Kishimoto owns Naruto. Believe it!
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Chapter Four
Journey
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"Morning, nii-san!" Naruto greeted Kimimaro as the latter pushed across a plate of pickle-filled rice-balls. "Hello, Haku-nii!"
"Good morning, Ruto-kun." Haku responded from where he was rolling up a scroll.
"Eat up." Kimimaro commanded with a small smile. "Haku and I shall be escorting you to the Hokage's Office today."
"Odd, considering that Hiruzen-Sensei told us to meet there." Naruto mused, then he paused. "How did you know?"
"Because we are on the same mission as well."
"Coooooool!" Naruto breathed.
"I have already packed what you will need." Kimimaro added, motioning to a small backpack resting just by the front door, one that had storage scrolls in the side-pockets. "I believe that Fugaku-san and Hiashi-san will have taken similar actions."
"Are they coming too?" Naruto asked and Kimimaro shook his head.
"No, although Hyuuga Ko is joining us, as is Uchiha Tekka."
"Cool. We'll all have relatives." Naruto laughed before polishing off his breakfast.
"I'll wash up. You get a shower and double-check your load-out." Kimimaro scooped up the empty plate. "I hope you won't need them, but it never hurts to be prepared."
"Hai, nii-san!"
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"Hinata! Sasuke!"
The two genin turned from their conversation with the quartet of adults to see their third team-mate running towards them, his blue eyes crinkled in a smile as two familiar swordsmen followed him.
"Ruto-kun." Hinata's voice was midway between fondness and exasperation as her father gave her an amused look. Beside her, Sasuke rolled his eyes, although the corner of his mouth twitched despite his attempt to maintain a sober expression.
"Haku-san. Kimimaro-san." Sasuke greeted the two teens courteously, earning smiling nods of acknowledgement. "My cousin says that he is going on the same mission that you are, but refuses to say what it is. May I assume that, like you, he is entering the service of the Daimyo as part of the new Guardian Twelve?"
"Well reasoned." Hiruzen noted as he seemed to shimmer into visibility, earning a raised eyebrow from Hiashi and an approving nod from Fugaku.
"Sensei… why are we going, then?" Hinata asked shyly, looking round at the Shinobi watching her curiously. "I find it hard to believe that the three of us would provide much security… especially given the skills of those we will be travelling with…"
Naruto nodded in agreement, his expression somehow indicating that he hadn't considered that aspect yet and was annoyed with himself for overlooking it.
"There is more to this mission than just escorting the new Guardians." Sasuke mused with a frown.
"Correct." Hiruzen replied. "Can you work it out?"
"It must be to do with us or Sensei." Naruto offered. "Us or Sensei… and the Daimyo!"
"We are perhaps the highest-ranked team from a purely political viewpoint." Hinata added.
"The Daimyo must see some reason to ask for us to go to him." Sasuke rubbed his chin as he concentrated on untangling the threads before him. "Having us along will slow the group down, even though we've all learned branch-leaping."
"Ruto-kun probably won't slow them down as much." Hinata giggled and Sasuke nodded.
"Yeah… his stamina is… I have no idea how he does it."
"Focus." Hiruzen prompted before they could derail further.
"The firstborn daughter of the Hyuuga Clan Head, the secondary heir of the Uchiha clan Head… children of those who served together as the Hokage's advisors… Hiruzen-Sensei himself, the Hokage-who-retired-twice…" Sasuke paused as Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly, then with a smirk, he continued. "And of course, the Son of the Sannin, the youngest of Senju Tsunade's three children."
"And whom most believe to be her only true-born child." Fugaku noted almost absently.
"There'll be so much attention on us that the reformation of the Twelve Guardians will go almost unnoticed!" Hinata realized, her eyes widening.
"Not quite unnoticed, but certainly, the majority of the attention of those who would normally seek to prevent the Daimyo regaining the protection he once had will be on us." Hiruzen confirmed. "by the time the fuss has died down, the new Guardians will be in their posts… and those opposed to the new Guardians will find themselves in a position where they cannot stop the reformation since it will have happened."
"That's… brilliant!" Naruto finally said. "Sneaky… I like it!"
