Birds of a Feather
Chapter Three: Hunter
Istoria

"So I told her, with skills like hers, she'll go real far."

The assembled group laughed at the end of the joke, tipping sake bottles and spilling ashes all over the forest floor. The camp fire burned slowly in the background, providing heat and light in the cool September night. A rabbit roasted slowly on a spit, its meat picked at by the men as they paused from joke telling to enjoy their dinner.

A black Labrador nuzzled its owner's hand, begging for the bit of meat there. He looked down at it and tousled its ears with a smile. "Yes, yes, here you go," the owner said, letting the dog lick his fingers clean. "You did well today so you deserve a treat."

"Well enough anyway," another hunter replied. "I won't say I'm not glad for the hordes of pheasants and rabbits we brought in. They'll bring us a pretty penny. But I was hoping for the real prize."

"Then you're a fool," the third hunter said. "No team has come back from that hunt."

"It's just a ploy to keep people away."

The dog at his feet suddenly shot its head up. The hunters fell silent as the dog sniffed the air. Around them, the rest of the pack was on its feet, sniffing around them.

"Do you smell that?"

"It's... sweet..."

The dogs began to bark and growl, several started to back up. The hunters reached for their bows just as the trees in front of them moved. At first it looked like there was nothing there. Then its shape became clear. But by then, all the hunters were dead.

The Tengu Aviary loomed in front of her, its height barring the sun's morning rays from blinding her anymore. Sakura attempted to enjoy the view but Ibiki was already several steps ahead of her.

She moved quickly, catching up with him. Ibiki arrived at the door, knocking it gently after a moment's paused. A few seconds later, it slid open revealing a tall, skinny elderly man.

The man's eyes locked onto Ibiki, the trace of a scowl on his face. "Good morning, Ibiki-san."

Ibiki bowed, Sakura following suit. "Good morning, Tengu-sama. Please accept my condolences on the loss of your sister."

The other man stiffened even more. "She died for her village, as she would have wanted." He paused for a moment. "If you have come to pay your respects, the service will be held this afternoon."

"I have, unfortunately, not come for that alone," Ibiki stated. "I wanted the chance to speak with you about certain matters."

Sakura watched as Tengu's grip increased on the door. "What matters would those be?"

Sakura could feel the tension between them. She watched Ibiki, trying to understand what he would do next. Ibiki had seen the way Tengu reacted, knew that the other man was not deaf to the whispered rumors of a conspiracy in the village.

"There have been rumors," Ibiki said firmly. "And they've reach the ears of my cousin."

Tengu blinked in surprise, the grip of his hand on the door loosening. "Anna-san?" He shook his head. "Of course, I forgot that she was your cousin. Then I trust you have come here to eliminate those rumors."

"It wouldn't do to have the Tengu clan questioned when at the same time they mourn a hero to our village."

Sakura watched as Tengu's entire demeanor changed. It occurred to her why Ibiki looked so displeased with the list of families Tengu had married into. Obviously, his was one of them. There was a quick hand movement as they entered and Sakura missed a step as she saw it. Ibiki had just given her the signal to go ahead.

"Ano," she said, smiling sheepishly. "I'm really sorry but is there a bathroom nearby?"

Tengu looked at her before nodding and giving her directions. She smiled politely and bounced off, just turning the corner as Ibiki asked for tea. That should give her more then enough time to put Operation Little Lost Girl into effect.
Shikamaru kicked the defenseless rock several feet down the road. He hated being in a bad mood. He hated, even more, that the reason for it was a small knot of worry in his stomach. So rather then spend the last few peaceful moments of the morning staring at the sky, he was headed towards the market which would no doubt be completely swamped with noisy people.

He sighed, trying to figure out who to blame. Ino for not being careful again or Chouji for not being able to alleviate his fears last night. In the end, he realized he only had himself to blame.

He came to a stop in front of the obnoxiously vibrant tent. With a shake of his head, he pulled aside the door and stepped inside.

There was a smell in the air that he couldn't place, a mixture of individual items he would have been able to pinpoint instantly alone. But mangled together, he could only describe it in loose terms.

"Hello!" a happy voice chirped out at him.

An elderly woman appeared, her clothes somehow matching and clashing with the tent at the same time. She whirled towards him, bells jingling on her belt.

"My, my, a young man. Usually I get young ladies but it's nice to see a man take charge of finding himself a wife, even at such a young age."

Shikamaru's mood shifted from stunned to annoyed quickly. "I'm not here to find a wife."

"Oh!" Mabaroshi smiled. "Then a lover... perhaps a young man."

Shikamaru turned several shades of red. "No! I'm not..." He paused and shook his head clear. "I'm here for a friend."

