Author Note: N/A
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
-Chapter XIII-
The next day, the group heads over to the academy for team assignment, though they already know their team, only to make things official and to check on the other teams. As the instructors list off the teams, Naruto starts scanning the room to check the reaction of the students. Eventually, Iruka starts reading off the names Naruto is more familiar with.
"Team seven consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Inuzuka Kiba."
"Great, I got the Uchiha and the banshee," Kiba mutters as Sakura exclaims victory in the background.
"…Be quiet Kiba. …You too Sakura. Team eight consists of Hyuuga Neji, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata."
"It seems that the heavens finally smile upon me," Neji says, "with Shino-san and Hinata-sama on my team, I should have no problem becoming a full-fledged Genin this year."
"Team nine consists of Namikaze Naruto, Nii Yugito, and Sabaku Gaara," Iruka says and waits for a brief moment for any comments before continuing, "Team ten consists of Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, and Akimichi Chouji."
"Why am I not surprised that I'm stuck on a team with Shikamaru and Chouji."
"Anyway, those are the team assignments for this year's graduating class. You may head out for lunch but be sure to return in an hour to meet your Jounin instructor," Iruka says before chaos erupts in the classroom when the new batch of Genins all head for the exit.
Waiting for everyone to leave the room, Naruto simply leans back in his chair and closes his eyes. Smirking, Yugito takes a seat on Naruto's lap, almost crushing Ginko's snout in the process. Ignoring both Naruto and Ginko's complaints, Yugito wraps her arms around Naruto and leans her head on the boy's shoulder. Glad that he's not the girl's target when Yugito's in a playful mood, Gaara simply takes out his box lunch and quietly eats in the corner. Smelling the food from Gaara's lunch and hearing the grumbling of Naruto's stomach, Yugito takes out her own lunch box and starts feeding Naruto, all the while making not so subtle suggestions for Naruto to return the favor. Such is the state of the three Genins when Kurenai enters the classroom about fifteen minutes after everyone else cleared out.
"Seems you guys are having fun," Kurenai says, "though I was really expecting that the three of you would be outside with the others."
"Ohaiyo Kurenai-sensei," Yugito says, waving toward the Jounin while miraculously staying perfectly balanced on Naruto's lap.
"Well, since we don't need to do the second Genin test to proof we are worthy of becoming ninjas…" Naruto says before looking toward Kurenai, "at least I don't think we need to…"
"No. I've already passed this team as an official Genin squad," Kureani says, smiling.
"I figured we would just wait for you to show up and head to the Hokage Tower to see what mission dad has for us Kurenai-sensei."
"Yes… Hokage-sama did say that he has other missions for us after we completed the Mizuki mission."
"Exactly. So let's head over to his office now."
"…I was hoping that we would have lunch together before reporting for missions," Kurenai says, "but I guess the three of you already ate."
"If we are heading to Ichiraku then I can handle a lot more!" Naruto says.
"Me too!" Yugito says.
"I suppose I can handle more food as well," Gaara says.
"Yay! Ramen!"
Surprised by the fourth voice, Kurenai starts looking around the room. Meanwhile, Naruto reaches down with his hand and wraps it around Ginko's snout to make sure the kitsune doesn't say another word. Dismissing the voice as her imagination, Kurenai looks back to her students to find Naruto's hand still clamped on Ginko's snout while the fox is trying futilely to claw his hand away with her front paws. Seeing the Jounin looking at him in confusion, Naruto quickly releases his grip only to have Ginko bite hard on his calf in revenge, causing Naruto to practically push Yugito off him as he hops around howling in pain. While all that is happening, Kurenai can't take her eyes off the fox as it uses it front paws to rub away the pain on her snout, a very human behavior from the animal.
"Naruto, what are you hiding."
"What do you mean Kurenai-sensei?" Naruto asks, sitting down and mirroring Ginko's action on his own wound.
"This fox was the source of the fourth voice wasn't she?" Kurenai says, "Ginko isn't just a normal fox is she? A few people was wondering how the Inuzuka can manage to tame Ginko in one week when some of their own dogs are still just as rebellious as untrained mutts in the streets."
"I… I don't know what you're talking about Kurenai-sensei."
