Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Naruto franchise

The next morning, Sakura found herself being woken by a hand on her shoulder lightly shaking her.

"Sakura, it's time to wake up." a voice whispered in her ear.

She opened her eyes and found that Naruto and was the one shaking her. She stood up, stretched, and then looked around the campsite.

"Its morning already?" she asked, surprised. "I feel like I only slept for a few hours."

"You did." Polaris told her. "We got to sleep at about midnight and it's now about six."

"We're a few hours away from Pamu and Suna, so we'll head out now and stop for breakfast in about half an hour." Naruto told her.

"A few hours?" Sakura questioned incredulously. "It's a day-long trip from the two Villages to this border."

"That would be true if we were walking or running." Ryu answered.

"How else would we get there?" Sakura asked.

"We ride." Naruto told her.

Naruto, Polaris, and Ryu each formed a hand sign that Sakura had never seen before.

"Summoning Jutsu!" they exclaimed.

There was a large burst of smoke that filled the campsite. Suddenly, Sakura could hear loud sounds of breathing from more than one source. As the smoke cleared, Sakura found out just what that source was.

The five humans were now joined by four, bipedal lizards. Each one ranged from muddy-brown to black in color and stood about seven feet tall. They had rows of razor-sharp teeth and green-yellow slit-like eyes. Their claws were also very sharp, especially the ones on each of their big toes. These claws were much larger than the rest and were curved. Long, slender tails rested on the ground behind the lizards. Black saddles were on their backs. And each one was wearing a black headband, like Naruto's, around their necks.

One of the lizards walked over to Sakura and leaned down to look her in the eyes. She was terrified as she felt the lizard sniff her through its scaly nostrils. Satisfied, the lizard turned around and walked back over to its companions. It produced a bizarre chirping sound, which the other three answered.

"Naruto," she asked, still afraid, "what are these?"

"Tetsu-Raptors." Naruto answered. "There a species of dinosaur that can only be used by the strongest ninja of our village. But the raptors have to approve of you first, otherwise they won't obey you."

"So do they approve of me?" she asked.

"Yes." Polaris answered. "That female seemed to accept you."

"And we're going to ride these?" Sakura questioned.

"Yep." Ryu said as he swung his legs up onto one of the animals.

Polaris also mounted her raptor as Naruto led the raptor that had sniffed Sakura over.

"It's just like riding a horse." he assured her. "Just place your left foot in the stirrup and swing up onto the raptor's back. Then, place your right foot into its stirrup and take the reins into your hands. However, the reins aren't used to control the animal; they're just for you to hold onto."

She did as she was told and found herself a few feet off the ground on the raptor's back. She could feel the powerful muscles of the animal flexing with the animal's breathing. Once Naruto placed Sai over his raptor's back, he saddled up behind the still unconscious Root shinobi and then he leaned forward so that his mouth was next to the raptor's head.

"We're going to Pamugakure. Are you up for it?" he asked the dinosaur.

The raptor grunted and then turned toward the desert.

"Alright." he said to the group. "Let's move out!"

His raptor started walking into the sand, followed by Polaris and then Ryu. Sakura tensed a bit as she felt her raptor begin to move as well. They didn't walk for long before the four raptors began to pick up speed and soon they were racing across the desert towards Pamu and Suna.


As Naruto said, half an hour later they stopped for breakfast. As they each dismounted from their respective rides, Sakura released the chakra she had surrounding her legs. At Polaris's suggestion, she had concentrated some chakra in the area to prevent her legs from becoming sore.

"We're a lot closer than I thought." Naruto said looking through a scope. "We'll be at the Village in about an hour."

As he returned the scope to a holster on his belt, Polaris and Ryu started a fire and began cooking some rice and pork for breakfast.

"How was the ride, Sakura-chan?" he asked as he sat down.

"Surprisingly smooth." she answered. "I never once thought I would be riding across the desert on the back of a dinosaur."

"It's definitely an experience." Polaris agreed.

"They're great for transport," Naruto continued as he stood and walked over to his raptor, "but you should see how well they fight."

"That's how we were able to kill Zetsu and the rouge ninjas with him." Ryu added. "It was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen."

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Raptors are intelligent," Naruto explained as he stroked the reptile's neck, "very intelligent. We're fairly certain that they're the most intelligent creatures after humans, and sometimes they're smarter. They hunt their prey in groups. When they make a kill, they distract you with a raptor right in front of you. You focus only on that raptor because it's the most immediate threat. But while you wait for it to strike, two more attack from either side and tear you apart faster than you can scream."

