Chapter 3

-Unwavering Loyalty

"So what's today's training going to be like? Gonna slice us to death again?" Toshi asks while tying her strawberry colored hair back into a bun.

"Heh. Not too rigorous today Toshi, but it will require the same determination," Shizake says, scanning the tree line of the forests surrounding them.

"Just spit it out already..." Shītto groans, looking up at the sky.

"Hm. In the forest I've set up training dummies armed to the teeth with traps. Your objective is to sneak around from dummy to dummy, dismantling the main trap attached to the dummy. Now besides the contraptions I've attached to the dummies, I've set up other traps within the forest so you have to be extra vigilant. I'll be watching from safe points I've designated myself," Shizake explains.

"Sooo...you are trying to kill us again...?" The young girl says with a whine in her voice.

"You'll be fine out there Toshi. Just don't get caught off guard, most of the traps are non-lethal anyways."

Shozen lifts his head up, a question present in his mind, "So how do we dismantle the traps?"

"Hm. That's up for you to find out. So good lu-"

Shizake's words are interrupted by a jonin dropping into the training grounds. He gets up from landing in a crouching position and looks up. In his mouth is a senbon, a lazy expression settled onto his face.

"Genma?" Shizake asks aloud.

"Yo. The Hokage needs you four immediately. There's a disturbance in the village," He says nonchalantly.

"We were just about to get to training," Shozen says.

"It's urgent," Genma finishes before flickering away in a blur.

"Well I suppose we have to see what this is about. Lets go Team Kari." Shizake commands, leading his squad back towards the village.

The three hastily charge through the village once they make it back from the training grounds. They leap over the roofs of the leaf village, the cold air still bombarding them. Villagers, mainly children, look up from ground level while gazing at the ninjas in awe. Small piles of snow cascade off the roofs from team Kari landing and pushing off the ground in order to propel them selves. In no time they make it to the Hokage building where they see Lady Tsunade standing outside of entrance, a specially made Hokage cloak wrapped around her body. Two ANBU guard stick closely to her side staring upon the approaching squad lifelessly behind their masks.

The four-man squad walks up to the village leader, bowing in respect. Tsunade nods before saying, "We have your first assignment..."

"What is it my lady?" Shizake replies. Curiosity tugs at his mind but he mustn't show it.

"There's been a murder."

"So you need us to find the perpetrator?" Shītto asks.

"No. Our investigators already know who's done it. We need your team to track him and do away with him. For good."

Shizake shifts from curious to serious in the blink of an eye, his voice lowering, "So where is he?"

"He's cooped up in a residential home but here's the problem... he's taken hostages. So we need you four to save them as well. A jonin should be here shortly to escort you to the home. Once there things will be in your hands Kouen."

As Tsunade finishes explaining, another jonin by the name of Izumo lands in the thick snow close by. He wears a headband that covers the top of his head, long brown hair covering one eye. The shirt underneath his flak jacket stretches up, covering his chin. He too has a cloak, a thick brown one wrapped around his body.

"Yes my lady. Lets go Team Kari!" Shizake yells, determination coursing through his veins. My first assignment as captain... I won't fail.

The jonin gestures his head, signaling the new ANBU team to follow him. Shizake looks to his teammates who all nod before they begin trailing behind Izumo. The jonin takes the squad through the village via rooftop. Shizake notices as they travel along that they are heading into a less fortunate area of the village. Where the lower class lives as well as poverty struck families. Along the roads he sees homeless villagers snuggled up close to makeshift fires, trying to fight off the unforgiving cold that so plagues the village this time of the year.

Izumo stops at the edge of a three-story apartment complex, looking down at the commotion. Team Kari approaches the edge as well, taking a look at the situation. Around a run down two-story house are dozens of villagers trying to get a peek at what is going on. Higher-level ninja keep a perimeter on the house as to keep anyone innocent from being harmed.

"That's the place. Good luck down there." Izumo says before dropping down into the crowd to assist the other ninja in keeping the villagers away from the house.

