Tsunade was sitting in her office. Shizune was standing at her side, holding her master’s pet pig, Tonton. Four different jounin stood before her. It was the morning after Kasumi’s interrogation, and now the reformation was going to start today. These jounin were the leaders of the chosen squads for this mission. From Tsunade’s left to right, it was Might Guy, Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yuhi, and Asuma Sarutobi.
“I have a special mission for you four and your teams,” Tsunade said. “Guy and Asuma, I am certain that you two have already heard that the Blue Tiger of the Mist was apprehended in the Land of Waves by Teams Kakashi and Kurenai only two days ago.”
“Yes, milady,” Asuma stated.
“Yes,” Guy said. He glanced over at Kakashi and yelled in his head, "Darn you, Kakashi! You and your amazing abilities yet you have such a nonchalant attitude! Ugh! I will get you one day, my eternal rival!"
“Well, we interrogated Kasumi Mayonaka yesterday. Little information was extracted from her,” Tsunade said. “After her interrogation, she broke out of her prison cell and flooded the information center. After questioning her a second time, I believe that there is still a chance for Kasumi to change as a person.”
Asuma slowly raised his hand, indicating that he had a question.
“You wish to speak, Asuma?” Tsunade asked.
“Yes.” Asuma cleared his throat before he continued. “Why do you think the Blue Tiger of the Mist is capable of being changed? She is an S-class criminal. And we usually leave all of our captured criminals in the prison.”
“Leaving her in the prison would prove to be pointless and tedious. She escaped her confines in, as she says, nineteen minutes,” Tsunade said. She looked at the four jounin, and all of them had their eyebrows raised in surprise. “I believe that even if we maximized security around her, she would still be able to escape. And as for her being able to change, I just believe that it is possible. When I had the chance to speak with her, she showed that there is emotion in there somewhere. Information cannot be taken from her in any other way unless she takes her guards down. To do that, I need others to break her in a different method.”
“How do you expect us to do that?” Kurenai asked. She had just been released from the hospital the day before, and she was still rather peeved about being put under a forced sleep by one of the Blue Pirates. In all honesty, she was looking forward to breaking the Blue Tiger of the Mist.
“Everyday, a different team will spend the day with Kasumi, and as far as the other members of your teams are required to know, the mission is to teach her how to be a civil and polite person,” Tsunade informed. “The side mission, which you four will mostly perform, is to see if you can gather any stray information that happens to slip out. Anything pertaining to her past or the Blue Pirates is helpful. Understood?”
“Yes, Lady Hokage,” the four echoed in unison.
“Good,” Tsunade said. She then reached into her draw and pulled out four folders. She held them out for the jounin to take. “Take these. These are copies of Kasumi Mayonaka’s profile. It should provide useful information in your mission. In the mean time, I’ll place you all in a schedule of when you will be reforming Kasumi. Would anyone like to go today?”
A hand instantly shot into the air, and Tsunade smirked to herself, thinking of how much Kasumi was going to want to kill her.
**********************************************************
Kasumi was so going to kill that woman. This was her second day in this village, and she already wanted to leave. If it weren’t for the plan that she had made, she would attempt to leave now. But that would mean that this was a failed mission, and her crew would think she was a failure. She couldn’t let that happen. So for now, she was stuck here. This stupid village and their stupid Hokage… it was all just… stupid.
Early in the morning, her ANBU guards had woken her up and prepared her to leave. They placed even heavier and more advanced chakra bracelets on her. There were four in total. One on each arm and one on each ankle; that way, even if she broke one, she still had to take time to destroy the others.
Now she was outside, and she had to meet her reformation team for the day. And she wanted to destroy them.
Two of the four looked like twins, except one was obviously the sensei because he was older. But both had the same bushy eyebrows, the same bowl haircut, and the same green jumpsuits. And they were both smiling at her with their thumbs held up.
“Put those thumbs away before I tear them off your hands,” Kasumi growled at the two green freaks.
“Now, now, that is no way to speak to the people who will be your teachers for the day,” the sensei said, waving a finger at her as if she was a naughty child.
Kasumi turned her head and looked at the Hokage, who had decided to watch Kasumi’s reaction when she found herself placed with Team Guy for the day. She knew it was humiliating, but Kasumi wanted nothing more than to beg the blonde woman to rethink her punishment.
