Well, here we are at the beginning of the first real arc of the story. It's only three chapters long, and afterwards, Fuu will finally arrive on the scene. Now, without further ado, let's see how Naruto fares on his first mission after leaving Konoha, shall we?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Leaves rustled as a figure leapt from one tree to the next, moving from branch to branch at a speed that the untrained eye couldn't follow. The blur darted up to the treetops, coming to a halt at the highest possible spot to survey the landscape.
Leaning against the trunk of the tree, Naruto placed his free hand above his eyes, shielding them from the sun's rays, and let his gaze roam the countryside, in search of his soon to be charges. It didn't take him more than a moment to spot a dirt road off in the distance, though most of it was hidden behind a small cliff.
"Looks like this is the place." The blond said with a grin, excited to be going on a mission for the first time since he left the village over a month ago.
Once more bursting into motion, the young Jinchuriki quickly made his way to the path, coming to a stop on the limb of a tree hung over the road. His blue orbs searched the road, peering in the direction of the country that had hired him, and in short order he spied a group of people trudging down the otherwise deserted road, pushing along two carts.
Naruto's eager smile widened at the sight, thinking of all the stories he'd have to brag about once he returned to Konoha. He could hardly imagine the looks on the faces of the other members of the Konoha 11 when they learned of his exploits. That being said, this mission sounded pretty boring. According to the message, all he'd have to do is guard this group of merchants as they made their way out of the Land of Vegetables and to the Land of Honey. A simple, if dull job, though the blond did find it slightly odd that he was meeting them. Rather than wait for their escort, they'd set up a rendezvous point, telling him where and when they should be passing at a certain point and requesting he find them there. He dismissed this thought though, thinking they were just in a hurry.
His almost boundless energy and enthusiasm held strong, despite the easy task. A mission was a mission and he was not about to screw up the first one he ever did on his own. He knew enough to know that his grandmother figure, Tsunade was putting a lot of faith in him by letting him go on missions alone and he wasn't about to let her or the Pervy Sage down, even without said man stressing the point before he went off to kami knows where.
A brief flicker of annoyance flashed through his mind as he recalled that his teacher had left him on his own, AGAIN, and was probably out spying on some hot spring somewhere. Sure, it was something of an ego booster that he was trusted to take on a job alone, but his sensei's antics still irritated him to no end.
As the he grew closer to the merchants, he and called out, "Hey! Are you guys coming from the Land of Vegetables?"
This alerted the caravan to his presence and the group came to a stop as Naruto leapt out of a tree and landed before them. Two of the merchants ran forward to meet him, both of average height and build with tan skin, black hair and matching coal colored eyes. The pair resembled one another enough to pass for siblings. Then again, to Naruto's knowledge they could very well be brothers.
One was slightly shorter than his companion and wore a gray coat with orange lining that went down to just below his knees, light green pants and tan work boots, along with a brown hat on his head.
The other peddler had a slightly narrower face with prominent cheekbones and thinner eyelashes than his brown clad counterpart. He wore a light blue shirt with an ice blue hat, white pants with blue lining and brown shoes and kept his hair tied in a short ponytail.
"Yes, but who are you?" the blue wearing man replied.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I was sent by Konoha to help you guys out and protect you." Naruto replied with his usual fox-like grin, reaching his hand up and flashing his head band, since they hadn't identified him as a ninja of Konoha.
"Lady Hokage only sent one genin?" The man in brown asked with an almost incredulous tone, a deep frown marring his face and a look of slight disappointment in his eyes, while his ponytailed friend schooled his features. It was they who'd contacted Konoha for protection. While it was true, they had only paid for a C-rank mission, they had expected a team of genin, hopefully accompanied by a jonin escort.
It was a method many used to game the system, and one Naruto himself had actually encountered before. Can't pay for a B-rank mission, assuring chunin level support, or higher? File the mission under D or C-rank and you're almost sure to get one experienced jonin accompanied by three young genin, just hope that they don't abandon you for lying should they find out the truth. Never mind that the students probably weren't ready to handle whatever it was you were facing and were likely to wind up seriously injured, or worse. Sometimes, sacrifices were a necessary part of life.
However, what they had apparently gotten instead of the expected team was a single genin. Not exactly the most comforting of guardians.
"Don't worry; I'm a pretty big name back in Konoha. I can handle anything we come across." Naruto boasted as he pointed to himself with his thumb, confidence practically oozing from his form… though it did little to reassure the two standing before him and it showed on their faces. He then rubbed his hands together, anxious to get started. "We've got quite a ways to go, don't we? So let's get moving!"
While the fact that they were only being guarded by a single genin was hardly reassuring, many of the group smiled at his enthusiasm. "True." The man wearing blue replied. "Let me introduce myself, I'm Kikuske, this…" he gestured to his brown clad companion, "… is Yurinoshi, and…" Both of them turned to face a shorter man who bore a stern, guarded expression. "… this is Shun. We'd appreciate your help pushing these carts."
Naruto briefly observed Shun, finding something odd about young man. He seemed to be quite thin, almost effeminate though it was a bit difficult to tell with the loose cloths he was wearing, and had fair skin and brown hair that fell in two thin bands that framed his face, which seemed constantly set in a severe expression with a frown and his mouth pressed in a thin line, and amethyst eyes that seemed to radiate cold indifference. He wore an aquamarine shirt under a brown vest with grey pants, a brown sash around his waist and a tan colored hat.
Ignoring the cold looking boy and eager to show off, Naruto replied. "No problem. That's why you guys have nothing to worry about." He made a familiar, cross shaped hand sign. "I'm a one man army!"
In a large poof of smoke, ten duplicates of the blond appeared, causing many of the merchants to blink in surprise, most having had little experience with ninja. Kikuske and Yurinoshi's eyes widened slightly at the sight.
"Wow." The only child in the group, a little girl with brown hair tied with a red ribbon that went just below her neck, breathed in wonderment before focusing on the real Naruto with a wide smile. "Amazing, can all ninja do things like this?"
