Naruto: Kazama Ascendant

by Justareader80

AU A letter discloses truths that had been hidden and Naruto is actually given the tools necessary to achieve his goals. Armed with a new sense of purpose, Naruto sets out to forge his path and revive his once great clan.

14. Chapter 14

Naruto: Kazama Ascendant

Chapter 14: Wanderings in Fire Country

The continuous creak of the baggage cart as it rumbled down the road served to monotonously accentuate Naruto's extreme boredom. For all the preparations he had undertaken and endured over the week preceding this assignment, the escort mission itself was turning out to be a considerable disappointment.

The mission itself had not encountered any problems or difficulties. Now on the second day of its journey, the royal party and its escort made steady progress towards Fire Country's western border with a number of stops along the way. The trip had been proceeding quite well with a few obvious exceptions… Namely Team Seven having been shunted aside and relegated to guarding the aforementioned baggage cart.

As the tour was confined to the borders of Fire Country, Konoha's participation in the escort mission was more of a precaution than a necessity… an unnecessary precaution according to the guard commander. The commander of the guard seemed to take their presence to be a personal insult and had not been shy in expressing his general loathing for Team Seven.

Kakashi had privately explained that many of the Daimyo's guards and his samurai retainers saw the royal family's personal safety as their purview. Ninja, even those from Konoha, were viewed by these individuals with general distain and mistrust, which seemed to be derived from their views on a ninja's mercenary lifestyle. While Konoha had proven its loyalty and value to the royal court in a number of situations, both large and small, this almost instinctive distrust persisted.

Despite this distrust, the samurai were generally willing and able to ignore their ninja counterparts on a day-to-day basis as the standing guard of two ANBU teams at the Daimyo's disposal tended to remain hidden from common view. Team Seven was simply a bit more difficult to ignore.

As for this specific mission, a unit of the Daimyo's personal guard, consisting of twenty guards, the unit's samurai commander, and a senior samurai that appeared to be some sort of observer, had been assigned to escort the Fire Lord's wife and his youngest daughter on a goodwill tour of Fire Country and a discreet diplomatic meeting. The fact that ninja, let alone a green genin team, had been assigned to supplement his more than adequate guard angered the samurai commander a great deal. As such, he had absolutely no qualms or regrets with assigning the ninja a task that would keep them out of sight and out of his hair.

As this was Naruto's first time having had any contact with actual samurai, the blonde shinobi was a bit curious. The fact that the samurai commander was a conceited jerk had done little to dampened Naruto's desire to learn more about them. Superficially, they appeared much as he had expected, clad in traditional armor and carrying the traditional blades of their order. The members of the guard were in fairly good shape from what Naruto could tell as they easily managed to keep pace with the carriage carrying the protectees.

Whenever the mission permitted, Naruto had observed the senior samurai with a mixture of curiosity and fascination. Hokage-jiji had said that fully trained samurai were capable of enveloping themselves in a cocoon disruptive to chakra that would nullify genjutsu and severely weaken ninjutsu. They were also skilled enough with a sword to give pause to even the most skilled taijutsu users.

Even Kakashi-sensei's and Sasuke-teme's sharingan would be near useless against a prepared samurai, as the chakra field and their chakra absorptive armor would severely weaken their ability to predict movement. It was a bit intimidating that the armored warriors seemed to possess the perfect counter to just about every shinobi technique.

The only silver lining in the equation is that, much as few ninja have the skills and the dedication to advance to jounin, few samurai ever advance to the level of master. Samurai trained for years to hone their weapon skills and their physical stamina. Master samurai were, by definition, the absolute masters of their craft; their training having an even higher failure rate than ninja training. Even without their chakra negation techniques, a samurai was still an almost tireless master swordsman equipped with a number of sword-based techniques similar to jutsu. In short, they were not opponents to be taken lightly.

XXXXX

A short distance ahead of the royal procession, the forest gave way to a small clearing that straddled the road. High grass swayed gently in a breeze for fifteen paces to each side of the road before it reentered the dappled shadows of the forest. While everything appeared peaceful and quiet, a closer examination of this clearing would have revealed the dull gleam of several strands of nearly invisible wire that crisscrossed the road between two sturdy trees.

The procession entered this clearing at a rapid pace, the commander seeing little point in wasting time plodding through the countryside when it would be far more impressive to deliver the Daimyo's wife and daughter to their hotel ahead of schedule. The commander's haste and failure to address the most basic principals of convoy defense would prove to be a fatal mistake.

The wire strands had been set up in such a way as to trip the first two horses in the carriage's team and decapitate them as they fell forward. While the wire didn't quite succeed in this regard, it fulfilled the intention of disabling the team admirably. The other horses in the carriage's team attempted to bolt as smell of blood washed over them. Other aspects of the ambush ensured that they didn't get far.

The forest surrounding the clearing instantly disgorged a flight of arrows and crossbow quarrels towards the royal escort. This attack coincided with a series of concussive explosions that ranged across the clearing, which further spooked the remaining horses and knocked several of the guards to the ground. Smoke and confusion reigned throughout the clearing that had been serene only seconds before.

The echoing thrum of the explosives had not even faded when a second flight of projectiles flew into the staggered and disoriented guards. A heavier, cracking sound and an impact that shook the ground signaled the falling of a tree across the road they had just passed.

A third flight of projectiles assaulted the group before an eerie stillness settled over the clearing. Master Yosho, who had had been a whirlwind of steel, deflecting both explosives and crossbow bolts from the royal carriage, calmly took stock of the situation despite the ringing in his ears.

His assignments throughout his years of service to the royal family had varied a great deal. He had been cast in the role of enforcer and executioner as well as guardian and protector. In his current assignment, he had been assigned to the royal escort, not at the commander or even a bodyguard, but as an observer assigned the task of evaluating the performance of an arrogant trainee. The task was especially irritating to the older man as practice dictated that he act solely as a spectator, allowing the trainee total control of the mission and free reign to screw up in just about every possible way.

Takakashi Hirohi, the particular moron he had been sent to watch, was somehow related to a powerful clan in southern Fire Country and had managed to parley that relationship into this assignment. Yosho's views on nepotism in the military had only been strengthened as he watched the inbred pimple screw things up from the very beginning of the mission. He managed to irritate the royal family by delaying the escort's departure. He managed to insult the men under his command by dressing some of them down before the royal family. He created further dissention by choosing to make the journey mounted, despite custom. The idiot's most obvious, and now perhaps fatal, blunder was to forgo the scouting patrols in favor a consolidated show of force.

Now, circumstances and the trainee's incompetence had turned what should have been a rather monotonous assignment into a dangerous situation for members of the royal family. About half the guard appeared to be seriously injured, with several of their number clutching their ears due to the concussive explosives. The mounted bastard himself appeared to be dead or unconscious, pinned beneath his motionless horse with at least one bolt imbedded in his worthless hide. Yosho absently noted that the warm liquid seeping from his own ear indicated that he had not escaped the ambush's initial shock without injury.

A voice with a cultured accent called out from the forest. "Surrender the passengers and we may let some of you live."

Yosho grimaced slightly as he managed to make out the leader's demands despite his injuries. 'They aren't willing to risk further fighting… Kidnapping… Whether happenstance or politically motivated, it is a well-planned ambush. The carriage's horses have been disabled and most of the guards are injured and disoriented. The coach is trapped and surrounded on both sides by an unknown number of assailants armed with explosives and crossbows.'

With the royal family in the carriage, he was tied to a single point of defense, totally lacking cover, while his opponent retained both freedom of movement and the enviable cover of the old growth forest. Even maintaining a standoff wasn't an option as he was unable to defend both sides of the carriage at once and he was uncertain if the other guards were in any shape to assist him in doing so. Although the royal coach was sturdy enough to withstand the arrows and quarrels, he was not sure it could handle another volley of explosives, especially if the bandits were carrying anything stronger than what they had used. In summary, his tactical situation sucked like hell.

While he was far from helpless, he options were limited. Over two decades as a samurai had left him with a good number of techniques that would take care of the bandits before him. The most certain technique in his arsenal for this purpose was Judgment's Blade, a wide area attack that would substantially reduce the old growth forest before him to kindling for about the one hundred feet from the tree line.

The problem with the technique is that it would leave him vulnerable for about four seconds. While seemingly an insignificant amount of time, on a battlefield it was nearly an eternity. There was also some doubt as to whether the bandits stationed on the other side of the carriage would bolt in response to the technique or attempt to destroy the carriage in blind panic.

The decision was further complicated by the fact that he was uncertain of the guards' situation on the other side of the carriage. The guards that were visible to him were not in good shape and it would be risky to entrust the royal family's safety to a bunch of injured, inexperienced kids.

'Screw custom and screw that insufferable Takakashi. Dead or alive, I am going flay his hide if even one of the princess's hairs in out of place.'

Just as he was preparing to unleash one of his most powerful techniques and hope for the best, a voice called from the baggage carriage. "Master Yosho, while I am sure that your men are more than capable of handling this situation, perhaps we could be of some assistance."

Yosho restrained himself from looking towards the baggage cart in surprise as he continued to eye the surrounding forest for movement. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he had, in the heat of the moment, forgotten about the shinobi team that the Daimyo had requested. Ordering them to guard the baggage and not to interfere with the escort in any way had been one of Takakashi's most blatant screw-ups. While Yosho had no love for shinobi, long years of service both in times of peace and war had taught him that they did have their uses.

'And while they are only a genin team, they do have a fairly experienced jounin as an instructor… If nothing else they will provide a distraction and buy me some time to come up with a better plan.'

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Yosho couldn't help the crooked humorless smile that appeared on his face as he eyed the surrounding woods. "Your assistance would be appreciated, Hatake-san."

Nodding absently in acknowledgement, Kakashi ordered, "Naruto, please take care of this. Sasuke, Sakura, guard the carriage."

