired ninja is involved.

 

A/N: Please note that this is an AU fic. Sakura was never Kakashi's student.

 

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Chapter 1: The Hunter

 

The full moon hiding behind the thick clouds provided the cover she needed. The night was gloomy and this was how she liked it. With deadly skill, she jumped from branch to branch barely making any noise. She moved though the shadows with absolute gracefulness like a tempered feline prowling the darkness for its next victim.

 

And indeed, that was exactly what she was… a hunter stalking her next prey.

 

A strong breeze made the leaves rustle violently and a hand tucked the annoying stray strands of pink hair that blocked her view. A porcelain mask painted with intricate designs of red and black that was made to resemble an animal of some sort of animal hid her delicate face. Her torso was covered by a chest plate which she found most uncomfortable and unflattering. Black gloves covered her pale arms and a deadly katana was securely strapped on her back allowing easy access to it in case the need arise.

 

She never did like the uniform. It was troublesome enough to deal with the mask obstructing her vision and the chest plate was cold.

 

Given a choice, she would have tossed the mask and armor aside since, in her opinion, there was little need of it. She never left victims and witnesses alive long enough to tell anyone her identity and it was a rare occasion when an enemy manages to make her bleed.

 

Unpractical as all of it may seem to her, she knew it was a necessity for someone of her status. The tattoo on her left arm indicated just how elite her ranking was. Anyway, she couldn't argue that the uniform also had its advantages. Just the vision of it was enough to make most of her prey tremble with fear making it easier for her to finish her task.

 

A ragged branch supported her weight when she landed on it. She crouched and assessed the area, hinting for any sign that might jeopardize her mission for tonight. Satisfied that there was nothing out of the ordinary, she took out a small, black book from her pack, nothing bigger than a personal diary. She quickly flipped through the pages bearing pictures of men and women with a large red cross over their faces and data beneath their images. She scanned the whole book and found almost all of it marked. The last page however, was the only one left in her bingo book without an X mark on it. Her emerald eyes scanned the data of the man who stared right back at her from the piece of paper.

 

Age-29 apporx Height-181 cm approx Weight-67.5 kg approx Hair color: Silver Status - S-class criminal History - Unknown Abilities - Unknown…

 

The rest of the data held the word `unkown' next to it.

 

A soft sigh escaped her lips and she mentally cursed the background researchers for their uselessness. The book provided very little data about the man she was hunting and information was a vital key to the success of any mission.

 

Fortunately, she knew his reputation well and that was enough to make her extra careful in her dealings with this man.

 

His name was well known in all ninja villages although no one could boast that they had actually seen him since he usually left no witness alive. An assassin with deadly skills to accompany his darkened reputation, he killed with an accuracy that left nothing to chance. Other well known ninjas have fallen victim to him and it was rumored that he had the eye of a demon which made him untouchable.

 

She snapped the book shut and tucked it back into her bag. Rumors or not, there was no denying that he was one of the best ninja that still walked the earth.

 

The slender figure stood up with one hand leaning against the trunk of the tree while the other held onto her waist. Her head was tilted in a playful manner and her feminine hips jerked in an arrogant stance as she supported her weight on one foot. Behind the passive mask she wore, her lips were tugged up into a smile… a smile that was stunningly beautiful… but far from pleasant.

 

From afar, she looked nothing more than a dark silhouette against the backdrop of the forest, one among many gnarled branches that swayed listlessly with the wind.

 

If one would take a step closer, he would see that the figure was in fact a woman standing on the bough of a darkened tree looking over at nothing in particular.

 

If he moved closer, he could probably tell that she was a ninja of high ranking, by the style of her clothes and by the erect posture of her body.

 

If they dared to step even nearer… they would find themselves staring into the cold eyes of death.

 

The leaves stopped moving and everything was deathly silent. A pale hand reached out to take off her mask as she lifted her head up towards the dark, starless sky. Her cherry hair danced along with the cold breeze and she sniffed the air a couple of times while brushing away the strands that whipped through her delicate face. She sensed the heavy moisture in the atmosphere and the freezing wind told her what she needed to know.

 

“It is definitely going to rain tonight.” She muttered under her breath.

 

Placing her white mask back on her face, she launched herself into the air in a move too quick for the normal eye to see. Her chakra infused feet moved through the branches with absolute precision as she traveled deeper into the jungle, each step bringing her closer and closer to her enemy.

 

Her task for tonight was to eradicate one of her competitors in the race to become the top shinobi in the land, and she was more than happy to do it.

 

Her mission was frighteningly simple, kill the rouge ninja.

 

Eliminate Kakashi Hatake.

 

Anticipation pounded on her heart and her hands thirsted for blood. This battle would surely be a challenging one and that was the way she wanted it to be. An evil smirk crept up her lips.

 

Tonight's a good night to die.

 

She was not certain whose blood it was that is going to stain the ground tonight but hell…

 

She couldn't wait to find out.

 

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A/N: this was actually a rewrite of the first fanfic I did. The original was kinda sloppy and cheesy and I decided to revise it in hopes that I could save a fairly good plot from the evil clutches of fluffiness. Enjoy!