Summary: What does it mean to be a ninja? This is the question that guides Uzumaki Naruto through his life as a shinobi of Konoha. Along that path, witness as he meets friends, fights evil, and keeps his eyes fixed on the ultimate dream…
Rating Warning (T): This story will include fairly intense violence, occasional suggestive themes, and occasional strong language. Please use your judgment.
Disclaimer: "Naruto" and associated material belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and TV Tokyo.
Date: August 14, 2014
Naruto: Birth of a Ninja
Chapter 6: Underneath the Underneath
Wherein the team saves a princess, discovers an unpleasant truth, and begins a new mission.
"Maybe we could wait until she wakes up and find out who she is? Then, if she's one of the bandits…" Sasuke shifted uncomfortably.
Naruto sighed, feeling a headache coming on.
This hadn't been at all what he'd bargained for.
The three genin did not have to wait long, for Sakura's medical technique worked as readily on poisons and drugs as it did on more visible injuries. The girl groaned and slowly sat up, raising a hand to her forehead. Naruto had removed her binds, and her eyelashes fluttered across bright, blue-green orbs. She looked up with a slightly confused look, before shuddering. At the sight of the three young ninjas, her eyes welled. Naruto stepped forward slightly.
"No, uh… miss, don't. You're safe now – we're ninjas from Konoha – my name is Uzumaki Naruto. Can you tell us how you got here?" Naruto furiously fought away the thought that the girl wasn't necessarily safe if she turned out to be one of the bandits or connected with them somehow. That was a concern for later.
The girl spoke, drawing stilted breaths between half-sobs. "I… My name is Asahina Midori; the group I was travelling with was… was attacked while we were travelling to Ka-Shi…"
The genin all drew a breath at once – Ka-Shi, Fire City, was the capital of Fire Country. For an attractive young woman dressed well to be travelling there drew certain conclusions to mind.
Sakura ventured a guess, "Midori-san; was your family amongst those travelling with you? Or… is there someone we can contact regarding… this?" Midori, still halfway to weeping, shook her head, and then nodded. "Yes… my… my father is the Fire Lord's chancellor… Could you take me to him?" Stars danced in Naruto's eyes – rescuing a princess – or close to one – on his very first mission out of the village! Sasuke motioned for the team to step out of the tent, though, and Naruto maintained enough decorum to bow to the girl and follow.
Outside the tent, Sasuke took no time at all to turn to the others. "So? What should we do?" Naruto was agape.
"What do you mean 'what should we do?' We take her to Ka-Shi! We got rid of the bandits, and now we've freed a prisoner! Why wouldn't we?" Sakura nodded in agreement, though with less force, but Sasuke shook his head slightly.
"I mean, she wasn't in our mission scroll at all – you'd think this would have been assigned a B-rank if it involved retrieving someone of such importance, right?" Naruto merely shrugged.
"Who knows? Maybe she was kidnapped after the mission was handed in! Or, well, civilians travel slow – maybe she wasn't expected in the capital for a while?"
It was Sakura who settled the debate. "Kakashi-sensei is probably watching. This one is above our pay-grade, I'd say." Sure enough, even as she spoke, a swirl of the shredded leaves and loam from the ground spun into the air, revealing Kakashi himself. He nodded at the genin and headed into the tent. They followed.
"Ah, Midori-hime, was it? I am Elite Jounin Hatake Kakashi of Konoha – Naruto and his companions are my students." Midori stood on wobbly legs and bowed with widened eyes – even to those of the court, the exalted rank of 'elite jounin' was known to signify exceptional skill. Kakashi continued.
"Our mission was to eliminate these bandits – there was no mention of you – why might that have been?" Midori shook her head.
"I can only presume, Hatake-san, that my kidnapping occurred after the mission had been assigned. I only wish to go home now – if compensation is the issue -" Naruto interrupted.
"No way! Midori-hime, you're a citizen of Fire Country, and a victim of these bandits – we can talk about that other stuff afterwards, when you've gotten to the capital safely!" Naruto's gallant offer put a hesitant smile on Midori's face, and she bowed.
"I am most grateful to you, Naruto-san. I am glad there are such honorable men in the service of Konoha." Kakashi smiled and nodded, motioning Sakura to help the older girl get herself ready. As the boys followed Kakashi out of the tent, Naruto nervously looked at Kakashi.
"Was that all right, Kakashi-sensei? I just thought, since it wasn't a particularly dangerous task and would make Konoha look good and all…" Kakashi merely shrugged.
"Meh, it's fine. We'll take the lady back home. Gather your things and we'll get back to the road to rest." As Kakashi strode away, Sasuke turned to Naruto with narrowed eyes.
"You could have warned us." Naruto winced.
"It just came to mind! I mean, I wasn't going to let some lady of the court – practically a princess – get left out here, or in that grubby little army camp!" Sasuke still looked angry.
"Tell the truth – none of what you said to Kakashi was why you wanted to help the girl."
"I wasn't -"
"No. You just thought it was the 'right thing,' right?" Naruto was silent for a moment before nodded slowly. Sasuke looked satisfied.
"That's what I thought. Whatever, what you said was true – bringing the chancellor's daughter to him would definitely make us look good – but don't you think there's something fishy?" Sasuke sent a piercing look in the direction Kakashi had left, and Naruto frowned.
"I guess? Like what?" Sakura exited the tent.
"Midori-hime will be ready in a minute. And yes, Sasuke, I think something's fishy – Kakashi-sensei wouldn't have given in so easily – especially without turning it into some kind of lesson – unless there was something up." Naruto nodded at this, looking displeased.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about that. Sensei will tell us what he wants us to know, when he wants us to know it – and until then, all we can do is play along." The genin all nodded at this.
Being late at night, the team set up camp just as they reached the road. Naruto broke a branch off of a tree and used it to pitch his cloak like a lean-to, providing Midori a modicum of shelter. Duties were delegated amongst the genin, and they split off on their way.
