8 Black Is Sus

Missions, or tasks separated and ranked according to a set margin of difficulty ranging from A to D, were delegated to those who called themselves Shinobi. From simple household tasks to dangerous undercover operations requiring skill and stealth, each mission was carefully looked over before being slapped with a letter and distributed according to a ninjas rank. The objective and main duty of a ninja was to partake in these missions so as to make life in the Village both safer and more manageable, serving as a both a line of defense as well as a helping hand.

This was what it meant to be a ninja and it was something that Minato seemed more then happy to inform Zetuo about as they both walked along, causally chatting away. It was the sight of these two conversing like old chums that made Kushina want to simply disappear, to head on home and simply go to sleep. However, as much as she wanted to depart, she couldn't do it. Part of the reason being that she felt like she would be admitting defeat, having followed the two of them for the past fifteen minutes.

The other reason was because there were questions that needed to be answered, questions she wasnt willing to wait to ask. Nearly every single one of the questions centered around the black haired individual, the boy with the numerous scars lining his arms, legs, and neck.

Where had he come from? Who was he exactly? How could he see the Nine-Tails sealed away inside of her? Why was he so calm about everything despite having, according to what she overheard from Minato, memory loss? So many questions revolved around in her head, questions she couldn't answer due to being mostly braindead from the C rank mission she had just went on.

Kushina had just gotten back from a recent escort mission when everything had gone down, from falling off of the roof to having a short powwow session with Zetuo next to the giant red fox. Her emotions had already been wound up a little before meeting the black and blonde haired boys, hence why she had immediately lashed out at the youth even when he was clearly being genuine, and it was this reason why she felt she absolutely needed to get to the bottom of it today. She was being VERY impatient and embraced it rather then fighting against it.

(("I swear. I'll get to the bottom of this once blondie over there leaves.")) Kushina thought to herself as she stared at their backs. She hadnt particularly liked Minato before this, mainly picturing him as an unreliable and sissy like boy. Her opinion of him hadnt really changed much, but she did like the color of his hair and how fluffy it looked. Other then that, she felt that he was more in the way at the moment and kept internally screaming for him to move so she could begin the interrogation.

"Oi, Red," Zetuo shouted, his voice cutting through Kushina's thoughts like a hot knife through butter. "Are you just gonna skulk around behind us or do you wanna come up and join the chat?"

The redhead winced, bright blue eyes focusing in on the black haired youth, of whom had stopped walking to wave towards her, black eyes filled with hints of amusement and curiosity. He wore rather odd clothing but it oddly suited him, giving him an air of mystery and causing Kushina to wonder even more of just whom this youth was. Above all else, this boy was just far too casual and easygoing about everything for him to have any form of memory loss. It was painfully clear what a stupendous lie the supposed "amnesia" was and Kushina had reason to believe that even Minato was aware. Her need for answers tripled in that instance.

"I have things I wanna know, Zetuo Tetsuya," Kushina exclaimed, pointing her index right into the males face. She had no intention of waiting any longer, patience having never been her strong suit. "You're gonna answer them wether you like it or not."

"Okay," Zetuo answered, no hesitation in his voice. "Whatcha wanna know?"

Kushina faltered slightly but quickly recovered. She hadnt been prepared for open cooperation, half expecting the stranger to be more on the defensive and closed off, keeping his secrets as closely guarded as possible. "Why are you able to see the Nine tails?"

Zetuo tilted his head as he pondered this question, unsure of how to respond. He had thought ahead and cooked up plausible responses to any question thrown his way, one for each possible route things could have gone which, of course, included this situation.

There were two scenarios in which this could go.

The first one was, obviously, to lie his ass off while applying his impeccable facial expressions to seal the deal. He had no doubt he could either buy their belief or, at the very least, ease their suspicion to some degree. This way of doing things was, quite easily, the best choice for him to take in the short term and would be the ideal scenario for him to take. At the moment he couldnt really afford to let his alibi of having amnesia slip due to how weak he was.

Of course, this was only if one considered the short term aspect. It was quite easy for the average joe to overlook the route for the long term which actually was almost just as good as the short one.

This lead Zetuo to the second idea which was to tell these two the full truth. To tell them everything in an attempt to gain their full trust and put faith that they would not only keep his secret but also help him. Should it work, Zetuo would have not one but two allies who could provide him the information that he himself lacked. There were cons to the plan but those could be rectified by himself if he played his own cards right, leaving the long term plan as the best one. Once again, this was something only he was capable of as he had the knowledge and experience needed to pull it off.

(("Okay, so lets begin the scenario then and simply adjust to how they act.")) Zetuo thought as everything flashed through his head at a speed akin to light. (("Step by step process which will bring me along the lines least likely to kill or permanently injure me."))