"I can tell when you're lying Naruto," Kurenai says, glaring at the new Genin.
"I guess we should tell her Naruto-kun," Yugito says, "after all, if she's going to be helping out on missions…"
"You're right…" Naruto says, "go ahead Ginko-chan."
Lifting her snout, Ginko makes sure there is no one else within the vicinity before standing up on her hind legs and transforming back to her human form. Watching the transformation, Kurenai can only stare at the girl in shock.
"You… you are that girl. Ginko… of course, why didn't I make the connection before…"
"You couldn't have," Naruto says, "there is no way you could have known that Ginko-chan is a Kitsune."
"Hokage-sama, Kushina-sama, Naruto-sama, Yugito-chan and Gaara-san are the only ones who knows my identity, Kurenai-sensei."
"Then the girl living with us…" Kurenai asks.
"She is just a clone. I let her take the human form when I'm here at the academy with Naruto-sama, then I switch with the clone when we get home."
"A Kitsune… how did you ever managed to get tangled up with a Kitsune Naruto?" Kurenai asks.
"Well let's just say that dad and I crossed path with Ginko-chan's father before."
"You're not… talking about the Kyuubi are you?"
"Wow! Kurenai-sensei is really smart."
"Yugito-chan!" Naruto hisses.
"You really are the Kyuubi's daughter?"
"Hai Kurenai-sensei," Ginko mutters, worried what the Jounin's reaction will be.
"This is going to be an interesting five men squad," Kurenai says, "why do you all look so shocked? I trained Ginko myself and lived with her for nearly a year already. Don't you think I know if she's trustworthy or not by now?"
"You're not angry or scared of me?" Ginko asks.
"I don't blame the children for what the parent did. I don't think anyone will ever be able to forget or forgive what the Kyuubi did to this village, but you're not to blame for what he did."
"Thank you for being so understanding Kurenai-sensei," Naruto says.
"Then maybe the four of you will be just as considerate of my wallet when we get to Ichiraku."
"Sorry Kurenai-sensei. No promises there," Ginko says.
"Well… it was worth a shot."
"Let's put up the money we got from the Mizuki mission to cover the tab then we can split the rest amongst ourselves… if there's any left," Naruto says.
"Yeah! Like an official celebration for the formation of squad nine!" Yugito screams as the others nod in agreement.
After lunch, the group arrive back at the Namikaze mansion just in time to see all the new Jounin instructors gathered together in the study to report their first impression of their new charges. When team nine turns to leave, Minato simply gestures for them to stay. During this silent exchange, Asuma tries to approach Kurenai but seeing her former boyfriend, Kurenai simply leads the three new Genins to the opposite side of the room. Taking note of his new sensei's behavior, Naruto files that into his memory and decides to talk to Kurenai about it later. Closing his eyes, Naruto leans against the wall of the office and listens to the evaluations, which generally varies from no chance of becoming Genins to some potential of success.
During the report, Naruto finds out that Kakashi is the instructor of team seven while Genma is the instructor of team eight and Asuma is the instructor of team ten. Thinking back to his past life, Naruto begrudgingly concede that team seven as a squad has gotten better in this life time due to the fact that they now have someone who can track potential enemies in Kiba. However, though Neji is certainly a much better shinobi than Kiba, and chances are that Genma is a better fighter than Kurenai, team eight as a whole has gotten much weaker due to the fact that the team specialize in tracking and now they have Genma as an instructor instead of someone skilled in Genjutsu like Kurenai who can provide a cover for the team. In fact, the team eight in this life time resembles the old team Gai instead of the old team eight in that three of the four members of the squad are close range fighters while the last is most suited in medium to long range combat and backup fire when the other members are engaged in battle.
When the briefing is over, Asuma tries to approach Kurenai again but the kunoichi simply ignores him and moves toward the Hokage's desk, waiting to speak with the village's leader. Lowering his head, Asuma walks out of the room while reaching for his pack of cigarette.
"Did you know that he stopped smoking ever since you left," Minato says.
"Good. Then maybe he would actually live a long life."
"Kurenai-sensei…"
"It's all right Naruto. I just want to make it perfectly clear to him that it's over between us. He made his choice, I made mine," Kurenai says, "regardless, I believe we are here for our mission. That's what you were clamoring about all during lunch right Naruto?"
