Disclaimer: /Waiting beside a trap made or a knotted rope and a steaming bowl of ramen /-sigh- no sign of a Naruto… I feel like I'll never catch one…

Naruto walked alongside Asuma, both hands closed in fists. A slight ripping sound was heard and he opened them to show Azuma their content. Two neatly cut leaves. One was cut from top to bottom and the other from left to right.

"Nice going on the control there, Naruto. Your next exercise will be to cut the leaf in two again, but on the thickness," said Azuma, nodding his head.

Naruto blinked twice, and then grinned. Now that was a challenge!

Choji looked at the scene, a puzzled look on his face.

"Say… Shikamaru?" he asked.

"What is it, Choji?" answered the Chuunin teen at his side.

"I don't understand well what Naruto is trying to do. I know it must be important, but I just don't get this elemental thing. What's the use in putting wind in your chakra?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Ino walked closer wordlessly, showing her interest in Shikamaru's answer. He couldn't blame them. Seeing Naruto so far in his training, so further up that his teammate didn't even understood his training was a little bit frustrating.

"Say… You have to nail a plank. Let's compare the hammer to your chakra. Using chakra is like using an ordinary, iron hammer of a medium size to do the job. Using elemental chakra is like using a hammer of the same size, put twice heavier. It's more efficient for the job; you'll be able to nail bigger nails in harder woods. The better is your elemental chakra control, the heavier the hammer."

Choji stood silent a while.

"Then, he'll be able to use technique you can't do with ordinary chakra, stronger techniques. And the techniques he uses already will be stronger," summered Choji slowly.

"The technique that he can use with elemental chakra, yes," nodded Shikamaru.

"Isn't it necessary to control your elemental chakra as a Jonin?" asked Ino, looking at Naruto.

"Yes," said Shikamaru, sighing, "Most Jonin, especially the instructors, control two of them."

"How far ahead his Naruto?" asked Choji, more to himself.

"We must still be kids to him," said Ino adverting her gaze from the other blond of the group.

"Don't say that, Ino. Naruto isn't like that," countered Shikamaru.

"Maybe… but that's how I feel compared to his level right now. I'm so far behind…"

"No, you're not. He's the one who's far ahead. Never forget that. Even most instructors looks at him and Sasuke in awe. Since we decided to grow strong too, we should do like Lee, Ten-Ten or Sakura who all had boost in their power after training with them," stated Shikamaru. It was a hard truth to admit, but there was a limit to what you could do with plans.

Ino looked back at Naruto, and smiled. Choji and Shikamaru each took a step away from her. She just got an idea, and it scared them to know what it was. They were better off not knowing. Good luck, Naruto.

'And sorry,' though Shikamaru.

Azuma's team, plus Naruto, were in Umi no Kumi, the city the nearest of the location of their mission, and the residence of the employer.

"Thank you for making haste in your travel, Azuma-san" said Illumi, the town's mayor. "As you must have been informed, we do not face dangerous threat enough that we need to hire ninja for protection. No offense, but that would ruin us in the long run! However, the ships carrying precious merchandises, including the payments for our protection squads have been attacked. It is always the same thing: tidal waves, the sight of a green sea monster and the ship getting damaged under the water lines, sinking it."

The middle-aged man sighed loudly, showing it wasn't the end of it.

"We tried to send divers to bring back some of the money lost but the ships that could be reached all showed the same things: they were emptied. Now, the next shipment shall bring the late pay of our protection squad. They promised to keep on working if we simply cover the back-up wages. This is the first treat that come from underwater and we're not equipped to deal with that, and neither are our protection squads. If you can secure this shipment, Konoha is going to receive a percentage of its cargo. Retrieve the content of the lost ships, and you'll receive a higher percentage for them. Capture the beast responsible for this and we'll pay the double of the reward posted on the Town Hall's wall," the mayor finished.

Naruto nodded, taking all of this in. This could be a very lucrative mission for Konoha.

"We'll do all in our power to secure this shipment and capture the beast responsible. Anything else will be secondary objectives, if we can achieve the primary goals fast enough," assessed Azuma. Finding back the lost shipments could prove to be a wild goose chase. They were as well to keep at the bases.

"Thank you Azuma-san," said the mayor, bowing low, "We'll leave the procedures in your hands."

