Suiren arrived in a forest clearing. A man who appeared to be in his 60s is sitting on a tree stump, smoking a pipe.

"Did anyone follow you, Suiren?"

Suiren shook her head. "I would have sensed it if they did, Genbu-sama."

The man nods. "Well, give me the latest."

"Raikomaru's brother is about to leave for Iwagakure in a two days with an escort. I believe that Raikomaru will be part of that escort so I will be keeping my distance and stay out of sight for the next few days."

"Knowing the Dragon, he would probably come up with some crazy way to test the Uchiha boy," said Genbu. "Continue your mission. I'll send an update to Saizo and Tamaki before I make my move."

Back in Konoha, Sanae and Chi are eating at Ichiraku's Ramen.

"My father has requested that you are to be part of my escort with Rai, Inoryou and Shikami."

Sanae sends a look at Chi. "He wants a group of Chunins to be your bodyguards?"

Chi shook his head. "No. The Tsuchikage requested that I'd be escorted by four Chunins and Father choose you and Rai while I asked Inoryou and Shikami to come along."

Sanae finished off her 3rd bowl of Ramen. "What about getting to Iwa? This is the first time any of us have gone in that direction."

Chi shrugged. "According to the Hokage, the person who was supposed to guide us was sidetracked in Amegakure, so now the new plan is for us to rendezvous with our guide at the Fire-Rain border."

Two days later at the Fire-Rain border, Chi and his team meet up with the person who is going to take them to Iwagakure. Keiko Kagami.

Naruto G2 Vol. 2: The Dragon of Konoha

Chapter 6: Guardians of Iwagakure

By: PikaFlash

Disclaimers: All character(s) and series belong to their respective owner(s)...

Chi and his escort, being led by Keiko, have arrived at the entrance to Iwagakure after four days of travelling.

"I'm surprised we made it here in four days," Rai said. "I didn't expect to get through Rain Country without much trouble from the border patrol."

"You think the Tsuchikage has something to do with it?" asked Shikami. "I heard that Ame and Iwa have a pretty strong alliance thanks to a trade agreement a few years ago.

Inoryou frowned. "Who knows? We should be cautious at all times. After all, we're Shinobi in a foreign land."

Rai calmly walked with to his twin brother. "Chi, remember that you represent both Konoha and the Uchiha, so don't embarrass us."

Chi grinned. "Don't worry. I won't."

Sanae looked around as the group took a tour down the main street of Iwagakure. "Wow, this place is so much different from Suna and Konoha."

"This is Hidden Rock, after all." Keiko said. "The buildings here are designed to survive rock falls that attempt to bury this village, though anyone who would dare to try it would be killed by our sentries first."

Inoryou noticed that they are not walking towards the Tsuchikage Building. "Forgive me if I appear to be overstepping myself, but isn't the Tsuchikage Building that way, Keiko?" Inoryou asked, pointing at the building with the word 'Tsuchi' (Earth) on the front.

"Well, usually around this time of the day, my Brother wouldn't be there. He usually gets his work done before lunch and spends the rest of the day at Iwa's Research Facility."

Rai raised an eyebrow. "Research facility?"

Keiko explains. "Change cannot be stopped. Our enemies would always change their tactics over time and we must keep up with the change or we'll get caught off guard. That's the purpose of the research facility that my brother founded when he became the Tsuchikage. To discover or create new Jutsus, research ancient Jutsus long forgotten, experiment with new types of battle techniques, methods to increase survivability in missions and so on."

Keiko then mentally adds, 'Of course, the true purpose of this research facility is to figure out the best way to fight the Lightning Phoenix of Kumogakure. After all, the only thing that excites my brother these days is the opportunity to face the Phoenix in battle.'

Keiko looked at her guests. "Anyway, my Brother should be expecting you, so we shouldn't have a problem getting into the facility."

"Aren't you afraid that your secrets might get leaked out because of visit?" Chi asks.

Keiko smiled. "Don't worry. You won't be able to see the sensitive parts of the facility."

The first thing the Konoha Chunins have come across at the facility even before they entered the building is a massive sparring session between a lone Shinobi against what appears to be a group of Iwa Chunins.

The lone Shinobi easily evaded the attempted blows at him and clearly he is using only one hand to fight off his opponents. Even with the handicap, the Chunins are having trouble trying to keep up with the Shinobi.

