They walked along the dirt road, sunlight glaring down on their faces, it was different from what he was used to, and he turned his head away from the rays. Physically, he was unable to move as his escorts took the extra caution to tie up his arms and wrists, along with his ankles. It was still enough so that he could walk, but not run. Of course he wouldn’t run either way, not only would he keep his word of the unconditional surrender, but that just wasn’t the type of person he was. The birds chirped overhead, as a few hawks chased them off; other than that, it was particularly quiet. The silence brought him in tune with the sound of his heartbeat; it drove him crazy in his mind, this silence.

He didn’t bother taking a good look at his escorts; he already knew who they are and what they looked like. One ANBU on the right and left while Kakashi’s team trailed behind them. He could hear the dirt shuffling underneath their feet. Many times he thought to speak, just to say something. The longer the silence the longer the trip seemed. He sighed heavily, causing the ANBU to quickly look at him, tense by the lack of sound.

However the wait wasn’t going to last much longer as the large gate into Konoha came into view. He looked up, the inner buildings and people seemed much different than that of the Mist.

“Be prepared for your judgment Zabuza; let’s see if the Hokage-sama favors with you.” The ANBU told him bluntly, face still straight forward.

He looked around at the people; some were staring, whispering and the children pointed. Others continued with their daily routine, whether it was shopping or tending to their stores.

At least the whispers broke the silence; however he could still hear his heartbeat through the crowd.

Why?

Yards away, Anko Matarashi sat on the roof tops, enjoying a much need break from continuous missions. Of course she was enjoying it with her favorite, dango. However, as she was going to take a bite, she noticed Kakashi and his team walking down the main road, though they weren’t the focus of her attention. She was focused on the newcomer; she found it unusual for anyone other than the people assigned the mission to come back, especially if it involved the ANBU. Curiosity getting a hold of her, she quickly ate her snack and jumped down to meet up with Kakashi.

“Who’s the new guy?” She asked him as soon as she got there.

Kakashi seemed a bit startled by her voice; he was in thought and didn’t expect Anko being here. “I thought the Hokage-sama assigned you a mission for today.” He told her as he turned to her.

“I gave myself a little break, plus I had already finished; but what happened? Why is this guy here?”

Kakashi looked back ahead. “Due to some unforeseen circumstances, and surrender, he wishes to become a Konoha Nin.”

Anko looked at the man the stood in front of them, once again asking, “Who is the guy?”

“Zabuza Momochi.”

Anko was surprised, she had heard of him after the attempted coup at the Mizukage’s palace. However she had never seen him before. “You’re joking right? He wants to become part of this village? I mean, he practically has the death sentence written all over him.”

“I know it’s pretty controversial, since it has never been done before. So we are taking him to the Hokage-sama so he can decide his fate.”

Zabuza kept his eyes ahead; there was a large building coming into view.