The Konoha ninjas left the town hall to settle down at an inn. The shipment would arrive in two days time. They got there early. They would use the spare time to investigate anything else out of the ordinary. After all, monsters don't care for treasure. Gold could be explained, as it shines. But what about sealed barrels of spices, the precious silk or weapons? If someone stole all that, he must have a stash somewhere nearby as it would be hard to carry as it was. No additional traffic was noticed on the water so it wasn't a ship that fled with the content of the cargo. As strange as it sounded, it must be done underwater.

Azuma speculated the actions of missing Rain ninja. They were known for their water abilities and most of them carry breathers around.

Their research proved to be mostly fruitless.

Azuma handled most of the interrogation as people were less likely to lie to him. Shikamaru took notes and put references on a map. After a while, feeling useless, Naruto proposed that he, Ino and Choji split up, if only to explore the place. If people were less likely to lie to Azuma, they were less prone to hide from children.

Naruto strolled around lazily, taking the pulse of the city. It seemed to rely heavily on the maritime traffic and commerce. The market had a bit of all the products of the sea as well as of the lands' as they very fertile all around. Naruto turned his head toward a noisy group of kids, about two or three years younger than he was. Seeing them bullying a girl about his age covered with bandages, his blood boiled instantly.

"Hoi! What do you think you're doing?" he asked loudly, walking toward them.

"Get lost, blondie! She's a freak and deserve it all!" yelled the possible leader, his hands on his hips.

Naruto figured he was that confident because of the number of thugs that was behind him. That, and the fact that Naruto took off his headband to blend in better. He didn't want to blow his cover for a bunch of kids, but if they were so prone to throw rocks, maybe were they ready to take as much? Naruto walked beside the girls, helping her up carefully. She was still eying the kids that now circled them, warily. Naruto just winked at her. The 'boss' didn't like to be ignored that way.

"Are you deaf? Get lost!" he screamed, throwing a rock at Naruto.

Despite being less than four meter away, Naruto caught the offending projectile as if his hand waited for it. He turned toward the kid and grinned. The poor kid never understood how he was, one moment, standing and staring at the blond and the other, lying on his belly, propped on one of Naruto's knee, facing the ground.

"Bad kids deserve to be punished," Naruto said in an ominous tone, "I think a good spanking is in order."

And he did just that. An angry mother's spanking would have been a blessing compared to what he gave. The other kids watched in horror as Naruto's hand got down repeatedly on their leader's butt, emitting a painful clapping sound each time. By the time Naruto was done, the kid was thoughtfully humiliated and feeling sore. He wouldn't sit straight on a chair for a few days.

Naruto then forced the kid to stand upright. Even that looked to be painful.

"You liked being hurt? Being humiliated? Remember that the next time you wanna gang up on someone."

Naruto let him go and turned to look at the junior gang members.

"Now, who wants to learn that same lesson?" he asked lightly.

The kids might as well kawamiri'd away so fast they ran. Naruto sighed and turned toward the damsel in distress he just saved. She was on her knees, once more, picking up some fruits that fell from her grocery bag in the commotion. Naruto, ever the gentleman, helped her.

"Thank you, but was that really necessary?" asked the girl with a gentle and shy voice.

"Believe me: I hated that almost as much as he did. I rather spank bad girls my own age…" Naruto replied to the girl, who displaying a huge blush.

Naruto gently took the bag, wordlessly offering to help her carry it, and settled it against him with his left arm. His right hand was busy taking the girl's right hand and kissing it.

"Uzumaki Naruto, at your service."

If she wasn't embarrassed enough before, that did it. She quickly pulled back her hand against her chest.

"I'm… Isaribi," she confessed.

Naruto began walking at her side, smiling widely.

"Isaribi-chan! What a cute name! I think I'll escort you to your place, just in case these kids would entertain ideas of revenge…" Naruto offered kindly, resting his right hand on her hips, drawing her closer to him.

Her reaction was instantaneous. She glided out of his reach, took her grocery bag in the same smooth move and bowed slightly, facing him.

"Thank you very much, Naruto-san, for your help. I think I'll manage from here on. Please, do not follow me," she said. Her voice showing clear signs of strain.

She turned back and took off in a light run, Naruto watching her where she left him. He had a slight frown on his serious face.

Naruto got in Azuma's room at the Inn. The rest of the team was sprawled on different chairs or directly on the bed for Ino's case.

"Found anything, Naruto?" asked Shikamaru, taking in the blond's face. Azuma turned toward Naruto too, knowing Shikamaru wouldn't ask for any reason.

Naruto stood there, leaning against a wall, his head low.

"I don't know. It's just a gut feeling, nothing I can prove. It's not a lead we could follow right now."

