Rewritten version of She Brings Out The Best. Beta'd by misaki-san.

Disclaimer: I will say this once and only once. I do not own Naruto. Hibari, Mushin, Daigoro, Fuyu, and any other original characters that may or may not make appearances in this story are solely my creations, unless otherwise stated.

At Long Last

In Which a Mission Goes Awry

"Hibari, you will do as I say," the man said calmly, pouring himself a cup of tea. "I see no reason for you to resist your orders."

The girl kneeling before him curled her hands into fists. "Mushin-sama," she ground out, barely controlling her frustration, "We had an agreement."

He turned his gaze on her thoughtfully. "Agreements come and go, Hibari. You are the only one capable of handling this mission."

"I understand that," she replied heatedly. "But the Leaf shinobi have never before been a threat to your safety, and they are not now. My services to you lie only in protecting your life, and this mission does not fall into that area."

He was silent for a moment, thinking carefully over his next words. He could not afford to make a mistake; Hibari needed to be fully willing to take on this task. "If this mission is not a success, then my life will be put in danger. Either way, the task of capturing the target will fall to you."

She shook her head, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mushin-sama, but I can't."

"Hibari, you must. Let this be the last thing I ask of you, not as your master, but as your friend," he implored quietly, lowering his eyes to his cup.

She stiffened, mulling over his request. One shinobi, that was all he was asking. She had to capture but a single shinobi, who was only a Genin. She was the only one with Mushin with any ninja training, and therefore, the only one qualified for this mission. But their agreement; when he had taken her under his wing and nursed her back to health, he had promised her that she would never have to deal with anyone affiliated with The Village Hidden in the Leaves.

What she didn't understand was his sudden shift in attitude, as if he were constantly on guard. In all the years she had lived with him, never had she seen him like this. He had always been quiet and reserved, yes, but he had also taken time to relax and enjoy himself. And now, he was asking her to accept this mission, as her last service to him? What did that mean? She had no intention of leaving, and he had never expressed any wish for her to do so. So why now?

"Hibari?"

She needed time to think. She knew she would never be able to complete the mission. But she could make an attempt, and use the time in the Land of Fire to figure out what was going on.

"I'll do it," she whispered, heart sinking as a growing sense of trepidation crept in.

He smiled and sipped his tea in satisfaction as she stood and departed from his presence. He could sense her agitation, and knew she wasn't completely on his side, but so far, all was going well. There were still steps he could take to ensure her full cooperation.

"Shunsuke."

A young man in servant's garb stepped forth from the shadows, light glinting off his glasses. "Yes, my lord?"

"I have a task for you."

"Listen, little lady, clearly you don't know who you're talking to. I suggest you turn around and run on home." The speaker was a tall, muscular man with dark hair tied up in a short ponytail. He stood next to an equally built man with a dangerous glint in his eye.

"Actually, I do know who I'm talking to. Chunichi Daigoro, fifth son of Chunichi Shin, notorious ruffian. You've lied, cheated, and used violence to get what you want, and will do anything for the right sum of money short of turning in your comrade over there, Takayi Fuyu," she responded levelly, carefully gauging their reactions.

The two men looked at each other for a moment, dumbfounded, before Chunichi turned to her once again, a smirk growing into its usual place on his face. "So, little lady, you want to hire us for something? What's your name?"

She grinned, knowing she had their cooperation. "The name's Hibari," she informed them.

"Hibari, eh?" Takayi interjected, speaking for the first time since her appearance. "So, little bird, what kinda job you got in mind?"

"Nothing big. Just a retrieval in the Land of Fire. Target's a Konoha Genin, nothing I can't handle myself, but I'll need assistance on the return journey. Handling a live captive alone and on the run is too risky an undertaking." She gave them a moment to digest the information before asking, "You in or out?"

Chunichi looked reluctant, but Takayi grinned and eagerly accepted. "Jus' tell us when, and we're there."

"Good. Dawn tomorrow, east gate. I'll explain the details on the road." Taking a pouch filled with gold coins from her pack, she tossed it at Takayi and walked off.

When she was out of earshot, Chunichi turned to his partner. "What was that, Fuyu?" he demanded. "You know the procedure! Details first, then negotiations on price. Why the hell did you agree so quickly?"

