"Everyone ready? We're about to enter the Grass Nation!" The first sergeant's voice rang through the radio static. He got cheers and affirmations in reply. "All right Fox Company...MOVE OUT!" And like that our time back home was over and we had successfully crossed into the Grass Nation. We had entered from the southeast tip of their border and flowed right on in. It had already been an hour and no contact whatsoever.
"So guys...how do ya like it? Your first look at another land!" Toyama yelled to the new guys as they stared out the back of the halftrack. They stared in awe at the lush countryside of the Grass Nation. It was a very beautiful place, filled with all sorts of golden plains, peaceful lakes, and grassy knolls. Sugiyama turned to him and winked, causing him to slightly blush. He turned to Choji who just smiled and raised his eyebrows suggestively as Ino chuckled at Toyama. I don't think we'd let him go on this for a while.
"Wow...it's prettier than the pictures I used to see from my father's trips. It's...so pretty. It's as if it was never touched by the scourge of war...ever. It's as if we're being welcomed by the earth itself and enjoying everything it wants to show us." Temari said to me as she nuzzled up beside me, watching the scenery along with everyone else. I could've ruined the moment by telling her that where we are going there's not a whole lot of this, but I decided to be more taciturn and just nod in agreement. Usually she'd say something demeaning or not be the conversationalist while we were riding. She was usually too focused on the mission but this time the nice scenery must've changed her thought process for even just a little bit.
"This is a new Temari I'm seeing. I never thought you were so philosophical. It's almost touching." I replied in a silly manner.
"Oh no. I'm still your dangerous Temari, Shikamaru. Don't think I've gotten soft because of some plains and flowers! Remember I'm still that devil woman and you, you're still mine! Not the other way around!" She retorted sharply as she ever so subtly slid her hand down the back of my pants and gave my ass a squeeze, making me hop an inch above the ground as my eyes turned to her, her seductive smile and wink there to grace my sight.
"Seriously...troublesome woman she is."
"So where are we heading sergeant?" Nazuka asked.
"Well Nazuka, we're heading to the staging area about five miles due south. Major Shizune is waiting to give Fox Company the next assignment."
"Any guess as to what we might be doin' sergeant?" Nakamura asked as well.
"Well we just got a bunch of fitted Jeeps so we might be doing some recon at first...see if the Soundies are cooking something up that we don't know about. The Soundies are a tricky and unpredictable bunch of fuckers. Sure we've managed to hit them at every corner, but they can throw a good punch when the game's on the line." He was right. The Soundies were definitely not a bunch to fuck around with, but given what we went through we had made some adjustments to our arsenal. We got a whole bunch of new Jeeps fitted with .50 caliber machine guns along with a couple quad-gun halftracks to really tear the Sound infantry apart so we wouldn't always have to rely on guys like Choji to do all the grunt work. We considered it a present from the brass for our work at Takigakure. Figures the old fuckers finally gave us some new toys to play with. I could catch the Garrison HQ in the distance as I relished the opportunity to possibly get a quick nap in before our recon assignments or whatever Sarutobi thought they had planned for us. We had nearly approached it when suddenly the radio was more than alive with traffic.
"To...fzzhkkh...who can hear this...kshhhh, this is Bravo Six, Lieutenant...kzzzzh... of...kzzzh...requesting immediate assistance! Sound fuckers...bzzzzz...caught us with our pants down! I'm...bzzzzz...men here...kssh! We need some...kshhh...help...NOW, OVER!"
The HQ radio's voice went hot with Major Shizune's barking. "Bravo Six, this is White Oak HQ. Where is your location Bravo Six? I repeat, where is your location, over?"
"We're at...kzzzh...Kilo Zulu 328048...ksssh over!"
"Say again, we did not get that last location! Repeat location, over."
"God damn it!" The sounds of explosions and furious gunfire rang through the receivers. "I say again, Posi...bzzzz...Kilo Zulu 32804811, over! Get some fu...bzzzz...help over now! We can't last much...ksssh!"
"Copy that Bravo Six. Bravo Six? Bravo Six come in! Damn it! Attention all available units, we've got some of our own surrounded by Soundies west of HQ. They need help and evacuation ASAP! Can anyone assist? Over!"
"Jesus that's bad news...they need help and quick." Ino commented. The newbies were somewhat shaken but I could see in their slightly innocent eyes that they wanted to do something about it.
