Disclaimer: Nothing's mine! Leave me alone!

AN: I know I'm going to get a bit of flak for this, I said I was going to update Light next, and it is coming, but I had a special request from a pair of my readers who will be going into basic here soon, so I've been trying to get this belted out all month. Though between family dropping in unannounced and being carted all over by said family, it's been slow. No clue why they just showed up like that .

So, here's Shards, though I'm going to try and finish up Light before the end of the month, so no worries there, it's coming soon ^_^


Shards

Chapter 7: On the Road


"YOSH! He is my most youthful eternal rival!

There can be no other!

If I cannot best him the next time we spar I will climb the Hokage mountain using only my teeth! If I cannot do that I will ju-"

-Rock Lee

-=Note, it was at this time that the researcher couldn't keep up with the man, he had left to train.=-


Twelve packages of shruiken, six per pack, four additional packs in weapons pouches.

Six kunai packs, four per pack, two additional in the pouches.

Two field kits, gauze, bandages, anti-toxin, salves, blood and soldier pills.

Camping kit with tent, two weeks of rations, three of water, additional clothing, book of introductory sealing.

Three sealing scrolls, supplies divided.

All in all, he felt he was ready for the mission.

'Tia-chan, do you think were leaving anything out?'

After a moment of consideration he felt a reassuring presence enter his mind, she knew he was more than a bit nervous about the mission, having never been outside the village before, and the very real possibility of combat. 'As it stands you are more than prepared for the common bandits that this mission would suggest that we encounter. That aside, you always have the ability to summon me, and from there nothing can stand against us.'

That made him stand a little straighter, for the first time in his life, he really had someone looking out for him, it was something of a strange feeling, oddly warm and reassuring. 'T-Thank you Tia-chan, I guess it's a bit odd to hear me being this…insecure….'

'We all are the first time we go into battle. I was no different; it's in a beings nature to fear the possibility of death and to struggle against it. Just remember that no matter what you need to keep fighting. Be the one that can move through hell and come out the other side, be the one that is willing to get dirty if it keeps those important to you clean, and you will go far.'

His shoulder's squared slightly as he drew a calming breath, reviewing why he was fighting, why he was going on this mission, and what it could lead to, newer opportunities to study, to search, to find a way to free her.

Even if he had to be a delivery boy, at the start, to do it.

'For now, I suggest you head out to the eastern gate to meet up with your teammates, and bid farewell to Hyuuga-san.'

A mental nod, the locking of a door, and quick jump out the window and he was gone.


As he moved down the rather congested road he had to wonder at the oddity of it all, after his rather abrupt shift in looks and personality, and the fact that he was largely hidden by the high collar, there had be a marked increase in the number of odd looks he would receive.

Not that he wouldn't say that the glare were gone, but he did notice that there were less of them, though those that remained seemed to try and make up for it by being all the more fierce.

These new looks, if he had to put a name to them, would be of curiosity, namely from the female populous, and a number of blushes.

A month ago, he would have wondered at it all, and been more than a bit curious as to why they were looking at him like that, but after the joint training session, where he had received such looks from both Ino and Hinata, coupled with his now clearer thoughts, had led him to understand what exactly was going on now.

And he had to admit, it annoyed him greatly.

Again, a month ago, he would have loved the attention, indeed he would have basked in it and encouraged it, but now that he saw them, a part of him understood what it was that Sasuke felt when he had to deal with his fan girls, the rather irksome fact that they didn't like him for being him, but the fact that they liked what they saw.

No wonder Kurenai-sensei was considered the 'Ice Queen'. These people were shallow, simply enjoying the 'show' as it were. Never taking the time to actually approach him and get to know him, then again, it could be the fact that he had such a large sword strapped to his back that was keeping them away.

"Naruto-kun!"

Or maybe not…

Turning slightly he allowed his eyes to curl into a smile, "Ah, Tenten-san, are you ready for the mission?"

With a grin she nodded, quick glances taking in his general appearance and the scrolls at his hips, "I see you discovered the wonders of sealing scrolls."

