Disclaimer: If I said I owned Naruto, I think I would get sued faster than I could count to ten…and I can count to ten quite well mind you (. A .)


Chapter 11: Amegakure, the Land of Eternal Rain

The sun shone its farewell above the massive dunes of Wind Country, and the cloudless blue of the fading morning concurred with a peaceful glow. Autumn's wind blew by like a crowd of people, waving hands at a port to see off their friends, filling the sails of the ships there. It looked as if nature itself was wishing the group the best as they continued on their journey.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us, Pakura-san?" Minato inquired as they were about to part ways, the desert lying in the background as the cloudy mist of Ame could already be spotted in the other direction.

The Suna-nin smiled warmly but shook her head. "No. As harsh as it can be, this is where I belong." She glanced over her shoulder at the glistening sand behind. The late morning was freshly singing with the entrance of the fire-red sun, resting lowly on the tips of the grainy mountains that stretched to the sky.

Turning back to the shinobi, her eyes widened as she remembered something. "Ah!" She immediately began digging into the pouch tied to her thigh. "I almost forgot! I noticed you were getting low on rations and thought you might want some food to last you for the trip." She handed the squad leader a wrapped package, who accepted it with a questioning look. "It's some roots from the few desert plants that grow here. They're a little bitter, but they'll hold you for a long time. Besides, I'm sure you grown men can handle a bit of a nasty aftertaste." Pakura shot a teasing look toward the group's only teenager, who scowled silently at the jest.

"Thank you very much for your help," Kakashi entered, dipping his head politely as Minato stowed the food away. Naruto concurred with a happy grin, his arms casually folded behind his head. The slightly lessened restrictions the blonde had been experiencing lately made him feel more relaxed with his position, although he retained quite a few doubts and a healthy amount skepticism toward his fellow travelers.

"Well, then. We best be on our way if we're going to make it to Ame before high noon," Minato excused in a business-like tone. "I trust we'll see each other again within the next five years, Pakura-san?"

"Bet your life on it, Yellow Flash," she spat with a competitive vigor. "I still want that battle with you— without holding back. The rejected heroes of Konoha and Suna sounds like an interesting match up, don't you think?" Her eyes flashed with a vivacious flame.

The addressed person sighed his small amusement at the challenge. "Make a point not to get yourself killed before then, and maybe you'll get your wish," he exhaled, turning and starting toward the foreboding clouds that were collecting over the opposing horizon.

"Naruto," the konoichi called abruptly, signaling for him to come closer while a surprised Kakashi waited a few meters away.

"What is it?" the teenager whispered, registering the masked shinobi out of the corner of his eye.

Pakura remained silent, intensely looking over his face before she spoke as if she was searching for a solution to something incredibly complex, something that she didn't understand. "Naruto… I don't know if you truly work for the Hokage or not, but if you do, it would be wise to get out while you still can. You're young, and you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders, so take it from someone who's been there: he's not the type of person that has your best interests at heart…" After a pause, she slowly stepped back, letting her advice sink in as she tied her scarf around her neck. "Keep that in mind."

Finally, the green-haired konoichi turned back to the one shinobi left. "Kakashi," Pakura duly noted as she headed back toward where they'd come, a simple wave materializing over her shoulder as a final good-bye before she vanished into the distance, swallowed up by the ever-changing desert.


As the group continued on toward their destination, the heat and drought of Wind Country gradually gave way to sweeping steel beams and iron bridges that cut through the barren landscape, a few spots of stubborn sand washing away from the downpour that rested ahead. The howling wind ripped and tore at whatever vegetation there was, endlessly weeping and forcing the rest of the world to feel its intense grief. However, as much as the entire country seemed to want vengeance on the earth, the truly dreary and appalling element was not one of nature's doing.