"Nope. Most can't make them like I can." Naruto replied, closing his eyes and chest puffed out in pride at the girl's admiration.
Shun gave a slight huff as he turned away, mild contempt in his eyes as he stated, "Well, at least you aren't completely useless."
Naruto and his clone's heads immediately jerked to his direction, glaring lightly as he raised a fist and shot back, "What was that? Who're you calling useless?"
Kikuske stepped between them and held his hands up in a placating gesture while giving the teen an apologetic smile.
"I apologize. Shun's had a pretty rough life and he's always tense because of it. Please don't take anything he says personally."
Naruto's glare lingered on the effeminate boy for a few moments as an almost inaudible growl escaped his throat. What was this guy's problem? Sure, if he was being honest with himself, having one genin as an escort was probably a bit underwhelming, but that was no reason to be a jerk about it!
He shrugged, placing his hands behind his head and putting his rude charge out of his mind.
"Well, let's get this show on the road, we're burning daylight."
In short order, the clones were scattered amongst the group, aiding the peddlers in pushing their carts while Naruto walked at the side of the group and Shun, who apparently had a weak constitution, trailed behind it. With the aid of the clones, the peddlers had a much easier time and the convoy moved onwards at a leisurely pace.
Unseen to Naruto and all of the merchants, a translucent shape, completely unnoticeable when still, shifted, making the camouflaged figure perceptible for a brief moment. Jiraiya of the Sannin, using his own original technique, the Transparency Escape Technique, watched as his student performed his first solo mission, a slight smirk spread across his face.
He'd told his hyperactive student that he had business elsewhere and he would therefore have to take care of this himself. He stressed that, even if it was only a C-rank, a solo mission was a big responsibility, and sent the boy on his way. In reality, he'd planned to watch and see how the boy would perform without supervision. This seemed like the perfect chance, not only to observe how he handled himself, but also if his lessons had made any impact.
Soon enough he took off after his young student. He could tell there was something up, that guy Shun wasn't what he said he was, and there were definitely some things here that sent off alarm bells.
If they were really worried about the usual threats such a caravan would face, such as bandits for example, they should have waited back at their starting point. They wouldn't have told him to meet them on the road and especially not when they were already so far in their journey that they just passed the border This likely meant they were either in a hurry to get somewhere, and there were few reasons for a group of peddlers to want to get somewhere that quickly… or they were trying to get away from something. That and the odd trio that was Shun, Kikuske and Yurinoshi roused his suspicions, but ultimately he wasn't worried.
After all, what was the worst that could happen on this kind of mission? Though he was curious about the three peddlers, what were the odds that they were on the run from something that dangerous? There was almost no chance that he would run into any actual peril escorting a simple group of peddlers.
At that very moment, Murphy's Law was working to prove the toad Sannin wrong.
Built amidst trees and a beautiful sea of yellow flowers, whose stalks swayed like ripples in a pond as a calm, warm breeze blew across the land, was the capital of the Land of Vegetables. The buildings of the city were scattered around a massive hill, also completely covered in flowers, constructed in such a manner that they didn't take away from the natural aesthetics of the area. Standing proudly on the hill's plateau, looking down on village, was the daimyo's castle. All in all, a truly idyllic place to live.
However, the natural beauty of the area was tarnished by the black smoke billowing from the castle. If you looked closely, one could just barely make out flickers of flame at the base of the smog, making it clear that something was afoot. The smoke was meant to be a signal, one that was being read loud and clear by the orchestrators of the events poised to unfold.
Standing on the branch of the branches of a tree at the very edge of the field of flowers stood three men, obviously ninja; one down on one knee, one sitting with his legs crossed and one leaning against the trunk.
All three had matching amber eyes, the unusual color revealing that they were siblings, and were similarly dressed and had the same hair style; grown long, trailing halfway down their backs, though each had their own personal touch to their attire. The trio wore a dark blue, sleeveless vest together with matching fingerless gloves that went past their elbows, lightly colored pants of various shades and facial markings.
The kneeling sibling had purple hair and blue colored tear shaped tattoos under his eyes along with a triangle shapes mark on his chin, the point touching the center of his lip. He had a cloth wrapped around his waist by a sash that covered the sides and back of his legs and trailed down almost to his feet and beige pants.
The sitting ninja was a large man, possessing considerable bulk, both in fat and muscle. He had dark gray hair and a pair of crescent shaped red marks, partially hidden behind his hair, under each eye. He had a large nose and the only unique aspect of his clothing was the yellow sash around his waist and light gray pants.
The final brother stood slightly taller than his siblings. He had brown hair and had three purple marks shaped like long, thin triangles on his cheeks and forehead, all pointing to the center of his face. He wore a purple, high collar vest with red lining over his uniform and white pants.
On the surrounding trees were their subordinates, all wearing the same uniforms of them, along with cloth masks, in some cases full face masks, in other's rags covering their mouths, and still others wearing traditional masks similar to Kakashi's.
"All the pieces are in place and ready to go." The purple clad sibling, the eldest of the three, stated as the trio surveyed the land, each wearing a cool grin, even as they prepared to unleash chaos upon the peaceful nation.
"So, this is the Land of Vegetables you told us about, brother?" The heavy set man stated, crossing his arms as his eyes scanned the land.
"Well, it doesn't look like much, but I suppose it's a stepping stone to greater things." The purple haired rogue said.
"Half the village officials have been bought and paid for. At our signal, the castle will be overthrown from within." The oldest sibling stated before turning to look at his younger brothers. "From this day forward, we'll be this country's daimyo's."
"Daimyo's." The largest of the three said as if testing the word out, imagining his future station.
"I like the sound of that." The purple haired man chuckled.
The three turned their gazes back to the castle, surveying the land which, in their minds, already belonged to them, as their men awaited their order. In just a few moments, they'd turn this entire country on its head. They took a few moments of silence as they thought about all that await them.