Mabaroshi nodded knowingly. "I see, a 'friend'. And what does this 'friend' need from the greatest matchmaker in the world."

Shikamaru fought to control himself from yelling again. "My friend, she lost an earring last night." Mabaroshi looked unimpressed. "She's blonde about my height..."

The older woman interrupted him before he could finish. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru-kun, but I wasn't even open last night. However, if I see it, I'll let you know"

Shikamaru eyed the woman's smile and then finally let out a begrudging word of thanks. He left the tent, ignoring the woman's attempts to keep him there to make a match. He had no interest in things like that anyway.

Besides, he had other things to worry about. If Ino wasn't here last night then where the hell was she for three hours? He should ask some of the jounin patrols if they had seen her asleep in the park, but he felt he already knew the answer would be no.

He moved towards their meeting place, his pace slowing as he thought things through. Where was Ino last night? Why couldn't she remember anything that happened?

Shikamaru's feet suddenly came to a stop as he formed the next question in his mind. How did the matchmaker know his name?
Sakura remembered the map Ibiki had shown her and the path to the aviary. She moved quickly, passing through halls and taking a few extra halls in order to avoid the more crowded places of the Tengu compound.

She smelled the aviary long before she got there, a mix of bird droppings and grain. She slowed her pace, edging her way towards the open wooden doors. She paused, making sure no one was around before stepping outside.

The chain link walls stretched open into the sky. Large trees brushed the top, straining for freedom while the birds seemed not to care that their sky was partially enclosed. The noises started as soon as she entered but Ibiki had warned her about that. So when the three ninja appeared in front of her, her mind was already into her role.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I was looking for the bathroom and I got lost."

The ninja examined her for a moment, not sure what to do. They continued to look at her but it took a few moments for Sakura to realize that they were really concentrating on what was behind her.

"She came in with Ibiki. A genin escort, nothing important. " the man at the door said. The other three relaxed a bit. "Go back to your jobs or else you'll miss lunch again."

The three disappeared and the man returned his attention to her. He had golden eyes and brown hair like the rest of the Tengu clan exhibited. His sharp nose and hollow cheekbones added more to the birdlike qualities. And he was tall, taller then Sasuke though he couldn't have been much older then any of them.

"Your name?" he asked.

"Haruno," she answered politely, making sure to keep up the shy and demur act. "Sakura Haruno."

He nodded and responded with his own name. "Taka, assistant to the Bird Keeper. And lost is not close to what you are."

She blushed a bit and sighed. "I was never good with directions. And when I saw where I had ended up, I couldn't help but come and take a peek."

He nodded. "The Aviary is impressive. Have you seen any of our hawks?"

"Only some glimpses in the tree."

Taka paused, looking at the door. "I guess a few more minutes of being lost wouldn't hurt." He whistled and Sakura ducked as something swooped over her head and landed on his arm. The hawk ruffled its feathers a bit before accepting the bit of meat Taka had produced.

"He's so beautiful," Sakura said.

"She," Taka corrected. "This is Saya, one of younger messenger birds."

Sakura nodded appreciatively as she pondered how to steer the question to where she needed it to go. "How old is she?"

"Two years," Taka said. "We train them from birth but won't let them go into the field until after a couple of years of training."

Sakura looked at the bird with concern. "Do they ever get hurt?"

Taka nodded. "Unfortunately. But sometimes we're lucky and we can help them heal."

"Really?" Sakura asked.

"Sure." Taka paused and looked around. "There, see that one on the low branch. That's Nama. She was hurt recently but she should recover in a few more weeks."

Bingo! Inner Sakura cried. Outer Sakura looked over to where he indicated and let out a sad sound. "The poor thing," she said, easing her way towards it. She stood in front of the bird and looked at it.

Behind her, Taka had let Saya fly off and was hurrying towards her side. "Careful. Even injured, Nama can deliver a nasty attack."

Sakura nodded appreciatively while took in all the details of the bird, memorizing the pattern of feathers just as Ibiki had instructed her to do. Now, all she needed was a feather and she could go back.

"Taka!"

The male voice echoed through the aviary and all the bird suddenly fell silent. Taka quickly fell to attention and the three other Tengu clan members reappeared. The older man was not looking at them however, he was staring at her.

"Who is that?" he demanded.

"Haruno Sakura," Taka responded crisply. "She came in with Ibiki but got lost when she went to the bathroom."

For reasons unknown to her, it seemed to make the senior Tengu even madder. "The Interrogator's student? You let her in here?"

Taka looked a bit perplexed. "I didn't... she..."

But the man was already walking towards her. Before Sakura had a chance to react, he grabbed her by the forearm. "What are you doing here? Spying on us to report back to your sensei?"

