As a quick statement before I start this chapter in ernest. If I don't mention a character in a chapter, as I didn't with Rin in the previous two, don't presume that they've been forgotten. Rin is not forgotten. With Kakashi's reaction, do you really think he'd let me?

Kakashi: Damned right I wouldn't.

Oh crap… Please don't tell me that I've got Museitis now.

Jak: Your problem, not ours.

Help me.

Chapter 25: Honoo-Hanran

Tsunade, the newly deposed Godaime Hokage, faced a difficult choice. Although the Princess of the Sand Sabaku no Temari might have passed unnoticed and unhindered through Fire Country, her troupe of newly exiled ninja would find the feat near impossible to reproduce. Their numbers were meant for protection and intimidation, not stealth and concealed movement over long distances of hostile territory. To their advantage, however, the opponent's forces would not be well dug in, and the likelihood of them being able to mobilize a second counterassault force quickly enough, and of sufficient size and skill to stop them was almost nonexistent. However, Danzou had not been a ninja for his entire life without learning a few things. As the veteran of more than a few wars himself, he was likely to have had these same thoughts, and to have made some sort of compensation for such planning. What this compensation would be, and how it would impact on their ability to cross the country, Tsunade wasn't entirely certain she wanted to find out.

Her alternative, no more appealing than the potentially dangerous trek across their former home, was to skirt the Fire Country entirely, and to make their way through the surrounding countries to Sunagakure. Although this plan took them out of the crosshairs of Danzou, it put them into a whole new minefield, one of potentially greater impact. Of the countries that buffered the five Great Shinobi Nations, many of them were at best lukewarm in their opinion of Konoha, and Tsunade had no doubt that they would capitalize on an opportunity to strike at such a large concentration of ninja from the village that had so long held their enmity. Above and beyond mere spite, however, came the very likely substantial bounties on the heads of many ninja in their caravan. The possibility of vengeance and monetary compensation was a duo that Tsuande had no desire to challenge the effectiveness of.

As if this were not enough of a problem, Tsunade found a second barricade, very possibly an insurmountable at this point in time. The trip around Fire country would take a 36 hour journey, and turn it into almost a week in duration. This extension of time, in and of itself wouldn't be too great a price to pay normally were the second barrier not to exist. That barrier bore the name Orochimaru. The countries that they were to pass through played, unwittingly or unwillingly, host to the various rotating bases of Orochimaru and his Sound Village. Tsunade had no illusions of the power of her former teammate and the ninja under his command. By spending so long traveling through the countries that played host to him, she knew that the potential for an apocalyptic confrontation was so great that; in the world of a ninja where unknowns are more deadly than kunai, a possibility is as good as a fact., and a high probability might as well be a signed invitation, the confrontation would be unavoidable.

Although difficult, Tsunade's decision had only one truly acceptable answer. Turning directly for Sunagakure, Tsuande and her caravan began their hell for leather rush across the breadth of Fire Country. This decision, once made, left them with another problem.

There were precious few ways for large groups of ninja to move across long distances unnoticed. Kakashi, a veteran of the Rock-Leaf war that their recent peace treaty had, hopefully, still managed to prevent a resurgence of, knew this from personal participation in several major battles and offensives under the command of the man who would eventually become the Yondaime Hokage.

The Godaime Hokage was in possession of a combat record that was very plausibly more extensive than his was. She knew that as well, and it reflected in the commands she gave, with the entire caravan broken down to their component units and traveling in a loose formation about half a mile across. Often known as the Ninja's Highway, the treetops were the most commonly moved through part of the forest as ninja bolted to and froe across the country. Avoiding the Highway, although it forced them to bend to the demands of terrain somewhat more than they were used to, saved them from potential headlong confrontations with Danzou's forces. However, remaining out of the treetops would also slow them heavily as they negotiated the terrain below. This slowdown would keep them deep inside what was rapidly going to become hostile territory far longer than would be suggestible.

