A New Way of Ninja, (Naruto)

1: Sand Village

[Wayfaring Stranger--The Longest Johns]

Temari of Sand Village was resting after training, minding her own business, leaning on a wall along the edge of her village and looking at the sun setting over the horizon when a sharp flash off to the right caught her peripheral.

Picking up her fan, she sprang toward that section of the wall. Sand came sifting past the corner, like someone had kicked it up. Someone clearly not versed in the stealth of walking on it. She noiselessly slipped along the wall and sprang up on top of it to look down at the intruders.

* * *

The first thing Shine noticed was that it was hot and dry--and dusty.

"Oh, crud!" she said, squinting. "It's a desert!"

Dabi, who'd landed almost right into the wall, kicked sand up irritatedly. "I hate sand. Is this the whole world?" [Anakin Skywalker?]

Momo was shielding her eyes and looking around. "I don't think so. See those mountains? I'm sure there's regular country beyond them. This hardly looks like a Sahara."

"No Tatooine, then," Shine said thankfully, before coughing. "Oh man, I'd better take an allergy pill now before I get really going."

She fished in her backpack, also donning her sunglasses. Todoroki wasn't bothered much by the climate. He was more interested in the town. They appeared to be outside--so he was the first to see the person staring down at them from the wall. He made a surprised sound. Everyone looked up.

"Oh, it's just a girl," Dabi said, annoyed. "With a...suitcase...weird."

The girl narrowed her eyes at them, then she hopped off the wall as nimbly as a cat, landing without disturbing the dust at all, and held out some kind of short knife.

"You people are trespassing," she said, in a surprisingly deep voice, since she looked about 15 years old. "State your business, before I kill you."

"Ah, that's cute," Dabi said. "She thinks she's intimidating."

Shine put a hand to her forehead. "I should've known this wouldn't be the usual..." she muttered.

The girl gripped the knife a little harder.

"Excuse me?" she said in a dangerous tone. "I am a Chunin of the Shinobi of the Hidden Sand, daughter of the Kazekage. I suggest controlling your tongue, if you want to keep it."

Momo gulped almost inaudibly. Todoroki frowned. Dabi was completely unimpressed.

"Yeah, sure." He turned his back on the girl. "So, what's a hidden village? Doesn't look very hidden--more like a dump. The h---, Likstar, where are we?"

"Danged if I know," Shine said, looking past Dabi. "Duck."

Dabi ducked as a knife whizzed right by where his face would have been and stuck in the sand several yards away behind Shine. The girl was frowning. "Now do I have your attention? Who are you?"

"Um..." Shine glanced around. "That's a long story, but my name is Shine Likstar."

"What kind of a name is that?" the girl asked skeptically. She already had another knife out.

Momo slowly stepped in front of Shine, since she could better make a shield.

"It's just her name," she said calmly. "I'm Momo Yaoyorozu."