Naruto looked up to the sky, a smile plastered on his face as the midday sun shined down at the path, the convoy trudging on at a steady pace. With the aid of the clones, they were making far better time than the merchants had expected and so far, there had been no trouble. Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out his canteen and brought to his mouth. Taking a quick swig of water, he savored the feeling of the cool liquid going down his throat.
Kikuske stood beside him, allowing Yurinoshi and the three clones aiding him to push their cart while he took a break to get a drink of his own.
'It's water, I suppose. But it's not as sweet as that of the Land of Vegetables…' He thought to himself as he looked at his canteen with a look of slight disappointment and nostalgia as he recalled that land before shaking it off. It'd be a long time before he returned to that country.
"So, I bet you guys have been to all kinds of places over the years, huh?" Naruto asked as he turned to look at the blue clad merchant, who looked down at their young guardian. "You must have seen some interesting stuff. What countries rate the best in your book?"
"Oh, well, to be honest, the Land of Vegetables is my favorite. Few other countries value peace as much as the people those living in that country, and no where do they live in such harmony with nature, nor a place where the water is as sweet." The merchant replied before tilting his head slightly, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "But I could say the same about you. You must be quite the ninja since they're allowing you to perform a mission, even one as simple as this, at so young an age. Have you not been to many places as well?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, giving the man a sheepish smile as he replied, "Well, I have seen to some pretty amazing things, but I actually haven't been a ninja all that long." He averted his gaze, looking to the side and to the ground. "To be honest, the only reason I'm on this mission on my own is because there wasn't anyone helping me."
Kikuske's head jerked back, his eyes widening minutely at the admission. "What do you mean? I had heard that Konoha endured many losses during that affair a few months ago. Did they really suffer that many losses?"
"You mean the invasion?" Naruto questioned, his expression darkening slightly. "No, there's no one to help me because I haven't been back to the village in over a month." Seeing the curious look from Kikuske, Naruto elaborated, "Right now, I'm on this training trip with my sensei, so it's just the two of us. A few weeks ago he asked Grandma Tsunade to send a few missions our way, said I needed experience in the field."
"Ah," The merchant replied in understanding, though he noted the blonds' rather disrespectful nickname for the Hokage. 'They must be close…' He noted. "But if that's the case, shouldn't your sensei be with you?"
"Probably." Naruto replied, becoming slightly irritable at the reminder of his sensei being off who knows where doing who knows what. His brow furrowed. "But he's not. Said it'd be good for me to take a few jobs on my own. I think the old perv just wanted an excuse to go goof off again."
The peddler seemed a little let down to hear that. Certainly, finding out his guards sensei was so apparently unreliable wasn't exactly a confidence booster. "I'm sorry to hear that."
The young Jinchuriki shrugged, his grin returning as his eyes squinted to resemble a fox's.
"Eh, it's not a problem. He's actually a pretty good sensei when he's actually doing his job."
"May I ask who your teacher is?" The merchant asked with mild curiosity.
Turning his head to look at him, Naruto replied, "None other than Jiraiya of the Sannin!" Seeing Kikuske take on a look of shock, he questioned, "Heard of him?"
Schooling his features, Kikuske nodded, "Indeed I have, though only in passing." He replied with a smile, the knowledge that their guard was a student of one of the Sannin returning some small measure of assurance to him. "You're very fortunate to have such a renowned shinobi as a teacher."
"Tell me about it! We're going to spend the next three years focused on my training and I've already done some incredible things since I became a ninja. You're looking at the next Hokage!"
"You want to be Hokage?" The peddler asked. "That's quite a lofty goal. I hope you don't mind me asking, why do you want to the title?"
Naruto scratched his cheek in slight embarrassment at the question, recalling what his answer would have been less than a year ago. Now that he knew what he did and been through what he had, even he had to admit that wanting to be Hokage for the acknowledgement alone was childish. Oh, he still wanted to be Hokage so everyone would recognize him as the best of the best, but now there were other reasons.
"Well… before, I just wanted everyone know I was the best of the best, but now I want to protect my village and everyone in it." Naruto said, thinking back to what he'd felt when he fought against Gaara. Now granted, he hadn't exactly forgiven the people who had mistreated him just for being a Jinchuriki, but his loyalty to the village trumped his ill sentiments for them. "And that's not all. I want to do something about the way things are now."
"What do you mean?"
"… Don't you think it's wrong, how there are so many wars, or how often kids even younger than me wind up dying because of all the fighting that never seems to end? I want to change things, to bring an end to all of that. I mean, I don't know how yet, but…" He turned to him and gave him a wide grin. "If no one tries, how can you expect anything to ever change?"
Kikuske smiled. "That's a very admirable goal. I understand your late Hokage worked towards a similar goal."
Naruto's eyes fell back to the grown at that, his expression becoming somber. "Yeah, he did… He was like a grandfather to me."
"So you're carrying on his wishes?"
The blond Uzumaki closed his eyes before shrugging. "Guess I am. I mean, we both want the same things: to protect Konoha and the peace we live in."
"In that case, he was a fool." A new voice cut through their conversation. Naruto glared as Kikuske's expression turned neutral as both looked to the back of Shun, the source of the scathing remark. "Working towards peace… what a joke. What he did was take the peace for granted and grew complacent. What you're talking about requires you to trust the leaders of other nations. In this world we live in, it's absurd to think that you can take anything anyone says at face value. One can never truly know what other people think, and thus all that kind of thinking does is leave you open to betrayal."
"What was that?" Naruto grit his teeth and shot forward, grabbing Shun by the sleeve and forcing him to face him, staring into his eyes fiercely, he growled, "Listen up because I'm only going to say this once. I won't stand by and let anyone badmouth the Hokage, got it?"
Around them, the caravan came to a halt as everyone turned to watch the exchange. Having heard the whole affair, the merchants couldn't help but take Naruto's side. "Granny says you shouldn't speak ill of the dead." The little girl Momiji, said from her perch at the top of the front cart.
