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It was late at night when Itachi and Ayame reached Amegakure. The moment they snuck into the village, they were spotted by shinobi actively patrolling the city.
Despite the surprise, the two young geniuses ran from the shinobi and managed to hide. Unknown to them, the entire village was under curfew. The target of their mission the Akatsuki had clashed with Hanzo of the Salamander a few days prior, causing the village to fall into panic. Hanzo's subordinates now roamed the village at all hours, trying to locate Akatsuki members and their allies.
Many small merchants and vendors both innocent and those colluding with the Akatsuki had already been caught and punished.
It took a few hours for Ayame and Itachi to gather all this information.
"Ugh, shit!" Ayame cursed in frustration. Of course this had to happen during the one mission she had selected. She cursed her luck.
What she didn't know was that the mission she chose from her mother's desk was one that had no properly assessed threat level. It was labeled B-tier only due to the involvement of one slippery bastard named Danzo. Tsunade was keeping a close eye on the one-eyed old fool.
She knew of his shady dealings and was gathering evidence to end his political career once and for all.
She had planned to dispatch Minato or Sakumo to handle the case, but doing so wasn't easy. Both were S-rank shinobi and war heroes. Every move they made was closely watched by spies from all the major villages, not mention doing so would alert old hawk.
With few choices, she had considered dispatching someone else—but couldn't find anyone suitable. Although the mission was labeled B-tier due to a lack of information, Tsunade was sure it was far more dangerous due to Danzo's involvement not to mention Hanzo could be a factor as well.
Sending shinobi like Kakashi would be too risky, as the young man was still inexperienced.
Unfortunately, Ayame knew none of this. And now, she had thrown herself into something she couldn't quite handle.
"I think we should retreat and return to the village," Itachi suggested softly. The mature boy's eyes had turned crimson as he surveyed their surroundings. Currently, they were hiding in the slums. They were lucky enough to find an empty old hut to stay in.
"And what do we tell my mother and your father? That we ran away to take a stroll?" Ayame asked, rolling her eyes.
Even as she said that, Ayame was seriously considering Itachi's suggestion. She was an intelligent girl and knew the situation was spiraling out of control. But her emotions and unwillingness to return empty-handed made her a bit irrational.
"Oh no! They found us. Seven shinobi with Chūnin-level chakra approaching from the southeast," Ayame warned. Her haki flared, and immediately, the two fled the hut, running in opposite directions. They dove and twisted through narrow alleys, parkouring their way forward.
"We have to do something they're on us!!!" Ayame shouted as they took another sharp turn. Suddenly their sprint came to an abrupt halt when they hit a dead end.
"Shit!" Ayame cursed as she prepared to turn around, but the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears.
She panicked for a moment, but quickly prepared to fight. Her matrix came to life as chakra pumped through her veins. Just as she readied herself, the wall blocking them transformed into paper, revealing a small opening.
Without thinking, she bolted through it, Itachi close behind.
"What?! Where did they go?"
"I sense a large chakra signature two blocks away!" voices rang from behind the now-restored wall. But Ayame and Itachi paid no attention. Instead, they stared intently at the three figures standing before them.
Their eyes carefully examined the trio, playing out possible scenarios for what would happen next.
Itachi and Ayame glanced at each other as one of the men stepped forward. His orange hair and warm smile reminded Ayame of Kushina-nee's boyfriend, Minato.
Thinking of Kushina, Ayame glanced at the redhead possessing weird eyes, wondering if he was related to her beloved Kushina-nee.
"I see you guys are also running from Hanzo's goons," the orange-haired man said with a smile that almost made Ayame and Itachi drop their guard.
That alone made them even more vigilant.
"Sheesh~ no need to be so tense. If we meant harm, we wouldn't have saved you from those goons," the orange-haired man said, raising his arms in mock surrender.
Ayame and Itachi looked at each other and lowered their guard… though only on the surface.
"Good! Now let me introduce us. I'm Yahiko. The gloomy guy behind me is Nagato, and she's Konan," Yahiko said, pointing his thumb to his chest.
"Itachi of Konoha."
"Ayame of Konoha."
Ayame and Itachi introduced themselves as per protocol. They didn't mention their clan names, to avoid anyone becoming greedy over their bloodline abilities or seeking revenge on their clans.
They revealed Konoha affiliation only because they were wearing the village's protectors on their foreheads.
"Konoha shinobi, huh? You guys know that pervy sage, Jiraiya?" Yahiko asked, making both of them nod. A small smile emerged on Yahiko's face as he continued.
"What's that old man up to these days?"
Ayame and Itachi looked at each other, unsure how to respond. Eventually, Itachi answered.
"We don't know… Lord Jiraiya is an S-rank shinobi. His status isn't something we genin are informed about."
Hearing that, Yahiko nodded, a bit disappointed.
"Ohh! That's quite alright."
"Mmm… may I ask what your relationship is with him?" After a moment of silence, Ayame probed.
"Oh! He was our teacher," Yahiko said. "You guys seem hungry want to eat something?"
Itachi and Ayame nodded, part of their vigilance slipping away. Especially Ayame, as she remembered her mother mentioning Jiraiya had taken three disciples during the Second Shinobi War.
Yahiko smiled and led them deeper into the building. As they followed Yahiko, Ayame noticed Konan leaving through a wall.
"Where is Konan-san going?
"Konan? She's going out to restock our supplies and gather information from our people," Yahiko answered, prompting Ayame to nod and continue silently walking after him.
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An: My exams are in full swing. Fortunately they end on 30th may