This was not made any better by the presence of wounded ninja from the battles with the ANBU, and the still physically limited Rin. The decision, therefore, was that the formation be split between treetop movement on the outside edges of the formation, and a ground-based progression in the formation's core. The core consisted of the wounded ninja, the Hokage and Jiraiya, Temari, Rin, and Teams 7, 8, 10, and Team Gai. The formation's purpose was for the outward, tree bound ninja to encounter be the able to notice and engage with hostile force before the more inward, presumably injured or noncom forces could be drawn into a conflict. This formation would be declared by historians to have strongly influenced the course of Konoha's history, as this single allowed for Tsunade's small caravan of Konoha ninja to meet up with the Honoo-Hanran

1

Twelve hours into the journey through Fire Country found Naruto walking alongside Kakashi and Sakura. As it had been during his travels with Jiraiya, he found that walking along the ground was so much less engaging than the tree running that he was used to. The predictable up-and-down of footfalls was enough to drive him mad. Glancing around the group, he found that he was not the only one faced with this problem, as most of the other younger ninja were also beginning to drift off of their states of alertness.

At some level, Naruto knew as well as all the others that this was a bad idea. They were in territory that they knew to be hostile, although whether or not the surrounding area knew that yet was a different question entirely, and a moot point besides. The possibility of attack at any point in time made attention to their surroundings paramount to survival.

This thought was what prevented Naruto from noticing the tripwire before he broke it. It did not prevent him from hearing the distinct noise of three kunai breaking through the air on a collision course with his jugular, aorta, and solar plexus, A quick combination of Kage Bunshin and Kawarimi provided the kunai with another, far more disposable target to vent their frustrations on while Naruto and the surrounding ninja came to an immediate halt, the entirety of their attention refocused on the situation at hand and the possible source of the projectiles. In this particular case, experience proved its value as Asuma and Kakashi launched themselves at the kunai point of origin. They arrived to find nothing more than a well-concealed trap.

"What the…" Asuma muttered, as he examined the construction. "Am I going senile or…"

"Not yet." Was Kakashi's immediate response. "Trap's barely Genin level, but the concealment looks like the work of a Jounin, possibly even an ANBU."

Asuma shook his head, more than a little confused. What the hell kind of ninja comstructs a trap at Genin level then hides it like an ANBU? The vast disparity in skill level would give away the maker's abilities to any half-competent ninja.

"We'll find out eventually." Kakashi answered the unspoken question. "But I think we need to remind the kids to pay attention. They're starting to drift, and that could be deadly here."

"Discrete but didactic, huh?" Asuma said with a grin, as he dropped down to the forest floor, Kakashi barely half a second behind him. The two Jounin quickly made their report to the Hokage, and rejoined the now clustered chuunin and sensei's. The groups spread out again, getting back up to speed.

The wind shifted. More senior ninja noted it for what it was, and continued on. Kiba stopped dead as Akamaru growled.

"What was that?" the boy asked his longtime partner. The growl rumbling from the massive half-wolf was enough to bring Kiba to a halt. "How's that possible?" Another growl. "Good point."

"Kiba, what's he saying?" Kurenai stopped to look at her team's designated brawler. The look he turned towards his sensei was a surprising mixture of confusion, jubilation and suppressed hope.

"He says that he smells Hana, about two miles in that direction." More growls issued from the dog. "Her smell has plenty of company, apparently." Kiba said with a chuckle. "Akamaru's complaining about how hard it was to pinpoint it." Unfortunately whether or not Akamaru's previously infallible nose was correct, the direction that it was pointing them towards was directly towards Konoha from their present location.

Kurenai was perhaps more surprised than she should have been that the Hokage heard her student's declaration. Snapping, she was rewarded with the immediate presence of one of her ANBU. "Send a team to investigate. Report your findings." The ANBU, with a "Hai" and a bow, disappeared.

It was a tense half an hour before the ANBU team returned. Dropping down on the outskirts of the group, one of them approached the Hokage, and dropped to one knee. "Lady Hokage, there is an encampment in that direction. From what we observed, they appear to be refugees from Konoha. The vast majority of them are ninja."

"Did they detect you?" Tsunade's question was more than an issue of curiosity. If they were detected, it was entirely possible that the encampment might disappear before they could reach it. After all, it had been ANBU who had driven them from Konoha. They were likely to be more than slightly skittish of appearing and vanishing ANBU.

"Difficult to say, m'lady. Ibiki and Anko were noted to be among their number." Tsunade smiled at the mention of two of her most powerful ANBU commanders escaping Konoha.

