A/n: Hello, and welcome to a new tale. :) To create the 'feel' of this story, I combined a lot of different things. The animals and plant life are taken from the ones we have in the rain forests (in Asia, Africa, and South America...I wasn't picky) and the names of the people are Hawaiian. The combination isn't meant to go hand in hand, but I hope it works well enough together to give you an image of it. Anyway, I accept all constructive criticism and opinions and would love to hear what you (yeah, you, reading this right now) think of my story; both the good, the bad, the blindingly beautiful and the revoltingly ugly. [Note: I am well aware that Shizune was gone with Lady Tsunade at this time. However, I love her character and couldn't help but use her. :) ]

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own the rights to Naruto or any of the characters created by Kishimoto. I do, however, own my original characters, the plot idea, and the scenarios in which I'm throwing Kishimoto's beloved characters into. The chain of islands I've made up here are named after islands in Japan, so no, I don't own the names.

Beta: Nitroglycerin.

Kasaoka Island

Chapter One: Mission; Kasaoka Islands

A moment ago, it had been the perfect late-spring morning. There was a light sheen of dew on the grass and trees that reflected back a bit of the dull sun, and the air was chilly; but the promise of a warmer day later kept everyone from complaining too much. Despite this, everyone – animals and humans - tried to stay indoors until later, when said-promised-sunshine brought the village warmth. The civilians all stayed indoors, envied by the few shinobi who were forced to remain outside. The rest, however, stuck to the Hokage Tower, known for it's immense heating system and oddly loud noises that disturbed the lazy morning every now and again.

Cheers of joy rang out through the room, accompanied by what sounded like a herd of buffalo parading around the building. The ninja on the floor underneath would barely flinch at the sudden rampage, since they had seen the group of ninja heading up the stairs and knew what to expect.

The Hokage sitting behind his desk rubbed his ear in annoyance. Just because he could expect it, didn't mean he had to enjoy it. Most of the ruckus was caused by Naruto, jumping up and down and throwing his fist into the air, the curious addition to their usual group-meeting with the Hokage obviously forgotten. Sakura joined him, which was a little surprising seeing as up until then she had controlled her excitement about getting higher-ranked missions well, even going so far as to scold Naruto for being so childish. Kakashi just raised an eyebrow while the rest of the ninja in the room waited for the two Genin to calm down.

"It's technically a B-ranked mission, Naruto. That doesn't mean it's dangerous enough to require that ranking," Kakashi tried to cut in, not letting his own curiosity show in his voice or posture. He remained standing with his shoulders slumped and hands stuffed in his pockets, throwing an apologetic look to Shizune, who stood between him and the rest of his team. She looked like she was hiding a bit of disappointment, and at the moment, Kakashi couldn't blame her. Shizune was closely examining the three ninja she would be spending the next few weeks with – anyone in their right mind would be trying to make up any excuse to leave or back out. She, however, was doing quite well in Kakashi's opinion. She managed to hide her uneasy expression from the two Genin, although to hide it from Kakashi and the Hokage was another story. Both could easily see that this wasn't where she wanted to be or the people that she wanted to be with, but the fact that she would at least pretend to be happy about it was a decent thing to do, in Kakashi's opinion.

"I don't care," Naruto breathed, beaming at the rest of the ninja in the room. "It's better than all the C and D-ranked mission we've been getting lately. We finally get to get out of Fire Country for a while. I can't wait to try some of the food in the south." Naruto sighed, finally settling down and looking at the Hokage with a content, yet still entirely goofy smile. Apparently, his previous stream of complaints about having to get up early and leave when it was still freezing outside had been long forgotten.

"But wait, who are you?" Sakura chimed in, tilting her head towards the black-haired Kunoichi who smiled politely in return.

"I'm Shizune." Both Sakura and Naruto craned their necks to look around Shizune to their sensei.

"Teams sent outside of Fire Country must contain four people. Our squad is one short," Kakashi explained, and by his younger teammates expressions, that was the wrong way to put it. Naruto's smile disappeared and a frown quickly took it's place. Sakura's chin fell to her chest, and her expression was unreadable – although he was sure she was anything but happy. They still weren't coming to terms with the loss of Sasuke.

