"Okay, is everyone here?" Naruto called out into the seemingly limitless void.
Standing all around him were monstrous beasts, towering over him as if he were nothing but a mere bug.
Even still, they all listened and looked at him with respect.
"Everyone who will get here, yeah." Son Goku, the Four-Tails, responded. Every figure surrounding Naruto was one of the nine Tailed Beasts. A select few were missing, including Kokuo the Five-Tails and Saiken the Six-Tails.
"It seems that even unlucky Shukaku decided not to show." The Seven-Tailed Chomei said. Indeed, the One-Tailed Tanuki was nowhere to be found, which was a rare sight for these meetings.
Naruto however shook his head. "No, I don't think he decided not to show up. I think he was unable to..." This immediately put the beasts all on high alert.
"What do you mean, Naruto-san?" Matatabi asked.
"It's simple," Kurama spoke up. "We believe the weakling got himself captured." This got a glare from the majority of the beasts.
"How come you say that?" Gyuki pondered.
"Let me explain," Naruto called, setting a playful glare upon Kurama. "That way, Kurama won't continue to put his foot in his mouth."
"Hey! I'm just stating facts!" Kurama bent down to put his face in front of Naruto.
"No, you're just being a dick, ya' know!" Naruto yelled back, hopping onto Kurama's muzzle.
"Naruto-san, Kurama, please focus..." Matatabi sighed.
"Oh, uh, right." Naruto hopped back down onto the floor and cleared his throat, fighting a small blush. "Anyway, basically, Gaara called me to Suna to investigate Shukaku's disappearance. When I got to where he lives, I felt people with Sage Mode."
Naruto paused for a brief second gathering his thoughts, inadvertently leaving the beasts in suspense.
"We were also attacked."
Heavy silence reigned over the void the meeting was taking place in.
"Damn humans!" Son Goku eventually muttered to himself as he began pacing around angrily.
"Son..." Naruto said.
"They always do this! Every time!" He stomped the ground, causing the dimension to shake.
No one said anything for a while. They just all stood around, watching as Son continued pacing.
Eventually, Naruto sat down with a heavy sigh. Taking that as a signal, Kurama called out, "Son!"
The monkey stopped pacing and looked over at the fox. Kurama gestured towards Naruto, and Son hung his head ashamedly.
"So, what will we do?" Matatabi asked.
Naruto hummed. "I know I can catch up with them within the next couple days. I just don't know if they'll leave behind more people to slow me down."
"Do you know where they're headed?" Isobu, the Three-Tails, spoke up for the first time.
Naruto nodded slowly, eyes closed and arms crossed in concentration. "It felt like they were heading toward the tripoint border of the Lands of Wind, Rivers, and Storms."
"And from there?" Gyuki prodded.
"Well..." Naruto hummed again, a pronounced frown appearing on his face. "If I had to guess, they would probably head into the Land of Fire through the Land of Rivers."
"It would be lucky if you were right." Chomei began. "But why wouldn't they head north through the Land of Storms in the Land of Earth?"
Naruto in response conjured up a huge map for all the beasts to look at. "For two reasons." He pointed at a star in the middle of the Land of Storms. "They would probably want to avoid Amegakure, so I don't think they'd even chance going into Storms." Naruto then pointed at multiple squiggles along the border to the Land of Earth. "And even if they did chance it, Earth's border is a massive mountain range. They're a fairly large group, so I don't think they'd risk it."
"And Shukaku could've drained enough of their resources to make heading into mountains dangerous," Son added.
"Exactly!" Naruto said with a happy nod.
"What about when they enter the Land of Fire, though?" Isobu asked.
That took the wind out of Naruto's sails. "That's what we can't predict." He said glumly.
"That's not exactly true," Kurama said. Everyone looked at him curiously. "We know they won't head east, because if they do, they'll end up near Konoha."
"And they don't want to run into me..." Naruto finished for him.
"Right. Those guys we ran into were shocked to see you. That means they expected you to still be in Konoha." Kurama finally said.
"So that means..." Matatabi began. "We can expect them to head either south to the sea, or north along the border."
"But don't shinobi always guard the borders?" Son asked.
Naruto sighed. "Unfortunately, the Border Guard has grown lax recently."
