A Kunai
Misumi struggled to catch her breath as she held onto the Anbu for dear life, afraid that she would be torn from his arms from the sheer force of the wind around her by the speed in which he was jumping from tree to tree. But then she remembered her heavyweight and felt relieved, there is no way that the wind could displace a woman like her. It was another wonder that the young shinobi was holding her in his arms, she was sure that the Anbu's hands would be falling off after she would get off.
"Misumi-san, you may open your eyes now." he felt his chest rumble and opened her eyes.
"Who are you-dattebayo?" she heard a young voice shout in her ear and jumped in immediate surprise, making the Anbu lose his balance and drop her.
She fell on her butt on the ground.
"Ow," she let out a cry of pain.
"Oi, Naruto, why did you have to do that!!" she then heard a girl's voice.
"But who is she? And why has she come over here?" the loudmouth said again.
"Ma, ma, futaritomo, let us at least hear what she has to say. Kora, Naruto, especially you, don't just go off shouting at strangers." a smooth voice said.
"Domo, Kakashi-senpai," the Anbu bowed to him.
"The Hokage has asked you to accompany her to the land of waves. She has some work over there."
Misumi finally got up, rubbing her sore butt in the process with a flushed face.
"Huh, but what kind of work does she have over there?"
"I don't know that Kakashi-senpai. I was only asked to escort her to you and your team. I would be taking my leave, I have a mission to complete." and with that, he scattered again.
"What do you have to do there Misumi?" Kakashi asked with his hands in his pockets.
"Oh, Misumi, what are you doing over here? I thought they had sent you away for good?" Tazuna exclaimed, recognising her, earning four confused stares.
"Tazuna oba-san, how are you? How is the bridge-building holding up?" Misumi exchanged greetings with him.
"It is going good, will be finished after 2 weeks at max. But why are you going back?"
"Oh just to get my leftover tools."
"Anosa, anosa," the loudmouth shouted again.
"What is going on-dattebayo?"
Misumi bent to reach the blonde kid's eye level, thinking that she had seen him somewhere before.
"What is your name?" she asked, a warm smile adorning her face.
"First tell me yours, and also tell me why are you interrupting between our mission?" he shouted back, his eyes squinting and his lips in a cute pout.
"Oi, Naruto, talk properly." Kakashi scolded him from the side.
"Its fine Hatake-san," Misumi assured, conveying that she wasn't offended in the least.
"My name is Nakamura Misumi and I have something that I left behind in the land of waves. So, I have to go there to get it back and since you genins were already going over there on a mission, the Third Hokage felt that you strong shinobi could protect me from any harm if came."
Naruto flushed when Misumi called him strong indirectly and folded his hands and stood with a proud face.
"Hm, hm" he agreed to nod his head.
"The third Hokage isn't just an old man, he knows that I am strong and I can protect everyone. My name is Uzumaki Naruto and I am going to be the Hokage someday-dattebayo!" he said tapping at his headband.
"I am Haruno Sakura and this is Uchiha Sasuke. We three are genins and have to accompany Tazuna-san along with Kakashi-sensei's supervision to the land of waves." the pink-haired girl said and Misumi identified the three young shinobis as the ones who had passed by her some days back.
"Nice to meet you all," Misumi said.
"I hope to not be of any trouble," she said and Kakashi repressed a smile cause he was well-aware of her mishaps.
"Introductions are done, so let us go without wasting any more time."
Kakashi declared and reduced his pace to match Misumi's, walking beside her.
"What kind of tools do you have in the land of waves," he asked her, ignoring Naruto and Sasuke's banters.
"Just some things," Misumi replies, not wanting to experience another person shunning her out.
"Come on, we have been given the task of protecting you. It comes under our mission. We need to be aware of who we are dealing with." Kakashi said lazily.
"I can assure you that I have not committed any crime for people to come after me. I hardly even need protection. No one wants to do anything with me."
Kakashi knew that Misumi's last line meant that no one was after her but he couldn't miss the loneliness in her eyes when she said that and thought maybe she meant something else entirely.
"Nakamura, I think I have heard the name." Kakashi voiced his thoughts out loud.
"There are many people who can have their last names are Nakamura," Misumi brushed off his comment with a fake laugh hoping that Kakashi did not catch it.
