"Why do you wear that ridiculous outfit?"

They had been travelling for a week and were now safely tucked away within a cave in the Land of Earth. Just outside the cave opening the famous winds of Earth Country that could lift whole boulders were raging havoc. But the cave was quite deep and meandering so the bulk of the noise was mercifully cut off. It had been Ebisu's order to take cover the moment a strong breeze started. One of these wind storms had been known to destroy entire villages by depositing huge boulders and rocks. He did not want to take any chances. The moment the wind died down they would move on to the Clan dwelling of the Kongou Clan. But for now they were getting as much rest as they could. They had gone over all their plans and back-up plans, had covered every hole and happenstance that could go wrong and now all that was left was to get on with it. But this being her first such mission Hanabi was finding that she quite tense. What would happen if they were captured? Would they be tortured? Would they escape but instead start a war? Would they be killed? She found part of herself wondering why the Hokage had not just simply sent ANBU to gather the information, or why the Kongou heir had not been waited for and eliminated the moment he stepped onto Fire Country soil.

So to sidetrack herself she had looked upon her comrade on this mission; Sarutobi Konohamaru. He was a true mystery. At the age of fifteen he was still a genin, one of the oldest genin Konoha had. As he had grown up many people had looked at his progress with interest. He was after all the honorable grandson. Would he be as talented as his grandfather, the god of all shinobi, Sandaime Hokage? But when he had turned thirteen and had not even taken the slightest bit of interest in taking the Chunin Exams, many people started wondering. Was he perhaps weaker than they had thought? He had indisposed himself for a while so his team had gotten a replacement genin for while, allowing them to take the Chunin Exams. Konohamaru's teammates Udon and Moegi had failed, twice, but on the third try they had made Chunin at the age of fourteen. Konohamaru did not seem to care for he went on with his ninja career with Ebisu, the two going on solo missions now that there was only one member left from Team Ebisu.

By this time many people avoided Konohamaru and only called him "honorable grandson" out of respect of the Third. It was quite clear that Konohamaru did not have any genius when it came to being a ninja. He was just another normal shinobi. Just like the person he emulated, Uzumaki Naruto, Konohamaru had grown quite bold, if quiet. He challenged several shinobi now and then to a fight, and those who watched saw just how normal his skills were. But afterwards, maybe out of embarrassment and shame, the shinobi would teach Konohamaru something in order to improve the boy's skills, mostly a jutsu or another. The past year and a half all the shinobi the "honorable grandson" challenged were all ANBU – evens though only a few people realized this, and none took it to be more than coincidence – and he must have learnt something from them because he had won his fight against an Academy Instructor, a chunin, a few months previously. But to Hanabi Konohamaru remained an ordinary shinobi with no talent, someone who was an embarrassment to his Clan. He was lazy. He had not even once tried to enter the Chunin Exams. All he did was go on normal missions for the Hokage. Normal boring missions no doubt, like catching that darned cat! By now most genins were of the opinion that there was some sort of conspiracy between Konoha and the Daimyo's wife to purposefully let that cat go on purpose to test all genin.

"Hmm?" Konohamaru said turning his attention to her. He was laid on the ground, one leg over the other and he still had that grass stalk in his mouth. His arms were behind his head, supporting it.

"Why do you wear Hokage robes?" Hanabi asked. "It's a mockery to the Hokage. You are not worthy to wear those robes."

"True," Konohamaru said nonchalantly, "but one day I will be. I wear them to remind me of my goal."

Hanabi sneered. "You? Worthy to wear those robes? Never! You are as normal a shinobi as they come. There is no way you will grow strong enough to become Hokage." Konohamaru shrugged and did not reply as if to say "your opinion does not matter". Hanabi's eyes narrowed. A bit to the side Hiarashi and Ebisu watched passively the exchange between the two shinobi.

"You are a disgrace to your clan-" Hanabi began.

"You've already told me this," Konohamaru reminded her.

"- and you would do better not to draw anymore attention to yourself. Your grandfather must be turning in his grave to have such a grandson. You have no motivation whatsoever! One would have thought wanting revenge on Orochimaru for killing the Sandaime would be enough, but no. You couldn't care less." Hanabi did not know what it was about Konohamaru that always got her so angry. Konohamaru, for his part, became very still. Slowly he turned his head and looked at her straight in the eye. Hanabi smirked.

"Looking at me with such a scary face won't do anything," she mocked. Then, to her surprise, Konohamaru smiled. His eyes filled with pity as he gazed at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but after a second seemed to think about it and relented. He returned his gaze to the top of the cave, completely ignoring her. He suddenly cocked his head to one direction. He seemed intent on something. He slowly stood up and went to stand by the mouth of the cave. He stood there for a minute before he suddenly whirled to face Ebisu.

"We have to leave here, now," he said, all trace of humour gone from his face. "A ninja squad, definitely Jonin, have discovered our trail. They are about three miles to the north-west and they are moving fast." Ebisu did not even blink. He nodded curtly.

"Thank you, Konohamaru," he said as he stood up. "Come on," he addressed Hanabi and Hiarashi. "We're moving out."

"Why?" Hanabi asked. "What's going on?" She activated her Byakugan and did a quick search. "I don't see anything."

"Would that be because the range of your Byakugan is not even over a kilometre?" suggested Konohamaru. There was no trace of humour or mirth in his voice but Hanabi took offense at any rate.

"How can you trust what he says?" Hanabi asked. "There is no way he could know this. He's just imagining things." Ebisu rounded on her but it was Hiarashi who spoke.

