Kishimoto owns Naruto.

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Chapter Seven

Tree

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The gates of Konoha vanished behind them as Team 7 took to the trees, the morning sunlight streaming in from behind them. The trunks of the surrounding trees almost blurred past as the quartet of shinobi settled into a steady yet fast pace, one that they could keep up for hours if needed.

"How long will it take to reach Takigakure, Sensei?" Sasuke broke the silence and Hiruzen glanced back at him.

"At the rate we are going, we should reach the border within four days."

"Can we have a briefing?" Naruto asked as he used an angled branch to launch himself to the other side of their formation, leaving a solid clone where he had been.

"I agree." Sasuke added. "I thought we were heading out the day after tomorrow and towards the eastern border"

"We have been reassigned. Itachi received a message from Takigakure that Iwa shinobi have been probing their borders. Itachi is putting together two full units in case Onoki is trying to expand the borders of the Land of Earth, one unit will join us while the second will be securing vital points in conjunction with Kusagakure according to plans we agreed upon after the end of the Third Shinobi War. Kakashi will be in charge of securing the rebuilt Kannabi Bridge as he has experience in the area."

Naruto could feel Sasuke's interest spike at Hiruzen's comment.

"We, on the other hand, are heading to Takigakure to pave the way for the follow-up group. The elders of Takigakure are quite touchy, a normal Chunin group would be seen by them as an insult."

"Whereas a former Hokage and his hand-picked team is a very high honor." Sasuke contributed, earning an approving nod.

"Very good. It's an even higher honor than you may think as I am the first former Kage to travel to another village for diplomatic reasons. Takigakure will see it as being a sign that we respect them as a major power despite the fact that they only really have two main advantages over the other minor villages. The first is that they have a chakra-boosting liquid known as Hero's Water that, once imbibed, temporarily quadruples a person's Chakra flow at a minimum."

"Wouldn't that lead to Chakra poisoning?" Hinata enquired and Hiruzen gave her a proud smile.

"Indeed it would. While it would let a Genin give pause to a Jonin and a Jonin would be able to match a Kage, the effect does not last long and has serious side-effects. At the very least, it damages the drinker's Chakra coils, severely curtailing their ability to use Chakra for many years. Worse than that, the boosted Chakra flows can, if not drained by the use of high-powered Jutsu, cause Chakra burns throughout the body, rendering their internal organs effectively non-functional and killing them."

"That… is one hell of a downside." Sasuke winced.

"And why the Hero's Water is seen as a tactic of last resort." Hiruzen confirmed.

"So… what is their second advantage?" Hinata asked after several long minutes.

"Their second advantage is that they have a Jinchuuriki in their ranks."

"Which one?" Naruto asked quickly.

"The Nanabi, the seven-tailed Biju."

"And… the others?" Sasuke asked.

"The one-tail is held by the Kazekage's son in Suna and gives him the ability to use Sand as both a shield and a weapon." Naruto answered before Hiruzen could. "Kimi-nii survived one of his more lethal attacks."

"Indeed he did." Hiruzen confirmed. "The Two-tails was last seen in Kumogakure and Jiraiya reports that the Eight-tails is there as well, the latter being held by the adopted brother of the Raikage. The Three-tails was last seen in Kirigakure along with the Six-tails while the Four and Five-tails are in Iwagakure."

"And as far as the rest of the world knows, the Nine-tails' is officially deceased." Sasuke noted, giving Naruto a smirk.

"Given the events just before Ruto joined the Academy, Suna might have guessed the truth." Hiruzen gently corrected him.

"Gaara did refer to me as the fox." Naruto confirmed. "Given how the Kazekage placed the Ichibi into his own son and undoubtedly received a full report from the witnesses, he would have been the one best-placed to guess that I contained the Kyuubi."

"I wonder if he spread the word?"