"She's right, you know." Said old woman said as she took a step towards them, hoping to diffuse the situation. "From what I understand, the Third Hokage was a great leader. You shouldn't look down on him for trusting others for the sake of peace."
"Hmph." Shun responded, yanking his hand away from Naruto's. "And how precisely did putting his trust in others turn out for him? That's right, his village was betrayed by his so called allies and he wound up dying protecting his people from his own mistakes." With that, having said his piece, Shun resumed walking.
Naruto glared at Shun, gritting her teeth while restraining himself, recalling his first jonin sensei, Kakashi's words. 'You can't demolish a client, Naruto. It doesn't work that way.' But it was so hard. While he had more control over himself than he once did, he still couldn't stand to hear someone speak ill of his late grandfather figure.
Using all his will power to hold his tongue so that he didn't start a fight with one of his charges, Naruto huffed as the caravan continued moving.
At that moment, two figures were rushing through the trees, moving with the speed and swiftness of an experienced shinobi, making nary a sound as they rapidly closed the distance between themselves and the convoy Naruto was guarding.
Catching a brief glimpse of it far down the road, they went deeper into the forest that framed both sides of the path, their mission clear in their minds: find and eliminate the target, and anyone else they happened to encounter.
Unbeknownst to them, as soon as they were out of hearing distance, an unassuming rock burst into smoke.
Naruto and all his doppelganger's tensed slightly, ready to move at any moment, their eyes hardening as memories hit them. Two unknown shinobi were closing in on the caravan… and from the looks of it, they weren't just going to pass them by.
Out of site of his charges, the blond had created a series of clones and had them transform into boulders, routinely maintaining a set distance from the caravan to alert him and his clones of any approaching threats. One might applaud the boy for his clever use of his gifts…
In reality, he'd just wanted to make the most use of the trick he'd just learned, like a child with a shiny new toy he just had to play with. However, who cared about the reason? Either way, he now knew that someone was targeting them, and from the looks of it, would probably soon attack.
Unnoticed by the blond and his replicas, Kikuske and Yurinoshi's eyes also hardened as they scrutinized their surroundings.
Suddenly, Naruto and his doppelgangers sprang into action as a hail of kunai rained down on the group from the trees on both sides of the road, each pulling out kunai or shuriken of their own.
Naruto quickly drew a kunai from his pouch and held in a reverse grip. He shot forward and blocked three shuriken that nearly impaled Shun through the back, the thin man swerving around with wide eyes and taking in a sharp breath when the sound of metal meeting metal reached his ears.
All around the convoy, Naruto's clones either mirrored their creator's actions or threw weapons of their own, deflecting some of the attacks or retaliating, causing two blue clad, masked ninja to jump out of the trees, each drawing a guard-less kodachi. The merchants, letting out shocked cries, quickly rushed to the carts, one of the adults grabbing Momiji as he moved, and hid under them, as did Shun, Kikuske and Yurinoshi.
Without a word, and giving no chance for their quarry to voice the question on his mind, both shot forward, both one going after the real Naruto while the other attempted to get around the clones and attack the peddlers. Naruto blocked the blade with his kunai, but the nameless assassin pressed the attack. The clang of metal clashing against metal echoed through the clearing as the blond was pushed back, but the assailant leapt into the air when three clones threw more shuriken his way.
The other attacker, finding his attack deflected, bolted away, with four clones in pursuit. He kicked off the ground, bounded off a tree and into the air, turning and throwing another round of shuriken at the duplicates on the ground, all of which were blocked and three of the clones jumped into the air, each brandishing weapons of their own as they closed the distance.
He blocked a slash from the first clone and slammed his knee into its chest, destroying it. With a twist of his body, he lashed out with a spinning kick and powerful slash, dispersing the two remaining clones.
As he landed on the ground, he saw the fourth clone was now brandishing an unfolded Fuma Shuriken.
"Try this on for size!" The blond doppelganger yelled as he threw the weapon. It could actually be heard cutting through the air as it spun to quickly that it appeared to the naked eye as a solid, transparent disc.
The assailant let out a grunt, one could almost hear the smirk through his voice, as he quickly jumped slightly and stabbed his blade down just as the weapon closed in on him, impaling the weapon through its hollow center and landing on the blade in a crouch with the soles of his feet pressed against either side of its handle.
His eyes widened as a second one emerged from the shadow of the first, angled upward and closing in on him rapidly, poised to slice him in half.
Seeing that death was imminent if he didn't move and unwilling to relinquish his blade, the assailant jerked his entire body, he took to the air once more, tearing his sword out of the ground. However, just as the weapon reached where he'd been just a moment ago, both weapons erupted into smoke.
"What?" He voiced his shock, the first word the assailants had spoken since they appeared. Out of the cloud, two clones leapt into the air after him.
At the moment, his back was facing them with his head turned around to look at his opponents. He had no time to complete his motion before his attackers were upon him, two of the remaining clones right on their heels.
The first two clones were soon upon him, the first pushing as much chakra into it as it could as the other held a kunai. He couldn't turn around quickly enough to ward off their attacks and could only brace himself for the inevitable. The kunai wielding clone reached him first and drove his weapon into his shoulder. He winced as he felt the weapon dig into him and felt his uniform grow warm from the blood.
He remained helpless as the other clone reached him and could only watch out of the corner of his eye as it punched him in the jaw, disorienting him and leaving him at their mercy as the second set of doppelgangers joined in and forcing him to turn and face them.
The clones threw punches and kicks into his stomach, chest and face, pummeling him senseless before gravity took hold and pulled them back to the ground. One clone flipped and delivered an axe kick to the back of his head, sending him crashing to the ground with enough force to send out a cloud of debris.
The other attacker's eyes widened in shock when he saw his partner go down, unable to believe a simple child was pushing them back.
His eyes narrowed as he saw Naruto make another hand sign. A poof of smoke erupted around the blond and the nameless ninja brought up his sword, preparing to counter the inevitable rush of clones.
