10

-Veiled in Snow-

Nine Hours Earlier, 3:43PM; Team Neji

The Land of Tundra lived up to its name as Hyuga Neji guided his small team through the blistering snow. The shinobi squad rested until six in the morning after the late-night assault, at which time they departed to continue the hunt of the Konoha rogues; now with a specific vendetta against the woman named "Reina", who attacked Uchiha Yume the previous night.

The stoic Hyuga perused the landscape with his acute byakugan, rarely gathering hints of their aggressor's trajectory as they pushed their way over the dense, knee-deep snow. They had continued their watch shifts as planned despite the rude interruption, getting ample rest to drive them north through the tundra toward their retreating enemy.

All three ninja wore thick, white cloaks that did well to blend their presence in with the rest of the snowy storm.

After many hours, Neji caught on to a fain trail that led north. As the shinobi cell prepared to leave for the chase, Yume fully debriefed Neji and Kiken on all that she had seen and learned from within the sharingan genjutsu she performed on the hooded assailant.

While being something of a 'late bloomer' within the elite Uchiha clan, Yume's pride in strength of mind and body led her to push her boundaries and become a young jonin at the age of eighteen. The prodigy proved to be highly adept with the use of genjutsu, even causing whispers among her clan that suggested she rivaled or even superseded Itachi's capabilities in the field.

Although Yume had the situation with her ambush under control, Neji had advised her that it was unwise to be so arrogant fighting alone as they packed their things and started for the pursuit.

Now the three ninja plodded over the heavy powder to hunt the enemy they were meant to recon; having traced their path through several abandoned asylums in the Land of Tundra before the lone enemy previously showed up on their figurative doorstep. It had been hours, and the trail grew more faint by the minute.

"I wonder if it's nice here," Kiken commented lightheartedly over the wind, "you know, when it's not all blizzardy?"

"Why?" Yume asked with a grin, treading alongside the barefoot girl to her right. "Thinking about finding a summer home out here?"

"Sure, why not?" Kiken continued, her ice blue eyes reflecting sincerity. "That'd be neat. Maybe I can get a nice spot on the eastern beaches!"

"Aww, so you'd leave poor Unzari and I all alone at home?" Yume complained teasingly, making a pout face at her long-term comrade.

"Yes!" Kiken jeered with enthusiasm. "Every summer! There's plenty of friends back home, you know that. Plus, if you were to come with me who would be there to guard Sasuke against unworthy lovers…?"

Yume's face reddened at the jab toward her crush on the elder shinobi elite. "Shut up!" she blurted out in a hushed manner as her dark eyes darted toward their captain. "Don't talk about that!"

"Fine, fine. I won't mention your crush on Sasuke," Kiken said mercifully, still feeling playful. "But does that mean I can talk about your crushes on Itachi and his friend? What about Naruto or –"

"Shhsh!" the Uchiha demanded through clenched teeth as she put the smaller kunoichi in a headlock, covering her mouth with her left hand. "I'll kill you, leave it alone!"

Neji turned a pale-eyed glance toward the commotion behind him, but ultimately decided it was harmless as he continued to march forward, ceaselessly skimming the area with his dojutsu.

Kiken looked up into Yume's onyx eyes before giggling behind her hand and licking it, opening her jaw in an attempt to bite the Uchiha.

"Ah!" Yume exclaimed, continuing to blush as she quickly removed her palm and rubbed her cold, licked hand on Kiken. "Gross, you little elf!"

Kiken laughed quietly, thoroughly enjoying her time toying with the Uchiha. "Grrr, hehehe." the draconic girl provoked, sticking her tongue out.

"Hey," Neji's voice demanded from ahead of the kunoichi, interrupting their little fiasco. "Let's break for camp, I need to update Hokage-sama on the information Yume gathered. In addition, it won't do us any good to pursue this 'Reina' any further. She is likely heading to her companions who could possibly out-power us. It would be sensible to await reinforcements."

"Yes sir," Kiken responded alongside Yume.