"Given that Suna is nominally allied to us, I would say it's unlikely." Hiruzen mused. "Rasa is a very prideful man, although he does care deeply about his Village… nevertheless, he has an unfortunate tendency to go for the first answer that presents itself to a problem instead of looking for one that would actually solve the issue in question."

"Yeah… that's not a good thing." Naruto winced, earning an inquisitive look from Sasuke. "Tazuna-san helped me learn how to do basic building and stuff. He showed me several ways things could go wrong if proper attention isn't paid while building. Seeing a wall that collapsed because the builders hadn't included small holes in the foundations for water to escape through…"

Sasuke blinked. "Huh. Even walls are complicated now."

"You have no idea." Naruto sighed. "I had to help build the ones around the herb garden to keep the wildlife out. Digging foundations, choosing the right stones, making sure that they're properly aligned, cutting slots in the wood so that the fence panels can be assembled without needing nails to secure them… a lot of work goes into making a simple wall. Imagining how much goes into running an entire village? Eugh…"

"There are methods to make it easier." Hiruzen chuckled. "In fact, you already know one of them."

Naruto blinked. "I do?"

"You use it almost every day."

"Kage Bunshin!" Hinata exclaimed and Hiruzen nodded approvingly.

"Indeed. Shadow Clones are perfect for going through the paperwork and filtering out only the important parts. Coupled with the aid of Shinobi who have transferred from the field for whatever reason, it is possible to get through very large amounts of paperwork relatively quickly."

"What sort of Shinobi transfer to moving paper?" Sasuke asked.

"It varies." Hiruzen shrugged. "Most are seeking to serve, but have accumulated enough injuries in the field to make actual front-line work an almost-certain death sentence. Without a clan to take them in, they work in the file-rooms and offices instead, serving the village while earning enough money that they can finally retire. Others serve due to crippling injuries, whether physical or psychological, that would make them liabilities on the field.
"There are also those who show great skill in the arts of cryptography and analysis. Those Shinobi are encouraged to work in the Tower to learn the patterns of the village before being quietly transferred to whichever department needs their skills the most. It is one of the reasons that, barring internal traitors such as Danzo, Konoha has the most secure information system of the Great Five."

The trio of Genin thought about his words as they continued leaping through the forest, then Naruto spoke.

"It's a pity that we haven't reached the level of Chakra harmonization required for the Hiraishin yet. Kaa-san let me see a map of where the Yondaime hid his tags and there is one close to every border observation post as well as several concealed in each of the other countries. Apparently, there is even a tag in one of the rocky ridges surrounding Iwagakure."

"That… would be useful." Hiruzen sounded rather thoughtful.

"When Iwa's deployed most of its forces towards the borders, yes." Sasuke agreed. "But when they're fully manned… not a good time. Too much chance of discovery."

"Agreed." Hiruzen's response was full of approval for Sasuke's tactical appreciation of the situation. "If I was still the Hokage, I would refrain from using that tag until Iwa had fully deployed its forces, then I would send in an expert in landscaping."

"An expert in landscaping?" Naruto echoed in confusion.

"Making craters is a type of landscaping." Hinata clarified and Naruto's eyes widened in understanding.

"Ooooh…"

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"Hey, otouto."

Hiruzen froze for a moment, the cup of tea in his hand almost spilling, then he stared at the white-haired shinobi who had joined them.

"Kakashi?"

"Yo."

"Where did you…" Hiruzen cut himself off, then he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ruto's got a Hiraishin tag on him, doesn't he?"

"Between my Hitai-ate and the band." Naruto confirmed. "Hina-hime has one too, as does Sasuke."

Sasuke twitched. "I do?"

"Yep." Naruto nodded. "Put it there myself. Once we've managed to get good enough to be able to sense the tags, we'll always know where we all are."

"And when were you going to tell me?"

"Once we'd made the first jump." Naruto replied, completely ignoring Sasuke's annoyed expression. "Your brother gave permission for you so that if anything happens, he can get the Guard Platoon to get you to hospital… or Kaa-san… as quickly as possible."