He gave the bun-haired brunette a slight nod, "Indeed, Hokage-sama gave me an introductory book on sealing, these were some of my first attempts. An impressive art that they should really teach in the academy."

She gave a slight laugh at that, "Yep, though there were a lot of things I wish they taught, like surface walking, it would really help with the control and reserve issues that so many genin have."

Another nod, "Very true, the thought of genin drowning in a mission simply because their sensei hadn't gotten the chance to teach someone water walking yet is troublesome."

She could only shudder at the thought of it, being a weapons master, and weighed down with that much extra steel it was a very real risk for her. Shaking herself from the thought she snapped her fingers and pulled out a small scroll, "Before I forget, I got these for you."

He arched a brow at the girl, he hadn't gotten a gift like this before, just the odd ramen bowl when the holidays rolled around, with a slight tremble to his hands that confused the brunette he took the scroll almost reverently, "T-Thank you, Tenten-chan, what is it?"

The girl had to fight back the urge to blush as he used the affectionate term, "N-Nothing big, some armor-weave bandages. Many of the kunoichi use them as a sub for cloth chest wraps, and considering your…unique style I thought they could help."

She didn't have to point at his exposed mid-drift to get her point across.

His voice was the barest of whispers, "You…you really want me to be okay, don't you…"

"Hm?"

"N-Nothing, Thank you Tenten-chan, this means a lot to me.' 'More than you know.'

Her faint blush returned with a vengeance as she turned and doubled her pace, "I-It was nothing, I just don't w-want you getting stuck on the mission."

Internally, Harrible was doing her best not to laugh at the flustered girl, teens with crushes were just so cute. 'Did I do something wrong Tia-chan?'

'Not in the slightest Naruto-kun, many can be embarrassed when giving others gifts, especially if they are of the opposite gender.'

'Why?'

She debated on saying anything for a moment but opted to be merciful to the teen, 'It's possible that she is attracted to you on some level.'

He froze in mid step, earning several odd looks from the passers by, 'Dwah?'

'Is that so surprising?'

'You have to ask?'

Harribel, despite her desire to do otherwise, couldn't offer up an answer, it made sense that he would be shocked at this little revelation. Absently she was aware of the teen ducking into an ally to apply his illusions before he moved to one of the many clothing stores in the area and making a bee line for the dressing rooms, he had a gift to use.


For one Sakura Haruno the last month had been a trying one to say the least. After the rather harsh wakeup call from her one time best friend Ino she had been forced to look back on herself and ask why she had been acting the way she had.

She really couldn't remember when she had started acting like that toward Naruto, and others, she did remember the blushing blond that had looked so utterly scared at asking her out at first, and her rather harsh rebuttal that lead to the plastic smile he would wear from then on, as, for some reason, he kept asking.

For the life of her she couldn't understand why he would keep at it, but the amount of energy he put into it every time had blinded her to any other possibilities as to the reason why, it was almost like he was doing it just to spite her.

The blows she would rain down on him didn't help the matter at all, she knew she wasn't the only one that would put foot to face, but she was the only one that would do it almost daily. Add to that her heartless comments about his family, or lack thereof, and she really had to ask herself who she was.

And she didn't like the answer.

"Sakura, honey, are you in there?"

"Yes mom."

"Can I come in?"

"Ya…"

As the door cracked the older woman was surprised to see her daughter currently seated in the middle of her bed, a cocoon of blankets wrapped around her and only allowing her pink head to be seen in the sea of white, flower patterned sheets and comforter. Slowly the woman moved in, noticing the rather red, puffy eyes of her daughter, before she sat on the bed next to her. "Sakura-chan, if there is something you want to talk to me about, you know I'll listen."

She began to gnaw at her lip a bit as she stole the odd glance at her mother, a thrill of fear dancing up her spine at the thought of what her mother may think, "I….I said something really bad about one of the boy's in class…Ino got really mad at me for it…I-I guess I'm just thinking back and trying to figure out why I was like that…"

That caught the older Haruno off guard, she knew that Ino and Sakura had been feuding over a boy for some time, but despite all that they couldn't think of anything that would cause this kind of reaction. "Sakura, I'm sure whatever it was that if you apologize then she will forgive you, she is…was, your best friend."