With only a second's hesitation, Naruto leapt off the baggage carriage and appeared in front of the samurai, the slight bounce in his stance betraying his excitement.

From within the woods, the assumed bandit leader laughed loudly before continuing, "Do you hear that, guys? This kid is going to 'take care' of us."

A wave of muted chuckles from the concealed band greeted the comment before the leader continued, "I think that second-rate porn you were reading earlier has rotted your brain. Now, surrender the passengers and any valuables and no one else will be hurt."

Kakashi's visible eye narrowed slightly at the insult to his literature. The comment also proved that either they had been under surveillance or that there was a traitor in their ranks. The experienced jounin decided to simply focus on the matter at hand as he added, "Try to leave some survivors for questioning. But the primary goal is to ensure that our clients are not harmed."

Naruto, giving a slight nod in acknowledgement, decided to not take any chances as he unleashed the techniques he had been contemplating. With an explosion of earth, the clearing was filled with over one hundred Iwa Bunshins and a number of Kage Bunshins. The fight that followed was short, brutal, and bloody.

The Iwa Bunshins had barely cleared the ground as the Kage Bunshins unleashed barrages of Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu and Kage Shuriken into the encircling tree line. The forest clearing quickly filled with smoke and screams of intense agony as a ripple of secondary explosions indicated that the bandits had been armed with additional explosives. Those bandits that did not fall to the initial ninjutsu barrage, were stabbed, cut, and sliced by a rush of kunai wielding Iwa Bunshins.

While a couple of the bunshins fell as they were peppered with heavy crossbow bolts, the stone sentinels managed kill most of the bandits within the first twenty seconds of engaging them. The Kage Bunshins, who had fallen back to surround the carriage, continued to bombard the forest in support of the attacking Iwa Bunshins.

The bandits' screams hadn't even died down when a bark of laughter escaped from the battle hardened samurai. The man's deep resonating voice offered, "I like your style, gaki."

XXXXX

'The ambush was well thought out. Close to a major crossroad… A little under two days to the coast… With the simple foresight of having a ship ready to spirit the captives away or a secret way to cross the border, a simple escort mission could have resulted in one of the most serious diplomatic incidents in Fire Country's history. And, while the bandits may have overestimated the effect of their explosives, overall, their plan had been very solid. Of course, I would have put a couple more volleys of quarrels and explosives into the samurai before I began negotiations.'

Mentally shaking himself for his last thought, Kakashi continued, 'Despite the plan, it wouldn't have even been an issue if the samurai commander had allowed us to scout ahead.'

Mentally turning over his decision to hold his team back from the initial ambush, the perpetually late jounin reflected, 'While it may have been a small bit of vindictiveness, it was not petty… The commander's orders had been explicit… We were not to move from guarding the baggage cart without explicit permission… I wouldn't have put it passed the bastard to injure or even 'accidentally' kill one of my team and later claim that it had all be a grave mistake on our part since we had disobeyed a direct order.'

"Why the hell did you let Naruto handle the fighting? I could have taken care of the bandits myself." Kakashi, turning a page in his book as he led his team away from the village inn, sighed heavily as Sasuke finally unleashed the tirade that had been building all day. 'At least he waited until after we reached our destination for the day… Probably did not want to look like a petulant child in front of our clients… It is odd how he doesn't mind looking like an idiot in front of me or his teammates.'

Kakashi eventually responded, "Really? And how would you have handled approximately seventy bandits, who were armed with crossbows, explosives, and swords, all at once and still mange to protect our clients?"

Not waiting for a response, Kakashi snapped his book shut and turned to face his team now that they were a sufficient distance from the inn to gain a modicum of privacy. The set of his visible eye was stern as he surveyed each of his genin for a moment before he continued. "Well? Our instructions prevented us from scouting ahead and, because of the guard commander's stupidity, we waltzed straight into a well-prepared ambush. That doesn't change the fact that a well-armed force that had superior cover surrounded our clients with explosives and other weapons ready for use. How would you have 'taken care' of them by yourself?"

Not expecting an answer to the obviously rhetorical question, the jounin continued, "We are a team… We succeed as a TEAM or fail as a TEAM." Taking a second to reign in some of the more scathing comments that bubbled through his mind, Kakashi asked, "Have any of you really ever put any thought into what type of team we are?"

Observing the latent hostility in Sasuke's continence, the petulant pout in Sakura's, and the genuine curiosity in Naruto's, Kakashi continued, "Let us look towards your fellow rookies. Team Eight is obviously a tracking and reconnaissance team, relying on the tracking abilities of the Inuzuka, the reconnaissance abilities of the Hyuuga and Aburame clans, and the support of one of Konoha's preeminent genjutsu specialists. Team Ten's talents lend themselves to infiltration, intelligence gathering, and assassination. The unique jutsus and abilities of the Nara and Yamanaka clans are balanced with the brute force of the Akimichi and Sarutobi. What is our specialty? What is our strength?"

Sasuke's and Sakura's continences lost some of their hostility as the jounin allowed them to think about it for a bit. As the question had been rhetorical on the jounin's part, Kakashi continued, "We are an assault team. The typical three man assault team consists of two ninjutsu and/or taijutsu specialists and one genjutsu/support specialist. The two ninjutsu specialists are combat oriented, generally specializing to suit their strengths. The support specialist generally supports the others through the use of genjutsu, medical jutsu, and limited long-range attacks."

"While we are still training and specializing, the three of you are clearly falling into these roles. Having me assigned to this team as your jounin instructor also fits this classification due to my expertise in ninjutsu."

Addressing the resident blonde, the jounin emphasized, "Naruto, you are, obviously, a ninjutsu specialist. Your large chakra reserves and knowledge of Bunshin techniques contribute to the strength of your role."

Shifting his attention to the team's sole kunoichi, Kakashi continued, "Sakura, you are our support specialist. As your chakra stamina improves, you will learn more advanced genjutsu techniques and the basics of medical jutsu. This will enable you to support the team, whether in combat situations or should one of us become injured."

Focusing lastly on the Uchiha survivor, Kakashi decided to placate the stubborn genin's ego a bit to avoid any other tantrums. "You, Sasuke, are specializing in both ninjutsu and taijutsu with a particular emphasis in close quarters combat. Where Naruto is suited for mass combat, you, given your bloodline and your strength in taijutsu, are best equipped to handle powerful, individual threats."

Shifting his focus to once again encompass all three genin, Kakashi's voice took on a solid unrelenting quality. "As team leader, I made a command decision. It was clear from past experience that Naruto could easily handle the bandits. While these bandits were better armed and situated, it is the exact same task he handled in Wave and one that his strengths are uniquely suited for. My decision to commit Naruto left the three of us free to respond to any other threats or to offer assistance to our teammate if it was required."

Fighting the urge to punch something in frustration at having to explain such basic strategic concepts to his team, Kakashi continued, "When you are protecting a client, you need to consciously look underneath the underneath. You need to think of plans within plans and practice defense in depth. What would have happened if the bandits had been more skilled than they appeared or had simply been a diversion for a group of missing nin? Even morons like Gatou figured out that multi-wave attacks can wear down superior opposition."

Refocusing his attention on Sasuke, the perpetually late jounin continued, "As for 'why the hell I let Naruto handle the fighting'... Naruto is better equipped to deal with a large number of threats, given his chakra capacity and penchant of Bunshin jutsus. You are better suited for handling individual threats and close in protection. If anyone had broken through Naruto's defense, you would have been well placed prevent him or her from approaching our clients."

Try as he may, Kakashi could not keep all of the scorn from his voice as he concluded, "While this may not be the most glamorous of roles, something that you should realize is that a successful mission is more important than whether or not you look good while doing it. I am not going to endanger our clients just so that you can prove to yourself that you can defeat some untrained bandits. If you want to showboat, you can do so on your own time and not while on a mission."

XXXXX

Hasegawa Midori had always had a strong sense of herself. She knew that she was gifted with above average intelligence and a quick wit. She knew that her family was powerful and that nearly anything she could possibly want would be handed to her if she but asked. Despite this knowledge, she tried to ensure that it didn't go to her head.

Along these same lines, she knew she was pretty and would only grow more beautiful as she grew older. Her father had gifted her with her above average height; where as her high cheekbones and regal features came from her mother. Her mane of forest green hair, which set her apart from both of her parents and her siblings, had been inherited from her paternal grandmother.

While these aspects of her appearance contributed to her beauty, it was difficult to take pride in what nature had provided. Following this logic, Midori had always focused more on the aspects of her appearance within her control.

She had always strived to be the very picture of grace and beauty, as was expected of one of the Daimyo's daughters. Extensive training had enabled her to seemingly glide across the most uneven of surfaces. Countless lessons on decorum instilled her with a seemingly innate sense of propriety. Hours of instruction had also enabled the princess to effectively mask her emotions. While many these traits were expected, others also became obvious through careful observation.

The most surprising trait was that the princess's form and movements betrayed a far more athletic lifestyle then most would think to find in a young noblewoman. While she may have weighed a bit more than most of the flighty, half starved girls of the royal court, most of it was muscle that she had worked very hard to obtain. While she hoped that the coming years would supplement her rather modest bust, overall she was very proud of her slim, taut figure. In the privacy of her own mind, her favorite feature was how her long tapered legs transitioned into a rather well sculpted, if she did say so herself, butt.

Her body's slim, lightly muscled form was a rather welcome, but unintended, side effect of the Fire Princess's primary passion. Unlike many of the other girls of the court, she had little patience for playing games or gossiping about the 'strong and handsome warriors' that seemed to infest the palace. Her interests had always lain with the sword itself and not with how handsome the man or boy wielding it may have been.

Ever since she was but a young child, she had been fascinated by the feats performed by her father, her brother, and her family's retainers. She had spent countless hours watching the elaborate katas and graceful sparring matches that were common place in the palace's training yard. Of course, she had only been free to do so after attending to her other responsibilities, including the various etiquette and deportment lessons set up by her mother.