Sasuke had been assigned to catch some fish, since their rations were hardly palatable for ordinary consumption. He'd made his way to the river, and gathered chakra to his hand. Swiping into the water, he drew out a wriggling fish, staring at it.
The life in the fish slowly ebbed as it floundered in his grip – was that same life that he had dragged from the woman he'd crushed, and the other men he'd killed? Sasuke watched the creature's gills flutter in the harsh night air, and felt a sense of nausea that he fought back. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and spun to face Kakashi.
"Something troubling you, Sasuke?" Sasuke shook his head, but Kakashi seemed to understand nonetheless, and took a seat on the riverbank, plucking the fish from Sasuke's hand and dropping it on the grass.
"You know, I was just over half your age – only seven – when I made my first kill. It was during the lead-up to the Third War, when Stone-nin were pushing at our borders. Sandaime-sama had ordered all our teams to be on the alert. I was with Minato-sensei – he wasn't the Yondaime yet – and on the way back from a mission we ran into some refugees from Grass Country. They'd turned to banditry, and even though we were ninjas, we were the first prey they'd had in weeks. They were starving, and one man and a child seemed like easy targets." Kakashi broke off, shaking his head.
Sasuke realized he'd sat down next to Kakashi, and continued listening as the older man picked up the story again. "We only had to kill two to make the others turn and run – I threw a kunai – it almost seemed too easy, and I half expected the man to dodge it – but it was a good throw – took him in the eye." Sasuke nodded. The eye was the best place after the back of the head for a kunai strike, he remembered. Kakashi turned to Sasuke at this.
"I said it before – you don't need to bottle up your feelings from having killed – it happens. We're ninja, but we're people too – and seeing other people dead, thanks to us, is probably one of the hardest parts of the job – or it should be, at least." Sasuke frowned at this.
"But… if it's so hard how can we…? I mean, sometimes, ninja just kill and kill…" It was easy for Kakashi to realize what Sasuke was thinking, especially as the boy's face darkened.
"Our duties as ninja create for us a dark and grim place deep within ourselves. At the worst of times, some ninja fall into that place and cannot crawl out, and while there they do terrible things. It is most important that we not fall into that place ourselves, Sasuke – or we forget what makes us human." Sasuke twitched.
"Is it really that simple? That he – that we lose our minds to it all? How can we not?! I mean, it's so easy – a few moves and…" Sasuke looked upset, and Kakashi sighed deeply.
"It IS easy. To those trained as well as we have been, killing is the easiest of things. But instead of thinking about how easy it might be to kill, think instead about how hard it is to spare a drop of mercy – it is that strength that we should strive for. After all, you don't want to be weak, do you?"
Sasuke could immediately see through Kakashi's ploy, but it was effective nonetheless, and he found himself smiling slightly. Though he dropped the smile, he thought about it – yes, it was true – though He had done something horrendous, terrible, it had been so easy for him – with all his strength. How much stronger would Sasuke be if he restrained his ability to do the same, and grew to defeat Him nonetheless?
"Thank you, Sensei." Kakashi hummed as he stood up, leaving Sasuke to his fishing.
Sakura had been assigned to collect the firewood needed for a warm fire that'd last all night – but had barely gotten into the woods when the nauseous feeling she'd kept cooped up in her mind flew back into her mouth. She leaned over; expelling the remnants of the ration bar she'd eaten as she prepared for the mission, and felt a hand drawing a soothing circle on her back.
"Got it all out?" Kakashi's voice, usually bored, or at best amused, seemed focused and serious now. Sakura tried to respond, but instead saw flashes of the dead eyes she'd left on the boy she'd first killed, and the pulped, horrible remnants of brain on her uniform, and retched again.
Kakashi nodded sympathetically. "It's tough. The first person I killed wasn't close to me – he took a kunai in the eye – but the blood splattered near my feet. I still remember the smell." Sakura thought about the oxidized smell of the blood she'd seen, saw the rusty stains on her green dress, and gagged.
"It… ugh… does it ever get easier?" Sakura thought about the cadavers she had worked with in the hospital, the sick patients, and imagined them all as dead beneath her hand. Her legs trembled. Kakashi merely shrugged.
"It does – but that's when you have to worry. Something like that – you don't WANT it to feel easy." Sakura understood this immediately. As a medic-nin, she was sworn to protect and help those who were sick and injured – well, maybe not yet, but once she was certified. She couldn't imagine Kabuto's hands, or Hinata's hands, twisting a man's throat. Had either of them killed? Kabuto must have. Maybe he'd have some suggestions.
"If… it ever feels easy, what should I do?" Sakura looked to Kakashi, who shook his head slightly.
"There are people you can talk to – counsellors, your teammates -"
"No, sensei, you know what I mean." Kakashi stared at her for a moment, and then put a hand on her shoulder.
"When I was in the ANBU," Sakura started – she hadn't known Kakashi-sensei had once been in the ANBU Corps. She supposed it was obvious – his secrecy and taciturn nature, his focus on combat training and teamwork. "I used to be sent on combat and assassination missions all the time. One day, I was thinking about a mission, and realized I couldn't remember what my target looked like – only what his neck felt like under my knife."
Kakashi turned away at this. "I handed in my resignation the next day."
Sakura nodded at this, her face pale. "Then I know what I'll do, too."
And Kakashi gave her a smile.
While his teammates were off, Naruto had been left at the camp to set up the bedrolls, dig a shallow fire pit, and defend Midori. He'd gotten into a conversation with the girl, and was describing a particularly amusing incident during training.
"And then Sasuke squawked! Almost like a chicken – he just jumped up with his hair on fire, and that's when we learned that even if wind chakra supposedly is weak to fire chakra, you should never use a fire technique right into a windstorm!" Midori was reduced to helpless laughter at the image of the stolid young ninja she'd seen before running about with his head aflame.
"Oh, oh… that's a rather interesting image, Naruto-kun… But was Sasuke-san all right?" Naruto flopped down across the empty fire pit from her with a grin.