She slowly shook her head as she sank deeper into her blankets, "No…I tried that as soon as I said it, she wouldn't listen…she said I was a bad person."

Sakura winced as her mother's eyes widened at that, "What was it that you said?" The pink haired girl could only mumble an answer, making the older woman pull some of the blankets down even as her hand came to rest on her daughter's head, stroking her hair a bit and asked again.

She wasn't ready for the answer.

"I…I had made fun of a boy that had asked me out…I hadn't seen him in a little and had asking Ino about him, she made it sound like I liked him…I got mad and wasn't thinking when I answered…I'd asked who would ever want him, that I thought that's why he didn't have any parents…"

Her mother's shocked gasp didn't make her feel any better.

"S-Sakura, how could you-why would you-what were you thinking!"

The girl shrank back all the more, "I DON'T KNOW ALRIGHT! I was just mad and blurted out the first thing that came in my head. I know it was wrong, I know how mean it was, but he's just so annoying! Everyone else is mean to him to!"

That caught the woman off guard, "Sakura…who were you talking about?"

A few tears fell from the pinkette's eyes as the guilt weighed down on her, "Naruto." She saw her mother's eyes widen even further as she slowly stood and made her way over to the teen's winder, looking out over the city quietly, "Mom?"

The woman gave a small jump, her snow white hair bouncing slightly as she did so, the bob cut seeming to amplify the dark green eyes all the more as she glanced over her shoulder at her daughter as she gave her a small smile, though it didn't reach her eyes, "Sorry Sakura-chan, I was just thinking…Now, you said that Naruto had asked you out, why did you feel that required such harsh words? I've seen the boy around town, he always seemed like a rather kind child."

If anything her mother's words made her feel all the worse, she was right, the only person in class Naruto had ever been mean to, prior to a month ago, had been his bickering with Sasuke.

One sided bickering.

"He…I turned him down the first time he asked me, a bit harder than I really needed to…but then he just kept at it, looking back I think he was doing it for another reason, his smile n-"

"Never reached his eyes…"

Green eyes met, "H-How do you know about that?"

"Sakura, I'm going to tell you something that you must keep a secret, do you understand?" A nod, "Sakura…Naruto is the reason your father is dead."


Two weeks on the road.

Two weeks of constant training.

Two weeks of loud, impossible, challenges.

They would just have to last two weeks, they could do that, right?

It had all started out so well, first they had linked up at the gate, Tenten's flushed face at the sight of the black and white blond had been rather amusing, they had bid farewell to Neji, who was then escorted away by an older member of his clan, the duo making for one of the many training grounds in the village. Then, not a hundred feet from the gate of the village, Gai had pulled out a scroll from his hip pouch with a flourish before unrolling it and pulling out a brush and inks.

"Alright, my most youthful students, we have three weeks to get to cloud, more than enough time for a bit of training…First! I will be applying seals to your bodies that will disrupt your chakra flow, forcing you to compensate and, thus increase your control. Then a second seal for weights will be applied to your clothing. Our most youthful Lee, as he cannot use the disruption seals, will instead double his weights! Now then, remove your clothing."

That earned the man a giant mace to the head courtesy of their female member. Naruto, meanwhile, had removed his sandals, gloves and jacket. Though even as his sensei was recovering he reached deep into the earth with his chakra and began to draw on the moisture there, quickly forming the clone of Harribel. Emerald and sapphire eyes watched with a bit of humor as the brunette ground her sensei under her heel, "Tenten-chan, if you would let him up and get to work we could return to the mission…"]

Said girl froze in mid stomp before pulling back with a sheepish smile, absently scratching her cheek, having momentarily forgotten that they were on a mission. "R-Right, sorry Gai-sensei…but you should know not to say that to a lady!" That got a round of nods.

"If it makes you feel better Tenten-chan, you may simply pull up your shirt some, I just need access to your back."

Still, she blushed almost tomato red as she glanced to Lee and Naruto, a bit longer at the latter, before he nodded, "Fine, but you do them first!"

