guardian of the storm | ✓

Chapter Five ~ Pale as Paper

~Chapter Five~

It was a quiet and peaceful day in the village until a dust cloud arouse in front of the entrance, Might Gai sprinting as fast as he can with Kakashi Hatake on his back looking sick. A black kunai flies over his head, unnoticed by the spandex wearing man. He skids to a stop and shouts, "Victory!"

"Nice try, but I won." Winter leans against the booth the guards sit in, twirling the black kunai in between her fingers. His face morphs into one of shock and he deflates. "Of course the Black Lighting's student won..." Winter stiffens slightly at the mention of her deceased sensei but doesn't say anything else as Lee skids to a stop next to Gai cheering.

Huffing and puffing Naruto, Neji, Sakura and Tenten make it to the village gates each with a deadpan look on their face while muttering underneath their breath. "Is that?" "It is!" The two gate guards, Izumo and Kotetsu stand up smiling.

"Hey welcome back Winter!"

"Yeah nice seeing you again!"

She smiles slightly and waves, tucking her black kunai away. "It's good seeing you two as well. I have to go report to Lady Tsunade though so I'll talk to you guys later." She starts walking down the hard packed road whistling softly. She glances around as she walks, noting all the small or big changes that have happened in the village since she'd been gone.

Bending her knees she suddenly jumps up onto a nearby roof, starting to run along the rooftops with ease. The familiarity of the situation made her relax, doing a couple tricks as she hurtles over the larger gaps between buildings. She flips through the open window leading to the Hokage's office, landing with her cloak billowing out.

"I've forgotten how much fun that is." She muses amusement flashing across her face at the shocked faces of a couple Jonin. They walk out after a moment when Tsunade flicks her wrist.

"Hello Winter, I'm glad to see you're alive and well." Tsunade says shuffling a couple pieces of paper. "I assume your self proclaimed mission went well?" In response Winter sets Kiba on her desk, the blades glinting in the light. Tsunade runs a hand over the blades and nods slightly, "I heard about his death but wanted to see proof. Good job."

Winter nods and tucks Kiba away. "So you have, what two out of the seven swords in your possession?"

The black haired girl nods. "Kiba and the Head Cleaver, although I might find someone suited to wield Zabuza's old sword. It's a bit too heavy for me." She leans forward and hands the blonde haired woman a scroll. "Details are in here, remember what you promised."

The current Hokage nods. "I understand." She sets the scroll in her pocket before studying Winter. "I have decided to make a decision that has quite a bit of risk involved, but both myself and even the council members agree with it."

Winter raises an eyebrow, "The council members agree? Is this a joke? They never agree with the Hokage, even I know that." She says incredulously making Tsunade laugh lightly. "I mean come on, those old guys are just..."

Tsunade stands up and faces the window, looking over the village a serious expression dawning on her face. "The Akatsuki is going to make its move within the next couple of months, I can almost guarantee it. Naruto will be their target and this village could quite possibly be caught in the crossfire. In the past year or so our Jonin and Anbu ranks have shrunk considerably making me worry.

I have overlooked hundreds of shinobi files, searching for someone to take on this task, and have come up empty. But then you appeared again and I hunted down your file, reading it through front to back. Even if you let your emotions take control once in a while, you are an exceptional shinobi."