A/N: I'm going to get this arc done in the next week and a half. I'm already up to Chapter 40, and hopefully it'll finish at Chapter 42. This was kind of dragging on, so I'm glad to get it done. Hope you enjoy.
"Bloody Monday"
It was the dawn of a new day, and the sun rose up into the sky, casting a soft, golden light upon the sleepy village of Konoha. Most of the businesses had shut for the night, and while there was always an active shinobi presence, the Village seemed to be dead still, and there was very little movement. Slowly, people began to stir. The wafting scent of baking bread began to fill the streets, and genin darted around the Village carrying bottles of milk, newspapers and other assorted goods, ready for an early morning delivery.
Within the tallest building in the village, a young, thirteen year old boy's eyes snapped open at exactly 6:59:58. His hand flew out and he slapped the alarm clock on his bedside table a mere two seconds before it would have went off. Naruto blinked away the sleep from his eyes and took a deep breath, his froggy sleeping hat bobbing up and down with every breath. He got out of bed, flannel pyjamas wrinkled, and absently pressed a thumb on the spiralling red tattoo on his upper arm. A miniscule surge of chakra spread through the seal and Naruto was enveloped in a puff of smoke.
When it disappeared, Naruto's pyjamas were gone. He wore a light-grey armoured vest and long, dark pants. A pair of dull-metal armguards covered his forearm, and fingerless gloves protected his hands. His right upper arm was bare, his ANBU tattoo visible for the world to see, but he had wrapped a series of bandages around his upper left arm. Naruto rubbed his eyes and quickly made his bed, his movements automatic and well-rehearsed. Then, making sure his mask was clipped onto his utility belt, he left his small bedroom with the door closing quietly behind him.
It was usually Naruto's job to rouse the Third Hokage, but today, like many mornings, the old man was already up. Naruto shook his head wryly as he closed the door to the Hokage's bedroom. Ever since Naruto had been promoted to Jonin, Sarutobi had been giving him less and less of a hard time. That's not to say that the young ANBU could drop his guard, for that would just ensure that the cranky old man would hurl something heavy at his face, but it had made the mornings much easier. Naruto grimaced, however, as he made his way to his next destination.
If Sarutobi had lightened up, then Konohamaru had more than made up for it with his antics.
Naruto didn't know if the young Sarutobi was secretly bitter about his promotion, or that he was still recovering from his loss at the Chunin Exams. Maybe he was just trying- and succeeding- at being a pain the arse. Whatever the reason, every morning was quickly becoming less of a wake-up call and more of a re-enactment of the Third Great War. As such, when Naruto ascended the next floor to where Konohamaru's bedroom was, he was immediately wary and alert.
Konohamaru was becoming a sneakly little bastard, and it would be a massive dent in his pride as a Jonin if a Genin got the upperhand on him in an ambush. Naruto clenched his fists. That bastard Kakashi would never let him live it down!
The first trap was obvious. Ninja wire glinted across the hallway, leading up into the darkened corners of the hallway to bundles of packaged items. There could have been anything in there, from kunai or shuriken to poisons and gas. Knowing Konohamaru, it was probably something embarrassing and completely inappropriate for use in a real battle. It was simple and effective, yet not impossible to bypass without setting any of them off. Actually, there were several blind spots where an agile shinobi could dart through to reach the end of the corridor- and Naruto frowned at that.
Konohamaru was smarter than that.
Yet there was nothing obvious from where he was standing that could indicate danger. Naruto palmed his forehead, already thinking of the headache that was coming along. It was too early to be dealing with his kind of nonsense. Usually, the blond ANBU would play along with Konohamaru, secretly pleased at how the young Sarutobi was progressing with his trap-making. There were some days, however, when he just could be bothered.
This was one of these days.
He flipped through a series of hand-seals and gathered the chakra. It pulsed in his veins, and the tenketsu in his mouth burned with a sudden warmth.
Water Release: Waterfall Technique!
He reared his head back and spat out a goblet of water. Chakra surged through it and even as it began to leave his mouth it began to expand, more and more chakra-induced water coming forward until it had become a wild river. It swept across the hallway, tearing through the wires and traps and setting them all off. Puffs of white powder and a few pops of firecrackers going off were swept through by the tide, which slammed into the door at the end of the room with a thud. There was a sudden yelp and Naruto lowered his hands, even as the water began to recede and evaporate at an alarming rate. Chakra-induced water rarely lasted more than a few moments before the power that held the oxygen and hydrogen atoms together would dissipate
"I know you can hear me!" Naruto called across the suddenly wet hallway, wisps of water rising up into mist around him. "You've got five minutes, or else I'm coming in there, tying you up in your underwear and dropping you off in Sakura's bedroom!"
