Ritoru Taikoku

Village Thief

A village thief. No one and seen her, but apples and potatos had been going missing, as had bottles of milk. Oddly enough, the glass bottles were mysteriously returned to where they had gone missing from a day or so later, washed. Because of complaints and worries that the thief would take valuables, more ninja had been stationed around the village at night. Some set traps, but they always found the trap undisturbed or disarmed and the food gone. Not so much as a foot print could be found in the dirt. The thief was clever and able to move about unseen by even the best shinobi. All, but one.

Kakashi was standing atop the Ichiraku Ramen shop, lazily watching the corners of buildings as the setting sun illuminated the dirt road. The shop had recently had some vegetables and drinking water stolen, and they wanted the thief caught.

Just for a moment, Kakashi saw a flash of snow white skin that stood out in the shadows. Short, white hair and arms full of something. The person was running, he was quick to launch off that roof top and onto the next and so on in an attempt to catch up.

"Hey you!" he shouted.

The person ran faster, forcing Kakashi to send more chakra to his feet to keep up.

"Get back here! It'll be easier for you if you do!"

He was ignored, and he noticed that the person was not running confidently as he expected a thief to, but in terror. It was fear that was driving them, but fear and something else.

He dodged an orange that was thrown at him, weakly, he might add.

"Now I'm mad!" he sped jumped down onto the ground as the person took off into the surrounding forest. "Please! Go away!" he recognized the fearful voice as female.

"You've been stealing from the village for weeks! You think I'd just let you go?!"

"I'm sorry! P-please leave me alone!" he could hear that she was crying. She kept running, breathing heavily.

She glanced up at the sun as it fell behind the mountain and ran harder. "You don't understand! Please go!"

Kakashi blinked dirt out of his eye and when he regained his sight, she was gone. He knew she couldn't be far.

He eyed the surrounding trees, large and a few had holes in the bottom. He scanned the canopy first, but she wasn't there. Looking at the grass, he noticed the slightest disturbance just in front of a burrow under a tree.

"Come out of there!" he commanded.

He could hear her whimpering and small vibrations in the tree that told him she was cowering. He rolled his eyes and stuck his arm in to grab her but was shocked when teeth clamped on his hand.

"hey!" he took his arm back.

"P-please go." She said quietly, voice croaky from crying.

"You can't steal from a shinobi village and expect to get away with it."

"I...I have before. Please leave me. I don't want to kill you."

Kakashi couldn't help but laugh. "Kill me?" He swiftly reached in the tree and grabbed her arm, yanking her out. She was lighter than he expected. Smaller too. He secured her wrists quickly with a rope and pulled her by her hair to her knees so he could look at her face. "Don't flatter yourself. By the looks of you, you are about ten pounds underweight and..." he looked at the rest of her. "...starving."

She was pale as moonlight, hair to match. Short in height and lacked muscle. She had a thin face, pointed chin, upturned fairy-like nose and slightly too prominent high cheek bones. She was absolutely tiny in every way. She looked every bit like she needed what she stole, but it could not be justified. Theft is theft.

"Look at me."

She whimpered, but obeyed. He was surprised to see bright, yellow-green eyes. They seemed to begin to glow. She had no headband, and no shoes. In fact, it looked like she was wearing dress made from pillow cases.

"P-please go. NOW!" her voice grew strong and powerful all of the sudden as the moon rose. Her eyes turned yellow and her thin body began to tremble. There was a sense of uncontrolled, raw power that cracked around her thin form, creating little vibrations in the air that the ninja took as a que.

Kakashi took off to a safe distance and watched as tees collapsed and were thrown. He had to tell the Hokage as soon as possible!