The six months are up, and I am a changed man! Boy, child... I have changed!
I am apparently a natural when it comes to stealth which is awesome, my river hiding technique, as its now called, combined with normal stealth means that anyone who isn't a sensor will only find what I want them to find.
I haven't quite managed to hide from a sensor yet, but at best I could make them do a double take before they notice me, which is good.
Other than that, however I am decent at sensing now, though only for 20 metres or so.
I've learned a fair few jutsu, though I'm still struggling with earth, oh yeah, I have an elemental affinity with wind and water only, despite my good control of fire and lightning.
As for with genjutsu, well, that's probably where I'm second strongest, I do want to be an assassin after all, not quite a battle wizard. Though I am still a long ways off being able to make my own genjutsu on the fly, right now I still have to rely on generations of trial-and-error to put someone in a realistic illusion.
Other than that, however, I have been 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘭𝘺 educated in hand-to-hand combat, as well as kunai to kunai combat, and even how to use a tanto, which does actually feel pretty cool, and I apparently have some talent with it, granted nothing like the White Fang but I'll take what I can get.
I don't want to talk about shuriken's but in short, I am now not so proudly at the level of an academy student. Stupid frisbees.
Those were all the fun, 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭, lessons, however they weren't the only ones, for example I now know ANBU sign language, as well as a bunch of different codes that have me sure chakra is enhancing my memory otherwise there's no way I would remember all these photocalls and formations and other boring stuff.
Now however I am using shunshin to head home, which just feels 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨, like a roller coaster, 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵~.
It takes hardly any time at all to reach my bedroom window with the shunshin, which by the way, might be my new favourite jutsu, quickly I get changed into my casual clothes, black shorts, a white shirt and a black longline cardigan, and head downstairs to see my parents, who 𝘢𝘳𝘦 home, since its already late.
Deciding knocking is for losers I burst through the doors to the living room.
"HONE~Y I'M HO~ME!!!"
"GAH!" "SHRIEK!"
... Did she just say 'shriek' out loud? the fuck.
"AHH! MY BABY! YOU'RE BACK!"
I could have dodged the coming bear hug but that would be mean, so instead I allow myself to succumb to suffocation. The things I do. People should be grateful to know me.
I can't breathe.
"Darling, I think you should let our son have some air, not to mention, should you really be hugging someone so hard right now?"
Uh. What was that at the end there? I am suddenly having a very bad premonition.
"OH! yes honey you're right! Now sit down my Petal, we have a surprise for you!"
She's smiling but the sinking in my gut has only intensified.
"w-what is it?"
Together they make eye contact and then turn to me as one, and suddenly I feel the world crashing around me.
""You're going to have a little sibling!""
Damn.
"Why?"
Crap. I didn't mean to say that out loud, obviously.
"Well! with you gone for so long, Mummy and Daddy were very lonely, so we decided to make you a sibling!"
I don't even know what to say, do they think I don't know what 'make you a sibling' means? I mean, can a normal kid even survive these idiots as parents?
Damnit, I'm too young to care for a child.
"Well!? Isn't this great!?"
"Uh, yeah, it's great, awesome even, wonderful, one might say, I'm going to grab some food"
Gorging myself on sweets is like the child equivalent of going to a bar to drink away my problems, right?
I spend the rest of the day with my parents, letting them know I've got work early tomorrow so I won't be down for breakfast, before they can complain though I do inform them I should be back for dinner.
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I wasn't told what I would be doing today, but they said that since the war is still raging hot (not going to lie, I kinda forgot about that) they need all hands-on deck, which apparently means I'm starting work tomorrow and today is just some last-minute prep.
Arriving in T&I [Torture and interrogation] in full gear as ordered I see Swallow waiting for me, since her job is basically to just be inside the village to sense for intruders, she has a lot of free time, which she generally used to bother me, and not in the fun way either, since I'm a literal child.
Instead, she would just show up and attack me sometimes, 'gotta keep those instincts sharp kid'.
Wait is assault with shuriken better or worse than the implied paedophilia earlier? Questions for God I suppose.
As I approach, she stays silent and turns to lead the way, I do the same, I was told that while it's fine to be talkative and mess around in private or with other ANBU, but we do have a reputation to keep up, so while in uniform, no unnecessary talking when around non-ANBU.
Eventually we make it down to the prison cells, past a few guard checks, and I get the feeling I know what's coming, which is why I don't bother speaking up even when were alone to ask. Swallow seems to recognise this and doesn't try to explain.
Eventually we meet with a man, who looks like he'd be right at home among *cough* 1940's Germany memorabilia, what with his dark grey military uniform and mean looking face.
"My name is Itami Morino, can you confirm your presence, ANBU-san."
Huh, his name sounds familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it... oh well, probably not important then.
Swallow signs some forms then gestures for me to go through the door that Itami opened, which by the way, couldn't look any more like a stereotypical prison door if it tried.