"I also feel that, with where you'll be going, a seasoned medical ninja will be useful, if not completely necessary." The Third Hokage did a great job of pulling their attention to something other than their missing team mate. The idea that their mission could be fairly dangerous seemed to make both of their eyes sparkle in curiosity, excitement, and a little bit of wariness on Sakura's part. Kakashi sighed. At least one of his teammates knew how to try and take the possible dangers of a B-ranked mission seriously.

"We can take care of ourselves-" Naruto cried out indignantly.

"I'm ordering you to take Shizune and treat her like you would treat anyone else on your team. If I wasn't sending you two with Jounin, I wouldn't feel comfortable sending Genin at all." The way that the Hokage said the words so firmly made Naruto quiet down and Shizune sighed, not looking particularly happy about her welcoming into the team. "I think you'll find that she'll come in handy. You'll go on this mission with the remnants of Team Kakashi." He turned to Shizune and offered her a kind smile, something she awkwardly returned with an uneasy glance at Naruto.

"Where are we going?" Naruto asked, perking right back up despite the fact that he had looked dejected moments ago.

"The Kasaoka Islands-"

"Never heard of them." Naruto interrupted, looking slightly disappointed.

"It's a small chain of seven islands between the coasts of Tea Country and Wind Country. It appears there have been some trouble between the natives and people who are trying to take the islands for themselves." Kakashi watched Shizune's reaction closely. She quirked one eyebrow, but other than that her expression remained the same – schooled into an expression of neutrality that didn't quite cover the disappointment that laid underneath. "It's also extremely hot and humid, so you'll need to wear your summer uniforms to keep cool. I know you will also want to take off your sandals, but you will need to wear them at all times." At this, Sakura and Naruto both tilted their heads to the side, but as Naruto opened his mouth to question this he was interrupted. "You are to go and help the natives in both regaining control of their island and to help them build."

"What are they building?" Sakura asked, an almost child-like sense of curiosity shining in her eyes.

"A resort for both shinobi and civilians. The islands are quite beautiful, I've heard, a perfect location."

"Great! When do we leave?" Naruto's excitement and energetic manner brought a fond smile to the Hokage's face.

"Tomorrow morning. The journey there should take almost a week on land and a few days by boat. You will travel around Sunagakure; they've been informed of your passing, but you are not to engage in any contact with them." He was talking more towards Kakashi now, who would, no doubt, be in charge of keeping them on track and on schedule through the mission. "I've also arranged a sailor who is familiar with the surrounding seas to take you from the port to the island. The natives have means of communication to secure you a ride back across the sea." A scroll slid across the desk to Kakashi, who glance at it before slipping it into his vest's inner pocket. Naruto craned his neck to try and look at it, but it was out of sight before he got the chance. "It should be a pretty simple mission, so try not to find more trouble," the Hokage said with a knowing smile and pointed look to Naruto. "You're dismissed. Kakashi, Shizune, can I speak to you alone?"

"Of course." Shizune nodded, smiling politely to Naruto and Sakura as they filed out of the Hokage's office.

Kakashi smiled when he heard their footsteps leave the room and pause outside the door. He could easily imagine them both leaning against the door and pressing their ears against the wood. "What is it?"

"This island is home to many different... odd animals, not quite like the ones we have here. There are several poisonous frogs, spiders and snakes, so make sure everyone stays clear of them." At this, Shizune's eyes widened briefly, although that was the only sign that she was surprised at the unusual danger. "Let the natives tell you what you can and can't eat, and make sure Naruto knows this. Shizune, these have been mixed in our own labs. Take them – general anti-venom – but hopefully you won't need to use it at all." The Third Hokage pushed three vials of pale yellow liquid into Shizune's hands. She inspected them for a moment before putting them in the tan pouch tied around her hips.

Kakashi felt the urge to sigh in relief. He would be adequate when it came to healing someone if they got hurt or bitten by something, but to have someone beside him who had been specifically trained and knew without a doubt what they were doing was reassuring, especially since they were so far from home or the nearest hospital.