Naruto could practically hear Konohamaru gulp as he turned away, a slight smirk on his face.
An hour later, Naruto and the rest of Team Sigma accompanied the Hokage to the Mission Assignment Office. This was where the majority of missions were handed out to shinobi teams, and where clients would come to request the services of Konoha. Usually manned by Chunin, the Third Hokage liked to attend every now and then to give out missions, interact with his shinobi and make a grand impression on the clientele. Business had picked up after the Chunin Exams, and Naruto would often restrain the urge to squirm as the clients, most often the Lords and Ladies of the Fire Court, would eye him with intrigue as he stood by the Hokage's side.
As Team Sigma was officially responsible for the protection of the Hokage, they too had to accompany him. Unlike Naruto, however, they were merely allowed to stand around looking impressive- and impressive they must have looked, because the blatant appearance of so many ANBU had quite a few of the clients impressed. Two children accompanying a hardened, leather-skinned man wearing a blacksmith's apron even ran up to Yuuka, giggling as they circled her, waving and trying to get her attention. To her credit, the Yamanaka stood there stoically, although Naruto would bet that she was smiling behind her mask.
Naruto, on the other hand, was running around almost constantly as he shuffled piles of paperwork from one corner of the room to the other, organised messengers to reach various departments and shinobi, collected payment and signed off on Treasury deposits, fetched tea for the clients and the Hokage, and a thousand other miscellaneous jobs. The Mission Assignment Office seemed to be understaffed for the day, with two Chunin calling in sick, and ironically the Missions Assignment Office hadn't made adjustments for the Mission Assignment Office roster, probably because the one who organised the shift-work was one of the Chunin who was off sick.
It hurt Naruto's head to even think about it, but he never really got enough time to think too deeply as one job led to another led to another. At one point, he tried to call up some Shadow Clones- but Sarutobi dispelled them with a single hand-seal and whacked Naruto over the head, looking cross.
"No clones," he barked grumpily. "Some of that paperwork has to have an authentic signature, and the Fire Courts say that the signatures of clones don't count."
"What about all of the other jobs?" Naruto had protested desperately.
"Shut up and get to work!"
Naruto grumbled but got to work, and the shinobi and clients in the Mission Assignment Office that morning got to witness the Right Hand of God himself sign forms in triplicate, bring tea to the Hokage and generally run around looking flustered and annoyed. Team Sigma seemed to regard it as highly amusing, and at one point Naruto was sure that he heard Sasuke snort with laughter as he was forced to pick up a bundle of paperwork that the Hokage had 'dropped'.
"Traitor," Naruto muttered sourly.
It looked like it was going to be one of those days, but at around noon a messenger arrived bearing a scroll with a red string. The Hokage immediately took it, opened it up and began reading, even as Naruto directed newly-arriving clients to the Chunin manning the desks. There was a slight murmur of business in the air, but it faded away as the Hokage abruptly stood up, still reading the scroll. Team Sigma straightened, Towa and Komachi revealing themselves in the dark corners of the roof, as the Third Hokage rolled the scroll back up and began to stride away.
: Team, escort Mission Priority : Naruto signed, and then waved off the last few clients so he could hurry on after his leader.
Five minutes later, Team Sigma and the Third Hokage stood in the darkened depths of Konoha. Located underneath the great, prosperous village was her Department of Intelligence. It was essentially a giant dome criss-crossing with metal railing, wire and cables. At the very centre of the dome was a large, rectangular table where an enormous map of the Elemental Countries had been laid. Small figurines, numbering in the dozens, had been put onto the map, each representing armies of the Great Village's respective armies. Most pieces were made of iron, but a few stood out with gleaming gold. Each of those pieces represented a single person, an S-rank shinobi, and there were no more than ten of them on the map. The only other colour visibly apparent was red- and each of those nine markers represented a Jinchuuriki.
Above the map, with walls and floors made of transparent glass, was the office of the Jonin Commander and Head of the Department of Intelligence. Sarutobi was striding towards there now, flanked by Team Sigma, and shinobi, clerks and analysts practically jumped out of his way, looking up from benches of scrolls and reports to watch their leader walk past. Naruto walked behind Sarutobi at his right, mask on and black cloak flaring around him, and kept up with the old man as he ascended the staircase and paused before Nara Shikaku's office.