After a bit more of the back and forth Lee, had several seals painted over his back, namely his shoulder blades, before Gai placed his palms over the marks. A blast of sustained chakra later and several long lines of snaking script raced out from the seals, snaking along the boy's body and encircling his arms, more seeming to collect on his wrists and ankles before the rest settled in along the seams. A second pulse of chakra and seal stopped, before the once dark inks faded into nothingness.

And Lee hit the ground, hard.

"Gai-sensei! I cannot move!"

Their teacher could only laugh as the boy struggled to roll onto his back, the other three looking more than a bit nervous, despite their own training Lee was still the strongest of the genin. "G-Gai-sensei, what do those seals do?"

The larger beast grinned as his thumb and forefinger settled on his chin, "That, Tenten-chan, is a weight seal I myself developed as a part of my jonin trials, when applied it analyzes your body weight and muscle mass, then simulates a doubling of your body weight. Considering that we have to travel I don't risk using more at the moment. Lee, while he has lifted more, that's when he is able to better focus his strength, this is spread over all of his body, making it much harder, initially, to compensate. Considering that he has two of the seals, they are reacting, creating a much greater weight. While I would normally do the same to you both, with the disruption seals I think you will find this to be equally difficult.

Naruto and Tenten exchanged confused looks before Harribel's hand came to rest on his shoulder, "Remember Naruto-kun, even if it's unconscious, your body is constantly using chakra to enforce itself, if this seal is effective enough, that will be lost, or at least confused, forcing you to work twice as hard to achieve the same results. I've said it before, but you really did pick the right sensei. With that added control you will be able to, with luck, improve in using my own techniques as well."

That caused the duo to nod before Gai approached them, behind him Lee had managed to pull himself to a seated position, though he looked a bit winded. "All right, who wishes to be first?"

"Naruto!"

The blond narrowed his eyes at Tenten a moment before nodding, shucking the jacket before the group for the first time. They had to admit, he made quite the imposing figure. Once rather lengthy, if toned, limbs had filled out, making the boy look more like the seasoned warriors that were of higher rank, mostly thanks to the almost constant training that his teachers had thrust upon him, the rest, that made him more than a little intimidating, was the mask. While they had seen the part that was under the high collar already this was a new experience for them. Firstly the far-reaching bone was bulkier, making him look all the larger and telling them that no part of that jacket was shoulder pad. Next was the fact that the bone extended down his chest with sharply angled plates, looking all for all the world like razor sharp scales, the odd plates extending down his chest to just above his diaphragm and along his flanks, yet not as far in the middle, like it was truly tracing his own bone structure, and becoming an extension of it, the boney plates also sweeping down his shoulders to his mid-upper arm and to the base of his shoulder blades, a longer strip extending down the center of his back, acting as a spine protector.

"What?"

Three heads quickly shook, showing that nothing was wrong, "Naruto-kun, will it be alright applying the seals over the…bone?"

Naruto looked to Harribel who was looking a bit uncomfortable, well, as uncomfortable as one could look with just their eyes, she was still quite wary of seals, though the emotions were loud and clear through their link, "Yes, the mask is a part of him as much as his own arm is."

With a curt nod Gai settled in to start painting once more this time only a single seal, for now, as the weight seal would be applied to the clothing, this time though, as he pulsed his chakra, the snaking script seemed to create almost random, at first glance, spots on the body, small spirals that, when he pulsed his chakra again, condensed to create almost pinpoint sized marks on the body before they faded.

Almost at once Naruto dropped to his knees panting, Harribel's form wavering for a moment as his chakra control dwindled to almost nothing. "Very good Naruto-kun, now, reapply your clothing and I will use the next seal." Quickly redressing and having the last of the seals applied they all turned their eyes to Tenten.

And promptly had one of the most evil glares they had encountered leveled on them.

"TURN AROUND!"

Naruto and Harribel both shared a huff of annoyance, someone needed to drill into this girls head that it wasn't a big deal to be seen nude, especially by people you trust. Still, Naruto turned around as Harribel observed, her curiosity outweighing her apprehension about the whole process.

