"This might not be a part of our mission," Hinata noted. "Perhaps they were targeting one of us."
Kurenai nodded as another attempt to get at the truth was accidentally undercut by one of her subordinates. She really had to remember herself to use that telepathy jutsu to prevent this sort of misunderstanding.
The bridge builder's mild look of concern had gone away before it gotten to the point where the jonin could confirm that he was the target.
"That's true," Kurenai said, nodding. I was hoping to provoke our client into confirming or denying that this was aimed at him.
Oh, Hinata apologized.
And hoping to see who they'd target first when they attacked according to their plan, she added for Naruto's benefit. "Now how to figure out exactly why they attacked us."
Kurenai said, glancing over her shoulder toward Ino.
"Not there yet, Kurenai-sensai," she responded with a shrug. "No jutsu like you want."
"Well, I have another idea," the jonin said.
Gozu started to come to with a groaning sound and almost immediately he felt...something push into his mind. A brief sense of panic worked over him as he cast his mind about fervently, trying to force the alien presence away. The presence had just about pushed back out of his mind completely before he finally rallied and succeeded in resisting the attack.
Across the road from him, he watched the young ninja in the heavy jacket shudder as he forced the presence out of his mind.
"Damn," the jonin woman said with a slight hiss. "Guess that's not going to work."
"Kurenai-sensei, I think I s...." the younger ninja, clearly a girl started to say before she was cut off.
"Talk to me over here," Kurenai said, turning toward the other two ninja present. "Keep an eye on these two, we'll be right back."
"Right, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata said, nodding.
That flashy outfit she had henged for some reason seemed gone, but the sword was still at her side.
"You can count on us for sure," Naruto noted.
"Count on them," Meizu, tied up next to his brother, said snidely in a low undertone. "With where they choose to sit and watch?"
Whispers carried too far and were too noticeable to truly get secrets across.
"Sitting way over there they can't even hear us, idiots," Gozu agreed. "Is the rapper-girl the one..."
"Hmph, she tried me too," Meizu noted. "She did fail, didn't she?"
His brother gave him a suspicious look.
"Tsh, Zabuza would have my head if I let such a weakling get me," the other snapped bitterly. "Where's the target, why might still be able to get free and get our fee."
His brother nodded momentarily at that and then burst into smoke to reveal another copy of that blonde-haired kid who immediately stood up past the henged ropes that had been supposedly holding him which also disappeared from view.
"All right," the second Naruto said. "Thanks for that!"
Gozu could only stare as the boy walked over toward the other one of himself and the purple haired Hyuga.
A few minutes later, the jonin came back with the jacket-girl and another of those clones.
Had he just been...played?
"We can be thankful these two are idiots," Kurenai said aloud as she glanced back toward the trees she'd left the two ninja tied too, out of sight of each other.
Then she turned to look toward Tazuna.
"This is what we have," she said. "These are missing nin of Kirigakure and they mentioned the name Zabuza, a more prominent Kirigakure missing name. You are the target. And this is at least a B-rank mission."
Tazuna remained silent.
"What do you think? We're not more than a day and a half out of the village and the contract for a C-rank mission is already void given the deliberate misinformation," Kurenai said. "Think we should continue on with this mission, or turn back now?"
"I'm good to go," Naruto said. "Can't be that bad. And it ain't right just to turn our back on someone that needs help."
"I am also willing," Hinata said.
Ino frowned as the question came to her, she hadn't done anything when the two had attacked and the only thing she'd done after was fake an attempt to get into their memories with her mind switch technique. On the other hand, if she asked to turn back now...
Gritting her teeth and tightening her fist for a moment before crossing her arms, Ino answered.
"I am not letting some idiots like those two stop me from my first real mission," she said.
"All right then," Kurenai noted. "Let's signal the village patrols to come pick these guys up and move on then."
She turned to Tazuna's silent, ashamed face and smiled.
"Looks like you still have ninja for your problem," she said.
"Failed?!" a short man with big hair demanded angrily. "How could they have failed!? Aren't you supposed to be some kind of hotshot ninja? How could they have failed?"
"Quiet you," Zabuza said. "Who do you think you're talking to. All this means is that you'll have to up the payscale to deal with a Konoha ninja team. Don't worry too much, it's not like that drunken bridge builder could really afford a powerful team. This shouldn't be a problem at all."
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(Posted Sun, 29 May 2011 01:47)
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