"Yeah no kidding." Sarutobi added.
"Please don't say yes, please don't say yes, please someone else...please volunteer..." The thoughts rang through my head because the last thing I wanted was for us to get ourselves in a sticky mess. Sure it sounded callous but I didn't wanna christen our first steps in the Grass Nation by already getting in the thick of it. Nevertheless I almost forgot about the level of motivation my company seemed to have with putting itself in precarious and needlessly risky situations, especially when dealing with the Sound.
"White Oak HQ, this is Fox Company. Judging by the map we're the closest to that location. We are more than able to assist, over."
"Oh man...troublesome..."
"Oh thank God. Captain Hatake we owe ya one! Bravo Six, if you can hear this, Fox Company is on their way to assist you. ETA is fifteen minutes so hold tight, over!"
The next transmission was the officer's voice but we could barely make out what she was talking about. Once again the sounds of combat over the radio were intensifying and then silence. We had hoped that she and the rest of her outfit were still alive and hanging on. A huff of agitation left my lips. Though of course it'd be the right thing to do helping a comrade out, it was the last thing I wanted to do outside of walk blindfolded into a Sound minefield while being mortared.
"You heard the captain Fox Company, if we don't help these guys out they'll be dead to rights!" The first sergeant screamed.
"Hey top, did that voice sound familiar to you?"
"Good call sir, but she said she was an LT. Could you make out what unit she was with?"
"No I didn't get that...that's why I was askin' you."
"Sorry sir, no dice."
"Damn. All right we don't really know what we're up against so we're gonna have to strike fast and hard. Judging by the sounds of it they're being hit by a lot of infantry, maybe some mechanized. All units hold tight. We'll figure out how to go about this when we get sight of the enemy. Stay along the roads until we get near their noted location."
The trucks and Jeeps accelerated as fast as they could along the dirt roads, paying no mind to everyone sitting down having to endure their asses getting tenderized by the constant bumps. Out of nowhere our company veered to the left into makeshift trails and ankle-high grass.
"How close are we?" We heard the captain ask the driver. "Ok. All right Fox Company, listen up! We're about five minutes from our destination. I want all quad halftracks in the front along with .30 caliber Jeeps! I intend to lay down as much suppressing fire on the Soundies as possible as to give these guys some respite. If terrain works to our advantage we can make several sweeping passes on the Sound lines. Everyone else will dismount in platoon formation and engage the enemy as they see fit. We don't quite know where they're coming from so we'll play it like that for right now."
Sarutobi started laughing loudly, much to our bewilderment.
"Sergeant...what in the hell are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at you Nara. I saw that look on your face! I knew you didn't want us to volunteer but I guess the captain decided to not go with your request. I hope you're not heartbroken about it Nara!"
"I'm bursting at the seams sergeant..." I muttered as he continued to chuckle at my expense.
"Oh you're too much Nara. Sometimes I think your lack of motivation is what gets you in these situations in the first place! Try being enthusiastic for once and maybe the reverse will happen huh?"
"What an ass. If this is the guy who says I should be sergeant one day, damn am I in trouble."
"Oh shit! There they are!" One of the lead halftracks blurted out in the radio as we finally caught sight of our beleaguered friends. Craters, smoke, bodies, and bullets were all that we could see in the chaos. "Are those..."
"No way..."
"Holy shit! It's the ANBU! It's the ANBU Rangers!"
"Well I'll be deep fried and smothered in hot sauce...it is them! By the looks of it they're gettin' the shit kicked out of them! C'mon guys we gotta move!"
"Bravo Six this is Captain Kakashi Hatake of Fox Company. We have come to assist you since it seems you bit off more than you could chew. Please respond over."
"Sir?!? Sir is...bzzz...you? It's...fzzzzh...damn it! It's me Yugao Uzuki! I couldn't have...kkshhhh...for a better person t...kshhh...us out!"
The captain snickered over the voice traffic. "Always the gung-ho one huh Uzuki? All right then. We're comin' to bail you out. All quads and Jeep gunners! Get to the flanks of the Rangers and provide covering fire. It looks like just infantry with some halftracks. All anti-armor halftracks concentrate on their armor! 1st and 2nd Platoons, after making a pass or two, will dismount and reinforce the ANBU line. Let's get these assholes off their backs!"