Despite some protests from her mother, Midori had been training with the sword alongside her family's retainers for over three years now. When she had asked to be taught the sword, her father had initially been reluctant to grant the request. While he had been certain that her request was simply a phase, he had also been worried that she would injure herself before it ran its course by not granting the training the attention it rightfully deserved. He had been both surprised and pleased with her initial and continued dedication to the art. While her position and responsibilities prevented her from undertaking the full breathe of the standard samurai training regimen, Midori devoted a great deal of her free time to the sword.

And, while Midori realized that she would never be a samurai due to her position, her training had provided her with a highly valued connection with both her father and her older brother. While her father had always been caring and attentive, their relationship had deepened a great deal with this connection. She had not asked for the training to please her father, but it was another rather pleasant side effect.

Having arrived at their accommodations for the evening, Midori, escorted Master Yosho and two other guards, decided to take a walk through town before the formal dinner with the town's council. Sitting in a dusty carriage all day, just to sleep in a dusty little village was hardly her idea of a vacation. The weather was a bit warm for this time of year, and the village inn had not been built with the ventilation in mind. It also frustrated her quite a bit that her mother had forbid her to train while on this trip.

Despite these irritations, the young girl's mood improved markedly as she moved about the village. The town was quaint. The small shops and the cobblestone streets contributed to the friendly feeling of the town. She had even been able to indulge in a red bean pastry of surprising quality at a local café. The sweet and flakey treat was a bit of a guilty pleasure of hers and it went a long way towards soothing her irritation with this whole trip.

As she walked away from the café and towards a large park, she came across one of the oddest things she had ever seen. There was really no other way to adequately describe seeing over fifty identically dressed individuals performing all sorts of activities. They all turned out to be copies of one of the shinobi assigned to escort her and her mother. That this was a shinobi technique should be have been obvious from the start as she had observed only a handful of blonde individuals in her whole life and the idea of fifty congregating in one place dressed in the same clothing didn't seem very likely.

The young girl's thoughts were broken when Master Yosho muttered, "Training with Kage Bunshin… Impressive." Hearing the grudging admiration in the master samurai's words, Midori's interest in the strange scene sharpened. After a moment of indecision, the young girl decided to give into her curiosity and padded silently towards a group of the young ninja to find out what they were doing. The copies of the blonde boy looked up from their work curiously, but didn't say anything.

Closer inspection revealed that the majority of them were reading various books and scrolls while twenty or so of their number engaged in more physical pursuits a short distance away. Of this second group, the majority of the copies seemed to be focused on a single individual, whom she rightly assumed to be the original.

Standing on his hands, the blindfolded boy seemed to be a statue amidst the clones circling him at several yards distance. It was only a moment before this odd tableau was broken by some unknown signal. It started off with a single throwing knife, but soon the copies surrounding him began to push him harder. In a flurry of motion, he began to dodge throwing knives and shuriken in an increasing complex manner. Rolling, jumping, spinning, he danced through the melee, spending far more time on his hands than on his feet. This kept up for thirty seconds of so before all the clones ceased their assault simultaneously, as if by some other predetermined signal.

The training exercise intrigued the princess. It was very different then her own as the vast majority of her training focused on various aspects of swordsmanship. Physically, her training concentrated on forms and stances, balance and stamina. Mentally, her training focused on visual observation, usually reading your opponents to anticipate their actions. This exercise appeared to revolve around sensing and avoiding attacks… without seeing them.

She had watched the master samurai train, but they never did anything like this. She was uncertain if this was typical of ninja training as the ANBU teams that attended her father were rarely seen. It was like some sort of weird, inverted gymnastics routine.

Curiosity once again in the forefront of her mind, Midori glided towards the group. Once again the copies did not say anything about her presence. If anything, they began to smirk when they noticed her approach of the one that was blindfolded.

The ring of copies broke at her approach only moments before an irritated inquiry arose from inverted teen. "Why does everyone seem intent on bothering me today? I am just training… It's not as if I am killing anyone."

Despite the mild annoyance and exasperation audible in the shinobi's voice, Midori couldn't help the flash of amusement she felt. It was always amusing to catch individuals off guard as it usually revealed something unintended. Her father often referred to unexpected as the ultimate trial as it tended to reveal both secreted truths and honest natures. "I apologize for my intrusion, but I am curious about what are you doing…"

In a remarkable show of balance and strength, the blonde boy remained inverted on one arm as he raised the other to remove his blindfold. As soon as he saw who was addressing him, he launched himself into the air, twisting until he landed on his feet facing her.

As this was the first time that Naruto had been this close to the Fire Princess, he took a moment to observe the girl standing before him. The blonde shinobi had to stifle a bit of irritation at noticing that she was taller than him despite his recent growth spurt. 'Why is it that every girl I meet seems to be taller than me?' This observation was especially painful, as she also appeared to be a year or two younger than him. Taking a second to look past this almost unforgivable blow to his self-image, the genin took in the rest of her appearance.

Her hair captured his attention for only a moment… it was green after all, but anyone spending even a small amount of time around Sakura's bubblegum pink tresses tended to take such things in stride. Her facial features appeared sharp, for lack of a better term, but she was very pretty. The blonde shinobi also observed that, while her face appeared to be set in a mask of cool indifference, her cinnamon eyes seemed to betray curiosity and amusement at having caught him off guard. He intelligently limited his visual inspection to her face, as ogling the princess seemed a good way to have find out exactly how quickly a pissed off samurai could kill a genin.

"I apologize for my rude comment, Hasegawa-sama." Naruto bowed, taking a moment to shoot an accusatory glare at the clones situated around the park. He barely refrained from cursing when some of them actually waved cheerily back at him in response. 'Sometimes my Kage Bunshins are just weird…' Rising, the blonde shinobi continued, "I was caught a bit off guard by your arrival."

Amused at his embarrassed reaction and the glares he was sending at his copies, Midori responded, "It is of no account. I am the one intruding on your training and caught you off guard."

Despite her words, the boy actually looked prepared to argue the point. Looking for something to allay this, she continued, "And as it is me intruding upon your personal time, there is no need to be so formal… You may call me Midori." The words escaped her mouth before she had processed his statement. 'Why did I grant this stranger the right to call me by my given name?'

This thought was quickly abandoned as the offer earned her a brilliant, knee-weakening smile and a grateful nod from the blonde boy. "Uzumaki Naruto, but I prefer Naruto."

Struggling for a second to find a topic of conversation, Midori blurted out the first thought that came to mind. "So what is the purpose of this exercise?"

Frowning slightly as he tried to explain the rather odd exercise he had constructed, Naruto responded, "It is a bit of a mixture… The blindfold and the kunai are an awareness exercise. The walking on my hands bit helps me improve my strength and balance."

"The balance aspect I can understand, as my tutors encourage me to perform similar exercises, obviously without the blindfold or throwing knives, to ensure proper fitness. Otherwise it looks pretty simple to me."

Shrugging his shoulders at this statement, Naruto looked around at the bunshins still surrounding the group. "It is not as simple as it looks as it is a bit tricky to not only sense the kunai, but to avoid them while maintaining that awareness. The weights that I am wearing also increase the difficulty of the exercise a great deal."

Frowning slightly at what she took to be a placating tone, Midori responded, "It still appears to be rather straightforward." Due to the experiences growing up as the Daimyo's youngest child, Midori had always been sensitive about being talked down to. A number of the trainees that she spared against during her lessons had learned that it was unwise to underestimate the Fire Princess.

The blonde shinobi tilted his head as he observed the girl that appeared to have been irritated by something he had said. "And I am not arguing that, Midori-hime. All I said was that the weights increase the difficulty." There was only a slight pause before the blonde shinobi inquired, "Would you like to try one out?"

The tone of the question was polite, but the challenge inherent in the question almost made Midori's tight nod a foregone conclusion.

Naruto unhurriedly removed one of his arm weights, unobtrusively drawing out the process and allowing the chakra in the weights to dissipate, before moving to attach them to the girl's offered arm. While this had been a rather odd conversation, the blonde shinobi was actually amused by the challenging stare she offered as he secured the leather straps of the weight.

Stepping back from the girl, Naruto began, "Five, four, three, two…," Naruto grinned broadly at the girl as he intoned, "One."

When he first started counting, Midori made to ask him what he was doing. A second later, the arm band began to increase in weight so much that she forced to adjust her stance to compensate. By the time shinobi had reached one, the girl had collapsed to the side, unable to move her arm even along the ground.

Seeing her collapse, two of her guards had made to rush forward before Master Yosho, who snorted slightly in amusement, signaled to remain where they were.

As Naruto made to help her to her feet, she caught sight of the warm smile he was giving her. "Sorry about that, Midori-hime. I have an odd sense of humor and I couldn't resist…"

Despite her shock, the princess did not fail to notice that he still wore the matching band on his other arm and wore two others attached to his ankles. While irritation should have resulted from such an action, the princess was genuinely intrigued. 'He's not afraid of me… He even played a joke on me…'

Looking at him in a new light, Midori tentatively offered, "It's alright… just don't do anything like that in front of my mother, or she will end up lecturing both of us on proper behavior."

XXXXX

Naruto left the park feeling quite pleased with how things were going. While the ambush had been unfortunate, it had been very beneficial event for the Konoha ninja. Personally, it had provided Naruto with a chance to burn off some energy and to try out some of the tactics he had been practicing since Wave. On a team level, Team Seven's treatment by the samurai had improved quite a bit in its aftermath. It also allowed Team Seven to escape the useless task of guarding the baggage cart in favor of acting as the scouts/roaming patrol they had been trained to be.

If that wasn't enough of a testament as to how things had improved over the past two days, the recently completed conversation with the princess had more than justified the etiquette lessons he had endured. At the very least, those lessons had prevented him from embarrassing himself too much in front of the princess and the samurai. In fact, the conversation with the Fire Princess had been far more relaxed and enjoyable than he had thought it would be. Musing over the past half an hour, the blonde shinobi couldn't help but smile broadly as he recalled Midori's surprised expression as she collapsed to the ground.