He soon left out of the room to get to his own, as nothing new arose. Once the door was closed, Choji turned toward Shikamaru, his eyes begging for an explanation.

"He found something, or more probably someone related to this case. Someone he feels like protecting. It might get complicated. Naruto wouldn't lose the mission objective from sight…I hope," he finished, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

"I'm sure he's not, but he's still trying to find a way to save everyone," stated Asuma, lighting a cigarette.

"And he doesn't trust us to do just that?" asked Ino, indignant.

Asuma blew up some smoke.

"Maybe he's not sure if the one he's worried about wants to be saved."

Naruto was enjoying the ride, as much as he could in the tiny boat. He figured it could be worse. He could be the one rowing with Choji. Ino growled seeing him at the end of the boat, all ease, while she had to sweat with effort under the sun. Naruto found exceedingly amusing that the number of leader on the boat was greater than the number of leaded peoples.

Naruto watched if they were trailed while Azuma, at the other end of the small boat, searched the horizon for the ship they were to greet. Shikamaru was watching the clouds all the while.

"The target is straight ahead," announced Azuma. "Get ready. We'll leave the boat soon and surround the ship as soon as possible. Be wary of the waves while water walking."

"We will," answered Naruto, snickering.

Shikamaru sighed while Ino chuckled at the 'w' turn of wording.

They neared the ship that looked to be sailing without a hint of trouble. That is, until the ship suddenly shook and slowed down. Asuma lost no time.

"Choji! Come with me! We have to stop the ship from sinking! Shikamaru, Ino, Naruto, you go after the underwater attacker: go!"

The two Chunins and Genins obeyed at once. Azuma went behind the ship while Choji ran to the front. The 'big-boned' ninja inflated himself and grabbed the front of the ship, half-resting it on his back. To his surprise, Asuma started to push the boat forward. Choji did his best to follow the pace, but was more than often gliding over the water. He knew he wouldn't be able to carry the ship all the way to the shore, but he had to get it out of the combat zone.

Naruto dove in the water first, eager to solve this. Shikamaru and Ino followed shortly, realizing the changes an underwater battle provided. Ino found out just how slowed down she was while Shikamaru experienced just how unstable were the shadows underwater. It would be easier to defend the ship close to it, the structure providing more than enough shadows for his techniques.

Naruto swam his best around the boat, looking wildly for the attacker. He finally spotted something that hid near the bottom of the lake. It saw him and swam away. Damn it was fast! Last time he heard about such underwater speed, it was when Kisame fled with Itachi. Naruto's guts wrenched for a second at the thought of facing the missing ninja in his environment. He picked up the pace, rationalizing that the missing ninja would never run from a fight, quite the contrary.

While speeding away, Naruto saw Shikamaru going over the opposite side of the boat, who was slowly but surely gaining speed in its retreat toward the shore. Naruto knew that once the Nara would reach it, the prey would become the attacker and the ship's shadow would transform in some sort of tentacle monster. Ino was far behind him, doing her best to keep up. Naruto knew she could become handy if Shikamaru trapped the enemy. His role would resume to keep her close to the boat for when Shikamaru would be ready.

Once he got close enough to see the 'green monster', Naruto's heart pinched somehow. It had about the same size as Isaribi. It was humanoid and very fish-like. It sped toward him suddenly, its intent evident. It wanted them to keep clear from its target. It almost collided with him when it stopped. Naruto had a clear view of her now. The gills were where she kept her bandages and her hair was more like fins now. Her palmed hands stood out clearly. Naruto still recognized her easily, looking at her face that now held surprise and distress. She had no intention of fighting him.

Naruto read in her expression that she didn't wanted to hurt him. She shook herself, turned around just as Ino reached them. The fish-girl swam away, Naruto going after her instinctively. Even with his weight off (as he's not stupid enough to go on an underwater mission with them) his top swimming speed could not match Isaribi's. Still, Ino was left far behind once again. Shikamaru, now behind and under the ship, sent as much shadow as he could after her, realizing she would not get close for an easy catch, but she was already too far.

Naruto kept on the chase alone. He always managed to keep her in sight and she began showing signs of hesitation. Naruto knew what it meant: they were getting near her hiding place and she didn't want him to find out. Even if she might strongly suspect that he recognized her, she knew what he was there for: they were hired to capture the green monster.