Sasuke froze as he thought it through, then he sat back down with an annoyed grunt.

"So, why are you joining us? I thought you were off to Kannabi Bridge?"

"The situation's got a bit worse." Kakashi said as he began packing up the rations and returning them to the storage scroll. As he did so, five more figures ducked in through the cave mouth. "We're going to jump you to near Takigakure, then I'll be heading out on a special mission while Tsunade heads for the bridge and Shizune goes to Konoha to finish overseeing the provisioning of the Field Hospital group."

"And we'll be headed straight back to the boss." One of the final three said even as Tsunade returned the hugs she was getting from Naruto and Hinata.

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Kakashi seemed to blink out of existence as Hiruzen looked round.

"Takigakure is that way." He finally declared. "Are you our guide?"

"How did you detect Fu?" A voice asked and Naruto blinked as a lithe shape dropped out of the trees, stepping out of the darkening shadows to reveal itself to be a green-haired kunoichi wearing a white sleeveless top over a mesh t-shirt, a short white skirt over mesh shorts, white detached sleeves (with her village's symbol on her right arm) and sandals.

"I used to be the Hokage." Hiruzen replied with a slight smile. "Your Chakra signature was quite obvious. Is Hisen still the leader of Takigakure?"

Fu nodded. "Are you here to see him?"

"We are."

"This way." Fu waved for them to follow her and quickly settled into a gentle lope. Naruto took the chance to look round at the trees they were passing under, then he looked ahead.

"What's that roaring sound?"

"Probably a waterfall." Sasuke shot back and Naruto face-palmed.

"Takigakure… Village hidden in the waterfall… I really should have had a cup of tea."

Hiruzen gave him a look combining amusement with a silent order to keep quiet and Naruto gave a quick salute to show that he understood. A moment later, the trees seemed to fold away to reveal a powerful waterfall easily twenty feet across.

"I do believe that the entrance is on the left of the waterfall." Hiruzen mused and Fu gave him a bemused look.

"It is…"

"And then through the caves, it is the third on the right, second on the left and third on the left. Correct?"

Fu's expression grew worried. "It is… Fu wonders how you know this…"

"I was once the Hokage." Hiruzen said as if it explained everything. "Well, let us not keep Hisen-san waiting."

Fu opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again as Hiruzen kept walking, ducking behind a bush that was growing within the splash radius of the high waterfall. Naruto quickly darted in after him, hearing the others following behind as Hiruzen held up a hand in which a flame danced, illuminating the tunnel they had entered.

"Note the small holes hear the top of the walls." Hiruzen pointed out as they walked up the sloping tunnel. "There are more tunnels on the other side of those holes, allowing defenders to launch kunai, senbon or arrows from cover."

"Fu really wants to know how you know this."

"I was here just after the village was founded as part of the diplomatic squad." Hiruzen reminisced. "I was a witness to the non-aggression treaty being signed."

"By my father." A new voice said and Naruto leant sideways to see who was speaking. At the exit of the tunnel was a man, his features unable to be seen due to the light behind him. "It's been a long time, Hiruzen."

"Indeed it has, Hisen." Hiruzen smiled at the silhouetted figure, then his expression changed. "We came as soon as we heard about Iwa's actions."

"Fu, take Hiruzen's team to the guest cabin." Hisen commanded as the group emerged from the tunnel and into a giant circular valley concealed from above by a giant tree growing in the center. "Old friend?"

"Lead the way, old friend."

Naruto watched them go, then Fu caught their attention as she bounced excitedly.

"This way!"

Sasuke moved to by Fu as Naruto and Hinata followed, looking round curiously and with Hinata occasionally activating her byakugan.

"There are buildings up between the branches." She noted and Fu glanced back at her.

"Yes… how did you know?"

"Hinata has good eyes." Sasuke noted blandly.

"From an Uchiha, that's high praise." Hinata fired back, her lips twitching as she fought to hide her smile. Fu looked between the two of them as if seeking a clue as to what was going on.