Buoyed by this new sense of optimism, Naruto decided to find some way to thank the girls for all the time they had taken out of their schedules to help him out. Arriving at the hotel, the blonde shinobi went in search of Kakashi-sensei for some advice. He found the lazy jounin easily enough as he was relaxing in their shared room. He looked even lazier than usual propped up against the wall with his ever-present orange book.

Seeing that his sensei wasn't doing anything important and that Sasuke-teme was not present, Naruto decided that now would be the perfect time to ask his question. Fidgeting a bit because he still didn't like asking others for help, Naruto cleared his throat. Kakashi shifted his attention from his book towards the young shinobi that had interrupted him. "Is there something I can help you with, Naruto?"

"Ano… I need some advice on something and I wanted to know if you could help." When Kakashi made an encouraging motion with his hand, Naruto continued, "How would you thank a girl for helping you?"

The question was apparently interesting enough to draw the jounin's eye from his reading material as he responded, "Well you could always just thank her, but I suspect that you want your appreciation to be a bit more substantial in nature." Naruto nodded, still fidgeting slightly while standing before his sensei.

Nodding with almost exaggerated thoughtfulness, the jounin began, "What is appropriate depends on your relationship with the girl. If you are friends, then you have a bit more leeway than if you are just passing acquaintances. In the case of a good friend, then you could get her a variety of things to show your appreciation. Flowers, candy, a favorite food, etc…"

The jounin gave a small shrug before continuing, "Personally, I have always preferred jewelry to flowers or candy. It is a bit more expensive, but it is far more durable and makes a better impression…, especially if you are able to personalize the gift to their personality or to the occasion. Then the recipient will hopefully think well of you and the occasion whenever they wear it. Of course, you may need to take additional factors into account… Are we talking about a civilian or a ninja?"

Turning over what his jounin instructor had said in his head, Naruto absently responded, "They are ninja." The admission caused Kakashi to look up from his book again, his eye crinkling with amusement.

"They? My, my… you certainly are ambitious, aren't you?" Kakashi watched in amusement as a brief flash of confusion passed over Naruto's face before the young man flushed rather violently for his tan complexion, finally having realized what the jounin was inferring.

Waiting half a beat, the perpetually late jounin continued, "Perhaps your exploits will be worthy of literary documentation one day." The older man accompanied this last statement with waving the book in his hand.

Naruto's eye twitched in irritation, as Kakashi's innuendo was far from subtle, especially given his current reading material. "It's not like that!"

Kakashi dismissively waved away Naruto's denials as he filed the piece of information away as fodder for future comments. 'Despite the headaches, sometimes I can really see the appeal of having a genin team.'

Smiling behind his mask at the potential teasing this conversation would generate, the jounin continued, "Now, now. There is no need to become so defensive. Just keep that in mind when purchasing your gift. Make sure that it is not too delicate and that it won't get in the way of their duties or normal activities."

XXXXX

Midori stared at the ceiling of her room, lost in thought as she had been for much of the preceding day. The blonde shinobi intrigued her. While he had treated her politely, it was without the false deference that she had long come to associate with life at court. After the initial awkwardness, he hadn't hesitated to talk with her. He had even felt comfortable enough to play a small prank on her. 'And he is pretty cute…' Her decision made, the young girl set off in search of her mother.

Finding her in the sitting room of their suite, Midori asked, "Mother, may I attend the festival?"

Her mother turned away from the scroll she was reading and gave her a quizzical look. "Of course you will be attending the festival. We will be guests of the city council."

Sighing in exasperation, Midori explained, "No, I mean can I attend the festival with everyone else? You know that I will be shuffled off to the side as soon as the introductions are done. If you were to make some excuse, I could at least enjoy…"

XXXXX

Festivals were always a busy time for the town, with merchants and farmers coming into the town proper from near and far. The locals looked forward to the festivals as a time to unwind, while merchants and shop owners looked forward to the increase in their business. Of course, less savory characters also looked forward to the festivals for the opportunities they provided…

Kyojo had always enjoyed festivals, both for the festivals themselves and the after hour festivities that he and his friends had come to enjoy over the past couple of years. While Yusuke had always been the ringleader of their little group, even when they were kids, Kyojo had always been right in the middle of the action. Their small band had been in and out of trouble for over a decade, initially nothing serious enough to cause problems, but enough to give them a sense of camaraderie.

Luckily, their childhood antics had also been minor enough that they had been able to join the city's garrison when they became of age. Despite their new profession, the group's schemes had not been abandoned; they had simply evolved with the group's interests. Instead of distracting a storeowner to steal some candy or scheming to acquire an illicit magazine, their plans had taken on a far more risky and risqué context in recent years.

The basic festival plan itself was fairly simple. First, Yusuke would select a suitably attractive girl, with preferences to girls visiting the village that appeared rich, naïve, and sheltered. Second, the group would develop some context to remove the spoiled rich girl from her inevitable escort's presence. This was accomplished fairly easily, in many instances with the girl's assistance, as Yusuke had a gift for selecting targets where a much disliked guard or underling had been set by the girl's father to watch them.

Third, once the escort was safely removed, the young garrison members would offer to show the young woman around the town, eventually offering the girl some libations containing a fairly strong additive that just happen to result in her extreme inebriation. And finally, out of the goodness of their hearts, the group would offer the girl a quiet place for her to 'sleep' it off so her father wouldn't find out about her drinking.

The remarkable thing to Kyojo was that this idiotic scheme actually worked. In fact, over the past couple of years it had worked remarkably well. 'Between the sheltered lives that these spoiled, rich girls lead and their shame of what happens…' Kyojo shrugged, managing to suppress an amused smirk as he returned to the present.

Quickly scanning the crowd, Kyojo returned to watching the current target and her escort with a wary eye. While their little deception had worked well in the past, something told him that this particular endeavor would not turn out well. On the surface, there was little to arouse suspicion. The fact that the boy was a guard and not some sort of boyfriend or escort was revealed by the lesser quality of his clothing when compared to that of girl and the visible distance they maintained as they toured the festival. 'But something about their interaction tells me that she will not be of assistance in the guard's removal.'

Glancing over at his friend, he found Yusuke watching the pair with an odd smile on his face. Kyojo stifled a sigh. 'He always develops a one track mind when anticipating the results of this particular scheme.'

Kyojo glanced back at the couple and the feeling of dread returned. 'It is something in the eyes…' The boy smiled and laughed… he was attentive to the girl on his arm, but the expressions never reached his eyes. Their expression was set… always moving, always scanning his environment.

They didn't linger on his date or the other attractive girls the walked past… They didn't focus on the shiny baubles being sold or the various foods being served. They seemed to simply absorb everything. They panned the couple's surroundings regularly and indifferently, even flickering towards the rooftops of the buildings along the street. This was not a simple merchant's guard.

The boy's stride was even worse. Since he was a young boy, Kyojo had always paid a great deal of attention to the various warrior classes that passed through his village. From the illiterate levees that were drafted into the Daimyo's army to the elite samurai that trained for decades, he studied their every movement.

This boy's gait was not the plodding step of some farmer's son turned guard… nor was it the even march of a soldier or the smooth stride of a swordsman. It was a measured step… slow but confident… as if the boy was prepared for just about anything to jump out from around the corner. The closest thing that Kyojo could think of was the gait of a skilled criminal, aware that the garrison was on his trail and could be waiting around the corner in ambush.

XXXXX

After hearing about the princess's desire to attend the festival, Kakashi-sensei had been quick to volunteer his team for guard duty, indicating that they could remain inconspicuous with one member for close in support with himself and the other two genin stationed nearby. Given the parameters, the blonde shinobi had mentally prepared himself for an evening of watching Sasuke sulk and scowl throughout the festival while listening to Sakura rant about how the princess had better keep her grubby paws off her Sasuke-kun.

It had been oddly satisfying to observe his team's shock at Midori stating that she wanted him to be her escort for the evening. Admittedly, he had been a bit dumbfounded himself that his company would be preferred to that of the emo-teme, but his own confusion had been more than worth it for observing the pole-axed expressions of his fellow genin.

And so Naruto found himself dressed in his best clothing, sans hai-ate, escorting the princess under the watch of Team Seven and at least one of the samurai.

The circumstances left Naruto both happy and slightly unbalanced about his current mission. His sense of unease at his role had nothing to do with Midori… It wasn't as if guarding/escorting the Fire Princess was distasteful or anything. Sure the girl was a bit intimidating, but their conversation at the park had been pretty interesting. In addition, it was a… pleasant thought that a girl near his age would actually choose his company over that of Sasuke.

Throughout their time at the Academy, Sakura and the rest of the Uchiha Sasuke Fan Club, trademark pending, had made it perfectly clear to him that all girls would prefer drooling over the Uchiha heir to just about any other activity.

'Well… I guess that doesn't apply to all girls. While we have never talked about it, Haku-chan seems to share my views on Sasuke-teme.' After another moment, the blonde shinobi mentally added, 'Hinata-chan also never seemed to obsess over the emo-teme like the other girls at the Academy…' Smiling slightly to himself, Naruto concluded, 'Maybe some girls are sane after all.'

'No, Midori isn't the problem…' The source of his discomfort was the festival he was being forced to attend. There wasn't a festival that he could remember that hadn't resulted in him being miserable and/or injured in some form or fashion. Throughout his childhood, festivals, even those unrelated to the Kyuubi's defeat, had resulted in unpleasant consequences if he tried to participate.

And so the blonde shinobi warily watched the crowd as the festival goers moved about them. Small booths offering a variety of foods, toys, and souvenirs lined the broad streets. Colorful lanterns bobbed gently overhead, already hung in preparation for the night to come. The low murmur of adult conversations was interspersed with the excited screams and laughter of small children. Bursts of applause seemed to follow the various performers and artists that circulated amongst the crowd.