Naruto took in the macabre sight that they had encountered, wanting to look away but willing himself to see what was in front of him. Shivering puddles of rainwater collected in the pits of the ashen soil as meager trees bowed above them. Bits of broken wood and metal scattered the place next to the path they had been traveling on, some tainted a ghastly red. Taken from the same cloth as the garnet liquid, the smell of death coagulated the air itself, the breeze brushing the suffocating scent across the entire area and sucking the color out of the world, sparing only the brazen scarlet amid the monochrome setting of the patchy forest.

An entire village lay abandoned, a number of houses smoldering, coughing up black wisps of smoke that collapsed against blistering gusts of moist air. The people who had once lived in the town were certainly no longer there, either removed from their homes or removed from the earth entirely.

It was recent.

Naruto caught a glimpse of the dim shine of metal at his feet. He gradually reached to pick up the object, a piece of cloth tied securely to the slab. The blonde hesitated for a moment, turning the item over in his hands. Watery mud stained the blue-gray fabric, and the question of its owner's fate was grim at best as Naruto dazedly noticed a few blotches of dark crimson. The horizontal scratch through four, vertical lines in the middle of the metal-piece was a sight the jinchuriki recalled having spied before.

Kakashi solemnly studied the teenager beside him for lengthy seconds, letting him have a moment to comprehend the destruction. "The Land of Rain has been caught in a civil war for years, although most people are unaware of it," he exhaled quietly. "It's sad to think how many people have lost their lives."

"…so it never ended here…" Naruto murmured distantly. The thought of Nagato and Konan lingered in his mind as well as that of his deceased sensei. He could see why Yahiko and the two of them would start a pacifist organization, having witnessed people fall left and right, innocent people who never wanted any part in an endless war. They lost their lives for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And for what? The right to say someone was the better warrior when they couldn't have possibly been the better man? Maybe they died for land? For fame? Money?

Not even revenge…

Naruto started as a raindrop fell onto the metal of the hitai-ate in his hands, glancing up at the enveloping gray sky. Within the next minute, the simple sprinkle had hastily evolved into a downpour that drenched the tranquil group. A trail of black soot bled from the ground in a stream under the assault of the bullets of white-streaking rain, and with it, the deep scarlet poured out from behind the cover of the wooden houses, the reflection of the depressing clouds in the puddles merging with the new liquid in an upsetting swirl that was stabbed with the dripping water.

"We must be getting close to Amegakure," Minato observed detachedly, lifting his forlorn gaze from the empty village and pulling a few damp bangs from his face. His figure could hardly be seen through the disruptive slashes of the rain, and the aura of the reflecting water droplets hovering around him only added to the haze. He sighed dismally. "There's nothing we can do… We have to keep moving."

Kakashi gently pulled Naruto from his withdrawn reverie, sending an apologetic look his way. The blonde let him, pensively letting the hitai-ate slip from his fingers, and both turned to trudge after the silent ghost of the shinobi up ahead.

No one bothered to talk about what they'd crossed. The need wasn't an important one, and the sloshing of the water on the simple dirt path was enough conversation to last for a long time.

"Why?" the teenager asked, finally shattering the fragile silence that had stretched over them. Everyone else instantly understood the context of the question, the same heavyhearted thoughts having been slumbering in their minds.

The Copy-nin was the one left to provide some sort of answer, Minato remaining dolefully silent.

"I don't know."


The rain never eased throughout the rest of the trip to Ame, darting toward the ground with a killing intent. It wasn't long before oppressively tall, metallic buildings stood guard over the entrance of the city and fought back against the onslaught, remaining strong in their tyrannical oppression of the village's inhabitants. Alleys crisscrossed and composed the majority of the area that wasn't crammed with street-side markets and run-down apartments. It was impossible to tell what time of day it was with the constant hovering of angry rain clouds, blotting out the sun, but the drizzling of water off the tired rooftops hardly drowned any of the voices that boomed from the cramped shops, beams of light cutting out of windows and doors through the weather's shadow. Aside from that, the gray-scale village of Amegakure and its citizens remained a dreary sight.

