Finding My Ninja Way: A Naruto Fanfic

Chapter 7: Chasing A Feeling

Sunagakure- the Village Hidden in the Sand - definitely felt further away from Konoha than it was said to be. I could've sworn a week's time passed quickly before my eyes- day and night a turntable of a judgement call.

We lept upon tree branches for hours, and although Zenomaru and Akamaru took turns glaring at one another, that was about the only communication shared between us four that happened right until we reached the security boundary outside of the Sand Village.

"Lady Tsunade said something about a merchant. If memory serves me right, the password is still in my mind, but vaguely."

"I remember it perfectly," I stated. "I guess you really weren't paying attention during the debriefing, which is only, oh I don't know, the most important detail in a mission assignment."

He grunted, not looking my way. "Just stay by my side, Fang. We don't know anything about this Takihiro guy. He could possibly assume we're looking for him and may have spies out to claim our heads."

"Really?" I asked, giving an unsure look. "I wouldn't think so. With Gaara as Kazekage? That's something he wouldn't let happen. That would threaten the alliance of our nations."

He glared at me, annoyed.

"Did I say they were going to be Sand Shinobi? It could be some from a different village. It's also possible he may know people who work to collect bounties."

"I think you're going a bit overboard here, Kiba," I muttered. "Our instructions were clear. Arrive in Suna, seek out the informant, and then leave. We're not on some dangerous S-Rank mission-"

"Any mission given by the Hokage or a former Hokage is considered an S-Rank! They don't just go to anyone for this sort of stuff! We could be on a simple Recon route and it'd drastically change into a full-scale battle! Just take Lord Seventh as an example. It started out as a chase to find Sasuke back when he was younger, and next thing you knew, a war broke out. It may not be entirely linked. Maybe it was a plan set in motion from the start. Before any of us were born. Either way, stuff like that can happen."

I sighed. "When you think about stuff like that, your mind wanders from the task at hand. We need to keep it simple. Focus on where we're at, what he need to do-"

Kiba suddenly planted his feet on a long branch and stopped moving, Akamaru in perfect sync to his left. Noticing this abrupt action, Zenomaru and I did the same.

"What do I have to do to get it through your head  that this mission may not be as simple as it sounds, Fang?"

I shrugged. "I'm not trying to argue with you here. I'm just giving an honest opinion. It's worked for many other squads and cells. Being careful is fine and all, but acting hostile in such a way will definitely raise suspicions."

"And I'm just saying to stay by my side. What do you think will happen once we find this Uchiha guy? How will Sasuke react? Will we have to fight it out or will they come completely clean? They haven't said much to Lord Seventh, and to be perfectly honest with you, Sasuke may have changed, but who's to say what kind of secrets he still hides in the black heart of his?"

I folded my arms across my chest and shot an intense stare. "You think I don't understand that? You think I'm not ready to lay my life down for something as simple as a Recon mission? Do I want it to come down to a battle? No. I want to get this done as quickly and as cleanly as possible, and that can't happen if you keep treating this an an assassination assignment. So can we please just focus on finding the merchant first?"

He didn't say anything for a few seconds, Akamaru whining at his feet. Then, he took a deep breath, showed signs of calming down, and placed his hands on his hips.