"Wow." Sakura said. "I'm glad they're on our side."

"Zetsu's men never knew what hit them." Polaris added. "And the raptors were so efficient that we didn't lose a single one."

"Zetsu tried though." Naruto told her. "He managed to land a kunai in the alpha female's shoulder."

"Bad idea." Ryu said.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"She alerted the rest of the pack with a distress call. Within seconds, Zetsu found himself surrounded by raptors." Naruto answered.

"He tried to teleport away, but that's the amazing thing about Tetsu-Raptors." Polaris said. "Once you're surrounded by the whole pack, you're locked in place. You can't move a muscle."

"He tried to sink into the ground, but his technique wasn't working, because the raptors locked the ground under his feet." Ryu explained.

"There was nothing left of him." Naruto added.

"Why didn't you use that to capture Sasuke and his team?" Sakura asked.

"It can only be used on one target at a time." Naruto explained. "That's the weakness. But we weren't really ready to capture Sasuke, Jugo, or Suigetsu because those three need special containment cells that we didn't have at the time.

"But you were able to contain Karin?" Sakura assumed.

"Yes." Naruto answered. "She was only a sensor, not a fighter, so we were able to place her in a regular cell.

"Now, enough about dinosaurs." Polaris told them as she and Ryu brought four plates over. "Breakfast is served."

After they had finished eating and packed up the food ware, the five continued on their journey across the desert. As they rode, Sakura found herself riding next to Polaris. Ryu and Naruto were riding in front of them.

"So, where are you from?" Sakura asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Well, as my name suggests, I'm from Yukigakure. I left there when I was about fifteen, trying to learn how to become a better ninja from visiting other Villages. The next year is when I met Naruto-sama, and joined his team." Polaris told her.

"What about Yuki?" Sakura questioned. "Why didn't you return?"

"For the same reason that Naruto-sama didn't return to Pamu; I was needed at our new Village." Polaris answered. "That's why none of us returned home."


After another hour of riding, the group approached Pamu. At Naruto's command, they dismounted and the raptors disappeared. Then, they entered the Village on foot with Sai being carried by Ryu again.

Pamugakure was a lot different than Konohagakure. The buildings were made of a combination of stone and wood; that wasn't what was different. The different part was the buildings' structures. Each one was built in the shape of a mound, a design which allowed for better temperature control in the harsh desert climate. In fact, the buildings were very similar to Suna's buildings.

As the four of them passed through the gate, they were stopped by Izumo and Kotetsu.

"State your names and purposes for entering the Villages." Izumo told them.

"Kozemoro Ashoji." Naruto answered. "I have a meeting with your Hokage. These three are my guards."

Sakura was confused as to why the two Chunin didn't recognize her, Naruto, and Sai. But before she could say anything, Izumo and Kotetsu stepped back and granted them passage. As they continued into the Village, Sakura decided to ask her question.

"Why didn't they recognize us?"

"It's a special Genjutsu. We don't look like ourselves to them." Naruto answered.

"When did you use it?" she questioned.

"It's been active since we approached the gate." Naruto told her. "You didn't know it was there because Ryu activated it when he was walking behind you."

"And they didn't detect it?"

"No. You have to be very skilled in Genjutsu to detect one of our illusions." Polaris answered.

They walked into the center of the Village, not seeing very many people because of the heat. Finally, they reached the Hokage's building and entered into the cooler indoors, climbing three flights of stairs to the Hokage's floor.

As they walked up to the desk, Sakura saw Ryu form a quick hand sign. She assumed he dropped the Genjutsu. They walked across a lobby and up to a desk. Shizune was seated behind the desk reading some papers.

"Hello, how can I help you?" Shizune asked as she put the papers down.

"We have an appointment with Lady Tsunade." Naruto told her.

As soon as she heard the voice, Shizune's head snapped up to look at the group.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed. She quickly stood and gave him a hug. "Where have you been? We all missed you!"

"I've been busy trying to run a Village." Naruto told her as she let go and stepped back.

"Why are you with Sakura? And who are your friends?" she asked.

"We met up with Sakura on the way here and she decided to tag along." Naruto explained. "This is Ryu and Polaris. They're part of my team."