Something about the situation simply put him on edge. It took him several minutes to realize what it was… It was the simple fact that no one was looking at him.

In Konoha, he was known far and wide as the 'demon boy' or some other variation of this designation. His one other experience outside of Konoha had turned out to be its own form of torture, as it had been increasing difficult to ignore the hushed whispers and gawking stares had followed him throughout the last few days of his mission in Wave.

But, as far as anyone in this town was concerned, he was simply another teenager attending the festival. Having foregone his forehead protector and any visible weapons for the evening, he wasn't even differentiated from the rest of the crowd as a shinobi. There was no anger or suspicion… There was no awe or wonder… Anonymity… It was a novel experience for the young shinobi. He doubted he would have lasted five seconds at a Konoha festival without experiencing a hateful glare or a drunken assault.

A brief scowl settled on his face before he suppressed the expression. 'I won't let those bastards ruin this festival for me. These people don't care who I am and are only interested in having a good time.' And so the young shinobi decided to dismiss the past from his mind and focus on the present.

The laughter and the cheerful atmosphere eventually overcame his unease. After awhile, he fell into watching the crowd with a slightly wistful look. He watched as groups of friends, families of all sizes, and couples, young and old, milled about; all seemingly intent on sampling everything the festival had to offer.

He actively attempted to rectify his initial reluctance by making the most of the festival. He sampled some of the treats being sold and tried his hand at some of the games. He watched a short puppet show at the Fire Princess's request and listened in amused silence as Midori later expounded on the subtleties of some form of pastry. But, while the young shinobi began to enjoy himself, he didn't allow himself to become complacent. As they made their way amongst the festival patrons, Naruto was constantly scanning the crowd.

About two or so hours into the evening, the familiar feeling of being watched washed over the blonde shinobi. While he didn't catch anything when he first looked around, he couldn't escape the feeling that there was something out of place about the milling throng of villagers. For better or for worse, years of being hunted through the streets of Konoha had granted Naruto an acute awareness of crowds.

It was odd that he could not immediately put his finger on what caused this feeling, but he didn't ignore it as his instincts had helped him avoid countless problems in the past. Leading Midori to a nearby game stall, Naruto signaled the Kage Bunshins planted throughout the area as he unobtrusively scanned the crowd. His attention eventually fell on three individuals in garrison uniforms loitering nearby. Casual observation found that they were watching Midori and him with an uncomfortable amount of focus, almost to the exclusion of everyone else. The conclusion sent his mind spinning.

'Assassins? Kidnappers? Thieves? Or am I simply jumping to conclusions?'

Naruto, observing the three individuals for sudden movements, unobtrusively signaled Team Seven and the accompanying Kage Bunshins of the problem. One of the surrounding Kage Bunshins dispersed, informing him that much of his parameter guard was now observing the probable confrontation.

Placing a hand in the small of her back to lead the Fire Princess to a more open area, Naruto whispered, "There are a couple of guys watching us… Stay close." Casually leading Midori towards a relatively empty intersection, Naruto sensed the three 'garrison' members approaching them.

Turning towards the approaching group, Naruto noted that the three appeared to be a couple of years older than him and possessed an unusually confident swagger for being part of the garrison of a modest village. The apparent leader of the three possessed the same type of bishonen looks that made Sasuke's fangirls swoon. It would be fair to say that Naruto's experience with Sasuke had ingrained an instant dislike of all bishonen pretty boys into his personality.

The leader of the group turned towards Midori, flashing an oily smile towards her, as he began, "I am sorry to disturb your evening, but it is our responsibility to protect all those attending the festival. A pretty, young woman such as yourself needs to be careful with whom you associate… It would not do for you to fall in with the wrong sort."

The leader turned towards Naruto and continued, "I am afraid that there have been a number of thefts this evening and you fit the suspect's description. Please surrender yourself into our custody while this matter is investigated." The falsely apologetic tone grated on the young shinobi, but he managed to remain passive.

Naruto almost gawked as the man seemingly dismissed him and began to scrutinize Midori. While the action differentiated him from the brooding Uchiha, who had never really expressed any interest in the opposite sex, it did little to calm the young shinobi. In fact, the rather lascivious smile he wore as he mentally undressed the Fire Princess caused Naruto's uncertainty to be replaced by anger.

After the rather unsubtle inspection, the leader shifted his attention towards Naruto again and condescendingly added, "Don't worry about your friend. We will ensure that the young lady enjoys the rest of her evening and is safely escorted her back to her hotel."

One of the men moved forward, reaching towards Midori as if to lead her away, while the other appeared to be waiting to escort Naruto away with his hand resting arrogantly on the hilt of his sword.

Naruto's response was quick and sure, disabling all three of the garrison members in the blink of an eye. Stepping towards the middle of the three thugs, the blonde shinobi buried his fist in the lead bastard's stomach with a surprising amount of force. The thug on the left was on the receiving end of an equally sharp blow to his throat while the one on the right received a rather brutal kick to his knee. Amidst the disturbance, Sakura and Sasuke appeared behind the garrison with Sakura signaling that Kakashi-sensei was above them.

The crowd seemed to surge away from the confrontation for a few paces before curiosity caused a small but distinct bubble of onlookers to form a shell around the disabled garrison members.

Naruto was about to lead Midori away when another garrison member shoved his way through the crowd, apparently missing the presence of Sasuke and Sakura as he marched towards Naruto and the downed garrison members, demanding, "What is going on here?"

Gasping for air, the apparent leader of the patrol struggled to rise as he responded to the garrison sergeant slowly. "We observed this boy picking the pockets of a number of festival goers. When we confronted him, he caught us off guard and attacked us. We were about to respond when you arrived."

Naruto watched the recovering band with thinly disguised disgust. 'As if these bastards could 'respond' to a six year old…'

Midori, outraged that these morons had not only ruined her evening but also continued to spread blatant lies about her and her escort, spoke up, "He did no such thing! We were enjoying the festival until these three idiots began harassing us with false charges and lecherous looks. These three are an embarrassment to their uniforms and if you don't do something about it, I will see you all drawn up on charges."

The sergeant visibly twitched as the young woman's exclamation caused a wave of murmurs to wash through the crowd, managing to draw even more attention to the gathering. The sergeant looked around, beginning to sweat a bit as he remembered the garrison commander's threat of dire consequences if anything disrupted the festival. 'That hard-nosed bastard will skin me alive… I can't deal with this now.' Coming to a hasty decision, the garrison sergeant turned towards the patrol and pronounced, "Take them both into custody and we will straighten this out in the morning."

To his surprise, the suspected pickpocket spoke up, "That is not going to happen. We were minding our own business until your thugs began harassing us. Now that they have been taken care of, we will be leaving."

The sergeant may have had doubts about the situation, but you couldn't simply ignore a direct order from a member of the village garrison. Squaring his shoulders, the sergeant rather pompously declared, "Resisting arrest is a serious offence. Come quietly and you will not be harmed." The sergeant and the recovered patrol seemed to reach for their weapons as one, their hands prepared to grasp the hilts of their swords.

Again, Naruto's response was instantaneous. As soon as the sergeant and the garrison members had moved towards their weapons, ten Iwa Bunshins rose from the ground, surrounding and restraining the patrol and the sergeant. Naruto shifted the Fire Princess behind him towards several more of the bunshins. Naruto split his attention between the garrison members and the surrounding crowd as he stated, "I don't know who you are, but if you attempt to draw your weapons, you will regret it."

A shiver passed through the sergeant as he easily recognized the apparitions as a shinobi technique. The polite but confident mask the boy had been wearing had fallen away to reveal a face seemingly cut from stone. He met a pair of eyes that stared through him as if he wasn't there. 'This boy is a shinobi… a true killer…'

Slightly panicked by this revelation, the sergeant's gaze shifted towards the girl that was now hidden from view, remembering the fine cut of her kimono and the expensive ornament that held her hair. A sudden chill ran through the middle aged man as he thought, 'Why does this girl have a shinobi escort?'

"Is there a problem here?" The sergeant's thoughts were broken by the quiet, but firm inquiry. Shifting his gaze towards the questioner caused the chill he had been feeling to become a fist of ice in the pit of his stomach. The sudden appearance of a samurai in full armor seemed to tug at something in his mind, leading him to unsettlingly accurate conclusion. 'Ninja are one thing, but to have a samurai guardian…'

Before he could formulate a response, that idiot, Yusuke, decided to respond out of turn. "No, sir. This couple was causing a disturbance and attacked our patrol. We were about to take them into custody." The sergeant raged internally at the moron's arrogant smirk as he haughtily addressed what could be their executioner.

The samurai calmly passed his eyes from the restrained patrol over to the couple and inquired, "What type of disturbance were they causing?"

The sergeant could only watch in horrified fascination as the samurai's emotionless mask hardened as the explanation was provided. The samurai's response was like the biting wind of deep winter. "Allow me to be perfectly clear… You are accusing the royal princess and her escort of petty theft? And you intend to take her into custody for questioning?"

The sergeant's knees nearly buckled when the samurai confirmed his worse fears. Ignoring the now paling garrison members and rising murmurs from the crowd, the samurai intoned, "Princess?"

Midori, who had been glaring at the garrison members from behind Naruto's Bunshins, stepped forward and turned her attention towards the samurai as she responded, "Master Yosho, we were enjoying the festival until these three thugs stopped us. They were abusing their position with the garrison in hopes of isolating me from Uzumaki-san … If I had to guess, they were planning to take advantage of me. They were just an annoyance until one of them attempted to lay a hand on me. Uzumaki-san stopped them."

Nodding slowly, as if he had not observed the incident, Yosho turned towards the sergeant, his face once again taking on the stony expression he had been wearing, as he blatantly ignored the gibbering of the patrol. His voice didn't rise in volume, but the command inherent in the tone caused the sergeant to straighten even further. "Sergeant, it would seem that you need to instill a better sense of discipline in those under your command. Please conduct this patrol to your commanding officer. I expect a proper investigation into their conduct; one that will verify if they planned to abuse their positions for objectionable purposes. If that turns out to be the case…" The samurai absently caressed the hilt of his sword. "I expect them to be punished accordingly."