The ANBU Rangers had positioned themselves near the decline of a grassy slope near a wood line that seemed to be pouring Soundies out left and right. True to their reputation, the Rangers suffered little casualties while stubbornly holding on to their ground and keeping the Soundies at bay. Given the number of the enemy however, they wouldn't have lasted forever.
"All right! I've been waiting for that the whole day! Tear 'em to shreds God damn it!" An anonymous voice emerged from the radio. It wasn't even a second later that the roars of the quad .50 caliber guns were heard through the entire plains. I caught a faint glimpse of some Soundies, true to the driver's words, being torn to shreds before they could get to the Rangers. One of the halftracks fitted with a 75mm cannon unloaded a round on an unsuspecting Sound truck, literally bisecting it before it exploded.
"Yeeha! This is more like it!" Another driver cheered as some more Soundies were cut down. The Jeeps were driving across the Sound lines, spraying fire into whoever they could find or see. They were acting like gangsters more than soldiers, but if the violence was towards the Sound we didn't give a shit.
"Akimichi, get that .30 cal prepped! Yamanaka, Nakamura, Toyama, and Sugiyama, get your weapons primed and ready! We're gonna be making a pass at the Sound!"
A few seconds later despite the bumpiness of the ride Choji was prepped and ready. "Ready to rock and roll sergeant!"
"Get ready!" The driver made a quick swerve to the right and then banked in on a hard left. "FIRE!"
"Temari get down!" I yelled as everyone on my side got low.
Our own halftrack was alive with the fury of the five of them, most notably Choji's machine gun. Rounds were smacking off the side of our truck but couldn't get themselves through. Not this time Soundies...not this time.
"Yeah!" Ino cheered as she emptied her magazine into the Soundies, doubtless hitting one of them. "You guys like that?" She slapped another magazine into her Carbine. "Here's some more you pricks!" It wasn't very often that Ino was able to get such an opportunity to take the fight to the Soundies instead of having to usually pull some poor wounded guy or girl out of the fight. "You see that one! I got 'im!"
"Great shootin' Ino!" Choji complimented in a typical attempt to score some brownie points with her as he finished firing a burst from his machine gun and quickly getting into another firing frenzy.
The newbies were relishing in their little baptism of fire. Little did they realize that it was just because of the sheer advantage we had over the Sound infantry. To me this little scrap we were having was only the tip of another iceberg, but then again who could say I was a glass-half-full kind of guy? The truck turned as Temari, Nazuka, Asano, Sarutobi, and I rose up as the rest got down and fired away. The constant bumping threw off my aim but I managed to clip a rifleman in the arm while Temari nailed one in the midsection, but no kill for her either. Sarutobi had less trouble with his Thompson spraying rounds everywhere.
"I got one! Yeah my first kill!" Nazuka cheered like a child winning a prize at a fair. "These fuckers ain't got nothing on me!"
"That's nice kid. Save the cheering for after ok?" Sarutobi quickly replied to keep his ego in check.
"2nd Platoon," Lee's voice barked, "prepare to dismount on my mark." The halftracks zoomed in right behind the pinned-down Rangers. "Dismount!" And as the trucks and Jeeps kept suppressive fire on the Soundies we bailed out and rushed quickly to the Ranger positions. Captain Hatake was right with us while the first sergeant watched over 3rd and 4th Platoon.
"Sir! Sir right here!" A purple-haired woman waved to the captain. It was that sergeant from the labor camp rescue mission.
"So they made you an LT now Uzuki?" Captain Hatake yelled over the zipping bullets as he and most of us from 2nd Platoon hugged the ground alongside the Rangers. "Well done, but it seems your newest assignment got ya in a pickle now didn't it? Hayate would be very pissed at you right now. Care to explain?"
Her face was filled with embarrassment. I recalled how she mentioned serving with the captain in the past and obviously he was someone she looked up to a lot. I'd be embarrassed to if I had just been promoted to an officer's slot and got my unit into a mess like this.
"Had a simple mission to gather some intelligence by intercepting a courier and its escort. At first it was easy as we ambushed them and made them as helpless as newborn babies. Boy, did we get some intelligence from those guys! Fucking Soundies spotted us afterwards and we've been on the run since. We thought we lost 'em but then they came outta the woodwork and swarmed us! It's already been a half-hour holding onto this patch of earth! If you had come any later we'd be worm food. We gotta get these documents to Major Shizune as soon as fucking possible!"
