Chapter 4
The First Mission
"I will be assigning you your first mission. Here are the details." the Hokage said to team Naruto. It has been fourth months of training and the Elric brothers have proven that they can be sent out as shinobis of the Hidden Leaf Village. It's not so surprising because even before they had ninja training, both of them were already very skilled in taijutsu. That's the effect of having to train how to fight against a scary housewife who can kill a bear with her own two hands. Next factor was that they already have their own arsenal in which they can fight. Alchemy's very powerful and even the other ninjas who saw them perform it were amazed and wanted to learn it from them but the Hokage has forbidden the Elrics from teaching it to anyone without his permission. With Alchemy, there's no more need for affinity to the different chakra natures. You just have to manipulate the matter in front of you into something useful like making an earth wall or turning water into flammable hydrogen gas. It really is one hell of an ability.
Basically, Naruto just taught them how to control chakra so that they don't go all out every time Alchemy comes into play. He also taught them the basic ninjutsu all shinobi must know, like the clone, transformation, and substitution jutsus. They were also taught on how to use chakra to strengthen their physical attacks and to use it to cling to walls and heighten their jumps. Alphonse was trained to use a tantō, a short sword with a 12 inch blade, while Ed on the other hand didn't need any training in kenjutsu since he was already an expert in his own way, using a transmuted blade made from a metal bracelet he wears in his right arm. Since his right arm was not a prosthetic anymore, Ed thought about wearing the bracelet so he could make the weapon appear when he wants and also to conceal it more easily. And of course another skill that all shinobi must know, the shuriken jutsu. They had a rough time on that but still they managed to complete all of that in just four months and it really impressed Kakashi. It was now really the time to try out those skills.
"So to summarize, there have been reports of people disappearing around the east coast of the Land of Fire. The first report was dated about two years ago, but since the person who disappeared had no relatives, they didn't go bother searching for them. But 3 months after that, another one disappeared but the townspeople did not act on it. They were saying that they were most probably swallowed by the ocean since it was storming that night. So why is it now that they've asked for our help, you might ask. There are already a total of 20 people who went missing, all happened within the last 2 years but 8 of those happened just last week. They've decided that it is now time to take action and find out whatever or whoever is causing the disappearances." the Hokage said.
"What is the rank of this mission Kakashi-sensei?" the team leader, Naruto asked.
"This will be a B-rank mission." Kakashi replied.
"A B-rank? But is that a bit difficult for them? They've just barely managed to complete their basic ninja training and you're giving them a B-rank?" the blond Jounin couldn't believe.
"You do remember that when you were 12 Naruto, you were asking for an A-rank mission, and look at what you got, Zabuza and Haku, an A-rank mission indeed. So why don't you want higher ranked missions now? You don't believe that the Elrics can handle it?" Kakashi challenged.
"If it's Mihara I believe she can but the Elrics, they're from a different world and it's only been 4 months of training." Naruto tried to reason.
"I am the Hokage and I know that I can entrust this mission to them. Also, there are no other shinobi available except your team who can handle this. You'll leave at noon so all of you prepare. And also, if you think that the mission might turn into something that you wouldn't be able to handle on your own, just send me message and I'll send back-up. Understood?"
"Yes Lord Hokage." all of them replied in unison.
"Yes Edward, do you have any questions?" the Hokage asked when he saw Ed raise his hand.
"Not really. I just want to thank you Lord Hokage for trusting in our abilities within such sort of time. I promise we won't let you down."
"Don't mention it. You've two have already been a great help since you arrived in the Leaf Village and you really did well with carving my face on the Hokage Monument."
"Well we don't want to be freeloaders." Ed chuckled.
"Then if there're no more matters to discuss then you should go. And before I forget, I'll speak with you after you come back from this mission Edward. We have a lot to discuss about."
"Yes sir."
...
"Team, listen." Naruto called their attention. "This will be the first mission Edward and Alphonse will be assigned that requires them to go out of the village. And for you Mihara, this will be the first B-rank that you will be taking. Mihara, you will be partnered with Edward because you have more experience with ninja missions and I with Al. You brothers aren't allowed to partner together even though Kakashi told me you make a great team. This is the ninja world and ninjas are the ones that you will be facing, not other Alchemists. Make sure that you don't lose sight of your partner. We will still travel as a whole but if we need to investigate, it will be easier if you have a partner. Understood?"