"Wait, reinforcements?" the tall Uchiha questioned curiously. "Who's the back up?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," Neji informed her, pulling the hood of his cloak down. "His mission is a vague and combined version of ours and Kakashi's. He will be assisting us with the team he prepared should we request it. They should already be on their way." he elaborated looking back toward the enemy's direction.

Kiken snickered quietly, eliciting an elbow from her flushed team mate at the mention of the Uzumaki.

"I don't like that we were found and attacked so boldly," Neji continued, staring into the expansive wasteland. "Something feels off."

The jonin stood in silence for a moment, quietly reflecting on the details of Yume's minor ambush. They had been covering their tracks expertly and were not even the first to make contact with the suspects they themselves were tracking. It happened in the reverse, which greatly irritated Neji.

"Kiken, since it would be time consuming to find another natural cave to rest in, please create a cavern right here with your earth release," Neji directed, motioning to a space behind him.

Kiken nodded and blazed through four hand signs before slapping her palms together, interlocking all fingers in the mi (snake) seal before the earth shook and a hole engulfed the snow beside the three ninja.

"All set," Kiken informed with a smile. "C'mon!" she insisted, hopping in swiftly.

After Yume and Neji landed in the artificial hollow, Kiken rose a stone pillar up into the entrance that blocked it off from possible intruders.

After a second, Yume struck a match and lit a durable lantern from her pack. "Nice work." She commented, casually looking across the sixteen by ten meter room the Ryu ninja made.

"Thanks!" Kiken accepted brightly, laying her mat down to sit on. "Sooo taichou, how are you going to send a message to Konoha from here?"

"Hokage-sama developed a special scroll a few years ago," Neji answered, pulling out said item as he removed his snow covered cloak to dry. "This specific scroll has two other copies. Each of which are held by Kakashi and Hokage-sama."

Unfurling the paper, Neji continued. "Everything written and done to one of the copies is applied to the other two. Whether I write on or rip the paper, the other synchronized copies are going to obtain identical physical affects. This is useful for instant communication, with no regard for distance or location as well as discarding sensitive information thoroughly."

"Oh, that is really cool," The green haired kunoichi commented, nonchalantly eating a rice cake she produced from her bento. "Tell Minato-sama I said hi!"

"But why did we bother to send a messenger owl before, when we sent the emergency report about our concerns with the power of these rogues?" Yume asked bewilderedly, stealing a juice box from Kiken who shrugged before the Uchiha took a seat beside their team captain.

Neji sighed, knowing he'd have to reveal information he had kept from his team. "It was at the last abandoned base that we found two days ago. While we were investigating the structures, I came upon a room that appeared to have been an old shower hall modified into a laboratory."

"I remember," Kiken said with puffed cheeks, courteously swallowing her rice before continuing. "The three of us scoured every inch of that smelly place."

"Yes, well... If you compare the markings created by the absence of the equipment to some of Konoha's classified files you would see a close match." Neji finished, taking a seat as he laid out his special scroll. "It is reminiscent of the set up Orochimaru used when he experimented on our Leaf shinobi decades ago. The people we're hunting down are somehow associated with our villages greatest rogue ninja"

Silence filled the room as the two young ninja absorbed the alarming information. Going up against so many strong ninja who used to be allies, and now a legendary sannin was added to the mix.

"So to answer your question Yume, I went out of my way to get a messenger owl from the closest post center to feint our enemies," He went on, fetching ink and brush from his pack. "If they were watching, I wanted them to see us sending for help. I want them to know we aren't alone."

"But we're really far from home," Kiken thought aloud, removing her own cloak before brushing her soft, thick hair. "Why wouldn't they immediately try to destroy us if they saw you sending a message home?"

"It was a gamble," Neji admitted, looking up at the horned kunoichi. "I sent the owl in the Samurai's direction so it would appear that we had allies closer than the village. If they were to engage we would simply run north, where in reality we do have help in Kakashi and Rin."

