Smoke and Lightning (A Naruto Fanfiction) [Complete]

Chapter Eight: The Fall of a Shinobi

A/N: Warning, lots of violence and blood ahead.

It had rapidly become clear that the strange trio wouldn’t be leaving the village by their appointed time. If anything, they would be leaving rather late.

Miki regarded the sun’s position in the sky with pursed lips.

“Kakashi-senpai is bad at keeping time,” Tenzo commented, noticing how tense the girl seemed to be.

She gave a silent nod, acknowledging the statement and dismissing it at the same time. Her arms were lightly crossed over her chest, her hair once again securely braided over her shoulder. She’d begun the habit shortly after they’d been assigned to Team Four- it kept her hair from getting in the way when she needed to get her katana. Hisoka had ignorantly suggested just cutting it, earning himself a forehead flick from Hikari for the idea. When he complained, she’d informed him that Miki’s fiery hair was too pretty to cut and that she’d make him eat his words if he even suggested cutting it again.

Miki, personally, had no problems with the idea beyond that she knew Kaminari enjoyed fixing her hair on the occasions that she forgot to. Something that, much to the older woman’s amusement, Miki did more often than most people would think. The girl had grown up without a need, or want, to care for the wild mess- it was one habit that she’d had issues getting out of.

“Ah, you’re already here.”

Startled, she turned her eyes away from the sky to where Kakashi stood. The shinobi had one hand raised lazily in greeting, a traveling bag tucked over his shoulders. Miki eyed the bag with a frown, her own back bare. Noticing her gaze, Kakashi shrugged.

“It’s for just in case. We don’t have a medical-nin with us.”

A frown tugged onto her lips, but she didn’t say anything. Instead she pointedly turned her back and started through the gate. Kakashi, seemingly unconcerned, simply followed after her. Tenzo fell into step beside him, eyeing his team leader with slight interest.

“You were late.”

“I got lost on the path of life.”

“Oh.”

With that cleared up, the group fell into silence. Miki, a silent person usually, was too preoccupied by thoughts of what laid ahead of them to start conversation. Kakashi was likewise preoccupied with thoughts. Tenzo, never the type to start conversation on his own, was simply content traveling in silence while studying the red-headed girl ahead of him. He’d heard the rumors, but that didn’t mean he found it easy to wrap his mind around.

The Iburi clan had all been wiped out, with the exception of one girl, a girl who wasn’t Miki. Not only that, but her appearance didn’t match up with what he’d seen. The Iburi clan all had dark colored hair and eyes. Miki’s hair was anything but dark.

Yet the rumors said that she held the bloodline limit that belonged to the Iburi.

He had a good reason to be curious about her, and a good many questions he might have asked if he’d felt so inclined. The knowledge that the girl was like him, however, had killed many of his questions before they’d completely formed. She’d been taken from Orochimaru, which was an answer unto itself. He had abilities he shouldn’t have had, and wouldn’t have had, if it wasn’t for that man’s experiments.

It was this realization that halted his questions. If her memories were anything like his- they were better off left alone.

Maybe answers would come with whatever they would find at the inn.