His eyes widened however when three kunai flew out of the cloud. He leapt back to dodge, watching as they impaled the ground. His expression morphed into one of horror as he saw each kunai had an explosive note attached, each of which immediately caught fire.
He could do nothing as the weapons detonated, sending him flying back, hitting the dirt road and making a shallow trench as the force of the explosion pushed him along the ground. He winced as he felt the small stones on the ground dig into his skin, leaving ragged cuts along his back and the back of his arms. He could feel that being driven through the earth by the explosion had dislocated his shoulder.
Two Narutos leapt through the cloud the explosion created, letting out a battle cry as they reared their fists back, putting as much strength as they could into their fists.
The assailant leapt back and moved so quickly he became a blur to the naked eye, maneuvering around the battlefield and to his fallen comrade as he rose to up into a kneeling position.
"Ok, you jackasses." The real Naruto began as he took a step forward. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. You ready to give up and tell me what the hell you're thinking attacking this caravan, or am I going to have to pound your ugly mugs into the dirt some more?"
The two looked at each other, seeing they were now wounded and at a big disadvantage. On top of that, the fact that the boy was using shadow clones the way he was without even looking winded suggested he had a freakish amount of chakra and could probably replace them as quickly as they fell. Chances were if things continued this way, they would lose.
That could have several outcomes, and none of them were pleasant. Either they'd be jailed, killed after being interrogated, by a kid no less, or perhaps worse… rescued.
Knowing what their bosses were like… what they would do to them if they found out they were beaten by one kid who probably wasn't even a chunin yet… in any other situation they would have shuddered.
For that very reason, they couldn't return even if they found their target. They'd never survive once their bosses discovered how they were driven off.
They couldn't run either. They knew too much. They'd be tracked down and killed if they didn't report back.
With all choices apparently ending in death, the two gripped their swords, one with both hands and the other with just one, not bothering to attempt the motion with his injured shoulder, and raised their swords above their chests, they blades pointed towards them.
Naruto and his clone's all wore expressions of shock as they realized what was about to happen, but all the blond could do was shout "Wait!" before they brought their blades down, plunging the blades through their stomachs, both grunting in pain as they sliced cleanly through their flesh.
Blood spilled out from the wounds as they used the last of their strength to wrench the blades free, coughing up more of the crimson liquid as one fell forward and the other to the side and the life sustaining fluid pooled around them.
Naruto's expression became a mask of shock as a few of his clones ran over to the dying shinobi as he wondered why they hadn't tried to run away. Couldn't they have gone back to their comrades for reinforcements? He didn't dwell on it for more than a few seconds, instead taking a breath and schooling his features before turning back to the merchants.
"Is it safe to come out?" Momiji asked, sticking her head out from under the cart with a slightly fearful expression, though one of the adults, with a chastising expression, quickly pulled her back.
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, I think so."
Breathing sighs of relief, the peddlers climbed out of their hiding place. They grouped together, looking at the fallen assailants.
"Wow that was amazing." Momiji, who had never before seen a battle between ninja, said as she ran towards the real blond, who smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head at the praise.
"Why would two ninja attack us? What could we have that they'd want?" The elderly woman in the group asked.
"Beats me." Naruto replied with a shrug and a frown. "P- I mean, Jiraiya-sensei-" He corrected himself, remembering that said perverted ninja had stressed NOT to refer to him as such in front of a client as it would not breed confidence. "- told me once that sometimes missing-nin turn into bandits. Maybe these guys are just that."
"But… why would they kill themselves because they lost?" One of the men asked, looking worriedly at the two dead attackers.
"I don't know, but I think we need to speed things up." Naruto answered, and it was clear the entire caravan agreed.
Kikuske, Shun and Yurinoshi all shared secretive looks before Shun stepped forward. "Naruto, was it?" Shun began. Seeing the blond respond, he continued. "There should be a fork in the road up ahead. It might serve us to take the longer route. If we're being pursued, they might not be expecting it."
"Sounds good…" Naruto nodded before grinning as the proverbial light bulb went off. "Know what, that gives me an idea."
As the sun set over the Land of Vegetables, the three criminal siblings gathered together in the meeting room of the daimyo… their meeting room. The brown haired lead sibling sat on the place of the daimyo, a pillow near the back of the room, leaning to the side on his right arm on two boxes and his left arm propped up on his leg while his brothers stood on either of his sides, facing him. Two decorative, but real swords sat on a rack behind him. The stout sibling had his arms crossed while the youngest, the tear marked man, stood in a relaxed pose. All three wearing satisfied smirks as they reviewed the rather eventful first day of their reign.
The coup had gone off without a hitch. The soldiers of the Land of Vegetables were all either dead or in hiding, the nobles who hadn't sided with them and the daimyo were all rotting in a mass grave behind the castle where it wouldn't mar their view as they looked out onto the land through the open shoji doors.
The yellow field, basking in the orange rays of twilight was relatively unscathed, though the village at the foot of the hill the castle rested on was still recovering from the battle. Smoke continued to billow up from small pockets of fires which the residents, their new subjects, were struggling to put out and save what they had left after the quick but devastating battle.
However, the grin faded from the grey haired sibling's face as his attention focused on what was on the floor before them: a several overturned chests, their contents, a few hundred gold coins, scattered across the floor. Though it was a small fortune, it was still a woefully small amount of money for a daimyo to have.
"Is this really all the treasure there is? What kind of a daimyo was that guy?" The heavy set sibling complained, looking at the coins with disgust for their former owner.
"Unfortunately, one too honest to line his own pockets. Though of course, that all changes starting right now." The eldest sibling responded from his sitting position. "More importantly, has there been any sign of the little lady?"
"Not yet, but those two we sent out to find her haven't returned." The bulky sibling responded. "Chances are, they were taken out by her guards, so we've got a pretty good guess what direction she's headed in."
"Just getting the girl's enough. If any of them get away, they might garner reinforcements from another land and come back." The oldest of the three responded. He closed his eyes, annoyed at this complication, though not truly concerned. "If only the sun were a little stronger, I would just melt the entire mountain range with my jutsu."