"Relax, Dai. Ya' know that guy that I was talkin' to? He offered a mighty high payment to watch that girl if she came to us. We're not workin' for her; we're workin' for Eiichi Mushin."

"Hang back for now; I'll scout out the area before we move in," Hibari instructed Chunichi and Takayi. "Don't move unless I give the signal, and if you're spotted, just pretend to be lost travelers or something, and you should be fine."

The two men nodded silently and she took to the trees, senses alert. They had been on edge for weeks now, close enough to Konoha to observe the comings and goings and gather information. They had finally come upon their chance to apprehend their target, and were determined not to miss it. But they couldn't take any chances. If they were caught, they would be in deep trouble.

Just within the main gate into Konoha, two Jonin stood conversing.

"You allowed your squad to be separated, Gai?" one of them asked.

The other smiled confidently as he replied with enthusiasm, "It'll be good experience for them Kakashi. Besides, they were all instructed to return here if they found themselves on their own. And we were close enough to the village for safety."

Kakashi rolled his visible eye. "So, which one of them do you think will show up first?"

"Without a doubt, it will be Lee!" Gai declared.

"True, Lee may be the fastest of the three, but he has a tendency to get…distracted," Kakashi said.

"So be it, Kakashi! If Lee is not the first to arrive, I will patrol the surrounding forest on my hands!"

"Whatever…"

A young ninja in a green jumpsuit stood quietly on a tree branch high above the ground, watching falling leaves get tossed around in the wind.

"If I cannot catch all of those leaves before they hit the ground," he said to himself, "then I must run one hundred laps around Konoha backwards!"

Hibari peered through the leaves concealing her, searching for the tell-tale signs of a guard. When she determined it was safe to proceed, she darted forward, moving with a speed almost unheard of in humans. A moment later, she stopped, once more scanning the area. She could not afford to be caught.

Alone in the forest, even so close to home, the young ninja was not taking any chances. Byakugan in use, he was scanning the area surrounding him as he ran, alert to any danger. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. An area nearby was shrouded to his bloodline trait. Curious and wary at once, he made the decision to investigate.

Takayi cracked his knuckles in anticipation. "Think it's 'bout time we checked up on the little bird, eh?"

Chunichi grinned maliciously. "Let's get going, then."

Suppressing a yelp of surprise, Hibari ducked behind the nearest tree. Shit! she cursed inwardly. What the hell is he doing?! He's supposed to be returning to Konoha, not wandering around like he's looking for something! Heart racing, she risked a glance around the tree at the ninja. He was slowly coming closer, pale eyes taking everything in. If she made any attempt to get away, he would most assuredly spot her.

This was definitely not going according to plan.

Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself. She had to think of a way out of this mess. As her mind began to clear, she became aware of the presence of two others close by. Very close by.

Before she had time to react, a scuffle broke out, and she heard someone fall to the ground with a heavy thump. Someone dropped to the ground behind her and gave her a hard push. She stumbled out from behind the tree to see Takayi standing over the limp form of the ninja, triumph glistening in his beady eyes. Whirling around, she came face to face with Chunichi.

Quickly regaining her composure, she glared first at one of them, then at the other. "What are you two doing here? I never gave the signal."

"From the looks of it, you weren't ever gonna give us the signal," Chunichi replied coolly.

"This here kid's the target, ain't he?" Takayi put in, smirking. "Hyuga Neji, Konoha Genin, right? So why were ya' hidin' from him?"

"I wasn't hiding!" she snapped angrily. "And why the hell do you care? I'm the one who hired you!"

"That's where you're wrong, little bird," Chunichi laughed. "I'm afraid the boss man got to us first."

She visibly paled. "What do you mean?"

It was at that moment that a Leaf Jonin in green came barreling from the undergrowth on his hands. "Surrender yourselves now, or face my awesomeness!" he threatened.

Chunichi and Takayi took one look at him and burst into laughter. Hibari, however, nearly panicked. None of them stood a chance against him, and she couldn't let her double-crossing lackeys get caught; they'd rat her out in a heartbeat, and the last thing she needed was her cover being blown. As the ninja flipped onto his feet and leapt at Takayi, she shoved him out of the way. "Run, you idiots!" The next instant she felt a sharp pain at the base of her neck, and everything faded into black.