"I just... got lost," Sakura protested, trying to get free. Her eyes were watering and she wasn't entirely sure it was part of the act.

"I'm not as stupid as these children," the man yelled. "I know what you Interrogator filth are like, too bored now that the land is at peace, you'd settle for turning your methods on your own village."

"Father!" Taka protested, grabbing his arm. "She's just a genin."

"You think that matters?" he asked, dropping Sakura onto the ground. Sakura's thoughts were a blur but one was clear. Her hand clinched the ground and she felt one of Nama's feathers there. She quickly took it and placed it in her kunai pouch as she stood up.

"Get her out of here and then we'll talk about your punishment, Taka."

Taka nodded and quickly grabbed Sakura's wrist, dragging her through the maze of hallways until he reached the place where the Tengu leader was meeting with Ibiki.

"What going on?" Tengu asked.

"She got lost," Taka stated firmly. "And ended up in the Aviary."

Tengu looked at Ibiki before replacing his cup on the table. "Get out," he said firmly.

Ibiki didn't move. "Tengu-sama, you're being irrational."

"No, I was being irrational when I overlooked your profession in light of your cousin's marriage into our clan. I should have known your intentions couldn't have been good. And that the Interrogators wouldn't think twice to stoop low enough to send a young girl to do their work."

"Exactly what are you implying?" Ibiki asked coolly.

"Get out of my house," Tengu replied.

Ibiki stood up and looked at Tengu one more time before turning to Sakura. "Let's go."

Sakura nodded dumbly and quickly followed Ibiki out, neither speaking a word until they were clear of the compound. It was only then that Ibiki asked her whether she had completed her task.

She described the bird as best she could and then pulled out the feather, giving it to him but not looking at his face. He looked at her for a few moments before telling her she had done a good job. Then he turned to leave.

"Why?" she asked suddenly. "Why did you really want me to come?"

"I already told you, I needed someone to find a feather of the bird named Nama and as a genin you would more then likely be ignored."

"You could have pulled someone off for a couple of hours," she said. "There are chuunin who work for you only a few years older then me who could have just disguised themselves as genin."

Ibiki looked at her, nothing giving away his emotions. "Consider it your final warning."

"Final warning of what?" she asked.

"I won't make illusions about how the life of someone in my field is. Its better you learn this sooner rather then later." And with that he turned and left.

Sakura watched him go, his words echoing in her head. All those months of training with Ibiki-sensei and she had never considered exactly what he was training her to be. Yes, she knew the stories about him, how his techniques were so terrifying that sometimes the mere mention of his name was enough to make an enemy shinobi confess. But that was not the Ibiki-sensei she knew.

He was right though. The Tengu clan wasn't the only group distrustful of the Interrogators. Kakashi-sensei hadn't been exactly pleased with her assignment to him. Even Sasuke-kun had looked unhappy every time she left with Ibiki-sensei.

But why? There were Anbu, trained killers and assassins who were known for their ruthless efficiency. Then there were the Hunter-nin, who moved like shadows as they tracked down traitors. There had been a police force, though its forces had been greatly reduced in recent years, who had never failed to capture their criminal, Konoha shinobi or otherwise. What made the Interrogators that much different?

She put her hand on her arm, already feeling the bruises forming there as she frowned. Her mind flashed back to the soccer game with her friends yesterday and she couldn't help but wonder if in the future, even they would turn against her if she followed Ibiki-sensei.

She sat down on the ground and looked out at Konoha, not really knowing what to do next.
"Yo," Chouji called out, shuffling towards Shikamaru. "What's up?"

"Huh?"

Chouji paused his munching and eyed Shikamaru closely. "You look real out of it, even for you."

"I was thinking," Shikamaru answered.

Chouji didn't look like he thought that that was all going on with his friend, but he let it drop. "Hokage has a mission for us. Asuma-sensei is still out so she wants you to lead it." He handed over the scroll, watching as Shikamaru read through it.

"Great," Shikamaru sighed. "Some hunters get lost in the forest and we have to go find them."

Chouji kept munching. "Maybe they'll have some fresh meat for us to bring home for dinner."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at his friend, who simply shrugged. Shikamaru just shook his head and shuffled towards Ino's, deciding that every team needed an optimist and Chouji definitely qualified for that in his own way.

Ino wasn't at home so they made their way to the only other place she would be in the middle of the day. As they approached the flower shop, Chouji and Shikamaru couldn't shake the feeling that something was very odd. It took a while for them to place their feeling of discomfort but they soon realized it was related to the silence that surrounded the place.