Meanwhile, Kakashi knew that Misumi was hiding something big. But chose to not provide her further. After all, who was he to blame her for hiding when he himself did not talk to anyone about his past?
So, he then resumed his natural pace, walking ahead with his team as Misumi let out a deep breath, pink finally marking her cheeks.
'I have no idea how I survived talking with him this long without messing anything up. It's a new record I think.' Misumi thought to herself only to be interrupted by the one and only Uzumaki Naruto.
"Ne, ne, what should I call you? Nakamura-san? Misumi-san?" Naruto said, staring at the sky, wondering.
"Anything would be fine future Hokage," Misumi replied smiling.
"No, no, you tell me. I can't decide," he said, stubbornly all the while flushing when she called him future Hokage.
"Naruto you can just call her Misumi-san," Sakura said, smiling at Misumi sweetly.
"Tsk, what's there to be confused about this whole ordeal. This is just dumb." the emo boy said. Sasuke was his name Misumi thought while Kakashi just walked on, his nose buried in a book.
Suddenly Naruto jumped forward and threw his Kunai towards some bushes startling everyone.
"There!"
Then silence prevailed as everyone waited with bated breath to see what would happen next.
"Heh....just a mouse." Naruto then said with a smug look on his face, acting all cool.
"Quit trying to show off!" Sakura shouted at him accusingly.
"There was nothing there in the first place."
"Please Naruto, don't use Kunai Knives so recklessly. They are dangerous," Kakashi argued while the emo kid just sighed.
"Hey brat, don't be doing anything confusing," Tazuna-san shouted.
Meanwhile, Naruto, ignoring everyone started talking about some other presence and threw another Kunai Knife while Sakura hit him in the head.
"Someone has been targeting us all time-dattebayo," he complained as Misumi agreed with him in her head.
'Tashkani, I have been sensing a faint chakra tailing us.' she whispered to herself.
Kakashi went ahead and saw a poor bunny, scared to death with a Kunai Knife above him.
"Ah, it was just a bunny! Gomen, gomen, bunny!" Naruto started apologising immediately, caressing the rabbit in his hand as Sakura started scolding him.
'That's a snow rabbit. But that doesn't explain its fur colour. The coat turns white only during winter when there is little sunlight.' Kakashi murmured to himself, analysing the situation.
"Which means that the snow rabbit was raised indoors without sunlight to be used as a substitution," Misumi added.
"That is what you were thinking wasn't you Hatake-san," she said while Kakashi agreed.
"You aren't a commoner are you," he stated simply.
"Well I am not involved in the ninja business at all Hakate-san, I was merely making an observation. I guess you could say that I know a thing or two about the environment."
Misumi replied, trying to be as vague as possible, not giving anything away.
"Well, we do need to talk Misumi. But right now, I guess they are already here." Kakashi said when suddenly both of them sensed a sword aimed at them.
"Everyone get down," Kakashi shouted instantly as a big, executioner sabre flew past them and stuck to a tree and a ninja appeared.
"If I am not mistaken, that is the rogue ninja from hidden mist village, Zabuza Momochi," Misumi said, recognising him from her bingo book.
Before Misumi could stop Naruto from attacking, he sped towards him only to be stopped by Kakashi who was suddenly very serious.
"Get back you guys, he is on a different level from the guys on the other days," he said.
"Him being our opponent means," he continued lifting his hand towards his headband.
"Is he going to use that!" Misumi exclaimed while Naruto stared at him in confusion and Zabuza said something about the Sharingan which fell deaf on her ears.
Everyone was startled as the word Sharingan was spoken out loud.
"Get in manji battle formation you guys," he ordered to his three genins.
"Protect Tazuna-san and Misumi also. Don't involve yourselves in this fight. That is the teamwork in this situation."
And then the Sharingan could be seen, in all of its glory.
Some seconds passed.
"Well now, I never expected to see the rumoured Sharingan so soon. This is an honour." Zabuza was the first one to comment.
"Everyone has been saying Sharingan, what is it?" Naruto screeched.
"Sharingan....." Misumi heard the emo boy speak audibly for the first time.
"Power that the light of the eye generated, and the pupil emanates. The user of the so-called Visual Jutsu is said to possess the vision to see through all Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu and can deflect them. The Sharingan is a type of an eye that is unique to the user of the visual art. However, that is not the only power of the Sharingan." he explained and Misumi's eyes fell on the Uchiha clan symbol on his back.