“Can’t you just put me in some kind of rehab facility?” the blue-haired teen asked the Hokage.
“No. The punishment I have planned for you will work better than any rehabilitation facility,” Tsunade said. “Besides, I think this would be better suited for you. Plus, it’ll be more fun to watch how this turns out.”
Holy crap, this woman was evil. Which brought Kasumi’s previous thoughts about killing her back to the surface.
“Have fun,” Tsunade said, walking past the team to go back to her office. When she walked past Guy, she whispered, “If she tries any means of escape or intense combat, apprehend her quickly and bring her back to me.”
“Yes, Lady Hokage,” Guy replied.
With that, Tsunade marched back to the Hokage building, leaving Team Guy to take care of Kasumi.
Guy turned to the ANBU guards, who were still securing Kasumi, making sure she didn’t run away. “It’s alright. You can leave her now. We’ll take care of everything now.”
The masked ninja nodded, released the teenager, and disappeared into thin air. Kasumi continued to glare at her reformation team.
“How about we introduce ourselves?” Guy said, still smiling. “My name is Might Guy. You may be the Blue Tiger of the Mist, but I am known as Konoha’s Sublime Green Beast of Prey!”
Kasumi sweat-dropped. There was something seriously wrong with this man.
“And I am Konoha’s Beautiful Green Wild Beast!” the overzealous mini-Guy yelled enthusiastically. “My name is Rock Lee!”
Kasumi double sweat-dropped. There was something seriously wrong with that man and this kid.
At that moment, the blue-haired teen suddenly remembered that there were two other members of the team. She turned and saw a boy and a girl standing off to the side. Obviously, Kasumi wasn’t the only one who thought that the two jumpsuit-wearing weirdoes were born on another planet.
The boy had his head turned to the side, trying to ignore the two and hopefully give off the impression that he wasn’t with them. He had long brown hair and pale eyes. He wore a white shirt and white pants.
The girl face-palmed, clearly annoyed to the extreme that her teammates were so strange. She wore a white button-up shirt that had red lining on the cuffs and collar. Her pants were a bright red. Her hair was up in two buns, making her look like a panda, and her eyes were a dark brown. A giant scroll was strapped to her back.
“And you two?” the pirate captain asked, raising an eyebrow at them.
The girl seemed to suddenly remember her mission. She stood up straight and tried to be friendly by waving her hand. “I’m Tenten.”
“Neji Hyuuga,” the boy replied, not even bothering to look at Kasumi.
The Blue Tiger tried to process what she was going to have to deal with for the day. First off, there were two guys who could be mistaken for father and son only because they had the same exact… everything. There was an overly stoic boy who had a serious attitude problem. And then there was a girl who had to put up with this team everyday.
Kasumi sighed. Other than the brown-haired kunoichi, the blue-haired girl didn’t see herself getting along with anyone else on this team. It was going to be a long day.
The pirate captain made a mental note to discuss these things with Tsunade.
**********************************************************
“Now, in order to teach you to be polite, we must first reestablish the ways of the ninja in that blue head of yours,” Guy said to Kasumi. Team Guy had dragged the Blue Tiger to a training field. The four Leaf shinobi were surrounding her in a circle while she decided to sit down on the ground, cross-legged.
“I was a ninja, remember? I don’t need to go through school again,” the blue-haired girl snapped angrily.
“Ah, but school is the best way to learn manners, my new student,” Guy smiled, blinding Kasumi’s coal eyes with his shining teeth.
"Great…" Kasumi thought sadly to herself. "Just great…"
“First, we will go over the ninja handbook,” Guy said seriously. “How much do you remember?”
“Ugh,” Kasumi moaned. “How about you just quiz me, alright? I really don’t feel like going through my brain and telling you every little detail.”
She put her hands behind her head and let her body fall backwards so that she was on her back, staring up at the sky. Out of the corner of her eye, she had seen Neji twitch to her left, obviously wanting to make sure she didn’t try to escape. Kasumi smirked. The Hyuuga was clearly ready should she try to escape.
“Relax, Hyuuga. I’m not going to escape. Besides, if I wanted to run, I could’ve done so already. So you can put the scary eyes away,” the pirate captain said.