"We're the decoys." Sasuke summarized and Hiruzen nodded.
"Wait. What?"
"He's right, Ruto-kun." Hinata agreed, hiding her amusement at Naruto's sudden indignation. "We do have quite a bit of training to go before we can be the leaders of important missions."
"Yeah… I guess." Naruto seemed to sag a bit before perking up. "Hey, I wonder what sort of things we'll do there? Do you think we'll end up rescuing one of the Daimyo's daughters or something? I mean, I've already helped to rescue a princess, so I think it's Sasuke's turn to rescue one, right?"
Fugaku blinked at the odd comment, then he saw Hinata blushing and fought to keep his expression as impassive as normal. Hiashi also kept his expression unchanging, but both of them knew that the other was amused, if only because of how long they'd worked together under Hiruzen.
"What about Hinata?" Sasuke shot back and Naruto frowned in thought.
"Huh… I wonder if we'll need to rescue one of his sons too."
Ko turned away to hide the twitching of his lips, but Haku was less restrained and his laughter caused several of the passers-by to give them quizzical looks.
"Since we are all here and prepared, then we should go." Hiruzen held up a scroll, then tucked it away. "Fugaku-san, Hiashi-san, it's good to see you are both doing well."
"We amuse ourselves by occasionally critiquing our replacements." Fugaku noted blandly and Hiashi nodded before he could stop himself. Hiruzen smirked slightly, but didn't offer any comment on the admission.
"Alright, then." He said instead. "Team Seven, Guard Squad, it's time to move out."
"I am certain that you will bring honor to the clan." Hiashi gave his daughter a nod of approval, causing her to straighten with pride.
"I will not let you down, Tou-san."
"Remember you are an Uchiha, my son." Fugaku patted Sasuke on his shoulder. "Make me proud."
"I will, Tou-san." Sasuke smiled up at his father, then turned and rejoined Hiruzen, who gave the two clan-heads a nod of acknowledgement, then turned and strode down the road leading to the main gate, his students and escorts close behind him.
"I intend to visit the Jonin Lounge later… I will be bringing some of the best Sake I have available available." Fugaku noted once only he and Hiashi remained outside the Hokage tower.
"I shall bring some of my wife's special cookies that you like so much."
"Appreciated."
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"First time outside Konoha?" Naruto asked as the gate shrank behind them and Sasuke nodded, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Yes… My parents took me camping a few times, but that was in one of the private Uchiha training fields."
"Nevertheless, it was probably a good way to learn the basics of surviving in the wild." Kimimaro's unexpected comment caused Sasuke to jolt slightly, then he looked over his shoulder at the white-haired swordsman.
"How did you learn?"
"The same way that my otouto and our cousin Haku did… and Hinata-chan, on occasion. Kakashi-nii would take us camping and teach us various aspects as he did so. Making camps, creating hidden places to sleep in, hunting for food, making or spotting traps… we learned much on those trips."
Naruto nodded in agreement.
"I missed the first camping trip." Haku added. "I was rather ill at the time, so you can imagine my surprise when they returned with young Hinata-chan."
Hinata blushed slightly at the reminder, but before she could reply, they were interrupted.
"We turn here." Hiruzen stated, turning right and jumping onto one of the thicker branches.
"Ah, yes. The Northern highway." Tekko reminisced as he followed the Hokage into the trees.
"Highway?" Naruto asked as he followed suit, using a lower branch to help him reach the one that his Sensei had leapt onto (and off from) and Haku chuckled.
"It's how we Shinobi refer to the special paths through the trees. Specially-trained shinobi patrol them, checking that all the branches are solid and that the resting points are well-provisioned."
"I ran a few of those patrols myself as a Genin." Ko added from his position beside Hinata, who was making the leaps with a smooth gracefulness which impressed Naruto. "My byakugan was a great help in checking for potential problems. Many Hyuuga Genin and Chunin run the missions for much the same reason."
Naruto nodded, then glanced round at the passing trees. "Should I be helping keep watch as we move?"
"Do you have a skill suited for that?" Tekko called back and Naruto nodded.
"I'm good at Kage Bunshin. I can throw out a cordon if wanted."