Her eyes widened before narrowing dangerously, she stole a quick glance at Naruto and Lee, confirming that they weren't looking, before eyeing Gai, the man's own eyes were narrowed in barely concealed anger, yet he was able to keep his anger reigned in as he continued to work, making sure that his hand maintained his steady, oddly graceful style.

Making sure that Tenten wasn't aware of his thoughts.

There, running from her left shoulder all the way to her right hip was an ugly, poorly healed scar.

It was still an angry red, almost a palm wide and showed taunt scar tissue, letting her know that despite its raw look that it was rather old. She could clearly see the beginnings and ends of a cut, however everything else looked more like it was made of tearing, indeed, such a wound looked as though it should keep the girl from being in the active service.

If it was that wide, that torn, it had to have damaged muscles and nerves alike, it was a miracle that she was able to become a ninja at all. Harribel had to bite her lip to keep from asking about it then and there, knowing that such things could be touchy for many women.

"Alright, all done, shall we press on my most youthful students?"

A round of nods was his answer.


Kiba had been having a less than stellar week. First his attempts to find out the identity of the blond woman Naruto based the clone off of had turned up nothing. He knew for a fact that there was no trace of scent of her, he had been following Naruto enough to pick up on the regular scents, and there had been nothing in the slightest about him that went beyond those on his team, those of the restaurants he went to, and the rather constant smell of water about him. He had asked his sansei about her but to no avail, instead she had just said that the woman with Naruto was indeed a clone, yet when he had mentioned that he knew that Naruto had made it she had only scoffed, saying that the clone had far too much chakra to be made by a genin, no matter how good he was.

So he expanded his search, going further and trying to make sure she wasn't camping in the surrounding lands, he knew he was starting to get a bit obsessed, but now it was a point of pride, if he couldn't find one woman that had to be in close proximity to the village, how could he call himself an Inuzuka?

His sister would make him a laughing stock, and he could only shudder in thought of what his mother would do to him.

He had just hit some of the outermost training fields and quirked an eyebrow at the scene before him. There, at the top of a hill sitting alone, was Sakura, her knees pulled up to her chest with her chin propped up on them as she stared out over the village lifelessly. Slowly he moved in, his puppy picking up on the girl's less than stellar mood and making a series of small whimpers, their link letting him know that the puppy picked up the scent of salt water in the air.

She had been crying.

"S-Sakura-san? What are you doing up here alone?"

The pinkette gave a small jump as he broke her from her revere, bloodshot green eyes turning to the boy, he quickly whipped at her eyes before giving him an impish smile, "H-Hey Kiba, I was just thinking, you?"

You didn't have to be a Nara to figure out that something was wrong, still, he knew enough that if she didn't want to talk about it not to press, living with two rather…passionate women had taught him much. He gave an exaggerated huff as he dropped into the grass next to her, "I'm trying to find that teacher of Naruto's, no matter where I look though I can't find her scent, it's driving me nuts!"

She gave a small laugh at that, many of the girls had seen his forms of training with his little puppy, how they would hide things all over the school and make each other find them, and never once were they able to fool the other, so if he couldn't find her then she couldn't have a scent, and told him as much. "You don't get it Sakura, she has to have a scent, there's no way around it. But all I can ever pick up is Naruto!" While he had thought his eyes were playing tricks on him the first time, this time he saw it clear as day, the girl had flinched slightly at the name. "Sakura…did Naruto do something to you?"

Quickly the girl waved him off, a bit too quickly, "N-Nonsense, why would you think that?"

"Sakura…I know we weren't really friends in school, but were comrades, both ninja of the Leaf, were supposed to help each other. Did he…hurt you?" While he would be the last one to admit it to another, the idea of some of the…things that could happen to kunoichi sickened him, ya he could be persistent with a girl he liked, but the idea of just forcing someone set his blood to boil, having a rather green sister and his mother in the house had ingrained that into him at a young age, and had the boy vowing as soon as he could understand the concepts to never let that happen to anyone.