'He is the brother of Itachi...........' she thought to herself, 'The lone survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre'.
"Sugoiiii," she heard Naruto emit from beside her as their surroundings began to be enveloped by a thick layer of mist.
"Let's end the talking here, I must kill the old man immediately," Zabuza stated and at the word kill, the three genins were in battle formation, surrounding Misumi and Tazuna from three sides.
"But Kakashi, it seems I have to defeat you first." and then in a flash Zabuza was standing over the water, his hands already weaving a Jutsu.
"Ninja Art, Hidden Mist Jutsu," Zabuza announced and then in the blink of an eye vanished.
"Who is he, sensei?" Sakura asked.
"Zabuza Momochi," Misumi answered before Kakashi could say anything.
"He is an Anbu Black Ops member in the Hidden Mist and is known as the silent killing technique expert. As the name suggests, its a killing kill that is implemented in an instant in silence. By the time you realise it, you may find yourself in the afterlife."
"I haven't mastered the use of my Sharingan so don't lower your guard, you guys," Kakashi told as silence prevailed.
"Well if we fail, we'll only die." he continued, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.
"How can you be so careless!" Sakura blurted as the mist started getting thicker.
"The land of waves is surrounded by an ocean, so the mist rises very quickly," Misumi commented.
Kakashi then performed a Jutsu that made the mist spread out and the vision of the people cleared.
Misumi quivered, feeling the killing intent of Kakashi as she slowly reached for her very own kunai stack, tucked under her skirt, hidden from eyes.
"Don't worry," Kakashi said suddenly as Misumi stopped her ministrations, looking up at him.
"I will protect you with my life. I will not allow my comrades to be killed." Kakashi smiled, looking back at his students and the two people accompanying them.
Misumi felt like crying. There was something, some hidden emotion behind those words that felt like a broken. She had heard the rumours of his sensei as well his two teammates being killed, but she could not ask him that time when he was doing all that he could to hold back his tears and then she hadn't seen him until now. She would make a point to ask him about it someday and try to mend him if he gave her permission to do so.
"I wonder about that," a voice said, dangerously close to Misumi and Zabuza appeared in between the battle formation.
"It's over."
And as Zabuza struck, a horrible feeling passed Kakashi's mind because he knew that he would be a second too late to reach them but then his eyes saw a Kunai stop Zabuza's blade from piercing Naruto, giving him that single second edge to pierce his kunai through Zabuza's chest, water leaking out through the wound.
'A water clone ka!' Misumi thought, frustrated as she fell on the ground from the sheer force by which Zabuza had struck.
'What power,' she contemplated as another water clone attacked Kakashi from behind, slashing him into two.
Even though Misumi knew that that was Kakashi's shadow clone, her heart still almost stopped as she was him being cut into two.
"Don't move," Kakashi then appeared behind Zabuza, with a kunai against his neck, stopping whatever Zabuza was calculating in his mind.
After a moment, he just smirked.
"You don't understand do you, you won't be able to beat me by making like a monkey......no chance, but I must say you are good. My water clone Jutsu was being copied at that point by letting the clone talk as if it were you, you succeeded in distracting me and you used Hidden Mist Jutsu to hide yourself to see what I was doing but....."
Another Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi........
"I am not a fool" and then he tried to strike Kakashi again who evaded it in the last minute, revealing that the other one against whose neck Kakashi had his kunai was a fake too.
Zabuza then followed Kakashi only to be stopped by Makibishi spikes and then jumped into the water.
Kakashi then emerged out of the water saying something which Misumi could not comprehend. Neither did she pay attention to the little comments that the three genins were making. They were not going to emerge out of his fight unharmed and all that Misumi could do was help with healing, so she started focusing all her chakra, she would not just stand while the others fought. She could not attack, but the least she could do was heal the injuries without any delay if any.
She then saw Kakashi being trapped in the Water Prison Jutsu as an idea crept up to within her mind.
"Naruto, come over here fast," she whispered as lightly as possible.
"I have a plan to release Kakashi," she said as he huddled around her.
After sharing her idea, Misumi again started to gather her chakra after distributing some with Naruto without his knowledge. She needed to give them strength, otherwise, there was no way he would be able to strike back.
