Sakura Haruno Meets Rikimaru Nara

A Rain Shinobi walked through the Leaf Village silently, trying not to attract any attention to himself. He had tanned skin, short, spiky silver hair and his eyes were blue. He had a scar over his right eye and he worse a black Hunter-nin outfit. He wore a black clothmask over the lower half of his face and had a black Hunter-nin mask strapped to his side. He had a Rain headband wrapped around his waist. He had a ninja sword strapped to his back, tiger claws folded backwards on his shinobi sandals and had a dagger strapped to his left wrist. He looked a little like Kakashi but the dark, empty look in his eyes made him drastically different from Kakashi.

Sakura walked through the busy streets of Konohagakure with a slight bored expression plastered on her face. She stopped in her tracks when she felt a strange chakra presence nearby. 'Hm...' she thinks to herself, slowly looking around for anything suspicious.

The unknown man that looked a lot like Sakura's Jounin Sensei Kakashi Hatake walked right past her without even saying hello to her.

When the man passed her, she did a quick take, noticing he looks like Kakashi-sensei. She turns her foot before she decides to follow after him and see for herself. "...Kakashi-sensei?" she asks in a hesitant yet unsure voice when she finally caught up with him.

The man turned to her and looked at her with two blue eyes, a scar going through the right one, which indicated he wasn't Kakashi. "I am not your sensei nor am I this Kakashi person" he said to her in an neutral, emotionless tone. His voice was enough to send chills down the young Chuunin's spine. His voice made him sound like some heartless machine. There was nothing in his voice, it was empty, lifeless, as if the man didn't have any spark of emotions in his body.

Sakura felt herself flinch a bit from his tone, but she made sure not to show it and keep a smile on her face. "Oh, my mistake..." she quickly bowed in apology, smiling in a sheepish manner.

"I'm sorry for the confusion sir, you just looked a lot like my sensei from behind." she admits.

"....Understandable. Many people get us confused with one other, since we're said to look alike" he said in that dry, empty, hollow, emotionless voice of his as he gave her an empty stare, his lifeless blue eyes seeming to stare into her very soul.

She quickly broke her gaze from his for a moment, suddenly feeling a bit awkward under his cold, lifeless stare...it made her shiver. 'Those eye...' she thinks to herself.

"Yeah, I've never seen you around here before. Are you visiting here from another village?" she asks.

"...Indeed. I am from the Rain Village. My master has ordered me to take a little vacation from serving my village faithfully by exterminating his enemies. I do not wish to take a vacation but my master has ordered it so I shall do so" he said, sounding like some brain-washed slave who can't think for themselves.

"I see, taking a vacation can be nice once in a while...so you don't stress yourself out too much from work." she said with a weary smile. She couldn't help but notice the tone in his voice was a little...strange. It sounded as if...he wasn't really saying it, but he was forced to. Like he weas brainwashed.

'Maybe I'm just thinking too much into it, it might be just because he's had a long day and really needs the vacation.' she thinks to herelf.

"I only get stressed when I'm not on the job. I only really feel relaxed when I eliminate my master's enemies because at least I know I have served him faithfully by protecting him from those who would attempt to harm him" he said as his eyes narrowed slightly but emotion just didn't seem to register anywhere on his face or in his eyes. It was if the man didn't have any emotions, as if he didn't have the ability to feel emotions.

"I see, well I suppose everyone has a different way of relaxing themselves." she said with a nervous sweat-drop. She couldn't help but wonder to herself...something was a bit off with this man.

"Indeed. The only way I can relax is when I see the blood of my master's enemies spilling on the ground. Only then can I rest easy knowing my master is safe. That's what I was trained my whole life to do, meant to serve my master in life or die serving my master" he said blankly.

She stayed silent for a moment, taking in his words. "Your master must be awfully important to you if you're willing to put your life on the line for him. I know how you feel about that...I want to protect someone that's important to me too." she said with a soft smile.

"My master is all that I have, all I have known. From the day I was born to the present day, I was trained to serve my master will all that I am and I will go to any lengths to protect him, even if I have to burn villages, destroy cities and kill thousands, I will do so if it meant protecting my master Pein" he said.

Her eyes widen a little a bit surprised...he sure was determined to do whatever it took to please his master. She did a quick double take when she thought over his master's name. 'Pein...' she thinks, inwardly frowning.

"You seem to recognize my master's name" he pointed out to her, suspicion shining in his eyes as his cold, lifeless blue eyes narrowed at her.

"A-Ah...no!" she quickly said. "That name...it just...sounds familiar to me." she admits with a somewhat nervous look.

"Then you do not have to worry about me eliminating you" he said as the suspicion disappeared and he went back to his empty, emotionless look.

Her eyes widen a bit, looking at him in surprise that he was completely serious. "W-Well, that's good to hear..." she said with a nervous look, a sweat-drop rolling behind her head.

"Hmph. Just make sure you do not get in the way of my master's goals. If you do, I will swiftly and skillfully cut you and everyone else down" he said as he turned away from her and looked up at the Hokage Mountain.

She stayed silent for a moment before her gaze followed the Hokage Mountains. "So how long did your master ask you to stay here?" she suddenly asks.

"Two weeks. Two whole, agonizing weeks" he said as he groaned, sounding as if he was annoyed by the whole ordeal.

"I see...it can feel that way when you don't have anything to do." she replies with a small smile.

"Yes, I agree. By the way, what made you think I was the Copy Ninja Kakashi?" he asked her, curiosity shining in his eyes.