"Yeah, Sasuke was fine! I mean, Sakura hadn't started learning much of her medical stuff yet, but we had some medical cream, and once he got to the hospital it was a cinch. His hair was weird for a while, but it grew back fine." Midori chuckled, shivering slightly in the cool night air. Though it was late, the Fire Country never truly experienced chilly weather, and the clear night sky offered ample light from the shimmering stars and gibbous moon.
"It sounds like you have a great deal of fun, Naruto-kun. Do all ninjas, or is it just you?" Midori sounded like she was teasing, but Naruto answered earnestly.
"It's tons of fun! I mean, training is great, and I learn new stuff all the time – I feel like with Kakashi-sensei, I've gotten a hundred times stronger than I was in the Academy!" Naruto boasted. Midori shook her head.
"You seem strong, Naruto-kun – and you must be, especially if you defeated all those bandits. But what I meant is that you ninja seem to spend your time doing anything you want – you're so free…" Naruto was silent for a moment, remembering Ayame's words to him. Ninja were rather free – compared to civilians, they could travel fast and far, feel safe from practically any harm, and were beholden only to their own rules – after all, Naruto realized, what would the Fire Lord do if the Hokage chose to disobey? Naruto didn't know, but he thought Midori deserved an honest response.
"I guess that's sort of true, yeah – we can go anywhere we want, and only the Hokage really tells us what to do. But it comes at a cost too, right?" Midori seemed uncomprehending, and Naruto's voice took on a darker inflection. "I mean, like these bandits – the cost here was their lives – the cost of Sasuke and Sakura and I being free was that we had to kill them. Sure, killing them meant a safer road for travelers and saving you – but those bandits are still dead."
Midori shuddered slightly, and Naruto felt bad – he hadn't meant to remind her of her kidnappers. She smiled after a moment though. "You're right, Naruto-kun. I guess everything does have a cost. Even though those bandits are dead, though, I'm glad you were able to rescue me – so to me, at least, that cost was worthwhile."
That made sense, Naruto mused. As he'd considered before, that the bandits had needed to die had been terrible – but it had been his duty to kill them. As a ninja, his life revolved around that duty – fighting to protect his friends, village, and country. Midori was just one example of that; someone who had needed help, which Naruto had been able to provide to her – and if that help had been in the form of killing some bandits, well…
Naruto spotted Kakashi approaching the camp and hopped up, jogging over to his teacher. "Hey, Sensei! I thought you were patrolling?" Kakashi shrugged.
"I was, but I thought I'd talk to you for a moment. Since this was your first kill and all…" Naruto understood, and smiled.
"I gotcha! Nah, I'm OK. I mean, I wasn't – killing those guys was tough. But if I hadn't, they'd have gone on hurting people, and that's what being a ninja is about, right? Doing what I have to do to help people and all." Naruto was surprised to see a slightly distressed look on Kakashi's face.
"Naruto, you understand that not everyone you kill will be… well… as 'evil' as the bandits, right?" Naruto thought about this. The bandits had been bad, because they'd wanted to hurt people. But was that what made it OK to kill them?
No, he realized. The reason it was right to kill the bandits was because he'd been assigned a mission – and he had to complete that mission. What if it had been an innocent – what if he'd been ordered to kill Midori herself? Naruto didn't know whether he liked that train of thought.
"I guess. I mean, we fought the bandits because that was our mission, right? So if someone else was our mission, we'd have to kill them too – how do we know we're doing the right thing, though? If our mission is the right thing?" Kakashi shrugged at this.
"I suppose we don't always know that, Naruto. We're ninja; we follow our orders because those orders are for the good of the village." Naruto thought about that, and wondered – if he were ordered to kill someone like Midori, because it was good for the village, would he do that?
He didn't know. Damn it all, Naruto thought, frustrated – he'd taken so long and worked so hard to come to the conclusion that killing even the bandits was the right thing to do – now, just as he thought he'd managed to make it all work in his head, he was stuck with this again?
Kakashi seemed to read his mind and smiled slightly, ruffling his hair. "Don't worry too much about that, Naruto. You have a lot of growing to do, and the fact that you're even asking questions like that – and able to think about the answers – says a lot about who you are." Naruto quirked an eyebrow.
"Really? Like what, Sensei?" Kakashi looked off to the north with a strange glimmer in his visible eye.
"The first kill a ninja makes is always tough, but how they react to it is probably one of the most important moments in their life. There are some who never are bothered by it – they have dangerous minds and you should pity them, Naruto. They'll never truly find companionship with other human beings. Then there are those who can only ever see killing as wrong – even if they do it, it conflicts with their self-identity until they have no choice but to give it up. There are some who try to internalize it and avoid the struggle – only to let it tear them apart in the end.
"And then there's a few like you, Naruto." Naruto cocked his head. "There're a few ninja out there who think about what it means to kill – why they have to do it, what it means to do it, and whether what they did was the right thing. Killing is a passionate exercise no matter how coldly you come upon it, but if you think about it the right way, you can come to understand it – and through it, understand yourself."
Naruto asked in reply, "So… thinking about it, and not really knowing if I did the right thing… is the right thing to do?" Kakashi shrugged.
"There's no really right answer, Naruto. All I can say is that you deal with it as best you can."
Travelling from Keisei north towards Ka-Shi was an arduous process, particularly because Midori couldn't travel at the speeds the ninja could. Though they borrowed a horse from the army outpost, Team 7 still moved at barely a third the speed they'd been able to before. Ka-Shi was somewhat in the north-eastern part of the country, so even at the speed they'd travelled earlier the trip would have taken a few days. With Midori, it took nearly two weeks.
Not that the time was wasted, in Naruto's opinion. As the team travelled north, Kakashi drilled them on their hand signs and began to expand their knowledge of the silent language. He quizzed them on general concepts of shinobi knowledge, and had the genin occasionally run up and along trees on the sides of the road – supposedly to scout around, but given the lack of any significant danger, it mainly served as a means of training while travelling.
