Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Shinobi: Pride of Pride ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Shinobi: The Price of Pride

By: Hanasaki Rikku

Summary: With a clan like the Hanasaki, is it any wonder why Rikku is the way she is? She lost her brother and friend at such a young age, and things with Chizuko have seemed to only gotten worse. What does Itachi want and why does a certain Snake Sannin seem so interested in her life all of the sudden?

Rating: T/M. For violence (poorly written, but still there), language, and some other stuff I can't quite recall at the moment. Just be warned. Oh, that, and my horrible writing.

Genre: Romance/Action/Adventure/Angst

"Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows."

((CHAPTER FIVE))

A familiar, unmistakable whiz made her suddenly aware of her surroundings, leaving her alert and allowed her to avoid the kunai directed at her heart. She dodged to the side, landing on a bough, and she barely caught the `thunk' as the knife embedded into the trunk of a far off tree.

She scanned the clearing thoroughly, stepping back softly, blending with the shadows. Kakashi and Chizuko had hidden as well, though she could faintly feel the Himura's restrained chakra signature, but only because she knew what to look for.

However, that was the only thing she sensed within the clearing. It was small and narrow, hardly fitted for battle - should there be one - but it was the perfect place for an ambush. The distance between each standing tree varied between yards, moss coating the trunks and earth, no doubt from the moist atmosphere.

A sudden movement to her right got her attention, and she waited silently for it to appear again. Sure enough, minutes thereafter, she caught a faint, shadow of a movement. Unconsciously, her hand twitched, longing to take a hold of a kunai and render their attacker immobile. But, she couldn't be sure what to expect, and she was not about to brashly rush into a battle with people she knew nothing of.

That was Chizuko's job.

Nonetheless, she couldn't just sit here and wait.

Gently flipping her kunai pouch open, she slid her hand in, wrapping it around the hilt. She raised it slowly to her side, flexing her fingers around it, testing the weapon's grip. Just as she saw shaded figure flashed ahead, she felt a firm hand clasp around her wrist, twisting her arm and pressing it against her upper back. The sharp edge of a blade was pressed against her throat, cool and foreboding, and her own kunai pricked at the back of her neck.

“Not a word.”

The attacker spoke quietly into her ear, tightening his hold ever so slightly. She winced, feeling her arm twist at an unusual angle. She did as told, calming her breath, taking in the situation. Obviously, from the fact that he hadn't already killed her, he knew she wasn't alone. That being said, she wasn't about to endanger her fellow comrades by doing something stupid. However, even if he did know of her team, he could have still disposed of her and use the element of surprise against the others.

Unless he wasn't alone. That meant both Kakashi and Chizuko were in danger anyway. Her mind quickly assessing the situation, a habit engrained into her after years of being a Shinobi, a sudden curse that sounded suspiciously like a well-known Himura drew her attention. She was most definitely positive of her former thought, which meant, that now she was the one in danger.

She felt the arm tense, preparing to impale her neck, and only had time for two seals before the man applied the needed pressure and plunged the knife into her throat. A second passed, followed by a resounding crack and stifling cloud of jutsu fumes shrouded the area.

A single log of wood fell to the far ground below, a kunai embedded into its side.

Rikku entered the center of the clearing, only the be forced back by a powerful wave of chakra and a rush of wind as an enormous sword in bandages struck the earth where she had stood moments earlier. Chizuko was at her side in an instant, Kakashi following shortly after. The three looked forward at the two men before them now, one still wielding the seemingly heavy sword, the other watching them with a cool air of indifference, his eyes cold and calculating.

The man clasping the sword smirked, pulling out his weapon and resting it on his shoulder effortlessly. “Well, well, well…what do we have here?” The man oddly resembled a shark; blue tinged skin and beady black eyes. It was unnerving.

Kakashi stepped forward, tense. “You again…”

Chizuko glanced at him, visage unreadable from behind the mask. “Who are they?” She mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear.

Rikku examined the two closely; from the crossed-out hitai-ate's, it was apparent they were both missing-nin. Judging from Kakashi's expression, they were also fairly strong. The other man, black hair and red eyes, caught her attention. Even from her position, she could sense his powerful aura. It wasn't necessarily dark, but it wasn't good either.

For a second, she remembered a boy of similar appearance from long into her childhood, but shook it away. “It doesn't matter who they are. They are missing-nins, it is our job to get rid of them.”

Kakashi nodded, but Chizuko's curiosity was still apparent from her behavior. Before allowing them any further, Kakashi nodded to each, quietly muttering, “Be careful, they're dangerous.” That was all he said before he took off in the direction of the dark-haired man, only to be intercepted by the man's accomplice.

“I still have a score to settle with you.” The shark-like man said, whipping out the sword with an unreal sort of speed, making to swing at the Jounin. Kakashi dodged back, wrenching his hitai-ate from his face in the process. It left the two girls puzzled for a moment before they realized exactly what he'd done. His left eye, now uncovered, was crimson red, a slight, jagged scar running down his eye.

“I was hoping not to run into you two ever again.” Kakashi's voice was stiff, his stance tense, and she knew they were in for a fight the minute battle commenced between the Jounin and missing-nin.

((CHAPTER END))