Chapter 5: In the Web of Jako
Kakashi stopped and consulted his map, before commenting: "Well, here we are. By my estimate, we've got ten, maybe fifteen minutes before we have to set off." He turned towards the team. "So, how are you all feeling?"
The three genin were a study in contrasts. Sakura had handled the early hours pretty well, unlike Naruto who looked like only raw willpower was keeping him awake. Sasuke was in between, clearly tired but determined not to show it.
"My, Naruto, you look ready to fall over," the silver-haired jonin commented. "With how early Ichiraku opens, I'm surprised you're not more of a morning person."
"Bah. Pops knows I'd rather help in the evening," Naruto commented annoyed. "So why are we here? You just showed up and had me dragged out of bed. Is this training?"
"In the sense that all your jobs are training, yeah," came their sensei's reply. "So here's the deal. A mission came up rather suddenly and we were available. A couple of hours ago, a particularly brazen band of bandits set off a cache of fireworks at the daimyo's sister's estate. They were in and out quickly, stealing a prized and quite valuable item in the process. The bandits, lead by a thief of some infamy by the name of Jako, were spotted travelling by horseback not far from here. Based on their route, they are headed in this direction, most likely making a run for the border so that they can sell the item." He crouched, unfolding the map. "Here's the tricky part. We have every reason to suspect they made it to here." He pointed at the map. "But from there, there's two ways they could have gone. Either taking the woodland path here or journeying down river on a raft. Since we don't know which one they'll take, we have no options but to split up." He looked up at the three. "Here's how this will work. You three will go to the forest path and set up a watchpost. I'll go to the docks here. If either of us spot the bandits, we'll use one of these signal flares once it is safe to do so." He retrieved two pieces of firework from his backpack. "Now, we don't know the full extend of Jako and his gang's capabilities. So far this has been ranked at C by the Intelligence Analysis Department. But there may be elements in play we don't know about, so you are not to engage Jako until I arrive, is that understood?"
"So send up the flare and wait for you to arrive," Sakura echoed. "Should we pursue the bandits and keep an eye on their position?"
"No. We'll be able to track them easily enough," Kakashi replied.
"So, why do we split up like this?" Naruto asked. "Wouldn't it make more sense to send one of us with you?"
"What, you think I can't handle myself?" Kakashi asked coldly.
"Uhm... Actually, I... I mean, of course you can," the blond quickly noted.
The jonin chuckled. "Good boy. In all seriousness though, if something goes wrong, I'd rather have stacked the deck in you guys' favour. If things turn sour for me, I can probably manage. Any of you three, well, can't quite say the same. So I figure that if I let you three stay together, I'll probably see you all alive again."
"I'd like to think we're better prepared now," Sasuke noted, putting a hand on the hilt of the katana that hung from his side. "Even Naruto and his pipe might be able to do better now that he's got something resembling proper equipment."
"Resembling?" the blond noted offended. "Hey, I bet I can do some real damage with this stuff. Besides, Tenten wouldn't recommend any dud weapons. I'm gonna bash those bandits real good with this, believe it."
"Yes. Bruising their shins will no doubt hamper their combat capabilities immensely," the Uchiha dryly remarked.
"I was planning on using this time on the mission, not you two comparing your swords and arguing whose is better," Kakashi noted with a singular eyeroll. "Besides, the ideal for a ninja is to not have to use their weapons at all. They will no doubt make you more effective combatants, but far better if you can avoid a battle altogether. Seems like you two still have trouble grasping that concept."
"But we have all trained so much," Naruto argued. "The whole point was to make us better at fighting, right?"
"The point was that if we ever get caught off guard by another Zabuza or Sharks gang, we'd not be quite as much at risk," Sakura intercepted. "Kakashi is right. If we can avoid fighting, we should."
"Right, right," the blond sighed.
"If that was all, you best be off. I sincerely doubt the bandits will politely wait for you to show up and find a good spot to spy on them from," the teacher noted, as he folded the map.
...
The trio of genin had quickly moved into the thick forest post briefing and found the road that Kakashi had pointed out to them. It ran along a overgrown slope that descended into a rocky ravine, which had been carved out over the years by a steady flow of water. They ascended into the dense canopy above and hid. The green leaves mixed with the colours of their ninja uniforms, obscuring the trio.
As they sat and observed the road in the silence, Sakura carefully opened her backpack, withdrawing from it a wad of light-brown hair.
"Huh. What's that?" Naruto quietly asked.
"It's a wig," the green-eyed genin remarked, as she carefully adjusted it on her head. "Don't know if you noticed, but bright pink hair is not exactly subtle."
"Outside of your namesake trees," Sasuke noted.
"True. But I can't count on there being one of those around on every mission," she replied. "This will have to do." She paused. "Hey, Naruto. Does it cover all my hair?"
"Uhm, yeah. Yeah it does," he replied after a moment. "Forgot your mirror?"
"No, I always bring one along," she noted. "But I don't want to risk the glare giving us away."
"Oh, I see. That's smart thinking there," the blond praised here.
"It's basic ninja thinking," Sasuke corrected him. "The fact that she has to tell you is honestly sad."
"Hey, listen here, you..." Naruto began.
"Shh, quiet," Sakura hissed. "I think I hear something."
They all became still, as they waited with bated breath.
Slowly over the sound of rushing water, the sound of hooves could be heard. And soon after, the source could be seen. Coming up the road was a motley crew of people, a few of them either riding on or gently guiding horses. Most of them seemed to have a length of weighted chain wrapped around their bodies.
Riding in front was a stern looking man, his body clad in a purple coat. His spiky hair and goatee was a reddish-brown and he was keenly observing the road ahead. In the back, a teenager in ratty clothes was guiding one of the horses, a big box tied to its back, when suddenly the earth slightly shifted under the equine, part of the road's edge collapsing. The young bandit held on to the horse's rope for dear life, as the panicking animal began tipping over.
The front rider turned around with a scowl and swung his right arm out, the creased skin of his wrist bulging slightly before firing a thick stream of light-blue goop. It struck the horse, hardening into a solid rope, which the man used to pull the animal back on the road again. "Would you be careful," he angrily reprimanded the younger bandit, as he with a flick of his hand let the string dissolve into nothing. "Your clumsiness almost sent the treasure into the fucking river."
"Sorry, Boss," the bandit forlornly muttered. "I-I'll be more careful."
"You better be. Drop that thing in the ravine and you'll be following it." He returned his attention to the road and shook his head. "Alright, let's move on. I want as much distance as possible between us and the Daimyo's forces before nightfall."
"That's definitely them," Sasuke quietly noted. "Sakura, the signal."
"Yeah, I got it," the pink-haired shinobi replied as she carefully reached into her backpack. "I'll launch it once they have passed by."
Riding behind the bandit leader was another man, with fair skin and his brown hair and beard kept neat and stylized. He had an unfocused, almost vacant look on his face, as he continued to gently guide his horse. He cocked his head slightly. "Hey, Jako," he said, as he casually retrieved something from his back. It was a wooden tube, of the sort used to stabilize fireworks for launching, but it had been modified with what could only be described as handholds.
The bandit leader looked over his shoulder. "Yeah?"
"Are we expecting anyone?" the man continued, fishing a semi-large rocket out of his backpack.
Jako raised an eyebrow. "Expecting?"
"Didn't think so." The man plucked a match from a pocket at his chest and ignited it with a practised flick against the wooden tube, then lit the rocket's fuse. Several of the other bandits backed away as the guy dumped the now very close to launch piece of firework into the tube, but Jako just halted his horse and observed.
Up in the trees, the three genin stared with confusion, each pondering the wisdom of setting off fireworks in the dense forest.
And then realisation set in as the guy raised the tube, using a small wooden fin to aim, pointing straight at them.