"Naruto, come," Sarutobi commanded.
Naruto nodded. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
They entered the room, and the scarred man was obviously waiting for them, his eyes on them in a second. He sat behind a desk, his chin resting upon his clasped hands and a spread of opened scrolls and loose paper scattered around him. The Jonin Commander nodded respectfully at the Third Hokage and rose. The Hokage sat down and Naruto stood behind him, while Shikaku made a single hand-seal. The shadows from the room seemed to elongate and pulse, and they oozed over the glass floor and walls, covering them with a film of darkness that allowed the two senior-ranking members of the Village their privacy.
"Are you certain?" Sarutobi asked firmly, looking carefully at his Jonin Commander. "Are you absolutely certain?"
Shikaku gave a lazy shrug. "As certain as I can be," he responded. He yawned as he passed over several loose pieces of paper. The Hokage read them carefully as the spiky-haired man continued. "Our informants have revealed that. We have evidence of financial transaction, travelling logs that match with assumed enemy movements and, most recently, that picture."
Naruto wasn't able to look past the Hokage's shoulder at the photo, but the old man's shoulders tensed and he let out a weary groan that revealed more of his age then it probably should have.
"I see," Sarutobi murmured. He passed the documents back to Shikaku, who took them and placed them in a file. "What have you received from the Fire Court?"
"The Fire Lord has given you broad discretionary powers in this matter," Shikaku answered. A twitch of a wry smile crossed his face. "In fact, you are to handle things as you see fit. However, should something occur, he will of course have full plausible deniability."
"Naturally," Sarutobi responded. "Very well. I shall see to it immediately."
He turned and clicked his fingers. Naruto felt his tattoo burn and in a flicker of movement, the door opened and the remainder of Team Sigma knelt before the Hokage. Naruto moved past them, closing the door, and turned to face his leader. The black shadows continued to shield the room from view, and the only light came from the bright fluorescents above them.
"Rise," the Hokage said.
Team Sigma stood at attention as the Hokage began to brief them.
"I have a sensitive matter that I need you to attend to," the Hokage said. He clasped his hands together as Nara Shikaku continued to shuffle papers in the background. "There is a nobleman fairly high-placed within the Fire Court who we suspect may be meeting or colluding with foreign agents. We would like to talk to him."
"However, this man is not one you can simply snatch from his home," Shikaku added warningly. "Were he to mysteriously disappear, it would cause problems, especially since our suspicions are just that." He handed Naruto a scroll with a golden ribbon and the personal chakra-embedded seal of the Fire Lord. "On behalf of the Fire Lord and the Third Hokage, you are to find this man in a public venue and, in full view of witnesses, you are to ask him to accompany you to Konoha."
"What if he refuses?" Naruto asked quietly.
Sarutobi and Shikaku exchanged glances.
"Make it clear to him that this is a direct command from the Fire Lord himself," Sarutobi said. "The scroll shall provide your proof. If he continues to refuse, you may arrest him- but make sure that you do it publically. This is not a matter that we can sweep under the rug. Our target is a senior member of the Twenty-Four Torches, and he wields some serious political clout. The Village cannot appear to be in the wrong. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Naruto bowed his head.
"Dismissed, Team Sigma," the Hokage commanded, "And go and retrieve our traitor."
It was one o'clock in the afternoon when Team Sigma left Konoha on their priority mission. They had all stocked up on their equipment and had been given full access to the ANBU armoury to take whatever it was that they needed. Team Sigma had only encountered the enemy black-ops agents once, but they had left a very nasty impression on them. Naruto knew that, overall, the other ANBU team was more skilled than his own. Although lesser in number, they were probably all A-rank Jonin, heavily specialised and skilled in their fields and having more than a little power behind them.
Team Sigma had managed to escape from them, but the other team hadn't bothered to pursue them for very long and they hadn't been bogged down with a possibly reluctant or hostile 'client'. If the allegations were true, it wasn't unlikely that the black-ops team might decide to remove a loose end and take out the package before he had a chance to supply Konoha with information.
Kage, Daichi, Sasuke were at the front of their formation, their abilities and bloodlines enabling them to spot and fend off any initial ambush of attack. Komachi and Towa held the middle, their skills lying primarily with mid-range combat, while Yuuka and Naruto held the back, the two more suited for long-range combat with genjutsu and ninjutsu respectively.
