Sehnsucht [Naruto Fanfiction]

Chapter 3 - Identity

Chapter 3 - Identity

It was an hour before the tryouts for ANBU started, and Hitori was sitting in her apartment, attempting not to cry or wet herself with nervousness. Although she felt better after the encouragement from both the Hokage and Sakura, she still wasn't sure if she would pass. She hadn't been told anything about what she would have to do for the test, whether it was like the Chunin Exams, and she would have to fight, or if it was more like the Academy with general skill and knowledge tests.

After she finished her tea that she had made in an attempt to calm herself down, she placed the cup and saucer in the sink and began to get dressed in her usual clothing. First was her bindings, which were always annoying, a mesh undershirt and a black tank top that zipped up at the side. Over that was her vest, which had pockets for various syringes, bandages and other medical necessities. Her black pants were cropped just below the knee, and her multiple holsters for senbon, shuriken and kunai were strapped to her thighs. She buckled up her leather boots and quickly tested the blade that came out of the front. It worked perfectly, and she carefully pushed it back in against her door frame. It had a few marks from her doing that frequently.

She was happy with her amount of gear and took a breath before she stepped out of her front door. Her chakra seal did the work for her as she pulled it shut behind her and began walking towards ANBU HQ. The streets were pretty quiet since it was still early in the morning, but there were a few shinobi heading toward the front gate, more than likely leaving on a mission and a few people setting up in the marketplace.

Without any deviation from her path, she walked into HQ and looked at the few other people there. They all wore masks, and the standard-issued black and grey ANBU gear on. One had a white cloak on as well, and she headed over to them after they gestured for her to approach them. They silently handed her a plain white mask, which she put on without hesitation, tying it up behind her head.

Another masked shinobi walked in, and everyone stood to attention. They had a deep red cloak on, and their mask was black. She had no idea who it was but gathered that it was the person in charge and followed along with what everyone else did. Shinobi were supposed to be able to adapt to any situation, but she felt that her nervousness was making her react slower than usual.

"We have four new ANBU candidates today, and each Captain has been assigned one candidate on their team today. Captains, please assemble your teams. I will be handing each of you mission details, which you must complete in conjunction with the other teams. This mission is real. It is no drill. There are no second chances." They spoke with a calm and emotionless voice that just made her more nervous.

As best she could, she took a few breaths as she was called over to the same team that the person who gave her the mask was on. They had their standard animal patterns, but hers being plain made her feel like she would stand out even more than necessary. She did feel a little better at hearing she wasn't the only person trying out today, though.

Her group's Captain took hold of the mission scroll, and she waited for her orders. She was given an armband to indicate her medic position and ensured it was tight. The other groups began to move out, and their Captain moved closer to the group so that they could explain their orders.

"Right, today we are seeing if our medic here is up to ANBU standards. The other teams will try and beat us to the punch here, so if you aren't paying attention and working together, we aren't going to go well." His voice was fairly casual, but she knew he was completely serious. She had a feeling she knew who was under the mask but wasn't exactly going to blurt it out.

"So, we are all supposed to be trying to catch a group of rogue ninjas. If we can't capture them, our orders are to kill them. There are 8 altogether, and the four groups are working together to get them. There are only two other medics here, so we will be sticking with the other group over there but simultaneously working against them. If you need to heal someone, do it. That's your job, kay?" When she nodded once, he continued. "I've seen you in action at the hospital, but ANBU medics are on a completely different level regarding how they handle the work in the field."