The fuse burnt down and the rocket shot out of the tube, heading towards the trio's hiding place.
Everything seemed to stand still, as the three ninjas quickly tried to assess the situation and decide what to do.
Hands on their weapons, Sasuke and Naruto jumped forward, as Sakura leapt backwards.
The rocket detonated with a blast, shattering branches and incinerating leaves. The shockwave pushed the three further apart, carrying the blond and raven-haired genins towards the goal they both had settled on the moment the attack had been launched.
The horse carrying the treasure.
They landed by it, as the bandits were still trying to react, small pieces of wood raining down. With one swift draw of his blade, Sasuke cut the ropes holding the stolen goods, as Naruto grabbed a handle.
The nearest of the outlaws, a brawny man with a big nose and short-cropped dark hair, sprang into action, leaping at the two ninjas with a roar.
"Naruto, behind you!" Sasuke warned.
With a yelp, the blond leapt up on the horse, out of reach of the thug, who stumbled and slammed into the side of the equine.
The Uchiha youth was forced backwards by the stumbling animal and suddenly found nothing but air under his feet. Falling, he lashed out, grabbing hold of one of the handles on the box, only to find that the now unbound treasure instead slid right off the horse, dragging Naruto with it, to be followed by the terrified horse and the muscular bandit.
And thus all four of them found themselves sliding and rolling down the steep incline in a mass of limbs and dust, accompanied by pained yells and frenzied whinnying.
Jako leapt off his horse, pressure building in his wrists, before he launched a frenzied series of wads of sticky slime at the descending treasure.
"Jako. One more," the fireworks-launching bandit warned him.
The bandit leader looked up, spotting Sakura desperately trying to light the signal flare. The smaller piece of firework went off, ascending through the canopy.
Only for a blast of sticky, blue slime to engulf it, smothering the fuse and sending it crashing to the ground undetonated.
"Oh," Sakura noted with rising dread. "Crap." She turned and leapt across the branches to get away.
Another of the bandits, this one a dark-skinned man with his hair hidden behind rolls of cloth, stepped forward, drawing a curved blade, its edge encrusted with sand and a length of chain running from its hilt. He swung it and a wave of chakra carried the sand with it.
Sakura turned to eye if the bandits were pursuing, only for the chakra to detonate in front of her. She yelped as the sand blinded her and she found herself awkwardly balancing on a branch. That's when the cold iron links of the chain wrapped themselves around her leg, which was pulled away from under her, sending her crashing to the forest floor.
Meanwhile, Naruto and Sasuke continued their uncontrolled descend, both clinging onto the box while trying not to have the horse or the bandit roll over them. With a thump, the panicked animal was brought to a halt by two trees, the rolling bandit in turn being halted by its stomach. Utterly dazed, he remained prone as several of his comrades ran by to stop the runaway stolen treasure. Just as the edge of the river ravine approached, the box slammed into a boulder, splintering it totally. Sasuke saw a bundle fly out into the air, as he let go of the now useless handle. Hammering his heel into the ground, surges of chakra running through it, he managed to bring himself and Naruto to a halt at the edge. He reached out to catch the descending treasure with his right arm, finding that his left had been pinned to the ground by his still dizzy companion.
The treasure landed in his palm.
He had but a moment to acknowledge the solid gold statue, before the sudden weight of about sixty kilos worth of very valuable metal dragged him down, pulling him into the ravine with a yell of shock. Naruto barely managed to register the rapidly changing circumstances, before he felt a powerful tuck in his right arm, pulling him screaming over the edge.
Several of the bandits halted at the edge of the ravine, as the two genins' screams were cut off by the splash of them hitting the river.
...
A dull throbbing pain pounded away at Sakura's skull. She tried remembering what had happened. She was up in the trees and then... Everything had gone wrong. She had fallen. And she had blacked out slamming her head against the ground. Slowly, she began opening her eyes, all while internally praying to the Sage of Six Paths that she hadn't gotten a concussion. Or worse.
Her emerald eyes fully opened and she stared up at Jako. Her training kicked in and she tried to jump up, only for her to realise her legs and arms were tied together with a gooey substance.
"No use, lil' girl," Jako informed her with a smirk. "Ain't gonna get out of my webbing. It's infused with enough chakra to hold back a pack of wild horses."
The pink-haired ninja managed to turn her head enough to confirm his comment. The thick, blue mass that encapsulated her hands and legs only gave slightly every time she tried to break free.
Jako turned around to the fireworks bandit and the one who had brought Sakura down. "Kiyonubo, Aref. Good work. Now let's see if the others got the rest of those blasted trouble makers."
The rest of the gang carefully made their way back up on the road, gently pulling along the terrified horse and very dizzy gang member.
"Well?" the bandit leader sharply inquired.
"They, uh, fell into the river," the muscular thief said.
"And the treasure?"
"It, uh, went with them."
Jako uttered a select couple of curses as he kicked a nearby tree.
"Well, maybe they'd be willing to trade for their comrade," Kiyonubo suggested. "They must be Konoha ninjas, it's the only place the Daimyo's sister could have gotten any from at such short notice. They tend to be loyal to one another."
"If they survived the fall," Aref added. "They might have broken their necks on the rocks. Or drowned."
"Right," Jako muttered and turned to the rest. "Alright, all of you, split up and search the river. That includes you too, Shigesuke."
"Got it, Jako," the brawny bandit replied.
"I want you to be quick about it too. This place will be swarming with ninjas, samurai and whatever else they got before long," the bandit leader continued. "Meanwhile, I'll continue ahead and set up camp at Gure Canyon. It's just around the bent, so I doubt any of you could fucking miss it." He paused. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Get to it."
The bandits responded with confirmations and quickly spread out.
"If you're that concerned, maybe you should just forget about the treasure and get out," Sakura remarked.
Jako turned to her and smirked. "Oh no, little girl. That's not my style at all. To give up on my catch," he commented, crouching down to better see eye to eye with her. "Once I've caught something, I'm going to hang on to it. What's the point of the hunt if I don't get to keep my prize?"
"Your prize? It belongs to Lady Chiki," the pink-haired ninja argued. "You know, the woman you took it from."
"And if gazelles could talk, they'd bitch and moan about the lions eating their young," Jako replied. "That's just how the world works. If you want something, you know, really want something, you gotta take it. Or what?" He smirked. "Is a ninja gonna tell me off for stealing now?"
Sakura scoffed, but didn't reply.
"That's what I thought. Don't think for a second you're any different from me, lil' girl. We just hunt different prey is all." He got back up and turned to the two others. "Get her loaded up on the horse so we can move out already."
...
Sasuke Uchiha was in a foul mood. He was sore, he was wet and he had no idea where he was. Between falling into the river and then falling down a waterfall shortly thereafter, all while being weighed down by the gold statue and Naruto, he had earned several scrapes, bruises and minor wounds, with both his arms feeling ready to pop out of their sockets. And now, after he finally managed to drag himself out of the water and up on the rocky coast, the reason behind part of his misery became painfully evident. He had suspected the blond ninja of clinging to him and had been ready to punch him for it, but even the raven-haired ninja had to admit that it wasn't Naruto's fault. For a thick wad of blue slime had encased respectively their left and right hands and tied them together.
"Ehm... Wha...?" Naruto dizzily inquired, before coughing up some water. "What's going on?"
"Everything going wrong. As usual," Sasuke grumbled, as he tried to cut the sludge with his kunai.
Naruto stared at the slime. "Wait, what's up with that?"
"It's Jako. He must have hit us with that slime we saw him use," the Uchiha ninja replied, his tone frustrated. "Naraka, it must be woven with chakra. I can't make a single cut in it."