"I believe that for now, Hinata-san and I have the situation under control." Ko noted as the veins bulged around his eyes briefly.
"The only chakra sources in range are those I recognize." Tekka agreed, then looked round. "What? I know that the fact I'm a Sensor is on my file."
"Explains why it was you who was selected."
Tekka nodded at Ko's comment. "Yep, and that fact that my sharingan is fully matured."
"I still only have one tomoe in mine." Sasuke sighed and Tekka smiled at his distant cousin.
"It's only a matter of time and training. Don't worry about it."
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As the skies darkened above them, the travelling shinobi dropped out of the trees and into a clearing bounded by a stream on one side and a small rocky cliff barely ten feet tall on the other. While Naruto landed with only a slight stumble from how long they had been running, Sasuke and Hinata were both being carried by Tekka and Ko respectively.
"We will camp here for the night." Hiruzen said as he moved to the small cliff and touched a point on it, causing a cavern to ripple into visibility. "The firewood pile will be stocked up."
"I'll get the water." Haku offered. "With my kekkei genkai, I can purify it easily."
"I'll start the cooking." Kimimaro offered. "Want to help?"
"Sure!" Naruto chirped, then he rubbed at his legs. "Wow, I've never felt this tired before."
"There are times when I hate your stamina, Ruto." Sasuke groaned as Tekka helped him to wobble towards the cavern.
"I'm sure that Hinata-chan approves, though." Tekka joked, ducking to avoid an irritated dope-slap from Ko while Hinata glared at him.
"I don't get it." Naruto complained and Kimimaro sighed.
"Never mind. Unseal the cooking pots and supplies. We'll be having a rice and vegetable broth tonight."
"…not noodles?" Naruto asked sadly.
"Rice and vegetable."
"Awwwww."
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"You truly are an amazing cook, Kimimaro." Hiruzen sighed as he handed the almost-empty bowl over to be washed and re-sealed. "How you made something so simple taste so good… I can see you taking kitchen duty for the Daimyo whenever he has to visit somewhere."
"There are worse duties, I suppose." Kimimaro joked, then he glanced over at the sleepy trio of genin. "Hiruzen-sama…"
"Agreed." Hiruzen nodded. "You three, off to bed. The bunks are to the left, the washrooms to the right. Make sure you clean your teeth."
"Kaa-san would not be happy if I didn't." Naruto yawned as he rose to his feet, then pulled up his team-mates. "Come on. Time to recover. Those herbs will help, you'll be fine in the morning."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at Kimimaro.
"I am my mother's son." Kimimaro offered. "I put some medical herbs into the mix, ones that help combat physical fatigue and restore stamina."
"Having an Iryonin along is proving even more useful than I had anticipated." Hiruzen admitted with a smile. "I really should have listened to your mother the first time she suggested training up field Iryonin."
Haku looked up from where he was manipulating water to scour the bowls clean. "Is that not why you arranged with Itachi-san to continue sending promising shinobi to learn under Tsunade-oba?"
"I do hope that I am not becoming overly transparent in my old age." Hiruzen chuckled as he accepted a cup of tea from Ko. "After all, deception and stealth are the two greatest weapons for any Shinobi."
"Don't worry, sir. I'm certain that you're still capable of being super-sneaky whenever you choose."
Kimimaro's comment caused several quickly-smothered chuckles and Hiruzen sighed in contentment.
"I've missed being just another Jonin." He admitted with a smile.
"Any time, sir."
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Sasuke woke up at the light tap on his shoulder. Opening his eyes, he saw Hiruzen looking down at him.
"Time to get up. Breakfast is cooking, so wash quickly."
Sasuke rolled out of bed and and as soon as he was sure he was awake enough, he moved towards the washing area, shaking his head in an attempt to chase away the last of the sleep that tried to cling to his thoughts.
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"Something smells good." Naruto said as he made his way into the front part of the cave-shelter, his hands busy fastening his long, blond hair into something that was obviously intended to be its customary ponytail, but which had failed quite spectacularly. Hinata gave a sigh and motioned for him to sit in front of her so that she could re-do his hairstyle into something that didn't resemble a bottle-brush that had been savaged by a hedgehog.