In the manageable bustle, glints of white and yellow stood apart.

"We'll split up and meet back here within a few hours," Minato planned, shadowing his eyes to see past the drips of the rain to map out where he was going. "Kakashi, you go and find the others while I take care of some business. They should be around here somewhere."

"Understood, sensei." The Copy-nin gave a lazy salute, but at the mention of the order, his tired eye casually slipped to the teenager next to him. The motion didn't go unnoticed by Naruto, who was suddenly infected with a wave of skepticism. Meanwhile, Minato had noted the acceptance with a small dip of his head and started heading toward the adjacent alley through the dispersing swarm of people while his student went the opposite way. Naruto started going the same way Kakashi was, not given any clear direction and knowledgeable of the other choice of company. Even with his alternate-sensei's lack of conversation skills (or lack of conversation attempts), going with the Yellow Flash would be worse than being chained to a dead man, a certain death wish.

A voice raced across the noise of the markets.

"Oi! Blondie!"

Naruto instantly froze, praying in his head that his recently fabricated nightmare wasn't going to become reality. It rapidly became a mantra that he repeated over and over to himself. Please, don't be what I think…!

"You're stuck with me for right now."

The teenager could hear his future self rolling over in his future grave. He'd just heard the last nail being driven into the coffin with that sentence.

You have got to be kidding me, datte bayo

At least there was one silver lining: Kurama was going to be joining his jinchuriki in the future cemetery. That much was certain. The fox was probably going to laugh himself to death at the twist.

With a painful slowness that he was certain would've creaked had there not been so much noise around, Naruto rotated to face his personal demon, Kakashi watching with bland intrigue from a few feet away. The teenager held his breath, putting on a valiant effort not to cringe as he began the agonizing march back while watching the ground inch by in front of him. Eventually, he stopped when he spied a pair of blue zori in his downward line of sight. One of them was tapping impatiently.

Naruto was certain that the gravitational pressure of the earth had somehow increased the second he tried to lift his head up; he could never remember a time when looking at someone's face had been such a dreadfully slow procedure. His vision gradually made it to the chest-level of a green flak vest, and he forced himself to match the feline eyes staring him down.

Minato's expression was one of amusement— the exact opposite, that is.

"If you don't mind, I've got stuff to do, so stay close, and don't get lost," the shinobi stated flatly, his arms folded sternly across his chest.

Dread was hurriedly replaced with diluted fury as Naruto's eye twitched at the comment, struggling to keep himself from bursting with a string of the intricate insults he had been concocting for the past five weeks. If the guy was so busy, why did he need him around anyway?! But Minato obviously had something important to do as he quickly turned around and started down the back-street he had been headed toward a moment earlier, so Naruto vented his frustration through the few daggers he was staring at him, aiming the glare at the center of the adult's back.

But after five minutes of walking, the teenager grew bored with trailing behind the man and glanced around the alley they had turned into. They had passed by a few, weak streetlights that barely changed the pitiful status of the environment around them. Trash and decay littered the edges of the walkway, and the occasional door on the street-level popped up, bolted and locked shut. It wasn't hard to guess that the two blondes were in the shady district of Amegakure.

"Hey, what are we doing here?" Naruto whispered through his teeth, noting the pungent smell of alcohol and filth.

Minato ignored him.

The teenager scowled, stomping up next to the older blonde. "What are we doing here?"

Minato's sight calculatingly wavered toward him, politely warning him of his complacence. "None of your business, and I thought I told you to keep quiet."

Naruto picked up his feet to step over a collapsed can of trash, eyes still focused on the man leading him blindly through the back-streets. "If I have to come along, I think it is. And you only told me not to get lost."

"How foolish of me to forget. I'll remedy that mistake." Minato swiftly stabbed his unwelcome company with a strict look. "Shut up."