"Record in your bingo book, about the man who is going to become the Hokage someday," she heard Naruto say, wrapping the headband around his forehead as pride swelled in Misumi's heart. That boy had struck a rogue ninja, one of the members of the seven ninja swordsmen of the Hidden Mist because he wanted his headband back. He was already following the Hokage footsteps.
'He is going to be the Hokage someday, Kushina,' she thought involuntarily.
"Leaf-style ninja, Naruto Uzumaki!" he shouted as something struck inside Misumi's head.
'Did he say Uzumaki!' she recalled, shaken, jarred to the very core.
'It can't be possible but.....but they're all dead. An Uzumaki.......you are kidding me right.' she mused and fell to the ground, her mind not able to comprehend the confusion.
"Sasuke lend me your ear, Mi-san said something great to me." he continued.
"Let's get wild."
'No, this is not the time Misumi, steel yourself, you cannot be swayed right now.' Misumi calmed down herself and seeing Naruto transform into himself from the shuriken blade and throw his kunai at Zabuza made her smile.
'Plan success.' she cheered insider her mind, trying to erase the word Uzumkai as much as possible, as much as she could.
As Kakashi continued his fight with Zabuza, Misumi's hands itched to join, to provide even one-tenth of the support she could but she knew that she would be a hindrance more than help, all that she could do was wait, and watch and pray that no one gets hurt.
As the fight was about to come to an end, another ninja with a mask appeared, two needles piercing Zabuza's neck.
"I thank you," he said.
"I have been waiting for the chance to kill Zabuza."
"You are a tracker ninja from the Hidden Mist right?" Misumi asked, judging from his mask.
"Impressive, you are very knowledgable."
"Tracker ninja!" Naruto yelled, going into defensive mode.
"You don't know what a tracker ninja is, we learned it in the academy right," Sakura said, exasperated.
"Tracker ninjas pursue guys like Zabuza who turn against the village where they were born and raised. And when they break away from the village, tracker ninja goes after these rogue ninja and assassinate them to avoid having the secrets of the village being leaked. That's common knowledge, you should study more."
"That's right, I am a member of Hidden Mist village's tracking unit whose mission is to hunt rogue ninja." the boy asserted and then when Kakashi assured that he was no tan enemy, even though a bit hesitantly, the young ninja took Zabuza with him and left.
Misumi felt ashamed when Naruto started talking about how pathetic they were. He was right after all, what did she do, just stood there seeing everyone fight. However, she had to provide some sort of comfort to him. So, she went over and grabbed his arm to prevent him from bruising his knuckles more at the same time when Kakashi did the identical. However, Misumi did not notice anything, anything except her burning shame and the boy's bleeding knuckles.
"Wel, things like this happen when you are a ninja. If you are so frustrated then strive to be better and apply it next time," she said and then grabbed both of his hands and focused her chakra to heal his injuries.
"What are you doing-dattebayo!" Naruto said, his voice astonishingly low.
"Just healing........" Misumi said, a small, sad smile adorning her cheeks.
"Our mission hasn't ended yet. We must take Mr Tazuna home." Kakashi declared while being thoroughly surprised as Misumi healing Naruto.
But as soon as they started walking, Misumi at once noticed a change in the chakra around her and her eyes scanned around to land on Kakashi's trembling feet. Before he could hit the ground, Misumi at a remarkable speed caught him in her arms as he fainted, losing conscious.
'"The Sharingan has drained all of his chakra. He needs to be carried home." Misumi declared.
"I can heal him a little by sharing some of my chakra with him but that will not make him conscious. He needs physical rest to be better."
"Huh! We can transfer our chakra to someone else?" Sakura asked surprise marking the features on all the three rookies.
"Looks like you aren't familiar with healing ninja techniques." Misumi laughed nervously, she had given herself away.
"You are not an ordinary civilian we know that," Sasuke said, with an air of confidence around him.
"Because how you countered Zabuza with just a Kunai, healed Naruto and the speed at which you ran towards Kakashi was not something that an ordinary civilian could do even if we ignore your knowledge about the shinobi world." he had simply put down the facts.
"We can talk about this later when we reach Tazuna oba-san's home. Right now, we need to go as soon as possible, before anyone else attacks because with Hatake-san's condition right now, we are very vulnerable." Misumi countered back to which Sasuke just responded with a "Hn".
And with that, Naruto and Sasuke helped Misumi to carry Kakashi and the 5 of them resumed their journey,