"Breakfast." Kimimaro passed across a small plate with several stuffed rice-balls piled on it. "Eat up, we'll be moving out very soon."
Unable to nod due to Hinata's fingers dancing through his hair, Naruto accepted the plate and took a bite out of the first rice-ball.
"That still looks weird." Sasuke stated from where he was eating his own breakfast. "I really should try to get used to seeing you seem to eat through your masks."
Naruto and Kimimaro both looked at the Uchiha, then shrugged and returned to their meals.
"Done." Hinata said, then she accepted the plate containing her breakfast. "Thank you, Haku-san, this looks delicious."
"You're welcome, Hinata-chan." Haku replied with a smile.
"Is it another long run today?" Sasuke asked once he'd finished his meal and handed the plate to Kimimaro.
"Yes, but between the restorative herbs and the experience you've gained in learning how much Chakra you need per jump, you should be able to cover more distance today." Hiruzen replied before finishing off his cup of tea. "A splendid blend, Haku."
"Thank you. My mother taught me how to brew well."
"And she did a fantastic job of doing so." Hiruzen agreed as he handed the empty cup over to be washed and re-sealed.
"I was wondering…" Sasuke gave Haku a quizzical look. "You use your Kekkei Genkai to freeze the water on the outside of the cups to dry them, but you use a cloth for the inside. Why?"
"Water expands as it freezes." Haku shrugged. "I broke several cups before realizing that… fortunately, they were all easily replaced."
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The branches seemed to blur past as the group sped through the forests, the only sound of their passage being the slaps of sandals against wood and the rustling of fabric in the wind.
Using a convenient branch as a springboard, Naruto allowed himself to glance round as he arced through the air. As he had expected, Hiruzen, Kimimaro, Haku, Tekka and Ko were all perfectly fine, not a single drop of sweat visible as they launched themselves into perfectly-calculated trajectories that seemed almost flat compared to his own. Hinata and Sasuke were both sweating, but the concentration on their faces showed that they were nowhere near exhausted yet.
Feeling himself reach the top of his jump, Naruto looked ahead, shifting his arms to slightly adjust his course enough that he would land perfectly on the next branch. A surge of chakra through his leg at just the right time catapulted him forwards and he took advantage of his arc to glance round for anything odd.
"There's a clearing ahead, we'll stop to refill our water bags." Hiruzen's quiet command somehow managed to reach all of them.
"I see it, sir." Ko confirmed, the veins round his eyes explaining how his vision was able to pierce the leafy canopy. "No sign of anyone in or around it."
"I don't sense any Chakra signatures either." Tekka confirmed. "Admittedly, Ruto's making it difficult to do a full scan."
"I had wondered why you kept switching flanks." Hiruzen mused. "Yes, Ruto-kun has far more Chakra than any normal Genin… or Chunin."
"Means I have to do loads more Chakra control exercises." Naruto grumbled as Tekka glanced at him.
"Apparently he got water-walking down before the leaf-balancing exercise." Sasuke added, his eyes briefly flashing red as he glanced at the surrounding trees.
Hiruzen glanced back and both Naruto and Sasuke went silent, turning their full attention back to their route. An instant later, they erupted through a wall of leaves into open air, their courses arcing down to the grass below. Hiruzen touched down as smoothly as if he had simply descended a single step while Naruto used a roll to absorb his momentum, skidding into position to Hiruzen's left and facing outwards. An instant later, both Sasuke and Hinata had joined him, the four of them forming a defensive diamond, then Hiruzen chuckled.
"Well done. Ko, Tekka?"
"Still clear, sir." Ko replied and Tekka nodded from where he was covering the rear, Kimimaro and Haku having formed the other two points of their diamond.
"No Chakra sources within my range, sir."
"Stand down, genin." Hiruzen commanded as he moved to the stream. "Haku?"
Haku nodded and placed his hand into the stream, his eyes closing in concentration.
"Even without my abilities, the water is safe enough to drink." He finally reported. "Pass me the bags and I'll filter the water into them."