The thing was, Naruto didn't know if he could last until she reached her lair! Already, he was starting to feel the premise of the lack of oxygen. Unless…

Isaribi was clearly panicking now. What would she do? What could she do? She might outrun him now but she guessed he'll be able to track back to her. Turning back to check on his progress, she saw him in an unexpected tight spot. The kind, blond ninja was clawing at the water and trashing around, bubbles leaving his mouth freely. Then he stopped moving altogether. Oh no! He lacked the oxygen to get back to the surface! Isaribi swam to him, fast as an arrow, grabbed him by the shoulders and sped away, not hesitating for a second.

She reached the underwater entrance to her cave in record times and pulled Naruto out of the water on his back. Finding out he stopped breathing, she began mouth-to-mouth procedures and the blond began coughing water almost immediately. Taking deep breaths, he opened an eye, too clear for someone just rising out of unconsciousness.

"Hey…" Naruto said with a tired voice, smiling lightly, "I didn't know you were the kind of girl to kiss on the first date…unless we count that time at the market!"

Isaribi pulled back and realization hit her.

"You… faked drowning. You were conscious the whole time," she stated more than asked.

"Yeah," acknowledged Naruto, still breathing deeply. "But I had to get rid of most of my air so that it would look convincing. I lost too much to afford moving underwater."

"What if I let you drown back there? You'd be fish food by now!" she protested, frowning.

"I knew you were not that kind of person. You didn't even hesitated," Naruto shrugged.

The Leaf ninja slowly sat up and looked at her sadly.

"The time came to face the music, Isaribi-chan. Who are you working for?" the blond asked.

Isaribi opened frightful eyes and turned away, changing back to her aquatic form. Before she could even make two steps, Naruto already immobilized her from behind. Her attempt at getting away proved useless as the boy was way stronger than he looked. She realized that in close combat, even underwater, she didn't stood a chance against him. Her body lost all energy, her mind filled with despair. She was caught. She would lose what little freedom she had. She'd be thrown to the villagers and their hate for her, for the monster she was, would be justified. Amachi-sama, her master and the only one she was allowed to talk to, would probably abandon her, or kill her if he felt merciful. With the boat she just lost, that wasn't going to happen. She was in troubles, in so much troubles…

The first sob barely shook her shoulders, but it grew until it filled the cave with the echo of her crying. She fell on her knee and found herself in a warm embrace. She grabbed Naruto's wet shirt like a lifeline, feeling she would drown in the darkest depths if she let go.

"It's going to be okay…You'll get through, don't worry. I'm here with you. I won't let bad things happen to you…"

Naruto's soothing produced the same results as hours of interrogations.

"I didn't want too! I had no choice! Amachi-sama told me I had to work to compensate on the work they did on me! But I'm a monster! He gave me what I needed to live and… and… I don't know what he does with all this! He just asked me to drown the ships and bring as much as I could to the research lab! I swear I don't know anything else! I don't! I'm of no other use! I can't do anything else! I bet he don't even need me for this. No one need a monster…"

"You are not a monster…" began Naruto slowly, tightening his hold on her.

"How do you know?" Isaribi almost shouted, sobbing, afraid to lose the only comfort she had. "People aren't giving you the dirty look when you walk down the street, nor do they throw rocks at you or teach their child to do so!" she finished, angry.

She forced herself to distance herself from Naruto, sniffing, but with little conviction. Naruto just kept his hold on her and she gave up fast. She was calming down some.

"Of course not. In my village, I'm a hero. They all, or pretty much all, love me and respect me. But you know, I made a mistake once, on a trip to a small village. I was very young and alone with my brother. We were not even ninja but we liked doing "missions" to practice. We went for an ice cream, and I let slip who I really was, expecting maybe a free sample or something. The result was far from what I expected. I got thrown away. Believe me, it was not ice cream I got free of charge but a mob of angry villagers, out for my blood. My brother and I fled as fast as we could, confused. We tried it carefully in a small isolated farm, and got pretty much the same result. My kind are not welcomed anywhere. I am at very few places. On some small scale, I can understand you, even if I never lived more than a few hours in your shoes in my whole life."

Isaribi breathed slowly, her eyes wide open. What could this gentle, cute guy could have ever done, or could ever be, that would get him an instantaneous reaction from a crowd similar to what is done to her? Naruto guessed part of her thoughts and smiled. He hooked that fish, if he might say so, but never to her face. He simply had to roll in the line.

"If you want to know my secret, you'll have to come with me, to this village where I told you they welcomed the 'monster' I am with open arms."

Isaribi fought the hope she felt rising and snorted.