"First thing's first, we deal with the current problem. 1st Platoon, concentrate your fire into that wood line! 2nd Platoon, take out the pockets of Soundies around the halftracks!"
"Right! All right 2nd, don't give them one moment of reprieve! I want all anti-armor units on those halftracks!" Lee barked right after the captain gave the order.
"Private Tenten! Get on that halftrack shooting at the ANBU to the west! We'll cover." Sergeant Morino screamed. She loaded her Bazooka and dashed with Moegi and Sergeant Morino who acted as support for her so she wouldn't get clipped on the spot.
"In sight!" She stopped dead and took a knee. "Firing!" The rocket screamed its way down the field, parting the grass in two before it slammed into the side hull and nearly knocked it on its side. That was one more vehicle they couldn't use on the ANBU. Another vehicle spotted Tenten and nearly perforated her had it not been for Kankuro diving in and getting behind some cover with her. Sergeant Morino wasn't as fortunate as he got a grazing wound in the leg before hitting the dirt.
"You ok?" Kankuro asked in a frantic manner as he looked at her for any marks.
"Um, yeah...I'm ok. Thanks." She blushed slightly.
He grinned. "Great. I'd have to not have you be able to watch a master at work!" He swung around and aimed the Panzerschreck at the aforementioned halftrack. "Watch and learn Ms. Tenten! Firing!" His rocket left the tube spewing smoke and an acrid sulfur smell offensive to everyone, and careened up the small slope, nailing the MG gunner slot of the halftrack. The hood of the vehicle blew wide open as the Soundies inside bailed out in a panic. Five seconds later the whole thing blew up. "And that's how it's done!"
"Well played Mr. Kankuro, well played. I'm in your debt." She said winking to him.
He laughed. "No need to be missy. The only thing we need to be is in this little skirmish."
"Right."
"Heads up partner! We got a mess of Soundies coming in from the woods! Let's have some fun eh?" Temari yelled to me as if she was trying to make this a competition again. I caved into temptation.
"Fine then!" I yelled back as a stream of bullets hitting the ground in front of me caked dirt on my face. "You're on Temari!" I quickly took advantage of the attack's respite and polished off a shot at some poor schmuck who thought he could hit me with his MP40. "That's one for me partner. Can you keep up as I go along?" Another shot brought my score up to two as another fell to my precision with a rifle. To our chagrin the hooligans in the Jeeps and halftracks were taking most of the fun away from us. That soon changed as four more halftracks came into view to reinforce the Soundies.
"Oh shit guys! Hit the deck!" Naruto yelled as two of them started spouting rockets from their sides. They screamed right down on us, slamming the ground with enough force to split it in two. The first salvo landed right in front of us and just sent dirt flying everywhere but the second was closer, shrapnel flying everywhere as one of the Rangers to our surprise fell after three chunks went in his leg, stomach, and chest. Up until now we had thought of the ANBU Rangers as near super-humans but seeing one die right in front of us and seeing some more dead before we dismounted there gave us the sudden realization that they're just like us, fleshy and just as vulnerable to bullets and bombs. Shino's face was cut slightly by a small piece of metal as he roared in pain clutching his cheek. It was rare to see Shino is such agony but then again it must've hurt something fierce to get a piece of hot metal cutting your face, even if it could possibly be just a minor laceration. Poor guy...gets fucked up at Takigakure and it seems that God didn't wanna give him a respite. Hinata was there immediately to help him as he rolled around.
"Shino it's ok! It's ok! It's ju-just a b-b-bad cut. I'll g-get it fixed on th-the double!" She said in an effort to calm him down, even if she couldn't help the stuttering. She whipped out one of her smaller bandages and pressed it to his face to clean the blood off and stop it. I was stunned for a second, not sure as to why I decided to pay attention to what they were doing instead of trying to just defend my spot and make sure I didn't get just as hurt, or worse.
"C'mon quit gawking Shikamaru! We've still got enemies to kill!" Ino snorted to me as the Sound efforts doubled to overrun the Rangers. Taking Ino's consideration in account for once, I aimed carefully and pegged a lumbering machine gunner before he could deploy. Temari made short work of his assistant as she slumped to the ground right next to my kill.
"A force to be reckoned with..." I heard her mutter. I wondered if she was just talking about herself or perhaps the two of us as a team.
