Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land (A Naruto Fanfic)

5: The Dismal Side Of Things

Nightfall is upon us. Tonight is the night to execute our course of action and pull this mission to its climax. The plan is simple: infiltrate, have Itachi get the necessary information out of our target, act with complete discretion and only act if it's vital to protect the mission.

I've concealed my chakra and taken to a branch above the small temple. The grounds around it are very open with no vegetation or decent hiding spots. Its going to be more difficult to get inside than we thought. Guards are surrounding the place; evenly spaced out around the entirety of the property. I release a soft sigh before I hop gently through the trees and landing near my comrades.

"How many guards are there?" Itachi's voice is soft yet commanding. I shake my head and sign 'too many'. Kisame chuckles and gives his sword a gentle pat.

"Samehada has needed a good snack." His pride beams in his words. I shake my head at him and pull down my mask.

"There are at least 60." My voice only a whisper is the breeze, "I have an idea." Both of the men look at me curiously, obviously taken aback by my words. Itachi nods in my direction for me to continue, "I can act as a diversion. Distract them enough for you two to get in. Keep them from going inside while you're in there."

The two of them continue to stare at me. My confidence soon begins to waver. Had I said too much? Did I think things through incorrectly? Do they not see me as a valuable member of the team? Why would I even think that I'm as skilled as-

"I'll follow your lead. Kisame?" Itachi turns to his partner, as calm as he ever is. Kisame continues to keep his eyes locked onto me. The intensity makes me feel like prey under the fearless sight of a predator. I quickly hold up my hands and sign 'I do not mean to overstep. If it is not a good plan, you can disregard-'. I'm cut off by a very humored Kisame.

"If Itachi thinks it's a good idea, I will follow you as well." The smirk never leaves his lips.

My brain practically melts. I didn't think the outcome of this idea to be positive considering I'm with the two smartest members of the Akatsuki and they haven't really seen me in a high intensity situation. It's my luck day isn't it? A shiver of excitement runs down my spine as a grin pulls at my lips.

"Keep a close watch. Move in from the east side when the coast is clear." I clear my throat and take a quick drink of water. I hand each of them a pair of earplugs for later. Finally, I discard my items and cloak at our current position in the forest, give the two a nod, and take off in a soft sprint through the forest.

Once I'm decently close to the border of the trees, I summon The Siblings and give them a general run down of my plan. They all nod and prepare their instruments, taking hidden positions among the trees and concealing their chakra. I nod to them and take out the single kunai left in my pocket. I leave a few randomly placed cuts across my arms, upper torso, and face to emulate an attack. I stick it into the wood of the closest tree as quietly as I can.

The tall weeds and grass aid me in a realistic stumble from the woods. I grasp at the ground as I push myself up to a proper balance. I try to run and start to limp, doing my best to catch the attention of the dozens of guards. As I exit the tree-line, I collapse onto the ground as soft sobs begin to erupt from my chest. Damn I'm good. A gentle hand pulls on my shoulder. I shutter as I push myself up with my hands to look at how many eyes I've gotten turned on me. I squint up into the sun's beaming rays and see that it's one of the door guards hovering over me.

"Are you okay miss? Are you inju-" He doesn't even finish his question as another voice chimes in from behind him.

"Are you blind?! Look at her, she's bleeding! Of course she's injured!" The first man is yanked from in front of me and replaced with a more annoyed one, "Are you armed?!" His tone is frightening, commanding and so loud. I shake my head vigorously and pull out the empty pockets of my shorts, "So what's your business out here? How did...wait, you're in ninja clothes...where's your headband?!" Headband? Oh! Like the ones the others in the group have. I shake my head again and hold up my hands in defense, "Why aren't you saying anything?! Huh?!" He starts to lean in towards my face as he raises his voice. Droplets of saliva fly from his mouth and land on my face. Disgusting. I take a couple steps backwards and point towards my mouth, then sticking my tongue out to show the seal. What they don't know won't kill them.