Chapter 06: Children of the Wind
- Konoha gates -
"Ok! Suna is three days from here, you three!" Gai exclaimed excitedly as he gazed out towards the horizon. "That is, it's three days for a normal team… but we have something that those other two teams lack!" he cried as he swiveled his hips and raised his finger high into the air. Every year the academy produced nine genin; Gai's team consisted of only three of these nine.
Naruto caught on quickly and adjusted his forehead protector in anticipation, "We have discipline, Gai-sensei!"
"That's my best student! Yes!" Gai exclaimed as he grabbed Naruto for a manly hug of youthful passion. "Naruto!"
"Gai-sensei!" Naruto cried in return. He then began to flail his arms and legs and exclaimed, "No, I really can't breathe dattebayo!"
During this Neji sighed and ran a hand frustratingly through his silky hair, "I hope they don't cause an incident…" the young genius moaned to himself.
"What are we going to do with them?" Tenten sighed wearily. Neji shook his head, having no answer to the question.
Finally Gai got the clue and released Naruto before energetically clapping him on the shoulder, "You put up a better fight than I'd expected, very cool, Naruto!" the jounin exclaimed as he gave a sparkling smile.
"You did that on purpose!? Why are you always such a freak?!" the blonde cried as he pointed accusingly at Gai.
"Seishuun, Naruto! Seishuun! You're a tough little guy, just like me when I was your age. That's good!"
"How is that good!? You almost killed me!" Naruto cried, flailing his arms angrily at his sensei.
"He means that one day you'll be like him." Neji called out, revealing the hidden message. "It's not necessarily true, considering a loser such as you can never attain the level needed to become a jounin."
"You mean if I act like Gai-sensei…" Naruto said in realization, "then I'll become as strong as he is?" he asked, selectively ignoring Neji's hurtful words.
"Naruto… please no…" Tenten began, worried that there threatened to be two of Gai; that would be too much!
"It's his decision, Tenten." Neji mentioned as he began to walk through the gates, past the leotard duo and coming to a stop some distance down the road, "But if Sunagakure is three days away, we shouldn't be wasting time like this."
"Three days my ass!" Naruto exclaimed before glancing at Gai-sensei, "Let's make it in two days!"
"That's a good start, my pupil! Let's instead do it in a day and a half!" Gai corrected as he pointed out towards the horizon again.
"I can make it in half a day!" Naruto exclaimed wildly, jumping and punching the air, "Seishuun dattebayo!"
"Oh no…" Tenten moaned. Then, with a glance at the unshakable determination on Naruto's face, she reminded herself that if she wanted to become as powerful as Tsunade, then she'd need to keep up with this kid. Tenten took a steadying breath before mimicking the 'cool guy' pose and proclaiming, "I'll match any pace you two can set; my future as a kunoichi depends on it!"
"Then let's get moving! The faster we get there the longer we can sightsee in a foreign village! Seishuun!" Gai cried loudly, unaware of how overused the word was becoming. So with that, the three took off at a steadily increasing jog, closing the distance between them and Neji, who was calmly walking down the path. Because he had a head start, he was fairly far from them.
- Elsewhere -
A man in a sandy brown vest with earth-colored clothing and had half of his face hidden was slowly walking towards a large mansion made of sandstone. Over the door was a large green kanji, which stood for 'Wind'. It didn't take long after entering that he stood in front of the most important man in the entire village, the Kazekage of Sunagakure.
"Kazekage-sama!" the man greeted with a low bow, his hand crooked over his heart in salute. The Wind Shadow sat on a luxurious cushion hidden behind an obscuring silk curtain and surrounded by four guards, two behind the curtain with him and two just outside with the visitor.
"Make it quick, Baki." the man hidden behind the curtain demanded coldly.
"Yes, sir! We've received word that Konoha's representative for the chuunin exam preparations has departed from the village hidden in the leaves. It has been decided that I should escort him and his team this year, sir!" Baki announced dutifully.