Pulling out a pair of tonfas that had been strapped to his back and spinning them in a gesture of eagerness, the youngest sibling chuckled, "Leave it to me."
The eldest sibling let out a laugh of his own as the sound of footsteps reverberated through the room. Soon enough, a small, fat man came up the staircase in near the end of the room. He was bald on the top of his head with his remaining hair tied in a short ponytail and had a thin mustache. He was wearing an expensive kimono and haori.
The short man kneeled before his new masters. "Excuse me, Lord Renga All the people who've sworn allegiance to you have gathered in the main hall."
His smirk fading, replaced with a look of seriousness, the now named Renga responded, "Good, we're very grateful. Without the help of turncoats such as yourself, we never would have been able to route the castle's defenses so easily." The traitor chuckled in response.
The gray haired sibling placed his hands on his hips as he turned back to the leader of the trio.
"Well brother what'd you say, should we head down and greet our new supporters?"
"You go on ahead, I'll handle things here." Renga responded as he watched his younger siblings head down the stairs.
Once the two were out of sight, the lead traitor rubbed his hands together greedily. "Now, as to the reward you promised…"
"Ah yes, the reward, of course." Renga replied with an appreciative smile. He waved his hand at the gold before him. "Go on ahead, take as much as you like."
Barely able to contain his excitement, he quickly replied, "You're so generous Lord Renga!" With that, he dived into the gold on his hands and knees and quickly began to stuff the glittering coins everywhere he could.
As the man continued to stuff his pockets and sleeves, Renga slowly rose to his feet, taking one of the swords behind him in his right hand as he watched the rotund little traitor take his ill gotten gains, feeling nothing but contempt as his mouth twisted into a sadistic smirk.
"Isn't funny how some people are so gullible and easy to deceive?"
"You can say that again, oh wise one." The advisor replied, not even willing to tear his eyes away from the money for even a moment. "Our lord was such a fool that he trusted us until the very end."
"Don't stuff too much into your pockets; you might sink the ferry carrying you across the waters of oblivion." The missing nin advised as his grin widened slightly. With a flick of his thumb, the blade unsheathed an inch, sending a metallic ring though the room. At those words and that sound, the man froze before looking up at his new master. "You're quite right, only a fool would trust the likes of you: a fat greedy weasel who's already betrayed one master."
He could hardly believe the stupidity of the man before him. Who would trust someone who betrayed his former leader for a little coin? Not that it mattered; the brothers didn't truly trust anyone. Everyone was just a tool to be used until they no longer had any value, and then tossed way like one ryo coins.
It was only smart. After all, no one could truly know what another person thinks.
"Y- You're joking, Lord Renga." He said, his breath hitching in terror.
"No, I'm afraid it's no joke." At that moment, screams of panic and agony and futile cries for mercy echoed out from the lower rooms.
Turning his head to stare after the sounds, the noble could only shiver as the sounds sent chills down his spine. "I- it can't be. You wanted me to gather the others just so you could…"
Renga slowly unsheathed his sword as the man, realizing his imminent demise, tried to crawl away, too terrified to even manage to climb to his feet as the rogue shinobi calmly approached, raising his blade above his head.
"You wanted your reward? Well here it is." With one swift strike, gold coins and blood spilled across the tatami mats on the floor.
About half an hour later, the caravan was continuing on its journey, now moving at a greater speed than before. Naruto had replaced the destroyed clones and occasionally sent out a few more to scout the surrounding area, keeping on the lookout in case those ninja had friends as they attempted to reach the next town before they found themselves attacked again.
While Naruto stood to the side of the group, Kikuske and Yurinoshi pushed the rear cart on their own, under the excuse of not wanting the blond to waste anymore energy in case they needed his protection again, and Shun stood to their side.
"There can no longer be any doubt, Yurinojo." Kikuske said, keeping his voice down so that only those two beside him could hear him. "They're definitely coming after us."
"Yes." Yurinoshi, revealed to be Yurinojo, responded.
"Stay with Lady Haruna." 'Kikuske' ordered.
"Why, what are you going to do?" Yurinojo looked at his partner out of the corner of his eyes.
"We can't wait for them to attack. There're too many people in the caravan to defend. The boy's countermeasures are good, but they may not be enough to give us the time to reach the next town. If I can find them first, there's a chance I can divert them, or slow them down." The blue clad man explained, his expression one of confidence and resolution.
"They say, there are three of them. Rogue ninja with unknown, powerful jutsu." Yurinojo cautioned.
"I know. But I'm confident that my jutsu will be more than a match for theirs."
"Very well then. Good luck, Kikunojo." 'Shun' responded.
"Thank you, Lady Haruna." With that, after making certain he wasn't being watched, Kikunojo disappeared with a body flicker, leaving Yurinojo and the now revealed to be Haruna alone to excuse his absence.
Kikunojo, now clad in shinobi clothing consisting of a blue, open flak jacket over a tan shirt and fishnet armor with a sword strapped to his back, bolted across the forest floor, searching for any enemies in hiding, keeping his senses open for any sign of the enemy.
'I will protect Lady Haruna, with my life if need be.' He thought with conviction.
He knew very well that this could be his final mission, but for a ninja, that was always a possibility. But in this case, it was far more likely than usual. He had no idea what kind of ninjutsu their enemies used, but he knew that whatever they had at their disposal, it had been enough to topple their beloved home.
He had to do this. Not only for Lady Haruna, but to avenge what these arrogant bastards had done to the Land of Vegetables. For their fallen daimyo, for all the lives they'd ended and ruined on their egomaniacal conquest, he had to do something to bring them down.
"What the hell!?" A familiar voice called out from above, cutting through his thoughts. He stopped dead in his tracks and jerked in the direction the voice came from as one of the many clones Naruto sent out to scout the surrounding area leapt out of the tree, landing right before him in a crouch before bringing his head up and sending a furious glare his way.