And he had known, just like everyone, just how much Naruto liked the girl, and her constant refusals could have made him tr- "What! No! You know Naruto, he couldn't hurt a fly…unless it looked like Sasuke-kun…" That earned them both a chuckle, and a happy yip from Akamaru, who had wriggled free of the coat and leapt into Sakura's lap, the girl giggling and stroking the dog's fur absently, whatever it was that was bothering her was clearly weighing on her mind. "There is something…but it wasn't someone Naruto did…more like what happened to him…"

He cocked his head slightly, much like the puppy, setting off another giggle, "Wait, what? You're up here brooding like an Uchiha, because something bad happened to him? I thought you hated him?"

Another flinch.

"Y-Ya…I did…but when I think back, I don't really know why…I think I was just trying to fit in, I mean we all made fun of him…"

That gave the dog-user pause, thinking back that was true, he remembered some of the members of his clan telling him to stay away from him, not to be friends, and that almost everyone in the class, if not the school, had done the same. But being forced to really think about it now, other than the day with the blond woman Naruto had been nothing but nice, unless it was a good spirited prank, like when they cut and run on Iruka when several of them were being forced to stand in the hall for not paying attention. "N-Now that you mention it…why were we like that…"

The girl pulled the dog closer, earning her a lick from the puppy as it nuzzled, trying to bring Sakura a bit of comfort, "I don't know…I was like that because my dad told me to at first…I'd met Naruto with Ino when we were little, some of the girls were picking on me and Ino came to help, chased Ami and her friends off and as they were running away though they were hit with a bunch of water balloons. Ino had thrown a bunch of flowers at them, tricked them into thinking they were poisoned, Naruto had yelled that he had to water a plant to make it grow…I know, pretty lame huh? Still, they were the first two that stood up for me. When I told my folks they were happy about Ino, but my dad…he got really mad about Naruto, said I shouldn't go near him, that I should stay away and make Ino do it to…"

Kiba sat quietly, listening to the girl ramble one about her story, he had done the same for his mom one night when she had had a few too many and started drunken ramblings about his father, how he was a bastard for running out on them, turning traitor during the war and trying to sell clan secrets. Honestly he thought it was all just random, half of what she said didn't make any sense at all, but he knew that his mom needed that, and just to let it all out. Though carrying her back to her room that night had been a pain.

"So you're upset that you were mean to Naruto? That's easy to fix though j-"

"No…that's not what's wrong…I learned from my mom today, that Naruto's the reason that my dad's dead…"

Kiba could almost feel his jaw hit the ground; Naruto had been responsible for that? But that didn't make any sense, his mom said tha-

"Kinda…"

"What do you mean, how can it 'kinda' be his fault, that's a big thing to accuse someone of…"

"No…my dad was killed…by the Hokage…"

"H-Hokage-sama!"

"Ya…"

Now he felt like his world was turned on it's ear, he knew the man could be fierce, he was in the history books afterall, one of the few men that could say they lived through two great wars, but to all the villagers he was almost like a grandfather, it didn't make any sense. "Bu-"

"My dad…he tried to kill him!"

He was taken aback by the girl's sudden shout, but more so by her words, "Your dad tried to kill the Hokage!"

Sakura pulled the puppy closer as she shook her head, "No…Not the Hokage…"

Kiba looked at the girl in confusion for a long moment as he pieced together the fragmented story, then his eyes became as large as ramen bowls.

"Naruto…"


Blades clashed.

Fists and feet struck.

Shouts of pain filled the air.

Naruto threw himself forward, covering quite a length of ground before tucking into a roll and coming up, his legs in a vertical spilt that hit with tooth-shattering force and sent the bandit skyward, behind him he could hear Tenten moving through the group with an almost chilling single-mindedness that showed just how often she had been in these situations with their team. It made sense; their cell had been in rotation for a full year before he came along and ruined their normal routine. To his flanks he could spot the green blurs moving steadily though their own opponents, right behind him was Harribel, lashing out with brutal kicks of her own.