"Pah!" Son scoffed. "They're getting arrogant in peacetime."
Naruto shook his head. "No no no, it's just that having shinobi all around the border would make other nations nervous, ya' know."
"Call it whatever you want," Son muttered.
"Whatever..." Naruto said, rolling his eyes. He clearly wanted to argue, but he knew that now wasn't the time. "Either way, I think I have a plan if you all want to help me."
All the beasts nodded and huddled closer.
All except Kurama.
'Who'd have thought that this idiot would be able to think through such a problem...' Kurama thought with a smile. 'Maybe those kits won't be as doomed as I thought...'
Kurama looked off into the inky black void, the smile dropping from his face.
'So then why do I have such a bad feeling…?'
"Gah!" Tori jolted awake. The first thing she did was feel her neck. A dull sting pulsed from underneath the bandages covering it. Putting that aside, for now, she began looking around. She noticed she was in the hospital room. It was a small room with a single large window, and a small nightstand next to the bed she was in.
On the nightstand was her headband, slightly more scuffed than she remembered it being, a flower, and her necklace. Instead of the shining emerald, it usually was though, it was now covered in a dull crusty brown.
'What happened…?' She wondered as she began scouring her memories.
She remembered being grabbed from behind and trying to scream for help. She had tried getting loose by flailing, but then a kunai was pressed to her throat.
Then the pain from the knife cutting her.
She couldn't remember much after that. All she was worried about was hoping that the man wouldn't kill her.
It was pathetic.
She did remember one thing though. "I'm not going to let you… HURT MY FRIEND!" That's what Shira had said right before Tori felt a searing pain and passed out.
'Friend…?' Tori laid back down in her hospital bed and looked out of the window next to her. She stared out at the orderly skyline, the straight edges appearing to wobble from the heat.
An idle thought of how the room felt cool despite the obvious heat outside drifted through her mind. This would've been the perfect time for a nap, but even she didn't want to go back to sleep so soon.
That was when something fell from the flower on her nightstand.
She watched as a lone petal fluttered down onto the wood.
Without thinking, she grabbed it and stared at it.
'A white chrysanthemum...' She noted before she flattened it between her hands and began molding Chakra into it. 'Was Shira the one who put these here?' She wondered as she looked back to the flower.
She was so caught up in her own musings that she didn't notice when the petal she was holding split in two and grew wet.
She didn't even notice the thin layer of mist forming around it.
Suna, Shira had quickly learned, was temperamental.
Where the day was blisteringly hot, the night was freezing cold.
Where during the day, people on the streets were quiet and distant, during the evening they were loud and sociable. She figured it must be because of how uncomfortable and irritating the day was.
The village as a whole was orderly and rigid, however, the people were anything but. Well, Lord Gaara-san was, but he didn't count. The average stall merchant would prefer to loosely stack books in a pile that looked like it would topple over any second than carefully display each one.
'Perhaps the way people organize their lives is adversely proportionate to how the village is set up...' She mused. She had to admit, at times navigating Konoha could be a significant challenge, especially as you neared the center of the village. The shops though, were all neatly organized, with different display racks for each item.
In the corner of her vision, she noticed a merchant all but throw his supplies on the ground haphazardly before taking a large swig from his canteen. 'Or maybe it's just too hot to care...'
She considered the second option far more likely considering the more permanent-looking shops were all organized neatly.
She sighed heavily, before retracting the temperamental judgement. She just couldn't get a good read on this place at all. How could people live in such a climate?
How could they survive with a water limit per day?
How could they stand getting so much sand in their sandals? She took a look and noted that most of them were actually wearing closed-toe shoes.
Regardless, it still didn't make sense.
She sighed again and kicked at the ground, which only served to get more sand in her sandals. She growled and walked to the nearest bench and sat down. 'What do people here do for fun?'
Back home, she could go to shops, catch up on the latest gossip, maybe even buy something if her parents gave her the money to or she managed to make enough from the D-Ranks. Either that or she would be busy with training with her team, or hanging out with Asuka, or doing something! She would've been talking with Mamoru right now, but he had the conversational skills of a wall and didn't seem over what had happened yesterday.
To be fair, she wasn't either. That was part of the reason she so desperately wanted- no, needed something to do right now.