Hiruzen unhooked the small water-pouch from his belt and handed it over to Haku, who used one finger to open it before causing a twisting column of water to rise from the stream. The outer part of the rapidly-spinning column peeled off along with several pieces of floating debris and splashed back into the stream as the water from the middle, almost transparent, arced through the air and into the bag. After several seconds, Haku gave the waterskin a look, then glanced at Hiruzen.
"My student Jiraiya made it for me." Hiruzen shrugged in response. "It holds a very large amount of water due to the seals lining the inside."
"I wonder if I could convince Jiraiya-san to make one for me as well." Haku mused even as he kept the purified water flowing, then suddenly, the water seemed to try and spray outwards.
"Filled." Haku handed the waterskin to Hiruzen. "Next, please."
Ko ambled over, his water-bag held out.
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The clearing vanished behind a wall of leaves as the Shinobi group took to the branches once again.
"We're making better time than I anticipated." Hiruzen noted as he launched himself off another branch.
"I agree." Ko glanced back at his former charge. "Hinata-san's training under Tsunade-sama was obviously more than I thought."
"Or it was all the games of tag we played." Haku chuckled. "Hinata-chan also got very good at unexpected dodging."
Hiruzen raised an eyebrow, then glanced back at where Hinata, who was close enough to have overheard, was blushing in embarrassment.
"Itachi-sama and Sasuke-kun would often train together." Tekka offered, causing his cousin to glower at him.
"It is good to know that my Genin are indeed skilled." Hiruzen noted blandly, then he glanced at Ko. "What?"
"We're being paralleled. Two miles to our left."
"I sense it too." Tekka agreed. "I think… two sources?"
"Three." Ko corrected.
"Three? Ah, got it. Three. Two of them have very similar chakra signatures… they're moving away."
"Did they detect us?"
"No… the treeway they're using is diverging from our course."
Hiruzen half-closed his eyes in thought, then he nodded.
"I think that they were heading out on a border patrol. The route matches… were they Chunin?"
"They seemed to have Chunin-level chakra reserves." Tekka confirmed as Ko nodded.
"They were adults."
"And the timing works." Hiruzen thought aloud. "The north-west border is coming up to the time when the guardians are rotated…"
"They've left my range." Ko announced.
"We'll assume they were non-hostile." Hiruzen decided.
"Yes, sir."
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Naruto landed almost silently and spun round, slotting into the defensive diamond.
"Clear, sir." Ko reported and Hiruzen nodded even as he began to walk towards the large lake that they had stopped beside, a lake which had a small island in the middle on which a single tree grew.
"We're heading to the island." He noted as he stepped onto the water. Naruto followed, then paused.
"Will either of you need help?"
"I… I'll be alright, Ruto-kun."
"I'll be fine." Sasuke shrugged as he also stepped onto the water, then paused. "Huh?"
"Thanks, Haku-nii!" Naruto laughed as he scurried down the oddly non-slippery ice causeway that had risen up to link the lake-shore and the island.
"You are welcome." Haku replied blandly as he slid past Sasuke, somehow moving along the ice path while standing with his hands clasped loosely behind his back. Ahead of them, Hiruzen glanced back with a chuckle, then stopped walking while still somehow moving forwards as well.
"…how?" Sasuke looked at Hinata, who was equally perplexed, then from behind them, Ko let out a laugh of realization before standing still, then slowly accelerating while standing at attention. Hinata's byakugan activated, then she shook her head with a sigh.
"They're using a variation of water walking. A layer of Chakra to let them slide and carefully-timed pulses from their toes and heels to provide propulsion."
"Perfectly correct." Kimimaro noted as he slid past them, doing a full spin as he did so.
"Show-off." Sasuke grumbled as he stomped after the quartet, giving Tekka a glare as the older shinobi skated past.
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"Glad you could make it." Hiruzen noted as Sasuke and Hinata stepped off the causeway which promptly vanished back into the lake it had been formed from. "The others are already below."
Sasuke looked at the hole between the roots of the tree, then his gaze sharpened as he noted how two of the roots were perfectly shaped and positioned as hand-holds. Leaning into the hole, he nodded with understanding as he saw the ladder stretching downwards and Naruto stepping off the bottom rung. Using one of the handholds to help him position himself, Sasuke climbed down the ladder and paused at the bottom, looking round in astonishment.
