Naruto : Venom

The Next Morning

Sasuke is still here. I checked, I woke up before him. Everyday that passes the Sound Four could be here. I should have a couple of days, maybe. If there is a spy in Konoha reporting to Orochimaru on Sasuke, they have to send a report and then the Sound Four will be deployed. It should take a day or two for them to get here. So basically each day that passes the odds jump up that he'll leave. I don't like it, but all I can do is wait.

I start packing my clothes and things. No time like the present, I might as well move into my new place. Once I have all my stuff packed, I have surprisingly little, I leave. Sasuke isn't awake yet, I figure I'll let him sleep more. He needs it.

He's been trying to hide it but he's taken Sakura's death hard too. Neither of us have gotten a true good nights sleep in what feels like forever.

I take the civilian route this morning, I've been woken up before from footfalls on the roof. It is not a pleasant thing to wake up to, so I try to not run of roofs in the mornings. That being said, I'm probably good enough to not make too much noise but it is common decency.

"Alvarcus Mar?" Someone calls out to me from behind.

I look over my shoulder, it's a gennin runner. Tsunade is using the fresh from the Academy gennin to run messages for her. It is a smart use of D-rank missions, it gets gennin experience finding people and how to handle sensitive information.

"Yeah that's me. Walk and talk, I have stuff to do." The gennin falls in step beside me. "Make yourself useful." I toss one of my two bags at him.

"OOF! What's in this thing? It's so heavy!" The gennin staggers under the weight of a bag. How cute, physical conditioning is going to be hell for him.

"Nothing much. Just every piece of clothing I own." I smile to myself, I just got free labor. Thanks random gennin!

"Seriously?" The gennin swings the band onto his back, basically making it into a backpack even though it is more similar to a duffle bag.

"Yeah, I'm moving. You just caught me when I'm in the process. What did you want with me anyways? I don't do autographs." I say very seriously. The joke flops, the gennin just rolls his eyes.

"Hokage-sama wants to talk with you." He shares the reason for seeking me out. "Within the hour."

"I'll see her after we drop my stuff off."

I start walking to my house with the gennin following me. It is quite funny, he can leave at anytime. I have no authority over him but he listens to me anyways.

The gennin keeps glancing at me when he thinks I'm not paying attention. His eyes dart to my neck, more specifically my jagged white scar.

"Never seen a scar before?" I sarcastically ask. He's not being subtle at all.

"Sorry. I was being rude." He has the decency to look ashamed.

Good, not everyone would react how I did. Others could be more physically expressive.

"It's just... how did you get it? It looks like your head got cut off."

I pin the gennin with an icy glare. "Kid. You're on very thin ice here. You broke one of the unspoken rules: Don't ask about scars. Almost every scar is associated with a bad memory, don't bring them up. Ever." He is visibly cowed, his head is hung in shame and his whole body is limp in disgrace. "Lucky for you, I don't react badly to questions. Usually." I lazily tilt my head to see the gennin. "They taught this in the Academy."

"I may have missed that day..." The gennin says quietly. He looks like a kicked puppy.

I sigh, I can't be mad at him for asking. I do display my scar to the world so people will ask, but I didn't expect a gennin to have the courage or stupidity to ask. I'll cut him some slack. "You were right, I did get my head cut off."

His jaw drops, he's staring at me in disbelief. He's shocked so badly that we walk the rest of the way to my new house in silence.

"Is it true?" The gennin asks me while we are setting my bags down on my couch.

"Is what true? You have to be more specific." He carried my bag, I can answer a question in return.

"That you are... the Heart Thief." He looks very nervous right now, almost like he regrets asking. He must think I'm going to react violently. "They say you killed a Suna shinobi and took his heart during the invasion. Is it true?"

That was a bad day. Easily my worst day ever.

"Yeah. It's true. So they are calling me the Heart Thief? Could be worse."

"It's really you?" Now he sounds surprised. This gennin isn't making any sense.

"Kid, make up your mind. Either accept it, or don't. It's me. And no, I will not show you the heart." He's starting to irritate me.

"But you're so nice!" He exclaims. "How can someone as nice as you steal hearts? It just doesn't make sense."