"Hanabi," Hiarashi said. "No matter where the information has come from, your squad leader has given you an order. Follow it." Hanabi stood there for a moment before she nodded and packed up her stuff. Bloody murder burned in her eyes at how Konohamaru had embarrassed her. Ebisu gave a curt nod to Hiarashi before addressing his team.

"Hanabi will take point and scout ahead for us. I will be right behind her, ready to offer support should the need arise. Hiarashi will be behind he and Konohamaru will be bringing up the rear. Is that understood?"

"Hai!"

"Then let's move out."

XXX

"They are not far ahead," one Iwa ninja said.

"Good. It means we'll catch up before tonight is over," the squad leader said.

"Who are they and what do they want? They must be skilled to have avoided the patrols for this long."

"However skilled they may be," the leader said standing up from his crouch, "we'll find them and eliminate them. Move out!"

"Hai!" came the shout and four shadows disappeared from the forest floor.

XXX

"The four Jonin are three hundred metres behind us, Ebisu-taichou," Konohamaru reported as the Konoha squad moved closer to the Hidden Rock Village. "What are your orders?"

"We have to get into Iwagakure unnoticed," Hiarashi said. "Once in there it will be easy to hide."

"Not so," Ebisu said. "Remember that Iwagakure's security is only second to Amegakure. It wouldn't take much to discover that the enemies the ninja squad behind us is pursuing are the same enemies that entered Iwagakure. And once word reaches the Tsuchikage that there are enemy ninja in his Village it will only be a matter of time before we are captured." He went quiet, thinking. It was obvious to all of them. The only way they could enter Iwa and not be detected was to make sure the jonin behind them did not raise the alarm. They ran out of forestry to jump across and so jumped to ground. Iwa was perhaps a mile ahead.

"Go," Konohamaru said. "I'll take care of them." Ebisu looked at him hard for a moment.

"So it's time, then?" he asked.

Konohamaru nodded and replied, "I've been feeling it for a while now. It's time." Ebisu nodded in understanding.

"Well things are certainly getting fun," he muttered. "Move out!" he ordered Hiarashi and Hanabi. Without a word of protest the two kunoichi started running toward the Hidden Rock Village. Konohamaru looked at them for a minute before turning round. Four ninja met his gaze. They were smiling.

"Well, well," the leader said. "If it isn't the "Hokage"" They all laughed at this. Konohamaru's impassive expression did not change.

"You should have more respect for the ninja who dons these robes," he commented. At that all four of them gave him hard looks.

"I've heard of you," one of them said, "The "honourable grandson" of Sarutobi, the so-called God of Shinobi. He was nothing more than a weak old man. Konoha ninja have always been weak. If it weren't for the fact that we are otherwise occupied, we'd have showed you that our Iwa is the strongest Village and our Tsuchikage the strongest shinobi there is!" Konohamaru blinked.

"Couldn't you have been more original?" he said after a moment's pause. "This whole "we're-better-than-you" routine is really getting tiresome to hear." The four jonin growled at him.

"It's time to teach you some manners, boy!"

"Another cliché," Konohamaru commented. That was the last straw. The four ninja disappeared. Konohamaru brought his hands before him and performed hand seals so fast they were nothing more than a blur. As the four ninja reappeared behind him, he poured chakra through his feet and into the ground. "Doton: Doryu Taiga no jutsu," he said. The Earth Release: Earth Flow River technique. The four ninja suddenly found the ground under them turn liquid and they were carried forward, past Konohamaru, and back to their original position. The mud river was in danger of drowning them.

"You think this measly technique will stop us?" the squad leader said as he started forming seals. Konohamaru instantly recognised them and smiled.

"That will avail you nothing," he said as he formed his own set of seals faster than the Iwa ninja. "Doton: Doryudan no jutsu." An earthen dragon rose up from beside Konohamaru and started firing earthen balls at the ninja. "Katon: Karyu Endan." Konohamaru breathed out a large beam of intense white flame engulfed the earthen balls and when it subsided the earthen balls were on flame. For the first time fear and indecision appeared in the faces of the ninja. Mixing a fire and earth technique like this? It was unheard of … apart from the great Sarutobi, of course, but surely those had only been rumours…

"I see you are beginning to appreciate the dire circumstances you are in," Konohamaru said. The four ninja were riddled with Konohamaru's jutsu and cried out in pain. When the jutsu was complete they stood there, burnt and bruised. "Good."

XXX

Ebisu, Hiarashi and Hanabi were lucky. As they got nearer to Iwagakure, they saw a wagon chain reaching the gates. It seemed like some important people were visiting the village. Being high caliber ninja, they performed Transformation techniques and joined the wagon chain as simple guards, without alerting the guards themselves. Once inside the village Hanabi had warned them that a four man squad was shadowing them so they had had to keep up pretences a bit longer until they had the perfect opportunity to slip away.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Hiarashi commented an hour later when they were all sat in a bar having a meal.

"Infiltrating a location is not the difficult part," Ebisu said. "It's staying undetected that will raise issues."