My mind wondered that if the Sound Nation was smaller than others, then how come so many were in its army? I mean there were still a significant amount of enemies here but of course I realized that wouldn't stop us. Dirt that flew from where a couple bullets hit the ground in front of me smacked me right in the face, bringing me out of my inner monologue and back into the fight. I should write myself a mental note to stop doing that crap. Our 75mm cannon halftracks caught sight of the first rocket vehicle and disposed of it with utter glee. The second rocket halftrack managed to reload and sent another salvo in our direction. I'm sure the gunner was panicky as they flew off in an undisciplined manner, some hitting the ground nowhere near us while one got lucky and knocked one of 3rd Platoon's Jeeps over, sending the gunner flying into the grass while the driver and passenger were rocked around. We were relieved to see them alive as some of the Rangers rushed to carry them to our positions. 1st Platoon rushed to the left flank to try and seal off any Sound maneuvers only to be answered by a well-disciplined stream of fire from the Soundies. One of their guys died instantly as a bullet struck him right in the temple, his body smacking flat on the grass like a plane hitting a bad landing. Another one got hit in the arm and fell down in agony as a medic sped over to get him out of the killing zone. It seemed that every time we upped the ante in weaponry those God damned Soundies were there to even the odds.
"Get that God damned halftrack out of commission now! If they get another salvo in we're in fucking trouble!" The first sergeant screamed to anyone who could hear. The rocket halftrack itself was moving closer to try and get its MG42 in range. That was a big mistake as Kankuro fired a rocket right at it. Sadly his rocket went too low and hit the ground right in front of it, only peppering it with rocks, dirt, and small chunks of metal.
"Damn it I missed!"
"Thought you said you knew how it was done!" Tenten added mockingly.
"Aw shut up! I was getting shot at! It was distracting!"
"Sure...right...nice excuse there pal!" She continued with the teasing even if we were actually getting shot at from all directions. A couple Soundies emerged from the top wielding Panzerfausts and quickly fired them off. One slammed right into a makeshift position 1st Platoon had set up, sending one soldier flipping through the air and landed with a thud that most likely broke every bone in his body. The other flew backwards about ten feet and crashing into two more of her comrades. They quickly helped her come to and get back to shooting at the Sound infantry. 4th Platoon quickly assisted Kankuro's beginning efforts by launching two simultaneous Bazooka rounds right into the foolish halftrack's underbelly. A few Sound soldiers flew off the truck bed as some tires and chunks blew right off the vehicle. That took care of that asshole.
"Mortars!" Shino screamed out as the distinct drone of mortar shells were heard overhead. The first few of them landed again in front of us. To our fortune we were moving around so much it was harder for them to get a bead on us.
"I spotted one team!" I announced as I saw them right below a small slope, the team thinking they were safe at that distance. I laughed at the irony of it all. The farther distance would be their downfall as they played right into my hands and my specialty. "Hey Temari! Open season on all mortar teams!" I quickly pointed to the direction of the Soundies.
She snickered as she took aim and through my scope I saw one go down from a headshot. I provided the assist with a fresh kill only two seconds after the first. The third one tried scrambling for cover as Temari pulled the trigger. She missed but I came through on the rebound and nailed the bastard right in the midsection.
"That's one team down sergeant!" I yelled to Sarutobi who let Sergeant Yamato know we were doing our part. Meanwhile one of the quad-gun halftracks must've spotted another mortar team as four barrels of fury went hot and sent speedy, leaden death towards whoever was unlucky enough to receive it. He quickly crawled to the platoon sergeant who was with Sasuke. After a brief exchange of words that I could not make out, he crawled right back to me.
"Got a whole platoon of Soundies headed our way Nara! The captain says we're gonna hold them off here and get LT Uzuki and her intel reports outta here! We need people for a four-Jeep convoy to get back to the Garrison HQ and guess what?"
"Oh no..."
"You're going! Isn't that gonna be fun? Take Yamanaka, Toyama, and Temari while I'll handle Akimichi and the newbies. The longer that Ranger LT stays here the quicker she might end up dead so get to it!"
I huffed in agitation. "Yes sergeant. Ino! Temari! Toyama! C'mon let's get moving! Get in the Jeeps and I don't care which ones you pick!"