"This is so cool!" Naruto breathed from where he was standing beside one of the giant windows looking out into the depths of the lake. On the other side of the transparent barrier, several fish lazily undulated past.
"What is this?" Sasuke asked, reaching out to but not quite touching the pane that prevented the hidden base from flooding. "It can't be glass. Glass isn't strong enough to be used like this."
"Correct." Hiruzen stepped up and tapped the transparent surface. "This is actually crystal. During the Second's rule, he recruited a nukenin who had a very strange bloodlimit, Shoton, a unique skill that allowed him to convert anything solid into a crystal form that was vulnerable only to raiton, enormous kinetic impacts or sonic resonance. Sadly, it proved to be a recessive trait and none of his descendants have shown any sign of being able to use it."
"So… what was this before it was turned into crystal?" Sasuke asked, reaching out to stroke the almost impossibly smooth surface.
"Steel plate." Hiruzen looked out of the window, his eyes tracking a distant shadow as it slowly descended. "Reinforced with inlaid fuuinjutsu arrays. The arrays are still there, these windows are as close to indestructible as it is possible to get. Sadly, he only developed the techniques to make things like this a few months before he died in combat, so the few results of his skills have been deployed very, very carefully."
Sasuke frowned. "So… which clan is it? Or is that secret?"
"Oh, not at all. It's one of the smaller clans, the Taketori clan."
"My father counts them as one of our clan's allies." Hinata noted as she joined them at the window. "Many of them live at the outpost villages."
"They are often known as the Outside Clan because of that." Hiruzen confirmed. "Nevertheless, their loyalty to Konoha is unmatched, which is why their clan has primary responsibility for overseeing the hidden primary supply depots that Konoha would need should it ever go to war."
Sasuke blinked several times as he considered the new information.
"Food time." Ko called from behind them and Sasuke decided to put his thoughts on hold in favor of the meal waiting for him.
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"We are making truly excellent time." Hiruzen noted as he leaned back so that he was resting against the wall, fingers interlaced over his belly. "You three have improved faster than I expected."
"The Sharingan helps." Sasuke admitted.
"As does the Byakugan." Hinata added.
"And so does being awesome." Naruto laughed, earning an eye-roll from Sasuke and a long-suffering sigh from Hinata.
"That explains Kimimaro-san and myself, but I am still puzzled as to your improvement." Haku joked, earning an 'oi' of amused annoyance from the masked blond and a chuckle from Hiruzen.
"In your case, otouto, it is because you learn better by doing than by reading or listening." Kimimaro interjected as he sat down and accepted a cup of tea from Haku. "Every jump you have made this journey has been its own lesson for you."
"Your chakra control has improved a bit as well." Ko added as he emerged from the kitchen area where he and Tekka had been cleaning the crockery. "It was already better than expected for your level, but it's almost at the level expected of a full Chunin."
"Hours and hours of practice." Naruto sighed as he glanced at Hinata, who was happily leaning against him with her head resting on his shoulder. "There are times when having huge chakra reserves sucks."
"But in combat, you'll be able to outlast any enemies you encounter." Sasuke countered.
"…true." Naruto shrugged with the shoulder not serving as an impromptu pillow. "but if I do rely on that, I'll need to up my defensive techniques and evasion skills in order to avoid being taken out."
"Defensive battles do have that disadvantage." Hiruzen agreed. "On the other hand, if you are tactically and strategically aware, delaying actions can be used to set the foundation for overwhelming counter-attacks. The Nara clan are rather infamous for being able to turn any battle round if given a chance to think things through once they have observed their adversaries. Their alliance with the Yamanaka and Akamichi clans help them in that regard."
"So if fighting a Nara, strike hard, fast and relentlessly." Sasuke noted.
"And if they get a chance to think, disengage and run." Naruto finished.
"They do have difficulties with sudden changes in tactics." Hiruzen confirmed. "However, with the Akamichi and Yamanaka covering for them, they are almost unbeatable. Their alliance and the way they have altered their skill-sets to cover each other are the reason why there are currently over half a dozen teams consisting of one from each clan in our forces at the moment."