"True," Hiarashi said. She had held doubts about Ebisu being the squad leader, although she had kept silent out of desire to get out of the village and onto this mission. But now she had seen that Ebisu was a more than capable squad leader. In fact, from what little she had seen from him, he had the necessary skills to become a jonin. Why hadn't he? And another thing was that Konohamaru kid. Something about the way he operated had ringed bells in her head. She had no doubts in her mind that the brat was skilled. What jutsu had he left in their wake to sense those pursuing jonin? And the way Ebisu had left him to take care of them on his own like that. She had gauged Ebisu's personality and knew he would not take unnecessary risks. He must firmly believe that Konohamaru could eliminate those jonin. If that was true, that meant that Konohamaru had also been holding out and hiding his skill. Why would sensei and pupil do that? Something was going on here that she didn't fully understand.

"You should have left me to deal with those jonin," Hanabi said for the umpteenth time.

"Why, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're worried about Konohamaru," Ebisu said with a smile on his face, a smile Hiarashi knew so well. She frowned at her squad leader. Too bad she couldn't harm the pervert. Not yet, anyway.

"You don't know any better," Hanabi said flatly. Ebisu laughed and Hiarashi grinned. "I just think that I would have been a better choice than that spineless wimp."

"He may be more skilled than you think, Hanabi-kun," Hiarashi said. She leveled a gaze at Ebisu, a gaze which the ninja met with a smile.

"There's no doubt about that," Ebisu said before he turned back to his meal. Hiarashi and Hanabi frowned. They were being kept in the dark about Konohamaru and they knew it. Just what was the boy hiding?

"You three," a commanding voice suddenly said. All three Konoha ninja turned to look toward the door of the bar. A ninja wearing an Iwa hitai-ate, a jonin vest and a katana at his back slowly approached them. "Were you part of the wagon chain that just entered the village?"

"…Yes," Ebisu finally replied after a few seconds of mental debate with himself. What the hell was going on? Had they inadvertently fallen into some trap of some kind not actually meant for them? Unfortunately Ebisu wasn't armed with any information and it would be unwise to try anything at this juncture or else the entire military force of Iwagakure would be surrounding them within minutes.

"Excellent. Your master has been invited to the Tsuchikage's mansion tonight. You three have been randomly selected to be part of his honour guard. Here are your entrance passes. You will meet your master at the gates at seven o'clock. Do no be late." The ninja handed them their passes before making his way out of the bar.

"I thought we had managed to escape the wagon chain," Hiarashi murmured.

"We did," Ebisu said, "but we didn't escape the notice of the gate guards. "Don't forget that this is Iwagakure. I have no doubt now that every face that went through that gate was marked and recorded. And seeing as we posed as one of the merchant's guards – and the Tsuchikage's event is a formal one – the merchant is required to bring an honour guard. But this is the Tsuchikage we're talking about. He won't take any risks. So he sent out his ninja to randomly pick out the guards the merchant could bring so that if any ninja had been hidden among the ranks it would be easier to ruin any assassination plans."

"So we have to go then," Hiarashi concluded, "and hope that we aren't discovered."

"Something that will be doubly hard seeing as we will all undoubtedly be under surveillance," Ebisu said. Hiarashi let out a sigh. She hadn't expected things to be easy but neither had she expected them to get so complicated. Despite her great fighting prowess, she hadn't been trained as most other ninja were or how ANBU operatives were trained. That is to say, all her training had been concentrating on her fighting skills, on her ninjutsu, and almost none had been focused on stealth, infiltration or information gathering missions. In areas such as these she was in new territory. As she ran her hands through her hair she noticed that Hanabi had remained quiet. She looked hard at Hanabi's bowed head and it took her a few seconds to realize that Hanabi was hiding her head so no one would see her using her Byakugan. Ebisu also noticed and both ninja waited patiently until Hanabi was finished doing what she had been doing. Both Ebisu and Hiarashi instantly noticed the slightly pale look on Hanabi's face.

"What is it?" Ebisu asked.

"The jonin that were chasing us," Hanabi began.

"What about them?" Hiarashi asked, her voice reflecting her apprehension.

"Just before we left Konohamaru to deal with them," Hanabi explained, "they were close enough that I could analyze them completely with my Byakugan."

"And?" Ebisu asked, his face showing that he knew very well where this was going.

"The ninja who just gave us our orders," Hanabi said, finally managing to master her emotions. "His chakra coils … they were the same as the chakra coils of one of the jonin who were chasing us." Everyone was instantly on the same page. Chakra coils were different person to person, just like fingerprints and DNA. If Hanabi had seen the same chakra coils it could only mean that it was the same person. But a jonin that had been chasing them was now here in the Village, it could only mean that the jonin had gotten past Konohamaru. And where one of their enemies was, it was only the next logical step to assume the others were there. And if that was the case that meant that they had gotten the better of Konohamaru. And being elite ninja facing an enemy, they had either killed Konohamaru or captured him, the former seeming more likely than the latter.

"How sure can you be it's the same ninja?" Ebisu asked.

"I only got a short look before, which is why I spent so much time concentration on his coils now. There is something strange about the coils … but I can be eighty percent sure. It's one of them." They all went silent. They were all thinking the same thing. Konohamaru was gone.

XXX

Team Kakashi and Team Shikamaru came to in a rather large cell. Perhaps the most confusing thing was that they weren't restrained in any way. They were simply sprawled on the concrete floor, their postures suggesting that someone had simply thrown them in the cell without a second thought.

"Is everyone alright?" Kakashi asked. It seemed everyone was. Even the small injuries that had been accrued by most of the squad had been healed as well. Apart from the slight aches of sleeping so uncomfortably, everyone was fine.

"This is medical ninjutsu," Ino commented as she and Sakura gave quick physicals to everyone present. Only now did some appreciate the fact that the Hokage had sent two elite medical ninja on this mission, one of whom was her star student.

