Edit: This chapter was originally heavily comprised of past-stuff with Hinata's mother. Readers had a poor reaction to this, which triggered my removal of all the flashback sequences in the story. I otherwise left all the modern stuff alone, although there are minor, minor changes in part of this chapter just to make it fit by itself. As you can see, the stuff that's still there is pretty short, which really spoke about how much of a problem it was.
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Chapter Twenty-One
The Hidden Valley
Naruto sat behind Jiraiya and Tsunade on a small river-boat, using the shade they cast to read the scroll Kakashi had given him. A little behind him, the cone-hatted boatman was pushing them down the slow-flowing river with a long pole. They were far to the west of Konoha, on the edge of the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers. They had passed by a few small trading villages on their way down the river, but Naruto knew that they weren't looking for a human town. They followed Tsunade's memories towards Damp Bone Forest, where the slugs lived.
Naruto rolled the scroll forward a section, frowning. Everything written in it was really complicated; all advanced chakra theory and technical terms for parts of the network. It kept talking about a 'wave of Shadow', and of 'kinetic transferral', but it gave no explanation that Naruto could actually understand, let alone copy.
He grunted in annoyance and rolled up the scroll, sticking it in his pocket.
"You're not gonna learn your next jutsu by scowling," Jiraiya said.
"Kakashi-sensei must've given me the wrong one," Naruto said, folding his arms.
"Kakashi's a sensei now?" asked Tsunade. "I've heard stories of his handiwork as a jonin, but I never would have thought he'd teach."
"Yeah, he wasn't sure either," said Naruto, "but me and my squadmates got him to come around."
"He said the three of you argued, then you all attacked him by yourselves really badly, then you got tied to a stake," said Jiraiya dryly.
"Well it worked, so it doesn't matter!" said Naruto.
"Why were you tied a stake?" asked Tsunade, curiosity mingling with a mild mocking tone.
"Did you guys know about the time I got a bridge named after me?" said Naruto loudly.
"You've brought it up four times in as many days," said Jiraiya.
"Well, it's right there in the Land of Waves! The Great Naruto Bridge! Believe it!"
"Wait, you're that Naruto?" asked the boatman.
"Don't encourage him," said Jiraiya. "And keep punting!"
"No, wait!" said Tsunade. "Here."
She pointed to a small break in the reeds up ahead. The boatman waited until the boat was close, then stuck the pole deep into the river bed, holding the boat still with his powerful arms. Tsunade and Jiraiya took their bags and chakra-jumped off of the boat, and Naruto followed soon after.
They walked through the reeds to the side and into the high-grassed forest, which fast turned into rocky, hilly country. Naruto followed Jiraiya, who followed Tsunade. The kunoichi sage's eyes twinkled as she apparently noticed old landmarks, turning and checking to make her way through a path apparently only she knew. It took them through the forest and up to the hills, until at last they came to a rocky dead-end. Grey, weathered stones surrounded them, high up in the air, the sun directly overhead.
"Here?" asked Jiraiya.
"This was it," Tsunade confirmed.
Jiraiya looked to Naruto, who was clearly wanting to ask what was going on.
"There are places in the world where chakra naturally flows in a pattern," Jiraiya explained. "Usually old trees, or big rocks, and mountains. That's why people build shrines around them."
He traced a lone finger across the wall of rock closest to him.
"In a rare few places, it can make an illusion."
"Like those little blue fireballs that show up in marshes," said Tsunade. "Mirage genjutsu."
Naruto had heard of those in Iruka-sensei's classes. There were stories of strange apparitions, like bright blue flames or giant clams, or castles in the sky. These were caused by the natural movement of chakra affecting the minds of people nearby, hence a 'natural genjutsu'.
This must be how the slugs hide Damp Bone Forest, Naruto thought. It's probably really handy, 'cos they gotta hide. They can't outrun their enemies, they're slugs.
"Alright," Tsunade said, looking up at and around the rocks. "There'll be an entry point here somewhere."
"Don't you know where it is?" Naruto asked.
"It moves around," Tsunade said. "And I haven't been here for a long time."
Naruto wondered where she'd been. She obviously hadn't left the village the same way Kiba's dad had, so she must have been allowed to go. But had she just been hopping from casino to casino her whole life? And why wouldn't she go to Damp Bone Forest when slugs were her summon animals, like toads were Jiraiya's?