Rai recognized the Shinobi. He was supposed to be Rai's opponent during the Preliminary exams but decided to forfeit a few seconds into the fight. "I know him..."

"You should know him. He's Takeshi, your opponent during the Chunin Preliminary exams seven months ago," Keiko explained. "He's actually a Jonin."

"What about Sorato?" Chi asked. "She's a Jonin as well?"

Keiko nods. "Both Sorato and Takeshi were assigned to make up the numbers required for me to be part of a team to go for the Chunin exams seven months ago. Of course, they planned to forfeit but Takeshi decided to check out the competition before forfeiting. Of course, as an added precaution, those two used fake family names hide their real identities and rank."

Inoryou crossed his arms. "Well, even if we tell the Hokage about this, there's nothing we can do about it."

Takeshi noticed that his sparring session is being watched. Takeshi raised his other hand at the Chunins, who stopped.

"That's enough for today. You all have certainly improved from our last training session. Take the rest of the day off and relax."

The Chunins nod before disappearing in a plume of smoke. Takeshi walked to Keiko.

"So, these are the Konoha Shinobis that we are expecting. Allow me to properly introduce myself. You may call me Takeshi."

"I know, we faced each other seven months ago," Rai said. "I never thought you are actually a Jonin."

Takeshi crossed his arms. "And if you knew that seven months ago, would you have still faced me?"

"Perhaps. I bet you would be no stronger than my sensei, sister or father."

Takeshi laughed. "I like you. You certainly show no fear in front of someone who is clearly stronger than you."

Keiko sighed. "Takeshi, we have plenty of time for chit-chat later. Right now, we need to see my Brother."

Takeshi nods. "He's somewhere in the building, so we might as well take a quick tour before we find him."

A small clay ball was thrown towards a rock face by a Jonin.

"Let's see if this one goes off with a BANG!"

The clay ball explodes, but the explosion was a bit small. The Jonin frowned. "A bit too small. Make the boom a bit bigger."

The assistant poured some chemicals into the clay before mixing it and creating another ball of clay. He then gives the clay ball to the Jonin and the Jonin focused his chakra into the ball before throwing it into the same rock wall. "This time it will be bigger."

The Jonin forms a hand seal. The clay ball explodes, causing a slightly bigger explosion.

"Still too small. Bigger!"

Inside the building, Keiko, Takeshi and the Konoha Shinobis are standing behind specially designed glass to withstand most explosions as they watched the experiment.

Takeshi explains to the Konoha Shinobis what is going on. "Daiki Kuroi, Iwagakure's top Explosive and Trap specialist. His current project is to figure out the formula for the explosive clay used by one of our former Shinobis."

Sanae's ears twitched at the mention of 'Explosive Clay'. "You mean..."

"To put it simply, we're replicating the explosive clay used by a former Iwa Shinobi," Keiko explains. "We kinda lost the original formula, so we had to rely on trial and error."

Back outside, the second clay ball explosion did not please Daiki.

"I don't understand, Daiki. How big do you want the explosion to be?" asked the assistant.

Daiki opened out his arms as wide as he could. "We're trying to replicate the composition of Master Deidara's clay. So I want a really big boom from a small piece of clay, got it?"

The assistant nods. He begins to pour a large amount of fish oil into the clay and mixes it.

Daiki became very impatient as the Chunin was creating clay ball from the new mixture. "I WANT THE BIGGEST BOOM EVER!"

Daiki grabbed the ball and focused his Chakra into the clay ball before throwing it into the corner. The assistant quickly ran out of the room, not knowing if the explosion is going to be as big as he fears it would be.

Daiki forms a hand seal. The Clay Ball makes a huge explosion that engulfs the area and shook the whole building.

Daiki is covered in dust and soot caused by the explosion. "Yep, that's what I'm looking for." Daiki coughs out a puff of black smoke before collapsing.

Takeshi and Keiko sighed. "Looks like it's going to be another busy day for Sorato," Takeshi.

An orange-haired woman wearing a white coat is looking through a medical file in a hospital ward within the research facility. Her coffee mug was near the edge of the table when the vibrations of an explosion caused the mug to fall off the edge. The woman easily grabbed the mug handle without spilling a single drop of liquid and proceeds to drink her coffee. Almost a minute later, she could hear the door opened with Takeshi with Daiki's arm around the back of his neck.