XXXXX

Sakura absentmindedly scrubbed herself with a washcloth as she reflected on the escort mission as a whole. While she hadn't exactly had high expectations for this trip, she had at least hoped that it would turn out to be better than Wave. But that hope had turned out to be overly optimistic. 'It is the same… Naruto is once again acting like the intolerable moron that he is. Kakashi-sensei continues to be an unreasonable and irresponsible pervert. Worst of all is that Sasuke-kun is becoming more and more frustrated by the unfair treatment he receives.'

Sakura washed herself off with a bucket of warm water, taking a moment to wrap herself in a towel, before exiting the washing area for the inn's hot springs. Her motions had been absentminded, almost listless, until she observed Hasegawa Midori already enjoying the spring's waters. While the Fire Princess did not acknowledge her presence in anyway, the young woman attending the princess eyed her warily. The level of scrutiny she was receiving from the woman made her feel a bit uncomfortable as she was only dressed in towel.

Just as the pink haired kunoichi was about to forego the hot springs for the evening, the Fire Princess took note of the new entrant and spoke. "You are free to join me if you wish. One of the primary benefits of a public hot spring is the companionship you tend to find."

Absently noting that the girl had decided to stay, Midori closed her eyes, shifting slightly as she slid a bit deeper into the water. She simply adored hot springs in general and this one seemed particularly pleasant after the festival. Flexing languidly in the barely tolerable heat, she silently luxuriated as the water soothed the tension in her body.

The evening had been pleasant, despite the encounter with the village's garrison. While it had taken a bit of cajoling to convince her mother had agreed to her idea, it had been more than worth the effort. The festival had been a breathe of fresh air, as the opportunity to simply be normal occurred so rarely in her life. At home, her every movement was planned and monitored… Freedom was such a rare occurrence that she valued each and every instance. This particular evening had been filled with sights and sounds that she had only read about… 'The games and the puppet show… Such simple, normal things…'

Of course, some of the evening's happenings had been anything but normal. 'Stay close…' The simple phrase had sent a shock through her system for a reason she really couldn't discern. It had thrilled and excited her… And yet had made her feel safe. It had been a… unique experience.

Despite her pleasant reflections, her enjoyment of the springs began to lessen as the girl that had joined her began shifting about. Opening an eye to find the girl watching her with an expression that was somehow both nervous and determined, Midori's mood soured a bit more. Seeming to forget her earlier welcome, the Fire Princess asked, "Is there something you want to ask, or do you enjoy fidgeting about while others are trying to relax?"

Sakura colored slightly with embarrassment that she had been read so easily. "I apologize for disturbing you, Hasegawa-sama. I mean no disrespect, but I wanted to know… why did you choose Naruto?"

Smiling at the predictable nature of the girl's question, Midori decided to be obtuse. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Ano… why did you choose him when…"

The girl's antics had been amusing to watch from a distance, and were even more so up close. Despite everything she had heard and observed about the much acclaimed ninja of Konoha, the kunoichi before her appeared to lack any sort of subtly and completely failed at hiding her thoughts or feelings.

Deciding to have a bit of fun and avoid the girl's verbal stumbling, Midori interrupted, "Ah… Why did I choose Uzumaki-san as my escort when I could have had THE Uchiha Sasuke as my date?"

Sakura had to bite her tongue to cut off a harsh reply. While it was difficult to ignore the derision and sarcasm practically dripping from the later half of the question, but there was little to be gained from snapping at the Fire Princess. Passive observation throughout the mission had led Sakura to conclude that under the princess's shallow, somewhat snobbish exterior lay a sharp, vindictive mind.

Midori canted her head to the side as she observed the pink haired girl with an unreadable expression. Sakura felt a slight shiver as that gaze settled on her. If it wasn't for the obvious physical differences, Sakura could almost imagine that Ino was behind that disconcerting gaze, observing her and dissecting her every thought as it passed through her mind. The princess watched her silently for almost a minute before asking, "You really don't understand boys too well, do you?"

The Fire Princess couldn't help but smirk at the angry flush that passed over the kunoichi's visage as she bit back her response.

A slight clearing of Shina's throat caused the smirk to vanish. The noise, however subtle and slight, had been her attendant's way of saying that baiting the other girl was unbecoming her station. Blushing slightly at the reprimand from her close attendant, Midori thought, 'While she may be right, something about this girl rubs me the wrong way. I will simply answer her question… if she ends up taking offense, then it is her own fault.'

With a drawn out sigh, Midori closed her eyes again and slid into the water a bit further. "Arrogant, pretentious, moody, brooding… these are not attractive characteristics to have in an escort, a boyfriend, or a potential husband."

A sardonic smile crossed the princess's continence as she continued, "I have been surrounded by such individuals my whole life. Such individuals have been raised from birth to believe that they are special, that they are better than those around them. Most are lazy, craven, and woefully ignorant of the world around them, preferring to slip through life by living off the hard work of others and basking in the glory earned by their ancestors. Despite their pretentions, it is clear that they lack the ambition, bravery, and loyalty that made their families great."

"Even those that are raised as warriors and soldiers are convinced that their heritage or wealth entitles them to rule over those around them while remaining unaware of the responsibilities that attend such status. While I will admit that I may demonstrate some of these failings from time to time, I am well aware that my life is not a life of privilege, but a life of service."

Opening her eyes, Midori found the pink haired girl watching her with an uncharacteristically patient expression. "One of your teammates seems to possess this sense of entitlement, demonstrating a heighten sense of arrogance and a general distain for those around him. As I stated before, these are not desirable traits to have in a companion. Your other teammate appears to demonstrate a different set of qualities…"

Sakura watched in silent fascination as a soft smile settled on the other girl's face as she closed her eyes again. The soft expression had the effect of transforming the normally haughty girl's features into something completely different.

"While I was touring a village a couple of days ago, I came across an interesting sight. It was simple happenstance that I wandered into the park while Uzumaki-san was training, but it was quite remarkable all the same. There were probably fifty or so clones scattered throughout the park. While he and some of the clones were engaged in katas or other shinobi exercises, others were reading books on business and economics or practicing mathematics and calligraphy."

The soft smile took on an almost rueful expression as the princess continued, "I decided to investigate further and ended up suffering a bit of embarrassment. Despite this, it occurred to me that I had found something truly unique… I had found an individual driven enough to strive for something beyond his profession… an individual that possessed a desire to improve himself beyond his current circumstances."

The Fire Princess fell silent for a moment before she continued, "While we conversed, I realized that found something even more unique. Most boys that I talk with attempt to impress me. Whether it is their family's wealth and position or their individual deeds and accomplishments, most boys tend to talk about themselves a great deal in order to curry favor or interest…. It is something that I have come to expect, but… He didn't even try."

"Even when I asked about his current mission, he talked about how he liked seeing new places, what he thought of the capital, and his disappointment that he hadn't been able to learn more about the samurai he had heard so much about. He didn't even mention what happened with the bandits."

"Instead of an arrogant braggart, I discovered Uzumaki-san to be a person willing to put aside pretense and enjoy himself... a person that could be described as cheerful and possessing… an interesting sense of humor. Further, I found a person willing to look past my family and see me for who I am. Admittedly, I did not expect to find such a person on this trip and I decided to use the festival as a chance to get to know him better."

Sakura watched as the small smile that the Fire Princess had been wearing slid from her face as she fell silent. The green haired girl opened her eyes again and simply stared into the distance for a moment before she concluded, "My life is a life of service… My father will likely arrange for my marriage within the next couple of years. While my father will not choose a man unfit to be my husband, there is little chance that the match will be for love or of my choosing."

Midori shifted her attention towards the other girl, preparing to leave after this last statement. "Knowing this and to answer your question, I would rather spend my time with someone worthy of my attention as opposed to someone who demonstrates a large number of obvious personality flaws."

XXXXX

Temari for lack of a better term was bored… bored out of her mind. The young Suna kunoichi was currently sitting quietly in the corner of the private dining room, eating her meal while observing three nobles doing the same in the center of the room. Her assignment to this mission was a bit of a fluke.

The requested escort mission had required kunoichi to assist in the protection of the Wind Daimyo's wife in more intimate settings, such as while she bathed and rested in her quarters. But due to the nature of the intense and brutal training instituted by the Kazekage, her 'loving father' or the heartless bastard depending on if she was feeling sarcastic or not, to increase the quality of Suna's individual ninja, Suna kunoichi were few and far between.

Thus Temari, a mere genin, found herself temporarily reassigned to a more experienced team as Kankuro's crass nature and Gaara's bloodlust made them ill suited for diplomatic escort duty. While she was enjoying the respite from the constant tension that naturally came from being in close quarters with her brothers, she was beginning to feel rather lonely.

Her fellow Suna shinobi on this assignment were polite enough but had been acting rather distant around her. She assumed that this treatment had to do with her relation to Gaara as being related to what many considered to be the 'Scourge of Suna' tended to have a negative impact on one's social life.

While she was used to feeling somewhat alienated from her fellow ninja, she usually had Kankuro or Baki-sensei around to commiserate with. But eight days into this mission, the pretentious and stilted conversations were beginning to wear on her. Hence the boredom and the slight irritation that she couldn't seem to shake.

This meal was just one of many that she had been forced to silently sit through as they had made their way towards Fire Country. This particular restaurant was rather nice, the atmosphere pleasant without being overly pretentious. As seemed to be the custom, the nobles had been provided with a private dining room in which to hold their discussions.