I walk inside with Swallow a few steps behind me, Itami closes the door, saying to knock when were done, in front of me is a chained woman, a young woman, I am honestly surprised there is still such fire in her eyes as she glares at me, since she 𝘪𝘴 in T&I so I don't doubt she's a rough week to say the least, especially since she's a capture kunoichi.
Swallow just leans on the wall by the door, watching silently.
I focus on the woman, 𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 really, maybe 15?. And after a moment's hesitation, I decide to take off my mask.
She won't survive today, so it doesn't matter if she sees my face, and Swallow already knows, and understands if her silence says anything.
The girl seems surprised but doesn't stop glaring at me.
I repay the glare with a small smile.
"Hey, my names Six, what should I call you?"
She seems to mull over her words for a few moments, moments that I allow her, before she spits in my face. Rude.
"Fuck you."
Wiping the spit from my face, my smile become a little more sad than friendly.
"Thats wasn't very nice, but understandable so I can't really blame you for it. But I really would like to have something to call you in my head other than 'girl'"
I think she is confused, probably assumes this is some ploy for information, which is just silly, what information could she possibly have? Besides who brings a child in to T&I? I conveniently ignore that I am a child in T&I.
But in the end, she is a child too, and she's been suffering and is desperate for some solace in her dark times, at least, that's what I think, is the reason she actually responds, instead of just glaring at me.
"What does it even matter to you? Were enemies, and what are you even doing here? You look younger than my brot-"
She cuts herself off, probably upset about 'revealing valuable intel'. She really is a child, why would we care about your family?
Now, what to say. I suppose I will be honest.
"I'm here because I'm a ninja despite my age, and I want to know you because I am here to kill you, I've never killed another person before, and I guess the higher ups don't want me to hesitate during a mission. But you'll be my first, and I want to actually know you. To know who I'm killing.
"So, what's your name? You said you have a little brother? What's he like? My mother is pregnant with a little sibling right now. What's it like, being the big sister?"
I don't think she was expecting that, and her face goes through a wide range of emotions, from fear, likely realising that yes, I am a ninja, and yes, she is going to die, to confusion to hope to pity and sadness and grief and many others until it finally settles on acceptance.
I think she's realised that she truly is going to die today and understands that it's better to die after a nice conversation than during torture.
"Heh, it's not like I'm anyone important anyway my name is Kazoku Sasageru, my brother is called Kazoku Nashide. He's a little menace really, always getting into trouble,-
She's started crying now.
"-*Sniff* but love him to bits, really. Being a big sister is tiring, but it's a great experience. *Sniff*"
There we go.
Now I know who I am killing, rather than some faceless nobody, this will actually mean something.
Thinking as much I pull out one of my many hidden kunai, Sasageru notices my approach and just stares me in the eyes as she cries, I don't break eye contact as I bring the kunai to her throat, and she doesn't resist as I plunge it to the hilt inside her neck, dying with nothing more than a low whine.
A small amount of blood flows around the blade until I pull it out, which causes her to bleed much faster, as well as catching me in a spray of blood, because honestly, I thought that only happened in anime.
I take a moment looking at Sasageru's cooling corpse and glassy eyes, before I use a small amount of water chakra to clean and dry my kunai and re-holster it.
Then I just stare at my hands, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨, but I'm not feeling grief, or sick.
In fact, I feel amazing, I feel adrenaline in my body, especially in my arms that 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 and the sound of her death keeps repeating in my head and it just makes my arms shake more,
I feel so light, like I'm floating, it's 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨, I feel like I'm high.
The only reason I still haven't turned to face Sparrow is because of how widely I can feel myself smiling. Don't want to creep her out.
Still, I can't just stay here forever, so I put my mask back on, ignoring the blood that's definitely on my face, I get up and turn to Sparrow, who still hasn't said anything.
"so? what now?"
She seems to scrutinise me for a moment, before shrugging and knocking on the door, letting Itami know that we're done here, we proceed to leave for ANBU HQ.
Sparrow tells me to do whatever but to report the Hokage tower in an hour in normal clothes.
I oblige and go back to practicing my sensing, since it's pretty important and I want to get my range up by a 𝘭𝘰𝘵.
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A/N: He~llo! Dear readers!
His first kill! party time!
As for his thoughts at the time, he doesnt care that he killed someone, he wanted to know her so that hed feel more when she died, he IS a sociopath.
Also i dont like it when in stories they always puke after killing for the first time, because to my knowlege thats not true at all, i have heard from a few people that have killed, and while some of them reacted very badly, none of them threw up.
Also Hanabiras reactions to killing for the first time are based on personal experience so no ones allowed to say its unrealistic.
Also this chapter was going to have a therapy session but it already hit 2k and with the therapy is aproaching 3k rn so i decided to split it.
Next chapter therapy!