The Kazekage was silent for a long while. Finally he spoke, "Don't let Gaara cause any international incidents. I hereby grant you permission to kill him if you deem it necessary." The Yondaime Kazekage then did something that he'd never done before; he reached out and moved the curtain out of the way to look the jounin in the eyes. "No matter what, ensure that our relations with Konoha will be maintained. Accomplish this and I'll personally nominate you for Kazekage when I retire."
"I give my life for Sunagakure, Kazekage-sama!" Baki uttered respectfully, his heart skipping a beat. He realized that this was an all or nothing deal; he'd either die by Gaara's hands, fail and become executed… or go on to become Godaime Kazekage. This would be a tricky mission indeed!
The fourth Kazekage nodded and replaced the curtain as he sat back on his cushion. "One more thing, Baki." the Wind Shadow prompted. When the jounin acknowledged that he was listening, the Kazekage said, "Temari has been acting rebellious as of late. I'd hate to be forced to punish her severely, so ensure that she doesn't do anything stupid."
"I'll put my life on the line to carry out your orders, Kazekage-sama!" Baki replied stoically, giving a salute and a bow. "I'll leave immediately to meet the representative and escort them safely to Suna." There was no answer, which meant that their meeting had come to an end.
- River/Wind border-
Neji was bent over gasping for breath and glaring at his blonde teammate. He had refused to be defeated by the loser and had agreed to race the final mile to the resting spot Gai had marked on a map. The two boys had left Gai behind, who cheered at their youthful exuberance and competition.
Due mostly to his inhuman stamina, unwavering determination to win and total disregard to his own personal safety, Naruto had managed to run at top speed far longer than any human ever should; all because of the demon fox's 'gifts' to protect his container. "Hahaha! Looks like I'm the winner this time, Neji!" Naruto exclaimed proudly as he rubbed his nose with a finger. "Do it!"
"Fine, savor your small victory, Naruto. But this changes nothing; those of us born with advantages are given them for a reason… and it's so that we can realize our great destiny." Neji muttered in a low tone. 'What is this kid? He's not even breathing heavily anymore!'
"That's not what we agreed on, baka!" Naruto scolded conceitedly, "You have to tell me who's won in a loud and clear voice!"
"It was you, Naruto; you beat me." Neji said hesitantly, clenching his fists as he forced himself to admit it. "Tell me something, Naruto." the genius demanded quickly, "Why do you fight your destiny so hard? What's driving you?"
"What drives me? Well, it drives me crazy when I'm underestimated!" Naruto announced strongly, jabbing himself in the chest as he tossed his shoulders back and inhaled. "All my life people have ignored me and told me that I'll never amount to anything. So when I got sick of crying and feeling sorry for myself, I began kicking my own ass to get stronger and stronger. Now, even death won't stop me from becoming the Hokage and proving them all wrong."
"Then your goal isn't that much different than mine…" Neji murmured softly.
"Ah, so what about Neji, then?" Naruto demanded with a smile, hoping beyond hope that he was finally proving himself to the genius, "What are you getting strong for?"
"There's no point in telling you, Uzumaki." Neji said as he stood up straight, having finally caught his breath. As he returned Naruto's glare, the Hyuuga made an uncharacteristic deal, "If you can manage to injure me during our next training session, then I'll tell you my destiny. Until then, you should concentrate on becoming truly strong."
"Say that you promise, Neji." Naruto demanded in a low and serious tone. "It doesn't mean anything unless you make a promise and keep it. Because those that break their promises are…"
"Losers." Neji finished for him. "I give my word, Naruto."
"Yes! That is what I was hoping for!" Gai cried happily from atop a tree branch, "My students have formed a beautiful friendly rivalry! I could cry!" the jounin exclaimed with a clenched fist as tears gushed from his face in rivers.
"This is where we're resting, right?" Tenten wondered as she inspected the clearing. It was your basic clearing with trees, bushes, dirt and more trees.
"Yes!" Gai affirmed, "We'll sleep here for tonight and continue first thing in the morning."
Tenten let out her breath and sank wearily to the ground while muttering, "Oh, thank the Shodai… we've been running nonstop since we left!"
"We should decide the order that we'll keep guard." Neji mentioned as he casually leaned against a tree. After a short debate, it was decided that Naruto would watch first, followed by Tenten and finally Neji; Gai wouldn't go because he felt that the genin needed to learn how to do it. Practice makes perfect and all.