The layout was fairly straight-forward: the main table sat in the center of the dining room with individual tables situated in each of the room's corners. At each of the individual tables sat a ninja, two from Konoha and two from Suna. These tables were canted towards the center of the room so that the ninja would be well positioned to observe their charges as well as the opposing shinobi. Two samurai also sat behind their charges, abstaining from the meal while seeming to meditate silently.

Overall, the set up made for a rather dull meal, as she was too far from any of the others, especially any of the other ninja, to even consider having a conversation. Not that it would have made much difference in any case. Her fellow Suna kunoichi, a relatively young chuunin, had made it clear throughout the mission that she had little interest in conversation. The pink-haired kunoichi directly across the room seemed a bit too concerned about her looks and one of her teammates to be a descent conversationalist in any event.

Glancing towards the other Konoha shinobi caused her irritation to rise. Prior to the first meeting between the Wind and Fire Country nobles, she had been briefed on the Konoha ninja team that had been assigned to the mission. The only two that had been assigned a name had been Hatake Kakashi, the renowned Copy-nin, and Uchiha Sasuke, the last scion of the Uchiha Clan.

The other two team members had simply been noted as clanless ninja of little talent or consequence. Given that note and her confirming observations about the pink-haired kunoichi, Temari had been inclined to dismiss the blonde as a non-entity, especially after seeing him standing beside his dark-haired teammate. While cute, he did not look particularly strong or intimidating and always seemed to have a smile plastered across his face. He was the very picture of a cheerful idiot.

As the day continued, Temari was forced to admit that her initial assessment might have been a bit premature. At first, her attention had focused on him as she had spotted a couple of solid blonde bunshins circling their group as the toured the city.

After about a half hour of discreet observation, the Suna kunoichi was willing to admit to herself that there was simply something about him that made her feel a bit uneasy. It wasn't the overwhelming killing intent of her brother or the easy assurance of Baki-sensei or some other jounin. But there was something… just beyond her senses that warned her against dismissing the blonde.

Taking in her observations and knowing that her father was planning for her team to attend Konoha's Chuunin Exam in the coming months, the blonde kunoichi decided that this was the perfect opportunity to see if all those seduction classes she had been forced to attend in the academy had been worth her time.

While it was a bit of a snap decision, she had no plans of taking it too far and she may gain a bit of insight into Konoha and the opponents that her team could face in the upcoming Chuunin Exams. Besides, he was cute and it would be an amusing training exercise to entrap the Konoha shinobi within her web, only to crush his illusions later on.

And so, she attempted to capture his interest... attempted being the operative word. A couple of lingering glances and shy smiles made no impression on the blonde shinobi as far as she could tell… Three attempts at conversation had also been brushed aside. It wasn't long before Temari's ire towards the blonde shinobi begun to rise in spectacular fashion at having been passed over so casually.

While Suna ninja and villagers alike would give her a wide berth due to her relation to Gaara, she had received a number of appreciative glances and even some invitations to dinner while in the field. She would never admit it to anyone, but the fact that he had simply ignored her without even a second glance stung her ego quite a bit.

Glancing towards the Leaf shinobi sitting in the corner to her right caused her determination to harden, despite her irritation.

Shifting her kimono, Temari situated herself in such a way as to accentuate her form to maximum effect beneath her formal clothing. Arching her back and placing a slight smile on her face, she waited for him to notice. She couldn't help but observe him eating the ramen that he had specifically requested the staff of the restaurant to prepare. It seemed a bit strange to come to a restaurant such as the one they were sitting in and request a dish that could be acquired in just about any street side stand.

She had nothing against the dish itself. In fact, she was known to enjoy ramen quite often in Suna, especially during the cooler months of the year. The problem was that he seemed to be devoting his whole attention to the dish in front of him. Temari was beginning to grow impatient, but soothed her irritation by telling herself that he would finish sooner or later and then her fun would begin.

And then came the moment of truth… Having finished his bowl, he glanced around the room, first focusing on the nobles' table, then shifting his attention towards each of the room's other occupants. The level of attention that was paid to her was neither more nor less than he paid to any other person in the room.

After taking a deep, but inaudible breath; she ignored this additional blow to her self-esteem for the moment. Well aware that she was attractive, the Suna kunoichi quickly determined that the problem must lie with him. 'Either he is gay or one of densest men on the planet… Either way, I'll teach the bastard not to ignore a Suna kunoichi…' Shifting her kimono again to reveal an almost indecent amount of skin, even compared to her normal attire, she coughed softly, drawing his attention once more.

He sat staring at her, his mouth slightly agape. Smiling sweetly at him, Temari observed the server bring out the Konoha shinobi's second helping of ramen and setting it before him. 'Perfect. This will teach him to pass me over.' While continuing to smile at him, Temari made a rather rash decision, especially considering the foreign ninja and samurai in the immediate area, and prepared to use her second favorite weapon, obviously after her fan.

Of the three basic shinobi weapons, only one appealed to Temari. Shuriken relied upon their rotation and sharpened edges to tear into their targets. Kunai are often used to slash or stab an opponent during combat. Both relied primarily on blunt trauma and were extremely messy.

Senbon needles, on the other hand, were a different story altogether. A single senbon directed to a precise location of the body could be more effective than a host of shuriken or kunai. When in the hands of a master, senbon needles were elegant, precise, and effective. 'What more could a girl desire in a weapon?'

While this had not been her original intention, this should serve as an object lesson for the dense shinobi to not ignore an attractive girl. With this last thought, Temari unleashed a single senbon needle towards the ceiling of the restaurant. The needle impacted with and was deflected by one of the light fixtures there. It resumed it journey on a downward trajectory towards where the blonde shinobi was sitting.

The senbon needle hit its target, which happened to be the newly delivered bowl of ramen. Due to the needle having impacted the upper lip of bowl's interior, the senbon's impact caused the bowl's steaming contents to be upended into the blonde shinobi's lap. This was followed shortly by a bout of swearing by the blonde ninja as he stood abruptly in an attempt to remove the near scalding liquid from his skin.

This spectacle was greeted by a flurry of movement from the restaurant's staff, inaudible murmurs from the nobles, and stony silence from the room's guardians. The blonde shinobi flushed in both anger and embarrassment as he attempted to clean his kimono with some napkins. After he settled down, the blonde ninja sent Temari a scathing look, to which she responded to with a small wave.

A few minutes after the ramen incident, Temari's battle fan, which had been unobtrusively resting immediately behind her in the corner of the room, suddenly fell towards her without apparent cause. The fan impacted Temari's right shoulder before continuing forward, eventually upsetting the small table in front of her, causing its contents to be catapulted in her direction.

Temari's eyes closed as a reflex and she gasped in shock. Luckily, Temari had almost completed her meal, but she was still reluctant to examine the damage that had been done to her formal outfit. Slowly, she opened her eyes and found that she was covered in the remains of her tea and had pieces of rice scattered all over her.

Seeing that she was now the center of attention, she apologized profusely to the nobles in the room for the disruption and slowly began to clean herself up. While she was doing this, she happened to glance towards the blonde shinobi again. She found him waving at her, grinning like an idiot. She immediately comprehended that he was responsible for the previous incident.

'But how did he do it?' she thought as her face reddened with anger. Suddenly, the answer occurred to her, 'Chakra strings.' Her response to this realization and his insufferable smirk was to throw to series of senbon needles that managed to pin one of the shinobi's arms to the wall behind him. She shortly followed this up by hitting him between the eyes with one of the rice balls that had survived from her meal. Temari managed to dodge the rice ball that the blonde returned with his off hand as he released his arm from the wall.

Both of the ninjas were rising to their feet, when they finally noticed the intense silence that had descended upon the room's other guests. Glancing around at the incredulous looks they were receiving from the nobles, the samurai, and their fellow ninja, both blondes flushed scarlet and bowed their heads sheepishly. There really was nothing to say about being caught engaging in a food fight during an important diplomatic meeting.

After a moment, the Fire Daimyo's daughter broke down and started laughing hysterically at the whole scene. The more sedate laughter of the two older noblewomen soon joined that of the younger girl. As they made to resume their meal, the Fire Daimyo's wife wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes and stated, "Had I known that ninja were capable of such entertainment, I would have insisted on a ninja escort years ago."

XXXXX

Having completed his duties for the evening, Naruto decided to make use of the hot springs located at the hotel. He entered the changing area a bit hesitantly, only to find the well-lit room empty. The changing room and the washing area were fairly impressive to look at, nicely decorated without being garish.

After undressing and storing his folded clothes away, the blonde shinobi quickly gathered the necessary items to wash himself. Sitting on a stool while washing himself was quite a change from the small but functional shower stall he used while he was in Konoha. Using the soap to build a lather, the blonde shinobi began a closer examination of his surroundings.

While the bathing area was far nicer than what he was accustomed to, the room seemed a bit too open to him and Naruto was suddenly glad that he was here alone. He used a bucket of warm water to wash off the last of the soap lingering on his body before he wrapped a towel around his waist and made his way towards the spring,

A noise caught his attention and Naruto found himself glancing around the bathing area once again. Not finding anything amiss, the young shinobi opened the paper-crate, sliding door to reveal the hot spring itself. He stood in the doorway for a long moment, admiring a luxury that he had heard about, but never been able to experience back in Konoha. Mumbling slightly about bathhouse owners being a bunch of jerks, Naruto made his way across the rough stone surrounding the pool and slipped smoothly into the hot spring.

Subtly shifting as he tried to find a comfortable spot, Naruto looked around the spring with interest. While he was currently the only one using the pool, the spring was easily large enough to seat twenty comfortably. The lanterns that lit the cool night provided a rather peaceful atmosphere as their soft light filtered through the steam rising from the water. There was a rather tall wooden fence that appeared to be separating the male section from the women's area.

Laying back and stretching his arms over his head, Naruto breathed deeply, taking in a good quantity of the warm, humid air of the spring. Exhaling slowly, the young shinobi couldn't help but feel a bit more clear-headed than when he entered.

In all honesty, the next half hour was probably the most relaxing of his life. The warm water seemed to wash away all of the minor aches and pains that seemed to go hand and hand with being a ninja.