"The Uchiha and Hyuuga are traditionally rivals in… well, pretty much everything." Naruto tried to reassure the confused kunoichi. "Before the founding of Konoha, they were usually found fighting each other but since then, they've become more polite about how they each try to be superior to the other."

"…oh."

"Don't worry about it." Naruto advised. "I find it's best to just sit back and award points."

Both his team-mates glared at him.

"…what?"

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From the distance, a Jonin and a Chunin watched the new arrivals.

"They made better time than you said, Sensei." The younger shinobi noted and the Jonin nodded even as he reached up to adjust the green bandanna he wore to keep his spiky hair from flopping over his face.

"They did indeed." He replied. "If I had to guess, I would say that one of them has a Summoning Contract that allows them to cover vast distances quickly."

"Their Sensei?"

"No. He is of the Sarutobi clan and their Summons are the Monkeys and Apes. My guess would be the Uchiha boy. The Raven summons are traditionally linked with the Uchiha clan. Back during the earliest days of the villages, the one called Uchiha Setsuna was known to use Ravens to help him carry messages."

"How do you know all these things, Suien-sensei?"

"I study, Shibuki. I study."

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Hiruzen lowered himself into a seiza position as Hisen did the same, then a masked shinobi placed a low table between them. Another flickered in long enough to place a tea set and tray of snacks on the table before the two men were left alone. Reaching into his tunic, Hisen pulled out a scroll that he unrolled onto the table, revealing it to be a map. As Hiruzen examined it, Hisen poured two cups of tea and passed one to his guest.

"So, where are the main incursions?" Hiruzen asked and Hisen leaned forwards slightly, extending one hand to point at an area on the western border.

"Mainly around this region. We've had to abandon several of our lookout posts, meaning that this entire valley is currently dark. However, our bunkers here and here have not been attacked, meaning that either they're after the valley itself, or…"

"Or they're using the valley as a staging point, building up for another push." Hiruzen concluded, causing Hisen to give him a quizzical look. "Standard Iwa tactics. They build up their forces, then attack like an avalanche, not stopping until they've taken their next objective, whereupon they hold while switching out injured Shinobi for fresh ones and replace any who have died. Depending on how many reserves they have and where, said pauses can range from a single day to several weeks. There are only two ways to halt their advances. The first is to inflict enough casualties that they stop advancing, the second is to destroy their supply lines, thus forcing them to retreat."

Hisen nodded, then unrolled another map, one that differed from the first in that it was marked with a number of lines and symbols. "This is what we have been able to discover so far. The dotted lines are where we think their supply lines are, based on the lines that our scouts have confirmed and the local geography. We have confirmation of one supply camp just here."

"That is quite a distance from the border." Hiruzen mused. "When Iwa last launched an assault, they had their primary supply cache barely two miles from the border… that cache is three times that distance… I wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

Hiruzen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Onoki may be many things, but he knows his tactics. Putting a supply cache in that location means that it cannot be used to support more than one advance… but what if it isn't there to supply an assault force?"

"What else could it be for?"

Hiruzen frowned as he leaned closer. "Hisen, the reports on the incursions… do you have them?"

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Naruto unrolled his storage scroll on the supplied shelf that was mounted above his sleeping pallet and applied chakra, causing his equipment to appear in a brief cloud of smoke. "Unpacked."

"Same here." Sasuke sat down on the bed that he had chosen, the one opposite the door as, in his own words, he had the firepower to cause any unwanted guests to pause long enough for the other two to jump in.

Hinata had rolled her eyes at the pun.

"Are we rejoining Sensei for dinner?" Naruto asked and the other two exchanged glances before shrugging.

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"…this area is the most suspicious." Hiruzen pointed and Hisen blinked.

"What? Why? My scouts haven't reported a single thing happening in… that…"

Hiruzen glanced up from the map as Hisen stumbled to a halt.

"They haven't reported anything happening in that area…"

"And given the number of incursions and so on elsewhere…" Hiruzen prompted.