"That makes sense," Yume agreed, nodding as she polished her curved, white blade; Fang. "So now you're informing Kakashi and Hokage-sama about the Reina woman?"

"I am writing out the report," Neji answered with a nod as he dutifully continued to transcribe the new information Yume gathered. "Tell me again what she looked like, please." He requested after another few moments. "I finished her psychological profile summary."

"Of course," The tall woman responded, looking up in thought with the wickedly sharp blade resting in her lap, glimmering brightly against the dancing flame. "I could only see her through her own warped memories since I wasn't able to study much of her during our brief exchange. From what I gathered within my genjutsu she was kind of beautiful…she had goldish eyes, darker skin. She had short messy hair, silver I think. And she was shorter than me, but still slightly taller than our leafy elf." She finished with a smirk, gesturing toward Kiken.

"Thank you," Neji said, writing down Reina's description. "I don't know if Kakashi has requested Naruto already, but I informed Hokage-sama that we were interested in joining cells with him if Kakashi and Rin have their situation under control."

"Ahh, okay," Kiken accepted, taking her last juice box from her pack. "So what should we do in the meantime?"

"We'll stay here until nightfall," The Hyuga stated, rolling up his trans-dimensional scroll. "Then we'll continue the mission. In the report I included the probable trajectory of the enemy, as well as our pursuit path, possible detours and fallout rendezvous locations."

"Sounds like the bases are covered," The barefoot kunoichi stated, quietly sipping her drink before letting out a small sigh. "After we set up defenses for the evening, can I take a nap?"

Yume giggled as she glanced at their passive captain. Neji stared into her coolly as an unconscious grin lifted his cheeks.

"Please!" The Ryu woman exclaimed, quickly running through some hand sings that caused their room to shake violently for a moment before the walls grew still once more. "I descended us forty meters into the ground! It was loud cause I rushed, but…" she shifted coyly, hoping Neji would give her the go ahead.

"Yes Kiken, go ahead and get rest. You too Yume, since you were the one who used those eyes last night," Neji confirmed, unable to shake the amused smile from his complexion.

"Yay!" the fanged ninja celebrated, skipping over to the far end of the cave. "I call this corner!" she declared, laying out a sleeping mat before she pulled off her sundress in a single motion.

Neji, who had simply been observing the excited jonin with Yume, suddenly looked away with a light blush pinking his face.

"Haha, what?" Yume teased, noticing Neji's quiet discomfort at the girl's toplessness. "Never seen a woman undress before?" she jeered, turning back to Kiken who was only wearing tiny, tight black ninja shorts as she patted her bedroll before sitting on it to finish disrobing.

"I uh- no, it's impolite to stare at someone who's not dressed," Neji stammered, mentally noting his flustered state.

"Unless they want you to," Yume admitted softly, looking back at Neji with a fiendish grin. "Don't worry, she's always been that way. She just doesn't care or think twice about it. She obviously knows it's rude to be naked in public, which is why she tolerates her clothes. But she's relatively safe on a mission with close team mates. And it is a good time to rest." She finished with a quiet laugh.

"Hm," he acknowledged, not trusting himself to speak. "Go lay down, I'm keeping first watch."

"Yes sir," Yume sighed in pretend irritation. "Just don't go using your eyes to take any sneak peaks, okay?"

"No! I-" started Neji.

Yume walked away, laughing devilishly as Neji's face contorted, looking for some kind of response.

The captain sighed, shrugging off the teasing Uchiha as his veins bulged from his activated byakugan.

Present, 12:37AM; Northern Kiri Waters; Team Naruto

"Whaat?" The aquatic menace questioned evenly, his voice quivering in amusement. "You don't gotta look at me like that ya know."

"Hoshigaki Kisame…" Ino recognized quietly, her mind racing as she analyzed all the details of her current dilemma. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

"Ohh, so you have heard of me? I'm thrilled," The Kiri ninja chuckled, his dangerous eyes unblinking as he spoke. "But shouldn't I be asking that?"