He stiffened as he heard a body drop behind him, turning he saw a kunai lodged firmly in a woman's throat, having punching through the back of her neck and severing the spine. Looking up a bit he saw Tenten give him a cocky wink before leaping into the air and with a pulse of chakra let her body into spinning, raining shruiken over a wide area.

Looking back to Harribel they shared a mental smile and nodded before their hands came back, drawing their blades in a disturbingly similar manner. If she was going to show off then they were more than happy to play her game.

They had been on the road for nine days when they picked up the signs of the bandits in the area, mostly the marks of old camp sites that, to civilians, would never be spotted. But to them it may have been a giant beacon letting everyone know who was in the area. After a bit of a detour they had found the camp and started their planning, normally such a group would be ignored unless they were hired to deal with the, but with this group camped out so close to a major trade rout with Kumo they were forced to act, not to mention that dealing with them would be seen as a sign of good faith between the villages, and those in the surrounding towns that may have fallen prey to the band of rogues.

They had to act; there was no question, so they started their planning. Lee, using his incredible speed, had scouted the area, informing the group that their enemy numbered fifty strong, and had set up many make-shift tents and had wagons with their ill-gotten goods, as Gai had put it. From there they had come up with the probable escape paths, namely the main trail that would lead to the road, a corpse of trees to the north, and the river they had their camp backed against, to make it easier to water the horses.

First came dealing with the trees, that was simple enough, as Tenten set to work with explosive tags, trip wires and snares, the thick brush and close trees, that would normally provide cover, would be their undoing. Gai and Lee would take the road while Naruto and Harribel, taking advantage of their affinity, would move from the river and flush the group to the road, Tenten would catch them and drive them further after the initial traps were sprung, attacking from the trees, then Gai and Lee would strike in a pincer.

Plans were always so good on paper….

Initially Naruto and Harribel had caught the camp utterly by surprise, the group shocked to see two people running across the water as they rained kunai wrapped in tags on the group. The initial volley claiming ten of their number to injury and death. From there the next group scrambled to attack, using whatever implements they had on hand from their apparent lunch to try and take out the blonds. With almost perfect mimicry the duo had set into the men, almost copying the initial attacks move for move and impressing both Gai and Lee, who had been known to do the same in their time.

Tenten was just terrified that there was going to be another set of genjutsus in the futures…

Still, surprise can only last for so long, as the two were steadily moving through them those further from the river were able to dawn armor and take up weapons quickly, that's when the duo drew their own blades, stalking towards the now shaken men and women. Two hands came up, water rose from the river before it began to glow a bright blue and settled into the hollow of their swords. Naruto gave his an experimental swing and, should you be able to see his face beneath the mask, you would have seen a wicked smile.

Trailing from the edge of the blade with every movement, was a lingering blade of water, not unlike how the Ola Azul, or in Naruto's case, the Ola Roja, would fire condensed liquid, still, it was good to see that their experiments had proven fruitful, no longer did he have to sacrifice his blood, but he still couldn't form it from pure energy like Harribel once was able, he had to have a ready source of water, and supersaturate it chakra to let the sword's innate properties emerge, namely the ability to channel energy, though the use of pure chakra was still eluding him.

Not sparing another moment the duo set into the group, cleaving spears and swords alike, dashing past the first few attackers and letting the lingering water blades claim those that tried to strike them as they ran by. Seeing these odd weapons the group started to crack, their boss attempting to rally them to him, though that was cut short thanks to a well placed kunai from the tree line.

None of the panicked group saw where it came from, they just knew they needed to get away from the blonds and those freakish swords.

Acting almost exactly to plan the group split, some snatching up horses and making for the roads, only to be claimed by low hanging, glittering, razor wires. Naruto and Harribel gave chase to those heading for the trees, the act making even more break from the roads or to try their luck with the swift current of the river.

A scant handful though held the center of the encampment, five with bows and another seven with spears holding a proper formation, taking shots at the blonds as best they could and forcing the duo to go to extreme lengths to dodge, substituting with the bandits when they could or simply raising small water shields.

A wave of a hand, and a small, palm lengths form of water would be there thanks to the humidity in the air the river afforded, lasting just long enough for the dense liquid to slow or deflect the arrows.

