Impossible to Foretell

Chapter 22: A Little Ball of Sass

"I'm here to formally invite you to come with me."

I glared at the pompous asshole lounging in my armchair. "And what makes you think that I'll go anywhere with you?"

Kanaye stood up methodically and walked over to Anzu. "Come with me or she dies." He held a kunai to the young girl's throat, but she didn't quiver in fear, instead she spat in his face.

"I don't like being leverage, old man!" My eyebrows shot up in surprise; that little girl sure had spunk.

Kanaye, however, did not seem to appreciate Anzu's attitude like I did. "Do that again and I'll kill you."

She shrugged, "Meh, you're not going to kill your hostage. Empty threat, old man, try better."

I really liked this kid; she was a little ball of sass.

Kanaye smirked and leaned closer to the young girl, "You're right, I don't have to kill you to punish you. I would keep my mouth shut if I were you, or you'll wish that I had simply killed you." That shut her up quickly as she became even paler.

I pulled out a kunai of my own, "Sick bastard, I won't let you take another step."

The kunai was pressed harder against Anzu's neck, causing a small trickle of blood to flow down under the collar of her shirt.

"Drop your weapon now. Face it, I hold all of the cards. There's nothing that you can do." As he said this, Kanaye pulled out two of his thick cards and let them flow down past his feet to land in front of mine. One was the Broken Kunai, and the other was a depiction of a captured person. "The Bargaining Chip."

"Fuck you."

"Tut, tut, tut," Kanaye shook his head like he was scolding a toddler. "Watch your language, Kaiyo. Did you forget that that's not appropriate language to use in front of someone so young?" The kunai was pressed even harder into Anzu's neck and it was clear that it was getting harder for her to breathe. "Now drop your weapon and come quietly or I will kill her. You can have her blood on your hands for the rest of your life if you want. We can just add her to the list of people who's deaths you mourn. Let's see... your father, the White Fang, Shikaku Nara, and finally the man that you lied to for years, Toukuro Nakahara. Might as well just add Anzu Midoriki to the list while we're at it."

I looked at her eyes, and they held unrelenting determination. I would never be able to live with myself if I was the reason that they had been closed forever.

"Fine, I'll go with you, but on one condition."

"And what makes you think that you're in any position to bargain with me? But alright, what's this that you want?"

I dropped my kunai to the ground and unbuckled my weapons pouch from my hip, letting it fall down as well, "Let Anzu go and I'll come quietly." I removed the wrappings holding my shuriken holster to my left leg and let that fall down to the ground as well.

Kanaye just laughed, "I decline. Foolish girl, come now or I will kill her, and I'll keep her around to keep you in line in the future."

I was truly powerless in this situation. I was going to be kidnapped by the enemy, again, and this time I didn't have Kakashi with me. This time I was entering the lion's den alone.