We dashed towards the prepped Jeeps as I saw others from the platoon hop on. I ran towards the lead one where LT Uzuki was already sitting. I took the passenger seat while, much to my personal satisfaction, Temari hopped in the rear where the ANBU LT was sitting. I could've called shotgun in front of her to be a dick but given the situation, dickery as humor wouldn't have really fit well. I had finished reloading my Springfield for those "just in case" moments. Naruto and Konohamaru took the liberty of hopping on the second Jeep as the gunner prepped his .30 cal. Ino had hopped on the third Jeep where LT Uzuki had one of her wounded comrades sitting already bandaged up. Figures Ino could keep track of the guy. Toyama decided to take the rear Jeep which I guess worked so that everyone from 3rd squad was somewhat dispersed barring Temari and I.
"Comin' along for the ride bossy woman?" I asked as I turned around to see her reloading her rifle.
"Oh to see your face driving at breakneck speeds through God-awful terrain? Wouldn't miss this for the world!"
"Hey guys! I hope I'm not too late to join the party!" A familiar voice said as I turned to see Kiba jumping right into the driver seat, hands already gripping the wheel.
"Kiba? You're gonna be the driver?" I was astonished. As much as I enjoyed the guy's company I felt a slight sense of unease knowing he was behind the steering wheel.
"Are you kiddin'? Hell I'm one of the best drivers this whole platoon's got! Trust me!"
"Aren't you the handsome, dashing young buck taking the wheel there eh private? However, for your sake private you better be right and know where you're going!" The LT grumbled behind us. Kiba chuckled nervously as he got the engine started up. "Sergeant Ito...you're in charge while I'm gone!"
"Roger that ma'am! C'mon Rangers...Momma LT's goin' away for a little while but like the good kids we are we'll make her proud and do what Rangers do best right? We'll save a Soundie souvenir for ya ma'am!"
The ANBU around him cheered as some of them managed to wave LT Uzuki off. I had to admit for such an impulsive and gung-ho bunch they were certainly dedicated to each other to the core. It was something a lot of us in the Leaf Army could learn from.
A lucky mortar shell landed right at the side of the convoy, our hearts nearly skipping a beat as shrapnel peppered the sides of the cars. "Enough wasting time...let's get the fuck outta here...NOW!"
"Yes ma'am!" Kiba replied as he hit the gas and we endured the bumpiness of the ride until we hit the dirt roads. We turned and watched the struggle continue as we whittled the Sound attackers away bit by bit but not without a fierce show of stubbornness on their behalf.
Five minutes had passed since we bailed from the skirmish area with the Soundies. The road felt like it was going generally straight but for some reason the terrain didn't seem to register with us like it did when we were in the halftracks.
"Hey it just dawned on me, anyone got a map?" Temari yelled as we zoomed down the dirt road. She was right. I don't think a whole lot of us took the time to remember how to get back. I fumbled through the glove compartment and some other stacks of tied-down paper. I smiled as I found what I believed to be a map of the overall area in a span of fifty to sixty kilometers. The dead ringer was the title "Grass Nation Overlay/Map EC-IV"
"Ah ha! Here it is! Just in the nick of time too!" I said struggling against the wind to open it up and not have it blow away.
"So Master Navigator," Temari muttered sarcastically, "where to now?"
I turned to her and the LT. Temari stared at me as if she was expecting my genius to work instantaneously while the Ranger just shrugged. Figures women put the entire burden on your shoulders, have nothing constructive to offer, and then rub it in your face when they have to relieve even a modicum of it off of you when you've exhausted your options.
"Don't look at me corporal. I never went down this road!"
"All right then." I did my best to concentrate on the spider web of small road symbols in this area. Luckily LT Uzuki provided the coordinates of where they were so I spotted it on the map. Using my best judgment I analyzed it and found what road we were on. To my chagrin I also noticed that not a damn thing was marked on the map, so we were shooting in the dark as far as guessing where the HQ was. "Shit. Figures the dumbasses didn't mark anything on the damn map except for the title page!"
"Well you're smart Shikamaru," Temari jabbed, "so you can figure it out!"
"Easier said than done Temari!" Just my luck. First I get dragged into a dicey skirmish, second I get mocked by Sarutobi...again, and third I'm stuck in a Jeep with an overzealous Ranger lieutenant, an overconfident private as a driver, and of course Little Miss Troublesome playing backseat driver and critic much to my irritation.
"Pfft! Maps! What a waste of time and effort! A real driver doesn't need maps to figure out where he's going." Kiba chortled in arrogance.
"Oh yeah dog boy? If you're such a 'real' driver how do you know where you're going?"
