"Let's gooooo!" Naruto jumped into the air as they exited the village gates.
"What are you so excited about?" Sasuke asked, readjusting his headband. He was nervous, though he tried to hide it, this would be-
"This is the first time we are leaving the village, who wouldn't be excited?" Naruto looked around energetically, looking at the unfamiliar surroundings. Many people never leave the village at all but those who do tend to be older, in their late teens perhaps or even as full blown adults, so his excitement was logical.
"Hey! Will I really be safe with this brat protecting me?" Tazuna looked miffed.
"Hahaha, don't worry, I'm a Jonin and I believe in my team. Even if ,for some reason, my genins can't handle it, I'm still here", Kakashi sensei reassured him.
"Old man, don't disrespect ninjas! I'm incredible!" Naruto shouted, "one day, I'll take on the super awesome title of Hokage! My name is Naruto Uzumaki, remember it!"
"Hokage is the number one ninja in this village, right? I doubt someone like you-"
"Shut up! I am prepared to do anything to become Hokage! Once I'm Hokage, you'll acknowledge me!"
"No, I won't, you brat, even if you did become Hokage"
Chiko could only shake his head. He liked the kid but he was starting to rethink that, so impulsive, so quick to anger. He much preferred the cold and stoic Sasuke. He had some problems of his own but at least, he wasn't as annoying. Then again, his arrogance sometimes got the better of him. Truly, he had problems with both of his teammates but in the end, he still liked them.
They started walking and Chiko asked the bridge builder, "Tazuna, you are from the wave country right?"
"Yeah? What about it?" Tazuna took another sip of his drink.
"If I remember correctly, the country of waves doesn't have shinobi… right?"
"No they don't but in most countries and most cultures, there is a hidden village from which shinobi are trained. For example, the big ones are the country of fire with the village hidden in leaves, our very own Konoha, the country of earth with the village hidden in rocks, the country of water with the village hidden in mist, the lightning country, with the village hidden in clouds and finally, the wind country with the village hidden in sand. Those five biggest villages are ruled by a kage. The Hokage, Mizukage, Raikage, Kazekage and Tsuchikage. They reign over thousands of ninjas, divided amongst the villages" Kakashi sensei explained.
"Yeah, I know… most of that", Naruto clearly didn't know any of that.
Chiko stopped in his tracks when he saw two puddles on the ground… it hadn't rained for days… Chiko took out a kunai and threw it at the puddle.
"Fuck! How did the brat know I was here?" A shinobi wearing metal gauntlets with claws sprang from one of the puddles, Chiko's kunai in his shoulder. The other shinobi also appeared out of his puddle and launched a chain with spikes at him, which he gracefully dodged, throwing another kunai at the injured shinobi, spearing him in the throat. He gurgled blood and fell down.
The other shinobi rushed at Naruto, who was standing there, paralysed in fear, taking one of the claws to his hand, resulting in a small wound. He was readying his next attack but Kakashi sensei knocked him out.
"Sorry for not stopping that attack, Naruto. Good job Chiko, killing that shinobi"
He turned to talk with the bridge builder. Chiko was in earshot but his mind was in another place. He had just killed someone. A real person… he should feel bad, right? But all he could think about was the blood pouring out of his neck. It looked… delicious?
He liked the taste of blood. When he was younger, he would bite the inside of his mouth to make it bleed just so he could taste the blood. That wasn't normal and neither was this urge to drink the shinobi's blood but he couldn't resist. He bowed down to the dying man, taking his neck and sucking on it. The taste was divine, it tasted of seafood and curry, a hot taste which filled his whole body with warmth.
Up until this point, Kakashi had been talking with the bridge builder and Naruto had decided to continue the mission, despite the risk, slitting open his hand with a kunai to make that promise. Kakashi had bandaged the wound but when he looked over to Chiko, he saw him drinking the man's blood. Naruto screamed, "the fuck are you doing? What are you, a vampire?!"
Chiko looked up from the corpse. Wiping his mouth with his hand, "I- don't know, I just had this urge and-"
He gripped his head, he felt as if it would explode. Memories flooded in, experiences of several jutsu. The village hidden in mist's taijutsu, the hiding in mist technique -which he already knew- and a few other jutsu.
"Chiko, are you… okay?" Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Y- yeah- I think… I got his techniques by drinking his blood? I know jutsu I have no way of knowing, this is… weird. I can remember training those techniques but in those memories, I'm not me!"
"Has this ever happened before?"
"No… I never have drunk someone's blood before though. Do you think it could be-"
"Your Kekkei Genkai? There is a high possibility. Kekkei genkai break how jutsu work, It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility", Kakashi pondered, "we'll have to experiment with this once we are back in safety"