Naruto opens his mouth but thought better of it and opts to keep quiet and nods his head in agreement. Turning his attention toward his father, Naruto waits for Minato to break the awkward silence, if only through a mission assignment. Reaching into his drawer, Minato pulls out a C ranked mission scroll and hands it to Kurenai.
"Tori no Kuni has recently lost its Daimyo Lord Oowashi. We have reason to believe that foul play might be involved," Minato says, "Lord Sagi and Lady Toki of Tori no Kuni have sent a messenger to us requesting our assistance in investigating this issue, and, if needed, eliminate those responsible."
"Tori no Kuni… looks like we're taking a trip out of Hi no Kuni again," Naruto says, "it's going to be a long trip, why don't you guys go back and pack. I still need to talk to dad about something."
Yugito appears as though she wants to say something, but a slight tug from Ginko and Kurenai stops her before she can even start. After the others have left the room, Naruto turns his attention toward his father.
"There should be a mission from Nami no Kuni coming in soon," Naruto says, "I don't care how, I want that mission. Don't assign it to anyone else no matter what happens."
"Another thing from your past?"
"The first person who truly understood the pain and suffering I felt. I won't let anything happen to her this time around," Naruto says, "and I have a score to settle with someone from there."
"Fine. I'll keep that mission around for you."
"Thanks dad."
"Now don't you have a mission you should be preparing for?"
"Right. Off I go then."
Gathering everything they need for the mission, team nine sets out toward Tori no Kuni. They managed to avoid their classmates on their way out of the village who would no doubt bombard them with questions about the rank of their first mission and complain about special treatments. As soon as they are out of the patrol range of Konoha, Ginko transforms back into her human form to avoid any potential questions once they arrive at Tori no Kuni. After the long journey, the group is immediately escorted to the Daimyo's palace as soon as they arrive at the capital's gate.
"Ah, so you are the squad that Konoha sent to assist in investigating our father's death."
"Hai Daimyo-dono," Kurenai answers.
"Normally this would be an internal affair that would be handled by my own people. However, my sister and I are both adamant in the belief that our father's death was not of natural causes as the examiners said."
"We would be willing to assist the investigation in anyway necessary," Naruto says, "but may I ask why you have doubts about the examiners' report?"
"Given that our father was the Daimyo of Tori no Kuni, the examiners did not and could not perform a thorough investigation in order to preserve the body. The only thing they can conclude is that there were no visible sign of any assassination attempts," Sagi says.
"There is also the fact that there are competing factions within our country that have caused quite a bit of disturbance ever since my father's death," Toki adds.
"We not only have doubt about the validity of the examiners' report, we even have suspicion that they might be working for one of those factions and they are responsible for my father's death. It is also because of this that we ask you to perform this task in secret as to not alert those factions. To the outsiders, your task here is merely to serve as bodyguards due to the troubles in the capitals lately," Sagi says, "Hokage-sama's reputation even reached a small country like ours. We believed that the ninjas he assigns for such a mission such as this are just as righteous as he is, and that you can help us expose this treacherous plot."
"As I've said, we shall be willing to assist in anyway necessary. That is what my father expects of us."
"You… you are Hokage-sama's son?"
"That is correct Daimyo-dono."
Standing up, Sagi walks toward Naruto. Holding his hand, Sagi guides Naruto to his feet before kneeling before him and bowing. Surprised, Naruto immediately returns the gesture.
"I leave this important matter in your hands then," Sagi says, "please do your best."
"Allow me to show you to your resting quarters," Toki says, getting to her feet.
"We can't possibly ask you to perform such a task for us princess," Kurenai says, "that's too much for lowly ninjas like us."
"Nonsense. This mission is of the utmost importance in our hearts. I expect that you will encounter quite a bit of trouble in order to accomplish this task," Toki says, "compared to what you will face, simply showing you to your quarters is of no consequence."
"To repay the trust you have in us, we will not let you down," Naruto says, bowing toward Sagi and Toki.
"Thank you Namikaze-san," Toki says as she opens one of the side doors, "please follow me."
Leading the group through the maze of corridors, Toki finally stops in front of two doors, the one on the left reserved for the females and the one on the right for the male.