At that, Naruto groaned inwardly and fell back in line behind the shinobi. Kakashi was much more forgiving when it came to asking questions and giving answers, even if they were vague and probably had an alternative motive, but the blonde figured he'd just have to sit tight and keep his trap shut if he was going to last the next, painful hours with the Yellow Flash. It wasn't Naruto's favorite tactic, but he couldn't complain with the results.

To keep his mind occupied, the jinchuriki resumed studying their location while they walked.

Jiraiya-sensei must've died somewhere around here, Naruto thought sentimentally, absorbing the view of the foreboding buildings that curved over the street in a hellish, optical illusion. He wished his Godfather's resting place had been somewhere a little more inviting. Then again, Naruto had caught sight of numerous brothels with an embarrassed smirk. Maybe the man had died happily. The jinchuriki smiled bitter-sweetly at the memories. Ero-senin… He shook the thoughts of the pervert from his head as Minato had stopped a meter in front of him.

"Keep quiet, and don't get into trouble," Minato reiterated as he turned the handle to a door, still in the anonymity of the alleyway.

Naruto spent a moment scrutinizing the outside of the building they had wound up by. It looked even more decayed and grimy than most of the others. A cluster of tattered posters stuck to the steel exterior, the print on them stained and illegible, and a dull lamp wavered above the solid brown door that shed a circle of light, revealing the location of every drop of rain.

Minato didn't waste time going in, Naruto quickly stumbling after him once he noticed the shinobi's absence. A bell jingled above the entrance when they walked in, and a slip of the layer of smoke that clotted the wooded ceiling snaked through to the outside. Clumps of people kept to the shady corners of what looked like some sort of tavern or inn, most of the loud noise that had been inside the building quieting as multiple of them had stopped chatting to cynically analyze the newcomers. The jinchuriki uneasily glanced from side to side. He traced their eyes back to Minato's uniform, most notably the unassuming green of his vest.

Naruto continued to return the stares, the nonchalant person in the lead hardly seeming to notice as they weaved to the counter. In the dim radiance spared, a hitai-ate flashed from one of the darkest corners, an Amegakure insignia cut clean through. Its wearer was studying them the most intently, a deep scar cut into the man's face.

Naruto broke off the momentary stand-off and slipped onto the stool directly by the Yellow Flash, wondering what type of business the man had to do in a place that shady. Gradually, the chatter of the people around started back up again full-force, and the residence of the shop looked pacified with the two blondes, returning the tense air to normal. Naruto sighed in relief, resting his folded arms on the counter. He hadn't been scared, but having a dozen people look like they wanted nothing better than to go on a killing spree— and make you their first victim— was an unnerving feeling at best.

"What can I do you for?" a woman entered from behind the counter, rubbing out a mug in a cliché fashion. She was a broad-shouldered person, her hair plastered to the side of her face in a waterfall of brown curls, and her irises swept over the two with a welcoming but still weary manner. With the way she carried herself, it wasn't hard to guess that she was most likely the owner.

"A source of mine mentioned this place had someone who could help me out with a… small problem," Minato explained vaguely, the blue of his eyes flashing dangerously. The woman's welcoming demeanor evolved into complete suspicion, but after a few seconds, she smoothly signaled for someone else to fill in for her and vanished into a back room.

"Hello! Would you like me to get you anything?" a new waitress beamed, peculiarly joyful for being in such a run-down dump. She probably hadn't worked there long.

The girl's eyes widened faintly when she caught sight of Minato's hitai-ate, lingering over the crossed out symbol while the shinobi watched her curiously. "It's on the house," she added hurriedly, her annoyingly happy smile returning with a hint of nervousness.

Minato observed the waitress distrustfully, his arms crossed over his chest. "No thank you. We're not here for—"

"Miso Ramen!" Naruto's hand shot up with a giddy grin. He almost wanted to kick the person next to him, regardless whether he was his captor or not. Rejecting an offer of free food? The shinobi must have been insane.