Midori turned out to be an excellent travelling companion – witty and well-read, she was entertaining to talk to, enjoyed the stories Naruto persisted in regaling her with, and told the genin all about Ka-Shi, the capital of Fire Country.
As Midori described it, Ka-Shi was an enormous city, with thousands upon thousands of people – Naruto could hardly picture it, having never even left Konoha before the mission. Midori's description of the beautifully gilded buildings, red tile roofs, and rampant artwork inspired Naruto's mind, and he dreamt of the wonderful things he'd see when the group reached the city.
Naruto's mood was only slightly dampened by Sakura and Sasuke, who were becoming increasingly worried as the journey continued – Kakashi had shown no sign of what his mysterious ulterior motives might be for going along with Naruto's brash offer. On the first day of the trip, he'd summoned a long, lean dog to which he'd attached a letter, and sent it running in the direction of Ka-Shi, meant to inform the chancellor that his daughter had been found and that she was being brought to the city. Kakashi had summoned another such dog and sent it to Konoha to inform the Hokage of the delay, but other than that he'd been surprisingly quiet, keeping to himself and giggling over his books.
Having packed only clothing and rations enough for a week, the genin were somewhat ragged by the end of the trip – though they'd been able to supplement and replace their rations by foraging, their uniforms were battered and threadbare, and Naruto's vest was practically a ruin. However, in their dirty faces, their eyes shimmered when they saw the beautiful gate of Ka-Shi rise before them.
Ka-Shi, unlike Konoha, was not a military settlement. Its walls were whitewashed and decorated with red and gold painted inlays made to look like the flames the city and country were named for. The gate Team 7 approached as they entered was high and tall, like the gate to Konoha, but the doors were clearly too massive to close easily – and Naruto observed, were built of solid wooden beams that could be splintered by an appropriately powerful blow to the center. Nonetheless, they were beautiful, and he saw awe on Sakura's face as they passed under the archway. Sasuke looked interested as well, but managed to avoid any effusive showings of emotion.
Midori seemed thrilled, a light in her eyes and grin on her face – it stood to reason, Naruto supposed. The poor girl had been kidnapped, after all, and was at last back where she was supposed to be, with her family and friends. She turned to the ninja happily. "Thank you, all of you! I'm so happy to be home again – you don't know what this means to me!"
"Oh, it's all just part of the job, Midori-hime." Kakashi waved the thanks off with a modest look, and turned back to his book. Naruto looked furiously to the left and right as they meandered along the huge road that passed through the middle of the city. There were hundreds upon hundreds of buildings all around, many of which were three or more times larger than those in Konoha. Naruto had once considered the Hokage's residence the largest building he'd ever seen – but spotting the Fire Lord's palace at the top of the hill in the center of the town, Naruto could no longer believe that. The world, he realized, was a good deal larger than he'd even imagined.
No wonder Ayame had been so jealous that he got to travel it.
After spending an hour slowly making their way through the huge city, the group arrived at the home of Midori's father, the chancellor. Naruto recalled from reading that Lord Asahina Mikaze was the Fire Lord's chief advisor on monetary and economic matters – a weighty position with grave responsibilities. His home was correspondingly vast, a traditional-yet-opulent building that reminded Naruto somewhat of the Hyuuga Clan quarters he'd seen once – with significantly more color to it. The tasteful décor drew the eye, and Naruto found himself once again looking in every direction as they approached.
Standing at the entrance of the estate was a slender middle-aged man with a wide smile. The man was mostly-bald, with the fringe at the back of his head braided and sideburns which grew into a mustache, something like Sakura's father's facial hair. The look seemed rather out of place on the man, with his brown hair and fanciful garb – a long, formal robe and tall hat covered in golden filigree.
"Midori!" The man stepped forward and embraced Midori, and Naruto realized that he must be her father, the chancellor. Lord Mikaze seemed like an amiable man, and as soon as he'd satisfied himself as to Midori's health and safety, he guided her by the hand to a plainly-dressed woman standing near him that Naruto supposed was a servant. Lord Mikaze then turned back to the ninjas, who had waited quietly behind.
"Thank you very much, shinobi-san! I'm certain that you have travelled long to return my daughter to me. Hatake-san – thank you in particular for your message. We had just begun to wonder where my daughter was, and why she had not arrived!" Kakashi nodded at this, and bowed. Naruto and his teammates following suit. Mikaze patted Kakashi on the back and gestured to his palace.
"Now, please – after your long journey, please take time to rest! Tonight, we shall hold a celebration in my palace, and you, of course, are the guests of honor!" Mikaze led them in, and Naruto found himself caught up in a whirlwind of color and shimmering objects, any one of which he estimated as more valuable than everything he'd ever owned put together. First, he and Sasuke were separated from Sakura and taken to a room to bathe. This had been remarkably relaxing, considering that the group had gone for two weeks without. Though they'd contemplated stopping at an inn on the way, Kakashi had pointed out that there were no mission funds to do so, and any money would come out of their own pockets.
After bathing, the boys were measured for formal kimonos, and a tailor had rapidly put the pieces together himself. Naruto had been thrilled to choose his own style of clothing, while Sasuke had instructed that his clan's symbol be used. Soon, the clothing was finished (after the grueling work of a series of apprentices).
Naruto found himself in an orange kimono lined with dark blue and black. Wild, vine-like designs raced across the edges of his clothes, and the thick black obi belt he wore had golden floral designs. The red spiral that graced every Konoha shinobi uniform had been embroidered onto the kimono's back. Though Naruto felt that he looked somewhat girly, he couldn't deny that the clothes were magnificent.
Sasuke found himself dressed in a dark blue kimono lined with black, his clan symbol on the back. There were essentially no other designs on the plain fabric, as Sasuke had insisted. Though Naruto was fairly certain Sasuke had intended this to make him appear older and more mature, it instead accentuated his pale skin and somewhat-feminine facial features. Naruto had not been able to restrain a laugh at the frozen shock Sasuke had shown when he'd looked in the mirror.