"Yes, someone healed us all," Sakura confirmed, "and I can detect no malignant presences in any of us. We are all perfectly fine."

"Something that should instantly make us suspicious," Shikamaru commented and Kakashi gave a sign of agreement.

"So exactly where are we?" Kiba asked and Akamaru gave a gruff bark of agreement. The white dog was in his usual small form and was snuggly sitting on Kiba's head.

"And where is-" Choji began but was instantly cut off when Shikamaru gave him a look. By now everyone had noticed Neji was missing. Kakashi looked at Kiba and before he could even ask the Inuzuka gave him a nod.

"We're alone. They must either be very stupid or very arrogant not to leave guards," Kiba said.

"Something tells me it is most definitely the latter," Kakashi said.

"A psychological technique, maybe?" Shikamaru voiced his thought aloud. "Why else would they leave us all our weaponry, not leave guards and not even bother to restrain us? They must be confident that we won't escape and have great confidence in this cell holding us, or else they think that escaping will be pointless and they could easily recapture us."

"I'm fairly certain it's both," Kakashi said. He had pulled off his hitai-ate and was carefully surveying the cell and what he could see of outside through the bars. "Remember, the Mizukage has just won a war. Kirigakure is filled with her shinobi, including the Seven Swordsmen. And then there is the Mizukage herself. If she can defeat the Seven Swordsmen single-handedly, then she is also another obstacle. Against such odds, we stand no chance. But you are all forgetting one thing," Kakashi reminded them.

"The Mizukage sent the Swordsmen to specifically capture us alive," Shikamaru supplied. Kakashi nodded.

"Nothing is going to happen until she makes her move. All we can do is sit tight. This cell is inescapable." That was a sobering thought. Nevertheless, Team Kakashi and Team Shikamaru spent a long while discussing events and plans of action, preparing for any possible scenario. And then they fell quiet. What else could they do?

It was hours later when they finally heard someone approach. They saw Kirigakure no Byakko, the White Tiger of the Hidden Mist, come to stand outside of the cell. He tilted his head to one side and slowly smiled.

"Still haven't figured out who I am yet, Kakashi?"

"I've had some time to think ob it, and I think I have."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's been a long time, Inari. From the little eight year old I saw to the great shinobi before me now … the transition is simply extraordinary." Inari looked at them for a moment before his smile widened. Sakura blinked.

"Inari? Is that you?" Sakura asked in disbelief. Inari nodded. He placed his hand on a bar and pulled. The Konoha ninja hadn't seen or sensed any kind of gate on their cell, but Inari just pulled and the gate became apparent as it opened. They blinked. They were dealing with something on a completely new level. Inari stepped into the cell and closed the gate behind him. It melted away into nothingness. He turned round and looked at them all.

"Well, well," he mused. "Konoha shinobi. They were right about you, after all. You're tough bastards."

"Who exactly is "they"?" Shikamaru asked.

"Ah," Inari coughed. "I guess you haven't been taken to see them. Well, one of them anyway. The other is in Earth Country from what I heard."

"Who are you talking about?" Kiba asked in frustration. He didn't get why they didn't just overpower this punk and force him to help them to escape. That was until he smelt three new scents. There were shinobi waiting in the hallway. And from Akamaru's report, their chakra was huge. One of the three started walking toward the cell. Kiba could tell because the scent got closer. A figure robed in a cloak and wearing a straw hat – called a gasa – that covered a third of their face stepped into view.

"Akatsuki!?" Sakura whispered.

"No," Shikamaru said after a second's pause. "The cloak is patterned with white clouds on a black background, and not red clouds. Also, this one's nails aren't painted purple, but blue. We don't have any information on the rings Akatsuki members wear so I cannot guess as to whether the ring this one is wearing is one of theirs. It would be easy to confuse this person with Akatsuki, but I'm sure it's not Akatsuki. Another organization, perhaps." The figure turned slightly toward Shikamaru, but the posture remained straight and relaxed.

"You still have a sharp mind, Shikamaru-san," a soft and almost angelic voice murmured from beneath the darkness of the conical straw hat. They should have been expecting more surprises, but this was simply ridiculous. This person knew them as well? Who was she?

"And who exactly are you?" Kiba asked belligerently. He was tired of all these games. But then Akamaru started whining softly. Kiba looked down at him in confusion before his face paled. He formed the ram hand seal and concentrated. Yes, despite the different overlay, he could smell it too. The smell Akamaru had faintly smelt and instinctively recognised. He released the seal, his hands trembling.

"What is it, Kiba?" Kakashi asked softly. Something was buzzing softly at the back of his skull. His ninja sense as his superiors had told him when he first joined ANBU.

"Have you finally recognised me?" the figure said in that same soft voice. "I would be hurt if you didn't, Kiba-san."

"I recognise you alright," Kiba said. "It's been a long time."

"That it has," the figure replied with something akin to amusement in her voice. She reached up and slowly took off her gasa hat. When the hat was off and the light came to her face, all the Konoha ninja went rigid for a moment in shock and surprise. They saw a young, beautiful woman. She must have been twenty years old. She had a pale complexion and facial that perfectly fitted and complimented her; a small straight nose; a small mouth with cherry red lips; black, thin short eyebrows; and large circular lavender eyes that were framed by thick, long black eyelashes. She looked lean, she was average height and she had an air of both a beautiful flower and a deadly rose. She had long dark blue hair that was almost black. Two large locks framed her face and went down to her neck. The rest of it was combed back straight. It shone with a silky sheen all the way down to the middle of her back. She held the gasa in her hands, in front of her. She was smiling.