That's when the first wave of five hit the trees, and set off the traps.

The shockwave alone had thrown everyone to the ground, Naruto and Harribel included, both had their ears ringing to the point that that was all they could even hope to hear. Slowly they pulled themselves to all fours only to wince at the sight of the tree line.

It was nothing but a blood soaked nightmare.

The five men had been reduced to a fine mist by the force of the tags going off, the odd bit hanging from snares or glittering wires. At the top of the tallest tree was Tenten, standing with a sadistic grin, her arms crossed under her breasts as she watched the prone members start to rise.

Then the steel rain fell.

Seeing their numbers cut to only a third of their former strength many simply dropped to their knees and surrendered, the others making for the road and the meandering horses, that's where they currently found themselves, Gai and Lee finally being allowed into the fray a cutting down the last of the fleeing bandits before the moved into the surrendered group.

Almost at once they had begun babbling, trying to do all they could to spare their lives from the 'monsters' that had killed their friends. After a rather confusing moment of trying to sort their jumbled sentences they gathered that they had been harrying those that were leaving Kumo to try and make new lives for themselves in the surrounding villages, intent on trying to get any scrolls and weapons from the militarized people to later sell to rival villages.

That bit of information peaked Gai's interest, if these people did have such a collection then it would make for quite the trophy, or at least a bargaining chip with the Raikage at a later date. However, it was the fact that there were enough people leaving this village that was confusing, if there were enough to attract this large a group of bandits then something had to be going on at the village.

Something the jonin was sure hadn't been told to the Hokage.

"Alright my students, we need to start cataloging the spoils. Tenten-chan, Harribel-san, please set to work in gathering the items. Lee, take the prisoners to the road and stand guard, Naruto, create two water clones to go with him, you and I need to have a talk about what happened here today."

That caused a few eyebrows to rise, still, they set to work, Harribel drawing a large amount of water from the river and using it to clean the clearing out, wiping it of gore and filth even as she used tendrils of it to start making piles, be it of the gathered weapons or just valuables, porously leaving the tents untouched due to the fact there could be scrolls there. Tenten set to work with the storage seals, pulling another large scroll from her own sealing materials and making herself a place to work. Lee took the group by the lead chain and started moving the group to the road, shouting out that they had to overcome their un-youthfulness and turn over a new leaf.

Naruto, on the other hand, was pulled aside by Gai and forced to sit down on a stump before the man knelt down to his level with a surprisingly gentle voice, "Naruto-kun…I know you must be troubled by what happened today…is there anything you would like to talk to me about?"

Much to Gai's surprise the teen just cocked his head at him in confusion, "Talk about what Gai-sensei?"

He placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder, "Naruto, this was your first kill, wasn't it?"

That caught the boy off guard, it had indeed been his first kill, "Yes, it was."

"I want you to know, that all of us are here for you, to talk if you want to."

The blonds' eyes curled into a smile as he nodded, "Thank you Gai-sensei, but really, you know as well as I do what I've been through in the leaf…Taking a life is not so different from having someone try and take yours. You simply do what you have to."

With a small bow Naruto rose and moved back to the clearing to help with the gathering of items, missing Gai's frown at his retreating form.

He knew Naruto's life had been a harsh one, but to take the death of so many in stride…

He knew in his heart though, that Naruto was affected by this more than he was letting on, anyone would be, though he had a feeling that a certain green-eyed woman may have been at the heart of helping the boy.

After all, couples were supposed to be there for each other, right?


Elsewhere, deep in a dimly lit room, two earthen-gold eyes caught the light, causing them to glow in the torchlight. Vertical pupils seemed focused on the figure on the slab before him, taking in every detail of the woman before him, "The time has come to pay back your favor my dear, can I count on you?"

Steel grey eyes opened to take in the man above her, her lips pressed in a thin line, determined to pay back her debt, and deal with the ghosts of her past, "Yes, Lord Orochimaru…"

A sickening smile came across ghost white features, "Then rise, and start your hunt, my dear Nel-chan…"