The two boys met with Kakashi, who had apparently kept a kimono in his storage scroll (why, Naruto couldn't begin to fathom) – an official-looking blue and green outfit that looked practically military in nature. Sasuke had pointed out that it WAS in fact military – it was the official dress uniform worn by ninja of Jounin rank and higher on especially formal occasions. Naruto had gone practically green with envy.
"So, you two look quite dolled up. Enjoy yourselves?" Kakashi was smirking. Naruto wasn't in a particularly bad mood, and simply shrugged in response, while Sasuke grunted. Naruto's head spun at the speed with which things were proceeding.
"Sensei, so… after this ceremony or party or whatever, we're heading home, right?" Kakashi nodded.
"Yes, Naruto, we are. Sometimes clients have a desire to thank us for our work beyond merely paying for the mission itself – in such cases, it's best to quietly accept whatever they offer, rather than insult them by refusing." Sasuke looked up at this.
"So we ARE getting paid for this mission, then? Separately from the bandits?" Naruto was annoyed, but remained quiet – the question was legitimate, since bringing Midori home hadn't been related to their original mission at all. Kakashi nodded again.
"Yes, Sasuke, we are. I've spoken to Lord Mikaze, and he's agreed to approve a back-dated B-Ranked mission, which we'll be paid for and which will go on our records. He was very agreeable, considering how important his daughter is to him." Naruto felt like that sentence had a double meaning, and exchanging glances with Sasuke, could tell that his teammate thought so as well. Still, any further discussion was stalled by Sakura's arrival.
Sakura had been dressed in a green kimono with pink tracery of (what else) cherry blossoms and vines. Her hair had been swept into an elaborate knot, and despite Kakashi's occasional complaint that she should consider cutting her hair, Naruto found himself glad she hadn't. His teammate looked lovely, and he couldn't help returning her hesitant smile. Sasuke nodded.
"You look good." Naruto and Sakura both looked astonished, and an irritable look overtook Sasuke's face.
"What? I can offer compliments if I want." Kakashi chuckled at this and drew his genin close.
"Now, students – pay attention to this party – you'll hear some things that I'll be quizzing you on afterwards. You might have noticed that I gave in to Naruto's suggestion that we return Midori-hime home fairly easily," Sakura and Sasuke simultaneously snorted and Naruto rolled his eyes, "but now we'll see if you can put that reason together. Well, after this party, anyways. Stay sharp and keep your ears open!"
The partitions that separated the dining hall of Lord Mikaze's palace from his sitting room had been removed, as had further partitions from the beautiful pebble garden that formed the interior courtyard of the building. With these paper walls removed, a single large room had been created with two very long tables at one end, near the entrance, some open standing room in the center, and open access to the walkway around the garden itself. By common consent, as they entered, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke split up – whatever Kakashi had meant them to discover, they supposed it would be easiest for them to do so that way.
Naruto observed the small dais which had been erected near the back of the open area, where Lord Mikaze and Midori stood. Midori was dressed in beautiful turquoise regalia, the tangles combed from her hair and makeup applied – she looked radiant, and Naruto felt his heart leap in his chest. He ruthlessly fought down the inclination – what was he, some fool, to fall for every beautiful woman he laid eyes on? Still, his eyes drifted back to the serene expression on Midori's face and soft shimmering of her eyes, and fancied that they occasionally stole their way back to him.
Though Sakura and Sasuke had vanished into the crowd, Naruto supposed it was only appropriate for at least one member of their team to pay homage to the host of the evening, and made his way into the short line which had formed near the dais. Around him were courtiers and nobility dressed in garments far finer even than his own, and Naruto found himself blushing slightly in a combination of anger and embarrassment at some of the looks he received.
'Bah, who cares what they think!' Naruto thought, dismissing the glances. He'd lived with disdain all his life for reasons far weightier than this. For the first time, Naruto considered the disdain the citizens of Konoha showed him. Perhaps their dislike was based in ignorance and fear – but at least they had reason more than the cut of his clothing or style of his hair.
Naruto waited a few minutes before he made his way to Lord Mikaze, who he bowed deeply to. "Mikaze-sama, thanks for inviting my team to this… uh… party?" Midori nodded encouragingly, and Naruto shook away a blush to continue. "We're happy to be here." Lord Mikaze smiled and waved a hand airily.
"No, no, it is no trouble, Uzumaki-san. It is I who should thank you – and I do thank you. You have brought my daughter back to me, and so have aided me immensely already." There it was again, Naruto thought – he wasn't quite referring to his daughter as an object, but there was certainly something more than mere affection in his voice and phrasing. Naruto decided to be bold.
"Mikaze-sama, if I may – what was Midori-hime travelling here for in the first place? It seems like it was a rather dangerous trip to take…" The chancellor nodded.
"Oh yes, it was – though we hadn't heard anything of the sort, of course. I suppose Governor Tsume Kazuto," Lord Mikaze gestured to a stout man on the other side of the room, "must have wanted to deal with the problem himself. And didn't Midori tell you? She is to be married!"
The words echoed in Naruto's mind – so THAT was what was going on. It still didn't answer Kakashi's question, but it was almost certainly a piece of the puzzle. But why was Midori so nonchalant about it? Naruto spared the girl a glance, and found himself transfixed by her eyes staring back at him. He gulped slightly and tore his eyes away, back to her oblivious father.
"Who will Midori-hime be married to, if you don't mind my asking?" Lord Mikaze smiled at this.
"To a fine boy, Harumeki Juntaro. His father is the governor of the city of Tanzaku Gai – a trading city in the west of the country, if you did not know." Naruto hadn't known, but set this information aside in his head as important to tell Sakura and Sasuke.
"That seems like a really good match, then – um, congratulations, Midori-hime!" Naruto pasted a huge, fake grin on his face as he looked at Midori – and for the first time saw something else in her eyes besides the placidity.
