Let It Burn: Death [Sasuke Uchiha]

Chapter 43

Sasuke,

A mission has come up, but this one does not have a time frame. I am not sure how long I will be out there or if I will have already returned before you to Konoha. Stay as long as you need, but do not wait around for me if you need to leave again. It's possible I may even see you out in the field if our paths happen to cross. But please don't blow my cover. This is an Intel mission and I will be undercover.

Love, Mai

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

She left the ANBU mask and headband back in Konoha so to not give away who she was while moving through towns gathering information. Even her uniform that would normally sport the symbol of the Be Fong Clan was long forgotten in her home. She wore only black with a thick scarf wrapped around the neck just reaching the lips to keep out the growing cold the farther north she traveled. It took two weeks to finally find a solid lead. And another two capturing rogues so to make some money on the road and prove herself taking them to bounty stations. Then there were the times where she'd aid villagers performing mundane tasks. Some of her profits went towards those less fortunate during her travels, keeping just enough to get by on her own. It was another week till she came face to face with what she was looking for.

Traveling through a forest the weather was rather gloomy and no one was out, looking up at the clouds and knowing it would rain sometime in the next hour or so. That was when she felt the shift in her surroundings further down the path. Mai didn't stop, adjusting the belt to be sure the short knives were in reaching distance should they be hostile when rounding the corner. There was a man standing further away in the center of the road, the Be Fong not stopping until they were feet away.

"You've been searching for us."

His voice was deep behind the mask he wore. It was a stark white color with slits for the eyes as she caught sight of his yellow eyes. There was an even smaller slit near the mouth. He wore all black and didn't reveal any skin with a tattered half cloak that wrapped around the shoulders and fell off to one side, revealing shoulder plates on the opposite shoulder and elbow. The combat boots on his feet were tailor made for those that lived in Rock Country. But what stood out the most was the shocking orange hair.

"Why?"

"I've heard good things about you during my travels," Mai answered.

"Our movements are secret and non-existent."

"Then tell that to my contact who told me news about you after a few hours of drinking."

It was hard to read him with the mask, but Mai was cautious either way. Even if this man was alone there was no telling what kind of strength or power he possessed.

"You're implying we've grown sloppy."

"In a sense, yes."

"Who is your contact?"

"No need to worry about him."

"And why is that?"

"I'm sure you don't need me to tell you what happened."

Turning in the said rogue managed to fetch her a hefty sum of money. That seemed to intrigue him a bit. That a complete stranger would cover up their tracks where they failed to.

"Why are you helping us?" he asked.

"We're both rogues. Unlike the other groups and individuals that have been exterminated because they grow reckless and greedy forcing them to stand out, I like your methods a lot better. Let's be honest, we're all trying to survive, and being ninja without a Village is not easy. So I like my options better with you. You don't kill without a reason."