Chapter 2 Reactions
"Hey, Grandma! You wanted to see me?" Naruto burst into the room, nearly running over Hinata, Kiba, and Ino while he was at it.
"Naruto. . . YOU'RE LATE!" The hokage yelled.
"It wasn't my fault. There was-"
"I don't want to hear it, Naruto." The hokage sighed, holding her head in her hands, "Look. You are all here for a reason."
"All right Akamaru, we've got a new mission!" Kiba and his dog grinned excitedly, sparking countless other conversations among the teenagers gathered in the bright room.
"Kiba. Listen." Shino's cold voice brought order back to his friends. When their attention turned on the hokage once more, she began to speak.
"I want all of you to listen very carefully. I'm only going to say this once. Do you understand?"
Everyone voiced their agreement and she continued," Have any of you ever heard of the Village Hidden in the Shadows?" She waited for a response.
Several blank looks were cast her way until Shikamaru spoke up, "I haven't actually heard any details, except what I've managed to overhear. Isn't it supposed to be made up of a whole bunch of rogue ninjas or something?"
Tsunade nodded, "Close. The Shadow village was created long ago as wars tore lands apart and even destroyed many ninja clans; the stronger of these clans and some of the weaker ones were reduced to mere shadows of what they once were. After a few years, some of these clans began to disappear, for lack of a better word."
"What do you mean disappear? How do whole clans disappear?" Ino asked shrilly.
"Well, the remnants of the clans would be there one day and the next day every one of them would have left, taking almost everything they owned with them. It happened in Konoha, too. No one knows the names of the clans that disappeared but they were even stronger than the Uchihas and Hyuugas combined."
"That's amazing." Sakura said as she stored these facts in her head.
"Yeah, but what's any of that got to do with us?" Choji asked, munching on his second bag of chips.
"Well, for the longest time there was many wild rumors going around, but as the years went by people just forgot about the missing shinobi and the Shadow Village. However, it seems that the most persistent rumor was true; the missing ninja had gone and established a village in which they could live without ever having to worry about the wars and politics that ravaged the lands. They supposedly accomplished this by having the children undergoe intensive training by their families who would then move to one of the hidden villages and have them complete their training there. Including Konoha."
"What!"
"No way!"
"That's impossible!"
"Someone would have noticed!"
"Kiba! Naruto! All of you calm down immediately!" Tsunade yelled.
Shikamaru sighed, "It's really very simple you guys. The families come and set up as merchants, shopkeepers, or whatever and let the children got to the ninja academy. That way the children can learn and the adults can gather information on the village. After all, who would suspect a kid of knowing anything?"
Naruto thought about it, "Huh, I guess it's possible, but you still haven't said what all this has got to do with us."
"I'll tell you if you'll stop interrupting me," Tsunade spoke sternly to the excitable ninja, "Now where was I? Right, well for many years that rumor was simply that, a rumor, nothing more, since no one had ever seen or heard about the Shadow Village and its people," Tsunade paused looking all of them in the eye, "until now."
The adolescents burst into a frenzy of questions and yelling. Shikamaru was actually paying attention and even Shino looked surprised, or maybe it was the noise; she never could tell with him. When they had all quieted down she continued, "The Village Hidden in the Shadows has formally declared its existence and is sending high ranking ninja to each of the five great nations to acts as ambassadors between them. That's the reason I summoned all of you here. I will split you into teams and each will be performing a certain task and making sure they enjoy there stay here."
"Oh, no. We're going to watch some old geezer, aren't we?" The hokage was obviously trampling on Ino's weekend plans.
"This is very important, Ino. I need all of you to be on your best behavior. They will be sending their three strongest chunin. The two boys are Mizuki and Kaito, sons of the taiyokage's most important council members. Joining them is Nekomi, the taíyokage's only daughter. They are all about your age. That's why you're here."
"So, what's she like?" Sakura asked, ever practical.
"Well, her father didn't say much about any of them but her mother did mention that Nekomi was just like her father. Whatever that means."
"I see. What are our assignments them?" Neji asked, quickly understanding the situation.
"Neji, you, Shikamaru, and Shino will be their guides and their connection to me. You're also to report to me if you find anything odd. They may not be here for purely diplomatic reasons."
"Troublesome…"
"Understood."
"Next, Sakura and Hinata. Your job is the same. You will be Nekomi's guide. Make sure she has a good time and keep an eye on her. She has a reputation for being a troublemaker. Be on your guard and have fun."
"Yes, ma'am"
"A-All right"
"Good. Mizuki, Kaito, and Nekomi will arrive late tomorrow afternoon, so don't be late. You are dismissed."
The teams ran out the door, speculating about the new arrivals and the mystery of the Village Hidden in the Shadows. Well most of them were. As usual, Hinata was too shy to talk, Shino was not talking, and Shikamaru was sighing. Things were still normal. After they left Tsunade picked up the letter from the taíyokage and stared at it.
"After all those years, why would they choose now? They're up to something."
"Maybe not, Lady Tsunade. It's possible they were simply waiting until they felt like their village was strong enough." Shizune was ever optimistic.
"Shizune, their village is made up of legendary clans. They were always strong enough. But who knows? You might be right. But I doubt that's the only reason," she sighed, "Looks like we're just going to have to wait and see."