Sakura, after separating from her teammates, had immediately decided not to go to the dais where Lord Mikaze and Midori were. As astute as she was, she was certain that the chancellor would run rings around her. Better for someone like Naruto to go, who would almost certainly be underestimated. Sakura instead took a small fruit-flavored drink and wandered through the hall. She caught several appreciative glimpses directed her way and fought the urge to shudder – she felt her age for once, and felt vulnerable. However, as she went, she heard a snatch of conversation that drew her attention.
"- quite a shame that he'll be in such straits. Tsume-sama was always a good partner, but I suppose times change." Sakura recognized the name – Tsume Kazuto had been the team's employer on the initial mission they'd been hired for. What was this all about then? Trying her very hardest to appear as a vapid, uninterested young woman, Sakura put everything she could remember from her kunoichi training to use. She imitated the sidling, lazy walk of the other ladies she could see, and moved closer.
"So when IS construction on the new road to begin? I hardly think they'll need to wait long, after all, Harumeki-sama has had the funds prepared for years, just waiting for the go-ahead from the court."
"Probably soon after the wedding. After all, the chancellor will have little reason not to approve the deal then, will he?"
Sakura thought about this intently, and decided to take a gamble. She hardly looked like a kunoichi in the thick, fanciful kimono she was wearing – her bright, rosy hair only accentuated her youthful features. Perhaps if she approached their original employer, she could find out more. Slipping away from the conversation again, she made her way to the stout man.
Tsume Kazuto was built heavily, mostly with muscle. Sakura supposed he'd served in the Fire Lord's army – he looked like a hard man who'd made many difficult decisions in his life which now wore on him. Sakura pretended to stumble into him, allowing a bit of her drink to slosh onto his fine robe.
"Oops! Oh, I'm so sorry, Tsume-sama! I apologize… if you wish, my father can -" Kazuto cut her off with a motion, drawing a handkerchief from his robe and patting himself.
"It's only a splash, girl, no reason to concern yourself." Sakura innocently cocked her head.
"You seem in a bad mood, Tsume-sama. Is there something wrong?" Kazuto merely shrugged at this.
"Troubling news, I suppose. Nothing to concern yourself with. Today is a happy occasion, is it not?" Kazuto seemed to be hiding a great deal of bitterness at the last statement, and Sakura wondered why – the celebration was for Midori's rescue… so was Kazuto unhappy about that? He should be happy – her rescue from bandits within his own lands would avoid him being disgraced by her having to be ransomed or if she were harmed. Unless…
Well. That would be something the others would want to know about.
The moment he was alone, Sasuke swept away, knowing that he was no good at speaking to people. His demeanor wasn't friendly like Naruto's, and he wasn't hard to spot as a fighter of some sort. Instead, he supposed, it would be easiest to admit to exactly who he was and gather information from those who would speak to such a person.
Thus, Sasuke made his way to the garden, where several tall figures with bulky, muscular frames and scars stood. These, he presumed, were soldiers or officers – men of violence themselves. While he'd have been more comfortable hiding and listening from the shadows, such people were the next best option.
As he approached them, they all turned to look in his direction. Sasuke felt a cold chill run down his back – it was quite possible one or more of these people had failed the tests to become genin three times, and had been sent to the Army as a result. Such individuals almost always were made officers, due to their contact with the shinobi world, and due to the minimal chakra-using capabilities they possessed. If any of these people were such failed graduates, they'd likely hold a hefty grudge against one such as Sasuke.
"You, boy – you one of the shinobi who dealt with those bandits?" The speaker was a tall woman with a rangy build. Sasuke nodded at this, keeping in mind that he could tear through all six individuals before him in moments, considering his full chakra reserves and access to his teammates' backup. The thought fought back the cold feeling his nervousness had doused him in.
"Yes. I was wondering what the Army's response was to our operation, considering that it should have been their responsibility to begin with." He was pleased to see that his confrontational opening had ruffled some feathers. Sasuke wasn't much of a social animal, but he knew where to stab the kunai just as well verbally as physically. A burly man responded.
"It's not like we knew! I mean, there were caravan disappearances, and a patrol was sent to investigate!" Sasuke made a soft clucking noise he was sure would infuriate the older, more experienced fighters.
"I see. So eight caravan attacks merited only a patrol of twelve men? Clearly these bandits were more of a menace than you'd thought, considering that Midori-hime was captured…"
"The governor never told us about the attacks getting so bad! We just assumed some thieves or a handful of marauders – not something of this scale!" The woman who'd spoke first replied. Sasuke thought about this. So the army hadn't known? Interesting, since Hakase Wara, the commander of the nearby outpost, had certainly known that the bandits were there and that they'd committed several attacks. Perhaps he'd only been briefed by the Governor upon arriving in the area – but then why wouldn't he have sent word back to central command?
"Is it usual for your field commanders to go incommunicado for so long?" Sasuke ventured, slightly more placating this time. It wasn't these soldiers' fault that Hakase had so blatantly failed to inform his commanders. But why that failure had taken place seemed important.
"No, it's not – Hakase should have reported – or, if he was out of reach, he should have at least sent word through the local governor." Another of the soldiers bit out, and Sasuke nodded. He gave a cursory farewell and hurried away, his mind picking up and discarding options quickly.
Perhaps Hakase had been on the bandits' payroll? Unlikely, since he and his men hadn't arrived until after some of the attacks had already taken place – not to mention he seemed too incompetent to have posed any threat to the bandits to begin with. Perhaps the governor, then, had been the point where communication had failed?
But why?
The three genin met again at dinner, sitting in their spots as the guests of honor, and swapped information. Naruto frowned as Sasuke finished speaking and thought for a while.
"So… we've got a lot of weird information, but not a lot of overlap. Bandits were there for a while, but the governor didn't let anyone know. The troops should have informed their leaders in the capital, but word didn't arrive until we let them know it was taken care of. Midori got kidnapped while she was coming here to get married to this Harumeki guy, and his father is building some kind of road…" Suddenly Kakashi appeared across from them in his own seat, a cheerful expression on his face.