Luckily, they encountered no resistance as they bounded across the tree line towards the Fire Capital. Their goal was the family estate of Kinjo Takahiro, one of the Fire Lord's senior advisors, a member of the Twenty-Four Torches, a celebrated judge of the Tribunal, and Head of the Kinjo Banking Establishment the largest banking guild within the Land of Fire. At fifty-years of age, the man managed to juggle his multiple roles well, and he was an influential and well-respected member of the Fire Court- as well as a suspected traitor.
One of the most respected men in the Land of Fire might be a traitor.
It boggled the mind.
It only took a couple of hours to arrive as the Kinjo Family Estate, although it soon became apparent that 'estate' wasn't necessarily accurate. Instead, it was more like a moderately sized town. The presence of the headquarters of the Kinjo Banking Establishment had caused a small village to spring around it, and Naruto could see newly-built roads stretching out from all directions, bringing with it the merchants, the traders and the money. The building itself was made of glass and iron, a modern design that stretched up higher than any other building around it. It was almost as large as the Hokage's Tower back in Konoha, and it gleamed underneath the light of the sun.
It was unlike any design that Naruto had seen before. Why waste good metal on a building when there was enough wood in the Land of Fire to build a thousand buildings of that size and not even put a dent in lumber supplies? And all that glass- how could anybody expect any level of privacy?
Team Sigma paused at the crest of the hill, staring down at the town beneath them. It was busy, and the faint sounds and aromas of a town drifted up towards them, of a thousand different people speaking all at the same time, of the hollers and shouts of the merchants who had come to peddle their wares, of the smell of produce and smoke and livestock.
"What an interesting town," Towa whistled, rubbing the back of his head and sounding impressed.
"A Land of Rain design," Kage informed them quietly. He nodded at the bank. "In the Village Hidden in Rain, these are meant to rise as high as the clouds, great buildings of steel and glass."
"We can ask him about his architectural designs later," Naruto intruded firmly. He gestured at the town. "We have our mission. We need to locate and apprehend Kinjo Takahiro."
The ANBU around him nodded.
They approached the town rather obviously, and they had no intention to sneak their way in. The Hokage had been quite specific and had stressed the importance of this not looking like a kidnapping if they could possibly help it. So when entering the town, Team Sigma simply walked in. There were no walls, there very rarely were in towns like these. Walls would do nothing to stop an attack by shinobi, who could simply walk over them at their leisure, and the assigned shinobi to this town would be able to keep any overt criminal activity at bay. All walls would do would create congestion and impede the flow of merchants, traders and clients coming to and from the town.
Naturally, the presence of an ANBU Squad entering the town caused a stir. The locals crossed the street, gazing at them warily. Men became stony-faced and women ushered away small children. The traders and merchants gave them a wide berth, and the many of them who had hired a shinobi escort spoke quietly to them. Naruto caught glimpse of no less than twenty foreign shinobi in the town, and the headbands of all of the other major villages except Kiri were represented.
: Eight shinobi from Iwa – Five shinobi from Kumo – 12 shinobi from Suna – 14 shinobi from assorted minor villages – 500 metre radius : Daichi signed.
Naruto didn't give any indication that he had received the information, but he kept his eyes about. Unlike the rest of his squad, he wore his face unmasked, his whiskered-cheeks, blue eyes and blond, spiky hair bear for the world to see. Part of the mission documents had specified that Naruto was to make a public appearance, perhaps to play on his increasingly popular reputation with the civilian populace. He had, after all, led the team that had destroyed the Sky Country Invasion force, and he had rescued the daughter of the Fire Lord. Such acts tended to get around, and even as many of his squad received wary and even hostile glances as they entered the town, many looked at Naruto with looks of dawning comprehension and a somewhat measure of respect.
It made Naruto uncomfortable, to be honest. Long ago, before he had graduated from the Academy, Naruto had longed for recognition. Now, after seven years of service in ANBU, it was all rather uncomfortable. He had received his validation from the Third Hokage, and what the rest of the population on the planet thought of him didn't matter to him at all.
Nonetheless, he would play on it. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a sheet of paper, a timetable of events that Kinjo Takahiro should be attending courtesy of their local informants. It was almost half-past four, so the noble should be in the Auction Hall, along with many other members of the nobility and their guards. Public enough for what they need to do.
The young blond clicked his fingers and, using the map provided, strode towards the small building where the auction was being held. This building again was rather different from traditional Fire Country architecture. Instead of wood and planks, this building was made entirely out of polished stone. Dark black marble gleamed in the sun as the temple-like building appeared in view. It was contrasted rather nicely by a series of giant white-marble pillars that held up the awnings. Carriages, servants and messengers mingled at the entrance of the hall, and they parted as Naruto led his squad through. Team Sigma moved behind him, flanking him, as Naruto entered the building, pausing only to show his headband to the local security.