"So we're tied together?" the blond jinchuuriki asked. "Man, that sucks. Did we get the treasure?"
"Yes, we got that obscenely obnoxious thing," came the reply, as Sasuke pointed to the statue. It was in the form of a smiling teddy bear holding a fish. "It's made of pure gold I think. Heavy as an ox."
Naruto looked around. "Where's Sakura?"
"Dunno. If we're lucky, she got the signal off and she's with Kakashi. If not, bandits propably got to her." Sasuke attempted to cut into the slime with his katana, his face tensing up with frustration.
Naruto paused, absorbing the information.
"Six Paths," Sasuke swore, as he sheathed his weapon. "This is impossible. And I don't suppose your jinchuuriki powers include a way of getting us out of this?"
"Well, I did break Haku's mirrors," the blond replied, poking the gooey substance. "But I don't know how to do that at will, so... Yeah."
"Of course you don't," Sasuke groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And this is why you should have said yes to that training, but no, Sage forbid you actually be useful for once."
"Hey, I'm plenty useful," Naruto argued. "We got that treasure, didn't we?"
"Yes, I did," the Uchiha replied. "So now I've got two dead weights to worry about." He lifted the glued arm for emphasis.
"Hey, if anything, you're dead weight to me," the jinchuuriki angrily replied. "I've done plenty of good around the village. What have you done, exactly? Trained?"
"Recently? Helped pull your dumb ass out of getting murdered by puppets," Sasuke retorted.
"I'd have handled it. Oh, and I helped protect the village from Sabiru. Who almost managed to slip a plan to destroy our village right by your clan," the blond continued, poking a finger at Sasuke's chest.
The Uchiha went silent, as he bristled with barely contained anger, before he scoffed, seemingly deflating a bit.
The two stood on the rocky coast for a moment, the only sound being the roaring of the nearby waterfall.
"It was more dumb luck than anything else," Sasuke said, looking away. "But you are right. You did do that." His free hand clenched tightly. "My clan... It's falling apart. Magika is doing what she can, but she's only barely qualified for the post. Everybody above her rank was... Slaughtered. So now everyone's looking to me to fix that." He held up his trapped arm, staring at it angrily. "Yet here I am, glued to the village idiot, who's also now doing my clan's work in his spare time, with no idea where Kakashi is, no idea what happened to Sakura, all while having to lug around this useless piece of vanity decoration. It's just amazing, isn't it?"
"Hey, it's alright," Naruto tried. "I think you'll be a good leader."
"And what makes you say that?"
"You like ordering people around, I guess."
Sasuke stared for a long while. He sighed, closing his eyes and commenting: "What I really hate about you right now is that you're actually making me feel better despite what you said being utter nonsense." He took a deep breath. "Alright, we need to make a plan."
"We gotta find Sakura," Naruto insisted. "See if she's okay."
"And if she's taken by the bandits?"
"Then we free her."
"I knew you'd say something like that," Sasuke remarked, rolling his eyes. "Listen, idiot, first we need to find Kakashi. At least we know where he'll be."
"And what if Sakura gets hurt while we're meeting up with him?" Naruto challenged.
"Then she'd be hurt either way, because we're in no condition to help," the raven-haired Uchiha replied sharply. "We're glued together. I'll barely be able to do anything while attached to you. Or did that slip your mind?"
"Look, we'll figure something out," the blond insisted. "You know what Kakashi said. Those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."
"Sure, and when those bandits run us through, then what?" Sasuke asked.
"We won't die, believe it," Naruto insisted. "We've managed to get this far, haven't we?"
"That's not even an argument. You're just saying things."
"Hey, you're not exactly being helpful either. Why do I have to come up with a plan for saving Sakura on my own?"
"Sage help me," Sasuke growled, gritting his teeth. "I just told you, we should seek out Kakashi. We have no clue where Jako's men are or even if they managed to get Sakura at all. How dense are you?"
"If there's even a chance that Sakura is in danger, I'm gonna save her," Naruto declared. "That's how we do things in Konoha."
"Just... Stop talking for once," the Uchiha heir groaned. "Okay, tell you what. We're not going anywhere without helping each other. So if you can get us the info we need to save Sakura, I'll agree to your dumb plan. But if you can't think of a way to get that, we go get Kakashi. Deal?"
"Fine. I'll figure something out. You'll see." The blond tried to fold his arms, only to be stopped by the rubbery substance. "This stuff is getting annoying."
"I'd say it became annoying the moment I got dragged into a rock up river," Sasuke commented.
"And you're sure you can't cut it?" the blond inquired.
"It's infused with chakra. We'd need something more than sharp tools." He sighed. "We'd need a member of the Hyuga clan."
"Maybe we just need something more powerful. Like..." Naruto eyed the gold statue. "Like that."
"Are you being... Why am I even asking you, of course you're being serious," the Uchiha ninja sighed, as Naruto awkwardly grabbed the heavy thing.
"Okay... Okay... Here we... Here we go," he groaned, before dropping it.
The gold statue hit the slime with enough force to pull the two genin together, causing them to crash into one another, as the treasure fell to the ground with a clonk.
"Ah, my forehead," Sasuke winced. "Great. Any more dumb ideas you'd like to get out of your system?"
"It could have worked," Naruto argued.
"It was never going to work and anyone with a functional brain would have noticed." He sighed in annoyance. "If you're quite done making things worse, I say we go find Kakashi."
"Hey, you said if I could come up with some way to get the info we need, we'd go save Sakura," the blond challenged him.
"I did. So what have you got?"
"I, uhm, hang on, give me a minute."
"We don't have all day."
"I know that," Naruto fired back. "It's just, ugh, I kinda have to, you know, pee." He paused. "It's really distracting."
Sasuke stared. "Of course you do," he commented with resignation. "Fine, let's get it over with."
"I think I see some trees down there," the jinchuuriki noted and pointed. "And some bushes."
"Just piss in the river. You're not seriously afraid someone's gonna see you?" the Uchiha asked in disbelief.
"What, no," the blond replied. "I mean, I am, but not like as in I'm embarrassed or anything. See, what if it's the bandits who see us? We'd be caught with my pants down. Literally."
Sasuke mulled it over. "That is... Actually a good point," he conceded. "Hiding while vulnerable does make sense." There was a brief moment of quiet. "That might be the most ninja idea you've had yet and it's about you peeing. This mission is ridiculous." With some effort, he lifted up the gold statue and deposited it in his backpack. "Let us go then."
The two followed along the river to a small grove of trees that had managed to take root in the rocky soil. Rather awkwardly, Naruto began fiddling with his pants with his free hand. He paused halfway through, eyeing Sasuke. "You're not going to peek, are you?"
The raven-haired ninja stared back.
"I'll... Just take that as a no then."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, returning his gaze to watching the area.
"Okay, there we go," the blond noted as he finally undid his pants and began pulling them down.
"Wait," the Uchiha ninja quietly said. "Do you... Hear that?"
They both stood still, straining their ears.
There was a slowly increasing sound of rustling leaves and snapping branches, as something or someone was moving through the thicket.
"Blasted ninjas," Shigesuke grumbled as he walked out through the bushes next to the two. "Where could they be?"
He paused and looked downriver, away from the two genin, hand held up to shadow his eyes. "Nope, can't see them. Must have gotten washed all the way down to the lake."
He turned around and halted.
Sasuke and Naruto stared back.
A pregnant pause filled the air.
The blond began rapidly fiddling with his pants.
"THERE YOU ARE!" the bandit yelled, loosening the chain wrapped around his body, swinging it at the two with the same motion.
Sasuke and Naruto immediately began running in the opposite direction, as the metal weight on the chain splintered the rocks they had stood on.
Naruto used his available hand to hold up his still loose pants. He looked over his shoulder. "He's swinging again."