"With Shikamaru, Ino and Choji being the newest." Naruto noted. "Kashi-nii said that he was very impressed with their teamwork skills."
"Then they must be good indeed." Hiruzen mused before looking at the trio. "Now, I believe that you three should get some rest. The upper entrance is concealed and the alarms set, so we are not at risk of being attacked. Nevertheless, we shall still stand watches."
"We will stand watches, sir." Kimimaro gently corrected Hiruzen, earning a raised eyebrow. "You will be entering one of the deadliest battlefields in existence tomorrow and you have three to protect in the process."
"…true." Hiruzen reluctantly agreed as he pulled himself to his feet. "Very well. Sort it out amongst yourselves. If I am going to engage in battle tomorrow, I'll undoubtedly need all my wits about me."
"Battle?" Naruto half-whispered to his older brother.
"Politics." Kimimaro replied just as quietly. "You will be entering a world where a good friend can be an eternal enemy at the same time. Where allies will stab you in the back for their own gain while adversaries will help you up in exchange for future favors. It is a place best avoided given the chance."
"Then why are you going there?"
Kimimaro sighed. "I don't really know."
"Because he's a glutton for punishment." Haku laughed.
"Pot. Kettle."
Haku gave the suddenly-smirking bone-user a glare while Naruto gave them both puzzled looks.
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Sasuke pulled himself out of the entrance and watched as Hiruzen tapped a knothole in the tree, causing the entrance hole to ripple out of existence. Kneeling down, he prodded at the cover, half-expecting an illusion, but the rocky earth was solid.
"How?"
Hiruzen smirked. "Classified to Jonin-level, I'm afraid."
Sasuke sighed and pulled himself to his feet, then looked past the tree to where Haku was finishing creating an ice-path to shore. Taking the appearance of the path as his cue, Sasuke jogged round the tree and stepped off the island. Rejoining his team-mates, he gave their Sensei a wry look as the old Shinobi simply slid past them without moving a muscle.
"Are you coming?" Hiruzen glanced over his shoulder and the trio broke into a run. Hearing a cracking noise behind them, Sasuke glanced back to see the end of the path begin to break and melt.
"Oh hell!"
"It's okay." Naruto reassured him. "Haku's doing it to save chakra, but he's in full control. He won't let us fall in."
Ahead of them, Haku nodded confirmation from where he was kneeling on the shore, one hand resting on his frozen creation.
"Still makes me slightly nervous." Sasuke noted as he kept running. When he felt the ice beneath his feet transition to soil, he slowed almost to a halt, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Follow me." Hiruzen ordered and Sasuke resumed running, then launched himself into a small gap between two branches, the leaves brushing him as he resumed the journey to the Capital of the Land of Fire.
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Naruto looked around at the many fields filled with different crops. They had left the tree-route just before noon and were making their way alongside the more traditional highway (which was almost overcrowded with travelers, carts, peddlers, beasts of burden and carriages) at what was for them a gentle jog, but which most civilians would have been unable to match for even a few seconds.
"Hikari no Machi is just over the next hill." Hiruzen's comment caused Naruto to return his attention to their route. As they reached the top of the hill, the entire party came to a stop, allowing the genin to take in the sight before them.
The City of Light spread outwards in rough circles from the royal palace which was built on (and into) a huge dome-like outcropping of granite. A park surrounded the central palace with a quartet of smaller castles set at cardinal points to anchor the wall which separated the green lands from the rest of the city.
Beyond the wall were large mansions, each with their own formal gardens, then smaller mansions with herb gardens. Beyond them (and outside a second wall barely twice the height of a man) were various blocks of housing and workshops congregating in various areas but blending around the edges, although wide roads speared through the mass of buildings, eight of them reaching from the second wall to far beyond the outermost buildings while another eight began from the large circular road that divided the city into inner and outer zones, bisecting the outer sections further.
"Unusual road design." Kimimaro noted.
"Father explained it to me." Hinata volunteered. "The main roads allow for rapid movement of non-shinobi armed forces, ease of transportation and firebreaks should any area catch fire, thus limiting the damage."