He could hardly believe it. How could he not have sensed his presence? When he first laid eyes on the boy, he'd thought that, even considering how many shinobi wore bright, normally easily detected clothing, he had been the single most visible ninja he'd ever seen, not to mention that he could already tell he had a habit of being a loud mouth. Apparently, the boy had an act for stealth. Then again, his battle with those two assailants earlier should have told him there was more to him than meets the eye, but he'd thought his talents lied solely on the field of combat.
Obviously, that wasn't the case.
"Kikuske…" The blond doppelganger began, his mouth twisted into a snarl as he rose to his feet. "What are you guys trying to pull?"
While the young Uzumaki wasn't exactly known for having startling intellect and Jiraiya hadn't been teaching him long enough to change that, he was still smart enough to put two and two together. And the answer he got pissed him off.
The caravan was being attacked by unknown assailants for reasons he couldn't begin to guess at. One of his charges was a ninja in hiding and was now rushing off to face said attackers. It didn't take a genius to figure out that not only were he and those two who stuck with him not who they said they were, they were probably the target of the earlier attack.
Of course, he was mad that they had decided not to tell him these all important details, but worse was the fact that they were using that caravan back there as a shield to cover their escape, even when they knew their enemy would have no trouble wiping the whole thing out! What was the point of keeping the act up when the guys you're hiding from already know where you are? Nothing, it just put them all in danger.
"Naruto… no, you're one of his clones, aren't you?" Kikunojo said as he analyzed the clone and the situation.
The Naruto clone didn't respond to the question however, and instead angrily pointed and accusing finger at the ninja of the Land of Vegetables. "It's you, isn't it? You're the ones that those guys back there were after! What were you thinking, using kids and old ladies as shields!?"
"We didn't have a choice!" Kikunojo shouted back. He and Yurinojo hated that they'd needed to sink so low as to plan to use children and the elderly as decoys, but there wasn't any other way to safely get their princess out of the country quickly enough.
Besides, they were shinobi. Part of the job meant that sometimes, you would have to do things you weren't proud of.
"We had to-!"
"Save it!" Naruto cut him off abruptly, sweeping his arm out. "You can spill your guts to everyone back at the caravan!"
"If I do that…" Kikunojo trailed off, averting his eyes from Naruto's condemning stare and looking to the ground with a conflicted look before his expression hardened. After a moment, his head rose again and he gripped his sword. "You're just a clone. To keep Lady Haruna's secret… I'll destroy you if need be."
"Ha! Hate to break it to you, but you'd just be wasting your time." Kikunojo frowned at the boy's perceived slight at his skill, but before he could respond, the clone continued. "You want to know something cool about us shadow clones? When we pop, our boss and all our copies get our memories." He said, tapping his forehead with his index finger with a cocky smirk. "So go ahead and destroy me, you'll be saving me the trouble."
Kikunojo's eyes widened. Though that jutsu was well know throughout the great villages, not many minor nations possessed it, and consequentially he hadn't known that little tidbit of information. His shoulder slumped and a look of defeat crossed his features, knowing that he'd failed to keep his new lord's secret. 'Forgive me, Lady Haruna.'
Frowning, Naruto questioned, "So, who's this Haruna? Is she the one they're after?" Then he shook his head. "Forget it, you can explain back at the caravan." With that, the clone dispersed.
Remembering what the clone had told him and aware his charge was now in hot water, he quickly used a body flicker to return to the caravan.
While he knew it was against his master's wishes, this may be for the best. Continuing this act wasn't really benefitting them anymore.
Naruto and his clones froze all at once, their faces masks of shock as their mind's processed the information the recently dispersed clone had gained before hardening. The blonds' hand clenched into a tight fist as he let out a growl of anger.
"Everyone, stop!" Naruto yelled, and instantly the caravan obeyed his command as all the peddlers turned their eyes to him.
"What is it, Naruto?" Momiji asked curiously, looking down from her perch on top of the front cart.
"That's what I want to know." Shun asked angrily, stepping forward and giving the boy a cold stare. "What could possibly be so important that you'd hold us up a time like this?"
Naruto matched the fake merchants glare for a moment before growling. "Oh, like you don't know!" He then pointed accusingly at Shun and Yurinoshi. "You two have been keeping something from the rest of us haven't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Shun replied angrily, taking a step forward. "Now, if this bout of insanity has passed, can we get back to-" Shun was cut off as Kikunojo reappeared next to Yurinoshi in a burst of speed, startling most of the convoy. One could clearly read the look of failure on his face. Many of those present took a step back at his sudden appearance before they recognized him as one of their own, and their surprise gave way to confusion.
"K- Kikunojo?" Shun questioned, just as surprised by the shinobi's sudden appearance as the actual peddlers.
Naruto turned to the shinobi of the Land of Vegetables, "Kikunojo? Is that his real name?"
"Forgive me." Kikunojo said as he faced Shun, dropping down on one knee and closing his eyes. "One of the boy's clones discovered me before I could locate the enemy. I take full responsibility for uncovering your identity."
"Y- you fool!" Shun began angrily, walking over to the kneeling guardian and glaring down at him. "If you'd just destroyed it, you could have-"
Kikunojo just shook his head, "Those clones have the ability to transmit everything they learn to the others when they're destroyed. Silencing it wouldn't have done any good." He opened his eyes and met Shun's gaze with an apologetic one of his own. "I'm sorry, Lady Haruna. Our secret was uncovered the moment the clone laid eyes on me."
"L- lady?!" Naruto asked in shock, pointing to Haruna. "You mean he's a she!?"
"Kikunojo!" Haruna snarled, furious over his disregard for her wishes.
"Lady Haruna." Yurinoshi stepped forward, taking a place in between his partner and their master. "Don't you see? The moment Kikunojo was exposed; all meaning in maintaining this charade was lost. They already know we're the targets. If we try to keep secrets now, it's just going to do more harm then good."
Haruna glared at the disguised ninja before her before letting out scoff and turning her back, looking away from her guardians.