"…they don't want us looking there." Hisen sighed. "I'll send a squad with you to check."

"We'll head out tomorrow." Hiruzen stated, then he gave a small chuckle. "I would like at least one night in a comfortable bed before heading out into the field again."

"That won't be a problem, my old friend." Hisen replied with a smile. "After all, you and your team have been assigned the best of the guest cabins."

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The thundering of the waterfall faded behind them as Team 7, along with the trio of Taki-nin assigned to work alongside them, took to the trees as the sky lightened behind them. The village leader had seen them off in person, something which did not surprise Naruto as one of the three was Hisen's son.

"Hisen is currently re-allocating his forces to take advantage of how we shall be holding the choke-point." Hiruzen explained as the branches blurred past them. "More Konoha shinobi are on their way to provide reinforcement, so we only need to hold the valley for a week or so."

"We already have several concealed bunkers and observation posts located there." Suien supplied. "They are connected to some of the deep springs in the area and we've brought several scrolls of supplies."

"Are there any local herbs of note?" Hiruzen prompted, earning a confused look. "We may need to make medicine or add extra herbs to the rations to prevent any medical issues, so knowing which herbs can be found where is useful."

"I… don't know." Suien finally admitted. "Although I was there last year, it was just to check that the posts were well-concealed and structurally sound. I didn't pay much attention to the surrounding plants…"

"Then once we've arrived and set up, we'll do a careful recon of the area." Hiruzen decided. "Yes, Ruto?"

"Will we set up traps as well, Sensei?"

"An excellent idea." Hiruzen nodded with approval. "Yes, alarm traps would be a good addition, giving us warning and informing would-be attackers that we will be ready for them."

"So… would they still attack?" The young chunin asked and Suien shrugged.

"If ordered to, yes. If they're just probing, they'd simply fall back and inform their leader about the traps they encountered."

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"This is a big valley." Naruto commented as he perched on one of the outcroppings on the southern side.

"The river gives Iwagakure an advantage in moving supplies." Suien said from where he was standing. "They can simply float rafts down with the current and the secondary valley half a mile up gives them a natural location for an advanced base."

"But you already have a position ready to observe it." Hiruzen stated.

"After Iwa's forces used this valley during the last Great Shinobi War to launch a surprise attack, we've taken measures." Suien admitted. "We have tunnels behind the rock faces almost to the end of the valley with small observation galleys hidden under vegetation or using natural cracks as vision slits. Every side-stream has a hidden stone door behind one of its waterfalls, concealing it from detection while allowing us to launch an attack from any point we wish."

"Meaning you can raid their supply chain whenever and wherever you want." Hiruzen finished. "So, where is the bunker we shall be deploying from?"

"It's under that rocky shelf on the inside curve of the river." Suien smirked. "Those stone-heart idiots set up their regional headquarters directly above it last time they were here, allowing us to listen in on their plans and relay them back to Takigakure."

"I admit, I had wondered how some of the information we received from you was obtained." Hiruzen admitted. "At first, I assumed that you had an agent amongst them, but when they rotated the entire command out to reinforce their attack on our border, I deduced that I had been wrong. Thank you for enlightening me."

Suien gave a quick grin, then waved for everyone to retreat back into the tree-line.

"So, anyone see any signs of Iwa scouts?"

"None visible to my Sharingan."

"My Byakugan could not detect anyone within my range, sir. We are clear for at least half a mile."

Suien nodded, then pulled at a small bush, revealing that it was attached to a hinged platform covering a hole. "Everyone down the ladder."

Naruto waited for the two other Taki shinobi to climb down, then he followed suit, climbing quickly down to the corridor below. Moving to one side, he looked round the dimly-illuminated area curiously.

"The guide-rails on the walls have directions engraved on the underneath." The boy pointed to one of the railings in question. "Stairs are marked by ridges on the top, across for stairs going down and along for those going up. It means that we don't need to worry about accidentally illuminating the viewing slits to enemy forces as we don't need light to know where we're going."