"It's very good to see you all again," she said.

"I have to admit it's a bit of a surprise to see you again," Kiba said. His voice had changed. He was no longer buzzing with his usual energy. He seemed … calm. "Where have you been for the past seven years, Hinata?"

XXX

Just outside Iwagakure, hidden from view and scent and sound stood a man. He was tall at six foot and three inches. He wore a gasa straw hat so his face was hidden in shadow. But even with the conical hat on, it was clear that he had a lot of hair. From what could be seen from the front, it was clear the man had two thick locks of hair that framed his face. The tips nearly touched his shoulders. It was also clear that the man's hair was quite shaggy and spiky despite efforts to tame it. A thick ponytail of spiky hair fell all the way to the small of the man's back. The hair was a golden blond.

The man wore a cloak. It was patterned with white clouds on a black background. The cloak had a long stiff collar that came up to the man's cheeks. This, combined with the gasa, made it impossible to discern the man's features. The man was leanly built and exuded a calm air, a stillness that was almost as effective as his jutsu at hiding his presence. The sleeves of his cloak covered his arms so only his hands were visible. The palms were smooth, but tough. The man wore blue protectors on the back of his hands you could tell that the protectors progressed into vambraces for the man's forearms. The nails were painted blue. On his right thumb the man wore a ring with the kanji "mugendai", infinity, written on it. From the top two unclasped buttons of his cloak, a small portion of a black vest was visible. The cloak only reached the man's shins so the black trousers the man wore were also partly visible. What was visible was the fact that the man wore some kind of leg protectors that were blue in colour. A strap from the leg protectors went beneath the black zori sandals the man wore. The main's toenails were also painted blue.

It seems this is where our organization's counterattack begins, the man thought. An apt location, considering that our intelligence suggests that one of Akatsuki's members is from here. Maybe I can gather information on him while I'm here.

The man formed the ram seal. He didn't utter a single word. There was no burst of smoke. But his jutsu was working nevertheless. For a second or two, the man was surrounded by a distorting haze, as if seen through water, before he started gaining definition again. As the definition came back, all of the man's features and clothes had been replaced, or rather they had changed. It was like he had performed the Henge no jutsu.

His hair was just as golden blond as before. Two thick locks framed his face. His shaggy and spiky ponytail had shortened and now only reached to between his shoulder blades. He wore a white kimono shirt that had extra long sleeves which widened down the length of his arms so that his hands were not visible. He wore a loose pair of trousers that reached his shins midway. On top of the shirt and trousers, he wore a red robe that had no sleeves and looped over his right shoulder, like a toga. The man also wore a pair of geta, or wooden slippers. He was wearing monk's clothing, specifically the attire the monks of Hi no Tera wore. He had a small backpack on his back. Gone were his other clothes and armour. His ring had transformed from the sapphire setting with the infinity symbol to an amber setting with a black swirl pattern that started in the middle and circled outwards. The jutsu was a success. He smiled and his bright blue eyes twinkled. Even though he had spent a while making sure the jutsu was perfect, actually executing it successfully was another thing. Now what was left was to see if it fooled the ninja of Iwagakure.

"The adventure begins, it seems," he said. He frowned. He had forgotten to match his voice to this new body. An unacceptable oversight. He started yodeling until he was satisfied he had found the right pitch. He smiled a smile that matched his eyes. Now the guise was complete. He started walking toward the gates of Iwagakure.

XXX

Hinata's face went blank for a second before her eyes refocused on the Konoha ninja again. Inari noticed the looks and his face went blank, not wanting to give the Konoha any indication that something had just happened.

"He's in Iwagakure," Hinata said, completely ignoring the fact that the Konoha ninja could here. They wouldn't understand what she meant but still, certain things required subtlety. Inari shook his head at Hinata's slip. He frowned at that thought. Was it really a slip? What she was involved with, the organization she was in, Tasogareru, was something he knew little about. Was this purposeful slip going to serve some other purpose? He shook the thought out of his head. He had learnt not to try and second guess Hinata and her counterpart.

"So soon?" Inari asked. "It's only been a week since he left. It should have taken him longer to get there, even for someone that fast."

"He was in a rush," Hinata agreed. "It's almost as if he wanted to get there in time for something." Hinata blinked and looked back at the Konoha ninja. She smiled. "Forgive me for getting sidetracked. We should really go and meet the Mizukage now."

So this organization Hinata is involved in is making a move in Iwagakure? Kakashi thought. The Hokage was going to send a team in to that village to investigate the Kongou assassin. Could this be the source of the rush of Hinata's counterpart? I guess I'll have to keep both ears on the ground and handle this very carefully…

Byakko no Kirigakure, The White Tiger of the Hidden Mist, and Hinata, a former shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village led the eight man Konoha shinobi team. Rather, it was the seven man team now, with Neji still unaccounted for. They quickly made their way out of the holding cells and out into public. The Konoha ninja were surprised. It seemed the holding cells were located right in the middle of Kirigakure. Where was the security in that? If someone escaped, there would be a certain massacre. What was the Mizukage thinking? But the as they left they noticed the sign on the small building that hid a large underground structure of holding cells. The building bore an ice blue shield with a golden insignia in the middle.