"What're we lookin' for?" asked Naruto.
"Some kind of...mistake in the wall," Jiraiya said. "It's midday, so it'll be easier to spot now. The genjutsu won't quite match up with the real rock."
He peered up at the rocks around them alongside Tsunade, and Naruto quickly joined them, searching for a break or a fault in the rock wall.
Noticing something, Naruto's eyes thinned.
Up there...
Naruto put his hands together and called out:
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
This done, Naruto and six clones all climbed on top of one another, ending up sitting on each others' shoulders in a long line. The real Naruto, at the top of this makeshift ladder, looked carefully at the place he had noticed and poked at it before calling down to Jiraiya and Tsunade.
"Hey, up here!" he called from the top of the pile. "There's a leaf stickin' into the rock!"
He pointed to the leaf on a branch of a creeper vine, which was blithely passing through the natural genjutsu with every mild gust of wind.
"Alright," said Jiraiya. "Go inside."
Naruto looked down at him in disbelief.
"It's tiny! I'm not gonna fit!" he said.
"You'll get through," Tsunade called up to him. "Go."
Naruto doubted it, but he had his clones tip him forward and closer to the wall anyway, reaching out to grab onto the rock.
His hand slipped through and he tumbled forward, wincing and shutting his eyes as he expected a painful slam into the solid wall.
Instead, he landed on soft leafy dirt, and he opened his eyes to behold a massive valley before him, the bright sun shining above, and the trees granting plenty of shade. He was standing around the top of a peak, with a path leading down a steep incline towards the valley itself. It wasn't that hot, but it was quite humid, and Naruto ran a hand through his hair.
There was the sound of cautious, low muttering, and Naruto looked around to see who it was. He flinched a little as he saw two massive slugs, each roughly the size of a horse, slithering towards him. Both glistened with slime, and they waved their feelers around near him, stopping about a metre away.
"Uh...hey!" said Naruto, scratching the back of his head. "You guys are huge!"
"A human," said one of the slugs, waving its feelers in Naruto's direction. "It smells adolescent. Is it Jiraiya?"
"Jiraiya hasn't been adolescent for years!" snapped the other slug.
The slug shifted to face Naruto, its feelers pointing to his head.
"Human, are you lost?" the slug said. "We cannot allow you to go any further."
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," said Naruto. "I'm with Tsunade and Jiraiya."
"No you aren't," said the second slug.
"Yeah, I am!" Naruto protested.
"I don't smell them," said the second slug.
Naruto was about to explain when Tsunade and Jiraiya appeared behind him, both landing expertly.
"Now you're with them," the second slug said to Naruto.
The slugs both bowed to the sages.
"Lady Tsunade," said the first slug. "And Jiraiya. Both of you smell concerned."
"We need to speak with the Slug Sage," Tsunade said.
"Very well," said the guard-slugs in unison.
Naruto, Tsunade and Jiraiya followed them down through the path towards the valley, Jiraiya warning Naruto to keep quiet and be careful of their slime-trails. As they entered the valley floor, Naruto began to notice other slugs watching them as they passed, all at least the guard slugs' size, some much bigger. The slugs seemed to live in the roots of the forest's massive trees, and a lot of them poked their heads up at Naruto, Tsunade and Jiraiya as the trio went by, curious.
The three of them had gathered something of a crowd by the time the guards led them to their destination. A very tall tree stood next to a small lake, its roots massive and thick. Several slugs guarded it, and the guards that had led Naruto, Tsunade and Jiraiya quickly began to speak with them in low voices. After a minute of deliberation, one of the tree-guarding slugs burrowed down into the dirt near the roots.
Shortly after, a great amount of wet dirt was flung into the air as a slug the size of a small elephant squeezed out into the light of day. Naruto noticed that it was wearing a small circlet with long white loops on the side and a sunburst pattern at the front, and guessed that this was the Slug Sage Tsunade had been talking about. He based this on the assumption that important people were more likely to wear some kind of hat, remembering the Hokage, Kazekage, and various historical kings and queens he had learned about at the Academy.
"Lady Tsunade," said the Slug Sage kindly. "Welcome back to the forest."