"What's the plan Kouen?" Shozen asks.

Shizake scans the building, spotting every detail that catches his eye. Six windows are placed around the house, three for every floor. From this vantage point all that can be seen is a front door. Perhaps there's a back door too. I'll get the jonin down there to cover that exit if they haven't already, Shizake thinks to himself.

"Hmm what does your Byakugan see?" Shizake asks back to his squad mate.

For a minute Shozen is quiet until he clears his throat, "I see three people tied to a chair in there. One person free, walking around the room. He keeps going to the windows, I assume to make sure no one tries anything."

"So he's being vigilant. He's backed into a corner though. Which is why he took hostages. We're going to need two of us to save the hostages, the other two are going to have to take down the perp. No telling what he has up his sleeve."

"Kouen there's a chimney. Me and Shītto could sneak in and come from the bottom up, saving the hostages. You and Shozen could bust through the windows and take him down easily." Toshi adds.

"Hold on Toshi I don't think it'll be that easy..." Shozen says.

"What is it?" She asks while tilting her head.

"Bomb tags... I can read the chakra signatures from here. He's going to blow the whole building apart if anyone goes in."

"Well if we can act quick enough we can stop him from activating them. Toshi and I can be quiet as we go down the chimney, we won't startle him. You two getting in is the problem." Shītto says.

"Shozen, are there bomb tags on the first floor?" Shizake questions, a plan formulating in his head.

"Hmm... yes. He must be planning to obliterate the entire building. I can't believe he's willing to kill himself."

"Toshi, Shītto. I want you to take those bomb tags off the first floor when you enter. Rip them in half, place them on the ceiling beneath the hostages. Make sure you rewrite them to blow on your cue. As we enter you're going to blow those tags at half power so that the hostages drop to the first floor safely."

"It's risky but efficient. How do we know where to put the tags captain?" Shītto asks.

Shozen eyes the building some more using his Kekkei Genkai, "Place one about two feet from the front door, the next one should go about three feet to the right of that one. It should cause the floorboards above to weaken and give out without harming the hostages."

"What if he blows the tags on the second floor before you can apprehend him?"

"Then at least we saved the hostages. Move out team Kari." Shizake commands, all four of them jumping into action.

"But then you'll be dead!" Toshi yells but her words fall on deaf ears. She shakes her head before jumping to the next building, following Shītto.

Toshi and Shītto sneak around to the other side of the home, making sure the enemy doesn't see them. Shizake and Shozen drop down into the crowd, watching intently as their two teammates get into place. Shizake feels a tug on his pant leg, looking down to see a young girl with shiny black hair that is dotted with snow flakes, a big gray shirt that looks ragged, and her arms close to her body to keep warm.

"Please mister..." She begins, trying to hold back the tears, "My big sister is in there. Please save her..."

Shizake crouches down, taking his cloak off his back and wrapping it around the little girl. His eyes meet with hers behind the mask as he slowly nods and ruffles her hair. The girl closely hugs the cloak and watches as the two ANBU make their way through the crowd, approaching the front of it. Shizake calls a jonin over who comes to the perimeter, "Hey is there a back door?" The Uchiha asks the jonin.

"Yes. We have ninja watching it." The jonin replies.

"Good. We're about to move in. Push everyone back another five meters. Things could get ugly here in a second."

"You got it. Good luck." The jonin acknowledges, getting the other ninja to help him push back the crowd of curious villagers.

Shozen nudges Shizake with his elbow, both of them looking up to see Toshi and Shītto give them the thumbs up. After that they crawl into the chimney and begin lowering themselves down.

"Tight fit eh Shītto?" Toshi teases to her teammate.

"No kidding. You're lucky you're small." Shītto replies, struggling to lower himself down.

Shozen observes the two with his Byakugan, making sure they safely make it down the chimney. Once they make it to the bottom Shozen signals to Shizake that it's time to move into place. The two of them jump to the house to the right of the building with the hostages inside of it. They crouch down, hiding behind a stone figure meant as decoration for the building to hide from the enemy. Shozen keeps his Byakugan focused on his two teammates, watching closely as they begin disarming bomb tags and rewriting them to half power.