Inside, the polished white floors stretched onward throughout the cavernous entrance hall. In front of them was a set of doors, polished wood and stained glass hiding what was behind them. Naruto walked forward, his footsteps echoing loudly in the deserted hall, opened the doors and slipped into the next room. The building opened up into a rather large room with rows of chairs lining both sides of a centre aisle. The rows were packed with men and women dressed in the fine clothes of the nobility from their respective nations. Loose, silky robes adorned those from the Land of Wind, large, fur-covered coats draped over the lords from the Land of Earth, while those from the Land of Lightning wore fine-woven robes with elaborate scenes of battle and victory sewn into them. Behind and around these lords stood their personal attendants and guards, and many of them were shinobi.
Naruto saw more than one shinobi glance at them warily, their foreign headbands glinting underneath the lights of the room, but he ignored them. At the very front of the room was his target, Kinjo Takahiro. He strode forward, past the Lords and Ladies, the guards and servants, and moving past the faltering and astonished auctioneer, to where Lord Kinjo sat at the table to the side. He watched them come with calm eyes, flanked by a pair of Iwa-Nin. The fact that such an important and revered member of the Fire Court had chosen to hire shinobi from a village other Konoha was significant.
"Kinjo Takahiro?" Naruto asked the man as he stopped at the front of his table.
The man behind the table angled his head in confirmation. He wore thin-rimmed glasses over a pair of sharp, calculating eyes, and his dark hair was streaked with grey. His girth was larger than average, and he wore the fine yellow and red robes of the Fire Court. His hands were adorned with rings, brilliant jewels flashing, and traditional cane rested upon the edge of the table.
"You're Konoha's ANBU," Takahiro said, sounding completely unsurprised. Indeed, he even sounded a tad derisive, a brave position to be when confronted by the Hokage's personal guard. "Are you here to whisk me away?" He smiled faintly. "Am I about to disappear, never to be seen again, just like all of Sarutobi's enemies are?"
"No, sir," Naruto answered quietly. He reached into his robes and pulled out the scroll with the golden ribbon. "I believe that this will explain everything."
Takahiro took the scroll and looked at the emblem of the Fire Lord with a faint grimace. He carefully untied it and broke the seal with a loud crack that echoed in the suddenly silent room. The two Iwa-Nin behind him were shot furtive glances at each other and carefully adjusted their stance. Behind him, Naruto could feel his team do the same thing. It was a bad match up for the Iwa-Nin. Both were Jonin, as indicated by their vests, and Naruto was pretty sure that the woman on the right with the blonde bangs was listed in the Bingo Book as an A-rank shinobi. Nonetheless, it didn't change the fact that it was two on seven.
"I see," Takahiro said quietly as he finished reading the scroll. His fingers clenched. "So the Fire Lord has seen fit to throw me away, after everything I have done to secure his empire. He and Sarutobi are truly magnificent together."
"As far as I'm aware, sir, we need you to come and answer some questions on a matter that you might be able to help with," Naruto responded crisply. "Due to the delicacy of the matter, we need to do this in Konoha, where it's safe and secure. We're here to make sure that you reach Konoha without incident. Every courtesy is to be afforded to you where possible."
Takahrio smiled faintly and regarded Naruto carefully. "You're Uzumaki Naruto," he said. He shook his head. "Such a powerful shinobi, on such a trivial mission-"
"If it was trivial, I wouldn't be here," Naruto interjected firmly. "Now, sir, you're allowed to pack a bag or two, but we need to leave shortly. For your own protection, my team will escort you from here on." He eyed the Iwa-Nin. "Unfortunately, your mission has been cancelled early."
"That's not part of our contract," the large man rumbled. He was big, rivalling the size of an Akamichi, but with hard, bulky muscle instead of fat. He had a strange look on his face, as if he was still trying to process what he had just heard, but Naruto didn't miss the flash of intelligence in his eyes. "What do you say, Suki?"
The woman beside him said nothing, but she brushed the blonde bangs out of her eyes, regarding the ANBU team carefully. She wore a vest that left her arms completely bare, save for the bandage wrapped around her right forearm. Now that Naruto had a name for the woman, the rest of the Bingo Book entry came to him easily.