"Toki-hime-sama, please wait a moment," Naruto says before Toki can turn to leave.
"Is something the matter Namikaze-san?"
"The factions that you and Daimyo-dono mentioned… can you tell us more about them?"
"Of course. I suppose it would be important for the mission," Toki says, stepping into the girls' room, "there are basically two opposing factions in the imperial court in Tori no Kuni. One is of father's chief strategist Koumei, while the other is of the high monk Mousou. Koumei is opposed to my brother taking the title of Daimyo, claiming that he is too young to rule while Mousou supported my brother and is the reason that he has the title right now. Even amongst the population of the capital, there are groups that support both sides and have been causing quite a bit of disturbance. Koumei and Mousou, as expected, claim that they have nothing to do with those groups."
"Do you suspect either one to be involved in your father's death Toki-hime?" Kurenai asks.
"My brother believes in Mousou like my father. He insisted that Koumei caused our father's death then attempted to use my brother's youth to claim power for himself."
"But you don't feel the same way?" Yugito asks.
"I do not trust Koumei myself either, but I also do not trust Mousou," Toki says, "on the outside, he appears to be a harmless monk, but… I can't exactly explain it. I just feel uneasy in his presence."
"Would there be anyone else who might want to harm your father?" Gaara asks.
"They would be from outside Tori no Kuni then, but Tori no Kuni has been struggling economically for a couple of generations already. We don't really possess anything that would be appealing to other countries."
"So Koumei and Mousou are our prime suspects if you and your brother's suspicion proves correct."
"If one of them is indeed involved in my father's death, I beg you to assist my brother in exposing the ill deed and exterminate the threat to my brother's throne."
"Please don't worry Toki-hime-dono. That is why we are here," Kurenai says.
"My brother and I are arranging for you to visit father's tomb in secret to ascertain the cause of death," Toki says, "until then, you are welcome to stay here."
"I suppose we can do a bit of snooping around until then," Naruto says, "maybe we can calm things down a bit in the streets. We are supposed to be bodyguards after all."
"That would be much appreciated Namikaze-san."
"We shall not keep you from your other duties any longer," Kurenai says, bowing, "thank you for all the information you have provided us."
"It is no problem at all. I hope it would proof useful."
As soon as Toki leaves the room, Naruto shoots Yugito a look and the genin excuses herself claiming she needs to use the bathroom.
Ever since Naruto's squad have arrived at Tori no Kuni, Sagi and Toki have become more of a public figure than before. Naruto and Gaara were by Sagi's side whenever he ventures out of the palace and like-wise for Toki and the female contingent of the squad, just to drill home the point that they are in the country to serve as bodyguards. After stopping them the first few times, Naruto's group have also driven the troublemakers off the streets for the most part. When questioned, those captured by the group on both sides would always claim that someone they've never met before stirred up the crowd at a bar to get them to take to the streets.
One day, when Sagi deems that everything is in order, he sends Toki to alert the ninjas that they can travel to the royal cemetery. On the surface, Naruto's team will act as their bodyguards as they pay their respect to their ancestors, but in reality, it is a chance for them to begin their investigation in earnest. When she enters the girls' room, Toki earns the shock of her life.
"What… what is the meaning of this!" Toki screams as she points toward the sleeping figures of Yugito and Ginko snuggling against Naruto.
"Toki-hime-sama please do not be alarmed," Kurenai says, "those three children have known each other since they were young and have gotten used to sleeping together after all these years."
"But… but…"
"Do you require us to accompany you outside the palace?"
"No… well yes. My brother and I wish to travel to the royal cemetery and we believe that it would be a good opportunity for your team to perform your investigation Kurenai-san."
"When should we head out?"
"We do not want anyone to interfere so we should leave as soon as possible so as to not give them time to react," Toki says.
"Very well, I shall awaken them."
"Is it… safe for them to sleep through the entire conversation like that?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if Naruto is already up, but as a squad we always have someone stand guard in shifts while others rest," Kurenai says, "I and I believe Gaara have the early morning shift in this case."
"If you are up Naruto-san, then please alert Gaara-san of our plans."
"No problem Toki-hime-sama. I'll go back to my room as soon as I can get these two off of me."