"Yes." they all said with the exception of Mihara who would always add 'sensei'.
They departed from the Leaf and headed East towards the coast of the Land of Fire. The Elrics were very excited because at last they were able to leave the confines of the village and see more of this new world that they've travelled to.
…..
"Here it is. The waterfront town of Chougyo. This is where most of the disappearances happened but some did occur in nearby places. I'll go speak with the town leader to get a bird's eye view of the case. We should split up in groups and ask the villagers if they know anything about the disappearances. I'll give Alphonse a Shadow Clone to accompany him. Ed and Mihara will go together. We'll meet at lunch near that bell tower. Any questions?" said their team captain, Naruto.
"No sir." they replied.
"Then, scatter." the Jounin ordered.
Naruto went to the town's leader, Al and Naruto's clone around town while Ed and Mihara went for the docks. Most of the disappearances occurred near the water so it's the best place to look for witnesses. First they tried to speak with a fisherman and they got a response related to the case.
"Last two weeks I was walking at about 9 in the evening and then I saw them. There were about three men, dressed in hooded cloaks so I couldn't see who they were and it was dark because it's a new moon. I saw them take away someone, but I couldn't also recognize who that person was. I was scared to call for help because they might come after me especially because there were already so many who disappeared so I reported what I saw the moment they were gone. This was the few instances that there was a witness who saw the abduction. The others who've gone missing, they have no clue when and where they were taken. Then after three days, I heard that Aomon, a retired fisherman who lives far from town was reported to not have come home. One witness said that the last time they saw him was him leaving his house for a walk at around 8:30, during the night I saw the man being taken. So they believe that it was Aomon who was taken by those three cloaked men." the fisherman narrated.
"Do you know who the other witnesses to incidents like these are?" Ed asked the fisherman.
"There's only one I know. It's old man Takamura who lives down the shore. I'll take you to him if you want." the fisherman offered.
"We appreciate your help. So about this Aomon, can you give us any description about him? Maybe we can try and see if there's a pattern to who these guys are taking or if they're just random people." said Ed.
"He's about 40 years old and has brown hair. He has a scar on his lip if I remember correctly and one thing you'll immediately notice is that he's got no left arm. It was amputated due to a fishing accident and it also rendered him unable to do his job as a fisherman anymore." the fisherman described.
"I see. Would you show us to Mr. Takamura?" Ed requested.
"Sure kid, no problem. If you solve this case for us then be sure to come back and I'll give some of my best catches."
"Well, thank you for that."
...
"You want to hear about the person I saw who got abducted?" Takamura asked the two shinobis.
"Yes Mr. Takamura." Mihara nodded. "If we know more about those who have been taken, we believe we can use these data to find clues and patterns as to why they are being taken and possibly what goal those who are responsible have."
"Very well then. It was also during the night and I was fishing with my friend Tano. We had bad luck on that day since it was already near midnight and we still haven't caught anything. We went there about 3 in the afternoon so we've decided to call it since it has been 8 hours and head back home. We were about 500 meters from shore when we saw two people running across the water towards us. They were fast and before I realized, Tano was already gone from his fishing boat and I was hit in the back supposedly to knock me out. But I was still conscious and I saw them in the distance and Tano unconscious, hanging on the back of one of the abductors." he told them.
"Do you remember what direction they went to?" Mihara asked.
"I thought that they would head back to shore but they did just the opposite. They kept heading east, running across the water. They might have a boat waiting for them there."
"I see. You reported this right after you got back to shore?" Ed asked.
"Yes indeed. It was not the first of its kind of incidences so I went straight to the town leader to tell what happened. This happened about 5 days ago and since it has been a total of 8 people who've gone missing or seen taken, they've decided to call for help from the Leaf Village."
"They should have reported this long ago and they've waited until 20 people have been taken in the last two years. Why didn't they ask us sooner?" Ed asked.
"Our village is not as rich as the others and we can't afford to hire ninjas to conduct the investigations, or so the town leader says. If you ask me, I think he only hired you because he began to fear for his own life." Takamura said in distaste.