In the silence of the room in the mansion they'd been given, she swore she could hear that sickeningly wet crunch. Every time her eyes closed, she saw that blood-soaked sand.
She stood up with a huff and began pacing through the streets again, trying to note everything about the place she could.
That was when a large man stepped in front of her. Her eyes shot up at the Suna headband he was wearing. "I think that's enough, Konoha kid." He rumbled with a deep voice. He was towering over her, the grey hairs in his beard only adding to the intimidation. "I know your sensei is a war hero, but that doesn't give you an excuse to look around our village." He crossed his arms and glared down at her.
"R-right!" She squeaked, already backing away.
"Go back to where you're staying." He gruffly commanded as he used a Body Flicker to disappear.
Shira grumbled and looked to her feet. That was, of course, another problem to deal with. While Lord Gaara-san liked the students, she got the distinct feeling that the Suna Shinobi wasn't nearly as trusting. She was rather reluctant to do any real training because of that, despite the Kazekage's generous offer.
Naruto-sensei hadn't given them any real directions either…
'Where is he?' She glanced at the entrance to the village wistfully. 'This doesn't seem that quick.'
Reluctantly, she began walking back down the street in the direction of the Kazekage manor. Apparently, they were meant to get a room at an inn, but Lord Gaara-san arranged for them to stay at the mansion in a room next to his own after the incident.
She thought about how weird it was for something like that to happen barely an hour after they had arrived. Lord Gaara-san still had yet to explain – when prompted, he just said he'd prefer to wait until Tori recovered and Naruto-sensei was back.
'Probably just a coincidence.' She concluded as she stepped foot into the mansion.
The moment she did though, an elderly man crossed her path. He took one look at her, and turned up his head and sneered.
Shira faltered slightly. 'What's with this dude?'
"Girl." He said a little haughtily.
"Yes?" She questioned as politely she could muster, but it still sounded quite aggressive.
The man furrowed his brow a bit, clearly upset, but didn't otherwise change his demeanor. "You're the student of Uzumaki, correct?"
Shira immediately grew defensive, squinting her eyes in suspicion. "Yeah, what about it?"
Clear anger struggled its way onto the man's face, as he leaned closer to her. "Tell that man to stay out of our way. Just because he's strong doesn't give him or Konoha a reason to meddle." With that said, he turned on his heel and began walking away.
"What's your problem!?" Shira yelled after him. "We're just on a mission!"
He turned his head and raised a singular eyebrow dismissively. "I didn't come here to argue with a little girl. Just deliver the message." With that, he continued his stride, eventually leaving the room.
Shira put on an impressive glower and almost growled under her breath. 'What's his problem with Naruto-sensei!? Who does he think he is anyway!?'
She needed someone to vent to. Normally that would be her parents, but they were half a continent away, She would just have to make do with what she had. So, with that in mind, she immediately stomped up towards her team's room.
When she finally arrived, she barged in without hesitation – slamming the door against the wall in the process. The loud bang that followed was succeeded by a startled yelp and a soft thud.
Shira looked around slightly confused, until her gaze landed on Mamoru, hand on his heart and colorful balloon sitting next to him. He was sitting on the floor next to a desk.
The room itself wasn't anything abundantly fancy. It was a western-style room, with four beds evenly spaced along the left wall. A door leading to a bathroom was on the left, and a desk was in the corner. Shira found it cozy if nothing else.
"J-jeez, Shira, don't do that!" Mamoru complained as he stood up after swiping the water balloon off the floor. "What crawled up your butt?" He asked flatly as he noticed the sour expression on her face.
Shira raised an eyebrow. "Someone's being snippy today."
Mamoru flinched and looked down at his balloon. "S-sorry..."
"Don't worry about it." She huffed as she crossed her arms and threw herself onto her bed. "Just some old dick being an ass, it's hot, Tori's decommissioned, and I get the distinct feeling no one wants us here." She then shrugged. "All in all, I'm just annoyed."
Mamoru hummed noncommittally. He then just focused back on trying to get the balloon moving.
"That's not helping either," Shira said.
"H-huh?" Mamoru looked back up at her confused.
Shira grunted and stood up. She pointed at him extravagantly, not unlike their sensei. "You gotta speak more!"
Poor Mamoru tilted his head, pure befuddlement on his face. "O-oh, uh… sorry?"
