War Torn {A Naturo Fanfic}

Page 29

"Stop." I held an arm out as I spotted her. She was walking with a sack of groceries in one hand and holding a small girl's hand in the other. Her hair was the same color as Chiya's, but it used to be darker like Maeko's.

She headed in the direction of a house, but the little girl tripped. When my mother went to catch her arm eggs rolled out from the bag and broke on the sidewalk. The little girl scrambled to her feet and stared at the mess in horror. I didn't understand why until my mother struck her. She said something about her being a poor excuse for a daughter and then dragged her to the door.

Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me into an alley. It was Kakuzu. He grabbed me by the throat and pushed me against the wall. "If you get angry she'll notice your increase in chakra and realize it's you. You're going to turn this mission into a massacre." He growled at me.

I pushed his hand away and took of my cloak. I handed it to him as well as my headband, ring and Juryoku. While he was busy trying to figure out what I was doing I shoved my hand into his front pocket, taking both of my companions by surprise. I pulled out a notepad and pen, used to keep tabs on finances and flipped to a blank page.

"I'll take this one." I told them before strutting off to my mother's door, trying to keep my anger under control. She hasn't seen me in around ten years. She would never recognize me and even if she does it doesn't matter. I'm going to kill her either way.

I knocked on the door and waited for her to answer. When finally it opened I plastered on a fake smile and spoke before she had a chance to. "Hello, I'm Kura Takenaka. I'm a writer for various magazines and journals and I've heard that you lived in Yugakure during the war. I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a few questions for me." I figured persistently overwhelming her was the best way to start off.

"Oh," She smiled. "I would love to." She said and turned around. "Nao, clean up the mess you made in the kitchen. I'm going out." She called and the little girl walked into view. She had short dark brown hair and blue eyes just like my mother, Maeko, and I. She looked adorable.

"Yes mother." She said and then bowed to me. I smiled sadly at her. What would happen to her after her parents were killed?

"Do you think we could go somewhere more private? I don't mean to be pushy, but I would like to do this in the forest, on the path perhaps? This is really just a quick stop for me." I told my mother, acting sheepish and sorry, though I really wasn't. I was a better actress than I thought.

"I know just the place." She said and I followed her down the street.

"Kumogakure is very beautiful." I said and gave myself the chance to look around and find Hidan and Kakuzu. I made eye contact with them quickly and returned my attention to my mother. We talked about little things until she brought me to a nice clearing near a stream and the path, where no one was coming.

We sat down on a log and I began questioning her. What is your name? How old were you during the war? Where in Yugakure did you live? Why did you leave Yugakure? Did you have family there?

"My husband died fighting in the war against shinobi from Kumogakure and I had three daughters. They had gone looking for their father and just never came back." That was a lie. I was still there when she left and Maeko and Chiya were too young and not brave enough to leave grandmother's basement. "You know, you actually look quite a bit like my eldest daughter, Etsuko. She was a good girl and I tried to raise Nao like her, but she's a dull child." That was my cue.

"Funny you should say I look like your daughter Miss Takeda." I set the pen and notepad down and stood up. My headband dropped from above and I grabbed it, tying it on. She blinked at me in confusion. My ring was next and then the cloak.

"You're not a reporter at all." She said fearfully and flinched as I slipped on the cloak.