"Fine, Yurinojo. Do whatever you like."
"Wait a moment…" The old woman of the group stepped forward, scrutinizing the young woman a few seconds before recognition showed in her eyes. "It is you… Princess Haruna of the Land of Vegetables." She gave a kind smile, much like the ones she would give her own granddaughter. "You've grown so much since we last saw each other."
"Wait, princess?" Naruto questioned with a frown. Oddly enough, he felt a strange sense of déjà vu starting to come over him, but, racking his brain, he just couldn't place where it was coming from…
"Yes." Kikunojo answered as he rose to his feet, gesturing towards the disguised princess. "Standing before you is non-other than Lady Haruna, the only daughter of the daimyo of the Land of Vegetables… and I fear now, its rightful ruler."
Naruto's frown deepened as he tried to understand what was happening. That feeling of familiarity getting stronger by the moment. "So, come on. Spill it. Tell us what you've gotten us into."
With a sigh, Kikunojo began to retell their tale, beginning in a wistful tone as he recalled fond memories of the not so distant past. "As I told you before, our land is one that cherishes peace and harmony, with the other lands and with nature. Our lord was a kind man who strongly believed that the happiness and well being of his people were more important than all else." His voice took on a sad tone as he continued, his head dropping as his hand tightened into a trembling fist. "However, that does not mean his reign was a prosperous one. Recently, we learned of a coup being planned. But by the time we became aware of the threat, most of out officials had been bribed to their side."
"You mean those guys who attacked us before?" Naruto asked.
It was Yurinojo who answered with a grunt of affirmation. "However, those were merely the subordinates. That group of rogue ninja is led by three shinobi known as the Janin. They're a trio of ruthless, evil ninja from across the sea who use unknown, powerful ninjutsu. They have no regard for human life and will kill anyone if it means furthering their goals."
"But, what would they want with a place like the Land of Vegetables?" Naruto questioned. It didn't really make sense to him. If it's such a small, poor nation, what would they want with it? Maybe it was just the opportunity, or they went after what they thought was an easy target.
"That's something we just don't know." Kikunojo responded. "But in order to protect his only heir, he had his daughter sent away with this group of merchants and ordered Yurinojo and I to guard her. We weren't confident we could protect Haruna with just the two of us, so we sent to Konoha for aid under the guise of a protection job. But… with the funds available to us, we couldn't afford a B or A rank mission… so we requested a D-rank mission, hoping for a squad of genin led by a jonin leader."
Naruto closed his eyes as he thought about everything he'd just learned before taking a deep breath.
"So, let me get this straight." He began, though it was easy to hear the anger in his tone. He opened his eyes and let his gaze wash over the trio. "To escape these Janin guys, you decided to use these peddlers as a cover. You wanted extra help, and since you couldn't afford jonin, you settled for genin. Ok, I get it. Not happy about it, but I get it. But whose bright idea was it to keep this to yourselves when they attacked us the first time? What, were you planning to use these guys as decoys?" He threw his arm out to gesture at the peddlers behind him, who were looking at the three with disappointment in their eyes. "Hell, you could have mentioned this to Grandma Tsunade! She might have worked something out with you!"
"Isn't it obvious?" Haruna bit back, annoyance clear in her expression. "We couldn't trust you with this information. My escape was top secret!"
"Yeah, because you did such a great job of keeping a lid on things." Naruto replied sarcastically.
Haruna glared, but continued as if she hadn't heard him. "And you're just a kid. If I told you everything from the start, you probably would have run back to your teacher."
"Do I look like I'm going to run away?" Naruto shot back.
The princess of the Land of Vegetables scoffed. "That's because you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. You seem to hold yourself in very high regard. I hazard a guess that you think you could handle our enemies on your own." Seeing that she'd successfully pressed his buttons, she continued without giving him a moment to retaliate. "So, what happens now? It is still your job to protect me until we reach the next town."
"No, it isn't, Lady Haruna." Kikunojo responded, drawing her attention as he turned to face her. "The mission we requested was only to guard the peddlers. I'm afraid he's under no obligation to continue aiding us."
Haruna was visibly shocked by this revelation, but recovered quickly, her face once more becoming cold and stoic as she looked at Naruto out of the corner of her eye, "So then… what are you going to do? Will you just leave us to fend for ourselves?"
"Are you kidding? No chance in hell!" Naruto answered, once again surprising the princess as he gave her a look of unwavering determination.
Sure, the princess wasn't his favorite person in the world at the moment; but he wasn't the type of guy who'd just leave her to die. Besides, even if he was, she was important to her nation and Yurinojo and Kikunojo seemed all right.
"But we're not going to use these guys as a cover anymore." He turned to the peddlers. "If these Janin guys are that dangerous, then its best for them if we lag behind while they move on ahead."
"But you'll be throwing away our only cover!" Haruna argued.
"My lady…" Yurinojo began, causing her to send a harsh look his way. "Perhaps this is for the best. The moment they attacked, it was obvious the caravan wouldn't provide much defense. It was an ideal escape as long as it remained a secret from them, but by now they must suspect us. Now that they believe they know where we are, I doubt it would deter or delay them that much."
Haruna didn't seem convinced, but relented, knowing that they weren't going to listen to her. Really, why was it so difficult for them to understand? Even if they only benefitted slightly, anything was worth it as long as she escaped. She was likely the last survivor of the royal bloodline, without her, even if the Land of Vegetables was liberated from those three criminals, those next in line for the throne would tear the country apart fighting for it, and that's if the other lands didn't turn their eyes to the leaderless nation.
Any sacrifice was worth protecting their land; she'd learned that long ago.
"Kikunojo, it might be best if you help out with the decoy I sent out before. Yurinojo and I can take care of the princess." Naruto said, taking charge of the situation.
Kikunojo nodded. "I was thinking along those lines myself."
"All right, you guys know what to do! To play it safe, leave everything you don't need behind. Now let's get moving!"
Hope you liked it. Please review.