"Alright," the woman nodded, jotting down a few characters in a tiny notebook she had plucked from her shirt pocket. "And you, sir?" She pointed the end of her pen toward Minato, who suddenly had his face hidden in a palm as if he'd rather have been anywhere but where he was. His fingers gradually retreated back to rub his temples. "Water, thanks," he exhaled, clearly exasperated, and he didn't open his closed eyes until after the girl disappeared.

The adult shot a critical glare toward the teenager next to him. "What do you think you're doing?" he growled quietly. With the look he was getting, Naruto figured the Yellow Flash probably wanted to cut his head off, but they were in public, and getting blood stains on the upholstery of a place that was feeding them free of charge would have been just plain rude— not to mention that all of their secrecy would've been throw out the window.

"It would be impolite to refuse, and I'm hungry, datte bayo," the teenager retorted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Pakura had made a good point about the after-taste when she had offered her rations, and the low grumbling of his stomach had a mind of its own when it came to food.

But by the end of the sentence, Minato's view had crystallized on him in a surprised fashion.

"What did you say?"

Naruto flinched. "'…da…tte bayo?'" the teenager repeated questioningly, turning his blue eyes to his unhappy guard. His heart almost skipped a beat. He'd forgotten about his verbal tick. Maybe the man still knew Kushina…!?

"I can't really control it. Just kinda pops out, tte bayo," he continued with a hopeful smirk, trying to drop a few hints that might get him one step closer to gaining a bit of trust.

Minato watched him attentively, his mouth pulled to the side in a serious and analytical expression. A moment passed, and he quickly snapped his attention forward and focused on a spot on the wall. "Well, learn to control it, or don't talk at all. I don't want to hear it," he muttered distantly.

Naruto scrunched up his face at the failure and dug the expression behind his folded arms on the table with a frustrated sigh. He had been about to take one step forward, but the only thing that happened was a step back. The blonde blocked out Kurama's muffled snickers and slid his forehead onto the table. Why is it so tough to get anywhere with this guy? he thought angrily, having reached the end of his rope. Things would've been better with Kakashi. The jinchuriki placidly wondered where the Copy-nin was.

"Here you go," the waitress spun back into view, the smell of ramen on her heels as she set down the bowl and glass. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Minato moved the glass of water closer to himself, looking rather annoyed. "Yes, is there anything else she can do for us?"

Avoiding the obvious jab, the teenager cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Mmm, nope! I don't think so." Another cheeky grin flash across his face as he grabbed a set of chopsticks and pulled his noodles directly in front of him.

Minato released another sigh, thanking the waitress as Naruto clapped his hands together, chirped a quick "Itadakimasu!", and hurriedly shoveled noodles into his mouth. They weren't nearly as good as Ichiraku's, but it was close enough, and the warm singeing of the broth on his tongue was lovingly embraced after the few months they'd spent apart.

Minato watched the jinchuriki wharf down the meal, and after a minute, he peeled his eyes off the teenager— a pretty gluttonous sight— and lifted his water up to eye level, skeptically scrutinizing the liquid and lightly sniffing the top of the glass before deciding it was safe enough to drink.

Once he had set down the glass, Minato casually pushed the cup farthest away from himself, seeming entertained with the swishing of the liquid as it started to settle, He finally moved his gaze to the ramen-addict sitting next to him. "You're very strange, you know," he observed critically.

Naruto hesitated in refilling the hole in his mouth before opting on setting down his chopsticks. An actual conversation from the rebel-nin was as frequent as an on-time Kakashi, and he'd feel foolish for not taking the opportunity.

The teenager leaned forward on the counter. "That's funny. Pakura just mentioned something like that the other night, tte bayo."

The Yellow Flash's rocky expression didn't change, even though his eye twitched slightly at the last bit, and for some reason, he decided not to make a comment. Instead, he retrieved his glass and took another swig. "Can you blame her?" He set it back down.