"Kirigakure has made many changes, starting with introducing a police force. Naturally, the Hyougen Clan runs it, but it is Daichi of the Seven Shinobi Swordsmen who is in charge. The Mizukage is well aware of how the Seven Swordsmen thirst for blood and battle. Giving them something to do would keep them occupied, especially since we have just won a war."

"Why don't you run it?" Shikamaru asked. "After all, you are the leader of the Seven Swordsmen, which is a misnomer by the way. Shouldn't it really be Eight Shinobi Swordsmen?"

"Eight doesn't have the same ring to it "Seven" does. Second of all, despite the Mizukage making me the Leader of the Swordsmen, I am not the strongest of them. And the misnomer works quite well, as you should have guessed, Shikamaru-san. If an enemy is expecting seven of the strongest ninja from Kirigakure, the arrival of an eighth would completely offset him and put most of his strategies to ruin. Besides, I am in charge of another job for the Mizukage."

"How did you know we had infiltrated Water Country?" Sakura asked. Silently she wondered why the enemy was answering all their questions so truthfully. What was he up to?

"Quite by luck," Inari admitted with a laugh. "You decided to enter Water Country from one of the most defended positions Kirigakure has made. Did you really think we would be so lax as to let the North Coast, the most remote part of Water Country and the likeliest position to infiltrated by, go unguarded? Our Hunter-nin training Academy is up there, and so is one of out Daimyo's palaces. Your plan would have worked had you arrive an hour earlier or a day later, seeing as you are such good shinobi. You arrived right in the middle of a training session. If it wasn't for the fact that the Mizukage had expected shinobi to come from the north and had given orders for invaders to be left alone, you would have been engaged. And as good shinobi as you are, sheer numbers and a certain amount of skill would have had you dead."

"Your Mizukage sounds like quite the military strategist," Ino commented.

"She is," Inari said simply.

"We are here," Hinata announced. Inari gave a little flick of a raised hand and the two blue-robed policemen from the Hyougen Clan gave a small bow to the group before turning around and walking back to the station. The group of shinobi entered the mansion of the Mizukage. The mansion was quite strange. For one thing, instead of being quite tall, it was a mere three stories off the ground, average height for the houses around it. It seemed the Mizukage didn't like distinction as much as the last one had. The mansion also served as the Mizukage's base of operations, much like the Hokage's Tower. When they reached the top floor, Inari placed his hands on a wall. No one saw or felt anything but the wall shifted silently and moved to the side to reveal a dark passageway with stairs at the end. The group was ushered in by Hinata, Inari bringing up the rear. The passageway was lit by candles in holders every few hundred feet. They seemed to walk forever before they finally reached the end. Inari performed the same procedure and the wall opened up again. This time however he led the way in. He took off his zori sandals and everyone else followed suit. The room was quite large and sparsely furnished. There was a large rectangular table in the middle, and ten cushions were placed around the knee high table. The cushions were placed so that three people would sit next to one another while seven others would all be facing the same way.

Kakashi looked at the setup. It was to be expected, after all. The Mizukage had to show them who was in charge. Inari indicated they should sit and they did. The only space left unoccupied was the one between Hinata and Inari. They waited like that, in silence. Suddenly they heard a footstep. They looked to the left and saw that a young woman was standing in it. She couldn't have been nineteen years old, twenty at the most. She was dressed simply in a pink kimono and she wore wooden slippers. She held a large silver tray with cups and a steaming kettle on it. The tray was carefully placed on the table before everyone was given a china cup. The woman served them all green tea in the ceremonial manner. The shinobi realised this and acted accordingly. When she was finished, the woman took her place between Hinata and Inari.

Akamaru saw fit to give small bark. Kiba silently agreed with him. His mouth was open in shock. How could someone so young, so beautiful, so pure, be the same deadly, dangerous and practically demonic Mizukage they had heard about?

The young woman smiled as she sipped her green tea. Everyone else followed suit. This indicated that while the woman had been subservient to them and served them tea, showing her respect, everyone still knew that at the end of the say she was the boss.

"Welcome, Konoha ninja," the Mizukage said, "To my village. I hope your welcome was not very rough. My Swordsmen tend to get rather carried away."

"It was alright, Mizukage-sama," Kakashi replied. He looked at this young woman and tried to match the voice and the face to the young girl he had fought years ago. He could barely find anything to compare to. She had changed a lot. The Mizukage smiled.

"That's good to hear," the Mizukage replied. "Before we proceed with these talks, however, I would require that all of you be present and unfortunately you seem to be one short." The Konoha ninja tensed. She knew about Neji. The Mizukage's smile widened slightly.

"Hinata-san, would you please do me a favour?"

"What is it, Mizukage-sama?" Hinata asked.

"There is a Konoha shinobi in my village I need you to bring to me." Hinata nodded before standing up. Her smile remained in place but she now seemed more amused than anything else. She gave the Mizukage a questioning look, trying to figure out just what the Mizukage was trying to prove to the Konoha ninja. Hinata turned round and went to a wall. A thick rectangular slab shifted aside and Hinata disappeared in a dark passageway. The door closed behind her.

"Don't you think you should have told her she is going to find a Hyuga?" Inari asked. "A Hyuga who happens to be her cousin no less?"

Haku shrugged. "It will make the fight more interesting to watch." With that Haku made a hand seal with her left hand. The table frosted over and was soon covered by ice. The ice turned from transparent to opaque and then to reflective. Once it did so an image came into focus. It was of an old man wearing ragged clothes. The old man's head was downcast but the Konoha ninja guessed that if the man raised his head, lavender eyes would be apparent. It was Neji. Haku made another hand seal and suddenly the small room was filled with sound. It was sound from Neji's surroundings.