"And any enemy shinobi who do find a tunnel will use lanterns, thus giving themselves away." Hiruzen concluded as he stepped off the bottom rung of the ladder even as the light vanished, indicating that Suien had closed the hatch. An instant later, he landed at the bottom of the ladder.

"Should I make a light?" Hiruzen asked.

"Just to get us to the bunker." Suien replied and a small flame appeared, cupped in Hiruzen's hand. "Nice trick. Shame I concentrated on suiton techniques, being able to do something like… you as well?"

Sasuke smirked as he held up his own hand to show off the small flame dancing on it. "I'm better with raiton, but I made a point of learning this trick too. It can come in useful."

"…well, you bring up the rear, then." Suien sighed. "We go this way."

Naruto looked at Hinata, then nodded towards Sasuke. Hinata nodded and Naruto moved to follow his sensei, his hard-learned sensitivity to air currents giving him a vague impression of where the walls were and that the two junior Taki Shinobi were following him.

"And here we are." Suien announced from in front of them. "If you would light the lantern, please?"

The light brightened as Naruto stepped into the domed room and looked around. A rustling behind him made him turn to see that the green-haired kunoichi had pulled a thick curtain across the doorway to block the light.

"From now on, this is the only area that is lit." Suien stated quietly. "We keep the noise down, so whispering is preferred. No shouting, sound can echo oddly. Keep jutsu-use to a minimum, we know that Iwa deploys at least one sensor-nin in every assault platoon."

Naruto nodded, as did the others.

"Fu, Hinata, you are both in the bunkroom to the left." Suien continued. "Shibuki, you, Ruto and Sasuke take the bunkroom on the right. Hiruzen and I will take the left and right middle rooms respectively."

"May I scout out the tunnels?" Naruto asked. "I'll only need one Jutsu."

"Hinata?" Hiruzen prompted and Hinata activated her byuakugan.

"No-one within range, Sensei."

"Fine." Suien shrugged. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." Naruto grinned. "Kage Bunshin!"

Suien's eyes widened almost comically as the room suddenly became incredibly crowded with masked blonds.

"Okay everyone, head out and explore, dispel at the end of each tunnel you reach!"

"Hai!"

The clones quickly started filing out, the last one through each exit pulling the blackout curtain closed behind them and Suien shook his head in disbelief.

"How many clones can you make?"

"He can do a couple of hundred easily." Sasuke supplied with an expression of both pride and irritation. "I need to build up my reserves more, I still can't do more than one and it doesn't last very long."

"Two." Hinata added, causing Sasuke to mock-glare at her.

"Twelve, but I rarely do more than three for combat usage." Hiruzen finished. "Ruto is gifted in his chakra-reserves."

Naruto nodded, then paused as he saw Fu staring at him.

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"Chomei says you are like Fu."

Naruto looked up from the saucepan he was stirring and raised a quizzical eyebrow at the kunoichi in the archway. "What do you mean by that?"

"Chomei says she can feel Kurama in you." Fu stated quietly. "You are a Jinchuuriki… but Fu heard that Kurama was dead. Fu doesn't understand."

Naruto waved for Fu to move closer. "It's an S-rank secret, but yes. I hold the Kyuubi. There was a… situation… and by the time it was resolved, it was easier to let everyone think the Kyuubi was no more than try to explain just what had happened."

Fu frowned, then nodded. "Fu will keep quiet about it. Fu wonders, though, how do you make those clones?"

Naruto paused. "I… I'd ask Hiruzen-sensei about that. It's a rather complicated technique created by Senju Tobirama and adapted to remove several issues that the original had."

"Such as the Chakra-splitting issue." Hiruzen agreed from behind them, causing Fu to jump in shock. "That particular downside prevented the technique from being used by more than a dozen people since the technique was created… until Orochimaru created a variant which allows one to control how much Chakra goes into making each clone."