Nanashi Suki, A-ranked Jonin from Iwagakure. Strong areas include taijutsu and explosives. Affinity to wind techniques, and when combined with her explosives, become quite dangerous. Recommended strategy- Kage take point and keep her occupied, Daichi and Sasuke back Kage up to supply intel on hidden explosives- partner dangerous in close combat, Towa engage as Yuuka and Komachi move in for lethal blows- dispatch guards, detain mission priority and retrieve any significant-
The woman's voice broke Naruto out of his quick thoughts. "Nah, we're done here," she drawled. She shrugged at Takahrio. "The contract would have specified that we're not allowed to engage any of the local authorities in the course of their duties. Standard legal crap. If these ANBU are here on the orders of the Fire Lord, we can't stop them."
She eyed them, then snorted, shrugged and began to walk away.
"~See ya later, spooks!~" She waved them off, her voice a sing-song.
The huge shinobi lumbered obediently behind her as the two Iwa-Nin left the auction house.
Takahrio was now alone, and he appeared resigned to his situation.
"Very well," he said primly and stood. "I shall gather some belongings and we will depart to Konoha. Lord Nakeshi, if you would attend to matters here then I would be most appreciative."
The auctioneer nodded, his eyes still wide, as Lord Kinjo stood up with the poise and dignity of a man of the noble class. Then, as if he wasn't surrounded by battle-hardened ANBU, he strode from the room with his head held high, flanked by the rest of Team Sigma. Naruto remained where he was as the man left the room, bending down to pick up the discarded mission orders from the Fire Lord. Then, he too left the room, and only then did the buzz and murmur of conversation begin once more.
For a man that only had to pack a bag, Kinjo Takahrio certainly took his time. Then again, Naruto was unused to the clothing habits of the nobility, and after seeing how the Lord had filled an entire suitcase with only two nights clothing, he wasn't quite sure if Takahrio was trying to delay them or was trying to bide time for a rescue. Nonetheless, the letter from the Fire Lord has specifically said 'with all available courtesy' and Naruto wasn't quite sure if hurrying the man to finish packing up would be discourteous.
After all, some nobles still fought each other on the duelling court over perceived slights, real or not. Was Takahrio one of those types?
Still, after ten minutes had gone by, enough was enough. Naruto cleared his throat quite abruptly and Takahrio looked up from his third suitcase, a faint look of annoyance.
"Sir, I'm sure you won't be needed in Konoha for very long," Naruto said delicately. "And if you are, I'm sure some suitable clothing can be provided for you. I think, though, that it's time to leave."
"Very well," Takahrio huffed.
Next to him, his wife, twenty-years younger than he and wearing heavy make-up, made crooning noises of distress as Takahrio shut the suitcase. Sasuke moved forward and carefully sealed the belongings away in a scroll, tucking it back into his cloak. Takahrio's face softened as he turned to regard his wife, and he took her by the hands.
"I'll be back soon," he murmured, seemingly not caring that the ANBU agents were watching. "Give the children my love, and don't forget to water the bonsai."
The wife made incomprehensible babbling noises and collapsed to the ground in a teary heap. Takahrio adjusted his robes and turned back to Naruto, giving him a curt nod. Naruto bowed his head and gestured for Takahrio to leave. Together, Takahrio and Team Sigma walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Behind them came the over-exaggerated wails of his wife, her crooning pitch rising and falling, as if her husband had just passed away.
It was quite an uncomfortable noise to listen to, but it was much better than what awaited them outside.
They stepped out of the large home and into the large gardens to meet a crowd of angry men and women waiting for them. They shouted things at them, hollering incoherently, even as the Military Police held them back. Naruto was taken aback, and glanced at Takahrio only to see that the noble was not surprised at all. Either the noble was very well loved, or the rot of treason had spread throughout this village, because the crowd before them had no love for Konoha. He saw several signs, many of them large posters of a demonically-drawn Sarutobi, and had to clench his fists to keep his face stony-still.
Nonetheless, the protestors parted before them. It was only a small group, perhaps twenty or thirty of them, but as they walked through the centre of town it became apparent that things were getting worse. Shouts and hollers were filling the air, far different from the merchants and traders, coming from several streets over. Around them, several shops were closing their doors and windows and locking up. A merchant hurriedly covered his goods, gathered his earnings for the day and made for the nearest shelter. Naruto could feel the unease in the pit of his stomach, and he eyed the rooftops speculatively.
He was supposed to leave the Kinjo Family Holding as he had come in, showing to the world that the ANBU had nothing to hide, but the worsening situation was making him seriously consider breaking the mission protocol.