"Pleased to meet you." Shizune told them as she bowed.

"The pleasure is ours." Ryu responded as he and Polaris bowed back.

"We can catch up later, but we have a meeting to attend." Naruto told Shizune. "But first, can you get Sai to the hospital?" Naruto asked before they went in. "He took a senbon to the neck and needs checked out."

"Of course." Shizune replied, before calling for an assistant. "Kento!"

A shinobi that Naruto didn't recognize showed up and took Sai from Ryu. Then he left, taking the unconscious boy to the hospital.

"Follow me." Shizune said once Kento had left.

She led them down a hallway next to the desk. At the end of the hallway, they could see a pair of large wooden doors.

"Lady Tsunade and Lord Kazekage are waiting for you inside." Shizune told them. She knocked on one of the doors and they heard Tsunade give them permission to enter. Shizune opened the door for them and then stepped back to let them enter. Then she closed the door behind them and then returned to the front desk.

Tsunade was seated at a desk in front of a large window. Across from her, Gaara was seated in a chair with another next to it.

"Welcome to Pamu." Tsunade said to the group.

"Glad to see you again, Naruto-san." Gaara greeted as he and Tsunade stood.

"Great to see you guys too." Naruto said as he and the other three bowed.

"Sakura?" Tsunade questioned. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Sai were tracking down Sasuke."

"We were, but we got into a bit of trouble that Naruto got us out of." Sakura explained. "Then I went with these three back to the Village to get Sai to the hospital."

"And who are you two?" Tsunade asked, turning to the other members of the group.

"I am Polaris Kori." she said as she bowed.

"And I am Ryu Hatake." he said as he mimicked the bow.

"We're a part of Naruto-sama's team." Polaris continued.

"Sama?" Tsunade questioned. "Are you sure you're talking about the knucklehead?"

"Hey, that's Lord Tetsukage to you, old lady!" Naruto shot back.

"Did you just call me old?" the Hokage growled as she turned to face Naruto.

"It's the truth isn't it?" Naruto responded, with a large grin.

When he said this, Sakura knew that Tsunade had snapped. She swung her fist at Naruto at full strength. But, to her, Tsunade, and Gaara's surprise, Naruto caught her punch with one hand.

"Now, now, that's no way to treat a diplomat, Tsunade-sama." Naruto said.

"H-how d-did you do that?" Tsunade stuttered.

"What? That wasn't much of a punch, Lady Tsunade. It was easy to catch." he told her.

"But that was a full strength punch!" she responded.

"Really?" Naruto asked. "Then maybe you are getting old!"

"Enough playing around." Gaara interrupted. "I believe we are here for a reason."

"Right, let's get down to business." Naruto said as the three of them sat down around Tsunade's desk. Polaris, Ryu, and Sakura took a seat on a couch that was against the left wall.

"I requested this meeting for a simple reason." Naruto began. "After my Village of Tetsugakure was founded, I received several inquiries about the Village: where it is, how it's run, who runs it, who lives there, how strong is it, et cetera. None of these inquiries have been answered yet, until now. I came here with an invitation for the two of you to make the journey to Tetsugakure to see the Village, meet some of the Villagers, and, most importantly to you I'm sure, get an idea of the strength of my team and me."

"Is this an exclusive invitation for the two of us only?" Gaara asked.

"No." Naruto answered. "If you accept the invitation, we will leave tomorrow, and if the timing is accurate, which I know it is, then we will be meeting the Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage at the Village."

"And they've already accepted this invitation?" Tsunade questioned.

"Of course." Naruto answered. "They all want to see what makes this Tetsukage think he can run with the big dogs, so to speak."

"What kind of demonstration will this be?" Gaara asked.

"That brings me to my next point." Naruto continued. "If you decide to join us, then I ask that you bring with you the strongest shinobi of your Village to test my team in combat."

"That's interesting and all, but what do you mean 'your team'? If you're the Kage of this Tetsugakure, then you're not allowed to be a part of a ninja cell." Tsunade pointed out.

"My team is a special group of ninja." Naruto explained. "I lead the team, and there are six more in addition to me. We are known as the Iron Knights. It's a group similar to Kiri's Seven Ninja Swordsmen, which is where I got the idea. However, there are some differences which you'll see at the Village."

"Am I correct in assuming that these two are part of your Iron Knights?" Tsunade asked indicating Polaris and Ryu.