During this time, Naruto began to reflect on the day's events, particularly on the strange behavior the Suna kunoichi had been demonstrating throughout the day. The Kage Bunshins he had watching the group had given him some additional perspectives on her behavior. After about an hour of complete indifference, the girl had begun to alternate between bouts of coquettish civility and slight anger depending on whether or not the 'real' Naruto was visible or not.

Oddly enough, the slightly unbalanced nature of her actions reminded him of Sakura's mood swings, which usually depended on whether Sasuke-teme was present. The thought had given him pause and the blonde shinobi had decided that the best solution was to simply ignore the strange girl's behavior. But ignoring her simply seemed to exasperate the situation.

Her most shocking action had been when she nearly exposed herself during the formal meal. Shock did not even begin to address how he had felt in the moments before his ramen had been upended. That he had not reacted to the senbon in time to protect his ramen or to prevent his own secondary injury worried him slightly and caused him to reflect on why the sight had affected him to such a degree.

'She is cute, but I spend quite a bit of time with pretty girls and usually don't react in such a way. And while her kimono was askew, it revealed far less than a swimsuit or even the majority of clothes kunoichi normally favor… Maybe it's the fact that the concealing nature of kimonos served to accentuate what should have remained hidden.'

Giving up the train of thought as a dead end, Naruto eventually decided that he should apologize to the Suna kunoichi about his earlier behavior. While she had instigated the fight, he should not have responded by throwing food at her in the middle of dinner. 'While the fan bit was cool, the food fight was rather unimaginative. And, while this topic was not specifically covered in Hinata-chan's and Ino-chan's lessons, I doubt that throwing food stuffs at fellow guests is acceptable dinner behavior.'

As he was chuckling softly at the thought, Naruto realized that he had not even been properly introduced to the kunoichi. 'That will make apologizing a bit more difficult…' Climbing out of the bath and securing the small towel around his waist, Naruto made his way back to the changing room.

Upon entering the room, he noticed something was amiss. His clothes, which he had folded neatly and placed on the shelf, were missing. Glancing around the room also revealed that all the extra towels and the robes that had been present before he entered the bath were also missing. The only piece of fabric available to him was that which was currently wrapped around him. After all of two seconds, he determined who was responsible and he quickly exited the bathing area, hoping that the hallways leading towards the guest rooms would be vacant.

XXXXX

A short distance away, Temari was in her room, changing for the night and feeling satisfied that she had finally put that blonde bastard in his place. 'That arrogant little snot is probably still wondering where his clothes went…' Just as she had finished removing her chest wrappings and was reaching for her nightshirt, the door to her room burst open, giving way with a muted crash.

The blonde Konoha ninja stormed into the room, yelling, "That it! Let's take this outside and settle this once…" The rest of his statement was lost as his mental functions ground to a halt. Temari's natural instincts and years of training had caused her automatically turn to face the threat, her lack of clothing temporarily forgotten.

The two ninja stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but which wasn't more than a few seconds. Naruto's mouth opened and closed a couple of times, but no sound except a strangled "Whoa!" escaped. And with this eloquent exclamation, Naruto suddenly developed a serious nosebleed and stumbled backwards into the doorframe. This reaction caused Temari to remember herself and throw on her nightshirt faster than should have been humanly possible.

Having completed this task, Temari turned once again towards the shinobi that had burst into her room and screamed, "What the hell is your problem?" This inquiry had barely left her mouth before she scrabbled for her fan, intent on ridding the world of a certain loud-mouthed shinobi.

This was the how the scene appeared to the two jounins that had arrived to investigate the disturbance. Kakashi, quickly taking stock of the situation, tossed Naruto over his shoulder and addressed the Suna Jounin, "I think in the interests of inter-village relations, that it would be best if we separated these two right now." Without waiting for a response, Kakashi vanished with Naruto in tow, leaving a swirl of leaves in his wake.

Kakashi simply tossed the dazed Naruto onto his bed, deciding to forego a lecture about proper behavior on diplomatic missions. As the jounin walked towards his room, the lazy jounin thought, 'Breaking into a girl's hotel room after getting in a food fight with the same girl only a few hours before… Slightly different circumstances, a bit of luck, and maybe a dash of alcohol would make Naruto the perfect candidate for his own Icha Icha novel.'

XXXXX

The Fire Daimyo gazed distractedly over the ornamental gardens that sat outside of his study as he reflected on events that transpired earlier in the day. Watching the lengthening shadows allowed him to ruminate without interruption.

The day had started as many did, with him handling the rather monotonous task of governing his family's empire. A still vigorous man of middling years, he had been enjoying a brief respite between meetings when an attendant knocked softly on the door. Bidding them to enter, the Daimyo had turned and found a young aide bowing deeply as he reported that his wife and daughter had returned from their trip. Deciding to personally welcome the two home, he had risen from his position and exited the study with a small smile gracing his features.

As he entered the outer courtyard, he spotted his wife easily amongst the slight bustle of activity. Even after three children and over twenty years of marriage, she still looked every inch the beautiful girl he had married.

A small smile spread across his wife's face as she observed his approach. Bowing with a flourish, the Daimyo began, "My lady, it has been far too long since I have been able to bask in your presence. Now that you have been restored to my company, my only desire is that it will be many years until I will have to endure such a hardship again."

This type of greeting was a bit of a private joke between the two as their mutual dislike of the some overly pompous attendees of a particular court function had been one of the things that had drawn them together all those many years ago. Offering her hand, his wife retorted, "Greetings, husband. I trust that you have not allowed the country to fall into revolt during my absence."

Accepting the hand with a soft kiss, he returned, "Who would dare rise in revolt, knowing that they would be opposing such a beautiful and intelligent woman as you?"

Smiling as she glided to his side, she sighed, "It is nice to know that I am appreciated."

"Always." Well aware that any further celebration of his wife's return would have to wait until later that night, the Daimyo changed the subject. "I trust that there were not anymore difficulties after the forest."

"No difficulties. The increased guard ensured that the rest of the trip was quite uneventful. It probably helped that rumors quickly spread about how one of our escort was responsible for having wiped out over sixty bandits in as many seconds."

Grimacing at the fact that over sixty bandits had been so close to his wife and daughter, the Daimyo replied drily, "I imagine that would dissuade even the most of bothersome of bandits." Shaking his head to dismiss subject, while noting to initiate a pogrom to wipe out all the bandits in the western provinces, the man glanced around the area and asked, "Where is Midori?"

"She is probably bidding farewell to the Konoha shinobi." The Daimyo couldn't help but notice how his wife's eyes danced with amusement as she leaned towards him and whispered, "I think our little girl has gone and developed a crush on one of our escorts."

That comment caused several emotions to pass through his mind, ranging from the interested amusement of a doting father to the concerned disapproval of clan leader, as his wife led him towards his youngest child's location. Yet an apparition from his past decimated all these thoughts.

The sight of messy blonde hair and a confident smile had brought forth memories of a dearly missed friend and loyal subject. A young man that had been his friend and bodyguard for almost three years... A young ninja that overcame great personal loss to join him at the front lines to lead Konoha's forces against the depravations of Iwa in the final days of the war... A clan head that had presented his family with a stunning gift at the birth of his son.

The Daimyo was shaken from his thoughts when his majordomo entered the office to announce that the day's business had been completed. Without turning from the window, the Daimyo spoke in a quiet yet self-assured tone, "I need for you to investigate Uzumaki Naruto. Do not use any of the official channels or direct inquiries, but I want to know anything you can find out about his ancestry, specifically his parentage."

"The resemblance is uncanny." Fire Country's ruler turned towards his chief of staff with a raised eyebrow, but was not surprised by the other man's statement. After all, they had worked together for too long, even before he had succeeded his father to the throne, to be surprised by the man's seeming ability to read his mind.

Bowing slightly, his chief of staff continued, "With your permission, I would like to extend an invitation to Takahiro Kenji and his family to visit the palace at his earliest convenience. His close relationship with the Kazama Clan should enable him to address at least some of our questions." Frowning slightly in thought, the Daimyo's closest advisor concluded, "I have always thought that there was more of a story behind the sealed chest he asked you to hold for safekeeping."

Matching his advisor's frown, the Daimyo reflected on this suggestion. It had been years since he had even thought of Takahiro Kenji. The man and his family had appeared at the palace mere days after Arashi's death and had been able to provide a number of personal details regarding his friend's last hours.

As a personal request, he had asked the Daimyo to take possession of a heavily sealed chest, which was said to contain many of the Kazama Clan's more valuable artifacts. That chest had been secured within its own special room deep within the palace. This level of safekeeping was just as much a safety precaution as for security… His seal masters had said that any tampering with the advanced seals that covered its surface could easily destroy the chest and a good portion of the palace.

"As for another branch of inquiry… Your sister, for all her idiosyncrasies, is both familiar with Konoha and fairly adept at gathering intelligence… I understand that she is still having great success with using her cats as a means to gain regular access to her contacts in Hokage Tower…" Shaking his head in amusement, the Daimyo's chief of staff continued, "Perhaps you should ask her to look into this as well… discreetly, of course."

XXXX

A/N: A couple vacations, a family illness, a funeral, the holidays, a car accident (that wasn't my fault), and work… Many excuses, but I am pretty sure that no one is really interested in hearing them. This chapter not quite to my liking, but I didn't see the sense in delaying it any further. One of the main difficulties was that Midori's character became more complicated as time went on. The whole purpose of this mission was the introduction of Temari prior to the Chuunin exam and the Fire Daimyo scene at the end. Oh well… Better late than never and hopefully the next installment will be sooner rather than later.

Here is an interesting question… Did Naruto return to his room and change into a spare set of clothes or go directly to Temari's room wearing only a towel to confront her? It is not important to the story, but the second scenario is much more amusing to envision.

Next Chapter: Of Gratitude and Danger

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