amethyst solitary (naruto u.)

misinterpretation

To Manaka's mounting suspicions, this supposed "meeting place" appeared more ominous than welcoming, even in the morning light. It triggered a wave of dizziness and shortness of breath, her vision swirling uncontrollably as she fought off the sensation of the grilled squid she had eaten threatening to resurface.

Everything happened in a blur; one moment she was walking down a corridor, the next she found herself abruptly transferred into a dimly lit room. It was as if she had blinked and ended up in an entirely different environment, surrounded by shadows and uncertainty.

A startled yelp soon left her mouth as she got roughly thrown to the ground, landing hard on bruised knees. Grimacing at the impact, she struggled to steady herself with her palms, determined not to collapse completely. Despite the pain, she lifted her head defiantly, shooting a venomous glare at the pair standing over her, her hands itching to retaliate.

'Assholes.'

The silence that followed was broken by approaching footsteps, drawing Manaka's wary gaze. A man with long blond hair entered, dressed in a guard-like uniform.

Manaka remained on the ground, straightening her posture, her violet eyes fixed on him as she silently assessed his features, particularly his distinctive long hair.

"Hello, young lady. My name is Inoichi Yamanaka, and I'll be the one conducting a brain scan," he said with a disarming smile, then gesturing towards a nearby chair. "If you'd kindly take a seat over there."

He spoke as though it were the most normal request in the world, leaving Manaka dumbfounded by his nonchalance. He acted as if being forcibly detained and subjected to a brain scan against her will was an everyday occurrence.

Her eyes welled up with tears involuntarily. What did he mean by scanning her brain?

"A-Are you planning to sell my brain to the black market?" Manaka stammered, her voice trembling with fear.

Inoichi tilted his head, perplexed. "Black market?"

Manaka's fear escalated, and she burst into tears, catching Inoichi off guard. He fumbled for words, unsure how to comfort a young girl in distress, especially one who was clearly frightened and distrustful.

"A-Are you going to chop off my limbs and sell my body to weirdos?! I-I swear, gasp!, I haven't done anything wrong! No one believes me. I'm weak-I can barely open doors without struggling. I don't know why Tsunade thinks I'm a threat."

Inoichi's expression softened with empathy as he knelt beside her, abandoning any pretense of official business for a moment. "No, no, young lady. None of that is going to happen. Tsunade-sama believes there's something dangerous you're involved in, but I'm here to understand what's really going on in your mind. Please, try to calm down."

Manaka hiccuped between sobs, her fear slowly ebbing as Inoichi's soothing words began to reach her. She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, still trembling but beginning to regain some composure.

"I-I'm scared," she mumbled, her voice shaky but sincere. "I didn't ask for any of this."

Inoichi nodded reassuringly. "I understand. It's frightening, but I promise you, I'm here to help. If you cooperate with the scan, maybe we can uncover why you've been caught up in all of this."

Manaka hesitated, torn between fear and a faint glimmer of hope that perhaps this man could offer some answers. Slowly, cautiously, she nodded, inching towards the chair with Inoichi's guidance. As she sat down, she stole a glance at him, still wary but willing to cautiously trust that maybe, just maybe, this unexpected turn might lead to some clarity amidst the confusion.