"So, you figured it out yet?" All three thought hard, and Sakura was the first to speak.
"Well, obviously the army was never meant to deal with the bandits – the Governor never told them, and hired us to take care of it instead." Sasuke picked up next.
"And whatever's happened, the Governor's not happy about it – he didn't want Midori-hime rescued, despite nominally being in a position where that could only be good for him." Naruto's eyes flashed, and his mouth fell open. The other two looked at him, and then one after the other hit the same answer. Kakashi grinned.
"Ooh, I think they've got it…" Naruto spoke up, his face falling into an angry scowl.
"When he ordered us to eliminate the bandit camp, that bastard governor wanted us to do something like use Sasuke's fire techniques to raze the whole thing, didn't he." Kakashi nodded, and Naruto exhaled loudly.
"Damn! Okay, then… so he knew there were bandits, and knew that Midori-hime would be on that road because she was going to the capital. So he let her travel on the road, knowing she'd get captured or killed!" Sasuke picked up as Naruto began practically vibrating with rage.
"That's why the army knew nothing – the governor didn't forward any of the outpost's missives. When he realized that Midori's body wasn't amongst any of the caravans, he assumed she'd been kidnapped instead, and decided to use us to take her out." Kakashi nodded at this.
"Very good. Why?" Sakura, lips twisted and brows furrowed, continued.
"Because of the road. In exchange for his daughter marrying the governor of Tanzaku Gai's son, the chancellor okayed a request to build a competing road that would cut deeply into the profits from the southern one. Governor Tsume-sama decided to eliminate that deal by killing Midori. He didn't want to hire a separate team for that mission because he'd have to explain why he called for an A-rank assassination mission to the Fire Lord himself – so instead he used us as a cat's paw!"
Kakashi smiled. Sasuke frowned, though. "There's still one thing that doesn't make sense, though – that would make Tsume-sama look terrible – if Midori died in his lands, it would make him look totally incompetent. Did he just gamble that the Fire Lord wouldn't do anything in response to Midori's death?" Naruto finally looked up, a snarl on his face.
"It's not as stupid as it seems. It's like in Shougi – you sometimes sacrifice your gold general to set up a checkmate. Sure, he'd look bad, but remember that all the attacks so far were on simple merchant caravans, and that he even made the attack on Midori-hime's group look like that. He could easily have argued that he hired Konoha ninjas to take care of the problem because we'd be a faster solution than the army, and could pretend that Hakase-taichou never sent any messages at all – and show that he was a crap leader through that. Then, when we killed the bandits, he could say that we were crap too because we'd killed Midori-hime in the process."
Sakura and Sasuke remained quiet, the scale of their former employer's plot dawning on them, and Kakashi's face turned serious.
"And that, my dear students, is the reality of this situation. There's more to it that you didn't know – but in essence, you've gotten to the heart of the matter. Tsume-sama gambled by trying to use us, and he failed – but what might have happened if we hadn't been tired from running so long when we attacked? What if Naruto's plan had just been to burn the camp and shoot down anyone who tried to escape with kunai?"
The genin were silent in response to this, their faces going from angry to pale all at once. The din of the meal going on around them seemed suddenly wicked, full of plots and whispers. Naruto saw from the corner of his eye Lord Mikaze wrap his arm around his daughter's shoulders as he spoke to a lord walking past and again caught her sparkling eyes with his own – and now imagined his own hand putting a knife through her pale throat.
He spoke slowly, tiredly. "This is what you meant, isn't it, Sensei." Kakashi nodded sympathetically, and his teammates turned to him, confused. "The night we fought the bandits… Kakashi-sensei and I had a discussion about killing in the name of Konoha. He said that sometimes you couldn't be sure that whoever you were killing was a bad person – you could only rely on the fact that whoever you were killing, you were doing it for the village… for the Hokage." Sakura and Sasuke were pale, remembering that night. Kakashi smiled slightly, but it was a hollow smile.
"That's right, Naruto – and yes, this is what I meant. If we'd been given an A-ranked mission to assassinate Asahina Midori, we would have done it. If Sasuke had burnt the camp, we'd still have called the mission a success – protecting Midori-hime didn't fall into our mission parameters in any way." Naruto looked up, a tremulous look in his eye.
"Take heart, Naruto." Kakashi clearly saw the weakness in his student's eyes and took pity. "No such mission would have been accepted by Konoha – Midori-hime is a Fire Country citizen, and no attainder has been placed upon her by the Fire Lord, secretly or otherwise. If you had suggested burning the camp or killing her once you found her, I would have stopped you – there's only a limit to the free hand even I'd allow!" Kakashi's eye lifted in a smile.
"But take this as your lesson from all of this – look underneath the underneath. Clients lie, informants lie, and superiors lie. You must judge for yourself what you can and cannot trust, and must always be wary to avoid falling into a trap. Take that to heart, my little students: There is always more to discover, hidden under the next layer." Kakashi turned to his meal, but his students remained thinking for several moments longer.
Naruto in particular kept thinking even as he began eating the delicious meal that had been laid out for them. When he'd chosen to become a ninja, he'd never considered that one day he'd have to learn such a lesson – that even those very clients that gave him missions would lie. It made sense, though, he supposed. There were times where people wanted things done that they couldn't be honest about – ninja lied all the time. Why should clients be any different?
But, Naruto decided, from now on, he wouldn't dive headfirst into such things again. He'd learned his lesson – and counted himself lucky nobody had paid for his lesson with their life.
That night, after his exhausted students made their way to bed, Kakashi entered Lord Mikaze's study. The older man, still dressed in the shimmering robes he'd worn to the earlier festivities, was sitting behind a low, traditional writing desk, his brush sliding across fine rice paper. Kakashi found himself marveling – most people used simple pens and pencils, wood paper or parchment. There was a simple elegance, he found, to the chancellor's steady motions.