The boy grimaced at her comments, and he refused to listen to her suggestion of releasing his Byakugan. He didn’t trust her. Her cool and laid-back performance she had going on right now did not ease his senses, and he cared little about the four chakra bracelets. The bracelets did not prevent taijutsu, and he was willing to bet she could rival Lee, maybe not in speed, but in strength. Neji was not going to take any chances.
“Why should I trust anything that you have to say?” Neji asked, crossing his arms as he stared down at her, trying to seem superior and intimidating. “You are an S-class criminal who shows pleasure in killing and destruction. Do you honestly think that I am stupid enough to give you any leeway?”
“Well, to be perfectly honest, I just thought you were stupid. Then again, I think a lot of things are stupid, so don’t get offended,” Kasumi replied.
“Heh, you may have been a feared pirate, but now you are just a prisoner of our village. Nothing you say is worth anything. Therefore, your words are just as worthless as the dirt on my sandals, as are you at this point,” Neji said.
Oh no. He did not just go there. He obviously had a death wish. This boy was so dead.
"No!" Kasumi yelled to herself in her head. "Hold on to yourself. Keep your cool. Do not let an idiotic piece of crap like this kid get the best of you."
The blue-haired teenager took a deep breath and exhaled. Then she lifted herself back into a sitting position and stared back up at the Hyuuga.
“Listen, you are in no position to talk like you are my superior. You may be my ‘teacher’ for this stupid reformation, but you are not even older than me. I have more experience in reality than you will ever have in your life. And when I say reality, I mean things that you can never even imagine. So you had better shut your face,” Kasumi snarled.
"Reality? What could she mean by all that?" Tenten inquired to herself as she continued to watch her teammate and their prisoner continue to argue.
“You are telling me not to act superior? That is a joke. For you to say that is the biggest hypocritical statement in the world. You are the cockiest person to have ever walked the earth,” Neji countered. “It is well-known that your success as a pirate captain got to your head a long time ago.”
Kasumi’s eye involuntarily twitched. She really did not like this kid. “I said to shut that face of yours,” the girl replied.
“You really can’t back up those words, so you shouldn’t make demands,” Neji smirked, knowing that he was the victor in their argument.
Before Kasumi could make a futile attempt at a rebuttal, Guy interrupted. “Alright then! How about we get back to our class! What should we start with?”
Kasumi glared her coal eyes as they met with Neji’s pale ones. Stubbornly, she turned away to focus her glare on the other jounin. “I don’t care. Just pick something.” She placed her hands behind her head and laid back down on the grass.
“Well then prepare for the ultimate ninja class! Welcome to Might Guy’s Reformation Lesson! Part 1!” the man in the green jumpsuit exclaimed excitedly.
“Oh dear Lord…” Kasumi mumbled.
“Time for the question round!” Guy yelled loudly. He held up one finger. “Number 1! What is the one thing a ninja must always remember when performing a mission?”
“Never let your emotions get in the way.”
“That is correct,” Guy replied.
“How should a mission be handled?” Lee asked.
“Swiftly and accurately.”
“Right!” Lee exclaimed.
“When performing a mission, how does a ninja deal with matters that are not relevant to his or her duties?” Tenten asked.
“A ninja does not deal with things that do not pertain to the mission.”
“Correct,” Tenten replied.
“What does a ninja choose, teammates or mission?” Neji asked.
Kasumi glanced at the boy she had been arguing with just moments before. If she had been asked that question four years ago, her answer would have been different than what she was about to say at that moment.
“Teammates,” she said.
“Technically, that is incorrect,” Neji said. “The mission is more important because it can define the ninja’s country's fate. A failed mission can result in the destruction of the home country.”
“Teamwork is important in a squad. And teammates should look out for each other. However, the handbook states that the mission is more significant because a completed mission provides the village with better status, information, and protection,” Guy said in a serious tone.
Kasumi shrugged. “Honestly, that’s all a matter of opinion.”
The three Leaf teenagers stared at her while Guy, silently considered her judgment. "Well, her response suggests that she is willing to help her comrades… maybe Tsunade was correct when she said there is emotion somewhere in her. Only more probing will tell in the future…"
“Are we done now? Can I go?” the blue-haired teen asked hopefully.