"Unn… five more minutes…" Yugito mumbles.
"Come on, time to get up. Mission time," Naruto says, trying to shake the girls awake.
"I will let my brother know you are getting ready then," Toki says, not wanting to stay and watch.
"Thank you Toki-hime-sama," Kurenai says.
When the group is finally ready, they proceed to the throne room to join Sagi and Toki before heading to the royal cemetery. On their way, a small black cat kept following Yugito but it remained in the shadows, noticed only by the four youngsters. Once they arrive, Naruto immediately created a bunch of Kage Bunshin to secure the area and to make sure they will not be interrupted. Sagi, being the Daimyo and the head of the royal family, walks up the stairs leading to the mausoleum and opens the stone gate. The group wanted to accompany him up the staircase to protect him but realized the ceremonial significance and relented. When the gate is opened, Sagi turns around and nods toward the ninjas and gestures for them to proceed inside.
Once inside, Naruto creates a few more Kage Bunshin to lift the heavy stone slab sealing the coffin. It would seem that the people responsible for preparing the body did an excellent job as the body is still in perfect condition. Taking out a silver senbon from his weapon's pouch, he glances toward Sagi and Toki for permission. Without giving it a thought, the Daimyo and the princess nod their head. Stabbing the senbon into the former Daimyo's torso, Naruto gives it a few seconds before pulling it out again, exposing its blackened tip. Frowning, Naruto hands the senbon to Kurenai. After studying it for a few seconds, the Jounin nods her head, agreeing with the conclusion of the tool. The entire exchange is completely silent, leaving non-ninjas like Sagi and Toki confused as to what is transpiring. Waving his hand, the Kage Bunshin places the stone slab on top of the coffin, once again sealing it before dispelling.
"I understand you miss Oowashi-sama, Daimyo-dono, but it's going to be a long trip back. Perhaps we should head back to the palace now," Naruto says.
Not saying another word, Naruto walks out of the mausoleum and looks around as though checking for potential enemies before turning around and giving the all clear sign. Frowning, Sagi looks toward Kurenai in confusion before hearing the Jounin mutters that someone is spying on the group outside. Gasping, Toki involuntarily takes a step towards her brother. Moving into formation, the group surrounds the Daimyo and the princess and escorts them out of the mausoleum, keeping up the guise of merely being bodyguards to the royal family.
"So what exactly did you find from father's body Namikaze-san?" Sagi asks after they've returned to the safety of the palace.
"It would appear that Oowashi-sama was poisoned, and that it was ingested," Naruto says, "the senbon I used pierced into Oowashi-sama's stomach, and the tip turned black after coming into contact with the poison."
"Why did you think the poison was ingested?" Sagi asks.
"Only the tip of the senbon turned black. If the poison entered the bloodstream, the blackened portion would have been much longer."
"Can you tell what kind of poison it was?" Toki asks.
"Unfortunately, we don't have a medic on our squad that can identify the poison," Naruto says, "however, the people spying on us were not normal guards. Their stealth ability leads me to believe that they were ninjas. I suppose I can try testing the poison against antidotes of common poison used by other ninjas, but I only have a small bit of it here on the senbon."
"Why would foreign ninjas be interested in Tori no Kuni?" Toki whispers.
"Toki-hime-sama told us that the two factions leaders are Koumei and Mousou," Naruto says, "can you tell us a little bit more about their past?"
"Koumei has been my father's trusted adviser for as long as I know," Sagi says, "and Mousou was a traveling monk that showed amazing magical powers and was made the head monk by my father. I don't really see…"
"Amazing… magical powers?"
"My father once told me that he swallowed a entire katana whole and came out perfectly fine."
"Genjutsu?" Naruto asks, glancing over toward Kurenai.
"It's possible. Which if true would mean that the ninjas spying on us are under his command as well."
"You suspect Mousou is responsible for our father's death?" Toki asks.
"It's all just a theory for now. We still need more concrete evidence," Naruto says, "foxes are too noticeable. Yugito-chan, Gaara, do you think your summons can spy on Mousou for us? For that matter, let's cover all our bases and spy on Koumei too."
"I suppose that will have to do for now," Yugito says.