So while the other three were preparing to sleep, Naruto went from bush to bush and collected as many leaves as he could hold. He went so far as to stuff several handfuls into a pouch, figuring that there wouldn't be any trees in the desert. He wished his team good night before giving the first leaf his full attention. It was time to train his chakra control.
- Kaze no kuni -
After collecting Gaara, Team Baki had begun their arduous trek through the desert, heading on a crash course with the Konoha shinobi. As they walked, Temari demanded to know how an escort mission could be more important than an assassination.
Glancing over his shoulder at the kunoichi, Baki decided that he might as well answer. "You're aware of the current state of Sunagakure. We're the smallest of the five major militaries, we're having financial trouble and everyday we lose clients to another village."
"I know all of that!" Temari scoffed, forgetting her emotional training for the moment. "What does Konoha have to do with this?"
"This is confidential information. It's been confirmed that the Daimyo of Kaze no kuni has been delivering mission requests from civilian villages within our borders to Konohagakure for completion." Baki informed as he looked his students in the eyes.
"That son of a…" Kankurou growled as his hands found the straps that held Karasu to his back.
"But that's treason, isn't it!?" Temari barked, completely losing her cool. "He should be executed for…"
"No, it's not." Baki said strongly, "But your father has already set his plan to restore our prestige into motion. We have to prove that we're as capable now as we were during the third Great Ninja War, so for now we have to maintain the delicate relations with the other strong shinobi villages to prevent any preemptive attacks that they may be planning."
"Ok. But what's after that, then?" Temari demanded with her arms crossed.
Baki watched the genin in silence for a moment before saying, "Even I don't know that much. I do as I'm ordered with full conviction to complete my task, regardless of why I'm doing it. Keep that in mind you three."
Before anyone else could speak, Gaara came to a stop and announced, "There's a ninja passed out that way…" before pointing off to the north.
"A ninja? From which village?" Temari wondered curiously, gazing off into the distance in hopes of seeing the fallen shinobi.
"How should I know?" Gaara droned carelessly, "I just smelled his blood is all."
Baki took a step to the north as he calculated the risks. "It could be the representative from Iwagakure. Gaara, lead Kankurou to the ninja. Temari, you'll help me set up camp. We're going to rest here so that we can interrogate this person."
"What if it's a trap!?" Temari warned with a worried look towards Kankurou. She knew that Gaara was perfectly safe because of the demon inside him, but her other brother was a lot more vulnerable.
"Hey, I can take care of myself! You're not the only one that was ready for the chuunin exam, Temari." the boy dressed in all black retorted. "Come on, Gaara; let's go find this punk."
- Minutes later -
Baki glanced up in the middle of setting up a wind resistant tent with Temari when he detected movement in the distance. "Get down in the sand!" he hissed as he focused wind chakra into his first two fingers. Quick to obey, the kunoichi dropped to the ground with one hand on the bottom of her iron-fan, prepared to draw it on a moment's notice.
Baki scanned the horizon with bated breath, ready to defend the daughter of the Kazekage with his life. He didn't sense any murderous intent, but that was easy to mask with proper training. He didn't relax until he spotted an eyeball made of sand hovering just off to his left, barely visible against a sand dune; it was the scouting jutsu that Baki had helped Gaara create. With a sigh of relief, the jounin dropped his guard and informed Temari that she could stand up.
Having determined that the camp hadn't been compromised, Kankurou and Gaara crested the dune a short way from the eye, carrying what looked like a person dressed in black and brown. They set the woman in the sand for Baki to inspect.
"She's an ANBU from our village." the jounin announced as he checked the woman's pulse. "She's unconscious and injured, but her life isn't in danger. Bring me a water flask, medicine and bandages, Kankurou! Temari, help me move her into the tent." Baki commanded. He wasn't a medic, but binding wounds properly was standard knowledge that most chuunin and all jounin of Suna knew.
When they had her moved and the supplies beside the woman, Baki ordered the male genin to continue working on the tent. Together the kunoichi and jounin stripped the ANBU to clean her wounds and wrap them with bandages. Finally they were done and the two male genin were permitted back into the tent.