'Shit, he's right…we're in Hidden Mist territory now,' the psychic thought as she carefully picked her reply.

"Yes. We were only passing through," She admitted smoothly, pushing passed the ice in her blood with sheer will power. "We have allies to assist in the Land of Iron. This was the quickest route."

"Who said you could 'pass through'?" Kisame asked, still grinning as his tone darkened treacherously. "Did Mizukage-sama give you the 'okay'?"

"Well…" Ino stalled, her mind focused entirely on preventing any physical conflict with the S-rank shinobi as he was positioned directly above a sleeping Hinata. "Hokage-sama approved the mission. I'm sure he wouldn't do so if it weren't allowed."

"Haha, well I wouldn't know anyway," The grey-blue skinned ninja admitted, appearing to lighten up. "I've been patrolling the water for a while and I was bored when I spotted your boat. Samehada (Shark Skin) went wild when we sensed the chakra your friend over there has, so I tailed for a while before confronting you. I couldn't just let power like that slip by unnoticed." Kisame admitted icily.

"Kisame-san, are you my enemy?" Ino asked, a daring fire in her eyes as she prepared her mind and body for battle. 'Let's get to the point already.'

The large swordsman laughed easily before looking back at the wary Yamanaka kunoichi.

"Heh, not tonight little girl. It would be rude to start a war," He explained, the faintest hint of disappointment reaching his tone. "Besides, I don't think I could kill you without notice. Three Leaf shinobi slaughtered on their way through Kiri waters doesn't give my village a leg to stand on. Plus, aside from us Seven Ninja Swordsmen, not many of my comrades could put up a fight against your jinchuuriki."

"What is it that you want then?" she inquired once more, suspicious as she sought a course of action.

Again, the large man laughed casually. "I just want to rest up, I've been swimming for days now. Would you mind if I relaxed aboard your ship?"

"I would," The Yamanaka woman asserted sternly. "We're on a delicate mission which cannot be tampered with for the safety of our allies."

"Hey hey, no need to be defensive," Kisame chuckled, weighing the pros and cons of satisfying his urge for combat. "What if I just rest here anyway?"

"You will not," Ino declared, plain irritation beginning to replace her fear. "Now please go, or I'll be forced to remove you."

Grinning sinisterly, the swordsman's muscles tensed instinctively as he prepared to attack. "Ohh? You think you can?"

Chakra spiked fingertips reached Kisame's throat, stopping just before Hinata made pudding of his brain. The unwelcome Kiri ninja's late night view suddenly included two additional Naruto onboard the armored sailboat, all three blondes wielding small rasenshuriken. Chuckling darkly, the shark man's right hand didn't move from its new position at the sword hilt on his back.

"Why yes," The blonde kunoichi answered with a smile, aiming a modified tori (bird) hand sign at the sharkish shinobi. "I do."

After an eerily laid back laugh, the bandaged sword ferociously came down at Ino's head. Two Hyuga hands brutally imbedded themselves into Kisame's heart, swiftly followed by six mini rasenshuriken that found their way around Hinata and into the enemy's body which became engulfed in smoke. Where the swordsman once was appeared a large tuna, quickly shredded by the dual onslaught.

"Heheheh," Kisame chuckled, standing atop a summoned shark that continued to keep pace behind the armored vessel. "I hope you don't think I'm so easily dismembered." He grinned before passing through ten hand signs. "Suiton: Suikodan no jutsu (Water Style: Water Shark Bullet jutsu)!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Naruto exclaimed, leaping out onto the water while the clones guarded and piloted the boat. "Futon: Saiko no josan (Wind Style: Supreme Divide)!" after six hand signs and a clap of his pressed palms, the blonde elite slashed his hands down, rocketing a super compressed blade of air at the Kiri jonin.

"Oh-!" Kisame yelled as he vanished from atop his summoned predator before it was violently split in half, the fatal jutsu dividing the dark ocean fifteen meters deep/four meters wide before dissipating in the distance. Naruto's technique dismantled the water shark, which flew past him in two limp, liquid halves.