"Nah, I am kinda strange," Naruto admitted, twirling his lonely chopsticks around his fingers. "And I doubt it'll be the last time I'll hear it."

"Right," the older blonde agreed, suddenly looking back at the table. He almost seemed unnerved — like he faintly regretted doing something or maybe not doing something. Naruto studied him a little more thoroughly. It was hard to tell with the way his disposition never changed, but his eyes looked different. The jinchuriki couldn't quite put a finger on it.

But within the next blink, the look was gone. "Just as long as we're both clear on who's in charge here." The blonde settled his arms on the table, waiting for any reply from his company.

"Sure, sure," Naruto instantly agreed, his hands held up defensively.

The teenager figured he must've imagined the disheartened appearance.

Soon enough, Minato had returned to his usual past-time of staring gloomily at the wall as if nothing had happened at all while Naruto was left to resume attacking his noodles— a little slower this time.

The teenager swallowed down whatever had been in his mouth just as a scrawny, disheveled man joined their company from across the counter. He exerted a clandestine aura, his slanted black eyes and hooked nose pointed toward Minato with all the severity in the world. His voice was thick and oily but also strained and scratchy. Naruto nearly choked when the man's smell finally began to catch up with him. There might as well have been a rotting animal behind the counter.

"I heard you had a problem."

The newcomer's vision twitched from Minato to Naruto, sizing him up like he was an ignorant lamb being led to the slaughter. At the silent threat, Naruto did his best to return look with even more fierceness.

"Yeah," Minato replied cautiously. He smoothed back his hair stressfully as if he had a major decision to make, but he slipped off his stool to follow the man as he hobbled into one of the many back rooms. The blonde paused for a hesitant minute before whirling back around. "Blondie," the shinobi addressed quickly, tapping the spot of Naruto's forearm where his troublesome fuuinjutsu was inscribed. "Stay."

The teenager snorted as Minato turned away. "'Blondie, stay,'" he mocked mutedly once the man had gone. "What does he think I am: a dog?" Naruto crossly stuffed another mouthful of noodles into his face.

Still, as much as the temporary leave of absence was welcomed, Naruto wondered what the adult was doing. He had half a mind to ask what his "small problem" was, but then again, the teenager had amassed a mountain of things that he could ask about, and they were all much more important. He doubted he'd ever get any answers, and the enigma of the Yellow Flash was multiplied by the mounting pile of questions that he left behind, each of them like a coded message that showed bleak interest in being cracked.

It was a lost cause.

Naruto chewed wonderingly on his chopsticks as he continued to watch the uninteresting wall, hoping that he could hear something from the other room. But the sound of heavy footsteps killed any hope of that, lumbering over the whine of the floor. He instantly perked up when that very whine stopped right beside him.

A pair of dark eyes peered out from underneath a pointed jingasa* at his back. "You're from Konoha," the man stated gruffly, his vision stuck to the Uzumaki swirl. Naruto's head flickered to the side to better see who had addressed him. However, the blonde quickly found his gaze being drawn upward.

The man loomed over the seated blonde, his hostile gaze coupled with the ramparts of his broad shoulders a threatening sight; the newcomer's expression had practically declared war on the spinning, red emblem – that is, if his previous statement hadn't already.

"And what if I am?" Naruto mumbled, twisting his torso so the two were face to face.

The man's countenance remained as stony as ever. "Konoha-nin are not welcome here in Ame."

"Sorry, didn't get the memo."

The stranger seemed distantly riled by the casual response, squarely landing his mountain of a body on the stool otherwise reserved for the Yellow Flash. "Remind your Hokage of it when you return then."

Kurama and Naruto exchanged surprised and hopeful looks for a moment. Even if this guy had some kind of bone to pick with him, it looked like there could be some political intelligence gained from a chat, although it required a tiny bluff.