"You wanted to speak with me, Mikaze-sama?" The older man had signaled him at the end of the party, just as Kakashi had been about to leave. Kakashi had led his students to their sleeping quarters, fine chambers more luxurious than any but perhaps Sasuke had seen before, before making his way here.
"Yes." Lord Mikaze finished his sentence and placed the brush down, steepling his fingers. "I would like to know, Hatake-san, if your team would be interested in another mission." Kakashi was instantly weary. After seeing the betrayed, pained expressions in his students' eyes earlier in the evening, he wanted nothing more than to return to Konoha and give them a chance to recuperate. Yet, he thought reluctantly, the chancellor of the Fire Lord was hardly someone he could refuse with impunity.
"I'm listening." Kakashi sat formally on the other side of the desk.
"I'm certain you have realized that Midori's situation was no mere coincidence. I am afraid for my daughter's safety, and would like… additional assurance." Kakashi understood immediately, and frowned.
"Your daughter's wedding is not for three weeks. Surely -"
"You are correct, of course. But my daughter is my eldest child and the apple of my eye. I understand the potential expense, but I would be willing to pay it for my peace of mind." Kakashi's lips thinned under his mask and he tried a different tack.
"I understand, of course. Yet my genin are tired and have been away from home for weeks. Perhaps we could take word to Konoha and another team could accept your mission? Perhaps even a team of chuunin?" Lord Mikaze just shook his head.
"I'm afraid, Hatake-san, that my daughter is very… willful." Kakashi frowned slightly – he'd noticed no such thing about the sweet, dreamy girl he'd travelled with. "She is unlikely to be comfortable with guards she does not know. She has been rescued by your students once already, and trusts them." Kakashi was silent.
Lord Mikaze decided to sweeten the deal. "I would, of course, be willing to pay for a long-term B-ranked mission for your team. I would provide them housing, food, if you wish; I would be willing to replace their damaged and used equipment as well."
Kakashi thought about this. A second B-ranked mission (a third, for Naruto) on his team's record this early in their career would do wonders for their reputation, and might spare them more D-ranked missions when they returned. Three weeks of long-term B-rank pay would do wonders to convince the Hokage that his investment of three months hadn't been wasted, as well. Other than his and his team's desire to return home, was there really a reason to refuse the mission? Kakashi couldn't readily think of one.
Still, maybe he could get a little something more for his students…
"So we have to stay here for another three weeks?!" Naruto exclaimed, all his incredulity audible in his voice. Sakura had already voiced her distaste, and though quiet, Sasuke's annoyance was quite visible in his expression. Kakashi shrugged helplessly.
"He made me an offer I couldn't refuse, Naruto – what was I to do? Besides, it's good pay for a comfortable time. Think of it like… I dunno, almost like a paid holiday. Besides, I thought you liked Midori-hime?" Naruto blushed at this. Kakashi couldn't help but feel grateful that his team's romantic tensions were now directed outward rather than at each other; though falling for the subject of one's mission was never a good idea. Sakura sighed, clearly accepting their fate.
"All right, fine, Sensei. I suppose you're right – it's a good deal, especially with that training and all. Still, I need to send a message to Kabuto-sensei letting him know why I'm gone from training for so long." She returned to her room, leaving Kakashi with his male students. Naruto shrugged.
"Well, I guess if we're doing this, I'll send Gai-sensei a message so he doesn't wonder if I've died and storm the gates of hell or something. I'll include a note to Shikamaru too – I'm sure he's been missing having someone besides his dad to play with." He made his way off as well.
Sasuke frowned, and Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "What, nobody to contact, Sasuke?" The boy shook his head slightly. Naruto poked his head out of the room the two boys shared with a grin.
"He's just whiney because he doesn't think he has any friends. Dunno what he's whining about – we've got to miss people; lucky bastard has his friends right here!" Naruto ducked away again, just barely missing the fleeting smile that flickered across Sasuke's face.
Technique Library: No new techniques this chapter!
Author's Note: Hello again, readers!
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, including the lessons the team is learning! I'm sorry I covered the subject of the teams' first kill in such depth – I know it's been dealt with a million times, but it seems to me like a subject ripe for characterization – how the characters react to their first kills, to me, says a lot about their maturity and growth as individuals.
A couple of replies to selected reviews (and again, thank you very much to everyone who's reviewed so far):
Shae Vizla: As you can see, letting Kakashi decide was basically what they went with, though Naruto is still a little too impetuous to discard the chance to rescue a princess!
theIrishWriter: The samurai were in fact pretty shitty, though as obliquely pointed out, they hadn't been there long either. They weren't really a force meant to fight the bandits – but instead to check out what was up, as this chapter explains. Unfortunately Midori will not be returning to Konoha with the team, since this story is focused pretty heavily on their development as shinobi. I looked things up, and you're technically right – though Uzu was an "Island off the coast of Fire Country" and Wave is exactly that, and though Wave is one of the few countries with no ninja village at all (even in filler), it isn't actually confirmed. Well, consider it so in this story, at least.
MuffinMan9223: Very interesting guess, though not true – Kakashi likes to take advantage of extant situations to create lessons for the most part, rather than creating lessons from whole cloth. Motivated or not, he's still a lazy bum.
Black Bullet of Seven: I have it planned a fair way along, though bits alter as I go, naturally. I don't know for sure how much current stuff I plan to incorporate, since the manga is getting REALLY weird right now…
Snakefang93: That is true, but note that Naruto being a jinchuuriki is fairly secret to people outside the village. If Naruto weren't sent to the army, someone would wonder why, and it would all end either with Naruto getting handed off to Danzo or something, or being shunted into some sort of reserve program. In any case, Kakashi wasn't considering the jinchuuriki issue at the time, being a little more upset that his sensei's son was such a fuck-up.
Please comment/review if you have suggestions, feedback, comments, or criticism. Thank you for reading!
- The Captain