"We use water-clones, but their weakness relative to the original can be… problematic." Suien added as he seemed to appear from nowhere. "Kage Bunshin would be very useful for us…"

"Especially for users of the Hero's Water." Hiruzen agreed. "It would both multiply the forces available and increase the survivability of drinking the Water as it uses so much Chakra, thus reducing the strain on the users coils. We shall discuss this later."

"Appreciated." Suien grunted as he exited the food-prep area, then he reappeared in the entrance. "Your clones could be useful in manning the observation points."

"I get their new memories when they dispel." Naruto supplied and Suien let out a low whistle.

"Make that very useful."

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"Contact!" Hinata whispered and behind her, one of the three clones of Naruto that had been keeping her company dispelled. Less than a minute later, the sound of near-silent running feet let her know that her report had been relayed.

"How many?" Suien demanded as he almost erupted into the observation post, Hiruzen hot on his heels along with another six clones.

"Looks like four at the moment… no! Another four just entered my range. They're by the withered tree, advancing slowly. It looks like one of them is… covered in paint?"

"At least one of the distraction traps worked." Suien noted with dark glee. "They have no excuse available to them now, they know they've crossed the border."

"Three more groups." Hinata frowned. "They seem to be medium-genin to low-chunin in Chakra levels…"

"Iwa always leads with expendable troops." Hiruzen sighed. "The second wave is where their elites will be. The survivors of the first wave will report on what they're facing, allowing the second wave to re-deploy for maximum penetration."

"Plan Squirrel?" One of the clones asked and Hiruzen nodded.

"Plan Squirrel."

"Plan Squirrel?" Hinata asked in confusion and Hiruzen smirked.

"Just watch. Sasuke came up with the idea."

"Watch what in the Sage's name?"

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The only warning that the advancing troops had of their impending peril was when their Sensor-nin suddenly fell over, clutching at his head.

"What happened?"

"Fuck! So much Chakra!"

"Defensive forma… what the hell is that?"

The bushes on the upper slopes suddenly disgorged a massive flood of red-, grey- and black-furred small bodies that swept down towards them, small weapons being waved in the air as vicious chitters and squeaks sounded. The suddenly-besieged Iwa-nin braced themselves, only for the group closes to the attackers to be swarmed in a manner similar to an avalanche engulfing a stand of trees.

"Retreat!"

"How?"

"They've got kunai!"

"And nunchuks!"

"One just popped! They must be summons!"

"Help me! Help me!"

"They're getting into my jacket!"

"My skirt's been shredded! Let's get out of here!"

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Hinata stared with her jaw dropped as the would-be attackers fled, many of them significantly less dressed than they had been before the furry tidal wave had swept over them.

"I got to hand it to Ruto, he does chaos far better than I expected." Sasuke laughed from beside her and Hinata glanced at him, seeing that he had activated his eyes in order to take in every single detail of the one-sided conflict playing out before them.

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The leader of the Iwa Assault Platoon stared in confusion at the senior Shinobi of the first wave.

"…squirrels?"

"Summoned squirrels." The battered, bruised and scratched teenage Shinobi replied, his voice showing that he knew just how strange his report was, but also that he was not going to back down. "They were using weapons and had a symbol on their hitai-ates that I didn't recognize."

The leader looked at the paper given to him and the strange symbol on it, a vertical line flanked by three downwards slashes on each side, the whole thing resembling a tree.

"Casualties?"

"No fatalities, but we are down to three who are still combat effective, myself included." The low-ranking Chunin sighed. "We can double that if we re-equip those who took only minor injuries, but…"

The leader nodded. Not a single one of the advance force had returned with their uniforms intact and almost half had been stripped almost naked.

"I'm calling a halt and sending back for instructions. Going up against a Summoner is not something that is to be done without caution and significant reinforcements."

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Hinata was still giggling as one of Naruto's clones half-carried her into the command bunker. Fu looked up from where she was sharpening her kunai and her eyes crinkled in amused realization.