"There's no need to bring me here, Takeshi," Daiki said. "It's not as though I broke any of my bones or something like that."

Sorato rolled her eyes. "How big was it this time?" Sorato looked up and noticed Keiko and the Konoha Shinobis behind Takeshi and Daiki. "Ah, you're back, Keiko."

The five Konoha Shinobis quickly recognize Sorato. Seven months ago, right before the Chunin Exams Preliminaries, Sorato made a big deal while trying to drop out of the exams. This time, it appears that that same 'Genin' is actually a Jonin. "Wow, I didn't think that I would see you guys again. Anyway, I'll properly introduce myself. I'm Sorato Ishikawa. I'm Iwagakure's top medical expert and scientist. I ensure that every experiment here is bound within a moral and legal limit to make sure we don't go as far as Orochimaru."

The words 'top medical expert' attracted Rai's attention. "Really?"

Keiko explains. "Ever since Sorato took charge of our medical facilities, there has been a huge improvement of medical services to both civilians and Shinobis. Of course, not to mention the new training programs we've put in place to reduce unnecessary injuries that would put a strain on our medical resources. We also decided to follow Konoha's example for training Medic-Nins to reduce the number of injury and deaths during missions."

"You've met top dogs running this place," Takeshi said, "Time to meet guy who made this happen."

"The man who has been interested to meet you, Chidori Uchiha," Sorato adds. "The Tsuchikage himself."

The Tsuchikage is on the phone.

"Hmmm...perhaps this should work. I'm sure there are some Kunoichis who have concerns over this issue. This should put their mind at ease. After all, the pills we are working on should provide the necessary nutritional without the awful side effects in the previous attempts. Keep me posted."

The Tsuchikage puts down the phone. He turns his attention to his guests.

"Greetings, I am the Tsuchikage of Iwagakure. Others know me as the 'Earth Dragon of Iwagakure'. But I'd rather address people on equal terms; so, feel free to address me by my name, Hachi.

Chi walks up to the Tsuchikage. "Hachi, I am Chidori Uchiha, but you can call me Chi."

Hachi smiled. "Chidori Uchiha. You piqued my interest when you defeated my little sister during the Chunin Exams in Konoha. Not many people have matched Keiko in battle, especially one who is almost the same age as her."

"I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, Hachi," Chi said.

"But it is a good lesson for her to know that there are people who are stronger than she is outside this village," Hachi said.

Keiko rolled her eyes. 'Actually, it was a fluke. He even admitted to me that he didn't know that his Fire-based Jutsu overcame my Wind-based Jutsu.'

Hachi continued. "Anyway, the reason I asked you to be here is quite obvious. I admit that you are a talented Shinobi, but it is in my best interest that I should help you refine that talent and help you realize your full potential."

Sanae sent a worried look at Rai as Chi grinned. "Wow, I'm beginning to like you, Tsuchikage-sama."

The Tsuchikage smiled. "You may like me now, but later on, that could change. Right now, Keiko should take you and your comrades to your accommodation. Tomorrow's going to be a very busy day for all of us, so take this opportunity to rest yourselves. And do not worry; I'll personally handle the expenses."

Chi respectfully bows to the Tsuchikage. "Thank you, Tsuchikage-sama."

Keiko took the Konoha Shinobis to a Hot Springs hotel on the mountain above Iwagakure. "This will be your accommodation during your stay in Iwagakure."

Chi whistled. "Impressive place. I didn't think I would stay at a place with a great view of the village."

"Our father was a Shinobi while our mother is a civilian," Keiko explains. "She inherited the Hotel and has been keeping herself busy whenever our father was on missions. It's rare to have customers stay at the hotel as most of the time; the locals would come here to use the Hot Springs. Of course, there are the occasional few who trained up in the mountains who do not have the time to return to the village, so staying at the hotel is their best option."

A woman is standing at the entrance to the hotel greets the guests. "Welcome to Iwa's famous Hot Springs Hotel. I'm Shizuka Kagami, Successful Owner of this business and wonderful mother to two Children. I remember when my son was a young boy who loves to..."

Keiko groaned. "Mom, while I don't mind the stuff that embarrasses me, I would prefer if you don't embarrass the Tsuchikage."