1

The encampment proved to be a fairly well-entrenched cave complex. As they drew closer, Naruto was fairly certain that they were under observation. This proved to be correct, as Yamato had met them at the complex, motioning for them to follow him into its recesses.

They quickly passed by a trio of thick wooden gates, the first of which was set around the first bend in the cave, with the following gates each set another thirty feet back. Their height did not quite reach the top of the cave, allowing defenders to climb them and launch attacks from behind their relative safety. Normally their construction would have been impossible so quickly. Yamato's Mokuton techniques were probably responsible for these constructs.

Inside the depths of the caverns, the ninja caravan found itself met by close to two hundred ninja ranking from the rawest of Genin and academy students up through Jounin and ANBU.

"How?"

1

Godaime Hokage Tsunade's connecting forces with the Honoo-Hanran was an event that could not possibly be overvalued. This chance meeting, owed to the superior sense of smell of the Inuzuka hound Akamaru, allowed for a coordination of forces, resources and knowledge that was far greater than the Hokage's personal caravan could have established. The information provided by the refugees at the Honoo-Hanran fortress of Tobihi would be invaluable.

To the exiles of the Honoo-Hanran, the return of their Hokage in perfect health would prove to be a morale booster beyond comparison. The notice of the Hokage's relocation to their allied territory of Sunagakure was met with muted cheers. The removal of their central commander from immediate harm provided great support for morale, as experienced ninja realized she would be able to attempt to garner aide for them better from a more secured location.

By the Hokage's insistance, only those of Chuunin rank or above would be remaining in Tobihi, with the younger ninja taken to Sunagakure. Teams Eight and Gai remained behind at Tobihi, as Teams Seven and Ten continued along with the Hokage into Sunagakure. This division of their numbers, the most complete that they had faced since they became ninja, would prove to be a turning point for all involved.

1

With the reallocation of forces complete, it took slightly less than 30 hours for the Hokage and her accompanying ninja to reach the border of the Wind Country. The relocation had resulted in many of the most experienced ninja being replaced with Genin and academy students. As an ANBU escort sent by Tobihi dropped away at the border of Wind Country, the Sand Princess Temari took on the position of guide that she had been sent to fulfill.

"It will take about 8 hours to reach the village from here. Unfortunately, its wind storm season, so our route will be somewhat erratic. Do not stray from the group for any reason." Temari said, boring her eyes into the Genin and Academies, "The storms can flay your skin from your bones in a minute."

Shikamaru glanced over at the students, focusing on those he knew from personal experience to be troublesome. "You had best listen to her." Shikamaru said, his hands migrating to his pockets. "I intend to."

Although none of his students had any illusions about Shikamaru knowing everything, they were aware that he was a smart man. That he was going to take Temari's advice was an effective method of persuasion.

As the group settled at an oasis several hours later, with the vast majority of the Genin and Academy Students nearly passing out from exhaustion and the heat, Naruto commented on the attentiveness they had paid Shikamaru's statement.

"You know, we're lucky you're on our side." Naruto declared, as Teams Seven and Ten sat under the shade of a pair of palm trees. After a moment's time, Temari joined them. "With the way those Genin and Academy Student's listen to you, you could turn the whole lot of them against us with a couple sentences."

"Well, they're not the one's we need to worry about." Shikamaru said. "It's the one's that Danzou's got his hands on now we need to be careful about. Hopefully Iruka can minimize the damage Danzou does to them."

Naruto's expression darkened with the reminder that his surrogate brother was as deep behind enemy lines as you could possibly get. The risk involved in the position was incredible, but there was nothing to be done about it. Information was an invaluable tool in the ninja world, and Iruka would prove to be a font of it if he got Danzou's trust. With that same trust, he might just be able to do the impossible, and prevent an entire generation of Genin from being brainwashed by Danzou into seeking war whenever possible.

"Okay, you do not get to frown." Sakura said from next to Naruto. "You frown and the rest of us begin to think that we're really in a hopeless situation." Her slight smile as she said this brought Naruto back to reality. He nodded, and looked over at the Genin and Academies. "I think we're going to have to work on something else for them to wear once we reach the village."

Temari chuckled, and stood up. "Time to get moving. Sooner we get there, sooner we can get you all out of this heat." The prospect of some place where hair didn't have to be plied off of skin with a kunai was enough to get the ninja up and moving again.