"While we gather evidence, we will have to be extra careful not to tip anyone off about why we are here," Naruto says, "so if you need to travel anywhere outside the palace Daimyo-dono, Toki-hime-dono, please have at least one of us accompany you."
"I understand. We can't afford to jeopardize the mission now that we are so much closer to exposing my father's killer," Sagi says.
"It's getting late, perhaps we should all retire for the night and continue this discussion at a later time?"
"You're right Toki," Sagi says before turning toward the group, "please alert us as soon as you have some evidence, either proofing or absolving Mousou of the crime."
"Of course Daimyo-dono," Naruto says as Sagi and Toki leaves the meeting room.
"You kids have summon contracts?" Kurenai asks once they are back in their own room, "why haven't you kids told me about that?"
"It's kind of complicated."
"I suppose your fox summoning contract is from Ginko's father then Naruto?"
"That's right Kurenai-sensei."
"And what about you two's contract."
"I have the cat summoning contract while Gaara has the tanuki summoning contract."
"Cat… tanuki…? Nekomata and Shukaku? But I thought they are sealed…"
"It's a S-Class secret Kurenai-sensei, so you can't tell anyone," Naruto says, "otou-san and Ginko's father helped in releasing them."
"But wouldn't the process…?"
"Ginko's father knew of a way to do that without harming Yugito and Gaara," Naruto says, "you know the three people that visit otou-san every now and then? Kitsune, Neko, and Tanuki?"
"Wait… don't tell me that they are…" Kurenai whispers, "of course… Kitsune is Ginko's father after all."
"I hope you're not scared of us because of that Kurenai-sensei…" Yugito says, "we're sorry for keeping it from you."
"Scared of you? Of course not. I'm just surprised how well they can blend into a ninja village," Kurenai says, "but if he acted so human like and even dare I say peaceful, I wonder why Ginko's father…"
"He was under the control of someone else at that time," Naruto says, "someone who wanted to destroy Konoha and all that it stood for."
"So do you…?"
"No. I don't know who it was, and neither does the baka-kitsune… OW! Ginko-chan!"
"I told you I won't tolerate you calling otou-sama that!"
"Just for that, no cuddling for you tonight," Naruto says.
"Fine!"
"Eh? Normally you would start hugging me and beg me to forgive you by now."
"Except that Ginko-chan and I decided that we would let Kurenai-sensei have you tonight," Yugito says, giggling.
"What!" Kurenai and Naruto scream.
"I'm heading back to my room," Gaara says, wanting to flee the scene before things get out of hand.
"Ginko-chan and I will stand guard tonight, so you two can sleep till the morning."
"Wait a min…"
Before Naruto can even finish the sentence, Yugito pushes Naruto into Kurenai, causing them to fall in a heap. Reacting quickly, Ginko moves behind Kurenai and ties Naruto's wrists together with a rope, forcing Naruto's arm to encircle the Jounin, while Yugito is doing the same to Kurenai's arms. Squirming about, Naruto soon finds that he can't break out of the rope.
"Don't even bother trying Naruto-kun, Kurenai-sensei. The ropes are infused with Yugito-san's chakra, she's the only one who can untie them" Ginko says, "nothing will let you break out of them, not brute strength, not even Nawanuke no Jutsu. we were saving them for… other purposes when we are older, but it's not like you can break out of them even if you knew about them anyway."
"Now why don't you two get some rest while I go and send out our spies," Yugito says, giggling.
Such is the state of the people occupying the room when Toki arrived the next morning. Yugito and Ginko are already in their regular clothes talking to each other while Kurenai and Naruto still have their arms around each other, although Yugito had removed the ropes once the pair has finally stopped complaining and fallen asleep.
"What… what is this!" Toki screams, "for… for a sensei to sleep with her student…"
"Actually, Kurenai-sensei and Naruto-kun are together before Kurenai-sensei even became our squad's sensei," Yugito says.
"Since I don't really understand the custom of ninja villages… I suppose I should reserve judgment regarding their age difference…"
"Do you need us for something Toki-hime-dono?" Ginko asks, obviously annoyed.
"I wanted to ask Kurenai-san to accompany me to the business district here in the capital, but…"
"I'll wake her up, she should be ready in about half an hour Toki-hime-dono," Yugito says.
"Thank you Yugito-san."