"Yeah," Naruto replied with a forced smoothness, passively probing for a fishcake with his chopsticks. "I doubt anyone would listen to me right now, let along Hokage-sama. You'll have to take it up with your leader."

"Don't play dumb!" the man snapped in a whisper. It was obvious that he was conscious about potential eaves-droppers as his voice immediately lowered again. "If it weren't for your meddling village, Akatsuki would've done away with Hanzo a long time ago!"

It was Naruto's turn to retort. "Akatsuki!?" The blonde's sight flew to meet the stranger. "Akatsuki was nothing more than a band of assassins!"

The countertop was nearly dented as it collided with the blunt side of a fist. "They were framed by Konohagakure! Those Ame shinobi – it was a setup by your Hokage to make our dictator all the more paranoid!"

Framed? Naruto observed the man in astonishment, not daring to push further. He certainly was passionate, but what he was talking about sounded like some full-blown conspiracy. But Akatsuki…. Naruto let his face fall into a more ambiguous state as he observed the man next to him. He doubted he'd get much more out of the person without exposing exactly how little he really knew about current diplomatic affairs, but the blonde reasoned he could work with what he got.

A "meddling village", huh?

That would definitely require a meddling Hokage.

Naruto would remember to discuss it with Kurama later.

Meanwhile, the sudden outburst, unrestrained by the need for covertness, had immediately silenced everyone in the area. Only the swinging, orange lamps dangling from the ceiling denied the suffocating silence, a few strangled gasps leaking from their hinged throats.

A glass shattered on the floor.

The stranger, automatically comprehending how much of a scene he had made, slowly retracted his hand from the countertop, sluggishly standing. His black, tired eyes drilled holes into his teenage opposition.

The ecstatic— now flustered – waitress rematerialized with a dustpan and broom and scurried past to one of the far side tables. Neither Naruto nor the foreigner bothered to separate their eyes.

"Don't judge everything by what you hear," the man thundered lowly after a few moments of quiet. His semblance became condescending with further thought. "Then again," he scoffed. "What should I expect of someone from Konoha?"

Naruto flinched, watching the man as he slipped away to a table near the corner. Like before, conversation hastily resurfaced in the room, almost as though to fill the void of awkward silence. Things were certainly different in this place – disturbingly so.

The blonde watched the waitress scamper back behind the counter with the new load of cracked glassware before eying his now cold noodles with distaste. He'd half lost his appetite, but it almost seemed unfair that as heavenly a dish as ramen be made casualty. With aloofness, he picked up his chopsticks and prodded the tranquil broth, noting how a few drops had flown onto the table. The jinchuriki's vision shifted to his left. The counter remained dented on the top, although one would have to stare at it for a while to notice. It didn't look like it'd be an easy wound to repair, either.

Naruto glanced up at the sound of a door closing from ahead of him. A familiar blonde made an entrance from one of the back areas with a stressed sigh. He looked as if he instantly had compunction. The shinobi shrugged off whatever he was feeling and made his way around the counter back toward his teenage deadweight.

"Oi, you get your 'small problem' solved, tte bayo?" Naruto asked artlessly, observing the man who put his hands in his pockets.

"No." Minato's qualm appeared to worsen, but he casually continued the conversation with bleak intrigue. "Lose your appetite?" His eyes glazed over the untouched ramen.

Naruto set down his chopsticks. "Sorta." He wasn't sure if the Yellow Flash was actually interested or if he was just digging for information. It always seemed to be the second option, and based on how he was standing just as threateningly as the jinchuriki's prior visitor, he gathered they both felt about the same way as him.

"Hm," Minato hummed aloofly. "We have to find Kakashi. Let's go."

Naruto compliantly scooted his unfinished bowl closer to the opposing end of the counter and hurried to catch up with the other blonde. "I thought you weren't supposed to meet up for a few more hours," the teenager noted as they – thankfully – turned out of the inn and back into the drizzling alley with a gloomily cheerful ding of the door's bell.