“Nope! Now it is time to help you get over your urge to fight and destroy everything!” Guy announced. “Get on up now!”
“Ugh… whatever,” Kasumi sighed as she stood up. She crossed her arms and leaned on one leg lazily.
“Now, for this exercise, I want you to restrain yourself as best as you can. No matter what happens, do not fight back,” Guy ordered the teen.
Kasumi nodded, not really caring about this exercise at all.
“Now, go my youthful students!” Guy exclaimed excitedly to his three students.
Immediately, Lee jumped up and tried to catch Kasumi in a roundhouse kick. The blue-haired girl easily stepped out of the way. The boy in the green jumpsuit proceeded to throw a variety of punches of kicks in Kasumi’s direction. After dodging all of them, she jumped out of reach from Lee.
The Leaf shinobi had to admit; she was pretty good if she was able to dodge all of Lee’s moves so far. However, Kasumi was getting a little annoyed. She didn’t let anyone attack her with the same ferocity that Lee possessed and let them get away with it. It was honestly killing her to not fight back. She really didn’t like just stepping out of the way; she wanted to fight.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kasumi saw Tenten running up to her, wielding a spiked metallic ball on a chain. The brunette flung the weapon at the pirate, but Kasumi jumped away and landed on the branch of a tree. The Leaf kunoichi then proceeded to summon an army of kunai from her scroll. The knives were unleashed on her, and they flew directly at the captain.
Kasumi’s hands and fingers twitched. It would be oh so easy to just use a simple taijutsu combo to take down all these stupid Leaf ninja. Oh, how they annoyed the crap out of her.
However, if she was ever going to successfully complete her plans, she would have to go through with this stupid reformation thing. So unfortunately, she had to do everything that freak in the green jumpsuit said.
Instead of unleashing her growing rage on the Leaf ninja, she merely jumped from her perch on the tree branch, away from the kunai headed in her direction. After easily maneuvering away from the knives, Kasumi landed swiftly in the center of the meadow. She stared coldly at the Leaf shinobi. She didn’t know how much more she could handle before she lost control of her temper.
Her eyes glanced over at the Hyuuga boy. He was just standing there, with his arms crossed over his chest. While his two teammates were in their battle stances, he was just standing there.
Kasumi quirked an eyebrow. “Hey, Hyuuga! What’s the matter? Too prissy to try and get your hands dirty?” Well, the pirate captain might have been annoyed, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up to irk Neji.
The stoic boy merely smirked at the girl. “I think I’d rather just sit and watch you lose this challenge.”
“Lose this challenge? You think I can’t go a few a minutes without fighting back?” the blue-haired girl asked.
“I think we both know that you are incapable of running away forever,” Neji replied.
What the hell was that supposed to mean? It almost seemed as if he was reading into Kasumi’s soul. Those eyes didn’t see into a person’s heart, did they?
Kasumi shook her head to herself. "Don’t lose focus!" she yelled to herself. "You don’t have a heart anyway."
However, as Kasumi was mentally preparing herself, Neji was noticing her slight hesitation. “What’s wrong, Mayonaka? Did I upset you?”
“You better shut that trap of yours, Hyuuga,” Kasumi threatened through gritted teeth.
“Or what? What will you do? Are you going to use your water techniques on me?” Neji asked innocently. “Oh wait, that’s right. You’re a prisoner with four chakra bracelets on you. You don’t have the ability to use any of your feared powers on me.”
“Shut up!” Kasumi screamed, really losing her temper at this point.
“Now you are merely a has-been. The great Blue Tiger of the Mist is no longer the amazing captain. She is only a prisoner of the Leaf Village, waiting for the day of her inevitable execution. Your cockiness doesn’t mean anything anymore, and your techniques can’t help you now.”
Holy crap, this kid was so… done for.
Neji was on a roll at this point and didn’t find the need to stop just yet. “Your stubbornness and cockiness are your weaknesses. You may think you are a great pirate captain, but your smugness is what makes you a worthless piece of nothing.”
“Oh my god!” Kasumi screamed in outrage.
Without even thinking, she used her speed to charge at the Hyuuga. She flung her right foot at Neji’s side, but he quickly dodged out of the way. She was just about to bring the sharp heel of her boot down onto Neji’s chest when she suddenly felt a stiff pressure in her back. Her body almost gave out on her, but she summoned enough energy to turn around and glare at her attacker. Guy only stared back at her with hard eyes.