Shizuka smiled. "I'm sorry, but as a mother, I rarely get the chance to brag about my children to guests."

"Mom..." Keiko sent a quick look at Chi for help.

Chi smiled and looks at Shizuka. "Erm, Kagami-san..."

"Please call me Shizuka."

Chi nods. "Right, Shizuka. Perhaps you could tell me more about the Tsuchikage after we check-in to our rooms."

"Of course, please come in and I'll get everything ready!" Shizuka opened the door to allow the Konoha Shinobis to enter the hotel. Once everyone entered, Shizuka then whispered to her daughter. "You know, personally, I would prefer the cool black-haired kid, but the pink-haired one is quite good-looking too."

Keiko frowned. "Mom..."

The Tsuchikage is now alone in the office with Takeshi, Sorato and Daiki.

"I'm surprised that they chose the boy's friends as his escort," Takeshi said. "If they knew what we had planned for them, they wouldn't have sent mere Chunins."

"Haven't I taught you not to judge a book by its cover, Takeshi?" The Tsuchikage looked at Sorato. "The Hyuga Girl. You sensed it too, didn't you?"

Sorato nods. "Something I haven't felt in a very long time. Do you believe she is related to the Yellow Flash?"

"I had my suspicions," the Tsuchikage said. "The only other person who I could sense the same 'vibe' is from the 'Blue Storm of Konoha', but with his face hidden behind a mask and rumors going around that he is the ghost of the Yellow Flash, all I can do is keep an open mind."

"If that is the case, why didn't I sense it during the Chunin Exams?" Sorato asked.

"She was a Genin when you first saw her," the Tsuchikage answered. "Now that she is a Chunin, she could have learned the Hiraishin during the past few months. After all, we did train ourselves to sense anyone who is capable in using the Hiraishin."

Sorato nods. "That means that we should not underestimate the girl if one of us has to face her in battle." Sorato looks around. "So, who wants to be the unfortunate victim who will face her?"

Daiki raised his hand. "I suppose I can deal with it. After all, I'm the one would take the most precautions, considering my profession."

The Tsuchikage crossed his arms. "Do whatever you want. Just don't remove the entire country from the map while you're at it."

Takeshi walks towards the exit. "The Uchiha's twin brother is mine. I want to see if he has improved since I last saw him."

"So that leaves the Nara siblings," Sorato said. "I think I'll take on the girl. I can tell that she's the most intelligent of the lot so I want to see how she compares to me."

"And I suppose the Fourth Guardian will face Inoryou Nara," the Tsuchikage said. "Then it's settled. Tomorrow, Chidori Uchiha's friends must fight for their lives if they want to see their friend become stronger. Just remember that I would like my best Shinobis to stay alive after this 'exhibition'."

After a good meal and a very good soak in the hot springs, Chi is now lying down in his futon, looking at the ceiling. 'Takeshi, Daiki Kuroi and Sorato Ishikawa. I didn't sense any hostile intentions from them at the facility but I know that they are loyal to the Tsuchikage. Not to mention the Tsuchikage is a man who prides himself in efficiency and his respect for talented people. If we happened to be at war with Iwagakure, we probably wouldn't stand a chance. I guess the Hidden Sword Rebellion did have an upside, giving us all a common enemy to fight instead of fighting against each other.'

Chi frowned. 'But Yuki's file on the Tsuchikage said that his four best Shinobis are known as the Four Guardians of Iwagakure. I think I may have found three of them. So, who or where is the fourth one? But I have a bad feeling about tomorrow.'

[End of 06 - Closing Chapter Illustration: The Tsuchikage is sitting on a rock. Standing behind him are Keiko, Sorato, Takeshi and Daiki. In the background is a stone dragon.]

Author's Personal Note 06: The Four Guardians of Iwagakure is a group formed by the current Tsuchikage in a bid to counter the Mizukage's Seven Swords of the Kirigakure. It involves four Shinobis who he can trust with his life and ensure that Iwagakure is protected from its enemies. Currently, only three of the four Guardians have been revealed. Takeshi, Sorato Ishikawa and Daiki Kuroi.

Special Announcement: With the completion of Naruto G2 Zero, I will be working on special chapters involving my Next-Gen OCs in a related Fanfic titled Naruto G2 Legends as part of PikaFlash's 10th year as a Fanfiction Author.