Landing to the Leaf shinobi's left, Kisame sheathed his sword and put his palms up; greatly confusing the Konoha trio.

"Woah woah now, I just wanted to have some fun," Kisame said with a toothy grin. "No need to go killing each other just yet."

"If I have to take you out to move forward…" Naruto said darkly, staring down the gill-marked ninja who seemingly attempted to kill his blonde companion. "So be it."

"Aw, don't threaten me with a good time," He replied, his face taking a more serious appearance. "Not that it matters, I'm not at my full power anyway."

"Not at full power?" Hinata asked herself within Ino's earshot, both kunoichi ready to assist their captain before a moment's notice.

"What are you saying?" the blonde Uzumaki asked, quietly summoning two handfuls of fuinshuriken.

In a flicker the Kiri ninja was nowhere to be found. 'Pretty fast.' Naruto thought as he turned around to face his allies and the grey-blue powerhouse before leaping onto the center of the ship.

"Mizu bunshin no jutsu (water clone jutsu)," Kisame said happily from his new position sitting on the front of their ship. "I'm a clone produced to patrol our waters while the real me isn't on assignment."

"Ugh, so why were you so hostile?" Ino asked, ignoring the fact that she and Hinata were soaking wet from the remnants of Kisame's defeated jutsu.

"Because I can be," He stated simply. "You're in my territory, and I have orders to investigate and/or eliminate trespassers. I was bored."

"You were aggressive because you have the right to be, and considering your attitude it's easy to assume you enjoy combat." The equally drenched Hinata summed up.

"Clever girl," Kisame said with a smirk, laying his chin on his palm lazily. "But now that we've had our fun I have to go. Gotta get the intel back home."

"You know if the Mist wasn't so shady I'm sure our villages could coincide," Ino suggested.

"I don't think it's that simple," The shark man admitted with a knowing smirk, standing up with his arms folded. "Have a safe trip." He finished with an amused, trembling tone before his body morphed into sea water that splattered aboard the ship's deck as the clone dispelled.

"Well," Naruto commented after a few moments of contemplation under the moonlight. "That was interesting."

"I agree," Hinata added, standing up while she thought of ways to dry herself off. "Thanks for waking us up telepathically Ino. Nice work."

"No problem," Ino smiled, grateful that the chills she was getting from the wind hid her blush. "To think even his clone had so much chakra…"

"Hoshigaki Kisame, huh…" Naruto murmured, leaning on the starboard barrier. "You think we'll run into him again?"

"I don't really know," the blonde said absent mindedly, straining water from her long ponytail, "but I hope he leaves us alone on our return trip."

"We can take the long way home on our return trip. I just hope that's all the trouble we get until we find the traitors," Hinata commented, quickly gathering an idea. "Naruto, please go back to sleep."

"Wha- huh?" the whiskered jinchuuriki stuttered, confused at the sudden command. "Why the bossiness?"

"Hinata wants to change clothes, and doesn't want you to see?" Ino surmised, looking toward the pale eyed kunoichi who nodded firmly in agreement. "I'm going to do the same, but I'll go to the front."

"Well okay then," Naruto mumbled, sauntering back to the Yamanaka's bedroll he had been using. 'I'm not really tired anymore. That little ambush kind of has me pumped up…'

Getting up to relocate, Ino tailed Naruto as he followed instructions. Filled with adrenaline and feeling roguish, the blonde woman grasped his shirtless shoulders from behind as she brought her lips to his left ear just as they reached her sleeping roll.

"Unlike her, I've got nothing to hide," she whispered seductively, grinning devilishly as she felt him shudder, "I don't mind if you watch me."

Continuing forward, the graceful woman locked her half-lidded eyes with the poor Uzumaki's as she took care to make her stride slow and taunting while she departed the flustered ninja.

Naruto's mind became a whirlwind of confusion as he tried to accept what just happened as reality. He slowly sat down on his bedroll with his back to the starboard wall.