"Instinct my good man! Pure and simple...instinct. I mean, not to toot my own horn or anything, but you're talkin' to a natural. I guess some have it and some just don't." Why did it not surprise me to hear Kiba of all people talk about instinct as his modus operandi?
"Well put your 'instinct' to good use and get us to the HQ ASAP! We got a fork in the road comin' up and I hope you know where we're heading!"
"No sweat Shikamaru!" Despite his aura of confidence I could see a slight twinge of nervousness in his face as the fork got closer and closer. There was a sign with two arrows but the writing on them was unreadable from the distance we were at and looked to scratched up for us to even read passing by it. "Shit this is easy! Ya figure right will only take us even more south so we'll hit left!" He stuck his hand out and signaled to the rest of the convoy that we would be bearing left at the fork. The other drivers gave him the ok as they quickly followed suit. I seriously hoped that Kiba was right with his presumptions and his "instinct" as he so eloquently put it.
"So ma'am, what's the deal with getting back to Major Shizune? That is, if you don't mind me asking ma'am. All I heard was something about some intel or whatever you and the Rangers had to get." I gave in to my curiosity and asked her.
"Normally I wouldn't bother letting privates and ever a corporal that wasn't in my outfit in on the dirty little secrets, but we got ourselves a hum-dinger of a finding! We got reports, sighting, and even movement routes of an elite Akatsuki Panzer group!"
"Elite Akatsuki Panzer group ma'am?" Kiba asked catching wind of our little chat.
"Yeah! They're called the Akatsuki Panzer Lehr. One of the toughest armor groups those fucking Soundies have got in their arsenal! These guys have torn a lot of our armor to shreds before while only suffering very few losses. The Water Army tried making an incursion a month before with an armored division but was obliterated. Rumor has it that its led by a freakish man that looks like a guy had intimate relations with a shark and then had a love child. Check this shit out!"
From the pile of stolen intelligence she pulled out a photo of the tank commanders and their crews. In the center was a tall figure dressed in a deathly black uniform, his teeth almost looking triangular despite the poor quality of the photo, and a look of pure sadism in his eyes. I could certainly see how he'd be intimidating to commanders going up against him. Like the Akatsuki themselves, I'm sure this "Panzer Lehr" was certainly a force to be reckoned with.
"Jesus I hope we don't run into that!" I commented even if the possibility of offending someone as motivated and dedicated as LT Uzuki existed. "Does this Panzer Lehr commander have a name ma'am?"
"No idea corporal. I'm sure the brass might have some information on him but I really wasn't able to stop and get an interview out of the Akatsuki sum'bitch."
"All right ma'am."
"What about your air power lieutenant?" Temari asked, finally joining the inquiry. "I'm sure they'd be more than able to take these tanks out."
"Wait a second, who in the fuck are you and why would I give information to some Sand fighter?" She barked much to Temari's offense.
"Ma'am, it's ok. Her name's Temari and she's with me. You can trust her with your information. She won't say a thing...I know that for a fact and you have my word ma'am." I answered getting an appreciative smile from Temari and a huff from LT Uzuki. I was glad I could be that diplomatic otherwise I could end up pissing one of them off or even both and hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, especially if one was an ANBU Ranger officer and the other happened to be your paramour.
"Ok fine. You asked about air power? Well first off we have little clue as to where the Soundies put their AA capabilities and second we don't even have a clue as to where they were staging the Akatsuki Panzer Lehr until now. With this we should have a general idea as to where they are!"
"Could it be possible ma'am," I jumped in again, "that they might already be on the move or somewhere other than we think they could be?"
"Good thinking corporal. I'll bring that up with Major Shizune."
Deception was a nifty tool in war and Lord knew the Soundies had it in spades. Where the massive, blunt hammer of the Leaf Army came in to smash whatever the Soundies threw at them, the Sound Army could sometimes be those small, precise daggers that'd jab a unit right in the side and watch it bleed before taking action again. A Panzer ambush here, a storm trooper counterattack there, little bits and pieces of Sound ingenuity emerged become the absolute bane of our existence. Fortunately Fox Company was spared from most of the tricks the Sound used on Konoha and the Water forces, but that didn't mean we were impervious to it. Nah, instead of dirty tricks Fox Company always got shafted with taking the brunt of the Sound Army head-on. Pick your poison I guess...