“Damn you,” she cursed at him.
Then the numbness seeped into her joints, and she could no longer hold herself up. She fell to the ground, and she glared up at all the Leaf ninja. Guy leaned down and picked her up in his arms. It was time to talk to Tsunade.
**********************************************************
Deep inside a dark cavern, a man walked down the dimly lit hallway. There was no noise anywhere except for the sound of his feet patting against the floor.
As he walked on, a large steel door came into view. The man reached out and pushed it open. Inside the even darker room, a man with long jet-black hair was sitting in a large throne. The man who had entered stepped inside the room and bowed down before his master.
“Lord Orochimaru, I have some interesting news,” the man said.
“Hmm, what is it, Kabuto?” the third member of the legendary Sannin asked.
The silver-haired man straightened up, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “It is about the Blue Tiger of the Mist.”
“Oh? What about our dear friend?” the snake man asked.
“I have heard news that the Blue Pirates were spotted in the Wave Country just a few days ago,” Kabuto replied.
“Really?” Orochimaru’s smile twisted up in a sick manner.
“Yes, my Lord. My source tells me that they attacked a village in the Land of Waves about five days ago,” Kabuto informed.
“Interesting…” Orochimaru purred to himself. “Kabuto, I want you to head there immediately. Most likely, the Blue Pirates have already evacuated. However, you might be able to find a lead. I want you to track down those pirates and locate Kasumi Mayonaka’s whereabouts. Once you do, alert me immediately.”
“You wish to be there for Kasumi’s capture?” Kabuto asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do. I think a little reunion would prove to be very productive in my quest to convince the young Mayonaka of joining my forces,” Orochimaru hummed, fingering his chin intriguingly.
“As you wish, my Lord,” Kabuto nodded his head. He turned to leave and prepare for his journey.
“Oh, and Kabuto,” Orochimaru called.
“Yes, my Lord?” the young medic asked, turning to face his master.
“Take Sasuke with you. He needs a good mission to enhance his skills. Besides, should you find the Blue Tiger, the two prodigies would make for a very entertaining battle,” Orochimaru smiled evilly.
“As you command,” Kabuto said with another bow. Then he turned and exited the room.
**********************************************************
Once again, Kasumi was sitting in that metal room, strapped to the metal chair… again. It was really starting to become like a second home to her. She might as well just have a bed in here; she was brought in here so often.
However, that was really the last thing on Kasumi’s mind. What she was actually thinking about was the fact that she had… lost. Sure, it was just an exercise to keep her from fighting. But she never lost a challenge, no matter what it was. And what was worse… she had let that Hyuuga boy get to her. That, more than anything, irritated her the most.
“Stupid Hyuuga,” she muttered under her breath.
She shifted in her seat, trying to lean back in her chair to look at the ceiling in thought. However, that spot where Guy had hit her still really hurt. That was another thing that annoyed her as well. That Hyuuga had distracted and enraged Kasumi so much that she hadn’t even been paying attention to the other three team members, which gave Guy the opportunity to get behind her and strike her back. That was infuriating. Kasumi never let herself go into a blind rage like that.
How was it that one irritating boy could get the best of her? "When I destroy this village, he’s the first one to die!" the girl thought to herself angrily.
Just then, the metal door flew open, and in walked the one and only Fifth Hokage. And she didn’t look happy.
“Well, well… I heard you tried to attack one of your teachers,” Tsunade said as she sat down opposite of the prisoner.
“He was asking for it,” Kasumi growled.
“I don’t care if he was begging for it!” Tsunade yelled. “You are not to attack anyone of this village! Your punishment was to get rid of your killing intent. You’re lucky I’m even allowing you to walk outside these walls!”
“Then put me in a cage! Isn’t that what you do to all your other dangerous criminals?!” Kasumi countered furiously.
Tsunade took a deep breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose. This girl really loved bringing up stuff about the prison. She looked back up at the prisoner, hazel eyes meeting coal ones. “Your punishment does not pertain to other prisoners. This reformation process is something that I have picked out for you, so I intend to see successful results.”