"COME BACK HERE!" the brawny bandit demanded as he pursued them, bringing his weapon down once more.
"Left!" the raven-haired shinobi called and the two unsteadily evaded to the side.
Shigesuke did not hesitate, immediately pulling the chain into another swing. "STAND STILL!"
"CRAP!" Naruto yelled.
"DODGE!" Sasuke ordered.
This time however, the two dodged in different directions. The were both brought to a halt by the slime, only for the weighted chain to impact against the stretched material with fearsome force, instantly pulling the two together, slamming them against each other again. "Naraka, my head," Sasuke swore. "The other way, you idiot."
"How was I supposed to know? I can't read your stupid mind," the blond fired back as he kicked his pants off. "That does it. I'll fight this goon in my underwear if I have to."
Shigesuke snorted as he spun the chain in a wide, horizontal arc.
The two Konoha genin ducked as it passed over them.
"Can't you, I dunno, spit fire at him or something useful!?" Naruto quickly asked.
"I only have one hand free," Sasuke frustratedly fired back.
The bandit swung again with conviction and the two dodged to the side.
"We can't keep evading," the young Uchiha commented. "We need to take the battle to him. He's got reach and power though. He could easily take our heads off with a swing of that thing."
"Could we use the glue to catch it?" Naruto pondered.
"It's not sticky anymore, obviously. But..." The raven-haired ninja paused. "Actually, you might on to something."
"Wrap it?" the blond asked with a smirk.
"Wrap it."
The two charged towards the thug.
He responded with another downward swing with his hefty weapon.
The two genin sped up, stretching the rubbery substance. The weighted end of the chain crashed down behind them and the metal links briefly lay across the gooey material. At that moment, Sasuke and Naruto exchanged places by leaping over the chain, wrapping the glue-like substance around it tightly.
Realising the predicament, Shigesuke grabbed the chain tightly and tried to pull it out.
The blond and raven-haired ninjas jumped in the air as the thug did so, and were pulled towards him through the air. They extended their legs, their feet slamming into the guy's face.
Shigesuke's arms wind-milled as he fell over backwards, landing with a hard thud. By the time he was on the ground, Sasuke had pulled his katana out, holding the sharp end up against his throat, while Naruto threateningly held his tekkan high. The bandit paused, before letting go of the chain.
"That's better," the Uchiha scion noted. "Now tell us, did your group take our companion hostage?"
"The pink-haired one?" Shigesuke asked. "Yeah, Jako's got her. You better be ready to hand over the gold if you want her back."
"And where is Jako?"
"He'll be waiting for you at Gure Canyon."
Naruto eyed Sasuke's backpack. "Well, it is only gold. I'm sure..."
"Not a chance," the raven-haired Uchiha noted. "We are not handing over the gold to the bandits."
"What? Are you crazy? It's not worth Sakura's life."
"The moment our village took the mission, the higher-ups decided it was worth risking our lives over," Sasuke sharply replied.
The jinchuuriki opened his mouth to protest, but found himself unable to come up with a good counter-argument. He shook his head. "If we can't hand them the gold, we still need to save Sakura."
"Her best bet is us getting Kakashi. As I told you before."
"You also said that if I could get the info we needed, you'd help me. Well, we have the info now."
The Uchiha shinobi stared. "That was a coincidence," he groaned. "I asked you to come up with a plan."
"And I did. I planned on peeing and we found what we needed. So there." The blond stuck his tongue out at his teammate.
Sasuke glared, before sharply inhaling. "Alright then." He pressed the katana against the bandit's throat, just enough so that he could feel it. "What capabilities do your comrades have?"
"You think I'll betray Jako like that?" the thug asked. "No way. Nuh-uh. I'm not saying anything." He tried to fold his arms defiantly, only to realise the two ninjas were in the way.
"Don't make this harder for yourself," Sasuke warned him. "I'm a ninja. I have ways to make people talk."
"Do your worst."
"I'd rather do my best, really." Sasuke slowly began moving the blade, lettings its sharp edge slowly dig into the guy's skin.
"Wow, wow, hold on," Naruto interrupted. "We're not really going to torture him, are we?"
The Uchiha scion glared. "Do you have to make everything difficult? How else would you get the info we need?"
"I mean, that's true, but... Still..."
"Would you start acting like a ninja? If the enemy has useful information that we need, then we have to use whatever methods we have at hand to collect it. I can't forcefully extract it from his head and neither can you as far as I know. So the only way we avoid marching blindly into a camp full of hostile bandits is by making him talk."
"I know that," Naruto sharply replied. "It's just... Look, how long would it take?"
"Depends."
"Yeah, exactly. We don't have all day, that's what you said. Sakura is in trouble right now."
The Uchiha paused, as he weighed the options of going in blindly, going for Kakashi, getting the info and having to deal with Naruto. He sighed. "Fine. On your insistence, we will make saving her our one and only immediate priority. Let's at least tie this guy up for now so we don't risk him ambushing us."
...
Jako stared into the campfire, impatiently flipping a coin between his fingers. On the other side sat Kiyonubo who was pouring gunpowder into the shell of a rocket. Around them was the majestic Gure Canyon, its rocky sides composed primarily of alabaster. Growing along the sides were thick, snaking trees, their writhing trunks clinging to the sides of the cliffs.
They were both shaken out of the respective thoughts by Aref approaching.
"Well?" Jako asked.
"Nothing yet," the man said, sitting down next to Kiyonubo. "If they survived, they've probably gone for reinforcements."
"If that's the case, they've probably handed in the statue," Jako speculated. "Well, ain't that just fucking great."
Aref eyed Sakura, who was slung over one of the gang's horses. "What about her? We could demand the statue for her safe return."
"No. If we start making things personal with Konohagakure, we're likely to get their best on our tail," the fireworker noted. "We might have to cut our losses."
Jako got up and kicked a nearby rock, sending it skipping across the ground. He folded his arms, eyeing the dense woodland in the distance. "Let's see what the others have to say when..." He spun on the spot, firing a line of thick slime from his wrist, catching the dai-shuriken that had been sailing towards him through the air. He pulled to the side, sending the large projectile clattering across the stones. "Clever little sneaks, aren't 'cha?" he asked, looking up at one of the massive plants that covered the nearby cliffside. "But you'll have to do better to catch me by surprise."
"That was just a warning shot," Sasuke said, stepping out from the winding trunk he had hidden behind. "Now hand over our friend."
"Yeah. Scum like you don't stand a chance against a pair of real ninjas," Naruto declared with bravado, stepping out from the other side.
Sakura stared at the two with wide eyes and allowed herself to sigh in relief. With how often the bandits had aired the possibility of them drowning, she had started to worry it had actually been the case. She looked around, wondering where Kakashi was hiding, figuring the two must had gone to inform him.
"So, you wish to negotiate, eh?" the gang-leader inquired amused.
"Yeah. It's very simple," the blond continued. "You let our friend go and we won't kick your ass."
"Interesting terms," the bandit remarked. "Kiyonubo?"
"On it," the man replied, aiming the lit rocket.
Sparks spurted from the end as it launched, flying towards the two genin.
"Naraka," Sasuke sighed annoyed, as the deadly projectile rapidly approached. They leapt together to the side, as the firework exploded against their previous location.
Aref drew his blade with one hand and held up the attached chain with the other. "Looks like you managed to hit them earlier."
Jako eyed the two genin as they landed on a nearby tree. "Good. I prefer my prey all wrapped up and ready to go. Now get them!"
"Okay, he didn't surrender," Naruto remarked, as him and his companion found their footing on the massive branch. "Now what?"
"We'll have to take them down one by one," Sasuke remarked, drawing his katana as he eyed the two bandits rushing in. "Try to keep up."