Shizake activates his Sharingan to increase reaction time as well as to keep focus on the chakra signatures in the room. Sitto and Toshi quietly place the weakened explosive tags under the hostages. Shītto gives another thumbs up which Shozen sees with his Byakugan responding by again nudging Shizake.

Time seems to slow to a crawl, the two ninja feeling their heart beats pounding against their chest. A cold sweat creeps its way through their body, small amounts of anxiety setting it too. All their training has prepared them for moments like these but there's still no escaping the feeling that something could go wrong. Shozen gulps to which Shizake places a hand on his squad mate's shoulder, trying to calm his friend's nerves, "We got this Nitatchi. Take a deep breath and wait for the signal. If somehow things go wrong, use your rotation around the hostages to protect them from the explosion."

Shozen nods his head, settling his pupil-less veiny eyes back on the squad mates inside the building. Shītto raises his hand, putting a one up on with his finger.

"One..." Shozen says aloud. Both Shizake and him plant their feet, ready to jump into action.

Another finger lifts up on Shītto hands, "Two..." Shozen says.

Finally the last finger slowly lifts up on Shītto hand, "Three!"

With a blur, Shizake and Shozen shoot through the windows, glass shattering all around them

BOOM!

An explosion rings out, followed by a second explosion coming from the second story. The villagers cry out, shrieking from the unsuspecting destruction. Smoke billows out of a gaping hole on the second story rising into the sky and filling it with noxious fumes.

Five figures run out of the front door shielding their selves from the smoke that has nearly consumed the area. The Jonin continue to move the villagers back making sure no one else is harmed. The five figures turn out to be Shītto, Toshi, and the three hostages. Shītto cuts the hand ties off the hostages while Toshi runs back to the building, "Kouen!!! Shozen!!!" She screams at the top of her lungs. Where are they?! Where are they?! The girl mentally continues to scream. Her eyes jump around at every inch of the building looking for any significant sign of the two.

Finally one more figure leaps out of the smoke, a lifeless body crashing to the ground near Toshi. She runs over to the body and examines it, finding out that it is neither Shozen nor Shizake. At last two more figures fall to the ground, landing on their feet gracefully.

Electricity buzzes and flickers around Shizake's still tightly made fist, singe marks covering his knuckles. Shozen is covered in soot, a black mark presumably from the explosion marking his mask.

"-cough!, cough!-" That was close..." Shozen says.

"You idiots almost got killed! What happened up there?!" Toshi roars.

"Heh. That second explosion was me."Shizake admits, rubbing the back of his head. "I wanted to make sure we got him so I might have went a little overboard on the attack."

Clap!...clap!...clap!

Soon enough the crowd of villagers collectively joins in, giving the four ANBU a huge round of applause. Shītto walks up to his teammates placing his hands on both Shozen and Shizake's shoulders. The little girl from before runs up with her sister, taking off the cloak and presenting it back to Shizake.

Shizake crouches down, "You keep it." He says warmly, smiling from behind his mask.

The girl lets go of her sister's hand and throws her arms around Shizake, bawling tears of joy. Shizake awkwardly sits there crouched down before softly placing his arms around the girl as well.

"Awwwww..." Toshi coos admiring the child's innocence and gratefulness.

"These are the kind of moments we live for eh Kouen?" Shozen asks while waving at the villagers still applauding them.

A few Jonin run up, examining the dead body. Quickly they seal it into a scroll and approach the ANBU team.

"Good job." Izumo says.

"We didn't think you did it when that second explosion rang out." Genma adds.

"Just make sure their house gets repaired as quickly as possible." Shizake responds.

"You got it." The Jonin nods, going to converse with the other ninja to discuss the situation.

"We must report back to Lady Hokage, move out!" Shizake orders, him and his team leaping up onto a building.