“Whatever… Just don’t put me with that Hyuuga brat again,” the pirate snarled.
“You don’t have a choice. It’s an alternating cycle, which means that you will have him again after three more days with three different teams,” Tsunade remarked.
Kasumi glared at the leader of the Leaf Village. “You find pleasure in watching me suffer, don’t you?”
“I am not obligated to give a direct answer to that question,” Tsunade said as she stood up. “But I will say that, as of now, I find your punishment more interesting than gambling.”
The blue-haired girl’s eyebrows rose at that comment.
The Hokage made her way to the door, prepared to leave. “Tomorrow, I had better not hear of any misbehavior,” she warned. Then she exited the room, and in walked four ANBU guards. The masked shinobi unhooked the restraints on Kasumi and proceeded to drag her down toward her cell.
**********************************************************
Kabuto knocked on a wooden door in the middle of a hallway. When no one answered, he walked in anyway. Two red eyes opened to stare at him, their crimson color giving off a deathly feel in the pitch black room.
“I didn’t give you permission to enter my room,” a cold voice hissed.
“You didn’t bother answering the door. And I have something important that I need to discuss with you,” Kabuto replied, not caring to be civil toward the other person in the room.
“What do you want?” the person asked.
“First off, how about you mind your manners, Sasuke?” Kabuto lectured. “Don’t forget, it is Lord Orochimaru who brought you here. Show some respect to your higher-ups.”
“You’re not my higher-up. You’re just a lackey,” Sasuke’s bitter voice said.
Kabuto grimaced at the younger boy. Sasuke’s attitude had really gotten worse over the years. Shaking his head in exasperation, the silver-haired man decided to change the subject. “Lord Orochimaru is sending me on a mission. And he wishes for you to participate as well.”
“I have training,” the raven-haired boy said.
“The Lord has issued you to go on this mission,” Kabuto said sternly. “It is not your place to negate his decision.” The silver-haired man pushed his glasses up his nose roughly as he turned to leave. “We leave tomorrow morning. Prepare your things.”
Just as Kabuto neared the doorway, he heard Sasuke’s voice call out to him. “What is this mission?”
“We are to retrieve the Blue Tiger of the Mist,” Kabuto said, glancing back at the younger boy.
“Who is that?” Sasuke asked curiously.
Orochimaru’s first apprentice turned away so that he was facing the doorway. “Someone… who is much like you, and yet, your total opposite.” Then Kabuto left the room to prepare for his mission.
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Chapter notes: Ah! Finally, a chance to update! Thank you all for being extremely patient with me. Well, some of you weren't that patient... but that only means you care, which I totally love!
I'd like to take this moment to give a shout-out to some of my fans. To Fantasy Madeline, who reviews every story that I put out. Thank you so much for your support! To Sasaui Uchiha, for reviewing literally every chapter of this story and putting me on her favorite authors/stories list. Thank you so much for your encouragement! And last but not least, to SandShinobi21, for being a new fan, adding me to the favorite authors/stories list, and saying that this story makes you love this site. Thanks so much for loving this right after you joined! To the three of you, thank you all so much! I don't even know what to say except thank you a million times for loving pirates and Naruto!
Also, if you haven't seen it, I have created a bingo book for the Blue Pirates. It is called 'Classified: The Blue Pirates'. It contains information pertaining to the Blue Pirates, such as their bios and pictures. Check it out; you'll find that there is more depth to the pirates than you think!
Thank you all for a whopping 13 reviews! And over 360 views! You guys blow my mind every time you read this story. Thanks to all of my lovely pirate-loving fans!
I will take this moment to say that I do not own Naruto. I merely own my ocs.
Oh! One final note! I have created my own website. It is still under construction, but it is coming along quite nicely. Check it out if you want! Another shout-out to Sasaui Uchiha for being the first person to join my site! Girl, you're awesome! Thanks a bunch. If any of you fans want to check out my site, the link is:
http://themoonspack.webs.com/
Now enough chit-chat. It's story time!
Chapter end notes: So what did you think? Like? Dislike? Please reply with a review. I appreciate all sorts of feedback. I'm hoping to make it over 15 reviews for this story before I update the next chapter. Could you help with that goal by sharing your thoughts please?
Thank you all for reading this story! You're incredible!