"Was she the only person that you found, Kankurou?" Baki questioned in a low tone, eyeing the sleeping woman suspiciously.
"She was alone, but there were kunai lying around her, as if she'd pulled them out and left them. Her trail was easy to find; she'd been crawling for as far as the eye could see." the puppet user explained.
Gaara, also watching the young woman, decided to speak his mind, "Wouldn't carrying her back to Suna be difficult? Maybe we should just kill her and leave her for the buzzards."
"Gaara…" Temari began wearily, "Wouldn't dad be upset if you killed one of his ANBU soldiers?"
"I've never considered that man to be my father. I do as I like; if you want to stop me, I dare you to try." the demon container answered dangerously.
"Grow up, Gaara." Kankurou growled at his younger brother, far less intimidated by him than his older sister. "The ANBU hasn't done anything to you, just leave her be."
Baki knew better than to interrupt the siblings; he was sure that the older two would talk their brother out of making a mistake. As he watched the four sand ninjas carefully, he asked himself, 'What could have happened to this girl's team? I'll assume the worst and figure that her captain and partner have been killed. But what could have done it? Could it have been Nukenin or enemy ninjas?' If this was true, then they were in a tight spot. 'This is a terrible thing to happen with the Konoha ninjas on their way here.' Finally he cut into their argument, "Keep your voices down, I'm going to investigate. I won't return until morning."
"Do you need me to go with you, Baki-sensei?" Temari asked, hoping to see some action rather than prepare for bed. "Staying here is so boring." she complained.
"Do as you're ordered!" he commanded firmly, sending out a bit of murderous intent at the kunoichi. He knew she'd eventually become accustomed to it, but for now it worked as intended. "Protect our comrade, that's an order." He demanded as he slipped out of the tent and vanished over the dunes.
- The next morning -
The Sandaime stared wearily into the eyes of a chuunin that was being held in place by the two ANBU that had discovered him. Finally the old man exhaled smoke, "Mizuki, why would you even consider something like this?" he asked, indicating the secret scroll the white-haired instructor had hidden.
Hanging his head in both shame and sorrow, Mizuki sighed heavily before admitting, "I… I don't know what came over me, Hokage-sama. I think I might have been drunk and overworked…"
Sarutobi let out another puff of pipe smoke and after a long moment he returned his gaze to Mizuki, who was being forced into a crouch by the elite soldiers behind him. "I think you've become confused somewhere. You see, Mizuki…" The Hokage paused to take another puff of his pipe as he waved the ANBU back, silently commanding them to be at ease. "When a criminal is caught, we take him and put him in prison. This doesn't necessarily make the prison a place of evil, though; it's merely a building to keep the criminal's evil away from the innocent." This was a sneaky metaphor, because it reminded Mizuki that he was facing the law as well as hinting that Naruto and the Kyuubi were two different entities.
Mizuki sighed in defeat. He was smart enough to know when he was beaten, and right now he had no defenses against the genius known as the Professor. "Yes, I've tried to put it behind me, but I just can't seem to get over my hatred of that murderous fox!" he said in a crescendo. After calming himself down, Mizuki expanded on his thought, "It doesn't help that the kid was so quick to abandon class and vandalize the village. I guess these juvenile actions reminded me of the Kyuubi and I was overcome by needless resent."
The Sandaime smiled to himself, "Yes, Naruto can be quite a troublemaker. But if my memory serves, you and your partner in crime, Umino Iruka, were a force to be reckoned with as well." he finished with a light chuckle. At that point all humor drained from his face as he was reminded of the serious situation at hand. "However, conspiring to murder Konoha shinobi carries with it a harsh penalty; that of revoking your teacher's license and suspending you from duty for no shorter than two months." Mizuki sighed and hung his head again, accepting the punishment for his crimes. "There is an alternative, though…"
"Hokage-sama?" Mizuki prompted in wonder.
"I have Uzumaki Naruto's grades up until his graduation here before me." the old man stated as he lifted the papers and looked them over. "These are the lowest grades in the history of the academy graduates."