Inside, Ino was sitting at the register, looking rather despondently at the door as they entered. She brightened a bit as they entered and then waved at them enthusiastically. Chouji and Shikamaru merely stood rooted at the floor.

"Why isn't she yelling at us?" Chouji finally ventured.

Ino stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips, trying to get their attention.

"Remember that trip to the Inari shrine we took when we were kids," Shikamaru whispered. "And that wish we made... looks like it finally came true."

A flower pot was hurled at his head and Shikamaru barely managed to escape a concussion. Chouji walked over calmly and read the note in Ino's hand.

"She lost her voice last night," he stated.

"Is that even possible?" Shikamaru asked, dodging another pot. "Guess she can't come on the mission then."

Ino shook her head quickly and tried to write another note but Shikamaru caught her arm. "You're not going," he stated firmly. "Without your voice, how would you call jutsus out anyway?"

Ino bit her lip and looked like she was about to cry but Shikamaru shook his head firmly. She batted her eyes and looked pleadingly at him.

"Not even sexy Ino is going to work this time," he said, walking away. "Come on, Chouji, we need to get a temporary third."
"Me?" Hinata squeaked.

Shikamaru looked at her and tried not to sigh. It hadn't been his idea, really. He needed a Hyuuga and Neji would have done nicely. But then Chouji had mentioned something about how it might be a good idea to give the Hyuuga girl a chance. He didn't really argue, knowing that a low level mission like this either Hyuuga would do fine. Besides, Chouji had a way with people so if he thought that she could use a mission like this, then who was Shikamaru to argue.

"It'll cut our search time in half," Shikamaru stated.

"I think we should go with you," Kiba said quickly. Hinata shrank a bit more as her teammates shifted towards him.

"We just need Hinata," Chouji said, hands suddenly devoid of food. "Unless you think she's not capable of taking care of herself."

Shikamaru smirked as Kiba backed off quickly. Hinata simply nodded and promised that she'd be back soon. If he hadn't known any better, Shikamaru would have said that Hinata looked a bit happy at being taken along. Guess Chouji had been right.

They moved quickly out of Konoha, settling into a fast pace as they raced through the trees around town. Throwing a look over his shoulder, he saw the veins in Hinata's eyes pushing up through her skin as she searched the area for signs of the missing hunters.

After an hour of searching, she suddenly signaled she had found something. "To the east," she whispered slowly, her voice suddenly devoid of the normal stuttering. "It's not human... maybe dogs though."

Shikamaru nodded and sent Chouji to the right so they could circle in. Hinata stayed a few feet ahead of Shikamaru, stopping only once she saw Chouji had reached his position. Shikamaru strained his eyes and sure enough, saw a few dogs circling an abandoned camp sight. He signaled an all clear and the trio jumped down from the trees, searching briefly before relaxing into conversation.

"There's meat," Chouji said, eyeing the stockpile of rabbits. "Not skinned, still fresh and starting to rot."

Shikamaru frowned. He knew Chouji wasn't merely talking about food. The hunters wouldn't just leave behind their livelihood. And if it was starting to rot, then it must have been left here since at least last night.

"Hinata, anything in the area?" he asked.

The young girl's head didn't move but she answered none the less. "There's nothing. Just..." She trialed off, her eyes suddenly concentrating on one of the dogs that was approaching her. "There's something wrong," she said suddenly.

Both Shikamaru and Chouji slipped into a defensive position, watching as Hinata slowly reached for her kunai as the dog approached her.

"Hinata," Shikamaru said, trying to catch her attention.

"They don't look like Akamaru," she said softly, taking a step backwards. The dog snarled at her words.

"Up into the trees!" Shikamaru yelled, just as the dog lunged. Hinata made it, just avoiding the attack but the remaining dogs dragged Shikamaru and Chouji back down. Shikamaru let out a string of unpleasant words as he kicked the dog squarely in the face.

He started to make his way towards Chouji but the dog had recovered, grabbing his pant leg and pulling backwards. Hinata suddenly landed behind him and struck at the eye of the dog with the palm of her hand. It staggered backwards and fell to the ground, shaking and collapsing into a lifeless heap.

Shikamaru jumped up and turned to Chouji, only to find another Hinata performing the same attack. The one next to him disappeared into a puff of smoke. The one near Chouji disappeared a moment later.

If those were Hinata's clones then where was she? He ran over and helped Chouji up, looking for any trace of Hinata. She was no where in sight. And worse, there were still two dogs at least that were missing.

He pulled out the radio from his pocket and began to radio back to Konoha, asking for a squad of Anbu to get there as soon as possible, cringing as he mentioned the fact that the Hyuuga heiress was missing. As he and Chouji took off, he tried not to imagine all the ways Kiba and Shino would kill him if he returned without her.


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