Naruto One-Shots *Closed to Requests*

Falling Down [Kisame]

Inspiration: Count Bodies Like Sheep by A Perfect Circle

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How had this happened?

The mission had been going so smoothly. Everything perfect. It was an in-out job that required the ninjas to gather information from the target and return to the Village Hidden in the Mist. Though it had been ranked as an A+ mission, none of those on the team were new to this. They were the top ninja in the Village. That's why they were all chosen.

So then when had it all gone wrong and spiraled out of control?

The base had been tucked into a mountainside just inside the boarders of the Earth Country, a secluded area filled with dense forest. Perfect for a hide out. It had a main entrance that led into a cave, but only an armature ninja would take that route. Walking right through the front door just screamed, 'Come and kill me'. There was another way in, the base's only weakness. Deep inside was a water pool that led into an extensive network of underwater caves and tunnels, which could take you a number of different places: further inside Earth Country, towards Rain Country, or the Waterfall Village. However, it wasn't that simple. With so many passageways it was easy to get lost and someone who didn't know the way could drown since there weren't many air pockets to catch a breath.

They knew exactly which way to take though, a Rock Ninja having mapped out the area with expensive diving equipment and handing it over to the Mist Village. They didn't have state of the art gear, but managed with simple masks and air bubble jutsus that allowed them to breathe if needed. There had been no one on the inside, and the group quickly looked for their target, coming up on the leader's office and searching for anything. They had it all, checking the hallway once more before sneaking back out.

But it was almost too quiet, which is what began to tip them off, their guard heightening and being pushed to the maximum limit. "We're taking a right at the next fork," their navigator whispered lowly. "Twenty feet."

"Understood," the squad leader nodded.

Someone choked up from behind them, making a strangled, startled noise. It made their heads turn, some to tell them to keep up or be quiet, others wondering what had happened. The enemy was half merged with the wall, the green plant having captured one of their teammates in what appeared to be a Venus Flytrap. They were already dead, blood pouring from their wounds. The creature ate him whole before splitting again to reveal a half black, half white human figure.

"Intruders..."

"How did they get in?"

"Better eat them all."

It was his jacket that caught them by surprise, the black cloak with red symbols dancing over the material. Kunai and shuriken began flying, trying to gain some distance. They were making noise, the squad leader ordering them to stop and run. Only half obeyed, the others claiming to want to stay behind in order to finish the man off so he didn't squeal. Though the chances were that the whole base now knew of their entrance thanks to those two idiots switching into battle mode and not thinking about how many others could be occupying the area.

They paused in a hallway, wondering where they were since the chaos had caused them to take a wrong turn somewhere. "We're not too far off," the navigator reassured with a whisper. "If we take a left, we'll be back on track here." He pointed out their way on the map.

"We need to move quickly," spoke a member. "If anything, the Captain needs to get back to the Village Hidden in the Mist with the information."