"So about Mr. Tano who was taken 5 days ago, how can you describe him? Is there any unique features that he have so that we can identify him immediately?" Mihara questioned.
"Tano seems like an average fisherman to me. He's 45 years old though he doesn't have a wife or kids, well-built, about 5'10, and has black hair which is shoulder length. Has a thick mustache and sideburns. And if you can see, his left eyes blind so you can't miss it and its white color. Other than that, I can't think of any other features to describe him. If you want I can show you a picture of him." Takamura offered. "Just wait for me and I'll get it."
Takamura went to his room and Ed took this opportunity to ask Mihara what she can infer from the stories they heard.
"Hmm. So far from the two stories we've heard, both cases happened during the night and there is only one witness for each abduction. For Mr. Tano's case, I find it curious that they only took him and they were careless as to not make sure Mr. Takamura was really unconscious. And since Mr. Takamura said that he saw them crossing over the water, it's likely that these guys are also shinobis, but whether or not they're hired or rogue is still unclear."
"You're right." Ed agreed. "These people they've taken have no special abilities. They're only ordinary villagers but I believe that there is something common to both."
"What is it Ed-san?"
"Aomon has no left arm and Tano has a blind eye. They both lost something and I believe that if we ask around about the others who were taken, they might have also lost something too."
"Do you believe that? It might be coincidence since we've only asked about two people."
"Yes it might be coincidence but seeing as I don't have a left leg too, it's something I notice immediately." Ed said, patting on his left automail leg.
"Here it is." Takamura announced as he showed up again the living room. Edward took the photo.
"Thank you for your help Mr. Takamura. We'll do our best to look in to this matter and find your friend Mr. Tano." Ed assured.
"Well, good luck to you. I do hope you find out who these bastards who took him are. They need to pay for what they did."
"We should go to the tower and meet up with Naruto-sensei. We already have gathered two vital information and it's almost lunch." Mihara suggested.
"Yeah we probably should." Ed agreed. They said their goodbyes to Mr. Takamura and went their way.
...
"Well you two finished up early." Naruto remarked, just arriving at the tower with Al.
"We started gathering information around the docks and we've managed to learn about two of the abductions." Ed informed his team leader.
"That's good. I've already talked with the town leader and gotten the reports of the missing people and those known to have been taken. So what about you, did you get any leads as to where we should investigate next?" Naruto asked Ed.
"I believe that if we take a look at the reports you've managed to get, we might be able to see a pattern. Two of those abducted who had witnesses have lost something in their body. If the others also have the same characteristics, then we can think of the possible reasons as to why they were taken." Ed pointed out.
"Here. You can take a look at them and find out what you can. I've never really been good at these kinds of stuff." Naruto admitted. Edward took the reports and took a look at the first one in front.
"This one is reported to have a paralyzed right lower leg. See, there is a pattern and it involves having disabilities." Ed pointed out.
"But why would they take those who have disabilities? Most abductions that happen are for the purpose of performing human experiments, like the one Orochimaru did. But he searched and took those who have Kekkei Genkai, individuals who have a unique ability, not with disabilities. This doesn't really make sense."
"Human experiments?" Al asked. Both Ed and Al's eyes widened upon hearing this. They've dealt with this before and now they have to deal with it again.
"So even here there are also people who do these sick things." Ed muttered with distaste. 'Just like what happened to Nina and Alexander.'
"Ninjutsu is not only used for fighting. It can also be used in the medical field but there are people who exploit this power to try and discover many things that can be done to humans like enhancements and other things. Many have died in the hands of those like Orochimaru and if this is something like that, then the faster we have to act if we want to save them." Naruto explained. "But for now let's have our lunch."
...
"Brother? Are you still awake?" Al asked. It was about 10 o'clock in the evening. They rented an inn in town and Naruto said that they need to sleep early because they are to depart the next day for the next location they will investigate. They've already studied the reports on the disappearances and already found a solid lead.
"Yeah. I can't sleep." Ed muttered. He was lying on the bed with his arms on his head and one knee bent.
"Are you thinking about those who've been taken?"
"Yeah. We promised ourselves that we'll do whatever we can to prevent the tragedy that happened to Nina and Alexander from happening again and this one is almost the same. We do not know if it's true yet but from all the reports we've gathered, I couldn't help but believe it is what they are doing." Ed replied.