"The world is messed up like that." I sigh, I should explain a little. "The guy who I took the heart from killed my family. I don't do that to just anyone, you have to earn that treatment from me. I don't enjoy killing, but I have no qualms against it."

The gennin goes quiet at my words.

"I didn't know about your family. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

Great, now he is self loathing.

"Kid listen. I don't blame you for not knowing. You have to remember that we're shinobi, most memorable events in our lives will be about death. Either you lose someone or you avoid it or you cause it. Just keep in mind that some shinobi won't react as nicely as I did. Honestly its better to ask once you've befriended someone, or you absolutely have to know. Treat titles like you would scars. You now know not to ask me how I have this scar on my neck because I might react badly. Same concept."

The gennin strikes a thinking pose, one arm folded across his chest and the other vertical with his and in a fist beneath his chin. It's adorable, like a puppy.

"I've never thought about it like that. Thanks for the advice. So does that make us friends?"

"Ha-ha! I don't even know your name kid! How can we be friends?"

This kid has charisma, I'll give him that. Only from this one conversation I find myself liking him.

He looks baffled. Why does he look baffled?

"Do you really not know me? I'm the Third Hokage's grandson."

Oh, Konohamaru. I forgot he existed. That's bad, he's a relatively prominent character. My future knowledge is fading.

"Who cares if you're the third Hokage's grandson? I didn't ask who your gramps is I asked who you are."

"I'm Konohamaru. You really don't care I'm the Third's grandson?" Konohamaru looks unsure, like he doesn't quite believe me.

"I'm on a team with the Last Uchiha. He isn't the Last Uchiha to me, he's just Sasuke. I don't judge people based on their family, I judge them for them. For all I care you could be the Raikage's kid and you'd still be alright in my book."

"Really?"

He sounds so happy. He must still be stuck in the shadow of his grandfather. That's gotta be really annoying.

"You mean it? You don't care?"

"Not one bit." I assure him. "Now, it's lovely chatting with you but I believe Tsunade summoned me. We can talk some other time. If you can find me, I can't guarantee I'll be in the village. I'm basically a chunin in all but name. It's very annoying, I have the job but none of the perks. Stupid Hokage and wanting to make a point."

...

Hokage's Office

I walk into the Hokage's Office boldly, Konohamaru is right behind me. I don't know why he followed me, he's stuck to me like glue. Oh Kami, did I become his role model?

"Sup Tsunade? You summoned me?"

Konohamaru visibly recoiled at my informal greeting. Tsunade just smiles.

"There's the spunk I'm used to! I have a mission I need you to do." She throws me a scroll.

"I'm on leave for the next two days. You know that, you're the one who gave me the time off." How could she have possibly forgotten that?

"I know. I'm cutting it short." She says in a no nonsense tone. "There is a group of bandits harassing civilians on the road to Otafuki Gai. I need you to take care of them."

This sucks, I'm supposed to be on leave. "Why me? Send someone else. Someone not on leave perhaps?"

Tsunade grimaces. "I... may have made a bet with the client."

"Really? Enlighten me." You have got to be kidding me. She made a bet with a client?

"He implied that we weren't capable."

I snort.

"I know, us not capable? How ridiculous. I said we could have it done within the day, and he demanded I put my money where my mouth is. If we finish the C-rank today he'll pay the price of a B-rank. If we don't he owes us for a D-rank."

"That's nice and all, but why me?"

"Oi. Konohamaru. Out." Tsunade orders. "This is a mission briefing, why are you even here?"

"But why? This is interesting!" He pleads his case to stay. He didn't do a good job.

"Either you walk out, or you fly out. Pick one." Tsunade lays down the law.

"Eh, let him stay. It'll be a good experience for him, he can see what a real mission briefing is like." I intervene on his behalf. That being said, it would be hilarious to see Tsunade throw him out a window.

"If he stays he goes with you on the mission." Tsunade threatens. "Still want him to stay?"

"I'll go with you! I'll be really quiet and stay out of your way and everything!" Konohamaru's eyes are full of hope. I think I just upgraded from role model to hero. "I'll even carry your mission bag if you want."

...

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