Zetuo stayed silent for a moment as Kushina stared at him, Minato saying nothing as he watched the two of them. It was almost like time had stood still for the three of them as red and blonde waited for black to speak up and answer the question. This was what the youth wanted, to build up tension by delaying his response so the impact would hit that much harder. It was simple strategy but a somewhat effective one if done correctly.

Dropping his voice to an almost whisper, Zetuo made sure itd be difficult for others to hear his next words. "Would you rather do this here or in private? I'd much rather not be overheard by others. I'm sure you understand."

Kushina retracted her finger after Zetuo finished speaking, her blueish hues narrowing suspiciously. She had no reason to trust this stranger any more then she had to abide by his own need for secrecy, but despite that, she didnt say anything else. He was so calm and collected despite being so obviously weaker that she had to wonder why he managed to keep such a straight poker face. Her curiosity was undoubtedly peaked but she wondered if the youth would even bother to tell them real truth should he be provided the chance.

"Alright, I'll take you up on your offer then." Kushina said, reluctantly agreeing. "Lead the way Zetuo Tetsuya."

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Minato, in truth, had known for a while that Zetuo hadn't lost his memory.

While he had had his own suspicions about his new black haired friend for quite a bit, the real part that had tipped him off was when the two of them had begun discussing hair styles and Zetuo had fluently listed off a few without pause. Minato hadn't brought it up in that specific moment because of Kushina throwing an unsuspecting punch, but it had been something that had made his eyes open wide. He wasn't one to question a mission handed down by higher ups as they probably had a good reason for lying, but it didn't stop him from being IMMENSELY curious about the secrets the youth was hiding.

This was one of the reasons he hadn't stopped Kushina from questioning him and also why he didn't object when she followed the two of them back to what was supposed to be Zetuo's new place of residence.

It wasn't any place fancy, just a room that was a part of an apartment complex, featuring a simple kitchen and a moderately sized room. As far as Minato was aware, this place and every room around it were used to house guests who visited the village, from travellers to envoys from other villages. It was also a destination that was being constantly watched and usually used for those who weren't fully trusted. Just being in this place told Minato all he needed to know about Zetuo's current status.

"Okay, so do you care to spill the beans now?" Kushina asked, her voice rather harsh for someone whom Minato found to be rather cute. "We're all alone now, or do you have more excuses?"

Minato wanted to tell her to tone it down a bit, but she was actually saying something he himself wanted to ask, albeit in a more polite tone. He wanted answers but at the same time he felt like Zetuo had no real reason to share if he didn't want to as he already had an approval of sorts from the top. If Kushina kept pushing for answers, he was worried that the male would clam up and refuse to give them anything. Still though, he said nothing, letting the redhead control the flow as he looked on, deciding to take a spectator role for the time being.

The youth in question ignored the redhead entirely as Minato had expected, instead opting to look around the building, searching nearly every nook and cranny. From the way Zetuo was wandering, it was clear he was searching for something, checking in and under drawers as well as under the bed. However, after scouring the contours of every corner and coming up empty, Zetuo walked back to the kitchen where Kushina and Minato stood and let out a breath.

"What are the odds of someone listening in to the conversation?" Zetuo asked directly, black hues glancing from Kushina to Minato.

(("Ah, so thats what he was going for. That's actually a smart play and something I should've known on the first glance.")) Minato thought internally, slightly ashamed at not having thought of it. (("I feel so dumb all of a sudden. Did I let my guard down or let my need to ease my own curiosity cloud my own focus? So weird."))

"The chances of you being listened in on are moderate," Minato answered as he leaned against the counter. "Nevertheless, Id still like to hear what you have to say."

"Or are you not gonna tell us? Cause I'll punch you again," Kushina chimed in.

"Easy there Red," Zetuo responded, making Kushina clench her fists in apparent annoyance. "No need to get violent on me. Lets start at the beginning and make our wat from there shall we?"

"Call me Red one more time-"

"Then what would you like to be called? Gorgeous? Beautiful? That chick with the amazing red hair?" Zetuo casually listed off a few compliments as if they were nothing, his cool facade easily stopping Kushina in her tracks. "Look Kushina, just give me a moment to talk and then we can continue this okay?"

Kushina opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She was clearly flustered at how easily he had spouted the praises, leaving her unable to refute anything that had been said. She had never been good with compliments, having only dealt with insults and jokes about her abnormally red hair, so when faced with fluffy words she just wasn't sure how to reply. In the end, she merely closed her mouth and fell silent.