After a week of spying, the group is no closer to proving who is responsible for the murder of the previous Daimyo. Just as they are about to give up and come up with another strategy, a black cat scrambles into the girls' room, followed quickly by Naruto and Gaara.
"Yugito-sama!" the cat screams, jumping onto Yugito's lap.
"Did you find something koneko-chan?"
"I was staying on top of the roof of Mousou's house," the cat says, "I haven't heard anything for a few days, but just today I heard someone talking in the room."
"What did they say?"
"I don't really understand what they said Naruto-sama but I am sure that most of the voices came from above ground."
"How did you figure that?"
"I've heard Mouson talk plenty of times, so I can gauge how far from the roof he is. But this time, the other voices are a lot closer to me."
Looking to the ceiling of the room, Naruto jumps up, does a back flip, and sticks his feet the ceiling. Looking toward the ground, Naruto thinks back to the one time he accompanied Sagi when he visited Mousou's house, and figures that the room should be about the same size as Mousou's meeting room. Sitting down on the ceiling, Naruto looks toward the cat again.
"Let's see. If I'm Mousou, I should be at about this height," Naruto says.
"Mousou speaks softer, but the distance is about right," the cat responds.
"And the other voices you heard, about how far were they."
"If the ceiling in this room is the floor of that room, then I guess about Yugito-sama's height when she's sitting down."
"Even if they are giants, they can't be tall enough to be within reach of the ceiling in that room," Naruto says, releasing his chakra and landing on his feet, "they must have been ninjas."
"So what should we do now?" Yugito asks.
"Let's tell Daimyo-dono and Toki-hime-dono what we found out first," Kurenai says, "whatever it is that we are to do we must proceed only with their permission."
"You're right Kurenai-sensei. Let's go," Naruto says.
After asking for and receiving an audience with the Daimyo and the princess, Naruto proceeds to tell them about what they have just learned.
"So Mousou is responsible," Sagi says.
"What do you intend to do Daimyo-dono?" Kurenai asks.
"We shall capture Mousou and execute him for treason," Toki says.
"Not to be rude Toki-hime-dono, but how do you plan to go about capturing him?" Naruto asks, "he has ninjas under his control, and he is most likely a ninja himself. I doubt he would sit around and wait for you to catch him."
"Namikaze-san is correct Toki. We need a plan."
"But brother!"
"I do have an idea, but…"
"Please go ahead Namikaze-san," Sagi says.
"It's difficult to deal with Mousou and his ninjas when they are in the shadow," Naruto says, "so let's bring them out into the light."
"What does that entail exactly?"
Looking around, Naruto gestures to Sagi asking for permission to move closer. Without a second thought, Sagi nods his head and Naruto moves next to Sagi. Curious, Toki also leans in, trying to find what grand plans the young ninja has in mind. At first, Sagi and Toki seem nervous, but the concern is soon lifted and a smirk graces the face of the Daimyo and his sister.
As soon as the meeting is over, the royal house releases a decree stating the original purpose of the Konoha-nin's arrival, the finding at the royal mausoleum, and the fact that they have locked onto the person who is responsible for the murder. A eerie silence has fallen over the capital of Tori no Kuni as soon as the decree is read to the public. Everyone is shocked and appalled that someone would murder the Daimyo, but even more so is the fear that they themselves are the person that the royal house is focused on based on some false information from their enemy, even if only due to some petty spat. The next day, Mousou and Koumei both arrive at the royal house asking for an audience with the Daimyo.
"Lord Mousou, Lord Koumei, what bring you here today?"
"My lord, I heard that the Daimyo's death was the result of murder," Koumei says, "have you arrested the ones responsible yet?"
"No. I'm afraid not," Sagi says, "but I have sent the Konoha-nin out to make the arrest."
"I wish to personally see to the execution of those responsible for such a traitorous act," Mousou says.
"Of course Lord Mousou. I assure you that you will be present when the traitors are executed."
"Thank you my lord."
"Is that the only business you have here today?" Sagi asks.
"That is all my lord. Thank you for allowing us to meet with you today," Koumei says.