"Yes, they are two of the six." Naruto confirmed. "As Tetsukage, I lead the Iron Knights because I'm the only one in the Village with a rank of K-6, which is the highest rank among the Knights. Now, even though there are only seven true Knights, there is more than that in the Iron Knights. There are also my two councilors who are ranked K-E for elders, and a Lieutenant of the Knights with a rank of K-5. In addition there is also a place for a shinobi ranked K-M and that is the designation for the Iron Knight's medic. This leads me to another reason that I requested this meeting."

"What is that?" Tsunade asked, even though she thought she figured it out. It was too much of a coincidence that Sakura just happened to be a medic, and Naruto just happened to need a medic, and that Sakura just happened to meet them.

"We have a medical kunoichi that belongs to you." Naruto said.

That caught Tsunade completely off guard. Naruto was sitting here claiming to have captured one of Pamu's medic ninja!

"Oh? Who might that be?" Tsunade questioned, deciding to see exactly what he meant.

Sakura leaned forward, interested to hear the name of her supposedly missing co-worker.

"A kunoichi by the name of Rin Terada."

When Tsunade heard the name, she froze.

"That's not possible." she thought. "Rin Terada has been dead for years."

When Naruto saw the look of confusion on Tsunade's face, he explained.

"Nobody ever knew what happened to Rin." Naruto said. "Kakashi-sensei and dad both thought she was killed in an ambush by some Iwa ninjas. What they didn't know was that she was only captured. She's been in an Iwa prison for years. I found her when I went to Iwa to meet with the Tsuchikage. While there, he took me to the prison and asked if I knew her. I told him that she was Kakashi-sensei's teammate and then he told me to take her with me. So I took her back to Tetsu and she was nursed back to health by the Knights. Now she wants to come home."

"And you're willing to just let her go?" Tsunade asked.

"Of course," Naruto answered, "it's not like she's a prisoner or anything."

"So, back to the original topic," Gaara said, reining in the discussion, "you want us to bring our strongest ninja with us to fight your team?"

"Yes, that way there will be a representative from all Five Villages." Naruto told him.

"Wait, I thought you said there were six other members of your team, not including you." Tsunade interrupted.

"Yeah, that's why I want you to bring two fighters, Tsunade. I was thinking Kakashi-sensei so he could be there to greet his teammate and Neji, because I have a Knight who would love to fight him."

"That sounds fine." Tsunade agreed.

"I also accept." Gaara mentioned.

"Then it's settled." Naruto said as he stood. "If you both accept the invitation, we leave first thing in the morning."

"I will join you." Gaara said.

"I'm interested to see this Village of yours, so I'm in." Tsunade said.

"Very well, I'm glad that you're both joining us. Now, Lady Tsunade, I trust that you will bring the transfer papers for Miss Terada?"

"Yes, I'll have Shizune prepare them before we leave." Tsunade answered.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. We'll meet at the Pamu gates at eight tomorrow morning. That way, we should arrive before nightfall."

"Until then, Naruto-sama." Gaara said as he stood and shook Naruto's hand before leaving.

"See you in the morning, kid." Tsunade said as she gave Naruto a hug.

"See ya, Lady Tsunade!" Naruto said before following Gaara, with Polaris and Ryu right behind him. Sakura went to follow, but Tsunade called her back.

"Hold on a second, Sakura."

"What is it Lady Tsunade?" Sakura asked.

"Does he still have a crush on you?"

"I don't know, ma'am. He hasn't called me Sakura-chan at all, so I'm not sure. Why?"

"I had noticed that too and wanted to see what you said." Tsunade replied. "You can go now."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." Sakura said with a bow before she left too.

"If he still loves her, then maybe he'll come back to us." Tsunade thought to herself as she watched Sakura leave.

A/N: Okay, there's the new version of chapter two. I made similar changes as those to chapter one, continuing to erase concrete evidence of this pairing. I also made some changes that will make this seem a little more realistic, such as replacing Madara with Zetsu in the raptor fight description. People were complaining that it made Naruto seem too powerful that he was able to kill Madara like that. It also was kind of an anticlimactic death for Madara, so I brought him back to life for the story. I also took out the part about Gaara fighting Polaris, because I'm writing that scene differently. Let me know what you think of the changes (good or bad) if you've read the originals, or if you're new to Iron Shadow, let me know what you think of the story itself!