"Quite right." Hiruzen gave his female student a smile of approval.
"So… that is the Palace of Fire in the center?" Naruto asked, looking at the tall structure which had red and yellow banners hanging from the outer walls, banners that rippled in the wind to give the impression that the palace was rising from a nest of flames.
"Yes, that's the Hi no Kyuden." Hiruzen confirmed. "It is where we shall be staying."
"Awesome." Naruto breathed.
"The palace looks very secure, but the city as a whole looks quite difficult to defend." Kimimaro frowned.
"Not entirely correct." Hiruzen confirmed. "The outer parts have several strong-points designed to allow the defenders somewhere to regroup and counter-attack from while the lanes act to funnel enemy forces into areas where the defenders can target them with barrages of arrows or ambush them from alleys. The buildings around the inner curve of the Circle Highway are built with reinforced walls and semi-concealed firing platforms, turning them into a series of disguised bunkers that allow for strong defense.
"The second wall is designed with reinforced parts and obvious weak points, meaning that should the attackers reach it and break through, they will emerge into pre-defined areas that can be easily defended by bow- and spear-men with the mansions acting as extra fortresses for armed forces.
"The inner wall is set into a moat with water on both sides, meaning that if an attacker takes a section of wall, they will effectively be trapped, leaving them with no real choice to to try and take one of the castles. Even if they manage that, the castles are designed to be vulnerable to a counter-attack from the palace, allowing the defenders to regain a lost castle with relative ease.
"The palace itself has a wall built into the lower part of the rock it sits on as well as dozens of barracks and storage areas within, thus allowing it to withstand a siege lasting years if needed. More walls provide protection and also act as retaining walls for the various small gardens ranging from formal gardens, herb gardens and fields where tents or similar can be set up for festivals."
"That… is better than I thought." Kimimaro admitted, giving the bustling metropolis in front of them another long look.
"Where does the water for the moats come from?" Haku asked.
"There is a spring that comes up beneath the rock. The windmill on the highest tower is linked to a water-lift that lets the palace have running water on almost every level."
Haku gave a nod of satisfaction. "Excellent. That will give me a good reserve of water should I need it."
Hiruzen nodded in agreement, then he sighed.
"Sadly, we will need to go in via the roads as roof-hopping is not allowed save by the Shinobi specifically assigned to protect the Capital. You three, stay close to me, we are heading towards the Southern Castle."
"Hai, Sensei!"
.
Naruto couldn't help but look all around them as they walked through the huge city. Vendor stalls were located in regular courtyards set just off the highway and the smells of the hot foods being sold drifted across, a constantly-changing mix of enticing and nauseating scents.
Several times, they had stepped aside for squads of patrolling guardsmen, warriors clad in a uniform consisting of a simple tunic, trousers and lacquered armor made from Ironwood which provided about three-quarters of the protection of iron for a third of the weight, although it was more bulky. The guardsmen were armed with truncheons and loops of rope for apprehending criminals, although one or two in each squad carried an odd forked spear which had angled spikes on the inside.
"Mancatchers." Kimimaro half-whispered, having seen where Naruto was looking. "Used to capture dangerous criminals, once the fork is placed around the neck, the spikes prevent it from being easily removed unless the target has been subdued."
Looking back at the weapon still visible above the crowd, Naruto gave a slight shiver at the thought of having one of them used against him.
Turning his attention back to where they were going, Naruto's gaze settled on the castle in front of them, its stone foundations rising from the moat and the wooden levels rising high above, the whole structure curving forwards slightly as if it was seeking to enfold the drawbridge which led to the huge entrance.
"So many bowmen…" Hinata breather, the veins around her eyes retracting and Naruto looked at the flanking wings with a new appreciation for their defensive value.
"I always hate crossing these bridges." Hiruzen grumbled. "Being enfiladed always makes my nerves twitchy."
"And that reflex has saved you more than once." A voice spoke from ahead of them and Naruto peeped past Hiruzen to see a bearded man waiting for them, a man clad in the usual Jonin outfit accessorized with a waist-sash embroidered with the Kanji for Fire. "Hello, Tou-san."