"Hah, Right back atcha," the blond said, drawing his tekkan.
"You're the one who has to fight with your off hand."
"Gives you a sporting chance."
Kiyonubo drew his own chain, an extra thick weight at the end covered in paper strips. With a practised swing, he send it flying towards the two.
Sasuke eyed the thing, noting the paper stuck to the metal. "LEFT!"
The jinchuuriki didn't hesitate, immediately moving in the direction his companion had given.
The moment the weight hit, the papers lit up and detonated, taking out a chunk of the tree with it. With one hand, the fireworker pulled the chain back, even as he pulled more paper out of his pocket.
Aref darted past his companion, already swinging his own chain as the two genin landed on the ground. It wrapped around the gel binding them, allowing him to pull and force them to stumble closer. He brought his blade in for a swing, but Sasuke managed to deflect it with his katana. Meanwhile, Naruto fumbled with the chain, trying to undo it.
Aref stepped back and swung it again, forcing Sasuke to step back. However, as he did, a blast of chakra splashed the Uchiha's face with sand, blinding him. He reached up, trying to clear his eyes, as the bandit moved in to cut him down. As he brought the blade down, Naruto stepped forward, having dropped his tekkan in favour of his jitte. The curved sword met the small tool and Naruto pushed forward, locking his opponent's weapon.
Meanwhile, capable of seeing again, Sasuke pushed forward to run their enemy through. Aref adjusted the chain, managing to hold it up to block the incoming blade.
The raven-haired genin responded by shifting his grip and pushing forward, trying to angle it to stab into his opponent, forcing Aref to back off.
As the thug pulled back, Naruto jammed his jitte in between the curled chain, and with a flick of his wrist, loosened it enough to allow the two boys to slip out.
Kiyonubo noticed the other bandit backing off and swung his own chain again, freshly loaded with explosive tags.
"Left or right?" Naruto rapidly asked as the weapon descended.
"Forward," Sasuke demanded and charged, the blond following suit, as the weapon explosively impacted against the spot behind them.
Aref saw them moving towards his ally and swung his blade, sending another blast of sand at them.
Naruto noted the incoming danger and held up his right arm, using the thick glue as a shield, which the sand splashed against harmlessly.
Meanwhile, Sasuke held his katana up to strike, as they closed in on Kiyonubo, who was still reeling in his chain.
The fireworker reached into his pockets and hurled several bundles onto the ground, which exploded into puffs of smoke.
The Uchiha scion brought down his blade, only to slice through the now empty cloud of smoke, his opponent having dropped his chain and made his getaway. He looked around, only to feel himself suddenly being pulled to the side by his attached companion, as several wads of chakra-infused slime flew through the area.
"My, you're a spry couple of anklebiters, arentcha?" Jako taunted as he approached, his wrists bulging with pressurized goo. "No wonder you managed to avoid my crew. But the hunt ends here." He fired another salvo, forcing the two genin to move backwards to not be glued to the spot.
Meanwhile, Aref raised his blade while approaching from one side, as Kiyonubo grabbed his chain and flanked the two from the other.
Sasuke and Naruto looked from side to side as the three bandits surrounded them, their backs up against the cliff.
"Now don't worry," Jako commented with an unpleasant smile. He unleashed another string of slime, aiming above the two. The genin looked up, realising with dawning horror that he had aimed for a precariously balanced boulder. "The gold will be worth just as much paper flat." With a pull, he loosened the rock, sending it falling towards the two.
There was a flash of light accompanied by a sound not unlike screeching birds.
With a thunderous noise, the boulder cracked, raining down around the two surprised genin.
And then Kakashi landed in front of them. "Sorry about your rock," he said. "But trust me, I'm having enough problems with those two without you hitting them over the head with a big stone."
"Kakashi!" Naruto exclaimed happily. "You came."
"Yes. I was actually waiting for you to signal me, but then I asked myself, where would you all be if you made all the worst possible choices?" their sensei remarked. "And here we are."
On the horse, realisation set in for Sakura. She sighed and gritted her teeth. Images of pummelling her two teammates with a log manifested in her mind and she felt part of herself intensely cheering the idea on. For once, she found herself actually agreeing with that part of herself.
"Hm, guess I shouldn't be surprised they'd have sent somebody out to babysit these younglings," Jako remarked. "Well, all the same, if you don't hand us back our catch, me and my crew will have to cut you down."
Kakashi's single eye slowly scanned the three bandits. "If I had a ryo for every time someone had told me that, I'd probably be able to buy the Land of Fire." Suddenly, he set off, charging straight towards Kiyonubo.
The fireworker grabbed another handful of smoke pellets and smashed them into the ground to cover his movement, vanishing in the puff.
Kakashi halted for a second as the smoke engulfed him, taking a deep breath, his sensitive nose picking up the guy's scent and he darted towards it.
Kiyonubo half-turned as he exited the cloud, only to see the cyclopean shinobi's approaching knuckles. The first hit sent him almost spinning, the next was a gutshot from Kakashi's other hand. As he bent over in pain, the silver-haired ninja's foot slammed against the side of his head, sending him spinning in the air before crashing against the rocky ground completely dazed. Then Kakashi turned to face the others.
Jako blinked. Then he scowled and charged, Aref moving in behind him. However, the latter was stopped by Naruto and Sasuke blocking his path. He gripped his blade tightly in response and moved in, smoothly swinging the curved weapon.
The two responded with their own weapons, but quickly found themselves on the defensive, as Aref gracefully flowed from one slash into another, never once relenting.
Naruto tried to get a strike from his tekkan in, but between having to use his off-hand and Aref's greater experience, he found himself unable to do much but fend the guy off.
Sasuke found himself in a similar position. Despite outnumbering their opponent, their glued together condition and relative inexperience meant that they were constantly losing ground. The Uchiha scion scowled and focused on Aref's incoming strikes. He felt the pressure build up in his eyes as he tried to will his sharingan into activating. Slowly, each swing became clearer to him, each blow more predictable than the last. He began striking back more and more, deflecting attacks as they were made, disrupting the relentless string of strikes. Slowly, the battle became a standstill. And then they began pushing, forcing Aref back as he became unable to keep up his attacks.
Seeing his teammate, Naruto got an idea. He waited until the exact moment Sasuke interrupted one of the bandit's attacks. And then he struck.
With a slam, the tekkan impacted against the raider's shin, causing him to stumble. Aref tried to counter-attack, but Sasuke interfered the moment he tried to raise his blade, allowing Naruto to hit him over the head. The bandit winced in pain, blood gushing down his forehead, his vision blurring from the liquid.
Naruto swung again, smacking the guy's right hand, forcing him to drop his blade. He followed up with a strike at his shoulder, causing him to drop the chain. A final blow to the chest knocked Aref to the ground, gasping in pain.
"See," Naruto breathed out, holding up his weapon. "Just as good."
"My katana could have ended that in one strike if I hadn't been busy keeping us alive," Sasuke remarked.
"Ah, you're always complaining." The blond turned his head. "Let's help Kakashi take this scumbag down."
"On that, we can agree."
Jako, for his part, was trying to get a shot in at Kakashi. The keyword was trying. The cyclopean ninja approached fighting the bandit leader with defence in mind, rapidly repositioning and redirecting blows to minimize any chance Jako had of hitting him with his slime. The gang leader had already fired several shots trying to get at Kakashi, but had failed to hit him so far.
As they continued to trade blows, he noted the two incoming genin, realising that the odds were rapidly turning against him. Eyes darting between his enemies, he figured his best chance was to stop the two genin dead in their tracks. He swung his right arm out, ready to blast them.