"Iruka and I tried our best, but Naruto was too free-willed and we had over 45 other students to teach." Mizuki admitted. "He was one of the few that didn't act as if they wanted to learn, so we paid more attention to those that did… it's the rule of the academy to weed out those that don't have what it takes."
"Yes, I know this." Sarutobi mentioned with a puff of smoke from his pipe. "I'm sure you know the anecdote 'monkey see, monkey do', am I right?" Mizuki nodded, curious as to what the old man was eluding to. "Children are more like monkeys than we realize. What I mean is that they're very impressionable; learning from and mimicking their elders and such."
"I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at, Hokage-sama." the chuunin admitted in a confused voice.
The Hokage had hoped that Mizuki would catch on, seeing as how he was a smart man in his own right, but sometimes things just didn't work out as planned. "Children learn how to be adults by copying the adults that are in their life." the Hokage answered directly, feeling it best to finally get to the point. "Naruto sees only hostility and disgust; how long will it be until he becomes the monster that the villagers see him as? I'd rather not have that happen, not after the sacrifice that the fourth Hokage made."
"You want me to be nice to Naruto and show him how to be a proper ninja?" Mizuki realized at last, causing the Hokage to nod in affirmation. "What all of this is about is that you want me to be Uzumaki's father figure!" the young man exclaimed as he jumped to his feet in surprise. The ANBU guarding him too a step forward to restrain him in case he attacked the Hokage, but the Sandaime waved them back once more, claiming that Mizuki meant no harm to him.
"A long time ago a man gave his life in hopes that one day a great evil could be changed into a great boon." the Hokage mentioned as he tapped ashes from the end of his pipe into his hand. "Long ago the shinobi as a whole were used as assassins so that one faction or another could take or maintain control of an area. Today we enforce the emperor's laws and protect the lives of countless innocents. So you see; something viewed as a weapon can eventually become a godsend."
Mizuki knew that the Hokage was referring to Naruto, claiming that though the boy had done a lot of juvenile actions against Konoha, he could become a great asset in time. Mizuki wanted to believe this, but something deep within him, perhaps his resent at losing his parents, refused to trust that Naruto could ever be something special. "I'll decide that for myself while I'm teaching him, Hokage-sama." Mizuki answered stiffly.
The Hokage let out another wisp of smoke before pulling a document closer to him and began to write out the new assignment. As he worked, he offered a suggestion to Mizuki, "Naruto should return from Suna by next week; you have until then to prepare his curriculum."
- Country of Wind -
Gai had forbidden his students from racing through the desert, understanding that the exertion and heat could kill them. "It's unusual for the Sand to be this slow." The jounin muttered as he scanned the horizon. "We should have met up with them before now."
"What do you expect?" Naruto laughed, "We're Konoha, so it's only natural that we're better!"
"Don't mention that in front of them, Naruto." Tenten warned. She was walking beside her friend, but far enough away so that their body heat wouldn't fry them alive. "It'll be bad to cause an international dispute just because our contacts were a little slower than expected. We did run like crazy yesterday after all."
Neji, who had decided to leave it to Tenten, blinked suddenly and activated his Byakugan. "Gai-sensei!" he called to get the bushy-browed jounin's attention. "There's a tent a quarter of a mile ahead and to our left; there are five entities inside."
"Very good, Neji!" Gai cheered as he gave the Hyuuga a thumbs-up gesture. "My students are quickly becoming strong! Yes!"
"But why are there five of them?" Tenten wandered suspiciously, "I think we should check them out before running in and saying 'hi'."
"Good plan, Tenten!" Gai cried excitedly, also pleased that she was learning to treat unknown situations with suspicion and caution. "Ah, I'm so proud that I could explode! How should we approach them without being noticed, Naruto!?" he prompted, ready to erupt with sheer joy at his student's skills.
"We'll wait until nightfall and slip in under the light of the full moon!" he answered, positive that that was how a ninja should act! Or at least that's how the ninjas in his mangas acted.
"Naruto! Noo!" Gai cried as the waves in his mind came to an abrupt stop and anticlimactically sank back into the ocean of his passion. He frowned before turning and facing his slow pupil, the one that ruined his rush. "I'm sorry, but I have to punish you!" he exclaimed as he punched Naruto in the head, throwing him into the hot sand from the blow. "I hate to do this, Naruto, but you have to learn to think like a real ninja!"