"The squirrel thing worked, then?"

"It was hilarious." Hinata managed between giggles.

"We managed to liberate a lot of equipment from them." One of the clones noted as another one entered, holding a large storage scroll. "The clothes got damaged beyond repair, though."

"…clothes?"

.

"That was… disconcerting." Suien noted as he looked out of the vision slit at the valley beyond. The valley was silent once more, the only evidence that an incoming force had been forced to retreat in panicked disorder being several burned bushes and a few areas where the ground had been torn up.

"Effective, though." Sarutobi exhaled, letting the smoke curl up into a brief squirrel-shape before dissipating, then returning the pipe to his mouth. "Wouldn't work against a Jonin, although it would certainly slow one down."

"I know it would slow me down." Suien admitted, reaching up to brush his spiky hair back. "I mean, something like that is just so…"

"Unexpected?"

"Unexpected." Suien agreed with a chuckle. "If I received a report that my lead force had been attacked by summoned squirrels, I'd probably call a halt just so that I could figure out when the genjutsu was applied. Squirrels…"

.

"Squirrels?" Onoki gaped at the messenger in front of him.

"That's what the report says, sir." The messenger repeated.

"I have to see this for myself." Onoki levered himself out of his chair and made his way out of the Regional Command Post. "Akatsuchi, with me! Squirrels?"

.

.

"The sun's going down." Shibuki announced as he entered the bunker. "Who's on night watch?"

"I am." Hinata stated. "My Byakugan works perfectly regardless of ambient light. Ruto-kun, can you give me a few clones?"

"That's why you were making a point of taking a nap earlier." Sasuke realized. "My Sharingan also gives fairly good night-vision. I'll hit the bunks now and take the early shift."

"Thank you."

"Iwa rarely attacks at night since there's too much chance of so-called friendly-fire." Hiruzen stated from where he was updating the map. "During the Second Great Shinobi War, they lost the equivalent of two Assault Platoons when an attempted night attack went wrong and their lead units mistook each other for enemies."

Suien wasn't the only one to wince at the resulting mental image.

"If they do launch a night attack, it's always on a single axis." Hiruzen continued. "And even then, they generally deploy with orders to fall back if anything unexpected happens rather than risk large numbers of casualties."

"Unexpected like squirrels?" Sasuke snickered, causing most of the others to try to muffle their laughter.

"Unexpected like squirrels." Hiruzen confirmed, his face creasing into a smile.

.

"Sir!" The leader of the Assault Platoon snapped to attention as his Kage floated out of the darkening sky to land in front of him, flanked by his usual bodyguard.

"Squirrels?" Onoki didn't bother to waste any time on politeness.

"Squirrels." The Jonin confirmed.

"Genjutsu?"

"No. They were real."

Onoki stared in bemusement at the man he had personally chosen for the strike that would allow Iwa to seize the source of the Hero's Water.

"Dammit, Shiro, I need more than just that."

"This way, sir."

Onoki stomped after Shiro to the command tent where he hauled himself onto the bench by the map table. Picking up one piece of paper, he looked at it.

"What is this?"

"We think it's a tree, sir. Given that squirrels are also sometimes called tree-rats, it does seem appropriate."

"Must be a Takigakure Shinobi calling these things." Onoki mused. "According to my agent, half their village is small buildings scattered around the circular valley they've settled while the rest are in the branches of the giant tree that hides it from above."

"That does make sense, sir."

"Of course it does!" Onoki almost spat, then he growled. "Tomorrow, I want you to do a full push down the valley. Seize the whole thing right up to the point where the river exits the valley and start fortifying the area. I've received word that Konoha is planning on sending forces, I want you in control of the valley and ready to launch the next strike within the next two days! If we're going to expand like the Daimyo wants us to, we need that damned so-called Hero Water to bolster our forces."

"Yes, sir."

Onoki growled again, then jumped down off the bench.

"AAAAAAAAGH!"

"Sir?"

"Damnit! My hips!"