"Right. You're a ninja, aren't you? You just captured the monster responsible for the ship wreck with a little cunning, a little strength and a lot of sweet talk. You're telling me you won't hand me to them and will go out of your way to help me, just like that?" she said with derision.

"We only accepted to 'capture' the one responsible. As long as we stop you from doing it again, they have no hand in your fate," answered Naruto, confidently. Yep, Azuma and the old man would kill him alright, probably with some help from Tsunade-hime.

"I don't mind being your captive…" sighed Isaribi, snuggling against him, her eyes closed.

She kept them closed until she realized exactly what she said, and blushed at Naruto's heartfelt laugh.

"I guess it's settled then! Now we only have to handle the matter of your 'master', the real responsible in all of this. Tell me all about that research lab you mentionned earlier…"

Azuma's team was sprawled on the beach, the Jonin himself quite winded.

"That's a good job, team," managed to say Azuma, over the noise of the cheering crew behind them.

Azuma showed an impressive demonstration of strength and stamina by keeping his end of the boat afloat all along. The two Genins and the Chunin had to switch places to keep the tip of the boat afloat. Choji lasted a while but ultimately had to deflate and rest on the ship's deck, panting heavily. Surprisingly, Ino was the next to pitch in. Their struggle caught the attention of a small whale that swam around them. Ino managed to possess her mind and pulled them on her back until she could not hold the possession.

Shikamaru took the relay in an imaginative use of his shadows: extending the ones of the ship, he managed to make them solid enough to provide support on the water and transformed two of them in the shape of arms that paddled the ship forward. The sight was the strangest thing ever and Azuma was grinning all the while, proud of his team.

Choji didn't lost any time on board and ate two full bags of chips he got out of nowhere as soon as his breathing calmed down. He took his turn back before Shikamaru was totally exhausted, as it is never good to push yourself that hard, for normal ninja, anyway… Ino scanned the water but no other creature was nearly strong enough near them to help, the scared whale being long gone. She contented herself to cheer on Shikamaru and Choji, their combined effort near the end being enough to pull the ship on the shore. She was tired too, but it was mainly because she was the one to pull Choji from under the ship to lie down on the beach!

"Where's Naruto, do you recon?" asked the Akamichi in between breaths.

Shikamaru shrugged, not looking too worried.

"He acted strangely, underwater. I hope he didn't do anything too troublesome," he simply said.

"Now that I think of it, he seemed to recognize that girl," said Ino, pondering.

"A girl?" asked Azuma, frowning.

"Well, yeah. It looked like a fish-girl more than a scary green monster. She couldn't be more than, what, fifteen?" she said, guessing.

"Hum. A girl no more than fifteen able to out-swim ninja with evident experiment mutations. Naruto probably did something troublesome," deadpanned Shikamaru.

"How can you tell?" asked his sensei.

"Naruto was always a sucker for older girls," the Nara sighed.

As it went, Shikamaru proved to be right. Naruto was waiting for them in Azuma's room, on his bed, a blushing girl resting against his chest.

"Told'cha," simply said Shikamaru to an unbelieving Ino.

That sent Naruto looking smug and Isaribi looking sideway to him, an eyebrow raised.

Azuma sighed, scratching the back of his head as the team settled.

"Naruto…protecting the target isn't part of the contract, and pretty much against the ninja ethic…" he said.

"She's barely the tip of the iceberg, Azuma-san. What's underneath is much more dangerous. She's working under the order of a guy named Amachi in a complex nearby. The guy is some kind of medical ninja turned mad scientist under Orochimaru's teaching," Naruto explained, his face all business-like.

"From what I gathered from Isaribi-chan, The lost Sanin haven't been here for years, but he made an appearance lately. The ship's attacks began right after that. I believe his visits sparked renewed zeal in Amachi who needed funds to get some harder to find resource on the black market. Isaribi was pretty much used all along."

Isaribi's head dropped hearing that but Naruto squeezed one of her hand discreetly, never breaking eye contact with Azuma.

"This changes things, as it might give us a chance to complete all the assignment's objectives in a short time," stated Asuma, rubbing his chin. "We captured the responsible, although it could be argued since the leader is still out there. The ship with the payment is saved and we have a lead on the other shipment's location. Good job, Naruto. We'll discuss the matter of your…charge when this will be over."

"Thank you, Azuma-sensei," said Naruto, bowing his head.

"I want to help!" suddenly said Isaribi in a strong voice, surprising everyone. She shied back right after her outburst but didn't back down on her words.