The decision was ultimately taken out of his hands. Team Sigma, Takahrio walking in the middle of them, turned the corner which away from Takahrio's estate and onto the main road, they could see a sizable crowd up ahead. This time, however, they were being held back by four black-cloaked and masked ANBU, each wearing a headband with a leaf insignia inscribed upon it. Daichi stopped short at the sight of them, fingers moving rapidly.
: Approaching shinobi undetected on Byakugan – suspect genjutsu interference! :
Naruto stopped short and held up his hand, his heart racing. Team Sigma followed suit as Naruto sent a careful pulse of chakra through his ANBU tattoo and set resulting chakra pulse down upon the other ANBU.
There was no response.
Then, before Naruto could do a single thing, the lead ANBU turned back to the crowd, casually reached into their cloak and thrust a glinting steel blade deep in the stomach of the nearest civilian. There was a stunned silence from the crowd as the man collapsed. Naruto's eyes were wide and his fingers darted, giving out orders to his squad as the fake-ANBU agent turned around, flanked by three of his colleagues. An instant later, there was a deafening clap of thunder and a flash of searing heat enveloped the street. Men and women screamed as the technique tore through them rather messily, arcs of lighting shredding clothing, scorching skin and boiling blood. Even as the protestors fell screaming, Naruto absently noted that most of the injuries were far more dramatic than they appeared- which he supposed was the point.
: Daichi, Komachi, Sasuke, secure package, meet at rendezvous alpha-three : Kage, Towa, Yuuka and I will intercept enemy :
The orders were received in a flash and Komachi grabbed Takahrio's arm. She instantly disappeared with a flicker of movement, Daichi and Sasuke following her. Komachi was a Jonin with command experience and would see the mission through regardless of what happened to the rest of them. Daichi had his Byakugan, which could hopefully allow them to avoid enemy ambushes, and Sasuke-well, Sasuke was not at the level where he could be fighting opponents at a calibre such as these.
There was no doubt in Naruto's mind. These were members from the same black-ops team that they had encountered at Minoru's home, the same team that had ambushed and almost defeated them. It was not going to happen again!
As civilians and protestors scrambled back and began to run away, Naruto darted ahead with incredible speed, only outdone by Kage who was a step ahead of him, black blade blurring in the air. It clashes against the bloodied steel sword of the lead operative, sparks flickering through the air, but then Naruto lost vision as he approached his own target. It was a slender operative, definitely a woman behind those robes, and she turned to meet his charge with a ferocity that almost overwhelmed him.
Her hand-to-hand strikes were vicious and unrelenting, and drove him back the way he had come in the first few seconds. She was a never-ending whirlwind of movement, hands, feet, elbows and legs swinging at him from all angles as she twirled on her feet, one large-swinging movement leading into another until it became a momentum that Naruto weathered with a grimace. He blocked a kick, and her leather-soled boot slammed down on his forearms with a loud crack as the steel-cap hidden in the heel slammed against the metal plate of his armguard. This led to an elbow jab that Naruto hastily parried, but it left him open to a quick jab and he only managed to stop his nose from breaking by rolling with the blow.
Nonetheless, he had drawn the operative away from the crowds, who were running the other way, and jumped back to avoid a whirlind-roundhouse kick, he flipped through three hand-seals, heart beating madly in his chest.
Earth Release: Rising Stone Spears!
The woman threw herself to the side in a neat roll as the cobbled stones beneath her shifted and cracked, and a series of large, rocky spikes burst out from the ground in an attempt to skewer them. As she came out of the roll, Naruto made two more hand-seals and gestured at her, and the rocky spears shot broke from the ground and shot towards her at great speed.
Her own hands flashed and her cheeks bulged. A thin stream of high-pressurised water spat from her mouth, zipping through the air and destroying many of the flying spears in an instant. What she didn't destroy, she dodged, and then reared her head back and spat her water technique out at him. Naruto's eyes widened and he let out a strangled gasp as the water technique caught him in the chest and cleaved him in two, surging past him to strike a nearby cart of produce and bisect that as well. The woman jumped back as Naruto suddenly exploded in a puff of smoke, clearly not fooled.
From his vantage point on the rooftops, Naruto hurled a fistful of shuriken into the sky. They arced up and began to fall down, to which he made a hand seal and focussed his chakra.