"Great Slug Sage," said Tsunade, bowing.
She stood up straight again.
"I must ask you...has the forest been attacked or infiltrated recently?"
The Slug Sage tilted its head a little.
"None but a human sage knows exactly how to enter Damp Bone Forest," the Slug Sage said, concern mixing with curiosity.
"That's what we're afraid of," said Tsunade.
There was a clamour of nervous voices amongst the crowd that had followed them, whispering about Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru is easily Jiraiya's equal, or my own," Tsunade said. "He recently killed our village's Hokage, and his followers made an attempt on my life."
"You are medically skilled, and will likely live far longer than most humans," a slug from the crowd said. "Is it possible he wishes to steal your body?"
"We think he changed bodies recently," Tsunade said. "We're more concerned about Damp Bone Forest itself."
The slugs in the crowd whispered to each other with even greater concern, all feelers fixed on Tsunade, Jiraiya and Naruto.
"You and Jiraiya know him best of anyone," the Slug Sage said. "We would have you remain until the forest is safe from his predations. Do you accept this mission?"
"Yes," said Tsunade.
"Jiraiya?" the Slug Sage asked.
Jiraiya nodded gravely.
"...Jiraiya?" prompted the Slug Sage, sounding expectant.
"Huh? Uh, yes," said Jiraiya.
He whispered to Naruto:
"Make sure you explain things clearly. They can't see as well as toads do."
"Then we will inform Konoha," said the Slug Sage. "We cannot pay in ryou, but we have medicinal ingredients to send to Konoha."
The Slug Sage turned to somewhere in the crowd, and commanded:
"Tsubomi, Tane, organise carts to be sent."
Two slugs in the crowd bowed to the sage and slithered off, quietly whispering to each other.
"Thankyou for the risks you have endured to tell us of this, Tsunade," said the Slug Sage, turning back to face her.
The Slug Sage shifted around, and added in a more personal tone:
"You have not come back here or summoned one of us for some time. We were concerned."
"I am joined with the forest slugs through a bond of blood and friendship," Tsunade said. "And I'm glad to see all of you again."
The crowd cheered and waved their feelers in the air with happiness.
The Slug Sage moved on to Jiraiya.
"Greetings, Jiraiya," said the Slug Sage. "Are your scrolls selling well as ever?"
"My research keeps me busy," said Jiraiya.
Tsunade harrumphed in the background, and Jiraiya shrugged.
The Slug Sage, at last, turned to Naruto.
"The pair of you have brought a child," the Slug Sage said.
"Did you and Tsunade make this human?" asked a slug from the crowd.
"Ssh! They don't like implications that they make things together," hissed the Slug Sage.
"No, he's not either of ours," said Jiraiya, stifling chuckles. "This is Naruto. He's my student."
The Slug Sage waved its lower feelers at Naruto.
"She smells powerful," the sage eventually declared.
Naruto scowled.
"She?!" he said, indignant.
"I am sorry," said the Slug Sage. "We slugs do not have genders. You are a male, then."
"Yeah," said Naruto. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. The next Hokage! After her."
He bowed low.
"It's nice to meet you, your sageness!" he said.
"Thankyou, Master Uzumaki," the Slug Sage replied.
As Naruto stood up straight, he heard the slugs talking to each other about this unusual newcomer to their forest. Listening carefully, he heard curiosity and surprise in their tones, but no fear or disgust. They clearly didn't know about the Fox, and they couldn't tell.
Yeah, thought Naruto, grinning. I could stay here for a while.
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Now
Finally reaching the top of a very long set of stairs, Squad Eight near-collapsed from exhaustion, breathing heavily. Hinata severely regretted her decision to try chakra-jumping because it was faster, coughing and spluttering as she looked down at the districts below. Kiba leaned on a nearby wall and Shino experimentally poked at his curly hair, while Akamaru gave a short growl that sounded suspiciously like laughter.
"Please tell me this is Benzai," said Kiba.
"B-...byak..hhh," Hinata muttered, only using her dojutsu for a moment to check. "N-no, this is Daikoku."
"It's not that far to Benzai," Shino said, holding his glasses up to keep them from sliding down his sweat-drenched face.
"Food," mumbled Kiba, stepping forward.