But this was the opportunity Kakashi had been waiting for. He quickly knocked Jako's left hand away with a swing of his arm and let his other hand impact against the bandit's midsetion. As he did, he focused his chakra, sending a powerful burst of electricity up through his arm. There was a zap and Jako was launched backwards, landing on the ground with a thud.
"There we go," Kakashi noted and turned to his two students. "Thanks for distracting him."
"Heh, no problem," Naruto replied. "You showed up just in time."
"It's what I do. I'm just happy you're all safe and sound," their sensei warmly replied. He transfixed Naruto with a hard glare and continued in a colder tone: "Of course, once we're done here we're going to have a talk about your irresponsible actions and what I'll have to do to you because of them." Switching back, he continued with: "But really, I'm happy."
"Eh... Ah... Thanks," the blond tried.
"Told you we should go get him, but no, you had to go save the world as per usual," Sasuke groaned, rolling his eyes.
There was a scuffling sound and Kakashi turned around, as Jako forced himself up on all fours. "Had enough yet?"
"I've had enough of you if that's what you mean," the bandit hoarsely replied. "Gotta admit, you lot are a regular pain in my ass. But I'll have my prize yet, humans."
Naruto blinked. "Wait, humans?"
Jako smiled predatorily and opened his eyes wide, now two black, bulging orbs. He lifted an arm, which split into two as he brought them down again. His jaws broke open and stretched, forming into pedipalps, as his other limbs also began dividing. His clothing melted away, making way for thick plates of hairy exoskeleton. His hindquarters began bloating into a huge abdomen, as several more eyes sprouted on his head, which retracted into and merged with his thorax.
"Oh," the blond noted, staring with horror. "He's a spider."
"And here I was wondering about that little trick of yours," Kakashi remarked, drawing his tanto. "But I guess it's only natural one of your kind would be good at weaving."
"This hunt will end now," Jako informed them in a rasping voice. "I will suck you dry and then I will have my gold." He bent his legs and launched his huge bulk forward towards the group.
Kakashi dodged to one side as the two genin went the other, right before Jako slammed down on the ground.
The massive arachnid turned to face Kakashi, raising his fangs, before spraying several strands of his gooey, blue webbing from them.
The silver-haired ninja jumped back to avoid being caught, pulling up his headband with on hand to let his sharingan see. Jako advanced, launching thick ropes of elastic glue to ensnare his opponent, who agilely backed away, the ground becoming a sticky minefield.
Noting that his opponent was getting backed up against the wall, the huge spider launched himself forward, ready to impale Kakashi on his fangs.
The jonin back-flipped out of the way, gracefully attaching himself to the alabaster walls.
Hissing angrily, Jako followed up the cliffside, swinging his front limbs to catch his prey in-between more bursts of webbing.
Down on the ground, Naruto and Sasuke observed, as their squad leader was hounded up the cliffside.
"Man, what do we do?" the blond asked. "Can you hit Jako with your daishuriken or something?"
"Could try. Landed somewhere over there I think," the Uchiha scion remarked and looked. "Of course, he already saw it coming once. No guarantee he won't just evade it again. But maybe it will distract him long enough for Kakashi-Sensei."
"Distract him? Hmm." A puckish grin spread on Naruto's face as an idea formed. "Say Sasuke. What say you we give him the gold he wants so badly?"
"What are you talking about, you..." He paused, as Naruto plucked the elastic webbing connecting them. "Huh. That might actually work."
Up on the cliff, Kakashi kept backing up the vertical surface, as Jako relentlessly pursued him. "Keep dodging. You'll tire before I do," the arachnid warned him. "When you see your students in the afterlife, tell them the smart thing to do would have been to give me my fucking gold."
"Sorry, I don't take lesson plans from people trying to eat me," Kakashi replied. "Personal policy."
"Laugh it off, monkey. But your dry bones will be hanging from my web tonight. I will..." the spider continued, only to be cut off by a yell of: "HEY, JAKO!" The spider paused, then tried to adjust himself so he could see the source of the sound. And had he had the capacity, the sight would have caused his eyes to widen.
Using a rock, Naruto and Sasuke had created an improvised slingshot by tightly pulling the webbing against it. And on top of the rock was the golden statue. "HERE'S YOUR GOLD!" the blond yelled, as he and Sasuke slipped the webbing over the edge. The elastic material snapped forward, catching the golden statue and launching it forward at great speed. Sixty kilos of gold flew through the air as a shining projectile, impacting directly into the arachnid's thorax, smashing him into the stone wall. He emitted a hoarse cry of pain, his grip on the rock wall loosening, his great bulk leaning backwards.
Kakashi surged forward, his hand ablaze with electricity. His fist connected with the underside of Jako, knocking him completely off the rock wall, launching the two into a freefall. And then the great arachnid crashed into the ground as Kakashi's electric blow intensified, using the gravity of the fall to bore it through the thick exoskeleton. Jako howled as lightning surged through his body, his legs twitching wildly.
The silver-haired jonin pulled his now slimy hand from the spider and adjusted his headband to cover his eye. "I think you've had your fill for today," he remarked, as he leapt down from the unconscious arachnid. "Now then, good job improvising, you two. We'll make ninjas out of you yet." He paused. "If you don't manage to get yourself killed first with all the stupid moves you pull. Now where's Sakura?"
Sasuke pointed at the bandit's camping spot, where the pink-haired genin was still slung over the slightly spooked horse.
The trio approached the bound girl.
"Hey, you okay?" Naruto asked her.
"Yes. I'm quite fine. Fortunately, Jako and his gang were... Hospitable, I suppose." She paused. "I mean, I think I'm losing circulation, but I'll be fine. And I'm so happy to see you two okay." She paused, as the smile on her face slowly twisted into a scowl, her skin reddening slightly. "AND WHEN I GET OUT OF THIS STUPID WEBBING, I'M GOING TO PICK ONE OF YOU UP AND BEAT UP THE OTHER WITH HIM! WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING ATTACKING JAKO'S GANG LIKE THAT?! YOU TWO COULD HAVE GOTTEN US ALL KILLED, YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOTS! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? DO YOU THINK THIS IS A GAME?!"
"Ehm... It's... Uhm..." Naruto tried, backing away from the angrily ranting Sakura. "We... Uhm..."
"We did the best we could," Sasuke offered.
"THE BEST YOU COULD WOULD HAVE BEEN TO GET KAKASHI!"
"Which I told Naruto."
"AND YET HERE WE ARE! WHY DO YOU LET HIM DRAG YOU INTO THESE STUPID IDEAS?! YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS HE IS! WE SHOULD HAVE FALLEN BACK, BUT NO, YOU TWO JUST HAD TO SHOW OFF WHAT A COUPLE OF AWESOME NINJAS YOU ARE! I'LL BEAT YOU BOTH UP WITH A SHINOBI CODEX UNTIL I CAN GET SOME SENSE THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS!"
"Ah, the sound of camaraderie," Kakashi sighed wistfully, as Sakura continued furiously ranting.
...
The defeated gang members had been tied up and left to be collected by specialists. Much of Jako's gang remained unaccounted for and Konoha ninjas would be sweeping the area for them. Even if it wasn't part of the job, the village was loathe to have criminals running around, especially ones who just lost their gang and might be feeling desperate. So with business taken care off, Kakashi had elected to return to the meadow where they had originally planned the mission, now needing to carry Sakura due to her indisposed state.
"There we go," the cyclopean shinobi said, as he put the pink-haired genin down, leaning her back against a boulder so she'd have an easier time not tipping over. "How do you feel?"
"Like a bag of bricks," she replied annoyed.
"Ah yes, I've been there myself. Having to be lugged back home by teammates," Kakashi replied. "Don't care much for it, to be honest. Now then." He turned towards his other two students. "How do you feel the mission went?"