"Knowing Kakashi, he's probably lost somewhere," came the austere –nigh miserable— reply.

"Ah, right…" Naruto agreed. The despondent response almost seemed to humanize the ex-konha-nin, if only a little, and the concept was bizarre but encouraging. He skipped up closer to him. "Well, what was your 'small problem' then?"

Minato shot him a stifling look out of the side of his eyes. "Nice try."

"…could I guess?" Naruto bounded up to him again after having dejectedly fallen back.

"No. However, you could be quiet."

Naruto scrunched up his face. "It wouldn't have anything to do with me, would it?"

"You being quiet would have something to do with you, yes."

"Gah," the teenager itched at the back of his damp head. "I mean your problem, tte bayo."

"Ah, my problem," the man almost sounded apathetically sarcastic. "I have an aching premonition that you might always be a problem of mine."

"An aching what?"

"You ask too many questions."


A scarred man had watched the two blondes leave, the scratch over the Amegakure insignia blazing in the orange light of the inn that mingled into the dark corner. "I'm surprised the Kiiroi no Senko* would come to Ame," the man muttered, his eyes still fixed on the long-since-closed door.

"Must've been easy to sneak through with all the outside turmoil. Lots of the guards are aligned with Akatsuki, after all," another person commented, the jingasa still covertly settled on his head as dull, black eyes peered out from underneath them.

"Yeah. Even so, keep quiet when talking about organization matters, Kanryu-san." The scarred individual removed his sight from the entrance for the first time since the visitors had left. "You could have stirred up some real trouble, going around yelling 'Akatsuki', even in our territory.

"I knew I should've been the one to talk to him; you're too volatile to get any important information."

Kanryu glowered. "The brat had it coming, talking about assassins and what-not. Looks like even in Konoha they brainwash their shinobi." He spat indignantly and tapped the counter with a finger. "Bah, but look at you lecturing me! You couldn't have picked a more obvious signal – breaking a mug. I'm sure I could've gotten to know at least a little more about our unexpected guests."

"Doubtable. Tavern glasses were meant to be broken anyway," the other, smaller person replied bluntly, observing his own with little interest.

His friend snorted. "Over someone's head—not on the floor!"

"Just like I said, you always were the violent one, Kanryu-san." The less bulky of the two readjusted his haori*. "Regardless, we have more important business, anyway." He turned a set of green irises to their third, silent companion, a large cloak thrown over her shoulders.

"Should I follow them, Tenshi-sama*?"

"...no. The Kiiroi no Senko could prove a priceless ally to our cause, regardless of his companion's backwards allegiances. We can be patient." The young woman opened her opaque eyes, a small origami flower pinned to the side of her hair. "Besides, I have the strangest feeling that we will cross paths again."


*jingasa: (trans: War hat.) Ranging from flat or rounded, jingasa are more commonly discus shaped and not to be mistaken with a rice farmer's hat, but the basic aesthetics are the same.

*Kiiroi no Senko: Yellow Flash (AN: It seemed more formal to refer to Minato in Japanese rather than English, here.)

Haori: half-coat emblazoned with the wearer's familial crest

*Tenshi-sama: Lady Angel


Author's Note:

...should I even bother apologizing for late updates anymore? /xD I need stickers that I can slam on these with excuses. The first edition could include stirring rhetoric like "School kills. Fight the Power" or the classic "Fell Out of Bed and Broke My Face". I bet I could be a millionaire with ideas like that….

Next chapter will not be out for quite a while, but it also includes the identity of our AU Yondaime, so take your last guesses if you like having meaningless bragging rights. It's a biggy.

Row, row, row your boat,

Gently down the stream,

Throw your teacher(s) overboard,

[But only if they're mean!]

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If it doesn't say it's discontinued, it's not, so please follow/review until then, thanks! ;)

Minatochan2