Bowing, Mousou and Koumei backs out of the door. Turning around, Mousou flexes his wrist discreetly and a shadow sneaks into the room just before the door is closed. Claiming old age, Mousou walks toward the gate of the palace slowly. Not ten paces later, a loud grunt of pain emanates from the chamber they just vacated. Alarmed, Mousou and Koumei turn around and rush back toward the chamber. Ripping the door open, the two advisers check the scene only to find that Sagi has a masked ninja pinned under him. Suddenly, a large group of royal guards swarms toward the two and points their spears at Mousou. Confused, Koumei backs away and looks back and forth between Mousou and Sagi.
"Mousou, for murdering the previous Daimyo and attempting to murder the current Daimyo, you are hereby under arrest," Sagi says before smoke erupts, covering Sagi's body only to reveal Naruto when the it clears.
"Henge no jutsu," Mousou mutters before jumping to the roof in one single leap and removing his disguise, "I knew I should have eliminated you Konoha-nin before you can even enter the capital."
"Watari-nin Houki, you've already lost. So don't make it hard on yourself and surrender," Naruto says, rushing out of the chamber and leaving the captured ninja to the guards.
Not two steps back out into the light, Naruto is already under the effect of Houki's genjutsu. However, before Houki can make his escape, he's chased back by a swarm of shuriken. Looking back, Kurenai has already appeared behind Naruto, breaking him out of the genjutsu.
"The genjutsu mistress of Konoha… yes, I definitely should have killed you lot."
"It's over for you Houki," a voice says behind the watari-nin.
Before he can even turn around, Houki is struck from behind and knocked off the roof of the building. However, instead of landing painfully on the ground, the Naruto standing next to Kurenai jumps up to meet him, kicking him back up into the air with Kage Buyou before disappearing. Looking up, Houki finds the Naruto that knocked him off the roof jumping after him. A lightning quick combo later, Houki is knocked out on the ground courtesy of Naruto's Shishi Rendan. At the same time, Gaara, Yugito, and Ginko enter the courtyard, each carrying a handful of unconscious watari-nin.
"Guess you guys got them all?"
"Yeah, they aren't all that tough. Not even good enough for a spar," Yugito says.
"Although this big one did cause a bit of a problem, even tried to copy my Sabaku Kyuu technique," Gaara says, using his sand to lift said ninja to emphasize the point.
"Excellent work Namikaze-san," Sagi says, emerging from one of the side paths along with Toki.
Eyes flickering to the side, Naruto moves in next to Sagi and blocks a katana strike with his bare arm. The katana manages to cut a few millimeters deep before being halted by a thin layer of swirling chakra. Stunned, the green haired watari-nin lets go of his katana and steps back hesitantly. Turning around, the watari-nin tries to escape but is knocked down by Naruto using the blunt side of the katana.
"Ho… how?" the watari-nin asks as the guards picks him up from the ground.
"You're fast, but I'm much faster," Naruto says, "after all my father is the Konoha no Kiiroi Senkou."
"…Son of the Yellow Flash… impossible…"
"Guards, take them away," Sagi says, "make sure you keep their arms separate. They are ninjas, they can use their techniques to escape if you let them use their hands."
"Hai! Daimyo-dono!"
"Thank you very much Namikaze-san," Sagi says, "it's because of you that my father can finally rest in peace."
"And it's thanks to you that onii-sama is still alive right now," Toki says, bowing toward Naruto.
"Well, being bodyguards was part of the mission after all," Naruto says, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
"This… this was all a plan Daimyo-dono?"
"Ah, Koumei. I apologize if I scared you," Sagi says, "but yes, this is all part of Namikaze-san's plan to expose the traitors."
"But to have him act as the Daimyo…"
"Well, I only made one promise as the Daimyo, and that's for Mousou to be present when the traitors are executed," Naruto says, "I don't see any problem with that. He's going to be right there with the rest of them after all."
"Yes, you were very careful with your wording weren't you Namikaze-san," Toki says, giggling, "I heard the entire conversation from behind the screen doors."
Looking toward Toki, Naruto seems as though he wants to say something but thought better of it and kept quiet. With the Daimyo's permission, Naruto's squad decides to stick around the capital until the traitors are executed and definitely won't be posing a threat to the royal family anymore before heading back to Konoha.
Additional Author's Note: Leave a note if you like the story.