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
The handful of shuriken blurred and became a thousand, and they slammed into the ground in a devastating clatter. The woman was torn to shreds as she was enveloped, jerking back and collapsing to the ground. Naruto wasn't fooled at all, his eyes hard and his face grim as the sound of chains rattled in his ears, and it came to no surprise to him when a flicker of movement caught the corner of his eye. He turned in a flash, head rearing back, and spat out a mouthful of glowing flame- and the broken, wooden remains of the cart from the street was torn asunder, shredded by the terrible white flame.
Behind it, however, the woman continued her charge, holding a slim, rapier-like sword, and she thrust it into his chest. The shadow clone of Uzumaki Naruto didn't even get a chance to look surprised as it exploded in a puff of smoke, and the real Naruto made a single hand-seal as he gestured to the rooftop on the other side of the street.
Detonate!
Half a real of Grade 2 explosive tags sizzled and went off in a fiery ball of flame that rose up into the air. The windows and wooden houses around them rumbled, but Naruto had positioned the tags away from the street and into the air and the apart from the flaming ruins of the shop roof, there seemed to be no collateral damage. The smoke rose into the air, hiding the remains of his enemy from view.
Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!
A gust of wind tore from Naruto's outstretched palms and blew the smoke away, revealing a sphere of water falling to the ground. The woman underneath looked a little singed, and smoke curdled from the bottom of her black robe. From behind her cracked mask, Naruto could tell she was glaring at him, and he felt a little tingle of grim satisfaction as he noticed that her stolen headband had been destroyed in the blast, revealing a short cut of dark hair.
There was a flash of light and a series of high-pitch whines, and Naruto could see Towa fending off an attack, his arm glowing scarlet with runes as he formed a makeshift crossbow in his hand and shot a series of blasts of red power at his opponent. Kage and the operative with the bloodied sword had disappeared between the alleys, two dark streaks fighting in the narrow space, metal clashing upon metal in a shower of sparks, while Yuuka danced out of her opponents reach, hurling kunai, shuriken and the occasional genjutsu to disorient and confuse.
The female operative on the other side of the street cocked her head at the sound of some unknown signal and made a single hand-seal. Naruto flipped through his own hand-seals at the same time, but he was too late to stop her. Even as a scythe of wind blasted from his hands at waist level, explosions rocked several parts of the town and giant plumes of black smoke rose into the air. Naruto's next technique, a series of blazing streaks of fire, soared far above the girl as she chose to bend backwards at the waist instead of jump over the technique. Then, she threw a series of smoke bombs down, as did the rest of her teammates, and disappeared from sight.
By the time the smoke had cleared, the enemy operatives were gone. All that was left behind was the devastated and destroyed street, with flames and smoke rising in the distance, along with the fallen, screaming bodies of the civilians, the approaching Military Police and the shuriken and kunai that were embedded in the walls and cobbled streets.
The fight had been over in thirty-seconds.
"Shit," Naruto growled. He jumped from the rooftop and landed on the ground, his eyes raking the streets. Many of the protestors that had been struck with the powerful lightning technique had gone still. Naruto absently rubbed his hand through his hair, his heart racing and the surging emotions of revulsion and self-disgust threatening to overwhelm him. "Shit!"
The enemy operatives had done it again. They had taken the guise of Leaf-Nin, hacked apart the protestors, enflamed the situation and escaped without capture- and all on Naruto's watch. It had happened again!
While he stood there, Towa and Yuuka had taken off their masks and they were tending to the fallen civilians. Kage appeared from the alleyway, a vertical cut in his mask, but his black machete-like blade gleamed with fresh blood and he gave off a quiet air of satisfaction. Hopefully the wound had been significant.
Naruto would have been happy to stand there in his fit of self-deprecation, but a gurgling noise caught his attention and he turned. His eyes widened as he saw a young girl pinned to the wall by one of the slim, steel blades that the operatives had been carrying. He ran towards her, darting over the fallen produce and broken glass, and examined her. She was a young thing, maybe six or seven, with curly dark hair and dimples. Her face was pale and tears streaked down her cheeks, and Naruto looked down to examine the blade. It had been lodged in her chest in such a way to avoid an immediate kill, but the rapidly expanding pool of blood beneath her feet meant that she was quickly bleeding to death.
Naruto grasped the hilt of the sword and carefully slid it from the girl's chest. It left with a squelching noise, and the young ANBU tossed it away with disgust, catching the girl as she fell limply to the ground. The streets were alive with the sound of running footsteps, and shouts, scream and wails of terror and sorrow. Amid all of that, Naruto worked frantically to try and save the girl's life.
He failed.