"Awesomely," Naruto immediately replied, eliciting an annoyed sigh from his Uchiha teammate. "We got the statue, we took down the villain and we're all okay."
"Easy to please as always, Naruto," their sensei dryly remarked. "Sasuke, you look like you have an opinion too."
"I think there's several places where we could have done better. That Sakura got captured in the first place is a problem," he said. "Even if she is okay."
"Gee, you think?" the girl commented under her breath.
"Yes. I rather agree that the hostage situation makes this mission less, how did you put it, awesomely?" the silver-haired shinobi remarked. "So, let's start from the beginning. Can you explain to me in a way that does not make you both sound completely bereft of sensibility why your response to Jako's crew spotting you was charging in?"
"Well, uhm, they attacked us," Naruto tried, as Sasuke looked away with a huff.
Kakashi leaned his head against his hand. "Oh dear, looks like we're going back to basics. Now, I think Sakura said this both before and, much more loudly, after the mission, but I'll repeat it. Direct confrontation is last resort for a ninja."
Naruto forlornly scratched the back of his head. "Well... Yes... But..."
"Especially against an enemy you have no intel on. And that goes double when I explicitly make it clear that you are to have me there to apprehend the target," Kakashi continued calmly. "But if that is too much for you to wrap your head around, we can go back to having you all walk dogs and fish trash out of the river for, say, a couple of years. Should give you time to go over your school books again I think."
"What!? No, no, I'm sorry," the jinchuuriki quickly said, waving his hands. Or in the case of his entrapped hand, jiggling it and Sasuke's arm, much to the latter's annoyance. "Please don't do that. I didn't want to fight them, they just attacked us."
"Yes, I gathered as much. Sasuke, next one is for you," the team-leader continued. "Why did you choose to attack rather than, say, falling back to a secure position?"
The Uchiha scion sighed. "Because... We'd lose the element of surprise if we didn't strike immediately."
"Ah, yes, I see. The element of surprise is very important. I will even be fair and say that in some operations, the moment the enemy realises your presence might very well be your last chance. Now, was this the case here? Would there be no more opportunities to take them down?"
"I... No, there would have been more," he admitted, looking away. "A group like them would be easy to track."
"Exactly. I even said as much before we split up. So when you two knuckleheads decided to attack, you risked the entire mission and your team. Unnecessarily, I might add," Kakashi continued. "We're lucky that the worst Sakura had to go through was the indignity of being lugged around like a sack of rice. No offence."
"None taken," the pink-haired girl grumbled.
"That is not necessarily always the case. You'll meet some foul people in this career, trust me," the cyclopean ninja continued. "You don't want to give them hostages. Now, moving on. After that fiasco, you managed to get away. You then decided to attack Jako and his men on your own. Why?"
"I told Naruto we should get you, but as usual, the idiot insisted on doing things the dumbest way," Sasuke immediately declared, earning a harrumph from the blond.
"So Naruto's an idiot, eh? And that makes you, what, a completely sensible and rational person who just so happens to follow an idiot?" Kakashi pointedly asked.
The Uchiha scion paused, looking very uncertain.
"You agreed to Naruto's plan, even though you knew it was wrong. I'll give him credit, he probably really believed he did the right thing. But you knew better and went along with it. Now what does that make you?"
Sasuke was silent for a long time. Then he sighed and hung his head. "A bigger idiot," he mumbled.
"Took the words right out of my mouth. Now then, Naruto, Sasuke was right in telling you to go get me. Why didn't you?"
"Well, Sakura is our teammate. We had to save her no matter what," the blond insisted. "That's why Sasuke went along with it. He also wanted to help her."
Kakashi eyed the pink-haired girl. She was trying very hard to keep the grumpy look, but the corners of her mouth were trying to curl into a thankful smile at the announcement. "Well, you listened to part of what I said. Good on you. And I commend you for caring. But helping your teammates means going about it smartly. In this case, getting my help. You're lucky I managed to figure out just how much trouble you were all in, or I'd have had to extract your flattened bodies from under that boulder."
"I... No, you're right," the blond sighed. "I wanted to help her so much I didn't think much about how to do it. I'm... I'm sorry."
"We... Made mistakes," Sasuke managed to painfully admit. "We will endeavour not to repeat them."
"Good. Because if you do, you'll most likely die," Kakashi cheerfully agreed. "Still, I cannot overlook what you did. As I said, there has to be consequences. Luckily, the Sage smiles on us today. I think having you two being tied together for a few days is exactly the punishment you need."
"What? Are you serious?" Sasuke angrily asked. "I'm gonna be tied to him for days?"
"Well, I could arrange to have it cut, but in that case..." He steepled his fingers, his glare turning steely and his voice cold as a glacier's heart. "I'll have to come up with a different punishment. And if I have to put in that much effort, I might as well go the extra mile."
"I'll take being tied up," Naruto quickly said. "Please."
"See. You're already making better decisions," their teacher noted happily. "I'm so glad this is turning into an educational experience." He reached into his backpack and fished out the golden statue. Its front was slight flattened from the impact it had suffered. "As for this, I'll tell them it was Jako's fault. Technically true anyway. Besides, if anyone can afford to have this fixed, it's the daimyo's family. Now, let's get home. I need to get someone to unwrap poor Sakura before she can turn in for the night."
...
The four earned more than one curious look as they returned to Konohagekure, but they were hardly the first ninjas to return marked by their mission. As the sun was touching down on the horizon, setting the skies ablaze with twilight, they agreed to pick up their pay the next day and split up, in so far as they were able to.
"I really look forward to being able to walk again," Sakura complained, as Kakashi carried her through the town. "I guess you'll be taking me to the Hyuga Compound then?"
"That was the plan," her sensei agreed. "So, what do you think of the mission?"
The pink-haired girl leaned her head back and groaned. "Those two are way too eager to prove themselves."
"I agree. Though enthusiasm is nice." Kakashi looked thoughtful. "Certainly, I know Azuma has complained about his students occasionally lacking that. But as Lord Third said, every teacher faces their own problems." His single visible eye returned to her. "So, anything on your mind?"
She paused. "Jako said something," she remarked. "That I had no right to criticise him for his theft, since we ninjas are no better. I mean, I guess he's not wrong. We do steal. Spy on people." She was quiet for a while. "Kill too. But..." She went silent, a look of frustration on her face.
"Let me guess. You're wondering if he's right?" the jonin inquired. "Some tough questions you guys keep giving me. I guess it's a matter of perspective."
"And what's yours, Kakashi-Sensei?"
"We ninjas of Konoha may lie, trick, steal and yes, even kill as part of what we do. But while some might argue that our methods are wrong, and I've certainly met my fair share of samurai who'd call us cowards by default, I like to think that we strive to only take worthy missions. We'd never hurt people just for money. For example, Gato would never have been able to hire us to kill Tazuna. It goes against what we stand for. It goes against everything the Sage of Six Paths and his sons have taught us. So no, I think we're far better than some bandit who preys on others out of greed." He shrugged. "But that's just my opinion. In the end, you'll have to figure out for yourself what you think. If you want to be a better ninja than he implied, you need to find out what that means to you."
The pink-haired genin was quiet. "What if... What if the village asked me to perform a mission that goes against what I believe is right?"
"Go rogue," Kakashi replied without hesitation.
"Sensei!"
"I'm serious. If I was chosen to perform a duty I found abhorrent, I'd like to think it's because the village has lost its way and not because I have too high standards." He leaned his head to the side contemplatively. "Mind you, I don't expect it to ever be an issue. You'd be able to talk it out with Lord Third if you have problems. And hopefully the next Hokage will be just as sensible. Ah, but listen to me ramble. We're here."
The Hyuga Compound was a massive series of wooden buildings, separated from the rest of the town by a great, white wall. Kakashi gently placed his student on the ground before ringing a bell by the massive front gates.