"I set up this scenario to see just how strong this Hyuga Neji is," Haku said, "… and to see for myself just how strong Hinata-san is."

Ebisu, Hiarashi and Hanabi went to the merchant's hotel room to pick him up. The fact that the rich barely paid any attention to the hired help made it easy for them because the merchant was not surprised he did not recognise them. Also telling him that they had been his rear guard, protecting his goods from any bandits that might come from behind, made them more believable. They still had to keep their distance to the other normal guards in case someone decided to voice the opinion that they were strangers.

The merchant had them stood at attention and lectured them on what he expected from them. He did not want any "incidences" that would tarnish his reputation, but he also wanted them to keep a sharp lookout and both ears on the ground for any tidbits of information that would come in useful later. The three nodded solemnly and accepted their orders. All the time Hanabi was fuming. How dare this man order her around like this? But then again, he didn't know who she was and she had to admit that this was what was expected of her during missions. The ability to blend into her surroundings and not raise suspicion.

Their papers were checked by two shinobi guards at the gates of the Tsuchikage's massive palace, and again at the giant doors that led into the foyer. The merchant made his way into the ballroom to mingle with the other guests, telling them not to attract attention.

"I don't want any trouble from you three!" he hissed at them before leaving. This was the perfect opportunity to acquire information. What had started out as an unexpected and very great inconvenience had turned out into a boon. There would be a lot of people here, and as the night wore on people's tongues would loosen. Something like the Kongou heir going on a revenge mission would not be that difficult a subject to bring up and it would not be totally suspicious. After all, to those in the know, the Kongou heir was one of the most powerful ninja in Iwagakure. It was said even the Tsuchikage respected him.

"Split up and gather information," Ebisu whispered before he aimlessly started walking about, a grin like that of a guard off-duty would wear. Hiarashi gave a brief nod to Hanabi before she too walked off.

Hanabi let out the tense breath she had been holding. She had the best chance of gathering information because of her Byakugan. Unlike members of the Branch Family, she had learnt the special Henge no Jutsu that allowed her to transform her very distinctive lavender, pupil-less eyes. Because no one would know of her being Hyuga because her eyes were veiled, she could activate her bloodline limit and view conversations from a safe place and not get fond out. Lip reading was one talent the all Hyuga were taught from a very young age. Being able to see through walls and most sealing techniques made it imperative that they be able to understand whatever anyone they were watching was saying.

Hanabi started walking about aimlessly. Her choice of transformation was a young and tall woman but nevertheless she was surprised by the amount of male attention she got. She found herself blushing. This was a completely new experience to her. Her duties as the Hyuga heir and as a shinobi had left little time for anything else. Even her training as a woman by a Branch Family shinobi had been a formal thing. Now she was suddenly thrust into a situation where none of her training and experiences seemed to count for anything. She berated herself for feeling this way. She should have better self-control. This feeling was the same one she got when…

No! she shouted at herself. She took a deep breath, focused, and then chose a position from which no shinobi would think she was observing people simply because it was so bad. But because of her Kekkei Genkai it would be the perfect position. She found a nice table with three other guards sat on it. They weren't talking, completely focused on eating their food. Hinata helped herself to some food as well, bent her head and started eating. With her hair covering her face, she activated her Byakugan and started viewing everything that was going on within the mansion.

The blond haired monk was probably the most notable person in the ballroom. His bright blue eyes, shining golden hair and loud mouth made him hard to ignore. He buzzed from table to table, from exhibition to exhibition, the wonder written clearly in his eyes. After a while he made his way to the big buffet table. He was practically drooling. All this much food! He started helping himself when he heard a polite cough from behind. He turned his head slightly, a piece of chicken in one hand and a steak in the other.

"Huh?" he uttered. Always opening up with the killer conversation, that's him. The man behind him was dressed in black robes decorated with golden patterns. He was quite tall and muscular. His black eyes were looking at the blond kid with cool calm.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"I'm Yagura," the blond kid said with a smile. "And who are you?" he asked, pointing at the man with his chicken. The man's eyebrows raised a notch.

"You may call me Daichi," the man replied. Yagura rose and bowed to the man.

"Nice to meet you, Daichi-san!" he said loudly. Daichi's eyebrows raised another notch. At this rate they were in danger of getting lost in his black hair.

"This is a private engagement, Yagura-kun," Daichi said. "Would you mind telling me how you got in? You look a bit young, too, if you don't mind me saying so."

"Young!?" Yagura shouted. A few people turned to look at the pair with questioning looks. When they saw the two they started whispering. Yagura noticed but did not pay it much attention. "I just turned twenty a few weeks ago! I'm old enough to drink sake! Do you still think I'm young!? Huh?"

Daichi's eyebrows disappeared into his hair. "You are old enough to drink sake? I guess I was wrong then. You aren't young after all. But how did you get in?" Yagura gave Daichi a conspiratorial look.

"I haven't told anyone this but … I'm a ninja!" Yagura whispered.

"A ninja?" Daichi asked with mock shock. "But where do you come from?"

"Look at my clothes," Yagura said with pride. "I'm a monk from Hi no Tera!"

"Ah, but of course," Daichi said. "The great shinobi monks of Hi no Tera. You are one of them?"