"Pft, you don't have to hit so hard, damn it." Naruto grumped as he climbed back to his feet. "I don't really understand any of that sneaking stuff, I'd rather just go right in and kick ass."
Gai sighed before glancing towards Neji. He didn't want to use the boy to spur Naruto on, but if he could heat up their rivalry, Naruto would have no choice but to broaden his knowledge in order to best him. "Neji, tell me how we'll do it."
- Team Baki's tent -
As promised, Baki had returned just after daybreak with news that the woman's tracks led all the way back to an old encampment that had been abandoned since the third Great Ninja War. Unfortunately, the ANBU still hadn't awoken, so Baki announced that they'd hold their position until they had a chance to speak with the ANBU.
She didn't awaken until seven in the morning, when Temari and Baki had ordered the male genin to wait outside while they began to change her bandages. "What are you doing!?" she gasped when she realized that her shirt was off. She covered herself with her arms.
"Lower your voice, soldier." Baki instructed firmly. "Tell me what happened to you and your team."
"Baki-senpai?" the young twenty year old breathed softly, recognizing the jounin. She shook her head and sat up, blinking wearily. "My team and I were ordered to investigate recent activity in the abandoned medical station. We encountered an entire host of bandits and poachers, but before we could report back, we were beset by Sand nukenin. My team is specialized in scouting, not combat… I barely managed to get away with my life and this information because of my teammate's sacrifice."
- Outside the tent -
Kankurou glanced towards his ever quiet brother upon hearing the ANBU's explanation. "It looks like we might get to kill after all. That should make you happy…" he said with a grin.
"I hate feeding weak blood to mother." The redhead replied calmly, "It's none of my concern unless they're strong."
"Didn't you hear what she said, baka? They managed to kill two ANBUs." Kankurou hissed at his brother, "These nukenin are…" Sudden movement caught the puppeteer's eye; something had just come over a sand dune. He let out his breath when he realized that it was just a jackrabbit seeking a meal.
"They'll have left before we get there." Gaara said in his droning voice. "It would be an annoying waste of time."
"Well, it's not really our decision anyway." Kankurou replied stiffly. "Now that the ANBU is awake, we have to get back to meeting those Konoha bastards." Gaara didn't respond, he merely watched the jackrabbit scurry about. He was bored and didn't care about anything his brother was saying, so he entertained himself by imagining if he were small enough to ride the rabbit. Would he actually feel what fun was if he could do that? Insomnia can have quite an effect on people…
From within the tent, Kankurou could hear the ANBU claim that she refused to go back to Suna without first reclaiming her partner's corpses. "It could be dangerous if those Nukenin sell their bodies to another village." She explained dutifully.
Baki answered her, "It can wait until the Konoha shinobi arrive. We'll have to discuss the situation with them. It's possible that they might be able to cooperate with us."
"Yes, sir!" the ANBU, Kaori she had identified herself as, gave a salute. She winced against a wound in her right arm.
- Elsewhere -
The jackrabbit had failed to find food near the tent, so it left the way it had come. Moments later it came up to a young girl before erupting into smoke, revealing that it had been a blonde in disguise. "It's definitely our contacts, dattebayo." Naruto whispered to Tenten.
The kunoichi nodded and pressed a transmit button on a mounted radio and said into the microphone, "Neji, they're the escorts for sure."
#...I'll make first contact. I can use my Byakugan to detect any attacks…# came his reply over the radio.
When Tenten told Naruto of Neji's plan, he shook his head and hissed at her, "No, tell him that I'll go; it's the leader's job to go in first!" And even before the kunoichi had a chance to refute his self-appointed position and irrational action, the blonde darted for the sand dune. He came to a stop at the very peak and cried dramatically, "The shinobi of Konoha are here!"
- Preview -
Dangerous! Gai takes a chance and agrees to let his wonderful young pupils work in tandem with the children of the Kazekage to retrieve the ANBU bodies. Little does he know that the children all face mortal peril on this unforeseen B-rank mission!