"Thank you."

"Here is a map of the seven islands." A scroll was laid out on the desk and the Hokage quickly unraveled it, spinning it around so that Kakashi and Shizune could see it. The map was easily recognizable – the coast lines of Wind Country and Tea Country at the edges of the page were both marked, but the small chain of islands in the middle was so small that it was left off of other maps Kakashi had seen. The Third Hokage reached forward and pointed to each island in turn. "You will land on Takashima Island, the main one. There are several more; Shiraishi, Kitagi, Obishi, Kobi, Manabe and Mushima. Takashima seems to have the most ground cover, and I assume it has more snakes and bugs hiding in the bushes and trees as well. Keep clear of them if possible, and stick to the higher tree tops. It doesn't seem like you'll have to travel to the other smaller ones, but that natives have boats you can use if you have to." The Third Hokage sent Kakashi a knowing look, reading his quirking eyebrow as easily as if Kakashi had just asked the question out loud; Why couldn't they swim or walk across the water? "There have been reports of several shark attacks on the coast of Wind Country, and I can only assume that the sharks would inhabit this area as well. So if you absolutely have to fish or cross the waters without a boat, be careful."

"Understood." Kakashi tucked the piece of paper into his vest, giving Shizune a reassuring smile before leaving the office, taking great pleasure in throwing the door open and watching Naruto and Sakura stumble over the threshold and onto the floor.

A pair of dirty feet were dragged through the forest, kicking up leaves and twigs and leaving behind a pathetically noticeable trail. Three bodies moved through the thick trees and bushes in a row, moving as one large body to maneuver around the trees and climb over logs. The other two people, the conscious ones, would have been able to cover their tracks by smoothing the ground and replacing the overturned leaves and dirt, but the fact that they were in a hurry and knew that nobody would be following them made it a little less nerve-racking to be leaving such a trail.

The limp man's arm slipped from around the shoulders of the taller man, his body falling awkwardly against the smaller one and nearly sending him toppling into the bushes at the sudden amount of weight. In an instant, the larger man gripped the man's bloodied arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, finding a better grip on his back while avoiding the wound just under his ribcage – which was proving to be more and more difficult as the blood smeared and spread down to his shorts.

"Hurry." The word was hushed and unnecessary. Both knew that the man between them was loosing blood fast, only adding to their trail and the difficulty of keeping him held between them.

"Eleu's holding the boat, is he okay?" A woman's voice greeted the two men before they could see her, standing off to the side of their intended path with a worried look on her tan face. The man's head was hanging forward, throwing his black hair over his face and keeping it hidden – not that they needed to see his closed eyes, permanently pained expression and red markings to know who he was. The woman turned and began leading the way through the forest. The red markings that had dragged from her bottom eyelids down to her chin had smeared and she looked even more threatening in the dimming light.

The tall man grunted and they quickened their pace through the forest, finding it easier when branches and leaves were held out of their way by the woman. It didn't take much longer until their bare feet left the rough forest ground in place of refreshingly cold sand. They didn't halt their movements, and instead raced across the open beach to where a boat sat halfway in the water.

They awkwardly put the unconscious man in the boat, aided by Eleu to try and keep his torso as straight as possible. Once the man was in the boat, the three people hauled themselves in as well, leaving the forth to push the boat into the water before joining them.

"You need to stop the bleeding," the tall man stated, watching as the woman crouched down beside the man and inspect the wound on his lower back. Her balance remained impeccable as the boat swayed back and forth, moving towards the smaller island in front of them at a pace that was far too slow. Raising her hands to the dirty wrappings around her chest, she quickly began unraveling them and turned back to the man laying at the bottom of the boat.

"Sit him up," she demanded in a tone that would have normally irritated the two men. However, this time they did as they were told, holding their friend as steady as possible while the woman wrapped the bindings around his torso.

With the bleeding momentarily stopped, the four people relaxed, letting the boat carry them further and further away from the battlefield.