I turned back to watch the road. My mind, thanks to my stupid inquiring, became awash with apprehensiveness and tension. So once again some big road block gets in the way of what should be a simple run through this country. Two and a half months ago it was that fucking city Takigakure and now some bogeyman Akatsuki armored division is gonna get the brass shitting in their pants. I hate to sound like a broken record, but damn is this troublesome or what? On a semi-related note, once again the terrain became less and less familiar as I turned to Kiba who, in a rare display of anxiety, had a look on his face that even he wasn't completely sure of where we were.
"Private do you have any idea where we are going?" LT Uzuki asked angrily.
"Um ma'am, I have a good idea, but for some reason nothing seems to be clicking."
"That's just fucking perfect. Corporal, gimme that map!" I handed the map off to her as she scanned it furiously trying to get a bead on our current location. "Gimme that hand mic as well and set the frequency to 800!" I turned the dials while giving the Ranger the receiver/transmitter. "Fox Company, come in this is Bravo Six. We need the coordinates to the Garrison HQ. Please provide the coordinates to the Garrison HQ, over."
The radio only gave the quiet hiss of static.
"Sergeant Ito, this is Bravo Six, come in over! We are at location Kilo Zulu 336461 and are trying to reach HQ. Please provide coordinate to HQ over."
Once again all we got was static.
"For the love of fucking Christ! Doesn't any piece of fucking equipment work in this God damned army?!?" She yelled in frustration. Like Temari, she seemed as scary as my mother and at nearly half the age.
"Just keep heading eastward Kiba. We'll be bound to hit something." I got a look of bewilderment from Temari. "Well I know it sounds half-assed but do you have a better idea?" We were lost all right as everyone in the Jeeps behind us was scanning the areas for two things, some sort of clue to let us know we were on the right road and of course the Soundies. The last thing we needed was those shady fuckers trying to pick us off from the trees or tall grass.
"Damn it...not a damn thing looks familiar." Temari lamented. "Figures none of us pay any attention to the roadways while we're gawking at the countryside. That's a real pity isn't it?"
"Yeah I'll say partner...certainly a drag." A few houses came up in our sights. Hell it wasn't much but it looked like some form of civilization.
"Hey...you see that up there? I coulda sworn I saw something." Kiba asked aloud as he must've seen someone or something move.
"Private what are you talking about?" The LT asked Kiba. "Wait a second, you're right. We got possible contacts up ahead."
Kiba signaled to the drivers behind us to slow down. Some figures were emerging from the house closest to the road but we couldn't make out who they were.
"Ya think maybe they know how to get to the HQ?" He asked us innocently.
"Gimme one second Kiba." I replied as I quickly took a gander through my scope. Right then and there a huge lump in my throat emerged as if someone stuffed an apple down it or something. "Um, Kiba...Temari...ma'am...I don't think we should be asking these guys for directions...not at all."
"Um, why do you say that Shikamaru?" He asked in reply.
"Oh shit..." Temari muttered.
"Well...it's probably nothing, but those guys you're talking about?" The second I said that the windshield cracked from a decently placed rifle round as the cracks spidered off into smaller cracks while our Jeep still sped towards them, our newly found friends screaming for us to halt like they were traffic cops or something. "I think that answers your question Kiba! SOUNDIES!"
"Oh fuck me!" Kiba yelled out loud.
"We'll let some random girl take care of that another day private! They're setting up a God damn roadblock! They're gonna try and smoke us by trapping us!"
"Could we fight them off ma'am?" Kiba asked her.
"No dice. If we try and fight them we'll give ourselves away and we don't know what we're up against. Hey private, what does your instinct tell you right now?"
"Well ma'am, it's either fight or flight...so guess what? Hang on for dear life!"
"Wait Kiba...what're you doing?"
His foot slammed the pedal of the Jeep as the bullets hit the ground around us. LT Uzuki slapped a fresh clip into her Thompson and cocked the handle. The screams of the Sound guards were more frantic and their fires increased, a wooden beam fence being erected right in front of the road.
"Kiba...what're you doing?!?"
"Like I said...hold on! It's gonna get real bumpy real quick!"
"Oh shit...Temari hold on tight!" She clutched the handle of the door as tightly as she could. "Oh shit...oh shit...oh shit..." I kept muttering to myself as we were zooming ever so closer to their barrier.
"Brace yourselves!"
"OH SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!"