Arc 2 Chapter 7 Part 3- Age: 10.02, Year: 14.02

...

"That was not your call, Shimura," Tobirama whispered beside me as the five of us made our way towards the village gate.

Surprisingly enough, the noble fucker had left his samurai home, electing to make his way to the village alone, which meant he was probably hiding something. Even if the Daimyo's court was in the Land Of Fire, no death-fearing noble would dare travel alone. Hell even without the samurai, these fuckers usually had an entourage of servants- The fact he had no one either meant he really didn't trust anyone else or he was hiding something.

"Are you unhappy about my cost?" I questioned, curious.

Tobirama gave me a side look at that. "...It's not exactly the reward you expect it to be- It has no use in a time where war lies around every corner. The village already has that anonymity"

"Yes. During war, you'd be correct."

"Considering your thoughts on the matter, isn't war all there is?"

"Peace has to come by at some point," I grinned looking up at the man. "You'll thank me for it later."

He gave me a frown for that. "...You understand you can make him a patron in name only, correct?" I nodded at the question. "That in truth you are no more obligated to help him than anyone else that may come through my brother's door?" I nodded again. "That all-"

"Sheesh, I get it! On paper I am the big scary fuck keeping him alive- in reality it doesn't mean shit. I got you!"

He was still frowning at me for some reason. "...And he knows that himself." He remarked, his gaze roving forward to the middle of our line up where said noble was smiling lackadaisically as we made our way through the village. "What exactly is he hoping to get out of having that illusion around him..." The man crossed his arms, his whisper going quieter than before. "...He's gonna have to give up his claim to even get what he wants so..."

"Some people just wanna watch the world burn, Sensei." I broke him out of his musing. "That's all there is to it."

He gave a wary side look at that. "...Are you one of those people?"

I chuckled at that. "Nah, if I was after that, I'd rather burn it myself."

After processing that for a moment, the man let out a sigh. "Remind me to have ninja prospects go through a mental evaluation."

Ninja Therapy is a go baby!

"Sure." I deadpanned to the man and watched him roll his eyes at me.

"Go join your teammates, I'll hold the back of the formation." Tobirama sighed as he closed the gap between us and the noble.

"Sure, sure, just throw the kids to the wolves first, real noble of ya."

As much as Tobirama wanted to hide it, I caught the slight amused look on his face as I passed him by and linked up with Hiruzen and Uta... Uta... Utakane?

Yeah, that was probably it. 

...

That was not it.

"It's -tane." The girl remarked for the third time. "It's not that hard, Danzo!"

"That's Danzo-sama to you then." I deadpanned to her earning the third twitch of the day and we've barely left the village!

"Alright, alright, behave you two." Hiruzen sighed for the third time.

I couldn't help but chuckle as I stopped walking and turned my gaze to the backend of the formation towards the amused noble and somewhat embarrassed Tobirama. "Oi, shitstain-san-" Cue the facepalm from Utakana and shutting eyes from my childhood friend. "Which way are we taking?"

The less amused noble quickly got his expression back under control at the question itself as a smile once again filled his face. "Well, considering the talent there is we might aswell-"

"We'll be taking the Otsukuri route." Tobirama cut the man off before he could suggest something ridiculous, which earned him a frown from said noble.

"...How boring," The man sighed with a shake of his head.

"This isn't a game, Meisai-san." Tobirama remarked passively.

"Yes, yes, very well." The noble shrugged his hands and I promptly turned back ahead and continued on walking with my two favouri- Oh god I couldn't even finish that fucking lie!

One favourite, and one currently staring at me like I was an affront to her world order.

"Right," Otsukuri route that went through... I racked my head for the town name- Ah, Katto town! That's the place.

...Why did I have a weird sense of Deja vu regarding said place..?

I tilted my head in thought- "Are you trying to figure out where we're going?" An amused Tatsutane questioned from beside me. "...Why do I feel like you just got my name wrong in your head?"

"Yes." I deadpanned.

"...To what?"

I looked her in the eye and repeated myself.

Still, ignoring the sense of Deja Vu, I actually did know the way itself and with that in mind, I put my hands together and summoned up five shadow clones, all of them dashing ahead of us, which admittedly caught the girl by surprise and left Hiruzen in a sudden bout of deep thought for some reason.

I idly picked up Tobirama's appreciation for my thinking ahead as well as the noble's sudden worry that I was wasting my chakra early on which immediately amused the former.

"Oi, Danzo." Hiruzen questioned me, evidently done with the thinking and having picked up the nerve to get me to teach him the jutsu- "...You didn't tell your clones to lay a few traps did you?"

I blinked at that and turned my gaze to the brat, a smile rapidly growing on my face as I made to put my hands together- "~Bad Danzo!" The brat had the audacity to smack my hands. "Behave!" He wagged a finger at me. "I failed my first D rank already, I ain't failing my first A!" He whispered, a pleading tone to his voice.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well don't give me great ideas then!" I huffed.

I idly heard the Noble question an exasperated Tobirama on what was going on.

The man lied straight to the fuckers face, telling him we were strategising as a team.

"Freakin' idiot," Utabane whispered from my other side with a loud intentional sigh coming out.

"Freakin' carrier bag." I deadpanned in response, to her confusion. "It means you're getting carried," I added.

She didn't get it both times, unfortunately.

"...I swear it's like you don't realise how great of an opportunity this is," The girl instead elected to say while shaking her head. "Do you know how hard it is to get a mission that pays this well this early for a Genin team?"

I blinked at that, just as Hiruzen nodded and actually answered the girl's question.

Real freakin' low- For good reason, the last time another Genin Team got a mission like this they fucking got the noble killed and got this motherfucker suing the village. Effectively anyway.

Something something, tried to marry a child- Oh right. The main reason I can't stand the fuck.

Honestly, the worst part was he probably didn't even do it for the really fucked up reasons- He probably just wanted a connection to the Inuzuka for his own safety- He just didn't fucking care about the age, just that there was an opportunity to link himself to a ninja clan.

"Did you just admit to becoming a ninja to make money?" I questioned the girl with a raised eyebrow.

She immediately frowned at me for that, "No." She remarked a sullen expression on her face before crossing her arms. "And even if it was... what's wrong with wanting the better things in life?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you suggesting killing people for the better things in life is okay?"

She gave me a very accusing look at that. "...I don't wanna hear that from someone that's actually killed people already."

I shrugged at her. "I am not a ninja for the money, I don't kill people for that,"

"Being a ninja isn't all about killing people you know..?" Hiruzen decided to cut in, a strange tone to his voice.

"It's a big part of the job, Hiru." I let out, somewhat sorry for the expression the words put on his face.

"...Then why do you do it," Koharu questioned in an attempt to stop the sudden silence from taking over on that note.

"'Cos I am good at it," I shrugged.

"...Being a ninja or..." She followed on, a wary expression on her face.

I gave her a humourless smile. "...Don't ask me stupid questions, Utatane."

She blinked at that.

"...So you're still doing that, huh?" Hiruzen sighed from beside me, earning him a very confused look from yours truly. "That thing where you use our actual names just to stick the kunai in a little more?"

"Oh." I blinked, somewhat caught off-guard that I'd gotten the girl's name right. I promptly turned my gaze towards her, "...You don't look like a singer,"

She had no idea what I meant, and neither did Hiru for that matter.

...

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Will be released on the 12/11/2024 (Hopefully)