"Kiba?" said Shino.
"Food," the dog-nin repeated, and Hinata and Shino trudged after him, trusting his nose.
Kiba's powerful sense of smell served the trio of genin and the puppy well, for he brought them to a small food cart in the middle of Daikoku, served by a very tall, muscular man. He was completely bald save for a short-cut strip of hair down the middle of his scalp, and he wore a purple scarf around his mouth. His clothes looked to be scavenged from other ninja, and he was cooking okonomiyaki on a hotplate.
"Fdpls," mumbled Kiba, handing the huge man a crumpled pair of hundred-ryou notes and a bit of pocket lint.
"Did you climb up from the bottom?" asked the vendor.
The three children nodded, hearing the vendor laugh knowingly as they sat down in a shady place close to the cart. They waited for a few minutes as the vendor kept crouching to check his hot-plate's heat, watching the missing-nin pass.
"They're done," said the vendor, handing the three savoury pancakes to the children before they could get up.
They all sat still, more or less inhaling their food, to the point where Kiba forgot to give any of his to Akamaru. The little dog whined in complaint.
"You didn't climb any'a that, boy," said Kiba. "Plus, okonomiyaki probably aren't good for dogs. Plus plus, revenge for scratching my head."
Akamaru resentfully flopped on his owner's shoulder.
Hinata stood up, and Kiba and Shino followed, all stretching and preparing themselves for more of a climb. She took her first few steps away from the vendor, when he spoke up:
"Wait."
Hinata looked back to see that the vendor was holding out three small water bottles.
"Take 'em," he said. "No charge."
Squad Eight exchanged cautious looks.
"A Konoha ninja saved my life more than once," said the vendor, glancing at their forehead protectors. "Actually, a couple different Konoha ninja. In the Second War."
Shino looked thoughtful.
"Are you from the Land of Woods?" he suggested.
The vendor paused.
"...yeah," he said. "How'd you know?"
"The okonomiyaki had high amounts of mushrooms," Shino said. "The Land of Woods is known for their large fungi."
"And you're a ninja," said Kiba, smelling the man's chakra. "The Grass village was an ally of the Leaf, so...Second War."
"You guys're good," said the vendor.
As Shino and Kiba both shrugged off the complement modestly, Hinata's brow furrowed a little.
Looking behind the vendor, she suddenly gasped and pointed.
"Th-there's a snake," she warned, pointing behind the vendor, where a cobra lay coiled in wait.
"Hm?" the vendor said casually. "Oh, yeah."
He looked back at the snake.
"Go away," he said, "you're scaring off customers!"
Bizarrely, the snake seemed to listen to him, slithering off. Squad Eight smiled in thanks as they took the bottles of water before leaving for the tavern on Benzai District.
Once the vendor was sure the children were gone, he gestured for the snake to return, crouching down behind his cart so he was right next to it.
"You're a jerk," said the snake.
"Bite me," replied the vendor.
"Don't give me an invitation," the snake said.
"It was them," the vendor said. "They're tracking Gato Corp, and I'm willing to bet they know Ashinoura's involved with the whole thing. This could be it, Nozuchi."
"It might be," Nozuchi the cobra said. "But if we strike now, all we'll do is expose our necks."
"And Gato Corp grabs us," said the vendor.
"Yes," confirmed Nozuchi. "Or worse."
"Right. Stay here and watch."
"Everything will unravel of its own accord," the snake agreed. "In fact, I'll bet your fellow Leaf villagers will pull the thread."
The snake poked his tongue out into the air.
"You really don't smell like a Grass ninja," he said.
"They're just kids," said the vendor. "This must be their first mission alone. Besides, I 'died' before they were even born, and I doubt anyone talks about me after the Blaze."
"Stay focused," Nozuchi said to the vendor, turning to slide off.
"You going?" the vendor asked Nozuchi.
"I'll be close by and hidden. You'd get into trouble otherwise."
The man rolled his eyes at this, but was thankful that his friend was close by.
He looked back to his hot-plate, and put his hands before his mouth in a sign. He formed his chakra into white-hot flames, and in a second he was breathing fire into his cart.
It was a strange way to use an Uchiha jutsu, but there weren't many around to rebuke him for it anymore.
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Thanks for reading!