'What was that about?' he thought to himself, several suppressed memories of Ino igniting in his mind. 'That was….'

Naruto caught movement in his right peripherals, knowing full well that it was the kunoichi in question at the front of the ship.

'Not gonna look,' He assured himself, looking down at his unfortunate location considering the circumstances. 'I should move my bed so I can't see her.'

Natural desires and urges spun within the young elite. Thinking over the woman's approach on him moments earlier, he wasn't able to help himself.

Moving back into his view from apparently retrieving new clothes from her pack, Ino began removing her wet attire that glistened in the moonlight. Starting with her small, sleeveless vest that failed to cover her toned abdomen, the woman began to strip.

Naruto suddenly looked away, but glanced back again to see that directly under the dark purple armored clothing were white bandages embracing her plump bust.

Undoing her ponytail, Ino shook her hair out before unbuckling her matching purple skirt that covered her tight black ninja shorts. The woman stood so her left side and back were facing the observing Uzumaki.

'Oh my,' Naruto thought hazily, finally laying out in the sleeping roll, curling up to face the center of the vessel. 'Just go to sleep man…'

Ino had retrieved a towel and now was fully facing away. Then, almost as if she had a thought, the gifted kunoichi looked over her right shoulder directly into Naruto's eyes as he stole one last glimpse.

Naruto froze, their eye contact unbroken as a mischievous grin spread across the woman's face. Her clear, sea foam eyes bewitching the conditioned jonin.

Looking back as Naruto turned his red-faced glance away, Ino diligently undid her bandages before entirely drying her naked body and reapplying new wraps. After fully changing, she returned to her place at the captain's wheel to continue her guard shift.

'Big bad elite,' Ino mused to herself, allowing the ocean wind to dry her hair as she brushed it. 'We're human, and you're still a man after all.' she grinned in thought, glancing back at her unsuspecting female companion who had donned fresh clothes to lay her original attire out to dry. 'It's fun to play with you.'

'Maybe if I push the right buttons I can get Hinata to be more of a doer when it comes to her feelings,' She wondered, turning back to look out on the midnight water thoughtfully. 'Perhaps a little competition will be healthy. This is going to be a long mission.'

Ino sighed deeply, admiring the stars as she sailed. 'Might as well make the most out of it.'

Hours Later; Land of Tundra; Hidden Location

Veiled among the rolling snow dunes were a series of small kiosk-like structures. These hidden, one-man assemblies lead deep into the cold earth. Within the black brick walls of the concealed buildings were three tense shinobi.

"Maybe we should leave without her," The smooth voice of a young man offered. "The other two went on ahead. Why don't we join them?"

"No Kosai," An older man's voice asserted, short and curt. "We have orders to wait. If those trackers killed her and find us, so be it. But if she survived we must wait."

"Would you really leave her that easily?" a young woman's voice asked, pacing slowly beside the wall facing him. "She saved your life Kosai."

"That was so long ago Shiori-chan," the first ninja sighed, gazing at the candles on the desk from his place leaning on the wall, "and I am so much stronger now. Let's not dwell on the past, okay?"

Shiori merely nodded, looking at their captain who had a hard look about him in the dim light while he sat at the desk against the wall that separated the two shinobi. "Do you think she failed Yushin-taichou?"

"She might not have," the dark haired man replied, staring at the Konoha headband in his hands, "but we won't know until it's too late."

"It is kind of rough that Hideo-senpai made her go alone," Kosai commented casually, "I know she has to prove her worth, but for us to have been tracked must mean those enemies are strong."

"Reina's strong too," Shiori added, looking at Kosai with disapproval. "She'll definitely be back."

"We wait," Yushin stated, looking between his two subordinates. "Twelve hours, then we leave."

"Welp, in that case I'm going to catch up on the sleep I've missed," Kosai yawned with a stretch. "Keep me in the loop." He finished, waving his hand as he moved to leave through the doorway across from Yushin.