"You know, I'm starting to think there is a reason why we opened that portal and why that white person sent us here." Al said.
"And you think this mission is the reason?" Ed asked, turning his head to face Alphonse.
"Somehow."
"Heh." Ed chuckled. "No matter what world we are in, people still seek out things to gain power. Alchemy and Ninjutsu, different yet the same. Even now I still wonder why they exist."
"It seems that losing Alchemy can make one think that way."
"It does. Losing Alchemy made me realize that we can live without it. Live like the simple people we are." Ed admitted.
"But now that you've gained it back, it makes you think again why it was returned."
"Yeah."
"Do you think we can still go back to Amestris?"
"I don't really know Al. When we went through that portal, I was prepared to go wherever it will lead to, even though there is no assurance of returning. But if there is a way to get back, then I'll be eager."
"They are going to get worried you know. We both disappeared without trace and they will keep wondering where and how we are."
"We can't do anything about that now. What we should focus on thinking about is the mission."
"But you should rest now brother. You'll need it." Al advised.
"Fine. I'll think about it in my dreams." Ed mumbled.
"Good night."
"Good night too."
...
Next morning came and they went straight for the docks. They were not there to investigate but rather rent a boat. From the reports, they found out that not only people with disabilities were captured, but also other witnesses reported that those who took them went eastward. Not only that, the surrounding areas have been searched before and they found no hideouts that the townspeople could have been taken to. And this resulted into one location they haven't checked yet. The Land of Whirlpools.
"You really want me to take you to the Land of Whirlpools?" asked the driver of the boat they rented. It was not a small boat. This boat they rented was used for fishing large fishes and was operated by at least 5 men. Since they were also on their way to fish on the deep waters, Naruto has asked them if they could take them to the Land of Whirlpools because it was the group of islands in the direction the fishermen are headed to, if they went farther.
"Yes sir. We're shinobi that your town has sent for to investigate the disappearances and abductions of the townspeople. From our investigation, we've found that the most likely place where they were taken to is the Land of Whirlpools." Naruto explained.
"But that place is just full of ruins. No one lives there. And not to mention the giant whirlpools surrounding the islands. There are so many of them that it would be next to impossible to find a way through without getting caught."
"And that is why it is the perfect hideout for those who don't want to be found."
"It does sound like a hideout to me but I can only take you near the islands. Obviously I don't want to go anywhere near those whirlpools surrounding the islands. I will take you as near as it is safe and then you'll have to figure it out own your own how to get to the islands."
"I understand. Don't worry about that because I already have a plan." Naruto assured him.
"And what is that?" the driver raised an eyebrow.
"We are shinobi remember? It's no big deal." the Jounin reminded.
"But how are you going to do it Naruto-sensei?" asked Mihara. "He said that there are large whirlpools and even as ninjas it would be impossible to walk over them. The current will be too strong that even those who mastered chakra control will not be able to stay above water."
"Don't worry Mihara-chan. We'll just have to use this." Naruto said bringing up a three-pronged kunai with markings on the handle.
"A kunai?" All three of his students said simultaneously.
"Yup." Naruto grinned.
A/N: After two months and I only managed to spew this out. Sorry really, but school was hectic especially since February and March are the last two months of school and we had our Seminar and Clinical training subjects in PT. And I wrote 1 chapter of Together We Can and 2 chapters for Battle for Naruto that's why this came late. Anyway as compared to the other two fics, this one is where I know where to lead the story because I've already thought about the outline and what will happen. It just needs to be written. Though there are more readers of the other two fics that's why I'm more motivated to write them first before this one. If I gain more views and reviews, maybe I'll focus on this. It depends.
And if anyone is wondering why there are no 'small' jokes on Edward, it's because he's already eighteen and he had grown taller since his fight with Father where he was only fifteen.
Finally the computer is repaired and I've already started writing again. I will update Battle for Naruto at April 21, 2014 any hour at that day. And if possible, also FMA X Naruto. For Together We Can, maybe by May. And next week, I'll upload a new story one-shot for Naruto. Read that too and review.
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- lagseeing1123- lagseeing1123 (April 19, 2014)