Shira sighed. "We'll work on it." She then walked over and sat next to him. "Working on the balloon trick?" She asked, looking right at the said object.
Mamoru nodded, putting the previous conversation out of his mind. "I can get the water to move, but not pop. How'd you get it?"
Shira pulled out a balloon of her own, and a second later, it popped in her hand. "It was easy, all I had to do was put my Lightning Style Chakra into it."
"Well, that doesn't really help me," Mamoru muttered.
Shira just shrugged. "I dunno, can you do anything with your Earth Style?"
He just shook his head. "I haven't figured out how to do anything with my nature..."
Shira raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"
Mamoru looked at her like she grew a second head.
"Just do what Naruto-sensei said, and you'll be fine." She clarified.
Mamoru facepalmed. "It's really not that simple." He finally mumbled.
"Huh?" Shira tilted her head. "What's not simple about it? All it takes is practice, right?"
Mamoru's eye twitched.
"I mean..." Shira didn't notice and just kept talking. "Even Tori got it, so it's gotta be easy."
Without a word, Mamoru stood up and began pushing her out the door.
"What are you- HEY!" Shira protested, but still allowed herself to be pushed out. After all, if her teammate didn't want her in here, it's not like the sand jerks could force her to be here.
She hoped.
With that thought in mind, and as soon as Mamoru closed the door behind her, she set out ready to try exploring once again.
She didn't much feel like getting yelled at for walking around the streets again, not to mention how hot it was out there, so she set her sights on figuring out the mansion.
'Hopefully, I don't get lost...'
Shira was lost.
It totally wasn't her fault though, just that these hallways are confusing and that the building was way too big! It was worse than getting lost in Konoha! At least she could ask someone for directions if she lost back home, but anyone here would immediately get suspicious.
She breathed a heavy sigh as she came across yet another dead end. "This is so stupid, why does a mansion even have hallways that lead to nowhere!?"
She sent a Chakra laced kick at the wall in frustration. "That'll teach you!" She gloated.
The wall said nothing because it was a wall.
Shira sighed again and slumped up against her previous target. "You're talking to a wall, Shira... Get it together." She said to herself. "I should probably try and retrace my steps somehow." She then shook her head. "No, already tried that..."
"Oh, I know! What if I-" Just as she was about to stand up and find her way out, the piece of wall she was up against caved in, and she fell on the hard floor head first.
"Ow! The back of my head!" She cried, cradling her skull. "What the hell just happened?" She hopped onto her feet and turned to look at where the wall was. What she saw instead was a musty corridor with torches lining the walls. Without thinking, Shira stepped forward to take a closer look.
Right as she did though, the hole in the wall sealed itself behind her.
"Huh!?" Hearing the wall shut, she turned around and saw nothing but a dark sandy wall. "Uh oh..." Panicking slightly, she pushed at the wall trying to force it open. Nothing happened. She tried kicking at it. Nothing happened. She tried leaning against it. Still, nothing happened.
Sighing once again, Shira pushed herself off the wall and decided to explore this new place she had found. There wasn't anything to worry about. After all, if these were anything like the underground tunnels in Konoha, they had to lead somewhere.
Right?
GamerX568: Indeed, it is a conundrum isn't it?
TheBloperM: Great! That's exactly the point, and I'm glad I was able to do it.
Shoutout once again to my wonderful beta, SofluwYerg. He was very patient when dealing with me this last half a year.
So, to address the elephant in the room before anything else, I would just like everyone to know that no matter the amount of time in between updates, I will never abandon this story.
I will see it through to the end, even if that takes the next decade.
Speaking of, welcome to 2021 I suppose. Looks like I missed my goal of getting to chapter 12 by the end of the year...
That sucks, but in the end, it's my own fault. I was just completely unmotivated to write last year. Oh well, my next goal is getting up to chapter 20 by the end of this year.
Hopefully, I can actually achieve this one.
Also, you may or may not have noticed this, but I have begun Cross-Posting to AO3. I'm not personally a huge fan of the site, but it is what it is. The chapter count there will be a bit behind the one here, simply because I'm paranoid about someone copying and pasting my story, and AO3 has no protection against that on browser.
Anyway, see you next time, which will hopefully be soon rather than later. Cheers!