Chronicles of a Self-Made Shinobi: Border Patrol (chap.1)
A bell sounded softly next to Kumiko’s ear. She woke immediately. Southwest, twenty meters from the wall, number 34. She ran to her window and yanked on a rope that led across the street to Lee’s bedroom window. There was a thump and muffled cry before Lee peered out at her. She raised her hand and signaled. Just as she was finishing, another bell sounded. She turned back to her room and scanned the wall that held the bells. Number 37.
The Fifth was very pleased when Kumiko returned from the Waterfall’s graveyard a few months ago, but still refused to make her a ninja. She didn’t have enough experience. But, one day Kumiko arrived in her office and presented an idea for extra safety at the border that relied on a system of bells attached to chakra strings. It was easy to create, very precise, and reliable. The Fourth liked the idea and agreed that it would be useful. Nothing had happened yet, but Kumiko knew that the Fifth was finally watching her with interest.
She ran back to the window and signaled that there was another bell ringing. There were 100 triggers set around the outside of the wall, connected to the bells in Kumiko’s room as well as each other. If someone crossed the chakra lines running across the ground, the bell it was attached to would sound. It took quite awhile for Kumiko to modify the system so animals didn’t set them off, but it was done. Travelers came in through the main gates, which were always heavily guarded anyway so she didn’t have to worry. The system wasn’t perfect, but it was close.
Lee nodded and jumped out the window, still in his pjamas, and sped off. Kumiko leaped onto her bed and punched out a tile on the ceiling that she made to lead to the roof. Once on top, she grabbed her magnifying binoculars and scanned in the direction of the intruders. She caught Lee’s figure running down the streets, then looked ahead. Nothing was there.
The radio in her ear buzzed. “Kumiko-san! Are they in the same position?” Lee asked.
“I can’t see anything. It looks like no one’s there,” she replied.
“I see. They must be hiding. I will find them!” he said the switched off.
She looked at the forest again then at Lee’s sneaking figure. A half an hour passed when she radioed Lee. “I guess it was a false alarm. Come back.”
“Hai,” he replied and switched off.
Kumiko pocketed her binoculars and slipped back inside her room. Just as she got inside two more bells were ringing, this time on the other side of the wall. With one hand still gripping the ceiling she pulled herself back up and ran to the end of the roof and looked out toward the wall. Nothing again. She scanned all around the walls, looking for any fleeting figures or rustle of bushes. Unsatisfied, she leapt down from the roof and ran down the deserted streets of Konoha, towards the Hyuuga mansion.
Kumiko hoisted herself onto Hinata’s window-sill and poked at it. “Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan!” she called, peering into the darkened room.
“She’s on a mission.”
Kumiko turned to her left to find Neji, crouching on the window-sill one floor higher. He looked down at her from the corner of his eye, emotionless. She found his pupil-less eyes so unnerving it was hard to look at him. He was always so cold to her; that, and the way he made her feel small and insignificant was why she hated him.
Static broke the silence. “Kumiko-san!” Lee’s voice urgently shouted from the muffled radio. “The bells are out of control; almost half of them are ringing! It’s like we’re surrounded but I can’t find anyone. What’s going on?”
She fumbled for the receiver and told Lee to wait in his room for her, then looked back up at Neji. She died a thousand times over, then opened her mouth. “I need your help.”
Neji raised an eyebrow, and a small smile crossed his face and disappeared quickly. He humphed and looked away. She remembered the time in the café when she finished Mikomi, her flying machine.
“I admire your perseverance, but your destiny cries out against you from all angles.” he had told her.
“Neji, we live in Konoha. If someone attacked it we’d both be affected. I don’t know what your problem is, but we do have that one common cause. I need you to look around the south and west wall.”
A few minutes of silence passed before he wordlessly exited the window and leapt up to the top of the mansion. Kumiko followed after, climbing a rope she attached to the roof. She peered up at Neji when she reached the top, his corded eyes scanning the distance, seeing as she could never see; no matter how much she tried.
“There’s someone there, no, two. They’re moving quickly. I don’t know what’s telling you we’re surrounded, but there are only two people there. They don’t look like they’re attacking, just…probing.”
Kumiko stood silently, gazing into the nothing in front of her.
“Looks like your little system has some problems,” he said.
She ignored his taunt and tightened the straps on her pack. “Thank you, Neji,” she said, then disappeared off the side of the roof.
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