Minato took notice of this tactic that Zetuo had used and filed it under "potentially useful" information. As far as he could remember, the redhead had always had an explosive temper and couldn't easily be silenced by normal means, but Zetuo had pinpointed her weakness in such a short amount of time. No doubt this was because of the same reason Kushina had already known Zetuo's name before officially meeting him. It seemed there was quite a few details he was currently missing, the interaction of black and red being one of them.

"Okay, so lets just dive right in shall we?" Zetuo said as he took a seat on the floor. "All I ask is that you wait till the end and try to keep an open mind. What I say doesnt leave this room if you dont mind. Id prefer to live past 13."

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"Okay, so you're basically saying that your not from this world, you have pretty bad luck, and you'll probably die if we dont help you out." Kushina tapped her chin as she perfectly summarized around ten to fifteen minutes of information.

"That is pretty much the crux of what I'm saying, yes," Zetuo responded, his voice as steady and calm as ever, making it hard for Minato to pick out any form of lies. "I mean none of you any harm, have no way back, and would LOVE some assistance if you could spare some."

As hard as everything was to believe, Minato actually found that the boys story checked out on all different accounts. The youth coming from another world was backed by the secrecy and lies given by Inota as well as Zetuo's blockage of chakra. The bad luck was proven by him not only getting punched by Kushina as well as her landing on him, but also when he had first appeared in a world much more dangerous then his own. From everything he had heard and was aware of, the chance of the youth dying was actually pretty low considering he had most likely lived his whole life with the curse. More then likely Zetuo just wanted to ensure his survival further by placing his trust in someone else.

It was a huge risk that the black haired boy was taking and Minato actually felt somewhat good that the youth thought so highly of him.

Kushina on the other hand seemed to have a different mindset as was made clear when she stood up from the spot on the counter from which she had been perched and walked up to Zetuo, getting up in his face. For the first time since Minato met the boy, his facial expression changed from a calm and intelligent one into one of blatant discomfort as he leaned backwards, attempting to put some distance between his face and the redhead. The blonde youth wasn't sure where the girl was going with it, but he felt that violating his personal space was quite rude on a few levels.

This stare down lasted a few seconds before Kushina finally stepped back, her blue eyes completely serious. "Why arent you afraid of anything despite being somewhere so new and dangerous? How have you survived so long on this bad luck? It just seems so sketchy. Are you faking everything or are you just ignorant of the danger you're in?"

Once the girl finally backed down, Zetuo seemed to regain his composure as he stood straight, the blackest eyes Minato and Kushina had ever seen staring back at them.

"Make no mistake, I didn't live through my life on ignorance or mere facades. Did you grow up to FAKE being a ninja? Did you learn your 'jutsus' and techniques so you could NOT go on missions?" Zetuo waved his hand when Kushina tried to rebuttal, immediately cutting her off. "Everything I've done and accomplished was because of my own work, skill, and intelligence. That's not gonna change just because I'm somewhere new."

Kushina nor Minato continued this line of conversation, seeing an immediate red flag that made them change track. While they were obviously physically superior, the intelligence and ominous aura Zetuo gave off naturally made them divert from the current line of thinking and onto other topics such as future options.

"So what now?" Minato asked, hoping to switch the mood around. "What exactly do you want us to do for you? Gathering information on history and such to give to you? Teaching you chakra control...if you can even use chakra?"

Zetuo chose to ignore the obvious attempt at switching lanes, not wanting to escalate things that could prove detrimental to him. He was on the right track, things having worked out far better then he could've hoped, and all he had to do was wrap it up and hoped they said yes. Of course, he had to offer some form of compensation for their troubles otherwise this relationship would be bound to crumble sooner ot later. Even if the odds of them ditching him was low, hed rather it be as close to nonexistent as possible.

"I'll be willing to offer you money for information offered," Zetuo said, having already explained the contract with the old man previously. "In addition, if you need assistance in the future, I'll be there no questions asked."

"Is it okay if I think about it for a bit?" Minato asked, not wanting to make any hasty decisions. "I actually have to go and repirt the results of my mission."

"I also have to go back and report the results from my own mission," Kushina said, lying through her teeth. In truth, she just wanted to go home and attempt to digest the load of information she was just given.

Zetuo let out a sigh. He had known it wouldnt be as easy as that, such simplicity never existed similar to how a guarantee was never given. Problems arose and unexpected complications hindered progress on the daily, but the only thing he could do was accept it and move on, making up the next plan as he went. Staying ahead of the game was the key to his own survival, most often forcing him to make plays near ten steps ahead of the opponent called life.

"Alright, we can pick this back up later if you want." Zetuo waved his hand and the two, without a single goodbye, departed. "Of course, bidding me farewell wouldn't freakin hurt."

//Have no fear, I'll probably be updating a chapter today my dear fam. Gotta keep the fans happy. Make sure to drop a review

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