Never Let You Go [Zabuza Momochi]

Chapter 21

"You sent her into town?" Zabuza questioned.

"Yes," Haku answered.

The young man's brow twitched, hands clenched. "You... sent that girl into a town where our next target is."

"Yes."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "What were you thinking?"

"That she could gather information. Don't worry, I gave her the basic details of the mission."

"What, so she could be a spy? Again, Haku, you're giving her too much credit."

The teen sighed, looking up at his partner. "You need to start trusting Lacey more. Hasn't she been traveling with us long enough? Done enough to prove herself."

"As a fighter, yes, in some cases. But not as a spy. In case you haven't noticed I've been very lax towards that dancer in the last few months."

"That's only because she had a near death experience and you're afraid it'll happen again."

"I am not afraid."

Haku sighed. "You may be lax, but you still keep a tight leash so nothing happens. I get it. You're like that with me sometimes, but I trust Lacey to get the job done. In case you haven't noticed in the past five months since the Akine incident she's been more discipline and managed to rise to the level as a Chuunin. Besides, we'd stick out roaming around looking for information. This is a high society environment we're going into, not a poverty stricken or middle-class community. Out of all of us, she won't raise any alarm bells."

"You better be right."

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Lacey laughed, waving goodbye to the stand owner and shifting the pack onto her back. It was growing heavier, but the supplies were needed. And it helped her blend in among the local market. Something caught her eye, moving towards a table and looking over the laid out jewelry. "The finest gold in the area," the merchant said.

"They are very beautiful, but are much too expensive for me," she answered kindly.

Eyes meeting with the man behind the counter they shared a smile. His grin caused his crow's feet to become more prominent. "A traveler, I see?"

"Yes, just passing through. I have family on the other side of the island, but this town is so beautiful I had to stop."

"We take pride in our appearance."

"So I have come to find–"

"Stop!" a voice shouted. "Thief!"

All heads turned, watching a man shove through the crowd, holding something close to his chest. He grew closer and closer, everyone parting not knowing what to do. He was intimidating, that was for sure, but the reason for no interference was partly due to the higher society not wanting to dirty their hands. The thief thinking that they had a clear shot to the safety of the forest on the outskirts dropped his guard. Turning to watch the area in front of him, a leg swung around into his view catching the neck before being slammed into the ground. The air rushed from the lungs as Lacey wasted no time pressing down on his back and wrapping the wrists up in some rope she just bought.

Everyone stared in surprise that a small thing like herself had brought the burly man to the ground, ninja rushing in to subdue the thrashing criminal and dragging him away. "That was impressive," spoke the man. "Where did you learn how to do that?"