SOMEWHERE IN A BAR, WAITING FOR HIS CONTACT
Jiraiya felt an ominous shudder down his spine. Either Naruto or her clone…
Jiraiya gulped as a toad popped out.
"Katsuyu told me to give this to you," Kosuke informed Jiraiya, who paled.
He shakily opened the note, and he went chalky.
JIRAIYA, NOTE THAT IF YOU RETURN MY GRANDDAUGHTER TO ME IN A BOX, I WILL PERSONALLY-AND QUITE HAPPILY-PUNCH YOU SO HARD THAT YOU'LL BE OUT OF THE ELEMENTAL COUNTRIES AND WILL NEVER FIND YOUR WAY BACK. AM I CLEAR?!
Jiraiya swallowed.
He could imagine her doing that, too.
~:~
The ship made port the next day. Naruto did not doubt that the shinobi were already in the country.
"So where are we headed?" she asked Makino, the oldest on the crew.
"We're headed up a mountain!" he announced grandly. "I've heard that this country has something called a railway."
"It hasn't been in use for ages," Koyuki muttered. "The path is too icy."
"That's not what I heard!" Makino replied, wagging his finger. "And we're going to get the entire rebellion on tape!"
"That's probably a bad idea," Naruto replied bluntly. "There will be death. A lot of death. People are willing to die for a princess who seems a few cards short of a full deck."
"And you're a full deck?" Michy asked with a raised brow.
"Shinobi in Konoha maintain a healthy level of insanity," Naruto answered with a flirty grin. "We're technically adults when we get a registration number."
"What kind of mission are shinobi hired for?" Michy seemed very interested.
Naruto just grinned before turning away.