Seconds later, a slot in the gate opened and a man with pale white eyes looked out. "State your business."
"Kakashi Hatake. One of my students got tied up with chakra-enhanced material and I'd like somebody to cut it," the cyclopean shinobi informed him, as he picked Sakura back up.
The man behind the gate focused on the two, the veins around his eyes briefly bulging visibly against his skin. "Confirmed," he said as he unlocked the gate. "You may enter. Ko will be available to assist you in the training yard to the left. Finish your business and leave."
"Thanks for the hospitality," Kakashi remarked as he entered.
Sakura turned her head around to watch the compound. It consisted of beautifully built wooden houses with artfully shaped roofs, surrounded by gravel yards full of majestic plants. "I've never been here before," she admitted. "But Dad has occasionally delivered orders here and he always said it was beautiful. Too beautiful to hide away."
"Yes, but that's the Hyugas for you. Mind you, the Uchihas aren't much better," Kakashi noted. "Honestly, it's why I prefer the way the Akamichis handle things. No big imposing walls to tell everyone to stay away." He entered an open building and followed a hallway, the walls covered with masterfully woven tapestries.
Up ahead was an open lot, the earthen ground bare and several training dummies set up in the distance. In the middle of it, two people were talking. One was a short-haired fair-skinned man in a black kimono. The other was an older woman, with long, black hair running down her back. Both had the characteristic white eyes of the Hyuga.
"...could even be a spy for all we know," the woman sternly informed the man.
"I'm sure that her sensei has carefully vetted her," the man suggested.
"Not only that, but this deviates her even further from her proper training. It's your job to take care of her when her father is busy elsewhere."
"Only when she's not with her team. That was the agreement."
"Then perhaps that agreement needs to be altered before she disgraces herself further." With those words, the woman turned around and stomped off.
The man sighed and turned, noting the presence of the two outsiders. "Ah, Kakashi. What brings you here?"
"My student got wrapped up during the mission. Chakra enhanced webbing," the cyclopean jonin explained.
"I see. Hold her still a moment." Ko hooked his finger under the webbing on her legs and focused. With one swift move, he ripped it open, allowing Kakashi to set her down. He asked her to turn around and did the same for the webbing binding her hands. He paused, as the pink-haired girl tugged at the webbing still attached to her. "The chakra has been disrupted. It will decay in a few hours."
"I see. Thanks... Ko, was it?" Sakura tried.
The man nodded in response, then turned to Kakashi. "By the way, Kurenai Yuhi is one of your colleagues right?"
"Yes. She's currently training her first team," the man remarked. "Why?"
Ko rubbed the back of his neck. "Maybe you can pass a message on to her. It's regarding her training. Some of the elders are... Less than pleased with how she goes about it."
"This is about Hinata, isn't it?"
"Well... Yes. There's concerns that she has begun deviating too much from the Hyuga style and that... It is setting a bad precedent."
"If that is so much of a concern, why didn't you guys train her instead?" Kakashi dryly inquired in a tone indicating that he already knew the answer.
Ko looked uncomfortable. "Well, since Lady Hinata showed low aptitude for the proper utilization of the byakugan, it..."
"Was decided to pawn her off to someone else so your teachers could focus on students they actually had hopes for," the silver-haired jonin finished.
"That's a very rude and unnecessarily hostile way to put it, Kakashi," Ko admonished him. "It merely seemed better to get her a teacher that was more appropriate for her skills."
"So you guys don't want to teach her the proper way because she's not good at it and you're mad that someone else is teaching her some other way after you handed her over to said person to be trained," Kakashi said, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry, I won't be able to take your message until you start making sense."
"Ah, forget it," Ko hissed annoyed. "Just... Lady Hinata is still the current heir. She is supposed to embody the strengths of the Hyuga clan. But this training, it's... Too different according to the elders."
"And what do you think?" Kakashi pointedly asked.
Ko was silent, then he sighed. "It matters not," he replied. "I just don't want Lady Hinata to get into trouble. Tell Kurenai to be careful, okay?" Then he walked off.
Kakashi paused then turned around, Sakura following. "Can they really be that mad at Hinata for getting stronger?" she asked.
"To the Hyuga elders, there's a right way and a wrong way. They'd rather have Hinata stay weak the right way than strong the wrong way," Kakashi informed her.
"But that makes no sense."
"You'll find that to some people, making sense is not the greatest priority."
...
Teuchi and Ayame stared at the two genin, the former with concern, the latter with great amusement.
"So," the brunette began. "You two finally tied the knot?"
"Ha ha," Naruto replied. "We're just stuck for now, Sis. Kakashi says its our punishment for screwing up on the mission."
Teuchi sighed. "What happened?"
"Some less than tactically sound decisions were made," Sasuke said. "Now can we move on?"
"Sure thing. You two must be hungry," Ayame noted, leading them into the dining room. "Being out all day hunting, what was it today, bandits?"
"Yep. And I'm starving," Naruto declared, as he and Sasuke sat down.
"So what would you two want?" Teuchi inquired. "We've got some pork ramen left over from the dinner customers."
"Sounds fine to me. I'd like egg and shiitake in mine," the blond said.
"Same," the Uchiha added.
"Okay. Coming right up."
As her father left the room, Ayame asked with a teasing grin: "Soooo... You two are gonna have to share a bed, huh?"
"Yes. My bed. Which is very spacious," Sasuke curtly informed her.
"Yeah, that was the deal we made. We eat here and sleep at his place," Naruto agreed.
"Oh, a big bed is a good choice. Lots of room to play around in," she replied with a smirk. She was unsure which of the two were trying harder to glare a hole through her.
"Should just have eaten at my place," the raven-haired ninja mumbled, rolling his eyes.
"What? No way, Ichiraku makes the best food," Naruto stated defensively. "No way your place can even compare."
"Are you doubting the quality of our cooks?"
"Not at all. But there's good and then there's Ichiraku good."
Sasuke stared annoyed. "I'm not even going to bother to argue."
"Dad, sounds like our house guest is not convinced of your skills," Ayame called.
"He's not the first Uchiha I've had to convert," he called back.
Ayame looked back to Sasuke. She noted him looking away from the table, a melancholic expression on his face. "Hey, you okay?"
"What?" the raven-haired genin replied, ripped out of his memories. "Oh, yes." He coughed. "Just... Lost in thoughts for a moment. It's nothing."
The brunette paused. "Hey, if it ever gets lonely up in that compound, you're always welcome to drop by. We'll always be open for Naruto's friends."
"Yeah. You should join us occasionally once we're free again," Naruto insisted. "You'll see Pops makes the best food ever. Believe it."
"That won't... May not be necessary," Sasuke replied. He was quiet for a moment. "But thanks for the offer."
"Here we go. Two bowls of ramen for a pair of hungry ninjas," Teuchi said as he entered the room and put down the massive bowls.
"Oh boy, this looks fantastic," Naruto said, before eagerly digging in with his chopsticks.
"Glad to hear it." Teuchi expectantly turned to Sasuke, as the Uchiha scion sampled it. "Well?"
There was a pause. "I must admit, you do make better ramen than my clan's chefs," he finally said. "No doubt because you specialise a lot more. Our cooks have to master dozens of dishes for the clan."
"Ha, high praise from an Uchiha," Teuchi said pleased.
"But there's a thought," Ayame commented, rubbing her chin. "Perhaps we should expand a bit outside ramen."
"Like what?"
"Dunno. Just a vague idea."
"Hmm, well, I'll lend an ear if you come up with anything. But ramen is really what we do best here," he said, folding his arms.
"Sure. Maybe some side-dishes or something?"
The two pondered the possibilities, as the bound genin continued consuming the delicious food.