"You won't have to wait…" a tired female voice informed, approaching the room's entrance from the hall. "I'm back."

"So glad to see you," Kosai greeted with a warm smile.

"Wow, you don't even look like you've been through a fight," Shiori observed in admiration. "Was it that easy fo-"

"Status report, Reina," Yushin demanded, cutting off the younger kunoichi as he stood and approached his oldest subordinate.

"Y-yes sir," Reina stuttered, shame making its mark on her complexion. "Mission failure. I only encountered one of them, but she was strong."

"Explain," The team's captain ordered, noticing her bandaged leg.

"Uchiha…she used her sharingan on me at the beginning," Reina continued as she clutched her thigh, gold eyes wincing in pain as she stared down in humiliation. "I got caught in her genjutsu early on. She almost had me before she cut the illusion and I escaped."

"Hm," Yushin grunted, glaring a hole through the defeated woman. "Pathetic."

"She's powerful," Reina asserted, looking back at Kosai who had carelessly brandished his gunbai (Uchiha war fan) that was on his back. She understood the gesture. "I've never been in a genjutsu so strong Yushin-taichou." She finished, turning to the leading Uchiha with pleading eyes.

Raising a hand to subdue Kosai, Yushin grasped Reina's shoulders between his powerful hands.

"You only get one failure like this," He told her, concern in his eyes as he lifted her gaze into his. "If it happens again-"

"It won't," she declared, looking hard into his stern visage.

"You should hope so," He finished, stroking her cheek once before returning to his seat at the desk. "Shiori, help her with her wound. We depart for our sensei in twelve hours."

"Yushin-taichou, may I ask why we're still going to wait?" Shiori questioned nervously. "Shouldn't we leave since Reina's back?"

"She failed, Shiori," Yushin stated coldly, looking directly into her black eyes. "Now it is up to us to tie-up loose ends." he stated, turning back to the files before him.

"Besides, I want to see if this little clan mate is as strong as Reina claims," He finished, sharingan igniting dangerously before fading to dark once more.

Hours Before; Land of Iron; Team Kakashi

"What do you see?" Rin questioned over her short range radio with a finger to her single, left earpiece. Sneaking low in the snow; all of her senses were on high alert.

"I don't sense movement," Kakashi muttered from his position near a behemoth cave entrance, currently hiding behind a large, snow-covered stone. "We may have to go in."

"What? What if he's in there?" the kunoichi asked in static distorted worry. "Neji's report mentioned those traitors from the UtG file. That means we'll be heavily outmatched soon, even if we aren't already…!"

"We shouldn't leave empty handed, Rin," The white haired elite sighed quietly. "Keep watch and keep patrolling. Be prepared, I will leave radio range soon due to the stone walls."

"Kakashi, I don't advise this," She admitted quietly. "You know Obito wouldn't approve."

"Heh, well Obito isn't here," Kakashi replied with a masked grin to himself before returning to his serious demeanor. "Rin, if you hear something go wrong I want you to immediately inform Minato-sensei with the scroll I gave you. Don't come for me unless I call for you."

"No, I will never leave you to just-"

"That's an order, Rin," Kakashi finished strictly over his matching earpiece, tightening his gloves in anticipation. "Eyes open, I'm going in."

"Y-yes sir…" she submitted, anxiously searching the icy expanse for the possible enemy reinforcements Neji had mentioned in his report.

Kakashi closed his eyes and took a quick breath, "Meisaigakure no jutsu (camouflage jutsu)…!" Suddenly the jonin disappeared from sight as the technique bent light around him, turning him invisible while erasing his scent and dimming his chakra signature.

'Here goes nothing,' Kakashi thought to himself, silently hurdling into the cavernous, hostile refuge.

End

UtG = Under the Glass

I know ninjas are OP in terms of relative physical prowess, but I'd still love to see Aang vs Naruto, Zuko vs Sasuke, Katara vs Haku, and Sokka vs... Sakura (;

What games do you people like to play?

Good day, and thank you for reading.

-Kyzer-