"I… I want to help you. I know every entrances. They wouldn't expect you coming in from an underwater passage and you would corner Amachi-sa…Amachi. I could show you where he keeps his experiments, his files and I can fight too!" she said, more and more eager.

Azuma looked doubtful. It was understandable, as she was an enemy just an hour ago. Naruto looked deep in thoughts.

"Can I propose something, Azuma-sensei?" he asked, still pensive.

"Go on."

"I bet that if I infiltrated the underwater passage with Isaribi-chan, you could, with the rest of the team, hammer the main entrance. I would be able to cut the retreating ones and prevent Amachi from escaping."

"You think you can take care of everyone that is going to flee at once, Naruto?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yes," the blond stated firmly.

Ino coughed something that sounded an awfully lot like 'cocky' but Naruto simply grinned. Azuma scratched his head, then his beard.

"Okay, but Shikamaru go with you two. They won't expect anyone else than Isaribi-san to get out of there and the speed of execution doesn't matter. What matter is that no one escape and Shikamaru's shadow will be more useful to you in the tunnels, I expect," ordered Azuma.

"You've got a point," admitted Naruto. We'll do it like that, then. When are you expected back, Isaribi-chan?"

The girl blushed at the constant use of familiarity from Naruto, but she managed a clear answer.

"In about an hour, an hour and a half maximum. They expect me to wait for everyone to leave the surrounding of the boat, as I never could solve myself to drown them…" she said, averting her eyes.

Asuma's eyes were like steel. He didn't like child exploitation anymore than Naruto.

"Then we'll go as soon as possible in order to benefit the surprise effect as much as we can," he announced.

Azuma's team looked like they were about to cry.

"We just finished pulling a boat from the sea to the shore!" whined Ino.

Choji looked to the side, fidgeting. He didn't wanted to admit it but he was tired too.

Naruto sighed.

"I guess we don't have a choice. Either you sit this one out or you take soldier pills. I would opt for the second solution as we could finish the mission right there."

Ino groaned but Choji wordlessly got out a small bag of pills.

"Those are made by my mom. They are more potent and the drawback is lessened. Just expect to feel very hungry in about two or three hours," he said.

Azuma discreetly took one too. The ninjas took a few moments to draw a crude map from Isaribi's directions and planned out the timing of the attack. They kept the pills for minutes before the attack, for maximal effects.

Azuma pulled a map out of one of his pocket and Isaribi showed them exactly where Orochimaru's hideout was located. Azuma decided they would enter the complex in the most brutal and noisy way possible, and that Naruto would use it as a cue to attack from the inside with Shikamaru. They left the town and went off road as soon as the occasion presented itself. Naruto quickly decided he would carry Isaribi while they were not in the water, as too not slow them down. Her talents were useless out of her element.

The teams parted once they reached the closest river throwing itself in the sea. Naruto and Shikamaru ran on the water for a while, following a transformed Isaribi, while Azuma, Choji and Ino crossed it and ran toward the main entrance, still out of sight. Naruto and Shikamaru quickly dove in the river and swam as fast as they could. It was Isaribi's turn to wait on them.

To the ninja, it was taking forever, as they were used to faster way of traveling. They finally went in a underwater stone tunnel, so long they thought they were going to drown there! Isaribi finally leaped out of the water and lost no time, knowing her new friends were in urgent need to get back to the surface.

One of the resident ninja, the only one present in the cave, looked at her expectantly.

"Where is the first load?" he asked, annoyed.

"Just bellow. I'll need help to haul it in as it too heavy for me." She said nervously. The man wasn't the least bit suspicious: they trained her to be always afraid of them.

"It's about time you bring in charges that are worth the effort. Let's do it, Green Bean," he said, snorting.

He knelt near the surface of the water only to have the hem of his shirt grabbed by a hand that pulled him underwater. A few bubbles rose and the two Chunins climbed out, breathless, Naruto pulling the unconscious thug behind him. He swiftly bound him in steel wire and nodded toward Isaribi.

"We only need the signal and we're ready to move on."

Naruto and Shikamaru waited on each side of the open tunnel that led in this cave, Isaribi staying in plain sight. After putting the unconscious ninja against a wall, they strapped tape over his mouth. Their precaution proved to be useless as the ground shook from an explosion just minutes after they broke in themselves.

"The signal," stated Naruto.

Isaribi gulped loudly but ran to the tunnel and lead the way in the complex underground maze.

Yay! Another down! Sorry for the cut-off, it was the only place available...^_^