"I used to be," Yagura said, completely contradicting his earlier statement. "I left to see the world. It was when I was travelling in Wind Country that I read the first book in the Icha, Icha Series. Such a talented writer and investigator, that … what's his name again? Jiraiya? Yes, him. But I thought I could do better so I decided to travel the Five Great Shinobi Nations and write a much more action packed book with the same filthiness we all love, set in each of the Five Nations. I hope the great Jiraiya won't mind if I take some inspiration from him."

"I see," said Daichi. "I have … sampled … some of Jiraiya's work. It's alright." Daichi blushed for a second before he regained his senses. "So that's how you got in? You used an artist's pass?"

"Yes," Yagura replied, nodding. "I borrowed one off some guy who couldn't make it and transformed into him! My Henge must have been good because the guards didn't suspect a thing!" Daichi smiled and nodded and debated whether or not to tell this childish young man that he in fact had been spotted. The Black Ops had spotted his guise a mile off, but it being his birthday; he had told his forces that there was to be no fighting. After all, the as the Tsuchikage, he wanted this day to be fun for all. He had opted to approach any trouble and mitigate it. After all, no one would want to start any trouble with the Tsuchikage. This kid was harmless, even though he was supposed to be a shinobi monk from Hi no Tera. It wouldn't even be worth it to subdue him and investigate his body. Daichi doubted this kid had learnt the fabled power of the shinobi monks of Hi no Tera, the power of Theurigical Enlightenment. Besides, this kid interested him.

"Interesting," Daichi said out loud. "Come with me, Yagura. Sit at my table. We can discuss your theories in greater detail." Yagura and Daichi, who was also the Tsuchikage, walked toward the highest table in the room.

Hanabi had watched this all with rapt attention. As soon as the two men finished talking, she pushed away her plate of half-eaten food and stood up. Her Byakugan was deactivated so she had to search for Ebisu and Hiarashi the mundane way. She had to concentrate on keeping the image of Ebisu and Hiarashi's transformations. She berated herself on not being more observant. It took her less time that she would have thought, and it became apparent why.

"What's wrong?" she asked the two when they came into view. Their eyes were filled with something she couldn't identify. Panic? Indecision? What was it?

"Have you been watching the ballroom with your Byakugan?" Hiarashi asked her in turn. Hanabi nodded.

"Then you saw the blond man the Tsuchikage was talking to?" Ebisu asked. Hanabi started. That man had been the Tsuchikage? She had expected him to be more … brutal. What she had seen had shown a middle aged man who was calm, collected and very intelligent. She nodded again.

"Didn't you notice anything strange about the man?" Hiarashi asked. Hanabi frowned. These two didn't have the Byakugan so they couldn't possibly be referring to the one split-second when the blond boy's chakra had acted strangely. Hanabi herself had discounted that. It must have been something to do with the Tsuchikage's appearance. After all, the man seemed to have large reserves of chakra.

"Well, I was lip reading their conversation," Hanabi said, "And the blond man's name is Yagura and he is a former monk of Hi no Tera. Other than that, there was nothing about him that struck me as odd." Ebisu looked at Hiarashi. It was strange to see the man's eyes, even though they were transformed. Ebisu always had on his black reflective glasses.

"Think hard, Hanabi," Ebisu said. "Think about that boy's face. About his mannerisms. About his speech. Isn't there something about him that rings a bell?" Hanabi frowned and thought hard. It must be something she had seen before. What was it about the man that raised her suspicions? She took a deep breath and concentrated on the facts she knew. He said his name was Yagura. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He wore the garb on the monks of Hi no Tera, so he was a shinobi. He was very loud and off-hand about things, but also courteous. He talked about Jiraiya of the Sannin with a passive familiarity. Who was he? Suddenly she felt a cold shiver as the answer came to her. She hadn't seen him since the Chunin Exams seven years ago. He had been short then, and a serious young shinobi. He had defeated Hyuga Neji. He was Uzumaki Naruto. She looked up at the two in shock. Her face told Ebisu and Hiarashi she had come to the same conclusion as they had.

"But he disappeared seven years ago," Hanabi said. "Father told me he left after he was dishonourably discharged by the Council." Hiarashi nodded. Hanabi noticed she seemed drawn, somehow. She looked almost like she was in shock.

"It seems he has been in Fire Country all along, until now. But it also seems his shinobi skills haven't improved much, judging by the Tsuchikage's reaction – or rather lack of. But why is he here? What has he been doing all this time? And he disappeared the same night as your sister, Hanabi. If he's here, surely that means that Hinata-kun is out there somewhere, too. Could they have left together?" Silence converged on the three shinobi.

"It does us no good to speculate," Hiarashi finally said. "Several high ranking Kongou Clan members are here. And the way the sake is flowing, getting information out of them won't be hard. Hanabi and I can talk to a few of the men, flirt a little if necessary. Afterwards I don't doubt we will have enough information to complete our mission. After that, if it's safe, we can investigate Uzumaki Naruto's presence. We will have to eliminate him, if he proves to be forming an alliance with the Tsuchikage. The…" Hiarashi paused. Hanabi did not know about the Kyuubi. "The power Naruto has cannot be allowed to fall into out old enemy's hands. The Council had planned to extract it or other control it. Now it's down to us to do what we can."

"Unfortunately," Ebisu sighed, "You are right. We'll corner him and ask just what the hell is going on. If t he answer is not to our liking, we'll have no option but to kill him." Forgive me, Konohamaru, Ebisu thought silently. I hope you will understand that I have no option if it comes down to it.